Reminiscing

I am up at 11:45. JB is sound asleep beside me and everything is so quiet.  Maybe if I get some thoughts written down and out of my head, I can fall asleep :).

I have been in a nostalgic mood all day today. This morning at 8:30, I decided to put on my wedding gown, lace bolero, and veil. Just to relive that beautiful outfit. I haven't put any of these things on since our wedding day, a year and a half ago. I don't know why I waited until now. But it was wonderful. I think I love my dress even more now than I did on our wedding day. I would love to have pictures made in it again.. Is that crazy? (I never had bridals- so maybe it's justifiable??).  Anyway, tonight I have been looking through all wedding pictures on my laptop. Well, it started out as wedding pictures, but I have gradually made my way to every single picture I have saved on my computer! My goodness, what a journey the last few years have been! The Lord has truly been gracious to me. I have had the best experiences I could have ever dreamed. Some people have passed in and out of my life, making lasting impacts. Other's I am blessed to see quite frequently.  I wish I had more pictures to capture more moments I know existed. Those will have to be pondered and secretly stashed away forever in my memory. So here are some pictures I have pulled. I know there are alot.  But I want to thank each and every person in these pictures (and LOTS who are not pictured) who shared these different occasions with me. Some of these pictures are my very favorite memories!

Me and my summer sisters- Birmingham AL

Lindsey and I enjoying halloween (and cookies of course) with our boyfriends

The morning after our wedding

The night my sis, B, was crowned Lady in Waiting

Sweet E.E. with me in a hardware store, getting supplies for an infamous project

Our best "couple friends"! :)

Thankful for the chance to get to know this wonderful lady of the Lord! 

UM intramurals

Some of my favorite boys

The day JB proposed

Dinner and game night at my house

UM formal

A great memory from an epic road trip to PA! 

Roughin' it (camping) with my favorite friend, L. 

This was during the week of my 21st bday. Spending a summer night on the porch.

Sushi! 

Date night at La Pizzeria with my love

Me and my beautiful sissy

These girls were so influential! Blessed to have had them as bridesmaids!

Honeymoonin' in Gatlinburg

Graduation day! 

JB and I graduated on the same day! From 2 different universities. 

Engagement session with a fabulous photographer, Neal. 

When we first saw each other on our wedding day.  What a sweet moment.

At the alter. 

I love this man!!! 

Our first dance- "Easy to Love"

JB in the hospital for knee surgery

Dorm life! 

Vandalism? Na.. just a little prank! 

Such a fun night with "my boys"

Sweet Michelle! Met at SDEA 

Mud fight at youth camp! One of many many youth camp memories.

I guess one of the great things about memories is that you will always have them. And you can always make more. I pray the next 4 years are as happy as the last 4. Thank you, God, for the blessings (people!) you have placed in my life!! 

New Recipe!

I have a new recipe (pinterest recipe- thanks to me! ha!)  to share! I tried it out on my sweet Bible study girls and it was voted a winner!

Blueberry Banana Bread! YUM!
I did add a little cinnamon to mine though. And pecans would
have been good too, had I thought of that! There's always
next time! :)

Other than that, I haven't completed any projects today. I have been so wrapped up in my new sewing skills! Well, I can't really call it an official "skill" yet, but I do know how to thread the machine and reload a bobbin! And I can make straight and zigzag stitches! I know it's not very impressive, but I'll get there! Today I practiced stitching on scrap fabric and practicing the other things we learned at last night's class. It was so much fun! Too bad the classes are $50 per class :/. Looks like I'll have to learn via pinterest! :)

Sewing Class Anticipation!

I am so excited today! I have my first sewing class scheduled for tonight! I know how to sew (just basics) on my mom's Singer, but I have inherited a Bernina and don't even know how to thread the needle! I'm super pumped though about learning about my machine tonight and get to work on some projects!

Despite my excitement, however, I did get a couple of things done today! I painted my front door- something that I have been meaning to do since we moved in :/ . Earlier this year we painted the shutters and trim on the porch, but the door seemed more daunting, so I procrastinated. But enough is enough and I accomplished it this morning! Take a look! I think it looks sharp!

I sanded the door with a rough grade sandpaper, then sanded it again with a finer grade. With a damp cloth, I wiped it all down to remove all the excess debris. I taped it off with 3M blue painters tape, then painted 2 coats! Time consuming, but not hard at all! 

A few weeks ago I found this awesome vanity chair for my bathroom for $15. But it had this not so pretty fabric- fuzzy leopard print.. You can see it peeking through in this picture (I forgot to take a before picture). 

Cute huh... 

Here are the tools I used! 

The seat cushion was very soft though and plush, so I didn't have to add foam or batting! I unscrewed the seat off the base- 

I turned the seat right side down on the wrong side of the fabric and stapled the taut fabric on each side once to make sure secure it's position. When I finished the rest of the stapling, I focused on the corners. 

Here's the unfinished corner. 

I thought of it like I was wrapping a present. (I stapled these corners just like my bench in last week's blog post).  

Step 1: I tucked in the edge, and folded it
forward, securing with a staple.

Step 2: I folded the edge of the left
side and pulled it over, then stapled.

Step 3: I repeated step #2 on the right side. Here's the finished corner.
 If it is too bulky, you can always trip away
some fabric and fold/staple again.

I forgot about the screw holes... so I had to make some
ugly cuts in the fabric so I could screw it into the base. 

This is the finished back with the screws in place. 

I attached the cushion back onto the base and here's how it turned out! I love it! 

Burlap, Burlap, Burlap

I have an obsession with burlap. I'm really not sure why- it's not soft and cuddly or easy to work with, but it adds so much character to the room! Today I played around with a few burlap ideas :)

I puddled it on my kitchen table with this great apothecary I bought at TJ Max for only $10. I feel like I'm eating dinner in my beach house! (my pretend beach house, that is).

I tried another pinterest project as well! I loved these cute Mr. and Mrs. burlap pillows :). I think they turned out pretty cute! And cheap! - I used a free coffee sack from a local coffee house, acrylic paint for $1, cotton stuffing for $4, and black yarn for $3. Here are mine: 

I free handed my letters and hand-stitched the yard the seal the edges. Here is the one from pinterest:

If you want to see the tutorial for the pinterest pillows, here is the link! 

http://sethandkait.blogspot.com/2011/01/ballard-designs-knock-off.html