{Real Life}

Wow...I'm a terrible blogger! It's been way too long...and I'll be honest...

I'm giving myself a break! 

There are so many times through out the week when I think

"Hm...I should probably blog this."

But this whole blog thing is supposed to be fun for me. 

Not an obligation. 

So I'm giving myself a break! 

However, I do miss blogging :)

It's a slippery slope this whole blogging thing is! 

I'll try to be back soon! I have to update on my birthday, the master bedroom, the carpeting, and Christmas decorating {I also meant to do a Thanksgiving decorating post and totally forgot...too late probably...oh well!}

So I'll be back! I promise! 

But since it's a few days until Thanksgiving...here are 10 more things that I'm thankful for the holiday season! {See my first list here}

1. Days Off. Oh thank God for Thanksgiving break! Love my kiddos, but they wear me out! 

2. Our view at night. The lights are gorgeous, and with the leave gone, it is just beautiful! 

3. My friends. I totally left this important one off my first list {to which my friends made sure I knew...love you guys!} But I really have been blessed with wonderful friends! They are supportive, forgiving, loving, and hilarious! I just wish we were all closer together! 

4. My crock pot. This puppy has gotten so much use this winter, and I love it! 

5. Our church. Crossroads does some amazing things, and we feel so blessed to be apart of such a huge community that is changing lives in our city, and around the world. 

6. Christmas...Eeeeee....Christmas! 

7. Hot Chocolate. There is nothing like cuddling up on the couch with a cup of coco to make you feel warm inside. Mmm...hot chocolate! 

8. Target. This place has given me so much information and awesomeness! I do have a complaint though...why does it all add up so fast? 

9. The color yellow. Because it just makes me feel happy. 

10. Each one of you! Thank you for reading my blog! For lifting me up. For encouraging me. And for listen while I blab on and on about useless stuff! I truly am thankful for each of you! 

Oh...and here are some pictures from a recent photo shoot with the family. Well...recent as in they happened in early October. And we already have new photos that we'll share soon. What can I say? We really love photos in this family :) Enjoy!

Meet my siblings! My brother lives in San Fran and works for GoPro, so we did a little techie picture for him! Just thought this picture was cool! 

Catch ya later! 

{Hardwood Floors...Check}

Our hardwood floors are done!! Eeeeeek! 

If you can remember, this is where we started...

And this is what we were left with after pulling the carpet up...

Notice anything else different? Yes...our wall color changed...

Revere Pewter by Benjamin Moore color matched by Lowes with Valspar in Satin. 

There floors didn't look too bad right? But with all of the tiny holes and normal wear and tear, they needed to be sanded! 

See all of the staples in the floor?  Yeah they were EVERYWHERE and it took hours for 5 people to remove them from throughout the living/dining/hallway/three bedrooms! 

So, we moved out for a week {to the in-laws} but came back the next day to pick a color! 

{Sorry the shadows were killing me in this picture! So hard to tell!}

Now ya'll know that our inspiration is a darker shade. As much as we ADORE the top left color, it was just too dark in case we want to sell down the road. So we went with the bottom right color. 

We love how it pulls out the natural wood grains! 

So two days later...we came home to this! 

GORGEOUS!!!

The person who did our hardwoods with a quarter-round { I think haha} at the bottom, stained the same color. I was a little skeptical...I wanted white...but I love it! 

The steps need some work {still...hopefully this weekend!} 

We're going to paint the risers a crisp, bright, white. 

So next we started the fun of touching up all of the molding. So I taped off, sanded {to get rid of the line from where the paint and carpet met} and wiped down the baseboards before painting them a crisp white in semi gloss so they are very wipe-able.  

The risers had LOTS of holes in them, so we filled them with some wood glue as well! 

You can see a lot have been filled, with one more in the middle to go! 

And how we're moving things back...very slowly...but it's happening! 

I'll be sharing new pictures next week with things in place, and hopefully a rug or two! 

Have a great weekend! I had a WONDERFUL Birthweek and can't wait to share all of the details next week! 

{Birthweek: B&B Pillow and Paddock}

Happy Tuesday Everyone! 

This week is an exciting one for me, because it is my "Birthweek"...my birthday is Thursday! 

So, Alex started this super fun tradition last year, where we celebrate our birth for an entire week! 

Amazing right? 

It can be anything from going to get a Starbucks coffee, to picking out a new shirt for my actual birthday, to a fancy dinner out. But he plans it all, and sends me a cute e-mail daily to go with it! 

Love that man! So I did it for his birthday in March, and of course...he's out-doing himself again this year for me! 

We started out my birthday week with a trip to our very first Bed and Breakfast 

{Enter major squealing from the dorky girl with the computer!}

We bought a Living Social Deal for a place called Pillow and Paddock in LaGrange, KY. 

If you're in the Kentucky/Tennessee/Indiana area...we HIGHLY recommend this amazing place! 

How precious is this? And this was a picture I took...not a picture from their website...it really looks this cute in person! 

We headed for the hour and a half drive when Wendel got off work on Friday, and we were so excited for a nice, much needed, relaxing weekend. 

We got to the house to see this...and I Eeeek'd with excitement! 

Hadn't even walked into the door yet and I was thrilled. 

Here I am...I had to hold my hands down to control myself! 

Here was our cute little room! There are 5 rooms at Pillow and Paddock, and each room is themed. Ours was the "Gatsby Room" so it was very swanky and fun.  

Every room had their own bathroom {a requirement for us} and it was so nice!  

Our view...country gorgeousness! 

When we got there, we had wine with some of the other guests, and then headed into downtown LaGrange for dinner. 

We found an authentic Irish Pub {the owner is from Ireland} so we stuffed ourselves with comfort food...and Alex enjoyed his favorite...Guiness. 

And when we got back, our bed was all turned down and there was chocolates on the bedside table...more squeals might have happened with the cuteness! 

The next morning {after a beyond delicious breakfast by the owner, Francesca} we headed to Woodford County, near Frankfort, to the Woodford Reserve Distillery.

Woodford is Alex's favorite bourbon, so he was really excited to hear abo ut how it was made. 

Slightly annoyed I made him take this picture...he's pretty cute though! 

The distillery was gorgeous! I felt like I was in Revolutionary War days. 

A few of the buildings where everything is made!

The tour was really nice, and we learned a lot about how bourbon is made and what makes bourbon, bourbon. 

This is one of the first steps, and it smelled...very pungent...to say the least.  

These are the copper kettle looking things that made the alcohol the proof that it is. 

Lots and lots of barrels. 

For just $10,000 your name can be up there...along with MGM Grand and The Palms hotel...no big deal. 

He's so cute! 

We made it home with a few things. The shot glasses came with the tour...with some bourbon in it...that I smelled and almost threw up. Don't know why he likes that stuff! I couldn't even eat the bourbon balls...which are candy...nasty! 

But we also got a cute little Woodford boubon barrel ornament for our Christmas tree, and a butter knife...because it was $3.00 and too cute to pass up! 

And for $5.00 you could get your bottle personalized...so there you have it! 

After a quick lunch, we leaded into Frankfort to the Capitol Building! It was rainy, so no one was around and we felt like we were in a movie walking around with our umbrella with the drizzling rain! 

On our way back into LaGrange, we stopped by The Cherry House which is a yearly thing that my mom and I usually do together. They decorate for Christmas on October 1st, so it was filled with Christmas excitement...and I was in heaven. 

Before our gourmet 4 course dinner {Mmmm...so delicious... Francesca sure can cook!} we played a pretty intense game of Uno. The Bed and Breakfast has a little common area with a stocked complementary fridge, games, movies, snacks, and magazines. 

The next morning, we had another amazing breakfast before we headed home. I loved all of the cute dinnerware. It was different every time we ate, and it was always in twos, so each couple had their own set of dinnerware. 

We also had our own salt and pepper shakers...I was in love! 

And little tiny bowls of jam...again...such amazing food! 

Before breakfast in the dining room. 

On our way out the door, the owner gave us this cute little Kentucky Whiskey set! 

The moral of the story is, we had a blast, it was such a great way to start my "Birthweek" and we would highly recommend this B&B to anyone! 

I'll share more of my birthweek fun soon, and tomorrow I'll be showing pictures of our new flooring and some shots from our Halloween party! 

Side Note...Get Out And Vote! 

{Thankful}

With Thanksgiving in a few weeks, everyone has been posting "I'm thankful" things on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. It made me think how truly bless I am. 

So since next week is my birthday, and I turn 24 {um...crazy!} I'm going to throw our 24 things that I am thankful for...even though the list is crazy long! 

1. My insanely crazy, huge, amazing, hilarious family! Truly...we're a mess! But I love the stuffin' out of every single one of them. 

2. That handsome husband of mine. He is self-less, sweet, thoughtful, helpful, hard working, and pretty darn cute! Almost 8 years I've been with this man, and I learn something amazing about him every year! 

3. My job. I am so honored and blessed to teach some pretty amazing 4 and 5 year olds. I know that God has put me in this school, in this classroom, and with these kids for a reason. It is truly wonderful to go into work everyday and be excited to see what funny things these little ones will do. 

4. My assistants! I guess this could go with my job, but I have two amazing assistants who help me daily. They are forgiving when I'm crazy and OCD, helpful when I don't even ask, and not to mention just plain ole' fun to be with. Thanks Renee and Molly! 

5. Our home. We were so blessed to find this gem, because we would NEVER have been able to afford this great of a home in any other circumstances. We have loved making it ours, and are having a blast making fun memories in each room. Parties, small groups, special dinners, babysitting, pool parties, and many many movies. This house has gotten to know us, we we feel like we know the ins and outs. And the best part is that we get to being sweet children into this home and make even more precious memories! 

6. Our health...wow! We had a near death experience this year {car wrecks are no fun} and we thank God everyday for our health and mobility. 6 weeks on crutches will do that to you! We are doing our best to be health, and pray that we never have to experience an illness like so many people have to suffer through. 

7. Our kitchen. Silly, I know but we have spent some fun times together cooking and laughing together. And our kitchen table has been the host to some pretty amazing discussions with people we love. Thankful for the growth, forgiveness, and love that has happened in that little area of our home. 

8. Our bed. Most comfortable bed ever. It's embarrassing how excited we get when we hop in bed, pull up the covers, and take a deep breath. Pure bliss I tell you! 

9. Pumpkin Ice Cream...with chocolate jimmies...from Greaters...enough said! 

10. Apples with caramel dip...because I'm eating them right now and 24 is a lot! 

11. My Wardrobe...what can I say? I like clothes! 

12. Our education. Not just college, but elementary, middle, and high school as well. We were blessed to grow up in a city who honors education. We wouldn't be where we are today without our education. 

13. Mexican food. No more explanation needed. 

14. Essie nail polish. Because it's amazing, and I just discovered it, and it actually stays on my nails!

15. Ann Taylor Loft... I am very, very picky about my pants and they are the only place that I have been able to find pants that fit me well. Love that place more than I should! 

16. Heat. Halloween night was so cold, and I had a moment where I realized that a lot of people up North were without electricity! Being warm is a wonderful thing! 

17. This is going to should SUPER cheesy...but our wedding photographer and videographer: Sunny Studios, and Lifetime Films. I am so thankful to have such amazing footage and images from such an important day in our lives. There are pictures of our loved ones that we will cherish forever, and footage of our first dance that will help us remember forever! Thanks Amanda and Matt...ya'll are amazing! 

18. Instagram. I love being able to document our lives in pictures! Something I'll always cherish...just hope it still exists for our kids! 

19. Pinterest...yes stupid...but I have gotten so many amazing idea for my classroom, recipes, home inspiration from this website! Love it. 

20. Sleep....man I feel like we haven't gotten enough of it lately but I love a good nights sleep! Refreshing! 

21. Diet Coke...oh I love you so much Diet Coke! 

22. Our city! We LOVE our city and where we live. It's a little un-natural to be so obsessed with a city, but we are! It's perfect with the "big city" 2 minutes from our house and the country of country 20 minutes away! Cincinnati...you're amazing! 

23. Yankee Candles. I am so picky about how things smell and HATE {a little ridiculously  when our house smells "weird" so those candles come in handy. I literally light one the moment I walk into our home! They're amazing. 

24. Our small group. Let's just be honest...we're all a little screwed up! But we are involved in an amazing small group who likes us even though we're a total mess. They're wonderful! 

Wow...24 was a lot! But there you have it! The good, the bad, and the ridiculous! 

Okay...so anyhoo...sware I'll be back with house updates {THE HARDWOODS AND CARPET IS DONE...and it looks amazing!} and that dang Pinterest Challenge that I keep pushing off {4 months is enough I think!} Have a great weekend and I'll be back on Monday with lots of fun!