Pins and Such

I loved an idea I saw in pinterest for stenciling a table.  When we moved here, we left our table and chairs behind.  A few weeks later, we  found this table and chairs on the side of the road for free!  Free means, I get to try a project.

 I am so happy with the finished product!  I did all the stenciling, and Rob did the staining and polyurethane.

 These crazy girls are getting so big.  For some reason they get all giddy when I put them in Brooke's crib to play and read.  I hope they don't figure out being contained is not so fun.

 We find endless entertainment with our bird feeder.  These birds were a little desperate on one or our last snow days.  

Have I mentioned that I love Colorado?  This place is unbelievably beautiful.  I am constantly amazed at God's creation.  We love this view from one of our favorite parks...only ten minutes away.  We are nearing one year since the move.  That is so hard to believe.  I am so grateful for God's direction and the place He has us.  There are many challenges, but it is sweet to be living our part in His story.

More Colorado, just us...

It has been almost 9 months since we arrived, but I am still amazed at how beautiful Colorado is.  Rob and I enjoyed our first get-away in a very long time at the beginning of February.  It was just one night, but even that does wonders for your marriage (even if you are suffering from first trimester sickies!).

 Our favorite stop was Pike's Peak.  It is one of the few mountains that is over 14,000 feet and that you can drive to the tippy-top.  It was fantastic.  The only thing I would change is adding a few guardrails.  

I sure do love this guy.  Life is quite an adventure, and I wouldn't want to experience it with anyone else!

Being Merry

I was so happy to discover enough "junk" in my sewing basket to make stockings for the girls!

These girlies are enjoying all the snow here in Colorado.  We are not in Virginia any more :)

Loving all the updates from friends...

Anticipation

No matter what goes on around us in our world, our joy remains.  We remember Jesus.

Well...not everyone looks merry in this picture, but I loved it anyways!  I hope your holidays were as joy-filled as ours.

Thinking about Jesus...

Today is one of those days that made me pause and think.  This season can be one that causes us to run like crazy.  I had to take a break today because Brynne has one of those bugs floating around.  I caught myself feeling pretty frustrated this morning as I cancelled my plans for the day and started wiping a runny nose, making tea, and spooning out medicine.  I deserve better than this, right?  I should not have to work around my daughter's needs, right?

Thankfully, we are also reminded often at this time of year that Jesus humbled himself to become man.  He left the glories of heaven to walk with us.  He truly did deserve better.  Instead, he did not grasp at His reputation.  He laid aside His glory, and took a human form.  He submitted to death on a cross.  He did it for us.

The brokenness of our bodies, from runny noses to cancer, is a reminder that this life isn't "it".  Thank God!  Sometimes I feel like I cannot handle hearing about one more person who is suffering.  Yet this reminds us that Jesus' death and resurrection brings life.  This life is true life.  One day He will bring us to Himself, and the brokenness will be done.

Thank you for these reminders to my heart today, Jesus.

Ps.  Just in case you have not seen these girlies lately, they are pretty cute (and crazy).

My Little Princess and Sweet Number One

Well, it has happened.  Is it inevitable with little girls?  Brynne is fully obsessed with princess everything.  She wants to look like a princess, watch movies about princesses, hear stories about princesses...you name it.  I am working hard to help her know that she is our sweet girl, no matter what she wears.      

Little Miss Brooke is officially one.  She is a sweetie and has hit a very busy stage.  She has almost mastered walking and is everywhere.  She has also hit a "I really want mommy's attention all the time" stage.  I keep trying to remember how short this time is with her and not become frustrated about the "needyness".  I love seeing her big blue eyes taking in the world.  Everything is an adventure.

I love these girlies and thank God for them all the time.

Painting...an old favorite

I have had a few projects on my list since we moved in.  Our "new to us" table and chairs need some work.  We were so excited to find a large table with a leaf in it on the side of the road...for free!  Now I am hitting up pinterest for fun ideas.  

I need to work on something fun for my Brynne-sized table and chairs as well.  I love the idea of chalkboard paint for that one, but we will see.  

My first completed project is my jewelry case.  This one is special to me because it was a present from my dad when I graduated from high school.  I have always been a jewelry junkie, and I loved that he thought of this idea.  It was oak, and I really wanted to make it match our bedroom a little better.  I just love the end product!

Camping Adventures

We have thoroughly enjoyed our first two camping trips here in Colorado.  Our first was with a few families from our church.  Our second we were able to meet up with Rob's brother and his family.  Besides one rainy night and one windy night, things went quite smoothly.

Get Organized

My mom is an organizing genius.  She arrived at my house when I felt like I could not unpack one more box.  Her energy helped me get going again.  We took many trips to Ikea (one of my favorite things about living here...only 15 minutes away!).  And I listened to lots of advice.

 One of her great ideas for the girl's room was to put the books on shelves in the corner.  We were able to save so much space that way!

She turned my linen closet into the most amazing storage area.  Each tub is labeled and easy to find.  You can see the bottom shelf is bowed a little (one of the fun things about living in a rental!).  

I have never had a very good system for bills, receipts, coupons, and other excess junk that tends to gather as you enter the door.  I love my new filing system that she suggested.  It is easy to toss in and easy to find when needed.

I wish this picture were a little better - but one of that greatest areas she created was a pantry for me.  This is a small coat closet right next to the kitchen.  She stacked cubes to the left and made a ton of space for pantry foods.  She put hooks off to the right for purses, bags, and the broom.  And above, there is more storage.  My little galley kitchen seemed much more doable!

I cannot thank God for a great mom and a well organized house.  Let's try to keep it that way!

First Experiences

It has been almost two months since we arrived in Colorado.  The summer is flying, and we are settling in.  We have had some lovely first days here.  Not the least of which was celebrating my sweet baby's third birthday.  We enjoyed a strawberry shortcake party at a nearby park.  I love that girlie.  She has gone through this transition like a champ, which I see as God's grace to me.

Shortly after we moved into our new apartment, my mom arrived.  She was amazing at getting us settled in.  I will soon post a few pictures of her "organizational magic".  As always, she loved on my sweet girls, and that made me very happy.

It did not take long to discover local events.  We stopped in at the Colorado Irish Festival, and it was a blast.  There is nothing like some great Irish music as you enjoy God's beautiful creation.

 Yesterday we checked out Golden, CO.  It is about a 20 minute drive.  They have such a quaint little town nestled in the mountains.




They also have the most amazing farmers market.

Rob and Brynne enjoyed this stream nearby on a very hot day.

I also loved this sweet house and all their flowers.

Hopefully we will enjoy many more views like this one.

Moving is very hard.  I will not lie.  But I see God's direction, goodness, and grace every day.  We are glad to be here, and are settling in to this adventure.