M&M+c

moving.

2011-03-18T12:25:00.002-05:00

no, not away. just to another blog. i've decided i need to up my blog game so i'm moving to tumblr. i think i'm going to like it. but, if not, maybe i'll be back.

mmhayeslife.tumblr.com

garage sales 3.19

2011-03-17T09:18:00.002-05:00

i am very excited for garage sales to start happening. i know some others that are too. so, here are a few i'm hoping to hit saturday.

manly rd, west chester.
oakbourne rd, west chester.

also, as the baby sales continue, there is one at church of the saviour/heritage school on friday from 6-8pm and saturday 9am-12pm.

happy hunting.

3.15.11

2011-03-15T17:08:00.002-05:00

i just want to remember how cute my chloe girl looked today.

lettuce eat.

2011-03-10T09:38:00.004-05:00

get it? you will...maybe. matt came up with this crazy idea last night to eat salad for dinner for a month. he's crazy i tell ya. recently he had a humorous encounter with a tractor, but that is for another day. he's doing the insanity workout and thought it could go along really well with that. but salad to me = less cooking. where do i sign up? the problem is though, i started making a list of salads to eat and i came up with four. *cue the price is right loser music* matt thought that was quite enough, but i think i'm gonna get a little bored. so, please share with me any good salad 'recipes' you may have (steph, i'm counting on you!). where you do buy your salad mix ins? and since i am planning on making most of my dressings, i think i'm gonna have to invest in this that i first saw michelle had.

here's hoping to lose the rest of the baby weight.

by sunny miller.

2011-03-01T21:15:00.024-05:00

we (matt, chloe, jenny and i) had a photo shoot with sunny miller a few weeks ago. the photos were a gift i think for mom hayes's birthday? i'm not exactly sure. i was just in charge of wardrobe. here are some of my favorites.

best series of photos.

and the unhappiness continues.

watch out ladies, he's got his jacket on.

she loves her aunt jenny.

i feel like this represents our family pretty well.

what a ham.

must take after her father.

love my little sis.

thankful to finally get some family photos (although i don't really like being in front of the camera).

crocodile.

2011-02-22T16:42:00.004-05:00

today has been filled with a few tears. i can imagine. it must be painful growing teeth. but as soon as i took out the camera, she started workin it.

she can be tricky sometimes.

sittin pretty.

2011-02-16T14:15:00.005-05:00

look who's all big sitting up by herself.

can't believe she's going to be 6 months on sunday.
i think now that she can sit up on her own, she's ready for that fashion blog.

oh hi.

2011-02-14T17:54:00.004-05:00

it's me, chloe. today it's valentine's day.

momma took me to the mall and bought me this shirt just like kendi's. i wanna be her when i grow up (kendi and mom). i can't wait to wear it. i will try and have mom take me out this week and take photos of me in it, just like a real fashion blogger. she just got this fancy wireless remote for her camera she says she wants to try out. oh, i'm being summoned for dinner. i hear sweet potatoes are on the menu. they are my favorite.

new trick.

2011-02-08T16:24:00.005-05:00

i've been making clicking sounds with my tongue on the roof of my mouth recently to chlo and she finds it quite funny. and just today i realized she's been trying to do it back. i caught it on video.
she's a nutball.

(sorry for the little video. i took it on my itouch)

the blogging world.

2011-02-07T20:36:00.006-05:00

i spend entirely way too much time reading blogs. especially when it snows. i'm a little obsessed with decorating and style blogs right now. i've been inspired by both recently. i've decided i need to actually wear the clothes in my awfully pink closet (and not always sweatpants) and go to goodwill more often. and i'm learning to sew, thanks to a little sewing club i'm in...that just started. i have big plans for burp cloths and pillows. maybe one day i will even tackle curtains. whaaat?!

these are my favorite blogs right now.

style
kendi everyday. my absolute favorite.
kristine. or polly.

decorating
kfd desings.
little green notebook.
lilly's notebook.
apartment therapy.

the internet is an amazing thing. you click one blog and find a link to another and another...

p.s. i would really like for it to be spring already. so chlo and i can spend our days at the park. instead of inside reading blogs.

eames.

2011-01-26T20:16:00.008-05:00

snow days make for good photo taking days.
today's prop: eames rocker.

this makes me laugh.

fancy footwork.

just chillin mom.

tomorrow is our 4 year anniversary. i'm hoping to meet matt out in lancaster (he is there for work) for the night. sending chlo over to gramma and grampa's for her first overnight. hopefully she and the weather cooperate.

tummy tub.

2011-01-21T15:28:00.002-05:00

this tummy tub i do not get.

the concept i get. i actually like. but, couldn't you just go to your local home depot and buy a big bucket?!

the hat.

2011-01-12T20:31:00.007-05:00

it was the week of prayer at church last week. but, i am behind and doing it this week. yesterday was prayer for family. the 'consider' part of the prayer booklet was very encouraging. a snippet...

'psalm 127 tells us that God builds the house and watches over our families. when we forget this and build in our own strength, the psalmist says we are "laboring in vain." God doesn't want us to build our families in our own strength. instead, he grants us the grace to live out our family relationships in his power, according to his leading and his will.'

this is such a good reminder as matt and i start our family and as i spend every day with chloe. some days can be more challenging than others, but in those days i can't do it in my own strength. and i also try and remind myself that if she has a bad day it doesn't mean i have to too. i determine that, not her. speaking of, on those days she's cranky (and i may be impatient), i put on her owl hat and i can't be mad anymore.

because really, who can be mad at that face.

but, sometimes, she can get annoyed with me...and all the pictures i take.

solid pro.

2011-01-05T13:44:00.005-05:00

chloe has started eating solids. we are hoping she is not going to be as picky as her daddy. she has loved everything we've given her so far, so there is hope. i have found these bowls from ikea are the perfect size for baby portions. and you can't beat the price.
this is mostly for mom because she hasn't seen it yet. here chlo is sitting in her high chair for the first time eating oatmeal. she obviously has a lot to say about the whole thing.

pinterest.

2011-01-03T20:15:00.005-05:00

pin·terest (pĭn'trĭst): n. a social catalog to collect and share things you love.

how did i not know of this before? i'm pretty much addicted.

four months.

2010-12-27T19:03:00.012-05:00

the little spaz is four months now. her check up was today and here are the stats.

weight-13lb. 4oz.
height-24in.
head-41cm

all in the 50th percentile.

new "tricks":
she has found her feet. i think the bright red shoes on christmas eve helped.
she is starting to laugh a lot more. today she was laughing like crazy when i was kissing her belly.
she is just very active in general. she's always bouncing up and down and when i help her sit up, she skips the sitting part and goes straight to standing.

we had a great first christmas with her! we went to harrisburg christmas eve where she meant her grandma look (mike's mom) for the first time and the rest of that side of the family. back to covenant for christmas eve service and then some time spent at the hayes's after. on christmas day we spent part of the morning as a little family singing and exchanging gifts. then dad, mom hayes and jenny came over (which was such a blessing). and then over to my parents that afternoon with the whole family. a few photos...

chloe in her christmas pj's from gramma and grampa.

you wouldn't know it by her face, but she actually liked this.

the best you can get with a self timer.

yes mom, i love christmas and i LOVE tummy time.

she really does love her auny jenny.

everything she knows she learned from lucy.

she had tried rice cereal once before and dad decided to give her a taste of mashed potatoes. as you might tell, she loved them. i think she might've been a little tater drunk.

it was an exhausting few days and i'm kinda glad it's over, but not happy that christmastime is over. it went too fast.

matt and i had tickets to go to the eagles game last night, but as you may know, it was postponed, which i was very relieved about. i do not like driving in the snow. so, we'll be heading down there tomorrow night. i'm excited about my first nfl game. and it definitely helps that we'll be in a heated, all inclusive, luxury suite :)

'i love my lips.'

2010-12-13T17:36:00.004-05:00

chloe has found her lips. this is her new look.

makes me laugh all day long.

craftyness.

2010-12-04T19:23:00.011-05:00

this week i had the urge to be crafty. christmas does that to me sometimes. i had a christmas party at my house on friday and realized i did not have as many decorations as i thought i did. so, i made some. first up was the yarn wreath previously mentioned. here's how it turned out.

project cost:
wreath-2.49
yarn-3.29
felt-.87

total-6.65

i rather like it. and you could keep it up all year round.

and second was my advent tree. idea came from paige + modern that i saw on another megan's blog. i had a lot of fun with this one. although thinking of 25 things to write on the cards was harder than anticipated. sharpie came through and helped me out though. and the calendar.

mine does not look nearly as good as hers, but it works. i did a lot of things different. i don't have a great printer, so i used stickers that i got at michaels. i also walked around for quite awhile trying to find those envelopes she had, but my michaels didn't have them and the only other ones i could find were too big. so, i improvised and got gift tags instead. i used them upside down, hole punched them, and tied them on the branches with red string. i got the branches from my parents yard cause i liked them better than the ones that were in mine :) and then spray painted them white. my neighbors must think i'm nuts for the amount of spray painting i do. but, then again, they are pretty nutty themselves. my neighborhood has an infinity for those overly large holiday inflatables.

project cost:
spray paint-3.99
branches-free
tags (sold in packs of 10)-5.37
string-already in my craft supplies
stickers-2.67
vase-7.79

total-19.82

today we were finally able to go and cut down our christmas tree. it even started to snow for a few minutes which was lovely. we actually settled upon the first one we liked...i guess it works out like that sometimes not only for wedding dresses but trees too. but, now that we have it home, it's a little more crooked and sparse than we thought. oh well. hopefully it'll be a little warmer for chlo next year. she gave me this pained look the whole time.

and now for day 3 of the advent calendar...decorate the tree while matt watches...

of recent.

2010-11-30T11:55:00.008-05:00

some favorites of recent.

gap body fit sweatpants. you can cut them to what length you want. brill.

(these aren't actually the ones i have. they must not sell them online)

winter berry candle from target.

nivea milk and honey chapstick.

my yarn & felt (i love felt) wreath i am making right now.

finished product to be posted on completion.

thankfulness.

2010-11-26T17:24:00.004-05:00

chloe's first snow on her first thanksgiving.

a few years ago, i started this 'thankfulness' book. every person we spend time with on thanksgiving has to write in it. it's a rule. it's so fun looking back over the few years to see what we've all written. dad is always thankful for peanut butter...at least a few times. and rick's is probably my favorite every year. it's also fun to see how our families have grown. from traci being pregnant, to lucy and madelyn last year, and chlo and baby healey this year. and hopefully many more to come. last year at this time, we were praying and hoping for a chloe and a few weeks before christmas, we found out she was in my belly...God's timing is always perfect. so for us, this year's thanksgiving has been all the sweeter with her here. you know how some things are just happier at christmas?...starbucks, snow, ella fitzgerald, mashed potatoes (or maybe mashed potatoes are always happy)... well, some holiday things are just happier with a kid. besides my new daughter, a few other top things i'm thankful for...

-jesus' unending love.
-my matty. i am his #1 fan.
-being a mom and wife.
-nieces.
-our cg's.
-bacon.

although thanksgiving is a good time to reflect back on those things i'm thankful for, i pray that this year i'm ever more aware of God's goodness to me. because i have much to be thankful for every day.

i will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart;
i will recount all of your wonderful deeds.
i will be glad and exult in You;
i will sing praise to your name, O Most High.
psalm 9:1-2

it's that time of year...

2010-11-26T12:48:00.005-05:00

to start thinking about holiday cards. last year i did not send any, but i'm hoping to this year if i can get my act together. i was hoping to do some family photos, but not sure that'll happen...everyone would probably rather just see a photo of chlo anyway. shutterfly has some very fun cards this year. i've never ordered from them before, but hear good things. here are some of my favorites. i didn't even get through all the pages cause they have so many options!

classy and simple.

i really like the man’s bow tie in this one. maybe i should get matt to wear a bow tie.

bright and fun.

i love these colors together.

maybe if you’re lucky, one of these cards will be coming to a mailbox near you (or in your front yard).

*for all you bloggers, shutterfly is offering 50 free cards if you write a blog post promoting them. i say that is a steal...and it really is. thank you shutterfly!

a keeper.

2010-11-22T19:46:00.006-05:00

fact: i do not like to cook (baking is a different story)
fact: matt is a picky eater (but i still love him)

when i find a recipe that matt and i BOTH like and that i don't really mind cooking, it definitely is a keeper and goes on my 'go to meals' list.

thai honey peanut chicken

one note...i didn't realize that it was supposed to marinade for a few hours, so i marinaded it while the rice was cooking and it still turned out delicious. i'm sure it would be even better if you did marinade it beforehand.

the ingredients are simple and usually things you always have on hand.

speaking of keepers, she is another one.

the scweam'a

2010-10-27T14:50:00.007-05:00

chloe got a new nickname while on vacation...i think thanks to aunt traci. the screamer (pronounced scweam'a). we decided that's what aunt joni would call her. she usually screams when-
she's pooping. child still does not like to poop.
or when i'm changing her clothes. which i don't get. she's got a great wardrobe.

it is awful. sometimes my ears ring.

i did not think the scream could get any more high pitched. but, today it did. she had her two month checkup and had to get those awful shots. and the scweam'a was out in full force. and tears came with it. i'm pretty sure chloe would say it's the worst day of her life. and oh my, this afternoon when she had to poop combined with the pain from her shots...get out the ear plugs. poor thing. i tried reverse psychology this morning and put on her 'tough chick' shirt in preparation for her shots. i'm not sure it worked. today aside, she is usually a delightful little lady. this is the sweet face i usually see.

she smiles like crazy, coos at me after she eats, and "talks" to herself up in her crib at naptime. although part of me wishes she'd always stay my baby, i love seeing her grow and change. her two month stats-
weight-11 lb. 4 oz. 50-75 percentile.
height-22 in. 25-50 percentile. i love that gray is already taller than her.
head-38 cm. 25-50 percentile.

she's in the same percentile's as she was at her one month appointment. i think petite is a good word to describe her.

we also decided that lucy, madelyn and chloe are in a punk rock band called 'the scweama's' just like their mothers. i think chlo has a shot at lead vocalist.

we are getting excited for halloween...just a little trick or treating at the grandparents. i am attempting to make part of chloe's costume :/ we'll see how that goes...

fall.

2010-10-22T20:40:00.004-05:00

fall is going too fast. i've yet to do many of the fallish things i love to. well, except for the semi apple picking trip with sharpie and traci :) but, i would really like to paint some pumpkins this week before it's too late. i'm really liking the black and white ideas from apartment therapy.

maybe i will get the chance this week. i am thinking polka dots.

j&h+g

2010-10-12T10:40:00.002-05:00

it's not a secret that i have some ridiculously gorgeous friends and heidi is one of them. she is due any day now...well the 21st to be exact. it just better not be while we're away on vacation! joe, heidi and i walked around the borough saturday morning for some maternity shots. first time doing those, but i quite enjoyed it. since i don't have a photography blog anymore (cause let's be serious, nothing was happening there) i will share some favorites here. and because they are my friends. and their son is going to be my future son in law.

i would just like to point out two things. heidi's hair was looking pretty fine that day. and her flats are super cute, frye, and a steal.

the real joe and heidi.

see, ridiculously gorgeous?

it was very fun to get out there and shoot post chloe. i've missed it. now, come on out gray (or whatever your name ends up being :) we all want to meet you.

the baby room.

2010-09-24T18:36:00.019-05:00

i love how chlo's room turned out, although there are still a few unfinished decorative things.

i was planning on only having the rocker in the corner, but i found the other chair at a furniture sale for $20 the day i went into labor and it was so pretty and matched almost perfectly. so, now there is a little seating area :)

the eames style rocker.
and dwell studio for target pillow that i had to have in the room somewhere.

the tufted old chair.

the curtains made by my mother in law.
the print is numbers written out.

the chest of drawers from goodwill that matt refinished.
mirror from antique store. i'm not sure if i like it there.

owl lamp.

crib from my aunt.
something needs to go above it.

future favorites.

i had to show off the quilt aunt reenie made for chloe.
she also made sheets and a changing pad cover, but they are dirty.

changing station/bookcase.
she loves being changed here for some reason.

photo wall.

one of my favorites is her footprints when she was born.

and another is my grandpa prater's silhouette when he was a kid.

and the beautiful rug from anthropologie.
definitely one of my favorite parts of the room.

i just love decorating.

squeaky's stats.

2010-09-22T13:43:00.003-05:00

chlo had her one month checkup today. here's the stats.

weight-9.7 lbs. 75th percentile.
height-20 3/4 in. 25-50th percentile.
head-36 cm. 25th percentile.

she also had to get a shot which broke my heart a little bit. but, she survived. the dr. said she looks absolutely healthy.

and as i type, she has found her hands and is sucking on them. greaaat.

4 weeks.

2010-09-17T11:13:00.009-05:00

today, chloe jane is 4 weeks old. this is crazy.

day 1

week 2

week 3

week 4

(my computer is sick, hence the itouch photo)

she's changed so much in 4 weeks.
she squeaks a lot.
she's a very spastic sleeper.
she sleeps very well at night.
she likes her bouncer.
she growls sometimes when she cries.
she loves kisses from mom.
she farts really loud.
she's a good shopper already.
she likes music, especially the weepies.
she likes watching the eagles with dad.
she is very strong.
she likes to cuddle.
she is a very happy and content baby.
i love every minute with her.

hb h/d

2010-09-14T16:33:00.005-05:00

happy 27th birthday to my handsome husband & chloe's cool dad.
you amaze me every day.
we love you.

our chloe girl.

2010-08-28T11:23:00.010-05:00

i was planning on taking a 40 week picture last friday, but then i ended up having a baby instead. chloe jane was born friday, august 20 at 3:29am. she knew is was perfect timing cause the rug for her room had come in that day. she weighed 6.6oz and 19.5 inches long. she's a peanut. labor is a bit of a blur cause it happened pretty quick.

7:30pm-my water broke, thankfully at home. i wasn't sure if it was for real especially since i wasn't contracting at all, so i called my mom and she said it sounded like the real thing. i called the dr. and she told me to come in cause i tested positive for strep b. so, we finished packing some stuff up, maybe loaded the dishwasher, and headed out.

8:30pm-made a quick stop at joe and heidi's house to give back their car antenna that matt had stolen the week before. joe wanted to show matt the progress on their basement work...thankfully he was only in there for 3 minutes...i timed it.

8:45pm-we arrived at the hospital and got put into a room to get checked. that is where we met jen, our favorite nurse. she thought matt was a nut. she checked to see if my water broke and indeed it did. i was a little suprised. i still hadn't had any contractions yet and i was still only 1cm. they set us up to stay in a room.

10:30-dr. gilbert came in to check on me. she said things seemed to be moving slowly and decided to start me on pitocin. i had maybe a few small contractions at this point.

11:00-the pitocin started and the contractions came. ow. they started out mild and then quickly came faster and more intense. matt ran out to wawa at one point to get some food, since we thought it was going to be a long night, and i got some of the worst ones while he was gone. it was not fun.

12:55-the nurse said she was going to come check me at 1:00, but matt buzzed her in a few minutes earlier to see if we could get the epidural. the nurse was a little snippy with us, but she checked me and i was 2cm and said that was enough progress where i could get the epidural. thank the Lord. i felt like a wimp that i'd only made it to 2cm, but i was ok with that.

1:30-epidural done without a hitch. about 4 contractions later, i was happy again. why would anyone NOT get the epidural?!

2:00-the nurse checked me to see where i was and i had gone from 2cm to 6cm like that. so, matt and i went down to try and sleep a little.

2:30-nurse comes in to check me again and i had was almost at 10cm! matt and i were shocked. things started happening pretty fast as they started to get things ready for delivery.

2:55-i started pushing. i felt nothing. for about 4 pushes, it was just the nurse and matt in the room. i was confused...wasn't there supposed to be a dr. here?! dr. finally came in. i pushed about 4 more times and chloe jane was born at 3:29am. what a crazy moment when they put her, just born, on my chest. so surreal.

a little while later, we had some visitors come in. we were so blessed that papa and grammy hayes, grandma and grandpa prater and aunt traci came in the middle of the night to meet chloe.

the next few days we tried to take it easy in the hospital. i had lost a lot of blood, so there came some challenges with that. but, we were released on sunday morning and very happy to be going home. on saturday, chloe had only lost a few ounces. but, when we were released, she was 5.15, so we had to go to the dr. the next day for a check up. oh, and she was slightly jaundice. at that appointment, she was back up to 6.2. she's been nursing like a champ. we went to the dr. again yesterday and was at 6.10. what a porker. the dr. was very pleased and i think slightly surprised. she showed her displeasure by peeing all over his exam table.

overall, she's been doing great. she's slept through two nights, with us only waking up to feed her. there has been a few rougher nights too, but we know that is expected. matt has been my hero taking care of us. we've loved being parents so far. as ange said about her and jer, we are totally first time parents...talking about her and laughing at each facial expression. matt seriously cracks up at them. i swear she's smiled at me, but i know that's probably not possible. i sadly have not taken too many pictures cause i've been couch bound, but a photo shoot is on the books. the hospital ones will have to do for now. she has reminded us of a gnome and the french peas from veggie tales. we have a photo of matt when he was born and it is scary similar. but, we think she has more of my lips and chin. i think she's even changed a little since these photos.

we love her so much!

37.4

2010-08-04T16:30:00.004-05:00

this past saturday marked 37 weeks which equals full term. although i am "full term" i still believe i have a few weeks to go. i know a lot can change quick, but chloe seems to be comfortable for now. i had a dr appt today and i am about 1cm. my favorite dr russino said she looks to be around 6-6 1/2 lbs. and she is head down, but has been for quite awhile.

current food obsessions: donuts (especially fair donuts), growers market tomatoes, and ice.
top 4 places that have the best ice:
1.sonic.
2.the church chick-fil-a.
3.the new wegmans.
4.my refrigerator.

we are getting more excited (and nervous) as each day passes. i can't wait to see her little face. and i'm sure she can't wait to meet her new friends julia and colby.

baby poll-
when do you think chloe jane will arrive?

chloe's room.

2010-07-26T11:12:00.003-05:00

it was a very hard decision on what colors to use for little lady's room. i would have one idea and then go on to another. i finally saw the cover of 'fresh home' magazine in the spring and i knew that's what i wanted to go with. bittersweet orange (it's now more of a tomato/red/orange color cause that color was a little hard to find), mint green/blue, and pea green. i got a crib from my aunt that was already the mint color, which was perfect. the room is not done yet, but everything is falling into place. here is my inspiration board for it.

row 1
fresh home magazine
expedit bookcase from ikea. we flipped this and using it as our changing table. it's a little lower than standard changing table height, but i like it a little better.
chrome baskets from amazon. to put a few in the bookcase.

row 2
eames style rocker from amazon. we are actually getting ours through an interior designer in utah.
coqo floral rug from anthropologie. it is backordered so hopefully it will be delivered before she comes.
mint print by lolasroom.

row 3
spring fling crib sheet from babies r us. reenie is actually making me crib sheets :)
bird mobile. traci is supposedly making me this :)
edland chest from ikea. we actually got our chest at goodwill that matt cleaned up good.

row 4
owl lamp from target. i got this and spray painted it the green color. of course i had to put an owl in there somewhere.
britten nummer fabric from ikea. reenie is making curtains for me out of this fabric.
happy happy print from farouche. we are doing a small photo wall inspired by this room.

matt has been very excited about helping with the room, which is very cute. it's starting to look more like a nursery except for some few random pieces of furniture that need to moved out of the room. i like to go in there and just look around. my anticipation grows every time i pass it. 26 days (till due date). can't wait to meet our chloe girl!

i think...

2010-07-07T14:35:00.001-05:00

chloe would look adorable in this come fall.
33 weeks.

and keeping cool during this heatwave.
current food obsessions: corn on the cob and chocolate ice cream.

the babycation.

2010-06-17T07:56:00.005-05:00

in all it's gory details. it was such a lovely, relaxing week spending time together. i didn't think the week would officially start till sunday, but matt came home that friday and decided it should start then. so...

friday-dinner at iron hill and a walk in the borough.

saturday-we went to next for the day with rick and traci. traci and i had lunch with a bunch of boys. but, then the our boys took us out for a nice dinner.

sunday-we picked up matt's new irons at the club and then had a nice country drive to lancaster. we tried to do some serious shopping, but there just wasn't much we saw, which was very sad for me. so, we went to walmart and got steaks for our bbq at the russells for memory day. lots of laughs.

monday-was actual memory day and it was very hot, so we went to see iron man 2 after having lunch at the wegmans. we then went to modells to get some new phillies gear. my parents had a little family (minus k&c&m) bbq dinner for memory day.

tuesday-we were kinda boring today. i had a dr. appt that matt actually got to come to. it ended up being a very long and tedious appt, but everything's ok. we had lunch at meredith's on the main line. we contemplated going to see another movie, but ended up going to kop instead. matt spent a lot of time at the golf store there and then i lost him. once i found him, i was craving a target trip. we got some goodies there including the new jack johnson album which is a hit. then, as always, matt wanted to stop at marshall's...he loves those places. and we hit up chipotle on the way home for dinner.

wednesday-matt played golf in the morning and i just took it easy at home. we went to chick-fil-a for lunch for our free spicy chicken sandwiches! back at home, we packed up and headed into the city for the night. we stayed at the embassy suites (thanks to mom&dad hayes) right near the art museum and had a room with a great view. we walked around the city for a little bit before heading to dinner at the melting pot. now, we contemplated going somewhere more exciting, but it's one of our favorites and we didn't know what other day we would eat there. but, we got the whole meal and i left with my belly about three times the size as when went in. it was very good.

thursday-we slept in so late we missed the free breakfast at the hotel...bammer. but, we had lunch in jersey at the jug handle inn which was rumored to have the best wings in the usa. we saw something about them on the food network awhile back and have been wanting to try it for awhile. let me tell you...they were pretty good! i would definitely go back for some more. after lunch we made the long trek to french creek state park. our plan was to rent a motorboat and sail the lake waves for a few hours. well, the motor boat we rented went about 2mph and matt got bored very quickly (i smartly brought a book with me) plus it was hot so we only stayed out for an hour. we were pretty tired by the end of the day so we got some take out and stayed home.

friday-i told matt this day that i wanted to do some shopping. he wanted to go to the batting cages (cause of the big game later) and the driving range (to try out his new irons). so, matt sweetly gave me a wad of cash to go out and we split ways for a bit. i hit up the mall and an anthro...or two. it was a good time. we met back up to get some chick for dinner on the way to the covfel vs. covfel round 2 softball game. we had to get there super early to prepare. the outcome was favorable as matt's covfel team beat nick's covfel team. we then had to be responsible and go to a community group leaders meeting.

saturday-in the morning, matt bore with me and watched 'leap year.' not bad. he then played his new ps3 game for awhile while i cleaned up around the house. after that he was still playing and i decided i was going to go out and do something! so i went and bought some clothes for chloe :) got a frappuchino and maybe reloaded my starbucks card, but matt doesn't know that... we went to the phillies game that night and our plan was to get there early to enjoy some ballpark food, but we got stuck in traffic and that didn't happen. well, we still enjoyed ballpark food...chickie and pete fries being the important one. the game was a good one and we actually won. phillies game are one of my favorite things to do with matt, so it was a perfect ending to a good week.

sunday-cause this day didn't really count. we went to harrisburg for a graduation party.

so, that was our week. fascinating, i know. there are days we didn't know what to do, so we just went shopping, which is always fine with me :) plus it was just too hot outside to do certain things. but, like i said, it was a relaxing week spending time together which is just what we wanted/needed.

in other news:
-we are starting to work more on chloe's room. matt painted it last week. we need to set up the crib, make the dresser that i got at goodwill look nice, order a rug, and pretty much everything else.
-softball playoffs are almost here! matt's team is #2 in the league and looking solid.
-i am getting bigger and feeling pretty good. here is me at 29 weeks...i'll be 31 tomorrow.

i'm getting excited for my shower next weekend. you never know what my mom and sisters have up their sleeve.
-i am watching as much of the world cup as i can. matt doesn't like it as much...those horns really start to bother him after awhile. ha.

other than that, i'm just taking it easy, trying to do fun things and enjoy the summer.

babycation.

2010-05-27T14:11:00.006-05:00

next week, matt and i are taking a staycation for our 'babymoon.' we decided not to travel anywhere, but stay at home and do fun things every day. we set a budget for the amount we spend each day and the best part is i don't have to cook at all. we have a few things planned out, but not every day. some ideas thus far are chickie's and pete's and then a phillies game, outlet shopping (and hopefully other shopping as well), marsh creek, maybe get some of chloe's room done, go see movies, eat out a lot (and gain a lot of weight apparently), etc. we are going to do an overnight somewhere, possibly in the city. but, i need more ideas! especially for things to do in the city, other day trips, or just fun things to do. so, please let me know if you have any! today at 3pm starts nine days of matt...should be fun. tomorrow we are headed to NEXT for the day with rick & traci! i'm excited to get that fish sandwich at the inner harbor i've been craving for two weeks. if you are there on sunday, you should go to my dad's church planting seminar and say hi.

deal of the day.

2010-05-05T15:13:00.004-05:00

i am very excited about my deal of the day today. i went into bed, bath and beyond today looking for hangers, of which they discontinued, but that is another story...and found this...

a hunter fan originally $49.95 and i found it in the "scratch and dent" department, because it had no box, marked down to $9.95! matt even admitted that it was a very good deal. it is blowing on me right now and i am quite enjoying it especially since the pregnancy hot flashes have settled in.

and here is a photo of me at 24 weeks.

belly is getting bigger. i had a dr. appointment today and she said she is actually where she should be. the nurse had a hard time getting her heartbeat cause she kept moving around...i think it may have something to do with the amount of caffeine i drank today. and we did decide on a name!! chloe jane. it was the name i really liked and matt made a deal that we could name her that if he gets priority pick of name with the next girl (if there is another girl). hopefully that was a wise decision...

21

2010-04-11T16:38:00.004-05:00

yesterday marked 21 weeks pregnant. i photographed a wedding and let me tell you it was a little hard finding something to wear.

i am slowly growing and one day i'm sure i'll just pop. last monday we finally found out what we're having...

a little lady.

i was kinda shocked. but, after it's finally settled in my head, i'm super excited and having a ton of fun shopping for my future fashionista. name is yet to be determined. matt likes one a little more and i like another a little more. but, hopefully it will be decided soon...and favor my way :)

the covfel bucs season starts tomorrow! matt is coach this year of cov2. i will miss nicky d very much, but am hoping for a cov vs. cov championship!

going to indianapolis this weekend! can't wait to see all the family.

orla

2010-03-31T11:19:00.005-05:00

i'm a big fan of orla kiely. her prints are so happy and vintage. i'm especially a fan of her bags, and hope to get one as a baby bag. but, i love all her stuff. and it is no surprise that she's based in london. i used one of her lampshades as inspiration for this board.

row 1

multi stem square shade by orla kiely
blue sofa photo from unknown
danish modern side table from urban outfitters

row 2
pompom curtain from urban outfitters
dwelling photo by alicia bock
coqo floral rug from anthropologie

row 3
mid-century rocker chair from urban outfitters
velvet pouf pillow from urban outfitters
zinnia handle from anthropologie

row 4
the chemist's jar from anthropologie
brilliant movie the sting
mehendi vase from anthropologie

can you tell i like orange and green?

oh hello

2010-03-29T16:28:00.006-05:00

there. it's been awhile. life has been unusually busy for march. but, spring has sprung and it makes everything happier. even when it rains.

i am 19 weeks now.

yes, i had to stand on the coffee table to take this photo. but, it is my cutest mirror. we find out next week what we are having and are very anxious excited. i have a big fear that he/she will hide, so i hope that is not the case.

matt started the workout program p90x a few weeks ago and i now refer to myself as tony horton's widow. it keeps him very busy, but he's enjoying it and i enjoy watching him. i will spare you the 'before' photos we had to take.

i'm almost finished re-decorating our bedroom and i am in love with it.

it is so much more bright and cheery than before and i find myself hanging out in there during the day :)

next up is clearing out the baby's room that is still full of boxes.

today it was rainy and i decided to try and make scones again. my first attempt a few weeks ago did not turn out very well. sharpie gave me the tip on a scone recipe from america's test kitchen. it is 'cream and currant scones' but i can't find the recipe online anywhere. i went without the currants though and just had them plain. they were delicious.

tea and scones made for the perfect rainy day snack.

an inspiration board is in order. i have lots of ideas.

tea time.

2010-02-25T16:46:00.013-05:00

today my dear friend sarah took me out on a tea date for my birthday. we went to special teas tea room in chadds ford and it was lovely. we shared a pot of earl grey tea and each got two scones (yes, we're both pregnant) and they both were amazing. apparently they have won awards for their scones. i would highly recommend it if you like tea and like outings. it has inspired me (have you noticed i'm always inspired?...hmmm...) to have a tea party, which has been added to the list below. as soon as i got home i found my tea set i got from my wedding (from lynn) and looked up scone recipes. here are a few i found i would like to try.

coffeehouse scones from 'joy of baking.

blueberry-buttermilk scones from martha.

i'm not attached this recipe, i just want to try some blueberry ones.

as for tea, harney and sons is really good. i must give credit where credit is due and say sarah found them awhile ago. she has got us all addicted to their paris tea.

the tea room we went to today also sold loose leaf tea which i would go back and buy.

and as for tea paraphernalia...

i love this teapot from anthro

i heart tea print from iloveshop

keep calm and drink tea print from KeepCalmShop

it's teatime print from seasprayblue

tea pot clock from decoylab

tea bag storage box from TattooDreams

and cute tea set for kids from ricracsews

wow, that was a long post on tea.

i love lists.

2010-02-20T00:12:00.003-05:00

traci told us a few weeks ago that she made a list of some things she wanted to do before her next birthday. that inspired me to make a list of some things i want to do before i have lil peanut. here are a few.

-get baby's room ready...obviously.
-get as much of my house done as possible. still lots to do.
-do a deep clean of house.
-go to the beach.
-eat at 'cake' with heidi.
-learn to sew. ha, this has been on many of my lists recently.
-plan euchre tournament.
-do some photoshoots.
-go on an overnight with matt.
-be crafty.
-go see brooks and dunn.
-get a pedicure at a nice salon.

we'll see how many of these i'll actually do. i better start now.

matt comes home today. he's been in orlando all week at a conference. i can't wait to see him. i have realized that i laugh less when he is not here. but, this week while he's been gone, i've been busy eating at all my favorite eateries and watching the olympics. ski jump and speed skating (especially short track) are my favorites. what are yours?

j.crew baby

2010-02-01T09:52:00.004-05:00

i've sorta have had babies on my mind lately. and baby rooms. so you might see a lot of baby boards. this past year, j.crew had a lot of peach pinks and minty greens. this is what i call j.crew baby.

row 1
ruffle pink pillow from pier 1
flutter mobile from madeleinesargent-etsy has a lot of cute mobiles.
hayworth mirrored chest from pier 1-heidi and i are obsessed with mirror furniture.

row 2
amy butler crib sheets from tiptoe studio-love amy butler fabrics.
lana velvet pouf from urban outfitters
photo from j.crew

row 3
eternal optimist nail polish from opi-great spring color.
photo from alicia bock
hutton lamp from crate&barrel

row 4
photo by andrea hanki-had to include this cute baby.
waterfall ruffle curtains from urban outfitters
floral fresco rug from anthropologie

happy things.

2010-01-27T09:22:00.004-05:00

today matt and i celebrate our 3 year anniversary!!

wow. a lot of things have happened this past year. we bought a house. we started leading a community group. we became aunt and uncle. and found out we're going to be parents! yep, i'm pregnant.

i'm about 10 1/2 weeks and due on aug 21st. we feel so blessed.

so, today is an especially happy day.

recent favorites

2010-01-21T16:33:00.013-05:00

my marc jacobs bag that my wonderful husband got me for christmas.

this fabulous pillow from pier 1.

mrs. t's potato & onion pierogies. 'the perfect pairing of pasta and potatoes!' need you say more?

wishpot. fun site to organize lists. thanks t.

my nieces. although they are always favorites.

this dress from anthropologie. someday maybe it will be a favorite actually on.

opi baguette me not. favorite actually on.

yes, this was random.

p.s. if you are bored, my new website is live. same address. let me know if you any comments/critique.

julie&julia.

2009-12-20T10:56:00.002-05:00

well, traci just did her own post on the movie 'julie and julia' and inspired me to do my own. while snowed in yesterday, we watched it and i totally loved it...matt not as much. if i had to describe it in one word: delightful. i remember my sisters and i would watch julia on pbs when we were littler...traci does a good julia impersonation. but, here is what the movie inspired me to do-

-try to enjoy cooking more (hopefully matt is not reading this in case that doesn't happen).
-go to paris (not on southwest airlines).
-get a pair of pearls.
-find cute things like julia had in her apartment. and a couch like julia had in her paris apartment!!
-use my old film cameras more.
-get pumps like julia wore in the last scene.
-and i would agree with T...have more dinner parties...or go to more dinner parties :)

watch it.

and i am trying to work on a new board, but i don't really have much inspiration...

strawberry (&some banana)

2009-12-05T12:50:00.008-05:00

in honor of my two lovely nieces, i decided to do a pink room this week. it's kind of a more sophisticated girls room, but i would totally do this. i especially love the 'funny girl' poster in the first photo.

row 1
photo from domino
tuxedo ruffle curtain from urban outfitters
zinc letters from anthropologie

row 2
chalkboard dresser from pottery barn...this is sold out, but you could totally do a project like this on your own.
birdwatcher knob from anthropologie...to pretty up the dresser
zinnia print by artandphilanthropy

row 3
vinyl wall art vine growth chart by janeymacpress...love this idea.
side by side tile rug from cb2...i really like these cause you can place them where you want and they are easy to replace if one gets a bad stain.
tab made by coca-cola

row 4
orimono pillow from anthropologie
chandelier from ikea
photo from southern living

nativity

2009-12-03T10:27:00.003-05:00

i really like this nativity scene from pottery barn.

but with the 69 dollar price tag, my little people nativity my mom got for all her grandkids and future grandkids will have a place in my living room this year.

maybe i will look for it on an after christmas sale.

a&m

2009-11-30T22:06:00.010-05:00

the day madelyn was born, my friend michelle also got married. i was the photographer. matt was the emcee. alex and michelle were so happy. it was a good time.

as flickrallyouwant said, michelle is our very own audrey hepburn.

they are such models. especially alex.

the girls all wore blue shoes. it was fun.

rick was a groomsmen. good not only in back of the camera, but also in front.

the MC. he was funny.

i was busy, so matt had to dance with the smith's.

we did get a moment to pose for a photo.

it was a beautiful wedding and we were so happy to be apart of it!

"rustic fall"

2009-11-23T15:43:00.006-05:00

i told traci that i was doing an inspiration board today. she asked what it was. and i said i am going to call it "rustic fall." but, after putting it together, maybe it should be rustic christmas. either way, it works.

row 1
"harvest" photo by alicia bock
photo from little green notebook
persian velvet curtain from anthropologie

row 2
branch side table from west elm
fainting sofa from urban outfitters
dwell studio rug from target

row 3
cafe stripe pillow from pottery barn
clock from i forget :)
glass pendant from pottery barn

row 4
orla kiely
owl hook from anthropologie
blanket from anthropologie

introducing...

2009-11-22T18:27:00.002-05:00

madelyn jean. born 11.21.09. 4lb 8oz 18in. she is beautiful. momma and baby girl are doing great.

update?

2009-11-20T17:27:00.003-05:00

well, i am thinking that 'no news is good news' does not really apply to labor, but that is the case right now. i have not seen kel today, but mom says she's doing good. pray things move along a little faster.

madi (sp?) jean

2009-11-19T21:20:00.003-05:00

i am here at the hospital with my champ of a sister waiting for my niece to make her appearance. kelli came in today for a few dr. appt's (she is 34 weeks and 3 days) and was admitted and induced around 7:30pm. so, now we wait. pray for kel. we don't quite know how long it will take but most likely kel and corey will be introduced to their little one sometime tomorrow. (my prediction is tomorrow afternoon.) keep them in your prayers. i will try and post updates on here as they come.

lu.

2009-11-09T13:03:00.001-05:00

this face makes me smile.
i can't wait till i'm all better and can give her lots of kisses.

oink.

2009-11-06T14:23:00.002-05:00

sorry if you came looking for a decorating board today, but there will be none. i'm bogged down with the swine flu and am quite woozy at the moment. so, it will have to wait till next week.

today is day 5 of H1N1. sitting on the couch all day is getting a little old and i miss seeing people from the outside world. i am so very grateful for sharpie who decided to get the swine flu at the exact same time as me. we commiserate and watch tlc together. i have started making a list of things i can't wait to do when i'm finally allowed out of the house.

-go to anthropologie.
-go to chick-fil-a
-go shopping with traci.
-go see kelli.
-go to goodwill to look for a sewing machine.
-go to jo-ann fabrics.

basically, just being able to go anywhere.

philly red

2009-10-30T09:24:00.006-05:00

this week's board is inspired by those philadelphia phillies. game nights have been tense here lately...well they're always tense i guess. honestly, i was trying to get sarah g's request done, but i was a little overwhelmed.
sarah g-i love you, but please comment what the main colors of your room are and which are the accent :)
i think red can be done really tacky, but i love the second photo and how she used red more as accents.

row 1
phillies logo
office by candice stringham
curtains from urban outfitters (love a damask)

row 2
lulu chair from urban outfitters
notice board from poppyseedliving
mini cooper

row 3
our love print from urban outfitters
basketweave pillow from urban outfitters
hello ladies photo by alicia bock

row 4
hello wall art sticker by tastysuite
retro clock from target
metal cabinet by oldcrowfarm (already sold though)

go phils!

apple butter.

2009-10-29T21:41:00.004-05:00

last week, my mom in law gave me a bunch of apples. i had so many, i knew i needed to do something special with them. so, sss (sarah sharp smith) gave me the idea to make apple butter. mmmm. but, that sounded hard. until, traci sent me a recipe for it and i thought i would try it out. and yesterday, i did just that. and let me tell ya, i'm glad i did. it is one of the most delicious things ever. i made some homemade bread too in my new bread maker and i don't think there's a better combo. and it was so simple. go here for the recipe. i only had 13 apples, so i didn't put as much sugar and spices in. i sorta eyed it and it still came out ok.

this is what my apples looked like before cooking...

i chopped my finger while peeling the apples. it hurt. matt bandaged me up.

and here is the finished product ready to be delivered to two lucky friends.

sorry if you weren't one of those two friends. i had to keep some for myself. but, i would highly recommend trying your own. the hardest part was peeling, coring, and slicing the apples. but, after that, you just put it in the crock pot for 9 or so hours. easy peasy. my next attempt may or may not be pumpkin butter!

coming soon...another inspiration board.

yellow&gray

2009-10-16T19:33:00.006-05:00

introducing a new feature to my blog...decorating inspiration boards. i hope to post one every week. let me know if you have any requests. it is quite fun. first up, is my new idea for my bedroom (see, i told you it would change)...yellow and gray. i like it.

row 1
howdy card by DWRI Letterpress
crocodile print by Farouche
light from ikea

row 2
buttons by Button Empire
bedroom unknown (traci sent it to me)
pillow from willam sonoma home

row 3
photo by (my favorite) alicia bock
drawer pull from lowe's
curtains from anthropologie

row 4
bedding from pottery barn
photo unknown
tea from harney and sons

finds.

2009-10-14T15:03:00.012-05:00

it is my first full week not working and it's allowing me to start doing some things that i want to get done. one thing is redoing our bedroom (yes, already). right now it is painted a dark brown and i like it, but it's just too dark. so, i started flipping through my domino book

that matt bought me. which, i love and would recommend to all. the problem is there are just so many good ideas, i don't know which one to use. but, right now i've zeroed in on using warm earth tones, like this room:

that is today. who knows what it will be tomorrow, but hopefully i'll stick with it. there are a lot of things in the room i'm still gonna use, just needs a makeover. there is a bedside table that i need to paint and put some new pulls on. of course, the first place i look for those would be anthropologie, and of course they're almost $20 for one. i saw these that i liked:

and then i went to lowe's to get some paint chips and i found these:
for $5.97! they look a lot nicer in person and are silver instead of gold, which would work better for what i wanna do. i was excited.

finding something you like that is expensive and finding something similar for cheaper. i love these sort of challenges.

also, i really liked these two other knobs i saw at anthro:

hoot.

i'm kinda obsessed with coral right now.

and while there, i got a deal on this cute dress:

beware of their sale.

this post is dedicated to ange. i am working up to that decorating blog.

phall

2009-10-08T08:37:00.000-05:00

lots of exciting things have been happening around here. where to start...

monday was my last day working at the church office. it was very surreal walking out the door. but, i'm excited to be at home more and focus on photography a little bit more. i have a very nice husband who made me quit :)

matt is doing awesome at work. i am so proud of him.

we LOVE our college age community group. we are going midnight bowling tomorrow night...i am storing up my sleep cells.

last wednesday, we were at the phillies clincher game. sarah wrote a full post here.

and yesterday, we got to go to game 1 of the phillies vs. rockies series. it was my first post-season game ever and it was so much phun! the place was going crazy. the final out, the whole stadium started chanting, 'let's go cliff.' and as matt says, 'it's always a lot more fun when we win.' i was very blessed that matt took me and it was one of my favorite days with him. here are a few photos...

please notice the pink dora the explorer backpack that this rocky was sporting.

a beautiful day. it was actually very windy, but our seats were blocked by all wind.

phils win and matt is very excited?

a good day.

let's go phils! hopefully they keep winning and matt can make it to another playoff game.

upcoming this weekend is covenant's 25th anniversary. jer and ange are staying with us and i think we should have the boys make us breakfast. we'll see how that goes over.

best recipe.

2009-09-21T10:36:00.002-05:00

i realized that i've made this probably 10 times since i got this recipe from my mom in law and that i should post it here for you all to make. it's amazing, easy and amazingly easy.

orzo salad

1 box orzo
6 cups chicken broth
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved
7 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1 cup chopped fresh basil
1 cup chopped green onions (optional...i've never done it with onions)

dressing
1/2 cup olive oil
1 T. honey
2 T. lemon juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar

cook orzo in chicken broth. drain and rinse. Toss all ingredients and serve immediately. If I am taking this out to dinner, I put pasta and basil in a large bowl and take the other ingredients in baggies. I add to bowl just before serving.

we sometimes just eat this for dinner. it's also good to pair with some sort of sandwich. and i think it would be a great thing to take to a shower or bbq. i have gotten many compliments on it the few places i've taken it. try it.

thank you to traci for sending me this, this morning.

she said it reminded her of me. yes. love it.

amy butler.

2009-09-10T14:58:00.012-05:00

you may have already seen these around the blogging world, but i just love them so much, i had to show them here. amy butler rugs. absolutely gorgeous.

i would really like this one for my family room.

and i really admire this one as well.

heidi wants this one for her (hopefully) new dining room.
i like it too.

i think i may need to save up for one.

in other news, it's another rainy day here. tomorrow (our last day) is looking good. tonight is the big steelers game and shrimp! and here's two favorite photos from this week of the little one and her momma.

the (almost) fire.

2009-09-09T19:30:00.004-05:00

last night, we had a fire. mom was getting ready to make some popcorn, so she put the oil in the popcorn maker so it would heat up on the stove. in the meantime, lucy was starting to get a little fussy, so mom went over to help traci try and calm her down. about 3 minutes later, the smoke detector went off and we look over and there is flames coming out of the popcorn maker. mom's fire safety skills came into practice and she took the flaming popcorn maker out on the porch to die down.' unfortunately, mom's popcorn maker didn't survive. but don't worry, it's not her nice one...that one's at home. rip, mom's traveling popcorn maker.

p.s. dad just went out to get a (sheet) cake. we are celebrating lucy's 2 month birthday!

book reviews.

2009-09-08T18:16:00.007-05:00

like i said a few posts ago, heidi told me i needed to read this book called 'love walked in' by maria delos santos. she absolutely loved it and so did i. her writing reminds me a little of gilmore girls talk. it's so clever and cute. as heidi said, 'it's like the way i want to talk in everyday life.' well, read it. and then read the sequel 'belong to me.'

i actually think i liked this one more. i'm not sure exactly why. i kept wanting to read and read so i could find out what happened next. i finished it in two days while here in the obx. traci is now reading 'love walked in.' so you should too.

p.s. another rainy day here :(
p.p.s. fire just averted at the house :)

rain, rain...

2009-09-07T11:11:00.000-05:00

go away, come another labor day.
yes, it is only our second full day here and the remnants of some tropical storm are making us stay inside today. but, we have big plans for our family fantasy football draft, which always takes about 2 or so hours long. and then we are having ma's spaghetti tonight!! and i'm sure some euchre, settlers, and madden (for some people).

it has been a memorable vacation so far. on our ride down, we almost lost the surfboards off of dad's jeep. seriously, they were at like a 60 degree angle on top off the roof. matt and i were right behind it. we saw our lives flash before our eyes.

most of our time is spent ooohing over lucy.

she is smiling a lot. and she really likes the ceiling fans here. yesterday i spent some quality one on one time with her while everyone else was out. we entertained ourselves.

she punched me.

all in all, we love family vacation and i'm already sad about going home.

wake me up.

2009-09-01T11:41:00.004-05:00

it is september. which means we are almost to fall. and this unusually cool weather we've had the last few days has made many antsy for fall, me included. i am very much looking forward to it cause life will slow down dramatically. wedding season will be over at the end of this month, which i'm looking forward to. i've started a list of things i really want to do this fall. we'll see how much i get to.

-learn how to sew...like on a sewing machine...with the help of my mom.
-make my dining room curtains with the help of my mom in law.
-take lots of photos for fun. this is something i've missed since being so busy this summer. i like taking photos of fun people, so if you are fun, let me know.
-go to the orchard with vicky and the boys and sarah and aaron. for lots of reasons. but, i am envisioning a very cute photo shoot.
-help mich find wedding shoes.
-go to lots of jenny's games.
-saturday mornings getting pumpkin spice latte's and going to the growers market with sharpie.
-spending lots of time with lucy.
-euchre tournament.

i hope i can enjoy at least some of these!

---

2009-08-11T17:24:00.005-05:00

thank you all for your additions to the classic list. i definitely agree that 'rear window' is a good one.

it has been very busy for us here lately. matt went on a business trip last week and is going on another one next week. my photo business has been keeping me quite busy too.

i really like these pillows from crate and barrel i got in an email today.

although i don't think i have anywhere to put them at the moment.

my 'little sis' alyce is getting married on saturday.

wow mom. i can't belive she is going to be a wife. after being in all three of our weddings (and many many more), it is now her turn. i'm so excited for her and love her so much!!

and that concludes this very random post.

the classics.

2009-08-07T10:02:00.005-05:00

i was told by heidi to read this book called 'love walked in' which she told me is based of the movie 'the philadelphia story.' heidi has never seen it, so i told her we would watch it together. but, then i proceeded to make a list of old movies we should watch. and then i proceeded to think, what would be on my list of best classic movies? so, here is my official list of favorite, classic movies:

roman holiday
philadelphia story
breakfast at tiffany's
shop around the corner
it happened one night
an affair to remember
some like it hot
mr. smith goes to washington
sabrina
north by northwest
that touch of mink

sub category-musicals:
HELLO DOLLY
easter parade
state fair
singin in the rain
guys and dolls
funny face
gidget

heidi, we have a lot of movies to watch :)

what am i missing and what would you add to the list?

real church

2009-08-04T11:11:00.005-05:00

i am really lovin' this series that we are in right now at church, 'real church.' jared has been hitting each sermon out of the ballpark. i particularly liked 7.12 and this past sunday's sermons. a quote from sunday that jared used...

“Without true Christians loving one another, Christ says the world cannot be expected
to listen, even when we give proper answers. Let us be careful, indeed, to spend
a lifetime studying to give honest answers. But after we have done our best to
communicate to a lost world, still we must never forget that the final apologetic which
Jesus gives is the observable love of true Christians for true Christians. If the world
does not see this, it will not believe that Christ was sent by the Father.”
-Francis Schaeffer

each message is challenging and encouraging me. they are especially helpful as matt and i are starting up our college age community group. i would recommend listening to them if you haven't heard them yet. it's something i am definitely going to go back to often.

our niece.

2009-07-29T09:54:00.006-05:00

is gorgeous.

(9 days old here)
happy 14 days.

uncle&aunt

2009-07-17T09:06:00.002-05:00

lucy is here!!!! and she is the most beautiful thing. born wednesday at 2:15 pm. 7lb 12oz and 21 inches long. mom and lucy are doing great! traci did amazing...i'm so proud of her. they come home today. pray for them as they settle in back home with a new little one.

fabio

2009-07-14T12:51:00.004-05:00

last night, matt had his first dragon boat practice. his company is participating in the philadelphia dragon boat festival which will happen on october 3rd. come cheer on sovereign if you like. it is going to be very amusing.

still waiting for lucy.

tan and home.

2009-07-06T16:32:00.020-05:00

the rest of our vacation was more of the same.

wake up on the top bunk.
make tea.
quiet time on the porch.
go to beach.
read.
go to pool.
eat.
eat ice cream.
go to bed.

on tuesday, like i said, we went out to dinner for grandma and poppa's 50th anniversary. we went to greg norman's...made me think of aunt karen. i unfortunately don't have any pictures from that night cause i brought my camera but sans memory card.
all the kids made a video for g&p. i took some photos while in production...

looove this one of jenny.

all the cousins minus one.

matt and i chillin in our room before dinner.

on wednesday, jenny, noelle and i went on another walk.

nice face, jen.

on thursday, we went mini golfing where matt and i both came in second place in our appropriate categories.

our last night there, we went out on the beach to take our last photos.

cousins.

the jump hug.

brother&sister.

typical hayes modesty.

and one last jumping one.

we had lots of fun, but so glad to be home. it's about 20 degrees cooler here. and it's so nice to actually come back to a house!
thank you grandma and poppa for everything!!

on a sad note, the covfel bucks got knocked out of the playoffs in the first round while we were away. just sad to have missed the last game. matt is probably going to be coach next year and already has big plans!

now we are just anticipating the birth of our niece, lucy!!!!

north myrtle

2009-06-30T11:17:00.006-05:00

today is day four of vacation. after about 13 hour trip, we finally made it here on saturday. we would've gotten here in less time if it weren't for our long pit stop at jr's and a little confusion about whether our house was in north myrtle or south myrtle...
our house is right on the beach which is very nice. matt and i got our own room which consists of a queen bunk bed :)
it is oh so hot here. i spend most of the day reading on the porch looking out at the ocean. i am working on the subtle tan. i was out in the sun for like 1/2 an hour on sunday and got burnt. my sister in law on the other hand looks mexican. ridiculous.
on sunday we pretty much hung around the beach/house all day. matt and i went on a mini date that night for some wings and a walk on the beach.
yesterday we ventured out to the outlets for some shopping. jenny, noelle and i went on a walk later on where they were willing to get their photos taken.

tonight we are going out for our "fancy" dinner to celebrate grandma and poppa's anniversary.
in the next few days i hope to make my way to anthro :), matt and i might parasail, and our neighbors are having a big bash with dj and all which we might make an appearance at.
besides that, i'm loving relaxing, reading and all in all not doing much.
oh, and matt and i are desperately searching for euchre players :)

happenings.

2009-06-25T19:30:00.007-05:00

i feel i have been mia. things that have acted...
-traci's baby shower. success!
-getting house stuff done.
-the 4th & 5th weddings of the summer.
-spontaneous trip to nyc with mom hayes, sister jenny, and cousin jamie.

jenny and jamie in times square.

jamie and jenny in central park.

jamie and jenny in our hotel.

i pretty much only have pictures of jamie and jenny, but that's ok with me.
we shopped a lot, walked a lot, took a carriage ride in central park, went to see a show, and stayed in an hotel in times square with an amazing view...thanks dad hayes.
it was a blast.

saturday, we're headed down to myrtle beach for a week for vacation with the malinaric's (matt's mom's family). this is good cause i'm looking a little pasty.
i will try and update if we have internet, but that is still unknown.
ahoy!

hmmm...

2009-06-04T12:05:00.003-05:00

on our fake date last night, matt goes...
"you know, when we retire down to florida."
and i say...
"i am not retiring down to florida!"

it's one of those out of the blue funny conversations, we often have. add 'where we are going to retire to' to the list of things you should talk about before you get married. it's critical.

we decided we're going to retire to charleston, sc.

to mom.

2009-06-01T13:34:00.001-05:00

in a perfect world, this is what i would want my photo wall to look like. what do you think?

memory day.

2009-05-26T10:54:00.018-05:00

yesterday was memory day. the story behind 'memory day' is this. there was once 5 girls who go to 5 guys in kitty litter, but this particular day went to mesa. mesa is a yummy mexican placed that sadly closed down. rip mesa. but, this particular day was the week before memorial day. as we entered the mesa, on the blackboard it read, 'happy memory day.' and thus, memory day it has been ever since. anywho, memory day has always been filled with...memories!
there was the na road trip of 06.
this was not from the road trip, but in preparation for it :)

blurry photo of the road tripees.

last year was florida with family. (confession-i never know how to spell florida.)

and this year was a bbq with good friends.

silas enjoying some watermelon.

those blue eyes!

these kids are too cute.

their cute momma.

and dad.

the sharp smith's. apparently mike smelled.

joe is most athletic.

heidi and i are celebrating our 2 year friendaversary this summer and we didn't have any pictures together! this is a good first.

and one of my cute husband.

we are happy for new memories on memory day!!

swing.

2009-05-13T14:06:00.005-05:00

i was just reading my june, even thought it is may, issue of martha stewart living (that i got for free...thanks t for the tip) and i got to the very last page and there it was. a recipe. strawberry-shortcake cookies. strawberries are on sale for $1.50 this week at the giant. i think i'm going to have to try this before the end of the week.

strawberry-shortcake cookies

12 oz. strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4 in. dice. (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 oz. (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
sanding sugar, for sprinkling

1. Preheat oven to 375. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
2. Using a 11/2 inch ice scream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.

hmmm...i am noticing a pattern in my posting. food is essential though.

(photo by alicia bock and can be bought here.)

chipotle.

2009-05-12T15:32:00.004-05:00

i love free stuff. a chipotle is opening right down the road from me in west chester on friday. it's in the new 'turner square' right by the acme on paoli pike. but on thursday, before their grand opening, they are giving away free burritos from 11am-8pm. mmmm. i'll see you there vicky, t, and sharpie :)

what's for dinner?

2009-04-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

last night we had a delicious dinner. traci informed me that london broil was BOGO (grocery lingo) this week at the giant. so, i got two chunks of meat, about a pound each, for $7. i went on to www.recipes.com to find a marinade recipe. and this is what i ended up making.

Marinated London Broil

Makes 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) can cola soft drink
1 (10-ounce) bottle teriyaki sauce
1 (2 1/2- to 3-pound) London broil
Preparation
Combine cola and teriyaki sauce in a shallow dish or large zip-top plastic freezer bag; add London broil. Cover or seal, and chill 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove London broil from marinade, discarding marinade.

Grill, covered with grill lid, over medium heat (300° to 350°) 12 to 15 minutes on each side or to desired degree of doneness. Let stand 10 minutes; cut diagonally into thin slices across the grain.

it turned out very well. for sides, we grilled some pineapple (a matt specialty). and then i also made this recipe that i got from anya. i don't usually like broccoli, but this is a new favorite.

1 1/2 pounds fresh broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
1/3 cup butter
1 tablespoon brown sugar
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup chopped salted cashews( i use Almonds)

DIRECTIONS
Place the broccoli into a large pot with about 1 inch of water in the bottom. Bring to a boil, and cook for 7 minutes, or until tender but still crisp. Drain, and arrange broccoli on a serving platter.
While the broccoli is cooking, melt the butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Mix in the brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, pepper and garlic. Bring to a boil, then remove from the heat. Mix in the cashews, and pour the sauce over the broccoli. Serve immediately.

i think i will make this marinade for next week.

yum-o.

fun in the sun.

2009-04-28T13:04:00.007-05:00

i had a ridiculously fabulous weekend.
on friday, mom and i went into the city to shop and walk around. anything that includes shopping, jim's steaks, bubble tea, 70 degree weather, and mom makes for a very fun day.

i got to spend all day saturday with my dear friend heidi. we also tag teamed it and watched the russell's for a few hours. i got some of my favorite photos of them. here is one of micah that i love. he is such a model.

levi's eyes melt my heart.

silas broke his arm last week and he is even cuter with that green cast.

on sunday i spent the afternoon with my dear littler sister. we went shopping, which we seem to do often, and got auntie anne's and starbucks. it's tradition.

and then yesterday, mom and i went back into the city to get our hair did.

meanwhile, matt had this small house project he was working on. our family room and office had carpet in it that needed to be replaced, so we decided to put laminate hardwood floors in instead. so, matt and his crew (joe and isaac for two hours) spent a good day in a half installing them. the good news-they look amazing. the bad news-they installed them differently in the family room than in the office and the way they were put into the office looks a lot better (according to matt). so, matt has decided to redo the whole thing. oh my. i am glad i have weddings the next three saturdays :) here is what they sorta look like.

it makes the room 10 times nicer. it's a little sparse right now and needs some tlc. but, it will be super nice when it's all done.

in other news, the covfel bucks (team 1) are undefeated and in first place. they are hot. and so are those phils!! that game last night was incredible.

i would also like to thank reenie for making pg tips sun tea today. thank you.

ok. that is all.

opening day.

2009-04-13T13:25:00.005-05:00

mom has asked for a new blog post. she would like to see something other than my beaut of a rug. ok.

you might remember all of these dudes from last summer. 2008 FESL softball champions, the covfel bucks. well, today marks the start of defending their title. yes, it is softball opening day. matt says they are going to be even better than last year. we shall see. covenant also has two teams this year. sarah and i are very sad that mike and matt aren't on the same team. but, i pray for good things for team 2. it'll be fun when they play each other too.

other happy happenings at home hayes...
-the house is coming along. we bought some more furniture this past weekend thanks to some very nice sales at pottery barn outlet. so, we're getting there furniture wise, but not as much decorating wise. wise oh wise? ha...that was for you sharpie.
-we have had 3 close friends of ours get engaged in the past week or so. very happy.
-um, i just heard harry kalas died. that is not happy.
-we went to our first phillies game of the season with the smith's. and matt got to go to the game where they got their world champion rings. and what a game that was.
-we had a nice easter with both of our families. and i made an incredible handmade easter basket for matt. update: here is the picture. it has ears and please notice it says, 'hopppy easter!'

-i was also very happy to see my dear abby for a few minutes yesterday.
-i felt my little niece kick for the first time!!
-this weekend is my first wedding of the year! i have 10 weddings booked from april-september. and i am helping kel with a few also (sisterhood of the traveling cameras, as i like to call it). i am amazed at God's blessing on my very small and young photography business.
-and the happiest of all, matt has picked the guitar back up. i was serenaded with 'lady in red' at 11:45pm friday night and a few more times since. but, my all time favorite is when he sings 'ancient of days.' he is very serious about his guitar practicing. i really love him.

go bucks!

decorating madness.

2009-03-30T09:42:00.005-05:00

we are slowly getting more settled into our house. matt's painted a few key rooms, replaced lights, put up curtains and bought a rug (that i love) for the living room, and some other random things. it still feel like there's a ton to be done. decorating a house is harder than i thought. it's a lot of pressure. it feels so much more permanent. i'm trying to find fun and unique ways to decorate too. my big debate right now is what to put over the fireplace on/over the mantle. a picture or two? i kinda really love this photo i found on etsy, but i'm not sure if it's big enough.

or since i love it, i thought about doing something with london.
i thought about doing a vinyl wall art. you can find some cute ones on etsy too. maybe something like this off to the side.

and the other thing...what do you put on each side of a fireplace. a chair? a bookcase? i am at a loss. let me know if you have any insight...ideas...words of wisdom...

on a sidenote...matt and i are tied, along with dad, in the prater family march madness tourney. i was in the lead for games and games, and after a few tough losses, we are all tied up. hopefully, i can makes some good picks and get the W this weekend.

shamrock shakin'

2009-03-17T13:54:00.002-05:00

this is the chicago river. it is dyed green every year for st. patty's day. ha. i love the midwest.

a few facts you may not have known about st. patrick's day:
-it is a feast day that celebrates st. patrick, one of the patron saints of ireland.
-is a holy day of obligation for roman catholics in ireland.
-st. patrick's blue, not green, was the color long-associated with st. patrick.
-some protestants have begun wearing orange on st. patrick's day as a mark of defiance. woah there.
-st. patrick used the shamrock to explain the holy trinity to the pre-christian irish.
-it was only in the mid-1990s that the irish government began a campaign to use st. patrick's day to showcase ireland and its culture.
-since the 1990s, irish taoisigh (head of ireland's government) have sometimes attended special functions either on st. patrick's day or a day or two earlier, in the white house, where they present a shamrock to the president of the united states.
-st. patrick's day parades in ireland date from the early 18th century.
-in 1780, general george washington allowed his troops a holiday on march 17 “as an act of solidarity with the Irish in their fight for independence."
-traditionally, those who are caught not wearing green on st. patrick's day are pinched.

i will pinch myself cause i forgot to wear green.
ow.

mythbuster

2009-03-15T16:00:00.007-05:00

i just read in the april issue of martha stewart living that biting into a lemon could cure hiccups. "the tartness is said to interrupt the nerve impulses that cause diaphragm spasms." i was give the opportunity, by God, late last night to test this theory. and i must report that it did not work for me. but, instead, ice cream cured my hiccups. i think i prefer that method anyways.

ld

2009-03-09T13:12:00.004-05:00

heidi girl sent me this website by laurel denise. (heidi works with laurel's best friend) she is a jewelery designer and does a few other things. i am now obsessed with her jewelery and her blog. i love her style, how she calls her husband 'cute husband', her finds and ideas. check it out. i am already trying to decide what i want matt to buy me :)

arts and...

2009-03-03T16:37:00.002-05:00

i really want to do this for my new office. i already have two magnetic boards i can use, which are about the same size as those in the photo. but, i'm not sure where i can find "decorative paper" that is 1.large enough and 2. cute. any ideas??

p.s. i was trying to change my blog background and messed up the html, so i think it will forever be white now.

moved in...

2009-02-24T15:12:00.003-05:00

but, by no means settled. here is the first photo taken in (or in front off) our home. rick took it and please notice his signature tilt. moving day went very well! we had many good friends and family come and help us and got everything unloaded by 1:30. from there we unpacked and set up what we could. it is sorta a mess right now as i decide where i want everything put and have many boxes to unpack. but, we will get there. i did my first load of laundry in our washer and dryer saturday and yesterday did my first load of dishes in the dishwasher. i actually had to read the directions of how to turn it on :) and the oven is taking a little while to get used to. but, we are so happy and blessed. matt and i say every night, 'can you believe we live here?!' God is so kind.

final stretch.

2009-02-16T10:50:00.003-05:00

i have come to terms with the fact that my house is going to be a mess until moving day...which is saturday. we are in our final days at 825 high...which makes me very sad. but, we are also getting pretty excited too. on saturday, we headed out towards lancaster to go to a few stores, not thinking we'd find anything. we ended up buying 2 tables at two different antique-ish shops and then a couch, console table, and coffee table at pottery barn outlet!! it was quite overwhelming that matt ended up having to take me out to dinner instead of sticking to his original plan and making me a nice one at home :) but, we really love all the stuff we purchased and got some major deals. buying that stuff made it more real that we are buying a house! so, it was a good day.

and then yesterday, we road tripped down to gaithersburg with the smith's to go to jer's graduation party. he is graduating from the police academy on wednesday!!! so exciting. and of course, it was so good to see a favorite.

we miss ange so much here...i don't think gburg realizes what they got! we laughed a lot, got to meet LG, go to church, and had some good fellowship. so, it was a good day.

a nice weekend to lead up to this crazy week. i do ask for your prayers this week. i have a lot to do and a short time to do it in. i know it'll all get done, but it's overwhelming to think about it all right now :) thanks!!
5 days!

is this real life?!

2009-02-10T10:34:00.005-05:00

cutting matt's hair has become quite the event around our house. matt hadn't cut his hair since november (he was going for a new look) and we finally decided it was time for a trim. what a ham.

this one is my favorite.

ange sent this video to traci and it has been cracking us up for the past few days. definitely watch it for a laugh.

the meal sheet.

2009-02-02T19:26:00.003-05:00

one of my goals for 2009 is learn to cook better...and actually enjoy it. yes, it's true. i don't really like to cook. matt likes it more than i do. i'm more of a baker. but, i'm really trying to enjoy it. i figured out that one of my problems is i don't really plan ahead for each meal. because i had the time, i would usually just go to the grocery store each day to get dinner for that night. if i didn't know what i was going to make that night, i would aimlessly wander around the grocery store trying to figure exactly that out and it would inevitably end with a frustrated phone call to matt :) a few weeks ago, i made 'the meal sheet.' i made it to suit me. i've changed and added things and i think i've got it.

i really only need it for dinners, so from the left we have the day, what i'm going to make, what i need for that specific meal, if i need to prep anything the night before, lists for the stores i buy at, and what is on sale where that week. so, it's meal sheet along with store list. now i try and do most of my shopping at the beginning of the week and just go for little things or anything i forget throughout the week. this has really helped me get organized with meal planning. and since it's organized and i know what i'm going to make ahead of time, it has caused me to enjoy cooking a little more. i hope i can keep up with it and hopefully my enjoyment for cooking will follow. if you have any ideas for additions to the meal sheet, please share. but just to warn you, they might get turned down. traci's was :)

excIted

2009-01-29T18:57:00.002-05:00

just a few key things i'm getting very excited about having in a house:
a dishwasher.
an oven that when you set it at a certain temperature, it stays there.
a refrigerator that makes ice.
and a really big closet.

22 days!!

phun in philly

2009-01-27T09:51:00.013-05:00

yay!!! today is our 2 year wedding anniversary! unbelievable. it is crazy that 2 years have already passed. through the good and difficult (thankfully there haven't really been many of those) times, our love has grown so much for each other. and we also have a ton of fun. hoping for years and years to come. to celebrate, matt and i did an overnight into philly this past weekend.

we ate some good food, walked around the city, went to the art museum and just relaxed with each other. this next month is going to be super busy, so we wanted a low key, but enjoyable celebration.
and today also gives me an excuse to look at my wedding photos...

first and last time this has ever been done at the church :)

2 years later and 5 of them married...not bad.

still trying to find an excuse to wear my dress again.

waiting...for pa to get there :)

vows.

look how young matty looks?!

lovin' my daddy.

hey!!

good times. now, i just wish this week we were in cabo!

still lovin' W.

2009-01-20T13:00:00.006-05:00

what a historic day for our country. only God knows what will happen in the next four years. trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock. -isaiah 26:4. whether i agree with president obama or not, it is amazing to watch history go down.

in other news, i recently found out that more people read my blog than i knew (hi rochelle!). so, let me answer your question...no, i'm not pregnant :)

yesterday, we got some unexpected snow. matt and i went out to play in it with vicky and the boys. they were so cute. even levi got to come out!

see why i will miss this place?!
speaking of, we will be homeowners one month from today!!
but for now, i must go clean our current one.

lessons of life.

2009-01-15T17:39:00.002-05:00

life lesson: if your cell phone falls in the ocean and you can miraculously rescue it, or say it falls in the toilet, soak it in rice overnight. it's supposed to take out all the water. and then take it to your nearest cellular store. i learned this the hard way.
also, do not speed on five points road.

and you know how in movies they show characters aimlessly looking out the window contemplating the things of life and you're like, 'no one ever does that!' well, i actually caught myself doing that the other day. and then i slapped myself.

p.s. happy birthday kelli!!!!

home sweet home

2009-01-11T19:45:00.001-05:00

welcome to the house of hayes. yes, we are buying a house. a few months ago, matt's friend, 'dave the realtor', started taking us to go see houses. we didn't think we would really find anything we really liked for awhile, but wanted to see what was out there. about a week before christmas, we saw this house and both fell in love with it. it was definitely the best one we had seen and one we could really see ourselves in. so we put in an offer and after some tough negotiations, we finally came to an agreement. lord willing, we will close on february 20th and move in right away!

the process-like i said, the negotiations were rough. the longer it took, the more our emotions were invested into it. but, matt and i were confident that if this wasn't the house for us, the Lord would make it clear. we were happy with the conclusion :) buying a house is overwhelming though! first off deciding if we should put in an offer, then how much to offer, and when our offer is accepted, buying furniture and such. but, i feel like through it all, it has brought matt and i closer. my love for him has grown tremendously these past few weeks. and now we are in the home stretch...ha, no pun intended. we had the inspection done this past wednesday (which took 4 hours...they usually take about 2 :) and that went very well. no big things to worry about. now that that's over, it is more of a reality that we will be moving in a little over a month. only a few little things could happen that would not make us get the house. wow mom.

the house-as matt says, 'it's pimped out.' when we first met with 'dave the realtor' he asked us a bunch of questions about the needs and wants for a house. he said he was just looking over that list recently and this house has most of those things on it, which is pretty amazing to find in a first house. basically, it's 4 bedroom 2.5 bath. but the work and fixtures they've put into it is what makes it. the kitchen might be the best part of the house. they just finished it this year, so it's brand new. it's got granite countertops, cabinets for days, nice new fridge, granite & travertine flooring, an island and more. i don't know what i'm going to do with all the space and what to put in all those cabinets. i'm sure it'll fill up faster than i think. just off the kitchen is more of an eat in dining room. it has a big living room and a smaller family room. an office on the main floor that matt is very excited about. and a laundry room. upstairs we have hardwood floors throughout. each of the three bedrooms are a good size. the second bath has nice double sinks. and then the master bedroom is quite special. they did wainscoting, which is a sort of paneling, on the walls, which looks beautiful. we have his and hers closets, with mine basically being a small room...i'm extra excited about that :) and they've done some nice touches with the master bath. oh, and all of the bathroom floors are heated. basically they did some stuff to the house, that even if you had the money to do, you probably wouldn't pay to have done. we are reaping the benefits of it though. any pictures i'd show you just wouldn't do it justice, so you'll just have to come see it.

the bittersweetness-moving :) we seriously love our apartment and the people in our building. we have so many great memories of our first two years together here...top floor apartment first year and second floor, second year. even with the stinkbugs and heat (or no heat) issues, i love the character this old house has. but even more, we love the people. ben & em on the top floor, tiny on the first, and jason, vicky and the boys. we are really so grateful for the friendship we've built with the russell's. we have loved watching the boys grow up and their family grow. we're going to miss hearing their little footsteps doing laps downstairs, watching silas ride his bike, talking with them through the window, playing outside with them in the summer, and just seeing their smiling, eager faces. i'm going to have to stop by all the time to see them. and we have learned so much from jason and vicky by their marriage and parenting. we will definitely be coming to them for parenting advice. vicky is amazing to me...even after having a crazy day with 3 boys, 3 and under, she is so joyful when we see her. we love to play games, make fun of vicky, hear the boys stories and laugh till our sides hurt with them. i don't know what i'm going to do when i'm not ten feet away to borrow something from them. i'm convinced i will still call vicky. and vicky, you can still borrow that pitcher anytime you want :) i think i'm definitely going to cry come moving day. we will miss the very close community we have here, but are grateful we are only a 3 minute car ride away.

the final weeks-please pray that everything remaining will just fall into place. pray we get an a amazing mortgage rate! pray packing up and moving goes smoothly. i don't know how it couldn't...we don't have much stuff.

please come and visit us when we are moved in! out of town people, if you ever need a place to stay, let us know! we have 3 bedrooms that will be empty for some time. we love having people over and don't mind crashers. and you can just see the house for yourselves.

we are so grateful for God's guidance in this whole process and can't wait to move into our first home!

the end.

pray

2009-01-05T12:45:00.002-05:00

jared did a great message yesterday on prayer, in general, but also as an encouragement for the new year. this is more of a reminder for me than anyone else, but here are his points.

how should we pray?
1.pray in difficulty (this was my favorite point).
2.pray together.
3.pray the scriptures.
4.pray for revival.
5.pray expectantly.

i would encourage you to listen to it if you weren't there.
let's expect great things from God!

we &hearts nyc

2008-12-30T20:59:00.013-05:00

m&m had a wonderful christmas. our actual christmas day was spent with both families. matt's grandparents came in to town from iowa, so it was very good to see them, along with the tom malinaric's. and we've been able to spend some more time with them this week. and then we had the annual two hour opening of presents at my parents. highlight was rick's airzooka. and i must report matt did a fantastic job buying me unpractical presents this year and picked some winners. with some thanks going to traci, but i am very proud of him. so, all around, a very enjoyable christmas. i love the holidays and was really able to enjoy them this year. matt isn't as in love with them as i am, but he really tried this year and it made them more enjoyable for the both of us, i think.

so, the day or weekend after christmas, my family is trying to do an annual nyc trip. we went a few years ago when matt and i were first courting. we've been unable to go the last few years, but trying to pick it back up. unfortunately, kel and corey were unable to come with us. but, it was a beautiful busy nyc day. here are a few photos-

this one really cracks me up, because when we went to london, traci was very serious about her map. three years later, she still is.

walking down fifth avenue.

rick and the empire state building.

this was something at the library that enamored matt. he was trying to figure out what it was.

this was right after some guy asked if i wanted him to take the picture so i could be in it...he was super shady.

mom and dad wanted their picture with santa.

just us.

rick and t dancing in bryant park.

mom and dad also wanted their picture in front of the tree.

traci and i really heart anthropologie...especially this one.

brother and sister in front of the plaza.

as you can see, we had much fun. we are debating if we are going to allow babies or not next year...

this...

2008-12-17T17:14:00.001-05:00

makes me really happy.

someday

2008-12-16T11:07:00.006-05:00

i told matt that someday he is going my buy me a designer bag. it's just gonna happen :) but, i got an invite a few weeks ago for shop it to me. it's an online personal shopper sort of thing where you choose specifically what designers or shops, clothes, accesories, etc, that you want them to look for, for you. and then they'll send you an email every week with their findings. i probably will never buy anything from there, but it's fun to see what they come up with. i would be ok with this...

or this...

or hey, even this...

oh, love!! they are all marc jacobs bags, which are some of my favorites. it allows me to dream until i get that designer bag...someday :)