Little Things Bring Smiles

.Winter Wonderland at Midnight.

2012-02-22T14:15:00.005-05:00

.Today.

2012-02-19T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today we watched the snow fall.

Today was our first snow storm.

Tomorrow..well, tomorrow we will play.

.Poop Strikes Again.

2012-02-17T16:40:00.001-05:00

Trust me friends, I am as disappointed and disturbed

by the title as you are.

I cannot believe I am writing about, you know..number two, again on my blog. Here is my first rant about dare I say it--P O O P--and prepare yourselves for another wonderful post featuring our "star" of the week.

For those of you new to the blog, I am a nanny. I have been with the same family now for almost three years and watch their three girls ages 5, 3, and 7 months old. We have seen, smelt, and unfortunately felt a lot of poop together over the years. It is not something I am proud of..

I am 25 years old, not a mother, and have spent hours upon hours anticipating that sweet sound of tinkle tinkle and ploop-splash as it lands in the potty. Did you miss the part of me not being a mother yet? Potty training was an interesting and unforgettable experience and not something I'd like to do again. Sad news for me, one day I know I'll have a little one myself and have to do it all over again. I only pray it's "better" when it's your own child--if that is at all possible.

Good news since last time, Joy (age 3) is now a pro at using the potty so this post is not one about accidents..it's about poop..being..ugh.."stuck."

I do not mean constipated but actually stuck..half in, half out..okay, okay I'll stop we all sadly get the picture.

It first started with our dog Colden. He was taken to the vet yesterday morning and spent the day there because we had his teeth cleaned. Apparently all dogs go under when having their teeth cleaned, which is just another way for owners to spend more money, ah well. Good news, his teeth are sparkling and his nails got trimmed too! Score!

Why am I mentioning our dog in a post about poop being stuck?--Because he went under for his dental cleaning, his body began reacting. This meant poop and lots of it! Thankfully nothing came out in the house, phew..been there done that. I took Colden out in the backyard and he did his business, same as usual. As we were walking back towards the house he began freaking out--running in circles, whining, and smelling the ground everywhere. I stopped and just watched, it was entertaining at the time..He squatted again and this time his poop was liquid and squirting all over the ground..all over his fur..and all over his back legs.

From a distance I cringed.

All of a sudden, Colden yelped and began wiping his butt on the grass..the very same grass he just did his business on. I went over to him to see what was wrong and saw a string of poop stuck. It just would not "let go" and drop to the ground. I picked up a stick and scrapped it off. Again, not one of my most proud moments. We walked onto our deck and I tied him there as I ran inside to get a wet cloth to clean his fur. The smell was enough to kill ya--truly I think I found a new way of torture. Colden was cleaned and placed in his crate to dry.

I washed my hands three times and still swore I smelled his poop. The girls were thankfully in naptime when this happened so I jumped right in the shower!

Success. I was clean, smelled like vanilla, and standing in my towel when I heard, "Katie! Katie! My poop is stuck!!!!"

This was coming from Grace, age 5, as she was frantically trying to "unstick" her poop. I opened the bathroom door to find more lovely poop odor and fingers covered in poop. Why? Why? I used wipes and scrubbed that child's bottom. She was right--her poop was stuck! It was not solid or liquid..it was in the middle, I think that's the worst of all! I got her all cleaned up and put back into her room for another 30 minutes of quiet time while I showered AGAIN!

Katie + Someone else's poop = Shower Shower Shower!

I am clean once again as I type this post. Adam and I have the girls all weekend because their parents and the baby are away. Here's to hoping the rest of the weekend goes "smoothly"..in every sense of that word!

Oh poop how I loathe you.

Happy Friday!

.What Valentine's Day Revealed To Me.

2012-02-15T14:10:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was Valentine's Day and as cheesy as the holiday may be, it got me thinking about love. When I woke, I found I had an extra skip in my step and was eager to serve my husband. This of course meant, Katie make a killer breakfast for Adam.

Adam surprised me in the afternoon with flowers and not just any random flower, he remembered and chose our wedding flowers. The fact Adam thought to buy me something sentimental as well as beautiful truly showed me the man I married. His mind works wonders and I am constantly blown away by his actions and thoughtfulness. I have a keeper.

On my way to work I found myself happy, I was truly beaming. I belted out to Adele on my drive and something happened. Her lyrics brought me back in time 7 years when my heart was broken by a man I loved. I felt a heaviness consume my body. As her song, Someone Like You, played in my car the lyrics sunk in and I felt pain. For a minute, I became 18 and 19 year old Katie. These emotions took me by surprise and I began to pray.

Suddenly, a peace and joy entered my body. The Lord reminded me what He had done in my life--the happy new beginning He gave me. My heart was not broken anymore for I was given a new heart..one that loves my Heavenly Father and a man by the name of Adam Everett. Through teary eyes and a smile, I sang along knowing I was not that heart broken girl anymore..I am now a woman.

I feel as though I am a rare story. I found the love of my life after heartache and I moved on. I did it. I know so many men and woman who are still searching for love and still clinging to past loves. I really feel special, just plain lucky. The Lord gave me a new beginning in life and it was the day I married Adam.

Adam is not my happy ending, he is my happy beginning. We have so much life to live and I am blessed to have a Godly, thoughtful man by my side every single day.

My first relationship ended but it did not end me. It made me the woman I am today and has made me wiser and stronger. I can rock out because I know the happy new beginning that was given to me and wow, was it ever a good looking new beginning..

(Back to our Valentine's Day!) When Adam came home from work I felt like a kid..I was giddy inside. We went out to our favorite Thai restaurant and enjoyed a long dinner together with great conversation. If you know my husband--you know that boy sure can gab! During our meal, it came out Adam had never seen The Notebook and it was decided then and there that was how our night would end. We stopped at Walmart, bought the movie, and headed home.

To change things from our normal routine, we blew up the air mattress in our living room and topped it with pillows and blankets--silly but so fun! As we snuggled up with each other and Colden, we watched The Notebook. Right away Adam was drawn in because it dealt with the 40's and he is simply enthralled with history. I was glued because um, I'm a girl! The movie was paused half way so we could have dessert which is a necessary break.

As the movie came to an end I was a wreck. I have seen this movie a dozen times but I was never married and that changes everything. Adam and I were silent as the credits played and when I glanced over at him, he was a crying mess. We both sat up and were shocked by the heaviness we felt in our chest. I have never seen Adam like this before, it hit him hard. The two of us had to walk away from one another because we knew we would have completely lost it if we held hands or hugged.

We kissed goodnight knowing how lucky we are to have found love, a great love.

My Valentine's Day was one to remember. I did not know where the Lord would take my heart and what He would teach me and as always, I was left truly humbled by His actions and the love He continually gives me.

I am a blessed woman.

.Valentine Flashback.

2012-02-13T10:12:00.001-05:00

Valentine's Day is tomorrow and I have not completed a single decoration or homemade gift.

I guess February 14th snuck up on me.

I'll take the "easy way out" in the blog world and show you what I did last year.

Adam and I hosted a Valentine Dinner Party for our closest friends.

Here are a few photos of my homemade party decor. For more details, click here.

On the menu: Homemade Heart Shaped Raviolis

For the recipe and details to make your own, click here.

I hope this little Valentine Flashback made you smile and gave you a new idea or two.

Next year I promise to share original, NEW, material with you :)

Happy Monday!

.Little Touches in the Kitchen.

2012-02-07T13:16:00.001-05:00

Adam and I (well, mostly me) have been making big plans for our kitchen. There has been talk about adding an island or peninsula and creating a mudroom area of our guests and of course, us. These things are just "talk" for right now and we are both a-okay with that fact. I did, however, want to add a few little touches to our kitchen that would not upset our wallet (or the husband!).

You may remember we have already changed the hardware and painted the walls a soothing gray. Our kitchen was simply needing new dish towels that would tie in all of the colors, a new floor mat, and I needed to figure out what to do with the space above the sink. These are the little touches I came up with, like I said..little but they sure make me happy!

Have you added any little touches to your home recently?

I love how small changes really change the look of a room and more important--how they make you feel about a room. I am very pleased with our kitchen and excited for what 2012 has in store for it.

.Weekending.

2012-02-06T14:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday!

Today's post will be short and sweet.

Adam and I celebrated love this weekend--we went to a wedding! My dear friend from college married the man of her dreams and we were honored to be there.

The wedding was beautiful and the state of Maryland had a little surprise for everyone--snow! Big white snowflakes silently fell as Cynthia and Matt declared their love for one another.

It was magical.

God's presence was felt by all and we wish the happy couple nothing but blessings for the years to come.

We love you Mr. and Mrs. Cook!

.Fabric Letters.

2012-01-30T15:15:00.012-05:00

Happy Monday!

The weekend found me ill with a week long cold-turned-double ear infection.

I did the one thing I knew to distract myself from feeling absolutely pitiful:

CRAFT!

I used supplies purchased from Hobby Lobby and Joann Fabrics to make these lovely little letters:

Materials needed:

- 8" letters of your choice

- Fabric of your choice (I asked for 10" by 10" squares and received a funny look from the fabric lady..I'm new at buying fabric and was told they were only able to do the width of the fabric, my bad. I was happy to take home long strips because I love having extra!)

- Sharpie/Pen

- Hot Glue Gun

- Glue Sticks

- Sharp Scissors

- Padding (I used some from an old chair I reupholstered years ago that was collecting dust at Adam's studio.)

I planned on doing a step by step picture tutorial for you but I have to admit something..

This project was not fast and not easy.

I am in love with the outcome but will refrain from creating this craft again. Maybe it was because I am sick and expecting my 'you know what'--so my patience was and still is nonexistent. This craft was not a difficult one, just a bit annoying and time consuming.

I do love love love my little letters though:

Making Your Fabric Letters:

1. Trace your letters onto padding.

2. Cut your padding about an inch around your traced line so you have enough to wrap onto sides.

3. Hot glue the padding to the letters and pull tight to wrap around sides.

Hint: Hot glue the face of your letter first. Then cut the padding at each corner of the letter creating slits, this will make it easier to wrap sides.

4. Repeat steps 1-3 using your fabric instead of padding.

Hint: Be sure to line your fabric up on the letter's face so it is exactly how you want it and glue that first.

5. Using a different fabric, cut it into strips to use for side covering.

Hint: To ensure straight creases instead of frayed edges, put a thin line of hot glue on the inside of your cut out fabric strip. Fold your fabric on the glue line. This will be the nice, smooth edge you see on the side of your letters.

6. Glue your strips on the sides of your letters and wrap extra fabric tightly to the backside of your letter.

Depending on your letters, this craft may be easy and fast (if you chose the letter "T") or it can be rather frustrating like my "A" and "K" were and take a bit of time and determination on your part. The outcome in my opinion is worth it because I am in love, imperfections and all!

Since I came home with extra fabric, I decided to add a little decor to our sofa table:

Little touches..still have a long way to go in the decorating department!

Even though this craft was not the best to create, I'd love for you to try it. My final fabric letters are darling and make me smile. Thanks for reading and stopping by

Little Things Bring Smiles!

{linking up to these fabulous parties}

.The Sock Bun.

2012-01-25T08:00:00.002-05:00

I did it.

I attempted the popular sock bun and though I did not look like these women, I didn't completely fail.

Here is my sock bun after 8 hours of sleep.

A tad beat up but victorious..

..it actually stayed in!

While my curls may not have been as glamorous as others achieved, I certainly got volume..

..with a bit of frizz.

It was fun and will definitely try it again.

Any tips for more curls, less frizz?

The look I loved best was the night before when I successfully had my hair slicked back with a gorgeous full bun on top of my head.

I felt like a movie star..

..only was missing my designer gown and red carpet.

Maybe next time ;)

Our Holiday: Part 2

2012-01-21T00:08:00.005-05:00

Another post so soon?--I told ya I was back!

I have a confession for you...

I

hate

cooking.

It's true. I can cook, I do cook, but I never want to cook. Anyone else with me? The only time I enjoy cooking is when we have company. I know this makes my husband sad because I should find joy cooking for him, but...I don't always see it that way.

While Adam's family visited Lynchburg for two weeks and stayed at his mom's house, something came over me: A strong desire to cook! Maybe deep down inside I wanted to simply impress my in-laws but regardless, I found myself..dare I say..excited to be in the kitchen.

My biggest "struggle" is knowing what to cook or bake. Well, I am proud to say I had a light bulb moment..

Call

Mom.

And that's exactly what I did! I asked her about recipes I remembered eating as a child during family get togethers and what would be best to feed a lot of people..13 to be exact. My mom then sent me a message on facebook, oh yea she's hip, with recipes and exact measurements instead of her usual "a shake or two..a pinch..a shlupe..a dab" --it was incredible! Adam and I then set out to the store and bought a whole mess of groceries and I became fired up for my cooking and baking tasks.

I do not have photos for everything I made because when food is ready and served I only think about one thing: My stomach.

Here are a few baking goodies we remembered to capture using my mother's recipes.

Pineapple Bake

Ingredients:

- 20 oz can of Crushed Pineapples

- 4 Eggs

- 1/2 cup of Sugar

- 1 tbsp or 1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

- 1 loaf of White Bread

- 1 stick of Butter

Drain can of crushed pineapples. Beat eggs and stir in sugar and vanilla extract. Blend well and stir crushed pineapples into egg mixture. Spray casserole dish and spread mixture inside. Cut off the crusts on 8 pieces of white bread. Cut or pull apart with fingers the crusts into small pieces. Cover egg mixture with crust pieces. Add more cut up crusts to casserole dish if needed to cover entire egg mixture. Melt butter in microwave and pour onto crust pieces making sure all are covered. Bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes.

Enjoy!

Egg Bake

Ingredients:

- 16 slices of Bread

- 1 box of Corn Flakes

- Canadian bacon, Ham, Sausage, whatever you like and as much as you like

- 8 oz Sharp Cheddar Cheese

- 6 Eggs

- 1/2 tsp of Salt and Pepper

- 1/4 cup of Minced Onions

- 1/4 cup of Green Peppers

- 1 to 2 tsp of Worcheshire Sauce

- 3 cups of Whole Milk

- 1 stick of Butter

Remove crusts from bread. (If you make the pineapple bake first, use leftover bread or save crusts from the egg bake to make the pineapple bake later!) Spray a 9x13 pan and lay slices of bread on bottom to line entire pan. Add meat, cheese, onions, and peppers on top of bread. Cover again with bread slices creating a meat, cheese, onion, and pepper sandwich. Mix together eggs, salt and pepper, whole milk, and worcheshire sauce and pour over bread layer. Cover and place in fridge overnight. In morning, cover the entire dish with corn flakes. Melt butter in microwave and pour over corn flakes. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Egg bake will puff up while baking.

*Feel free to take out or add ingredients to your liking. I have made this egg bake twice using ham and then sausage, both amazing!*

French Toast Casserole

Ingredients:

- 16 oz loaf of Italian Bread (no seeds)

- 12 Eggs

- 2 cups of Milk

- 1 cup of Maple Syrup

- Cinnamon (to your liking)

Cut bread into bite size pieces. Spray a 9x13 pan and lay bread pieces in pan. (I had two full layers of bite size bread pieces.) Mix together eggs, milk, and syrup. Pour mixture over bread layers. Turn bread if needed to make sure it is fully covered with egg mixture. Cover and place in fridge overnight. In morning, sprinkle cinnamon on top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Casserole will puff up while baking. Add more syrup when dished out.

Yum!

My confidence is slowly increasing as well as my enjoyment in the kitchen. Like I said earlier, I do cook and can cook it's just finding joy in it. I guess I have to listen to my own blog title for this one..little things bring smiles!

What are some family recipes you made over the holidays?

P.S. I was not able to eat any of the featured recipes because of my gluten intolerance but I remembered how delicious everything tasted from years of eating them and knew they smelled and looked exactly as they should!

Our Holiday: Part 1

2012-01-20T13:45:00.002-05:00

I am embarrassed about two things:

1. Being away from the blogging world for this long
2. Posting about our Christmas and New Years Celebration in late January

My only reason or excuse is I have simply been tired, just drained. I needed a vacation from my vacation..ever felt like that?

I have been making great progress on getting healthy, more on that here, however the past month found me dealing with a bit of stress which unfortunately resulted in headaches..lots of them.

The past two weeks have been treating me well and I have felt the tension leave my body thanks to a merciful Heavenly Father, a sexy husband who gives the best head rubs, and having my normal routine back in action.

So my friends, I am back!

Now here is a little bit of our Holiday..a month later :)

The holidays began in early December and it did not end until January 9th. Talk about a long holiday. My side of the family came to our house the beginning of December to celebrate Christmas and though it was short, it was very sweet. Adam's family celebrations started on Christmas Eve with us acting as the hosts for dinner, dessert, and entertainment. We had a delicious ham dinner with a brown sugar-orange juice "gravy", mash potatoes, corn, pineapple bake, biscuits, and chocolate cake topped with vanilla ice cream for dessert. I must say, I was and still am very proud of my first Christmas Eve meal...everything came out as planned and tasted great! (Yes, I am patting myself on the back while smiling and nodding.)

Here are two shots from our time together:

Christmas morning was a relaxing time with the hubs and pup!

Christmas night was the beginning of two full weeks with Adam's family..all of them! His siblings from MN flew in with their beautiful children to bring in the New Year together as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins. I am afraid a book would be written if I included everything we did for those two weeks so I will share some photos and hope it does the job for me!

New Years weekend was celebrated in a beautiful mansion built in the 1800's. It was the perfect gathering place for all of the family who traveled in from out of state.

Here we all are ringing in the new year--Adam and I seem to be the only ones ready for the picture above and we seem to have been the only ones to spice it up in the photo below. Can you find us? ;)

Here is a group shot of everyone who came and trust me when I say, this is only half of the Holm family. Adam and I are on the left side first seated row from the top--just look for the curls!

After New Years, the extended family headed home and we had one week left with Adam's siblings and our nieces and nephews. Here are a few shots from our week.

One fun outing was taking a trip to Amazement Square, a children's interactive museum. It's safe to say both children and adults had a good time.

The week ended on a high note because my brother-in-law Alex performed the play Completely Hollywood Abridged. It was fantastic!

This lovely family photo was taken by Adam and I personally think it came out perfect! It will be printed and framed very soon.

The final holiday celebration was Adam's 26th birthday. No pictures were taken but we had a special night with two of our best friends and enjoyed a pancake dinner and a movie.

Phew, I am tired just reliving all of that--and there is still so much I did not write about! I am happy to be back in my normal routine and I cannot lie, it's nice having a quiet house again. Our time together was busy and memorable..here's to next Christmas and New Years!

Check back for Our Holiday: Part 2 where I will share some yummy recipes with you!

.Adam Everett.

2012-01-09T14:20:00.001-05:00

Before I begin writing about our long holiday, there is one post in particular I must do first..

{It's this one!}

Happy 26th Birthday

to my best friend,

my husband,

Adam Everett.

You have become quite the man and have blessed my life tremendously!

I am proud of you..

I love you more every morning..

and..

I know you will give me the cutest babies in the world!

Happy Birthday Adam!

.Still Here.

2012-01-03T20:40:00.002-05:00

Hi friends, I'm still here.

We have had family visiting for the past week and they will be here throughout the rest of this week. Posts will be coming back in action next week :)

Happy New Year!

.Christmas Morning.

2011-12-25T23:46:00.000-05:00

Adam and I hosted Christmas Eve dinner and decided to have Christmas morning to ourselves. It was such a relaxing and romantic time for us filled with early morning snuggles, a Christmas story read through, thoughtful gifts, ham and cheese omelets, computer games, Christmas movies, and afternoon naps. We stayed in our pajamas well into the evening and ate leftovers for dinner. Adam and I truly enjoyed each other today and soaked in every moment in the comforts of our home.

Today my time was focused on this man:

Merry Christmas

.Oh Come.

2011-12-25T02:21:00.001-05:00

Tears filled my eyes when I stopped myself from singing and simply listened to these words.

Oh come all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!

Oh come ye, oh come ye to Bethlehem;

Come and behold him

Born the king of angels:

Oh come let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.

Highest most holy,
Light of light eternal,

Born of a virgin,

A mortal he comes;

Son of the Father

Now in flesh appearing!

Oh come let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.

Sing choirs of angels,

Sing in exultation,

Sing all ye citizens of heaven above!

Glory to God

In the highest:

Oh come let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.

Yea Lord,we greet thee,
Born this happy morning;

Jesus, to thee be glory given!

Word of the Father,

Now in flesh appearing!

Oh come let us adore him,

Christ the Lord.

What a magical experience it must have been for all who witnessed the birth of Christ. Believers came to see Jesus; they knew He was sent from God above and was their Messiah. How strong their faith must have been to lead them to behold their King.

It is a miracle and the greatest act of love how God sent His son to be born a virgin and appear in flesh as man. He did this to save me and to save you for that baby grew to die for our sins so we may know of eternal life.

Oh Come Let Us Adore Him Today and Every Day.

Have a blessed Christmas.

.Rejoicing in Pain.

2011-12-22T18:31:00.006-05:00

I have been in pain.

This past Saturday Adam and I attended a memorial service for our friends sweet baby girl. It was heart breaking viewing the slideshow, listening to the lyrics playing, and seeing our friends mourn. We are all comforted deep down inside knowing little Elli is with Jesus but our earthly bodies ache and miss her. Our friends spoke at the service and shared Elliana's story with us. It became evident to all Elli's life was short but had great purpose, she led people to Christ as her father spoke. It was a beautiful thing to witness.

My body has been the source of an excess amount of pain for the past 10 days or so. Remember when I shared this personal post about migraines and cysts? Well, more cysts decided to form inside of my body. This time 3 at once and all on the same side. I had a large cyst burst Monday morning and it woke me from sleep. I was not scared because the pain was familiar and with that, I found comfort. I praised God for allowing the cyst to burst on it's own and for answering my prayer. Earlier that week, I felt the cyst in me as I walked, sat, laughed, sneezed, etc and I prayed the Lord would heal me and have my body function on it's own, the way He created it, to bring relief. As severe pain entered my stomach, lower back, and down my left leg I was at peace and knew I was being healed. I woke Adam who, in a very sleepy state, simply turned over, held me, and fell back to sleep. I felt my Heavenly Father through Adam's touch and with a smile on my face I fell back to sleep. The rest of the week has been painful but since the cyst burst, it has been much improved. I have continued to watch the girls every day and will not lie, Netflix, our big couch, and warm blankets have been my saving graces.

I decided to follow through with a doctor's appointment to make sure everything looked alright and as normal as it possibly could since I was still experiencing pain. I found out this morning I still have 2 remaining cysts in me, one inside my left ovary and another floating around on the left side. The ultrasound showed a tremendous amount of fluid which took the technician by surprise and she asked how I had been walking around and working. She estimated the cyst that burst Monday morning was around a 5cm cyst which actually isn't the largest I have had. In the past, I have had a cyst 7.3cm in size which brought me to my knees when it burst. My doctor recommended birth control pills as a solution but once again I turned them down because they did not work in the past to prevent the cysts and left me a total emotional train wreck. I left with, "Take an advil for the pain and come back or go to the ER if the pain worsens." I was not discouraged this time around because I was not expecting any meds or a cure, I have accepted my body is one to produce numerous cysts. My biggest concern is a cyst growing too large while inside my ovary and causing it to twist which would require medical and surgical attention. Thank the Lord, this has never happened.

My back has been another source of pain and something I was not expecting this week on top of everything else. I have been going to a chiropractor for almost a year now after having a pinched nerve last January. I felt the same area on my back ache and felt the numbness in my pinky and ring finger on my left hand. These were all signs of another pinched nerve. I saw the chiropractor twice this week and am now feeling my back heal. It is still very sensitive but I am relieved to be feeling an improvement.

I take it day by day and have learned to deal with pain. It is not fun and it hurts me and even my husband some days but I continue to pray and ask for God's provision and His mighty comfort. He has shown Himself to me this week through answered prayer. As I was sorting through my wording in my head to explain, a camper of mine posted this as their facebook status this morning,

The Lord says, "I was ready to respond, but no one asked for help. I was ready to be found, but no one was looking for me. I said, "Here I am, here I am!" -Isaiah 65:1

The Lord is waiting for us to ask. Be bold in your prayer life. Ask for help, ask for healing. I cannot help but think and picture a smile appears on our Lord's face when we cry out to Him as He shakes His head and says, "What took you so long child?" I have been encouraged this week because of my pain and have felt close and connected with my Heavenly Father. We must remember to rejoice in times of sufferings. Romans chapter 5 says,

"Also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

Please find joy in the little things in life and lift your friends and family this Christmas in your prayers. Pain is not just physical, think of those who are dealing with emotional pain. Pour God's love on them and be encouraged knowing you are loved.

Happy Living--Happy Healing

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.God Is In Control.

2011-12-16T13:51:00.001-05:00

God has taken control and revealed His plan to our dear friends Colt and Sarah.

Their precious baby girl went home to be with Jesus this week.

Elliana Rose Freeman was born on October 22 with Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome.

Colt shared, "We are so proud of our little Elli, and the fighter that she continually proved to be. Elliana amazed the Doctors and Nurses daily with her resolve to breathe on her own, through paralytics and sedation. To respond to her Mother's voice and to hold her hand when it should have been impossible. To capture our hearts forever.

To hold her in our arms today was a privilege and even in the midst of such sorrow we cherished every moment. Pastor Steven said to me today that we walked her to the gates.

I can think of no higher honor."

Elliana and her beautiful, devoted, strong mother Sarah.

Elliana in her father's warm and safe embrace.

Angels come in small packages.

She knew her loving parents were always with her.

Little Elli fought hard until Jesus came to take her home.

Jeremiah 29:11 states,

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

My heart aches for my friends. I have never experienced a loss this great. I can only imagine their thoughts-their pain-and it brings me to tears. God has a plan for every single person..for you..for little Elli. Here on Earth, we may never understand His timing and reasoning but we need to cleave to God's word and His promises. Our faith will lead and allow us to feel God-to be comforted by His peace..to be strengthened by His mighty power..to be filled with hope by His word..

and

..to wake each day praising Him because of His love and grace He has given us.

Friends, I ask you please pray for Colt, Sarah, and their families.

Ask the Lord to reveal His plan to them. That they may be filled with joy for how long Elliana graced their world. For strength to get out of bed every morning. That they are comforted knowing their daughter, their precious innocent baby girl, is with you, her Heavenly Father. For peace in their hearts to accept what has happened. That others in their families may learn about you through Elli's passing. And most of all, they remember you are always in control and have a purpose and plan for our lives.

I praise you Father for the miracle of Elliana's birth and for every day she touched the hearts of so many.

.Christmas came early for the Morrows.

2011-12-14T11:14:00.000-05:00

Last week Adam and I felt like little elves as we were scurrying about our home and stores preparing for the Morrow family Christmas.

We did it.

Shopping- check!

Cleaning- check!

Wrapping- check!

Cooking- check!

Decorating- check!

Hosting- check!

Making sweet memories- check!

My parents from NJ along with my brother, sister-in-law, and little niece from Chesapeake all came to our home to celebrate Christmas early this year. This was the first time my brother and sister-in-law have been to our new house since moving in and we were ecstatic to show them around and the changes we have made. It was wonderful hosting everyone, cooking for them, serving them, loving on them--it was a good Christmas indeed. Our days were filled with strong coffee, yummy food, great conversation, afternoon walks, gift exchanges, and playing with little Emma. Our evenings were filled with more food, Christmas movies, and late nights playing board games. By the end of the weekend my cheeks actually ached from smiling and laughing, true story friends, true story.

God has blessed our family tremendously and I am fortunate to be loved by such amazing people I respect with my whole heart. Spending time with everyone was the perfect gift this year..especially in my own home! Here are snapshots from our "early" Christmas morning together. Coffee, pajamas, smiles, and no make up were the trend this year :)

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

.Our House at Christmas.

2011-12-12T14:20:00.003-05:00

This year I wanted to make decorating easy, lively, and affordable.

I hope you enjoy our simple colorful Christmas.

Learn how to make your own felt trees here and visit back for my DIY Sunburst Mirror Tutorial coming soon!

Thanks for visiting our home at Christmas.

Happy Living--Happy Decorating

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.My Blog Looks Funny?.

2011-12-05T14:21:00.002-05:00

Why yes, yes it does!

Playing around and changing a few things today. It will make sense later on in the week. In the meantime, just ignore the off centered titles/headers/etc and just look around :)

Happy Monday!

.Felt Tree Tutorial.

2011-12-03T12:07:00.001-05:00

I'm back in tutorial mode.

Sorry it's been this long.

I finally decided to stop my real life for a day {laundry, nannying, cooking, and cleaning} to simply

c r a f t .

It was a fabulous afternoon and night.

I made these little beauties:

Felt Trees

This project was simple, quick, and actually stress free. I will write out the steps for the easy peasy way and if you are like me, the OCD "perfectionist" way :)

Materials needed for Felt Tree:

- Foam Cone

- Colored Felt (6 pieces for large, 4 pieces for medium, 3 pieces for small)

- Glue Gun

- Glue Sticks

- Sharp, Craft Scissors

- Optional: Ruler

Preparing your Felt:

1. Select color(s) of your choosing

2. Select the amount of sheets needed for size of your foam cone.

3. Cut the entire felt sheet into strips. If you are like me, use your ruler to measure out 2 inch strips on your felt sheet. Do this for every felt sheet you purchased.

4. Cut out your strips using your sharp scissors.

5. Using your hot glue gun, draw a thin line onto one edge of your cut out felt strip.

6. Simply fold your felt strip in half pressing down on the hot glue line.

7. Cut small lines on the folded edge of your glued felt strip. If you are like me, break out your ruler again and draw a line about one centimeter up from your folded edge and trace with a pencil. This will act as your height line while cutting small lines on your folded edge so they are all even.

8. Repeat step 7 over and over again until all of your strips have small lines cut in them.

9. Bust out your foam cone(s) and remove plastic wrap.

10. Choose one felt glued/cut strip and wrap around cone. The felt sticks to the styrofoam which is convenient and the felt also can stretch to make itself longer if you need.

11. When your glued/cut felt strip is in place, hot glue the edges onto your styrofoam cone. If you are like me, you can alternate the pattern the small cut lines making them alternate or you can keep line lined up. It will appear like this after using 3 strips:

As you get further up your foam cone, your strips will be too long. Simply cut off the excess and save it! I used mostly all of my scraps for the top area of the cone. It is important to keep all "seams" on one side of your cone so it can be the back and you are left with clean lines in the front and sides.

12. When you reach the top, it will be more challenging. Cut out a small circle from leftover felt and hot glue it in place. It will not be pointy but still look like a evergreen tree! :)

Enjoy your trees!

Happy Living--Happy Christmas Crafting

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.Christmas Memories.

2011-12-02T10:22:00.001-05:00

For our first two Christmases together, Adam and I lived in a rented duplex. We loved our first home and have fond memories there. Our favorite time of the year was Christmas because we decked our halls with rustic decor! I wanted to look back and share our first home with you.

Enjoy a little Christmas cheer this Friday morning.

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 13.

2011-12-01T09:28:00.001-05:00

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days.

I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

Here are my little things from November:

- Being the second car in the carpool line

- Enjoying the holiday drinks at Starbucks

- Seeing our new dining and living room take shape

- Celebrating my birthday with Adam and friends

- Receiving letters in the mail

- Connecting with high school friends from home

- Spending quality time with family

- Watching 'Christmas Vacation' as a family

- Holding our friends' new baby girl

- Taking road trips with my love

- Having two full weeks headache free

- Staying on my gluten-free diet (even through Thanksgiving!)
- Holding my first garage sale with my Mother-in-law

- Getting all green lights on the way to work

- Purchasing a few new craft items

- Cooking different meals and liking them
- Having my dear friend and old roomie visit with her Mom

- Doing a craft night on my birthday!

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Our Living Room Today.

2011-11-30T14:01:00.001-05:00

Adam and I wake up everyday and smile.

We pull into the driveway with a smile.

Yard work is completed with a smile.

There is one reason:

We own a home.

God has blessed us tremendously and our house is a daily reminder.

We take pride in our home and are striving to create a dwelling place that not only makes us feel warm inside, but our guests as well. Adam and I truly feel joy and are energized by living life with dear friends and family. Last time I shared our living room with you we were only moved in 6 weeks. Remember this room?

After a few weeks of hard work, a few paychecks cashed, and a few visits from family..our living room looks like this today..(some of you noticed a sneak peek in this post!)

The furniture is purchased and set in place so it's time to decorate! The walls and sofa table Adam built are calling our names--stay tuned for the crafts, DIYS, and accessories we will be adding to our new room along with holiday decor :)

Couch, Curtains, TV Unit: IKEA

Rug: Found on Amazon

Woven Ottomans: Found on Amazon

Curtain rod: Target

Pillows: Target

Sofa Table: Home Depot + ADAM!

.Early Morning Snuggles.

2011-11-30T09:25:00.001-05:00

The life of a nanny.

.We have a Dining Room.

2011-11-29T17:00:00.003-05:00

Adam and I finally have a room to entertain our guests and enjoy meals together..

Introducing our Dining Room!

We are both loving our office to dining room conversion and cannot wait to start decorating! Those curtains are still begging me to hem them but it will wait until after the holidays--the walls are taking first priority! Time to fill those babies with homemade art work and photos along with a few Christmas decorations--so excited! Thanks for following along on this room's journey, stay tuned for all the fun accessories and our first time using the new space!

Happy cooking and gathering everyone!

Curtains: IKEA

Table: IKEA

Chairs: Target (go on sale in stores!)

Paint: Benjamin Moore

.The Crafts of Christmas Past.

2011-11-28T19:05:00.001-05:00

Christmas is in the air.

Neighbors are decorating their homes sharing Christmas cheer.

Radio stations are playing Nat King Cole.

Holiday drinks are being served at coffee shops.

Red bows are gracing wreaths everywhere.

Memories are being made by all ages.

Cookies are baking in the ovens of many households.

People are rejoicing in the birth of our

Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Here's to wishing the air you breath will fill your heart with warmth and peace this Christmas season. This post is simply to share the Christmas crafts I completed last year in hopes it may bring inspiration and joy to you. Enjoy and happy Christmas Crafting!

Almond Tree

Birch Bark Welcome Sign

Rustic Snowflakes

See tutorial here.

(and now for a few Christmas gift ideas!)
Felt Flower Fun

Book Letters

See tutorial here.

Happy Living--Merry Christmas

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.This Holiday Season.

2011-11-28T18:15:00.000-05:00

..has had a spectacular start.

Adam and I spent Thanksgiving in NJ with my side of the family. We had a lovely visit filled with lots of food, hugs, and laughter. I was reminded this week how dear family is and how fortunate I am to be loved. God has revealed Himself to me through answered prayer and has shown me love through members of my family.

As I reflect on the past week, I am grateful for..

my Heavenly Father.

family.

conversation.

embraces.

laughter.

stories.

shared meals.

prayer.

miracle of babies.

quality time.

friendships.

investing.

and l o v e.

How did you spend your Thanksgiving?

Did the Lord reveal Himself to you this week?

.25 and Feeling Alive.

2011-11-20T00:00:00.006-05:00

Today is the day,

I am officially in my mid-twenties.

25 to be exact.

This fact honestly causes me to giggle and cringe at the same time.

I am getting old.

As a little girl, I dreamed up plans for age 24. The biggest one was to have my first baby because my mother was 24 when she gave birth to her first baby, my older brother--it just made sense in my little girl mind to do the same. Well, my 24th year has ended and there is obviously no baby to show. Little did I know back then, the Lord would bless my 24th year with a beautiful house I can call home, a family I can call for love and support, and a best friend I can call my husband.

My 25th year has been set up for great things.

Jeremiah 29:11
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm, plans to give you hope and a future."

I am 25 and feeling alive!

Happy Living--Happy Celebrating

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.Getting Closer.

2011-11-18T21:45:00.001-05:00

We are finally getting closer to having a real

dining room.

Adam and I bought our house with a lovely little coat closet, pantry, and front office/small bedroom.

Take a look:

Our coat closet is now a large walkway into our dining room. The little pantry was taken out completely to allow more room in the dining area. We had the entire hallway/office wall knocked down to create more open space for entertaining. The entire kitchen/living room/hallway/dining room were painted. Our carpet was patched where the walls were knocked down. A chandelier was hooked up and curtains were hung. Still lots to do but this is what we have so far, like the title says:

'Getting Closer'

and just in time for the holiday season!

Curtains, throw rug (which will be moved), and chandelier all purchased from Ikea. Dining room paint is Benjamin Moore's Pottery Barn Stonington Gray HC-170.

Final touches include:

Getting crown molding installed.

Having trim added around the tile in front of the entrance.

Filling the room with a table and chairs.

Adding art work/wall Decor.

Hemming the curtains. (Any advice? This is entirely-out-of-my-comfort-zone!)

At least we are getting closer!

What do you think of our room conversion so far?

.Arg.

2011-11-15T13:14:00.001-05:00

I had photos ready to share with you of our 'let's turn a small office into a dining room' plan however another headache has struck. Annoyed and frustrated but I know God is faithful and He is revealing answers to me slowly.

Prayers appreciated today, back to bed for this gal!

.ONE YEAR.

2011-11-14T11:21:00.000-05:00

November 12th marked my first year of blogging.

365 days + 220 posts =

ONE AMAZING YEAR OF GROWTH AND CREATIVITY.

I thought I would share some blog stats from the past year.

Total Page Views:

211,734

Total Comments:

1,880

Total Followers:

602

Top 5 Audience

1. United States with 170,913 views

2. Canada with 7,763 views

3. United Kingdom with 3,128 views

4. Germany with 2,212 views

5. India with 1,525 views

.Our First Ever Garage Sale.

2011-11-12T16:17:00.004-05:00

Well, we did it.

After days worth of cleaning and organizing, staying up late last night,

and waking at 5am this morning we..

MADE MONEY!

I never thought getting rid of things would be so fun, social, and profitable! Adam and I met many wonderful and kind neighbors and found out people our age and newly married live around us--

not just old people :) Imagine that!

It felt grand being a homeowner today and sharing how the Lord has blessed our family.

My teammate, love for life, and best friend.

What would I do without you Adam Everett.

Here are a few photos from our Miller family collection:

(Thanks to my Mother-in-law, brother-in-law, college dorm rooms, college townhouse,

and first married townhouse we had lots of goodies for everyone of all ages!)

I'm proud of us, we did real good.

Oh..and in case you were wondering how I felt about hosting our first ever garage sale..

I think this picture says it all! (including how cold it was!)

Happy Living--Happy Garage "Sale-ing"

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.So Many Things So Little Time.

2011-11-11T20:30:00.001-05:00

Where oh where has time gone?

Sitting here I cannot believe it's Friday evening. This week has gone by quickly and let me tell ya--our little Miller family are ready to greet the weekend. Adam and I had a lot of "catch up" work to do with our home and decided it was finally time to tackle it all. After knocking walls down, painting the entire front interior of the house, and preparing for our first garage sale, our house was a complete disaster. Every spare bedroom and nook of our home was packed full of furniture, pillows, dvds, cleaning supplies, laundry, and everything else under the sun. We simply looked the other way for weeks, yes..weeks. Well, it finally caught up to me and the stress attacked at once, my house had control over me.

Adam and I worked together and now have control over our home. It feels amazing. Hours were spent cleaning this week and not just straightening but actual cleaning--scrubbing floors, toilets, tubs..vacuuming all floors, baseboards, even the garage and basement..boxes were unpacked, organized, and packed back up..the entire basement was torn apart and put back together again with half of the items going toward our garage sale tomorrow. It has been a crazy long week of house work. I wish I had taken pictures to show you all our before and afters--trust me--they would have taken your breath away! Our house has never looked so good and we know where EVERYTHING is, can I get an amen?!

I will take a few photos of our garage sale tomorrow. Adam's mom joined us and has brought over all of her goodies to make some money--I'm excited! I know I am bias, but I really love the things I am selling. Most of it is furniture and house decor from my college dorm rooms, college townhouse, and my first townhouse with Adam. I truly hope they bless some college students in town by providing furnishings for their new apartment. It's sad to give these things up but feels refreshing at the same time.

Okay, now for a few random rambles about my blog. I have been so behind on blogging and I am sorry. There has been much progress on our living and dining room and sadly I have not shared any of it. Time gets away from me but I'll try to be better, I want to be better. A new blog design is all finished but there is one problem--it is in my head. My husband has been extremely busy at work doing his thing on a computer all day so I have not wanted to bother him with doing blog stuff when he is home. He does enough for me already, really really..actually, Adam is currently assembling our dining table from IKEA purchased just last weekend. Pictures will be coming! I have so many ideas in my head for seasonal crafts, especially Christmas, and I hope I get around to making them. My family from NJ and Chesapeake will be coming to celebrate Christmas at our home on December 9th--that is right around the corner!!! Adam and I have been trying and working so hard to get our home looking "lived in" and finished before they come. I know we will not get to everything on our list and sadly this is preventing me from blogging but I am determined to do it! I can promise to do my best and hope it's enough for you! :)

Thank you for reading and staying with me!

HAPPY WEEKEND TO YOU!

.We needed a break.

2011-11-10T12:51:00.000-05:00

Ever feel like that?

After last week, Adam and I decided to go on a little getaway to reconnect with each other and both disconnect from our jobs. We took a trip back to Charlotte, NC to visit dear friends as well as our new favorite store IKEA. This time, it only took us an hour and a half to successfully eat lunch, shop around, pick up the items on our list, and check out! We felt like we deserved a medal since our first visit was eight hours long..yep, I said eight.

After IKEA, we drove around town a bit checking out other stores. We, of course, stopped in Target and were both blown away at the size of it and get this--it was not even a super Target! Our little Lynchburg Target is sad compared to it's siblings, sigh. Another great find was Hobby Lobby! I had never heard of this store until the blogging world and was ecstatic to check it out. Well, we had exactly 10 minutes before the store closed (major tease!) so Adam and I set world records with our fast paced walk. I kept laughing hard because around every corner was something I had seen on a blog post (and I have to admit I was a little less impressed when I realized these things were purchased and not made like I had thought. Oh well!)

After our shopping spree, we checked into our hotel and instantly felt like little kids again. We explored our Hampton Inn and of course had fun in the elevators! It was around 9pm that we started getting hungry and both were in the mood for some Thai, our current food kick, and found the Thai House right down the road from our hotel. The food was incredible, hands down the best Thai food we have ever had. I highly suggest going there if you are in the area. Adam and I had the perfect date. I love when God prepares your heart (without you realizing it) to truly enjoy your spouse's company, to intently listen to their every word feeling proud and in love, laughing with them, sharing your thoughts with them--it's an amazing feeling. We had great company, great food, and great service so it's happy to say it was a good, spontaneous date.

Our hotel was wonderful however we did not sleep well at all. Adam and I are, well, pillow snobs. We both sleep with our Tempur Pedic pillows and carry those big boys with us everywhere we go. It's true. Well this trip we decided to leave them at home and let me tell ya--biggest mistake yet! When we walked into our room we immediately smiled because the room was beautiful and a king bed awaited us. Welp, those smiles quickly turned into a stunned looked followed by an uproar of laughter. Their pillows resembled little nuggets, perfect little squares. There were four of them total and they were awful. We definitely laughed at the situation until we awoke the next morning with back aches and feeling so teribly sleepy. Ah well, lesson learned!

Adam and I drove to Cary, NC to visit our friends James and Lynette along with their 3 year old son and 1 month old daughter. It was good seeing them and holding baby Eden. She weighed only 7.3lbs!! What a little peanut! Lynette made us an incredible dinner and a delicious gluten free cake :) This was my first official dessert in a long long time and it was so so good. Lynette then took Eden and myself to Whole Foods so I could stock up on some gluten-free yumminess! I wish, I wish, I wish Lynchburg had a Whole Foods or a similar store. It was amazing and their gluten-free sections were endless AND their prices were better than Kroger! I dropped a good chunk of change on food and am happy to report after a full week of eating, our pantry and freezer are still stocked full!

Overall it was a fantastic weekend and break from our everyday life!

Have you gone on any getways lately to escape the stresses of work?

.It's a New Day.

2011-11-03T12:30:00.006-04:00

Yesterday was awful.

I'm starting to doubt my ability to take care of a 3 month old baby. (If you are new: I am a nanny of a baby, a 3 year old, and a 5 year old)

Some days I truly feel like a rock star--Singing to the baby, feeding the baby, rocking her to sleep, making her smile and coo so hard she scares herself by the very noises she makes.

Other days, like yesterday, I feel like a failure--Not heating up her bottle to the "perfect" temperature she likes it (causing her to cry), not being able to get a burp or two out of her (causing her to cry), not picking her up at the right moment after her nap (causing her to cry), not being able to soothe her with words, hums, songs, or rocking (causing her to cry)..

..Giving her all the love and tenderness I have and having her reject it, reject me, and continue to kick and scream for hours.

Hours.

Yesterday I cried with her as I held her in my arms. I tried every position possible to hold a baby and nothing worked. I left her alone thinking she may cry herself to sleep and of course, her cries only grew louder and louder.

I was a wreck. I was tired. I was angry. I was stressed. I was helpless.

I put the baby in her carseat and simply drove around my neighborhood for 45 min until she finally calmed down all the while, I had continued to cry. Then I picked up her two older sisters from school who, when in the car, touched, kissed, and smothered their sleeping baby sister (causing her to cry once again.) I raised my voice at the girls and then quickly apologized and explained it had been a rough morning and asked for their forgiveness. We all hugged and I put on my go-to-katie relax-kids sleep cd by The Weepies.

It worked.

I drove home in silence with only the wind in my hair and my Weepies playing, bringing me to another place.

I am still recovering from yesterday. I wish I could say it as a freak thing and will never happen again but the truth is..it will and it has happened before. It has never brought me to tears before (I may blame that to my almost-time-of-the-month) but all I know is I was tired. I was angry. I was stressed. I was helpless.

Lord, I need your strength..your patience..your wisdom. Please help my body not stress when times get hard..please give me peace..please allow me to see the end goal..

Can I really do this?

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 12.

2011-11-01T12:52:00.000-04:00

It was exactly one year ago today when my husband encouraged me to start blogging. We worked together to think of clever names and were really fond of "Katiedid" which is a fun play off of my name, the crafts I would be sharing, and most of all the insect. (Side note: I am a very big science geek at heart.) Sadly this name was taken and Adam told me to think deeper and to decide what my blog would reflect.

After sleeping on it, I came up with 'Little Things Bring Smiles' because it truly represents my outlook on life. I wanted to blog to not only share the crafts I made, but to share my life and how God shows Himself to me. For me, He is in all things, but most important He's in the little things. No matter what kind of day you are having {depressing, joyous, frustrating, relaxing} there is joy and comfort found in the little things.

For the past year, I have compiled small lists of the little things that made me smile. I have found with each passing month, I look toward the little things and notice how minute they always are but how mighty they fill my heart. I often pray for God to continue showing me these little things to be a constant reminder that He is there for us at all times and reveals Himself to us more times than we ever notice.

I would be delighted if you would join me and share the little things that brought smiles to your days.

October:

- My husband waking up early to fill my car with gas

- Hearing three favorite songs play back to back on the radio

- Having a very pleasant and fun experience cooking with Adam

- Driving down the highway with yellow leaves falling on my dash

- Watching the ground hog (who lives under our back tree) collect food

- The comfort a heating blanket produces

- Meeting up with old friends and picking up right where you left off

- Going out of my way to bring coffee to Adam's office

- Rainy, snuggly days followed by the most beautiful sunny day

- Hanging new curtains in our living room

- Having my dog work his way up the bed as the night progresses

- Trying and liking new food

- Hugging my mom and dad

- Laughing til you cry

Now it's your turn, what are your little things?

Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Getting Our Lumberjack On.

2011-10-31T01:26:00.001-04:00

It's Halloween weekend.

This means friends+parties+candy+costumes= F U N

Adam and I were invited to a few get togethers and costumes were "required." Back in college we did the "let's try really hard to look good and make our ex's jealous" thing and I must say, it was a success. (We were young, what can I say!) This year we wanted to do another couples costume with items laying around our house. Welp, our closet has a lot of plaid..followed by wool socks..followed by boots.

Any guesses?

Lumberjacks it is! Adam is from Minnesota, don't ya know? The home of Paul Bunyan. We did have great plans to make homemade suspenders, axes, and dress our dog up as Babe the blue ox but instead we took it easy..real easy.

Flannel Shirts

Wool Socks

Hiking Boots

Jeans

Winter Hats

Thanks to Pinterest, who passed an idea over to my friend who passed an idea over to me, I am proud to share our snack contribution to the party.

Can you say, "Cheese?"

..My, what big teeth you have..

..Better to eat you with my dear..

..or to take fun pictures!

Adam and I had a fabulous time as lumberjacks with our friends. One party we attended had a photo booth set up so if those pictures show up somewhere, facebook, I will share with you!

Did you dress up this year?

What Halloween treat did you make?

H A P P Y H A L L O W E E N ! ! !

.Friday Afternoon.

2011-10-28T14:33:00.000-04:00

Good news: Headache is GONE

Bad news: Camping trip is CANCELLED

womp womp.

Adam and I decided the weather is simply too cold to have an enjoyable camping experience and we didn't want our pup to freeze. Our packs are ready to go and fingers are crossed Saturday into Sunday will warm up a bit. So instead of being outside, I am inside peering out my front window and admiring our new curtains.

Today has been a great day so far. I have the day off which is always an early Christmas present :) I took Colden to the vet this morning for his annual check-up and all is good! I gave the vet and her assistants a few good laughs this morning as I battled to hold my 30lb dog still for his shot. Let me tell ya--that little bugger is strong! I survived with two battle wounds to my forearm and a sweatshirt smothered in pretty red hairs while Colden was simply spoiled with treat after treat from the office workers. Something wrong with this picture? Ha, oh pets, gotta love them!

Before heading home, I stopped and picked up coffee and bagels for Adam and I. Well, if you have been keeping up with my blog, you would know the bagels were just for him, no gluten for me! (over three weeks strong!) We had a nice hour long chat in his office with pup playing in the back studio which acts as the ultimate doggie playground.

I came home and made myself some gluten-free pancakes with a little butter and strawberry jam, YUM! I spent about an hr (or closer to 2) perusing the blog world, facebook realm, and of course the mighty-always sucks you in-awesomeness that is pinterest. I am resembling a big gray blob as I type this post thanks to my sweatpants and old field hockey sweatshirt from high school.

Did I forget to mention it's in the low 40's today here in VA? Luckily the snow has not caught up with us like it did in Colorado, Vermont, New York along with other places but we sure are getting the cold air and crazy winds! I love looking out my window and seeing the little yellow and red leaf tornadoes the wind creates against the dark gray sky. It's rather nice being inside under my heating blanket.

Colden is peacefully sleeping a full cushion away from me and the house is quiet. There is no baby crying, no toddlers running and screaming, and best of all (I bet you can guess) there has been no poop messes to clean! I take this as another early Christmas present :) Remember, it's the little things in life.

Just started to rain.

Today is a fabulous day. I am feeling good and there is no agenda. Sure there are chores but no need to rush with them, it's the weekend. Thank you for being patient with me as I kinda sorta took the week off in blogging terms. Sometimes it's nice to step away and then come back with eagerness to write.

I'll leave you with one question: How is your Friday afternoon treating you?

Happy Weekend!

.Bleh Week.

2011-10-26T14:57:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to blog but alas another headache. Taking this week easy getting some house cleaning and laundry done. Hoping for the best this weekend--Adam is planning a little camping getaway for us :) Fingers crossed my head cooperates!

Happy Week to all of YOU!

.The Perfect Evening.

2011-10-21T12:52:00.000-04:00

The weather yesterday was sunny and in the upper 50's. It was the perfect combination. I had the afternoon to myself and with a blanket on my legs and slippers on my feet, I knew it was going to be good "Katie" time. I arranged all of my craft supplies on the kitchen table to begin creating but was interrupted by the view outside my window. The falling yellow leaves, the blowing trees, the beaming sun..I just had to be outside. I asked Adam if he was feeling up to doing something after work and like always he said, "Absolutely." He was home at exactly 5:15 and by 5:30 we were dressed and ready to hike with Colden. Lynchburg is blessed with many great trails and mountain views. Yesterday we decided to do a little hike right here in town, only 5 minutes away known as the "Monogram."

It was the perfect evening.

Happy Living--Happy Hiking

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.Had to Share.

2011-10-20T14:56:00.003-04:00

My friend Bethany will be in town tomorrow and we have already set up a morning coffee date to catch up. I received a message from her this afternoon that had me smiling from ear to ear. She found an old facebook message I sent her 5 years ago talking about my first "date" with Adam--so fun!

It dates back to October 14, 2006:

"so my night with adam was a surprise alright..a pleasant surprise. he is so different than anyone i have ever met--and i like that. we had such an interesting conversation, it was deep and just spontaneous if that makes sense. we were so open with each other and i dont know, he just intrigues me i guess. i really enjoyed my time with him and i do want to get to know him more..im interested alright!

we went to the play then went on the roof of demoss, yes the roof! it was crazy--amazing! we laid on our backs and watched the stars and just talked then went in demoss and talked some more and then he danced with me--it was the cutest thing!

i dont know what will happen with adam, but all i know right now is i am left with wanting to know more, seeing him more..so we shall see! its exciting and i just felt like sharing--hope you dont mind! :)"

Oh Adam Everett how you still intrigue me.

.Living and Dining Room Sneak Peek.

2011-10-19T19:00:00.000-04:00

As promised.

.The Painting Saga.

2011-10-18T20:51:00.003-04:00

Oh yes, a saga it was.

(Continuation to this post.)
Our painting stretched over the course of 5 days.

Day 1 (night actually) involved Adam removing every switch plate and outlet cover while I taped the dining room and prepped it for painting the chair rail, baseboard, and wainscoting as well as the new trim. I was able to get a first coat of paint on everything.

All of Day 2 consisted of me painting the wainscoting a total of 3 coats of Semi-Gloss White as well as hand brushing the little grooves. I also touched up the trim adding a second light coat where needed. (I have to share--when Adam came home from work Friday night, I was a mess, but so proud to show him my hard work!) Adam completed priming the new sheetrock before bed.

Day 3 was an early Saturday morning for Adam and I. I immediately began taping the entire hallway, living room, and kitchen to prep it for Adam and my Dad to paint. My parents arrived before my taping was complete but my sweet husband successfully changed the sheets and cleaned the bathroom for them just in time! After greeting my folks and chatting a little bit showing them the new room, we quickly got back to work. Adam began cutting in the rooms where my tape job was complete while my father painted the dining room ceiling. We all exchanged jobs throughout the day and I must say, my mother was so sweet. She did the dishes, cleared out the kitchen, and helped with other "annoying" house projects for us as well as some cutting in! By the end of the night, we successfully finished the dining room (minus touch ups) and got a first coat on the entire living room and hallways. Adam treated us all to some tasty Thai food we enjoyed out on the deck.

Height comes in handy, right Pop? ;)

My cute Momma :)

Our morning on Day 4 was a delightful one. Everyone woke up early and took Colden for a nice walk around the neighborhood. We all then hopped in the car and headed to Starbucks and Lowes for more supplies and yes--pup came along for the ride. When we got home, Mom and I cooked up sausage and eggs for breakfast and baked cinnamon rolls (Be proud--I did not eat one! No gluten for this girl!!) while Dad and Adam rolled on the second coat in the living room and hallways. As those walls were drying, we moved on to the kitchen. I have to admit, cutting in under the cabinets is not something I want to do again--wowza sore back! Adam hung our new chandelier in the dining room and it looks great, another post coming soon on that! We all took breaks, ran errands, cleaned, ate, and enjoyed the beautiful weather on the deck with Colden. After a long day of painting and the men assembling and mounting a shelf unit and the tv, it was time for pizza! (Again--I was strong and had a delicious salad!)

Adam's first electrical job!

Call me the Trim Master.

Day 5 we were all a little slow to wake up and sadly, no walk for Colden. Everyone got right to work after coffee and breakfast--it was awesome. I cannot even remember everything we did because it was nonstop moving for all. When everything was completed and cleaned, it was time to get lunch at our favorite place, Roly Poly and get this--they have a gluten free section! The sad part of my day was saying goodbye to my parents. They are truly amazing for driving down to VA from NJ to help us paint, just love them!

See "Before" pictures here.
See "After" pictures BELOW!

Kitchen and Dining Room Paint:
Benjamin Moore's Pottery Barn Stonington Gray HC-170

Living Room and Hallway Paint:
Benjamin Moore's Alaskan Husky 1479
(We were sold on the name!)

Adam and I are thrilled with the paint colors--so warming and soothing :)

A few things needed to completely finish up the job:

- Paint new crown molding Semi-Gloss White

- Have the crown molding installed

- Have the carpet patched up where the walls came down

Stop back tomorrow for "sneak peek" photos of more living and dining room progress!

(One of them actually snuck into a picture in this post, anyone find it?)

.Finally, Real House Progress.

2011-10-17T18:58:00.003-04:00

Before I jump into today's post, I want to catch the new readers up on a few things that have happened in my life recently. This week's agenda: Our house!

My husband Adam and I purchased our first home this past Summer over our 2nd anniversary weekend.

You can read about the journey using the following links:

- Are We CRAZY?

- Did Somebody Say Offer?

- Inspector Gadget

- A Heavy Heart

To take a tour of our home, click below:

- Exterior Tour

- Interior Tour

Outdoor projects:

- A Little Work Goes A Long Way

- Deck Makeover: Phase 1

Our previous, barely noticeable, interior progress:

- House Progress: 6 Weeks In

- House Progress: Master Bath and Bedroom

- Quick Kitchen Update

And now..the fun part!

Our home is finally showing some major improvements, progress, and is starting to feel like our home! Adam and I hired our neighbor (who is responsible for building the addition to our home back in '04) to do a little work for us. Remember, Adam and I are new homeowners and very new to the DIY "house edition". We are more than ready to get our hands dirty but we will save the big stuff to the professionals :)

And that's just what we did!

We had Terrance come to our home to knock walls down, add new sheetrock, change the electrical, all to create for us...

A Dining Room!

Adam and I currently do not own a table and chairs to fill the space but we are so thrilled with the results. Here are a few before photos featuring a few walls, a coat closet, and a pantry that are now GONE.

"Before"

Front door with coat closet

Coat closet and looking down main hallway

Main hallway looking in pantry and office

Main hallway from back guest bedroom with office on left, pantry on left, bathroom on right, and Colden down center :)

Inside office looking into office closet

Front right corner of office, soon to be walkway to living room

"During"

Goodbye coat closet, hello future dining room!

Plastic coverings everywhere

See ya later office wall!

Bye bye pantry.

Walkway to dining room, electrical boxes installed, pantry covered up, and wall knocked down!

View into new dining room which used to be the office corner and closet

And this is the part where the blogger got "lazy" and forgot to snap photos of the progress with all of the trims and wainscoting installed, just what was she thinking? ;)

Adam and I LOVE the decision we made to do this, we just love it! Since we do not have any kiddos yet and there is currently no bun in the oven, we thought this change fits our lifestyle perfect. And for those who know me..you know how messy my kitchen gets when I cook, who wants their guests staring at that while eating?--Not this girl! So excited to have a real dining room!

The past week and weekend were spent taping, cutting in, painting, touching up, and cleaning. Friends, get excited--more posts coming soon with the "After" pictures! (Here are two little hints of what you will see. Click here and here.)

Let me know what you think of the progress thus far.

Do you think it was wise to remove an office/very small bedroom to create a dining room?

Would you have made the same move or kept the extra room?

Have you made any similar changes to your home?

If so, what were they! I would love to hear and gain more ideas.

.5 Years.

2011-10-12T09:30:00.001-04:00

Today is a special day in our little family.

October 12, 2006 is the day Adam and I had our first date.

October 12, 2008 is the day Adam got down on one knee and asked me to be his wife.

October 12, 2011 is the day we celebrate our 5 years together.

5 Years.

That is longer than high school..longer than college..

..It's half a decade!

My life has been filled with joy and it goes by the name of Adam Everett. This boy has made my cheeks ache from smiling and my eyes water from laughter time and time again.

I am so lucky to have him in my life.

We have seen countless sunrises together.

2006.

We have stood on many mountain peaks together.

2007.

We have climbed onto rooftops together.

2008.

We have ventured into numerous cities together.

2009.

We have played in the sand and ocean together.

2010.

We have found home together.

2011.

Adam Everett Miller you have shown me what love, life, and happiness is all about.

Thank you for loving me.

Thank you for choosing me to be your wife for life.

Thank you for being a man of God.

I love you more than I could ever express.

You are my best friend.

You are my husband.

I praise Jesus for His great plan!

Here's to 5 years together and all that life has in store for us!

.It's Official, I Am Choosing To Be GLUTEN-FREE.

2011-10-11T14:58:00.002-04:00

Yesterday's post was foreshadowing the news I received today.

I got my results back.

It is time to radically ch-ch-ch-ch-C H A N G E my life--How?

The answer is simple: Diet.

After suffering from headaches throughout most of my childhood and extreme migraines throughout my entire adult life, it was time to do something..

..Something new--a new test, with new hope.

A few weeks earlier, I had blood work done and sent to ALCAT Worldwide in Florida for food intolerance testing.

Welp, the results came in!

I have 'Severe Intolerance' to the following foods:

- Cabbage

- Codfish

- Wheat

- Gluten/Gliadin

I have 'Moderate Intolerance' to the following foods:

- Cane Sugar

- Chicken

- Cinnamon

- Corn

- Cranberry

- Garlic

- Grape

- Rice

- Soybean

I have 'Mild Intolerance' to the following foods:

- Baker's Yeast

- Black Pepper

- Blk/Green Tea

- Butternut Squash

- Cantaloupe

- Cherry

- Halibut

- Honey

- Iceberg Lettuce

- Lamb

- Onion

- Pinto Bean

- Psyllium

- Shrimp

- Sole

I must admit, I was hoping to see only Wheat/Gluten on my paperwork and nothing else. I was, and still am, very surprised at the results and truly sad to be parting from some of my favorite foods.

Adam and I took my results to the grocery store with us to purchase a few items for the week. Friends, I will not lie to you, I had tears in my eyes. It was depressing. Everything we normally eat has wheat/gluten in it.

EVERYTHING.

We discovered new aisles of Gluten-Free foods and were excited and quickly horrified by the pricing. How could I spend $16.99 on pancake batter? And $8.99 for 5 granola bars?

Deep down inside I am thrilled to find new hope in ridding the migraines from my life..but..it's a big step. Food and me--we have a special bond. I grew up in NJ, I am Irish-German-Italian, I LOVE my pasta and all Italian food!

All of the beloved foods I grew up with and cook most often I have to stop eating. I have to say no to bread. And pasta. And chicken parmesan. And pizza.

I am not ready to do this but I am ready to end the migraines.

It's a no brainer, right? Stop eating the foods that cause you to be ill, that's it!

I wish.

I try to be optimistic towards life and to always view the glass half full, well, this CHANGE is causing me a bit of stress and disappointment.

I need help from you.

I need encouragement this is the right step to take for my body.

I need advice on what exactly I can and cannot consume.
I need to find bloggers who write about being gluten-free.

I need to hear your story--do you live gluten free?

.Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes.

2011-10-10T13:35:00.001-04:00

{Turn and face the strain.}

The month of October has started off with a bang, literally!

Walls have been knocked down.

Fresh, crisp paint will be going up.

Furniture pieces have been purchased.

Art will be made.

and..

New blog layout will be coming soon!

I haven't been the best of bloggers recently, life is happening too fast, BUT it will all

Ch-ch-ch-ch-change real soon!

Are you still with me?

.Baby Eden is Here!.

2011-10-07T14:33:00.001-04:00

My dear friends, Lynette and James, welcomed their first baby girl into the world this morning! My heart is full of love and celebration for the family. Praise the Lord for a healthy daughter and mother, both are doing wonderful! And a special congratulations to big brother Christian :)

Our God is an awesome God

He reigns from Heaven above

With wisdom, power, and love

Our God is an awesome God

.Oh Mondays.

2011-10-03T19:15:00.002-04:00

Mondays are dreaded by all and yet, when we least expect, Mondays surprise us.

I woke this morning to my husband walking past our bed fresh out of the shower in simply a towel. When our eyes met, he winked, I smiled, and fell back to sleep.

An hour later I found myself lying on my back with fingers inside my mouth and bright lights shining on my face. I was at the dentist. I had the same dental assistant as always and our conversation picked up right where it left off 6 months earlier. Holding conversations come naturally to me and I so enjoy getting to know people. This becomes a slight problem when one has three fingers, a scraper, an air sucker thingy, and a water pick all in their mouth. A side note: Do not laugh or even chuckle while getting your mouth worked on, you will spray not just yourself but the lovely assistant cleaning your teeth and all will see how red your face becomes.

On my way home from the dentist, I decided to be spontaneous. I wanted to do something for others because it not only makes me feel good but more importantly the person I did it for. It was still early in the morning and I thought, "What would make me the happiest right now, this very moment?" The answer was simple: Coffee. I drove to one of our local coffee shop and bought 5 coffees and picked up a coffee cake from Kroger. Another side note: Kroger carries this coffee cake and it is the best you will ever have in your entire life--yes, I dare you to try it!

With the coffee cake and 5 coffees safely secured in my vehicle, I headed towards Adam's office. As I walked through the door I smiled; I was excited to surprise everyone. It was a small surprise and one that did not require much work, but it let the guys know I was thinking about them and appreciated how hard they all worked. Smiles greeted me back by each individual and we all took a moment to fellowship over the treats.

I left to pick the girls up from school after receiving a few sweet kisses from my husband. The Weepies new album blasted in my car as I breathed in the cool, crisp fall air. I was wearing my boots and a light sweater with my hair down blowing vigorously in the wind. I found myself smiling more. My twenty minute drive through the mountains was peaceful and I felt God.

I greeted the girls with a smile and asked them how school went today. Yet another side note: Responses a 3 and 4 year old give are always priceless. I look forward to jotting the funny lines down when it's my turn to have children. We sang songs on the drive back and it was not long before Joy fell asleep followed by Grace.

After lunch, I tucked the girls in for nap time. Today, each girl said "I love you," before I told them-how my heart felt full. During their beauty sleep, I crafted. I sat in my bed with my big down comforter swaddled around me and Colden while I wrapped yarn around and around. Maybe the last side note: I am thinking about selling yarn wreaths at our local market for Christmas gift cash, thoughts?

When I came back home from dropping off the girls, I felt God in my kitchen. In my living room. In my hallway. In my bedroom. He blessed Adam and I with a house we own and call home. I quickly changed into my pj's and slippers and headed into the kitchen to make one of my favorite meals on a cold day, Tortellini Soup. I lied, side note time: Thank you Mom for creating this comfort meal I will pass down to my kids some day.

I finished my meal, played with my dog, and now I am sitting here telling you about my day because this Monday surprised me. It filled me with smiles and allowed me to see God in the little things. It made me envision the cup half full. How was your Monday? Did it surprise you?

I will leave you with two of my loves: Food and Colden.

Tortellini Soup:

2lb Chicken Broth

1lb Frozen Cheese Tortellini

Spices: Thyme, Rosemary, Parsley, Basil, Oregano, Salt, Pepper, and Garlic Powder

Boil water. Add frozen tortellini. Cook for 10 minutes or until all tortellini float to the top. Heat chicken broth in separate pot. Add spices as heavy or as light as you prefer to chicken broth. (I suggest adding a little spice, tasting, and so on until you are satisfied with the flavor.) Drain tortellini. Add into chicken broth. Stir it together.

Enjoy!

You can never go wrong with a little parmesan cheese on top. The best is when it melts to the bottom of the bowl and your spoon scrapes it up with each bite. Simply delicious!

Adam and I are having a few things done to the house, briefly mentioned here, so Colden has taken over our living room as his domain.

How could you resist this playful little guy.

Oh Mondays.

.Can You Handle This?.

2011-10-03T09:17:00.002-04:00

Adam and I have big plans for our kitchen. In fact, they are too big for our budget to "handle" at the moment so we opted for an affordable update.

Let's say goodbye to the old, traditional knobs..

..and hello to the new, modern handles!

Materials we used:

- Phillips head screwdriver

- Electric Drill

- New hardware (we purchased handles and screws in a kit from Ikea)

- Tape measure or ruler

- Painter's tape

Hint: Before drilling, use blue painter's tape to tape the
backside of the cabinet door where you will soon be
drilling. This will prevent your cabinet from splitting.

Hint: It is important to remember to allow your drill to do
the work; there is no need for you to add extra force by
pushing inward on your drill. Let it do the work itself.

Enjoy your handy work!

What a shiny, contemporary, and affordable update!

Happy Living--Happy Installing

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

P.S. We are homeowner and home DIY newbies hence the hints we provided and the picture by picture process :)

.We Made It.

2011-10-02T19:48:00.001-04:00

Last weekend our friends, Ben and Hannah, joined us on a journey. One that included a total of 7 driving hours and 8 walking hours.

We went to Ikea.

Being from Lynchburg, our closest Ikea is located in Charlotte, NC and you better believe we made the trip all in one day.

We may have spent some money :)

People everywhere were rolling their eyes at us. They even let out a few chuckles when they saw we only had two vehicles to bring it all home.

They simply did not understand.

With packers like Adam and Ben, anything can happen!

Ikea, we miss you deeply.

First Ikea purchase will be shown in tomorrow's post!

.8:15 on a Saturday Night.

2011-10-01T20:39:00.001-04:00

I am home
Alone
In my favorite sweatpants
And fleece
With wool socks on

I am sitting
Blogging
At my kitchen table
And sipping coffee
With pup asleep at my feet

I am sick
Sinus infection
A box of tissues accompany me
And a bagel
With butter melted on it

I am happy
Inside
My day was terrific despite being sick
Went to yard sales early this morning with Adam
And coffee
With hope of finding treasures

I am proud
We were victorious
Adam and I found 2 backpacking packs and a tent
All for $30
And the brand is The North Face
With a value of over $200

I am excited
For Emma
I found the perfect Virginia Tech, pink and white, Nike jersey for $4
Size 12 Months
And it is brand new
With matching pink and white striped warm up pants

I am missing
Adam
He is at LU's home football game
Under the lights
And wrapped in blankets
With the rest of the family

I am tired
Exhausted
My bed is sounding terrific right about now
Snuggled up
And watching a movie
With pup next to me

Goodnight.

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 11.

2011-09-30T14:15:00.001-04:00

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with the crafts and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

Here are my little things from September:

- Making my first yarn wreath

- Driving 3 hrs to and from Ikea on a Saturday with the hubs

- New purchases, thanks to Ikea

- Falling leaves
- Arranging a "Guys Night"

- Starbucks dates with Adam

- Dinners at home

- Seeing an old lady walking home with groceries decked out in jeans, flannel shirt, puffy vest, and cowboy boots (I hope to be as cool as her at that age!)

- Gas prices dropping to $3.19

- Having 'Breaking Bad' marathon nights with Adam, thanks to Netflix

- Watching an 8 week old baby every day

- Snuggling with the baby

- Feeding her

- Making her smile, so precious!

- Grocery shopping "dates'
- Having friends over to sit and chat around the fire

- New camera lens

- Celebrating my niece's first birthday

- Visiting with family

- "Torturing" our pup by bathing him with the hose on the deck (just hilarious, Shiba Inus do not like being wet)

- Listening to old songs Adam and I grew up with thanks to Spotify

And two BIG things:

- Reaching 500 followers (what? how did this happen?)

- Remodeling our home!

Now it's your turn, what are your little things?

Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Tired.

2011-09-29T16:57:00.000-04:00

Hello friends,

I really tried to write a post this afternoon, I did. I thought about it and planned a fantastic one about a killer house project we have going on but--it's all in my head, not typed here.

I'm tired.

And a bit sick, lovely sinus infection and strange allergies. I am ridiculously happy though and had an amazing (and extremely busy) week.

I'll tell you about it soon, just not today.

I'm tired.

I started watching the new baby (2 months old) this week as well as the two toddlers (3 and 4) and I will simply say..Parents, take a bow. I am applauding you.

Yeah..I'm tired.

Happy happy weekend!

Katie

.This, That, and a Winner.

2011-09-23T13:20:00.001-04:00

Happy Fall

Today is the first day of my favorite season.

Virginia has been blessed with rain and crisp Fall air this week.

It has been lovely.

I've started to notice a few little surprises in my yard,

like this:

and that:

Fall is truly a season of beauty.

Today is not only the first day of the season, but the day I announce the giveaway winner!

Friends, I am blown away.

120 of you left comments to win the Pumpkin Spice Yarn Wreath.

This is the most comments any of my posts have ever received,

I guess you kinda liked it huh?

The winner is:

Comment #45: Jill

Her little thing was, "Good music to workout to!"

Congratulations Jill

and thank you to everyone who entered!

.Giveaway Reminder.

2011-09-22T00:18:00.000-04:00

Happy Thursday

I hope this week you have been relaxing in the cool F a l l weather. I know it has put me at ease this week and I have enjoyed one 'too' many afternoon naps.

This is just a quick post reminding you about the Pumpkin Spice Yarn Wreath Giveaway (wow, that was a mouth full) going on here. The winner will be announced Friday afternoon using random.org.

Thank you again for all of your comments and entries, Adam and I have truly enjoyed reading your little things from the past week. Your words have really opened our eyes to how good life can be when we all stop and remember the little things.

.Cysts and Migraines.

2011-09-21T14:57:00.007-04:00

After reading the title, there are two reactions:

1. I suffer from migraines too, I understand your pain.
2. Oh, my grandmother, friend from school, brother, co-worker, lady from church (etc) suffers from migraines, I know it's extremely hard on them.

Migraines seem to be in every family, in every group of friends, in every office, in every school, in every church--Why? Why are there so many of us suffering? Why are certain bodies more susceptible to migraines than others?

I remember having headaches all the way back to elementary school. As the years progressed and my body changed, those headaches became stronger, more frequent, and more painful. By the time I was in high school, my head hated my body and my body hated my head. The two parts were never on the same team and it caused for one exhausted and frustrated teenager. My mother and I quickly realized the correlation between my menstrual cycle and migraines. I remember skipping parties, get togethers, movie nights, sleepovers, field hockey practices, basketball games, and even school days because of the intense pain I would experience in my head as well as cramping. The hardest part of missing these things was having my friends, coaches, and teachers actually believe me. For those who do not suffer from migraines it is hard to understand the pain, especially if they have never been around someone close who has them. My friends would give me a hard time about not wanting to go out with them and I often felt they thought I was faking just to stay home. This was not the case! While they were out having fun, I was in my dark quiet room laying in bed with an icepack on my head, definitely not my definition of fun! I so badly wanted to be out with my friends but I suffered from migraines.

During my teenage years, my parents brought me to doctor after doctor searching for a reason behind the migraines. It baffled us all--I was young, in good health, an athlete, and did not smoke or drink--why was my body failing me? My family and I had enough of hearing the word "tumor" tossed around by numerous doctor so we arranged for me to have my first CT Scan and MRI. Talk about a scary experience--as a 17 year old I had to strip, put on a gown, be escorted to room after room, lay on pad, be injected with dye, be inserted in a large noisy machine, told not to move a muscle or else they will have to start the process all over again, and left alone in the room while everyone else peered at me through windows. Verdict: Not fun and no tumors! Phew. We were thrilled by this news however we still left with no answers, no cause for the migraines.

Fast forward to my four years at college. My body went through major changes regarding emotions, diet, hormones, and migraines. I was in a new state, eating new (not so healthy) cafeteria food, drinking different water, and had no regular sleep schedule. This all resulted in many headaches and debilitating migraines. Liberty University had a strict attendance policy and required it's students to attend classes. Most professors allowed 2 unexcused absences and 2 excused and that was it. If you missed any more classes, you would fail. (Family emergencies, funerals, etc. were of course excused!) I remember going to so many classes looking and feeling like h*** because I could not skip. There were some profs who understood migraines and were lenient but the majority required you to attend class unless you were dying--literally! Though I felt I was dying physically, I had to drag myself to class and remember praying during the entire lecture for a bit of relief..for sleep..for even a "normal" headache. For those of you who have migraines, I know you understand how uplifting it is when your migraine turns into a normal headache, it's still pain but you can actually live life.

Ringing in my ears began during my time at Liberty. On winter breaks when I was back home, I would visit doctor after doctor searching for my answers. (Sounds familiar right?) I am known to faint and experience vertigo and felt this was all connected with the ringing ears and migraines. I went to specialists and had tests done, blood taken, and still left with no clear answers. Meniere's disease was brought up a few times and I recall having hearing tests and finding out my hearing in my left ear cannot hear certain low pitches which corresponds with the disease. There were further tests I needed to have completed but school started up again and then there was the financial aspect. My parents were so generous, took care of everything, and never hesitated to pay, but I knew the co-pays and "extra" work that insurance did not cover was adding up. It was never found if I had Meniere's disease because I chose not to have more testing done..I was simply sick of it all!

After college I married my best friend. With marriage came sex and began an entirely new slew of issues for this girl. Adam and I saved ourselves for our spouse and it is one of the best decisions we have made and are thankful God allowed us to do this. Without going into too much detail about this personal topic, I will simply say God did not create man from dust and woman from man's rib to join as one in sexual intimacy for it to be painful. In the beginning months of our marriage it was. I knew something was wrong. During my period, I would be crippled in my bed with a heating pad and advil and under more pain and pressure I remember dealing with in the past. Something had to done. New doctors were now a part of my life and I went through more testing and numerous ultrasounds. This time was different, this time we found answers!--Cysts. My body continually produces cysts, some inside of my ovaries, others just "floating" behind or next to my uterus. Finding out about these cysts opened my eyes to all of those years spent in bed with cramps and extreme pressure on my sides and lower back--it was all coming together and connecting. I went on different types of birth control pills to prevent my body from forming these cysts but nothing seemed to work. I stopped taking the birth control pills and though I was still in pain, I was happy to be "me" again and not the crazy, depressed, emotional person I became on the pill..the hubs was happy too :) Thankfully, the cysts that formed always burst on their own which was (extremely-drop to the floor) painful but a blessing at the same time because I never had to have any surgeries or procedures.

I have been married now for a little over two years and the cysts come and go, some more painful than others. I am learning my body and know when I have one or two present. I can feel them when I walk, when I laugh, cough, sneeze, and when I have sex. It has become a familiar pain, one that I can identify, so I shrug it off as nothing most of the time. Again, without going into too much detail, I will say sex with my husband has been much improved ;) I know many women have similar issues and learn to live with them. Doctors do not really have an answer and even after a recent trip to the ER, I was told to take it easy and come back if the pain worsens. Really? After all of the people poking, feeling, and looking inside of me that is what I get to go home with? After paying the ER bills and the radiology bills, I go home with nothing? I was offered strong pain medicine but how was I to know if my pain worsened when I was numb?--I opted not to take any and to listen to my body. This ER trip was about 2 months ago and I have not been back to my doctor for a follow up. I plan on going in the next week or so to have another exam and ultrasound done.

As many of you know, I have been working on getting healthy emotionally, spiritually, and physically and have made good progress. I have been seeing a chiropractor since January and have had major improvement with my migraines. Instead of 2 or 3 per month, I am down to just 1 bad migraine that lasts about 3 days which is so encouraging! I highly recommend visiting a chiropractor if you suffer from migraines. For me, it has really cut down on the frequency of my attacks. I have been studying my body and found I have definite triggers for headaches. They include:

1. Strong perfume or cologne.
2. Fluorescent lighting.
3. Temperature, if my body feels flush or overheated.

I have also noticed if I am in close quarters, do not feel like I am getting enough air, or do not have a glass of water easily accessible I get anxious..this leads to dizziness..this leads to fainting or a migraine. Lately I have been keeping a close watch on the foods I have been eating. I've started to make mental notes about what I eat and how I feel. This has led me to food allergies and the possible connection between wheat, gluten, and migraines. Nicolette, from Momnivore's Dilemma, opened my eyes to this connection. She has written fabulous posts about her choices to go gluten-free and how her life, as well as her son's life, have improved greatly. After emailing with Nicolette back and forth, I am ready to be tested! Adam is taking me to the hospital tomorrow morning to have blood drawn. We will then be packaging and shipping it to a lab in FL where they will be testing it with 100 different foods.

Friends, I am so excited!

My fingers are crossed they find something--some reaction to a food/food group/protein/whatever I have been consuming my entire life. I am feeling so grateful for our blogging community that is has led me to something new, something that could possibly change my life! I will keep everyone updated when I have the results in 1 to 2 weeks. I am also going to have an eye exam next week since my last one was during my sophomore year of high school, whoops! I really do not like the way I look in glasses but I have come to the point of not caring if it will help my body. I need to help my body!

Please say a prayer for me and my crazy, issue-filled body. I am ready to say goodbye to my migraines and cysts for good! I do apologize if this was too much information and too personal for you. My mindset is to use this blog to help others and to help myself. I have learned so much by reading peoples' stories and have found being open and honest brings people together. Now, I want to hear from you..please share as little or as much as you'd like with me.

Do you know someone who suffers from migraines? Is it you?
Have you dealt with ovarian cysts? What helped you?
Do you have any food allergies? How did you find out?
Are you living gluten-free? How has it improved your life?

Here's to answers!

.Weekending.

2011-09-20T00:01:00.000-04:00

This weekend was lovely..

Cool weather.
Open windows.
Road trip with the hubs.
New Weepies album.
Family visit.
Niece's first birthday.

My sister-in-law Kim, from Little Rays of Sunshine, worked long and hard preparing for her baby girl's first birthday party and I am happy to report it was a total success. My niece Emma made everyone smile and was loved on by all.

Birthday Girl Emma Grace

Proud parents

My awesome folks!

Emma with her cake, she was a little unsure in the beginning :)

For more pictures and details, check out Kim's blog!

Adam and I feel extremely blessed and love our "jobs" as Auntie and Uncle :)
Thanks for reading, I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

.Fall GIVEAWAY+Details.

2011-09-16T12:30:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I introduced you to Pumpkin Spice, my very first yarn wreath.

I spotted a yarn wreath for the first time last year and instantly fell in love with the concept. I did not make one last season and was thrilled to see this Fall, yarn wreaths are still going strong.

I had to join the club :)

I purchased a 12" foam wreath, 1 bundle of pumpkin colored yarn, and 5 sheets of cream colored felt from Michaels to create this little beauty. The branches were left over from my wedding crafts and I used my trusty old glue gun to get the job done! I ended with plenty of yarn to spare, and though it would have looked nicer a bit thicker, I did not want to spend more time wrapping the wreath :) I popped on a movie, wrapped two layers around in about 30 minutes, and took a break to finish watching. The next day, I finished wrapping a third layer around the wreath after fixing a little problem briefly mentioned here.

When the wreath was fully wrapped, with the yarn pulled tightly and evenly throughout, I followed my own tutorial for making the felt flowers. I had a little fun experimenting with the felt resulting in larger, fuller flowers. (May show you a quick tip covering how soon!) I had three left over flowers I chose not to use because I thought they made the wreath look too bulky on the bottom. Another option I could have done was to spread the flowers out by placing some on the other side of the wreath. I completed all of my flowers in an hour and a half. This may seem long, but I am a perfectionist (not by choice) and like to take my time as I work. The photo above shows the outer edge of the wreath while the photo below displays the inner edge.

I wanted to keep the wreath simple because I strongly believe
simplicity = elegance.

The flowers were designed to be various heights and widths so I could bunch them close together without smushing one another. I paid close attention to my flower petals and used my fingers for extra "fluffing" to add more texture to the wreath. After my first experience making rosettes, I was upset with myself for not fixing up the flowers--and by this, I mean smoothing out the shape of the flowers. I think it is important to finish a job by putting in an additional 10%. This time I did and am so pleased with the result.

Being satisfied with a craft I complete is usually hard for me but this baby made it easy--I am loving it!

And that's not all--

I'm giving it away to one of YOU!

I will use random.org to choose a winner Friday, September 23rd. This giveaway is only open to U.S. residents. I always welcome new followers to my blog so feel free to join if you enjoy reading Little Things Bring Smiles.

Here's how to enter:
Leave one comment on this post describing the little thing(s) in life that brought you smiles this week, that's it!

*This giveaway is now closed*

.First Yarn Wreath.

2011-09-15T17:32:00.001-04:00

Introducing what I call Pumpkin Spice.

Details coming soon!

Happy Living--Happy Crafting

and remember

--Little Things Bring Smiles--

.Guys Night.

2011-09-14T22:06:00.000-04:00

I'd like to begin this post with letting you all know I am giving myself a big ol' pat on my back for being a super duper cool wife tonight.

I am currently sitting inside in my pj's while Adam and 7 of his buddies are out back around a camp fire snacking on the delicious treats and goodies set out by yours truly.

Adam needed a night with his "guys." The man works so hard and then deals with me every single day and night. While I'd like to think I am a blast to hang out with at all times, let's be real, I can be quite moody and this week was the week, you know which one..yep, my hubs needed a Katie break :)

I wanted him to have it so I suggested a guys night. I knew he would be excited for it but the extent of his excitement was a bit more than I had anticipated..I guess he needs this more often eh'?

The boys are being boys together..smoking cigars and pipes, chowing down brownies and other treats, and chatting about, well, boy stuff. I can hear their muffled laughter and it makes my heart feel good, so very good.

I finished paying the bills, reading up on a few blogs, and now it is time for me to finish another wreath--this one is for you! I did something a little different, I am in the process of making my first yarn wreath! It has taken a little longer than I had in mind because a certain toddler I watch got into the yarn during nap time and made one of the biggest knots ever, I'm actually impressed with the variety and amount of tangles. We are both to blame because I was in the back of the house in our bedroom and did not check on her for a while..and to think I thought she would be napping, ha! Ah well, I am still happy and loving the wreath..really loving it that I am tempted to keep it BUT I had you in mind so I must, must, must give it away :)

Stay tuned!

And wives..let's be cool more often and set up fun nights for our husbands that do not involve us, Lord knows they need it!

:Happy Wednesday Night:

.Poop.

2011-09-13T15:23:00.002-04:00

It's only Tuesday and this week stinks already--

literally S T I N K S.

I am choosing my words carefully as I type because the words in my head contain cuss words and rather strong opinions that will most likely hurt someone's feelings..so..here I go, hesitant as I type.

I just need to vent a little, is that alright with you?--

Oh it is, G R A N D! Here I go!

Poop. I hate it. My job as a nanny over the past 2 years has exposed me to more poop, poop that is not my own, than I ever imagined possible. As a parent, I understand this becomes a daily "duty" and you probably get used to the smells, textures, and colors (maybe?).. Welp, I am not a parent which means all of the poop I am discussing, the poop that is not my own, is also not my childrens' poop--it's someone else's kids' poop. Because of this simple fact, I am and think I will always be, grossed out by POOP..(even when the time comes for my own children--ugh to poop!)

I began my nanny job when the girls were 13 months and 2.5 years old. This meant everyone was in diapers and the food being consumed by the girls was very similar to your average adult which can only conclude one thing about their poop: It was massive--explosive adult-like POOP!

I quickly made a new best: soap. Oh, how I love hand soap and all of their sweet aromas.

Other peoples' poop was now a part of my everyday life. Living the dream?--(Hmm, now that's one to ponder.) Honestly, I have loved my job and have truly been captivated by the little ones I watch and thank the Lord daily for giving me this opportunity to learn and grow as a "parent in training." I feel extremely fortunate for this on going experience because it has taught me a lot about myself and what type of caregiver/mother I will become.

That said, let me still emphasize how much I despise poop. I have been along for the ride through Grace's potty training and it was bad--all I am going to say on that matter. Now Joy is 3 and seems to be following her big sister's path regarding putting poop in the potty. There is never a "whoops--I had a pee accident"--nope, it always goes a little something like this..

Me-"Girls, what is that smell?"
Grace- "Not me!"
Joy- "Maybe it was Colden." (my dog)
Me- "Joy, did you poop in your pants?"
Joy- "No, I did not. Grace did you?"
Grace- "No, look!" (as she pulls her pants down and "bares" all)
Me- "Joy, come with me to the bathroom please."

...

Every time she poops, she lies to me about it. I do my best at attempting to understand the thoughts of a 3 year old.."maybe she is embarrassed..maybe it really did slip out and even surprised her"..but then I think.."she knows she did it..i mean, she had to literally push it out and let's face it--it S T I N K S, everyone can smell it!" I pray daily for wisdom and guidance at how I speak to her, the tone of my voice, and the actions I take.

Today, I got angry..sad but true.

Angry that her teachers did not change her (trust me, the smell was like walking into a wall)--angry Joy did not speak up and tell her teachers she had to go potty and angry she did not tell them she went potty in her pants. I realized she had pooped the second she stepped into my car from the car pool line. I realized she may have felt embarrassed around the other children so I drove my car around to the back corner of the parking lot and backed in so I could change her in the back without anyone seeing, even noticing us. Well--this poop accident was too much for me to handle. The poop spilled out of her pull up onto her thighs and back. I frantically used the baby wipes to prevent poop from getting on her dress and in my car (the one my husband just had cleaned) but failed miserably.

It was already on her dress and on the car mat.

The smell was enough to kill ya--I stuck my shirt over my nose and breathed through my mouth convincing myself this technique works. I felt like every time I wiped, I was only spreading the thick, play dough like, green poop on her little body more and more. It was awful. After a few minutes of gagging and wiping, her skin tone returned and the green was no more.

The drive home was nothing but a cruel mental game with myself. My hands were not washed (since we were in the parking lot) and even though I used hand sanitizer, my mind was visualizing the little green poop germs spreading from my hands..to my wrists..to my arms..it was terrible. The stench was trapped in my nose hairs and tortured my stomach the entire ride home.

I hate poop.

When we got home, I changed Joy's outfit, wiped her bottom/back/thighs with a warm rag and put a new, fresh pull up on her and tucked her into naptime.

And now, here I sit, still smelling the poop and still imagining it on my hands even after washing and scrubbing my skin dry.

My day was going really well and then--poop decided to ruin it all. Am I overreacting?--It may seem it to you, especially if you are a parent or teacher of pre-school, but poop simply S T I N K S and puts me in a sour mood. I try not to let it--but it always wins! I had to get out my thoughts and hopefully I did a good job and keeping in the things I needed to in my head.

If not, sorry guys, poop just S T I N K S ! ! !

.Remembering.

2011-09-11T20:21:00.006-04:00

10 years.

Has it really been 10 years?

I was fortunate and did not lose anyone during the 9/11 attacks of 2001.

Today,

my head and heart..

my thoughts and prayers..

are with those who did.

These individuals have lived without their..

Father

Mother
Son
Daughter

Grandfather

Grandmother

Brother

Sister

Aunt

Uncle

Cousin

Best Friend

for 10 years.

...

10 birthdays.

10 Christmases.

...

Loved ones have missed watching their children grow.

Missing the little things..

First words,

First steps,

First day of school,

First home-run,

First date,

First car,

First dance..

And the big things..

High School Graduation,

College Graduation,

First Job,

Wedding,

Grandchildren.

The lives of so many men and women were taken 10 years ago today.

Each person at a different point in life.

..Each expecting they would see tomorrow..

..Each parent thinking they would tuck their child to bed that night..

..Each spouse waiting to hear the car door close in the driveway.

My heart is heavy thinking of the wives who waited to hear their husband walk through the front door

but never did.

For the parents who outlived their children..

For the young babies who would grow up only knowing the stories and pictures of their parent.

...

As I am sitting here attempting to write my thoughts, I remember where I was back in 2001. I was a freshman in high school and sitting in my morning art class joking with friends and flirting with an upperclassmen I had a crush on. An announcement on the loud speaker interrupted our conversation with news a plane just hit one of the Twin Towers. There were chuckles in my classroom and rolled eyes with comments like,"Wow--who was the smart one flying that plane?" We were young and completely shielded from the reality of what was actually happening in the city just 40 minutes away from us. Before anyone in the classroom could even wrap their head around what we heard, more announcements flooded the intercom..students burst out in tears..monitors turned on in every classroom..live broadcasts were now staring at the faces of students and teachers in Jefferson Township High School. We sat in silence as the second plane hit and the terror set in of knowing, "this was not an accident." The rest of the day is a pure blur but I do remember the chaos..the faces of my teachers, my friends, my classmates, and especially the students who knew their lives would never be the same..these students had parents, loved ones, who worked in the city..in the Twin Towers. When I finally made it home that day, my mother ran to me and hugged me and then did the same to my older brother. She wept in his arms and feared at that instant he would be taken away to war. I do not remember if we ate dinner that night, or what time my father made it home, all I remember, my family was together.

We were lucky.

.Good Things Are Coming.

2011-09-09T00:11:00.005-04:00

In life, my husband smiles and says,

"Good things are coming."

Well friends, I am saying this to you!

The past two weeks have been incredible regarding my blog thanks to you and your love for this.

I am not sure what makes this particular wreath so special..but I want to say

thank you

for all of your features and sweet comments by making another rosette wreath and

giving it away!

Stay tuned for a Little Things Giveaway :)
Happy Weekend!

.My Journey the Last Four Months.

2011-09-03T12:43:00.000-04:00

I want to start this post by praising the Lord my God.
He has used my blog and the blogging community in ways I never expected.
He has shown me love by providing you, my loyal readers.
Your words of wisdom, love, advice, and encouragement have touched my heart.
You have given me a reason to write, to share my heart, and to create.

Thank you.

After writing a post about my weight, my relationship with boys, and my spiritual walk, my life has changed AGAIN!
As I typed the words to my story four months ago, my heart and stomach ached.
I still remembered the pain of what happened.
But now..
I am healed.
Writing my story down and actually reading it opened my eyes to how truly awesome our God is..how He saved me..how He healed me..how He sent me you, my blogging friends.
Your comments and emails flooded every emotion inside of me.
I was, and still am, in awe of how much you cared about me, someone who most of you have never met.

Now I am here, typing once again, feeling the butterflies in my stomach and the joy in my heart.
I have accomplished a goal..a big goal, one that you helped with.
I have lost weight as I mentioned here but it is so much more than that.
I am on the path of getting healthy.
Physically.
Emotionally.
and Spiritually.
This time around, losing the weight was easy because my head and my heart were with Jesus and my husband.
I wanted to lose weight for them not me..for them.
I was nervous my old eating tendencies would take over and my old weight loss pattern would start to show his ugly face.

It never happened.

In the beginning, there were feelings of guilt after eating a little dessert and my husband, my best friend, called me out on it the moment he saw what was happening.
Adam talked me through it and the Lord gave him the words to help me get over those feelings quickly and learn it was indeed okay to treat yourself.
My diet was changing before my eyes and my body was loving the fresh fruits and veggies it was receiving.
The more fruit I ate, the more my body craved them.
It was amazing.
Every morning I would enjoy a slim fast shake blended up with one banana and ice as well as a cup of Greek yogurt or grapefruit on the side.
For my morning snack, I would choose between a variety of healthy granola bars and more fresh fruit like apples and peaches.
At lunchtime, I would prepare myself a hearty turkey and provolone sandwich, a salad filled with fresh vegetables, or another slimfast shake.
Afternoon snack normally consisted of an apple and peanut butter..they were made for eachother.
Dinner, regardless of eating in or out, was always pretty light and filled with as few ingredients as possible to prevent a lot of chemicals from entering my body.
I will admit, dessert became my absolute favorite: Greek yogurt with fresh berries and Kashi cereal all mixed together with a cup of herbal tea.
The foods I was eating were simply delicious and I was drinking water nonstop during my days.

And then it came to exercising.

My exercise routine is one to joke about.
In my past, I struggled with exercising excessively and burning more calories than I was putting into my body.
I was hesitant these struggles would come back but quickly after beginning my high intensity 12 minute work out..I knew this would not be a problem.
I remembered how much I hate working out!
True story.
I will hike a mountain no problem, but having to pop in a dvd and exercise in my living room just made me cringe and realized I much prefered my sleep in the mornings.
I am happy and proud to report I did completed 5 full weeks of working out every morning.
5 weeks..that is longer than a month people! (As I pat myself on the back)
My body was changing a little everyday and I knew my hard work was paying off.
Old clothing began fitting and I found getting dressed in the mornings was enjoyable.
If only I kept up with the work out..

I may, just may, have abs.

But let's be real.
5 weeks remember?
No abs but definitely a smaller waist line and tummy!
I am beyond happy to report my heathlier eating habits and diet have remained consistent during the last four months.
I have more energy and accomplish more each day.
I have been taking vitamin supplements and learning more about my body and what it needs.
My prayer life has taken up the majority of my days by simply turning my thoughts into a conversation with God, giving everything to Him and thanking Him as I lay in bed at night for the wonders He is working inside of me.
My body is complicated, filled with cysts and migraines, but I know I am on the path to finding a cure for those things.
Getting healthy is a slow process, one that takes determination and patience.

God is providing that and so much more.

My emotions have been different the last four months.
They have been relatively the same and have avoided the crazy emotional roller coasters.
The hubs has approved ;)
My heart has been filled with the fruits of the Spirit.
It is the most incredible experience watching as your body is transforming in front of your eyes.
I am proud and so is my husband..and my Savior.
My body is His temple and it is up to me to keep it that way.
I am not fully there, but like I said, it is a process and I am well on my way!

I want to leave you with a few powerful verses found in Galatians Chapter 5.

¹⁶ So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whateveryou want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

Thank you.

.It's the Weekend.

2011-09-02T22:58:00.000-04:00

Need an idea how to celebrate the weekend? Try this:

Camping and Outdoor Movie Night at Home

Adam and I had a little back to school celebration with Grace and Joy.
We invited them over for a special sleepover..one that involved:

- Tents

- Fire

- Smores

- Blankets

- Pillows

- Outdoor Movie

(thank you projector and bed sheet!)

The girls fit in a few snuggles before beginning the movie..

..and we got our snuggle on during the movie :)

Happy Weekend To You!

.Dear Pinterest.

2011-09-02T07:43:00.002-04:00

You are an incredible world filled with amazing images.
You make it easy to waste time being inspired with what you have to offer.
You have given my blog a total of 8, 242 views.

You're pretty rad.

Love,
Katie

Dear Pinterest Users,

Thank you for pinning various projects I have completed this past year.
Thank you for sharing them with others.
Thank you for your excitement and fresh eyes.

You are appreciated.

Please remember to show your love to the creator of the pins you see.
Please remember bloggers, just like me, need your affirmation.
Please remember comments keep us motivated to create beautiful things.

Let's spread the love past pinning.

Love,
Katie