march goals

In January, I set out with the goal of being diligent. It is my one word for the year. Mainly because I like to resort to lazy. I can't think of anything I enjoy more than sitting on my couch, watching television for hours on end. I mean, I like doing other things, but binge-watching a series on a weekend is my favorite thing ever. This is only an issue because of everything else in life. We like to have friends and meals and clean clothes and clean sheets and a picked up house. On top of that, there's a job that makes me do things like get dressed every day. 

I've been super focused on nutrition the past couple of months. So of course I feel that everything else is crumbling because of the planning and cooking and cleaning. On Saturday, I was overwhelmed at the thought of every cabinet and drawer and closet that needs to be sorted. I'm at the point where I'm just tired of STUFF being in my house. I feel certain I'm not the only one who does this, right? So I started what I'll call the Everything-Must-Go Purge of Spring 2014. And you know that means things look worse. Because in a purge, things get much, much worse before they get better. Now there are piles in the floor of my bedroom and living room. And the great debate begins: donate or garage sale. Because I could use some cash for new flooring. But it's just so much work. Hashtag: first world problems.

In March, I'll be working through the Great Purge. Here are some other things I'd like to do, remaining diligent throughout:

1. read three books

2. walk the azalea trail

3. see Veronica Mars (the movie)

4. purge 200 items

5. visit tiger creek wildlife refuge

about owning a home

Ten days ago, we moved into our new house. As much as we love our home, the ownership part is exhausting. I confess that I would have been fine renting forever. Garbage disposal won't work? Call the landlord. Air conditioner goes out? Call the landlord. Lawn needs to be mowed? The mowing company the landlord hired will be by once a week. But now? It's just us. Working hard to figure out how to fix the disposal, refrain from jumping all over the air conditioner repairman (sent by our home warranty company) after he insults us, and weed flower beds.

Here are a few things I've learned over the past ten days:

1. I am overly ambitious when it comes to projects. Rewind to a month before we moved. (We owned the home for 30 days before moving.) In those thirty days, we painted 9 of 12 rooms. Although it's much easier to paint without furniture in the room, I think just painting the common areas would have been enough.

2. I tend to underestimate how long a project will take. Surely weeding all of the flower beds (that surround our entire house) and a bit of the yard will only take a couple of hours with both of us working! Fail. It took five hours. All we did was weed.

3. The greatest joy has been sprinkling fire ant killer. I'd sprinkle, and then watch those suckers take the bits of poison off for a meal. Little do they know! I HATE fire ants. It might sound a tad harsh, but I do hope it's  a painful death.

4. I'm not sure which is worse: packing or unpacking. At least we have an extra bedroom that houses dozens of boxes.

5. Cereal makes for a great dinner after hours in the yard. It's pretty much all we have the energy to eat!

6. We have the best neighbors! One set (who is moving soon) brought us homemade brownies the day after we moved in. Which was slightly dangerous for me since I tend to consume large and unhealthy amounts of chocolate when I'm stressed. The others are just precious. They offer advice for the yard. (You should see theirs!) Yesterday, they dropped off a housewarming gift of landscaping lights with an offer to help us install them. So, so sweet!

7. The house we moved from (where I lived for four years) didn't have a bathtub. Now that I have one, I can't get enough! And it's so big that I can almost stretch out completely in it. Ha!

Husby and I are both off tomorrow. I plan to organize our bathroom and my closet. (Yes, we have seperate sinks and closets. And I couldn't be more excited.) We're also going to a movie. Hopefully we'll get some rest beforehand. We're both so exhausted, it's possible that we could dose off!

The Details

Last week, Husby and I bought a house. The process of finding the house we like was easy. One day we decided to look; less than a week later we made an offer on the first house we saw. It was love at first sight. Our offer was accepted and the mortgage approval began. The house-buying was rather frustrating and difficult. I think I cried every day over something. At one point, I wanted to lose the earnest money. Or poke my eyeballs out. Either seemed better than all we had to go through for a mortgage. I think we did everything but a blood sample to get our mortgage approved.

(A few years ago my brother called me dramatic. I didn't understand why.)
 
(Now, I think I do.)
 
Originally, I thought we'd get a house where we would make a few adjustments. But then we found this home. That's when we determined that we're not really the people who make adjustments to homes. It really is move-in ready. 
 
(Don't be completely fooled, I have a 5-year to do list.)
 
(It involves new kitchen cabinets, new floors and moving the living room wall out about 5 feet.)
 
(But for now, it's absolutely fine.) 
 
Here are a few pictures of our new abode:
 

Our backyard looks out over a green belt owned by our school district. The fence has a gate that opens so that a child can walk to school. Because we're nerdy and have favorite trees, I'd like to share that this house has almost all of our favorite trees. These include: Dogwood, Bradford pear, Redbud and Japanese maple. I'd like to add a Magnolia tree in the front yard at some point.

The only downside is that this area has a problem with copperhead snakes. On a scale of 1 to 10, my hatred of snakes is 287. In fact, last week on the news we heard a story about 70 snakes that were saved from the hands of a snake smuggler. I sarcastically commented that I was SO GLAD THE SNAKES DIDN'T DIE. I realize that they are God's creatures, but I don't cry when there's one (or 70) less snakes in the world.

(The word you're looking for is ANYWAY...)

We've been advised to sprinkle moth balls around our yard and house. Snakes don't like the smell of them. Neither do I, really, but I like moth balls more than snakes. So if you live within a 30 mile radius and are in the need of moth balls, you'll need to order them online.

Here are before pictures of the inside (taken for the real estate add by the former owners, so it's all of their stuff). All of the common areas were a buttery yellow. Not bad, but not me. Then there was a nursery painted light blue with white enamel clouds sponge-painted on. Again, not me. Not even for a babe. (Nothing's in the oven. No need to ask.) One of my favorite things in a house are white, plantation shutters. I'm not a big fan of curtains since my style changes every 2.7 years. This house has them on every window. Love it!

 
Before moving in, we decided that the colors must change. I'm a big believer in Sherwin Williams paint, so that's what we bought. It can be more expensive, but it covers so much better.
 

 
I realize that it's a bold move to go with a color like Refuge in the living room, but all of our furniture is neutral--a chocolate brown couch, khaki chairs. I'm really excited to see it with our furniture moved in. My inspiration was the entry way on Modern Family. I fell in love with the color the moment I saw it. This isn't a great picture, but you can see a small patch each time they narrate from the couch.
 

 
Painters were at our house last Friday and Saturday; their names are: Kristina, Dad, Brother and Husby. Today my mother-in-law and her sister are painting the kitchen. Without me there. Bless them. I offered for them to wait until I got off work, but they assured me that they didn't mind working without me. We are so thankful to all who have helped us. The good news for them is that we believe in hiring movers!
 
We cannot wait to be in our new house. Instead of packing logically, I've been tempted to dump everything into boxes and sort it out at our new home. However, my OCD has prevented me from doing this.
 
In other news, this is the next busiest time at work. Graduation is May 14, and I'm helping to host a rather large going-away party for our chaplain the next day. After that, things will be so much better. I'm looking forward to slowing down just a bit--at least in one area of my life.

What I'm Loving

Tomorrow at this time, Husby and I will be proud owners of this:

More info (and non-grainy pictures) to come...

To Do List Update

I made a list to do over Christmas break. Here's the status of everything. I completed over half of the items, and I feel good about that.

Purge our home of 100 items (donate to Goodwill, sell on Craigslist, throw in the trash)
To expedite this process, I donated anything that wasn't trashed. My intention was to write a list of everything, but I was too excited to get rid of things! There were shoes and clothes and shoes and clothes and a few other things. Ummm...because confession is good for the soul, I have100 magazines boxed and ready to deliver, PLUS the other 100 items already finding new homes. Yes, I have an issue with keeping magazines. But I've embraced it and am taking control!

Take my wedding dress to be preserved--finally
Yes, I took it. And it came home with me on the hanger. I can't bear spending so much on this. I think I might actually sell my dress. Don't get me wrong: I LOVED IT. I'm just not super attached to it. And it's beautiful. Someone else could enjoy it.

Print wedding portraits finally and have framed
We decided which prints we want, I just didn't make it to the printer. Dang it.

Organize closets (Husby's, mine, and one other)
I actually organized two other closets, but didn't make it to ours. It'll happen. It could be when we move out someday, but it will happen.

Clean, clean, clean (also read: vacuum, dust, mop)
Some things were cleaned, but not the whole house. Lots of dusting happened, though. I just HATE vacuuming! And I don't think the house will ever be clean at one time. I need to learn to be okay with that.

Organize the cabinets off of the kitchen
Didn't happen.

Complete recipe binder reorganization
Just need to write a few more recipes and purge any loose papers. A couple of hours, and it'll be done!

Research making a king-sized upholstered headboard
Layer foam, batting and fabric over wood frame.

Send dimensions for headboard (76" wide x 58" tall x 4" deep) to carpenter for simple frame from 2x4s and plywood.

Find navy velvet fabric for headboard
Fabric at Hobby Lobby; doesn't go on sale--take 40% off coupon. Need 6 yards.

Search for end tables to silver leaf
Found at The Wood Shed (unfinished furniture)

Research how to silver leaf
Found here. Actually, I'll aluminum leaf, since it's cheaper.

Order aluminum leaf, Quick Set Gilding Size
To do this month.

Decide on new bedding (but wait until January White Sales to buy)
Can't find any simple, white bedding that I love, but I'm looking!

Organize my iTunes account

Hang the huge clock we received for a wedding present
It looks great!

Undecorate after Christmas
I always dread this, and I promise that I'll never decorate as elaborately, but that won't happen. As much as I love the decorations, I really am fine when they come down. Now our house seems more open again and not as cluttered.

I hope that over the next few weeks, our bedroom will start to take shape and that a few more of these things will be knocked off the list. I just love the feeling of accomplishment when a list is complete!

Merry & Bright

Christmas decorations at our home went up the Sunday before Thanksgiving. I know it's early, but I do love Christmas. And really, the thing I'm most thankful for is my Savior. So I have no issues with ushering Christmas in a little early, especially if it reminds to be thankful of His great love. Does anyone else feel like Christmas decorations make their home cozier? I've always thought that! Maybe it's the rearranging to fit a tree inside the living room. Whatever it is, I like it. Here are a few of the cozies that make our home fun at Christmas (you'll notice that I'm a lover of bright colors at Christmas--no neutrals for this gal!)...

I feel like I finally got a decent picture of our Christmas tree. I played around with some buttons that I'd never used on my [6 year old] camera. It's amazing what can happen! You can see the ornaments and lights (although there are colored and clear lights), and the super cute red and white ball garland. That's this year's new addition, and I love it!

Our mantle. I should have taken a side view of the mantle. It's about 7 inches wide and slopes down to the front, which causes all sorts of anxiety for me. See the red glittery stuff hanging off the front? I feel like it's only a matter of time before it all falls down. I've collected all types of Christmas trees over the years (mostly on clearance at Pier 1 and Target). I like the look of random trees. This year's addition to the mantle are the fun little stockings all over. Cute, huh?

I found this frame a Target a couple of years ago. I had to have it, but wouldn't spend $7 on it. I just knew it'd go on clearance. The next time I was in, I couldn't resist; I spent the $7. The silver tree is from my great-grandmother's Christmas decorations. I love that I have it!

This wreath hangs on the door between the kitchen and living room. It's courtesy of my mother-in-law, who happens to supply many of my Christmas decorations.

Here's the kitchen. We have windows along the wall of the kitchen, which doesn't allow for much storage space, but I like that it's so open. I decorated each set of windows with various wreaths and serving platters, many of which I've had since college. The little angel in this picture was made by my great-grandmother; it's around 50 years old. Again, love it!

This platter is one of my favorites. Isn't the reindeer so cute?! I also love the gumdrop tree.



A Christmas Break To Do List

Oh, y'all. I just love being lazy. Unfortunately, sometimes a good thing crosses the line into sit-on-the-couch-for-eight-hours-and-do-absolutely-nothing-and-hope-that-Husby-doesn't-notice-that-there-are-still-4-loads-of-laundry-to-be-done. In order to avoid the above scenario, I decided that I need a list to tackle during my Christmas break. Two weeks off at Christmas is an excellent time for rest, family and just getting things done.

I wasn't successful at purging 100 items before Thanksgiving. I gathered about twenty and had others in mind for removal from our home, but wasn't able to complete the project. So that will stay on my to do list, along with several other things I hope to will accomplish during the break, which begins this coming Monday:

• Purge our home of 100 items (donate to Goodwill, sell on Craigslist, throw in the trash)
• Take my wedding dress to be preserved finally
• Print wedding portraits finally and have framed
• Organize closets (Husby's, mine, and one other)
• Clean, clean, clean (also read: vacuum, dust, mop)
• Organize the cabinets off of the kitchen
• Complete recipe binder reorganization
• Research making a king-sized upholstered headboard (find navy velvet fabric)
• Search for end tables to silver leaf
• Research how to silver leaf
• Decide on new bedding (but wait until January White Sales to buy)
• Organize my iTunes account
• Hang the huge clock we received for a wedding present
• Undecorate after Christmas :(

I'll keep you posted on my progress--mainly because I need to know that others will know what I've done and haven't.

Recovery

On Thursday, I went under the knife. I had my wisdom teeth removed. I know, I'm like 13 years late in having this procedure done. So this weekend has been days on end of recovery (read: hydrocodone-induced naps). I don't feel like I should complain; I mean, it's not childbirth. But I think mouth pain could be some of the worst pain ever. My sweet Husby has taken excellent care of me. Although last night he said he misses me. Evidently, I'm not uber-fun when on drugs. My mom came over yesterday and stocked our fridge full of soups (broccoli cheese, white chili, and butternut squash) and parfaits and such. And my mother-in-law made a delivery of corn chowder, banana pudding and Christmas magazines. Do I have a great team or what?!

In the time I've had to recoup, I've enjoyed redecorating rooms (inside my head). If you've been reading long, you know that I've struggled to come up with my style. You know--country, modern, traditional. And I still don't know 100%, but I do know that I'd like not to get tired of anything too quickly. I found this picture in Country Living magazine a few months ago, and I loved it immediately:

I don't love everything about it, but I do love the headboard, the white bedding with pops of color and the stencil on the wall. I decided that it would be a great starter for a bedroom (since we have white bedding, which I love). I've contemplated having a headboard custom made into a similar shape, since this carved headboard would be way out of our price range. And THEN, guess what I found from Ballard Designs? You won't even believe it!

It's almost the exact headboard (minus a few decorative birds). And it's more in our price range than a custom-made headboard. Then I've daydreamed about fabrics. My main problem with fabrics (bedding, included) is their permanency; I like to change things out. Pretty often. BUT if it's inexpensive, then I wouldn't feel as bad about doing a little change-out. I do like these from fabric.com:

So other than decorating rooms in my head, I haven't done just a whole lot. Husby did convince me to play xbox with him; then wanted to know if I preferred XMen or Justice League. Is there even a difference? I'd like to share that my skills still haven't developed past Super Nintendo.

Friday Fives: My Dream House

My dream house isn't huge or fancy. I loathe cleaning house, so I don't want more to clean! I want the house we buy to be livable; I want it to feel cozy and inviting, like you can kick off your shoes, grab a blanket, and take a nap on the couch. A few things that I would love to have?

1. A cute, functional kitchen.

I love, love, love green with black and white. The black counter tops are a nice contrast to the white cabinets. I love that some of the cabinets have glass fronts. I have lots of serving ware and love to show it off. It looks like the backs of those cabinets are a couple of shades darker than the walls. Love that! And those wood floors are gorgeous.

2. Cute kids rooms.

Although the offspring are not on their way, I have big plans to have cute rooms for those little ones! But I don't want to spend a fortune on making them cute. I may or may not have already bought some items to go in kids rooms. I love rooms for kids that aren't too childish. Fun colors and patterns make for a great kids room. I love the idea of matching twin beds or bunk beds.

3. On the lake.

Although I'd rather eat my own toenails than swim in a lake where the bottom can't be seen, I'd love to live on the lake. It's so calming and peaceful. And we'd have a swimming pool for swimming. We're just pretending, anyway.

4. A craft room.

I'd love to have enough space that Husby and I each get our own room for down time. I'm guessing he'd want some type of a man-cave with a big TV (which I'd totally use!). I'd love a craft room that could house all sorts of supplies. Best of all, I wouldn't have to clear it off of the dining room table when I'm done for the day.

5. A screened porch.

My grandparents had a porch, and I loved it. It wasn't all screened, but I guess that makes it more use able in the winter. I'd take it either way. But I'd love it with a few chairs and a daybed.

What about you? Anything that's a must have in your dream house? Do you need your very own library? Do you dream of a home theatre? Head on over to Just Me and My Life to play along!

Friday Miscellany: Color Edition

I have not forgotten about my promise to Friday Miscellany, which, by the way, has never been posted on a Friday. Let's get to it...

1. I'm having a decorating crisis in our living room. My grand plan has turned out to be not so grand. Our living room is varying shades of neutrals. And I don't enjoy a vast array of neutrals. I need color to spice things up. The new couch was delivered on Tuesday. Don't get me wrong, I love the couch. It's just that now I don't love everything else in the room. It's not "me." With wood floors and Sherwin Williams Latte walls, a milk chocolate couch and tan chairs, now the sage green rug looks neutral. I'm working on it. I've been shopping for an area rug to brighten up the joint. But I haven't had much luck. And every time I show Husby a rug, he likes to point out that it's a neutral rug. Which they are. It's just hard to hear. All I want is the perfect rug. Blue, perhaps. But maybe not. Green? I don't know. What do I do?! I have no idea.

2. Speaking of blue. I'm really liking it more than I ever have. It started with the blue quilt and throw pillows on our bed. With the white comforter and shams, it looks so calm and bright. I think that's why I want a light blue rug in the living room. I want that feel in our living room. I want it to be cozy and it's just not.

3. I was really excited about the newest quiz in this month's Real Simple. The purpose is to help find which style best suits your taste. Only it didn't. I somehow had equal numbers on two of the categories: Cozy Casual and Vintage Eclectic with Modern Graphic not far behind. How did I do this?

4. If you notice the changing blog layout, I wasn't a huge fan of the grey background. Again, it was a drab, neutral color that doesn't do much for me. I much prefer the giraffe with yellow.

5. Because I should post more pictures with my blogs, here you go. I love the color in these two pictures I took in California. Don't they look good enough to eat?! I love that the limes have water droplets on them.

Y'all have a good weekend!

Three Day Weekend Productivity

Oh, y'all. I love a three day weekend. They're such a treat. They allow for some relaxation and lots of productivity.

On Saturday, I stayed in my pajamas until 6pm. At which point, I decided to take a shower before I cooked dinner. For some reason, pajamas allow me to be super productive. Honestly, it's probably the lack of shower taking that helps. I loathe the process of getting ready. It takes way too long, and I feel like I'm a quick get ready-er. (I shower much quicker than Husby.) But then it's the hair drying and styling, finding something to wear, hunting for a pair of black tights, getting side-tracked by my iPhone because I'm so bored with the process, then getting frustrated because I've been too active after drying my hair so my bangs are a little sweaty, which causes a slight wave. So avoiding a shower on a day that I won't leave the house allows for so much more productivity.

Saturday's domestic productivity included: making pancakes, washing clothes (which I dislike more than the getting-ready process), organizing the pantry, starting Sunday's short ribs, making a pound cake, reading, and making tuna casserole for dinner.

(Don't turn up your nose as I did. I'd never had it, but Husby said he had a "hankering" for it. Being a good wife, I found a recipe and made it. And enjoyed it. It wasn't overly tuna-y. Probably because it had almost three cups of cheese in it and potato chips on top. I'd eat pretty much anything with that description.)

I doubt several of those things would have happened if I'd gotten ready for the day. I just hate when my clean hair gets sweaty after too much house-cleaning/organizing.

I did get ready for church on Sunday. We took snacks for our class; I made sausage-cheese muffins, and they were a hit. After church and lunch, we enjoyed our afternoon three monthiversary celebration. Since we had a friend over for dinner, I didn't feel that returning to pajamas would be in good taste. I opted for jeans. With my wool house boots. So cozy!

Monday was nothing but productivity. And a little facebook and Pandora radio. I rearranged all of our clothes. Mine moved to a new closet, which is closer to our room, so hopefully, I'll hang my clothes every night rather than one time a week. I assembled a shoe rack which will serve as a sweater rack for Husby. Bins and baskets are strategically placed to make our lives easier.

And by lives made easier, I'm referring to the putting away of laundry and my getting ready process.

I can't wait for President's Day. Come on, February!

A Little Ridculous

The house we rent was built in 1920. It's quaint and has lots of character, great moulding, beautiful wood floors, and tons of windows (that are properly covered, which is non-negotiable for me). But one thing didn't exist in 1920: insulation. And that makes our house cold.

Okay, maybe insulation did exist. I really don't know, but I'm pretty certain that there is none in our house.

At two stories, with high ceilings downstairs, it's impossible for our house to be a consistent temperature. Our thermostat is set at a brisk 62 degrees. It's a little warmer upstairs--like 65, but if the thermostat is set any higher, we'll sweat profusely while upstairs. And the dining room? Well, it's all windows and about 10 degrees cooler than anywhere else in the house. On New Years Eve, I think our guests were frozen by the end of dinner. They were just too nice to complain.

What have we learned?

1. The house we eventually buy will have double-paned windows.

2. We're blowing extra insulation into the walls of our someday home.

3. A pier-and-beam foundation, although attractive, doesn't create for a warm home.

4. We'll continue to carry our little space heater with us, wherever we go. (Currently, I'm typing at the bar, and it's sitting on the stool next to me.)

So, after complaining about the super hot days during the summer and yearning for cooler days, I'm over them. I can't wait to have my breath taken away because the interior of the car is so stinkin' hot. Come on, summer!

Creating a Home

After almost three months of marriage, I feel like we're--well, I'm--developing a style for our home. I've always loved tons of styles, and still do, but I've felt that you have to pick one style for your home. I feel like I like I'm drawn to lots of different styles: traditional, modern, vintage, rustic, shabby chic. You name it, I'll find something about it that I like. I also love lots of colors: red, blue, green, orange, yellow, purple, black, brown, white. Oh, and also lots of patterns: stripes, plaids, argyle, animal print, polka dots. I now think it's okay to mix styles, patterns and colors--within reason--to create a house that we'll love.

While registering, it was so hard to find something in two days. I need time to make a decision. Sometimes lots of time. My go-to was neutrals. I decided that we could live with them without tiring as quickly. Our bedding is this white set with a blue quilt. With walls painted Latte from Sherwin Williams, our bedroom is nice and calming. But I think I found the bedding. I love this from Macy's! It's a little modern, but neutral. There's also this from Pottery Barn. With a little color thrown in to a neutral background, I really like it a lot. (If I had my way, I'd have multiple sets of bedding to change throughout the year. Oh, the choices!)

We recently ordered this new couch for our living room. Again, I went with a neutral. But with the intent of having a colorful throw pillows. We currently have a green rug, which works nicely, but what I'd really like is this zebra rug. And then maybe these red pillows. I think I could love it! And hopefully, Husby would, too.

It's so much fun designing a home. Although it takes some time since we do live on a budget, because I'm such a slow decision maker, I think it works nicely. I'd love feedback on mixing styles, colors and patterns!

O, Christmas Tree

Our Christmas tree went up the Friday before Thanksgiving. That's right, folks. I love everything about Christmas trees. (Well, fake Christmas trees. I'm sure I'd love the smell of a real tree, but they put me in an allergy-induced haze. It's really not that great for me.)

This year, we have a brand new tree. As a single lady, I used a tree formerly owned by my parents. I loved that little tree. Other than the two branches that somehow went missing and required some hefty maneuvering to make the tree look full all the way around. So, our new tree has some pretty cool features, including:

1. It's flocked. I never thought I wanted a flocked tree. Until now. I think they're so much prettier. At least with the ornaments we have.

2. It has clear AND colored lights, which means it's perfect for a house divided over the color of lights. I like clear; Husby likes colored. Conflict avoided.

3. It has a remote control. This feature in itself allowed me to purchase the tree without Husby seeing it. I knew that this one feature would cover anything he didn't like about the tree. Conflict avoided, again. (I'm so good at that!)

My love for our Christmas tree could be fueled by an obsession with Christmas ornaments. I think I've always loved ornaments. At least as far back as I can remember. I was delighted to receive this ornament from one of my students. It came a couple of weeks after I returned to work from our honeymoon; she had to find the perfect ornament, she said. I think she did well.

Jeremy and I both love this verse from Joshua 24: "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." And I just couldn't pass up this ornament; it's complete with a great verse, polka dots and a cute ribbon!

On our honeymoon, we decided that we'd collect Christmas ornaments each time we visit somewhere new for the first time. It's a souvenier that can be appreciated over and over again! Here is one of our ornaments from San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge.

If this ornament looks vintatge, that's because it is! I inherited two awesome boxes of ornaments from my great-grandmother. They're all hanging proudly on our tree, but I think this is my fave!

One year in college, I decided to make ornaments for myself. I made a set of five out of felt, but I think I like this one the best.

I love our tree and hope that memories are proudly displayed on it every year.

Hello, I'm Mrs. Wait

It's our two week and two day anniversary! And it's been a great sixteen days of marriage. Now that we're wedded and honeymooned, we're in full swing of getting our house in order and figuring out life with each other.

This weekend was spent cleaning Husby's apartment, as well as: washing clothes, organizing, washing clothes, cleaning, washing clothes, cooking and washing clothes. It was nice going to bed with things semi-in-order. I suspect we'll have a few more weekends similar to this one. We didn't even attempt the dining room full of gifts. My goal is to have our house in order so that the Christmas tree can go up the Monday before Thanksgiving. Early, I know, but I love my Christmas tree.

At some point--maybe during a spin cycle--I'll post a few pics from our oh-so-fun honeymoon in San Francisco, but know that if the wedding and the time spent on the honeymoon are indicative of our marriage, then we're in for a great time.

Our House is a Very, Very Fine House

I love my house. It's a house that I've dreamed of making my home. It's old and big, even though it's been divided into a duplex. It's in the Brick Streets District, just a couple streets away from the Azalea District. It has wood floors with high ceilings and grand moulding in the living room. I love it.

Growing up, I remember my mom talking about her house when she was a child. I loved that her home had wood floors; our house had carpet. She recalled stories about waking up on cold mornings, touching her feet to the floor and chills running through her. She had a rug beside her bed to soften the dreaded ice cold floor. I also remember how dreadful it seemed when I heard that they carpeted the floors. I couldn't believe that a work of art was destroyed with carpet and glue and staples and tack strips. The nerve! And to know that this was a trend, how absurd it seemed! I watch home improvement shows where a treasure is often found when carpet is gleefully peeled from a corner. A few days later, beautiful floors are shown in a finale, and the art of wood floors is displayed through a house.

Imagine how I felt when I walked into this house with my landlords on a day in April. I wanted to sign the rental agreement once I saw the wood floors. I could even overlook the bland, gray Berber carpet that was on the stairs and second floor because the living room and kitchen--the showcase of the house--had wood floors. One afternoon soon after moving in, my roommate called to tell me she'd peeked under the carpet, only to find wood floors throughout the house. Although excited, we knew the work required to resurface wood floors was more than the time we could give. We decided that the carpet would stay. Little did I know how much I would love the gray loops that cover the second floor.

Once cold weather sets in, the beautiful floors become the area of our home that we'd like most to avoid. They're cold! See, our house is on a pier and beam foundation, which makes it drafty underneath. We're forced to wear slippers downstairs at all times. Not only are the floors cold, but the pretty, single pane windows and supposed lack of insulation makes for a super cold house, floor to ceiling. For comfort, scarves, slippers, and gloves are added to our basket of blankets and offered to guests.

Last night was our first really cold night. I added a blanket to my bed, turned on the heater, and snuggled down for the evening. When I woke this morning, my first task was making a cup of coffee to warm up. I went to the staircase and started downstairs, and it was so cold (at least 10 degrees cooler than the entire second floor). Before my feet hit the wood floor, I ran back upstairs for my slippers. As the coffee brewed, I turned on the space heater and added a scarf to my pajamas and slippers. I dared to open the door and was greeted by a bright, sunshiny day. My coffee soon ready, I poured a cup and ran upstairs to thaw my toes. As cold weather settles in, I'm sure I'll promise not to spend another winter in a house that is drafty and cold, but I love my house. I do.