Uninspired...

I'm not sure why, but I can think of absolutely nothing to blog about today.  It has been several days between posts, so theoretically something interesting should have happened since then.  No such luck, apparently.  I've just been working and watching the new fall lineup on TV (are you guys watching, too?).

Our media console did come in, but Micah wasn't there to help me move it into place, so I can't show pictures yet. 

And I do have stitches in my face from a routine dermatology procedure, but no one wants to hear about that.  (Just thinking about the stitches makes me queasy.)

Here's hoping I've got something interesting to share soon. :)

Gotta have Faith...

I hate going more than a day or two between posts, but the last few days have been pretty jam-packed.  I'm happy that we'll be able to just veg around the house tomorrow, because I'm completely drained and in need of a lazy day.

But that's not what I really wanted to talk about tonight.  Tonight, I just wanted to pay tribute to one of my favorite people on the planet.  She's honestly one of the kindest, sweetest, most considerate people I've ever met, and I'm proud to call her my sister-in-law.

For those of you who don't know, this is Faith.

Isn't she gorgeous?  As I think I've shared here before, I've coveted her naturally perfect red hair for as long as I've known her.  And, as we've been friends since we were 4 or 5, that's a whole lotta coveting. :) When we were growing up, Faith was incredibly shy and quiet.  I think my crazy, bubbly personality was probably a bit overwhelming at times, but she took me in stride (and eventually grew into one of the most social people I know!), and we remained close even after I moved out of Wylie schools in middle school. 

It speaks volumes that our only real fight in over twenty years of friendship happened in seventh grade, when she told the boy I had a humongous crush on about our "secret language."  (Let's just gloss over the fact that we even had a secret language, shall we? It's a wonder I had any friends at all...)  And that fight was relatively short-lived, as I quickly recognized that maybe we didn't actually need to be saying things like shawm-be-doo-be to each other.  But that's a conversation for another day... :)

In a nutshell, we just click. And we always have clicked.  She's my oldest friend, and her sweet, gentle spirit has always been such a constant in my life.  And her faith was always an inspiration. God definitely used her and her sweet family to pull me closer to Him in numerous ways throughout the years.

Unbeknownst to me, Faith had a huge crush on my brother throughout high school, while he was busy making some really bad relationship decisions.  At some point, though, he realized what a catch she was, and they started dating a few years after we graduated high school.  I can remember thinking that I would absolutely kill my brother if he broke her heart and ruined our friendship.  But I couldn't resist the idea of them falling in love -- I kept thinking about how amazing it would be if they got married and she became my sister-in-law. 

And because God must really love me, she did!  My brother made the smartest decision of his life and proposed, and thankfully she said yes!

I honestly couldn't ask for a better sister-in-law.  She doesn't bat an eye when I drop by their house without an invitation to sneak kisses from their little girl.  She loves my family and fits in perfectly.  And, God love her, she loves my brother with reckless abandon. She's the only one who really knows how to handle him -- she's a Georgia peach, but she's got enough spark to hold her own when he starts spinning out of orbit.  To put it bluntly, she's the best thing that ever happened to him (along with Stella, of course), and, thankfully, he knows it.  (And I have to admit - she's pretty lucky too.  My brother has grown up into an amazing, strong, honorable man, and he's always, always there when I need him.)

So this one's for Faithey.  I love you, girl.  Thanks for putting up with me all these years.  I'm honestly not sure what I'd do without you. :) 

What I'm Loving Wednesday...

Today I'm linking up to This Kind of Love for What I'm Loving Wednesday. 

I'm loving this WEATHER (even the rain)!

I'm loving Vanilla Diet Cokes from Sonic.

I'm loving the A Game of Thrones book series (I hear the show on HBO is great, too).

I'm loving some recent Pinterest finds.

(I love this verse and Hope Floats)

(snickerdoodle cake with brown sugar cinnamon buttercream... yeah, that's right.)

(snickerdoodle cupcakes.  So what if I have an unhealthy obsession with cinnamon?)

I'm loving my job, even when it's stressful.

I'm loving this little girl:

(is my niece not the cutest thing you've ever seen!?)

And, most of all, I'm loving my amazing husband, who always, always makes me giggle. :)

Cupcakes and high heels...

I can vividly remember a conversation I had with my law school friend Amanda about a girl Amanda had met.  Because I can't for the life of me remember the girl's name, we'll call her Sally. (Side note - when I was in first grade, one of my friends was named Sally, and I can remember begging my mom to let me change my name to Sally.  Thanks, ever so much, Mom, for saying no.)  Amanda was friends with Sally's husband and had gone over to their house to study. When she got there, Sally was in the kitchen, in her supremely fashionable high heels, icing cupcakes for them to eat.

After marveling at Sally's cuteness, I can remember thinking to myself, "will I ever be the kind of wife who bakes and ices cupcakes in high heels?" 

The answer was obviously a huge, resounding no.  I'm the kind of girl who throws her one-and-a-half inch-kitten-heels-because-the-pain-of-four-inch-stilettos-is-so-not-worth-it off as soon as she walks through the door.  I feel certain that, if you asked Micah what his least favorite thing about me is, he'd blurt out "the enormous pile of her shoes on the kitchen floor" without hesitation. 

So the heels are out.  And as far as the baking goes, I was feeling really good to get ramen noodles fixed for Micah's and my dinner last night because what I really wanted to do was get into bed and go to sleep the minute we got back from his parents' house.  I do love to bake, but I'm just probably not ever going to be the cute wife/mom who remembers to throw the cupcakes in the oven before the husband/kids get home.

At least, not on my own.

Enter The Dating Divas.

These girls are just about the cutest things I've ever seen.  They're clearly committed to maintaining the spark in their marriages, and they share all their creative ideas for doing so.  They post about date night ideas, gifts, group dates, deals, treats, and much more.  I've spent entirely too much time perusing their site, stocking up on ideas for reminding Micah how important he is to me. 

So although I've totally blown my cover now, I just had to share this site with y'all, just in case there's another sweatpants enthusiast out there who needs a little boost in this area.  And who knows... maybe one day we'll be the girls icing cupcakes in our high heels!

Coffee, anyone?

I've been scoping out coffee tables for awhile now.  It's been hard (for the reasons I mentioned here), but I finally have it narrowed down to a few, which are shown below. 

from here.  This one's my favorite, but Micah's not in love.

from here.  This matches our dining table, which would pull that color into the living room. 

from here.  Gorgeous, but probably just a little too dark.

from here. Clearly I'm into the idea of using a trunk.  I've looked into actual vintage steamer trunks, but I think it'd cost too much to have one restored to make it worthwhile.

And lastly, I like this one.  For some reason, Macy's won't let me save the picture. 

Thoughts?

Just some things...

1. This weather, y'all.  Holy cow.  This is the kind of weather that makes you want to play hooky and sit on your back porch all day.  Being an upstanding professional, I managed to resist the urge (but just barely).

2.  As lovely as the weather is, for some reason, it's ushering all kinds of things that hate my sinuses, and I'm sneezing/snorting so much that I'm having to keep my office door closed at work so I don't disturb everyone around me. 

3. Our kickball season went out with a bang last night.  Without going into too much detail, I'll just tell you that our last game involved a "sudden death" playoff and one of our team members taking off his jersey and throwing one of the bases across the field.  Our entire team was ejected.  But, to his credit, the ump had already lost us the game with at least three bad calls, and we had all had it up to HERE. 

(Oh, Google Images, how I love thee.)

4. Something has been digging in our yard for the past few weeks, and Micah has been trying to figure out what was doing it.  When we got home last night, he finally got lucky (ha - that's what she said), and caught one of these guys in the act.

(I tried to get a picture of him running away, but it was too darned dark, so this one will have to do.)

5. I bought some stuff for the house this week!  I hit up World Market and found this desk chair:

It's not nearly as orange as it looks in this picture.  It looks similar to one we were eyeing at Pottery Barn, but it's like $350 cheaper. :) Plus the color goes super well with the desk.

We also got these lamp bases and shades for the master bedroom.

These were another copycat find.  This lamp from Pottery Barn is very similar, and it's almost twice as much!

Last, but definitely not least, we splurged on this spotlight lamp from Pottery Barn for the study. 

Once we get the built-ins and the leather chair in there, it's going to look GREAT!

My Music Wednesday...

This week's song is Keith Urban's Long Hot Summer.  I'm sure you've all heard this song by now, but I couldn't help sharing it because I've been playing on repeat for about a week now.  I love the beat, I love the lyrics, and I love Keith Urban. 

After seeing him live, I have a newfound appreciation for (1) his yumminess - man, that guy is smokin', (2) his genuinely kind nature, and (3) his talent.  Plus, I love songs that are playfully sexy without being in your face about it. :)

Ten years...

Ten years ago, I was a junior in high school. I was wrapped up in my boyfriend, volleyball, and drama, and I was completely unconcerned with most things that didn't revolve around me.  

Like every other American who experienced that day, I vividly remember where I was when I first heard that a plane had crashed into the first tower.  I was at school--first period Theater Arts with Mrs. Martinez--sitting in my desk, laughing with friends and talking about our upcoming volleyball game. 

And I'll tell you something I've probably never told anyone before.  

My first thought had nothing to do with the safety of the people on the plane or in the building or the ramifications of such an "accident" (as I believed it to be at the time).  My very first thought was, "I wonder if I'll still get to play in my volleyball game tonight."  

That moment is probably one of the most shameful moments of my life.  I think that, for some reason, I just didn't understand the enormity of the situation at first. As soon as I was able to get to a television and see those horrible images that still haunt me to this day, I began to understand the gravity of those unspeakable acts and immediately started praying for New York, our country, and President Bush.  

But my initial selfishness is, I think, indicative of what my generation was like before 9/11.  We took our safety and security for granted, never having experienced real war or terror.  We were completely unaware of the cost of our nation's freedom.  Because it's one thing to read about war in a book.  It was something else entirely to watch those people jumping out of the towers to their deaths. 

I think the naivete of my generation went down with the towers that day. 

After watching the news--that footage--for days on end, I think we began to realize that freedom isn't free.  I think, for the first time in our lives, we started to think about a world outside our cushy little bubbles.  And we stood together as adults to bravely face those monsters who would dare threaten the nation we loved.  Our security.  We read and researched and cried and prayed, and we forgot, at least for a little while, about the unimportant things that had consumed our lives before that day.

And I am proud of how our country came together in the face of terror and tragedy on that day and throughout the weeks and months that followed.  We didn't point fingers at one another.  We held hands.  We put aside our differences and focused on addressing the problems facing our nation.   

I know that day and the war that has followed incite strong political conversations, and I'm certainly not attempting to get into any of that.  I just think it's important that we remember how strong our nation was when we stood together.  We will always be better when we work together, rather than against one another.  

And we should never ever forget the lives that were lost that day, or the days following as the brave rescue workers worked tirelessly to save the lives of those they had never met.  That selflessness, and the bravery of the soldiers who fought and continue to fight for our freedom, show why our country is a truly great nation.  That selflessness and bravery took a group of kids who might otherwise have remained oblivious to the price and significance of freedom and turned us into a generation of patriots.  

God bless these United States.

Goat Milk Stuff...

Last week I ordered several travel-sized bars of Goat Milk Stuff's soaps for a project for the master bathroom (which I'll share as soon and I get the rest of the bathroom together, I promise!).  I had read about them on MckMama's blog, and I was incredibly  curious.  So I went and checked out their website, and I was almost overwhelmed by the variety of scents that they offer!  

But I don't generally have a problem with making executive decisions, so I settled on a few each of Almond, Cool Citrus Basil, Kool Koala, and Nautical - mostly because I liked the blues/greens/tan colors.  Every order comes with three free samples, so I threw in Pink Sugary, Purity, and Fiji Island.

They came in yesterday, and let me just tell you,  y'all... they smell amazing.  And I tried out the Pink Sugary sample last night, and I'm in love.  The smell is just enough to make bathing an enjoyable experience (as if it's not already!), but it's not overpowering.  I'll definitely be ordering some more, and if you're a fan of handmade, all natural, yummy-selling soaps, you should check out Goat Milk Stuff! 

This is definitely not a plug for Goat Milk Stuff - they have no idea who I am.  I just like sharing my favorite things with y'all.  The End.

Ode to grilled cheese...

Well, probably not an ode, actually.  More like a tribute.  Actually, not a tribute at all.  Probably more like a nod.  Yes, we'll call this post a nod to a grilled cheese.

In case you didn't know, I heart cheese.  Particularly when it's coupled with carbs and other things that are bad for me (ahem, bacon).  I've had a few really good grilled cheese sandwiches lately, and I thought I'd share them in case there other cheese enthusiasts looking for a scrumptious sandwich to satisfy their dairy desires.  (Look at that alliteration.  Coach Fontana would be so proud.)

Village Burger Bar's Four Cheese and Bacon Panini:  four cheeses, bacon, avocado, and basil mayo (except I always substitute ranch for the mayo)

This one might just be my favorite.  The bread is fantastic, the cheese is perfect, and the avocado and bacon just push it over the top.  Plus, it comes with a house salad, shoestring french fries, or sweet potato fries.  The sweet potato fries are the bomb.com.

Breadwinners's BW Grilled Cheese:  swiss, provolone, jack, cheddar, spinach, tomato on parmesan grilled tuscan bread 

If you're not ready for the spinach, it might catch you off guard.  But if you're prepared, I think you just might love it.

The Porch's Three Grilled Cheese Sandwich:  port salute, provolone, aged cheddar, sliced tomato on brioche and tomato soup served as side

This sandwich is famous at The Porch.  First, the sandwich itself is incredible.  It's not your grandma's grilled cheese, that's for sure.  But the tomato soup is also divine.  It's a gourmet-ish twist on a classic, and it floats my boat for sure.

The Common Table's Grilled Cheese Sandwich: roasted pork tenderloin, smoked cheddar, provolone, mozzerella, parmesan, sourdough, marinara dipping sauce

This sandwich is SO yummy, but it's definitely different from what you'd usually expect - particularly  because it has meat in it!  But it was delicious, and the marinara went with it perfectly.  I'll definitely order this again the next time I go back to The Common Table.

At this point, you should be drooling and more than prepared to go out and conquer a grilled cheese sandwich.  Godspeed, my friends.

My Music Wednesday...

I've missed the last couple of several weeks, but I couldn't resist sharing this song when I stumbled across the video by accident.

True story:  When Micah broke up with me during my freshman year in high school, I played Mariah Carey's Someday on repeat for days, belting out Mariah's version of angry girl music and thinking about what I'd say to Micah when he came crawling back to me someday.

Turns out Mariah knew what she was talking about.  I had to wait two and-a-half years, but he finally came to his senses and came knocking on my door again. 

Of course, I graciously refrained from any kind of "I told you so" conversation, but just in case he ever needs reminding again, I'll remember that Mariah said it best:

You were so blind to let me go

You had it all but did not know

No one you'll find will ever be

Closer to all your dreams than me.

Ha! :)

Yummy (and not horrible for you!)...

Disclaimer: This is TOTALLY not an advertisement.  Nabisco has no idea who I am.

Have you guys tried SnackWell's new 130-calorie caramel popcorn snack packs?

Believe me, I am under no delusions that fudge-drizzled caramel popcorn is good for you, but at 130 calories, it's certainly better than the cookies I would otherwise stuff my face with, and it's actually fairly filling.  Plus, it tastes DELICIOUS!  Grab some the next time you pick up groceries, and let me know what you think.

What we're doing today...

Enjoying the Weather!

Texas has been absolutely miserable this summer, but it looks like God is finally rewarding us for our patience and perseverance with some gorgeous weather!  Micah and Lilly played ball this morning, and Lilly got a quick drink from the water hose.

Working on the Master Bathroom
I've been slowly but surely getting the master bedroom together.  It's not totally finished, but I can give y'all a sneak peek.

This is Micah's side.  I found the "His" sign at Hobby Lobby, but it was black so I painted it brown with a textured, antique bronze spray paint so it would match the fixtures and faucets.  The picture frame was originally brown, but I gave it a good coat of Heirloom White Rustoleum spray paint yesterday, and it looks clean and classic!

The hurricane vase came from the Pottery Barn outlet, and I filled it with a pillar candle and some wine corks that my sweet Aunt Gem and Uncle Larry gave us.  We've got many more corks to play with, so I'm trying to figure out what else to do with them - I've got a few ideas up my sleeve. :)

I'm still working on my side, as well as the ledge above the bathtub, but it should be done soon.  More pictures to come!

Things worth sharing...

1. Micah and I are old and boring.  We have absolutely NO plans for tomorrow, and we're kind of happy about it.  

2.  I saw The Help yesterday with my mom, and it was so incredibly amazing.  The Civil Rights Movement is sort of near and dear to my heart, and the movie (and book, for that matter) is just so moving and compelling.  To think that separate but equal was reality less than sixty years ago is haunting.  If you haven't seen it yet, you really should.  You'll love it.

3.  I found out this week (from a partner at work, no less) that I've been driving my car in fourth gear instead of overdrive for the last year.  Apparently the gear labeled "4" to the left of "D" is actually a separate gear and not just a way to "lock" Drive in.  

4.  The garlic parmesan boneless buffalo wings at Buffalo Wild Wings are to die for.

5.  Brushing a bright green latex paint onto a wooden candlestick, even after priming, does not work well.  After creating man, I think God meant to say "And let there also be spray paint." 

6.  Apparently, if you hope and pray long enough, you will eventually stumble upon that bright green, foot-long calculator you've always wanted while checking out at Hobby Lobby.  You should know, however, that your husband might look at you like you're crazy when you buy it and bring it home.

7.  I hope this doesn't offend anyone (and I promise I don't judge you if you say it), but the use of the term "nom nom" to describe good-tasting food really freaks me out for some reason.  I certainly don't mind "yum," and I can even tolerate "num num," but "nom" just makes me think of people smacking their food, and I get the heebie jeebies.  But, then again, my use of the term "heebie jeebies" may really freak you out.  To each his own, I guess.

8.  We used the Power Juicer last night, and I must admit -- that freshly-made orange juice was outta this world.  The moral of this story? Micah's always right. :)

Living room furniture update...

We've been tossing and turning about the "hard" furniture for the living room for awhile now.  The problem is that we have a lot of different colors and elements going on in that space. 

We've got the brown, chestnut-y colored floors, the tan walls, and the white trim:

We've got the brown leather couch, loveseat, chair, and ottoman:

(Please pardon those heinous pillows... I don't have a picture of the furniture in the room, so I have to use the stock picture from Ashley's website).

And we've got the creamy white cabinets in the kitchen, which is totally open to the living room:

So we didn't want to try and get dark brown wood furniture because I thought so much brown was just a little too much in that room.  And when you cut out dark brown, your furniture options are severely limited. 

But then I found this beauty.  One guess as to where it's from. :)

This is Pottery Barn's Andover Media Console in Weathered White.  I've been eyeing this piece for awhile because the creamy white echoes the cabinets in the living room, but it also has the chestnut-y brown top, which compliments the floors and leather furniture.  Plus it's "weathered," which is the reason people love Pottery Barn - their stuff looks like the kind of stuff that would be passed down from generation to generation. 

Anyway, we saw this piece at the San Marcos outlet a few weeks back, marked down 35%, and we would have bought it, but we just didn't have ANY more room in the truck.  And I'm so glad we didn't, because it's now marked down 50% - which pretty much never happens at Pottery Barn!  So I ordered one today, and we can now cross "media stand" off our list for the living room - praise the Lord!

The next items we've got to conquer are the coffee and side tables.  I've got some ideas, and I'll share them soon!

My favorite blogs...

I'm linking up to Kelly's Korner again today to share some of my favorite blogs. 

I recently posted about my favorite design blogs, so I won't repeat those here.

But as for the other blogs that serve to inspire, encourage, distract me (in a good way!), and fill my Google Reader with wonderful stories, recipes, and ideas, they're listed below.  In true lawyer fashion, I had to organize them. :)  They're separated into groups according to whether or not I know the blogger, and a brief description of why I love each one follows the title (as if you couldn't glean this by looking... I'm so silly). 

Bloggers I Know and Love 

Lauren Ammerman Photography - She's an amazing photographer, and she's also my BFF.

The Link Home - Katy shares yummy recipes, fun pictures, and her adventures as a new mommy.  

Hands on a Miracle - This girl is wonderful and beautiful, and she shares so honestly.

The McMullin Family - I heart Sarah, and her kids are the cutest. 

Josh and Hope - Hope's getting married (yay!) and is chronicling the wedding journey.

From House to Home - Although technically a design blog I already shared, this blogger is also a friend, so I'm listing her here, too. :)

Abounding Luxe - Perfect for drooling over beautiful clothes and design and yummy, healthy food.

Beaumont Legal - Musings from a city girl living life as a new lawyer in a small town.

Keeping up with the Kellehers - Laura always shares great recipes and new mommy stories. 

Bloggers I Admire from Afar (in a totally non-creepy way)

Kelly's Korner - You already know why I love Kelly, or else you wouldn't be here. :)

The Pioneer Woman - Who doesn't love PW?  I totally wish we were friends in real life.

Love from Texas - Jessica has a fantastically well-rounded blog, and I always enjoy her posts.

MckMama - She's honest and real, and she has the cutest kids ever.

3 Kids, a Minivan, and a Mortgage - Kate's daughter is battling cancer, and I am utterly inspired by her strength.

Angie Smith - Angie's story is heartbreaking, yet she has remained a shining light for the Lord through it all.

Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour - Y-U-M-M-Y recipes with step-by-step instructions.

Kellie Rasberry's Blog - She's sassy and outspoken, and all of Dallas loves her just as much as I do.

Sit a Spell - Heather and Aaron and their kids are missionaries in Haiti, and Heather's stories are beautiful and inspiring (and really, really funny and honest, particularly given that she's a pastor's wife).

The Journey - Katie is a missionary in Africa, and I cry every time I read her beautiful words. 

That's it, I think!  Hopefully I didn't miss anyone, but feel free to link up your blog in the comments so I can come check it out!

Once upon a time...

... there was a mean, mean girl who told her sweet fiance that he couldn't put a Jack LaLanne Power Juicer on their wedding registry because paying $100 for a juicer is utterly ridiculous.

The fiance was sad, but he forgave the girl and married her anyway. (He's wonderful like that.)

One day, after many, many years had passed (two and a half, to be exact), a package arrived on their front porch.  The fiance (now husband) opened the box and exclaimed in surprise at its contents!

Unbeknownst to the husband, the girl had ordered the Power Juicer on Amazon (with free two-day shipping!) because the guilt over her selfishness had finally gotten to her. 

From that day forward, the husband enjoyed all the freshly-juiced fruits and vegetables his heart desired (at least until the overpriced plastic contraption decides to give out), and they lived happily ever after.