Inspired Today

As I sit in front of a computer 5 hours a day, I surf the blogosphere a lot. Here are some things I have found today that I love:

1.

I want to refine my sewing skills  make my mom teach me how to sew so I can make this skirt  from Elle Apparel

2.

I want a Cricut or Silhouette so I can make vinyl cutouts and make things like Desiree from The 36th Avenue. Such as this table...

 

And these pillows...

3.

I laughed out loud at this cute way to cool down your drink from Alphamom

4.

Here is another thing to add to the "When I can sew" category, subcategory "When I have kids." And This patriotic get-up would be cute un-patriotic as well, with just some patterned fabric.

5.

This is a neat, unique idea to spruce up your moulding from Lindsey at Better After

What number? Oh...

6.

I want a bunch of different but coordinating wooden dining room chairs like this to put around the table we make out of our old door...

7.

I have seen tin cake carriers at flea markets and loved them but didn't know what to do with them (other than have them sit around a look pretty) until now. Check out this lamp made from a tin cake carrier from lilliedale...

Stay tuned...

Haley

To-Do list

I feel like I have been caught in a whirlwind. I have been out of pocket all weekend, but I am (currently, though subject to change) excited about gearing up for the move. I want to get the house all cleaned up and start packing. I feel like we should get it cleaned/organized before we pack it up. This may seem illogical, but that way I will know where everything is so I can pack it in a more organized fashion.

Each time I've moved (which has been all-too-frequent in the last 4 years), I like to pack like-things together and label the box of EVERYTHING that is in it. I want to know where everything is when I start to unpack.

We also want to snap a few pics of our current house since it is our first home together. We have a few pics from Christmas and when I made a project, but I want to be able to remember our first place. (And I want to show you our before and afters)

So this is our to-do list:
Clean up
Take pictures of our house now
Ensue packing
Weed out all our clothes and junk we are going to sell
Continue packing
Gather all our yard sale item in one corner
Put prices on everything
Plan a going away party
Continue packing
Make signs and post online about yard sale
Have said yard sale and going-away party
Count our stash made from the yard sale (yeah right)
Whatever we don't sell, give to Goodwill
Go home for mom and dad-in-law's birthdays (conveniently on the same day)
Fix all the holes we put in the walls so we can get our deposit back
Deep clean the apartments so we can get our deposit back
Pack the last bit before the move
HARRY POTTER midnight premier
Peace out

(You can see my priorities are in all caps.)

We (...I) have lots of projects planned for the new place. I'm sure Josh is going to love this DIY phase I am in right now. I want to turn the door we picked at a flea market into the dining room table. This is our Number One project, so we can have a space to work on as well as eat (since we are selling the big chunky desk Josh has). I want to make one bench seat for the table and the rest will be chairs, maybe mismatched flea market chairs, maybe new.

Stay tuned for updates...
Haley

Plans are taking shape

Alright, so here it goes. We have, as of yesterday, applied for an apartment in Nashville and are moving July 14th.

As in, three weeks from now?   YEP!

It is hard to believe that this is actually happening. We are having a yard sale in two weeks to get rid of all our old hand-me-down stuff we no longer want (keeping basically the beds, antique chairs, new rug and lamps, and kitchen stuff). New city, new life, new style = new furniture (or thrifted, but new to us). This makes Haley a very happy wife.

I have been scowering the blogosphere for ideas and inspiration. There are some amazing DIYers out there who are so gracious to share their awesome ideas. Maybe I can be one, too? There will be much DIYing and renovating in my futer (which also makes me very happy). We are stipiing out "stuff" down to the bones and simplifying our life while simutaneously creating the life and lifestyle we have been putting off. Its funny how "stuff" can weigh you down from accomplishing the things you want to do.

Maybe I will post some pics of our current apartment in all its "before the purge" glory.

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

A little late

I made this to remember. But here we are over two months after our wedding and I am yet to update. Typical.

Well since the wedding there has been school, honeymoon to Aspen, Thanksgiving, graduation, christmas, and my birthday. I'm glad school is over and done with, but I still feel like my education isn't quite done. I will probably go back... once I figure out what I want to do. That's one thing I envy of Josh. He knows his path: music. That is the goal, the plan. It must be nice to have something to shoot for. I'm pretty aimless at this point. The goal is change. At least I can't fail, right?