Embrace The Camera

A few weeks ago Maddux had an Ice Cream Social at his daycare, that we were invited to attend.
This boy takes after my own heart.... he can EAT some ice cream.
And this makes me insanely happy because his dad does not understand the magic of ice cream.... Now I will have an ice cream buddy... and we can outnumber dad :)

Here we are at the ice cream social.... while Maddux enjoys his ice cream... and Sprinkles!

I am insanely thankful we have such an amazing daycare provider... She probably doesn't even realize I called her every 2 months until FINALLY she told me she had an opening ...

Having someone I trust... and makes him so happy ... sure makes leaving him and going to work... well its still hard... but at least I know he is having a blast and learning a lot!

Thanks Pam! :)

Link up over at Emily's and Embrace the Camera with your lil one(s)! :)

266. Sticky, Smiley faces covered in Ice Cream

267. Getting a head start on Christmas shopping for once

268. Remembering to pack a lunch for work

269. Mornings I have enough time to eat breakfast! :)

Embrace The Camera

Last weekend we went to Brookfield Zoo to spend the day with Maddux's grandma and great grandma. We had a lot of fun. Maddux was so excited about all the animals and being able to run around ... about halfway through our visit it rained... but then it let up... so we stuck around... then it started raining with no end in sight. We had no umbrellas... (you would think I would have packed one) so we high tailed it through the zoo and through the parking lot.... we were soaked... Maddux loved it. Luckily it was still 80 degrees while raining....
After running through the parking lot... and getting ready to load up in our car I asked my husband to take a photo of Maddux and I soaking wet....

So here we are... after our enjoyable rainy day at the zoo :)

href="http://www.andersonfamilycrew.blogspot.com/"><img border="0" src="http://i54.tinypic.com/15yi6ad.jpg" />

282. Playing in the rain

283. The zoo

264. Giraffes and Polar Bears (my favorite animals at the zoo)

265. Warm summer days - when the rain feels good and not freezing! :)

Me + Stain (finally) = Succes

This table was passed down to us from my Mom and stepfather.... it was in pretty rough shape... water marks... heat marks... chipped paint.... etc

I remembered once I got it out in the back to sand... to take a "before" photo.... for some reason I never to think to take them

This table is heavy... solid wood and built really well so I didn't want to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a new one. So I decided I would try out some driftwood stain and give it an aged look....

I am in love with how it came out!

I have messed up SOOOOO many staining projects and I am happy this one turned out so well!

The stain I got is Driftwood... and its from Ace Hardware... I'm in love with it.

So here is the finished project..

I am missing a chair... I know

But if you have read our previous posts... you know we are currently trying to move... so that other chair is being used in repainting the basement.... so once that is done... I can paint it and finish up the set.

This project has taken me weeks... Finally its done... well minus a chair...

I love that the stain gives it almost a grayish color... amazing.

It will definitely make me happy until we need a bigger one :)

278. Old wood

279. Weather cooling off.... falls coming up

280. Lunch out with Co-workers

281. 3 day weekends

I linked up at Tatertots and Jello Weekend Wrap UP

House Hunting

I panic at big decisions. I over think every single details. I stress... I worry... I second guess everything I originally thought... Then repeat day after day. I cause myself headaches.... feel sick to my stomach... lose sleep...

This has been my life the past month... a little over a month.

We decided we would purchase a home..... and I thought it was going to be insanely fun. Just FUN. Then I started. The first week it was fun.

Now its stress. chaos.

I am so afraid of making the wrong decision. I walk into a house and I want to be able to picture... Maddux eating breakfast in the kitchen while I am rushing around getting things ready for the day.... picture him running through the house with muddy shoes from playing outside.... I want to make sure there is a room he can go to for when he is a teenager and nothing annoys him more than his parents... and I can tell you ... every house I like... has nothing in common with the house I liked before...

And it becomes stressful. We have seen plenty of houses that are good enough... and I can pictures most things happening... and I know that a house does not become a home until we make it home... and I have come to realize that for me... a new house is far more work than an old house... but new houses have a few advantages... but old houses have so much story... .(sigh)

Is this common? Do normal people stay up at night worrying about house shopping? I know its normal to a point... but headaches... and losing sleep?

Not to mention... it feels that everything is just put on hold until we find this house... all my projects... all my planning... everything is contingent upon this decision.

This mountain of a decision.... that is controlling every free thought I have ... every second of the day... I feel like finding ocean front property in Illinois is more likely than me finding a house I fall in love with... (in my price range) plenty out there above :)

Anyone have any advice? How was house shopping for you? How many houses did you look at before deciding?  Do you and your husband have exact opposite taste (as we do)?

Source: houzz.com via Morgan on Pinterest

Simple Moments

The simplest things in life make us the happiest.....

For my son... one of the greatest things in life is...

The Water Hose

274. Weekends with no plans... or errands to run

275. Sun Tea

276. Movie Dates with my husband

277. Pancakes with Peanut Butter and Syrup.... Heavenly :)

Embrace The Camera

Summers are busy...  I feel like by the time I finally realize its summer... summer is almost done.

This summer we were able to go to the zoo. And Maddux's favorite part of the Zoo.... The carousel!!!! :)
Unfortunately... my husband taking pictures + moving carousel did not work out as well as I would have hoped. However he did get one photo I adore from the day.

He rode this thing 1000000 times and still never wanted off.

This summer has been a blast doing all sorts of new things with him... Becoming a parent gives you a different view ... it changes everything. I love doing things that make his eyes twinkle... and that smile. I live for that smile.

Your turn to get out from behind the camera and get in the photo with your kids :)



270. The quietness in the morning.... when being the first one to get up

271. Ice cold sweet tea

272. my broken in favorite pair of jeans... wish I could wear those daily

273. playing with the garden hose



My happiness.

Saturday is my husbands birthday. Everything about this guy I love.

Have you seen the show Friends? I hope so. For your own good... I hope you own all season on DVD and still to this day watch them obsessively and crack up laughing hysterically like its the first time you ever saw that episode... I cant be the only right?

Well anyways... I have always felt like our relationship in so many ways is comparable to Monica and Chandler. I feel like most people want to be Ross and Rachel... but for me and Jer... Monica and Chandler is a good comparison. I am obsessive, a bit overly dramatic, everything has to be done my way... I could go on and on. But Jerry brings me back to normal. He calms me down... and always has a joke for any situation. Good jokes... or Bad jokes because they man has both. but either way... they make me laugh. He can sing any musical word for word... and probably wold prefer to watch the Thanksgiving parade over the football game like Chandler :) We are two completely different people... but exactly the same. It works for us. .. and I cant imagine a better relationship.
Everyday... he makes me laugh. And as Marilyn Monroe has said... if you can make a girl laugh... you can make her do anything.

Our relationship hasn't always been perfect. We have had to fight for our relationship... or I should say Jerry has had to fight for us. I am grateful... Grateful for such a strong supportive husband... who knew what we had was worth fighting for... I love knowing this is forever....today, tomorrow, for Always.

I am thankful for this man... Without him... I would be a mess...

I found inspiration for this gift here


But decided to give it a Nerdy Romantic Spin for the hubby.... and actually have something Star Wars inspired in our bedroom.... and it is kind of a spin off of the wedding card he gave me..
and here is what I came up with...

261. bamboo blinds

262. My sister's always encouraging advice

263. Writing Grocery lists... and actually remembering to bring them with to the store

264. Andes mints

265. sticking with my workout plan for 3 months now....

266. actually enjoying that workout plan

267. after all these years together... my husband still reaching out to hold my hand in the car.

269. high fives