Thanks to food lion's clearance, we got all of this for $40!
Evan was a great little helper!
There used to be nothing in front of these windows!
The front of my home. If you really want to see it in all of it's splendor, come and visit us!
Lilypie First Birthday tickers
Monday, May 28, 2012
our finished front yard
Last weekend, Matt (with a little bit of help from me, very little) finished our front yard! And I love it so so much. It is such a happy feeling to pull up to the front of our house and see the beautiful landscaping we now have. And we did it all for about $300, which is awesome. We still have to re-paint the column, change the light, and add something by the door, but all of that will happen soon enough. For now, I couldn't be more proud of our first impression for our visitors.
Saturday, May 26, 2012
what you learn from your own journals...
tomorrow i have to teach a lesson to the beehives about keeping a journal. in preparation for this lesson, i pulled out all 8 of my completed journals and read through some of them, focusing on when i was 12-14.
oh. my. goodness.
who you think you were and who you really were when you were that age (at least for me) are two completely different people.
if you had read those entries to me, i would have said "i was nothing like that when i was that age". HA! it's all drama- friends, boys, school, family... everything. i talk about katie being a pig (okay... somethings don't change), how i never fight with allison or meredith and how they are my soul sisters (again, somethings stay pretty consistent in life), who i'm in love with for the moment and then i am totally over them a page later, or how my dad and i went out to dinner just the 2 of us because my mom and katie were being so crazy- those things right there pretty much sum up my middle school life.
it's also amazing how i seem to get dumber right around puberty. if you read my entries from when i was about 8-12, i have nice, clean handwriting, my spelling is fairly accurate, and my grammar isn't really that bad. then, once i turn about 13 literally every other word is "well" or "then" or "like" or "SOOOOO"... holy moly!! luckily it gets much better around 18, but those 5 years in between- bless my parents and my teachers for their daily tolerance of me!
there are somethings in there that had katie and me in tears laughing so hard. goodness i wish meredith, allison, and/or leanne could have been here too- they would have all loved it just as much.
what i learned is, it doesn't matter if you are from lexington, ky or seneca, sc; rich or poor; white or not white; from educated parents or not; GIRLS ARE GIRLS!! there is no way around it.
i know i was meant to read this so that i could better understand and relate to the girls i am about to serve and i'm glad i did. but wow was it a rather painful experience. there were some beautiful little nuggets of testimony in their too, and those were nice and comforting to read. and that's what i hope to inspire the girls with tomorrow but also to let them know, it's okay to be a semi-typical middle school girl- you can survive!!
oh. my. goodness.
who you think you were and who you really were when you were that age (at least for me) are two completely different people.
if you had read those entries to me, i would have said "i was nothing like that when i was that age". HA! it's all drama- friends, boys, school, family... everything. i talk about katie being a pig (okay... somethings don't change), how i never fight with allison or meredith and how they are my soul sisters (again, somethings stay pretty consistent in life), who i'm in love with for the moment and then i am totally over them a page later, or how my dad and i went out to dinner just the 2 of us because my mom and katie were being so crazy- those things right there pretty much sum up my middle school life.
it's also amazing how i seem to get dumber right around puberty. if you read my entries from when i was about 8-12, i have nice, clean handwriting, my spelling is fairly accurate, and my grammar isn't really that bad. then, once i turn about 13 literally every other word is "well" or "then" or "like" or "SOOOOO"... holy moly!! luckily it gets much better around 18, but those 5 years in between- bless my parents and my teachers for their daily tolerance of me!
there are somethings in there that had katie and me in tears laughing so hard. goodness i wish meredith, allison, and/or leanne could have been here too- they would have all loved it just as much.
what i learned is, it doesn't matter if you are from lexington, ky or seneca, sc; rich or poor; white or not white; from educated parents or not; GIRLS ARE GIRLS!! there is no way around it.
i know i was meant to read this so that i could better understand and relate to the girls i am about to serve and i'm glad i did. but wow was it a rather painful experience. there were some beautiful little nuggets of testimony in their too, and those were nice and comforting to read. and that's what i hope to inspire the girls with tomorrow but also to let them know, it's okay to be a semi-typical middle school girl- you can survive!!
Monday, May 21, 2012
trip to hhi
my mom, grammye, evan and i made another trip to hilton head to visit katie last week. we went to see her spring show "a day in the life of a kindergardener". it was, of course, a great time! anytime with all of those women together is a great time, especially when they guys are away! we were only there from sunday night- wednesday morning, but we had plenty of time to have lots of fun.
katie bought evan a shirt for him to wear for her first show that says "cool like auntie". here he is in it and in his shades, looking awesome
well, he did wear it to her show- which was so great! her winter show was good, but this one was leagues ahead. the kids were so stinking cute with their songs and dances and little lines- it was awesome. evan was super proud to claim his ak.
day 2- evan really needed a bath. katie's tub... well... never mind, let's just say we opted for the sink. this boy loves a bath no matter where it is! he loves to splash and play and smile.
so then, after we had a clean baby to take with us, we went to her second show on tuesday night. it was even better than the first night!
katie bought evan a shirt for him to wear for her first show that says "cool like auntie". here he is in it and in his shades, looking awesome
well, he did wear it to her show- which was so great! her winter show was good, but this one was leagues ahead. the kids were so stinking cute with their songs and dances and little lines- it was awesome. evan was super proud to claim his ak.
day 2- evan really needed a bath. katie's tub... well... never mind, let's just say we opted for the sink. this boy loves a bath no matter where it is! he loves to splash and play and smile.
so then, after we had a clean baby to take with us, we went to her second show on tuesday night. it was even better than the first night!
before the show. notice her super awesome backgrounds! the kids painted them!
some of her kiddos singing "the muffin song"
evan getting in on the muffin action
we love spending time with katie, and luckily, we get to a lot. she's coming in friday night to spend memorial day weekend with us. i can't believe she is wrapping up her first year teaching- the time has flown! she has done a great job and i'm looking forward to seeing her next show this coming fall.
Sunday, May 20, 2012
my biggest calling
i know there are no big callings or small callings in the church, but today i certainly received what feels like the biggest calling i have ever had. i am now the second counselor in the young women's presidency, over the beehives.
i am so thrilled about this new calling! not only do i love young women's but i have a very special place in my heart for young teenagers, middle school age in particular, which is the age of the beehive girls (12-13). i am excited to get to know them, serve them, and love them. i'm excited to help them mature spiritually. i'm excited to help them have fun at church. i'm just excited.
i know that this is a big responsibility. i know what a tender age these girls are and how important it is for them to learn the correct principles to live by now so that they may be happy for the eternities. i know this because i know how seriously my young women leaders took their callings and how greatly they impacted my life. i had the most incredible young women leaders, some of which i still consider my greatest role models. these women showed me how to be beautiful, strong, and faithful all while maintaining the standards the Lord has for his daughters. they helped me to KNOW i am a daughter of God. they helped me to be happy as a teenager. i hope i can do some of those things for the girls i am about to serve.
i already love these girls even though i really don't even know their names. i am very humbled to be serving them and looking forward to all the ups and downs that this calling will surely bring.
i am so thrilled about this new calling! not only do i love young women's but i have a very special place in my heart for young teenagers, middle school age in particular, which is the age of the beehive girls (12-13). i am excited to get to know them, serve them, and love them. i'm excited to help them mature spiritually. i'm excited to help them have fun at church. i'm just excited.
i know that this is a big responsibility. i know what a tender age these girls are and how important it is for them to learn the correct principles to live by now so that they may be happy for the eternities. i know this because i know how seriously my young women leaders took their callings and how greatly they impacted my life. i had the most incredible young women leaders, some of which i still consider my greatest role models. these women showed me how to be beautiful, strong, and faithful all while maintaining the standards the Lord has for his daughters. they helped me to KNOW i am a daughter of God. they helped me to be happy as a teenager. i hope i can do some of those things for the girls i am about to serve.
i already love these girls even though i really don't even know their names. i am very humbled to be serving them and looking forward to all the ups and downs that this calling will surely bring.
Friday, May 18, 2012
my first mother's day
as a mother that is. last year i was huge and pregnant, but this year, i got to enjoy is belly(ish) free and with my beautiful baby boy!
so like a month ago, matt and i ripped up all the ugly plants and weeds from our walkway and had grand plans of getting bushes that same weekend and planting them. well, that didn't happen. so matt decided to do it as part of his mother's day gift to me. we went and bought the bushes and flowers together (cause he would never buy something like that without me for fear of what i would say after). my parents had a bunch of landscaping bricks at their house that they just gave us so he used those too. he did all of the work on saturday while i was at a stake relief society activity. it turned out BEAUTIFUL! and it's still not quite done, we are doing more this weekend. but here is what he accomplished, and i love it!
he also got me a dozen of gourmet chocolate covered strawberries, you know, the kind they advertise on tv that always look so dreamy good and you just drool when you see them? well, they are just as dreamy good as they look. we ate them all saturday and sunday (matt had 7 and i had some self control and only ate 5- ha!). i didn't get a picture because as soon as they arrived, we ate one, and the camera was at my parent's house. and of course all of this was from evan too, he's just too little to speak so i fail to give him credit sometimes.
i also gave gifts to my mom and grandmother. i gave my grandmother a hanging basket with a cute little sign i made that said "thanks for helping evan bloom", cause she really has. my mom's gift was extra special though. months ago, before christmas, she saw a frame in halmark that said "sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our heart". well she loved it, took a picture of it, and texted it to me and told me to make it for her. here is the halmark version:
while on her yard-sale adventures in NYC she found a frame that was the right shape for me to copy the halmark frame, so she bought it and gave it to me. i've had the frame since before christmas and i knew if i didn't get it done by mother's day, i was a failure of a daughter. well i did and it turned out even better than i expected! she assumed i was going to put only pictures of evan in it, but i surprised her with pictures of me and katie as babies too. here it is:
that's me in the first picture, evan in the middle, and katie on the end. aren't we all such cutie pies!! she cried when i gave it to her, and i would have been a little disappointed if she hadn't! i love making things and don't do it often enough and i'm glad i did this and did it for my mom, who is, of course, the best mom in the world.
so like a month ago, matt and i ripped up all the ugly plants and weeds from our walkway and had grand plans of getting bushes that same weekend and planting them. well, that didn't happen. so matt decided to do it as part of his mother's day gift to me. we went and bought the bushes and flowers together (cause he would never buy something like that without me for fear of what i would say after). my parents had a bunch of landscaping bricks at their house that they just gave us so he used those too. he did all of the work on saturday while i was at a stake relief society activity. it turned out BEAUTIFUL! and it's still not quite done, we are doing more this weekend. but here is what he accomplished, and i love it!
he also got me a dozen of gourmet chocolate covered strawberries, you know, the kind they advertise on tv that always look so dreamy good and you just drool when you see them? well, they are just as dreamy good as they look. we ate them all saturday and sunday (matt had 7 and i had some self control and only ate 5- ha!). i didn't get a picture because as soon as they arrived, we ate one, and the camera was at my parent's house. and of course all of this was from evan too, he's just too little to speak so i fail to give him credit sometimes.
i also gave gifts to my mom and grandmother. i gave my grandmother a hanging basket with a cute little sign i made that said "thanks for helping evan bloom", cause she really has. my mom's gift was extra special though. months ago, before christmas, she saw a frame in halmark that said "sometimes the smallest things take up the most room in our heart". well she loved it, took a picture of it, and texted it to me and told me to make it for her. here is the halmark version:
while on her yard-sale adventures in NYC she found a frame that was the right shape for me to copy the halmark frame, so she bought it and gave it to me. i've had the frame since before christmas and i knew if i didn't get it done by mother's day, i was a failure of a daughter. well i did and it turned out even better than i expected! she assumed i was going to put only pictures of evan in it, but i surprised her with pictures of me and katie as babies too. here it is:
that's me in the first picture, evan in the middle, and katie on the end. aren't we all such cutie pies!! she cried when i gave it to her, and i would have been a little disappointed if she hadn't! i love making things and don't do it often enough and i'm glad i did this and did it for my mom, who is, of course, the best mom in the world.
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
evan- 9 months
can you believe it? i'm pretty sure i say that every month, but it really is amazing how time flies when you have a baby. anyway, believe it or not, it's true, my evan boy is 9 months old. still the embodiment of perfection as you can see by this photo:
he is a smiley, slithering (not quite crawling), happy, happy, happy baby boy. he now weighs 21lbs 11 1/2oz (75%) and is 29 1/2 inches tall (95%). he loves to eat, stand up while holding on to things, play in the bathtub, pet the pups, and be awesome. he is the light of our lives. we just love him to pieces!
he is a smiley, slithering (not quite crawling), happy, happy, happy baby boy. he now weighs 21lbs 11 1/2oz (75%) and is 29 1/2 inches tall (95%). he loves to eat, stand up while holding on to things, play in the bathtub, pet the pups, and be awesome. he is the light of our lives. we just love him to pieces!
Sunday, May 6, 2012
happy birthday matt!
today, my dear husband is 28! this is the 5th birthday i've been blessed to spend with him, and i'm looking forward to many, many more.
so what did we do for his birthday you ask? well, since today is fast sunday, i decided it would be best for us do most of our celebrating on saturday. although it was cinco de mayo, we did not do anything mexican (we did that on thursday). instead, we had one of matt's favorite breakfasts at home- scrambled eggs with turkey bacon, onions, and collards mixed in- yummy! then we took evan over to grammye so would we could spend the afternoon off.
we went to greenville to eat lunch downtown and walk down main street. we ate at this awesome restaurant- luna rosa- where we both got wonderfully simple paninis and gelato- delish! then we walked around and shopped a little before we headed off to the movie theater to see "the avengers". it was awesome- we both highly recommend it. it was the first movie we had seen together in a while, i guess since we saw sherlock holmes with my family over Christmas break.
after that, we got evan and went back home for dinner. one of matt's favorite meals is homemade black bean burgers, so we grilled that with corn on the cob and a mozzarella, tomato, avocado salad. it was really just a great day full of good food and relaxing and entertainment.
today, before church, i gave him his gift- a uk national championship t-shirt (which means he now has 1 uk shirt). and since he isn't much of a cake person, i decided to skip it altogether and just buy his favorite dessert instead- chocolate ice cream with oreos mixed in- and we enjoyed that after dinner at grammye and poppies.
so, a very simple way to celebrate, but that's how we roll. and it was practically perfect. and it was time together, which is what we both enjoy most. i'm so thankful to have matt as my husband. he is kind, smart, funny, cute, and all around just great. he is wonderful dad and i love him so. happy birthday matt!
so what did we do for his birthday you ask? well, since today is fast sunday, i decided it would be best for us do most of our celebrating on saturday. although it was cinco de mayo, we did not do anything mexican (we did that on thursday). instead, we had one of matt's favorite breakfasts at home- scrambled eggs with turkey bacon, onions, and collards mixed in- yummy! then we took evan over to grammye so would we could spend the afternoon off.
we went to greenville to eat lunch downtown and walk down main street. we ate at this awesome restaurant- luna rosa- where we both got wonderfully simple paninis and gelato- delish! then we walked around and shopped a little before we headed off to the movie theater to see "the avengers". it was awesome- we both highly recommend it. it was the first movie we had seen together in a while, i guess since we saw sherlock holmes with my family over Christmas break.
after that, we got evan and went back home for dinner. one of matt's favorite meals is homemade black bean burgers, so we grilled that with corn on the cob and a mozzarella, tomato, avocado salad. it was really just a great day full of good food and relaxing and entertainment.
today, before church, i gave him his gift- a uk national championship t-shirt (which means he now has 1 uk shirt). and since he isn't much of a cake person, i decided to skip it altogether and just buy his favorite dessert instead- chocolate ice cream with oreos mixed in- and we enjoyed that after dinner at grammye and poppies.
so, a very simple way to celebrate, but that's how we roll. and it was practically perfect. and it was time together, which is what we both enjoy most. i'm so thankful to have matt as my husband. he is kind, smart, funny, cute, and all around just great. he is wonderful dad and i love him so. happy birthday matt!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)