Guest Room

I realized that I kind of left y'all hanging on our guest bedroom updates. I finally decided what I wanted (with the help of a Kirkland's sale email) and pieced it together until I finished it a couple of weeks ago. Here is what you see when you walk through the door. I used the bedspread that was already in the room, got some pillow shams from Walmart for $10. Bought some wall art & a huge mirror from Kirkland's for $70 and made a DIY flower for the wall. I'm very happy to have guests stay in this room now!

Here is the view of the opposite side of the room. Here is the giant mirror which I love. Also, that flower arrangement was made by a dear friend, Jody Fergason, for our wedding shower. And there is my DIY project! It is paper towel rolls/ toilet paper rolls flattened, then cut into 1/2" strips, and hot glue gunned together. The final step is spray painting it the color of your choice! I'm about to make another one for our master bathroom.

And here is the view from the corner you were just looking at of the other wall art! I'm very pleased! :) This is my way of decorating like a child and making it look a little grown up! :) I LOVE bright colors in a room! Now you all have to come stay so you can see it for yourself!

Oh, how I love Spring!

Our Garden :)

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned to you guys that Spring is my favorite season. Actually it has a hard tie between Spring & Fall; but as it is currently Spring, then Spring wins. There have been several reminders of why lately so I thought I would share them. 

Tomatoes!!! My favorite fruit/vegetable

Peppers! I'm reasonably excited about this, but Seth is  VERY excited!

And, lastly, baby mockingbirds who recently hatched in  our  grill vent thingy.

Yes, friends. Spring is officially here and I couldn't be any more excited about it! I hope you all are having wonderful reminders of regeneration, creation, and God's love wherever you are!

Italian Cream Cake

I recently baked my first cake from scratch for my friend Dia's birthday. It was an italian cream cake and it was DELICIOUS! I used this recipe from allrecipes.com and used some of the suggestions offered up by the user HJONES999 in the review section.

P.S. Don't look at the caloric content on the recipe site... ;)

Italian Cream Cake

Ingredients:

1 cup buttermilk
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
5 eggs, separated
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flaked coconut
1 tsp baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioners sugar
2 tablespoons light cream (I only had half & half so I used that instead)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup sweetened flaked coconut

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place parchment paper in three 9" round cake pans.
2. In a small bowl, dissolve the baking soda in the buttermilk and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream together 1/2 cup butter, 1/2 cup shortening, and 2 cups white sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in eggs yokes and 1 tsp vanilla.
4. Mix 2 cups flour and 1 tsp baking powder. Alternate adding small amounts of the flour mixture and buttermilk mixture into the butter & sugar mixture.
5. Add 1 cup flaked coconut. (you can also add in additional walnuts here if you like nuts in your cake)
6. Peak 5 egg whites in separate bowl until a stiff peak forms. Fold egg whites into cake mixture. 
7. Pour cake mixture into three 9" round cake pans. 
8. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Allow to cool before icing.

For Icing:
Mix together 8 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter, 1 tsp vanilla extract, and 4 cups confectioners' sugar until creamy. Add in cream until desired texture is reached. mix in walnuts and coconut. Ice cake between layers and on outside of cake.

Enjoy!

DIY Craft

I went home to Texas in March for my friend Ashlee's wedding and my friend Sarah's bridal shower. Ashlee was such a beautiful bride and we had a blast at her wedding.

The beautiful bride Mrs. Ashlee Silva

I made a chest for Sarah I wanted to share it with you guys! First, here is the finished product.

First, I sanded down this chest that I bought from Hobby Lobby and then painted it blue.

I sanded it down a bit to make the next layer, white stick better.
Then, I painted it white.

Lastly, I sanded it down all over & roughed it up so some blue was showing!

She loved it and is going to use it as a home for all the sentimental things from their courtship! :)

Spring has Sprung!

It is hard being a nurse. I know that most professions are hard. Some days, I am completely mentally wiped out (everyday I'm physically wiped out). I realize each day why they make nursing school as challenging as it is. It is because if you can't make it through that stress & intensity, there is no way you will make it in the field of nursing. Goodness. But, each day is getting better. I love my job, that isn't what I am saying at all. It is just very difficult work.

Seth and I recently decided that we were going to get into better shape. We have begun eating lots of fruits and vegetables and other healthy snacks. Our budget is suffering a bit, but I think it is totally worth it to treat our bodies better! We have also started running more. We've only been at it for a two weeks or so but I already am feeling better! There are some feelings you cannot replace and the way you feel after wearing yourself out on a nice long run. My current motivation, you ask? Seth convinced me to order one size smaller than I was comfortable in for my friend Sarah's wedding. It is Memorial Day weekend and I pick up the dress in two weeks. Pretty good motivation, huh? :)

Spring has sprung here in Alabama. Everything is green. My azaleas are loving the weather. We planted a garden and hopefully we'll have some fresh treats in a month & a half. Our tree in our backyard smells lovely, but I'm still not sure of its purpose. Baseball has begun. Life is good. I love Spring!

Carlos is growing more and more everyday. I wish he would stop. It should be any day now. He weighs a whopping 90 lbs but is a big cuddly bug! I wish everyone could experience the love of owning a dog. I imagine it is quite a bit less than the love you have a for your child, but without the fear and anxiety that comes with raising a child. We are definitely not ready for children, but we will soon be ready for dog number two (well, in a year or so)!

Sorry this post is so lame. This is why I haven't blogged in a while. I don't have much to say. I do have a question for the audience. We are trying to figure out a direction to go in for our guest bedroom. Currently, we have a clean slate. We would love help with the development of this room. Any ideas? We've considered pastel florals, natural earthy tones with a lake/woods theme, and simple cool blues. I would love assistance! :)

The End of January

I would like to deny it; but I cannot. It is, indeed, already the end of January. How did this happen? Being an adult and doing 'grown-up'-like things has taught me one very strong point--time flies quicker as time flies by. With work, cleaning, cooking, groceries, puppy time, and repeat, I'm having a hard time realizing how to stop and smell the roses. And I don't even have any children yet! Goodness. Right now, my current struggle involves keeping Carlos from eating the cardboard box Seth's books are in and yet I feel like time is hurling forward at an unimaginable speed. Any suggestions on how to make it slow down a wee bit?

In the fast times, I have been reading through the Old Testament. Currently, I am in 2 Samuel. Yesterday I read 2 Samuel 11 where the David and Bathsheba incident happen. My main conviction while reading through the Old Testament is just how terrible my sins are even when measured against the terrible sins of the figures in the Old Testament. It is so easy for me to read about the killing, worshiping of idols, adultery, and blatant disregard for God's instructions and to think "those are terrible people; why does God love them?" And I am reminded of John 8:7 "..He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her." Now, in our walk with Christ, it is sometimes easy to feel like we are not Pharisees and adulterers; but we are worse. Christ died for our sins when all we deserve is death. Our Savior came down to shed His blood in our stead and yet we allow our sinful nature to get the best of us. What a wonderful Lord that we serve that he forgives us in spite of ourselves. For me, this makes the Old Testament a lot easier to read.

In the meantime, I have learned that I am in love with my job. In fact, the only thing I do not like about being a nurse is waking up at 5am and getting home only to eat supper, shower, and get in bed only to do it again the next day. I love all the in-between. Each day, I get to love on and help heal new patients; some of whom are very sick and some of whom are not. Either way, it is such a joy and a privilege to show some love to new people and to help them with all the terrible, inconceivable things things they cannot currently do for themselves. In fact, that is my favorite part. You see, a privilege of working in an ICU is that you take total care of your patients and it seems like my greatest days are those in which I get a chance to bathe my patients. It is so funny because I distinctly remember this and potty-help being my least favorite things about nursing school and yet now they have become my favorite. I think of what kind of attitude I would want to see in the face of the nurse who has to perform catheter care on me if ever I am in need of a catheter and I pray that I can always feel and emulate these emotions with my patients.

Seth has officially learned to fly! :) He passed his first check-ride today. It is basically a practical for flying. He did it all by himself! His instructor pilot didn't have to touch the controls at all! I'm so proud of him! And he is doing so well in his classes. Flight school sure takes up a lot of his time, but I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband like Seth. He makes dinner for me the days I am at work and always takes the time to listen when I'm having a bad day. God has given me way more than I ever deserve in the husband department. I only hope that all women I know could have someone as equally awesome as him.

Carlos is now a whopping 80 lbs. He turned eight months old yesterday! He has grown so much! I hope you all have been keeping up with him on Facebook. I feel sorry for all of my friends because I already post an obscene amount of things about my dog--imagine what it'll be like when we have kids!

Life is great! Busy, but great! God has blessed us far beyond measure and I cannot wait to see what he has in store for us next!

Already the end of the year?!?

Wow. I cannot believe 2011 is almost over. This was a big year for us! Seth and I both graduated, got married (of course we both did), became parents (to a fur child), moved away from home, and began new careers. This is by far the best year yet for us! I can't help but think of all the wonderful blessings we have in this world. We have the best families in the whole world. They have been so supportive through all of these life changes. Our friends can't be rivaled. They are so amazing. We left Texas with so many friends and yet were blessed with more amazing friends that we've made in Alabama. We both love our jobs and are passionate about what we do. We love being married & we cannot wait to spend the rest of our lives growing and changing together. And our puppy, Carlos, is pretty much the cutest, best dog ever! :)

We may start 2012 with a Christmas tree & lights still up (because I'm fighting hard that they stay up until their deaths), but this coming year will be just as great as 2011. I cannot wait to see what this year has in store for us! :)