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Today's post has nothing to do with DIY (nope, not a lick), but I thought maybe some of you might be able to relate to our worst date night ever. At least I hope we're not alone!

Eric and I love the band Fun. We saw them last summer at a tiny concert before they were crazy popular- it was awesome! This summer they were coming back to Philly, so months ago- the day they went on sale, we bought really good tickets. Saturday night was the big night! So here's how it all went down… 4:30pm leaving our house to head to Philly. Now, I never like to take Eric's car- it's 9 years old and kind of a beater. But, since it was a date night and I know he really likes to take his car because it's economical, I decided to be a good wife and suggested we take it. Wife of the year, I know right!
5:00pm arrive at Chipotle for dinner We enjoyed an awesome dinner- do you know that I went to Chipotle for this first time ever a month ago?!? I'm a pretty picky eater, so I never was too interested in it. BUT… I stinkin' love it! Anyhow, we ate really fast and were headed back to the car in about 20 minutes.

5:20pm Beater car has a dead battery and won't start! Are you kidding me? The one time I agreed to take the beater. Ugh. We called a tow service and had the car jumped within 30 mins. Okay, not too bad, we still have tons of time before the concert started at 7:30pm.

6:30pm Arrive in Philly and are super excited for the concert We were so thankful for a smooth drive into the city and we were getting excited about hearing the opening band Tegan and Sara. We had to get off this exit and then go 1 mile to the Mann Center.

6:30pm-9:05pm We Sat and Sat and Sat In 95 minutes we moved 400 feet. Literally, my GPS told us we moved only 400 feet. We couldn't get out and walk because we were on Rt 76, there was no alternate route, and get this… it was 99 degrees outside and we couldn't use the air because of the dead battery. Can it get any better?? Oh wait it can, we thought we'd have our own mini car concert and popped in our FUN. cd… ERROR. Yup, randomly the CD player stopped working. It was Amazeballs!

9:05pm Turn around and head home. #DateNightFail After seeing via Instagram that Fun. was already playing and we had only moved 400 feet and had 1.2 miles to go we made the crappy decision to cut our losses and head home. We knew we wouldn't get there until around 10:30pm- three hours late and just in time to get back into traffic.
So, 100% certifiably, it was the worst date night ever. We got home around10:30pm and the only thing we'd accomplished was a fast food dinner and about 6 hours spent in a car without air conditioning. The thing is, five years ago in our marriage that kind of epic fail would have had both Eric and me completely annoyed and upset and most likely testy at each other. Thankfully, neither one of us was in a bad mood. We both kind of laughed it off, and felt like why get upset when we can't change it. I don't know if it's a sign of getting older and wiser, or being further along in our relationship (I promise you year 2 or 3 of our marriage I would have ripped him a new one about his crappy car- lol), but we were just happy to hang out together. (This blurry instagram pic was after 75 minutes of traffic and 99 degree heat, but we're still smiling)

I'd love to know if you've ever had an epic date night fail… Can you top our date night?? I should also mention the total cost for the night (not including the new battery we had to buy the next day) was like $350! Fun times I tell ya.
So, thanks for letting me share, we'll be back later this week with projects from our tiny kitchen makeover. Don't miss it- there are some awesome ones!!

PS- If you happen to be in the band FUN. or you have awesome connections, I'd be totally fine with you hooking us up with some kind of private concert or something. Just tossing it out there- never know who reads DIY blogs right?!?

Are you looking for the link party for your Creating with the Stars submission? Yay! We're thrilled to have you! Click here or use the button below to link up. Submissions are now open until February 21st. If you want to read more about the contest and all that it entails, click here.

======================================================================== So, I'm just going to go out on a limb and say that some of you are procrastinators like me. My hubs and I are celebrating Valentine's Day this weekend, but I still have no clue what we are going to do (and my hubs is not much of a planner, so I'm thinking it's kind of up to me!) So I went, looking for some fun and exciting date night ideas to celebrate all that love you've got going on with your special someone.
1. Progressive Dinner. Let me tell you that this is SO up my alley. I love to eat and I love to eat out, so this is a perfect combination. This one would be so much fun because you have a lot of time to chat, the night is a bit longer and you get such great variety! I already know where my hubs and I would choose to go:

2. Compete Against Each Other! This may not be everyone's cup of tea, but man, I love a good competition and so does my hubs. One of my favorite things to do is to go to Dave & Buster's and play all the games (I especially love the basketball games!). Whoever gets the most tickets, wins something of his/her choice. Or, if you don't have a huge arcade near you, try go-karting, bowling, tennis etc…something to get your heart pumping!
3. Play the Tourist I've lived in Bucks County almost all of of my life (minus the college years), and absolutely love it here, but I'm always amazed at what things I've never tried, shops I've never gone to and activities I've never done right in our area. Take some time to research different travel sites to see what you might be missing. Try a restaurant you've never tried before too!
4. Instagram It! I kind of love the idea of an instagram scavenger hunt, since, you know, I can't get enough of the whole IG thing. Make a list of fun activities/places and go to every single one and Instagram a selfie pic in front of whatever it is. You could totally customize the list to fit the two of you as a couple, but here are a few fun ones we thought of: -Favorite Restaurant -Best spot to see the skyline -Funniest sign in town -Best place to grab a drink -Favorite place to listen to music/read books -and my husband insists this one is awesome: take a pic with a farm animal in the background. So strange, people, so strange.; )

Once you've checked off everything on your list, reward your hubby with good ol' number 5…
5. Game of Love (Original OR Travel) I'm not going to go into tons of detail about this one (you can check out all the juicy details on how to play here), but trust me, this is one date night that will not be soon forgotten.

Want to give the travel version a try, even if you're not travelling? It's still super fun and easy to play!

Ok, now it's your time to spill. What's your favorite date night activity? We want to know!! Happy Valentine's Day! We sure do love that you take time to stop and read our nonsense everyday!

Can you believe it's Monday already? I (Monica) had an awesome weekend with lots of family time and a whole day with my BFF as well! Today we have a special guest that we're super excited about, but first let me tell you about an event you should attend tonight!

Jess and I will be at the Chick-Fil-A in Quakertown Monday night supporting an amazing cause. Our friends are starting a ministry called Worthwhile Wear and its mission to to stop human trafficking and free girls from the sex slave trade. We'll be sharing all about this ministry on the blog soon, but for now, we'd love for you to join us at Chick-Fil-A Monday night anywhere from 5-7pm. Just let the cashier know you'd like to support Worthwhile Wear and 15% of your sale will go to the ministry.
We'd love to see a whole bunch of EC2 readers come out!
Monday, September 17th 5-7pm
Chick-Fil-A Quakertown PA
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Now, onto our awesome guest for today. Erika is part of the Dating Divas team. We've been huge fans for ages… Before Jess and I even considered starting a blog, we visited theirs to get awesome date night ideas. If you haven't checked it out before, you really should. Being a married gal isn't always a cake walk and they have so many ideas that can help bring you and your hubs closer together. We're truly honored to have Erika here today! Take it away…
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I'm so excited to be here at East Coast Creative sharing a fun family idea with you. I found this amazing site while I was browsing Pinterest for a fun Valentines idea and came across their Game of Love. So much fun! After seeing that post, I was hooked. I'm Erika and I'm one of the gals visiting today from The Dating Divas. We are a group of gals sharing ideas to strengthen marriages. Each week we share creative date ideas, marriage tips, quick and easy romance ideas, and SO much more. Often times we have everything ready for you, all you have to do is print off the free printables and go on the date.

Today, let's talk about some HOT TOPICS!

Today I want to share with you a fun family idea Corie came up with. We all cherish the time we spend eating dinner with our family each night. It is a great opportunity to sit, eat, and talk with your kids and husband. One night a week, you pull out a box of"Hot Topics." Pass the box around and each person takes out several questions. As you eat dinner, ask each other these unusual, fun, or interesting questions. You'll never believe that dinner could be SO MUCH FUN. Pick a night to pull out the box each week, and soon you'll have a fun family tradition to look forward to each week. You'll need to add to the questions each month (to keep them going,) but I have included a list to get your family started! These 15 questions will be the perfect start to the"Hot Topics" discussion at your dinner table. Your"Hot Topic" box can be made out of anything you have in your house. It is super easy and can be pulled together in a matter of minutes. Let me show you how… To make your"Hot Topic" box…

1. Find a box.
2. Decorate the box with scrapbook paper.
3. Download the"Hot Topic" list and cut out each question and place in the box.

4. Bring your box to dinner and start passing out the questions. To download your list of"Hot Topics" head over to our site and print away. What family traditions does your family enjoy during dinner? Thanks again for having me!
-Erika

For my rookie post, I thought I’d stick with something I know and love… community. Community to me is all about relationships, REAL relationships… Remember how in college (yes, think way back) there was a group of friends that you always did fun stuff with on the weekends? Movies, Concerts, Cow Tipping (okay we tried it once just to say we had.)? Well, why do we so often assume that once we’re married and have kiddos, that we have to give up on regularly getting together with friends and we don’t make time for fun, non-kid activities? Don’t get me wrong, I love all the kid-friendly stuff we do with other families, but come on, how awesome does a night out with people you love, doing something out of the norm, and filled with adult conversation sound? To me it sounds heavenly and that’s why we started Group Dates a few years ago. Had Jess and I known we’d be blogging about it, we might have coined a trendier name, but for now - Group Date it is…

Group Date:

What? A once a month (ok maybe we’re slightly inconsistent, but once a month's the goal) couples date with friends.

Where? Anywhere! One couple is assigned to plan the date- the more fun and creative the better. Get us out of the suburban Applebee’s and a Movie routine!

The Real Housewives of Bucks County are going to help you start your own Group Dates (umm, so open to a cooler name for these.) Each month we’ll give you an idea for a new outing that you can invite your posse to. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking…

Rock it Out…

I recently took my daughter to a birthday party here, and while watching the kids climb like crazy and have a blast, we decided this would be a perfect group date! Our competetive group of men will love creating challenges and showing off, and the girls, well… we're just thankful we're already married before we allow our husbands to see us strapped into the completely unflattering waist harnesses. We think this is a great group date because it's active, it's throwback-to-your-childhood type fun, and it's super affordable.

Doylestown Rock Gym We also usually like to plan an activity and then follow it up with dinner so there's time to talk and see what's going on in eachother's lives. There are so many great restaurants in Doylestown, but for this date you'd want to choose something that's on the caual side. Our guys love Smokin' Lil's and its casual atmosphere would be perfect for some hungry mountain climbers!

Just a Taste…

For those with slightly more sophisticated tastes, a group wine tasting makes a great Group Date. There are so many vineyards in Bucks County that we'll do a future feature on all the places to visit, but we took our posse to Sand Castle Winery in December and had a fun time tasting, learning, and most likely making our host crazy with our lack of wine knowledge! We know a wine tasting isn't for everyone, but if it fits in with your group of friends, it can be a fun way to learn something new.

A wine tasting tour would better fill a whole evening- pick a few vineyards and visit them all. Choose the families with the coolest swagger wagons and pile in together. Remember, REAL community… it doesn't matter if there are old sippy cups, or crushed golfish in the seats. Real Housewives of BC's December Group Date

Don’t let yourself be convinced that you don’t have time, or this is just a kid phase of your life and you’ll spend time with friends later in life. Make a commitment to increasing community and fostering the relationships with the people God has put in your life. Get out there and plan a Group date!

What are some dates your friends would enjoy?

For my rookie post, I thought I’d stick with something I know and love… community. Community to me is all about relationships, REAL relationships… Remember how in college (yes, think way back) there was a group of friends that you always did fun stuff with on the weekends? Movies, Concerts, Cow Tipping (okay we tried it once just to say we had.)? Well, why do we so often assume that once we’re married and have kiddos, that we have to give up on regularly getting together with friends and we don’t make time for fun, non-kid activities? Don’t get me wrong, I love all the kid-friendly stuff we do with other families, but come on, how awesome does a night out with people you love, doing something out of the norm, and filled with adult conversation sound? To me it sounds heavenly and that’s why we started Group Dates a few years ago. Had Jess and I known we’d be blogging about it, we might have coined a trendier name, but for now - Group Date it is…

Group Date:

What? A once a month (ok maybe we’re slightly inconsistent, but once a month's the goal) couples date with friends.

Where? Anywhere! One couple is assigned to plan the date- the more fun and creative the better. Get us out of the suburban Applebee’s and a Movie routine!

The Real Housewives of Bucks County are going to help you start your own Group Dates (umm, so open to a cooler name for these.) Each month we’ll give you an idea for a new outing that you can invite your posse to. Here are just a few ideas to get you thinking…

Rock it Out…

I recently took my daughter to a birthday party here, and while watching the kids climb like crazy and have a blast, we decided this would be a perfect group date! Our competetive group of men will love creating challenges and showing off, and the girls, well… we're just thankful we're already married before we allow our husbands to see us strapped into the completely unflattering waist harnesses. We think this is a great group date because it's active, it's throwback-to-your-childhood type fun, and it's super affordable.

Doylestown Rock Gym We also usually like to plan an activity and then follow it up with dinner so there's time to talk and see what's going on in eachother's lives. There are so many great restaurants in Doylestown, but for this date you'd want to choose something that's on the caual side. Our guys love Smokin' Lil's and its casual atmosphere would be perfect for some hungry mountain climbers!

Just a Taste…

For those with slightly more sophisticated tastes, a group wine tasting makes a great Group Date. There are so many vineyards in Bucks County that we'll do a future feature on all the places to visit, but we took our posse to Sand Castle Winery in December and had a fun time tasting, learning, and most likely making our host crazy with our lack of wine knowledge! We know a wine tasting isn't for everyone, but if it fits in with your group of friends, it can be a fun way to learn something new.

A wine tasting tour would better fill a whole evening- pick a few vineyards and visit them all. Choose the families with the coolest swagger wagons and pile in together. Remember, REAL community… it doesn't matter if there are old sippy cups, or crushed golfish in the seats. Real Housewives of BC's December Group Date

Don’t let yourself be convinced that you don’t have time, or this is just a kid phase of your life and you’ll spend time with friends later in life. Make a commitment to increasing community and fostering the relationships with the people God has put in your life. Get out there and plan a Group date!

What are some dates your friends would enjoy?

This is a t-shirt that I actually own, made for me by one of our good friends. Not completely true, but still so funny.
My hubs says we're in a"passing phase". The kind where life is crazy trying to manage our jobs and home and raise two, well-adjusted kids. We often feel like we are two people who coexist, doing what needs to be done to make our children's lives happy and secure, but without connecting with each other. While we are totally in love with our kids, and soooo grateful for the blessings in our lives, we miss spending time with one another. I'm telling you all of this because we truly WANT to spend more time together, but we're realizing this is just one more thing we need to be intentional about. (Want to know more about my motto for the year: be intentional? See here, here and here.) Anyway, I'm sure you all can agree that building a strong marriage is, next to having a saving faith, the most important thing we can do for our families. So, I've been on a quest to find fun, cheap and easy date ideas to reconnect and just enjoy each other.

This idea is brilliant and such a fun gift idea for the hubs. Make 12 envelopes and fill them with a pre-paid date idea for that month. At the beginning of each month, sit down and plan a night for your date and you're set. This definitely requires a lot of planning, but once it's done, you have NO excuses not to go out on a date!

Source: shannonbrown.typepad.com via Jessica on Pinterest

The The Dating Divas are a group of women whose blog's sole goal is to provide all sorts of different date ideas. From Quick and Easy Romance Ideas, to Anniversary Ideas, to Date Nights Out on the Town, to Family Fun Nights, they've got it covered! I was impressed with how many fun, romantic and inexpensive dates they thought of.

Source: thedatingdivas.com via Janenifer on Pinterest

I found this fun list of unique date ideas on Pinterest. Some of them actually made me giggle just envisioning the hubs and me doing them (see numbers 3, 5 and 6), and others made me wish upon a star that they would happen in my lifetime (see number 8).

Source: 9gag.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

And finally, did you know that Groupon now offers special deals on getaways? I'm loving getting them in my inbox every week, and I actually convinced the hubs to book this one:

I'm so excited, but we still need to set a date. That's the tricky part, but we'll keep trying until we find one that works. And here's the pep talk for the day: Make sure you do whatever it takes to strengthen your marriage. It's worth it!
So, fill me in. What do you do to keep the spark alive?

I don't know about where you live, but here in PA, September was the most beautiful month ever! We had more perfect days than we could count! We just LOVE fall weather! We thought we'd look back over the month, because a whole lot of awesomeness was going on!
September's Instagram… As you can see, I'm really enjoying my time off from filming! Our days have been spent going on field trips, picnics at the lake, girl's night out, and of course puppies!! Follow along my day to day on IG @EastCoastCreative

Jess' September revolved around the new little man on the scene- Bennett. Her days off have been filled with lots of family time, a date night with her hubs, and celebrating that her rings fit again! lol. Follow her on IG @Jess_EC2blog

Okay, now let's see what went down on the blog…

Reader Survey We had so much fun reading through all your comments and input for EC2. Definitely check out the stats and see who reads this little old blog. (PS you'll also learn that men are afraid to admit they love reading blogs! )

We shared the inside scoop on many of our Knock It Off Projects: Stencil Wall, How to Remove Wallpaper, Dreary to Cheery, Outdoor Sectional,
If you've missed any episodes of our show… watch them here! Knock it Off: LiveWell Network

We were pretty excited that Silhouette offered to partner with us to give you guys a sweet deal on their cutting machines! Check out this post to get your Silhouette Discount

Perhaps the biggest accomplishment of this month… The Arrival of Baby Bennett! The little man made an early appearance and Jess and Kev are loving up every minute with him! He's totes adorbs people! Check out the adorable pics of Baby Bennett, And you MUST check out his awesome Nursery Reveal

We started a fun series called Right Now…What's Going on in Our World where I shared a behind the scenes peek at what's going on. And yes, it involves insane animal cuteness!! Check it out!

One of my favorite things this month was adding a New East Coast Creative Team Member! Diana is our new intern and she rocks socks!! Seriously, she is doing an amazing job, and it's been super good timing with Jess having the baby.

One majorly exciting milestone for us was having a nice, big feature of my piano in HGTV Mag. Check out the details: Painted Piano HGTV Magazine Feature, And if you want to see how I did it, check out our Painted Piano Project, and the Wood Shim Wall Art above it!

And if you didn't already know we are a tad crazy (well at least the Mangin family is), we went way, way outside the box with my How to Cut a Perfect Mohawk using Frog Tape post. He's still rockin' the 'hawk two months later!
So, all-in-all, I think September was pretty stinkin' swell! Oh, but lest you think otherwise, October just might have it beat!! Here's a peek at what you can expect… -Blog redesign & we're moving!! (to Wordpress that is!) -10,000 Facebook Fan Celebration Giveaway! -We're visiting Martha (umm, yeah THE MARTHA!) in NYC -A Playroom Makeover on a budget -Fall Decorating ideas for indoors and out!
As always, thanks for supporting EC2- we couldn't do it without you!

Well, we returned home from our Disney vacation on Saturday, so it's back to the grind here at our house. I just thought I'd share a little recap of our fabulous time together. There really is nothing quite like spending a whole week with the ones you love most, with no responsibilities to weigh you down. It's so rare, which is what makes it so sweet. Obviously, this is not a personal blog, so I won't go on and on about the trip, but I'll just say this: Disney World really is a magical place and I loved it just as much as the kids! (And just for the record, we travelled to Florida with my in-laws, and one of Kevin's brothers and his family, but you won't see any pictures of them here. I don't like to post pics of people without getting permission first, but it was so much fun being with them!)

My babies had such a blast and behaved so well, even on less sleep than normal!

Campbell dancing in front of the World of Disney store in Downtown Disney

We met lots of characters, but the princesses were Campbell's favorites. If you have a daughter, seeing their awestruck wonder is too precious to miss.

My fam in front of Mt. Everest in Animal Kingdom.

Just threw this one in because it's so cute. Cam didn't even know who Peter Pan was, but of course, she wanted his autograph and a picture with him. And does anyone else find it wierd that we now have all these pictures with"characters" who are real people, but who we don't know?

Hot days call for cool treats.

My main men with one of the army soldiers outside of Toy Story Mania in Hollywood Studios.

One of the highlights of our trip was my date night with my handsome man at Magic Kingdom. I love being with him.

My beautiful princess.

This is one happy child.

Too bad he won't remember this trip.

He became a champ at napping in the stroller.

If you're interested, you can see our Photopass pics here. If you have no clue what Disney's Photopass is, click here.

Just wanted to share the blog that I am most inspired by: The Lettered Cottage. I absolutely adore the way they've decorated their house and would love for my house to move in that direction, style-wise. Here's what I'm talking about:

These rooms are the same room! They recently redesigned their guest room (the first photo is the after photo, and the second two are the before photos), and guess what? I would take either one of those rooms and never leave.
Happy Monday! I hope you can find a little bit of magic throughout your day today!

*Due to some technical issues, Monica was unable to post her Mudroom Tour. Stay tuned tomorrow for the awesome rooms she has found!

Designed by Jones Design Company
Did you know that Fathers generally have as much or more impact as mothers do in the following areas of their daughters’ lives: achieving academic and career success (especially in math and science), creating a loving, trusting relationship with a man, dealing well with people in authority (especially men), being self-confident and self-reliant, being willing to try new things and to accept challenges, maintaining good mental health and expressing anger comfortably and appropriately (especially with men)? (Source: Dr. Linda Neilsen, Psychologist and Professor at Wake Forest University)
Most of you also know that a girl develops her idea of God and her faith by her experience with her father. Dr. Meeker, author of Strong Father, Strong Daughter: 10 Secrets Every Father Should Know, who has more than 20 years of experience working in Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, says this;
"If [a girl's] dad has not been trustworthy, she will have difficulty trusting God. So if a daughter sees a father who loves God, who turns to Him in times of need, she is more likely to do the same. Also, faith has been shown repeatedly to be a “protective” factor for girls. Research shows that girls who have faith in God stay away from sex, drugs, and alcohol, and are less likely to get pregnant."

All that to say that Kevin and I have realized the importance of developing a strong relationship between him and our daughter. A few years ago we attended a seminar at our church run by the Focus on the Family Institute that talked a lot about being intentional with scheduling quality family time. So, we decided to be more intentional about planning Daddy/Daughter dates. I can not tell you how much both Kevin and C1 love these times together. We are aiming for once a month, but it doesn't always happen that way. Just recently, on a Friday, Kevin told C1 he would be taking her out that night for a"daddy date". C1 was so excited she almost couldn't contain herself, and all day long she kept asking me if it was time for her date with Daddy. When Kevin finally got home from work, she was nearly bouncing off the walls.

These dates do not have to be anything elaborate, and this one certainly wasn't. He just took her to a local pet store, which she loves, so they could look at all the animals and play with a puppy.

Then, off they went to good ol' Mickey D's for some shamrock shakes and french fries (C1 LOVES mint). It was honestly a very cheap date, but it included stuff C1 really enjoys. And that's the goal isn't it? Building a strong, trusting relationship through shared experiences so that in later years, when C1 needs help or advice, she can go right to her Daddy.

Bonus: I got to spend some extra time with my little man, C2. It was a win-win for everyone! If you want to read a little more about this idea, check out this article from the Focus on the Family website.
It's never too early or too late to start investing in your kid's lives! What do you do to connect with the little people in your life?

Guess what??? I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year… for the 1st time ever! If you follow us on Pinterest, you might have noticed I went a little nutso on the Tgiving pins! This weekend life finally settled down a bit and we didn't have a ton going on (I even got to go on a double date Friday night! Sweet!). Saturday morning I was walking through my dining room, thinking about Thanksgiving and realized that I wanted to completely finish it BEFORE thanksgiving! (For those of you not quick with math, that was only 12 days away)
You might be thinking, Umm didn't you re-do your dining room on your first episode of The Nate Show? and you would be right! Jess did an awesome job on my room and it looked fabulous for the show! Remember this is what it looked like…

Well, here's the inside scoop… We still have builder-grade white paint on the walls (that alone makes me break out in hives! lol). When"shopping the house" some of the fabulous accessories Jess used weren't mine! Ha! I had borrowed some things from a friend, so they had to go back.

And brace yourself for this… we sold the Barnwood Artwork! GASP!! I know right? Well, you know how we have an etsy shop? One person contacted us and really didn't want us to make a custom piece, she wanted the one from the show. After some thinking and discussing, Jess and I decided to sell it, but I made her promise we'd make another one soon!

So now I was left with a once fabulous room, that now looks semi-empty and in need of some TLC. Now you have the back story, let's get onto my plans… I was struggling to decide what to do in the room and called my hubs in to look at some paint chips. He could tell I wasn't"feelin' it" and recommended that I take everything out of the room except for the table, buffet, and chairs. Once I had a"blank slate" the creative juices started flowing. Thanks hun!
Here's a little peek into my plans. Don't worry I'll post step by step (and it'll be fast. I only have 9 days before my family arrives!)…

1- I've wanted to use this wallpaper for over a year now. I'm finally taking the plunge. 2- This will be the primary wall color and it coordinates so well with the table stain 3- I love how Mandi created this look and I'll be doing something similar with open frames, but in a different color. (Really jazzed up about this idea!) 4- Yes, that's PVC pipe, and yes, I have a crazy idea to use it as a chair rail separating the paint and wallpaper. It could be an epic fail, or could work out just as I'm seeing it in my head. Can't wait! 5- I want to add little accents of turquoise throughout. I have buyers' regret about the chair fabric, but I'm determined to make it work!

Ok, that's all the peeking you get! I need to get to work painting my dining room! What do you think of my plans and are any of you tackling a big project before Thanksgiving? Do tell!

PS- Sorry to all the haters, but we're T-minus 4 days until Breaking Dawn!! I can't tell you how excited we are and yes, we'll be at the 12:01 showing on Thursday night with all our Gal Pals!

 I have been living in the dark ages. It may not seem like a big deal to you, but trust me when I say that blogging without a smartphone is not easy! So when AT&T wrote to us asking if we would be willing to try out their brand new HTC OneX smartphone to see how it could help simplify doing projects and blogging, I didn't even give Monica a chance to say yes. I jumped all over it so fast, she didn't know what happened (Sorry Mo!) I've been moaning and complaining that blogging without a smartphone is difficult because you can't connect with your readers on Facebook, Twitter or through emails unless you're physically at the computer, which for me doesn't happen often. I mean, who wants to sit at a computer all day instead of playing and interacting with their kids?! Not me. Anyway, let's just say that when I received this package in the mail, I literally jumped up and down, clapping. 

Not only did they send this awesome phone, they included a gift card to use for a project to demonstrate how much this phone can help you get things done. Ummmm, yes, count me in, please. I can't wait to show you what project I did tomorrow and how this phone helped me along the way! AT&T's mottos is"It's what you do with what we do", and I can't even tell you how much I've been doing with what they do. However, I'll be honest, I don't know much about smartphones or technology in general, so I'd never heard of the HTC OneX, but I figured that I would take anything over my old-school cell.

This phone far exceeded my expectations! It is so sleek, has a huge screen (4.7 inches) and is easy to use. The only problem I've had so far, is that when I'm texting, the phone autocorrects in Spanish, which is pretty darn funny. Just ask Monica. By far, my favorite feature of the phone is the camera- it's 8MP (same as the iphone) so the pictures are clear, even in low light (which happens all the time when you do all your projects at night). Here's the proof:

Of course, I've put the camera to good use documenting projects and showcasing amazing stuff we found at Clover Market.

I can't even tell you how valuable the camera is to me, though, because of the amazing pictures I can take of my kids at a moment's notice. I mean, seriously, I would-and probably will!- hang these on my walls.

The camera is just one feature of the many things I love about this phone. It takes HD video, my kids love watching Veggie Tales on youtube on the big screen, and the Beats audio is incredible. I'm telling you, this phone is no joke. And want to know something cool? AT&T gave us an extra HTC One X smartphone to give away to one of you!

Yay! That's right. All you need to do to enter is leave us a comment telling us how technology helps you get stuff done. For extra entries, like us on facebook and twitter.: ) a Rafflecopter giveaway  This giveaway will be open until Sunday, September 30th, so make sure you tell all your friends! The winner will be announced Monday, October 1st. And don't forget to come on back tomorrow for a tutorial on one of my most favorite projects I've done to date! -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- And don't forget that we're in the running to be the New Face of Proctor & Gamble Home! Please head over and vote for Monica. You can vote once a day, now through October 3rd. We SO APPRECIATE you taking the time to vote each day! 

Did you know we have some amazing sponsors that help make our little old blog possible? Yup, they're amazing and I (Monica) wanted to tell you why…
********************************* Stuff See that funky, fun header at the top of our blog? Well, that takes you to the website of one rockin' furniture and accessory store. One of our blog readers checked it out this month and thought it was pretty awesome too! With the holidays approaching, head over and get something fun for your house before company comes! (My personal favorites are the farm house tables and cool accent chairs)

RT. 309 | 927 Bethlehem Pike (3 Miles North of Montgomery Mall) Colmar, PA 18915 Tel: 215.716.3325Fax: 215.716.3431 Email: info@stuffcloseouts.comstuff Open Friday, Saturday & Sunday
********************************* Jet Upholstery So one DIY that I pretty much don't ever plan to attempt is reupholstering furniture. Way outta my league! Thankfully, I have Jet Upholstery right around the corner in Bucks County. Their work is amazing. Today, I hit a thrift store on the hunt for a cool chair to have Jet refinish for me! I'm still looking, but I know that when I find it, they're going to make it amazing! They also have an amazing selection of designer fabrics and can get just about anything you want. I just found this chair on Craigslist… and I've been drooling over this fabric…

So, give Jet Upholsty a call or check out their website. Go find an ugly chair for pennies and let them make it fabulous for you! JET Upholstery3102 Bedminster Road Bedminster, PA 18910 215-795-0881 215-220-3443 fax Store Hours: Mon-Thurs. 9-5 Friday 9-4 / Sat 9-12
********************************* Mandy Hajel, 31 Gifts

So, you probably know about 31 Gifts and how it's taking the world by storm. If not, stop right now and go check out Mandy's site. Really… GO! There are so many reasons to love 31… adorable fabric options, super cute bags, really fun parties, and it's a business that is based off of the Proverbs 31 woman. Rather than going on about the products, let me tell you a bit about Mandy (she's one of my bffs!). You see, Mandy and I used to teach English together… that is before she joined 31. She's been with the company for 1 year and in that time has made enough money to replace (and more) her teacher's salary, she's earned a family vacation to Disney World, a romantic trip for two to Mexico, a Dell laptop, an Ipad 2, a huge Best Buy giftcard, an XBox, and more. Do you think I earned all that as a teacher?? Umm, Nope. So, if you're looking to make a little side money before the holidays, give Mandy a call, she'll hook you up and teach you her secrets to success! Amanda Hajel Phone: (301) 791-3579 Email: hajelfamily@yahoo.com Website: http://www.mythirtyone.com/hajel/ ********************************* Blossom Bands So, what are your kids wearing for Thanksgiving and Christmas? Ok, maybe it's a tad early to know 100%, but you need to get thinking! The only thing you need to be sure of is to include a Blossom Band for your little ladies. I bought a Halloween one this month for Kira and she loved it! Bethany has tons of ready to sell items as well as custom pieces to match whatever outfits you're planning. You know how in decorating it's all in the details?? Well, a Blossom Band is the perfect detail to make your holiday outfits fabulous!

Bethany Lander Etsy: Bands Etsy Store Email: Bethany@BlossomBands.com Website: http://www.blossombands.com/
********************************* Jennifer Black, The Pampered Chef

If you read Jess' post on her amazing Apple dessert, then you know that we LOVE Pampered Chef products. Did you know that I only use stoneware to do all my cooking? Really, I have almost every stone they sell. It's definitely one of my favorite things. With thanksgiving coming, you should peruse their catalog and see what you need before cooking for the masses. I actually never buy something without hosting a party because the benefits are insane. I'm a huge fan of the catalog show because # 1- I don't have to find a date in my crazy schedule and # 2 Did I mention the amazing incentives and FREE products? So, call Jane, host a catalog party, and get a bunch of free stuff! Ok, even if you don't do the party thing, you must own at least one piece of stoneware and Jess recommends the apple corer slicer! Jennifer BlackPhone: (410) 952-1179
Email: Janeniferjblack@comcast.net
Website: http://www.pamperedchef.biz/jenniferblack
********************************* The Land of Nod I've loved Crate & Barrel forever (we actually registered there for our wedding) so of course I LOVE their sister store, The Land of Nod! You'll definitely want to check them out for holiday decor and Christmas presents.

Here is one Must Have item if you have elementary aged kids.

It's the BEST doodle book ever! Taro Gomi draws the coolest Japanese doodles to get your kiddos thinking. Each page usually has a picture and a prompting question. Ex: An empty plate and the question… The Queen's coming for dinner, what do we feed her? My kids ADORE this book and fought over the pages enough that I finally bought a few more! The Land of Nod has offered our readers FREE shipping on most Holiday Toys, so click the pic below to take advantage of it! LMK if you buy a fun doodle book!

*********************************

Did Jess and I mention that life has been a wee bit crazy lately? Each week we keep saying that"it should slow down next week", but so far it just keeps on being awesome and crazy! Dream Dinners has been a total savior in this area! The other night I was over and asked Jess what they were going to do for dinner (because I had nothing planned for my family) and she just pointed to an amazing looking Dream Dinner thawing and ready to pop in the oven. Even if you love to cook, it's so wonderful to have some DDs on hand for the unexpected busy day. Give Kris a call and bring your friends- it's so fun to make meals together!
Kris Petrich, Owner 309 at Advance Ln 262 Bethlehem Pike, Ste 101 Colmar, PA 18915 Tel: 215-822-4055 Email: 309advanceLNPA@dreamdinners.com Website: http://www.dreamdinners.com/
A BIG Thanks to all of our sponsors! Thanks for taking this crazy journey with us! Now, go show them some RHBC love!
If you have a business or a product that you think our readers would love, contact us to talk about becoming a blog sponsor. Thanks!

Nope, the link didn't accidentally take you to Heaven… you're just on our newly designed blog! Isn't it awesome? No streets of gold, but yellow stripes are sorta close! Since we're quickly approaching our one year blogiversary, we thought it was time to freshen up a bit. We contacted Kim from seven thirty three — - — custom blog design and she was just the gal for us.

We still wanted it to look like the RHBC blog we know and love, but to be a bit cleaner, less"hello huge yellow header that Monica doesn't know how to resize" and yet still reflect our style.

I think we achieved that don't you? Now, don't worry, we're not going to be like the awkward girl that gets a makeover, becomes beautiful and forgets who she really is… We'll still be keepin' it real, and hopefully bringing you tons of cool projects that you (and we) love!

In other BIG news… we finally got our air date for our final Nate Show episode!
Watch us on Nate February 21st
And just to get you excited about it… we have a behind the scenes clip that you can only see here! This was from night 2, and we just barely avoided disaster!

Pennlyn is lucky that #1 she's adorable and #2 she cost a fortune… if that stencil was ruined she would have been in big ole trouble! (and of course the stencil is from Royal Design Studio!)
Finally, did you know that we're in final prep. mode for Mexico? I'm totally caught up on my Spanish… ¿Dónde está el baño (I think means where is the bathroom) and ¿Cómo se ve mi bronceado? (how does my tan look?) should be all I need. You were probably thinking we were leaving you high and dry for a blog-less week, but have no fear!
Introducing…

Yep, we've rounded up some of our very favorite blog celebs for your reading pleasure. Seriously, Jess and I were like giddy schoolgirls when each of these ladies agreed to guest post. (You might remember last year when Jess and I were both in Disney for a week and I had my husband guest post? Ha! Thanks love!)
Okay, so here's our group of amazingly talented, incredible women!

Tuesday- Beckie from Infarrantly Creative Wednesday- Hannah from Hannah Kate Flora Thursday- Lindsay from Living with Lindsay Friday- Tam from Sew Dang Cute
Be sure to give these ladies the Royal RHBC treatment while we're away! We'll be back next Tuesday to kick off an entire week of giveaways from our sponsors! I'm loving what they're giving away! Don't tell Jess I told you, but you might want to start checking out our sidebar sponsors because there will be some amazing products coming your way!
Have an awesome week, we'll be thinking of ya…

I'm jumping the gun here a little bit, but all this rainy, cool weather has made me long for a good sweatshirt and a warm blanket. I'm with Monica: Fall is definitely my favorite season; the colors, weather and holidays just make me happy. However, my tendency is to put on sweatpants and a sweatshirt when I want to cozy up, but let's be honest, no one looks good in that combination. As a mom, I find it difficult to pull together a cute outfit when I have so many other things clamoring for my attention.

Source: google.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Lindsey, over at The Pleated Poppy, hosts a linky party every week called"What I Wore Wednesdays", and here's what she says about it:"hey, i think just getting dressed each day is an accomplishment worth documenting. that’s what this {WIWW} is, just a place for us to have accountability to get out of the yoga pants, and have some fun while we’re doing it."
I'm pretty sure that you won't find me posting weekly about what I wore, (because trust me, it wouldn't be pretty), but I like the concept. Especially, since the majority of my time is spent being a stay-at-home mom, putting a little effort into what I wear would probably go a long way. I bet I'd get a lot more accomplished. And I'm pretty sure my hubs wouldn't complain. Seriously. I guess this is just one more thing I'm adding to my list of areas in which I need to be more intentional. Anyway, here are some of my favorite looks for the upcoming season. (Ha! Btw, I just realized that 6 of my 11 inspiration pics include knee-high boots. Guess you know what item I'm drawn to!)

Day at Home/Running Errands/Playdates

Source: bananarepublic.gap.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: iamagreedygirl.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest

Working 9-5

Source: urbanoutfitters.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: oldnavy.gap.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: jcrew.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Hot Date/Girl’s Night Out

Source: None via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest

Source: polyvore.com via Jessica on Pinterest
And I just couldn't end this post without a shout-out to Toms shoes. Casual, comfy and cute, these shoes work with anything (no joke- two of the girls on my highschool tennis team were rocking them with sundresses and it was adorable,) Toms are a bit pricey, but for every one pair of shoes you buy, another is donated to a child in need. Big bonus, right there. I'm putting these lovely chocolate Toms on my need-to-have list:

Source: toms.com via Jessica on Pinterest
So, if you see me around town in scrubs, smack me please gently remind me of this post. Thank you.

Just to review....this is how we found it.

The single-paned window, and perhaps even the deck, were most likely added sometime in the 80's. When the contractors put in the new Marvin window, they had to tear down the deck in order to put in both the headers and footers. We'll rebuild something more period looking to the house — a balcony with a wide center staircase going down the middle and into the back yard.

This is the opposite wall. See all that brown trim? That's all covered in faux wood tack paper to assimilate wood trim. It was horrible to remove.

This room has evolved over the three years we've owned our house (we once had our bed in here). It was the very first room we tackled when we bought the place (the picture of Hubby was within hours of taking ownership) and so it was the first room we finished in terms of the bare bones part. The actual decorating would come much later, as in now....and it's quite serendipitous as again, we're 'moving' into this room just before Christmas.

Here's sort of another 'before' picture that shows our previous color scheme, dictated primarily by the furniture and rug we had on hand at the time.
And here are the 'afters.' I took these pictures on the darkest days of the year as we're having lots of fog and rain — hope they turned out alright!

As you can see, I painted the room white. It's Simply White by Benjamin Moore (Eco-Spec line), which is the same color we've used on all of our house trim and many of our walls. The old color just felt too ruddy looking and I realized (no agonized over) that I'm most drawn to that classic white wall farmhouse look where the color of the walls isn't what the room is about.
I wanted the room to be more about the fireplace, the windows, the view, the light coming in, the furniture, and the artwork. And I just thought that white allowed these things to shine more than any other color. Also, Janet (hi Janet!) over at The Gardener's Cottage just painted her living room Simply White and it completely inspired me!

The mirror over the mantle is such a better fit than our other one. I found this several weeks ago at an antique store for $120.

I picked up the brass sconces at an antique store for $20 each. I had been looking for some sconces online but found them to be very expensive. So these were in our price range and I've always loved the look of a pair of sconces over a mantle.

The seagrass rug is a 9x12 (it hasn't quite flattened out yet after being rolled) and will be relocated to the dining room once I decide what size seagrass rug I want for this room. I know it will be several feet bigger but still trying to figure out exact dimensions before I order it (the first one I ordered had a mid-January delivery date so I cancelled it).

The furniture is by a company called Rowe Furniture. We knew we'd choose something from their line because they are committed to natural fiber fabrics, eco cushion cores and wood from replenished forests. They are also members of the Sustainable Furniture Council (SFC).
This was all very important to us as we have made great efforts to make our home as green and healthy as possible. We also liked the price — due to a special sale that they were having at the time, the couch was just $1,099 and the chairs were $599 each (and we chose the highest grade fabrics).

The velvet couch is extremely luxurious. We love the high curved arms (much like a sleigh bed) as it provides the perfect support for reading a book, sipping a cup of tea or snuggling up next to the warm fire — especially on days like today.
I picked up the brass easel a few years ago for $40 — a price I just couldn't pass up. The antique frame was my Great Great Grandfather's and I'm in the process of ordering a beautiful print for it. I can't wait as I've always loved the artist and will be absolutely delighted to have a piece of hers in our home.
The cabinet used to be in the dining room. It got bumped from there because there will be two new windows going in this spring/summer leaving no room for it. It's sad but I absolutely love it in the living room. It's gone from dining cabinet to secretary, a look I have always loved.
I also like the height it provides and think it really adds a nice finishing touch to the room. We found this piece at a local antique store that used to get antique furniture shipments in from England. During my semester abroad in college, I lived in England and would spend hours going through all of the gorgeous antique stores looking at beautiful cabinets very similar to ours. So it's sort of serendipitous that this piece found me after all of these years.

The cabinet came with black oriental pulls on the drawers, which I don't believe were original due to the lovely brass button knobs on all of the cabinet doors. So I switched them out for Eastlake pulls which offer it more of a country look (and of course, I absolutely love all things Eastlake).

So there it is! I'm sure it will continue to evolve as all rooms do! I hope you like it! We just got our Christmas tree today so we'll be putting that up tomorrow night....so more photos to follow!
Photo updates: