That's right, we spent part of Friday shooting targets including the pumpkins that I used to decorate for fall. I'm using the term "we" loosely here, the brothers shot guns while I took pictures and read a book in the warmth of the pick-up.
Sunday, November 27, 2011
What Do You Do With Pumpkins After Thanksgiving?
Use them for target practice, of course!
That's right, we spent part of Friday shooting targets including the pumpkins that I used to decorate for fall. I'm using the term "we" loosely here, the brothers shot guns while I took pictures and read a book in the warmth of the pick-up.
That's right, we spent part of Friday shooting targets including the pumpkins that I used to decorate for fall. I'm using the term "we" loosely here, the brothers shot guns while I took pictures and read a book in the warmth of the pick-up.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Today, as Always, I am Thankful
Today, as always, I'm thankful for...
~ our Heavenly Father who died on a cross so that we may have eternal life.
~ an amazing husband who is my best friend and biggest supporter.
~ our precious angel who we will spend eternity with.
~ our two awesome dogs. (Last night, on our drive up, I was having a rough moment and started quietly crying in the passenger seat. Suddenly, two heads popped over the seat and rested on my arm. I don't know how they knew I needed that, but they did.)
~ my family. They might drive me crazy sometimes, but I know they love me and only want what's best for us.
~ the best friends a girl could ask for. You all are truly amazing and mean more to me than you'll ever know!
~ being back in the classroom.
~ the sweet little kiddos that are out there somewhere waiting to join our family.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!
~ our Heavenly Father who died on a cross so that we may have eternal life.
~ an amazing husband who is my best friend and biggest supporter.
~ our precious angel who we will spend eternity with.
~ our two awesome dogs. (Last night, on our drive up, I was having a rough moment and started quietly crying in the passenger seat. Suddenly, two heads popped over the seat and rested on my arm. I don't know how they knew I needed that, but they did.)
~ my family. They might drive me crazy sometimes, but I know they love me and only want what's best for us.
~ the best friends a girl could ask for. You all are truly amazing and mean more to me than you'll ever know!
~ being back in the classroom.
~ the sweet little kiddos that are out there somewhere waiting to join our family.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everyone!
Thursday, November 17, 2011
What a Difference a Year Makes
Two years ago on this date was one of the best days of my life... the day we found out we were finally pregnant! Yesterday, when I realized today's date, I couldn't help but reflect on how different this last year has been from the previous six months. At the beginning of this month, we reached the year and a half mark since Aubrey's birth. Although I still think about her daily, I no longer dwell on her life/death. I am now able to talk to people about her without crying (although I often see tears in their eyes which then causes tears in mine because I feel bad for making them feel that way). And, I can now see pregnant people without feeling like I'm going to puke (although I would be lying if I said they have no effect on me).
Last year on this date, I was in no way ready to teach again. Now, I am excited to report that I'm back in the classroom doing what I love (more on that later). And, I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my precious nephew in March (I pray every night that my sister delivers a happy, healthy, LIVING baby).
Thank you, God, for helping this pain hurt a little less each day.
Last year on this date, I was in no way ready to teach again. Now, I am excited to report that I'm back in the classroom doing what I love (more on that later). And, I'm eagerly awaiting the arrival of my precious nephew in March (I pray every night that my sister delivers a happy, healthy, LIVING baby).
Thank you, God, for helping this pain hurt a little less each day.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Yes, We're Those People
Disclaimer: All of the pictures in this post are from my phone. Sorry about the poor quality.
The other night, we were hanging out at the house when we realized that the dogs were down to two toys... and those two toys were the squeaker ball insides of Kong toys they destroyed.
We decided, since we weren't doing anything else, to take the dogs to Petco to get a new toy or two. Although Bella had been to Petco once when she was a puppy, Rufus had never been there. It's not that we were concerned about how they would behave, we just didn't want to be those people (even though we totally are). As expected, they both did great in the store. We walked up and down the toy aisles looking at all the choices until Bella saw the toy she wanted.
It is just like one she had in the past and is the only thing in the entire store she tried to grab (even though she could have easily helped herself to the treat bar).
We started buying the Kong brand toys a few years back because most toys don't last very long when you have a Great Dane lifting a Boston Terrier off the ground with a toy (one of her ways of getting the toy from him while playing tug of war). I love that the are not only very durable, but that they also have a squeaker ball instead of stuffing. Bella especially loves the animal Kong toys because they have ultra soft material inside their ears. She was so excited to take it home that she laid with it all night.
We also bought them some raw hides which Rufus loved!
All in all, it was a great outing! Now that we've taken the leap into being those people, we might have to do it again sometime.
The other night, we were hanging out at the house when we realized that the dogs were down to two toys... and those two toys were the squeaker ball insides of Kong toys they destroyed.
We decided, since we weren't doing anything else, to take the dogs to Petco to get a new toy or two. Although Bella had been to Petco once when she was a puppy, Rufus had never been there. It's not that we were concerned about how they would behave, we just didn't want to be those people (even though we totally are). As expected, they both did great in the store. We walked up and down the toy aisles looking at all the choices until Bella saw the toy she wanted.
It is just like one she had in the past and is the only thing in the entire store she tried to grab (even though she could have easily helped herself to the treat bar).
We started buying the Kong brand toys a few years back because most toys don't last very long when you have a Great Dane lifting a Boston Terrier off the ground with a toy (one of her ways of getting the toy from him while playing tug of war). I love that the are not only very durable, but that they also have a squeaker ball instead of stuffing. Bella especially loves the animal Kong toys because they have ultra soft material inside their ears. She was so excited to take it home that she laid with it all night.
We also bought them some raw hides which Rufus loved!
All in all, it was a great outing! Now that we've taken the leap into being those people, we might have to do it again sometime.
Monday, November 7, 2011
So I Made a Few Scarves...
Saturday I woke up really wanting to sew. Luckily, I had a couple of scarf tutorials pinned on Pinterest, the material to make them, and the time to do it.
The first scarf I made was an infinity scarf that I've been wanting to try for a while. I followed the super easy tutorial at H is for Handmade and couldn't be happier with the outcome. Can you believe I scored this awesome fabric at a thrift store for $3 last week. It was 1 7/8 yards long and 60 inches wide so I actually had enough fabric to make three scarves (which I did once I realized just how easy it was).
The second (or fourth, depending on if you count the two additional infinity scarves) scarf I made was a ruffle t-shirt scarf. Even if you don't sew, you can make this scarf. I bought a 4X t-shirt at Wal-Mart (because it was only $2 more than an XL and had lots more fabric :) and ended up with enough material to make two scarves. You can find the tutorial over at Tidy Mom. I really suggest you check it out, it was THAT easy! I will definitely be making more of these!
The only thing I did differently than the tutorial was that I sewed across all the pieces in the back to keep them together, but you don't have to.
And there you have it. For less than $10 and in less than an hour and a half, I have five awesome new scarves. Well, I have two new scarves and three friends have a surprise headed their way.
The first scarf I made was an infinity scarf that I've been wanting to try for a while. I followed the super easy tutorial at H is for Handmade and couldn't be happier with the outcome. Can you believe I scored this awesome fabric at a thrift store for $3 last week. It was 1 7/8 yards long and 60 inches wide so I actually had enough fabric to make three scarves (which I did once I realized just how easy it was).
The second (or fourth, depending on if you count the two additional infinity scarves) scarf I made was a ruffle t-shirt scarf. Even if you don't sew, you can make this scarf. I bought a 4X t-shirt at Wal-Mart (because it was only $2 more than an XL and had lots more fabric :) and ended up with enough material to make two scarves. You can find the tutorial over at Tidy Mom. I really suggest you check it out, it was THAT easy! I will definitely be making more of these!
The only thing I did differently than the tutorial was that I sewed across all the pieces in the back to keep them together, but you don't have to.
And there you have it. For less than $10 and in less than an hour and a half, I have five awesome new scarves. Well, I have two new scarves and three friends have a surprise headed their way.
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Halloween Happenings
I know this is a couple of days late, but I have a few pictures from Halloween that I really want to share with everyone. Although I had big plans of homemade costumes for the whole family, I quit about half way through the first one. Oh well, maybe next year. Instead, we greeted guests with a smoldering pond (we don't have any fish right now, so I didn't have to worry about them :).
Rufus loved the trick or treaters! This is where he sat all night.
Do you see what's on the table? That's right, we handed out glow bracelets with our candy. They were a big hit with the parents.
Bella wasn't as excited as Rufus about Halloween, especially when the kids started getting older and the costumes started getting scarier.
Do you see what's on the table? That's right, we handed out glow bracelets with our candy. They were a big hit with the parents.
Bella wasn't as excited as Rufus about Halloween, especially when the kids started getting older and the costumes started getting scarier.
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
The Nation's Best Homecoming
Last time I wrote on here, I told you that we had another busy weekend coming up. Well, the weekend has come and gone, so now I'm here with the re-cap. (Add to this the fact that we had seven people stay at our house, and a neighborhood halloween parade Sunday, and you get one tired girl.)
For those of you who don't know, homecoming is a big deal here in Stillwater. In fact, it's rumored that we have the nation's largest homecoming celebration! In the week leading up to homecoming weekend, the university sponsors many activities including a carnival for the kiddos, painting the street leading to the stadium, huge signs depicting the theme designed by various organizations on library lawn and adding orange dye to the fountains. One of the highlights of homecoming is walkaround. In preparation for walkaround, the sororities and fraternities are paired up. Together, they design and build a house dec that includes moving parts. These giant house decs are covered in chicken wire that has been "pomped" with small pieces of tissue paper to create designs. Many hours go into preparing these monstrosities! During walkaround, the streets surrounding the fraternity houses (where the house decs are), are closed off. Hundreds of people crowd the streets walking from house to house talking about which house dec is the best. (My husband actually got to judge the engineering aspect of the house decs one year, as an alumni, this is a big honor!)
Walkaround is officially over at 9:00 when everyone is invited to the basketball arena for a pep rally type thing. After walkaround, we me up with my mom and her friends for a little bit.
Then went down the road to watch a band.
They were dressed up as Thunder Cats for halloween... get it?!
I normally get up and go to the parade on Saturday morning, but this year I decided to sleep in a little and miss it. As much as I wish I would have gone, I'm happy with my decision.
Before the game, we met up with the rest of the Parks' crew that was in town. None of us had tickets to the game, so we enjoyed hanging out with each other. That is, until the girls ditched the boys to go shopping. :)
For those of you who don't know, homecoming is a big deal here in Stillwater. In fact, it's rumored that we have the nation's largest homecoming celebration! In the week leading up to homecoming weekend, the university sponsors many activities including a carnival for the kiddos, painting the street leading to the stadium, huge signs depicting the theme designed by various organizations on library lawn and adding orange dye to the fountains. One of the highlights of homecoming is walkaround. In preparation for walkaround, the sororities and fraternities are paired up. Together, they design and build a house dec that includes moving parts. These giant house decs are covered in chicken wire that has been "pomped" with small pieces of tissue paper to create designs. Many hours go into preparing these monstrosities! During walkaround, the streets surrounding the fraternity houses (where the house decs are), are closed off. Hundreds of people crowd the streets walking from house to house talking about which house dec is the best. (My husband actually got to judge the engineering aspect of the house decs one year, as an alumni, this is a big honor!)
Walkaround is officially over at 9:00 when everyone is invited to the basketball arena for a pep rally type thing. After walkaround, we me up with my mom and her friends for a little bit.
Then went down the road to watch a band.
I normally get up and go to the parade on Saturday morning, but this year I decided to sleep in a little and miss it. As much as I wish I would have gone, I'm happy with my decision.
Before the game, we met up with the rest of the Parks' crew that was in town. None of us had tickets to the game, so we enjoyed hanging out with each other. That is, until the girls ditched the boys to go shopping. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)