0 Year End Recap

Holy smokes. 2012 has been one year overflowing with craziness. There are so many happening that I could recap before the clock strikes midnight and we kick off the new year. To save my wrists from a fate of carpal tunnel and my blog server from crashing with an overload of photos, let’s revisit just one highlight from each month of 2012.

January: Oh, January. You bone chilling month, you. Why not kick off a kitchen remodel during the coldest month of the year when all you crave is warm comfort food that can’t be cooked in a demo-ed kitchen. Why not?



February: The kitchen revamp continues, with refaced cabinets, new quartz counters, stainless appliances and a subway tile backsplash…and a ton of learning lessons along the way.


 
March: March brought with it much needed relief from the chilly temps with a trip down to Costa Farms in sunny Miami where this brown thumb spent several days strolling through fields of flowers and making new friends from around the blog-o-sphere.



April: Live The Home Life celebrated its 3rd Birthday with a Happy Birthday house tour. So much has changed around the old construction site since then, but it’s still fun to revisit the pictures of my house in its before state and see how far we’ve come. Click here for the tour.



May: So much fun stomping around P. Allen Smith’s Moss Mountain farm as a guest at the Bean2Blog event. I took too many pictures of this amazing wonderland of flowers and folly to post today, so click here to head over to May’s post dedicated solely to the fun had at the farm.

June & July: Wedding bells were ringing and this dedicated bridesmaid was shaking her tail feather at every reception. My all time record number of weddings for the year, the boyfriend and I can successful proclaim ourselves as Wedding Warriors.



August: Another year older and another year wiser. Happy Birthday to me.


September: Adios, amigos! The boyfriend and I were off on a Mexican scuba adventure with the fam.


 
October: By far the most action packed month of the year for yours truly, my real estate company, The Property Group opened its doors for business.

November: The boyfriend and I moved in together and the joining of our home tastes was remarkably easy. He’s the wonderful type of fella who lives by the “if you like it, I like it” way of life (for the most part). To show my appreciation, I decided to “man up” the den a bit.

 

And finally…December: This Christmas brought with it so much excitement. Not only was I lucky enough to spend a holiday season with wonderful family and friends, but my precious niece, Louisa, was born smack dab in the middle of the biggest snow storm we’ve ever seen. Who needs power when such a sweet little face can send so much light into the world.



Wishing you all a wonderful 2013 filled with joy, love and inspiration.

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1 Life Outside the Construction Site: Southern DIYer say what?

Remember way back in the gorgeous sunny days of May when I spent an entire day stomping around P. Allen Smith’s dreamland farm?—fully fabulous new cowgirl boots by Country Outfitter and a few chicken friends, mind you.

The entire day, P. Allen’s posse followed us around with cameras. If you ever want to capture embarrassment and ridiculous southern accents on camera, just shove a lens in my face and you’ll hear things like vaaaaaarnish and paint streeeeeper.

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0 Table Talk: South of the Border DIY

Just because I’m taking the week to recap my recent Mexican adventures does not mean that furniture flipping inspiration is going by the wayside. Oh no, my friends. There was plenty of DIY inspiration south of the border.

One such tidbit of inspiration was hard to ignore at Zamas, one of the cutest little beach bars in Tulum, Mexico.

Dining tables were painted an assortment of fun colors with a variety of beach creatures scratched/etched right into the paint. Fish, pelicans, coral, you name it and you could eat on it. So fun and (seemingly) so simple. You betcha that this do-it-yourself method is tucked away in my brain bank.

Pretty stinkin’ cute right? I thought so, and while I’m not in need of another table for my own house, I’m dreaming up some pretty fab wall art ideas.

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2 La Buena Vida

Put me near a plane, train or automobile and I am down for zipping off to just about anywhere they will take me, but Mexico is my jam. When I close my eyes after a loooong day and pray to open them to find myself in the middle of my own little heaven on earth, La Buena Vida in Akumal, Mexico is the place I would land. If you ever find yourself in Akumal, swing by this little beach bar and see what I mean…



La Buena Vida is not a new discovery for me since this was my 5th visit to Akumal, but one of my biggest thrills of the trip was seeing how much my beach bum boyfriend also loved this sandy Mecca for other gringos like me craving a cold drink and the sound of waves rocking them into total relaxation.

Mark my words. My ashes will be smuggled into the country and scattered here even if it means depositing them slowly via a Tim Robbins/Andy Dufresne hole-in-the-pocket maneuver a la Shawshank Redemption.

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0 Before & After Mexico Style

 

A little bit morbid but a lot a bit delish…

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0 Life Outside the Construction Site: My Best Friend(s) Wedding(s)

2012 has definitely been the year of the bridesmaid for me. Four of my best friends made their way down the aisle and into the arms of four very lucky guys, and I was primped, polished and watching each and every step with a big smile and eyes full of tears.

With the last wedding of the summer coming to a close this past weekend, a part of me is excited to get back to weekends of nothingness—not to mention my fingernails are dying for a break from manicures and itching to go back to their old paint-covered ways—but the biggest part of me is so thankful for the past seven months that I’ve had to spend time with old friends who live entirely too far away.

Not to mention, from the second the boyfriend and I met, he has been hauled to all corners of the state for wedding parties, wedding showers, rehearsal dinners and weddings. Good thing he can appreciate a good wedding band. What a trooper.

 
 

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