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!

what time is it?

Reaaaally wanting one of these watches, which were first posted about over at The Budget Babe. Merona has a new collection of boyfriend watches at Target for only $14.99. I haven't worn a watch in years, but I feel it's time to take the plunge again!

Yes please, I'll take this one:


And this one:



They remind me of something Marianne from Haven & Homes would love too!

making it our home

If you have ever lived in an apartment, then you know with it comes endless lists of pros and cons. Here is a very short version of mine.

Pros:
1.No out of pocket expenses for things breaking
2.They come with all of the appliances
3.Most come with a free gym and pool

Cons:
1.White walls
2.Ugly cabinets
3.Same ole, same ole floor plans

Well, for my husband and I, the pros are outweighing the cons. He travels a good bit, which leaves me home alone. Personally, I do not care for all of that responsibility of home ownership right now. We are still saving and searching for one, but like I have mentioned in a previous post, we are content where we are (for now).

So, what's a girl who loves to decorate, paint and constantly find new ways to jazz up a boring apartment to do with the cons??

Well, I started with #2 on the list. Our cabinets are the first thing that had to go. I could NOT stand one more moment of their ugliness. (the bottom cabinets are still on until I can figure out what to do there) Since I love the open shelving look, it didn't take long to figure out what needed to be done, take off the cabinet doors! All it took was a little coercing my husband, a couple of trips to Home Goods, and poof... a look that has me smiling again.














If you are a renter, house or apartment, what are some other tricks you did to personalize your home??

Oh, one more thing I did. Because of our aparement's layout, we have no official "mudroom." So, I took a wall hook and added it where I always seem to be plopping my purse down. My instant "mudroom."

Thank you so much for your comments on yesterday's post. I am always anxious to share my projects, so it really means a lot to me!

DIY: Dresser

Finally! I am finished with the dresser. Well, I have been and just forgot to snap some photos. I really love how it turned out. Being that this was my first piece to re-invent, I have learned some lessons about painting furniture. And I also learned that I am not as much of a perfectionist as I thought I would be with it.

Remember the before pictures:

And after:





(The black frames on top of the dresser will be going into the guest bedroom)

I am happy that I went with lighter knobs and pulls. We are going to be painting the room a dark gray-brown soon, and these just help the dresser to stand out a bit more. I'm glad this is over though, and I look forward to taking my "lessons learned" and starting on another piece of furniture.