My Apartment!

I've been waiting until my apartment was pretty much decorated and I was fully moved in before I shared pictures--and I finally feel ready to post some! There's still some things to hang, curtains to put up, and things to be organized, but for the most part it's ready to go--and I love it! It's the second floor of a house in the Regent Square area of Pittsburgh. There's a nice back yard, parking, a front porch, and back deck. And most importantly, Chloe is allowed :) Here are some of my favorite parts of my new place:

Now there's a table there!

Obsessed with the deck. Chairs were $8 from Fleatique--didn't even have to paint them!

Back deck at night--lanterns and mason jars=happiness.

Kitchen.

Old box and bottles from the Fleatique.

Ikea cart turned into a bar cart.

Kitchen chalkboard--no longer says "Hello Summer"

Bathroom wall.

Bathroom window fabric scrap valance I made--and little bird clips from L.O.F.T. in Asheville.

Vintage magazine rack found at the Fleatique--perfect for records!

Cubes in the living room--filled with books, pictures, records, and candles!

And this little lover--Lucy, the neighborhood cat!

Sissy's Baby Shower

My sister’s baby shower was a couple weeks ago. I’ve been planning for it for months and once the date came it felt like it came out of nowhere! We had it at a great local restaurant down the street from our house—and went with the theme “Ready to Pop!” It turned out to be even better than I imagined. Megan had over 70 friends and family there to help her celebrate this little baby blessing. I made most of the decorations—and every thing else was bought at Hobby Lobby, JoAnn’s and Five Below. One of my favorite parts was the popcorn bar. The popcorn was from Pittsburgh Popcorn Company in the Strip District and it was easily the best popcorn any of us ever had.

I bought her a Red Rider wagon and filled it with over 60 children’s books, a mix of classics and my favorites, a onesie that says “Lil Pierogi,” and a “Mommy to Be Hospital Survival Kit.” Plus a gift from her niece, Chloe, aka my cat. She went out all by herself and bought baby tons of outfits with cute kitties on them!

Being surrounded by all these people reminded me how lucky I am to have the family and friends that I do. Many of the people said it was the best shower they’ve been to! Uh, wow, what a compliment J Most importantly, I think my sister really enjoyed it—I know I did!

*Planning a baby shower or celebratory event and need some help? Contact me! harbisonk@gmail.com

1968

A couple weekends ago Kevin and I went to the Heinz History Center to see the 1968 exhibit. It was so awesome and better than I expected. It was a pretty big exhibit, and was filled with videos, music, memorabilia, pictures, and more all about the year 1968. Kev and I went to the Woodstock museum in Bethel, NY last year, so I assumed it would be something like that. There were different "rooms" set up, new clips from the assassinations of MLK and RFK, a real army helicopter from the Vietnam war, a woman's "freedom can" filled with birth control, bras, and female things, and so many other cool pieces of history. It was fun and informative--and caters to all age groups. One of my favorite parts was the old voting machine they had--you could go in and cast your vote for your favorite candidate--I of course picked Bobby Kennedy, Kev picked Ronald Reagan, ugh. Anyway, if you're in Pittsburgh, definitely check it out--it's through May 12. Be sure to browse the rest of the museum as well!

Mid-Week Inspiration.

Image from Pen and Paint on Etsy.

Last week is going so. dang. slow. I had sorority recruitment at Duquesne over the weekend (I’m their General Advisor) so I was busy, busy, busy. From Thursday to Sunday my days were filled with preparing, rearranging, counting, and not much sleeping. And I loved every second of it. People think I’m crazy, but you have to remember this was my job for an entire year! Preparing for recruitment, recruitment, post-recruitment, etc. Plus it’s so enjoyable seeing the chapter come together to recruit new amazing members.

I did have a little break on Saturday, I went to see Les Miserables at the Benedum Center. It was my first time seeing it and definitely not my last. I knew the story, which definitely helped while watching, but was still so inspired and moved. I’ve been singing the songs for the past three days.

So since my past weekend was jam-packed, I so looked forward to a weekend with no serious plans. I went to Ikea, updated my bedroom, had an engagement party Saturday night, and relaxed and watched the Super Bowl on Sunday. It was just what I needed.

Christmas in Pittsburgh

Last Christmas I needed a break from work, took a walk around the city and began noticing all the beautiful sites of the holidays around Pittsburgh. It was my first December working downtown, so I never really knew of anything but the ice skating rink in PPG Plaza. Well, little did I know the holidays were everywhere. I decided to do the same thing this year. Most of the buildings were decorated the same, but there were a few new additions and changes. Here's my Pittsburgh Christmas post from last year. Seeing this makes you realize that the littlest things in life can brighten your day!

Gallery in the Allegheny County Courthouse 

Allegheny County Hartwood Acres Mansion

Pittsburgh's City-County Building

Macy's Downtown

Holiday Market in Market Square 

Market Square

Holiday Market in Market Square

PPG Plaza

PPG Plaza Ice Skating Rink 

Allegheny County Courthouse Courtyard

US Steel Building

Beautiful Nativity outside the US Steel Building