Thrifty Southern Living

Valentines

2012-02-17T10:07:00.001-06:00


This year for Valentines, Ava & I did a little crafting and decorating. She loves when I ask her if she wants to make a craft. We made little banners, put out our V-Day hand towels, & vase.

Ron & I began our celebration on Saturday night since I had to teach on the actual night. He took me to see The Vow which I'd been anticipating since I saw the preview last month! I love a good chick flick. This one was really sweet.

We got Ava the traditional gift of a stuffed animal, balloon, and chocolate-- you'd have thought it was a million dollars! I love that girl! She's so easy to please, and her excitement is contagious.

And a blast from the past...

1. Our first Valentines while we were dating... Ron set this up at his church and cooked for me:) Hard to believe that was twelve years ago...

2. 11 years ago... at a Valentine Banquet at my church

3. Someone made the little cake for us.

Brooke's Bargains 41

2012-01-26T10:56:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, I went to a friend of my sister's house to look at girls' clothes she was selling. It was like a personal yard sale;) Here's what I found:


For Addison: Ralph Lauren dress, 3 sleepers, ladybug swimsuit with matching hat, terry cloth bubble, and boots.


For Ava: 2 pairs of flip flops, a pair of shoes for fall, Gap jeans, Old Navy shorts, a dress, and white shorts.

At first she quoted me the low price of $10 for everything! Then I found the tiny swimsuit, so in the end I paid $12 for 14 items. Yay!

December 2011: Part II

2012-01-14T12:23:00.000-06:00

Ava and I went to see Jeanine and Baby Jilly. They live about 1.5 hours away, so we don't see each other as much as we'd like. It was so much fun to see Jeanine in action with her precious newborn and all of her beautiful Christmas decor. On the way home, we stopped at the mall to finish up a few Christmas gifts! Have you been to Ulta? I could have spent a fortune in there!
Ron and I had attended his work's Christmas party. It was at his boss's home in the country-- so nice (His wife had decorated seven trees- whew! Makes me tired just thinking about it.) We ate dinner and played a hilarious game of Dirty Santa.
I loved being out of school for a month!! One fun memory was Ron and I watching Home Alone (my fav), wrapping presents, putting Ava's gifts together, and surprising her:)
Christmas with the Girls- Our 17th (I think) Annual Party was fun like always! I laughed until I hurt. We just pick up where we left off, and I love that. Dirty Santa is really fun because everyone brings great gifts:) This year was our first Tacky Christmas-themed party.
Ava and I were "kidnapped" one night by friends from church, Lori & Kacie, to go see Christmas light. They were prepared with blankets and lots of snacks. Sweet!
Christmas Eve Eve was spent at my grandpa's house with my aunt, uncle, mom, dad, sister, bro-in-law, nephew, and daughter (Ron had to work all day). It was a nice, laid back kinda of day. Then Ava and I spent the night with my parents.
Christmas Eve was spent at my parents' home all day for the first time ever. Normally, we travel more that day, so it was wonderful to just be able to not rush. We all made yummy favorites including my two favs: Dad's fudge and Mom's cheese ball. We exchanged gifts, watched Ava & Reid play, and enjoyed visiting. Britt and I did a Christmas craft with the kiddos. Ron, Ava, & I spent the night:)
On Christmas Day, the three of us went to our church for a beautiful service. I was so excited because Ava was asked to sing with the praise team (she goes to practice each week with Ron while I teach and LOVES to sing).
The downside to the holidays were the horrible sinus infections that Ron and I both got! Mine lasted almost two weeks:(
I got into a cleaning/organizing/tossing stuff spree!
I had a great doctor's appointment. Everything looks great, and Baby #2 is a GIRL!
We spent New Year's weekend in Missouri with Ron's family. It was nice to get away and do something different for a few days.
This time of year makes me stop and think about the blessings in my life. I looked at my family and felt such gratitude to have them. What a gift.
I also took a few trips down memory lane. I had an emotional time of missing my grandmothers at Christmas and missing Ron's dad. And, Ron and I didn't exchange gifts this Christmas, but he surprised me with the sweetest letter that recounted memories in our dating relationship and marriage. The sweetest gift.

New Year's Eve with the Mayfields

My sweet girl who loves posing for the camera.

Jeanine & Jilly (courtesy of Ava's photography:)

Ava's Christmas presents from us

Who knew stick-on earrings could be so exciting?

Christmas with Old Friends! Love them!

Off to see Christmas lights

The getaway driver

My favorite two little ones in the world

Gift time

Cute pink Toms from Mimi & Papa (Ava calls them Tums)

Christmas with Ron's family

Thanks for the fireworks, Uncle Danny!

Our Christmas Card

2011-12-25T20:36:00.000-06:00

December 2011: Part I

2011-12-15T09:09:00.002-06:00

We've had some December fun this past few weeks!

We met some friends, Shannon & her family, to watch the Southaven Christmas Parade, and the weather was great (last year we nearly froze). Ava loves her girls. And we were really proud of our church's float that earned the 1st Place Prize!

Speaking of our church, the first annual Dream Team Gala was held as a thank you for all the people who help make everything run smoothly. It was a wonderful evening complete with great food, semi-formal attire, hilarious speaker, and "red carpet" pics. Ava stayed with Aunt Brittany while we were there, but she begged to go saying, "I promise I can act fancy." Love it!

Each year we have a Ladies' Christmas Banquet, and volunteers are assigned a table to host and decorate. I had so much fun sitting at Kristan's table! She is very creative and thoughtful. It's really neat to arrive a little early and see how the hostesses decorate. We had around 20 tables all uniquely designed.

One of my childhood friends, Eren, has a daughter who is about Ava's age. We were invited to her birthday party which is next door to my grandpa's home. My dad decided he'd drive us down, so that he could visit with his dad while we partied. It was nice day to visit with family and friends. Ava had a blast at the party. Santa was there for a guest appearance, as well as a pony for riding and face-painting!

My mom spent the night this week, and we spent the next day shopping. Britt and Reid met up with us for a little while. I was so exhausted by the time I got back home!! I was so glad that I was able to mark lots off of my list though!

I can't believe I'm saying that Ron and I celebrated our 9th Anniversary yesterday! I surprised Ron with a Keurig, and he LOVES it! I looked back at my wedding pictures and at that young 21 year-old girl standing there! As my pastor's wife says, "Marriage is designed to get better and better." I agree. I truly love him more today than I did nine years ago.

Well, today the plan is to finish cleaning this place! Ugh, the dreaded laundry has piled up again! Also, Ava and I will make a quick run (hopefully;) to Wal-mart and cook dinner. Oh, and I still haven't ordered Christmas cards! That has to happen too!

Great friends: Jamie & Maria

We had so much fun at the Gala!

Krista's table was an antique, feminine theme so we all had some dress-up accessories to take home. Mine, of course, were hijacked by Ava as soon as I got home:)

Candy-cane theme

Jamie's Tiffany-inspired table

Maria's table had these pretty snowy branches...

I thought these owls were cute!


me, Beth, Maria, & Jamie

It must be a family tradition to take pictures on Mamaw Little's swing. Ava and Aunt Bobbie...

Random pic: Ava and I put this 300-piece puzzle together (not all at once!). We needed a pic before we tore it apart:)

We were surprised one morning with SNOW!

Ava with Santa

"Princess" face-painting

Emma & Ava

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T10:12:00.001-06:00

We started our Thanksgiving week with our church's annual Evening with the Turkeys-- a wonderful dinner followed by comedy via volunteers from church- hilarious! Ron and I participated in two of the skits. It was a blast preparing for it.
The next day, I had a doctor's appointment (15 weeks) and got a great report! That afternoon the stomach virus, I think, hit hard. I had to cancel class and prayed that Ron and Ava would not be sick especially with Thanksgiving Day and out-of-town guests. Neither got sick. By Wednesday, I felt so much better and had to hustle to get the house clean and my dishes made (sweet & sour green beans, potato salad, and ambrosia since Brittany nixed it from our Christmas Eve menu;).
Ron's family came into town Thursday morning, and his mom went to my parents' house with us for Thanksgiving dinner. My sister, brother-in-law, nephew, aunt, uncle, and grandpa came too. We had lots of delicious food including a deep-fried turkey from Ron's new cooker. Brittany and I took our kiddos on a walk- the weather was awesome. After lunch the ladies sat around looking at Black Friday ads and talking. (I could kick myself for not getting pictures of my parents or a family pic!)
Britt and I met at 11:30 PM at Target. It was fun, and I finished shopping for Ava. Unfortunately, I didn't get nearly as much accomplished as I did the previous two years, so I'll be probably shopping 'til the last minute this year.
Ron's brother and sister-in-law came over Friday and Saturday night to visit with us, and they all left Sunday morning. The three of us crashed after church Sunday-- while Ron and Ava napped, I finished reading the book that I started the night before. There's nothing like reading a good book on a cold, rainy holiday weekend:)

Aunt Bobbie with her great-niece & great nephew. She's the best!

Sweet Reid

My girl:)

Pretty Brittany with our kiddos

Papaw Little with the babies

Ron & Job were on a mission to cook the turkey;)

I had to include this one because this is usually how it goes... Ava tries to be little mommy.

Awwww....

Well, Britt and I cooperated...

Mammaw & Ava

Fall Scrapbook

2011-11-29T17:26:00.001-06:00

2011

Another long family post...

My "scrapbook" editions are ways for me to remember our lives during this season. I need to do it more often! Just when I had gotten into a semi-good routine of blogging, the nausea hit and staring at the computer screen only made it worse! Thank goodness that stage is over, and I've spent lots of today procrastinating on all the grading I need to be doing by looking at Pinterest and catching up on blog reading. Oops.

As usual I found myself so busy-- to the point that I had to sit down and reevaluate my life. I tried not to be too hard on myself since the staying at home/working part-time is still really new to me. I guess I expected to automatically adjust to it. Reality is that I have to set boundaries for myself, or I'm more busy/chaotic/annoyed than working full-time and handling a side job! When I dreamed about this stage in my life, it looked like this: start a really deep Bible study, work-out everyday, keep the house perfect, have dinner cooked every night when Ron arrives home, and spend a ton of quality time with Ava. So, when I realized that those things were still sporadic despite cutting back 40 hours/week of work, I needed to change. I am rambling. On to our lives for the past few months...

Kayla threw Danny a surprise 30th birthday party. I think he really was surprised especially since she did it in Mississippi instead of Missouri. We had a fun weekend hanging out with them!
Ava & I had a mommy/daughter day at the Children's Museum of Memphis. It was great! She loved it. It brought back memories of the day my aunt Bobbie took Brittany and me. I think she liked the mini-Kroger as much as we did:)
I began home-school preschool lessons with Ava in September. My goal for her as a 4-year old is to get in the 'groove' of sitting down with me and working on lessons. We have concentrated mostly on phonics, reading aloud, and some handwriting. She's a good student. She has some perfectionist tendencies, so I work with her not being too hard on herself. She also LOVES doing crafts. We include those as well as puzzles and games.
Our "Moms of Preschoolers" life group had a play date at the Tunica Aquatic Center. It's a great and very affordable place for families to hang out. We also met at church for breakfast and playtime a few weeks ago.
We had play dates with at Chick-fil-A with Tuesday and Emma, and one day Justus came over to play on the playground with Ava. We also went over to Mary Abbott & Niki's a few times for some fun!
One day, Jamie, Greg, Pastor Jeff, and I went on a day trip to Huntsville, AL, to tour a church. Our church has worked with them on sharing ideas. Jamie and I were asked to go to check out their layout and design-- it was impressive! Too bad I was so nauseated! ;)
Ron and I took Ava to the city park after church (complete with milkshakes & perfect weather:).
I had a 31 Gifts Party and got some great items for being a hostess. I love my stuff! It was a fun night with some of my favorite girls.
I probably watched more football than ever this season. Ron has gotten more and more into college football the past few years. It's fun. And this is for him, "Roll Tide!"
Four of my high school/college friends had babies within about three weeks' time! I can't wait to see all of them in person. I've loved seeing their pics on Facebook! Welcome to the world, Harper, Noah, Jilly, & Lucas!
Ava and I went to the Homecoming Pep-rally in my hometown where I went to school and worked. It was really fun seeing my former students and co-workers. I miss them! We also got to have lunch with Mimi & Papa.
I went to see Twilight: Breaking Dawn with Meg, Anna, Christie, and Emily. What a fun night!
My parents made a joint birthday lunch for Brittany and me. My mom was in the hospital on my birthday:(. They made a huge meal and hung balloons and banners for us:) Sweet! They gave me birthday money, so I ordered a North Face rain coat that I've wanted for a while.
My mom has been recovering from being sick and hospitalized (I overheard Ava telling her friend that Mimi was in the hospital because she drinks too much Coke- ha!) so I decorated their house for Christmas one day. Too bad mine still isn't done- ha! Having all my Christmas decor in storage is annoying!
As a small part of teaching Ava the true meaning of Christmas, we participated in Operation Christmas Child. It was really neat when she picked out toys and candy for a child she doesn't know.
My nephew Reid turned ONE! He had an adorable birthday party. Brittany did a great job of decorating and planning.
One time, Niki told me that tucking your child into bed is so funny because it's when they have the urge to share things-- recently, when I was putting Ava to bed she told me that her toothpaste tastes like poison, and then she asked if she's ever had turquoise throw up. Random!

Lots of pictures... Even downloaded some from my phone...

Surprise!!

Danny with his nieces, Taylor & Ava

"Baby Ford" is so adorable!

Chili's with the in-laws

little shopper

She loved it! The cash register was her favorite part, except...

dressing up on the "Orpheum" stage... I always tell Ron that I can see her being in theater stuff. She's so expressive and likes to entertain.

"dentist office"

Ava and Kaley

Aquatic Center

Ava with the birthday boy!

On our way to Waffle House for family breakfast

Maria and me

Sweetness

Playing outside, waiting on "Mrs. Jeanine" to arrive.

My tired baby!

"Mommy, take a picture of my hair." :)

Ron had guy night for one of the games, so Ava and I went to Cracker Barrel to window shop and have dinner.

Princess Ava

at the church fall festival

Ava & "Toots"

"I want to do a serious face."

The Little Mermaid (Ava dressing up is a daily occurrence).

Mrs. Cindy's wig

At the Sam's Club holiday taste-testing with Mimi and me

Cinderella (we found this one at a consignment sale for $4)

at Old Navy

sipping hot chocolate & watching Polar Express

1st Trimester Highlights

2011-11-07T13:31:00.002-06:00

I found out on September 3 after yard sale shopping with Ava & Brittany and donuts with them plus my parents & Job.

We have been wanting to add to our family for a long time! I was so excited!!!

Due Date:
May 12

Major symptoms:
Indigestion
Nausea
Fatigue
Sore chest
Gagging at the mere thought of something gross

Cravings:
Rice Krispies with milk
chocolate milk
Gummy candy
Tomatoes
Cheddar cheese

Funny moments:
Checking the weather report so I'd know how to dress Ava and me then realizing it was Chicago's weather, and it was 20 degrees warmer here- pregnant brain!
The look on Ron's face when my doctor suspected twins (it was a glitch it the ultra sound machine).

Great moments:
Getting a wonderful report from first doctor's appointment
Telling Ava the BIG news! Her first response was, "Thank you, Jesus!" She told me back in July that the baby was taking too long to get here!
Sharing the news with our family & friends.

And then there were FOUR!

2011-11-01T16:54:00.000-05:00

As the first trimester comes to end soon, I'm so excited to say that we are having a new baby! Baby #2 is due on May 12. Yay!!!

Last night as I was reflecting on all of our fall festivities, I realized that next Halloween we'd have a five year old and a five month old. Wow:)

Fall Family Fun

2011-10-31T20:41:00.000-05:00

I love fall! We've had a fun few weeks of fall-ish activities, and I am trying to get caught back up on blogging! 

I got to go trick-or-treating with Ron & Ava for about 45 minutes before leaving for class. They stayed out longer and had a blast! She was thrilled about it this year.

Proud Princess with her Monster Cousin;)

On the giant slide at Mimi & Papa's church

Face painting by Nicole

Princess/Kitty?

After our church's fall festival... Ava was the potato sack race champ! They had so much fun... more face painting, pie-in-the-face competition, hay ride, bounce houses, and candy, of course!

Ava loves to pose for pics... always ready:)

SWEET!

Daddy/Uncle Ron :)

Ava's pumpkin that she took to Mimi for a 'get well happy.'

My 30th birthday dinner

Outside movie night with the McRae family

a little fall decor

Tara's Dining Room

2011-10-12T21:26:00.000-05:00

Last year, I made-over Matt and Tara's master bedroom, and today, their dining room with Jamie's help. There are always challenges when decorating someone's space. On this particular job, I had two: the budget and using a very large painting that they already had in the room; both issues turned out fine! At first I was stumped on the paint color because it had to compliment the painting. In the end, I chose Moody Blue by Sherwin-Williams- LOVE! Tara really wanted a china cabinet to be able to display her beautiful china, and she found one on Craig's List for $50. I found the red curtains on target.com with no shipping fee:) Everything else was from The Find! When Jamie and I can "shop" from our own store, it equals savings for the client.

{Before} They had a media cabinet as kind of a makeshift buffet, but the height wasn't working.

{Before} Neutral walls that didn't compliment the pretty hardwood floors or furniture.

{Before} Their dining room furniture is really nice and was easy to work around!

{Before} I knew adding curtains would be a huge improvement!

{Before} The painting seemed a little lost on a big wall.

{After} I love the pops of red- panels, plate, candlestick, and painting!

{After} I feel like this painting is much more "in place" now with the change of wall color and hanging it off-center for a little unexpected touch.

{After} They painted the oak hutch with black--didn't mean to do shiny but it'll get fixed someday. I do like it black though.

{After} I love seeing that we incorporated Tara's iron wall hanging, her lamp, china, and chalkboard in with our yard sale and Goodwill finds (suitcase, topiary, plate stands & plates, bird, antique books, candlestick, basket, ...).

{After} We decided to keep the centerpiece simple using a basket of Tara's and lots of Dollar Tree moss balls. It'll be easy to move for family dinners.

{After} We had one other wall to address. Tara had this large empty frame from a thrift store and the window from her grandmother's home. The wreath was one Jamie made last month.


I know everyone probably says this, but PICS don't do rooms justice! Tara was so happy with it! :)

Jeanine's Baby Shower

2011-10-10T11:57:00.000-05:00

Jeanine is having a baby girl next month! I'm so excited! As I've mentioned before, Jeanine and I lived together when we went to community college along with Christie and Lori, freshman year, and then Carly took Lori's place for our sophomore year. Carly had a sweet baby girl in June that I finally got to see at this shower! It was great to see Jeanine, Carly, their moms, Jeanine's sisters, and some other great girls that I don't see often. I had to snap some pics of Jilly's beautiful nursery too. Jeanine's mom is very talented and made all of her bedding, ect.

Jeanine still has this framed in her craft room. I made it for her about 10 years ago. Time flies.

The shower was brunch-food themed. Grits, quiche, ham biscuits, blueberry pound cake, spice cake, breakfast casserole, fruit, juice, coffee... Everything was delicious!

My sweet girl helped Jeanine's nieces with the presents.

The beautiful mom-to-be...

Hostesses with Jeanine

J's craft room! I want one!! :)

Brittany made this adorable shirt.

Brooke's Bargains 40

2011-10-07T12:33:00.001-05:00

Last Saturday was GREAT for yard sales! Perfect weather and lots of neighborhood sales-- too many to count! I have also found some good stuff at Goodwill lately. Here are my latest finds:

I found this at GW for $3. I love baskets!

Boots $5

fall purse $1

purse $1

clock to use in homeschool $1

For my mom who is tiny, I found all these shirts (Banana Republic, Ann Taylor Loft, Gap, The Limited, American Eagle...) for $1-$2 each

$5 for this big mirror

Jamie found this for Ava for $0.75

More from Jamie: RL shirt and jeans for Ava, $1.50

GW shoes for Ava, I think I paid $3

navy jacket, $2

Ava: shoes for next year $5 (L'Amour)

This jacket still has the tags on it. $2


2 skirts (one is from Banana Republic) $2 & Old Navy tanks $0.50 (Thanks, Jamie:)

small cloche with little owl (Goodwill) $1.50

Supper Club Resumes!

2011-09-15T08:53:00.004-05:00

We haven't met for Supper Club since April! I have been missing my friends a lot! I'm glad I got to see everyone in June for Jessica's beautiful wedding though!
Lots of changes have happened since the last gathering:

Christie started nursing school and loves it. So happy for her!
Anna committed to travel nursing and is leaving for Houston today.
Meg had a BABY! He's adorable!!
Ashley is in the hospital for bed rest until Baby Noah arrives!
Niki started teaching at the community college (we're co-workers now:).
As I said Jessica got married.
Katie is 'patiently' awaiting the arrival of Harper!!
Amanda moved to a new house, and I'm ready to see it.
I am a stay at home mom during the day:)
and so on...

I brought my camera because I like to have pics! I was told NO pictures this time, so I'm including a pic of the group from about 10 years ago;)

Wow, I have the biggest coat. Geez, Brooke. I love these girls!

Burlap, A Craft Fair, and More Bargains!

2011-09-10T17:01:00.003-05:00

Last night, while jamming out to the Kari Jobe station on Pandora, I made 22 burlap rosettes which I've wanted to do for a long time... don't know why I put off fairly simple crafts sometimes when it's actually quite relaxing (I'm rambling)... I found the tutorial for how to do it from Craftaholics Anonymous' blog.

This morning, I woke up "bright" and EARLY to get ready for The Find's first time to participate in a craft fair. I stopped at Jamie's to glue my burlap to wreaths, frames, and baskets, and then we headed down south for the fair. We, of course, stopped at some yard sales along the way!

The craft fair was fun because I got to hang out with my family and Jamie and see people from my hometown that I don't see often; however, we didn't have a very good turn out. Basically, it would have made the day even better to have made cash AND see family/friends:).

I have some pics of my burlap rosettes, The Find booth, and my amazing yard sale bargains.

These weren't difficult once I got the hang of it, and I want to glue one on everything in sight! Ha. The buttons were on clearance at JoAnn's.

The Find's booth... Even though we didn't sell much, we got a lot accomplished for the future-- that's my positive way of looking at it! :)

My mom made cakes & pies. She sold all of her pies! Yum!

Brittany set up her cute sample shirts and adorable hand towels for sale.

I brought one of the wreaths home. I needed it.

close up pic

I went to a big yard sale today and found a lady whose daughter and Ava have the same initials! I got this Kelly's Kids dress for $5.

The hot pink minky dot fabric caught my eye, and when I picked it up and realized that Ava's intials were on it, I was so excited! I've found "Ava" stuff at yard sales, but never her initials. Kelly's Kids, $2

Chocolate brown sweater, $1


Play clothes for next summer, $1 each


Swimsuit cover up & patriotic dress, $2


7 long sleeved shirts (4 of them blank for monogramming), $1 each

Brooke's Bargains 39

2011-09-05T09:36:00.001-05:00

My FAVORITE GOODWILL FIND EVER! $25

Brittany found this cute dress for Ava for $0.50

American Eagle sweater-- looks like it's never been worn-- $1

Gap pants: $1

New with tags ($39): American Eagle skirt for me:) $1

This week's books: $4.75-- 2 decor books, 4 books for A's library

Last week's killer deal!: 16 books for Ava's library, $3.25

So in summary, I bought an upholstered chair, 22 books, an AE skirt, an AE sweater, Gap pants, and a dress for a total of $36.50!

I'm linked up to:

Ava's Clothes via Aunt Brittany!

2011-08-28T08:03:00.000-05:00

I love that my sister has a machine now and is so generous with her time! Look at all these adorable things (and yes, I have to iron!) she has made for Ava since she made the purchase back in the spring:

Summer Scrapbook

2011-08-23T10:29:00.001-05:00

Summer Scrapbook: Family Post

We've had an extremely busy summer! I taught two summer school courses at the community college, tried to get all the boxes unpacked and the apartment organized, made doctors appointments, worked on The Find and some decor projects for others--

BUT we also made time for lots of summer fun!

Here's some of the highlights of Summer '11:

Swimming-- It was great to have a pool at our apartment this summer; we could just go when we needed a change of scenery (made apartment-living feel a little like vacation:). Ron and I like to pretend it's our vacation condo;) I'm soooooooo proud of Ava because she learned how to swim about two weeks after her 4th birthday! She LOVES being in the water! She also has a little pool at Papa & Mimi's house that they fill up for her when she visits, and Papa 'swims' with her:) We also had play dates in the pool with Maria and Hannah Mae, Eren and Emma, and Jesse, Kristan, and Heather. Fun times!
Sprinkler park-- One day we drove out to the Sprinkler Park and had a blast! I hope we'll get one closer to our home next summer. Ava had a great time with Hudson there, and on the way home, I cracked up listening to them talk about their future. It went something like this: Hudson: "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Ava: "A mommy." Hudson: "Oh, well, I'm gonna fly a space rocket, and you'll be my wife, and I'll take care of you." HA! They are hilarious.
Sleepovers- Ava's first sleepover away from family was with Mary Abbott. Niki said they played nonstop with babies, watched Tangled, ate pancakes, and all that fun sleepover stuff. Niki and I kinda had an emotional moment as we have been friends since she moved from Texas in the 6th grade, and now our little girls love each other so much. Then a few weeks ago, Hannah Mae spent the night with us. Ava was so excited to have someone stay with her. HM is about 2 1/2 years older, so she's like a big sister. Sweet!
VBS-- My parents' church had a fantastic VBS this year, and my dad was one of the tribe leaders (he had to wrap up in a sheet-- I hate I don't have a pic of that;). They invited Ava to spend a few nights with them and go. She really enjoyed it and came back singing new songs (that was one of my favorite parts of VBS as a kid-- the new songs). I reminisced about my days of visiting both sets of grandparents and going with them to Bible School. Glad for those memories.
Birthday party-- Ava was invited to a bounce birthday party. Let's just say she slept good that night!
Visitors-- Ron's mom, brother, & sister-in-law have visited several times this summer, and we enjoyed some quality time with them. Ava is thrilled when Mammaw comes to town! They have so much fun together. Our friends from Alabama also visited (Lonnie & Nicole); we don't get to see them nearly enough, but I think we try to make up for it when we see one another! They are so much fun to be around. We tried out some resturaunts in Memphis that we'd be curious about (Gus's Fried Chicken and The Blue Fin and The Cheesecake Corner), took a carriage ride downtown, swam, and laughed a lot!!
Ava-isms-- Aren't kids hilarious?! I wish I was disciplined enough to write down all the funny things Ava says because I never want to forget this season of life... She's been using 'big' words in correct context lately like frustrated, bacteria, and definitely. And while those sound like a big girl, I love that she still says things like a-fore (before), a cause (because), ank you (thank you), hee highs (high heels), and cob corn (corn on the cob).
Shopping-- It seems like we've done a lot of shopping this summer as I've attempted to get our new home just right! Sometimes after night class I just walk around in Target or Marshall's to 'wind down.' We also went shopping with Shannon and her girls at the mall. It was a treat to hang out with them and go to the mall since we rarely go...
As I mentioned in my Hot Springs post, our GNO group did a neat outreach in July. We made food bags primarily for people who experience natural disasters and such. We had an assembly line and raced the other groups for the best time at putting boxes together. I was in charge of packing the boxes, and Ava had to put the vitamin packet in the bag.
Life Group-- Ron, Ava, and I went bowling with our life group. I joked that I'm a life group junkie because I've jumped in on several new ones. Our family still goes to our 'main' life group that we've been a part of for the past three years and the homeschool group, but I've joined some new ones that meet less often such as one for moms of preschoolers, zumba, reading club, and healthy cooking.
Whacky Water Fest-- Our church held the 2nd annual fest, and it was open to the public. They had around 10 different water slides, free hot dogs, and ice cream sandwiches. It was so much fun!!
Family movie nights-- Ron loves to rent movies that he thinks Ava will like. They are both movie buffs;). We all snuggle on the couch on these nights. Love it!
Date night with my hubby-- We only had one 'real' date night this summer. We've been making plans to do better than that especially now that Ava is older. It was really good though to spend some time together and not be in 'gotta-get-things-done-mode' (the move wore us out).
Ava's pet: While I was in night class, Ron and Ava went to Petco and came home with a spotted leopard gecko. At first, his name was Gerald (my dad's name), but Ava informed me that he was actually a girl, Sara. So Sara lives in Ava's room now. The first night was a trip! Ava asked three questions: Can she sleep with me? Can we paint her little nails? Can we put a little bitty outfit on her? Ha ha!!

Lots of pics... Even cleaned out my phone pics....

Hot Springs, Arkansas with the GIRLS!

2011-08-21T08:11:00.000-05:00

This weekend I had such a wonderful time with about twenty ladies from church. A few months ago, a new ladies' ministry was launched called Girls' Night Out (GNO), and we've had some fun monthly meetings from a mother/daughter dinner, all things thrifty night with couponing tips and other ideas for budget living, a missions outreach project, and now this overnight shopping trip.
Friday night we had a quick Lenny's dinner on the road with LOTS of talking and laughing-- the three hours flew by! Then more talking and laughing and getting to know others in our hotel rooms that night.
Saturday morning, we were up bright & early for breakfast at the Pancake Shop and shopping downtown. I bought Ron a bottle of Roasted Raspberry Chipotle sauce for his grilling and my parents, who kept Ava since Ron had to work, some Key Lime cookies from a gourmet food/gift shop. When I shopped at a boutique toy store, I ran across a great book for Ava that we'll use in our science studies. I found a pretty antique bird print with a unique frame for my walls and the perfect kitchen hand towel. We all met back up for lunch at a fabulous Cuban restaurant-- everything was so good!
Our next stop was a store called Half off of Half (I think). Majorly good deals in there! I was at the end of my shopping budget when we got there:( so I just got a pair of $3 sunglasses and two outfits for Ava for next summer.
Finally we went to the mall for about an hour, then headed home; on the way back through Hot Springs, I spotted a Home Goods store. I have been wanting to go to one of those for several years! Now, I need to go back to Hot Springs asap!! I seriously laughed so much that my stomach is a bit sore this morning! :) Thankful for great friends and memories that were made this weekend.

Some of the girls: Heather, Kristan, Jeanne, Lauren, me, Shari, & Maria. (Thanks for snapping the pic, Jamie!)

My First Consignment Sale Shopping

2011-08-19T12:51:00.000-05:00

When I got out Ava's "too big" storage container a few nights ago, I couldn't believe all the shoes, pajamas, jackets, dresses, jeans, ect. that I've bought for her at yard sales & thrift stores!! You know 'out of sight, out of mind'? It is so nice to buy ahead and pay literally next to nothing for things! Well, I finally decided to try out the consignment sale scene as my sister and some friends have had great success; I mean Ava is four, and I'm just now going.

The area we live in has lots of children's consignments sales, so I went to one today called Lil Blessings. An entire church gym was filled to overflowing with neatly organized clothes, shoes, bedding, and children's accessories.

Here's what I got for $47:


Large turquoise hair bow, navy peacoat, two solid white shirts and a solid aqua shirt for monogramming/appliques (thanks to my fabulous sister;)

a monkey costume for my nephew, Reid.... can't wait to see him in this!

black flats with flower detail, Gigi God's Little Princess DVD, pink skirt (I've learned that these go with lots), dressy coat, casual dress

Makeover @ Maria's Part II

2011-08-17T23:07:00.003-05:00

Happy 30th Birthday, Maria!

Last week when I dropped Maria's daughter Hannah Mae off from a sleepover, Maria made a comment about wanting to change up her hall bathroom that serves as both her children's bathroom and a guest bath (I nonchalantly inquired about what she wanted to do in there, so that I would have direction if my plan worked out;). That night I contacted her husband to tell him what she said since her birthday is coming up and all. He thought it was a great idea too, so Jamie and I got busy making plans. We did our shopping at pretty much our usual spots-- a local thrift store, Marshall's, Target, Gordman's, Walmart, and JoAnn's. The neat thing about doing a small room like this is that it doesn't take a lot to make a big impact.

BEFORE:

This blurry picture makes me laugh because my car was so full of things we might use that Jamie had to sit in the backseat.

This bathroom already had some good things going for it-- neutral paint color (pale khaki) and painted cabinets and nice pulls.

Another good thing was this rustic-looking wall art...

We added towels to the empty towel bar and relocated the painting to the hallway.

AFTER:

Maria said that she really likes navy and white together. This shower curtain was purchased at Target, and Jamie customized it by adding the green ribbon and white panel at the bottom.

It seems like shower curtains aren't long enough so adding 12-16 inches helps! We exchanged the chrome rod and rings for oil rubbed bronze (Walmart).

I love the way lime green looks with navy and white! This "S" was a Gordman's find.

In a perfect world, we could have had the time to remove the builder-grade mirror, patch the wall, and repaint it, but.... we were working on a tight schedule (this was another SURPRISE makeover while Maria was teaching her Wednesday night class), so we used this trick that I copied from The Nester. We spray painted an empty frame and hung it with some natural looking ribbon and burlap.

We moved the wrought iron plant holder up a few inches and used our thrift store basket for storage.

Love those Trapp candles... smells fabulous! The fun candle holder and chess piece (?) were thrifty store finds.

The navy lamp was a yard sale find, and it looks cute topped off with this Target burlap drum shade. We also got the kiddos matching toothbrushes:)

Another yard sale find was this textured empty wooden frame; it had a wire already in it. We found a sonogram pic from last week and displayed it using tiny clothespins. This is Baby Sammons #5!

Jamie and I could not decide on what we wanted to use for art work on this wall. Finally, she found something on this website that was free! The frame was another yard sale find ($0.50)! The towels are from Target.

My sister wasn't using this soap dish anymore--perfect for this room! I splurged a tiny bit to get 'special' soap:)

I LOVE these green bath mats. This is my very favorite shade of green.

As I said, it's always great to have something to start with when re-doing a space!

another shot of the room....

I'm laughing in this pic, of course, because Jamie and I were being goofy. I think we get deliriously excited when we're working on projects.

Poor Tim had to play photographer while we were 'patiently' waiting on Maria to get home. Ha!


And just for fun we posed Grisham while waiting. He was a good sport:) I'm linking up to the Shabby Creek Cottage's Transformation Thursday & A Glimpse Inside's Catch a Glimpse Thursday. Check them out!

Makeover @ Maria's

2011-08-13T10:17:00.001-05:00

A few months ago while visiting with Maria, she mentioned really wanting curtains for her dining room. I joked with her hubby and said that I'd go out and shop for her. When Maria was out of earshot, he gave me cash and said he wanted to do that for her for Mothers' Day. (So sweet. They are just adorable together!)
She said she liked brown and green, and her kitchen is a fun shade of blue, so I ended up getting her the same curtains I have from Pier 1 since they incorporated those colors so well. Our mutual friends, Greg and Jamie, went over to help me hang the curtains and spruce up the dining room a bit...Well, that turned it to a makeover of the living room, entry way, dining room, and kitchen. :) It was lots of fun to surprise Maria (she was teaching a class at church while we were tearing her house apart;)!
We moved her area rug from the dining room to the living room to create a defined sitting area in the large room plus it made it more warm and inviting on the hardwood floors. Next we rearranged her furniture to make a 'conversation' area, before the furniture was really spaced out and awkwardly positioned. We moved the piano into the room to have more surface area to decorate too. The room is painted a great neutral shade while the kitchen is so vibrant; by using some accent pieces that correlate with that color, we were able to make the main living areas flow. Jamie and I filled in some areas by using items from The Find such as a throw blanket, some moss balls, throw pillows, and vases. Jamie had the great idea of using the large ottoman for a coffee table. We got so excited with our surprise and were on such a time crunch, that we didn't take before pics:( ugh!

BIG Tranformation at Shannon's House!

2011-08-05T13:28:00.001-05:00

Shannon and I have been friends for years, but we only had hung out at my house, work, or restaurants until about six months ago, so the first time I went to her house my impression was that it didn't fit her bright, fun, bubbly personality at all! She said that she hadn't bought anything for her home in years, so the next month I began a big makeover of her downstairs-- living room, dining room, kitchen, master bedroom/bath, entry way, front porch, and patio! I helped her to eliminate the the things that weren't working-- outdated rugs, lamps, wall decor, ect, make an extensive shopping list, and pick out paint colors for the kitchen and master suite (the rest of the area is painted with a warm neutral, Tobacco Road). Next, she and I both shopped A LOT. She wanted to use browns, greens, and reds. I had a blast doing this! We even had a family sleepover one night with them so that we could work long after our girls were in bed and our hubbies just hung out and helped when we needed them. Great times and priceless memories!

Here are some before pictures:

Oak cabinets get updated!

View from entryway

We added new bath rugs to our shopping list.

Outdated rug

Rug that didn't go with new color scheme

Another rug that is no longer with us;)

Shannon was tired of the leather sofa and loveseat.

She wanted something more on the comfy side.

We removed this mirror and replaced the pulls to update this dresser. It looks so much better now!

This chest got new oil-rubbed bronze pulls too.

Need new bedding....

I rearranged furniture to help make the most of their living room.

Before...


garage sale pile!

Our kiddos after a long day of shopping and fun! :)

After pics:

cute little garden flag by front porch for a 'homey' feel

"S" bronze wreath hanger for a personal touch

I ordered this boxwood wreath from etsy.com's twoinspireyou shop. Simple and pretty!

Entryway: I didn't get a picture of the rug, but I used a cute khaki and orange striped jute rug. We found this table at Kirkland's, the lamp at Gordman's, and the bird and awesome mirror at a local home decor outlet store.

I hung this pretty turquoise cross by the front door.


The entry way has a high ceiling so I used this metal scroll hanging for a little interest.

The master bedroom was being used as a workout and TV room before we started redecorating (The workout equipment found a new home in the garage and the bedroom furnitue was moved back downstairs making way for an upstairs playroom for the girls). It was painted sage green. I chose this Sherwin Williams Comfort Gray for the walls. I tried to keep it simple and relaxing by choosing soft colors and accenting with blues and greens.

I love these unique bedside tables (Gordman's) and big apple green lamp (Kirkland's). We found a huge box of old Reader's Digest books in the attic- Love them! The cross is from Hobby Lobby.

Shannon picked up the "happily ever after" sign at Gordmans, and I found the quilt and shams and sheet set at Target. The bird pillow (Shannon's favorite) is something I found at Marshall's.

Chest-top decor... Love the clock and vase-- the greenery is unusual and looks great with the green lamps!

There were NO curtains in the house, so it was fun to see what a HUGE difference hanging curtains makes! The bedroom curtains are chocolate brown linen with grommets from Target.

We needed something large above the bed. We got this scrolly metal artwork for 50% off at Hobby Lobby!

Such a cozy room to relax in!!

The master bathroom was painted the same soft gray. I kept this room simple too by just adding new rugs (I LOVE these gray and white medallion rugs that we got ON SALE at Macy's) and gray towels.

We got this huge apothecary jar on our Hobby Lobby run and filled it with cotton balls. Love that black and white picture of Shannon, Mitchell, and Caitlin!

AND for a pop of green to help coordinate the bed and bath, I added this large green wreath to the bathroom wall. I added a little extra interest by hanging it on a black wreath wall hanger (kinda hard to see in the picture).

The living room, dining room, and kitchen are very open so I opted to use the same curtains for all three rooms. I found these 'spice' colored panels with grommets at Bed, Bath, & Beyond (I always buy the longer length for a more custom look, usually 96 inches).

Shannon and I both bought some interesting mirrors, so I used them for a grouping. This pic is kinda dark, but that's a trunk between the windows topped with chocolate brown pillows with orange/red accents that I got a Marshall's for $8/pair!

The living room is a little awkward due to a staircase (behind this couch) and an off-centered fireplace-- arranging the furniture was tough! Shannon found this chenille chocolate brown COMFY couch at Big Lots. The throw pillows are from Burlington Coat Factory and Marshall's. The wall art is a mix of items from Target, Gordman's, and thrift stores (I repainted an old gold-framed mirror to make it a chalkboard). Lamp, Target.


View from entryway.

The rug was ordered from target.com. It had all the colors we were trying to incorporate in her home! Shannon said she gets lots of compliments on it.

They already had this pair of chairs. The accessories shown in this picture were purchased at Target, Gordman's, Kirkland's, Goodwill, Marshall's, and House to Home.

The lantern on the coffee table is from Gordman's (I think I used it at two other houses recently;).

Shannon and I are cry babies when we are together! We can tear up about anything-- she cried when she read this sign.

View from dining room.

They already had this table and chairs; we just moved them from the breakfast nook to the dining room. Previously, there was a more formal table here. I love this table and how it looks now with all the 'trimmings.'


The jumping off point for this was this super-cute table runner from Pier 1.

The scalloped chargers are from House to Home (local decor outlet); the plates, napkins, and rings are from Target.

Love the details on the table runner!!

We took the hutch off of this console table. I painted this mirror black (before it was gold and hung over the couch) and propped it against the wall. The great lamp is another Marshall's find; the cloche is from Hob Lob and is filled with pears; and the bird print is from Gordman's.

I ordered the moss-covered "S" from etsy.com's spotted leopard shop.

Shannon had these 'blooming yellow' sticks already so I added them to a black vase I found in her attic, I think.


Instead of having two table practically side my side, we made this breakfast nook, which is right between the dining room & kitchen, into a sitting area by using a chair that Shannon had recovered (it was her grandmother's), a fabric-rimmed jute rug, some baskets of magazines, a ruffled pillow, and a side table (Gordman's), and lamp (thrift store).

Love the little bronze bird:)

Shannon and Mitchell love this colorful painting of the romantic couple in the rain. Sweet:)

We did some major lamp shopping, didn't we?! (about 10 to be exact!) Look at those gorgeous ladies!

The kitchen cabinets were traditional oak, so they had them painted to match their dining table/chairs. And added pulls!

I love this kitchen rug! (Marshall's)

The kitchen was repainted chocolate brown. We found these fun prints at Pier 1 (on sale!)

Girly, ruffly apron is hanging on a hook in kitchen.

We updated the laundry room/garage door entry way a little by adding wicker baskets for storage and this cute laundry sign (Hobby Lobby 50% off).

I love black frames with white mats! I got these for the hallway at Wal-Mart. Love these snow day pictures of Caitlin & Mary Catherine!!


Shannon spray painted her patio furniture and added neutral cushions. It is wonderful on that patio- makes you just want to hang out for a while!

Makes me even more ready to get my patio whipped into shape.

I took this picture at night, obviously, so the lighting is bad. I wanted to show how cool this enormous umbrella with twinkly lights is! It covers the entire patio. Makes ya feel like you're on vacation:)

Frugal Makeover @ Emily's

2011-07-30T09:47:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, Jamie and I did a very frugal makeover at our friend Emily's house (kitchen and family room). Emily and her husband Doug are on staff at our church-- hard workers! To prepare for this, we 'shopped' at The Find and loaded up LOTS of items that could possibly be used in their space plus things we could think of like hammer, nails, hot glue gun, measuring tap, spray paint, drop cloth, cameras, .... When we arrived, we first took pictures, then made two piles of their things-- stuff we could use and stuff we could not use. Then we rearranged the furniture to make it more cozy:) I love that word! Next we looked in their bedrooms for other furniture that might could be used (the living room is large and long). If they have hidden cameras in their house, they would laugh so hard to see how we moved furniture. We had a few laugh attacks at ourselves. Of course, there were things that we wished we had to 'finish' it like a large mirror, an area rug, curtains, and a different coffee table, but it still was a big transformation. I'm a little disappointed in my pics; don't feel like they do it justice:( but the best part was that they love it!!

Before: We took stuff off the refrigerator to de-clutter and removed the decor on top of cabinets. We added a rug from their living room to warm up the floor;) Instead of plastic storage containers on top of refrigerator, we added wicker baskets.

Before: The table needed to be turned. Emily plans to paint it soon.

After: The rug helped make the kitchen more homey.


After: I'm so glad we buy pretty books at yard sales because they are perfect for adding a little warmth and layering.

After: We moved the table and added neutral placemats, napkins, and rings. We used Emily's plate stand for a centerpiece after spray painting it red.

The plate stand looks so cute red!

After: We brought these with us and it worked so well with her neutral colors.

Before: The couch, loveseat, and recliner were very spaced out. There were no lamps, wall art, end tables, or coffee table. Their two daughters are under age three, so there were lots of toys too.

Before: We swapped out a neat dresser and bedside tables from their guest bedroom and replaced it with the girls' toys and books.

Before: The rug was too small for the large room. The couches needed throw pillows for color and texture.

Before: Since the kitchen, breakfast nook, and living room are very open, we tried to eliminate as much clutter as possible.

Before: The toys got a new home and the DVDs were stored in a little media cabinet that we brought.

After: Here's the dresser (that Jamie informed me is now called a console) that we moved to the living room. Jamie had the idea of displaying Emily's beautiful pottery here - I wanted to take it for my house;). The short candle holder, previously gold, got a quick makeover with red spray paint- love! When we find a mirror, we'll hang it here.

After: We hung two of their pretty photos above the recliner along with two black crosses. The fireplace now has a red rocking chair and a large vase instead of toys:). The mantle is really pretty without the stack of DVDs. We just added a candle, a large turquoise vase, and a silver plate. Emily had lots of candles in the fireplace which looked fine, but we improved it a bit by added a candelabra. We found the two tables in their master bedroom and are using them for a temporary coffee table. We put a large wooden tray on top to hold magazines.

After: LAMPS make a huge difference! We had these two white lamp bases and some random shades, so we spraypainted the bases black and topped them off with drum shades.

By moving the furniture close together and adding 7 throw pillows and a few throws, the room seemed much more cohesive.

After: There's Jamie taking pics;) Another shot of the room. An area rug would be great in here!

After: I love how these little black and white photos look in the kitchen.

After: We brought over this little chalkboard/ mail center.

And to keep it real, this is how we move heavy furniture. Lol. We got a work out!

Before: Getting ready to spray paint in the front yard!

Brooke's Bargains 38

2011-07-30T08:28:00.000-05:00

The theme of the past two Saturdays has been clothes which is good for me! I tend to spend any 'extra' money on home decor and then look through my closet and want to scream when it's time to get ready! Ha!
So today I only went to one big sale; I spent $14 and walked away with 8 shirts and 3 dresses. Not bad.

Passion Following

2011-07-25T09:21:00.000-05:00

The Nester was a guest over at In Courage yesterday, and her post inspired me so much. I keep thinking about not only her post and the way God blesses his children, but a comment that Nester left in response to a reader: "You know you love it if you can do the work when you have the flu, when you are beyond tired, when no one else would want to, if you still have the drive…watch out, it’s probably your passion."

Brooke's Bargains 37

2011-07-23T17:38:00.001-05:00

The past few weeks has been pretty blah in the yard sale world, but this weekend was GREAT! It was basically "Ava" finds this week and items to sell in our business:). I was just telling my sister that I haven't been finding a lot for A lately....
It's the unbelievable deals that I got this weekend that keep me waking up early on Saturdays despite the duds I go to sometimes! (I should start taking pics on my 'dud' weekends of the stuff I run across. Literally saw used mouthwash once.)

2 princess costumes
Livie & Luca boots (new)—retails $47.50
Yellow Box flip flops
BeeBop flip flops (a pair for Ava and a pair for me:)
4 books
Ralph Lauren sweater
3 swimsuits in perfect condition (one has ‘A’ monogrammed on it)
seersucker dress
Children’s Place sandals (new)
Turkey/Ava shirt (met a lady with a daughter named Ava)
GAP corduroy skirt
GAP sundress
Timberland fleece jacket
Gray leggings
Floral dress
Kohl’s jacket for me
Blue jean shorts
Plaid shorts

TOTAL: $42

e-mealz. com

2011-07-21T08:53:00.000-05:00

My reasons for checking out e-mealz:

1. One of my friends with a similar schedule to mine recommended it.
2. The move and busy summer has made eating out the norm. Yuck!
3. I get in a rut with cooking: spaghetti, poppyseed chicken, homemade tomato soup, lasagna, ...
4. I get nervous about trying new recipes sometimes.
5. I needed something to get me organized about meal planning and grocery shopping!

This is my first week to try it out. Grocery shopping was so easy, and it is great to know exactly what I'm cooking and that all ingredients are ready for me.

FOUR

2011-07-19T09:22:00.000-05:00

{Happy 4th Birthday, Sweet Ava!}

Warning: Long Post

All About You, Ava:

You weigh 33 lbs. and are 3 ft. 2 in. tall
At the moment, your favorite foods are string cheese, green beans, peanut butter and jelly, chocolate milk, strawberries, rice & beans, cheese dip, and chicken nuggets. You will try anything though! You've been out to just about every restaurant imaginable. You are a good eater!
You have a big personality. You have a sense of humor and love to make us laugh. You are very expressive when you are telling us something. When the TV or music is on, you get up and dance and sing. You are very, very sweet and loving with a big heart.
When you wake up in the morning, we snuggle everyday. You walk Daddy to the door and kiss him bye.
You love when we read to you.
Your favorite show is still Dora the Explorer followed by Sid the Science Kid.
You love the Disney Princesses.
Dressing up is one of your favorite activities. You average about five outfits per day:). Right now, your favorite is the turquoise sparkly dress with high heels.
You have lots of tea parties with your baby dolls (if we would allow it, you would buy a new baby doll every day!) When we go to the store, you always ask to look at the babies before we leave.
You get so excited to see Mimi & Papa, Uncle Job, Aunt Brittany, Reid, Mammaw, Uncle Danny & Aunt Kayla, Aunt Bobbie, and Papaw.
You love our church family so much too!
You love your friends and having someone your age to play with. You especially love to play with Hudson, Mary Abbott, Hannah Mae, Tuesday, Caitlin, Lexie, and Emma. You get along well with others.
You love to take long baths and play and sing in the tub.When you're tired, you ask for your "comfy" clothes.
Every night, you want to be tucked in with two stuffed animals or baby dolls. We pray with you. We read to you. And every night, you want us to snuggle with you before you fall asleep. I cherish these moments.
I love everything about you! You are truly a gift from God.When you hug me and say, "You're the best mommy in the whole world," my heart melts. Thank you, God, for entrusting me with Ava.

All About the Party:

For about two weeks, Ava asked me this question at some point in the day, "Is it my birthday yet?" :) This year she wanted a mermaid party (and sometimes a princess party and sometimes a Thumbalina party;). I liked the mermaid "theme" too, if you can call it much of a theme... I found adorable invitations on etsy.com's Party on Digital and also bought the matching cupcake toppers (the PDF file was quickly emailed me to me, so that I sent that to FedEx Office for printing). I like for birthday parties to be fairly simple, laid back, and a fun night for the birthday girl and her friends (and it's hard not to go overboard, especially when you can find so much online-- I get overwhelmed-- my sister has to calm me down) ! In the past we've grilled or had nachos, so this year, I wanted to make it easier by ordering PIZZA! Also, I attempted to make cupcakes last year (they kinda flopped), so I ordered the pretty glittered cupcakes! I really enjoyed making the cupcake toppers though, and Ava "helped"! Brittany and Job were sooooooo generous in opening up their home to us for the PaRtY! They worked so hard to get their house looking its best (hosting something does that, right?). On the day of the party, I had a major dilemma with the water slide company; speaking of that, they STILL have not called me back. Grrrrr... With the Mississippi heat and Saturday parties, I called around and the slides were booked for the day or my call wasn't answered. Honestly, I was starting to get panicked-- I had promised my little girl a water slide! Well, four hours before the party, I found a man with a slide! He delivered a great slide, and Ava and her friends (and the daddies) had a BLAST!

Brooke's Bargains 36

2011-07-13T08:44:00.002-05:00

A few people inquired about the lamps and curtains in my bedroom yesterday because I only posted pics, no explanations. I found those lamps at Marshall's a few weeks; I have found so many great lamps there for incredible prices. I paid $80 for the pair and when compared to Target, for example, that's a deal for large lamps. The curtains are Pottery Barn but were found on eBay for a MUCH better price!

I have been slacking on my yard sale posts. Here's a few things I've gotten lately:

Jamie found this lamp for $1, sold it to me, and then I found this cute burlap shade at Target. Love it! I love lamps!

4 hardback books for Ava... $1

I found this lampshade at a yard sale last year ($1) and just put it away because I didn't have a base for it. Then Jamie bought this little base for $0.50 and gave it to me:) What a bargain-- a lamp for $1.50!

Stop by Thrifty Treasures!!!

Apartment: Before & After: Our Room

2011-07-12T10:28:00.005-05:00

I'm linking up to Catch a Glimpse Thursday
and The Shabby Creek Cottage Transformation Thursday
and Thrifty Decor Chick's Before & After Party!

Father/Daughter Ball 2011

2011-07-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

Ron took Ava to a Father/Daughter Ball. I couldn't tell who was more excited! They were so sweet that I was teary-eyed when I watched them walk away. Sweet moments. When they came home, they told me all about it... "princess introductions," candlelit dinner for two, pink roses & white daisies, balloons (Ava brought Mommy one:), live music, pictures, yummy cake, and lots of dancing. Ava said she "boogied." This was such a memorable night for Daddy & Daughter. When Ron tucked her into bed, she said it was the best night...

Independence Day!

2011-07-05T09:07:00.001-05:00

Ron's mom and brother and sister-in-law were here for the holiday weekend. Sunday after church we all went to lunch with some family friends and then had a leisurely afternoon at home (and that is a big deal because there's been nothing leisurely about this particular summer!).
On the fourth, we slept in, had coffee, and then I slipped off to HOBBY LOBBY! They were having an incredible sale, and I needed a few things for our apartment and for Ava's upcoming birthday party. Then I hurried home to get ready for our city's festivities.
This is the fifth year that our church has been in charge of music at the City of Southaven Snowden Grove Amphitheater. Every year our church adds a new element. The event is a really fun way to spend the Fourth of July! This year, our church's barbeque team, The Cornerstone Crew, cooked and gave away a ton of hot dogs and hamburgers; our Generation NOW group was in charge of passing out water, and our kids' church gave away bubbles for the children. At 7 pm music began, and at 9-- the fireworks! Ava loved them. I only got a few pictures with my camera phone then copied it from Facebook (great quality;) because my digital camera needs charging- boo!

Apartment: Before & After- Ava's Bed & Bath

2011-06-28T09:09:00.001-05:00

Decorating Ava's room has been fun since pregnancy! Here's a look back at her crib and nursery, then there's a snapshot of her twin "big girl" bed... These were taken at our previous house.

Now it's 2-bedroom-apartment-living for a while, and there are challenges and advantages! Gotta take the good with the bad, right?! Did I say that right? (Ron laughs at my uncanny ability to butcher phrases;) I included before and after pictures of her new bedroom and bathroom. She's super-excited to have a bathroom in her room! It was fun decorating that too.

My goal was to make this a functional space for out-of-town guests as well, so we put our full-size bed in her room. Also, since she'll be the BIG 4 this summer, I wanted to transition her room into a SLIGHTLY more grown up space without spending much $$. I was inspired by Melissa at 320 Sycamore!

To me, no room is ever--done--, but it has come a long way since we moved in a month ago.

sweet baby girl crib

hard to believe that after all the time and work I put into this stage of her life is just a memory

'big girl room'

empty room, white walls, unattractive blinds... For these windows, I hung 96 inch length white linen panels with grommets. They look airy, and I was able to dress her windows for $60.

see the white fan? the good, the bad, the ugly

generic apartment bathroom

It looks better with painted walls (Sherwin-Williams Rainwashed), cute Target towels, a little artwork, some black and white photos, fun oversized rug, ....

One of her favorite things is playing with her kitchen and having tea parties. My friend Jamie found this adorable mini-rug at a yard sale. Perfect colors!

Brittany gave me the chalkboard-- it was a gold mirror.

Niki and Mary Abbott gave this adorable owl painting to Ava for her birthday last year; I just added the ribbon to make it a door hanger.

I found this shower curtain on clearance at Marshalls, and Brittany put the "A" on there for us. I just tied coordinating ribbons for extra fun:)

Why are bookshelves hard to decorate? It's a fine line between cluttered and organized. I'm sure I'll move this stuff around a million times. The bottom 2 shelves just have her books in baskets.

The old glass door will eventually have cuter wire/ribbon and fabric behind the glass (I've looked at several fabric stores and nothing has caught my eye so far). The bedding is a hodgepodge--I got the polka dot bed skirt at Target for $13....already had the ruffled white comforter- since it's a twin comforter, I just folded it at the end of the bed...the khaki coverlet was used in our master bedroom for about a year (Goodwill $10)... hot pink sheet set from Target $20...the cream scalloped pillow shams were used in our room for a while too (yard sale $2)... mixture of pillows-- some from Ava's nursery, a few that Brittany wasn't using, one from a yard sale, and that cute, round one is a new one I found at Marshalls a couple of days ago. I found that lamp at Target recently for $20.

We have A LOT of books! I bought two of these old metal library display things on eBay last year and gave one to Brittany for Reid's nursery.

A friend from church gave me the old screen door. Love it! {Hmmm... the white part from the bed skirt is showing....gotta fix that. GRRRR! ;)}


I painted this bed last year to match a quilt that I was using in our guest room. Love that green color so I just left it. And there are two other little areas that I'm not finished with in her room. I can't figure out what I want to put on the top of her chest of drawers; it's a great piece that's painted white, but I can't seem to get decor part right there. And I'm going to paint or distress her pale pink toy box and add some cute pulls. I'm linking up to Catch a Glimpse Thursday!

Family Pictures: May 2011

2011-06-27T18:43:00.002-05:00

For Mother's and Father's Day, my sister and I decided to have pictures made by Jessica Rowell for our parents. Here's a few of my favorites:

Ava loves having her picture made! ;) I want this on a large canvas..

My precious nephew!!

Love this little expression....

I'm so thankful for these people!

Mimi, Papa, & their grands

Can't believe she's almost four!!

LOVE her!

Sweet cousins:)

Ava Karis

My sis's little fam

Thank God for these two!!

Another chair re-do;)

2011-06-26T07:42:00.003-05:00

Jamie's husband, Greg, found this neat chair on the side of the road last week. We (mainly Jamie) spray-painted it with Valspar satin yellow, and she recovered the seat with some cute fabric she already had! So, really cute chair for almost nothing, just the cost of spray paint! Love it!! (Sorry for quality of pics-- camera phone...)

Before

After

I'm linking up to Catch a Glimpse Thursday!

Spring Fun

2011-06-24T08:28:00.000-05:00

I am behind on posting fun family & friend events from the past six weeks or so. Here's what we've been up to...

1. We joined two other life groups at our church. We're still with our Sunday night group that meets twice per month, but Ron, Ava, and I are participating in a new one called the "Homies" for families who do home education. Even though Ava is still pre-school age, it's good to just listen to other parents for ideas. Our first outing was a picnic in the park; next up is a water slide party! Great group of people! And also, Ava and I joined a life group/play group that meets every other week with moms and their preschoolers for brunch and play and devotion.
2. Ava and I went to a fun birthday party at the Memphis Zoo! Hudson and Harrison's mom, Jamie, is the ultimate party planner:) We had a blast, and the weather was so pleasant. We're planning another zoo trip soon.
3. My friend and fellow teacher Tammy got married and asked Ava to be her flower girl and me to be a bridesmaid. We all went out for pedicures and Mexican food the night before. They had the neatest, most fun wedding on a softball field. Tammy is a softball coach, and she and her husband met playing on a co-ed team. He proposed at one of their games-- so why not have it at a softball field & have play a real game after the reception with a cookout to follow?! :) Other than the intense, Mississippi humid heat, it was a blast!!
4. Ava had her first dance recital. She's been taking ballet and tap since January with her bff Mary Abbott. They were so stinking adorable! For their tap routine they wore monogrammed aprons and had pots and spoons-- cute! Fun night! I took so many pics. Ava wasn't one bit shy!

Dining chair makeover

2011-06-23T09:35:00.003-05:00

A year and a half ago I bought an antique dining table and 6 chairs that I found on craigslist.com for $285. I loved it except for the fabric on the chairs...which was no big deal, I'd just recover them asap. Well, I just got around to doing that. I did go back and forth about what to do--black & white damask? subtle animal print for a little funky-ness? paisley? They look soooooooo much prettier now!!!! And fabric is not a huge commitment (for $22 I totally changed the look of the chairs), so I'm not sure why I procrastinated;) Anyway, here are the before & after pics!

"Straight Shooting" Update

2011-06-21T09:20:00.001-05:00

Six months ago, I posted this about what was going on in our life. I do try to keep my blog positive and upbeat but wanted to be transparent too. I prayed many times for God to take over our situation and help us to be in the center of His will. I felt that part of that would be taking steps of faith in the right direction.
In March, I resigned from the high school where I taught full-time (I finished the school year, of course, first). I loved many things about my job but didn't love the time it demanded away from my family. For now, I'll continue teaching part-time at the community college. What a load lifted! I can't say how tough the decision was, especially when they call asking me to come back.... Truly a leap of faith.
Two months later, Ron was offered a new position as a finance manager for a Honda dealership (first, he was offered something lower down the ladder but days before he started was advanced to this... God is GOOD!)...He actually was in sales there four years ago, but the 100% commission was scary at times. Praise God, he's on salary + commission now!! I am so thankful for this for many reasons; one of which is that Ron is loving what he's doing, and once you've been on the other side of that fence you don't take that for granted ever!.
We have moved into our own place-- an apartment (pics coming soon) close to Ron's job. And someone's made an offer on our house! PRAY that it happens!

Philippians 4:19

Moving is for the birds!

2011-06-02T14:20:00.000-05:00

We have spent the past week preparing to move, moving, and unpacking. I'm taking a minute out to vent! ;) It's rough! I pray that the next time we move, it's because we've made very wise decisions regarding our finances and have found an affordable place to live for a VERY long time!! But in the meantime, I'll be 'content to rent' as The Nester says.

A few things about moving...
1. My back hurts.
2. It's even harder since this go around I don't have a garage for the overflow.
3. I feel guilty because people took time away from their family to help (but thankful too).
4. I have sat in the middle of the floor, looked at all the boxes, and cried.
5. After spending four nights in the new place, it feels a little more like home.
6. Life goes on around you... On the agenda for this week has been a Memorial Day Cookout, dance lessons for Ava, teaching a night class, a funeral, and a wedding....
7. I vow to pack smarter in the future.
8. My husband has been incredible. He's painted the apartment, even though he thought the beige walls were perfectly okay. He organized the actual move. He's been so sweet when I've had my emotional moments!
9. I thought I was over my house, but I have missed it so much this week. I guess it's because I miss the space, the fact that it wasn't full of boxes, and the cozy memories of being a family there (especially this time of year).
10. Above all, it's a process. One hour (and box) at a time. God is good. Pretty soon, the move will just be a memory, and we'll settle into our new life.

Ava's closet

the view from our mattress

one corner of the living room (notice I hung curtains yesterday: instant gratification!:)

Ava's room

Design Dazzle

2011-05-28T18:52:00.000-05:00

I was scrolling through the nursery posts on Design Dazzle and saw my nephew Reid's nursery was featured last month:) Thought that was neat!

Amanda's Dining Room

2011-05-22T17:30:00.001-05:00

I haven't posted in almost a month?! I have been working on some interior decorating projects A LOT....

When Amanda moved into her new home several years ago, she did not have much furniture to furnish a larger area. Her dining room was on the 'back burner' for a while! First it served as a playroom for her girls, then as an office/music room. The problem with both was that it's the first room you see when entering her home. She loves Craig's List, so when she found an antique dining room suite for a steal, she sent me the link to get a second opinion. It was a great buy: 6 chairs, table, buffet, & china cabinet for $500!!

The next step was to paint the walls; she chose a vibrant red for the wall above the chair rail and gathered things from around her house that she wanted to use in the space like lamp bases and baskets....
Here's where I came in... She needed new fabric for the chairs, curtain panels, wall art, a centerpiece, lamp shades, ect.

Sadly, I don't have a "before" pic when the room served as a playroom or home office, but here's one before paint and accessories:

The furniture is in great condition. The seats were covered in very outdated stripe...


I didn't get a lot of good pictures because my memory card was full (rookie mistake, I know, Brittany;)! And the mirror has that antique-frosted look, but it didn't translate so nicely in these pictures-- Sorry!! The blue vase was purchased at Gordman's and the candle sticks are from the Better Homes & Gardens line at Walmart.

I bought the fabric for the chairs at Hancock's for ONE DOLLAR/YARD for quality fabric! So excited! I bought all they had left in this design (only 5 yards) because I wasn't sure how much would be used for recovering the chairs. As it turns out, it took very little, so we are finding other ways to use it. Here's one way-- we framed some in these distressed frames, and Amanda added a picture. Love how it turned out!


From Target: burlap drum shades and floral plate; Walmart: moss-covered stones and picture frame; Gordman's frame; thrift store: antique mirror and plant; Hobby Lobby: supplies for the moss-covered "H;" shopping Amanda's house: pottery candle holder, lamp stands, basket


Another view of my bargain fabric:) and a tiny shot of the curtain panels from Pier 1. They look so good with the other colors in the room. I found the little brown ruffle pillow at Gordman's on clearance. We also got the new extended length curtain rod on clearance at JoAnn's.

Filling shelves/cabinets always makes me a little nervous, but it was so easy at Amanda's house. Her kitchen cabinets were stocked with the gorgeous white dishes and blue serving pieces just hidden away! ;) She also had several baskets that I used and extra napkins/placemats. On top of the cabinet, I hung two pieces from Gordman's and found the birdhouse in her living room. I love the ampersand (first saw that years ago in a Pottery Barn magazine) that I found at Gordman's.

another view of cabinet

I love these colorful plates from Target. I usually find all colors of cloth napkins at Pier 1, and I really liked this beaded napkin ring. The table runner is from Target too.

I'm linking up to Catch a Glimpse Thursday!!

Easter Weekend

2011-04-26T16:51:00.003-05:00

We had a BUSY, fun-filled Easter weekend.

It started on Friday; I've been working on my biggest-yet home decorating project for my friend Shannon. I'm doing the entire first floor of her home: living room, dining room, kitchen, sitting area, half bath, hall way, and master bedroom. Luckily, she has a seven year old daughter that Ava adores,, so they entertained one another for like nine hours while I worked. Pics soon!

Saturday morning was spent dying eggs with Ava and my mom. At one point, Ava hugged Mimi and said that dying the eggs was the best prize ever:) She is so sweet!! Then my dad hid them for A. We had a blast. I loved listening to my parents reminisce about the elementary school-wide egg hunt festivities. Then I took Ava to our church egg hunt; they had 10,000 candy-filled eggs! Lots of fun. Poor Ron had to work all day:( Then I met up with Brittany, Job, and Reid for some shopping.

Sunday morning was filled with double ministry duties at church because of the extra service. I love our church! Afterwards, the three of us crashed for a LONG nap!! :)