Home Improvements

Having the summer off has been great in a number of ways.  I've been able to do so much around our home that I couldn't find the time to get done during the school year.  This house has been so clean and organized and my checklist is almost all checked off.

I am fortunate enough to have a nice pantry now.  When we first got married and lived in our old home down in North Hill, we had 2 cabinets...we had to fit food and dishes in 2 cabinets. So, I'm very thankful to have the space now.  But when we moved into this house, we kind of just threw everything in the pantry thinking that we'd deal with it later.  Later came and went.  It was long overdue, so it put it on my summer to-do list. Must clean and organize my pantry.  It took me about 4 hours, but I finally did it and it makes me so happy to walk into a pantry that's organized and orderly.  My OCD self feels at peace now.

This was everything that was either on the floor or the bottom shelves.

Right side before...just a mess of everything.

Right side AFTER.  Organized by starches & canned goods.

Left side before.  Just a mumble jumble of baking goods, breakfast items, snacks, and special occasion dishes.

Left side AFTER.  My cookbooks organized, baking goods organized, and dishes all neatly stacked.

Pantry AFTER.  You can better see how it all came together, but it was hard to capture everything.  I was a bit concerned that my baking items took up 2 shelves.  Guess that shows where my pantry's importance lies. ;)

It's amazing to me just how cleaning or organizing something can totally change the look and feel of your home. Maybe it's just me.  Anyways, we've also been working on the main living areas of our home.  We ordered our new furniture and almost all of it has come in.  Our walls are so bare - I have a hard time committing to hanging stuff up.  BUT, we got our console table and finally did our picture wall.  I love the way it turned out.  Props to my handsome hubs because he hung up all of the pictures.  It really makes the house feel more home-y.

Before we decided where the pictures should go, we laid out the design on the floor.  Then we moved photos around, and moved them around some more until we finally settled on a good arrangement.  J then cut out the frame sizes on contact paper and taped them on the wall, so we could be sure they looked right.  Once that was all set, he just nailed the picture right on top of the paper, then went behind after and pulled the paper off the wall.  It really made it easy.  Thanks to my awesome friend, Erin, for that idea. :)

Wall Before

Wall After.  That wooden sign in the middle was a wedding gift from our brother-in-law, Brian.  He's SO talented.

Next up will be the living room.  It'll all be done in time for football season, hopefully.  Oh boy, I can't wait for both - a comfy living room AND football season.  I'm ready to wear my Hog gear.

In addition to inside our home, Jared has been doing an A+ job in the yard.  He used his vacation time to trim hedges in the backyard.  Thanks, babe, for making our yard look pretty! 

Rosie and I were out walking the other day and I snapped a picture of our grass.  It just looked so green.  I'm thankful my husband has a green thumb.  I love the stripes from the mower too.  It's the little things. ;)

Have a blessed day!  Next post will be a recipe for a Reese's trifle that's not only easy, but a total crowd pleaser.

Gardening and School

Those are the two things that have consumed my life since I last posted.  I really need to get better about this!  But with spring comes A LOT of responsibility in the yard and the FCAT is upon us this week at school.  It's all been snowballing and has sucked me in.  Sorry for being MIA!  I have so much to post, but this will suffice for now.

I decided to try container gardening this year for the first time.  And I'm so excited.  I'm a domesticated nerd.  My whole family is comprised of gardeners, but I never really took an interest to it until now.  Since I can't physically till up a portion of our yard, I decided to buy some massive containers and try my hand that way.  Three weeks ago I planted tomatoes (6 of them, *oh my word*), squash (2), cucumbers (2), bell peppers (1), jalapenos (3), basil, cilantro, oregano, dill, rosemary, and thyme.  I have 8 containers all together spread out around the yard.  In just this last week, these suckers really started to bloom!

Here's my basil and cilantro week 1.

And here's what they look like at week 3.

My squash and cucumbers at week 1.

And at week 3.  They've gotten so huge I think I'm going to have to re-pot them.  You can't even see the cucumbers growing up the trellis in this picture.

Herbs (thyme, dill, rosemary, oregano) week 1.

And herbs week 3.

Tomatoes and some of the pepper plants week 1.

And tomatoes and peppers week 3.

It's amazing to me to see the difference in just a couple of weeks.  I realize that I may be the only person alive that finds this remotely interesting.  I can't wait to have home grown veggies and herbs all summer.  I'm already using the herbs, but I'll have to wait awhile on the veggies.  Something (a slug, I think) keeps eating the leaves of my pepper plants and I cannot figure out how to get rid of it.  Anyone have any suggestions?  Normally pests leave pepper plants alone, but not in my yard.  I planted marigolds in all of the containers because my mom told me that would keep bugs away from my tomatoes.  So far, so good on that one!  My class has a garden too so I'll have to post pictures of that.  We're growing squash, cherry tomatoes, and peppers.

My class is taking the FCAT this week.  They've worked SO hard all year to prepare and I am extremely proud of their efforts.  One of my friends, a first grade teacher at our school, had her class make us signs and cards for all of my kids.  I hung them up Friday afternoon (along with black butcher paper to hide all of my posters, ugh!) for extra motivation this week.  We were so grateful for their kindness.  It really brightened my students' day, and mine!

I cannot wait to have my room back the way I like it.  I despise having their desks like this.  I prefer group seating.  It makes the flow so much easier and the kids are quieter...as weird as that may be.  You'd think sitting with a group of people they'd talk, but they talk WAY MORE when seated like this.  And I never realized how much team work I do until they're seated like this and I can't do it anymore.  Oh well, just 2 more days!  I'm keeping my sweet kids in my prayers as they start the math portion tomorrow.  I can't believe I only have 6 more weeks with them.  I'm getting sad!

Speaking of prayers, I'd like to make a special request for prayers for my nephew, Matt.  I will spare the details, but he needs prayers, please.  Easter did not go as planned for our family this year.  But God hears us and He's answering surely.  I believe that the power of prayer is so strong that it can accomplish anything.  It's already accomplished so much!  And for that I am truly thankful.

I hope y'all have a great week.  Be blessed! XO

Spring

It's so amazing to me how this whole world was designed with a plan by the master creator.  I just love this time of year - the birds singing loudly as they build their nests, the new life coming back from the cold winter, beautiful flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables being planted...I could go on and on.  As I get prepared for Easter in my heart, I just can't help but be so in awe of how everything comes to life this time of year.

This is kind of random, but I just wanted to make sure I document some of the beauty in our yard that we're seeing for the first time since this is our first spring in the house.  We have a little tree FULL of these blooms.  They smell so delicious and look like honeysuckle, but we knew they weren't.  They've finally been identified as wild azaleas...who knew?!  My mom, of course.  The plant guru.  I'd never heard of them, but apparently they're indigenous to this area.

Hub-sand has been working so hard in the yard almost everyday.  This weekend, he literally spent the WHOLE weekend out there.  I am very grateful because he is making it look beautiful. I know it's a lot of hard work. The picture quality in this photo is terrible, but I though this back corner of our yard was so pretty.

I saw something on Pinterest the other day that I'd really like to try.  Beautiful, right?  It's a mini resurrection garden.

Source: wearethatfamily.com

And of course spring would not be complete without a new wreath on the door.

I bought this from a lady who designs these crosses in memory of her son who died in a car accident.  I have another one of hers hanging in our house.  I just love them and love the meaning behind her work.  Hubs doesn't quite know what to think of it, but I assured him that it looks great.

Decorate to Feel Great

Today I'm hosting my first guest post by the fabulous Christina Johnson.  She works remotely for Elliman Prudential and has great advice on how to freshen up your home.  She is using her journalism major to combine what she loves most, writing and her career.  Her specialties include home decor design and DIY home improvement projects.

Being that I bought my first home not long ago, I definitely agree with and appreciate her recommendations.  Owning a home can be quite overwhelming.  There are so many things you want to do, but you don't know where to start, or the piggy bank just isn't quite full enough to support all your projects and purchases...But there are small steps you can take that will make it feel more like your own.  It's amazing how these small changes can make a house turn into a home.

Here are some simple ways to decorate to feel great:

1. Paint

If you have a room that refuses to look fresh no matter how often you clean, chances are it's time for a paint job. A fresh coat of paint will do wonders for a room’s vitality. This task might sound like a huge undertaking but it can be done slowly and easily and finished within a week or so.

If you don’t have any help, tackle one wall at a time. Pull all furniture about five feet away from your wall and throw a sheet over it for protection. Eggshell or flat paint is suggested for walls with a high gloss or semi gloss paint used on baseboards, doorframes and molding.

Even though it takes a few more minutes out of your busy life, be sure to use painter’s tape to prevent paint splashing on baseboards and crown molding.

2. Crown Molding

This may be the cheapest and easiest home decoration trick that will add a million dollar look to any room. Crown molding costs around $15 per 8ft strip and is as easy as hammering a nail into a wall. If you are going to paint and hang crown molding, first decide where exactly you want the molding to hang so you can cover up any excess wall holes during the paint job.

3. Colors

We all have heard how colors affect our moods. Before painting or buying new furniture/accessories, review the details on how certain colors evoke certain moods. If your favorite color is red, if you are trying to lose weight, this is the worst color to put in your kitchen. Perhaps your favorite color is orange. If so, be sure to keep it out of your bedroom or else you may have trouble sleeping.

Colors will affect you no matter what. When choosing colors to bring into your home, first decide how you want to feel in each room and then find the color that will evoke that feeling.

4. Swap Out Clothe Furniture

If you have children or shedding pets, do yourself a favor and swap out that old clothe furniture for either faux or real leather. Not only do such materials come in a wide variety of colors, the look of this material is never dated in the way that most fabrics are. Out is all clothe couches with patterns. In is all chic and easy to clean materials in neutral or bold tones.

~~~

I know for us, just changing the paint color REALLY changed the whole look and feel of our home.  It went from cold and boring to warm and inviting.  We (well, our brother-in-law) painted the entire house before we moved in and he and Jared painted our kitchen cabinets.  It looked like a different house.  If you're wanting to paint kitchen cabinets, check out this post.  It's a crazy project to tackle.  I'm thankful we didn't live in the home during this time.

cabinets BEFORE the paint job (and walls too)

cabinets AFTER the paint job

Excuse the terrible lighting, these were taken on a camera phone.  I'm not sure if you can tell or not, but just by painting the cabinets, it made our back splash and counter-tops look like different colors.  I'm so happy with the change.  Many, many thanks to Brian and Jared for sanding and spraying for almost two weeks!

Our whole house was painted this peachy pink color called "champagne".  There was nothing "champagne" about it.  It made the back splash in the kitchen look pink, the tile look pink, EVERYTHING looked pink.  It had to go.

living room before

RIGHT after it was done

Christina is definitely right.  All of her tips can help us make us feel great about our homes.  Hope y'all can take something away from it like I did.  Be blessed! XO

2011 in Review

I cannot believe this is the last day of 2011.  Where has the time gone?!  The word blessed does not do my life justice.  I do not believe there is even a word to describe just how I feel.  The Lord has been so faithful and has come through more times than I could begin to count.

When looking back just on this one year of my life, I feel so overwhelmed with how fortunate I am, but also how undeserving too. But that's what's amazing about God's grace - no one deserves it.  He just blesses us with it because He loves us.  I feel like I said this same thing in 2009 and 2010.  And I did, but when I stop to think about it, I can point to one defining moment in my life that changed everything for me.  2009 was full of some very low valleys for me during the first part of the year.  I mean...rock bottom.  But it was also the best time of my life.  Although I had been saved when I was 8, I feel like I never fully trusted the Lord with my life.  I had my own agenda and I was going to do things my way.  It wasn't until He yanked away every single perfect piece of my little plan that I realized I was a fool.  But it was what I needed.  He used the low points to bring me closer to Him.  I can remember just hitting my knees and telling Him I was so lost and didn't know what to do, but that I trusted Him that His plan was better than anything I could have planned.  I promised Him that if He would pull me through, I would never turn my back on Him again.  I've kept my promise.  A little over a month later, Jared walked into my life.  A week later, I found the EXACT home I had been looking for that I could afford to live on my own.  Two months later, my perfect niece was born.  A year later, I was engaged to the man made just for me.  Six months after the engagement, we were married and living in our first little home.  That brings us to 2011.  I just did not think it could get better.  But it did.

I loved our little home in North Hill where we began 2011.  It was old, had character, but it was a bit small.  After we got married, we had nowhere to house our gifts, I had two cabinets in the kitchen and 2 functioning burners on the stove.  Once we got Rosie, it really felt cramped.  We made the decision to move to a bigger rental with a fenced in backyard.  I still think back about our little Barcelona house.  It wasn't much to look at from the outside, but we had some great memories there.  I'll always remember how the sun streamed through the windows every morning as we sat together drinking coffee on the couch.  And I could never forget how COLD that house was.  We were always bundled up it seemed.  It was our first home and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

Moving to the house on Sandcliff was fun because it was minutes from the beach, but it just doesn't hold the same memories like the Barcelona house did.  We actually had our engagement pictures taken at our Barcelona house out on the brick street in front.  I'm so thankful we did that now.

We went into this year with absolutely NO plans of buying a home.  It just wasn't in our budget.  So, we signed a year lease in March 2011 at the Sandcliff house.  We would have never dreamed we'd be sitting in our own home that WE own right now.  The whole thing was purely a God send.  Jared saw the house on MLS one day.  On a whim we decided to look at it a week later and loved it.  It was the exact neighborhood we were wanting to move in to, but didn't see that happening anytime soon.  We prayed about it and felt led to proceed so I called the bank, we got immediate approval, made an offer and BAM we were homeowners.  Just.Like.That.  But one thing loomed over our head - that darn lease.  We prayed fervently together again asking the Lord to send us a renter.  That very same day the man that ended up renting the home drove by for the first time.  He rented it right away and we were freed from the financial obligation of paying two mortgages at one time.  Tell me that wasn't the Lord's will at work.

J and I celebrated our first year of marriage this year.  We reflected back on just how much happened to us in a year and how thankful we are to have found one another.  I just can't get over how fast it went.  I'm looking forward to many, many more years with him.

 

I changed careers and became a teacher this year - something I again prayed a lot about.  God hears our prayers, folks.  I won't go into every single detail of how that came to be, but at the very beginning of 2011, our Sunday School teacher was talking about how you have to be responsible for taking that initial leap of faith and God will lead the way.  God couldn't just make me a teacher.  I had to first pass the tests and put myself in the position to have a job open up for me.  That class changed my life and I couldn't be more happy to go to work everyday.  It's hard and long hours (except for the vacations) but it never feels like work to me.

We got our little dogter in January of 2011 and boy oh boy has she changed our lives!  She has been nothing short of a little adventure in our everyday lives but she's so much fun.

This year was JAM PACKED with weddings and I loved every minute of it.  I'm so thankful to have been able to share in so many friends' joy.  If you want to check that out, read this post.

I was able to spend another year with my loved ones and was blessed with good health.  My family and friends continue to be so supportive and encouraging in my life and I'm so thankful for them.  My mom and dad celebrated 30 years of marriage this year and are such a positive force in my life.  I love them so very much.

My faith has grown exponentially during this past year.  I continue to see God's work in my life everyday.  I set out as my New Year's resolution to read the Bible all the way through in 2011.  I am happy to report that although I did not completely meet this resolution, I did pretty darn good.  I finished all of the New Testament and am halfway done with the Old Testament.  I have developed a quiet time for myself and read my Bible on (almost) a daily basis.  That's coming a long way from nothing at all.  This year I plan to continue this and devote even more time to God's word.  I WILL finish the Bible this year - hopefully in just a few months.

I'm sure I'm leaving a lot out, but 2011 has been one great year.  Good thing I have this little blog to look back on some happenings from this past year.  My heart is so full of joy.  Here's to hoping 2012 is full of blessings for all!

Halloween 2011

Our first Halloween in the new house was one to remember.  Our neighbor came over Sunday afternoon and "warned" me to get prepared.  I had no idea just how serious it is in this neighborhood.

I've never been big on Halloween.  As I kid, we dressed up as our favorite Disney character and went trick or treating, but I think the last time I went I was 9 or 10 years old.  It was just never that great to me.  Plus I am the biggest chicken and can't stand anything scary.  So when I was informed of how big of a deal it is over here, I just brushed it off.  I had bought some bags of candy here and there and my parents grabbed some more for us at Sams.  We ended up with 19 bags...YES, 19 bags.  And it was gone in an hour and a half...AND we combined with our friends who had us over for dinner Halloween night.  Intense.





Candy laid out on the counter



All of our candy in a bucket





Jared Somebody got into the Milk Duds and only 3 remained when I went to open the pack...sneaky, sneaky.

People began showing up in the neighborhood around 5:00 Halloween evening and they were blocking off sections of the entrance for parking.  We had 100s of kids come to the door.  I have never seen anything like it.  It was quite entertaining and ended up being a great night with friends.  To add to the spookiness of Halloween, Jared and I had walked to our friends' house around the corner and when we went to walk home that night, coyotes were howling in the woods behind the houses.  I, of course, flipped out and ran.  Thank goodness Rachel and Brad gave us a ride around the corner - so thankful for that!

And I'm thankful that Halloween and the Fair are over!  Now, I'm SO ready for Thanksgiving.  I look forward to that every year.  I can't wait to be in Arkansas and cooking with my MIL & SIL, eating until I can't eat any more, wearing my sweats all day and cracking up with my in-laws..  Oh and shopping, can't forget that ;)

XOXO

Fall Love

Things are now starting to slow down a bit for us.  Report cards went home today, it's almost Thanksgiving, boxes are almost completely unpacked, Halloween is over, and we're getting settled in and really loving our new home.  We finally got to enjoy a date night this weekend complete with a trip to Pottery Barn.  It was perfect.  We're onto the furnishing part instead of unpacking.  We didn't realize how little we had until we got in this house.  Take our office for example...  Here's a picture of our office after a fresh coat of paint.





Now Jared and I have always thought we had a pretty impressive book collection for two young people.  At our first home, we had more books than our built ins could allow....but now...Exhibit A..







Looks okay, right?  Well, check it out all together.







Whooooooaaaaa....we have a lot of space to fill!  But thankfully, we also have a lot of time.


I know I haven't posted many progress pictures, but here's a before and after of our living room color.  I bought new fans a couple of weeks ago but we have yet to put them up.  They'll get up there eventually!  A BIG THANK YOU to my hardworking BIL, Brian, for painting this whole house!  He did an awesome job!



Before - it was totally pink.






After - muuuuuch better.




But enough about the house.  Let me tell you how great those recipes from Pinterest were last week.  Remember my last meal plan?  I made potato soup and enchiladas from recipes I pinned.  They did not disappoint!  Both have gone into my permanent recipe book.  Now, I have been less than pleased with some recipes I've pinned, but these were great.  I definitely recommend you try them.

It's almost 9:00 which means it's past my bedtime.  I have a lot more to write about our crazy first Halloween in the new house, but that will have to wait for tomorrow when I can keep my eyelids open.  Until then, be blessed!  XO