1 more day!

Well, even though I am loving this snow & it reminds me of Narnia :) I am SOOOO ready to be on our cruise!!! We are leaving tomorrow!! Our cruise actually does not leave til Saturday but we are going to leave tomorrow afternoon and drive 1/2 way to my aunt & uncles house and stay the night with them. Then get up Saturday morning and drive to Mobile.

I checked the weather for Mobile on Saturday and it is a high of 64 :) and the high for Cozumel is 80! We are also going to Progresso and the high there next week will be 82! I can't wait.

I haven't even packed yet though. I really do not enjoy being a procrastinator....I have been saying all week I am going to pack and I just keep putting it off. Well, I have been working alot trying to get people in before I leave. I was SO surprised that yesterday (even though there was snow everywhere!!) no one canceled! I am sure today will be the same way. Everyone knows I will be gone for a week so they do not want to miss their hair appointment! I don't want them to miss it either!

I have a list of things to still do before we leave:

-finish up a little laundry.

-clean our bedroom. I have already cleaned the rest of the house this week and have been trying to keep it all clean. I hate coming home to a dirty house!

-figure out what in the world I'm going to wear on our trip.

-pack!

-go to Wal Mart to pick up a couple of things....sunscreen, patch from pharmacy (my mom got her doctor to call us in one of those patches you wear in case you get sick)

-get a mani/pedi....this is very important!! My parents gave me a gift certificate for my FAV place for Christmas.

I am sure I am missing something!!! I have another list somewhere that I need to go over. I don't know what I'd do without my lists :)

Well, I will post pics when we get back! Have a great week :)

Another snow day!

Thank u LORD!! I think it has seriously snowed every single week for a while now! I know some people are so over the snow but I am saying bring it on! I do hate that Josh has been working all night and I worry about him so much while he is gone ( I did not sleep hardly AT ALL last night ) but I am soooo thankful! God always provides :)

This time I am thinking we got about 3-4 inches. We were watching the snow last night when it started coming down and they were probably the biggest snow flakes I have ever seen. It is soooo pretty.

I must say ( and I think this is the 1st time I have ever said this... ) that I am really enjoying this winter we are having. Usually, I hate the cold and it is so depressing..... but I have decided that this year I am going to enjoy each and every season....winter, spring, summer, and fall but also each season of my life! It probably is helping knowing that we are leaving in 2 days for our cruise!!! :)

One of my clients came in to get her hair done yesterday. She was telling me how stressed she has been and how she heard this little saying that really touched her.....

"All is going according to plan. Trust that there is a bigger picture. Trust that life is unfolding as it should."

I don't think she realized how much I needed to hear that also. I know those words are true but lately I have not been believing them as much as I should. I needed that reassurance :)

Girls Night Out!

I just love my girls!!! I love how even though our lives are so busy and constantly changing, we still manage to all get together atleast every few months! This past Tuesday night, The Melting Pot had a special night called "Little Black Dress-Girls Night Out" and we went! I had never been to the Melting Pot before and it was really good and perfect for a GNO!

We got to choose 2 different cheeses. We got the original and the spinach cheese dip. It came with bread, chips, veggies, and apples. Yummmm!!
Our dinner was really good. They bring you out a plate of raw meat & veggies and you use these skewers to dip it in either chicken broth or oil if you want it fried. It was pretty cool at first but I will admit that I was getting tired of dipping every single thing and you have to wait like 2 minutes for it to cook! After a few minutes I was just wishing it was all already cooked so I could just eat it! Ha! It was really good though....
......and then they brought out the dessert!!!!!! Oh my GOODness!!! They brought out plates full of brownies, cheesecake, pound cake, strawberries, bananas, rice crispy treats, and marshmallows! We also got 2 different kinds of chocolates to dip all of it in and we chose one that was 1/2 white chocolate and 1/2 dark chocolate.....the other one was my FAV :) it was milk chocolate with crunchy peanut butter all melted together! I am a sucker for anything with chocolate and peanut butter together! I definitely want to go back with my hubby just for dessert!
We had SOOO much fun and took so many pics! I am 100% positive that our waitress thought we were crazy because we took so many but we don't care :)
(from left to right)Trish, Audrey, April, Annie, me

I thought this was a cool picture! Not sure who took it bc we had so many cameras out....it was like having paparazzi! Ha!

And we always have to do the Charlie's Angels pose :) Its a tradition!

Meet my Brother :)

Today is "Show us your Singles" over at Kelly's Korner! I know she did this a while ago and I did not participate but after I saw where 2 couples are now ENGAGED because of it I decided I just had to!

Meet my brother, Michael!

(Btw, he has no clue at the moment that I am doing this!! I am going to tell him later on today and I am sure he won't mind :))

*This pic was taken at our rehearsal dinner*

He lives in Hendersonville, TN which is right outside of Nashville.

*This pic was taken in Destin, FL at our favorite restaurant there. He is in the middle....look at those huge steaks!!*

He is 32 years old and works for Opryland Hotel. He works on the General Jackson and in the hotel.

*Me & Michael-another pic taken in Destin*

He is such a great guy! He is funny and has a very sweet & gentle heart :)

*Me & Michael-this pic was taken at my best friend's wedding a few years ago*

He is also very cute & handsome, as you can tell :)

*This pic was taken in NYC a few years ago.*

He loves Tennessee football and the NY Yankees!

*This pic was taken at our wedding!*

*Family picture from our wedding*

He loves his family and he loves the Lord :)

He is such a wonderful big brother and always has been :)

This is definitely one of my all time favorite pictures :) I love him so much! He is so special to me and I pray all the time that God will bring that special person in his life! I know God has a plan for his life and he has someone perfect picked out for him.

If you are interested in getting to know him or know someone who may be just leave me a comment or you can email me at Rachelconatser@yahoo.com!

Have a great day & thanks for stopping by :)

I see a beach in the near future :)

Soooo.... 2 weeks from today we will be on our way to Cozumel and Progresso!!! We are going on a CRUISE! I am sooooo excited! We have been wanting to get away and go somewhere warm and you can find some amazing deals on cruises right now. I couldn't believe how cheap it was for both of us. We also decided to leave from Mobile so we can just drive there instead of having to fly and spend even more money. I am definitely gonna have to pull out the fake bake though because I cannot put a bathing suit on this super white body! Ha! Also (after I eat these cinnamon rolls tonight :)) from here on out I am on a major diet!

Josh's interview went REALLY good the other day! They even told him he did a good job :) So at this point--- he has done perfect on his tests....and did really good on his interview.....and he has a couple of small connections.....if he does not get the job then we really know it is not where God wants him right now. There is nothing else he can do! I am still praying this is where God wants him to be though :)

The Miss America pageant is coming on in 2 minutes and I can't wait to watch it! I didn't even know it was coming on so I'm glad my mom told me. I hope Miss Tennessee does good :)

Good night!

The Big Day

Well, it is FINALLY here. My hubby has his interview in the morning with Metro Fire Department. He has always wanted to be a fireman so when he heard they were going to be hiring he jumped on it!! It has been such a long waiting period. He took his tests back in the beginning of September and found out a few months later that he made a 10 out of 10! Perfect score :)

We have heard that there were thousands who applied......only 80 something made a 10 out of 10.....and they are hiring only 50 something. It is very political though...which stinks. But we have prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed some more and we KNOW that if this is where God wants him to be, He will make a way. It will be disappointing if he doesn't get it but that just means God has bigger plans.

So I am asking you to pleeeease say a little prayer for my hubby tomorrow. Please pray that the Lord will take away any nerves that he may have and that the interview will go well. But most of all, pray for God's will!!! It is hard to always pray for that because when we want something we think we should always have it. But God knows what is best for us and we are putting our trust in Him. Thank you :)

Lazy snow day

Even though there are dirty clothes on the floor and dirty dishes everywhere...I am choosing to spend this cold day being lazy with my hunny & my Kobe! We got a couple of inches overnight and they are saying we should get some more tonight. Josh and Adam left out last night around 7 pm to spread ice melt on the properties they have contracts with and got back around 2 am. Then, left again around 4 am for another round and got back around 10 am.....he is so tired. They are going to go out again later on tonight for another round. I am extremely thankful for the snow :) This snow business they started last year has been good to us. It doesn't snow a whole, whole lot here in TN but when it does, it is good money! They have contracts with a shopping center here in Ashland City, 2 shopping centers in Clarksville, and Logan's in Dickson. The only problem....... they do not get paid right away.... it takes a couple of months. It is kinda nice to have a big lump sum all at once but you have to really budget while you are waiting.

I have been doing pretty good so far with the New Year resolutions. We have both been eating healthy & working out & running. (we are wanting to run the 1/2 marathon in April with my SIL! I normally do not like to run but it is growing on me!) I found a really good website last night with healthy recipes. I can't wait to try these chicken quesadillas tonight while watching The Bachelor & Pretty Little Liars! It's gonna be a good day :)

We did allow ourselves a cheat night on Friday night. We ate at AJ's in Bellevue and it was sooo good. Cheesy bacon fries with spicy ranch dressing and a pizza! Also, yesterday was my SIL's birthday so I did have some birthday cake but then ran 3 miles afterwards so I didn't feel too bad! haha. But seriously, I am not into starving myself or not rewarding myself every once in a while...just more of a healthy lifestyle change overall. I already feel so much better!

Sleeping in the bed you made.....

Kobe................... likes to sleep in the bed I've made!!! It is his favorite place to be :)

I just LOVE my little man!

Bedroom Makeover- Faux Board & Batten :)

We bought our house over a year ago and it is still (and probably always will be) a work in progress!! That is ok with me though. I love that our house is an older house and I enjoy making it my own :) The only thing I wonder about with older houses......where in the world did they keep all their clothes and shoes and purses and accessories??!! Our closets are small and the rooms are pretty small- too small for a good size bed AND a good size dresser without being too cramped :( Oh well, I am learning to deal with this! Ha.

I have been unhappy with our bedroom ever since we have been here (until now!)..... Trust me, you can ask my husband how many times I have moved things around and moved things in and out! Unfortunately, the best place for our bed is in front of a window. I tried to resist it for a long time but nothing else was working out.....I wasn't happy with that.......I wasn't happy with the color of the walls because it just seemed soooo dark......I wasn't happy with the drapes or the quilt......or my nightstands......

{I didn't even make my bed before this pic...ha!}

It really has taken me a good year to figure out my "style" that I love in a house. Looking around on other blogs and in magazines and HGTV has helped me figure that out :) So anyway, one day I saw this post by Shanty 2 Chic!! I fell in love with the faux board and batten in her hallway wall. I thought it would be a great idea to do that in my bedroom & make that wall an "accent wall". I absolutely Looooove it!

I also re-painted the walls to a lighter color (and my mom helped..not sure what I'd ever do without her!!!) and it looks SO much better and brighter. It is called Beachnut by Valspar. I also took off our footboard even though I loved it....it really opens things up alot. OH, did I mention that I built this all by myself??? Yep. I measured everything out and made a list of supplies I would need and headed to Lowes! They cut the wood exactly in the sizes I needed and I did this project in a day!! I just followed Shanty 2 Chic's directions. The only thing I did different was that my shelf comes out 4 inches...that way I can put all kinds of cute things up there! And I didn't even need my hubby :) I am pretty sure he was nervous though when I came home with all the supplies & told him what I was going to do.... but he was impressed when I got done! Ha.

OK, I'm in love with the shelves!! I can't wait to get some cute things & pictures to put on the shelves & walls :)

I am going to do another post about these nightstands my mom gave me but I loove them and am really happy with how they turned out!! Thanks mom :) I got the new lamps at Target and the cute little white pitcher at Ikea. I can't wait to put some fresh flowers in there!

The closet doors have been a major issue since we moved into this house. They originally were the kind that slide back & forth but those things drove me absolutely crazy so I took them down one day. We had a curtain up there for a while....but I got tired of that too so I took it down. So we went forever without anything. Getting new doors made a HUGE difference in this room and made me one happy lady!!!

Let's take a closer look at my new quilt :) Ahhhhhh. I did splurge on this but when I saw it on Pottery Barn's website, I had to have it! I bought this dresser off Craigslist about a month ago and painted/distressed it. It is the PERFECT size for our bedroom. I have not done much with this wall yet but trust me- I have big plans :)

I got the white drapes at Ikea and the bamboo roman shades at JC Penneys.

Oh, and we cannot forget this! I got this at Target and it was love at first sight..... :)

I am really happy with the way our bedroom has turned out! There are still a few more things that I want to do in there.....

-get or make throw pillows for bed

-get started on dresser wall

-get cute door knobs from Hobby Lobby for closet doors

-re-paint ceiling

I am linking this up to Thrifty Decor Chick & I Heart Naptime & Shanty 2 Chic & The DIY Showoff! Thanks for stopping by :)

staying optimistic & goals :)

Sooo I woke up on New Years Day feeling like I have been run over by a truck....(definitely not because I had been out partying the night before!) Josh took me to one of those walk in clinics and turns out I have strep throat :( So all I have done since Saturday is sleep and lay around. Luckily, I have the best hubby and the best parents who have taken good care of me :) and I did wake up this morning feeling a LOT better. Another good thing?? I may have gotten a jump start on one of my New Year resolutions- losing a little weight!! Ha.

So even though we have started the New Year with strep throat, more doctors bills, and being broke as a joke... I am still going to stay positive! It can only get better from here :)

I re-painted the salon floors last week and they look SOOO good! They have to sit for 6 days before you can walk on them so when I get everything set back up I will post some pics. I can't believe the difference a little paint will do! So I am off til Friday and now that I am feeling a little better I have got to get some things done around here. Here are some goals for this week:

-start getting things together for taxes. yuck...but it has to be done!

-maybe try to paint the bedroom?? I've had the paint for weeks now but have just been too busy until now to do it.

-get back into the gym starting tomorrow. The doctor said I could be contagious up until today..

-finish cleaning up the basement & extra bedroom.

-get started on my SIL's birthday present...

-deep clean the whole house. (baseboards.. windows...)

-watch Pretty Little Liars that starts back up tonight!! :)

Sounds like a fun week, huh? It is funny how you get older and your off time is not really spent "off". Oh well, better get busy!

Bringing in the new year....

We welcomed 2011 with my friend, April, and her hubby and sweet baby. It was a very low key night but we had a great time! We had dinner at Carrabba's and it was so good. The guys talked about fishing & bass pro the whole time! ha.

Me & April.

April & Ricky

Me & my hubby :)

This is their baby, Aiden! He is so cute and already such a flirt :)
After we ate, we went back to their house to play Mexican train dominoes and watch the ball drop. This picture is sooo funny! I had just fed Aiden and he fell asleep on my shoulder. He was very comfy!

Happy New Year!!