Our First Home

While I am loving being back in Texas, I have to say I absolutely miss our home. It was the first home the Mr. and I have ever owned and while it wasn't perfect, it was perfect for us. That being said, I thought I would share the story and some photos of our first place.

I should have shared these a long time ago, but hey, better late than never, right?!

We found this gem in a new neighborhood in southeast Albuquerque.  If you are in the area and in the market for a new home be sure to check it out. It is a fast-growing, but uber cute little part of town and  it only took us 10 minutes to get to and from work. We also experienced what I think were the best mountain views in Albuquerque and the most spectacular sunsets, if you follow me on instagram you know what I mean.

As we were looking at floor plans and available lots, we happened to run across this beauty that had just been put on the market. It was a custom home and that was nearly done being built. Apparently the original contract had fallen through so we found it at a pretty good price. We knew when we looked at it, it was the home for us. It had what we were looking for, 3 bedrooms, a large kitchen, and a large, open living space.

We went home that night, discussed it, looked at photos and floor plans and prayed about it over a weekend. Finally, Monday morning rolled around and we were ready to put in our offer.

We made a few change requests in our offer since the home wasn't one hundred percent complete. In the end the builder agreed to all of them. They removed the carpet downstairs and laid tile throughout the entire first floor and installed white wood blinds throughout the home. And finally, they changed the ceiling, trim and interior door colors.

Did you know that the standard now is to paint the entire inside of a new home one color? Seriously? The doors, walls, ceilings and trim all matched! Big no no in my book. I didn't want to live in a cave. 

As I mentioned before, it wasn't perfect, but I was beyond blessed to move in to a brand spankin' new home! And it was gorgeous!

The fun part came once we got all moved in! I loved decorating, furnishing and organizing our new home. It is literally what I lived for. I couldn't wait for the evenings and weekends so I could shop, organize and decorate. It seriously just lit my heart on fire!

While we are no longer there, I still love looking back at our first home. We were only there a short time, but I left with so many memories. From family visitors, to Saturday morning walks, and breakfast at Rose's followed by trips to the dog park. We shared nights with some amazing neighbors and afternoons at the pool. We opened our home to our community group at church where we did our best to live out the Gospel in our community each and every day. We celebrated holidays, birthdays and quiet evenings with delicious food and good wine. 

As you can see I'm incredibly thankful for our home. And while I wanted to share my adventure in decorating this home months ago, I figure it's never too late and it gives me motivation to begin sharing more of my adventures with you.

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All of the images above were taken by Jim Gross of Virtual Tour Club. He was amazing to work with and took excellent photos of our home!

A Few of My Favorite Things

Well the last few weeks have been a whirlwind to say the least. My sweet hubby and I found out the week before Thanksgiving that we were going to be transferring from Albuquerque, NM to Houston, TX. It was bittersweet. We had only been in our home for about a year and we had met some truly amazing friends in Albuquerque. But we couldn't be more excited to be back in Texas and much closer to family.

So, as you can image, the last few weeks have been hectic between the holidays, work, packing and moving 15 hours away--we've had our plate full. I'll share some of our moving tips in the coming weeks.

Now we are officially settled in to our new home and I'm excited for the new opportunities God has been presenting us with. A new apartment to organize (who knew it would be so hard to downsize from a house to an apartment), new friends to meet, churches to attend and even some exciting new business opportunities, more on that to come soon, but I'm so excited I can hardly contain it!!!

Okay, now to the fun stuff. Since it's a new year and a new season in our lives, I thought I would share a few of my favorite things as of late. I don't own all of them, but it doesn't mean a girl can't save her pennies or dream, right?!

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1 - This is my second IHeartOrganizing planner and I am in LOVE with it. I can take a look at my week at a glance, create my to-do lists, write out goals and notes and even keep our weekly meal plan all in one easy-to-see place. I also use Jen's meal planning and grocery planning printable to help me plan our family's weekly meals and put together my grocery shopping list each weekend. If you have not checked out her blog, you should! I get some many ideas from her! I only hope that one day I can continue to be as organized as she is with a house full of littles!

2 - Paper Straws, umm, they make drinking water feel fancy! And who doesn't love a cute colorful straw to accompany their drinks? I don't know about you but I just adore them! You can find them in a wide variety of colors and patters on Etsy, in your local party stores, or my personal favorite place, Target!

3 - These monogrammed hand towels from West Elm are perfect! That bold strip and fringe, perfection! I may need these for our kitchen.

4 - Okay, I have to give kuddos to my sister for this one. She introduced me to this candle from Anthropologie. I bought the smaller version for my bedroom just to try it, now I know we need the bigger one. But I'm gonna have to get over the sticker shock of $28 first...yikes, but that smell is too die for.

5 - I ran across these Emma snack bowls at Pottery Barn the other day and while I believe they will only be around for Spring, I may have to go pick a few up. That color is perfection and the dot detail is too cute.

6 - Bath and Body Works has the best kitchen soaps. Awesome fragrances and perfect pops of color for your kitchen!

Fall Home Inspiration

I am so excited for fall to finally be upon us. The weather here in the desert may not feel like fall yet, but I'm beyond ready for it.

Fall is absolutely my favorite time of the year. I love the colors, the leaves, the events, the smells, the pumpkin spice lattes (okay, you got me...Starbucks has already released the PSL and yes, I may or may not have had my fix) and the clothes! There is something so comforting about fall and people begin to cozy up by the fireplace and dream of the holidays that are just around the corner.

So in light of the season change that is upon us I decided to share some of the fall decor I've been eyeing for our home. Colors that are vibrant but play on our everyday decor.

And as many of you know, Target is by far my store of choice when it comes to just about anything. And I have to say I haven't seen everything in their fall line up yet, but Target has already knocked it out of the park in terms of their home decor for fall! I'm smitten.

1) Zoe Ikat Pillow Cover; 2) Harvest Pumpkin Wreath; 3) Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin Candle; 4) Threshold Chenille Multitonal Throw; 5) Smith & Hawken Pumpkin Lantern

Be sure the check back later this week as I'll be sharing some of my favorite fall wardrobe must-haves!

Can't wait to share with you all!

Dreams

Image Credit: Lara Casey Media

Dreams. We all have them, but we so often we tend to fantasize about them rather than make them a reality. I truly believe that the Lord puts things on people's hearts for a reason, and many times that reason isn't so that we will be lazy but rather so that we will take a leap of faith and trust in Him.

I've been thinking about dreams a lot the past few weeks. I realize I have so many but for some reason  I've been too afraid to pursue them. I've been afraid of what it will take to make them a reality; fearful of the future. But we aren't called to be anxious or fearful. In fact, Christ tell us to rest in Him. He knows the future, and He wants good for us.

That said, I'm finding myself more hopeful. Excited to really hit the ground running and pursue a life fulfilling my dreams. I've already got a number of projects in line to get me started and I'm just as excited to share them with you here on the blog.

Here is a simple list of a few goals I have over the next few weeks. And of course you can follow along as I share them here.

- Begin eating healthier
- Stick to my workout routine
- Paint and decorate the powder room
- Work on our dining room
- Organize the pantry
- Organize and decorate the master bedroom
- Decorate the guestroom/office

P.S. I am in LOVE with Lara Casey's inspirational desk art. I can't wait to get my hands on a few of these to place as reminders around our home! She is truly an inspiration of what it means to follow her dreams!

A lot has happened...

Image Credit: Lara Casey Media

I know, it's been literally forever since I last posted a blog. Okay, February to be exact. I promise I'm still alive and breathing but a lot has happened over these past few months that has kept me much busier than I ever expected. That said, I'm back in full swing and can't wait to share what I've been up to.

Since we last spoke, I've been doing my best to make the most of Albuquerque and make my house a true home. A place where my little family (husband, pup and I) can come after a long day of work and totally relax, unwind and replenish our souls. God blessed us with a beautiful home, it is a hundred times more wonderful than I ever expected and I continue to be give Him thanks for it each and every day.

We've also been super busy with work, I took a promotion right before the holidays and things haven't slowed down since. It was another of God's great opportunities, allowing me to step up and continue to grow in my professional life. I couldn't be more blessed to work with such an amazing group of people!

Earlier this summer we also had a dear friend call us to let us know he was moving back to town for training (he's a pilot in the Air Force) and we offered to have him stay with us for the six months or so that he will be here. So we know have a new two new roommates, him and his sweet dog!

That doesn't sum up the entire time but I believe it hits the important highlights. We continue to CrossFit at our box every morning, make homemade dinners together at night and we continue to lead a Community Group at our church.

While it may not seem like much but the last few months have literally flown by. It's like I blinked and they were gone. So here I am again, back to capture this amazing journey called life.

Tuesday {In the Kitchen } Paleo Challenge

The Paleoista via Well + Good NYC

At the beginning of the year, my honey and I decided to do a Paleo Challenge for the month of January. It was not intended to be a "New Years Resolution," but really a challenge for us to focus on what we were putting into our bodies. We've been eating mostly Paleo for well over a year now and I have to admit I've seen some pretty amazing results in my overall health so I was finally ready to take the plunge and go 100% Paleo.

I was pumped! I read the book "The Paleoista"by Nell Stephenson over Christmas break and was instantly hooked. I knew I too wanted to go completely Paleo, if possible. I was totally motivated and actually looked forward to the challenge as I knew it would mean new recipes to try, improved athletic performance but also just overall increased health and well-being.

Needless to say, the challenge didn't go quite as I had hoped. My husband, being the awesome, strong-willed man he is completed it with no problem. I on the other hand could not say the same. I felt terrible, bloated, gassy, and I had some pretty incredible mood swings, and not incredible in a good way.

To this day I'm still baffled as to what happened. I felt great for the first 2-4 days and then suddenly my body felt like it went in to shock (well let's be honest, it did! I was eating ALL nutritious foods for once!)  I began researching my symptoms and knew that it wasn't abnormal to feel these things so I just continued on. It wasn't until the third week of feeling this way and almost having to take a sick day off work that I realized this just wasn't normal. So at the request of my husband, I quite.

I was pretty upset. I wanted to prove to myself, my husband and the world that I could do it. But the reality was, something just wasn't right and why did it matter so much who I was impressing anyway? I was going about it all in the wrong way. I was supposed to do it to increase my health not get recognition from the world.

Looking back, I am excited that I completed 23 days! It was a huge accomplishment! And while I didn't make it to day 30, I did talk to my CrossFit coaches got some advice on a few things that might help and then I began incorporating a number of things I learned back into my normal routine. I'll be sharing a few things in the coming weeks.

Today, my husband and I are back to our "normal"route, which consists of about being about 80 percent Paleo. Our dinners continue to be Paleo, as they have been in the past, as well as our lunches.

I've found incorporating a little dairy helps me a lot though! But having done the challenge for 23 days I knew that dairy wasn't necessarily a "problem" food for me. I don't eat a ton of it, but it seems to have helped me. I am by no means giving up on Paleo at all. I have seen the rewards of eating well, so I'll definitely continue to incorporate it into our lifestyle. I know eventually my body will get used to the change and will reap the benefits both upfront as well as long-term.

If you haven't tried a paleo challenge and are interested, I'd highly encourage it! It's amazing how our bodies respond when we feed them real food, unprocessed food! And while at the end of the challenge you may not end up going completely Paleo, you will find new routines you'll want to incorporate into your life just because they make you feel better, stronger, healthier and more energetic.

Living Room Inspiration

It has been quite some time since I last posted. And man, I've truly missed blogging. We've been insanely busy the last couple of months, purchasing and settling in to our new home, working, doing a 30-day Paleo challenge and traveling.

We are absolutely loving our new home! It's finally starting to come together. For the first time ever, I'm taking my time putting together our home. My husband was sweet enough to save a nice chunk of change for us to furnish and decorate our home. So I've been taking my time and enjoying every bit of it!

Today, I thought I'd share a few inspiration photos I've come across that have helped me get our living room put together. We both felt getting the living room done first was a priority. We love having being community group leaders at our church and can't wait to start hosting at our new place, and we also love hanging out with family and friends so the living room and kitchen area were the first priority on our list.

Here are just a few inspiration photos I've been using for our space.

Jill Wolf Interior Design

A Well Dressed Home

Design Dump