Monday, July 18, 2016

Kitchen Dreams


       Lately my mind has been spinning and twirling with DIY ideas. Most of the homes we have looked at and considered all need some form of upgrade and several projects would be required.
    Kitchens are one of the bigger endeavors you can tackle in a home upgrade. So many connecting elements that need to flow and compliment as well as being practical and usable. For most families the kitchen is the heart of their living, laughing, and memory making.  
    First order would be to figure out the layout you want/ or have to work with, and then what elements can you keep, reuse, or need to replace. 
     For now I am left to dream about all the possibilities and wait till I have an actual kitchen to work with. When we get into a home I'll post all our improvements we tackle in hopes some of my leg work, mistakes, and ideas will make it easier on someone else trying to do the same. 

.... I'll leave you with some images that inspire me.... 






SINCERELY,
Carrie Signature

Wednesday, July 13, 2016

The Golden State


           We have been in Cali going on seven weeks now and living in our second airbnb. Our first 10 days my parents come out with us, my Dad driving with Greg, and the ladies flew. Driving from Sc to Tx with a two year old was enough for me flying the second leg of the trip was a life saver! We were able to snag a quaint cottage in Oceanside, Ca about a block over from the beach. 
    Despite having our house hunting hats on and being laser focused we were still able to relaxing to the sound of the waves and enjoy the ocean breezes. It was such a blessing to have my parents for the time that we did. As a mom I define luxury so differently now, while my mom was with us she made me coffee in the morning and breakfast! WHAT!!! it was like a warm blanket and on par with an uninterrupted great nights sleep. 






   Our time in Oceanside seems like a life time ago, but it was sweet and filled with wonderful memories. When we were not house hunting we ate at several great restaurants and the farmers market on Thursday morning is worth a stroll through. 





We were also able to go to Birch aquarium and La Jolla beach to see the seals


   
   





SINCERELY,
Carrie Signature

Monday, July 11, 2016

The journey is half the fun!



South Carolina > Texas 

      I tend to just want to rush through the journey and hurry up and get to the destination. Even though that is my default setting I have learned, multiple times, that some of the sweetest experiences, best memories, and ah-ha moments happen during the journey. 
     This particular PCS began in early May going from Beaufort to Texas where we spent most of the month of May with family. 
    We were blessed to spend some time in Dallas with the Whites!! dear military friends who were stationed with us in Japan... and fellow Texans. It was such a sweet time and good for the soul. 

Mr. Jack being a gentleman and driving the lady around 


.... AND who am I kidding of course we went from Dallas to San Antonio via Waco... 
  



 Our little gal turned 2 when we were in TX so we got a rare opportunity to celebrate with both sides of the family and Paytons' birthday got extended over 2 weeks .... she did not mind especially if she got double the cup cakes. 



      Also, its soooo nice to be around family especially when you get to go out on a real date! like not an anniversary, birthday date like a real, just cuz, date. We went to Whiskey Cake in San Antonio, recommended by the sis-in-law, it was amazing! totally recommend. 
     Get the whiskey cake! it was life changing... or maybe just eating a wonderful dessert with out a toddler was amazing. Either way it was divine.
Also, found this recipe on Pinterest for a copy whiskey cake recipe so once we settle down
I will attempt to
make it and let ya'll know how it is. 

        Sadly I did not take nearly as many pictures of all the time we spend with grandparents,Uncles & Aunts, and cousins. But we loved every moment! and miss being with everyone and seeing them daily. Come visit!!!  


SINCERELY,
Carrie Signature

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Zoo-tastic!


     We ventured out today to the San Diego Zoo and had a blast. Payton's first trip to the zoo and she was on a sensory high. It was a lovely cool morning and we got there right when it opened which is not hard when your kiddo is up at 6:30 ready to play! 
    It is an easy zoo to navigate with plenty food, shade, and rest areas. User friendly maps to help you figure out what animals are where and despite some hearty hills it really is not a bad walk. 


Guys I really need to work on my selfie skills!



    {FYI: Since Greg is active duty he and Payton are free and then we purchased my ticket on base so were able to get it at a more reasonable rate. Just for future references for other military} ... We are really considering doing a year pass. 

        We got tons of compliments on Payton's dress and how "appropriate" it was for the occasion. I purchased it months ago, sadly not available anymore, because I just could not handle how cute it was. So thought I would do some online shopping to find some other stellar threads that would  set your little one up for zoo-tastic success







        *Most of the above items are currently available at Gap, Old Navy, H&M, and Etsy. 


SINCERELY,
Carrie Signature

Thursday, July 7, 2016

From Coast to Coast


       Well its been a LONG time since I have written, (like 2014...) and life has been busy, but I am trying to rededicate a portion of my time to blogging more. If nothing else to keep friends and family up to date on our crazy life.

       Location, Location, Location - good place to start! 
 
    We have moved from Beaufort, Sc to Pendleton, Ca. In all honesty we are still moving.... since we have not landed in a home yet in California. Because of the constant shuffle from place to place I still do not feel like I have fully processed our move from Beaufort. I do know that I deeply miss our friends, church, and community there. Other military friends and people who move often can sympathize with the emotional drain it takes on you building friendships, memories, and connecting your lives to those around you just to have that taken away and to start all over again. 

       BUT on a more positive note if we never moved to Beaufort we would never of made those sweet friendships, grown spiritually, and have the community there who stood beside us and walked with us through life and our entry into parenthood. 

 So as we are  just beginning our time here in California I want to start by remembering our final week in South Carolina. 

The last week was super busy, Greg was finishing his last series with 3rd Battalion. Graduation on Friday - Movers coming on Monday .... EEK  


Our Beaufort home all packed up, We were blessed by amazing owners who were such great people to rent from and a lovely home to make memories and bring our baby home to. 


During our last week P and I were blessed to spend our last play date
 with amazing friends at Fripp Island!



On the Road!!! We drove from Sc to TX our first BIG drive with little bit.
She did amazing!! really, super surprised! we cut the div in half stopping overnight with great friends in Alabama.

We were also on a tight time frame because we had to be in TX by early May
because Greg was graduating from Texas A&M with his Masters.
Shout out to a brilliant, hard working guy who rocked his final presentation!
Love all he does to provide for us and grow as a person. 

      

SINCERELY,
Carrie Signature
 
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