Solving a Design Dilemma!

August 7, 2017 in Home / Uncategorized

We’ve lived in our house for about 7 months now & I still have so much decorating to do! I’m not willing to settle this time around though. I won’t buy a dining room table until I find the perfect one at a great price and this mentality goes for all my design choices in the entire house. My husband on the other hand wants to just solve the problem at hand & doesn’t care if his solution is aesthetically pleasing…

Our latest design dilemma in the Michele household has been making our front door more private. Currently we feel like the entire neighborhood can see right in to our house day or night & we were searching for a convenient solution & I was searching for one that would go with the farmhouse style I am incorporating throughout the whole house.

Here are some before pictures of our front door/entry way:

As you can see, you can see right in to the house! Doesn’t matter if it’s night or day. At night when we’re hanging out downstairs with the lights on inside, it’s even worse! I just knew I had to put my design thinking cap on because I was not willing to compromise on the design of the interior of my house! The simplest & most affordable option I came up with was to mount a curtain rod above the front door & use two large curtain panels to cover the whole door. I was able to find both the curtain rod & the panels at my local Hobby Lobby. The curtains were half off & I used the 40% off one item coupon on the curtain rod, making the whole purchase about $48! Here are some pictures after we installed it!

Nitro loved the sunshine coming through the front doors but it would blind us coming in & hitting the light colored wood floor! Now with the curtains we can choose when we want to have the sunshine come in & when we would like a little bit more privacy! And in my book, this is a win in the design department!

Buy Local!

June 18, 2017 in Family & Fun / Uncategorized

Another perk to moving back to Muskegon, MI is their amazing farmers market in the downtown area. This was our second time heading down to the Muskegon Farmers Market, located at 242 W. Western Avenue. The last time I went to the Muskegon Farmers Market it was in a different location & much, much smaller. Check out the Watch Muskegon website to see all the other amazing things going on in Muskegon, MI this summer & year round!

Being the wife of a veteran, I just love when I see American pride on display! It makes my heart smile!  There were so many stalls selling a variety of goodies. Honey, flowers, bread, fresh produce & even decorations for your garden!

Sophia loved smelling all the fragrant & sweet flowers. She even enjoyed a flavored honey stick, her favorite was the peach. She also brought home some delicious watermelon slices that she ate as soon as we walked in the door!

This year there was a great addition to the Muskegon Downtown area! Look at these adorable chalets selling all kinds of wares from clothing & baked goods to jewelry, home décor & dog treats!

One of our favorite little shops to stop in is Donna Jeanne’s Sweet Dreams Bakery! Each time we’ve gone, we’ve grabbed an Lake Michigan Apple-Cherry Fritter, which is amazing! An amazing homage to two of Michigan’s greatest fruits! This time we went to Donna Jeanne’s I decided to also get an Iced Lemonade Muffin. It was so delicious, sweet & sour like the perfect glass of lemonade with a sprinkling of sugar on top! It was soft & fluffy on the inside, such a satisfying mid-afternoon treat.

The hours are above for the Muskegon Western Market, it’s a great place to stop & grab something for yourself, a gift for someone & a treat while you’re shopping!

Check out the Watch Muskegon website to see all the other amazing things going on in Muskegon, MI this summer & year round!

Take Time to Unwind

June 4, 2017 in Family & Fun / Uncategorized

There is nothing that compares to the beauty and serenity of a sunset over Lake Michigan, especially at the beginning of summer!  We had been waiting and waiting for these summer days to arrive since moving back to Michigan in October of 2016.

We had been living in Houston, Texas for about 2 1/2 years before starting our journey back to my hometown of Muskegon, Michigan.  We are so happy to be back to family, friends and the familiarity of the lakeshore!

We took a timeout from our usual hustle & bustle of the work week to catch a Friday night sunset at Pere Marquette Beach in Muskegon, MI and I am so glad we did because I was able to snap some great photos of my daughter, Sophia, and our fur baby, Nitro!

There are so many amazing things to do in Muskegon, MI and visiting the local beaches is at the top of my list! This was our first sunset of the season, but it definitely will not be our last. It was quite obvious that Sophia loved the sand & water, even though it was freezing!

Next time we head down for a sunset we’ll get there a little earlier so Sophia can make a sandcastle & splash in the waves some more. If you’re ever visiting the area, take time to catch a beautiful Lake Michigan sunset, you will not regret it!

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