{iPhone Rewind} :: July

I got a coupon to try a new Fizzio at Starbucks. I got the Spiced Root Beer, and it was pretty good! It's a little on the expensive side for my taste {so I was thankful for the free coupon!}, but I do like how it doesn't have any artificial flavors, preservatives, or high fructose corn syrup.

I got some more "just because" flowers, which was fun! When I asked Mike what they were for, he said they were "I love you" flowers and "I like you" chocolates. Sounds good to me! :)

I came across this browsing the aisles of Michael's. Poor guy! :)

The Wall Street Journal was celebrating their 125th anniversary edition, so it looked fun and cool on this day. Not sure why I got so excited about it...  #nerdalert

Mike's family has some land out near Erwin park, so we went out with his grandma to see it. The buildings have not been taken care of in recent years, but it was fun to walk around and see the place where Mike's mom shares so many childhood stories.

My hair. It has gotten super long and slightly out of control. I like having long hair {and this is the longest period of time that I have kept long hair}, but I am starting to toy with the idea of cutting it...

We went to the Rough Riders Game with Redeemer Church. It was a {warm, but} fun night out at the ballpark!

We were able to get away for the weekend and enjoyed a morning hike at Enchanted Rock. 

{30 Before 30} :: Go on a Road Trip

Willkommen to Fredericksburg!

This past weekend, we headed to the Texas hill country for a short getaway. We packed up the car and headed out on our weekend road trip.

Deep in thought...and not very happy with me for taking his photo :)

On the road...beautiful Texas hill country

On Saturday evening, we got to have dinner with my parents! Since we were only about an hour away, we invited them to make the short trek to join us for dinner. We ate at the Cabernet Grill, enjoyed yummy food, and it was fun to see them.

My cute parents :)

My cute hubby :)

My funny husband :)

On Sunday we headed to the spa. I had given Mike the gift of a massage for our anniversary, and I decided to get a manicure. We headed to the Above and Beyond Day Spa and enjoyed a relaxing morning. We spent the rest of the day walking around Main Street and doing a little shopping.

Monday we ventured out for a morning hike at Enchanted Rock. It was nothing compared to our mountain hike up Twin Sisters, but it was still enough of a climb to remind me of how out of shape I am :)  It was pretty warm, but we were glad to get a little exercise.

Half way!

King of the mountain rock

Feeling good about conquering the rock

The rest of our time was spent sleeping in, eating a lot of food, and just enjoying the time away from work/responsibilities for a few days. Technically, we stayed in a bed & breakfast, but it was really an add-on suite to a house {that kind of looked more like a storage unit from the outside haha}, and we received vouchers for breakfast in town. But we were glad to be away from Main Street, and our room was nice. 

I loved being able to add our story to the room's guest journal

We were thankful for the time away, and enjoyed the weekend celebrating our anniversary. It was a blessing to take some time off and spend so much uninterrupted time together.

{DIY} :: Diaper Cakes

We threw a small shower this weekend for a couple of ladies in our church. We wanted to keep it simple, since this is baby #2 for one family and #6 for the other! so we decided to do a diaper shower. 

With a diaper shower, we decided to make a couple of diaper cakes. They were super simple, and a fun way to gift them diapers!

Sami came over to help me, and she made the adorable bear and bugs boy cake!

Per Cake:

Materials: 50-size 1 diapers, 36-newborn diapers, rubber bands, ribbon, paper crinkle, 1 paper towel roll, index cards, 14" cake circle, acrylic paint, varying baby decor

Tools: hot glue gun, scissors

Total Project Cost: $35 (per cake)

We got a couple of Nothing Bundt Cakes {yum!} and a few snacks. Popcorn was an easy snack idea and perfect for the pregnant mama theme :)

Popcorn box template

And here are the beautiful mamas-to-be  :)

We're excited to meet sweet Annabelle and Harrison!

Celebrating 3 Years

Today we celebrated our 3rd anniversary! It's crazy to think that we have been married for 3 years. It's true what they say: the time does fly by! 

We enjoyed a fun dinner out at Blue Fish, then came back home to watch our engagement video. We had been talking about it with some friends the other day, so it made me want to watch it again...so we did! It was funny to watch ourselves, but it brought back so many sweet memories. Hearing the prayer Mike prayed over us just moments after we got engaged, reminded me of the incredible blessing he is in my life. And how thankful I am that I said yes! :)

We will continue our celebration in a couple of weeks, as we head out of town for a long weekend. I bought Mike a massage at a spa where we will be, so he can fully relax on our mini-vacation. Mike bought me tickets to see Les Miserables {so excited!}, and he also bought me a box of chocolates. Literally. He picked out a bunch of different dark chocolates for me to try and find the best one. How sweet is that??

#chocolateisthewaytomyheart

Three years ago, I promised to be Mike's faithful partner...

...in sickness and in health

...in plenty and in want

...in times of joy and sorrow

I promised to love him unconditionally, to encourage and support him, and to willfully submit to him as the church submits to Christ.

I gave him my hand, my heart, and my love. 

And I am so glad I did. Now three years later, after times of sickness, health, plenty, want, joy, and sorrow...I would do it all over again. 

Babe, I love you so much, and I am so thankful to Jesus for the life He has given us. Happy Anniversary!

{DIY} :: First Birthday Stats Poster

I have seen a ton of these pop up on Pinterest and Etsy lately. So when my sister-in-law asked if I would take a stab at making one for Presley Kate, I was more than happy to try it!

 

I have wanted to practice my calligraphy skills. In doing so, I have also decided that I want to just practice my handlettering skills in general. So this was the perfect 4th of July weekend project :)

 

 

This really was SO simple, and I am super excited about how it turned out for my first try. And it was WAY less expensive than the ones I have found on Etsy. Just a note: this was not all free-handed {I wish my handwriting/alignment was this awesome/perfect!} Instead, I designed it in Pages, choosing the fonts I liked best, and then traced the letters onto the board. I decided to do that instead of free-handing it, because I knew that my spacing would be completely off otherwise. But I still consider it good hand-lettering practice!

 

Happy {almost} 1st Birthday, sweet Presley Kate! It has been such a joy to watch you grow, and I can hardly believe you're turning 1 already. Uncle Mike and Aunt Erin love you! :)

Materials: 18x24 Elmer's black foam board, an Engineering Print, Bic Mark-It Metallic Markers

Tools: pencil, flashlight (to help see the traced indents in the board)

Total Project Cost: $15 (40% off coupon for foam board; project will be cheaper next time, since I already have the markers!)

 

It kind of makes me want to open an Etsy shop...maybe some day...  ;)