Weekend Highlights: Fire, Flea Market, Spray Paint, & Mermaids

We've been living here in our beautiful old house for over a month now. And it's been hectic. Mainly because weekends have been consumed by unpacking, landscaping, and trips out of town to graduations. Last weekend, we finally had a weekend to have some much-needed fun - among more landscaping. ;)

We began our weekend with a Friday night fire on our patio. Just the two of us, some hamburgers on the grill, a few beers, and a nice fire going. It was perfect. I can't wait for many more nights on this patio together - and sharing it with friends and family!

Summer's Simple Pleasures

How is August almost already gone?! These warm months fly by so fast. So in the spirit of summertime, I thought I'd round up a few of my favorite simple pleasures from this summer. Like above: sipping coffee on my front porch, sipping whiskey and reading on my front porch, sipping beer on my front porch, and sipping wine on my front porch. Okay, okay... so maybe just having a front porch. (And sipping beverages on it.) ;)

I found my dream apartment

5x the size. 3x the commute. 2x the price. I found my dream apartment today.

I'm happy in my 511 sq. ft. Victorian apartment, I promise. I'm comfortable here - so is my furniture and my bank account. But you see, I have this horrible hobby of Craigslist-crawling. I scavenge the listings daily. Looking for cheap old furniture to makeover. Ooohing and awwing over adorable pets for adoption. And, of course, drooling over apartments. Sometimes, one catches my eye that I'd sorta-kinda consider moving to, but then I'm quickly deterred by the sheer thought of packing up and moving.

But today... TODAY... I fell in love. When I think of my dream apartment, here's what comes to mind: high ceilings, a clawfoot bathtub, hardwood floors, historic charm, lots of character. Well this afternoon, my fingertips stumbled across a real beauty.

Restoration of a Victorian House in my Neighborhood (aka A Sneak Peek Into My Dream House)

When I moved into my apartment on the second floor of an old Victorian house, I fell in love with the surrounding Cedar Rapids neighborhood full of beautiful turn-of-the-century homes - some in sorry shape, some in okay shape (like mine), and a handful of breathtaking homes that had been kept up or restored. Located a block away, this house is one of those stately beauties that has been lovingly restored. 

Sick Day: Thankful for Tea, Soup, Blankets, and Gone with the Wind

Nothing like starting your Thanskgiving Break early - except starting it by being sick. :( After being up all night, getting maybe two hours of sleep (during which I chilled and fevered), then waking with a horrible headache and all-over body ache, I thought it best to stay home today and get some rest. I'm looking forward to a four-day weekend visiting family with my boyfriend, so I hopefully I snap out of this by tomorrow. 

My Hunt for a Lovely, Historic Apartment

If you've been following The Lovely Side on Facebook and Twitter, you're probably in the loop about the ups and downs of my Cedar Rapids apartment search. It's been a rollercoaster rental hunt - far more difficult than finding living arrangements in my former college town of Ames, where there were really no complexes or communities deemed 'that bad' in the grand scheme of things.

Apartment Hunting: Reality Check

Hello from eastern Iowa!  I know I've been missing from the blogosphere for, well... too long.  So I figured I'd drop in and give you an update as to why.  To make a long story short: I landed a web content writing job two hours away from where I was living in Ames.  So in a mere two weeks I had to wrap things up at my social media job, pack up my attic apartment, and move all my stuff back home to my parents' place where it would stay until I found a place of my own.  

Last week was my first week on the new job.  It was a whirlwind week of training, navigating rush hour traffic, and a major apartment disappointment.

Afternoon at Amana + Millstream Brewing Co.

This weekend worked out conveniently for me to spend Friday night through Tuesday morning in Williamsburg with the bf.  While I love the hustle and bustle of the college town Ames, I also enjoy a weekend away in a slower paced small town.  On Sunday, we took advantage of the beautiful weather by driving over to one of the Amana Colonies.  We hit up Middle Amana, where a lovely little brewery called Millstream Brewing Co. is located.  

Home for the Holiday: Turkey, Antiques, BBQ, + Family Time

Having not been home since my cousin's wedding clear back on September 1st, I had been looking forward to Thanksgiving for weeks. Though my hometown's only a 1.5 hour drive from where I currently live, I don't always make it home as often as I like.  Adalae greeted me upon arrival and didn't leave my side for a good hour.  Isn't that a sweet face?!

Reunited and It Feels So Good! (My Phone and Me)

Readers, meet my lovely little pink phone.  And meet an ecstatic me with my lovely little pink phone after a near twelve hours of separation.  She's quite the looker, huh?  She may not as smart as most phones. She's a little rough around the edges from my careless handling.  Yes, that's a little crack in her screen.  ...But I seriously adore this phone.  It's small, square, pearlescent pink, flowery, and at first glance looks like a cosmetic compact.  As Emily Bronte would put it, she's "more myself than I am.  Whatever our souls are made of, his (well, hers) and mine are the same."

Autumn's Simple Pleasures

Charmed by life's simple pleasures, I relish in the small things.  Here are four fall favorites.

Weekend Getaway + Hometown Adventures

So this past weekend, I took a little roadtrip to home to Oskaloosa for my cousin's bridal shower.  I took a friend played tour-guide in my hometown.  Besides hitting up the shower and hanging out with my family, we drove around looking for the prettiest Victorian houses, explored an old college's outdoor amphitheatre and a cemetery down the road from it, ate at my favorite coffeehouse, explored an old college, and hung out for a while on the town square... where these pictures were taken.

True Story: I'm a Beast

A girl does not discover her true strength until there are no men around to help get her new vintage dresser out of her SUV, through the parking lot, up two flights of steep stairs to the second floor apartment of an old Victorian house, and up two more flights of steeper stairs to her attic bedroom.

This DIY Project is for the Birds... (Literally.)

After their makeover, Caesar and Lenny received so many rave reviews from all of you that I couldn't help but bring them back for another guest appearance on the blog.  I visited my parents last weekend and made it a point to scavenge the basement for some of my old things.  And lo and behold! I came across this black birdcage.  The birdcage was a clearance find at Target several years ago when I had a thing for black wrought iron.  I knew it was just perfect for my feathered little friends.

Live Update from the Attic

Most of my junk has been moved up to the attic!  You can see here that there's a big difference between being moved in and settled in.  The place is a disaster and I can't find anything.  But the tough part is over with.  Unpacking and organizing isn't all that bad.  And decorating will be next on the list!

Packing: Easier Blogged than Done

Welcome to my life right now.  I don't technically need to be out of my current apartment for a while.  And I don't have to be into my other for a while.  But on my days off, I've decided to feign motivation and get stuff done.  Like packing.  And moving little by little.

Insulators, Jade Hands, Guy de Maupassant, and the Prettiest Dresser EVER | Antiquing Loot

So 20 Going on 80 and I rose bright and early to set off for Des Moines.  Our mission: to hit up massive antique store The Brass Armadillo.  The store was hosting a special Memorial Day weekend sale and today was Name Your Price Day.  (Dealers were on hand so that you could actually bargain down on a price of something you wanted!)  In order to avoid a stampede, we got there at opening time.  Turns out, we more than beat the rush and the place was quiet and uncrowded.  We roamed the corridors of antiques upon antiques upon antiques.  She ooohed and awwed at kitchen gadgets and cute containers whilst I swooned over dressers and fainting couches.  

One thing I'd been really wanted that I found in abundance at The Brass Armadillo: insulators.  I've been obsessed insulators and reeeeally wanting some for a while now.  It was just my luck that I found some Hemingray insulators in this beautiful peacock blue-green color.  At $2 a pop, I broke down and nabbed four.  They're perfect as paperweights! (And I've got a few other ideas up my sleeve...)  

For a few years, I've also wanted a glass or ceramic hand to hold rings.  The store had many!  Deep cobalt blue glass, rose-tinted glass, white ceramic, brown, and even of the medically-labeled sort.  The jade green really called out to me though.  I can't wait to dazzle it up with some of my funky vintage rings.  This little blue book also caught my eye.  The color is so lovely, the print so charming.  I didn't even check to see what it was---all I wanted was to have it on my nightstand for a pop of blue.  When I got home, I realized that it is a 1917 edition of The Odd Number: Thirteen Tales by Guy de Maupassant.  It had been cast off from the Des Moines Public Library.  I'm thrilled because I love Guy de Maupassant, writer of the short story The Necklace.  So not only will this little beauty sit pretty on my nightstand, but I'll be picking it up to read what is inside as well!

Okay, so as badly as I wanted to lay down $300 for this gorgeous blue dresser... I showed some self control.  But seriously, I was in love.  I had to be dragged away.  It's vibrant blue (almost turquoise) color!  The beautiful hand-painted flowers/branches!  I left it behind, but I'll be holding it in my heart as inspiration for a future dresser project.  (Yup, I'm going to paint a dresser of my own to look like this!) 

All in all, I spent about $20 on my little assortment of blue, green, and turquoise objects.  I could have spent tons more.  This place was full of furniture, jewelry, toolboxes, signs, dinnerware, teacups, lamps, books, typewriters, fans, and many more insulators that I woulda been happy to take home with me.  But there are many more days of antiquing in the future.

We ended our expedition with burgers, a quick Pier One visit (which is slightly disappointing after an ecstasy-inducing antique store, might I mention), and ice cream.  What a successful day!  

Time for a nap!

Sunday Evening: Tea, Candlelight, Birdsong | This Is Lovely, No. 1

This is a lovely little series I'm starting. It's for whenever I feel like sharing something
that's just lovely. The simple pleasures in my life, like this Sunday evening in particular. 

My Cinderella Story

^This happened to me today!  Well, almost...

Boy are you in for a treat!

So once upon a time... it was a dark and stormy day.  (Today, actually.)  Upon arriving home to my castle (errr, uh... apartment) I decided against running through the downpour in my brand new shoes.  So I took 'em off, shoved into my small purse, and opened the door of my pumpkin carriage.  Ok, you caught me... SUV. I took off barefoot through the cold rain.  After running up to the third story and warming up my cold, aching, numb feet on the warm, fuzzy carpet... I glanced at my purse and noticed that one shoe was missing.

For all the girls who read...

As a girl who reads, writes, and has indulged in a love affair with the written word since I was first able to put letters together... I fell in love with this passage by Rosemarie Urquico.  And since I know so many of you lovely readers are bookworms and writers yourselves, I'm sure you'll appreciate the following, too:

A Girl You Should Date

by Rosemarie Urquico 

Date a girl who reads. Date a girl who spends her money on books instead of clothes. She has problems with closet space because she has too many books. Date a girl who has a list of books she wants to read, who has had a library card since she was twelve.