Gifts From The Heart

Well y'all, WE GOT SNOW! I honestly cant believe it.. they were ready to shut down life here last night for the chance of snow and usually here a chance of snow means absolutely nothing at all, but last night it meant some legit snow! Don't get me wrong nothing like you Northerners get but for the South, it was some SNOW! I cant say that I've missed that crap, the temperature dropped, the snow started and let me tell you it is QUITE nippy here today as well and the stuff is still on the ground. I will let you see for yourself!

My hubby.. a true Northerner!

Yes, he is catching snowflakes on his tongue!

Woke up to this nonsense this morning! 

That's how cold it is here.. it wont go away!!!

Anyways I have been trying to post this for awhile and I think my blog might actually allow it today (fingers crossed) so here is my intended post!!

Good Evening All, 

I feel like shit, in case you were wondering! I don't know what the deal is but I can tell you one thing I really hope that its not this nasty flu epidemic going around North Carolina because as of today 28 people have died since October! This week alone 5 adults in the State of died and one infant. Scary. 

I'm not going to lie I stayed in bed late today because I just did not sleep at all last night, its been a running theme this week, oh insomnia I will never understand why you constantly choose to rear your ugly head! The last couple of nights it seems impossible for me to get any sleep at all, I toss and turn and feel extremely exhausted and groggy but none the less I don't sleep, I continue to toss and turn. Because this seems to be an ongoing issue and Jason isn't having much more luck we decided to also see what we could do today about issues with our bed. 

In September when we closed on the house we bought a new bed, naturally. Then you remember the debacle that was the Kirby assholes and having to get our bed replaced? Well when they replaced the bed we noticed off the bat it wasn't very comfortable, not nearly as comfortable as we had once thought it was and now that we have had the bed about 6 weeks we are noticing that the mattress is already misshapen, when we get out of bed in the morning you can see the imprints of where we both sleep and it doesn't go away. I sleep curled up on my side, Jason sleeps in the very middle of the bed and the small space between us there is a big lump! We are not happy. Anyways we went to Michael's today to see about custom framing for a picture we have and noticed in the same little strip mall was a Mattress Firm which is where we bought our mattress from. Long story short we are within the 90 day period to be able to exchange it and after spending quite some time with the salesmen and hearing that our bed is often returned and has warranty issues, etc we are thinking about getting a whole new bed. So we need to take pictures of it tomorrow and send it in and go from there. It should not cost us anything, hopefully. I would rather deal with it now then deal with it again in 5 years, besides maybe a new bed will help me sleep!

That's about it here truthfully, I made dinner tonight and my stomach was feeling off and once I started to eat it was really feeling off! So I stopped eating and planted myself on the couch with some bubbly water and basically just want to watch Criminal Minds and go to bed. 

Anyways I really didn't stop here to ramble, although that seems to happen often! I really wanted to share some new additions to our home that I feel deserve some special attention. I personally LOVE home made gifts, I just feel like they are so much more personal and I love that things in our home will have a story. We have really stuck with a theme throughout the house of rustic chic, I would say the flooring on the first floor and all of our wooden furniture would fall under this category! 

Just before Christmas my parents sent a parcel with a few gifts they hadn't directly shipped here from where they purchased it and in that parcel was a wonderful house warming gift from the very talented Cathy! Cathy is a WONDERFUL photographer, you can see some of her beautiful work on her Facebook page Whispering Souls Photography. I love so many of Cathy's photos but there is one that she took that I really loved, so much so that I could definitely have saw myself putting it up in our home. Well in that Christmas parcel my parents sent was a copy of this picture I had expressed my love for months prior. 

I was so touched that Cathy remembered and went out of her way to make a copy of this photo for our home, we are honored to hang it! Sadly pictures are where we have been lacking in regards to decorating, mostly because we truly cannot decide on anything because Jason is beige, however he shares the same feelings as I for the photograph Cathy sent! So after the holiday chaos we went on a mission to find the perfect frame! My thoughts were to get someone that stuck with our theme, went with the color that is currently in our downstairs powder room (where we decided to display the picture) and something I felt would work when we do finally paint that room. 

For a long time, since we first started looking at paint samples Jason has been set on painting that bathroom Benjamin Moore's - Smoke Stack Gray... take a look!

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We somehow managed to find the perfect frame not far into our search at Target (I love that place) and I feel that not only does it look great in the bathroom but it compliments this picture beautifully! What do you think?

I absolutely love the picture and could not be happier with the frame we picked! It has been up for a week or so and every time I go into that powder room I swoon over the whole ensemble! We couldn't be more grateful to Cathy for thinking of us and sending one of her beautiful works of art! We are extremely grateful! Thank you again Cathy!!

I mean if that wasn't good enough as you all know after Christmas my Dad, Aunt and Uncle came down for a visit and although I knew it was coming I was beyond excited for what my Dad was bringing!!

Last year for Christmas Dad made Aunt Bren a GORGEOUS coat rack and when we were home for a visit she was showing us and I was wondering where she got it and would she sell it to me! When she told me Dad made it I wasn't totally shocked, Dad is pretty damn handy but this was beyond impressive. Long story short she wouldn't sell it and odds were I couldn't have got it out of the house without her seeing, its kind of big. None the less I had convinced her the room we stay in downstairs would be a GREAT place to put it! HA!

So after we got the house and Dad was aware of just how much Jason and I both loved the coat rack he decided that he would make us one! I was beyond excited and couldn't wait to get it up in the house. Before they arrived Jason and I did a lot of thinking about where we wanted it, and where it would fit best! A couple days into their visit it was miserable and raining and it was finally time to hang that beauty! 

Again it totally goes with out rustic theme, there are no words really to describe the unique beauty of this coat rack so I am just going to show you! 

Isn't it amazing? The uniqueness of the wood, all of the knots and worn edges! The gorgeous distressed railroad spikes that are completely usable. Sad but true I hate to hang anything on it and cover it up, I absolutely love it! I love telling people MY DAD made it for us when they swoon over its intricate beauty! It is a PERFECT addition to our home and a gorgeous focal point for all of those who walk in the front door! We couldn't be more pleased with it! Thank you Dad for all your heard work, bringing it a thousand miles and helping Jason hang it, we look at it always with admiration and think of you! WE LOVE YOU!

When we first got the house I was happy to pick things at first sight, Jason however insists on going to a million places even if we find something we love at our first stop. These pieces have taught me that sometimes the perfect item is worth the wait, these personal items are WAY better then anything we could have picked up at any store! I love that these pieces are in our home and we will have them forever, like so many others. I look so forward to all the other items we will add over the years! 

PS - Dad I could use one of these babies for my closet, as you saw I am limited on space! *wink wink*

Well it seems to have finally worked... lets see once I hit publish!! Hope you are all staying warm today!! I am off to work out, inside of course and then hibernate for this afternoon as this cold is for the birds!