I'm taking you on a tour, People!

Good grief, is it as hot where you live as it is where we live?! We got in the pool this afternoon to take a break from studying, and instead of being cold or even cool, the pool was lukewarm! It was still a nice diversion, though, and I'm very thankful our complex has a nice pool area that's only thirty or so steps away from our front door. :)

Deep breath, Guys and Gals.  I've decided to try something a little different on here.  Now, don't get too nervous.  Just sit back with your handful of dark chocolate chips (Hmm? That's just me?  Oh.....ok), and enjoy (or critique, hah!).

Kelly, a gal whose blog I read often, does a "Show Us Your Life" post every Friday and other bloggers link up to it.  So, it's like an online "tour" of homes and places and people in our lives.  Isn't that fun?! This week's tour focuses on master and guest bedrooms.  I do so love our bedroom (it's really my favorite room in our home), so I thought I'd participate this week.  We no longer have a guest bedroom.  Over the course of almost eleven months (the length of time we've been married), it has gone from bedroom, to office, to nursery, back to an office.  Right now, it's not anywhere near how I'd like it to look, but such is life, right?

All right.  On to the tour :).  Ooohh,  if you are a IRL (in real life) friend or family member, you do know how I oh-so-love to give tours of our home! And go on tours of other people's homes!  And look at people's homes on the internet!  Hah!  You know, it's not like our home is some gigantic mansion with tons of expensive furniture and fabulous artwork and every item in its proper place (though, People, I sure do try my darndest to keep things where they belong...The Husband...not so much).  I just love to share with others how we've taken small rooms and made them special to us--how we've made our two bedroom/two bathroom condo a home. :)

When you walk into our room, you look straight at our bed.  

I like the neutral colors of this bedding and the sage/green color on the walls, but those lamps do NOT match.  I'm constantly on the lookout for some cute, cheap lampshades to replace those maroon ones.  I do try to be a good steward of what we have, so I will continue to do my best to not be aggravated by those non-matching, tiny lamps.  

Inhale, exhale, eat another chocolate chip.  

My parents gave us this canvas the week before our wedding.  My mom got it from a store owned by a few cousins of ours called Creative Touch in Hutto, TX.   

 I ADORE it.  

I believe every word it says, and though it doesn't come easy, and it takes a whole lot of effort on both of our parts, I want all of those things to be present in our marriage.  

Beautiful is the marriage...

I got all of the metal items from Hobby Lobby.  

This is my nightstand.  

He and I are reading Rooms together.  We were reading the Left Behind series (hence The Remnant), but we're taking a little break.  We also were reading Shepherding a Child's Heart, but we haven't picked it back up since losing Hadley.  I think it might be a while before we dive into that one again.  I started reading The Trinity Diet (EXCELLENT!!) this past weekend, and then I liked it so much I began reading it to The Husband.  That happens with a lot of books. :)  I also just finished reading a book on the Kindle called The List.  Very good read!  

You might have noticed the earplugs.  

Saved.  My.  Sanity.  

 This is The Husband's nightstand. 

We both have Jesus Calling.  Have you read it?  We enjoy reading each day's devotional.  A sweet lady at the school gave us each a copy after Hadley was gone.  It was such a thoughtful gift.  

Notice the three flashlights?  That's just a sampling of his collection.  Just a sampling... :)

This canvas hangs next to our window.  It's one of my favorite shots from our wedding reception.  I think it's so neat how she took it at an angle! 

 The piece of furniture on the left is our armoire, and I like it because we can watch a movie and then close those doors and hide the TV and other electronics from view.  The framed picture is a collage of images the photographer took at the hospital.  I stare at those feet and remember how tiny and perfect they were.  I can't look at it too often though.  The cross was a gift from my parents on the day of the funeral.  It's beautiful.   

We read somewhere once that couples should have lots of pictures of themselves together in their bedroom to remind them often of their love for one another.  I think that's so true.  Even when we're in the middle of an argument, even if it's particularly rotten, I can look over at those photos and see such joy there.  

The bear was given to us at the hospital by a group that ministers to families who've lost a child.  What a sweet thing to do for those in the midst of grieving. 

I'm not thrilled with how this corner looks, but I do like having the rocking chair by the sliding glass door that leads out to the balcony and being able to sit and enjoy the weather without having to actually go outside and "enjoy" (that was sarcasm...) the weather. ;)    

 We got these door hangers right before the wedding (the other sides say Groom and Bride), and they hung on our doors while we prepared for the big day. :)

 And, this is what you see when you get ready to leave the room. I got this at Hobby Lobby years ago, and it's still one of my favorite wall decorations! 

Well, thanks for going on the tour with me. 

Be sure to check out the rest of the tour on Kelly's blog after you've reached in and grabbed another handful of dark chocolate chips (Say what?  That's just me again? I really ought to put those away.)  And, if you like to take guests on a journey through your home as much as I do, link on up!