insta-monday?

i love posting insta-friday, but recently realized that the weekends are when i instagram most.  so, i've decided to do an insta-monday post.  don't get your hopes up.  this probably won't be consistent.  but, i'm getting more into the swing of blogging again, so who knows!

C had her first project from school.  she had to fill in the little house with things about her.  family picture, things she loves to do, eat and play with.  she has been into Angelina Ballerina for a long time.  i love that she still loves it.  we also have Veggie Tales and Lion King, her at gymnastics or "ba-nastics", her with all her little friends, crayons, hotdog and mac & cheese, a family picture and buddy.  she loved helping me pick out pictures and glue them on.  and she LOVED calling it her project and turning it in to her teacher.  such a little girl.  very bittersweet.

on tuesday i just had one of those days.  where is starts out fine, but then it gets worse and worse.  well, it really wasn't that bad, but annoying enough that i felt very justified stopping to get a giant sonic drink when it wasn't happy hour.  sonic friends, you know what i'm saying?  i needed the sugar.  and it did made me feel better!  ;)

on wednesday, when the stress of tuesday had finally been dropped off, i went to our local ReStore.  i hit the jackpot on old windows.  there were so many for so cheap, but i only walked out with this one.  it was big and perfectly chippy.  then, the hubs added a plank of wood i had from when my mom's fence had to be re-placed.  this is how it turned out!  i'm kind of crazy about it...

this i dylan.  we rent our basement to him.  he's a younglife leader and UK student.  and everyone loves dylan.  i snapped this picture because i thought it was funny how both C and kona were on the floor with him giving him their undivided attention. =)

the weekend!  time for the hubs and i to head to cincy to celebrate my birthday!  and i kind of loved my outfit, so i decided to instagram it.  i don't do this often, but these red pants are so fun.  i couldn't help it!

shopping at anthropologie.  i loved SO much.  but why are they so expensive?  i went home with a cute mug and jar for the kitchen.  it's mostly just fun walking around looking and dreaming about stuff.  but i could have easily dropped a TON of money in there.  and of course i wanted these bowls.  but the hubs sweetly reminded me that we don't need anymore bowls....=(

eating at craVe.  very good, very cool place.  our dinner was awesome.  i was so full, but didn't want to stop because it was so good.  ugh.  good pick on the hubby's part and a definite recommendation if your in downtown cincinnati.

walking home from dinner.  a little better lightening.

good morning from downtown cincy!  i don't really think i'm this much of a city girl, but it was still fun to wake up and then walk to starbucks for breakfast.  and it was a beautiful morning.  kind of chilly and just perfect for sitting outside.  i look tired, don't i?

when we got home, we were greeted by a sweet little baby who couldn't WAIT to show me the birthday cake she helped make with her gran-jan!

what a great birthday weekend!

so, how was your week?  any fun instagrams to share?

and thank you for all the birthday wishes.  i'm 31 now.  30 was good.  i didn't mind turning 30.  and not that turning 31 is bad, it's just weird to think that i'm now IN my 30's.  i don't feel any older, it's just different.  but 31 will be good.  i am excited to see what God has in store for us!

ps - a random instagram from a few weeks back that i wanted to share:

the hubs and i got matching tattoos.

love 658.  deuteronomy 6:5-8 "love the lord your god with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your strength.  these commandments i give to you today are to be on your hearts.  impress them upon your children.  talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, while you lie down and when you get up.  bind them as symbols to your hands and tie them to your forehead."

this is what shaun and i want our lives and our family to be about.  love god.  all the time, everywhere.  we want to teach our kids this.  we want people to look at our lives and know that we love god because of the way we act and the way we love people.  we aren't perfect and never will be.  that's why we need a daily reminder.  we took verse 8 literally.  "bind them as symbols to your hands..."  at one time, this was done.  we just took a little different approach.

take THAT 31!  i'm not old yet!!  ;)

playing catch-up

i started my new job and am finally getting a new schedule figured out.  i knew i would love staying home more with C, i just didn't realize how busy i would be.  in a good way...

so, i'm playing a little bit of catch up.  not much.  the hubs birthday was less than a week ago, so i'm feeling ok about it.  don't worry, i didn't miss his birthday.  i just missed posting about it.


C worked on something special for daddyboy

and we surprised him with a banner the next morning

and of course, we made him a cake.  oreo cheesecake to be exact

i'll confess.  i temporarily broke my 'no sweets during lent' for a night.  i felt ok about it.  and it was oreo cheesecake made by me.  i had to have a small piece.....

we had a fun night celebrating.  pizza and friends.  it's what he wanted, so it's what we did.  =)

by friday, it was 70 degrees here and we were hunkered down, ready for a tornado.

no tornado.  barely even any rain here.  thankfully.  but we did have a pretty amazing sky after.

guess what came 2 days later?

like 4 inches of snow!!  

kentucky weather is crazy.  we say "if you don't like the weather, just wait 5 minutes."  it's true.  kentucky gets confused...

so, today was a snow day!!  C has never played in snow, so she was in for a treat.  i told her this morning when she woke up that i had a surprise for her.  she loved it!  she couldn't wait to get out and walk in it.  =)

she loved making a snow man, running and falling.  it was good snow and really good day!

there you go, just a little bit of catch up.

oh, and these super cute pictures of C, that i just can't resist...

have a good week friends!

i did it...

yep - i did it.  i took the plunge and turned 30! 

let me tell you, 30 is alright with me.  i have a feeling my 30's are going to bring great things my way.

don't get me wrong.  i loved my 20's.  i married my best friend in my 20's.  i had my baby in my 20's.  i made life-long friendships in my 20's.

but, i also had some bad boyfriends in my 20's.  some college days of staying up too late and then missing classes that were being paid for. some crazy jobs.  some crazy drama (that really isn't all the dramatic when i look back).  and some heartbreak in my 20's. 

you're 20's are full of transition.  at least mine were. 

so now, i'm 30.  the big 3-0.  isn't it funny how milestone years like this are such a big deal?  why?

i mean - i made sure that the hubs made a big deal about it, but in reality, what is the big deal?

i know who i am now.  when i turned 20, i was lost.  even when i turned 23 or 27, i was still figuring out who i was and who i wanted to be.

i feel like in my 30's i get to learn new things about life.  about my family and my friends.  and about myself.  i don't have to worry so much about figuring out who and what i want to be.  instead, i get to enjoy the person i'm becoming.  and i know that i'll continue to change and evolve as time goes on, but i think now i will have the confidence to do that without freaking out or loosing it.  well,  i'll probably still freak out.  but my 20's taught me that nothing can be done without christ alone.  and that realization is only going to make me a better person for my 30's.  and 40's!  uhh...wait, maybe i'm not ready for that reality...

sure - there will be more transitions in life.  i'm no fool - i know they're coming.  but i feel like i am finally in a place where i feel comfortable and confident in who christ made me to be.

in all seriousness - i feel thankful to be turning 30.  god taught me a lot in my 20's.  he showed me a lot and opened my eyes to some amazing things.  but you're 20's are hard.  so much happens.  college, love, friends, un-love, love again, graduating, divorce, finding a grown up job, love again, marriage, pregnancy, losing babies, hurting friends, marriage fights, moving, cancer, moving again, gaining debt, paying debt.

dang...

some of these things will continue in my 30's, but it hit for the first time in my 20's.  and that's hard.  a lot happened in 10 years.  is this relating with anyone?  sorry...

i had a great birthday weekend!  i got to spend time with just the hubs, with family and friends, and was showered with love!  i have some pretty great examples for my 30's.  i'm taking it on with a smile!

 

it was a great weekend to reflect and realize that my best years are not behind me.  one person wished me a happy birthday by saying "the 30's are like the new black". 

i'll take it friends!  i'll take it.

C's 2nd birthday party!

C was a little princess for the day and loved having all of her friends over to run around and scream in the basement with.  she wasn't shy (thank goodness), and was really excited about everything.  she was so sweet and i am so thankful that we got to celebrate her the way we did.

i don't know if i mentioned this in my last post, but since the party was at 3 in the afternoon, i didn't really do much food.  so - in addition to the pink, orange and yellow theme, i had cookies and milk for everyone.

wait - should i back up and show you more decorations before i show actual pictures of the party?  OK.

even though it was a sweltering 98 degrees outside, and i knew we wouldn't be outside much, i put my bunting on the back porch like i originally planned.

zinnia's from our backyard.  i'm kind of proud...

inside i mostly just decorated over the table.  this is a wider shot than the one above.  it shows off my pretty poms.  i wasn't sure how these would look at first, but once they were hung, i was in love!

also C's birthday banner.  i made it last year and was soooo thankful that i kept it.  i just replaced the 1st with a 2nd and bam!  perfect and easy.

those are little cartons of milk on ice.  the hubs works at a high school, so he scored some from the cafeteria for me.  and those are orange and yellow bendy straws in the mason jar.  i found them on sale about a month back and wasn't sure what i was going to use them for.  but they were perfect for the little cartons of milk!

the chalkboard is one that i made for my sis-in-law for her wedding.  it was yellow, so it fit in perfect.  and the cookies jars each had the name of the cookie on it that was inside.  chocolate chip, peanut butter, white chocolate shortbread and oreo's!  

here's a little bit closer shot

and then there was the cake.  i was so excited about her cake because it was cute and simple on the outside, but there was a little something special about the inside.

 bunting on top to match her invitations

when  you cut into the cake, you got this...

i put red food coloring in a white cake to make each layer and little darker pink than the next.  the two bottom layers are pretty close in color (it was hard to tell by just the mix) but i was still pretty pleased!  =)

and yes - those are scoops of ice cream in a cupcake holder.  a little trick i learned from pinterest.  pre-scoop your ice cream buy putting them in a muffin tin with cupcake holders.  re-freeze and then serve quickly and without all the mess!  genius!! 

the stage was set for a great little party.  nothing too over the top, but perfectly sweet for my little lady.

since it was so hot, we only did cake and ice cream outside.

 she was not at all interested in getting messy again this year.  in fact, i don't even think she ate the cake, only the ice cream.  but she did stick a little finger in it after we blew out the candles...

 
the majority of our time was spent inside.  we, thankfully, have a great space down in our basement for just this sort of thing.  where the kids can run around and be crazy, and the adults can watch and hangout.  i even told shaun that he could have football on if, and only if, it was turned off when i said so.

she really did look like she was having so much fun!  that was the best part for me.  seeing my baby grow up into a little girl, playing with her friends and just being a kid!

opening presents was at the end.  she did so good thanking everyone for the presents she got and thanking everyone for coming.  what a sweet girl i have!

it was a great weekend!  i am beyond grateful for the wonderful family and friends we have that showed up to love and celebrate my baby turning two.  i am so thankful that my daughter gets to grow up knowing that she is surrounded by such love.

happy 2nd birthday baby!  you are my little peanut and you bring such joy to me and your daddy everyday.  we have our moments of fun and silliness, along with the fits and tears.  but every moment, every second, i love you.  with all my heart.

hope you had a fun birthday weekend!

it was a success

in my last post, i nonchalantly mentioned that i had a feeling that the coming weekend would be super duper. well it was, IT WAS!!

about 4 months ago, i figured out what i was going to get shaun for his 30th birthday. an iPad. he has been mentioning that he wanted one before they came out! he is really into new apple gadgets. well, i figured out that if i started saving early enough i might be able to pull it off.

this past weekend his mom, step-dad, sister, niece and nephew came to visit. they all pitched in on the iPad purchase, so i wanted to let shaun open it when they were here. his birthday is still 9 days away, but this was something i knew they wouldn't want to miss.

he had no clue. NONE. that was the best part for me. the fact that the secret had been kept for so long, and that i was able to get him something he wanted so badly. it was a really fun weekend!

i was able to take a great video of him opening his present. please watch it. and have your volume up. the beginning is the best! he was so excited. it made me happy to make him so happy.

here's the video

and here are some cute pictures. kendall (the niece) wanted to have a "party" for uncle shaun. we made a cake from scratch and she did a great job decorating it. the cake, streamers and balloons were a surprise too!

happy early birthday shauny! i hope you're enjoying your iPad!! =)