The Journey

About a year ago, we set out on a journey to start a family.  After years of prayer, we felt God was saying "now's the time."

So when nothing happened, month after month after month, we started to wonder what was going on.  Had we heard God correctly?  Was now really the time?

Waiting. Learning patience, over and over.  Watching others start and grow their families. All the while, praying and more waiting.

I can't say that it was a fun journey.  It wasn't.  It was pretty painful actually.

But I can say... it was worth the wait.

I can say that the husband and I are MUCH closer to the Lord and to each other.

I can say that we built our marriage into an even more solid foundation.

I can say that the waiting made my sweet husband SO excited to be a dad.

I mean, look at that face...

 That is a happy man and a happy lady!  And a pregnant lady!

Took that photo just seconds after telling him he would be a dad. 

Wow. Still can't believe that's true.  After all of the waiting, it's hard to grasp that the pregnancy is actually here.  A baby is growing. And we will be parents.

When I took the test, Ty was out playing golf. I was certain it would be negative (again), but I was going out of town for a week and just wanted to check since things were not "normal."  Turns out I was wrong.  It was positive, immediately. I was shocked. Still am sometimes.

I waited patiently for sweet hubby to return home.  And handed him a father's day card (that I bought last year and saved).  "Happy Father's Day Dad-To-Be!"  I will never forget his smile and bright eyes- pure joy!

We knew were pregnant at the early stage of FOUR weeks!  So we waited a few days before starting to share the news.  And we had many friends we wanted to tell in person or on the phone or by email.  It has been such a fun process to share with those who have lifted us up in prayer over this time of waiting.  It is so humbling to know that God has heard our prayers and answered in His perfect timing!! 

And yet, I will never forget the journey that brought us to this point.  I learned a lot that I pray I never forget.  I want to be more sensitive to those who are stilll waiting.  I wrote a blog post about it, just haven't published it yet, but plan to in the future. 

As of today, I am 9 weeks along and due on February 3rd.  And feeling good! Just tired, very tired.  And eating lots of cheese and sausage (a far cry from my usual carrots, fruit, and laughing cow cheese.)  Below is the photo we're using on facebook today to make the "facebook announcement." 

We covet prayers for the health of our sweet child and for us along this journey! 

Thank you for sharing in our joy!

Kanakuk Coffee Cake

Hubby and I met working at Kanakuk, a Christian sports kamp in Branson, MO.  We LOVE it there! (and yes they replace all "c's" with "K's" because Kanakuk starts with a K.)  Every Sunday they serve coffee cake (or maybe it's Koffee Kake) for breakfast.  And let me tell you, it's delicious!  Ask anyone who has ever been a kamper before, and they will tell you that Sunday morning coffee cake is the best!

I have had this recipe for years, I think I found it on their website a million years ago.  But I forgot about it and rarely make it.  I had my last Wednesday morning Bible study with my 7th grade girls last week and thought I'd bring this coffee cake as an end of the year treat.  Hubby was thrilled! Although he was a bit skeptical that I could make it "as good as kamp."  I assured him I could. 

The Ingredients: 
Cake:
2 eggs, beaten
2/3 cup melted margarine (I used butter)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup water
1 3/4 cup sugar
3 cup all purpose flour
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt

Topping:  (I made a little extra, you can never have too much topping)
1/2 pound brown sugar
1 Tbsp cinnamon
1/4 cup flour
1/4 stick softened margarine (I used butter)

First I let my eggs sit out just a little while to warm up to room temperature. I've read that helps with "fluffiness" I have no clue if it did anything.

Beat the eggs.  Add melted margarine, vanilla, evaporated milk, and water.

Combine the dry ingredients.  Add to the liquid mixture and beat until batter is smooth.

Here's the topping, you mix it until it's crumbly.  I guess you could use a pastry blender or a mixer. I just used my hands.  But HERE'S THE TRICK... you mix the topping DAYS BEFORE you want to bake the cake.  That was the secret in the K-Kountry kitchen... they mixed topping on Wednesday or Thursday and left it on the shelf until Sunday morning.  I have no clue why it works, but trust me, it's an important step.

Next pour the batter into a greased 9x13 pan.  Sprinkle on the topping and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. (Mine had to bake closer to 40 minutes and was still VERY moist!)

We ate it all so fast I didn't get a picture of a slice of it! But let me tell you, it's delish!!  Oh, and yes, Hubby agreed that it tastes EXACTLY like kamps!  Success!

Easy, Adorable Centerpieces and a Wedding Story

A few weeks ago, we traveled to Branson, MO for a sweet wedding.  My dear (and VERY creative friend), Jane, made these awesome centerpieces for the wedding!!

How cute are those??? Mason jars of various sizes, wrapped in burlap, lace, and twine.  With tea lights in the bottom.  And on a few tables, we placed our bridesmaid bouquets in one of the jars. Simple.  Gorgeous.  Oh and the tree "disk" that they were on was pretty cute too.

 So I've been saving EVERY glass jar we empty in the kitchen with the full intention of recreating these this summer.  Now I don't have a dead tree to cut up, so I'm thinking I'm going to use a variety of old (and hopefully tarnished) silver trays to hold the jars.  I have some burlap already, looking at garage sales for some old lace curtains to cut up (thought that would be cheaper than buying at Joann's), and I need to get some twine.  But I think I can make LOTS of these centerpieces for less than $10.  Sweet!

Here is a close up of the beautiful bridesmaid bouquets... all green. Love it.  I probably won't use flowers in mine... all candles. And actually, for our outdoor party, I"ll probably get some citronella candles, double duty!   But I think simple white daisies would look super cute as well.

While we're looking at the wedding centerpieces... thought I'd share a few more of the wedding pics.

This is why I miss living in Branson.  Look at that view.  Takes my breath away these days.  I took it for granted for so long.

 Me and the Mr.  Man he looks good.

 The wedding party... isn't the chapel adorable!!  The girls got ready in the small building on the left... it was a GORGEOUS day, until we were supposed to head to the chapel for the wedding.   Then for about 30 minutes, it POURED down rain! We rain to the chapel under umbrellas.  There was awesome thunder echoing off of the lake throughout the ceremony.  VERY dramatic. VERY movie-esque.

 The sweet couple!!  LOVE THEM!!  Such a testimony of  FAITH, God's TIMING, God's PROMISES and God's GOODNESS!  Oh man oh man, does it make me excited to see what He is going to do next with them!

 They probably don't love this photo, but I wanted you to see the front of the chapel. Gorgeous!  Great view of the lake from the front windows.  AND when it was raining, it was super cool looking!  Maybe not what the original plans were, but I liked it. 

And that was my fun wedding trip to Branson.  Hubby and I met in Branson working at a summer camp.  I lived there when we started dating, actually I was roommates with the bride in this wedding.  So we have a TON of memories in Branson. BUT we haven't been back since we've been married.  It was a great trip! We spent the car ride home considering how we can move back.  Don't think it's going to happen, but Branson sure has a soft spot in our hearts.

New Favorite Song

Loving this song right now... on repeat as I drive... The lyrics are seriously amazing!  My prayer all day, everyday.

Shane and Shane "Without You" (their new CD, #3)

I can walk through the storm
I can walk by faith when my sight is gone
Just as long as You are here with me
And I can gain everything
But what do I have if I don't have the King?
Oh I need to know You're here with me

Here I am, I'm calling out, "Father,
Can You hear me, can You hear me?
I don't wanna to go without You
Here I am, can You talk a little louder
So I can hear You? I want to hear You
I don't wanna to move without You."

Even though I believe
You've taken up a home inside of me
And You'll never leave
I still need to know You're here with me

Here I am, I'm calling out, "Father,
Can You hear me, can You hear me?
I don't wanna to go without You
Here I am, can You talk a little louder
So I can hear You? I want to hear You
I don't wanna to move without You."

If Your presence goes, I don't wanna stay
If Your presence stays, I don't wanna go
If Your presence goes, I don't wanna stay
If Your presence stays, I don't wanna go
I need You

Here I am, I'm calling out, "Father,
Can You hear me, can You hear me?
I don't wanna to go without You
Here I am, can You talk a little louder
So I can hear You? I want to hear You
I don't wanna to move without You."

A Sweet Notepad

I do not teach for the gifts. But the gifts are awesome! 

Especially in kindergarten when the parents and kids really love you!

I received some amazing gifts this year... but this was one of my favs!

 Look at this cute personalized notepad!  This sweet mom has a super cute notepad with a photo of her beautiful photogenic kids across the bottom.  She regularly sent me notes at school on this paper and so I asked her about it one day.  She thoughtfully decided to have one made for me for the end of the year!  I sent her a couple of pics of me and the hubby and she designed it from there!

 I cannot believe she picked one with a monogram!  She doesn't even know of my LOVE for obsession with monograms!  Perfect choice!

Of course the hubby loved it because the photo was taken at the ballpark during the World Series last year!  Double perfect choice!

You can make your own notepad too! She made it at Shutterfly.  And the quality is awesome! And the turn around time was quick!  Great teacher gift! Or mother's day gift (for next year) or father's day gift!

Magnificent Magnolia

Since my camera is a small pathetic point and shoot, these pics do NOT do justice to the beauty that was our Magnolia Tree 2 weeks ago. 

I came home one day to see that a flower had opened on literally EVERY branch! It was STUNNING!!

 Look at that flower. Wow. 

The sun has scorched all of those blooms since then. We've gotten a sporadic one or two in the past week.  But I believe the magic of the Magnolia is over for the year.

We realized that our rose bushes and Lorepetelums (no clue how to spell that, only know how to say it), well they were overgrown and really encroaching the magnolia on the bottom half. So last weekend the hubby and I really trimmed back the bushes and gave the magnolia "room to breath."  Hoping that this encourages more growth and an even bigger display next year!

Dishwashers

Last summer when we did our large home addition (adding a master bedroom and 2 bathrooms), we had to put in a new dishwasher in order to pass the Green Energy Inspection.  Yes I know, a dishwasher has NOTHING to do with a bedroom or a bathroom.  But that is how "well thought out" the green energy inspection laws are. 

Anyway, we got a new dishwasher out of the deal.  Can't complain.

So when my 10 month old dishwasher QUIT WORKING, I was a little perturbed.  Fortunately it was still under warranty, so the service call was free.

Turns out a little wire had not been fully "clicked" to the next wire at the factory. And after many uses, the wires had disconnected.  The nice man fixed it in less than 5 minutes and there was no cost. Yay!

But then he proceeded to give me some dishwasher tips... so far I've only really done 1 of these... but I fully intend to do both.

1.  Pre-Wash:  I showed him that I really only use the little dishwasher packets. He said those aren't his favorite (since you can't adjust how much detergent you put in based on whether or not you have hard or soft water. Which, of course, I have no clue if I have hard or soft water, so the packets work just fine for me.)

But he asked if I ever put detergent in the "pre-wash" spot.  Um... no. 

He kindly explained that I was missing out on the full capabilities of my dishwasher and by just adding some detergent to the Pre-wash, I could get much cleaner dishes.  He said powder or gel work equally well. And he typically uses powder himself.

Done and done.  I bought some gel dishwasher detergent (because the gel was on sale)

I add a small amount and I have to say, it is truly amazing how different my dishes now look!

2. Dishwasher Magic 

Apparently you're supposed to clean your dishwasher every 6 months.  Who knew!
He says this "Dishwasher Magic" brand is great and to just follow the directions on the bottle.  I still haven't done this because the one time I remembered to look for the dishwasher magic I was at the grocery store and I couldn't find it and I gave up after 2 minutes.

But he said it helps clean out all of the gears and stuff under the bottom of the dishwasher and really prolongs the life and productivity of your dishwasher. So I fully intend to do this.

In fact, when searching for a photo of the stuff for this blog, I found their website and turns out they offer free shipping. So I really have no excuse not to buy this stuff right this minute.  And neither do you! 

So while this is a somewhat boring post... I felt those 2 tips were worth sharing!  I hope you try at least one of them!  and maybe I'll go get some dishwasher magic right now too!

A Cookbook

Last weekend I had the honor of being in a dear friend's wedding in Branson. It was awesome!

She asked me to be a bridesmaid right after she got engaged... only TWO months ago!  I knew the wedding was coming quickly and I wouldn't have any way to attend a shower in Branson or host a shower during the short engagement. So I decided to do a "shower by mail." Or really a "shower by email." 

You see my sweet friend has worked for the Kanakuk Institute for the last 10 years.  I think her official title is Dean of Women. But I have no clue. I just know that she supports, mentors, encourages, and loves all of the girls who attend each and every year.  That's how we met... I went to KI and she became a sweet friend.  Then after I graduated, I moved in with her.  And that's when I really, fully understood the depth of her love for food and cooking.

So... I emailed every girl who had ever attended the Kanakuk Institute and asked for recipes.  (Okay, I didn't personally send the email. I wrote it and a KI staff girl sweetly helped me send the email.)  And then the recipes started pouring in.  I think we ended up with about 90 recipes from 60+ girls. 

Then the fun part... scrapbooking the cover :)  Here it is... The Connolly Cookbook.

 Do you see the sweet scrapbook paper I found?  "1 cup of love"  "top chef"  and decorated with measuring cups and spoons and oven mitts. Precious!!  Do you also see how I need a real camera and not a dumb point and shoot that never wants to focus where I want it to?

On the inside of the front cover I wrote a note to my friend.  Then I separated all of the recipes by type... we had Starters and Sides

 Soups and Salads
Main Dishes
Desserts
and Breakfast and Breads

I found this cute stationary paper at Office Depot and printed each and every recipe on one of the pages.  Some of the girls went all out and added photos (like the one below), colorful and fun fonts, and sweet notes to our friend. (cannot get this photo to rotate. Ugh)

 If the girls just emailed the recipe to me, I copied it into a word document and then I changed up some of the fonts so that many of the pages looked different.  and of course each recipe included the name of the girl who sent it.

 I found this super cute paper too! Had to use it!  Inside of the back cover.

 And then the back cover matches the front.


I had it bound and covered with clear plastic at FedEx Kinkos for only $4. Sweetness.

I of course did my favorite scrapbooking technique on the covers and embellishments... antiqueing with ink. No clue how to spell antiqueing.

My friend was super excited about the cookbook! I was so happy to bless her and her new husband in the kitchen!  And now I have a plethora of awesome looking recipes saved in my email :)  Hoping to try some new ones soon!

An Attempt to Blog... Again

Well... not sure what happened... I was doing so well- blogging, taking photos, blogging.  and then, Nothing.  Sorry. 

So, today is my first day of summer break. And after some sweet encouragement from dear friend Sarah... here I am!  Thanks Sarah! Get ready for a lot of random and way overdue posts...

A Classroom Lamp

I've always had a table lamp in my classroom. Just makes it look home-y.  Is that a word?

Well I inherited a plain white lamp years ago from another teacher.  I immediately painted the base blue and then hot glued some dangly sequin ribbon to the lamp shade. (apparently "dangly" is not a word according to spell check.  Spell check did not consult me. I disagree.)  Don't have a picture of that lamp.  It was like that for a few years. and it was cute. But time for a change.  The white shade had gotten dirty and was not cleanable.

So- I found some fabric scraps, copied an idea I saw on one of my favorite blogs (Whatever) and grabbed my hot glue gun... here she is...

I loved it!  Made me happy all spring!  Ty did not love it! He was super glad to see it go into my car and go to school.  Definitely a "kid friendly" or "classroom" lamp.  or a craft room. Could be super cute in a craft room.

Yay! one blog post done!!  :)

Pottery Barn Inspiration

Years ago I started noticing in Pottery Barn catalogues how they would have entire book cases full of backwards books.  So that the side with the pages was facing forwards.

I always liked how it looked, but I also like seeing which books I have on my shelf.  So I never knew how to incorporate this.

Here's a bedroom from the current Pottery Barn catalogue, notice the books in the background-

backwards, and the look is so soothing

 Here's another one... all of the books piled to the side of the couch and under the table are angled so that we see the pages.  again- much more calm looking that all of the different colors.

 This picture is not pottery barn (well not that I'm aware of), but it is REALLY similar to the original Pottery Barn picture that I noticed all of the backwards books in.  Don't you love all of the creams and whites?

I recently heard Genevieve Gorder on "Dear Genevieve" explain that when you are styling bookcases that seem too crazy and loud, take it down to just one color.  That becomes super calm. So then add in one more color for interest, but not too chaotic.  Or go full color for a big statement.  But basically she was saying (in much more eloquent words), that the number of different colors affects the feel of the bookcases.  Less colors = soothing and calm, more colors = expression and big statement (but maybe chaotic if I am the one laying things out)

And here... I love how the old books make a statement with their yellowed pages.

 So when I was trying to find things in the house to style and fill our bookcases... I found a bag of books that we intended to take to Half Price books and sell to them.  We clearly did not care about the books, so I thought, "Books we don't like or want?? GREAT! I can put them BACKWARDS on the shelf!" And so I did.

I also have a stack of newer books in a different spot on the shelf, but I forgot to take a picture of it. and I like this stack better.  But the idea is the coloring.  I love it.  Thanks Pottery Barn for a fun idea!

Organization Obsession

One of my favorite boards to post to on pinterest is my Organization Obsession board. 

Because I'm obsessed with being organized.

Sometimes I over-organize things so much that it becomes a burden to keep up with and thus leads to many piles around the house.

I realize this defeats the purpose.

But I love the thrill of coming up with a good "system."

Even when that system becomes hard to maintain.

And eventually I may revamp the system into a workable system.

This is success.

So enough talk... on to my current favorite organized spot in my house...

my children's books "library."

You see, as a teacher you buy a lot of books for your classroom.  And over the years, I've collected a lot of books.

But, my new classroom is shared with a 7th grade class on Monday, Wed, Friday.

So there is not room for all of my books.

Instead I take in a stack of books that are seasonally appropriate and put them on my 2 shelves.

the rest stay at home.

So last August, I organized my books by season or topic and put up dividers, now I can quickly reach in and grab the books I need.

I love this system. And seeing it every time I open the closet makes my heart happy! 
Oh to be organized!

Canton Find

We spent Saturday in Canton, TX shopping at the First Mondays Trade Show.  First Mondays is a HUGE flea market that happens the weekend of the first Monday of the month. It runs Thursday- Sunday. Nope, not open on Monday at all. Very confusing.

But anyway, we love going. You can find literally everything under the sun there. Literally.

And it's spread out over many acres, so you get a lot of walking in. Which makes you feel good about the fact that you ate fries for lunch and sampled a million different sweets along the way.

Okay, so onto my Canton find.  I was on the hunt to dress up this window above the tub in our master bathroom. (Sorry for the dark picture, the sun was streaming in and I just couldn't fix it with my point and shoot camera).

Before...

 After...

 I found these awesome iron and wood decoration things (no clue what to call them).

I loved the idea of bringing some wood onto this wall since the mirrors on the opposite wall are dark wood as well.  Feels more balanced now. Plus dresses up the window.

 The distressed paint even has some blues in it... LOVE!

A successful Canton trip.

Finally

Welcome to my new blog address! I'm hoping my old blog posts still show up. But I have no clue if they will.  I also said I would change blog spots on February 1st, but today is February 4th and the only reason I'm changing is because a dear friend emailed and said "Are you changing? I can't find your new blog." 

Yup- I set a reminder on my phone. I added it to my daily calendar. I got both reminders.  And I did nothing on February 1st. And then I just forgot.  Hadn't even crossed my mind since I ignored the reminders.  Awesome.

So thank you dear faithful friend! I need someone like you in my life!

Around the House: Scraps from the Past

Prominently displayed on our hallway bookcases...

Some items we found during our home addition project...

The framed wall paper pieces were on the original plywood- 1938 wall paper... so pretty!!

This whiskey bottle was found in the walls of our home when we tore the siding off.

Looks like some of the original workmen in 1938 were drinking on the job!  Explains why the house tilts and slants :)

These tiles are all that's left of our original blue and pink bathroom.  I did NOT like the bathroom, but I will gladly hold on to the memory.