Zofran..

is my new best friend. I am amazed at how well this tiny (and very expensive) yellow pill has completely helped me, overnight. The 'ole saying, "I feel like a new woman" sums it all up for me. I am (somewhat)ready to start the nursery planning process, finally.

Although we won't know the gender of the baby for about 6 more weeks, I thought a lot last night about the nursery. We know that no matter the gender we want to do white/antique white, yellow mustard and possibly gray or brown for the colors. I want something very simple. Calm and serene.

I was looking at different nursery photos online and a question popped in my head: Should there always be a focal point in a room (and this goes for all bedrooms)? Does it always have to be the crib/bed??

I was wondering what your opinion on this was. Please leave a comment if you'd like!

Look who I found...

... ME! Good Morning fellow bloggers... are you still out there?! Well, yes of course YOU'RE still out there, but where have *I* been?! Well, pregnancy has sort of taken over, well, me. I work, sleep and eat (when possible). And that has been my life for weeks now. I am almost finished with this first trimester, and I pray this sickness will go with it!
I still read a lot of blogs daily, but that's as far as I get. Not even a comment. I know, shame on me. After quite a few requests though, I knew it was time to update this silly blog.
For Christmas, my sweet husband and I are going to redecorate our bedroom. Actually, we're decorating for the first time as we never really got around to it before now. We have a few things already (duvet, shams, DIY dresser) and that's about it. So, before this precious bundle arrives, we figured we needed to get our haven ready.

Enter: this bedroom {source:unknown}



There are so many elements that I love about this room. But the main one is how traditional meets modern. Something I have struggled with so much lately. This room is perfect for what my husband and I would want for our bedroom. As it happens, they have the same duvet as we do. Which is probably what grabbed my attention first. I lalso love how bright it is. Only months ago did I want a dungeon of a room. The darkest gray walls I could think of. Before I could take that plunge, I found out I was pregnant and all painting was put on hold. THANK GOODNESS. I am loving the wallpaper and the pops of teal/robins egg blue/whatever you call that color. We have a chair that needs to be recovered as well, and I would love to bring in color/pattern with that. For my husband's sake, I will have to bring in some darker elements to the room, probably in the side tables.

As a gift to ourselves, we're heading over to ATL on New Year's Eve (after our doctor's appointment) to do some serious shopping, celebrate the new year and do an early celebration of our (almost) one year of marriage. Which is in January. I am positively giddy!!

Well, I hope that brings y'all up to speed. I promise to be more regular about my postings. I have some pretty cute ideas for nurseries that I will also share. In the meantime, I do appreciate any thoughts and prayers sent my way regarding the health of myself and our baby!

Christmas List

I would love to own this dress for all of the up-coming Christmas parties. (yes, I know I'm hopping right over Thanksgiving. But who really dresses up for that. If I'm going to be stuffing my face full of turkey, I want to be in my fat pants)

I think this dress would be perfect for the tiny bump that will start to form around that time.

{via ModCloth}

Last night I stayed home to rest (I am getting over coughing/sneezing/sore throat/fever) and started on my Christmas List. (I am a list person, really it was for my own benefit) But, I'm curious to know, what is on your Christmas List this year?

Different and Wonderful

Things around here could not be more different and wonderful all at the same time:

We are frantically searching for a new house to rent, since we had decided to wait until next year to buy.
I am eating saltine crackers and drinking water for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Hormones are flying around like crazy.
What they say about pregnancy brain is true.
I find myself surrounded by family and friends only to daydream of this sweet baby growing inside of me and lose track of all conversation.
I find myself praying more for this baby than any other person I have ever prayed for.
I google "what happens when..." many times a day.
JonRoss is in love.
I am in love.

I have basically finished the look of the nursery if we find out it is a girl. Guess I'm in a girly mood these days. =)

Onsies

First onsie I want to buy if the baby is a girl:



And if the baby is a boy:



How adorable?!

{both via b. childrens wear}

Good News!

Well, it's time. Time I share with my fellow bloggers the good news. I AM PREGNANT!!

JonRoss and I found out last week, which really explains why I have been a little absent-minded lately. All I can think about is this sweet, precious gift from God growing inside of me. (not to mention I am extremely tired already with little motivation)

We are stoked. I mean just downright giddy. I look forward to reading each week how our baby is doing, how he/she is growing, and the changes my body will go through. I'm embracing this journey with all that is inside of me. I look forward to the good, the bad, and the ugly. REALLY!

In other good news. My sister had her baby yesterday. Kamila Monroe was 8 lbs 1 oz and 19 3/4 inches. She is beautiful, angelic and spunky already. Knowing how much I love her really gets me all choked up about how much I'm going to love my own baby. (and yes, what they say about pregnancy hormones is true... I am a ball of tears these days)



Please excuse my big face, and just ooh and ahh over my precious niece!

Tisk. Tisk. (for hannah)

I know, I know. It's been over a week since my last post. Shame on me. To be honest, I haven't been too inspired lately. Not to say that I don't think what you fellow bloggers are posting about isn't insanely wonderful, because it is. And I have enjoyed just being a blog stalker for the past week. It was nice to take a break!

This weekend JonRoss and I had a "staycation" in our apartment. Friday night we had a picnic in our living room. Saturday we got out once to see my little brother play soccer, picked up a pizza, and back home we went into our jammies.



On Sunday, we went to church, visited our dear friends and their new baby girl, went to Boo at the Zoo, then rounded out the weekend with one of our favorite events: Small Group. I'm telling you, this small group is both challenging and rejuvenating. And the people we have met, well, I just can't say enough about them.

Every Tuesday I get together with some of my close girlfriends for "Girl's Night." Here are a few pictures of our delicious snacks. (please excuse the blurry photos)







Regular postings will resume. Hope you all had a beautiful weekend as well!

Nicole Richie

on a budget. Her very expensive, but definitely rocking outfit.


And mine. Everything under $100.

Nicole Richie on a budget by Rachel Aldridge featuring Dorothy Perkins

While I sit here at work, counting down to 4:00, my husband is at home snuggling with our fur children and watching t.v. Oh, the life of a rockstar.

Winter White (workshop)

Since this jacket sold out...




{via ModCloth}

I'll take this one instead.




{via cutiemus}

Here's my sweet husband teaching a workshop to all electric guitar players at our church. So proud of him.



This weekend will be spent hanging with family, a wedding shower, deap cleaning, football, church and some pretty awesome friends.

Happy Weekend! (yea, I know it's Thursday, but it's like my Friday)

Confessions of a shopaholic

They say it happens in three's. I'm going to believe this and hope for the best. Last Wednesday, right before we left for the beach my car died, my phone died and my camera died. The car was a minor fix and we are getting ready to get me a Nissan Murano, I'm getting an iphone today (my husband can get a new one for $100 with his current phone plan and our dear friend Charley gave us his old iphone for free), and a new camera is being saved up for as we speak. Why and I sharing this with you all?

Well, I was supposed to be on a spending hiatus. That has not gone well, AT ALL. Although, we have been paying off debt. Yay us! I commend all of you ladies for sticking to your hiatus. Really. I felt the need to share how terrible JonRoss and I have been, and to let you know that we will be terrible until the end of this year. =)

Also, a funny conversation with my boss yesterday went as follows:

Him: What is that on your wrist?
Me: A watch.
Him: But, it's so big.
Me: It's called a boyfriend's watch.
Him: Don't you already have a husband?
Me: Well, yes. But this is from my sugar daddy (which also happens to be my husband)
Him: Don't they have girlfriend watches you could wear?
Me: Ha, yes. I just like mine a little bigger.
Him: I just don't get it.... (walks away shaking his head)

Silly non-trendy men.

My little sister is just days away from having her baby and that seems to be where most of my focus and energy is going right now. I'll keep you all posted!

greetings

...from the beach! Hope all my blogger friends are having a wonderful Friday. JonRoss and I are at the beach with his parents. We are finally getting to relax after quite a few busy months. 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

{me and my love}

We welcome you to... (where the streets have no name)

A typical tuesday night with the J.rays... where will you find us??

Me: either hanging with some of my best gal friends or spending some quality time with my sisters and nieces/nephews.

Lindsay on the left is 17 weeks pregnant. She's 14 months older than me and loves to wear flowers in her hair. (don't ya just love when people step out of the norm?) Erica on the right is 37(almost) weeks pregnant with Kamilla Monroe. Holy cow, I am so ready to meet this precious girl. It really could be any day now. Erica is 2 years younger than me. (by the way, I am 27)

We celebrated my Maw Maw's 83rd birthday last night. Although she likes to think of herself as 38.



That cutie patootie in her lap is Klatyon. He belongs to Erica and will be 2 in January.



This beautiful angel is Hannah. My niece.



This other beautiful angel is Abigail. My other niece.



Gah. This picture melts my heart. This picture looks like it's straight from a magazine!

So, that was my night.

JonRoss:



See that foot? That's JonRoss. Him and his buddies went to the U2 concert. Jealous?? I know I am.





Both of us came home with our hearts full and went to sleep with smiles on our faces. If you're asking yourself if this is a typical night for us, the answer is YES!

Tonight we leave for the beach. FINALLY. A relaxing weekend with nothing going on. I'm downright giddy.

(sorry for the terrible quality of photos. we're currently working on that)

Weekend Recap: Part 1 (U2)

This weekend was filled with so much laughter, celebrating, tears and making new friends. To refresh your memory, we were in Marietta, GA for our dear friends' wedding weekend.

But first, we took a trip to IKEA. My first time. I was always skeptical of their stuff b/c it just seemed "too good to be true for the price", even though everyone else loves them. I am a believer now. We plan on taking a trip back very soon to rack up. JonRoss is going back Tuesday for the U2 concert, and he is wanting to pick up this t.v. console.



We then headed to the rehearsal dinner. Actually, we rushed there. I do love visiting Atlanta, but that traffic sets me on edge! I will save tomorrow's post for more of the rehearsal dinner, but here is the dress I wore. It was originally for the wedding, but I ended up going with a different dress for that.



I first saw it on Down & Out Chic's blog. {via shopcuffs.com}

One last thing, this is the plaid tunic I bought from Charlotte Russe. It's my new favorite item of clothing.



Happy Monday!

Bowls (vox)

I have to share my awesome purchase made yesterday. I love decorating our dining room table. Whether it be with decorative plates, flowers, funky bowls...you name it. The one thing I seem to lack are the linens, so I will be making a few more purchases soon.

Back to my awesome purchase. You know the store Old Time Pottery, right? Love that store. I found these white bowls for $.99 each. I know they're not the finest china in the world, but who really cares? They look great on my dining room table!







JonRoss wanted to be included too. peace.



See, cheap and wonderful all at the same time.

Since JonRoss is also a part of this blog now, I thought I'd show you something he purchased recently.



This bad boy is a Vox AC4TV 4W 1x10 Tube Guitar Combo Amp. Did you get that? Yeah, me neither. This is his practice amp, which cost $250.00. PRACTICE amp. Can you imagine how much the one he uses all the time costs?! I don't mind my silly $4 purchase now, nor does he.

And one last thing. I recently became a dark brunette, and I love it.

Tomorrow we are heading back to Marietta, GA for our wonderful friends' wedding. But first, we will be visiting the Georgia Aquarium and then stopping by IKEA. It will be a wonderful day!

Gatlinburg (thistle dew)

Well, we made it back from our very quick trip to Gatlinburg and Marietta. Exhausted. The boys played at a camp in Gatlinburg on Friday and Saturday night. This left a lot of time to play. We were actually staying in two cabins named "Thistle Dew." Adorable, right? These suckers were tiny. (I am a really bad blogger these days, as I keep forgetting my camera) Enough room on the first floor for a queen sized bed, bathroom, tiny kitchen and a table. Then there was a ladder to the loft upstairs where thin green mattresses sat on the floor. Not our finest accommodations to date, but we were only there for one night. Saturday, we went into Gatlinburg to Ripley's Believe It or Not. Quite informative and fun! Did I mention it was pouring down rain, with only one umbrella for 8 people? That part I could have lived without. Nonetheless, we all got caramel apples and headed back to Pigeon Forge to go shopping. We were all so wet and tired, we didn't end up buying anything.

After they played Saturday night, we headed back to Marietta. Taylor and I slept until noon, while everyone else was playing/singing at Riverstone Church. We ate at The New Yorker, then the ladies went out for a little shopping. I was going to show you all the plaid tunic I bought at Charlotte Russe, but I can't find it online. It was my first plaid purchase and I'm quite excited about it.

Sorry for the lack of pictures. I know they make the posts more interesting. So, I'll leave you with this one.



This adorable lady is Jordan. Her and Joshua (known as Shua) are getting married this weekend. I am beyond thrilled to be in their wedding, and I can't wait to show you all how it turns out. (oh, and we will be in Marietta, again.)

Happy Monday!

Changed

Do you ever feel like you go through growing pains in life(and I'm not talking about the physical ones you had while in junior high that hurt like the dickens). I'm talking about the phases in life where you know it's time for a change. A good change.

Let me back up by sharing a part of my {very} personal life with you all. Around my 9th grade year in highschool I started having a huge passion for orphans(shouldn't I have been focusing on guys and other things related??). I found myself praying for those children, wanting desperately to take them all in and just give them the love they deserved. That expanded to having a passion for Africa and the extreme poverty I can't even fathom and overpopulated orphanages. I don't know what it is about that multi-cultural continent, but I became fascinated and started learning everything I could about some of the East Coast countries (think Uganda or Kenya). I love the art, traditions, languages but most importantly the people there. I have not had the privilege of making a trip out there, but now looking back I have given up way too many chances. This is where I would always get weird looks from my friends when I would tell them about my love for a place I had never been.

Yesterday, Brooke (and then Paula) wrote one of her best (or at least my favorite) posts about Katie and the journey she is on taking caring for orphans in Uganda, providing education and food to the children in surrounding villages and even being a mother to 13 children. (by the way, she's only 20). I spent FOUR hours yesterday reading about her life. I cried, laughed, smiled and prayed. It was one of the biggest blessings I have experienced in quite some time. It reminded me. Reminded me of that passion and love that has been buried for years. Reminded me of my greater purpose. Reminded me WHY I went through school to get my Social Work degree. Reminded me that God needs me.

No, I'm not packing up and heading east, although if my husband would come along, I would. JonRoss and I have a shared vision, which is quite exciting, but more on that for another post. I look forward to the day when I will be in Africa. But for now, I have a lot to take care of here. And that is where the "growing pains" kick in. Quite a few things will change for JonRoss and I, but to tell you the truth, I am ready for them, not scared (like normal).

I still love my diy projects, design ideas, wish list items and so forth, but it's time to shake things up a little and add in a bit more personal touches to this blog. In one way, it'll remind me of my ultimate goal and in another keep me grounded. I do hope I haven't bored you all to death, but I couldn't help but sharing a piece of my heart today (and why I changed my blog name).

This weekend we are packing up and heading to Gatlinburg with some cool people. I actually don't know much about the trip (I do know my husband is going to play at a church somewhere), as I have been so busy with other things. So, I am looking forward to getting away and while my husband is busy, taking some time to just chill out.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I can't wait to break out some long sleeves and boots!!

IF...

Just a few wish list items for the month:





{both via LuLus}






{both via Ruche}

Hope you all had a great weekend. We had some dear friends in town, threw another wedding shower, watched football, ate homemade eggrolls, and visited friends who had just had their baby. Maybe soon I can add one of these items to my wardrobe?!

Googling

I love Google. It really does make life easier at times. (it's the simple things, really)
Well, thanks to Google I ran across a fabulous website called The Fashionable Housewife. Ever heard of it? They dish out must have looks with pretty decent price tags. I also love online shopping, and I love even more when I find blogs that help me with that.
Thanks to a post written about make-up, it led me here, where I bought these items for a great price.




Mocha eye shadow. ($1)




I love a good smokey eye. This kit is the perfect beginning tool for me. ($5)

I love dark nail polish for Fall, and currently have plum on right now, but I also enjoy just a plain, nude color as well. ($1)

I will report back to y'all and let you know quality versus price.

A Z Gallerie gift card

I'm having a bit of a problem. A good problem, mind you, but a problem nonetheless.

We received a gift card from our dear friends John-Mark and Ashley for our wedding, almost 8 months ago, to Z Gallerie in the amount of $75. Amazing gift, right??

Well, I have no idea what to use it on. But, it is burning a hole in my wallet! If any of you have suggestions on what I could spend this on, PLEASE feel free to comment. Our home is still pretty much a blank canvas, so don't worry too much about colors/themes.

Un-related to this topic, we had a wonderful weekend. Our dear friends Lori & Chad gave birth to their precious baby girl, Bevyn. We watched some Alabama Football and went on date night. We also started our small group: Mentoring Young Married Couples. We're pretty stoked about diving deeper into our marriage and learning from the incredible small group leaders and the other couples in the group.

Adorable nephews in their Alabama gear.

Ok bloggers, help me spend this money!

My goody bag

My goody package arrived this week from Lola B's Boutique! I am so thrilled! (I won a $100 giveaway from Sa Sea Boutique) Kasey and I decided that I would just let her surprise me and she'd send a random assortment of items from her shop.











My husband loves the smell of this candle.

Thank you again Kasey for all of my goodys!!

Oh, and I got the watch from Target as a gift from my dear husband!



HAPPY FRIDAY!

Guest Bedroom

Our guest bedroom had to have a quick overhaul after we invited my sister to come live with us. We had planned on this room being our next project anyway, this just sped things up a bit. With that said, we had nothing in that room except for junk. While my husband went away two weekends ago, I got down to the nitty gritty and tackled that room. I got rid of so much junk, and then some stuff to take to his parent's yard sale they will be having. I made way for new furniture to come in. All of which we were gifted or already had. How wonderful is that?

The room is not quite complete, but I will show you a few things just to give you an idea.

First I painted the room a lovely shade of light gray. Paula, from two ellie, graciously came over one night (with her adorable children in tow) to help me choose just the right shade. (thank you Paula, you saved me from many more headaches!)

We were gifted this headboard and mattress with white sheets from our dear friend Hannah.



This side table was in our bedroom, and quite the eye sore. All it needed was a fresh coat of white paint. The hardware was already black, but I gave them a fresh coat as well. Looks great now!




This t.v. had to stay for a little while, so I had to incorporate it into the room. I decided to treat it as a table and put a skirt on it to cover up the ugliness. I couldn't use a staple gun, so I used fabric tape. The fabric I had was just a bit dark for the color scheme I was going for, so I flipped it over and used the backside. This idea came my way from LindsB at Everything LEB, who suggested this to me a while back.





I haven't finished the bottom so it is a bit sloppy looking. And yes, I attempted a pleat down the middle. You can also see the gray of the walls we painted. Just compare the walls from the headboard picture to the ones above and you'll see the difference.

We recently got a black dresser for her room and some black shelves. There is still quite a bit to be done and I will post pictures as we complete it!

All these projects can really wear a girl down, but they are oh so rewarding!