Sunday, January 31st, 2010
Tonight we turned the keys over to the new owner. It seemed so weird being in the house and knowing it was likely the last time. I'll admit I totally cried. I didn't think I would be that emotional about it, but just the idea that we were never going to be in our "first house" ever again was just so sad. At least I held it together until I got to the jeep, and didn't break down bawling in front of the poor guy who bought the house.
Of course, I took lots of pictures, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more scrapbook pages in the future of all our memories in our first house.
Of course, I took lots of pictures, so I'm sure you'll be seeing more scrapbook pages in the future of all our memories in our first house.
Saturday, January 30th, 2010
Today Mom and I went to Mat and Angie's baby shower. I've known Angie all of my life and Mat for a good portion of it, so it was neat to see them so excited for their new little one.
Angie's mom did such a good job decorating; the church looked really nice. I just loved the cake.
Angie's mom did such a good job decorating; the church looked really nice. I just loved the cake.
Friday, January 29th, 2010
I got to see Faith for a little bit tonight. She and Mamaw were on their way to go hang out with Aunt Becky, Cousin Katie, and Baby Addy. She was dressed so cute, I just had to take a picture.
Between the tights, boots and hat, she was just too funny. Oh and always with a purse!
Also, be sure to note the Barbie bandaid on her finger. She's a big fan of bandaids these days. She'll come and tell us that she has an owie, and Mamaw will happily oblige with a Barbie bandaid. A few hours later, she'll come and tell us that it is feeling much better and we can take it off.
Between the tights, boots and hat, she was just too funny. Oh and always with a purse!
Also, be sure to note the Barbie bandaid on her finger. She's a big fan of bandaids these days. She'll come and tell us that she has an owie, and Mamaw will happily oblige with a Barbie bandaid. A few hours later, she'll come and tell us that it is feeling much better and we can take it off.
Thursday, January 28th, 2010
They finished the basement and finally got everything moved away so I could take some clear pictures. This is a view of the basement from standing in the garage.
Wednesday, January 27th, 2010
Nathan needed to take a snack to his men's bible study this week, so I pulled out one of my grandma's recipes for a seven layer dip. This is great with nacho chips.
The first layer is a can of refried beans.
The first layer is a can of refried beans.
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Another one of my layouts was selected as a Gallery Standout. You can read the post and see the other selected layouts here:
Gallery Standouts - January 26th
Gallery Standouts - January 26th
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
Since Audrey has now joined the DHD team, she has been re-releasing some of the kits she previously sold at We Are Storytellers before they closed. This week she is releasing her Family Tree collection. You might remember this layout that I did of Justin and I when we were little.
Tuesday, January 26th, 2010
It was our turn to take snack to our church's small group meeting, so I decided to try out a new recipe. I had tried this Buffalo Chicken Dip at my mother-in-law's and really liked it, so I asked her for the recipe. It's pretty easy to make, basically you just mix all the ingredients together and bake it for 20 minutes. You can find the recipe here: Buffalo Chicken Dip. I used cheddar cheese and ranch dressing.
Monday, January 25th, 2010
I'm working on a project called P365. The basic idea is to take a photo a day and keep some kind of record/journal about it. The photo doesn't have to be anything glamorous or perfect. The concept is more about capturing and documenting your everyday life and not just the big moments like birthdays and holidays.
I haven't really mentioned anything about it yet, because I wasn't really sure if I would be able to make the commitment to it, but I'm giving it a try and so far I really like it. The important thing to remember is not to stress out if you don't actually take a photo every day! Just figure out something that will mark that day or how you felt. That's my approach at least.
I know I've been slacking in the Five on Friday posts lately, but this should probably help to supplement my weekly recaps. Here are my first three layouts.
The first one is from New Year's eve.
I haven't really mentioned anything about it yet, because I wasn't really sure if I would be able to make the commitment to it, but I'm giving it a try and so far I really like it. The important thing to remember is not to stress out if you don't actually take a photo every day! Just figure out something that will mark that day or how you felt. That's my approach at least.
I know I've been slacking in the Five on Friday posts lately, but this should probably help to supplement my weekly recaps. Here are my first three layouts.
The first one is from New Year's eve.
Monday, January 25th, 2010
Today Meredith Fenwick is releasing her Bliss Collection at Design House Digital. This is a gorgeous kit, with some really elegant papers and colors. Here's a layout I made with the collection:
Sunday, January 24th, 2010
Today is Nathan's 27th Birthday!!!
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
Today they back-filled the area around the basement with gravel and installed our french drains
Saturday, January 23rd, 2010
Today was moving day. We actually have another week or so before we have to be out of the house, but the weather was so nice and the Pickens men and their trucks were available today, so we decided to go ahead and move most of the big stuff.
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
Today the worked to add a waterproofing material to the basement walls. I believe it's basically a hot tar that they spray on, and when it dries it acts like a rubber coating around the walls.
Friday, January 22nd, 2010
I thought I would share some pullbacks of the house, so you can really see what it looks like now.
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
So today, they removed all the moldings around the concrete walls. By the time we got out there, they had them all off and stacked in the middle of the basement.
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
To go along with my Chicken Cordon Bleu we made Roasted Carrots. Once again, I used a recipe from Kevin and Amanda's site. They were very simple to make. Basically, we just cut up the carrots, added the seasoning and broth, and cooked them. You can find the recipe here: Roasted Carrots.
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
You may or may not know, but I made the decision to try 100 new recipes this year. So hopefully that will make for lots of fun food posts.
Tonight I made Kevin and Amanda's Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was fairly easy to make, and Kevin and Amanda's writing is pretty funny to read while you're at it. Here's an excerpt from the recipe, just so you see what I'm talking about...
"Now at first it will sizzle and freak out and act like it’s going to boil over…But just remember - you are the boss and you are way more stubborn than that butter so just hold your ground and don’t give in– and it will calm down from it’s little temper fit in no time."
It just sounds like how I would describe it to someone, so maybe that's why I like it :)
Tonight I made Kevin and Amanda's Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was fairly easy to make, and Kevin and Amanda's writing is pretty funny to read while you're at it. Here's an excerpt from the recipe, just so you see what I'm talking about...
"Now at first it will sizzle and freak out and act like it’s going to boil over…But just remember - you are the boss and you are way more stubborn than that butter so just hold your ground and don’t give in– and it will calm down from it’s little temper fit in no time."
It just sounds like how I would describe it to someone, so maybe that's why I like it :)
Thursday, January 21st, 2010
If you are ever looking for some good scrapbooking inspiration, you should totally check out Gallery Standouts. Basically, they are a groups of designers and scrapbookers, that browse different galleries and pick out some layouts that catch their eye and feature them on their site. They have some amazing things featured there, and today I'm a proud to say that my Happiness is a Butterfly was selected.
You can find their comments and see all of the other featured layouts of the day here
You can find their comments and see all of the other featured layouts of the day here
Tuesday, January 19th, 2010
They finished putting up all the walls around the house and now they are ready to pour the cement in tomorrow.
Monday, January 18th, 2010
Today they put up the moldings that will hold our basement walls.
Monday, January 18th, 2010
They also dug out the area for the garage footer.
Sunday, January 17th, 2010
Yesterday they delivered the moldings for our basement walls. The will pour the cement in next week, and this will give them a brick wall look to them.
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
This is another quilt I finished recently. The strips are pieced material from the Up on the Rooftop line.
Friday, January 15th, 2010
I wanted to share a recent quilt that I finished up. This one was actually really easy. We bought the front panel and the back at Hobby Lobby. All I had to do was cut them down, sew them together and finish off the edge.
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
As a Decorator at DHD, I get to occassionaly post things on the site's blog. This week, I decided to do a color combo inspiration post about my current obsession with gray and mustard yellow.
To read my post, you know you want to!!! head over to the DHD blog or you cand find it here:
Color Watch with Design House Decorator Lori Pickens
They even made me a cool blog header:
To read my post, you know you want to!!! head over to the DHD blog or you cand find it here:
Color Watch with Design House Decorator Lori Pickens
They even made me a cool blog header:
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
So I was browsing the Internet today and made my way over to 2Peas, as I do most days, and what do I see...
Thursday, January 14th, 2010
Yesterday, they dug our basement, and today they are pouring our footers. Since we are working in the winter, Kendell decided to make our footers extra wide. The plans called for about 20 inches, but Kendell used 36. In the corner, you can see the rebar that goes underneath.
Tuesday, January 12th, 2010
Michelle recently released her new kit called You Picked Me. You can find it and an interview all about Michelle, over at the Daily Digi.
Here's a layout that I did with it of Nathan and I. The title says, "I'm so glad you picked me"
Here's a layout that I did with it of Nathan and I. The title says, "I'm so glad you picked me"
Monday, January 11th, 2010
DHD has decided to release new products on two days a week instead of just one. Which means we all get a *bonus* day of new stuff and sales. All kits are 30% off on the day they release, so be sure to stop over and check out the new releases.
I made this layout with Audrey's new kit called Winterberry.
I made this layout with Audrey's new kit called Winterberry.
Thursday, January 7th, 2010
One of the very cool things about DHD is that we have our own Mansigner (their words, not mine) - Spencer. Spencer is married to the fabulously talented, Jen Allyson. I think it is neat that they get to work on a project like DHD together. Plus, Spencer gives a fun new perspective to digital scrapbooking. Here is a layout I made with some of his new stuff
Journaling reads:
There's nothing quite like a child's imagination. In reality, Evan was just sitting on a plastic truck in the middle of the mall. I'm not even sure we paid the quarter for the thing to shake or move around. None of that matters to a four-year-old little boy though. To him he's in the middle of a wild car chase, having the time of his life!
Journaling reads:
There's nothing quite like a child's imagination. In reality, Evan was just sitting on a plastic truck in the middle of the mall. I'm not even sure we paid the quarter for the thing to shake or move around. None of that matters to a four-year-old little boy though. To him he's in the middle of a wild car chase, having the time of his life!
Tuesday, January 5th, 2010
Our talented Digital Guru, Gennifer asked us to put together some layouts using Melissa Esplin's new Psychedelic Circus kit to feature on the DHD blog. This is a very fun kit - with lots of bright colors. Here's what I came up with.
Journaling reads:
On a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than playing with bubbles by the pool. Faith, Malachi, and Eden had a blast with the bubble maker machine, bubble wands, and different bubble blowers. Three cousins plus lots and lots of bubbles makes for a very fun afternoon.
Journaling reads:
On a hot summer day, there’s nothing better than playing with bubbles by the pool. Faith, Malachi, and Eden had a blast with the bubble maker machine, bubble wands, and different bubble blowers. Three cousins plus lots and lots of bubbles makes for a very fun afternoon.
Monday, January 4th, 2010
Check out the inspiration posted on the DHD blog from the Decorators:
Christmas Inspiration from the Decorators
Christmas Inspiration from the Decorators
Monday, January 4th, 2010
Here's a layout I just finished up using my new DHD products.
Journaling reads:
When winter comes, and it’s cold and windy outside, I’m so glad I have your arms to hold me tight and your smile to warm my heart.
Journaling reads:
When winter comes, and it’s cold and windy outside, I’m so glad I have your arms to hold me tight and your smile to warm my heart.
Saturday, January 2nd, 2010
A few people at work had told me that Avatar was a good movie and that we should go see it. First of all, I'm not a movie theatre kind of person. Personally, I just don't like paying $8.50 to watch a movie in an uncomfortable chair with no pause button - let alone the price for snacks. I would much rather watch it on DVD laying on the couch with sweatpants on. Plus, from the previews of Avatar I gathered that it was a sci-fi movie, which isn't normally my thing either. But then someone said that it was playing at the 3-D theatre in Athens, and that it really was worth watching. So we got a group together and decided to go see it...
Seriously, it was awesome!!! Again, not a sci-fi fan, but this actually has a really good story to it.
Seriously, it was awesome!!! Again, not a sci-fi fan, but this actually has a really good story to it.
Friday, January 1st, 2010
DHD is officially open. They are having an awesome Grand Opening sale with freebies and 30% off the entire store all weekend long. Please stop by and check out the amazing stuff and say hello in one of the forums.
Design House Digital
Design House Digital
Friday, January 1st, 2010
I thought it would be fun to look back through my archives for the year and pick some of my favorites. There were so many that I loved, but I tried to narrow it down. So here is my Top 9 of 2009...
Friday, January 1st, 2010
Happy New Year everyone! I hope your started off as happily as mine did...