Count your blessings!

"Count your blessings.", my Nana says, and on this lovely Saturday morning as I dance around cleaning my house while listening to Amos Lee radio on Pandora, I can't help but do just that!  I have never felt so much happiness, joy, peace,contentment, love, and most of all blessed as I have in the past month.  Blessed with a loving husband and father to our amazing baby girl, Avery, a beautiful home, fabulous family and friends, good health, and most of all God's love and forgiveness!  There are ups and downs in this life, days when nothing seems to go our way, and times when our hearts ache, but no matter how good or bad those days are we should always be thankful for the blessings we have.  Thank you, Nana, for always reminding me to count my blessings!

Nursery ideas

It's time to start getting the nursery together so this weekend Brandon and I are going shopping for a crib.  I have an idea of what I would like to see in her nursery; however, I will not go into detail because knowing me, that idea is likely to change...

I am certain of one thing, and that's the bedding.  I've loved the Hayley set from Pottery Barn Kids even before we knew for certain she was a she.  So even though Baby J doesn't quite have a full name yet, she will have a beautiful crib set.

I'm also searching for an old, well made commode/small chest of drawers, or dresser to paint and use as a changing table.  Something with character, curves and details that could easily be painted or distressed and maybe add new hardware.

Brandon playing...

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

It's been almost a year since my last post.  I have to start blogging more!  So, what's a better motivation than a new fresh look???

So much has happened in a year! 
August :   Brandon and I bought our first house so in the meantime we've been doing small projects like a bathroom remodel, painting, and gardening to make this house our home. (photos coming soon)

December :  For Christmas, we surprised our family with the announcement of our first child due August 19th!   

March :  March 12th, we found out we were having a girl!  So the past 6 months have been so exciting sharing the news with our friends and getting ready to welcome Baby J into the world.  Oh, we're keeping the name a secret until the big day so until then we'll call her Baby J...

So that's a quick recap of what's been happening lately... more details and photos to come shortly.

Anniversary Surprise.... McCarty Pottery!!!

I was surprised with a McCarty gravy bowl and a sweet hand written card!

One happy year down and many more to come...

A year ago this weekend I married my best friend, and thanks to our parents and friends we had the wedding of our dreams! Here are a few of my favorite photos from that day...

I LOVED my bouquet!

Before and After - Outdoor Furniture

I love my outdoor furniture that Brandon bought for my 26th birthday; however, we have not been that great about bringing it in from the weather so it needed a face lift...  I love it even more now!

House Hunters

So Brandon and I are officially looking for our first home!  So exciting and a bit scary at the same time.  There are so many things to consider...
1. Location - we love where we are now... close to everything and everyone, but at the same time we want to get back to our roots.  We miss having horses, land to roam, big front porch and being able to actually see the stars at night.  There are still stars at night, right?
2. New or Old? - This actually isn't that hard for us.  We both love older homes.  They have a story and character and just need some love and attention.  And that love and attention usually means renovations.  So knocking out a wall, for example, leads to fixing the flooring, ceiling, trim... the details, big or small, can multiply very quickly.  While it's very excited to think about renovating a home and making it exactly what we want, we also know that we both work like crazy and have so much going on that we would have to somehow find time for our new home.

And so the list of decisions go on and on... making an offer.  Finding the right lender.  Too many things to name right now.

Ironwood Bluff is now on iTunes!!!

Brandon's band Ironwood Bluff is now on iTunes!  I'm so proud of these guys!

SNOW 2011

It was nice while it lasted but the snow has finally melted.  Here are a few photos of our snowamber and snowbrandon...