Week End.

This weekend felt like a really good, long, recharging one. Usually our weekends begin with hopes of relaxation but then are over in a flash and before we know it we're dealing with the Sunday having to go back to work the next day depression. But this weekend felt like an actual end of the work week break. Friday Kyle took the day off work and when I got home from my job we headed out pretty soon there after.

Kyle's been begging me for weeks (more like months) to go to one of his favorite restaurants The Church Brew Works. It's a pretty cool restaurant with very tasty food but there's something that just feels a little wierd with a church being turned into a brewery. We left there and headed to our first and certainly not last trip to Trader Joes. Love that place. They are going to be opening one near us and I can't friggin wait! After that we headed to my brother and his wife's house to hang out and play a game they just bought called Quelf. It's a game that pretty much is geared toward the players making complete idiot's of themselves which was very amusing to say the least! It was a good time.

Our Saturday was pretty much a lay on the couch and watch movies kind of day. And thats what I did. In between a nap.

My husband plays bass on the worship team at out church so our Sundays are usually planned around that. Today he was scheduled to play at one our church's new branches at the Washington City Mission. What a blessing it was to be there. I love situations that force you out of your comfort zone in a good way. It was a great service.

We then stopped at a childhood spot of mine of the way home for lunch. It's called the Springhouse and it's a farm run restaurant/store with tasty food and even tastier sweet treats. It still has the same sweet smoky wood smell I remember it having when I was a little girl. Brings back so many cozy memories.

Lastly we stopped at a farm down the road from our house who was having a sale on all their plants. And this is what I came home with and planted.

(hello cute little sunflower, you got a few compliments on how beautiful you were by some ladies that saw you in our cart)

(Don't mind the bent mini blind. That was done by the culprit below who HAD to see what the birdies were doing outside)

(Note the blind pulled UP behind him to prevent any futher mini blind bending)

Normally this time on a Sunday evening would have me feeling a little down knowing that I have to get to bed in a few hours to get up for work. But the night is still young and I have plenty of time for some more relaxtion. I'm looking forward to a busy but fun week ahead filled with lots of hanging out with loved ones.

Happy Sunday!

S.

DIY: Rolled Magazine Art

I had seen the idea of using rolled magazine pages and making frames out of them during a recent TJ Maxx venture. Tonight I was in a crafty mood and decided that I wanted to try and make a little rolled magazine art of my own.

What you need:
*Colorful pages from an old magazine
*Exacto knife
*Decoupage (I mixed together a little water and Elmer's glue)
*Brush for applying decoupage
*Tool to use to roll paper (I used an crochet hook)

Cut your pages into about 3 inch strips. I cut each strip into 3's but you can cut them however you want depending on your project.

Roll your strips (it's easier to use something to roll with then just rolling the strips by themselves) and then decoupage each one. It's tedious yes but if you're anything like me you find this sort of monotony to be therapeutic.

You can use these rolls to create anything you want. Searching through my art supplies, I came across some wire and my hot glue gun so I decided to make these for a bare bathroom wall:

Voila! I love making pretty art without having to spend a dime!

S.

Camping Trip

I've been pretty busy the last couple of weeks and have finally gotten a chance to sit down and post. This past weekend I went camping with my husband, sister-in-law, and her husband. This was a pretty new experience for me because the closest I'd ever been to camping was my family renting a cabin in the woods. But this was real deal sleeping in a tent camping. And I loved it!

Our cute little tent!

It was a nice break to just take a time out on life and take in nature. To be able to hear sounds and breathe in the smells of the beautiful world around us that we easily take for granted.

Falling asleep to the glow of campfires and the low croaks of bullfrogs. Waking in the morning to the loud squaking of seagulls and black birds. Amazed at how much the shade under trees takes the edge off the heat of a July sun. The incomparable refreshment of taking a shower after a hot summer day. And the relief of the cool night air that turns into a perfect temperature for sitting around a campfire and roasting marshmallows. I think it's safe to say I'm hooked on this camping thing.

(I was able to capture a candid of Kyle, this is a rarety so I had to post)

I'm very much looking forward to going camping again. In fact, we're going again in August with my brother and his wife. Did I mentioned I was hooked?

Happy Camping!

S.



Sleep Over!!

When I was 14 and my older brother was 16 my mom suprised us with the news that she was having a baby. I still remember the moment she told us like it was yesterday. I was at my friends house and my mom came to pick me up. We hadn't even pulled out of my friends neighborhood when she pulled over and handed me an envelope and told me to look inside. When I saw what was inside I was kind of confused at first because a.) I'd never seen a pregnancy test before and b.) Being that I'd never seen a pregnancy test before, I sure as heck didn't know what a positive pregnancy test looked like. My mom obviously saw the confused look on my face and quickly told me that she was having a baby. And I screamed. I screamed at the top of my lungs with the happiest excitement. I'd BEGGED my mom for years and years to have a baby. I always dreamed of having a younger sibling and would be envious of kids I'd see my age with younger brothers and sisters. And so on March 31st 2000, we welcomed Gavin Daniel into the world. I guess my parents loved having another little one around so much that they wanted to have another one, and so they did. On December 30th 2002 Tessa Rose was born. Having 2 younger siblings has been awesome. I've got to experience a lot of things about babies and children that I would've only learned with my own. So it's been a really cool mix of having a younger brother and sister as well as sort of knowing what it's like to have a child.

Yesterday we had a sleep over and it was so much fun! I love to have one on one time with them because I get to see how much their little personalities and interests have changed. And man, they are funny!

They packed as though they would be gone for a week.

Tessa always been a sassy-witty little thing and it's hilarious. She's really quick on picking up concepts and you can't trick her with anything. There's no doubt she knows who she is and I think that's awesome. I don't want her to ever lose that. I love her a whole lot and I am so happy I get to have her as my sister.

Gavin is a funny kid. He's always been extremely aware of the world around him and absorbs things like a sponge. He gets on these kicks on certain topics that he has to know everything about. Right now it's height. I don't know how many times he asked me how tall something was or how high. I love every quirky piece of him. 

Gavin and Clyde were chattin' about life and what not. I'm sure there were probably a few height questions in there.

Later that night we made smores and caught lightening bugs.

We had a tasty breakfast of chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes and turkey bacon. Tessa loved her some turkey bacon.

They're really cool people that I absolutely love to hang out with.

I'm very much looking forward to our next sleep over!