friday finds

i adore this.
but i must say there is still something grand about making a fort out of dining room chairs, couch cushions and sheets

{found here} 

a happy quilt.
i could have a picnic in the snow on this thing.
maybe.
okay, i was exaggerating.

{she's talented} 

i want to make this SO BAD. you don’t even know.
 
{just the most famous blog ever}

adorable.
and so very true.

{etsy shop} 

i’ll be joining in next week.
i should be more intentional about taking photos with and of loved ones.

{read more here}

the josie gellar.
definite birthday potential.

{eclectic whatnot shop}
{her hilarious blog}

Have a happy weekend! It is supposed to be in the 60s here – woohoo!

ten on ten

early morning sun and snow
 
spinach and feta omelet
  
chloe got her shots yesterday – not cool, not cool at all
 
this baby is SO happy when naked – maybe that’s why she spits up so much
  
i drove in this icy weather to a consignment sale     

to get one of these for our beach trip this summer – ironic?
 
my little sweetheart
 
darby’s favorite show – she watches like that the whole time 

jacob cooking dinner

our bedtime story


so, what did you do today?

ten on ten – take a photo every hour for ten consecutive hours on the tenth of each month. document a day of your life and find beauty among the ordinary moments.

share the beauty of your day

please excuse the mess

i’m in the middle of making some changes. things needed updating around here. i will get there eventually. but between tending to baby, laundry, and sweeping up dog hair….well, creative things just get drawn out.

i know you probably do not care. but i am overly-apologetic.

sorry.

a hospital visit

chloe made her first trip to the hospital earlier this week. we went to visit some friends from church whose son was having heart procedure done. it just happens that jacob was not in surgery and we were able to eat lunch with him.

of course, daddy had to show off baby.

 

some people hate hospitals. not me. in fact, i kind of like them. humans hurting and humans healing. have you ever noticed that a smile goes a little further in a hospital?

it is a strangely beautiful place to me.

more on that later.

friday finds

i have been really lazy today. it is cold outside. that’s my excuse and i’m stickin’ to it.

this is what Chloe’s next room could look like. LOVE. IT.

{smart-bottom enterprises}

blast from the past. which was your favorite?

{on etsy, of course}

possible birthday present? cute.

{ruche clothing}

just my style. i really like the church pew with yo-yo quilt on back.

{found here} via {this blog}

i heart these. big time.
 
{mod cloth}

after a quick nap with the baby, i am going to get started on this project.
 
{tutorial found here}

Have a happy weekend!

Pass It On: the rest of the story

One of our local news stations has a special segment that regularly airs called Pass It On. Each segment highlights a person who is given $300 to pass along to someone who has a need or has made and impact in the giver’s life. It is always interesting to watch the touching stories of relationship and generosity. Never, ever did we think that we would be a part of one those stories…..much less on the receiving end.

A random afternoon shortly after Jacob had returned to work from paternity leave, he got a call from the RN, Chad, that works with him in the neurosurgery operating room. Chad asked if we were home and said he had something for us. We got excited. Chad’s wife makes really delicious red velvet cupcakes and we were preparing ourselves for some. Chad did not come bearing cupcakes.

Instead, I hear Jacob say “Chad has a t.v. crew with him.” WHAT?

We gladly and gratefully accepted the $300. We jokingly mentioned that it would buy a lot of diapers.

That’s what aired. But there is much more to this tale of pass it on.

As soon as we closed the door and our visitors had cleared the porch, Jacob and I looked at each other in shock and laughed. We said “Chad is awesome” about thirty times.  Then, we sat down at the dining room table and almost simultaneously suggested we give it away. Or at least most of it.

It wasn’t that we were ungrateful. We just know how blessed we are and that there could be someone who needed it more. We talked about donating some of the money to victims of a recent apartment fire. We talked about how much to give to Chad as a thank you. In that discussion some things came up and we made our decision.

The next day, Jacob took the money and gave it to Chad. All of it. As per the news stations rules, the money could not be given to a family member; but there was someone in Chad’s life, an extended family member, who needed it much more than we did. She had suddenly found herself with three additional children to care for and raise after their mother died back around Thanksgiving. She definitely needed it more than we did for our one child’s diapers.

I wish I could have been there when Jacob gave him the money.

Later that week, Chad told Jacob the rest of the story. He had tried all week to get in touch with his relative to give her the money. He had had no luck until Friday when she called to say she was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by his house. Once there, she revealed that she stopped by to humbly ask for money. Since taking in the three additional children finances had gotten tight and she was unable to pay her $250 light bill that was due the next day. Chad revealed that he had been trying to reach her to give her the $300.

I wish I could have been there for that too.

I tell this story not to toot our horn or call attention to us by any means. I want to remember this story to tell our daughter – to tell her that she was a part of something much bigger than her when she was just a couple of weeks old. This story serves reminder of our place in life and the impact that small choices can make.

Chad didn’t have to choose us. We didn’t have to choose Chad.

God chose us. And I hope He continues to choose us to work in each other’s lives. 

you know it’s love when…

your husband says any one of the following:

”Why don’t you roll over and I’ll rub your back?”

”Do you want to go to the thrift store?”

or when he leans over in the middle of worship and whispers “I’ve missed you.”

 

life really doesn’t get much better than this.

random tuesday

 
a little girl completely uninterested in her morning nap

 
chocolate oatmeal no-bakes

 
today’s goal – not accomplished
confession: i am terrible with thank you notes

 
the never ending story

 
playtime with daddy while i cook dinner

life on a random tuesday is good.

baby love

 

 

 

                                  

 

 

 

 

we’ve been a bit busy for the past month or so. our waking (and some sleeping) moments have been consumed with our precious baby girl. she was born December 15, 2010 at 4:32pm. she weighed 8 lbs even and was 20 3/4 inches.   

the truth is i have been spending all of my time loving on this cute little bundle. i just CANNOT get enough of her. she quite simply is our pride and joy. and what a wonderful baby she is too!

i’m sure you will be seeing a lot of her on here.   

the room is finished

finally! remember WAY back when i said we were ahead of schedule on the baby’s room? and that i wanted to be finished by halloween?

yeah right!

well, the room was mostly finished before halloween. i’ve been taking it slowly and doing bits here and there. today was the day.

here is chloe’s happy room….


the beloved ikea fabler canopy – my inspiration

as you walk in the room

another piece of inspiration – a great estate sale find

this picture if full of DIY projects – the bunting, the lampshade, the pillow, the ottoman

a close-up of the button lampshade – happy

we set our budget of $200 very early on. i need to gather all of the receipts and find out exactly what i spent.

of course, all of the furniture was free. the crib and rocker came from my sister. the dresser has been mine since i was about 14. i simply changed out the knobs when i spotted them on sale at Hobby Lobby - $15 total. that budget also didn’t include bedding set– that was a gift from chloe’s fairy grandmother.

so, basically i had a budget for crafting and projects. ha! most of that money was spent on fabric and supplies for those DIY projects. we pulled things from around the house and repurposed other stuff. it was great fun to piece together and see it all fall into place.

i cannot wait to get this little girl home to dream in such a bright and happy place.