A weekend of Highs and Lows

The title says it all: it was a weekend full of highs and lows! In the end, it was a great weekend, but I am exhausted from all the  stuff that happened! Let me fill you in.

Friday was kinda a crazy day at work, and I was anxious to get up to Saluda to my happy place for the weekend, even though I knew we would be unloading the moving truck and getting my mom and stepdad moved in. We got away from Greenville later than we wanted, but were finally on our way around 6:45. Entering the mountain area, a deer ran out in front of us (a few car lengths ahead), and Alex and I watched as an oncoming car hit it. It was awful. I have been in an accident caused by a deer, so they already freak me out, but to see one get hit and mess up someone's car and all that...it was awful! I cannot get that image out of my head. Needless to say, I burst into tears about the poor deer and those poor people that hit it and cried the rest of the way to the mountain house.

When we got to the house, I was feeling better. We grilled some burgers and relaxed for a little while, then started unloading the truck before calling it a night. We were all exhausted. None of us slept very late the next morning, which was okay because we woke up to this:

What a gorgeous way to wake up! After chowing down on a big breakfast, we got the rest of the truck unloaded. Even though there were boxes everywhere, the U-Haul was empty: success!

It was then time to get ready for the wedding we were going to in Franklin, which is about 2 hours away from Saluda. The crew got all cleaned up, hopped in the car, and got into wedding mode!

The wedding was beautiful - it was outside and the weather was cool and crisp. The leaves were just about at their peak - perfect! 

It was so much fun to spend time with old friends and family. Since it was the wedding of my dad's college buddy's daughter, both of my parents were there, as was my brother and all my "family" - the college buddies and their kids. So much fun! You know it's a good night when you end up wearing your husband's bow tie.

Sunday we got up early-ish and hit the road back to Saluda. We had a lot to do that day (remember, the plan was to go apple picking!) and we had to return the U-Haul truck, as well as continue to unpack. We were almost back to the house after the wedding - like a mile down the mountain road - when Alex suddenly got sick. We're not sure if it was because he had too much fun the night before or the winding mountain roads. Either way, not cool for the poor hubs. I will spare the details, but it was NOT COOL for me either, as I was sitting next to him in the back seat and...let's just say I had to shower immediately upon entering the house.

After we were all, ahem, cleaned up, we were ready to strike out to return the truck and then go apple picking! Just one thing stood in our way: we had to get the massive 26' moving truck turned around in the narrow driveway (on the side of a mountain) and then down the gravel mountain road. After about an hour of directing my stepdad, we finally got it out of the driveway. I am not exaggerating here. At one point, the front tire was lodged in between a small stone wall and a tree and the side bumper was bending, just a few feet from the steep mountainside. We thought we were going to have to chop down the tree to get it out (the tree was spared, however. Still not sure how). I cannot even describe how nail-biting this whole process was. I really thought we were going to have to buy the U-Haul and turn it into a guest cottage because that thing was not coming down the mountain. But in the end, a small miracle was performed and we got it out. Hallelujah.

By this point, it was past lunch time, and we were all starving and totally beat. It was actually my idea to forgo the apple picking festivities, as much as it pained me to suggest it. It was cold and cloudy and we were all so tired...it would have sucked all the fun out of the experience. So here's hoping we can go next weekend! (That's the plan for now. We shall see...)

Alex and I got home last night around 6, and I was ready to hit the hay. I managed to stay up until about 9, which I figured was a respectable time to go to bed.

The weekend really was a blast (minus the deer, the moving truck and the hubby's sickness). All in all, we can look back on the shenanigans and laugh. Except for the deer - can't. get. it. out. of. my. mind!!!

Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

I am so glad today is Friday! I mentioned in my last post that my Mom and step-dad are closing on their mountain house today, aka my new Happy Place, so I'm pretty dang excited about that! We're planning to drive up the road to the new place after work today to help them unpack and get settled in.

Tomorrow, we are going to a wedding in NC. The bride is like a cousin to me: our dads went to college together, so we have grown up together and our families are tight. I'm excited to see this group of special family friends this weekend and hey, everyone loves a wedding!

On Sunday, I am going apple picking. I don't care if I have to go by myself, I am going! With last weekend's yuckiness and subsequent high from all the medications I was on (and thus missing out on apple picking festivities), I plan to make up for it this Sunday. Dare me not to.

I'm linking up again this week with Adventures of Newlyweds for Friday's Letters.


Dear Friday: thanks for coming around again. It hasn't been a bad week at all, just kinda slow. I appreciate you showing your face. Dear Mom and Dave: congrats on the house closing! I can't wait to make memories there. Dear mountains: I am SO glad we will have a place to come and visit all your beauty more often. Dear apples: be afraid. Be very afraid. Dear brother: I hope you survived your week on the AT. Can't wait to see you tomorrow and I'm sure you're excited to bathe. Yuck. Dear husband: you are killing it at the new job, just like I knew you would. Congrats honey! Keep it up.

My new happy place: back in the family again

I want to introduce you to a very special place today.

This is the place I will now start referring to as "my happy place."

Everyone should have a happy place. A place you can go to feel at peace, to relax, to feel that all's right with the world. Whether that place is a mansion on the beach, a coffee shop, or a corner of a room in your apartment. The important thing is to identify where this place is for you. And try to go there often.

The story of my new happy place is pretty amazing.

You probably know by now that I am originally from Florida, and my family on my mom's side has been there forever. Like 7 generations (actually 8 now...). Honestly. And Florida peeps love the beach and lakes and all that jazz. But we Floridians also have a soft spot for cold-weather locales and mountain retreats because those are the places that we do not have anywhere in the Sunshine State. So it's not totally uncommon for Florida folks to have vacation homes in Colorado, or Maine, or North Carolina.

North Carolina. That is where my great-grandfather Frank built a vacation home when my mom was a little girl. He and his wife, Reeda, built a charming mountain retreat in the early 1960s and loved that home. They came to visit whenever they could. Their grandkids (including my mom) loved the house with its peaceful mountain views and dirt road straight uphill and windows that could be flung open to let in the crisp mountain air.

But he sold the house in the 1970s, as he was getting older and so were his grandchildren. My mom was about 13 when he sold her happy place, and this is a place she has spoken of so many times. I have heard her refer to her 10-year-old self as "Heidi" (yes, the little Bavarian girl) when she would throw open the window in the morning to reveal the gorgeous view from her loft window. And all the stories of lazy summer days in that house with her grandfather, and of playing with the kids in the small town who were her friends, if only for a summer. The good stuff that great childhood memories are made of.

My great-grandfather has been gone for years, and my grandparents couldn't remember the name of the town where the house was and neither could my mom. So in essence, "Granddaddy's Cabin" was somewhere, but we didn't know where, or how to get there, or if it even still was.

Now let's fast-forward about 40 years. My mom and step-dad had been talking about buying a vacation home in the mountains so they can have a place near Alex and I, and a mountain retreat away from the Florida heat.

This summer, they were driving through the mountains in NC, about 45 minutes from where A & I live. A sign for Saluda, NC caught mom's eye. She thought it sounded familiar. Curious, they drove into the town, and she was certain it was the town where her grandfather's house had been.

They ventured into the little general store and started asking around to see if anyone remembered my great-grandfather. No luck. Oh well, it was a longshot anyway.

But then...someone said they knew someone who knew someone (or something...) and anyway, this person led them to a woman who not only was one of the kids that my mom used to play with as a child, but is the current mail carrier for the house and knew exactly where to take them. To the house that was my great-grandfather's.

After driving up a mountain not far from the little downtown area, they pulled up at a cabin, and yes. It was the house. Only it was slightly larger (an owner along the way had added on), but it definitely was Granddaddy's Cabin.

They knocked on the door. The owner was home. She thought they were lost. Mom explained the story. The owner invited them in to look around for old-times-sake. For the first time through adult eyes, Mom saw the house that had given her so many memories another lifetime ago.

And here is where it gets good. The owner said she was planning to put the house on the market the very next week. 

If that's not a totally-meant-to-be, can-only-be-God thing, I don't know what is. 

Today at 1pm, my mom is getting her Happy Place back. And I am getting a new one. 

I am beyond thrilled for my mom - she has just been beside herself with excitement since this whole thing began. It's also completely amazing to me that this house is a quick 45-minute drive from my front door, meaning I might get to see my momma a lot more often!

I'm looking forward to many years of making memories there, and reliving all the things mom experienced as a kid. And I hope my future kids will have the opportunity to make their own memories there, in the house their great-great-grandfather built.

The view from the back porch -- my happy place

Many more pictures - and memories - to come.

Easy-peasy Fall Munch Mix

By now, we all know it's Fall (but in case you haven't seen the memo floating around...IT'S FALL, Y'ALL). Which means that we are well into a season of par-tays, tailgates, leaf-looking roadtrips and snack-fests in which we all attempt to bulk up for our winter hibernation.

I threw together this snack mix last night that makes a great addition for any get-together (or just to have sitting on your kitchen counter if fall/winter bulk-up is your game. No but seriously, it's not that bad for you. All things in moderation). It's a great balance of salty and sweet. Warning: it might become addictive.

Fall Munch Mix

Ingredients:
- 1 cup Honey Nut Chex cereal
- 1 cup Chocolate Chex cereal
- 1 cup tiny-twist pretzels
- 1 cup Goldfish crackers (or Cheeze-Its)
- 1 bag of Autumn Mix candy corn
- 1 bag of Cracker Jacks

Put everything into a gallon size plastic bag. Gently shake it up.
Put in a pretty canister and display, since it will match your fall decor!

You're welcome. 

Enjoy, loves!

Wedded Bliss Wednesday: meet the husband

I saw this link up and just had to jump on it.

I mean, a whole post dedicated to the hubs?

Love.

I think he will love it, too. ;)


Introduce us to your husband! (What's his name? How old? What does he look like?)  My husband's name is Alex  (actually, it's James Alexander, but I only call him James when he is in trouble!) He is 29 years old...turning the big 3-0 in January! He's 6 feet tall with a slender athletic build, with bone straight brown hair and pretty brown eyes.  He's a very, very handsome guy!

What is your husband's favorite thing to do? He loves to play golf,  but he also likes to watch his fave TV shows on the couch with me and the puppies.

  What does your husband do Monday-Friday?  Up until about a month ago, his Monday-Friday was more like Monday-Sunday as he was a professional golfer (always on the road).  He now has a more traditional 9-5 and is in medical sales. So far, so good!

What was the FIRST thing you noticed about your husband when you met? His deep, Southern voice. Sexy.  Also, his great sense of classic Southern style that I LOVE.

What is your husband's BEST quality? I really don't have to choose just one, do I?? Okay...here are a few: - he is kind (and has a great, big heart!) - he is intelligent and can speak to almost any topic, making him exceptionally well-rounded  - he is funny and is insta-friends with almost everyone - he is the BEST fur-baby-daddy anyone could ask for, and I know he will be a great dad to our biological kids one day!  

What is your husband's biggest pet peeve? Slow drivers in the fast lane. People who don't accelerate when the light turns green. People who don't know where they're going.  Okay, so bad drivers in general...nope, he does not like them one bit.

How does your husband feel about blogging? I think he thinks it's cute. Since I'm still pretty new to it, I don't know if he thinks I am serious about sticking with it...but he should know that I am. :)

What is something you do/can do that makes your husband feel loved? Bake for him.  I love to bake, and I know he loves fresh chocolate chip cookies or peach cobbler, just 'cause.  I like to show my feelings with baked goods. They speak from the heart.

So now you know about the most important guy in my life! I am such a lucky gal.

The fact is...

I wanted to try a new link-up today with Nicholl at The Chiffon Diary. I like the title: "The Fact Is" Tuesday. Because I like Facts. It means you're getting down to business. I like it.

FACT: I could vacuum our house every day due to the endless Ellie hair abounds. But I don't. Even with my slick Dyson Animal that I l.o.v.e. Good thing we have tan carpet and the Golden hair just melds in, buying me a few days in between cleanings.

FACT: yesterday I used my lunch break to get a warm apple cider from a local coffee shop and curled up on a couch in said shop and read on my iPad. It was heavenly. (Bonus points that it was raining outside!)

FACT: I have bought no less than 5 fake gourds to decorate with for fall. Why??

FACT: It bothers me a little to begin sentences with "So...." - because I know it's not quite grammatically correct - but I do it all the time.

FACT: Boys that lie and hurt my girlfriends have got it coming to them. Losers.

FACT: I love my KitchenAid standmixer, but I should use it more. It seriously does everything. I do not let it live up to its potential, shame on me.

FACT: I thought every weekend in October was going to be filled and it was going to be a crazy month. But last night one of our weekend opened up. I'm okay with that.

FACT: I was really touched by all the sweet comments from you followers about my bummer of a weekend and health issues. Thanks for the sweet notes! You guys are the best. Hopefully I will kick this soon.

FACT: I am a little anxious/nervous/freaked out/excited/busting at the seams that my best friend of 13 years is having a baby this month! This month. Wow.

I love wall collages

Long before Pinterest existed or I regularly lusted over Pottery Barn catalogs, I have been a wee bit obsessed with wall collages. I think it started in college when I didn't have any large pieces of art to hang on the wall to take up space, but I had tons of smaller pieces that meant a lot to me and I wanted to display them all.

Naturally, as my tastes evolved and matured, my home style changed, too. But wall collages are something that I haven't grown out of. Lucky for me, they are in vogue, so I'll roll with it!

We finished building our house 3 months before we got married in 2011. Let me tell you, building a house and wedding planning are SO easy to do at the same time. NBD. (sarcasm). It was intense, but fun. But that meant that in addition to bridal mags, I was poring over home magazines, websites and Pottery Barn catalogs because we had registered at PB, and was getting all sorts of ideas for decorating. I knew I wanted to do a wall collage on the large wall in our living room.

I had been collecting the perfect set of frames for a massive collage while we had been building the house. But once I moved in, there was something about putting nails into my brand new walls...I just couldn't do it! So I dealt with bare walls for a few months until I could get over defacing my lovely, perfect, freshly dry-walled and painted walls.

Once I joined Pinterest over a year ago, it seemed my love of and obsession with collages exploded, because there were so many ideas. I couldn't handle it. It was sensory overload. I think most of us probably had a little bit of that going on when we first joined Pinterest, am I right? ("Oh, look! A way to get stains out of microfiber! A new slow cooker recipe! A cute nursery for the child I don't have!" Pin, Pin, Pin, Pin, PIN!). Anyway, I started getting excited about driving nails into my walls and so I did, a little here and little there.

I wanted to share some of the collages we have in our home in case any of you are fellow wall-collage addicts.

This large one over the console table has been re-done several times - I just wasn't happy with it at first! So yes, I had to take everything down and spackle the holes and touch up the paint...sigh. But I think I am happy with it - for now, at least.

{I get tired of things easily!}















Speaking of boredom, this one to the right is one of my favorites because I can rearrange things as often as I want without having to spackle, sand and paint over the holes! I got this idea from Pottery Barn (no surprise there). I love the look of these ledge shelves. But the PB versions are super pricey. I found these babies at IKEA for $14.99 each.

Most of my frames are from HomeGoods, Michaels, and Hobby Lobby. I like the collages that have all matching frames (like all white or all silver), but for our living room, I like to mix up the sizes, colors and textures of the frames since the rest of the room is pretty neutral.















The next idea I got from Pinterest. I'd seen the burlap-covered canvasses with initials or monograms, and thought it would be a pretty easy project. And it totally was. I bought 12 x 12 square canvasses and painted a Times New Roman-esque lowercase "k" and "a" for the Mrs. and Mr. of the house.

In the middle is a chalkboard, but when I bought it, it was a banged up mirror with a scratched frame (on clearance at TJ Maxx for $5!). I popped out the mirror, used Chalkboard spray paint (about 5 layers), refinished the frame to make it look a little rustic, and bam. Done. This collage hangs in our kitchen/breakfast nook, which is perfect because I use the chalkboard mostly as a Menu board. I like to meal plan for the week in advance whenever I can, and the board helps keep me on track (and lets Alex know what he can expect for dinner!).



The latest collage I've added is this Key collage. I originally had some decorative keys hanging in the collage over the console table (one of the earlier versions of it that I didn't like). So when I re-did it, I was left with pretty keys and no where to put them. So I came up with this quote that had the word "key" in it, painted a canvas, found 2 more keys for clearance at HomeGoods, and there we have it!










So, like I said - I love me some wall collages. Don't get me wrong, I like large pieces of art, too. We just have tons of empty wall space in our home, and wall collages are an inexpensive way to fill an area. For example, the burlap canvas and mirror collage cost me no more than $20 and about 2 hours total to make.

When I see something I like that would look great in a collage, especially if it's a steal, I buy it: you never know when you'll want to change up a collage or add another one.

After all, I do get bored easily :)

Follow me on Pinterest to see my ever-present love of wall collages (and I occasionally pin other stuff, too - promise!)