joyful {in black&white}

Today I am filled with joy because of breakfast dates and a husband who loves coffee {almost} as much as me,

weekend fort building {and duct tape}, 

 evening adventures via bike rides,

and the magical light that comes at the end of a storm.

Here's to finding joy in the small things and knowing ultimate joy in the Lord. 

 Rejoice in the Lord always--again I will say, rejoice!

Philippians 4:4

Summer finale

Well, for better or for worse, classes toward my next degree begin this Monday.  I've had a REALLY fun summer, but I'm definitely ready to add a little (or a lot of...) structure back in my life.  And a break from wedding planning.  {All I can say is I'm glad I never considered event planning as a profession.}  I've done a terrible job blogging lately, but hey -- I've been on the move!  I've gone out of town every single weekend this month and also been gone at least 14 nights or so.  I definitely didn't document enough of it, but here's some moments I did manage to capture.

(1) Hanging out around Bham

Riding home from church

(2)  Weekend trip to Nashville to see Liz, Cuddles and Beyonce (no oxford comma just for my favorite journalism graduate!).

With Cuddles

Liz's second home

The Parthenon -- classic tourist picture

The bicentennial mall

Hipster coffee shop -- I forgot the name (:-\)

Liz and I waiting to enter the Bridgestone Arena

Queen Bey, herself

(3) Horn's Creek church camp with the whole family (-daddy)

(4)  Brittney's wedding weekend

Rehearsal dinner -- definitely wouldn't have survived middle/high school without these ladies!

The Bride herself

I caught the bouquet; Charles is clearly excited about this as well as the opportunity to wear my purse.

(4)  Weekend trip to Houston to see One Direction 

Caroline street!

The tree just reminded me of the Toomers Oaks when they were only half-dead.  ::tear::

Waiting in line for the concert

This picture doesn't even begin to capture J's excitement

The boys (1D)

Plane ride back to Birmingham

(5)  Half-baked cookie from Urban Cookhouse.  SO YUMMY.

Life through my iPhone

1-4. Fourth of July in Little Rock 5. Iron skillet cornbread 6. Favorite new cookbook 7. Couch details 8. Reading this wonderful blog 

Joyful

Today I am filled with joy. 

I am filled with joy because of big breakfast Saturdays and the start of new traditions. 

I am filled with joy because of opportunities to dress up and free food thanks to the good people at Chickfila. 

I am filled with joy because of homemade fudge and community cafes. 

I am filled with joy because of a roommate who buys me board games to celebrate one month of marriage. 

And I am filled with joy because of late sunsets and someone to share them with. 

“Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day.” 
― Henri J.M. Nouwen

The Fly Fort: Bedroom Tour

Like the rest of our house, the bedroom is a work in progress. So far, here are my favorite details of this wonderful little space.

 The headboard was made by my grandfather as a wedding gift. The wood is from an early 1900's barn. 

I added a few words to the wood which always reminds me of this song. 

 The handkerchief was a gift from my aunt on my wedding day and has both my old and new initials. The lovely gift happens to be something old, something new, and something blue. 

This dresser has been in my room forever, and I bought some new knobs from Anthropologie to brighten it up a little. Eventually I hope to strip it and paint it white. 

 Another print that makes me happy. I got the frame from Hobby Lobby a few years ago and added some string to make the display a little different!

This adventure jar is the newest addition. The Kilner jars are awesome ways to store food, but I had a few extra. Thus, the adventure jar was born. As a modern day version of a piggy bank, this will be a great place to store spare change and save up for future adventures!

Homemade

My love for pop tarts is well-known. My pantry is rarely found to be without these tasty toaster pastries, and I'm completely okay with that.  Sophomore year at Auburn I sadly made the discovery that the 200 calories listed on the box was for ONE pop tart. Not for one package. My heart was broken and I had a brief hiatus from the yummy treats. After all, they tricked me. But now all is well, and I just try to limit my intake. 

So when I saw the recipe for these homemade cinnamon pop tarts, I had to try them out. 

 This was before they went in the oven, while I was crossing my fingers and hoping they would be edible.

 My workspace in the kitchen always ends up messy.

 After they came out of the oven. You can see in the background that some of them did not hold very well. Luckily they tasted better than they looked. 

 The recipe was long and they took quite a long time to make, but it was worth the time and mess. The pastries stay good for five days…not that they'll last that long.

Sidenote: A commercial just came on for PEANUT BUTTER POP TARTS. This is not a drill. I think I may be in heaven. Now excuse me; I must go to the grocery store.

Don't Blink

Charles introduced me to the band Relient K back in 2008.  And although the band's been around for what seems like forever, their style seems to change with every album.  Their newest album, Collapsible Lung, was released earlier this week.  Here's my favorite song!

The Fly Fort: Office & Hallway Tour

Today will be spent cleaning, organizing, and adding more details to the house. Sometimes I think decorating is my love language.

Here's my little desk space in the office. Now I just need a real job so I can actually use it. For now, this is my job-searching station and inspirational corner.

The hallway is filled with happiness because of these awesome prints I found through pinterest. We already had the frames; they were a little too big so I just taped the artwork on. The brown ended up being a nice little border that tied the pieces together.

See the kitchen tour here and stay tuned for more glimpses inside our new place!

Life through my iPhone

1. Lunch date at a cute little sandwich shop in Little Rock. 2. Homemade cookies 3. Iced coffee for lazy afternoons 4. Waiting for a new haircut 5. Exploring downtown 6. New table runner 7. Succulents on the window sill 8. Hanging up the stars and stripes

Happy Fourth

Happy Fourth of July! Here's to hoping your Independence Day is filled with lots of BBQ, sparklers, smiles, and fireworks while celebrating the country we call home. 

The Fly Fort: Kitchen Tour

The sun is shining through the window. There are freshly baked cookies on the kitchen table and empty coffee mugs on the counter. The mornings are slow and the evenings are filled with meals shared and hearts full. Our little corner house is finally coming together and life is good. Here's a glimpse inside our kitchen.