there are friends and then there are friends.  you know the kind?  the ones who’ve been with you through it all and have seen all your uglies and beautifuls and still love you and accept you.  chelsea and wes are those friends for us.

we are related and intertwined in crazy ways.  let me give you a quick rundown:

chelsea and i are second cousins and grew up in rival school districts playing basketball against each other.

we also were roommates and besties all through college.

which is where she met wes who also grew up in a town near our hometowns.

who had a brother with flowing blond hair.

who i introduced to my baby sister.

who eventually got married!  (they were just here a few weeks ago visiting too)

if you are following along, that means that that chelsea and i are kind of related twice (once through marriage), she’s my sister’s sister-in-law, and our kids have the same aunt and uncle!

—small and beautiful world.

anyway, they visited from Indiana this past weekend from wednesday to monday, and we had such a great time together (insert photo extravaganza):

it rained and stormed on Thursday, so we made cloud/moon dough and sat on the porch with coffee.

Friday, the guys went on a hike in the morning and we took the kids to our neighbor’s pool.

we ended the night with a bonfire and cookout.  (don’t mind my sausage toes)

Saturday, we a great day spent at the water park!

and Sunday, was father’s day.

i’m so thankful for chelsea’s friendship—

and in other news:  wow, my belly is getting big.

who’s coming to visit next?!!!

You might also like:

The post these are our people. appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

so, while our friends from Indiana were visiting, we wanted to do a fun family day.  together, we have four kids, ages 4, 3, 2, & 1.  so, we didn’t want to pay a lot for a water park and then have them tire out in an hour or so and/or not have enough things they could do safely for their ages and swimming abilities.

we found this small water park located in the Bull Run National Park in Centreville called Atlantis and it was THE perfect spot for us to spend the whole day swimming, and splashing, and soaking up some beautiful sun.

because it is in the national park, we did have to pay an entrance fee of $7.00 and then right by the entrance there was a big playground and picnic area.  we got there about 11 am and so, ate our picnic lunches and played on the playground for a few minutes before going into the water park (no outside food is allowed into the park).

the entrance fees to the water park totaled $22 for 2 adults and one child (Brother was free–2 and under).

there was a huge pool with little slides for kids who can swim or little kids wearing Puddle Jumpers or life jackets.  our kids loved them and the smiles on their faces was priceless!

there was also two large slides that the daddies conquered while we cheered them on from below.  you know if i wasn’t “with child” i would’ve been right there with them!

there was a large kiddie pool with small slide, sand pit, and large splashpad/playground with a huge dumping bucket that were all really big hits with the kids as well.  it was nice to be able to rotate from one activity to another and the kids were never bored.

it also, helped that the weather was P.E.R.F.E.C.T at 80 degrees and sunny.  everybody had a great time and were nice and tired for the rest of the night.

i would highly recommend the Atlantis water park in Northern VA and they aren’t paying me to say that!

You might also like:

The post a great waterpark for toddlers. appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

we spent Father’s Day 2013 with our dear friends, Wes and Chelsea who were visiting from Indiana for a long weekend…..

….having breakfast in bed

…..going to church

…..playing at the park

…..eating at jon’s favorite pizza place

…..and just relaxing on the deck, playing euchre after the kids went to bed.

it was a good day if i do say so myself.

thanks for being my partner in parenting.  i think we make a pretty darn good team!  happy father’s day!

You might also like:

The post fathers day 2013. appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

growing up, i still have the memories of my mom and us girls rushing around the house trying to clean up before somebody came over to visit.  those memories aren’t really the best of my childhood and even so, i find myself in the same habit of rushing around, stressing out, and maybe even getting snippy with my kids at the mention of guests.

i guess i’m in the mentality that my house (and every nook and cranny) has to be clean before someone can come over, but i know that isn’t truth and i want to work hard on practicing hospitality so that those old habits can start breaking away.

i’m not saying that i don’t still want my house to be relatively clean, but i am saying that i don’t want to stress about it like i used to.  plus, stressing about perfection can also keep us away from building relationships, friendships, and blessing others when we open our homes to them—-just as they are.

to practice hospitality, i have pushed myself to really be open about inviting friends over (at least once a week), i started a weekly playgroup with my ladies bible study group, and i have had lots of out-of-town guests staying over.  my best friend and her family are on their way here from IN right now!  eeks!  can’t wait!  my sister-in-law and her three girls were here this weekend and we had a great time with all five cousins playing together (see photos for proof).

another thing that has really helped me lessen the stress of keeping the house clean enough for guests is the NEWLY RELEASED EBOOK from my friend, Hannah Abbott from Simply Add Coffee called Efficient Homemaking.   it is a super fast and useful read full of logistic and logical tips for speeding up and managing household routines including cleaning, menu planning, scheduling, and even how to deal efficiently with all that junk mail!   she confirms my sentiments that our houses doesn’t have to be perfect to be used and loved wisely.  Hannah also includes sample menus, schedules and cleaning lists so that you can walk away from the ebook and get started with implementing her strategies right away.

it’s for sale right now for only $6.99!

perhaps, like everything in life, if i keep practicing hospitality, it will eventually become easier and easier!

thanks to Hannah who let me read her ebook for free and review it for you.  (i did not get paid to say the lovely things i said about her book—just wanted to share her hard work with you!)

in other news:  i chipped my front tooth on a chip.  no pun intended.  my tongue is rubbed raw.  #whycan’tistoplickingit

The post hospitality and efficient homemaking (an ebook) appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

oh, the hubby got a little creative with that one–:)

so, i got my latest Stitchfix box yesterday and was really doubting if anything would fit or look good on this mid-pregnancy body of mine.  even though they don’t do maternity clothes, i made sure to up my profile sizes and also leave a note for my online stylist that i was pregnant and specifically looking for a comfortable dress to wear to my cousin’s wedding in a couple of weeks.

this was the winner (and keeper piece)!  it is SO comfortable and actually pretty flattering to my bulging bump with all the ruching in the front.

25 weeks

i also liked this striped cardigan, but it is summer and i can’t even think about buying this heavy (but oh so comfy) piece.  also, note to self:  pregnant me should NOT be sporting stripes anytime soon.

the last three were ok, and i liked the color-blocked dress, but not for a pregnant body.  the red shirt was way too short and the silk top was cute, but silk.  can you say, three kids?  silk is not in my wardrobe right now.

i continue to be impressed with the Stitchfix program and always find something i love!  if you want more info on how it all works, you can check out my previous posts HERE.

also, if you are interested in signing up for your first “fix,” you can do that HERE.

The post stitchfix #5–mid pregnancy and all appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

there is always this tension with me—a balance of finding ways to protect them and yet still letting them explore and play and live out their God-given curiosity and desires.

for example—-

the woods:  ticks v. exploration

digging up worms:  dirtiness (and potential of finding a poisonous spider) v. just being a kid and exploring nature

riding bikes down a paved, inclined driveway: scraped knees v. pure kid fun

sports:  injury v. teamwork

school:  outside negative influences v. deep friendships

the list could go on and on and i know these are little kids with little problems, but i’m working daily on “letting Go and letting God” even in these seemingly mundane decisions.   i’m pretty sure it will be something i work on until the day i die.

You might also like:

The post the constant tension. appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

the longer i live in Virginia, the more i realize how blessed i am to call this state “home.”

the beauty of the blue ridge mountains is really spectacular.

we saw some of that beauty this week when a few girls i’ve gotten to know through my bible study and i went to a local farm for pick-your-own strawberries.

the fields were located on the side of a mountain, down a long dusty road.

any direction you could look had a beautiful view.

the sky was blue and the berries were warm and melt-in-your-mouth worthy.

just ask my kids who ate their weight in berries before the picking could even end.

if you’ve never tasted a freshly picked strawberry, please go find a farm today!  the stores’ versions don’t even come close.

You might also like:

The post strawberry picking with a view. appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

growing up, i didn’t know anyone who was in the military and only a few who had relatives who were involved.

i didn’t grow up going to school with “military kids” who moved a lot.

patriotism was something we mostly only showed at basketball games when we sang the national anthem.

i didn’t really “get” the impact and sacrifice that the armed forces make (or their families).

perhaps it’s the fact that i was somewhat sheltered by it all that makes it so much more powerful to me now.  i literally feel like my heart is being ripped out every time i see a “welcome home” video with families reuniting—-children and parents, husband and wives, it just breaks me.  it’s unbelievable that they choose to live such sacrificial lives.

at church on sunday, they played a video about a little girl writing her dad letters from a young age into adulthood—a dad who was killed in action.  and honestly, i sobbed.  right there in public.  that is VERY unlike me.  and i’m glad.  i’m glad that the Lord is breaking my heart for things that break His.

thank you, Jesus.  thank you, men and women who protect us and risk your lives and families to preserve ours.

You might also like:

The post something that really breaks me. appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

the entire holiday weekend was full of fun and family time together.

there were minimal meltdowns and so many moments of laughing and just all-around good times.

on a very cold and windy saturday morning, we went to a nearby strawberry festival that happened to be located in the most beautiful national park we’d ever seen.  it was in the middle of a historical civil war valley with the view of mountains all around you.  there was a craft fair, local bluegrass bands, tons of amazing fair food, strawberry shortcakes, free games for the kids, face painting, hayrides, and even pony rides.  the festival is run by a local church so it was really family friendly.  minus the wind, the day couldn’t have gotten any better.  we all left with big smiles on our faces.

he was obviously “thrilled” about face painting.

waiting for their ponies.

i was so proud of them both, because you could tell they were scared out of their minds (they didn’t say a word during the entire thing), but they never said they wanted to back out and got right up on those horses.  seriously, how amazing is that background?!

…and just to prove i was also there…

what a great day together!  (for locals, this was the Delaplane Strawberry Festival—a definite must for next year!)

You might also like:

The post strawberry festival = greatest family day ever! appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.

hello, Monday.

hello, growing garden and fresh cut flowers.

hello, hours of outside fun.

hello, pregnant naps in the sunshine.

hello, week 23 (this one is flying by!)

hello, super heroes and new bike helmets.

hello, rain drops forecasted, but sun peeking through.

hello, fresh fish for dinner (caught by my manly man).

hello, 4.5 foot snake skin found in my garage—-eek, i couldn’t sleep for a few nights.

hello, strawberry picking prospects.

hello, new weekly playgroup.

hello, my newly MBA graduated husband (i couldn’t be prouder of all of his hard work for us)!

hello, life….. you sure are a beautiful one!

linking up with Lisa Leonard for “Hello, Monday”

You might also like:

The post hello monday. appeared first on The Hollie Rogue.