I PASSED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I PASSED THE GA BAR EXAM!   I'M A LAWYER!!!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHHHHHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Now on to celebrate.....with a few alot of these!!!!!!

CHEERS!!!

Ramblings...

So T and I have been married two months today!  Woohoo!   We "honeymooned" in Paris and Sorrento, Italy.  Both places were so amazing!  Before we left the country, I made the mistake of not calling my credit card company to tell them I was traveling abroad, but my smart husband did have his cleared.  Soooo that meant, every time I wanted to buy something I had to look at T and say, "I really think we need this."  T is cheap (!!!), so he would look back at me and just give me...that look....like he was thinking "We don't need that!"  So I managed to control my spending, but I still picked up a few items.  This is one of them...

I found this vintage botanical print in a shop near our hotel.  The shop had THOUSANDS of prints - and I could have spent hours in there, but we had lots of sights to see.  I took the print to Michael's during their annual frame sale and for 60 bucks, I think they did a pretty good job.  Now to find the perfect place to hang it...

Here are two pics of us in Paris - T looks like Chevy Chase reading his guidebook...

Also, I know everyone is in fall weather mode, but I spotted a pretty good deal at Macy's today.  If you need some good beach towels, they have all of them on sale.  I got these for $9 and they were originally, $40.  They are a really good size and pretty thick...nothing worse than a puny beach towel.  And they have a ton of different designs and colors!

I could go with this...or that...HELP.

We've got some friends visiting us for the holidays, so I've got to get some window treatments for the guest bedroom!  The room seems terribly bland and kind of stark - I'm hoping this might spruce them up.  T and I aren't in our "forever house" so I really want these to be able to transition to wherever we may be next.

So here are some pics of the guestroom...and below are some of the options for fabric.  Should I do panels or something like this (in the guest bath)...

Yes, yes, I know it needs to be ironed...

Here's the guest room ...

Here is an up close of the shams...

So now that you've seen that...here are some of the fabrics I've found.  Are these totally off?  Or does anyone like one of these?  I'm so, so, SO bad at picking out fabric.  I need your help!

This Old House

A couple of weekends ago, while I was at my parent's house, my brother and I got bored watching football so we ventured over to this old house about a mile away from our house.  This place has been abandoned ever since I can remember.  My grandparents told me that some of our relatives used to live there.  The house is the epitome of a fixer-upper, but it has gorgeous bones.  Apparently, lots of people have tried to buy this house to do just that, but the current owners won't sell.  It's a shame to let the house just fall in - you can tell it was well built, but I fear it won't be around in the next decade or so.  Here's hoping it finds an owner that can make it the awesome house it once was.  Here are a few photos I snapped, while we were there. 

My precious child, Mattie, on the drive over.

 Side view

This is the general store across the street.  I'd love to go inside this place!

Doesn't this remind you of a scene from Gone With the Wind

Front entrance.  Love the ceiling!

Side living room.  Same thing on the other side.  

One of the downstairs bedrooms.  Love the pink color.  Lots of trespassers have come and gone...and left their mark.

The windows are so tall.

One of the places that has the worst damage.

The upstairs in in surprisingly good shape.  Bedroom upstairs.  What a view.

View from the bedroom window.

i take it back...

November issue
*Source:  Southernliving.com 

September issue
*Source: southernliving.com

This weekend I had some downtime so I read a few of my old Southern Accents (RIP).  Mr. Postman brought me the new November issue of Southern Living on Friday, so it got mixed in with my reading pile.  I have to say, I am really impressed with the latest issues.  I'll chalk it up to the new editor, Lindsay Bierman.  Apparently, Bierman was editor for both Coastal Living and Southern Accents (two of my favs)!

I really enjoyed the article "Made by Southern Hands:  Hostess Gifts."

How great do the sandies from Virginia look?

*Source: southernliving.com
purchase at http://townhouseva.com/

and these chocolates from Gearhart Chocolates in Charlottesville, VA.  I would love to find these in my stocking!  Maybe I'll just gift them to T and I'll eat his leftovers.

*Source: southernliving.com
purchase at http://gearhartschocolates.com/

and the article "5 Ways With Mulling Spices."

*Source: southernliving.com

So, that being said, I take it back...Southern Living has become a good read.  Kudos to Mr. Bierman.  Can't wait till the Christmas issue.  I still miss my Southern Accents :(  Most Southern women I know already subscribe to Southern Living, but if by chance you don't, then I'd suggest picking one up!

antiques, parentals and football

My parents had intended to go to the UGA/KY game this weekend, but Mom had been battling a bad cold all week and wasn't up for the drive.  So (!) instead they came to see me in Savannah.  

My parents brought with them a load of furniture from my old house in Alabama and an antique bookcase I had refinished.  So now our guest room is all setup and we are ready for visitors (yay! you don't have to sleep on an air mattress anymore!  rejoice!)

Brother, Me, Mom and Dad - Hilton Head 2007

I wish I had a before picture of the bookcase because I don't think most people would believe the transformation.  This piece has been sitting in my grandparent's barn for over 50 years (my dad can remember it as a child).  The lower left glass panel and some of the molding around the top were missing, but it still had the original hardware and key.  It was filthy(!!!) and had been home to many, many generations of dirt dobbers.  I took it to a restoration guy in Athens before T and I got married.  He was awesome and told us the piece was built around 1880.  I hadn't seen it since I dropped it off four months ago, so I was thrilled to see the transformation!  I think he did an awesome job!

Even though it is really a bookcase, I'm going to use it as my china cabinet.  So, thats on my to-do list for this week.  

This piece got me thinking about all the hand-me-down furniture T and I have in our house.  My grandmother LOVED to decorate and buy antiques.  She was such a great decorator and wonderful person, and she passed along her passion for such things to me.  When she died, I found stacks and stacks of Traditional Home, Veranda, and Southern Accents that she had kept.  In many of them she had marked the pages she liked - It's such a treasure to have these. 

Here are some of the pieces...

This isn't furniture, but it's still something I hope to have always hanging in my house/office.  My grandfather grew up in the depression.  His family was the epitome of poor.  His parents lost their farm and were forced to move.  Despite these set-backs, my grandfather went to college and law school - and eventually, bought the family farm back (where my parents now live).  His hard work is an inspiration.  I keep his diplomas around to remind me just how lucky I am and how great my grandparents truly were.

This bird dog picture is from T's grandparents house and is hanging in our office as well.

This is some of the guest room furniture my parents brought down.  It was in my grandparents guest room and it's where I used to sleep as a child.  It has a footboard that is very similar to the headboard, but we didn't use it because the room felt too cramped.

I love this bedside table - I wish I had two of them.  Notice the dogwood flowers!

This is also in our guest room.  I had this recovered last year.  My grandfather used to sit in it and read in their front living room.  I'm not sure how great of idea the white fabric choice was...

This is our TV stand, but used to be in my grandparents house.  My dad told me this weekend that my grandmother bought it in Rome (Georgia :) and had the marble top cut for it when she got back home.

Decanters from my grandmother.

Bread bowl that was my great-grandmothers.  When my brother and I were really little we used to lay in the bowl and spin each other round and round.

Our kitchen table.  T's awesome dad refinished for him.  One of my favorite things in our house.

Little side table in our bathroom.  This is from my other my other grandparents.  My grandmother has lived with my parents since my Papa passed away 6 years ago.  Such amazing grandparents and people.

hate, hate, hate that scale.  wish i could hide it somewhere forever.

This mirror and lamp are from my grandmother.  The antlers are all T.

In other news, we had a great time watching football!  It's a great day when both Auburn and UGA win. We went to eat at the Crab Shack before the game.  If you ever come to Savannah, go eat there!  It is a great atmosphere and awesome, awesome food!  When my Dad started dipping sausage in the butter, my mother said it was time to go.

T arrived safe and sound back from Auburn.  He is in our bedroom re-watching the AU game - I think he may need to be committed!

Hope you peeps had an awesome weekend!  xx.