Friday Fill In The Blanks-Labor Day

I am running around like a chicken with my head cut off today so I will make this quick. I am linking up with The Little Things We Do for Fill In The Blank Friday. 

1.  Over this labor day weekend I will be enjoying time with Lane, going berry picking, playing with my puppy and finishing a load of DIY projects. 

2.  With the political debates going on right now, my thoughts are not changed at all. I am pretty secure in my political beliefs and tend to make up my mind very early. Fun fact; I took a year off from college and interned full time on a presidential campaign. I specialized in campaign politics during grad school. I tend to look at the whole thing through the lens of academia. I was not so crazy about the speeches last night. Clint Eastwood talking to the empty chair was really weird to me. 

3.  Today I went berry picking ( $3.50 a pound, whoo hoo). I am now taking a quick break from cleaning to blog. My friend is coming over for dinner tonight and my house is a disaster. 

4. The best thing I've cooked recently was this Asian cole slaw I made last week. I am actually making it again tonight to go some shrimp. 

5. The last thing I bought was about 2.5 lbs of raspberries. 

6. The best movie I saw this summer was Brave. I absolutely loved it. 

7.  The best book I read this summer was The American Heiress by Daisy Goodwin. It was like Downton Abbey in book form. I HIGHLY recommend it. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day weekend. I am going to soak up this time with my husband before he heads off for a month of training in a few weeks. 

What I Have Been DIY-ing

I have been working on some wonderful DIY projects that I am really excited to share with y'all today.

Firstly, here is the start to my fall decor. I made this little Fall banner using burlap left over from the wedding and embroidery thread. I traced out leaves and colored them using fall colors like orange, yellow and red. I just slipped those into some left over Ikea frames (also from the wedding). I wrapped some more thread around a white candle in order to coordinate with the banner. I plan on getting some fall colored candles for the white candlesticks. The burlap frame was super easy to make. I had a mat left over from an old picture frame. I simply hot glued pieces of burlap to the matting. I really like how this turned out. I don't know if I will put something in the frame or just leave it as is.

These are the from the free printable I posted about a few weeks ago. Find it here if you want to grab your own. Lane and I had a cheap date coloring these in. It took me another two weeks to find matching frames I liked. The on-post thrift store had these for $1.00 and I snatched them up. I love how they turned out. I am still going with a His and Hers theme for the bathroom. I have our Mr. and Mrs. signs. I also made silhouettes, but they still need to be framed. 

I have a few more in progress. I have started to turn my Ikea side table into an ottoman. I have the fabric and foam but forgot to get batting. That is one of my projects for this weekend.I am also in the process of turning an old side table into a desk. This has been a really time consuming project, but I will hopefully post an update next week.

Be Awesome Today

Lucius Art on Etsy

Hello Wednesday! I am feeling particularly happy and wonderful this week. I am linking up with Jaime at This Kind of Love for What I Am Loving Wednesday. 

1. I am fully unashamed (ok well maybe a little bit ashamed) to say that I absolutely love the show Bachelor Pad. I don't watch the Bachelor or Bachelorette, but I find this show to be addicting. I love the challenges and watching all the intrigue. It has become my Tuesday ritual to watch Monday night's episode while eating pancakes. Pancakes + T.V is a reoccurring theme in my life. Last fall it was pancakes and Downton Abbey. Clearly my standards have fallen slightly from Downton to Bachelor Pad. 

2. It has started to get chilly at night. I am so excited for fall! We have already started planning apple picking and my fall decorations are ready to go up next week. 

Jessica Illustration on Etsy

3. This watercolor. I just think it is gorgeous. I am starting to create an Etsy Christmas list of all the wonderful art I want for Christmas. All I want for Christmas is art and gift certificates for custom framing.

4. Doctor Who returns on Saturday. I can't say enough how awesome this show is. I have been addicted ever since I first watched the 9th Doctor years ago. We don't have BBC America, but the episodes are usually available to purchase on Itunes pretty soon after they air. We are on a really strict budget right now, but I will find a way to get my Doctor Who Fix. 

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5. I am loving that I am in full planning mode for my family's trip to Italy. I think this is going to be such a blessing for me in the next few months. After Lane deploys I will have sometime much closer to look forward to. By the time I get back from Italy and return to New York. I will be not too far away from his homecoming. A June trip is really the perfect timing. I can't wait to spend time with my family, drink loads of red wine, eat my weight in olive oil and soak in one of my favorite places in the whole world. There is something about Italy that encourages you to be happy. 

Happy Wednesday! 

Blog Award Catch Up

I have been lucky enough to get the Liebster Award from two lovely ladies. Amy at Running Army Wife and Allison at Keep Calm and Soldier On. For this award you have to:

Post 11 Random Facts About Yourself
Choose 11 deserving bloggers and tag them in the post
Answer 11 questions the tagger has asked you and give 11 questions to the people you've tagged.
No tag-backs

Firstly, 11 facts about myself. 

1. I have the big and little dipper tattooed on my feet. They are practically unnoticeable to  anyone unless you stare at my feet really hard. 
2. My favorite work outs include lifting pretty heavy weights. I am a huge believer that women should lift heavy. You won't get bulky, but it will burn calories and help prevent osteoporosis. 
3. I am 5'8
4. I got my Masters Degree from Georgetown University last year. 
5. I took a year off from college and interned for a presidential campaign. 
6. Lane and I have been in different countries for a cumulative of 2 years of our relationship. 
7. I have been with my husband since 2003. Nine years this fall. 
8. I read constantly. I am also an extremely fast reader. At Oxford, I once read 1,000 pages in one day. 
9. I want to get another degree in Anthropology. 
10. I am teaching political science to soldiers this fall. 
11. My best friend and I look a lot alike. People always think we are sisters. She just started reading my blog ( Hi Jen) and I love her more than anything. She is a hardcore bad ass. There is almost universal agreement among our friends that she would win the Hunger Games. 

Here are the 11 questions from Amy: 

Have you ever read a book more than once? Oh I have read countless books more than once. I have read the Harry Potter books at least five times each. I also have read and then immediately reread The Time Traveler's Wife which is one of the most beautiful books of all time. 
What were you like in high school? I was very focused on academics and school. I fenced in high school and was also on the sailing and lacrosse teams. I started dating my husband my sophomore year of high school so he was already a big part of my life. 
Describe your perfect date. (and do not answer "April 25th".. I'm not talking about a calendar date) My perfect date would be an all day affair back in Arlington/ Alexandria. We would start out with brunch and then take a stroll through old town Alexandria. We would stop in coffee shops and bookstores. I am assuming since this my perfect date I also have an unlimited budget. We would shop for art and gorgeous home decor. I just love spending time with Lane and we have such wonderful connections to that area. The date would finish with dinner and gelato. 
If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you live? Washington D.C 
Favorite actor/actress? Anne Hathaway 
Favorite TV show (current or past)? Past: West Wing. Current: Doctor Who and Sherlock 
Favorite dessert? Paleo does limit dessert, but my favorite paleo dessert is actually one we just made for the first time. Lane made paleo cheesecake using cashews and it was amazing. My favorite non-paleo dessert is carrot cake. 
What the most recent movie you saw in theaters? How was it? We saw The Dark Knight Rises and it was good. I didn't like it nearly as much as the second one, but I absolutely loved Anne Hathaway. 
What do you do to relax when you need to de-stress? Read and drink tea. I also try to do yoga once or twice a week. 
What your favorite specific location in the world (that you've been to)? I have been so lucky to travel a lot. However, my favorite is absolutely Oxford, England. I have such amazing memories of attending a term there. I can't wait to get back. 
If you could go back and tell yourself something 10 years ago, what would it be? I was just about to start attending boarding school this time ten years ago. I would tell myself to enjoy life and work hard. I would also say NOT to take Algebra Two my freshman year of school. It was a miserable experience. I would also tell my 14-year old self that I should keep my eyes open for a cute boy in my sophomore English Class. He will end up being pretty important. 

Here are the 11 questions from Allison: 

When did you start your blog and why? What was your very first post (link to it)? I first started my blog because I loved reading about other people's lives and decided, after years of reading them, to start my own. Here is my first post. 

What is one thing you like to brag about, about yourself?  I finished my Master's Degree when I was 23. Planning a wedding, working full time at the Pentagon as well as grad school was a lot. I am very proud of myself for finishing my education before the Army took over my life. 

What is the best advice you've gotten? " Live life as an adventure. If you do it any other way, you will regret it" My grandfather told me this right before I left for boarding school. 

What is the best recipe you've ever tried? I have tried so many recipes. I guess that my go-to is the Primal Palate Paleo Short Ribs recipe found Here. I make it all the time and it is absolutely delicious. 

What do you wish your parents had been more strict about when you were younger and why? Oh I LOVE this question. My parent's were pretty lax with me growing up, but it taught me to manage my own time. I am extremely independent, and I credit my parents giving me my own space for that. I sometimes wish they had set more strict rules. Sometime they would get mad for something that I didn't realize they didn't want me to do. I wish the rules were more spelled out. 

What was your favorite thing to play with growing up? American Girl dolls and Littlest Pet Shop. 

What is your most vivid childhood holiday memory? The year I got a boom box and a lava lamp. I thought that I would never need anything else to be happy. Ha, clearly this was the 1990's. 

What is a "best kept secret" that you found out about? Ha, it wouldn't be a secret if I posted it here. 

What is one thing on your bucket list you're worried you'll never get to do? Have a long term career I love. 

What is the best item in your wardrobe? My caramel leather jacket that I bought in Italy. I absolutely love it. It is one of the more expensive items I have purchased for myself. However, it is gorgeous and fits perfectly. 

What unique item do you always keep in your fridge? Almond Milk? I guess this isn't the most normal thing to stash in your fridge. 

I already won this award earlier this year and awarded a bunch of people then. Since I already tagged a whole buncha people last time I will just tag a few this time. 

Chelsea at Not Your Ordinary Anything 

Sarah at Dandelions and Daffodils 

Alyssa at Life Love, and All That Army Stuff 

These ladies are all with men in the military so I am going to have military themed questions ( for the most part) 

1. How did you meet your husband/fiance? ( I just really love Sarah's answer to this question so I wanted to hear it again)

2. What is the best way you have found to pass the time while they are gone? 

3. What is a base/post you've loved/hated? 

4. What is your favorite military tradition? i.e balls, promotion ceremonies, etc

5. What is your favorite book you've recently read? 

6. Did (Will) you have a military wedding? 

7. What do you think about ACU purses? Look here for examples if you don't know what I am talking about? 

8. Do you have pets? 

9. What area would you like to be stationed? 

10. What posts are you trying to avoid like the plague? 

11. How desperate do you have to be to brave the commissary on pay day? 

Whew that was a long post. Yay for blog awards! If anyone else wants to participate, just let me know and I am happy to add you to my tagged list. 

Ciao Bella

I have been planning on taking a long road trip during summer 2013 to visit friends and see family. Well, while talking about this with my mom she mentioned that I should hold off. She and my dad are thinking about taking a family trip to Italy during the same time as my theoretical road trip. As much as I love my friends and extended family, I would much prefer going to Italy. Mom knows how much I love to plan trips, and has given me the go ahead to start planning my family's Italian adventure. I can't wait to show my family so many places with which I have already fallen in love. 

Me in Rome in 2009. 

The trip would probably fall in late June which is perfect timing in my eyes. It would hit at the halfway mark for the deployment. I really hope this works out. I love planning trips and think this would help make the deployment fly by. By the time we got home and I returned to Fort Drum, it would be almost time to start thinking about homecoming and redeployment.

I am so excited! I have been planning up a storm and bouncing off the walls since yesterday. Obviously, the reason that Lane can't also go is sad. However, I think this will be a good chance for my nuclear family ( sans Lane) to have a chance to reconnect. We haven't all been together in years.

School Days

This is the second year of my life in which August doesn't signal back to school. Last year I was fully encompassed in wedding madness, but this year is slightly calmer. Walking through Target and seeing all the school supplies makes me overly nostalgic. I would still say that shopping for school supplies is more fun than shopping for clothes. I like clothes, but there is nothing like a stack of blank notebooks. 

Don't you love New York in the fall? It makes me wanna buy school supplies. I would send you a bouquet of newly sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.

- You've Got Mail 

Here is my shopping list if I were headed back to school this fall. 

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Adorable pencils from Design Darling. I like writing in pen, but there is something intoxicating about the smell of pencils. 

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Monogram notebook from Luna Belle Boutique. 

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I know the Erin Condren planners are all the rage these days, but I will be forever faithful to my Moleskine planners. I have used them for years and will continue to do so. 

I have such wonderful memories of heading to Target or Staples with my mom for school supplies. It was a yearly ritual and represented the promise of a new year of school. I still love that feeling, although my love for Lisa Frank trapper keepers has diminished. 

What A Wonderful Wednesday

I finally have my act together enough to link up with Jamie for What I Am Loving Wednesday. Here are some of my favorite things from this week. 

1. My Red Bird Ink print finally arrived. I am absolutely in love and it came with the most gorgeous note. I actually love the red berry pattern so much, I will probably frame it to go in my red-themed kitchen. I thought it would fit in an 8x10 frame, but it is too big. I am dying to hang it up and can't wait to find the perfect frame. 

via Skinny Taste

2. This Asian Cabbage Mango Slaw from Skinny Taste. I made it for dinner Tuesday night and it was amazing. We devoured it before I had a chance to take a picture so I am stealing their's. It was the perfect accompaniment to grilled shrimp. I highly recommend ya'll try this for your next salad.  It would be delicious with pretty much anything. 

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3. I am obsessed with this pumpkin. I plan on having about five different pumpkins on our front porch for Halloween. I am a massive Harry Potter fan and this looks adorable.  Halloween is like two months away, but I will probably start decorating in September. I can roll out some of my fall decor earlier than that. 

4. We have had two successful trips to the dog park with Asha. Her hurt leg is completely healed, and she is back to sprinting around in circles. We waited quite a while before we took her back to play with all the other dogs. She ran around like a champ for about thirty minutes Tuesday morning and another hour that night. I am so relieved that her leg injury wasn't more serious. She is so much happier and better behaved when she has other dogs to roughhouse and wrestle with. 

5. I have my first Adjunct Professor meeting tonight. I am fairly certain I will be the youngest person there by at least ten years. We are going to go over what to expect with our classes and get advice from other, more experienced, adjuncts. I am excited to get started.

I hope everyone has a lovely week. Lane had a four day last weekend so this Wednesday really feels like Monday. I hope to power through the next two days so I can get back to the weekend. We are planning on going berry picking for raspberries and other fun activities.

Happy Wednesday! 

Deployment Prep

VIA

In the coming months I will probably start blogging more about my husband's upcoming deployment. Obviously I can't give tons of details, but it will be an increasingly dominant part of my life. I have already started to think about what I want to accomplish while he is gone. I know that having goals and plans will help make the time go faster. I also view this deployment as the chance to be a little more selfish. As much as long distance sucked during college, it was sometimes nice to have an entire afternoon to browse Crate and Barrel and drink latte's at Barnes and Noble. I want to make sure that I am giving myself a little extra TLC. Here are some of the goals I have already set to accomplish while he is gone. 

1. Achieve my work out goals. 

A) Five pull-ups with no assistance

B) Dead lift my own body weight for 5 sets of 5 

C) Get to the point where I feel comfortable jogging in just a sports bra 

2. Frame:

A) Diplomas ( VMI, UGA and Georgetown) 

B) Wedding Guest Signature Print 

3. DIY projects 

A) Bench for the foot of our bed 

B) Desk for my side of the office 

C) Buy sewing machine and make throw pillows for living room 

Anyone else have projects that helped pass the time during deployment? I am already planning a massive road trip for the whole month of June. I can't wait to make stops all over the east coast to visit friends and family. I know the amount of time will be the same whether I am super busy or spend my time moping around. I ready to face this thing with a full To-Do list and positive outlook. 

This is what I don't want: 

VIA

I understand that this attitude prevails concerning deployments in the Army. However, my life is not entirely centered on my husband. I have interests and friends which are entirely separate from him. I think this attitude is dangerous and sets you up to be miserable for however long he is gone. If you don't even consider the possibility that you could be happy, you won't. There will be days where I am sad. There will be days where I stare at my phone and pray for a call. However, I am going into this as positive and motivated as possible. It doesn't do anyone any good for me to put my life on hold for a year. A perpetually depressed Molly isn't helpful to Lane, the soldiers I serve at work, or my friends and family. 

I am ready to kick this deployment's ass. 

Lack of Inspiration

I have been slacking in the blogging department. I actually have three unpublished posts, but when I go to hit "Publish" I suddenly hate everything I wrote. This 

This weekend was a good mix of lazy and social. We headed out to Clayton, NY on Saturday morning and walked along the water. I was surprised how busy this little town was. There were some gorgeous views and a great coffee shop. I like Starbucks, but it is nice to find an independently owned coffee shop every once in a while. We went to my friend's husband's promotion part on Saturday evening. I met a bunch of new people from the neighborhood which was great. I am trying to find as many women as possible who are staying through the upcoming deployment. 

Ah deployment. After all the rumors and speculation we finally have more details. We also have our first scheduled pre-deployment briefing next month. Oh joy. 

I drank maybe one cup of soda on Saturday and my stomach was wrecked on Sunday. I used to drink it by the gallon, but in the last two years I have cut down to basically none. I spent yesterday drinking tea on the couch and whining to Lane. 

So in the hope that blogging inspiration will strike this week; here is the inspiration for my next DIY project. I have been on such a gold/white/blue kick recently and this desk is basically perfection. I picked up a old table that someone put on the curb. It needs some work but I think it is going to be a perfect desk until I find something larger. 

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Thoughts During Zumba

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I have been going to Zumba on and off for a few months now. It isn't the most intense workout, but I have a good time and get to spend time with a few other girls. I've noticed a pattern at the beginning of each class. There are groups of women who have been doing Zumba forever and know the routines forward and backward. Then there are the people like me who have a vague idea of what I am doing. The last group is the new people. Sometimes I see them get so frustrated with not knowing the routines that they leave class. 

You have to be ok with looking silly in order to get good at something. 

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I wish that it was more acceptable in our world to look ridiculous. We expect that we will be good at everything immediately, and get exasperated when we don't. Those women don't realize that if they just stuck it out for a few classes, they would learn too. I think I am pretty ok with looking ridiculous. In high school someone told me about the rule of three months. If a stranger wouldn't remember your silly action in three months, then it really isn't a big deal. 

There are plenty of times I get stuff totally turned around in Zumba and in life. I just try to keep on trucking and know that I will get better. When I first started weight training I could barely lift the bar. I cried in the gym at least once a week. I have improved so much in just a few months. I derive so much confidence from my improvement in the gym. 

Improvement comes with time and dedication. 

Grateful Wednesday

I am linking up with Jaime at This Kind of Love for What I am Loving Wednesday. 

Asha in her new harness, before she almost killed herself 

1. I had a huge scare yesterday. Asha ran out the front door when the UPS guy came to drop of a package. She bolted straight into the street and directly in front of a car. Thankfully, the car stopped and she eventually went up to the UPS guy and he grabbed her. So this has two parts; 1) I am so thankful that Asha is safe and sound. I really thought that I was about to watch my dog die. 2) The UPS guy could have gotten in his truck and drove away. Instead he stayed and helped he corral Asha back into the house. I am so grateful for that little kindness. 

2. This gorgeous print from Red Bird Ink is on its way to my house. They had a sale on sneak peeq and I got it for $9.00 ( plus shipping). I have never used Sneak Peeq before, and it was a little confusing. Regardless, I am so excited for my new print. I have had my eye on it for a year. I also have their You & Me print on my wish list. 

I know I post about Red Bird Ink all the time, and I promise that I have no affiliation with the company. They don't give me anything to say so many nice things. Since they are from Atlanta, I see their work in stores whenever I am home. I just think they make beautiful things. 

3. I have been on a DIY spree this week. I purchased a bunch of frames at Salvation Army and have been on a spray painting spree. My current color obsession is robin's egg blue and gold. 

4. Our friends came over with their one week old baby on Monday. He was so sweet and tiny. In all honesty, newborns kind of terrify me. They are so small and fragile I am convinced I will hurt them. 

5. Working out has been going really well this week. I did yoga and Zumba yesterday. I am meeting a new friend at the gym this afternoon for some free weights. 

I hope everyone has a wonderful Wednesday and rest of the week. 

Spouse Spur Ride

Last Thursday my husband's unit hosted a sort of "Take Your Spouse to Work Day". We got to climb all over the vehicles, shoot some of their guns (with blanks) and do the obstacle course. I had a complete blast and can't wait to do it again

Then this happened:

The sound seemed a little out of sync when I loaded this, but you get the general idea. 

Which resulted in me looking like this: 

I was super excited about climbing the cargo net. Right up until I actually started climbing. It was moving and swaying like crazy. I did make it to the top, but it was NOT my favorite part of the day. 

I had a really good time and think it was such a fun event for families and spouses. 

Fill In The Blank Friday

I am linking up with Lauren at The Little Things We Do for Fill In The Blank Friday. This week's questions are all about birthdays. 

1.  The age I will be on my upcoming birthday is   25. Although it isn't until February so I haven't really started thinking about that yet. 

2.   The best birthday present ever would be   To win enough money to pay off our student loans. Or if someone just wants to give us a boatload of money that would be great too. 

3.  My favorite birthday to date was    This is a tie between my 22nd and 24th birthdays. On my 22nd I was studying abroad at Oxford in the UK. My friends knew the bartenders at a pub called the Eagle and Child. They let us have the place after closing for the party. This is the same pub where C.S Lewis and Tolkien hung out. It was an absolute blast. For my 24th birthday Lane planned the whole evening as a surprise. It started off with laser tag, then sushi for dinner followed by a martini and cigar bar. I had such a good time and was blown away with how perfectly he knew what I would want to do. 

4. Birthdays make me feel    Reflective. I like to look back at where I was at my last birthday and compare. I have also written my self a letter on every birthday since I was 13. I talk about how I feel currently, and what I hope is happening for "future Molly". Reading those now is a wonderful way to see how my goals and dreams have changed. I love reading my letter at age 16, which is where Lane shows up for the first time. 

5. The worst birthday I ever had was   hard to determine. My 21st wasn't that great, but it still involved dinner with my parents so that was fun. I haven't really had any terrible birthdays. I am really lucky that I have people who love me who also love to throw ridiculous parties. Actually, now I think about it. I spent my 23rd birthday frantically finishing a massive statistics project. I spent the whole day and night in the stats lab furiously running models. I think I sneaked out for a beer with a friend for maybe 20 minutes. That is probably the worst birthday. 

6. When I was born  I was 7 lbs 7 ounces and had bright red hair. I was born in Atlanta, Georgia on a Tuesday. I still have my medical bracelet from the nursery. 

7.  So far my favorite age has been 23. I think 24 has been pretty good, but 23 was the biggest year of my life. I worked at the Pentagon, got married, got my Masters Degree and moved three times. 

I hope all my readers have a wonderful weekend. It is supposed to rain most of the time up here, but hopefully the weather will break enough for a few walks and dinners outside. 

Morning Shot of Adorable

Today is the Spouse Spur ride with my husband's unit. I will spend the day climbing around an obstacle course and shooting giant guns. I can't wait and will post loads of pictures (hopefully tomorrow) or Monday. 

Here are some pictures Lane took of Asha and me last night. She is pretty comfortable being picked up. I love holding her like she is a small child. She is getting so big and I'm not sure how much longer I will be able to hold her like this. 

Ah she is so cute. Her leg is still a little sore and I think the dog park is out for us until next week. Seeing her limp breaks my heart. 

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Thursday =)  

The Best Things In Life Are Free

Hello blog world =) I have been on a free-printable spree and I thought I would share some of my favorites. I am a bit of a monogram lover, and the Wedding Chicks has a link to make a gorgeous single letter monogram. I made mine in navy and peach, but there are loads of colors. 

Ginger and George is another source for some gorgeous printables. I absolutely love her Be Kind print. 

I don't have work today, and I plan on knocking out a bunch of DIY projects. I decided to expand the His and Her theme for our Master Bathroom. I am making silhouettes as well as a few other projects. It all started with the Mr and Mrs signs from our wedding. 

 It always makes me think about our wedding when I see these. I have loads of former wedding DIY projects around the house. They make me happy. I love remembering all the love and excitement of that day. 

Pinterest has been an awesome source for free printables. I am so grateful to these amazing artists who allow us to download their work for FREE. 

My Name Is Molly and I Am a Christmas-aholic

The fall-themed linkup yesterday has me thinking about all things cool weather and holidays. Full disclosure; I have been planning our family Christmas card for a few weeks now. In my defense, I want to take pictures in October and mail the cards out at end of November. So it really isn't THAT far in advance right? I love Christmas cards and sent them out even before Lane and I got married. Here are some of the ideas for pictures that have been taking up space on both my Pinterest boards and my brain. 

Does anyone else start planning their Christmas cards this early? I know exactly what I want to do for our card, and can't wait to take some photographs for it.

I hope all my readers had a wonderful weekend. I definitely accomplished my goals of cooking, laundry and taking Asha to the dog park. The poor baby was trying to keep up with some of the bigger dogs yesterday and pulled a muscle in her leg. She is limping a bit today and I woke up a hundred times last night to check on her. I hope she is back to her bouncy regular self by tomorrow.