Eva's (2nd) first day of Preschool

Last Thursday was Eva's first day of preschool. She LOVED last year. I mean, really really LOVED it. Her teachers were so amazing and they adored her; it was obvious that she had hit teacher jackpot because they truly loved each other.
I was a little nervous that this year she wouldn't have the same connection and wouldn't be as excited about school. I was wrong. Yes! She is having a ball and wishes that school was every single day, just like last year. Here are a few pictures of her first day last year and this year. I cannot believe how much she has changed and grown. She is such a joy, I actually miss her even though she is only gone for 2.5 hours a few days a week. This little munchkin has a big piece of my heart...

Last year

This year

Notice, once again, the size of that back-pack. All the kids have the same one provided by the school.

Last year

 This year
(Love this one- her cousin, Caleb, has his back-pack on upside down)

Update on the home front :)

Well, once again, I have neglected the blog. I am really the world's worst blogger, but I just can't bear to shut it down because it's such a nifty little place where I have documented a lot of what has gone on in the past couple of years.

So anyhow, I have also been doing some more projects around here. Here are a few pics of the latest :)

FAMILY PRAYER BOARD

 RUG

before 

(Ikea 6x9 Erslev rug, white)

after* 

(I dyed it navy blue in the bath tub- trust me, it was not a fun process)

**there will also be another after because I am also painting it, because it has not been enough of a pain in the A** yet.

JEWELRY FRAME w/lace and hooks

before

(lovely heart print with pink frame, Goodwill)

 print removed, with the lace

after

(this all came out of my jewelry box- 

now there is actually room for the other stuff in there, which is finer chains, pendants and bracelets)

What can I say? I am a sucker for a cheap, fun, useful project, which all of these are :)

Pin-spiration

So, Pinterest. Have you heard of it? If so, you will completely understand this post. It will speak very clearly to you and you may even recognize some of the photos. If not, you may want to stop right here. Be forewarned, if you do not know pinterest, this post may cause you to take a look (pinterest.com). And if you take a look, there is a chance that the addiction could start. Heaven help you! You have no chance :)  Basically, Pinterest is a place to "pin" things that you find online onto a virtual "bulletin board".  It helps you keep track of things you want to remember when you are browsing online. You can also just browse items that other "pincers" have already "pinned" to get ideas.

This makes me smile because it's so true:

Here is a visual to help you understand a little better.

This is a view of all of my personal bulletin boards:

Here is a view of my "projects" board.

I joined Pinterest a few months ago and the addiction began almost immediately (so did the trips to the craft store). For me, it's the DIY (Do It Yourself) projects that are so inviting and pull me in. For other's it's the recipes or the decorating ideas or the photography inspiration. 

I do not consider myself to be super-crafty. (My sister, Jill, on the other hand- CraftyMcCrafster- is another story.) But, Pinterest somehow made me believe that I could do all these awesome projects, and the good news??? I CAN DO ALL THESE PROJECTS. Very exciting stuff :)

So, here is what I (and Eva) have been doing during Sam's nap time.

PINSPIRATION:

 (aka something I saw on Pinterest that inspired me)

 Back to School wreath

P

MY WREATH:

PINSPIRATION: Button/Bead Monogram

MY MONOGRAMS:

for my friend Bethanie's baby, Harper

For us, The Wells'

PINSPIRATION: dry erase board with scrapbook paper

MY DRY ERASE BOARD: made with Eva's own watercolor project

PINSPIRATION: Ombre Garland

MY GARLAND (made with ribbon instead of fabric)

(hung on an antique window, which I was also inspired to hang- after sitting in our basement for 5 years- by Pinterest)

                                     

And the one I did for Bethanie's nursery

PINSPIRATION: Ribbon accented draperies (NO SEW!!)

MY CURTAINS:

I did 6 panels- 2 for each large window downstairs

Well, there you go. I don't just LOOK at Pinterest, I actually do some of theprojects that I find on there :) I have also done a chalkboard for keepsake photos and next week's project is a dyed, AND painted rug!!

Pictures to follow!

If you have been inspired, here's to Happy Pinning! 

Sweet Reunion

I've spent the past 24 hours with some of the dearest souls. It is so good for my heart! My college years were really wonderful and I hate that so many of those girls are so far away from me now. We have gone through years of doing so well being in touch, and years where we were terrible. But no matter what, when we get together, it's like we haven't missed a beat (part of that, we realized this week, is the beauty of Facebook- for all it's annoyances and flaws, I'll stick with it for this reason alone)! It's amazing how that happens though, when you truly have a heart of love for someone. It's doesn't even matter that some are not so good at keeping in touch- we all let it go because we have a genuine love for one another. There is no judgment, and because of that, there is a peacefulness about our relationships with one another that is just so beautiful and refreshing despite our differences. This struck me this weekend- we are all SO very different in SO many ways. It's incredibly rich and stretches you to think beyond where you normally do.

Anyhow, we had a great weekend of togetherness. We went to an outdoor concert, stayed up REALLY late looking at pictures, reminiscing and telling stories, sharing struggles and heartache (sometimes involving tears), shopping, eating, drinking (not too much), laughing, and laughing, and laughing. AND LAUGHING.

Ah, I love these women. They have such lovely hearts! How amazing is it to be around people who love you- really love you- despite all your ugly stuff, your quirks, your snorty laughs. There is no pretense, no holding back, we let it all "hang out", so to speak because we really trust one another. We support each other in all our individual journeys- singleness, dating, kids, wanting kids, careers, marriage, AND, most importantly, working out our faith in each aspect of these stages.

We haven't scheduled a "next" time, but I'm already beyond excited to be with them again. I'm ready to see my kids- I always miss them no matter how much I need a break- but I'll be sad to leave tomorrow, too. There were a few "dear souls" missing this weekend, but I want to give a shout out to Angie James- THANK YOU for initiating this. You are the reason this reunion happened! I cannot even remotely tell you how sad I am that you missed it. Next time, we will make sure you can come :)

Here are just a couple of pics from our time.

Sweet Jen, chatting and having a glass of wine.

Wendy

Christiana- the hostess with the mostest (she was awesome)

Waiting for Vanessa and Krissy to arrive, all giddy knowing what is about to come!

Vanessa and Wendy cracking up looking at old pictures.

Friday night- somewhere around 2am 

Saturday morning- looking a little "fresher"

About to hit the towne center for some shopping

Missing Wendy and Krissy and having our last night together.