Sunday, August 2, 2015

Smoky Mountain Vacation

We just got back from a trip to Little Valley Mountain Resort and had the best time!

We left early Saturday morning with intentions of being at my friend Krissy's house in Georgia early afternoon.  We had some major traffic issues around Gainesville and didn't get there until evening :( We were so happy to see Baby William!



Sunday morning we were on our way to Pigeon Forge, TN to meet up with Grandma and Grandpa, Sara's family, and Rylee's family.  It was so nice to all be together and we had the best time!  We loved the hot tub and the game room upstairs.  We would definitely go back again! 




















We took some family pictures one morning!







On Thursday morning we checked out and were headed home.  We ended up stopping in Southern Georgia for the night because it was raining and Ava and I were tired of being in the car :)  We checked into our hotel, showered right away, and found a mall to walk around.  Ava got a purse and some accessories for her purse and then we went to dinner at Outback.  Matt and I kept talking about how thankful we are for our trip and how we were having such a great time stopping at the hotel, too. We left dinner feeling so happy and went to start the car and it wouldn't start!  We were about 10 miles from our hotel so we instantly felt sick to our stomachs.  Ava and I walked across the parking lot to a Kroger and read books and raced down the aisles while Matt called for help.  We ended up getting a jump start and all was good the rest of the drive!







Ha - she is so confused in that last pic!  "Why are we hanging out at Kroger mom?!?"

We got home Friday evening and on my second load of laundry the dryer died!  We could not believe our luck!  I am so thankful for our patience and humor in most situations because we had quite a few hiccups in one week and we were still laughing and smiling with each other.  Saturday we made the trip to Lowe's to get a new dryer and feel pretty broke until next month - but still - we choose to be happy!

Scripture Art, Bible Verse Art, Faith Based Art, Nehemiah 8:10, 5x8 art print on woodGratitude Changes Everything Free Printable Gray & GoldChoose Happy free printable...so cute!!! This link is to a round-up on The Handmade Home...the link to the actual website (Paper Coterie) was down when I pinned, but hopefully it will be up and working again soon!

Here are some pics of creatures we saw and videos Matt got on the trail camera!



This video is of a big bear that stopped by twice on the first night!


The next night we had a bear and some cubs come on the porch.  So cute (and scary)!  Rylee and I were on the porch on the other side of the door you see in the video and had no idea!


The following two nights we had a raccoon on the porch each night. Ava thinks it is hilarious that the raccoon ate her peanut butter!


We are still talking about how great the vacation was and Ava keeps asking for her Gwamma, Papa, and friends, but she was very excited to see her best pal Brady!



Ha :)

Thank you to my entire family for the fun vacation, to Krissy & Will for letting us crash at their place, and to Caiti & Tony for watching Brady!  We love you all!

Monday, July 27, 2015

Summer Books

I read quite a few books this summer!  I like to read in the evenings before bed or sometimes in the morning before Ava wakes up.  Some books were serious, some were fun, and I enjoyed them all!


This book was awesome!  It is about a woman who was tired of excess and eliminated something each month for 7 months (clothes, spending, etc.).  The goal was to live simply and generously.


This was just a fun book that encourages identifying your passions and talents and choosing to live a simple and fulfilling life.


I read this book in 1 day while in bed with the flu.  I watched The Girls Next Door and Holly's World so I was very interested in finding out what Holly had to say about life at the Playboy Mansion.


Ever After was a great read about marriage and motherhood.  It was funny and full of great lessons/stories.  I loved this book!


Sophie Hudson is a great storyteller and reminds us that home is about the people inside and our journey through life and with God, not the actual house.


This book was by the hilarious comedian Aziz Ansari (from Parks and Recreation).  He teamed up with social scientists and they conducted research on romance today.  I am very interested in people's behaviors and think he is super funny so I loved this book.


The author of this book moved to the Upper East Side of NYC and struggled to fit in.  She tells funny stories about this elite world that most of us can't relate to but also finds many times where these women just want the same thing for their children that all mothers do.

Friday, July 24, 2015

Friday Favorites

I am linking up with Erika today to share my Friday Favorites!



- ONE -

Ava and I have both loved cuddling up with Brady lately!  Ellen posted this picture the other day on Instagram and it reminded me of Brady curled up in his favorite blanket so I recreated it :)





- TWO -

Ava can swim without her swim-float now and we are all so excited!!!


- THREE -

We get rain most afternoons/evenings in the summer here in Florida.  We have had nice weather for two evening swims this week and had so much fun as a family!



Tuesday, July 21, 2015

House Updates!

We have done a few small house projects this summer that I wanted to share.  

We finally painted our house!!  We have lived here almost 4 years, but the house is much older and was still the original color when we moved in and had faded and needed some fresh paint.  We love it!




We have been looking at plans to build a DIY wooden swing on the front porch.  We have room for these chairs out on the back lanai where they would get more use :)


It has taken me a few years, but I got some curtains for the front room this summer.  I also scored that rug on major clearance to pull the area together.



This area was originally set up as a formal dining space but we decided to just put our kitchen table next to the kitchen so we use it as an office area.  We have had all our furniture for many years and didn't like how this area had a few different colors of wood.  I spray-painted both filing cabinets with metallic gold spray paint and then spray painted all of the hardware oil rubbed bronze for a quick fix until we come up with a plan for this room.



We recently added these canvas prints above the bed and I put a charging station on each nightstand to organize our cords and have a safe place to charge everything at night.


Ava's room got a few updates this summer!  The changing table is gone and we shifted her furniture around to make room for a desk!  I also spray-painted some black frames I had in a tote from our previous house and hung some prints around her room :)



We are still working on decorations for the guest room but I recently painted it a lighter color and spray-painted this night stand satin nickel.



We still have many things we want to update in the house - but each summer while I am off we make a few changes and still love our home :)


Monday, July 6, 2015

Happy Fourth of July

We had the best Fourth of July weekend!  It was pretty low-key but our goal was to have fun and spend time together just us :)  Goal accomplished!



We swam Thursday evening and Friday afternoon!


Ava was super excited about her red, white, and blue nails!



We went on the boat for a few hours Saturday!





We had showers and baths when we got home and just relaxed for a few hours.  We had a yummy dinner and then headed outside in our pjs to watch some fireworks!  Ava was super excited when she saw more but thought they were a little loud. 



We continued the show from "mama's bed" and watched fireworks on TV :) :)