five years

Linking up with Kelly’s Korner for “Show Us Your Life” graduation theme. I graduated from college on May 9, 2009—which is exactly five years ago today :)

In some ways, I feel like it has been ages since I was in school—since I was single sans children. But then again, wasn’t it just yesterday that I lived with four of my best girl friends—staying up way too late discussing the important things in life like food, clothes, and guys?

I went to a Christian liberal arts university on the north side of Chicago. I grew up a mile from the college, but had left for high school (Nebraska), and I was thrilled to return again to my beloved hometown. My mom and other family members were alumni of the school, my grandpa had been a seminary professor there, and I always knew it was where I would choose to go too.
 
College was absolutely what I hoped it would be! Our school had about 1,400 undergraduates, and the small size meant that you could walk down the sidewalks and recognize the majority of faces. My classmates and friends weren’t just Illinois residents—they were from California, Alaska, Minnesota, Michigan, Tennessee, Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, etc. I felt like I fit in so perfectly because I found many people who shared similar beliefs and priorities in life.
 
I miss all of these wonderful friends on a daily basis!



Couldn’t have made it to graduation without my mama!



These sweet girls were in my elementary education cohort. Here we are all so happy to have student teaching under our belts!

The one person missing from my graduation photos is my (then-fiance) Steve. He was graduating the same day, but three states away. We were disappointed to miss seeing each other walk across the stage and get our diplomas, but it was short-lived sadness because we were about to get married in June and not have to live apart ever again!

In May 2011, Steve received his Master’s degree in English from the same college as he got his Bachelor’s.  I was excited to be there on graduation day—five months pregnant with Nolan :)

We are hoping, Lord willing, that he will graduate with a PhD a year from now, so long as he can finish and defend his dissertation.

So much has happened in the five years since college!  We’ve been married nearly five years, lived in three different towns, and had two beautiful baby boys. I’m so thankful to God for these amazing blessings. :)

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something nice for your neighbor + cake recipe

A few weeks ago, I got the idea that I wanted to bake bundt cakes for our neighbors and leave them on their doorsteps at random times. Though we’ve lived in this house since last July, we haven’t really gotten to know the other families on our block. I thought that cake would be a good ice-breaker. :)  We’ve delivered three so far.

It didn’t take much time in the kitchen to stir up some Betty Crocker milk chocolate cake mix with chocolate pudding mixes, oil, eggs, and water. Then after nearly an hour in the oven, I let the cake cool and layered on some thick homemade vanilla buttercream frosting.

I want to encourage you to do something nice for your neighbor today or this weekend. I think you’ll be surprised at the relationships that can be built upon kind gestures or thoughtful baked goods :)

 

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these.”
Mark 12:30-31
 
Recipe:
1 chocolate cake mix
2 small boxes of chocolate instant pudding
1  1/4 cup water
4 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Blend together with an electric mixer. Bake for 45-50 minutes at 350 degrees in a greased bundt pan. Let cool for 10 minutes, then flip carefully onto plate.

Frosting:
6 Tablespoons butter, softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
3-4 splashes milk

Mix with an electric mixer until the right consistency :)

what i wore wednesday

  

I’ve had a few discouraging days lately when I have wanted to leave the house and do something fun, but it feels like too daunting a task because I’m not showered or dressed, and the baby’s feeding schedule is so demanding. At the end of my rope on Friday, I set the goal to get dressed before 10 am every day. (So far I’m successful!) I put on this light-colored outfit at 9:55 yesterday morning. By the time Steve got home in the evening and could take my picture, I had a purple smear of Play-Doh on my pant leg, a mouth-shaped chocolate stain on my arm, spit up on my shoulder, and either baby sweat or baby pee on my tank (I’m pretty sure it was pee.) Maybe I should rethink my love of white and pastels? :) But at least I was ready to go on an errand if needed, and I was not in my pajamas if someone showed up at my door.

Boyfriend Cardigan: Mossimo at Target
Tank: Gilligan O’Malley Nursing Cami at Target in “Coral Floral”
Pants: JCPenney
Sandals: Crocs Sexi Flip

 
My little love tends to cry when I’m taking my weekly photos, so I invited him to join in. As for “What He Wore”, he’s a Carter’s boy through and through. :)

 

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Linking up with Lindsey, Alison, Shanna, Lauren, and Sarah

lately

 
  We’ve had a lot of late nights and early mornings in our house. Oftentimes, the baby will wake up at 5:30 or 6 for a feeding, and I’ll just be setting him down again when Nolan will stir and start calling our names. This leads to Ivy barking and howling from downstairs, and our morning abruptly begins. My sweet husband will let me snooze for a bit while he entertains Nolan downstairs with trains or an episode of “Curious George”. And when I walk down the long flight of stairs with Ephraim in my arms, I laugh to myself because I honestly cannot remember what life was like pre-children. What was it like before all these responsibilities? There is no use dwelling on that for long, because I have two little guys who NEED me. Like a lot. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. :)

This is finals week for Steve’s three classes—and then he’s done teaching for the summer! Since January he’s been driving 100 miles round-trip on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 65 miles on Mondays and Wednesdays. I’m sure he’ll be glad not to be commuting again until August!

what’s on … my nightstand

Last month, I linked up with Andrea for the topic, “What’s On Your DVR”. Today, we’re all sharing “What’s On Your Nightstand”!  It’ll be a sneak peek of Steve and my master bedroom, which I’ll have to post later :)

I’ve been reading this daily devo Jesus Calling, and I love it! It is worded so well that I actually reread it each time to really focus on the message. Steve picked up Katharine Hepburn’s autobiography for me at a rummage sale. I love autobiographies and can’t wait to get started on it! I’ve heard great things about Made to Crave, and I plan to read it soon. It was only $1 at Goodwill, and I couldn’t pass it up. :)


I have a couple products next to my bed—Eos pomegranate raspberry chapstick and St. Ives lotion. I have been putting Burt’s Bees multipurpose ointment on Ephraim’s cradle cap at night (I’m still having trouble getting rid of it).

 

I have mentioned this a couple times before, but I eat Clif chocolate chip bars in the middle of the night when I feed Ephraim. It gives me something to look forward to when I’m not quite excited about waking up. I am always thirsty then too, so I keep a water bottle close.


In case I need them, I have my favorite hair ties and bobby pins, ear plugs to help me sleep, Ephraim’s paci to soothe him at night, and my glasses (I am completely blind without them—  -9.00 and -8.50 if you’re curious).


In my bag (from Thirty-One), I keep a burp cloth, notepad, journal, and a Kindle Fire to surf the internet. There are little pockets on the outside of the bag that I use to store Kleenex, Q-Tips, pens, and Post-Its.

That’s about it!

We had a really nice weekend—I’ll have to fill you in more tomorrow :)

Thanks for dropping by :)

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may pin-spired: a recap of outfits

I’m linking up with Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for May Pin-spired! Here are the four outfits I posted in the month of April—and the styles that inspired them. :)

(Click on inspiration photos to get to their Pin on Pinterest/ their sources)

1. Pin-spiration: Gray v-neck tee with colored jeans.

My take on it:

 

I added the white cardigan for warmth. And I love the little rosette!

Cardigan: Mossimo Boyfriend Cardigan at Target
Gray tee: Merona Vintage V-Neck at Target
Rosette: Thirty-One Gifts
Jeans: a.n.a.
Flats: Kohl’s

2. Pin-spiration: Maxi dress and denim jacket.

My version:

So comfortable, and so easy to throw together!

Dress: TJMaxx
Denim Jacket: Old Navy
Sandals: JCPenney

3. Pin-spiration: Casual skinny jeans with a feminine plaid shirt.

 

And me:

I could wear this pink plaid every day!

Plaid Shirt: Mossimo at Target
Nursing Cami: Gilligan O’Malley at Target
(I was able to score 4 of them for $40 (half price)—watch for their online deals!
Jeans: American Eagle
Sandals: Crocs Sexi Flip
Earrings: One Little Belt

4. Putting two bright colors together—indigo and coral:

My outfit:

No fear of color :)

Shirt: Target / Similar
Pants: Similar
Sandals: Lands End (old)
Necklace: Fossil
Earrings: One Little Belt

Thanks for stopping by today! Have a great weekend :)

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it’s all in the presentation

I’m linking up with Kelly’s Korner today for “What do you feed your kids for lunch?”.

At age two-and-a-half, Nolan is proving to be quite the picky eater. (Payback for my own picky ways??) All day long, he asks for yogurt, juice boxes, fruit snacks, raisins, ice cream, and “nummy nums” (M&Ms.) That’s about it—fruit and sweets. And the terrible twos hit hard at mealtimes if he’s not given exactly what he wants.

I’ve been learning to stop asking him what sounds good, and instead start SHOWING him what is on the menu. I had all of these foods laid out to photograph on my kitchen table yesterday, and he was reaching for every single one of them. There was something about the presentation of the food—the cute peanut butter penguins, the turkey slices wrapped in puzzle shapes, the butterfly bread. They’re more pleasing to the eye. And they’re just more fun! :)

I found the penguin and puzzle-shape sandwich cutters at Walmart (in the aisle with sippy cups and pacifiers). Truth—even I am 10 times more likely to eat a peanut butter sandwich if it’s in the shape of a penguin. :)

The fruit snacks are Mott’s Medleys—I prefer them over other brands because they are made with natural flavors and colors (no dyes).

Since I am addicted to chocolate chip Clif bars (I eat them in the middle of the night when I feed the baby), I bought Nolan the Clif Kid Z Bars, which are completely organic and contain 10 grams of whole grains.
 
We buy the variety pack of “Apple & Eve” juices. They’re delicious!


I am a huge cereal lover, and lately I’ve been eating it two or three times a day. I found that Nolan enjoys snacking on Frosted Mini Wheats—”Touch of Fruit in the Middle”. (They make a raisin one and a raspberry one). He’ll eat it dry, but I give him the option of adding milk.

For dinner, Nolan is expanding his tastes a little bit—but it usually comes down to the basics: pizza, macaroni, hot dogs, oatmeal, or tomato soup. Steve is gone three nights a week at dinnertime, and the baby has me on high demand, so I haven’t been cooking as much as I used to. Now that we’re nearing summer, I’m going to challenge myself to meal-plan ahead of time and try some new recipes!

(All opinions are my own, and I was not compensated to advertise for these brands.)

Thanks for visiting!!

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