bestie yearly tradition {{pumpkin carving}}

The bestie, Casey and I have a yearly tradition of carving pumpkins together.  We have already established that someday when we have kiddos, we will incorporate them into this tradition too.  Last night was the BIG night and we always have so much fun getting grubby cleaning out pumpkin guts.

Here we are with our stellar pumpkins!

I didn't really get much of us actually carving the pumpkins this year, but my other favorite thing that we always do it take goofy pictures of us in the dark with the pumpkins lit up.  It's definitely the highlight of the night!!

Our cute pumpkins!! Wilfred is to the left, that's Casey's, and Matilda, to the right...she's all mine!  They love eachother! Haha :) 

I couldn't ask God for a better best friend! She gets my crazy antics and goes along with them!! Can't wait to do it all again next year!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN EVERYONE!!!

master bath revamps part one {{jewelry hanger}}

So, well over a month ago the hubs and I FINALLY painted our master bathroom.  If you have followed my blog for any length of time, you know that my house has very white walls still.  It's the curse of building your own home....standard builder white walls.  We have slowly been working on painting rooms, it's not a money thing as much as a time thing.  Painting=a ton of work, and when you work full time, and are usually quite busy on the weekends, it's hard to dedicate a whole time out to just paint.  I love the end result, but it's tough getting there.

I am gonna show you guys the whole bathroom when it's all done, but I am still finishing up some last minute touches! For now, I am gonna give you a sneak peek at what I've been working on.  After the bathroom was painted, I knew I just needed to work on adding in some gorgeous accessories.  I don't know about you, but I have a constant problem of leaving my jewelry sitting all over the bathroom.  I knew that I needed to find some place to organize it all.

I found a frame that I loved at the thrift store, and I knew immediately that I wanted to add some chicken wire to help hang my jewelry.  I know you have seen all types of those revamps in blogland, but here's what I did.

I started off painting my frame glossy white.  I'm sorry I didn't get a beforehand pic, but the frame was an ugly gold brown.

I cut the chicken wire down to size, and then painted it lightly with the same glossy white spray paint.  I didn't like how harsh the steel color looked against the frame, but I didn't want it to be too white.

Then, I hot glued the chicken wire into the back of the frame.  It was a bit of a challenge getting it to work, but after I got the hang of it, it was a breeze!!  I actually love how simple it was to do, and it adds such a gorgeous touch to the frame.

So, here's the final product all hung up! 

Ahhhh!! Isn't she pretty??? My bathroom colors are chocolate brown, and light blue, and I thought that adding a little brown bow to the top was the perfect touch!

I am planning on getting a pretty hook to hang it on, probably from Anthropologie to add a more finished looking touch to it.

Now, I finally have a place to hang all my jewelry, and even some hair accessories!  This baby totally beats just dropping them on the bathroom counter.  I couldn't love it any more!

Ahhh, I love love love it!! <3  I hope you guys do too!! Can't wait to hear what you think! :)

random thoughts thursday

1. I could watch Boy Meets World over & over again.  Seriously one of my favorite shows ever.  (This probably makes me a big geek.)

2.  I'm honestly thinking about putting up my Christmas tree.  Yes, I'm aware its still October, but I just cannot wait.  I told my husband as of November 1, that baby will be gracing my living room....I just don't think I can hold out any longer than that. 

3. I'm already working on my Christmas list and I'm thinking that these babies are gonna make the list.

4.  I have been fasting Facebook this month, and I honestly don't miss it as much as I thought I would.  It's actually been a really nice break.

5. I miss these people....like a lot. Really, really a lot.

6. I'm soooo over this week & ready for the WEEKEND!

a delicious Fall day

This past weekend, I was able to combine three of my loves....family, fall, & photography, as I spent the afternoon taking pics of my adorable nephews!  My sister wanted to have some pics of her boys together in the gorgeous fall weather, and I was so excited that she asked me to be the photographer.  I think it has more to do with the fact that I have the nicest camera rather than my actual photography skills, but if I do say so myself, these pictures turned out pretty darn amazing!!

Take a peek for yourself, and tell me what YOU think!!!

Ahhh, I just LOVE them!!! :) For some reason Blogger is being very stupid unfriendly to me today, and isn't uploading some of my pictures right...so I have much cuter edited ones that I wish I could share with you, but this will do!  So, what do you think??? Which one is YOUR fav?

happy anniversary!!!

Today is my parents 43rd wedding anniversary!!!! In a world that is more committed to having an excuse to bail when things get tough, rather than truly committing to each other for life, and committing to make it through all the challenges that life throws your way, this is for sure an extraordinary accomplishment, and something that should be celebrated!!

I know that my parents are far from perfect people, but I have had the honor and privilege to grow up observing the love and commitment that they have to each other, and I could not have asked God for a better example of two people who are committed to a Godly marriage. They raised FIVE kids, which by no means was an easy task I am sure.  They have moved more times than I can count, and have gone through so much more than I am sure I will never even know!  I can say for sure, that they have had more trials and tests than I am sure other people have ever faced or will ever face, but have always found a way to trust God and be there for each other through it all, and grow in love each year.  

So, to my amazing Mom & Dad, I wish you a very HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!!! I love you so very much! Thank you for being a great example of God's love to me, and to each other.  I am so thankful that I was blessed by God to be raised by two amazing parents!!!

a little side project

I'm super excited to fill you guys in on my fun little side project!!! I have opened my very own shop on Big Cartel!! It's similar to Etsy, it's a place where you can buy handmade goods, and I'm super excited about this new venue to be crafty.

This all started off because I decided to make some travel wipe cases for my sister's kids, and it was so much fun that I decided to start selling them!! Right now I only have a small handful of items, but I am going to keep expanding it over time and can't wait to share more with you guys about this!!! I have added a link to it on the side bar if you wanna check it out!! I love being creative, and this is the perfect avenue to do that (and maybe make a little money) :)

Let me know your thoughts if you check it out!! I'd love to hear them!

family friday {{little loves edition}}

There are a only few things in my life that I feel truly define who I really am as a person. One of the most prominent being my title of Wife, followed secondly by Sister/Daughter, and then right behind that (and not very far behind) is Auntie (or Ti-ti as the little ones call me).

I have been privileged enough to bear that title since the tender little age of 7 years old when my oldest nephew Brennen was born into this world, and I have treasured that label ever since his arrival. When you’re 7 I don’t think you can really wrap your head around the significance of that sort of stuff, so as the kids have been growing up, I have grown into this title and role of “Auntie”. Over the years, God has continued to bless our families with beautiful little additions, and I have found that the title of Auntie has brought me more joy than I could have ever imagined possible.

There is nothing quite like getting to love my sister’s kids as if they are my very own, without actually having the responsibility of them being my own. It’s truly one of the biggest and greatest blessings I have ever been given! One of the things that I love most about being an Auntie, and especially becoming one at such a young age, is that fact that I have nephews and nieces in every stage of life. I have been able to see my oldest ones turn from precocious little people into these amazing teenagers that are becoming more like my friends rather than just little kiddos, but at the same time I have brand stinking new ones that I get to dote on and smooch all over.

I love that my conversations with them range from getting a drivers license & high school drama, all the way to down to which Star Wars character is cooler than the other, along with helping the littlest ones learn their sounds and letters, or even holding their tiny hands as the wobble through their first steps…but honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love getting to be a part of all their wonderful stages of life and watching each of them grow into new things each year.

I truly consider all of my nieces/nephews one of the things in my life that I treasure the most. It’s such an honor to watch them grow and be a part of their lives, to pray for them, and play with them, to be on the receiving end of their smooches, hugs, and giggles, and even to help hold them when something goes bad (of course that’s only when Mommy’s not around to comfort), to cheer them on from the sidelines, and support all their dreams in any way that I can.

I find all the things that they do to be more adorable and amazing than any other kid’s similar action, and it’s so fun to brag on them to all the people in my life. Some might even find it annoying how much I talk about them, but I don’t care because they are too darn cute to not brag on. I can only imagine that being a Mom to my own kids will magnify all these feelings times a million and that is super amazing to think about!! I can’t wait for that day to come and to add some cousins into the mix!

So, to Brennen, Bailey, Dakota, Rowan, Kaden, Avery, Brinley, Ethan, &baby Taylor (who’s still in utero), I love you more than you could ever know! Thanks for giving me the great privilege of being your Auntie and getting to share a part of your life!!!