Pinterest Inspired: DIY Headboard

I'm going out on a limb here, but you've heard of Pinterest, right? 

If not, it's a lot like an online bulletin board in which you can "pin" your favorite finds from all across the internet in one, convenient location for future reference.  And I have been a fan since day one!  I can pin all day long if I had the time, but my biggest downfall... actually following through with trying some of my favorite pins.

Well, I can finally cross another pin off my {always-growing} Pinterest to-do list!

 

I can't remember when I first saw this DIY headboard, but I do recall thinking "this actually looks pretty easy!"  So when we bought a new {bigger} bed this Spring, I approached my husband with this pin in mind.  Honestly, I thought he'd shoot me down or steer me another direction, but to my surprise, he thought it was pretty cool and got to work right away planning what he'd need to get this done.

This is where my blogger fail comes in.

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the actual process because it went a lot faster than I anticipated (seriously, by the time I thought to go get the camera, my husband had cut, sanded, and stained all four boards and they were just waiting to be put up).

But I am here to confirm that it was really as easy as 1-2-3!

Step 1: Pick up the supplies from your local home improvement store (wood, stain, Velcro strips)
Step 2: Cut boards down to size, sand, and stain.
Step 3: Once the boards are dry, adhere them to the walls using Velcro strips*.

*You might be wondering whether the Velcro strips would actually hold the boards up, but I'm here to tell you that our "headboard" has been up for over a month now and the boards haven't moved at all!  A plus?  We can remove them any time we want without damaging the walls!

So if you're looking for a headboard that is simple, customizable, and pretty cheap ($120 total), give this one a try!  I'd love it if you shared it with me after you do too :)

Printography Float Wrap {Review}

 

If you were to take a tour around my home, the common factor in each room would probably be the personal touch we've created using some of our favorite photos - both of family & friends and some of our favorite locations.  I'm always looking for a new way to share my favorite photos, so when Printography reached out to share their Float Wrap with me, I couldn't say yes fast enough!

As someone who's tried various company's canvas prints, Printography's Float Wrap instantly grabbed my attention because of it's light weight, padded feel, and the "floating" look that it creates as it hangs on the wall.  Not to mention it's something I've ever seen before!

Besides being a unique concept, the ordering process was as easy as they come.  After downloading the provided design tool, it was simple & straight forward to upload my chosen picture and edit until just right. Then with the click of a button, my completed wrap order was sent off to be created and about seven to ten business days later, a package was waiting on our doorstep.

With the completion of our new headboard {details to come}, I knew my new Float Wrap would complete the look I was going for. The ease of ordering, receiving, and hanging of my Float Wrap already has me dreaming of other areas I can update with new photo products.  If you're in the market for some a new way to display photos, be sure to check out what products Printography has to offer.



Disclousre: while I received a code for the Float Wrap in exchange for my review, all opinions expressed above are my own.

Home

Today I am linking up with the Influence Network to share a little about where I'm from & where I lay my head each night.


Home has taken on a lot of forms over the last twenty-some years...

For the first two years of my life, Santa Barbara, California was home.

Then due to a new job, my dad moved us up to central Oregon and over the next sixteen years, Bend was home.  There were ups & downs - the good: receiving an younger brother; and the bad: my parents divorce.  While I learned a lot while I lived in Bend and it will always hold a special place in my heart, after my mom moved back to California after I got married, it never held the same "home" feeling.

After Bend, I went on to attend college at in Newberg, Oregon.  For the next four years, I called Newberg home and my new friends family.  I've said it before, but I have no regrets about my time at George Fox University and the best part, hands down, was meeting my husband, Sam!

Between college and getting married, I moved back to Bend for a year to work & plan my wedding.

After our wedding day, I moved to Salem, Oregon to finally be in the same city as Sam! (Sidenote: for the whole time we were dating, we only lived in the same town for a couple months)

And that's where we've been for the last five years.

Looking back on all the homes I've had throughout my life, I've come to realize what so many already have - it's not the place that makes a home, but the people you share it with.

Farewell 2012...

Well, another year has come & gone again, but for some reason this one feels much different from the past.  Maybe it's because we experienced both the most exciting joy & deepest sorrow we have ever felt before.  Or maybe it's because the future we thought we were planning for in the early months, has been flipped upside down now and we are no longer sure what's ahead for us.  Regardless, I wanted to be sure to recap this year for my own benefit - to remember the good, the bad, and the ugly and more importantly, to hopefully one day see God's plan & reason behind what happened to us this year:

January - I started the year off with some hope & goals for the new, as well as a photo-a-day project that {I didn't know at the time} would continue throughout the rest of the year.  As with previous years, I also continued posting about some book reviews and shared more of my outfits through "What I Wore Wednesday".  I also shared my Leap List on the blog and completed my first item.

February - WIWW continued and I even started creating outfits from my Pinterest board.  I shared Sam + I's love story and a rare moment where we got to babysit my adorable niece for the day.  My photo-a-day's also continued with weekly posts.

March - More reviews, outfit posts, and photo-a-day posts this month, but I also completed another Leap List item {my first massage!} and we started on a big house project - installing laminate flooring throughout our house.  We also found out we were pregnant this month, although no one knew yet :)

April - This month didn't have a lot going on except trying to keep our baby news a secret, so I kept myself busy by seeing Wicked for the first time and hosting a Stella & Dot giveaway {which was a lot of fun & I'd love to host more in the future}.  I also continued my photo-a-day project.

May - Another relatively quiet month {mainly due to the unknown pregnancy - sensing a theme?} with the exception of my weekly photo-a-day recap posts, but we also had some fun this month.  Our niece turned one!  And we got away to Bend, OR for a little vacation between working on our floors some more.  Our families learned of our upcoming bundle of joy, although we continued to keep the blog world in the dark for another month.

June - The big baby news month!  Our niece helped share the news and in addition to sharing some pregnancy details, I also began my weekly posts about the pregnancy at 14 weeks.  I also posted a special shout-out to the fathers in our life because a new one {my husband!} would be becoming on in December.  Other notable posts from June - I updated my Leap List, continued photo-a-day recaps, and Sam & I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary!

July - We started out this month with a trip to Nova Scotia {at 16 weeks pregnant} to see my dad and ended it with multiple doctor visits when they discovered a problem at our gender ultrasound.  I filled the month with photo-a-day recaps, reviews, and a Pinterest project, but this month sort of seems like a blur when I think back on it.

August - I took a break posting about the pregnancy for weeks 19 & 20 of the pregnancy due to the news we received in July, but shared some medical details around 21 weeks when we decided to put our trust and baby girl in God's hands and her name around 22 weeks {Charlotte}.  Due to the state of our pregnancy, we became labeled as "high risk" and began seeing a specialist every couple weeks for monitoring, measurements, and tests.  Through all of this, I clung to whatever normalcy I could find and continued my photo-a-day project to find some appreciation of the little things in life.

September - If I was to describe my feelings this month in one word, I would probably say it was "hopeful".  We had met with a few different doctors concerning our little girl's condition and while we knew it was serious, we also hoped that God would fix her little body if that was His plan.  Notable happenings for this month include: sharing a little bit about what was going through my head at the moment; participating in a scarf swap; posting my photo-a-day recaps; and attending two baby showers out of town for Charlotte + I {posted about in December}.

October - Another somewhat quiet month on the blog, with the exception of photo-a-day posts, pregancy updates, and reviews.  One exception was where I felt more hopeful in September, the feeling of hopelessness surrounding the pregnancy overcame my thoughts in October, which I shared about around 32 weeks.  To take my mind off worrying, I started a weekly post called Friday Favorites {I featured Lisa Leonard & HelloBee this month}, which share some blogs & sites that have become must-reads for me throughout the years.

November - More pregnancy updates, reviews, Friday Favorites {iHeart Organizing, Influenster, I Love You More Than Carrots, Jonathan David Photography, and The Four Gift Rule}, and photo-a-day recaps this month.  We also shared Charlotte's scheduled birthday - 12.12.12 - around 36 weeks, after we were transferred up to Legacy Emanuel in Portland, OR for the remainder of our pregnancy.  And due to the nature of the month, I also shared why I was most thankful this year...

December - Also known as the month we've been waiting for!  I started out the month posting about the amazing baby showers that were thrown for us over the last couple months, as well as a Friday Favorite {The Dough Will Rise Again} and finishing out my year-long photo-a-day project.  Then before we knew it, we had made it to 39 weeks & the day finally came that we would finally be meeting our precious baby girl.  Charlotte René Grable was born on 12.12.12 at 2:35pm, but sadly, we had to say goodbye to her far too soon on 12.21.12 at around 11:30am, only 9 short days after we met her.  I tried to put our feelings into words and find meaning for why this all happened, but a lot of if is still in my heart, which is, honestly, where it might stay for the unforeseeable future...  However, I did want to document Charlotte's short, but love-filled life, so you can read about her here & here.

This year was tough.  As I mentioned above, we experienced such a range of emotions this year that I'm not sure how many I have left {except for indescribable sadness and desire to hold Charlotte in my arms again}.  As 2012 comes to an end, I pray that I never forget this year and what it brought us, but that I am also able to move forward and see Charlotte in everything beautiful ahead of us.

Friday Favorites - IHeart Organizing

As an avid and daily blog reader, I have quite the collection of starred posts in my Google Reader that fit into one of two categories: 1. they either speak to me or 2. they are make me want to {try to} DIY.  Sometimes I go back at reread these posts and other times I just forget I’ve starred them at all.  So instead of letting them pile up in my Google Reader, I thought it’d be best to share some of my favorites with my readers, especially since I know how much I enjoy being introduced to new {to me} blogs that peak my interest and keep me coming back for more.


Another blog that has earned a lot of stars in my Google Reader {as well as pins on my Pinterest boards} lately has been the IHeart Organizing blog.  Maybe it's the fact that I'm in, what most would call, the nesting stage of this pregnancy, but almost every post has me thinking to myself "why didn't I think of that?".  

From closets to kitchens to organizing your bills, this blog has it all!  As a mother of three boys, Jen shares her tips, as well as new products, that will help you "beautify and simplify" almost any zone in your home while also keeping it functional for everyone who uses it, which is key when you have a family actually living in your home :)

Another thing I love about this blog, is it has introduced me to other bloggers who love organizing as much as Jen.  Whether they're sharing their tips or their remodels, it's refreshing to see how other people keep their lives organized and pull out what is most useful to me.

So if you're a fan of organizing or you just like to look at homes that aesthetically pleasing, check out IHeart Organizing right away - you won't be disappointed!

And if you still need some convincing, check out a few of my favorite posts:
A Little Love for Laundry
Organizing Cords
A Simple DIY Jewelry Display
Great Gift Wrap Organization


Any must-read organizing/home blogs you have come across?

Pinterest Project: Wooden Doormat

Have you ever come across something on Pinterest and thought, "I can totally make this!", only to realize {weeks/months/a year later} that you haven't done it yet? Yeah, that is me on a regular basis.  At least until a couple months ago.

Back when we were working on our floors, the garage was our central location.  Usually a place left for more husband + his tools, I rarely took the time to see what was in there, until I was forced to spend a lot of time in there.  And that's when I saw them - a pile of discarded 2x2's that I knew would make the perfect doormat, thanks to the image I found on Pinterest months prior {below}.

Source: marthastewart.com via Meaghan on Pinterest

So with little convincing, my husband helped me create a own custom doormat for our back deck by simply reusing what we already had on hand.

We opted not to stain the 2x2's at the time of putting this together, but may end up doing that in the future.  The assembly of the doormat was actually much easier than I imagined and simply required stringing & knotting the rope in between the 2x2's that we had drilled through.  Easy right?

So with one Pinterest project under my belt and a baby nursery to put together, I forsee some more projects in my future.

Have you found something on Pinterest that you ended up making?  Or is it better to just dream about it instead?

Floored!

Normally Wednesday is reserved for WIWW*, but today I have a special treat to share with you!

Back in 2008, Sam & I purchased our first home, a move-in ready place just for us.  While the space & feel of our house was just what we were looking for, there were a few changes we put on our "to-do list" that would make everything a little more livable for us in the future.  One of the biggest ones being our flooring situation.

See, we moved into our house with two pups and a lot of off-white carpet, which isn't usually a good combination.  Heck, I'm not sure if humans & off-white carpet our a good combination!  Now, four years later, the carpet is disgusting {even though I vacuumed weekly!}.  So we began saving and researching the best flooring option for us & our budget.

Fast forward to today - after going back & forth between new carpet, hardwood, or laminate, we found some great laminate wood flooring at an unbeatable price.  While we've had the flooring for a couple months now {just sitting in our front room taunting me}, I am happy to say we officially finished our first room last weekend and I'm loving the look and overall feel that we have now created!

Of course, laminate isn't known for being the best wood flooring product out there, but to be honest, we found it to be the best option for our lifestyle & budget.  And while I'm no expert by any means, it's hard to tell a huge difference between real hardwood & laminate flooring once we laid down the flooring in our house.

We still have several rooms & hallways left to complete, but just finishing this room has given me a lot of motivation to get the rest of it laid down as soon as we can!  Plus, then I can cross another Leap List item off {#6} :)


*Sorry for the lack of outfit photos this week, but due to our flooring situation, our house has been in transition {i.e. furniture piled in rooms while we work on others}.  I hope to be back to my normal WIWW posts in the coming weeks!

Farewell 2011!

Well, it's that time again! Time to bid another year adieu and look forward to what the new year has in store for us. But before we do that, let's look back at how 2011 treated us:

January - What I Wore Wednesday, a.k.a. WIWW, continued into 2011 {a fun way to look back and see how my style has evolved}; all of the kids in Sam's family treated his parents to a Portland Trailblazer game for Christmas, which we attended in January; and we spent quality time with family & friends.

February - I bragged about my brother's accomplishments; some Valentine's baking occurred; and more WIWW posts.

March - You got to know me a little better; we celebrated our SIL & MIL's birthday and a baby shower for our niece; I fell in love with the cute town of Seaside, OR; neither of us get Spring Break off, but we still enjoyed the weather with friends + family; and, of course, Kristi kept us well fed.

April - Sam built us {+ the Weathers} raised beds for our garden, which turned into a complete backyard makeover; Lily got a new Molly Mutt bed; my SIL's church through her a beautiful baby shower; and we spent Easter down in Eugene so we could listen to our SIL sing one last time at her church down there.

May - Kristi & I went to see Something Borrowed after reading the book a couple years back; Sam turned 29 & we celebrated both his birthday + Mothers Day in Sandy; and Linnea Elizabeth finally made her appearance {a little over a week late} & we all fell in love instantly!

June - I hoped on a plane to see one of my best friends in TX; there was some quality time spent with my college roommate; my brother graduated from college; I continued to read more books thanks to the BlogHer Book Club; we moved my BIL & SIL up to Portland; and Sam & I celebrated our 3rd wedding anniversary!

July - 4th of July was spent with friends + sparklers; I saw Sara Bareilles in concert with friends; and Sam & I went to the east coast {his first time + I haven't been back in 5+ years} to visit my dad, attend my cousin's wedding, + celebrate my 26th birthday.

August - thanks to Kristi & Sherlai, I attended my second concert this year - Gabe Dixon {+ we got to meet him!}; Sam's family came down for a 'staycation' at our house; and Sam built himself a backdrop for my WIWW photos.

September - I shared how I was feeling lately; we remembered 9/11 - 10th anniversary; and I participated in a scarf swap.

October - Sam & I visited the Oregon Garden for the first time {and are already looking forward to using the membership we purchased}; I played catch up - hair color change, breakfast date with Sam, exploring Portland with Kelly, family photos, and a trip to Redmond to see Michelle + the kids; and we all got together for the 4th annual pumpkin carving party.

November - Sam created a moving picture of our adorable niece that I had to share; I bragged about my talented friends - Jon & Rachel; another 'about me' post; we took Lily to her first dog park; Thanksgiving was spent with Sam's family this year + I shared what I was most thankful for!

December - lots of highlights - more dog park visits, fun with friends, watching my BIL do what he loves, seeing family, & selling my car; I participated in another swap - this time gloves; went to the theatre for a holiday performance; Christmas cards were sent out + the house was decorated; and we managed to see both families this Christmas season.

Overall, I would say this year was a good one for us. We traveled, spent some good time with family + friends, and welcomed our first niece. Even with 2011 being so good, I'm still excited to welcome 2012 and see what it has in store for us. So until next year... :)

Thankful

While this post isn't going to be terribly unique {my Google Reader has been full of "thankful" posts all week!}, it's still important to me to share some of the most important things I am thankful for this year:

My brother graduating {with honors} from college
+ the time we all spent together this year.

The Grable family's constant love for each other.

And this beautiful baby who has changed all of our lives!

Our opportunity to go see my dad, step-mom, & brothers back East
and the positive changes that came after the visit.

Friends who have become some of the most important people in my life!

Lily, our crazy pup that appears calm, but definitely keeps us on our toes.

And this man, who has never made me feel anything
but loved since the day I met him!

Lastly, I'm thankful for all that God has shown me this year. It hasn't been easy to trust in Him, but the outcomes have been better than I ever imagined!

I hope you all can take a moment to reflect on all the blessings you have to be thankful for this year. Happy Thanksgiving!

Over the Weekend

First off, sorry for the lack of pictures. I'd like to blame it on the inability to lift my arms {see below}, but I'm pretty sure I just forgot. Regardless, I do still want to document the weekend for the blog's sake, so here's a few of the highlights:

• Due to the state of our economy, Friday was a furlough day for myself. Sam had planned ahead and worked four 10 hour days so we could have the day off together!


• I purchased a Groupon for Willamette Burger Company last Fall and knew it was expiring soon, so our {weekly} Friday lunch consisted of burgers + the best tots ever!


• Remember the raised beds Sam made a couple weeks ago? They have started an unexpected backyard makeover, which continued this weekend with the removal of more sod.


• Almost four hours later, we were finished. In other words, "ouch" courtesty of my arms + legs.


• Next step: barkdust {and giving our bodies a little time to recover}.

How was your weekend?

Over the Weekend

Looking back at our weekend, we definitely took advantage of the nice weather. Between building raised beds and tearing out grass, it is also easy to say our bodies need a couple days to rest {which unfortunately isn't going to happen since it's Sunday night and we've got a full week of work ahead of us}. However, it is nice to see a vision for our yard and we can't wait to find more time to work on it.

Our first of two trips to stock up on lumber for the raised beds.

A {pre} shot of where we tore out the grass for our new raised beds.

Kristi's parents picking up the raised beds {5 in total} that Sam made for them.

Over the Weekend

Even though this weekend wasn't nearly as exciting as the previous, there was still some noteworthy highlights {mainly having to do with food}.

Friday night brought our good friends over for dinner, featuring steak, potatoes, & salad all made by my husband! Following dinner, we headed over to Charles & Kristi's house for March Madness + Kristi's "Good Luck Kansas" cake {pictured below}.


Saturday brought a haircut for Sam {I think I'm finally getting the hang of it}, a new hook in the laundry room {I love a good monogram!} , and some general house cleaning.

I was also invited over to Kristi's house again to partake in her rendition of Cupcake Wars! And if you know me at all, you know I have a hard time turning down a cupcake :) Check out the details over on her {awesome new} blog.

Sunday was spent lounging on the couch watching some March Madness & getting sucked into the first season of Damages.

How was your weekend?

1 Wedding + 1 Shower + Some Yard Work

= Our weekend!*

Friday, we attended the beautiful wedding of Jessica & Jake!

{The bride & groom, officially}

It was suppose to rain, but thankfully the weather remained dry for the wedding activities so everyone could really enjoy themselves. Following a wonderful ceremony (performed by my awesome BIL, Josh), we spent the evening eating, chatting, & dancing the night away.

{Jessica & my BIL, Matt}

Saturday, we devoted some time sprucing up the exterior of our home.

I neglected to take a "before" shot, but if you just imagine waist-tall weeds as far back as the eye can see, then that's pretty much what it looked like. But after a couple hours of manual labor, this is our current "after" - not completely done, but definitely better than it was!

Sunday, I attended my SIL-to-be's bridal shower!

{Krista opening one of her (more appropriate) gifts}

It was held at a beautiful golf course near Eugene with an "around the clock" theme. This let the guests get a little creative with their gifts depending on the time they were given! Not only was it fun to see all the presents that Krista received, but it was also fun to put faces to the names that she speaks so fondly of.

{Sisters!}

All in all, another good (but busy) weekend. We may be down one wedding & one shower, but there are still more to come!

*I'm a numbers girl so yes, I get a kick out of silly equation sentences.

Spring Cleaning

This weekend we cleaned our house. Instead of doing our normal weekend clean-up routine, we decided to scrub, vacuum, and steam clean the whole house, from top to bottom, in honor of Spring!


Our original plan was to try to shampoo the carpets, but after talking to my MIL, we realized we didn't have all the parts to the hand-me-down one we own, so that was put on the back burner until we can borrown theirs. Instead, we decided to focus on deep cleaning the areas we use most - living room, kitchen, & bathrooms.


We own two vacuums (Ha! Never thought I'd be that person) , so we split up & conquered - I stayed downstairs with one and Sam headed upstairs with the other - and before we knew it, the carpets were done.


Then we moved to the kitchen, where Sam took the counters & I worked on the floors. Our walls, doors & baseboards were in need of a little attention as well, so I whipped out the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, which truly perform magic on almost all surfaces. (no, I was not compensated for this comment, but you should really check them out!)


Our last area of cleaning was the bathrooms. I'm not a fan of cleaning toilets & tubs, but I knew it had to be done. We have three bathrooms in our house and although there is only two of us most of the time, they all get used at some point in between cleanings, so cleaning had become necessary at this point.


In my opinion, all this cleaning was a great way to spend our Saturday morning! Since we finished before noon, we had ample time to relax and enjoy the weekend & our clean home! Now if only the house stayed clean for weeks, instead of a few days...


What did you do this weekend?

Things I Love... Around My Home

This week I'm loving my Fiesta dinnerware! They are simple, durable, and I love thinking up all of the fun color combinations when setting the table. They truly brighten up every meal for me!

Things I Love... Around My Home

I saw this today and thought it was a great way to take notice of and enjoy what I already have, rather than dwelling on buying something new all the time.

Today, for example, I am loving these little shelves that Sam & I picked up right after we got married. Being the kind of person who enjoys displaying pictures of friends & family, this is a perfect spot to show them off. Currently, we have a couple of my favorite wedding pictures presented, as well as a Willow Tree figurine that was given to us by Sam's parents.

Farewell 2009!

2009 was a pretty good year for us! Here is a breakdown of the past year’s posts:

January – we rang in the New Year down in Eugene at my best friend’s family farm; I started a new job; we dealt with a minor car accident; our friends, James & Michelle, came over from Bend for a visit; and we got a long awaited wedding present from Sam’s dad – a handmade dresser!

February – we used a gift card from the wedding to go out for an early Valentine’s date; Sam & I passed a cold back and forth; and more guests came over – this time in the form of Kelly & Brittany.

March – I found myself visiting my best friend up in Portland; I got a free gift card to Macy’s in the mail; Buster became a little more famous; and I went to Bend for Michelle’s baby shower!

April – we refinanced our year old home; I went back over to Bend for another baby shower and time with my mom; and Sam and I joined a gym.

May – Levi Heater was born (refer back to March, when I went to his baby shower); my mom & I threw a luncheon for one of my childhood friends; Sam turned 27 and we had both families over to our house for a joint birthday/Mother’s Day party; we worked on the curb appeal of our house; and another visit to see friends in Portland.

June – my BIL, Matt, graduated from the University of Oregon; and we celebrated our (1st!!!) anniversary!

July – we spent 4th of July in Sandy with Sam’s family; we went to Bend for a wedding & my birthday weekend; the Grables came down for a belated birthday party for me; and Sam & I took a trip to the coast as an anniversary trip!

August – I met a new friend from the Internet (and we actually went to the same small college and never met!); I completed my first project on my NEW sewing machine (a birthday present from Sam); and we went to the coast again, but this time with the whole Grable family.

September – I opened my own Etsy shop, featuring iPhone sleeves; I attended a women’s conference at George Fox with my MIL, SIL, and BIL’s girlfriend; and I got news that I would need thousands of dollars worth of dental work.

October – I wrote about my siblings; I reflected on my life-changing car accident that happened 5 years ago; I went to Bend again to help my mom with a fundraiser; the Grables got together for their second annual pumpkin carving day; and I had my first (of many) gum surgeries.

November – I went up to Washington for a baby shower; I got a little crafty with my clothing; went to Bend for the Thanksgiving weekend; and went through gum surgery #2.

December – we attended two beautiful concerts that Krista, my BIL’s girlfriend, was singing in; Christmas was celebrated with the in-laws; and I knocked out my third gum surgery.

I have enjoyed blogging this year and can’t wait to continue in 2010! There might be some minor changes, but everything should look about the same. See you next year!

I'm Thankful For...

1. Secure jobs.
2. A roof over our heads.

3. Awesome best friends.

4. A loving mom & brother.

5. Supportive in-laws.

6. A crazy pair of pups.

7. And my wonderful husband!

Happy Thanksgiving to you & your family!

Happy all around!

A lot of things need to get done this weekend, but I refuse to let it get me stressed out!

First, it is Friday and I couldn't be more thankful!

Then, I get to spend tomorrow with my best friend (see also: college roommate, maid of honor) uninterupted, all day! We have tons to catch up on, mainly her recent engagement and upcoming wedding! So excited!

Sam and I are also planning on getting a head start on our Holiday decorating this weekend! We'll be traveling for Thanksgiving (more to come on this) and then it will be December and less than 4 weeks until Christmas. I am nothing but someone who loves to plan ahead :)

In between all of the above, Sam and I also need to find time to pack for the aforementioned travels. This is the part where I refuse to get stressed!

We'll be seeing both families over the next week, but will be spending Thansgiving with my mom this year! (A full update when we return)

Even though we will have a full weekend/ week ahead, I am in a state of happiness for some reason and love it!

Hope you all have a great weekend and a happy Thanksgiving week!

Weekend Recap

• This weekend marked the beginning of a string of busy weekends.
• Friday brought Matt & Krista (Sam's brother & brothers' girlfriend) to stay the night at our house.
• We made potato soup & homemade bread (yum!) .
• And followed it up with brownies & ice cream while watching The Dark Knight.
• Saturday came early...
• Krista & I were on the road to George Fox by 8am.
• We were meeting Donna & Laura (MIL & SIL) at George Fox for the 6th annual Selah Conference.
• An overall great day filled with over 700 women listening to several speakers speak on the subject of change.
• Very impacting & powerful!
• Pizza & movies were on the agenda for Saturday night.
• Plus a great phone conversation with my mom.
• I love her!
• Sunday = lazy day.
• We skipped church (sorry God) and opted to work on the last of our home projects before the weather changes.
• We weeded, mowed, organized the garage, cleaned off the front porch, and vacuumed the house (upstairs & downstairs) .
• I also dropped off books & picked up a few more from Kali.
• She's like my own personal library :)
• Then it was Sunday night and the weekend was over.

Upcoming (busy) weekends include: visiting Portland to see two of my best friends, having dental surgery, going to Bend to see my mom, and carving pumpkins with the Grables. It feels like a lot, but I'm excited to do it all!