Baby Shower #1

(My Baby Blankets and Showers are numbered because I've more of both coming up in a few days)

This past weekend was my friend Angie's long awaited baby shower!! It was long-awaited by ME because I've been so looking forward to it. The girls in our small group hosted it and it was so much fun!

The guests decorated onesies...

We all ate some yummy food...

...gathering to pray...

Some lovely words from Lauren to Angie...

Some cute baby sock decor by Esti...

The diaper smelling game...

The small group gals (minus my sister who was in Moline for my sis-in-law's shower):

I am so thankful these ladies are a part of my life. Can't wait to meet your little one, Angie!!

Who's next??

Changes and Updates

Special thanks to my hubby's Photoshop skills and his willingness to help me improve my blog.
I decided some changes were needed in order for me to take my blog in the direction I'd like it to go.

I'm hoping to use this blog to share a little more about what's happening in our lives creatively and also update you fine folks of the changes on the horizon...which I guess is what this blog has always been, but now it has a title to match that purpose.

Our lives are busy working through and toward the changes in our future.
Namely:
1. Moving to Moline
2. Career Changes
3. Educational Pursuits
4. Growing in craftiness abilities and interests
5. Growing and developing as individuals, as a couple, and into the people God wants us to be.


This weekend we hit up the Antique Market in Sandwich, Illinois.

There were so many vendors and a lot of neat things.

Here are some of my favorites:

WARNING

THIS BLOG IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION. PLEASE STAY TUNED FOR CHANGES.

Baby Blanket #1

I've made my first baby blanket!

It is for a friend of mine who is due in early November. Angie is in my small group and it's been so fun getting to know her over the past couple of years. She and her hubby are expecting their first baby (and the first baby in the small group!) the first week of November.

The ladies in our small group are throwing her a shower on Saturday. If I ever remember to bring my camera home from school, I'll be sure to post pics of the shower.

In the meantime, here's the blanket I made for the baby. They're going to be surprised about the sex, so I had to go neutral. It's hard to do!! :)

I got this idea for a ribbon blanket from a woman at my work who's been making smaller versions- burp rag size (but quilted, so cool!)- for all the pregos at school for years. They are so darn cute that I just had to try my hand at it.

I chose a super soft cotton-y material for one side and a fleece for the other side. I pinned it together inside out, with the ribbons looped on in the inside. Sewed around the square, all except a few inches on one side, flipped it inside out, sewed up the opening, and VIOLA!


It's SO cozy! I wish I was a baby wrapped up in it!

FUN day

For all of you wondering (all one of you)...

Pedantic comes from the root word "pedant," which means, "a person who is excessively concerned with minor details and rules or with displaying academic learning."

HAHA. It's a nice word for anal rententive and it pretty much sums me up!

Anywho. Today Marcus and I ran a 5K at Trinity for the annual Homecoming Fun Run. It was indeed fun! :) Then we spent the day shopping and yard/garage/estate saling, and thrifting. It was so fun! Check out the fun ribbon I got...

You'll have to wait to see the rest of my stuff when I create something out of it!


Sorry for the poor photo quality. I keep leaving my camera at school on accident, so these pics are taken with the trusty Photo Booth on my laptop. :)

Pedantic

Do you know "pedantic" means?

I'm sitting here doing homework and Marcus is reading a book. He just leaned over and asked me, "What does pedantic mean?"

I looked it up in the dictionary. I never knew there was a word for that. For me. A word that sums up one major aspect of my personality. Haha. It's pretty funny...at least my dictionary's definition is funny. I happen to know a few of you out there who are pretty darn pedantic yourselves. ;)

Do you know what it means? WITHOUT LOOKING IT UP, leave me a comment as to what you think it means.


...and here's a funny picture just because. It was taken a few weeks back...

Meeting the Mayor

The mayor of Vernon Hills came to our school today.

This year at the school where I teach, a new program called Local Leaders has been put into place. Each month a local leader from the community is going to come and visit. I decided I needed a picture with him! :)


Nevermind how dopey I look. It sure is weird shaking hands with someone and not looking at them but rather at a camera.

Haha. Stay tuned for the other local leaders I get to meet each month. :)

Lots of Labor this Weekend

We did SOOO much this weekend at the house.

Labor Day is a day set aside to acknowledge your labor and rest from it.

Well...we labored instead.

We had lots of help and got a lot done.

It was fun and fulfilling!

We...

painted the dining room...

Stripped and sanded all the paint off the front door...

...Got to check out the chimney job that was done last week...

We were not too thrilled, but what's done is done.

The chimney was torn down and "re-directed" to a different spot on the roof and replaced with a stack.

I have several complaints:

1. It rained while the chimney guys were working and there must have been a leak...

When we took off this light fixture from the dining room ceiling, it was filled with (brown) water!

I knew we didn't have an amber-tinted light fixture!!

2. They left us with a gross patch of green shingles where the chimney used to be. Can you find it?

3. The stack is crooked!!

Anyway...

We had lots of help.

My parents, siblings, and friends were there.

The living room got spackled and primed...

The living room and dining room ceilings got painted...

My dad installed our new washer and dryer...

And I decided to write our to-do list on the first door in our pile-of-doors that currently sits in the kitchen.

It was fun to check things off the list!

And last but CERTAINLY not least...

Marcus finished the porch floor! It is beautiful!! (compare it with the floor that is just inside the door, but remember, the porch floor was painted BLUE!)

Now we just have to add the molding to the bottom and it will be done.

Thanks for all your help, Mom, Dad, Britt, Dan, Brandon, Emily, Endrice, and of course, Marcus!!