Keeping up with the Joneses

Cottages at Oak Park

2011-08-14T15:31:00.000-07:00

Today I am bragging about my talented husband. While on the Mississippi Gulf Coast last weekend, Britton and I stopped by his job site in Ocean Springs, Cottages at Oak Park. The official grand opening for the neighborhood was last Thursday. The project looks great and fits in perfectly in the welcoming Ocean Springs community. If you have never been to Ocean Springs it is worth a visit. The grand opening made the local news. You can see the news clip here.

Winters Construction

Three Years Ago...

2011-08-09T05:32:00.000-07:00

Three years ago, we started our amazing journey!

Photo by our super talented cousin and her incredibly gifted husband, www.allisonrodgers.com.

Happy Anniversary, Britton!

Preserves and Pickles

2011-08-02T09:38:00.000-07:00

Fig Preserves and Bread & Butter Pickles to be exact!

Worthy of a Post

2011-06-03T13:28:00.000-07:00

Welcome to our niece, Lydia!

Congratulations, Brent, on completing your third year of Dental School!

Reflection

2011-02-23T19:34:00.000-08:00

We've had a lot going on the past few months resulting in a lack of post. Let's be honest though, I'm not really the the most consistent blogger anyway. For anyone still reading, here are some sneak peaks to some projects we've been completing (or nearly completed) around the Casa da Jones lately. Check back for more pictures this weekend....but I make no promises! Spring like weather is forcasted for the weekend and Angie has a new found love for herding cows at our neighbor's farm. I'll let you in on her talents soon.

Snow Day

2011-02-10T07:26:00.000-08:00

It is another day with a beautiful white blanket covering everything. I decided I should post the photos from the eight inch snowfall we had at the beginning of January. It was quite the surprise for us!

A local photographer created this time lapse of the snow.

Zero to 10...... inches of snow on the Oxford square from scottburtonphotography on Vimeo.

Oh Christmas Tree

2010-12-30T08:01:00.000-08:00

This year Britton and I decided to go for the real deal... a live Christmas Tree. The past two years we decorated my grandmother's artificial table top tree. With the living room and the dining room of the house somewhat settled we decided to get a real tree since Britton had never had a real tree before. We drove south of Oxford to Springwood Christmas Tree Farm to cut down our own tree.

In the cabin they had hot cider and Christmas Cookies.

Merry Christmas!

A Year Later...

2010-12-12T20:16:00.000-08:00

December 2009

December 2010

Wicker Chair

2010-09-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

I bought this chair at a local antique store.

I loved the size and shape of the chair, but could forgo the flower painted on the chair. It was nothing a little paint wouldn't fix.

Screen Porch

2010-09-07T19:59:00.000-07:00

We took the day off of work on Monday to work on our screen porch. It is about to be perfect weather for sitting out on the screen porch and enjoying the weather. We had to cut the screen on the porch to remove the refrigerator from the house, and Angie had created two other holes in the screen.

Removing the old screen.

Enlarging and moving the door opening. The door was a single door and we made it a double door.

Staining the screen doors.

Proof that I do more than just take pictures!

After

Angie can't resist posing for a photo.

So Long Sweet Summer

2010-09-06T19:54:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful summer! We got so much accomplished on the house! (I'll save that for another post, though.) As fall sneaks in I wanted to post a few pictures from the summer that never made it to the blog.

Blueberries in our back yard. I froze some to make Spiced Blueberry Muffins this fall.

Holly Springs, Mississippi

San Antonio, Texas

September First

2010-09-01T07:20:00.000-07:00

I have always loved this living room in the Cottage Living New Orleans Idea House. The colors remind me of the beginning of fall. There is a crispness in the air on September first (even here in the south!)

I love the Bevolo lanterns in the room.

Fireplace and Bookshelves

2010-08-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

I just snapped this picture tonight. Not quite "staged," but pretty close to complete none the less.

It's Wednesday Night.....

2010-08-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

... and I'm still thinking about last weekend.

Friday afternoon after my first 40 hour work week in over a year, Britton and I took Angie to join Mary Kathryn and Lewis at the waterfalls in Abbieville. Angie chased Lewis's puppy Minnie Lou and the other two puppies all over the place. It was a very relaxing end to a long week. Mary-Katheryn took the photo above and several others she posted on her blog, Almost Famous.

Summer

2010-07-21T07:50:00.000-07:00

Summer is in full swing! It is HOT and HUMID in the South. I pulled these prints out of an Anthropology Catalog over six years ago and they still make me smile when I see them! The titles on the prints remind me why I love summer!

Happy Summer!

Floor Progress

2010-07-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we started installing the wood floors at our house. See the progress for yourselves....

MVP

2010-07-02T12:27:00.000-07:00

A week ago Britton was the MVP (Most Valuable Player) when he hit the game winning in the park grand slam at his softball game. This week we are dealing with a completely different MVP - Bostik MVP (Moisture Vapor Protector). We first had to move all the "stuff" out of our house. This is what the rooms looked like with everything cleaned out.

Then we swept, vacummed, and mopped the entire house thoroughly.

Then on went the MVP.

And lots of it...

People often ask us when we are going to have kids. I always answer, "Can you imagine living with a baby in our house the way it is now?" This label on the MVP reinforced my thought ...

It was hard enough trying to keep our curious dog away from the compound as we troweled it on the floor.

This weekend we hope to put our wood floors down.

via My Home Ideas

Happy Fourth of July!

Mudroom

2010-06-28T15:38:00.000-07:00

Below is a picture of our old laundry room/ new mudroom when we moved into the house.

This is a picture of it in January. You can see we had already taken the paneling off the walls and the closet door out. It was one of those accordion doors. We had also already replaced the window.

Britton started working on installing the new drywall last weekend.

And these are two photos I took this morning. Drywall up, mudding started. It is beginning to take shape.

The door in the photo leads to our new laundry room.

Last Weekend of June

2010-06-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

We had a very eventful weekend and still managed some time to work on the house. I say the weekend started with Britton's last softball game of the season even though it was just Thursday night. In the bottom of the final inning Britton got up to bat. His team was down by two with the bases loaded and two outs. Britton had a full count, and hit hit it out to right field where the right fielder missed it and it skipped back to the fence. In the park GRAND SLAM and his team won the game! I was so proud!

Friday my mom helped me work on our house. She is such a hard worker. When I told her I was done for the day and she could go home, she replied that she had a few more things she wanted to get done before she left. I know if my mom was working on the house every weekend it would have been finished months ago. After a day full of work, Britton and I met my friend Laura in Taylor for a George McConnel and The Nonchalants concert in the lawn of the Plein Air Neighborhood.

Laura stayed with us on Friday night. Saturday morning Laura and I went back out to Taylor to visit the Taylor Farmers Market. We also looked around the Antique store there where I found a great painting of what I see out my car window this time of year driving in Mississippi...no, not cotton, but hay bales. I loved this painting and quickly snapped a photo in hopes to find more works by the same artist.

After the Farmers Market, Laura pitched it with some painting and moving at our house before she headed back home. We posed for a picture in the backyard.

The self timer on the camera worked pretty well, and what you don't see is Angie and her friend Digory trying to figure out what we were doing running to a spot and standing still. See their curiosity below.

Sunday we went to "Tula Homecoming." Tula is the community where my grandfather farmed and my mom and her three sisters grew up. We enjoyed the worship service at the Tula Baptist Church before feasting on a down home meal. The special music at church was two older gentlemen picking the guitar and singing bluegrass hymns. The music ended with I'll Fly Away and the whole congregation joined in.

After a drive out to the farm, we came back home just in time for my brother Brent and his girlfriend to arrive for a visit. We made our way to the square where we enjoyed the AC at Square Books and at some frozen yogert at Ya Ya's (my second visit to Ya Ya's in two days).

We also made Kirsten take the typical tourist picture with William Faulkner on the Square.

And we finally ended the night with a picnic in the Grove at Ole Miss listening to the Germantown Symphony. It was a wonderful summer night; the threat of rain past not without leaving a beautiful rainbow. By the last song, most commonly known to my generation at the "Beef...It's what's for dinner" tune, the crickets seemed to be competing with the musicians for our applause.

What a wonderful weekend.... Can we do it all again?

Laundry Room

2010-06-21T18:35:00.000-07:00

Besides the obvious washer and dryer what does a laundry room need? Water in and water out. Last week we had pipes installed for a drain, hot water and cold water hook up for our new laundry room (old storage room).

Britton then filled the hole he had jack hammer only a few weeks ago with new concrete. We are a few steps closer to one of these....

via House and Home

An Open Door

2010-06-21T17:08:00.000-07:00

Britton recently started his own construction company. The name of his company is Winters Construction. I am so proud of him!

Farmers' Market

2010-06-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

First Stop Saturday morning was the local farmers' market. I LOVE the farmers' market. Many other people in our town LOVE the farmers market; this is quite evident at 7:15am Saturday morning when you cannot find a place to park!

I came home with Zinnias, Milk, Peaches, and Blueberries. The milk is from the Brown Family Dairy down the street from our house. It is so good. Last year I even called my mom to tell her about the non-homogenized milk where the cream rests on the top of the milk. She told me that is how she had milk growing up not far from where the Brown Family Dairy is now located. It seems word of this local dairy made it to the The New York Times where you can read about the Brown Family Dairy.

With all this fresh fruit, I'm planning on making a berry peach cobbler tonight for dessert. It was on the cover of Cooking Light last summer when I didn't have a kitchen. A year later I'm going to finally try it out.

If our back porch was complete, that is where I would want to eat this cobbler, but since it is still a work in progress, check out these inviting alfresco dining spaces.

Country Style

Elle Decor

Martha Stewart

P.S. Happy Father's Day, Dad! You are the best!

Happy First Day of Work, Ashley! Can't wait to visit you in Nashville!

Eat your Vegetables!

2010-06-16T19:39:00.000-07:00

This is what our raised bed garden looked like a couple of months ago. Last year Britton and I had one raised bed garden. This year we were ambitious and added a second. We used our compost to fill half of the new garden and our neighbor let us get dirt from his farm.

And now...

I'm still waiting on my first red tomato.

And now in my kitchen...

Squash, Banana Peppers, Green Tomatoes, & Red Cherry Tomatoes

Our garden is producing so much more this year than last year. What's the secret?

Electric Water Timer

A Tale of Four Littles

2010-06-14T13:27:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law Whitney just started blogging. She blogged about her recent trip to visit us!

Whitney and Boston are always doing something exciting!
A Tale of Four Littles

Beach Trip in Pictures

2010-06-14T13:14:00.000-07:00

Grayton Beach, Florida (View from beach chair)

2010-05-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Coffee Table

2010-05-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

Simple yet Stunning!

CB2

Window Shopping in Norman

2010-05-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

When we visited Jennifer about a month ago, we found Norman to be a charming college town full of restaurants, unique stores, and cute houses. Jennifer did not hesitate to take me to the stores that she thought I would like.

Birdie

Antique Garden

Tulips

Oklahoma

2010-05-17T08:00:00.000-07:00

I'm catching up with all that has been keeping us busy the past few months. We made the trip to Oklahoma to see Boston get his wings from the Air Force! Congratulations Boston!

While we were there we stayed a few extra days with my college roommate Jennifer. Jennifer is quite the hostess. We had the best time staying with her. It was an awesome trip to Oklahoma!

The Brooklyn Home Company

2010-05-14T07:11:00.000-07:00

The Brooklyn Home Company

Motherhood

2010-05-10T20:04:00.000-07:00

My Mom and Me

I know having a puppy is not the same as being a mother, but every once and a while I get glimpse into motherhood in my relationship with my dog Angie. These small glimpses humble me because of my own mother's unconditional love for me.

1. Angie puts her head on my chest when she gets in our bed at night. When my four pawed baby does this, it reminds me of how when I was very young, even after my twin brother and sister were born, my mom would snuggle in bed with me until I fell asleep every night. Sometimes when she would sneak out of the room, I would hear her and wake up. She would get back in bed until I fell back to sleep. A mother's love comforts.

2. If Angie needs to go outside, eat, go for a walk or anything else, she sits at my feet to let me know. I think about all the times my mom has provided for me even through the sacrifice of her own needs. She would take me shopping when I needed a new dress for a party even though shopping is not her favorite, and she would stay up late helping me with homework until I really "got" the math problem. When I had a huge project due for my interior design degree one summer, she came and stayed with me to make sure I had food to eat and help me finish up the project. (Don't be fooled into thinking they just hand out interior design degrees; it was alot of work!) Finally, when I was in high school she went without a car so I could drive her car to and from school with my brother and sister. My mother has sacrificed to provide for me and my siblings in more ways than I will ever know.

3. Finally, Angie is an adventurer. She knows so many ways to get out of the backyard. I would see her out the front window and take off after her, and she would only run further down the street. Britton convinced me that she only runs further because she can still see me following her, and if I didn't follow her she would come back home. Well, he was right. And, yesterday at Britton's parents' she would run off, and when she realized we weren't chasing her, she would come back to where we were in the backyard. At one point she followed the boat we were in down the shoreline and then tried to get in the boat to be with us. Letting Angie go when she runs off is one of the hardest things for me to do. I want to chase her; I want to make sure she doesn't run into the wrong dog and get hurt. But seeing her swim across the lake to be near me was worth the letting go. My mom is always one to let us make our own decisions. Maybe she trusts that she had raised us well, but more importantly she trusts God and that He has a plan for our lives. So now as we have all graduated college and pursue our dreams, leaving our parents "empty nesters", we enjoy coming home for days like mothers' day, because not only do we want to be with her, but we want to be like her.

Part of my mom's veil was sewn in my wedding dress.

What made me think about this today? While visiting my friend Audra and her new baby boy last week she said that she commented to her mom that her mom could not understand how much she loved her baby boy. Audra's mom said, "Yes, I do; that is how much I love you!".
Mom, thank you for all the ways you love me!

My mother-in-law, me, and my mom

Happy Mother's Day to my mom, my mother-in-law, my wonderful aunts, grandmother, and all the other mothers who have shaped my life and continue to inspire me daily!

In a Book Store

2010-04-28T06:07:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is go to our local bookstores and spend hours looking at the books. I love the way they are displayed, and I love the smell of a new book. (I know, probably some kind of off-gassing that is bad for you like the "new car smell".) The other day I happened upon the book Old House, New Home: Stylish Modern Living in a Period Setting. What a great find. The photographs of the interiors in this book inspire me. Each setting highlights the architectural details of an older home filled with simple decor to make you appreciate the structure's character even more.

2010-04-16T14:09:00.000-07:00

Floating Shelves

2010-03-29T13:14:00.000-07:00

The shelves have been complete for a few weeks, but today I decided to go ahead and photograph them. I've been trying to find the perfect framed artwork for the top shelves, but I pulled some prints I had framed out of storage and put them on the top shelves. (It is not like those prints are going to be hanging on a wall anytime soon anyway.) I really wanted floating shelves and was pretty determined that we could build them.

The trick was the blocking we installed a long time ago before the walls were finished. After a long morning at home depot we found the brackets.

Britton built a hollow box and then slid the box on the bracket...ta da!

Estate of Things

2010-03-22T16:24:00.000-07:00

About a month ago Britton and I went to an estate sale in downtown Memphis. I've always wanted to see what an estate sale was like, but this estate sale was probably a little different than most. There was an article on the front of one of the sections of the Sunday Commercial Appeal that weekend telling a story of an Italian family who bought a "mansion" in Memphis right after the Civil war. It was the family's home for over 100 years until the last sister past away this last year. The article intrigued my Mom and Aunt who talked us into going to the estate sale after lunch that Sunday. Several hundred other Commercial Appeal readers were also intrigued as the line wrapped around the entrance and down the street.

The house in its earlier days.

I was more interested by the house than the items in the sale.

The decorative radiators

The inlay design in the floors

Pink Pantry with Pipes

I snapped a few pictures of the items we saw.

A Collection of Hats

Doll Collection

This lamp was Huge. I wish I had photographed it with something to scale it to.

Mouse Traps

Trash or Treasures? The beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If only the walls could talk. I'm sure they would have alot of good stories to tell.

Happy Birthday Dad!

2010-03-22T14:03:00.000-07:00

Dad & Baby Courtney 1982

This weekend my family gathered to celebrate my Dad's birthday. He is truly the BEST! He has so many wonderful qualities; I could go on forever about how he came to all our childhood events, coached our teams, is always there to listen, and is always so PROUD of us.

I was recently reminded of another one of my Dad's amazing qualities. The other day, I saw a little boy with a shirt that boasted, "My Dad Can Fix Anything". (I thought that if the little boy turned around the back of his shirt might say,"...that I break.") My Dad really can fix almost anything.

Growing up, I took it for granted that if something broke in our house, my dad would fix it. His father owned a hardware store and he worked there growing up. It is in his genes to know the "ins and outs" of how things work. I bet he was one of those little boys that loved to take things apart and put them back together! Recently, I was telling my Mom about how I was trying to rewire a chandelier and my mom said, "You know who is really good rewiring lamps and light fixtures... your Dad." My sister later told me that it was one of my Dad's jobs at the hardware store to rewire light fixtures. I am so excited to be able to call on an expert to help me rewire the antique chandelier. I look forward to being his apprentice when we sit down and rewire the chandelier that will hang in our dining room. But, the more I think about it, the more proud I get that I took the chandelier apart in the first place. Why? Because that means that I have the same genes as my Dad, always trying to fix things. I am so proud to be my Daddy's little girl! Happy Birthday Dad!

**Dad, thanks for being the first one to read my blog!

Like It Was Always There

2010-03-16T18:42:00.000-07:00

I loved reading this article in the April issue of Southern Living. Jessica Thurston did an amazing job with this renovation. As someone who has the opportunity to work on houses that are over fifty years old, I understand what a compliment it was to Jessica when someone complimented her kitchen by saying, "It looks like it has always been this way." What a compliment! Many people struggle with having modern amenities or the character of an older home. This kitchen has the best of both worlds.

And notice the chairs around the table in the dining room beyond. I like the modern and the traditional mix of furniture. CB2 makes a chair similar fittingly called the vapor chair.

Images via Southern Living by Annie Schlechter.

Happy Birthday Ashley!

2010-03-10T10:23:00.000-08:00

I am truly one of the lucky ones. I married into an amazing family! I am so blessed to have the greatest in-laws! I am really close to my sisters, Whitney and Ashley, and now I have two amazing sisters-in-law, Ashley and Whitney. Yep...that's right - two Whitneys and two Ashleys. Today is my sister-in-law Ashley's Birthday!
Ashley and I have a lot in common. Last Christmas when I asked her what she wanted for Christmas she said, "I really wish Cottage Living was still around. I would love a subscription!" Well it has been over a year since Cottage Living fell by the wayside, but Ashley, since today is your Birthday, this post is for you!

Some of my favorite Cottage Living Rooms:

via Cottage Living

I also have to give Ashley credit. She created our blog title photo! Happy Birthday!

From My Grandmother's House

2010-02-16T08:00:00.001-08:00

The newest treasures in our house are very special to me. The glasses, furniture, and framed prints were all in my grandparents' house when I was a little girl. I love having things from my grandmother's house in my house. It makes our house cozier, and I love thinking of her whenever we use the dishes or sit on the sofa.

A picture of my Grandmother and me.

These glasses look great with our accent plates in our everyday pattern and our fine china pattern.

I added one of her cookbooks to my library... if I only had her roll recipe! Her rolls would melt in your mouth, but she won't tell a soul the recipe.

I almost did not get this shelf, but once painted it will be a great addition to our mudroom.

Image via MyHomeIdeas

I used to take afternoon naps on this sofa when I would visit my grandmother. The fabric screams early 90's right now, but I see potential. See the similar sofa in the photo below.

Image via Domino

This table is great for keeping my plants off the floor right not, but once again I see more potential in the future.

These prints are great, but the really great part is the convex glass in the frames. It does not really show up in the photos, but trust me, it is pretty groovy.

And finally one of my aunts gave me these stools. They fit perfectly under our temporary island table. That table is a story in itself for another day.

Before and After: Simplicity

2010-02-16T07:17:00.000-08:00

I have always loved "before and after" photos, but since we are in the middle of our own "before and after" project, I am even more inspired by "before and after" pictures than before. This California cottage not only inspires me to get to the "after" point in our house, but also to simplify our our rooms.

You can see more from the house via Sunset.

Photography by Lisa Romerein

Valentine's Day Recap

2010-02-15T13:25:00.000-08:00

In case you were thinking of asking me how the Valentine's Day movie was, here is your answer...

I don't know! It snowed last night and is still snowing now. Last night we had dinner with our friends Mary-Katherine and Lewis. Bruschetta, salad, shrimp & grits and chocolate sorbet with chocolate covered strawberries were on the menu.

We were planning on going to see the movie, but with a little convincing from the guys, Mary-Katherine and I decided the late night movie was a little too late for us. We watched a movie at Mary Katherine's house instead, and when we were leaving her house we were surprised by the snow! It was a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Ode to Valentine's Day

2010-02-12T14:25:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is this Sunday! I'm planning on cooking for my hubby and maybe convincing him to go see the movie Valentine's Day if it is not snowing.

I'm usually not drawn to shades of pink and red, but even I have been hit by cupid's arrow and I'm seeing pink and red in wonderful ways!

Images via Sunset & MyHomeIdeas

Kitchen Progress

2010-01-25T17:54:00.000-08:00

As I have promised, here are pictures of the kitchen to date. There are quite a few details to complete before it is finished, but we are so close.

Before

After

Before

After

Before

After

Obviously we have not installed the new flooring, finished all the touch-up painting, built the island, installed the shelves, or finished installing the vent hood, but from the photo below we have come a long way!

What's for Dinner?

2010-01-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

Tonight I did something I have not done since the end of May last year; I cooked dinner at our house.

I got the recipe for Pan-Grilled Halibut with Chimichurri from Cooking Light. I have a stack of Cooking Light magazines I collected while the kitchen was under construction and I cannot wait to try all the recipes out!

Today the plumber installed the range.

Last weekend Britton and I installed the refrigerator. It was quite a task.

I love the French doors and the freezer drawer.

Would you believe that the bottom was bolted to the wood platform? We had to turn the refrigerator over on its back to unscrew the bolts. The instructions clearly said to do this, but we pulled and pulled on the platform and it would not budge before reading the instructions.

This is the kitchen with the refrigerator installed from Angie's point of view.

A similar view as this picture taken back in July by my Britton's sister Ashley.

Back to School

2010-01-13T19:09:00.000-08:00

It took us a while to settle on pendant fixtures for over the island in the kitchen. Knowing my husband I knew he would want to be able to us the screw in fluorescent bulbs in the pendants to save energy. For me that meant I wanted a pendant where you would not be able to see the bulb. I love the school house fixture. It is so simple and classic.

This house featured in House Beautiful sold me on the school house fixture.

I ended up deciding on this fixture from Savoy House.

Backsplash Tile

2010-01-12T20:22:00.000-08:00

To celebrate New Year's Day we started a new project in the kitchen - tiling! We started out with a blank canvas.

We were grateful to have some help. Whitney and Boston stayed with us and helped us tile the backsplash. We truly appreciated their help and were so glad they came to visit!

We ate some good luck for the New Year!

There was way to much tiling fun to fit into one day so on January 2nd we tiled some more and watched the Ole Miss Rebels win the Cotton Bowl!

I was so happy to put the last piece of tile in its place.

And we finally grouted the tile.

Snow Days

2010-01-12T19:50:00.000-08:00

On Thursday morning we woke up to a blanket of snow. Our first big snow in our new house (and yes in Mississippi an inch of snow is a big snow). It has been five days since the snow and we still have traces the winter wonderland in our yard.

The snow did not keep us from working on the house. We have much progress to report on the house. I will post those pictures later this week.

Forecast for Snow

2010-01-06T12:22:00.000-08:00

There is a forcast for snow tonight! It has been really cold outside! I would love to curl up and read a book. Many people have recommended the book Same Kind of Different as Me.

Resolutions for 2010

2010-01-04T09:14:00.000-08:00

The top of my resolution list for 2010 is the same one that topped the list for 2009; maybe I'll actually get it done this year!

- Pick out wedding pictures. (Yes, it has been almost a year and a half since we got married but I have not yet selected our wedding pictures. You see this is an impossible task because of the magnificent job Allison and Jeff Rodgers did a at capturing the events of our special day! I want one of each of the 1,000 photos!)
- Join a gym and go.
- Drink more water.
- Remember birthdays and send cards or call.
- Finish the kitchen renovation and maybe some other renovations around the house! (I'm not going to set the bar too high on this one. I thought we would finish the kitchen before Labor Day when we ripped it out last May --- I was way off!)
- Continue to blog.
- And most importantly daily remember my priorities in life.

Yesterday at church we sang the song "In Christ Alone." I think the lyrics are good to dwell on as far as the last resolution goes.

In Christ Alone

by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend

IN CHRIST ALONE my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
This Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
Here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! – who took on flesh,
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness,
Scorned by the ones He came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay,
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath,
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand!

Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
Copyright © 2001 Thankyou Music

Goodbye '09; Hello Twenty-Ten!

2010-01-02T07:42:00.000-08:00

2009 has been a great year! It started out in Dallas with an Ole Miss victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl!

Cotton Bowl 2009 - Hotty Toddy!

Britton and I moved into our new house at the end of February. The same week we moved we traveled to New Orleans for the weekend! It was a trip Britton had promised me for Christmas, but, while we were there I took a class for my professional interior design test and started studying for the test that I would take in October.

Our First House

We spent most of our weekends this summer working on the house. I have enjoyed doing the renovations. I'm learning alot about patience and learning how handy my husband really is. He never ceases to amaze me with his construction knowledge.

In August we celebrated our first anniversary in Clarksdale, Mississippi!
I spent Labor Day weekend with my wonderful girlfriends from college in Cape Cod....that was so much fun!

Barnstable Inn, Cape Cod Labor Day Weekend

Angie was a welcomed addition to our family in October.

Our Baby

My test finally came and past in October. By the fall we were in the middle of football season which is quite busy for us. We had season tickets to both Ole Miss and Mississippi State football games so we were at a football game almost every weekend. And one Saturday we made it to two games: Ole Miss vs. UT and MSU vs. Bama! We are dedicated fans!

Ole Miss vs. Tennessee - Morning Game

Mississippi State vs. Alabama Game - Night (my cousin J met us in Starkville for the game)

Thanksgiving and Christmas gave us an opportunity to relax and spend time with family.

As we toast in the new year and eat black eyed peas, I look forward to what 2010 holds for us, but I also cherish the memories of this past year! Happy New Year!

New Year's Day Project

2009-12-30T11:49:00.000-08:00

Britton and I have a big project we will be working on New Year' Day! Can you tell what it is??

I hope our finished product turns out just as good as these inspiration photos! Happy Tiling!

Combine Eggs, Milk & "Flower"

2009-12-29T14:47:00.000-08:00

Image via Apartment Therapy.

Ten Favorite Design Products of 2009

2009-12-28T09:25:00.000-08:00

As 2009 draws to a close, it is time for the countdowns of 2009! I love countdowns. Recently I was asked to participated in a survey of interior designers' favorite products for 2009. I only had to list five, but for this post I have extended my favorites to a Top Ten List. So here it is - completely unscientific and completely biased- my favorite products of 2009.

10. Affordable Carpet Tiles

9. Nouveau Tile

8. Mosaic Glass Tiles

7. Cast Iron Clawfoot Tubs

6. Black Walnut Butcher Block

5. Hex Tiles

4. Murray Feiss Lighting

3. Reclaimed Heart Pine Floors

2. Honed Marble or Granite- when sealed honed marble and granite shows less scratches than polished stone does. Honed Carrera Marble and Honed Absolute Black Granite are my two favorites.

1. Benjamin Moore Paint has the absolute best colors.

So there it is. Disclaimer: The links listed are not the only manufacturers that make these products (Except for Murray Feiss Lighting & Benjamin Moore Paint). I could have listed many more manufacturers but for the sake of time I only listed one.

Christmas Carols

2009-12-23T11:02:00.000-08:00

A friend introduced me to the Sufjan Stevens' Songs for Christmas this year. It has been my favorite Christmas CD for 2009! Even though it is not a new release, it is new to me. It is going to be perfect for the background music during our family Christmas dinner!

Deck the Halls

2009-12-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

*Images via Southern Living, Country Living, and A Life's Design.

Living Fireplace

2009-12-21T09:06:00.000-08:00

My office Christmas party was last week. Along with great food and lots of laughs, the Christmas party always offers the highly anticipated Dirty Santa (White Elephant) gift swap. This year I could not find anything around the house to regift but I found the Living Fireplace DVD from Tuesday Morning. One of my co-workers selected the DVD. The next morning he infomed me that he got the best gift of the evening. They had watched it the next morning and the sound from the DVD sounded like a real wood burning fireplace.

The DVD reminded me of the article in the December 2008 issue of Cottage Living. Lee Kleinhelter's house was featured in the magazine. I love her style. In her living room she had a living fireplace on the television when the room was photographed.

While on the subject of fireplaces, Britton and I tested the fireplace insert in our house last night. While I hope that this insert will not be in our house much longer, we wanted to give it a whirl to see what all the craze was about when these were popular in the 70's.

I have to say that I much prefer being able to see the fire rather than having it behind the doors on the insert. But there is something wonderful about a fireplace on a cold evening!

I also wouldn't mind having a fire pit like the one in the article in Cottage Living!

* Images via Cottage Living

Sweet n' Sour

2009-12-18T20:37:00.000-08:00

Angie found a lemon tonight. She has been throwing it and chasing it around the house. I guess she hasn't realized how sour it is or maybe she has yet to bite into it.

It reminds me of the time our niece Eden came to visit and she was fascinated by the taste of lemons. Her face definitely said she didn't like the taste, but she kept eating it anyway! I love the face she made after every bite!

PASSED!

2009-12-18T07:33:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in a previous post I took the national professional exam for interior design back in October. I have been anxiously awaiting the results. I did not think I would receive the results until after the new year, but I found out Wednesday that I PASSED! I am so relieved that I do not have to take this two day test again!

I love fireworks... they actually make my list of top three favorite things! What a great way to celebrate!

Decorating for Christmas and Loading Cabinets

2009-12-14T08:58:00.000-08:00

We finally decorated our Christmas tree on Friday night. We we watched one of my favorite Chirstmas Movies, Christmas Vacation, while we decorated the tree and worked on the kitchen.

Angie was intrigued by the movie. Lately we have noticed that Angie will turn her head to watch the TV at night. She is so CUTE! I enjoyed moving all the dishes, pots and pans, and small appliances from our living room cabinets to the new kitchen cabinets.
The doors are not yet installed on the upper cabinets, but we are so close!

12 Hours of Work

2009-12-09T11:23:00.000-08:00

After a full day of work on Saturday, we made so much progress on the kitchen. We put the hardware on the drawers, put the doors on the base cabinets, painted the upper cabinet doors, installed the vent hood, mudded, sanded, and painted walls and ceilings, and then we just enjoyed the view.

Sights and Smells of Christmas

2009-12-03T07:13:00.000-08:00

I have not yet decorated for Christmas at our house. I don't expect to go all out with the Christmas decorations this year (as you can imagine from the state of the renovation), but I hope to have a few signs of the season around the house. Yesterday I bought a Thymes Frasier Fir Candle. My sister-in-law Whitney gave my mother-in-law one of these candles last Christmas and I loved the smell of a real tree without the mess! Now atleast my house smells like Christmas!

(Photo via Southern Living)

Kitchen Cabinets Installed

2009-11-30T08:06:00.001-08:00

When I came home from catching up with my college girlfriends over Labor Day weekend in Cape Cod, Britton had installed the kitchen cabinets! Not only was I surprised by the kitchen, but he had also left flowers all over the house for me. I have the best husband!

Kitchen Update

2009-11-30T07:59:00.000-08:00

We continue to work on the kitchen although a busy fall schedule has not allowed the fast results I would have wished for. These pictures are from October. After much painting the countertops were ready to be installed. We debated over plastic laminate, butcher block, and granite. We settled on honed absolute black granite. I love seeing the progress, even if it is slow!

New Addition to the Jones Family

2009-11-23T14:28:00.000-08:00

Britton and I got a puppy from the shelter. She is precious and so sweet tempered. She is a lab mix and around four months old. She is busy training us to be responsible dog owners.

Isn't she cute!!

New Resolution

2009-11-23T14:04:00.000-08:00

This October I took my professional exam for Interior Design. It is called the National Council for Interior Design Qualification. I promised my family and friends that the lack of blog posts was due to my diligent studying. I have spent a little over a month catching up with life after the test. But here it is in writing, my resolution to be a better blogger. There is no backing down now!!

PS: I will not find out if I passed or not until the week of January 2nd. October to January is a long time to keep my fingers crossed!

German Chocolate Cake

2009-11-23T13:51:00.001-08:00

Tomorrow is Britton's Birthday. If my kitchen was in working order I would make him his favorite kind of cake... German Chocolate. I made this my grandmother's German Chocolate recipe for the Ole Miss vs. Alabama Game earlier this year to celebrate my mom's and aunts' Birthdays. My mom said MamaBill would have been proud of my cake baking.... but then again she was always proud of her grandchildren!

Changes in the Kitchen

2009-09-17T19:15:00.000-07:00

Remember what our kitchen looked like when we moved into our house?
Then we did a little work...
In July Ashley, Graham and Eden came to visit and Graham helped Britton install wood on the ceiling.
It looks great! Can't wait to post pictures of our recent progress!

Before

2009-07-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

What is the most important thing about renovations?.... Before and Afters, of course! Here is a peak at what we have been working with the past few months.

Living Room
Master Bedroom
Screened Porch
Master Bath
Living Room

Kitchen

Guest Bath

Den

Kitchen & Den

Guest Bedroom

The barn

And this is one of my favorite spots, the arbor.

Craving a Kitchen

2009-07-14T14:15:00.000-07:00

Eight weeks down and seven weeks to go!! We ripped out our kitchen in the middle of May and we are over half way through our summer with no kitchen. This kitchen featured in Southern Accents is the kitchen I drool over as I hunger for our kitchen to be complete!

Amateur Gardener

2009-07-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

Britton and I built a raised bed garden this spring. I have to admit the garden has not been a priority since we have been working on the house.

The garden often does not get watered or loved. So you can imagine our suprise to see this large cucumber appear basicly overnight. While I cannot exactly claim the blueberry- it was a nice suprise left by the previous owner.

The Barn

2009-07-06T20:59:00.000-07:00

When Britton and I were first looking for a house to call home, this barn made our future home a true diamond in the rough.

Britton used the pressure washer to revitalize the barn first. In this picture the bottom half has been pressure washed.

After finding the perfect shade of Red (Benjamin Moore Cottage Red) let the spraying begin.

And the final details!

Appliance Delivery

2009-06-19T07:28:00.000-07:00

I ordered the appliances for our kitchen over Memorial Day weekend. Knowing how much I love to cook, Britton and my mom urged me to get what I wanted and not sacrifice in the kitchen. The vent hood is from Home Depot. It arrived several weeks ago and Britton already put up the blocking in the wall for it to mount it.

Britton and I did not want to have all stainless steel appliances in the kitchen, so we bought the Jenn- Air floating glass appliances. I am esspecially thrilled about the range and refrigerator. The range is duel fuel, the cook top is gas and the oven is electric.
The refrigerator is also Jenn-Air. It is cabinet depth which means it won't stick out as far into the kitchen as the old refrigerator did.The dishwasher is a Kenmore. It is a consumer reports best buy.

Now I can't wait to see the kitchen come together and actually be able to cook in the kitchen (although that may be months away).

Designer's Delima

2009-06-05T08:56:00.000-07:00

Today I read the latest blog post by Erica at Urban Grace Interiors. Is it bad that her frustration made me feel better about my week?

A group of talented and speedy electricians came to our house this week to rewire the house and put in the recessed can lighting. I typically specify Halo brand can lights, but the electrician asked if I would use Progress Lighting because he could get a better deal on them. I agreed; I am always looking for a better deal!

When I got home I was horrified to see this hanging out of my ceiling.

I freaked out! The things that I prevent from happening at my client's house had happened at my own house! After dinner with some friends, Britton and I went to Kroger and picked up four different bulbs to try. Britton, who is always calm, had assured me that it was just the bulb, but what did he know --- he is just a contractor. One by one we tried the bulbs to no avail. We searched the Internet. The diagram of the progress recessed can did not show the bulb hanging from the ceiling. How could this be? 7:00 am - Wednesday morning we were at Home Depot to buy a PAR 30 Short Neck Bulb.

I love the new recessed can lights at our house! Now I know why I specify PAR 30 bulbs for my clients.

House Guest

2009-04-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

My sister Whitney has a new weimeriener pup. Darcy is staying with us the next two weeks. She is really sweet and gentle. She loves to play in the backyard and to hide her bones in the house under lumber. Darcy also has a fetish for white furniture and wishes she could curl up in my white chair even though she is not allowed on the furniture. Darcy misses Whitney a ton, but for now she will have to enjoy time with Aunt Courtney and Uncle Britton. Maybe she will even learn a few new tricks during her stay.

Our Home

2009-04-12T14:08:00.000-07:00

Britton and I just purchase our first house. We are very happy to call it home and even more happy about the plans and changes we have in mind for the home.

EDEN: State of Innocense, Bliss, or Ultimate Happiness

2008-05-09T06:34:00.000-07:00

Eden is the perfect discription for the weekend we spent in Lafayette, Indiana with Graham, Ashley, and Eden. Eden was the center of attention! Graham cooked gormet meals for us and we followed Eden's cues by napping alot while we were there.

Eden expreinced alot of first the weekend we were there. First Resturaunt! And Uncle Britton wouldn't let it be anything other than Mexican!

And first cookout and first trip to the park!

Tyndall AFB

2008-05-05T20:19:00.000-07:00

Britton and I went to visit his sister Whitney and her husband Boston at the end of March. Not only did we spend some time on the beach, but we also got to see an awesome Air Show!

"Wood" You Marry Me?

2008-04-04T11:04:00.001-07:00

"YES!" ... And the blog begins! I can't believe it has been two weeks since the day Britton and I got engaged, March 20, 2008 (the first day of spring). Britton reenacted our first date which started with Thacker Mountain Radio Show and ended with dinner at Yocona River Inn. The thought did cross my mind that this seemed like a "special" date, but then again every date with Britton is special! (Awwww)

Britton presented me with a simple wood ring he made himself. It is perfect! We are both looking forward to the next 4 months of engagement before the big day: August 9, 2008!