Five on Friday

Here are my five favorite things from this past week:

1. Last Saturday after I got home from Hilton Head I went to Downs After Dark at Churchill Downs with some friends. For those of you that don’t know it was started a couple of years back and every summer they have night racing, usually six different Saturdays during the summer months. We had a lot of fun watching the horses!

2. I was so excited to get back and see the kids I nanny for after being away from them for a week. We had some fun in the sun playing outside in their new blow up pool!

(clearly it was sunny)

3. On Monday night a couple of my girlfriends and I went out for happy hour and pizza. It was so good catching up (plus you can’t beat beers for $1.99!!)!

4. Thursday night Scott came over and I made him dinner (I know, so domestic, right?) I made him a recipe I found on Pinterest a while back. To see the recipe go to one of my precious posts: Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

5. And the most exciting part is I leave to go back to Hilton Head today! I’m very excited to go there with Scott’s family and show them the place that has become my second home.

Happy Friday! =)

My Bedroom

Well my room (back at the parents’ house) is finally just the way I want it! Since I am entering the real world…on a teacher’s salary…I decided to move back in with mom & dad and save money, at least for the first year. Decorating is one of my passions and my bedroom has been a project of mine for the last year or so. Last summer I painted my room and re-did all of the furniture pieces. Since I’ve moved back home, I added some curtains, shelves, an over sized mirror, wall collage, and other little knick-knacks to get it just right. =)

Tips I’ve found for decorating on a budget:

1. Pick a color scheme! It’s so much easier when you have 3-5 main colors that you want to incorporate in to the design

2. DIY: Make your own art. I LOVE painting on canvases and did so with the monogram above my bed and with the quote on my dresser. Other fun ideas are to frame anything from scrapbook paper to decorative napkins to paint chips. All very inexpensive and super cute!

3. If you want a “new look,” paint old furniture that you currently own or go to a thrift store and purchase an inexpensive piece that you can re-do. It’s so much fun and allows for lots of creativity!

3. Buy fun little decorations – Hobby Lobby is fabulous! You can always find great deals and they always have a 40% off coupon that you can either print off from their website or pull up on your phone and show at checkout. (Hobby Lobby website: http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm)

Decorating my room makes me VERY excited for the day I get to decorate my future house. But for now I will enjoy living at home with the roomies 😉

HHI2013

As I mentioned before, I spent the last week in Hilton Head, South Carolina- A.K.A. never never land as my parents like to call it. We had an amazing time and had perfect weather! It was great being able to just relax and not worry about anything for a whole week. The best part about it was getting to spend time with my extended family.  We are all so close and look forward to this tradition every year. Check out the pictures below to see all the fun we had!

All of the cousins!

Four-square on the beach

The whole gang!

Our annual water volleyball tournament

Last sunset

It was hard to say good-bye to the beach, but lucky for me I will be back for fourth of July week! I will be going with Scott’s family this time and am very excited to be back this Saturday! =)

Summertime & the living’s easy

Summer is here and I’m loving every second of it! It’s been great going to dinner with friends, relaxing on the deck with my parents, and spending days out in the sun. For the last couple of weeks I have been nannying for four adorable children Monday-Friday. There is little miss Caroline- a 9 year-old girl, 7 year-old Joseph (JoJo), and the sweetest 3 year-old twin girls, Catie and Avery. They are the cutest kids in the world and definitely have been keeping me busy.

Besides nannying, I have finally moved some things into my classroom to clear up everything that was cluttering our guest room. However, it is still looking pretty empty. I will start decorating and really getting things ready about mid-July! =) I cannot wait! Those that know me, know I LOVE crafting, organizing, and designing anything from a Barbie house to a real-life bedroom (I spent hours as a child playing “The Sims” but we won’t go there…) Anyways it will be fun and I will be sure to post pics!

I just got home yesterday from my family’s annual summer trip to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina and it was AMAZING!

Every year since my mom was 18, her family has gone to HHI for summer vacation. It is my favorite tradition that has grown from 7 people, to our expanding family of 21. It is my favorite week and one that I anticipate all year long. During our week in paradise, we enjoy laying out in the gorgeous sun, playing water volleyball and competitive games of four-square on the beach, grilling out, shopping at Coliginy Plaza, getting drinks at the Frosty Frog, and eating out at Skull Creek and Scott’s Fish Market. Every year I feel like it just keeps getting better and better! Since I have to wake up early tomorrow to return to the nanny life, I will post pictures later with more details on our wonderful week in paradise! Good night! =)