our attempt of home improvement

last sunday we spent the entire day transforming our office from a dungeon to a space M & i could use daily. we searched for a while for the perfect desk but struck out. so, we decided to build one...

the room became a disaster quick. 

i didn't think to take pictures of us cutting & staining the wood. the shelves were originally black. in order to brighten the room up we painted them white. we got most of our supplies from home depot, but the wood, legs, & brackets for the desk were from my parents house. mom's supper crafty, so she had loads of extra wood & other things your crafty people like.

we used brackets to hold up the back side of the desk. & screwed smaller of pieces of wood on the bottom of the desk to hold the three larger pieces together.

after three days it finally paid off.

painting the shelves white was a HUGE improvement. before everything on the shelves was hidden. now everything's more visible & fresher looking.

this is a fly fisher's basket that once belong to my mom. loved it so much it earned a spot on the wall.

this picture is precious to me. found it at a local antique mall & immediately fell in love with it. unfortunately i didn't want to throw down a lot of money for it, but turned out, someone bought it as an engagement gift for me. it too earned a spot on a wall.

we are so proud of our handy work. i know many of you do things like this hourly. i tip my hat to you.

anyone doing any home improvement projects lately?

friday letters

Dear queen mattress that my mom bought the other day, i can't wait to own you. BEST Christmas gift ever! your foaminess will be thoroughly enjoyed by me & M. but before you are ours we need to find a bed frame for ya.
Dear Christmas shopping money, the fact that you're a bunch of extra cash in my much-needed-to-be-replaced purse, makes me want to spend you all on myself. it's the season to give, laurie. remember that.
Dear office, i'm so proud of you. you look so much better :)
Dear squirrels on our roof, you don't bother me much, except when you freak excite kodi. evidentially you fellas make a lot of noise that only she seems to hear. knock it off please.
Dear Nashville, i looove watching you. who knew hayden & connie could sing?! i'm hooked.
Dear kroger, get excited! M & i will be showing up tonight. we are ready to explore all your 10 for 10 possibilities. got my list, coupons, & i'll be sure to have a full belly. let's rock n' roll!

Link up with ashley over at adventures of newlyweds.

currently

wearing: collegiate sweatpants, long sleeve t-shirt, 9 year old high school hoodie, hospital socks (cause they're the warmest socks eva), & a sad bun that's starting to lean a bit left. yeah, i'm dressed to impress. wassup!! hot housewife right here!!

listening: to talyor swift's new album Red. BIG fan of T-Swift. & the occasional justin bieber song comes on. cause i'm 23 & i have the fever.

wishing: we didn't have to go grocery shopping this week. i was hoping we could make it till Thanksgiving, but M doesn't want to survive off pb&j's & ramen anymore. boo.

enjoying: a hot cup of joe.

excited: about next week. so many days to be with family & close friends. & eat an army's worth of food. nom nom nom.

worried: about finding a new job. i love my current job, but travel has been a bit harsh. most people move closer to work, but since M brings home the most bacon, it's off to something new for me. i'm usually all for new experiences but not this. this is scary.

laughing: walked in the bedroom to this.

this sort of thing never happens. both of our dogs hate being touched when they sleep. you can already tell maggie doesn't enjoy being used as kodi's body pillow. this is just so out of character & honestly a funny sight, i had to share.

please ignore our messy bed. we weren't expecting guests.

xoxo

one of those bleh days

woke up this morning with pre-period cramps & a minor (but there) headache. should have known that was a sign for one of thooose days. 

when you're having one of those days, it's best to wear your biggest over-sized sweater, comfiest skinny jeans (ironic, but yes, we all have a pair), any winter scarf, & naturally, bug-eyed glasses that hide your makeup-less face. i honestly started my day with a different outfit laid out to wear. but once i put such outfit on, i immediately felt awful from every angle (if you know what i mean).

due to my whiny mood, i promised myself i would list a few things in currently thankful of/for.

//hot showers

//doggie kisses

//pamprin

//text messages from M

//chicken salad sandwiches

//& duh, oversized sweaters

i literally just smiled. thought it was tuesday, but nope. it's wednesday. the day just got better :)

hope your's did too, or better yet, hope it never started off bleh.

xoxo

our veteran's day weekend

our weekend was extra busy (for a change). we stayed at my parent's house friday night. ate a warm, home cooked meal - oh my stars that was wonderful! mom even had multiple desserts for me, but mostly for M, to devour. we slept in the king sized guest bed. what a delight. & left with more stuff than we came with (like a new tv, which we weren't planning on buying. that's how big purchases usually happen though, right?) & all day sunday we spent building a desk (more details on that later).

via

our weekend was so packed that i totally forgot sunday was veteran's day. i actually didn't remember about it until i read blog posts mentioning it. that's when i googled veteran's day 2012 & sure enough it was sunday.

i know i'm late, but i want to thank all the men & women who served, & currently still serve, this great country that i can call home. you sacrifice so much & should be recognized for it more often. & thank you to all the families & individuals who have supported & continue to support to our armed forces everyday.