Catching up...Isaac's first Easter

I'm still attempting to catch up over here.  I couldn't let Isaac's first Easter get away without documenting it here.

We went to church in the morning, and Isaac wore his Sunday best.  I was running around frantically the day before.  I had bought his Easter outfit a few weeks prior, in a size 6 month, and the day before decided to try it on before I washed it for the big day.  This little chunky monkey wasn't going to fit in the 6 month!  At least not for more than that one day.   So, it was back to Carter's for an exchange.  His legs are so short though, that the 9 month pants were way too big, so I found some cute little shorts to go with it instead.  His shoes are from Target, and were indeed my favorite part of the whole outfit. 

I painted up an extra special Easter basket for my boy for his first Easter. I love the colors and how it matched his first Easter outfit.  It was filled with a little Easter book (which he loves chewing on still), a cat shaped like a ball (looks like Miles), a toy phone, a bunny, and a couple candy treats for mom and dad. (Come to think of it, I don't think we've even eaten those...yay for us!)

The rest of our day, we relaxed as a family, and went for a walk.  It was a beautiful spring day!

Doesn't daddy look handsome too?

yowzer....

Hey friends!  So, yeah, um, okay.....I totally suck.  I completely fell of the face of the planet last week.  See, the wedding weekend completely exhausted me. (In a good way of course.)

The wedding was PERFECT!  Absolutely beautiful and wonderful in every way.

Dad and Linda were so cute, and so in love.  It was a special day for all who shared it.  One that won't soon be forgotten.

The time with my bestie was fantastic!  We had a little mishap, or shall I say Delta had a little mishap that kept her with us for one extra night.  I guess I didn't mind.  It's always nice having her here.  Can't wait til she's back for girls weekend in the summer!

The rest of the week, I was trying to catch back up on sleep and not feeling all that well.  I was blah all week long.

So, I suppose you want to see pics of the wedding?  Okay!  Here's some sneak peaks from the talented Amanda Onstott of Wanted Photography {She's based out of Fort Worth, if anyone's interested in hiring her.}

Aren't they the cutest?  Love them!

Congrats again to my favorite newlyweds!

.....

In other news, my allergies are OFF THE CHARTS today!  C'mon Claritin!  Help!

Do you have allergies?  


Also, remember that giveaway for headbands?  Well, the winners have been announced!  Holly and Amanda, you'll hear from me shortly!

Somebody's getting married!

Something really special is happening this weekend...my dad and Linda are getting married!

I haven't written much about them here on the blog, because not everyone likes their story plastered all over the internet like us bloggers, but I just have to tell you a little about them.  {hopefully they'll forgive me!}  Theirs is a true love story, that's for sure.

They met over 50 years ago.  In fact, they grew up together, and dated as teenagers.  According to my dad they "taught each other how to kiss".  {ha!}  Apparently they used to "play hide and seek in the cemetery"  aka, make out behind the tombstones.

Neither of them remembers why they broke up, but they grew apart.

Marriages happened, and so did kids....but they always kept a fondness for each other in their hearts.

Fast forward to a couple years ago:  They reconnected on none other than Facebook!  {Thanks to me, thankyouverymuch.  I got my dad on Facebook.}

I'll never forget the day he called me to tell me about his friend, Linda.  There was something different in his voice.  He sounded younger, and happier than I'd probably ever heard him up until that point.

I'm not gonna lie, I was a little leery of this "Linda" chick who just came out of no where and made my dad swoon, but I couldn't deny how happy he was.

A few weeks later, I met her for the first time....Only it didn't feel like the first time.  See, I'm not the only one who has said after meeting Linda that I felt like I'd known her my whole life.  She just fits.  She fills the void that we all knew was there, but were afraid to acknowledge.  She not only completes Dad, she completes us all.  Linda makes our family whole.

I used to pray for my dad to find happiness.  It's not that I thought him to be particularly unhappy, but I just knew he had dreams and things he wanted out of life that he wasn't getting.  I'm ashamed to say, I wasn't sure I'd ever see the day that he was fulfilled.  Linda has proven to me that even when it seems impossible, God does have a plan for us.  I've never seen my dad more excited about life, and relaxed and enjoying it!

They are absolutely perfect for each other, and I couldn't be more thrilled to watch them wed on Saturday.

They're getting married on the farm {my in-law's place} in an intimate ceremony with just family.  It's going to be fantastic!  I'll certainly be sharing pics next week.

Oh, and bonus, my bestie is flying in today to attend and take pictures!  I cannot wait to see her.

Needless to say, my next few days will be pretty busy.   I'll see you guys Tuesday.  Have a wonderful weekend!

In the meantime, get over there and enter to win a headband already!  ;)

Crazy Monkey....

What a weekend!  

It was girls weekend around these parts, all because of a little something that's in the works. 

MY DAD & LINDA ARE GETTING MARRIED!  

The whole family is thrilled.  One of these days, I'll have to share their story with you guys.  It's pretty incredible.  But for now, I'll just tell you about this.  We {Linda, my sister Brenda, my soon-to-be stepsister Jane, my Aunt Alice and myself} pretty much planned an entire wedding this weekend.  98% of it was done on Saturday too!  Can you believe that?  Granted, it is going to be a very simple, intimate wedding with just family.  I'm so excited though.  It's going to be quite spectacular!  

The date is set for March 17, so you'll have to wait til then for more details.  I don't want to spoil it for anyone.  

We kicked off the weekend with dinner at my favorite Japanese Steakhouse.  We shared some sushi, and OMG, it was so good, I can't stop thinking about it!  

 The beautiful bride.  Doesn't she just radiate joy?  I love her.  

Crazy Monkey Roll.  My favorite!

Oh, we also had a possible paranormal experience on Friday night.  It was weird, and all four of us present saw it.  Not sure if I can articulate it well enough to type up the story, but I'll give it a go later in the week.  

Also, I know I missed posting the randomness last week.  Time got away from me and it just wasn't happening.  

Have you ever planned a wedding in a weekend?

Giving Thanks...

     Source: kerryskronicles.blogspot.com via jennifer on Pinterest

Remember about a month ago when I was so overwhelmed with how blessed we are?  Well, it's not that I don't think I'm blessed now, but let's just say it's been a rough few weeks.  Don't get me wrong, I know that we haven't much to want for.  We are very blessed.

Maybe I've just had a rough day, but things just seem hard right now.  {insert Debbie Downer noise here}

Is it bad that the thing I'm feeling most thankful for at the moment is the fact that there's a four day weekend in my immediate future?  For the realization that I can, for a brief period of time, have control over my own schedule, if only for a few days.

I'm feeling mighty crispy, folks.  Like the turkey on the Griswold's Christmas table. {Oh yes, we will be watching that this weekend, I'm sure.}

So, with that being said, perhaps it's the perfect time to make a little listy list of all the some things that I'm grateful for:

1. My relationship with God.  I haven't always had the friendship I feel now.  That's cool.
2. My husband.  For reals.  I got a good one!
3. Our family.  It's a little bit wonky, but isn't everyone's?  I mean, we both come from "broken" homes, but I'd say they've healed in a most wonderful sort of way.
4. Our friends.  I haven't always felt like we had friends.  Today, I know we do.  We have great friends.  Real friends. 
5. Miles.  I miss him so much, you guys.  So, so much.  I'm so grateful for having had him.
6. Our other kitties.  They're not Miles, but this house would be unbearably quiet without them.  They are sweethearts.  Not to each other, but each in their own.
7. Financial peace.  I haven't talked about this much on the blog, but we're big fans of this guy, and I'm so thankful for his wisdom.
8. The hope of tomorrow.  Of things yet to come. 
9. For the success of the shop.  I've already tripled what I did last year, and we're not even through the holiday rush yet!
10. And, of course you all, my blog readers. Thanks for making me feel like I have something to say, even when I really don't.
11. For the fact that I have a warm house, and food to eat.  
12. And, for the promise of a 4 day weekend if I can just make it through work tomorrow!  :)  {still sounding pretty amazing right now!}

 Thanksgiving for us will be unprecedented this year.  We have one place to go.  ONE.  For two kids of divorced parents, this is a big deal.  My dad is off to Colorado with his sweetie, we'll get together with Jon's mom as we always do later in the weekend, and we've combined my mom and his dad into one big family dinner.

I'm just gonna state right now:  I will not be back on here until next week.  There.  See what I did?  I just gave myself a little vacay.  Whoot, whoot!

What are your Thanksgiving plans?  And, pretend we're at the table and tell me what you're most thankful for. 

I hope you all have a wonderful, safe holiday!  

Stressed...

                                   Source: funnyjunk.com via jennifer on Pinterest

I'm feeling a wee bit stressed as of late. I keep trying to pretend that I'm not, but it's catching up to me.   So much to do, so little time.  Feels like everything could come crashing down at any moment. {poor little puppy dog, above!}

Anyhow, I'm living for the long weekend next week.  Oh, it will be wonderful to have a few days to spend at home.

******{PAUSE}******

During that pause I looked over at my phone and realized that today is my mom's other birthday.  Yep, she has two.  Have I ever talked about this on here?  I know I've told Elisa about it, cause her dad has two birthdays too.  {I think it was her dad...Elisa, correct me if I'm wrong.}

See, my mom was actually born on Nov. 17th, but her birth certificate says Aug. 17th.  Her legal birthday is in August, and that's when we always celebrate, but today is really her for real birthday.

Yeah, I forgot about that when I talked to her this morning....#daughterfail.

I just called and confessed and told her Happy Other Birthday.  Apparently I'm the only daughter that did remember at all...score!  ;)

See.  See what the chaos is doing to my brain?  Makin' me forget birthdays and stuff.  Geez.

Time to lock it down and get some schtuff done around here.

Hope you have a fabulous, stress free day!

Are you feeling the crunch?

Football, Stealth Bombers and Card Stunts...

Yesterday, my dad took us to a Chiefs game. Now, it's no secret that football time is usually nap time for me, but it was so much fun! There really is something magical about being at the game, and Arrowhead does it so well!

Okay, I have to admit what a total dweeb I am.  We could see the stealth bomber in the distance circling and waiting to fly over.  For some reason I had a complete freak out about it flying over us!  I think this was partly because Jon told me it would be "just a little above that flag pole over there".  I had visions of it being EXTREMELY close to us and scaring the bejesus out of me.....it wasn't that close.

There was a card stunt too!  I've ALWAYS wanted to be part of a card stunt.  And, guess what?  We were one row away from taking part.  :(  ONE ROW.  But, that's okay, cause we got to see it without looking through the little slits in the paper.  It was pretty sweet.  Oh, and don't think for a second that there weren't hundreds of paper airplanes flying around after this.  You can't give thousands of people ridged pieces of paper and not expect them to make paper airplanes, despite how many times you tell them not to, Len Dawson.  {I think that was Len who was announcing....maybe I'm wrong?}

It was a beautiful day, and I'm so glad we got to spend it with my dad and Linda.  So. much. fun.

Oh, and of course the day wasn't complete without a dude puking in the stands {poor guy!  people were so mean to him!}, some incredibly drunk guys behind us who put "ski" on the end of EVERYTHING {i.e. "That's a first downski."  "That cheerleaderski is hotski." and of course "I need a brewski."}, and a crazy Brocos fan with full on face paint jumping up and screaming with his 6 month old baby in his arms...in the nosebleed section.  eeek!

What was the highlight of your weekend?  Have you ever participated in a card stunt?

Bonfire 2011...

This weekend was probably one of the best weekends ever.  It really was just nearly perfect.
Great weather, great events, and great friends and family.  Fabulous.

Saturday was Jon's birthday.  He got to sleep in, and had a big ham steak for breakfast.  {This was really exciting to him.}  I am a horrible wife, cause I did make him cook the breakfast....but he's just so much better at it!  We lounged around for the day, and then Saturday night was the much anticipated bonfire at the farm!  Wheeeee!  It was SO. MUCH. FUN.  We had friends and family who joined us, along with lots of friends of Jon's dad and stepmom.  There was chili  and hot cider bubbling over the (smaller) fire, and s'mores (also over the small fire, cause you couldn't get within 30 feet of the bonfire without burning your face off).

*Jon insisted on wearing his "hair hat ".  According to him it's the perfect headwear for a bonfire.  Uh-huh....whatever, sweetie...it's your birthday!

The barn was opened up so the kids could check out all the animals.

Gosh, I love that place.

I'm so grateful for the friends and family who came to celebrate fall {and birthdays} with us.  I cannot get over how blessed we are.

I also had a brief moment standing in the barn looking up toward the house all lit up, with the party sounds all around me, where I had a little flashback to my wedding night.  {For those of you who don't know, our reception was held at the farm.}  I'm for reals tearing up typing this...I'm so lame.  Anyway, it took me back, and it took my breath away all over again.

Life is good, people.  It is so, so good.

Pumpkin Patch 2011...

The first weekend of October, we took our yearly pilgrimage to the pumpkin patch.  It was an absolutely perfect fall day!  Of course, we stopped by the Louisburg Cider Mill for apple cider and donuts on our way, and we all agreed that the donuts were extra delicious this time.

But, the real treat of the day was, as always, the pumpkin patch!

 Mom and I at the gate.

the sisters...

We followed a nice couple to their truck to snag this primo pumpkin picking wagon.  We need one that's large and in charge.

Tallying the loot.

Trunk full of punkins!

The front porch is ready for fall!  {Can you believe I got all the pumpkins you see here, plus two fiesta gourds and three fancy gourds all for $21?!...I LOVE this place!}

Am I the only one who likes to leave some of the vine attached?  I just think it makes them more visually interesting.

My sisters and I have this thing when we're hunting for pumpkins.  We like to look for the ones that "the light is shining on".  You know, the ones that have that extra something special, at least to us.  

Lydia picked out a white one that she plans to carve into a Hello Kitty Jack-o-lantern...um, cute!  I think Madi and Marc just went for the biggest ones they could find.  I went for variety.  I always say I'm going to carve one, but then I never do.  So, I'll just say it right now, I probably won't carve one for Halloween.  :)

Do you have plans to go to the pumpkin patch?  Have you already been?  Do you carve Jack-o-lanterns?

To see our previous adventures at the pumpkin patch, check out the posts from 2010 and 2009.

So much better...

                                       Source: showandtellgallery.com via jennifer on Pinterest

 

I had intentions of writing lots of wonderful posts for you over the weekend.  Would you like to guess if that happened? 

I do have some amazing giveaways coming up for you guys.  Seriously, I'm super jealous!  You guys are gonna LOVE them.  For reals.  :) 

I thouroughly enjoyed every single minute of my 4 1/2 day weekend.  It was just what I needed. 

• I got completely caught up on orders....and then got another one!  :)
• We took a nap during a thunderstorm and then cuddled and talked about the future.  {sorry, are you gagging?}
• I enjoyed a couple brewskis.
• We spent some much needed time with family and enjoyed the amazing weather we've been having.
• I think I've seen every episode of Keeping up with the Kardashians now.  Why do I get sucked into that show?  
• We met both my little sisters' boyfriends.  Seriously, makes me feel so old!  How is it possible that they're old enough to have boyfriends that are not only taller than me, but perhaps taller than Jon?
• My dad's boat sank.  Yep, it sank!  No worries, it was in the slip with no one on board, and they got it out.  Apparently it is fixable, and will be up and running again next year.
• We made joyful s'mores....more on this later.  Let me just say, HEAVEN.
• We threw open the windows and soaked in the cool breeze.  
• We put on sweatshirts and long pants for the first time this season.
• And mostly, we just loved on each other a lot.  I cannot tell you how much I adore my husband.  He's pretty awesome.  

I feel so much better.  I was a ball of stress last week, and I once again feel like a normal human being.  Sometimes you just gotta slow down, drink some beers, love on some family and watch some reality tv, am I right?

What have you guys been up to?  I've missed you!  

p.s. I'm in love with that painting above.  I love the bright neon colors and the structure of the pattern.  I never thought I'd be drawn to neons again, since I totally o.d.'d  on them in the 80's, but I have to say, I kinda like!  You?

Jon got hair for Christmas...

Jon got some hair for Christmas.  It's soft and luxurious and came complete with a visor to keep the sun out of his eyes.  George {Jon's Dad, aka the Cheese Man} is sporting the older, more distiguished version. 

These boys, I swear.  Love them.

Pumpkin Patch Recap 2010...

Saturday was a gorgeous {almost too warm} fall day.  Since we'd all ran the 5k that morning, we made a pit stop at Pizza Hut to fill our bellies before the big hunt, and the Louisburg Cider Mill for some cider donuts and drinks for later. 
Before we even pulled in the parking lot, we jumped out for the annual picture by the sign.  {makes mom happy!} 

Then, we hopped on the hay ride to take a peek at the pumpkins before setting out.  This year, we snagged a couple of wagons instead of wheel barrows.  AWESOME.  Wheels are what we've been missing our whole lives!

Thanks to a look back on my blog, we remembered to bring a knife this year, and it was a lifesaver!   We also remembered to bring water along, although we just brought one bottle to share, and really should have brought more.  It was hot! 

Mom spotted this siamese gourd.  We thought  it looked like they were kissing.

We tromped, and hunted all around the acres and acres of fields.  I have to say, Those three may have been cooler than me in their shorts, but I was really glad I had jeans on so I could make my way into the dense parts of the field.  After all, that's where the best pumpkins are!  {Plus, Lydia ended up with a rash on her legs from the vines.}

It didn't take long before we had loaded up both wagons.  One for mom {and the girl's carving pumpkins} 

 and one for me!

Good thing we brought the youngsters along to pull the wagons....{we love you Lydia and Madi!}

Once we were loaded up and back in the car we busted into the cooler for the refreshments we'd bought at the cider mill.  My sparkling apple-pomegranate cider really hit the spot! 

This stuff was good, and at only 70 calories, that's a treat I can love! 

I may or may not have told Jon that we should make a trip back down there to get more!  I want to drink this everyday.

Another wonderful visit to the pumpkin patch!  Next year we just have to remember...
Find the wagons, even if you have to stalk someone to their car...they are worth it!
Don't go out late the night before, or run a 5k that morning if possible.
Jean's are good.
Bring a water for everyone.
Don't forget that knife! 

p.s. I also enjoyed the old lady who kept asking me if my pumpkins were edible.  Then she explained to me how to cook one.  I kept trying to tell her that I had no intention of eating them.  ;)