A Lazy Weekend

BRR... Baby it's cold outside! This weekend to me officially felt like the winter months. There is always that transition from fall to winter & it felt just like that to me. Not to mention the time change which made me want to sleep at 4:30 because it was already getting dark out. When it's cold, you won't see me that much. I tend to hibernate & stay indoors alot! I like to spend my days inside cleaning, decorating, working out at the gym, having a coffee, crafting... I absolutely hate nothing more than bitter cold weather; although I do LOVE the cute hats & scarves that come along with the cold, along with the Christmas decorating!



Friday night was cold. We bundled up & went with Avery's cousin Stella & my sister in law Kara to a Toyland event on our square downtown. One of my favorite things to do is be on the square. It's so cozy & one of the reasons I love the town we live in. There is always something fun for families to do!

We packed the girls up & layered them tight & started off at McDonald's, (their choice of course). Let me tell you, the adults LOVED McDonald's on a Friday night. You know you are a parent when this starts happening! HA! The girls split a happy meal & off we went! They enjoyed looking at all the toys & hearing all of the fun music! They even had a live band!


















After we got home we were so cold that we curled up on the couch with some popcorn & a blanket & spent time together being lazy & watching some TV.



Saturday was a cleaning day! I had so much Fall/Halloween stuff to get cleaned up & packed away. We don't spend Thanksgiving in our home so I like to put up all my Fall early & get down the Christmas decor SUPER early. I have SO much of it, it's my favorite time of the year, & if you don't start early you hardly enjoy it & then it's time to take it all down again. Since we are spending Christmas morning in our home with Avery for the first year ever, (even since me & Chad have been married), I am wanting to make it as warm & cozy as possible so the earlier I get a start on it, the better! I like to add a few things here & there along the way too!

The problem is, I was going to decorate all day Saturday & Sunday but started feeling yucky & lazy this weekend so the boxes are sitting in the garage staring at me. Pretty sad that I have 16 boxes & this still isn't 1/2 of it! The plan is to start tomorrow!



After organizing we had my sister in law Kara take some pictures of us in front of this beautiful barn in our town. I found this location several months ago during the summmer & fell in love with it & had to have some family shots taken here. The pictures turned out perfect!













It was another cold evening Saturday so we decided it was a chilli & football night! We all had on our sweat shirts & watched the HOGS play. The girls enjoyed their dinner too! They kept doing "TOUCHDOWN" when we yelled it. They both put their hands in the air!



After some needed family time, Kara & I decided to go back to her place to decorate & tidy her Kitchen! We grabbed a glass of wine & enjoyed some TV & then decorated. It was the perfect night! We enjoy sneaking together some nights after our babies go to bed to catch up on a favorite show & some talk so I made my way over there in my PJS after Avery & Chad decided to hit the sack.



Sunday was church. Our church recently changed it's name to "CROSS CHURCH at Pinacle Hills". You can go HERE & see our church & what all it's about. The sermon today was wonderful. It was all about giving back to the Lord in thanking Him for what He has done in our lives lately. It's so easy to just pray & ask God for what we want or need. While God wants to fulfill our every desire, he wants us to also have true faith to know He will restore us & meet our every want & need. He wants us to long for Him & to THANK HIM for the great things He does in our lives. It really put a warm feeling in my heart.

Lately God has done some wonderful things in mine & Chad's lives. Im not at a place where I can discuss details yet, but we are just so thankful for the many blessings He has given us. It is so neat to be able to pray with my husband over something whether it be for a short or long period of time & to see God work His hand in it. I had to take Chad by the hand this morning after the service was over to kneel & pray & praise God. Our prayer was that God would show us HIS timing & in all areas of our lives & through diligent faith & patience we have seen some great things be done... not only in our day to day life, but our marriage. I am so thankful for my husband & our strong relationship. Something about becoming parents has also changed who we are. For me personally I have found a new look on life. My focus isn't so much on me & my needs, but Avery's & Chad's. I am so in love.

Thank God today for all the great things He has done for you! Whether you are struggling in an area of your life, or praying for answers... take the time to just thank Him for the good He has set in front of you! If you have something you need prayer about or even something good in your life... please share! I want to hear!

Show Us Your Life- What do you make?

It's SHOW US YOUR LIFE- "WHAT DO YOU MAKE" at Kelly's Korner! I linked my ETSY shop in with my Christmas Wreaths. I sold one yesterday & have been getting great feedback. If you haven't already checked them out, go HERE to my shop! I will be having some fun ones posted after the weekend that you will not want to miss. And, don't forget, next week I will be having a FREE giveaway with a Christmas Wreath & one of my sweet bloggers will be a WINNER! Stay tuned...

I made this one for a local buyer but will be making something very similar for the giveaway with a few more goodies in it!




Avery went to school this morning & while she was at MDO I made my way over to see some girlfriends of mine & make bows & had lunch. My friend Danielle had a spread of goodies for us along with some yummy sweet treats!





We made bows & enjoyed all our kids playing together all afternoon. I feel so blessed to be surrounded by so many friends that are at the same stage in life that I am right now. I went & got Avery at school after lunch so she could play with friends! Our kids play so well together & Avery fell asleep in the car when we left before I even got a chance to turn it on. She was pooped! So was I, so I opted for a nap with her as soon as we got home.






We spent the evening with Chad's family. We really need your prayers again. Chad is very close to his family & right now his Papa isn't doing well at all. It's his Mom's Father. He has been in & out of the hospital for several months but yesterday they told us that his heart is doing 1/10th of what is should be doing. They have called hospice & he is now home resting.

We all went over there tonight & my sister in law & I had dinner prepared for everyone. Some of the cousins came too & we all spent time by Papa's side & talking to him & being with grandma. Chad's family is so super close like mine & I feel like I too have always been a special part of it. To see them hurt makes my heart ache. Old age is such a hard thing, but I am so thankful to the Lord for the life he has lived. He is a great christian man that we know will someday soon be with the Lord & not hurting any longer. Please keep our family in your prayers during this difficult time.

Diva turns 17 months old!

I cannot even believe that my baby girl turned 17 months old today. I took a few pictures of her on her special day! She is such a big girl these days. If I told you what she was up to I would end up writing for hours. There is just so much that I think I am going to start video taping & posting some cute things on my blog from time to time. I haven't shared any yet although we do have them captured on tape.

A couple things I will share that is adorable is when we ask her if she is "1" she holds up 2 fingers & says, "2". We can't figure out where she learned that from but it's stinkin' funny. When we say, "CALL THOSE HOGS" she immediately goes into the HOG CALL & says, "WHOOOOOOOOOO, PIG"! The funniest thing & sometimes she does it in public when she sees a pig!






And speaking of pictures, my friend Serenity asked me to take pictures of her little girls in their beautiful Halloween costumes today. They turned out so perfect. Here are a few for now but I haven't had a chance to download all of them. I fell in love.

I love taking pictures for fun. I don't plan to ever do this as a business I just don't have the time or honestly the interest like I do with my crafting & decorating. But, I absolutely love taking pictures of Avery & my family & friends. It's more of a hobby than anything & I totally do it for fun! I love nature & the outdoors & love nothing more than catching the beauty the Lord has set around us!

"A picture is worth a thousand words"












Chad & I were actually able to make dinner tonight so I snapped a picture before we left the house! We have some great things going on in our lives, (no I am not pregnant, ha), so we thought we would enjoy a night out!

A November Day

I woke up on the complete wrong side of the bed yesterday. I was in a pretty good mood & then it was like a light bulb LITERALLY turned off & shut down everything good I had in me yesterday. I don't really know how to explain it but I wasn't myself & just lost it in a sense. I wanted to close myself in a closet & not come out for hours! I didn't feel like talking to anyone or going anywhere. I guess it was just one of those days, but today was MUCHO better. I started the day with a nice run & then stayed very productive around the house until it was time to meet up with my Daddy for lunch!

I snapped a picture before we left... My eyes are puffy & I am on a few hours of sleep in this picture. For some reason Avery has been waking up during the night for about 2 hours wanting to PLAY. Beats me why, but it's been draining. I could barely stay awake this morning & didn't want to get out of bed but the run outside helped.



We enjoyed a nice lunch with Poppa & then the 3 of us headed to the hospital to visit our friend Emily who sits behind us at church & her new baby. She had a baby boy & named him Jay Dean Jr. SO SWEET! He was perfect in every way. She delivered at the same hospital I did so going back into that same area with Avery brought back so many wonderful memories. We brought her some pretty flowers & some lamb sugar cookies from one of my favorite local bakeries.






When I got back home I had the SWEETEST thing in the mail waiting for me from a blogger friend. Her name is also Ashley. I got these personalized tags for Avery which I absolutetly adore because I am going to use them on gift bags for her friends & for the Holidays. I got some personalized stickers to put on some goodies after I bake this year that say, "From the Kitchen of Ashley". I was so tickled about it! I plan to be baking up pumpkin rolls soon & handing them out to friends so I can't wait to put my new stickers on them. Thank you sweet Ashley. If you want to visit the website where she purchased these, go to www.doodlebugspaper.blogspot.com! SUPER CUTE!




Totally random but I had to post. Avery is really into suckers right now. Chad had the camera & snapped a pic of her on my lap tonight eating our suckers. So sweet, & special. Love my baby girl. She is 17 months old tomorrow.



Since it's officially November I figured it was time to break out Christmas Wreaths galore. My ETSY shop is in full swing & I am making different designs daily so stay tuned. You can find my stuff HERE. And remember, I am doing a give away so you won't want to miss that. Here is one I made the other day that I am loving right now. I wish my house was in candy cane this year but I am going to have to stick with my reds/greens/golds because it's my fav!



I am already wanting to start decorating & think I may start this next week. I was looking at old pictures of my stuff last year & it made me get in the mood. I have already hit the Hobby Lobby 50% off aisle on Christmas so Im thinking I need to start ASAP!