Flower Inspiration

Are you a Gussy Sews groupie yet?

If not you can check her out here. 

I am an official member of her fan club!

Each week Gussy posts a prompt for her Inspiration Workshop link party.

It's an awesome way to meet other other bloggers and to be inspired!

This week's prompt is Flowers. 

So here's my take...

Anniversary Roses from Josh

Silk daisies lined the pews at our wedding

source

Don't you think daisies are the friendliest flower?

This is such a sweet idea for an outdoor, rustic wedding!

source

I am in love with these amazing handmade flowers from Little Birdie Secrets!

Wanna know their secrets?

Find them here!

source

If we had gotten married in the spring these kissing balls would have definitely been there!

I love how simple and elegant they are...and just enough different to be

so chic.

source

Will someone teach me please?

I am dying to know how to make these adorable crocheted flowers.

(Or are they knitted??)

If you know how, or know of a fabulous tutorial...

send it my way!

**Remember to enter the Grace for Grace giveaway and take advantage of her coupon code here. 

An Anniversary Card From My Husband

So there's this guy. 

Meets a girl.

(Great girl. Really great girl.)

Somehow wins her over and convinces her 

to marry him. 

It's a HAPPY DAY!

One of the happiest of his life.

But the BEST thing is-

the happy days keep coming. 

Week after week.

Year after year. 

And even when life isn't perfect and wonderful, 

somehow she makes it better. 

Just by being herself.

Just by loving him like she does. 

And one day, it hits him. 

That whole happily-ever-after thing?

Maybe it's not just for fairy tales.

Maybe it does happen-

even to average guys like him. 

He may not own a white horse, 

but he got the girl. 

The BEST girl. 

And somewhere out there,

there's a sunset with their name on it. 

I love our story and I love you. 

Yes. I teared up as I was reading his card. 

Yes. He's more than I deserve. 

Yes. He's my best friend. 

Yes. I love him more now than I did the day I married him.

Yes. 

I do. 

Fifty About Me

1. What time did you get up this morning? 9 am

2. How do you like your steak? medium-well

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema: Courageous...loved it!

4. What is your favorite TV show? NCIS

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? right here

6. What did you have for breakfast? a banana

7. What is your favorite food? homemade bread and soups, pizza, bagels...carbs basically

8. Foods you dislike? lentils, eggplant, not a whole lot!

9. Favorite place to eat? Qdoba, Red Robin, and Olive Garden

10. Favorite dressing? ranch

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? an Oldsmobile Alero

12. What are your favorite clothes? boots and sweaters

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance? Ireland

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? usually half full

15. Where would you want to retire? i don't know if i want to!

16. Favorite time of day? i'm a night owl, but love spending days with Blake and evenings with Josh

17. Where were you born? Grand Rapids

18. What is your favorite sport to watch? hockey or football

19. What is your favorite fragrance? The way Blake smells after his bath. Right now I'm wearing Avon's Rare Diamonds & really like it!

20. What is your favorite face cream? i'm not a loyalist...whatever keeps my skin from feeling dry and itchy 

21. Favorite baby/kids products? slings and carriers

22. People watcher? yes

23. Are you a morning or night person? night

24. Do you have any pets? not yet

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share? Josh and I are headed away for our anniversary weekend in 1 week!!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? a ballerina, an astronaut, and a writer

27. What is your favorite memory? too many to list

28. Are you a cat or dog person? dog person

29. Are you married? yes...um, duh!

30. Always wear your seat belt? of course

31. Been in a car accident? yes, but not a bad one

32. Any pet peeves? slow traffic

33. Favorite pizza toppings? cheese and pepperoni...sometimes black olives

34. Favorite flower? daisies and hydrangeas

35. Favorite ice cream? coffee lover's from Coldstone Creamery

36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Sonic and Mc Donald's

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test? none

38. From whom did you get your last email? Rue La La

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Hobby Lobby 

40. Do anything spontaneous lately? bought a Keurig tonight (but Josh had gift cards)

41. Like your job? love it

42. Broccoli? yes, please

43. What was your favorite vacation? honeymoon to Chicago

44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Josh and Blake

45. What are you listening to right now? the tv in the other room

46. What is your favorite color? blue usually...but i'm loving mustard yellow lately

47. How many tattoos do you have? zilch

48. coffee drinker? yes definitely!

49. how tall are you? 5 feet 6 inches

50. hobbies? making crafty things, playing the piano, couponing

Ten Fall Things I Love

Warm, sunny days with cool breezes

 and brightly colored leaves

Stuffed Squash 

(click here for the recipe)

Decorating my piano

  

Celebrating our anniversary

  

Apple Cider

  

Yummy smelling candles

Caramel Apples

(source)

  

Pumpkin Pie...but only my Mom's

Homemade Soup

(source)

A Fall Welcome

Linking up with Miss Mommy....

Chocolate Pudding Guy

Today we had dessert after lunch...

Chocolate Pudding

I think Blake liked it. Not really sure, but yeah...just guessing. 

Mainly because half way through, the spoon stopped being good enough...

and he decided it'd be better 

to

drink it!

I would give him chocolate pudding every day

just so that

I could see this face. 

Long Days, Fast Years

Today I am tired. Blake's been working on pushing through his last two teeth all week, and I'm at the point of not remembering things now...

 You know- the point where you wake up in the morning and go "Oh, there's a child in my bed", and you have no idea how he got there?  But I'm pretty sure at some point in the night I stumbled into his room, picked him up, and laid him down next to me...comatose. My mom told me before Blake was born,

The days will seem to go so slow at times,

 but the years will fly right by.

I'm realizing the truth in her words more and more these days! God gave me a busy, busy boy. He is effervescent, determined, curious, stubborn, and plain old ALL BOY! There are days that I wonder why I even attempt to clean or have an organized home...Blake is one of those kids that is 100% rearing to go from the minute he gets up in the morning until he lays his down at night. He plays hard and crashes hard!

Sometimes that makes our days seem really, really loooooong. On the flip side, it makes the weeks and months go sailing by- faster than I would like. 

So on days like today, when my body and mind are tired, I'm trying to learn that it's ok to wait an extra day or so for the toilet to get cleaned or the kitchen floor to get mopped. Because

  I'm not Wonder Woman. 

And because I have a little boy who's growing up right before my eyes....faster than I thought possible. Quicker than I can grab hold of. 

And I don't want to miss any of it.

Linking up today with sweet, sweet Casey....

So Long, Summer

Holland, Michigan 2011

The weatherman says there's frost on the way... Blake and I put on jeans and long sleeve-shirts today and it's a little bit sad to me. I know I've said this before but I'm not a hot weather girl...I really love the way fall romances my senses with it's bright colored leaves, cool air, caramel apples and pumpkins. 

But there's a little part of me that is sad to see summer go. 

Mostly because our summer's are usually filled with trips to the Lake Michigan shore, visits from my out-of-state sisters and their families, picnics, and just a whole lot of togetherness! Fall comes around and we all kind of settle into the new routines and busy schedules

...there's not as much freedom to play.  

But we made one last trip to Holland State Park, just in time to catch the sunset, play some football....and get our legs sandblasted by the wind whipped sand! 

(I was hoping I wouldn't have to shave ever again....not so lucky, wink*)

So long summer, I'll miss your warm sunshine, your bright blue skies, your sandy beaches and crashing waves... I'll miss the watermelon, the hamburgers, the smores. I'll miss the ice cream coated grins of sweet little boys and a pretty little girl...

See you next year Summer....it's time to say

**Hello Fall**