home – Flipping Tourist

I’m on a Boat and….

October 23, 2018 4 Comments

Lake season in Texas is officially over. Sure, there is more than enough water, but I’m way too cold and full of pumpkin-spiced lattes to trapse around in a bikini. And quiet down now if you are already thinking to yourself that I should never trapse around in a bikini. This is not the place for body-shaming!

To keep my spirits up on chilly days, I like to blare songs from our ever evolving summer boat playlist. They are fun and sunny, but many tend to be so inappropriate. Why is that? Nevertheless, it reminds me of when I first learned the gravity of playing a foul language song to the wrong group.

When I began working for SeaDream (as a Yacht Director on the luxury line) the song ‘I’m On A Boat‘ by The Lonely Island, was released. (Grandma, do not click that link!) What you also need to know about me is that I’m the type of girl that ‘acts first, worries later’. Meaning, I don’t really think of my actions before they occur. This often results in fun. Yet, usually gets me into trouble. While working on SeaDream, I was basically removed from the real world. Week to week I had one goal and one goal only…receive perfect scores on our Voyage surveys. Ok, ok, I wanted to do a good job and be helpful to the rest of our crew. And I genuinely did want the guests to like me. But let me get real with you quickly. I didn’t check Facebook, I didn’t watch TV and I barely emailed with friends and family. I was consumed with creating daily itineraries that catered to the elite traveller. And of course I was constantly responding to Patty’s complaints about the pesky locals not taking the US Dollar (she brought 500 $1 bills to France and she wants to use them). Or maybe I was busy solving Mr. Wienfeld’s issue of needing crab legs for the 4th day in a row (because he didn’t realize we had fresh crab the last 3 days and today we don’t. This is now my problem). All that to say, I heard there was a ‘fun’ new song about being on a boat and didn’t realize the mass amounts of profanity throughout this Boat song. I was the naive world traveller….a ‘flipping tourist’ you might say. (NOTE: It isn’t actually until THIS VERY MOMENT that I am realizing this song was actually a SNL-skit thing. Cleary I’m still out of touch).

I just remember being incredibly ecstatic that an entire song had been written about my current life! Although, if I think about the language that gets thrown around at sea I suppose it shouldn’t have been shocking that the lyrics of a boat song were littered with f-bombs towards your mutha.

Before listening to even one chorus of ‘I’m on a Boat’, I just took it upon myself to download this ballad and blast these tunes through the entire yacht sound system. After about six lines of ‘Mother F*&@?$ boat’ I realized I had made a mistake. An ugly mistake. Our dear Captain wasn’t amused. I mean this is really bad if even lifetime seafarers are officially offended.

Music never really has been my thing.

So what is ‘my thing’? I’m not really sure, but it’s clear I’m always up for taking risks! To me it’s just a way of life. Whether it is risking my career on playing a song to the masses that I didn’t bother to preview yet or just taking a risk in designing and doing things differently. Why live life safe, when you can just LIVE?! (My personal motto is, “it will all just work itself out“. And this honestly bugs my spreadsheet-addict husband. He plans and organizes and over-prepares. For everything. You can imagine how upsetting it is to him to see me throw things at a wall and they actually stick. And look pretty decent too).

You may hear my life motto being mentioned a lot. Oh, also, Jesus has my back. Always.

But returning to the subject at hand. Boats. Growing up allllll I wanted was to have a boat. My parents had a canoe for a short bit. I don’t feel like that fully met my desire. Like not at all. They finally sold it (or donated it. Or sunk it. I need to ask them how one gets rid of an old rusty canoe).

As the years went on my parents would go on cruises and I didn’t get to go on a SINGLE ONE! Not a single one!!! The travesty! I let them know many times over how deprived I felt.

I should have saved myself the whining. If only my younger self knew that I would someday spend 2 years living and working on one of the best boats in the world – SeaDream. (I promise you LOTS more stories coming your way from my years on the water).

Then I found a man who wanted to marry me (sucker) AND he owned a boat. So it should be no surprise to you that our kids also love the water and have a boat obsession.

When it came time to move our oldest son from a crib to a bed we felt like we had one solid option to ensure this little guy would l~~ove~~ stay put all night in his new sleeping arrangement:

A BOAT.

We had just moved into a new home (the 3rd home for our 2-year-old boy). His new room was so spacious. We couldn’t just do a bed that looked like a boat. We knew we wanted to take an actual boat and make it look like a bed.

Down we trekked to Eagle Mountain Lake and let the Harbor Master know that our young son loved to sail. This kind man found us an old sailboat that he was thrilled to give to a young sailor. And construction began.

A new paint job (royal blue for that authentic nautical look) and a platform to fit a twin-sized mattress. Heath and Johnny Madison spent a few weekends getting the boat prepped to set sail up our staircase. Meanwhile, I hunted for a PG version of ‘I’m on a boat’. Doesn’t exist.

Friday afternoon was boat move-in day. And it started raining as soon as the 5 man crew arrived to hoist the ~~sails~~ boat over the banister. I wanted to panic but remembered a boat is built for water. Still to this day, I couldn’t believe we made a 14-foot sailboat fit up our stairs and into our sons room.

Moving in the boat — ***It took 6 strong men and an equipment loader to bring in our 2 year olds bed. And they say kids are spoiled these days…***

How many guys does it take to slide a boat into a bedroom. — **This was the point of no return. It had been hoisted up the stairs. Now we all prayed it would fit thru the doorway.**

The boat bed fits! — ***Can you believe this beast fit?!?! Our movers certainly have ‘choice’ words for us after this move.***

That night we told our son ‘bon voyage’. He climbed in his new bed and slept all night. We think….Heath and I celebrated with several margaritas so it is possible that we just snoozed right through it.

Ready for America's Cup — **Our version of the ‘America’s Cup‘ is: Whoever sleeps past 7am wins Gold!**

Narrow Draft on the boat bed — **Thankfully this boat has a shallow draft (I’m sure that means something to real sailors, but to me it just meant it could fit through a doorway!)**

Will you please tell me a song you have accidentally played to the wrong crowd?! Or share your favorite boat songs so I can add them to my playlist for next summer!

Blog, Party, Renovation

Pied-à-Terre Par-tay

October 17, 2018 No Comments

Last week I finally introduced you to our ‘Pied-à-terre’. Our House in the City. She would be a Plastic Surgeon’s dream (Just in house form). She has great bones and is well-kept. She just needed a serious refresh. As I write this, most of her walls have already been torn down and she now gleams with brand new sheetrock and a layout that suits her much better.

And just as a Plastic Surgeon would do, we took tons of before photos. But because our life as home renovators allows us to have a bit more fun with our ‘patients’ than actual surgeons are probably allowed (HIPPA hasn’t reached the construction business yet), we also threw a party to show her off! Before and After photos are so important, but getting to celebrate your work and let your friends and family actually see the process is so fun for us.

Since the ‘pied-à-terre’ (home in the city) has a pool, we knew how we needed to kick off the renovation:

Pool Party!

Seriously though, if you are doing updates or renovations to a home, I want to encourage you to throw a little shindig for friends and family. As I’ve mentioned, ‘before’ photos just don’t do a project justice (although I’m going to flood you with plenty of ‘before’ pics anyway. See a few here). It’s more fun to let people into the space. Here is how we kept it simple and stress-free (because the party shouldn’t stress you out. Home Renovation that gets to take the ‘stress’ glory)!

Impromptu ‘BEFORE’ Pool Party came timeline:

Thursday morning: Having just returned home from Thailand, we rushed to get papers signed on this home and line up our crew. We realized demo wouldn’t start until the following Monday – we literally looked at each other this morning and both had the same idea. “Let’s throw a party on Saturday“. It was 110º daily so we coined it the ‘Dog Days of Demo Preview Party‘. I quickly created an online invitation. I typically use Paperless Post, but this time I tried MINTED’s online invitations.

Minted invitation - too hot to hammer — **Too Hot to Hammer!**

Friday mid-day (more importantly still nearing 110 freaking degrees outside): We decided it was seriously too hot to cook and way to hot to offer a cook-out. Heck, the heat made it barely possible to breathe. With Heath devoting his time to his renovating spreadsheets and my brainstorming the details that truly make for a good party, we decided we didn’t have time to home cook for this little shindig. We would need to ‘cater’ the dinner. We fell back on an old favorite that is always a hit. First, let me give you a quick back story – Prior to meeting Heath, I had been ordering fried chicken from a hamburger joint. He has blessed my life tremendously by introducing me to the best fried chicken on God’s green earth. Even if you aren’t a fan of that type of food, this joint has a recipe that will leave your mouth watering. And preggo mammas…just get ready to give them all your money….

Saturday afternoon: We call CHICKEN EXPRESS. Oh ya baby! Locals know this joint as Chicken E and their corn nuggets are the crown jewel to the combo of fried chicken and mac ‘n cheese. We also stocked up on various frozen desserts. As I type this and salivate, I may never allow Heath to cater with boring Ahi Tuna and those silly charcuterie boards again. (I jest. My mouth is salivating again). Regardless, fried food is always a win. And are you like me? Do you somehow put on a bikini and all of a sudden crave fried, buttery foods? What is up with that?

Saturday 4:30pm: With 30 minutes before the party started we quickly set up. We didn’t have to do the silly pre-party cleaning. Nope. Didn’t need bother dusting a darn thing. No need….who was going to judge? The only thing we did to truly prepare the home was use spray paint to outline as many of the changes as we could. We wanted to give a good visual to anyone really interested in which walls would move, where the coveted kitchen island would go and how large the master bath would be.

When your party is so on brand you can use the decor dump truck to help bring in party supplies.

PARTY TIME: The adults had a great time walking the space and we loved describing the future of this home. The kids were allowed to paint, glue and color ANYWHERE they wanted (Although Tide stain remover for their clothing would have been a nice parting gift. Next time!). We had fully functioning bathrooms so the drinks could flow easily and no one even had to dry off from swimming to relieve themselves. I accidentally put the ice cream in the refrigerator instead of the freezer, but not one single parent stressed about their kids spilling the soupy dessert. It was just good ‘ole laid back summertime fun!

Party Setup — **Fried chicken, sweet rolls in a dump truck, silverware in a Home Depot apron and paint supplies for kids.**

Easy to brand a construction party when your child owns all the toy trucks.

Party Painting — **We can’t be held responsible for kids leaving this party and trying to paint their own walls at home.**

Saturday 9pm: Clean up lasted all of THREE minutes. The Demo crew would be there to enhance the party mess on Monday so no need to even sweep up crumbs. We did throw the remains of the food and plates in the trash (because we aren’t total savages).

party girl — **Ta-Da! Party clean up was a breeze. Grabbed the dump truck and headed on home.**

While this party really had nothing to do with the actual renovation, it was so fun to share our project with others. Our desire was that we would complete the full renovation project in enough time to throw a reveal pool party as well. Unfortunately, the cold rain is now pouring down in Texas so pool season is over and I regret my complaints about the heat (it wasn’t that miserable, was it?). But this home boasts an amazing backyard, so maybe an evening of s’mores and decor is in our near future! We can’t wait to show you the final product!

Before showing where the stairs will go — **Soon enough I’ll show you the reveal photos!**

If you remodel, what are ways you make the process feel special? If you don’t personally like to renovate, what makes seeing others progress so exciting?

Home, Party, Renovation

Pied-á-Terre

October 5, 2018 4 Comments

Split level with a split personality. Bold and confusing. — Upon entry she was bold red. Yet she leaves you wondering if you are to retreat down the narrow added stairway or head upstairs. And the bright color along with an abundance of nick knacks made this stairway decision space feel claustrophobic.

Brown on Brown on Brown. — ***All wood. All day. And brown accents everywhere you glance. This home was well cared for but definitely dated and crying out for a refresh!***

Claustrophobic Kitchen. — On my InstaStories, I referred to that wall of cabinets as the ‘Segregation Wall’. This is the entire Kitchen. All of it. And if you’re cooking you don’t get to be part of ANY of the fun your guests are having because you can’t see beyond the stove and it’s too small for your friends to fit in the space to help you.

Downstairs but not downtrodden — This is going to be such a cool hangout space. It was added on by the original owners, but we are going to make it feel cozier and create a proper bathroom and laundry room. This will become the area that fully completes this family-ready home! OH…and BYE-BYE popcorn ceilings!

There is no perfect remodel home. Some are completely trashed and you need a hazmat suit just to get started. Some have been vacant and infiltrated with pests and ‘pets’ (read: raccoons and their furry friends, squirrels and cats).

But occasionally you find that easy breezy remodel home. The one that has been well-loved, yet it is dated and needs a fresh update (this is also how I typically describe myself!).

These remodels are so fun for us as parents because we can actually take our kids into the home throughout the renovation without third world style vaccines or having the fear of death by impalement or toxicities. (Sure…it’s also nice for us as grown ups too. I have a good sense of smell and I promise you no amount of Febreeze can hide the scent of untrained animals).

Our current project falls into the ‘we could move right in, but we prefer to make it a #1 Stunna’. And we shall call this project the ‘Pied-á-Terre’ (home in the city) because:

1. The term is French. We LOVE anything french: This French toast recipe similar to Norma’s, French braids, French promenades along the southern coast of France and of course French fries. Even our dog is French, people!

Moiselle. Our FRENCH dog — You didn’t think I was going to mention our little Bichon Frise/Shih Tzu without showing her did you? Moiselle will make an appearance anytime I can sneak her in (standby for the story of her missing and being found after nearly 5 months).

As I write this, we are currently living in out the country. 30+ long minutes away from family, friends and the city of Fort Worth we love. We honestly needed a ‘home in the city’.

So while we will sell our Pied-á-Terre before the Autumn leaves are done falling, this project is our little home away from home as long as you don’t mind a home with live wires, exposed nails and subfloor (hint: we don’t mind). But better than even the location, is that it has a pool. We seriously are doing this project at the perfect time. What a waste it would have been to have renovated a home with a pristine pool in December?!

Hidden pool. — ***There is a pool back there…you just can’t see it because the railing is blocking it. Don’t worry…we will enhance your view post renovation!***

Look how HUGE this pool is! Check back in soon and I’ll tell you how to throw a quick and easy Renovation Party! We invited everyone over for a pre-reno swim (Pro-Tip: more people come if it’s for a swim party vs. having to do ACTUAL work).

Don’t get me wrong. Just because this home was technically move-in ready, doesn’t mean that we aren’t completely changing the footprint and going full resurrection mode to bring this charming home up to date. Every room has changed in ways that will enhance this living space for the next owners and we can’t wait to show you!

I am late in sharing this current project with you all, so it will feel almost like an episode of HGTV because the big reveal is just a few weeks away. Do you want to see the progress photos? Or maybe you’d like to see how quickly our budget spreadsheet changed. When the ideas flow….the money flows along with it…..

Have you ever thought about renovating? What scares or excites you the most about it?