Hilary Kennedy

As in year’s past, the GeO-Deck closes to the public at 10pm on Dec. 31 (the outer deck is one of the exciting vertical firing locations) and street closures and perimeter barricades go into effect beginning at 8pm because the Fire Department will be preparing for the show. You can see the incredible views without any hassle or safety concerns because it can be watched live on Reunion Tower’s Facebook and YouTube pages or the NBC5 hour-long Lonestar NYE program! We stocked up on sparkling cider and our favorite sugar cookies for the countdown to midnight, and my sister and brother-in-law (who are staying with us at the moment,) got all the goods to make veggie burgers and fries so we can make a whole night of it and watch it all unfold as a family. No matter where you are in the country (or the world, for that matter,) feel free to join in and watch us bid 2020 goodbye with Reunion Tower’s NYE show on their Facebook and YouTube…grab your champagne, cider, sparkling water, or hey, even some hot cocoa, and snack on a cookie (or twelve.)

I have to admit; I was bummed that we were having to choose a print based on the colors and print of the shower, but that’s life on a budget. However, Milton & King had SO many gorgeous choices that worked with the shower colors that I ended up having to ask my Instagram followers for their input to help us decide! Sometimes the print you think will work best doesn’t wow you in person, and sometimes the light (or lack of it,) will point you to a better choice for the room. After all the samples and Instagram polls, my husband’s wallpaper choice of Milton & King’s Pineapple Harvest was declared the winner!

Because let’s be practical for a minute-you can spend all the hours researching prices, looking at inspiration photos and blogs, scouring Pinterest, and designing your own concepts… The perks to the kitchen are the heavy, solid wood cabinets; no veneer or flimsy wood here. It’s open to the family room, which is great, but we have large trees right outside the breakfast nook that block some of the natural light, making it darker than we would like. She asks for photos and video of the room, photos of any furniture you wish to incorporate, measurements of the space, and inspiration photos or links to Pinterest boards

’s toys (remember the LOL Dolls controversy?) and read the labels of every product, since many that claim to be safe or healthy really aren’t. It’s been a challenge to find toys for a 1-2 year old that I feel totally comfortable with him playing with if I turn my back for a second. The SmartMax brand on Amazon had incredible ratings for age 1+, and my boy loves trains, so I felt confident this would be a winner. (Since it was deemed safe for 1+, I don’t worry about him choking on parts or encountering anything sharp.)