fun in the sun.

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.

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.

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'

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

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

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...

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.