And Let There be Light!!

When Eric and I moved into our new house we loved pretty much every aspect of it. The people who had lived there before us had done a TON of amazing things with the house (seriously you should see the before and afters!) It will be 100 years old not too long from now :) Even the paint colors were ones that we enjoyed. It was awesome to not feel like we had to rush into painting every room. We lived in it a year before we officially decided we wanted to repaint the dining room.

Here is a before pic: 

We decided that the color was a little too dark, especially with the way the daylight comes into our house (our house faces east, so the windows on the side of this room face south, which doesn't allow a TON of daylight). It's a great color for the Christmas season, but for the remainder of the looong winter it doesn't help the glum feel. In the summer it felt off too. And to be completely honest, it wasn't a very "Hannah" color :) Does anyone else do this? My friends and I say this type of thing because we know each others' styles so well that they become titled as either very "Hannah", "Maggie", or "Rachel", etc.

So, I gathered a little inspiration from the room we have claimed ours at the house in Mexico we've stayed at the last two years. I absolutely adore the color scheme in this room...and as our good friend, Marissa pointed out...it was a very "Hannah's colors" room. :)

 The color of the walls of this room is actually the type of color I am looking at for when we re-do our kitchen (hopefully happening soon). I found a similar one when we were looking for the dining room paint called "Apple Crisp". Mmmmm...doesn't the name of that sound just perfect for a kitchen color?!

I also found some inspiration from my Better Homes and Gardens magazine, when they confirmed that my idea of the type of color I wanted  for the dining room could actually work. Thank you BHG!!

So, without further adieu...here is the new and improved dining room! (We re- painted just the top portion):

The color is "Juicy Passionfruit". It is a peachy, coral, orange color. It definitely brightens the room! I love how it looks with the dark wood-work. I think it goes great with the rest of our decorations and will be a color that works all year long for every season. Not to mention that it is very "Hannah" :)

A good friend of ours painted it for us...besides not having much spare time, we were also very intimidated by all of the trim!! I actually know a few great painters if you are ever in need--let me know!


So....what do you think?!

Taming our "craft itch"

No, this is not a post about medicinal treatments for a scratchy ailment.  :)

Maggie emailed Hannah and I last week wanting to get together to craft. She said something about having a horrible craft itch and needing to get together to solve that problem. We laughed.

We all have projects we can work on and what's better than doing them in good company?  It's a way for us to laugh together and feel like we're accomplishing something pretty too :)  As a side note, I am loving having Maggie so much closer than she used to be.  It's like a 7 minute drive to her house now and I get to see her all the time!! Craft night never would have happened before she moved.

So, last night we got together and brought our supplies to my place to craft.  I worked on some surprises for Judah's birthday, Hannah scrapbooked her and Eric's engagement, and Mags was eager to create a wreath she's been loving for awhile now.  I also got on the wreath bandwagon toward the end and started a green and white one.

Mags "rolling" one of her felt flower roses for her wreath.  

Some of my creations.  (Hannah had fun messing around with my camera and took this fun photo).

Measure twice, cut once!

Hannah scrapbooking...  truth be told, this was a faux-shot because we had forgotten to take one of her when she was actually working lol.  

None of us finished our projects; between eating 56 monster cookies (give or take a few) and Maggie's car getting hit by our neighbor, we could have used another hour or two:)  Maggie's car is alright by the way, but that sure was a strange chain of events...

Anyway, I know a lot of you out there like to create things... and sometimes it can be therapeutic to work on projects alone but nothing is better than chatting, eating and crafting with some great friends.

happily busy

for lack of ideas on what to blog about, here is a look into the happenings that have occurred over this past month. as the title of this post states, our little family has had a lot keeping us busy, which i thrive on. as a stay at home mom and in-home child care provider, i count on weekends and evenings to remind me that there still is a world outside of my living room.
so for those of you who would like an insider view to my happily, busy life....here is a peek:

february 5th and 6th
february kicked off with some more home makeovers. my mom graciously came over on saturday the 5th and helped me paint our guest bedroom. the room went from a fluorescent, pale lavender, to a much more appealing neutral beige. (shoot! forgot to take a before and after pic....you'll just have to take my word for it:)) we knocked it out in about two hours. my mom is the world's best painting buddy, because she prefers to do the trim and doesn't like to roll. don't understand it, but i'll take it! thanks for all your help, mom!

the 6th was spent cleaning and prepping for rachel's birthday/ superbowl party at her mom's house. brandon spent the weekend with friends, so peyton and i made our appearance at the party. it was fun to be with rach on her actual birthday and to spend time with her friends and family. here i am with the birthday girl, herself....happy two-five, rachel!



february 9th
had a girl's night with my two wonder women. we celebrated rachel's birthday at Red, the chinese bistro on ingersoll. SO. GOOD. in fact, it was that delicious, that i talked my husband into taking me there for valentines day! more on that later...

february 12th
while my mom and i were out gallivanting at hobby lobby (LOVE that store), my dad and brandon spent the morning finishing up our bathroom makeover. they installed a new faucet to match the rest of the hardware that we purchased a few weeks back. i plan on doing a separate post to show off the new bathroom....complete with before and after pics. get excited:) brandon and i also took peyton sledding for the first time in our backyard. she was adorable....and now points to the door all the time and signs "please", asking to go outside. how can we say no?


february 14th
ahhh....v-day. gotta love it. my guy went shopping and bought me a new dress and some matching jewelry from White House, Black Market. i was stunned. and he did great! i love both the dress and the bracelet! if you knew brandon, you would understand that this was a big step for him. he despises shopping of any sort, so i felt very flattered. he even braved the weird looks from teenage girls and walked around Forever 21 to find me a cute shirt, "just because." love that boy:) we dropped peyton off at the grandparent's house and had a romantic date at Red (the restaurant i mentioned before). you just can't beat free babysitters, who will watch your kid overnight on valentines day...wink, wink:) this is the only picture i got of us before our date. i am notorious for not keeping my camera battery charged and having it die on me right before an important event. sigh....



february 18th
my dad's birthday! my parents, brandon and i had a double date at The Longest Yard, a sports bar in Valley Junction and then headed back to my parent's place for cake (which i baked! who would have thought? and it turned out perfectly!) and presents. brandon's mom took peyton off our hands for the night, so we had two nights that week that we could pretend like it was just the two of us again. after you have kids, it's easy to forget what life is like before kids. like remembering what it's like to sleep in:)

february 19th and 20th
spent the weekend up with brandon's family and attended our first Daytona 500 party! brandon's mom and step dad are big NASCAR buffs and they love to host events at their home. why not have a party to watch the Daytona 500? it's kind of like a super bowl party...except for NASCAR! this is the 10th year they have hosted this party and it delivered. jenny and kevin out-did themselves with smoked pulled pork, hamburgers, potato casserole and tons of appetizer-like foods. it's safe to say that we'll be back next year:)
here are a few pictures from that day (sorry their so random...i was busy stuffing my face.):

couldn't have a post without this sweet face:)

blair (brandon's sister) and i

having fun with some krispy kremes. blair's idea.

and the month isn't even over yet! i'm sure there will be lots more excitement to come. thanks for tuning in for my random post...leave a comment if you liked it!:)

so this is L.O.V.E.

This post was intended to be for last week, but if you can all bear with me due to the fact that my home computer has broken down and we are in the process of searching for a new one! It makes it just a tad bit difficult to post! ;) So...pretend like it's last week please!

.............................................................................................................

Well, since it IS the week of Valentine's Day, I figured I would take this time to dote on my wonderful hubby.

I am SO thankful for Eric. He is truly my prince. As my sister pointed out in her speech on our wedding day, they say hindsight is 20/20. You see...my FAVORITE movie when I was growing up was "The Little Mermaid". I would literally perch myself on the edge of the couch (aka my own personal "rock") and sing along with Ariel (ahhhhhhh......ahhhhhhh.....you know the song), waiting for my prince Eric! Seriously, how amazing is it that I actually was waiting for my prince Eric?! God blows me away with His creativity! A big part of that little girl connected with that movie in a much deeper way than anyone could imagine, including herself.

Along with being just as handsome as the Disney prince Eric....

(see the resemblance?!)

http://www.google.com/

Eric also has many other prince-like qualities. He totally pampered me and treated me like his princess this V-day! We both agreed to a price limit for each other's gifts this year and Eric (sneaky him) all along had something else up his sleeve. Along with some Dove chocolates (my fav! oh and they were peanut butter!), some earrings from Franchesca's (one of my fav stores!), he totally spoiled me and got me a 90 minute hot stone massage!! (gasp!!) What a keeper, huh?! :)

I cannot even begin to descibe all that he's meant to me the years we've known each other. I continue to be blown away by the man that he is and who he continues to become in Christ. I love watching him follow after God and along with that leading me as he goes. I continue to fall more and more in love with you every day, Eric! Thank you for everything.

You were well worth the wait. :)

P.S. Share with us about what someone special in your life has meant to you!

the ULTAmate bargain!

Ulta Beauty stores are offering an awesome deal right now (while supplies last)!

Purchase $17.50 worth of Ulta products and you will receive a 15 piece gift set ($88 value!) There are three different gifts to choose from of all different color schemes, including different bags. There is no limit per customer, so if you pay enough to get more than one you can!!

Go in on it with some friends (like I did with my sis-in-law and mother-in-law) and you can mix and  match if you like different parts of the sets! Also a great idea to stock up for gifts for others--it allows you to maybe give more than you can usually afford since you're getting it for free!

I told you I go crazy for this kind of stuff!

 P.S. Let me know if you get in on this deal!!

And they call it puppy love...

Maggie and I had a fun time last week dressing our kids up to take pictures for Valentine's Day.  Here's what happened:

"You want me to WHAT?"

"How about I just play with her hair instead?"

"Yes, this BOW is what I was after".

"Woah, this is... new."

"He he he, this is fun mommy."

Notice Judah's shirt.  I found it at the Mommy and Me consignment store and it launched this whole photo shoot idea.  

And because Peyton took the most beautiful photos, I had to include them.  Just look at those eyes.

Pinterest

Have you heard of Pinterest?  It's an online collection of things YOU love.

Download the "Pin It" button and whenever you find things you're groovin' on, you can take a snapshot of the item/space/goodie/creative endevour and save it to your pin board.

Right now, I am creating boards of inspiration for Judah's birthday party, wedding ideas, and our bedroom decor.  It's so fun to see other people's pin boards and then "repin" their pins to my board. It's even more fun when someone "repins" something of yours to their pinboard.

What I love about Pinterest:

• It was started in Des Moines but now it's all over the nation
• There are a lot of creative people on Pinterest and the inspiration is endless
• It's a great way to store all the ideas/products you come across online
• Besides organization, it's a social tool where you interact with others and their boards.  
• It gives you an outlet to share the fun things you come across on the internet or projects you may be working on 
• It lets you share on Facebook or Twitter too
• You can install an icon on your blog to connect it with your Pinterest-- it can increase traffic to both.
• It is SO. MUCH. FUN.!

Leave a comment with your email if you'd like to be invited and I'll invite you to Pinterest ASAP.  

wordless wednesday.

or maybe it's weirdo wednesday.

all i know is that when the "passy fairies" come to take all the pacifiers away...it's going to be a sad day. she might be taking those things to kindergarten. don't judge me:)

Nudges and Tugs

I am in need of some prayer.

I am at a crossroads in my life...I can just feel it. The problem is I don't know what that is or what it means. I can feel a change coming...like as if in the distance of this road of life I can see multiple signs pointing in all different directions--a point in the road in which I will need to decide which turn I will take next. I am still too far away to see what any of the signs say, and I have no idea where any of them lead. Knowing it's coming and not knowing anything else makes me uneasy...excited, but uneasy.

This makes praying difficult. How do you go about praying for something that you don't quite understand or even have a hint of a clue about what's going on? Hmm...ok, I feel ya, Lord...I feel your nudging. Or tugging. This way or that? I know you're wanting me to move, but where? How? When?

I am so thankful to know that I can count on the love of those around me for prayer. I am so thankful for my family, friends, and fellow believers--to know that when I ask for prayer that I can have the confidence in knowing that I am being lifted up by them. Did you know that even the Holy Spirit prays for you? I've been reading about it in Francis Chan's book, "The Forgotten God". Check it out:

Romans 8:26  "And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words." NLT

Wow. How cool is that? Other versions say that the Holy Spirit "intercedes" for us instead of "prays". How comforting and mysterious is this-- that the Holy Spirit is interceding on my behalf...

Rachel bought Maggie and I a copy of the fabulous book she's been reading on prayer. (What a sweet and awesome friend, huh?!) I've started it and can't wait to continue reading it. Father, teach me to learn to pray for the things I don't understand. To learn to pray when I have no clue where to start. When I can feel your tender nudges and tugs but don't quite grasp exactly where/what you are leading me to.

P.S. How do you go about praying when you feel the nudges and tugs of our sweet Savior?

Happy Birthday, Rachel!!

Today is our very own wonder woman, Rachel's bday!

Happy birthday, sweet friend!!

Hope you feel very loved and special today (you deserve it!) and can't wait to celebrate with you on Wednesday!!

Please share comments on what Rachel means to you to help remind her how special she is to all of us today!

Teeny Weenie Valentine

Sorry I'm a little late today everyone.  I remembered last night at exactly 10:59 that I needed a post up for tomorrow and it just wasn't going to happen.  But here I am now with a little dose of something a-d-o-r-a-b-l-e to get you in the Valentine's Day spirit.  

I just found this on twitter and can't believe how simple and sweet they are...  anyone up for making some??

photo by Sean Dagen Photography for YOU + ME*

Do you love holidays and celebrations as much as I do??

one hot tuesday at Old Chicago...

...The Wonder Woman Diaries was born.

the three of us were sitting in a booth, in the back of the restaurant, munching on chicken and jalapeno pizza and brainstorming ideas for our hypothetical blog. the idea seemed like a joke at first, but as we got to talking about it, we decided to go for it. let's start a blog...why not??

but let's back up for a minute. over the past few years, jobs, husbands, babies and physical miles have intervened with our friendship. don't get me wrong, we ladies can always pick up where we left off, but i can honestly say that months would go by before the three of us would get a chance to just BE. no bachelorette parties, no baby showers, no husbands in tow....just Maggie, Hannah and Rachel. the blonde, the brunette, and the redhead:)

so we all made the decision to have girl's night once a month. leave the husbands to fend for themselves (and pray they remember to feed our kids:)) and have a rendezvous to catch up life. let me tell you....these nights were always the highlight of my month. as a stay at home mom and in-home child care provider, let's just say i don't leave the house much. not to mention the fact that i hang out with little people all day. every working wife and/or mom needs a girls night out. amen??:)

so thus, our sweet little blog was created. and it has been a wonderful ride ever since.

three cheers for caribu coffee. the latest venue of our girl's night.(ps...the chai was SO GOOD! better than starbucks, IMO)