our kitchen & tips for installing west elm pendant lighting

One of my absolute favorite parts about our home is our kitchen. It is open, spacious, functional, basically all the things you would be looking for in a kitchen. The one thing I didn't really love was the lighting. Sometimes I swear that contractors either don't have a clue what is visually appealing or don't really care about placement because where they installed the lighting in this room was so bizarre to me. We have this beautiful island but no light centered above it. Instead there was one way off to the right and another way off to the left. The same style of light was installed over the kitchen sink and all three are what I like to call "boob lights". haha Not my favorite style of flushmounted lighting out there. The style of the chandelier over our kitchen table looked like it would fit well in a hunter's home next to a pair of antlers. Also, not my style. Going hunting is probably the last place you'll find me. haha Anyway, what I am getting at is the lighting was one of the things we wanted to change about this space. And remember how I said back in January that one of our New Year's resolutions this year was a new house project every month, just keeping up with our promises. :) Let me apologize in advance for slightly grainy images throughout this post by the way, but they were all taken on my iPhone because the whole kitchen wouldn't fit in the shot on my 50mm lens! haha

Here are the original light fixtures we had in our kitchen ...

And what they looked like in our kitchen ...

You can see in the above picture on the left, we had already taken down one of the flushmounts. 

Just a quick disclaimer before we get any further into the post ... we are not certified electricians, just a skilled husband and a wife who is pretty great at standing there to hold things up when needed. :)

For above the kitchen sink and island we chose this and these glass pendants from West Elm with their Edison-style light bulbs. 

While they are so beautiful, they were kind of a pain to hang so I have a few tips to share if you are in the market for new lighting and choose this pendant style from West Elm. I originally took detailed pictures to show you the process but after scouring my phone, Nic's phone, both of our computers, basically anywhere they might have been stored, they can not be found. I have a feeling they were deleted at some point in time so instead, a couple of tips only in words it is ...

1. When you get the rope the length that you want it, wrap the remaining length inside the face plate in a spiral shape, taping it down every few inches with electrical tape as you go. When we first tried winding the rope inside the face plate it was IMPOSSIBLE to keep it dow, even when two sets of hands were involved. Electrical tape really did the trick!

2. The screws that both light fixtures come with a really short. Every time we would try to line up each hole on the plates there was always one hole slightly off from the other and the screws were just not long enough to reach through both holes at a slight angle. Buy a few extra bronze screws in a longer length that way they will still match the existing screws (you won't even be able to tell from a distance) but you won't spend five hours holding the darn thing up while someone tries and fails time and time again to get the last tiny screw through both holes!

I can now say they were worth the installation headache because look at how beautiful they look!!! 

By the way, didn't Nic do an incredible job covering up, texturing, and painting the existing light fixture holes that used to be there?! That man has more talents than I can count and despite how handy he thinks he is not, I am always impressed by him.

We decided on this glass pendant lantern for over the kitchen table from World Market and I love it! Truthfully, when we first hung it I wasn't sure if it went well with the other two light fixtures we picked out because it is a different shape and a black finish instead of bronze but it has really grown on me.

A few more touches in the kitchen ...

All of these polaroids on our fridge make me smile! I love adding to the collection. Maybe one day, our entire fridge will be covered in them from all of our memories together. ;)

And last but not least, my beloved shelves. The first of many DIY projects Nic has done for me and I love them more and more with each season that I get to decorate them for. In fact, they no longer look like this because summer just had to make room for fall. ;) And by fall I really mean Halloween ... SO EXCITED!

There you have it, our kitchen with beautiful new lighting! I love it so much!

P.S. This post was not sponsored.

Eastern Idaho State Fair

It would seem going to the fair once already this summer just wasn't enough for us because we managed to find our way back again this week. This time, closer to our house and with different grandparents. We wouldn't want to deprive anyone of that joy you see all over a little one's face when they are about to go on a ride or eat a massive piece of pizza all by themselves. Both of which happened. ;) 

We went with Nic's dad (Grandpapa), his wife (Grandma Dee), and her daughter (Aunt Dara)!

Our first stop was the pronto pup stand! I of course asked for mustard on mine and managed to cover our change, Nic's entire wallet and my hands in it as I tried balancing all of the above when it was handed to me. Not my finest hour! Five billion napkins did the trick though and we were back on our merry way to the petting zoos! I love looking at all of the different breeds of bunnies but Liam looked at them like "been there done that, I have my own at home" and since he is the boss, we moved on to the goats. Liam's grandpapa bought him some food to feed the goats. This was his first time experiencing it and was slightly unsure of the whole thing at first but Nic has such a gentle way of teaching him to be brave and that sweet baby goat just licked every bite off of his hand.

The larger goats began to notice we were the ones with all of the food and honed into us like beacons, jutting their necks out as far as they possibly could between the bars without strangling themselves. Liam cautiously reached out his fingers full of food to one of them and it slurped his whole hand right into its mouth! The frown that followed on Liam's face was hysterical, I was dying laughing! 

We came across a field covered in tractors and spent the rest of our evening trying out every single one. ;) Just kidding, not the WHOLE evening. Look at how happy they make him ...

Liam's birthday is next month and I am thinking of ideas for his party and know he would love a tractor themed one. Now if only I knew someone who had a tractor that could take the little kids on rides up and down the street at his party! He would be in absolute heaven!!!

On each new tractor he would test out the wheel, levers, and buttons until he tried them all and then would point to the next one he wanted to ride. haha

I love this next picture of him so much ...

Only at the fair (or a corn maze I suppose) would you find a cornbox. You know, like a sandbox but filled with corn! AND it had tractors!

Another favorite picture that I love ...

Just like the fair in Boise, Liam could see the rides from a mile away and was so excited! He alternated rides with his dad and Dara and loved every minute of it. He didn't even cry this time when he had to get off the ride!

His little hand gripping onto his daddy's finger, melts my heart every time I see it!!!

There was only one ride (the kangaroo one) that Liam was tall enough to ride. He is 32 inches but most wanted kids to be 36. Since he was riding with an adult on all of the rides he went on we thought it was silly to keep him from going so Nic and Dara braved the carnival guys with tickets in their hand and they never said anything and let them on anyway. One of these rides was the chopper hopper where he got to ride in an airplane!

Getting his plane controls all ready for take off. ;)

Do you see him peeking out of the window in the picture on the right looking for us?! I love that little pilot!

Another really fun trip to the fair! I'm still not sure how we managed to make it out of BOTH fair experiences without eating any sugar (I'm looking at you tigers ears) but if a pronto pup was our biggest indulgence, there are worse things. ;) It was so much fun to have Nic's side of the family experiencing it with us this time! 

Back to School | Toddler Boy Style

This last week was the first week of school for the kids in our town and it has been a good reminder for me what a gift it is that I am staying home with Liam. Now more than ever I feel like it is exactly where I need and am meant to be. I have however missed buying brand new school supplies for my classroom and the excitement of shopping for that outfit to wear on the first day. I didn't want to miss out on that fun so is there such a thing as back to school shopping for a toddler who isn't quite going to school yet?! ;) haha

It is really more of Liam's fall/winter wardrobe but back to school just fit. ;) And believe it or not, I'm only a year away from that! It is hard for me to wrap my mind around having a pre-schooler but when that time comes, I know how much my little social butterfly will love it. With that said, a few toddler boys styles I am loving for back to school, or in our case, the fall months ahead ...

Baseball Hat | Sweatshirt | Shoes | Khaki's with Suspenders | Hunter Wellies | Hooded Shirt | Long Sleeve Camo | Long Sleeve Greatness | Jeans

I am in love with that little yellow sweatshirt with the bear ears on it and was so sad to discover that it is currently out of stock in Liam's size! I keep checking back hoping they will get more in soon! Also, I had NO IDEA that JCrew carries toddler sizes?! I knew they discontinued baby sizes but was excited to find out their kids selection goes all the way down to 2T. Now if only they weren't so expensive because I just can't possibly justify spending $30 on a kids shirt. They are definitely cute though! ;) Several of the pieces above are from OshKosh which is another brand that I love and they are having a 50% sale with an additional 25% off coupon code for Labor Day this weekend. One of my favorites not pictured above are these, overalls are my fav on little boys!

Have you seen the new Cat and Jack kid's clothing line at Target? It is so adorable! We don't have a Target in our town so whenever we travel to a city that does, I usually jump at the chance to go and have a sweet husband who supports me. haha While we were in Utah a few weeks ago I picked up a pair of patched skinny jeans, a button up denim shirt, and a pair of tweed pants that will be perfect for Liam to wear to church this winter! These sneakers are also called the Liam sneaker so it just seemed kind of perfect. :)

It has been consistently hot here for during the later part of August/beginning of September so Liam hasn't worn any long pants yet but everyone was posting back to school pictures last week so I had to take a few of our own in his new denim shirt. :) What our "school" days look like at home right now ... 

One of Liam's favorite books right now is an I Learn Numbers book from Nic's childhood!

I love this handsome little boy so much!!!

Some of my old co-workers gifted Liam that backpack with his name on it at a baby shower they threw for us after Liam was born. He loves carrying it around and keeping his trains inside! "Momma, will you put these train tracks together for me?!" 

Happy back to school shopping! XO

Idaho Falls Zoo

Liam and I have considered ourselves really lucky these last couple of weeks. Surprisingly enough, the end of the year is only a few short months away and Nic still has quite a bit of time off to use, even if he takes some around the holidays. So the last couple of weeks we have gotten to enjoy three day weekends with our favorite guy. We've definitely taken advantage of that extra time and have done some fun things together. Last Friday for example, we took a trip to the Idaho Falls Zoo! It was a first time visiting this particular zoo for all of us and with it still being relatively small town we weren't sure what to expect but it was so amazing!!! 

Liam's favorite books to read before bed lately are ones with animals. His understanding of animal names and sounds has really exploded lately. We'll ask him, "Liam, where's the zebra?" and he knows exactly which animal to point to and exclaims, "There!!!" It was the perfect time to take him to the zoo and show him those animals he has been learning in person!

Liam and daddy in matching North Face sweatshirts!

One of the first animals you pass is an alligator and let me tell you what, those things are so ominous in person! They hardly move a centimeter and it is hard not to imagine them just pouncing from where they lay halfway underneath the water with their eyes fixated from above. haha It was kind of intimidating so I didn't stand around long to get a picture. ;) They gibbon monkeys on the other hand, now that is animal we could have watched ALL DAY and not gotten tired of it! They were so entertaining, swinging by their long fingers from branch to branch to their hammock, to the ground, and back again. All the while picking up random boxes or pieces of cardboard scattered about their enclosure along the way. They were so noisy with these big whooping calls that it said they make to warn others of predators or danger in the area. Their noises made Liam nervous at first but they were just so active that they won him over pretty quickly.

One animal I was surprised they had were the flamingos!! I've always wanted to see them in person and hadn't until this zoo. They were the most beautiful pink color and it was so interesting to see them resting on one leg so naturally. 

One of them had an adorable baby covered in grey feathers!

My baby bird who definitely did NOT hatch from an egg. ;) Trust me. haha See him pointing his finger at it? He is in this adorable stage where he points to have everything around him and expects you to tell him what it is. It might get old eventually but for now, it is fun seeing him so interested in learning about the world around him.

Naturally he found a stick to carry in the first 5 minutes of being there. Are you even surprised? ;)

I'm not sure what exactly it is about this next picture that I love so much but it just evokes this sweet tender feeling in me. Comparing his hand size to this animal one. 

A baby zebra!!! I'm not sure it can get any cuter than that!

As we were standing there watching the zebras a loud crack sounded from their edge of their habitat and it spooked them all towards the other side. Upon closer inspection we realized they had cut down a tree branch from outside of their area and it landed over the fence. They all cautiously moved back to the other side and began eating from it!! This might have been one of our favorite moments from that day because as the zebras ate, their tails swung in a circle, they were so giddy! It was hilarious to watch!

I love these sweet boys.

We visited the lions next. Every time Nic or I have ever been to a zoo the lions are ALWAYS sleeping and it is kind of disappointing. This time the female lion was not only up and stalking around the cage but also roaring too!

Liam watched her closely for a minute or two and then yelled, "ROAR!" Nic and I were floored! He has never made a lion sound before, even when we point to them in his books at home. It was so adorable!

Mid zoo, we stopped to get Liam a treat. Cotton candy ice cream, lucky boy! He loved every single bite. Nic and I haven't been eating sugar so it took all of his poor willpower not to eat the last couple of bites Liam didn't finish and just to throw the rest in the garbage. haha By the way, if' you've seen this particular episode of Friends then you can probably relate but doesn't Liam look like Joey here when he is doing that Japanese lipstick commercial?! haha So funny!

Some other animals not pictured that we saw were a baby camel, a baby snow leopard, so many tropical birds (a toucan who even said "hello" and "pretty bird" to us!), and penguins!! We went back one more time to visit the flamingos and gibbon monkeys while Liam finished his ice cream. Do you see the flamingo-pelican cross in the next picture?! So crazy!

We were seriously impressed with all of the animals the Idaho Falls Zoo had. We will definitely be visiting again!