Valentines Day Inspiration & A Look Back

With Valentines Day fast approaching I had all these wonderful plans of DIY decorating and tutorials, but along with what seems half the world I got sick.  Some sort of stomach plague that had me laid up on the couch for awhile. While I didn't mind all the Emmett snuggles that happened, I definitely didn't get any projects done.  About a week before I caught the sickness I did finish a super cute Valentines Day wreath to add to my ever growing wreath collection (who doesn't love a wreath on the door!?) I grabbed inspiration from here and here and kinda did my own thing.  While this was a super simple wreath it was tedious!!

I love having handmade crafts around the house.  I think that it adds so much personality and character to the things we see everyday.  Since my stash of Valentines Day decor is sadly very small, I wanted to make a few  pieces that I would be able to pull from year to year.  Here are a few ideas that I hope that I cant still create before the 14th!

All images found via Pinterest, original sources here, here, and here.

Sky and I don't tend to put a lot of time and planning into Valentines Day just because it is only 11 days before our anniversary! Since I wasn't blogging last year, I thought it would be fun to take a look a Valentines Day past.

2011  

This is my favorite Valentines to date.  We spent the weekend in Myrtle Beach where Sky proposed on the balcony of our hotel room.  It was the most perfect moment!  I was a total control freak when it came to everything about us getting married.  I picked my ring and I knew that he would be proposing on that weekend, and it was still amazing!  I am not a big fan of surprises so I knew that I wanted to be in on proposal. Lucky for me, Sky is way more laid back and puts up my controlling ways! haha

2012

Last year was super low key.  We went to lunch at McAlister's Deli (our first time), went to pick out some gifts and hung out at home.  Sometimes the best way to spend a holiday, especially one celebrating love, is to just be with the one who has your heart.  

Wordless Wednesday

Linking up with all these ladies today.

Dreaming of a Garden

When we first got married we moved into this teeny tiny apartment, maaaybe 800 square feet. We lived there for a year and it was awful!  We were out of there so fast after our lease was up and found a gorgeous 2 bedroom apartment in the ideal area, close to shops & restaurants, and we really feel at home here. However, I have recently been longing to plant my own garden, which is a little crazy because I have no experience gardening! I have been looking for some smaller alternatives that I will be able to do in the apartment, and i'm leaning towards potted herbs and succulents. I created a new Pinterest board for all these new gardening ideas!  Check it out here!

Original links found here, here & here.

Original links found here, here & here.

I wanted to include these ideas also because they are amazing and hopefully somebody will be able to create a dreamy garden from them! I will have to wait a couple years, at least. 

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Anniversary Trip Planning

We finally came to an agreement on where we want to take our anniversary trip, Hilton Head Island!  Woohoo!  We have been to a few of the beaches and islands around SC but this one is going to be new.  Our anniversary isn't until the end of February so I have a bit of time to plan everything. If anybody has ever been here I would love to hear your favorite places and some ideas of what we should do!

Hope everyone's having a great weekend!

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Its the Little Things

Happy Weekend!

This week has been a little caaaraazy!  Sky started classes again on Tuesday, Biology (with lab), Psychology  and an English 2 class.  I think he is amazing and maybe a little nuts!  Working all day and then having classes at night, not getting home until around 9 has to take his toll but he takes it all in stride!  He works so hard for us and I am truly a lucky girl!

Yummy sausage and apples!  I haven't made this in awhile but I think that made it better!  This recipe may look a little strange but is a family favorite passed down from my mamaw. I am going to post the recipe, it is short and doesn't take too long to make. I highly recommend it!!  Oh, you also have to have mac & cheese as a side (the blue box kind is preferred)

Sausage and Apples

1 keilbasa sausage, sliced in bite sized pieces
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled and sliced
1/3 cup of water (I use less)
1/2 cup brown sugar
Cinnamon
Butter

Brown sausage in butter.  Add water and sugar, stir until sugar dissolves and makes syrup.  Add apples, sprinkle with cinnamon to taste.  Simmer together until apples are tender, but not mushy.  I put a lid on my skillet for a few minutes--it helps the apples cook quicker.  Just don't leave it on too long, or they will turn to apple sauce!!!

If you make this, let me know how it turned out! And if you liked it ; )

This boy.  He gave us quite the scare in the middle of the night. Woke us up choking on god knows what. Super lethargic after.  He perked up pretty quickly but man I think my heart could have jumped from my chest.  It hasn't happened since but we have been keeping a close eye on him.

I know I am waay behind on this, but Netflix has all the seasons so how could I resist!  I just started from the beginning and am so sucked in! Confession: I am a big cheater with shows that are already released, I like to look ahead and see what is going to happen!  It drives Sky crazy but I cant handle the suspense!

Linking up with Lindsey

{DIY} Kitchen String Art

Another DIY to check off the huge (and ever growing)  list!  This project was so much fun!  It was incredibly easy and took only about 45 minutes. I got the original idea from the amazing blog A Beautiful Mess, with some other fun inspiration found here and here.

 Supplies

• Slice of wood (I got mine at Joann Fabrics)
• Template
• Black pain
• Scissors
• Paint brush
• Small nails
• String

Cut out your template and trace onto your slice of wood.

Paint around your outline.  It may look a little wonky but it adds character! 

Start adding your nails.  Evenly space them all the way around.

 

The fun part!  Add your string,  I just tied a knot around one of the nails and went to town wrapping! 

I wanted to hang mine with twine so I just hot glued a piece on the back and hung it on the side of a cabinet!

Easy peasy!  Follow along on Pinterest to see all of my DIY projects!

Linking up here & here.
& here : )

{DIY} Glitter Cap Toe Flats

I have an enormous list of DIY projects on Pinterest that I have been dying to do and the top of the list we these glitter flats! I got most my inspiration and instruction from here.

Supplies:

Tape off the toes of both shoes. Make sure that you press out all the air bubbles in the tape. Also squish the tape in the groove between the shoes and the sole so you have no stray glitter.

Slather on a thick but relatively even coat of Mod Podge. Only do one shoe at a time, this stuff dries fast!

Sprinkle glitter all over painted surface. Be generous!

Once you have both shoes covered in glitter let the Mod Podge dry for about 30 minutes.  Add another layer of Mod Podge on top of the glitter. It will go on white but will dry clear so no worries if your glitter looks covered up!  Let dry completely and then pull off the tape gently.

So easy and so cute!

Linking up here & here.

Beautiful Words

This made me cry and I just had to share. I cant wait for the time when I am blessed with a child. A child that I can teach about this world, all its ups and downs. The sunshine it brings into our lives but also the heartbreak and faults to avoid.

Sarah Kay - For My Daughter (Awesome Spoken Word)

                        

Em

Emmett has always been a really laid back dog. When we first got him we weren't really sure what to expect, behavior wise. The first week or so he was a little troublemaker, eating everything in sight. I think we went through about 3 remote controls in that week! After he calmed down and realized he was staying, he completely relaxed, and by relaxed I mean got lazy.Now he is happy with some food he snack on throughout the day and snoozing on the couch. We still randomly find a shoe in the middle of the living room, not chewed, just carried around.

Once in a blue moon he gets a little stir crazy, so we go outside for some exercise. Frisbee is a favorite and once he gets running it sounds like a stampede! I love these pictures so much, they really show off his personality and smile! Take a look at some of those pictures, he is jumping higher than Skys head! (Sky is 6'6 for reference)

{Recipe} Homemade Salsa

Mexican food is my all time favorite and I fix some type of variation quite often. However, I have never made my own salsa...until now! I found the recipe here but I tweaked it a little bit to our tastes.

Ingredients

• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes With Juice
• 2 cans (10 Ounce) Rotel (diced Tomatoes And Green Chilies)
• ¼ cups Chopped Onion
• 1 clove Garlic, Minced
• 1 whole Jalapeno, Quartered And Sliced Thin
• ¼ teaspoons Sugar
• ¼ teaspoons Salt
• ¼ teaspoons Ground Cumin
• ½ cups Cilantro 
• ½ whole Lime Juice

This is the original recipe, I left out the cilantro and the jalapeno seeds. These are of course little tweaks that worked for us!

Combine all ingredients into blender (this makes a large batch and filled my blender to the brim) Pulse until its the consistency that you like. Transfer to a huge Pyrex and serve! Store all extra in the fridge!

 And also try not to spill : (

Linking up here.

Snail Mail Swap

When I was in elementary school we were assigned a pen pal.  This pen pal was a child of the same age but that attended a different elementary school in the same school district. I LOVED writing to her each week, partially because I was making a new friend and partially because its super fun to write and send letters!

I recently signed myself up for the Snail Mail Swap.  Did you know that you can mail pretty much whatever you want with the USPS without an envelope or box as long as it weighs 13 oz or less. Awesome! You get matched up with you pen pal and send them a message in a bottle. Fill it with a message or fun stuff, address and mail! No need for an envelope!  I cant handle how fun this is!

If you are interested in getting signed up I am posting the link below. Sign up ends on 18 January so hurry quick!

It's the Little Things

We are finally getting back into the swing of things around here.  Going to visit family is so wonderful but I am always glad to get back home to my own routine.  There is nothing like my own bed, my own shower and making my own STRONG coffee!

I love linking up here because it makes me stop and appreciate all the little things in life that make me happy!

This my great grandmas house.  We went took a special trip over to Ohio to visit her and other family. Sky had never met her and it was about time!  My mom actually took this picture but I wanted to put it up here because I have so many fun memories in her house. Plus, it a gorgeous old farmhouse!

I am finally seeing progress on the gallery wall in the hallway! We have lived in our apartment for awhile now but I am always finding new ways to decorate and make it feel more like a home. Everyone of these photos make me smile when I get to walk by and see them and I am glad I figured out a way to  display all of them.

This picture may be one of my new favorites. I love how it is totally candid but shows our relationship perfectly. Sky is so funny and makes me laugh all the time, a real I cant breath-might pee my pants-snorting kind of laugh.  

Sky took this video of Emmett playing in the snow when we were in Ohio. Emmett has never been in snow before and it is safe to say that he adored it. It is pure joy.