Guest Bedroom Redo

I recently redecorated my guest bedroom and wanted to show everyone. I want to apologize for the quality of the pictures. They aren't the best. Let’s start with the before pictures:

As you can see, it used to be my office. When we first moved in I used the office furniture from our old house. This was perfect when I was in college, but once I graduated, I wanted my office to become a craft room and only second as an office. I’ll post the craft room/office in my next post.  Well, let’s to the fun part. The after pictures:  

I love to make a statement with wall color. I also love that it’s dark because the room gets a TON of natural light, so it’s the perfect balance. With the white bedding and mirrored/silver accents, it gives the room that light, bright sparkle I love so much. Let me give you a few more pictures of the details

I got the 3 candle sticks at an antique shop nearby. They were this God awful color- not really gold, but gold-ish… almost like a goldish green. It was hideous, so I just spray painted them silver. I got the mirrored console table and mirrored accent table at Target. You can’t really see it, but it’s to the right of the bed. I also got the navy blue floral lamp shade and glass base at target- those are both no longer available. I had an old piece of art from our old house. It was a picture of the Rat Pack in a black frame, so I spray painted the entire thing white, I then used painters tape to tape off the frame. Next I laid lace on top and spray painted grey and silver through the lace to get the pattern. Here was the pin I used to inspire me to do this on a canvas. If you click on the link on the pin, it will take you to her blog where she lays it out step by step.

I got this silver hammered metal vase at Target on sale. (I searched the website, but it’s no longer available.)

I got this chair at another antique shop nearby for $99. I saw the woman cross out the original $149 price and write $99, so I jumped on it! It was exactly what I was looking for. Even though it’s black and crème, it still matches great. I get compliments on it all the time. I got this ruffled throw pillow at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.

I got this vase and dried plants at Ikea. The bundle of dried plants I bought was a lot bigger than the one online. I’m not sure if they only offer it in the store or not.

The two Sequin Throw Pillows are my favorite! Here are the links to the other pillows: Breakfast Pillow, European Sham, I got the blue and white stripped pillow cases from Walmart, but I can’t find the link. I got the Pinched Pleat Comforter at Target and the Simple White Upholstered Headboard at Walmart. I added some silver nail head trim to it. I got mine at JoAnn’s, but the link is to Hancock Fabrics. You can’t really see the bed skirt, but I got it at BBB too.

I got a lot of inspiration from Pinterest on quotes that were indicative of my relationship with Nick. We have so many pictures throughout our house, so I wanted to do something different in our guest room. I thought this was a cute way for our guests to get to know us that much better and I wanted something interesting for them to look at when they get comfortable in that room for their stay. I think I might do a blog post showing each picture in detail.

 I ordered these window panels online through West Elm. I love them. When I shut them, they provide the privacy needed, but still allow the light to come through.

So I think I explained everything, but I may have missed something.  If you’d like to know about anything in the room, please let me know. 

Now let’s be honest as to who really benefits from this room…

A Photo That Makes Me Sad

Meet my friend, Seth. He is one of the most genuine, soft hearted, goofy people you will ever meet. He was in the Corps with my husband and I was lucky enough to meet him on one of my first trips to North Carolina. We hung out that entire week and really got to know each other. Everyone would play video games and whoever wasn't playing would sit and talk to me. During most of our conversations, we talked about his fiance, Katie. He told me about growing up with her and taking her back to the 3rd grade classroom they met in to propose to her. You could see such love in his eyes when he would talk about her. It was the cutest, most genuine thing I’d ever seen.

seriously the most beautiful couple ever!

I remember being so upset when he was going on his first deployment because I couldn’t be there to say goodbye before they left. (My husband was in the process of becoming medically retired, so he wasn't leaving.) I was at work talking to all the girls at the front desk when Handsome called and said “I have someone that wants to talk to you.” At this point I thought all the guys had already left, so when Seth got on the phone and started talking I didn’t hear a word he said. I just broke down into tears. I talked to him, Jimmy, and a few of the other guys before they got on the bus to leave. It was so great getting to hear their voices and hear them joke around, acting like it was just another day, when they were about to go fight for our freedom, for our right to sleep soundly at night, fight for our country. They were voluntarily going overseas, leaving their family and friends, to give us the life we so comfortably live, and that so many take for granted.

Unfortunately, we lost Seth during Operating Enduring Freedom. He exuded such bravery for such a young age. When you look up the definition of hero, you see “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” Seth is the true definition of a hero. He will never be forgotten, nor will all the other brave men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. My heart bleeds for all the families that have lost their husbands/ wives, dads/moms, brothers/sisters, sons/daughters, uncles/aunts, cousins, etc. It makes me so unbelievably proud to know that we have such brave individuals amongst us. 

LCPL Charles Seth Sharp

15 November 1988 - 2 July 2009

Forever in our hearts and on our minds.

Pillow Situation

There are several things I absolutely love about my husband, but there is one thing he does that I cannot stand. Let me explain- I am very particular about our bed. It is usually always made, unless of course Handsome is working nights- when I get out of bed, he gets in. However, when I get home in the evenings, after he goes to work, I’ll make the bed knowing I’m going to sleep in it in a few hours. I like climbing in to a freshly made bed with crisp sheets, not a jumbled mess of sheets and pillows. I’d also like to add that I only sleep with ONE pillow. I have TMJ, so I sleep on a Tempur-Pedic pillow and I’m very particular that NO ONE TOUCH IT! My husband, being the wonderful man that he is, understands this and tries his very hardest to grant my wishes. HOWEVER, Mr. I-need-5-million-pillows-to-sleep-well always tries to sneak my pillow away in the middle of the night. I may or may not have slapped his hand several times and even hit him in the head once over this very issue. :) As much as I love that man with every ounce of my soul, I will karate chop him in a heartbeat over trying to steal my pillow. It’s all in good fun, I swear. ;) Let me just show you an example of what the bed looks like after I sleep in it for 8 hours: 

It looks as though I merely laid there and read a book. Let me now demonstrate what the bed looks like after Handsome has slept in it for only 5 hours: 

Do you see my point? It’s looks as though he wrestled a grizzly bear. Let me clarify by saying, just to be fair, I made sure to take these pictures when he was working nights, so I didn’t help in making that mess at all! (I picked the comforter up off the floor and threw it back on the bed, so it was even worse than this.) Long story short, I love my husband more than anyone possible love another person, but there are certain things I refuse to share- my pillow being one of the things. Now, when I’m not in bed, I don’t care if he uses it, but come on- the kid has 4 other pillows, why does he need mine too? And when I try to be mad, I look over and see this angel face looking at me 

Who could be mad at that? Not this girl!

2 Years Ago & Now

I’m going to break these into two areas; professionally and personally. I try my hardest to keep the two separate, but it doesn’t always work. I can’t help but talk about my handsome husband all day at work and when I get home, I like to fill my husband in on all the things that I’m currently working on, as does he. I have also grown so much in both areas, so it doesn’t seem fair to only share one aspect of my life.

Professionally:
Two years ago I was working at my first post-degree job, hating every second of it. I had such high expectations when I got that position. I have several family members and family friends who work (or have worked) for this company and everyone had such great things to say about it. It was the ONLY place I applied when I got my Bachelors. I had been in the healthcare industry for 5 years at that point and I was confident that’s where my future was going to be. Unfortunately, the company had opened an outpatient center and it was operated completely differently. Needless to say, I was beyond miserable and on the hunt for a job. Due to our lovely economy and flourishing job opportunities (can you hear the sarcasm?) I was still looking in August 2011, a year and a half later. Thanks to a great friend’s reference, I applied for a job in the Oil & Gas Industry and thankfully they gave me a chance, even considering my complete lack of knowledge for this industry. Nine months later, I love my job, I love 99% of the people I work with, and I feel extremely blessed to have the opportunity to learn and grown with a company that will reward and support me in all the decisions I make. They are flexible and allow me to work from home when I don’t feel well or the weather is bad (I live an hour away, so they are extremely understanding and supportive). I look forward to my future within this company and even considered going back to school to get my Masters.

Personally:
Two years ago Nick and I bought a house and started making it our home. We have completely redone our backyard, decorated every room, and now I’m in the process of redecorating every room again. I’m tackling one room at a time making sure everything is just how I like it. I’ll start posting my our progress as we complete each area. I’m finished with my guest bedroom and almost finished with my office/craft room. I think the next area I’m going to tackle will be the dining room, but I’m not sure yet. I’ll also be sure to post before and after pictures of the areas we have already completed prior to starting our blog. Other than growing in our home, I’m confident in saying we have both grown as individuals and within our relationship. We truly are best friends. At night when we lay in bed, we talk about everything- our day, our future, and our lives together. We’ve been married 4.5 years, but I still feel that same way I did when we first started dating, except, we’re not on the phone, we’re face to face. Lol We still enjoy spending every second with each other when we aren’t working. Even when we’re at work, we talk all day through texts and phone calls. It’s very rare for us to go a whole day without talking, but it does happen when we are both busy working. We usually make up for lost conversation as soon as we see each other. As we continue to grow together, we learn more and more about each other, and look forward to our future together. We have so many things we want to accomplish within our lives and I’m excited to see how far we can get.

15 Facts About Me

1. I’m OCD. I label EVERYTHING and everything has its place.

2. I have to have my Turkey Sandwiches and PB&J Sandwiches cut differently. Turkey is cut diagonally and PB&Js are cut down the middle.

3. I love to decorate my entire house one room at a time. When I finish, I will start over making small changes to the things I don’t like anymore or change because I have a better idea.

4. When I’m bored, I organize and clean.

5. Every time I clean my house, I find at least one thing I want to donate.

6. I love to make printables to add to my Home Management Binder. (I’ll do a separate post on my HMB)

7. I have a handbag addiction and purchase more than my husband would like, but since I have to carry my laptop bag to and from work every day, I only carry a clutch.

8. I drink a smoothie every day for breakfast.

9. I have a scentsy in every room; bathrooms and laundry room included. I also have one on my desk at work… and no, I’m not a scentsy consultant.

10. My food cannot touch, unless it’s meant to touch, like in a sandwich. But If we are having steak, potatoes with gravy, and green beans, everything thing will be spaced out accordingly to ensure nothing touches.

11. I don’t sleep well when my husband works nights. I usually fall asleep in my recliner, only to be woken up by him at 5 am when he gets home from work.

12. Even though the garage is technically my husband’s domain, I’ve decorated and organized it. I made sure to let him think he was making most of the decisions, but I had the entire room planned out before he even knew it was the next project.

13. Being the baby of the family, I learned at an early age how to get exactly what I want. I only have 1 older brother, but he spoiled me as much as my parents did.

14. I don’t like to refer to myself as spoiled. I prefer ‘well taken care of’ because I’m not unappreciative of the things I have. I know that I am very blessed to live the life I do.

15. I love kids. I used to work at a daycare and to be honest, if they paid more, I’d go back in a heartbeat! I’ve even considered owning my own, but I don’t want to deal with the legal hassles that come with that territory. I’d rather just borrow all of my friend’s kids until Nick and I decide we want a few.