new addition...

for my dear friend polly and her hubs!



isn't he the sweetest?
not only did he luck out with fabulous parents, but his big sister is the cutest!




guess who loves a baby? (hint- it's not me)



cooper is great with a baby- he's so careful and so fascinated by how little they are.

seriously- so sweet.

thanks polly for being such a relaxed new mom and a wonderful friend (not to mention trusting coop with your newborn)!



welcome baby jamison- we're SO happy you're here!!

Our move by the numbers....

15- Trips to Good Will (before the move)
60- Books donated to Cooper's school book sale
4- Trips to the thrift store (after the move)
44- Total number of boxes packed by the packers
8- Remaining boxes to be unpacked
4- Number of boxes I packed myself only to have the packers unpack and repack them to their standards
11- Total number of people in my house at 11:30 AM on Friday (3 contractors- who may as well be family by now, 2 countertop installers, 1 cable guy and 7 movers). It was crazy!
3- Trips to the landfill to rid ourselves of trash and packing materials
1- Piece of furniture that didn't fit up the stairs (thankfully NOT our kingsize bed!)
30+ - Number of times Jon and I said, "can you believe we're here?" to each other
6- Number of hours I spent on Saturday unpacking aided by 3 of the most amazing women on the planet. I wouldn't have been nearly as "together" as I am without them. Love you girls!!
7- Number of boys who arrived in a pack to welcome Cooper to the neighborhood
4- Neighbors who have stopped by to deliver food, flowers or say welcome home


3- Happy new homeowners!!

Home Sweet Home

We're home!



New address, new friends, new adventures.
It's so exciting!

two words....make these!!

my picture isn't great...but these biscuits were fantastic!

they're 7-up biscuits, have 4 ingredients and can be whipped up in 5 minutes.
i found a picture on pinterest (where they look MUCH better) and decided to try them out.

the verdict?

run, don't walk to the grocery store and pick up some bisquick, 7-up and sour cream. i'm assuming you've got butter!

click here for the real recipe and enjoy!

so easy, so quick and so yummy.

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2012 brings a quest for living more simply.
jon and i are convinced that we can do it and that the rewards will be many.

we're making many changes- some big (our move) and some small.

the small one i'm loving right this second?
unsubscribing from the crazy number of advertising e-mails in my inbox.

it's so easy....open the offeding e-mail, scroll to the bottom, click unsubscribe and wait.

i can feel myself getting more organized as i'm clicking.
bring on the simple life!

Go Hokies!!!!

It's a big day....
Tech at THE SUGAR BOWL!

Even though we won't be there in person....


We're there in spirit!

Go Hokies Go!!

the kitchen before & after

A few years ago (2009 to be exact) I sent an e-mail to Layla from The Lettered Cottage. and purchased a photo consultation that came with a free written consultation.

My living room was the lucky recipient of the photo consult and I adored the whole process, especially the end result! I did a post about it here. Layla did a post about it here!

I've made a few changes since then, but overall the room is pretty much the same.



I also did a post about my kitchen here but wasn't able to do much more than switch some wall art.

Fast forward to this spring when we decided to bite the bullet and tackle the kitchen. Clearly I'm on top of my blog posts because it's almost a year later and I have yet to post about it. Everything in good time.

Here are shots of my kitchen before-





And just a little more than 2 years later and with lots of helpful inspiration from Layla, here is my kitchen after-





We didn't spend a ton of money- instead of using granite or something else equally as expensive, we opted for C*rian. Rather than getting all new cabinets, we opted for adding new doors, hardware and a fresh coat of paint. We also decided that although the dishwasher wasn't stainless, we just couldn't justify getting a new one when our old one worked just fine. It's all about weighing your options and prioritizing your wants.

These choices felt like the right ones for us both functionally and financially. Each time I walk into the room, I smile! It was worth the wait.

And, as luck would have it, we're in need of making some changes to the kitchen in our new house and we've already ordered some of the same products to transform that space too. When something works- why not stick with it!

A huge thanks to Layla for her design genius, her willingness to share it and for making kitchen dreams come true!

Happy New Year

We had big plans for New Years Eve....



Jon, Cooper & Wade went fishing. They had a fantastic day for it and caught a rockfish. Thanks to Cooper, the fish was set free to ring in 2012!

I spent the day with my sweet river friends scoping out some fun shops and thinking about furniture placement at our new house.

Jon and I decided to take Cooper to a movie and "We Bought a *oo" seemed like a good choice. I should have done a little more homework because I wasn't quite prepared for the emotional toll it would have on me. My word.....I sobbed the entire time. Sweet Matt D, children with no mother, a boy who doesn't want to move but has to anyway, blowing the cover on the Easter Bunny and a dying tiger??? STOP THE MADNESS.

In all seriousness, I really did like the movie, it just was more than I bargained for in my current state of "on the verge" as we get closer to moving day.

After the movie we grabbed a pizza and then headed next door for a celebration. I was in charge of decorations. I have a New Years bag of treats and the favorite item of the night were these glasses.



Yes, they're from 2008. But if you look closely you'll see that part of the 8 is missing in an attempt to make them pass for the 2009 party. I'm nothing if not committed to the 3R's! I don't think these will be back next year.

Cooper made it until about 8:20. We toasted early with some sparkling cider and he was out for the count.



Sweet little thing.
Jon lasted about 2 more hours......
And for the 2nd year in a row, I'm the last one standing!



Hope you were able to ring in the New Year with the ones you love, whether it happened at 8pm, 10pm or midnight!