Rooms I love

If Paris was a kitchen I believe it would look something like this....

via traditional home

Truckin'

Michael and his new wheels :) He just took right off and hasn't stopped since.

(Tim added the genius soundtrack.)

Fill in the blank Friday

Good morning and happy Fill in the Blank Friday!! 

1.  I started my blog because   I wanted a quiet place to focus on things that were beautiful, holy, and praiseworthy. I knew it would be good to put my thoughts and feelings down sometimes, but I also wanted to collect photos and images that were inspiring to me. In my mind all of that goes together - they are all things that add beauty and quality to my life, and hopefully to the lives of people who read along!

2.   One thing I love seeing on other blogs   are glimpses into other people's lives - specifically other moms of young children. If you're reading good blogs it's both reassuring (I'm not the only one who let my son wear pjs all day today! I'm not the only one who feels like my house is falling apart sometimes!) and inspiring (I never thought about it that way! How creative!)

3.  Something I love about blogging   is that it's available to everyone - both reading and writing! 

4. A favorite blog post of mine is probably   Michael's birth story. It doesn't do justice to the awesome experience of bringing my son into the world, but it brings back such sweet memories and emotions! I've never been so thankful, happy, in love, relieved, or as proud as I was on that day. (A few other, random posts I like: this one, this one, and this one.)

5. Something my friends in real life know about me that I've never before mentioned on my blog is   that I'm a physical therapist. I don't know if I've ever mentioned that on the blog!?

6.  My new favorite blogs to read are    rockstar diaries, and enjoying the small things. I realize these blogs are well-known and hugely popular, but they are new to me and I'm loving them!

7.  Some things I tend to avoid doing on my blog are   being political, and ranting about negative things. Neither of those fits my number one criteria of adding beauty to life ;)

Happy weekend!! xoxo

Pinspiration

Are you on Pinterest? I am (find me here), and it has been a huge source of inspiration and fun! I love trying out the recipes and DIY projects that I pin. Some turn out to be a disappointment (like this cake), and others make me wonder how I ever lived without them! (Like this recipe for cilantro lime chicken - it is fantastic, and easy! The chicken cooks in the crock pot for six hours, then we serve it with black beans and spanish rice, and it is so, so good.) So, rather than keep them to myself, I'll be sharing some of my 'prize pins' here from time to time. 

Today I found one of my favorite pins, to date - ABC scripture cards. This one got me excited because although Michael and I read from a Bible story book every day, I am excited for him to learn real scriptures and not just the stories. This project is great, even for a very little one. There is one short scripture for each letter of the alphabet in an attractive, colorful template. 

I started by printing the scriptures onto cardstock, then laminated each page. 

Next, I trimmed the edges and cut apart the scriptures. I punched a hole in each one and put them on a ring. Easy as pie, and it took under an hour (counting the time I spent chasing my rug-rat around and pulling him down off of various furniture).

And it includes a bit of encouragement for the card-reader, too.

Now the fun part - sharing the words of life with my sweet baby :)

 (via I can teach my child)

~linking up with Jellibean Journals~

Scenes from the weekend

After a (long) week that often looked like this...

...we had a weekend that looked like this...

...and this...

...because Tim was home and nothing makes Michael happier than when we are all together.

(He also got over the worst of his cold and had a little break in the teething department. 

But mostly I think he was happy to have another man in the house.)

When he wasn't wrestling with his Daddy he did some of this...

...and this...

...and a little of this.

He's busy, this one :)

Happy Monday! xoxo

February 2 - words

Breakfast with the risen Savior, John 21. 

Maybe my favorite passage in the whole Bible.

I'm so thankful my Lord cares for me enough to watch over my soul and my stomach :)

Fill in the blank Friday

1.   If money wasn't an issue, the first thing I'd cross off my life list is     building our dream cabin in Montana  .

2.    Kissing my dog     is something I like that other people think is weird.

3.  If my life were a movie right now, the title would be      "Life with Mikey"    .

4.  Three things I am looking forward to this month are     lots of pretty tulips at the grocery store    ,    Michael possibly starting to walk?    and      the end of the month because March definitely means spring is here!   

5.  My favorite song to sing in the shower is   old blues and soul - whatever moves me ;) 

6.  If I found out that the production of     Dr. Pepper Lip Smackers    was ending this month, I'd go out and buy as much as I could tomorrow.

7.  One thing I'll never grow tired of is    grace.