Prayer request

I've been praying for the family of Kirill in the hopes that they are able to bring him home to Alabama soon (if you haven't read this story it's pretty heartbreaking, but I am trusting that God will do great works through this boy.) This adoption issue hits me close to home as Matt and I have been praying for a family of our own and exploring options. Which leads me to this prayer request: 


We're facing some upcoming medical decisions and other fertility related issues in the next few months and I want to ask for your prayer help as we move ahead. I'm still feeling a little private about all the details, but I would appreciate you remembering us. God knows the specifics. 


I am inspired and given hope by the stories of Hannah and Rachel in the bible. (Hannah - 1 Samuel 1:19-20 and Rachel - Genesis 30:22). God remembered them and blessed them each with children. Please ask God to remember me and Matt. 


Thank you so much for your support and love.

Love from the two blondes.

Rental house in Tampa

I wanted to get photos posted of our new place in Tampa for friends and family to see. We moved in January and have been working pretty steadily to get the place decorated and arranged the way we want it.  It's so nice to be in a house again. We have a yard and more room for our belongings. We have space for guests and space for our hobbies. We have a laundry room that is attached to our living space and doesn't require a stack of quarters! I can wash things whenever I want! Matt has his office/man room back. We have a nice bonus room for storage and a place for the dogs to stay. The house is in a great location with a park down the street that we go to daily to run or ride bikes. There's even a super nice dog park for Steve and Wil. We were extremely blessed to find this house. It's really making Tampa feel more and more like home.

Living room before

Living room After

Living Room Before

Living Room After.
 (We've since added Matt's Gramma's hutch along the back wall next to the palm tree art. It really fills in the space nicely. I just don't have a photo from this angle since we brought in the extra furniture.)

More Living Room

Living Room

Living Room.

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After 

We moved our kitchen table into this corner. Love the pegboard for storage. Saw it in Julia Child's kitchen at the Smithsonian. If it's good enough for her, it's good enough for me.

Master Bedroom Before

Master bedroom after.

I made the blue and white pillow. The yellow one came from Target and the duvet cover was my birthday present from Matt's parents. The curtains that line the walls are from Ikea.

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Master Bedroom

Matt's Office Before

Matt's office after.

Matt's office before

Matt's office after.

Matt's Office

Guest Room before

Guest room after. 

Guest Room After

Bathroom

Front Door

House and Front yard.

We're so glad to have this space to live in. It's an old house with some old house challenge, but they are worth it for the space and location we're enjoying so much.

Happy Friday everyone!

Wow, it's been a while since I posted here. I was sick and then home for a week and then celebrated my birthday so I've been very distracted and not keeping up with blogging like I should. I was blessed to be able to go home the week before my birthday to celebrate my newphew's first birthday and to throw in a little celebrations for me as well. Matt's parents took us to Umi for sushi to celebrate and I got to enjoy some great company, great sushi and ice cream with a song after dinner. Look for my photo on the Birthday wall!


We're getting more and more settled into our new rental home. It's nice to have all our stuff in one place. We'll still catch ourselves thinking about something we own and still thinking it's at the house in Tallahassee. But it's all here and it's so nice. I'm slowly getting some extra decorating done. I made a pillow for our bed and I"ve still got lots of work to do in the guest bedroom. Perhaps someone needs to come stay with us to give me the kick in the pants I need to get started? Any volunteers?

This weekend the weather should be super nice and we're planning a trip to the beach. This is pretty unusual for us. I admit I am not a huge beach fan when I'm not staying in a condo right on the water. Since living in Florida I have dealt with a lot of sand being brought home with me that is such a hassle. But I'm totally ok with sand this weekend. Can't wait to get some sun and smell the clean smell of the ocean.

Rainy day today in Tampa. I'm heading off to the library!