Weekend in Memphis ....

I left EARLY Friday morning for Memphis ~ one of my sweet friends got married and my sister and I were bridesmaids.  We opted to leave the men and children at home, and go by ourselves, thus initiating the first "Sisters Weekend" - which we decided will continue annually around this time each year.   The wedding was beautiful, reception a blast, after-party even better!

We had a blast, but my camera is dead and I can't post pictures, but let me tell you, my retinas are still bleeding from everything I saw on Beale Street.  Everyone told/warned me about it, but I HAD to go see for myself.....and I've taken 2 showers and scrubbed my feet until they are almost raw.   

I will resume regular posts tomorrow!!

I just saved $575 ....

I wanted this:


really, really bad! However, I was NOT going to spend $299 -- EACH cabinet. See, I hate medicine cabinets - BUT - we do use ours. They just absolutely DO NOT go with my decor. SO I decided I was going to just buy new ones. Well, I didn't realize they were so DANG expensive! SERIOUSLY!!

SO when when I put in google search "framed recessed medicine cabinet" - the above beauty came up. It's a freaking PICTURE FRAME!! I don't need the mirror - so I thought that was so COOL! THEN -- I saw the price. NO WAY.... not doing it.

Then I started studying it .... blowing up the picture and REALLY studying it. Big Daddy was sitting in the room when I said .....

Wait for it ....

"I can SOOO do that".

I mean -- I JUST did all the molding and trim in our dining room .. this would be EASY!

Then our sweet friend came by - to TAKE MY CHILDREN (she is a GOD SEND .. I tell ya) and she took one look at it and said "You can sooo do that" ... hmph -- that's why we're friends, I know.

So here is the before ... blah ... with remnants of paint color around the edge b/c I refuse to tape off (I can hear my sister's sigh all the way from GA)

I went to JoAnn's and bought 2 12x16 frames - 1/2 off - so they were $12.49 each.

I removed the doors and then attached hinges to the back of the frame just like you would a door. THEN Big Daddy decided to come in and help b/c after being there 10 yrs, the screws were a little hesitant to come out and I needed some muscles.


Here's proof of Big Daddy's involvement -- bald head and all ....


ANDDDDDD - HERE'S the finished product:

{SWOON ~ I'm in love}
I haven't decided what I'm going to put in there yet. DEFINITELY some of my favorite verses to keep me motivated since is pretty much the first thing I see each morning. Definitely some family pictures and what not. The beauty of it is -- I can change it whenever I want!!

Speaking of change .... these walls are about to get a few coats of Svelte Sage {GREEN} paint ..... yummy.

My swap package arrived!

I signed up for a swap last month with Dandelion Wishes ~ super fun, and SUPER ORGANIZED swap by Mamarazzi. My package came today and Korby really hooked me up!! This is what she sent:

Cover Girl mascara in VERY BLACK (If I don't have time to put on my makeup, and I don't wear a lot of makeup in the summer, I ALWAYS wear gloss, mascara and a little blush).  

Avon Lipglaze gloss -- LOVE!!

ADORABLE headbands (she made them!!)

the sexiest red nail polish -- I do see these on my toes VERY SOON!

an awesome nail color corrector pen 

her favorite candy - made local

craft sets - which I can share with my crazies

the most ADORABLE notecards (I sent her notecards TOO!)

soap from Bath & Body Works (I sent her practically the SAME SOAP!!!)

giftcard to Starbucks (she wrote her favorite drinks from there) - this will come in handy!

Packaged so CUTE!!

Thanks, Korby ~ I LOVE everything!!

Friend Makin' Monday ~ A Love Story

Today is "Friend Makin' Monday" with Kasey over at All That is Good! Today's topic is all about how you met your spouse! This is the funniest story ..... no, really it is.

December 24, 2000 ~ I'm working at a car dealership in Marietta, GA and since I was the Assistant Finance Director at the time, I got all the crappy hours, ie: working on Christmas Eve ~ BUT I was also single, 25, no kids and honestly, now that I think about it, that got thrown in my face a lot during holidays (to justify why I didn't need off work b/c I didn't have a 'family') -- ok, back on topic.


The used-car manager came into my office and asked me if I liked country music. Yes. He said his friend, who was a pretty famous country singer (keep in mind, 2000) was coming in to visit as he was headed to the Atlanta airport and I was like "Kenny? Tim?" - who is it? He told me and I was like "Whatever, yeah right" ... so anyway, later in the day, we were working on a deal, and I went out to talk to a manager and I heard this "GUY" say to the my friend....

I kid you not .... "She has a NICE ASS!" ....

soooooo, I turned and looked over my shoulder and said "Yeah, thanks, I have on my space pants" and he stepped forward and said "WHAT?" ~ he was stunned b/c he didn't think I heard him. I said "uh huh - they make my ass look outta this world" and I spun on my heel and walked back to my office. That joker followed me to my office and said "OH MY GOSH, where have you been all my life!" and I laughed. I was not interested. I was practically living with a guy that I was sure I was going to marry - seriously, I knew I would be engaged over Christmas. I left the dealership, went home, did NOT get engaged, but continued on my life. Never heard from "country dude" again.

Fast forward 3 mths ~ my heart had been broken into a million pieces. I literally did not know I could hurt this bad. My boyfriend had broken up with me and I was a mess. Seriously, a mess -- so bad, I had to go to counseling. I remember thinking I had never felt a pain in my heart like this before. To this day, I can honestly say my heart has never been broken like that before - I LIVED for this guy and couldn't believe this was happening. I walked into workday after 'we need to talk' and was promoted, but was so devastated, I couldn't even enjoy it.

A few weeks later, as I'm picking up my pieces and getting on with my life ~ I see a message blinking on my phone. Actually, it was my day off and I had come in to drop off some stuff. I NEVER do this, but decided to listen to the message. It was "Country Dude" -- I couldn't believe it. He left me a message and said he would like to talk to me. I didn't call. I couldn't - everything was still a whirlwind. I waited a few days and then I decided to call him - maybe he could give me an insight as to why guys were so unwilling to commit. He was in some state doing shows. We talked, I told him about my break up and decided that if anything, we could just be friends. It was so funny to me to hear him on the radio and then actually be 'talking' to him. We talked and talked and talked. We were very open with one another and I never thought it would go anywhere.

Over the summer, he invited me to Nashville to come and watch/listen to his album recording. I really thought in my head, hmmm, well, at least I can say I've done this before, how many people can do that, right? Plus, I had never been to Nashville. I remember calling my girlfriend and telling her where I was going, just in case he killed me while I was there (seriously, I am that much of a freak - still am). We went, I met him at his house and that joker kissed me. RIGHT as he opened the door. It was just like out of a movie. OKKKK then .... we went and had lunch and then over to the studio. Just so y'all know - all albums (at least in the country scene) are recorded in the afternoon or later -- they can NOT sing in the morning. It just ain't happenin' ....so y'all will never guess who was in the studio ...... KENNY CHESNEY. "Country Dude" introduced me to "Kenny" and I thought "Hmm, he's pulling out the stops". He recorded a couple songs, we went to dinner and then I drove ALLLLL the way home to Atlanta.

We talked all the time over the next few months -- except for a week when he didn't call me AT. ALL -- WHATEVER. He did a tour over in Europe and we would talk late at night (like 3 in the morning) and finally, he said "Move here" .... just like that. I talked to my Mom and she was actually ok with it. I trusted her more than myself - they had met "Country Dude" and loved him. My biggest obstacle was the age difference - 12 yrs. It has never been an issue.

I packed up everything I had and literally left the life I had known for 25 yrs. I drove to Nashville and never looked back. That was in 2001. We were engaged in September and then "Country Dude" had to go do some shows in Vegas for National Finals Rodeo. He asked if I wanted to go and well, we could just get married while we were there. We were trying to keep everything "secret" ~ BUT I kid you not, when my sister was having her baby, I'm in the room with her and she's pushing, literally. We had CMT on (duh) and they had this little 'news break thing' every hour at the top of the hour. They had a video of us from a recent awards show and said "Is "COUNTRY DUDE" ready to walk down the aisle again? Atlanta native Natalie ___ says "YES!" (which is funny, because that was his biggest hit). ~ and I was like "HOLY CRAP!!" -- how'd they find out!! I had local reporters calling me at work -- I am not even lying. It was SO weird to me!!

SO anyway, we go to Vegas and we get married. I have no real pictures from the event b/c it wasn't really 'planned' - we do want to have a 10 yr vow renewal ceremony. "Country Dude" is now "Big Daddy" and we have 2 beautiful kids. Our story is awesome -- we've had our ups and downs - who doesn't??!? -- but we've had a great ride on this roller coaster!!

A Perfect Sunday Afternoon

Big Daddy and Wild Child sleepin' on the couch.....

Show Us Where You Live

Kelly's Korner is hosting a "Show Us Where You Live" Tour and this Friday is DINING ROOMS!  Our dining room is the FIRST room you see when you walk in the house.  It only has 2 walls (really really  good when you are painting RED!) ~ and has the columns.  I really love it!  One of my best girlfriends painted the walls for me about a yr after we moved in - yes, I have some great girlfriends. I tried to help her, but she is a control freak and needed to do it herself - so I handed her the glazes when she needed them and basically was her assistant - BUT it turned out beautiful.  It was ... wait for it ... WHITE!  I have NO before pictures.  BUT .. BUT here is what my dining room looked like earlier in the week:

This is where Big Daddy came home and said "WHAT ON EARTH ARE YOU DOING?" and I told him to leave me alone ... 

See the wall partially sanded off?  Yep ... I was sanding off the WONDERFUL texture we have on our walls here in Florida.  See that vase??  It is a Waterford crystal vase that is VERY heavy. Big Daddy got that from his record label when he had one of his #1 hits ... it has survived many many moves and it's very cherished (even with the faux roses in there - yikes).

  

And this is what my dining room looks like TODAY:

I'm in love ....

with molding and trim ..... I did ALL of this myself!! 

It was not labor intensive and did not take me that long!  I had the chair railing in the garage from previous projects and I had all the paint left over.  Rhoda at Southern Hospitality did a tutorial on this and so I just followed her instructions. 
I did not make my boxes very big.  Considering it was the first time I've ever done anything on this level and how easy it was,  I want to do the entryway as well.  I may need to go buy 1 piece of chair railing and that's it ~ I think this has really added some beautiful addition to the room!!  We had insane amounts of trim in our house in TN ~ however it was a custom home.  When we moved here, we just did NOT want to be house poor, so we decided to buy a less expensive house, and slowly add what we wanted and make it OURS!!   Granted, at the time, the housing market was exploding and houses were selling for over $200/sq ft -- with NOTHING like this in them.   I couldn't believe there was little trim in houses here -- now I know why -- every single wall/ceiling, etc is CROOKED!!  BUT I DIGRESS ...

I love the new molding and plan to put it elsewhere.  I do need a new centerpiece for the dining room table - that one is a bit boring, but I'll just look until I find something I like!!

Enjoy the weekend!  Happy Memorial Day and thank you to all our men and women serving or have served our country!!  

Note to self....

When you live in Florida and you have a super cute vintage garden
candelabra......don't forget to take the candles out of it when you're
not using it!!

Take a Tour Tuesday

Shawn is hosting a home tour and the first week is bathrooms! Now, let's be clear here, we live in a 10 yr old house that was deemed "BROCK GENERAL HOSPITAL" when we moved in. White white white and sterile sterile sterile. It killed me to find out the old lady that lived her (yes, she was old, I met her) ripped out beautiful tile and covered up custom paint to make it ... well, WHITE! We remodeled our master bathroom 2 yrs ago -- actually, that was one of my first posts! I'm wanting to repaint it again and do a little remodeling in there (nothing structural - all paint and NO $$ b/c I have GIFT CARDS!!) so I'm going to wait until I do that to post that bathroom. After getting back from serene and LIGHT ~ I've decided it's just TOO DARK in there.

Anyway, we had some repairs that needed to be done in guest bathroom.  We decided to go ahead and retile since (A) it needed to be updated and (B) it wasn't going to cost that much more to do the tile that we wanted.  We called our trusty contractor who worked us a STUPID deal (probably because I've referred him EASILY $40,000 in work) ~ if I told you what we paid to remodel BOTH these bathrooms, you'd call me a liar and well, I'm not a liar and it's just not important!  I used a lot of stuff I already had and called in some friends to do the rest!  

My bathroom tile here was inspired by Shawn's pool bath.  I liked the way the tile went up and how it was broken up with the smaller tile - HOWEVER - remember, BUDGET - so we used stone and it saved us a bunch of money, but still looks beautiful - it goes nicely with our home and this has turned into one of my FAVORITE bathrooms.

Best friend's husband owns a pluming supply store, so we saved MUCHO MUCHO on the fixtures.  I did not know if you had Moen, you had to put Moen there.  I bought some on ebay and they were DELTA .... but we REALLY wanted the shower rain head.  SO, we basically were able to order the MOEN from BFF's hubby, switch out the head and I STILL got it for waaaaay cheaper than it would have been walking into Home Depot!
We decided to take the tile all the way around and half way up.  LOVE it and so glad we did it.  There was some drywall damage when we took out the old vanity and so we covered it all up.  I am seriously loving the subway tile/stone ... cheap .. but still looks very nice and flows well.  That hand towel rack ~ is a paper towel holder that I thought looked better there.   The lamp is GLUED to the vanity b/c my husband was flipping out that one of the kids would knock it over and electrocute themselves.  I never thought about that ~ I guess that's why I have him around!  hee hee -- JUST KIDDING!! His Mom probably thought about it ...... HOLLA MARY!  

We don't have a lot of space, so we had to get a smallish vanity -- this one came from .... KIRKLANDS!  Was a display and CHEAP!!  I had coupons and gift certificates so it was next to nothing!  I do want to replace the faucet with a oil rubbed bronze one, that will have to wait though.

View from just out side the door ~ that light fixture?? Brushed Silver from Lowe's -- we put that in right when we first moved in.  I have a bad mama jama one I want to put there but I would have to move some wires over to get it centered and I'm scared to ... so that will have to wait as well.  I decided to take that one down and spray paint it bronze -- need to do that to the mirror too.  BUT anyway .... I like the look.   Thinking of replacing that shelf with a wall sconce with flowers -- actually, not thinking about it, I'm GOING to, just need to find time and mas dinero!

The sign just above the door going into the guest/pool bath ~ it says "La Toilette" and I have a cute little tassel hanging on the knob from The Nester.

This is my kids bathroom.  I have a son and a daughter, so I had to be 'neutral' - do you know how hard that is?  His room is red/blue/green - pirate themed.  Her room is pink/green - very GIRLY!  SO I had to really come up with something.  This bathroom was also part of the "STUPID CHEAP BATHROOM REMODEL of 2008" - this tile was on close out and I love it.  The tile in the shower floor was left over from master bathroom.  We decided again to take the tile all the way up and create a chair railing effect.  I love the way it turned out!   That little shelf was recycled from the guest bathroom, spray painted bronze and put in here!  

I will eventually put a sliding glass enclosure, but that costs $$ and we are tapped out ~ so a white shower curtain will have to do for now.   This bathroom never had a tub, but I like it better this way anyway!

I painted these cabinets - one of the first I did - with help from Rhoda - she is AWESOME!!  She gave me step by step instructions and really encouraged me to go after it.  I absolutely LOVE the way they turned out.  I had 2 mirrors over each sink, but thankfully, did not throw out the original mirror.  I drug it BACK out and hung it, framed it out and did the faux finish on the frame as well.  VERY inexpensive but adds a LOT of details.  I even spray painted the knobs so I wouldn't have to buy new ones!

Here is the rug that was my inspiration for this room!  It blends both rooms together perfectly.  We have a bunch of beach pictures of the kids, so I framed them up and put a little palm tree in a nice planter.  You can see where we carried the tile all the way across (when the granite was put in, the guys just RIPPED the old counter top off and we had drywall repairs that needed to be done as well -- fixed that by tiling over it)!

I love our bathrooms ~ I sometimes think I sell myself short on our house.  It's not huge, but it's lived in and very very comfortable.  We have done a really good job at making it 'ours'.  Sometimes I think it's not pretty enough, or cute enough, but now that I go back and look at these pictures, it's just perfect!  

Our trip ....

We got home LATE last night from an amazing trip to the Dominican Republic.  We stayed at an all-inclusive resort ~ Excellence: Punta Cana.  I HIGHLY recommend it to anyone wanting to enjoy an adult only vacation.   I'm going to post a few pictures each day, because there seriously are WAY too many to post on her all at once.  I'm still exhausted b/c we got home late last night and I had to really get to the grind today.  Shawn has some pictures posted as well.

This was at the white party ~ obviously we were limited on the white

Chad and his freakish toe (first thing he looked at on our kids when they were born - he did NOT want them to have his feet) -- softest sand EVER!!

The beach -- absolutely amazing!!

View as we were leaving our room -- can't beat it!!

I'll post some more later -- with some funny stories too.  I told Shawn "We are going to have so many 'in between us' jokes when we get back ...." and we do.  Stuff any of the 4 of us will say that NO ONE will get but us ~ but I'll wait to post that tomorrow!

Ummmmm - what??

This is our connecting flight to the Dominican Republic -- I'm
freaking out a bit. Good thing there will be cocktails waiting when
we arrive in the DR because I'm going to NEED it!!!

I never do this ....

My baby girl is a competitive cheerleader ....

It's expensive ....

We're fundraising and have been given an opportunity to sell some awesome candle warmers/scent bricks --- they are called "SCENTSY" and they are AWESOME!!  

I'm normally a Gold Canyon girl, but these smell REALLY good.  

If you'd like to help my daughter raise money for her competitions, go here and place an order!  MAKE SURE YOU PUT:  Brock/Florida AllStars in the NOTES section as you check out.  

Comment me and let me know if you order, I'm keeping track of all of our orders.  We've already sold 7 and just need 18 more!!  WE CAN DO IT!!

I'm doing THIS next week .....

OH YES, I AM!!




I already told Big Daddy he was going AFTER me. I am a teensy bit scared, but dang, this is an opportunity of a lifetime. In the Dominican Republic, they have places where you can zip line 1 mile and it's like 10 different little 'zips'. I think I'm going to somehow attach my camera to my wrist and video it -- how funny, huh? You might here some cussin', definitely some screamin' cuz I'm a pansy. How pathetic is it that Shawn and I were talking about what we were going to WEAR -- so we looked cute for pictures!?!?! I'm thinking about what's not going to show 'soiled' undies, but whatevah..... I'm SKEERED!!

What about y'all? Anyone ever ziplined before? Is that even a word? Ziplined?