love it!

oh how i love this man of mine...

I love you, Aaron...so very, very much!

Sitting pretty

working on trying to get pictures for our Christmas cards. I took a bunch of Morgan, but I'm thinking that it's going to take a few more tries to get a real smile out of her and a natural expression! She wasn't too thrilled to be sitting on a tree here...but I kind of like it!

happy birthday

my little sister. I hope you have an amazing 11th birthday. So wish we could be there to celebrate with you. Sending you a ton of hugs and kisses. I love you Carissa Joy. So blessed to have you as my little sister!

my nieces

Bri

Evie

aren't they just too cute for words. hard to believe that they're turning 2 this week. they both have the most beautiful eyes!

storytime...

Trust me....

I keep hearing this quiet clear voice in my mind. It continually reminds my heart to "Trust me" It's something that I've been having a really hard time doing lately with some current circumstances. I feel like I have to fix things, to mend things, to make it all better, but lately when it comes to myself, it seems that there are quite a few things that are broken, tired and worn and I can't seem to mend them. Trusting God doesn't come easy for me at times, even though I know deep down there is nothing better than trusting him. Putting everything in His hands and laying it all at His feet should be simple right?!...who else to better take care of it. A thought keeps going through my mind that I heard the other day....if God was willing to give us his greatest love and gift, his son Christ, then why do we think that he would withhold anything else from us. He has our best interest at heart. I just need to be able to wrap my mind completely around that one!!! Thank goodness, my Lord has the heart of a Father who loves me, who knows what makes me tick because he created me, has unending grace and mercy, has patient open arms that are always there to hold me. What an amazing God I have. Now to just breath and relax in Him.

Score! Vintage finds...

It's amazing how old is becoming the new "new". To be honest I never really gave old things a second glance (except for a few reproductions in Pottery Barn) until my friend Amy drug me through the huge antique/everything vintage store here. My first purchase was a gorgeous chippy red painted chair and a distressed black desk. That was over 3 years ago and it's been a slow love affair of many things vintage. Now granted anyone who has been in my house will tell you that primitive and rustic isn't my style, but I do like pieces that add texture and character to a room. Love mixing old with the new. Now onto the pictures below. I have been blessed with an amazing friend that loves to craft and shop like I do (it's a little scary how similiar our taste are) so we took a recent trip to the antique store and found a few little things, but our greatest finds were at a small flea market that we went to after apple picking last Saturday. Wow, I think if we'd had more money and more room in the van, we would have tried to bring everything home!

A cast iron stand that has found a place in my kitchen at the moment

I have been wanting one of these forever...found this one at a yardsale for $12...it's in mint condition (love the color)

these jars came from the flea market...$1 a piece...unbelievable

There ready for a spring bouquet...now if only it was spring!

love the old wooden boxes...this one will get repainted -only $2

Crazy as it sound this primitive shelving piece is one of my all time favorite finds. I know it's incredibly primitive. It's over 5 ft tall and has 20 compartments and weighs a lot!!! Give me some time to get this one cleaned up and painted and distressed and it will look like a different piece. Already got a place for it in my office...imagine that!

just loved the apples in the crate

fell in love with these old blocks, especially this one

couldn't pick up just one block though....everyone's enjoyed spelling out words with these. the engraved pictures are amazing with detail

just really liked this vintage book of coupons for ice blocks

and of course I've always loved old black and white postcards of other countries.

these are not vintage mittens, but we did get the idea from the craft fair where someone was selling these mittens made from upcycled sweaters. loved them, my friend found the pattern and I made these from some sweaters I had for crafting. Looking forward to wearing these this winter. nice and toasty! (will definitely be making some more of these...the color possibilities are endless! )

Applejack Festival

We were actually able to go to the Applejack festival here this year. Unfortunately it turned out to be a really cold wet day, but we still enjoyed the day as much as possible. Morgan had so much fun as you can tell by the pictures...she's already looking forward to next year!

love the barn

my two peas in a pod! the apple bag was getting too heavy so Morgan had Aaron hold it while she picked more apples.


the smaller the apples the better she liked them and of course we wanted the bigger apples...so funny!

reminds me of my grandparents apples trees growing up...we would eat apples until we felt sick!

we have such an amazing Creator

she actually stopped long enough for me to snap this one

we all fell in love with these 5 wk old puppies. they were precious

Morgan's first time holding a puppy...it was a little hard not to bring one home...
(then we had a reality check, cant' handle a puppy right now, but maybe one day!)

the orchard

Morgan drinking a cup of hot chocolate while freezing!

Could use a couple of days here right now!

Been going through some of my pictures from Rehoboth DE from May, and I would love to go browse through my favorite store there and then grab a cup of coffee and sit on one of the benches on the board walk. I could use an evening of people watching on the beach. People who live on the beach don't know how blessed they are. I miss the water!!!

too cute for words

I've finally started on the project that I have been dreading for years....archiving all of my personal pictures. So I have been sorting through literally thousands of pictures from the past 6 years, organizing them into specific folders and then will eventually burn them on dvd's. The positive of this overwhelming project is that i have smiled more looking through these pics than I have in a while!!! It's a trip down memory lane of Morgan's life...and it's awesome! I found this pic tonight of Morgan. She was about 13 months and I just want to pick her up out of the picture and squeeze her! And I love her blue eyes...yes she did have the most amazing blue eyes until she was about 18 months and then they turned gray. So love this child so much!

wouldn't change a thing?!!

This past week has been beyond hectic around here. And then over the weekend we had a garage sale, a close friend flew in from TX, celebrated Morgan's 6th birthday, ate too much ice cream and cake,rode a ferris wheel, worked on pictures for a client, spent Sunday morning at church, took my friend back the airport, and then to the craft store to pick up a few things for a get together this next weekend, caught up a little online with good friend, and then onto getting things ready for the week. I've spent too much time whining this past week, that I'll never get everything done and have been stressed out of my mind. I should have been spending more time in prayer. Then on the way back from the airport, I had a few quiet moments and I was thinking that in all reality, I'm so blessed and wouldn't change a thing (ok if I could handle stress a little better that would be good and feel like I had a it more "together") I think most of us feel overwhelmed on a regular basis due to everyday life, but when you really stop to think about it, would you change anything? We are at a busy phase in our lives right now, and every phase is different with it's own set of problems and blessings...I'm just going to try to be more aware of the blessings in each phase and the opportunities that I have been given.

p.s. can't believe my daughter is six...where does the time go??????

Oh how I love this little girl...

My "Nephews"...

I fell in love with these two boys last month when I finally got to meet them in person. They belong to my wonderful college friend (who is like my older brother) Bob and his gorgeous wife Alisha. I wished we lived closer to them so I could really spoil them and get some more snuggle time in. They are too adorable.

mmmm....

It's been one to those weeks around here. Morgan has been really sick and is finally starting to get better...and now as of this afternoon-I've got what she had. aaaaaggghhh! And of course Aaron is working a night shift! so funny, ok not really!!! I really don't have time to be sick. I'm still trying to catch up on things around here from being out of town 2 weeks ago. Oh well, there is nothing that I can do other than head to bed now and try to get some sleep...and yes for all of you who really know me, it is 8:oo pm here, and yes I'm going to bed...that should tell you something! Tomorrow is another day...hopefully with everyone feeling better!

spring has finally sprung here!!!

Things are finally starting to turn green around here...that gorgeous bright spring green when everything is new and blooming from an incredibly harsh weather. I took these pictures yesterday in between thunderstorms while running errands in town. And yes, that is one of last years corn fields waiting to be plowed and planted for this year(it is Nebraska- corn country...just focus on the green trees all around it. I love the flowers in the second picture. We went and looked at trees tonight at Menards and are planning on planting one of these somewhere in our yard. Looking forward to spending some time outside tomorrow with Aaron planning and dreaming about how to landscape our yard and plant our garden. The possibilities are endless...now if only money were endless!!!

wednesday...

today must be my Monday because it's definitely been one of "those" days. You know the ones where you feel like you're spinning your wheels, wanna scream and possibly pull your hair out. Ok so maybe it hasn't been that bad, but still. Feel like I've been going all day and have very little to show for it. Just breathe right...we all have those days! Anyway, on a brighter note, I returned on Monday from an amazing weekend spent in South Carolina catching up with lifelong friends and my sister. Will have to share pics once I get them down loaded to the computer. My place is definitely with my family, but I have to say I feel at home as far as location goes back in the Carolinas! Maybe one day we'll be able to live there again. I can dream right?!!! Ok out to run errands and pic up my little one from school. Just keep Breathing...Just keep Breathing...Just Keep Breathing!

today....

has been a really nice quiet day around the house. We've stayed in our pj's. Slept in late. Watched a movie while eating popcorn. Spent a lot of time snuggling on the couch. Laughed until our sides hurt. And then cleaned up the kitchen while listening to the beach boys. Tomorrow will be busy with church and preparation for a new week, but today has been wonderfully quiet. Sometimes you just need to chill out and enjoy the day completely. How has your day been?

Just a quick thought...

as I finish cleaning up the kitchen and then move onto getting my little one ready for bed. I wonder how many times a day I repeat myself when I'm talking to my daughter, not because I'm not clear, but because she's not really listening. I think/know that we as parents, especially moms feel like a broken record just on repeat all through the day.... "please eat your food... come on let's get ready, so we can get to school on time....pick up your clothes and put them away...use your manners... open your ears so you can hear what I'm saying!!!!.....and the list goes on!!! I have to be truly honest - I really get tired of it...it's exhausting and exasperating to say the least. In the end you hope at least some of what you're saying get's through and that they'll eventually learn to listen and obey a little better, because I know as a parent I want what's best for my Morgan. I want her to be a pleasant, well-mannered, happy child, along with a whole lot more for her life.

Then I thought, exactly how many times does God get exasperated with me throughout the day, because I'm not listening to Him. How many times am I too busy with life and my own plans that my hearing falls short....it's like I'm going lalalalalalalala.....so not listening God. And yet He never gives up on me, never throws His hands in the air and throws in the towel. He's sees my life from start to finish and knows what He has in store for me. He has great plans for me, plans for me to prosper...and yet I'm so determined to do it my own way, no matter how many times He repeats Himself to me. So this evening, I'm a little humbled to be a parent. I'm going to try to be a little gentler in my tone when I'm repeating myself for the umpteenth time with Morgan. And yes I'll fail at it, but to know that my heavenly Father doesn't ever quit, gives me some encouragement for the night.......and now onto to Morgan's bedtime routine. Goodnight!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hope all of you have had a great Valentines Day. There's been a lot of love around here. It's been a wonderful weekend. I'll post pictures from my birthday later on in the week. After church this morning and an impromptu lunch at a friends house, we ended up all piling in our bed and taking a long winter's nap...it was great! Aaron has taken the week off, so we're both looking forward to the time together and the chance to get some things done in the house. Hope y'all have a good week!

would like to fly south with them....

ok, so I took this picture a couple of weeks ago after picking my mom up from the airport for a weekend visit. (which went very well) Totally wish I could go south for a while too. I know I'm not the only one who's ready for spring. But seriously this has been a reallllllly long winter, and it's not even close to being over. I neeeeeeed sunshine to function properly. I need an energy recharge. It's no wonder that bears eat like crazy and then hibernate throughout the winter. I wanna be a bear!!!! Oh well, counting down the weeks till spring, sunshine, energy! Hope all of you are having a good week.

p.s. any of you who miss and crave the snow/cold....I'll be more than glad to trade places with you . I have had enough of all this white snow everywhere!!!!