Monday Brain Dump

I've noticed a little trend in the blogging world. People write one post about a bunch of different thoughts or events taking place in their lives, aka a "brain dump." I've enjoyed reading my friends' brain dumps, so I think I'll do one of my on. Starting today . . .

1.) I have a cold. I think Sage gave it to me. We've both been feeling rather rotten lately.

2.) Summer baseball is over and fall/winter baseball is about to begin. I have mixed emotions about this because Sage and I aren't going to Mexico with Brian and we do NOT like to be away from each other. Trying to see the silver lining . . .

3.) I've got to learn the art of applying eye shadow. You know, for those special occasions when you need a little extra make-up . . . like a wedding or photo session. Both of which are coming up very soon.

4.) I've been a running fool lately! I run 3 or 4 times a week, 3 miles each time. I'm really enjoying it. Although, I'm still waiting for the physical results to show up :)

5.) I keep trying to re-design this blog. I spend a fair amount of time experimenting with colors and designs, then end up with something I'm not crazy about and revert back to this old black and white theme. And then I feel guilty for wasting so much time on it.

6.) Have I told ya'll how ready my hubs is for baby #2? He was ready like, yesterday. If I gave the okay, I'd probably be pregnant faster than you can blink. But don't worry, I'm not ready so nothing will happen soon. Unless God decides differently. And He is entitled you know.

7.) I adore fall . . . for many reasons: the colors, cooler temps, fun fall sweaters, Clemson football, play-off baseball, Thanksgiving, etc. I picked up Pottery Barn's fall issue the other day and it just makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Now as long as this weather stays cool, we'll be golden!

Ok that's it for this brain dump! Hope you enjoyed it!

What Do Photo Walls and Mexico Have in Common?

Nothing really.

I love photo walls. I'm creating one in our house because we have big open spaces that need filling and I need a fun project this fall while Brian is playing in Mexico. Since I'm not comfortable taking Sage down there (for numerous reasons I won't go into), she and I are staying back in Charlotte. This will by no means be easy, and will probably be the last time we attempt being away from Daddy. EVER. But anyway, back to my photo wall . . .

We have a big blank space to the right of our television that desperately needs filling. I figure a photo wall is just the thing, but I can't decide what kind of arrangement I like best. The 3 options are:

1.) Extremely streamlined/symmetrical, like so:

2.) Still symmetrical, but with more interest, like so (sorry I don't have a better pic):

3.) Or a mismatched arrangement like this:

I like all of these styles! But which one will look best in the space I have? I just don't know. I'm leaning towards arrangement #1, but ask me tomorrow and I will have changed my mind.

I welcome any opinions or suggestions my readers would like to offer!

"The Itch"

Sometimes I just crack myself up.

Over the course of the past say, 3 years or so, I periodically get this "itch." An itch to dye my hair dark. As in, a little darker than my natural color, which is already dark brown. If I thought I could pull off black hair I would try it because I love black hair, but I'm not that stupid. Maybe crazy, but not stupid.

So anyway, I'm in the middle of one of those itches, just dying to dye my hair. DYING I say! But I have no courage. what. so. ever. I keep thinking Brian should get a job in another country next year and then I'll have an excuse! If I dyed it dark and it looked awful it wouldn't matter because I wouldn't know anyone. Who wants to mess with highlighting your hair every 2 months when abroad anyway?

A while back I did a post about a website where you can upload a pic of yourself and "try on" different hair color/styles. (You can find that post here.) I keep looking at the pic below thinking, it's not so bad. Ahhhhhhhh, but can I bite the bullet and do it? Melissa, if you're reading this don't panic. I won't do anything drastic before your wedding :)

100 Eagle Nest Trail

Saying good bye to your childhood home isn't easy. This is the latest battle I face as my parents build a new house and move to Spring Island, South Carolina.

The house they've/we've lived in since 1986 has been sold, and my 24 years of living and visiting the brick two-story at 100 Eagle Nest Trail has come to an end. Mom keeps reminding me that the memories we made there are precious, not the place itself. But I'll still miss it. I know I will . . . my childhood pets are buried in the back yard. My 8th grade dance pictures were taken on those front porch steps. It's where my friends and I would slide down the stairs in our sleeping bags, and where I locked myself in my room when I didn't want to go to piano lessons. It's simply, where I grew up . . . the old familiar, if you will. I would know it's scent from a million miles away. There's a comfort to the place. I'll miss that. I think I'm also scared that I'll forget what it was like.

I don't expect my parents to stay there forever. Whether good bye takes place now or later, there would eventually have to be a good bye. That's the way life goes. And despite the morbid tone of this post, I am happy that Mom and Dad are building a house on the coast. It will be a place we all thoroughly enjoy. And if many years are spent there, it will become dear to us in it's own right. It is quite a gorgeous place, evidenced below.

But as for this little jewel . . .

I said my good byes. I took pictures of every room. I shed some tears. And while someone else may live there now, it will always be, "the house that built me."

6 Months

Lately the blog seems to be all about Sage. It will probably be like that periodically. But have no fear, I've got some posts in the works that are about other things going on in our lives. So stay tuned . . .

In the mean time, Sage is 6 months old and I figure that's a milestone, right? Half of a year has already flown by! My goodness. I kind of wish she could eat solids already because I'd love to see her dive into some yummy cake with lots of icing! Here are the many faces of Sage that I photographed today, her "half birthday."






At 6 months of age, here's what's going on with Miss Sage:

I'm pretty sure she's teething even though I can't feel anything breaking through yet. The drool is out of control and at times she seems cranky for no apparent reason. Laughs and giggles still abound too though.

She's still not thrilled about eating food. She'd much prefer a bottle. We try to practice spoon feeding once a day, but she literally shows no interest. Anyone else have this issue?

Gone are the days of sitting still. Sage is ready to get down and go . . . even though she can't "go" anywhere yet. I do believe crawling is on the horizon.

She really likes the sound of her own little high pitched voice. In the mornings, some times the squeals are a little too high :) but we still love to hear her "talk."

I took a little 6 month video that you can see below. It's not terribly interesting, but we needed live footage!