The Latest Additions to the O'Brien Clan

One of my very close friends, Liz, gave birth to her twin girls this past Saturday! I met her when I started working at MLive over a year and a half ago, and we have been the best of friends ever since. She is truly a great friend, and I am so thankful for her. She and her husband, Dave, have an amazing 2 year old son, Aidan. I still remember when he first learned to walk and was truly upset about his hands being covered in cake at his first birthday. Now he is a big brother and he is going to take such good care of his little sisters.

Meet Ainsley Quinn and Reagan Elizabeth

I have not had the pleasure of meeting them yet, but I am waiting on pins and needles. 

These ladies are going to be beyond spoiled! 

Please take a second to enjoy the cuteness, because I know I do! This little family is truly blessed and so am I to have them as a part of my life. 

Nicci's Bachelorette Party

So, this past weekend, my friend Nicci had her bachelorette party here in good ole' Grand Rapids. Nicci and I have been friends since we were Sophomores/Juniors High School, which I shamefully admit was 9 years ago. OUCH! Back to the point, she is getting MARRIED! We all met up at the Courtyard Marriott to engage in some drunken, bachelorette debauchery.

We had a BLAST and I definitely had more than my fair share of wine and champagne. Fortunately Sunday  didn't call for too much of a recovery day because of my secret weapons. What are those weapons, you ask? Chia seeds and coconut water! I take a tablespoon of chia seeds with water before I drink any alcohol. They keep you hydrated because they hold onto moisture. Then coconut water the next day because it is full of so many vitamins and minerals. I am not saying I felt 100% the next day, but I was completely functional, which I definitely wouldn't have been otherwise. 

We had to play at least one penis game! 

Emily and I at Mojo's Dueling Piano Bar

Jess got a little fresh at dinner. 

Needless to say, we had an amazing time, and I absolutely cannot wait for Nicci's wedding!! 

My Murphy

I cannot believe I have had my little man for 8 weeks! He has more than doubled in size and personality. 

 Little man at 5 weeks! Such a little fur ball!

 Taking a little napski, which was a frequent occurrence as an 8 week old pup. I miss his extended naps!

Handsome muffin at 9 weeks!

'but momma, i wants to cuddle wif you. Don't put me in muh house'

Spent the day hanging out with my parents' labs up north at 11 weeks. The black lab is Hank and the chocolate lab is Zeke. I think they were happy to see the little tail biter leave.

Just chilling with Mom on a Sunday afternoon at 12 weeks. 'You crazy mom, you crazy'

It's a seal pup!

My cuddle buddy when I came down with the flu.
'I tink you would feel betters if you shared dose crackers'

Took a beautiful walk over the the Gerald R. Ford Museum. Mostly to wear him out, but he had a great time chasing leaving and trying to eat duck poop. Thanks to Audrey Lou for the thought of taking a family photo. I love my boys.

I am a crazy dog mom, so you can count on many posts like this one :)

A glimpse into my interior design addiction

As I previously stated, I am going to periodically posting my interior design projects because it is an extreme passion of mine. A few months ago, I moved into a downtown GR loft with my college roommate, Audrey. Let me just say, living with someone you previously lived with, harmoniously, is amazing! She has given me complete creative liberty with our interior decor, so here it goes!

Audrey Lou!

Any who, here are a couple of projects I have proudly accomplished so far. 

With as high as our ceilings are, I was able to fit this enormous framed photograph above our cabinets. It really draws the eye up toward the ceiling. Also with it being such a large space, I layered multiple pieces with different colors and patterns to give it some depth. I love that mine and Audrey's things coordinated so well!

With my Dad's help, we successfully built this headboard out of reclaimed barn wood we had laying around our property. I am absolutely in love with the contrast between it and my white bedding. I also purchased the Ralph Lauren throw pillows from Marshalls, and they add to the layered complexity! (this photo is from my old apartment,  but i loved the shot)

Here is the headboard in my new apartment, Even with the large scale of the headboard, the high ceilings make it look much smaller. I wanted to carry through the theme of rough sophistication, so I decided to cover multiple canvases in burlap and other patterns to fill in the blank space on my massive walls. 

I mixed patterns, shapes and sizes here and I am very happy with the end result. Obviously I ironed out the wrinkles in the burlap later. I just took the fabric and cut it to size, and attached it to the back of the wooden frame with a nail gun. Surprisingly, Murphy didn't even flinch at the loud, consistent pops of the nail gun. He's a stud.  

I absolutely love mason jars! So with the limited storage in our loft, I found this shelf (1 of 3 peices) and the matching coat rack to hang underneath. It makes for easy access to items we use everyday. Our loft is a handicapped unit so under the sink is open without a cabinet, so in an effort to keep things organized, I am coming up with creative ways to store things out in the open. 

Thanks for stopping by and there will be much more to come, so stay tuned!