Gift Idea - Chalkboard Vase

Our friends were kind enough to have us over for Thanksgiving dinner.

After the invite, I kept trying to think of a gift as a thank you.

The hostess LOVES things with chalkboard paint.

I have this thing for reusing wine bottles.

The solution = paint an empty wine bottle with chalkboard paint,

(I searched for chalkboard spray paint and it was nowhere to be found in our area, so I used regular chalkboard paint & put 3 coats on)

write a message on it,

put a 'Happy Thanksgiving" tag on it,

(I found cute Thanksgiving tags here, and printed the one I wanted on cardstock)

and then we picked up some fresh flowers for the vase.

I like how you can switch it up and write/draw whatever you would like on the vase.

 

Weekend Getaway

We are on a bit of a weekend getaway.

We are still in Orange Beach and Dusty is actually working, but it still feels like vacation.

One of Dusty's friends owns a condo on the beach and asked him to shoot video and take photos of the unit to help with the renting process...which means we get to stay for free all weekend :)

The view looking down from the condo.

I'm loving it here...I could really get used to this :)

My favorite is having the patio door open, feeling the breeze, hearing the waves, and looking out to see endless water...

So, our evening consisted of:

Sitting out on the deck and relaxing...

a walk on the beach, so Dusty could get a few photos in...

watched the sunset...

and then rocked some take out.

We capped the evening off with a movie and multiple episodes of House Hunters - that show can get addicting...we always end up watching more episodes than we had anticipated.

And I will leave you with this beauty:

After being by the water for hardly any time at all...this is what happens to my hair...I arrive with straight hair and leave with curly, frizzy hair - it actually looks a lot better in this picture than it did in real life.  I looked scary.

And my glasses are crooked - I accidentally melted them on a heater 5ish years ago...just go with it.

Oh, and one of us together:

I hope y'all are having a great weekend!

P.S. I have been fighting the embracement of the term 'y'all', but I think I'm done fighting...it's quicker and easier and I'm all for that.

Chef Gray

Gray had his heart set on making a blueberry pie.

I, for one, have never made a blueberry pie...or any kind of pie for that matter, so we didn't have the ingredients on hand for this project.

He made up a song to remember the ingredients & to try to convince me that we COULD make it:

♫ blueberry crumble, sugar and flour, and carrots on top ♫

Just so you can kind of hear it in your head...he drug it out a bit and his voice would get higher as the song went on...ending with a really high note...it sounded glorious ;)

He ended up straying a bit from the recipe.

Chef Gray's Ingredients:

-water

-tabasco

-sugar

-vanilla extract

-pickle juice

-sauerkraut

-chocolate chips

-lemon juice

-Parmesan cheese

-and an ice cube to chill it

He named his concoction 'Sour Pie'

After mixing the ingredients, he then transferred it to his cooking dish.

This beauty 'cooked' in the oven for 30 minutes.

Gray insisted on trying it first...

Dusty was brave enough to try it after Gray...for both of them, it ended with a bit of gagging.

I went ahead and passed on the taste test.

Look at how proud Gray was of his dish...

Note the little bit of Sour Pie on his nose :)

I hope your meals turn out a little tastier than this one.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Wine Bottle Vase

In the previous post, you may have noticed the empty wine bottle I was using as a vase in the background.

I have always thought of it to be temporary - I thought it needed more.

So, yesterday, I went outside and spray painted it.

Spray painting things gets addicting - such a quick, fun, and easy solution...and I had that leftover gray spray paint from the 'Love' wall art we had just finished.

Anyways, I wanted to try something new...so, I put rubberbands around the bottle before I spray painted it.

And the result:

I used primer spray paint because it was the only gray paint they had at our local hardware store...it worked great and I only had to do one coat.

I am on a project roll - my mind is racing, trying to think of what I should do next!



Wall Art

I have been a pinning machine lately...that site is so addicting.

I came across a piece of art that was similar to the one we ended up making.

However, for just the screen print alone, it cost $25. 

And then you would still have to purchase a large frame which can be spendy.

We found our frame at a garage sale for $5.

I came across bulletin letters in the clearance section at Target for $0.62!  And you get 180 letters with that deal...I had a feeling they would come in handy.

We had white spray paint on hand and bought the gray spray paint for $2.50.

Our bedroom is white, gray, and yellow, so I guarantee we will be using the gray paint again..which means it will not go to waste.

Total = $8.12

It was so easy - spray paint the frame, mat, and letters white.

We just spray painted the cardboard that was in the frame gray...and we are loving the end result :)

Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show

On Veterans Day, we drove to Pensacola for the Blue Angels Homecoming Air Show.

I haven't been to an air show in years...and this one was really cool.

We had to walk three miles (shuttles were available) to get there because of all the cars lined up.

Isn't that neat?  All of those people gathered in one place to honor veterans and to experience the air show?

The picture below is an award winner for Dusty - he LOVES this picture and I would like to give him credit for it :)

While I was at the show, I kept thinking how all of my nieces and nephews would ♥ it.

Dusty couldn't help himself and demolished a corn dog...literally in less than 20 seconds.

I was all about this little guy - how cute is he?!

AND he was rocking a 'future blue angel' hat.

If one of my nieces or nephews showed any interest in being a pilot, I would have been all over that hat.

The airshow was a hit in my book...would highly recommend it :)

Fall is here and I am LOVING it.

I have never been so excited for fall as I am this year.

I was definitely over the Alabama summer and ready for cooler weather.

Now when I walk outside...instantly happy...that heat was not my style.

Gray was done with school early yesterday, so we went for an afternoon 'hike' as Gray likes to call it.

We live right by a walking trail which is where our hike took place.

Jeans and a sweatshirt? Yes, please!

I'm telling you, cooler weather down here = happiness.

Gray's favorite part about our hike?

Reading the signs...when he spotted one, he would take off sprinting.

Gray LOVES reading, spelling, numbers, letters...he can't seem to get enough.

Look at the excitement in his eyes :)

Oh, and I apologize for the variety of looks to the photos - I was experimenting.

We took our time on the walk and enjoyed every bit of it.

Gray asked lots of questions.

He met quite a few of my family members in October, so he wanted to know when Oliver, Palmer, Amy, Angie, and Chad's birthdays were...I told him everyone's birthdays one time. 

I quizzed him later on in the night and he passed the test :)

And then he wanted to know my phone number - we went through that one twice and now he has it memorized - area code and all...his memory amazes me.

Fall is here - the leaves are falling, the air is crisp, and I'm loving it.

We even had soup for dinner last night :)

10 Minute Workout

I did this workout the other day and am going to fit it into my day more often:

You should try it - it's done before you know it and you will feel great afterwards.

Also, I ♥ workouts that can be done at home and without equipment.

(found on Pinterest)



South Alabama Film Festival

This past weekend we drove to Mobile for the South Alabama Film Festival.

We had a blast!

The festival was kind enough to put us up in a Bed and Breakfast (Fort Conde Inn) - neither of us had ever stayed in one.

It was really neat - newly renovated, jacuzzi bath tub (yes please!), fire place, really comfortable beds, and we woke up to the smell of breakfast being cooked by their chef...it was so cozy.

(I borrowed the pictures of the inn and our room from their website)

We were able to walk everywhere, which led to the exploration of downtown Mobile.

I like downtown Mobile.

It's old and has character - I like that.

Before the screening of Prairie Love, we spent some time at Heroe's...

and had a couple beers.

We also watched part of the Alabama vs. LSU game - it's crazy how much college football means to the people down here...I'm not ready to jump on that bandwagon.

So, the screening of Prairie Love went really well - quite a few of Dusty's friends and co-workers made it...and for me, this time seeing the film was my favorite - I seem to like it more and more each time I watch it.

After hearing the various Q & A sessions, I have really grown to appreciate the film and how much work goes into every little detail.

We really had a great weekend - lots of fun and laughter :)

Dolphin Cruise.

Last day of Amy's vacation:

After spending the morning/afternoon at the beach, we went on a dolphin cruise.

It was great.

The dolphins like to play in the wake, so you get to see them really up close - at one point, there were three of them jumping in the wake in unison...I would highly recommend going on a dolphin cruise when you get the chance...so fun.

Warning: dolphin pic overload ahead...

Looking at these pictures makes me want to go again.

How PRETTY does Amy look in this picture?

We really really enjoyed having Amy here...it was so great.

Thanks Amy for coming to visit :)  Miss you.