TA DA!!!

Before and after of my kitchen!!

I started Friday night and finished the next night. Katie and sweet Nathan came over and helped. I appreciate the company more than the actual work! But I'll still take! Thanks again Katie! Hope you like the outcome!

I suppose this awful plaid wallpaper used to be in the kitchen! I am so glad I didn't have to deal with taking that off!!

Before:

After:

The frame above my stove is a cover of a Donut Friar box. The Donut Friar is a place in the Village of Gatlinburg and is a family favorite!! I just cut the logo off the box and put it in a frame! Talk about cheap decor!! And it means so much to me and I love to see it everyday and think of good memories! I think I'll do that more often!! Especially in the kitchen! So if you are ever in Gatlinburg make sure you check it out! It's right behind the Pancake Pantry, which is another favorite place of ours!

I made a last minute decision this past Saturday to make a trip to Nashville. The reason being...my brother was having a private cd-release home show. I have wanted to go and be a part of it ever since he told me about it, but I really didn't want to make that trip alone. But the more I thought about it the more I wanted to go and be there to support Patrick's music and represent his family! Plus I had Monday off of work for a MLK day, so I just decided to DO IT! I left at 6:30 am on Saturday and made it there in GREAT time!! Oh...and did I tell you that Patrick had NO CLUE I was coming?!?!

So Erin and I had been talking all morning and trying to make it so he would answer the door, so I knocked on the back door and sure enough he answered! He was so so so excited and so confused! But he couldn't stop laughing and asking questions! He loved it! And his reaction was just priceless! You're the best Patrick!! Love you!

Here's the sun rising over the mountains:

Erin singing with Patrick on a few songs and Deidre the amazing celloist who plays with Patrick as well

Check out Patrick's website http://www.prattleonrick.com/

You can purchase his new EP, Communion Bread for $5.

This cd has really excited me lately, and not just because he's my brother, but the songs have made me really think about my life as a journey and what I'm going to do with that journey. I really believe in his music and his talent and I want people to know about it. Seriously....go check it out. BUY it. $5!!!! My favorite is Lately. He is on itunes too! So put it on your ipod people!! And for my Nashville friends he is always playing in and around the area, so look at his concerts.

Happy January everyone!! This post is mostly to show some of my favorite "spots" in my house! I have lived here for 6 months now?! And improvements still need to be made, I just need to set aside the time to make some changes, mostly painting...which I DREAD!

Here's the guest room:

Where several guests have already slept! Like Katie Beth, Sarah Branch, Patrick and Erin...and many more to come!

My staircase...

Entryway:

Living Room sitting area:

(This MAY be my favorite!)

Part of my kitchen counter with my new/fun, under-the-counter paper towel holder!!! And my Moravian serving plate!

AND this little cutie pie is not in my house, but I did get to spend the afternoon and evening with him and his parents (well mostly Katie http://kornrumpf.blogspot.com/ ). He was very smiley and I had to take some pictures. So SO SOSOSOSOSO cute!!! He was ready to go out in to the 20 degree weather! I love this little guy and love watching him become a little man!!!

Yule Tide

Hope everyone had a great Christmas!! I got 5 days off in a row for the holidays and I spent every minute of it with my family. My grandparents and Patrick & Erin got here the Sunday before Christmas and were here through this past Monday. Tuesday night Patrick and Erin came over to stay the night and we decided to re-arrange my living room!!! And I LOVE it!! But, I do miss having them here with me to enjoy it and to talk about all the possibilities in my place. It's so fun to dream with someone else and have something to look forward to. I miss them a lot already. So I took a couple of pictures to give you a good look. I plan to paint the room a blue color that will go with the pillows on the couch.

Here's my dad with baby Ethan on Christmas night. He really liked this picture and I like it too. Ethan was the star of the day he was so sweet and went to EVERYONE in the house.



Christmas Eve I had everyone over to my house for dinner. My aunt Debi also got here that day and I was so excited for everyone to see my place and eat at my table. I made Chicken tortilla soup and a baked brie for an appetizer. It was all very yummy!! It's so cool to have my family in my home eating and talking around the dinner table together. It was my first family meal in my home and I won't forget it. After dinner I had showed all of my Guatemala pictures to my family and told them all about the trip. They were troopers through the body part/organs pictures from the operating room! Christmas day was my favorite thus far. We had 18 people at my parents house. It was an awesome day! That weekend we all hung out and stayed indoors with each other. I am so bummed that everyone has left and I had to go back to the ol' routine. 5 days was NOT enough!

And....

This is my tree. So sad. It was given to me a couple of years ago and is so beautiful, but during the move it got all messed up. I didn't leave it crooked though, I just had to straigten it up! So it was its last Christmas. So sad.

Day of Thanks 2009

So I was on call this past Thanksgiving which did not allow me to be with my family. So I was bummed. BUT my other family, the Mills, welcomed me to their Thanksgiving. This was my favorite Thankgiving thus far. We all helped out with cooking, as you can see the feast below...

Then we all sat together and ate...WONDERFUL food. And we had a few grammar revelations. You know how people say "That's a whole nother story..." well have you ever realized that "nother" is not a word. Yeh, I didn't either I had never thought about it!!?? We also played musical glasses!!

The happy family (above)

After a long nap we headed over to the Garcia's for desert and games! We had a great time and loved playing Mad Gab with these people. You can see me, Kelly and Brittany in tears over in the corner! Even though I was not able to be with my real family this year, it made me much more thankful for the church family that I do have. I have known the Mills for 15 years now and every year I feel more attatched and more thankful for their presence in my life. They welcome anyone and everyone in to their homes. God has blessed me so much this year. I really can't wait to start 2010!!!

OH....in case you were wondering, I did NOT get called in at all on Thanksgiving day. YES.

Craft Corner with Jennie

Hello friends!

I have been working on a fun Christmas craft project this week. What does everyone think?? It cost me about $7.00!!

Finished Product...

I am getting in the spirit pretty early this year! However...I am on call Thanksgiving day and the whole weekend after. So Thursday 7:30 am til Monday 7:30 am. I am SO SO bummed. My family all goes to Greensboro to be together, but I have to be at the hospital within 20 minutes of getting called and I would be about 40 minutes away! I don't know what I'm going to do or who I will be with. It's my first holiday not being with family. I'm sure I will be at work though and I better be if I can't go just 4o minutes away to eat a great meal and be with family!!! UGH...so frustrating!!

25th Birthday

My 25th Birthday was October 19th and my friends from work wanted to take me out so we went to Ishi for sushi!! Man I love that place and I love sushi. They sung me happy birthday twice. Once it was my friends and the second time were the waiters. They dimmed the lights and one of the guys had a tamborine as they sang me Happy BUTHday. Oh it was so funny and I got a plate of orange slices! My face is red from laughing so hard and having everyone in this tiny restaurant looking at me! But I had a blast and I have some really great friends from work, some couldn't make it, but we had a blast and I felt really special!

This is my great great friend Amanda! Good picture of us too!!

And this picture is of all my gifts. I've never taken a picture of gifts but I felt compelled. My mom got me a Belgium waffle maker that I have talked about ever since I went to Lipscomb, along with waffle mix and syrup! And the chocolate chip waffles I made the other night were wonderful!! Love you Mom! When I walked in to my house after work on the day of my birthday I had a boquet of roses on my table from my dad, he has a key to my house and snuck 'em in while I was at work which was so sweet of him!! Love you Dad! There is also a box from the Donut Friar and a coffee mug from Patrick and Erin. My family went to Gatlinburg the day before my birthday and I couldn't go this year so they brought me our favorite donuts!! And a pretty painting that Katie gave me as well! Overall it was a great birthday! I think this is supposed to be the time of my life and I reckon I am having a fun time. God has always blessed me.