Back to Work I Go

Today is the day! The day that I go back to work! I am excited for this new venture - not something I have a ton of experience in, but I will be learning and in a fun and fashionable environment! I am so appreciative to Matt for letting me take my time to find a new job in our new (old) city. It is funny how things fall in to place - well not really. I know God has control and is writing our story long before we are aware. I have had several interviews and even another interview opportunity after I accepted my new job. I will reveal more later once I have experienced my first couple of days. I hope it is great, now I just have to find some comfortable and fashionable shoes - as I will be on my feet most of the day...eek!

 I am really taking a leap of faith. My new job is not a high paying job (but it is better than no money at all), I won't be sitting at a desk with my own computer, but I believe it will be a breath of fresh air and hopefully lead to more opportunities and some new friendships. It has nothing to do with my degree (sorry mom and dad!), but I am okay with that - I think. My new boss said that she has worked there for 7 years and that everyday she gets in the car and still enjoys coming to work. I hope this is true!

 So here is to a new adventure and hopefully a great start at my new job!

throw some glitter, make it rain

I saw this quote on Pinterest and knew immediately I had to have it somewhere in my home!  I changed the wording a little, but you get the message.  I wish I knew where the quote originally came from, I was not able to track it to the original posting on Pinterest.

(My pictures are off of the Ipad so don't judge - I am asking for a nice fancy camera for Christmas!)

I used a canvas that I had and painted it with a glossy black then used leftover stickers from Easter for the quote.  I would have liked a different font, but this works and I didn't have to buy anymore stickers.

Then I taped off a pattern with painters tape.  This was the easiest pattern to do - I am impatient so I didn't do anything too tricksy. 

I purchased Martha Stewart gold paint and some basic silver glitter at Michaels.  I used the paint as my sticky for the glitter - but you have to be quick before it dries.

I have a lot of gold and silver in my house  ( I refer to it as "gilver") so I thought I would continue the trend with gold paint and silver glitter.

After a little dry time, which doesn't take long - remove the stickers ( I got up under them with my fingernails) and the tape and you have this beauty.  I sprayed a little hairspray on it so the glitter wouldn't fall off everywhere and outrage my husband.   It is nothing fancy, but I love it!  I am thinking of putting it near the front door or maybe in the bathroom just as a reminder!

I obviously am a glitter fan, what projects have you done with glitter?  I would love to see, I am always up for a new project!

what do you know about that!

I am gathering up some blog posts for y'all, but for now I am going to share a little something that I saw over at Wifestyles.

If you really knew me you would know...

- not many people call me by my first name (Hannah)
my dad and brother: boo or boo boo
my high school friends and my mom: Han
my college friends and sorority sisters: Hannah Neal
my last job (wedding and events florist): fluffy -I prefer my floral arrangements full, lush and fluffy!
my 2 year old niece: something that sounds like Aunt Hannie
and my husband: shim or shimmy (don't know where it came from, but it has stuck!)

truthfully it sounds so weird when someone does call me by my first name only

-I DVR every show that sounds interesting to me and don't always watch the show later on (my husband does not care for that habit of mine)

- I rarely ever buy a piece of home decor or furniture and leave it be, I like to give it my own touch

- I have an obsession with all things weddings and would do my wedding over (to the same man) in a heartbeat

- I had a different major for every year I was in college, but it only took me 1 extra semester to finish

- I am a slight germ a phobe - the bottom of shoes and jeans gross me out the most, as well as any uncooked meat or eggs

- I am messy but clean

- I love bling, crystals, feathers and big hair - I believe that I belong in Texas!

- I have a pretty colorful personality, but hardly any color in my home. Our apartment consists of brown, black, silver, gold, white and a little red.  I would like more color but I am...

- very indecisive. BUT when I do know what I want - you will know it!

- a crier, it does not take much to get the tears flowing.  I am quite sensitive.

- one of my most prized possessions are the cowboy boots my mom gave me in high school - they were hers in her early twenties.  I have worn them during some of my most memorable moments, including our wedding.

- I don't like ground beef or really beef in general and I don't eat much chicken either.  I stick to turkey and pork - I think it is a texture thing or something??

- I could craft for a living.  Give me some glitter and paint and I am set for hours.

- I would do anything for my nieces and nephew - they bring me such JOY!

- my husband is my best friend - if he is by my side I can do anything!

- I don't enjoy the outdoors during the summer - bugs, sweating, my allergies and more sweating.  I do love the fall and winter!

- I love sleep, but have problems sleeping at night.  A friend once told me that it is called FOMO: fear of missing out or INSOMNIA! 

- I love CHRISTMAS, it is such a magical time of year and makes me so happy!  I love celebrating the birth of Christ as well as listening to and singing Christmas songs, decorating and being with ones you love!  I even have a countdown on my phone, right now there are 158 days, 6 hours, 49 minutes and 56 seconds til Christmas!

There are so many more things, but that is just a glimpse!

What are some things people would say they knew about you? 

Jeeeeep!

 We have inherited Matt's dad's Jeep since the move to Thailand and have been having so much fun taking the doors off for the first time and cruising down River Road here in Louisville.  We also took a road trip with the top off to Indianapolis and got quite the sun burn!  It has been record breaking hot here lately so we have put the doors back on and the soft top on for now, just too miserably hot to ride around with no air (spoiled much?).  

Matt's new toy

 Gracie girl (our crazy cool and adorable niece) LOVES the Jeep and ALWAYS wants to ride in Unc Matt's Jeep.  We took Gracie to see her new baby sister in the jeep and got to cross the river over to Indiana where she was born.  Grace loved going over the bridge with the wind blowing her hair.  So much fun!

Gracie is too cool!

This video cracks me up!  We watched Gracie for several days while my brother and sister in law were at the hospital and getting acquainted with new baby, Ruthie.  Gracie was "eating" the wind/catching flies and yelling "JEEEEEEEP" and I gather that she is saying "SMILE" towards the end because I guess she thought I was taking a picture with my phone.

Gracie kicked back

We are so fortunate to have such an awesome "new" car!  Matt loves it and can't wait to get a new water toy to pull behind it (someday!).  It is so fun seeing what joy this machine brings to our sweet 2 year old niece - we are blessed!

Needing to post some pics of our new niece, Ruthie and our handsome nephew Teddy!  On my to do list!

custom (Pottery Barn knock off) door mat

I believe that I registered for a monogrammed door mat for our wedding at Pottery Barn, but did not receive - which I do not blame anyone for not getting it for us because they can cost between $60-$100 - absurd for something you wipe your dirty feet on! SO, I thought I would make my own! I got our door mat at Wal Mart I believe for like 6 bucks. I used my stencil from our custom bar that we ordered on etsy as a custom wall decal  that we ending up not using as a decal and turned it into a stencil instead that can/will be used many many times.  I got the stencil paper from Hobby Lobby and my handy hubby traced the decal and cut out the stencil with an x acto knife.  I have now used this stencil at least 3 times and I am sure will use it more in the future.  You could also do a saying or monogram or whatever on the computer and print it out and trace onto the stencil paper.

I used fabric pant for this project because that is what I had, it would have been a lot easier to do with spray paint, but I did not have any on hand so I just did it by hand with the fabric paint and a foam brush.

This project took me about 20 minutes tops, but would be quicker with spray paint!  The fabric paint took a while to dry, but besides that it worked great!

I think that my rug looks pretty good for about $15 instead of around $100! Let me know if you do one yourself, I would love to see it!

source: Pottery Barn

Thailand or bust!

Both of Matt's parents are officially gone to Thailand for 3+ years.  It is crazy to think that we can no longer take a little road trip up to see them.  I cried, of course!  Twice!  They left at 2 different times so twice the tears!  Matt's parents have been so generous and welcoming to me ever since we started dating and I just can't believe that we will not get to see them on a regular basis and the fact that they are across the world!  Matt's dad left first to start his job and get acquainted and his mom left on Monday morning with his younger sister, Haley.  Haley is going for about a month which is so awesome, I know she will have a great time with her parents and get to do so much - I am quite jealous!  Matt and I will get to go next year most likely.  The trip over there is right about 24 hours not including lay overs and delays!!! I am going to need to not sleep for like 2 days before we go so I can sleep through all that traveling!

source: topworldcities.net

You are probably wondering why his parents have moved to Thailand!?  Well Matt's dad works for Formica as a plant manager and was asked if he would like to go to Thailand to run their plant there while their plant manager goes to China to open a new plant (I am pretty sure that is how it went down).  Of course his dad had to ask his mom because that is not like going across the country for a couple of years, it is a complete lifestyle change!  After some thought and consideration Matt's parents decided that they would embark on this new adventure!  All of us kids were shocked!  I can't imagine going to a country so different than ours for over a year.  They decided to not sell their house and to let Sarah, Matt's older sister stay there, so they pretty much just packed their clothes and a few other things and moved into a HUGE high rise apartment with amazing views right in the heart of Bangkok.  I can't wait to get some pictures from them to post on here!  I believe that Matt's mom and sister should be arriving late tonight which is Wednesday morning there.  They are 11 hours ahead of us here EST.  It is crazy how life can change so quickly, we were all completely surprised by the opportunity to go over there!  It is so neat to see his parents be so open to change and a new adventure.  I would have a hard time with it, but it just shows that sometimes you just have to let go and jump on amazing opportunities.  I hope to post some pictures in the near future of their trips around Thailand and neighboring areas.

In other news... we are still settling in at our apartment and I am still applying for jobs.  I have a pretty good lead on one at an event company here in Louisville, hope it is promising!

the move to Louisville: part 2

back to where I left off... Part 2

Matt comes downstairs and tells me that he is headed to another interview!  I am in shock!  thinking to myself "OK, just another opportunity to see what is out there." by the time Matt has made it to the interview an email arrives in his inbox from the Nashville company... ANOTHER offer! oh my goodness I could barely contain myself and my mom could not contain herself at all!

now I am nervously waiting to hear about the spontaneous interview that he is in.  time went by so slowly!  FINALLY Matt calls and says that they offered him the job and that he thinks that it is the best fit for him and for us!!!!  I could not believe what I was hearing!  The Lord seriously works in mysterious ways because I surely thought that Matt would be taking the original job offer that we had banked on.

there was a catch though... the Nashville offer was a considerable increase in salary than any of the other offers but that did not sway Matt's decision and I did not say a word!  I knew that he would make the right decision for himself and our family.  after a couple hours of letting all this craziness sink in - Matt accepted the job from the spontaneous interview and is now a Project Manager for a commercial construction contracting company in Louisville!  I am so proud to be his wife and knew that his hard work and perseverance would pay off!

we immediately and frantically began searching for apartments so we did not have to shack up at my parent's house.  the original plan was just to pack our stuff up if we did not have a firm job offer and just move to my parents - I am so thankful that we did not have to do that!  not that I don't love my parents, but we just operate on different schedules and lifestyle preferences.  within a day and a half we had found an apartment that will suffice (until we begin house hunting) and headed to "The Ville" with all our stuff!

in the midst of moving we got stuck on I65 because of a major accident with a caravan of 3 cars and a Uhaul - the trip that normally would have taken about 2 hours took us 7 hours!  I am not complaining because it was a fatal accident and I am just so glad that we were not involved!  thanks to my handy mom and an actual paper map we made it to our new home after several failed detour attempts.  we are so thankful for our family who helped us move and for all the prayers that have been prayed!  it feels good to be home after leaving here 6 years ago for college - now I get to bring my husband back with me!

oh yes, I almost forgot!  after being here for about a week Matt got a call about another job offer  and another call for an interview!!! so blessed... I am so proud of him!

we have been here about a month now and still settling in.  Matt is busy with work and just started his first big project and I am hanging out with my niece as much as I can, making this apartment our home, spending time with family and job hunting!  the whole job hunting has been rough, probably cause I really don't know exactly what I want to do... I love the wedding business, but it has been so nice to do stuff on the weekends.  we were able to take a mini road trip to Indianapolis for our anniversary, drive around town in the jeep with the top and doors off, go boating with my parents, and enjoy each other's company.

stay tuned for some diy projects and more of our happenings in our "new" city!
also - Matt's parents move to Thailand!

the move to Louisville: part 1

to blog or not to blog? that is the question... I have gone over this in my head a lot. Matt is always encouraging me to start up again, but I always just shrug it off. I am thinking of changing the layout and look maybe to freshen it up a bit! besides not blogging I have been somewhat busy lately - I will give you an update on our life happenings as of lately...

we moved to Louisville! after about 6 months of Matt applying for jobs he finally got 3 official job offers within TWO days! it was craziness! the Lord was so good to us and I just remember praying on my knees literally and asking him to place us where we needed to be and show us the right path. I really struggled with where I wanted to be ultimately. I knew I didn't want to stay in Bowling Green, after being out of school for a year and a half I was ready to move out of the somewhat college town. I had a great job in Nashville that I really enjoyed, but with working in the wedding business I worked basically every weekend and the husband did not care for that and we missed out on a lot of social things. I was also commuting an hour each way, which was not very fun. our niece was almost 2 years old and I got to see her somewhat frequently but not as much as I would have liked to and our 1 year old nephew was even farther away than our niece, so we had barely even gotten to spend any length of time with him. family is so important to me, but I knew that Matt and I had started our own family so if that meant that we would move to Nashville or clear across the country  I was going to be ok with that.

 so Matt applied to jobs in Nashville and Louisville and Cincinnati (where his family is from) and everywhere else in between! we waited and waited and all of the sudden it was March and I was starting to slightly freak out. I knew that if someone would just give him a face to face interview that he would impress them and be hired! around the beginning of April he had a phone interview and one face to face interview, he thought they went well but no offers yet. a few weeks went by and the face to face interview company wanted him but did not have a specific position for him so it just became a waiting game... we were pretty confident that the face to face interview (in Louisville) was going to offer and they basically did without the paper work so we put our trust in God and planned to move to Louisville. I put in my notice at work (which was so hard, I had learned SOOOO much working there and loved the wedding business - my co workers and boss were like a 2nd family to me - a crazy nutty family, but it was a great job that lead me to a ton of awesome opportunities!)

anyways, I put my notice in at work after quite a few tears and started packing for Louisville... fast forward to the second week of May - less than a week before Matt's graduation... He gets a call from a company in Nashville!! OH MY GOSH I just quit my job in Nashville! so we go to the interview (I tag along for a free nights stay in a hotel) and it goes well and they seem to really want Matt, but no offer yet. the next day or so he gets a call from the same company that my mom works for, a custom home builder. I am crying tears of Joy thanking the Lord for blessing us with more than one interview!!! we head to Louisville for the interview just DAYS before graduation and in the midst of packing for who knows where at this moment! the interview is ok, but the offer not so great. as Matt is leaving that interview somewhat discouraged he gets a call from the ORIGINAL company that we were very confident with the offer saying that it was a done deal!!! he had 24 hours to discuss with me and call the other companies he had interviewed with. we went to sleep that night (in Louisville) thinking that he was going to accept the offer from the original company. I woke up early to greet my niece at the door around 715 am to watch her while my sister in law went to work. a couple hours later Matt comes down stairs and says he got a call from a commercial contractor in Louisville that he had applied for at the beginning of the year. they wanted to know if he had a job yet and if he was still interested. Matt said that he had an offer that he was getting ready to accept. they said come on down if we feel it is the right fit we can also give you an offer today!!! God has been so good to us! Going to wrap it up there for tonight but our story is not finished yet!  stay tuned...

my V-Day gift...a custom bar!

so lately I was obsessing over bar carts and was really really wanting to purchase one, but could not find one that I LOVED that was anywhere near our price range. Hubby decided he would make me one, but I quickly decided that I would be settling and did not want one made out of wood and did not want him to go through all that and me not like it. SOOOO we decided instead to build a bar - since we have sooo much room for all that in our tiny apartment and all. (sarcasm, people). Well Matt started drawing and sketching and I just rattled off some ideas of what I wanted it to look like. That was the beginning. Turns out we totally went over budget and changed quite a few things from the initial drawing that my handy husband drew up. BUT I LOVE it and it is one of a kind and my sweet, handy, intelligent, hard working husband made it for me (I mean us!?). I took pictures along they way thinking that I would blog step by step how to make a bar in a baby apartment on your baby 2nd story patio BUT so many things went differently and I am not really sure how we even got to the point it is today HA - so sorry if you wanted to make one just like ours! You should want to though, cause its amazing! Now all we need to do is get a bigger place and have parties! I really enjoy entertaining so that was one of my reasons for wanting this bar and I needed a place to store all of our bar ware so why not? Well here ya go! Lots of pics and a little commentary...

I ordered a stencil online of our wedding logo that we designed together for the wedding and stenciled it on the top of the bar with glitter (yes, glitter - spray glitter) and sealed it.

I was given the fleur de lis lamp for Christmas from my boss but never had a spot for it - FINALLY a spot! The lamp was originally more rustic and traditional and of course I had to glam it up with the same glossy black paint as the bar, some spray glitter (gilver - or silver and gold)and some black blingy ribbon on the shade.

And before you judge our weirdo 80's looking kitchen chairs that is because they are 80's - our kitchen set was my parents first kitchen set. Next up on Matt's handy man to do list is a new kitchen table - we will probably just purchase the chairs.

We plan to maybe eventually get bar stools so if we want we can sit at the bar - originally we were going to do 2 shelves but decided if we ever wanted to sit at the bar it would be much more comfortable to slide in a chair with just one shelf.

Be My Valentine - late

We are celebrating V-Day today so even though I am late on my post - really it is right on time! We are making a nice dinner - romaine salad with strawberries, mandarin oranges and a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette, ribs (hubby's thing), roasted potatoes, baby carrots and asparagus, fudge brownies topped with strawberries and champagne! Can't wait! I think we might go bowling (which includes adult beverages) or go see the new Reese Witherspoon movie - This Means War. Big night planned! I was also thinking of going to get a shampoo and style/blowout. I need to get my brows waxed BAD and I never seem to be able to get any curl to hold in my thick, heavy hair so I was thinking of getting some sassy curls and body for my date night! This post is FULL of Valentine decor pics - so enjoy! What did you expect? This IS my first Valentine's Day as Mrs. Valentine - can't help it.

side note: My wreath on the front door got a little beat up and raggedy in the weather, so excuse her lack of perkiness. AND my mantle is not ideal and got changed around several times but I only got a picture of her once. The picture is not how she ultimately ended up, but you get the idea. The "Kiss Me" ribbon hung on the back of our front door - I had leftover ribbon and letters so I just whipped it up last minute.

the best tortilla soup!

so I inherited this recipe from my sister in law so I cannot take all the credit! I don't know if we do the recipe the exact same way, but close enough! This recipe is amazing and my go to meal if we have company or a group together. It is so easy to whip together and does not take any time at all!

what you will need:

1 can of diced tomatoes
1 can of black beans
1 can of Rotel
2 cans of corn - we use the fiesta kind
1-2 packages of dry ranch mix - we use 2 for more flavor
1-2 packages of taco seasoning - we use 2
1-2 lbs of ground meat - we prefer turkey - I use lean turkey for everything!
2 cups of water
cilantro - optional, I use it if I have some on hand, just however much you would like

throw in all your ingredients, be sure to drain your black beans

brown your meat

 toss in the meat and let the soup heat thoroughly - I usually let it come to a slight boil and then let it simmer a while so all the seasonings are soaked into the meat

on our last grocery trip I spotted these tortilla strips and thought we would try them out - so glad we did!  added some nice texture and crunch to the soup!

you may also want to add some shredded cheese and/or sour cream - and there you have it! a simple, easy and VERY delicious meal! ENJOY!

amazingness

ok, I have just discovered amazingness and either I have been living under a rock or just in a small town because I am just now finding out about Drybar!  I am really sad that I do not live in one of the cities that has a Drybar!  So here is the deal - no cuts, no color, just blow outs! and a shampoo!  That is the best part! oh besides the drinks - after all it is a bar!  This sounds like  my kind of place and I am dying to visit one asap!  Sipping mimosas and getting beautified for 35 bucks - not too shabby! Go ahead check it out!  You know you want to! drybar

January PINK Bridal Show

Had lots of fun at the PINK bridal show @ the Nashville Convention center! Talked to lots of fall brides ( Sept and Oct). Lots of September - I was very surprised! I love being able to talk the girls/ladies. Met a few friends that I hope will be booking with us. Lots of girls were into the lush, luxury look which I don't blame them! Feathers, bling, and white seemed to be popular for this year. Check out our awesome booth! We have ANOTHER show this coming weekend at Opryland Hotel! Can't wait!