Casa de Lewis

Introducing // Adventures with Milo

2012-02-13T19:19:00.000-06:00

Meet Milo....our dog! Um, yes, you read that correctly!

Last week this pup was left at the Boys & Girls Club (where Reagan now works). So for about a week he was the office dog. Someone took him home every night and then brought him back to work the next day. Reagan loved him right away but I was SO against it at first. "We are not adopting some random dog, Reagan."

Reagan kept telling me how he was such a sweet and calm dog and he sent me a few pictures...dang, he is kinda cute. BUT to me he looked like a rottweiler puppy and I said, noooo! But then someone took him to the vet and the vet said he thought he was a CHIWEENIE. A mix between a chihuahua and a weenie dog - HA! I thought a) that is funny, and b) how did he turn out so cute?! SO, we kept him for one night last week. Well guess what?

We were hooked. He went to the bathroom outside. Laid on the floor or in his little box while we were eating dinner and watching tv. Slept all night. And just wanted to cuddle with us. He really is a very mild tempered dog. Then the next day he met Liesl and he LOVED her. And he was really good with her! SOLD! I'll take the dog!

I fell in love. He is precious and if we were ever meant to have a dog, this is the one! Today we made our first trip to Petsmart, we sort of went on a "walk", we survived a trip to the vet, and we spent an hour playing with Liesl while skyping with my parents. If he can make it through all that, he is golden :)

We're still not sure exactly how old he is - 4-6 months-ish per the vet. We're still not sure exactly how big he will get, but he is 7lbs right now and his paws are small. And we're still not sure what mix he really is, however he does kind of look chihuahua-ish with his ears flipped :)

He's small, and cute, and cuddly, and such a good dog...

Welcome to the fam, Milo!

Entryway Project :: Light (not so) Bright

2012-02-10T10:03:00.000-06:00

I mentioned in our entryway reveal that we were still working on the lighting here.

On Saturday morning, I tried to change this light fixture to a more updated version. I really didn't want to spend a lot of $$, so I headed to Lowe's and came home with these two options -

Everyone likes the square one, but I still haven't decided. There are a lot of angles already goin' on in this space. What do you think? Anywho, doesn't really matter at the moment because when I took it all apart this is what I found...

If you follow me on Instagram, you saw a frustrated Sada post this photo. So much for a quick light change! The hole is much bigger than the new light fixture's base, so we'll have to patch the drywall around it. Fun. So who knows when that will happen! We are also considering adding some skylights to our living room in order to up the natural light in there. Most of our house has amazing natural light, which I looooove as a photographer :), but this room is a bit dark. We're supposed to meet with a contractor to see what he thinks! Until then, I'll just pretend I don't see the boob light and focus on the mini shelf of goodness :)

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

New Posts at Sada Lewis Photography

2012-02-08T20:21:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I've done a photography update! Ohmagoodness, it is SO hard for me to pick only one photo from each session to share! Loving my clients as always :) Check out my website here!

Beautiful family. Love them :) Can't wait to photograph John & Amy for a couples session soon!

My adorable in-law family, how I love thee...

Beautiful baby Vivian in her drool worthy nursery!

My sister's Christmas card photo! LOVE.

My friend Whitney...isn't she stunning?!

My sweet cousin Rebecca and her amazing family!

Beautiful Talia's senior session. I just can't get enough...

And finally, the one and only, charming Connor. He rocked his senior session!

Thanks for all your love and support!

Sada Lewis Photography

Sada Lewis Photography on Facebook

Entryway Project :: DIY Board & Batten Revealed!

2012-02-06T11:48:00.005-06:00

A couple weeks ago I saw this blog post from Jami at Hello from the Natos. I came home and said, "Reagan I want to do this to our entry way. This weekend." And for some reason, Reagan said, "Ok. Sounds good." So we did. We started with this blank slate I showed you last week -

And we went to work.

I swear I did a lot of the work too! It's just easier for me to take the pics :)

As with any big project, we had a few hiccups, but we were able to finish the next weekend!
And here she blows...

I am SO happy we finally have some photos up! I still have the props we used for our engagement session with Bend the Light, so I thought it would be cute to display them with the pics I had printed.

I had pinned this free printable on Pinterest, so I pulled it up and printed it out!

Still love this poster from Made by Girl.

Dublin Dr. Pepper bottles from Dublin, TX. Represent! They were a gift from Sara and J!

The only thing we are still working on is the light! The light fixture AND the lack of natural light (as I'm sure you can tell by my photos). We are in the process of trying to fix both, but I love how our entryway is much more cheery! I find myself just staring at it, ha! :)

Frames - Ikea
Oil Rubbed Bronze Hardware - Target
Chenille Jute Rug - Target
Large Vintage Dr. Pepper Bottle - Ebay

If you want more info about the lumber or the how-to on the project, just let me know!

Linked :: Tatertots & Jello, Somewhat Simple

Four Years Ago...

2012-02-02T20:35:00.000-06:00

Reagan and I were sitting in the movie theatre watching Juno on our first date!

And here we are! Love you Reags!

Entryway Project :: In Progress

2012-02-01T07:44:00.005-06:00

Here is our entryway...love the door, love the hardwood, but there's nothing on that big wall (shocker).

We ~~lost our minds~~ decided to tackle that big blank wall. I've had an idea for that wall since we moved in, I just hadn't conceptualized how to make it happen until a few weeks ago. So with some inspiration via blogland, we hopped right in and started pulling the baseboard off...say wha? Yeah, we made that wall even blank-er (?).

And then there was no turning back...

More progress updates and the finished product coming soon :)

Good News: TOMS Update and a New Book!

2012-01-31T13:02:00.001-06:00

Did anyone else recieve this in their inbox yesterday?

Yahoo! February just so happens to be my birthday month! Thank you TOMS :)

It has been a wonderful past few days. I got the TOMS update email (very important, ha), my parents were here all weekend, and we had a fun little celebration at our house because Reagan started a new job on Monday. Parents staying at our house + guests coming over for a party = massive house cleaning/updating in January! I finally took some photos of rooms not yet shown on the blog! I'll be posting this week!

And the most exciting thing happened - I started a new book and I could. not. put. it. down. That hasn't happened in awhile! I jumped into bed last night after having dinner with the fam and continued reading. I read for two hours. I didn't mean to finish the book, but I couldn't stop reading! And the best part was that around midnight it started POURING outside. So I got to listen to the rain while I finished! Ok, so what is this book you ask?

It's called Matched by Ally Condie. I actually downloaded the Kindle app to my iphone and have read a couple books that way. I'm not totally sure how I feel about not holding the book in my hands, but it sure was quick and easy to get the book. Anyways, the best part about this book - it's part of a trilogoy - YAY! Honestly, it was kind of a mix between the Hunger Games and the Twilight books, so needless to say, I got sucked in. Can't wait to get started on book #2 - Crossed!

Love my Nieces to Pieces

2012-01-28T11:11:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we had a picnic with Kylie & Liesl and I had SO much fun! It was the first time I have seen both my nieces together since summer of last year. The boys played basketball, the moms talked, and I literally ran around for two hours with Kylie and Liesl!

loved. every. minute.

Picture overload in 3...2...1...

Pooh and Piglet were very important guests. They went everywhere with us.

I love Kylie's face here! Zoolander - Blue Steel - GO.

And my fav...

Casa de Lewis :: Dining Room (In Progress)

2012-01-26T09:50:00.001-06:00

We have been working really hard on our house this past month!! It is so exciting seeing the updates and how the little things can totally transform a room. The last time I showed you our dining room (see this post), we had just put in our new fabulously amazing Benchwright Table from the Pottery Barn Outlet and built a bench for one side of it...

Since then we stained the bench, got new chairs, updated the curtain hardware, and bought fabric for new curtains!

I bought this Waverly fabric online from Joann's when they were having a mega sale on upholstery fabric. I still need to hem the fabric...slow and steady wins the race? We also updated the curtain hardware that was here when we bought the house. It was painted gold, unadjustable, and had pineapples on the end of it. It just wasn't working with what I had in my head for the room, mostly because you couldn't adjust the length. The new goods are from Bed Bath & Beyond. (Thank you wedding gift cards!!)

We also needed new dining room chairs - chairs that didn't cost more than the table. So we ended up snagging these grey Kaustby Chairs on an IKEA trip and they have worked out great.

I love they grey tones :)

We need some serious art/wall hanging up in this joint, but I haven't figured out what just yet. Any ideas?! The updates in this room have been slow lately because we just did an overhaul of our entryway and the office and we have been making updates to the guest bedroom and guest bath! Whew! Pictures to come!

Dreams do come true...

2012-01-23T23:13:00.000-06:00

Remember waaaay back to this post, where I was drooling over the West Elm modernist bowls?!

Guess who found these bad boys under the Christmas tree?! ME!

(Reagan is seriously the best hubby/present giver ever.)

I love the inside of them :)

Annnd, matching mugs...yes please!

We were walking in World Market a few days before Christmas and I saw these Rooster salt and pepper shakers and thought they were awesome...they found their way under the tree too!

Merry Christmas to me! I have the best hubby! Pretty bowls - yippee! And I will now shake salt n peppa with glee!

TOMS Ballet Flats

2012-01-19T07:55:00.000-06:00

Is anyone else as excited as I am for TOMS Ballet flats?

Have you signed up yet to be notified when they are in stock?? I did like a month ago, duh. I am praying they are cute AND comfy. And skinny enough to fit my feet. I'm telling you people, it is a rough life having such skinny feet. Ok, I'll stop my sob story. But I am always looking for the perfect shoes to shoot a 10 hour wedding in!! Oh please, oh please, oh please, tell me these are the ones!!

Guest Post: DIY Antique Window Frame + Chicken Wire

2012-01-18T18:41:00.000-06:00

Do you remember the frame I made to hold my Christmas cards (see this post)? I switched it up to show how it can also be used as an accessory organizer and shared the full tutorial on how I made the frame over on the website Brit a couple weeks ago.

I love this project! I found the frame for $10 at an antique store and I had great fun using my staple gun for the first time!

Check out the full tutorial here!!

On a side note, I kind of love these mini clothespins that I used to hold up the cards and my necklaces :)

Now head on over and check out the Brit website! So many great ideas!

Recipe: Cinnamon Snails

2012-01-16T19:56:00.001-06:00

I'm not going to lie...this post could change your life. If you follow the directions, and eat the end result (preferably with milk), your life will forever be changed. Ok, let's do this.

You will need:

Bread :: Butter :: Cinnamon :: Sugar :: Cream Cheese

STEP 1: Peel the bread crusts off each piece.

What's that you say? The crust is the healthiest part? Who said anything about being healthy? Is this the question game?

STEP 2: Spread the cream cheese on each piece.

STEP 3: Roll the bread into a spiral and cut into 3 pieces.

STEP 4: Melt the butter and combine the sugar + cinnamon into a delicious mix.

STEP 5: Dunk and smother. Dunk into the butter and smother in cinnamon sugar.

STEP 6: Heat the oven to 375 and prep cinnamon snails on a baking sheet.

STEP 7: Bake for 8 - 10 minutes.

STEP 8: EAT!!!

I used to make these as a kid with my sistah. The recipe came out of a kid's cookbook that is now long gone but this recipe has remained ingrained in my head over the years. In terms of cooking, I am only known amongst my friends for three things - Caprese Salad (obsessed), Brownies (not even from scratch, Ghiradelli brand- so good), but the favorite by far is the Cinnamon Snail.

Go forth and eat, my friends. Mmmmm.

Last weekend

2012-01-14T10:27:00.000-06:00

It was 75 degrees in San Antonio...

I played outside all morning with Liesl. We cooked macaroni, smelled the flowers about 10 million times (see this post, she is so little there!), oh and we had Piglet smell the flowers too! Duh! We also pulled out the little table and chairs from the shed that I am going to paint. We sat and colored and it was just gorgeous outside! In the afternoon Reagan and I scoped out a park...

It was awesome! It is cold again but you gotta love San Antonio winters! It is so nice to randomly have a couple of days of amazingness!

Yellow Envelopes...

2012-01-12T23:30:00.001-06:00

...make my heart sing.

Yes, I know. It is silly. White envelopes are just fine. I know this. But yellow envelopes are AWESOME! Maybe it is sad that the combination of the card, envelope, and stamp make me so happy. But I don't care! I'm in love, I'm in love, and I don't care who knows it! (Name that movie, anyone?)

I worked on sending a bunch of these out this week. If you haven't gotten one yet...just wait longer. (Name that movie?!)

Ok, two points for the first person to name both of the movie quotes. You get a prize. I'll mail you a yellow envelope.

Paper Source Yellow Envelopes

DIY Two Tone Chair Makeover

2012-01-09T21:10:00.002-06:00

Reagan and I went to our first flea market last year and bought this chair for $5!

I sanded it down a bit and decided to paint the legs a different color from the rest of the chair to make it a little more fun! Here are the colors I chose...Martha Stewart's "Milk" and "Araucana Teal".

I love this teal!

I ended up just buying the sample size and had more than enough paint. And here is the finished chair...

I distressed it just a little and I love how it turned out!

Have you painted anything fun lately? I'm kind of on a painting kick and I am really excited for my next project! And I am finally going to start posting more pics of our house! I realized I haven't been taking pics of our updates so I am working on it!

Linked: Tatertots & Jello

My 365

2012-01-03T00:22:00.001-06:00

Ok, this is my first attempt at blogging from my iPhone! I just wanted to share this awesome new app I just heard about! You know how much I love Instagram, right? Well, Reagan and I decided yesterday that we would try to take a photo a day this year using it! And as it turns out...yep, there is an app for that! Check out My 365...
Oh, ps - you don't have to use Instagram, you can upload any photo from your phone. Let's see if we can make it 365!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T09:28:00.000-06:00

Happy New Year! 2011 was amazing and I am so excited about 2012!

I plan to keep on documenting, keep on creating, and keep my little heart fluttering with photography :)

Speaking of, check out our new family photos over on my photography blog!

Sada Lewis Photography

Hope 2012 is off to a great start for everyone!

Hope your holiday was...

2011-12-26T15:31:00.000-06:00

finger lickin' good! :)

Christmas at Casa de Lewis

2011-12-24T16:05:00.001-06:00

Happy Christmas Eve!

I was so excited to spend the day taking pics of the little tid bits of our Christmas, but it is so dark and rainy here! Boo :( So I just quickly snapped these using Instagram :)

1. I love our little "Christmas Corner!" 2. I went to Joann's to buy these letters, but they were out of the letter "O"... so I improvised! 3. I bought a couple of white quilted stockings on sale and added the ruffle for a little bit of flair :) 4. I'm kind of in love with this board I just made. Antique window + chicken wire + my staple gun! I clipped our Christmas cards to it using tiny clothespins! 5. I found these cute jingle bell ornaments at Michael's that perfectly monogram our stockings!

I'm off to wrap a couple more presents!

Christmas is coming...

2011-12-23T08:36:00.000-06:00

You better run for it!

BOOM! Sorry Liesl, Christmas won!

Haha, I just had to share these bloopers from our mini photo session with Em, Jerh, & Liesl. I am laughing out loud. How crazy does Jerh look?! HA! Liesl fell but she was fine. She was, of course, LOVING being chased by her crazy dad! You can see the lengths we go to as parents and photographers to get a smile from a kiddo!! Luckily we ended up with this one for the Christmas card :)

My sister helped to make another cute banner like this one, and she added the fabric flower! Now we both have them hanging in our houses as decoration :)

2 days til Christmas!!

The Graduate

2011-12-21T00:04:00.000-06:00

Big congrats to my bro-in-law Jason who graduated from college last weekend! Yahoo! So glad we could celebrate with you Big J :)

We actually rushed home from Mexico just in time to make it to graduation!

Say what?! Yep, last week we were cruisin' to Mexico! I'll post pics whenever I get a chance to actually upload them. I'm attempting to enjoy/get ready for this little thing called Christmas :)

Deck the Halls of Casa de Lewis - Sneak

2011-12-09T16:54:00.000-06:00

We're decking the halls and fa la la-ing around here!

We decorated the tree. I bedazzled some stockings - jk, "embellished". We've been decorating cookies. We're ready to get MERRY!

Bring it on Christmas :)

New Posts at Sada Lewis Photography

2011-12-04T23:15:00.002-06:00

Check out what's been going on over there by clicking here!

Chris & Christyn rock the camera...

A day playing in the rain with Liesl and Emily...

Plus see the rest of the Ramirez family Christmas session!

And don't forget...

And just for fun, I leave you with this...

Ha :) Hope everyone had a good weekend!

Sada Lewis Photography

Sada Lewis Photography on Facebook

December!

2011-12-02T08:32:00.000-06:00

Holy snowballs, it's December!

Love that the Red Stamp Calendar is plaid!

I am putting this on my iPhone!

In other news, I have a new serious (or maybe seriously stupid) goal for December.

Inspired by this blog, I'm gonna see if I can seriously kick my butt into gear and run every day on top of the holiday season and two vacations...hmmm, should be an interesting one! Reagan and I ran about 3.5 miles yesterday to kick it off! Please help keep me on track!

PS - I forgot to mention that the blog got a little bit of a makeover a few weeks ago! When I launched my photography website, I wanted to keep the same url (sadalewis.com) for my personal blog but make sure to really differentiate from my photog website, hence the new title of "Casa de Lewis". I'll be adding more to the different tabs as we go along! Thanks for reading!! :)