A Long and Happy Life

This summer has been nothing but crazy! Work has me bogged down, moving to a new town and getting ready for the ultimate adventure; university. Not to mention that T is back. I'm sure if you follow my Instagram you would already figured that out. I figured we could take this time to catch up on what you've all missed out on. So how are you? How's summer treatin' ya'?

At the end of May my old city apartment was full of boxes and a one way ticket out of town. I was ready to take on the next chapter of my life in Conway; single, ambitious and a little anxious. I had to work the weekend of Mother's Day so I didn't have a chance to go visit my mom, but I was also not expecting to wake up to "Hey Stranger?" My guards were high and my blood was boiling and my responses wasn't exactly inviting. What my mom was not expecting on Mother's day was a call at 8 in the morning with me freaking out and admitting that I was still in love with the guy on the other end of that text. I was also a little dumb founded in that realization.

It took a good week for me to realize that this is in fact the right thing to do. Take him back. I now realize that it was the best thing I could have ever done. We have both grown as people, relationally and mentally. I am not here to speak for him, but I do believe that he would agree with all of this. The one thing we both lacked the first time around was communication. Whoever said communication is key was no liar. We are still working on this, but I feel that we are doing a fantastic job at it thus far!

Meredith and I are finally getting settled in to our new home. I am still driving an hour in to work every day which is bound to change soon we all hope. This past week I celebrated my 23rd birthday with a couple of my close friends, family and T, of course! It was nice and laid back which I have very much so learned to love. In less than a month I will step foot back on a college campus and every bit of me is excited about this!

I guess the moral of this story is that its okay to give things in life a second chance. They may come back to bite you, or they may be the best thing that has ever happed. Either way trust your own gut. Don't let others try to steer you away from what you feel is right for you. It may surprise you in the end.

Until next time,

Stephanie

Apartment Living

I've had several request of a home tour, or a home decor tour so I decided to clean my flat (that's what English people call it, in case you were as clueless as I was) and deliver! I'm sure I will be doing another one of these when I move later this year so enjoy the Little Rock apartment view while you can! I may try to do a bedroom and bathroom tour later, but I felt like this post was pretty long without it! If you have any questions of where things are from please feel free to ask and I will do my best to wrack my brain to remember! I will also try to link as many of the items as I can find so that you can pick them up also! It's time to grab a bag of popcorn and your favorite coke, sit back and relax because this one will be a lengthy one!

-Stephanie

Sorry for the lack of lighting, I honestly tried my best. As soon as you walk in my door to your left is this beaut. The dresser was my mother's that has been repainted and distressed by yours truly! My extensive collection of nail polish lives in the cookie jar on the left, while my planner lives in the wooden box, meant for recipe cards, in the middle. The floating shelves are home made. As you may notice you will see no real plants in my apartment, because they all die if I'm in charge, oops!

 Just for a closer look at what is on the shelves. The bunny plate is from Hobby Lobby. The number that I use for each month is from a table number set, meant for weddings, but who cares, from Homegood's. The succulent is from Target. The vase is from the Dollar Tree. 

The spring sign is from the Target dollar spot. The Lilly Pulitzer inspired cross is from an Etsy shop called Mama Duck Creations; go check her out!! The VW is from Ross, and the bunny sign is from Hobby Lobby. 

My entertainment center is a little messy, but well used. The shelves are from Walmart and baskets are from Target. The picture is from TJMaxx. 

This is literally one of my favorite places especially on a rainy night. The monogram is from a thrift store called The Owls Nest in Texarkana, Ar. The tea light holders in the fire place is from The Lakeside Collection. And of course there is a basket full of cat toys; you can think your pal Meredith for that!

Never expect my kitchen table to be set and this neat in real life! The napkins are in Kate Spade's Coming up Roses and the glasses are from Homegood's. The silverware is from Walmart. The white plates are Cornell from Target.

I can't even begin to tell you where all of these things are from, but I'll try! The buffalo canvas and the giant fork are from Hobby Lobby. The mug and plate are from TJMaxx. And the coffee cup is from the Gilmore Girl's pop up cafe before the reboot premier!

You can't have a kitchen tour without the stove! The towel, Kate Spade oven mitt, tea pot, and spoon rest are from Homegood's. The print of the camper is from Target. The Pioneer Woman plate in Country Garden is from Walmart.

Snaps of my Week: Part Three

I guess this should be called "Snaps of my Month" because it's been a while! A lot has gone on since the last time I did one of these; I'm looking in to relocating to another near by city, I've chosen a college (post reveal coming soon!), and I've worked more than ever! I figured the easiest way to let you all know about the fun little things going on in my life was by sharing some fun pictures!

{I did a little shopping at my local Home Good's and regretted not buying this cutie! I work my butt off in all aspects of life and failed to pick up this #GIRLBOSS plaque! Geez, Steph what were you thinking!}

{On to something I don't regret, my hair! I took the plunge and chopped off my long blondish red locks and dyed it dark! Love it!}

{My mom brought me a special delivery last weekend and I couldn't be happier with the results! I was using an old blue desk that I bought at a thrift store about a year ago and refurbished myself, but it was slowly falling apart. Excuse the slight mess but I have to continually rearrange everything until I finally get it to my liking. BTW yes that is a Central Perk coffee mug you see; if you don't get the reference we can't be FRIENDS!}

{My aunt made a surprise visit yesterday and treated me to my favorite restaurant, Mellow Mushroom! If you don't have one of these around you I'm sorry because it's all sorts of magical! The decor is all sorts of 70s and I love it! Including the huge mural of Johnny Cash on the wall.}

{Spring is in the air and butterfly cookies are in my belly! I always prefer the cookies over the coffee, but the coffee is a total plus!}

Hope you all have a happy Sunday and a good week! Be sure to enjoy the spring weather, avoid pollen clouds, and eat good food!

-Stephanie

  

Weekend Adventures

Happy Sunday ya'll! Sorry for the lack of interaction this past week, sometimes ya just need to check out and spend a little time for yourself. Just because I've been a loner this week doesn't mean I didn't do anything exciting to share with all of you guys!

I went home for the weekend to meet up with a dear friend, Chloe from Chloe Mae's Cottage, and visited our local state park for an afternoon full of some adorable pictures and some crisp spring air. If you didn't know where my original stomping grounds are Hope, Arkansas; pretty much the extreme southwest corner of the state. About 15 miles down the road is the national state park of Old Washington. If you wish to know more about this gorgeous relic of the past feel free to visit their website! I'll try to give you a little tid bit about the buildings that each of the pictures where taken just for fun!

{Welcome to the 1847 Hempstead County Courthouse, active from 1847 to 1939. It now acts as the visitor's center and gift shop.}

{The Morrison Tavern resembles that of a 1830 bed and breakfast. The wood aesthetic was possibly my favorite.}

{Enjoy this fun pic from Chloe's snapchat! The park is known for its beautiful jonquils' and a festival is held every spring to admire their beauty.}

  

{Arkansas isn't called the natural state for no reason! This may seem like a normal tree, I promise it's not. I'm not sure if the world's largest magnolia tree, but it's sure up there!}

{This has got to be my most favorite picture of the day and it was completely unplanned. By this point I couldn't find matching shoes, we were cold, and the sun was setting fast. I had just finished up the last of Chloe's pictures in front of the Royston Log Cabbin and was just taking a breather on the back porch. Possibly the best picture of the day.}

If you are ever down in this direction take a few minutes to check out the park and all of it's beauty, it won't disappoint! Hope you all are having a good Sunday and good luck on the week ahead!

-Stephanie 

The Girl Behind the Tumbleweed

I know you know a lot about the story of T and myself, but you probably don't know all that much about me. I figured the easiest way would for me to tell you all a little about myself and where I come from would be to play a little game of 10 questions, except you don't answer so its just all about me!

1. I am literally the tallest of all my friends! This girl is a staggering 5'8"; I guess I'm not that tall, they are just short!

{told ya}

2. I hated country music before T. My go to bands were your typical emo bands like Panic! at the Disco, Mayday Parade and 21 Pilots. Its tolerable, but my roots are still in rock and roll! 

3. If you didn't catch on in an earlier post, or you are new, I am a pharmacy technician. I just celebrated a year in the pharm  on Wednesday by working. Fun!

4. I have absolutely no coordination, but I danced for 10 years! Enjoy this little blast from the past!

{Go ahead and giggle because I sure am!}

5. My home town is the birth place of Bill Clinton and the the world's largest watermelon! If you can't figure it out I'll give you a little hint. "I believe in a place called Hope."

6. Being that I live in the south you probably assume that I like sweet tea, consider me the exception! I absolutely hate it!

7. I went to ski school once and dropped out with in 20 minuets of the class, needless to say I guess I've never truly snow skied, but I did try.

8. When I was 16 I underwent heart surgery for a birth defect that was over looked. 

9. I was born to be a rock star. At least I would like to think so.

{Check out that cutie with the Brittany Spears style headset circa 1997}

10. Italian food is life! I could live on pasta. Probably not healthy, but it is tasty!

I had fun sharing a few fun pics with you and a little more about me! If you have any more questions please feel free to leave them in the comments and I will try to answer them as soon as possible! I love ya'll and thank you all for the overwhelming support over the past few weeks!

-Stephanie 

Snaps of my Week: Part 2

Sorry there's not much going on this week, but I figured I would go ahead and share a few pics from my week with ya'll!

The week started off with a delicious dinner prepared by yours truly! Asparagus and cheddar stuffed grilled chicken with fried taters! If you think I wrapped that chicken by myself you can thank Target!

  Sorry for the poor quality and the fact that I took it in selfie mode, but I have been living in all the tanks and tee's from www.rockcityoutfitters.com! This is probably my most favorite tank "Floatin' Rivers, Killin' Livers"! Affordable, cute and super soft! Check them out if you are a true Arkie!

 This week was brought to you by Blue Moon, totally just kiddin', but here's to hoping!

-Stephanie 

To my Best Friend on Valentine's Day

Since it is Valentine's Day and love is in the air I figured I needed to follow the trend wagon and make a post. I debated on doing something crafty. Nah! Baking? Well that's not particularly my forte. So I decided to do what I do best. Story tell!

It's been a couple of weeks since we've had a "T" blog so today is the day. No not the day that I tell you how he officially asked me to be his girlfriend, but the day that I brag on him just a little more. The day when I tell him why I admire him and all the reasons that I love you. Consider this a little love letter if you may; I do.

T,

You have literally brought a light back into my eyes that I thought was lost. You are strong and passionate about everything and admire you for that. It not only shows character, but also love for the ones you care most about. I love how you call me when you are doing the dishes just to ask if something is dishwasher safe. It cracks me up even though I know it's a serious question for you.

Thank you for laughing at even my dumbest of jokes, and poking fun about the water filter mishap. I may seem annoyed by it but honestly its still pretty funny! Thank you for making some pretty amazing dinners and teaching me how to let loose and enjoy life.

I know you spend a lot of time with your family, and honestly it has taken a lot of getting used to for me, but I realize now that if we ever get married and have children just how devoted to them you will be. I love that and honestly can't wait for that day! It may only be that I've known you for 7 months but it feels like forever. I love you and wish you the best of Valentine's Day!

Love,

Stephanie

P.S. You still make my heart happy

Snaps of my Week

So I'm trying something new this week since I've been a little under the weather. Instead of writing a normal post I figured I could explain my week in a few pictures! Enjoy ya'll!

{New notebook just for blogging ideas. So far I haven't used anything written in it... oops! Oh and can we talk about these adorable glasses from EyeBuyDirect? If you are blind and want some fashionable glasses for cheep check them out!!}

{Valentine's Day is coming and this cutie got a new home on my couch!}

{After writing my anxiety blog Tuesday a little positivity was in order! Thanks, Pintrest!}

{Okay this one might need a little explanation. I've been battling a bladder infection all week and it only seemed to progress even though I was working on a dose of Cipro. GUYS! Let this be a life lesson: NEVER LET YOURSELF GET SO DEHYDRATED THAT THEY CAN'T FIND A VEIN AND PUT AN IV IN YOU FOOT!!! Oh my gosh! You don't know pain until there in an IV in your FOOT!}

If you like these kind of post and wish to see more into my weekly life in the way of photos please let me know in the comments and I'll try to keep it up maybe every-other week. Hope you all are having a good week!

-Stephanie

Tuesday Thoughts: Anxiety

To some it may seem I have everything together, but in reality I'm a mess. I see people share those video's on Facebook that are title things like "Coping with Anxiety" or "Taking Control of your Anxiety," but honestly I feel that things like that glamorize mental illnesses. Anxiety is not always wanting to be alone in a dark room or possibly thought of suicide; for the extreme portion of the spectrum. Of course, its to each its own. I plan on doing something quite hard for myself; sharing what it's like for me living with anxiety.

I've been known to share only happy things on here, but I would be lying to you if I said that all things were unicorns and rainbows. I can't pin point where my anxiety stems from, but I wouldn't doubt that its genetic. Just like most of the world I hate to be alone, so much so that when someone tries to leave I will break down in tears occasionally. There are days that I sit on my couch all day and not respond to anyone, and there are days when I don't feel good enough for anyone. I overthink everything I say or do with the fear of hurting people.

I feel like there are day where I should be placed in a room with no outlets to socialize, because if I do I tend to annoy people or I feel like I am breaking down relationships. I am in no way an extrovert; I do prefer the quite of my home over any other place, but just because I am home doesn't make it a happy place.

Being a pharmacy technician I do believe that medication can help. Yet sometimes, from experience, I know that there is such a thing as over medicating the problem. I would have panic attacks not just while I was awake, but also in my sleep. Originally I was prescribed Sertaline, it didn't do a thing. Then on to Doxipin with Trazadone, this literally made me the most irritable zombie to walk the earth. I wasn't sure what I was doing 80% of the time. It was horrible!

Sorry this post was kind of last minute and not planned. It was something that has been harping on me for a while and I know I can't be alone in the battle. Of course it's to each it's own. People are different, things don't always affect you how you think they should, and there's always a brighter side!

-Stephanie

Blog Takeover: Chloe Mae's Cottage

Hey y’all! It’s Chloe’ from Chloe' Mae's Cottage! Stephanie was so kind as to let me take over her blog this week! Before I tell y’all why I began to blog, I want to tell y’all a bit about Steph. We’ve known each other for a while now and I can honestly say that she is the best friend I’ve ever have. She’s been with me through thick and thin and has shown me what a true friendship is about and I’m so incredibly grateful for her!

So now let me tell y’all about why I began to blog. I actually started blogging many years ago on Blogspot and had a blog titled “My Lady Reenactor.” That was mainly a reenacting/sewing blog. After a while I switched over to Wordpress and started the blog “Chloe’ Mae’s Cottage.” I began to blog about everyday life- sewing projects, baking, trips, reenactments, everything I do. It began to be a way of expressing myself and once I realized that people actually liked what I wrote I began to write more.

I began to blog as a way to save reenacting pictures and to show sewing projects I’ve done, but now I blog for so much more. I want to inspire and to encourage others through my blog. I’m using the blog as a way to put myself- my true self out there. For as long as I remember I’ve been a private person, but when I’ve opened up I’ve been able to help people with things they’ve been going through. So blogging has helped me learn to open up more and I think it’s been the best way for me to learn to do so.

Steph, I’ve enjoyed taking over the Tumbleweed! I love you, your blog, and of course Mer! You are welcome to take over the Cottage anytime you want!

Meredith Blogs: A Day in the Life of a Cat

Hello humans. I'm Meredith, you all thought Grumpy cat was sass. Well, sugar, you've yet to meet me. I was adopted by this annoying human July 25, 2015; I was a birthday present for herself. Who gets them self a present for their own birthday? Whatever, you do you girl. Because shes unoriginal she named me after a television surgeon, not even a real person who saves lives. Unimpressed. I was the only long haired kitten in my litter so who couldn't resist all this?

Soon after, Momma {I really don't know her real name, but it doesn't really matter as long as she feeds me} got me a baby brother, Alfie. Even though Alfie was cute he was the biggest idiot I have ever met. He was not a normal cat, he couldn't land on 4 feet, his face was constantly attached to the floor and I could always blame what I did on him. It was GREAT! Too bad when Momma took the leap and moved she could only take one of us. It was obviously a hard decision to get rid of Alfie, but he went to a close friend so we still keep up with him. Update: he's still an idiot. 

Moving to the city was a change for both Momma and I, but I had to be strong for her. I also discovered the fun of the bathtub! Adjusting to the single cat life was weird but I love it! I've made friends with the orange tabby who hangs out around the dumpster, the frat guys who live upstairs, and  Momma's new boy, She call's him T, I don't know why because his name is not T! That's just the first letter. Did I tell you that he locked me in the bathroom once; that's a story for another time. We also got a hamster once. Do you know how scary those critters are? Terrifying, but they got some good yogurt pretzels!   

Sorry to cut it short, but its time for my 6th nap of the day. I'll do this again soon when I can borrow some thumbs. Bye looser. 

-Meredith Grey

A Long Waited Return

Finally, after 3 years, I'm back! I'm sure ya'll have missed out on quite a bit in the past 3 years. The decision to change the name of  "The Life Diary's" came from the fact that life is not erasable, or nearly as messy as a diary page, but more tangled and confusing like a tumbleweed that keeps rolling on. Just some things that you can expect, other than just a new name, are things like:

LIVING IN A NEW CITY

 NEW ADVENTURES

{22 and I still have no clue what I'm doing}

And of course a new mysterious man (well mysterious to ya'll, I've spent the past 6 months with, well lets just call him "T")... more about him coming soon!

Enjoy this little teaser, life is about to get a "Little Rock-y"


pictures by Ruthie Chaney