20 Things to do When You're Iced in for Days

I'm sure those of you who live in the south-ish have felt the woes of Icemageddon that hit early
 Monday morning.  I was already out for Presidents' Day, but was stuck home on Tuesday. Jackson was stuck home on Monday (without pay! Yay!) and Tuesday.  How in the world did we pass time in 631 square feet for days?!   Here, let me tell you. Watched Horns on Netflix (totally weird, but great movie) Pretended we're figure skaters on the ice outside Did all of our laundry Painted my fingernails and toenails. Twice. Scraped all the ice off of both of our cars.

Went through clothes and gave away what I didn't wear Did a lot of online shopping Painted with my Valentines watercolors Organized every drawer in our home Uploaded the rest of all of my pictures to Shutterfly Cleaned out the pantry Fed the birds bread from our balcony

Took pictures of all of the ice around our complex Caught up on all of our shows like How to get Away With Murder and Better Call Saul Cooked dinner together Searched for haircuts on Pinterest and decided on one Ordered the cutest ankle boots ... and a really cute dress Cleaned every appliance in the kitchen Made a list of things to put in a care box for my best friend.  All in all, I realized being stuck is what you make it.  How have you all fared this winter weather?! 

Our Home: 1 year later

At the beginning of last October, Jackson and I moved into our home sweet home.  We picked out a tiny 631 square foot apartment because we liked the listing on Trulia.  We signed our lease in July and got our keys on the first of October. 

The first day we moved in, Jackson and I layed in the floor watching Despicable Me on his laptop as we waited for Comcast to come hook up our cable to our 13" TV.  There has really not been a more overwhelmingly simple time in my life other than that. 

Four days later, we enlisted boys from church to help us move in our furniture.  We inherited almost every item of furniture we own.  That same weekend, we painted our chalkboard wall, and my sweet daddy bought us a kitchen table and chairs. I took so much pride in knowing that that piece of furniture was 100% ours, and I still love it more than Dad will ever know. 

  The week we moved in, the garbage disposal died, the dishwasher leaked, and somewhere down the road, the washing maching tried to kill itself.  Thank goodness for maintenance and not being responsible for the appliances!!   One of our favorite things about out home is the chalkboard wall. It has had something on it since the day after we painted it! Even if it was a result of a boys' night...  

  

  

  

   We have pictures on our walls, things that mean the world to us stacked on our tables and shelves, plates that we have painted are hung around the top of our kitchen, it is our home.    Believe me, sometimes I have fits because our tiny little home is a wreck. Right now, there are towels folded on our coffee table, there are clothes piled up in our laundry room, and I can't even see our dining room table.... but it is our home.  It is where we live, and it is the place we share life together.   Happy one year, 227.  Thank you for being the starting place for our lives, and the first Little Hiney Home.  Thank you for treating us kindly and being so safe.  I know that we will look back someday and miss the simplicity (and the very little cleaning required) of our little home.     

Confessions

I confess...   I went to the dentist this morning, and my teeth are bothering me more now than they were before. One of them has a rough edge, and my poor tongue is not leaving it alone. I'm 100% stressed because this whole world of insurance is new to me, and dental allowances were a huge wall in my path. I had no idea there was a limit to the dental work your insurance will allow per year. I have a $1500 allowance, which I'm told is great, and I used $650 of it last week alone. sigh.  #grownupwoes  

    Jackson has a really really really great job opportunity, and I was a brat about it because it would mean he would have to work the night shift for almost a year. Once I got past that initial foot stomping, pouting, pity partying, it is a great thing and will be great for our family!! Attention hog, party of one!   I spilled coffee all over my car today after leaving the dentist and didn't clean it up. I told Jackson it was a new air freshener...      Our balcony was pressure washed last week to remove spiders and the like.  Jackson and I were outside with a can of spider killer last night because holy mess, they were everywhere.  

   I'm doing these a day early because I have had tomorrow's post scheduled much longer and didn't want to be a double dipper.

Fires, Family, and Football, oh my!

Our weekend seemed like a five day weekend! We spent so much time resting, so much time with friends and family, and so much time watching football.   Friday, Jackson and I came home, ate dinner, grocery shopped, and came home to spend some balcony time because it is really starting to feel like fall here in Nashville. 

 

Saturday, I got up early thinking I would need to go help Dad wrangle cats to take to the Humane Society, but he decided against it, so we spent some time just laying in bed, resting and relaxing.  When we finally got up, I was all over the laundry, cleaning out things we didn't need/use anymore, and dishes. Oh, and watching the Vanderbilt game. It was good to finally just have some time to do things like that.  MTSU played WKU, and thankfully kicked butt.  Their spray paint on our horseshoe was enough to make me livid. Jackson's parents wanted to cook him a birthday dinner, so they made ribs, potatoes and beans, and we ate dinner with them.  We then had our first bonfire of the fall. We had a whole bunch in the spring, and a couple this summer, but it's finally fire weather.

 

Sunday, we got up and went to church, we had lifegroups, and I went to Jackson's Cousin's Babyshower.  It was so much fun! I love spending time with family!! We had a fire Sunday night, too, so my hair reeks of fire smell this morning.  It was so worth it, though.  We are living up this weather!

 

Friday!

I am more thankful for this Friday than I have been for a Friday in a little while.  Why? because I'm exhausted, this week has been the pitts, and I'm so ready for a weekend of family and football.   1. Our deck was pressure washed this week, and we are so ready to spend fall evenings out there!     2. I beat our President in fantasy football this week, and I'm not ashamed of my gloating one bit!     3.  My new boots came in the mail Thursday!! For $11.24, I'd say I got way more than I paid for!!   4.  The rain came through, and the fall weather is heeeeeereee!!

  5.  My sweet husband, who came and sat in the waiting room at the dentist on Tuesday for my comfort, has an incredible job opportunity on the horizon.  I am very hopeful.... after I stopped being a brat that is.  ;)  

Linking up with Karli and Amy and Lauren 

#notsorry

Before I got married, I had a wild imagination about the kind of housewife I was going to be.   My house was going to constantly be spotless. I was going to have labeled bins everywhere, and everything would have its place.  Laundry would be done one load per day, and everyday, we would go to bed with an empty washer and dryer.  Dishes would be run right after dinner, and Jackson would have them unloaded before he left for work.    This is what my laundry room looks like almost once a week, and you know what? I'm not sorry.   This is what our kitchen table looks like 100% of the time. Again, I'm not sorry.    (ignore the coke bottles... we're spray painting them for duck decoys) Does this make me any less of an awesome wife? Pre-marriage Chrissy would tell you yes.  Married Chrissy is here to say no, not one bit.  That was a difficult realization for me.   Accepting the disorder in my home has been something I've had to cope with.  It did not come easy.  Our first few weeks of marriage, I busted my tail and couldn't rest until it was all spotless.  Our apartment didn't look lived in, and I was spending valuable (what could have been) quality time in the laundry closet, scrubbing the bathroom, or making sure every sock hit the hamper.    Something someone said about their kids made me think about my husband.  "Are they going to remember that you spent all day doing their laundry, or are they going to remember the adventure you had?"  It resonated with me so loudly.  Jackson, sure, remembers the days I would stay home and clean all day long.  But he remembers it because I didn't take that time to spend with him.    If there's laundry on the floor come Monday morning, I can almost guarantee you we had an awesome weekend, and that's what matters.   

Friday!

 

1. I got these awesome boots for $11.24 from JustFab.com.  I have been looking for a cute pair of wide calf boots that didn't cost over $40 for forever. Win!    2. I updated our chalkboard wall this week for football season. I'm not going to lie, I squealed and took a screenshot when the Tennessee Titans Instagram liked my picture. ;)   3. My sweet baby sister felt like I was competent enough to help her with her resume and cover letter for an internship application.  Not to toot my own horn, but I'm resume champ. Love her! (Ignore the mushy mush in the green. ;) )

 

4.

One of the three musketeers (the one on the right) is moving to Texas in October.  I cry everytime I think about it, but I am taking it as a chance to throw a party for her.  I love throwing parties, and this is the perfect excuse! 

 

 5. This handsome man's birthday is tomorrow.  This is the tenth birthday we have spent together, and every year I love him more and more.  I have planned breakfast in bed, helping dad capture and take kittens to the humane society (that one has no significance to his birthday, I just promised Dad. haha), maybe some exploring, presents, and then dinner at the cheesecake factory (where he has never been?!)!

Linking up with Karli and Amy and Lauren

September Goals

I hope you all had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend! I hope there was some family time, dove hunting, and rest! Mine was complete with a girls' brunch at Goodness Gracious.  Anyone close to Nashville needs to try it. It's in Readyville, but 100% worth the drive!! 

  It's time to make goals for September; looking back on August, it feels like it was a week long! Did anyone else's August fly?!   Let's see how I did with our August Goals: 1. Read our Bible and pray together every day.
2. Start working out 3-4 days a week
3. Go through boxes we moved into the apartment and haven't looked at since
4. Handwrite our vows in our wedding book
5. Handwrite our vows and frame them next to our mirror in the bedroom.
6. Buy and start reading "If I Stay"
7. Pay off emergency credit card from car repairs so we can save for truck tires.
8. Spend more time with my nana.
9. Take Boomer to a dog park
10. Decide if we want to add a puppy nugget to our family.   3/10. That's a 30%, and an F in most school systems. We went through two boxes filled with Waffle House coffee mugs, flags from countries friends have visited, and hats with too much dust on them.  We threw out clothes we will never wear again. We did pay off all of the car repairs, but we used the card for a couple of important things that came up, so we aren't paid off 100%.  We have started saving for truck tires, though.  We decided that it would be wonderful to add a puppy to our family, but right now it's just not a good idea. Puppies need attention and time, which we don't necessarily have.   Better luck, September.  Here are September's goals: 1. Read our Bible and pray together every day 2. Start working out 3-4 days a week 3. Handwrite our vows in our wedding book 4. handwrite our vows to frame them next to our mirror in the bedroom 5. Spend more time with my nana. 6. Clear all boxes from the top of our closet and unnecessary bags from the linen closet.  7. Start decorating for Fall come the 22nd. 8. Drink less soda 9. Go camping once 10. schedule (bonus if I complete them!) bridal portraits. 11. Give away shoes I don't wear and pack up summer shoes

Confessions

I confess...   ... Last week I heard Vitamin C's Friends Forever song. You know the one. I broke down in tears. Like ugly crocadile tears. I've been incredibly reminiscent lately about school, so that just killed me.

    ... I had an interview for a new job on Monday and I think it went really well. I sent a thank you card yesterday for the final umpf! :) There are two spots open, so I am really hoping I have a shot. I am dreading telling my current boss. I do love my job and the people, I'm just ready for a change.  

   ... I am so excited for the Wilson County Fair this weekend.  Jackson and I usually go on Sundays after church, but the last day happens to be a Saturday. We are going to ride rides, see exhibits, and eat fried food!! We rarely ride the rides because we are too cheap and rarely get our $25 per person worth because the lines are so long.  We plan to be there when it opens on Saturday, though.  I can't wait.      ... I am tired of people assuming I will do their sewing projects for them. Don't bring me your busted jeans or ripped hoody and expect me to fix it.  #rude

  ... I have completed a spreadsheet with the costs of raising a kitten in effort to convince Jackson we need one.  Overkill? not one bit.    

   

Friday!!

This week flew by. Like, yesterday was Monday for me. This weekend is going to fly, too, because I'll be so busy with helping my sister move into her dorm, Dad's birthday, etc.  But hey, I'm 100% looking forward to it.   1. Monday, I went to my parents' house to hang with my sister before she moves back to Chattanooga for school.  I snapped this picture with my sweet fur-nugget.    2. My parents also have these little stray babies at their house.  I'm working on socializing them as much as possible so they don't grow up mean and wild like their mama. There are two black and white ones, one yellow, one grey, and one solid black one.  They were only three days old on Monday!!

   3. This happened this week. #win. I found a new favorite resource for couponing and sale shopping called KrogerKrazy.

  4.  I have an interview on Monday for a job with the Department of HR with the state of TN.  I'm 100% nervousexcitedanxioushopefuloverwhelmed. That's a feeling, right!?    5. Cheese alert: I'm so thankful for my husband. Sunday, we finished cleaning every inch of our apartment.  He took the doors off of our linnen closet and our utility closet and vacuumed them to remove all dust because our air filter was way yuck! I am thankful for his servant heart and his willingness to help me with chores when I need. 

 

 Linking up with Karli and Amy and Lauren