June Goals

It's been a while since I've done a "goals" post, and I've kinda missed it. 

The reason I quit doing them is pretty pathetic, and I'm almost too embarrassed to share it. Picmonkey quit working because they deemed my computer "ancient." So, I couldn't make my Goals header. I got sad and quit since I couldn't find another photo editing site I liked. Yup, super pathetic. 

Ribbet ended up saving the day. I've always used them to create photo collages and had no idea they could do so much more than that! I'm happy again and back to posting about goals :)

1. Spend more time with God: Abide Journal 

I just ordered the Abide 8 week journal from Naptime Diaries. Obviously I won't finish it in June, but my goal is to keep up with it. I'm really excited about this and even more excited to see how God uses it. Hopefully, it will come early next week so I can't get started.

2. Take care of myself: Exercise & walk after dinner

Since getting married I haven't gotten into a good work out routine. It's been pretty sporadic and I'm not a fan. I do so much better with schedules and routines. I also know I feel so much better about myself when I'm working out regularly. My goal for June is to get into a healthy routine and make more time for exercise. Also, James and I went walking after dinner this past week and really enjoyed it. It's good quality time and a great evening activity. 

3. Be intentional with my husband: TV free dinners

We've already started doing a pretty job with this since moving into the house. We're sitting at the table and turning the TV and phones off. I really love being able to talk without the TV as a distraction. I would love to keep this going and have it become part of the nightly routine.

4. Go on an adventure: Anniversary trip

At the end of this month we'll celebrate our 1st anniversary!? Part of me can't believe it's already been a year and the other part of me totally can. We're busy planning an anniversary trip to Nashville. It's one of James' favorite cities and I've never been, so I'm excited for him to show me around. It will be a good chance to get away and celebrate being married a whole year :)

5. Be intentional with others: Spend time with friends

Lately, I haven't done a great job of keeping up with my girlfriends. This month I want to be more intentional about spending time with my friends either on the phone if they are far away or in person. 

Here's to June goals!

House Tour

I'm so excited to give y'all a tour of the house today! 

It's not done yet, and I'm sure we'll continue to update it over the years, but I'm loving the upgrades we've made so far. I felt inspired by Young House Love to add a to-do list for each room. This is to remind myself of how much we've done and keep inspired about where we want to go. Some of the projects we still have to go will be done in the next few weeks and some won't be done years.

Take a look around. Hope you enjoy!

Foyer:

Anyone surprised that I'm obsessed with the front door? Ya, I didn't think so. It almost makes me want to forget about getting a new one. Call me crazy, but I want a door with a little more privacy. Like no big window and a peep hole kind of privacy. But, the pretty color will tie me over until the time comes to replace it. 

To Do: 

• Remove parquet floors and replace with hardwoods
• Paint front door, wall above and below chair rail  
• Replace foyer light
• Remove popcorn ceilings and repaint 
• Add a bench
• Put down rug
• Replace blinds on door with roman shade
• Hang some art (collage wall?)
• Replace doorbell
• Paint or upgrade door handles
• Replace front door

Living Room:

This room is starting to come together. I think with a few more chairs, nice big ottoman, and a rug it will have a more cozy feel. And can we please talk about how excited I am to have a mantle? Can't wait to hang something on it at Christmas!

To Do:

• Remove parquet floors and replace with hardwoods
• Remove popcorn ceilings and repaint
• Paint walls
• Add furniture
• Put down rug
• Do something with the fireplace (paint? tile?)
• Make/hang curtains
• Change ceiling fan
• Get gas logs for fireplace
• Find/make a large square ottoman 
• Paint red table

Dining Room:

If I had to pick a favorite room based on color it would be a hard choice between this room and the master bedroom. I love the blue and grey together. Fun fact: that dining room table is the same one I had growing up. I can't wait to give it a facelift.

To Do:

• Remove parquet floors and replace with hardwoods
• Remove popcorn ceilings and repaint
• Paint walls above and below chair rail 
• Add furniture
• Put down rug
• Paint chandelier
• Take down blinds
• Sew and hang new curtains
• Replace sliding doors with french doors
• Stain table

Kitchen:

This is probably the room I have the biggest plans for, but also going to be the room that is a work in progress for years. Most of the plans I have for this room are on the 5+ years plan, but hey, a girl can dream!

To Do:

• Remove tile floors and replace with hardwoods
• Remove popcorn ceilings and repaint
• Update old lighting
• Remove desk and cabinets above
• Get table for eat in area
• Paint cabinets 
• Add hardware
• Upgrade sink to farmhouse sink
• Add backsplash
• Upgrade appliances
• Add curtains
• Put down a rug/rugs
• Add open shelving
• Install vent hood
• Do something fun with pantry doors

Stairs: 

This may sound strange, but this is one of my favorite updates! They turned out better than we hoped and I'm so happy we choose to stain and didn't re-carpet them.

To Do:

• Remove carpet from wood stairs
• Paint walls
• Stain and polyurethane stairs
• Paint stair risers
• Add hardwoods to landings
• Hang art
• Demo short wall on stairs and half wall in hallway
• Add railing and stair spindles

Master Bedroom:

Gotta give James props for trusting me with this accent wall. He was a little unsure of the idea when he first heard it, but he's totally onboard now. 

To Do:

• Replace carpet
• Remove popcorn ceilings and repaint
• Paint walls
• Add furniture 
• Remove blinds and upgrade
• Replace ceiling fan
• Hand headboard
• Add something above headboard (art? saying?)

Master Bathroom:

Probably one of James' favorite features in the house is this vanity. No, not because it's for him, but because I use it. I've always done my makeup sitting down which, since I've never had a vanity, meant I did my makeup sitting on the floor in our living room at the apartment. I would say it's not as odd as it sounds, but he would disagree. He hated it. He loves that my makeup has its very own special place in our bathroom. 

To Do:

• Remove old carpet and replace with tile
• Paint walls
• Remove popcorn ceilings and repaint
• Renovate shower
• Paint cabinets
• Add hardware
• Update sinks and counter tops
• Upgrade lighting

Hallway

 To Do:

• Remove old carpet and replace with new
• Remove popcorn ceilings and repaint
• Paint walls
• Paint doors?
• Upgrade or paint door handles
• Demo half wall and replace with rail and spindles
• Hang art

And that's it! 

There are a few other rooms I may introduce you to at some point. However, right about now they are home to boxes that have yet to be unpacked, and nobody wants to see that!

Five on Friday, Vol. 21 and Some Favorites

Happy Friday!!

First things first, congratulations to Christina and April on the arrival of both of your daughters!! They are both so precious and almost make me want to think about having one of my own. 

Breath James... I'm kidding :)

I hope you've all had a wonderful week. It's been a crazy awesome week moving in and getting everything situated. Super excited to share a few of my favorites from this past week!

{O N E}

As of last Friday we're officially all moved in! I thought I would be so thankful to be out of the apartment, but truth be told part of me is a little sad. It was our first place together and we made lots of memories there. I'll miss the apartment for a little bit, but I can't wait to make new memories in our new home!

{T W O} 

Sis made this wreath for our grandma for Mother's Day. I'm trying to convince her that I need one too. I've never been much of a wreath fan, but it's burlap and turquoise. Doesn't get much better than that. 

{T H R E E}

For Christmas James gave me the beautiful Southern Wedding print. It's been safely stored away until we moved into the house. Now that we're here the print has found a home above the mantel. I'm seriously considering painting this frame or the two next to it... gold maybe?. Thoughts?

{ F O U R}

The therapist side of me is coming out: I've been a huge fan of Brene Brown since graduate school. Her stuff is legit and this TED talk of hers is probably my favorite. If you have some time today watch it! It's good stuff!

{ F I V E}

Ever since the weather started getting warmer I've been on a serious veggie kick. Steaming and roasting are pretty much the extent of my vegetable cooking abilities. I picked this book up to help expand my cooking repertoire. So far I love it! I made an avocado salad for lunch yesterday that was incredible. I'm looking forward to lots of new veggie recipes this summer.

 I'll be back next week sharing a tour of our home! In the meantime, I hope you have a great weekend!!

Today I'm linking up with Amanda and the 5 on Friday Girls (Darci, April, Christina, Natasha)

Home Buyers Guide to Selling Your Home

I've shared here before that, for me, house hunting process was hard. Some people love the hunt and negotiating to get the best deal possible. Me? Not so much. I'm much more a fan of the moving in and decorating process. House hunting was anxiety provoking and there were too many sleepless nights I spent praying trying to give it all to God. I'm sure this was His way of teaching me lessons in the both patience and trust. God knows just how to speak to my heart even when I don't want to listen!

Looking back the actual process was pretty easy. I stressed and worried over the little things, but in the end everything came together and worked out just how it was suppose to. I really can't be anything but thankful for the wonderful people we worked with and the experience as a whole. 

I learned a lot through this whole process. I learned about how to buy a house. I also learned about how to sell a house, and even more about how not to sell a house. 

So, if you're looking to sell your house, or if you just want to read about some crazy houses, here are a few of my tips!

1. Clean up:
Seem obvious? Trust me, it needs to be mentioned. If you want to sell your home please don't leave your dirty laundry on the floor. Call me a snob, but as a potential home buyer, I don't want to step over dirty bras and boxers. I get it, you get a call last minute that some homebuyer is on their way to see your home. That's got to be annoying, but let's remember you're the one selling your home. I don't care if you hide all your dirty laundry in the dryer; just please don't leave it on the floor. I apologize in advance, but I'll judge you and your home.

2. Paint
I get that you love bright blue, dark red, hot pink, and black. It's your home do what you want... until you decide to sell it. The black and pink polka dot wall goes with the theme of the room? Awesome, looks great; except it's not my style. Please, for the love of selling your house, spend the money to paint the walls a light neutral color. It's easier for me to see my style in your home if I'm not overwhelmed by yours.

3. De-clutter
You have stuff. I know, me too! But, trust me your rooms will look so much bigger if you put some of your stuff away. I can't picture my cluttery self in your house if I can't even see the floor. You have a reason to have five couches in one room. Cool, but then I can't see how big the room actually is. Do yourself a favor, find a place to hide your extra stuff.

4. Put your pets away
I know you love your pets. I'm sure they are adorable and so sweet, but please put them away! It's difficult to walk through your house when your cats are jumping all over me and trying to escape when I walk outside. I want to buy your home. I don't want to spend hours looking for the animals I accidently let outside.

5. Give the outside some love too
Haven't mowed your lawn in 3 months? I'm not judging ... until you put your house on the market. You want me, the buyer, to love your home. Do what you can to make it look presentable. I promise it's worth it. Mow the lawn and trim the bushes. It makes all the difference. If you're feeling extra crazy rent a pressure washer and pressure wash the mildew off the siding. It does wonders for the look of your house and a pressure washer costs about $50 a day to rent. I will love you for it!

Ok, there's my advice on how to sell your home! Moral of the story? Clean up and spruce up! If you show your home some love chances are it will show!

Because I love these ladies I'm linking up with Jenni, Renee. and Sam for Tuesday Tea!

Five on Friday, Vol. 20: House Edition

Three posts in one week? Stop the madness! 

One of the things I've missed most over the past month of non-blogging is linking up with Darci, April, Christina, and Natasha on Fridays. 

 

{O N E}

First off, thanks everyone for your sweet words about our exciting news! This whole house hunting journey has truly been a lesson in patience and trusting in God and His timing. For us, the whole process was relatively easy, but I wouldn't exactly call it fun. The fun part for me starts now. I can't wait to decorate and renovate our new home!

{T W O}

Picking colors has been one things I've really been looking forward to. I started looking at colors long before we actually had a house, and pretty much had my heart set on a particular color pallet. Our new walls will be painted in blues and warm greys!

Anyone surprised to see blue in the mix? Ya, I didn't think so :)

{T H R E E}

We closed on Monday, got the keys on Tuesday, and renovation started Wednesday! We aren't wasting any time! Phase I of renovations include: new floors, ceilings, and paint. James and I haven't been able to be at the house since demo started, but we're getting daily updates from our awesome superintendent.

Later parquet floors!

Goodbye popcorn ceilings!

{F O U R}

Other than changing the floors we aren't touching the kitchen this go-round. Sis sent me a picture of my dream kitchen, so thankfully I have a while to convince the husband that this is exactly what he wants.... wish me luck.

{F I V E}

We're spending a weekend at the beach watching the Heritage Golf Tournament. Unfortunately, the weather isn't going to cooperate with some beach time, but we're enjoying a vacation either way.

Happy Easter y'all! Hope you have a great weekend!!

Hey, Guess What?!?

We're HOMEOWNERS!!

We closed on the house yesterday and we get the keys today! We celebrated with burgers...

and cupcakes! Because what else would you celebrate with :)

It's been a crazy journey, and we are so very thankful. I'll share the entire story later, but for today, I'm just going to enjoy the awesomeness of being able to say we own a HOME!  

Blog Breaks and Babies

Hi! 

Remember me?

It's been a while. Actually, it's been a whole month. I didn't mean to take such a long break, but between work picking up, stress with the house (more on that tomorrow), and simply not feeling inspired to write this blog got put on the back burner. Apologize for the absence, but I'm back now! 

My first friend, Cara, and her sweet husband, Frank, are expecting their first baby this August! This past weekend we celebrated mom-to-be and "Baby E" with an elephant themed baby shower in honor of Cara's favorite animal. 

It's been fun, albeit a bit odd, transitioning from having wedding showers to hosting a baby showers. How did I get old enough to have friends who are having babies?! Love it as long as I'm hosting and not having one... yet.

I'm a bit obsessed with these adorable invitation we used from FrancyShmancyNotes. So perfect!

When guests walked in the door they were greeted with this pretty pink table. "The Giving Tree" was one of my favorite childhood books, and we figured it would be a great guestbook.

In case you didn't know my sister is crazy talented. She sewed 6 adorable elephants that we used to decorate the chandelier. Seriously, could they be any cuter? 

We set up a "Wishes for Baby" station. I found these from StockberryStudio and loved how they matched the invitations. Everyone did a great job of filling them out!

Some of my favorite answers:

"I hope you learn to love UGA football" As if that's even a questions!

"I hope you aren't afraid of wolves" & "I hope you learn not to hit" Great advice from a 6 year old!

"I hope you love cheese dip" Let's be honest. This is key.

"I hope you become just like your momma" <tear>

We also set up a decorating station. We laid out iron on appliques and fabric pens. Everyone decorate either a onesie or a burp rag. Have you ever held up a newborn onesies?! So. Tiny.

I know I'm biased, but I think the one mom, Sis, and I made was the cutest ;)

And no good shower is complete without lots of food! Momma-to-be loves her some goldfish, so of course we couldn't forget those!

Is she not the most precious pregnant person ever?!

 Love you sweet friend and can't wait to meet baby girl in August! Oh, and please move back to GA, Baby doesn't like TX!