{Happy tenth babe}

 

Today is my anniversary. My tenth wedding anniversary.

Really, it has gone so fast. 

Happy Anniversary honey, I'm so glad it was you.

 

We aren't doing anything special today. In fact, I will barely see him. 

After work he is volunteering with his men's group from church at the local Union Gospel Mission.

I don't mind. I think that's pretty cool.

We still like to kiss.

He told me the other night that in future kissing photos (yeah, like we do this all the time) that we need to have bigger kisses. Like that wouldn't be weird and uncomfortable. This photo was totally uncomfortable as it is and my friend Andi was taking it. He thinks this photo looks funny. Probably because we weren't doing the big kiss he's talking about.

Ten years later, big kisses, little kisses, they are all still good.

We get to celebrate next week while we are in Seattle for Christmas.

He planned it all.

A boutique hotel.

The Space Needle for dinner.

Can you believe I've never been? 

I'm so excited!

Exploring downtown, just the two of us!

Love you honey. Thanks for asking me to marry you. 

You got a pretty good birthday present that year!

Christmas Craftathon 2011

Last Saturday I helped my dear and amazingly talented friend Becca host a Christmas Craftathon for eight of our friends. Becca owns a duplex and right now their lower level is vacant awaiting some renovations. We had free reign of the living room and dining room and had so much fun decorating an empty space!

We were crazy ambitious and set our goal on doing twelve crafts! We provided everything our friends would need to produce these crafts - we charged a small fee to cover the cost of supplies - all they had to do was show up ready to create!

We made earrings and hair clips, glitter clothespins, wooden block photo ornaments and bottle cap magnets. We made the most amazing wooden Christmas trees, freezer paper stencil t- shirts and tote bags and cloth napkins. There were also stations to create gift tags and sew paper garlands. Whew, am I up to twelve yet? Oops! I'm still missing one, what was it? Oh, yes, little fabric rosettes.

We were a little nervous as to how our friends would accomplish this many projects in one day. The day was open ended though with no set time we had to be done. Our guests were free to take unfinished projects home with them too.

We crafted our hearts out listening to Christmas music and fueled by coffee, hot chocolate and lots of treats. We caused the fuses to blow a couple of times but I think only one person banged their finger with a hammer!

I would do this again in a heartbeat! It was a great opportunity to actually create some of those projects we have all pinned on Pinterest - and it was a set aside time to craft without our kids!

{a little bit of everything - Christmas edition}

 

Since I've last posted I feel like I've had enough activity to fill up a weeks worth of lovely posts around here.

I have a camera full of fun photos to share with you but no way to get them on my computer...boo!

(And that explains the totally unrelated but totally cute photo of my firstborn taken by the lovely Andi of Andi Mae Photography!)

We have had a really nice first half of December.

This year I tried to fill our Advent calendar with fun activities for the kids instead of little trinkets or candy that quickly get lost under the couch or consumed by little bellies.

We have decorated a gingerbread house.

I've taken my daughter to see The Nutcracker ballet with other girlfriends and their daughter's. 

Gone on a carriage ride downtown.

Looked at the fancy decorated Christmas trees at the fanciest hotel in town.

(And gotten a bloody lip in the process!)

Gone to the mall as a family of five and bought Christmas presents for the giving tree.

Helped put on the most fabulous craft party with my friend Becca.

(I have lots of photos and will share them as soon as I can get them uploaded...)

We did TWELVE crafts. It was a little insane. But so fun!

Celebrated Christmas early with my husband's side of the family. 

Had to cancel going to my daughter's preschool Christmas performance because of another bout of stomach flu that has been going round and round and round my children. 

(And my friend's children...yucko!)

Sung lots of Christmas carols.

Took my daughter to a wonderful Christmas vintage/junk show.

Found a vintage nativity that turns out to be the same one my husband's Grandma had - and it lights up!

Scored a big vintage light up choir girl. 

Probably meant for outdoor illumination but she is lovingly illuminating my kitchen instead!

And found the sweetest little set of vintage green and white polka dot sheets for my daughter's bed.

Made Christmas cookies - Magic Cookie bars - for a Christmas cookie and ornament exchange.

Eaten probably two pounds of leftover Magic cookie bars.

Dealt with a broken washer.

By getting a brand new washer and dryer.

Spoiled rotten. But necessary.

Is it crazy that I am so excited about my super capacity washer?

I can't wait to wash all of my down comfortors and super big blankets!

No more laundromats!

I've also got the most amazing present idea for my two year old...

sneaky and so frugal!

Being the third child he has a seemingly unlimited supply of any kind of toy he could want.

I really couldn't think of anything to buy him for Christmas.

When I was clearing my basement the other day to make room for my washer and dryer I came across a big garbage bag full of any kind of dinosaur you could ever want.

Really. Seriously.

My seven year old went through the typical all consuming dinosaur obsession and is so totally over it. 

On to Legos and Star Wars.

Sooo...my two year old was spotted happily playing with a dino the other day and idea formed in my sneaky little head.

I'm going to get a fun little container and wrap up all those 

dinosaurs and present it to him on Christmas morning! 

Terrible?

Unfair?

I think not!

Genius is what I'm thinking!

And a fun follow up to the stolen Bibles story...

dun dun daaa....

Sunday night as we were getting home from our early Christmas with the family...we spotted a big box on our doorstep. The Bibles I thought immediately!

Sure enough! It was the forty pound box of Bibles that had gone missing weeks ago.

The bottom of the box had been opened. No tape at all. 

Yeah, shipping companies don't deliver on Sundays either.

My only guess is the whoever stole that box of Bibles off my front porch had a little visit by God Himself in the form of conviction...and decided he or she needed to return that box to it's rightful owner.

Strange? Interesting? A mystery?

All of the above.

God does indeed work in mysterious ways.

And the other cool part? 

Those blessing bags that the Bibles were intended for...they are still all sitting in the back of my car waiting to go out to my friends to distribute. Terrible that I've been holding onto them for so long. I've honestly just kept forgetting to get them out when I'm with my friends. 

So maybe it was just meant to be.

And just for fun and because I'm going with the theme of random photos for this post - here is another Andi Mae photograph. Love that she captured my littlest one's personality so well here. He really is the goofball of the family. The one that always makes us giggle!

{Pretty Pictures}

 

 

 

 

 Pretty pictures from my spectacularly talented friend Andi of 

Andi Mae Photography!

Thank you sweet friend for capturing my favorite people so beautifully.

{Happy Christmas}

 

Happy Christmas Season Friends!

I'm skipping over any Thanksgiving recap - that was so nine days ago!

I'll just say we had a lovely and low key Thanksgiving with family here in town.

I'm totally one of those day after Thanksgiving decorators. 

As in, we have to get a tree the day after T day even if it means getting the best looking $15 Charlie Brown tree they have on the tree farm. 

We are pretty well decorated in our little cottage. 

Our tree is up. 

It is decorated with five strands of white lights and only one strand of bubble lights. 

(My second strand just couldn't decide if it wanted to stay lit and finally decided that no, it wasn't going to.)

My daughter is trying to keep the compulsive decorator in me in line.

I have a tendency to do too much...to not hold back you could say. 

My daughter (who is four mind you) had to tell me twice that I had enough decorations on the tree. 

Okaaay, I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

I managed to scratch an idea itch this morning. 

You know what I mean. 

When you get an idea and actually get off the couch and make it happen. 

Like right away.

The other day I unearthed an old hanging scale underneath about fifty pounds of craft paraphernalia.

It was one of the last thrifting finds I have had lately and it was from my birthday weekend waaay back in September. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it or if I was even going to keep it for myself but it was too cool to leave behind. 

So this morning I decided to hang it.

I stole some chain from another project I had done but wasn't using (because honestly it was just too weird) and looked around to find a suitable container to hang from my old scale.

Enter the all purpose, wonderful in 24,589,000,000 ways Mason jar. 

Also enter a little tiny candle who was totally annoying to get in the jar without tipping over.

And I have what I think is a really fun new candle holder. 

And one that is child safe.

What could be more safe than hanging in the air, right?

Unless of course they are playing Star Wars and some imitation light saber wildly knocks it to the ground and shatters the glass into a million and one tiny shards that stick in your big toes when you walk to the kitchen.

Unless of course that happens.

Here it is with a little Christmas added to it. 

What do you think?

I told you I can't hold back.

We have been doing Advent around here.

In a couple of ways.

What did I tell you...

I'm using the Pottery Barn knockoff Advent calendar I made with friends last year.

Last Christmas I about went broke trying to fill it with little teeny tiny toys for 25 days times three kids.

This year I decided to focus more on activities we could do together. 

That's more the spirit anyways, right? 

So today my little girl got to pull out a card that said we get to go The Nutcracker tonight!

Just the girls, no boys allowed. 

The boys got to pull out a card that said they get to have a Christmas family movie night with treats!

Well, minus two members of the family.

I guess it should have read a boys Christmas movie night. 

I'll remember that for next time. 

What are you enjoying this Christmas Season?

{Grateful}

 

So as you can see I'm not keeping up very well on my daily list of thankfuls.

I'm not going to beat myself up about it but just start again today, knowing that writing it down here does not make me grateful, it is the daily moments where I stop to think and thank my God for the beautiful and even not so beautiful moments He gives me. 

49. Thankful for friendships. And not just those pictured in this photo I totally stole from my friend Chelle {which seems to be my m.o. lately..}.

For those near and far. 

50. For a really fun girls night out to celebrate Andi's birthday. 

An amazing concert by Sara Groves, Audrey Assad and Jenny & Tyler.

51. The chance to be out without my kids on a weeknight for hours.

52. That I am being hit from all sides with little signs confirming what God is putting on my heart these days.

53. For my new notebook that is encouraging me to go deeper in my time in the Bible.

54. For a sick day for Greg that meant he was home from work on a Tuesday. 

Boo for sickness, Yay for togetherness!

55. For holiday scheming and anticipation.

56. That God can bring good out of bad.

And let me explain...

I had ordered a box of 48 Bibles to distribute with our blessing bags I have talked about here. It was taking a long time to receive them so I called the company and U.P.S. today and they said they had delivered my 40 pound box of Bibles at 1:03 last Tuesday to my front door. That was probably about when I was at Fred Meyer and my two year old was puking in the kiddie car shopping cart. (You knew there was a reason you never allowed your children in those didn't you!) Basically we are figuring someone stole a very heavy box of Bibles off of my front porch. Will you all pray with me that they are getting to who needs them and aren't just in a dumpster somewhere? Pray that people are being changed by the Word of God right now by those Bibles. We'll never know, but I know God is good and He works in mysterious ways. I also think it's kind of funny. They probably thought they were getting someone's awesome Christmas present, like a playstation ....and they got Bibles. Cool.

57. My children and listening in on their creative play. They've been saying "oh, hiiii" in this funny little way and talking a lot to some Donny or Danny person. Hmmm...

58. Trader Joe's and the fact that it is like five minutes from my house. Jealous?

59. New music.

60. Friends that help with carpooling Eli after school. 

61. For soft squishy white bread in all forms: rolls with cheese whiz, nutella and butter, white bread with American cheese for grilled cheese. I'm sorry that I am undoubtedly offending many of you here with this total display of unhealthy and processed food choices. 

I looove them.

What are you thankful for today?

{Catch Up}

 

Wow, I feel like I need to do some catching up around here!

With the 30 Days of Thanks, the Happy Day project and Ten on Ten today this might be a long post! 

Is anyone else doing the Happy Day project? It's been a bit challenging for me and so far the only day I've done the challenge on the day was Monday. 

It was bless your neighbor day and I hung some chocolate cookies on the door of my next door neighbor. He's a great neighbor and recently divorced. So he's living alone for the first time in a long time. 

Tuesday was write a handwritten note - I had good intentions on this one and even grabbed a stack of cards to try and write in while I was out and about. 

It didn't happen. 

I'd still like it to though. 

I was really moved by the story that was shared on this blog though. 

Go read it, you'll cry, you'll want to pray, you'll be inspired by this family's faith.

Yesterday was gift card to the homeless day.

This got me excited because my mind has been on how to help homeless people a lot lately. 

My Bible study girls are putting together little bags of goodies to keep in our cars to hand out to people we see in need. We were inspired to action by my friend Leslie's blog post on this from a few years ago.

How fun it was to see some other posts about this as well. 

And in fact I think that this challenge is coming up in the Happy Day Project as well!

Read this post, so good. 

I got this book she referenced on my iphone last night and read it all.

A real eye opener. 

I want to see people as God sees them. 

I want my faith in God to have arms and legs. 

I don't want to be just talk. 

This is really something God is challenging me with lately, in lots of different areas.

Good works in His name.

Because He loves us so we love others.

I had someone in mind for the gift card yesterday. 

The only problem was I saw him as I was running late to an appointment. So I said to myself, I'll get him when I'm on my way home. Except he wasn't there. 

So today around lunch, I drove up. 

It's this guy that always hangs out by this gas station, in the trees a bit by the side.

He is always there. And I think he is usually sitting there drinking.

He isn't panhandling. Just living his life right there.

I felt like he was the one I was supposed to give my gift card to but I was really nervous.

Would I offend him? He wasn't asking for help.

Was he really homeless? I think so but my husband said he thought he must live in that neighborhood.

But why would he hang out there day after day if he had a home?

And does it really matter if someone has a home or not if that is the way they are living?

All these questions. 

All these nerves.

I prayed and when I drove up he was standing right by the alley and lifted his hand in greeting to me. 

He made it really easy. 

His name is Jimmy. 

He wanted a dollar but I gave him some water, a jerky stick and a gift card to McDonalds. 

I told him I see him all the time and think about him and just wanted to do something for him. 

I told him Jesus loved him and we exchanged names. 

It was really cool. And not scary at all.

Today is give a book to a friend day. 

I think I want to find a copy of this book....who to give it to? 

Not sure yet. 

If you are still with me, here is my Ten on Ten for today!

Instagram style!

(And I'm sorry, some of the pictures are a terrible quality...still figuring out all this taking pictures on my phone business!) 

{9:00 hour}

Shopping at Trader Joe's with my littlest. We went to see if their holiday goodies had arrived and they had!

 

{10:00 hour}

Finally getting a shower. Coffee on the bathroom windowsill. 

Does anyone else drink coffee while they shower?

{11:00 hour}

Kind of wearing a dress. Something I never do. 

I feel weird.

{12:00 hour}

Going to give Jimmy his gift card.

{1:00 hour}

Working on this blog post!

{2:00 hour}

This sweet girl fell asleep on the couch.

{3:00 hour}

It's pick up time and I had a car full!

{4:00 hour}

I found my book! There was only one, it was meant to be.

{5:00 hour}

Loading the dishwasher. I think I could do this twice a day...how do we make so many dirty dishes?

{6:00 hour}

Not a very beautiful picture I know, but a beautiful idea...these are the bags my Bible study girls are putting together that I mentioned earlier in the post.

Thankfuls...

44. that there is no school tomorrow - it feels like a vacation to me too!

45.for all of the veterans that have served and are serving. Thank you.

46. for friends.

47. for a sunny fall day.

48. that I have my husband to help raise my kids and I am not at it alone.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 3-5

 

24. I am thankful for seriously talented friends who share their photos with me! 

The photo above was taken at the most gorgeous lake house on a lovely Autumn day.

25. In-laws who take my kids for a few hours of fun.

26. My two year old's serious delight and excitement at playing the Mousetrap game.

27. That my husband is coming home this morning from a weekend men's retreat.

28. God's love and peace that are always available to me, anytime, anywhere.

29. Grocery shopping alone.

30. Fun holiday drinks at Starbucks.

31. An inquisitive seven year old and the lovely conversations we have about God.

32. A clean house.

33. Cute Kleenex boxes.

34. Holiday candles that make my house smell cozy.

35. Fire pasta. And the indulgence of getting it to go and eating it at home all by myself.

36. Really great music that draws me closer to God.

37. Hope.

38. Finding some really inspiring blogs written by amazing women who love Jesus. 

39. That it hasn't snowed yet.

40. Getting to play with my honey's new work IPad all weekend.

41. The photo shoot scheduled for today.

42. That I am healthy again and can kiss my babies on the lips.

43. Friends and family. I have the best ones.

30 Days of Thanks - Day 2

 

I'm going to try and not let it bother me that this is day 2 of my 30 days of thanks and it is technically day 3 of November! I'm just going to keep plugging along and recording my thanks for all the happy little gifts God is giving me each and every day.

11. Listening to two seven year old boys in the van sing "I like you" and "I love you" to my Rosi Golan song.

12. Eggnog lattes

13. Girls Bible study and sock stuffing at my house tonight

14. Trader Joe's five minutes from my house (even though it is still one week old crazy!)

15. Rubbing my daughter's feet and legs as she lays on the couch looking at a toy catalog.

Doing this makes me really feel like a Mom for some reason. I think it's because it's the kind of thing my Mom did for me and it brings back homey memories.

16. Good friends that you can just hang out with and not do anything and still have fun.

17. Easy dinners.

18. A reliable furnace that pumps out heat really well.

19. Sunflowers for the house.

20. The sound of the dishwasher running.

21. This project! I think I'll join in!

22. Christmas catalogs in the mail.

23. Getting a package finally put together and mailed off!

{What are you thankful for today?}