So What?!

I haven't participated in SWW in quite sometime but I thought this week was very well fitting.

So what if...

• I almost burnt down the house on Sunday. I was warming up pizza for Emily and I and stuck the entire box in the oven on 350*. Apparently paper burns...even as a pizza box. Thankfully J caught it in time and the pizza was not ruined.
  
  
• I thought there was bleach stains on the ground for two days. I was freaking out. I even showed J and told him I don't know how on earth we got bleach stains (3 circles) on our master bedroom floor. Then I moved the laundry basket and they were gone. Yep, it was the sun and the laundry basket. Not my finest moment.
  
  
• We had three boxes of cake mix that expired a year ago or more. Oops! My pantry is usually cleaned out pretty well but I guess I didn't think about cake.
  
  
• I made brownies this week...and two weeks ago. I shouldn't be allowed in grocery stores.
  
  
• I get super excited about the dinners I make. My mom cannot cook, therefore I never thought I could either. Over the past year, I've become quite good (if I do say so myself) and am proud of cooking a good usually healthy meal for J and I. Check out my Menu Mondays!
  
  
• Yesterday was supposed to be laundry day. Instead I spent the morning cleaning then three hours on the phone with people I couldn't understand because they were located in different parts of the world. Thankfully three of the four were super nice. Then I rested because I swear the phone calls were giving me braxton hicks. #stressed
  
  
• I pray every day that our home sells. We found a house we love and I don't want to loose it!
  
  
• We have nothing done for Hadley's room. See above statement. It will get there.
  
  
• I can say pregnancy brain is officially on overload.

Busy Busy: Brain Dump

We have been so busy around here. I was actually looking forward for things to slow down at the end of the school year but I was totally wrong. I guess it makes the days and week feel faster and that's okay.

• We have 8 days of school left. EIGHT. Where did this year go? Holy cow! This is my second year with this group of kiddos (I looped up) and I feel like I've had them forever. I'm going to be so sad to see them go (for real) but it does feel like the year that never has ended.
  
• I will suddenly become very panicked knowing that when I go back to school in the fall I will have days or weeks until Hadley's arrival. CRAZY!!!
  
• Our house is up for sale. This is stressful in itself. It's hard not being able to move furniture and left heavy objects. I really try not to.
  
• It's weird not knowing where we will be in a month. Will be still be in this home? Will we find a new home? I hate not knowing. But I've been praying a lot that whatever happens will be what is supposed to happen for us. If we don't sell then we need to stay where we are and it's for a reason. If we do sell, then I hope we find a great home for our new addition.
  
• J will be 30 in eight days. I'm pretty excited for his birthday celebration this weekend (pictures to come).
  
• Wednesday is field day. It's supposed to rain. Thursday is 5th grade picnic. It's supposed to rain. This means I have to find something entertaining for my class to do :( #movieday
  
• One of my good friends (shout out to Abby) is due with her baby very soon. My other good friend is having her shower in just a few weeks. It's baby central around here!
  
  Now just to make it through the next 8 days and home free! Summer vacay here I come!

Kitchen lighting

When we first moved in we hung up a basic light above our kitchen table. It wasn't anything special but it did the job. It matched well with our kitchen sink and hardware but it was never my favorite. I wanted to get something a little nicer, especially since our house is very small and you can see it from almost everywhere downstairs.

first light

Sorry for the poor quality of photo

After my parents moved and downsized their home, they had quite a bit of "stuff" left. One of the things they were not using was their dining room light. I always adored this light. It definitely was not cheap so I'm happy to see it hung up some place where we can enjoy it.

I know it doesn't follow the "kitchen table rules" of lighting facing down but since we don't have a dining room I'm not following the rules. Either way, I'm in love...

I especially love how much more light it brings into our small room (obviously). We have a dimmer on it now but it's not working correctly. Once we fix that we will be good to go!

Love how just some little updates can change the look and feel of the room. This definitely dresses it up a bit more.

What are some of your favorite changes?

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

It's been a while since I linked up with the fabulous Jamie for What I'm Loving Wednesday! It seemed like such a good time to do so!

I'm loving my fall mantel 

I'm not loving how my furbabies own our home. 

Did you notice?

I'm loving these cute monogrammed pumpkins!

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I'm loving how delicious this pumpkin bread looks

{not saying that I'd like it...not a big pumpkin fan}

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This adorable owl pumpkin.

It works with my love for owls and fall

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I love adore this weather!

I'm loving that I'm going to the OSU game with my love!

And loving these outfits perfect for football season!

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Don't forget to link up with Jamie!

Friday Letters

Say what? Two posts in one week? What is going on?? I may or may not be putting off grading some papers.

Dear Oliver,

Must you chase Wembley around the house every night? What is the deal? As soon as I get home it starts. You're running all around the house chasing each other and acting like you have no manners. I know we taught you better than that! You also seriously have to stop getting stuck the cat house. What happens if you get stuck and I'm not home? Figure that one out!

Dear 5th grade,

I still feel like I'm living Groundhog Day. Some days are worse than others. My students are also getting to know me too well. Yesterday one of them figured out the enrollment key to my new website. Yes, it was 'oliver' but seriously? I also have another student who routinely calls me "mom". Yes, he did this a few times last year, but now we're on a daily basis. It definitely makes me laugh because he turns bright red! I do love looping with them and knowing them so well.


Dear J,

I am so excited that you will be graduating in May from grad school! I'm so proud of all the work that you have been doing in school, at home, and at work. I don't know how you are ready to start your doctorate degree but I know you will be amazing!


Dear JCPenny,

I never was a huge fan of yours but recently you have been my bff. I love your new prices and everything I try on seems to fit perfectly. I even managed to find jeans that fit my legs, behind, and were not huge in the waste. That is what I call a miracle! Keep up the great work!

Happy Friday! I'm super thankful that it's finally the weekend!!

Slacking...

I've totally been slacking in the blog world not just with posting but with reading too {enter major sad face here}. I have about 8473809475 things on my plate and by the time I get home, pick things up, finish school work (at home), make dinner, I'm ready to crash.

I don't have a lot of updates but here a few things that I'm excited to share!

1) We got new carpet!! I've never been so excited! I will be sure to post pics of it as well has the hundreds of other pictures I've been meaning to post. I love it and it just makes our house feel so much cleaner (J thinks I'm crazy).

2) We got a new dishwasher!! We are just in full force around here! It's so nice to have a new dishwasher that works properly...and is black. Now we just have to replace the fridge to match (it's still white and we want stainless) but we're not in a huge hurry.

3) IT'S SEPTEMBER!!! This is amazing! Now if the weather could take the hint, we'd be all set! I adore the fall and am even more excited for October!

4) My sister is officially a college student and is going to rushing! I'm super shocked (I never saw her joining a sorority--never) but I'm very excited for her! I wish my sorority was at her college, but unfortunately it is not. There are other great ones for her to join.

5) This past weekend was the best long weekend ever. It seriously felt like 5 days rather than 3. We got so much done! We cleaned out the basement, cleaned the house really well, put up fall decorations, and worked in my classroom for a bit. I wish every weekend was a long weekend!

Goals for this weekend: update blog and post pics! Let's see if I can do it!

Show and Tell Monday & Erin Condren Giveaway!

I'm not giving away the Erin Condren gift certificate {I wish} but you can link up with From Mrs. to Mama to try and win!

1. If you were searching for a home now, tell me what would be on your MUST list.

• Large family room- Our living area in the home we have now is very small. I dislike it a lot. When we purchased the house we never thought it would be a problem but I don't think we realized exactly how much time we would be spending in our family room with friends and family.
• Large Master bedroom and bathroom- Our master isn't too small but our master bath is smaller than our hall bath. Thankfully we have two full baths upstairs so I use the master and J uses the hall bath. It works out great but would be really nice to have a large one to share.
• Living Room & Dining room-We only have a small family room in our home and the piano is in the dining area (they are connected). It's so important to have an a living and dining room so the piano has it's own home! I know my mom rarely uses her dining room but I think they are so pretty. I also would love to host holiday dinners.
• First floor laundry- or even better, second floor laundry. This is probably #1 on my list.
• Fenced in yard-we have it now and it's important to have in the next house. Not a huge deal breaker though.
• Updates-Ideally I'd like to be in a home that doesn't need a lot of updates. We've updated just about everything in this house except the basement. I wouldn't mind doing it again because we can personalize it, but it would be nice if it were done.
• Finished basement- Not a huge deal breaker but it would be very nice.
• Big front porch

2. Show me your favorite room in a home {either your home or any home}

Source: houzz.com via Juli on Pinterest

3. If you could have any room redone, tell me which one it would be and what you would like done?

Well, have redone almost every room in the house. We put new counter tops in the kitchen last year and finished the back splash this summer. All appliances have been updated except for the refrigerator. All bathrooms have been gutted and redone. The house was originally all painted one color. We have changed the color in all of the rooms but one of the spare rooms. I guess if I had to choose one big project it would be the basement. Our basement is not huge, but it is a smaller full size basement. I'd love to make a more formal laundry room down there and then finish the rest. It doesn't need to be anything fancy, just simple, neat, and clean.

4. Tell me what your favorite store are to shop at for home decor.

I love Kirklands, but they recently went out of business close to us, so now the closest one is about two hours away :( TJ Maxx/Home Goods is awesome and I can't get enough of Hobby Lobby. Sometimes I find good deals at Garden Ridge and then there is Pier One and Pottery Barn, which I adore.

5. Show me your dream home.

Source: builderhouseplans.com via Caroline on Pinterest

Something like this...big front porch!

Source: coastallivinghouseplans.com via Amy on Pinterest

Maybe not this big!

Source: eplans.com via Laura on Pinterest

LOVE the double front doors!

House Projects: kitchen

J and I have been back and forth about when is the right time to move. It's a tough decision and a lot of things went into deciding what to do. I think we have come to the conclusion that we are going to stay where we are for another year or two. While I'm a little bummed about the decision (who doesn't want to find the home that you will love for years), I understand the reasoning and know that it's just not meant to be right now. So, since we will be here for a while longer there are so things I want to do to this home. We've done a lot already {thank you parents and inlaws} but there is still a lot to be done.

First up, my wonderful father put up the tile in our kitchen. We had new counter tops installed last summer and it definitely took a whole year before we put the back splash up. Now that it's up we have to paint the entire downstairs...all the walls are connected and they're all the same color (but one). Confusing? Yes. I'll show pictures soon.

Anyways, the first small order of business is to replace the kitchen curtains. I bought pretty cheap ones when we moved in five years ago thinking I'd replace them shortly after. Yep, they're still there. They look very dated now that we have nicer counters and tile. Now I just have to decide what to get!

Here is what I have now. I'm not sure if I like the topper because it gives off a lot of light or if I want something longer. I think I'll do a floral print of some sort. Not sure yet. {ignore the blind...Wembley got stuck in the string and messed them up...tile still drying and need finishing pieces}

 Here are a few options I like:

*Note: Most of these I like for the style

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Love these curtains but I think they're too fancy for the house we live in now.

Next home!

What kind of curtains do you think best suites a kitchen?

Oh, How Pinteresting!

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Olympic Schedule

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Style on Organization

I've always had a love for organization. I love trying to find new ways to put things away in their "proper" place. I like taking a mess and making it fit nice and neat into cute little bins with labels on the front. I especially like doing this with other peoples things. My own--not so much fun. One of my big summer projects this year is going to be organizing everything! Our home literally needs an organization update. I will just take a room at a time and go crazy!

I'm pretty sure I've been organizing since the day I started playing school in my parent's basement but recently there has been one tv show/person who has really made me look at organization in a new way. Meet Amanda LeBlanc.

Not only is she gorgeous, but she is an organization specialist and a fab mom! You can see all her amazing work and ideas on her new show The Amandas, which is on Style.

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Doesn't this make you want to organize? 

My biggest goal would be the linen closet and pantry. Look at these amazing pantry organizers all found on TheAmandas.com

What are your must-haves for organizations??

Be sure to check out The Amandas on Monday nights at 10/9c on Style!