Mrs. DIY and the tennis guy

Insta-Friday!

2012-02-23T23:23:00.001-05:00

Insta-Friday!

2012-02-17T07:00:00.003-05:00

Who's ready for a LONG weekend? ME ME ME!! I don't even know what I am going to do with myself on Monday...but all i know is that I don't have to work.

Praise. The. Lord.

So....I had a pretty eventful week. Well not really...

But here is what I did DO: :)

1. I went to the eye doctor..and he dilated my eyes. and i looked like a sad puppy dog

2. I opened a jewelry store/salon out of the cupholder in my car. Anyone need to go shopping? Just hop in and I will be your taxi driver and sell you some jewelry! hehe

3. Penny girl let me play dress up. Isn't she adorable with that flower in her hair?

4. We celebrated my sister-in-laws birthday!

5. I got the most lovely daffodils from a co-worker...in winter. Yeah, those things are not supposed to bloom until late March! The weather has been so mild here that all the plants and flowers are confused about when to bloom! Poor things.

If you'd like to follow me on Instagram, please feel free!

My username is mrskaitjones

Happy Weekend!!! I'm hoping to get some DIY projects done... yay!

-Kait

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2012-02-15T07:00:00.001-05:00

Hello friends!!!

It's halfway through the week- that always makes me smile!

I have been out of the office for the past three days in training for our big bank merger. It's exciting and a little scary at the same time. I am mostly excited though. There is just a lot of information to learn in a short amount of time.

I hope you have a wonderful Valentine's Day!!!

My husband was such a sweetheart and got me some great gifts!

1. Ballroom dancing lessons! I am so stinkin' excited for this and soon we will be dancing like the pros...well, maybe. ;)

2. Beautiful flowers- I'm not really a rose kind of girl, so I love when I get fresh spring arrangements!

3. A sweet card

4. CHOCOLATE...Lord knows I can't live without it.

We had a wonderful dinner and ended the evening watching an oh-so-romantic episode of Teen Mom 2. ;) That show is like crack...I know I shouldn't do it, but I watch it anyway. I just feel like it's a waste of time...but oh well..some trashy TV is good for you...right?

And here's a few more things I'm loving this week:

- I'm loving these fabulous wedges at Target. They sure have some cute shoes for Spring!

-I'm loving that I am off on Monday! YAY for President's Day! I think I will spend the day going Antique Shopping!

-I'm loving my sweet husband. I am so thankful that the Lord has put him in my life! <3

What are you loving this week? Be sure to link up at This Kind of Love!

Xoxo,

Kait

Insta-Friday!

2012-02-10T07:00:00.005-05:00

Whose glad it's Friday??? MEEE!! I am so excited for the weekend...I am starting it off by going to see The Vow with my sis and mother-in-law!!

Here's my week via Insta-gram- Come on over to Life Rearranged to join the fun!

1. I made some delicious cinnamon bread in my bread maker...it was divine, but decided to explode just a little in the machine. ha!

2. So I may or may not have eaten the whole box of these babies. It's true...don't judge. You know you've done it too.

I'm so glad these are only available once a year because I would be as big as a house if they sold them year round. True Story.

3. Huey cat decided he wanted to be a cutie... (and I think he accomplished it..) awwwwww.

4. And this is what he does in his spare time...and his belly can testify to that.

5. Anyone else think these shoes are FABULOUS?! And they were onlt $30 at Marshalls. I was trying to think of a reason to get them..but decided to be a good girl and exercise self control.

6. This is when I really knew hubby loved me... he let me try out some nail polish at Target because my nails were already painted. Now that's true love. ;)

7. Would you just look at that spoiled cat. There are no words.

Have a HAPPY weekend!!!! Yay for FRIDAY!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

2012-02-08T08:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Wednesday!

This week is halfway over...YAY!!! I have some big fun plans for the weekend so I cannot wait until it gets here!

Here's what I'm loving this week!

1. I'm loving that it's my sis-in-law's birthday this weekend and we are going to see The Vow on Friday! It's looks really cute!

2. I'm loving the new Toms ballet flats..I want a pair in every color!

3. I'm loving this DIY canvas I made the other day. I am so proud of it and it was super inexpensive! Go here for the full tutorial.

4. I'm loving that Valentine's Day is right around the corner. Hubby and I have decided not to go to dinner, but instead we will stay home, cook a delicious meal together, and have a nice dinner by candlelight with roses...it was ALL his idea...well, most of it. ;) I found a funny picture from our Valentine's Day three years ago... a couple friends and I made matching shirts for our then boyfriends and took pictures with a teddy bear. HA!! (It's very corny, I know...but it makes me laugh when I look back on those funny memories)

I also made him a "love fern". :P Anyone remember what movie that's from?

5. I'm loving that I bought this at the store today:

Oh yeah. RED lips, here I come.

What are you loving? Hope you have a wonderful day!

Xoxo,

Kait

Those trashy TV shows and the superbowl.

2012-02-06T21:46:00.000-05:00

So who watched the superbowl? Or who just ate food and watched the commercials? That would be me. I didn't really watch much of the actual game, but I did enjoy the DELICIOUS food and the great company. I didn't think there were that many great commercials, but here are my two favorites:

I loved this one. The dog was so cute!

And here is my second favorite:

This one was pretty funny too.

What do you think? Which was your favorite?

On another note..every Monday night, I waste 2 hours of my life watching The Bachelor but it's one of those things that I can't seem to get away from. Even though I think it's not the way to find love, nor is it educational or that wholesome.. (I mean, one guy is dating 20 girls at once...) I still plop my bootay on the couch from 8-10 to watch it. ha!

And I know I'm not the only one out there....

Whose your favorite??

I have a tie between Kacie and Lindzi. They are both so stinking cute and adorable.

And whose my least favorite??

Well....it would have to be Courtney:

I just don't like her. She isn't very nice and is a boy hogger. ;)

ANYWAY...that's enough of trashy TV talk...I hope you had a good Monday! Mine was super duper jam packed. Work was extremely busy and I didn't even have time to think about dinner when I got home from work..so Subway saved the day.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a little more relaxed...Happy Tuesday!

-Kait

What's on your menu?

2012-02-05T12:23:00.001-05:00

I don't really watch NFL all that much, but I do enjoy cooking for the Superbowl party that we have every year. To be honest, I just love the food and the commercials...anyone else agree? ;)

So this year, our small group, at church is having one and I am so excited to eat all of the WONDERFUL food we are having...take a peek at what will be there:

Source: acozykitchen.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Source: livelovepasta.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Source: thepioneerwoman.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Source: skinnytaste.com via Lacretia on Pinterest

Source: southernfood.about.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Source: browneyedbaker.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Ummm yeah...doesn't that look amazing?? And that's not all of it either...

alright, time to go to the gym!

Happy Eating!

-Kait

DIY Canvas

2012-02-01T23:13:00.000-05:00

I found this on Pinterest the other day and thought to myself, WHY?!?! WHY have I not done this before?

It's such an easy project and I love the way it turned out....not to mention, the amount of money I saved!

The total cost for this project: $2.98!

I know this is all over Pinterest but I will still share how I did it for those of you who don't have a Pinterest account (bless your heart, get one soon!) ;)

1. Go to Staples and have them make a copy of any photo. I got an 11X17 color copy made for 98 cents. Then go buy a canvas. Mine is from Michaels for $2. On clearance...thank you!

2. Cut your photo down to match your canvas. I don't think they make canvases in 11X17 (at least not at Michaels) so I just cut down the photo by 1.5 inches on each side.

3. Mod podge the canvas with a foam brush. Just glop it on there until the whole canvas is covered.
Carefully place the photo on top of the canvas. Press out any bubbles made sure the whole photo is adhered to the canvas.

You can see on the bottom that I don't have very good cutting skills...it's party because i'm left handed..and it's always been hard for me to cut. hehe! But don't worry about that, because you will paint the edges black.

4. I chose not to mod podge the front of the photo because I liked the way it looked.. I may change my mind later on if I feel like I want more protection of the photo but for now I didn't cover it with mod podge.

See how the edges are white? Just get some black paint and paint around the edges. I also put a thin line on the front of the canvas as well. I just painted right over the edge of the photo.

And your'e done!!

It's seriously that easy.

And i love it!!!

I want to make like 54 more. Maybe I will.

For $2.98...I can justify it a little. ;) I mean the place that you actually order them from can range from $40-$70! Sheesh!

If you make one, let me know how it turns out!

Xoxo,

Kait

Did you know?

2012-01-29T21:49:00.001-05:00

The more time I spend on Pinterest, the more I realize how much stuff I DON'T know...

See below:

Source: thedailybuzz.com.au via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Put your iphone in a bowl and the music will amplify! (Yes, I tried it, and yes it does work)

Source: amazon.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

They make ONION GOGGLES so you won't cry when cutting them...excuse me? Where have I been?

Source: rentfluff.wordpress.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Put ice cubs on carpet indentations, let them melt, and then fluff up the area with a spoon. Seriously? I used to try to vacuum over them, and it still didn't help.

Source: teamimhoff.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Everynight when I am in bed about to close my eyes, I forget to plug in my darn phone. No charge means no alarm...NOT GOOD. So then I have to get out of bed, and find the end of my darn phone charger...and it puts me in a horrible mood because who likes to get out of bed once you've just gotten into the warm sheets? now my life is changed because I have a clip that holds it on my nightstand! GENIUS!

Source: Uploaded by user via Kaitlin on Pinterest

Here is the solution to finding 134985 bobby pins in the carpet, in the sink, on the counter, under the rug...a tic tac container.

Don't you feel so much more civilized and important now that you know these awesome tips? ;)

I sure do.

Cameras and such.

2012-01-29T21:38:00.000-05:00

I have gotten a few emails from y'all about what camera lenses I have and what kind of camera I have.

The funny part about this whole deal is that I have three lenses for my camera, but don't know how to use them all that well. I know some info about them and I am glad to share, but please know that I am no expert at all...i would really consider myself a beginner when it comes to my camera skills and knowledge. BUT...here's my loot and I hope it'll help if you're in the market for a new lens or camera.

1. I got my Nikon D60 in December of 2008. It costs me around $600 and it came with an 18-55mm Nikkor Lens. This is a good all around lens. It's considered a zoom lens from wide-angle to normal. Wide angle lenses will enable a person to capture alot of information within a contained space (such as, in a room). It will also make for pleasant architecture photography. I honestly don't know if they still sell this body style but I have had mine for over three years and still love it. It works perfectly.

2. I then purchased a 55-200 MM lens also sometimes called a telephoto lens. I paid around $200 for this lens and of the three I have, I use this one the least. Probably because I don't know how to use it! haha! This is a perfect lens for sport photography or any other type of photography with a subject that is difficult to shot up close, nature included. Ample light will be needed to capture fast moving objects though because it does not give you as low of apertures as other lenses.

3. The last lens that I just got for Christmas (thanks hubby!!) is the Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G (sometimes called a fixed lens). This is the perfect lens for portaiture photography. Being a fixed lens, it allows for a very low aperture setting of f/1.8. This allows for soft focusing and shallow depth of field. In other words, this lens can bring emphasis to a subject in the foreground by blurring the background out of focus. It has faster shutter speeds and in low light situations, you are able to take photos without flash. The photo on the top of my blog was taken with a lens just like this one. That's why the blurry background is present.

I love my fixed lens. Mostly because I take portraits and love the look of the blurred background.

Maybe one day I will REALLY learn how to use them all, and then I can do a more informative post. I hope this helps a little though!!

Nikon in general is my favorite brand of cameras. It's super user-friendly and lasts a long long time.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask! I will do my best to answer them.

Until next time,

Kait

Insta-Friday!

2012-01-27T07:54:00.002-05:00

Good Morning, lovelies!! I am off to work in about 2 minutes so I gotta make this quick!! I love participating in Insta-Friday because it's a good recap of my week via my Iphone and a great way to document the little things that make me happy!

First off, I don't think I've ever been more excited to find these shoes at the thrift store....and the price tag? $795? Nope! Just $7. SCORE!

My mom, hubby and I also went to our favorite sweet treats place. Goodberries- it's a local custard joint. And it's heavenly.

Hi, Mom!!

We spent a lot of our time doing projects..and I loved it! It was cold outside this day, so what did we do? Brought our project inside..ha!

And here's the finished product! A DIY pallet shelf. I'm in love.

It's also great when mom comes to visit because I get lots of meals cooked for me! This one was my all-time favorite. Deer meat! YUMMO!

THis is completely random, but has anyone ever heard of Target Greatland? I didn't know it existed until I drove past it and had to stop..naturally. It's a Target. and I did HAVE to stop. ;)

And lastly, one of the more exicting parts to my week: We found a mouse in our bedroom. My cat caught him...isn't that lovely? (But I do think he is cute!)

Be sure to link up at www.Life Rearranged.com and I hope you have a WONEDERFUL FRIDAY!!!!! YIPEEE!

Xoxo,

Kait

DIY Pallet Shelf

2012-01-23T07:00:00.000-05:00

I finally got to make a couple project with the pallest I picked up a few months ago. Mom helped me a lot and I am so please with the way they turned out!

The funniest part though was that we did all of the cutting and nailing in the living room-it was too cold outside to saw and hammer so I just layed a sheet down in the living room. HA!

Huey was trying to help...

So after some cutting, nailing and hanging this is the end result:

I loveee the way it turned out.

And I also made a mini-shelf for my bathroom.

Our bathroom is TINY. In our bedroom, we just have a half bath (thank you 1960's) and it should be called a 1/8 bath because it's so little...so I need all the storage I can get.

Here's what the counter looked like before I made the shelf, and then there is an after photo too. I used to store my hairdryer and straightener on the bath towel holder. Sad.

(The lighting in our bathroom is horrid. The walls are this awful white/yellow color and the light fixture is definately 40 years old, at least...so I apologize for the poor lighting.)

The counter before I had the shelf: full of stuff! And the picture on the right is after I had the shelf to store my hair products!

It now holds my hair essentials and I am so happy!!! No more ghetto jimmy riggin' on the towel bar!

Happy Monday, friends!!!

DIY Dog Bowl Station

2012-01-21T22:58:00.000-05:00

My mom and I tackled a small project this past week. Even though it took us a lot longer than it probably should have, we finished our first project with a power tool! ;)

I got a jigsaw for Christmas from my brothers and I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it: make a project with the pallets I got a few months ago. They have just been sitting outside waiting to be worked on... and here's what we did.

We made my pup, Penny, an elevated dog feeder. She is getting old (she'll be 11 this year!) and so I knew I wanted to do something so she didn't have to bend down everytime she drank or ate.

Sadly, I don't have a step-by-step tutorial for this because

1) We didn't really follow any directions...
2) We messed up quite a lot and had to re-do some things

Yeah...the nails did NOT want to cooperate...

See? She just LOVES it!

But I love the way it turned out, and Penny loves it to (at least I think she does)

The total project costs me about 3 dollars. Compared to online prices, that is AWESOME!

This one is $76.99 on trendypet.com

And this one is $40.00 on Amazon.com

A little too much for me to spend...so I am glad I made my own! Our next project is to make some pallet bookshelves!! Hopefully those will be a little easier and I can't wait to share them!

Happy Weekend, y'all!!

Xoxo,

Kait

Cat Lover.

2012-01-20T06:00:00.001-05:00

I have been a cat lover since I was born, really. I got my first kitten on my first day of kindergarten and I named her Princess (go figure).

(Our lovely felines, Claire and Huey.)

Ever since then, I have always had a cat. I love them.

A friend showed me this video and I had to share. It's SO funny and spot on as to how cats really act.

Can any of you cat owners relate to these videos? They are all so funny!

Happy Friday!

A real Texas meal.

2012-01-19T22:03:00.000-05:00

Mom is still in town (yipee!) and tonight we had a feast that was truly a Texas meal at its finest.

I remember growing up we would eat this meal a whole lot. And when hubby's grandfather gave us some deer meat a few weeks ago, I have been sooo excited to cook some.

Wanna know how this Texas gal cooks it? I'll gladly share the recipe that has been passed down many generations in my family. It's nothing special, but it tastes so yummy.

***Just a small note: there are photos of raw deer meat...just a disclaimer***

Here's what you'll need:

Deer meat
buttermilk
one egg
flour
pepper
salt
vinegar
vegetable or canola oil
water

Directions:

1. After you take your deer meat from the freezer (I freeze mine in freezer bags)..place it in a big bowl of water. Add a heaping spoonful or two (or three) of salt in the water, and a pour of distilled white vineger. (I usually count to three while I'm pouring it in the bowl)

The vinegar gets the "gamey" taste out of the deer, and the salt draws out the blood. Let the meat soak overnight in the fridge so it can get all of the blood out and thaw. I let mine thaw for two days, but it's just up to you how long you want it to thaw. (One day would be okay too)

2. Once it is done, drain the water and rinse off the meat. Then slice the meat. I like to slice it kind of small so I can have deer nuggets, so to speak.

3. Then get an egg,buttermilk, and pepper. Beat the egg in a bowl, add a pinch or two of pepper and 3 tbs of buttermilk. Set aside. Then pour enough buttermilk in the bowl of meat to just coat the meat. Maybe about 1/4 cup or somewhere around there.

4. Then you need to tenderize the meat so it's not tough. You can choose to do this before you cut the meat, or after...I forgot to do it, so right before I coated the meat in egg and flour I tenderized it.

And of course, I don't have a meat tenderizer so I used a plate to pound it. Classy, right? My grandma did it this way too! ;)

5. After you pound the meat, take each peice of meat, dip in the egg mixture, and coat with flour. Do this for all pieces and set on a plate or foil. Be sure to salt and pepper each piece as well.

6. Pour some vegetable oil in a large skillet and heat on high until it's hot. Then turn it down to medium. Once it's ready, place each piece of meat into the skillet. Be sure to have a lid or you'll get popped!

Cook the deer meat until golden brown on each side...about twelve minutes or so...maybe fifteen. It depends on the thickness of your meat too. Be sure to turn the meat over midway through.

and then...you have the best deer meat in the universe! (In my opinion)

Enjoy! We had ours with mac and cheese, green beans, buttermilk biscuits and sweet tea.

It definitely made me miss the Lone Star State and I will be making this again very soon!

What's your word?

2012-01-16T22:43:00.000-05:00

Happy Tuesday, y'all!!

I thoroughly enjoyed my day off of work yesterday and my mom is visiting so it was even better! We did some shopping, ate at a delicious restaurant, and just enjoyed catching up.

So, even though this month is already halfway over I have something really exciting to share. My father in law introduced me to this and it's been on my mind since. I finally sat down tonight and really thought about it.

Introducing:

myoneword.org

What is that, you ask?

Here is a small synopsis (taken from myoneword.org):

Every New Year we hope this will finally be the year that things will change. We make promises about the new person we're going to become, pledging to get a grip on our finances, get in shape, become a better parent, spouse, even a nicer human being! But there’s one problem: our resolutions seldom work. The busy pace of life gets the better of us, and suddenly, the year is over with little to no personal growth having occurred in our lives.
“My One Word” is an experiment designed to move you beyond the past and look ahead. The challenge is simple: lose the long list of changes you want to make this year and instead pick ONE WORD. This process provides clarity by taking all of your big plans for life change and narrowing them down into a single thing. One word focuses on your character and creates a vision for your future.

Choose Your Word.

If you’re like most people, each January goes something like this: You choose a problematic behavior that has plagued you for years and vow to reverse it. In fact, you can probably think of two or three undesirable habits—make that four or five.
Thus begins the litany of imperfections to be perfected, commonly known as New Year’s Resolutions. All of which are typically off your radar by February.

the un-resolution

Our resolutions seldom work because they focus on the type of person we want to become rather than who God wants us to be. Many people do not see God at work in their lives simply because they don’t know what to look for. So, what if our hopes for the year centered on who God wanted us to become instead?
It’s okay to want to be a better you—and the New Year is a natural time to start. The question is, how? My One Word replaces broken promises with a vision for real change. When you choose a single word, you have a single focus. You are moving toward the future rather than swearing off the past.
With My One Word, you’re right where God wants you: in His hands. And it’s not an extreme makeover we’re talking about. This year, the goal is to see His work in one area of your life.

a simple process

So how do you go about picking a word? We’ve listed out a few steps to help you get started!

step 1: DETERMINE THE KIND OF PERSON YOU WANT TO BECOME

The first step is to simply take some time and decide what kind of person you want to be at the end of this year. This goes beyond simply being healthier and wealthier, but it must drive deep into your soul. What about the condition of your heart? What about the person that God Himself has created you to be?

step 2: IDENTIFY THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THAT PERSON

Get a picture of that person and then simply identify their major characteristics. Is that person gentle? Is that person generous? What are the qualities of the person you want to become?

step 3: simply pick a word

Once you have a list of the characteristics, simply pick a word. There might be fifteen things that you want to change, but you must resist the temptation to promise you will do them all. Instead, simply commit to ONE WORD.
This will provide you with a lens to see the changes you need to make as well as a way to determine whether or not change is actually happening. Understand that this process is hard, but staying focused on your word will help you to struggle in the right direction so that you can actually see God working in your life.

I am so excited to have my one word and see how it's going to change me throughout the year. I made a post-it note on my bathroom mirror so every morning when I get up, I will see it.

I encourage you to think about this and hopefully it will be a great experience for you!

Insta-Friday!

2012-01-13T07:00:00.003-05:00

It's FRIDAY!!!

And I have a long weekend ahead of me...and that makes me SUPER happy! My mom is in town for a week or so and I can't wait to do mom-daughter things like pedicures, shopping, crafting....oh what fun we'll have!

Here's my week via Instagram-Be sure to link up at Life Rearranged to join in on the fun!

1. I went to Trader Joe's and got lots of yummy produce- I love that store and I love fruit. Anyone else with me?

2. I cleaned out my purse. And man it was so full of JUNK! I mean, who has mayo packets, two books, two bottles of fingernail polish and receipts from 8 months ago? Yikes...

3. I had a co-worker bring cupcakes to work and aren't the pretty? She made the butterfly out of chocolate. How fun!

4. My sis-in-law gave me a doughnut maker for Christmas and I finally made some. YUM YUM!

5. Look at sweet Penny girl. When I was blogging earlier, she was just waiting patiently to get a pat on the head. Is she not the sweetest, most patient pup? Awww!

After her little pet session...what a happy girl, she is!

6. Hubby and I went on a mini-date to Cold Stone. I got the sinless cake batter ice cream with rainbow sprinkles (my go-to flavor) and he got sweet cream with yellow cake mixed in. I could eat that ice cream for every meal until I die. (If it wouldn't make me the size of a house).

And there you go! I hope your week was fabulous and hopefully the weekend will treat you even better!

Xoxo,

Kait

this post is not that interesting.

2012-01-10T19:57:00.000-05:00

So..last Wednesday through Sunday, I flew down to Texas to visit my best friend's new baby girl and to have one last dentist appt for a root canal I had a while ago (my uncle is a dentist).

Here's a few photos from my time there...they are mostly of my cats and dog from home and a couple of Brinkli (my besties new baby)...I didn't take a whole lot of photos but I had a little laugh at the ones I did take.

Have a look:

I was trying out my new lens that hubby got me for Christmas..and the only subjects I had were felines... ;)

The second photo above of Mr. Wilson, my dad's dog, was of him yawning..how funny, right?!

And here is Holli and Brinkli! She is PRECIOUS!

I loved getting to spend time with Holli and Brinkli. I also got to see my grandmother and some other family. Then on the way back my flight was cancelled due to fog...HOW FRUSTRATING.

So..I ended up getting home 5 hours late at 1:30 in the morning. Not fun...I always have bad luck when I fly.

-Anyone else still trying to adjust to the year 2012?!? I don't know why, but I can't believe it's January. I just got around to putting away my Christmas decor last week..and I still have a few things left to put up (my wreath, the outside Christmas lights, and a couple odds and ends..) and now I guess it's time to decorate for Valentine's day!?

-I am also trying to decorate my mantle since all the Christmas decor is gone..and it has me stumped.. hopefully I'll have something good to share soon.

- I am making red velvet doughnuts tonight...my sis-in-law bought me a doughnut maker for Christmas..how cool, right? Can't wait to try it.

- My mom is coming to visit for a few days-we are planning to tackle a few projects around the house, including the Pallets I picked up a month ago, some organizing, and some more pinterest projects! I just love projects with my momma!

-Hubby started his second semester of law school yesterday..sigh...he is back to being buring in his books.

-It was almost 70 degrees today. In January. what the heck?! I love it though...i will not complain.

I told you this post was not interesting... Let's hope I can post a good review of the red velvet doughnuts i'm making in a bit!

Happy Tuesday!

-Kait

Insta-Friday!

2012-01-06T11:45:00.002-05:00

Hello from Texas!

Let me just tell you, newborn babies are the sweetest thing on the planet. My best friend has such a precious baby girl...kind of makes me want one soon. BUT, don't worry hubby...it's not our time (yet!) hehe.. ;)

So it's time for Insta-Friday! Be sure to join the fun here!

I finally got around to putting away all of the Christmas decorations...

it's not near as fun as taking them out. :(

Before we took down the decorations, we took a family photo..it's our first one (with all of our critters)

It's also been WAY to long since I've cleaned out my car...and I was embarrassed by the amount of stuff I had in there. Geez! A casserole dish? A newspaper from November? I don't even want to share what was in the big bag. Probably a small human or something...

We celebrated the marriage of our dear friends, Amy and Jared on December 30 and it was so wonderful to see my college gals!

And finally, meet sweet Brinkli! She is so tiny and adorable- I love her!

Happy Friday!!!

New Year, New Design.

2012-01-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

Just a small blog design change...i was ready for something new. Still doing a little tweaking (like the sidebar tabs are not linked quite yet) and just some little additions in store...

I like it, though! When we took photos over Thanksgiving, I fell in love with the one I used at my header. <3

Tomorrow, I am heading to the Lone Star State to meet my best friend's sweet little baby! I CANNOT wait and i'm pretty sure I am going to hog her all to myself. Look how CUTE she is:

I'll be spending Wed-Sun with Holli and will pay a visit to my dad, grandmother and some other old friends. I'm pretty excited about it!

Happy Tuesday, y'all!

2012 Goals

2012-01-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Does anyone else make New Years Resolutions out there? I make year-long goals for myself but refuse to call them New Year Resolutions. :P

2012 Goals

1. Cook healthier meals and get on a weekly meal planning schedule. I have done this off and on but I really want to make it a priority. I find that when I stick to a weekly plan, I cook healthier and don't have to go to the store 203 times a week.

2. Become a more organized person. I want to have a cleaning schedule, manage my finances better, and just be more "together" overall.

3. Incorporate exercise into my week. Hubby and I got a gym membership that we've been wanting for a while for a Christmas gift and I want to put it to use!

4. Serve more. No explanation needed.

5. View my workplace as a mission field. Learn how to share Jesus with my co-workers without being scared.

6. Learn how to serve and love my husband better. Be a better wife. Listen more, speak less.

7. Clean out my house- we have too much stuff.

I am excited to get started- 2012, let's do this!

What are some of your goals for the year? Do share!

Happy 2012!

2012-01-02T23:52:00.000-05:00

Every year around Thanksgiving, I always think to myself "these next couple months are going to go by so quickly!"

and do they ever.

Thanksgiving we went to Texas, a week or so later we went to NYC, then Christmas and New Years. Geez, it's flown by!

I feel like I didn't even get to give 2011 a proper goodbye! So now I am going to recap what this year looked like for the Jones Family.

In January, I threw my best friend a wedding shower
I also made some knock-off burlap pillows that were featured on Knock Off Decor.

In February, my mom got married in Key West and I had to make a really hard decision about my job as an event planner.    I also hosted my first giveaway for reaching 100 followers! We also found out hubby got into law school!

In March, I finally made a small slideshow of wedding photos, I shared my heart about blogging, made some cute DIY Pedistal Picture Frames, and we traveled to FRANCE!

In April, my best friend got married, I got a BIG haircut and donated my hair , my mom came to visit and I found out my best friend since 4th grade was pregnant!

In May, I madeover a Goodwill coffee table, I told my momma how amazing she is, hubby and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary   by going to Charleston and I turned 23!

In June, I got a blog makeover, had a horrible encounter with a catfish, and we moved to Raleigh!

In July, I composed a pretty gallery wall, made a DIY jewelry holder, and revealed my new crafting space!

In August, we went to the beach with the family, I remembered how blessed I am and hubby started his first semester of law school! We also celebrated Penny's 10th birthday, my dad and brother came to visit, and hurricane Irene hit the east coast.

In September, I became obsessed with pumpkin everything,   and learned how to install a light fixture.

In October, hubby and I made a daytrip to the beach, and went to the North Carolina State Fair.

In November, I made a cool decor piece with wood pallets, celebrated hubby's birthday, flew to Texas for Thanksgiving and I got a new job!

In December, I decorated for Christmas, shared some sneek peak photos of us, took a trip with hubby's family to the Big Apple, and celebrated the birth of Jesus

It was definately a WONDERFUL year and I am so excited to see how the Lord is going to bless us in 2012!

Happy New Year!

Bacon wrapped jalepenos with cream cheese filling

2011-12-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

I hope y'all all had a very merry Christmas! We did and I will share photos soon of our fun-filled day!

In case you are planning a New Years Eve party, I wanted to share this YUMMY recipe with you. I made these for Christmas and they were a hit!

Just a little warning: they do have a kick to them..afterall, they are jalepenos.

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman...she never disappoints.

 Bacon Wrapped Jalepenos

Ingredients:  Jalepenos, cream cheese, and bacon. That's all!

 Well, toothpicks are optional, but they do help with keeping the bacon wrapped around and it's easier to eat.

*I wear latex-free gloves when I am cooking with jalapenos because something in their juices burns my hands..everyone is different, but if you're wondering why I have on gloves, it's to keep my hands from burning like fire for three days (I learned the hard way)* 

Step one:  Wash and cut the ends of off the jalapenos.  

 Step two: Cut them in half and clean their seeds out..I call it their guts...same thing. ;) 

Step Three: Fill each half of the jalapeno to the top with cream cheese.

Step four: Get your bacon and cut it into thirds, like so:

Step five: Wrap the jalapeno with a piece of bacon and secure with a toothpick.

Bake in a 325 degree oven for 1 hour-And viola!! An easy and SUPER yummy appetizer for New Year's Parties!

Now you can crank up the degrees to 375 and cook for around 30 minutes if you want to..I have just found that the longer you cook them, the more flavorful they will be. And I think the HOTNESS tends to get ramped up if you cook them longer...this last batch were extra hot and I cooked them for over an hour.

I will be making them again. Very soon.

I'm also pretty dang excited to share another recipe I made for Christmas...STUFFED MUSHROOMS. They were SO delish.

Happy Tuesday!

Xoxo,

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T10:45:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas! I hope your day is filled with sweet memories and wonderful family and friends. Even after thousands of years, the birth of Jesus is still as sweet and mysterious as before. Thank you, Jesus for your birth and more importantly for your death on the cross.

And this was too cute not so share, so I hope you enjoy!

New York City {in photos}

2011-12-21T22:11:00.000-05:00

Man, I still haven't gotten all settled since our big NYC trip. There is still one load of laundry to do, and I've got lots of cooking an baking on the horizon for Christmas!

We had a great time in New York City. It's such a different world than our little ol' town in North Carolina. But I loved it!

There were MOBS and MOBS of people, though. Which is to be expected around Christmastime especially. Like shoulder to shoulder traffic in some parts of the city.

Here are some photos from our weekend...enjoy!

Waiting at the airport...

Of course we had to go inside Tiffany's. That place is 9 stories or something..and I almost convinced hubby I needed a diamond for my other hand.. ;)

Every corner or so, there were always beautiful flowers for sale. I loved looking at all the variety. Aren't they beautiful!?

And yummy produce too! It was a lot more costly than here in NC!

One of the days we were there the wind chill was 12 degrees. IT WAS COLD.

We got our brown bags from Bloomingdales. :)

We went and saw the Rockettes which was SO great- that was my favorite part of the trip.

Gorgeous tree at Rockefeller Center. The line for the skating rink was like over 2 hours long, so we decided against that. (In the photo, they were cleaning the rink..)

New York was so beautiful at Christmas.

It's definately a trip that needs to be added to your Bucket List!

New York City!

2011-12-15T22:22:00.000-05:00

Guess what?

I'm making a trip tomorrow...to somewhere really fun!

I am going to NYC tomorrow with hubby and the in-laws. :)

Those are just a few of the fun things we'll be doing..if you've ever been to NYC, do you have any recomendations of places to go?

Can't wait to share the fun we will have!

Advent Conspiracy.

2011-12-12T22:14:00.000-05:00

I don't know about you but I find myself getting stressed out about the gift buying, the cooking, the running errands in preparation for Christmas.

Anyone else feel that way yet?

But what's funny to me is this:

Why is it that people get the most stressed out about Christmas when it should be the holiday that is the LEAST stressful?

The most important part of this holiday is not about giving or receiving presents.

It's about the birth of Jesus. and what he did here on earth. He didn't run around like a busy bee searching for gifts.. he gave.

He gave his time. his gifts. his love. and then he gave his life.

and that's what I am trying to focus on this year.

It's so easy for me to worry about getting the right gift for my family or making sure I spend X amount of dollars on this or that...

but that's not important.

what IS important is giving yourself. your time. your love. like Jesus did.

I hope you don't get too caught up in the hustle and bustle and instead sit at the feet of Jesus and thank him for what he gave us. Eternal life.

Check out this video, I think you'll like it.

Hope you have a wonderful day!!

Some things to look for this week:

I am sharing a yummy holiday recipe and perhaps a little DIY project...pretty excited about it!

P.S. Just had to share this cute picture that I snapped today!

Xoxo,

Scarfament Swap

2011-12-10T12:52:00.002-05:00

This year, Danielle over at Take Heart hosted an awesome swap where you purchase and ornament and a scarf (scarfament) and you get to meet a new blogger in the process. It was so much fun and I now have a new crafty friend from California!

My partner was Savannah over at Savannah Smiles and she made me this ADORABLE ornament:

Ahh, I love love it!!! It matched my tree and the other ornaments perfectly! And twine and stamps are my favorite... :)

And she sent me this beautiful scarf! Plum is my favorite color to wear in the fall/winter. I have been wearing it a whole bunch!

And the best part is she sewed a little rossette on the end.. is that not the cutest little thing?

Thanks Savannah! You are the bomb-so glad we are real friends now. ;)

Insta-Friday!

2011-12-09T16:00:00.002-05:00

Hello, friends!!

Today was a good day. It was casual day at work- and that makes me happy.

When my boss announced that we could wear jeans, it reminded me of this clip from The Office:

I love The Office.

ANYWAY, I did dress appropriately... hehe!

Here's my week via Instagram!

1. Took advantage of Cyber Monday and bought these cheetah print flats for under $10 shipped! Oh yeah, and my cute little Penny Girl wanted in the photo.

2. Hubby cooked dinner just a tad too long. ;) It's okay babe, you are still awesome!

3. Got on the ball with making some Christmas gifts. I have seriously been running so far behind this year...but i'm trying my hardest not to get caught up in the Christmas hustle and bustle. I want to remember the REAL reason for this holiday- the birth of Jesus!

4. 4. Tried a new recipe form Pinterest. and it was THE BOMB. Southern Style Pulled Pork BBQ. I was proud of myself for nailing one of hubby's favorite foods!

5. Going to do a lot of baking this weekend...and I can't wait to share the recipes with y'all next week!

6. Finally put the finishing touches on our Christmas decor.

7. Picked up some pallets and CAN'T WAIT TO MAKE SOMETHING AWESOME FROM THEM! :)

8. Make some Monkey Bread for a Saturday morning snack. YUM!

And tonight I am going to a Pinterest Party with some of my friends! What? You haven't heard of that before? We are just getting the supplies for a project on pinterest we want to do, and then making it together while eating junk food and chatting away! Sounds great, huh?

Happy Weekend, friends! If you want to follow me on Instagram my username is mrskaitjones. Please come join me for a glimpse into my week.

Xoxo,

Look what I found...

2011-12-07T23:09:00.024-05:00

I picked up three of these beauties yesterday:

My mind has not quit thinking about all of the possibilities...

Love

Pallets.

(I swear, pallets and burlap are like my catnip..hehe)

and I have been waiting for months to get my hands on one or two.

Here are some great ideas:

1. Make some crates out of them:

Source: pinterest.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

2. Make a display for dishes:

Source: webecoist.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

3. Make an end table:

Source: klabbogdatt.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

4 Make bookshelves:

Source: practicalenrichment.wordpress.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

5. Make a photo frame display:

Source: amandacarverdesigns.com via Kaitlin on Pinterest

6. Make lots of other cool things:

Source: hgtv.ca via Kaitlin on Pinterest

I mean, the possibilites are endless!

Any other neat ideas on what to do with pallets?

Do share!

Xoxo,

A sneak peek...

2011-12-06T10:00:00.013-05:00

Over our Thanksgiving break, hubby and I had a photo session with my new super-talented friend, Cristi. She was SO much fun and I can't wait to get some more done from her in the years to come.

She sent me a sneak peek and I just had to share...

I LOVE IT. SOOOO much.

Picnics have a special place in our hearts... hubby proposed to me while on a picnic, our first date was a picnic, and he bought me an awesome picnic basket one year for my birthday so I knew I wanted to incorporate it into our photo session.

Here's one more!

Happy Tuesday!