Let's play catch up!

I know I know, it's been a while. Here is a brief update of what's been going on.

While it was still cold, I made an ear warmer headband from this tutorial by PrudentBaby

I found a great deal on more wooden crates to add to the collection.

We've gone to see this cool bluegrass band called Off the Wagon at the Station Inn. That made me want to learn to play mandolin. 

I made a kinda-sorta costume for Read Across America day. It's supposed to be Max from Where the Wild Things Are. Basically I sewed ears onto this fluffy white jacket I found for $8, and I made a crown.

One of my neighbors lost their kitten so I got to hang out with this cute guy one afternoon.

I got this awesome wreath made from wood shavings that I'd been eyeing at Target, and I found it at TJMaxx for cheaper. Also, you may notice I hung the drop cloth garland above the bed. 

My man had a birthday. (And my Max crown got some extra use as a birthday crown!)

We have been doing some spring cleaning/sorting/simplifying.

The mantle got a spring update.

But the most exciting update is our urban garden that is thriving on our back patio!

We went to Lowe's and stocked up with strawberries, bell peppers, cucumber, zucchini, spinach, romaine lettuce, and a tomato plant. We also got this beautiful anemone flower and a plant called sea pink. 

Luckily we already had most of the pots we needed. We repurposed an old kitchen island what we no longer had room for as a plant holder. (You might notice it was on the far side of the bed as an ugly side table)

Now they are getting so big! It's been great since our patio gets full sun, and that's exactly what they need.

And we have evidence of our first fruits!

I tried my hand at tea dying. My first victim: a pair of lace curtains.

One found a home behind the ladder. The other is on the lone window in our bedroom. It is lovely to wake up to each morning. 

My next victim was our new set of sheets. Hopefully I'll do a full post about this process. 

Oh, and I collected a bunch of those little pink helicopters. They will now and forevermore be known as "fairy wings." Because that's what they look like. And I'll tell my kids that the fairies shed their old wings at the beginning of each spring and get a new pair. Or not. 

So yeah. Now you are up to date on my life. Kinda. 

Tomorrow I start working as a young toddler teacher at the preschool. I have been explusively in the infant rooms since November, and you better believe I'm going to miss holding those itty bitties and hanging out with my infant coworkers. The plus side of moving rooms is that I'm getting awesome hours! I'll be off at 4 every day. I hope that helps me be more productive this summer.

We'll see.

Stay tuned,

Haley

Nashville on the horizon

So here's the skinny:

Josh and I have been working really hard these past 4 or 5 months since the shock of the wedding and holidays wore off and we have been planning to move. We have paid off two lines of debt and all we have left are one student loan and the car. We were considering waiting until we at least got the loan paid off to move, but why? Our payments are manageable right now and we aren't getting any younger. Besides, we are kinda at a financial dead end in Hattiesburg. We are stuck in part-time jobs, I can't for the life of me find a full-time position, and moreover, I have no idea what my long-term career will be. I need to get my feet wet and learn HOW to work full-time. I'm really looking forward to it though.

I'm starting to consider ESL (English as a second language) as a career. I would teach English to non-native speaker. That way my Spanish can still be put into use, but I like the idea teaching English better. Maybe that will open the doors for Josh and me to live abroad for a period of time. Maybe after Nashville. There is a certification program in Nashville that is offered twice a year (conveniently enough in August) for three consecutive weekends. It would be quicker (and cheaper) than a Master's program in TESOL, that way if I decide it isn't for me, I won't have spent so much time and money into that career option. I just wonder how much luck I'll have finding a job in ESL.

Josh has a plan: music. When we move, the biggest factor is finding a job for me. He will work at a coffee shop or restaurant to start off and hopefully after some networking and God's favor, he will be able to either a)go back to school at Mid Tenn and get a better education of the recording industry or b) make a viable connection that shuffles him in the biz.

We are thinking Nashville will be a 5-7 year home, probably not a forever home. However, that is long enough to buy a home. Home buying in my mind is a huge marker of adulthood. I think we will be great homeowners though. We have some many plans for "when we someday have a house." That and all my HGTV skills. The first year or so we will probably rent so that we can find jobs, have a steady income to impress the banks, and so we can find what part of the Nashville area we like best. I really want to live in a studio or loft apartment. Now would be the time for that, but we'll just have to see what is available in a few months. We are planning our first trip to nashville in the next couple of weeks to do a preliminary search for apartments/rental homes and jobs.

Wish us luck!
H+J