Friday Favorites

It is Friday and we have a lot on our plates this weekend. It feels like we have a lot on our plates for the next two months. From parties to traveling, we are doing it all.

But in the meantime, my Friday finds, favorites and happenings are below.

One. So I am probably the last person to buy a cast iron skillet, but we finally did. And I am loving it so far. We made our "adult" grilled cheeses on it last night and they had the best crispiness to them. I have avoided recipes that use a cast iron since I didn't have one, but now I can't wait to try more out. Any that you all recommend?

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Two. I am half way through The Good Girl and I am really liking it so far. Emelia from Dream Big and Buy the Shoes also recommended a few books (You by Caroline Kepnes, Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica and No One Knows by J.T. Ellison) that are now on my Amazon wish list too. And you best bet I will be reading these. My book list is becoming very long and I LOVE it.

Three. I wanted to say congrats to my dear blogging friend, Jess (The Newly) on her newest addition to their family! Baby number three is such a blessing and so very cute!

Four. My celebration dinner on Wednesday was soooo very good. The food never disappoints, the wine was flowing and I had the best company. We were able talk for hours and celebrate something that was long overdue.

We brought our own bottle from a winery we visited in Graeagle, CA. Only 60 cases were made.

Yours truly

My handsome husband

Five. When I returned my denim shorts to Loft, I found the most amazing pants. Enter the Sanded Sateen Chinos. They are so soft, flattering and comfy. I bought them in the dark grey color, but I would love the plum color for Fall. Seriously, you need these in your life.

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I am wearing these pants with the shirt above in the celebration dinner photo.

I am linking up with Karli, April and Erica.

I hope you have a great weekend! See you Monday.

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Confessional Thursday

It's time for another Confesh Sesh. I hope you link up below with Lynn and I.

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I CONFESS....

/ that I was putting the girls into their carseats at daycare this week and Sutton ran off into the street (around my car). I panicked and ran after her freaking out. What if a car had been driving by? Would they have stopped and not hit her? Having children is tough, but trying to wrangle two toddlers into the car alone is just plain hard and not fair. My mama heart dropped at the thought of anything happening to her.

/ that I am still pissed off at the waiter and our favorite breakfast spot for burning my waffle and then just forgetting about us like it wouldn't matter. Who (awesomely) brings out pancakes for our girls and then proceeds to wait 45 or so minutes later to tell us our food was burned and then they still couldn't get it out?

/ that I just want to treat myself to ALL the things since getting promoted. #Nsale sure give me the KS earrings I want, a new peacoat, jeans and the softest t-shirt.

/ that we treated ourselves to my celebratory promotion dinner last night at our favorite steakhouse. And it was heavenly. I indulged on wine, a tableside warm spinach and bacon salad, steak, potatoes au gratin, sauteed veggies and dessert. And it was worth every single calorie. Good thing I am running at lunch today.

/ that even though my girls have been crazy when we try to take them out to dinner/breakfast, it has been such a fun time with them lately. They are showing so much personality. Sutton loves to walk up to me (while I am sitting on the ground with them), put her hands on my face and give me kisses. Then Sutton will come up behind me and hug me and play with my hair and Avery will come over and start playing with my hair while talking to me. Avery loves throwing the ball back and forth and bringing her sister her paci and blanket. I literally can't get enough of their cuteness.

/ that today is Miracle Treat Day with Dairy Queen and I plan on getting myself an Oreo blizzard after lunch today. Any excuse to donate money to the girls' miracle hospital.

/ that this 100 degree weather is killing me right now. We can't go on walks, it sucks to be outside later than noon and the sweat gross. Can we drop back down into the 80s please?

What's Hap-Pinning

So I was browsing Pinterest as I always do looking for new recipes, hair tips and tricks, clothes and cocktails.

These carrots look amazing. And the best part is, we are growing carrots in an old wine barrel right now. I can't wait to try this recipe with them.

Roasted Carrots

I eat salads almost daily for lunch unless I have leftovers. I always looking for new salads to try and this one mimics one of my favorite ones from the Cheesecake Factory. It is only missing the jicama and fried onions, which I could easily add on to it.

Southwestern Chopped Salad

Another salad I would love to make for myself would be this spinach salad.

Almond, Fruit and Chicken Salad

Today is National Scotch Day and you better believe I will be taking part of it...tonight...after dinner that is. In honor of scotch day, I would love to be enjoying a glass of Macallan 25, but sadly that isn't in price range right now. So instead I will be enjoying this one.

Glenmorangie Scotch

Last week I had some pain in my armpit. It hurt to lift my arm and even put deodorant on it. It had a slight bump inside of it and I think it was from my deodorant or a clogged sweat gland (per the doctor who I sat next to at the wedding last weekend). But it really got me thinking that I shouldn't be using traditional antiperspirant due to the cancer issue. I have always rolled my eyes at it, but I just don't want to risk it. So I have been looking into other options and Jenn posted about this natural one a week ago. I really want to try it. She says it takes a bit to get used to, but she likes it. So I think I might try it. Have any others tried it before? What did you think?

 Piper Wai

I am loving this look. Sure it is listed as Spring wear, but I think it is still fitting for the summer. I would love to get a skirt like this and wear it to work or date nights. It would be perfect for Europe!

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Weekending

Wow I can't believe it is already Tuesday. I kind of let Monday slip away from me.

Anyways, we will go back to Thursday night where I met up with my girlfriends to celebrate getting promoted. We drank some wine, had some pizza slices and caught up. And it felt amazing. So good for the soul.

Friday morning we were off to the pediatrician for the girls 18 month check up. The girls are getting so big. Sutton's stats: 23 lbs 9 oz, almost 32 inches and her head is in the 95th%. Avery is pretty close to her sister. Avery's stats: 23 lbs 10 oz., almost 32 inches and her head is in the 95th%. They are right around the 50th percentile for height and weight. They got one shot and we had Avery's boil/abscess accessed. It is healing, but they gave her antibiotics to make sure it completely goes away.

I ran to Loft to return a pair of shorts I bought at the free shipping sale almost a month ago and bought myself a pair of pants and two shirts. Score. And happy early birthday to myself. I also dropped my Garmin off at the post office since I have been having troubles with it and basically got a lemon, so they are sending me a new one. We made dinner at home that night and packed the girls stuff up for their overnight stay at their grandparents house.

Saturday we went to breakfast and it was a disaster. We got there super early and only one other couple was seated outside. The girls got their pancakes super fast and we happily drank our coffee. More people arrived and still no food out for Rory and I. We had waited forever which is way too long in toddler terms. Basically, the waiter kept saying he was checking on our food all the while bringing out other tables of food that got there 15 plus minutes after us. After waiting for almost an hour, we got up and went inside to pay for the pancakes and coffee and leave. We were pissed. Not going back there for a long time which is sad since it is a favorite of ours.

After naps, we dropped the girls off at their grandparents house so we could head to my friends wedding. The wedding was in Clio, CA and at the bride's parents house. It was beautiful there. The ceremony was down the way in the forest and the reception throughout the parents home. So beautiful and fun. We sat with a bunch of doctor's at dinner and had the best time dancing the night away. Many glasses of wine were consumed.

Sadly, the only photos of us were taken by the photographer who is a friend of ours. So hopefully we will get some later.

Sunday morning, we headed out to breakfast sans babies and then went to pick our girls up. We stayed and talked a bit before heading home to run a few errands and do some house cleaning. Since it was Sunday, we did our usual routine of baths, laundry, making dinner at home and prepping for the week. After dinner, we watched the third episode of The Night Of and went to bed shortly after. Have you seen the The Night Of? It is really good so far. A bit slow at times, but I am loving it. So dark and twisty.

That pretty much caps our weekend off. The weekend without many photos. How was yours? Linking up late with Biana.

Friday Favorites

Friday is here and I am off again. Seems to be a theme around here lately. But today we are spending part of our morning at the pediatricians office. The girls have their 18 month appointments today (even though they are almost 19 months). They will have shots today and sure to be upset after that. Plus we have to get Avery's booty looked at. It is way better by the way.

Anyways, onto my Friday Favs.

One. I have been wanting one of these necklaces for awhile now. Laura went on maternity leave recently and I have been waiting for her to come back so I can order one. I have narrowed it down to two. Which is your favorite?

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Two. I am on the hunt for some new black riding boots. I have had my old pair for a few years now and there is a hole forming on the sole. And I stretched them out wearing them towards the end of my pregnancy. See I have had them for awhile. I really want these Tory Burch boots, but even with the Nordstrom sale, they are still $300. Does anyone have any that they love that don't cost as much? I don't really want over the knee, but I might go for it if it is the right pair.

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Three. Evenings with my girlfriends. We had a lot to celebrate last night. I got promoted! Stacey is going to Paris on Saturday and Heather adopted a dog! And well Krista, she is just awesome and saves animal lives on the daily. It was so much fun catching up with my bests and drinking some good wine in the sunshine. 

Four. I really wanted the rose colored Kate Spade sparkle earrings, but they are already gone from the Nordstrom sale. I really hope the multi sparkle ones are still available today or whenever the sale starts for the non card holders.

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Five. Gilmore Girls. Luke and Loreli. Just so in love with this show. I just finished season 4 and can't get enough of it. How did I wait so long to watch it?

I am linking up with Karli, April and Erica.

Confessional Thursday

It's time for another round of confessions. Grab the button, write your confessions and come back here to link up.

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I CONFESS...

/ that some work prayers were finally answered. I got promoted to senior agent this week. I feel like it was a long time coming and hoping this is the boost I need to feel fulfilled at work again. We had a position open up in our division, but it was on the corporate side of things, so I thought it was a VERY long shot of getting it. But Wednesday morning I got called into my bosses office and offered the promotion. Plus it comes with a pretty decent raise. Guess I owe Rory a steak dinner now. Side note: he took me to dinner when he got promoted and we always said that was our way of celebrating, so now it is my turn.

/ that we took our first steps into renovating the kitchen. We secured the financing for it and we should get money for it within a week. Now it is time to call contractors and start getting some bids. My dream kitchen is becoming a reality.

/ that mommy and daughter time Tuesday night was a success. My girls were amazing. We played in the tunnel (did you see the video on IG?), played with their ball tower, had dinner, cuddled and sang songs. Before I knew it, it was time to put them to bed and I missed them so much.

/ that I can get up 5 minutes earlier in the morning, get myself ready, get the girls bottles and house in order, feed them, dress them and get us out the door in 10 minutes less time than when my husband is home and gets the girls ready. I just go go go and get it done. But when Rory is home, we go about it so much more slowly. I like the more proficient way.

/ that I may have took at least 50 pictures and a few videos on Tuesday night. I couldn't get enough of my girls and now I have lots of IG photos to share. This never happens.

/ that I get to have drinks with my girlfriends tonight to celebrate my promotion and to send off Stacey to France on her vacation with her husband. So jealous! But I can't wait to hear all the places I must go to when I go for work.

/ that I can't wait to have my favorite macarons when I hit up Europe. Have you ever had Laduree macarons? No. They are heaven. I always get some in NYC and tried them for the first time in London. Now I get to get them in London and France. Calories don't count when they are your favorite dessert. Right?

/ that I really want to skip my dentist appointment this afternoon. Three cavities. Ugh. Has anyone taken mineral vitamins to help with your teeth after kids? Someone recommended it to me and I really want to try it.

/ that I hate the dentist, but pumped to have a few hours at home by myself to catch up on girly tv shows.

And that is all I have for now. Don't forget to link up below.

From Boils to Cocktails and Tailgating

So my mind is completely scattered right now. I was a single mom last night (husband was in Vegas) and couldn't get my shit together to make this a cohesive post. So randomness is what you get.

First up, something gross. So advert your eyes, scroll down or hit the x on the top left (but really don't). Miss Aves has a boil on her booty. I thought it was a pimple, but babies don't get pimples. Sure they can get baby acne, but not pimples like this. She has this red area that is swollen and had a pus like tip. Gross. I know. It has popped twice now and it leaves blood and pus in her diaper. Plus she can't sit on it unless her diaper is on. I searched and searched online until I drove myself crazy and finally asked for some advice (online and to the pediatrician). Looks like it is a boil, but gotta watch for red streaks coming from it, a fever and it getting bigger. Please let it be this simple. Moving on.

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It's been 18 almost 19 months since delivery, but I still have loose skin on my belly. I carried two babies in there and no matter how many planks or ab exercises I do, it just isn't going away completely. Maybe this will help, maybe it won't. But it's worth a shot.

Did anyone watch the Bachelorette on Monday. WTF happened? They are waiting to tell us who is going home? Nah uh. Speaking of Bachelorette and if I just spoiled the episode for you, I need some summer cocktails to drink while watching Bachelorette. This wine habit costs a lot and I can get more bang for you buck with liquor. So I have been Pinteresting summer cocktails. 

Watermelon, lime and cucumber cocktail (and it uses vodka, my favorite)

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I love moscow mules, so adding in strawberries and basil sounds so good and refreshing.

Blueberry mojito

Speaking of another classic with a twist...I love mojitos and adding any and every fruit in there. Sign me up for this one or mix it up with different fruits.

Football randomly popped into my head...ok it didn't. Trying to decide if I want to do two Fantasy teams this year or not. #somuchwork  Anyways, I was thinking of what to bring to the first tailgate and starting looking stuff up and this caught my eye. Sounds so good right now.

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I love bacon wrapped poppers. My friend made them on the grill once and it changed my life. These look really good since I don't want to attempt to cook them on the grill.

And that is all I have time for or that I can think of at this moment.

My Birthday Wish List

My birthday is quickly approaching (in two weeks, yikes) and I have been trying to figure out what I want. There are not many things that I want. Ok that is a lie. There are not many things that I want that we can afford. #givemeallthethings But I have been racking my brain (mostly because family asked me to) and come up with a few things.

I love love love my Kendra Scott necklace and I would love to add a new one to my collection. These two beauties (here and here) caught my eye. They are versatile and sparkly. 

I am in desperate need of new workout clothes. Mine are faded and stretched out. I would love these Lululemon pants. I know Lulu's are expensive, but the quality is unmatched.

A few bloggers, Emelia and Biana, have recently posted about this make up brush cleaner. I have bad habit of not cleaning my brushes enough. I get in the habit and I am good for a month and then I suck at it. With this fun pad, I think I would do it more often and I heard it is way easier to clean than my rub the brush on my palm with soap method.

I have been wanting these wedges for a very long time. I sent them to my husband this morning saying I need this. I want them and they are on sale. Super bonus.

This jacket is a far reach as it is almost $200 and why do I need a $200 jacket? Because it is pretty and we all need nice things for date nights. With Fall fast approaching, this would be a perfect addition to my closet.

And finally....gift cards. I want some from Loft, J Crew and Amazon. This way I can buy myself clothes and have a little me time to shop alone without my girls. I want the Amazon card because it has ALL THE THINGS including ebooks. I have been reading a ton lately and my wallet hates every time I buy a new book. My mind loves it.

I would also love an hour and a half massage.

Did I leave anything off? Other suggestions to send on?

I did buy myself a gift for my birthday this weekend...a Kate Spade purse. I can't find the exact one online right now, but it looks VERY similar to this one. I haven't purchased a new handbag in over 3 years and I only EVER buy them on sale. I can't handle paying full price. Nope. Ok, maybe I just don't have all the money in the world to pay full price. Ha.

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Weekending

It's Monday again. I am exhausted and the weekend flew by in an instant.

Friday, we ditched work for the beach. We dropped the girls off at daycare (since we already paid for it) and headed up to Tahoe for the day. We spent the day basking in the sun at Hidden Beach. It was amazing and I may have gotten a little sunburnt on my chest. I think I forgot to reapply the sunscreen on my neck area. Ouch.

Crystal clear water 

Hidden Beach Lake Tahoe

After the beach, we picked up the girls and headed home for dinner and bath time. We also did some packing and finally watched The Night Of. Have you seen it? The second episode was on last night and we haven't watched that one, but this show is soooo good. It is a thriller/suspense mini-series on HBO and we are already hooked.

Saturday morning, I went to get gas, coffee and pastries before we headed off to California. We went to the Bay Area to meet my sweet nephew. But first, we had to make a pit stop for lunch at Chick-fil-a. It was the first time the girls had been there. They LOVED it. We even had to order a second set of nuggets for them. 

After lunch, we had a short 45 minute drive left until we got to my sister-in-laws house. And then we got to meet sweet baby Carson.

We were all in heaven. He is so precious, tiny and very handsome. I am one proud aunt and godmother.

We spent the afternoon hanging out with family and helping them out. Around 5 pm, we loaded up for our quick 5 minute drive to our hotel. The girls were getting restless from the car ride and park time with their grandparents, so we quickly fed them leftover bbq (thanks to my in-laws for giving us food for the girls) and then I ventured out for milk, wine and dinner for Rory and I.

I got back around 6:30 where we fed the girls their milk and they went down for the night. Rory and I ate dinner and drank our wine in the dark with the tv as our only light. Such is the life of parents. 

Sunday morning we got up bright and early to head to breakfast. My sister-in-law recommended a great restaurant that has a room for kids to play with a massive train set. 

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The girls were in heaven. They would play and then eat some and play again. 

After breakfast we headed to families house to watch the rest of the British Open, have some coffee and catch up. Then it was back over to my sister-in-laws house for more baby snuggles.

Around 1 pm, we headed out to go to the Vacaville Outlets. We didn't get to shop much as the girls were fussy and tired. They are on a new nap schedule and their whole weekend naps were off. I did buy myself a birthday present. 

We stopped for a quick dinner and got home around 6:45. The girls were super cranky on the drive home so we were all tired. After we put the girls down, we relaxed and went to bed early.

How was your weekend?

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.

Friday Favorites and Happenings

Wow, Friday took a long time to get here, but it is so nice to see you now that you are here. We don't have a lot of plans this weekend, but I am hoping to go to the beach. I feel like I sound like a broken record here. We always want to go to the beach and then the weather turns to crap when we do want to go. Please be nice weather this weekend. Thank you.

One. Dragon Noodles. This is my new favorite quick dinner. I was browsing Pinterest for new recipes and this one came up. I saw how easy it was, read some reviews and decided I needed to make it for us. We had it Monday night and we LOVED it. Seriously, it came together in about 15 to 20 minutes (most time consuming part: boiling the water and cooking the noodles). It was spicy, flavorful and hit the spot. I can see myself making this when we need a quick dinner, something with bold flavor or a cheap dinner. Seriously, make this.

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Two. I finally received my Loft shipment last weekend and I fell in love with the Cropped Skinny Marisa Chinos. I got them in raspberry and love them. I want to buy more pairs. All the pairs. I also got some denim shorts that were way too big for me. The waist seemed to fit but had a 3 inch gap in the back. So weird. I also got this soft black sleeveless top which I paired with my chinos at work this week. Love the outfit.

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Three. I finished The Girl You Lost this week and now I need new book ideas. I have After You on my list. But I need more. So what are your suggestions? I love sappy love stories like Me Before You, love chick lits and thrillers. So send me your book suggestions.

Four. I know this is way in advance, but I am a planner at heart, so I wanted to put it out there now. I am going on a work trip in September all the way to Europe. I will be gone for 13 days. Yikes. It feels crazy to say this because I don't know how I will be away from my girls, husband and dog that long. Especially the girls. They are going to grow so much while I am gone. I am super fortunate to be going on this trip and I am super excited about it. But a bit worried too.

Anyways, I will have some blog posts scheduled, but I wanted to see if anyone wanted to do a guest post while I am gone. I need posts for September 12 - 16 and 19 - 23. I will write posts, still do some link ups and Confessional Thursday, but I know I won't be able to get two weeks of posts pre-written. So if you would like to guest post on my awesome, amazing blog (ha) then please let me know. I am open to all sorts of blog post ideas.

Five. My sister-in-law had her son on Wednesday night and we are over the moon about him. We changed up our weekend plans quickly, are leaving Walter with my parents and heading to the Bay Area tomorrow. I can't wait to hold my nephew and see everyone.

And since we are heading to California, we must stop at Chick-fil-A (since we don't have one here), go to the Vacaville Outlets and grab a pie on the way home.

Cheers to the new baby.

I hope you have a good weekend and I will be sure to share all the pictures of my sweet nephew come Monday.

I am linking up with Karli, April and Erica.

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Favorite Things Blogger Exchange and Some Confessions

A few weeks ago, I signed up to be a part of a blogger exchange. I absolutely love these exchanges and getting to know other bloggers. This one was about our favorite things. Have you ever heard of a Favorite Things party? Basically you picked out your favorite item (under $10 for this exchange) and bring it to a party to exchange with other guests. But this time, it is done through the online blogging community.

Jess from Secrets of a Stay at Home Mom and Sarah from Seeing All Sides set up this exchange, so thank you ladies! I had the best time participating in it.

I picked out my favorite face saving make up product. Maybelline Dark Circle Eraser. This stuff cover it all up. I am talking dark circles, puffy eyes and anything that shows the wear of having children or late nights. I use this stuff daily. I sent this to Emily and Stephanie. I hope you ladies enjoy it!!

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I received favorite things from Missy (My Shitty Kitchen) and Crystal (Hall Around Texas). Crystal is a huge Amazon shopper (just like me), so she sent me an Amazon Gift Card. This will be gone in no time at all since I order from here almost weekly it seems. I was going to use it during Prime Day, but they didn't have my size in the running shoes I wanted. Boo.

Missy sent me Vitamin C Serum by Pure Body. She swears by this and has been using it for a little over a month now. I just started using it this week and I am loving it. I clean my face every night and put it on before putting on a moisturizer. People swear it helps with dark spots (I have a few from the sun) and smoothing of the skin. Sign me up. I can't wait to report back on my results.

Thank you so much ladies for sending me your favorite things. 

And I couldn't pass up some confessions, so here are a few for the week.

I CONFESS...

/ that I was secretly hoping my sister-in-law had her baby Tuesday or Wednesday because we really want to go visit her, the new baby and the Bay Area. Come on BabyMayer, we want to meet you. UPDATE: she had the baby last night. I am an aunt and I have a nephew!

/ that I got a phone call Monday afternoon and I knew the number...What number you ask? My dentist. With bad news. See I was told I had no cavities on my x-rays, but my dentist would need to look at them when he got back from vacation. Well he did, and I have two micro cavities and another broken filling. And the broken filling needs a crown in the future. So either get it re-filled and wait a few years for a crown or get a crown now. Mama don't have that kind of money, so filling it is. And so I will be getting 3 fillings next Thursday. Lucky me. 

/ that Amazon Prime Day made me so mad. I had all these things I wanted to buy and none of them were part of the deal. No water splash table for the girls, no beach cart/wagon, no ebooks that I wanted and no running shoes that fit. Boo.

/ that I want to cry every month when the daycare money leaves my checking account. This shit is more than my mortgage. Ugh. Can you tell I just paid it?

/ that I have a wedding to attend next weekend (the 23rd) and I still haven't bought them a gift yet. Oops.

Join in below.   

What's Hap-Pinning

I have our kitchen remodel on my mind and I am here to share my inspiration with you through Pinterest. These are just my ideas and not necessarily the pieces we will choose.

I am obsessed with subway tiles. I have loved them since watching the Property Brothers. I love the simple look of them.

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I want white cabinets. Now I know that I have two littles in my house, but I have always wanted white cabinets, so I am going to get white cabinets. Just need a way to keep them semi clean. Tips.

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I need some slate tile to add to the floors.

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And a giant farmhouse sink.

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And quartz counter tops to finish the look I am going for.

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And let's not forget my dream stove/oven. I know I am going to have to downgrade from this baby.

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We are in the process of securing our funds to remodel our kitchen and this is finally getting more real by the day.