hello again...to my five followers

Hmmmm....has it really been three months? Oops. Sorry about that.

When my little sister was in high school, she took one semester of industrial arts. I remember teasing her, but she picked up some pretty nifty skills. Check out her new project courtesy of the plans available at Knock-Off Wood. Below is her story.

Here are the pictures of us building our bed. It took us a Saturday and Sunday to build, and then exactly one week to wood fill, sand, stain, and lacquer. We have been sleeping on it since last Saturday and love it!!! We now own a miter saw, air compressor, and nail gun. Yippee!

I will likely put my 1 semester of high school wood shop to good use and spend a large portion of my summer building while Matt's at work.

The first photo is the lumber and the second photo is the finished bed. Sleep tight!

i heart valentine's day

Valentine's Day is just around the corner, but this is how my day started. Christy, a friend and colleague, brought in a delicious treat for our office to share. The recipe comes from Bakerella and you can download it here.

This was such a sweet way to start the day. It reminded me of the way we used to celebrate this fun holiday...with class parties, decorated valentine card boxes and heart-grams. Thanks, Christy, for such a fun holiday treat!

32 going on 72

In my quest to enhance my crafting abilities, I decided to try my hand at knitting. Again. A friend of mine joked that I'm 32 going on 72, but I love the idea of one day being able to knit everything from scarves to socks.

I tried to pick up knitting a couple of years ago. My attempts were fairly pathetic and, out of frustration, I hid the yarn and needles in a bag in the back of my closet.

Over the weekend, I decided to give it another go. I joined a three-week class and last night was our first session. There were six of us...and next week it may be five.

Knitting is far from easy, but I'm determined to stick with it this time. I was somewhat encouraged when the instructor told me that one day I would have a moment where the frustration would turn to relaxation. I'm not completely convinced, but I'm going to keep on keeping on...and I'll be sure to report back to let you know how it goes.

snow day

Tonight's forecast: snow.
Tomorrow's forecast: more snow.
Tuesday's forecast: a little bit more snow.

I love snow and I love watching it snow. It's especially enjoyable from my vantage point on the couch in front of the fireplace. Cozy. But alas, tomorrow is a work day and grown ups don't get a lot of snow days.

My sister, Terri, is a teacher in the Kansas City area and they've had a crazy winter. She's enjoyed quite a few snow days, but she isn't looking forward to making them up in June. But that leads me to the point of this entry - snow days.

Terri and her husband were recently filmed for a commercial for KC-TV5. What's it about, you ask? Snow days. You can click here to watch the commercial. Terri is the first person featured and Matt, well, he's the angry guy throwing down his coat. It's too precious not to share...I hope you enjoy. And, if you're in the midwest, here's hoping for a snow day for everyone who can enjoy one!

ringing in the new year

happy new year! as we begin a new year - and decade - it's time to reflect on the past and set goals for the future.

the past decade represents just over a third of my life and has been filled with some amazing experiences. if i had to hit the highlights, i guess i would include college graduation, love and marriage, lots of travel, a precious kitten, and a jewelry business among the highlights of the past ten years. there's so much more and just thinking about it is a reminder of how blessed i truly am. it has been a wonderful foundation for the next decade and i'm excited to see what it holds.

i'm also reminded of the goals i set last year and hope to expand those goals into 2010. i hope to start exercising more, take more time for myself and to spend with my family, read a bit more (and not just because i want the nook), further develop my jewelry business and begin the journey of giving 29 gifts.

as we welcome in the new year, i hope you and yours have a blessed year filled with love and laughter. happy new year!

29 gifts

For Christmas, my mom gave me a new book - 29 Gifts by Cami Walker. I must admit that I don't always read the books my mother shares with me, but I decided to pick it up last night and start reading...I'm so glad I did!

The premise of the book is to share one gift each day for 29 days. By sharing your gifts, you will open yourself to receiving gifts from others. The gifts aren't necessarily materialistic...they may be gifts of kindness or compassion. Sounds simple, right?

I hope to begin my own journey once I've finished the book, as well, so I'll keep you posted. In the meantime, I think I'm going to turn on the fire and start reading!

happy christmas

i know it's cliche, but christmas truly is my favorite time of year. i love picking out the perfect present, wrapping it and adding it to our tree. this year, i did most of the shopping by myself- one of the benefits of marriage as my husband jokingly calls it.

this christmas, we were able to spend time with both families...something we haven't done for five years. we celebrated with my family last weekend and spent the entire time cooking, crafting and watching football. earlier this week, we made the drive to columbus to spend time with the grinch side. we met the newest little grinch - tyler - and had a fun, relaxing time with family.

i hope you and yours had a wonderful christmas holiday filled with lots of love. happy christmas!