What have i been doing??

I feel like every time i sit down to blog, i need to make apologies for not blogging for oh... the whole month before. So instead of making all these apologies i will just share with my readers (what is left of them) what i have been doing that has left me with no time to blog.

Working on the house-

If you know us, you know that this is pretty much all matt and i do together. We feel like we are starting to get somewhere and i am actually starting to be able to decorate some of the rooms. (the last year as been spent just getting the rooms to a place to start decorating.) Matt is now back in the full swing of grad school so that has left me doing all the things i can actually do. Things i can do- paint, hang pictures, decorate, move furniture around (sometimes). Things Matt does- build stuff & fix stuff. One of the most amazing things Matt built this summer was our beautiful new white mantle. I love it! and i have had so much fun changing it up... sometimes weekly. (Right Kelly?) I have recently been inspired by fall and the beautiful weather that has come with it, and so i thought i would add a little fall vibe to our mostly cool/summer looking living room.

What do you think??

Buying and selling on my beloved Craigslist-

That's right, i have become OBSESSED with craigslist. This all started when i set up my iGoogle and added a craigslist furtinture box. I'm pretty sure i browse craigslist daily if not more. And now you are wondering why i never have time to blog.... Let's continue. We have bought a number of furniture items for our house on criagslist and have actually made a few sales as well. Our current items up for grabs are a Chest Freezer and our dryer (we got a new one for free! woo-hoo).

Let me know if you are interested in either of these 2 beauties. And yes, that IS a peice of our old flooring as the dryer top. It has rust on it and i think it adds character!

Shooting (pictures not people)

Again, if you know me you know a do a bit of photography on the side. I have always wanted to get serious about it but ultimately didn't think i could do it. Well folks- the tides have turned and i am going for it! I have gotten to know some seriously inspiring photographers (primarily these and these). And so i have been shooting ALLL summer to prepare to launch my business this fall. I bet you are wondering where all the people and images are.... I have been keeping them under-wraps until my website is completed and we are getting close. I am still a bit nervous but very excited!

Here are a couple of images to get you excited about the launch of my new site!

Our Newest Family Member...

Meet Palmer Tucker

We tried to think of a middle name but we decided he didn't have to have one. We got the name Palmer from- you have probably already guessed- The Palmer Building, where we got married. We wanted his name to be something that was meaningful to us in our early years as a couple. We thought about Mayer (John Mayer was the first concert we went to) or Chicago (where we were stuck on the airport of 2 days) and some various other names, but when Palmer came to mind it seemed to just fit him.

People have been asking if we were planning to get a dog and although we have talked about it before, we kinda did it on a whim. We came across a breeder who mainly bread (i don't know if this is the proper use of this word) small-dog hybrids. This seemed perfect for us since i wanted the typical small, cute an curly dog and Matt wanted something not so girly. He had his heart set on a beagle for the longest time so when we saw this little guy- a Poogle- Beagle and Poodle mix, it was love at first sight! We pick him up 2 days after we found him with no dog food, bed or anything else... Needless to say we made a pit-stop at Pet Smart on the way home!

(don't mind our kitchen in this image, it was under construction)

Do we regret the decision? Not in the least. Palmer has been the best addition to our little family and we are so glad we are getting accustomed to him before we decide to have kids. He really has been the best dog ever, sleeping through the night on night 3 and since, hasn't had an accident in the house in a week and he already listens to us so well. He was VERY timid when we got him but he has already grown out of that a ton. It is so fun to watch him run around and chase his tail and do all things puppies like to do (except chew). Plus, he is the best cuddler ever:)

Ooooklahoma!

You know when you get so behind on blogging that it is hard to just break down and blog something? Anything? That's where I'm at. So i thought my trip to Oklahoma would be as good a start as any:)

I had been to Oklahoma once before and the thing that stood out to me was the really flat and strait roads. I love going to other states and noticing the differences from North Carolina, where I grew up and still live. I know we are all in the same country, but if we were in Europe I would have been plenty of countries over so there must be some differences, right? This time I noticed- the wind, the open plains, Taco Bueno, Sarah. And Leah.- the reason for my visit.

Leah lives in a SMALL town. The kind where most everyone know each other, there are miles and miles between houses and many farms and horse pastures to be found, (even though Leah has never ridden a horse, which was shocking to me seeing that she is Native American AND lives right beside a horse farm). Here are just a few images from her property- it was gorgeous!

Sarah lives in Arkansas and came to spend the day with us in Tulsa one of the days i was there. I was SUCH and great time for catch up and great conversation. I love these girls:)

The majority of the time i was there, i had the song "Oooklahoma, where the wind goes sweeping down the plains" in my head. And amazingly, most that time, the wind WAS actually sweeping down the plains! It was so cool to expereince how different the wind feels when there are not tons of trees around. I also happened to be there on the 4th of July and it was incredible to watch the fireworks in those open country skies. Not to mention, Oklahoma does not have any fireworks laws like NC does, and so everyone was selling them on the side of the road, and shooting them off from their backyard.... crazy!

Finally, for years now i have heard all Oklahomans (and some Texans) say that the infamous Taco Beuno was SO. MUCH. BETTER. than Taco Bell. I never believed it. So i decided to try the "oh-so-wonderful" Taco Bueno as a non-biased North Carolinian. I LOVED IT!! I think it is going to be one of those places i constantly crave b/c there is no way to get there. Like some foods from Lebanon. But lots closer:)

2nd post of July

I can't believe i have only blogged once this month! I was out of town for 11 days and we are currently remodeling our kitchen so i guess those are my excuses. So have been taking pics along the way of that project so you have that to look forward too. As well as my trip to Oklahoma, Nashville, Charleston (if you haven't already heard my sister got engaged there!). And some upcoming news:)

But for now... Here are a couple of pics from our friend's Chuck and Ashley's surprise going away party at the Kellers! Just us girls goofing off and me playing with photoshop a little.

Our Wedding in Print!

A couple of months ago, Cheyenne contacted me to let me know that our wedding has been featured on the Weddings Unveiled Blog. I was so excited to hear about this and as you probably read all about it that post. Well, what I didn't share was that our wedding was also picked for the summer issue for the Wedding Unveiled Magazine! I was so excited but had to keep it hush hush until the issue came out... not to easy for me! (i did tell a few people:/) But yesterday when i got home, Matt had the magazine opened to our page sitting on the coffee table. I was so neat to do the interview with the writer, and then see our wedding in print. I am so happy i have this and will be able to show our family for years to come!

The article is also online so click here to read it.

I am headed our to Oklahoma in just a few hours so i may be absent from the blog for a bit. I will blog if I can though. Lots of exciting things coming up!

Proof of Life

Potty training....

for an explanation of this series, go here.

distressed bench

I have been so busy lately with so many things, one of which is still working on getting our house together. Constant transition right?? Starting next week the first step of our kitchen remodel will start and i can't wait to share when it is all said and done!

Until then, here is some before and after of an old bench i re-did. We found this in the attic when Matt's grandparents moved and it has been in our carport forever waiting for it's turn. I also found the fabric i used to re-cover the seat, in the midst of some of Matt's great grandmother's quilting scraps. I am so happy i did b/c it is beautiful and really brings out the antique style of the bench!

before-

Left- after I took the old fabric and batting off. Right- the new fabric that belonged to Matt's great grandmother.

After being painted

The final product! The right is a close up of the distressed look i did and the fabric. I actually love how it turned out:)

the BEST idea for a wedding dvd!

Brian & Eileen's Wedding Music Video. from LOCKDOWN projects on Vimeo.

Wedding Recap Part II- The Details

One of the things that was important to me concerning the wedding were the details involved. After looking at wedding blog after blog, i knew that the details were really what defined the style of the occasion. So in thinking about the details, i knew i wanted to rustic/vintage look but more than anything I wanted everything to mean something to Matt and I. From the center pieces to the guest sign in and everything in between:) Here are some of the details we used and what they meant to us...

- The Mason Jars on the tables belonged to my Papaw who has gardened and canned vegetables all his life.

- The Buttons inside the Jars belongs to Matt's grandmother and was one of her many collections.

- The Broach I wore in my hair belonged to my grandmother and she asked my sister and I to wear it in our weddings somehow. I was happy to!

- We spray painted the books that the jars were sitting on a vintage gold. They were old encyclopedias that belonged to Matt's grandparents.

- The branches on half the tables went along with the verse we used as a wedding theme. Jeremiah 17:7-8 It talks about being a tree planted firmly in the Lord. Our invitations also revolved around that same tree theme.

- For the guest sign in, we painted a tree on a canvas with our verse on there as well and had each guest stamp their thumb print as leaves on the tree, and write their name above their thumb print. This to me represented the fruit that the Lord would bring through our lives if we were firmly planted in HIm, which goes back to the theme verse for the wedding.

- The necklaces and earrings the girls wore were brought in the Middle East so I was wonderful to have that represented since the M.E. owns a piece of my heart.

- The green flowers attached to the branches where hand made by my sister, Blair and I. Every last one. My sister wanted to burn them when it was all said and done.

- Of course the screen of emails brought a personal touch and explained our relationship perfectly. There was also a vintage typewritter beside the screen of emails that explaing their purpose for being there. It said-

March 19^th, 2010

Many of you may know that Matt and Angela met through Hickory Grove College Ministry. What you may not know is that Matt and Angela's love relationship really started while they were thousands of miles apart. While Angela was in the Middle East as a missionary, Matt began corresponding with her regularly through email. His constant communication, encouragement and hilarious stories soon became something that Angela and even her roommates looked forward to receiving every week. Angela encouraged Matt with her perseverance and adventures from her exciting life overseas. Soon Matt surrendered to his own desire to go overseas and spent a summer in the Philippines. This would only bring Matt and Angela closer as God began to bond their hearts for the peoples of the world. The emails continued and became longer and much more intentional. By the time Angela stepped off the plane over two years after she had last seen Matt, they both had butterflies in their stomachs. Things were different and they both knew it.

Please share in some of the earliest memories of Matt and Angela's relationship by reading a few of the emails where it all began...

- We put vintage style mini-frames at each place setting with an engagement picture in it. I loved the personal touch it added and I pray that as people look at those pictures they would pray for mine and Matt's marriage.

- The ring bearer pillow was made by my friend and bridesmaid Sarah who is incredible at making ANYTHING.

- We displayed my bridal portrait on a bench that I found at an antique junkyard and restored. I also used this bench for my portrait. A lot of sweat and a little blood went into that bench so it mean a lot of have to there and also in my portrait.

The colors we used were inspired by the fabric that belt on the bridesmaid dresses was made from. It was also used to make my sister's dress and in various other areas as you probably saw. I loved having the fabric to use in whatever way we needed and i loved the handmade touch it added. :)

If you were not at the wedding, i hope this post made you feel a little more like you were. More recaps to come!

Shades Covered in Fabric Project!

So after being the one who spent the most at Mary Jo's this past weekend (had to buy curtains for 3 rooms), i got motivated to actually get going on some of these projects i have been planning to do! My mom came over Sunday and helped me with my much anticipated shades covered in fabric project. I was a little nervous as to how this was going to turn out since i had never actually seen it done before, but it actually turned out better than i thought AND it was SO easy... I didn't take pics along the way but here is the before and after.

Before-

After-

I'm not very good at tutorials but here is the gist of what i did.

Mount vinyl (i think) shades, the cheap ones. Well actually my hubby did this:)

Choose fabric- something not too heavy.

Measure the shades. I just measured from the bottom to just above where they would pull down. No point in covering what would not be shown.

Cut the fabric according to measurements adding about 1 1/2-2 inches around the border. Place the fabric on the shade to make sure it was accurate. Trim accordingly.

Using spray adhesive on the shades, paste the bottom of the fabic to the shades. Then, work up pasting about 4-5 inches at a time and flattening making sure there are not wrinkles or bubbles.

Let the front dry for about 15 minutes.

Turn the shades over and fold over the remaining fabric and paste using the spray adhesive.

Use Goo-Gone to remove any additional adhesive.

Let it all dry about 15-30 minutes.

Hang them back up!

If you didn't understand any part of that, feel free to comment and I can answer any questions.:)

Bachelorette Party Pic!

I was able to track down and couple of pics from the Bachelorette Party to i have added them to the post I wrote about that night last month:)

Stay tuned for Wedding Recap Part II coming up this week!

Worst DJ ever= Most Hilarious Video EVER!

Pretty much everyday my husband comes home with some sort internet video he wants me to watch. He LOVES funny internet videos and although i like watching them every now and then, i can never hang as long as he wants me too. So when he came home and told me he had a video he wanted me to watch the "not again..." response was imminent. BUT, this time i was pleasantly surprised. This video was HILARIOUS and i have not stopped tell people about it since i saw it. So you HAVE to watch it. It is truly unbelievable.

See more funny videos and TBT Videos at Today's Big Thing.

Are you KIDDING ME!?!? Please let me know if you found this as funny as i did!

Living Room before & after pics:)

Hopefully today marks the last painting day in our living room! It is always such a joy when we are finally finished with the painting aspect of a room and we get to clean up and set up the room as best we can. Painting is such a process (first coat, dry, second coat, dry, tape trim, paint first coat, dry, paint second coat, dry, pull off tape, touch up), and b/t work and life sometimes it takes us weeks to completely finish. Tonight I will paint the door frames and matt will install the quarter rounds and then we are done! (with that part anyway:)

So after much request- here are a before and after pics. Just remember, it is still a work in process:)

Before- When i remembered to take the before pictures, we were in the process of getting the yard sale together last year, so don't mind the mess.

You might recognize the picture screen on the left from our wedding. The picture on the right were just some of the pictures that were originally on the wall and holes Matt filled in.

After-

We were also in the process of taking up the carpet when i took the pics.

Let me know what you think:)

Burdened

I don't want to get too crazy political here, but my heart is seriously burdened about what is going on in Gaza right now. When things are going array involving Israel is some of the hardest times for me to live in America. It truly seems that most Americans (living in America) have such a false view of the country today (not the Biblical Isreal). I don't dislike Israel, so please do not take that from this rant. I just believe they should be considered fairly like every other country in the UN and outside. They should be held accountable their part in these recent tragedies. And as far as the Palestinians are concerned- they need someone flighting for their basic human rights (i.e. food and water). We stand up for Africa, have fund raisers, give our time and money for the poverty and injustice, and yet many of the same injustices are going on among the Palestinians (primarily in Gaza). But we can't stand up for these b/c that would be considered going against Israel.

I have been thinking about this subject so much lately and it drains me. And makes me so sad.

In any case, if you have gotten this far, please read this article and familiarize yourself with what is going on in Gaza in recent days. It comes from a British Paper- so without the sway of American political bias.

Leading article: A costly misjudgement by Israel

Our wedding on the Wedding Unveiled blog!

Just recently Cheyenne told me that our wedding was featured on the Weddings Unveiled Blog. As an avid wedding blog reader, this was very exciting to me. It was also fun to read about the details from our wedding from someone else's perspective. Hop on over there and check it out!

Proof of Life

if one is smiling, the other looks crazy. always the case. always...

for an explanation of this series, click here