Spring Centerpiece

Do you all remember those Chia pets that were popular not too long ago?  Well, I never had one, so now I am diving into an "adult chia" experiment. I love the way that a natural, bright green can cheer up a room and I'm looking forward to trying this with a centerpiece.

My hubby and I have a whole slew of things that we are saving for, so I have committed to decorating on a budget. Let the fun begin!


Ingredients: dirt, grass seed, silver pails (.99 at Ikea)..not too bad for sticking to a budget, right?

Once you have your ingredients, simply layer the dirt with seeds, and top it off with dirt again. It is important for the seeds to get a lot of moisture. I watered the soil before and after planting the seeds.  My watering tactic?  Get a paper towel wet and wring it out over the pail. Repeat. Sounds a bit ridiculous but to me it seems the closest thing to rain :)

My pails are on a tray serving as a centerpiece. Hopefully they will soon be popping with green and adding the perfect burst of color to the dining room. If I'm able to get grass to grow, I may even try my hand at flowers!!

Updated pictures to come soon.Cross your fingers that they include grass and not just more dirt!

How Great Thou Art

Often at work I listen to YouTube videos while typing away. Today I heard Carrie Underwood & Vince Gill perform.

It.Was. Incredible.

Their performance brought tears to my eyes and paralyzed my fingers from doing their work. More than the talent, the lyrics of the song are incredibly breathtaking.  Check it out.

Gel Manicure Review

Before getting manicures and pedicures for the wedding, one of my besties had been raving about getting a gel manicure. Her nails did look great but I was skeptical if it was worth the extra money.

The Friday before our wedding we enjoyed mimosas and got our nails done. I'm reluctant about spending extra money on ANYTHING but this was SO worth it!

This picture was taken 16 days after the manicure. These nails have endured wedding set up & tear down, opening hundreds of boxes, and scrubbing dishes & floors. This manicure has enjoyed the beach & 90 degree-plus weather and has survived the snowfall and bitter Minnesota "spring".

Needless to say, I'm sold. It is worth it.  Thanks Laura for the recommendation, I owe you!

Our heat is back!

We returned from the 90 degree weather in Florida to NO HEAT!!  Not only did we have to adjust from the beaches to snow..we got no relief indoors either. For almost a week we stumbled around in extra layers, stocking caps, and the thickest slippers one has seen.

It wasn't near as tragic as it sounds and Mia was quite entertaining.

She went from this:

She is under there somewhere, I promise.

To this. She loves the heater!

Happy Easter!

I hope you all had a wonderful Easter Sunday. Bryan and I couldn't ask for a more amazing church service. John Piper spoke some great truths and we both left extremely encouraged.

This year was a little different than past holidays as we weren't surrounded by family or Easter egg hunts, instead, Bryan had to work.  However, He is Risen and we don't need traditions to celebrate it.

When Bryan headed off to work after brunch and a long walk, my afternoon was full of a lot of this:

Yup!  Come May 16th I'm getting personal trainer certified. Let the studying begin!

Mr. & Mrs. Pearson

Well, it has been a while since I wrote and A LOT has been going on!

I've undergone an official name change and get to spend night & day with my best friend. Once we get our wedding pictures back I will make sure and share them, but for now, here is a glimpse into a trip to Naples!

The trip started early Monday morning with a ride on the Amtrak. I don't mind the 5AM hour so much but Bryan doesn't see that time of day unless he is just going to bed...it was a bit rough, but we made it!

Our week was FULL of good eating. Bryan and I love going out to ea, critiquing the food, service, and atmosphere.  For the first time in months we got to enjoy some outdoor patios and fresh seafood!

It wouldn't be a trip to South Florida without seeing some gators. This little guy was precious but we also saw some big, feisty gators in the wild!

We did a half day tour of the everglades on an air boat. The whole experience was really neat but my favorite part was the people. Everyone that toured us around was incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about gators, it made the whole day exciting and really educational.

Growing up, miniature golf was always a vacation tradition. Bryan insisted on the buying 36 holes but in the 90 degree heat and humidity, we hardly made it through 18. Poor us, right?!

We cleared an entire day to hit up the legendary Naples Zoo. Within 1.5 hours we had seen all of the animals, ready every sign, and seen their most popular show.  Lucky for me, this left an afternoon free to hit up the outlet mall!

Of course there were many hours spent at the beach.It wouldn't be a honeymoon without a couple of sunburns and hours of complete laziness :)

Absolutely beautiful sunsets.

Our travels home consistent of 10.5 hours in the Fort Myer's Beach Airport. Lucky for my husband, I am a queen of the card game Nertz.  Poor guy had to have lost over a dozen games that day.

 We are happy to be home and get back into "real life". Our home is finally coming together and I have even been trying my hand at cooking!