Back to Reality

Well hello there, it has been awhile and my brain is still not fully tuned into "real life" time. I hope that all of you have been having a wonderfully, glorious summer and were able at some point in time to sneak away (or stay) for a little r&r.

For the past month, Ellie and I have been enjoying, soaking in, and relishing the "good ole summer days." We have had the luxury of time, and by that I mean that we have not had one "thing" on our schedule. Nothing! No work task, looking house project or major chore to complete. We have simply been able to come and go, do or not do, as we please for the past month. It was lovely!!

Here are some pictures from the past month, I hope you enjoy. I'm off to try and re-group and remember how I did this, mommy, work, schedule-thing.

Torch Lake-look at that water 

The cabin

 Amazing sunsets

Life is so great

Weddings, Weddings

What a fun time of the year when we get to travel around and watch the people that we love, exchange and commit to each other.

As everyone says, it's amazing how fast time flies. We were asked at a wedding this weekend and it took me some moments...(longer than it probably should) to remember how long we have been married. Thank goodness Scott was standing next to me and could quickly remember how long it's been (see, that's just one of the many seasons why I married him!) We always like to take a moment drive to or from the wedding to reflect on our own wedding day and the promises that we made to each other.



Here are some of the questions that we ask each other to relive our wedding day and reconnect as a couple:

1. What was your favorite part of our wedding day?
2. What stands out the most to you about getting ready on our wedding day?
3. Who did you love seeing at the wedding?
4. What do you remember thinking/feeling standing up on the alter?
5. If you could pick one word to describe that day, what would it be?

Just a couple of questions is all that it seems to take to re-ignite some of that spark that we felt on our wedding. As our days continue to morph from a family of two to a family of three, it's important to reconnect to what brought us to that point. I love hearing how my husband felt on our wedding day. It has created such a different memory for me and taken place in my heart in such a different way as the past three (good thing he remembers!) years have gone by.

What questions would add to the list...I would love to hear from you.

Sweet Potato Hummus

This is a super delicious and easy hummus recipe that even the baby loves to eat.

Here's the list of ingredient that you need:
1 sweet potato
1 can of garbanzo beans
1/4 C tahini
1/4 C lemon juice
2 TB olive oil
2 tsp cumin
1 garlic clove (peeled)
Salt and Pepper (to taste)

Directions:
1. Cook the sweet potato in the oven at 350, for about 45 minutes.
2. Take the sweet potato out and let it cool. When it's done cooling peel the skin off and cut the potato into chunks.
3. Put the potato, garbanzo beans, tahini, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin and garlic clove into a blender and mix until smooth.

So delicious, we can't keep it in the house! 

Swimming Beauty

We have a water baby on our hands. This girl loves the water. Whether it's to drink, to bathe, to play or to swim in. Turn a faucet or step outside in the rain and she's one happy camper. She was able to enjoy the pool this weekend with daddy for some fun in the sun, water style.

Hope you are enjoying the summer warmth! Needless to say we will be spending as much time in the water as we can manage

Hello Summertime!

Hello summertime I'm so glad that you are here. Here are the days of no schedule, staying in pjs, cuddling, reading, going for leisurely walks, hanging at the pool and not having to cram every moment into the weekend.

This is the first summer that I haven't worked since I was a kid. And now that I have a kid of my own I want to enjoy every moment and ignore the ticking clock in the back of my head counting down the days until school starts again.

We have a wonderful, full summer of weddings, traveling, family and lots of lake time! For those of you who don't get a summer, I have been there! Hang with me, and for those of us lucky enough to get summer's off....let's get started.

Crazy-haired girl! 

Fun in the sun 

Welcome Back

Life, as always, has been crazy busy! About a month ago we moved into our house!!! This is no small feat. We bought the house over a year ago and spent the past year making it our own. And by making it our own I mean tearing down and re-doing almost every single wall and room in the house. Amongst the moving and unpacking, we has the joy of finally using treasures and items from our wedding (3 years ago). There are pictures of the house to come soon, we are still putting the finishing touches on a few rooms yet. 

Scott has started full-sing working outside and we are hitting our stride and falling nicely into the routine of being in our OWN house (it still doesn't seem real). 

Ellie has taken all of the change in tremendous stride. She is loving not having to share a room with us anymore and we are loving that most nights she is sleeping through the night. Hard to believe this little one graced us with her presence seven months ago. To watch her grow and learn is truly a miraculous sight to be held. 

Hope you all have been doing well and look forward to being back. 

March-Here and Now

Ohhh March-You have been one of the craziest months that we have had in a long time. Between work, Ellie starting daycare, taxes, finishing the house, starting to move and WHEW, well just life in general this little blog has taken somewhat of a back seat. But I haven't forgotten and I have been thinking and praying about what I want to focus on for the month of March. The "theme" for the month just seemed to fit, I am focusing on being present. There are so many stresses in life that get exacerbated by thinking about what's coming and what might be or the what could be. The future can be fun to think about and important to plan for, but it has morphed into an all-consuming force that at times leaves me paralyzed. So I am determined to make the most of the here and now by focusing on the here and now.


Here is a list of the four things that I thought of to help:
1. Read Jesus Calling everyday
2. On the drive to work make a mental list of all my blessings
3. Document our days with pictures
4. Do yoga once a week