We Have A New Look!

Well...what do you think?!?! I think it looks great & I'm in love with our new template. I'm also super excited to get moving on some new posts, which will be coming shortly. I have no plans to change our blog design in the near future or in the future so each time you visit us...this is what you'll see. There's great comfort in familiarity. :o)

A special thanks goes out to Designer Blogs for all their help. Be sure to check out their website for all your blogging design needs & sign up to receive their coupons.

Home Improvements :)

For the months of November & December 2010, Dan & I were on a painting kick that appeared to have no end in sight. For approximately 4 to 5 weekends straight, we painted rooms in our house & it was exhausting. We've now decide that when we start to paint again that we would consult a professional to see how much it would cost. Painting can be rewarding, but it can also be extremely draining.

When we bought our townhouse in February 2008, every wall in the house was white & we left it like that for quite a while until I just couldn't take it anymore. It was plain, bland & kind of depressing if you asked me. I wanted lots & lots of color! Dan needed a little more convincing though; his most common sentence when I would bring home paint samples was, "I just don't see it." I quoted my friend, Sandra Lue, several times by saying, "just work with me here!" Finally, I decided that he won't get the whole picture until I slap up some paint, hang photos & arrange furniture...so that's what I did.

Here are the before, after & current photos: One of the walls in our living room with Behr's Desert Caravan paint.
A view of our downstairs; the contrasting wall is Behr's Caramel Latte paint.
Our fireplace accent wall which is currently Behr's Glazed Pecan will soon be changed to Mocha because the Pecan & Desert Caravan are just too similar.
Another living room shot.
I love how the white doors pop with the Desert Caravan.
Our kitchen cutout view from the dining room, again this is Caramel Latte (Dan loves this color).
Our dining room = my favorite wall in our entire house; Behr's Deep Blue Sea. I'm currently waiting for a painting to go on sale at World Market that will be hung on this wall. We also purchased a bamboo rug & I love the light color paired with the dark floors.
Kitchen shot - Behr's Camel paint. This color also surrounds our blue accent wall in the dining room.
We decided to put a contrasting color (Caramel Latte) inside the window.
Last kitchen photo.
Stairs to the second floor; Behr's Glazed Pecan.
Hallway upstairs; again, love the white doors & trim.
Our Master bedroom; Ralph Lauren's Moss paint.
Master bathroom was also painted with Moss. The before photo is a picture of Dan's current bathroom, but I wanted to show how we use to have the large mirror, etc. I wanted more cabinet space so we added the cabinet on the wall.
My favorite painting that inspired the green bathroom; Dan & I bought it from a local artist at the Herndon Festival several years ago but just didn't have anywhere to hang it - it reminds me of Lexi. =]
We also added new faucets & drains to both our bathrooms on the second floor. You don't even want to know what the old ones looked like.

Our next painting project is Dan's bathroom which I would like to paint blue, but we're going to wait on that for a bit - at least until one of us no longer despises painting. For now, I'm just going to enjoy our house finally looking like a home.

WU Alumni Game

Several months ago at Waynesburg University, Dan played in their annual alumni game. In previous years he missed several because of his coaching responsibilities at Herndon High School. I was excited to watch him play again & get to see my family for the weekend.

I had to take photos of him pitching. =]


The alumni team that beat the current WU baseball team.
Dan's fourth in from the left.

You kicked ass, babe. You still look great in uniform & you've still got the skills.

Weekend Visitors

On the weekend of December 9th (I told you I was behind on posts!) my Mom & Grandmother came down for a visit. My Grandmother had flown into Pittsburgh on December 6th & was staying at my parents house for 10 days; my Mom came up with the idea of bringing her down to our house for one of the weekends that she was here because my Grandmother had never seen where we live or been to Virginia. I was super excited about these plans & was so thankful that my Mom had came up with them. Dan & I like our road trips up to my parents house, but there's just something about having family come to visit us for a change - we love it.

My Mom & Grandmother arrived at our house late Friday afternoon, so Dan was able to spend some time with them before I got home from work. That Friday was one of the longest days...ever. Why is that when you have something fun planned the day before always drags on? I wish it was the opposite. Anyway, when I walked through the front door our living room was filled with family & I loved coming home to it. I got lots of hugs & kisses, including from Lexi who seemed to be jealous that I wasn't giving her any attention & started digging at my leg to pick her up. The 4 of us chatted for a bit before we left for our dinner reservations at Sweet Water. Dan & I decided that we wanted to take them to a place that they've never been before, just to change it up. Of course, when we pulled in to park my Mom said excitedly, "are we going to Olive Garden?!" (it was right next door to Sweet Water.) If you know my family then you know that they love the Olive Garden. I then had to disappoint her & tell her no. Once we finished dinner, everyone was glad that we chose to eat where we did because our food was great &, of course, the conversation was even better. =]

On Saturday, we decided to head over to the mall & do some much needed shopping. We also took a few photos: Dan, Grandma & Me
3 generations: Grandma, Mom & Me =]
Lover & Me
Saturday night & Sunday morning consisted of lying around the house & catching up on the latest family news.
We all had a great weekend together & Dan & I were pretty sad to see them go, but we're grateful for the time that we got to spend with them while they were here.

A Belated Wish

From our family to yours.... We hope that you had...
...a very Merry Christmas...

...& a Happy & fun New Year. May 2012 bring you health, wealth & happiness.

Love,
{thecoghlans}

Shoe Of The Month - January

I am sooo far behind on posts that it's not even funny. I just realized that I only posted 2 in the month of December! I guess that just goes to show you how busy we've been. Now that the holidays are over, I'm very much looking forward to some down time.

Well...even though I am a day late (due to this crappy cold) I am ready to post the January shoe of the month. =] So now the only question that remains is - are you ready?? I am super excited about this month's pick because it is by one of my favorite celebrities; if you know me, you'll know exactly who I'm talking about. I love her. Several months ago I spotted these boots on her website, but wasn't able to put them in the running because they were a little too pricy if you asked me & I like to think of the shoe of the month as stylish, yet affordable. Now that the boots have gone on sale, it's the perfect timing: The Livia Clapton Grey Ankle Boot by Jessica Simpson. If you want further details, click {here}

I love the elastic panels, the mixed color tones &, of course, the zipper in the back; they're different & I really like different. Who wants to see other women walking around with the exact same shoe/boot as you? I know I don't. These boots also come in acorn & black, which I also love: If you prefer these colors, click {here}

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year. Updated posts will follow shortly. In the meantime, go buy a pair of shoes & make your feet happy.