What's going on with me ....

I'm starting my dream job tomorrow.

Yes, I know -- wasn't going to work, but an opportunity of a lifetime fell RIGHT in my lap.

I drove 8 hrs straight to Atlanta -- for a 4 hr interview -- and got in my car and drove 8 hrs straight back.

AND I got the job!!

Such an amazing blessing that I'm STILL pinching myself to make sure it's real. I'll be working with car dealers {I know, some of you are shaking your head, but trust me, it's right in my element!} and with an INCREDIBLE company {and no, I'm not going to tell you who it's with ... that's a little bit TOO personal even for ME!}

Our service today was awesome. We visited a new church and when the Pastor's name popped up on the screen {the Creative Arts Pastor was preaching today}, I grabbed Big Daddy's hand and said "THAT'S THE PASTOR THAT WENT TO SEMINARY WITH TODD!" .... Todd is the Executive Pastor at the church we grew to call our "second home" .. a great friends of ours and a place where we KNEW would be hard to top. What are the CHANCES!?!?!? We are excited about our new church and pray we have landed in a place so quickly. It took us YEARS to find our church in Tampa.

Anyway, he preached about life. When you go to bed at night and lay down, is your life what you thought it would be? Are you happy? Are the pieces fitting together? He said if it wasn't, we needed to ask God to change it and be ready to respond - then he gave his own personal testimony. It was SO good!!

^{Haggai 2:9} 'The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house,' says the LORD Almighty. 'And in this place I will grant peace,' declares the LORD Almighty."

So when I felt the desire to work, I prayed and asked God to confirm my desire. Really, just that simple. Was it just a desire to work because that's what I've always done or what? Well, when I started applying for jobs, this was the first place I applied, and the ONLY place I interviewed. EVERYONE had already filled their position but 'would keep me in mind'. The interview was intense, but I figured would be good training for future interviews. A week later, I was offered the position. The benefits are awesome, which is a HUGE factor for us, as we have been on COBRA for 4 mths ... which for anyone that has ever been on COBRA, knows it is NOT cheap.

That's it! I'm beyond excited and looking forward to getting back to the grind and routine. Kids are going to be in 'Daddy DayCare' until Big Daddy starts traveling with his job, which will be in just about 2 weeks.

Have a great week, friends!

Next up: Guest Bathroom Reveal!

"Custom" Curtains

I wanted THESE curtains for Princess's new room. They are so cute & simple - BUT - they are $89... EACH. There's no way in the world I was paying that for "a" curtain -- and they seemed simple enough, so I thought I would try to make them myself.


Enter T@rget and Mich@els .... {and a really cute ironing board cover}



I simply ironed the ribbon on to the edge of the curtain - using the seam as my guide. I used double sided iron-on hem tape and that got the job done for me!


Finished product:


They look so cute! I still need to steam them out and I think I'm going to move the rod a little higher, but they work!! My cost: $17.99 for curtains and $10 for 4 spools of ribbon, of which I have 1.5 spools left, so I'll find somewhere else to use it in her room. SO less than $30 for 2 panels ... SCORE!

Sorry about the quality of the pictures - I had to use my phone since I can not locate the cord to my camera right now. It's in a box. Somewhere. and yes, those are paper temporary blinds - priorities people, priorities and these are getting the job done for now.

We're working on the guest bedroom today - in anticipation of some guests coming .. AND I'm planning to have the guest bathroom COMPLETELY finished this weekend! Will post pictures first of next week!

Happy Father's Day

While we are still crazy busy getting the house put together and organized, I did want to take a minute and wish the 3 VERY special men in our life {our = me, Princess and Wild Child} a VERY Happy Father's Day!


Big Daddy's Dad ~ PawPaw ~ is such a wonderful man. He has worked so hard all his life and is now able to enjoy traveling the country w/Big Daddy's Mom, Nana. They go to Alaska - RV it, mind you, and thanks to our recent move, we are now just a little over an hour away from them. They have a quaint home in the mountains of N. GA and I look forward to visiting this summer with the kids. It is something Big Daddy did as a child, and we can't wait for the kids to experience this as well! Family is so very important to me and I'm so excited the kids are going to be so close to their grandparents!

I rely on PawPaw a LOT when he would come to visit, fixing stuff, entertaining the kids, etc. He always has a solution and doesn't ever mind when I have a 'project' for him to do! Princess and Wild Child certainly adore their PawPaw! Note to self: Need to take more pictures! This was the only one I could find from Wild Child's bday party LAST YEAR! It was a camo themed party - obviously! We love you, PawPaw!!

Big Daddy and his Daddy!

This is my Dad ~ and I have to say, I'm choking back tears writing this. On my trip up to Atlanta on Monday, after having said "see you later" to all of our friends, packed up the last of our stuff, I received a phone call that I honestly NEVER thought I would get. It was my sister and she said "I'm just going to cut to the chase. Dad's cancer is back".

I had to pull over ... and I cried for 10 minutes, before deciding that I wasn't ever going to GET to Atlanta sitting on the side of the road, so I wiped my face, chugged my Coke, and decided to CHOOSE JOY in this situation. Dad has been battling SOME form of cancer for the past 7.5 years. If you remember this post, you'll see we thought we were in the clear, and yes, I say 'we' because it is affecting our ENTIRE family.

My Dad is a fighter. He is stubborn and yes, that's where I get it from. He has worked for the government and in the private sector. I admire my Dad so very much for his work ethic, spirit, and just genuine love for his family. He loves to garden and like PawPaw, can fix anything. He enjoys being with his grandkids and loves my Mom so very much. The kids call him "Pappy" which I think is adorable. To say that I am blessed to be able to drive just 4 miles to see my parents is an understatement. We love you so much, Dad!

Dad, Mom, dude from Run DMC, Big Daddy & me (I had food poisoning, so sick & this pic is 6 yrs old, hence the outfit)

Dad, Princess, and Big Daddy (look how LITTLE Princess is!!!) - this was 1 yr after original diagnosis

Finally, Big Daddy himself ~ this man adores his children and would do anything for them! When Wild Child was born, this was when he decided to go off the road to be able to see them grow up. Thank Goodness! We have so enjoyed having him home. Both kids looked so much like Big Daddy when they were born, had I not been in the delivery room, I don't know that I would've known they were MINE! Thankfully, Princess is starting to look like me, but Wild Child is a lost cause. He looks JUST like his Daddy.

Big Daddy ~ thank you for being such a wonderful role model for our children. Thank you for showing them how to treat others with respect, work hard, and love others. I hope our son grows up to be just like you and I hope our daughter marries a man that loves her as much as you love me! God is really working in you and I love how you have responded! Thank you for loving my family as much I do!

Happy Father's Day ~ I hope it is blessed beyond measure!

"See You Later" Party

I do not have pictures because I can not find my camera cord just yet, but my BFF Shawn just did a post about our "See You Later" party ~ head on over to her blog to check it out. We had an off-the-chain amazing party hosted by Shawn and my other blogless BFFs Amber, Shannon, Bebe and Dawn.

Will be sure to post pictures as SOON as I get them : I'm looking at you, Amber & Torrie!

Still here ....

I do realize I am the worst blogger ever, BUT .. in my defense, we moved and I had to get our house ready for our friends that will be renting from us. I never knew I had so much stuff {yes I did, actually, it just sounds better when I try to deny it a little} but we managed to get almost all of it to GA in one piece.

I promise to update more regularly - lots of projects on the horizon and you know I love to post before/after pictures. I have a CLEAN SLATE to work with and I couldn't be more excited.

So thanks for hanging in there with me!!