Bye, Bye, Miss American Summer

The last glimpses of summer.....

a family pool party, a trip to St. Louis, a play date with my nephews

Summer is ending here. School begins in less than 72 hours and I am anxious about this year, it's my last year. I don't know if this anxiety is normal or not, but I am freaking out about it. I keep saying 9 months until I graduate, if I graduate, if i make it. It's going to be a tough year, I am gearing up for the rough waves ahead. 

new couch in our living room, the brown will go in media room eventually

why didn't I put the handle down,,,arg!

jumpin' and dreamin'

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Motto of 29

As I had mentioned before, my 29th year is all about savoring moments together with family, friends, and all others in whom I come in contact with. I don't want to miss being in the moment. I want to be all in no matter what it is I am doing this year. Its like a year long celebration of a decade of my life. You may think I am crazy but it means a lot to me. I love life and sometimes I forget to live it. I am too wrapped up in things that don't matter, worries, and anxieties that drag me down from having the JOY that I am freely given by being a child of God. I am currently reading Radical by David Platt it is sooo good. It has me thinking a lot about how I live my life and what matters most. It truly fits in with my motto of my year: Savor. I also came across a devotional book called Savor and I am excited to purchase it asap. I know I had seen this floating around like a year ago but God put it in my path for this year and that just gets me pumped because he is guiding me at all times, every step of the way and he will provide. God and I together we are going to Savor this year like no other. It's Saturday and I am going to make some Zucchini bread, and some of the most amazing peanut butter cookies that a friend gave me the recipe to. They are the best Peanut Butter Cookies in all the land, 100% truth. I also prepared a home made lasagna yesterday that is waiting in the fridge to be baked for dinner tonight, hopefully I can get the hubby to eat Alfresco with me tonight. Summer is fading too fast and we need to... get this,Savor these last summer nights together outside on our porch.

pictures gathered from my Pinterest boards, click on over to my boards to see more inspiration

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throwback Henry and Nicole's sprinkle

First of all I absolutely love hosting a party. I love the decor and the planning. I love crafting with my people. I love my people and loving on them means throwing cute little parties whenever you have something to celebrate.
I also love babies and showers for babies. Every babe is a miracle born inside a mother's womb and so their arrival deserves to be announced and showered with love.

Nicole is my sister-in-law, but can we just subtract the in-law because thats so formal and thats not me. I love her as my sister, period. She is beautiful on the inside and out. She is an amazingly good mommy to her three boys (Samuel, William, and now Henry). Her mothering is so worthy of praise, she loves her boys and the intricate detail in which she cares for each of them in their own ways, puts me in awe of her. I love her and who she is so much. I love her mothering skills and am thankful I have her to look up to and go to when I have my own babes, so much so that I try to talk her into being my go to baby-sitter after there born. I would find so much comfort knowing she would be watching and caring for my babes just as she does her own. So, Nicole if you ever read this please take me up on my offer, wink wink!

Henry, oh Henry the first time I saw you and held you, my heart became full. Your so sweet and your hair is just awesomely cute. I didn't get to see your brothers like the way I got to see you, and that stinks, but all is well, wounds are healed and God knows what he is doing through and through. I am so thankful for relationships now and forever more. You are precious and I felt kind of like Elizabeth did when she saw Mary, holding you made something inside me leap for joy, praying for God to place a miracle babe in my womb one day, someday soon, please Jesus, please.

I held the shower at my house with the help of Mama, Rae,Debbie, Shelley and her sisters. My brother, Aaron kept the suspense going and I think him for that. Surprises are my favorite.

Nicole's mom Debbie makes amazing cakes

heart is full

family

the oldest and the middle

Henry with GG Carter

Carter family lil peanut 

Cherish the time with your loved ones!

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My birthday continued..

This past weekend we went to St. Louis along with my sis and brother in law just for the day. We had breakfast at the Waffle House which no one could believe I wanted to eat their since I don't like going to IHOP, but it was sort of

Nostalgic to my childhood. After breakfast we made our way to the City Museum. I had never been and there was about a gazillion people there that day. They literally stated that they had record breaking attendance, go figure! We had so much fun though we explored and climbed around a day as if we were 7 years old. It's fun to be a kid! After a day of playing we hurried up and changed in the car from yoga pants to a tulle dress and leopard heels. Quite the experience no one saw I promise! Being sweaty while putting on a beautiful dress was not ideal but I had some wet wipes I found in my purse so we all wet wiped ourselves and preceeded to walk into Scape a fancy American Bistro in Central West End. Dinner was great but afterwards was my favorite part. My heart went pitter-patter at the sight of the orange circle with white writing inside it. Jeni's!! Yes I get all giddy about a well designed ice cream shop that serves the best ice cream up daily! I would love to

Own my own Jeni's in my hometown... Hmm maybe I should or maybe I shouldn't? I don't want the extra pounds but I would adore the space and serving up some fantastic scoops! Springfield needs Jeni's or else I'm a leaving 😉

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it's my birthday

it's my birthday, my last full year in my 20's. Whew that was a wild ride and I can't believe I am going to be the BIG 3-0 next year. I want to savor this year, my last year in my 20's. I want to be grateful for each day that I have. It's been a crazy decade thus far. I have been through a lot over the past 9 years and I want this year to count, to matter.

I want to enjoy my life, the life God has given me. Savor each moment spent with family, friends, in the word with him and time alone with my husband.
Life, I feel just speeds up each year. Time moves on whether your ready or not. My grandma always told me: stop wishing your life away, and I am sure someone in your life did the same as you were growing up.
We wanted to be BIG, we wanted time to fly on by, but now we're all like STOP. Now we want to stop and smell the roses and enjoy the little moments, at least I do.
But I do hope I grow this year.

Grow in the word and grow into a character like that of Jesus.

Grow in love

Grow in hope

Grow in faith

I also want to shrink this year.

Shrink my "selfishness"

&

Shrink my waist and thighs

28 was my golden birthday, it has been a good year-

Now it's time for 29 (a year worth savoring)

Just because it's my birthday I want to share a few things I love:

I feel like she is my soul sister from another mister and they as a couple remind me of my hubby and myself :goofballs completely in love with each other.

shoes are so super cute, need them

ice cream (my health weakness)

I love us

Cheers to my last year in my 20's!

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Client living room design board

Daniel and Megan's living room design 

I can't wait to see how this actually all comes together.

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Mind your own biscuits and life will be gravy

Summer reminds me of my country roots. I grew up listening to country music in the back of my mom and dad's car standing on the middle hump in the backseat singing Patty Loveless" chains, chains, shackles and chains"

Kasey Musgraves has some catchy music, I don't agree with some topics she sings about, but she's got great hair and sing along music and she's country.

If you don't already know my heart lives in Nashville. I. Want. To. Move. There. Like. Yesterday

My go to Summer Outfit: a flowy dress with my cowboy boots, oh and a tan ;)

Some day, God willing you'll find me, my hubby, my four kiddos, my dog. some goats, and a couple cows on my nashville farm living the crazy life. Having small group with a community of southern believers on our "mini farm" and designing for some country crooners, some day....God willing.

Here's a little country inspiration

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pull up a chair dining room redo

Megan and Daniel are friends of ours and they have asked me to design their new home's dining and living room. How fun, right?!?

Here is my first design board for their new dining room

I am so super excited to get started on making these two rooms feel like home for them and their adorable baby girl Charlotte.

I love the rustic wood elements with the soft grey, warm gold and cream tones. I can just picture a clean scented candle burning while enjoying a warm meal in the fall at their new home.

More details to come!!

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Where I'm at

Where I am at......

as a wife: I long to be a wife who has her home managed well, tidy and yet messy all at the same time ya know what I mean... the tidy look of put togetherness (i just made that word up) but yet a look where it's lived in and loved in, ya know?! The messiness means there is beauty. Beauty of two individuals loving each other well, the beauty of cozy, comfortable living, the beauty of someday children playing with toys strung about, tripping on GI Joes or lalaloopsy dolls one day. this messiness makes my heart go FLIP-FLOP. So I love the tidiness but need the messiness because I don't think your truly living unless you LIVE in the mess. I want to also be a wife who loves her husband well. This is a constant work for me, I tend to nag and often get too worked up on wanting perfection out of our relationship and I recently read something that puts things into perspective for me and it went something like this:

                                                      A husband loved his wife and wanted to love her fully and he did to the best of his abilities but he told her from the start that he will never fulfill all of her love desires. There's one who can and will tho and that one is....

JESUS!

I love my husband he is my soulmate, my best friend, and the only person on earth that I want to spend every second with, but I can't expect him to be my perfect love desire, but I can count on Jesus to be and this truth needs to be written on my forehead so that I can remain in truth and not set my hubby up for destruction whenever I expect him to read my mind and do all the extravagant dreams I dream up in my head without mentioning it to him. I mean I am sure I am not the only women in the world who does this, true life is not a fairytale and although love is sweet, Jesus's love is the only love that won't ever let us down. My hubby is an amazing man who works hard to give me all that I spew out of my mouth on a daily basis, but he can't be Jesus, and I need to rely on Jesus to fill my love need first. 

as a student: I just finished my second clinical rotation with the most amazing preceptor. You guys! Have you ever met someone that reminds you soo much of yourself that you kind of freak?!? Well the more I learned about her the more I thought we were alike. I loved her, she taught me a lot and will forever be a great mentor to me. She holds a special place in my heart, and although I am happy my second rotation is finished, I am sad because I can't take her with me to be my preceptor for the remaining clinicals. I have two more rotations left and then I will be a FNP (family nurse practitioner). It feels crazy good!!

as a designer: Well for now it is still a dream, a dream I want so badly to come true. If you ever have had a passion that burned within you, then you can relate to how I feel. I love design, I love the details that go into a home. I want to make peoples dreams come true when it comes to making their house a home. Would you all continue to pray for me and for God to open up doors if this is what he wants for my life. I would appreciate it!!! I do have a friends home that they have asked me to do a few rooms, I am new at the actual business side of this so I could use the prayers. 

These are such cute little bowls for your condiments for the 4th of July. 

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I'm back

I was away for awhile but now I am back and hoping you will meet me here for my weekly ramblings about life, design, dreams, and hopes! I am in my last year of school and so soon, crossing my fingers, I will be a nurse practitioner!! Woohoo! It will be an exciting day May 6th, 2016!

It's humpday and it's raining....again here in the midwest which my flowers are loving, but it's feeling more like Spring and not Summer.

What's to come:: I hope and pray that I can commit to blogging and updating you all weekly. I sure am going to give it the old college try at least. I want to be inspired and yet inspire others, so let's do this!

what do ya say?

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