Holidays without our Nonnie

I realize this title itself seems depressing and something that might not need to occupy an entire post, BUT Nonnie has been on my heart so much already this season and, like I told you in the beginning, this is Lee and my own little web space where we can do as we please ;). That said, as I was wrapping Pops' gifts last night after Lee's dad and girlfriend left the house, I realized this was the first year I wouldn't wrap a gift for our precious Nonnie. It hit me like....well there is really no comparison... the sadness that comes with remembering a loved one also comes with this sense of peace, happiness, and thankfulness. As tears were flowing, I wasn't making my "ugly crying face." I wasn't having to catch my breath or blubber about it to Lee. In fact, I really don't even know that he realized anything was going on. As i was brought to tears by the fact that this would be our first Christmas without her and that things were changing before we could stop it, I was also thinking how much she would LOVE the gift I was wrapping for Pops, how beautiful she would think the paper and bows were (even if they weren't...because you see, we were PERFECT in her eyes - just ask Mama and Daddy because she told them all the time), how happy she would be that Christmas was coming even earlier for the Coons this year, how proud she would be of my cousin who does not thrive for entertaining and cooking but hosted a huge thanksgiving this year simply so we could all be together and share our love and laughter with Nonnie's sweetheart. I thought about her "Hmmm"s and her famous bubble baths she made for us while she found all kinds of things in our ears (elephants, money, giraffes, etc.). I thought about her last days when she could barely lift her head in the right direction but was able to tell Mama and Uncle Howard she "loved them too." I thought about she and Pops riding bikes in Jackson when it was safe to do so at any time of day. I thought of her LOVE of picture taking/posing when she was younger and how Megan has definitely inherited that trait. I thought about her tendency toward ADD when it came to cleaning and preparing the house or meals and how Mama absolutely cornered that area of her personality (proof of that came this week while I tried to "help" her decorate her home for the FBC staff dinner...let's just say she had one task and it took her both days, but the floor was vacuumed at every drop of glitter). I considered my love for old movies as I watched "Gone with the Wind" the other night and realized she was pretty enamored with them as well. I thought about how Lee and I try our best to live up to Nonnie and Pops' legacy with our flame that started burning when we were 15 just like them. I know Lee isn't blood, but I could swear he inherited Pops' sweet tendencies toward the women in his life and his silent leadership. Lastly, I thought of Dustin and how his humor is SO COON (Nonnie and Pops' last name)! He and Uncle Howard have a ball together and it's no wonder...they both take after the Coons' ability to make any situation lighter...even if by accident. You see, it was a different kind of sadness...it came with a realization that Nonnie will be here this Christmas...she will be in Megan's poses, Mama's vacuuming, Dustin's jokes and expressions, Clancy's motherly instincts and sacrifice, in Daddy's comments remembering things she used to do or say, in Lee and Russ's sweet spirits, and in our love that grows deeper each year. She will be in Pops' eyes, where she always was. So I don't think this post was depressing or out of place on our blog...I think it is just what I needed to be thankful for those who are still here and to be happy for those who are in heaven..probably riding bikes safely again and awaiting our arrival. Anyway, those were my thoughts last night and as I woke up EARLY this morning so there you have it! Merry holidays! Almost December!

The last 3 weeks...

I realize I've been very bad at this blogging thing lately...I mean, what a teaser?! Start back up and then take a 3 week hiatus just so I can paint, move in, decorate, have family over each night to see and eat dinner, then decorate for Christmas?! Yep, that's exactly what I did. BUT we are now nestled into our sweet nest and are SO excited and blessed. I guess I should begin with the stories of painting...where we tried to match each color and were so ecstatic to have records...oh but they didn't match perfectly which left marks all over the walls where we had excitedly covered those spots and scuffs that proved a family had lived here. Let's not even go there...and let's not go to the fact that my mom ended up hiring our family painter to paint three rooms because she saw that it would be virtually impossible for us to finish before the move-in date. (Bless her...and I don't mean that in the way most Mississippians do ("You stupid idiot"). I mean it as a plea to God to bless her for the gesture. Since we aren't talking about that, we definitely won't talk about the fact that my sweet daddy followed through on his offer to have a cleaning service come to the house and take over for a day...again, unspeakable gratitude. And while we are covering up all these unpleasantries turned miracles, we will also leave out the 3 days of help from my mother-in-law (cleaning, laundry, trim, moving, etc.) and the fact that my father-in-law gave us an epic washer and dryer as a housewarming gift. No, I don't think those huge dilemmas and happenings in our lives would interest you enough for the pages they would occupy if told in grateful detail! However, I DO think these pictures will interest you...these are what came AFTER all of the above...these pictures are what happened between the tears and laughter and what is our little (or BIG) holiday miracle!

Signing on the dotted line! (Homeowners)

Mashed potato utensil turned dish towel rack

Sifter turned lamp shade

Tool drawers used as recipe and spice drawers

Coke crate shelves

Vintage suitcase shelves

Birdcage turned lamp shade

Formal seating area (my favorite room)

Foryer..where "together is a wonderful place to be"

Cross wall (between book shelf and TV armoire)

Mantle

Memories/Heritage Wall

Smallest guest room

"Family tree" in bigger guest room

Kitchen/Dining room

Guest room

Dining table

Cheese grater turned vase

Saws turned into a magnet board for vintage photos

Family keepsakes above the laundry room cabinets

Laundry room shelf

Vintage water pump in kitchen

Industrial cart turned coffee table

That covers just about every room (except the master, the loft, and the largest guest room which are incomplete to say the least)! We have definitely budgeted and made the most of our taste for the vintage/flea market style. I absolutely loved decorating this house and showing my very DOUBTFUL family members just how I would make use of all the "junk" I had bought, taken, and saved for the past few months. Apparently, they thought I was crazy as I bought the individual pieces and didn't see how it would be cohesive. Hopefully, they changed their minds! Lee and I are so pleased and took a break on the last three rooms in the house in order to decorate for Christmas! We LOVE Christmas, family, entertaining, and all that comes with the holiday season! Here are a few glances into our work so far...despite the snow/rain the past week. All that is left is lighting the two trees in front of the house and putting out the new spotlights Daddy purchased for us! (Outdoor pictures coming soon)

Kyle enjoying the decorations...or maybe it was the new reclining couch?

Someone is always watching you...step away from the frig! ha

"Oh Owly Night" flag from Sissy

an early Christmas gift from the hubs (made by Bootsy McFarland)

Front door

Santa is always welcome at the Tull house

Garage door

Back Door

Christmas Tree (only owls)

Christmas blankets :)

Merry, Merry!

Our cozy mantle (reindeers from mama and daddy :) )

Where I will be baking Christmas goodies this week

Christmas Owls (Surprise!)

My indoor tree (also from Bootsy McFarland)

That is a bit of writing with a hodgepodge of pictures to explain what we have been up to much better than I could have done with 100,000 words tonight. I hope you will continue to check back for updates. This Christmas season will be our first as homeowners and could get very interesting. So far, we have been blessed beyond measure by friends and family...and family's friends! Cakes, pizzas, brownies, etc. have come our way and have been devoured to the point of embarrassment! No words could express our gratitude to God and all who have helped to make this enjoyable. The only thing that could make this move sweeter would be to get word that all these safety caps for our electrical outlets should come back out of our drawer (where we safely keep them waiting), since we have a new niece or nephew coming!! What a glorious Christmas gift that would be. We already know where Baby J will sleep :) Keep praying, friends! Good night!

Day One of Move-in Week

Well, I told you that Lee and I would finally move in our new home this Friday!? Today was the day we would get our keys so we could paint, clean, plan, and patch some holes. The key was a bit late getting to us so Lee was actually able to go with me to the house after work...man, am I glad?! Obviously, I am ignorant when it comes to details and how long they can take...because we spent the entire night taping walls (actually Lee did because "I never learned how to color inside the lines" as he stated), unscrewing and bagging up outlet covers, filling in holes left from the prior tenants' momentos, taking out the trash including some last minute things they weren't able to get out of the house in time (yes, we made sure they didn't want the items first), and cleaning...Well, some of you have no idea how huge that is for me! Most of you DO, however, know about my allergies and how much a part of our lives that is (not by choice). It usually keeps me from having to dust or clean with all those chemicals... Melaleuca products took care of the chemical part which I know Lee is very thankful for, but there is really no cure for dust flying up in your face and making you sneeze uncontrollably. Needless to say, I was dreading the process a bit. Just when I was beginning to work on the third bathroom, Daddy came by to bring some supplies (between trips to the hospital, a visit, and seeing a family who lost a precious member tonight). He laughed at my anxiety over the whole process and as he was shutting the door, he mumbled in his very special way something about hiring someone to clean...."Do what?!" I asked and he stopped and restated that if I could call someone to deep clean the house, he would like to hire them for us...Is this man for real?! I can tell you he is, and he is TAKEN as Megan and I will proudly tell you, especially in situations like this one where he knows just what to do to take that extra stress off of you. Dustin experiences this sense of pride in his Daddy when he takes Brodie (my 4-legged nephew) to the vet I'm sure. Well, I can tell you that I just about sat indian style in the floor and cried when he told me "Yes, I'm sure." You see, I believe this may have been the first toilet I had ever deep cleaned....our first 2 moves were made easier by both moms pitching in on those tasks. If and when you move, remember this when you plan your budget...I think I can confidently say it will be worth it!

So, after finishing the preparations for painting, Lee and I treated ourselves to Mi Toro. I told Lee we owed it to ourselves as a reward for our work, getting into the house, and just because we will be "living off of juju beans" for a while after the move. Now, he is snoozing and I'm writing down my thoughts for you. Tomorrow, I will be getting up with him and we will both go off to work; he will go to Tull Brothers and I will paint (for the first time alone I might add). The plan is for me to finish the master bedroom (which was painted burgundy and I will be attempting to paint khaki ), and maybe even finish painting one of the smaller bedrooms white (over lime green). I think I'm up for the challenge though! Lee will come straight over from work to tape the remaining two rooms to be painted and patch the rest of the holes in other rooms and touch up the existing paint. The cleaning crew should be coming Wednesday while I finish painting the last two rooms and MAYBE we will be ready to move some essentials Thursday so that the only thing left will be for the guys to bring over the THREE storage units of furniture and decor (stay tuned because some will be for sale when we finally get to it). I can't forget to mention that ALL of my fall and winter clothes and shoes have been in the VERY back of these storage units since July. So, if you have seen me around town in my Nike shorts, t-shirts, and Toms...do not judge...there is a reason! This fashionista has been strugglin'. So excited to have our own place to live and my own clothes to wear.

I guess that is all for tonight, and hopefully there won't be too much excitement tomorrow. If there is, I'll let ya know ;) Maybe I will even get a few pictures of the madness to share...that would definitely make my sister proud.

Anyway, thanks for stopping by! Have a great week!

New Beginnings...

Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, I have taken a pretty long break from blogging! I told my sister it was because I was too busy living life to write about it, but if we're being honest (and I am), there hasn't been much to say that isn't already on my big sister's well-established blog. You can always follow the Smith clan on russandmegan.blogspot.com in case you aren't familiar. This blog is to keep you updated on Lee and I in particular, but will undoubtedly have much mention of our family since that is a huge part of our lives.

Let's see, where should I begin filling you in on the past year and a half of our lives since the wedding? Well, we moved to Jackson, MS where I worked for BancorpSouth as a teller and gained great working experience, learned how to handle multiple types of personalities with a smile, and worked with some of the most fun people ever! Lee had decided he would like to try dental school although his major was in Construction Management, and started working at UMC in research for a year while taking an online course to help with the DAT. After a little over a year, Lee's ambitions and desires for his future career changed, and while I was enjoying the people I worked for, banking wasn't where my skills were either. We decided there was nothing keeping us 4 hours away from our family since our plans didn't revolve around a school, so we moved home...literally....as in, with my parents. This was meant to be VERY temporary..maybe a month max. Let's just say we will be moving out this Friday...and we moved in with the parents at the end of July. It was a definite adjustment for us AND the parents since they had happily settled into their empty nest until we knocked on their door! We've actually had a lot of fun living here...never a dull moment as always. We've gotten a lot of free meals "just because", watched a lot of football, gotten free room and board (except for my services as the event chef of the household), and laughed A LOT. Lee went to work for Tull Brothers to do what he does best and become a project manager, and I began marketing for Melaleuca, an international wellness company. House hunting began and we found exactly what we were looking for! There have been a few setbacks due to changing regulations but everything is being worked out and we will be in our new home by Friday.

Maybe that is why I felt the need to blog again...I finally feel like we are almost back to a normal routine with our own space, which makes me so excited and anxious. Or maybe I decided to blog simply because I've been feeling a responsibility lately to take a stand for things Lee and I know to be right and true. This blog would definitely give us our own space to always speak truth and encouragement. Either way, we are officially back and with the upcoming move, holidays, and hopefully a neice or nephew in the near future, there will be plenty to blog about and plenty to keep you on your toes or bent over with laughter! We probably won't check in too much until after the move, but feel free to tune in just to listen to the Christmas music since the TV and radio haven't geared up for the holidays yet!