A Look Back at Our Halloween

It's rare that I ever get to sit down at my own computer. I stare at a computer screen most of the day and when I get home, I don't even walk into our "office" room. Nevertheless, my apologies for not posting about Halloween sooner.

I did manage to do a little decorating before Halloween. I'm not big into the spooky stuff but I do love fall decorations. The Saturday before we picked up two small pumpkins at a farmers market which I later used to adorn my bottom step. Then, I put my two Ikea lanterns to good use and filled them with different colored miniature pumpkins which also came from the farmers market.

The scarecrow people were a gift from one of my husband's aunts, so here they are hanging out in my Carolina Rocking Chair. It wasn't much but it was a little something to give our house a fall look.

I also picked up some pansies at Lowe's to go in my baskets on the front porch. The porch was seriously lacking in floral, since the mums I bought when we first moved in died after a month. Hopefully the Pansies will lost longer, at least they're supposed to. 

It was a nice little Halloween in the new house... luckily we had mobs of children to take all of that candy off my hands.

Even Cal was kind enough to leave the bunny ears on for a couple of minutes while I snapped some pictures. Okay, we really just distracted him with food. :)

Next up on the blog- Dining Room Reveal...

Fall Decorating

As Halloween rapidly approaches (where did October go?), I thought I would get into the Fall spirit by figuring out how I'm going to decorate.

No, I haven't done this yet. New home ownership will do that to you, plus working 40+ hours a week. I haven't even bought our pumpkin yet!

I found plenty of inspiration on Pinterest to decorate this fall, and maybe in the next few days I will get to some of this.  If not, I'll save it for next year.





Pinterest

While I haven't been on blogger lately, I have been hanging out over at Pinterest gathering ideas for the new home. I joined the site in early July, and in fact started this initial post July 15th so you can kind of understand that it's been a couple of months since I had actual free time. Anyhow, Pinterest has pretty much been my go-to site ever since. Forget Facebook, this is so much more entertaining for someone like myself that could flip through magazines daily looking at home decorating ideas.
Oh, and if you didn't catch that first sentence...Yes-- we found a home! Bought it and already moved in. Until I get my workspace set up again (which should be soon), I can be found collecting ideas over at Pinterest.

Here are some of my Decor ideas I have been gathering...



Must have Fall Wreath from Etsy shop TwoInspireYou



Master Bedroom Bedding from West Elm & Colors

I love little pops of color

There's plenty more where these came from on my Boards. Go get Pinning!

Update: Finding a Home

Checking blogger for the first time in a while tonight. I have missed the blogging world, and promise to return soon.

We are in the process of searching for our very first home, leaving very little time for new posts.
The good news is ... I believe we've found our future home!!
More to come once the craziness is over with.

Fave Find Friday: Vintage Collegiate T's at AE

American Eagle introduced their new Vintage Campus Collection this week and I can't wait to get into a store this weekend to pick up a few T's.

My husband's favorite. Notice the resemblance to my dog in the sidebar.

My best friend bought me a Georgia Bulldogs (my college football team) vintage Tee from Urban Outfitters a few years back, and I have pretty much worn it out. There's nothing I enjoy more than kicking back and watching college football while sporting a soft-tee with my favorite pair of jeans.

Less than a month to college football season :)

Have a good weekend!

Fave Find Friday: Save the Date postcard

I could spend all day surfing etsy.
Check out these adorable, vintage custom Save the Date postcards in the
LilyGene shop.

Inspiration: Wedding Invites

This is the style of wedding invitation I really wanted but didn't want to buck tradition too much.
I wish I had.

And this is one of the best wedding invites ever... it really tells the couple's story. I found it on Pinterest last week, originally pinned by Madison McDaniel. As I was reading this, I could almost fill in mine and G's journey especially with our 6 months long-distance and moving all across the country.

Are they crazy?

I got this email today from J. Crew...

Who is doing their marketing? Seriously. It's mid- July. The last thing I want to think about is a cashmere sweater. In fact it just sounds suffocating to think about when it's 97 degrees outside.

Try back in the fall J.Crew.
Sincerely,
Courtney

Uploaded our wedding photos to facebook...

I have to multi-task. I just can't sit and watch sappy tv...

...so I'm finally getting around to uploading our wedding photos over a year later. We purchased the DVD to our photos to have access to all of them for our anniversary back in May so technically I've only procrastinated for 2 months. I've also wanted to keep them to myself but I know that we have friends out there who would like to see them also. It's nice to finally share our special day with those people!

When you have over 600 wedding photos, it is quite the task in uploading all of them, tagging everyone and writing captions. This is quite the chore!

Catching Up

Sorry, no fave find friday this past week and no new blogs. Life has been busy with vacation, work, house hunting and working out. I'm not good at sitting down at my computer after a long day of staring at my computer screen at work.
I'm actually taking some time tonight to finally upload our wedding photos to facebook. It's only taken me a year and two months. I'm sure our friends will be glad to finally see them!
I'm working on some blogs and I hope to get them out to you soon!!
Best,
C

Fave Find Friday: Baseball Tee

mlb.com (Braves Shop)

I love that women can actually look cute while supporting their favorite team these days. Trust me, it wasn't always like that. I still have big J-Shirts from my teenage years that make better night shirts than they do t-shirts.

Just added this Braves v-neck, vintage-style tee to my wish list!

Discussion: Heart of the Matter

For those of you that were interested, I finally finished Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin. Another great read from this talented author.

She never ceases to amaze me! For those of you who have read it, and have also read Something Borrowed... what did you think of the tie in with Dex and Rachel? I definitely had an "awe" moment when I read they had two little girls and were happy in their marriage. As if they were real people.

I loved hearing the two perspectives. I would read two chapters each night, reading one from Tessa's point of view and the other from Valerie. Well, until I got to the end and then I couldn't put it down.

Did anyone else feel like they were on Valerie's side even though she was "the other woman? I guess I just wanted her to find love. It's not like she sought after Nick, it just happened, right? What did you think of Nick? I'd love to hear your opinions.

Fave Find Friday: Bridesmaids Dresses

J. Crew has some bridesmaids dresses on sale for brides looking,

 or bridesmaids that get to pick out their own dresses (lucky)!

More of our Wedding Details : The Dessert Table

Since my Rehearsal Dinner Groom's Cake blog is one of my most popular, I thought I would share with you our Dessert Table at the wedding.

Initially I thought about having a traditional wedding cake, and then I saw how expensive they were. And of all the fancy looking wedding cakes I had ever tasted, the delicious cakes I grew up on.  I wanted my wedding cake to be delicious, not just pretty. I knew just the person to ask. My Aunt Betty is the go-to person for baking cakes in the family whether it be for birthdays or holidays.

She's an extrordinary baker and I wanted to feature her best work. I decided to have a dessert table to include all of her southern classics that we love so much.

I wanted all of her best desserts including my absolute favorite: Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese frosting. The ones on the top two rungs have regular cream cheese frosting and the bottom rung have crushed pecans mixed in.

Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese frosting.
Some had crushed pecans in the cream cheese.

Another southern favorite: poundcake. This one is covered in her homemade chocolate frosting.

Yum... Homemade Traditional Poundcake w/ chocolate icing!

Carrot Cake cupcakes in Gingham cupcake wrappers from Bake it Pretty!

These are also my favorites, it's so hard to choose just one favorite...

Vanilla & Chocolate Cupcakes with festive decorations

We also incorporated some of the traditions and favorites from my husband's side of the family with a Kransakaka cake (a Norwegian tradition) and Buckeyes since he spent his middle and high school years growing up in Columbus, Ohio.

K-Cake made courtesy of the groom's aunt & The Buckeyes made by the groom's brother 

There were also cookies and candy on the table. Our dessert table was definitely a group effort to pull it all together. It was one of my favorite things about our special day!

For more on my aunt's cakes, check out her blog: Betty Bakes

Photos Courtesy of Rachel Barker at Millie Holloman Photorgraphy

Fave Find Friday: Beach Hair

Picked this up last week since I was at the beach for work. I struggle with keeping my hair straight when at the beach and I wanted something that would provide texture and beachy waves.

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray

I'm still on the fence about this actually being a Fave Find. I'm going to try it again when I have time to sit on the beach and let the wind blow dry my hair. Otherwise, it was not worth the $23.00. I've tried lots of other wave and curl sprays that work better.

Update

Sorry there was no Fave Find Friday this week. I was out of town on business.
Hoping to have a wedding related blog up this week!

Fave Find Friday: Nude Pumps



Courtesy of Steve Madden

 So I hear Nude Pumps are in style this summer, especially when paired with a colorful dress. My best friend swears by Steve Madden so I think I might give them a try (even though all of my dress shoes are Nine West).

I'm not quite a fan of the platform or bulky toe look like the above. I think these are more my style...



Ultamit


Although with my inability to wear high heels and my narrow heel, this one with the mary jane strap might be just right for me. And they're on sale! Even better!!

Urgency

Fave Find Friday: Outdoor Patio

Since it's Memorial Day weekend, I thought this outdoor dining set might get us in the mood for a cookout this weekend. I'm not really purchasing it, just dreaming. I don't even have my own home yet.

The Meridian Dining set is currently 40% off at Crate & Barrel.
Just in time for a backyard family cookout! I'm loving the yellow accents!

Spring Flowers

My stock pile of drafts is now empty that I worked on at the beginning of the month. And since I don't have much time this week to think of anything new to blog about...here's a picture of an arrangement my mom put together in her planter outside of our garage.

Inspiration: Aqua Dining Room

Never really thought a dining room should have aqua walls, it's definitely more of a bathroom color, but I like it in this dining room. Featured in this month's Family Circle, the designer used sand tones to create a soothing yet stunning dining space. I also love this chandelier which can be found at Home Depot.


Courtesy of Family Circle

While I love this dining room in aqua, I think I will actually be painting the bathroom this color. 

Fave Find Friday: Chi Hair Dryer

I think I'm going to be in the market for a new hair dryer soon. 

I would really love to spring for the Chi blow dryer this time.

It's really tempting with this deal at Ulta this week!

Recycle your wedding

Ruffled, a great wedding resource blog, recently launched Recycle Your Wedding. This is great for a newlywed like myself who still has things sitting around a year later from the wedding (unused candles, vases, and other decor). Instead you can list them on here to make $$ from current brides in need of affordable items for their wedding.

You can also list a used/unused wedding dress. Before the wedding I thought reselling my dress after the wedding would be easy. Now that I've worn it, the dress just has so much more meaning and I've really been thinking of keeping it. As every bride should, I loved my wedding dress! I'm not sure if I can part with it.

Any other newlyweds out there sold their dresses or have you kept it around for sentimental value? Anyone used Ruffled yet? Or found it beneficial when planning your wedding?



Fave Find Friday: Havana Clutch



Havana Clutch from J. Crew

Since blogger was down yesterday, here's a late Fave Find Friday.

Also available in black. I'm picturing this with a maxi dress down by the beach. What do you think?

A baby shower for Tornado Victims

My creative friend Callie at Wannabe Athlete came up with this amazing idea to create an online baby shower using Amazon.com to help those affected by the tornadoes in Alabama.

I was looking for a way to help that would make a direct impact. I know Red Cross does wonderful things but I wanted to do something more than a $10 text. I wanted my money to go directly to putting clothes on someone's back or feeding someone. The Blogger Baby Shower gave me the opportunity to do just that!

The Baby Shower has been up and running since Monday, and the support has been astonishing. Check out an update she wrote today regarding the support: Humbled. 
Oh, and there's also an incentive if you contribute by Friday! :)

Spring Handbag



From Lalunedesigns shop on etsy, click picture for more

I'm still searching for this year's spring/summer tote. I like to carry an inexpensive, cloth material, lightweight, over-the-shoulder handbag in the summer. I want something floral or beachy. I like something that I'm not going to care if it gets dirty.

Meet last year's Gap bag...

2010 Summer Gap Bag

Check out the stains at the bottom; I definitely got my money's worth. For being a simple bag I still managed to get lots of compliments on it.
Let me know if you have suggestions for me.

Happy Anniversary to us!

Along with being Mother's Day (Happy Mother's Day, Mom!), it's also our first anniversary!

I love you, honey!

Fave Find Friday

Welcome to Fave Find Friday, a new section I decided to add to the blog!
Inspired by the loads of email I get from all of my favorite stores such as JCrew, Sephora, Pottery Barn, etc). My email box is bombarded daily with temptations, calling my name to spend money. Luckily, the good Lord gave me self-control!

I thought if I blogged about them, and shared with you my sense of style, then the temptation might go away. Unless I really like it, of course! Typically, I will post a fashion item or beauty product... pretty much anything I find during the week that I want to share.

Without further ado, the first ever Fave Find is...

Denim Western Shirt from J. Crew

In true, southern fashion- every girl must have a button-up denim shirt. I have not owned one for quite some time and I'm glad they're making a comeback. As a child I  remember quite a few outfits throughout the years including denim shirts. I love the versatility of this one, being able to roll up the sleeves and even putting it with a dress/skirt.
I have been looking for one to put with a dress that I own. I actually didn't know the two would go together until I saw a bride on "Say Yes to the Dress" where my exact same dress and layered it up with a denim shirt and scarf. It looked super cute so I'm going this week to try it on :)

Any other southern girls out there with a denim shirt in their closet?

Inspiration: fresh flowers

I love having fresh flowers in the house and recently I have been plucking a few from the garden to livin' up the place! Check out this gerbera daisy on the nightstand...

Vase from Crate & Barrel

Kinda goes with my bouquet of daisies I held in my hands almost a year ago on my wedding day!

Spring Bridal Shower Inspiration

These are from my own bridal shower last year. While my mother, maid of honor and good friend planned the shower; I had a little bit of input when picking out the invitations, choosing the colors and flowers. I knew I wanted to use tulips, and I love violet and lime green together. I wanted to do something different than my wedding colors and to better fit a March bridal shower.

I created the below flowers with my grandmother which is a memory I will always cherish. We created three of these to sit around for decoration.



Tulips & Limes



Arrangement on the food table

These might be a great DIY arrangement for Mother's Day.

Lemons and gerbera daisies also look great together!



Francesca's Baby Bumps

I am at the age where it seems everyone around me is pregnant, or just had a baby. In fact, one of my best friends is pregnant, very pregnant actually-- she's due June 7th. I could not be more thrilled for them! I am just not ready for my own so this blog is inspired by all of the pregnant ladies around me. I have no intentions of getting pregnant for a while. When I do get pregnant someday (and no that's not a hint or anything), I would love to wear some outfits from Francesca's chic Baby Bumps line!

Any pregnant women or new moms out there have suggestions on chic maternity clothes they really love?

Heart of the Matter

I waited, and waited, and finally ... it came out in paperback!
I'm weird, I prefer paperback over hardback any day.

Heart of the Matter came out last year but I decided to wait until it came out in paperback to read it. I have read all of the other Emily Giffen books in order they came out. I fell in love with Something Borrowed which in my opinion is still her best book. After I read the book in 2008 they announced Hilary Swank purchased the rights to produce the movie but it would be 2011 before the movie would come out. And now we're only about a week away from the premiere of Something Borrowed!!

If anyone has read or wants to read Heart of the Matter with me, I thought about doing the Reading Guide and blogging about it to have sort of a book club style discussion. Let me know if you're in!

Happy Reading!!

Spring Cleaning- Attic Style

I was given quite the spring cleaning challenge this year! Cleaning out the attic of an entire family. Luckily my own family, or that would have be an impossible challenge. That means 30+ years of marriage (my parents) and two grown children's (my brother & I) worth of boxes, and all of the sentimental kiche that comes with. My parents are always complaining that I have so much stuff in their attic, and well, I admit-I do. But I also found out they have a lot more.

I'm preparing for a garage sale in a few weeks and I wanted to dig out all of those items to sale. I'm also throwing out loads of stuff in the process that we don't need, and sending some of it to goodwill.

Tip #1- Put any old clothing in a garbage bag and get rid of it! Unless you have recent or expensive, quality clothing- it's best to bag it up for Goodwill. It's difficult to sale all of your unwanted clothes at a garage sale. If I do, I put them in a box and say anything in the box, $1 each. Try to think of anyone or any other charities that could use those bags of clothing. It may make you feel better that someone will be given these items instead of having to purchase them from Goodwill.

Before Shot

I can't show you an actual panorama shot but you get the idea. Just imagine stuff piled up with absolutely no pathway. Do you see all of my mother's Christmas stuff? It's out of control and taking up at least 50% of the attic space. Also my dad has a bad habit of putting stuff right at the door and not organizing it. Gosh, I hope my organizing doesn't come undone within months.

Tip #2- Create a path if one doesn't exist. I literally had to start sorting and throwing out as I entered. We have some hard to get to space that wasn't being used and I began clearing a path to it. I pulled out anything blocking the way and began using this space for anything we wouldn't touch for a while.



Garage Sale area



On one side in a small area I began clearing out a space for what would be my "garage sale only" side. (Somehow one of my brother's racing trophys got stuck over there for the picture.) Luckily most of it could stay put. This now provides me a space to put these items as I move along through the rest of the madness. I came across a lot of "keepsakes" which then created a whole other section called "keepsakes" (duh).

I tackled one section at a time, slowly moving along the wall... clearing out and organizing. Going through the items is the tough part. When you haven't seen something for a while, it's easy to sit and reminise. That's the great thing about the "keepsake" section. I can move it there and go through it another day.

It took several weekends but I finally got it finished this past weekend, just in time for the May garage sales I have planned with my aunt. With our attic, it's not protected from the heat/cold so working in the attic only happened when the weather was between 50 and 70 degrees. This is really the only comfortable times to be in there so that's why I couldn't work in it every weekend.


Once all was said in done, I had a large area for garage sale to the left of the door, a clear area in front of  the door, keepsakes on the back wall, and christmas stuff to the right. I have temporarily placed my belongings that will move out with me and my husband (hopefully, soon) in front of the Christmas stuff in an easy to get to location.

It may not be the cleanest attic but it is now organized!