I'm Going to Nashville!

No, I'm not finally going to live out my dream of becoming a country music singer. (And that's mainly do to the fact that my voice is as smooth as the sounds of a dying cat) But I am going for a long weekend with my hubby next month!

I've never been, so any tips on any must see's / must do's? Love to hear any of your advice!

(Source)

Here's me getting my hair done for my wedding... If that ain't wannabe country music singer hair I don't know what is! ;)

The higher the hair the closer to God right? ;)

But I digress... Who's got some tips on Music City?

Beware: GLOB MONSTER! (or just my cabinets)

OH THE HORROR!!

Ok maybe not a horror at all, but sometimes its fun to be a little dramatic. ;)

I know I've posted a lot about my bathroom already, but I wanted to mention something if you are thinking about trying to paint your cabinets.



See it closer? Do you notice those little white spots at the top of the door? It's super small but we were not super duper careful with the top coat of paint on this door. We thought it would dry clear... which it does but not if there is a glob.

Final thoughts: Be careful with the top coat and watch out for globs! They don't go away!


It's so minimal it doesn't really bother me. I mean come on... look how dire it was before?!


Ahhhh.... so much better! :)


I *heart* my new bathroom.

Linking to: My Romantic Home

Heartsy (aka Groupon for Etsy)

Have you heard of this? It's like Groupon for Etsy. My husband told me about it (of all people!).

(If you don't know what Groupon is, it's daily deals that are emailed to you. Things like "$9 for 2 movie tickets", etc.)


Sign up here: http://heartsy.me/r/22731/d/146

Can I live here?

Bing

My work computer background scrolls through pictures from Bing. I LOVE this picture that pops up.

Is it not the cutest? Who wants to have a spot of tea with me here?

Shoes with Bows

I have a thing for shoes with bows. It's only a mild obsession but its one of the things I can't wait to wear for open toe season! These are my two favorite pairs of shoes at the moment. :)

From Anne Klein

and these from Kate Spade except mine are HOT PINK!

Here's a picture of them in pink!

These shoes get worn out during wedding season!

Don't fun shoes put you in a good mood? They put me in one! Happy Monday! :)

It is Well with My Soul

My church did something I thought was really special today. We had a woman sing "It is Well with My Soul" in Japanese. It was a great weekend to honor those suffering in Japan and it's the cherry blossom festival in DC this week. The sermon is telecast live over the internet and thousands of people in Japan tuned in to hear her sing. If you don't know the story behind the song/hymn, you should. It is truly moving, heartbreaking and beautiful.

Here's the story from FaithClipArt.com:

Horatio Spafford (1828-1888) was a wealthy Chicago lawyer with a thriving legal practice, a beautiful home, a wife, four daughters and a son. He was also a devout Christian and faithful student of the Scriptures. His circle of friends included Dwight L. Moody, Ira Sankey and various other well-known Christians of the day. At the very height of his financial and professional success, Horatio and his wife Anna suffered the tragic loss of their young son. Shortly thereafter on October 8, 1871, the Great Chicago Fire destroyed almost every real estate investment that Spafford had.

In 1873, Spafford scheduled a boat trip to Europe in order to give his wife and daughters a much needed vacation and time to recover from the tragedy. He also went to join Moody and Sankey on an evangelistic campaign in England. Spafford sent his wife and daughters ahead of him while he remained in Chicago to take care of some unexpected last minute business. Several days later he received notice that his family's ship had encountered a collision. All four of his daughters drowned; only his wife had survived.

With a heavy heart, Spafford boarded a boat that would take him to his grieving Anna in England. It was on this trip that he penned those now famous words, When sorrow like sea billows roll; it is well, it is well with my soul...

It Is Well With My Soul

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way, When sorrows like sea billows roll; Whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, It is well, it is well with my soul.

Refrain: It is well (it is well), with my soul (with my soul), It is well, it is well with my soul. Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come, Let this blest assurance control, That Christ hath regarded my helpless estate, And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

Refrain

My sin, oh the bliss of this glorious thought! My sin, not in part but the whole, Is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more, Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

Refrain

For me, be it Christ, be it Christ hence to live: If Jordan above me shall roll, No pang shall be mine, for in death as in life Thou wilt whisper Thy peace to my soul.

Refrain

And Lord haste the day, when my faith shall be sight, The clouds be rolled back as a scroll; The trump shall resound, and the Lord shall descend, Even so, it is well with my soul.

Refrain

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7)

Nightstand: Before & After

My parents bought a bedroom set when I was pretty young. Now, they kept that bedroom set all together until just a few years before I got married (decades later). When they realized it was ugly were ready for a change, I inherited one of the nightstands. (I don't know why I was only given one but that's probably all I could hand with my teeny little apartment when I first got married.)

Here she is... oh how shiny!

I finally got around to doing something about it! What a difference some white paint and new handles can make!


Now it's in my guest room and my sisters didn't even recognize it! I don't know, I'm kinda thinking about painting a cool pattern on it one day... maybe. I do know this little one needed a face-lift bad!

Linking to: Free for All Fridays ; Feature Yourself Friday ; Remodelaholic ; My Romantic Home ; Debbiedoo's Newbie Party; Strut Your Stuff

Re-vamped Necklace: Fun with B&W

My mother gave me a very long sparkly black necklace that I have never worn. I tried to wear it several times and never seemed to look right to me.


It just seemed to be missing something. So I added this little broach. That I believe my mother also bought me. She likes anything sparkly!


Ta-da! I'm a genius right? OK maybe far from genius but I'm pretty excited about my new necklace!



Like my black and white shots? That's my husband's doing. He's so much better than me!

Completely random aside: Just saying Black and White out loud made me think of the Michael Jackson video and I automatically started singing and turning my head like in the video!

Remember?

Morphing final video de M. Jackson Black or White

Yeah, I'm a total dork! :)

Travel Tuesday: Rome

Rome was not built in a day, nor can you properly tour it in one! But if one day is all you got (like me) here's a few must do's and tips. If you are new to my blog, I'm blogging about my Mediterranean cruise here.

1. Use the metro. There are only 2 lines - you won't be able to mess it up!
2. Try the train. Cheaper to do than an excursion. If you are taking a cruise you will be dropped off in Civitavecchia which is about an 80 minute train ride outside of Rome. A lot of people on our cruise took the train into town.
3. My husband had been to Rome in the summer before, he loved coming in November because it wasn't nearly as crowded. It's also much easier to site see when you aren't sweating to death. Just something to think about!
4. Watch your purse. You are in a big city. It's like any other big city. Especially on public transportation.

We ended up doing an excursion since I had never been and thought it would be easier. It worked out better for us to get a guided tour of a few things and explore the rest of the city on our own. Maybe that's best for first timers? Next time, I think we're going to take the train though.

Ok here we go! WARNING: TONS of pictures to follow!

Gotta see the Vatican! Doesn't matter what religion you are, it is AH-mazing! Our excursion included an inside tour. Which was worth it for them to point out cool stuff. :)







Check out the Colosseum which was also included in our guided tour.

Those little necklace things are what we used to hear our tour guide.

My husband is such a dork! (Love you babe! ha)

Check out the Trevi Fountain. Gotta throw in a coin so that you return one day!



The Pantheon - my husband kept saying the Parthenon (love how I'm calling you out babe? hehe)


Spanish Steps - where you can eat gelato like Audrey Hepburn

Check out St. Peter in Chains Cathedral. You can see the actual chains they placed on Peter while he was imprisoned. It is also home to Michelangelo's statue of Moses.

So there are a MILLION things to do there. Not including all the shops, food, art, history, and everything else there is something for everyone! Make sure you pick a couple of the TOP sites you want to see and map it out to decide where to go. Unfortunately, one day will not cover all it has to offer.

Any tips you want to share? My parents are thinking about going and I'm kinda writing these posts for them and others who are considering a Med cruise. :)

In bloom

After visiting my family this weekend and I came home to my orchids blooming! We've had them for 2 years and they didn't bloom last year. I guess that orchid fertilizer we bought worked!

And looks like we'll have a lot more blooms soon!




Yay for spring!

Master Bathroom Big Reveal!

Thank y'all so much for so many sweet comments on my bathroom thus far! Between quitting a job, starting a job, hubby applying to grad school, and a kitchen reno - we've actually finished a project! I'm so excited to show you what we've done! Hope you like it!!

Here it is!!
Before:

Side by Side:

Like my Jones Design Company stencil? :)


Here are the cabinets and mirror frame we refinished with Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations after reading Centsational Girl's post.

We used the "Espresso" color

A little bit closer look...

Since my side by side pictures come out very small, here are my before & after pictures:

BEFORE:
AFTER:
- Put together the new shelf storage thingy ($30 on clearance at Target but countless hours of my life putting it together)
- Valance from Tar-jay again :)

BEFORE:
AFTER:
No more builder grade special lights, mirror, faucet and cabinets! :)

BEFORE:
AFTER:
See the light we replaced with the pendant light? So much more interesting!



If you haven't been following along, you can check out my slow progress below :)

Using Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations - here
The stencil and lights- here
Making our mirror frame - here
Faucets before & after - here
My artwork - here
Pendant lighting - here

I know a lot of you are interested in trying the Rust-Oleum Cabinet Transformations kit so feel free to shoot me some questions! Thanks for stopping by! :)

Linking to: Polly Want a Crafter? ; Amaze Me Mondays ; Get Your Craft On ; Too Cute Tuesday ; Show Me What Ya Got ; Extreme Personal Measures ; A Diamond in the Stuff ; Swing into Spring ; Strut Your Stuff ; Feature Yourself Friday; Free For All Friday ; Remodelaholic ; Debbiedoos Newbie Party ; Tatertots and Jello ; Be Different Act Normal ; Tip Me Tuesday ; The DIY Party Project (can't get the button to work)