elle & laine

October is the perfect time to visit the Queen of the Gulf! Established in 1911, the Grand Galvez offers rich history merged with luxury on Galveston Island Seawall.

Driving into Galveston, turning onto Seawall Blvd and catching the first glimpse of the ocean welcoming us away from the city of Houston. The grander of the Pink hotel by the sea is a beautiful site.

Taking advantage of the long fall break, we chose the Grand Galvez for its luxury beachfront accommodations and air of mystery with the Century-Old-Property Known as the “Most Haunted Hotel”. Walking into the hotel we were met with vintage grander. From the mosaic tile entryway, to the speakeasy style bar with giant red crystal chandelier, and the grand staircase leading to the second floor.

Tropical fabric lined hallway walls lead the way to our room.

While the room was nice, we found the vintage nature of the hotel structure to offer smaller accommodations. The hotel is under renovation and our room had not been refurbished yet, so I’d be interested to see changes once the renovation is complete.

The view from our room was great overlooking the front drive, pool, and of course that beachfront!

Just a short walk across the street we were toes in the sand and had access to Murdochs, which we call the buc-ee’s of the sea, and Pleasure Pier! Murdochs offers a giant selection of shells, t-shirts, coastal home decor, souvenirs, beachwear and toys, and of course snacks and drinks including a daiquiri hut!

Driving away from the Seawall, into downtown Galveston, is the historic Strand. The Strand offers shopping, dining, museums, entertainment, accommodations and nightlife.

Next stop, the Harbor, where we toured the 1877 Tall Ship Elissa and boarded the Seagull II for a harbor tour and dolphin watch.

Wrapping up our trip with another day at the beach!

No ghosts were spotted during our stay but we had fun keeping an eye out. The Grand Galvez is a must stay if visiting Galveston island!

So tempted to bust out the Christmas decor! Usually I move from Halloween to Christmas without much pause. This year we’re trying to slow down and be present in this season of Thankfulness.

I transformed our Halloween mantel to a Thanksgiving mantel with just a few small changes.

Before:

After:

“Life starts all over again when it gets crisp in the Fall.” – F. Scott Fitzgerald

Happy Fall Y’all!

Mommy Old Fashioned!

3-4 dashes of aromatic bitters

2 shots of Bulleit 95 Rye whiskey

1 tsp simple syrup

Pop open the kids mandarin orange cup with 100% juice 😊…pour a tablespoon of juice in, and add a few mandarin oranges.

Stir it up…add “big ice” (giant square or ball of ice from those super fancy ice molds at the addictive kitchen stores!

Enjoy!

Four months and who knows how many hours of labor…our Magnolia inspired playhouse is finally done! The idea to attempt building a playhouse came when husband brought home a truckload of discarded wood pallets. While our intention was to repurpose these pallets, we found limited sturdy pieces that we incorporated where possible.

First up was the footprint and framing. We did not have a blueprint other than a sketch husband put together.

Here’s our handyman!

It’s HOT in Texas so we vented the walls by spacing the boards about and inch and a half apart to keep air moving (I stashed a fan in there as well). Also, the roof is a plastic type material and not tin as it may appear.

Putting the walls up was a two person job and that’s when I was recruited to help build this little house. I had no idea what I was getting into! #forthekids #onlylittleonce

With the addition of my go to Jo Jo paint color (alabaster white) and the deck this little house started to take shape.

The window frames needed a little pop of color so the gauntlet gray color was added, along with french gray floor inside the house.

Our last step was adding stain to the deck and we built a little shelf for storage inside the house. While this project took way longer than expected we can’t be happier with how it turned out.

Next phase of the project is a little landscaping, lighting, and accessory shopping! Stay tuned!

As we say goodbye 2017 and hello 2018 I like to focus on hopes for the new year. As always I immediately go to work life balance and hope for a more peaceful resolution then the year before. Since this seems to come up year after year it’s safe to say we’ve not figured out the ideal situation, but seem to at least maintain a reasonable amount of balance. It’s easy to get caught up in the crazy and miss out on the calm. We can find ourselves spinning out of control and not even notice the rest stop staring us in the face. “Count your blessings” is easier said than done. My hope is that we simply take more time to breathe and not miss the good already in place.

Pirates, pixies, and mermaids…This was the answer Laine gave to my question of what type of birthday party she wanted. Naturally Neverland came to mind, and the planning began.

I always start with a color palette. For this party I became a little obsessed with these adorable fairytale plates I found online and wanted to stay comporable to the color/style, but keep Neverland in mind as well. 

(Zulily, we heart pink fairytale scallop plate)

Candy pink, emerald green, and light blue balloons with gold curling ribbon topped off the mint green table covers.

Next came my favorite part, the party favors, which were felt pirate hats and glittery crowns, along with pirate loot (bubbles, necklaces, pencils, and gold coins) in white and gold spotted bags!

Cupcakes in simple chocolate or vanilla with white icing, topped with glitter star picks, and ice cream cups were just right for the mid afternoon party time.

Last but not least the invitation to get the word out! I decided to pull characters from the party plate I was obsessing over and place them in a map of Neverland, as well as use the classic image of Peterpan and friends flying off to the second star on the right! Gold washi tape was added for sparkle and off it went.

Here are a few more party pics.

This was one of the simplest parties I’ve put together. Sometimes less is more!

This morning hubby entertained the girls while I had some mommy time. Fall is just around the corner so I decided to take a trip to Hobby Lobby and grab some supplies. A quick trip to Starbucks for a flat white and off to hobby lobby for some high octane crafting.

First on the list was to find this sign I have been waiting to buy on sale and it was! I love Fall for all the warm colors, cooler weather (not like it gets that much cooler in the Fall in Texas, but it’s not 100 degrees!), football season and we can’t leave out the PSL (pumpkin spice latte).

Then for the fall wreath I decided on a yarn wrapped wreath with little felt flowers. Here is a peek at the completed wrapped wreath and the felt that will soon be flowers.

Check back soon for the completed project!

Can you imagine what I thought at first glance of this in a dark attic? Ha! I about fell down the ladder thinking a duck had taken up residence in my back to school spirit wreath!

It’s back to school and time to pump the kids up by showing school spirit! Since Elle started school I have tried to show school spirit by making a spirit wreath, decorating with school color streamers and balloons, buying the school shirts, etc. I feel like it helps build morale, gets her excited about school, and lets her know that I am interested in what she is up to. Show a little school spirit this year and watch their smiles grow!