Happy Spring! {And A Sneak Peek At My Latest Project}

It's finally here! We made it! 

S-P-R-I-N-G!

Did you hear me squeal? Did you too?

If you're like me, there were some days I thought I wouldn't make it. 

Long, cold winter days made it tough, but we survived. 

I feel like I let out a huge sigh of relief when we finally make it through the winter days. 

Spring also brings a newness, fresh air and new perspective.


New life also happens in the spring, which makes it such a beautiful time of year.

Sometimes spring also brings new vision and you see how far you've come.

That would be a mug shot of my latest project. It's also another reason why the second part of winter felt long and *blah*.  But now, now, the days are brighter and I feel better.

And we're pretty excited to see how this project turns out and to behold the final product.

Our newest addition, coming mid-September!

Remember my little mention the other day of God stretching me this Lent?
Well, there's more to that story.

I hope to post it soon.

The 12 (Or So) Photos Of 2014 {link up}

I decided to hop on the bandwagon of top photos from the past year with House Unseen. It's always fun to look back at the year and remember certain things or be reminded of those forgotten moments.
2014 was a year of growth, sadness, trust, and blessing. Clicking through the photos of the year reminded me once again of the growth of my children in the span of a year. It also showed the beauty of family, the tenderness of loss, and the joy of friends of the heart.

Let's get started.

January:   Winter days, hazy days, nothing but inside days. This is when we rely on the craziness of toddlerhood to keep us laughing and grace to keep us going.

February:  When baby turns two, but still has a paci and it's the cutest thing ever. We got out a bit more, but winter threatened to rob us of our sanity.

March:  The hope of spring was in the air and the journey through lent kept us looking on toward a new season. Our parish held the annual Winter Carnival and the Olaf pinata is still one of my favorite memories from the year. 

April:  Easter arrived and the air was fresh and crisp. I remember it vividly, as if it were my first spring. It felt glorious! When my heart kept nudging me to visit my grandma on her birthday, I followed its command. It was the last time my kids saw great grandma and I saw her happy. It was a good day and I'll treasure that visit in my heart always.

May:  We continued on with our steady school days. It also began a season of field trips and family day trips enjoying the great outdoors. So too began the days of short sleeves, flip flops, and silly girls.  

June:  One event that clouded the year was the loss of grandma, just six months after grandpa. This photo is most of my memory of that day. As in life, so in death, she was surrounded by people and it was beautiful. 

July: The kids were making their final preparations for the County Fair while we were taking in our summer days. We again hosted Vocations Camp, enjoyed some time with grandpa and grandma, and decided to begin the adventure of raising chickens. 

August:  The days were warm and the garden continued to be bountiful. A visit with friends proved to be just what I needed. Many days were spent out and about as a family enjoying life and I finished a 5K walk/run with my big kids. 

September:  School was in full swing and the weekends were for adventure. Lily celebrated her birthday by getting her ears pierced, we took in the fall colors, and enjoyed a few days away. 

October:  I took my first solo airplane ride and lived to tell the tale. On the other side I met up with two amazing friends and had one of the most memorable trips ever. That weekend was one of my favorite memories from 2014. 

November:  Winter began with a big snow dump when I was least prepared. The snow gear was pulled out and we began settling in to another season. More days at home, but with holidays on the horizon we had the fun to look forward to.  

December:  My favorite season (Advent) was upon us and the days were marked with prayer, baking, memories, and traditions. A laid back, peaceful Christmas was just as it should be and our bellies were full and hearts content. 

Here's to looking ahead to 2015 and the days that will shape the new year.

Click on over to catch a glimpse of other 2014 recaps with Dwija. 

The Final Days

I wish all days of winter or at least all the days leading up to Christmas looked like this:

That's my vision of the beauty I wish Advent had held. Sure, it really did on a good portion of the days. With the right mix of prayer, reflection, steady days, and family time, the past weeks have been good ones. While those proportions weren't evenly divided, we did our best to make our Advent the preparation time. 

The pink week gave us extra feelings of Advent preparing as we headed out of the house to enjoy the season. 

The girls were pumped.

Our more recent annual tradition of taking the kids to experience a local Live Nativity, was a hit once again. We bundled up and headed into the 20 degree weather to see the camels, goats, donkey, and of course those dressed up in costume. It's simple, but it has also become one of our favorite evenings each year. It is usually the week before Christmas and fills us up and puts us in the right spirit. We also take in some great Christmas light displays along the drive as well. 

The following evening, we again headed out (mark your calendars, that's two nights in.a.row out of the house!) and attended the kids' piano recital. 

Another job well done by both of the them and another excellent way to get in the Christmas spirit. 

They are growing up, don't you think? 

The weekend proved to be a fruitful one without much on the agenda. I have most all of the loose ends tied up at home, so I could help Reed with some of his baking and we could make our holiday meal plans. My parents came to visit and we enjoyed a couple of meals with them and a peaceful evening watching a movie together. 

Sunday after Mass we had one of my aunts and a cousin over to our house for a baking afternoon. In honor of my grandma's love of baking and having family gathered around her, I decided to extend the hospitality that she always shared with so many people. We had a great time reminiscing and remembering my grandparents, laughing, and making cutout cookies using my grandma's recipe. 

Perhaps this will be the beginning of a new Advent tradition?

As the weekend came to a close, our priest's homily theme echoed in my mind....

There is still time: Prepare!

With the final countdown to Christmas ahead of us, let us not forget all that has led us to that Holy Night.

My hope is that my family can put our feet up, rest, and enjoy each and every day this week.

And keep on smiling.

I hope that you can do the same and enjoy each precious moment with your family too. 

Pretending Spring

 This morning, the sun is shining and it's 30 degrees, but yesterday...

yesterday.

It was not. Thankfully the snow didn't really accumulate here. However, it was the kind of day that makes one realize Jamie's got the right idea about getting the heck outta here.

SHHH.....don't tell my mom....

It's snowing AGAIN.

See, mom? That's not so bad.

It's almost pretty. ALMOST.

Let's pretend it's April and Spring, okay?

Then we'll see who gets the last laugh. Us or Mother Nature.

Here's to a more spring-like weekend! I hope.

Why I Need Spring

Call this post Spring Fever 101 or whatever you wish, but a recent moment of quietude brought to mind why we all NEED spring.

If you all endured the winter we just did and still survived, you know what I'm talking about. This winter will be one we'll be talking about for a while. I'm taking it upon myself to hand out medals of honor for those of us who survived with our sanity intact. And while that may be a s-t-r-e-t-c-h for me some of us, sanity still remains.

What are the things I look forward to this spring? What are the things I need this spring?


1) Easter. You need a good Easter to look forward to after a humbling journey through Lent. The journey of 40 days sometimes seems to be the longest liturgical journey, my friends. It should be celebrated with something as amazing as an empty tomb and a resurrection. My thoughts of Easter have always been equated with girls in bonnets, springy dresses and pastel colored baskets of goodies. (Besides all of the other liturgical highlights, obviously) And Easter definitely means Spring.


2) Healing. I find that over the last week as the snow has been melting, a part of my heart found a wound in need of healing. The part of me that was covered and forgotten as the winter lingered and the snow piled up. The piece of me that lost my dear papa in December needs to go visit 'him' in the cemetery. Perhaps it's closure, but most likely it's facing the spring time and family time that does not include his face or presence. That place where his absence is felt, but healing begins.


3) An outdoor run. After a winter of hibernation and getting by with walking and miles of it indoors, I'm ready for outside workouts again. Namely, some good outdoor runs with the breeze on my face and my feet hitting the pavement. There's just something about spring that helps bring about new changes and old familiar ones back into place.


4) Color. Nothing quite says spring like the budding trees, the brown grass that eventually turns green and the green in my flower beds that peaks out of the soil. One of my absolute favorite things to look forward to each year.


5) Flip flops, sandals and slip-ons. I just love the carefree easy style of footwear in the spring/summer. With so many cute styles coming out, how will we choose?!


It's true, without a winter there would be no spring. Or without the pain of a winter, there wouldn't be much joy in the celebration of spring.

I guess when it comes down to it, I'm a Four Seasons gal. I need them all and the turning from one to another has become a part of my life.

I just wish I could select which ones would last longer and those that would disappear a bit sooner.

What are you looking forward to most this Spring?

Spring And New Life

Someone FINALLY kicked winter in the pants and let spring arrive. Thank goodness! With temperatures in the sixties and near seventy, we are positively giddy with gladness.

When I took the kids outside on Friday and felt the sun, heard the birds singing and watched the kids play, I almost could have wept. It was like being given sight and hearing like never before.

Never were the sounds so welcome, the sun's radiant heat so glorious.

The kids, well, they were all like calves in springtime frolicking around. Who could blame them?

With spring lingering in the air, I figured I would finally post pictures of the springtime wreath I made.

I put it up at Easter time thinking spring was really around the corner, ha! That feels like forever ago now!

I gathered some PINspiration (inspiration from Pinterest...catchy, huh?) and found several ideas. I wanted springy and cheery, along with cheap and easy.

I went to my local JoAnn fabrics store and started gathering. Lily and I found this fat roll (I have no idea what they call it) of different shades of blue fabric strips. I then based the rest of the wreath off of those colors and what worked with it and complimented it.

I started by picking out which shades of the blue I was going to use from my roll and starting wrapping my wreath. I just used hot glue to fasten the beginning and end of each color before starting a new color. Super easy!

After that, it was just a matter of adding embellishments.

And, presto, spring wreath!!

Finally, since my post title indicated new life, I had to include that with spring came TWO new lives last week. I became great auntie for the 8th and 9th time! A little great nephew was added to the crew (boys are seriously behind!) on Monday and a little great niece on Tuesday.

Of course, I have to share photos of the great niece (aka. neighbor down the road) Natalie Marie, because she is just too sweet. What a peanut girl.

We are so blessed with more little ones in our family to enjoy and a little Natalie on this side of heaven to love.

The Forever Winter

When you awake to this on April 18th, you kind of decide that spring really and truly isn't coming this year.

Since I've been praying for no more snow since about the beginning of the new year, it's starting to really feel like a prison sentence. 

I mean, for real. Enough is enough you old winter. I need all FOUR of my seasons and I fear that we'll skip spring all together if this keeps up. Don't make me step up my game and for really and for true and contemplate some type of move. Or move back into hibernation.

Oh, and Winter, my son's birthday on April 21st is generally in spring. We're celebrating tomorrow with a pinata and apparently we'll enjoy that in the heated garage as the high temperature is only supposed to be 37 degrees outside.

Really, it's not me, it's YOU. We already were on rough terms in our relationship, but this year you really ruined it and you just made your #1 enemy.

I have never, ever looked so forward to Earth Day when I will celebrate by pretending my grass is green brown instead of white. We will wear short sleeved shirts, even if it is only 30-something degrees.

I will paint my toenails and wear my flip flops.

I will pretend I'm out in the backyard with Patty sipping wine.

I'll keep dreaming in pastels of spring and bright vivid tulips while I await your demise, 

Old Man Winter. 

Spring will arrive, one day.

I just hope it's very soon.

**Edit: I wrote this post yesterday. There is even more snow out my window today, but I won't even bother you with the photos. It's a spring winter wonderland out there. I think I'll go close the curtains now and pretend my entire yard isn't covered in a foot of whiteness. Ignorance is bliss, you know.

12 For 2012: A Photo Recap

Hopping on the bandwagon over at Dwija's because she is one fabulous hostess with the most-est. 

Here are some photo highlights from 2012. There were so many to choose from, but in the end I chose what captured US from the year. It was a year of survival and just figuring out how to roll with this house of blessings. The greatest part is that we did it! And I am proud that we accomplished such great things, thanks to prayer and a whole lot of grace.

Remember my word for 2012?

Tranquility

Oh yes, I got plenty opportunity to work on that one. 

Looking toward the year ahead and all it will bring, while reflecting greatly on all the ways 2012 blessed us.

Stay tuned for my word for 2013 that I'll post soon.

I know you're on the edge of your seat, aren't you?