Nerdy Oasis- My Office

The office was our biggest project.  Since Ronnie has his man cave upstairs, this was my dream room.  I call it “Nerd Chic.”  We painted those awful bright green walls a soft grayish-purple and accented the room with royal purple and blue. It's not done yet... we just ordered a new [gray] cozy chair and I am still planning to hang a shelf, but it's too fun not to share.

book case

closet moved

House Projects

There have been a lot of projects happening around here since Ronnie moved home.  I will try to hit the highlights.  :)

New Back Door:  Since the new door is smaller than the old door, it needed to be framed in.  So, I figured it was the perfect time to paint the wall!  I love it!  Also, it is worth nothing that our privacy curtains were $7 per panel at Garden Ridge.  What a steal!  I also did a collage wall late last year for one of the living room walls.  

My cute little herb plants, orange walls, and collage

After switching the office and guest room, we gave the guest room a new look with a new [used] bed set and added in a treadmill that was given to us.  Got to love a multi-purpose room!

Mother of the Year

I cant pass up the opportunity to brag on my Grandma for a minute.  She was nominated the 2013 American Mother of the Year for Indiana!  It has come complete with plaques at the State House, Parade appearances, projects, and trips.  It is certainly keeping her very busy and we are all very proud of her. 

Adding her name to the State House Plaque

Her speech at the Ft. Wayne Court House

The Three Rivers Festival Parade

2013 INDY500

We were blessed to be given tickets to the Indy500 this year!  It was a first for both of us.  It was great for Ronnie to get a real taste of Indiana culture.  I think he was really impressed.  It is nothing like you see on tv.  

Sweet 16

In February, my baby sister turned 16.  It still blows my mind, but we wont go into how old that makes me feel.  My mom and I threw Cori a Mad Hatter Tea Party.  Of course, Pinterest was the inspiration for much of it.  Here are a few of my favorite details.

tea table complete with quotes on the walls, heart candies, chess pieces, and the works.

Little bottles filled with kool-aid

Red Velvet cupcakes and cheese cake squares

This was a game of croquet with cards and hedgehog 

Everyone had fun (even the cats)

 They also had a card house building contest and made "Scrap Journals" which are books that you basically destroy each page in a different, creative way (paint, cut, draw, write, etc.).  So fun.  :-D

Retirement

I spent my spring break in Texas in February.  It was great to see some old friends and have a brief catch-up.  Ronnie’s grandparents came down for part of the time, too.  We were all able to be a part of Ronnie’s retirement ceremony.  He received several awards and his superiors had nothing but great things to say about him.  He moved home just a few sort days later and officially retired at the end of March.  He has been home since then helping out with little projects around the house (pics to come) and starting some online summer courses.  He is planning to start full time classes in the fall in pursuit of a business degree.  

December Disney

I think my sister would kill me if didnt dedicate a post to our spontaneous trip to Disney World.  Cori came to Ronnie and me in late November and bluntly stated, "You guys should take me to Disney World."  I laughed and asked her when.  She simply said, "Before the end of the year."  And that is how it started.  I knew that school would not afford me the time to plan such a trip so it was up to Ronnie and Cori to plan the trip details and keep the price down.  But they did it... every last detail.  Cori even looked up Disney "secrets."  We found little hidden treasures, events, and tricks all along the way.  We were in Disney for 4 days over New Years Eve.  For those who have never ventured to Disney over New Years, I will tell you that what they say is true.  It is the single busiest day of the year as everyone crowds in to see the spectacular castle and firework show at midnight.  Magic Kingdom was at capacity by 9am, so we got there for Magic hours at 6am and stayed until midnight.  It was an incredible show, well worth the wait.  But I dont know that I will dare fight the crowds again.

There are so many cool pictures of the trip and I wish I could elaborate more.  But for the sake of time, I will just leave you with a glance at the Shutterfly book I just put together of the trip.

Click here to view this photo book larger

Click here to create your own Shutterfly photo book.

Christmas 2012

Ronnie and I had a great Christmas.  It is so nice to have him home for a couple weeks.  We both got a kick out of watching Mia open her Christmas presents.  She was so into it!  Please notice the Christmas PJs and her new snow boots, too!  

 

Mia Bug

Couldn't help but share this pic of Mia.  It was taken by my aunt over Christmas.  Such a cute little pupper!

Ugly Sweater Party

I hosted our CLS class Christmas party after our last day of school before break.  I could not have done it with out the help from my good friends from school, Jacqueline and Kim.  We baked and decorated and got everything all ready.  The party was a huge success!  We had a white elephant gift exchange, Mario Cart competition, and a photo booth.  So many fun photos to choose from.  :)