Blooms. For Katie

Wednesday Wishes. iphone!

    

I can barely contain my excitement! Yes folks, my new iphone (early birthday gift from the Hubs) arrived on my doorstep yesterday!! I have always been a bit behind on the phone updates. I remember back in college begging my mom to get a cell phone because I was the only one (in my opinion) that didn't have one. Slowly I went from flip phone, to slide phone, and finally to a text phone. I am super excited to finally have a smart phone. I am slowly making an apps list and eyeing some gorgeous cases (how do you just choose one?). 

Do you have any favorite apps? or case? Also, any Words With Friends players out there??

source

kiddos. bird watcher

Father's Day

Father's Day has not always been a favorite holiday of mine. I lost my Dad at the age of 9. He was everything a kid could ask for. He loved us dearly and made life FUN. From building the biggest backyard of fun, to forts in the living room, to covert trips to get ice cream in his paint trailer. He created this great adventure for me and my sisters. His great faith and love for his family was evident to all.  Losing him left a big gap in our lives.

Thankfully, I had the best Grandpa in the world. Seriously. He stepped up in so many ways to help try and patch up that hole in our lives. He was so supportive of my Mom and so loving to us girls. I loved getting pie with him at Baker's Square, seeing him in the stands at EVERY summer softball game of mine, and cheering on the the Illini (or scolding them for a poor game). He was a man of such strong faith and devotion, while having the greatest sense of humor ever. I miss my Grandpa dearly.

Father's Day took on a whole new light when Adeline entered our life. Before my eyes, I saw my husband turn into a Father. It was one of my favorite memories of that day. Seeing Alex in awe over this little life that forever changed our lives. Immediately he changed into this amazing Dad. His love for Addie and Dexter makes my heart so full. Alex embodies so much of what I loved about my Dad and Grandpa. His strong faith, his compassion, his jokes, his love of adventure, and his love for us make him one sweet Dada.

Father's Day has new life these days. While I still miss the men who taught be about what a great father meant, I know that they would be so happy to see Alex leading our family with the same love and devotion.

Wednesday Wishes. Jam Gear.

This is the second year of home made jam. I love it. Last year I gave most of it away, thinking we wouldn't use all of it. Boy was I wrong! We flew through those jars by fall! So this year, these jars will be staying put. Sorry for those who thought they might get another jar this year!

Last year my buddy showed me her canning secrets and lent me her tools. I borrowed her tools again this year. I am thinking I should probably get some of my own tools and maybe my canning will branch out from just strawberry jam? It's quite the process (and took all of my 3 hours at night), but it is well worth it to have home made jam all year long!

This set would definitely do the job!

Projects. Maxi Dress.

I picked up this Maxi dress two years ago from Old Navy. I wasn't thrilled with the top, but it was $10, so I got it anyway. I've only talked myself into wearing it a few times because it fits so poorly up top. It is super low cut and I find myself either wearing a tank top under it or a cardigan over it. 

So naturally when I pinned this, it didn't take long to cut this sucker up!! Now, I am not a super star when it comes to the sewing machine, but I thought I'd give shirring a try. I used this great tutorial. Try it folks. You won't regret it. I literally finished this project while the third (yes, third) cable guy was trying to figure out why our Internet has been on the fritz lately. 

What will my next shirring project be? Perhaps a skirt for Addie?

kiddos. little helper.

kiddos. style.

Check out Adeline on one of my favorite blogs, Baby Blackbird!

Weddings. Bride's Bouquet.

Wednesday Wishes. Pop Tee

It's safe to say, our house is divided on this issue. I am not sure how our children will make it through this debate. It breaks my heart that Addie is starting to show favoritism towards the dark side.  I think this shirt is a necessity to stand my ground. One thing I can bank on is that Alex will not be buying this shirt for me anytime soon!

Are you Pop or Soda? I can't promise my view of you will be skewed by your response.



Follow up on a previous Wednesday Wish... I ended up getting these sharp kicks. I like the colors and they were the most comfortable by far. With a coupon at Famous Footwear, I got them for a pretty good price as well!

Projects. New Table

The kitchen area is complete! I am so thankful for it to be done. Three years after moving into our home, I can finally say I am happy with our eating area. The last installment was this table and chair set. We found this set on Craigslist and put a new coat of paint on the top. I just love the pop of color to bring the whole group together and the wood color matches our cabinets in our kitchen. My hard working husband worked really hard to get this paint coat perfect. Many coats of paint and sanding later, it is sitting in our kitchen. The round pedestal makes such a difference when scooting onto the bench. The set also includes a leaf to expand the table and two more chairs. I couldn't be happier! All that is left to do is to add some art to the big wall. That might take awhile...