Thankful Thursday 2

My beautiful first-born daughter is the subject of the second edition of Thankful Thursday. How I feel about her is impossible to put into words, so I won't even try. The effort would be futile. Nothing that I could say would be adequate or could capture the depth and breadth of my love for her.

God is truly good.

Here is a tiny glimpse of my sweet princess...

On the day she was born...

1st Halloween...

1st Christmas

Love that grin...I need to nom, nom, nom the chubby cheeks!

Go Blue!

Tiny princess...

One of many funny faces...

I love that she loves bows!

Easter Beauty...

She's got the spirit!

A true animal lover...

The best big sister a girl could ask for...

"A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future." -Author Unknown

Top Ten Tuesday

Top ten things I cherish about autumn...

1. Fall foliage

2. Football

3. Fire (in pits or places)

4. Boots

5. Pumpkins and Gourds

6. Sweaters

7. Soup and Chili

8. Thanksgiving

9. Halloween

10. Apple and Cinnamon scents

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Love, Dana

Fall Nesting

As I've mentioned, I love fall. To get my nest decked out in it's autumn feathers, I've been doing a little crafting. I am so fired up right now to create. I'm working on several projects, but here are two that I completed this week. First up is my door decor. All the components were half off at Hobby Lobby. Hobby Lobby is my mothership...truly a crafter's dream. It's tough to see from this picture, but it has leaves, feathers, berries, sticks, a glittery pumpkin and a gorgeous burnt orange ribbon all tucked into a wrought iron cone lined with burlap. Ya'll need to come do a drive-by because pictures don't do this baby justice. She is magnificent!

Next up is my wheat centerpiece:

I'm feeling pretty sorry for wheat farmers. That stuff is vicious! The little wheat tops are really sharp and I got multiple wheat "splinters." A word of advice if you decide to try this one at home, wear gloves!

Hope ya'll have a wonderful week!

Dana

Snip, snip

My big girl got her first haircut today! Three years worth of hair growth gone...well, not gone exactly. Actually it was just a trim. Baby steps people!

Nick has always been really resistant to the idea of cutting Missy's hair. I blame it on the fact that it took 2 years before she had any hair to speak of. Really, it's pretty cute that Nick feels so strongly about our daughters locks...and being the phenomenal wife I am, I took that into consideration when making my do decision. So today when Miss Honey (yep, that's really her name), the stylist at Sweet and Sassy Salon asked what I wanted done, I told her to just trim it up about an inch and a half. After Miss Honey finished (5 minutes and $18.95 later), Nick said incredulously, "That's IT? You can't even tell she did anything." Yep, in the face of a possible rip-off situation, my husband's sweet attachment to Missy's hair flew right out the window.

Here are some pics...

My baby and Miss Honey

Missy with her new/same do!
On a side, but somewhat related note, Football Friday did not go well. Baby brother played really well, but the team lost. There was some comic relief though. This past week, the entire defensive line got mohawks...

Hope ya'll are having a great weekend!

Thankful Thursday

Who's ready for fall? This girl definitely is! I've been crafting like crazy for the past couple of days. I'll reveal the fruits of my labor in a couple of days...

My favorite "fall-iday" is Thanksgiving, hands down, so as a way to show some love to that forgotten holiday I will be featuring something that I am thankful for each Thursday until Thanksgiving day.

I am thankful for...
My wonderful husband! Nick is a dream man. He is everything I wish I could be and everything I want my children to be. He's a funny, kind, affectionate, respectful, smart, handsome Christian man. We're best friends and I can't imagine a life without him in it. We've been together for 9 years this coming Wednesday. I couldn't ask for more in a partner or a father for our girls. He is so hands-on with them and they absolutely adore him. Heaven help their future boyfriends because Daddy has set the bar sky-high!

My sweet husband is fun and spontaneous and always up for anything. He lets me be me and is happy to be along for the ride. He has suffered through more projects and home improvements than I can count (I do the planning, not the doing) and has accompanied me to countless shopping excursions, flea markets, home shows, etc. I could never deserve the blessing that God has given me in Nick, but I will try! Thanks Nick for all that you do! I love you more everyday.

It's Football Friday tomorrow!
TTFN~Dana

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Saturday night we went down to L'burg to celebrate Nick's brother's 18th birthday and our niece's 7th birthday. The in-laws had a shrimp boil and everyone just enjoyed the company and the views.

Our niece brought a friend along for the festivities. Her friend, KB, is 8 and sassy. The girls were inside drawing outfits when I sat down to talk to them. Here's our conversation:

Niece: KB, look at this! Brown shorts and brown boots! Wouldn't that be so pretty!?! (I didn't bother to point out that shorts and boots are not a statement that anyone should be making this fall!)

KB: Oh my gosh! That is, like, so cute!

Niece: Oh my gosh...I know! So pretty!!!

Me: (rolling on floor laughing)

KB: What? Haven't you ever seen kids who want to look good?

Me: (jokingly) Honey, I wrote the book on looking good!

KB: Well, it doesn't look like it right now. (Picture her saying this with the whole "Oh no she didn't - 3 snaps in a Z formation" head weave)

I laughed the whole way home! If only KB and I lived closer and had fewer than two decades between us...I know we would be fast friends!

g'night, ya'll!

Living Like I'm Dying

Today was a wonderful day for our family. Hubby and I got baptized! Nick was sprinkled as a tiny tot, but I never had been. Baptism had never been a real priority for me. I figured that I had accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior, so I was good to go. I wasn't opposed to baptism...I just didn't see it as necessary.

Well, after attending several baptism services and looking at the scripture a little more closely, I began to see it for what it is...not a checkmark on some spiritual scorecard, but an outward symbol of a precious internal relationship and an act of obedience to a holy God. In Matthew 3:16-17 Jesus is baptized by John. At that time, the Spirit of God descended from heaven and God said "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased." Why wouldn't I want to please my God? He made the ultimate sacrifice for me!

So I decided that I would be baptized whenever Ansley decided to do it. You know, in the next 3-30 years. However, our church just concluded a series called "Live Like You Were Dying." It's all about seizing today...speaking sweeter, loving deeper, and giving forgiveness. I pray that I am, but I might not be around when Ansley makes that decision, so today was as good a day as any! I am so glad that I did it and that Nick decided to share that moment with me! Here are some pics...

Nick went first. Brandon double-dipped Nick...I guess he thought he needed a little extra cleansing!

Then it was my turn! That water was COLD!!!

Afterwards Ansley said "When I get 'advertised', I'm going to go in that water too!" I pray that you do, sweet girl. And I pray that Daddy and I are there to rejoice right along with you!

~A special thanks to my parents and Cam for driving down after church to be with Nick and I as we celebrated a new life! We love you guys!

Football Friday

If you are reading this than you probably know that our life in the fall is consumed by football. See this kid...

...He's my baby brother and he played a GREAT game tonight. He's also one of my best friends. I am so proud of the person he is. He has a kind and wonderful heart and I will miss him terribly when he goes to college next year. The mighty Bruins are 4-o. Let's keep this train rolling! "Yay Tata football game!!!"

Hubby's baby brother also played tonight. They won big time. L'burg might be heading for the playoffs this year. Great job, Boom...and Happy 18th!!! We love you!

College football tomorrow...Go Blue Raiders!!!

~D

A Day We Can Never Forget

So I really want this blog to be a place to escape...a haven if you will. I don't want to talk about all the bad stuff going on in the world. I want to focus on the beautiful, fun things in life. But there is no way to post on September 11th and not remember...

This morning as I drove to work, the DJ on my favorite Christian station was talking about 9/11. I thought to myself that it really didn't effect me anymore. That was something I never thought would happen. Could I be over it? Then he played the "Silent Night" song with "God's" voice describing how he was with each person that day. I lost it. I spent my 7th consecutive September 11th crying in my car...

Work commitments today brought me to the exact building I was in 7 years ago the moment I heard the news of the first plane hitting the WTC. I haven't been inside that building in almost 7 years. How weird is that?

Life changed for all of us that day. My eyes were opened to an evil hatred that I couldn't fathom. I will never understand...and I never want to. I will just hug my babies tighter and pray for the world they will grow up in. I'm on my knees for them and for you tonight...I love you all!

Dana

I'm coming out!

Some of you may know my dark, little secret. To some of you this will come as a complete shock. Maybe ya'll should sit down. Are you sitting? Ok, here goes...

My name is Dana and I am a "closet blogger".

There. I've said it. There's no going back now. Over the past few months, I've been blogging but not sharing the blog with any of my family or friends. Sweet hubby didn't even know where to find me in blogland. Well, peer pressure is a killer and I have decided to go mainstream with my musings. Ughh, next thing you know I will be running (is it just me, or are fitness fanatics taking over the world? Just mine? Ok.)

I hope to use this blog as a way to keep everyone posted on our crazy life and my latest projects, as well as a way to preserve my memories of this time in our lives. The tiny princesses are getting bigger everyday and I want to remember everything! I look forward to sharing our journey with ya'll!

P.S. Can you tell I'm ready for fall? And that I'm craving Reese's Pieces?

Stay tuned...