Counting My Blessings

Moving the Blog

2010-11-05T15:13:00.000-07:00

I'm moving to WordPress and a personal domain! :-)

http://blog.thedavisdepot.com/

Thankful Thursdays: Friday Edition

2010-10-29T19:03:00.001-07:00

I'm thankful for:

the beautiful fall weather
a fun night at home with Mike
knowing our families will be here in a few weeks for Thanksgiving

Wedding Weekend

2010-10-24T18:52:00.000-07:00

A dear college friend of mine got married this weekend and I had the honor of serving as one of her bridesmaids.

The wedding was in the town where Mike and I (and Bev and most of our friends) went to school so Mike and I had fun looking around campus Saturday morning before the wedding as well!

The girls taking pictures before the wedding. The weather was beautiful but it was windy!

At the reception. Lisa, Bev and I were all communications majors. We're missing one of our four - we missed you, Kelli!
Mike and me back at our hotel.
Congrats, Bev and Johnny!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-10-21T18:02:00.000-07:00

I'm back!

I'm thankful for:

God's plan
my wonderful husband
a weekend with friends coming up

Europe - Day 13

2010-10-14T19:24:00.000-07:00

Our last day in Europe was spent in London. My friend Cristen and her husband are living the ex-pat life there and Cristen served as our tour guide since she had the day off!

We loved the cloudy, rainy weather but it did hamper our photography for the day and I just realized that Mike and I didn't take a picture of ourselves when we were there. Ugh! I guess we'll just have to go back. :-)

We walked around and saw Westminster Abbey...

Big Ben and the London Eye...
Some of the soldiers guarding different government buildings...

Walked by Trafalgar Square...

And, of course, visited Harrods and met up with Lauren (who is working at our alma mater's program in England while her husband studies at Oxford) and enjoyed tea and macaroons at Laduree. Oh, and Mike officially wins the "Husband of the Year" award for hanging out with a bunch of girls for the day! :-)

Cristen and Jason, thank you for being such wonderful hosts. It was so good to see both of you and Lauren!

We ended the night at Cantina Laredo for dinner with Cristen and Jason and then headed back to their house to call it a night.

Mike and I flew home the next morning and can't believe our amazing trip has already come and gone!

Europe - Day 12

2010-10-14T19:16:00.001-07:00

We got up early the next morning and headed to Rome. We had grand plans of going in to the Colosseum and touring the Forum but the lines were already incredibly long (since we had to wait in line at the train station to check our bags, get metro tickets, and get bus tickets to the airport later that day) so we had to be content with just seeing the Colosseum.

The "wedding cake" - I cannot remember what this thing is called!
More ruins along the walk.
I wish we could have walked through the Forum but, unlike when I studied in Italy almost 7 years ago, you now have to pay to get in so we settled on seeing other random ruins.

After seeing all of that we went back to the train station, grabbed lunch, took the bus to the airport and waited for our flight to London for the last leg of our trip. We got to the airport really early so that we had plenty of time in case we ran into trouble and were SO thankful we planned on that when someone forgot their bag hear the check in and the police cleared the terminal.

On to London!

Europe - Day 11

2010-10-14T19:04:00.001-07:00

Wednesday morning we got up early to beat the lines and go up into the dome of the Duomo. We got there a little early and got a cappuccino while we waited. The little cafe had the cutest cups and I wish they sold them so I could have brought one home!

Us at the top of the dome. We didn't get any good pictures of the hike up but it's very narrow and rather steep in some places. Mike ended up filming the entire walk down but that will have to be saved for another time.
The view from the top.
After the Duomo we headed to the Pitti Palace so we could visit the Bobli Gardens.
So pretty! Mike called this the garden of randomness because nothing seemed to flow and we found random statues and sculptures that just didn't seem to fit such a pretty garden behind an old palace but what do we know?
Another view of the Ponte Vecchio

Our final big stop for the day was Piazzale Michaelangelo. This plaza has an amazing panoramic view of the city and I had fun using the panoramic function on our camera.

Europe - Day 10

2010-10-14T18:49:00.001-07:00

We got up the next morning and hit the town. We walked along the Arno and enjoyed the views. The Ponte Vecchio is kind of in the background of the picture below. :-) We also went to Tuesday Market. The market occurs every Tuesday, obviously, and is filled with food and clothes. It is much more of a local thing than a tourist thing and I loved being around it again.

The Ponte Vecchio
After the Ponte Vecchio we walked around the Uffizi, bought a watercolor from one of the artists outside (I have decided I could fill a wall with watercolors from Florence), and then headed to the villa that our school owns for lunch.
We had a great time meeting the current HUF students and teachers and it was so nice to see Kyle! Kyle and I studied at HUF during the same semester in college and he is now the Assistant Director there. We picked an incredible day to visit the villa because the ladies made lasanga - Mike's FAVORITE. (Thanks again for lunch, Kyle, Robbie and Mona!)
After lunch we grabbed some gelato in town while we explored more of Florence.
The sky was amazing and I can't wait to get a copy of this picture for our house!

The Arno as the sun sets. I was pretty proud of this shot, too!

Europe - Day 9

2010-10-14T18:42:00.000-07:00

The next day was filled with more travelling. We left Interlaken (it was still raining) and went to Spiez for an hour until we caught our next train to Florence.

Of course, the sun decided to come out in Spiez so we walked from the train station down to the lake to enjoy the view and back up in time to catch our train.

We got to Florence late that night and had a terrible time finding our hotel. Our original hotel had to schedule us somewhere else because of issues with pipes and when we went to find the new place nobody had heard of it so we ended up picking a place and while it wasn't fancy it kept a roof over our heads so I won't argue. :-)

Needless to say, we were just ready for sleep and to put it behind us.

Weekend (and a little) Project

2010-10-12T18:56:00.000-07:00

I finally followed through on this post. This past weekend Mike and I built our headboard and we finished it up this evening. I am thrilled with out it turned out!

We have towels behind it for a little while because some of the finish was still tacky and we didn't want it to get on the wall.

Europe - Day 8

2010-10-12T18:50:00.000-07:00

It was still raining the next morning so instead of sticking around Interlaken and hiking like we had originally planned we headed to Lucerne in hopes that the sun would be out there.

Unfortunately, the clouds followed us but we still had a good time. A bridge in Lucerne that was rebuilt after it burned in the 80s or 90s.
Us. We were a little wet...
Back in Interlaken - my favorite church there!

Europe - Day 7

2010-10-12T18:43:00.000-07:00

After Salzburg we headed to Interlaken, Switzerland. We had a Eurail pass for our trip and since we were too old for the "student" pass (or whatever it's called) we had to get a Saver pass for multiple people. That Saver pass also meant that we would travel 1st class and never did we feel more first class than on the train to Switzerland. We got juice boxes right when we got on the train and had 3 waiters constantly checking on us throughout the trip.

A view from the train.

When we got to Interlaken it was raining and after checking into our hostel we were ready for a hot meal. We found an Italian place and enjoyed lasagna and some of the best gnocci I've ever had!

After dinner we grabbed a few postcards to send to our families and headed back to our hostel since it was still raining. This is a picture from our window.

Europe - Day 6

2010-10-11T19:38:00.001-07:00

Our first morning in Salzburg was spent taking the Sound of Music Tour. :-)

Not going to lie - a lot of it was kind of disappointing because you couldn't actually be at the sites, only drive by (like the front of the house used in the movie and the tree-lined road) but the Lake District featured at the beginning of the movie was beautiful and well worth seeing.

The house used as the back of the Von Trapp home.

The gazebo! It used to sit outside of the building below (which is now used as a conference center) and the people who run it got tired of people hopping the fence and trying to get to the gazebo so they moved it to outside of Hellbrun Palace. The doors are locked because, as our tour guide told us, an 80 year old broke her hip trying to dance around the benches and it was decided that it was a safety hazard. Who knows if it's true but it makes for a funny story.
The lake district. Isn't it amazing?!
The church used for the wedding scene in the movie.
Inside

We had apple strudel in the town of Mondsee. It was wonderful!

The lake next to Mondsee.

Back in Salzburg - Mirabell Gardens.

THE stairs. :-)

After the tour we walked up to the fortress in Salzburg. We walked around the inside on our own but the pictures aren't that exciting.

But the view from the fortress is incredible!

Europe - Day 5

2010-10-11T19:29:00.001-07:00

Neuschwanstein Castle was on the agenda the next day and it did not disappoint. It's hard to believe that this place is only 1/3 of the way finished!

This picture is from a bridge near the castle - the view was amazing! We actually walked to the bridge after we toured the castle.

In front of the castle before our tour.
The front of the castle.
The view from the throne room.
After our tour we grabbed our bags from our hotel and headed to Salzburg. We stayed at the same place my friends and I stayed during our visit in college. It took us a little bit of time to figure out where we needed to go to get there (it's a little way outside of the actual city) but we got there and all was good.
This was the view from our room. The "road" towards the bottom of the picture is actually the railraod. We had to take that in and out of town each day.

Europe - Day 4

2010-10-10T18:52:00.001-07:00

We got to Munich early the next morning and quickly realized that we really liked getting up early and seeing things before crowds of people filled the sidewalks. This fountain was at one end of the main walk through old town Munich. About 2 hours after this photo was taken there were people everywhere.

The flowers on this building were so pretty.

This is the glockenspiel and the plaza in front of it. We went back to watch the glockenspiel when it went off at 11 and the plaza was packed with people.
At the entrance to Oktoberfest. Again, we were there early and it was perfect for us - we got to look around without worrying about getting lost in the crowds.
We stopped at the Hofbrauhouse for a liter (that we shared)...
and for lunch. Some kind of pork with a crispy crust, that seemed more like dry leather to me, and a pretzel dumpling. It wasn't horrible but I wasn't a fan.

From Munich we headed to Fussen, Germany. The town was so cute and quaint and we loved being there.

We walked around town for awhile and were exhausted so we grabbed an easy dinner. Pizza from a place across from our hotel, milk from the grocery store (our first milk there - we were deprived of milk during our trip to the point that we have gone through almost 6 gallons in the week that we've been home), and some kind of cookie ball coated in chocolate that we found in a local shop.

After we ate we watched "Mr. Deeds" in German and went to bed!

Europe - Day 3

2010-10-10T18:35:00.001-07:00

We got up the next morning and headed to the chateau. The building itself was impressive, as was the inside, but what we really went there to see were the gardens. They did not disappoint.

I want this kitchen! (but with some modern amenities...) :-)
The gardens. They went on and on and on.

This lake/fountain ran through the middle of all of the gardens.

On top of the chateau.

After we walked the gardens we took a taxi to a nearby town so we could catch a train back to Paris where we saw Notre Dame...

and then the Louvre. I had fun taking pictures of the pools on the inside of the "U" of the museum. We couldn't go in because it was Tuesday and the museum was closed but that's ok.

We relaxed outside for awhile, met some people in Paris on business (they were rather annoying, thus the guy posing in the background of our picture that one of them took for us) and then headed to the train station AGAIN so we could catch an overnight train to Munich.

Europe - Day 2

2010-10-09T20:25:00.000-07:00

We woke up on for our first full day in Europe, ate breakfast at our hostel and then walked to Sacre Couer to see the church and the view of Paris from the hill it sits on.

We went back to get our bags, hopped on a train, and headed to Saumur, France to visit Musee Des Blindes - a tank museum that Mike wanted to visit and that turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip.

From Saumur we took a train to a little town called Sauvingness (sp?) so that we could get to Villandry, France to see a chateau there the next day. We got off the train and there were a few buildings around but not much beyond that. We picked a direction and started walking and hoping we were going in the right direction. We saw a lady on a bike and asked if we were going in the right direction and she said we were - YAY!

The little town of Sauvingness was so pretty!

We ended up having to walk through quite a bit of country side before we got to our hotel in Villandry but the scenery was beautiful (once we knew we were headed in the right direction - after that I was just praying that we made it there before it got dark!)

Our dinner that night was one of our few "fancy" meals. The restaurant was in our hotel and the food was amazing!

Europe - Day 1

2010-10-09T20:10:00.001-07:00

So begins at least 10 posts about our trip. :-)

We got to London at 7:20 a.m. on Sunday and immediately took the tube to St. Pancras to catch the chunnel to Paris. I'd love to tell you what it was like to take the chunnel but truth be told, I slept through the ENTIRE thing. Guess I'll have to take it again sometime when I can actually stay awake!

We got to Paris, found our hostel so we could dump our bags and then headed out!

First stop - walking the Champs Elysses! There were people everywhere. At one point foot traffic almost came to a complete stop. I was looking all around trying to figure out what was going on and realized we were outside of a movie theatre and they were premiering "Eat Pray Love" so Julia Roberts was there and everyone wanted to see her. I'll admit that part of me wanted to stick around but then I remembered we were in Paris and I have a better chance at running into Julia in New Mexico so we kept going.

From the Champs Elysses we went to see the Eiffel Tower. We enjoyed nutella crepes (with banana for me) and people watched before we walked over to the tower. The line to go up was really long and I'm assuming it was because it was semi-close to sunset and people were trying to go up at sunset. We took tons of pictures, said "yep, that's it" like I did the first time I saw it and kept walking sans any of the mini towers or goofy toys the street vendors were selling.

I cannot remember the name of this bridge but it's pretty. This was at one of our "stop and check the map" moments.

We kept it fairly simple the first day. We headed back to our hostel at this point with the goal of finding dinner on the way there. We were in bed by 9 that night and were exhausted!

Hello, Bonjour, Ciao

2010-10-08T14:27:00.000-07:00

I'm back!

Aren't you glad? ;-)

A week ago tomorrow Mike and I got back from spending two weeks backpacking around Europe and we've just started getting our feet back under us and I'm finally getting around to covering our trip.

We had an amazing time, which I'll share more about later, but until then here are some pictures of the highlights!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-09-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

the hail in the storm we got last night going away before it hit our side of town (thank you God and we are saying lots of prayers for the people who did get hit)
great coworkers who make work fun
getting to spend time with friends from college this past weekend

Refinished

2010-09-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

After three years of sitting in our garage or office or basement in various stages I FINALLY finished the chair that I brought back from my Poppop's.

It isn't a great chair, and the refinish job isn't perfect, but for my first time doing something like this, I'm pretty proud of how it turned out.

These bows were another recent fun project - I made them for a friend who just welcomed her second little girl.

9 Years

2010-09-11T19:01:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the men and women who have fought, do fight, and will fight to keep this great country free and safe.

Thankful Thursdays

2010-09-09T18:58:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

friends coming to visit this weekend
getting projects done
knowing that God is in control

Smells of the Season

2010-09-04T17:08:00.000-07:00

Smells like these are just a small part of why fall is my favorite season.

Bring on crunchy leaves, pumpkin bread, and cozy fires!

Happy Birthday, Andrew!

2010-09-02T17:19:00.000-07:00

Happy 25th to my not-so-little younger brother. (Dude, we need some updated pictures of us...)

Thankful Thursdays

2010-09-02T17:15:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

the wonderful almost-Autumn weather we're enjoying tonight (yay for open windows)
the long weekend coming up
Wipeout. I know, completely silly but just the mindlessness I need tonight. :-)

A Cup of This A Cup of That

2010-08-27T16:51:00.001-07:00

I have decided that Antrhopologie has the most adorable kitchen accessories ever.

Specifically, their measuring cups.

These are too cute

These are just fun

And these are very much me

Not to be outdone, this trivet is so fun! It would coordinate with our dishes quite well.

And if our existing dishtowels didn't take such a beating, I would consider investing in these beauties:

Thankful Thursdays

2010-08-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

the rain we got earlier this week
that Mike had an "off" week from the overtime schedule he has been on
Pandora's Hymn station - music to my ears and peace to my soul
the idea of having both of our families here at Thanksgiving
a long weekend

Dragging State

2010-08-23T18:57:00.001-07:00

Ever since I was a little girl I remember having to "Drag State" every time we went out to eat in my grandparent's town. Saturday night, Mike and I took my grandparents out and continued this tradition that stretches well beyond my years.

As we drove by the bar at the south end of the street my Grammie said in more or less words "Oh look, Sam Adams is playing there tonight."

It took a split second for it to register and I couldn't help but start laughing and respond "Gram, Sam Adams is a beer, not a performer."

I'm not sure she believed me but I couldn't help but get a nice little laugh about it. I love my Grammie. :-)

Whole Lotta Nothin'

2010-08-22T17:39:00.000-07:00

I wish I had something fun or exciting to share but life is pretty predictable lately. You know, get up, go to work, come home, eat, clean up a little, sleep and then start all over again.

Until life gets more exciting again, here are a lot of random thoughts:

I don't like the Cubs, but baseball said "see ya later" to a great legend when Lou Piniella retired today. Big kudos to him for recognizing that spending time taking care of his Mom was far more important than baseball.
I continue to be exhaustified (yes, that's a word, at least according to me) by the heat. I am ready for fall!
Along with being tired of the heat, I'm tired of eating. I hit this stage every summer when the light summer foods get exhausting - I'm ready for chili, soup, and casseroles that I can make without having to worry about it heating up the house.

And now I'm complaining far more than I should be because I am truly blessed and have absolutely no business complaining so I'm going to relax before work starts tomorrow and enjoy the rest of my evening.

Thankful Thursdays (on a Friday)

2010-08-20T15:22:00.001-07:00

I'm a day late because we had a great dinner date with our neighbors last night.

I'm thankful for:

the constant source of reason Mike is in my life, especially when my mind starts wandering and thinking of all things future and trying to plan too much when I really just need to let God do the planning
my wonderful college girlfriends - I can't tell you how thankful I am to be associated with such Godly women.
my brothers

Thankful Thursdays

2010-08-12T18:01:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

continued peace that I'm exactly where I need to be right now, despite momentary times of unrest
predictions of cooler weather that are just days away
the fact that today is my Friday

Let's Go Cards

2010-08-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

Stealing this from Renee. Yet another reason I'm a Cards fan.

In Honor of Triple Digits

2010-08-08T14:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, I know, I have been complaining about the heat a lot lately. I much prefer the cold and how could I not with such cute fall clothes. (I'm very much on a clothes kick lately, that rarely happens. Seriously, I still have clothes from 8th and 9th grade...)

Here are some new favorites:

(sorry the first two are so small, I couldn't get them to post any other way)

Boden

Shabby Apple

Garnet Hill

Boden is quickly becoming a new favorite place to shop. Garnet Hill and Shabby Apply have adorable things, too. The clothes make it feel like cool weather can't come soon enough!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-08-05T17:05:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

taking the time to read again. I forgot how nice it was to get lost in a book.
peace
little things that make life fun

Cooling Off

2010-08-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

In honor of the record-breaking 107 degree weather today, here are a few things I'd rather be doing/places I'd rather be:

The beach. Any beach.

Courtesy of.

The Alps.

By an autumn campfire. In the autumn, obviously.

Courtesy of.

Meet Me in St. Louis

2010-08-01T18:27:00.001-07:00

My Dad called last Friday, said he had tickets to the Cardinals game, and asked if we wanted to come visit and go to the game. So this Friday, off we went! We had a great time seeing Whitey Herzog's number 24 retired and seeing a Cardinal win. Thanks for a great weekend, Mom and Dad!

Busch Stadium

The outfield

My Mom and Dad

Mike and me

The man of the night, Whitey Herzog. So cool to see so many Cardinal legends there to celebrate with him.

Thankful Thursdays

2010-07-29T18:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe how quickly this week has gone by!

I'm thankful for:

getting to see my family this weekend
beautiful clouds that followed the almost-rain today
the fact that it's almost August, which means Fall and cool weather are just around the corner

Charming

2010-07-27T19:21:00.000-07:00

I don't know if that's the word for it but that's all I could think of when I ordered this skirt last week and found that, when entering your name, you had to select if you were one of the following:

Mr
Mrs
Miss
Ms
Dame
Duchess
Baron
Baroness
Duke
Commodore

There were several other options but how fun!

Ready for Fall

2010-07-23T16:29:00.001-07:00

Lots of things are making me ready for fall, including:

school supplies (yes, I'm one of the geeky kids who was SO excited to get school supplies every year . Crayons were my favorite when I was little and then my planner became my favorite thing when I got older)

Seeing the fall decor in Hobby Lobby. I may try decorating our pumpkins like this in October, Martha Stewart style from a few years ago.

And the thing that really has me in the mood for fall is this skirt from Boden. Cannot wait to wear it with boots and a sweater! Hope you're all enjoying your weekend!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-07-22T18:07:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

people who leave a lasting legacy. Coach Jackson went to college with my Dad and was my 6th grade gym teacher. He was very much the disciplinarian who obviously loved his students dearly
the rain that is headed our way this weekend
being able to help others

Thankful Thursdays

2010-07-15T16:41:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

busy days at work
new clothes
lots of tomatoes on our plants that are almost ready to be picked and savored
the coffee that Mike's parents brought us from Hawaii (chocolate macadamia nut, yum!)

Some Like it Hot

2010-07-14T18:48:00.000-07:00

But I'm not one of them.

I'd much rather be here.

Here, the high right now is 80 and the temperatures flirt with freezing at night.

Unfortunately, the above location will have to wait until Christmas (and the high will be far lower) but until then, I'm enjoying the cool comforts of our basement.

Thankful Thursdays

2010-07-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful:

for the beautiful weather we're having - nothing like sitting out on the deck at the end of the day
that tomorrow is Friday - for a short week, it sure has been long
for another weekend with family in town, even it it isn't for long

Summer Salad

2010-07-06T18:44:00.000-07:00

This was my dinner tonight. Lettuce, avocado, tomatoes from my vines,

and PW's tequila lime chicken. (it was good but not great). I'm stuffed.

July 4 Weekend

2010-07-05T16:06:00.001-07:00

It was pretty quiet around our house - we took it easy and it was wonderful. Other than going to my grandparents house to watch the fireworks, we hung around home and I played with some decor around the house.

I redid the wreath on our front door. I found the raffia ribbon at Hobby Lobby the other day and was SO excited. My Mom used to use it on wreaths she made - it comes like a rope and you untwist it and it looks great!
I also got a new hook to hang the hand towel on in the basement bathroom. Yay for $2 at Hobby Lobby!
We didn't have anything on the walls in the basement bathroom so I took a floater frame that we had and put some scrapbook paper in it. The center piece has a "D" on it because I didn't know what else to put on there. It adds so much though and didn't cost me a thing!
Hope you all had a great weekend!

Thankful Thursdays (on a Friday)

2010-07-02T06:15:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

a four day weekend (YAHOO!)
the opportunity Mike and I had to see The Eagles on Thursday night. AMAZING. I would go again in a heartbeat.
everyone who has fought and is fighting for our country's Independence. Thank you!

This, That, and the Other

2010-06-29T19:28:00.000-07:00

Highlights of the last few days (no pictures, sorry):

My Mom spent the weekend with us. We had a great time doing a lot of nothing, making tamales, and enjoying each other's company.
our neighbors have started shooting off fireworks in the evening even though our city/county regulations say they can't until July 1 and they have to stop after July 5. I like fireworks but not so much that I want to hear them popping and banging for two weeks.
Lily is NOT a fan of the fireworks. She runs to the basement and hides and starts shaking. Poor dog.
one of the neighbors that started shooting fireworks off on Tuesday received a visit from the police, bomb squad, haz mat team, and who knows what other law enforcement. Apparently he was selling fireworks out of his garage. So much for our quiet little street on the outskirts of town.
some friends of ours had their baby and we got to meet her tonight. ADORABLE! I could have held her all night.
I'm debating getting this chair for our living room but can't decide what fabric I would choose and if I like the casters on the front legs. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-06-24T19:18:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

my Mom coming to visit this week
waiting coming to an end
quiet nights at home

Inspiration

2010-06-23T18:36:00.000-07:00

I found our headboard. Pottery Barn has given helped the light bulb go on once again and I can't wait to make it!

Happy Father's Day!

2010-06-20T07:33:00.000-07:00

Love you, Daddy!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-06-17T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

a great mini-date with Mike tonight
a tired puppy that will sleep through the night after people watching this evening
not having much on the weekend "to do" list

Sorry... again

2010-06-16T18:49:00.000-07:00

I really need to remember to make sure the Comments settings don't change when I change backgrounds, etc. Everything should be back up and running...

Better Than a Hallelujah

2010-06-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Adorable

2010-06-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

I'm going to make this dress someday.

(and how CUTE is that little girl?!?!)

Thankful Thursdays

2010-06-10T18:21:00.001-07:00

I'm thankful for:

the date Mike and I had tonight - we needed a night to just talk and relax
the rain we've had the last week - the small break in the heat was wonderful
knowing that next Thursday, I get to hear Erin Bode sing for the first time in far too long

The Big Reveal

2010-06-06T17:04:00.001-07:00

Okay, so there's a little more organizing left to do but hey, it's a BIG improvement compared to the before.

Here's Mike's area from the door:

And my area from the door:
And my area from Mike's corner:

It isn't quite the oh-so-pretty work/craft room I had in mind but again, it's a huge improvement.

Update on my "To Do" list

2010-06-06T08:18:00.000-07:00

refinish Poppop's chair
make sunflower pillow (like this one) for the living room couch. My artistic painting skills aren't that great so we'll see how that turns out. (DONE)
make a cake stand like this one - such a fun and brilliant idea and yay for saving $$! (debating doing this one quite yet - we just don't have room to store it)
refinish this table (Not sure I'm going to anymore - it looks great as it is)
paint the basement room floor (DONE)
finish a scrap book for my my Mom's and my two week trip to Paris/England/Ireland in 2004 (yep, that far behind...) (DONE)
finish scrap booking our road trip from the summer (DONE)
make a "snuggie" for Mike (will be done so - I'm going to buy a real Snuggie because it's less than half the price of buying the fabric to make one) (DONE)
make a bath robe for Mike
make a sign with our last name & "Est. 2007" on it to hang in our little entry. I've been meaning to order one but, due to my indecisiveness, can't figure out exactly what I want it to look like so I'm doing it myself. That way if I don't like it, I have only myself to blame. :-) (DONE - see the sign here)
make a new headboard for the KING SIZE mattress we bought yesterday
make a bedskirt for same said bed (DONE - Thanks, Mom!)
make a curtain for our bathroom window (don't worry, the window is actually a bunch of glass tiles but it needs something to soften it up a little)

Cute!

2010-06-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Can't wait for these to be on my front door!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-06-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

unexpected surprises
my home being almost back in order
my grandparents and their 63rd wedding anniversary (today!)
and, as silly as it may sound, professional athletes and umpires who show true class http://www.cnn.com/2010/OPINION/06/03/pearlman.galarraga.baseball/index.html?hpt=C2

Thank You

2010-05-31T18:56:00.001-07:00

Both of my grandfathers served in the military. Neither of them talked much about it - Poppop (Mom's Dad) was a little more open about it, and Grandad (Dad's Dad) only talked about it once - just before I was supposed to study in Europe for a semester. He told me the name of the street he was quartered on while he was stationed in Paris and that I needed to walk the Champs Elysees and see the Arc de Triomphe.

I cried when I stepped off the subway and realized that the street my hostel was on was on Rue de La Chapelle, the same street Grandad stayed on.

I was honored and humbled as I toured Normandy, thankful that both of my grandfathers were injured prior to D-Day because they both were to have been there. (the picture above is one I took at the cemetery at Normandy - France gifted the land to the USA to bury their soldiers and after almost 4 months in Europe, it was good to be "home" as I walked those grounds)

Thank you, Poppop, Grandad, and all who have and do work so hard to keep this country free.

A Wonderful LONG Weekend

2010-05-31T18:47:00.000-07:00

Mike and I were busy organizing our new room. It's not done yet but it's getting there. I don't know where I got it in my head that because we'd have a nice "new" room to put things in, we could still fit the same amount of space but have it more organized. Not quite the case but it looks prettier! :-)

We also got flowers for the deck and I have 7 tomatoes on my plants! Yay!

Day 4 and Thankful Thursdays

2010-05-27T16:45:00.001-07:00

They'll be done tomorrow! They have to spray the ceiling, put a second coat of stain on the trim, and put the baseboards down. Yahoo!

Today I'm thankful for:

the surprise rain we got this afternoon
the basement almost being done and getting to put my house back in order soon
the three day weekend ahead
the three tomatoes I have growing on one of my plants (this is a big accomplishment for me) :-)

Days 2 & 3 With the Contractors

2010-05-26T18:08:00.001-07:00

I'm a little bummed - the contractors said it would take 3-5 days to finish the basement room and it's going to take the full 5 days. I'm ready to paint the room and more importantly, I'm about to go nuts because I'm so ready to have our house back in order. But, patience is a virtue so here's the room after day 2:

And after day 3:
And here's our house with all of our bushes in bloom. I don't know what the bushes by the door with the white flowers are but they smell heavenly.

On a completely unrelated note - I think this is such a fun idea (but don't think I'd be willing to shell out $100 for): http://www.ohdeedoh.com/ohdeedoh/inspiration/custom-made-stamps-to-remember-the-first-days-117814

Day 1 With the Contractors

2010-05-24T17:08:00.001-07:00

The contractors are done with day 1 - I'm amazed at how quickly they work!

There are a few places that the paint I just put down on the floor came up because of the wood they had in there - I didn't think the paint would come up that easily or I would have waited to paint. Oh well, I can touch up or just might leave it be for some character. We'll see.

Two more days until I can paint!

Day Something...

2010-05-23T17:21:00.000-07:00

The contractors start on the basement room tomorrow. I'm so excited to have the room done and everything back in order that I can hardly stand it. In the mean time, our house is covered in plastic.
Now to enjoy the last of the weekend and watch the best of country celebrate one of the best - Brooks & Dunn.

Oh, and we're going to Europe this fall!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-05-20T19:58:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

warranties
a quiet weekend
my family coming (hopefully) in a few weekends

Day 2

2010-05-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

Day two of the basement renovations and the floor has its first coat of paint!

In Two Weeks

2010-05-16T18:40:00.000-07:00

Whew, we had a long but good weekend. Friday and most of Saturday were spent getting ready for a baby shower I hosted for a friend. I only got one picture during the shower and that was of the food...

Moving on to the title of this post - we're finishing the last room in our basement. Here's a before shot. Yikes!
Here's the basement bedroom filled with some of the stuff we had to move out of the room in preparation for painting the floor this week and the contractors to dry wall, etc. next week.
Another shot of the basement and the temporary home for the rest of the stuff...
The empty room! The wet spots are from us mopping to get ready to paint the floor. We're going to use the room as a work/craft/storage room and decided not to carpet the room for the time being. I cannot wait for it to be done, to have the house back in order, and have an awesome room to decorate and play in!

Eat More Chikin

2010-05-14T19:38:00.000-07:00

Whoo hoo! I'm pumped.

http://blogs.kansas.com/haveyouheard/2010/05/11/chick-fil-a-management-responds/

Thankful Thursdays

2010-05-13T19:05:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

the amazing thunderstorms we've had the last few days. God is amazing.
the fact that a three day weekend is just two weeks away.
my husband who keeps me laughing and smiling when I need it most.

One of my Favorite Things

2010-05-12T18:59:00.000-07:00

Thunderstorms

Happy Mother's Day!

2010-05-09T18:58:00.001-07:00

Love you, Mom!

This Should Be Interesting

2010-05-09T17:30:00.000-07:00

The weathermen are predicting some nasty storms here tomorrow... it'll be interesting and I'm excited for what could be the first significant storm of the season. (If you spent any significant amount of time growing up in "Tornado Alley" you'd understand why storms can be rather intriguing. You spend so much time in the basement hiding from them that you get to a point you're more interested than scared.)

Dear Heavenly Father, I am humbled by awesome power but ask that if this storm is as big as our small minds can anticipate and comprehend, that you keep everyone safe. In Your name, Amen.

Thankful Thursdays

2010-05-06T17:40:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

a weekend with no big plans
friends that got to come visit
bike rides with Mike

Cruisin'

2010-05-04T19:06:00.000-07:00

Mike and I FINALLY got bikes.

This is mine, a Diamondback Serene:

Mike put a basket on the front of it for me so that we can pick up milk on a ride if we want to and so that Lily can come with us every so often.

This is Mike's (the Lamborghini Urbano):

Mike put a pedometer thing on his so we know how fast "we" are going, how far we've ridden, etc.

If the bikes and mentioned accessories don't give you an idea of how we feel about biking, I don't know what does. At least we're having fun riding bikes together. :-)

Long Time No Post

2010-05-02T18:27:00.000-07:00

Hello, blog world!

I took a little blogging hiatus, somewhat intentional and somewhat not, but much needed either way.

I don't have any pictures of anything but some highlights of the last few weeks have been:

Mike's Mom visiting
Successfully completing a big shin-dig for work
the end of AWANA for the summer
getting the basement bathroom fixed - FINALLY!
my dear friend, Bev, coming to visit with her fiance (and we found my bridesmaid dress)

Maybe I'll get better at blogging again soon...

A Perfect Day

2010-04-10T19:57:00.000-07:00

You know those days where you're just at peace? Today was one of those days.

We slept in (if 7:30 is considered sleeping in), ate breakfast on the deck, Mike took care of mowing the yard and washing the cars and I cleaned the house with the windows open. We ran errands, we watched the Cardinals win and took a nap, had steak for dinner, went out for ice cream and then just relaxed.

It was simple, but it was great and exactly what I needed. (Thanks, God!)

Thankful Thursdays

2010-04-08T19:10:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

my wonderful husband and family
evenings at home
no crazy Kansas wind blowing today

It's Just a Plate, It's Just a Plate

2010-04-08T17:49:00.001-07:00

It's just a plate. That's what I've been telling myself all afternoon. Ever since my Mom emailed me to tell me that the guy that has been cleaning their house broke it. (the man must have been moving fast because it was tucked into a corner on the kitchen counter)

It was one of my treasures from my trip to Europe 6 years ago. I got it in Capri after a VERY bumpy ride,one that I didn't think I was going to survive because I was SO SO SO sea sick. The sweet Italian mailmen sitting next to me when I first started feeling sick looked at me like I was a ghost. I must have been white but I felt green.

There was a cute little pottery shop, one of many that coastal Italy is so well known for, on a cute little street. Apparently Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta Jones have visited the shop.

Now the plate is broken. But it's just a plate. It wasn't the fountain of youth, it wasn't going to bring me riches and it certainly wasn't going to guarantee my entry into Heaven (thank heaven for that). But I'm still sad. The funny thing is, I'm not sure if I'm more sad that the plate is broken or if it's because I know how sad my Mom is that it's broken. I think it's the latter. :-)

Love you, Mom. (It's just a plate... and I won't argue if we go get another one someday.) :-)

A Current Favorite

2010-04-07T19:58:00.000-07:00

"....and I'll be my brother's keeper so the world will know that we're not alone..." is my favorite line.

He Is Risen!

2010-04-03T21:07:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!

"Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you."

-Ephesians 5:14

(Check out this week's Podcast from Windsor Crossing.)

Thankful Thursdays

2010-04-01T18:47:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

a weekend with my family
crazy, busy, insane days at work that I completely enjoy (even though I'm praying that I don't forget to do something because I will be 100 times harder on myself than anyone else and I really don't like that feeling) :-)
new trees in our yard

Another One Bites the Dust

2010-03-29T18:49:00.000-07:00

In the almost five years Mike has lived in the town we currently live in he has gone through three, count 'em, three paper shredders. The second one lasted into the first year of our marriage and the third bit the dust Saturday. I tried to fix it tonight and somehow managed to find a loose spring that unfortunately is no longer in the shredder. It was making a high-pitched whirring sound. Now it doesn't. I think we're going to buy a new shredder soon...

On a fun note, you need to check out this site's list of children's fiction book heroes. I hadn't heard of some of them but you'll know and cherish the ones that you do know. :-) I can't pick my favorite.

Happy Birthday to ME!

2010-03-28T19:26:00.000-07:00

Friday was my birthday and I had a wonderful day and weekend. Highlights were:

a new laptop from Mike (SO excited - my old one had gone haywire)
coworkers bringing cards and treats in
flowers from Mike's family
birthday dinner with Mike at Outback (and the waitress thinking I was only 20 - she may have been trying to get a good tip but she was good and that was just the cherry on top)
day after birthday dinner with my grandparents
relaxing and not having anything big on the agenda
knowing I get to spend next weekend with my family

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-03-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

freshly cut grass (yay for an awesome husband) :-)

the beautiful weather
laughter at just the right times
getting things done
flowers from Mike's family for my birthday

seeing my family next weekend

And because I never put a picture of our rocks under the deck...

Richelda

2010-03-23T18:21:00.000-07:00

At the first of the year Mike and I did something that we had been wanting to do for some time but for one reason or another just never got around to it. We started sponsoring a child through Compassion International.

We are sponsoring a sweet girl from the Philippines named Richelda. We got our first letter from her last week and I was SO excited. I've already sent her a little note via the Compassion site to help make the time between now and when our next written letter arrives in her hands a little "easier".

It's not much but I am so thankful that we are able to make a difference in the world, especially to a child. I can't wait to encourage, support, pray for and love this sweet girl from afar.

Hello, Spring!

2010-03-20T14:22:00.000-07:00

Or, you can wait another day or two... winter isn't going down without a fight.

Thankful Thursdays

2010-03-18T18:45:00.000-07:00

I'm thankful for:

my hardworking husband
the fact that my hardworking husband got our first home improvement project done today (rock under the deck because nothing will grow there)
walks

Sunflower Pillow

2010-03-15T18:31:00.001-07:00

I finally got around to making the sunflower pillow like the one I saw in Pottery Barn. I know my painting is a little elementary but I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Kelly's Korner - Show Us Your Favorite Charities

2010-03-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

I hardly feel qualified to really talk about either of these but they are both amazing organizations doing amazing work for God's Kingdom.

Compassion International

Living Water - If you've heard of Advent Conspiracy, my church in STL is one of the original churches that started it and this is the organization our church has decided to support. My Dad has gone on a trip to Africa where a well had been built through Living Water and said it was an incredible experience.

Thankful Thursdays

2010-03-11T17:02:00.000-08:00

Today I'm thankful for:

Mike's softball games getting cancelled this week - wasn't quite ready to sit at the fields
the chance to teach children about God
the first (almost) Spring rain
new families that are an answer to prayers for wonderful friends

Spring has Sprung

2010-03-07T14:59:00.000-08:00

Ok, not officially but it has in my house.

We have been enjoying the amazing weather this weekend. It was cloudy but cloudy and 60 degrees! Yay! We've had the windows open to let the house air out and it feels wonderful.

I got some cute little Easter eggs at Pier 1 on Friday to decorate for Easter. Christmas is the only holiday I really decorate for but I like having little things for each holiday and the eggs fit the bill and look cute on our coffee table with more of the raffia ribbon that I used on my wreath a few weeks ago.

I also got a pretty bunch of alstrolomeria at Sam's today. (and the candle is a Mango Cilantro scented candle from Michael's - it sounds kinda weird but smells amazing!)

On a completely unrelated note. If you take your old jeans into Gap between now and March 20 (I think) you get 30% off a new pair. I don't know if every store is contributing to the same thing but the store I went to said the jeans will be recycled into insulation for a house. Pretty cool!

Hope ya'll had a great weekend!

Kelly's Korner - My Day

2010-03-05T04:00:00.000-08:00

I'm finally getting back on the ball with Kelly's "Show Us Your Life" posts. This week, everyone is sharing what their typical day looks like. Mine isn't fancy or complicated but here it is:

6-7 a.m. - get up, take Lily out, eat breakfast, get ready for work

7:30 - get to work

7:30 a.m.- 4 p.m. - work (meetings, day-to-day business, it changes every day)

4:30 p.m. - get home from work

5 - start dinner, eat whenever it's ready

rest of the night - get things done around the house, relax with Mike, check email/blogs, watch t.v., get clothes, etc. ready for the next day

Like I said, nothing fancy but it works!

Thankful Thursdays

2010-03-04T15:19:00.000-08:00

This week I'm thankful for:

cleans bills of health for two very dear friends
Spring weather and chirping birds
feeling like I'm making a difference, albeit small, in His Kingdom

A Great Day

2010-03-02T17:17:00.001-08:00

So many fun things going on this week!

Work is going very well and yay for getting encouragement to show you that you're doing a good job.

AND, I got home today to find these (+ 1 green and brown polka dot tie that is currently in my hair) from Brandy atSewCuteShop. Thank you so much Brandy! I love them!

Lessons from the Lord

2010-02-28T11:25:00.000-08:00

Remember this rug? Well, God is humbling me and reminding me that things are just things and that I need to remember that they won't do me a darn bit of good past this life.

After taking Lily to the groomer yesterday morning I was folding laundry on the couch and noticed a bunch of fibers on the rug - LOTS of fibers. Upon further inspection I found a nice little bald patch in the rug. Yep, Lily dug in. I don't even want to take a picture it's still irking me so much but like I said, God is reminding me that the rug is just stuff and that having a nice rug isn't going to get me in to Heaven. I also can't help but think this is His way of preparing me for what I'm sure will be many broken things because of little hands in the future.

(I am planning on getting some good old Alene's to help put the fibers back in the rug so it isn't quite so bare in that area - should be interesting...)

Thankful Thursdays

2010-02-25T19:16:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for:

Spring being just around the corner.
Fun, silly times with Mike laughing at absolutely nothing.
New things for family and friends.
The laughter that children can bring.
Mike being an awesome guy and finishing our taxes (yahoo!)

A Whole Lot of Random

2010-02-22T18:14:00.001-08:00

To go along with the title, everything in this post is also in random order. :-)

I finally remade my wreath for early Spring and took all of the Christmas-y stuff off it. My Mom always used the same grapevine wreath and redecorated it based on the season or holiday and now I do the same thing - so fun! I found green toile ribbon for 80 cents (!) at Michaels and I had the rest of the stuff (flowers that have been used on two other wreaths, brown ribbon, green ribbon that our wedding gifts were wrapped in, and raffia bag filling that I tucked in around everything). I couldn't get a good picture of it so this will have to do.

The Michael's near my work is moving to a new location and is having a big clearance sale so they don't have to move stuff. I was amazed at how empty the store already was but found some great deals - 70% off the lowest ticket price!

I got 6 rolls of ribbon, 4 sheets of scrapbook paper, yellow paint for the sunflower pillow I'm planning on making soon, Christmas/snowflake stamps, and metallic pens for $10!!!! I only had 20 minutes to look around but I think I'm going to go back again before the end of the week to see if I missed anything. Oh, how I enjoy a good deal! :-)

Last week I found flowers for our mantel (it needed some "green") at a different Michael's sale. Now I just need to find a face that is heavy enough to hold them but until then, they look pretty good just laying there.

I used to curl my hair with hot rollers all the time in high school and I got new hot rollers a few weekends ago. I'm having so much with my new curly hair even though my hair is fairly curly on it's own, this is a nice little change of pace.

I realized I never posted pictures of our new bed! Here is our "old" bed in the guest room in the basement - it looks great!
And here is our new bed! I'm working on the headboard - I can't figure out what I want to do but I'll figure it out eventually.

That's it! Hopefully my next post will have a little more order...

Thankful Thursdays

2010-02-18T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm thankful for:

great coworkers that just make work fun
that tomorrow is Friday (because said coworkers from above and I have had a long, but fun, week learning LOTS of new things and we're pooped)
that I finally ordered fabric for our bed skirt
for randomly being reminded of good times with wonderful people listening to the following two songs while studying in Italy: