Rubber Ducky, Your the One

The third and final bathroom is more than half way done. I love before and after pictures and I can not wait till its completely done to share the progress we have made. So here is a little spoiler from our master bath. The rest of the project could take months considering most of the finances are allotted to the upcoming wedding, and the antique mirror that I want in the bathroom is very expensive. Good things come to those who wait.

Before:

After:

I painted the entire room BM Rockport gray and the vanity an expresso color. After having my heart broken over some fabric I fell in love with and could absolutely not afford we finally settled on these curtains from Ikea. Pottery from Paul Michael's and my art from Picasso depicting my favorite literary character Don Quixote. Its a great start, don't you agree????

To Do List: Save money to get that gorgeous mirror at the antique shop, convert fixtures to brushed bronze, new towels to replace the stinky mildew ones Britt uses now, get that asian stool from Kayu furniture I have been eyeing for months, new vent, hardware, and rug.

You Are What You Eat

Yesterday the Oprah show shed some much needed light on the truth of where our food comes from. In response I wanted to share with you a little excerpt from Tyler Florence's cookbook "Dinner at My Place." Warning: you will want to become organic after reading this post....My man Tyler Florence has done it again, captured and wooed me!! I received the cookbook as a christmas present from my future in-laws (how cool are they!!). I made his carrot cake for a football party last weekend and the crowd gave it two thumbs up. So many more great recipes in the book that I can not wait to try. Go get yourself a copy - it is well worth the money. No lie I have read this cookbook from cover to cover on a six hour drive back from Dallas. The second chapter is an awesome chicken recipe, but what caught my attention was how he explained so eloquently the difference between all these confusing food labels and what they actually mean.

(The information below is not my own its straight out of Tyler's book which can be found here.)

"All Natural - You know better than to eat a rubber chicken, right? That's basically what this label promises you - that this chicken is not rubber. The USDA prohibits the use of hormones in raising poultry and most preservatives. But besides that, the chicken can be injected with just about anything else - from salt-water solutions to seaweed extract - and still be called "all natural." These solutions up your salt intake, change the chicken's flavor, and end up costing you more because they add weight to the chicken."

"Free Range - Sounds good, right? Vivacious white hens freely roaming sunny, grassy fields with fluffy yellow chicks in tow. Not so much. The USDA allows this label for any chicken that is allowed some access to an outdoor space. Said chicken may never see that outdoor space, and this designation doesn't address what's out on that yard - the conditions, the food, or the cleanliness. So it's a good start, but free range isn't the be-all and end-all we used to think it was."

"Certified Organic - I know there are those of you out there who think that organic is some kind of Hippie thing. But get that out of your head and start paying attention to organics-because they're here to stay. The Organic Foods Production Act of 1990 set forth requirements for products labeled as "organic" that ensure your chicken has lived a life dictated by government-mandated standards. It will have been fed only pesticide and chemical-free feeds of grains and soybeans, not animal byproducts. It also will have lived a life free of antibiotics and medicines. But guess what? It probably wouldn't have needed those antibiotics because organic chickens generally live a life free of the stress and contamination that can make other chickens sick. And of course, all organic chickens are both free range and all natural. See how that works? Whenever I can, I will definitely choose certified organic over the other options."

I don't know about you but that has cleared up years of confusion on the question we all get stuck with at the grocery store "which one should I buy?" I feel like I have been lied to with what all these nutrition labels aren't telling me. Yes organic is more money but by golly I am worth it!!! I feel like a paid advertiser here but on the Oprah show they highlighted a documentary called Food Inc. I just purchased my copy on Amazon, they are running a special on it till Friday at midnight only $9.99, and you can watch it instantly by download. You think this little post has stirred up some truth on the food we buy wait till you see the documentary (I actually cried). So lean into this adventure of organics with me and take a stand for your body and your family!!! I am now gently stepping off my soap box now before I fall off.

Picture Perfect: Window

Just wanted to leave you with this image for the day. It's so beautiful and very "spring like" outside today. I am stuck in the office but would love to be "stuck" in this kitchen instead. I am dreaming of new windows in my soon to be house and a lush courtyard!!! Have a wonderful hump day!!

Going to the Chapel

I have just created my first photo collage in Microsoft paint program. It was fairly easy and very free considering most if not all pc's have this program standard. I gathered all my pictures I wanted to use for the collage and put them in a separate folder. Open the paint program (start, programs, accessories, paint) and you should have a blank page staring at you. All you have to do is click edit, paste from, and choose your folder and a picture. You will have to play around with sizing the different photo which was kinda fun and a little irritating at times. Below is my final project, and yes it's all about the wedding (deal with it). A picture of the church we are getting married in is on the top left, my invitations, and a picture of the style I would love my cake to be - fingers crossed. I want pale blush pink flower to go with the graphite gray bridesmaids dresses from jcrew. On the bottom left is the cake topper for the grooms cake, my beautiful ring, and the reception hall right near the church. I am proud of my newly created collage and I am sure this will only be the start of many more to come. We could do fashion by putting together some cute outfits, or my favorite put together an idea for an entire room!!!

All You Need is Love

Today Britt and I celebrate one complete entire year of dating, or 365 days of falling head over heels in love with each other. It's been a whirlwind of fun, adventure, and surprise. I wanted to capture all the things we have done this past year so I surprised him with a photobook of our first year together. Looking back so much has happened in just one year. We did a lot of traveling, we "survived" all the holidays together, ran in a few races, and celebrated good times with some amazingly fabulous friends.

So back to my book.... I loved making this photo book. I spend hours putting this little thing together, collecting pictures, editing pictures, uploading and organizing them just perfectly. It was so worth it and I was so proud to give him this book of our first memories together. A huge tilt of the hat to Snapfish for printing the book in such high quality. Hopefully, this is the first book of many more milestones to a long wonderful life together. Next edition: The Wedding!!! (then maybe a baby carriage??!!??)

Cover

First Page

Trip to Vegas

Mardi Gras

Jump Jump

Back Cover

He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not

I am worried about my little plants, we had a few days of freeze here in South Louisiana and everyone is feeling the effects. I took this picture back in October of my beautiful Ixora plant but now she looks sick with no blooms left in site and brown spots on her leaves. All my other 'babies' are wilted and cold but I am hoping the warmer weather will bring them slowly back to life. Just dreaming of the days I will be able to enjoy these beautiful blooms again.

Have a great weekend!!!

Ixora, Maui Orange

Holy Crap

Those are the words that came out of my mouth when I clicked on the link that sent me here to this amazing online art store. I have been eyeing the print "Keep Calm And Carry On" and their are tons different versions but this has to be my favorite thus far.

It's from Red Letter Words and once I started looking through her gallery I found way to many pieces of art that I had to have. Many are faith inspired and they hit you right in the heart. I have searched for years to find a stylish piece of art for the bible verse from Joshua 24:15, "As For Me And My House We Will Serve The Lord." My dad had a little wooden block with this quote on it and he lived by those words. Britt has a little magnet on his refrigerator with this bible verse, but I want something grand and stylish. I did not find it in the gallery of prints but I think she creates special orders!!!!

Here are a few of my favorites from the site. Look how freaking cute....

Perfect for nurseries!!!

Perfect for wedding gifts!!!

Great bible verse and cute Christmas decor!!!

Let the "FUN" Begin

Already feeling completely overwhelmed and completely productive. My organized, obsessive, get her done personality has reared her ugly head this week. I love this side of myself but it is also very exhausting. I have started my binder of ideas and information for our wedding, created a budget spreadsheet, a guest list spreadsheet, found invitations, the perfect location, and found my dress. Did you get that last part? By some crazy amazing miracle I have found the perfect wedding dress and it is now in my closet as we speak!!! I am going to leave you with a few pictures of my favorite wedding ideas today. No fear my fellow design buddies after this week is over I will be back to my "do it yourself" projects around the house.

Of Course I Said Yes

You ever meet someone who almost immediately feels like you have know them for years? Britt feels like that for me and its delightful. The night I met him almost immediately I was struck by the eerie feeling that I had just found Mr. Right. But that was way to crazy for my level headed feet on the ground way of living, or was is it?

New Years Eve (almost one year after I laid eyes on him) Britt asked me to marry him. It was perfect and a fantastic surprise. He brought me back to the place where we met, and with 20 of our close friends and family he got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife. I squealed a barely audible "YES!!!" As I type this story my little fingers are still numb from the reality of it all and wait....... ahhh there are the tears whaling up in my eyes. To have finally found that one true love that all the poets write about, the musicians sing about, and people sacrifice their life for. I feel so blessed. After the proposal our dear friend Eric made a beautiful comment that has stayed in my heart. Eric is a very wise man partly because he leans on God for direction and answers in his life. He has been married for over 20 years and said that marriage is a wonderful commitment and one of the most amazing things he has been apart of in his life. Excitement fills my every being. Thank you God for giving me this man, for creating him in your image and likeness, and for making me a suitable partner for him.

"And when two such people encounter each other, and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant. There is only that moment, and the incredible certainty that everything under the sun has been written by one hand only. It is the hand that evokes love, and creates a twin soul for every person in the world. Without such love, one's dreams would have no meaning." -Paulo Coelho

Cheers to a New Year and a new chapter in our lives. Britt, thanks for showing me that fairy tales are real.