Bridal Veil Falls

I met some friends for a hike at Bridal Veil Falls over the weekend while Mountain Man worked at home. He hiked with some coworkers on Friday, so he needed to catch up. We only ended going about half a mile up because some little legs gave out, but after a picnic lunch back at the trail head, I decided to go all the way. The hike is only 2 miles and it was rainy on & off throughout the afternoon. I was surprised that it was actually a fairly easy hike until I got to the 101 steps going up to the base of the falls! Let's just say I got a pretty good aerobic workout in that last leg! Bridal Veil Falls was amazing, even though it was a cold, wet, gray day. The force of the water is unbelievable and I was freezing while admiring the massive falls. There was a constant spray of water and I was worried that the camera would be ruined, but so far it's okay. I actually saw a little wildlife that day (emphasis on LITTLE), too. We saw a gorgeous burnt-orange-backed hummer while having our picnic in the parking lot, and then I saw a cute little plump mouse, scurrying around the falls. The rain cleared up a little on my way back and I actually saw the sun and a glimpse of blue sky. It was a wonderful day!

From Bridal Veil Falls

Follow the link for more fun pictures of our day!

A little trip through Blogland

Fasten your safety harness, grab your snacks and a steaming cup of coffee and enjoy the ride (through Blogland, that is). 

Some of my favorite sites recently (that have been added to my Google Reader):

Knock-off Wood - If you've ever had the desire to build something from scratch, you've GOT to see Anna's site! She's got knock-off plans for all kinds of high-end furniture. I really want to attempt a few things, but I'm so nervous to even try. I don't even understand her easy-to-understand lingo, nor do I have the tools. However, this hasn't stopped me before, so who knows - I might jump right in!

Remodelaholic - Cassity has some awesome tutorials and beautiful inspiration!

Funky Junk Interiors - Donna gives a whole new meaning to "from trash to treasure!" I'm truly blown away by her creativity! I think her stairs are my favorite thing in her awesome house! {I'm really not sure how I can have just one favorite thing in her house...}

Alchemy Junk - Stephanie features some neat techniques (of which rusting is on my list to try), gorgeous creations, and of course, tons of inspiration. She was certainly blessed with some major creative genes!

So You Think You Can Decorate - 10 decorators, 10 challenges, 10 weeks - SO FUN to see their creations each week!

There are more, but I don't want to overwhelm you all at once!

I'm working on my mud room right now and I'll have before and after pics, hopefully by the beginning of next week! Now go get a refill of coffee and get to creating!

Coffee Filter Wreath

I found this simple, frugal coffee filter wreath on The Little Brown House, and headed to The Dollar Store that same day! I absolutely love it on my teal wall!

Now that I'm looking back at her post, I realize that my wreath is lacking in cuteness. I didn't "scrunch" it at all. Hmmm. Just a minute...Scrunching and fluffing.

There we go, that's got a little more character.

So, Miss Brown House, where is your wreath-making school? I need some skills! LOL She has detailed instructions on her blog, just follow the link above. I used the same wreath base, brown coffee filters, and safety pins that she did. I'm going to try another one with white filters, but this time I'm going to use the u-shaped floral pins she refers to. If I mess with it too much, the safety pins start to come out. I'm not sure what I did wrong or how to correct this problem, but as long as it just hangs there looking pretty on the wall, I think it will be fine.

Total Cost: <$5 ($1 wreath form, $1 safety pins, $2-something for the coffee filters and I had the ribbon

I'd love to see one if you make it!

Now we're cool

We're not just becoming cool because we're finally getting hip - we all know that will never happen! We're cool because we finally got new ceiling fans! The old 1980's white/gold fans have now been replaced with new bronze/walnut fans from Hunter. It really makes such a difference, especially since they work! :)

Before/After Pics Here

I've been really into doing some home improvements lately, so there are more posts to come on this topic!