taxes, taxes, taxes

Nick and I had a date last night. It lacked all romance and was more like a trip to Vegas, but I suppose that's typical of all tax-completing dates. Unless you have a cute accountant. We used Turbotax, which has a bit of a slot-machine nature to it and definitley adds a bit of excitement to the whole dreaded tax-filing process. Those who have used it know exactly what I mean. There is a "totals" section in the top right corner of the screen that shows both your federal and state returns and it increases or decreases, digit by digit, as you fill out each section. Thankfully for us, there was a whole lot more increasing than decreasing going on!

What plans do y`all have for your returns? We are saving some, using a chunk to buy a washing machine (finally!), paying off some credit cards and doctor's bills, and I am splurging on this perfect-in-every-way camera bag I found on Etsy.

I believe things are starting to look up!

Happy Weekend and Happier Filing, my friends!

Snow Day Hats...

They are calling for snow this weekend, between 7 and 10 inches! Eee! Haley has got her snow day hat in tow and is ready for action. I think we will have a little winterfest to cap off the season complete with a special snowman cake, hot cocoa and homemade icecream sandwiches (can't find a more balanced meal), and some valentine's day crafting. There is nothing like paper heart doilies and lots of x's and o's to warm up a home!

Tonight I am wrapping up the rest of my Etsy orders and tending to my babies so we can enjoy the weekend. Nick and Cameron both have strep and Haley and I have a stomach bug that has made our stomachs upset and our bathroom trips more frequent, but I am feeling a bit better today and I am ready to get things done!

February's Big Project

Wow. I am all shades of embarassed about the state of this room. This would have been the 4th bedroom of our home, but as our little cottage was built in the 50's and has very small rooms and non-functional closet spaces, a bedroom-to-closet convert was neccessary. Thank you Felicity and Zach, you are renovating geniuses! :)

To Do List:

+ Purge! Get rid of all old clothing we do not wear or recycle it into something for the girls
+ Dance around and celebrate after salvaging long lost favorite shirts and dresses from floor
+ 4982343 loads of laundry, roughly
+ Pick a fabric that I won't get sick after two weeks and sew curtains
+ Find old chair for sewing table
+ Invest in a more compact ironing board
+ Hang art
+ Find small craft table for the girls so we can all craft at the same time
+ Invest in coordinating wooden hangers
+ Get rid of boob-shaped light fixture
+ Replace with something along the lines of this or a charming chandelier.

Wish me luck! I`ll keep you all posted :)

gratitude tuesday: week three

My Inherited Disease...

My mother and my grandmother both tried to instill their great love for vintage and antique items in me from a young age. I will always remember them carting me around against my will to all different grades of antique shops in the historic districs of Virginia and telling me to have a look around as if the antique gods would send me some sort of awakening at age 12 and I would be able to find beauty and pleasure in all this dusty old junk. I couldn't understand their madness at the time as I had more important things on the brain: skater boys and instant messaging. Lord, really?

Nearly 20 years later, their antiquing disease has surfaced in me and I find myself wishing I could go on such adventures again. How much would I love to scower all their old favorite haunts for vintage baby dresses, toys, and shoes? To hunt down some fabulous one of a kind paintings and other unique decor for our home. To aid them in finding their personal favorites: antique gold jewelry boxes, perfume bottles, mirrors and frames.

Ah, it breaks my heart that such a trip is not possible, but I am grateful to have inherited some of their personal treasures. I cherish them with all my heart and soul as I know how much heart and soul was put into collecting them.

I have an antiquing/thrifting date in Floyd with my husband this weekend. I can't wait.

gratitude tuesday: week two

A place to call home...

What a tough week.

With the recent disaster in Haiti and the passing of Marcus Conner, I have found myself grateful for a multitude of things yet very stuck on what "week 2" of my gratitude project would be. I felt like I should have something big to commemorate the life of a wonderful man yet the subject of Haiti has also been heavy on my heart. I just knew that when I looked back on this week I would want to remember them both- they both brought so many feelings, so many tears, and an outstanding reminder of the love and compassion that people can show for a single family and for an entire country in a time of need, a time of disaster, and a time of loss.

So why the picture of our house?

At first I was thinking about how I complain about so many things when it comes to our little abode- how I want to repaint every room, how the floor never stays warm, how we only have one bathroom, how desperately we need a washing machine, the list goes on. But the truth is, I know I am so blessed to even have a house at all. I am blessed to have a roof over my head to keep me dry even though my feet are cold, I am blessed to have walls to hang up pictures of my family even if they aren't the color of my choice, and I am blessed to have a shower that spews out warm and clean water though most days I don't get to enjoy it. I am even blessed to have the mountains of clothes erupting in every hallway!

There are people in Haiti that have lost their homes and their loved ones and have nothing left but the clothes on their back. There are people who are starving, sick, and longing for a warm shower. I cannot begin to imagine how I would handle such losses, I have never been through such suffering first hand. I wish I could go to them. I wish I could do something more. I wish I had more to give.

My heart breaks for them.

And then I thought about Marcus and the first time I ever stepped foot into his home, the only time i've stepped into his home. The home he built with his own two hands. The home of a hardworking man. The home that I had heard stories about before I ever stepped foot in the place. The home where his four boys grew up. The home where his four boys returned when they recieved the worst news of their lives. A home where a wife would have to fall asleep without the man she adored next to her. A home filled with love. A home of simplicity and the basics, because really, what more do you need. A home that had visitors pouring in to mourn the loss of a great man, coach, father and husband. A home where silly made-up stories were told and awkward little monkeys were scattered about. A home filled with treasured picture albums and prized trophy plaques. A home beaming with the laughter of grandchildren week in and week out. A home that would always be a time capsule of one man's love, his life, and a million memories spent with him there. A home that would never really be the same.

My heart breaks yet again.

Marcus, I am grateful for your reminder of what a home really is. I love how much you rejoiced in the little and the much that you had. That should be every heart's desire <3

gratitude tuesday: week one

silence, a soft pillow, and security are the ingredients for a sweet sisterly slumber <3

scratchy, scratchy, itchy, itchy...

Online shopping is such a blessing and a curse. I have found no better way to deal with a double dose of laryngitis and bronchitis and an ongoing case of hives than to visit my favorite stores from the convienience and comfort of my bed. Most of the time, it's harmless window shopping, but every now and again, I find something I feel like I need to have, hit the darned submit button and end up with two cute pairs of buckled vintage sandals at my doorstep. Ooops! I either need to get better soon or find myself a new sick hobby.

In other news, I finally started hanging a frame ensemble on our blank staircase wall. The pictures in them still need to be replaced with some old photographs of our families, the girls' sonograms, wedding pictures, etsy prints, and other sentimentals; but for now, I am adopting the cute little fluffy blonde that greets me on my way up the stairs as my own and pretending that I am the hot mama sitting on the beach and enjoying the waves.

Hope your new year has been off to a productive and healthy start!

What projects are y'all itching to complete?!?