Weekend In Photos

This past weekend, I celebrated my 29th birthday. I had such a nice birthday! My husband surprised me with gorgeous flowers and balloons when I got home from work. I was so surprised & had no clue that he left work to bring those goodies home. 

And what is a birthday without going out to dinner. My husband and I went to PF Chang's over the weekend. It was our first time there and it was seriously so delicious & gluten free! The portion size was so unbelievably large, so we had leftovers for three meals. 

This was the first birthday that I couldn't have gluten, so my mom was sweet enough to make some homemade gluten free cupcakes. They were so yummy- thanks Moms! 

And of coarse, what would a Sunday be like without spending time at the shooting range with my husband. He is freaking obsessed! He has been practicing shooting for weeks, so he can get his gun all setup for his yearly hunting trip. Give me Starbucks & I am good... 

We also stopped by to see my little fur niece... no matter what is going on in life, this little pup makes my heart truly smile. 

Hope everyone had a good weekend... 

Fall Decor...

Can you believe that this weekend is the First Day of Autumn? Well you could of fooled the hell out of me. It is still a million freaking degrees in Florida, but that didn't stop me from decking our house out in Fall décor.

To say that I am over Summer and the nasty, humid weather is a total understatement. I wish I had an remote control for temperature outside and you better believe I would crank that bad boy down to 60 damn degrees!

From pumpkins to owls and everything in between, we have in our house for Fall. And I love, love, love it! I really have a true obsession with white pumpkins & I couldn't have enough of them. Unfortunately, as of right now... they are all fake!

All week I have been seeing Instagram & blog posts of people's grocery stores with pumpkins and Fall goodies, so this weekend I was super excited to get to the grocery store (which I honestly, would normally dread). To my dreadful surprise, the groceries here in Florida have no Fall goodies. So... better luck next time.

Here's some of the things I have done this far...

So what are your favorite decorations for the wonderful Fall season?

Lovely And Oh-So-Pinteresting- DIY Projects

Lately, I have found so many little DIY projects that I really want to do. As I am sure you know, there are tons & tons of ideas on Pinterest when it comes to fun little projects.

There are a few that I plan on doing soon...

Long Distance Friendship Mugs

This is such a cute idea. All you need is a permanent marker, white mug, and an oven. I mean seriously, who doesn't want a cute mug that reminds them of their long distance friend.

Tassel

If I haven't said it a million times already... I love garland! And tassel is in the garland family. I am going to attempt at making my own. I have been looking for tissue paper everywhere & Target seems to have a good variety of colors. It seems super easy & some cute tassel Fall/Halloween sounds like a great idea!

Glitter State Art



I love glitter and easy DIY projects, so this seems like a no-brainer for me to do. I have two white matted frames to fill up, so this will be an awesome filler.

Pantry Organization

Well I will spare you the horrendous image of our pantry- it is exploding at the seams & it the most unorganized place in my entire house. I just cannot seem to find a way to organize everything, so that is my next mission. I found this cool storage idea, which I think can be the start of my "Pantry Makeover". 

Follow me on Pinterest here to see more DIY ideas I have.

  

Its All Coming Together...

Our house is finally coming together... And I honestly love it. 

There are still several things that need to be done in order for it to be complete. It honestly drives my husband crazy that I constantly have a never ending wish list & plans for our house. 

Let's be real though, with the plan to start a family towards the end of the year... I need to get this place complete. Lord knows I will not be buying house decor when I have could have a cute little baby to shop for.

If you remember from a previous post, I mentioned that we really wanted to get a pretty sectional. We needed something that was functional for future kids and well... we just really wanted new comfy furniture. And we did just that! 

Don't mind the pictures-- these will be replaced soon...
(Pottery Barn Pillows & IKEA throw)  

Cute little snails from West Elm-- I am obsessed !
(Target Tray)

I am loving the way it looks and it is super comfy! The pictures we had hanging over our old couch look so tiny now. So I have a plan to pick up some (four to be exact) prints and blow up one of our wedding pictures & put them above the couch in some white matted frames. Only problem, Target has been out of the frames for over a month (get it together Target, I need to start my gallery wall project). 

Something else we needed for our downstairs was a rug for under our dining room table. I really stepped out of my comfort zone on this one. If you know me I always stick to whites, ivories, cream, and sometimes I throw a little tan in there. 

Before I let you see my shocking purchase-- let me tell you... I was eyeing the same exact rug from Pottery Barn for months. And one morning  I was randomly looking at stuff on (the glorious) Instagram & I came across the same exact rug from Home Goods. So I literally could not wait to get off work & attack the rug isle in search for this rug. I searched forever... and I found it!! I threw that bad boy in my cart and hauled ass to the checkout isle.

Let me just say-- I saved $350 !! Thank you Home Goods ! 

So what do you think? I picked up the mirror from there too. I am honestly still trying to get used to the rug and my husband asks me everyday if I am going to take the tags off yet. I think it is hilarious, but it is the indecisiveness side of me kicking in. 

Again, I am not a decorator by any means... I am just a girl that loves to shop and is trying to make our house a home.  

Stay tuned for next post... We are painting our bathrooms. This is huge! 

Loft Gallery Wall

Months ago, I started with a gallery wall in our loft & right away I knew that there was something off. It just didn't look right. I left it the way it was because I honestly had no damn clue what to do.

Looks a little bare- doesn't it?

While visiting Target, I saw a few new wood frames that I loved. So I knew that I had to buy them for our loft. The wall in our loft is so large, so I think the problem is that I do not have enough frames hanging right now. My husband was so thrilled [insert sarcasm here] when I came home with five new frames.

The pictures on the wall, right now... are of just my husband and I, so in the new frames I am going to put some pictures of our family (I am sure all will be replaced with our kids pictures someday). After weeks of staring at the empty frames on the floor, I finally figured out a way I wanted them to be hung.

 

I think I might buy one more frame for that little empty spot-- either way, with or without the extra frame, I think it'll look way better than it did before.

 This has been added to my Hubby To-Do List, which he is super excited about. Several of the frames still need pictures, but that won't take too long to do.

Stayed tuned for an update on the completed wall :)  

Do You Believe In Signs?

Well my Mom has been telling for years that when people pass away their loved ones tend to get those signs/feelings when they least expect it.

She told me about a time where she saw her mom, my grandma (sadly, she passed away several years ago due to cancer), standing at the foot of her bed. I knew what my mom saw was real, but I wasn't sure if I truly believed that it could happen to me.

Since the day my Dad passed away, I had been telling my husband that I wanted a sign that my father was there- just as my mom did with her mom. I know that he will always be with me, but I just wanted something to happen...

One day I was working from home... I took a little break to get some fresh air & noticed this gorgeous butterfly circling around my plants right outside my porch. It wasn't just any old butterfly... there was something about this butterfly. It was flipping & twisting all around in the air, as though it was trying to get my attention. And that it did... I instantly got the chills and started to cry.

I hurried outside... and it circled me about ten times & almost landed on my hand.

I knew that it was a sign from my Dad that I had been waiting for... It stayed outside of my patio for about 45 minutes. I honestly just couldn't stop smiling...

A few days after the butterfly, my mom and I were driving home from St. Augustine. I was asking her about Heaven and if she thought my Dad was happy there. As we were talking, I noticed that the sky looked so weird, so I immediately just started snapping pictures.

As I was looking through the pictures that I just took... I froze !!!!! This is what I saw...

I showed my Mom and she couldn't believe her eyes either... She looked at me & said... I told you, you would get signs when you least expect it.
This was an even better sign then the butterfly. It was exactly what I needed... a sign that God was with my Dad & watching out for him as he laid peacefully on the clouds in Heaven.

If I didn't believe in signs then, I sure do now...



Check those off the- Before 30 Bucket List

If you've read my blog (keep reading if you do !!), then you know about the "Before 30 Bucket List" post here.

I know I have quite some time (one year & 19 days to be exact) before my 30th birthday. With that being said, I have hardly checked off any items on my before 30 bucket list.

I have fifteen items waiting to be completed and I only have two to check off-- no I am not pregnant (sigh!).

I did however check off #11 Host a Party for Someone from my list. In June, I hosted my husband's 30th birthday at our house. I love having family & friends over. And I especially love decorating and doing DIY party projects- so much fun ! We had so much fun & you can read all about it here.

Next item to check off of my list, is #15 Go to a shooting range with my hubby. It was my first time going and to be honest with you, it scared the shit out of me. I just watched- far behind the white line. I didn't want to take the class and I am not sure I really have any desire to shoot a gun. They are super dangerous and have so much force. As of right now, I am good being the photographer. Who knows though, shooting at the range with my husband might be on my next 15 items to my list.

 Stayed tuned for 15 more items that will be added to my checklist...



Life Lately...

Today has been two weeks since my Dad passed away...

And it still does not feel real at all. I honestly still feel like I am going to wake up from this nightmare. Wake up from all of this with an infinite amount of texts from my Dad- with him asking me when my next visit will be or that he loves me.

I would give anything to just hear my Dads voice, just one last time.

You never know what tomorrow might bring has never rung so true to me, until I lost my Dad. I didn't know that our text was going to be our last. I didn't know my Dad would get even more sick and never wake up.

And it kills me inside...

Now that my Dad has passed away, when I am at his house, I take pictures of every single thing that reminds me of him. I cannot even contain myself... I just don't want to forget anything.

I want to remember the chair he sat on while he puffed the dreadful cigs, watched the squirrels tear apart the bird feeder, admired his plants that flourished, and just watch him sit & think about life.

I want to remember the bandana he threw on before his radiation and chemo treatments.

I want to remember the electric cig he smoked & the glasses he wore when we watched out favorite game shows together.

I want to always remember the place on the couch with his propped up pillows and green blanket. The place that he relaxed and slept.

I want to remember his office- how he organized bills  and lined them up the same way I do. And the love he had for knick knacks.

I want to always remember his handwriting, his passion for books from his college years, his collection of mugs, his unique ways of organization (which I now know where I get it from) and his love for good ole Sopranos (I hope my Dad & Tony Soprano are kicking back together in Heaven).



I want to always remember the amazing craft that God blessed him with... Being a wonderful craftsmen. His tools & his shop made him smile. It was his happy place... and he loved building things. He was completely, without a doubt, wonderful at it.

I want to remember his last escapade that scared the shit out of all of us.

On August 8, he took the car without anyone knowing. He hadn't driven in years and was on medication to help with the pain of his treatment. We all called & texted him a million times- no answers. About two hours went by and he finally came home.

He went to Lowe's to get wood to build a shelf. 

We were honestly unsure how the hell he made it to Lowe's, shopped, and came back safely.  

*I know now, that God looked out for him the entire way... because he knew that it would be his last shelf my Dad would ever build on Earth.  



My Dad now rests in peace, with no pain. And I will never forget him or the things he loved in life. I will never forget our "camping trips" in our living room as we toasted delicious marshmallows in the fireplace. I will never, ever forget the "I love you more" game that we played driving in the car. I will always remember the way he called me Squeaky. I will always remember how he would blame his  farts on the little mouse in the couch.

I will never forget him... And when I ever feel lonely, I will to look up and talk to him.



 *Dad- I love you and miss you more than you will ever know. I would give anything to bring you back... I love you, more !!