Birthday Celebration

My mom's birthday was just a couple weeks ago. I think she finally admitted to being 39 this year, so that's a huge improvement. Not sure what she is going to do when I turn 30 in 2 years, but I'm sure she will think of something. Jay and I went up to the lake house to celebrate for the weekend. She doesn't like to request a fuss, but enjoys every second of it when you do. Dad has a really keen sense of knowing what mom wants for Christmas and her birthday every year. He gives me a budget and signs the card when it arrives purchased, and wrapped. Amazing how he always knows!! So this year, I decided to bake a cake for her along with my shopping expedition. I have been pinning at work when it's been slow, and if you follow me on Pinterest, you know it's been slow quite often. I keep seeing these beautiful rosette cakes that make such an impact. I am not a huge cake person because of the fact that I just hate icing them. They are an OCD person's worst nightmare. That is why I typically stay with cupcakes that are easy to put a rosette on top of and move on. After seeing cakes with the same design, I just knew I had to try it.

What made this baking experience so interesting and worth blogging about was not the design. It was the never-ending process of getting it finished. My parents just had their kitchen remodeled, so things were a bit out of whack. I brought my KitchenAid mixer that my wonderful MIL bought me, since my mom refuses to get herself one. Will probably have to add that into dad's budget for Christmas this year. I mean, who can live without that? I figured she would have plenty of 8" or 9" round pans for baking, because they are the same ones I grew up baking in. WRONG! After trying to convince me to change it to a sheet cake I had had enough. I sent everyone down to the lake, ran to Target, and bought new pans. There was only one way this cake was going to look, and that was 9 inches of round fabulousness!

I have to say, the rosettes are super easy and I think they look phenomenal. Really classy and could be done in any flavor, color or style of cake. Just gives it a little something extra. However, it used a TON of icing. I used 3 - 8oz packages of cream cheese, and 6 cups of powdered sugar. I could feel my waste expanding as I made it. It also weighed a ton. But, it ended up feeding us after dinner, and about 12 guys at work the next day.

I just really love how it turned out!

Everyone in our house loves Red Velvet Cake, and what's not to love? So, for my cake I decided on a 3 layer Red Velvet with cream cheese icing. Classic!

Would love to try one of these again with another color/flavor, just give me a reason and I would be happy to bring something over to you!

A Bright Idea

Last weekend, I ran into a little DIY project I didn't know was coming. This wasn't exactly the kind of DIY I  enjoy doing, but I was pretty proud when we were done. To give you a little background, our A/C wasn't working downstairs. We have a warranty on our home, so we called them to come take a look at it. Apparently, our A/C hadn't been working since we moved into the house. The upstairs unit was working over time (this we knew after we saw the electric bill), and the crawl space seemed to keep the downstairs cool until the humidity set in this summer. The A/C repair man crawled into the crawl space under the house to check the pump. Apparently there is a pump that pumps out all of the condensation from the unit and away from the house. Who knew? Well, when the pump was put in, someone decided to strip the three-prong plug off the end, and rig the wiring into the furnace wiring to make it work. There isn't a plug in the crawl space, so why not? Oh, I don't know, it could burn the house down for one. Well apparently when Fannie Mae sent someone out to fix the unit, which wasn't even turning on before we moved in, the replaced some of the parts on the outside unit, and un-rigged the wires in the crawl space. The thing about that is, when the wires weren't connected, there was no power to the pump, and no cold air for the house.

So, we are told you can buy a new base for the lightbulb that is in the crawl space, one that has a three prong plug on it to plug the pump in. How hard could it be? We get down there, and it all of a sudden looks a little more terrifying. I don't want to get electrocuted, but I am also sick of sweating in the house. So, Jay comes down with me. I don't like tight spaces, or creepy crawlies.

This is the base that you can buy at Home Depot to fix this little problem. They sell them in the electrical thingamajig aisle, and they are only about $5.

After taking the base off, this is what I'm looking at. I knew the black wire went to the brass screw on the back of the base, and the white wire went to the silver screw. Thank God for instruction manuals. Then, I couldn't tell what the ground wire was, there wasn't a ground wire connected to the old base. Finally, after a little digging, I find that copper wire that is also a base. I have to saw, having an iPhone, and a father that is waiting at home for a picture in his text is pretty helpful. Jay and I were looking at each other dumbfounded! Texting from a crawlspace saved our project.

After putting everything together, and screwing the new base on, and the new light bulb in, I was a little nervous to flip the switch. Jay was hoping it didn't blow up, ye of little faith. I flipped the switch. pulled the cord, and "LET THERE BE LIGHT"!! I am so proud of myself!! We have cool air, a light that works in the crawl space, sore legs from sitting on my knees down there too long, a much needed glass of wine, and a little extra self-esteem. 

If Jay and I can fix something like this, you definitely can too. Electrical is something I never messed with just because it's intimidating. But, now I feel like I can do small projects like this one without calling someone (mainly my dad) to fix the problem. Ceiling fans beware, I am officially out for you now!!

Hiatus - It's All About the Sweets

As you can tell, I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. Between days spent at the lake, and projects around the house, I have been trying to figure out to be the perfect southern wife. I have pretty big shoes to fill. My mother is the epitome of a southern woman. Even though she was raised in Indy, she was born in Texas, and you just can't take that out her. She takes care of the house, cooks (most of the time) amazing meals, always has the fridge full of wine and chocolate, and can make a mean martini. My mother-in-law is also in the running for mom of the year award. Not sure what I would do without these women in my life. I'm trying to figure out how to become the women they are, while still maintaining some Southern Charm! I love being Southern. What's not to love? Words are as long as the porches we drink our sweet tea on. In my quest to Southern wifedom, I have been baking, painting around the house, and enjoying some time with my sweet husband.

I am ending the hiatus today with a quick look into some pink lemonade cupcakes I made this week. It was a new recipe, Found Here! They were really good, especially if you like the bitter sweet taste of lemonade. It looks like there are alot of steps, and ingredients, but it is pretty easy to put together, and I made a dozen of them in about an hour.

It felt really good to get back in the kitchen and bake. It's been a while, and I have to say it was pretty relaxing. I have some pictures for you too!

I wanted to try a new frosting technique as well. I just love the rosettes, and they are so easy to do. I can't believe I hadn't done this before. You start in the middle of the cupcake, and ice towards the outside. I used a Walton 1M tip and a large coupler. I had to do a couple of cupcakes with an exorbitant amount of icing. I think it's fun and that people need an excess of icing in their lives! 

Can't wait to share some more projects with you. I have a couple of small, and one big one on the way! No more hiatus for this southern wife, I'm back baby!!

Baby Mania

Well, I've got a big announcement....one of my closest friends is having a baby!! I couldn't be any more excited for Jess and Drew. They have a baby girl on the way, and is due for arrival on September 25th. If she is smart, she will arrive three days early to see the Auburn v LSU game. Funny enough, Jess and Drew were married on Auburn v LSU weekend.

Jess and Drew live in Tampa, and we don't get to see them nearly as often as we would like. When I heard she was preggers I just knew I had to throw her a baby shower. She would do the same for me! Her mom and dad were in town in June, so we started making plans. My mom came down with me, which added to the fun of our girls' weekend. It was so nice that Francine, Jessica's mom, could be there as well.

We rented out the clubhouse in their neighborhood, and started to get to work. Two of Jess's local Tampa friends helped me quite a bit as well. Allie and Rachel were life-savers. Not being close by, some things were difficult to do from far away.

Jess decided to do the baby's room in grey and yellow, and this gave us a great color scheme for the baby shower.

Silver tablecloths made for a great backdrop on all of the fun yellow bursts of color we planned on using. Lemons in a hurricane vase, surrounded by tulle, made a great centerpiece for the food table. A few ball jars that were covered in spray paint added a fun touch to the tables. My mom made some tissue paper flowers out of white, yellow and grey that filled those jars. The diaper cakes were Rachel originals, and really added a great touch to the room. Also, if you notice the lemonade in the top right corner, that is the Toomer's Corner Lemonade recipe. I knew we weren't throwing an orange baby shower, but had to add just a hint of Auburn somewhere!

Thanks to Pinterest on the baby onesies hanging from ribbon. Thanks to Carter's for deciding that their entire late spring line was going to be grey and yellow. Mom found a bunch of onesies that were the perfect color, and we added some tulle pom poms to the ones that didn't have anything on the front. 

Allie created the candy bar in all of the perfect colors. Jess isn't the biggest fan of cake, mostly because of the icing, so Allie decided to do something different. She made chocolate covered pretzel sticks, giant marshmallows covered in yellow chocolate, lemon heads, and lollipops. You name it, she found it. She even put out bags so you could take some home. Perfect!

I just wanted to add a picture of some of the tulle pom poms we had hanging around the room. I will add a tutorial for these at a later point, because these are so easy and so cute! I left all of them with Jess in case she wants to use any of them in the baby's room. 

Also, I didn't get a great picture, but Rachel made a chocolate covered M&M popcorn. Rachel, if you read this, leave the recipe in the comment box below so I can create a post for that. I am a HUGE popcorn fan, and I have never had anything like this. I couldn't stop eating it, and have been craving it ever since!

We had such a blast throwing this for Jess. I think, after meeting alot of her friends, Jess and Drew are some of the last ones to start having babies in their group of friends in Tampa. They are the first in mine and Jay's group of friends. I hope we were able to create something pretty special for them, I clearly haven't had alot of  practice at baby showers!

I can't wait to meet this little bundle of joy. She is already so loved by family and friends, and after this shower, she is very well dressed!!

Infiltrating the Man Trip

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited to attend my dad's annual man trip to Indianapolis. Typically, there are a group of guys who go on Wednesday or Thursday, and spend the week shopping for classic cars at the Mecum Auto Auction and spend Saturday at the track watching they Indy 500 time trials. You may, or may not, know that I was born in Indy, and it is the only place that felt like home while I was growing up a corporate brat. (A corporate brat is very similar to an Army brat, yet the military isn't involved, just the corporate headquarters).

We have a tradition that started in our house when we moved to California, and stayed with us ever since then. My parents used to go to the race when we lived close, but California to Indy is quite the commute. We started getting Kentucky Fried Chicken and watching the race together at home. We still do this. I grew up in and around Indianapolis and had never been to the track before this year. I have watched it every year while growing up. The tradition that surrounds the race still give me chill bumps and make me teary eyed on race day. So, being able to go to the track for my first time trials was quite the treat.

I loved being able to see the bricks that make it the brickyard, and being able to sit high enough to see the entire track.

You truly can't appreciate how awesome this track is without being there. Besides the fact that it is enormous, it's just so pretty. There is a golf course that runs through the back straight away, and everything is just so wide open.

We spent most of the morning and early afternoon at the track, and decided to grab lunch before heading over to the fair grounds for the auction for the rest of the day. Now, if you are ever in Indy, specifically Speedway, at any point in your life, this bit of information will change your life! I'm not kidding, it's life or death! YOU MUST EAT AT THE MUG N BUN!!! It's is Indiana's oldest drive-in. Everything on the menu is a heart attack on a plate, they make their own homemade root beer, and all the food is either fried or covered in grease. IT'S AMAZING!! I decided to go with your traditional cheeseburger, root beer, and fried mac and cheese wedges. MMM... I can't wait for another trip to Indiana just to eat there!

Then, we finally arrived at one of my favorite places. The Mecum Auto Auction. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, check out the speed channel this weekend. They are constantly playing re-runs from the past shows. You may even see me on Saturday afternoon up on stage checking out some of the cars! We saw some beautiful cars come across the auction block. Almost every car was selling in the $100,000+ range, and almost all of them were meticulously taken care of. It's too bad they aren't made the same way anymore. There is something so elegant about a classic car that just can't be re-done today.

I think the pink one could really make Barbie look like a Bad Ass!! All muscle!

I have been begging to go on this trip for years. I love looking at cars with dad, and loved the idea of getting to go to the track. I can't believe I was actually invited this year, and it surpassed all of the expectations I had. It's very rare I get to spend that much time with big bad dad, but it was truly a blessing.

Now, I need to figure out how to sneak in next year! *wink*

Mother's Day Treat

Finally getting my DIY back on. I feel like it's been a while, but Mother's Day seemed like the perfect excuse to bust out the paint and get to work.

BTW...big announcement...I have officially been blogging for one year now. It's kind of crazy. My first post was on May 18th, 2011. I am so glad I have gotten to share our life with so many people.

Back to Mother's Day though. My mom had gotten Jay and I this cute orange and blue frame, looks a little weathered, for our anniversary. I just love it. I have no idea where she got it, so I decided to re-create it for Jay's mom.

I used just a standard wood block and painted all over sea foam green first. After that was dried, I went back and taped off for the stripes. This part helped tremendously so pay attention. I painted all over sea foam green once more before I painted the blue. It definitely helped keep the blue from running under the tape.

Once the whole thing was dry, I took a sanding block to give it a bit of a distressed look. I found the ribbon at Michael's, and thought the grey worked well. I used a staple gun to keep it in place, next time I will use my glue gun. That was the initial plan this time, but I couldn't find it so we made do!

On the back, I simply drilled a small hole and placed a peg in there to keep it upright. 

This is a very simple project, if you are patient. Waiting for paint to dry is my toughest battle in life sometimes. I always just want to keep painting over it. I kind of like how this turned out, and want to try a couple of other variations.

I made one for Paige too, to take with her to Cape Town this summer. I didn't want her to forget what we looked like! However, since she ran out in such a rush, and spent less than a day at home between finals and Cape Town I didn't get a picture. Hers was red and black. It was the cutest frame I could make in red in black!

If you have any other suggestions, feel free to leave a comment!

When One Door Closes...

It's been a while. Yikes! Jay and I finally finished our front door. We spent most of last Sunday painting this door, and sitting in our over-heated living room for 8 hours waiting for it to dry. I have to say though, I really LOVE how it turned out. The door that was here in it's place before this little remodel was impossible. If you set your purse down, and water and did a little stretching before hand, you might be able to push it into submission so it would lock. Jay was better at this than I was, I typically just refused to use it unless absolutely necessary. So, being able to turn the lock on this one with one hand and a million things in the other is AMAZING! Besides the fact that it looks quite a bit nicer. The other door also had a huge small gap underneath of it. After a long Saturday for Big Gus changing the threshold to fill the 2" gap, it was fixed, for about 2 weeks. The neighbors cat could crawl through that hole. All in all, this door is a huge improvement when it comes to functionality, and it's also a huge improvement aesthetically. YAY!

This was right after the door was put in. We eventually had to paint everything that was white. And, can I tell you how funny it must have been to watch us get this thing out of the truck and into the garage. I'm not even sure how our contractor got it in there. They whole thing comes together in one piece.

This was Haley's idea of helpful. I'm pretty surprised she didn't get any paint on her. Although, I would probably never know!

Right after the paint was put on.

It's Georgia...it's hot...there are mosquitos. Sorry to my neighbors for having to look at this all day, but I was being eaten alive by those dang bugs all day. This had to happen!

Finally, the finished product. I just love how much it pops against the color of the house. 

If you are thinking about starting a project like this, whether you are getting a new front door, or painting the one you have, I have a couple of tips for you.

1) Paint is everything. We bought this Trim and Door Paint from Home Depot that worked like a charm. The guy in the paint department talked me into when I was painting the quarter round trim in our bathroom, and so I stuck with it again. On the front door, we only did one coat. One coat with black paint is virtually unheard of. It's made to be outside, and it is a gel consistency instead of a thin latex paint consistency. I thought it was a little expensive at $20 for a quart, but in the end it was worth every penny. You could see some of the brush strokes when I first put it on, but they evened out as it dried and now you can't see any of them. 

2) The brush is the second most important part of this project. Buy a good brush. It seems like a waste of money, but totally worth it. It will make sure the project looks professional.

3) When they say 8 hours on the can, they really mean it. Make sure you don't have anywhere to go that day, and get some plastic sheeting in case it starts to rain or the bugs are invading.

All in all, this was a fairly easy project. It wasn't the cheapest since there was a brand new door involved. But, if you are just looking for a new color on the door you already have this is a very cheap fix.

Attitude of Gratitude: All You Need is Love

There is nothing like God pulling you out of bed on a Sunday morning for church. I know I have said this before, but it seems to be happening to me a lot lately. This Sunday, He was a little late, so I went downstairs to make coffee for Jay and bring up cereal and the couple of leftover pancakes from yesterday. We flipped on the laptop and watched Andy Stanley online. What did people do when they were lazy and before church had live sermons online? I am actually still in my PJs while I am writing this. I love Sundays! He is on the 7th installment of an 8 part series on Christian. What it means to be Christian. Buddy Hoffman at Grace has a similar attitude as Andy, and I first heard the phrase from him. "Strive to be more than a Christian, strive to be a follower of Christ". Of course, Buddy tells people he is a follower of Christ, but it was interesting to hear an entire sermon on why we should do this. The lesson today was on loopholes. Andy claimed that Christians are better at loopholes than any other religion on Earth. That was a pretty bold statement. But, when he started giving examples of how Christians try to rationalize their actions and beliefs it started to make sense.

Then, as it does on most of the Sundays that God un-willingly pulls me out of bed, I got that hit in the gut with the realization that I have been doing this with a pretty major life decision all week. I feel like God has been calling me to volunteer with the middle school girls at North Point. I can't remember if I had posted about that before, so if this is a repeat...bare with me! I truly found God when I was in middle school, due in huge part to my middle school leader LeeAnn. On another Sunday that my butt was forced into a chair on Sunday Andy was talking about how they are going to add a service in the fall and would need close to 1000 additional volunteers to make this happen. One of the biggest needs was in middle school, and there was another conviction I wouldn't have received unless God woke me up that morning. I have gone through the interviews, applications, background checks, and met with the girls coordinator to get started. We sat down and had a long conversation about what it means to be a follower of Christ, your beliefs on different hot button issues that come up in the middle school world, etc. I shared my story and was asked what seemed like a very small question at the time, but has sparked alot of self-doubt since then. Have you been baptized? Well, the answer is no. It's not that I don't want to be, it just never came up with all of our moves as kids and bouncing around churches like we did across the country. In order to serve at North Point you really need to be baptized. Kids in the middle school have their own baptisms in their own wing of the church. In order to help these kids find a life in Christ, it's important that you can share this story with them. I completely understand. But, I had all of this doubt. Maybe I'm not ready, maybe this is God's way of showing me that this isn't what he wanted from me. This isn't where He wanted me to serve. I can't be a member of this church, I just started going there. Clearly, God has other plans for me, because this is ludicrous. This is all too fast.

But then, He wakes me up again for another convicting service. Loopholes. I was using baptism as a loophole to not serve Christ in the manner in which He has intended for my life. What does love require of me? God is requiring me to LOVE these kids the same way I was shown LOVE at their age. It's a huge commitment. It's 3 years, following these girls through their middle school career. It's every Sunday night, it's several camps a year, it's being there when life hits these girls. But, God gave me someone who did those things for me. How can I use a loophole to deprive those girls of the same thing?

I am thankful God woke me up out of bed this morning. But, I am going to need a lot of prayer throughout this experience. Without sounding too old, kids these days are faced with so much more than we were even 15 years ago. They are surrounded by more tragedy, divorce, and forced to make much more adult decisions than we even knew existed. They need strong women in their lives. They need women who can show them a safe way through their teenage years to help them make good decisions. Pray for the leaders who will impact their lives. I thank God for giving me someone who did this for me, pray that God leads the men and women who will be guiding our next generation into adulthood. I'm grateful God woke me up this morning to put this across my path, and grateful God gave me a strong network of friends and family to help me live out His plans for my life.

Thoughts Needed

As Jay and I have just celebrated our first wedding anniversary, it has brought on many thoughts about our future. Then I started thinking as I was planning my blog post for this week. We really aren't newlyweds anymore, but I am definitely still Southern. I am officially looking to re-name the blog to something more suited for the next phase of our life and marriage. We have moved past the newness of marriage, and have since moved into a comfortable love-filled era. Any ideas would be much appreciated. And, if you don't have any thoughts, be prepared for a couple of changes at The Southern Newlywed!!

How to Hide Your TV Cords

I absolutely cannot stand disorganization in my house. It drives me crazy, just ask Jay! I think everything has a spot, and there is a spot for everything. One thing I struggled with in our living room was the TV, DVD, Cable, and all of the cords that go with them. Our TV is hanging on the wall, per request of Jay, but the cable plug isn't on the same wall. At one point, and I really wish I had a picture of this, we had the cords strewn from the back of the TV and 5' across the wall. It was horrendous. I wouldn't let Jay invite anyone over to the house until we had this figured out. We ended up buying a piece of furniture that we could place under the TV, but it really didn't conceal any of the ugly. So, I decided I was going to Hobby Lobby and was going to find a solution. Then, right there in the lamp aisle, and don't ask why I was in that aisle, there was a pretty fabric cord cover in a pretty taupe color. It hit me. I am going to move the cable box to the piece of furniture under the TV, and zip tie the cords together, and cover them with this lamp cord cover. I mean, there isn't a huge difference in a lamp cord and the cables behind the TV, right?

You can still see it, even though I put some Mason jars and Hydrangea in front of it, but it is much less offensive than the alternative. Our fireplace is on the other side of this wall, so feeding the cords through a hole in the sheetrock just wasn't an option. I love the furniture. It was a HUGE steal at Ballards Backroom that is right down the street from us. I think I only paid $85 for it, and it's brand new. The cord cover was $10, and the flowers were right around $10 as well. We had the jars, the frame and the bird cage, so it was a pretty cheap fix. It totaled right at $105. If you already have the shelving, you can do this for next to nothing. I am very excited about how it turned out. The OCD has been quieted for a little bit!! 

Happy Birthday Hay Bug

Yesterday was my precious puppy's birthday! She isn't technically a puppy anymore, she's 4, but she's still my little girl! Haley and I have been through alot together. I adopted her right before football season started my senior year of college. She lived in my college apartment, tailgated through the fall, moved home for my summer internship, moved to Boston after I graduated, moved back to Atlanta when Jay got a new job, Jay and I got married, and she moved into our new house together. This is one well traveled, spoiled, little girl. I can't remember life without her in it. She is my little buddy and partner in crime. I had to have a ode to Haley on her Birthday!

Haley follows me wherever I go. I really don't think she knows she is a dog. She like to cuddle up in a blanket when it's cold, she prefers to sit on the heated front seats of the car, she sits at the table in a chair if she thinks there is going to be a meal she may not be included in, and naps for the better part of every day. She's the only child I have, and I love having her around.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HALEY BUG!!

Happy Anniversary

Jay and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday! I can't believe a year has gone by so quickly. I am so lucky to have Jay in my life, and can't believe how far we have come.

To give you a little background story, Jay and I met in 2006 at Auburn, hence the orange and blue wedding theme! The day after we met, we never left each others side. We just instantly fell in love! We dated while we both finished up at Auburn, while Jay moved to Atlanta and I was at school, and then I followed him to Boston after I graduated. We got engaged right before I moved on New Year's Eve, December 31st, 2009. We got our first apartment, and just couldn't wait to spend forever together. We planned our wedding for April 9, 2011 at Chateau Elan in Braselton, GA. All of our friends and family came to Atlanta, and we had an entire weekend long blow-out bash for our wedding. It was truly the most amazing day of my life. And here we are, one year later, still madly in love and talking about forever.

We have been lucky enough to experience so many things in life, and so many of them together. We have moved cross country twice together, purchased our first home, survived our first home DIY project, and can't wait for all the things to come. We have endured career changes, both good and bad, and have finally found the place where we belong. Jay is my best friend, and the only person on Earth who knows me like I know me. I can't wait to experience all that God has in store for us in the future!

Jay and Paige both sent beautiful flowers to the office yesterday! Our cake company re-made the top layer of our cake so we didn't have to freeze it for a year. It was amazing because it tasted exactly how it was supposed to a year ago, and since we didn't get to taste it that night it was truly awesome! Sugar Kneads is out in Loganville, and definitely worth talking to if you are planning a wedding, birthday, or shower. 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY JAY!!

Easter Feast

We had such an amazing weekend this weekend! For anyone of you who are Facebook friends with me, you have probably noticed Paige and I giving my mother the guilt trip for the last week and a half. Mom and Dad were able to go down to the Masters on Masters Sunday, which also happens to be Easter Sunday. I don't think they understood the difference between the holiest place in golf, and the holiest Sunday of the year. I know it sounds similar, but you just can't worship at the Altar of the Green Jacket!

They left us to fend for ourselves on Easter Sunday, that isn't really Christian! We survived though. I prepared my first Easter meal, Paige came down and went to Church with us, and it was really nice spending our first big holiday in the house. We seem to always be on the go. I made BBQ Beef Brisket, Corn Casserole, Emeril's Mac & Cheese, Salad, and Grandma's Homemade Apple Pie. It was DELISH! We all sat around our dining room table that sees more crafts than meals, and were able to spend some great quality time with each other. Paige is always on the move with school, volunteering, her boyfriend and sorority, that we hardly get to see her. Here are a few pics from our awesome Sunday. See mom...this is what good Christians look like going to Church on Easter Sunday!

Even without mom there, I had to snag a couple of Easter shots. 

Paige and Haley had a rough afternoon after lunch. Between watching Bubba and napping with each other, it's clear it was almost more than they could bear. 

Now, this is a little project that is a great steal from Pinterest. I went over to TJ Maxx, one of my favorite craft finding stores and found these two vases that just fit perfectly into one another. I bought two bags of the Jolly Rancher Jelly beans and filled the bottom. In hindsight, I should have put another bag or two down there. I just love the colors. Then I CAREFULLY stacked peeps on top of one another. This was pretty tricky. It is a challenge to try to fit your hand in between the two vases, and get the bunny to sit exactly how you want it to. I wish I took a picture with the flowers in there. You can see it in the table picture above. I found a great spring mix of flowers form Publix for about $5, and then got two bunches of gerber daisies that were $3 a piece and just arranged them around in the vase. I am still learning how to get a pretty arrangement, but over time I will figure it out! I thought it was pretty cute and festive, and now I just want to eat all of the peeps. I am really hoping they are stale when I get home!

We had a great Easter, and I am so happy I survived my first one in the house!

Life at the Beach

As I sat at the beach I started writing this. I was sitting in a beach chair, with my hat on, eyes closed, just listening to the waves crash against the shore. Now, I know I am very fortunate, but at that moment I never felt more grateful. There are serious problems in the world today, I was worried about what to get at the Beach Club for lunch. I was also fortunate enough to watch Beth kick some serious butt at tennis, in what turned out to be a 3 hour and 15 minute, easily the longest match in Sea Oaks history. As I sat upstairs at the tennis house, I got to meet all of the ladies of the neighborhood. Every one of them telling me how nice my mother in law is. It's true. I always knew this, but couldn't believe how every single person she has come across couldn't say enough good things about her. I clearly have the best mother in law on the planet, who created the best husband this girl could ask for. We clearly have it made.

I know in everyday life you can get caught up in this inner poor me battle. Comparing your life to everyone's life around you. I do this all of the time. It's a horrible cycle. Sometimes you just can't understand why people, who aren't good people, can have so much and you try to give so much to others and feel that you have so little. After sitting at the beach last weekend I realized I have so much more than any of those people even know they are missing. My grandma had this philosophy on life, and I don't think I truly could understand it until that moment. Yes, we want to be in a place at some point where we can give our kids everything we have been given. We want to pay it forward, because we have been able to do so many things. But, I don't think they would even know the difference. If we are able to pass on the kind of love our families have, they are going to have more than most people on the planet. And that, my friends, is a life worth striving for!

Here are a couple pictures from our trip:

The Williams family never misses a good Happy Hour! We spent Friday night down on the patio at the beach club, meeting people from all over the country who get to spend their winters here. Of course we did this with a Cape Codder in hand! It was an absolutely amazing weekend full of family, fun and plenty of rum!

Tell me...what are you thankful for this week?

A Mini Family Reunion

Jay's brother, Josh, came into town a couple weekends ago. It was really nice getting to visit with him. He was just stopping through on his way to, what sounded like the bachelor party of the century. When he was hear we decided to go site see, and do something very Atlanta. What's more Atlanta than Coca-Cola? We went down to the new World of Coke and saw all of the exhibits, and tried Coke from all over the world. Here's what we saw...

Jay and Josh were more than excited to see an old Five Alive carton. We saw the original trucks they used to deliver Coca-Cola in. The bottle on the bottom right is from the state of Georgia. When the first started shipping in bottles across the country, each state had it's own original bottle. We saw the safe where the keep the secret formula. We tried different coke products from South America, Africa, Europe, Asia, and finally finished with an ice cold original Coca-Cola from right here in the US. Now, I have given up caffeine for lent this year, but I think God will forgive just that one three small cups I had!

Apparently Coca-Cola was the official sponsor of the World Series, and the World Series rings for quite a long time. They have a couple of rings right there in museum. Of course the Sox are being represented twice in that photo, and a replica of the can after the 2007 World Series. I just loved all of the old signs, and bottles from all over the world. I can't believe they were able to keep all of those artifacts intact.

I thought it was perfect to end Josh's trip on this note. Josh and Haley go way back. He is her partner in crime, and she prefers to spend time with him more than anyone else. She wouldn't get out of his chair, so he used her as a pillow. She was completely content! Can't wait for him to come back! Now, if we could just get that baby brother to visit...

Attitude of Gratitude - Part 1

Why is it always such a long time in between posts? It's getting ridiculous. You would think I have nothing going on, and haven't been creative at all, when truth is I have been so busy I have been forgetting to take pictures and blog about it. So here we go. I think it's a great time to start something we will call "An Attitude of Gratitude". 

Do you ever have those Sunday mornings where you feel like you are so compelled to get up and go to church? And not just go, but rip your husband out of bed from his peaceful slumber to make the early service? I had a calling on Sunday morning. I couldn't sleep past 6:30, clearly a sign of getting older, and just felt like I was being called to go to church. Now, I wasn't planning on ripping poor Jay out of bed at 7:45 am on a Sunday morning, but apparently I am lacking on my quiet getting ready skills. He reluctantly got out of bed to join me, as long as we could stop by Starbucks on the way there. Who am I to deny a man his grande white mocha with an extra shot?

Since we just moved to Roswell we haven't really found a church that feels like home yet. Or so I had thought. We had gone over to North Point Community Church just once before. Now, when I say this is a huge church, I really had no idea how big until the end of service. They are trying to add one more service to the four they already have in place. In order to do that, they need an additional 1500 volunteers on Sundays. And no I didn't accidentally type an extra zero. This will allow an additional 4000 people to attend a church that currently has about 22000 regular attenders. The numbers are truly staggering. Now I am sitting there listening to the sermon about volunteering. We are studying how God provided bread and fish to the masses during his healing. The basic message was, God doesn't care about your abilities, He cares about your availability. He wants your time and focus so He can help you become the person you were meant to be. It really got me thinking. 

I think I try to go into most new situations with a sense of "this is what I have to offer". I think when you're in business and you're interviewing for a new company that's your biggest selling point. What can I do for you? I think this is the opposite of what we need to do for God. God knows what we are capable of, He just wants your time.I feel like I am constantly pleading with Him, asking Him to make something happen because I have put all the work in and feel like I deserve it. I think Sunday's service was a humbling experience. How I plan on going about work, life, marriage, volunteering has completely changed. I think I need to go and see what it is that my marriage, my job, and my life needs, and ask God to mold me into making that happen. This has got to make my life more significant than only doing the things in which I believe I am capable of. A great man once told me that being significant is what you should strive for in life. Being significant in someone's or a group of people's life is much more rewarding than anything else. 

So, today, I am grateful for the fact that I couldn't sleep in on Sunday morning. I am grateful for a life lesson I wouldn't have gotten otherwise. I am also going to be grateful if I can start working with the kids services at North Point and find a connection among a very large group of people.

What are you grateful for today?

A Day I Will Always Remember

So I'm sure this won't be as exciting to most of you as it was to me at the time. My husband, the man who can barely make toast, made us dinner on Saturday night. It was amazing. He put steaks on the grill, cooked couscous and garlic toast. Now, it's not exactly the most complex meal on Earth, but it's the only meal he has ever made for me from start to finish. I didn't supervise, help, nag or anything! Since we started dating in 2006, every meal that has been prepared for us has been by me. That's pretty much every Monday thru Thursday, and most Saturdays since August 2006 people! He brought me a glass of wine, I sat on the couch and watched Sweet Home Alabama (one of my top 5 favs), and he even brought dinner in to me. Now if it were Valentine's Day or my Birthday I would still be pretty impressed, but this was just another ordinary Saturday night. And what he doesn't know....now I know he has it in him! I know he won't starve if I don't do it for him. At this point in life the only other significant life experience I can equate this to is driving off in your car for the first time. (And we all know how I felt about my beautiful, blue, PIA BMW)! I almost cried. It was the most magnificent thing I had ever seen.

I can't imagine a better Saturday night than steaks on the grill, Sweet Home Alabama on TV, and my hanging out with my hubby! I really am one lucky girl. 

On a side note, I had to add this picture because he was harrassing me for taking it this morning.

Neither of us said anything to each other while waking up this morning. Jay walked downstairs to make lunch after he showered, I slept in because my company was buying me lunch today and it's inventory day, hence the hat! I walked downstairs and it looked like it was Auburn Gameday. I had my blue sweater, orange scarf, vintage Aubie hat. Jay was wearing his orange polo and blue sweater vest. Isn't that cute? HAHA...he's going to kill me for putting that there, but I think you can tell how perfectly married we are to each from this very simple weekend. Great minds think alike!

Alot on my mind...and just a little behind

It's been a while since my last update. I would love to tell you that Jay and I have been tied up doing magnificently fabulous things, but we've been busy working on the house and hanging out with family and friends. Last weekend was pretty busy. Beth and Gary came into town on Thursday, we had dinner with them and his Uncle Mark and June that night. My friend Reana also flew into Atlanta on Thursday for work, so we met her in Buckhead on Friday for dinner. Jay's friends picked him up in Buckhead and they headed to Savannah for a weekend of bachelor debauchery. Reana came up to Roswell on Saturday afternoon, and we headed to the lake to see my Paige, Bill, my aunt Jennifer and her boyfriend Tom, as well as my parents. I'm winded just talking about it, you can imagine how I felt on Sunday afternoon!! But don't worry, I found plenty of time to watch Property Ladder, head to the mall, and paint my nails! Who knew how much you can accomplish when left to your own devices all weekend.

It was the first time I spent the night by myself in our house. It was kind of strange. Haley, of course, slept in our king bed with me, and almost pushed me out of bed. I will never understand how a 25 lb dog can take up so much room!

I was so excited for Reana to see our house for the first time as well. With us living worlds apart from each other its pretty difficult to spend a whole lot of quality time together. I was very fortunate to have her be a part of my wedding, and even luckier that she was working in Atlanta last week. It's very rare in life to find a friend at a very young age that you stay close to for so long, even while living so far apart. Reana is recently engaged, so I'm hoping her wedding will be an excuse for me to show Jay where I grew up in California. I am so genuinely excited for her. I think she started dating Eric when we turned 11...just kidding, but it has been awhile. So excited for them both!

I always have fun seeing Paige and Bill. They drove down from school for the afternoon to have dinner with the family, which was a nice treat. Paige, well what can I say about Paige? She's gearing up for her trip to South Africa this summer. (If you just read that twice, you weren't mistaken. I did say South Africa). She is going to study abroad, and give back to the community there. She has been showing me loads of videos from the kids who went last year. She has already picked out a couple of kids that she's planning on bringing home. I am a little nervous for her here. It's not a goldfish, she can't just bring one home, but the thought of her trying to help those less fortunate is amazing to see. She truly is better than I am when it comes to this. She is an eternal optimist. Where I, like my dad in a lot of ways, am a realist. I hope she never changes!

It was also great seeing my Aunt Jen, who brought her boyfriend Tom with her. I can only remember one other boyfriend that Jen has had, and he will never compare to Tom. He is genuinely sweet, real, and great for her. I'm so glad to see her so happy with someone!

I think Jay and I are probably the luckiest people alive. We are surrounded by amazing friends, and amazing family. I think I probably take this for granted alot of times, because I'm just so used to be around all of this love. Both of our parents go above and beyond to continue to support us in so many ways. I just hope we can pay this forward one day. I think with our family's continued support and prayer we will be able to do that.

A Present for Paige

I got to spend last weekend with my little sister, Paige, in Athens. I went up on Saturday, we got pedis, had lunch, went to a Gym Dogs meet, and ended up at dinner and a bar that night. We really had a blast. I can honestly say that going back to college is nowhere in my near future. Apparently I'm old now. I do enjoy the schedule, the sleeping in, but the late nights are about more than I can do. I just don't bounce back like I used to. I guess with age comes responsibility, and the inability to down as many well drinks at the Hangover!

Since my precious sister was letting me crash her apartment and her weekend plans, I wanted to make her something she could use in the apartment. Now I know college students don't typically host the same kind of parties that newly-marrieds do, but I still thought it was a cute idea.

I found some red platters, and a couple of white ones too, at Target right after Christmas. I think they were part of their Christmas collection, and I was able to snag a couple at a discounted price. This is why I love to wander Target and see what's on sale that no one knows about. After finding the plate, I borrowed my mom's Cricut and went to town. I think it ended up pretty cute, and hope that she enjoys it. I have been contemplating adding bow/s to make it something she can  set up on a plate stand. 

Love ya sis, and I had a blast in Athens! BTW, she is one of two people I would create anything UGA related for! 

Goodbye to an Old Friend

It's time today, to remember a very special part of my life. A part of your life you never get to do over, you can never have that experience twice. It's the day you buy your first car. Now I drove another car before her, but she was a hand me down, this car I picked out and was purchased just for me. We've had our ups and downs, and there are days I wondered if someone would steal her if I left her unlocked on the bad side of town so I could collect the insurance, but we were good friends.

I got this car when I was 19 years old, a freshman in college, when I thought I knew everything there was to know about the world. I drove her downtown to sneak into bars that I clearly wasn't old enough to be in. I drove her to sorority parties so I could bond with my sisters. I drove her to my first day at Auburn, where I met one of my best friends and later my husband. I drove her home the day after I graduated, the first day of my first real job. I drove her to Boston so I could follow the boy I loved. I even drove her to our wedding day, and then to the airport so we could go on our honeymoon. She was adorned with Phi Mu and Auburn stickers, an Auburn license plate, and an Auburn Alumni plate. She, too, loved the school I love so much.

I will never forget the day my dad took me to the dealership and asked me if I wanted to sit inside. The second I sat down on her leather seats and slid my legs inside, I knew she was the car for me. It was a perfect fit. There were only two blue cars left in the state of Georgia, and I knew I had to have one. Now, this was long before my love or even interest in Auburn. I don't know why I had to have blue, but I did. Maybe I just knew I would look good and blue, and she would look good adorned in orange. Either way, I had to have blue. Dad called around, and on Easter weekend, that car was sitting in the garage when I got home. I can't really describe the feeling, but like I said, there isn't another time in your life when you get behind the wheel of your first car.

I will miss this car in so many ways. I won't miss taking it to get serviced and seeing the bill every time I take it in. It's always something, and always something expensive at that. But she drove so well. She gripped curves like no other car I have ever been in. The amazing brakes saved my life at least twice. She was great in so many ways. But, it's time to say goodbye to this dear friend. She was getting to the point that we just couldn't afford her expensive parts and accessories. We knew we could actually get some money for her with the miles and wear that she had, knowing if we waited another ten thousand miles that wouldn't be the case. I had to list her on Auto Trader, and eventually watch as someone else drive her away.

All will work out though. We were able to pay off my new car, and put the remaining money on our American Express bill that has seemed to be growing. Between buying all new appliances for our house, and the last couple of bills for the car, it will be nice to have a huge chunk of that gone. You just never think it will end like that. When did I become an adult and start thinking of things like our financial future, and the value of a dollar over my selfishness of loving an object. God puts things in your life for a reason, I know that, but I just never thought that would be the reason I would have to sell her. I guess that is what faith is all about!

Happy Birthday Big Gus

Tomorrow, Tuesday, is my dad's birthday! Since it's on a Tuesday, and we didn't think we would be able to see him this weekend, we celebrated his birthday last night. We went up to the lake, had dinner, watched a little football, it was great. I had to share his birthday present with yall, because I was pretty pumped about how it turned out.

Normally I try to do pretty simple crafts that look like they took forever. Well, this one looks pretty simple but took forever. The concept was simple, but execution was tedious and took a while. Either way, I love it. I think the letters bled blue into the white just enough to make it look distressed. We are going to hang this up at the lake house with some burlap ribbon, which will help the distressed feel. It's the perfect color and feel for their house. The lake is warm and cozy, but has that worn in feel that you just can't create. I love it!

Happy Birthday Big Gus!!! I love you and hope you had a great day!!

PS...I am thinking about making a couple more of these. If you have any ideas leave them in the comment box, or if you would like one just let me know!

A Toast to Tory

I know this is somewhat foolish, but you all know how I truly love and appreciate a new pair of shoes. There is nothing better than going out in public in your new shoes for the first time. You prance around in them and just hope someone will notice the adorable pair you have on. And then, when someone actually does, it lights up your day. You are officially brighter than a kid on Christmas morning. You sit at your desk, and just want to throw your feet up on top like a big shot in a movie, in hopes that everyone can catch a glance at your beautiful new flats. Today, I am having one of those days. My mother and father in law are amazing. They got me a Nordstrom gift card for Christmas this year. I am convinced God put this store into existence so little girls wouldn't be sad when they grew out of FAO Schwartz and American Girl. Of course, I love this store more than I loved any of those toy stores, but that's not the point.

There are three Nordstrom stores that are all within 30 minutes of my house. The closest is my absolute favorite, and it's only 4 exits down the highway...score! I knew exactly what I was on the hunt for as soon as I opened that adorable little, perfectly wrapped and bowed gift card. I have been trying on Tory Burch flats for almost a year now. Just hoping that one day they will show up in my closet on accident. I wanted black with the gold button. Now, I know what you're thinking. You have been ranting for 5 minutes now to lead up to a pair of black flats? These aren't just any black flats. They're Tory! They match perfectly with my tan and gold Tory handbag that Jay bought me for my birthday. They're chic, they're trendy, and I have been dying for them. Now, my mother-in-law has great taste, and we have both been wanting these forever. She got her pair last year. The suspense has been killing me. Then, when I saw that little 2" by 4" card, that had Nordstrom written in silver, I knew at last the wait was over! No one has noticed, but this is expected at my office. I work with all men in the construction industry. But, they will probably notice the pep in my step. Who wouldn't be bopping around all day in these? I guess it doesn't matter if anyone notices, I finally have on the pair I have been waiting for. A weight has been lifted and I can finally enjoy my new shoes.

Ode to the Christmas Snuggie

I just felt like I really needed to have a blog post dedicated to this very special part of Christmas. It was a day we will always remember, even if we want to try to forget. It was the day that Aunt Betsy opened the Christmas Stocking Snuggie. Now, you have to know Betsy, she goes all out for Christmas. She already has her Christmas presents planned for next year and the year after. To say she is a planner is, quite frankly, and understatement. She always knows what everyone wants, and where she is going to find it. She loves Christmas more than most! So, we were pretty ecstatic when she opened this....

That's right ladies and gentlemen, the Christmas Snuggie. Shaped as a stocking, but very useful around the house. And, it's perfectly sized for Betsy. Actually, it may be an inch taller, but who's counting? This was shipped north from Atlanta (and know it wasn't from us...dangit!) from Uncle Mark, aka Uncle Buck! I have no idea where he found it, but it's hysterical!

There is hole in the bottom, or the top in this picture. We couldn't figure out if you put your feet down there and can put them in the hole if you need to walk around, but I don't think it's supposed to be worn this way! Betsy has her new favorite Christmas outfit picked out for next year. I bet she didn't see this coming in the Christmas plan!!

A Very Duxbury Christmas

This year Jay and I were fortunate enough to spend Christmas with his family in Duxbury. Like I said before, I was excited to see how they did Christmas. Alot of Jay's extended family comes up for Christmas, which is different than we have ever done. His Aunt Betsy, Uncle Jim and his girlfriend Barbara, and Aunt Jeanne and Uncle Pauly were there too. It was so great to be surrounded by so much family. We went to a couple of cocktail parties and get-togethers, ate a ton of great food, and really just hung out for the weekend. On Christmas day, we all slept in, had coffee (or Sugar Free Red Bull if you're me!), and then sat around the fire to start opening Christmas gifts. Everyone sits in a big circle, which is exactly how my family does it, and goes one at a time. It was nice to have a little piece of similarity there. After a couple of rounds, we all got up and had mimosas and an amazing breakfast casserole that Beth made. When we went back to the living room, we were there until about 2:30 in the afternoon. So cool! It really is a day long event, and we didn't have to get out of our PJ's all day. I had to share a couple of pictures from the weekend.

Getting ready for Lobster Casserole night! A favorite in the Williams household!

The ladies hanging around the bar for Dr. Death! 

Uncle Mark to Josh! Hey...it says it's for Breast Cancer Awareness!

The Vancheri ladies with the Williams clan at their annual Christmas Eve Cocktail Party!

Me and my brothers!

Wickers with Beth and Gary!

Uncle Jim loves all of the new technology that comes out every year, two people got him the Steve Jobs book, because it just made since. We thought he looked an awful lot like Steve Jobs!

I'm so sad that we weren't able to spend more time with him family. I feel like, since I don't have any vacation days yet, that we make such short trips up to see them. I am hoping we can spend a long weekend with them at some point in the future. However, I would say we had a very successful Christmas holiday with everyone, and can't wait to do it again!