Wedding Weekend

 

This past weekend my friend and sister-in-law had a beautiful wedding.

It was a fun weekend seeing friends from all over and spending lots of time with family.

 



 

I spent far too much time planning my outfits for all of the wedding events but had a blast putting everything together.

 

The beautiful bride at the rehearsal.

I discovered the beauty of a gin and tonic this weekend.

Sweet sister of the groom and old friend, so much fun spending the weekend together.

Hilarious boys- Ben, the groom, and my husband.

My poor husband had to hear me talk about this dress for months. I bought it from Anthropologie as soon as it was in stores because it was the most beautiful thing ever. I was so excited to wear it, now if I could only think of another occasion to wear it....

 

As bridesmaids we were given a couple of colors to work with and to find our own dress. Love this idea, wish I had done it for my wedding party years ago.

My handsome husband in his custom made suit. He even had his monogram on his shirt sleeve.

 

My shoes for the wedding might be the prettiest pair I've ever owned. Sadly, they didn't get to make an appearance at the reception because they were rapidly killing my feet.

It was a special night with lots of loved ones and  forever friends.

I'm back!

Fastest. Summer. Ever.

My mom always tells me that the older I get the faster time goes by....well, this teacher wants the time to slowwww down. My 8 week summer has dwindled down to just a few days left.

It has been a lovely summer filled with traveling weekends, friends, family, and new adventures.

 

My biggest adventure this summer was the purchase of my monogram machine!! I have always loved monograms, it's safe to say that 1/4 of my closet is monogrammed and most of my belongings too. I've always dreamed of having my own little business and creating adorable things for friends and family. Early this summer I took a class on a certain embroidery machine and then could not stop thinking about making my purchase. I saved for many years to buy a machine and meet my goal.

Here she is!

 

It took a lot of hands to get this machine loaded into my car and up the stairs. I think I waited a day or two to unwrap it because I was so nervous!

 

I have a very sweet friend that has been monogramming for years and she was a huge help in the whole process.  She taught me everything and helped me decide on a machine.

I was super nervous at first to monogram alone so of course I started with my stash of pajama pants.

Fleece blanket for a neighbor.

 

Lake towels for my parents.

Baby hats.

The other part of my machine that I love is that it can applique. My sweet niece Letty has a dog named Ziggy. She says "hi ziggy" whenever she sees a dog. I made her this little shirt to match her pup!

Baby onesie for Noah.

Can't take credit for this monogram- my MIL sent it to me and I just added it to my machine. Really different but pretty, wedding gift for my sister in law on cloth napkins.

Another applique on a tote for preschool.

I have had so much fun monogramming in the last couple of weeks. I am excited to grow my business and create more things!

 

Finally! Summer!

This summer has been anything but relaxing so far!

Just got back from a painfully long weekend at Lake Hartwell.

We had a little family get together at my parents lake house and it was crazy. We had 7 kids under 12 and a lot of adults. It rained for half of the weekend which created a challenge for entertaining active children. Overall it was a fun weekend and a lot of fun to see sweet family members that I don't often visit with.

Now that school is out I have been able to decorate my mantle for summer and work in my yard and enjoy the fresh flowers.

Yesterday I went out and cut some flowers from my yard. The blooming flowers and our newly installed fence has made mornings outside so peaceful. There is nothing like a cup of coffee and a few quiet moments alone to start the day off right. 

A few pieces of lavender and a dahlia mixed in with the hydrangeas.

I love how the hydrangeas change colors each year.

 I don't usually decorate my mantle for summer but this year I wanted something new and fresh!

I found almost everything in one day of shopping at Target, Home Goods, and Michael's.

I found these pre-made banner pieces at Michael's and grabbed a bunch! They are so nice because they already have a cute detail, thick backing, and muslin on top.

On my cricut I cut out the letters and attached them to the muslin with glue dots.

Then I carefully painted with acrylic craft paint.

Added a second coat and let it dry!

Once the paint was dry I rubbed the edges with distress ink to give it some detail.

Sweet Milo has had a challenging couple of days. He fell trying to jump on the couch and hurt his knee. Poor guy had to get sedated today for an x-ray. It turns out that he is going to need surgery for his 'luxating patella.' Clearly knee issues are common in this house! I learned at one of our trips to the vet this week that he has a red dot in his file marking him as trouble! He is such a sweet pup but gets so scared at the vet. The surgeon can't get him in for 10 days so it is going to be pitiful around here with him hopping on 3 legs and having to spend all day in his crate. He is a trooper though, sweeter than ever.

This week has been full of excitement. 

Made a huge purchase yesterday- excited to share it soon!

Tomorrow is also my five year anniversary. 

Right now I am going to go duck and cover in a closet because the sirens are going off and it's scary here!

Mother's Day

Last Friday was Muffins with Mom. One of my favorite school days of the year. The kids love making things for their moms and get so excited to clean up the room and show off what they have made!

This year I brought in a vintage table cloth and a vase to try and make things pretty for the moms.

I found a tutorial for paper flowers from lunch bags and made a few the day before. They were not show stoppers by any means but they added a little color and texture to the table. They impressed my class, which is not hard to do....one of the many perks of teaching second grade.

 I tend to change the gift for the moms each year. My first year teaching I was super ambitious and my mom and I made pillow covers for every month of the year from their child's handprints, aye carumba, never again. The years after that I switched to just one pillow cover of a flower made from their child's handprint.

Well...this year I wanted something new!

The kids used their fingerprints to make a momma owl and a baby owl on a clay pot.

Once dried they added details with a sharpie. 

If you are smart and organized you would spray the pots with a sealer before giving them away, I forgot....sorry moms! 

The kids got to pick which flower to put inside their pot and we stuck a little decoration that says "Owl Always Love You." 

On their desks they had a booklet written all about their mom and their poetry books that we have worked on for the past couple weeks. 

Muffins with Mom is such a special morning because it is so fun to watch the kids love on their moms and celebrate them. They always offer them their chair and serve them breakfast. 

About 1/3 of my class cried when their moms left an hour later....the teacher side of me was ready to move onto the spelling test but the child in me thought it was precious. Probably because I called home 'sick' every. single. day. in second grade. I just wanted to be with my mom! 

This year this day has been full of emotions. 

So thankful for my loving mom and grateful to spend the day with her. I am so blessed to have her live so close to me and see her almost every day. My mom has always been a wonderful support, encourager, friend, confidant, prayer warrior, shopping partner, dog sitter, listener, and so much more.

This day makes me think about my friends that have sweet babies and how lucky those babies are to have wonderful moms. 

I am thankful for friends that are good examples of what I hope to become one day.

I have always felt that my purpose in life is to be a mom and raise a family, today I am praying that God will continue to work in my life and mold me into a mother for a child one day.

This year I have been able to see my wonderful friend have her first baby and become an amazing mother. I have also watched my brother become a loving father to a beautiful baby girl. 

I don't always understand God's timing or purpose but I am so thankful for the people he has placed in my life to help me see his plan and love me through each day.

So to celebrate my sweet mom we ate and shopped, pretty typical for us.

We enjoyed lunch at Figo- I introduced her to the rice balls, a game changer. You must try.

We also went to a local nursery, Scottsdale Farm, and found some beautiful plants. 

Happy Mother's Day to all!