Pinterest

I've been using Pinterest for quite a while now. I absolutely love it! I have tried many recipes like beef stroganoff, philly cheese steak sloppy joes, & lemon blueberry cupcakes. We have also tried these things: owl handprint painting, an awesome way to keep cards and momentos, and these for Easter. These are some of the ideas/recipes that we enjoyed.

There were some misses too... like 7up biscuits. Not so great. But, they were super easy and we didn't spend much on the ingredients.

I also love all of the photography ideas on Pinterest. Speaking of, the photo above of my Gabers was totally inspired by this. I know its not quite the same, but having a four year old posed like this would be really weird! I am so pleased with how the pictures turned out... Here are a couple more. And, if you are friends with me on Facebook, sorry, you're seeing them again. :)



Thank you Pinterest...

thank you, parenthood.

If you follow me on Facebook, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of the show Parenthood. And, lately, I have been very happy with their choice to cover the topic of adoption. Adoption will obviously always be a very close subject to my heart. When chosen as a topic on a series on TV, I am always a little bit skeptical that the show will be able to pull it off. I am always expecting to be disappointed with a dumb, cheesy line or an uneducated portrayal of a birth mom or an adoptive mom.

Parenthood, however, has been doing an excellent job portraying the life of an adoptive mom, or at least an adoptive mom like me. I can see myself as Julia, wanting a child - wanting to add to her family. I could see myself when she found out about being infertile. (that episode was a real waterworks one for me... it about killed me!) I can also see her approaching her husband, telling him of this crazy idea, and then watching him fall in love with the idea as much as she has.

It showed Julia and her husband, Joel as they spoke with her parents about the idea. Her parents worried, brought up valid concerns like money and personal space.

I have just been so pleased with how they have presented this show to the viewers. The situation wasn't hokey and melodramatic... Julia wasn't a crazy, infertile lady who would pay thousands of dollars (even though she could afford it and had the opportunity to) to have a child... as much as she so badly wanted to have this baby in her family.

I hope they go all the way with it and show us viewers an open adoption. You really don't see it much on TV... It's not the popular choice out there. But, people need to be educated! It can be such an amazing gift! I am so unbelievably blessed to know members of Gabe's birth family. And, most importantly, so is he! I do not doubt for a moment that when God placed that boy in my arms, he had the entire plot laid out. I do not doubt that he brought all of us together to love this one very special child. Don't get me wrong, those first few visits were scary. I remember thinking they would've regretted choosing us. There are still times I joke about that with them. But I can honestly say, it has all worked out so well. I asked God to fulfill my hearts desire, and He did - bigger and better than I ever could have imagined.

So, thank you, Parenthood! Thank you for making others aware of adoption and what a gift it can be. Thank you for showing us a strong woman who desperately wants a child but remains wise to keep her family safe. Thank you for showing a birth mother who truly wants better for her child and is having trouble with that decision. This program has shown that it has not been easy for her. That is one of the biggest misconceptions... that these birth moms are just able to disregard their children. Not true. I have met many birth moms, watched many interviews, and read books regarding birth families... Their children are on their mind every day. THEY are taking the risk, placing their child's life in another woman's arms. WE didn't take the risk when we chose open adoption... She did. She trusted me with her son. And, I think about that all the time.

Parenthood is an awesome show - it's on Tuesday nights at 9:00 CST. Check it out!

In other news, I am watching my first episode of How I Met Your Mother... Starting at Season 1, Episode 1. And, I am hooked. I love you NPH! Oh, and Jason Segel? Probably one of my biggest crushes!

his toy story...

"Mom, Mom, don't put these away... I'm going to play with these guys tomorrow." Ok, buddy....



Tonight we cleaned/sorted Gabe's playroom. Usually after a few days it gets really messy and my OCD takes over and I have to sort everything into its correct place. I always open up the 'Lego guy' drawer and think I'm going to sort it out and put the guys together correctly but I never do. 1. It would take FAR too long... this kid has so many Lego guys. and 2. I would never find pieces like these! Above, meet Robin the Shark, Woody the Sumo Wrestler, Jesse the Little Person, and the Construction/Robot who looks like he should be doing the YMCA. Gabe was in the basement playing dodgeball with Greg while I stayed up here to sort and I just couldn't contain my laughter! This kid! Seriously!


We've been to the Lego store twice. The first time we went, Gabe was really into Toy Story. I asked him to help me pick out a keychain for me... he picked Jesse because she was a girl like me. This year, I went to the Lego store with some friends and I had to pick up the pirate guy from Pirates of the Carribean. Gabe LOVES pirates right now (and might be getting a few for Christmas). I love the idea of carrying little reminders of my Gabers with me while I'm doing the normal day to day activities. I can just glance down at my keys and instantly smile thinking of the little guy who cracks me up on a daily basis.

Can you imagine if Gabe's toys came to life at night? Poor Woody... A sumo wrestler? And Jesse, having to adjust to life as a little person? Gabe is really loving pretend play right now. I'm sure his toys are enjoying it too. So many of them have become "best friends" and have "broken up" as well as smashed into their friends' houses. In Gabe's toy story, pirate guys and Lego men live together in harmony. Mean sharks attack the ships and take half the men down. And, guys forgive each other (I've heard him say from one guy to another - "It's ok, I forgive you. You're my best friend again".)

I've heard you can tell a lot from your child's pretend play... how they are disciplined, how they interact with other kids, etc... And, it's really good for their development. Hearing Gabe's pretend play brings so much delight to me. I love it.

Thanksgiving

Since we got married, I have been collecting Pfaltzgraff's Winterberry dishes. I love them. I never get to use them though, we don't really host Christmas meals. I hope to change that though. I'd like to have a friend dinner party some night here soon... We'll see how work scheduling and holiday planning goes. Anyway, this year I decided to go ahead and have the house decorated for Christmas for our Thanksgiving dinner. It turned out pretty nice.



My sister in law, brother in law, and nieces Katie & Julia brought their brand new beautiful, snuggly puppies to Thanksgiving. They are the sweetest things!! They didn't make a peep all day and spent most of their time being held by all of us, or cuddling next to each other in their little puppy playpen. They were just delightful. Jay and Missy asked if I'd take some pictures of "their girls... all of them!" and I was so happy to! Here is my favorite:



Aren't they lovely? I am so proud of these two sweet girls. I babysat Katie (L) a lot when she was little. I was in college and Greg would come over and we'd play "house". It was so fun. It's so hard to believe she will be 15 on January 24th... also the night of mine and Greg's first date. *yeah, he got a little in trouble for "working" ehem (going out with me) during a snowstorm when Katie was born* Oops... But, here we are 15 years later. Julia is such a sweet girl too. She gave Gabe a run for his money on wrestling moves on Thanksgiving. She is so very smart (both girls are). Julia is delightfully ornery, sweet, and all around fun to be with.

These girls are my 'first nieces'. I love them very much... and now I have new puppies to love on too!

Advent

I work with this woman who taught Sunday school for kids Gabe's age in the past. So, I thought I'd see if she had any neat ideas for Advent for Gabe. He is having such a hard time waiting for Christmas. His Daddy and I are so looking forward to enjoying Christmas with him.

Deanna (my co-worker) gave us this excellent idea... Make a paper chain for however many days are left until Christmas. Then, each night before bed Gabe gets to take one chain off the tree after we read this:

"Each evening after your prayers are said,

take off one ring. And hop in bed!

When only the candle is left to shine,

then you will know it's Christmas time!"

We gave Gabe a little battery-operated candle that he gets to have on in his room Christmas night. I hung the garland on the tree just so it'd be an easy place for all of us to remember to do it each night... not that Gabe will let us forget! I need to figure out a way to incorporate the real meaning of Christmas into it too... Maybe the candle is for Jesus' birthday.

Isn't this one of THE cutest almost - five year old's you've ever seen? Love him.

Homemade Chutney

Ok, I'm a little proud of myself on this one... I made my own chutney for Thanksgiving! Actually, the recipe was really easy! I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year and since I'll be working up until the day of, I thought I'd get this done, freeze it, and then thaw it the day before. Once less thing I have to worry about making the day of the meal. Defrost and warm in the microwave and we'll be good to go. The recipe even says its ok to freeze.

The aroma in my house was awesome! And, it tasted fantastic. I will definitely be making this every year I host. When I tried it, I could definitely imagine it with the turkey!

Today, we also picked up our organic turkey from the locker. Gabe has decided that he will affectionately call him "Nick". I also got the menu planned, as well as the dreaded trip to Walmart. I love cooking for Thanksgiving, but honestly this year I'm a little worried about pulling it off. Thankfully, our family will be here and none of them are picky or particular. They are all so laid back. They'll all grab an apron and help me through it!

I'm really thankful that my family and Greg's family can share Thanksgiving together. Not all families can do that. It sure makes our holidays so much easier and so special.

This time last year...

I found out that my job of 7 1/2 years would be ending due to my inability to go full time. I can't believe it's been a year since then... It seems like that happened so long ago. When that place comes to mind, I realize that I haven't let go of a lot of anger that I'm holding onto, so thankfully, I don't think about it that much.

I can't believe my life now! I am a "farmer" - I always like to tell my friend Grant this, to which he very calmly and sternly says, "You're not a farmer." As in, no more discussion on the matter. No, I'm not a farmer, but my life has certainly begun to revolve around farming. I am loving it. I love talking to the farmers when they come in, I really like the people I work with, and the organization is great. I really love seeing the setting of our community in a totally different light. I appreciate so much more how smart the farmers are, how each and every one have their own way of doing things, and how the community works together. I like how the job is part time full time, meaning I have a lot of work at one time, and then I have breaks of time where I can just be with my family.

Being involved in the community has become my favorite part of the job. I like knowing the farmers by name, stopping in at the bank or post office, and seeing a lot of people every day. I am committed to giving 110% to help these guys succeed. Learning a new job has also come with some difficulty for sure. I grew up on a farm and my dad was a farmer, but he didn't really ever talk much about his business. I think maybe he thought I wasn't interested. So, I have definitely had a lot to learn. Some days, I feel completely useless! But, other days things just seem to flow nicely.

Leaving Kahuna was a huge change for me... One I was really afraid of. However, I can look back and say I am grateful for everything I learned there and I am very thankful for where I am now. I hope to be doing this for a long time. I'm a farmer! :)

Off work & working

Today, I'm off work due to the rain we got this weekend. So, I thought it'd be a great day for me and Gabe to work on Christmas decorations. I know, I know, it's a little early. However, we're hosting Thanksgiving this year and I thought it'd be really nice to have the house all festive and bright. I love Christmas. I love how cozy my traditional-style house feels. I love the twinkling lights and I love the colors of red and green, silver and gold. I realize people like me get a lot of eye rolls, but it's a wonderful season and I want to enjoy it as long as I can!

Gabe and I have stayed in our jam-jams today and I have worked on dusting, moving furniture, and laundry so I can hopefully have the house nice and neat when Greg gets home. I love days off in the middle of working full time because you really appreciate all those hours during the day and really make the most of them! I feel like I'm jamming as much as possible into one day today.

Gabe really loved decorating his tree too. He did a great job! Love the pj's on the kiddo by the way... He looks so cute in his new Old Navy jam jams.

I just got these trees when I went shopping with my friends. I love them! Home Goods is an awesome store! I wish we had one closer to us.

These little cardinals have become one of my favorite Christmas decorations. I got them last year on clearance at Hobby Lobby after Christmas. The silver containers in the center were given to me by my brother.

I'm really sad this year because I can't put up my Christmas village. I have a beautiful Dept 56 village and we just don't have any large, flat space to put it up. It's probably a good year to skip it any way. I have a small Halloween/Fall village of just 3 houses that I put on a table in the hall. Gabe thinks its for his guys to play and hide in. I got that set several years ago at Kmart on clearance. I'm glad I tested that out with him this year instead of putting up my expensive village. I can just see Batman running through the snowy streets and it makes me cringe just thinking about it! Between now and next year, Greg and I are going to have to come up with some way to display it. I definitely don't want it just stored in my Christmas closet.

I definitely do not ignore Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. So, here are a few things I am thankful for this holiday season:

1. My family - I am blessed beyond measure with a wonderful husband and son, an amazing extended family, and probably the best in laws a girl could ask for.


2. My friends - I truly love my friends. I feel like the luckiest in the friendship department. What a treasure to be able to completely be yourself without fear of rejection or judgement.


3. My home - the safety and comfort of a warm house, good food, and people to share it with.


4. My work - it's been a good harvest and a beautiful fall.


5. My salvation - Most importantly, I have been saved from my sin. I'm so thankful for the birth of a Savior, born in a manger.

Happy Thanksgiving and holiday season to you and yours!

hi

Yep, I'm back. I knew I'd probably do it. I'd probably return to blogging. Not that I have anything too interesting to say, but I've just really found that I miss it. I miss sharing my thoughts and having a little outlet. I miss talking to my peoples on the internet too!

If you know me in 'real life' you probably know that I have a terrible time making up my mind. I just ordered our Christmas cards tonight and it took me for freaking ever. I usually design my own, but this year I wanted to go with Tiny Prints. Their cards are amazingly gorgeous and they freakin' know it too. But, they are having a sale until tomorrow, so luckily, I was able to get my cards for 20% off. I still spent more than I wanted to, but spent about what I normally do every year. This year though, I'm cutting my card list down a bit. I'm tired of spending a bunch on cards and postage and decided to weed it down. And, I'm going to hand deliver a bunch of them as well. I'd really like to bake more this year, and may be able to with working a seasonal job, so cookies and cards will be nice! Gabe loves helping me bake, so this will be a great activity for us.

If you know me in 'real life' you probably don't know that I am in love with anything Pennsylvania Dutch. I know. Weird. Here's an example:

It started with a trivet that was given to me that originally belonged to my Grandma Smith. I've always loved it and have admired the vintage style. More recently though, I've been really browsing the web looking at other P.D. art and I'm falling for it! I think I should have been born in a totally different decade. Seriously.

Speaking of favorites, I had the opportunity to go to this little store called Anthropologie this weekend. Sigh... I could've spent our savings in that place. I really could decorate my entire home with products from there. But, to save my marriage, I walked away with these lovely measuring cups.
Man. I really sound materialistic in this post, don't I? Well, I'm not really. I like to buy pretty, special things every now and again. It's not often that I get to go to a giant mall, find a new store and spend nearly $30 on a set of measuring cups. Gulp. And, it's not often that I can shop in a store without hearing "MOM! I want to go look at toys!!!" It was so nice to just leisurely walk around and not worry about time. I could shop all day just because of the time it takes me to decide.

I learned this from a friend that recently purged many of her possessions and moved into a smaller home to do some mission work. Only buy new items that you think you will love in a year. I have really tried to apply this rule to all my purchases... It certainly helped me when I was at the giant mall this past weekend.

Thanks for welcoming me back, blogging friends! I've missed you!