the nursery....

Before....

After....

My amazing husband made this headboard out of fabric and wood! I CAN’T BELIEVE how much bigger it makes the room look! My sweet friend Anne made these fabulous curtains that I love! AND I painted the canvas, which was the quiet the project but I enjoyed it! Overall, I really like the end result. To see more of the nursery decorations click here....

Please forgive these pictures...they were with my little point and shoot camera:) SO NOT the best:( 

nursery projects...

I mentioned before that we have been "re-doing" parts of the nursery! We did it really quickly in the beginning "in case we got a phone call", BUT there were several things I didn't LOVE. So we've been working on it quiet a bit...Here are a few teasers on some of the projects...I'll post the updated nursery TOMORROW! I'm not trying to hold out on you BUT my parents are coming tonight and I want my mom to see the nursery in person instead of on my blog:)

a trip home...

On Sunday I went home to my parents house for a couple hours. It was a very short trip! While I was there I got to see my 2 cousins Ethan and Alan! They are both getting ready to add baby sisters to their family in April. When they saw me, they both shot me...[I guess they were playing guns:)]

And of course, my favorite, Mr. Billy! He started crying when me and mom walked in. He is the sweetest man! He asked about Leroy[my goat] as always. Mom said don't you remember he passed away. Mr. Billy started crying even more. He said there is such a thing as goat heaven! He does melt my heart!

AND this is his roommate:) He loves seeing us too:)

On the trip back, I got a text from Kaz with this picture. It said, Miley was so happy you are coming home she jumped on the counter! Yes, thats my counter beside the sink! She has not jumped up there again BUT IF SHE DOES she will get a scolding:)

about me...

I ALWAYS wear pearls when I workout!

I make such a MESS when I eat...I’m always the one with crumbs all around my plate! No matter how hard I try, I always have crumbs...

I complain all the time that my parents NEVER have any food at their house. When I go home, I search the cabinets over for snacks! One time I was so desperate, I mixed rice crispys and Marshmellow fluff thinking it may taste like rice crispy treats. WRONG! double YUK!

I have ABSOLUTELY NO PATIENCE when it comes to customer service! Kaz always says he’s glad he’s my husband and not the store representative I’m talking too!

When I’m driving and I get stopped by a light, I can’t be in line with the car beside me. If they get in line with me, I have to keep inching my way up until we are no longer in line with one another! It drives me CRAZY!

I put baby powder in my hair when I don’t want to wash it! It’s a bad habbit!

I always wear lounge clothes around the house...the problem is I always grab Kaz’s t-shirts instead of my own!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE old people! I can cry just seeing one! They melt my heart!

I’m a reality show junkie! Currently my dvr shows are: Teen Mom 2, The Real Housewives of EVERY city except NJ, Bethany Ever After, The Celebrity Apprentice, Kourtney and Kim take NY, Holly’s World, Sister Wives[I HAVE NO IDEA WHY?], Million Dollar Listing....the list continues...Those are just whats on right now!

I LOVE Burger King’s French Toast sticks! I could eat them every morning for breakfast:)

I don’t like my neck showing...I try to cover it up with high necks or my hair!

I LOVE pictures! I have them everywhere in my house! AND to be honest, I prefer the non-professional ones! 

I wear brown Rainbow flip flops pretty much year round! My last pair had a whole in the bottom of them and my heel would touch the ground when I wore them. I still wore them for almost 7 months before my mom graciously decided to buy me a new pair!

My dad sends me an email everyday asking what Miley’s doing. I always try to send a few pictures a week! I tend to get a little crazy dressing her up for funny pictures to send to him, Kaz, and my mom! I really do not dress her up all the time...only for a few pictures every now and then:)

BUT this is by FAR my favorite picture of Kaz and Miley!

I say a lot of words that sound really country...I try not too BUT I just can’t help it:) Instead of for...I usually say fur. “What are you looking fur?” I say ya’ll a WHOLE lot! AND Kaz’s favorite heel instead of hill! 

I LOVE to have my back scratched. I always say they need to add that into services at spas! I would definitely get it:)

If I go home to my parents house and Kaz isn't with me, I always get my mom to sleep with me! I hate sleeping by myself:)

I re-read and email or text about 4 times before sending...It drives Kaz crazy!

a fun saturday morning...

Saturday morning, we decided to visit a park right near our house for a little while before I had to leave for a wedding. The park is literally 3 minutes away so we decided to just let Miley loose in the backseat! BIG MISTAKE! She didn't know what to do and was everywhere! We had a fun time together! It was the perfect start to my Saturday!

 Kaz thought it would be fun to run over this tree with Miley! I'm not as fast as Miley so I got stuck at the top:) 

 I tried to take other pictures with Miley but you can see who won! 

PLEASE stop taking my picture...

frustrated...

Yesterday was a hard day for me...Kaz had to travel to Asheville for work, so it was just me and Miley...Originally, I had planned Wed to be a "fun day, or me day." Since the weekends are full of wedding stuff, I've been trying to have just a "me day" during the week BUT this one didn't turn out as planned. It started out great...I slept til 9, woke up and watched tv, went grocery shopping, and then met my friend Blythe for lunch at subway. Kaz and I have been waiting for the last 2 weeks on a letter from the birthmother that she wrote us...In my mind, I have kept that area open knowing that the letter would finally be closure...maybe some unanswered questions would be answered...I found out after lunch that the chances of actually getting that letter are very slim. I became frustrated with the whole situation...frustrated that our situation has become so complicated...frustrated that we are still waiting....just frustrated. It was an interesting time to get the phone call because I was doing my bible study at that exact moment on finding satisfaction in Christ. Instead of trying to pray about things, I immediately called Kaz and just kind of gave up...I wanted to run away...go somewhere that I could be alone...get away from life.

I NEVER imagined "waiting" would be so hard. I went about my day and continued doing the things I wanted...and then I sat for awhile...in the quiet and reflected on the Lord's faithfulness in my life. 

He HAS been faithful to me

He HAS provided for us

He HAS blessed us

DESPITE my sin

DESPITE my ugly heart

DESPITE my unfaithfulness

I want to be a person who is thankful for what HE has done AND IS DOING, instead of complaining about what HE HASN'T done. BECAUSE if I know anything...it's HE IS WORKING RIGHT NOW...HE HAS BEEN FAITHFUL..

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified."—Isaiah 61:3.

around our house lately....

Lately, our household has been a little crazy! Kaz has been working and traveling so much...Wedding season has taken off in full swing...and I'm preparing for a couple trips coming up in April! To catch you up to speed...

Lately, my favorite place has been outside. That's not normally like me:) I don't like bugs, bees, anything that crawls so for me to spend time outside in the grass is asking a lot....EXCEPT for lately..outside is the place that I crave to be...I want to be there 24/7! I have tried to layout a little everyday while reading. Along with running, I call that my "quiet place". It's so easy to forget everything and just relax! I LOVE it! Please excuse the horrible picture..

Since Kaz has been traveling so much, Miley has been sleeping with me while he's away. She's so spoiled. She wants me touching her ALL the time. I love this picture because her paw always has to be on top! 

My wonderful husband got a promotion yesterday at work:) He deserves it! We knew it was coming so we went out Sunday night to celebrate! He normally buys work clothes 2xs a year. All of his shirts come from Brooks Brothers. They have such great customer service! I always try to get him to pick bolder colors because he has so many blue shirts! SO he got a purple one just for me:) Doesn't he look handsome in it? We met yesterday for lunch and he was wearing it! He wears pink a good bit but I have never seen him wear purple...BUT I like it!

We are doing a lot of "remodeling" around our house....We have made quiet a few changes to the nursery which I'm SO EXCITED about! Hopefully, I can share some pictures by the end of the week:) 

Well, I've got A BUSY BUSY BUSY day starting in about 30 minutes....

Have a great Tuesday!

waiting...

Do you ever just feel like the Lord is trying to tell you something....You get tons of things from it, but you can't figure out the main thing He's trying to say? 

That's how I've felt this weekend...Saturday was the perfect day for me. I slept late..Kaz brought me breakfast in bed...We took Miley for a walk...I layed out in the back yard and read for about an hour...and then I had a wedding....the day was absolutely beautiful and I enjoyed it to the fullest. At weddings, I really try to be attentive during the ceremony, speeches, etc because I usually take some piece of advice away from each wedding. I LOVE listening at weddings....During the "unexpected" toast from the father of the groom, I felt the Lord speaking truth to me over and over. The father broke the speech down into 3 parts: spiritual, fatherly, and humorous. One thing he said during the spiritual part was this: NEVER GIVE UP...It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark. Those 11 words had me fighting back the tears...I actually thanked the father after for his words of encouragement to me. It was exactly what I needed to hear...

Sunday morning at church the sermon was about waiting...As soon as Kaz and I saw the title we both knew we were in for a good scolding because lately, we haven't waited "well". The main thing that our preacher kept saying over and over is that most of the time, the Lord works more while we are waiting than AFTER we get what we have been waiting for. That the blessing is in the waiting...

Kaz and I went out to dinner last night and had some time to really talk over what we took away from the sermon....It's amazing HOW MUCH the Lord has done in us over the last 3 years...

Adoption was NEVER a option for us...To be perfectly honest, it was kind of a "fix" to our problem. We wanted a family...couldn't do it on our own...so we started down the adoption path. Today, my heart is 100% changed. Adoption is not only an option BUT it's a part of our life NOT JUST NOW, but in the future. We BOTH know that we want other children THROUGH adopting..hopefully from another country. We both have a desire to help others in the adoption process...We both want this for our life. I have no idea why we are still waiting or even what the Lord has in store....BUT I'm committed to finding out. I don't want to waste this time of waiting and miss out on the opportunities He has for me. I may struggle from day to day, BUT I'm going to fight to believe that HIS TIMING IS PERFECT because it is. SO IS HIS PLAN...

While the hurt that I feel at times, seems like too much....in the end will be all worth it. It already is JUST BY SEEING WHAT HE HAS ALREADY DONE IN MY LIFE. 

psalm 130:5

I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope.

my loves....

Miley sure keeps me company during the day...She is 100% a MESS! She is just like a child....her personality amazes me! This week[and unfortantely the next few coming up] Kaz has been traveling with work, so I let Miley sleep with me. I hate staying by myself so it was nice having her with me. You WOULD HAVE THOUGHT I was sleeping with Miley, instead of the other way around. She acted like the bed BELONGED TO HER! I had to keep moving her just so I would have a little room. She gets into trouble constantly...grabing socks shes knows she’s not supposed to have. She thinks that after I get back from running, it’s time for her walk and won’t let me do anything differently! If I try, she sits by the front door and wines....She is a mess BUT I sure love her!

I feel like Kaz and I haven’t seen a whole lot of each other since vacation because he’s been working so much....BUT that’s ok for now because we did have a wonderful time together on vacation. The list could go on and on and on about all the things I love about Kaz but here’s one that has topped my list lately:) When we were in Vegas, we were getting ready to go out for the night. I still had 1 dress left to wear...I REALLY wanted to wear it BUT that night I just wanted to be comfortable, which meant jeans. Instead, I put on the dress and we started walking out of the hotel. Kaz kept telling me how beautiful I looked and I said, “Kaz, would you mind if we go back and let me change clothes.” He without thinking, said sure whatever you would like. I rambled for a few minutes about how I would feel more comfortable in jeans that nights...My words meant nothing to him. He wasn’t upset the slightest bit and just wanted me to be happy. After I changed, he said you look even more beautiful than before! His whole attitude almost completely melted my heart! 

I love that he thinks for me constantly....he’s always fighting for me to believe truth....he calls me boo and miss...sometimes combining boo and beautiful to bootiful[i LOVE that:)]...A lot of people say that he looks like Mel Gibson..I say he’s MUCH MUCH more handsome! I love that he has no idea what goes on in the middle of the night because he’s 100% out of it.....I love that he's an outdoorsy guy EVEN though at times I try him to get to be a cowboy or farmer guy:)like I said, the list could on and on and on. He’s my prince charming.....I SURE AM BLESSED!

Praise God from whom all blessings flow.

a girls weekend...

My friends Baylis and Dawn planned a little girls weekend getaway for me:) We went down to Edisto Beach and stayed at Baylis parents house. It was such a fun, relaxing weekend! A lot of my friends have never met because most of them live in different cities, so it was a lot of fun for everyone to finally meet! On Saturday, we went to Botany Bay for a few hours and walked around!

from left to right: Blythe, Dawn, Emily, Liz, Me, and Baylis

We went to Grovers for dinner on Saturday night! I think it's safe to say that none of us will ever forget that dinner! Right behind us was a group of older women who were celebrating a birthday! The birthday girl was so drunk...She came over to our table and talked to us for about 10-15 minutes. She kept talking about some person who had no legs and kept saying he's like forest gump. She kept repeating that over and over and over and over....It was quiet INTERESTING! We were all happy to see her go:)

The downstairs bathroom is very neat...People who have visited the home have signed their names, etc on the bathroom walls...I decided to leave our little mark:)

Thanks Baylis, Dawn, Liz, Blythe, and Emily for such a fun, relaxing weekend!