Heirloom Lamp Makeover

I completed this makeover gem back in the Winter, 

and I am still really excited about it! 

This lovely lamp came from my grandmother's house. It was one of the things I knew I wanted to take home with me, 

and definitely give new life to. 

You can see that the shade is so drab & antiqued, and there were several spots on it. I almost tossed that thing in the garbage, but I kept noticing how cute the shape of it was. I really wanted to keep the original shade if I could.

 I didn't take any pics of the process, mainly because I was simultaneously watching a movie, and also because they would be rather boring (as this post may seem). I simply cut a piece of burlap to size, and wrapped the sheet of burlap around the existing lamp shade, using a small amount of hot glue to secure the burlap at the top of the shade. I then had to add a little extra touch by folding small scraps of the burlap, then wrapping them into a ball to make a flower shape. I then just hot glued those on.  

 

The lamp has now found a new home on my computer desk. Every time I look at it, I'm reminded of my sweet grandmother. I am so glad I could spruce up the lamp, and keep it in the family. 

Don't you just love the marble & crystal base?! 

Love the antique look!

I hope to post more projects soon. I realized I have many drafts saved- all projects from months past that are done, just waiting to be posted. Soon, maybe soon.

2014 Easter Weekend & More

Even though I haven't posted in a long time, I knew I couldn't pass up typing my annual Easter blog post. Zach & I always take a family photo on Easter Sunday, with the exception of last year when we were both at home sick on Easter Sunday. 

We took that photo one week later though. 

Here is our photo from this year, continuing the tradition...

I love to look back on our photos from each year! 

This year, to make that easier, I created a collage...

I love to see how we've changed from year to year. My hair color & length changes constantly, while Zach just gets more handsome with each year. :)

We have been busy lately with a lot of different activities, as well as work. Zach is incredibly busy with work right now. That means I don't see him as much as I would like, but we are very blessed that he is so busy.

A couple of weekends ago, we went to a couple's shower for one of my sweet friends from high school. I helped to host, so we got there early. We had a wonderful night catching up with friends, and celebrating Meg & Andrew's upcoming wedding!

Me & my sweet high school friends...

Me & my sweetie...

Also, on that same weekend, Zach & I went to our first antiques auction. Now I think we're hooked! There is another one coming up this weekend, and we're planning to be there. Who knows what treasure we might discover!

The company that runs the auctions have them planned for the first & third Sunday afternoons of each month, and once you're assigned a number, you keep it for the duration. 

Maybe 218 will be our lucky number!!

After the auction, I had to head home to get ready for our choir concert that night. We had a well-known composer, Ken Medema, meet with us that weekend. He led our choir with many of his own songs. He was a talent on the piano also, especially since he is legally blind. It is amazing how God can take someone like him & show us all that no matter what problems we have, He can still turn them into something wonderful.

Our church's youth choir also joined us for the concert. 

I love the look of the full choir loft!

Pray for our church, First Baptist of FP, if you think of us over the weekend. This Sunday is our pastor's last Sunday. He is retiring, so there will be huge hole left in our church. Pray for our congregation also as we begin the search for our new pastor, and our journey with our new pastor once he is appointed. 

Lots of changes happening, but that's what life is all about!

Let's Play Catch-Up...

... like, 5 months' worth of catching up. I recently realized I had not hit the "Publish" button in a little over 5 months now. Not necessarily a bad thing. Life has been busy- and wonderful- lately, and lots of things take priority over a small, meaningless blog. But I do want to take the time to update (mainly for myself & my few readers) on what has gone on these past months since my last post on Mom's wedding.

So, here goes a month-by-month run-down
of our "exciting" lives :) ...

-September-

September actually was rather exciting for us. We enjoyed our annual Disney Anniversary trip- this time, for our FIFTH Wedding Anniversary! Still can't believe we've been married five years now! As they say, time flies!

This trip was my favorite, because my sweetie surprised me with an awesome anniversary dinner. He had a custom-made menu created just for us, along with a private viewing of Epcot's fireworks show, Illuminations. The food & the attentiveness of our private waiting staff was impeccable, and it meant so much to me that he would go to all the trouble of planning the dinner just to surprise me. 

Coming home from Walt Disney World wasn't as bad, because we had tickets to an Alabama home game (first home game of the season!) that following week. Our seats were some of the closest you can get, and the entire experience- tail-gating included- was awesome! Very proud of the Tide this season, and hope next season will be even better!

-October-

This is a minuscule event in the grand scheme of things, but I needed a pic for October... ha. It really was a big deal for me... I had my hair dyed chocolate brown- no highlights, which I've had continuously since high school. Truth be told, I always had light blonde hair growing up, then it got darker as I got older. It is now a dirty blonde/light brunette naturally, but I am still loving the chocolate that was put in.  

-November-

A simple pic for November, even though the month itself isn't simple. We enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving this year, and it was nice to have a new addition to our table, my new step-dad. :)

-December-

Right before Christmas, Zach & I had a nice long weekend get-away to Buckhead, where we've been once before. We stayed at the St. Regis again, which is out-of-this-world! For the winter season, they transform their swimming pool area into a winter wonderland-esque ice skating rink, which we happily took advantage of. 

We enjoyed a yummy dinner at our favorite restaurant in the area, Chops. It was amazing!

And, of course, you can't forget Christmas. This marked our TWELFTH Christmas together, which is unbelievable to me. 
We are very blessed!

-January-

January has been great so far. I was blessed to celebrate my 29th Birthday the same week as my granddad celebrated his 83rd! We had a family dinner at Top O' the River. Yum- turnip greens!! I also had a good family dinner at Zach's mom's with his family to celebrate. I always love family get-togethers. :)

It's a little sad to see 5 quick months all rolled up into one post, but I didn't want to miss the important things that have happened since my break. I hope to post soon, but I really have enjoyed the break. We'll see!