Easter and Spring Decorations :)

I really needed some spring pick-me-ups around the house, so I dug out some old Spring/Easter decorations and then went out shopping with my mom this weekend and to find some new decorations! I had some serious issues finding anything that I liked which made me really frustrated, but I got a couple of cute things. Most of the normal home interior stores that I get serious sales at only had a small section of Easter decorations and most of the decorations were either glittery and pink or country (both of which do not go with my interior!). Pier 1 had some cute egg wreaths and egg trees (which were two things on my list of things to shop for) but the prices were way too steep! I'll have to go back the day after Easter to get them on sale! Anyway...here are some pictures!

I found this cute wreath at Target! I couldn't believe how picked over everything was and it was still 2 weeks until Easter! But I liked this wreath and I think it stands out nicely against the front door!


This is a sign that my mom gave me a couple years ago for Easter...grown-up kids can still get Easter baskets! :) Anyway, I think it's cute. You can't see in this picture, but my kitchen is a bright green, so this sign matches perfectly and it stands out nicely against the black stove. Yeah, I don't use all of my burners that often! :) hehe

My mom also gave me this flower decoration. Last year I put it on the kitchen table because again, the green in it matches my kitchen, but this year I liked it by the front door. I think it brightens up the brown walls! My normal spring hydrangea arrangement can come later in the summer this year!

I guess I've kept most of my decorations around the kitchen...probably because that is the main hub of the house. This flower plant is fake and it looks so real! My mom got it at Lily's on the Lake in Ohio. (They have some really cute stuff - hopefully I can stop by there on my trip back home this weekend) My mom got one for herself a couple weeks ago and had to go back to the store to get me one! Good thing my mom and I have similar decorating taste! Thanks mom! The giant egg came from Hobby Lobby for $2 and seriously, who doesn't need a giant egg?

And my egg nest gets it own picture! Are these not the cutest salt and pepper shakers that you have ever seen? I'm not big into theme salt and pepper shakers, but I saw these and HAD to have them! They aren't glittery or country! Yay! I found them at Target for $8 and thought that the happiness they would bring to the kitchen made them well worth it! After my mom saw mine on the counter, she HAD to have one too, so I went on back to Target to pick one up for her...it's the least I can do right? Give back the decorating love? This nest also reminded me of my blog friend Shannon who is all about nests! :)

And last but certainly not least, are these beautiful flowers that Jonathan brought me the other day! Isn't he sweet? It's always nice to have fresh flowers to remind us of spring, even if it is cold, rainy, and windy outside:) Thanks honey! I love them!
I'm definitely working on building up my spring decorating collection piece by piece each year. Hopefully since I never found an egg tree that I liked, I'll be able to find one discounted after Easter and have it ready to go for next year. And who knows? Maybe I'll spread my decorating love to the living room next year:) Thinking of a new coffee table spring decoration was just too overwhelming this year! :P

Stud Muffin Date!!!!

I know it's been a couple days since I have posted...I've been way too busy! First of all lets start with some exciting news! On Wednesday Jonathan got a phone call asking him for an in-person interview for the job! YAY! They told him that he would probably hear by Friday, so we were quite surprised when he got a call 2 days early. This means that he has narrowed the applicants from 42 to 12 and now he is one of 5! Next week is spring break for the schools in this area so the person interviewing him will be on vacation, so we have to wait until a week from Monday for his interview! In the mean time, the person that J is temping for is supposed to be coming back from medical leave. I think God likes to leave things to His timing so that we aren't comfortable and need to look to Him. I know He has a plan and I have to trust in Him.

My parents were on spring break this week so they came to visit us for the weekend. My mom and I had some good shopping time:) We found some fun spring and Easter decorations for the house. I'll have to post pics later. But since we already had our Stud Muffin date planned on Friday they told us they would doggie sit for us so that we wouldn't have to spend money on the doggie resort!

I wanted to get dressed up since we never get to go out on a date like this. I never wear skirts or dresses so I had nothing to wear! I bought a purple skirt the day after Thanksgiving from Loft for $3 and thought that for the price I had to get it! So my mom and I went to the mall in search of a shirt and jewelry to go with the purple skirt. We found some exciting deals at Limited! The back half of the store was on clearance! We had our arms full of hangers and I liked everything I tried on! Oops! Anyway, I found a cute shirt for $15 to go with the skirt and some flashy black earrings at Macy's for $5! Then I found a way cute "statement" ring at Pier 1 for $6!! (J hates statement rings.) Why do I get a high from sale shopping?? I'll post a pic of the ring because you all have to see how cute it is. Please overlook my nails - they are naked! I'm so embarassed. I ran out of time to do them! oops! And, that is not my comforter...it's the one in the hotel. (Not really my style:)

The limo picked us up from the house. Unfortunately it was raining, I had wanted to get more fun pictures of the limo. The only time J and I have been in a limo together was our wedding! and all 10 extra people squeezed in from our wedding party made it not so romantic:). Here's a pic of us leaving for our date!

The limo driver holding the umbrella is actually the owner of the company that donated the limo to the church for the prize! He was a really nice guy and come to find out, Jonathan and he had worked together back in the day at Best Buy! Such a small world! BTW - Try to look past the white legs and the scrapes that are still on my legs from my trail run! :)

Here are some fun pics I took in the limo:)

We went to dinner at Malone's which is one of Lexington's best steak houses! (The owner there also donated the gift card to the church for this prize.) We had reservations and walked straight in with no wait (which is unheard of there on a Friday night)! We decided to treat ourselves since we don't usually have the opportunity to eat there. We got a bottle of wine, an appetizer of Coconut Shrimp, we each got steak (of course I got fillet Mignon) and they were done to perfection! And last but not least we had an amazing chocolate dessert! Wow. Pretty much had to roll me back out to the limo! (I didn't have an evening bag to match and didn't think my giraffe bag would be acceptable, so needless to say I have no pics of the food.)

Then we went to the hotel. We were booked at a Homewood Suites by Hilton. Again, the owner here had donated a room for the prize! Wow, a lot of giving people at our church, huh? Anyway, the hotel was so nice. We actually had a living room and kitchen attached to the bedroom! Here are some pics! We tried another limo picture since it was under an overhang and out of the rain.

Yes, we had a fireplace and no it didn't work. I'm sure it was turned off for the spring/summer season not realizing that we would have wintry conditions this weekend!
We were excited about the free popcorn! How many hotel rooms do you get free popcorn to make in a microwave! :)The next morning we got a free buffet breakfast too! Wow, what a wonderful weekend of events! We had such a good time!

Oh My Trails!!

Today I went on my first trail run with Billie, Lindsy, Chelsea, and Courtney. I should have known not to run with 4 girls who have been training for a 7 mile trail run and half marathon for the past 6 months! Plus, we are in Kentucky so our hills are mighty hilly! That said from a northern girl! I'm dumb and they all assured me that they were just doing a small run and it would be slow and easy. HA! Right! Maybe for them!

First of all, I should start with the small fact that I'm a girly girl. I was never the kind of kid that played in trees or got dirty. I don't mind sweat, but dirt and getting scraped by trees and all that isn't my thing. So we started this trail run and we were on a nice dirt path and it was fun. The path was narrow enough that we were single file. Then we started running through brush. Over streams. Ducking under trees. We literally climbed OVER a tree that was laying on its side that was almost as tall as me. OK, maybe not that tall:) but you get the idea.

I was okay until we got to a hill that looked like a mountain! I made it to the top and was out of steam. The problem was that we were only 1 mile into the run. I was able to keep the girls in my sight, but I felt guilty for slowing them down. I realized that if I lost them that there was NO WAY I could find my way back to my car! So I pressed on towards the goal out of sheer necessity, although I didn't know how far away the goal was.

After 45 minutes and about 4.25 miles we finally finished!!! YAY!!! Well, some of the girls kept going, but I called it a run when we got back around to the cars. My feet were burning. For any runners out there who know the benefits of Body Glide, I had slathered mine on my feet and I still got blisters on my arches! 13 flesh wounds, 2 blisters, and a huge bruise later I finished my first trail run! Yes, I did count all of the scrapes on my arms and legs! At least only a couple of them sting. (Is my skin super thin or something that I got so scraped up?) I look like an old lady walking around between my feet issues and the fact that every single muscle in my legs, back, and sides are screaming at me! I can't even imagine how I will feel tomorrow!

Girls, I don't hate you...I'm still talking to you:) but it might be a while until I try one of those runs again! I think I'll stick to pavement for a while, but thanks for the adventure.

Phone Interview Follow-up

Today was the day for Jonathan's phone interview. I got a call around 9:45 this morning from him saying that the people interviewing him had called him and asked him to come to the interview in person! The interview was at 10! Of course this makes way more sense than a phone interview since the people interviewing him were right down the hall! Luckily he had a resume with him, but he wasn't dressed in a suit for an interview (which was what he was worried about).

The interview went well. He felt that he had good answers to their questions. They told him that there were over 40 applicants for this job! They chose the top 12 for the phone interviews and will then choose the top 5 for in-person interviews. Even though his interview today was in person, it was still considered a phone interview in the sense of which round he's in. So, we are back on the roller coaster of emotions. We are playing the waiting game to see if he gets a call back for another interview. He should hear something by Friday! I know it is God's ultimate plan and His Will will be done, but patience is very difficult for me!

I also have a prayer request today. This really makes our job issues seem insignificant. One of my best friend's brother-in-law died today. It was sudden and he left behind a wife and a 10 month old baby boy. Please pray for their family. I cannot imagine the grief that they must be feeling right now.

The Weekend and a Possible Job...

Our weekend has been jam-packed with stuff! We were blessed with beautiful weather both on Saturday and Sunday. It was blue skies and sunshine but still a little cool.

On Saturday Billie and I went to the salon to get our hair cut. Don't you love the feeling of getting your hair cut? Makes you feel like a whole new person! :) I actually got a few inches cut off, so I feel like I look like a whole new person (although it's not that big of a change:)). We go to a girl that Lindsy introduced me to. She is a great hairdresser! She would HAVE to be for me to fight the mall traffic every time I see her! Yes, she works at a mall salon. HATE IT, but love her. So what is a girl to do? Well, usually we take the opportunity to shop around the mall afterwards (although it doesn't look too good after you've had your eyebrows done and your face is all red!) but yesterday we had too much stuff to do to take time to shop. And shopping takes money:) Later that night Billie and Derek came over for some Mancino's and sewing. Derek wasn't there for the sewing. hehe. D and J watched high school basketball while Billie and I cut fabric. It's nice to spend a relaxing night with friends!

After church today we went to B and D's house for lunch. Derek grilled BBQ chicken! Yum! Spring is here!! :) Then the four of us went to the park and played volleyball to get ready for the competitive season starting in a few short weeks. It was so wonderful to play outside on such a beautiful day! It reminded me of being in college when life was just about playing around without any real responsibilities. Anyway, it was fun and I'm sure we will go back soon!

I guess I was a little crazy because I felt so energized by playing volleyball that I decided to change into my running gear when I got home. So I ran a little over 3 miles and am now extremely exhausted! But I feel good! :) While I was running, J cleaned the house and switched out our sheets and comforter to our summer sheets and coverlet! Aren't I blessed with a wonderful man? He's so good to me!

Then Billie came back over to the house for some more sewing! I think tomorrow night we will be able to finish the bags that we started for the auction weekend! YAY! And they are turning out really cute! I'll post pics when they're done!

Last, but definitely not least is some info on Jonathan's job hunt. If you remember, he's been temping at UK in the accounting department for someone who is out on leave. Well, a really good position came open in another part of the accounting department and his boss told him that he should post for it and actually asked him for a resume to give to the hiring manager. When the position showed up online, he posted for it and he got a call back on Thursday! He has a phone interview tomorrow morning at 10AM. Please be praying! I know God will open doors if it is His will. The funny part of the interview is that the people interviewing him work down the HALL from him and still wanted to do a phone interview. haha! Office politics! I'll update when I know any more info! Thanks for your prayers!

Spring has Sprung!

It has been in the 70's for the past two days! A little sunshine does wonders for the soul! And my flowers are starting to bloom!!!

Yesterday I still had the sniffles, so i didn't get to enjoy the beautiful weather. So, tonight when we got home from work Jonathan fired up the grill. The grill is one of our favorite things about warm weather! J grilled some steaks (that were very yummy) and i fixed some sides and we hurried through eating so we could get outside for a walk! We had Bible study tonight so we had limited time before we had to leave. But we had to take Dakota to play in the sunshine! AND I wore flip-flops! yay!

"Take me for a walk, mommy and daddy! I've been a good boy!"

This is Coda after a long walk. I think he stopped by every single tree in the neighborhood. He doesn't just walk...he sprints in a zig-zag in front of us. He had so much fun on his walk! He'll sleep well tonight! Look at that cute little tongue. Doesn't he look happy?The weatherman told us that today is the last day for this wonderful weather. Back to rain tomorrow:( We studied Philippians 4:4-9 tonight at Bible study. It talks about not being anxious about anything and to rejoice in the Lord in every circumstance. That is a constant reminder that I need to tell myself daily. Rejoice in the Lord in the rainy days or in the sunny days. Rejoice in the Lord in the days that we hear nothing on the job-front. Rejoice in the Lord when I have the sniffles and when my hubby brings me flowers! God has been good to us.

Rooster...Seriously?!

Jonathan told me that I have to blog about our most recent annoyance, so here it goes. Lets start with the fact that we live in a newer subdivision in the city. Now, Lexington has many farms throughout the city. I mean, you can see horses grazing on your way to the mall. It's part of the reason this city is so beautiful with the rolling green hills and makes us different from other cities. BUT, we live in a subdivision nowhere near a farm. And so the story begins...

A month or so ago, Jonathan kept complaining of being woken up every morning at 6am or earlier by a rooster. He's a light sleeper so I just brushed it off and said he was hearing things. In the last couple weeks we'd be sitting in on the couch and he'd say, "did you hear that?" Well, it got to be a joke because I never heard a thing! And I told him that no one would have a rooster in a subdivision!

Sunday we came home from church and were walking into the house when Jonathan said "did you hear that?" So, I stood in the garage and listened and sure enough I heard a rooster over and over and over again. Jonathan said he was going to find it. He ran inside and got the camera because he wanted proof that there is a rooster!

This is the view from our driveway. Look closely!This picture is a close up! What in the world??? A rooster perched up on the fence?? That tall structure with the blue on it is a chicken coop! J got close enough to hear the clucking!

Here is another close-up of the little devil!

Luckily the rooster got a little confused with daylight savings time so he hasn't been crowing so early each morning. But each day he gets a little earlier and earlier. Not that the morning issues bother me, but if they bother J, I'm sure other neighbors are upset too!

We tried to contact our HOA and they told us that they aren't our HOA anymore! Where did our dues go to? We have no clue how to find out who our HOA is managed by. I'm sure having a rooster and a chicken coop is against the Home Owners Association's Rules! Someone needs to do something.

And just to show that I don't HATE roosters, here is a pic of the top of my fridge. When we moved in, I needed something to take up the space and I found this metal rooster and just had to have it because it was too funny and made me laugh because it's soo not "me". J hates the live one and the metal one! :)