monday stuff

we had a 3 day weekend of sorts.... we spent all day friday and saturday at the !dea camp: orphan care conference.
i'm still processing everything.
i will definitely be sorting out some of my thoughts and what i learned here in this bloggy space of mine.
one very fun thing was sitting in on the blogging panel...

i was really looking forward to hearing from kristen {rage against the minivan},amber {the run-a-muck} and kristen {we are THAT family}.
good stuff.

there was childcare right there at the church which was nice.
although, i'm pretty sure the teacher in sawyer's class had never actually worked with 2 year olds before.
he survived.

okay switching gears....looky, looky at this fun gift i received from a reader last week!

 

 how awesome is that?!  it holds a lot of coffee. :) {it's decaf-ish, don't get all worked up}
love it. so thoughtful....thank you sarah!!

today is the last day of february!!!
i've made it!  seriously, these are the hardest months for me, plus being pregnant...i feel like i've run a marathon.
i also feel like i'm turning a corner with the first trimester sickness.
so. thankful.

okay, sawyer just woke up early....duty calls..... Pin It

thoughts on a thursday

today i got to have a 2 hour date with aj in the middle of the day.
that was pretty fun.
we went to jbu to hear blake mycoskie (founder of tom's shoes) speak.
it was great to hear his story. very cool.
i didn't realize i had watched him on amazing race a few years ago....never made that connection.
learn something new everyday, i say. :)

afterwards we drove through mcdonald's because we had coupons.
we broke our rule to never eat there again.....which we instituted after watching supersize me and being thoroughly grossed out.
i got the fruit & maple oatmeal.

it did not look like this.
honestly, it looked throw-up in a bowl.
but it tasted really good. i ate the whole cup/bowl.
it was yummy.
i'm sure it really wasn't that healthy, but maybe better than the other options.

it's pouring down rain today.

i am very excited because i found great bins for the shelves in the playroom.
they were on sale at target.
i got a combination of wire bins, locker looking bins, and black canvas bins.
i have no idea if they will fit. . . of course,  i didn't take the time to measure the shelves.
but i'm motivated to get those shelves painted now.

all day tomorrow & saturday we will be at the !dea camp orphan care conference.
i'm really looking forward to it.
now that we are not actively in the adoption process, i'm looking forward to learning/discussing ideas on how to help the orphan crisis.
there are so many avenues besides adoption.
i'm glad we'll get to explore those this weekend.

i really should go downstairs and clean the kitchen now.
but i think i'm just gonna take a nap. Pin It

housey stuff

it is raining outside.
my little one is napping.
my big boys are downstairs playing wii {should i feel bad about that?}
i have a mug of warm chamomile tea and am sitting down in relative quiet to blog.
just taking a moment to appreciate this gift. God is so good to me.

so we had a wonderful weekend...always ends too soon.
saturday morning we went outside right after breakfast and the weather was glorious.
i'm so thankful God gives us these little breaks from winter weather. it keeps my spirits up.

sawyer wanted to wear big boy underwear today.

he was so proud.
he kept twisting his head around to see the spiderman on the back.
we are not potty training yet.
but if he asks to sit on the potty or wear big boy underwear, i say yes.
he has a big gob of dried soap in his hair.


this morning when we went down for breakfast avery was sitting at the table.
he had set the whole table.
poured apple juice for all of us...in mugs for aj & i.
poured cereal and milk for each of us.
there were notes by our plates.

 

{"i thought i should serve you"}

so. precious.

i want to show you the living room shelves since i've rearranged them.

my friend stacy told me to stagger/take out some shelves....and she is a smart girl.

they look much better now. {here they are before}

{please ignore mario}

they also looked more finished with the $1 oil rubbed bronze knobs that aj added.

honestly, i like them much better....but i will still be editing and arranging. 

i think i will probably take out another couple of shelves, when i find the right thing to put on them.

also, i'm trying to figure out what the heck to do with our "front room"

here it is right after we moved in.....full of our junk.

yikes.

when you walk in the front door, you see the stairs right in front of you and this room to your left.

 

some people might use it as a formal living room or dining room but we really have no need for either.

we're just not really formal people. 

we haven't really known what to do with it....but we're thinking playroom.

the only awkward thing about that is that it's the first thing you see when you walk in the door.

so here is it's current state...

we've got our couch that was in our living room at our last house {a little worse for the wear}.

the big trunk is full of little people {best toy ever}.

the little trunk is full of toddler toys/random toys i find on the ground and want to put away quickly.

in the bay window i'd like to get a thrifted round table for playing games, doing homeschool, etc. 

this room is really long.

ignore the treadmill. and the large and in charge computer...it's going away. 

you can see it opens up into the living room.

 this is with the couch behind me. 

on the left is a hallway that has the downstairs half bath and leads to another hallway.

on the right is the front door {obvees}

and in front of you is a hot mess.

so this was our entertainment center {i kinda hate that phrase} in our last house.

i need to finish painting it black, add the shelves, take the junk off, etc. 

my plan is to find some cheap baskets or bins and use it as toy storage.

and look at this fun vintage book page i found at red hill gallery...

it's really big...like 19X20. 

i thought it would be perfect for a play room.

now i just need to find an equally cool frame for it.

so this room still has a ways to go to feel really functional. 

i'd love any suggestions. :)

and here's a playroom/homeschool room that i really like. 

Pin It

this is so good.

i have been obsessed with making smoothies lately.
they are so, so good.

i love that you can throw stuff in, willy-nilly and it always tastes good.
i've made one every day this week.
all the boys love them too.
you should try it.
get your vitamins, yo.

i made this one this morning.
*greek yogurt
*fresh pineapple {yum!!!}
*a little bit o' wheat germ
*fresh baby spinach {i swear you don't taste it once it's all blended}
*frozen berries...strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, & blackberries
*banana
*ice, if you want
*a little bit of milk

i also like to add grapes & strawberries with the stems on and sometimes juice instead of milk.

it's nice to have a helper with no pants on.

sawyer wants to be on the counter when i am doing anything in the kitchen.
he needs a front row seat.

yummmmmm.

okay, i think i'm going to go downstairs and make another one right now.
such a yummy treat that you can feel good about drinking!

in the effort of full disclosure. . .
directly after this picture, i handed sawyer his cup of smoothie.
he was being a stinker and set it away from him on the counter with a grunt.
i said, "that's fine, you don't have to drink it. "
then he tried to grab it to show me who was in charge and in the process knocked both our smoothies onto the ground in one huge crash.
smoothie went everywhere.
all down my pants, covered my slippers, the rug, pretty much every cabinet.
i huffed and puffed and made a big scene of cleaning it all up and generally acted like a 2 year old myself.
it was not awesome.

sigh....
and that's the reality.

thankfully i said i was sorry and had my attitude adjusted by by the time sawyer spilled a second cup of smoothie and dumped his entire bowl of cereal on the ground. Pin It

an unexpected gift

thank you so much for all your sweet comments yesterday.
it means so much that you stop by this little blog o' mine and i love hearing from you. :)

we got to hear the heartbeat today!  yay!!!
that moment of hearing the heartbeat for the first time is amazing.
just to know that it's real and there truly is a little baby in there....heart beating away.  so precious.
i always feel a little nervous until i hear the heartbeat....and it's so exciting every time.
such a blessing.

so....to say this was a surprise would be a huge understatement.
we were all on track to start the adoption process.
we were getting our finances all in order.
we had started gathering the paper work and we were going to kick it into full swing by the end of the year.
3 days before christmas we found out God had other plans for us.
it was definitely an adjustment at first....switching gears like that.
God has a different plan for us than we thought....as is so often the case.
i want anything God has for us....and this is such a gift.
i want God's plan for us, not mine. not my agenda...no matter how noble it seems.

this is why i have not been posting as much and have basically been such a debbie downer this winter.
i have felt pretty rough. 
it's been hard to just function and do what is required of me...anything extra has been put on hold for a couple of months.
aj has been amazing and has totally taken up the slack....doing laundry, cooking meals, pretty much as soon as he walks in the door, i go lay down and he takes over.
so thankful for him!
i feel like i see a light at the end of tunnel and should be feeling much better soon.
i'm already feeling a lot better for a good chunk of the day. 

and by the way, i am pretty sure this is another boy because the heartbeat today was exactly the same as it was with others.  ;) Pin It

change of plans. . .

Pin It

the day of luuuvvvv

i love valentines day.
i love all the red and hearts and well....love.

{from littlebitfunky}

i love holidays in general.

a chance to make memories with my boys.

and holidays always involve dessert.

what's not to love?

aj's sweet mom sent us the supplies to make valentiney cupcakes.

perfect. 

my boys love to cook with me.

i know you're jealous of my muffin tins.

aj did the heavy duty whisking part.

i couldn't be bothered to fool with the mixer when i've got him around. 

the frosting happened the next day...while sawyer was napping.

homemade frosting, of course. 

it's so easy and worth the extra effort for sure.

{i use meg deurksen's frosting recipe}

we always start our valentines morning with fun valentiney treats. 

i love seeing my boys faces and hearing their exclamations when i do something special like that for them. 

does this mama's heart good.

my boys surprised me with a very special bouquet.

they each picked the flower they wanted to get me. 

i love it because i can see each of their personalities in their choice. 

and it also makes me smile because sawyer really didn't want to give me his.

he cried and said "my fowler, my fowler...."

eventually he got it and today he has been saying "mama's fowlers?" :)

Pin It

blessed ~ a tutorial

blessed.
i am so, so blessed.
we all are, actually, even those of you who have traveled much harder roads than i.
because the God of the Universe is crazy about us and is for us every minute of the day.
He is always pursuing.
He is always near....even when we don't feel Him.  He is.

several of you {okay two} have asked me about this blessed frame o' mine.
this is something i did the week before we moved...when i should have been packing another dang box.
super easy.
i found a font i liked in word.
set it to the outline feature.
printed it out.

then i carefully cut out the letters, saving the inside circles of the b, d & e's.

if you've been reading my blog for long, you've seen that frame a million times.
back in the day it was from kirklands and had a print of a painting of a street in france.  very original.
90% of you had one of those in your homes 10 years ago.
anyhooo...got tired of that and just covered the cardboard that was in the frame with a fun piece of fabric.
then got tired of that and spray painted the frame cream...then eventually teal.
finally for this, i picked up a piece of natural muslin from hobby lobby and wrapped it around the same cardboard that came with the frame all those years ago.
i placed my "stencil" where i wanted it.
i grabbed some brown paint from the garage & used an old sponge to dab it on.
i didn't want it to look perfect so i wasn't worried if the stencil lifted or moved just a bit.
and i love how it turned out.
it makes me happy.

and i want that word to always be at the top of our minds and mouths.

also, i should say that you can make a stencil using freezer paper that you iron on to your fabric if you're worried about the stencil staying put while you're painting.
just google freezer paper stencil and you'll find a tutorial. :)

let me know if you try this or have already done it...i'd love to see yours! Pin It

it's snowing again

hey all....just popping in to say hello.
we have 18 1/2 inches of snow in our yard.
and hip hip hooray aj's work is closed.
we're having a fun day.
i'm still in my pj's.
we're working on a thousand piece puzzle.
the fire's going.
i'm consuming one hot beverage after another.
and right now all those boys are out tromping around in waist deep snow.
that's fun stuff.
what a crazy, crazy winter.
okay, must get back to rearranging the shelves while they're occupied. :) Pin It

snow week 2011

so this past week was a long one.
no school all week.
for us that just means two days off....but honestly i really covet those two days.
every other tuesday i have Bible study.
it is so refreshing & encouraging and i love spending time with those dear friends.
on the opposite tuesdays i enjoy some extra play time with sawyer & meliyah.
on thursdays sawyer goes to mother's day out for a few hours and i run to the grocery store & target and just generally enjoy a few hours of alone time.
i am a busy body and those 2 days energize me for the 3 that i stay home & homeschool.

i vacillated between emotions.......
trying to see the beauty in the snow and enjoy the time indoors with the boys....
and feeling cooped up and tired and cranky & unmotivated to do anything.
i really want to get to a place where i can just roll with the circumstances and feel at peace with what comes my way.

we did use our indoor time to make some valentines cards & this super easy valentine garland...

and on days that it got above the teens the boys tromped around in the snow....

the pine trees are gorgeous flocked with snow

one day we made snow ice cream and the boys enjoyed it with their hot chocolate....

 

we mostly stayed in our pajamas all week. 

today aj took the boys sledding on a big hill. 

they had a blast. :)

so thankful for aj...he is an amazing, serving husband and daddy.

i think we're supposed to get some more snow tomorrow through wednesday.

they say this storm could be worse than the one we had last week.

i think puxatony phil lies.

i'm hoping to head to the store this afternoon and gear up with some craft supplies.
i've heard the bread shelves are empty so i'm glad i stocked up on that! :)

stay warm friends...winter has to end sometime! Pin It

some encouragement this morning

i always love my Jesus Calling devotional.
aj and i read it every morning and it always feeds my soul.

i thought i'd share this morning's reading with you. it encouraged me...hopefully it will encourage you as well.

Bring Me your weakness, and receive My peace.  Accept yourself and your circumstances just as they are, remembering that I am sovereign over everything.  Do not wear yourself out with analyzing and planning.  Instead let thankfulness and trust be your guides through this day; they will keep you close to Me.  As you live in the radiance of My Presence, My Peace shines upon you.  You will cease to notice how weak or strong you feel, because you will be focusing on Me.  The best way to get through this day is step by step with Me.  Continue this intimate journey, trusting that the path you are following is headed for heaven.  

blessings!! Pin It

i'm here.

losing my ever loving mind.
no school all week.
icy, snowy, cold.
temps in the teens today.  too cold to even play in the snow today.
if i could just take the big boys, and we had a sled, i think i would brave it and take them to a sledding hill.
but i just can't swing it by myself with a two year old who would be done with the cold in about 5 minutes.
so we're stuck inside with the walls closing in on us.
i'm pretty much feeling DONE with it right now.
wondering what in the world i'm going to do with them all day tomorrow...stuck inside again....with more snow coming.
sigh.
sorry the the negativity. just keeping it real, yo. Pin It

me rambling . . . again.

it is a crazy, snowy blizzard outside.

aj said i never should have announced to the world that we've had a mild winter.  

he blames me. :)

now they're saying thursday morning it will be -5 degrees. 

seriously, when did i move to minnesota?

it's very pretty from inside my house with my hot chai & fire going.

and oh happy day, aj is coming home early!

he works for a bank that works when other banks are closed.

no presidents day or mlk day for him.

i was shocked when he emailed and said they were closing at 3. 

are you tired of me talking about the weather?

okay then, looky looky at meg's craft weekend.

doesn't that look dreamy?

i really want to organize one of those somehow. 

i think it would be a blast. 

and now if you need a little cuteness in your day....here is my cutie-patootie sawyer. 

now, that's adorable, i don't care who you are. Pin It