Hardware is Essential

Kevin and I are having a hard time getting back into the idea of painting after our 2 week marathon.... So we've been getting other things done around the house that have absolutely nothing to do with painting. We've straightened up the garage, so I can now park in there. I was dying to park in the garage with all the rain, hail, and bad weather we've been having.

Last night we were trying to put off painting (and finishing up taxes) just a little bit longer, so we headed to home depot and bought some kitchen hardware. Before our hardware was gold and cream. Needless to say, that did nothing to tone down the yellowish color of my oak cabinets. I'm trying to bring out the darker, browner tones of the cabinets, so I chose an oil rubbed bronze hardware. It did exactly what I was wanting....blending in and bringing out darker tones. It made a HUGE difference! Take a look:

As for the taxes....they'll be finished tonight (we like to live on the edge:-)

Closing, Painting, Moving

Long Time, No Post!!!

Hello to all of you out there who probably don't even bother checking my blog anymore :-) I know it's been a long time!!! A lot has happened in the past month for me (not to mention blogging has been blocked by my work for the past month:-)

We finally closed on our house and have been in "reno mode" ever since. We've painted and painted and painted and....well, you get the idea. Here are some before and after pics of the painting.

Breakfast Nook Before

Breakfast Nook AfterRight Kitchen Before

Right Kitchen After

Left Kitchen BeforeLeft Kitchen After

**The main attraction here is my first new fridge:-) ***

Living Room Before

Living Room After
Master Bedroom Before

Master Bedroom After

Let me tell you that this color was terrifying! I thought it looked like a baby boy's nursery at first. After a few days and a ruined gallon of paint (added too much yellow and turned it bright green...), I now LOVE this color!!!

Master Bath Before

Master Bath After

Office Before

Office After

We still have a long way to go (3 guest bedrooms, dining room, 2 baths, and trim, trim, trim...), but we've really accomplished a lot! I am loving ever second of home ownership, and it's even better now that we're all moved in. Notice:I did not say all set up! That would be because our stuff is in piles everywhere!!!

I'm having such a hard time concentrating on work because I'm so busy setting everything up in my head! I really actually love setting a house up (in an obsessive kind of way)! I love how everything gets dusted and cleaned up before being put into place. I love the way everything seems to fit in place like it's been there forever! Honestly, I was expecting the house to feel a good bit smaller after we got all our stuff moved in, but it does not!! In fact, I could swear it shrunk all of my furniture! I look in my living room and all I see is dollar signs...sigh..... I need a rug, occasional tables, more seating, wall hangings, etc.... It's going to take a while to buy all those things! However, I LOVE it just the way it is now!

We've slept there 2 nights, and both nights I would wake up throughout the night and couldn't believe I was actually sleeping in my very own house!


One thing that moving did make me realize was just how blessed I am (down-right spoiled in fact). I have more stuff than most people will ever have or even dream of having. The crazy thing is, I walk into my empty rooms wanting/planning to buy more!!! It made me feel very selfish, humbled, thankful! So this became my moving day prayer:

"Thank you Lord for the ways that you have blessed me and my family, and I pray that you would help us use all this stuff and this beautiful house for your glory. Help me not become materialistic and always realize that these things belong to You!"

It's not just a moving day prayer...it should be an everyday prayer. I am just a steward of what the Lord has blessed me with!

So, that's all for now... I promise to be better about posting little posts every now and then (rather than huge posts once a month:-)

For more pics go here!

I Heart Publix

So, I used to think that Kroger had GREAT deals, but that was before I discovered the savings at Publix. It's hard to beat the always low prices at Wal-Mart, but I think Publix has done it!!! I used to be horrified by the sky-high prices at Publix...no more! I have been wooed by their BOGO deals and customer service! It's so easy to save there for several reasons:

1. I went to the Southern Savers website, and it has all the BOGO deals organized for you with matching coupons...even if you are not a coupon clipper you can use the printable ones that they link you to.

2. All coupons $.50 and under are always doubled at Publix.

3. Publix accepts coupons from other stores (such as Foodlion, Kroger, etc...)!

4. When buying BOGO items, you can use a 2 of the same coupon (1 for each of the items).

5. If you have store coupons & manufacturer coupons...you can use them BOTH!!!

6. Thus, if you are buying BOGO itmes, you can use 2 store coupons and 2 manufacturer coupons (thus reducing the price of 1 item 4x...the other item is free:-)

CHECK OUT MY LOOT....

I only spent $35.26....and I SAVED $56.26!

People, that's $91.52 worth of groceries for $35.26...crazy savings!

WOW, Publix....you win....hands down!

RANDOM POST INSERT:

Also, here is a picture of our 3 inch tall snow man that Kevin made...just for your enjoyment!

Paper Chains & Paint Colors

So, we got the house that I fell in love with!!!! There was another bidder, so we had to go through "bidding war stress," but we got it for a price both we and the sellers liked. Closing is on March 20th...and we can't WAIT!!! I feel like making a paper chain and tearing one piece off every day (like we used to do in elementary school at the end of the year...or for any "countdown" for that matter:-) Needless to say, I am even more obsessed with this house than before! Here are just a few pics of the parts of the house I'm obsessed with...

I love that the back of this house is as attractive as the front! I love the porch.....everything about it screams "cookout"!!!

I can't wait to sit on that swing and enjoy beautiful summer days!

This stairwell makes the house feel like "home" to me. My parents had a very similar staircase. I love the rails & spindles look!

I've been spending WAY too much time on the my PAINT program (didn't know there was a real use for that program:-) I'm thinking black shutters...what do you think?

As for Paint Colors....The Benjamin Moore Personal Color Viewer is also very time consuming....here are the colors I'm currently favoring. What do you think?

BM Crown Point Sand (below)

BM Jamesboro Gold

BM Puritan Gray

BM Georgian Green (yes, that's green)

BM White Dove (trim)

I've also fallen in "rug love" with the Brandon Rug @ Pottery Barn (I will be watching sales and stockpiling money:-)
A girl can dream, right?

Enough Said...

I think I'm in love...

TAGGED!

Ok, so I've been tagged by several people on here and facebook to do the 10 honest things about myself. So, here it goes...

#1 - I honestly have not done anything on the internet for the past 2-3 weeks that did not deal with anything other than LOOKING FOR A HOUSE!!! I used to be addicted to blogging and facebook. Let me tell you that those 2 things (while totally addicting) pale in comparison to looking for your very first home. I was trying to calm down and figure out why I was so totally wrapped up in finding a house so quickly (...cause let's face it...I'd be ok with finding and buying a house today...), and then I realized that not only have I been living in 850 square feet for the past 2 years (Can you say cabin fever?!?!?), but I haven't LIVED in a HOUSE (this excludes dorms/apartments/trailers/college summers at home) in around 7 years!!!! Needless to say, I'm ready, Kevin's ready, so what are we waiting on!?!?!

(This actually is the beginning of my list, but I had to explain my lengthy absence from blogland.)

#2 - My hope is built on Jesus Christ. It is because of his love, grace, mercy, patience, and forgiveness that I am who I am. I owe everything to him.

#3 - I have an amazing husband. He is the most positive/patient person I know, and he always finds a way to make me laugh! He inspires me to be a better person everyday through the way he lives his life! He's my best friend, and I can't imagine my life without him! I'm blessed!

#4 - I'm an OCD Perfectionist...real life is hard for me :-)

#5 - Kevin and I love to travel. In the almost 3 years that we've been married, we've been to:
-the Carribean (cruise)
-Dauphin Island (beach trip)
-Smokey Mountains (Gattlinburg,TN)
-Biltmore (Ashville, NC)
-New York City (at Christmas)
-St. George Island (another beach trip)
-Breckenridge, CO (ski trip)
&
-In May, we are going to EUROPE (Rome, Paris, London:-) - YEAH!!!

#6 - I cannot wait for our family to grow...first comes a chocolate lab...then come babies! I have waited my whole life to be a wife and mom, and I honestly can't wait for the mom part to begin! I know that it's not easy, but can anyone tell me what part of life IS easy? I think part of me can't wait, because I know that Kevin is going to be the best dad in the whole world! It also might attract family visitors :-)

#7 - Kevin and I love our families. My mom, dad, brother, and two sisters & Kevin's mom, dad, 2 brothers, and their families mean the world to us, and we love going "home" to visit!

#8 - I love fellowshipping with friends! I have a bigger group of close friends now than I ever have, and it's so fun! God has blessed us with a wonderful church with a huge young couples class! We are all in such a fun time of life! Between the weddings and the babies...there's always a party going on!

#9 -Kevin and I are pretty crazy when it comes to budgeting and saving...let's just say we collect money! We both grew up tight-wads, and both still are (I'm not quite as tight as he is...). We got into Dave Ramsey's budgeting when we first got married, and we really enjoy it! It's pretty much a hobby!

#10 - I used to be a teacher, now I'm an administrative assistant, and I love it. I'll put it this way...I took a spiritual gift inventory this past week, and I scored an 11 on teaching...not my thing. I was in the 30's when it came to serving/helping/administration! Maybe I should've taken that test in college - oh well!!!

Hope you all are happy now...it's back to searching for a house for me (b/c everyone knows if you check the MLS website at least 3 times a day, the perfect house is sure to pop up!)...peace out!

Ski Trip Memories

So, I hadn't been skiing since my senior year of high-school when Kevin and I decided that we wanted to go skiing in Colorado this winter! Needless to say, I was a little nervous. It seemed to me that Colorado was the "Scary" place to ski. All I ever heard were horror stories about people going out there and breaking their legs, arms, necks....and of course the stories of people dying. Well, we just got back from our trip, and none of the above happened to me...YAY!!! We actually had a fantastic time. We took some of our really good friends with us, and we had a blast! I found out that the powdery goodness of the Colorado ski slopes allows one to ski without going horrifyingly fast (thus avoiding the broken neck situation...). Here are just some of my ski trip memories (brought to you by my new camera):

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I will always remember the layers and layers of clothing that skiing requires. It took us an extra 30-40 minutes everyday just to put all these layers on. By the time you've got everything on, you're sweating so badly that you think you will pass out! Then you have to fight with those oh-so-comfy ski boots...

I loved going outside everyday (no...not just so that I could cool off from getting dressed). It was so fun seeing piles of snow everywhere - parking lots, roads, sidewalks...etc.

I really loved riding the ski lift. There are so many fun things about it!!! Your legs finally get to rest (it turns out that skiing slow burns the thigh muscles like you wouldn't believe)! You get to watch people fall (I mean ski...). You get to look around and see the beauty of God's creation, and you get to talk to friends (people generally leave me in their dust on the slopes....so being around people - and going their speed - is a nice change)!

At the top of each run there is an absolutely breathtaking view! The higher you go, the better the view (can't wait to see heaven)!!!

We serve an Awesome Creator!!!

At night, we walked around downtown Breckenridge. We went to lots of good restaurants. Below you will see us waiting for a crepe'. It was fun waiting by the fire for dessert (an hour later...still waiting....not so fun)!

This Alabama Girl has never seen snow that deep in her life! I loved walking through the deepest drift I could find! You don't get the chance to step in knee-high snow in Alabama!

Who in Alabama has ever made a REAL SNOW ANGEL? Not me! All my snow angels have been littered with grass and mud.

Not this one....this one was totally white...so pretty =)

There are some pretty great hat/wig shops in Breckenridge. I'm not sure why this is so fun....it just is!!!

Relaxing on the slopes after a big fall is a good feeling! (WARNING: This was actually a "staged" fall, the real ones are not this picturesque).

Taking beautiful panoramic pictures with my camera is my new hobby! This one shows all 4 peaks of Breckenridge, and I skiied on all 4! This picture was taken in the parking lot of the local grocery store.....my grocery at home unfortunately does not have this great a view...

A view from the top...

I went on a Blue/Black slope (that's pretty hard), and I got a little stuck at one point....

...of course my compassionate hubby got it all on film =)

PS. I did really great on the rest of the slope!!!