Where the Heart Is

With less than a month before the move, here is a little bit of the journey we have been through this last year.
 Our home in the spring of 2011

    Here it is a year ago on the day I signed the papers. We have thus far graded the yard, removed dying trees, majorly trimmed back the bushes,power washed, painted the door, shutters, trim, and porch, replaced the mailbox, and repaired leaks.

The crazy bushes that greeted us in 2009 on our first walk through with the realtor.

So much of this house was completely neglected.

Here was our newly seeded lawn in the fall of 2010. It has since suffered due to fungus, weeds, and the summer heat. In a few more months let's hope it gets back to its green glory!

On our first walk through in 2009

We removed the tree (because it was too close to the house), power-washed, sanded, and stained the deck, took off the gate that was at the bottom of the stairs, and replaced the light fixture. 

I feel so blessed to have this kitchen! 

I saw the diamond in the rough :) Here is the first time we saw it almost exactly two years ago. Ewww. Yet among the vines and grime, I saw white cabinets, lots of counterspace, many outlets, and a sink that faced the living room. 

We are replacing the lanoleom next week with porcelain tile!One day I would love to add some color with new counters.  White counters make zero sense and add zero beauty. 
Now

Two years ago (baby M was in that carseat :) The door that is open is our mud room and the other is to our garage.We changed out that light fixture too.

Before paint and wallplates. This shows the flow of the house. I love how the kitchen is open to my living room.

The doorway leads to the dining room. We replaced the switchplates, light fixtures, knobs, and faucet to a satin nickel finish and painted it a softer tan to please the renters.

Here is our breakfast nook with a sample of the new tile :) To the left is our deck door and living room and to the right is the powder room, garage and mud room.

Our master bathroom in 2009

Two years later :)

Before ~ Why do builders mix and match fixture colors?

After ~We took down the wallpaper, painted it a soft tan, and changed out the knobs, faucets, and lights. Water closets are one of the best inventions ever!

One of my favorite places on earth ~ While we are away, I'll be thinking of ways to decorate this spot.

After a year of living here, we are now finishing up our painting projects. Just when I feel I have a clean and crisp backdrop to decorate, we are on the move :)  Bye bye sweet home! We will miss you while on our West Coast adventure.

Our Babies at the Beach

Yesterday my mother, the girls, and I had the pleasure of meeting NJ church friends while they were vacationing at a lake house in North Carolina. It was lovely of them to extend a hand of hospitality to us during their vacation.

This hat helped to keep mama sunburn free.

M had a particularly delightful time playing with their four girls which are all within five years of her age, and I was able to greatly enjoy myself as their older boys lent a hand in taking care of her.

 E loves the water! Our little one is braver than I would wish her to be. She is eight months old now and is two inches taller than M was at her age.

 The lake house and the water that surrounded the peninsula were beautiful.

 My mom and I found these bathing suits on O.N. clearance last summer before babe was born.

 She spent most of the time playing with the little girls while in her baby float. It was a pleasure that the shoreline was shallow for a ways out into the water. She enjoyed the lapping waves. E also enjoyed the motion of the gentle waves and fell asleep in her float.

 Here they are on the peninsula's point.

 Happy silly baby!

 Our little goldilocks

 PS. Right after these photos, I put the girls in their rash guards and sunhats. While moderate sun exposure is essential for vitamin D, I do try to prevent too much sun exposure and protect their sensitive skin. At home we always go for our swim after 6 pm so that we don't have to concern ourselves with the sun.

From This Day Forward

N and I had the joy of attending a dear friend's wedding in June. She and her family are precious to me, and it was a privilege to be able to share in their joy on her wedding day. I was very thankful N was home and able to take a few vacation days to travel up north. As it was our first real date since E's birth along with my birthday month, my dear husband treated me to a new dress, an updo, and a mani/pedi.

by MJ Photography

Details

His

I loved the fit, flow, and cobalt blue color of my dress. Along with my wedding bands, I wore the promise ring N gave me at seventeen, my honeymoon pendent, and my anniversary earrings for this special occasion. 
       
These gifts I gave to N for his 21st birthday, graduation, and wedding day. Can you guess which is which?




























I greatly enjoyed my first mani/pedi since my 21st birthday over four years ago. Too bad polished nails are not a requirement for my line of work ;)  Here is my hair before the beautician pulled it up. After they go through all the work of curling my hair before the updo, I always get the impulse to have them leave it down and flowing. How many pins did it take to go from down to up?

Here is the fruit of over an hour of labor and over sixty bobbypins. I was pleased with the shape and over all style. My hair's coarseness makes it very difficult to worth with.

We got dressed, kissed our babies goodbye, and made our way to downtown Delaware. The ceremony was beautiful. The church itself was breathtaking and the music in particular was ethereal.  How sweet it was to see a friend become a wife!

Before 6 pm

The two of us in our evening wear at the Hotel DuPont. I adore seeing my husband in his tux.

 By MJ Photography

My favorite aspect of this evening was being able to spend time with my dear friends. I used to have the privilege of seeing these girls almost everyday and now am blessed if I see them twice a year. Spending time with them and their beautiful smiling faces was a great source of blessing to me while I was a newlywed with a deployed husband several years ago. They are all gorgeous sisters of the bride. My greatest joy that evening was feeling as if the years had not passed. My, have they all grown up so lovely!

MJ, you looked amazing! I cannot believe you are 24 weeks pregnant in this picture!

by MJ Photography

The beautiful bride!!  May the Lord bless you on all you do, E &C! 

 by Enchanting Creations

The cocktail hour was delicious and so elegant.

I had to share a few architectural aspects of this historic hotel.

The gorgeous bride and groom! I feel that I spent half the night sneaking a glimpse of this beautiful bride in her breathtaking gown. E, you were amazingly stunning and glowing! Your dress was as beautiful as it gets! Thank you for asking me to be there to assist with the gown bustling. It meant so much to me :)

The tables were decorated with the loveliest rose bouquets. I can smell them now!

 I chose the filet of beef while N chose the salmon. When given a choice of entree, it is our tradition to always order different ones from each other. Our first course was scallops in the most delicious sauce.

Look how lovely the cake is! I love the simplistic beauty of fondant cakes.

A little while after the dancing had begun, we were ushered to sit back at our tables for a "dessert surprise."  I didn't hear the word dessert when it was announced and was extra excited for a surprise. I don't think I've been so excited for a surprise in years. This surprised didn't disappoint either! It was a baked Alaska Flambe show. The waiters circled around the ballroom with trays of cakes on fire. It was amazing! I never even heard of such a thing! It tasted just as lovely as it looked. I really enjoyed that we were ushered to sit back down again and that everyone at the table ate the cake together. It was one of my favorite moments of the day.

The Venetian hour dessert room was filled with the loveliest treats. A few days ago I was joking with my husband that I was craving not a cupcake or a cookie but a whole Venetian dessert room.  For this lover of sweets~ it was a special treat to be able to taste all these delightful sweets at one time. While we were leaving they set out little cake boxes to take some sweets home. What a special touch!

My handsome hubby :)

by MJ Photography

Celebrating My 25th!

      For my birthday this year my husband treated me to an evening out at my favorite restaurant. My birthday fell perfectly on the day family were coming for a visit. As soon as they arrived, we dropped the kids in their arms, snapped a few photos, and ran out the door.

 How glamorous in our Birkenstock ;) aka my "healthy" shoes

 My favorite drink

 My favorite man

 My favorite dish

 Thanks to a FB coupon we got two desserts for free.

It was a great blessing to have an evening alone with my husband and then to come home and be with our visiting family. Living so far away from them in VA is difficult, and CA is going to be another story all together!