the mom club

When I was pregnant with Miller, I remember a good friend told me she was excited for me to join “the club.” The club that no one tells you about. I remember looking at her confused until she continued with, “the mom club.”

She proceeded to explain that it is the club where you completely understand what each other are going through as mothers. It is the club that allows you to relate to one another in the joy, the heartbreak, and love your heart feels for your children. The club that gives you the support, the listening ear, and love only a mother could understand.

be our guest

When choosing a home, we wanted a place that felt inviting. A home that felt comfortable. And a home that felt like home to our guests. I believe one way to make a guest feel at home is (of course) a home cooked meal or a freshly brewed cup of coffee! So when remodeling our 1930’s home, I wanted our connecting kitchen and dining room to reflect a sense of coziness and comfort while spending as little as possible!

the power of communication

I once took a course in college that focused on relationships and during class one day we were discussing the topic of overall “relationship effectiveness” (aka – what held a relationship together). Each corner of the room was labeled with a noun and we were asked to stand in the corner that we felt was most important for a relationship to have.

Trust. Honesty. Communication. Respect.

There were only eight of us in the class and I was the sole individual who stood in the third corner: Communication. While no answer was greater than the other, I can still picture my instructor grinning at my choice. Through discussion, we quickly all came to the conclusion that trust, honesty, and respect cannot exist without communication.

falling in love is . . .

according to the dictionary, when used as a noun, “love” means “an intense feeling of deep connection.” as humans, we are called to love. we are to love our spouses, neighbors, our coworkers, our family, our friends, our classmates, our enemies, and ourselves. we are to love all.

The “Good Life” Is Who YOU Are

I have found myself spending most of my mornings around 10am with an hour long walk so that Miller will take his morning nap I can get my little one outdoors while exercising and listening to a sermon podcast all at the same time. Please tell me I am not the only one trying to get as much done as I can at once? Three days ago as I was walking down 9th street listening to a sermon podcast I literally stopped mid step in realization of what I had just heard.

Out with the Old & in with the New! DIY Bathroom Remodel

When looking for a home after moving to Kansas, we had a “want” list that included many things – a garage, three to four bedrooms, lots of windows, at least two bathrooms including a master bathroom, and a great room for entertaining guests. Did we get all of those items? No. Did those “missing wants” get replaced with even better features? Yes! No, we didn’t get a master bathroom. But instead we got a gorgeously huge sunroom attached to a beautiful back deck. What our home lacked in more modern style homes, our home gained with beautiful features only an older home could possess.

To the best Husband and Father

Brian,

My words will never enough describe my love for you. My actions will never enough display my love for you. And my heart will never stop loving you.

You are the man I always dreamed of being with. You are the best friend I always needed. You are the protector that makes me feel constantly secure. You are the provider that I never have to worry about. You are the husband that was perfectly and specifically designed for me. You are the absolute greatest gift God could ever give me.

Our Entryway Remodel

I love sharing a place with my best friend who we can call together, “our home.”

Over the many months of renovation, we have worked hard on creating a place we could feel comfortable in that fit our style/needs. As my bare blog clearly shows, our home renovation came with many hiccups which caused many more months of remodel than we originally expected. One of the “easiest” and smallest areas of our home remodel was our front door entryway. When I first saw it during our home buying process, I fell in love with the character of the door, the charm of the mailbox, and the idea of a small area that leads into the rest of our home.