Route 66

My father in law has a cool car.  We used it as our getaway car from the wedding when we got married and I am seriously in love with it.  It is a 1958 Nash Metropolitan and quite possibly the cutest car ever ;)

Today my FIL made a surprise trip to Springfield and wanted to photograph the Nash in front of historic Route 66 landmarks throughout town.  He is planning to start a blog combining his love for the Nash with his interest in Route 66.

It was fun taking an afternoon to visit sites around Springfield with him :)  We definitely got a lot of looks!

Day 34 of 365

Snowy

Today was a beautiful, snowy day!  There are quite a few pictures for today because I just loved it and had lots of moments I wanted to remember.

My new favorite picture of this crazy kid :)

Winter wonderland in the back alley.

Sweet potato chips!  

Catch in the freezing cold because this cutie had cabin fever.

Happy Day 31 of 365 :)

HJ

More photos of my favorite little boy :)  I love the days I get to hang out with him!

My memories from day 28/365

I'm not feeling clever

Sometimes coming up with a blogpost title is hard.  I'm not always in the clever mood.

 25/365 The finished purple shelf in the living room!  I love it :)

26/365 The food pantry and the city wide garage sale

A case of the winter blues

I have a case of the winter blues.  It takes a lot more effort to bring my camera out and catch life when I am not feeling amazing.  Nonetheless here are snapshots from the past few days.

18/365 My sweet baby lounging during family movie time :)

20/365 My favorite ladies and I at the murder mystery party with church.  The theme was Mad Men and it was so fun!

21/365 The new shelves are up in my office and they give me so much space on my desktop!  I also love having a bunch of books lined up filled with topics I love :)  

22/365 Laura and I took a lunch time trip to a local antique mall and I found this tray for $9!  I am going to use it as a magnet message board in my office.

23/365 A few of my great grandmother's handkerchiefs.  I plan to frame a few in our kitchen and bathroom and I cannot wait to have them on display.

Pray for the blues to go away.  I love every one of you!

Morning

This was my morning today.

I like mornings.  I love having time to myself at home to sit, enjoy my coffee, and look around at all I have to be thankful for.  It is easy to get caught up in the dreaming of "someday" and forget that I need to be content with the life that I have.  My life is beautiful and it is the life God has blessed me with right now.

Happy day 16 of 365 :)

The Girls Are Back In Town

Classes started back up today!  I only have one seated course this semester so it did not feel very different to me, but it did mean that both of my office friends were back :)  Last week was really quiet so it was nice to have company.

I'm nervous about this semester but excited at the same time.  I am taking more classes about family development, but the classes are going to push me.  It is good but scary.  Pray for me please :)

Day 14 of 365

Two For One

I am combining yesterday and today's posts into one because in the rush to finish projects I failed to blog photos yesterday.

We have been hard at work making shelves for our living room, bedroom, and spare bedroom (which also houses my office).  Yesterday was rainy and cold here so it was an easy day to stay inside and get work done.

As paint, stain, and wood glue was drying I decided to work on a shadow box of our wedding stationary that I have been meaning to finish for a while.  I found the shadow box for a couple of dollars at a local thrift store and just needed to recover the back panel and attach my items to it.

Putting together brought back so many good memories of our wedding season.  And now I get to look at it every day as it sits on the shelves we finished for our bedroom!  The shelves are made with 1x3 for the back and base and a 1x2 for the front ledge.  We made two four foot long shelves to display pictures and memories in our bedroom.  The whole project cost $5 for lumber plus wood glue.  

Tomorrow we both go back to school which is bittersweet.  I have loved this one on one time as well as the chance to get caught up around the house, but I am also excited to get back to learning about my passion.  

Happy day 13 of 365.  For anyone going back to school tomorrow good luck on this coming semester!

"Do you need any help?"

We took a trip to Lowe's and Home Depot today to get supplies for several house projects that we would like to have completed before school starts on Monday.  While we are at Lowe's we were asked by no less than six employees if we needed any help.  Apparently we looked lost :/  Nonetheless I'm excited to share pictures of the changes in our house!

My hubby also had a pretty bouquet of roses waiting for me when I got home from work and I wanted to share them because I think he's a sweetie ;)

Another fun transformation taking place for some items in our living room!  I finally took the plunge and went purple!

There is the hodge podge of pictures from a really good day 11 of 365 :)

I want to share with all of you again to check out Joy's blog and the story of her foster daughter "Pie" and their journey towards adopting her.  Please pray for her family and if you feel called contribute to their adoption fund.  Even a dollar means a lot to this family as they work towards making "Pie" a permanent member of their family :)

Quality Kiddo Time

I have two small people that I love largely.  They have been around for years and each time I get to hang out with them I think they get cooler.  Impossible things do happen ;)

Tonight we got to play, watch movies, and tuck them in and it was wonderful.

Day 10 of 365 was a good one.

Tomorrow is a new day

Today will be another one with two posts.  Yesterday was a blah day.  Sometimes those days happen, and last night when I went to edit and post the photos from the day I just was not feeling like doing it.  Thankfully I have a sweet husband that even when I am crabby and mopey loves me and attempts to make me feel better :)  Last night he planned an outing for us to go watch the sky change colors as the sunset and even bought me cute wine bottles to enjoy while we watched.  It ended up being a little chilly and the sky did not want to change, but it was still nice to just spend time with him after feeling like a failure most of the day.

Enjoy the pictures from my day 9 of 365 and I will be back tonight with pictures from day 10!

Psalms 37:23-24
"The Lord directs the steps of the godly.  He delights in every detail of their lives.  Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand."

The Last Christmas Item

Today was a backwards day.  I didn't go in to work until later in the afternoon, which meant I had time this morning at home and I did not know what to do with it.  I am most productive in the morning and I choose to go in to work during that time so I accomplish as much as I can in the small time that I am in the office.  Today we had a late afternoon event at the recreation center on campus and my most productive hours were able to be spent at home.  I was able to do my quiet time and spend time reading the Word.  It was a refreshing way to spend my morning!

When I got home tonight Cameron and I cooked dinner together and then watched movies.  I took time during one to create a Christmas card notebook to keep all of the cards in that we receive each year.

I already love looking through the photos and cards from the past two years and cannot wait to see it grow with each year.  We have the best friends and family!

Have a blessed day 8 of 365!

One for One

Today was my first day back at work.  The break was wonderful, and I cannot say that I was super pumped to head back today, but it was a good day as far as work standards go ;)

This break seemed to fly by (which could be due to the 9 days on the road) and this past week was the only one that felt truly relaxing.  It was nice to go back this morning and feel rested and ready for emails, event planning, and preparing for classes next week.

If you follow me on Instagram and Facebook you have already seen this story, but I wanted to share it again because it has really touched me.  One of the burdens God has placed on my heart (and thankfully on my hubby's as well) is the desire to be a foster parent one day and adopt most (or all) of the children that will be in our home.  This sounds crazy to some, but my heart hurts when I think of the children in the foster care system that will never know what it is like to have a forever home and family that loves them unconditionally.  We want our home to be that for child out there.

Last night I read the story of one family who has had their foster daughter since birth and is now trying to adopt her and make her a permanent part of their family.  Joy blogs about her family at Small Town Joy and has created the "One for One" challenge to raise the funds to adopt "Pie".  This is a chance for this one child to know unconditional love and stay with the only family she has ever known that loves her and wants her.  If you feel led to donate to their adoption visit her site, and if you do not have excess funds consider praying for this family and their journey.  I want to read sometime soon that "Pie" has been officially adopted, and see their new family photo with her in it.

Duke and Doughnuts

Today was a low key and wonderful last day of break before I go back to work tomorrow.  We enjoyed church and lunch with friends before spending the rest of the day hanging out as a family.  Hubby also has running a half marathon on his resolution list so we laced up our sneakers for a run and then played with Duke.  I just love this goofy dog!

We also made maple glazed mini-doughnuts to fulfill our sweet craving.  My favorite family gave me a mini-doughnut maker a few years ago and it makes enjoying this guilty pleasure a lot easier ;)

Have a wonderful night on day 6 of 365 :)

Two scoops please

Today will have two picture posts because I failed to post last night.  We celebrated our friend John's birthday last night, and like the old lady I am, when we got home (at 10:45) I went straight to bed ;)  I love when birthday's come up because it is a night where we are guaranteed to see and hang out with our friends which can be really hard to do in the hustle and bustle of life.  Last night a group of us topped off the birthday dinner with delicious Braum's and it was wonderful :)

For anyone with a goal for the new year to participate in a daily devotional I came across this verse the other day that is serving as my motivation to take time out daily to spend time in the word and converse with God.  Maybe it can serve as motivation for you as well!

Colossians 3:10 "Put on your new nature and be renewed as you learn to know your creator and become like Him."

This new year is a chance to make a commitment to God that I will get to know Him better and let Him transform me through His word and teachings as I discipline myself to meet with Him daily.  I am excited to look back next January and see what He has accomplished in me!

Happy day 5 of 365 (a day late)

Run lady. Run!

I busted out the sneakers for my first run in the new year.  It was cold and my nose was running by the end, but it felt good.

 Now we are cuddled up on the couch watching MIB3... even Duke is in on the action ;)

Enjoy Day 4 of 365

All of my hairs are cut

Today was another low key day of Christmas vacation.  I am trying to soak up every ounce of relaxation before I go back to work next week and it has been glorious enjoying it with my husband.  We both got our hair cut and my head feels so much lighter!  Cameron always asks which hair I had cut and it is now a joke in our house to say we are going to get our hairs cut.  Sounds silly but it always makes us laugh :)

We enjoyed a trip to the flea market after and found new movies to watch tonight.  Our new television is getting a lot of use!

Enjoy day 3 of 365.