Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Falling Falling Falling

Take a deep breath...
Crisp air, that green dusty smell of falling leaves, smoke from cozy fires, pumpkin latte steam...

the cold bite of air on your nose, comfy warm scarf, rain boats crunching leaves, pumpkin latte warming your fingertips and tongue...

open your eyes...
colors, so many colors! children laughing on the playgrounds, pumpkins on door steps, squirls frisking from tree to tree, pumpkin latte on the coffee table...


its that time of year again, my favorite time of year- when the air starts getting cold but the rain hasn't set in in full force quite yet, trips to the pumpkin patch, reading next to the warm fire, pulling out sweaters and scarves, collecting colorful leaves in yellow red and orange, jumping in leaves, the anticipation of Thanksgiving and Christmas, Pumpkin latte creamer hits store shelves...

yes, its Autumn.

With school just starting and cold weather setting in and the rain darkening our near future, take the time to smell, feel and see the good, happy things about this season- smile! and have a pumpkin latte!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Charcoal No Longer!

Back in high school (so over 3 years ago) I tried to make a grilled cheese sandwich.... the cheese was melted...but somehow it looked something like this...


 Since then, I have been the brunt of countless cooking, kitchen and holiday jokes.


BUT NO LONGER!!!



 Behold, the perfect grilled cheese and ham sandwich!!!!!


And it tasted good too! :)

Happy cooking!

Monday, October 17, 2011

Pretty Old Cards

I love getting cards from people; mail is so fun! But after a while the bulletin board fills up and not all the cards can stay.

Here's an idea of what to do with those pretty patterns!

Fold along crease a few times to weaken and then tear the card in two. You can save the words in a scrapbook if you wish.

Write on the back of the "pretty side." I use mine to make recipe cards, but it is also fun to make post cards.
Soon you'll be getting a plethora of happy holiday wishes, so save up those colorful cards and send them out next year or use them to record Grandma's secrete family recipe!

Sunday, October 16, 2011

Bedrooms





How much fun would it be to decorate a kids room like this?! The word is the ladder! How cool!

Wouldn't it be fun to put a dresser in here with knobs that say "Dresser" and a desk with the top decoupaged with its name across the top and a chair with one leg made out of letters?

Since kids are a long way off in the future (unless God has other plans for us) this idea will have to wait in the decorating archives along with all of these:

http://www.interiordecorationsite.com/search/cool%20furniture%20girls%20room
and how about this crib/changing table! Fit for a little princess!


http://homezinterior.com/bedroom/superhero-bedroom-design-ideas-for-kids.html
And for the little super hero- LOVE IT!!!

http://tlc.howstuffworks.com/home/kids-bedroom-decorating-ideas10.htm 
this totally reminds me of Neverland!




Ok, and if you think I'm thinking about babies too much, how about these beautiful rooms?

http://www.countryliving.com/homes/how-to-get-the-look/bedroom-designs-2008
I love the in-wall book shelf and the cozy rug in this picture. This would be a great guest bedroom. Even the pink lamp, finding funky things from your teenage bedroom can be made more adult in a setting like this.
love the patterned wall and floor with the mellow bedding!
as much as i love plain wood floors, white washed wood floors are really inviting.
I love the idea of hanging a chandelier above the bed

the quilt on the wall is a great headboard idea- you could use one you already have! I love saving money.
 This is our bedroom as of now- with how much I like decorating, in a month or two it'll look a bit different :)
the banner is from our wedding, all the furniture was given to us

we didnt have enough bookshelf space so i piled them up on the floor like i saw in a Pottery Barn ad.

Our room is really small so we can't move around the furniture very much.  I'd like to hang a chandelier and make some sort of headboard or curtains to frame the bed and add some warmth and height to the small space. Hmmm, i'll figure something out- I gotta have something to space off about during classes, right? just kidding!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

If You Don't Have a Maid

I discovered something about myself-well actually my husband laughingly observed, "You're a messy person, and it drives you crazy."

It's true, things are left on the floor, laundry and dishes pile up, but I cant stand it! After a few days I kinda go insane and have to clean everything or at least tidy up- if i dont, there is no way I'll be able to focus on my homework.

So now that I'm in my own home- that I take a little more pride in than my dorm room- but am still stuck with much of the same responsibilities and time restraints, I've begun learning and remembering what mom used to tell me and i thought i would share.

1.) If the kitchen is clean, and the table cleared off and pretty I feel better. We dont have a dish washer, so it's not as simple as hiding the dirty dishes away, our goal is to wash dishes everynight (though, like tonight, that doesnt always happen).

2.) Taking a quick ten minutes to power clean the clutter does wonders for the room and my sanity.

3.) No time to clean the bathroom? Putting out clean towels and wiping down the counter with the old hand towel is a quick way to freshen up.

4.) Make/ straighten the bed clothes every morning. It makes the room automatically look cleaner and its nice to get into a fresh bed after a long day.

5.) Fold your laundry on the bed and vow to not put it on the floor that way it has to be put away before bed. (your hubby should put his away too-less work for you!)

6.) open up the windows for 10 min (and maybe turn the heat off to save $) to freshen up the air. Smell is one of our most mind triggering senses, if it smells clean it looks cleaner :)

7.) if its too cold outside, spray some air freshener or light a yummy smelling candle.

8.) Vacuum once a week. Dirt and crumbs attract bugs which attract spiders. Ewww. And, if the dirt, crumbs and dead skin (yes, dust is mostly dead skin-again, ewwww) build up long enough, it turns 'sticky' and is harder for your vacuum to clean up and your carpet wont last as long. Everything else stays cleaner in your house the more often you vacuum- you have to pick up clutter to vacuum and dust and tracked in dirt dont travel very far. (I really like vacuuming, can you tell?)

9.) Set aside time once a week to put on some tunes and clean for an hour or more. Not only does everything look nice but you feel accomplished too.

10.) have a dish rag or hand towel your about to throw into the laundry- wipe something down with it first. it takes like 10 seconds and keeps things cleaner. PS- Clorox wipes/cleaning wipes are your friend.

Oh, and its a new era, have your husband do a couple chores. Jeff is great about always taking out the trash-he will jump up off the couch if he even hears me tying the trash bag and wont let me do it. And he's always happy to do something if i ask. I like to do most of the chores right now. I figure that since I'm not working yet and he is, at least the house can be clean when he gets home.

It seems like the era of the "house wife" died for a while but is making a slow come back. I'm not saying that women will ever be confined to the home again, but it's not looked down on as it was while the feminists were makin' a big stink. I find a lot of joy in having the house clean and dinner started for Jeff when he gets home from work and I'm praying that someday I'll be able to be a stay at home mom. It's a worthy calling and, i've heard, just as much work as the 9 to 5. 

I fell like it’s a rite of passage for a wife to have her own apron. Since no one gave me one for my wedding, I went and bought one for myself. Yes, I am a house wife- hear me roar! ;)


Saturday, October 8, 2011

Wedding Pictures!


 I love our pictures and love our photographer and friend Michelle! I've had these posted on Facebook for a while but here are some (OK, a lot) of my favorites and some that capture the look of the day!

Check out our photographer's facebook page here: Harper-Valley-Photography .

my garters were handmade by Jeff's mom :)



Left to Right: Amy, Jenae, Shelby, Abby, Rachel, Cherry, Olivia, Nikki, Me




L to R: Kenny, Riley, Anthony, Joe, Ben, Benjamin, Chaz, Me







I love my family
Jeff, the guys and his dad- who performed the ceremony.


"Haven't I caught myself a fine husband?" -Pride and Prejudice quote

















Our flower girl is quite a personality- She was also wearing her bright pink shades


First kiss ever!



my side of the family






along with my beautiful wedding bands, I wore my grandmother's ring that my mother let me borrow for something old and blue.





Instead of buying expensive new jewelry, I decides to go the sentimental route. This necklace is made from the remaining crystal from a pair of earrings I wore on Jeff and I's first date.


Grandma is very happy to have her Granddaughter married!  This is her classic "face smoosh." :)


My mom and Dad built the ceder arch we stood under for the ceremony.

because we wanted to use the Unity candle ceremony, but we were outside, we put the candles in lanterns and hung them from the arch. It looked so good! and was exactly what i envisioned for a simple/vintage/country chic wedding.

photo booth props- "dress like the bride and groom"






First dance

Burlap ceiling and handmade crystal chandelier



we couldn't do a slideshow so I hung pictures of us on cloths line in a time line fashion, from kids to proposal.






Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...