I’m Only Going to Say This Once…

I hate winter. I hate it, I hate it, I hate it, I hate it!

Phew. Feels good to have that out of my system. Moving on to happier things…

This weekend we had a baby shower for a sweet girl in the small group Bible study that meets at our house on Wednesday nights. I think I’ve mentioned before, I just love planning parties! And it helps to be in a small group with such amazingly talented and crafty ladies.

We did an owl theme {which I’m totally going to do for one of the girl’s birthdays this fall}. So cute!

Love this idea – drinks served in Ball canning jars!

And the piece de resistance…

Is that cake not amazing? And no, I wasn’t the one who made it {Yeah. Right. Like you would actually think that.}

It’s the creative masterpiece of Deann – she’s the one waaay over on the left-hand side of this picture:

She also happens to be the one who made these burp rags and super cute car seat cover for me. She made a car seat cover for Stephanie and baby Kipton, too. Also super cute.

I’ve been after her to start her own Etsy shop because, seriously? She could make some money. She’s thinking about it. You all would buy stuff from her, wouldn’t you? ;)

So, anyway. That was the weekend. And today I’m just trying to ignore the piles of snow outside and the frigid temperatures and focus on my blessings:

Instead of complaining about the cold I will…
be thankful that we have warm clothes, shoes, gloves, hats,blankets, and a house to keep us warm.

Instead of complaining about being stuck in the house I will…
be thankful that I have a house to be stuck in.

Instead of complaining about my husband’s work hours or the fact that he didn’t get a snow day today I will…
be thankful that my husband has a job…and he’s coming home tonight.

Here’s to choosing joy on this snowy, cold Wednesday!

On the Road Again

va·ca·tion (v-kshn, v-)
1. A period of time devoted to pleasure, rest, or relaxation

By that definition, I’m not sure that what we did last week could technically qualify as a vacation, per se – not a whole lot of rest or relaxation actually occurred. {And if you’ve ever taken a big trip with a toddler, you’ll know just what I’m talking about}

But we did just return from a really fun trip to visit some of our bestest friends in the great state of Minnesota.

We woke up every morning to this:

And spent the majority of our time playing here:

Activities including making and {even more fun} destroying sand castles

…swimming…

…lounging in deck chairs and eating “cake” {made from sand, of course}…

   

…fishing…

…and boat rides…

…well…for Lily just ONE boat ride. That was about all she could handle…

We even made some new friends…

…and met some cute boys…

That’s Ike, my best friend Molly’s little guy. We’re seriously discussing an arranged marriage. Ike and Lily aren’t too keen on the idea yet…just give ‘em time ;)

And even vacationing with kids is a lot of work, I’d say it was worth it…

…because we had ourselves one very happy little girl :)

{Not So} Stupid Ellen

I consider my freshman year of college to be one of the defining years of my adult life. I had many life experiences and met so many people who became lifelong friends. One of those people was my roommate, Ellen. Yesterday was her birthday, and I’d like to dedicate this post to her.

Ellen moved in with me mid-semester. I had gotten the news before Christmas break that my previous roommate was dropping out of school and as far as I knew, nobody else would be joining me. I’d have a dorm room all to myself. My suitemate Molly and I were practically giddy with excitement over the news. We had all sorts of plans for what to do with the extra space. We could have a workout area! And extra space for clothes! And a dance floor! Ok maybe not…but the possibilities seemed endless…

Then we got the news – I was going to have a new roommate after all. Her name was Ellen.

This was a disaster. We had already rearranged the room and now we were going to have to move everything back to accommodate another person. We set to moving the furniture all the while muttering, “Stupid Ellen!” (I know -- we were pretty mature).

Then we met her and we realized she wasn’t stupid. She was fun! And interesting! And sweet! I couldn’t have handpicked a better roommate! And she was always making me laugh…

Like the night she decided to sleep with pantyhose on her head. She’d heard that if you washed your hair at night, then stretched a pair of Leggs over it, it would keep your curls from getting frizzy. I don’t remember if it worked or not but I do remember us laughing hysterically when she woke up the next morning with a big mark on her forehead because the pantyhose were too tight. She just sighed, looked at me and said, “Control top. Oops.” (I’m sure when I took this picture she never expected me to broadcast it over the Internet years later. You’re welcome, Ellen :)

And you’ll never guess who her date was for Spring Banquet that year. I’ll give you a clue: he’s a close personal friend. Actually, my best friend. The father of my child. Also known as my husband. This was before we started dating. I found out later he wanted to ask me but I already had a date all lined up – and Ellen wanted to go with someone else (the man who eventually became her husband) but he already had a date lined up. So Dave and Ellen went together, as friends – but the story of how that came about is a whole ‘nother kettle o’ fish.

Now she’s married to a wonderful guy, Travis, who couldn’t be more suited to her. They’ve got a handsome little man named Landon and live in an adorable little house in a town far, far away.

I miss having her close by to make me laugh at her gullibleness (gullibility? Are those even words?) and encourage me with her sweet, tender spirit.

Thanks for being a once in a lifetime kind of friend Ellen. I wouldn’t trade you for a million empty dorm rooms. Happy Birthday!