the exterior

We have been enjoying our summer in Memphis, and thankfully it hasn't been TOO hot until this past week.  There have been quite a few nights that we have enjoyed sitting on the patio and there was a light breeze!  We know the humid summer is coming, so we definitely enjoyed those nights while we had them.

So far it has been quite eventful at our house... The roof project finally took place and our house looks like a brand new house.  So thankful that project is finally behind us.  Here she was before (with the roof color samples up)....

And here she is now.  The final phase of the exterior updates.

We are so pleased.  Feels like a brand new house!

Just for fun... Here's the house when we bought it.  We have come a LONG way!

This place has been a labor of love for T and I, and we have enjoyed every minute of it.  It really feels like home and I can't wait to start our family here and share it with this little peanut.  We are so blessed.

A few other projects have taken place this spring summer... I'll be back with those!

lots and lotts and lots

Lots and lots of happenings around our house lately...

Dudley's brother graduated from high school (kind of weird considering I've known him since he was in the 4th grade!! He's so old...) and we had a fun celebration in Oxford with the Carters.  T's sis Katy took lots of pics of us all and I took zero. Whoops!

We headed to Shreveport for our annual Memorial Day weekend with the Lotts... It was extra fun this year because we got to FINALLY meet their sweet and precious and did I say sweet little Jewel.  She was such fun to play with... We lounged at the pool... ate... had some more pool time... watched our husbands make a hilarious video... played with Jewel... ate some more... It was just what we needed and with some of our best friends...

Gibson was extra exhausted from his weekend following Biscotti around (and following me wherever I went)!

I've been craving fruity drinks... This was a new (to me) drink on our road trip home... Hit the spot.  I hear next time I need to try green machine?

While we were gone some of our other bests had their first baby girl, so when we got back we went to finally meet her and she is just so so sweet and snuggle-y.  Look at that precious little face!

And today... well it's a big day at our house.  Ever since we moved into this place we've known that a new roof was (desperately) needed.  Today is the day.  They are already hard at work up there and we are relieved to finally have this project behind us.  Can't wait to see the final product!

Bye bye old roof!!

And on the baby front... little peanut is just growing away!

Oh, and I posted the desktop calendar for June right here...

my sweet granny

It's May 8... Lots has happened in the first week of May around here.  On April 28, my sweet sweet Granny passed away and we all miss her.  She peacefully went to sleep on Saturday night, and is now enjoying seeing her George and other family and friends.

On Thursday before she passed, I pulled up to pick her up from the beauty shop and said, "Granny, I have a surprise for you."  She was so confused as to what kind of surprise she could be getting and stood there and tried to figure it out.  I said, "come on to the car and I'll show you.  I have Leslie with me!"  Her face just lit up and she said, "Leslie!  Does that mean MOLLY is here too??"  I said, "Yes!" She just got so giddy and couldn't wait to get to the car to see them.  She peeked in to see Molly in the back seat and then asked Leslie if she could sit back there with her on the way to lunch.  Leslie rode up front with me and it was so sweet to hear her talking to little Molly in the back seat.

We enjoyed a delightful lunch at Panera, where she got to enjoy one of her favorite things to eat.  Soup in a bread bowl.  She LOVED this.  She told us she remembers the first time she had one and thought how it was the best thing she had ever eaten in her life.  :)

As we finished up lunch she just kept saying how this was just the best surprise and she was so excited to see Molly.  She looked at me and said, "now in this life I just need to see a little Dudley."  I just smiled at her and said, "I hope you do too, Granny!"

So, if you follow me on instagram you might have seen our big news...  Grizz playoff grind...

New parents grind... Baby Carter due November 16, 2013!

I didn't tell Granny that day because it was just a few days until my next appointment and she would have been so excited she would have told everyone our secret!  I thought to myself (and told Leslie after she said, you should have told her), it's just 3 days away...  

She knows now though... :)

So last week was a week of sad times, but also very happy times being with all of the Guinn family and sharing our favorite and special memories of this dear Frances Guinn; mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, and loving friend to many.  I'm blessed to have shared her name (Martha Frances), and to have been called her golden-haired grand-daughter (the others were brunettes).  

If you got to meet my Granny you know her sweet spirit and loving heart and I hope you treasure your memories with her like we are.

May desktop found here.

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!

merry birthday

I have an awesome family and set of friends!

My birthday came and we celebrated and it was so fun.  To start off a fun weekend, my new beautiful little niece joined our family on March 8 (day before me!) and she is a bundle of sweetness.  My birthday was filled with breakfast and spending the day with my favorite guy, going to eat dinner with great friends (and my little bro who was in town from sunny LA), a grizz game with a win (and getting to sit on the floor for a quarter), and lots a fun family time and memories thinking about my last year.  It was full of blessings and growth.

 

(my little snotty face Jules is a little cutie big sis!)

I'm so thankful for this life.  Our little family is so blessed and my heart is so full every day.  I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for me!

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!

memphis soul

The Steve Guinn family moved to Memphis from Texas a year after I was born.  My mom and dad had never moved out of the state.  Grew up in Waco and Dallas and both went to the colleges in their respective cities.  If you have met any Texas people, you know they are very prideful about their state and don't really ever want to move, or if they do they find a way back later in life.

Well Memphis grabbed Steve-o by the heart and he hasn't ever wanted to leave.

Why am I telling you all this?  Well my dad loves music.  He loves horns, he plays the trumpet, and he fully enjoys good soul music.

Memphis is full of soul.  Good soulful tunes.  Have you ever been to the Stax Museum?  If you haven't, you should go and learn about the history that comes from our beloved city.

So... combining the two: dad's love of music/horns and Memphis' soul we have the music we grew up listening to, and I'm so thankful for the memories I have that revolve around my dad and this music.  One album in particular is this one..

Memphis Soul Classics.  

I could tell you every song on this album and which one is coming next because I think it was on repeat in my dad's car, and he always drove us to school.

While I was cleaning out my desk today, I found this ol' album (this is his actual copy, notice the crack in the case = loved) and popped it in and I can't tell you how nostalgic it makes me feel.  Makes me think of happy childhood memories and listing to my dad sing the words and play his air trumpet in the car.  Leslie and Scott know what I'm talking about!

If you can find this gem, I highly recommend you grab it and listen to it over and over again and I promise it'll make you feel soulful and good inside.

We love Memphis and thankful for the history of soul here, and I'm spreading it from my dad to you!