Christmas Has Come and Gone!

I've posted photos over HERE from some of the festivities! Check them out :-)

.... but here's a favorite!

Jeremy Comes Home Today!

So, if you don't know me or my life.... I'm married to Jeremy, he works for a crap-tastic engineering firm, who treats him like a stray dog. Ugh. One of these days (when the housing market stops tanking) he'll get a new job, a better job, that isn't so crap-tastic.

They decided it was a brilliant idea to send him to Florida the week of Christmas.... effing brilliant. He comes home tonight... hopefully. And did I mention they want him to fly back down there on Sunday.... SUNDAY PEOPLE! While the rest of the world gets to continue celebrating Christmas, or racking up on the after Christmas sales.... my husband could be flying back to Florida....

I frequently read Literally, Genevive Claire..... a super sarcastic gal in NYC from the South. Here's how she handles Pete, her man being out of town..... oh how I feel the same way!


"When Pete goes out of town, I tend to act out. I’m not sure why, because I never did these things when I lived by myself, but I’m telling you, it’s not pretty.

I do things like eat six Larabars for dinner. And stay up until 4:30 am watching 18 Kids and Counting marathons. I hit snooze twelve times on the alarm clock in the morning (unrelated to the previous item) and am late to work. I spill nail polish remover on our wooden furniture because I’m distracted by a Shakira video. I run the dishwasher with only a glass and a fork in it. I buy $73 worth of terrible music on iTunes suggested to me by shows on the CW. I turn the AC down to 59 degrees and wake up shivering with frostbite in one pinky. I order multiple maternity tops from Target.com because I think they’ll be long enough to wear with leggings. I fall asleep at 7 pm with a mud mask on and wake up panicked that my face is paralyzed from a stroke.

By the time Pete gets home, I’m so emotionally strung out and physically exhausted that I basically weep for joy.

He just walked in the door from his red-eye flight from LA and I breathed a visceral sigh of relief because my life was about to go back to normal. Oh, and because I missed him."

Bedroom Projects!

This is our room.....



only- we now have these bed linens....



(with tan sheets instead of green)

Well- we bought this bed because my dog, Gus was having issues of running up under our old bed and peeing on the carpet... he knew he wasn't supposed to do it, so he did it where we wouldn't see it! Smart little sucker! So, to solve this problem we bought this awesome platform bed from Pottery Barn. I use the three baskets on my side as a dresser. Well, the one up by the nightstand holds all my underwear and workout clothes.... and I can only get it a few inches open, because of the nightstand (which, by the way- the nightstands don't match! UGH! the one you see in the photo is mine, it's old, but matches the bed, and the one on my side is Jeremy's and matches our dresser)

So- our solution!









A wall shelf! We'd like to also somehow attach a basket to the bottom of them, like drawers, that match the baskets in our bed. I'd also like some pretty trim around the edges to dress it up a little!

And- to save more space on the nightstands- I want these from Crate and Barrel! (or some that don't cost $90 each!)



I like these lights too- but I think they are going to be too big for the nightstands.... Pottery Barn



I'm hoping these projects will be complete in the next few weeks!

Projects, Projects, Projects!

So, you know me! I gotta have a project going on all the time!

I've decided, I'd like to redecorate our downstairs! This is what it currently looks like.....





I painted the green in the dining area right when we moved in, and the accent wall in the living room shortly after. They are actually 2 different color greens, but no one ever realizes it.....

I have decided that I'm over this.... it's fun and bright, but I think I want to change it to more relaxed.... and stylish :-) I think I'm going with a gray/orange/ivory color palate.....

I plan to remove the tulip painting (although I do love it.... maybe reuse it somewhere else) and hang black and white prints (either 2 or 3) of our wedding over the sofa. Paint the green wall a nice gray, make or buy some new curtains (maybe a gray stripe?) and make cornice (pelmet) boxes over the windows.

I'd like to do the same in the dining area- repaint it gray and put some curtains on that awful looking window... it looks sad!


from Snippit and Ink

I'd like to do this maybe the Sunday after Christmas.... we'll see!

up next- bedroom projects :-)

For Sale!

I've decided to start selling prints on Etsy!

Keep checking for more items :-)

Old Salem

Jeremy's family has had a family tradition of going to Old Salem at Christmastime for Candle Tea. This was my first year participating. This tradition also doubles as Justin's (Jeremy's younger brother) birthday celebration.



next up.... Our Annual Thanksgiving (& Christmas) Dinner!

Thanksgiving Recap....

See? I'm being a better blogger... 2 days in a row!

Alrighty- Thanksgiving!

Well, lucky for us, my side of the family doesn't do traditional Thanksgiving, leaving me to celebrate with Jeremy's family on that day. Of course the newest edition, Emma Rae was the big hit.... with adults, and kids!





On the Friday following Thanksgiving, my dad cooks a pig for everyone who wants to come. It's quickly become one of my families favorite traditions!

Wow, I've been a Slacker!

With a capital S!

I was so good about blogging..... oh, well!

So, here we go with updates!

since the new washer and dryer...... I've been to Michigan, Thanksgiving has come and gone, My Birthday came and went, we made a trip to Old Salem, and our Annual Thanksgiving (/Christmas this year) dinner has passed! WOW.

So we'll start with Michigan-
If you are reading this and don't know me personally, I work for the NC State Grange. (I write that blog too!)An organization started to give farmers in the south a voice following the Civil War. Since then, we've evolved into more of a community service organization. I am the Membership Director and Event Coordinator for the State. It's a rewarding, yet extremely challenging job! Well we have a National Convention that is held every November, this year, it was in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Our hotel was BEAUTIFUL :-) We stayed at the Amway Grand in downtown. Here's my room....

all the rooms in the tower side, where I was had these beautiful walls of windows overlooking the city.
While there, I was honored with the Hero of the Grange award. I had no idea how big of a deal this was. I was honored along with 7 other people, all who seemed to be much more qualified for this award than I.


While there, I also met Sarah Palin..... now before all you democrats get your panties in a bunch, let me say, I am not a particularly political person. But, it was really cool to meet someone so high profile.

Let me just tell you what I went through to meet her..... I arrived in Michigan and some other Grangers said hey were going to meet Sarah Palin on Wednesday, want to go? Sure!

Tuesday- her book hits shelves, we rode the city bus to the mall, bought her book at 7 AM.
Wednesday- got up at 4:15AM to be at the mall by 5:30- we hijacked a car this time.
Stood in line from 5:30 AM- 9AM OUTSIDE the mall in MICHIGAN..... hello, it was COLD! 9AM we got our wristbands to be able to come back and meet her at the book signing that evening. We went back to the hotel and napped. Got up and headed back to the mall at 2:30.... stood in line (inside this time!) from 2:30-8PM. Finally met her!


(please remember my lack of sleep and line standing when judging my appearance)

My sleep pattern didn't return to normal till I returned home :-/

A little late.....

But...

Welcome Emma Rae Chandler Riggs, born November 4th to my sister-in-law and brother-in-law, Megan and Adam!