april showers

Boy have we had a lot of showers... and cooolddddd... It might be the coldest I can remember it ever being in April. Sheesh!  Our azaleas haven't even bloomed yet, and our new little cherry tree has JUST started blooming this week.  T is hoping for our azaleas to be in full bloom during the Masters (next weekend).

We had a lovely rest of March... celebrating T's bday, March Madness, Easter, and finally getting to spend time with T after a long busy season.  It's been so nice seeing his face around 6:30 or so!

And a few photos for your enjoyment.... plus April desktop is up!

 Happy Bday to my favorite guy!

Our rebs were in the NCAA tournament this year. Our good friends, the Turmans, do this awesome bracket and little Tuck drew Ole Miss. We supplied him with the necessary gear to cheer on the rebs.  Sadly our rebs lost, but Tuck was the cutest little fan I ever saw!

We had the traditional bunny cake on Easter and my little bunny Jules could hardly contain her excitement.

 Our little cherry tree finally blooming (on a typical gloomy, rainy day we've been having).

April desktop found here!

3/1

Today is March 1.  I kind of can't believe that March is already here, and I've heard that multiple times this week from many different people.

Thankfully, work is slowing A BIT for T.  Yay for March and that time being here.  We also love March around our house as it's our birthday month.. mine at the beginning, his at the end.  A month full of celebration. And cake...

Click here to get the monthly desktop.  Hope you're still enjoying them!

feb

February.  It's usually a pretty boring month except for the Hallmark holiday that is February 14.  It's usually been busy season and is usually when it really kicks into the next gear as they're getting closer to their deadlines (I think? Right T?)  Anyway... I usually think of February and think, bleh.

This year it's already looking pretty eventful!  A few fun work meetings/events to look forward to, getting closer to the arrival of my second Jerkins niece, AND I'm going to start working on my first quilt top, AND we will start our library/living room project!

I can't wait to see what other excitement this month might bring to the Carter house (if there are already quite a few things to look forward to)!

Hope you're still enjoying these desktops (whoever you are) because I really like this one!  February 2013 here.

well hello there...

...little neglected blog....  Life is great and we are enjoying it and staying so so busy (like I'm sure everyone else in the world is).  Starting two new jobs has been wonderful and I love them both very much and am very blessed.

We had a relaxing Thanksgiving holiday with the Carter family (and the extended Carters, too!) in Oxford.  The weather was awesome and we had some delicious food.

It seems as though every year when December comes, there is something scheduled EVERY day.  Why is that??  It is all usually things I enjoy attending, too, so then we are busy... a fun busy though!

I did finally manage time to make a little desktop calendar for December, so I hope you enjoy!  You can get it by clicking here...

Merry merry to everyone and let's all remember the reason for the season.

they're back!

It's September 2012 and it's been 2 years since some of our best friends left America to live in Italy.  At the time it seemed like so far away that they would be back, and I feel like it's gone by so quickly and here they are, back in the states!  Welcome back Stephens!!

We can't wait to see them and I know they will continue to long for loving people and living for other people as they have done for the past 2 years.

Laura sent over this cute desktop for the month of September.  Fall is coming soon (I hope) and maybe I'll start sharing more life stories here.. life is happening and I continue to try to live in the present.

Go over here to find the September desktop calendar!

back to school

I'm working at a preschool now, so it's come back around that August means back to school time.  We had "meet the teacher" last night and it gets you ready for the upcoming school year and the excitement of something new.  More new-ness to me than my co-workers, but I'm continuing to live in the present and put my heart into what I'm doing at the moment.  Being present.

Another SUPER exciting thing for me in August is a trip.  Leslie and I are going to see our [not so] little brother in LA and are pumped.  Neither of us have been further in the US than Colorado/Arizona. We are calling it our first annual "sister retreat."  We haven't ever traveled on a trip just the two of us and I know we will have such fun and crazy-ness.  I'm sure she'll spill on me (and not her) or roll her suitcase over my foot multiple times, but that's my sister (right Jesse?) and I've recently come into her clumsy-ness so maybe I'll get her back.  :)

Also, our family celebrates 3 birthdays this month... My mom, Granny (she'll be 92!), and now Juliette.

Sounds like we are in for fun in August!

Oh, and you can catch the August desktop calendar (if you're interested) ----> here.

running around

So....... We've been crazy busy this last month and it's going to keep being super busy until probably mid July?  Our Memorial Day was so fun with the Lotts for our annual weekend in Shreveport (Margie posted briefly about it here).  It was a beautiful day for a drive, and this year we took a much more scenic route.

She and I did our blueberry picking again, which was perfect, and then we spent the rest of the time in the pool and/or eating delicious foods.  She's probably the cutest little pregnant woman!  Next year baby Jewel will join in on our annual Memorial Day festivities and I just can't wait!

T and I never seem to take photos of ourselves any more, so I managed to get one on this trip.  I look a little tired?  We had so much fun our our travels.  After we spent the long weekend with the Lotts, we headed over to Dallas to visit my grandma (Martha) and my aunt and uncle.  Grandma has recently moved out of her house (that I grew up going to) and I hadn't gotten to see her new place yet.  

We spent an afternoon eating at her new place and catching up with her.  It was a wonderful time to spend with the beautiful woman I'm named after, and she seemed to love telling her friends I am her namesake.

My aunt Melissa and uncle Joe are such fun hosts and we loved being in their house and exploring some of their favorite places.  Uncle Joe was recently introduced to Friday Night Lights, so T and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Dillon (and Tim Riggins) folks again!

It was a perfect ending to May, and we will spend the rest of the summer with the green egg in our new backyard and eating a bunch of Jerry's I'm sure.

Also, June desktop can be found here!

whoops

It is May 9 and I just now got around to getting a desktop calendar together (for those of you who still enjoy these), and you can download it over here.

There has been a bunch of things going on in casa carter and we are challenged, we are enjoying life, we are loving spending time the two of us, and we are still gardening (and loving it)!

We were able to attend the first two grizz home games of round 1 in the playoffs and had a blast cheering for our hometown boys.  Tonight is game 5 (we will be watching from home), but maybe we can actually win the next 3 games to win the series??

Be back soon with a backyard update!  There are shrubs now and we are loving our egg.

birthday month

In our house it's birthday month!  Both our bdays fall in March so it's fun to have celebrations throughout the month.  I always hang our cute bday banner in the kitchen window...

(see our million buttercups in the backyard? there are even more along the wall under that window)

And enjoy sweets a little too much and justify it because "my birthday is in a week" or "t's birthday is next week." I would rather eat sweets for a meal any way.

T and I have been busy with building the table for the green egg grill we plan on purchasing.  We can't wait to get this thing.  You can cook/grill/bake anything on it.  You have to have some sort of stand, table, nest before you buy because you literally buy just the egg.  We wanted to save some moolah, so we (t-man) decided to build it ourselves.  Well it's just a beaut, but we have to let the wood "cure" before we can stain and seal it.... Patience.

See how great of a job he did?!

The egg will sit down in that hole.  A perfectly cut hole.


I was contemplating on whether or not to do a monthly desktop background.  Are you reader out there still enjoying it?  Please tell me if you are because I'll continue doing them if so.  In honor of March birthday month, check out March desktop here.

Happy Birthday month to the Carters!  :)

catch up to the new year

We had a very blessed and special holiday this year.  Many of you probably heard our sweet niece, Juliette, was at Le Bonheur PICU with RSV.  You can read in more detail over at Leslie's blog.  She has written some beautiful words about their 2 week experience patiently waiting for sweet Juliette to recover.  We all needed that reminder that we are NOT in control and God's timing is His, and there is nothing we can do to change it.  Ever.

Little Jules is now recouping at home and I know Leslie and Jonathan are, too.  Le Bonheur has a special place in our hearts after spending two weeks and our Christmas there.  Thank you to the staff for making our family feel so special and loved.

Tradition.  We Guinns love it.  T-man and I decided the first year we were married that we would do Thanksgiving with his fam, and Christmas at our home in Memphis where my fam lives.  Every Christmas eve morning Leslie holds a yummy brunch, and then we head to our parents that evening for pimiento cheese sandwiches in the shape of Christmas trees and gift-opening with our Granny and my dad's brother's fam.  It's always a good time and last year I believe we played Beatles rockband.  Christmas morning mom makes the same delicious breakfast and we enjoy a lazy day opening presents and watching Christmas movies, usually Home Alone.  Leslie, Scott and I know all the words to the movie.  It's our favorite.  Scott used to be so tricky like ol' Kevin McAllister.  With all this said, we love our Christmas traditions.  It was obviously very different this year, but we tried to still make it just as special for Leslie, Jonathan and Juliette.  We took the usual breakfast down to the hospital and all ate together with our fam and Jonathan's fam too.  I loved this.  I loved not getting so wrapped up in "our" Christmas and remembering there are families in sad/different situations... say, in a hospital.  We went back down there for a chili & tamale dinner and took some more gifts for Leslie and Jonathan to open.  And an answered prayer... Juliette got off the ventilator on Christmas day.  It was a great day.

I'll just share some photos from the rest of our holiday.  T-man and I enjoyed last week off together before he gets busy busy in the next few months.  I'm still deciding what my busy season project will be this year.  Happy new year everyone!

We opened our gifts and annual pj's Christmas Eve night with lil Gibson.  We are so very blessed.

 My parents gave us a new mailbox!

Awesome new fire pit from T's parents!

Christmas morning at Le Bonheur

Loving the Kindle (and the Hunger Games)

Meal made by my sweet guy

Me and T made New Year's Eve/Day Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls.  MMM.

Time of year for the coral bark Japanese Maple to actually be coral.  Pretty.

 Already loving 2012!

January 2012 desktop can be found here.

merry happy

Our favorite season has arrived.  And it has arrived quickly.  It is St. Jude marathon weekend here in Memphis, and it seems like just yesterday I was finishing up the marathon.  I can't believe it's been a year.  This year I'll be having some fun with Leslie doing the 5K.  Whoop whoop!  Good luck to all half-marathon and marathoners! 

I love this season for many reasons, but mostly for the celebration of the coming of Christ.  Celebrating the truth, love, and the hope of eternal life.  It just so happens that we give presents, bake & eat delicious cookies, build roaring fires, and smell a nice fluffy green tree.

We're still in the process of putting out all our fun Christmas decorations, but I finished up with the mantle last night and it's so cheerful!

I hope everyone is enjoying this busy season of celebrating.  We Carters have a bunch of fun things happening this month, and Gibson is so pumped his Santa toy is back.  He'll be busy carrying him around the house for the next month. :)

December desktop calendar for ya --->

a guest is with us

I know the desktop calendar is a little tardy (it's already November 7th!), but I had the idea this month to see about getting a friend of ours to share her awesome designs with everyone.

Jennifer Ferguson, who lives in Oklahoma, is one of T's dear friends from Oxford.  Jennifer is a graphic designer and I've always loved everything she creates.  First thing I ever got to see were her wedding invites (which were amazing), and everything since then is just so fun and so different!  She has an etsy shop where she makes the cutest greeting cards, so I urge you to check it out here ---> squirrelintheattic.

Here is what she created for us!

I hope everyone enjoys Jennifer's cute November desktop!  Go visit her etsy shop and leave some comments below!

Thanks Jennifer!

opening day

October 1 brought opening day for a few things around our house...

Most importantly fall and fall weather!  We woke up on Saturday morning to low temps, and then enjoyed a beautiful sunny fall afternoon.

Secondly it was opening day of bow season for T.  He washed his gear in no scent detergent and loaded up his pack with the necessities.  I didn't venture down to Oxford with him this time as Gibson had a morning at the "spa" and I was going to frame our Italian prints at the frame corner.  I did receive a few photos of T in his element.

He his a "real hunter" and using face paint this year for the first time... eye black included.  Watch out deer, he's hiding from y'all!

When he returned from his weekend in the woods, we went to the pumpkin patch to pick out our pumpkins this year.  Twas a fun time.  We did have to find a new pumpkin patch this year because our usual one at Schnucks (now Kroger) was no longer.  We found this patch at an Ike's (thanks Audrey for the affirmative here).  I grabbed up an awesome green one for our mantel plus some others for elsewhere.

I put out some fall decoration around the house and made a new wreath for the front door this year.  The inspiration is via pinterest.

While working on October desktop today, I received a little message from the cutest baby on the block. Look at this smiley little owl... She's ready for fall, too!

Juliette (my perfect and precious niece) is growing so much and she is smiling all the time.  I love snuggling her and usually can't go a day without visiting.

(remember, just click this to open in a new window.. then right click to set as desktop background)

Has everyone decorated for fall?  Have you gotten a pumpkin spiced latte yet? 

here we are

Well it's been a month and a lot has happened around these parts...  I am officially an aunt to the sweetest little nugget baby -- see Leslie's blog for some great updates on the little beauty.  I've gotten some great time in with her and I just love her.  She's the sweetest.  Here she is on her birthday, August 10, 2011.

[one of our favorites taken by Uncle T]

We finished up some outdoor projects in the front of the house and have some green green grass now!

We saw Laura and Ryan here in Memphis and had some great times.

We played some wii with the Hursts.

We snuggled with our niece.

We had our first guests under the age of 5 stay with us, and it was so so much fun (their parents were here too).

[Sam didn't want his photo taken...]

We joined the zoo.

We celebrated my Granny's 91st birthday.

[all of the Memphis Guinn ladies on Granny's birthday... Aunt Gwynne, Leslie, Granny, Juliette, Me, Mae, my mom/Pam/Grammy]

We spoiled our puppy some more.

We've just been enjoying life together with great friends and our sweet family.

Each morning I get up and while I'm drinking coffee on the couch, I look out the window in the den and feel like I can just taste the fall weather.  I can't wait for the weather to even be in the 80's!  I love everything that fall brings--cardigans, pants, scarves etc (I've said it here probably every fall).

As successful as the marathon was last year, I won't be doing another one.  This fall I'll be training for the half-marathon and I'm so happy about that.  Love those 6 mile runs as opposed to 13+.

Pumped about the upcoming 3-day weekend to enjoy time outside, running, and snuggling that little niece.

[all you have to do is click on this desktop. it will open in a new window, then just right click to set as desktop background]

the carters are chillin'

Dudley and I have enjoyed the last month being at home, working around our house, and continuing to spoil our dog child.  Here he is for a little reminder just how spoiled he is...

"I do whatever I want to."

This month (August) I will become an aunt and t.dud will become an uncle for the very first time.  It's going to be so much fun and we are all dying to meet little Jules.  Brother (scottie) is coming back to Memphis tonight and he's just as excited about being an uncle.  I've never seen him hold a baby, much less a child, so I can't wait for all these firsts.  

We also have some visitors this month visiting from Italy--yes, Laura and Ryan are here and we had an airport reunion that was a blast.  I then took her to chop all her hair off--literally--and she looks amazing. So glad for some quality time with them for a few weeks.  She'll even get to meet my niece! 

It's over 100 degrees here today and will continue to be for a few weeks I'm sure.  We are doing anything we can inside, but at least our new sod is loving and flourishing in the heat.

I loved the desktop for July that Laura painted and was sad to see it go, but I do love this one too.  I'm not sure how this is working for everyone, but I think you can just click this image and then download it to desktop.  Let me know if anyone is having issues and it's blurry or something.

july comin' at ya

We had a fun & splendid weekend celebrating our family's 2nd christmas-like holiday of the year--4th of July!  The Long Leaf/Pidgeon Estates parade was a success and our annual kickball/fireworks show was super fun over at Tarbet Cove.  Team Watermelons won the kickball match and I'm so glad my brother was able to come this year to join in on the fun.  He had a good time laughing at all those cute kids and their funny shenanigans.

My man made some awesome baked beans all by himself and he did a superb job.  They were SO very delicious!  See how well he did (pre-oven)?!

So, I'm about to be an aunt pretty soon and I can't wait!  Little Juliette is closer to arrival and we are all patiently (and eagerly) awaiting to see her precious face.  I helped my sis clean up the nursery and put away all her tiny little clothes.  Some people sure make some hilarious baby clothes, and I think this is silly and she will never wear it (although what it says is a true statement).  I'll just show her the picture and we can laugh at it together. :)

I've also helped my sister with some burp cloths for little Juliette, and they have turned out super cute.  She found the tutorial via Sabbespot.  This is my favorite one we've done so far...

It's funny most of the photos taken lately have me in them because Leslie doesn't want any photos taken of her.... normally I don't post only solo shots. Oops.

And I hope you all have been waiting for this because the July desktop is special.  My bff Laura who lives in Italy right now has taught herself to paint and she does some awesome things.  She painted this and I wanted to use it here.  I think it's so cheery and love it!  Thanks Laura!  You can read about her adventures here.

Things within blogger have changed for some reason so I no longer post separate links.  I think if you just click on the picture you should then be able to right click and save as desktop image.  Hope it works for everyone!  Stay cool in this hot summer weather!