What up, yo'?

(Can I pull that off?  I'm pretty sure I cannot, but I like to give it a go every once in awhile, just to make sure... :))

I'm in Atlanta for what ended up being one of the most pleasant depositions I've taken.  Nice witness, nice guy on the other side, no ridiculous technical difficulties.  Love.  (Although I had so much work to finish up last night that I got a grand total of three hours of sleep... do not love.)

Right now, I'm hanging out in a Starbucks, waiting until I can scrounge up some lunch and head to the airport. 

When I leave here, I'm flying to meet Micah in Austin this afternoon, and we're going to drive to San Marcos and stay there for the night (we may or may not have picked San Marcos because it's where a certain outlet is located.  I may have a problem, y'all.).  Then we'll get up in the morning and finish out the drive to South Padre to meet up with my family! 

I'm seriously so, so in need of a vacation.  I feel like it has just been non-stop since I headed to London at the beginning of May, and this girl is ready to sit and do NOTHING for a few days! :) 

So I'll try to check in, but I can't make any promises.  My butt's likely to be permanently attached to a beach chair from the moment we check in to the moment we leave. :)  But I will be Instagraming (@MrsHargrave) and Tweeting (@Mrs_Hargrave) it up, so feel free to come say hey. :)  Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

It was so easy to figure out what I'm most thankful for this week. 

{I'm thankful} that I'll be headed here tomorrow afternoon for five whole days of work-free bliss!

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See you soon, South Padre Island! :)

What are you guys thankful for this week?



Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

Game room fun...

I swear I'm alive, you guys.  I've just been swamped at work, plus we've been trying to get ready to go out of town on Saturday (whoo hoo!).  I also apparently thought it was a good idea to try and finish decorating our game room right now, so, although that's been fun, it's just made for a crazy last few days. :)

Wanna see the couch we picked out for the game room? 

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We toyed with the idea of theater seating, and we struggled because our pool table is black with red felt, so we couldn't use our traditional brown/cream/green color scheme.

But black theater seating really just wouldn't fit it with the rest of the house, so I thought a nice neutral would be more consistent and would still go with the black (and eventually, we'll replace the red felt with tan to match). And I'm LOVING that we have enough room for a sectional - we've been wanting one, and there's just not enough space in our living room.

The best part is that we found this couch on Craigslist for less than 1/2 price!  To say that I'm thrilled would be an understatement.  We went to check it out last night (and really loved the couple we're buying it from - if they weren't moving back to Boston, I'm pretty sure we'd be legit friends), and we're picking it up when we get back from vacation next week.

So now we've just got to (1) get some can lights installed [it's so dark up there!], (2) get a new TV and hang it, (3) find some sort of media cabinet for under the TV, and (4) figure out a "theme" and make the space pretty. 

Oh wow.  Now that I say it like that, it's pretty apparent that we haven't made much of a dent yet (although our checking account begs to differ).  But it's another adventure I'm excited about.  I'm not quite sure what I'm going to do with myself once we finally get this house decorated! :)

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Six...

Although this week is technically the halfway point for the year (holy cow!), I'm going to save my celebration for next Sunday, when we'll have actually MEMORIZED half a year's worth of scripture. :)

So let's get to this week's verse, shall we?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23.

I'm so excited about this one. :)  Happy memorizing!

99...

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I've done roughly one-third of these.  Apparently I have a whole heck of a lot more life to live... :)

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I say teaching myself to apply rainbow eyeshadow counts!)
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Take a sick day when you're not ill (shh... don't tell! :))
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied (this is true for most Americans, even if we don't realize it)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke (oh, geez, did I ever...)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant (I REALLY want to do this!)
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance (I sat in one when I totaled my car, but it didn't go anywhere)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (went snorkeling in St. Thomas)
52. Kissed in the rain (seriously... best thing ever)
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (when I was little, I started a lemonade stand and sold friendship bracelets/painted rocks door-to-door... we may or may not have also sold "autographed" baseball cards...)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets, or plasma
65. Gone sky diving (I've always wanted to, but with my luck, my parachute would break)
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (how have I never done this?!)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial (I didn't have enough time to see it when I went to D.C. last month)
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades (I say my plane ride over the Everglades totally counts!)
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (can you believe that I missed this when I went to London?!)
77. Broken a bone (knock on wood...)
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (ha - does my 3rd grade novel, The Three Other Boys count?  I may have been slightly boy-crazy as a child)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (never have and likely never will...)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the paper (see 57 above.  Our lemonade stand made The Wylie News.)
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year's Eve
86. Visited the White House (I've seen it through the gates....)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury (I would kill to be on a jury!)
91. Met someone famous (never ever.  lame.)
92. Joined a book club
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit (ha! every day. :))
98. Owned a cell phone (is this list from 1999?)
99. Been stung by a bee

Show Us Your Life: Our Dining Room

I had good intentions of getting this room totally finished before this week's Show Us Your Life link-up, but I didn't quite make it.  Oh well... it's pretty close, anyway... :)

Here's our dining room, y'all!  (Don't mind those naked windows.  I actually already bought the curtains [a creamy white linen] and the rod [antiqued bronze] but haven't had the chance to hang them yet.  So use your imagination. :))

Raise your hand if you can guess where our dining room table and chairs came from.  (I told you guys I had a slight obsession with Pottery Barn... if you're curious, the dining room table is here, and the chairs are here.)  But, in my defense, I didn't pay full price for either the table or chairs.  We scored the table at the PB Outlet in San Marcos, TX (or, as I like to call it, heaven) and had a coupon for the chairs.

I found this buffet from a local, family owned furniture refinishing shop, and I'm pretty crazy about it.  It has great lines, and the paint job and distressing was impeccable. 

There's a little too much white on this wall, but I'm pretty okay with it.  I think the pictures of our cute niece and nephew make up for it. :) (Oversized gallery frames from here.)

See that empty nook over there behind the dining table?

This was my great-grandmother's piano, and I love it so much because I learned to play on it, and it definitely has sentimental value.  However it's clearly a little beat up, and I've been toying with the idea of painting it for awhile now but haven't been able to commit to a color.  As I'm not quite sure what's going to become of the piano, I've had a hard time figuring out what to hang above it.  The obvious choice would probably be a mirror, but I think I want to do something a little more personal/quirky.  I feel like Pinterest probably holds the answer, but I haven't stumbled across the perfect thing yet.  (Although that's definitely not for lack of trying...)

Here's the staircase nook that I think is technically part of the dining room (although I also showed it during the tour of our living room).  And if that chair looks familiar, it's because, up until a week or so ago, I had it in our master bedroom.  We brought it into the living room the other night to see what size chair we needed to try and buy to go next to the bookcase, and ended up really liking it there.  I'm not sure if this will end up being the chair's permanent home, but I'm enjoying it here for now. :)



I told you guys about my "grace" wall hanging here, and I'm still loving it.

Last, but not least, here's a closer look at our tablescape (if you can even call it that, it's so simple).

These cloches are super simple, but I didn't want to overwhelm the beauty of the table, itself, with too much stuff. 

And that's our dining room.  I've had a lot of fun with this room, and I'll be excited when I can finally declare it DONE! :)

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)

For some reason, I spent most of the day yesterday thinking it was Thursday.  Biggest bummer ever when I finally realized that it wasn't.

But I do have a lot to be thankful for this week, so let's get to it, shall we?

{I'm thankful} that Micah asked me to pick up his Bible study book at Lifeway Christian on Monday.  Because if he hadn't, I wouldn't have seen this book on tape for sale.

 I'd been thinking about trying to find a way to make my commute into a time of worship, and I'd heard good things about this book.  So far, I'm really loving it.  It's such a great reminder of just how big God is and how the fact that He could love us, even in our insignificance, is crazy.

{I'm thankful} that I didn't automatically delete yesterday's Groupon email like I usually do. Because if I had, I wouldn't be spending Saturday afternoon having a SPA DAY!

I've never, ever splurged on more than a massage or a pedicure (and never both in the same day). But a Dallas salon was offering a 60-minute massage, facial, manicure, pedicure, full body polish, and a makeup touchup for a super-reasonable price, and I just couldn't resist. (If you live in the Dallas area, I think you've still got one more day to get in on the deal, so pick an occasion (or make one up!) and get yo' pamper on.)

{I'm thankful} that, for the first time in awhile, I'm seriously contemplating going for a run tonight.

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{I'm thankful} that my husband had dinner ready when I got home last night.  He actually does this a lot (particularly when I'm working late), and it's the sweetest thing.

{I'm thankful} that we're hosting game night for our Sunday School class in August because that might actually light a fire under my lazy butt to finish more things around the house.  And you know what that means?  More decorating/design posts for y'all! (I'm sure you're all overjoyed... ;))

{I'm thankful} that my niece is the cutest child on the planet.

I mean, really...

Alright, y'all.  What are you guys thankful for this week?

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

What I'm Loving Wednesday...

I warned you guys that today's post would be shallow. :) I'm linking up with Jamie and The Vintage Apple to tell y'all what's making my skirt fly up these days.  Which may or may not just be a whole lot of Pinterest (you can check me out here)...

{I'm loving} these scrumptious-looking recipes...

Chicken and Avocado Salad with Lime and Cilantro via 

Bacon and Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms via

Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn via

Banana Bread Bars with Brown Butter Frosting via

Garlic Pesto Chicken with Tomato Cream Penne via

{I'm loving} these looks...

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{I'm also loving} these other things (which apparently don't fit into any precise, neat category)...

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So that's what I'm loving lately... what's making you guys happy today?

Shallow thoughts...

Because I promised you guys pictures of my hair but was having a ponytail day yesterday and didn't get a good picture, I had an impromptu photo shoot in the bathroom at work this morning.

Clearly not the best light, but you get the idea. It's an all over reddish brown with darker lowlights and just a few "peekaboo" highlights.  I feel like I'm almost a redhead (auburnhead?), which is pretty much perfect.  I'm not convinced that I'm sassy enough to pull off full-blown red. ;)

I'm also not convinced that I'm sassy enough to pull off these shoes...

I swore I'd never wear booties, so these are a bit of a stretch for me (they zip up the back, so they're definitely bootie-ish) (and BTdubs, it's so awkward posing for these stupid pictures.  I must have taken a million before I gave up and accepted the fact that I'm going to look ridiculous no matter what I do.  I'm apparently not meant to master the art of the self-portrait.).  But they do spice up this simple black wrap dress, so I went with them anyway.

(Some days I get deep and contemplative on this blog.  Today is clearly not one of those days.  And tomorrow probably won't be either.  Be forewarned... :))

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Five... and some

Raise your hand if you had a fabulous weekend!

We definitely did.  Among other things...

... I got my hair done.  I L-O-V-E it.  I'll post pictures soon!

... Micah went fishing and caught some delicious crappie, which we pan fried and enjoyed for dinner that same night. Yum!  (And I tried a new recipe, of which I took step-by-step pictures like a good blogger, but it was a total flop, so I figured I'd spare you guys... :))

... We celebrated Fathers Day with our dads.  We kept it super low key - lunch at Micah's parents' and dinner at my dad's. 

(Micah with his brother, nephew, and dad... such good, sweet men!)

... I went shopping and found two new swimsuits at Marshalls (where I was able to get TWO swimsuits for the same price as I paid for one at Target.  Have I mentioned how much I love Marshalls?).

... I laid out by the neighborhood pool (for only the second time in a year) and got the teensiest hint of a tan.  Although I'm still practically translucent...

So that's what we were up to this weekend... :)

And before I forget, here's this week's memory verse:

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7.

Make it a great week, loves!

Show Us Your Life: Our Master Bedroom...

So, I'm linking up with Kelly again to share pictures of our master bedroom. Although my computer's an absolute mess, I managed to dig up these pictures. :)  They're not the best quality, but they'll have to do. :)

We picked out this canopy bed from Ashley Furniture, and we really, really love it.  (We also bought the armoir, which I couldn't find any pictures of.)

The duvet cover is from Pottery Barn, and, although it's hard to tell from this picture, the colors are really light and bright blues and greens.

I found this chair (also from Pottery Barn) on Craigslist for a steal, and I love the airy, beachy feel it gives the room.

Here's my book cover post card gallery wall, which I think provides a fun pop of color to the room.

More blues and greens. :)

And that's about it!  We still need new bedside tables (not pictured because they're atrocious), as well as a little more artwork for the walls.  But overall, I love how this room has turned out so far. :)

(You can also check out our living room and kitchen!)

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)

Who else is happy it's Thursday?! :)

{I'm thankful} that today's a Diet Coke day.  (If you didn't know, I have a slight fondness straight-up obsession with Diet Coke, and they're free at work, so I have to limit myself to two per week.  As you can imagine, I really love Tuesdays and Thursdays.)

{I'm thankful} that my sweet husband didn't kill me when I told him how much shopping I've done lately.  Sometimes a girl just needs a little retail therapy!  So I may have purchased this...

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... and this.

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... and this.

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... and a whole heck of a lot of Bath and Body Works (hey, it's all on sale right now!  I got five bottles of shower gel, five Wallflower refills, and four bottles of hand soap for less than $50!).

... and, well, you get my point. :)

{I'm thankful} that I remembered to pre-order the last season of Entourage.  Is it weird that I enjoy that show more than Micah does?

{I'm thankful} that I'll be headed to the beach with my family in about two weeks.  I seriously need a vacation, even a short one.  We're all headed to South Padre island in south Texas.  It's sort of a tradition with my Dad's side of the family, and we always have so much fun when we go.  I'm not super excited about getting into a swimsuit, but hey... more motivation, right? :)

{I'm thankful} that Micah's best friend finally proposed to his long-time girlfriend.  She said YES! :)

And last, but not least, {I'm thankful} for this guy.

... because he makes my world go 'round. :)

Alright, y'all - what are you thankful for this week?  Link up!

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

My Music Wednesday...

At work, I've almost always got Pandora up on my "Parachute" station.  They're my fave, and their happy, mid-tempo kind of music keeps me in an upbeat mood throughout the day.

This week's song pops up from time to time, and I find myself smiling and doing a little hipster-ish, Night at the Roxbury head bob (discretely, of course) every time it comes on.  Give it until at least the end of the chorus (around 1:00) before you call me crazy. :)

Enjoy Blame It on the Rain by He Is We. :)

Blog Star...

All the cool kids are doing it ...

... so here's the speed-dating version of my little corner of the internet. :)

I'm Ryan.  Nice to "meet" you!

I'm a Texas girl, born and raised.  I'm married to my high school sweetheart (who just so happens to be the most handsome and wonderful man on the planet), and we've got a cute little demon-puppy dog named Lilly that we adopted from a rescue a couple of years ago.  I'm a twenty-something lawyer (wait - don't stop reading!), but I'm a little more Legally Blonde than Law and Order.

I love Diet Coke, all things green, my Savior, cooking/baking, Pottery Barn, Harry Potter, Mexican food, reading, reality television, and making new blog friends.

I write about anything and everything - my decorating adventures, weight-loss journey, recipes, my hunk of a husband and our sweet life together.  I host a link-up every Thursday called Thankful Thursdays, and you are officially invited to join in on the fun!

But enough about me... tell me all about YOU! :)

Friends, weddings, and frisbee... oh my!

Here's what we've had going on for the last few days...

... I had a blasty blast at girls' night.  I hadn't seen some of these girls in years, and it was great to catch up. 

... we went to a GORGEOUS wedding of a lovely couple!  Congratulations, Ashley and Justin!

(This little princess is my best friend's sweet little girl, Emerson.  Is she not the CUTEST thing?  She was such an adorable flower girl, waving to everyone as she walked down the aisle.)

... things got silly.  Real silly.

... we had a traffic jam in Sunnyvale.  Someone alert the media.

... Micah picked up my new treadmill (for which we paid a whopping $250 - yay!).  Now if we could just get it up all those darned stairs...

... we played frisbee with our crazy puppy.

(My puppy voice is so obnoxious, I know.  I can't help myself.)

... I did my first video blog (vlog?).  I am so incredibly awkward, but I'm totally going to post it so you guys can all see how crazy I am.  But... my home computer did a stupid security update and now won't connect to the internet. So I've got to remove the security software, but that requires internet access.  (Well done, McAfee.)  It's a vicious cycle, y'all.  But I'm hoping to get that fixed today, so, fingers crossed, I should get the video up in the next couple of days.

... I looked over and noticed that I now have over 100 followers.  How in the heck...?!  This deserves a post of its own and a fun giveaway to celebrate!  Just know that I adore you, friends, and I love getting to be my silly, crazy, awkward self here.

Hope you guys have a fabulous Tuesday! :)

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Four

Whoosie daisies!

I forgot to get this week's verse up last night.  (If you're a new follower, check out all the details for Project Scripture here.  Basically, I'm memorizing 52 verses in 2012, and even though we're almost halfway there [holy cow!], you're still more than welcome to join in on the fun!).

Better late than never...

(please pardon my chicken scratch!)

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."


This week's verse is such a powerful one for me, and I'm truly looking forward to meditating on it all week. 

Hope you guys had a fabulous weekend!  I'll have a weekend post up sometime soon! :)