Before and After

One of the perks of being a teacher is getting a Christmas break. Honestly, I'm not sure how I would get all my shopping done without it! Teachers certainly deserve a break this time of year and I'll say that my favorite part so far is just not standing on my feet all day long and talking. I often get tired of my own voice. But I will say that with just being two days out of school on break, it has made me more aware of how much I love just being around the kids, other teachers and being productive.

Speaking of being productive, I have declared that these few days leading up to Christmas would be "organize and clean your house" days. When we moved in our place back in August, we just unpacked and quickly put things in their place without much thinking. There was no organizing or much decor thought. You see, not only was I unpacking my house, I was unpacking my school stuff and gearing up for my job. So finally I am having time to make this house feel more like a home and organize stuff.

I can't believe I'm about to show you this but this is real life of our closet under our stairs. My mom and mother in law are going to gasp! But hey, check out the after shot moms, aren't you proud!!!

It only took me about an hour to get it all organized. I basically took EVERYTHING out except Todd's drums which were tucked away so nicely back behind the corner. This made me a little sad since that is favorite hobby/best talent and he hasn't got to play them in over 5 months.

After taking everything out, I then placed everything in piles:

• Donate
• Tools
• Seasonal Decor
• Crafts
• Misc.

Then I took the piles and organized them even more. I got a little crazy with the tools and labeled everything! Finding tools and nails has always been so difficult so now I'm hoping my new system will make home projects less stressful. The best part of cleaning the closet out was finding some great decor I've bought along the way that somehow got shoved in the closet. I feel like I went "shopping" in my own house because I found so many great items that I forgot I had. 

On my list today is cleaning out the laundry room and hanging some new curtains. Also, since so many of our closest friends live far away and can't visit, I promise I'm finally going to get around to posting pics of our house. Plus, see that red box from above? Can't wait to show you what came inside it!! 

Anybody else feel inspired this time of year to clean and get organized? Christmas can be such a busy time of year but I try every year to keep it simple, remembering the true reason for the season. Part of that is the de-cluttering around the house in order to enter this season with a mind of simplicity. Hope you all are feeling stress free and truly enjoying this special time of year.

-S

Do you Scentsy?

We do! Actually, we just started about a week ago but I'm very impressed. Are you clueless as to what I'm saying? Scenty is a company that sells ceramic warmers which are heated by a bulb that melts smelly good wax. I've used similar products before that required tea light candles. The best difference is you don't have to every worry about leaving a candle on/replacing the tea light every single time. Plus I feel that Scentsy puts off more smell throughout your home. I'm a new fan if you can't tell.

The products are sold through reps similar to how Thirty-one or Pampered Chef do things. A teacher at my school sells them and for an entire week she had one on in the teachers lounge. That is pretty much how I got sold on the product. It just smelled SO good, all day long.

I've also heard Katie Bower over at Bower Power talk about them before and I trust her opinion. This is where my husband thinks I'm crazy for having "blog friends" that I've never met yet I trust. Anyway, it's not too late to find a consultant near you and grab some last minute gifts. Check out the Scentsy website by clicking here! Currently we have the mid size warmer since the downstairs to our townhouse isn't very large. I'm thinking I'll go for the plug in warmer next! They have other creative and great products to make anything smell good. I sound like I work for Scentsy...hmm maybe I should?!?

If you do Scentsy, what is your favorite scents???

Merry Wednesday!

-S

Monthly Recap

Not sure if anyone is even following our blog anymore since I've been a slacker but in case there are a few faithful readers, I thought I'd swing by to say hello.

We had a great Thanksgiving here in Charlotte. We feel incredibly blessed to be living so closely to both of our families. We divided up our time between each family and we wouldn't have it any other way. The day after Thanksgiving we had a family birthday party for our nieces, Penelope and Adeline. Todd's mom did a great job of hosting a princess theme.

In work news, I've been teaching my 1st and 2nd graders what a call number is. I figured it's never too young to start training them in some useful library skills and to my surprise...they actually understood it! I'm very proud of them especially now that they are starting to find their own books and shelve their incoming books on a temporary cart under the right section (Easy, Fiction or Nonfiction). Plus I've been working with 3rd-5th on the Dewey Decimal System and it thrills me to see them checking out nonfiction books that they didn't realize our library had.

Todd is working hard at Elevation Church and loving it! He works on editing videos and compiles the final edit that is sent to the local news networks that feature a 30 minute segment each week of Elevation. Together, we are starting to build community with other couples and fellow coworkers through an egroup, staff events and volunteering. The Lord is certainly at work in our city and ourselves. The best is yet to come! 

I can't believe Christmas is right around the corner! I figured I'd show a few pics of how we have decorated our house (mainly for us because this blog will be fun to look back on in a few years and reminisce). So far this is the only photo I've taken...

My mom gave me the simple green wreath and I added the burlap bow, berries and glitter picks. It's pretty simple and really inexpensive. Two things I am all about! More pics of the inside to follow soon! 

Now, did you think I was about to end this post without a picture or video of our baby Maggie? Todd's mom taught her a cool trick called "up bang" and I tried to capture a video of it for you all to see. Ignore my stern southern voice ;) 

Happy Monday!

-Sara

{Dear Weekends,}

I like you. Seriously, why do you have to go by so fast?!

The good news is that the weeks also seem to be going fast since this time of year is so exciting with the holidays. But, still there is just something fabulous about the weekends. Now that we live in Charlotte, it has been really great to feel more settled. Most of our weekends are spent in town and we spend time with each other, friends and family. I've really used the last month to seriously just relax. Learning to relax has been a challenge for me but I'm thankful the Lord is revealing this to me during this season of my life.

This weekend we actually went to Morganton, NC to see my college roommate Anne get married. The weather was amazing, Anne was gorgeous and the ceremony was worshipful. One of my favorite things about Anne's wedding is that she wore her mom's dress. She had it reconstructed just a tad but how sweet is that? I wish I would have got a full length shot of the two of us but even getting one picture with the bride is hard in itself so this is my one and only snag:

After the reception, Todd and I drove an hour south to catch the end of our niece's FIRST birthday party. I cannot believe that she is one already! I love her so much!

My sister did a great job of putting together a "little pumpkin" themed birthday party. We missed her digging into her first sweet treat (cake) but I hear it was a huge success and that she cried when they took it away from her. It was great to spend time with family and I'm very thankful for the relationship we all have. Annlyn is in for some real fun as she grows up with us Caulder girls. 

For fun I will leave you with a video I shot of Maggie. This is her being the queen of the guest bed. Ignore my baby voice and the fact that this video was originally made to show "daddy" aka Todd while he was at work.

Hope you too have had a great weekend! 

5 more days until weekend (lol, I had to) meet again...

-Sara

{Cozy Cuddles}

Oh my it has been a long time. Too much for words to say the least but I'm hoping to update more often  on the blog when possible. I seriously can't believe it is November already! Is it just me or the older you get the faster time flies? Our Maggie girl is already almost 40 pounds!! We have caved and let her get on the couch with us. Let me rephrase, I caved. One day I wasn't feeling well and I let her hop on. Cuddling with her was good for my soul. No turning back now, she loves it!!

So now this is how we stay warm...

Family cuddles are the best.

Hope you all are doing well and staying warm too! Remember to go vote this week if you have not done so already. I get election day off work (woohooo) and since we already voted, I'm looking forward to a nice lazy day full of doing whatever I want. Let's face it, we all need days like that every now and then.  Have a great weekend!

-Sara

{Back so Soon?}

I know, I know...I said I wouldn't be back for a while. These past two weeks I have focused hard on finding balance and mentally coaching myself to turn my brain off from my job in order to enjoy life with the people I love. Not sure if this means I'll be blogging as much as I use to since my priorities have certainly changed. But since I consider this blog a "journal" of our life that I hope to one day look back and reflect on, I wanted to continue document life when possible to keep all our friends updated.

Some highlights of the month for me have been spending Labor Day weekend with all my college roommates and their husbands. I love those girls SO much and we never get to all hang out so the annual mountain trip is always welcomed. My favorite part this year was actually a day when it rained and just us girls curled up on the couch together to watch a chick flick. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband but he isn't really into the chick flicks so it was a treat. This is what the guys did while we watched the movie....

Here we girls are with our matching shirts...another tradition of ours. Such a great weekend filled with Smores, hilarious conversations and late night porch talks! I'm already counting down to next year.

Todd and I also took another trip to the mountains with my entire family. It was great to hang out with family and share life together. I didn't take many pictures...shame on me.

Other highlights this month so far...my best friend Magan had her second child, baby Ben, last night. I just wished we lived closer so I could serve her and her family during this exciting time. Can't wait to meet him!

I know I'm jumping around a bit so hang with me. We are also rejoicing this month that Todd has a job.  He is beyond honored to be working for Elevation Church. I believe his title is video producer but don't quote me on that. I'm looking forward to seeing how God uses us, grows us and challenges us even more than ever before. 

I'll leave you with a Maggie update. Maggie is our three month old goldendoodle and I can't imagine life without her. She can be quite a challenge but very sweet. Todd caught this rare moment tonight when she curled up in my arms.

We are so blessed. God is good. Life is good.  

{See you Soon}

Hey friends! I found a few minutes tonight to squeeze in a blog post so thought I would finally do it. As  you can tell, I have been off the radar for a while. As you know, I got a full time job teaching library and I have been SO busy. I'm not even sure busy is the best word to describe my life lately. Basically there are not enough hours in the day. I'm completely exhausted. I'm working really hard at balancing my school life and personal life. I tend to worry too much and be anxious over dumb things. Any first year teacher usually deals with these similarities. It's a good kind of stress and I'm just working hard at learning how to relax and just enjoy this ride. I have been blessed by being hired by an amazing school district and I have so much support. I'm very thankful.

Unfortunately, this blog is the last item on my list to care for. It's hard to even say those words since blogging has been a creative outlet to journey my life for almost four years. Maybe sometime soon I can get back in the swing of things but until that time, I will be taking a break.

Thanks for reading and I hope to be back SOON! Prayers for me with this new transition would be awesome. For my close friends, do call! I'd love to hear from you and catch up! Love to all!

-Sara

{She's Home}

Lack of blog posts have been due to a new house, new dog and new job. Hope you haven't given up on me :)

We picked up our Maggie girl almost two weeks ago. I was real shocked to see how big she was already since the last time we saw pictures. Of course we immediately fell in love! For those of you out of the loop, Maggie is a standard goldendoodle. She is absolutely beautiful.

The first two days were really hard. Don't get me wrong, she is totally worth it, but we were exhausted. Puppyhood demands a lot of attention and we basically can't take our eyes off of her unless she is sleeping. One thing I am grateful for is how smart she is. She is picking up on potty training super fast, already knows "lay down", "sit", "stay", "high five" and loves her crate! We even sleep until 6 am without her even whimpering to go outside. The only thing we are trying to figure out right now is trying to find someone affordable or a friend that we could pay to take her out for a walk around lunchtime. Any takers??? :) Todd still doesn't have a job (keep praying) so that may be his job for a while but we want to be prepared at any moment to know what we will do with her in case he gets one. I know when she is older she can hold it and will also roam the house but we have a long road ahead of us before that happens.

In other news, we are petty much all settled in our new home. Unfortunately the guest bedroom is still a mess but at least the rest of the house is livable. I plan to post pictures real soon (whenever Maggie naps of course). So far we are loving Charlotte, especially all the food and shopping choices. We have great neighbors including close friends. I started work this week (workdays) and I'm loving my coworkers and the school atmosphere. It's going to be a great year!

That's all for now!

-Sara

{Currently}

Jones Design Company did a "currently" post recently and I decided to post one as well. Thought this would be a good time since things are about to get crazy (move, get a dog, new jobs, new church) and blog posts will soon be put on pause. Here we go...

loving: This guy. I'm a lucky lady. Even though he makes us stop at McDonalds for breakfast road trips because "they have the best coffee." One day I'll win that battle. One day. 

reading: What's It Like to be Married to Me? by Linda Dillow. Ladies, this is an awesome practical read for Christian living women that need those reminders about how to take care, support and love your husband the way you should. 

waiting for: MOVING DAY! Although bittersweet, we are so ready to feel settled again.

excited about: my new job. 

missing: my best gal friends

trying to: not eat dairy. I think I have a problem...but it's really hard!

working on: a few DIY projects...pics to come soon!

enjoying: quality family time.

using: my bucky neckroll. I got it after my medical massage and it has changed me for the good. Although it took much getting used to, I can't imagine sleeping without it now.

wearing: I'm on a Banana Republic kick. 

planning: Anything and everything dog. Did you know there is a million different kind of chew toys and retractable leashes! My goodness it's overwhelming. I can't imagine what having a baby must feel like.

singing: (not really sure...)

needing: to get my ring cleaned and soldered together.  

learning: To be more tough and patient.

listening: to HGTV

wishing: I could slow down time.

doing: relaxing before the packing madness begins. 

praying for: our niece Piper who was born a month ago, still in the hospital. 

dreaming of: finally getting a paycheck soon.

So, what are you currently up to???

-S

{White Beauty}

If you are an instagram follower than this is a repeat or you can consider this a supplement full of all the details. Basically, we officially turned the key to our new townhome on Wednesday. The number one immediate favorite thing about the new place is AC! We don't have it at our current place because that's how you roll in the mountains but boy was it literally a breath of fresh air to realize we will have no more "sticky" nights and not dead air circulating all the time.

We started the day early at Ikea to buy furniture. If you have ever bought from Ikea before you know that 1) stuff is pretty cheap and 2) you get to build it yourself.

Oh the joys of building an entire entertainment center....

It took us just about all day to piece it together. We (it was a team effort of course including my inlaws) did a few things wrong so that took time to redo. In the end it was totally worth it. I don't want to say I'm in love with a piece of furniture because that may be a little weird but I really really really like it. Like I want to hug it type of like. Now I just made things weird...so here she stands. No not me...white beauty! Yes, I named her....just when you thought I couldn't get any more weird! :) 

I can't wait to get our new couch and recliner and other accessories in that room. Decorating a new space thrills me. I'll be sure to keep you all posted as soon as we get fully settled! Thanks for following!

Much love,

S  

{The 4th}

I'm a little behind but I'm trying to keep up with all the goodness that is happening our way these days so this is officially my fourth of July post...a week later! I'm actually quite surprised I've blogged everyday for a few days now. Don't get too attached, as we move I'm sure I'll go off the radar until things simmer down. 

This was our second year attending Bethel Blast. Basically the small community of Bethel puts on a mini festival full of free food, music and fireworks. We met friends from our church and small group there to enjoy the night. First up meet Julia, a dollface! She has two other sisters that are cuties as well but that night she was just beginning to learn to hula hoop and was so serious about her hoops.

So of course a few adults gave it try too...

Our friend and worship leader, Erin. Pure happiness.

Our friend from Charlotte, Drew, came to visit. He was SO good hula hoopin'.

The fireworks were 25 minutes of one huge grand finale. 

And guess who hula hooped some during the firework show? Yup, this girl.

She was so cute! Multitasking at its finest.

Hope you had a great time celebrating this land of the free too!

Much love,

S 

{Maggie Update}

Are you sick of me talking/sharing about our soon to be pup? Well, no matter what your answer is to that, I will press on with the photos because I'm in love and can't help it. Our breeder sent us a few pictures last night of our baby girl and this one is my favorite...

It is so great to see her grow from week to week since we can't see her in person. Thank you electronic mail! We are indeed counting down the days to August 4th when we get to bring her home with us. Doesn't she just remind you of a teddy bear?!? I can't stand the cuteness coming from this picture and will totally admit that I squealed like a child when I saw this. 

Not ashamed. I'm turning into one of those serious-about-their-pet people that treat them like babies. Again, not ashamed. 

Much love,

S (& Mags)

{Signed, Sealed, Delivered}

We have a new home folks! Okay so not brand new nor will we own but hey this is exciting, we won't have to live out of our tent when we move. That was a complete wacky sentence and for that I apologize but we are thrilled to finally have a sense of security. We plan to buy or build next year in South Carolina but for now we are going to rent in NC but I'm still close (5 miles) to my job.

Pretty cozy right? The lease starts Sunday and we plan to make it a slow move since we don't technically have to be out of our current place until August 4th. We are thankful that we found a decent place at a decent rate. Now, prayers for Todd to find employment. I know that God has something great out there for him but the waiting can be difficult...

Thanks friends. Much love.

-S

{Introducing Mr. and Mrs. Jones}

Last Saturday we were both involved in my sisters wedding. The weekend was SO busy that I barely took any pictures. My parent's house was a hot mess with all the wedding "stuff" and Jamie was just beginning to get a little super nervous!

The wedding day was beautiful yet rather hot. In fact, it was the hottest day ever with temperatures at record high. Jamie was absolutely gorgeous. It was such an honor to stand beside her as her matron of honor (along with my other sister, Ronna) and watch her dreams come true. Jamie has waited a long time for that moment. I'm so proud of her for remaining true to herself for so many years and holding out for Mr. Right.

Chris' sister, Amy, placing the garter on Jamie

Our adorable niece, Annlyn

The happy couple just minutes after saying"I do!"

I really regret not taking any pics at their beautiful reception at the Peninsula Country Club. The venue was awesome and we all had a great time catching up with old friends. I also never took a pic of me and Todd. What was I thinking!?! Oh well, I have great memories stored in my head and look forward to seeing the pics from their photographer. 

In other news...

Today is my 25th birthday and it has been awesome! I got a neuromuscular massage this morning which is more like a medical massage. With my former TMJ issues, my upper back and neck were targeted. Not going to lie, it was a little painful but the good kind. I realized today that I'm super tense in so many areas and believe that is what causes so many headaches/backaches. I'm thinking of going back soon for another round to help ease some pain. Later today, Todd took me to do some shopping in Blowing Rock in which we completed with dinner and ice cream at Kilwins. It has been an awesome day!

Much love, 

S

  

{Beach Bums}

Last week we hit the road to one of my favorite places, Oak Island. I grew up going there with my family and we are blessed with a cute cottage my grandfather built over thirty years ago. It was just the two of us but we had a great time!  

While we were there we attended a wedding of two sweet friends of ours, Stuart and Matt. We worked with Stuart at Caswell many years ago and Matt worked there after us but we got to know him better in college. You may also recognize Matt from our wedding as our wedding singer.

Speaking of Caswell, we couldn't be that close to camp and not visit. Caswell holds a special place in our hearts since we both served there, grew spiritually there and fell in love. The tradition continues with another great team full of talented musicians and actors. Can't lie though, we felt old! 

My best friend, Magan (also worked at camp with us) was there visiting too. I'm ashamed to say it was my first time meeting her little girl. Wish we lived closer! 

We spent lots of time on the beach and it was glorious!

We ate lots of Snobiz...my favorite! I'm trying to convince Todd that we need to buy one and start a business. Who doesn't love Snobiz?!? :)

No trip is complete without a visit to Prov Co. Best shrimp ever!

We found this street in Southport and of course we had to pull over and grab this photo:

I found this adorable house while in southport too. Doesn't it look so cozy? Not sure if you can see or not but it has awesome black and white strip outdoor curtains to the left of the door. So cute!

Overall it was an awesome trip together. We headed back last Thursday to gear up for my sisters wedding which was beautiful! Blog post to follow soon with all those fun details.

On another note, our newest niece, Piper Grace, was born on Saturday. Although full term, Piper is only a little over 4 pounds and has two holes in her heart. Will you continue in prayer for the Hendricks family with us? Pray specifically that Piper gains some weight and that if and when surgery occurs that everything will go smoothly. Thanks!

-Sara

{Our Pup}

We got to meet the goldendoodle pups today and choose our pup. After playing with several, we fell in love with this sweet girl...

We are in LOVE!

I'm sure you are curious as to what her name will be so I'll spill the beans. She shall be called Maggie!

We get to take her home on Aug 4 and we cannot wait. It was so hard telling her bye today but I know these next few weeks are crucial with her siblings and mama. So because I'm already obsessed here is one more photo...

-S