Leaving...

Today is the day that Q left for his job training in Florida for 2 months.  Yes, I am going to miss him so much, already do, but it can't be as bad as what it was when he was at TBS and I was in Charleston for a whole 7 months about, right?

The one bad thing about Q leaving is that he took the Mac Laptop and this is no bueno for me because it is where I do ALL of my photo editing and everything for my blog so now I have to go back to using the PC and it just doesn't have a cool photo program like the Mac does; I am going to have to figure something out I guess.

I spent the whole day today trying to brainstorm on my ideas of what I want to accomplish while he is gone so I started my list...

• organize my closet
• organize office closet
• prepare for my mom and grandma to come visit next month!
• take Cali to the water- LOTS!
• shop for family room furniture
• start my Christmas shopping lists
• create my Christmas decoration list
• prepare my application for nursing school

ALL IN 48 DAYS!!! I am sure I will be adding many things to this list as the time goes on but it is a start. I CAN DO THIS!!

Decorations Part 2

I know it has been a while since I have updated you all on the decor of the house.  It has been coming together.  Still need to put up the curtains in the living room, get a cushion on the Expedit in the entry and of course some furniture for our family room but no big deal, with time. 

I found this really cute frame at TJMaxx and it works perfectly for the thermostat. 

This area still needs some additions but the boot tray is so fun to us.  We found it on sale at Target (I actually had patience and it finally paid off).

In our very bare family room, this is the fireplace.  We got out lovely candle basket thing from our dearest Josh and Joanna and then I made the candy corn colored wine bottles. 

In the living room, we have this giant bookcase and it has become my decoration center.  I love the way all the colors pop against the black. 

Mason jars painted for fall

Cinnamon stick candles and my vase-ish that I found on clearance at Michaels for $6! I couldn't pass it up. 

Fall orange candles, gives some color and sparkle to the shelf.

Now on to the kitchen were I have my ipad/cookbook holder and some candy corn :)

In the dining room, we finally have 4 chairs that are the same height.  We bought two originally and then found two more in the As-Is section at IKEA but we didn't realize they were taller than our original ones until we got home so we had to figure out a way to measure and cut them to the same height as the other ones.  This was actually way more complicated than originally planned but Q figured it out and now we can sit comfortably at the table. 

Thanks to Pinterest, I also made the little bat guys that are hanging from the light.  They are egg cartons cut and painted with crazy eyes and some ribbon. 

Kitchen Help

We had a metal shelf that we bought at IKEA before we left VA but somehow during the move we had lost it somewhere in the transit so we have been pondering what to do in the area above the sink. 

{BEFORE}

We had 2 spice racks that we have been trying to find homes for too so we put them up and added an autumn sign I found at TJMaxx. 

 {AFTER}

It gives just enough color and decoration above the sink.  Really changes the whole feel in the kitchen. 

Porch Makeover

Ever since we moved here, we really hated how small the front porch was; I like to sit out front and watch Cali run around and we enjoy hanging out there on a beautiful day.  We also hated the bushes that were planted there; there was nothing attractive about them really.

We didn't really like the pine straw either so we removed that and added some river stones and it doubled our space.  We can now have the love seat out there and have less debris coming into the house.  It's a win win situation.  

This was such a great and simple weekend makeover that we just love each and every day! 

Big Waves

This past weekend we took Cali to the actual beach rather than just the river behind the house. This was her first time seeing the big waves and I have to say she wasn't so sure about them.  Pardon me but I forgot the waterproof camera so I was not able to document the water action so we will just have to go back again.

She loves going for rides in the car and gets so excited to stick her head out the window.

Of course you have to travel with toys. No other way of doing it.

She dug tons of holes and I hid her ball in them and she dug it back out. Easily entertained.

And when she got tired, she hung out behind dad's chair. 

Such a beautiful day.  Couldn't have asked for better weather! 

Yum stick!

The girl that eats EVERYTHING.  We are definitely in that stage of eating anything and everything that could be eaten.

She really LOVES her some sticks, sand, pinecones, acorns, leaves etc

But she of course loves all of her toys

She would stay outside 24/7 if she could.  Most of the time we don't have to watch her and she stays in the yard which is so nice. 

Growing too fast

I can't tell you how looking at these two pictures feels to me.  The one on the left is of Cali when she was just about 8 or 9 weeks old and the one on the right is how she looks today at 19 weeks.  

I hate how big she is getting but at the same time it is exciting.  She is definitely much easier to handle now that she is getting older.  She may be getting bigger but that doesn't mean I can't pick her up and snuggle with her like I did when she was so small.

She is definitely my partner in crime and I don't know what I would do without her :)

ICE

Cali LOVES her some ice.. no matter its form

She really loves it in water bottles...

She also thinks that every time you get into the ice tray in the freezer that it is her turn to get ice... and sometimes it is

She throws it and rolls all over the floor trying to get it. She's too funny. Good way to occupy herself.

Critters

Apparently this weekend the critters in the water wanted to come out and play.  If it was up to Cali they would have played with her but it was not her lucky day... good thing she can occupy herself. 

To my surprise she did not get bit or pinched by a crab.

She loves the water and gets more and more fearless every time.

Q was shocked by how many critters were out.  There were a ton of shrimp.. if only we had a huge net so we could catch some dinner

There were flounder (I think that is what Q said they were) hiding in the shallow sand.  Needless to say we had a lot of fun seeing how close we could get before they swam away.  Q got to touch one... he was fearless.

Then there were the crab. Pretty sure it is mating season and they were EVERYWHERE.  Look at the cute guy here in the picture.  Don't you just wanna play with him. 

The Little One

Who can believe that Cali is now almost 4 1/2 months old.  She is growing like a weed and getting so much cuter.  

We haven't been able to teach her a lot of new things lately but I'm sure when Q goes to training I will be able to teach her more. 

She loves to stand up and look out the window and sometimes (especially at night) her own image scares her and she barks and growls at herself.  I will try to catch her doing it. 

She is learning how to dance right now and we are working on the twirling aspect of it.  Check her out here. 

Decorations Part 1

Pinterest is going to be the death of me (or should I say Q's wallet) this holiday season. There are just so many cute ideas.

With many ideas in mind, this one was actually started and finished and I love it and it was so easy!

First I started with some canvas and scrapbook paper.

Then I mod podged the paper to the canvas.  

I printed out the letters off of word and traced them with permanent marker so it bled through and made the outline on the paper. 

Then I just colored it in with black permanent marker. 

Attached all the boards together with some ribbon and added a ribbon to the top to hang on the wall. 

So simple and easy and could have been done in one day. Nice splash of color to the walls as well. 

Back again!

You may have been wondering why I have not been posting as much lately and I am here to tell you that it is not because I have been busy... far from it.

We have been having internet issues and finally today (about an hour ago) the internet guy FINALLY came and fixed our wiring problem.  Now we have internet and it is soo much faster even.  I can't tell you what it has been like without the joy of technology for a whole week, yes a WEEK! Oh wait, that's why we have the lovely 3G on cell phones these days to keep us connected; so really I haven't totally been disconnected from the world but it was close enough!

While I have been gone, we have been busy decorating the house and giving the outside a small make-over but those details will be saved for a later time.

Q was so sweet last weekend to take me on a little date night.  We went to a restaurant on Atlantic Beach called Crab Claws.  It was so cute and it was known for its margaritas so of course we had to get them.  It also brought back some similar memories from our honeymoon where we went to a place that you had to walk through the sand on the beach to get to the table.  This place wasn't as beachy but we were the last establishment before you hit sand so it was close enough for me :)

We had some delish food and I can't wait for someone to come visit us so we can take them there even though it wont be as fun in the cooler months.

All in all we had a great time and I am so thankful that Q went out of his way to find a great place to eat and made it special.