recent happenings... summer is creeping in.

It appears that summer is beginning to make an appearance here in KY.  The weather hasn't reached unbearable levels (only in the 80s so far) but the humidity seems to be slowly creeping in.  Along with the humidity, Hubs and I have already begun our summer activities :)

 

I sat on the back porch one evening last week and watched the sunset.  I haven't taken the time to do that in far too long.  It was just me, an afternoon breeze, birds singing, and crickets chirping.  I really think the world might have stood still for just a minute.  It was heaven.

 

We have also completed about 90% of our landscaping.  Woohoo!  I was busy planting away with my "helpers."  However, they felt it was more important to nap... can't say that I blame them.

Here's what we have accomplished so far!  I just want to add a couple more finishing touches and I'll quit before it becomes tacky.  If you know me, that can happen quite easily.  The Camry made an appearance because she got cleaned inside and out.  Girlfriend was looking good!

I was running to town one day to run errands when this song came on.  The windows were down and the weather was great.  It was appropriate for the moment.  But, then again, when is 90s country not appropriate?!?

I, along with a couple other friends, are in the process of planning a wedding shower for our friend, Elizabeth.  After browsing Pinterest for many hours, these items stood out to me as our inspiration.  After some discussion, we will be doing a burlap, sunflower, and red chevron theme.  The centerpieces will be adjusted to make them more rustic, of course.  I am very excited to see how it all pulls together :)

Speaking of Elizabeth, we went wedding shopping on Saturday to gather many items for our upcoming DIY craft day.  We made stops at several local craft stores then hit up the consignment shops.  It turned out to be a treasure chest for me.  I got all these items (mason jar, purse, jewelry stand, quilt basket) for under $20 which made for one happy girl!

Finally, frog gigging season is here!  We made our first trip on Saturday to this beautiful spot.  The water is so clear that you can see the bottom.

 

We ended up only gigging one frog so the boys resorted to bowfishing for entertainment.  Meanwhile, us girls had a photo session with the frog gig.  Love these ladies!

I have to admit that I live for summer.  I look forward to the long, warm nights and fun activities that come along with them.  I love the freedom that it gives me... a perk of being a teacher ;)  After this weekend, the warm months bucket list has had a few items crossed off.  Gotta admit that I love crossing things off any to-do list!

I have another two weeks off before I begin working again and I intend to make the most of them.  First up, a lay-out session this afternoon.  This is life, y'all! :)

um, the past month of my life... recap.

Holy cow.  It has been over a month since my last post.  Not because I lost interest... but because I literally couldn't find the time in the day to sit down and write a blog post.  Lesson plans and the Teacher Work Sample recently consumed my life.

 

However, I really can see the light at the end of the tunnel and I know this is all almost over :)

 

Now to more important things... allow me to recap the past month of my life in pictures.

 

1.  For some reason, at the end of February, I had the urge to go all natural... brunette.  I'm not sure if it was the meds from Mono that caused this urge but I did it.  (see proof below)

 

And then a whole 3 days later, I went blonde again just in time for March.  I tried, I really did.  I got compliments but it just wasn't me.  Apparently I am just supposed to have color-treated hair. 

Oh, and a big shout-out to Revlon hair color.  I chose to spend $7 and try the at-home color method.  I was nervous but it turned out to be quite foolproof.  I'm blonde - not orange - and that's about all a girl can ask for!

2.  I wrapped up my first placement of student teaching with my 2nd graders by finishing our "Grammar Garden"...

 ... and got a surprise party from the kiddos!  They gave me cupcakes, classroom supplies, and a book full of notes and pictures.  It melted my heart.  Those little ones were tough and gave me a run for my money most days, but they are the sweetest things and taught me so much.

On another note, my second placement is absolutely wonderful!  I cannot wait to finish out my student teaching with these 5th graders.  They are a great group!

3.  Marriage is still ever-so-exciting.  Nate's reaction below sums it up ;)

For real, though, I love always having somebody around that I can post embarassing pictures of on Facebook.  I mean, when ya fall asleep early, you're just asking for it.  He's a mighty good sport!  We are celebrating our 7 year dating anniversary today... and nearly 6 months of marriage.  It has been an amazing ride :)

4.  I finally took down my Christmas wreath (don't judge!) and made a wreath more Spring appropriate.

With the exception of the white flowers, it is made of items used for decor at our wedding.  I have to admit that it turned out great!  Now I just need to find a rug for our porch that doesn't have Christmas trees.  Suggestions, people!

5.  Wedding season is starting!!! :)
We showered our friends, Brent and Jess, a couple weeks ago.  They are getting married in a couple short months and received so many things to begin their lives together. 

(I have to admit that it's nice to be on the other side of weddings now.  Planning and paying for my wedding was more than enough to last me the rest of my life!)

And, of course, the boys can't go anywhere without getting into some kind of mischief.  Our friend, Jake, locked his keys in his truck at their shower.  So they had to make a trip to Wal-Mart for wire hangers and somehow managed to break-in.  Keep in mind that it was pouring rain at this time too.  This picture was taken in the dry climate of my car while sharing laughter with the girls.  I sometimes wonder if my sole purpose in life is just to document the crap they get into.  Gotta admit, it sure is entertaining ;)

6.  The pups become more spoiled each day.  How can you say no to these faces?!

 7.  Spring break has arrived for this girl!  The district that I'm student teaching in is a year-round school system so we receive two weeks for this break.  And, let me tell ya, I am beyond excited for this break.  My face pretty much sums up my emotions about it.

And that piece of paper on the right is my to-do list for the break.  I am now halfway done with it.  The inside of our home has now been deep-cleaned for Spring.  What a relief!  Today, I'm looking forward to some dinner and shopping with my friend, Nicole.  Then tomorrow, I get to pick up my cap and gown for graduation. Six and a half weeks, y'all!

8.  Finally, it looks as though Mother Nature will be cooperating the rest of my break and may actually throw in some spring weather.  Considering the fact that it has snowed the past two days, I'm ready.  And so is the rest of the state of Kentucky.

9.  What's coming up on my blog?  The final wedding recap pictures, recent obsession, spring/summer bucket list, Easter recap (I heart Easter!), and a few DIY projects that the Hubs and I have tackled.  :)

It feels good to be back, my friends.  Happy hump day!

leading up to the big day {final bridal shower}

Finally, I have a recap of my final bridal shower which was held on 9.13.2012.  My current boss, Gaye, and friend (former boss), Emily, hosted this shower for me on campus.  I was so happy to be surrounded by co-workers and friends that afternoon.

The decor was so me.  Simple, rustic, sweet.  I was in love!

Emily handmade these cupcakes herself -- aren't they adorable?!?  She outdid herself!

The red bandana plates and napkins were a favorite.

The mantle complete with sunflowers, burlap banner, and some of our engagement pictures.

They ordered the sunflower arrangements from a flower shop here on campus and they were absolutely beautiful.  Probably the biggest sunflowers I've ever seen!

I was still suffering heavily from pinkeye that day so I didn't take any picture of myself ;)  I received some wonderful gifts and will be forever grateful that Emily and Gaye took time out of their busy lives to make me feel so special! 

it's meeee

I'm back, y'all!  I took a brief, unexpected hiatus.  I needed to get all my ducks in a row for when school starts back this coming Monday.  All the necessary papers have been printed, books have been ordered, and binders have been beautified!  Am I the only one out there who puts in time to have pretty dividers and the absolute perfect font for my cover sheet?  Ok, don't answer that ;)  It's hard to believe my senior year of college is upon me.  What an amazing experience WKU has given me!  On to other things...

Nathan gave me a late birthday present last week... tinted windows!  My old car had tinted windows so I was anxiously waiting but it was all worth it.  If you live in my area, I recommend Top Notch Tinting... we had a negative experience with another business at the beginning of the summer so I'm thankful we had such a great one with Top Notch!

Ain't she pretty?!

Nathan was off this weekend and we took full advantage of it.  I am so relieved to have crossed off so many things on my to-do list for the wedding!  Things are pretty well taken care of until the day comes upon us :)  We stayed in Saturday night while watching a Law & Order: SVU marathon and enjoying some Chicken Tortilla soup.  It's one of the staples around our house during the chilly months and I couldn't wait any longer to fix it!  Sunday afternoon we celebrated the baby shower for this beautiful girl and her husband.  Their due date is just 2 days before our wedding!  It's going to be a happy time of year :)

My sweet flower girl (cousin), Lily, started preschool yesterday.  Here's little miss sassy pants herself...

Her mommy says she just comes up with these poses on her own.  I can only imagine the laughs she'll bring to my face on our wedding day!  My friend, Kristen, just gave me the pictures she had of our wedding shower and I found this sweet one... makes my heart smile!  I cannot believe how fast she has grown.

One of the many things I have grown to love about waking up early to exercise is watching the sun rise on my commute.  I was greeted with this today and couldn't resist snapping a picture... it's the little things, am I right?

Have a great Wednesday!!!

Tuesday Randoms

Happy Tuesday, y'all!


I don't have much to share today...
I had a great, but quite tiring, weekend. We had a yard sale bright and early on Saturday morning. There was an amazing turnout and my family sold SO much stuff -- it's amazing how you can accumulate so much stuff in a year. Anywho, I had the honor of keeping Miss Lily occupied while the yard sale was going on outside. We had a wonderful morning of crafts, TV shows, and reading. Then we both zonked out for a nap :) I'm pretty sure we both felt like new people when we woke up. Nathan and I relaxed that night and pretty much the rest of the weekend.

I'm excited to help throw a bridal shower this afternoon for my friend (former boss), Emily. I cannot wait for the food, festivities, and to watch her be showered with gifts! (pictures later in the week)

I'm also excited about spending some of my birthday money this week. I don't have any specific things in mind but I'm hoping to stumble on some great deals... I'll keep ya informed :)

It is seriously, ridiculously hot today. The heat index was over 100 degrees by 10 am! It makes me want to do absolutely nothing but stay in the AC and take a nap. I feel for Nate... the thermometers are always maxed out at his work and I know it's well over 200 degrees in certain spots. God bless him because there's no way I could survive!

I'm off to drink some cold water, sit in the AC, and be mad about my humidity hair. Have a good one :)

Happy Friday randoms

TGIF, y'all!

Nathan and I are celebrating our one-year "adoption" anniversary of our bestest friend, Baylie :) You can find all the posts I've done about her HERE. I literally cannot believe how much she's grown. Here's some of my favorite snapshots of her from the past year...









I'm going to get her a nice, big bone this afternoon to celebrate the occasion :)

I'm kicking off my birthday weekend tonight! I'm meeting up with a few of my close friends for some awesome Mexican food in our hometown then we're heading to our local county fair to check out the booths and beauty pageants. We're gonna end the night with a sleepover... it's gonna feel like high school - haha! I'm so thankful for these girls and I know they'll keep me smiling the entire night!

My mother informed me she's making a chocolate pie for my birthday. This girl is exciteddd!

I got my former boss' wedding gift this week and I am IN LOVE with it! No pictures or previews because I know she'll see it ;)

I just found out this week that Blake Shelton has done his own version of "God Gave Me You" (originally done by Dave Barnes). It will be on his new CD that comes out very soon!

I'm looking forward to watching some fireworks this weekend. On a more serious note, I am so thankful to live in this country and thankful for the people who defend it everyday!

Birthday and 4th of July recaps next week for ya... enjoy the holiday :)

what i'm loving wednesday

Here's what I'm loving today :)

[ONE]
Over the past few days I've been reading this book every chance I get.


The title (obviously) is "Savannah Blues." It's a sassy novel about a girl from Georgia who is an antique picker and is dealing with the drama that comes from a divorce. I cannot wait to see how this bad boy ends! The best part??? The author, Mary Kay Andrews, has written several other books that I'm excited about reading. Special thanks to my aunt for recommending these books!

[TWO]
Today I am wearing a favorite outfit of mine. A baby blue t-shirt (the color looks great on me) and my favorite jeans. That always makes any day better :)

[THREE]
See this character below? Let me tell you how she made me laugh over the weekend...


In her Father's day card to our Nandad she told my aunt (her mommy) exactly what to write in it. Here's my favorite part... "Thank you for helping build my swingset. Thank you for your wallet." Hold up a second... his wallet? I guess we all know who the favorite is now.

[FOUR]
One of Nathan's cousins and his wife are expecting a baby boy in August. They are having a shower for him on Sunday and I can't wait to swoon over all the sweet baby clothes!

[FIVE]
Bright and early on next Tuesday morning, Nathan and I will be making a trip to a local flea market. The deals we may stumble upon make me so excited! I'll let ya know if we find any really good stuff :)

[SIX]
I have found the cure to my mid-morning hunger... Extra Dessert Delights Mint Chocolate Chip gum.


The stuff is amazing and holds me over until lunch. Go buy some now!

[SEVEN]
I have a feeling that frozen yogurt is going to become a weekly staple in my summer. But I have no complaints ;)


I'm meeting up with another best friend of mine this afternoon for some of this delicious treat. I love being able to load up my low-fat frozen yogurt with all kinds of chocolate and candy ;)

[EIGHT]
I'm loving all of the great men in my life! Father's Day is so sweet for me since I'm a Daddy's girl. I am incredibly blessed to have such amazing grandfathers, uncles, etc. And, of course, I have the best Dad any girl could ask for. There's something so special about the Daddy/Daughter relationship :)