Deck the Halls...

So, Christmas is my favorite time of year.  Lights, cold weather, shopping, trees, family, and the Christmas story are just a few of the reasons this holiday warms my heart.  Last night, Matt and I decorated our tree for the first time as husband and wife.  This year, he let me buy a fake tree (he has always had real ones) and it was so cute watching him trying to figure out how it all worked.  He opened the box and said, "there are so many pieces".  I showed him how to fluff it out and fill in the gaps :D  I think I have him convinced that a fake tree can be just as good as a real one.  I am looking forward to making many more holiday memories with him and our daughter.  Next year, we will have an extra set of hands to help us...oh I just can't wait!   

The Inspiration for Kingsley's nursery

I am so excited to get started on the nursery!  We are hoping to get it started over Matt's Christmas break.  Here are a few photos that have inspired me.  Originally, we were going to have love birds somewhere is the room, but Matt really wanted owls.  Now, I am obsessed with finding the perfect owl pillow for her!

It's been a long long time....

Okay, so I have neglected my blog for way too long.  It's been 6 months, 21 days, and about 12 hours since my last post!  Some things have changed since I last logged on in May, mostly my dress size and appetite.  Oh, and the amount of sleep I get at night!  In less than 12 weeks, I will be holding our precious baby girl, Kingsley Grace.  We found out we were expecting in late May, and ever since then we have been planning for her arrival. 

This past weekend, Matt and six of his friends headed up to OK for a "mancation".  Although I missed him terribly, I was able to have some fun girl time with my mom and aunt while we redecorated our bedroom.  When we moved into our house last April, we pretty much decorated every room in the house except for our bedroom.  I originally wanted it to be a surprise, but I was stressing about colors and just HAD to tell Matt.  So we ventured to Ikea to pick out a bed, side tables, and all the other necessities.  On Saturday, after the boys left, my mom and aunt came over to help me paint.  Thankfully, Matt and his brother had already assembled the bed.  When the room was all put together, bed made and curtains up, I said to my mom, "now it looks like a grown up married couple's room".  I have always been obsessed with design shows and diy projects, and now I have a before and after room I can be proud of!  Now that our bedroom is complete, we can start working on the nursery!



Matt and Caleb loving putting together our bed!



The awesome mirror I found at Ikea for $7

I just love my night stand



Awesome find at TJ Max



We finally have our wedding photos in frames

 

"The Old Rugged Cross"

Here are some pictures of the crosses I've been making.  I started collecting crosses a while back after I bought this cool set of them at Kirklands.  I love how they can all look so different from one to the next, but at the end of the day they all have the same meaning.  The cross of Christ is the most beautiful part of my faith, and this is my little way of expressing my love for it. 

"On a hill far away stood an old rugged cross,

the emblem of suffering and shame;

and I love that old cross where the dearest and best

for a world of lost sinners was slain.

So I'll cherish the old rugged cross,

till my trophies at last I lay down;

I will cling to the old rugged cross,

and exchange it some day for a crown."

My Picasso

The photo above is of a painting that has been traveling around with me for the last eight years.  I bought it at a thrift store (the one on Rock Island and Story) in Irving, while I was living in my first apartment.  People always ask me if i painted it.  I wish.  I call him "My Picasso".  I have no idea who the artist is or when it was painted.  He is a mystery.  Who is the man painted in blue?  Was he a father, a son, a grandfather?  Why did the artist choose blue?  Was this a self portrait?  Why did the artist not sign his work?  All questions without answers.  Most people who look at him find him to be creepy.  I think he is enchanting. When I found this painting, I was living by myself and in my second year of college.  Some might say I was in the middle of "finding myself" during this time.  But, I remember picking the painting up and seeing something more than just a sad face.  It was like it spoke to me.  It may sound corny, but I live for those moments.  I'm not sure why the previous owner threw it out, but how wonderful is it that it ended up in my hands.  So, when I was choosing art to put on our shelf in the living room, I decided the blue man would be perfect! So, I will leave you now with a beautiful quote from a man who knew a thing or two about the color blue.

      “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.” Pablo Picasso

Rediscovery

So this is my very first blog post! It is sort of liberating, knowing my thoughts are out there for the world to see. I decided to start this blog to help me figure out what it is that i want to do with my life. I know it sounds a little corny, but I feel like I have so many different interests, art being primary, and I need a way to incorporate them all into my life. Having too many interests may sound glamorous and enthralling, but let me tell you, it is crazy. Hence changing my major four times. Hence always having a brand new idea for what I want to do when i grow up. You get the picture. My husband and i recently moved, so i have been going through all of my old pictures/books/crap that I have collected over the years. I came across countless journals that I had started at one point in my life, most with only 10-15 pages of recorded information. After reading through them all, I soon realized that the passion I once had for writing had dwindled over the last five years. Well, maybe my passion has always been there, but I have just been too lazy/busy/tired to give it any attention. So....this is where my blog comes into play. I am going to record my thoughts and express my creativity through writing and taking pictures of the world around me.

This past weekend, a group of us went to experience great food, music, and art at the Denton Arts and Jazz Festival. It is pretty much the most fantastic festival around! Where else can you have a bratwurst in one hand, and a beer in the other, all while looking at amazing art and listening to bagpipes? So, here are a few photos from our neat little adventure!