Thursday, June 30, 2011

Creations

A few things I {and others} have created recently.

Katelyn's birthday gift.

Mother's Day card and envelope for my mom

Mother's Day card for my big sissy 

My dad's birthday card
{ignore the chocolate smudges on the front :)}

I framed our vows for Kyle as a 1 year anniversary gift.
It will be a part of the "frame wall" I'm in the process of creating.

Kyle's herbs, waiting to be moved into a larger herb garden.

Dad's Father's Day card. 
{can't find the tutorial I used, but there are TONS of them out there}

this was hard to photograph because of the glare..
Father's Day gift for Kyle's desk.
{Ezra's hand print was impossible to get, so I used his foot}

 
And Kyle's Father's Day and Anniversary card.

 Hair clip for Cambria. Inspired by these.

 Flowers from the garden for Kyle's Mema.


Adorable onsie and shirt sent from Ezra's friend Seeley
The first one says "home grown" LOVE it!!
 Beautiful crocheted blankets created by my Aunt Cindy.
The white one is a wedding gift and the colorful ones are for Cambria and Ezra.
I was SO thankful for these handmade, one-of a kind blankets. 


 Found this old shutter at that huge antique store in NY.. now it will hang on our wall and hold our cards and notes!
{can't decide if I want to keep the original, authentic color or paint it..}
 
Creating things brings me such joy!
"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance."
-Aristotle

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

23 Years

June 28th, 2009  My 21st birthday, 8 months pregnant
June 28th, 2010  My 22nd birthday, 1 month pregnant
Today, My 23rd birthday, not pregnant.
Birthdays really help to put things in perspective.  It's crazy to think how different my life happenings are in each of those pictures.  I'm happy to have lived 23 years so far! I'm thankful for this and every birthday because we're never really promised tomorrow.  I've made a list of a few things I want to do during this next year. 

*Finish Cambria's quilt and make Ezra one too.  

*Create beautiful rooms for both my children.  

*Continue the never-ending process of decorating my house.

*As much as I hate the phrase, I want to have "date night" with Kyle every month.  I think it will be good for us, our marriage, and our children. 

*Run a marathon. 

*Create healthy and delicious food for my family. 

*Make a conscious effort to find meaning and value in everything that I do, even in relaxing, which often makes me feel guilty.  

*(Hopefully!!!!!) Attend my first birth, aside from my own and my children's. 

*Finish Cambria's 1st year scrapbook and begin and finish Ezra's. 

*Make/buy thoughtful gifts for my loved ones. 

*Find a program or a cause to volunteer for.

*Spend more time and effort staying in touch with friends.  When you have kids this oftentimes becomes difficult, but it's really important, so I want to try and work on it. 

*Love on my babies as much as possible.  Looking at that picture of Cambria a year ago reminds me that time flies by and every precious phase they go through lasts for what seems like a moment and then passes.  

*Begin and complete a 365 photo a day project starting today and ending June 28th, 2012. 

So that's my list.  Hopefully I can see it through!  
My mom and Amber spent all day preparing an amazing birthday dinner for my family.  It was delicious!
Buffalo potatoes.  A creation thought up by my mother.
Homemade veggies burgers!
Amazing stuffed mushrooms.
Pasta salad packed with veggies.
My birthday angel food fruit cake.
blowing out my candles.
This (along with a balloon) greeted me in the kitchen when I woke up this morning. 
All my favorite junk.
And this was my gift from my parent's and Kyle.  Man oh man am I excited to use this beauty!! I'm so thankful for this totally unexpected gift. 
It's hard to tell in this picture, but it's a vintage yellow.
And Amber got me a gift card for frozen yogurt. Yum yum! 
Today has been a wonderful day because I spent it with {some of} the people I love most in the world. 

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Scenes from New York: Summer '11 Road Trip



As Cambria and Ezra would probably say, our time in New York was long but enjoyable. 
We got ice cream everyday because you just can't find ice cream like that down south. 
We went to the park...many times.
Niagra Falls. 
Family visits. 
Pedicures, subs, pizza, and just an overall relaxing atmosphere helped to make our stay oh so nice. 
And my {pregnant} sister came home with an extra dog too.
We could actually go outside during the day and there weren't any gnats!
We explored the countryside and visited a chicken "farm":)
We drank from a natural spring hidden away in the hills and explored a HUGE antique shop. 
I was sad to leave, but am SOOO happy to be home.
And to be quite honest, traveling with 2 little ones for a long time who are both in cloth diapers can be stressful, but we managed.
And now we're home. 
I missed this house! 
Here's a few snippets from our time in NY.



 gazing out the window
swinging
buzz
my man
preggo
love for a sonx2
and fun with mom





clapping hands 
bathing in a sink
ICE CREAM!! 
pretty porch flowers
evil  eye
Are You My Mother?
sibling love
cutie pie
grandpa
family






cousins 
pedicure
pretty girl
daddy <3
grandma 
beautiful sky
mama and Noah 
strong boy!

And Niagra Falls.  {Cambria was with Grandma}