High Five For Friday

Time for the High Five Friday post! <3

Taken from the lovely From My Grey Desk.

Some highlights from the week:

1. Spending some much needed time with Jesus. 

. . .

2. My last Chocolate Cloud Cookie (for at least 6 weeks) from Bake House downtown. This i seriously the most delicious cookie i've ever tasted!! I'm going to probably have withdrawals from this awesomeness. I start my training next week, so no more Cloud cookies for me. 

. . .
3. Sarcasm. I seriously find it everywhere i go. These signs make me laugh SO MUCH. I pass this sign almost daily on my routine downtown walk. <3

. . .

4. My beautiful friend Christina & her husband paired up with a local couple to do a recording to help Kenyan Missionaries who are adopting twins. {there is a LOT more to the story} It is beautiful and completely inspiring. Christina's voice truly draws out the most beautiful piece of your Spirit. I'm so very blessed to call her a friend!! I'll be posting more information about the story behind the song and where your purchase of it will be heading. But for now, follow the link and purchase the song on itunes! I promise you won't regret it! 

 Click here to go purchase the single!! 
5. WOAH i'm on weheartit.com! 
Check it out...

 

Yup...i almost crapped my pants. Now i can't take credit for the pictures, i just found them (and gave credit for where i found them), but still WOW!
. . .
Ready for the weekend!!
Now head on over to From My Grey Desk and check out her High Five For Friday!! 

Hip.Hop.

No, no, this isn't about a certain little bunny that comes around this time of year. 

It's about the music. 

I love hip-hop (and pop since we're on the discussion).

I'm one of those crazy people who enjoys busting out a move every now and then...you know doing the "white-boy dance" while shuffling around making things awkward. 

Yes, i love hip-hop. 

I wish i could dance around and pop&lock it with the best of them. Seriously I've always wanted to b able to breakdance and get it done. I know that might come as a shock to you--but i love it. 

The Crew from ABDC "I AM ME" rocks my socks off. 

What i don't love? 

The words.

Seriously. 

I was listening to a local radio station the other day and this sweet beat came on and i was nodding my head to it when all of a sudden the words actually registered in my brain. It was a song by Wiz Khalifa "Young, Wild & Free"

Let me give you a little taste of the lyrics:

So what we get drunk?
So what we smoke weed?
We’re just having fun
We don’t care who sees
So what we go out?
That’s how it's supposed to be
Living young and wild and free

...Yea, roll one, smoke one

When you live like this your'e supposed to party

Roll one, smoke one, and we all just having fun

 Yeah...because that makes you cute and so much cooler than me.

Not.

I mean this kind of crap is on the radio stations (as well as other garbage) at all times where kid will just start singing along (hey i did!) without realizing what they are singing. 

It kind of makes my stomach turn. 

The truth is, the beat to that song is ballin'. I've had SO MANY students tell me, "i dont listen to the words, just the beat"...which may be true, but at some point the words make their way into your head. I'm not saying to live a sheltered life by any means. The fact is, many people live this kind of "i dont care what you say, its my life and i'm going to partay" lifestyle. I guess i dont understand why you want to continually fill your head with negative talk? And more importantly a lot of these "popular artist" lyrics BLOW...there is no thought behind them and the chorus is just 5 words repeated to a catchy beat.
That's not music, it's noise. 

"That's how it's supposed to be, living young and wild and free."

Well, i've lost a lot of friends to the "young, wild, and free" lifestyle.

It isn't worth it. 

. . .

Ok off my soap box. 

Back to the Hip Hop. 

Since most of the hip-hop music out there only talks about: drinking, drugs, sex, hoes, and partying...i kind of find it hard to enjoy dancing to it. 

So, with that being said let me offer up some freshness.
I've been loving these hip-hop/rap artists for a few years now and i definitely don't think they get the attention they deserve.
The beats are hot, the lyrics are deep, and the people are real.
Let's get started shall we.
"Man Up" by: 116 ft. Lecrae, KB, Trip Lee, Tedashii, PRo, Andy Mineo, and Sho Baraka 

Now one of my favorites, Lecrae
"Just like You"

"Used to do it to"

Trip Lee "Robot"

Flame "Move"

. . .
So there are some fresh beats and fantastic lyrics to take you on your merry'thursday'way.
<3

Do you like hiphop?
Do you agree with me in regards to lyrics, or no? Why/Why not?
Spill.

The Backside.

As promised yesterday i will show you the flip side of my bedroom. 

Yesterday you saw this picture: 

Yuck.

Well prepare yourself for more yuck. 

I decided to slightly picked up the area and then decided to not make it "picture-perfect". Let's face it folks, this is real life and real life is messy! 

Right when you turn around this is the little nook that you see.

The left door leads to a small bathroom (the door barely misses the toilet when you open it) and the right mirror door leads to my walk-in closet. All in all this space isn't horrible. I could probably do a nice paint job and it would make it look 10 times better. 

However i'm not about doing things easy or half-way. I want this space to be not only functional, but pretty. I want to fully enjoy getting ready in the morning, and not always look at how junky things look.

Let's continue on shall we: 

 This is the wall to the left of the bathroom door. It had been bare since my cousin took down the wallpaper for me, and i decided to quickly hang up some form of artwork.

 Now, to the right of the vanity you have the mirrored doors that definitely helps out with putting on makeup. =)

 Once you open the doors, you're faced with this monstrosity. EEK EEK EEK!

Obviously i have a little problem getting rid of clothing, shoes, etc. {i apologize for the crap lighting}

The picture above is actually hiding something. Under all of those clothes sits this large and in charge chest that holds blankets and pictures. I've completely packed this closet out, and not in a pretty way.

. . .

Lets get down to the list of changeable's: 

*Paint color. I might keep it seamless and paint this area the same color as my bedroom; or i might switch it up a bit and go a tad darker or maybe even lighter suggestions?

*The towel rack has got to go. bleh.

*I need to re-paint the vanity and i'll replace the knobs. :)

*I want to frame the mirror. 

Something like this: 

Found here. 

*Get a sweet tower to go where my current short one is. Or end up having no tower at all and hang some floating shelves. 

Tower thought: 

Found here at 4 Men 1 Lady blog! <3

*De-clutter everything. Get rid of what i don't need/use and stick with essentials. 

*Get an extra-long shower curtain and curtain liner and hang it up super high in the bathroom.

*Nix the curtain and get some shades. 

*Remove the wall art and build some sweet shelves (like my friend Donna has) to not only have artwork, but keep lotions, towels, etc. 

Something similar to this:

Found here at 320 Sycamore.

*I'm even thinking of replacing the mirror door with something else. Yes, i love my mirror door and have already stated about how helpful it is in getting ready, but then i saw this image and i fell in love:

Pinned here. 

Isn't it gorgeous!! Granted i would have to keep my closet super clean at all times...but with doors like that i totally would! 

*The closet, well i need to paint all of the walls, and then the shelving. I'd love to re-do all of the shelving but i can work with what i've got for now. PLUS in order to do all of this painting i'll have to pull everything out of the closet aka time to get rid of junk.

 . . .
 So that is the plan...or at least the wanna'be'plan.
I just have to show this last picture of a bathroom that is GORGEOUS!

Amazing right?
Found here on Paloma81's blog. 
But the owner is Katie over at Modern-Eve.
<3 Swoon. You're welcome.
. . .
Do you have any plans for a bedroom-redo?
Where do you get your inspiration?
Spill.
Leave a comment below and tell me your thoughts. 

Irking me.

Let's be honest shall we. 

This isn't working anymore. 

The room you are currently throwing up over is my bedroom. The funny thing is that while all the walls you see (three) are painted the walls behind me most definitely are not. Why have i been slack for OVER A YEAR?!?!? It's not because i'm a naturally lazy person or enjoy taking my time, i just don't like the colors I chose. 

This is a mistake i've learned the hard way and have thankfully only had to learn it once so far. Sometimes you just don't know if you'll like the color until it is on your walls and you've lived in it for a little while (or in my case almost two years). 

. . .

I'm not really sure what color scheme i want in my room. I know that i want it to be breezy, airy, and light…almost spa like. I want it to be a place i can relax in, enjoy getting ready in the morning, and overall be proud of. Currently i'm like *YUCK* this room makes me want to throw things. Ok, maybe thats a little dramatic, i do not really want to throw things (except maybe fluffy pillows) i just want to know what i want! 

Lets first make a list of the things that make irk me. 

*The water spot and flaking of the ceiling over my bed. 

*The BUMPS ON THE CEILING. They are throughout my entire house and i loath them. 

*The brown accent wall, the pinkish tint on the "cream" (it is NOT cream) walls. 

*The too-short brown curtains.

*The clutter.

*The fan (which only two lights work).
*The nasty, fugly, broken shades on my windows. Only one word describes them: JANK. 

There are many, many other things but just from the picture above those are the highlights. 

Let's go into some Changes:

*Color. I will NOT have an accent wall in this room. I think some rooms can benefit from an accent wall, it can add a nice punch of color, but i want seamless color all around the room. 

*The art is coming down. That pice of artwork is one of my favorites and i've had it in my room for years. However it just isn't working in here right now. Maybe it will work once i get the new color scheme going?! Maybe i'll just paint a big canvas and hang it up there instead…you never know with me.

Maybe something similar to this:

found here.

*The curtains…buh-bye. I'm thinking of a bright white curtain, (depending on the color of the walls) or even a bold curtain to help block out some light. 

*The green table that you see on the left of the picture--thats out'of'there. That is going to get painted and become my new desk in the computer room. (ha once i tackle that job). 

*De-clutter. 

*Organize

*Fan. I live in the south and May, June, July, August, September (pshht lets say all months but January and February) are hot. A ceiling fan is a necessity if you plan to not sweat to death in your own home (even with the AC on…its still toasty). That is unless you want to keep your house super cold and run your HVAC bill up over $300, and thats just wasteful.
*Getting new shades for the windows. 

*I'd love to say removing the popcorn ceiling but it is very possible that it has asbestos (any houses built before 1979 most likely have it, click here for more info).
*I WILL have hardwood in here eventually. Its just getting the $$ together to make it happen. 

. . .

So what color am i leaning to?

Gray.

You knew that already didn't you? If you have ever been into my house and have seen the changes i've been making you'll quickly realize that my current color love is gray. I love cool colors. 

Other than that, everything is up in the air. 

I am loving these curtains (and this color gray on the wall). 

The curtains are from West Elm, and i need them; but at $44 a panel i'm not sure i can justify them...yet. 

There are many ideas swirling through my head and i can't seem to just lock down on a solid decision. This is why it has taken me so long to even look at the bedroom as an option. I'm still not sure if i'm 100% ready. 

. . .

Since i'm scatterbrained and still working through some design ideas I thought i would share 

 some incredibly inspiring pictures that make me salivate. 

Pinned here.

Pinned here. 
I'm love the idea of using curtains to frame the bed. It definitely adds character to the room. Hmmm...

Pinned here. 

So those are some ideas that are floating around. 
Tomorrow i'll show you the other half of the room [the bathroom, sink, closet] and toss around a few ideas for those spaces. 
. . .
Do you have any rooms in your house currently irking you? 
What is your current favorite color pallet?
Have you seen The Hunger Games yet?!?!
Spill.

Showers.

Happy Monday!

Caffeine is a must this morning. 

Tell me i'm not the only one who can hit this wall of "well, its either drink this cup of coffee or fall over drooling"...thats right, i didn't think i was alone. 

. . .

This weekend was FANTASTIC! Why you may ask?! Oh because i got to spend it with one of my life-long best friends ever. Her name is Jessie, and we've been friends since we were in the crib. :) 

Yes, i'm the bald one. 

I'm actually going to be her Maid of Honor in May!! I'm so thrilled that she chose me to be in such a special moment of her life, its going to be an awesome day. 

We had her Bridal Shower this weekend and her grandmother did a FANTASTIC job decorating and having everything prepared. She used the catering company Dining with Divas (which i can't find a link for) and they made fantastic food! 

. . .

Overall it was fantastic! 

=)

. . .

Being at Jessie's Bridal Shower definitely sparked my interest into looking up awesome ideas on Pinterest. Of course i've been to my fair share of AWESOMESAUCE Bridal showers in the past but i wanted to show some images that have caught my eye and could (if you're planning a bridal or even baby shower) help inspire you. 

Enjoy. 

. . .

Ribbon + Lights.

Paper Flowers

1950s Theme Bridal Shower

Grey & Pink.

Mint & Lavender Lemonade.

Invite.

Centerpieces. 

. . .

How was your weekend?

Have you been to any Bridal (or Baby) Showers lately?

What's inspiring you?!

Leave links, comments, whatever you'd like! 

Spill.

May the odds be ever in your favor...

Ballin'.

That is my word of choice for The Hunger Games film last night.

I've been reading A LOT of negative reviews (one person gave it 2 1/2 stars...lame) on the movie, but I personally think it lived up to the hype. 

Overall i give it a 9 out of 10.

Stop reading NOW if you don't want things to be spoiled. 

found here.

. . .

One of my biggest concerns going into the movie was Peeta. As i have formally stated, i am Team Peeta COMPLETELY. I love him, more importantly i love what he stands for and who he is as a character. I wasn't sure if Josh Hutcherson was going to be able to live up to what i envisioned as Peeta.

Right when the movie started and i had my first glimpse of Josh Hutcherson made into Peeta, i honestly didn't like it. He just didn't fit what i had seen in my head for Peeta...he at first appeared super scrawny. 

Let me explain. Christina, Stacy, & myself all agreed that they should have used Josh Hutcherson's face on Cato's body and that would have been how we saw Peeta. I mean the guy carried 100lbs bags of flour around all day, he was meant to be stocky.

All in all, Josh Hutcherson grew on me something fierce. I fell in love with how he played Peeta and thought he did a fantastic job. I love him now. 

I do have to give the caster some credit though, i think they casted out of left field for Peeta, and its starting to play in their favor. I do LIKE that he isn't the typical hunky character in a teen flick. I like that while he is gorgeous, he is normal and not over the top. :)

found here.
Hello my lovely Peeta.
. . .
I think all of the other actors fit very well into the characters they were portraying. I'm not going to go into detail about how i felt about each character placement because honestly my heart is only for Peeta haha.
. . .
Onto some parts of the movie i wish would have been done differently: 
I know this is a movie adaptation of a book so they can't put EVERYTHING in the movie, or keep it exactly as the book had it--but come on.
They left out some pretty key elements in my opinion, such as:
~Peeta's father visiting Katniss and telling her he would look after her sister and make sure she is getting food. ~When they announced that there could be two victors instead of (in the book) Katniss screaming Peeta's name in desperation and quickly covering her mouth realizing she just gave herself away...she only whispered his name. [Lame] ~The mutts didn't have the dead tributes eyes...that was crucial in the book. I remember reading that and having my stomach clinch into a tiny knot because i couldn't imagine how terrifying it would be to not only be chased by a ravage mutt, but to have the eyes of those that are dead staring back at you. ~Haymitch period. I mean they didn't give him the screen time he needed to have to fully develop his character. Haymitch is such a vital character not only in book 1 but 2 & 3 as well. They didn't even have him fall off on the tribute stage. Needless to say i was highly disappointed in how they filmed that.
~The build up between Peeta & Katniss in the cave was...bleh i know its the movie and they can't get everything but so much was left out of it! Boooooo.


Some other thoughts:
The synthetic fire/CGI on their outfits...horrible. I was highly UNDER impressed with the outcome of those two moments. Maybe i didn't like it because it wasn't what i had envisioned, or maybe the CGI really was that bad.
I read a review before seeing the movie that Katniss & Peeta had no on screen chemistry. PSHHT. You have to remember that in the first book there really WASN'T any mutual chemistry, period. Yes Peeta was in love with Katniss and i think Josh Hutcherson did a mighty fine job at playing that roll. I was telling the girls last night that the side looks, the way he touched her hair, the way he talked to her, and his overall presence towards Katniss was flawless. I loved every minute of it.
I think they did a fantastic job on the arena and the capitol! The buildings were great, the costumes were flawless, and the arena was fantastic. I LOVED how they did the contrast between the districts and the capitol, it was spot on. How they portrayed the vast difference of wealth vs. poverty was very well done and i especially liked the uprising in district 11 after Rue's death.
Speaking of Rue...flawlessly done.
Peeta's camouflage was fantastic! I thought they did a great job with that aspect of it and i'm glad they kept it in the film!
. . .
All in all i loved it.
I'm sure i'll think of other things i loved or didn't love about the film but currently my brain is functioning half-way.

Let me know what you thought. 
Did you love it? Hate it? Are you going to go see it again? [I AM!]
Spill.

Premiere!

Tonight is the night, is the night for...

The Hunger Games Midnight Premiere!!! 
 found here.

Imagine me doing this consistently today:

At least i'll get in my exercise! :)

In all seriousness...i'm PUMPED.
I'm meeting up with a rather large group of friends to bask in the awesomeness of waiting in line for a few hours before getting to sit down in the theater. Sitting with friends, laughing, talking, trying not to fall asleep, all while ingesting way too much caffeine is one of the most fun parts of the evening! (other than the amazingness that is the movie)
I'm planning, that is if i remember, to take my camera tonight so hopefully tomorrow i can share some pictures with you. I'm SURE we will see some people dressed up in their outfits (hopefully from the capitol) and prancing around.
Hey maybe for next years premiere i will be dress up!
Don't judge me, i think it could be fun!
Onto other things.
. . .
I was talking with my grandfather a few days ago and he mentioned that we be starting the process to get the kitchen, laundry room, and computer room floors pulled up soon!
YESSSSSSSSSSS!
That means that the hideous linoleum will be g.o.n.e. and more importantly the rotting floors will not be an issue anymore. We actually have a hole, yes a giant hole,  in the laundry room that goes straight to the ground. It creeps me out and makes me embarrassed. =)
We're hiring professionals to get this job done because quite honestly i'd probably die in the process of ripping up the floors and sub-flooring, replacing the sub-floor, and laying down tile.
Ugh it gives me hives just thinking about it.
I have yet to really pick out a tile, so thats on my to-do list for this weekend/next week. I need to narrow it down and get that junk ordered. :)
I mean if money was not an issue, my floors would look like this:

pinned here.
YES, that is ceramic tile that looks like hardwood AND has an awesome design etched into it.
Jealous?!? I know i am.
It actually makes me drool a little bit...yum.
After the flooring is replaced i'll start on painting ALL of the kitchen cabinets. That junk has got to get done because the kitchen is so dark with the cabinets in their current color.

While i'm at it lets make a list of what all has to happen in the kitchen shall we: 
.Replace floors
.Paint Cabinets
.Buy ceiling fan
.Replace counter tops (i'm thinking with wood, maybe even marine grade wood from an old boat yard, is that even possible?!?!)
.White subway tile backsplash

Thats the main list...pssht it will be a piece of cake, psych. :)
I also think that we might have to start looking into getting a new stove. UGH.
I think mine is possessed. In all seriousness its a GE and it keeps beeping F1, F3, F5 when i try to use the oven (it doesn't happen every time, but will sometimes cut off in the middle of your cooking). Let me tell you how frustrating it is to try/want/need to bake something and you can't; its making my toaster oven get an extreme P90x workout.
So this would be another dream (a costly one at that) to add to the kitchen list.
I'm acting like i'm made of money...make it rain!
. . .
Here is a kitchen that i drool over constantly:

pinned here.
I love everything about it.
The subway tile, the different colors of upper and bottom cabinets, the HOOD over the stove(!!), the open shelves, the farmhouse sink.
...that is a HOT kitchen.
Pun absolutely intended.
. . .
So there are many ideas/thoughts/dreams running through my head when i think about the kitchen, but all in due time my friends.


Is anyone else going to The Hunger Games Premiere? What are you most excited about? Any new renovations going on in your casa?

Nailed it.

Pinterest attempt. 

I've been wanting to make this for a while now….

found here. 

See how pretty it is?! Doesn't it make you want to eat oats every day all day?! Ok maybe not all day, but at least until you're stuffed. 

I decided "Hey i like breakfast, and coffee mugs, and sweet oaty goodness…why not give it a shot!"

So….i did. 

I followed all of the directions EXACTLY [minus that i substituted strawberries for blueberries] and this is what mine ended up looking like: 

 

NAILED IT!
Delicious right?

Ok, ok, stop laughing. 

Do you see the little fried egg crisps on the top?! Lets just say i was completely optimistic until the moment i took a bite and then BAM i really, REALLY, didn't like it. =(
Eh, who could be surprised when you look at that picture you slightly cringe and then make fun of it.

But it's alright. I'm bound and determined to try this thing again...one day my friends, one day. 

I do however have all of the ingredients to make these beautiful little things now...

pinned here 

MUAHAHA....come to me my little precious balls of goodness, i will eat you forevaaa...

Unless you turn out just as bad as that other recipe i tried, then i will drop kick you down into the trash can. 

I'm slightly violent today. 

Eh, oh well. 

Well, the broseph has been in town since Friday for Spring Break...HOLLA.

He was a smarty and burnt the crap out of his back, neck, chest, and feet at the beach on Saturday.

Use Sunscreen kids. No joke. 

Or you'll end up looking like a lobster, and you'll feel like someone is ripping duct tape off of your hairy skin for days. 

Nice visual eh?!
. . .
Well my week is slammed...seriously.
So since i'm kind of strapped and not able to do a lot of things around the house, i thought i'd share with you some other current favorites on the ol'pinterest.
I'm addicted...as i've said previously. 
Here you go...
. . .
Something i need to remind myself of daily.

pinned here.

pinned here. 

"My flesh and my heart may fail but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." Psalm 73:26

I love this. 

pinned here.
I love all of these colors and the photo placements!

.  .  .
There you have it...a tuesday post that is running a little behind!

What are you finding that you love on Pinterest lately? Leave the link and i'll check it out!
Have you made a recipe recently that didn't turn out exactly how you planned it?!
What time does the narwhal bacon?