Did everyone have a splendid Memorial Day weekend? Here in Iowa, we were blessed with aMAZing weather. And we took full advantage! We went tent camping with my brother Tim, his wife Carrie, and their 20-month-old Kendall! This wasn’t Kendall’s first time camping, but it was a first for Paisley and Adelyn!! AND a first for Nick and I as new parents! We had an amazing location with tons of shade ... [ Read More ]

Well, Nick's officially thirty, flirty and thriving. Only without being flirty. I hope. In addition to making 8 dozen Oatmeal Cream Pies for Nick to take to work on Friday, we also hosted a huge 30th Birthday Bash here at the homestead. We weren't sure how many to expect, but 50+ people were here... and it was a blast! Friends from Nick's past and present were here, as well as some of his ... [ Read More ]

We've been pretty verbal about how we shop for groceries only once a month. A lot of people think it's weird that we freeze milk, cheese, bread... (about everything except eggs). But I find that we spend FAR less money on groceries if I go JUST ONCE A MONTH. This means... the last week of each month, our fridge and freezer look like this:...and we just make it work! How do we get by feeding ... [ Read More ]

So as you know, since we carpeted the living room to make it more cozy and kid-friendly, one of our more popular DIY projects has been banished from the room... our signature painted rug. While I love area rugs and the way they seem to 'ground' a room, I'm just not one to put an area rug on top of brand new fluffy carpet. So the rug now lives in our attic with this little seating ... [ Read More ]

Well, I wasn't going to blog today. I guess sometimes I just don't have anything to say. But I was looking through some pictures from last week, and I came upon this photo. Have you ever seen a more precious sight? I love it when I stumble upon perfect moments, and have the opportunity to freeze it forever by snapping a photo. No staging or posing, just life as it happens. This particular picture ... [ Read More ]

I'm so excited to share the finished product from our Etsy Shop Custom Softie Giveaway Winner, Zella Marie! She submitted this adorable 'super kitty' drawing. Look at all the detail! This girl wasn't messing around! My mom got right to work, shuffling through her wide assortment of fabrics... and in record time, she constructed this absolutely adorable stuffed animal/dolly inspired by Zella's ... [ Read More ]

Ok peeps... we had lots and lots of super cute submissions for the giveaway from our Etsy Shop! There's some crazy-adorable artists out there... and thanks to everyone for sharing your artwork with us! It was so much fun seeing each little masterpiece as they trickled into our mailbox! So here's the deal, I want to stress that this was not a 'coloring contest'. The winner was chosen at random, ... [ Read More ]

Happy Monday! What a busy weekend we experienced! We painted a couple backsplashes, barbequed with friends, mowed 4 acres, worked on some furniture, and enjoyed pizza with family members on TWO different occasions! And now for a few items of business:1) All of a sudden, we've started getting a lot of icky spam comments on the blog, so we're adding a feature that requires you to enter some letters ... [ Read More ]

This morning I couldn't sleep, so I found myself reading through old archives of my life on the blog. It's so weird how events from your past can seem so distant, yet at the same time, so fresh. I've changed so much in the past 3 years, it was almost like reading someone else's blog. But SNAP! I used to be so witty! Check out this post from July 2010. How many of you have been around long enough ... [ Read More ]