Friday, April 30, 2010

NEW CASA!

Just wanted to share a FEW pictures of our new house with you all! Have I mentioned how excited we are about it?! Keep in mind....all of the stuff in these pictures is the previous owners'! It will look completely different once we move in! The pictures might be a little grainy...there were the ones from the listing website.
The new casa is on about 2 acres and backs up to 60 acres! We have started calling it "The Farm House" since we feel like we will be living the country life now! We know the previous owners very well, they own the 60 acres that our house backs up to. They have told us to treat it ike it is our own land...so we can play and hunt all we want! We are so happy to be out of the city and back to a little bit of a slower pace of life!
Front of the house... picture our new white rocking chairs on that front porch! And yes...the yard will be manicured/mowed and we will be planting lots os bushes and flowers around the house!
Living room... we are really excited about the stained concrete floors! Plus...all of the paint colors (for the most part) are already what we would want...we only have to paint the guest rooms! WHEW!
Kitchen...I am in love with the new kitchen! Love the wine rack AND they have a bunch of big deep drawers for storage! Plus...one thing I really wanted in my next house....a kitchen window!! I am ready to grow some herbs on that windowsill! We will eventually put an island in the middle.
Master Bedroom.... Love the little reading drop lights!
Master Bathroom....althought the pedestal sinks are not very functional, I think they add a little character/charm! We will be replacing them later on...but I think they are very Pottery Barn! Lord knows I need all of the sink storage I can get! I am kind of a product junkie!
I didn't want to put pictures of the guest rooms up yet...they are VERY kiddish and need to be repainted...I will show those later on!
Just wanted to chare a few for now because I am so excited and ready to be there!!!
But don't worry..I have some funny stories/posts coming up about random happenings with the house already! :)
Have a WONDERFULLY wonderful weekend!
XOXO,
Hilary

Check List....

Anniversary Check List :

1. Yummy strawberry cake ordered from our fave bakery - CHECK!
2. Found the perfect white rocking chairs and picking them up later today - CHECK!
3. Dinner reservations made by the hubs - CHECK!
4. Tons of cardboard boxes ready to be used to pack our house up the rest of the weekend - CHECK!!!

I hope you all have a great one!

XOXO,

Hils

Thursday, April 29, 2010

Rock N' Roll

Okay....I know this is a SUPER random post...but I am in need of some major help!!!
Does anyone know where I can find two white rocking chairs?!!?!
I just don't know where to start! Our second anniversary is on Monday, so Casey and I are celebrating this weekend. We decided that whatever we get eachother for gifts, it should be stuff that we want/need for the new house! Well....we have a cute, larger front porch now and we really wanted to get cute white rocking chairs for it (very southern...i know)...so I thought that would be the perfect gift for him! He actually DOES really want these! Please help me find some! I need all of the help I can get!!!
Thanks so much!!! Happy Thursday!! The weekend is near........

XOXO,

Hilary

Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Home Sweet Home

By Invitation Only...
You are invited to see the inside of our lovely first home! We have lived here for TWO years exactly and are so sad to sell it! It was the perfect house for us....perfect size, big backyard, empty lot next door, and a big field behind us, which means, no back neighbors! We moved into this house the week after we were married. This house has been with us through so many memoies: job losses, new jobs, three dogs, many visitors, updates/remodeling, etc! We are super sad to leave it behind, but very excited about the new adventure ahead of us. We cannot WAIT to move back home! We got a contract on our house the Sunday before last and made an offer on our new house this past Sunday!
Some had asked for me to post pictures on my blog so that you might be able to see the inside. The lighting was kind of off, so the pictures might not be amazing! I hope you enjoy! (I know...there are quite a few pics!)

The front of the house...
This is our living room...we LOVE our big leather sectional! Notice my handmade curtains!
Casey's office...he painted that desk himself!
The master bedroom...I will miss that cute red wall!
Our upstairs bonus room that we recently converted to a sitting area!
The backside of our living room...I am looking forward to possibly doing a built-in for the TV in our next house.
The kitchen...it's actually a chocolate brown, but sometimes looks a little green-sih...don't mind that! In our new house, the cabinets are stained and I am excited! I do not like the wood colored cabinets.

The guest bedroom - I am thinkong fo re-doing this in the next house. This was Casey's comforter from college...we just really like how comfy it is! I am giong to need some ideas for the next house!

The guest bathroom...this is my favorite room in the whole house!
One side of the dining room - we didn't want a dining table yet, so it's a make-shift reading nook.

The other side of the dining room/reading nook.

Our breakfast area....LOVE my curtains in here! They really dressed this room a lot!
Well...I hope you enjoyed my little home tour! I would love any suggestions or ideas that you might have for me! I will fill you in more in my next post about our new house! We cannot wait to get moved and start over with a new clean slate!
XOXO,
Hilary

Sorry!!!! FINALLY A WINNER!!!!

I seem to have excuse after excuse for not blogging these days!! I cannot wait untl this summer when I have a lot more time for things like this!!

But...I have good excuses for being SO busy!!!
1. Frame orders have been coming in like CRAZY lately!!! It's been amazing!!! Keep 'em coming!
2. WE GOT A CONTRACT ON OUR HOUSE AND MADE AN OFFER ON ANOTHER!!!!!!!! Woo hooooo!!!! Our house will close on May 27th and our new one will close on May 28th! It;s about to get CRAAAAAAAAZY!!!! ( I will fill you in on house details in my next post....PROMISE!)

But forreal....this is a week late! I know!! I'm so sorry!

By a random drawing, a winner has been selected for the Le Crueset Carribean baking dish!!!

DRUM ROLL PLEASE...................................

Lyndsie from A Love Worth Waiting For!

Lyndsie....email me your mailing info so that I can pass it all on! hilary.hymer@gmail.com

Go check out her precious blog!!n She is just the cutest thing ever! Tell her hello and congrats!!

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful entries! Check in again soon.....I have a feeling that there might be a frame giveaway soon!

Happy Tuesday!

XOXO,

Hilary

Saturday, April 17, 2010

At West End...

Have you ever visited the At West End website? They have some cool, random, rustic, quirky things that I have come to love! I have actually never purchased anything from their website....but I am sure I will be once we get moved into our next house! Oh...and I just noticed...they have $5 shipping right now on everything! I haven't done a shopping post in a while..so I am making up for it now! :)

Go check them out and let me know what you like!!

Cast Iron Hand - $35
*I have a feeling that this might be a cool gift for my dad for Father's Day! He is quite the cigar smoker and loves stuff like this!

390-10511 NEW: cast iron hand

Recycled Glass Crosses - $15 each
*I love how they have these hanging in the window!

465-10104 recycled glass cross

Mermaid Vase - $65
* I am obsessed with this turquoise color!!!
530-10685 mermaid vase

Set of Five - Mercury Glass Candle Taper Holders - $120
*Love the rustic look of the mercury glass


Recycled Metal Weenie Dog - $40
* I would love to have this! I still miss Skeeter a lot and this would be a cute little reminder of him!


Glass Bird Feeder - $35
* This would look perfect hanging from one of the trees in our new backyard! I love that it's circular and different!


Cast Iron Crowns - $49 each
*Love the fun colors!


Jump over there and see what treasures they have for you!! Let me know what fun items you find!!

OH!!! And don't forget to enter my bakeware giveaway...it ends Monday evening!!!

Hope you all have had a wonderful weekend! The weather is gross here in Fort Worth....so I think it is time for a N-A-P!!!!

XOXO,

Hilary

UGH...

I have my very last test for my teaching certification at 1pm today. I am so worn out by this already and haven't even taken the stupid test yet!

Please say prayers for me!! I don't really know what to expect on this test and I didn't get much sleep last night! So basically, what I am saying is, I am G-R-U-M-P-Y today!!! I am so ready for this to be over with and to get in a LONG nap this afternoon!!!

DO NOT forget to enter my giveaway (see the post below)! It ends on MONDAY evening! You don't want to miss out on this! It's a great baking dish...you could even give it as a gift!! You don't have to do much to enter...so get started and spread the word!!! :)

XOXO,

Hilary

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

GIVEAWAY TIME!!!

GET EXCITED!!! There is a wonderful giveaway just waiting for you at the end of this post!

But first....we need to talk.

We have been looking at new houses lately...and I am intrigued! A lot of the ones we have looked at have bar-height counters in the kitchen so that you can have barstools and such. We have not been able to utilize the bar in our kitchen that we have now, only because the counter does not come out far enough to look right as an official "bar" to eat at. If we buy a new house with a bar in it...I am going to NEED some new accessories.....ahem......barstools anyone?

I don't even know where to start looking for bar furniture . But, I did find a cool place online that has some cute bar furniture (click here to see!) and accessories!

These are just SOME of the super cute barstools I found on their website! Go check it out and see if you can find something YOU like! They have lots to offer!


Since you all are such WONDERFUL bloggie friends....the company that runs http://www.allbarstools.com/ (CSN Stores) is hosting a giveaway here at Blissfully Enamored!


I personally picked out a BEAUTIFUL carribean colored Le Creuset 12" x 9.5" rectangular baking dish! I have been eyeing this myself for quite a while now...but wanted one of you to have the opportunity to win it! I love the color too! How fun would it be to bake something wonderful in such a CUTE dish?!

Want to know what you have to do in order to be eligible??

1. MUST be a follower of my blog! (1 entry) (leave a comment letting me know!)

2. Go visit All Barstools and tell me what your favorite item is! (1 entry)

3. Become a fan of Hilabeans Frames on Facebook! (leave a comment here letting me know) (3 entries)

4. Blog about this giveaway on YOUR blog/website! (3 entries) (leave a comment with the link to your posting)

5. Post this giveaway on your Facebook or Twitter! (2 entries)

6. Make a new order of a Hilabeans Frame....and get TEN entries!!!!! (email me at hilary.hymer@gmail.com AND leave a comment here letting me know that you ordered one!)

You could possibly get 20 entries folks! That's a LOT of entries...in case you didn't know!

Get out there and start spreading the word!!! I have a feeling that this will be my biggest giveaway yet!

This giveaway will end on Monday, April 19 at 5pm -Texas time!

GOOD LUCK!

XOXO,

HILARY

THINKING...

I am thinking that there JUST might be a good review and giveaway coming up soon! Keep your eyes open for it! I'm quite excited!

Also...I am looking to do some fun and new reviews and giveaways.... If you would like to be a part of a giveaway or review through my blog, please email me at hilary.hymer@gmail.com

I would love to hear ideas of things you would like to see in giveaways here at Blissfully Enamored! Leave me a comment and let me know!

Happy Wednesday!!!

XOXO,

Hilary

Monday, April 12, 2010

"EXHAUSTED...party of 1..."

Wow....this weekend felt like it last FOREVER yet I was so busy the whole time! We went to Tyler for the weekend to see our families and get some things done.

I attended a job fair all day on Saturday for teaching jobs in the independent school district there. I really didn't know what to expect since I had never been to one before. Ummm...holy cow! I felt like I was in RUSH all over again! I spent the first two hours walking from table to table, having mini-interviews, passing out resumes, and meeting/greeting the principals and administration from each school. I felt like my head was going to explode once I left! I was smiling from ear to ear the whole time and was so worn out! But...I did see some friendly faces that I knew, so that was fun to catch-up with some people!

That afternoon, I got called back for a face-to-face interview. Again, I didn't know what to expect with this either. They do an overall district interview and score you on this. After you are scored, they put it in their system so that any schools who want to interview you, can look up your score and call you in for a personal interview. Needless to say...I had to sit in front of THREE principals as tehy fired off questions for me! It was pretty intimidating! Overall, I felt like it went pretty well. I am really hoping for a call-back sometime soon! I want to have this whole job situation taken care of before the Summer really gets off to a good start! I do NOT want to spend all summer being concerned with finding a new job!

We went and looked at some houses while we were there....the two that I thought I would really like....turned out to be no bueno! But, my parents' friends are trying to sell their house that is out on about an acre and a half...we really liked it! So...we are debating....but we need to get somethign going with our house first! PRAYERS NEEDED!!!

We still feel like it is so crazy that we are going to be moving back....but we are so excited at the same time! You guys are probably so sick and tired of reading about all of this....but just know that I appreciate your prayers and your sweet comments during such a stressful time!!

Have a wonderful week!!

XOXO,

Hilary

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Yummy In My Tummy!

I just have to share this AMAZING recipe with you all! It's been in my family for a long time. I remember my great grandmother making these when I was younger. This is my favorite meal and one that I make for all of our friends!
SQUASH ENCHILADAS
Filling Mixture :
  • 4 large squash - sliced and cooked (I boil mine for about 10 minutes and drain it)
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1 jalepeno pepper – chopped (i use jarred peppers, they work the best)
  • Chopped red onion – just a small amount, to taste
  • 3 tablespoons Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
**Mix all of the above together**
Sauce :
  • 1 can cream of mushroom soup
  • ½ cup of milk1 jalepeno pepper – chopped (i use jarred peppers, they work the best)
  • 3 tablespoons Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
Remaining Ingredients :
  • 1 package flour tortillas (I have used wheat and they work well too!)
  • 8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
Directions:
Mix sauce in a bowl and set aside. Mix the filling in a separate bowl. Soften tortillas in the microwave (about 5 seconds). Put two big tablespoons of the filling mixture in each tortilla and roll up. Spray baking dish with PAM and lay each roll in the baking dish, side by side. Repeat until all of the filling is used. Pour the sauce mixture over the top. Spread the shredded cheese over the sauce. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 – 15 minutes or until good and bubbly.
I always serve these with Mexican rice and black beans!
Honestly, they sound kind of odd...but they are so stinking good!! I always have people asking for the recipe...so I thought I would share it with my blog friends too!
Please let me know if you make them and what you thought!
Also...I love new recipes....share your favorite one in a comment on this post!

Have a wonderful Thursday!!
XOXO,
Hilary H.

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

Shout Out!



I just recieved word that my sweet friend Marla did a blog post specifically on my Hilabeans Frames! I was jumping for joy when she told me about it! Jump on over to Marla, Plain and Small and check out what she had to say! It was such a great little surprise and completely made my day!


By the way...if you jump over to the Hilabeans Frames Facebook Fan page (wow...say that five times fast!)... be sure to let me know what you think of the new frames I have posted AND invite friends, family, and co-workers to be a fan!



I hope you all are having a wonderful Tuesday and had a GREAT Easter break!!! I will be back later to post more!



XOXO,


Hilary

Thursday, April 1, 2010

WHEW!

This week was so exhausting for me! I am so glad that I have both Friday AND Monday off and will be able to sleep late and enjoy it!

We finally got everything complete on the house and it is officially up on the market! Sign is in the yard and lock-box on the front door! We have already had TWO showings and we are praying that the people liked it! We are also hoping that ore people will be able to look at the house over the weekend, since it's a holiday and so many people have a break! We need your prayers! As soon as we get this house sold...we can purchase a new house in Tyler! I am so ready to have some new decorating to do and a little change of familiar scenery!

I will post some pictures of the house later on so that you can see just how cute it is now! :)

We don't really have any big plans for the Easter weekend.... Friday - i have seven *new* frame orders to work on....Saturday - I think we are going to see our lab - Cache - at his dog training....Sunday - church and Easter lunch with my family....Monday = NOTHING!!!!!

I hope that you all have a wonderful and happy Easter weekend! Remember the reason that we all celebrate this holiday!

XOXO,

Hilary