2012 Year in Review!!

2012 was a sweet year in a lot of ways. I'm so thankful that our family all stayed safe in 2012. We learned tons and grew even more in our walk with the Lord. However, I'm super excited about 2013 and what the Lord has planned!

Janurary
I re-discovered my love for the Passion movement and watched every second of it on the live stream.

February
I chaired my first big JSL event - preview party.

We celebrated Matt's 30th birthday!!

March
Apalachicola Trip

Celebrated Billy and Miranda's engagement!

Found out we were pregnant...due in December.

Our sweet Ginger passed away this year. :( I grew up with her and she was such an amazing, loyal dog. Blakely loved her too. I miss her every day.

April
B's bachelorette weekend in Carillon Beach near Panama City.

May
Billy and Miranda graduated! We are all proud VSU graduates!

We got some bad news and I joked that instead of coming home with a baby I came home with new back porch furniture. We used this every single day in May and throughout the summer.

Had my first ever real surgery. A D & C. Thankful for my precious Dr and supportive family and friends.

I finished my gifted classes and obtained my endorsement! Yay!

Went to Passion City Church for the first time (how did it take me so long to go?) and found my dream church! :)

June
B's wedding in Jacksonville!!

6 year anniversary trip to Charleston!!! I could post millions of pics...Shem Creek, Isle of Palms, Wild Dunes, porch and breakfast dates, King Street. Perfection!

July
Got some good Atlanta family time! PCC again!! Beth Moore was there this time so that is always a treat.

August
Destin with Matt's family!

10 year dating anniversary! We celebrated by going on our exact same first date...same booth and all!

Friday Night Lights began! Our first year having season tickets!

September
Labor Day beach trip and fun at Seaside/Rosemary!

VSU football!

Seasons weekend!

October
Found out we were pregnant again!!! Due in June!

Best Christy Nockels concert ever!

B and M tied the knot!!

Our precious Blakely girl turned 6 years old!

November
Thanksgiving in Atlanta! PCC again! My favorite visit yet!

December
Christy Nockels /Shopping early birthday trip to Tampa!

Victorian Christmas /Birthday weekend with the seasons!!

Christmas in Dublin! It was so rainy, but we just relaxed and enjoyed family time. There was lots of skyping going on...since Billy was in Arizona!

New Years Eve with lots of neighborhood friends! We have been blessed with wonderful neighbors this year! Our entire neighborhood is really great!

2012

Every year I try to think of a song and a verse that describes the year or one that has truly helped me grow or been uplifting to my soul. I didn't start listening to this song until April when it was released....but since then we have faced some difficult circumstances. In my head, this was my song. I hope it was/is evident in my life. Through this song I was reminded that it doesn't matter how much I do or what others think of me...all that matters is who I am in Him. I want everything in my life to be, "For Your Splendor, LORD!" I play it so often that I bet even Blakely knows all the words to it! Haha! I love it! I have it written on a chalkboard right over my night stand. It is For Your Splendor by Christy Nockels.


And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing. Ezekiel 47:12

New Year, New Rug, New Paint

We've been making some little changes around our house and you know that makes me happy!! Just in time for the new year!

First, here is my little kitchen project complete. My favorite thing about chalkboards is looking for verses to put on them! I love our home to filled with scripture! If I ever get tired of chalkboards I'll just put the glass back in the frames.

We got a rug for our dining room. I LOVE it! We've seriously been looking for years. I wanted it to have burnt orange, light blue, and some brown in it. I also wanted it to look traditional. And I didn't want to pay a lot for it. We had some Christmas money from Matt's grandma...and that is what we bought it with. I think we got it for a steal! It actually has green in it too which I didn't know if I loved but once we got it in the room I realized that it kind of pulled some little green details in the room together.

Our mudroom is taped off and ready to be painted. I've been all about light blue for a while but coudn't decide on the perfect shade. I am sort of a stickler about only using Benjamin Moore's historical colors, so when I saw Wyeth Blue I knew it was perfection.

When we decide what color we're painting the ceiling in the nursery we'll paint the guest bathroom in a historical color that compliments both the nursery and the guest room on that side of the house.

Pictures of pretty painted rooms coming soon! :)

Everything should be monogrammed.

I used to be all about monograms. In college and right after I got married, everything I owned got monogrammed in some sense. :) Jewelry, hats, clothing, linens, candles, cups, notebooks, scarves, coasters, platters, ornaments, shoes (yes I had a pair of monogrammed Nike's in college), baskets, totes, purses, robes, towels, flip flops, rugs, luggage, aprons, and the list goes on and on. :) I sported this on my wedding day while I was getting ready.

And my wedding dress was even monogrammed. The bow was monogrammed in white so it was really subtle...but it was there!!! I also had to beg to get a monogram put on my cake. It wasn't popular then and no one wanted to do it. They eventually gave in. :)

Gradually as it became more and more popular, I kind of stayed away from the trend.

However, in the last year I've jumped right back on the bandwagon. And this holiday season I've gotten some of the sweetest monogrammed gifts. I love them! I can't wait to order things with Baby W's monogram soon!!!! The other day, Matt mentioned that he might like to have his iPad case monogrammed in a "manly" font, like his luggage. :) Haha! I love it!

My white kick...

Yesterday, I decided to take down all the colorful plates and platters in my kitchen. I also wanted EVERYTHING off of the counters and fridge. In my mind, I see frilly white plates, platters, and pitchers...but I had to make do with what I already had. So, I got down my white dishes and bowls and got to work. I did leave a few pops of color in the breakfast nook. :)

I will be finishing a new chalkboard project tonight, using some frames that I dug out of our garage. I bought them for a nickel each at Bargain Bazaar a few years ago, spray painted them white, and then never found a place for them. I'm going to add some more greenery and a few white pieces here and there as I find them. I already like it better.

And just look at what my friend Carrie Beth texted me last night. EXACTLY my thinking!