Dossier is ALMOST complete (And Other Friday Randomness)

Today when I got home from work, I was excited to find the remaining 2 documents we needed for our dossier had come in the mail from our agency.  The next steps will be to get them notarized at the county clerk and then head downtown for the state seal.  After that, it will be off to Ethiopia!  Woo hoo!

This week we also received our notice from USCIS saying that our application was being processed and we would be receiving our fingerprinting appointment soon!

When I came home today, I also had received my IKEA gift card that I won from Young House Love and blogged about here a couple of weeks ago.  And much to my surprise, it was a gift card for $200, not $100!  But don't worry, I'll be sending an e-mail tomorrow letting them know their mistake.  I teach America's children for crying out loud.  I have to be honest! 



Don't forget that tomorrow at midnight is the LAST CHANCE to enter our t-shirt giveaway over at Lovin' Life. 

Happy Friday Wayman Family Nesters!

I Won Something!

I was so excited last night when I checked my e-mail and had a message from THE John and Sherry Petersik from Young House Love.  The subject said "Great News From Young House Love."  A couple of days ago I entered their contest to win a $100 gift card to IKEA.  And out of 5,416 comments, I was one of two winners!!!  I had to call one of my sister's last night to share my good news!  She is also a big fan of Young House Love.

I had my eye on a bookcase for the nursery, so we'll see what I end up with!  I'll be sure to keep you posted when we make a purchase.  And if you've never checked out their blog, drop what you're doing at do it now.  You won't be disappointed!

This is the second exciting thing I've ever won.  When I was in middle school, I won 2 plane tickets to anywhere in the United States.  What about you, Wayman Family Nesters?  What's the coolest thing you've ever won? 

Guest Posting at Home for Hire

I was so excited when Nicole from Home for Hire contacted me a few weeks ago about doing a guest post on her fabulous blog! 

So go check it out today here:

Nicole also has an amazing etsy shop that you MUST check out when she return from vacation!

Happy Monday Wayman Family Nesters!

Float On: Part II

{In case you missed part 1 of Float On, check it out here.}

Just a refresher of what our empty white shelves looked like before.

And here's what they look like now!

I had so much fun pulling things from around the house to style the shelves. Most of the items were things we already owned (which is always nice on the wallet!).  Read below to see where each item came from.

Top shelf: White frame (IKEA) with cards (etsy and a beach shop years ago); green glass bottle (wine bottle with label removed with Goo Gone); shadowbox with wood and flower (Homegoods); starfish (local antique mall)

Middle shelf: large white plate (Homegoods); red books ("picked" from hubby's grandparents' house); driftwood ball (West Elm); antique clock ("picked from hubby's grandparents' house); white lace planter and plant (IKEA); mini glass bottles ("picked from hubby's grandparents' house); blue glass bottle (wine bottle with label removed with Goo Gone)

Bottom shelf: White frame (Target) with Barcelona print (from beautiful city of Barcelona); white unglazed vase and dried flowers (both from West Elm); 2 small white plates (Homegoods); gray and white striped tray (IKEA); 3 white mugs (Pottery Barn)

There they are in all of their glory!  Looking at the shelves from our couch in the living room makes me so happy.  I have had several sweet friends ask me for help decorating and organizing their homes.  If you are serious, I would love to take you up on that!  If you have either design questions or adoption questions, feel free to e-mail me.  You can find my e-mail address under the "Contact" tab.

Float On

{Feel free to listen to Modest Mouse while you read this post.  After all, it is the inspiration for the title of this post!}

Now that I've got you happy and singing...

Remember this post when I mentioned our quick stop at IKEA in Atlanta and told you about all of my of my aweseome finds?  Well, last weekend I recruited the hubby to help me hang them.  And by "help," I really mean do all the work while I continually come to him to see if he needs me to do anything.

Here's a shot of our little dining nook before.  The wall has been bare since we moved in 3 years ago.  I thought that floating shelves would be the perfect way to break up all that green. 

Excuse the terrible photo.  This is a really old photo, but it gives you an idea of what the room looked like before we put in the French doors and changed out that atrocious light fixture.

Here's a shot of the hubby hard at work.  He's giving me the "You've got to be kidding me.  You're taking pictures of me working that will end up on your blog." face.

And here's the finished product! (And proof that we did it fact take down that skanky, ugly light fixture!)

Yes, I know this rug is too small for this table, but baby steps.  A new rug is not in the budget right now.



Stay tuned for Part II of this post as I show you how I styled those bare white shelves!

Road Trip Fun

On Friday when I posted about my cousin's wedding (read here in case you missed it), I didn't tell you that we made a little detour on our way to Chatt-town.  My sister and her boyfriend and I made a pit stop in Atlanta before we headed to Chattanooga.  Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for him!), the hubby wasn't able to make it.  He is on a road trip of his own with his buddies out west.  So, I am on my own for 10 nights.  For a scardy cat like me, this is a LONG time.  Friday night I slept only 3 hours WITH THE LIGHTS on!  I think I've seen too many crime shows, but anyway, back to my road trip...

What were you doing in Atlanta, you ask?  Well, my sister and I had a list of things we HAD to get at IKEA.  And sadly, there's not one in Nashville.  Hopefully that will change one day.  I found some GREAT goodies for our house.

I got 3 of  everyone's favorite, the LACK floating wall shelf.  At $20 each, they are quite a bit cheaper than their Pottery Barn and West Elm counterparts!  I'm going to put these on the wall in our dining area  (check the "House Tour" tab to see where).  This is a totally blank wall that has been needing attention for some time.  I can't wait to style the shelves with accessories from around our house to add some interest to the room.  And of course I will add pictures when they're up!

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I also snagged a few of the RIBBA frames.  I'm not exactly sure where I'm going to use them yet,  but I will definitely find a place for them!

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As I was browsing the frames I came across these fun TVILLING prints.  And it's hard to tell from the picture, but the background is actually a great linen-looking print.  I thought they would make a great addition to our bedroom, where we currently have nothing but a mirror on the walls (see our bedroom here).  And at $9 for the set of 2, they were quite the steal!

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Another bargain I found was the BARBAR tray for just $3.99.  I'm loving the gray and white stripes.  It's the perfect size to put in our bathroom to corral the items on our countertop. 

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I also found some adorable plant pots.  The first was the SKURAR plant pot for $2.99.  Wow!  I love how it looks like lace goes around the top of the pot.  Very feminine and pretty!

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I also snaggged the SOCKER plant pot and for $0.79 it surely didn't break the bank!  I love the galvanized look of the pot.

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I also got 2 fake plants (no green thumbs around here) to put in them, but I wasn't able to figure out which ones they were on the website.  These will make a great addition to any room of our house! I can't wait to find a spot for these and all of my purchases!