Sweet Carolina Wife

A Baby Shower for Mary Mathews: Inspiration

2012-02-12T14:07:00.000-05:00

My best friend Elizabeth is due with a sweet baby girl named Mary Mathews at the end of April. She is the first one out of all of us to have a baby, so of course I am just so excited. I love Miss Mary Mathews already, and I of course adore her mama, so I wanted to show that by throwing them a baby shower! It is going to be at my parent's house in South Carolina on March 10, and I.cannot.wait.

I started collecting baby shower ideas for both girls and boys on Pinterest when she first told me she was pregnant. Jumping the gun, I know, but hey, I was a tad bit excited! When they found out that little peanut in her belly was a GIRL, I kicked the shower planning into high gear and found a lot of inspiration pictures to set the tone for the shower. I went back and forth a million times after finding so many gorgeous pictures on the rabbit hole known as Pinterest, and after way too many wasted, I finally figured out what I wanted to do.

Here is an idea board I made with some of my favorite inspiration pictures. I decided on the theme "Girly Rustic Vintage with Lots of Pink and Lace" (Yes I know that makes no sense to anyone else but my crazy brain.)

I am absolutely loving all things kraft paper and burlap right now, so I will definitely be using a lot of both things in all aspects of this shower. I also have always been and always will be obsessed with pink, so there won't be a shortage of that, either! :) There will also be tons of pink flowers in mason jars and my vintage milk glass vases, a million monograms, and some really yummy food! Speaking of food, I'm going to try making some delicious pink macarons...I hear they are difficult, so we shall see!

Source: thesweetestoccasion.com via Molly F. on Pinterest

Burlap tablecloth...gorgeous food...fun drink station

Source: savethedate4cupcakes.com via Molly F. on Pinterest

Tissue poms and lanterns!

Source: google.com via Molly F. on Pinterest

Doilies, Doilies, Doilies...and more Doilies

Source: lorajeansmagazine.blogspot.com via Molly F. on Pinterest

Lunch sack flowers...oh my!

I'm in my crazy, creative mode that Joe loves oh so much and I've been banging out projects left and right. I sure will be sad when it's all over!

Next up: Invitations

Catching Up

2012-02-11T14:01:00.000-05:00

Goodness, apparently I just can't get myself together enough to regularly post on this blog. Maybe it's because my life is super boring right now...just a whole lot of working, not enough sleeping, and a puppy who needs our constant attention. Nobody wants to read about that stuff.

We had an amazing Christmas and New Years in Kansas City, MO with Joe's parents and brother. I was so lucky to marry into such a wonderful family! They treat us like royalty when we are there, and we had so much fun spending time with them and their sweet pup Sophie. We also got to meet Joe's brother Pat's girlfriend Kadie and we just loved her!

awkward couple picture

Our little Charlie has gone from a precious 11 pound puppy, to a feisty 30 pound dog! He has been quite the handful, but we love him anyway! He has been going through a chewing stage the past couple of weeks (which is odd because he never did this while he was teething.) Yesterday, he chewed up his brand new, expensive harness after wearing it only once, and chewed up my beloved Ray Ban sunglasses...I may or may not have lost my mind and sat in the floor and cried. He is currently (willingly) taking a nap in his crate with the door open, so I can finally get some stuff done! Hoping things start to get better with this silly boy! Isn't he so darn cute?!?

Joe started his Spring semester of his 2L year in law school...that means he's over halfway through! WOOP WOOP!! It has definitely been a rough ride with lots of stress and not seeing each other very often, but I know it's all going to be worth it in the end! Joe absolutely loves what he is doing, and that makes me so incredibly happy to know that he found his little niche in life! He is going to be a great environmental lawyer!

I flew home to South Carolina to pay tribute to one of the most amazing men I have ever known. My daddy's best friend, Mr. Paul, passed away after a hard battle with Esophageal Cancer. The amount of people at his visitation and funeral were a testament to how great he was and how much he was loved by everyone who knew him. My sweet daddy got to speak at the service and he did such a great job remembering his friend. I just wish I lived closer so that I could spend more time with his amazing wife, Susan, and their sweet daughter, Sullivan.


Mr. Paul and Daddy in Jamaica last April

Mr. Paul and Mrs. Susan at our wedding in June 2010

This winter in New York has seriously been amazing (which is definitely much needed after the horrible one we had last year!) I haven't had to scrape any ice or snow from my car when I go to work in the morning...you don't know how happy that makes me! We had some snow on Halloween weekend (weird) and a little bit when I went home for the funeral, and a few sprinkles this morning that melted as soon as they hit the ground. This southern girl loves this kind of winter! Here's to hoping it stays this way until Spring.

Taking a walk in the snow before it all melted...he LOVED it!

I've also been crafting/redecorating like crazy! I am hosting a baby shower for my friend Elizabeth in SC in March, so I have been super busy making and sending out the invitations, and crafting decorations. Also, nothing in our apartment stays put for long because I am constantly redecorating, so I have a few things I've done that I will blog about later this week!

Invitations for the baby shower

Gallery wall in the making

Lots of fun posts coming soon...promise!

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-15T10:55:00.002-05:00

Our Christmas card from Shutterfly

You can see who was the star of the show...what a precious little pup! :)

The pictures of us are at Rockefeller Center, on Ellis Island overlooking Manhattan, and at a Steelers game at the New Meadowlands Stadium.

The back:

I thought I wanted to do a silly card this year of us all decked out in our Christmas finery, so I subjected my poor husband and puppy to a self timer photo shoot in our living room...HAHA! We ended up not using any of these for our card but I put one of these pictures on the return address labels

Here were the two cards we sent out last year. Yes, we sent out two...I couldn't make up my mind! :)

Too bad we can't use our pretty wedding pictures on our cards EVERY year!!!

Another Nursery

2011-12-10T11:37:00.000-05:00

My best friend, Elizabeth, is having a baby in April and to say that I am excited would be the understatement of the year! We have been dreaming of having babies since we met in the 6th grade and I cannot wait to spoil her sweet little peanut! They are finding out the gender this Monday, but I was super impatient and went ahead and made a design board for the nursery just in case the baby is a girl! Elizabeth mentioned loving the aqua and coral color scheme and loving lots of ruffles, so that's where I got the idea for this precious nursery! She already has a beautiful cherry crib, so I love how the rest of the furniture in the board coordinates with that.

SO excited to find out what that sweet baby is!

Pink and Orange Nursery

2011-12-04T21:09:00.001-05:00

I have some serious baby fever going on right now, and the only cure for that seems to be decorating imaginative nurseries for my nonexistent children! ;)

If I am lucky enough to ever have a baby girl, I would love for her to have a beautiful room that she will grow into. I love nurseries with beautiful furniture pieces, art that is fit for an adult space, and luxurious details...babies deserve some glamor, too! Lately, I have been obsessed with the pink and orange color scheme and I designed this inspiration board around it. I love everything about this room and wish I could have it in my home right now! Maybe in a few years!

I'm not going to add the sources here unless someone asks because this is most definitely a nursery on no budget. I used some of my favorite pieces that are quite expensive, and if I was doing this nursery for real, I would be on the hunt for the same look for less!

Here are a few inspiration pictures I found:


via

via

Isn't this color combo just so cheery??

Last Week's Menu

2011-12-04T12:40:00.001-05:00

I was getting bored with our usual meals, so I decided to use some of the recipes I saved on Pinterest and boy were they yummy!

(click on the titles for links to the recipes)

Shrimp and Grits

This is one of my most favorite recipes ever and I could never get tired of it! It is so incredibly easy and is SO delicious...I can't recommend it enough!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken

I love, love, love being able to put a bunch of stuff in the crockpot and come home from work to a deliciously cooked dinner! This was so easy and was really yummy! It got two thumbs up from my husband so we will definitely be doing this again soon. I served it over brown rice and topped it with green onions, cilantro, sour cream, cheese, and avocado slices. Yum!

Crock Pot Santa Fe Chicken leftovers

The meal from the night before made wayyy too much for just two people, so I decided to make some soft tacos with the leftover chicken and it was seriously so amazing. I think it was even better than the day before! Can't wait to have this again!

Asian Turkey Meatballs with Lime Sesame Dipping Sauce

This was our absolute favorite new recipe of the week! It was super easy and SOOO good!! Buying the sesame oil that is called for in the recipe has changed my life and I wish I could use it in everything! I served the meatballs with brown rice and sugar snap peas sauteed in sesame oil and lime juice...YUMMY!

Easy Chicken Parmesan

I had to work late this night, so I needed to make something quick and easy for Joe to have when he got home from school. I didn't look at a recipe for Chicken Parmesan so I have no idea if I even did it the right way, but I guess it doesn't matter because it was so good! I used thin sliced chicken breasts and dipped them in a scrambled egg, then covered them in Italian breadcrumbs and baked them in the oven until cooked through. I used a 13x9 Pyrex baking dish and covered the bottom with marinara sauce, and put the cooked chicken breasts on top of the sauce. I sliced some fresh mozzarella to put on top and popped it all back in the oven until the cheese was melted. We had it with whole wheat pasta and roasted broccoli and we will definitely be having this again soon!

The Look for Less: Lamp Edition

2011-12-02T14:17:00.001-05:00

I am slightly obsessed with Jonathan Adler and all of his gorgeous designs. I've seen his White Bel Air Lamps and Nelson Lamps around the internet and have saved many pictures of rooms featuring these beauties as inspiration. I knew I couldn't afford to have two lamps that cost $725 or $395 a piece, so I set out on a mission to find the same look for less (wayyy less!)

I, of course, set out to my local Home Goods (which is the most amazing one I've ever been to) and was disappointed that they didn't have any white lamps. I then may or may not have stalked this store once a week right when it opened until I found what I was looking for. Hey, it worked! I found the most AMAZING white lamps that were almost identical to my favorite Jonathan Adler ones. Want to know the best part? They were $39.99 a piece! See for yourself...

And guess what?? I love mine even more than the pricier versions! Look at those lucite bases and the silver foil on the inside of the shades...it's all in the details!

Head out to your local discount and thrift stores soon and find your very own looks for less!

Christmas in New York

2011-12-01T14:10:00.005-05:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here in our humble abode! The one thing I was most excited about in this apartment was the mantel and fireplace and I couldn't wait to decorate it all for Christmas! The fireplace wall is giant and very white, so I knew I needed some height and some drama to make it stand out! I used some tall vases that were used as centerpieces at our wedding reception, some white sticks I bought from the market downstairs for $4.99, and six bags of green split peas from the grocery store...super cheap way to create some height on the mantel! I also bought some live cedar garland from the grocery store and ran it across the mantel with some garland that I found at Home Goods. I love love love how it turned out! The cedar smells SO good that I wish it was acceptable to have it up year round! I kept the tree super simple this year and only put up our special ornaments with a few filler ornaments so it didn't look too bare.

Don't you love Charlie's $2 stocking? Maybe next year we'll upgrade :)

The buffet in the entryway was so much fun to decorate! I knew I wanted to stick with the color palette of whites/creams, green, and silver so I found two trees at Home Goods and the smaller silver one is a gift from my sweet Mema and is from Pottery Barn. The feather wreath is also from Home Goods (seeing a theme here? love that place!), the nativity scene belonged to Joe's late Grandmother and is so special to us. It is so cheery walking in to the entryway after a long day at work!

As if I didn't already love this apartment enough...it's taken on a whole new light in this beautiful Christmas season!

Obsession: Schumacher Chiang Mai Dragon

2011-10-29T11:50:00.000-04:00

via

Is this not the most beautiful fabric you have ever seen? It might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I am so obsessed! Every time I show it to Joe, he thinks I have gone insane. I really, really love the aquamarine colorway (pictured above,) but they are all gorgeous! It would be the most perfect addition to our cream colored couch and would look so pretty with the orange curtains, green chairs, and aqua accents in the room. The only problem? The price and the fact that it is only available to the trade. Of course I would fall in love with such an expensive fabric! So, for now I will keep dreaming about pillows in this luscious fabric and will keep drooling over pictures of it in other people's homes! Maybe Santa Claus will be a sweetie and bring me two 20" pillow covers. :)

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy some of my favorite Chiang Mai Dragon inspiration!

via

See how pretty those pillows would be in this room??

What do you think about this fabric...do you love it as much as I do?

it's the little things

2011-09-23T13:40:00.002-04:00

Today, I am so excited to join in for It's the Little Things at From the Aisle to Aloha, and for InstaFriday at Life Rearranged! I have had so much fun documenting all of the little things I am thankful for. :)

...Fall nail polish! I absolutely love all of the new Fall colors by Essie and OPI and bought a few to keep my fingers lookin' pretty! My fave so far is Case Study (pictured on the left), part of the new fall line by Essie. It is a mixture between all of the most popular colors this fall (grey, beige, army green) and is absolutely perfect...definitely a must buy if you don't already have it!

...My baby's first bath at home! How cute is this little wet rat?? I could eat him up!

...Friendship bracelets! One of the joys of working with a 9 year old girl :)

...Redecorating! Nothing stays in place for long in this house! I always have so much fun switching things around and making it all feel new again. Totally loving the gigantic mirror from the mantle in the entryway...so much more grand!

...First pot of chili on the first cold night of fall! DELISH! recipe coming soon!

...Pretty pumpkins. Although it was still pretty warm outside last week and didn't feel anything like fall, it sure was fun to see these pretty things outside of the grocery store!

...It's FALL on our mantle! Like I said before, things don't sit still for long! I added a few things since the last time I posted mantle pictures and I am absolutely in love! Can I just have a fall mantle year round??

...My pretty monogrammed necklace! Joe gave me this on our wedding day, and I love it so much! I wore it almost every day this week and it is such a sweet reminder of my sweet husband and our amazing wedding day!

...Charlie has eyes! My sweet boy had to get some shots at the vet today, and while he was there I asked if they could pretty please trim the hair around his eyes so the poor thing could see! Look at those precious eyes now!

DIY art!

2011-09-19T14:40:00.002-04:00

i saw a post on nuestra vida dulce (one of my absolute favorite bloggers ever) about these geometric wall decals, and knew they would be perfect in our new living room. i ordered them that day, and they sat in their packing for months and months until i could figure out what in the world i was going to do with 8 huge stickers.

via

i thought about buying frames for them, but that turned out to be a little too pricey for this project since i am notorious for changing things up a little too often. coupons in hand, i headed to michael's to find a solution. i ended up with these extremely affordable square 12"x12" canvasas that came two to a pack and thought it would help to make them look more like art and less like cheap stickers.

they didn't stick very well to the canvas, so i had to use a bit of hot glue...but you would never notice. they make a beautiful, bold statement on the huge wall over the couch, and i am so pleased with how it turned out.

who knows, i may get tired of them in the next couple of months, but that is the beauty of DIY art for under $50!

the website has tons of different decals to choose from...totally loving this paris map! these would all look great on canvases!

(not a sponsored post, just sharing a fun find!)

fall.

2011-09-18T14:36:00.000-04:00

windows open, air conditioner off, long sleeves on...

it's finally FALL in new york!

this summer was a HOT one, so this lovely fall weather is certainly welcome!

i am taking advantage of this beautiful day by decorating our apartment for the season...

and hanging out with my sweet boy. (my other sweet boy is spending the day in the library...dumb law school!)

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL! :)

Charlie.

2011-09-15T14:27:00.001-04:00

Meet Charlie.

He's the cutest little Tibetan Terrier and I am so obsessed...get ready for lots of puppy posts to come!

We got him this past Friday, and he has been SO good! I was kind of worried about getting a puppy because quite honestly, we don't have time to deal with all of the things that go along with that. We just decided to bite the bullet and go on the hunt for the perfect dog, and this sweet little boy just kind of fell into our lap after weeks and weeks of searching!

He has the sweetest disposition, and hardly ever barks! He is a big ball of fur, and is super cuddly. It's been less than a week and I already am so in love!

Isn't he such a cutie? It's so hard to take a picture of his sweet face behind all that pretty hair!

Can you tell someone hates the elevator? Hoping he gets over this soon!

His favorite hiding spot!

This is how all of our walks go.

Sorry for the iPhone pics...this has been a super busy week, so I haven't been able to take many pictures of him with my nice camera...maybe this weekend!

I'm baaaack!

2011-09-12T09:43:00.000-04:00

Sorry for yet another long blogging absence! Promise I've had a good excuse!

In August, we had a long two week vacation from work, so we went to South Carolina for my friend Alisha's wedding and stayed with my parents for a few days, then headed to Kansas City, Missouri so stay with Joe's parents for a week!

www.allisonelizabethphoto.com

How gorgeous is this couple?? We were so excited to be a part of Alisha and Zac's wedding! It was just gorgeous...LOVED the yellow and gray color scheme! See those wreaths on the doors, I made them! More on that later! :)

I got to spend time with my most favorite people in the whole world! My little brother Ben had just gotten back from Africa, and my brother Patrick and sister in law Mandi brought their little sweeties over for a cookout! I also got to see some sweet friends I've been missing and also my wonderful parents and grandparents!

The Wednesday after the wedding, we flew from Greenville, SC to Kansas City and spent a week in Joe's parents beautiful new house. We got the grand tour all over the KC area and we absolutely loved it! I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few from a little day trip to the cutest little town called Parkville.

We also got to see Joe's brother Pat's scrimmage at Missouri State!

A few weeks after that trip, we flew down to Fayetteville, Arkansas for the Arkansas/Missouri State to see Pat and the Bears take on the Razorbacks! Neither of us had ever been to Arkansas, so it was really fun to see their great football atmosphere! It was HOT, and Missouri State lost, but we had a great time!

We have also been super busy because...

...this precious little guy came to live with us! :)

His name is Charlie and he is the most beautiful Tibetan Terrier! We got him this past Friday, and we have been obsessed with this little puppy ever since! Lots more puppy posts to come!

Hope everyone is having a fabulous Monday!

Greek Turkey Buger Pita Recipe

2011-07-24T21:58:00.000-04:00

Tonight, I made Greek Turkey Burger Pitas and they were so delicious I just had to share the recipe! My husband Joe is a tough critic when it comes to trying my new recipes, and he said this deserves to be in the family cookbook (only my Shrimp and Grits and Bourbon Pecan Chicken have made it so far), so that shows you how incredibly delicious this dinner is! It was super easy and took less than 30 minutes to make! Not only was it easy, but healthy too! This is definitely going to get eaten a lot in our house from now on!

Enjoy!

{via}

Greek Turkey Burger Pitas
Inspired by a Cooking Light recipe

For Burgers:

1 pound ground turkey breast
1/2 cup panko or whole wheat breadcrumbs
1/4 cup (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese
1 tablespoon minced red onion

1 tablespoon finely chopped cucumber
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

1 tablespoon mayonnaise

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried dill

1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced

2 cups arugula, or your favorite kind of lettuce
2 (6-inch) whole-wheat pitas, grilled and halved

For Sauce:
(I just buy ready made tzatziki sauce at the store to make it easier)

1/2 cup low-fat plain greek yogurt
1/3 cucumber, peeled and seeded (the kind that come in the plastic wrapper are best)
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
Combine first 8 ingredients in a bowl; mix until combined. Divide mixture into 12 portions, shaping each into a 1/2-inch-thick round patty (2 should fit in a pita half). (I find that it is a lot easier to make these smaller falafel sized patties rather than full sized ones)

Heat a nonstick grill pan coated with cooking spray to medium-high heat. Add patties to grill; cook 6 minutes on each side or until done.

While the patties are cooking, make the tzatziki sauce: Combine 1/2 cup plain low-fat, Greek-style yogurt; 1/4 cup finely chopped seeded cucumber; 1/4 teaspoon salt; and 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper.

Place 2 patties in each pita half, with a healthy dollop of the tzatziki sauce.

Other great toppings would be: lettuce, red onions, sliced cucumbers, feta cheese, sliced bell peppers

Roadtrip #520495

2011-07-15T15:43:00.000-04:00

Joe and I are headed out on what seems like our millionth road trip of the summer, but I couldn't be happier!

Can't wait to be in Pittsburgh with his wonderful family!

Happy Weekend! :)

Dining Room Makeover

2011-07-15T15:29:00.003-04:00

My parents bought their matching dining room suite right after they first got married. It is still in great shape, but my mom was growing tired of all of the wood tones in the room. She wanted to be able to makeover the room on a small budget, and I think she did such a great job!

One of my biggest decorating pet peeves is a room full of matchy matchy furniture! I can't stand a set of furniture that is all exactly alike (hope I'm not hurting anyone's feelings!) I read somewhere that your home should be full of furniture that looks like it was collected over time, and not bought at on the same day at some big box store. I absolutely love shopping for furniture at thrift and consignment stores. The prices are always amazing, and the pieces usually have a lot of character! A lot of people have the same problem as my mom, and already have an old matching dining room suite that is in need of an updated look.

She decided to paint her dining room chairs a crisp white, and it is such a great contrast with the dark wood of the table now. She also recovered the chair cushions in a fun pear green animal print and it instantly updated the room. It was a really easy fix and only cost the amount of a few cans of spray paint and a yard of new fabric! Told you it was easy!

Here are some pictures of some other dining room's with the same idea.

Source: houzz.com via Molly on Pinterest

Source: decorpad.com via Molly on Pinterest

Source: designsponge.com via Molly on Pinterest

Source: google.com via Molly on Pinterest

So, if you have an all wood, matching dining room suite and are in need of a quick change...go paint your chairs white right now! You'll thank me later. Promise!

Her walls were already a gorgeous color (Blonde by Sherwin Williams), so she focused most of the rest of her budget on new drapes. She had custom drapes before and the floral fabric was pretty, but the shape and fringe were screaming 1990's! She found a beautiful, modern floral printed fabric at a great price, and actually had the fabric store make four lined panels for a great price (I can't remember exactly how much she paid.)

We are also in the process of redoing my little brother Ben's room while he's in Africa (we thought it was time to give him a big boy room since he's 21 and all..haha!) and had a leftover bookshelf that he didn't need anymore. I had a lightbulb moment and thought about how cute it would be in my parents' dining room as a little bar area! I was right, it is perfect in there! I quickly styled it with stuff my mom already had, but I absolutely love the way it turned out!

She is on the hunt for a new chandelier and I can't wait to see what it looks like when it's all done! What a transformation for hardly any money!
I'll be back home in a couple of weeks, so I will take good pictures with my big camera!

Lessons Learned:

How to bring your dining room out of the 90's!

1. Get rid of that matchy matchy look and all of that wood, and paint your chairs (or any other piece) white or maybe even a fun color!

2. Go buy a yard or two of fabric and recover those chairs!

3. Slap some fresh paint up on the walls!

4. Shop for some new accessories or furniture pieces from your own house...it's totally free and I guarantee you will find a new love for these pieces when placed in a different room!

5. Change up the window coverings! You can find fun and inexpensive bamboo shades to update your windows, or get some new drapes (whether they be custom made or even cheap ready made ones from Target or Ikea!)

Carolina In My Mind

2011-07-13T14:07:00.000-04:00

I am back from an amazing trip to South Carolina! I had so much fun at the lake with all of my sweet family (minus my little brother who is in Africa for the summer...missed you Ben!) at the lake, and also at my parents' house in Greenville. I took my big camera with both of my lenses and had all intentions of taking a million pictures...then I only managed to take a few pictures with my phone. I was too busy having fun to get out the camera, I guess! Anyway, I am usually sad when having to leave home, but wasn't this time because we will be back in the good ol' SC in a few weeks for my sweet friend Alisha's wedding!

I got to see my sweet nieces and nephew and loved being able to spend so much time with them! I hate living so far away from them and missing them grow up, so I cherish every little second I get with them!

How sweet are these babies:

O'neil...the little charmer!

Our 5 am party!


Lainey Kate is such a sweet big sister!

Super excited for our next trip down to see these two love birds tie the knot!

Allison Elizabeth Photography

Happy 4th!

2011-07-04T08:28:00.001-04:00

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Here's to lots of delicious food, soaking up some sun, laughing with sweet family, and gorgeous fireworks!

Source: google.com via Lisa on Pinterest

Source: amybirdtweets.com via Shannon on Pinterest

Source: allyou.com via the brown on Pinterest

sneak peaks

2011-07-01T09:24:00.001-04:00

Here are a few sneak peaks of the rest of the rooms in our new apartment.

Lots of pictures and posts to come!

roadtrip

2011-06-30T19:54:00.001-04:00

Right now, I am with

roadtripping from

{new york}

{charleston, sc}

to see

and kiss all over

these sweet babies!!!

We are going to stay at my family's lake house and I am just so excited I can't stand it!

This vacation is much needed for the both of us!

Can't wait to have this view for the week!

Pinnable Pictures

2011-06-26T11:07:00.001-04:00

I thought it would be fun to share some of my recent pins on Pinterest!

Follow me if you aren't already! :)
(or let me know if you need an invite!)

Source: theglitterguide.tumblr.com via Molly on Pinterest

I'm dying over this bar cart...I'm in serious need of this.

Source: decco-chic.blogspot.com via Molly on Pinterest

Wow! How gorgeous is this floor??

Source: images.meredith.com via Molly on Pinterest

Love the neutral furniture with all of the pops of color!

Source: static1.modcloth.com via Molly on Pinterest

Would love to get a print of this quote framed for my little studio area!

Source: imgfave.com via Molly on Pinterest

I cried the first time I read this...I miss my sweet friends so much! :)

Source: printshop.urbanoutfitters.com via Molly on Pinterest

Amen!

Source: sweetpeaskitchen.com via Molly on Pinterest

Red Velvet Cream Cheese Brownies...these look lethal!

Source: to-be-charmed.com via Molly on Pinterest

Loving this color scheme for a wedding!

Source: sofeminine.co.uk via Molly on Pinterest

Would love to know how to do my hair like this!

Source: sierrastudiosphotography.blogspot.com via Molly on Pinterest

Oh. my. gosh. Pinterest is NOT helping my baby fever. Can't wait for Joe to hold our little babies like a football! ha!

Source: kbshirley.blogspot.com via Molly on Pinterest

Obsessed with this precious birth announcement...how beautiful is the calligraphy??

Source: sterlingstyle.net via Molly on Pinterest

Loving the chunky watch/bracelets trend...although Joe thinks I look like a gypsy :)

Source: elizabethannedesigns.com via Molly on Pinterest

Everything I love rolled into one little dinner party! Pink Chiviari chairs, chevron fabric, and beautiful flowers!

phone photo dump!

2011-06-25T11:57:00.000-04:00

I got a new phone a couple of months ago and downloaded the Vignette app and love the pictures it takes! Here are a few I've taken lately:

Grand Central Terminal...I could never get tired of that view.

Road trip to Pittsburgh!

Gorgeous view at the Pittsburgh Pirates game

love all of the bridges in Pittsburgh

move in craziness...so glad it doesn't look like this anymore!

Dinner in Little Italy...one of my most favorite places to be

Peonies in bloom!

Aqua lamps I have been lusting after at Home Goods...I NEED them :)

look at those sweet furry babies!

our new herbs on the window ledge...don't you love our view? ;)

Hope you are all having an amazing weekend!

Striped Entryway: Done!

2011-06-24T18:25:00.002-04:00

Entryway before (super boring!) :

Sorry it has taken me so long to get this post up! The stripes were actually the first thing to get done, but it took me a little longer to get the room styled. I'm such a perfectionist and don't like to take "after" pictures until every little detail is just the way I want it. Of course, I've changed things around a million times since I took these pictures (some accessories are even different in some of the pictures) so I guess your home is never really finished!

taping was not the most fun part, so i was thankful it was a small room!

We actually did this all on June 5...yes, our first anniversary! Super romantic, huh? I wouldn't have had it any other way, though! We don't get to spend a lot of time together due to our super hectic schedules, so it was nice to have a big project like this to work on together! Joe was so sweet to help me with this! He was a HUGE help to this extremely right brain creative girl! He is always so logical and mathematical, so he was the one who did all the measuring...thank God!

all taped and ready to start painting!

I thought about writing a full tutorial, but decided not to because the one I followed was so amazing! Jessica from Decor Adventures wrote a fabulous tutorial on painting stripes, and it was so incredibly helpful to us. We did a few things different, but it was so nice to have her post to go by. Seriously, if you are thinking about painting stripes, definitely use her post as a guide!

all finished!

Our ceilings are super tall, and we had lots of molding to work around, so we decided to take the easy way out and paint the gray stripes on the existing wall color (which is kind of an off white.) I was worried it wouldn't look as crisp as some of my inspiration pictures, but I absolutely love the way it turned out. Plus, it was WAY easier not to have to paint a base coat of white! We ended up having 4 gray stripes and 5 of the existing color so we wouldn't have to tape around the ceiling and baseboards. Genius, I tell ya!

I ended up choosing the color Versatile Gray from Sherwin Williams because I was scared the greige color I picked out at first would be a little too dark. I was totally right! The Versatile Gray turned out to be exactly what I wanted, and I love the way it looks with the off white that was already on the walls.

This source list is for you, Allison! :)

Paint: Versatile Gray by Sherwin Williams

Mirror: Home Goods (it's the same one from Young House Love!)

Both buffet lamps: Home Goods (The white one with the fun lampshade will be sticking around in here!)

Floor lamp: Target

Buffet: It's acually a bookcase that is supposed to stand up tall, but we added some stainless steel legs from Ikea and called it a buffet!

Ikat bowl: Anthroplogie (I am so in love with this bowl and need to go get more before they sell out! Perfect for keys or jewelry!)

Bench: Home Goods

Pillows: Home Goods

NYC Prints: Photos taken by yours truly! I thought it would be fun to have some cool NYC architecture framed in here to go with the Statue of Liberty picture I had mounted on canvas. Nice, cheap art!

Shoe Basket: Home Goods

Silhouettes: A DIY project I did for the cake table at our wedding. Love looking at these and feeling all nostalgic :)

Mostly everything else was either a wedding gift or from Home Goods!

So, there ya go! A pretty and welcoming entryway on a super tight budget!

Moral of the story...GO TO HOME GOODS!

Mantle: Done!

2011-06-11T12:55:00.000-04:00

The huge, gorgeous mantle and fireplace in our new apartment are my favorite things about this place! As soon as I saw it during my first walkthrough, I knew this apartment had to be ours. When we moved in, I was itching to hurry and decorate the mantle, but knew that I didn't have anything substantial enough to fill up the space (it's pretty huge!) We started focusing our time and energy on other areas of the apartment, and the pretty mantle took the backseat for a couple of weeks until I found the perfect stuff to go up there.

I originally thought of getting a huge canvas from Michaels, and painting some sort of graphic pattern on it. Here is a little mock up I made before we moved in:

I love me some Olioboard, people! Anyway, I still LOVE how this looks, but everything changed when I found the most perfect mirror on a trip to Home Goods this week! It is enormous and barely fit in my backseat, so I knew it was going to be a great fit on the giant mantle. I love how clean and crisp the white frame looks on the white mantle! I accessorized the sides with some random things I already had, so it probably isn't permanent. I love the idea of changing it all around when I'm in the mood!

As you can see, I still need curtains for all of the windows in the living room, but haven't found the perfect solution. I'm also waiting on the campaign dresser that is currently at my parents' house in SC to go in the little TV niche...we haven't figured out the most economical way to get all of that furniture up here yet! Any ideas??

peonies.

2011-06-09T14:30:00.000-04:00

Pretty pink peonies can definitely brighten any day! :)

Happy Wednesday!

wish list

2011-06-08T13:09:00.000-04:00

1 - Urban Outfitters Coney Island print (I'm obsessed)

2 - Ikea Rast dressers for bedside tables (to DIY of course)

3 - Robert Allen Kiki Pinata fabric for cafe curtain in kitchen

4 - CB2 Paint Palette Pillow (also obsessed)

5 - West Elm Parsons Desk ( I NEED this for my sewing machine!)

6 - Navy/Cream Quatrefoil Pillow

7 - whoops!

8 - Grey Sassari Ikat Pillows

9 - matching aqua lamps for entryway...I always see them at HomeGoods/TJ Maxx/ Marshalls

10 - a fun garden stool for my little reading nook! (orange, please!)

11 - Aqua Trellis Pillow

Hey, a girl can dream, right? :)

so sorry!

2011-06-07T13:40:00.001-04:00

Alright, so I'm officially the worst blogger in the world. Who promises a whole week of fun posts, then doesn't come back until 2 weeks later?!? Apparently I do! I am SO sorry but I swear I had good reasons! The week before Memorial Day weekend, not only did I work over 50 hours that week, we had to have our entire apartment packed and ready to go since Friday and Saturday were our moving days. Joe's sweet brother, Pat, drove all the way from Missouri to help us move. (Can I tell you how nice it was that I didn't have to do any heavy lifting?? Thanks boys!) Anyway, things have been a blur since then with work and trying to get this place in order!

Our first anniversary was this past Sunday, and I felt so bad that it had to take a backseat to our new apartment! We made the most of it, and tried to celebrate as much as we could! I spent the entire day being nostalgic and reminiscing about what we were doing exactly a year ago. We had a super romantic day of painting stripes in our entryway...I had SO much fun spending that quality time with my sweet Joe! Those stripes will be getting a post of their own as soon as I can finish styling the rest of the space! After the stripes were finally finished (after 6 hours!!) we got ready and headed out to The Cheesecake Factory for a yummy dinner. The only picture I have of the day is of my cutie pie husband taping the stripes on the wall with no shirt on. Classy.

Anyway, to my wonderful husband, Happy First Anniversary! This has been the most amazing and exciting year of my life, and I can't wait to see what the future has in store for us! I am so proud of you and thankful that I get to wake up to you every morning. Love you to the moon and back!

Now that we are finally in our beautiful new apartment and are starting to get settled, I can't wait to start all of the projects I have planned! Here is a little sneak peak of the stripes to tide you over until it's all finished!

Show Us Your Life: Favorite Recipe!

2011-05-20T10:16:00.001-04:00

Welcome from Kelly's Korner!

This week on Show Us Your Life, we are all featuring our favorite main course recipe. I am SO excited to read everyone's recipes because I feel like I've been cooking the same things over and over for the past few months!

I have posted both of these recipes before, but I have to do it again because they are THAT good! Anytime we have a special occasion, these are the two dishes my husband begs me to make!

First up is the most fabulous Shrimp and Grits you will ever put in your mouth. Promise you! It is so easy to do, and makes my mouth water just thinking about it. It's a great recipe for company!

Our second favorite recipe is this Bourbon Pecan Chicken. Oh my goodness you MUST try it! It has the best flavor, and I could probably eat it every night! I have made this meal for the past two Valentine's Days and we are usually licking the plate by the end of dinner!

Hope you all enjoy these recipes and stay to read my blog a little more! We are moving into a beautiful new apartment next week, so I have lots of fun posts coming up and I have some fun things planned for our first wedding anniversary in a couple of weeks! Thanks for stopping by!

Stripes

2011-05-16T10:00:00.000-04:00

Our moving date is just a couple of weeks away, so I've been hard at work on some design plans for our new apartment. First up on the To Do list is the first room you see when you walk in; I like to call it the entry hall. I don't have any good pictures of the room, but you can kind of see it through this living room doorway.

I've been drooling over striped walls for quite some time now, so I have decided that the entry hall would be the perfect place for them! I haven't decided on a specific color, but I'm going to decide between light grey/white or light beige/white. Can't wait!

Here are a few inspiration pictures I've been collecting:

Update: Right now, I'm thinking of using Perfect Greige from Sherwin Williams. I love that it's a good mix of Grey and Beige!

Let me know if you have any painting tips or other color suggestions!

Papatzul in NYC

2011-05-15T17:47:00.000-04:00

Last Friday night, Joe and I ventured down to SoHo to one of our most favorites restaurants in the city, Papatzul. We were introduced to it by our sweet friends, Chris and Sarah, and we have been back multiple times since. I wanted to celebrate the end of Joe's first year at law school, so I knew Papatzul would be the perfect place to go. It is some of the best Mexican food I've ever had (including in Mexico) and everything I have eaten there has been absolutely delicious. If you live in NYC or are just visiting, you MUST eat here!

We love how it's not a huge chain, and that the atmosphere is so cozy!

I ordered the Conchita Pibil (slow roasted pork in banana leaves served with sauteed corn and zucchini.) DELISH! I get this entree everytime because it is seriously some of the most delicious food I've ever had.

Can't wait to go back again soon!

Lovely Advice

2011-05-09T08:00:00.000-04:00

Just read this on Elements of Style and thought I had to share it, too! I will definitely be printing this out to remind myself and these important rules! Enjoy!

Health:

Drink plenty of water.
Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
Live with the 3 E’s – Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
Play more games.
Read more books than you did in 2010.
Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.
Sleep for 7 hours.
Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality:

Don’t compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
Don’t have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
Don’t over do. Keep your limits.
Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip.
Dream more while you are awake.
Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
Forget issues of the past. Don’t remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don’t hate others.
Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.
No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
Smile and laugh more.
You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

Society:

Call your family often.
Each day give something good to others.
Forgive everyone for everything.
Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
Try to make at least three people smile each day.
What other people think of you is none of your business.
Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life:

Do the right thing!
Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.
However good or bad a situation is, it will change.34. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
The best is yet to come.
Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

mother's day 2011

2011-05-08T18:34:00.000-04:00

Mothers Day Massacre of 2011

Yes, I survived (with some pretty cut up feet,) but almost my whole collection of Fiestaware did not. It's a sad, sad day in our household as we mourn all of the beautiful china I've been collecting for years. :(

Stupid Ikea shelves.

On a happy note, Happy Mother's Day to the most amazing woman that I have ever known, my sweet mama! I love you the mostest and the bestest (yeah, we are weird and don't speak correct english to each other) and I miss you so much everyday! Thanks for being my best friend and an even better mama!

I also want to say Happy Mother's Day to my other mother (my sweet mother in law) who raised an amazing son, and to my wonderful Mema who I miss dearly! Love y'all!

i love spring.

2011-05-07T18:12:00.000-04:00

Spring is finally here in full force, and I have loved every minute of it. I have never experienced true seasons having lived in South Carolina my whole life, so it has been really nice to be able to enjoy this lovely spring weather! The temperatures have been in the 60s, and the blooming flowers are simply gorgeous.

It's Official!

2011-05-05T21:15:00.000-04:00

Our dream apartment is officially ours!

We are all set to move over Memorial Day weekend and we are just thrilled. Goodbye tiny basement studio apartment, hello huge beautiful apartment with hardwood floors and a fireplace! I am SO excited for all of the decorating possibilities, and I cannot wait to get my hands on that place! Here are a few "before" pictures I snapped when we last looked at the apartment.

Bedroom

TWO walk in closets in the bedroom!!!!

Lots of cabinet and counter space! Don't worry, there will be pretty paint on the walls and new cabinet hardware!

Can't wait to make a fun valance with my new sewing machine!

Kitchen looking into the office

The very white and very sterile looking bathroom. Definitely in need of paint and a fun shower curtain!

I have big plans for this mantle!

Living Room/Dining Area

Living Room looking into our huge entryway!

Joe's office/ my craft room!

LOVE all the light!

Can't wait to make this blank canvas into a fun, colorful place filled with personality!

new hair!

2011-05-02T10:05:00.001-04:00

I was finally able to get a much needed haircut when I was home and I feel sooo much better! I think this was the longest my hair has ever been! I was contemplating chopping it all off and donating it again, but decided I wanted to keep it a little long and get lots of layers!

You can't really tell how long it was in the picture...but it was on the verge of ridiculous.

Before:

After: (loving the new celebrity inspired center part and curls!)

love!

I was in desperate need of a new curling iron, so after doing some research online, I bought this 1.5 inch Hot Tools curling iron and I am in LOVE! It gets hot enough to actually curl my crazy thick hair, and is now my bff. If you need a new curling iron, I would definitely suggest this one!

If you are like me and are wondering how in the heck to curl your hair like that, I have an answer! I love Amy's blog and she did such an awesome job explaining to a hair idiot like me how to make pretty curls!

2011-05-01T14:47:00.001-04:00

I joined Pinterest a few weeks ago, and I have been obsessed ever since. Like I really needed something else to spend my time doing online. Anyway, I have spent wayyy too much time on this site lately so I decided I needed to share my new obsession! Sorry in advance :)

Here is the description from the site, “Think of Pinterest as a virtual pinboard — a place where you can create collections of things you love and “follow” collections created by people with great taste.”

(just an example)

I usually save inspirational pictures to my computer, so this is a really great way to free up some space on the hard drive! I have created different boards to pin all of my favorite pictures to, and I have had SO much fun!

I was going to post a link to my boards here, but I forgot I used my real last name on the site. Leave a comment with your e-mail address if you would like an invite! (Requesting an invite directly from the site takes a few weeks I've heard.)

Happy Pinning! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

home sweet home

2011-05-01T14:36:00.000-04:00

I had an AMAZING time in SC last week! The weather was beautiful and I got to see almost all of my favorite people (that is a small feat when I'm only home for a short amount of time!) I really missed my sweet little nieces and new nephew, so I was so glad I got to see them twice! It was so amazing to get to sleep in my old bed in my pretty pink room for as late as I wanted! I didn't take many pictures, but here are a few of some cuties:

Cupcake time!

She loves her baby brother!

Sweet baby O'neil!

Lainey Kate was enjoying her cupcake!

Isabella showing off her fashion skills

Baby O'neil's gorgeous nursery! Isn't it so cute?? I painted the canvas above the crib for him!

A cute little frame I made for O'neil!

Looking forward to my next trip home to see everyone!

Sweet Carolina

2011-04-20T09:08:00.000-04:00

Today, I'm going from this

(yucky foggy NYC)

(the beautiful, sunny, and warm Greenville, SC)

I'm sitting in LaGuardia with a screwdriver in hand...hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere! :)

Can't wait to see all of my sweet family and friends!

Be back Sunday!

Lots of love to my sweet husband who is back at home studying for exams! Love you and miss you already! :(

Olioboard

2011-04-18T00:19:00.001-04:00

Have you heard about the fabulousness that is Olioboard?? I just discovered it a few weeks ago, and I am a tad bit obsessed. If you haven't tried it out, you have to ASAP! You will become obsessed just like me, but I swear you will be thankful. On the site, you can make mood boards for home decor. I like to make a plan for a space before I begin decorating it, so this is a great way to visualize my ideas.

Since we are moving this summer, I have been obsessing over how I want to decorate our new apartment. I am SO excited to actually have more than one room, so I have had so much fun making mood boards for each one.

Here are a couple of different boards I made for the HUGE entryway we will have. It is pretty much a whole separate room, so I would love to paint grey/white stripes on the wall and have really fun and colorful accessories since it is the first room you see as you walk in the door. It also needs to be really functional as well, so I would love to find a pretty umbrella stand and coat rack and maybe some baskets for shoes, etc.

This is a board I made for the living room. I've since changed my mind on a few things, but I still want the same feel for the room. I absolutely love this color palette and I think my two green chairs are going to look fabulous in the space. I have already purchases some amazing art for behind the couch, but I would love to paint an abstract piece like this one for somewhere else in the apartment.

And last but not least, my favorite. I have been dreaming of a bedroom like this for years, and I am SO thrilled that I actually get to have it soon! I love the soothing, cool aqua color and love how calming the room will look. We already have most of everything that will go in this room, but I am excited to DIY some drapes and throw pillows with my new sewing machine!

Make sure you check out Olioboard, and have fun!

You know you haven't worked out in forever when...

2011-04-08T15:36:00.002-04:00

...you have to use two cans of collard greens as free weights! HA!

Don't worry, I will be taking a little trip to Target tonight for some REAL weights!

I started Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred today and am so excited about it! Summer is coming up quickly and I need to get my butt in gear and am determined to look semi decent by our first anniversary in June!

Lots of things have been going on, and I have been such a terrible blogger...shame on me!

-Our birthdays were on March 20 (Joe) and March 23 (me) and we had so much fun celebrating together! On his actual birthday, we went to the Museum of Modern Art in the city, and out for sushi afterward! It was SO awesome to see a lot of the art I studied in college! I had to work almost 12 hours on my birthday, but I came home to a candle lit dinner complete with Red Velvet cupcakes...my favorite! What a sweet husband I have! My camera cord was M.I.A. so the only picture I have is this one of Joe and his Funfetti birthday cake he requested:

-The apartment I posted about last time actually fell through, but we found another amazing place and are crossing our fingers that it will be OURS this summer! Here is a little sneak peak:

Hardwood floors, beautiful view, fireplace, windows galore...oh my!!!

-My little brother, Ben, (who at 6'7" really isn't so little) got accepted to go to Kenya, Africa for the summer on a mission trip with Adventures in Missions, and I couldn't be more proud of him! He has had a place in his heart for Africa for quite some time now, and I am SO glad he finally gets to help the people he loves so dearly! We sure will miss him, but I know he is going to have the time of his life!

(p.s. isn't he such a cutie??)

- and last but not least, my sweet and drop dead gorgeous mama celebrated her 50th birthday this past weekend! She is so beautiful on the inside and out, and I am so thankful to have such an amazing best friend! Love you Ria!

We are traveling to Maryland this weekend for a First Communion and are so excited to see some family that we haven't seen since our wedding last summer! I'll be back soon with some decor ideas for the new place!

Happy Friday! xoxo!

NYC

2011-03-26T13:42:00.000-04:00

What a magical place. So thankful for this amazing city.

NYC - Mindrelic Timelapse from Mindrelic on Vimeo.

New Chair and Some Good News!

2011-03-13T21:08:00.000-04:00

I've been M.I.A. this week, but I have a really good reason! I've been having a steamy love affair...with my gorgeous new green ikat chair! I took a trip to my local Home Goods out of boredom one day, not knowing that I was about to hit the jackpot! I walked to the back to look at the clearance furniture, as I always do, and saw that beautiful chair sitting there looking all lonely! The price tag on it said $100 and I knew that had to be a mistake! I searched the chair over multiple times, and realized there was absolutely nothing wrong with it! I quickly found a worker to load up my new love and I was so thrilled that it was going to be mine!

So sorry for the blurry cell phone picture...My camera is dead and I'm too lazy to charge it! More pictures coming soon!

I am OBSESSED! The green is so perfect with our other green chair, and I absolutely love the pattern! It is a really big chair, and is so comfy! That pillow is just there until I can find something better. I love how the chair looks with the rest of the furniture in the living room. Here is a picture to refresh your memory (some pillows and accessories have changed since this picture was taken):

The chair is sitting to the right of the couch for now, and is taking up a LOT of room!

You are probably wondering why in the world I have been buying all of this new furniture with absolutely nowhere to put it in our tiny little studio apartment. Well, we have actually found the perfect apartment...and we are MOVING IN 2 MONTHS!!!! Can you tell I am a little bit excited?? The apartment is absolutely gorgeous and I cannot wait to get my hands on it! It is in a Pre-War building, and has lots of really charming details! (hardwood floors, arched doorways, pretty molding, etc.) It is a one bedroom, so we will actually have WALLS! YAY! I'll try and show pictures soon and share our plans for the new place!

The In-Laws visit NY!

2011-03-05T11:45:00.001-05:00

Two weekends ago, Joe's wonderful parents paid us a visit! We had been looking forward to their visit for a long time because we hadn't seen them since our trip to Kansas City for Thanksgiving. They really spoiled us with a beautiful hotel room and some absolutely delicious food! We had so much fun exploring the city, and I really enjoyed being everyone's tour guide! I'm finally getting the hang of everything! Here are some pictures from their trip!

Joe's parents in Grand Central. I could stand in here for hours just people watching and staring at the gorgous ceiling.

Beautiful clock in the lobby of our hotel. Joe's parents spoiled us and got as a room at the Waldorf=Astoria for the weekend! What a treat!

The lobby was stunning! I LOVED all of the Art Deco decor!

I want this bathroom in my own house!

My sweet husband and I before heading out to explore!

Our beautiful hotel!

St. Patrick's Church...so breathtaking!

Skating at Rockefeller Center

Joe and I at Rockefeller Center

My sweet in-laws!

Beautiful winter day in Central Park. It was FREEZING, but we had so much fun!

We stopped to look at the Balto statue in Central Park, and overheard this man telling his dog to look at Balto! Weirdo!

Love this picture of us!

Pretty bridge in Central Park

Our sweet pedicab tour guides! Poor things had to peddle us up some big hills!

Apparently that building is in Ghostbusters...I need to go back and watch it again.

The fountain from F.R.I.E.N.D.S.! I've been wanting to see this for forever!

HAD to visit Strawberry Fields...You could say I'm a little Beatles obsessed.

John Lennon <3

The Dakota Building...where John Lennon lived and was killed.

We saw Chicago and it was AMAZING! I had seen the movie and loved it, but it can't even compare to the Broadway version!

We had such a great time, and cannot wait for them to come and visit us again!

Who wants to come to NYC?? We are getting lonely and need some visitors ASAP! :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2011-03-02T13:29:00.001-05:00

Today I am linking up with the fabulous Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I'm LOVING that Spring is in the air...even though it is still in the 40's here, I can feel it coming!! Yesterday was the first day in FOREVER that we have had beautiful blue skies and sunny weather! Can't wait for the warm weather to get here...all of this crazy winter weather has left me feeling so claustrophobic! I need fresh air!!


SPRING in Central Park {via}

I'm LOVING that although I started a new diet today, I got to have BACON (I'm a little obsessed...) for breakfast today! Thanks Dr. Atkins! ;)

YUM! {via}

I'm really, really LOVING the new chair my mom had recovered for Joe and I! She found it on the side of the road and scooped it up knowing it had great potential! It was a nasty wing back chair that had been chewed by dogs and was covered in stains. She found this gorgeous beige linen fabric with a coral print and sent it off to her favorite upholsterer! It will go in our bedroom and it is going to be gorgeous!

{sorry for the bad cell phone pic!}

I'm LOVING my precious nieces, Isabella and Lainey Kate, and my sweet new nephew, O'neil! So glad I got to see them last week and cover them in enough kisses to last the next few months until I can go home again!

I'm LOVING the beautiful NYC. It is so nice to always have something fun and exciting to do! Exploring in the city never gets old.

{picture from last weekend...more to come later!}

And last but not least, I am LOVING my sweetie pie smarty britches husband! I am so proud of how well he has done in law school so far, and of how much of a hard worker he is! Love that boy!

{allison elizabeth photography}

HAPPY WEDNESDAY! 2 more days until Friday...woo hoo!!

Molly + Campaign = LOVE

2011-02-28T18:21:00.001-05:00

Campaign furniture has been all the rage in Blogland recently, and I have jumped on the bandwagon and haven't looked back! As soon as I saw this dresser from Lonny magazine, I knew that I needed one! I have been searching for the past year with no luck...until now!

When I was in South Carolina over Christmas, I went to my favorite place for furniture in Greenville and spotted a whole Campaign bedroom set. I had a small little fit in the store, but soon realized there was no way I could buy the furniture right then, and sadly left the store. Fast forward to this past week. I was back in SC to visit my new nephew, and decided to stop in the store to see if the Campaign furniture was still there. I walked as fast as I could to the back of the store, crossing my fingers that nobody else snatched it up! To my surprise, it was all still there; I'm guessing no one else saw its potential! The set came with a dresser with a hutch, a side table, a desk with a hutch, and a headboard. I only wanted the dresser and side table, so I talked the store owner into splitting up the set. I am now the proud owner of these gorgeous pieces! (The hutch came on the dresser, but I'm undecided on if I will use it or not.)

Right now, they are hanging out in my parents' garage in SC, but they will make their way to NY in a couple of months when my parents come to visit!

Here are a few pictures I've been lusting after!

LOVE this orange version from Deluxa

Also loving this creamy white version from Little Green Notebook

Obsessed with this green dresser in Emily A. Clark's home office

LOVE how crisp this white dresser is from Jessin' Around...love how the hardware stands out

As much as I love these fun colored dressers, I think that I am going to leave mine just the way they are! I have been wanting to bring more pieces of wood furniture into our apartment because right now everything is either black or white. I knew I made the right decision when I saw the two pictures below! Can't wait to have these pretty pieces in NY!


Totally loving this Craigslist dresser from Bryn!

Really, really loving this one from Joi, because it is exactly like mine!

So excited that I am finally the proud owner of some Campaign furniture! I'll be sure to take lots of pictures and post about them when they arrive!

Fill in the Blank Friday

2011-02-25T15:32:00.002-05:00

I'm back after a WAY too long absence...I am so sorry! I got into a little blogging slump, and apparently it has taken a while for me to get out of it! I have lots of exciting things to share...so stay tuned! :)

I am linking up with Lauren at The Little Things We Do for Fill in the Blank Friday!

1. I am currently obsessed with My new sweet precious nephew, Harrison O'neil! He was born two weeks ago, but I just got to meet him on Wednesday. I fell instantly in love and could stare at that sweet baby all day!

2. Today I am SO HAPPY because, I am at home in South Carolina with my wonderful family and am enjoying the gorgeous 70 something degree weather! I sure will miss it when we go back to NY Sunday!

{my parents' pretty backyard!}

3. The age I am is 23 and the age I feel is I guess it depends! Somedays when I am super lazy and tired from work, I feel like I'm an old lady, but most days I am perfectly happy with my age!

4. My favorite place is my family's lake house in South Carolina (near Charleston.) We have been going there every summer for years, and it is like a sanctuary to me! I feel so relaxed and at home there, and can't wait to be there this summer!

{Joe and I out on the boat on Lake Moultrie - 2008}

5. Something I have been procrastinating is hmmm...I guess that would have to be cleaning out our closet. (Yes, we only have one.) It is huge, and filled with CRAP! I need to get in there one day and do a lot of purging and organizing! Sounds like a plan for next weekend!

6. The last thing I purchased was Campaign furniture that I have been searching for FOREVER...there will be a whole post on this soon! :)

7. The thing I love most about my home is Well, it would DEFINITELY have to be who I share it with! I have said before that there isn't much I love about our tiny little apartment, but I would be happy living anywhere with my sweet boy! :)

The Best of 2010 (Part 2)

2010-12-17T19:03:00.002-05:00

{Check back here for Part 1 of The Best of 2010}

June

{Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner the night before the wedding}

{fancy bridal brunch on our wedding day!}

{we got hitched!}

{our honeymoon in beautiful Aruba}

{Aubrey's Bachelorette Party in Vegas...one of the most fun nights of my life!}

{Matt and Aubreys breathtaking wedding in Las Vegas!}

{vacation with my family at our lake house}

July

{Sweet Lainey Kate turned 1!}

{Rebekah's Bachelorette Weekend in Myrtle Beach!}

August

{our going away party with our favorite little girls!

{Rebekah and Matt's wedding in Camden...I was the wedding planner/florist!}

{we packed up our cars and a Uhaul...}

{...and moved to a tiny little apartment in New York!}

{we saw the Yankees play in their new stadium}

{we saw our Steelers play at the New Meadowlands Stadium}

{I finished decorating most of our first place!}

September

{my mama came to visit!}

{finally finished our bedroom!}

*I don't have pictures but these things were too important not to include:

Joe started law school at Pace!

I started my new job!

October

{I flew to SC for Jamie and Russell's beautiful wedding!}

{Marian Bryce came to visit!}

{we carved pumpkins and decorated for fall}

{enjoyed a gorgeous New York autumn day}

{we flew home for Wofford Homecoming and saw some of our favorite people!}

November

{we flew to Kansas City for Thanksgiving to see Joe's family and their new house!}

December

{we decorated for our first Christmas together as a married couple!}

{My sweet friend Courtney came to visit...more on this later!}

{our first NY snow!}

2010 has been such an amazing year; I don't know how 2011 could ever top it! :)

The Best of 2010 (Part 1)

2010-12-17T14:53:00.000-05:00

Thanks to Emily from Lived a Charmed Life for this great idea!

2010 has been such an amazing year for us; so this is the perfect way to document all of our special memories! Since our year was so busy, I'm going to split it into two posts (before and after the wedding!)

I'd love to see some of you do a "Best of 2010" post! Leave me a comment if you do!

January


{Celebrating New Years in Pittsburgh!}

{Lots of snow in Pittsburgh!}

February

{yummy Valentine's dinner for my sweet boy!}

{fun night at Wofford with the girls...miss them!!}

{Elizabeth's Bachelorette Party in Charleston}

March


{Wedding Party in Lake City with my parents' friends!}

{Monogram Shower with my best friends!}

{my precious niece Isabelle turned 3!}


{my mom and I hosted Elizabeth's Bridal Brunch in Charleston on her wedding day}

{Elizabeth got married in Charleston!}

{Joe and I celebrated our birthdays with my family!}

{birthday dinner with my amazing friends in Spartanburg!}

{hiked the New River Gorge on our drive up to NY...what a gorgeous view!}

{We took our first trip to our future home - we toured the city, Joe's new law school, and found our apartment!}

*goodness, march was busy!

April

{celebrated my pretty mama's birthday at home!}

{Kitchen/Recipe Shower in Greenville}


{mom and I roadtripped to Pittsburgh for my shower with Joe's mom's friends and his family!}

{made a bouquet for my bridal portraits with flowers from Costco!}

{bridal portraits at Mepkin Abbey in Moncks Corner, SC}

{my bachelorette party in Charleston!}

May

{Carrie's gorgeous wedding in Greenville}

{Joe's Wofford graduation!}

Our Christmas Cards

2010-12-17T11:48:00.000-05:00

I know I've already shown these, but today I am linking up with Kelly, so I'm going to show them again! :)

I ordered our cards from Shutterfly, and absoltuely LOVED them! I couldn't decide on just one design, so I ordered two, and randomly sent them out. I knew that I wanted to use wedding pictures on them because, well, we spent way too much money NOT to use them! ;)

Sorry I had to make them ugly and blur out our names! I just love seeing everyone's different Christmas cards! We have all the ones we have received on a new bulletin board, and I am thinking about leaving them up AFTER Christmas! They look so pretty!

Top 2 Tuesday: Ornaments

2010-12-07T23:56:00.000-05:00

I am SO excited about this week's Top 2 Tuesday! I absolutely love looking at all of my ornaments and thinking about the special memories associated with them! Before I got married, I would always help my mom put up her tree, and we would pull out each ornament one by one, and talk about what was special about it. Those precious times with my mom will always be some of my favorite Christmas memories! Now that I am married and have my very own Christmas tree, I was so excited to get some special ornaments that I can someday share with my own children!

I have a lot of special ornaments on the tree, so it is almost impossible to pick out my top 2 favorites (let's just pretend it's Top 5 Tuesday!)

{wedding cake!}

{a little church!}

{engaged!}

{from our honeymoon in Aruba...it has sand inside!}

{from our sweet friends Allison and Brent!}

I've had so much fun seeing everybody's special ornaments!

Happy (1/2) Anniversary, Joe!

2010-12-05T23:50:00.001-05:00

So sorry I've been M.I.A. since Thanksgiving...we had a wonderful trip to visit Joe's parents in Kansas City, then it was back to the real world when we got home, and blogging sort of took a backseat! Please forgive me! Our little apartment is all decorated for Christmas, and I can't wait to show you what all we've been up to!

Six months ago today, I married my sweet boy! I cannot believe it has been half a year; it seems like just yesterday we were in Spartanburg with all of our families and friends! The past six months have honestly been the most amazing months of my entire life. We have gone through so many crazy changes and adventures together in this short time; but I wouldn't have it any other way! Anyone who knows me, knows that I wouldn't move away from SC for just ANYONE! ;) I am so blessed to be able to share my life with such a wonderful man, and I am so excited for many, many more anniversaries together!

Happy 6 Months, Sweet Pea! Love you!

I've been making wedding albums for our parents, and it has been SO much fun looking back through all of our beautiful pictures. Here are a few favorites I don't think I've posted yet. Enjoy!

Our Christmas Cards!

2010-11-23T14:14:00.000-05:00

Everyone has been blogging about Shutterfly to get 50 free Christmas cards; but of course, being the anal person that I am, had already ordered and received all of our cards! What a bummer!

I absolutely love Shutterfly, and use it ALL THE TIME! I make photo books for everything, and they always turn out perfect! I searched all over the internet for pretty photo Christmas cards to send out this year, and I kept coming back to the Shutterfly cards. There were so many beautiful choices, I ended up finding like 12 that I loved and had the hardest time deciding what to order!

I knew that I wanted to use some of our wedding photos, so I was looking for a card with multiple openings for pictures. Here are some of my top contenders:

I narrowed my choices down to 2 cards, and decided to just go ahead and get them both so I didn't have to make a decision. I LOVE how they both turned out! (sorry for having to blur out our last name!)

{Merry Moments}

{With Love Chartreuse}

I also ordered the With Love Chartreuse Address Labels and they are so cute with both cards!

{With Love Chartreuse Address Labels}

If you haven't already, you DEFINITELY need to order your holiday cards from Shutterfly! The quality is always perfect, and they are always so fast!

12 Days of Christmas: Christmas Traditions!

2010-11-23T00:08:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to participate in Aly and Molly's 12 Days of Christmas; today is all about Christmas Traditions!

Just writing this post is making me homesick; I am so excited to be in SC for Christmas!!!

{our new stockings!}

Growing up, we always spent Christmas with my Mema and Papa (mom's parents) in Lake City, SC. I can remember being so worried that Santa Claus might forget that we were at their house and not ours! We always put out cookies, milk, and a note for Santa, and would leave a banana (??) for a little reindeer snack. My mema always slept with me on Christmas Eve, and would tap on the bed to make me think the reindeer were walking on the roof; that always made me fall asleep real quick! On Christmas morning, it was a very important rule that my little brother, Ben, and I had to walk down the stairs to see our presents at the exact same time. That meant that if he woke up at 4AM, he had to coax me out of bed, too, so we could go downstairs.We spent the rest of our time in Lake City playing with all of our cool, new stuff and were thankful that Santa remembered where we were.{Now I wonder how in the world my parents got all of our presents there without us seeing anything...they were talented!}

My grandparents moved to Greenville to be closer to us when I was in middle school, so all of our Christmas plans changed. On Christmas Eve, we have dinner (chili) with family, and attend a service at church. We won't ever go to a midnight service again after my dad and brother passed out and snored at one a few years ago! ;) My brother and I still have to walk downstairs at the same time on Christmas morning, which he hates because I so enjoy sleeping in; those presents can wait! My mom always makes her famous Breakfast Casserole, and we open presents around a toasty fire. After opening the presents from under the tree, we dig into the stockings we have had since we were born to see what kind of goodies we got. My grandparents usually come over for breakfast and to see our presents, although the kind of things we get now aren't as fun to see as all of our new toys used to be!

{our delicious meal last year}

{sweet baby Lainey Kate last Christmas}

{we're still at the kid table}

We always go to my grandparents house for Christmas Day lunch, and usually fill up on so much delicious food that nobody wants to eat dinner. My brother and sister in law usually come with their two sweet girls dressed in precious Christmas dresses. The past few years, my family has gone to the movies on Christmas night; we like seeing a good movie that needs a big discussion afterward!

Our traditions may not sound special or formal, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Now that I am married and will someday have my own little family, I would LOVE to find some new traditions to start on our first Christmas together as husband and wife and share with our children many years down the road. I am excited to fuse together my family traditions with my husband's family traditions and also have some of our very own. Any ideas??

Miscellany Monday

2010-11-22T23:03:00.000-05:00

{1} We had the most fabulous weekend! We usually have pretty low key weekends since Joe always has a ton of work to do, so I was very excited that we finally had some fun plans! On Friday night, we bought our Christmas tree (fake and pre-lit...super easy!) and decorated it. I was SO excited to finally be able to use all of the ornaments I bought last year! I'll do a post soon with lots of pictures! On Saturday night, we met Joe's friend Sarah from law school and her boyfriend Chris in the city for dinner and drinks. I was so excited to go on a double date; we haven't done that since we moved here! They made reservations for us at Papatzul, a super fun and delicious Mexican restaurant in SoHo. It was AMAZING! When Chris asked the waitress if the pork dish he wanted was good, she said "Well, I guess it is since Justin Timberlake has ordered it four times in the past month!" CRAZY! Too bad we didn't spot him. After dinner, we went with Sarah and Chris to a fun bar near NYU, then made our way back home! We had the best time with them!

{2}How awesome it is to have a 2 day work week?!?!? I need this like once a month.

{3}We are leaving tomorrow afternoon for Kansas City, MO to see Joe's family and their new house! They moved there from Pittsburgh, PA shortly after the wedding, so this will be our first visit! We have missed them terribly, and are so excited to spend Thanksgiving with them! I have heard that Kansas City is a great place to visit, especially during the holidays!

{4} It has been almost 6 months since our wedding, and I am still as obsessed with wedding blogs and magazines as I was when I was planning. I wish I had another wedding to plan (marrying the same sweet husband, of course!) Am I the only newlywed with post wedding planning depression?!?

{5} I am so incredibly excited for Thanksgiving food on Thursday! Joe's mom is an amazing cook, so I cannot wait to have some of her yummy cooking! I am really sad to be away from my family for Thanksgiving for the first time, but I know that my sweet mother-in-law will make me feel right at home in Kansas City!

my thoughts exactly, darius.

2010-11-16T12:13:00.002-05:00

I was up in New York City,

just the other week.

You shoulda seen the waiters face when I ordered sweet tea.

She said "we don't have that here"

and I apologized, I said "Please forgive me,

I'm in a southern state of mind."

And those girls out in California,

they don't understand.

They don't like it when I hold the door,

when I say yes ma'am.

They act like I've done something wrong,

and they give me the evil eye.

I say "honey, I'm sorry,

I'm in a southern state of mind."

I could be anywhere

in my heart I'm always there.

Where they drink sweet tea and they raise you to be polite.

No changin' who I am,

that's they way I've always been.

No matter what state I'm in,

I'm in a southern state of mind.

I'm always walkin' 'round

tellin' everybody hi.

Justa wavin' at the strangers

and the cars passin' by.

Some poeple may look at me

and say that boy just ain't right.

Hey ya'll I ain't crazy,

I'm in a southern state of mind.

I could be anywhere

in my heart I'm always there.

Where you know every body and you don't think it's too polite.

No changin' who I am, that's they way I've always been. No matter what state I'm in, I'm in a southern state of mind.

You can see it in the clothes I wear,

you can hear it when I talk.

Ballcap boots and jeans and a little southern draw.

I can be up in Ohio or back home in Caroline.

No matter what state I'm in, I'm in a southern state of mind.

Don't matter what state I'm in, I'm in a southern state of mind.

-Darius Rucker "Southern State of Mind"

Miscellany Monday!

2010-11-15T22:09:00.001-05:00

Ughhhh. Can you believe it's already Monday again? No fun! I love me some Miscellany Monday posts, though...it's perfect for my random, scatterbrained self!

It's Miscellany Monday over at Carissa's blog, and if you haven't visited her, you MUST! Her and her family are precious and she lives in my most favorite city everrr (Charleston, SC!)

{1} I had an AMAZING four day weekend! I had Thursday and Friday off, and it was so nice! I love my job, but it was really refreshing to be able to stay home and get lots of rest! I was extra lazy those days and stayed in my jammies all day long! I had a little cold, so it was nice to take it easy for a couple of days!

{not my picture}

{2} I put on my big girl panties and took the train into the city for the first time all by myself! I had a dinner/shopping/coffee date with a sweet friend from back home, Alexa. You SERIOUSLY need to check out her blog...she is AMAZING! It was so great seeing a familiar face! We met at Grand Central (after she was stuck on a subway for over an hour because of construction!) and headed down to the Flatiron District (a new favorite place!) The Flatiron Building is absolutely breathtaking and I was so excited to finally see it. We shopped and shopped, had some tasty soup, shopped some more, then stopped for some Peppermint Mochas and Salted Caramel Hot Chocolates. Can't wait to see this sweet girl again soon!

{3} I met another sweet, new friend for coffee on Sunday. I definitely was in need of some girl time, so this weekend perfect! It has been so hard not having any friends here!

{4} I am OBSESSED with the new Bruno Mars song called "Grenade." Have y'all heard it?? I just listened to it like 5 times in a row, and I think my husband is about to take the computer away from me if I don't quit! Ha! Speaking of my friend Bruno, I was at my friend Aubrey's bachelorette party in Vegas this summer and he magically appeared at the club we were at and played a whole concert like two feet away from us. He is SO talented!

{courtesy of my sweet friend natalie}

{VIP at Surrender at Encore = best. night. ever.)

{5} How pretty was my niece Isabella for Halloween? That girl has been obsessed with weddings since she was born...she takes after her favorite aunt! ;) Don't you love the tiara/veil she is wearing from my bachelorette party? Can't wait to blow up this picture when it's time for her real wedding!

{6} Don't you want this little cutie to come do your dishes, too?!? I MELT!

{7} We are still depressed from the big Wofford v. Appalachian State, and Steelers v. Patriots losses. Not a good weekend for football at our house!

Well, that's about all I could muster up. Hope I didn't bore y'all to death! :)

My Christmas Wish List

2010-11-14T22:08:00.000-05:00

Here is my Christmas Wish List.

"Wish" being the key word. I don't expect to get all (or any) of this, but it's fun to pretend!

Kendra Scott Danielle Earring in Turquoise

{you can get $20 off if you sign up for their e-mails}


Uggs


Hunter Huntress Wellies


Ray Ban Large Wayfarers

Wicked Tickets

Louis Ghost Chair

West Elm Ikat Ogee Linen Windo Panels

Essie "Ballet Slippers"

Essie "Body Language"

White Parsons Desk (West Elm lookalike!)

Hey, maybe I'll get lucky! ;)

Q&A: About Us!

2010-11-13T08:00:00.002-05:00

I saw this on Kit's blog and thought it would be a fun way to get to know us better!

1. What are your middle names? mine was Theresa, and his is Edward

2. How long have you been together? a little over 4 years!

3. How long did you know each other before you started dating? this is pretty complicated, click the link below to read the whole story!

4. Who asked who out? the story of how we met is definitely unique; i don't really know who asked who out. i think i might have actually asked him to come watch grey's anatomy with me in my dorm room (how forward of me! ha!)

5. How old are each of you? I am 23 and he is 22...yeah, I'm a cradle robber.

6. Did you go to the same school? I went to school in Simpsonville, SC then to Converse College in Spartanburg, SC and he went to school in Pittsburgh, PA then to Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC (we met at Wofford because my school was all girls. enough said.)

7. Are you from the same home town? nope, we grew up 9 hours apart!

8. Who is the smartest? I like to pretend I am, but he definitely is. After all, he is the one in law school! I can't compete with his Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, 4.o, double major self!

9. Who majored in what? Me: Art Education; Him: Biology and Philosophy

10. Who is the most sensitive? me, of course

11. Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple? We went to Aruba on our honeymoon (which reminds me I still need to blog about our trip!)

12. Who has the worst temper? I guess it would be Joe...he is super stressed now so he has a shorter fuse! I still love him, though!

13. How many children do you want? in a perfect world, I would love to have 4 or 5, but we are thinking that 3 would be more realistic

14. Who does the cooking? I usually cook everything, but if I am running late at work, he helps!

15. Who is more social? Joe is pretty shy, and I could talk to a rock, so the definite answer would be me. I've always been a little social butterfly!

16. Who is the neat freak? Hmm, we are both kind of messy. (I'm trying to get better) I am really OCD about germs and cleanliness when it comes to food and the kitchen, though.

17. Who is the most stubborn? we are both really, really stubborn!

18. Who wakes up earlier? He is more of an early bird, and I love my sleep; but we both get up pretty early during the week for work/school.

{Our first picture together...haha!}

19. Where was your first date? sitting on the futon of my sophomore year dorm room watching grey's anatomy; pretty romantic.

20. Who has the bigger family? I have two brothers and he has one; but we both have huge extended families. our parents have lots of siblings!

21. Do you get flowers often? he has always been so sweet about getting me flowers when i least expect them! i love a surprise bouquet!

22. How do you spend the holidays? while we were dating, we spent the holidays with our own families, but now that we are married we are spending thanksgiving with his parents in missouri, and christmas with mine in south carolina. we will probably switch it up next year!

23. Who is more jealous? neither of us is really jealous. i guess i get a little jealous when he spends hours and hours with his pretty textbooks!

{Joe says this is the weekend he knew he wanted to marry me}

24. How long did it take to get serious? around a year, we had a lot of growing up to do!

25. Who eats more? he always finishes what i can't eat; we never waste any food! ;)

26. What do you do for a living? I decided not to talk about my job on the ol' blog because of privacy issues, but Joe is in law school and will be an environmental lawyer when he graduates in 2013

27. Who does the laundry? he does! don't i have a wonderful husband?? i absolutely LOATHE folding clothes

28. Who's better with the computer? him...he's pretty savvy after taking some computer classes in college

29. Who drives when you are together? he always drives when we ride together. you should see how cute he looks in my little car with a pink monogram! ha!

30. What is your song? "Sideways" Citizen Cope...it's from our first year of dating, but it brings back great memories!

Makeover by Marina!

2010-11-12T20:16:00.000-05:00

Notice anything different?!?

I mentioned before that my sweet husband gifted me a blog makeover as an early Christmas present; and I am absolutely in LOVE! I have been admiring the looks of Puttin On The G.R.I.T.S. and Blue Eyed Bride (two of my favorite blogs!) for a long time now, and decided I had to contact whoever did theirs!

Marina at Penny Lane Designs was an absolute dream to work with and was so incredibly sweet. She is so talented, and I am so happy with how my makeover turned out. If you are in need of a new look, you need to check out her selection of premade designs and also her gorgeous custom design portfolio!

Told you I loved pink, turquoise and green!