Kitty Deschanel

Sexy Nerd and I actually cleaned our house last week. It has been said that our home cleanliness standards are "below average", which I would take offense to, except that it's 100% accurate. (Also, we're the two people who have been going around saying this. We have no shame.) What do you do after cleaning your house from top to bottom? You take photos and document it, of course! From now on, whenever I'm feeling down about the dishes piled on the counter or the muddy paw prints across the floor, I'll just look at these photos. Sooo much easier than cleaning again. We removed about two dogs worth of Pica hair from beneath our kitchen island. If I were craftier, I could stuff a set of throw pillows. Note the fresh roses on the island. Damn, we're fancy. Do not note the giant wooden giraffe, whose head is chopped off by the dining room light fixture and who is not fancy.

A beloved annual tradition of ours is an autumn drive from Albuquerque, past golden leaves and through winding hillsides, to Breckenridge, Colorado to view the stunning dream homes on display during the Summit County Parade of Homes.  This year, there were so many great ideas for when we build our dream home (this spring, I hope!) that they couldn't possibly all fit into just 1 post. Be sure to check out the second post,  10 Decorating Ideas for your Modern Mountain Home . Bonus tip? Build your home on a lake! Can you imagine seeing this from your kitchen window? *swoon* Tip 1: For a grand, stately first impression, two front doors are better than one. Tip 2: If you can see the ceiling of your covered patio from inside, continue it in the same style for a seamless indoor-outdoor vibe. Tip 3: Sliding barn doors are in. Waaay in. Almost every house had at least one. Some were small... ...and some were huge. I really had to muster my strength to push this

Sexy Nerd and I spent last weekend gallivanting all over Colorado Springs. Seriously all over. I may not have planned the most efficient Parade of Homes route. Who knew Colorado Springs was such a big place? I just expected it to be similar to driving around here in Albuquerque! With many homes priced above 1 million dollars, there were so many great decorating ideas. Here are a few of my favorites: Everyone loves a square dining nook.  I'm still not certain what the material on the fireplace was. It looked similar to wood, but I think it was tile. Perhaps it was wood tile . From the doorway, all you could see was a beautiful, tidy window seat. With the bookcase tucked to the side, only the bedroom inhabitant sees if the shelves are a disaster. Genius! This was one of our favorite home exteriors. I love the idea of building a home that frames a great view right from the moment you walk in.   I need a bright yellow front door! Mine will be lacquered.

Remember my post about getting our guest bedroom ready? You don't? Oh, I suppose it has been a little while. It feels like 2012 was just the other day though! Here is that same guest bedroom, all tidied up and ready for company. The chalkboard door beckons you to enter. Complete with M&Ms waiting on each pillow. Don't you want to visit me?  We replaced the boring, wood closet doors with these pretty curtains. Want to hear a secret? I took all these photos back when our guests were staying with us in 2012, and the room has changed since then. I'll post the new pictures in 2016.

I recently acquired some fabric from Wholeport.com. Remember my repainted Ashley Furniture dining chairs? You know, the ones I blogged about almost 4 years ago (!!!) with the intention of replacing the fabric (4 years ago)? It's finally time. The original fabric, all stained and faded and pilled and yucky.   Pica does not approve. Last year, I found some beautiful Pottery Barn cushions on clearance. They were perfect for our living room. Fancy! (Just ignore the dog hair. There really is no stopping Pica. When she gets excited, which is ALL THE TIME, the hair just explodes from her body.) Since our dining room and living room are side-by-side, I wanted to recover our dining chairs with fabric that would complement the Pottery Barn pillows. But it's not like I could just order matching fabric from them. Have you seen their prices? They charge $8.50 for sand! Luckily, Wholeport had exactly what I've been looking for. Living room cushions