thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Organization. Like...real.deal.organization... with pretty containers and lots & lots of labels. I recently organized our food storage area... it was a major undertaking. We basically went from absolutely no pantry what-so-ever, to a beautiful shelf system for all of our everyday food items. I couldn't be more pleased with how it turned out. Want to see more?? You can see all of the details in my guest post over at Bird & Branch Redesign! (Yes, that was a shameless plug:)

2) Final payments. I'm pretty sure this has been on my Thankful Thursday list before... but paying off debt is ALWAYS exciting. Especially when it's that last and final payment on a credit card. We were able to pay off a card this week with the hard-earned money we made from Ebay recently!! Such.a.good.feeling. Now... let's see... what else can we sell...

3) Redemption. {image} Lance and I are participating in Redemption Groups again this weekend. Confused about what Redemption Group is? You can read about my first experience here. This time, Lance and I are going though as apprentices... as we continue to learn how to better care and counsel others in the gospel. It is such a powerful weekend and I am excited to see how the Lord works both in and through His children. If you have a moment, please say a prayer for us this weekend... please pray that this would be a very freeing weekend for all involved... that God would gently break down walls and barriers, some of which have been up for a very long time.

I always love reading all of the Thankful Thursday link-ups each week... and last week there were several good ones... But there seemed to be a "health" theme going on last week. Jennifer, from Too Goodin to be True, was asking for prayer for her grandmother's health. Her grandmother is also her shopping buddy, which I love. Candice, from Where Nothing Good Comes Easy, has a little one that has been under the weather lately, but J is getting healthier by the day! And then Sarah, over from The Fontenot Four, had the sweetest post about her daughter Peyton and her health. It really put things in perspective for me. While we might not always see the "good" in things initially, there is always something to be grateful for.

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

Kate Says Stuff

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life

happy, happy!

Yesterday was a very special day for two very special reasons...

1) March 13th is my parent's anniversary... their 36th anniversary to be exact. 36 years... that.is.awesome. I am so thankful for the example of love and commitment that they have always been to me. And even more thankful now that I am married myself. It is such a blessing to grow up in a family where love is always present. I love you mom & dad... thank you for loving one another so well.

{sending lots of love your way... be looking for your card soon!!}

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2) March 13th is also a birthday for two very special little girls I know. My nieces turned FOUR yesterday!! Four.years.old... cannot believe it. They are quite hilarious these days and have each developed their own little personality and quirks. Happy birthday Jocelyn & Gabbie!! We love you!

{sending some happies your way girls, be looking for them soon!}

top 10 :: creative projects i wish i had time for

I've been daydreaming and pinning... writing to-do lists and trying to make creative time a part of my regular schedule... but I haven't gotten much further than the daydreams and to-do lists... However... if I did have a little bit of time... here are the top 10 creative projects that I would begin working on right away...

1) Fancy up my full length mirror.

I'm thinking something similar to what Mandy did on Sugar Bee Crafts. Just some fancy trim from the hardware store and a fun paint color. I'm pretty sure I would just use the same blue paint I used on my nightstand love affair.

2) Catch up on Project Life.

I am still saving and collecting little bits and pieces from life... and I'm even doing a decent job on printing my photos... just struggling to make time to just sit and work on the album itself. I'm hoping I can play catch-up in the near future.

3) Write some personal letters. {image}

This was one of my New Year's Resolutions this year... to write more REAL letters... you know, the old fashioned kind. I have a list of people that I would really like to write to soon... you know... with pen and paper... and a stamp...

4) Label the shelves on our bookcase.

I bought these awesome metal shelving labels from Amazon a while back... now I just need to decide how to organize our books so we can label each shelf... I know Lance is super excited about this one... (insert sarcasm here).

5) Finish my chalkboard project.

This has been one of those projects that has been following me around for years... seriously. It's not even that it's a hard project... I just need to flippin' finish it. And I am super close.

6) Paint a favorite piece of furniture.

I love this piece of furniture... it has served about every purpose so far... from craft storage, to a media cabinet, to a make-shift pantry, to a china hutch. It's a super functional piece. I want to paint it. Just not sure what color yet...

7) Complete last year's December Daily album.

I finally completed my 2012 December Daily album in November of 2011... and I swore I would do better this year... but yeah... that hasn't really happened. Maybe I can find time to work on it this summer??

8) Organize my Black Tag Photography archives.

I know this doesn't really seem like a creative project... but just work with me on this one, okay? I would like to label all of my Black Tag Photography DVDs... and be able to sort them by client and date.

9) Save and cherish my 2012 cards in style.

I have always been a hoarder when it comes to greeting cards and letters... I just can't seem to throw them away... ever. So, last year I came up with a way to save my cards and letters so that it felt more like saving memories, rather than hoarding large amounts of paper. Now I just need to make sure I keep up with my card collection.

10) Do something cool with my tiny round vintage frames.

I have a few ideas for these sweet little round frames... some include spray paint... others include hearts and stamps... either way, I hope I'm able to do something cool with them soon.

So, there you have it... the top 10 creative projects that I wish I had time for. Just think of all the great posts I would have if I actually completed any of these! What about you? Anything on your creative to-do list??

Linking this up to Many Little Blessings.

weekend festivities...

This weekend was a jam-packed, fun-filled, crazy-busy weekend.

It started with a visit from Lance's younger brother, Bryan and his wife Marcia Lynn. They drove in late Thursday night, finally getting to Louisville after 2:00am (yeah... I didn't wait up for them, sorry guys). I still had to work on Friday, but Lance took Bryan and Marcia Lynn all around town...

They visited the Louisville Slugger museum... which I was super jealous about... because I still haven't been.

Then they headed across the Ohio River into Indiana to get in a few shots at the shooting range. (Thanks to Marcia Lynn for sending some photos:)

Friday night we took Bryan and Marcia Lynn to one of our favorite local restaurants, Eiderdown... it's a little German restaurant that is literally right around the corner from our house... one of our favorite "walk-to" spots.

Eiderdown has some seriously AMAZING beer cheese. Pretty much everything there is ridiculously tasty.

And what Friday night wouldn't be complete without a little good ol' fashion karaoke?!? After dinner we met a few of our friends at yet another favorite "walk-to" spot for some classic karaoke entertainment at Groucho's. I would give you a link for Groucho's but it's one of those hole-in-the-wall spots that isn't quite cool enough for a website yet... which in my opinion, the sketchier, the better, when it comes to karaoke.

Saturday morning came bright and early (think 6:30am)... for a huge yard sale we were helping with. Our community group hosted a big yard sale this weekend to help support one of the girls in our group who is going on a mission trip to Ethiopia in a few weeks.

...And it was a huge success!! We were able to raise $600, which was almost $200 more than what she needed! I'm pretty sure it was due to my mad-marketing skills.

Saturday night we were all pretty wiped out. Lance had helped with the yard sale, as well as helping a friend move in the morning. Bryan and Marcia Lynn did their own driving tour around the city, eating on Market Street and visiting the University of Louisville's campus... it was a busy day for all of us. We had an early dinner at Hammerheads... a true hidden treasure... a complete hole-in-the-wall restaurant with some of the most amazing sandwiches EVER (I had the pork belly sandwich on a pretzel bun... yes, I said pretzel bun). Again... within walking distance from our house.... so, so good.

Then we all headed back to the house with full bellies and watched Hugo. I was impressed... super cute movie... and I can see why it was nominated for so many awards.

Sunday was just as eventful... we enjoyed a great sermon at church. Then attended a fabulous wedding shower for some very sweet friends. The guys all played poker downstairs, while the girls laughed and giggled over hilarious shower games.

Told you... CR-A-ZY weekend.... but oh-so-fabulous.

What about you? How was your weekend?

ebay v. craigslist

After my Thankful Thursday list post from yesterday, I had several comments asking about Ebay and how it differed from Craigslist... Which was better? Which I preferred? What's the difference? ...etc, etc.

So.... I thought it might be helpful to do a quick little review of the two very popular selling sites. This "review" is strictly based on my experiences as a new(ish) seller... I am not a fanatical seller (not yet anyways) and have only sold a handful of items on either Ebay or Craigslist. And, truth be told, my husband really did all of the hard work in listing most of our items.

Okay, so that all being said, let's start the official review, shall we?

Craigslist...

Craigslist is an online community allowing people to both purchase and sell items according to their location. The major advantage of Craigslist over Ebay would be that it's much easier to sell/buy large items (like furniture or cars even) because the person you are selling to/buying from is ideally located in the same city, so you can easily make arrangements for pick up/delivery... ie, no shipping costs. Of course, anytime you are meeting complete strangers from the internet to exchange items, safety always becomes a concern. Always take precautions when arranging meeting locations.

We have tried selling a truck (yes... that sweet 1987 Chevy pickup, for those of you that know it well... sad, I know) and a sofa on Craigslist. So far, both with no luck. We had a few serious prospects come out to examine the truck... but regarding the sofa... not so much. Well, I take that back... we have had A TON of "hearing impaired" and "speech impaired" people interested in collecting our personal information so they could "purchase" the sofa... aka, we have encountered A TON of scammers on Craigslist. But that's to be expected more when you're dealing directly with all of the crazy people out there in the real world.

Ebay...

We have had a much better experience selling on Ebay. Ebay uses more of an auction-style of buying/selling... and overall seems to be much more protected. Ebay manages the bidding directly, and all payments are made through Paypal. We recently sold a bow, a jacket, and a guitar... all of which sold at higher amounts than we expected.

On Ebay you have the ability to set a "reserve" price if you know you don't want to accept anything lower than a certain amount. This ensures that if you do sell your items, you can at least collect a minimum amount or choose to not sell at all. If you're lucky your item might start a bidding war and the price is likely to go above what you were hoping for. You have to be organized and prepared to head to the post office as soon as your bid closes... that could be more effort than you're wanting to give. Depends on how motivated you are, I guess.

So... there you have it... my 2 cents on Ebay and Craigslist. Now who's ready to go sell some stuff!?!?

thankful thursday {link up}

{Link up your own Thankful Thursday post below...}

This Thursday I am thankful for...

1) Starbucks Caramel Apple Spice. I may have had this on my Thankful Thursday list before... but hey, there's no rule that says you can't be thankful for things more than once, right? And a host Starbucks caramel apple spice drink is totally double-thankful-worthy. I'm not a huge coffee drinker... especially at night... but a caramel apple spice is like a glorified hot apple cider... so, so good.

2) Project Life craft night. Last weekend I was invited to a friend's house to work on my Project Life album. It was so great! I love me a good ol' fashioned craft night. The goodness of this particular night was enhanced even more by the company I was with... sweedish fish candies... and girl scout cookies... Pretty spectacular evening, if you ask me.

3) Ebay. This past week Lance and I have been ebay-selling-machines... gotta make that money, man! We sold Lance's bow, one of Lance's jackets, and my guitar... all for more than we thought! We have been on a major mission to pay down debt this past year... and our recent ebay luck should hopefully help us accomplish that goal. Looking forward to paying off another credit card soon!!!

I always love reading all of the Thankful Thursday link-ups each week... and last week there were several that made me smile... but I loved reading my friend Liz's post over at The Colville Clan. I really appreciate Thankful Thursday lists that acknowledge the "little" things in life... you know, like cinnamon. I am also super jealous of Liz's "Beers & Books" club.... I mean, how genius is that? Book club... with beer. Brilliant. And a little fun fact for you... Liz and I went to elementary school together! I love that we have "reconnected" via the blogosphere.

What are you thankful for this week? Grab the Thankful Thursday button from the right sidebar and link up your own post below. Be sure to visit the other Thankful Thursday participants and share the love!!

Also linking up with:

Kate Says Stuff

The Fontenot Four

First Day of My Life

top 10 :: things i would do to our house if it weren't a rental

Don't mishear me... I LOVE our rental. I love our neighborhood, our 100 year old house, and our landlord... but the fact still remains that it.is.a.rental. And the changes we are able/allowed to make are limited. If I had a dollar for every time I've said, "You know what I would do if we owned this house??" I'd have like $34 dollars or something.

So... today's Top 1o list is titled, "top-ten-things-I-would-do-if-we-owned-our-house... and-had-an-extremely-large-home-renovation-budget."

1) Paint our kitchen cabinets.

We have oak cabinets. They are nice... and new. But they would look so.much.better in a creamy white or distressed black... don't you think?

2) Refinish our hardwood floors.

I love our floors. It was probably one of biggest selling points for us... original hardwood flooring... sigh... yes, please. They are just a tad beat up... could use a little love and care... and a LOT of sanding.

3) Move the washer and dryer hook-ups next to one another.

The washer is in one corner of our laundry room/closet area and the dryer is in the other corner... I want them to be friends... close to one another... side by side.

4) Paint the walls.

Well, actually... I would prefer if someone else would paint the walls for me.

5) Build a back deck/porch.

We currently have about a 2 foot drop from our back door to the ground... it will sneak up on you if you're not careful. I'd love to have a deck to step out on... maybe with a cute table and chairs?

6) Install shelving in the master closet/laundry room.

Lance has already made me some awesome closet space in this laundry room area that is off of our master bedroom... now I just need a few shelves for purses and folded clothes.

7) Add a second bathroom upstairs.

We have one bathroom... one very small bathroom. It works for me and Lance... but when we have guests I sure do miss that second bathroom.

8) Replace the weird accordion closet door thingies.

There are 2 of these in our house. They.are.hideous. I have already tried hiding them behind curtain panels... but a real door would be oh-so-nice. And how cool would a sliding barn door be for the one in our master bedroom??

9) Make the fireplace useable.

We have a mock fireplace. It literally mocks us in the winter. What I wouldn't give to have a nice toasty roaring fire in there.

10) Install new siding on the outside of the house... that's not mint green.

Mint green people... do I really need to say more??

So, there you have it... the top-ten-things-I-would-do-if-we-owned-our-house... and-had-an-extremely-large-home-renovation-budget.

Linking this up to Many Little Blessings.

cute as a button {monogram, that is}

Before Christmas last year I tried my hand at creating my very first button monogram. I made a "B" for my cousin's sweet new baby girl, Bailey... I used pink and green buttons so it would match her nursery. I loved how it turned out...

I didn't take many "progress" pictures that first time, but I knew I'd make another button monogram soon... so, lucky you... here's a little button monogram tutorial:)

This is such an easy project and probably only takes an hour or so from start to finish. It's the perfect gift... easily customized with colors and obviously the monogram. So far, I've only made these as baby gifts, but how sweet would one of these be for a wedding gift? This one is for a good friend of mine that just had a sweet baby boy last week... baby Jack.

First thing's first... gather up my supplies...

You will need: a printed monogram (I just select my letter of choice in Word, use a super large font, and print it on cardstock), an x-acto knife, scrapbook paper (I like this one that looks like burlap fabric), adhesive, and buttons... obviously.

I used my x-acto knife to basically make my own "J" stencil. I'm still working on my x-acto knife skills... it's harder than it looks, okay.

It worked out pretty nicely, if I do say so myself.

I used my homemade stencil to lightly trace a "J" onto my burlap scrapbook paper.

Here comes the hard part... you have to make an executive decision about button colors. It's tough. I decided to go with blue and green for baby Jack.

I played around with the design and placement for a while, then just used my adhesive to stick them in place. Most scrapbook adhesives will be strong enough to hold the buttons in place, but will allow you to move them around if you change your mind.

It's basically just like a puzzle from here on out... I try to alternate the colors and sizes for a pretty little mix.

And there you have it... a fancy schmancy button monogram.

And if you want to take it up a notch, buy a pretty mat and frame your awesome monogram.

Tah-dah!! Instant high-class. Now I just need a frame... hopefully baby Jack likes blue and green:)

Cute as a button, don't you think?!?

linking this up to the C.R.A.F.T. blog... go check it out... some amazing ideas over there.