Guest Post!

Check out my very first guest post over at Bird and Branch Redesign!

Jessamie is a dear friend of my husband's and truly one of my favorite bloggers. She's always got a beautiful project in the works and I absolutely love her "Friday Finds" series. She's got a good eye for treasures! Check out her beautiful home over at her family's blog, too!


Thanks for the opportunity to guest post, Jessamie! It was great fun!


xo, 
Lauren

A package!

I received the sweetest package in the mail today...

Lindsay from Paint Me A Picture sent me a one of her State Love paintings and I am head over heels for it! You've got to check out her shop and these sweet paintings... she is a fellow Georgia Bulldog fan and therefore a truly a spectacular woman! :) Her blog is sweet and sincere and funny and her kids are baby dolls! 


Thanks again, Lindsay! You're an angel... go Dawgs! 


Lauren

Awarded!

Thanks to Kate at See Kate Blog for awarding me The Versatile Blogger Award! I'm flattered... not only for the honor, but also that anybody would even bother to read my ramblings! Thanks again, Kate! She's the cutest... and has a darling family. Check her out!

To "officially" accept this award, I'm supposed to write seven things about myself... here goes!


#1 - I have crooked pinkies... So does my paternal grandmother and my cousin. Thanks genes!

#2 - I have a crazy, insane fear of throwing up. When I begin to feel nauseated, I start to panic and cry hysterically. It usually goes something like this: "Sob sob sob sob... MATT! Sob sob sob sob sob... I think I'm going to... sob sob sob... THROW UP!!!" Nothing a little topical phenergan can't fix...


#3 - I have to have a drink with me at all times. Beside my bed. In the car. In my purse. At the movies. On a roller coaster. I hate to feel parched. And what if I spontaneously choke on something??? I mean, it's completely rational. 


#4 - I have a black thumb. Not literally (see previous photo)... But I usually manage to kill any plant that gets in my path. I can keep people alive all day long (I'm a nurse), but don't give me a plant that's only basic needs are sunlight and water. They're doomed. 


#5 - In my fifth grade yearbook, under each picture of the "graduating" students, we listed what we wanted to be when we grew up. (My idea... being yearbook "president" and all...) I listed "newscaster"... a more proper title would have been "news anchor", but I was 11... so shoot me. Instead, I grew up to be a registered nurse and deathly camera shy. 


#6 - I loathe cold weather... I've been known to wear leggings, long johns, and two pairs of double-layered socks and still shiver the day away... Lucky for me, Spring has sprung!!


#7 - I grew up having Sunday lunch at my grandmother's every single week. It might has well been thanksgiving, with the spread of food and the fellowship with my entire extended family... we're talking aunts, uncles, cousins... the whole nine yards. Even while living in Nashville, each time we go home, there's nothing better than sitting down with my family for Sunday lunch. My mammaw makes cornbread for Matt every time we're there. His favorite...


Thanks again for the award, Kate! I'm honored! And now I get to pass it on to a few of my favorite bloggers!


1) Whitney at The Youngs: Life on Peachtree Street (my bff and a new blogger!)
2) Julia at Black Tag Diaries  (my blogger bff and a previous recipient of this award... so what Julia! Give us seven more intriguing facts!)
3) Lindsey at Paint Me a Picture (the most generous blogger I know... I'm a proud owner of one of her paintings!)


Check each of these ladies out... they won't disappoint.


Lauren

Busy Bee

I have checked some serious household projects off my list this week!

First up, I refinished our table top! After several months of the antique white that I painted previously, I decided to go with my first instinct, and stain the table top a dark walnut. I am so pleased with it! I'll do a more lenghty post on it soon.

I also wrapped twine around my hurricane vases and am IN LOVE with that organic look they have now.

I picked up these lovely burlap pillows for $9 a piece a couple of weeks ago. I loved their shape and texture, but they had a very unfortunate, bamboo ring as the center of the pillow. Eww.

But not for long!

I tea-stained some white felt (apparently my hubby isn't a fan of stark white... who knew??), and used my rosette tutorial to spruce up the pillows with a little feminine love.

And don't you dare think about laying your head on these... let me enjoy my child-free, snag-free, stain-free, mess-free years while I've got them...

I've got another project in the works, too... I'll write more on that later. But let's just say it's going here...

Once I put this up...

Found here

Busy Bee,
Lauren

I Heart Faces: Sunflares

I knew I had the perfect photo for this weeks challenge: sunflares.

I took this several weeks ago at the park, while playing around with our new camera. Matt has the "artistic eye" between the two of us, so he talked me through practically everything...

Thanks darling! He's a great teacher... I can't wait to learn more!

Lauren

Embracing the Camera: All dressed up

I promised it would never happen, but I'm ashamed to say that we have seen a great decline in the number of photos containing Matt and me since we've been married.

Our families might think otherwise, since it seems we always have our camera out... but multiply that by 837 and that's the average number of pictures we took while we were dating. Daily.

Anyhow, we went to a nice, fancy event for Matt's work at Opryland Hotel and got all dressed up for the occasion. I wore my favorite Marilyn Monroe-esque, emerald green dress and we actually took a picture together. Success!

***Pardon my unruly hair... apparently I had a fly-away-situation happening that was only brought to my attention when I enlarged this photo. :)

Lauren

Watch out, World

My sweet sister is turning 15 years old today.

I remember the night she was born. We passed time in the waiting room with "I Love Lucy" episodes (my favorite) on Nick at Night (remember?!). I was wearing an awful red turtle neck and my huge 90's glasses. (Sorry, tangent.) The wait (and the pictures) were worth it though! Before long, I was a big sister!

She had big blue eyes and blonde hair... and I was beaming from ear-to-ear!

At almost nine years her senior, I've probably been a little more overprotective than a typical older sibling. Not only did she have our mom, but she was lucky enough to have me too! (Poor thing.) Two people telling her what to do and when. What is right and what is wrong. Teaching her how to be a lady...

As she's gotten older, the more I've realized how much I love her as a friend. Some may think that such a great age difference would cause us to be a little disconnected. I don't think that's true at all...

She calls me each evening to tell me goodnight. She still calls me "Sissy" and I hope she never stops. I'm an absolute lunatic at her basketball games. I am just so proud that she's my sister.

She's smart, funny (hilarious, really), talented...

...and an all-around, pretty amazing young woman. She is growing up so fast but so wonderfully. I'm really proud of who she's becoming.

Watch out, World!

Happy Birthday Ashbadash!! XOXO

-"Sissy", Matt, and Mollygirl