Showing posts with label Friendship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Friendship. Show all posts
In My Living Room

A woman I greatly admire said recently that

"when you open an email (or FB for that matter) you are inviting that person into your living room."

 So in light of that idea she is careful to not open her 
email too early in the morning. Because, well, 
it can quickly get crowded.

This
blew
me
away.

How often have I opened an email and let a pre-occupying thought or controversial post enter my home,
 my sacred space,
and change the direction of my attitude and quite possibly my entire day? Too often. That being said those of you I adore and care deeply for will be more than welcome to enter my home electronically after my heart and home are prepared.

Who are you letting into your living room early in the morning?
Do they stay long? Happy thinking!
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Thankful In All Things
Thankful
Ann Voskamp said in her beautiful book  One Thousand Gifts that "Thanksgiving always precedes the miracle." This is a beautiful image when put into context of the season we are in, for Thanksgiving really will precede the season celebrating the miraculous. We have so much to be grateful for and regardless of your views on the origins of this holiday, it is a gift to be able to take a whole day out of the year just to give thanks. Our hope for you is that you are able to do that this year. Give thanks for anything and anyone. Once you get started you might have a hard time stopping!

We are thankful for:
Feet to pitter patter early in the morning
Lungs to squeal in delight and cry out for comfort
Doors that make our small space cozy and private
Family that love like friends
Friends that say "I love you" and love like family
Quiet evening moments after it is finished and before it starts all over again
Books becoming traditions
A couch that is beginning to feel small
Shared passions
Peers becoming friends
Co-workers flexibility for family
Job contracts signed
Teachers that calm our children on Sundays
Hand holding
Graciousness of neighbors
Community in the city
In-Loves that drop everything to watch our boys
New friendships that feel old, trusted and secure
The sparkle of discovery and excitement in play
Long walks
Brothers learning to share and love
Walking in faith
Problem solving with like-minded kindred spirits
Laughing so hard, all night long with those that get you
Recipes made up on the spot and executed flawlessly


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Crafted With Love
One of my favorite little boys just turned 2 and for his birthday we decided to do something a little different for his gift. So if you have a toddler birthday coming up here is an idea for a fun, easy and to quote the lovely Sandra Lee, semi-homemade.
Elmo ABC book, Animal flashcards, washable markers, paint set, colored pencils, crayons and a
tub of sidewalk chalk
We made him a craft tub filled with goodies that were all washable or erasable, aka the only type of colored writing item to have in the house. The awesome part of this all is that stores like Target have a plethora of these items beginning in mid-July and lasting through the middle of September. So stock up during this time! There are more options and they are usually less expensive during this period as well. And don't forget Target's discount section near the front of the store. I ALWAYS stop in there and add to my secret stash of fun items. Great for coloring books, containers, stickers, etc...
We found a shower caddy and added puff paint to snazz it up and make it clear just 
who these treasures belong to <wink>. 
My tools
The homemade part was my favorite, so of course I saved it for last! We have a roll of paper from Ikea that we use for all our craft times and I LOVE. I decided to use some of this durable paper and create spaces for this little one's masterpieces. To make the frames as uniform as possible I used an 8x10 picture frame's backing and traced it with a thick black marker, then decorated away. This way whenever he is done with an original piece his mommy can cut it off and hang it on the wall. I must say that by the end of this project, aka nap time coming to a close, I knew I needed to make some for Baby Love. 

Total cost for this gift was $13.75, easily $15 dollars less than if these items had been purchased elsewhere. Absolutely love being able to give a gift for less 
without compromising any of the quality! 
To our sweet Aedan, we have loved being able to love on you this last year and 
can't wait to see what this next year brings. You are a very special little boy and we are so glad to have you in our lives. Happiest of Birthdays!

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Helping Hands...
...Make Light The Load.
After posting about my realization that so much on my to do list would never be done, two of my sweet and close friends sat me down and had me make a list. They wanted me to detail these To Dos, big and small. Then each took a few and set out to help accomplish some of the bigger tasks. Their helping hands made the other items on my list easier to conquer and the discussion over what needed to be done vs what was just another item thrown on the list for good measure, helped me put things into proper perspective. In the course I was able to release some of my tasks with a peaceful heart. If you have a good friend that is expecting a baby, this is a great way to help them nest and bring rest to their weary selves. I wish I had words to express just how high this caused my heart to soar. 
Finishing the cushion on our Rocker. Every time I rock our sweet son I am reminded of how loved I am.
Curtains in the boys room that needed to be hemmed....
The little things, like finding cherries right before they were really in the stores.  
Just a few of the tasks they took control of and accomplished. Helping Hands=Rest.
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Thankful Thursdays~ Random Acts of Thoughtfulness

It is so true that it is the little things, the tiny moments and gestures that can alter the course of a day. This Thursday we are thankful for such acts as these and the people who go out of their way to create them. 

This past month in keeping with the pregnancy rule of craving for at least a week as mentioned in this post, Abbey has held off from buying a Cadbury egg for the entire month. A tradition she shared with her grandmother while growing up, the treat is more nostalgic than anything else. That said, they are caloric and once you bite into it you are committed to the entire egg. Am I right? Fast forward to the weekend before Easter and lo' and behold they run out of every type of Cadbury Egg! There were a few moments of pregnancy induced craziness on the phone when the news was relayed, but there was truly nothing to be done. The sad pregnant lady resigned herself to an Easter without her little treat.

24 Fresh Cadbury Creme Eggs
Kevin is telling a classmate and friend how badly he felt not being able to find it and she chuckled, reached into her bag and pulled out one perfect classic Cadbury Egg. She thought the whole thing hilarious and he was ecstatic to get home with the highly coveted golden egg. Little did she know that this random act of thoughtfulness would stir gratefulness in us both all week long. Desiring something, being denied and then gifted it from a random source makes it taste that much sweeter.

We encourage you to look around and watch for a chance to commit a random act of thoughtfulness this week. 
Because the little things really do make a difference!

Play along with us! Every Thursday we will post something we are thankful for, and I would love it if you did so as well on your blogs.The Button is on the right hand side of the page, just click, copy and paste. Oh! And let people know where you found it! It is medicine for the soul to give thanks and when done regularly contentment comes into reach. And it can be anything, silly, personal, or blog related. Just take a moment to give thanks!
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Baby Reveal Party
Sorry this took so long, we have been itching to share all of the details we alluded to here but wanted to be thorough.
Our hosts and dear friends blogged here about the party as well. Pop over and see what they had to say. We were so incredibly and abundantly blessed by their love for us and this sweet little boy.
That morning Kevin and I dressed to reflect what we thought it would be, he wore pink and I wore blue. While waiting for him to come home for our afternoon appointment I was inspired to make these:
Blueberry Muffins
Which were a huge hit with Baby Love. I think he ate two in a sitting. Kevin arrived and we headed out, leaving Baby Love with our In-Loves. We revealed in getting better acquainted with our new little boy. Then we set out to collect blue balloons filled with helium, "It's a boy!" Mints and a blue hyacinth plant. Our cousin Erin and back up birthing coach for Baby Love wouldn't be able to stay until the reveal so we made a little card and filled it with these little mints(wish I had taken a picture!) for her to take home with her. And our Aunt Mary, also our other back up birthing coach for Baby Love and incredible life saver during Baby Love's birth, wouldn't be able to make it to the party. So we left the blue hyacinth plant scattered with the mints and a card on her doorstep. These two have been incredibly special to us and we can't imagine the past few years without them.


Off to the party where our sweet hosts had the place decked out with all sorts of food boy and girl themed.

There were pink lemonade cupcakes, mini weiner dogs (oh come on, thats funny!), Fruit Skewers, homemade Chocolate Covered Marshmallow Cookies, and so much more! There was an old window that they have hung in their dining space and using erasable sharpies they put up a space for you to cast your vote, in case you changed your mind part way through the night.


Little Love in the shirt I made him for the special occasion.
As soon as everyone arrived, had some food and cast their vote we started Bunco! The tables were able to all be in the one main area so we just shuffled from table to table. Well everyone except Abbey of course. Normally a great Bunco player she spent most of the night at table #3, the lowest of the tables!
Table #1 at last!!!
After we had all run around to the different tables and adequately tasted all of the delicious bites, it was time to tally the scores. And the winner of the most Baby Bunco's was...Pat Haffner! Kevin's mother.So she got the honor of opening the large box that we had filled with balloons. Up floated all of the beautiful blue orbs. Then we pulled out the pictures of the ultrasound, took plenty of pictures and enjoyed the company of our dear friends. We were so blessed to start this next chapter of the journey feeling so incredibly supported.
Team BLUE!!
Team Pink!
Helping Uncle Chris "Clean Up"
Yep, he went up again and again until all of those balloons were back in the box!
With my sweet friend Katie.
Baby and his very excited Aunts
With the hostess and my dear friend Jessica
Sweet Baby you are so loved already. Your arrival is highly anticipated not as the main event but as the beginning of a new chapter that we are all so excited for. Your world is full of loving people and wise role models. We can't wait to welcome you to our little corner of the world! 
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Thankful Thursdays
Wow, we have so much to be thankful for and will update you on some of those things shortly. Playing along with me today is my longtime friend Tanya. Pop on over and hear what she is thankful for! Recently Abbey has been moved to thankfulness by...

...friends who love to craft and create. They inspire me and remind me of the creativity I possess and encourage me to use that part of my mind. Their ability to show love and to truly care for someone through something that they have personalized is wonderful and a blessing. I am grateful to have so many of them in my life and am inspired to pay it forward on a daily basis. 


Play along with us! Every Thursday we will post something we are thankful for, and I would love it if you did so as well on your blogs. It is medicine for the soul to give thanks and when done regularly contentment comes into reach. And it can be anything, silly, personal, or blog related. Just take a moment to give thanks!
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Mommy Cards
Dear friends, I need your input here. So please, please let me know which way you lean on this topic. I promised hubby that I would listen to the census on this topic, so weigh in!


I am contemplating ordering a set of "Mommy Cards". For those of you who aren't aware of this trend they are basically how corporate women have decided to deal with the "making new friends" conundrum I talked about here. These business cards have your information, your child's name, contact information and then your choice of neighborhood information, places you go to play, or where they go to school and maybe even a picture of you and your child. I have seriously considered getting these from about the 5 month of my pregnancy with Baby R. Of course there was a lot of thoughts about it being overkill on the playground. Lately though I have been writing down my information on many scraps of paper and as such have rethought this possibility. Not to mention Kodak gives you the first 50 for free! This is the one I really love.
Via
So friends, what do you think? Should we get a set? How would you respond if someone pulled these out of their wallet in an interaction? Cool or creepy?
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Thankful Thursdays
This Thursday we are so very thankful for the ability to find out the gender of our baby! It boggles our minds to think that not very long ago this wasn't an option. For those that know us patience is a virtue that Abbey struggles to emulate. So the notion of waiting to discover what our little blessing is, well let's just say she is itching to know! Some of our dear friends are throwing us a small affair to announce the big news (sneak peek here) and we will be sure to share the details with you shortly. We can't wait! What are you thankful for today?
Boy or Girl?







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