Its official! The Fall decorations are out!
Enjoying a birthday weekend of cooler temperatures, family, and wine. What are you up to this weekend?
Sometimes the simple things are the best things.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Thursday, September 13, 2012
What a Beautiful Woman.
I've been thinking lately about what inspires me. This woman.
An interview from HLN with Dr. Drew
Wednesday, September 12, 2012
Oh How Pinteresting & Living Room Sneak Peak
I actually featured this pin a few weeks ago on Oh How Pinteresting, but I actually had a surge of motivation this week and completed the project. I saw this picture several months ago {before we even bought our house!!} and was dreaming about painting a striped wall.
I fell in LOVE.
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| Petrella Interior Designs via Jodi Whitted on Pinterest |
The black and white is beautiful, but I knew that I didn't want something quite this dramatic. I did teeter-totter back and forth between a grey and white striped wall and a gray and navy striped wall. I also debated and debated about whether I should paint a wall in the bedroom, office, or living room. Eventually I decided to go for it and paint a wall in the living room. Right when you enter. Front and center. Go big or go home right?
So I gathered some essentials... tape measure, level, pen, tape, paint, roller... and I got started.
I had a mishap when I initially started taping and didn't measure correctly. It was a little tricky because when you tape off the spaces will NOT appear to be even. This is because you have to take into consideration the space taken up by the tape. Initially I taped off the wall and if I would have painted without going back and re-taping my stripes would have ended up being uneven.
The smaller areas were left gray. The areas that appear to be a bigger stripe were painted white. I also used a pen and lightly wrote "white" in the areas that I was going to paint... just to be sure I didn't make a mistake! ;)
Its best to remove the tape while the paint is still wet. I splurged for the more expensive Scotch brand painters tape and it made a huge difference! My lines turned out crisp just like the commercial advertised!
Here is a little sneak peak into my living room redo!
I LOVE love LOVE my new stripes!!! I love the wood against the gray and white and it really adds the interest that I was looking for in this space. We are expecting our new couches to arrive later this week and I can't wait to show off our living room when its finally finished.
I'm just so proud of myself for actually bringing one of my Pins to life. I can't stop staring at it!
Sometimes the simple things are the best things.
I'm linking up this post with The Vintage Apple. Head on over and check out all the links for some great new Pins and ideas!
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
September 11.
I remember.
A rose at ground zero. Taken on a trip to New York City in 2007.
So thankful and appreciative. I will never forget the events of that day 11 years ago.
Sunday, September 9, 2012
In Between the Busy.
I'm sitting outside right now. And I'm a little bit cold.
After the summer that we have had this is a pretty profound statement. Along with the rest of the South, I was excited to look at the weather report and welcome cooler temperatures for the weekend. Speaking of weekends... its become this crazy habit that Caleb and I squeeze in every little bit activity possible between Friday evening and Sunday evening. This is one of the first times that I have sat down with nothing to do but relax.
Friday we had our very first dinner guests {aside from family when they helped us move in}. Caleb grilled his famous chicken on the grill and I took the opportunity it make some recipes I found on Pinterest that I had been dying to try. I made:
Hasselback Potatoes
Recipe and picture via Seasaltwithfood
They were delish, but I kinda skimped on the butter. Lesson learned.
Roasted Okra
Friday we had our very first dinner guests {aside from family when they helped us move in}. Caleb grilled his famous chicken on the grill and I took the opportunity it make some recipes I found on Pinterest that I had been dying to try. I made:
Hasselback Potatoes
Recipe and picture via Seasaltwithfood
They were delish, but I kinda skimped on the butter. Lesson learned.
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Recipe via All Recipes
And this recipe is double yum. When I told my friend that I was going to roast the okra she was worried that it would turn out slimy, but if you roast it long enough its perfect. It has a little bit of a crisp and is perfectly salty. Definitely is keeper.
Snickers Salad. So good!
Recipe via One Good Thing.
Since I was using the oven for both of my sides and I needed something relatively quick, this was perfection. It was a hit and I'll definitely be making it again. The best part is that you only need a few ingredients.
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| Image from Indulgy.com |
Saturday I was invited to brunch with some ladies that are married to Caleb's co-workers, we went on a bus trip to Jacksonville State for the UTC football game {lets not even talk about that... UGH!}, and then concluded our weekend activities by meeting up to watch the Colts/Bears game this afternoon and buying a new sofa and love seat. Phew! Busy Busy!
In between all that craziness, Caleb and I found time to enjoy the pretty weather out on our deck. There aren't many things better than Sunday brunch and relaxing with a good book.
What did you do this weekend?
P.S. If you haven't already, check out Operation Beautiful over at Shane's blog Whispering Sweet Nothings! Its all about learning to appreciate the simple things about yourself. She will be featuring each woman who enters. Love it!
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Current Crush Thursday
Weekly Link up for:
Whats my current crush you ask? Really no explanation is needed...
Pumpkin. Spice. Latte.
{and Fall}
Enough said! ;)
Enough said! ;)
Wednesday, September 5, 2012
The Best Day
I've been thinking that I haven't written a sappy heartfelt post in a while so its about time. I've been in a little bit of a blogging slump as I have had a pretty tough week. Tough as in if there was an award for the most difficult week ever, I would definitely medal. So I think that makes it the perfect time to write this post.
Besides, I've eaten all the grilled cheese sandwiches that my jeans will allow. Time to use a different coping skill.
Besides, I've eaten all the grilled cheese sandwiches that my jeans will allow. Time to use a different coping skill.
I read something last week that I fell in love with. I subscribe to daily e-mails from Gretchen Rubin, the author of The Happiness Project {you can check out her blog/website and sign up for your own e-mails here.} and each day you get an inspirational quote in your inbox. My favorite from last week {or maybe ever} was this:
“Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year.”
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
It made me think about my everyday expectations, perspectives, and that one self-defeating thought that we all have {especially on Mondays ;)} the thought that runs through your head when the day has barely begun. You know what I'm talking about? When you're brushing your teeth and looking in the mirror, dreading work or whatever mundane task that you have to accomplish and you think, "Today is really going to suck." We've all done it. We start thinking about all we have to accomplish at work, the crappy chores that have to be completed, and the responsibilities that we would rather not have.
But what if we could change that? What if instead we made up our mind to be intentional and to run this quote through our head at the beginning of each day? Would it make a difference? Maybe it wouldn't literally be the best day, but maybe it would challenge us to recognize the simple things that make our everyday extraordinary. And maybe then we would start to think that those things aren't really so mundane after all.
Maybe we would recognize that helping Mr. SoandSo get a power scooter was pretty phenomenal, and that the turkey sandwich we had for lunch was the best darn turkey sandwich we have ever packed in our lunch, or that the sky is exceptionally blue and the breeze that feels so crisp on our cheeks really does make this day feel like one of the best of the year.
And sometimes this is difficult and we need reminders not to focus all on the bad, but look for some of the good. This week I have needed a lot of reminders about the simple things as sometimes there are just days that no matter how much you remember that darn quote it will not, in fact, be the best day in the year.
But what if we could change that? What if instead we made up our mind to be intentional and to run this quote through our head at the beginning of each day? Would it make a difference? Maybe it wouldn't literally be the best day, but maybe it would challenge us to recognize the simple things that make our everyday extraordinary. And maybe then we would start to think that those things aren't really so mundane after all.
Maybe we would recognize that helping Mr. SoandSo get a power scooter was pretty phenomenal, and that the turkey sandwich we had for lunch was the best darn turkey sandwich we have ever packed in our lunch, or that the sky is exceptionally blue and the breeze that feels so crisp on our cheeks really does make this day feel like one of the best of the year.
And sometimes this is difficult and we need reminders not to focus all on the bad, but look for some of the good. This week I have needed a lot of reminders about the simple things as sometimes there are just days that no matter how much you remember that darn quote it will not, in fact, be the best day in the year.
Simple things like how my cats are finally getting along.
And its time for Fall colored nail polish {and the pumpkin spice latte it back!!!).
Or how I got to see this little one last weekend
and spend time with his Mama.
Sometimes the simple things are the best things. Lets not forget!
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