Promises Promises

It's so strange. Lately, there have been a number of deaths. And plenty of rainbows. I'm not surprised. God is so cool like that. He is very near. This one, my hubby took the other day. Saturday, after hosting the yard sale for my brother, we all went to my mother's for a sort of going away/send off party. We ate food from Superior Grill and gathered in a circle to pray blessings for Matthew's long trip. My Nana and Papa even came out to for it and got to see the new puppies. Unfortunately, Mother was having a rough go of it. Not only was she about to say a long goodbye to her youngest, sending him off into situations that will definitely be dangerous, rough, unpredictable, compromising, etc., she had just gotten a call from the vet that her precious pup of 11 years, Tristan, had just passed away after fighting a horrible liver cancer. This rainbow was definitely for her. As 4 generations (my Nana, Mother, me, and Elijah) gathered in a cramped water room and cried, Blake brought us this picture on my camera. Thanks, Blake, and most of all, thanks God!

Mother's rainbow

Nana and Papa

Mother and the boys

Elijah, Daddy and Paula say goodbye to Matt

Tristans last playdate. Have fun playing at the raidbow bridge.

Prayer for Matt.

Inspired Wednesday

“ the power of finding beauty in the humblest things makes home happy and life lovely
louisa may alcott

Atlanta Home Tour

The Nest TV/NN_AtlantaHomeTour-500x375

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San Francisco Home Tour

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My house Monday...Show me your Drawers!

Welcome to my very special 'My House Monday' where I am bearing all!! Allow me to show you whats behind my refridge doors and in my pantry, and if you are brave, show me yours...

I have kids, so my snack cabinet is second to none! I am a big fan of Costco, Publix, and anything that saves me from cooking. I'm just a regular mom, right?

My Sunroom's Good-looking Cousin

Okay, so there not really alike, but there is some similarities there. Could be cousins. Maybe. Anyway, I took some layout inspiration from this cool house on the Patomac.

Flashback Photo Friday

Flashback Photo Friday is of me and my brother Matt. We are holding a yard sale tommorow morning to raise funding for his 11 month mission trip! He leaves next week, and I am so proud of him for doing this amazing thing through the World Race Organization. He will be living in some crazy situations, and puttin himself at risk for the sake of philanthropy. I am proud of his strength, boldness, and character, and pray that he comes back a new man. We will miss you terribly, bro!!!

World Race Promo from The World Race on Vimeo.

Dresser Makeover

Welcome to my dresser makeover...

I purchased this deco dresser from an antique store's backroom garage. It had great size, lines and curves, but was missing pulls, had only been primed, and the drawers were hanging out everywhere. But, they were willing to sell it to me for only $120, which was what they had spent on it. I said YES, and brought it home. The time came, this last weekend, to give it the makeover it had been needing, and I decided to pull a bit of my kitchen into my sunroom by giving it the same distressed paint treatment I had given my kitchen cabinets. Although, I had many inspirations, I ultimately took my inspirations from these cabinets in my kitchen:

I had the dresser staged a bit to get an idea of its purpose in the room, here it is:

sitting in my sunroom waiting for its crowning moment:

Thankfully, my piece was already sanded and primed, so the next step for me was to paint:
color used: Ancient Scroll by American Tradition

The next step was to sand the dresser and give it as much distress as my muscles could handle:

The third step was to stain the dresser. I used Minwax Walnut

Wood Finish, painted it on, then rubbed it off straight away.

and...um...next time I will use gloves.

Next, because I have not yet found the perfect pulls, I sprayed some burlap

twine, and tied them on so that I can functionally open it until I do.

And, for an added bonus, and because I was loving it so much, I painted

an inexpensive bench that I love to use as a coffee table.

Here's how it works in my space:

And, here's the dresser.

Paint Inspiration

\I was looking for a little inspiration for my dresser make-over and found some rather interesting paint ideas. Check this out for now, and tommorow stay tuned for the dresser reveal...

My House Monday

I wanted to pay homage to my scrapbook display today for 2 reason. 1...Because I haven't scrapbooked in forever. I now blog. So, in a way, I feel a tad bit sad about that. And 2...Because this display no longer exists. It has been taken down and replaced by a great family photo in an excellent tin frame.

By the way, about out weekend checklist...I must say I was a LOT optomistic. I was able to check off #1 and #2. Blake checked off #1 and #11. Oh well. Theres always next weekend (or atleast thats what we keep on saying. :)

Weekend check list...

The boys are visiting with Pops this weekend in Huntsville, which means that we have an exhuberant amount of things to check off our to-do list. Here it is:
1. (Blake) Build wall and replace water-damaged wood in the garage...
2. (Brook) Paint dresser...
3. (Blake) Finish Elijah's window seat...
4. (Brook) Paint trim in sunroom and dining room...
5. (Blake) Patch ceiling from light instalation...
6. (Brook) Sew flag banner from quilt scraps...
7. (Blake) Clean out and organize garage...
8. (Brook) Take pictures for portfolio...
9. (Blake) Pressure wash the driveway...
10. (Brook) Help Mother get ready for yard sale...
11. (Blake) Mow...
12. (Brook) Laundry...

Wish us luck! Have a good weekend...

Wordless Wednesday

Jillian choses Ed...Cute alert!

Thats it folks! I can't wait to see tonights 'after the rose' but I am thrilled for Jillian and Ed! They are too cute! Too real! Too authentic! And too perfect for each other! I just hope it lasts now. Yea!

other favorite moments:

This is the most endearing scene of Ed. He is drunk and he is halarious. This is exactly how men should act drunk...hahahhaha...



skip all the agony of Reid leaving and get to the 'hot gut region' on the very last of this one...



AND You gotta love some outtakes...

My House Monday

This is whats on my dining room table right now, mostly because I am gathering things for my sisters wedding, and I dried some blue hydrangeas. Anyway, whats on yours?

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Flashback Photo Friday

Since we were on the subject of Cullman. My flahback today comes from my own varsity blues. See if you can spot me...
Back in Black 1998.

Top 10 Places I would Live...

I have only ever lived in Alabama (except for 3 short months in KC in high school), but I often dream of what it would be like to live in other places. Our Pops calls it 'feeding the rabbits' in reference to Of Mice and Men, which I like. In thinking about a top 10, I am surprised at just how picky I am when it comes to places I could call home. Granted, I could live just about anywhere with a lake and a mountain view. I can see myself a city girl and a country girl, as well as a small town girl. But, when I have to pick some dream locales for me, it is difficult to think of anywhere else I would actually love to live besides Alabama. I love my state. I think it's beautiful, the people are good and predictable, and its simple and slow-paced for the most part (which is something I value more everyday). But, just in case someone ever forces me to choose somewhere else, here's what I'm thinking...

10. Some European Historical...London, for example. I could feel like I lived in the center of the world somewhere like that. Madrid, Paris, etc. I am pretty sure I could look at the architecture and history surrounding me every day and not get tired of it. I could give it a try anyway

9. Somewhere European country setting, say Tuscany. In my mind, even the dirt is beautiful over there.

8. The hermit part of me thinks I could wake up looking at the horizon in Montana and not be too upset. I love to fish, so I think I could give the rainbow trout a run for their money.

7. Strangely enough, if you ask my mother, family, and friends where I always wanted to move to growing up, it was Boston. We grew up going to New York, which I loved but always knew it would swallow me whole or make me phobic of something, so Boston somehow seemed comparable and even better. I get the Brownstones plus the history and a little more space. I still have never been to Boston, but in my mind, it has everything a city girl needs.

6. Okay. Finally we embark on reality as we enter my domain...the south. And speaking of architecture and history. Have you been to Charleston? Its got it all! The beauty, the charm, the history (the pricetag), the small town feel with everything you need going on, the art, the ghosts... Ah, just show me the money, and I'm there.

6. Have I ever mentioned that I love Dolly Parton? Funny, but true. And if theres one thing she and I have in common, its our chest size (hehe) and our love of the Tennessee Smokey mountains. Mountain view (check), Wide open spaces (check), beauty (check), and right in the heart of the south (check). The cons would be the football team, although orange is growing on me these days, and the fact that it gets a little lonesome. Thats why there is a #6 tie between a Tennesse mountain farm and Charleston.

4. But an Alabama farm, now thats a different story. There is just too big a smile that comes to my face when I think about my boys running free, learning to drive a tractor, and riding horses into the sunset. Right now today, being a country girl sounds more appealing than being a city girl. Now, send me back to Charleston and I might change my mind, but atleast here in Alabama I get to keep my family close by, and theres just no price tag you can put on that.

3. But, I do love Chattanooga! Its got the city, but also the mountains and the river! There's also the fact that my youngest son asks me every day, "when are we going to go back to Rock City?" Con...my homes in alabama, but it's only like a 3 hour drive back to Bham, and somehow, it just feels like it wants to be my home.

2. Birmingham is not my favorite city in the world, but I do like it an awful alot, plus this is where I find all those people that really make a place home. But, since this wonderful city has kinda been chosen for me, wouldn't it be nice, God, if I could live in the most beautiful part of it (again)...Mt. Brook. English Village to be exact. That way, I could atleast pretend I live somewhere exciting. ;)

Because that was a bit of harsh humor, I just wanted to mention that where I live is great too...

Absolutely great. Really. And I would miss it terribly if I ever went anywhere else. Don't you think?

1. My dreams are elsewhere. My homes in Alabama. My heads in Bham, but I left my heart somewhere an hour north. My home town. Cullman. How funny is it knowing that I couldn't wait to get out of there, there's no reason I want to be there, and yet every time I drive through downtown, my heart aches with the old dreams of raising my babies right there in that place. Oh. If I could just get my heart to behave. I gotta stop listening to those damn country songs.