My Music Wednesday...

I didn't forget! I've had a reminder on my Outlook calendar repeatedly pop up throughout the day to remind me to post, but I've been frantically trying to finish up some responses to motions, so I had to keep snoozing it. :)

And I'm just going to tell you... I'm taking you back. Way back. Back into time. (Quick, someone name that song!) For the better part of my life, when people asked me what my favorite song was, I'd name this song. Don't judge me for that. :)

Landyn Lee...

. . . as depicted in various Photoshop Actions. :)

Me, a wedding photographer??

We had a great weekend!

On Saturday, we drove with Micah's family to Hope, Arkansas for Micah's grandpa's wedding. I had volunteered to take some pictures for them, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into!

But we had a wonderful time, and I got at least a few cute pictures. :)

{They had just kissed, and I love how happy Brenda looks and how scandalized Jerry looks.}

{Here are Micah's parents. Aren't they just precious? This picture absolutely epitomizes them - she's sublimely happy, and he is enamored with her. Their relationship is what I hope Micah and I have in 25 years.}

{She looked so beautiful, and Jerry was clearly smitten.}

{This is Micah's brother, Seth, with his wife, Diana, and their little angel, Landyn.}

{Aren't his little Converse just the cutest things you've ever seen??!}

I certainly don't plan on being responsible for someone's wedding pictures again any time soon (or ever!), but I had fun and was honored to get to be a part of their special day!

Today, Micah and I have been pretty lazy, although we did go check out the house again (and noticed so many things we hadn't noticed before). And I bought groceries for the first time in a few weeks, so be looking for a post with a new recipe or two! :)

My Music Wednesday...

So I totally slipped up last week and forgot to post. But I think this week's song makes up for it. :)

It's a live, acoustic version of Peter Gabriel's classic In Your Eyes by Ben Harper.

I actually remember the first time I heard this version. I was shopping at Kohl's, and the song came over the speakers, and it just stopped me in my tracks. The original is one of my favorite songs anyway, but this version . . . it's even better. :)

Coupon Class!

My cousin Heather, who I consider my coupon guru, is hosting a coupon class in a few weeks, and I would encourage anyone who is thinking about getting into couponing to sign up. The $15 is nothing compared to what you'll save from all the tips you'll learn, I promise (plus, it includes dinner)! I'm planning on going, myself, because I know I'll definitely learn a thing or two. :)

A few things...

This Saturday, I decided to sleep in and spend the day shopping. Micah had gone fishing with his Dad, and I really needed some makeup, a new makeup bag, and a journal (I'll get to that in a minute). So I headed first to Ulta and then to Marshall's (LOVE!) and got all of the above AND found a few other things I couldn't live without.

First, I found this adorable lantern. (If you're wondering why it's out on my porch, it's because I get NO natural light in the living room.) I also found the very cool antiqued "manuscripts" for super cheap and figured I could find somewhere to stick them (clearly I did). Sticking weird things in these lanterns is definitely a Pottery Barn idea, and I just love it!

I also saw these old-looking books, and I couldn't not buy them. I have nowhere to put them in this house, but they'll definitely find a home in the study at the new house.

I love, love, LOVE aprons. And I also love this color green, so I couldn't pass it up.

So clearly I'm already thinking about decorating the new house. My mom suggested that I pick up a journal so that I could jot down all my decorating ideas. So after I found a journal at Marshall's on Saturday, I definitely spent an hour or two literally cutting and pasting pictures from the Pottery Barn catalog. I'm thinking I want a sort of rustic theme (Italian, not western) for the house - lots of stained wood, neat texture, and wrought iron. I'm definitely going to use some of my favorite green, but I also want to use some whites, tans, chocolates, and bronzes.

I'm definitely ready for May to get here so we can move in and get settled - it's been a long time coming! :)

Survey says...

... that the Jalapeno Popper Dip is a new fan favorite!


I made it for my family when they came over for Micah's birthday a few weekends ago and for Micah's family this past weekend, and everyone seemed to really really love it! Lauren's husband, Eric, actually spread it on his pizza. :)

It's just got a great, creamy texture PLUS it has a nice spicy (but not too spicy) flavor. I didn't serve it with toasted bread because I'm lazy and didn't have any French bread on hand, but the tortilla chips were delicious in it. Moral of the story - make this at your earliest convenience.

Pictures of Our House!

Ugh... I know I'm a blog slacker right now. I intended to get pictures of the house up this weekend, but I worked all day Saturday and Sunday and just couldn't find any time! Micah's parents and brother/sister-in-law were actually able to come check it out yesterday, and I'm realizing how ready we are to move in! But we don't close until May, so I'm going to have to be patient. :)

(This is the outside. I'm in LOVE with the porch.)




(Kitchen. L-O-V-E the cabinets and granite. You can't really tell from this picture, but the cabines are a buttery white and have been "antiqued" by sanding to reveal a warm brown undercoat. I'll take a close-up picture the next time we go see the house so I can show y'all what I mean.)

(Family room.)

(Again.)

(Game room with a hallway open to the living room below.)

(Dining room.)

(Porch. I'm SO happy to have a big, open porch. Although I'm going to have to find patio furniture that's both comfortable but not susceptible to Lilly's chewing habits.)

(Study. The color looks off in this photo, and I definitely wish it had a bigger window and some built-in shelves, but still thrilled to have a study.)

That's all I've got for now. And maybe I'm jinxing things by posting pictures before we close, but I just couldn't wait to share! :)

My Music Wednesday

I love this song for a million reasons. Enjoy!

I don't want to jinx it, but...

. . . Micah and I are signing a contract on a house today!

Holy cow, right?

We found one that we just absolutely LOVED in a neighborhood that we just absolutely LOVED for a great price. It's a new construction, and the houses in that neighborhood go fairly quickly, so we figured we needed to move quickly. Plus, I know interest rates are low right now and are expected to rise. Our lease on the house we're renting isn't actually up until September, but we've extended closing for 60 days, so we'll only be double paying for two months or so.

I'll post more pictures later, but for now, here's one of the outside. The stone and brick actually look much prettier in person. :)

Busy bees...

To say that we've had a lot going on is a bit of an understatement... :)

First, it was Micah's birthday on Thursday. He turned twenty-five, and we celebrated fairly quietly that night. We just grabbed Razzoo's for dinner (where I did NOT subject him to the embarrassing birthday song routine because I'm a good wife), and I got him a really nice cigar and a cigar cutter he'd been wanting. His real present is a new fishing rod and reel, but he wasn't positive which ones he wanted yet so I decided to just let him get them. :)

Friday night I had my parents, my brother and Faith, and Lauren and Eric over for a (very) last-minute surprise get-together for Micah. We had plans to celebrate with Micah's family on Saturday, but my family all wanted to hang out with Micah to celebrate, so everyone came over to our house on Friday evening before Micah got home, and we surprised him as he walked through the door! I forgot to take pictures, but we definitely had a BLAST!

I honestly cannot say enough how thankful I am that my parents (and my amazing step-parents) can all be around one another and honestly get along. It isn't awkward or forced, and everyone smiles and laughs together, and it really does feel like one cohesive family. I just feel so blessed that my parents (all four of them) love my brother and me enough to get past the past. It makes life so, so much easier. :)

On Saturday, we spent some time looking at houses with my favorite realtor, my Aunt Brigitte and my Uncle Clay. Although our lease isn't up until September, we've decided for sure that we want to stay in Sunnyvale, and we've narrowed down to a particular neighborhood. They're almost finishing construction in the neighborhood, so if we want to be there, we needed to start narrowing down because the houses there go quickly. I won't say anything specific yet because I don't want to jinx it, but hopefully I'll have some good news later this week! :)

Last night we went to Micah's parents' house to eat hamburgers and celebrate Micah's birthday. (THREE birthday dinners - is this guy spoiled or what? ;)) We got to love on Landyn and eat cheesecake and just enjoy his sweet family.

This morning we went to church and then had lunch with my dad and Lori. After lunch, we went and looked at houses some more. My mom just happened to have driven out this way to check out the neighborhood we're looking at, so when we drove past her, we all headed to check out the houses together. (SERIOUSLY... my parents are amazing.)

And I've been steadily working since we got back. We're about to file a new suit, so it's crunch time. Not to mention the fact that one of my cases is going to trial in April. So I'd better get back to work - just wanted to post a quick update. Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

My Music Wednesday

This week's song is from Taylor Swift's latest album, and I think it's just precious. It makes me think about the fact that celebrities have feelings, too. Plus, I just love me some Taylor. And I don't care if that means that I have the maturity level of a 15-year-old girl. :)

Happy Birthday, Mamaw!

We've been busy, busy, busy around here, and I will definitely post more about that soon. But today is my Mamaw's 72nd birthday, and I wanted to take a minute and celebrate her! My sweet Aunt Brig wrote the most precious words here, and I really can't say it any better.

So I'll just say, "Happy birthday, Mamaw!" I honestly can't express how thankful I am to have such a godly example to look to. There's no place that feels more like home to me than your couch.