Busy Bee!

For as tired as I was today at work...I some how went in to over drive when I got home! I was dragging my feet at first, but I let the dogs out, changed clothes and got to work.
First I cleaned up ALL the furniture, it didn't take as long as I thought it would probably because its actually in great condition! Afterward when Joey got home, we started moving everything in!
Heres a some what final product, I say somewhat because Ive changed/added things since I took these initial pictures! I'll update more in the future with more final pictures as I add more, paint, etc.
Caution: the bedding I have on the guest bed DOES NOT match and its driving me NUTS. Also, that bed is WAY too big for that room! Once its actually a nursery (aka once I actually become pregnant lol) it'll be a lot more spacious with a crib instead of a bed!

this is a view from the door way/hallway



this is one (of two) of the glass top bedside tables. My scrapbooks finally found a home! (and I've already changed the stuff on top- 3x actually!) I do need to get something to stick in between the glass and table to help it stay put- as of right now, that glass slides RIGHT off! No bueno!


this is the future changing table! I wasnt sure whether or not I wanted to put the mirror on it or not, but decided to go ahead- mainly because I didn't want it sitting in the garage until we turn this in to a full nursery. but I think it looks okay!


left side of the dresser, with my Grandmother's magnolia (which I love) and the folded up luggage holder (which I've since moved...2x ha!)


Right side of the dresser. I'm not really sure if this stuff will stay but I've BEEN looking for somewhere to stick my jewelry box so..yeah. The bear is mine from when I was a baby/little girl :) the hankie is from our wedding,and the jewelry box is my first "big girl" jewelry box my parents gave me!


This is the chest of drawers :) I love the way this turned out, it truly did turn out exactly how I pictured it!



from left to right: the picture frame Claire & Nick gave us when they asked us to be Lilliana's God Parents (lilly bean is the cute little one on the canvas above everything!), my book ends that USED to be lamps holding books, and Joey's Last Rights Cross that was given to him at his Confirmation (which should be hanging on the wall by the bed but I don't want to hang it until I know itll be there permanently!). I'm VERY happy with how this turned out :)



So thats where we are :) I'm pretty happy with how everythings progressing and can't wait to put more work in to it!!

Afterward we got motivated to rearrange Joey's man cave! Heres some pictures of its new look-- LOTS more room (for activities as Step Brothers would say!)










The dresser the TV is sitting on was actually from Joey's room growing up, and WAS in the guestroom/nursery but we moved it in to the mancave when we brought the new furniture in. He DID have a HUGE entertainment center in there but it was just waaay too big! So now theres plenty of room ("for activities") and NOW when we have guests over its MUCH easier to pull the futon out and not have to move the entire room around!

We also added another shelf in the living room, but I'm way too tired to get in to that! I stared workin' on all this when I got home at 5:30 tonight. And its now 9:30 and we JUST had a quick tuna melt dinner! Needless to say we are both wiped out and I'm SURE we'll have no problem sleeping hard tonight!

Like I said, I've already changed stuff a FEW times. AND I have about a million more ideas with stuff I found around the house throughout all of this. But for tonight? this busy bee is DONE!

Gnight all! Cheers!!

Mrs. DIY has arrived!

I have become inspired lately to start working on lots of Do It Yourself projects! We've slowly done a few around the house since we moved in a little over a year ago, but lately its happening more and more!

Im going to try & start blogging more about it with ideas, before/after pictures, etc. I did a couple this weekend, and see LOTS more in my future! One blog Claire told me about is:http://www.younghouselove.com/ I LOVE looking through their blog, they have GREAT ideas!

This weekend I found out at the last minute my Dad and his wife were having a garage sale. I ended up spending the whole weekend over there, and brought home some nice little treasures!
When my great great Aunt Ruth from Savannah died, my grandparents inherited EVERYTHING. Its all been sitting in their basement/garage for YEARS! So as I'm helping out with the garage sale I start spotting all these awesome pieces and my mind just goes in to over drive with all kinds of ideas! I bought everything I got minus the furniture & the hope chest. My Dad was kind enough to give me the furniture, and my sweet FIL bought me the hope chest! (will explain).

Lets start with the furniture :) This set is French Provincial and in pretty good condition:







Gorgeous furniture :) VERY excited about this. As soon as I saw it I immediatley thought: baby's room. * NO, I am NOT pregnant!* I knew that would be the first thing people asked me, but I'm not!! I just told my Dad I'd really like to have the furniture and explained what for- and he gave it to me! All it needs is some Murphy's Oil Soap (http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100670278/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053 only like 3$ a bottle @ Home Depot!) to clean it up really well, and then some charcoal in each of the drawers to get the 'old' smell out (followed up with some lavender!).


I started cleaning it up this weekend but need to hit the store to buy some more supplies to finish. Then we'll move it in to the guest room for now :) My mind is already goin nuts with all kinds of nusery themes for boy/girl :)
Also, FIL/Joey/& MAYBE Uncle Mike will be working on making a crib to match all of this. HOW COOL! Whatever furniture we have leftover/dont use we will most likely incorporate into the crib so everything will match!

Next up: stuff FOR the nursery I found and re-did/changed! First off these:




These were lamps! But when I saw them, they caught my eye. I just thought they'd go so well with the furniture and the vintage/antique look. I wish I'd taken a before picture, but basically coming out of the tops of each head was a lamp! I clipped off the cords and then Joey & FIL helped me with the power tools. They were able to saw off and sand down the tops-so now this is what we're left with! I have a picture in my mind of these on top of the dresser,used as book ends and holding baby books in the middle :) *side note, I found a few of MY old books from when I was itty bitty so I took them home to save for our little ones :)


Next up, mirror!
(again, I didnt take a before picture, bummer. but it was just a random dirty old mirror, that had gold trim- it can hang on a wall or sit on a table)

Like I said, just saw this random old mirror and thought I could do something with it. I basically pulled all the screws out and detached the trim from the mirror. I used the same paint we used to paint all of our light fixtures (they were gold, and we painted them a hammered nickel. This isn't exactly what we used but similar,and was only $6/can at Home Depot http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-202041184/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053)- it was super easy and turned out very cool. For now it has a home on our coffee table- its hiding the big white spot thats on there from when we performed surgery on delilah! (we found a tick on her and FREAKED out, doused her in alcohol and it ruined my coffee table! *Delilah IS okay!) This mirror was THE perfect size to hide this:

So for now, this is where itll be. But eventually it'll probably end up in the babys room. I feel like it goes with the 'look' I'm going for; and actually the mirror itself is kind of beat up, with brown spots, looks very cool- very antique and aged :)

I also found this random painting- it caught my eye too. I'm still not sure where I'll put it, but I know I'm going to take it out of this frame, and the matte too- I feel like the matte its up against is too much, and the frame is too big. so itll be re-framed, Im just not sure what kind of frame yet since I dont know where Im going to put it. But I really like the painting itself!

and lastly...the hope chest :) As I said the basement at my grandparents was FULL, so as things got sold my Dad would pull more stuff out of the basement. Towards the end of the day Friday he pulled out this hope chest. And I fell in love with it! Its got the original label still stapled to the inside, and at the bottom of the label in my great great aunts handwriting is the date she bought it: January 13, 1937 & it was bought from Sears,Roebuck & Co.
HOW COOL!






It has a little 'shelf' inside that slides from side to side. Its in incredible condition- and my sweet FIL bought it for me and totally surprised me with it! All I did was rub it down with some Murphy's to make it shine and we moved it in to our bedroom! Traditionally these were bought for young girls to save things for wedding/marriage/first home. BUT since we're past all that, I'll be filling it with items/ideas for babys room and just overall renovations of the house :)

Needless to say, I found all kinds of treasures this wkend. In addition to all of that I got a little something for my mama (will post soon, AFTER Mothers Day), a few different dishes, childrens books/my first bear from when I was itty bitty, cook books,etc. Despite me NOT being pregnant at the moment lol, I've pretty much got it all planned out in my head for the nursery already ;) Nothing wrong with gettin a head start right!? Especially since this will be saving us quite a bit of money!

So stay tuned for more DIY stuff! Its a ton of fun and I see a lot of it in the future!

Cheers!!

The Future is Calling...

Well hello there :)

So this past weekend, Joey & I went to Charlotte! Claire & Nick had their Catholic wedding and there was no way we were missin that!
We drove up Friday after work and shortly after getting there, we got to see our precious God Daughter take her first steps :) HOW COOL!

Saturday I spent the morning hanging out with Lilly and Claire as we all got ready for the wedding/celebration afterwards! It was a long busy day but such an awesome one :) We had a great time spending the weekend with them, and were sad to leave. We plan on making MANY more trips up there!

Joey & I have talked a lot about the future and what we want to see happen. Sometimes I think we may just be dreamers, but its so fun to dream isn't it? We know for sure we want to start a family one day :) Nows just not the time. But I can hardly wait to be a Mommy!
We've also talked about me going back to school at some point. I hope it happens- its just not cheap! I'd really like to get in to being an Ultra Sound Tech! The only thing is, thats not really a school I can do online- and theres no way we could afford for me to quit working. So I may just have to find something else.

Theres lots of things we want to do in life, with our house, our family..don't you wish it was that easy? Dream up something, and just DO it!? Sadly money is the main issue that gets in the way. I wish I knew where I could get a money tree!! ;)

I can just hardly beleive its been over 2 years since we were married, and even longer since we started dating back in 2007. Time really does fly doesnt it?

Well...cheers to the future! its waiting :) !

can we say inspired?

wow. just wow! word for the weekend :)

friday after work my MIL & I went up to Charlotte to spend some time with Claire & Aunt Mary. They'd told us about a Women's Lenten Retreat at their church and we signed up then and there. what better way to start off lent?

our speaker spoke of hide and seek. people seek the Lord, always searching for God. Wandering around "Where are you God??" but think of it this way: he isn't hiding. He is seeking YOU. the thing is, God knows where you are-literally, all the time. but He is seeking you to come to Him.

This made a lot of sense to me. The whole experience was very eye opening for me. Surrounded by such inspirational women, going to Mass, receiving communion, time for reflection, confession, and fellowship. It re-lit my fire in a big way, and filled my heart with peace and love. You know its funny, seems like whenever you get excited and passionate about God-SOMETHING happens. Some...thing. As soon as i got home..some THING happened- of course! and the stress set in, but i caught myself realizing- thats the devil. he KNOWS my love for God and how uplifted this weekend left me feeling. so he tried to attack that. on my way home, alone in my car- i turned off the radio, and just started talking to God. this is the first time i've ever done this and it felt so natural. and now? i feel peace. yeah the THING that was stressing me out is still there. BUT i know its not in my control, i know God will never give me more than i can handle, i know theres a reason and it WILL be ok. i offered up my suffering, ended by prayer/convo, turned the radio back up & with a smile on my face started singing along.

i have such a blessed life. i have so much to be thankful for- and i need to focus on that more. i need more peace :)

so now im going to cuddle up on the couch with my husband, whom i missed dearly, and relax before another hectic week begins.

GOD bless, peace & love...cheers! :)

motivation?

who else struggles with motivation? Lord knows I do.

Theres so many things/areas in my life I want to change or improve...
-weight
-self image
-over all attitude
-stronger faith
-stronger friendships/relationships
.....

and the list goes on. All positive changes, so why so hard? Probably because its not easy making changes, and easy to stay in your ways. I've been praying a lot more and trying to hand everything over to God. I know He will be my biggest supporter in these challenges. I think people (aka..me) always look for the easy way, the short cut, we get lazy. I'm very guilty of this.

For instance, working out & eating right. I was doing well...for about a week! and then fell back in to my old ways. I have a membership to a gym, Joey & I grocery shop together..theres no reason why I shouldnt be at the gym or buying the right foods. SO why is it so difficult? I always say "I'm so tired...I just want to go home..." or "I ran out of healthy recipes, sick of eating the same thing everyday..." and just give up, cause its easier. But I'm consistently unhappy with how I look, I look in the mirror and don't recognize myself or like what I see. I lost that confidence, that sense of feeling pretty-inside and out. I beat myself up with negative thoughts, yet lack the motivation to get myself in to the gym. Its a vicious cycle. I want to love myself again and feel confident. I have my family's support, my friends, of course my sweet husband, even Miss Amanda Adams! She is such an inspiration to me and I am amazed by her daily!

or with my faith. We miss Mass and always feel guilty when we do- but we don't make ourselves get up and go. Why is that so hard? That should be the easiest thing, the biggest priority. Without God what do we have? Not to mention I have so many people around me, praying for me, supporting me, and being great role models in faith. Aunt Mary, MIL, Claire, Aunt Becky-- not to mention friends on facebook: Lauren & Mel, the ladies I've met in my new bible study: Marti, Joy, Adrienne, Erika... and of course my beautiful cousin Christina has always encouraged me. With all these amazing people you'd think it would make it even easier for me. I say I "forget" to pray- but looking at now, its not that I forget, its that I get distracted by less important things. God should always be my top priority- because again, without Him what else is there? I see all these amazing people in my life with such a strong relationship with Him- and I crave that! The sad thing is its nobody's fault but mine, I'm the only one holding me back.
This weekend I'm going to Charlotte with my MIL and Aunt Becky to meet Claire & Aunt Mary for a ladies Lenten Retreat at their church. I'm really looking forward to this and hoping it'll be a new start, to re-light that fire in my heart for God.

The thing is, I know I'm a good person. My biggest enemy is myself. I know I have it in me. Its like I keep waiting for this big shift, a big change inside myself. But duh kelly! I have to make it happen, its not going to happen on my own.

I really want to start making moves in the right direction. Its time to make these changes Ive been wanting, and I'm the only one who can do it.

So...here goes nothing.

Cheers!

if you're happy & you know it clap your hands...

hello world!

well we're a few weeks in to the new year and i already have so much to be excited about!

first of all : VACATION!! we've already got our trips planned for the year!

In March we're going to Baton Rouge,LA to see all the Rickels! We'll be staying with Mamaw and Papaw and we're SO looking forward to it! its been way too long since we've seen that side of the family!

For 4th of July we're going back to Topsail Island,NC and I can hardly wait. This year we even get to stay a whole week instead of just a few days- thinkin bout spending time with my beautiful God Daughter and all my favorite Soignets on the beach is whats gettin me through this cold winter! We always have SO much fun with them, and its so relaxing! I can hardly wait :)


In December we're hoping to go to Washington D.C. ! Neither of us have been and we really want to go see Arlington Cemetery -- and I really want to tour the White House! I think itll be an awesome trip :)

So far thats all! Hopefully with lots of trips to Charlotte in between :)

Also! I had a great day at work today-- they moved me from the front desk in to an office! how cool! I'm so excited! In all my jobs, I've never had my own office--and its an awesome feeling :) I'm excited to jump in and learn/do more! As soon as I got home I started going through pictures to stick in frames for my new office lol. Nerdy I know but I'm excited :) I love RCD and am so so glad I work there!

And lastly- but CERTAINLY not least! This weekend!! This weekend is Owen's 1st birthday! I cant believe it, I feel like he was born just yesterday! Friday is his birthday but Saturday is his party. MY Payton turned 3 last weekend! and whenever we get her again we're gonna have a little shin dig for her :)





and hopefully Sunday Britt and I will be meeting up with Tanya!! Shes back from Germany!! Her and Chase are here looking at houses- her husband is back in Germany but they are PCSing to Fort Rucker and I couldn't be happier. As soon as we heard Britt and I started talking about planning trips lol. It feels like shes been gone forever! and now shes gonna be just a few hours away! britt and I both are so excited!




thats all for now! cheers!

well hello :)

been a minute! needless to say (as always) life has been hectic!

I think Sept. was the last I posted so a quick recap:

October: nothin major...halloween!?
November: Lilliana's Baptism in Charlotte- such a fun weekend with the Soignets/Bakers!
Thanksgiving of course, and then the birth of my cousin Christina's baby Emma! she is GORGEOUS!

and now December: full of holiday parties, MIL/Dad/Husband birthday, and of course Christmas!

We had an awesome Christmas this year! Christmas Eve we had my uncle, cousin, Mom and grandparents over to our house for dinner and gifts. My mom spent the night with us and we woke up with her Christmas morning- did gifts and had a good time. Then hubs and I sat on the couches in our PJs being lazy till it was time to go over to his Mom and Dads! We were over there most of the day..and it SNOWED! we had a white christmas!! SO unheard of in Ga!!
Today we went to my Dads to do Christmas with him and his wife Donna- ran a couple errands and then spent the rest of the day cleaning/putting up Christmas junk (sad!).

Gearing up for work this week, and New Years this weekend! I think we'll be spending NYE with the Sotos again this year-- nothin like dinner, friends, ( a bit of drinkin!), and bringing the New Year in with a Rosary :)

I'm excited, and hopeful, for what the New Year will bring us. From last year to this year is such a huge change I'm ready to see what happens this time around!

Promise Ill try to be better with blogging! For now: Merry Christmas, Happy New Years, and tomorrow: Happy 24th birthday to my wonderful husband!!!

Cheers!