plainly jane

2011 in pictures

2011-12-31T10:32:00.000-06:00

For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

random list of things

2011-12-14T09:21:00.000-06:00

so...i haven't blogged in a while. sorry about that. i have no good reason. just hasn't been at the top of my priority list over the last few weeks. so, here's a quick recap of what's been going on.

The annual Branson Christmas Parade. The classic small town parade. I'm pretty sure there were more marching bands than floats. We drank lots of hot chocolate then came home and made a big pot of spaghetti.

I'm pretty sure Braden drank his weight in hot chocolate. He's rocking a chocolate beard here. :)

I'm constantly begging my sister to send me more pictures of my niece. Wouldn't you do the same if you had a niece this cute? But, you don't....because mine is the cutest.

Then she sent me this picture...and I almost fell out of my chair from laughing so hard. HAHAHAHA!! I think we need to send it in to Ellen or something. Somewhere, someday it will be in one of those books of Classic Santa Pictures gone bad.

This weekend one of my dearest friends, Angela, got married. I was so honored that she asked me to stand beside her as she committed her life to Jonathan. They are one amazing couple. The wedding was absolutely beautiful.

Mr. and Mrs. Hill

Jonathan built these awesome signs from old pallets and Angela asked me to paint them. I love how they turned out.

So fun to celebrate this weekend with some of my best friends. Me and Joey:

Me and Ashley. Quick story about me and Ash. 6 years ago when I first moved to Branson, Ashley and I were placed as roommates in staff housing. We only met once before we moved in together which sounds like a recipe for disaster, but it was the complete opposite. We became fast friends. Do you have one of those friends who you can say about two words of a sentence and she knows exactly what you mean? That's Ashley. We can finish each others thoughts. It's creepy...and awesome! :) Fast forward a few years...she gets married, has two kids and moves in down the street from me. Then, a few weeks ago I had to move out of my house so Angela's new husband could move in (yay!) and long story short, I moved in next door to Ashley. So, we are as close as we can get to being roommates again and I love it. The day I moved in, I think she came over three times. Love you friend!

Ok, back to the wedding. The cake. YUM. And I made the topper. Angela had seen this cake on pinterest and a friend of hers made it. Amazing.

Katie and I. If you could make a career out of being a bridesmaid, Katie and I would be climbing the corporate ladder straight to the top. #professionalbridesmaids

Once the wedding was over, I went straight to "mommy" duty. My friends Rachel and Collin took their oldest two kids to Disney World this week, but decided to leave their one year old at home with me. We are having the best time together.

Except on Monday he thought it would be really funny if he didn't take a nap. But, how can you get mad at this face? So, I let him off the hook and we ate animal crackers together instead.

So, that's what I've been up to. Of course, I've been making lots of Christmas presents and filling some orders for The Red Thread. To keep from spoiling any surprises, I'll post pics of them all after Christmas. Only 11 more days!

The Red Thread

2011-11-29T18:25:00.001-06:00

My friend Rachel and I have been dreaming for years of opening a store together. It was one of those things we kept talking about, dreaming about, and even planning at times, but for one reason or another we never did it. When I moved back to Branson this summer, we started talking and dreaming again, of course. But this time we said, you know what? Let's do it! Just go for it and see what happens. If we don't do it now, we'll always find another excuse not to do it later. So we did it. Months of sketching, brainstorming, and planning finally produced The Red Thread. Yay! We are so excited to see where this goes.

Our online shop is open: www.shoptheredthread.com

Rachel and I have had so much fun creating products together. Our idea list for new products is a mile long! So, continue checking back at the store for lots of new things. If you don't see something you're looking for or are interested in a custom order shoot us an email at shoptheredthread@gmail.com.

Here are some pictures from the More Than Rubies Open House we were a part of a few weeks ago. Lots of these products are for sale in the shop.

these reversible headbands were a big hit! there are a few in the shop now so go snatch one up before they are all gone!

don't you love these ruffled Christmas trees? i think they add a really unique touch to your Christmas decor.

embellished tea towels make doing the dishes much more stylish.

appliqued onesies and matching burp cloths. great gift sets!

More Than Rubies Christmas Shopping Event

2011-11-08T11:57:00.000-06:00

If you're in or near Branson, stop by the More Than Rubies Christmas Shopping Event! Rachel and I will be there launching our new handmade line, The Red Thread. (A full and complete post to come on that soon, I promise)

Thursday, November 17

10am - 6pm

120 Woodson Bend, Branson

i will wait

2011-10-30T09:16:00.000-05:00

this has been on my heart lately. do you often feel like the Lord is constantly telling you to wait? or maybe it feels more like He is holding out on you. But that's not how God works. He asks us to wait.

Wait, for His timing is perfect.

Wait, for He knows better.

Wait, for He is Sovereign.

Wait, for He is faithful.

"I say to myself, "The LORD is my portion; therefore I will wait for him." Lamentations 3:24

"But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me." Micah 7:7

"LORD, I wait for you; you will answer, Lord my God." Psalm 38:15

Whatever you are asking God for, keep asking, but wait. Listen for His still, soft voice and wait. He will answer.

Shane and Shane's album, Psalms, might have been the first Christian CD I ever owned. And it is still one of my favorites. It's like hearing the Word of God poured over me. Here is "The Waiting Room". Click the play button below to hear it.

i will run when i cannot walk
i will sing when there is no song
i will pray when there is no prayer
i will listen when i cannot hear
sitting in the waiting room of silence
waiting for that still soft voice i know
offering my words up to the rooftop to Your heart
trusting that this closet's where You are
Lord i know if i change my mind
You will change my heart in time
Sovereign Lord this time's from You
so i sit in the waiting room of silence
cause its all about You
i will fight when i cannot feel
i will trust when You dont seem real
i will tell when i cannot speak
i will step when i cannot see

more pics

2011-10-26T19:43:00.000-05:00

i'm finally home and have a minute to blog. are you ready to see lots of pics of sophia?

perfection.

finn putting on sophia's hat...over her entire face. :)

now they are buddies.

the key to finn's heart? iphone games

the first time i held sophia. she is the sweetest.

"what's up dudes?!"

all the girls

i made sophia this little onesie with her birthdate. presh.

i could seriously hold her forever. what is it about newborn babies that is just so snuggly and cuddly??

afternoon snack time for the finnster.

he has moments where he just loves on sophia. here he is brushing her hair.

momma and sophia.

kisses. i think she is going to learn quickly how to be tough having a big brother.

i mean, seriously?? love

grandma and sophia

ok i'll stop with the baby pics...onto the next exciting story!

so, for the past few weeks the whole family has been in on the surprise that aaron was flying out to san diego to surprise amy with a proposal. i must say, we pulled it off perfectly. she had NO idea! friday morning mom, amy and i went to hang out with anne and sophia, while dad had a "conference call" - aka picking up aaron from the airport. we waited for a text from dad telling us that aaron was in place, then left anne & sophia to nap. mom and i told amy we were going to go on a walk then meet dad for lunch in la jolla. the whole drive up there mom and i were so nervous and amy was just chatting away. finally we parked and got out to head on our "walk". i had spotted aaron as we drove by so i lead amy to walk that way. when we got to the edge of this big lawn area where he was standing she suddenly stopped dead in her tracks and said to me "is that aaron?". i said "i don't know..." and turned and ran away! HA! she stood there shocked for a minute then she and aaron walked down near the beach where he proposed. mom, dad and i waited not so patiently for them to come back up. they finally did and we all hugged and checked out the bling!

she was a little overwhelmed. :)

that night we had a little party to celebrate them.

soon to be mrs. kline!

we ordered some delicious cupcakes with "a & a" on them. do you notice anything about this picture? hint: lower left corner. ha! i think we kind of forgot that sophia was there because she seriously sleeps all the time and never cries. perfect baby award goes to her.

one last surprise - aaron's family flew out to celebrate with them too!

woah. that was a lot. and now the wedding planning begins!!

lots of news

2011-10-23T22:42:00.000-05:00

the harrison family had a big week. i just got home from a trip to san diego and i'm heading out in the morning for a work trip to TN so this is going to be quick.

my niece, sophia anne was born! she is perfect in every way. we are all completely in love with her.

mama and sophia

AND my sister amy and her boyfriend, aaron, got engaged!

we had a big weekend celebrating together. i promise i'll be back with more details and more pics later in the week.

One Thousand Gifts

2011-10-11T21:05:00.000-05:00

"always give thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:20

{From the back cover}

One Thousand Gifts beckons you to leave the parched ground of pride, fear, and white-knuckle control and abandon yourself to the God who overflows your cup. As Ann Voskamp invites you into her own moments of grace, she gently teaches you how to biblically lament loss, turning pain into poetry, intentionally embrace a lifestyle of radical gratitude; and slow down and catch God in the moment.

Not a book merely to read, One Thousand Gifts begs to be embraced as a dynamic, interactive primer inviting you to engage with truths that will serve up the depths of God's joy and transform your life forever.

I have been reading this book since I got it for my birthday (in April!). I'm only half way through it but that's only because I keep re-reading each few pages over and over as I go. I usually can't wait to get to the end of a book but this is one I want to read as slowly as possible. Soak it in. This is one of those books that you have to read with a pen in hand. Here are a few passages that are underlined in my copy...maybe you can tell why I read and re-read. Her words are full of such rich wisdom and a yearning for Christ that pushes me on to know Christ more. To give more of myself to Him. ("One Thousand Gifts" refers to her challenge to write down 1,000 gifts in a gratitude journal)

"I have always known that change takes real intentionality...change requires more than merely thinking the warm and fuzzy thoughts about a door and a way through..." pg. 43-44

"Daily discipline is the door to full freedom, and the discipline to count to one thousand [gifts] gave way to the freedom of wonder and I can't imagine not staying awake to God in the moment, the joy in the now. But awakening to joy awakens to pain. Life is loss...Eventually, I am guaranteed to lose every earthly thing I have ever possessed...What is the heart of God? Do I believe in a God who rouses Himself just now and then to spill a bit of benevolence on hemorrhaging humanity? A God who breaks through the carapace of this orb only now and then, surprises us with a spared hand, a reprieve from sickness, a good job and a nice house in the burbs - and then finds Himself again too impotent to deal with all I see as suffering and evil? A God of sporadic, random, splattering goodness - that now and then splatters across a gratitude journal?" pg. 85-86

"To read His message in moments, I'll need to read His passion on the page; wear the lens of the Word, to read His writing in the world. Only the Word is the answer to rightly reading the world, because the Word has nail-scarred hands that cup our face close, wipe away the tears running down, has eyes to look deep into our brimming ache, and whisper, "I know. I know." The passion on the page is a Person, and the lens I wear of the Word is not abstract idea but the eyes of the God-Man who came and knows the pain. How does the Word read the world?" pg. 87

"When I realize that it is not God who is in my debt but I who am in His great debt, then doesn't all become gift?" pg. 94

[In regards to becoming angry over a small thing] "Do I really smother my own joy because I believe that anger achieves more than love? That Satan's way is more powerful, more practical, more fulfilling in my daily life than Jesus' way? Why else get angry? Isn't it because I think complaining, exasperation, resentment will pound me up into the full life I really want? When I choose - and it is a choice - to crush the joy with bitterness, am I not purposefully choosing to take the way of the Prince of Darkness? Choosing the angry way of Lucifer because I think it is more effective - more expedient - than giving thanks?" pg. 126

Whew! That last one really got me.

A friend just showed me Ann's blog, A Holy Experience. Click over there and read even more of her great wisdom. Since I started reading the book I started keeping a gratitude journal, trying to write something every day. On her blog you can download a gratitude calendar for each month to fill in one gift every day. Here's October's if you want to grab it.

Here are a few gifts from my journal from the past week (can you tell I was on vacation & with my friends who have kids?):

21. Friends greeting you at the airport
22. When little kids reach up to hold your hand
23. Staying in my pjs until noon
24. The county fair
25. Watching kids run through a field laughing and playing
26. S'mores with chocolate dripping out the edges
27. When a baby falls asleep on your chest
28. Having a good cry with my girlfriends

a few words to encourage you

2011-10-10T17:58:00.000-05:00

Griffin Trip

2011-10-09T13:56:00.000-05:00

This past week my friend Rachel (along with her three kiddos) and I took a trip to Griffin, GA to visit Katie and Rylie. We had such a blast just enjoying being together and life in the country for a week.

We visited Rylie at school lunch. I can't believe she is in 1st grade already!

Sweet little friends, Ella and Rylie.

We took a walk across the field behind Katie's house to her sister Laura's house. Something about kids running through the field just looks like childhood at its purest, doesn't it?

The County Fair was in town, so we couldn't pass up a visit! Rylie, Braden, Ella, Piper and Grayson. They were so excited about all of the rides!

Rylie and Ella on the race cars.

Beckett wanted in on the action. Here he is demonstrating his strong man skills. Yes, he is holding on all by himself...and yes, he is only 13 months old. :)

Braden riding the motorcycles. VROOM!

Laura, Katie, Me and Rachel

We couldn't spend a week in the country without riding Cody the pony. Katie's mom took all the kids on a few rides. I think we have some future cowgirls and cowboys on our hands.

On our last night we had a big bonfire with lots of friends. Laura, Kara and Piper enjoying some s'mores!

Christi and Katie enjoying the campfire.

Loved being with y'all. My heart is so full. xoxo

Mayzie's 3rd "Bird-Day"

2011-09-21T12:16:00.000-05:00

my friend hayley's little girl, mayzie, is turning 3 at the end of this month. she is having a 3rd "Bird-Day" party. how clever is that? hayley asked me to make some little hair clips and headbands for party favors.

i made some felt birdies and put them on ribbon covered alligator clips.

she wanted a few headbands too that some of the birds can be clipped on to. these pink braids will be so cute in the little girls' hair.

happy birthday mayz!!

babies, babies, babies

2011-09-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

so many babies! i've been hard at work making lots of baby gifts the past month or so. my niece will be making her debut on october 14. i love my nephew but he is no fun to make gifts for. baby girl clothes are just so cute! here are a bunch of onesies & dresses i made for her.

ruffles!

go hawks!

sweet little owl

a christmas outfit

with ruffles on the tooshie :)

this one is my favorite

a few other friends have recently had babies as well. here are a few other onesies i've done for them.

is this elephant the cutest thing you've ever seen or what?

9/11

2011-09-11T12:06:00.000-05:00

I'll never forget where I was on this day 10 years ago. I was a freshman in college at UNI. I got up and went to my 8 o'clock class like usual. There were rumors of some plane crash that happened in New York, but we went on with class as usual. It wasn't until I got to my next class that word had finally spread about what happened. Our professor dismissed us and I spent the rest of the day glued to the TV in my dorm with my roommate. I'm praying for all of the families directly affected by this day and for our country as we continue to live with the after effects in so many ways.

I'll also never forget where I was on this day 3 years ago. I was at Home Depot ordering window treatments when my dad called to give me the news. September 11, 2008 my nephew Jackson Armando Santoro went to be with Jesus. He lived for only 8 days. I'm so thankful that I got to spend a few days with him during his short life.

What a stud he was.

His twin brother Finn carries on his memory and reminds us what a miracle life is.

I'm encouraged by these scriptures today. Our only hope rests in the person of Jesus Christ. One day all will be made clear.

"For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known." 1 Corinthians 13:12

"Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:11

"This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoting sacrifice for our sins." 1 John 4:10

a hand written note

2011-09-07T22:49:00.000-05:00

i have this box of letters and pictures that has been in my closet for years. i stick birthday cards, thank you cards, wedding invitations, pictures, etc in there every so often. every time i move i put it back in my closet and don't give it too much thought. tonight i started to put it away again but decided to go through it first. as i opened envelope after envelope i found birthday cards, college graduation cards, wedding invitations, cards asking me to be a bridesmaid, thank you cards, and more. i had notes in there all the way back to 2003. as i kept reading note after note said "thanks for your letter". i was reminded how often i used to write handwritten letters and cards. i love email, facebook and twitter for keeping in touch with my friends and family but i miss writing a letter and getting one back in the mail. so, i just might write some letters this week. just for fun. just to say hi.

being careful not to become a hoarder in any area of my life, i did clean out and throw away a good amount of the cards. :) but there were many that i just couldn't part with. so many heartfelt notes from friends, funny birthday cards, "far side" cards from my grandma, my sister's card asking me to be her bridesmaid, kamp letters, and even a few college party invitations (SHOUT OUT to the 220 Girls - Holiday Feast anyone?).

wedding bells were ringing

2011-08-29T11:28:00.000-05:00

ahh, summer weddings. somehow this is the only one i went to this year! one of my college roommates, brooke, got married this weekend in Des Moines. She married a wonderful guy, John Tunink. It was so fun to get together with the UNI girls again.

Me and Jill, the dynamic duo.

Brooke and John - Just Married!

Lindsay, Jill, Brooke and I. You better believe we ripped up the dance floor at that reception.

Love you girls! Congratulations Brooke!

fairy village

2011-08-28T14:37:00.000-05:00

Who knew miniatures could be so much fun? Inspired by this tuturial from lilblueboo I made a fairy village for Rylie's 6th birthday present.

I bought these miniature bird houses from Joann's for just $1 each.

Other supplies I used were acrylic paint, moss, clothespins, miniature wooden pots & spools, silk flowers, hot glue and embroidery floss.

Using a small saw I cut the small hole openings into doors then painted each house.

A little clocktower

Tink's home! This one is my favorite :)

I hot glued the moss onto the roof of the green house. How cute are those mini spools? The perfect place for Tink and all her friends to sit and have a chat!

I ended up putting some moss under the eves of this house after I took the pic. (sorry it's hard to see) I made the bunting out of fabric scraps and tied it up with embroidery floss.

Rylie invited all her little fairy friends over for a fairy garden party this weekend. What a magical 6th birthday! Wish I could have been there to celebrate with you Ry! Happy Birthday!

vacay

2011-08-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

does anyone else quote legally blonde in your head every time you say "vacay"?

"Girls, I'm going to Harvard."

"You mean like on vacay!" "ROADTRIP!"

Anyone, anyone? Just me and probably my sister? Ok...moving on.

After kamp, I took a much needed week of vacation at my parents lake house in Northern Michigan. It was such a relaxing week.

Mom and I shopped till we dropped at Cherry Republic. Their dried cherries (among many other products) are a staple in our house. I'm pretty sure I sampled everything in the store at least once, maybe twice. Do yourself a favor and order something from them. Everything is good. I promise.

Sleeping Bear Dunes was voted The Most Beautiful Place in America last week on Good Morning America. Of course, we already knew this was true but it was fun to see our beloved Northern Michigan get the credit it is due! So we had to go see that beautiful view.

The beach in Glen Arbor.

A view of the dunes and Lake Michigan in the distance

Pictures can't even do it justice.

While I was there, the Nina and Pinta came in to Frankfort for a few days. These ships are the most accurate replicas of the Nina and Pinta made by hand in Brazil. Being the history loving family that we are we went on the tour. It was honestly very interesting to learn about these amazing ships that Columbus sailed. We could not believe how men sailed all the way across the ocean on those things!

The rest of the week I mostly laid on the beach, read my book, sat on the porch swing, and ate a lot of ice cream. That's what vacation is for, right? My last day, we went to Crystal Mountain Resort. My dad was having some of his employees up for a little retreat there, so mom and I made sure to take advantage of the amenities. We were headed to the spa, but somehow I got talked into going on a trail hike first. When I saw the Visitor Center at the entrance I knew this was going to be a classic Harrison learning experience. We have a long standing family joke about visitor centers and amphitheaters - if there is one near us my mother will find it.

My sisters will appreciate these pictures.

Lucky us! There is an amphitheater too!

After the hike, we went to the spa, put on plushy robes and got pedicures. So all is forgiven. :)

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great week!

so, i lied

2011-08-25T13:54:00.000-05:00

i said i was going to keep blogging throughout the summer and i didn't. things just got busy and i wasn't able to tend to the blog like i thought i would. anyway, here are a bunch of pics and a little recap of the rest of our summer at k-kountry.

we took a little field trip to the zoo. ella and braden fed the giraffes.

Katie and Rylie (below with Allen and Kara) came to visit for a week! Fortunately they got to be here for Ella's 5th birthday. She had a cowgirl party...

Complete with pony rides!

Ella lost her 1st tooth! BIG milestone.

Two bathing beauties. This is the life, isn't it?

Celebrating the 4th of July

I call this photo "milk drunk".

Brett and Brett (great friends of ours and long time KKountry guys) were in town for a weekend and Katie and I talked them into taking the kids on a canoe trip with us. Great memories made.

Lots and lots of pool time.

Before the summer was over we had to take some "kidsitter family" photos. Term 1: Me, Bridget and the kids

Term 2: Me, Hailey and the kids

The whole family :)

It was such a great summer! Now that it's over it's time to get back to "normal" life.

A little life update for you: I've decided to stay in Branson. I can't wait to get settled back in to life here. Still working on the job search, but things are coming together. I'm headed to Des Moines this weekend to get all of my stuff. I've been itching to get my craft supplies back. Then I promise - more blogging. For real this time.

Hello again

2011-06-23T15:05:00.001-05:00

So, I've been off the blog for a while. And that's because I moved again! Long story short - I decided it was time to leave Des Moines and head off to my next adventure. I am very thankful for my time in Iowa and my experience working for Valley Church. It was a great year, but I felt like it was time for the next thing.

As I started praying through where I should go and what to do God started opening doors - and fast! In about two weeks time I was given the opportunity to come back to KKountry (Kanakuk Kamps) and decided to leave my job at the church. With the help of my very generous parents I packed up all of my belongings, and hit the road for Branson again! I am so thrilled to be back at KKountry. A little piece of my heart will always be here. I am spending 10 weeks taking care of the Sparks kiddos. Collin and Rachel Sparks are the directors here at KKountry (as well as my dear friends) and they have three precious kids; Ella, Braden, and Beckett. We have already been having a blast together.

We've done the slip-and-slide.

Watched movies when it's too hot outside.

Watered dad's flowers (Braden LOVES to water!).

Gone to kamp parties. Here Queen Ella and Braden the Dragon were ready to join the King and Queen at their faire.

Done some arts and crafts.

Picked blueberries at the local berry farm.

Oohed and aahed over how cute Beckett is.

Done boy things with Braden.

And girl things with Ella. P.S. Her beauty shop is open most days around 3 pm if you would like your nails painted. Chances are there will be sparkles involved. :)

There with Ella is Bridget, the other kidsitter. She is wonderful! I'm so glad there are two of us - I'm not sure I could do it alone!

And enjoyed one of the most amazing perks of being a kidsitter at kamp - Big Cedar. Kanakuk gives directors a few nights each summer at Big Cedar (the most incredible resort just about 20 minutes from Branson). Rachel and Collin generously allowed us to come enjoy the pool with them. It was like heaven.

So, that's where I'm at for now. I'm still deciding what I will do after the summer is over. I'll keep you posted.

I'm really missing my sewing machine and craft supplies while I'm here. I have some fun ideas for craft projects with the kids so I'll try to share those with you.

Be back soon, I promise! :)

instagram love

2011-05-15T12:01:00.001-05:00

instagram is a one of my favorite apps on my iphone. thought i'd share some as of late.

harrison family Easter lamb cake

sunset in my rearview

royal wedding

rylie's first ferris wheel ride. magical.

at the beach

afternoon tennis game

mothers day

new weekly tradition with jill. netflix and ice cream

giddy up partner

baking sugar cookies. waiting is the hardest part!

diy projects

2011-05-11T20:37:00.000-05:00

it's a wonderfully stormy night here in iowa. jill and i are cozied up watching a movie and i've been perusing the internet for some new diy project inspiration. i feel like i haven't done a new project in a long time. maybe this weekend i'll try one of these.

laundry drying rack. this is so much cuter than my mesh/metal pop up one.

{source}

I've been seeing a lot of cool things done with paint chips. Such a great idea! Plus, paint chips are free so this is a no-brainer.

{source}

I know I just made a necklace holder, but this one is amazing. I also want all the necklaces that are on it! I always think of anthropologie when looking for cool knobs, but did you know hobby lobby has tons of cool ones? and they are way cheaper than anthro.

{source}

now that is just brilliant. old drawer fronts become clever hangers. another use for cool knobs too.

{source}

i already love mason jars, but add a little lace and they are even more beautiful. these would be great wedding centerpieces.

{source}

might need to make this for the finnster.

{source}

speaking of the finnster...i just have to be an annoying aunt right now and show you this super cute video. i mean, seriously? could he be any cuter? ("nay nay" is me, if you don't already know)

pin 7

2011-05-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

i'm not afraid of wallpaper. i would love to do this in a room someday. maybe a bathroom?

{the pin}

pin 6

2011-05-05T09:10:00.000-05:00

i scream you scream we all scream for ice cream

{the pin}

tignor proposal

2011-05-03T21:09:00.000-05:00

last weekend i went to branson for a surprise engagement party for two of my very good friends, kara and allen. allen called me on monday to spill the beans and invite me to surprise kara at a party after he proposed. i'm so glad i didn't have to wait more than 5 days because i don't know if i could have held in my excitement any longer than that!

friday afternoon rachel, katie and i got all the party details together while allen set up for the big night. once everybody arrived we hid in the living room waiting for the big surprise moment!

kara just as she turned the corner and saw us all. such a priceless face! she was completely surprised!

i love surprising people! :)

show us the bling!

even braden wanted to see what all the fuss was about

the happy couple

i love you guys! can't wait to celebrate with you on your big day.

pin 5

2011-04-30T09:59:00.000-05:00

planning on handing out some may day baskets tomorrow? this one is super easy to make a way cuter than those old paper cones.

may day basket diy tutorial

{the pin}

pin 4

2011-04-28T09:54:00.000-05:00

you know i love a clever wrapping paper idea.

cupcake liners at package toppers - brilliant!

{the pin}

pin 3

2011-04-26T10:44:00.002-05:00

great idea for craft room supplies storage.

{the pin}

pin 2

2011-04-24T10:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Easter! He is Risen!

{the pin}

beach bags

2011-04-21T08:27:00.001-05:00

for our girls trip to the beach last week i knew i wanted to make something special. i was inspired by this great canvas bag i saw on pinterest.

at the fabric store i stumbled onto this amazing yellow and grey canvas. i couldn't resist the yellow chevron! the fabric was home decor fabric which comes on a 60" bolt, so i was able to make 6 bags out of just 2 yards. i also lined the bags with white canvas and put a pocket on the inside. with my 40% off coupon i got all of my supplies for only $35! i don't think i could have bought one beach bag for that cheap.

as soon as i got there i couldn't wait to give them out!

everybody loved them and they were perfect for the beach.

i think it's going to make a great summer purse/pool bag too.

pin 1

2011-04-20T10:29:00.001-05:00

i'm starting a new series of posts called "pin". i've begun using the website pinterest and i want to share some of my favorite pins with you. they will be a variety of things from great quotes to diy ideas to inspiring images. i probably won't write much about them. the images pretty much speak for themselves.

hope you enjoy!

i received this as a birthday card and was very inspired.

{the pin}

a toast

2011-04-19T18:32:00.002-05:00

to the nearest

to the dearest

to the crew

to cahoots

to the ones who've been there

to the ones who'll be there

to dropping everything

to saying anything

to no judgments

to no doubts

to loyalty

to trust

to favors

to lifelongs

to been too long

to nothing's changed

to having history

to having your back

to moving away

to never too far

to growing up

to settling down

to your second family

to friends

[author unknown]

happy birthday to me

2011-04-06T09:27:00.001-05:00

wednesday, april 6, 1983, 8:28 pm

jane elizabeth harrison

on the back of this polaroid it says "1 hour old". my mom looks pretty much the same today as she does in this picture (except for the sweet 80s hairdo). i hope i got those good aging genes!

dad rocking the 80s stache...

here's to 28...hoping it's the greatest year yet!

happy birthday to me. :)

to the beach!

2011-04-05T10:00:00.000-05:00

in 1 week i will have my toes in the sand, a drink in my hand, and good friends all around. a few of my girlfriends and i are headed to perdido key, fl for a little sun and fun. we have been counting down the days for months. it will be a much needed break and some quality girl time for all of us.

here are some beach inspired things that have caught my eye.

i just ordered this swimsuit - hoping i love it on as much as i do online.

old navy

i love nautical stripes

etsy

this looks like the perfect beach dress

i love how you can wear it multiple ways

etsy

i love this ruffled pillow. it would be so easy to make!

etsy

i want to have a picnic!

etsy

i think a scarf is my favorite accessory.

anthropologie

this website is a new favorite. they have the cutest swimsuits and dresses. can you tell i'm loving one pieces this year? one of my fav blogs, Grosgrain Fabulous, is having a giveaway for one suit from their amalfi coast collection. please, oh please let me win!!

shabby apple

7 days and counting...the anticipation is killing me!

San Diego Trip

2011-04-03T15:54:00.001-05:00

Last weekend we had a great family trip (missing amy :( ) to San Diego to visit my sister, brother in law and nephew.

My Aunt, Uncle and cousin came too but everybody had different travel schedules, so for the first few days it was a house full of Mollys and Janes.

Cousin Molly, Mom (Molly), Me and Aunt Jane. Yes - my mom and her sister named their daughters after each other.

I quickly discovered how to keep Finn cuddled close to my side - my iphone. He somehow talked me in to downloading an entire folder of games that play obnoxious songs and animal noises. I think it has something to do with that cute smile and when he calls me "nay nay".

The first morning we walked to breakfast down the block. Finn brought his skateboard along. He mostly likes to carry it. Adorable.

We walked along the water and hit the shops in LaJolla.

Mini organic cupcakes - only in california.

We went to Sea World one day. Finn was digging the dolphin show.

Sea World has a kids area that is all Sesame Street stuff. Finn loves it! Molly and I took him on the Tea Cups ride. I was about to throw up, but he was gripping my leg and smiling from ear to ear!

Grandma waited in the long line so that Finn could meet Elmo and Abby. He talked about it for days after!

Anne and I

Finn loved to turn on the heartbeat setting on the sound machine. He would turn it on and say "heart!".

Finn, my Dad aka Bapa and I hiking along the water.

I had to leave Tuesday night to get back to work. I think Finn was trying to find a way into my suitcase so he could come back with me. I would have gladly taken him!

It was such a great trip! Can't wait to go back - hopefully soon!

p.s. can you say addicted!

Dream Sewing Rooms

2011-03-14T12:32:00.000-05:00

There's just something about a great craft room that helps spur on my creativity. I'm always looking at craft and sewing rooms. There are so many great ideas! Here are a few I've seen recently that I love.

1. love these colors. and it's just in a closet so this could be done even if you don't have a whole room to dedicate to a sewing room.

{source}

2. i love the vintage vibe of this room. those dresses on the wall are precious.

{source}

3. this one might be my favorite. i love the shabby chic yet trendy feel. that white shelving unit is amazing. and that yellow chair! ah!

{source: google images}

4. more great vintage and great colors. i love all the different work stations and storage options.

{source: google images}

5. cute and girly. i love the desk. room to work and great storage. you can't see the whole thing, but the cutting table is awesome. that is a necessity!

{source: google images}

Ta-Da, now it's an apron!

2011-03-12T18:49:00.000-06:00

Found: vintage dish towel

Turn into: a new apron!

All I did was sew a tie on to the edge out of some scrap fabric I had. So easy and so cute.

Maybe I'll go bake something now.

headband holder

2011-03-07T22:00:00.000-06:00

My friend Hayley has three little girls under the age of 2. As you can imagine her house is busting at the seams with girly girl accessories! She asked me to help her take control of all the headbands and hairbows.

The supplies: A paper towel holder ($5 at TJ Maxx), roll of paper towels, 1/4 yard of fabric, ribbon, and a can of spray paint.

First, I spray painted the paper towel holder. Then made a "tube" out of the fabric and slid it over the paper towel roll. I sewed in elastic on the two ends so it would fit tight but still slide onto the holder easily.

The headbands just slide right on!

Next we had to tackle the hair clips and bows. Hayley already had this great rose hanger with three hooks on their wall. I took strips of aqua and white polka dot fabric and just tied them to the hooks with a knot at the top and a knot at the bottom. Just clip on the hair clips and ta-da!

lunch bag

2011-02-23T18:38:00.000-06:00

did i ever show you the lunch bag i made for my roomie jill as a christmas present? i meant to post it after i gave it to her, but i'm pretty sure i forgot. better late than never!

jillsie takes her lunch to work every day. the wells fargo wagon kindly provided her their own lunch bag, but it's just plain ugly. i couldn't bear her carrying that thing every day.

One - Yard Wonders to the rescue!

I found fabric that was already quilted and had batting. Score!

This was the first time I had worked with bias tape and I had to enlist the help of my mom towards the end. We both decided the pattern was written a little backwards. I should have sewn the bias tape on before sewing the bag together. Now I know.

The back has a cute little pocket. You know, for your napkin and plastic spork.

I love the reverse pattern on the inside. These colors/pattern just screamed jill to me.

welp, there you have it. i'm pretty sure she's the talk of the breakroom.

spring lovelies

2011-02-22T21:11:00.001-06:00

I'm still dreaming of spring...here are some beautiful things i've got my eye on.

I love wearing headbands these days.

source

LOVE this dress! I can't wait for dresses and flip flops weather.

source

A splash of color for the kitchen

source

Anthropologie wins again. This would be a great dress for all the spring and summer weddings I have coming up.

source

love me some toms wedges. i just know they will be perfect with jeans, skirts or dresses. i've wanted these since last summer. i'm afraid toms isn't selling these anymore because i can only find them on ebay. i'm really hoping they come back or maybe toms will come out with new styles for spring.

toms shoes

great gold hoops. simple yet stylish.

source

think spring!

2011-02-20T15:00:00.000-06:00

All the sunshine this week made me anxious for spring! It's still too cold to bust out the spring clothes, but I had to find something new and colorful to match the weather. I went down to my basement and pulled out the bin of purses I've collected over the years. (I used to have a serious purse collecting problem...) I found this pink bag I bought a couple years ago at TJ Maxx. It had a big leather bow on the front which I liked at first but eventually it drove me crazy. It was just too big. So, a purse redo was born!

I cut out the leather bow with an exacto knife. I made a double layer ruffle strip with this beautiful Amy Butler fabric. I threaded the strip through and secured it with my trusty hot glue gun. I'm still thinking about adding a flower on there somewhere...

I was asked to donate something to a raffle for a fundraiser benefiting one of the pastors at my church. He and his family are moving to Kenya later this year with Africa Inland Missions. (Their blog). I used this same fabric to make this cute clutch to donate to the raffle. If you live in Des Moines, come on out and buy a raffle ticket! There will be lots of great stuff donated by local businesses and artists. It will be a great family friendly event! Holmertz Family Fundraiser

etsy shop

2011-02-12T15:02:00.000-06:00

hey peeps.

well, i've decided that i'm going to close my etsy shop for now. i'm doing a lot of brainstorming and day dreaming about the future of plainlyjanemats.

i promise i'll keep you posted.

Diaper Cake

2011-02-11T17:50:00.000-06:00

Somehow my little sister Amy, the least crafty person I know, managed to volunteer herself to bring a diaper cake to a baby shower last weekend. Quickly realizing she wasn't qualified to make said diaper cake, she called me. She knows I love this stuff! :)

Mom-to-be Sara and her husband Jeremy don't know if they are having a boy or girl so I tried to stay neutral with the colors. Amy had this adorable sock monkey that was my inspiration for the cake.

How cute is that little guy?! Their last name starts with an "S" so I stuck this little topper in to personalize it a little.

I found a pack of brightly colored washcloths at Babies R Us and made little "cupcakes" with monkey toppers to match.

Glad you liked the cake Sara! Can't wait to meet the little cutie.

We are finally starting to thaw out here in Iowa. Rumor has it we might hit 50 by early next week! I'm pretty sure people will be busting out their shorts. I am so ready for spring! Have a great weekend!

bookcase

2011-01-29T16:46:00.000-06:00

Inspired

source

My version

I don't love the print in the middle. I'm on the lookout for something super colorful to hang there instead.

New Placemats

2011-01-23T16:51:00.000-06:00

Our dining room table has been boring and undecorated for too long. I had a table cloth I liked in the summer, but never found anything wintery that I liked. So, I decided that I'd just make some placemats. The beauty of making your own home decor is that you can get exactly what you want.

I love these fabrics together. We have a lot of grey in our house. It's the main color we have going on in our living room (which is connected to the dining room), so I thought this would tie in but also introduce a new color.

I made two with the pink fabric on the left strip and two with the grey on the left strip.

Here is the back side of the placemats.

Now I just need to find something for a center piece. The bowl is a start, but I just need to think of something to put in it!

I also put out my Valentine's heart on our door yesterday. Sorry this is super close up. There is snow on the ground and it's about 3 degrees outside. It was not worth it to me to go outside to get a better picture!

Stay warm out there! I'm watching the Bears vs. Packers game and those people in the stands make me shiver just to look at them!

Pause

2011-01-11T21:10:00.000-06:00

I needed to pause tonight and remember that nothing on earth do I desire more than my Savior. Just stop, breathe, and take a moment to remember who He is.

"Yet I am always with you;
you hold me by my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me into glory.

Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.

Those who are far from you will perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.
But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;

I will tell of all your deeds."

Psalm 73:23-28

Saturday with my Sewing Machine

2011-01-08T17:31:00.000-06:00

So, it's about 15 degrees outside. Naturally I decided not to go out and to spend the day with my sewing machine.

Remember this wreath I made at Christmas? Well, I just couldn't bear to take it down.

But it needed to be a little less Christmasy if it was going to stay up. So I took off the red flowers and changed them out for cream ones.

(please don't mind me and my ironing board)

I saved the red flowers so I can change them back next Christmas. This wreath is one of my favorite (and my cheapest) Christmas decoration I have. I'm so glad I can extend it all year long!

Snack break. What's a better crafting companion then some HGTV, kettle corn and a Sonic drink?

Side note - do you watch Dear Genevieve? I LOVE her design style.

I've been talking about making an apron for oh, over a year now! Finally today I went for it. I actually just "made" a pattern from another apron I have. It was so easy to do. I'm definitely going to do another one...hopefully soon.

Again, forgive my photography. As you can tell crafting, not photography, is my skill. And I pretty much only use my iphone camera these days.

Hope you're having a great weekend and staying warm!

If I knew then what I know now

2011-01-03T22:41:00.000-06:00

I would not have quit ballet.

I started ballet lessons at age 5, but I lost my patience for it in my teens.

I didn't appreciate it then, but I do now. And I miss it.

{the grace}

{the discipline}

{the innocence}

{the excitement}

{the femininity}

{the beauty}

"Let them praise His name with dancing" Psalm 149:3

photo source

Necklace Frame

2011-01-01T11:26:00.000-06:00

For months now my necklaces have been hanging on two little plastic hooks on the back of my closet door. Every time I open and close the door they bang around and drive me crazy! Finally, I got around to making this fabric covered frame to hang them on.

It was so easy to make. I just took an old frame I had laying around, took out the glass and backing. I sanded the frame and painted it white. It was a dark brown stain before so when I painted it, so I just did one quick coat so that some of the brown showed through. An easy way to make it look distressed.

I barely had enough of this fabric left for this project. It was a euro sham that I bought at Crate and Barrel years ago. I really wanted two of them for my bed, but they only had one. So I bought it and covered a smaller pillow, a small bench and now the frame.

At Michaels I found a piece of corkboard that was the exact size of the frame (score!). I actually hot glued the fabric to the cork. Usually I would have stapled it to the back, but my fabric barely stretched over the edges of the cork so I had to go with glue this time.

I used some decorative tacks I had from a previous project to hang the necklaces on. I love how it turned out. And I'm so glad not to have my necklaces hanging on the back of my closet door anymore!

under construction

2010-12-29T22:43:00.000-06:00

sorry things look a little crazy over here. i was feeling like my blog needed some color and just a general freshening up! I'm still perfecting it, so please be patient with me if you notice random things changing over the next couple of days.

p.s. do you like it so far?

p.p.s. i'm feeling very proud of myself that i edited the html code and learned how to make the headers in a cool font. just needed to tell you that. :)

Christ is Risen {by Shane and Shane}

2010-12-28T17:09:00.000-06:00

After celebrating Christ's birth at Christmas, I can't help but think of his resurrection. He was born so that he could die.

"I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11

"The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life." Luke 9: 22

"(the women) found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus...He is not here; he has risen!" Luke 24: 2, 6

"Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?
...thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus" 1 Corinthians 5:55, 57

I've had this song on repeat today.

Christmas in Des Moines & San Diego

2010-12-27T20:37:00.001-06:00

We had our first family Christmas celebration in Des Moines. Amy had to work on Christmas and couldn't go to California with us so she drove down from Minneapolis for the night so we could open presents together.

All the girls got new bags and scarves. Yes, I realize how ridiculous we look.

My parents and I headed to San Diego to spend a few days with Noah, Anne, and Finn. We stayed in a condo right on the bay. Woke up to this beautiful view every day!

Finn opened one present on Christmas Eve, a "band in a bucket". It was a huge hit! He got pretty good at the harmonica.

Here's a quick video of him playing. He figured it out pretty well!

Finn takes after his Grandpa in his love for pumpkin pie. He always wanted more!

"Woooaaahhhh" (Finn's new favorite word)

Christmas Eve - I wish I could spend every Christmas Eve on the beach

Reading with my buddy. This trip solidified Finn calling me "Nay Nay" and I love it! Anne told me after we left when he kept saying, "why no nay nay? why no bapa? (grandpa)" Awww....miss him already!

A final walk along the water before we headed home.

Mom, Dad and I flew home last night. When we landed in Des Moines it was 12 degrees and there was snow on the ground. Boo!

Now that I'm back home, I have the week off of work and I'm enjoying a few days to myself. Today I slept in, did laundry, laid around, and only left the house to go to the grocery store. I'm sure I'll be spending some time crafting this week as well. I got some new fabric for Christmas and I definitely want to sew a few things.

Goodbye to Christmas 2010...looking forward to a Happy New Year!

Christmas in Georgia

2010-12-20T23:38:00.002-06:00

I kicked off my Christmas traveling this weekend with a few days in Georgia visiting some dear friends. I didn't take many pictures and now I'm regretting it, but pulling out the camera somehow gets forgotten on our trips together. Must do better next time!

Of course my flight was delayed getting out of Des Moines. I am cursed with bad luck at airports right now. I made it to Atlanta only about an hour late and Katie picked me up. I'm so thankful for our easy friendship. It's one of those that you can go months without seeing each other and you just seem to pick up where you left off. We grabbed some peppermint chocolate chip milkshakes for our drive home. (They live out in the country about an hour from Atlanta.) We talked and talked, crawled in to bed and talked some more. Rylie is out of school for Christmas break, but 5 year olds don't really sleep in, you know? So I was woken the next morning by a sweet little voice next to the bed. I'd get up early any day for that!

We made and ate lots of Christmas goodies, watched movies by the fire, stayed up late, had my first trip to the Dwarf House (a sit down Chick-Fil-A), and just enjoyed being together.

It's a Newman family tradition to string candy cherries on the tree.

Rylie made me a picture frame as a Christmas gift and we tried to take a picture together to put in it. This is about how that went.

"Let's do a fun one"

"Ok, a different silly face this time"

"Hey, Nay Nay - take one of just me!"

"Rylie, do a sweet smile this time." "Ok...ha - tricked you!"

"OK, I promise I'll do a good smile this time"

"Really, I promise I'll do a smile this time"

So much for a "normal" picture, but I'd rather remember the silly faces anyway.

I didn't get one picture with Katie or any of Jarod and Laura and their kids, or of Katie's parents but we all spent lots of great time together.

Before I left Rylie and I had a little popcorn date Sunday afternoon. She wanted to tell stories, so I tried to come up with some good ones. Most of hers revolved around the different birthday parties she has had. A mermaid party and one involving a scavenger hunt and buried treasure on the beach! Before we said goodbye I asked her what we should plan for our next trip together. She said, "it should be for my next birthday because I want you to be part of that story too!" You've got it, girl!

Thank you all for a wonderful trip! xoxo

Christmas Packaging

2010-12-16T09:03:00.004-06:00

Every year I love to wrap my Christmas presents with a unique, and hand made theme. Most years I have lots of ideas and it's hard to finally pick one. This year for some reason I was stumped. It may have had something to do with the fact that I hadn't bought any of my Christmas presents until last weekend. Finally I came up with a simple idea I could make pretty quickly and get everyone's presents wrapped.

I love gifts wrapped in brown craft paper and I already had some of that at home. So I decided I would make my gift tags. I found this great flannel in the remnants bin at my fabric store for about $3. Picked up some green ribbon and used white felt that I had in my scrap bin at home to write the names on.

I made a simple pattern and used heat bond to give them a little stiffness.

Most of my presents will be going in a suitcase and on a plane, so hopefully they don't get too crushed in transit. At least there's proof here that they started out crisp, clean and super cute.

I love giving gifts and I really love adding a hand made touch to them. It just makes it more special. Merry Christmas!

Some new blogs for you

2010-12-14T21:37:00.000-06:00

I thought I'd share a few of the new blogs I've been following. I added them to the list on the right as well.

1. Catalog Living - You will never look at Pottery Barn the same way again. Gary & Elaine crack me up everyday and make me wonder why I never thought catalog pictures were odd before now.

2. Grosgrain - A great craft and sewing blog. This month she is doing 25 embellished sweaters. If you find me cutting up all my old cardigans you'll know who to blame.

3. One Clock Shy of Quentin - My friend Jamie sharing his thoughts and perspective on faith, life, and whatever else comes along. He's new to the blogging world, so go on over and make him feel welcome.

4. Today's Letters - A hilarious couple from Texas who writes letters to each other every day. Two fist pumps and a leg kick for team Loerke.

You're going to want to book mark these. Enjoy!

Hooray!

2010-12-01T18:23:00.000-06:00

Only 2 weeks until I hug these necks!

And only 3 weeks until I convince the munchie man that I am his favorite aunt and always will be. my plan includes mcdonalds french fries and lots of presents.

New mats

2010-12-01T18:14:00.000-06:00

The mat factory has been in full swing the last few weeks. It's been so fun to make some mats for people for Christmas gifts. I hope they get some squeals on Christmas morning when they are ripped open! :)

I love when I get to make things for my friends. Thecia ordered this mat for her puppies Sadie and Sally.

Another one for a friend. Shalako ordered this one for her sweet niece for Christmas.

This one is for a mom who found me on etsy and was in desperate need of a splat mat. I love the sayings she came up with. She said her daughter has started feeding more of her food to the dog than to herself. If nothing else, her dog can lick the mat clean after each meal! :)

I hope everyone loves their mats! Back to the craft room - still a few more orders to finish up before Christmas. Be back with pics of those soon.

Hope you're staying warm. This morning it was 1 degrees in Des Moines with the wind chill. Ugh...counting down the days until Spring already.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2010-11-29T18:05:00.000-06:00

The Christmas decorations are up! I love decorating my house for Christmas. I'm not an over-the-top kind of person, but when it comes to Christmas I might be pushing it...and I don't care. :) I distinctly remember when I was moving this spring someone saying "This is the third box marked Christmas decorations I have carried out to the truck!".

Since I was about 10 I've been collecting Christmas Trees. It's always so fun to get them all out every year.

This is one of my favorites. She's so cute with her tree topper hat and angel wings.

I love this tree picture frame with a picture of my little sister and I. Classically in matching PJs and bowl haircuts.

I think my sister, Anne made me this in shop class in high school! HA!

This was one of the first trees in my collection.

I try to remember to write the year on the bottom of each one so I can remember when I got them and from who. This one was 1993, the year we moved to Iowa.

2008 from my friends, the Galloways.

2002 from my Uncle Bob and Aunt Carol.

Moving on to my favorite room of the house, the living room. This green wreath is my favorite one I made. I could have one of these hanging in every room of my house...but that might be just a little too much.. :)

And the tree...the real star of the show. My roommates and I decorated it last night while drinking hot chocolate and watching a Christmas movie. So magical!

Now, feel free to send presents to go under the tree. It's looking a little bare under there.

Merry Christmas!

Cheers - A Thanksgiving Post

2010-11-24T21:11:00.000-06:00

This song, Here's to You by Brooke Fraser, has become one of my favorites over the past few weeks. The older I get the more I realize all that is really important to me are the relationships in my life. First my relationship with Christ and then with my family and friends. Over the last year, I've been through a lot. Made some great life-long memories, walked through some deep valleys, seen the reality of God's grace in a whole new way, moved to Iowa, and started a new job. Wow. That's a lot to pack in to one year!

So cheers - to the good, the bad and the ugly, because all of it makes me who I am.

Brooke says it so much better than I do:

Cheers to the furrows on our brow
To each hard-won victory
Cheers to the losses that grew us up
Killed our pride, and filled our cup

Cheers to the friendships well worn in
That time nor distance alter
Here’s to the sleepers we’ll see again
Find company in memoria

Open your mouth and sing out your song
Life is short as the day is long
I can’t leave you my body
But I’ll leave you a tune
This is my legacy
Cheers to you

Cheers to the passing of our youth
And the death of lust not one day
A toast to the lessons not yet learned
And to the trials that will teach them

Happy Thanksgiving!

Christmas Knit Hats in the shop

2010-11-16T23:09:00.000-06:00

I can't decide what was more fun - making these hats or photographing the gorgeous Nixon girl's modeling them for me. I just listed 4 hats in my etsy shop. 2 in size 2 years and up ($22) and 2 in size 6-12 months ($18). I'm planning on making more as quickly as my little hands can knit. Feel free to email me [plainlyjanemats@gmail.com] if you want something in a different size.

Did your heart just melt too? It's those eyes! Click here to go to the shop.

Wreaths

2010-11-13T19:44:00.003-06:00

Hello! So, I've been away from the blog for way too long. I just haven't had time to do any fun projects in the past few weeks, but now I'm back in action. The weather took a turn toward winter this weekend, so it's perfect for staying inside and crafting. Today I made a couple of new yarn wreaths. I love these so much more than the first one that I did in the fall. The little rosette flowers are so much easier to make. **Emily asked - To make the rosettes, just cut strips of felt and roll them into rosettes. I found that if you cut the strips a little wavy as opposed to just a straight strip, it makes it look more like petals. I used hot glue to hold them together and straight pins with decorative tips to stick them into the wreath.

I took the old flowers off of my gray wreath and replaced them with these red flowers and a couple of green leaves. Perfect for the Christmas season!

I made this one to give to my parents. Their front door is dark green so I thought the cream would look so great.

We have been needing a piece of furniture in our back hall for storage and someplace to set our purses and stuff. A while back my parents found this old desk at an antique store in Michigan that someone had cut down to two feet high. It was the perfect width for the space too, so they snatched it up and brought it home. I painted it this gorgeous mustard-yellow. I love the way it turned out! Now I'm on the lookout for some great new knobs. Those boring round knobs have got to go.

Ok, my fingers are cold from being out from under the blanket for so long. I'm going to put on another layer and cuddle up on the couch for some movie time. Happy Saturday!

A Few Recent Splat Mats

2010-11-01T17:32:00.000-05:00

Thought I'd share a couple of recent splat mats with you. I've loved these recent orders I've gotten in my etsy shop. Sometimes people have different taste in color choices than me, but lately I've been totally on the same page as my customers.

The customer was also buying this frame from Brian Andreas Story People, so we let it inspire the mat. The colors are so fun for a boy or girl.

This was the first time someone asked to have "Yes ma'am, No ma'am" on a splat mat. How did I never think of this before? Adorable.

Hoping to get in front on my sewing machine again this weekend, so I'll have some new projects to share.

Christmas Mats are up!

2010-10-17T14:44:00.000-05:00

Just listed my Christmas mats in the etsy shop. I am already getting the Christmas bug...early, I know. Head over and check them out! Make great Christmas gifts (for someone else or for yourself!).

Hope you're having a great weekend!

one yard wonders

2010-10-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

My mom and I got to go to Minneapolis this weekend and visit my sister. It was such a great little getaway. My mom went up Wednesday and I came up Thursday after work. Friday morning we buzzed up to Stillwater, a super cute little town about 30 mins north of Minneapolis. Downtown Stillwater is full of unique little shops and local restaurants. We walked, shopped, and ate lunch at a diner. I kept saying I felt like we were in a movie. We went to a knitting and fabric store that I fell in love with. I could have stayed there all day but Amy was starting to fall asleep while mom and I browsed fabrics and patterns. I did pick up this great book, One-Yard Wonders. These are the perfect projects for me to continue to teach myself how to sew.

Mom headed home Friday afternoon because she and my dad were going to the Iowa game Saturday. (Way to go Hawks!!) Amy and I went out for dinner with some of her girlfriends. We had the absolute worst service experience I think I've ever had, but at least the company was good! Saturday morning we convinced Amy's boyfriend Aaron to get up early and go to breakfast with us. Then Amy and I headed out to the apple farm. It was the perfect fall day! We drank hot apple cider, ate fresh kettle corn, and bought some apples and other goodies to bring home. Thanks, sister for a fun weekend!!

Today I couldn't wait to start a project from my new book! I decided to start with a sewing machine cover. I bought this adorable fabric that matches my living room just perfectly.

Sewing machine before. Boring.

And after. Pretty!

Next up, a yoga mat bag for Amy's bday! Sorry, no surprise here. The only way I could keep her in that fabric store very long was to let her pick out something I would make for her. :)

new projects around the house

2010-09-26T14:27:00.000-05:00

it's no secret that i'm a home-body. and there's nothing i love more than making cute things to make my home feel more like my own. i've been in a major "nesting" mood this weekend. yesterday after a quick target run to print pictures for the frames that have been begging to be updated, my new roommate (shout out to Christina - welcome!) said, "you're really getting things done today!". i painted some mats that were ordered from my shop this week, updated the frames, hemmed my new jeans, and made a coat rack for the back hall! now that's a good saturday. I also recently made a wreath for our door. I've been seeing lots of these yarn wreaths on etsy. they are going for like $30-40...I made my own for closer to $10.

it's just a styrofoam wreath form wrapped in grey yarn. i made some felt flowers and stuck them in using some decorative picks i found in the jewelry section at michaels.

here's the coat rack i made yesterday. i have been eyeing one on etsy but it was $65 and i just couldn't bring myself to spend that! it's so simple...all i did was buy a piece of plywood (they sell these pre-cut at lowes for like $4), cut out a stencil, painted it with acrylic paints and put one light coat of polyurethane on it to give it a more finished look.

close up of the design:

this yellow/grey is my new favorite color combo.

i got 4 double clothes hooks in silver.

called up my handy dad to come over and install it and voila!

come on over and hang up your coat!

well, off to finish up the mats and hopefully have another productive day! i'll post pics of the mats maybe later tonight. i've done a few splat mats in the last couple weeks that i really like.

fall, beautiful fall

2010-09-16T18:41:00.001-05:00

oh, how i love the fall. it never loses it's place as my favorite season of the year. i love the crispness of the air, the delicious treats, the sounds of crunchy leaves, the colors...i could go on and on. thought i'd share some pretty fall things with you that i'm loving right now.

These apple pie marshmallows. Are you kidding? I should not buy them because I would just eat them all...and then try to buy more.

this little owl garland would look so cute somewhere in my house. why are owls so cute when they are cartoony? they are NOT cute in real life.

If I had these cards I would write you a letter on them.

This print says it perfectly I think.

Why are there so many cute things for little girls like this hat? I hope I have one someday because I will buy her and make her LOTS of cute things.

Don't you want to crack your window open and snuggle under a blanket to read a great book? Well, I do.

This banner is a little cheesy for my taste, but I love the phrase "Gather Together". I recently heard someone say that you may regret a lot of things you do in your life, but you'll never regret spending time with people you love.

Last, but certainly not least, my new fall favorite tunes. Mumford and Sons. Get it, turn it on, hit repeat and listen to your heart's delight. Timshel is my favorite song right now. Or maybe Awake My Soul. They're all so good! I'm serious - go get it right now.

the mclaughlin's

2010-09-07T20:21:00.000-05:00

the long anticipated brett & joey wedding weekend finally arrived! i headed to OKC last friday on a quick flight from KC thanks to southwest and katie, ang & kara picked me up from the airport. we grabbed some lunch and got settled in at our hotel. the amount of people that came from all over the country for this wedding is a true testament to the kind of friends brett & joey are. i think we had a total of at least 20 rooms at the hotel!

we headed to the church and got our rehearsing on. stand in your place, recessional, processional, do it all again....i got it. not my first trip down the aisle as a bridesmaid, people. :) the mclaughlin's had a delicious and fun rehearsal dinner for us afterward.

me, ang, joey, rylie, katie & katie at dinner. i have some really beautiful friends!

holding the newest sparks, beckett. love at first sight! if he looks small it's because he is ONE week old! collin and ella were both in the wedding, but rachel didn't want to miss out on the fun and she is AMAZING so she made the trip with a brand new baby. so thankful they came!

rylie made a bottle cap necklace for joey with a "B" on it for "Brett" to wear at her wedding. adorable!

After the rehearsal dinner we had a little shower for joey. someone gave her this apron and i took pics because i really want to make one! it's just a terry cloth dishtowel with a band sewn on. she had it monogrammed with joey's new initials. can't be that hard, right?

kara and i at the shower

we got as much sleep as we could friday night knowing we would have a big day ahead of us. saturday afternoon joey's aunt and cousin had an amazing bridal luncheon for us in downtown OKC. it was SWANKY! and we took lots of pics. :)

aww...love you girls. besties.

rachel, me and katie

joey with her flower girls, ella and rylie. joey gave all of us vera bradley bags as gifts (thanks jo!!). the little girls got lunch bags and they were so excited. they will be the best accessorized girls at preschool and kindergarten.

after lunch it was time to get ready for the big night! i wish i had more pics from the ceremony/reception. hoping i can snag some from other people and the photographer once they are posted online. here are a few for now.

kelli & i at the reception.

with the beautiful bride!

there they are! mr. and mrs. mclaughlin

joey and rylie

sunday those of us that were still around went to brunch and then had to say some goodbyes. it goes without saying that i was a tearful mess. why can't all the people i love live in the same place?

some of us stuck around until Monday to enjoy the weekend. we rested, ate good food, just enjoyed time together, and visited the OKC National Memorial. Here's some pics of the memorial. it's pretty amazing.

thanks brett & joey for such an amazing weekend. it was a joy and honor to stand beside you as you committed your lives to each other. can't wait to see what great adventures God takes you on now as husband and wife.

the finn-monster

2010-09-01T10:44:00.000-05:00

This Friday is Finn's 2nd birthday! I can hardly believe it. He is growing up so fast. For his bday present I sent him a play tent that is shaped like a monster. It arrived yesterday and Noah set it up in the front yard. Look how cute!

ROAR!

Project List

2010-08-31T20:00:00.002-05:00

My list of projects I want to do usually stays in my head, which is why I tend to forget about most of them, so I thought I'd share a few. Maybe that way I'll remember them and get to them soon! So many fun things to look forward to with fall just around the corner. I'm excited, but also a little scared because it means winter is just that much closer. I am seriously scared about living through an Iowa winter again...I'm not sure I'm ready for it.

These felt bows I have actually already made. They are so easy and fast. Not to mention adorable.

Found this gem yesterday. Winter Wreath all made of felt! Plus it's embroidered which I have loved learning a little about. I'm not a huge fan of the neon thread. I'd probably go more traditional with my color choices. This project will probably wait until it's closer to Christmas, but putting it on the list now so I have it ready by Christmas!

My roommate just bought a new couch for our family room. Side note, it's HUGE and super comfy. We need some pretty pillows to spice it up a little. Go over to Under the Sycamore to see some she did using dishtowels from Anthropologie. (Scroll down to the bottom of the post to see the pillows)

Now this is really ambitious but I think I want to learn how to quilt. I am always looking at them on etsy and they are so pretty!

(this one is from piecesofpine)

Ok, that's enough for now. Just writing this post has started me looking for more projects. Must stop!

What? You're 5?!

2010-08-27T09:00:00.001-05:00

Rylie Deane - there is no way that you are 5 years old today. It's just too crazy. Did you know that I was there the day you were born? You are a very special little girl and I love you so much. Here's a look back at us through the years.

(I know I have a picture of us just days after you were born but I can't find it anywhere! Kelley S. - I think you took it. If you have it still, can you send it to me?:))

When you were 1. What a cute baby!

Now you're 2! This might be one of my favorite pictures of us. My mommy made that dress for you and you sure loved to wear it!

Eating sprinkle donuts on the way to cut down our Christmas trees when you were 3!

This is last summer at your 4th birthday party.

I'm sorry I can't be at your Ariel birthday party today to celebrate you turning 5. But I'll see you next week and we will take a picture together to add to this collection. Love you Ry!
xoxo,
nay-nay

p.s. did you know you were the first person to call me nay-nay? it's my favorite nick-name. :)

happy birthday, dear friend

2010-08-26T16:25:00.000-05:00

katie, happy birthday! you deserve to be spoiled beyond all your expectations today. wishing i could beam myself to where you are, as we always say. thank you for being such a wonderful friend to me. you are a woman truly after God's heart and your faith is one to be admired. there are too many things to say about you and you're too humble to ask for any of them. so here's to a new year and new adventures! so blessed to be on the road of life with you as my friend.
xoxo

little lady - be back to celebrate you tomorrow!

food on a stick

2010-08-22T16:11:00.000-05:00

it's that wonderful time of year again in iowa that everyone loves so dearly - state fair time!! Vicki, Christina, Christina & I couldn't pass up a night of eating fair food and some of the best people watching you'll ever encounter.

there she is in all her glory. the butter cow!

Christina N. gave us a tour of the 4 H building. She knows a lot about 4 H...and she's really proud of it. I totally made fun of it but I also secretly knew that if I had grown up a farm kid I would have been done it and been proud of it too.

if you're at the fair you can't pass up a ride on the giant slide.

warning: this might gross you out. we went to the baby animal barn to see the cute little sheep and calves and got a big surprise. A cow had just gone in to labor and we witnessed a baby calf be born. vicki almost threw up but i thought it was cool. little aunt jemima (that's what they named her) seemed to be struggling a little but we went back to check on her before we left and i think she was ok.

after that my iowa state fair experience felt complete.

for the record i did eat a corn dog, a diet coke, and a bag of fresh delicious donuts for dessert. i was also tempted by the fair square (giant rice krispie treat), a peppermint ice cream cookie thing, and chocolate covered tiramasu on a stick. mmmm....i'm hungry now....

branson round 3

2010-08-22T15:54:00.001-05:00

hello again. my third road trip to branson this summer was such a great one. sarah & brad got married and i got to spend a few days with great friends.

it was so fun to have a chance to see the makuch family while i was in town. it was francesca's 7th birthday party and i surprised her by stopping by. the party was at the water chute and the kids spent an hour going down the water slide and running back to the top. being 7 is a good time.

francesca, mimi, me and andrew (i'm sad i didn't get to see the big kids. hopefully next time!):

sarah & brad's wedding was beautiful! the newlyweds:

at the rehearsal dinner with blair, julie and laura. old k-kountry friends together again! just in case we forgot who's wedding we were at we posed their photo in front of us.

jillsie and i. why am i smiling like that?

the k-kountry crew with the bride and groom. i'm so thankful to be a part of this extended family of friends!

me and kara.

thanks branson for a wonderful time as always!

Splat Mats

2010-08-07T21:21:00.000-05:00

I got two orders for super cute girly splat mats this week. I love making stuff for little girls, pinks are so much prettier than blues. :)

This one is on it's way to Chicago for a baby shower gift. Can't wait to hear how the mom likes it!

Sweet Lyla, you are the lucky girl who gets my most favorite splat mat I've ever made. The buyer picked these colors and design and I'm definitely going to use them again. It's like a big watermelon!

fun new artwork

2010-08-03T18:50:00.000-05:00

I found this tutorial on Kara Paslay Designs Blog and thought it would be so cute in our living room. She did her's with magazine paper, but I chose to do it with fabric. I found these three fabrics that I just loved together. It was pretty simple.

First cut all the letters out of the fabric. I made the letters of "Love" a little larger since you are supposed to read them twice. Make sense? I laid it out on a piece of solid olive green fabric and attached the letters with the hot glue gun. Seriously easy.

I went scrounging in my parents storage closet through all the old frames my mom didn't want any more and found a great solid black frame. I took out the poster that was in there & the glass and used the cardboard backing that was behind the poster as the base for the fabric. I "mod-podged" tissue paper squares around the edge to create a border.

Hot glued it onto the cardboard and put it in the frame.

Cheapest piece of art I've ever had on my walls! And possibly one of my favorites.

Sarah & Brad are getting married...

2010-08-02T18:15:00.000-05:00

...and I made the ceremony programs! I had so much fun doing these for them. Sarah and I have been friends for a few years and I have the honor of reading scripture in their wedding. She was trying to make all her programs while working at kamp this summer. Obviously she was crazy to think that would happen without her tearing her hair out, so I volunteered to do it for her!

I started with printing the inside of the program. did you know office max does printing and it's really cheap? I dropped it off after work one night and it was done before they closed. Way to go Office Max. I officially recommend your printing services.

For the outside of the program Sarah picked this pretty green paper. I cut & folded them down to 6x6 squares.

Next I printed this decorative slip with their names & location/date of the wedding. These I just printed on my computer at home on ivory scrapbook paper in a green ink that matched the green paper.

Stuffed and ready for the last step.

Sewing!

One quick zip through the sewing machine (zig zag stitch) to bind everything together.

Ta-Da!

All ready for the big day! Congratulations Sarah & Brad!

2010-07-24T22:44:00.000-05:00

I love this dress. I bought it at TJ Maxx a couple years ago, but I never wear it because it's all white. I thought that wouldn't bother me but I just feel weird wearing all white. So I decided I'm going to dye it. I can't decide what color to dye it though.

My top color choices are grey, pink, or yellow. I love their blues but I have like 4 blue dresses so I need some variety in my closet. Here are all the dye options. So, what do you think?

2010-07-23T20:13:00.000-05:00

Well I'm stuck at home on the couch with strep throat. Who gets strep throat in the middle of the summer? And at age 27? Seriously. Anyway...I had all day to work on this fun project I've been looking forward to. I bought this super cute pincushion kit from the daily pincushion on etsy.

I have never done embroidery before so I spent a little time watching you tube videos learning a few stitches. I quickly fell in love with this project! Starting the top:

Sewing the side band to the top:

Fill 'er up!

Ta-Da!

Now I don't have to keep my pins in a box top while I'm working and I've learned some new sewing skills! A successful Friday if I do say so myself. Well, I'm off to eat another popsicle to sooth my throat.

*sorry the photos aren't very clear. they all were taken on my phone. :)

Kari Jobe: You Are For Me

2010-07-20T08:50:00.000-05:00

One of the girls in my bible study recently found out that her dad has cancer. This morning, instead of going to Starbucks and chatting we all got together at her house and prayed. I was continually reminded of this song by Kari Jobe. Over the last year or so this song has become such an encouragement to me and the prayer of my heart.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

2010-07-19T18:32:00.000-05:00

Sew, I made some more clutches this weekend. I can't sell these because the pattern belongs to someone else so these are all going as gifts. I'll try to come up with my own twist on this pattern so I can put them in the shop.

Anne - this one is in the mail to you! Simple & super cute. I love the fabric on the center strip. This was my last bit of it and I was sad to use it all up. Might have to go back to the fabric store and try to find it again.

Kelli - for you! I thought the red was appropriate for you, my red-headed friend from Oklahoma! :) This is my favorite one so far. I love these fabrics together. Initially I used the turquoise zipper because it was all I had left and I was too lazy to go back to the fabric store. But I think it turned out to be the perfect match. You can't really tell in these pics but I used turquoise thread to tie it in. Love!

2010-07-14T19:00:00.002-05:00

I'm finally back. I feel like I've been out of town for a long time! I had a great 4th of July weekend in Branson. Unfortunately I took zero pictures. So you'll just have to trust me that it was awesome. I hung out at K-Kountry, stayed at my old house, sat at the pool, and most importantly caught up with friends. It was so good to be with everyone for a few days.

I was home for three days then left again for Michigan. My whole family was there for 5 days. It was such a great time! We basically sat on the beach, ate, spoiled Finn, and then did it all over again. Since Finn was around we all suddenly turned into the paparazzi. Here are lots of great pics!

The Knutsen/Harrison girls. We have spent every summer at the lake together since we were about 5. It has been a few years since all 4 of us were there at the same time. It was so fun to have a few days together again.

And it didn't take long for us to turn into kids again...

We have decided to change his name to "Prince Finn". I mean, seriously. Spoiled much?

The Jane Club. Three generations of Jane's. Still waiting for my sisters to have girls so I can get my Jane...ah-hem, ah-hem!

Cute or cutest?

One of about 5 times we went out for ice cream.

You'll probaby see this one again on my parent's Christmas Card this year. Aunt Carol was jumping around like a crazy lady trying to make Finn smile. It worked on all of us but the munchie is thinking "what is that lady doing?!".

Fun with Grandma

Oh hey, what's up ladies?

Wishing I was still at the beach...

2010-06-29T10:28:00.000-05:00

hola. long time, no see little blog world. well, to this blog anyway. i'm constantly reading (read: stalking) other blogs.

i've been getting much better acquainted with my sewing machine the past few weeks. i bought a new table cloth at target a few weeks ago. it was just a little too big for my table, so i hemmed it to fit and made napkins out of the extra fabric. having fabric napkins at your table is so much nicer (and greener) than using paper every time. i just throw them in the wash every week with my laundry. plus, it's a great excuse to use some adorable napkin rings a friend gave me a few years ago. no longer for special occasions only!

last night i made another clutch for a friend's birthday present. it turned out really cute (sorry for the lack of picture), but as i was sewing the last seam i got a little too anxious, went over the zipper cover which was too thick for my zipper foot and broke my needle. ugh! at least i was done with the clutch when it happened. so, to the fabric store i go tonight to get a new needle.

here are a few projects i've got my eye on:

pajama pants (in liberty of london fabric). i've never sewn a garment before and i think this will be a great first one for me. everyone can use a new pair of pj's from time to time.

I got this book for Christmas from my mom and it's time to finally dig in to a pattern and make one. And then I'll probably bake some goodies for an excuse to wear my new apron. Anyone want to come over for cookies?

that's all i've got folks. i'm hitting the road (well, really the air) this weekend and again next week for some great 4th of july celebrations. included will be all the glitz & glam of branson mo, the beaches of crystal lake & lake michigan, and the finnster. go ahead and be jealous.

Lovely Little Family Weekend

2010-06-20T16:07:00.000-05:00

My sister Amy and her boyfriend Aaron came home this weekend from Minneapolis. We had a great weekend celebrating Father's Day and hanging out. Amy and I took Dad shopping on Saturday morning and got him a new little summer wardrobe. It was so fun. Saturday night we went to the Iowa Cubs game with Aaron's family. It was a perfect night for a baseball game. The game went into 3 extra innings - it goes without being said that the Harrison's left early.

Amy & I

Someone obviously said something funny before this pic.

Amy & Aaron. Oh, I forgot to mention that Aaron threw out the first pitch at the game. (but so did 10 other people including some 9 year olds...we were still proud of him! :))

Sew a needle pulling thread!

2010-06-12T21:04:00.000-05:00

Today I finally got my sewing machine set up and worked on some projects I've been saving for a while.

First I tried out the Twenty Minute Tote I found on The Purl Bee (a fav blog of mine).

I only bought enough cotton webbing for two bags so that was all I did today, but I'm definitely going back to get more. These are going to become my new reusable shopping bags. The first one probably took me more like 30 minutes but the second went really quick once I had the hang of the pattern. Super easy.

Next was the Gathered Clutch. This pattern was more intimidating for me because I've never done zippers or gathering before. If the tutorial didn't have photos and real person instructions I probably would have given up half way through. But I did it! It's definitely not perfect, if you look closely you can tell, but I love it. And it only used a tiny bit of fabric. I didn't make any inside pockets on this one, but now that I know I can do this I'm going to make another one with them.

I love to sew!

2010-06-12T08:54:00.000-05:00

As you can see I'm trying out a new blog design. Blogger finally updated their designer with more options. I'm loving the clean, simple look right now. I'm going to live with it for a little while and see if it's a keeper.

In other news, my friend Hayley had her twin girls this week. They are so precious! I've been to see them at the hospital twice now and can't get enough of them.

Tillie Chandler Nixon (left) & Georgia Kate Nixon (right)

This is Georgia last night snuggled up in my lap. I could have seriously held her forever.

This is the first Saturday in 3 weeks that I've had nothing to do. I have been awake for an hour but I have not left my bed yet. It's thundering and dark outside so I don't plan on getting up anytime soon. :) Happy Weekend!!

i feel pretty

2010-06-08T22:04:00.007-05:00

sometimes i just like to browse for pretty pictures. here are some that i love tonight.

love the balloons tied to the rain boots. it's like the might take off or something.

again, wishing i was a ballerina
just a simple post it
yum-o
i wish i could sleep in and lay like this in the morning. i'm so ready for the weekend...it's only tuesday...
seriously! how often do you say this to yourself?
haha!

Make new friends...

2010-06-04T10:16:00.003-05:00

I can't help but hear my old Girl Scout song in my head today, "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other's gold." {I'm aware that I'm a dork, just go with it} After my little pity party the other night God, in his greatness & care for my life, provided some new friends for me! Last night I had dinner with 3 girls who I met through work and a mutual friend. All 4 of us are single, go to the same church, and are in need of some friendship and connection in our lives. We went to this cute little restaurant in Beaverdale and sat on their rooftop patio. We ended up eating, talking, and laughing (I think I had tears at one point) for 3.5 hours! Suddenly we realized the waitress was closing down the patio, so we took the hint and called it a night. It was so great to connect with new people. I'm looking forward to getting to know them better and finally having someone to sit with at church on Sunday! :)

**It really does bother me when I write a post without pictures. It's just not as much fun. So click here for cuteness via the Finnster. You're welcome.

Outer Space - A Pity Party

2010-06-01T21:16:00.007-05:00

I feel like my friends live in outer space and I never know if and when a phone call will come and how long it will last. Kamp has started for the summer and this is the first summer in 9 years that I haven't been there. Now that the kampers have arrived I never know when I'm going to have a chance to talk to my friends. My phone rings flashing a 417 number I know all too well, I pick up quickly in rushed excitement and we launch into stories of kamp chaos, life outside of kamp, and too many "aww, i miss you's" in between. Right in the middle of a story I really want to talk about with one of my best friends, someone opens that creeky office door to say K-Life just let out it's "I gotta go". Click. I get it, I've been there a hundred times before. But being on this side of the phone...it sucks.

That's my pity party for tonight. I miss kamp....well mainly my friends...I don't miss ants in my water bottle and bugs in my hair.

for nostalgia's sake:

My Heart is Full

2010-05-31T19:30:00.007-05:00

I headed down to Griffin, Georgia for Memorial Day Weekend to visit my very dear friends, The Galloway's. It was much needed time together. Friday night I had a disastrous time getting there. My flight ended up being delayed almost 4 hours. Thanks to the Boney's for being so patient and waiting for me at the airport! Once we finally arrived at the house, I snuck in and kissed a sleeping Rylie before falling into bed and talking way too late with Katie. Saturday morning I came downstairs and was greeted by a running hug (those are the best kind!) from Ry. We spent the day walking, talking, swimming, eating, and just enjoying being together.

Rylie and I lounging by the pool.
Saturday night we headed up to Atlanta to see the Braves game. We brought our tamohaks to cheer them on!
We had great seats on the upper deck behind home plate. They turned out to be perfect seats when it started raining in the last inning. Luckily the rain only lasted a little while and we got to see the end of the game before racing to the car to beat the next storm.
Grayson was pooped after all the excitement.
Sunday we went to church, made a big lunch, walked and talked some more and celebrated Sara's birthday. Thanks Galloway's for letting me be part of your family celebration!

Katie, Rylie and I this morning before I left.
Quinn (Katie's nephew and Rylie's best buddy) wanted to get in the pics too. Quinn is a baseball whiz - he taught me everything I needed to know about the Braves this weekend. I would have been lost without him! :) I love you guys and miss you already! Even though I'm missing kamp this summer, I'm really enjoying being able to take trips like this. Can't wait for the next one!

more pics!

2010-05-23T21:42:00.004-05:00

I found some more pics (snagged them from the mother of the bride's facebook!:)

heading to take pictures
there they are! mr. & mrs. rychnovsky
head table at the reception. GORGEOUS!
Annie, Jenn and I at the end of the night. We all had aching feet and sleepy eyes by this point!
what a great night!

Jenise's Wedding

2010-05-23T12:46:00.014-05:00

I'm so tired...I'm not sure I will be able to put coherent sentences together, but here are some pics from Jenise & Travis' wedding yesterday. It was a gorgeous day and honestly the most beautiful wedding I've ever seen. I didn't do a great job taking pictures. It's hard to do when you're in the wedding. And I don't think I even got one picture with the bride. Hopefully I can get my hands on some of the pics from the photographer soon.

Bridesmaids getting ready. Yes, that is kleenex hanging from my ear. It's keeping the hot roller from burning my ear.
Precious flower girls Hayden & Sienna.
Our dresses were amazing. I'm sure this is a bridesmaid dress I will never wear again but I don't care because it was so fun to wear for one day. I felt so beautiful in it. Thank you Jenise for having such amazing taste! :)
The ceremony was in Nollen Plaza in downtown Des Moines.
The reception was in Captial Square. Of course it was decorated just beautifully! Here are a few pics. Jenise dancing with her dad.
Big view of the room.
ONE of their cakes. I think each tier was a different flavor. I didn't get any of it but I heard it was good!
The other cake (where I spent most of my time) was all Godiva chocolate truffles! YUM.
Ellen, Hayley and I. It was so fun to spend time with you girls!
The Nixon's. Probably the last picture of these two before they are parents of 4! Only a couple more weeks till the twins arrive. Woo-Hoo!
Ellen and I.
My parents and I. Thank goodness my mom had her camera otherwise I would have no pictures of this whole day.
Well my eyes are already half closed. I think I'm going to spend most of the day on the couch recovering. Congratulations Mr. & Mrs. Rychnovsky! Love you guys!