Anddddddddddd its over!

Does anyone else feel kinda depressed after Christmas is over like I do? We do all the crazy shopping, decorating, preparation and then its gone in a wink! I have to say though this was a pretty awesome Christmas. Besides being sick with an upper respiratory infection! YUCK.

My Christmas vacation started Friday December 20th!

After work Friday I met up with my Ma and we headed to the mall to finish up some Christmas shopping. It took us an hour to get there! The traffic was ridiculous. The mall was nuts of course. But we had a lot of fun like we always do! Saturday we did some MORE shopping... and we said were done Friday night haha. Shopaholics for sure. (I blame my Nana, she started it!)

Sunday morning I had the privilege to sing with some friends of mine that I used to sing with at my parents church. I just love when we all get together! Its like we never quit singing together.

Sorry for the poor picture quality

 Laree's church is in a movie theater! How cool is that? They don't currently have a building right now. So they rent out the theater room. Any money they receive from the congregation they use to put back into projects to reach the community. Rather than paying a large mortgage payment on a building. Check it out here.

Later Sunday afternoon Andrew & I went to my Papa & Memas for Christmas. All the family got together ate yummy food & exchanged gifts.

These are my custom made bullet earrings my cousin Sheanice gave me! How cool are they?! I see these online all the time I just haven't bought any because they are kind of expensive. So I was super surprised when she gave me these for Christmas!

Monday I was off work! High five for me! Except that I spent all day at the house waiting on the cable guy to come. Finally around 4:30 I got out of the house to take my little brother shopping. He was looking for a certain phone case that Best Buy ended up not having. BOO! But I did get a last minute gift card & grabbed a couple of other things I needed for our new place. Again.. thought I was done with the Christmas shopping, NOT!
I started coughing Monday night but I felt ok. Little did I know I would wake up Tuesday morning with a horrible fever! I went straight to the doctor, found out I had a stupid upper respiratory infection. So I was sick through out Christmas but I still got to see all my fam & do the Christmas festivities with them! I wasn't letting the sickness take over!
Anyways.. Later Monday night I cooked "Christmas Fettucini" for my parents, the hubs & my little brother at my parents house. (you will know about the Christmas Fettucini if you have seen the movie The Holiday) After dinner we exchanged gifts with my parents. I love giving my family gifts. Especially because I know my whole life my parents have worked so hard to give me everything I ever wanted for Christmas, birthdays, anything! I made my parents both an album of pictures this year. They both loved them. Of course they got a little teary eyed. Thats when you know you did good. :)

My parents tree

Here are all the goodies from my parents! My Ma did good as usual. These were all things on my list! :) I definitely needed those plates. I have broke 3 of my 4 nice dinner plates since we've been married. Thanks Ma:) & yes thats right you see a Naked pallet! SO EXCITED! I absolutely love it!

Tuesday after I went to the doc as I mentioned before and got some rest, my fever finally wore off. I got ready for round 3 of Christmas! Yes 3! We headed over to the hubs Aunt & Uncles house. We ate some good food again & watched the kiddies open their gifts!

My sweet Mom in law :)

Me & the Hubs. Wearing my new tribal print leggings!

My in laws & Little Delaney. She is precious!

I started to feel bad again later that night. But we had to go to my Nanas too! Its tradition! On my moms side of the family all the little kids get multiple presents but the adults all draw a name to be a secret santa. But me and my cousin Tiff always cheat! haha! We make sure we get each others names or just don't put our names in the bag! Sneaky we are ;) I got Tiff a really nice Simply Vera Wang purse from Kohls! & some make up from Ulta. She got me a gift certificate from a little boutique right outside my hometown that I absolutely love! & some make up from Ulta! We know what we like :) After all the commotion at Nanas I went straight home to my bed. My fever had started kicking in again. So I took some tylenol and passed out.

Wednesday morning, Christmas Day! I crawled out of bed when my sweet hubs woke me up. Still feeling pretty crappy. But I had to get up its Christmas Day of course! The hubs and I exchanged gifts. We both loved all of our gifts of course. One of the things he got me was a massage gift certificate! CANNOT wait to use that thing! Another gift he had for me hasn't come in the mail yet! USPS SUCKS. Obviously.
After we finished exchanging gifts we headed over to the in laws. My Mom in Law had cooked us all a huge breakfast! It was delicious!  After breakfast we exchanged gifts with my Mom and Pa in law and my 2 sisters in laws. Andrews parents really spoiled us this year. My Mom in Law gave us 4 sets of Fiesta dishes! They are gorgeous dishes. Thats what happens when you get married. You get excited about dishes! Ha!
I also made my Mom in Law an album of our wedding pictures and pictures from my bridal showers. She loved it. :)

The in laws pretty tree! Told you they spoiled us!

After we were done at their house we headed over to my Nanas again and had some Christmas lunch. Her turkey & dressing is amazing! Like I needed anything else to eat but you can't pass it up!
We ended Christmas Day lounging around our house. I still wasn't feeling the best. But no fever at least. I was enjoying my pretty Christmas tree....

the top hat is my favorite!

My parents came over for a little while. My mom brought me my stocking & I gave her the stuff that was suppose to be in here stocking that morning. But I forgot to give it to my Dad! I do all the Christmas shopping for him. He's just a little clueless on what to buy. lol. Its ok though. We love him anyways. :)

We had an amazing first married Christmas with all of our family. I loved spending time with them. That is the best part of the holidays to me.

Thats what happens when you get older. You stop caring so much about the gifts and care more about just being with family. I love it. :) We are so blessed! I hope you had an awesome Christmas like I did!

Christmas is here!

I'm back! I know I have been slacking the past couple of weeks! I have been insanely busy. Between my sister in laws wedding, doctor appointments & moving into our new place this past weekend, I am pooped y'all! Seriously I am ready for things to slow down a little. But it will still be crazy until after Christmas I am sure. But I can't say I hate it though. I like the business of the Christmas season. I know call me crazy!

Like I said we finally moved last weekend. We were living in a TINY one room apartment. Now we are living on my parents rental property until we build or buy a house in a couple of years. To say we are blessed is an understatement! Mine & Andrews family helped us move everything Saturday. My poor hubs was so sick, he had a really bad cold & cough, and he had to work from 12 Saturday afternoon until 3:30 AM Sunday! Crazy!  So having all the fam help was a blessing! & you'd think not much stuff would come out of a 1 room apartment! LIES! I don't know where it all came from!

After I got some of the house in order Andrew & I started putting up our Christmas tree Sunday night. I absolutely love it!

The burlap top hat & red burlap ribbon came from Kirklands. The berry & gold leaf twigs came from Michaels. All of the ornaments were Andrews ornaments that my Mom in law used to put on a little tree for him at their house. They are all country themed so they went perfectly with our tree! I also bought some pine cones from Michaels and spray painted them last night with gold glitter spray to add to the tree. I am getting real crafty these days I tell ya! :)

This is my fancy garland me & my Ma made! She had some extra plain garland. So I went to Michaels and got the berrys, gold leaves & pine cones for a total of $6! You can't beat $6 Christmas garland!

A Pinterest inspired decoration! I had these glass jars from my wedding, bought the little ornaments from the dollar store and the battery tealight candles from Michaels. & the fake snow.... is Epsom Salt! How cool is that?!

I have an obsession with baskets or platters.... anything I can make a centerpiece out of! I got this pretty red basket from a antique/thrifty store in my hometown for super cheap & the potpourri from Ross. The potpourri doesn't smell that great but its pretty anyways!

I also have an obsession with bird cages. I used a bunch in my wedding ,but then sold most of them because I knew I wouldn't use them all. I found this gold bird cage at Ross a few months ago on sale! Ross is the place to go for home decor. & the gold vine from Michaels.

Besides my tree this is probably my favorite Christmas decor! The burlap runner is from Etsy, all the floral stuff is from Michaels. The candle holders were also from my wedding. They were hot pink but my Mom in law used them in my sister in laws wedding and painted them red. Which matched my kitchen perfectly! Now I just need some pretty sparkly candles. The gold platter is also from a antique/thrifty store in my hometown.

So there you have what Christmas looks like at my house! I was so excited to have my own decorations to put up. It is Andrews & I first married Christmas so its really special. I can't wait for next week! I am like a little kid around Christmas. Christmas music, the decorations, the lights,cool weather, I love it all!

Colie's Holiday Giveaway!

Happy Monday folks! I wanted to share a little holiday giveaway with you!

My friend Ashley is the owner of Colies in Fernandina Beach, FL. She always has the cutest clothes, jewelry & handbags. Check her out here! You won't be disappointed :)

Here is a list of the items you can win:

• 1 Alice and Olivia Starbucks TuTu Mug
• FREE COLIE'S SHIPPING FOR 1 WHOLE YEAR
• $25 Colie's Credit
• $25 Chloe + Isabel credit toward a $75 purchase
• 1 Starstruck clutch in Golden Starlight from Colie's
• 1 pair of Colie's gold square pave crystal earrings
• 1 Golden Chevron bow handmade by Colie

 Go here to sign up for the giveaway!

Randoms on Thursday

Its almost Friday folks! I have a very busy weekend ahead of me. In fact I will probably be busy every weekend now until Christmas! I love this time of year! Here are some randoms for you today since I am not feeling any kind of big inspiration for a post! I know.. slacker!

1. Guess who doesn't have to work December 23rd?! This girl right here!!!! Which means I get 5 WHOLE DAYS OFF! I am ecstatic! I haven't had a legit vacation day (besides holidays) since January when we went on our honeymoon. I can't wait!

2. I do not have a Christmas tree up yet :( I am ashamed of myself! No but really its not my fault. We are in the process of moving so I haven't put one up in our apartment. But you can bet your pretty little tush that by next weekend I will have one up! I did however create my first Christmas decoration last night!

 Isn't it the cutest?! I bought this box from Bealls Outlet awhile back. It has a lid on top that was suppose to have glass in it but it was broke. So I got a little discount on it! Then I came up with this idea for Christmas. & I can even put different flowers year round in it. I am so proud of myself when I come up with creative things. It doesn't happen very often!

3. I am DONE with my Christmas shopping except a few gift cards! Pretty excited about that!

4. I really want to watch my favorite Christmas movie. The Holiday. I can't tell you how many times I have watched that movie. It has Jack Black, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz & Jude Law in it. If you haven't seen it watch it! You will love it.

5. Have you heard the song "Oceans" by Hillsong? If you haven't you're missing out. Its seriously amazing.

6. I have actually been putting on some eyeshadow & such lately. Well not for work. I do the basics for work. But last week for all the Thanksgiving festivities I did. I used to wear eyeshadow all the time. But I got lazy. I love makeup. & have a ton of it ,but I just quit taking the time to play with it.

7. There is literally only 20 DAYS until Christmas! How did that happen?! Madness I tell ya.

8. I screwed up our dinner last night. I made a chicken & rice casserole. Well apparently I didn't cook the rice long enough. Oops. So the rice was crunchy. EW. But in my defense this is only like the 2nd meal I have messed up since we've been married. Which is surprising! I'll do better next time. :)

9. My lips get SO chapped & dry! I've been using some ole' Blistex chapstick ,but it doesn't seem to help. Have any suggestions?

10. I've got my office decorated at work for Christmas! No one else does though. These people are such downers! Wheres the Christmas spirit?

Just noticed most of these are about Christmas. Oh well. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! :)

Thanksgiving Shenanigans

I don't know about y'all but I feel like I am still recuperating from my 4 day weekend! It went by entirely too fast! It was a blast though!

Thursday, Thanksgiving Day, the hubs & I went to my Nanas around 1pm for lunch. Nana never disappoints with her amazing dinner! Dressing, turkey, mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, broccoli & cheese, rolls, pumpkin shiffon pie! (best pie ever!) DELICIOUS. & it was actually pretty calm at her house. Usually its a crazy place! With all the childrens running around! After Nanas we went on to my hubs Grannys house. Me & my mom in law started looking through all the Black Friday ads. We were going shopping later that night so we had to be prepared!

Our attempt at a family photo. Kinda blurry.

Me & Ma at my Nanas

After all the family time, me, my mom, my cousin tiffany, my mom in law & sis in law all met up to go out shopping! We got to Wal Mart & it was INSANE! We had to park in a dirt lot across from the Wal Mart parking lot! It was packed inside too! You could barely get around in the store. I got a Rubbermaid 30 piece set of tupperware for about $7! I was super excited. LOL. Thats when you know you're married! The rest of the girls got a lot of other good deals too. I guess if you don't like the crowds shopping for Black Friday isn't fun but I love it! I go just for the fun of it! I am usually not looking for anything particular , its just a tradition we have started. We always have the best time!

My crazy Ma! Haha! We were about to walk into the madness of Wal Mart!

Me & Hannah my sis in law trying to stay warm outside waiting to get in Target!

My Mom's! My favorite ladies <3 br="">

We ended up getting home about 11:30 Thursday night, which wasn't too bad. Round #2 shopping trip started at 8:30am Friday morning. Me, my Ma & my Nana headed out to the mall! I have to be honest I was exhausted by lunch time! LOL. My back and my feet were killing me! But I kept on truckin! The lines in the stores were insane this year! Kohls was THE WORST. I have never seen them this bad. Seriously. Kohls has got to figure something out because there line was just awful. People were walking in and turning right around and walking out because of the line on Thursday evening. It was a little better on Friday ,but not by much! We waited in line for about 30 minutes in Kohls and Old Navy. My philosophy for shopping on Black Friday is you just have to go with it! You know its going to be busy, there will be crazy people running around & you're going to have to wait in line at some point. Just go in with a positive attitude and have fun!

Me waiting in line with Ma at Kohls. I was seriously considering sitting on the floor my feet were hurting so bad!

I'd say we had a successful shopping trip! & this is actually pretty small for us! We usually have way more stuff!

Round #3 shopping trip was an early one Saturday morning! Yes round 3! I had to get to Target when they opened Saturday morning to get a Christmas Tree 1/2 off! This year is Andrew & I's first married Christmas! I got the tree I wanted & I was so excited! I will hopefully post pictures soon of it decorated.

On a side note.. all of the hype/complaining about people shopping on Thanksgiving gets on my nerves! If you are taking time away from your family to go snag a good deal then yes I think thats pretty selfish of you. But my family has made Thursday night & Black Friday shopping a tradition. & this year my Mom in law & Sis in law got to go too! & we had such a good time! I do think the stores are getting a little ridiculous with how early they are opening. They don't need to be open mid afternoon of Thanksgiving! ANYWAYS... I'll get off my soap box now :)


I hope you had a fun Thanksgiving! I spent a lot of time with my family & got some good shopping in! I love the holidays! NOW its officially the Christmas season! I can't believe its only 3 weeks away. CRAZY. My mom puts up 3 trees (yes I said 3) in her house so last night I helped her decorate one of them. This is probably my favorite tree she has. I love the gold! & I love skinny trees!

Its leaning a little in this pic. We gotta work on that!

& just a little office selfie! I was bored in the office Wednesday afternoon waiting to go home! Thank God they let us off early for the holiday! :)

What did you do for Thanksgiving? Do you have any traditions? Do you brave the crowds on Black Friday?

Some things you didn't know about me...

I saw this post by Samantha recently & thought why not! I've never done a post like this before. So here you go... Here are some things you probably didn't know about me... :)

1. I took drum & piano lessons in my preteen/early teen years. & I cannot play either! I suck at life! Haha j/k. I can sing though, hence the name of my blog ;)

2. I met my husband, got engaged & married all within a 10 month period. When you know you know!

3. I remember stupid/bad things I've said & beat myself up over them for a long time. Its a problem I am working on. #learntoforgiveyourself

4. I am a super OCD anxious stressed out control freak. But I am trying to be better.

5. I was horrible, HORRIBLE at math in school but now I work in accounts payable & really like it! Ironic.

6. I live in a small southern town in Florida. I love it & I am never moving! (unless God has other plans.... please don't! lol..)

7. If I had a chance at being some big singing star I don't know that I would actually take it. I don't think I could handle it. I love having a normal 9 to 5 life. Being home on weekends. Or just being home, in my hometown in general. Laying down beside my husband every night in our cozy bed. Seeing my family all the time. I like being just plain normal.

8. I was raised in church (literally I've been in church since I was in the womb) But I feel like, now that I am older, that I am really learning the true meaning of having faith. Not letting it be something you just do on Sundays.

9. I am addicted to Coca Cola. I don't do coffee.

10. I can be the sweetest person ever & the next minute the meanest! Just ask my husband. Maybe its a woman thing???.... I hope I am not the only one.

11. I am not a compassionate or a sympathetic person. I am pretty harsh most of the time. I guess this is a bad thing? Maybe I will naturally be more compassionate when I am a mother? Maybe?

12. On that note I am terrified of having children. This post. I have mixed emotions about having kids. Sometimes I get kinda excited thinking about Andrew & I having a little baby. But then I am scared again... LOL. I'm nuts.

13. I have a new found love for antique old rustic stuff. You can thank Pinterest for that.

14. I love to cook. Or I should say I love when I cook & it actually turns out good. It makes me happy when I make dinner & my hubs loves it. I really feel like I accomplished something then.

15. I HATE fruity candy! Give me some chocolate! Candy was made to be chocolatey!

16. I lived in NYC for 6 weeks by myself for a Musical Theater program at the New York Film Academy that I won a scholarship to through a Singing/Acting competition. It was probably the best & the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. I was super home sick. (refer to # 6 & 7) I had a blast but I found quickly I couldn't really live there forever. I was up there in the dead set of winter. This Florida girl was COLD!

17. From the time I was 4 years old until 17 I took tap, jazz, hip hop & ballet classes. But I am the clumsiest person you will ever meet! Go figure! I really wish I would've stuck with it. But I started working at 16 and really didn't have time for it anymore.

18. I don't like animals. Some dogs & kitty's are cute. But really I could do without. (don't throw stones at me please!)

19. SHOPAHOLIC. I blame my mother & my nana :)

20. I would be in heaven if I could just work in a little office by myself all day. I know to some people that sounds like torture. But I don't really like to socialize with people at work. I am content being quiet. I guess I am that weird girl at work who doesn't talk often. Oh well!

Shopping!

Well hello Thanksgiving week! It came so fast! This is probably the best Monday I have had in awhile because its only a 3 day work week! I can't wait to spend time with my family & eat lots of (too much...) yummy food! & of course get my shop on for Black Friday!

I don't really have my eye on any of the major Black Friday deals. I am just going for the shopping in general! Hopefully I will get most of Christmas list marked off. We do it every year. Some people hate getting out on Black Friday because of all the crazy people and the traffic. But I LOVE IT! Its so fun. You just have to sit back and laugh at the crazy people!

On a side note have you heard of Hopes? They are the cutest online boutique! They have actual stores in St. Simons Island, GA & Jesup, GA. St. Simons isn't too far from where I live. If I ever get the chance I'm going there! I have ordered from them online. They always have the cutest styles! & a lot of items you don't see anywhere else. The best part is they have FREE SHIPPING! ALL THE TIME! How awesome is that?! I hate when I have to pay shipping online! Especially when some of the boutiques do a flat rate shipping of like $8 or more. I could definitely use that money on something else! & when I have ordered from them, the shipment is always delivered pretty quickly!

Here are some of my favorites from Hopes right now.....

Source: shophopes.com

I am obsessed with tunics/dresses right now! I love this "Take Me Down A Back Road Dress"

Source: shophopes.com

 Also I am obsessed with boots! I don't get to enjoy wearing them too much in Florida, but I take every chance I can get! I love these leg warmers with the little bows on them! How cute! I would really love some boot socks with lace at the top too. Gotta find some!

Source: shophopes.com

I LOVE this mustard color! Such a cute fall color.  "Loving You Is Fun Dress"

Source: shophopes.com

 I love cute little plaid shirts like this! & its pink! My favorite. :)

Source: shophopes.com

Who doesn't love Piko tops?!


Where are you shopping for Black Friday? Do you have any favorite online boutiques?


P.S. excuse my messy blog. somehow I accidentally deleted my header & nav bar. but the wonderful Lisette is fixing it for me! :) It will be back in order soon!

Do you know how blessed you really are?

I had lunch with one of my bestest friends Amy, yesterday. We don't get to see each other very often ,but I always love our talks when we do get together. We were talking about some family drama, or some family members of ours in some messed up situations or what have you. (there is always some drama to catch up on when we get together!) And I told her sometimes I just sit back and think about how really blessed I am. I look at other peoples lives around me & think "that could be me.....". I am not trying to be judgmental or boast about how great my life is. I am just recognizing that I have a pretty awesome life only by the grace of God. Not by anything I have done. I have awesome parents & "in law parents". I have a very close knit family. I have an amazing husband. I have girlfriends I can always count on. I have a good job. Etc etc etc! I could go on for days.

Amy would be surprised how much blog post inspiration has come from our girl talks! But it seems like we always have this conversation when we get together. We reminisce on our high school/college days and see how far we've come. We both were in a really low place in our lives shortly after we became close friends our senior year of high school. We both were in HORRIBLE relationships. (or at least I was for sure) I wasn't myself. I had become a completely different person. & now I look back at that, which seems like another life time, and think "Wow... where would I be now if I would've continued to live my life like that..." Its a scarey thought. (my mom is shaking her head right now agreeing with me while shes reading this.. lol) My point is when you really sit down and think about where you could be right now ,but your not because God has a plan, you really start to be thankful.

I am trying to be more thankful. More grateful. Not just because its Thanksgiving & everyone is "being more thankful" & posting their "thankful" statuses on FB everyday. Its just been on my heart a lot lately. I want to be happy with where I'm at in my life right now. I want to be thankful for God's overflowing blessings. I want to recognize that "every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights...". (James 1:17 NIV)

Do you have a thankful mindset?

source Google

Marriage Advice

The other night I was glancing through my husband/marriage journal. I started this journal right before I got married I wanted to right down any marriage advice, prayers & blessings for my husband, bible verses/devotions on marriage etc. I was reading all of the advice I received from ladies at my bridal shower. We did a thing where everyone took a note card and wrote down their advice for me to read later. There was some pretty good stuff to read so I thought I'd share. :)

-Laugh a lot. Keep fights clean, no name calling. 

-Learn to compromise, not argue. 

-Always leave with a hug & a kiss. 

-Learn not to always say what you think. 

-Have patience. Be forgiving. Sometimes you need to keep your comments to yourself. 

-Always be open & honest. Talk about everything. 

-Be slow to anger & quick to forgive. 

-Marriage is what you make it. 

-Learn to give & take.

-Always keep your husband first. If you keep him first & spoil him you will notice you get spoiled even more in return. 

-Learn to laugh in the middle of a stupid fight. 

-Enjoy the little things in life & your small times together. 

-When your Papa & I got married he was told always kiss her goodbye when you go & when you get home & always good night. Be happy & have some grand youngins. & most important keep God in your life. 

(This one was from my Mema. When I read this one it honestly hurt my heart A LOT. Because my Papa holds a special place in my heart. I have always been his "little girl" as he calls me. This one struck a chord with me because my Papa is not in the best of health. He's not in the worst but definitely not the best. & I have no intentions of having kids anytime soon. As I have mentioned before. Not to be morbid or doom & gloom I just don't know if he will actually get to see my kids one day. Honestly it made me cry & I felt really selfish. I was blessed to have my great grandparents in my life when I was a child. My kids may not have that & that makes me really sad. & selfish for possibly denying my Papa the joy of meeting my children one day. But then again I can't just start having babies for that reason. When I'm not ready. All I know is its in Gods timing. & it will happen like He wants it to happen. He's always got a plan.)

-Don't hit your hubby first thing when he gets home with problems or to do's. Give him time to come home, relax & enjoy coming home. Our homes should be a haven from the outside world.

(That is one of my favorites "our homes should be a haven from the outside world." A husband & wife should both strive to make their house a home. Somewhere away from the world they feel safe & relaxed. Somewhere where they're loved. That they can be theirselves & not worry about anything else. That's what I want my home to be.)

-Maintain good communication & a positive attitude. 

-Marriage is not 50/50. It's 100/100. You both have to give your all. Forget "me". It's now "us". 

-Pick your battles. Think before you speak. 

-Always put God first in everything. 

-"Every good & perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of heavenly lights, who does not change like the shifting shadows." James 1:17. Always remember that our God is the giver of good gifts. I am so thankful He gave you to all of us. 

(This one makes me smile. My mom in law wrote this one. I thank God everyday for Andrew & his family. I have in laws who do not feel like in laws. I feel like I've always been a part of the family. That is a blessing in itself. Not many people can say that. Now when I hear that verse I always think of my mom in law. :)

-Do not go to bed angry. 

(I got this one multiple times. It's a biggy!)

-Never let a day go by without settling arguments. 

-Do little things for each other. 

-Become a life long student of becoming a better wife. Not trying to make him a better husband. 

(Ouch! That ones a kick in the tail. How many of us wives try to pick out all the things wrong with our husband? But don't look at our own flaws?.....)

-Give 100% & expect nothing in return. You both will be blessed in this. 

I can say I have followed some of these in my whole 10 months of married life. But most things I have a longgggggg way to go on. I love my husband. I'm so thankful God blessed me with him. I hope I can strive everyday to be the best wife for him. & when I screw up (cause Lord knows I do!) I want to learn from my mistakes & keep on moving forward. 

What's some marriage advice you have received? 

Some of my favorites

Last night my beautiful favorite cousin (& the best wedding planner on the planet!) Tiff text me asking me what is the best drug store concealer. Unfortunately I didn't know! Because the concealers I use are all from Ulta or Sephora. I use drug store foundation, mascara and powder for the most part. But I branch out a little bit with everything else. & I am a make up hoarder! I LOVE make up. I have so much of it. But I don't even wear half of it. I definitely do not get crazy with the make up during the work week. I am lucky to get out the door on time. I have no time to get all dolled up! I thought I would share some of my faves though. I have done this before in this post. But here are some newbies for you :)

Source Google

Revlon Colorstay Whipped Creme Makeup
This foundation is a heaven sent. I finally found a drug store foundation that helps keep my oily skin under control and it stays on all day. I've mentioned before I have super oily skin & I have had the hardest time finding a foundation that agrees with my skin. This stuff is awesome though. It is a creme foundation so it goes on pretty thick. So if you don't like to "feel" your make up on your face, then don't try this. I use a make up sponge or brush to apply it. I've found that that's a big help too, using your fingers does not apply your make up right, in my opinion.

Source Google

They're Real Benefit Mascara
IN LOVE with this mascara. Its a little pricey but its amazing. I am usually not a fan of the plastic spiked mascara brushes, because most of the time I poke myself in the eye! Ouch! But I love this stuff. They make my lashes insane. Definitely worth the price. I usually only use mine on the weekends and use my other favorite Covergirl mascara during the week for work. Check out this post for the Covergirl mascara..

Source Google

Amazing Cosmetics Concealer
Again another pricey one but its awesome too. This is a good concealer if you are looking for a lightweight feel but heavy coverage. I still pick creme concealers over this one, just my preference, but this one does wonders also.

Source Google

Boi-ing Benefit Concelear
This is a creme concealer. Awesome coverage. I always use a concealer brush even with the creme concealers like this. Bottom line, always use a brush when applying pretty much any type of make up. You've gotta have the right tools if you want the product to be applied correctly and stay on all day.

Source Google

Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Waterproof Concealer
I know its a mouth full! But this right here, is my most favorite of all time concealer. It is absolutely amazing. Again its a creme concealer. So it goes on thick. I usually apply it in my trouble areas just like you use a lipstick tube. Then I take a concealer brush and even it out a little. Its made in the tube like this so you don't have to use a brush but I like to even it out. I go through this stuff pretty quick. I guess because you pretty much can just draw all over your face with it! But I love it. I highly recommend this one. My only issue with creme concealers is sometimes they're more likely to crease if you have any little wrinkles under your eyes. I'm not sure how to prevent this. But to me its not a big deal, I just dab my finger on the crease and even it out again during the day if needed.

Do you have any drug store concealers you use that do wonders? What are you faves?


& thanks Tiff for giving me the idea for this post ;)

The Latest Happenings

Whats been happenin'?! A whole lot of things around these parts. & its about to get wayyyyy busier with the holidays coming up. Which I am pretty excited about!

1. Christmas Decor

Has anyone noticed all the Christmas decorations already coming out?! We can't even get through Thanksgiving without Christmas taking over. Slow it down people! BUT I do have to say I am getting a little bit of the Christmas itch. Mainly because I get to decorate my own house this year! I get to buy my first Christmas tree! I AM SOOOO EXCITED! Can you tell?! I am thinking about doing a burlap Christmas tree. I saw one decorated in Kirklands recently and I almost died. (no forreal..) It was gorgeous! Here are some ideas I've been looking at....

Google

Google

Google

Google

Now only if I had some mad sewing skills I could make that adorable burlap tree skirt! Because I'm sure its a little pricey to buy.

How are you decorating your tree this year?


 2. I found a dresser!

Sorry for the crappy iPhone pic

Tadaaa! I finally got a dresser for our bedroom. I mentioned in this post that I was on the hunt for a dresser! I love this one! Even more than the first dresser I had found at Goodwill ,but was sold when I got back to the store to buy it. The wood is really pretty on this dresser but I am planning on painting it still. I am going to get some samples first to try, to make sure I get the right color I want. I have never painted furniture before so I am little nervous. But the good thing is I am going for a rustic look so if I screw it up it won't matter!


3. I am officially a nerd!

I finally broke down and went to the eye doc. I had been getting a lot of headaches and my eyes felt exhausted at the end of the day. So I got some new specs for reading! I like them. & everyone else says I look good in them too. So thumbs up for me :)

Children?............

Having kids has been on my mind lately..... Well I should say just wondering when I will actually have the desire to have children. I look at all the cute babies on social media, yes I "Ooo & Ahhh" over them. But I am in no way shape or form ready for a child. (& I'm kinda scared to be even writing this post because what if I was to become prego in the near future.... ya know cause God has a sense of humor like that sometimes)  Of course I want to have kids one day... but I just feel like I'm never going to actually get to that point where I am ready? Does that make sense?....

Andrew & I were talking about having kids recently (JUST TALKING.... not like talking "hey lets have a baby" talking) and I told him it pretty much just stresses me out to the max thinking about having children... Which pretty much says I am not ready for a child. I am terrified of actually having the child. I don't do pain. Or blood.... or hospitals. I hate it all. It freaks me out.... Like I can't even handle a child crying in a store. It doesn't even have to be a loud cry. I'm just like seriously someone please handle that kid right now. It makes me anxious. Seriously, just ask my mom, its happened multiple times when we are out shopping.

I've just been wondering... do you get to that point where it all just clicks? & your like hey I'm ready to have a baby!.... I feel like I am never going to get to that point... & I probably shouldn't even be thinking about all of this right now... or stressing over it. Andrew & I have only been married 9 months. But then again its already 9 MONTHS. We said we would probably start trying to have a baby at 2 years..... That is not that far off people! I think maybe that's where all this came from. Its almost already a year we've been together. THAT IS CRAZY. Time is flying by. It feels like we just got married yesterday. (but then it feels like we've been together forever... I know, I'm nuts. Don't judge)

Another thing that scares me about having a child is being a good example for him or her. I know, you're probably thinking "you're just thinking about that?". But when I think about having a kid I just think about the pain of childbirth and the no sleep thing. I hate pain & I LOVE sleep. (we've been over this...) But it really hit me recently when I was at my parents church one Sunday morning. The hubs was out of town so I went to church with them instead of our church. & because my Daddy was doing puppets for the service they were having for all of the kids. (he's a pretty awesome puppeteer, he even does the voices) The children's pastor preached that day (also the man who married Andrew & I) He was preaching about how parents are examples for their kids. Whether they want to be or not. Its sad how many parents just drop their kids off at church & don't actually go. It was kinda a slap in the face for me, like hey Ashli you really gotta get yourself together before you have a kid! I never really thought about how much your kids look up to you. How they watch your every move. They learn what kind of person to be by the kind of person you are. Of course there are always outside sources they learn from but you primarily are teaching your children who they should be. THAT IS SCARY.... Would I be a good example for my kids? Will I be... Its a lot to think about. It makes me want to work even harder to be a better person. A better wife. Friend. Believer. etc... So my children can look at me one day & be proud of who their moma is.

In all reality if Andrew & I got prego tomorrow (but really God, please don't...) I would be ok with it. I would pretty much just accept it as Gods timing. It would be meant to be. Gods timing is never on our time.

So are you a lunatic like me about having children? Does it scare you? Or how did you handle it if you've already had kids?

Or maybe just make me feel better by telling me you've had some of the same feelings! ;)

Home decor & guns

Happy Monday everyone! I am a little perkier than usual on this Monday. Not sure why. Maybe its the cool weather us Floridians have been having the past few days! I love it!

A couple of weekends ago me and my mom in law went to an event in Jacksonville called Rustapalooza. (look it up on FB) They have a bunch of antique/furniture refurbishing/all things rustic vendors come together for a big sale. It was UH - MAZING! I could've bought everything in the place. Some of the things were pretty pricey but others were decent. Like Southern Blessings Furniture. I love her stuff! I bought some red shutters from her for only $30! That is cheap yall. I think a lot of the rustic/antique stuff is high right now because everyone is so into it. (we can all say thank you to Pinterest for that!) But antique stuff can be pricey anyways... Check Southern Blessings Furniture out of FB if you are in the Jacksonville area. Her stuff is gorgeous and good priced. Here are the shutters I bought from her....

Southern Blessings Furniture

I am thinking about doing something like this with my shutters....

Pinterest

Last week I went to a Goodwill to drop off some clothes and I decided to just browse around while I was there... I saw an older style dresser that I absolutely loved and it was only $45! So I took a picture and sent it to my hubs. He liked it too! I went back that night to get the dresser and it was already sold! I was so sad! I really wanted it so I could paint it in a rustic teal color for our bedroom in our new place. So I am on the look out for an old dresser! I will find one at some point! Here are my ideas for my dresser...

Pinterest

Pinterest

Pinterest

Although I didn't get my dresser, I did not leave empty handed ladies! I got a china cabinet! I really just wanted the bottom piece (it disconnects from the cabinets on top for the china) to use as a buffet table (or whatever you want to call it....) I think it would be too cluttered with the top piece, in the space I plan to put it in our new place. I am going to paint is black and rough it up a little bit to make it look rusted. My mom in law is an expert painter & expert in giving furniture the rustic look. So I've got all the secrets of "rustic painting" from her! ;) This is the bottom piece...

& this is my idea for the buffet cabinet...

Pinterest

 Have you been doing any DIY home decor?



This past weekend I got to spend some QT with my hubs. This is what QT looks like for us...

We do actually go out on dates too! lol. But the hubs has been in huntin mode for the past couple months so we went shootin'. He's getting me ready for when I go huntin with him in GA sometime in the next couple of months. I'm not a "hunter" whatsoever ,but I told him I would try it out. I don't think my shopping trips on the weekends will turn into huntin trips though, but I'll at least go with him once. But I will enjoy spending time with him and seeing those pretty GA fields. I LOVE riding through GA and seeing all the farms & farm houses.& I LOVE my hubs of course! :)

Do you join in on your hubs/boyfriends hobbies?