Etsy

 I am OBSESSED with Etsy. Seriously, I could spend hours just browsing (& sometimes I do). I wish I had half the talent these people do. I mostly look at the jewelry, but since I have a new house, I've been looking for ideas. And let me tell you, they have some CUTE things. Here are a few of the things I'm loving right now...

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I want Hebrews 3:13- Encourage each other every day. I love this verse & I think that it's great to remember to encourage the people around you on a daily basis. A little encouragement makes everyone feel good.

I can not wait to accessorize my house. Monogrammed pillows are a must for this girl! Thankfully, I have a sweet friend/former roommate who is going to make my pillows for me :) She made ours when we lived together, so I know they will be great! 

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I know this is a door pillow, but without the ribbon, it would be super cute on a bed.

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I love these little dishes. They are perfect jewelry holders for a nightstand. And they are monogrammed! I am definitely going to order these for myself & it's a set of 9, so they will make great gifts!

I am loving this wreath. Loving! It's almost football time in Tennessee, so I will be ordering this for my door. It is just too cute!

I'm still searching for a kitchen table. I found one that I really like on craigslist, but the owner will not respond to my e-mails. I really want your table! 

Have a great Thursday!

Furniture Shopping

     I went shopping for furniture with my friend Kendall today. I think she was more excited about it than I was. I am so impatient & picky, but I actually ended up finding something I liked. I got a couch & a loveseat for a very reasonable price. It was my lucky day, the store was having a 25% off sale today only! It's not exactly what I would pick, but it's definitely better than what my parents wanted to give me & a great starting point. Plus, it's neutral, so I can have a lovely brown/orange/red color scheme going on.

I didn't have my camera, so I had to use my phone. Pardon the quality.

Couch (pillows must go)

Loveseat

In Tennessee, we have a wonderful store called McKay's. They sell new & used books, cds, & movies. I bought a ton of my school books there during undergrad. I also LOVE cookbooks & they have hundreds. I love just going to look because you never know what you are going to find. I took Kendall there today & we both got some bargains.

I also found some really cute canisters I can use for counter storage! I got both of them for $5. What!

My mom & I are going shopping this weekend for fabric for my headboard (that my sweet uncle is making me) & other household things!

 I also have a ton of furniture that I need to shabby chic. I, unfortunately, was not blessed with an artistic bone in my body, so furniture painting should be quite an adventure. I will let you know how that goes.

Exciting News

I got a call last week from my friend Meghan, who I will be nannying for in the fall. She called to talk about "business", but had mentioned the possibility of an apartment in her friend's house & said she would check on it for me. Long story short, I GOT THE APARTMENT!

It is quite possibly the best situation I could ask for. It's the perfect little place ON THE LAKE! I am beyond excited. I have always wanted to live on the water - lake, ocean, whatever. And the best part: I get to move in TWO weeks!! I am feeling so extremely blessed that all of this has fallen into place the way it has. It all happened so fast & I am so so so excited.

Yesterday was such a busy day - church, belated Father's Day celebration with the fam, & then a less than 24 hour trip to Knoxville. It was totally worth it & this sweet thing woke me up this morning & we got to lay in bed & watch cartoons. 3 year olds have it pretty good :)

There are some things (and people) that I will absolutely miss about home - Nashville, but I know Knoxville is where I need to be. God is so good!

Camp Koinonia

I wanted to do a post about one of my favorite things in life, Camp Koinonia. CampK is a week long camp for children with multiple disabilities from East Tennessee that is put on by students at Tennessee. I have been very blessed to be a part of CampK for 4 years. I hate that I didn't know about it my freshman year of college, but I loved the time I was able to go to camp.

There are many roles at Camp: counselor, head counselor, activity staff, & activity leader. I got to be a counselor my first year, followed by activity staff & leader the next two years. This year, I got to go for a brief period of time & was used wherever I was needed. Camp is the longest week of your life, but also the most fun!

I have tons & tons of pictures, but I will leave you with a few from my years!

ADL Staff 2009

THE DANCE!

Cooking Activity Staff 2010

Post Camp with DOC!

3 years together

"Elephants never forget"

Lane & her best friend Cami @ the dance

CampK is a blast! If you are a UT student & you have the opportunity to take this class, DO IT! You won't regret it. I have made some of my best friends because of CampK!

Also, today is one of my oldest friend's birthdays!

HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY, KENDALL! 

Have a great weekend! :)

COUPONS!

Who doesn't love a good deal? I know I do, especially on groceries. I've always bought the things that were on sale or store brand items because they were cheaper, but then I discovered coupons. I'd always been curious about coupons, but I thought they wouldn't work for me. I didn't just want to buy something because I had a coupon. Since I am off for the summer, I decided to give coupons a try. I had no idea how to start this, but I had heard a lot of good things about this website. If you take the time (which isn't much), coupons really work.

Last week, I researched what I needed to buy & what I had coupons for & I ended up saving $31 with coupons. I spent about $21, so I feel like my first shopping trip was a success.

This week, Harris Teeter was having a double coupon sale on all coupons up to $1.98. Apparently, they do this one week each month & sometimes they even triple coupons. So, yesterday, I got my coupons & shopping lists & headed to HT. I had read all these comments about how people were going at 6am, so they could get all the deals before they were gone. There are not many things that can pull me out of bed before 6am & saving 70 cents on a box of pasta is definitely not one of them. I took my chances & went around 2pm & I got almost everything I needed from my list. The only things I didn't get were things that my store didn't carry. I ended up spending $49.94 before coupons, but I paid $15.64.

$25.74 for all this stuff!

Normally, I do not like to go to more than one grocery store. I feel like it's a waste of time, but there was a Publix on my way home, so I decided to stop in. I only needed a few things & I ended up spending $10.10& saving $6 with store sales.

I am definitely not trying to be an "extreme" couponer, but more like a practical couponer. Now I won't have to feel bad when I spend $12 on my favorite pesto from Tomato Head.


I started reading "Heaven is for REAL" last night & ended up finishing it in about 2 hours. I highly recommend it. I laughed, I cried, but mostly, I read it with my mouth open in awe of this little boy's story. It reminded me how we all need to strive for childlike faith.

My first post...

Well, here goes nothing! This my first blog post. I think I started a blog a few years ago, but I can't remember the name, so it doesn't count right? ;) Anyway, I think a blog is a great way to remember things & maybe keep some people updated who are interested in my life.

I have been blessed with such a wonderful life. I have the best family & a great group of friends, who might as well be family.

Yep, I'm wearing orange overalls!

                                       

College graduation party

I have so many pictures, but my computer crashed a few months ago & I have yet to get all my pictures uploaded to my new one.

I graduated from THE University of Tennessee (Go Vols!) in May of 2010. Shortly after, I moved for graduate school which was a mistake & I will be moving back to Knoxville at the end of July (which I could not be more excited about)!!!!

My cap

If you couldn't tell, I really REALLY love the Vols! I get it honestly, that's for sure. My dad (Rog, as I refer to  him) is a die-hard Tennessee fan. I'm pretty sure his blood is orange. In the fall, my life revolves around football. Tailgating is one of my FAVORITE things to do. 

We probably know more about football than most guys

I hate Lane Kiffin, but a cute pic

  

Bennie Boo

As I said, I am moving back to Knoxville in about a month to be a full time nanny for this little nugget!

I babysat her brother from 3months until 3yrs (when I moved), but thankfully, we visit often. He has grown up so fast & is so smart! 

Murphy & his B

My guy & my girl

I had 2 teaching jobs this year, so I am currently off for summer. I'm basically waiting around to move. I've done a lot of packing, cooking, and hanging by the pool this summer. I love to bake! I love to bake especially when I have nothing else to do (like now). I've been doing all kinds of red velvet related things lately. How southern of me!

For those of you who have made it this far, I think this post is pointless long enough, but I will try my best to keep this up!