My husband and I love to eat out on the weekends. We have a favorite Hibachi place near our house, so eating there is near-weekly tradition. I managed to launder nearly every item in our house- okay, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but I did turn the house upside down washing our sheets, towels, mattress covers, clothes, and dog beds. I know laundry is not a glamorous job, but someone’s gotta do it!

We also went to church, and got to visit with several friends. On Sunday, my friend Tara and I went shopping at North Park. We had so much fun and I totally adore Tara! We were looking for new bedding for her, and in the shoe section of Nordstroms, I happened to find these little beauties:

When I came home with these shoes and showed them to my hubby, he loved them and was happy I bought them. He is seriously so good to me! Plus, every woman needs a touch of leopard. It’s the new neutral. :)

Today, we ate fajitas and mexican food with my husband’s family. Several of his aunts and uncles came over so there was a houseful. It was absolutely gorgeous here in Dallas today! The weather was so much cooler compared with the record-breaking 100 degree temps lately! So we took the dogs for a long walk, and then came home and gave them a bath. I tried to pose them for a post-bath picture, but getting 3 chihuahuas to sit still and look at the camera is impossible!

Haha, oh well! They are cute… and clean. That was our weekend. I hope you all had a restful and safe Labor Day weekend!

She sent 3 blue and white antique plates that she found in an antique store in Germany, so I could add them to my collection! I adore them!! :)

I used 2 of the plates to create a tablescape for our dinner last night.

I stacked them on top of my cream Wedgewood dinner plates and Jan Barbaglio chargers, flanked by my sterling and monogrammed napkins (thanks, Mom!), with crystal goblets to top it off.

On the table, I have a cotton runner that I sewed with silver-plate candlesticks that were a Christmas gift from my mom one year. A ginger jar that I discovered in an antique store in Georgia holds branches and makes a great centerpiece. Silver Reed & Barton salt & pepper shakers and my favorite, artichokes, also grace the table. I had fun using my new plates from my hubby’s cousin in Germany to create a simple tablescape. I love mixing high/low-end, fancy/casual, along with various finishes and textures, such as the branches versus the gleaming silver, to create a lovely table!

My hubby and I enjoyed eating dinner here last night (as opposed to the kitchen table where we usually eat)! Our new dishes and tablescape dressed up our meal of take-out enchiladas from Central Market and made our meal more special.

Thanks Karen for the beautiful dishes from Germany!!! You are so kind and thoughtful!!

Linking up to: Tablescape Thursdays at Between Naps on the Front Porch, Savvy Southern Style, Blue Creek Home, and No Minimalist Here.

My grandpa on my dad’s side, Papa, recently celebrated his 90th birthday!  He and my grandma live in Georgia, so my parents, husband and I drove from Dallas to Georgia to spend a week with family  in honor of my Papa. It was such a special week! We just don’t make it over to Georgia as often as we would like to, so this was such a sweet time with my dad’s side of the family. They are the kind of people that I would be friends with even if we weren’t related. Both sides of my family are so special to me, and we lived with my grandparents for a short time growing up, so Georgia feels like home to me {so does Dallas :)}. My Papa is one of my very favorite people in the world, and he always has been. I am the oldest grandchild on this side, and both of my grandparents treated us grandkids like we were really something. They have always been so proud of us all, and take the time to listen and impart wisdom when necessary. My Papa has truly walked out a life of integrity and I will always look up to him. Over the past ten years, he has struggled with his health, including multiple strokes. He has more will to live than anyone I have ever known. That is why this trip to Georgia for Papa’s birthday celebration was especially meaningful.

My Papa, Ray Avirett, is a World War II Veteran. After he returned from the war, he went to college at Mercer University where he met my grandmother, Ruth Baker Avirett. They married a short time after that and settled in a small town in the middle of Georgia and still live in the house my dad grew up in. Together, they had my father and my aunt, Laura, whom I am partially named after {My mom also has a sister named Laura, so I am named after both my Aunt Laura’s}. They have five grandchildren.

We had a small birthday celebration for Papa, with family who drove in. We were still missing several family members who unfortunately were not able to make it. In all, we had a great time and Papa loved being the center of attention!

My beautiful mom and my wonderful cousin, who is like a sister to me.

We displayed photos of Papa and his military awards for party guests to look through.

In addition to celebrating Papa’s 90th birthday, we also did a lot of perusing local boutiques and gift shops, stuffing ourselves enjoying Southern home-cooking, and visiting the home that my great-grandmother grew up in.

The home near Cochran, GA where my great-grandmother, Pearl Green Baker, was born and grew up in until she was 18. The antebellum mansion was built in 1842 by the Coley Family. We were able to meet the current owners. Once we told them our connection to the house, they were so gracious in letting us tour it. Come to find out, we are distant relatives of the current owners and the home has always been occupied by one connection to our family or another! What a small world! The home now features a restaurant downstairs and is also used for weddings. The home has always been called the Coley Plantation, but the current owners have dubbed it  Sajewinds Plantation.

While my great-grandmother grew up here, there was a small store on the several acres surrounding the home that was run by my great-great grandfather, Jarrett Green.

Here is another shot of the Coley Plantation at dusk. Isn’t it gorgeous?!

The home is so beautiful! The porch ceiling is painted sky blue, as almost every porch in the south is.

My husband and I on the front porch. This home was a really neat piece of our family history!

Me with my adorable, 5′ Grandma at the home her mother was born in. I am thankful for the 30+ years of genealogy work that my grandparents have conducted and have taught us a lot about our family. This day was a special one for my Grandma; it was the first time for her to tour the home her mother was born and raised in.

The main hall of the home. Keep in mind that it is now operating as a bed and breakfast and restaurant. I wish I could decorate it in keeping with the period of the home. You can see though, the gorgeous original hardwood floors through out the home. Almost all of the home is original.

Behind the staircase is this charming butler’s pantry that is completely original! So beautiful!

The living area {all the rooms currently function as dining areas since the bottom floor  is a restaurant now} to the left of the main hall. Love the tall ceilings. Don’t love the bright blue walls.

The room to the right of the main hall.   While the decor may not be my taste, the home is stunning! I loved imagining my Great Grandma, Pearl living here at the turn of the century. I never knew my Great Grandma but my family tells me that I look like her.

Out front there is a large circle drive with beautiful Gypsy Vanner horses. In the background, you can see the original stables and servants’ quarters.

My cousin, my mom and I. I treasure these women! It was a great trip and flew by way too fast! I always love visiting Georgia- I love their accents, their Southern hospitality, and magnolia trees. It is magical to me! We were ready to get home to our 3 pups but treasured the time we had with family!

Here is a peek of what I’ve been up to these last couple weeks-

I held a baby shower for my sister-in-law at my house.

Our friend, Hannah, is an amazing baker. She made these lemon cupcakes with buttercream frosting for the shower, topped off with Baby Jude’s monogram (letters handmade out of chocolate). Oohhh my gosh- they were to DIE FOR!!

The hostesses

Cinnamon Rolls served with an Easter-y napkin.

{I love this bunny}

My hubby and I enjoyed a lazy day around the house  followed by dinner with his family at the Cheesecake Factory.

Yummy fries

Us after dinner.

I love Easter and the celebration of new life. I am so thankful for Jesus, today and everyday. I hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

On the inside of my pantry door…

is my bulletin board. This helps me stay organized and keeps everything in 1 place! I have my calendar, my weekly cleaning routine, workout class schedule at our gym, and other reminders posted. I will admit this is not the prettiest bulletin board you will ever see, but it totally works for me. Like I said, function sometimes trumps form. I’ve thought about possibly gussying it up, but I like to pick my battles. :)

I found a simple calendar at Target that works great for us. I didn’t care about one with pictures for every month; they take up too much room on a bulletin board and the spaces are sometimes too small to write in. This calendar is simple and works great for helping me keep track of the month’s events, such as bible study, get-togethers with friends and appointments.

Also, my bulletin board is just a few steps away from my mail organizer, so the location is super convenient.

Another tool that keeps us organized is my planner. I think the key is finding the right planner! I finally found the perfect planner at the Container Store… it’s organized by week, with space for the weeks’ events (which are copied down from the calendar) and a page for things to do, people to call and things to shop for. {This is the cover in case you want to use the same one.}

Those are some of my tools that help us keep things running smoothly at our casa! Again, not rocket science, but I hope these ideas might help someone else out there, because they sure help me!

I want to share how I organize my mail on a daily basis. This system is by no means perfect, nor rocket science. But sometimes the best systems are the most simple! {I must give credit where credit is due. I was inspired by this blog.}

First of all, it is so important to have a plan in place for handling mail. And not just mail… but paper in general, invitations, schedules, business cards, coupons, etc. Today, however, I’m just focusing on incoming mail. If you do not have a system for handling the mail, before you know it, the mail will become a mountain and take over your life {and I’m talking in a matter of days!}. Sounds dramatic, right? Oh, that’s only the half of it!

So, I found an old magnetic holder leftover from my teaching days and some colorful file folders, and voila!

Here is my lovely mail holder:

I labeled the file folders, “File Me” and “Shred Me” and put them in the larger compartment of the magnetic holder and stuck the holder to the side of the fridge.

Right when I come home and open my mailbox, I come into the kitchen and open the mail. Anything that can be recycled {envelopes, flyers, basically anything without our names/addresses on it} goes into a pile to be taken to the recycling bin in the garage. Items that need to be filed go in to the folder labeled “File Me” to be filed in our filing cabinet at the end of the week. Anything with our names and addresses on it go into the folder entitled “Shred Me”. Larger coupons such as the Bed Bath and Beyond coupons or Groupon coupons go in front of the file folders. See the green thingamajig on the right? That is my nifty little business card holder {for containing contact info for household purposes such as the plumber, electrician, etc… my hubby gets his own business card holder for his business contacts}.

On Saturday, I take a few minutes to file any items in the “File Me” folder and shred any items in the “Shred Me” folder.

I try my best to follow the routine every day. But sometimes, it just doesn’t happen. In that case, I just get to it when I can, trying not to go more than a couple days without opening and sorting the mail. After all, it only takes a few minutes and goes such a long way to keeping my home in order! Having a system that works for me and is no-brainer to implement each day makes the task SO much easier!

See how discreet my mail holder is? And it’s so functional! Plus I used things I already owned to conquer the mail monster! I have tried a couple different ways to organize the mail and this way works for me in the phase of life. Probably someday down the line, I’ll tweak it to fit our needs.

Do you have a system for handling mail? I’d love to hear your ideas!

Linking up to: I Heart Organizing, Organize With Sandy, Blue Cricket Designs, and A Bowl Full of Lemons.

But first, I am excited to announce {drum roll, please}… that this blog is getting a makeover!! It’s going to be beautiful! The blog is being custom designed by my sweet hubby, Ismael Burciaga. I know, I’m a lucky girl to be married to such an incredibly talented designer :).

Enjoy a sneak peek:

In the first box, 2 Blue Willow plates arrived that I got for a steal off Ebay!

Add it to my collection! It’s growing, slowly but surely!

In my 2nd box, a late Christmas gift from hubby arrived…my shoes from Anthro! Actually he had gone to Anthro (he secretly loves that store) before Christmas, picked these shoes out, and bought them for me in a size 6 which is what I usually wear, but they were too small. So I exchanged them and ordered a size 7, and they just now arrived. Isn’t my hubby the sweetest?

I think they are beautiful! The shoe is snakeskin leather with a jeweled sequin bow. He knows me well!

• Blog more often. Pretty straight-forward…The goal is to consistently blog a couple times a week.
• Post more home decorating projects. This year I have some projects up my sleeve that I plan to tackle around my house, as well as some re-decorating… Stay tuned!!
• Learn to take better photos. I’m basically a novice when it comes to using a DSLR, but I am determined to take more decent photos of my home.