Wanted:

Adorable clothes!

I can't wait to have a littel wiggle worm to put in all sorts of adorable outfits. All of these were found at oldnavy.com - a place my wallet is never safe.

4th of July

I hope everyone had a great 4th! Ours was spent hearing an amazing sermon at church, then Tim went off to work, and I went to my dad's to say happy birthday to Tim (Burns) and eat lots-o-food. When Tim got off work, we headed to Jonathan and Laura's for some s'mores (with Reeses cups, none of that ordinary Hershey's business), Wii, and sparkler fun. All in all, a sucessful day.

Anyway, I was reminiscing on 4ths of the past, and remembered a story from when my cousin Danny and I were about 3. All the adults and "big kids" were out setting off fireworks, which left Danny and I to improvise (this was in the day that two three year olds could be left unsupervised, evidently). Naturally, we were jealous that we weren't allowed to play with 3000 degree sparklers and set off fireworks, so we opted for making our own. My grandma always had off brand cheesepuffs in the house, which are a fantastic, perma-staining neon orange, so these obviously caught our eye. We gleefully threw them all over grandma and grandpa's floor and proceeded to jump on them until they were nothing but orange and yellow dust. They crunched just enough to compete with the fireworks noise, so we were happy as clams. Thankfully, by the time the adults came back in and discovered us, the floors, and everything we'd touched orange, they just found us hilarious, so we somehow managed to avoid getting in trouble. Win-win, if you ask me.

Mobile Madness

Help me decide what sort of mobile to go with (bearing in mind the decor mentioned in the last post.)

1.
This cute felt and fabric tree mobile actually plays music. Plus, polka dots!

2.

Again, polka dots! And I love that they're not uniform in the way they fall.

3.

Subtle whimsy with clouds. I like the idea of pulling in more aspects of nature to go with the trees and tulips.

4.

Also in blue!

5.

This one is a DIY mobile, and I love the organic feel of it.

6.

And some sweet rain clouds gently dripping flourescent rain drops.

So, tell me what you like, or if you know of something even better. I'll let you know what we get when we eventually make up our minds :)

Once Upon a Time...

...I was a blogger. Now, I'm a slacker. But, now that we're just over three months away from adding a little girl to our family, I thought it might be a good time to re-enter to world we call the blogosphere.

So, like I said, we're closing in on 7 months of pregnancy, and pretty pleased about the situation. Want a sneak peak at our (hopefully) contemporary, whimsical, and slightly pink nursery decor? I thought so.

We've only purchased a few items so far (bedding, glider/ottoman/wall decal) but we pretty much know what we're planning, so I'll just show you what we've got up our sleeves.

So, the bedding was our inspiration, I love the simplicity of the tulips, as well as the use of hot pink rather than all pastels. Then, running with my love of jellybeans style trees, I found this wall decal on Etsy. Once we add some jellybeans artwork, I think it will look smashing. Also, we're looking for a wall color similar to the one in the decal picture.

We found early on, that a rocker glider can't be modern looking and comfortable simeltaneously. So, we compromised and got this one in a chocolate brown microfiber. Pricey, and not as pretty as we'd hoped, but oh-my-goodness-comfy.

And, lastly (so far), is the furniture. Because we are wanting to use bold colors (blues, hot pinks, dark browns and grays), we thought white furniture would pop. And, because Ikea is inexpensive, but strong in safety features, we opted for these items:

We'll use the dresser as a changing table (and the changing pad matches the bedding, yay!) instead of having two different bulky pieces we'll just have the one.

This crib got amazing safety ratings, with a tiny price tag. That's all.

And, what better way to house toys and books than a contemporary bookcase? I don't know of one.

And, that's where we are. I'm still searching for the perfect mobile, but it's coming together. Hopefully we'll actually start getting this stuff all into a freshly painted/decalled room shortly.

I Saw a Leaf Fall to the Ground Today...

Last year on this day I quoted a poem by a beloved professor of mine. I think it's worth reposting today.

I saw a leaf fall to the ground today.

For an entire season it had clung proudly to its place, gleaming brightly in the summer sun. It had felt its usefulness and beauty. But when embraced to Autumn's cold breast, its beauty faded; it became shriveled and sere. Still, it clung tenaciously to its accustomed spot on the branch. After much urging by a gentle wind, it wavered between its desire to remain with the known, and the desire to experience teh unknown. Finally, it embarked on its new adventure, and sailed happily with the breeze and gently fluttered to join many of its cold companions, and to meet many of a brighter hue. When it came to rest, I think I heard it release a sigh of contentment.

I am now in the summer of my life - enjoying my place, feeling of some use and service. When the late Autumn of my life comes, I think I shall be like that leaf I saw fall today. Certainly, I shall hesitate to leave the accustomed. But I know that once the great adventure is begun, I shall sail into eternal contentment.

You who see the leaf of my life fade and fall; Do not mistake that final breath as a groan. It will be a joyful sigh of release into the hands of my Great God, Creator and Savior.

CW Smith - November 14, 1972

Today marks three years since my mom went home. I'm so excited for the day we're reuinited.

Cucumber Martini's

When we were cruising Alaska, we had the pleasure of trying one of their cocktails - the cucumber martini. It is delicious. So delicious that soon after coming home I made it my mission to recreate it. The winning recipe (makes two):

4 ounces of gin

2 ounces of apple pucker schnapps

1 ounce of sweet and sour mix

1/2 ounce of simple syrup (equal parts water and sugar, boil water and add sugar until dissolved.)

About 12 slices of english cucumber

Cut up your cucumber, set aside 6 slices for garnish. Chop the remaining slices into little cubes and tip it into a shaker.

Add simple syrup to the shaker and muddle with the cucumber.

Add gin, schnapps and sweet and sour.

Fill with ice.

Shake shake shake.

Pour into glasses, put a cucumber on the rim of the glass and two slices floating in it.

Enjoy!

Three Years Ago Today...

...was the last time I spoke with my mom. Today is my parents anniversary - I believe it would be their 33rd. At this point we knew that she was dying, although the doctors had given us hope that she would be with us for a few more months. Tim and I headed down to Kent after work that day to drop off an anniversary gift - tulips, See The Morning CD by Chris Tomlin, and Lady in the Water by M Night Shymalan. Tim (the other Tim) and Chie had cooked dinner for my parents and when we came in they were eating in the dining room. Mom seemed to be doing really well that day. She was walking, talking, even eating a small amount - something that had been getting more and more difficult. We stayed only briefly, wanting them to have time together, and headed out. Three days later she went Home. By the time I got to her she was unresponsive. The whole family was there, which could have only been by the hand of God, and we held her hands and tried to comfort her until she was with Him.


I really miss her. The silliest things set me off, like not being able to remember a recipe at the grocery store and knowing that she'd be able to tell me what to get if I could just call her. I know that she's finally well, and happier than I can imagine, and that we will one day be reunited, but it's hard. I still cry myself to sleep every so often, but the pain is becoming less sharp, and I know it will continue to lessen as the days go on.


I apologize that my first post is ages is so unhappy, but that's just what I'm feeling right now, and this seemed like as good a place as any to get my thoughts out. Signing out.

Christmas Catchup

So...I've been taking some time off of blogging lately, but I figured it was about time to get back into the habit, so here we are! I hope you all had an amazing Christmas and New Year, we certainly did. It was busy and crazy and exausting, just the way I like it.

We got to decorate cookies with friends, enjoy a Christmas Eve Eve date, have multiple family celebrations, and managed to get in some time for just the two of us on both Christmas Eve (breakfast and mimosas and one present each) as well as (early) Christmas morning (stockings and presents.) And let me tell you, we made out like bandits. Between buying presents for months in advance, and Tim's discount at M+O, there was a lot of loot under that little tree.

Below is most of the stuff we got, although I couldn't find everything online and I can't find my camera cord, so I can't just take pictures. But still....this is a lot of it.

For Tim:

For me:

all the clothes are from Martin + Osa (wow, that's a lot of clothes!)

So, I have a new wardrobe to wander around in, delightful! Now I just need to work off those Christmas cookies to make the clothes look just a smidge better on me. :)