Bulldogs and Waffles

I told you that I was coming back!  You didn't believe me?  Shame on you!  I even remembered to take photos for this post.  Even if they were on my cell phone, they still provide you with a fun documentary of our lives this past weekend!

Bulldogs and Waffles may be a strange title for a post, but it is fairly descriptive of our weekend--and you'll soon understand why.  We traveled to Starkville, MS to see our Bulldogs take on South Alabama.  I know nothing about South Alabama other then the fact that their logo/mascot looks like Penn State. In fact, I saw a fan wearing a t-shirt and thought it was FOR Penn State. Then we got in the game and I realized my error when I saw their logo on the jumbotron.  Random fact for you.

We showed up to Starkville around 8:00pm and dropped the dog off at our house then headed for our favorite Starkville treat: 

That would be a Mugshots Comeback burger for all of y'all who don't know.  I can still taste it.  Sadly, I only ate half of it and David ate half of my fries, but it was well worth every calorie!  If you are going to mess up on the diet, mess up on something well worth it, right?!  Well, it was well worth it!

We got back late to the cabin to see that David's parent's had arrived.  My parent's were unable to make it this weekend so we invited David's to visit for the weekend.  After preparing all of the food, we all crashed and fell asleep!

Now, my Mom began a tradition a couple of years ago.  She decided that every Saturday for football game weekends, she would make a big bowl of waffle batter and everyone could fix waffles as they woke up.  It was a huge success because it took minimal preparation, was ready quick, and was fairly simple to clean up. It's a tradition that we have added in to our Starkville mornings--football season or not.  So when my parent's couldn't make it to the first game of the season, David, desiring his waffle fix, requested about the time we got to West Point (15 minutes from Starkville) that we invite his brother and sister for waffles on Saturday morning prior to the evening game against Jackson State. Me, loving a good get together, said "of course" and told them to bring their roommates/friends.  That turned into 9 hungry college kids plus David and I.  A box of waffle mix, 18 eggs, 1 gallon of milk, 1/2 gallon of orange juice, 2 pots of coffee, and 2 quarts of strawberries later, we had 11 stuffed people and no leftovers. With little planning, we had a blast!  When they all left, we mentioned that we'd have to do it again.

Well, since the Auburn game was at 11am and none of us wanted to eat waffles at 6am, we skipped out on the waffle festivities for that game, but bring on South Alabama at 6pm and we were preparing for a party of sorts on Wednesday morning!  I text my bro and sis in law to bring a crowd!  And boy did they take us up on it!  

Want to see what feeding 12 college students + David and I + my inlaws looks like?

I literally made waffle after waffle after waffle!  AND IT WAS SO MUCH FUN!  This is what my parent's house looked like on Saturday morning around 9:30am...

So much fun!  I cooked and cooked until there were stuffed college kids and everyone said they couldn't eat anymore.  And 2 boxes of waffle mix, 22 eggs, 1 gallon of milk, 1 gallon of orange juice, 2 pots of coffee, and 2 quarts of strawberries later, we had 16 stuffed people and minimal leftovers.  What a fun memory!

Here are a few photos of these awesome new friends enjoying waffles and great fellowship and of course, talking about our awesome 4-0 Bulldogs!

These two guys rode their bikes from downtown Starkville to the refuge to Browning Creek.  They ate waffles and then rode all of the way back!  I was impressed!  Glad you guys made it!

These two just got engaged Thursday!  Excited for all of the planning that is beginning. Soak up being engaged!  As much as you want to wish it over with, you never get it back!  Such a sweet, sweet time in life!

Then, we decided to go take photos on the porch--except they wouldn't stop laughing!  Side note: I can't tell you how many photos I took in college with some very special people on this same porch! 

Then, at their request, they wanted a photo with Lacey in it!  Don't they look cute in their maroon and white and Lacey in her cheerleader outfit!

Next up were family pictures. And man, I must love you guys because I am looking ROUGH (and tired--from feeding an army) in these photos!

Maroon and white family!

It was a fantastic time. I can't begin to describe how much I enjoy being around Jesse and Danielle's friends. They are wonderful and so appreciative that they make me want to cook waffles every weekend just to allow us to see their faces.

Next, it was time to get ready for the game.  Since it was a white out game, it was necessary to wear white (or cream in my case).  There were a lot of lace tops/dresses on campus on Saturday.  It was so impressive to me how many people chose to wear white with maroon!  In my day at college, girls wore whatever color they wanted to.  It was refreshing to see so much school spirit in the clothes everyone wore.  (It's the little things!)

We saw some very special people on campus for the game. My sis in law and me:

David's siblings:

Very special girl in my life! Love Riley and all of our special conversations!  I can't wait to see where God takes your dreams!

My bestie Kat and her baby C!  He's grown so very much!  (it occurred to me that my friend's may or may not want their baby's names on here...so C is his name here!)

C is ready for cheering on the Bulldogs--except his mama won't take him to the game for fear of the cowbells.  My child will be deaf by age two because they will be growing up around loud cowbells!  Poor future Adams' children!  Isn't C precious?  Your Aunt Sara loves you baby! :)

Then it was game time!!! Everyone did really well at whiting out the game!

Even though it was one of the MOST boring games of my life.  And even though the Bulldogs played sub par for how they should have played, a W is a W.  And we are still 4-0!!!

Hate this game on the Jumbotron, but love the version this year!  Just a reminder of things to come!

That wraps up another maroon and white post.  Hope you enjoyed it. Look for more soon.  Our vacation is just around the corner and with it will come lots more posts!  Thanks for reading!

I'm BACK!

Well, today is the day. I do not know what is special about today or why I have decided to resurrect the blog on a day like today.  Maybe because it's raining.  Maybe because I had a terrible day at work.  Maybe because I am procrastinating on our ever expanding mountain of laundry.  Or maybe it's because the Mom of one of my best friends threatened to stop being my friend if I did not blog again soon.  It's almost been a YEAR!  And let's face it, the blog was dying long before then.  I just got burnt out.  I have no excuse.  But the other day, I bought Pumpkin Spice Coffee from Fresh Market.  And I thought, I remember when I recommended this on the blog? Yum!  And the desire sparked again!  (We'll attribute it to the coffee! :)

So here goes.  How do I catch you up on a year of the Adams' lives?  Well, I'll start with me.  Last year, I agreed to go to work full time as a Quality Engineer at a medical device company.  Wow, talk about a whirlwind. If you have had any conversation with me in the past almost 9 months, you know that it has been a wild ride.  God has taught me A TON!  I am attempting to not be a work-a-holic and enjoy life, but work responsibilities are intense. Thankful for the ability to use my brain that God gave me.  Days are far more stressful then they used to be, and resurrecting the blog may or may not mean lots less posts than what once was. However, I'm thankful for a boss who is teaching and molding me both into a knowledgeable person in my field and as a woman of the Lord.

Speaking of my company, they are exploding.  We are growing and growing and growing and we can't keep up.  So we are preparing for a facility move sometime soon.  If you want to read about it, you can here.  Pretty cool stuff.

That's what I've been up to.  Now let's catch you up on David.  David is still with International Paper at their Headquarters in Memphis.  His title changed from Replenishment Planner to Supply Planner in January 2012.  Basically, that means he now plans a Paper Mill in New York.  Pretty cool stuff too!  He has enjoyed the new responsibilities and challenges that come with a new job.  We love IP!  They have been wonderful to our family, and I couldn't ask for a better place for my hubby to work!  He has become an international traveler this summer with a trip to Poland to visit the customer service center for IP.  He also traveled to New York a few weeks later.  Needless to say, I was a complete pansy and was ridiculous when it came to staying alone.  Big house all by myself was not fun.

Speaking of house, we bought our first house in April!  We still aren't unpacked or else I'd show you photos of our beautiful, spotless, everything in it's place home.  HA! Yeah right!  One day it will be pretty and put together.  Until the day when I'm not working 50 hours + a week, it will remain as is.  We try to straighten, but it winds up becoming messy again. Somehow, I keep the dishes clean. The laundry is a different story.  (sidenote: never negotiate front load washer and dryers into your house contract. They take 4 hours to wash one load of laundry + another 2 to dry the load resulting in a 6 hour total time for one load.  Maybe I'm exaggerating a little, but trust me...you don't want to find out.)  I'll have to tell you about our home buying experience one day when I have "time" or am searching for something to write about!  Until then, I'll have to leave you with a photo of the front of it. Curb appeal!

This is a photo from the listing when we first found it. I know I have one that I have taken, but cannot seem to find it.  Other then planing flowers in the front flower beds, not much has changed.  The house is in East Memphis on 2/3 an acre. IN EAST MEMPHIS!

Yep, that's right. We have a red door!  We bought a house in East Memphis and love it.  The house was built in 1955 and has all fun things that come with a house built in 1955.  Like an air conditioner built in 1984 and a hot water heater built in 1988.  Needless to say, we are praying over multiple items in our home to break while we have a home warranty!

We have plenty of "projects" I am/have been working on that I promise to share. I have neglected to take before photos to most projects because generally I am in such a hurry that I don't even think about it. I'll be sure to take photos slowly but surely.  David's uncle told us that he'd heard it said that you buy a hobby when you buy a house. SO true!  Our home is an ever changing project, and I am convinced it will NEVER be exactly like I want it to be!

Now that we have plenty of space, my parents come visit!  There most recent trip included a fun celebration of Elvis during the kick off to Elvis Week.  Dad and David ran in the Elvis 5K and sang along to various Elvis tunes in the Graceland area.  They even met the King outside of the gates.

After the race, we all enjoyed a yummy brunch at Elvis' favorite breakfast spot The Arcade. YUM!  We hung out downtown and went to the National Civil Rights Museum.  We ended the day with dinner at Soul Fish in Midtown. It was an exceptionally Memphian day!

Now, with football season upon us, David and I have been making the trip back and forth to see our Bulldogs who are now 3 and 0!!! Great job Bulldogs! :)  It's hard to believe that last year, we were kicking off the season in Memphis with these two friends!  That's what football season is about. Good friends, great memories!  We are looking forward to another fantastic year with the Dawgs!

I'll leave you with photos from the Music City Bowl. I'm holding out for the Sugar Bowl this year.  That was my bowl prediction last year as well.  The Cotton would be fun too!  Excited for the rest of the season with the Bulldogs!  It's a great time to be a Bulldog! #hailstate

The coming days are busy for the Adams'. We are planning a trip to DisneyWorld soon so I know I'll have a lot of "material" to write about in the coming days.  I think it's safe to say, I'm back! Encouragement welcome!  Oh how I've missed you all! :)

Christmas Presents

{Let us not lose sight in this joking on the real meaning for the season!  Jesus Christ came down to earth to save me {and you} from all of our unrighteousness. Because of Him, we are made righteous. It's not about presents or wrapping. It's about the joy of Christ!}

I have a problem! 

And it's not a good problem for me to have!

Now, before I start this post, I need to make sure you know that USUALLY I have completed all of my Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving. That's just me. I don't like the crowds or the lines. I don't think Christmas sales are THAT good.  I enjoy going shopping during the holidays on MY terms.  And I can't stand waiting until the last minute to do shop.  Mainly because I want all of my Christmas presents bought, wrapped, and under my tree to enjoy.  If you buy them at the last minute, you are wrapping presents when you should be walking out the door to go to your parents, in laws, or whomever's house. {ahem...David Adair Adams, I'm calling you out!}

You see, last year, we moved on December 17th to Memphis.  We threw everything we owned into our house and began traveling for the holidays on the 20th. Yep.  Then we came home the 25th and left again the 27th for the Gator Bowl. Yes, crazy. On the morning of the 20th, my wonderful husband had not yet shopped for his wonderful sister.  Last year, I didn't know Danielle as well as I do this year, and it overwhelmed me to try to think of something to get her for Christmas.  She was a high school senior, and I've done my best to block out my high school days so there was no way for me to remember what I wanted for Christmas my senior year in high school.  This one was going to be left up to her brother.  So you can imagine my joy on December 22nd shopping with my husband for something for his sister.  I use joy lightly in this situation. 

I love my husband, I love my sis in law, but I DO NOT LOVE SHOPPING ON DECEMBER 22ND!!!!

It worked out fine. He picked out a dress for her, and I picked out earrings for her. I wrapped it in Brandon and it made the many traveling hours with us back to Memphis.

So this year. I refuse. I refuse. I refuse. To be shopping on December 22nd.  What's that you say?  It's only November 10th?  Oh I know, but this year I have an entirely different problem!!!

I have no idea what to buy anyone......except my sister in law.  And I've had her Christmas presents done since the middle of October!

Now...I will not wait until December 22nd. So if you're on our Christmas list, you best be speaking up!  Or as my Pop would say, "you're all getting socks and underwear!!!"

A Priceless Friday at Home

This never happens!  David and I actually spent the weekend in Memphis this past weekend.  CRAZY! 

We had so much fun though!  I, of course, didn't take any pictures.  Truth be told, I took photos on my Dad's SLR Canon Rebel recently and NOTHING compares to them.  I THOUGHT my camera was good.  Until I saw what his can take.  My family has had an SLR for as long as I can remember.  If I wasn't so loyal to my digital camera, I'd ask Dad if I could have his old film SLR.  However, I'm not even sure where one would get film developed?  Anyway, that has contributed to my not taking photos. 

However, I thought I'd still update you on our weekend since it was SO eventful. Exaggeration! David and I rarely went on dates while we were dating.  Dates usually meant going to one of our apartments and watching a movie with my roommate Kate and her fiance {now husband}.  Or it might mean going to the basketball or baseball game which was free to all students.  So now, we enjoy being able to go on dates.  They definitely aren't extravagant, but they are fun none the less.  Since we were nearing the end of the month and didn't have a lot of money to spend, we got creative on our fun date night out.

We started the date off with a dinner date to our favorite spot in town.  It's called Las Delicias and it's the best Mexican food in Memphis! Or really, for that matter, anywhere!  They make their own chips, and they have the best guacamole ever. {side note: I haven't tried Babalu in Jackson's....have heard it is amazing and think this is probably close}  While not made tableside, it is made fresh with big chunks of tomatoes and avocado and all of that other yummy stuff that goes in guacamole.   Anyway, after our $12 dinner at Las...yes, you read right--it's CHEAP.....we headed to Petsmart.  I had gotten an email that said that all Halloween toys were 50% off.  Yes, I get emails from Petsmart.  Our sweet Lacey dog loves her toys, but she especially loves anything that has tails or stringy legs to chew on.  In other words, the octopus we got her this summer was perfect.  As someone who HATES Halloween, it is not like me to want to buy Lacey a Halloween toy.  I love the Martha Stewart line of toys too.  They are crocheted and super cute. She even has an owl. However, I think that's quite canabalistic to give my dog an owl to chew on. What do you think?  Anyway, we steered clear of Martha as they weren't on sale.  However, they had a spider that I had seen earlier, and I knew it would be perfect for her--all eight legs of it.  So for $1.50 we bought Lacey a spider.

Next, we headed to Target where honestly, I'm not sure what we bought.  Target is just that place that I can go in needing nothing and come out with $80 worth of stuff and not remember what I bought the next day.  Luckily, we didn't spend that much.  We bought some Scooby Snacks because I've been looking for them EVERYWHERE to try a new recipe for a home Bulldog tailgate.  {David says they are tempting him from the pantry everyday}.  We spent about $20 on things that I can't remember other than Scooby Snacks.  I think I bought Mom a stocking stuffer that was on clearance.  Don't judge. I like to be all the way done with Christmas shopping by December 1. That way I can enjoy the Christmas season. We'll see if that actually happens this year. Back to Target ...that $20 shouldn't really count in our date night total because it was gifts and groceries!

After that, we did one of our favorite things to do on dates because it only costs the gas that we use!  We rode around Memphis and looked for houses that we potential a) can afford and b) like.  This generally involves riding up and down streets and getting flyers that are in front of the house to see what they cost!  Sometimes you'll go down a street where the houses are all in the 200,000 price range and then turn off of that street, get a house that is 2 houses down from that street with a house for sale for 400,000.  That's crazy to us.  Anyway, we had lots of fun looking at houses that we liked even though we are a little while away from buying a house.  It's sad to say, but since the housing market is so down, a bunch of these houses could potentially still be on the market when it comes time for us to start looking next year. It's kind of cool to drive by houses and think that one could be our house one day.  I still {vaguely} remember our first house that I lived in.  It makes me excited to think that David and I will be entering into the homeownership world soon. And by soon I mean within the next year.

Since you know I love DIY projects. Here's one of my new favorite Pinterest ideas. I've seen this done, but think this is so cute!

So as far as cost for our Friday night went:

Dinner $12
Target $20
Lacey Toy $1.50
House Hunting: Priceless

:)  Hope y'all have a great rest of the week

Pumpkin Palooza

So, the other day I tried to post a MAMMOTH post!  And Blogger deleted it.  Let me just tell you.  There is NOTHING worse then that feeling.  Huge post. Huge letdown.

I sent a friend an email and told her I'd never post on the blog again.

Then I changed my mind....

So rather then post my extremely long post, I'm posting about our weekend.  It, of course, was spent in Starkville.  Starkville is my favorite place on earth.  It still feels like home, and I love every minute we get to spend there!

I drove into town on Thursday.  My Dad was in town, and besides the fact that I had to work, we had SUCH a fun time!  I felt like I was a little kid again.  Dad went fishing with my Grandfather and I went to meet them the last hour they were down there.  I didn't catch anything. :(  However, I didn't get the line hung or caught on anything which was a huge achievement from the last time I fished.......when I was 6.  I also used a lure, so no need for squirming over the worm.  And since I didn't catch anything, I didn't have to enforce the "we throw back whatever I catch policy."

I did, however, manage to scare the fish away from my line.  Dad had warned me that the lure that was on my line was for bass.  This meant that I had to give it a chance to hook on the line.  Apparently bass are sneaky and will steal your lure and manage to get off the line.  Well, 6 year old me was fishing for about ten minutes before a bass nudged my line.  I pulled it back and yelled DADDY!!!!  Just like I was 6 years old.  Fishies kind of creep me out!  After my failed fishing attempt, we said goodbye to my grandfather and headed to dinner.

Because we had not been to eat just the two of us in awhile, I let Dad choose our destination.  We went to Old Venice.  It was yummy!  However, my Dad threatened to leave as soon as we got there because they had a Jim Hood for Attorney General sign up.  My family and I are not Jim Hood supporters.  You can ask me why if you're a Mississippi voter, and we can talk about it.  I don't feel like going into detail on my public blog.  Anyway, the hostesses at Old Venice knew something was wrong so they asked what was up.  When we told them we couldn't eat somewhere supporting Hood, they said, "oh it was just a meet and greet" and "they are gone now."  So mind you, they weren't necessarily supporting Jim Hood.  I mean, the hostesses might have been, but the eating establishment was not.  So glad we cleared that up because we got to stay and dinner was SO good!

Friday, Mom came to town. She brought Skip and Lacey was so excited!  (Kidding...the two dogs act like they've never met!)  Anyway, it was Pumpkin Palooza in Downtown Starkville. This is an event mainly for little kids to dress up and "trick or treat" at local businesses downtown.  Well, since we have no little kids, we dressed the dogs up in their Halloween costumes.

Let me add this.  I made a promise to David Adams that I would never buy Lacey anymore clothes after I bought her MSU cheerleader outfit.  Lucky for him, I've stuck by that promise!  So Lacey went dressed as a cheerleader and Skip went dressed as the Great Pumpkin.  They were too cute!

Skip and Mom went to the Pumpkin Patch.  If you haven't read her blog, you should go here.  Though I'm not sure she's updated it lately!

Cheerleader and the Great Pumpkin...

That night, David arrived! My parents, David, his sister Danielle, and I all went to Maroon Madness at the Hump.  We got there in time to see the Volleyball game, and the team WON!  My first experience with Volleyball, and I don't think it will be my last!  No pictures from the event, but it was SO much fun!  Except for the ridiculously loud music!  Hey, at least they played the PG version of all of the songs.  That's more than we can say for Memphis Madness.  (If you don't know what I'm talking about, Google Memphis Madness Yo Gotti

Anyway!  Saturday, bright and early was the South Carolina game.  We of course were there.  And I'm still not sure I'm over that heartbreaking loss. :(  At least afterwards we got to see some very good friends.

These are our baseball friends Gavin and Paul.  Though it seems like we run into them for every season now!  They put up with us and our loud mouths at Dudy Noble.

Some more really good friends.  We love the Phillips!  I'm not sure how long it's been since we've seen them!  Probably at another MSU game. So glad David got to meet them.  Sure missed seeing Mrs. Kerry!

We ran into David's brother Jesse after the game and took a picture.  For some reason, we just can't get all four of us together in one picture which is sad because we're usually all in Starkville on the weekends. 

David's Mom has been asking why we don't take a picture of the four of us.  I'm pretty sure that we haven't taken one all together since our wedding!  So when we randomly all ran into each other at the same tailgate that afternoon, I was adamant about taking a picture.  Luckily Danielle had her camera!  You're welcome Mrs. Patti!

Well that recaps our Starkville weekend.  Aren't you proud of me for life posting?  I promise I'm going to back track too!  There are just too many good photos! 

Let's hope our Bulldogs can win some in the second half of the season!  In the words of my father who rewrites lyrics to every song:

Hail Dear Old State

Fight for the victory today

Win or lose, tie or draw, you're the best team we ever saw!

We'll beat LSU, Ole Miss, and Georgia too

Fight for Mississippi State

Go to hell Ole Miss

Well, I guess we'll take one out of three for this season?  Win or lose, tie or draw, the Bulldogs are the best team!  Hands down!

Better Late than Never & Fall Wish List

There are seven unwritten blog posts that are sitting in my Edit Posts tab on my Blogger.  Yup. Seven.

I just looked at my blog and saw that I have ONE post from September.  Well didn't y'all just have fun reading about our eventful life in September!

The truth is, we have had an EXTREMELY eventful life. That is the reason the blog has been lacking so much lately.  I hate those people who have a blog and refuse to ever update it.  I'm not refusing! We've been traveling.  Seriously, this is the first weekend we've been home in the past 3 or 4. I can't keep up.  And working.  And living.  It's been fun, but I've neglected to tell you about it.  And what's worse is, while I love all 28 followers of you, I keep this blog more for David and I.  I can go back and look at all of the fun things that we have done since we became husband and wife.  So I hate that there is a huge gap in our lives now!

So, I'm going to attempt to catch you up.  Not in this one post.  Nope.  This is an apology blog post.  I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry.  I hope you accept it!  Thanks!

So on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, my husband is on the golf course.  My dog is asleep at the end of the couch as I type on my computer.  And I am trying to catch up on laundry and cleaning.  But when I thought about it, if my husband and dog are getting to do what they want to do today, I get to as well.  And I chose to update the long forsaken blog.  A post has been long over due! 

In case you didn't know, it almost fall!  I put out decorations and have been getting ready for the cooler weather.  My father in law owns Russell's Farm Supply in Collierville, and he has SO many fun pumpkins to decorate with. I've yet to decide on which ones to buy. That's not completely true.  I got a few small ones to decorate around the house with.  But I want pumpkins for outside!   He has green ones, orange ones, ones with bumps all over them, white ones, flat ones, large ones, and ity bitty ones.  I found this photo from a person who posted it on their facebook page.  You can at least see some of the choices.

Fall means many, many things.  It means pumpkins, colorful leaves, apples, thankfulness, football, duck hunting for the hubby, fires, and cuddling up to my hubby with a blanket.  It is by far my favorite season, and I love it!  I just wanted to share with y'all a few of my favorite fall indulgences.  Hope you enjoy and take note of some of them!

IT'S FALL Y'ALL! :)

Yankee Candle Autumn Harvest

I found this candle scent at Target.  I know Yankee Candles are a tad bit on the expensive side, but I usually get at least two seasons out of them.  Trust me when I say this one does NOT disappoint!  Here it is online. 

Fresh Market Pumpkin Spice Coffee

Yum!  I discovered this with a friend of mine. I had never been in Fresh Market.  We walked around trying all of the tester items they had out that day.  This was one of them and boy am I glad we tried it!  She talked me into putting cream and sugar in it {which I rarely do}, and OH MY GOSH! It tasted just like a Pumpkin Spice Latte from Starbucks.  We didn't buy any that day, but I went back now that it's colder outside.  Yummy! I've made it every day since I bought it.  It's so good.  And it makes my house smell incredible!  I've been drinking it black and it still resembles the pumpkin spice latte.  You know how you sometimes can't tell the flavor it flavored coffee? Well, you can in this one!  I'll be coming to Starkville next week. Let me know if you want me to bring you some!  It's incredible!  You can also order it online here, but you have to order at least 3. I'm not sure I could drink ALL of that coffee before Starbucks Christmas blend arrives! :)

Courageous

Courageous - In Theaters Now

Now, I know this isn't really fall, but date nights are.  David and I had a date night this past Friday night.  We had so much fun.  We went to see the movie Courageous. If you have ever seen Fireproof or Facing the Giants, it is made by the same church in Georgia.  It's about Daddy's, and it's wonderful.  David and I both agreed we wanted to see it again when we decide we're ready to be parents.  We both think it's a must see for all parents.  However, even if you aren't a parent yet, it will challenge you to be a role model {"parent"} to someone who has a parent that isn't present.  Go see it. You won't regret it!  

Owls, Owls, and More Owls

David made me count last night.  There are 23 owls in our house.  Yes, it's fall. Yes, I love owls.  Yes, they go well together.  Do you have a problem with it?  I didn't think so.  My family never celebrated Halloween.  So rather than decorate creepy, I decorate with owls.  And they are in stores EVERYWHERE!  I have to exercise some restraint though and not buy every single one that I see!

Williams-Sonoma Spiced Pumpkin Bread

This is absolutely, without a doubt my favorite fall thing!  It's food of course, but it is the best stuff ever.  And in case you didn't know, there is an outlet in Memphis.  And it's about five minutes from my house.  Crazy.  We love this stuff, and I go buy it all of the time.  I think when it goes way on sale after Thanksgiving, I'll buy about 10 packs of it. It is the best stuff for fall.  I know you can make your own, but trust me when I tell you it's the best!  Seriously!  And it's easy, easy, easy!  Just come visit us and I'll take you to the outlet, and we can get it for 20% off.

Back I go to laundry and cleaning.  Hope you're enjoying fall to the fullest!

Guest Bedroom Make Over

I have taken an extended blog leave for the past few weeks.  Okay, month or so. It was much needed!  But just because I haven't blogged doesn't mean there has been nothing to catch you up on. Oh contra-ire.  I have LOTS to backtrack on and lots coming in the next few weeks that will be blog worthy!  And I cannot wait to share everything with you.  Seriously!

Though I've had an extended leave, and I know you're probably mad at me because of it {yeah right--today was the first time someone ASKED me about the blog--Hey Mrs. Anita!--I don't think y'all have missed me that much}, I think I can make up for it today!

I'm happy to say that the Guest Bedroom which I've affectionately called the URSR {Unfinished Refinished Spare Room} for awhile on the blog IS FINISHED! Yes, you read right! FINISHED!

Well...almost finished. I still want to make curtains for in there but just haven't had money to do it. Unfortunately for the URSR {which I guess technically should be called the FRSR--finished refinished spare room} is priority number 6 on the curtain list.  I just started priority number one three weeks ago.  It's completed and hopefully will be featured on the blog soon. So now I'm on to priority two. So priority six has a lot of paychecks between now and it.

For that reason, I wanted to share our new guest bedroom with y'all {sans curtains}.

 Don't you just love it!?  Now, I just want to refresh everyone's memory of what we started with

Essentially nothing.  This is a terrible picture of this bedding.  It really is pretty bedding from Target that was a bed in the bag set that was like originally $99.  However, my friend and I found it on sale for $20. 2 big euro shams, 2 shams, 2 decorative pillows, comforter, and bedskirt.  FOR $20!!!!  There are four other pillows on the bed that I spent a little more for, but still.  So the first order of business was to list this bed set on Craigslist.  We listed it for $50 and a woman bought it within two weeks, and she paid the full $50!  I also listed the lamp shades on Craigslist for $20 which is exactly what I paid for them.  It took a little longer, but a woman bought those within a month. Did I mention that I love Craigslist?  Armed with a little spending money, I started slowly but surely reinventing this room.

Now, I don't claim to be an interior designer by any means, but I LOVE this room.  So if you hate it, just keep your opinions to yourself!  I sometimes wish this was our room...seriously!  I've told David on multiple occasions that we're moving in here!

Let's start with the bedding.  Thank you Target for the most fabulous blue and white theme. When I saw it, I fell in love with it, and knew it was perfect for our room.  I first spotted the blue and white knotted pillows in a Target ad in Southern Living in January.  And I had to have the bedding so bad that I started trying to buy it before they ran out. It was actually when they were first getting it in.  Anyway, I went to three Targets total in one day. Yep, three.

Moving to the bed.  If you'll remember awhile back, I redid this cutie pie. Here's  a picture of it before what it looks like now.  We found it off Craigslist for $30. It just needed a little TLC.

Then we can move on to what is atop the headboard.  Yes, it's a mantle and you can put things up there.  A little pop of color, some old books and mason jar, a candleholder that I made from scratch, a print from my friend Barbara, and of course an owl.  The piece above the bed, I got at a consignment shop and didn't have to do anything to it.  It was all mine as is for $18. Score.

Next up is the desk.  I have had this desk since I was a little girl.  It has a matching dresser too.  Since I officially moved out of my parents house in Brandon, and my Dad took over the closet in my bedroom {another story for another day}, my Mom decided to redo my room.  Our fabulous interior designer wanted to get rid of the desk, but my Mom and I, knowing how much the set cost and not wanting to get rid of it, asked if I wanted it.  That way, one day the set could be reconnected should David and I ever need it.  Seeing as I had a perfect spot for it, I claimed it.  FREE piece of furniture alert! Now, I have never been good at making vignettes, but I have to say, I think this desk turned out pretty good.  I used mostly stuff we had, AND hit up the Hobby Lobby 80% off sale at the end of the summer in Jackson, MS, Germantown, TN, Collierville, TN, and Tupelo, MS.  Not kidding.

Please note the photo of my brother and I as little kids, the handmade lace owl that my brother brought me back from Europe {he knows his sis well}, and the Little Things Studio art.

Perhaps my favorite part of the desk vignette though is my Encyclopedia art. Basically, my parents had a set they were throwing away. Back in the day, before internet, my parents had a set for our research projects.  Somehow a few got lost, and my Dad was throwing them out. I begged them for them.  Since some of the Encyclopedias have letters like N-O and S-Si on them, we were limited with what we could spell.  I asked my Scrabble loving husband to come up with something with the 14 or so books he had to choose from. This is what he came up with.  Love it!

Now, I have probably neglected the blog more than usually partly because of this thing called Pinterest that Mrs. Ellen introduced me to {hey Mrs. Ellen!}  If you have a few hours to spare, you should definitely look at that website.  Who knows, maybe my stuff will be pinned on there one day!  Hey, a girl can dream can't she?

So one project that I found on Pinterest is Crochet Hoop Art.  Since we needed an inexpensive wall project that could draw some of the fabrics together, here's what I came up with.

The funniest part is that when some of our friends came to stay with us, she said, "Ooh!  Is that Pinterest?!"  Haha!  I did admit that it was. No use in trying to pass it off as my own idea.  I am, after all, telling the entire World Wide Web.

My second Pinterest project can be found next.  I fully intend to do a tutorial on these two projects one day.  We'll see when that actually gets posted.  I wanted a place to display some friend and family photos.  I've tried so hard to follow the rule about not putting personal photos all over your living room.  There is ONE in our living room and a bunch in our room.  But if you notice, the vignette on the desk really doesn't have many personal photos on it.  I mean, you wouldn't have known that black and white photo was my brother and I except for the fact that I told you!  Anyway, since this room is our guest room, I figure most of these people will have no problem seeing themselves in the decor.

One spot is missing because it's reserved for the McIntoshes.  Since they came for the Memphis game, I do have the picture. I just haven't printed it out and put it up yet.  Soon though!

Here's a few more photos from the room.  You may recognize some of the projects as previous things I did.

Little Things Studio art again. This time above the closet.

I hope you love our spare bedroom!  It's a guest bedroom so we hope that means you'll come stay with us!  We love visitors.  And even if we aren't in town, you're welcome to come stay anyway.  Just ask some of our friends that have already had to do that!

Some of these tutorials are still to come while some have already been posted. I'll try to remember to update the links as new blog post go up.

Headboard Makeover
$3.99 Wall Shelf Project
Crochet Hoops Art
Photo Frame Art
Candle Holder

Go ahead and Pin me on Pinterest! :)  Haha. Kidding, but if you don't know what Pinterest is, you should click the link. Pretty much my favorite thing ever now!

Let me know what you think of our room!  Also, there might be a special prize if you can tell me how many OWLS are in our new guest bedroom.  Just comment on the bottom of this post.  And no, I don't know what the prize is yet.  I'll pick one out of the people that get it right.  I pointed two out already.  Comment on this post with your answer! :)