'before' pics of our Nest

here are some 'before' pics. These should really be called 'semi-before' because I had already deep cleaned and put a few things up. We flew down to FL the day after we got married, but all of my stuff didn't arrive until 2 weeks later. The few decorations shown are things that Luke either already had or I had given to him over the course of our courtship/engagement.

He had also really cleaned after his roommate moved out and made it so special for me.

I love that man!!!

now on to the AFTER pics below!!!!

'after' pics of our Nest

welcome to our new home! DISCLAIMER: there are A LOT of pics in this post! But my thinking is, 'the more, the merrier'!! =) Enjoy...

inset wall display, front entry

our tiny kitchen ;)

my decorating theme for the kitchen is French Provencal (or however you spell it)

You know...bright bold colors, roosters, stoneware/glassware displayed

the fridge that has yet to be filled up w/ pics of our friends & family

luke & i always love to have fresh fruits & veggies on hand

looking out from the kitchen

~ dining room~

bookcase from IKEA

i just thought this pic turned out cool

blurry!

here is our everyday dishware

i don't have room in my cupboards.

plus, I thought it looked kinda pretty displayed like this.

silver tea service from dear friends

notice the 'G' in the background =)

porcelain 'chicks' of my late grandmother's.

I thought they kinda tied in w/ the French Country theme,

since they could technically be baby roosters! hee hee.

living room 'through the looking glass'

our fun retro wall clock

blurry again! sorry!

a fellow military family blessed us with this couch, loveseat, coffee table, and end table

we recovered the couches with slipcovers we received as wedding gifts.

The dining room table and chairs were Luke's great aunts. He and his dad polished everything and his mom lovingly recovered the chairs in fabric that I picked out.

The armoir in the corner was MADE by a friend as my wedding gift!

The small white circular table holding the plant and the antique 'rose' prints on the wall were my grandmother's that I inherited.

The small white bookcase holding our dishes was from my old bedroom that I painted eons ago.

So essentially, all of our furniture in our home except for our bed, large dresser, and IKEA bookcase was given to us! we feel sooo incredibly blessed!!!!

we went to Lowe's our first week of marriage and bought a few plants to spice up our little porch. I love going out there in the mornings to 'inspect' everything, water them, have my quiet time with the Lord, or eat breakfast out there.

one of my trusty watering cans. isn't it so cute?!

i love shells. can you tell??

lemon balm

cilantro, basil

sweet potato vine

don't know what the name of this plant is!

this was from my room growing up. I bought weatherproof paint in 'sandstone' and I'm going to repaint it and the 'window frame' table seen above

windchime

guest bath

shell soaps

blessed notes from our wedding guests

(this is in our room)

i just adore these 'ragamuffin' chocolate pillows from Pier One!!

my nightstand

the curtains are chocolate brown. not purple!!! (my dad thought they looked purple)

my dresser

done by my very talented friend, Katie

i love it.

small treasures

this teacup is the length of my thumb!

master bath

doorframe in our room

Luke's desk

my desk

the office/guest room/storage unit!!

(the couch is a surprisingly comfy pull-out)

Luke likes to call this the 'white elephant' in the room!! lol

well, there you have it!

thanks for taking the time to 'tour' our new pad!

CFL bulbs: not such a 'bright idea'

I have lately been reading over the Clean Energy Bill (here is an excerpt of it regarding light fixtures and motor vehicles) that was recently signed by members of the House (yes, I have a bit more 'spare time' on my hands now!) and am concerned about the upcoming phase-out of the trusty incandescent light bulb. According to the Bill, this type of bulb will be totally phased out and off the market by 2014, if not sooner. It will be replaced by what's called a 'CFL' (Compact Flourescent) bulb which contains mercury ~ a potent toxin! Somehow, this doesn't really 'add up' to me: being earth friendly means introducing potentially lethal toxins in the environment of your own home. hmmm... I also am not a fan of the 'effect' CFL bulbs give ~ rather cool, harsh light. There are other disconcerting aspects of this Bill regarding much stricter regulations placed on the vehicles Americans own and drive. The purpose of this post is not to downplay the importance of being good stewards of our planet, but to emphasize the startling fact that many aspects of our daily lives in which we have long enjoyed freedom are now increasingly in jeopardy. Does anyone have any thoughts on this? I would love to hear them!!

don't worry! i'm still alive down here!!!

whew! what a whirlwind these past few days have been! a good whirlwind, though! =) Last Monday, my parents & I made the 14-hour trek of hauling my stuff and our wedding/shower gifts from the Old Dominion down to the Sunshine State. We stopped mid-way to visit our dear family friends, the Bauers. We had a WONDERFUL time w/ them....great fellowship, a time of much-needed rest, recounting sweet memories, and delicious food! (Thanks, Aunt Cath!)

My parents were here for close to a week - unpacking, organizing, setting up furniture, hanging pictures, etc. But they were also able to just relax, read by the pool, hit up some Southern tourist attractions, visit old friends, and eat out w/ us twice! Needless to say, we had a blast w/ them and miss having them around!! Love you, M&D!!! I would be remiss not to give them a huge THANK YOU on my blog for all that they did to serve us in getting settled into our new little home. It's finally all set up and ready for the 'after' pics! yay!! I can't wait to take a bunch of pics soon and do a big, fat post for you all to see!

My 'garden' (an assortment of plants on my porch) is also growing very nicely, despite the scorching Florida sun and ever-present humidity. No joke, I pray over my plants every time I go out to water them and I really think God is helping them grow & flourish! For example, last week my hibiscus was almost completely yellow/brown with no blooms anywhere. Now, it's bright green, full of new baby shoots, and even sporting a few luscious blooms! Praise God! Isn't it amazing that we serve a God who is just as much involved in the vascular system of seemingly-insignificant plants as He is in our nation's current state of affairs?! What a thought.

Well, it's late and I am going to work out early in the AM with my Love. (oh, how I adore that boy!!! I still can't believe I get to be married to him!!) Goodnight, friends. I will post again soon.

hey baby,

everything's a little bit 'gray' without you!!

I miss you, Blue Eyes!!

xoxoxoxo

foodie post

okay, so I've taken all the 'before' shots of our Florida Nest but I want to wait and post them alongside the 'After' shots...that is, when all of my junk is hauled down here and my parents (and Luke, whenever he's not flying or studying for a flight) can help me set everything up! But in the meantime, I though I'd post a few shots of our recent dinners that we have cooked together. We love food shopping together, cooking together, and EATING together!! Yummm!! Enjoy...

in anticipation of my arrival, Luke had gone out of his way to purchase fresh fruit like these limes, oranges, and lemons. He and I both love fresh produce!!

check out this awesome mug from S-Bux. You can personalize it by writing special messages to a loved one. and it's microwave/dishwasher safe!

I love all the sweet things my Baby wrote for me.

I am one spoiled wife!!

this is what I woke up to our first morning in the Nest

~ fresh berries, scrambled eggs, turkey bacon ~

~ sauteed chicken strips, yellow peppers, broccoli, mushrooms ~

~ a 'Thai-like' sauce Luke concocted that rocked!! ~

~ steamed basmati rice ~

~ homemade guacamole ~

~ homemade cilantro/jalapeno salsa ~

~ beef tacos ~

~ broiled mesquite-marinated BBQ chicken topped with roasted Poblano peppers ~

~ fresh 'Silver Queen' corn on the cob ~

~ Asian coleslaw I made up ~

~ roasted pepper Bruschetta with capers & fresh basil topped w/ fresh grated Romano ~

~ Italian bread brushed with Organic EVOO and lightly sprinkled with garlic salt ~

We made this together: 7-layer Lasagna ~ Delish!!!!!

aviators

Lukie pretty much hates these glasses, but I think he just looks so CUTE in them that I had to post this pic! I will be posting soon of 'before' pics of our apartment...stay tuned!!