A Wife and her Carpenter

Facebook Marketplace Scores / I Need Your Help!!

2019-04-01T09:48:00.002-04:00

I'm interrupting my before and after pictures to rant and rave about the beauty of Facebook Marketplace. Have you tried it yet? Let me tell you, there are SOOO many treasures to be found. We have purchased almost all of Daniel's homeschool curriculum there--for a fraction of the retail cost--with most of it being brand new!

I've also had my eye out for various house ~~needs~~. Maybe make that wants. Wants. Yea, that is a better and more accurate word I suppose. These are things that I'd like to use when we renovate various spaces. The nice thing is that I can find vintage and rustic things that people no longer want. One person's trash is another's treasure, right? I feel like this is my motto at times. I love to repurpose things.

Anyways, let's get to the point of this post. Yesterday I thought I'd just take a look to see if any new vintage stoves had hit the marketplace. I have been looking, casually, for a month or two, but haven't really come across anything that seemed in great shape. I knew this might take a while and since we aren't planning to redo our kitchen for years, I figured time was on my side.

Well, yesterday I hit the jackpot. AMAZING price, phenomenal shape, AND delivery. Delivery is key with this kind of thing as the carpenter doesn't love to drive to pick up my various 'treasures' all the time ;) So I messaged a quick picture to Jonathan and crossed my fingers and toes that he wouldn't immediately say no.

The listing picture was less than ideal, as the guy had it laying on its back in his cargo van, but I was hoping that this would mean that it hadn't sold yet. Sometimes you have to be quick when it comes to these things. I messaged him and long story short, it was ours! And he could bring it by last night--like hours after I found it! The carpenter wasn't 100% on board, but he was tentatively optimistic. He wanted to see the thing in person.

It was delivered and he became even more excited as he started to look it over. And last night he spent a good chunk of his evening tinkering with it. He came up concluding that he was very excited and that it was an amazing piece.

Let's talk about some of the features that we are most excited about! I'm personally loving the charm that it has. The clock at the top is fun and the condition of the piece is PHENOMENAL. I'm also enamored with the inside of the one door. What a fun, vintage touch!

I'd have to guess that Jonathan is most excited about the various cooking options and the inner workings of the stove. That's always what he likes--the details and the mechanics of a piece. The two outside holes are for two burners, each. Each side has a bigger one and a smaller one. The middle piece--now that is spot that steals the show! It can either be like this--with the white cover on it and be used as a surface to rest things. You can also take it off and have a gigantic burner, perfect for a large pot. OR it came with a griddle!! How fun is that??

We are just so excited about this score and that it was an even better piece than we originally thought! Oh! It also has two broiler spaces too!

We can't wait to be able to clean it up and get it back to working order. The guy we purchased it from said that it came out of an old, local candy store. He said it was still hooked up, so we are hopeful that it won't take too much work to get it back to usable condition. I love that it also has that history to it. The pieces I have in my house that have a story attached to them, are some of my favorite pieces! I always feel like I'm carrying the story and the person's history with me. Sort of like my home is my own curated museum--dedicated to the the lesser heard stories of our community.

We have also recently scored this beautiful sink. The plan is to use it in our future laundry room. Right now it's happily being used as a drying rack for the kid's winter play clothes, though. We like to make sure we get our use out of each piece. ;)

And now, I need your help! This glass dish came in the stove. It's in great shape minus a chip or two, but I have no idea what you'd use it for! Is it some kind of roasting dish? The ribs in the bottom made me think that it might be used for draining fat as a piece of meat is cooked. Or maybe it's for candy making of some sort? What do you think?

An Introduction to Walnut Grove

2019-03-29T09:12:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I'm starting this thing again. I'm not going to promise anything specific when it comes to this blog or frequency of the posts, but I am looking forward to being able to have a place to post our plans and updates as they happen! This will be mostly a creative outlet for me, so we will just go from there and see what happens!

hmmm, where should I begin?

I guess maybe the best place to start is -- well-- at the beginning. How about some serious before pictures. Pictures of our new space before we gutted it. Before we started the transformation process and the years and years, we will have, of living in a fixer upper. I honestly don't really know what it's like to not live in a space that is under construction. Every house that we have ever owned has been a fixer upper (well, the two that we have lived in thus far) and I'm pretty sure the carpenter and I wouldn't know what to do with ourselves if we didn't have a constant project to work on. We'd. Be. Bored.

Ok, where was I? Oh yes, the beginning. Let's start with how we ended up purchasing this house. I remember it like it was yesterday. Two dear friends had both recommended this house to us. They didn't know each other, but they also knew our hearts and when they passed by this diamond in the rough, they called us to suggest it to us as a potential next house. We weren't really in the market for a house--sure, we had dreamed of a bigger space--but we also thought that we might just end up adding on to our current space and transforming it into something that would be enough space for our growing family.

But enter this house and we were both pretty sold on it before we even went to visit it. The first time we walked through the back door, I was enamored with the porch. The three seasons porch was spacious and everything I never knew I wanted. It's a good thing that it hooked me in, because it was going to be the only space in the entire house that we weren't really going to have to do any work too. Yes, this was the nicest part of the home. Definitely nothing to write home about.

And as we walked through the rest of the house, we saw a TON of potential. So much potential in the tobacco stained kitchen, gross laundry room, and dated bathroom (it didn't even have a shower in it!!).

We knew that if we could get this house for the right price, it would be the perfect place for us. A ridiculous amount of work, but we had grown accustom to this work and truly loved the idea of putting our personalized stamp on our home. Literal blood, sweat, and tears.

To make a long story short, we looked at it three times in a few days and decided to put in an offer. Well, apparently there was an offer on the table, already, which was $10,000 more than we had offered. We said we could only go $5,000 higher and left it at that. Oh well. We were sad but understood our financial limitations and were unwilling to compromise them.

I told Jonathan and my best friend that I didn't know how, but I felt like the house was going to be ours and that we were just supposed to wait and let God do His work.

A week went by and our realtor suggested other homes to us. We were also encouraged to write a letter to the siblings who owned the house, hoping it would some how help. Then on a Friday morning, as I was hurriedly trying to get out the door with D and L, I got a call from our realtor. She explained that the lady who was "in charge," one of the five siblings who currently owned the home, recognized Jonathan's name. (He had mentioned that her name sounded familiar, but he couldn't quite figure it out) Well turns out, he had remodeled their kitchen and because of that, they wanted us to have the house!! Just like that. Done.

$5,000 below the highest offer they had received and $10,000 below what they said was the minimum they would take. To make the situation even better, when I called my mom to tell her the news, she said that she had prayed that God would move mountains and that we would get a call FRIDAY morning that we got the house!!!

So it's been almost 3 years since we moved into this place. I cannot believe it. Let's finish up the rest of the before pictures, so we can get to the current state of our house! The next pictures are the rest of our first floor. The dining room, living room, school room, and play room.

Sorry for the horrible picture quality, but it's hard when you are wrangling two kids and trying to take pictures in a house with no overhead lighting or dead light bulbs! Trust me, it was really as rough as it looks. I was told, multiple times, that we were crazy for seeing the potential in this place.

And on to the second floor. The other part of this house that really captivated me from the beginning, was the landing at the top of the stairs. I loved the charm despite the ridiculous amount of water damage in the second picture--see it there? Behind the door on the left side?

The size of the bedrooms was also a big selling point. We knew that we wanted a larger family and the fact that we could fit a few kids in each room was a big deal. Try to look past the wallpaper, water damage, and dark dirty appearance. The gentleman who lived here before we bought it hadn't used the upstairs in years. The first picture is of our master bedroom.

Now are the three extra bedrooms. Bedroom number one had great natural light, but needed a lot of help with the walls and flooring.

Bedroom number two looked great from the doorway--it even had beautiful curtains that we currently have hanging in our living room--but once you got through the door and turned around, things got a bit precarious. Look at that water damage!

And then the final bedroom. It was quite a bit smaller than the other two bedrooms, but still had a great amount of space for a bed or a set of bunk beds. It needed a little help in the wallpaper department.

Overall, this house had the bones of what we needed! We knew we could work with it and make it what we needed for our family. It has definitely come A LONG way since these pictures.

Why I Haven't Been Blogging

2015-03-20T09:22:00.001-04:00

It has been six months since I have blogged. (My father-in-law is shaking his head in excitement because I have FINALLY posted something! :) Hey Dad!)

I'm sorry it has been so long, but it has been for good reason. I have wanted to blog over the past six months, sometimes even composing blog posts in my head, but then, a still, small voice always makes me take pause and decide against whatever I am processing.

Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right,

whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything

is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things.

Philippians 4:8

And this is the verse that stops me in my tracks. Over the past six months, and to be honest, even before that, I have been feeling convicted about what I post here and on my personal Facebook. I am constantly asking myself: Why do I blog? Why am I about to post this picture? Why do I want everyone to see this status? Why do I want to write a blog post about this task that I accomplished?

Inevitably the answer would always come from a selfish place in my heart. I wanted you all to recognize my accomplishments within my home. I wanted to hear you sing praises about my adorable children. I wanted to make you think my life was perfect. But listen, please, when I say that this is the farthest thing from the truth. My life is NOT perfect. My children do have adorable moments, but they have deplorable moments just as frequently. And you may think my house is beautiful and put together, but that comes at an expense--one I'm not going to go into detail about now, but feel free to ask me about it whenever we are face to face.

The bottom line?

God has been challenging and changing my heart these past six months.

While I wish that I could post things on here as a way to keep my family updated on our lives (as they are flung far and wide across the world), that isn't the only motive I have--there are selfish ones too.

The selfish motives I have stem from an insecurity that is deep within my heart. Instead of getting my self worth from the one who created me and gave me life, I have been putting it in the things and people around me. I have let others decide whether or not I am a good mom, wife, homemaker, daughter, etc. And that needs to stop.

As life has progressed while I have been gone from this place, God has started to gently guide my heart towards His. He has challenged me to find that only solid and lasting self worth, is found in Him. If I put my confidences in the world around me, I will surely find a shaky foundation to build my life upon. When I feel mentally exhausted from a day of taking care of the kids, trying to keep the house clean, thinking/preparing dinner for the carpenter, and just living life, I find my rejuvenation comes from quiet moments reading my Bible and praying. This is a new thing for me, but it's been SO fulfilling and thirst-quenching.

So please understand if I never come back to blogging. Please understand if I eventually delete my Facebook account. Please understand if, for me, social media becomes a thing of the past.

I recently read this article by Christine Hoover. I am so, so guilty of this. I feel disconnected from my life, my children, my husband--those who are actually right in front of me. What did we even do before the invention of Facebook, twitter, pinterest, instagram, etc? I'm looking forward to finding that out. So while I do still post on Facebook as a way to keep my family updated on the children, and occasionally other things thrown in the mix, I'm not really sure I will post here any longer. My life is about my children and family right now and sitting in front of a computer is completely hindering that.

First Stop, the Master Bedroom

2014-08-26T14:21:00.000-04:00

First off, I want to say thank you for all of your comments yesterday! I truly love receiving feedback on a blog post. I think the best things can be achieved when everyone shares their experiences and people work together. With that being said, I thought I would share this journey, through home organization, with you! Maybe you can learn something from me, but most important, maybe you can teach me something! Goodness knows I love to learn and I think my friends and family are the best teachers!

Before I get into today's post though, I have to make one thing clear: We have embraced our home. One thousand square feet is nothing to sneeze at, but the average american home home in 2010 was a little over 2,100 square feet (source). So, it posses some challenges that not everyone may have. That being said, EVERYONE experiences the challenge of fitting their things into their home. Our homes are basically a big (and beautiful) storage facility for our stuff--overly simplified, but so true.

With this next baby on the way, I have felt challenged to really get rid of a bunch of our stuff (all the extra unimportant things) and make sure that what we have is important, needed, and intentional. I know there is so much stuff in our house, right now, that can be cleared out. And that is just what I intend on doing.

The first place I'm going to start is our master bedroom. This is an easy place to work on because Daniel doesn't go up their very often and it's also the furthest away from his room (meaning nap-times won't be disturbed). My initial goal was to come up with some guidelines for our room. These were going to be based on the functions that this room needs to embrace.

To me this is key to organizing a house: all your spaces must have assigned roles and responsibilities. For instance, you don't want bath towels stored in every room in the entire house. No, there should be one place that they all are located and that place should be as close to the bathroom as you can get it. For our master bedroom the list of roles I wanted to consider are as follows:

1. The bedroom needs to function as our bedroom, a newborn nursery, and a place for the dog's pens.

2. In the long run, we will have a family closet in this room. (Daniel's room doesn't have a closet, so it makes sense to store the small amount of hanging clothes he has, in our closet).

3. The overall space needs to be calming and possibly involve a place for nursing a newborn, curling up with a book, or just an extra space for mom/dad to escape to if need be.

These are very basic, but will help me keep on track when I'm deciding what needs to go and what needs to stay. It's all about effective and efficient organization. Hopefully, I can show you what I mean in my next post. I'm off to start the process!

A New Challenge: Having a Smaller House and Where we are Going to put Baby #2

2014-08-25T15:16:00.000-04:00

First off, let me begin by saying that I have fallen in love with our little house. I like that I don't have a huge space to clean, I love the coziness of it, and I am so excited about the plans we have for it in the future.

That being said, being that it's approximately one thousand square feet has posed quite a challenge for me. When we first moved in, it felt like tons of space. Even though we had moved from a bigger apartment, I knew that a bunch of our stuff wasn't truly needed. Before we even moved I began the process of weeding through our things and consolidating a bit. Once we moved and I could see how things were going to fit, I was able to get rid of even more. Over the past two years, as we have slowly settled in and organized the house efficiently, it has seemed like there is just enough space for our little family.

Yet, as this pregnancy has progressed, and my urge to nest becomes increasingly stronger, I have become a bit overwhelmed by the space constraints of our house. Let me clarify a bit: I have become completely overwhelmed by the amount of stuff that we have! Holy moly...who needs this much stuff?!?! So, I'm in the mood to clear out EVERYTHING. I have started the process of ripping apart our house and getting rid of as much as I can. Oh boy is our house a disaster area.

Another reason for this massive undertaking is the need to create more space for our new little one. I'm so glad I have until the end of January to accomplish this task. This has actually been the most common question I have been asked since we have let everyone know that we are expecting baby two. Most people know that we only have two bedrooms in our house and want to know where this baby is going to fit into the mix.

Well, the plan is to do the same thing we did with Daniel: he started off in our room in a pack-n-play until he was almost sleeping through the night--for Daniel this was about six months. Then, once he/she is sleeping through the night I think we will be moving the new baby in with Daniel. But, in order to make our house not feel too cramped, to make room for the growing space needs of our thirteen month old, and to create room for a new baby, things need to be organized in an efficient and effective way.

Thus a complete overhaul.

Thankfully it isn't quite this bad...but it may get there!

So I will attempt to post progress pictures if I'm able to and show you the process as it happens. Right now just picture our dining room table covered with stuff and our guest bed covered with things also. This is going to be an entirely new experience with Daniel running around, but he seems to like it so far. Who wouldn't love all sorts of new things to explore?! :) Wish me luck!

Baby #2: How Things Are Going

2014-08-14T14:33:00.000-04:00

Occasionally, I'm asked how this pregnancy is different compared to my pregnancy with Daniel. So, I thought I would write this post for my future self. I'm sure some day I will want to look back (probably when I get pregnant with our third) and remind myself how I felt this time around. The short? Certain things are worse and certain things are better.

Exhaustion

For one, I'm definitely no where near as tired as I was with Daniel. I remember feeling completely and utterly exhausted with Daniel. My body was SO NOT used to being pregnant and for the first trimester and part of the second, I had to take a nap on a regular basis, or I just couldn't seem to function. This time around I do take naps occasionally...but I don't NEED them like I did with Daniel.

Morning Sickness

With Daniel I remember feeling nauseous and being able to eat to make it go away. I felt that for most of my first trimester, but unfortunately it wasn't limited to just the morning. It would happen all day. Luckily it was easily fixed. This time around, I had the hunger nausea again, but with an active little boy to take care of, I wasn't able to just sit and eat whenever I wanted. As a result I definitely felt sicker this time around. Thankfully, I am into my second trimester, and the nauseousness has passed.

General Health

Instead of putting all of this info into separate categories, I figured it could all be lumped together. With Daniel I just felt good. Besides the exhaustion and morning sickness, I loved being pregnant and my body seemed to handle it really well. This time around, I feel good as well, but have noticed a few more aches and pains. I have been having what I think is round ligament pain. It only happens occasionally, but usually makes me stop what I'm doing for a second.

I also have been having a bit of soreness due to my c-section with Daniel. I truly felt fine after having my c-section and haven't really had any pain at the incision site until now. The further along in my pregnancy, the bigger I grow, the more frequently I feel little pricks of pain. Nothing to be alarmed about, but I think my scar is just figuring out how to stretch out. Coconut oil seems to be working wonders at keeping my skin pliable.

Finally, I had a lot of migraines this time around. My midwife explained this as being caused by my body trying to make enough blood for me and the baby. She said that because my head is the highest part of my body, it might not be getting as much blood as it needs. Thankfully they have gone away as I have moved into my second trimester.

Nesting

Oh this is a big difference for me. During my first pregnancy, the urge to nest never became really strong until a few days before Daniel was born. Sure I organized things and did my usual cleaning routine, but it was more out of habit and wanting to be prepared rather than having a feeling. This time around I have had an urge to nest since the beginning. Maybe it's because I know what is coming, having been through the newborn phase once now. Or maybe it's because I feel like our house is WAY more disheveled now than it was before, but either way, my urge is quite strong.

BUT!!!

Apathy

Then there is the apathy side of things. Oh darn the feeling of apathy. I never was really able to identify or put words to how I was feeling until Kate from The Small Things Blog wrote this post. While I was reading it, I just kept thinking 'Yes! That's me too!' This is something I didn't really notice with Daniel. But this time around, holy cow. I really have absolutely no motivation. Nesting sounds great and I have tons of mental lists about the things that I want to get accomplished, but man nothing is getting done. I just have no interest in tackling anything. I'm really hoping this passes soon. I do NOT like having my house like this, but at the same time don't feel any need to clean it. Any suggestions for pushing through this and tackling even the daily tasks that need to get done would be greatly appreciated!!

Overall, I think I feel pretty good with this pregnancy. With Daniel I was beyond ecstatic to finally be pregnant and nothing could get me down. This time, I am beyond ecstatic too, but I think the apathetic feeling has sort of taken over. I know I should be planning, organizing, and getting ready, but something keeps holding me back.

So, each day I just try to push myself. I motivate myself by making simple lists of things to accomplish each day. I try to make each task easily achievable so as not to feel overwhelmed. If I have a burst of 'hey! let's do this' I try to milk it for all it's worth. Whenever a bad day hits and I just can't seem to make myself do much, I try to rest in God's promises and remember that each day is a new day. Also, who really needs to have a perfectly clean house anyways? :)

Ahhhh....A Sigh of Relief

2014-07-07T10:43:00.000-04:00

Well, I think almost everyone knows. Yesterday we made it Facebook Official *rolls eyes* and announced that we are expecting our second little bundle of joy.

Yes. A second little one! I'm ecstatic, nauseous (thank you first trimester), and ready to get moving on all the things that I want to get done before this little one arrives. It's quite the list, let me tell you.

I still am in awe of the God that I serve. This little one will be born approximately 18 months after Daniel entered the world. Eighteen months. Guys this is crazy to me. I honestly didn't think that God's plans for us would be so overwhelmingly satisfying and abundant (stupid me).

I dreamed of having my own children. I had given over that dream to God letting Him tell me what He wanted for us. I was open to adoption. I was open to fostering. Heck, I was open to any kind of anything that He wanted to give us. I knew that no matter what His plan for us was, that it would be utterly fulfilling and my cup would always be full--if I was willing to embrace it that is.

When we first found out that we were pregnant with Daniel, I remember feeling in shock. Weeks before we got that positive pregnancy test, I had struggled on hand and knee crying out to God asking Him to please just show me a part of His plan. I was broken before Him. I was open, shattered, and willing--but I just needed something to give me direction. And He comforted me. The weeks up to finding out we were pregnant were so satisfying. I remember enjoying every moment with Jonathan. I wasn't worried about getting pregnant, I was instead satiated by the life I was currently living.

And just like that, completely unexpectedly, we were pregnant.

Just for the record, I don't believe that this is because I finally relaxed and my body was able to do it's thing. No. It was because of God. It was His timing. It was His plan. I had truly given over my most vulnerable desires at the time and He knew.

This time around we weren't really planning anything either. We have been enjoying our little family of three. Things have been a bit chaotic as we go through some big business changes for Jonathan. Having another little one, while not exactly unexpected, was definitely not on our radar.

And then God.

As we start this journey again, I'm entering it much the same way I did last time. I'm completely at peace and excited to experience this pregnancy. I'm excited that Daniel will have a little brother or sister so close in age. I'm excited to make room in our cozy little house for another precious babe. I look forward to seeing my stomach expand and feeling the punches and kicks of new life. I'm looking forward to welcome a winter baby!--something completely different and exciting!

All this to say, I'm so thankful and humbled by this unexpected blessing!

A June Update

2014-06-24T11:31:00.000-04:00

Hi everyone!

Here's the post that you all have been jonesing for: an update on our life and current pictures of Daniel.

Hmm...where to begin.

Well, since the last time I wrote, things have changed a bit. I guess I should just jump right in. Sorry if things become a jumbled, update-full mess.

Since summer is in full swing around here, Daniel and I have been spending a large part of our week walking around the neighborhood, hanging out with friends at the playground, and enjoying the warmer weather in general. I have learned that Daniel, like myself, doesn't care too much for the hot and muggy weather that Western NY can bring...so he, lucky duck, enjoys a mostly clothes free day whenever possible.

Jonathan has been working hard and is in the midst of making a big transition with his business. He will be going solo this summer and be the sole proprietor of his business as of July 1st. This is a big transition not only for him, but for our family. Our house has expanded (not physically really, but more in functionality) to include his business office and a place to house all of the equipment he uses on a daily basis. Our garage has never looked better (because Jonathan built in a beautiful organization system for all of his supplies) and our house has never been more cramped (because now we have a full "corporate" office in our living space. After I get things fully moved in and organized, there will be pictures in a separate post on those adjustments.

Daniel is growing sooo quickly (he just celebrated his 11 month birthday yesterday) and ohmygoodness, he is into everything. Now I officially understand that my house was NOT baby proof. We still need a bit more work on that front, but it is getting there. It has basically involved moving around a bunch of things and making sure that the stuff at Daniel's level is appropriate for him to be playing with. What a challenge! I guess for those of you who may not know, it would be a good time to tell you that Daniel has learned to crawl, walk along furniture, and recently, he has learned to climb stairs. My goodness, they learn fast!!

His favorite "word" is "oooo!" which has led to him receiving the affectionate nickname of Little Oo Oo, from his great grandparents. We also took away his binkie this past month. We decided it was time, as he was constantly throwing it out of his crib at nap/night time and crying until he was given it back. The transition went smoother than I thought it would and the first time he went to sleep without it, he only cried for 20 minutes if I remember correctly. The only side effect I have noticed is that his naps aren't as long anymore. But who knows if that is directly a result of taking the binkie away or just a normal thing as he gets older.

Hmm, what else?

Maybe a bunch of pictures will help to finish up this post? I plan on doing a few more posts full of updates on the house, Jonathan's work space, our garden, and maybe a smattering of other things. We'll just have to see what I feel like writing about.

Happy Tuesday!

Change of Heart

2014-05-07T12:50:00.002-04:00

{picture taken from here}

Guys, I seriously just got back from trading in a clean house for an afternoon run with the jogging stroller. Those of you who know me, know that this is a HUGE deal.

Liz exercising instead of cleaning....woah.

I think pigs just flew.

Anyway, why this sudden change in priority? Well it's pretty complex, but so wonderfully simple at the same time:

God is doing a big, huge work within my soul.

Over the past few months He has been chipping away at my priorities for myself and replacing them with His priorities. I have been praying for and listening to His guidance for my life and let me tell you, it is so freeing. I don't have to worry about each day and what needs to be accomplished in it?

Sign me up!!

As God shows me how to be a healthier version of myself (both mentally and physically) I am learning that His ways are just so much better for me.

His yoke is easy and His burden is light.--Matthew 11:30

You would think that after everything we went through trying to get pregnant with Daniel, I would trust in His plan...but I'm stupid. Plain and simple. And I don't trust that He has a better plan for me.

But guys, this time around, I'm so excited to listen. As I have started to pour out my heart to Him explaining all the desires of my heart, He listens. He listens and gently shows me that His way is just so much better.

I'm all ears Lord. Please continue to guide me!

On Being Present

2014-05-03T11:07:00.004-04:00

This morning, I spent some time thinking about what I wanted to blog about today. Having a schedule of posting only Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays should make it easy for me to come up with things to write about. Unfortunately, sometimes I just don't know what to say.

The house was quiet as I sat down to figure out what to blog about. The carpenter was off at church for the men's breakfast. Daniel and the dogs were both curled up and asleep. All that could be heard was the sound of the dryer turning semi-wet clothes.

*Pause...I need to go start the washer again!*

Ok, back at it.

As I'm perusing Facebook, trying to come up with post ideas, I stumble upon this video. Go ahead, watch it. I will wait. :)

Ok. Before you say, "Wait! There are plenty of good things that technology has to offer!" (i.e. being able to connect with people far away, being able to find old friends, etc.), let me just talk this out and share with you what I have been personally dealing with.

First off, I agree, there are so many good things about technology. Would I be writing a blog, on Facebook, part of Instagram, and pinning to Pinterest if I didn't agree? No. I love being able to keep up with people and see what is going on with those who don't live close to me. What I think this video is trying to tell us is to not neglect those who are physically near you. Don't trade in time with someone who is sitting in front of you, for time spent on an electronic device.

God has really been convicting me of this lately. Much of my day involves reading blogs, checking Facebook and Instagram, and watching a show or two with my husband after the baby is asleep. I have realized that I am loosing so much of my time with my son and my husband, to use some form of technology. Because of this I'm able to keep up on those who aren't near me, but instead am slowly becoming more and more out of touch with those who I can actually reach out and touch.

Does that make sense?

I'm not here to convict you. I'm just hear to share with you what the Lord is doing in me. Two of the books that I have been reading lately (read more on that here) have really been showing me that my focus is being shared lately. Elliot and Savage have both written about being present in people's lives. That if we are able to embrace the reality around us, our lives will be better for it. That we shouldn't share time between two things, because the reality is that neither is getting the full version of ourselves. I don't want my children, husband, family, or friends, knowing only the distracted Elizabeth. I would love them to know that they are the most important person in that moment and nothing can distract me from our time spent together.

With that being said, I'm off to spend the day with my boys. I'm challenging you to do the same! :)

Mother's Day

2014-05-01T13:58:00.001-04:00

I'm extra excited for Mother's Day this year. We sort of celebrated a bit last year--as Daniel was currently in-utero at the time. But this year, my celebrating takes on a whole new meaning. Having met our son and taken care of him for the past nine months, I have a whole different perspective on celebrating. I appreciate being a mom on a deeper level. I'm so thankful for all of the moms around me, because I have now experienced a bit of what they went through to raise their children.

Holy cow.

To those of you who are reading this that are moms: Thank you, thank you, thank you for everything you have sacrificed as a mother. May 11th is for you!

I know Mother's Day can be a bit daunting for some of you. I mean, come Father's Day, I have NO idea what to buy Jonathan (other than ammo or a new gun ;) ). So, I thought I would compile a few ideas for anyone who is looking to buy a gift for a mother.

1. A Magazine Subscription:

Go on Amazon and purchase a one year subscription to the mother's favorite magazine--or at least one that you think she would like. I love to do this (making sure that the subscription is sent to their house) and then I usually head to the grocery store and buy a card and the current issue of the magazine. That way I feel like they are getting a little something to enjoy until the subscription kicks in.

2. Personalized Stationary:

One thing I love, love, love is stationary. I blame my grandmother. For Christmas or my birthday, she used to buy me personalized stationary. While I didn't quite appreciate it then, I now realize how fun it is having something with your name on it. These cards from Etsy are a good price and a fun color! Don't have time to order stationary? Head to TJ Maxx. Their stationary area always has a lot of fun styles to choose from.

3. Birchbox

Ok. I have to admit, I have always wanted to buy something like Birchbox for myself. Birchbox is a subscription service that sends you a host of pre-picked products every month. You can choose from categories like body, hair, makeup, etc. Not interested in sending your mom beauty products, check out other monthly subscriptions here.

4. Custom Journal

I chose this customizable journal because I thought it would be fun to put the mom's initials on here. This suggestion isn't just for the mother who likes to journal, this can also take the place of a card. I recently saw this idea and thought it was brilliant! To summarize, each year the journal can be updated by the givee with pictures, sketches, etc. It's sort of a Mother's-Day-only journal. Do you want something that's personalized that doesn't cost an arm and a leg...this is the gift for you!

5. & 6. Trellis Earrings & Tiny Squares Necklace

Last but not least, let's throw a little jewelry into the mix. I love the simple elegance of the Trellis Earrings. And the Tiny Squares Necklace (which you can personalize) comes from the same artist who makes the necklace I requested for Mother's Day! (I would have suggested it here, but it's sold out.) I don't think you can ever go wrong with some simple jewelry.

I hope that the above suggestions help if your stumped on what to buy the mom in your life! And if none of these seem to work, for the mother that you are buying for, I always think a safe bet is a personalized card and some beautiful flowers or a giftcard. The card allows you to write a thankful little blurb and the flowers or giftcard take the whole thing to the next level.

Happy shopping!

May Goals

2014-04-29T15:19:00.002-04:00

Can you believe that May is just around the corner??

Like in two days, around the corner?

Holy cow where is this year going to?!

I decided to set some goals for the month of May. This is just my way of keeping myself on track and making sure that things get done around here. Plus, I'm hoping that if I post these things for ~~the world~~ all of you to see, maybe I will be more inclined to accomplish said goals.

1.) Run, run, and run some more.
This goal is an important one for me. I recently started taking a few supplements in the hopes that they will help balance my hormones and allow me to loose some weight. Let me tell you, I feel great! Well, the next step in continuing to balance my hormones is working out on a regular basis. Thus, running, here I come.

2.) Deep clean our kitchen, bathroom, dining room, and Daniel's room.
This is just something that I like to do around this time of year. It's my way of welcoming spring and summer and making sure that the excess in our house is gotten rid of.

3.) Make Sarah's t-shirt quilt
Sarah, if you are reading this, please forgive me for neglecting it for the past almost two years. I'm so sorry and I promise that this will get done this month. I'm really excited about it and, again, I'm sorry that it has taken me this long :)

4.) Peel the wallpaper border down on the sunporch.
Sorry, but the Arizona/New Mexico theme just isn't cutting it for me anymore. Ha, actually, it never did. So down it comes!

5.) Enjoy our stay-cation
Now, this really doesn't need to be on the list, because, well, any vacation would be enjoyable. But I want to be intentional about enjoying our time off, at home. Jonathan and I are looking forward to doing a bunch of work outside and having some time, together, as a family. I can't wait!

6.) Organize all of my computer documents
And for goodness-sake, if this doesn't get done this month, I may go crazy. The chaos that is my 'Pictures' folder on my laptop, needs to be contained. This will be remedied this month.

So, there you have it. An ambitious list, but one that I think I can handle. I will be back at the end of the month with an update for y'all!

What is making it on your to-do list this month??

What I'm Reading

2014-04-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

Happy Saturday everyone!

Today, I thought I would share what I'm currently reading. These are the things that clutter (in a good way) our coffee table and my nightstand. I love to read and can't seem to get enough of it these days.

I really enjoy picking a book up in my hands--please tell me you know what I mean?! Nothing beats the smell of an old book and the feeling of the pages. I remember watching my grandma read to me. I would watch as her perfectly manicured hands would turn the pages. She had a way of turning them just so. Some of my earliest childhood memories are of her reading to me. I have been slowly collecting all of the books that she used to read to us. I can't wait to share them with Daniel and any future kiddos.

I attribute my love of reading to my grandma. I remember a time when I really didn't like to read. To encourage me, and my brothers, she would pay us a dollar per book--depending on how long it was. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I think she would be proud to see that I'm blogging. I know she would have been my biggest fan.

So, today, I wanted to share with you what I have been reading lately, in hopes that maybe you will pick up one of these books yourself!

Tip: turn off all electronic devices an hour before you intend to go to bed and READ. I find that I have an easier time falling asleep and I tend to have a more restful sleep as well. TRY IT!

This first book I'm reading as a sort of devotional. Keep a Quiet Heart by Elisabeth Elliott is a compilation of the newsletters that she used to send out. She reminds her readers, time and time again, to focus on God and His promises by quieting our heart and listening for Him. I can't say enough about this book. I love that each letter is short and sweet. Elliott also has a way of convicting you without overwhelming you. When Daniel goes down for his morning nap, I grab a cup of coffee, this book, and my Bible and curl up on the couch for a bit. I love taking a moment to focus and start my day off on the right foot. (Also, to my fellow CCCers, I'm currently borrowing this from the church library, so if you would like it when I'm done, let me know--or you can find it there)

Lately, the book that I like to read, right before bed, is the third book in the Mitford Series. Written by Jan Karon, these books follow the life of a grandfather-esk Episcopal priest (thanks Donna!) as he navigates the Lord's calling. These are fantastic books if you are looking for an easy read--I think that is the best kind of read right before bed. I love that the books are faith based, without being over the top. They are uplifting and quirky and you fall in love with the characters in the small town of Mitford really quickly. I highly recommend these. (CCCers, again, I'm borrowing this book from the church. The entire series isn't there, but most of it is!)

Finally, I just got this book yesterday, but guys. Seriously. If you are a mom, you need to get this book. After seeing it referred to by a bunch of my favorite bloggers, I knew that I had to give it a try. No More Perfect Moms by Jill Savage offers up a great perspective on mothering. I can tell this is going to be a life changing book for me. I've only read a couple of chapters, but Savage really has hit home for me. She challenges the pressures that young moms often put on themselves to be perfect--doesn't that sound refreshing?! No more perfection?! Ok, I'm on board with that! Seriously, read this book. Just do it.

I'm always looking for another good book to add to my stash. Please leave me suggestions of books I can't live without reading! I'd love to hear what you have enjoyed lately!

Daniel: Nine Months Old

2014-04-24T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well, it happened. Daniel turned nine months old and I didn't have a heart attack.

Does this really mean in three short months that he will be a YEAR OLD?!

NO! Not my BABY!!!

Yea, it really does mean that. And while part of me wants to somehow make him stay small forever, another part of me is really excited to throw his one-year-old birthday party! Move over My Super Sweet Sixteen, Daniel's first birthday is coming to town.

Possible themes: The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Camping/Outdoors, or maybe we will just freestyle it and take all of the brilliant ideas off of Pinterest and combine them into one party. Thoughts?

So, our little man is growing up. He now weighs approximately 24 pounds and is 28 inches long. We have a doctor's appointment in May and I will have official stats for his ten-month-old post, then. He is still wearing 12-18 month clothes and I'm contemplating the switch to just 18 month stuff. His pants are getting a bit small, but have plenty of length to them--the typical cloth diaper conundrum. I may try to squeeze out a bit more time in the 12 month stuff.

We celebrated Daniel's first Easter this past month and, if you missed it, you can read more about that here. We also have spent more time outside, enjoying a bit of warmer weather. Daniel loves going for walks in his stroller and absolutely adores the swing at the playground--hopefully we are able to get our swing up soon! I can't wait until the ground is dry and the sun is out more consistently. I'm looking forward to spreading a blanket under our maple tree and letting him play outside in the sun!

Daniel still hasn't figured out how to crawl forward yet, but he is doing a modified version. He will roll at an angle back and forth on his arms, which allows him to move forward a bit. I love to watch him process how to get to something--which currently just involves a lot of rolling. He still loves to stand at the couch or chair and play. He is figuring out that he can lift his feet and move if he wants to. If we are holding his hands, he may take a few steps forward, but after that, he prefers to just stand and look around. I'm really glad that he seems to be in no hurry to crawl/walk--it gives me more time to figure out how to baby-proof our house!

Hmm...what else. He still is eating two meals a day with bottles filling up his tummy in between. For my future reference, we are currently feeding him six ounce bottles and have been doing so for about a month. He still loves fruit and Greek yogurt for breakfast and we usually puree whatever we are having for dinner, for his dinner. He has mastered the art of picking up puffs and we give them to him occasionally so he can work on his fine motor skills. He also has been testing out his new front top teeth that have come in. With four teeth in total, he is learning the art of chewing.

His favorite things to do still consist of playing with his baskets of toys, jumping in his bouncer, or hanging out with Daddy. We are still at two naps a day--which vary in length and sometimes are whittled down to one long, late morning nap. He goes to bed anywhere between six and eight, depending on his naps, and wakes up between six and seven in the morning.

I feel like we really have established a good rhythm at home, and though things seem to change daily, I no longer feel anxious about taking care of Daniel. I am feeling more and more like myself and I think that Jonathan and I both are pretty adjusted to being parents. Everything may be new and unexpected still, but it doesn't seem to bring as much stress anymore. We love our boy and are so thankful for him. What did we do before we had him? I can't even remember. :)

Easter 2014

2014-04-22T15:14:00.002-04:00

Easter was extra special this year as it was Daniel's first. Having a child adds a whole new aspect to holiday celebrations. As we go through each holiday with Daniel, I have been thinking about traditions and the various things that I want him to learn about each holiday. I love coming up with creative ways to combine the traditions that Jonathan remembers with the traditions from my family. My goal is to create meaningful holidays for our family. I want them to be focused on the real reason for celebration, our Savior, and to involve a lot of family time.

This year we started things off simply. Because Daniel is only nine months old, I know he won't remember much and I didn't want to get bogged down by having too many things to do on Easter. Rather, I wanted to just be able to enjoy it as a family. I didn't stress about coordinating our outfits. I didn't worry about getting the perfect pictures. And I didn't have the day all planned out with tons of things to do. (Not that any of the above things is wrong, I just knew it would stress me out and I wouldn't enjoy the day)

Instead, our day consisted of a simple Easter basket for Daniel and Jonathan. We went to brunch at church and followed that by attending our Easter Sunday Service. The afternoon brought a nap for Daniel, a run for Jonathan, and a little house work for me. And then my dad joined us and we all headed over to our friends' house for Easter dinner.

It was a beautiful day filled with meaningful moments spent with family and friends--who have become family. I can't wait until next year when we can celebrate again and enjoy even more Easter traditions--an egg hunt anyone?!

Everything Under the Kitchen Sink

2014-04-15T16:34:00.002-04:00

Spring is here (just ignore the snow)...and boy does it have me in the mood to clean and get rid of the excess stuff in our house! Time to make everything smell lemon-y fresh and donate the extra stuff that seems to just appear over winter. To Sal-Val it goes!

This past weekend, the hubster and I worked outside. He cut down pesky bushes that had started growing in places they shouldn't be. We cleared sticks, lots of leaves, and trimmed down our front bushes. It felt SO good to work outside in the sun.

We also worked a bit of magic inside too. The space under our kitchen sink has been a frustration for me. While I'm glad to have the storage space, it isn't enough to corral all of the stuff that needs to go there--our compost bucket, laundry stuff, extra dish soap, and various other cleaning things. This house just has such little storage space, that I have to be extra creative with what we have! And let me tell you, the storage under the sink was certainly lacking in creativity.

Anyways, I asked Jonathan to whip me together a simple shelf that would help expand our space. I wanted something that could hold my extra bottles of vinegar (that I use for cleaning) and bleach (that we use to clean our basement periodically).

Jonathan made me a simple shelf out of some scrap wood and then put a screw through the top into the wall on the side to anchor it.

After he did that, I got to work cleaning the shelf. It was covered in coffee grounds that had missed the compost bucket. I also had a few spiderwebs that had taken up residence by the radiator.

Once everything was clean and smelled good again, I put all of our stuff back in. Extra products went to the right and all of the things I use on a regular basis went to the left. The compost now has it's own space and everything is much more accessible.

Now, I need to redo the curtains that hang in front. They are waaaayyy too small for the openings and are definitely not child friendly. I have been thinking about asking Jonathan to make me some simple doors that we can use a child safety lock on. We shall see.

What quick projects did you do this weekend? I love when a task is simple and easy, but makes a huge difference.

Function Over Form

2014-04-12T08:04:00.000-04:00

Design for the sake of design isn't really my thing. Sure I like to surround myself with a beautiful home, but if my space doesn't function for our everyday needs, then we have a problem. Living in a small home (our house is a skosh bigger than 1,000 square feet), my goal has always been function over form. Thus, many of the furniture items in our home serve multiple purposes and have been chosen based on that instead of being picked based on ascetic.

For instance, the new-to-us bench in our living room operates as a child safe coffee table, a storage unit for magazines and toys, and a comfortable place to rest our feet while watching TV. Is it what I would have purchased for the space, look-wise? No. Is it exactly what this space needs nonetheless? Yes.

Today, I thought I would share the thought process I have when I'm picking a piece for our house. As we have slowly turned our house into a home, I have come across many situations that have stretched my design eye, my pocketbook, and my creative side. I want to talk about how I balance all of those things and how I prioritize to create a space that works for our family. Let's use the ottoman as an example.

First: Clearly identify the issue and the goal(s) you have.
Within our living room space, I originally had an old metal and wood trunk (please excuse the Christmas photo...it is the only one I could find with the trunk in it!). While it served the purpose that I wanted it to (i.e. a rustic and pretty coffee table with storage) it also was a hazard to our little boy who is becoming more and more mobile. Those metal corners are not child friendly. So, I decided it was time for a change and that I should be on the look for something to replace it. After much thought, I concluded that something with storage, coffee table capabilities, and child friendly aspects, would be the piece for us.

Second: Peruse Pinterest/ magazines for, talk with friends about, or just sit down and brainstorm possible ideas.
Think about your goal and evaluate various options based on your goal. Keep in mind, you may not be able to find the perfect piece. You may have to sacrifice one less important aspect for another. For us, the child friendly side of things was our number one goal. After reading a few blogs and thinking about what would work best for us, I concluded that some kind of padded storage ottoman would be nice. I liked the idea that it was padded (good for a toddling baby), it had a compartment for hidden storage (which would be great for not-baby-friendly things), and it also could be used as a coffee table (just throw a decorative tray on top and a drink-worthy space would be created). I wasn't sure exactly how it would look, but I left that part unanswered and started my search.

Third: After you have decided on a piece that will work for you, look, look, look and keep an open mind!
This is my favorite part. While it may be a bit time consuming, it is fun to finally find what you are looking for! Be patient, trust me, you will find it! While keeping your goals in mind, it's also important to think about size and material of your desired object. For instance, we couldn't have anything that was too big to fit in front of our couches and we had to make sure it was the proper height too. I also wanted something well made that could endure the beating of children and dogs.

Around the time that I started looking, my parents redid their bedroom and decided that they didn't have room for the bench that was previously at the end of their bed. My mom offered it to us and I couldn't refuse! It had storage (both open and hidden storage), it could work for a coffee table (if I put a tray on top), and it was a good size and seemed to be well made. Plus, it was free. Thanks mom and dad!

Let's recap. Looking to fulfill a specific need in your space? First, identify that need and clearly articulate the goals that you have for your future piece. Second, search high and low for inspiration. I love using Pinterest, magazines, blogs, and friends for this part. Nothing beats having a lot of options. Finally, after you have decided what you would like, search high and low for the piece. Keep your goals in mind and remember to be creative and flexible! You never know what might work for your space.

What are some of your favorite creative solutions? I love seeing what people come up with to fulfill a need within their space.

Current House Pictures

2014-04-10T08:27:00.000-04:00

Today's post is chock-full of pictures. Some of you have asked for updated house pictures, so here ya go. I put in the old before shots as a reminder to myself of how far we have come. With all that we still want to do, weighing heavily on our shoulders, it's good to have a dose of reality every once in awhile. The reality is, we have come so far in making this house a home and I can't wait to see what else is to come!

Let's start as you enter our house.

As you come through the door at the top of the stairs, you walk into our kitchen/laundry room. I still am not to keen on the idea of having a washer and dryer in our kitchen. But let me tell you, one HUGE positive is they have extended our counter and prep space--something I never thought about before we purchased them.

From our kitchen, you walk into our dining room.

And off of our dining room, is our living room, bathroom, porch, and Daniel's room. Our dining room is truly the heart of our home. Let's visit the bathroom first, shall we? :)

And then we have Daniel's room, one of my favorite rooms in the house.

And the porch/guest room is definitely a special place as well. I love all of the light that comes in through the windows in this room. It is especially enjoyable during the spring and fall. I have plans this summer to peel the wallpaper border down and possibly give this space a good wash of white paint. It is the only space left in our house that hasn't really been touched.

Our living room is the final room off of the dining room. It was such a dark cave before, but now has become a light-drenched, cheery space. I love it.

And finally, if you head up the stairs off of the living room, you will get to our bedroom. What was once two bedrooms, is now a nice and open master bedroom.

And that concludes the tour of our house! Maybe in the future I will update you with pictures of the outside of our house...that is after we tackle the yard this spring and summer. We are excited to move out there and do a bunch of clearing. There is so much overgrowth and brush that needs to be cleared.

But that is a story for another day. Happy Thursday everyone!

Why I Make my Bed

2014-04-08T10:24:00.002-04:00

For me, making my bed is a huge deal. Not because I'm a neat freak and need to have it made everyday, but rather because I look at it as a motivator for my day.

Let me explain.

I always make my bed. No, it doesn't happen first thing in the morning (usually the carpenter gets up after I do), but nonetheless, I always make it a priority to get it done. It's an easily accomplished task that doesn't take very long, and for me, has an important emotional reward.

As a mom, my days can be filled with a bit of uncertainty. Who knows if Daniel will take two naps. Who knows if he will be cranky all day, and want to be held, or if he will contentedly play by himself for long stretches of time. Will he happily sit in the cart as we walk through the grocery store? Will he hangout while I do the dishes? What time will he wake up? On and on, there are so many questions that I ask myself during the day. And while I am so thankful for my little boy, sometimes I can get bogged down by the spontaneity of the day. And sometimes, because of said spontaneity, I get very little done around the house.

So making my bed, yea...that is an easy thing that I can accomplish and feel like I have done at least one house related thing during the day. It also starts me off on the right foot: thirty seconds and I feel motivated to attack whatever that day may hold.

Does that make sense at all?

As someone who constantly struggles with motivation, tasks that are easily achievable help to encourage me. I may not have moved mountains, but I did something. The rest of our bedroom may look horrible, but at the end of the day, when I climb those stairs and head to bed, I'm greeted by a glimpse of order and peacefulness. And on a day when I may feel like nothing else was accomplished, a made bed is the only reminder I need that I, in fact, did accomplish a lot.

I know I'm not the only one who has a task that they aim to accomplish everyday. I'd love to hear what makes it on your "must do daily" list. Is it doing the dishes at night? Is it making sure you have had your cup of coffee? Do you have to layout an outfit for the next day, every night? Please leave me a comment and let me know what your chosen task is! And with that, I'm off to make my bed :)

Saturdays

2014-04-05T08:00:00.000-04:00

(Picture taken at my family's cabin, by my husband)

Oh Saturdays.

Aren't they just the best?

When I was in college, I would always look forward to Saturdays. They were a day that usually involved very little scheduling and never any classes. My roommate and I would often spend an absurd amount of time watching reruns of NCIS and crocheting. We would wake up, lumber into our living room, and each get snuggled up with a blanket--her in the papasan and me on the couch. And there we would sit for far longer than we would care to admit. I loved those days.

Now, Saturdays look a bit different. They usually involve big breakfasts and lots of family time. I might do some cleaning, while I have an extra set of hands to help me entertain the little man. The carpenter may tackle a job, or two, outside. The dogs lay around all day. And if it's a nice day, a family walk is usually in order. Once Daniel is in bed, Jonathan and I might watch a movie and have an adult beverage or two. Or just enjoy a couple of episodes of Parks and Rec.

I love Saturdays. No matter what form they come in. It's nice to have a break from the same-old, same-old of the work week.

What do your Saturdays look like?

Daniel: Eight Months Old

2014-04-03T09:59:00.000-04:00

Our little man is eight months old. Can you believe it?! I know I can't. Jonathan and I were just looking at pictures of Daniel as a newborn and reminiscing. We both loved and missed that stage. But we are also enjoying how engaging Daniel is.

He is at that age where he seems to be doing something new everyday. While I was a bit curious to see if he would ever rollover (he wouldn't tolerate his stomach or back for very long), he now does it fairly often. He is a stomach sleeper and we usually find him on his back in the morning or after his nap. When he reaches for a toy and falls over from his sitting position, he is now decently content to roll around and play on his back or stomach.

That being said, he has also been getting up on all fours and rocking back and forth! I love watching him do it and when I praise him and get excited, he gets a huge grin across his face. He knows that he has done something special. He has been working on scooting backwards from this position and often gets his feet stuck under some piece of furniture and gets frustrated. Now he needs to learn how to go forward! I have a feeling we will have a crawler in the not so distant future.

Daniel still loves to eat and at his last doctors appointment, he was in the 80th percentile for weight. He eats a six ounce bottle every two hours and enjoys baby purees for breakfast and dinner. We usually do some kind of fruit puree mixed with greek yogurt for breakfast and for dinner it is a mixture of veggies and fruit. Sometimes I will blend up what we are having for him to try. He hasn't really rejected anything yet, but doesn't seem to enjoy avocados. Apparently he is like his daddy in thinking that they have no flavor.

He wears an assortment if 12 to 18 month clothing (mostly size 12 months for tops and size 18 months for his cloth diapered bottom). We have enjoyed a lot of hand-me-downs (thanks Cristale!) and recently he has started wearing crib shoes.

Daniel wakes up anywhere between six or seven and loves when both daddy and mommy come in to get him. We change him, feed him a bottle, and while we get ourselves breakfast, he will usually sit and play on his own. He loves the baskets of toys that I keep in our living room. I just pull one over and he digs through it playing with whatever he desires. Once he is bored with that, we usually feed him his fruit and yogurt breakfast and he will then play some more, jump in his jumper, or play in his exersauser until he is ready for a mid-morning nap (well, if he takes one that is).

After a nap that can last anywhere from thirty minutes to two hours, we go through the change, feed, play routine again. Then there is the afternoon nap around one that lasts for, usually, two hours. He is up at three and ready for a change, to eat, and (you guessed it) play. He loves when daddy comes home and usually bounces in my arms and smiles when he walks through the door.

Bed time is between six and seven depending on how his naps went for the day. We have been so lucky to have a good sleeper. Once he is down for the night, he is there for good. Occasionally he will wake up, but only needs his pacifier and his mobile turned on to go back to sleep.

Everyday, I enjoy watching him learn something new. Jonathan and I love comparing stories on the new things we see him doing. I know one thing, I'm going to have to baby proof this house very soon!!

Is This Thing Still Working?

2014-04-01T15:14:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!

I'm back after a nice, long blogging hiatus. I needed to take a break in the worst way. I love blogging, but I needed some space. I was putting way too much pressure on myself to churn out good blog posts and it started becoming unenjoyable. Thus the break.

But I have missed it a lot.

This blog started out as a way to inform our family of all of the updates that we have done (and will do) on our house. I have to say, this little blog is still that, but it has also evolved into so much more. It is my online journal of sorts.

For many, many years I have kept a journal. I have a dozen hand-written journals stashed away in our bedroom. They are a treasured possession. They allow me to look back on what my life was and shed a whole new light on what my life has become. I love to see how I have changed and they help to spotlight those things that I still need to work on.

Over the past, meh, six years or so, I have stopped keeping a handwritten journal and have turned to blogging. In college I kept a blog that was just a smattering of my thoughts, design ideas, an overall mishmash of things. It was also the blog I kept as a newlywed. Then, when we bought this house, I shut that one down and started this blog as a way to chronicle our life as homeowners.

But now this blog has become so much more. It's a way to keep our family informed about our house projects, Daniel, and our day to day life. It also has become very cathartic for me. I love using my blog as a way to focus on the things that God has blessed us with on a daily basis. It allows me to keep things in the right perspective. After all Proverbs 15:15 says, "...a happy heart has a continual feast." This is my way of keeping my heart happy, so to speak.

I have a hard time seeing small blessings at times: A breath of fresh air. A much needed rain shower. Daniel's smile. Curled up, sleeping dogs. All of these things are beautiful and God created--but sometimes I miss them as I focus on the more (or less, depending on how you view it) important things. So, this blog has been a way for me to stay grounded. I'm so thankful for that.

So I plan on continuing to blog, not only to update family, but because it has been such a blessing to me.

I'm excited to get back into it again. Over the next few days I would like to update you on how things are going in our little house. Daniel is eight months old---and that has me completely freaking out and getting excited as I think about plans for his first birthday party! Our house has probably changed a bit (or a lot, for some of you) and I want to show you some current how-it-looks pictures. And, well, I have been changing a lot myself. God has been challenging me in ways I never thought possible and I can't wait to share some of the things I'm learning!

But first, what do you think of the new blog look? I came up with it all by myself. I have been teaching myself how to code a blog and use GIMP. It has come with a steep learning curve, but I have enjoyed learning these new skills. I thought it was about time I learned, as I wasn't really satisfied with any of the looks that pre-made templates offer.

So, look around and let me know what you think! Feedback is always appreciated. And keep looking around for more updates. I'm still working on things. :) See y'all Thursday!

Monday Morning

2014-02-17T10:03:00.005-05:00

Happy President's Day everyone!

Around here, it is just another Monday morning. You'd be wrong if you thought I was complaining about that though. I'm in love with Mondays.

It is a day to start fresh. I love looking at all the exciting things we have planned for the week. I also like to linger on Monday mornings. I drink extra coffee, walk around the house making a mental list of things that need to be cleaned, and get ready to start off my week with a bang! I make a menu plan and grocery list. I make our bed and straighten up the house. I set goals. It just seems like the best way to start off the week.

This week there isn't a whole lot going on, but that doesn't mean it won't be busy. We have our usual Bible study meeting on Tuesday and Daniel is going in for his six month check-up on Thursday. Other than that, it looks like it will be a quiet week. I'm looking forward to getting a lot checked off my to do list--the one that has things on it, I have been meaning to do for months.

Also, we are down to two weeks left of Jonathan working days AND nights. It has been a long and challenging month for us--but in the best way possible. We are almost done and cannot wait to celebrate! God has kept Jonathan busy (which in the world of carpentry, isn't a guarantee) and I don't want to ever complain about that.

Hello Monday! Let's do this!

Weekending

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enjoying a morning of coffee, menu planning, and sun

It's Saturday, and our day is probably going to consist of catching up on sleep--Jonathan, cleaning/playing catch-up--Liz, and being adorable--Daniel.

Happy weekending everyone!

SIX Months!

2014-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

I have tried to write this post over and over again. I have started and stopped a dozen times, as what is in my head, won't come out and present itself into clear coherent thoughts.

My baby is six months old and I still can't wrap my head around it. How has time gone by so fast?!

It's as if someone has taken my post pregnancy self--the one that was innocently relishing in the smell of a newborn--and kicked her ahead six months. I'm dazed and in awe of the little man who sits in front of me. He sits up. He babbles. He smiles and flirts with anyone who will pay attention to him. He reaches for things. He knows who his daddy, mommy, and beloved puppies are. He. is. six. months. old.

We are halfway to a year of being a family of three and I'm barely comprehending the fact that he is here and not still in my womb!

Oh goodness. This mama is emotional just thinking about it!

Daniel has been such a precious gift to us. There are times when I look at him and realize that what I feel for him, must be a minuscule sample of what God feels for us. The love. The awesome emotion that overwhelms and threatens to make your heart burst. How am I so deserving Lord?

All I can say is that I'm trying to soak up every single moment with this boy. I feel as if I'm neglecting so many other things in my life at this time, but I can't help it. I want to spend every second I can with that smiling face.

Thank you, thank you Lord.