For My Grandma

Hey, Friends. I'm sorry for the sudden silence over here on the blog. Three weeks ago, I got a call that my Grandma had a stroke and was not doing well. After it became clear to me that she was not going to be recovering, I drove down to FL to see her. She passed away the next day. The next week was a rush of grief, arrangements, traveling back home to NC, then traveling back to FL for her funeral, getting to hug and spend time with my family, and lots of crying.

Growing up, we lived just down the street from my grandparents. They were a huge part of my upbringing and were so good at being present for the everyday. I moved in with them when I was a teenager and lived with them until I got married. After I got married and moved away, I talked to them several times a week. Then, after Grandpa died, Grandma and I talked on the phone every day for 5 years until she moved into a nursing home and wasn't able to use the phone anymore. Then, I switched to letters and trying to visit as much as possible. I'm so very thankful for the years and close relationship I had with both of my grandparents.

I was going through pictures for the funeral and was so thankful for my pack rat tendencies. :) I have literally kept almost every single note Grandma has ever sent me (and she loved writing letters!) along with boxes and boxes of pictures. As I was going through them, I was just flooded with all the memories and all the life lessons Grandma taught me.

Don't just think nice things about people, go out of your way to tell them.

Listen and consider the other point of view.

Don't procrastinate.

Don't spend more money than you make.

Save money.

Be frugal.

But, make sure to take trips and enjoy life with your loved ones.

Be polite. Say please and thank you. Write thank you cards.

Get an education.

Have a career.

Work hard.

When buying a house, location, location, location.

Help others in need.

Be generous.

Open up your home to others.

You never know what others are going through.

Waste not, want not.

Don't say "Huh" :)

The best style is casually elegant.

Never go to bed mad.

Be a strong, independent woman.

Never stop learning.

Everything in moderation.

Seek wise counsel.

Grandma was an amazing seamstress and used to sew me all kinds of clothes. She even sewed my Barbies clothes! Here, I have the chicken pox (and an unfortunate mullet compliments of my brother!). Grandma slathered me with calamine lotion and sewed my Barbies new clothes.

Grandma used to tuck me in bed at night and sit on the side of the bed and pat my arm. I loved it. I remember when she was in a ton of pain late one night when I was living with them, I sat next to her and patted her arm. She used to call my Liddy when I was little and dress me all up and do my hair.

My grandparents used to pick me up from school a lot and take me back to their house to swim and have a snack. I used to sit at the kitchen bar and tell Grandma all about my day and she would always rejoice in the happy moments and offer advice when I needed help. I was the only girl in my class in 6th grade, so I definitely needed help. :) She always listened and I knew she always had my back. 

I traveled a lot with my grandparents. (I got to enjoy retired life with them!) I spent summers with them in the mountains and took many road trips with them. We traveled to the majority of the eastern states together. We always took our time and stopped and stayed in towns along the way to our destinations. We'd always bring in a cooler of food to eat on the road to save money and would spend nights on the road playing cards and swimming. When I was in high school, we went on a cruise together which was so fun!

One summer, Grandma decided to perm my hair. The most ironic part is that now my hair is naturally curly! 

Grandma had a toughness and spunk to her. She was tough when I was acting up, but I always knew she loved me and wanted what was best for me. But I also knew I had better do what she said! Ha! She was spunky, active, and youthful, even into her late 80's! She took me on my first roller coaster, she and Grandpa took me on my first trip to Disney, and in Grandma's mid/late 70's she went horseback riding with my cousin and I in the mountains! Look at her saddling that horse!

Grandma was a great cook and was famous for her cinnamon rolls. She used to love the cinnamon rolls at her favorite coffee shop, so she set out to make them herself. She finally figured it out and has been making them for our family ever since. I have made them with her since I was a little girl and every time I make them now, I think of us standing side by side in the kitchen talking and making them together.

Making cinnamon rolls together (Don't ask about my hair. FL humidity + my thick hair = Whoa)

Grandma loved to entertain. We always had a big New Years party and Grandma thrived on getting ready for it, cooking for it, and getting to host a crowd of friends. She always planned her menu with dessert first. Smart woman. ;) Our house was always an open door for friends and family. I loved when family would visit from out of town and our house was bustling with activity.

Grandma used to worry about everyone in the family. She worried a lot, but it taught me to care about others and their struggles and to invest in people. She used to love talking on the phone with everyone in our family and getting to hear all about what was going on with them!

Grandma had a lot of health issues when I lived with her. I've called 911 and followed an ambulance, watching her white, curly hair in the back more times than I've cared for. I can hear the sound of a blood pressure machine a mile away and could wake from a deep sleep when she stirred across the house. I worried myself sick over them, but along the way, learned that God is in control, not me.

  Clearly, I need to clean my scanner, but this is the three of us in the mountains when I was about 15.

My grandparents had two careers. They owned and operated a grocery store, then after they sold the store, they went on to have second careers as Realtors. After they finally retired, Grandma took up painting. She took lessons and painted dozens of paintings, including the pink flowers in my hallway gallery wall. She hand painted designs on several pieces of furniture as well. She taught me to paint, spending hours teaching me the different techniques and painting several paintings together with me. She always used to tell me that once you start painting, you see the world differently. You notice how the light hits and shadows fall. So true.

Both of my grandparents loved music and dancing and could play the piano. Grandma taught me how to play piano. I can still picture us playing The Rose side by side and hear her singing along as we played. She also taught me the waltz and we waltzed all around the living room as she sang and counted off. I was horrible at it, but she and Grandpa were great together!

Grandma loved to shop for bargains! We would scour thrift stores for great deals and could comb through clearance racks together like no one's business. Grandma used to shop throughout the year for Christmas presents and would always have us try on the clothes as she bought them, then wrap them up for Christmas. We usually knew what we were getting for Christmas months ahead of time! Haha!

Speaking of Christmas... One Christmas, I found out Grandma and Grandpa weren't planning to do stockings. I incessantly teased them about it and gave them a hard time, trying to persuade them to do stockings for tradition sake. They insisted no stockings, but then on Christmas day, pulled out this gigantic stocking they had found and Grandma had decorated to prank me with. They got me back good! Ha!

I love how much my Grandparents loved Jeremy. Grandma always used to worry when I was out, but used to tell me she never worried when I was with Jeremy because he was so sensible and trustworthy. Grandpa passed away before Jeremy graduated grad school or we had kids, but Grandma was so proud of Jeremy for getting his PhD. She loved our kids so much and I'm so thankful for the memories I have of Grandma holding Little Man and making over Little Girlie. 

I could write a thousand more things, but you know the memories I hold the most dear? The everyday moments. The three of us eating dinner and talking about our day. Grandma and I teasing Grandpa about his love for her cooking. Grandpa and I teasing Grandma about anything we could! The laughter. The hugs. The late night chats. The phone calls. Doing the dishes together. Swimming together. Riding in the car together. Watching Reba. Grandpa and I watching Friends and chuckling when Grandma would turn off her hearing aids so that she didn't have to hear it since she didn't like it. The nightly search for Grandma's glasses. Grandma sitting at the desk with her legs up talking on the phone and Grandpa next to her in the chair... on and on and on...

I cherish the relationship I got to have with my grandparents and am so thankful that they gave up years of their retirement to raise a teenager. Not an easy task, but I'm forever grateful and forever shaped by two wonderful people I was incredibly lucky and so proud to have as my grandparents.

Love you, Grandma, and I miss you every day.

Five on Friday {10/2/15}

Hey, Friends! I have the cutest little fall craft to show you, but it's been dark and rainy for days (and days and days) here in NC. No sun = horrible pictures. Boo. So, I'll be back to show it to you next week once I'm able to grab some pictures.

In the meantime, here's five things on my mind today:

1.) I got to meet John and Sherry!!! And, I got to meet them with my bestie, Amy!!! It was so fun to hear them talk and get to chat with them for a minute! I love their new book, Lovable Livable Home! It perfectly describes where my heart is in this world of home decorating and DIY. Beautiful, functional, and lived in! Grab a copy and if John & Sherry are coming to your area, grab your bestie and go see them!

2.) Have you been keeping up with the #Homeforthefallidays Instagram game a group of bloggers and I have going right now? There's tons of inspiration every week! Check it out and follow me on Instagram to stay up to date and participate in the game!

3.) Is this not the cutest fall sign from Lilacs & Longhorns?!

Please pin from original source

4.) Have you been keeping up with Chris Loves Julia's kitchen remodel? It's spectacular! I love all the natural light, the open shelving, the mix of lights and darks, and that gorgeous island!

Please pin from original source

5.) I haven't forgotten about painting my front door! Thank you so much for taking time to vote and weigh in on which door color you thought I should choose! I just need to narrow it down to an exact shade, then I'll be on a roll. Ha, see what I did there? ;) More to come on that soon! 

Happy Weekend!

Weekend Update

Five random things swirling around inside my head lately!

1.) The pollen cloud has descended on NC! Everything is yellow! I was using my phone to take pictures of the kids outside and in that short time, my phone got a good pollen coating. Insane! But, pollen season also means tulip season. This is our third year growing tulips and I'm in love! 

2.) I scored this wreath for 50% off at Target earlier this week! Then, when I was at Target with my friend Amy, she told me she had bought the exact same one for 70% off. No way! #decoratingtwins :) There was one left, so I scooped it up and will return the 50% off one. Thanks, Amy! I LOVE how it goes with my coral door! I know Easter is over, but I had to try it out for a few days before packing it away.

3.) Sometimes home projects are necessary, but not so glamorous. Like water heaters. Ours was on its way out, so we had it replaced this week. I can finally take a shower without running out of hot water! Yay! 

4.) I was driving through a shopping center yesterday and stumbled on a Starbucks with a drive-thru that I had NO IDEA was there. It is up a big hill behind tons of trees and not visible from the road. And it did not show up on Google Maps when we moved here. But still, how in the world did I miss this?!?! I love Starbucks. Sigh. 

5.) I have been finding such great deals online lately! I got $25 off a $50 order at Crazy 8, 50% off everything at Carter's, and $5 off, free shipping, and a free set of cleaners from ePantry! (Click here for my referral link for ePantry and go here for info about the free set of cleaners--free cleaners deal ends tomorrow.) Super excited! Have you found any good online deals recently?

Happy Weekend!

Why to Organize and Decorate

A few months ago, I was discussing my blog plans with a friend and she mentioned it would be interesting to see some of the reasons why I make the decorating/design choices that I make. It is a great thought and I've been percolating on it ever since and will try to incorporate those answers in future blog posts.

A lot of my choices are for practical reasons like storage and durability. But, the more I stewed, the more I realized just how much I decorate for a general "feel" in my home. I'm not sure if everyone is this way, but my mood is very influenced by my surroundings. Clutter makes me feel anxious, but a clean house makes me feel calm. Soothing colors help me feel peaceful and relaxed. I love and appreciate lots of different decorating styles and enjoy them in other people's homes. In my home, though, I need calming colors, organized spaces, and simplistic decor choices, otherwise I feel chaotic and anxious...writes the woman staring at a pile of laundry and toys everywhere. Oh! Oh! Guess my mood! Haha! ;)

Anyway, I saw this article floating around this morning and thought Nailed It! This is SO true for me. Check it out!

Image Credit: House Logic

Is your mood influenced by your surroundings, too? What decorating style helps you improve your mood?

Gratitude

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! I'm getting ready to pack up our Christmas decorations and get our house back to normal. Sniff! I'm especially going to miss this joy sign. Anyway...

This week is very exciting for us! After nearly 5 years at his company, my husband decided to move on and started a new job this week!

As the new job offer has unfolded, I've pondered how God has opened and closed doors along the way to get us to this point. While Jeremy was in grad school, he was diligently searching for a job and was specifically targeting his company because it was a great fit for him, mixing industry and his PhD work. We spent many months praying about the job and hoping God would open that door--and He did!

Jeremy was blessed with an amazing director and many opportunities at his company. I love seeing how hard he works and what a high work ethic and standards he has. Honestly, Jeremy's always been this way since his first job at a grocery store in high school. I used to literally jog to keep up with him when I'd pop in to flirt  eat lunch with him on his break. :)

Just as God opened the doors for Jeremy five years ago, He has made it clear that it was time to move on. An exciting job offer came in when Jeremy wasn't looking. It's a really interesting position that shifts focus from industry to policy and was too good to pass up. But... they wanted us to relocate. When push came to shove, neither of us wanted to move (at all!!!) and we didn't think we could afford to live in the new city. Just when we thought he would need to turn down the job, they offered to let him work remote. From our house. Every day. For Real! Cue angels singing and Jeremy and I break dancing in the living room!

Just had to insert a picture of my handsome hubby! Photo credit: Kristin Tucker :)

Ready to see more of God? When we were looking for our house three years ago, we looked at a bunch of homes. We actually got within two weeks of closing on our previous house before we found a new house to buy. From the second we pulled into the driveway, we loved this house. As soon as we opened the front door, I knew this was the one. We were completely sold on the house before we even went out back and saw the detached garage with a mother in law suite! It just so happens, that mother in law suite is the *perfect* home office! Jeremy wrote his entire dissertation up there shortly after we moved in. He has used it often for working from home and loves it because he is at home, but can't hear what is going on and doesn't get interrupted. Little did we know, he'd be working from home every single day and would need such a nice, quiet office space! Isn't it amazing that three years ago, God lead us to a home with a perfect office space for this new job?!

Looking forward to 2015 and the new opportunities Jeremy has at work, as well as generally just slowing down as a family. 2014 was a hard year and was entirely too busy with traveling, etc. We are exhausted and worn out and looking forward to slowing down the pace in the coming year. What are you looking forward to in 2015? Have a Happy New Year!

Heavy Hearted

I've been hard at work checking projects off my list and will be sharing them with you next week!  But, today my heart is heavy. 

My heart is heavy thinking back to September 11th, 2001 and all the lives that were lost that day. People always ask if I remember where I was on that day.  How could I ever forget? 

I saw this video today and had not heard this before. Ordinary people turned heroes. 

My heart is heavy today, my due date for our precious second baby that we miscarried early last year.  I bought flowers again this year in honor of our baby we never got to meet but loved so much.

2013 flowers

'

2014 flowers

And, my heart is heavy missing my father in law who passed away this year.  Sunday would be his 51st birthday. He was incredibly hard working, loved his family and would do anything for us,  and was one of the most fun people you've ever been around. I'm so thankful I got to call him Dad for the last 11 years.

Sorry for a sad post, just keeping it real and letting you all in on our lives. I'm thankful for the promise that one day God will make all things new. I'll catch you all next week with some happier things... fall decor and a new painting I just finished. Have a great weekend and go hug your loved ones!

Dad

For those of you who aren't aware, my father-in-law tragically passed away last month. I can't even begin to put into words the heartbreak and grief we are feeling right now. He is loved and will be missed more than I could ever express. 

We had a memorial in his honor on Saturday in Florida. Now we are trying to figure out what the new normal will look like. Thank you to all of our friends near and far for all of your help and prayers this past month. The hospitality, meals, cards, calls, emails, texts, flowers, babysitting are all so appreciated and make us feel so supported and loved. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. 

My blog has been slow for obvious reasons. We have literally been gone from home for 2 out of the past 4 weeks. I'm looking forward to diving back into our home projects and getting into a routine again to feel a bit more normal. Be back soon, friends. 

Some News

Well, we finally spilled our big news to our friends and family, so now I can spill with you all! We are pregnant with a little girl!!!! We are super excited and expect her to make her big debut around New Year's.

So, if you've noticed how s-l-o-w it's been around this blog lately, now you know why. I have been sick and so far, still don't really feel much better. I'm getting a little bit of energy back, but not much. Enough to actually clean and cook a little, but that's about it. 

Hubby has been working his tail off getting the house ready. The new baby has us completely rearranging a couple rooms. Our current guest room will become the baby's room, so the guest bedroom furniture has to be moved over to the office. But, before we move everything, we wanted to paint the office since the existing paint was pretty nasty. Hubby just finished painting and has been reorganizing and purging everything in the office to get it ready to move the guest bedroom furniture into there. We sold a couple of bookshelves to make room for the guest bed, so our office will be a combined office/guest room when we're done. Making sense? :) Basically, it's crazy town up in here. 

After we get the guest room furniture out, we will be starting on the baby's room. I have some big plans for in there that I can't wait to get started on! Here's the initial plan of what we have up our sleeves: 

-First up, install board and batten on the walls. The baby's room has a short attic door, so I want to install board and batten because I love it and because it will help the short door blend in. We have something taller and simple in mind, like this from Centsational Girl.

-Paint the walls pink and purchase bedding. We're thinking a deeper shade of pink, not pastel pink. We are planning to use the Pottery Barn Penelope bedding. We LOVE it! We will probably only do the bumper, pillow sham, and possibly the quilt or sheets for money's sake. We purchased Little One's crib bumper and pillow sham from Pottery Barn and have been SO impressed by the quality. I have had to wash the bumper and pillow sham a million times and they hold up very well, not to mention how soft and plush they feel. Pottery Barn bedding is high quality and worth every penny! It's one of the few things I'm willing to splurge on.

Here's a picture of the bedding and the paint color we had in mind. It's a little bolder than I normally go for, but with the board and batten, only the top third of the walls will be pink making it less overwhelming.

-Install blackout roman shades. The old, curled vinyl shades in there now are awful! We're thinking of just doing plain, white blackout roman shades like these. Hopefully, I can find a similar but cheaper option!

-Hang floor to ceiling lightweight curtains to soften the windows. I'm thinking pink with tiny white polka dots or something. I love these, but they are a little heavier (and more expensive) than I want.

  

-Paint a branch with birds on it above the crib. We're thinking a simple branch that arches over the crib and has a few leaves and birds on it like the ones on the bedding. Nothing too fancy.

-Move Little One's (or I guess I need to rename him to Little Boy on the blog! And while we're naming, let's name the baby Little Girl. I'm SO original, I know!) crib and chair to the baby's room and purchase a dresser and rug. We will be posting the big things like the board and batten, tree, paint color, and curtains on the blog, but after that, we'll be saving the furniture and details for personal friends and family. Sorry internet friends, everyone has their own internet privacy and safety boundaries, and posting photos of our finished kids rooms is not in our comfort zone. It's just how we sleep at night. :)

Well, there's my baby brain dump! We are still working on Little Boy's bed rails, but hopefully we will have them up on here by the weekend. They are taking a bajillion coats of paint. Hubby did a really good job on them, though, and I can't wait to share them! 

For My Hubby

Today is a special day for my husband and I. Exactly 10 years ago today, my hubby asked me out. Two and a half years of dating, a year and eight month engagement, and almost six years of marriage later, here we are! I am so incredibly thankful for the gift of my husband and couldn't have imagined a better 10 years. I look at him and marvel that he married me...and he says he knew how crazy I am before we got married. Haha! I still get excited when he calls me and watch the clock waiting in anticipation of him getting home at night. I'm totally head over heels for that man! So, allow me to be super sappy and tell you 10 of the million reasons why I love that man.

Our first date was Jeremy's senior prom. 

He loves Jesus. I'm so thankful to have such a Godly man for a husband. Before we were even dating, he was pointing me to Jesus and helping me grow in understanding and knowledge of God. When we first got married, he diligently searched for a gospel centered church for us to be a part of and I'm so thankful for our amazing church family! He consistently leads our family in devotions. Through the years, God has used him in so many ways to grow my faith. I'm so thankful for his leadership and for the way he displays Christ through the every day.

This was a few months after we met. I had a huge crush on him, hence the gigantic smile. That is if you can even see my face past all that hair. Hey, we lived in Florida, land of humidity...and the hair straightener hadn't come out yet. Geesh.

He's willing to talk it out. We are both talkers and are known to stay up till all hours of the night just talking with each other. I love that when we have a disagreement, he doesn't grow quiet, but is willing to talk out the hard things with me. Of course, it means staying up even later at night (haha!), but I'm thankful that he is so willing to talk and work through things together.

Us in college hanging out between classes. 

He's just plain funny. I love how much he makes me laugh. I blame him for the crows feet around my eyes, because he keeps me laughing. He has such an unexpected, witty humor that he can whip out on a moment's notice. Even after ten years, his dry humor still catches me off guard and makes me laugh until my sides hurt.

See what I mean? At first glance, you think I'm the crazy one, but then you realize Jeremy is instigating it all!

He's Dr. Hunky. And yes, that was a Reba reference. I may be slightly obsessed with that show. Ha! Anyway, he is incredibly handsome! I love the masculine lines of his face and how when he's being mischievous, is about to win a game, or is trying to get out of trouble, a dimple emerges on his face. It's pretty much the cutest thing ever. Jeremy, please don't kill me for publicly talking about your adorable dimple. ;)

Newlyweds

Amazing daddy. He is an amazing daddy. He adores our little man and is such a thoughtful and fun daddy. My heart explodes with love when I watch him play with Little One and chase him around the house, making him laugh until he's cackling. He takes time to listen and really know and understand Little One and cares for him in such thoughtful ways.

Fall 2007

Faithful. He follows through on his word. He faithfully serves our family and our church. And he makes me feel like the only girl in the world. I so appreciate that every.single.time there is a scantily clad women on tv or ads, he is always looking away. I didn't ask him to do that! He's just always done that. Even when he thinks I'm not looking or that I can't see him, he's looking away. I love how much it displays his faithfulness to me.

For our first anniversary, he surprised me with a photo session by our friend, Kristin. I still LOVE these photos and have them plastered all around our house. :) 

Hard worker. There is not a lazy, procrastinating bone in his body. He is so good at planning how to use his time to get things done. He works like crazy at work, then works like crazy on school, and still makes it a point to have family time with us and keep our family a priority. He loves building things and working in the yard. He likes to be all hot and sweaty working outside in the summertime. I totally don't get that last one. ;)

Thanksgiving 2008

Thoughtful. He is incredibly thoughtful. He looks around for things to do to help me out like loading the dishwasher or throwing in a load of laundry. He makes me tea because he knows I hate doing it. He asks about my family. He takes time to listen about my day. He gives the most crazy thoughtful presents ever. Know what he gave me the first Christmas we were together? He wrote out a Bible verse for every single day of the year on index cards and put them all in a box for me to read throughout the next year. Seriously, 365 of them. Amazing.

Expecting our little man. Thanks for the photo, Charity!

Enjoys life. I tend to have a one track mind. If I'm in the middle of something, it's hard for me to stop the busy and take time to sniff the flowers, if you know what I mean. I love that Jeremy will stop me in the middle of my busiest moments just to give me a hug or a kiss. I love that he randomly puts on Truly, Madly, Deeply and dances with me in the living room. And I love all the random games he comes up with to make the mundane become completely fun...like having a contest to see who can make more sock balls into the laundry hamper from across the room. So fun and ridiculously simple. Try it peeps.

Fall 2011  Thanks for the photo, Adrienne! 

Opposites Attract. I really love that we are opposites. I'm uptight, he's more relaxed. I'm hyper, he's calm. I'm fiery, he's patient. I dive in head first, he's a thinker. He mellows me out so much.

February 2013--This was right after he passed his dissertation defense! 

I'm so thankful for you, Babe, and so glad you're mine! I love you!