Home Improvement Week 2: American Flag Glass Art

For Christmas, I got this beautiful piece of artwork from Sandfiddler.  We saw it when we went there for breakfast one day and I mentioned how much I loved it to D.J.  Later that day, he went back and found out it had been sold a while back, but the person that bought it never picked it up! The owner ended up selling it to D.J. for $50! 

We all know how much I love anything American themed so I was so surprised when I saw it by the Christmas tree in the morning! In an old window frame, pieces of glass was put together to create an American Flag.

Now the hard part--deciding where to put it.

 Ideally, I would have loved if light could be shining through the back, but we don't have windows the same size as the frame it is in so that idea was out. Our living room walls were pretty much taken.  Looking in the kitchen, I decided we needed to put it in there.  

So over the weekend, Dad came over to help D.J. find the studs and put it up.  The first way we had it up looked messy.  The chain that was attached to hold it up looked cheap.  So we took of the chain, moved the eylets in and hung it back up to see how it looked.

Perfect. Job completed! Now all I need to do is find something to go on the sides to make it look finished!

View of the kitchen standing by the stove

You can see where the eyelets used to be and how we ended up hanging it up!

 

View of the kitchen standing close to the dining room!

Check back next week to see what we have in store for our next Home Improvement Blog!

Weekend Wrap Up

Ah.. Bachelor Monday night! Lets get real. This house isn't watching The Bachelor.  Currently, the Duke UVA game is on TV and the Bachelor is recording.  I like watching it recorded anyways so I can fast forward through the commercials.  

This weekend went by super fast! They all do, but this one was extra fast.  Friday was pretty low key.  D.J.'s parents came in town around 9 p.m. so we watched some tv and played Scattergories while we waited for them.  Since we are still putting together the guest room, D.J. and I slept on the twin size bed we have in the 3rd room and gave our bed to his parents. 

Saturday morning we slept in got up when Stryker was hungry which was right on schedule with our weekday 7:30 a.m. wake up call.  D.J. had a basketball game at 10 so we went to watch that! He has only coached one other game and they lost but Saturday was their first win! The final score was 27-21! Such a nail biter! After the game we went down to Ghent so I could check out the Christmas sale going on at A. Dodsons! I got a few Christmas items that are already packed up in the attic for next year.  I couldn't resist this spoon holder though.  I have needed one and nothing is better than one that says this...

We came home for a little bit then we headed to the mall to see Lone Survivor.  Words cannot describe the way I felt leaving the movie.  I have been meaning to read the book, but the movie was phenomenal.  I have always had such respect for the men and women in the services (Navy especially), but this movie really depicts what they do on a day-to-day basis to protect our freedom.  If you do anything this weekend, spend the $12 (or $7.50 for matinee) to go see the movie.  You will not regret it.  

Nothing can top a night quite like Chicks Oyster Bar can.  Especially when you get the Marina.  I don't think I have ever ate anything that looked so delicious.  Crab legs, shrimp, clams, and oysters!

After dinner we came home and finished watching all the great football games this weekend!

Sunday was pretty busy! The in-laws got on the road after we had breakfast at Sandfiddler and D.J. and I needed to run some errands.  First off, we took down all the Christmas decorations outside, which was so sad! Then we ran to Target to get a gift for a Bridal shower next weekend.  I ended up leaving with the present along with a bunch of other Christmas sale items and dollar section Valentines Day pick ups! Then we looked for lamps at TJ MAXX and I ended up leaving with a yoga mat, 2 candles, and no lamps. Typical. 

After our shopping, we went over to my parents for a little bit, came home and did a workout in the garage, and then we jazzed up our kitchen! Details to come in the Home Improvement post on Wednesday! 

To leave you on this Monday night, say a little prayer for all those who are home and abroad that our protecting our freedom each and every day.  What better way to say this in a picture than Mermaids, American Flag, and the Navy.  Many reasons why I love living in Hampton Roads.

Have a happy Monday night blogging world :)

#tbt: The Bridal Shower

Another #tbt today from the days before I was a blogger! After the bachelorette party (which you can read more about here) we decided to have the bridal shower the same weekend.  I had a lot of out of town friends come down for the weekend and I wanted to make sure they could all be there for both events. 

Beth and Danielle Campion were so sweet to host the most beautiful shower. The theme of the shower was Monograms and Margaritas! We drank yummy margaritas and monograms were all over the place!  It was so nice to come back from such a fun weekend and be showered with such great gifts!

Some of the best gifts were this monogrammed acrylic tray that I use every day.  It sits next to my bed and I use it as a jewelry collection and a place to put my rings when I am in the shower!

Another great gift was our pop up cooler.  Whenever I took it to events our had it out in the backyard, everyone was asking where we got it from.  

I was so honored to have so many great friends and family there for the celebration! To top of the shower, some cake from Sugarplum Bakery was a hit!!

Check back next week for details on the Bridesmaids Luncheon!

All my beautiful bridesmaids!

Home Improvement Week 1: Gallery Wall

Since we moved into our house it has always been my hope to make some type of gallery wall in the living room.  The room is set up perfectly for what I have pictured in my head.  The TV is over the fireplace, and the couch is against the wall that I wanted to make a gallery wall! So for the wedding, we got some frames from Crate and Barrel (found here, here, and here) and I had a few other frames I knew would look good in the design.  So here is what I had.

I am a very symmetrical person and wanted my design to be the same way. My brother-in-law James is super talented at making these and has an eye for what looks right. I was stuck on making everything even and aligned.  So I called him, he helped me move some frames around wha-la! We had something to work with now.  

You can kind of tell from this picture, but the above the couch that you see is where this is going to go.  Since our house is older, we have been hesitant to nail into the walls.  We weren't sure how well the nails would hold up in the plaster walls.  Let me tell you- it was a pain to get the nails in the wall, but once they were in, it was hollow.  I decided to use some nails and some picture hangers for the heavier frames.  

So in typical fashion, I started to try and hang up the pictures all by myself. Lets just say this is how far I got....

Then, I decided it would be easier if I moved the couch....

Then, conveniently, it was time for me to go get a massage and facial.  When I came home, this is what I found...

My husband is a boss and I love it! Now all we have to do is put pictures in them, but you all get the point for now!

Home Improvement Week One is in the books ladies and gents! Can't wait to see what week 2 has in store for me!

2014!!

A little late, I know...So happy to have brought in the New Year with some of our best friends.  See here for how I am going to make 2014 count.  For now, take a look at how our night went!

Making 2014 Count

Loose weight, get healthy, save more money. Seems like everyone always makes the same New Year's Resolutions each year.  2013 was for sure one of the best in the book.  2014- you have a lot to live up to!
When I started to think about what my word of 2014 should be, I kept coming back to a phrase.  live in the moment.

Already making 2014 count by giving back to kids that need the hair more than I do! 1 thing on the 2014 bucket list crossed off!

For me, living in the moment means not planning the next 2 years out in my mind.  It means embracing how beautiful my body is inside and out.  Not looking at our home and always thinking I need to do something more (even though owning a home always means perpetual work). Knowing that whatever the future holds, it will always find a way to work out how it should.  The baseball lifestyle is one that does not work well with planning.  One day we could be in Carolina, the next we could not even be with the Indians Organization.  I am going to live in the moment by loving my husband and enjoying the time we have together before we start thinking about a family.  We want to travel. We want to strengthen our marriage.  We want to be the best us before we bring a child into the world.  So for all you people out there that say "Cayte and D.J. are going to be pregnant within the first year",  you can mark my word here that we will not be popping out babies anytime soon! :)

2014 has lots in store for me and for D.J. We plan to make lots of memories and enjoy every second.

 We will make 2014 count by living in the moment.

#tbt: Bachelorette Party!

Planning the Bachelorette Party was difficult since my Maid of Honor was my 17 year old sister.  The typical bachelorette parties wouldn't really work for us considering Julie couldn't even get into a bar underage! Deciding to go to the Outer Banks was the best decision ever! It was exactly what I wanted to do.  My family was nice enough to rent the house in the same neighborhood that we have been going to since I was a baby for the whole week. We spent the first part of the week laying out every day and watching the beautiful OBX sunsets each night.

The girls all came down on Thursday and Friday to spend the weekend celebrating! Kendall and Julie really worked hard to make it so much fun. While I got ready for the night, they all helped decorate the top floor of the house. 

 

When I came up, there was a huge bride cup, some lovely accessories and a shot glass necklace! 

On Friday, we all had pasta at the house (thanks to Liz for being the domesticated one of the bunch) and then we went over to the local little bar and sang some karaoke! Let me tell you- my singing skills that night should never be heard again! We took these awesome pictures before we went out saying how everyone knew me!

Saturday we spent at the beach and laying out! Saturday night we went down to Duck and had a delicious dinner before we came back and played some games at the house! Here is the final picture of the whole group! I am so lucky and blessed to have such great friends and an awesome sister to plan this whole event! I wouldn't change one thing about my bachelorette party! Next weeks #TBT will be all about the bridal shower.