thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) This birthday girl. I can't believe my little sister is 24 today... which can only mean that I am quickly approaching the big 3-0. I am so thankful that Jenna was able to visit us last weekend for a little pre-birthday celebration. Happy birthday Jenna! I love you!

2) Antique fairs. I went to an awesome antique show last Sunday that was close to my house. It was fabulous... rows and rows of beautiful furniture, vintage jewelry, civil war finds... all kinds of cool stuff.

3) A Habersham visit. Lance and I will hit the road today and make the 7 hour drive to the 'Sham. We have big plans for this next week... seeing and loving on family... making it to a couple of Raider football games... hanging out with some friends... getting a couple of photo shoots in... oh, and work of course.

top five :: fall TV

In last week's Thankful Thursday post, I gave a little shout out to the thrill of Fall television. And as promised, I have a Top Five list for my favorite shows... {I could probably create a Top Five list for just about anything}

1) How I Met Your Mother. I love everything about this show. Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris) literally makes me pee in my pants. The producers of this show brilliantly combine humor for married couples and singles.

2) Big Bang Theory. I was hesitant about this show in the beginning, but it didn't take long to win me over. With it's geeky humor and hilarious characters, this show has me hooked. Bazinga.

3) The Office. How can you not love The Office?? I mean, really... for anyone that has ever worked in any type of office environment can surely appreciate the awkward humor of Michael Scott (Steve Carell).

4) Glee. I knew I would love this one from the very moment I saw it advertised with the Journey cover song. Being in a high school show choir myself, I'm all for television that randomly breaks into song and dance for no apparent reason. And Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) is funny enough to keep Lance in the room.

5) NCIS. Just in case you thought I only watched comedies and musical sitcoms... This drama always sucks me in, and I can appreciate a show that is resolved within the hour. No waiting until next week (or next season) to see what happens.

he & she

I stole this little idea straight from Elise's blog... (gasp, I know. Shocking, right? That I would borrow one of Elise's brilliant little ideas?) But it is a brilliant idea. Just an easy little way to show a snapshot of what he & she are doing these days.

At first, I was going to make myself some rules... because, you see, being fairly OCD, I like rules. I usually thrive off of them. But not this time. I want freedom on this little project. I hope to do several of these in the future... and maybe even create an album or something to store them in... I love what Elise did. But I don't want the pressure of feeling like I have to do one every month, or every week, or whatever. The "he & she" project will reappear whenever I want it to. Edition 2 may show up tomorrow, or it might be next year... either way, I'm excited about it.

~~~

{awesome painting by Eckland Cort}

he is studying and reading more than he ever anticipated.

she is enjoying working in her sweatpants.

he is missing football on Friday nights.

she is making their new house feel like a home.

they recently received special visits from Houston, TX and Birmingham, AL.

he is a stud at intramural sports, and just led his flag football team to the championship game.

she is thrilled because she was just booked to photograph two more weddings.

they think they have finally found a new church home.

he is making friends in his classes and on the basketball court.

she is making friends wherever she can find them.

they are getting lots of quality time together... and I mean lots.

the closet-clothes-swap

My sister is brilliant. She really is. A closet-clothes-swap... I mean, how genius, right?

So, this is how it works. Said sister goes through her closet in Birmingham, AL for any clothes that she still likes (doesn't want to give away), but doesn't necessarily wear that often. Then I do the same... scouring my own closet in Louisville, KY, following the same guidelines. Every 2-3 months, when one of us visits the other, we will exchange our piles of clothing.

The swap works beautifully for us. Our tastes are so similar, but what we purchase is usually so different. Jenna is the queen of basics... her closet overflows with whites, blacks, and greys... with the occasional navy blue if she's feeling adventurous. My closet, on the other hand is a collection of greens, yellows, pinks, and purples. But see, we both wish for the other when we are dressing. A bright pink shirt usually looks best with black pants... and a plain white tank is adorable with a cute floral skirt. My colors need basics... and Jenna's basics need color. Hence, the closet-clothes-swap.

Jenna's swap pile...

Julia's swap pile...

I am pleased to say that the first-ever closet-clothes-swap was a huge success.


Top 5 :: Tips to Successful Closet-Clothes-Swapping...

1) Swap items you would actually still wear. This is not for your donations.

2) Include at least one fun belt, purse or scarf in your swap pile.

3) Don't swap clothes that you know might be too small for the other sister (ie, Julia) to ensure that you don't send them into a deep depression where they go out and buy a gallon of ice cream.

4) Be sure to agree before-hand on the number of items that will be swapped.

5) If you don't miss it when it's gone, donate it when it comes back.

thankful thursday {a day late & a dollar short}

This Thursday, err... I mean Friday, I am thankful for:

1) A special weekend visitor. My sister, Jenna, and her boyfriend, Chris, are driving up from Birmingham for a fun-filled Louisville weekend! I can't wait to see them! Weekend festivities will include mani/pedis, a pre-birthday celebration, watching a volleyball game, lots of good food, and a closet-clothes-swap (more on this later). Cannot wait.

~~~

2) Archiver's. I seriously love this store. It is a crafter's dream-come-true... and a crafter's husband's worst nightmare, but that's besides the point. It just so happens that there is an Archiver's in the mall near my house. Don't worry, I've already picked up their monthly workshop schedule.

~~~

3) Fall TV shows. I have seen a lot of blog love out there this week in regards to all the great TV sitcoms coming back on air. I usually don't watch much TV, but come fall... I defintely have a few shows I look forward to. But more on this later... expect a 'top 5 list' soon, you can thank my new friend Jenny for that idea:)

i can't complain... but sometimes i still do.

So, there's this great song by the Eagle's (Joe Walsh), "Life's Been Good." It's a classic, and I'm sure most of you have heard it. But there's this one part of the song that I've never really paid much attention to before... but today, it resonated with me.

"I can't complain, but sometimes I still do."

How true, how true. Lately, I've been thinking about how great I really have it. I have an amazing husband. I have an awesome job. I have a fabulous little house. I have a closet full of clothes. Let's keep going, shall we? I have my health. I have food to eat. I have a bed to sleep in. I have shelter over my head. I mean seriously... I can't complain.

But sometimes I still do.

I do. I complain about how little our house is. I complain about being hungry. I complain about not having anything to wear. I complain about having to work all day. The list could go on and on, but I will stop, for fear that some of you will start to think that I truly am a horribly ungrateful person.

I've been realizing how good I have it lately. Now... I just need to remember how good I have it. Because, you know, I really can't complain:)

snail mail happiness...

Snail mail just does it for me. I'm not exactly sure what it is about it... but I love it. I love receiving it, and I love sending it.

I've mentioned it before. There is just something thrilling about spotting that one envelope in the mailbox. You know... the envelope with your address actually hand written... the envelope that shows no signs of a clear plastic window... the envelope that is yellow or red.

Well, this has been a good snail mail week... I found an adorable little post office around the corner from my house. I mean seriously, this post office is the cutest thing you've ever seen. I caught up on a few birthday cards and packages (some on time, some not-so-much). FedEx and UPS have finally figured out what "guest house" means and where to leave our packages.

Our little PO Box even saw some love this week...

Just when I had given up hope of ever finding the Ghirardelli cookies at any of my local grocery stores, a box of yummy goodness arrived from this thoughtful friend.

I also received a fun envelope from my all-time favorite blogger, Elise, stuffed with beautiful papers, tags and mini envelopes. Remember how I was thinking about signing up for Elise's BIGmini workshop? Well, I did. And it just so happened that I lucked out and was selected for a daily giveaway... hence the paper goodies:)

As if all of that wasn't awesome enough... today the FedEx man stopped by to deliver a box from this dear friend. I am never disappointed after receiving anything from Courtney and little Claire Bear. Today, it was a welcome home package with everything I need to have my new friends over for a little wine and cheese party! A bottle of Riesling (my fav), some awesome party napkins, paper plates, and the most adorable set of ceramic labels for my cheese platter!

Go ahead... send someone some snail mail. You will make their day... promise.

Happy mailing!

weekend festivities...

We spent this past weekend doing a little bit of this...

A lot of this...

Then some dinner with them...

With photo opportunities here...

And then a little more of this...

john marshall {louisville children's photographer}

I was finally able to put my camera to good use and had my first photo shoot since moving to Louisville... I could not have asked for a better (or more adorable) little model;)

Meet John Marshall... isn't he precious?!?! Supposedly, he has been cutting teeth and has had a little cold... although, you could have fooled me! This boy was sweet as pie.

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Parental visits. Yep, Mom & Dad are making their way from Houston to Louisville to check out our new digs. We have lots of fun activities planned for the weekend... including (but not limited to), a trip to the farmer's market, dinner at the Captain's Quarters, lunch and shopping in Bardstown, and a tour of Churchill Downs!

2) Falling leaves. I love the beginning of fall. When the leaves are transforming into brilliant colors, and slowly making their way to the ground. They seem to fall as if they have all the time in the world... just floating and twirling. I love that.

3) Farmer's markets. We made our first trip this past weekend and came home with cherry tomatoes, deliciously ripe peaches, the best cheese spread ever, and some flowers. I love the idea of farm-to-kitchen. Sadly, this particular farmer's market only has two weekends left. We will be going both weekends.