Spring is in the Air

The warmer weather and flowers blooming have been so beautiful!  I love the fresh air and getting to be outside.  One particular almost18 month old is especially loving seeing all the pretty things outside.

Last Sunday, we put his boots on and I followed him around the yard and watched him play.  He was very inquisitive, as usual.  Even the ant beds took a stomping!

He is really turning into a loud and rambuncious little boy-  still very sweet, but he is all boy!

It was so cute when he stopped to smell the flowers.  It's really great how children help you do that sort of thing- everything is new and worth stopping to look at a little closer.

After running all over the yard, gathering sticks, throwing rocks and smelling flowers it was time for a little rest....

I know I'm biased but isn't this one beautiful little boy?

I can't wait to do more fun things with him now that it's time to get out of the house.  I usually start cleaning out and painting stuff in the Spring.  That is a given now, since we are in full renovation mode at our new house.  More updated pictures of that coming soon.

I'm planning a trip to the zoo-  it will be his first time to go to the zoo and I'm pretty sure he will be ecstatic at the sight of the animals.  A beach trip is in the works too.  

What is your favorite thing to do once the weather gets pretty?

Our New House

Well, here we are.  It's finally time to introduce you to our very first real house as a married couple.  We've been married almost 4 years and finally settled down to buy our first house.  It wasn't the easiest thing to find a great one, but we finally did!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow- I won't be living out of a suitcase much longer!!

On my list of wants for our new house included charm and character; I love older houses.  What this house lacks in lots of space it makes up for in cuteness and the massive yard around the home.

This one was quite the fixer upper- it needed attention everywhere.  I could see the potential through the outdated finishes and peeling lead paint (yikes!).  But I'm not going to lie that it didn't scare me just a little bit.  Okay, sometimes it scared me a lot, but I love doing all this!  

I'm going to start the pictures with progress and then later we'll go back and I'll show you what it looked like from the very beginning- pink carpet and all.

So, without further adieu here is our little bungalow:

A ton of work is getting done on the inside but I plan to do some things outside too.  Repaint the steps, remove the railing in the center, change the color of the front door and paint the ceiling on the porch.  

I can picture myself sipping sweet tea on that porch swing.  Wow, isn't that a stereotypical image of the South?  Ha!  

If you are around, stop by and join me!

The back of the house needs so much curb appeal that it is crazy! And unfortunately you drive up to the house from the back, so I have a lot of work to do back there.

In the front yard there are these steps that go down into the lower half of the yard.  I thought that was pretty cute.

And there is something else cute;)

.

The Front Porch.

The living room.  Aren't those built-ins and windows quaint?  

There was an attic fan here that got taken out.

This is the view from the kitchen after the wall had been taken out to open up the space.

This is the pantry.  I love those glass doors, I just need to figure out how to get that paper off the glass because it doesn't peel.  Any ideas?  Do you see that lightbulb hanging from a wire up there? That will need to be replaced too.

The mudroom.  I really like all those windows in there.

And last, the dining room view from the hallway.  This was before the wall was taken out on the left where you see that swinging door.

The contractors, electricians and painters are in full swing now and that makes my heart so happy!!!

  I'll post more pictures soon.

If you've done a home renovation, do you have any words of wisdom for me?

Little Friends

Last week when I dropped Foster off at school, Mrs. Becky was loading up a couple of the children in the wagon to take a little stroll, there was just enough room for Foster so he got to go too.  

They were loving it!

Foster, Avery, and Goodwin

Sweet little girl cheesing for the camera!

There they go!

I think Foster has a great time at school and loves playing with his friends.  When I picked him up he was getting in some serious play time.  When he saw me, he ran to me and got so excited but went back to hug his friends good-bye.  That was so funny to me that he has started doing that!

There was one little girl there that he kept hugging, but he was trying to secretly take her plastic celery.  She was on to him and after she had had enough of it- she knock him upside the head.  

He got the idea to leave her alone and he moved on to pass out hugs to the rest of his friends!

His teacher said that he was an excellent helper and kept cleaning up after everybody today.  Weird?!  (Especially if you know his Daddy and me.)

Last Thursday was also the Alabama River Chili-Cookoff.  It was a lot of fun to go downtown and taste all the yummy chilis and support the local businesses.

He had enough of the stroller ride, so he got out and loved looking at the balloons from Pediatric Denistry!

The night was finally complete when he saw Ranger!  Foster kept saying "Woo! Woo!"  He is really starting to LOVE all animals.  Isn't Ranger cute in that t-shirt?

Tomorrow there will be pictures of the new house!  Can't wait to show, but can't wait to move even more!!!

Question and Answer

In case you are new around here (or not) and you would like to get to know me a little better, here are a few questions I was asked to answer for your reading enjoyment from Gail @ Sophisticated Steps.  

Here you go!

1.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
This is a tough one- I'd love to live a lot of places.  Nashville would be fun, San Francisco is beautiful.  I'd love to spend some time living on a tropical island.  I'd also like to spend some time living in a (read: modernized) hut in Africa.  That would probably be more of a short-term living arrangement, but I would like to do it if I was doing mission work.


2.  What's the nicest thing that anyone has ever said to you (or complimented you on)?
The most recent thing was a teenage girl told me I talked like a princess.  Oh my goodness, I don't know about that, but I thought it was sweet.


3.  What's your biggest pet peeve?
When I walk into a dark room, flip the switch and it doesn't come on.  That is so annoying to me.  And people that complain all the time and are negative.  You know those people who have something bad to say about everybody or just life in general-  not the people I love to be around.


4.  What's your best and worst quality?
I think one of my good qualities is my generosity and thinking of others.  My worst is probably my impatience.  That is something I'm working on!


5.  Coffee or tea?  And what do you put in it?
Definitely coffee-  cream and sugar, please.


6.  Would you rather go out dancing or to a movie?
Well, that depends.  I like to dance at weddings but if you mean dancing at a club- no way!  One time in college I went to a club with some friends and I thought it was awful.  Cage dancers are not my thing!  In that case, I would much rather go to the movies.  Just call me MeMaw.


7.  What's your greatest accomplishment so far?  I'd have to say my sweet little family.  It is certainly a blessing.  There aren't too many people my age that have found an amazing husband and have an adorable child.  I'm also thankful for my education and the ability (by God's grace) to make some tough decisions that led me to where I am today.


8.  What is your biggest goal/dream?
This may sound too easy, but I would LOVE to be totally organized in my home and work life.  This includes also being totally debt free.  I'd like to be in really good shape and really healthy too.  Most importantly, I want to be a Godly wife that honors my husband and raise my children to be respectful and loving people.  I think being a respectable wife and mother is one of the highest callings.


9.  What is your favorite song?
 "How Great thou Art"  is my favorite.  It's just a classic and the words are beautiful.


10.  What is the messiest room in your house?
My closet and bathroom are definitely the messiest.  After I get ready in the morning it looks like a tornado just hit!


11.  Why did you start a blog?
I started my blog when I was a newlywed and pregnant with my first child.  I wanted to remember all these important times in our life.


I remember seeing this show on the Discovery Channel when I was younger about this person who couldn't live a normal life because she was obsessed with documenting everything in her journal. Of course that's extreme, but I remember thinking "wow, she won't ever forget anything!"  Well, blogging is my little version of that.  It's a great way for me to remember all these important or mundane things in our life.  I love it!


Here are my questions for a few of my blog friends:
1.  You've been forced to give up all but one item of makeup.  What is the ONE thing you have to keep?
2.  What is your favorite online store to shop?
3.  What book are you currently reading?
4.  What is your favorite vacation spot?
5.  If you could go back and choose a different career path what would it be?
6.  Do you have any hidden talent or something you are good at?
7.  What is playing on your ipod right now?
8.  List the places that you have visited from around the world.
9.  What is your favorite clothing store?
10.  What goals do you have for the next 5 years?

Please play!  I want to read your answers, but no worries if you can't:-) 

Ashley @ Christian Wife Life

Rayne @ Osborn Originals

Kylee @ Learning to Abandon

Angie @ Living like Kings

Meghan @ Shine On

Christine @ A Quiet Determination

Lindzy @ Lindzy Nicole

Jana @ Garnered

Jackie @ A Day in the Life