When this old house loses its charm.

The day after I wrote my update on our debt elimination challenge progress, our dishwasher and HVAC broke. On the same day. Within minutes of each other. This isn’t our first go-round with the HVAC. In fact, they replaced the entire outside unit before we moved in (with one that was too small to really [...]

Trucking Right Along: Old House, New Things

We’re a little over a year into having owned this home and just shy of a year having lived here. Since we came from a life of furnished rental apartments and small homes and suddenly had 2,200 sq. ft. to fill, it’s taking us awhile to make it feel homey and comfortable. But, we’re getting [...]

Our first garden.

I grew up in a household where a spring and summer garden was always a given. As soon as he could, my dad would plow up his patch of land and tend to tiny seedlings. Fresh veggies were a staple in our summer meals, and there were many nights when we would forgo meat for [...]

Wanderlust.

Every now and then, I recognize something about myself that, for whatever reason, I had not realized. Yesterday, Taylor and I spent almost the entire day working on the house. I cleaned up the back yard, raked, and swept, and then moved inside to take care of babies and clean. Taylor worked on transitions, quarter [...]

What only money can buy.

I remember the months leading up to moving into our new home. I would curl up on the couch with a glass of wine, my favorite throw, and my TV set habitually to HGTV. As homes for sale would parade across the screen, I would look at Taylor and moan, “What are they THINKING?! Why [...]

Building a Beer Budget on a Champagne Taste

This past weekend, my sister-in-law and I were driving home from lunch out when we started talking about money and budgeting. She mentioned that she and my brother-in-law were starting the Dave Ramsey “Snowball Debt Payment” method and that she thought it was a really good system. She gave me a rundown on the basics, [...]

Our first Christmas…

We’ve traveled every year for every holiday of our marriage. With the exception of some delayed Thanksgivings due to too much distance to go for a short weekend, we always pack up all our belongings and babies, fill up our tank of gas, and hit the road. Our holidays have been filled with many wonderful [...]

Organization Saves my Sanity.

I am the queen of a clean house and messy closets. Everyone who visits mentions how tidy the house is, but I refuse to let them look in drawers, closets, or even the pantry. I’m a “pick it up and toss it somewhere hidden” kinda gal. It works alright for our family. I try to [...]

House Evolution

The fixing of the house has been a bit slow-going now that Taylor is so busy at work. We have something almsot every weekend with FRG stuff, family events, visitors, and traveling. Though the chaos of our lives is making time fly and creating memories at a rapid fire pace, we are usually so exhausted [...]

The treasures can be found if you look hard enough.

First, I have to say congratulations to my husband as he just had his Change of Command ceremony today. Love you, babe. I could not be prouder. (no, his uniform doesn’t usually have a butterly on it. gotta protect the privacy, yo) Sorry Sully squirted sunscreen all over himself in the middle of the ceremony. [...]

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  • "I'm a twenty-five-year old mama to two little boys and married to the love of my life. I have a serious Diet Coke addiction and a tendency to overshare. My biggest dream is to write a book. A good book that tons of people buy and relate to and love. In the mean time, this is the story of us as we flounder through raising our wild, little boys, moving a million times, and buying and renovating our 1968 Ranch home."



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