Eat, Drink, and be Merry... tomorrow we shall Diet {And some Hadley Pics}

The house is slowly coming together. And I do mean slowly. Probably about one item a week gets placed or hung on the wall. What can I say... I'm in no hurry.

Today it was this one empty little space that's been patiently waiting on my kitchen counter. 

Finally found a home for my Ball Mason Cookie-Jar! How appropriate is the sign, right?

Well, since the camera was already out, we  thought, "Photo Shoot!"

Hadley liked the idea.

But this is the kind of stuff she was giving me to work with.

So I bribed  gave her one of those cookies.

That brought some smiles. :) Oh how I love her.

Blessed,
Kaylee

Summer is Precious

Summer is precious. This summer in-particular.


Why?


Because we will never get it back. 


Every experience we had and moment we passed will from here on out be just warm memories. 

 

We cannot stop the clock; fall will be here soon. And yes, Summer will come again, but it won't be the same because we won't be the same. We will each be older {hopefully wiser} and in the new season of life the Lord has in store for us at that time. 

We could attempt to re-create, but we can never relive these days. 

God is working in my heart. I used to feel as though busyness = productivity. And I like feeling productive. Maybe because then I feel justified. 


Spending today preparing to live tomorrow... of this I am guilty. 

I cannot go back and reclaim those moments. But I can repent. I can choose a new course of direction. 
I can throw out the clock and savor each moment of conversation, play-time, learning, growing and relaxing. 


Summer is precious. This summer in-particular.

Kaylee

Lost time is never found again. 

-Benjamin Franklin

Catching Up: Projects

Where did we leave off? 


Moving, sick, Independence Day...


The weekend immediately following the holiday Hadley was tickled-pink to spend some time with her cousin and best bud, Noelle. {Known in this house as "Noellie-Bellie"} I like to refer to the girls as "the twins"... not because they look anything alike, but because they are only 6 days apart in birth.

Cousin Love

That same weekend Nick's parents were so gracious to come and help with a couple of projects. Well, two. How much can you really cram into one Saturday? {One day we'll test that}

I had asked Nick to build me a dining room table. A big, rustic ol' farm-house table. A mix between Pottery Barn's Benchwright and Cortona tables, with enough room to sit 8-10 people. I have dreams of the dinners, game nights, holidays, and high-chairs that will fill this space!

So my builder-husband and carpenter-father-in-law got right to work. And isn't she a beauty?

All ready to be sanded and stained! I love the character of the wood. Oh, and it seats 10-12. Happy wife here!

Unfortunately, I did not record the process... but you can find a simliar tutorial here. 

So, where is this monstrosity of a table gonna go? Well we're parking in our formal dining room. 

This room is one big canvas of walls and floor. But we've got some plans brewing.

Meanwhile... my mother-in-law and I were inside making some stripes happen. 

On the staircase wall -opposite the dining room- we measured up every 10 inches and then taped inside the not-to-be-painted  stripes with blue painters tape.

Next, using our fingers we ran some caulking {very little} along the the inside edges of the to-be-painted stripes. {Learned this trick from our builder} This part took the longest, but it was worth it. Doing this makes for sharp, clean lines once the tape is removed. 

We were very pleased with the results!

Hoping to find an old sideboard to replace the pitiful entry table.

I hear the baby crying, so that's it for today. We'll catch up more tomorrow.

Feeling inspired,

Kaylee

Catching Up: Moving In & Holiday

Forgive me, Reader, I have sinned. Its been a month and a half since my last post. {Whoops}


What's been going on? Well one crazy appraisal story, a few hotels, and my parents' guest-room later... we are finally. home. 


And though we've been home for about four weeks now, we are just getting somewhat settled. 


The day we moved in my husband and sister-in-love were both sick. Nick recovered quickly; Rachel was sick all weekend. Then the baby and I got it. Hadley was sick on and off for about a week. Just about when we felt she was "all better" we would take her out and she'd start throwing up again; like a load of pancakes all over the carpet of my father's office. {Sorry Dad} Needless to say... we did a lot of lying around.

Once we were feeling healthy again it was the holiday week! I unpacked about half my kitchen for the 4th of July and we baked, diced, and grilled. 


Like these yummy Honey-Lime Chicken Skewers 

Rachel's Tomato-Basil Salad

 And some Corn-Avocado Salsa {I tripled the batch to make it a salad}

Watermelon of course

Here's what my plate looked like {oh yes, and my honey grilled some brisket}

IS YOUR MOUTH WATERING YET? Yum!


I had been waiting for just the right occasion to try these Watermelon Cake Pops. I let me tell you, they do not disappoint!

And it wouldn't be a celebration in this house without some red velvet. Rachel's Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Butter-cream Frosting. OH. YAH.

 

 Okay, okay.... I'll stop with the food pictures now.




After prancing around the house for days showing every one her new Independence Day dress, Hadley was thrilled to finally be able to wear it.

Hadley with her favorite girls

And after the fourth, well.... 


I'll tell you the rest tomorrow. :) 


And soon to come are my "Room by Room" posts. Follow me as I make our new house a home one room {or project} at a time.

Happy Wednesday!
Kaylee

Moving Day

Today is moving day, and I am going to miss this ol' house. 

So many changes and memories made here that it feels as though we have lived here much longer than just two years.


Memories we'll take

• Roasting marshmallows over our fire pit on the back patio almost every night in the summer
•  Nicholas turning the big 3-0
• Rachel and I learning to make cake-pops, past midnight, in a delirious state
• Susan teaching me to sew at the kitchen table- my first project: Hadley's crib bedding
• Nick and I learning about our pregnancy, baby, and birth in the comfort of our living room where our Bradley teacher, Twylla, was so kind to meet us {for 12 straight weeks}
• Feeling our baby's first kick, sitting on the couch in the living room in the middle of a sunny day
• Bringing home our Hadley for the first time, Mom there to greet us with Nick's favorite dinner, and the following days of being pampered and waited on by two fabulous  sister-in-laws
• Hadley's first smile- holding her while sitting at the kitchen table
• All of her baby landmarks- crawling, solid foods, walking, running, etc. in this home
• Our first Christmas as parents {every holiday for that matter}

Our second night home

We are excited for what lies ahead, but this home with always hold a special place in our hearts. Its full of warm, loving memories.


Reminiscing,
Kaylee

Scripture Lullabies

Hadley  is down for her morning nap and I am sitting here, sipping my hot tea, enjoying the soft music coming from her room. 


About a month ago, a mom I follow shared "Hidden In My Heart" a CD of Lullabies taken from Scripture. We loved the idea of the Word of God being sung over Hadley as she sleeps, and quickly ordered our copy. 

Click Photo To Preview Songs

I have to tell you, we love our CD! 

Orchestrated like a movie score, each song flows right into the next with no pause in transitions. It is so soothing. Peaceful. 

I wasn't aware Hadley knew how to turn the CD player on, till one day I heard Scripture Lullabies suddenly playing. She wanted to listen while she played. :)

Some of our favorites are: 1) Be Still And Know, 2) And the Peace of God, and 5) Love the Lord.

On the back cover you can find the Scripture reference listed under each title. 

I am so excited about this that I have been sharing with all my mommy friends... and now you too!

Kaylee

Moving

We're moving! Again. But this time for good!


After years of leasing we are finally purchasing our first {together} home. :)))
{More about that later}


We. Are. Moving.


NEXT WEEK!


And I have just started packing.


It's slow going over here since the Baby and I have caught colds.
So our current materials lists consists of:

• Moving Boxes
• Purging Boxes - for items to Goodwill
• Packing tape & Large Sharpie
• Pen, Paper, & Brightly colored labels 
• HUGE box of Kleenex
• Ricola Cough Drops {Honey Herb of course}
• And an abundant supply of hot tea

I am striving for some solid organization in the packing process... but my head is feeling a bit fuzzy. 

Thank goodness for Emilie Barnes! {Survival For Busy Women} Using her system, every box has a number with a corresponding index card {I'm just using a notebook} listing its contents . I now know where every item is located without having to dig through boxes- I just flip through my handy-dandy list. 

Each box is also color-coded with bright stickers to easily and at-glance indicate which room it belongs to. Example: Blue- Office; Yellow- Kitchen; Orange- Family Room, etc. 

Simple Brilliance. 

Do you have any moving/packing tips to share? I am all ears! Allow me glean from your pearls of moving wisdom! 

Happy Wednesday,

Kaylee