Who else could rock this...

And make it look this good! (She had to borrow MY clothes to ride four wheelers in!)

If I Have Any Followers Left....

please hang in there! I know I haven't posted in a while, but concious efforts are being made to catch up! I have excuses all ready for you though: I have started a new job, Evan has bought a landscaping business from his brother on top of his "real" job, I'm planning a tool/gadget party at our house, we are doing home improvements, we have a family wedding coming up, one of my foster dogs has ran away and we are desperately trying to find her, we're making furniture, we went on vacation, we had a couple of weddings and some funerals too....

It's a....

Girl! Yes, we have been blessed again with our third and FINAL furry baby! We are going to continue to foster, so if you see a strange dog on my blog, know that three are all we are making permanent! As our other two dogs have came into our lives, number three is no exception: a rescue.

First, meet our new sweet baby (or should I say lady)... Maddie Nelson!



As mentioned in my last post, I spend most of March trying to find our foster Bianca a home, and finally did- New Hampshire! I had to take her to Arab one day after work and leave her to be picked up by a transport to go up north to her new home. Bianca was a wild woman and I was very ready for a much needed break! This was April 7th. The following Saturday- the 10th, my coordinator called and was in desperate need for a foster home for a golden that needed a place to stay. I don't know why, but with all of my exhaustion I immediatly said yes without even thinking about it (or asking my husband first! Needless to say he was not too happy!) My coordinator forwarded me an email from a sweet couple in Decatur reguarding Maddie. They adopted her from an animal shelter to be an outside companion to their dog. They fell in love with Maddie and bragged so much on how sweet she was and how loving she was, but they slowly discovered something about her: Maddie had spent her whole life living indoors and absolutely hated being outside. They said she would stand at the door and cry and scratch until she could come inside. Her Mommy told us that Maddie could not stay inside at all times because of her severe pet allergies and didn't think it was fair to Maddie to make her change her lifestyle just because of her allergies. They were heartbroken to give Maddie up, but in the end did a wonderful and selfless thing by giving her to an organization that would place her comfortably in a home that she would love. I picked Maddie up on April 12th and the first thing that went through my head, was "Uh Oh." Maddie was gorgeous. The first time I saw her, she was sitting up pretty and calm and let me pet her head and just sat still and sweet. She hopped in my car and sat like a big girl the whole way to the firestation to visit Evan. When Evan saw Maddie he wasn't mad about me fostering her anymore... he loved her! Evan had a Golden name Jake for around 13 years and Maddie could be his twin! He was a big curly boy just like Maddie! So after about a month of delaying the inevitable, we finally decided that we didn't think we could let Maddie go to a new home, that she had found her place at ours! She is an angel... we leave her unattended in our house all day when we are at work and she just sleeps and plays with her toys... she is the perfect dog and will be a wonderful companion to our family for years to come.. Miss Maddie is seven years old, but has the playfulness of a puppy! We love her so very much!

Meet Bianca. This is Foster #3 for us and she is just as sweet as our others. Bianca and her friend Willy (who has only one eye) were rescued from Centerpoint where they were about to be shot. They are both golden mixes but are very sweet. We got Bianca on Friday and she has been a doll. Here's hoping to find her a good home! If anyone is ever interested in adopting or fostering please let me know and I will fill you in on the process!



Also, more decorating...

This is my new "above the couch" look.

My wonderful husband hung my clip art rail last night... Fabulous I must say!


And now for the definition of spoiled: Carsyn.

What we've been up to....

So now that we are settled in our house and I have finished decorating, of course now I have all of these ideas on REdecorating.... Here are some of the things I've changed:

A little embellishment for my collage frames:


Some Kitchen Decor:



Awesome Custom Throw Pillows for my couch made by my super-talented Mom:


And from my super-talented husband my new console table! I'm soo excited to debut this! I have recently became addicted to a blog that anyone who wants to save money should check out. Its called KnockOffWood and has some of the most beautiful furniture on it. All you do, is pick what you like, print the plans, and buy the wood Ana tells you to buy and get to building. This table retails for over 200.00 and Evan was able to build it for me for about 40.00!!! He is currently making me some bookshelves and they should be ready soon too. Check her out though, her site is amazing.


And since I'm not quite so talented as my mom and husband, my craft for the weekend:


These are also courtesy of Knock Off Wood. They are actually bulletin boards. You just hang them on the wall and use the clothes pins to attach photos, lettering, or whatever you choose. The gray one is for my dad's hobby room. (Had to make it a little manly!) The pink one is for me and my scrapbook room! I was so excited with the turnout!

Our Beauty Queen

Last weekend, our niece Kyleigh was in her very first beauty pageant. She is only five years old and did so well! She looked beautiful (and not just because I'm partial!) We are so proud of her for being brave and getting on that stage!

That Pretty Hair!


Opening All of Her Prizes


With Momma and Daddy


Kyleigh and Kole


Her and Her Proud Aunt (Who was having an unphotogenic day!)

Couples Retreat

This weekend was so much fun. My Valentine's gift was a trip to Gatlinburg with our friends Chase and Lauren and their babies Kaylee and Connor. We left on Friday, (just in time to miss out on the Alabama snow) and when we got to Gatlinburg there was about eight inches of snow where our cabin was. We were so excited until we couldn't get to our cabin because of all the ice. It got a little scary for a second, so Lauren and I took the kids inside and let Evan and Chase venture out for food and snow chains for the car. After that little incident the roads became a lot better to drive on and the snow stuck around for the entire trip. We had some fun snowball fights... even one inside with our crazy husbands! We went to the aquarium, the Believe It Or Not Museum, and the Guiness Book Of World Records Museum. Plus we ate at my favorite place- the Apple Barn! Yum! It was such a wonderful trip and we had a great time with our friends and the kids too. Chase and Lauren have the best kids! We can't wait to go back next year!

Our Cabin


The giant icicle hanging from our deck!

Love Is In The Air...

Congratulations are in order... Evan's grandfather and his girlfriend, Jean got engaged on January 17th in front of the entire family. He planned her proposal as a total surprise and made her believe that there was a party being planned in HIS honor. The whole church was invited too, so they had a crowd for this special occasion! He made the proposal like Jean was on the show "This Is Your Life". Our pastor told the whole story of Jean's life (good times and bad) and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. He finally got to the present and Grandaddy had a poem prepared for her about roses and he read it while she was given a bouquet of roses. After he read the poem he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him. It was such a sweet day in their lives and ours as well. We know they will be truly happy for the time that God gives them with one another. We Love them both very much!