the gilberts

30 before 30 [nail biter]

2012-01-14T21:28:00.000-06:00

I finally stopped biting my nails!! I honestly can't remember a time in my life when I didn't bite my nails or just gnaw on them in general (gross, right?). It's a habit I wasn't proud of and always wished that I could have the self-control and patience to have pretty nails, but I eventually couldn't resist and never got to see the white of my nail.

If you only knew how many things my dad did to help break me of this habit growing up. I tried popping a rubber-band around my wrist when I gave in, coating my nails with this really spicy stuff (which I only ended up kind of liking--so this one failed miserably), and getting people to slap my hand down or yell at me to stop when they saw me biting since I didn't even realize I did it. Nothing worked! Until I got pregnant. The minute I learned about all the germs and nasty things lurking underneath my nails, I stopped instantly. No trip-ups, no hesitation--just stopped. And soon the white appeared! Prenatals also help keep them strong and growing, so that helped to see progress and get momentum.

Sooo this brings me to one of my list items:

~~12. stop biting my nails~~

I wasn't really sure what to do with my hands and it doesn't help that I'm double-jointed, but here they are in all their glory! Since this picture has been taken, I have cut them down just so I can type and text, but it was nice having them for a while.

Now let's hope that I'll be able to keep this one and not revert to my old ways. :)

growing gilbert

2012-01-09T17:20:00.000-06:00

I still can't believe I'm pregnant sometimes. It's such a surreal feeling to look in the mirror and see my stomach bulging and my belly button fighting to maintain its presence. I feel so great and can hardly remember the misery of the first trimester. This is why people have so many kids--you forget how terrible the terrible things about pregnancy are and quickly dwell in the little kicks you feel throughout the day and knowing that God is forming a new person to add to this world--the other stuff just seems trivial. This whole process is truly beyond my scope of comprehension, but I am so very grateful to be allowed this time.

I have been a little stressed though and last night's sermon really hit home for me. I know I have 4 more months and will get everything done, but the more things that I seem to add to my plate, the more I worry about what isn't done, whether it's design projects, nursery things, work to-do lists, etc., all of it together has me feeling very heavy. Thankfully I have my very own live-in counselor to get me through my semi-panic attacks, and I go to a church that helps me realign my anxiousness and realize that I should be turning to my primary Counselor first and foremost. A few things that made me think twice about my stresses that were talked about last night:

"In the kingdom of God, we get to know the king."
"Don't give into emotional reactions--ask the Lord first."
"In prayer, remind God of who He is, tell Him what's going on, explain how you feel about it, and wait/listen on the Lord."
"Even His silence is a response."
"Boldly approach His throne of grace with confidence."
"Live at His feet."

Those were just a few things I pulled from it that weren't new concepts (except the first two--had never heard it put that way), but spoke so loudly to me in the midst of my stress. I was so thankful for the reminder to say the least and am looking forward to reacting in these ways when something comes my way or I am dealing with a situation.

looking back [2011]

2012-01-06T17:47:00.000-06:00

Time for my yearly reflective picture post! Sometimes I feel so annoying snapping pics in the background all the time, but then I remember how thankful I am that I did because I am able to look back on all the great memories that the year held.

2011 was a wonderful year of vacations, time with loved ones, exciting news, and rest. I can't wait for all the wonderful things in store for us in 2012. I'm a big believer in that our surroundings, circumstances, or people shouldn't affect your happiness or contentment because of the bigger picture we are called to live and our true source of joy and strength, so my hope for this year is to live that out to the fullest and to continue putting my hope and efforts into living in the kingdom and discovering how that looks in every new season of life.

[had a photo shoot with a best friend to kill time before church]

[she's gonna kill me...]

[the camera loves me]

[took a trip to Houston for shopping and to get away]

[worked on fun designs and did my fourth T-shirt]

[continued to be thankful for a job I enjoy with great people]

[spent time in Barnes & Noble reading and if you're Joel, then researching for fantasy baseball]

[celebrated Valentine's day]

[enjoyed homemade goodness]

[had our first community group hangout night--such awesome people]

[had a ladies night with the wonderful wives at our church]

[found my first gray hair--and still keep finding it even after I pluck it]

[witnessed our neighborhood flood--good to know where to low parts were!]

[continued to have dinner with my high school girls--here is Lauren asking an unsuspecting older man who was eating alone to move to a smaller table so we could sit since we had waited about 30 minutes--and Kendra was pregnant and hungry. :) ]

[it worked!]

[organized and threw my first shower...]

[...with the help of best friends--couldn't have done it without them!!]

[enjoyed pounds and pounds of crawfish]

[had more community group hang outs]

[got my wisdom teeth out]

[recovered from many sunburns]

[started up softball again]

[celebrated Joel's 28th birthday with special bday cups for softball--among other things]

[riskapades continued but evolved with live-streaming]

[my little brother got married]

[had lots of coffee/dessert dates at La Madeleine's]

[went to a fun family reunion with some of my favorite Cajuns]

[then weathered a random storm that we weren't prepared for]

[spent more time with best friends]

[went to Oklahoma to see my brother-in-law graduate flight school and faced a fear by getting in the smallest plane I've ever seen. Thankfully Jacob is a great pilot and him and Joel just laughed at how terrified I was. :) ]

[got my DIY on, but rarely finished what I started--story of my life: great ideas/lack the follow through.]

[had lots of fun lunch dates]

[got to help a best friend get ready for a date--so fun!]

[spent a weekend at home for the first time in about 7 years--so this snowball was a must.

[noticed all the pictures my parents still have up and how my eyebrows apparently went missing my senior year of high school]

[this is the picture that Joel calls me a Mexican--i think i looked like an overweight chipmunk :) ]

[dinner date with my sarah sue!]

[my dad's french toast--yum!]

[took a trip to Disney World with such a fun couple]

[celebrated our 4-year anniversary on the beach]

[you're gonna get pregnant...]

[spent a weekend in New Orleans with my high school girls--so.much.laughter!!!]

[but first we got stranded after running over a tire]

[our hero who stopped to help us]

[looked through our kindergarten yearbook and laughed at everyone's pics, haha]

[some had more fun than others...]

[found out we were pregnant!!]

[continued our love of banagrams...]

[...and chocolate]

[community group cereal night..."I guess I'll just bring my Honey Nut Scooters..."]

[went to the beach again with more great friends]

[had our first cold night, so a fire and s'mores were a must]

[started to show...slowly but surely]

[got to meet the most precious and perfect little girl]

[found out baby J was a boy!]

[continued our Christmas tradition of chopping down our tree]

[felt Judah move for the first time at 20 weeks/5 months]

[had craft time to help decorate the nursery with meaningful art]

[before]

[after]

[had a two-week vacation over Christmas with each other, so that meant date nights and lots of intentional time together]

[drove all over and celebrated Christmas four times]

[Santa came--but he just brought stockings this year since he must be on a budget]

[got to hang out with Jacob again--Joel's younger brother]

[watched a marathon of Homeland--one of our new favs]

[started our baby registry--can we say overwhelming??]

[celebrated Christmas with my high school girls and our men]

[this was when we realized sarah and anna were softball posing in the front]

[finally got a new mattress! we'd been sleeping on Joel's mattress from high school and it had a serious dip in the middle--it was loooong overdue and I've never slept better!!]

Well that about sums it up! There was obviously more ways we spent our year, but this was the story from the lens of my camera. :) Hope everyone had a great year and is excited for what's to come in 2012!

growing gilbert

2011-12-11T21:35:00.000-06:00

Since I just shared my reason for lack of posting, I thought I would provide picture proof as well. This will be my monthly baby gilbert update since I don't want this blog to turn into a baby blog but I thought I should at least start documenting it in my main blog. :)

As you can see, the bump is growing slowly, but surely. I wish I would have done this from the beginning, but to be honest, this is the first month that you can actually tell I have a slight bump.

In other news... I felt him for the very first time this past Saturday--exactly on my 20th week! My doctor told me that some people feel their baby sooner, but not to expect it until 20-22 weeks. I knew that but as I kept approaching my 20th week (and as more and more people started asking me if I've felt him yet), I started to get anxious. In everything related to pregnancy and the unknown, I just had to take a moment and give up my fears and anxiousness and pray. It definitely did the job since I began to focus less on what I wasn't feeling and more on the fruitful things. And then low and behold, I felt movement a few days later.

It was a really incredible moment. I was lying in bed, debating whether or not I was ready to battle the cold outside of the covers and had my hand over my stomach just praying that I would feel him soon and just for him in general--then all of a sudden, I felt a faint flutter. Thinking I just imagined it, I didn't move to see if it happened again. Sure enough, it did 3 more times with one that made me go "oh my gosh!" It woke Joel up and he was just as excited as I was. :) I felt him again this morning and then again tonight in church. I'm so thankful for answered prayers and getting to feel the beginnings of what will only get stronger as he grows over the next 4 months.

I can't believe it's already around the halfway point--now I get to look forward to Joel being able to feel him!

summer lovin'

2011-08-17T07:00:00.000-05:00

DISCLAIMER: For some reason, I never posted this post. It's quite ironic because a few weeks after this vacation we learned that the Gilberts were going to be growing! Sorry for the four-month pause in blogging, but I will be resuming it now that I have energy again and I'm not hugging a toilet anymore. The last thing I want is to neglect this blog baby of mine in the midst of such a great life moment as we make adjustments for our first Gilbert baby. I also promise to limit my baby posts to once a month(ish). :)

I am having such a great summer! I feel like this is the first summer in a long time that I actually feel relaxed and rejuvenated. Maybe it's the break I took in design? Or slowing down in general to read more? Could be the great and fun trips we've had (and yet to have) this summer? Or maybe all of the above??

Either way, one thing I look forward to most is celebrating our anniversary. I'm so grateful that we've both made an effort to make our anniversary memorable. Whether it's playing tourist in our city or hitting the beach, I love looking forward to knowing that we will set aside a weekend to celebrate and reflect on another year of gilberthood.

This year, Joel found a great little condo at the beach that we fell in love with! We can't wait to go back over the years.

Joel spent the majority of his time "exploring" with his goggles

and I spent my time catching up my tan and summer reading list

At night, we sat on the balcony, ate in, and then
one night at our favorite restaurant in town; the best part
was walking up and down the beach each night.

I'm sad summer is coming to an end, but having an anniversary in August always makes the last few days of summer even more special.

happy 4th on the 4th!

2011-08-04T07:00:00.023-05:00

I thought in honor of our anniversary today that I would share one of my favorite pictures from our wedding day. It's a favorite for many reasons, but mainly because one of Joel's only requests in the whole wedding process was that we play some of "his" music during the reception, and this is a picture of what happened when one of those requested songs came on.

I'm pretty sure this was during a Modest Mouse song because I remember thinking, "Ok, how am I supposed to dance to this?!?" Joel, however, did not seem to have a problem. Notice his cupped hands and focused expression--I can't look at this picture without laughing a little.

Little did I know then that over the next four years, his dancing would be a highlight of every car ride we took (we've even named a few over the years--in fact, next time you see him, ask to see "the fighting dragon, dancing tiger.") He makes me laugh in so many ways every day, but for some reason, his dancing is pretty much the funniest thing I've ever had the honor of witnessing.

Happy Anniversary Dante!

I love you long time.

must have [pretty pages]

2011-07-06T17:07:00.054-05:00

penguin classics

Since I took a break from design orders this summer, I've had sooo much free time. I thought I would get bored quickly and resort to building up my designs--which is true to a certain point, but mainly I've spent most of my free time reading.

I never thought I would enjoy reading as much as I am since I don't normally turn to books first as a source of entertainment. But over the last few months, I've found myself staying up late to finish a book because I just had to know what happens, crying my eyes out at some of the sweetest combinations of words I've ever seen on paper, and practically throwing a book across the room when a plot twist came out of nowhere. However, while it's clearly taken a toll on my emotions, it's been such an enjoyable way to spend my summer nights.

I wish I had more to show for all the books I've read besides the wear and tear of my library card, so that's where the penguin hardcover classics come in (designed by Coralie Bickford-Smith). When I spotted them in Barnes and Noble and Anthropologie the other day, I wanted to buy every single one of these popular stories that have been made even more magnificent with such great cover designs, textures, and color schemes.

So if you enjoy reading and putting pretty things on your bookshelves, then you should buy a few penguin classics asap. Happy reading!

Want to know what I'm reading? Check out my pinterest with some of the books from my summer reading list!

monday lunches

2011-06-30T07:00:00.003-05:00

Over the last year, Joel has been counseling at a local counseling center on his day off. He works four 10s at his regular job so he can allocate his Mondays to building a client base and doing what he loves so much. It's also a great perk for me because that means he's in town and not 45 minutes away, which most of the time means we get to spend our lunch breaks together.

During college, we would leave campus and have lunch pretty much every week, usually at Jason's Deli (ha!). He would pick me up in front of ceba after my marketing class, and we would head over for a lunch that was usually more expensive than we should have allowed, mainly because he always insisted on paying. But man, how I looked forward to those lunches. There was no stopping my smile once I saw his truck waiting in the parking lot. :)

These days, that truck is now retired, and his goatee and faux hawk have been replaced with a burly beard and product-free hair, but I can definitely say that I still get as excited waiting to see his car pull up in front of my window as I did back when I was still getting used to the idea of having a boyfriend.

And yes (in case you're wondering), we have branched out from Jason's Deli's salad bar and soft serve and now try to find local places that we wouldn't normally think to go. So if you know of any great lunch spots, let me know--we just might need somewhere new to go next Monday.

30 before 30 [wisdom gone]

2011-06-22T19:16:00.005-05:00

I kind of almost forgot about this one and may have been a little more excited about this surgery had I remembered that I would get to strike through one of my list items. Either way, I FINALLY got my wisdom teeth out after being told so for about 8 years!!

~~10. get my wisdom teeth out~~

I know I can be a little dramatic at times (or at least that's what a certain someone tells me), but this was definitely in my list of top 5 worst life moments. All four were impacted and somehow growing into the roots of my other teeth. At one point during my almost two weeks of being swollen, I was convinced that I would never be able to see my cheek bones again (or ears for that matter). I also convinced myself that somehow I ate the wrong thing, and it was only a matter of time before I would have to be rushed to the ER to fight some infection. I have also sworn off mashed potatoes for the next 10 years.

But thankfully, I have a husband to calm me down when I was being crazy and just tired from not being back to normal. And I have family and friends who eased my fears with their recovery stories and an especially sweet friend(/dental hygienist) that humored me by bringing some supplies and checking on me when one of my stitches was giving me issues after a week and a half. (Thanks Amie!)

Needless to say, I am beyond relieved to cross this one off my list.

28 years young

2011-06-01T21:22:00.009-05:00

Last month, we celebrated Joel's 28th birthday! Here are some highlights from his birthday week. Yes, birthday week. I think birthdays are such a special time and like to celebrate them to the fullest--this usually means week-long festivities! To kick it off, I figured I would start the post with a glimpse into his younger years. :)

[red is still his favorite color to wear]

[let the birthday festivities begin!]

[this is joel stepping toward the direction of his generation with his first ipod]

[and this pot was too pretty to pass up--he's taken quite a liking to
plants and gardening in his old age]

[hooking it all up]

[birthday baseball game]

[i surprised him and the team with some specially made cups for their water]

[the morning of his bday, justin (his old college roommate and now neighbor)
tied this to our mailbox for the whole neighborhood to know...
joel quickly took it down once he saw in fear of attention]

[joel's birthday cake and banner! i bake his favorite every year (yellow cake/choc. icing)--i also gave a spin at the ruffle trend. that's manly, right?]

[for his birthday, he requested a special riskapades game blowout. food, dessert, and an all night game--you should check out the videos--you'll get to see a different side of the bday boy]

[and this game continued until the wee hours of the morning--
there also may have been live stream involved]

well that was it! i was bad about documenting all of it; i'll do better next year. i still can't believe how close my husband is to 30!! when did that happen??

jen & ink [wedding invite]

2011-05-04T17:10:00.002-05:00

Head on over to jen & ink for my latest design update!

jen & ink [custom design summer break]

2011-04-25T17:17:00.010-05:00

[source]

This is an interruption in regular blogging, but since most people read this blog over my other one, I figured I should post it on both. :) During the summer, I'll be in the process of simplifying (work, home, life, activities, etc.) and part of that includes making some changes to jen & ink (MUCH needed changes that is). Hopefully after the summer, things will be more streamlined, and I'll have more options to fit everyone's needs, but I'll need some designated time to get things going.

So with that in mind, I will only be accepting 6 custom orders this summer (May-August). BUT you will still be able to order any of my premade designs found on my design blog or my flickr. In fact, I'll be posting some other designs during the next couple weeks as well, so hopefully I'll have a wide range to meet your paper needs this summer without needing to resort to custom work.

So, if you know you'll be needing a custom order this summer or have any questions, just email me at my normal address or jenandink@gmail.com with the date you need to mail them out by, and I'll let you know if I have an opening. So please email me as soon as possible to reserve your date and spread the word!

I'll be taking orders until they fill up, so that could be this week or a week in July--so please don't hesitate to contact me! :)

mal's bridal school shower [the details]

2011-04-02T19:30:00.001-05:00

As you probably already saw on facebook, the shower came together just as I had hoped! My goal was to keep all the expenses (invites, food, decorations, etc.) super low without sacrificing style or meaningfulness. It was Mal's first shower and I wanted it to be special, but just can't bare the thought of dropping loads of cash for a small window of time as important as it may be. So with a little creativity, blog research (people have done school themes before me!), and dollar store shopping, I was able to pull some ideas together and keep the cost just where I wanted it.

And as you can also probably tell, the theme was "school days." When people ask me where my brother and his fiance met, I often joke and respond, "the playground," but in their case it couldn't be closer to the truth. My brother and Mal met and became each other's first girlfriend and boyfriend in kindergarten (insert "sha" here). The relationship didn't last long (shocker), and ended with a pen to my brother's face in their elementary yearbook. :) Mal actually brought the yearbook to the shower to show how, at one point, she had scratched through and scribbled across sweet James' face. It was so great to have and people loved learning more about their history.

They began officially dating again in high school (even though I know James always had a crush on Mal!), and dated continuously from freshman year until now. And two years ago, he decided to ask her to marry him.

[awkward beginnings]

[engagement pic--how cute are they?!]

So as part of the decor, we displayed lots of pics of Mal when she was younger and her and James over their 5 year dating history. My favorite were their dance pics from every homecoming--hilarious!

One way we were able to keep the cost down was by making it a dessert shower. I worded the invite to where it wouldn't it be a complete shock walking in and made the time in the middle of the afternoon. Plus, who doesn't love a buffet of sweets anyway??

To make it more personal, I incorporated James and Mal's favorite desserts into the menu and made them front and center, complete with stickers saying "Bride's Favorite" and "Groom's Favorite."

[it kills me how blurry this pic is!]

And I kept the desserts simple with some that overlapped or didn't have many ingredients--but were still quite tasty!

[how cute are these coke cans?? I saw them on a blog and was so excited when I found some]

The other ways I kept things simple were by wrapping a bunch of our old college books with kraft paper, using letter stamps for the subjects and food labels, incorporating pencils and red ribbon for color, using the logo I made for them everywhere I could (cupcake toppers, water bottles, sign in book, etc.) and making my own cupcake tower with bulletin border from a local teacher supply store, canned goods as the bases, and cardboard baking rounds. I also borrowed servingware from family and used a lot from my milk glass collection to put things in. (I was so excited to use it!!)

I read marriage advice that Ms. Wanda (Kendra's mom and our old American History teacher) was able to gather from all her teacher friends who had either James or Mal in their classes over the years. It was so great to see what they put and to surprise Mal with a little something unexpected before she opened her presents.

And what shower is complete without advice opportunities and favors? :) For these, I just used index cards (from the food labels), sharpies, lunch bags, and labels with baskets I already had.

[photo op with the bride and soon-to-be Gautreaux]

Next, I'll be posting on all the behind-the-scene help I received because you know this was not something I could have carried out all by myself (and keep my sanity at least). Thankfully, I am surrounded by people who love me and want to make my life easier and who have great ideas and talents. :)

school shower preview

2011-03-27T20:00:00.000-05:00

Today was the shower we threw for Malary! It went so great and she got lots of great stuff from people who obviously love and are so excited for her and James. I'll update later, but I loved this shot of her so much that I had to share. Isn't she a beauty?? :)

I'll update on the shower specifics and all the wonderful help I received when I get my energy back up again, but I hear my slippers calling my name. Is it too early to go to bed before 8??

Happy Shower Day Mal!

mardi gras madness

2011-03-09T19:00:00.020-06:00

Happy day after Mardi Gras! This year's festivities completely snuck up on me and I didn't even go to a single parade. I'm so ashamed! Without realizing, I had scheduled all sorts of things on my calendar without even thinking about Fat Tuesday. I would call it a bust if I didn't still have off work or if I hadn't already enjoyed two wonderful king cakes from Meche's, which is the best thing about Mardi Gras anyway, right? :)

But even though my break wasn't full of beads or float chasing, we still had lots of fun enjoying our time off.

In fact, the weekend held a few unexpected (and expected) firsts for me. I guess I should be grateful that my first gray hair appeared at my ripe old age of 26, but there it was in all it's silver glory. And I've found one more since then! I always vowed that I would never dye my hair and, somehow, I managed to escape the 90s and early 2000s without any Sun-In or highlights, but if this keeps up, I'm not sure what I'll do.

One of the things I had planned was to organize myself for my future sis-in-law's shower I'm throwing at my place. It's my first shower to organize, so I'm having a blast, but I had to spend some time reigning in and editing all my ideas. My brother and fiance were high school sweethearts and she is in school for teaching, so I'm planning on it having a stylish, simplistic, school theme (it makes sense in my head). I'll be sure to update with my progress!

And then there was the great flood that happened on Mardi Gras day. It rained, and rained, and rained some more. We were watching a movie and didn't even realize how crazy it was until we looked outside. After it stopped raining, we got on our bikes and rode around to see the extent. We didn't realize it then, but it was a great opportunity to meet some of our neighbors that live a bit further down. We learned that the only other time it flooded was during Gustav--and that was a hurricane! Then on our way back, Joel's pedal broke off, so the whole way home, I was amused/impressed at how Joel kept pedaling with only one pedal.

So that was our purple, green, and gold festivities! I hope y'all enjoyed your Mardi Gras and did more season-related things than we did! :)

design update

2011-03-04T07:08:00.000-06:00

Wanna see designs I've been working on over the last few months? Then check it out. Happy Weekend!!

dating anniversary [5 years]

2011-03-03T07:00:00.162-06:00

1-2-3-4-5. When you think about it, 5 years doesn't seem that long at all! But yet, it's amazing to me what all can happen in such a short amount of time. To think back to my 5 year younger self, I had no idea what the next few years of dating had in store for me and my new boyfriend with spiked hair, Joel.

[2006]

[2007]

[2008]

[2009]

[2010]

[2011]

Now, 5 years later, our go-to and favorite date is still dinner and a movie. I know many people think this isn't the most fun or original date idea, but we love it! But with that said, we recently have talked about tackling some more fun date options or ways we can spend time together.

I've talked about Redbook's list of dates before, and we've done some of them (e.g., Dexter marathon), but I thought it'd be fun to actually print it out and both of us mark 5 that we want to do. I think it'll be exciting to slowly go through all 10 them during the course of a year and see if we come across any winners. (Because who am I kidding? We can't give up our movie dates!)

Either way, it really doesn't matter what you do. I've come to realize that it all just stems from just spending intentional time together, not getting stuck in a rut to where you're more roommates than spouses, building off of the relationship you had from day one when you couldn't get enough of each other, getting to know each other even better than you thought you did (I can't believe some of the things I still learn about Joel!), and just having a great time laughing and being with the one you said "I do" to years ago.

Happy Dating Anniversary Dante!

good read [how about orange]

2011-02-25T17:00:00.002-06:00

Most of you, I'm sure, already have this blog on your reader. But for those of you who don't, subscribe now! How About Orange, was the very first blog I found. Can you believe it? I now follow over 300, but at one time, this was the only one I would check.

Remember this little project? Well at the time, I was searching the web for a tutorial on how to do a fabric spread piece for our mantle about 3 years ago, and found this. After that, I became obsessed with blogs and DIY projects.

Since 2007, the blog has morphed into an even bigger source of DIY projects, time-wasters, and tutorials; she seriously has it all. If you're looking for a blog that has tons of things to make or discover the latest freebies from other blogs and websites, then this is your blog. Happy reading!

ice day, fun day

2011-02-19T07:00:00.035-06:00

One of the great perks of both having jobs in the state system is that we get holidays off together and random snow, or in this case, ice days. :) We got two days off in a row (and instead of going to the grocery store--much too cold for that), we raided our pantry trying to find meals. In this case, we decided to make blueberry muffins for dinner one night.

They are Joel's favorite snack, so I thought it'd be fun for him to do the baking--he was more than willing, so I just sat back, watched, and didn't say a word. (Well, almost)

And they were quite delicious! (Even with the added chocolate chips.)

you are loved

2011-02-14T07:00:00.045-06:00

Even though Valentine's Day is the holiday that would get picked last for dodge ball or the token "made up holiday," I still like to celebrate it. Call me sappy, but there is just something about people recognizing those special people in their life--and not just your significant other. And yes, while we should show love to others every day, I think today just gives us another reason to go out of our way or get out of our comfort zones by expressing those emotions.

Now, go tell someone you love them! Or leave a box of chocolates for your neighbors or mailman. You'll never regret giving something unexpected. :) I love you all!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

odelma guest post

2011-02-12T11:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Saturday!

Check out how you can download my first ever freebie by visiting my guest post today on my sweet friend Mattie's blog, Odelma. Enjoy!

Also, be sure to browse her site and her etsy shop for some of the cutest vintage items around.

Thanks again Mattie!

IKEA bound

2011-02-06T07:00:00.031-06:00

A couple weeks ago, I finally cashed in my Christmas present--a trip to IKEA with a somewhat limited budget. It's a well known fact that I've been dying to go to finish buying the things for our room (the most neglected room in the house), and Joel thought it would make a great surprise. He was right. Not only did the present include a trip to IKEA, but he had already taken care of getting us a room to stay the night, so it wouldn't be a rushed experience. :)

I was so excited that I had my list ready for weeks.

We stopped for lunch/dinner at a road trip must! We were both craving it, but couldn't see any signs. I typed in the name of the restaurant and city and sent it as a text to Google. Within seconds, we found one coming up off the next exit. iPhone-Smi-Phone. :)

i is dumb...

Once we finally made it to the hotel, checked in, and put our bags down, we did what any

couple of typical twenty somethings would do in a big city on a Saturday night:

watched a marathon of Hoarders and played Banagrams.

I was winning the entire game, peel after peel, until Joel came back in the
end with his board nearly falling off the bed.

I'm just realizing that I never did check to see if "warf" was a word...

After the exciting game of word play and just before the lady that hoarded cats could explain why she's not "crazy" for wanting to house hundreds of cats, it was time for the milk and cookie buffet.

After that, we may have watched one more episode of Hoarders (don't judge us!), and then Joel decided that outside was "hoppin,'" so we should walk around for a bit. We spotted a coffee shop and had to check it out. We love coffee almost as much as we love each other.

This was right before we chatted with a homeless man and then fist-bumped him good bye. On our way back to the room, I scratched under my eye to which Joel kindly added, "Ya know, 8 outta 10 homeless people have Hepatitis C."

For the next 20 minutes, Joel tried to convince me that I didn't contract Hepatitis C and that it wasn't now in my eye socket.

The next day, we lounged around, ate the best continental breakfast, and finally headed to IKEA. I thought I was giving two very sturdy "thumbs up" in this pic, but clearly I was not.

We didn't take any more pics, but spent an entire day browsing and purchasing some things I've had my eye on for a while. I was able to get everything on my list, so that was good enough for me!

It was such a great time, and I have a feeling we'll be going back now that baseball season is coming up in a couple months. :)

love notes

2011-02-01T07:00:00.038-06:00

I honor of the upcoming "Hallmark Holiday," I thought it would be fun to share some notes I found from Joel when cleaning out a few things. He worked at a local day camp for many, many years and would bring home the cutest and funniest things he did during "craft time."

Excuse the mushy post, but one of the reasons I have this blog to to be able to look back on it as the years go by and our family grows--it's my own virtual scrapbook--that I also share with anyone whose interested, and sometimes that means having to endure posts like these. :)

The first one is by far my favorite. Sometimes I forget about all the different qualities of the man I married, and then I find things like this that remind me why I couldn't have done any better.

(Also, this post was approved by said note maker and marker drawer before posting.)

DIY [ "wallpaper" ]

2011-01-24T19:00:00.003-06:00

During this past weekend trip to Ikea, I knew I wanted to get two oversized white frames for the wall you see when you walk in our bedroom. At first, I thought of putting pictures of me and Joel (our hands and feet pic thanks to Amanda Causey) and then switching it out as the family grows or we get older, but then it hit me. Do I really need to see a blown up version of myself first thing when I walk into our room--even if it is more abstract??

The answer was a big, resounding "absolutely not."

I've had this idea in mind since before we bought our house, but I haven't had a space for it--until now. Where else is the perfect place to be reminded of not only our wedding day, but a verse that is very dear to us as a couple and individually? So that was it.

I took the last part of the verse and got inspiration from a fabric I saw at Ikea (can't find it online) and this Ballard outdoor rug:

I love the "under fancified" (it makes sense to me) scribble type fonts and how it looks like an art piece when standing away from it, but then it's legible when you get closer. And I'm on a big tilting kick right now with my designs, as I'm sure you noticed. The verse is cut in half vertically and reads as one between the two frames. I absolutely love when things in my mind turn out how I want it and can't wait to get them up on the wall! I'll be sure to update this post when that happens. Joel is hard at work assembling everything else we got this weekend, so I might just have to give it a shot myself.

Also, because I'm always thinking of how I can turn anything into a gift, this would be a great, inexpensive Valentine's Day gift:

Create a text box in Word
Paste the verse or quote you want inside
Make that nasty shape outline clear or white
Play around with different fonts, sizes, and spacing
Enlarge the box or shrink to match your frame (under the "format" tab in word, you can make it an exact size you want--see image)

You could even save this gift idea for someone's birthday or Christmas. I bet if you find out now what verse is meaningful to your future gift recipient then they won't even remember by the time December rolls around!

30 before 30 [christmas cheer]

2011-01-20T07:00:00.007-06:00

Well I finally did it! I finally sent a Christmas card! (Without a hint of procrastination might I add.) I normally design one and then get cold feet because I felt weird just sending a card with me and Joel's picture on it. And then there is the whole thought of: how do I celebrate the birth of our Savior with a 5 x 7 pic of me and Joel, complete with an overused Christmas phrase--but in a great font choice and color combo of course!

And then I just had to stop thinking so hard about it. I came to the conclusion that designing is a passion of mine, and it's rare that I get to express it within my own limits, so I saw this as an opportunity to show love to those around me in my own way and reflect on the great and joyful life we are able to have because of Him, His birth, His life, and ultimately His sacrifice. Plus, I know I LOVE getting Christmas cards in the mail and seeing families grow--just to be thought of is such a great feeling. So I decided to go for it, and I'm so glad I did.

Which brings me to cross out list item #13 from my 30 before 30 list:

~~13. send out a Christmas card~~

~~(I design one every year, but then never follow through)~~

The response was overwhelming, and it just went to show me that people were touched and excited to receive a card from us for the first time. I quickly realized that something so simple as a picture with words can bring someone love and meaning.

glass glamour

2011-01-07T17:03:00.000-06:00

i just had to share this! my future sister-in-law saw my gift post and decided she wanted to attempt the wine glass gift for a few of her girlfriends. they are on a budget (planning a wedding and all!) but still wanted to give them something thoughtful and personal. aren't they adorable?!?

i think she did such a great job, and i especially love how she added the tissue paper to present them. i know her friends will love/are loving these!

can you believe people sell these for $20-30???

have a great weekend! :)

looking back [2010]

2011-01-03T07:00:00.005-06:00

wow. another year has come and gone! time really does fly, and i couldn't be more thankful for every year God gives me to be with family and friends, so in honor of 2010, here are a few of our favorite and most memorable moments. happy new year!!!

i painted with my mom and friends (she just had to be different)

hung out or went to dinner with my best friends from high school every month (well almost)

the civic finally hit 100,000 miles after 9 years. (i thank dorm life and close campus living for the longevity of our little green hornet)

in exchange for the design of her logo, we had our pictures taken by our wonderfully talented and good friend amanda causey

i witnessed the beginnings of riskapades and baked dozens upon dozens of chocolate chip cookies

me and betsy got to cheer for our husbands while they played softball for not one but two different leagues

we got stranded at the beach with great company

said "see you later" to a best friend who moved to nashville

sent out a number of these to my sweet and wonderful new and old friends (you know who you are)

celebrated my parent's 30th anniversary

headed up to nashville for a visit!

celebrated our 3rd anniversary

went to go see a play centered around a place that joel knows all too well

went on a vacation to celebrate previously mentioned anniversary

got to watch a best friend experience her first shower

went on a fun beach trip/bachelorette weekend

bought a car. finally.

got to hang out with friends when they came in to visit

watched a best friend transform and glow like no one else on her wedding day

photo by jason cohen

rewarded myself regularly for finishing my weekly to do lists i created at work

and just ate lots of ice cream in general for no apparent reason

said goodbye to our community group that we'd been in for the last 2 years over make-your-own french bread pizza--great memories and even better people

came home to flowers joel saw growing and thought i would like...just because

went on lots of dates

watched one of our favorite TV personalities do stand up

helped host a very special baby shower

took a calligraphy class with a best friend from the cutest little lady i've ever met

introduced my youngest cousin to the importance of list making and thrift store shopping

and ugly face picture taking

dressed up and went to our church's halloweenie roast

carved pumpkins together for the first time

with the help from a couple friends, we discovered a disc golf course, which made joel love our little town even more than he already did

got to hang out with joel's hilarious younger brother

started, finished, and didn't finish many DIY projects

visited and prayed for my mom and her hip and knee surgeries

joel continued to talk on his phone like it's a parrot because it only works on speakerphone (and it cracks me up every time)

we painted ceramics with the millers

cut down our Christmas tree

finally used our chiminea during the first cold night (complete with hot chocolate for added warmth)

went to the annual ornament party

and came home with the cutest little owl (thanks ashley!)

spent Christmas together and visited family

and celebrated the new year with joel's awesome display of fireworks and fun friends

now to start capturing memories for twenty eleven!! :)

advent adversity

2010-12-01T07:00:00.038-06:00

today is the first day of our advent calendar! a few weeks ago, some of the ladies at my church got together to make advent calendars in the spirit of advent conspiracy, an organization that our church partners with every year to celebrate Christmas by spending less, giving more, worshiping fully, and loving all. we had such a great time crafting, and it was especially interesting to see all the different things everyone was creating for their families. the idea was to create the calendar with the advent conspiracy mindset and incorporate those values more intentionally into our homes every year. i opted to do something simple since i didn't have much time to gather everything, but i was really excited with how it came out.

until i got home.

it's always so funny to me when i get really excited about something only to come home and mr. practical brings me back to earth. he loved the look of it but had questions about each day. of course, i had gotten carried away with the crafting and didn't really give a whole lot of thought to all the things we were going to do. plus, i didn't really talk it over with him beforehand. i printed out a generic list that someone else created of about 30 things to do and asked him to star the ones he thought were possible and/or fun. he circled 5. 5 out of 30!! immediately, i got defensive. "why are you being such a scrooge?" he pointed out that a lot of the things weren't centered on things he thought were important to the season and some were just silly and could get expensive.

ouch.

i do this often though. i get excited about how something is going to "look" without giving much thought to anything else. i heard what he was saying and agreed with most after i put down my guard. after i broke it all down for him and explained that we wouldn't be spending much, he started to get excited again. then we figured out 20 more things, and our calendar was complete. so instead of "bake bread for all our neighbors," it became "call a friend that you haven't talked to in a while." things that are more giving of time rather than money. or things that show love instead of my Susie homemaker skills.

i'm excited about being more intentional and the new things we'll be doing because of the calendar. i really hope this is something that sticks around for our family and it becomes a tradition of love, giving, and selflessness than just something else to do during the holiday season.

and thankfully, i have a husband who will make sure that happens even when i get carried away with font choices and paper patterns. :)

tis the season...

2010-11-27T07:00:00.051-06:00

to give! this post was inspired by my twitter feed this past week. i've noticed that people are already getting their gift ideas in order and are open to fun ideas. so i decided that i am going to gift my wonderful readers with some items from my ongoing list of present ideas. feel free to use my graphic for your blog and post some of your favorite gift ideas too!

i think giving presents is one of the most fun things ever (no matter the season of course), so in honor of the upcoming gift giving season, here is a list of 10 things you can make or give your loved ones this Christmas that i think are a little more special than your average gift card or list item:

1. i love this plate by aedriel originals on etsy. plus, if you wanted to make it more personal, you could go to your local ceramic painting shop and paint one for your loved one--maybe with just their initial, name, or significant date. then just buy a plate stand and there you go!

personalized ceramic plate

2. silhouettes..."so hot right now" (name that quote). there are many ways to do this and i think it's super special for moms (to do of their children) or if you wanted to do two for a couple and frame them with colors from their house.

DIY how to
(no photoshop or design program needed!)

3. this is definitely not an original idea, but photobooks are always a huge hit and can be made after weddings, vacations, or even just everyday pictures for your or someone you love to remember. moms get especially emotional when a gift like this rolls around.

mypublisher.com

(right now, there's a buy one, get one free coupon)

4. how cute is this idea? i love this because you can make it so personal and it doesn't have to be done in a design program either. i think it'd be just as pretty handdrawn. but if you like this then there are many options in this shop for different sized families.

gene ploss

5. everyone needs a journal or a notebook, but a way to make giving a journal more special is to write jokes, verses, or words of encouragement at the top of each page. that way they'll have their very own "pick me up" and a place to journal or take notes.

field and sea

6. do you have a sister who loves getting flowers? a mom? a wife? well, a blog that i read (young house love) had the great idea last year of the gift of giving flowers every month. print out a coupon or do what jon did and print out 12 flowers and put it in a vase to signify what's to come each month--either way, for someone who loves having fresh flowers in their house will love this gift. plus, if you deliver them each month, that means the gift of quality time each month as well. and before you think it's an expensive gift, read this post on how even a $3 bouquet can make someone's day.

young house love

7. this one kinda goes along with the ceramic plate idea since it's all about personalization. i made this during the summer when i was planning on making a bunch for a bachelorette party, but it kinda fell through since we went with a low key theme instead. BUT it was super easy and i think would make a great present that you can personalize in so many ways. we've all seen them at the mall or little boutiques, but it really is so easy (and cheap!) to make these for a few special women in your life. all you need is a wine glass (dollar store) and a paint pen from hobby lobby (don't forget to print out a 40% off coupon). then you get to start painting and bedazzling! to make it even more personal, you can stuff the glass with a bunch of ideas (or "coupons") for girl night dates on pieces of paper for when you can both get together, so the glass can get plenty of use! also my handwriting isn't that great. i printed out my name in a fun girly font (digs my hart) then taped it on the inside of the glass and just traced it. (excuse the terrible pic.)

8. i saw this earlier this year and flagged it because of it's cuteness and brillance. in the past, ive seen this done with twine, string, or wire stretched across the frame from the back in a bunch of rows. but this is so much cleaner and seems more sturdy. if you don't want to make a jewelry frame, then you can do the same with the stringed idea and use clothespins to attach pictures, verses, quotes, etc. so as you can tell, fun and creative ideas for empty frames are endless! just go to hobby lobby and in the back of the framing department are frames that have been marked down up to 90%. i recently got a $100 frame for a total of $10! they are marked as "damaged," but it's nothing a bit of sanding and spray paint won't cure. :) click the link below for an explanation of how they made this jewelery frame (also, this blog is full of even more great DIY ideas!)

design gal and her handyman

9. speaking of frames, this gift is super meaningful for sentimental recipients. my friend blair told me about this last year (she did it for her mom and mom-in-law--they loved it!), and i knew i had to do this for mine too. i used a bunch of fonts that i thought resembled each adjective in their favorite colors. next i got a frame and stand from walmart. i think total i spent $6 on each one. the best part about this gift was watching them read each word that we thought described them (i came up with my mom's and i emailed joel and his bro for adjectives for their mom)--they just lit up with every word. so great. i couldn't find the pics i took of them in their frames and stands, so this will have to do.

10. and finally....pie in a jar! these are so cute i can barely stand it. being married to someone to LOVES pies, i can appreciate this gift even more. i know a lot of you like to give small gifts to your families or coworkers. and the great thing is that you can make different pies for everyone! head on over to our best bites for a tutorial and the supplies you'll need. they even have free downloads for tags if you follow the links.

our best bites

whew! any other ideas that would be great to add to the list??

30 before 30 [new car smell]

2010-11-26T07:00:00.006-06:00

this post is only 2 months late, but we finally took the plunge! after 8 years in my beloved civic, joel and i decided to upgrade. i still don't know why he insisted on the new car being for me, but we got rid of his truck and now he whizzes around town in his used, green go-cart. thank God i married someone who doesn't need the finer things in life. :)

this brings me to one of the things i had on my 30 things to do before i turn 30

~~23. buy a new car~~

it definitely wasn't as stressful as buying a house, but it was still pretty up there. researching and looking for the best deal take it out of you. but then you get to drive away in a newer car and you forget about all the anxiety that comes with any big purchase.

i'm loving it as you can tell, but it has definitely taken some getting used to. all the bells and whistles that come with today's cars are foreign to me. the salesmen really didn't need to say much because the entire time they were talking, i kept thinking, "you had me at key-less entry."

now all we have to do is make sure this car lasts as long as my civic has. i just hit 100,000 miles on the civic, so i'm curious just how long it's going to be around. i hope the two get along. :)

turkey time

2010-11-23T07:00:00.001-06:00

yes, i've been a very bad blogger. and no, this isn't a real post. i just came across this today and thought it was too cute (and perfectly cheesy) not to share. i wanted to post it on twitter, but since my loving husband "forgets" to read my blog and is an active participate on twitter, i figured this was the safest place to post it (since you know once i post this, i will be printing it out for myself).

i love things like this! when i went out of town this summer, i downloaded vol. 25's notes and left them all over the house for him to find while i was gone. it was super fun for me, and he even admitted how much he loved finding them and that he started to look for more after a while.

i hope everyone has a wonderful thanksgiving and takes some time to reflect on all our blessings and things to be thankful for. i know i have way more than i can count.

whoops!

2010-10-20T13:56:00.002-05:00

guess there's a first time for everything! disregard that last post. my finger was "publish post" happy and i meant to hit "save now" instead. i clearly wasn't done and about died when i hadn't proofread it. oh well!! :) love y'all!

DIY [burlap and bows]

2010-10-07T17:30:00.015-05:00

now that the temperature has been steadily less hot, i actually feel like fall is coming. so what better way to celebrate than by making a wreath??

i knew what i liked in my head, and after some searching i finally found the look i wanted:

[jenna lou loves you]

it had the branchy look i LOVE, but it was still missing something. if you've ever bought anything from jen & ink, you would know about my obsession with burlap and bows, so i knew it was meant to be when i came across this beauty:

[haute apple pie]

perfection. i still preferred the big white berry look of the first one, so i wanted to combine the two into one. however, hobby lobby fell short in the selection department, so i had to find the next best thing. i was hesitant to get the red, but then i decided that i could last me through christmas, so i bought it.

haute apple pie gives a great tutorial, so i mainly used theirs as my guide, except for the sewing part and some of the materials.

supplies i used:

medium-sized wreath ($3.99)
5 floral stems ($7.50 [half off sale])
2 yard burlap ($2.00)
wire cutters ($0 [had already])
safety pin ($0 [had already])
thumb tacks ($2.00)

the total came out to be about $15--a little more than i'd like to have spent, but then again i also think any DIY project over $10 is a travesty--so i had to make an exception considering the high price of buying one already made. :)

it really was one of the easiest tutorials i found and didn't require any hot glue or specifics. all you had to do was just stick in the stems in places where you wanted--all in the same direction of course.

i also love the unfinished look of burlap so i played with the ends to get it just how i wanted. i was excited to see how katie cut the ends of her bow too, because my mom always taught me that a bow is never finished until the ends are cut. (p.s. any bit of creativity that i have, i owe it ALL to my mother. )

finally, being a first time wreath enthusiast, i wasn't sure how to hang it since i didn't want to have anything to do with a plastic wreath hanger. so i used two thumb tacks and attached the burlap hanger to the top of the door frame, so it would still shut and not hurt the door.

ah, here she is in her branchy, burlap beauty.

also in the honor of wreath season, i decided to share some of my other favorites i found while browsing.

[where the heart is]

paper wreathes are gaining quite the popularity as well. take some pages out of an old book and voila!

[mustard seed interiors]

[art and copy]

[simple joys paperie]

some oldies but goodies:

[the long thread]

[elizabeth anne designs]

a coffee filter wreath!

[centsible savings]

and i especially love this one for inside the home with all your holiday cards.

[marth stewart]

i almost want to make one for every room in our house, but i'll resistant the urge. :) which one is your favorite??

also, if you like the idea of having one, but DIY is not for you, my friend ashley is having a fall wreath giveaway on her blog this friday! go over and sign up by leaving a comment!

happy fall!!

good read [ash interiors]

2010-09-26T11:52:00.014-05:00

my sweet friend ashley is a local interior designer and bursting with life and creativity. she recently started her own side venture, ash interiors, that is full of awesome inspiration for your home, her great sense of humor, design advice, eye candy, and a creative spin on how to incorporate fashion into your home with her joint series amber & ash with nashville fashion stylist amber lehman.

so you imagine my excitement when ashley asked if she could feature my design blog jen & ink as part of her friend spotlight series. she is too kind and i am so thankful to have creative friends to look up to and that push me. be sure to check it out and give me and ash some comment love!

thanks again ashley!!

summer fun [beach or bust]

2010-09-21T18:00:00.004-05:00

i can't believe it's practically fall. i think the first official day is tomorrow. but i could be making that up? i guess you'll never know.

point is, i had such a fantastic summer and i figured that now was the best time to share some pics and stories from the summer i dubbed "summer fun twenty ten." i'm so creative. i know. first up:

car trouble. i feel as if it should me and joel's middle name. not only are we bad luck on ourselves when it comes to long distance, but apparently we're beginning to affect those around us. our friends cody and brittany, invited us on a last minute, quick beach trip taking advantage of the three-day weekend. being the beach-crazed couple that we are, we immediately said yes. no questions asked.

the day starts off great. we're so excited. we're going to the beach. how many games should we bring? not that many, we'll be laying out all day. what's that? it's supposed to rain? oh well! it will still be lots of fun regardless.

the car ride flies by and before we know it we're at the tunnel getting ready to hold our breathe. then all of a sudden...it happens. we think we run over something.

that something was part of brittany's car. we pull over to assess the situation. it ends up being some really important belt thing (girl lingo). but it's sunday, as chick-fil-a already proved when we attempted to start off our trip with chicken minis, and NOTHING was open. i've yet to have the "gotta have it" feeling about an iphone, but in the midst of that situation i was soooooo glad to have one nearby.

burger king became our home for the next 5 hours as cody called around.

did i mention it was raining??

group plan #1 : get a rental car, leave the honda at the hotel next door, and head to beach. sounds like an easy enough plan, right? wrong. we couldn't get a hold of anyone! no one answers their phone and the ones that did had a car for us but no way of getting it to us.

lessons learned from plan #1: enterprise's catchy little "we'll pick you up" slogan is lie. plain and simple. it only applies if they are in a 10-mile radius.

group plan #2 : get a taxi to bring someone to get the rental car. realizing that we were not going to be able to be picked up by a rental car, we had to figure out how to get the rental car that 30 minutes away.

enter "rah-hee-knee." now that's not how you spell the name of the taxi driver that almost disposed of cody, but that's how you pronounce it. let's just say we didn't have the proper funds, and the taxi/van hybrid made a quick U-turn, yelled, and demanded, "get out of my taxi!" before we knew it, cody was standing in front of us again saying, "well that didn't go very well."

lessons learned from plan #2 : never trust a taxi service who answers the phone with a simple "hello?" or whose address for his taxi service is his home address.

group plan #3 : call everyone we know who lives in mobile. thankfully, after several attempts of brainstorming new friends, college friends, high school friends, friend-of-friends, and even sizing up complete strangers (serial killer or no?), we finally caught a break. our good college friend brandon that we hadn't talked to in over a year just so happened to be driving through while visiting his family and was more than willing to come rescue us. we couldn't believe it! we were saved! or were about to be. he was still far away, so we decided to kill some time while waiting for our hero to drive up.

the boys threw the baseball

and brittany decided we should get souvenirs

then brandon showed up!

lessons learned from plan #3 : (1) never delete numbers out of your phone. (2) check in once in a while on those college friends of yours. they might have just broken up with their significant other, had emergency surgery to cut out melanoma, or had a brush with death involving a handgun...or in brandon's case...all of the above. (3) we are terrible friends.

at least he didn't go home empty handed

group plan #4 : pick up the rental car, drop the honda off at a nearby dealership to leave and get fixed while we go to the beach. at this point, we had been at burger king long enough for the workers' shifts to change and for them to start asking us questions. thankfully, cody made it back just in enough time for us to keep our sanity in tact.

lesson learned from plan #4 : no matter how long you've been stranded in a burger king parking lot, they will not give you free food.

we jump in both cars and head to the dealership. we quickly realize that the honda is not going to make it the few miles down the road. at approximately a .2 mile away from the dealership, the car's belt completely tears off and the temperature gauge in the car starts rising. no way we could make it without the honda overheating.

group plan #5 : push the car to the dealership, get in the rental, and go to the beach. we pull into a bank, and joel and cody take the rental to access the situation. if they could figure out where the dealership was then we would have an idea if we could really push it there or not.

problem was....the dealership was OUT OF BUSINESS!!

yup. i couldn't make this stuff up if i tried.

lesson learned from plan #5 : honda doesn't doesn't understand that when you move, you're supposed to change your answering machine to reflect that--or hey, turn it off.

group plan #6 : forget it. we're going to the beach. we leave the honda in a bank parking lot and head to the beach.

lesson learned from plan #6 : cody and brittany are who you want to be with in a time of crisis because no matter the situation they are consistently fun to be around.

this was right after brittany informed joel that rental cars are full of germs.

did i mention it started raining again?

amazingly, the car ride flew by the rest of the way; we laughed about all the things that went wrong, had a great time at the beach, and ate some of the best food at a local seafood restaurant.

i won't bore you with the rest of the things that went wrong since i doubt you're even still reading, but here is the condensed version:

:: cody and joel had to drive back to the honda the next day to leave a key, so it could be towed and fixed at the nearest (open) dealership.

:: honda ended up not having the part they needed, so they had to order it and it wouldn't be ready for another 3 days.

:: cody and joel then had to get a different rental car to take home because the one they gave us was for "in town" use only.

beach trip car #3

so from 9am-1pm, me and brittany had girl time tanning and talking on the beach and the guys finally showed up with smiles on their faces and were still able to enjoy a few hours at the beach. thankfully, it didn't rain. :)

also, in an attempt to give chic-fil-a another chance, we decided to stop there for dinner on our way back. and what do you know? we arrive at 8:15 p.m. just as the owners of chic-fil-a decide to close early because of memorial day...at 8:00 p.m.

seriously?!?!

but despite all the things that went terribly wrong, this trip was definitely one that will always be a highlight and forever associated with great memories and even better company!

next up: nashville!

5 things

2010-08-26T07:00:00.019-05:00

it's been almost two years since i did a "5 things even my closest friends don't know about me" post, so here we go!

1. sometimes when i'm feeling frumpy, i go into my closet, find my highest high heels and wear them for a couple hours. instant perk. sometimes it's just me in my pjs sitting in heels. i can't explain it, but it's an instant girlie high.

2. i get very attached to inanimate objects and project feelings on them. as a little girl, i made sure to talk to all my stuffed animals an equal amount of time (so no one would feel left out, obviously). i also have a hard time picking out fruit at the grocery store because when i pick up an apple, i don't want to put it back (even though clearly bruised) in fear that it may feel rejected.

3. i've never been on a jet ski before. boo. i'm lame. not because i don't want to--just never have been in a jet skiing situation. :)

4. i'm painfully practical. i weigh all my options good or bad, project any future ramifications that are possible with said decision, and either make a choice in a few days or decide i didn't need it to begin with. it's exhausting. i can't imagine doing or purchasing something on the fly or impulsively..the thought of it makes me stomach turn. which brings me to my last one:

5. my personality and characteristics don't match. for instance, every time i take one of those right brain vs. left brain tests, my results are always split. i love being creative and have an appreciation for art and dance; i daydream quite a bit and question everything, and i think in big picture terms; HOWEVER, i also can't go a day without maintaining organization; i follow recipes to the extreme; i abide rules blindly, and i can't help but pay attention to the tiniest details. in school, my two favorite subjects were algebra (because of the logic) and english (because of the writing). see what i mean??

well those are mine! i'd love to hear everyone else's or if you can relate! feel free to use my pic and create your own post with your 5. :)

must have [2011 susyjack* calendar]

2010-08-23T07:00:00.003-05:00

my oh-so-favorite calendar has just begun a pre-sale, so i didn't waste anytime this year! this marks year number 3 that this beauty will proudly be displayed in my office, and i must say, it makes my office so bright and happy.

the best part about pre-ordering? if you click the facebook "like" button before you order, susyjack will ship it to you for free! it's really a win-win if you think about it :)

DIY [spray paint happy]

2010-08-19T07:00:00.015-05:00

i am obsessed with spray paint! actually i think i'm more obsessed with quick fixes to cheap purchases. i could fill a closet with all the junk i pick up with the mindset, "oh yeah, this is gonna look great white!" it's a sickness.

over my vacation, i was finally able to devote some time to my DIY projects and spent an entire afternoon painting. for this project, i had no clue what i was going to do with these (frames??) when i bought them. i just liked the size and shape.

i don't even know what they are, but i do know they were less than 50 cents.

after much debate, i decided to make them into chalkboards! there are many other blogs that show you how to do this probably a lot better than me, but here's what i did.

enter chalkboard spray paint. i bet you didn't even know they made such a thing. at least that's what i tell myself. i like to think i'm super cutting edge. :)

then i "seasoned" the board and made many scratching sounds, which had joel wincing in pain in the next room. muahaha. i don't know why you have to do this before you use it. i just know you do. teachers? explanations?

next came the edges. i covered the chalkboard part and it worked great UNTIL i had to peel the tape off after. i had a couple spots take some black off, but i just used my handy dandy permanent marker to fill in those spots. (side note: i had these dark gray lounge pants in college that i wore all the time, but they had a couple tiny bleach spots on them, so i often just colored them in with my marker. quick fixes i tell ya! too much?)

and voila! i'm not sure what i'm going to do with them just yet. for one, i plan on getting some chalkboard markers and putting a verse in it or a favorite quote and putting it in our living room. the other one will be for notes to each other or little reminders like in the first pic. i love how they came out!

total cost: a whopping 6 bucks for both! (so about $3 each with lots of paint to spare)

did i make anyone a believer in the power of spray paint yet? :)

recent work

2010-08-17T21:54:00.006-05:00

i finally updated jen & ink's blog! check it out for those interested. but don't get too excited...it's not much. :)

third time's a charm

2010-08-05T17:34:00.003-05:00

for our anniversary, we decided to finally try out texas de brazil. we both don't like the unfamiliar, so it was such an awkward feeling not knowing what to do or what to expect. i signed up for the emails a few months ago and didn't realize that they send you a complimentary dinner on your anniversary--so we figured this time was better than any!

before we went, we exchanged gifts. the three year present is leather. i was so excited about what to get joel b/c i knew it'd be a lot easier to buy a leather type gift for him than him for me (he ALWAYS outgifts me, so i was happy for the chance to finally outgift him). weeeeeelll he totally cheated! i got him a leaterish ottoman that has a top you can fold out for your laptop (something he always grabs a pillow for) AND he needed a small place next to his futon to put drinks or his laptop when he's not using it.

i thought i had it in the bag...until i opened my present.

it was a cute little pleather wallet (orange--my favorite color) but inside was a certificate for an hour long massage! i could have died!! i was elated!!! he later decided that the massage table is leather, so it still counted. ugh. he's the best gift giver ever--i didn't stand a chance.

[operation outgift joel for christmas commences now]

dinner was fabulous! my eyes were definitely bigger than my stomach and i only had one moment of regret with my meat selection. poor baby lamb. also during dinner, i thought it'd be hilarious to dare joel to ask for ketchup, but the look of horror on his face made me realize that it wouldn't be the best idea, haha.

overall, it was such a great evening, and we're so glad we went and finally experienced what all the buzz was about.

next week, we're headed to new orleans for our anniversary trip and play tourist. we're staying in the same hotel we did for our honeymoon before we left for our cruise. we have lots of things lined up, so i'm super excited. who knew there was so much fun stuff to do in new orleans?? even though it's not the beach this year, i have a feeling we won't mind the change. :)

thanks to everyone who texted, called, e-mailed, tweeted, and facebooked us for our anniversary!! it was very much appreciated. :)

happy 3rd!

2010-08-04T06:00:00.007-05:00

today i've been married to the most loving, handsome, compassionate, wise, protective, sweet, thoughtful, dedicated, selfless, and thoroughly entertaining man i've ever met for three wonderful, fun-filled years.

i'm one lucky gal.

happy anniversary joel!

you are the best one of the best ones.

the most wonderful time of the year

2010-08-03T17:35:00.004-05:00

i recently had the pleasure of getting into the christmas spirit! i can't wait for it to be cold again with my scarfs and boots in use again and driving around drinking hot chocolate and looking at all the christmas lights.

but for now, these holiday cards will just have to do to subside my holiday spirit. my good friend and talented photographer amanda causey is offering such a great deal for families this season. if she hadn't just taken me and joel's pics, i'd already have my time slot reserved and outfit picked out.

we teamed up this year and a great part of her $100 offer includes 25 holiday cards with envelopes. i designed 5 different types of cards, so her clients will have plenty of styles and colors to choose from.

if you've ever thought about sending a christmas card but didn't have a picture in mind, this is the perfect chance to finally send one and have a new set of family photos as a result. scroll down to check out the designs, and then jump on over to her blog to get all the details and reserve your spot!

photo credit: amanda causey

road trip

2010-07-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

i am sooo excited to be taking my first official vacation of the year, but i'm even more excited it's with these girls to go see this girl!!

look out nashville!! i hope you're ready for all our laughing, dancing, and random uses of the word sha! :)

30 years

2010-07-29T17:13:00.003-05:00

this past monday was my parent's 30th wedding anniversary. 30th! i'm so proud of them and can think of no other people better made for each other. i realize now how lucky i was to have such a great example of love and commitment growing up, and i am so thankful for that. so in honor of my parent's special day, we, the children, planned something fun just for them.

for the 30th birthday, the gift is pearl. then i thought, how i can get my dad a pearl gift?? let the brainstorming begin. with my parents being suckers for sentiment, the idea hit. we would all write letters to them on pearlized paper, surprise them with a visit, and cook dinner.

what's pearlized paper you ask? i'm not sure if it's even a word, but i do know that hobby lobby had just what i was thinking. and of course i can't just write a letter; i had to make an envelope to go with it.

fig. 1

fig. 2

fig. 3

fig. 4

and then i bedazzled it with fake pearls. i know, i know. classy :)

final product--sure-fire tear jerker.

and if the pearl-studded presentation didn't bring her to tears, then she didn't stand a chance with what i wrote inside.

it's a running joke to make her cry with the cards we give, and it never gets old. don't worry, my dad got his fair share of pearls too.

they were so shocked we came! me and mal made tacos and she brought dirt cake (yum!) for dessert. it was fun to be home again as a whole family, and i could tell they were soaking it up.

my dad had his present all ready of course with a note "do not open until tuesday." this drives my mom crazy because it's probably been up there for days (maybe weeks).

it was the sweetest thing. he got her two cards (gifts inside) because he couldn't decide between them, and they both said all the right things apparently. and then the water works began.

he made her read both cards out loud, including what he wrote. i will say the last card got me, and i had to fight back the tears. :)

30 years later and he's still stealing kisses. congrats mom and dad!

oh heavenly day

2010-07-22T17:10:00.001-05:00

patty griffin is one of my favs that i discovered in college (shout out kendra!) and one of her newer songs (to me at least) has been on repeat in my mind for the last few days, so i thought i'd share.

it's a sweet song that pulls me back to the present when i often catch myself chasing the future.

photo: vol25

more weekend happenings

2010-07-19T17:14:00.001-05:00

this weekend started out in a furniture store. we might be the coolest twenty-somethings you know, right? i've been looking for a recliner for the LONGEST time. a simple chair that has clean lines but doesn't scream "i'm a recliner." joel found this bad boy and while it might not be too easy on the eyes...it was one of the most comfortable things i've ever sat in.

later, we met up with this lovely couple to have dinner and a movie. it was justin's birthday celebration, so we celebrated by eating lots of food and topping it off with a pizookie (double chocolate...yum.) the movie of choice was inception. until that night, i had always thought girls were the only ones to travel in packs. i was wrong. the movie was pretty good, but there was a moment when i swear leo was channeling jack from titanic and it made me tear up a bit. ahhh titanic.

saturday was great because lauren was in town! i've known lauren since the 4th grade, and she is one of the sweetest, most kind-hearted people i know. and she laughs at everything too, so it's always fun when she's around.

i met up with her and betsy, and we decided to go to california pizza kitchen. we did a lot of catching up and a little bit of people watching. all around great fun. :)

after i got home, i helped joel put up his album cover art for his man room. i love watching the things he thinks to put up in that room, and this idea is soooo joel.

and of course as soon as i thought of painting my headboard, it started to rain. so we just hung around for the afternoon, drank coffee, and i couldn't avoid the fact that i needed to catch up on design work, so i guess it's a good thing after all because i got lots done.

after i cooked dinner, we decided to go get sonic (tcby was closed...boo) and watch a single man. such a great movie. i love this time period and have always been a huge colin firth fan. i listened to an interview on npr about it a few months ago, so i was excited to say the least when it showed up in ondemand.

sunday, my brother and his fiancee were on their way back from the beach and stopped in for shopping and dinner. we introduced them to the chimes and had a great time hanging out. i was so happy they came by!

whew! another great weekend with lots to do--i love summer. :)

summer softball

2010-07-15T22:38:00.016-05:00

16 red shirts, 12 games, 5 rain outs, 3 strawberries gone bad, 2 home runs, 1 strained hammy and a broken collarbone, 0 official scorekeepers...

(you know where this is going...)

time spent with friends on the baseball field...priceless. :)

goooo ring mighty ducks!!!

good read [simple marriage]

2010-07-15T17:02:00.010-05:00

simple marriage is another one of those blogs that helps me see the bigger picture. not only is it a blog dedicated to marriage, but it features ways to approach situations in life, general day-to-day issues, and keeping things simple so you can experience more. what i enjoy most is that it reminds you that marriage is so much more than being happy and in love--something i often tend to forget.

one of the reasons i keep coming back to this blog was the post the power of a family maxim. here is an excerpt that again make me wonder about my own perspective:

"Today we find many Christian believers living a status quo relationship with God that is more characterized as “business as usual” than a life demonstrating God’s power. Our focus is often more concerned with improving our standard of living than improving the Kingdom of God through our circle of influence. God has called each of us to live for a cause greater than ourselves – a life that is dependent on His grace and power to achieve things we never thought possible through our lives. This is His plan for your life.

The apostle Paul prayed that He might experience the power of the resurrection in his life. This power is available to you and me to live for a cause greater than ourselves.

How often do we live for a cause greater than ourselves with our family? Yes, we may be the protector and provider for the family, but to what end? What’s the point of putting a roof over the family’s head and food on the table other than barely surviving? Or we may be the nurturer and primary caregiver for the children, but why?

What is your family maxim or motto?

Are you living for a cause greater than yourself in your marriage? In your parenting?"

ummmmm. i don't think i want to answer that question.

so if you enjoy blogs that tackle interesting and sometimes touchy subjects in marriage, then give simple marriage a try.

good reads disclaimer: i haven't mentioned this before, but with all blogs that i share and other blogs in the blogosphere, i'm not suggesting everything the author says is truth. in the virtual world, especially, people are more likely to look credible, but don't let that stop you from disagreeing and constantly searching for truth. if something goes against what you believe, ask why, look it up, pray about it, talk to others. i love to read blogs, so i'm constantly reading and even if i don't agree with what is being said, i see it as a learning opportunity to dive deeper into my own beliefs or open my mind to thinking differently about something.

weekend happenings

2010-07-13T18:59:00.034-05:00

so two of my best friends have recently joined blogland are putting me to shame with their frequent posts! in an effort to post at least once a week, i'm going to try my best to document the everyday things. and what better way than to track my weekend happenings? we'll see how long this lasts. :)

on friday, this guy showed up with these guys. i can only think of a few things that make him more excited than when he has a game of risk to look forward to. the boy lives for anything that has to do with strategy or competition--we couldn't be more opposite when it comes to games.

while he was finding new ways to dominate the world, i was catching up on design work and wrapped this little beauty to deliver to it's owner. seeing people's reactions after handing over the final product reminds me of why i do what i do. it's seriously one of the best feelings ever.

on saturday, i went to wives group where we talked about having a critical spirit. man oh man, do i struggle with this one. i took lots of notes to say the least. but during group, joel won the best husband award (yet again) and went to pick up this headboard. for only $10, it was too cute to pass up. thank you craigslist. i spent a good part of the afternoon sanding and cleaning it only to have it POUR when it came time to paint. ugh. i plan on painting it "heirloom white" and maybe putting a fun fabric where the mesh is. i'm not a fan of the mesh, but we'll see after it's painted. i LOVE the curves and details! i'll be sure to post an after pic.

so because of the rain, the ring softball game got canceled. but since so many people were already there before they called it, the guys decided to play "pull the trigger." i wouldn't even know how to explain it, but the guys seemed to have fun. the best part about joel playing softball (aside from watching joel do his thang of course :)) is that i get to hang out with all the girls on the sidelines. it's been such a blast; i'm so sad the summer league is already over. :(

and i'd have to say the highlight of my weekend was that natalie came for a weekend visit. we woke up on sunday, drank cappuccinos (because the gilberts are that fancy), and then went shopping. shopping proved to be a bust so we decided to go see the latest chick flick, eclipse. it was just so great to have her in town and not have any other plans than just hanging out. she is one of the funniest people i know, and it was just a great time full of serious talk, sarcasm, and catching up.

why can't every day be a weekend? :)

must have [calligraphy stamp]

2010-06-09T20:41:00.000-05:00

i wish i could have seen my reaction when i saw these on fabulous k yesterday morning. eyes wide, mouth open...gotta have it! the seller, patricia mumau, has these in her etsy shop Primele along with many other a-mazing things.

now that we're settled and have our own home sweet home, i've been on the search to find the perfect return address method. i'm very picky to say the least when it comes to all things paper, but the minute i saw these stamps, i bought them. i've NEVER made such an impulse purchase before, but these are simply fabulous. beautiful calligraphy. easy. the best option i've seen. and supportive of pure talent. it was almost like i couldn't NOT buy it. :)

i have no other words for them, so i'll let the pics speak for themselves.

i think the best part about these is that you can change up the feel with different colored envelopes and even the color ink you use. so many options!!! these are going to be the longest 10 days of shipping ever.

to love

2010-05-28T17:00:00.001-05:00

wow. this quote has stayed with me the last few weeks, so i figured i would share. every now and then i look up mother theresa quotes b/c her life and perspective amazes me. i think this quote resonates so strongly with me because i do find myself struggling with judging, and as a result loving.

as Corinthians puts it and most weddings state it: love is patient, love is kind. it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

for some reason, when i see or hear this verse, i think of joel. i think of how i'm called to love him and respect him. maybe this is because after sitting in wedding after wedding that reads this between vows and songs, you start to relate it to only marriage. but i realized that i don't normally think of other people and i how i can love them better. so when i read this verse with the mindset of loving those i label as "undeserving," see on the street, watch on the news, read about in the paper, strangers passing in and out of my life, etc., it kind of makes me realize that i do, in fact, have a problem with loving.

i keep record of wrong. a lot. i can be very selfish and self-seeking, especially when it comes to "my" time and money. i'm not patient when it doesn't benefit me in the end. and the list goes on and on. while i know that i am very capable of loving, it's choosing to live in that love that i struggle with.

so with that, i think the quote really just struck home with me because judging has always seemed like one of the worst things you can do and automatically assume you don't deal with it. [insert wake up call here.] i guess i'm realizing that it's all about perspective and loving regardless of action, choices made, circumstances, or opinion for that matter.

i'm sure i'll have more to share on the subject eventually b/c when something hits me this hard, a big lesson or opportunity to live it out usually follows. :)

doily delight

2010-05-04T17:00:00.004-05:00

i love heirlooms and anything with a past, but for some reason i've always turned my nose up at doilies. i can't bring myself to jump of the doily trend bandwagon just yet, but this picture totally made my jaw drop.

the designer here, Kristan Cunningham who is an interior designer and Design on a Dime host, shared her bedroom that she accented with her grandmother's antique doilies. i love it so much because (1) i love white, cream, tan, anything light and airy; (2) it's such a special way to remember her family; and (3) instead of sitting in a closet or gathering dust on a random table somewhere, they are serving as art with a purpose.

pictures like these remind me that your home is a reflection of you and who you are and not just a page out of the pottery barn catalog. even though recreating something you like is way easier :)

art gallery

2010-04-27T17:00:00.001-05:00

i came across the cutest idea last night and had to share for all my mom friends. as a kid who LIVED for arts and crafts days at school, this project made me so happy.

this mom made a "brag board" of all her kids' artwork, so they can proudly look at their masterpieces, and in return, i think the custom art adds some nice character to their home.

after seeing this, i know that a good idea always comes from somewhere or is also done is many other fashions, so here are some of my favs i found:

this looks like molding of some sort with clips attached.

this mom took took pictures of her boys' art then made a collage in photoshop and added her boys' pics and names for an added touch. love it.

use an empty frame. we found a huge empty frame with some nice detail on the side of the road and i've been toying around with putting lots of loose art and other things i love in it, but i'm not convinced yet. this pic just reminded me what you can do with something so simple.

this is my absolute favorite. i love this idea of not confining it to the playroom or your child's room, but having it take up an entire wall in a high-traveled area. the ability to switch it out or frame the ones you really like, just make it even more personal.

this would also be a fun excuse to try out magnetic paint.

all this talk makes me want to break out the glue, paper towel rolls, and markers and start creating! :)

must have [aussie hair]

2010-04-21T07:00:00.001-05:00

i did the unthinkable.

after 11 years of using the same hair product, i switched. BIG mistake. big. huge. (10 pts. if you can name that movie) i've always gone with what i know. i don't like change, so it was very unlike me to grab a different bottle of scrunch spray at the store last month instead of my precious grape-scented aussie spray.

it was at the ripe age of 14 that i found the purple bottle and people started associating me the smell of grape. i always recommend aussie to anyone with kind of wavy hair and tell them that it will change their life. because it will. it does the job without getting flaky or making your hair hard.

so why i tried to branch out is beyond me. i will never do it again. after 3 days of wondering how i randomly developed dandruff, i realized it was the after effects of a scrunch spray impostor.

lesson learned. jenny & aussie 4 life.

betsy's big day

2010-04-13T07:00:00.015-05:00

i met betsy in 4th grade. we became fast friends and she was even one of the first sleepovers i can remember being invited to. i'm so grateful that we've stayed in touch for this long and am VERY excited that she's moving to baton rouge! she has always been someone who is genuinely happy for you and who always has your best interest in mind. when i was planning my own wedding, i was insecure thinking that no one really cared to hear the flowers i wanted or the color scheme i chose, but she insisted that i get all my magazine clippings and "wedding binder" from the car and tell her all about it. she sat there, asked questions, and showed support for every decision that i was debating. i never told her, but that conversation did wonders for me while i was trying to make sense of the chaotic wedding world i was trying to navigate at the time.

this past saturday, it was her turn to walk down the aisle. she made such a gorgeous bride as she made her way to her groom that was grinning from ear to ear. you could just see their excitement that's been 5 years in the making.

after the ceremony, naturally, we found a way into their hotel room (thank you Lauren for your Hilton connections!) and gave it some ambiance. :)

after we gave it our touch (classy of course), we headed to the reception. we had soooo much fun! the food...oh the food. i've never been to an outside reception before and i have to say it's a new fav. as much as i love big 300+ people weddings, there is just something about smaller weddings that make you feel more included and a part of the couple's special day.

and then the pictures began.

"hey betsy! you should get on the rock and we'll all crowd around."

"ummmmm guys, this is weird...can i get down please??"

me and the bride (who was rocking jcrew and FABulous hair!)

the happy couple

congrats again on y'all's wedding! it was such an amazing extension of who you are. happy honeymoon and see y'all in BR! wohoooo!

idol doppelganger

2010-04-06T07:00:00.006-05:00

the conversation went a little something like this:

me: so looks like you officially have a doppelganger
joel: a what?
me: a doppelganger...a double...someone who looks like you
joel: really? who?
me: some guy from american idol
joel: american idol???? nooooooooooooooooooo!!!

so many people have told me how much joel not only resembles lee but their mannerisms are even similar. neither of us watch american idol, so i had to look him up after about the 5th person told me. and i haven't stopped laughing since. joel can't stand it bc he's held on to the only other person that he was told he resembled...the guy from 300. hahahaha

someone told him this YEARS ago when it first came out and he still holds on to it. probably b/c the 300 guy is so hardcore.

and then there's this guy:

with a little hair gel and taped-on nails, he still might be kinda pushing it.

either way, there's no getting around it. he definitely has a new one...like it or not. :)

DIY [vase au naturale]

2010-04-02T20:00:00.008-05:00

today was a-mazing. i got to sleep in, got a much-needed haircut, spent the afternoon crafting, and finished it off with dinner at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that joel's been wanting to take me to (8 sisters in st. francisville--delish!!). it's probably been one of my most relaxing days in a long, long time. i was so excited to finally get around to some projects that i've had in mind for a while now. it all started with a half-off glass sale at hobby lobby, so i knew which project i wanted to tackle first. i LOVE natural fibers, so this is the first project i have in that category. i have another one in the works that i'll share later, but this one didn't take that long at all.

basically, all you need is a twine-like material, a vase (maybe an old one you don't care for anymore?), and hot glue if you're impatient like me or normal glue if you can wait for it to dry. :)

next time, i will probably use a more uniform vase like a cylinder because i ran into a couple problems with this one as i got further down. with a vase that is one size you wouldn't even need to use that much hot glue because if you hot glue the top then you can just wind the twine down until you hot glue the bottom end.

i LOVE how it turned out and plan on making two more of these that are different shapes. it's home will be in the office space that i'm creating, but this spot will have to do for now. :)

more crafts to come!!

good read [knock off wood]

2010-03-30T07:00:00.001-05:00

knock off wood makes me want to buy tools. pink ones. ana sees furniture she likes (a lot of pottery barn and crate and barrel) then explains how to build a knock off and shares her plans with all of blogland to see. not only does she make plans, but she tells you what to buy, what tools to use, and what to get cut. it's amazing how much you save by building it yourself!

and just when you think you can't pull something like this off, ana set up a flickr page where readers can post their knock offs from the site and encourage others that it can be done.

currently, i'm eyeing this console table for our kitchen that costs a whopping $20-30 in materials. love it.

with a finish like this table (b-e-a-u-tiful!). it also definitely helps that the previous owners of our house left all their stain and cream paint. :)

i predict somehow joel will get suckered into helping me...he just doesn't know it yet. :)

flickr favorite

2010-03-24T19:00:00.001-05:00

how cool is this series?? i absolutely LOVE glimpses into the past. if you know me fairly well, you know that i can't watch a historic movie or show without running to the computer and finding out all that i can about it. joel always makes fun of me for this, but i just find it so interesting.

the photographer here, jason powell, takes old pictures of washington d.c. from the library of congress and then finds the current spot to compare. some are really sad because so much history was lost and replaced with skyscrapers, but overall it is so cool how he lines it up perfectly and you can quickly see how things were back in the day.

here are a couple of my favs:

looking into the past

30 before 30

2010-03-19T07:00:00.013-05:00

i saw one of my favorite FRIENDS episodes the other day when rachel turns 30 and it got me thinking. why don't i have anything to look forward to when i turn 30 in 5 years?? so, in honor of my favorite TV show of all time, i decided to make a “things to do before I turn 30” list, phoebe buffay style. let’s just hope that when i complete it, i won’t then find out i’m really 31...poor phoebe. :)

1. get back to my wedding day weight (it’s only 10 lb.; that should be easy right??)
2. throw a party
3. watch a sunrise at the beach
4. bring all my decorating ideas for our house to life
5. buy a camera and learn how to use it
6. watch AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies list (a professor in one of my design classes in college urged us to do this...i think it's time to take his advice :))
7. finish reading Pride and Prejudice
8. make our garden pretty again
9. get a web site for jen&ink
~~10. get my wisdom teeth out~~
11. join a Pilates class
~~12. stop biting my nails~~
~~13. send out a Christmas card (I design one every year, but then never follow through)~~
14. take a cooking class
15. become a mom
16. clean out my e-mail (3000 and counting)
17. go hiking in the mountains again
18. travel more (Austin, New York, and Chicago are on the top of my list)
19. get to know my neighbors
20. go on a fun road trip
21. go without TV for a week
22. pay off my student loan
~~23. buy a new car~~
24. cook an entire Thanksgiving meal by myself
25. learn how to Cajun dance (I feel as if I’m living a lie not knowing how)
26. pay for a stranger somewhere anonymously
27. see Michael Buble in concert
28. visit a winery
29. see a Broadway show
30. learn to drive a stick shift

baby got bike

2010-03-14T07:00:00.002-05:00

last saturday joel came in the living room and said, "ya know what? i have a surprise for you." i got real excited because i love, love surprises. then he went, "and next saturday you'll get it." ahhhhhhh...the torture! so all week i spent racking my brain on what it could possibly be. he specified that it was small because he knows how my mind can run. throughout the week he continued to egg me on. "it's supposed to sunny this saturday...the surprise is better for a sunny day." or "you might want to wear tennis shoes...doesn't matter though...your choice."

so you can imagine my excitement when saturday finally came around. as i was getting ready, i saw he was cleaning out his truck. his truck??? why would we need his truck? i was so confused. my best guess was that we were going antiquing. i had absolutely no clue.

so FINALLY he let me in on what he'd been planning once we were closer. it was something that we'd been wanting to get and do ever since we started dating but just never have.

bikes!!!

i was sooooo excited! riding bikes is one of my best memories as a little girl. my dad would always take me and my brother on the best bike rides ever. we had woods and trails behind our house that were lots of fun, but mainly just bike rides around the neighborhood were some of the greatest times.

so we pulled up to academy and checked out the selection. we opted for some that would be good enough for casual riding...i'm so not hardcore in case you couldn't tell. my bike even has argyle...fun and preppy :) and it's no surprise that joel went for the black and gray one...his go-to colors.

it was such an amazing surprise to finally get bikes! we couldn't wait, so after joel got them aired up, we went for a bike ride around our neighborhood when we got home. i quickly learned how wind affects my ability to ride a bike. ouch...the thigh muscles were working. big time. it's been so long since i've even gotten on a bike, and joel assured me that even though i used to be able to ride with no hands on the grips that i should definitely not attempt to do so now. haha, he knows me way too well. we had so much fun, and i can not wait for all the bike rides that await.

now all i have to do is figure out a name for my brand-new bike. :) suggestions??

good read [simple mom]

2010-03-10T07:00:00.001-06:00

now i know i'm not a mom, but simple mom is one of my favorite blogs ever! i'm ALL about making life more simple and thinking of ways to better manage the house. Her posts are full of resources, tips, and inside experiences for families of all shapes and sizes. She also has some really great downloads for the super-organizer inside you. If you like practical ideas on how to declutter your house and home (and sometimes life), she's your girl!

must have [love for your neighbors]

2010-03-08T07:00:00.003-06:00

i saw this amazing printable from joy ever after and knew i had to share it. i'm ashamed to say that we've been in our house since june and have only met 3 of our neighbors. either we're never home or just hanging out inside, but i hate it. i planned to make goodies for our neighbors on valentine's day, but i totally chickened out. i really want to get to know those people who live nearby, so this seems like a much less awkward way than just knocking on their door and introducing ourselves. now all i have to figure out is what to bake! and of course then muster up the courage to distribute them :)

happy monday!

color my career

2010-03-05T07:00:00.003-06:00

so this career color test has been sweeping the blogosphere for the last few weeks, and i finally decided to give it a try. all i can say is how the heck do they know so much just by me picking a few colors i like or dislike??? wow. kinda creepy. here are my results (creator and researcher); just click on each one to see it better:

this makes me laugh. not only do i love being creative (see hobby), but my current job title is editor/technical writer at a local research center. how did they know???

life is good [dating anniversary]

2010-03-03T07:00:00.022-06:00

today is me and joel's 4-year dating anniversary! yes, you're probably thinking, "and??" but while it is just a dating anniversary that is supposed to get wiped away once you get married, i still enjoy recognizing when it all began. getting ready in antipication of what's to come, hearing him drive up and wondering if you made the right outfit choice, one last look in the mirror trying to look "put together, but not that you tried too hard," and the list goes on. when we first started dating, joel would always show up with flowers (sometimes roots and all from flowers that parkview church so carefully planted) and would never tell me where we were going. it was always a surprise. it was such a special time in our relationship that i loved so much. but as much as i loved it, i love the dates we go on now even more. thinking of new things to do and places to go is just part of the fun.

so while it is just a dating anniversary and our real anniversary is coming up in august, it's a special date to me because it marks when so much of my life changed. i let my walls down, i learned what it meant to be selfless, and i entertained the thought of "the one" for the first time.

joel is so very precious to me and today is just a reminder of how lucky i feel that God led me to him. so in honor of our dating anniversary, here are a few of our past and favorite dates.

first birthday celebration together

picnic dates

study dates

more birthday dates

beach dates

bonefish dates (joel's fav!)

wedding dates

first date after marriage

double dates

wedding anniversary dates

how could you not love dating?? it makes me happy that i see and talk to couples of all ages, kids or no kids, that still date each other after many, many years of marriage. hopefully, we'll never fall into the mundane aspects of life and forget how lucky we are and how special time together really is.

must have [leonard necklace]

2010-03-01T07:00:00.002-06:00

it's no secret how much i LOVE lisa leonard designs. i really don't know what it is that is so appealing, but i love monograms and when they're stamped that makes them even better! as a kid, i was obsessed with those penny machines that would press the coin and leave a design of whatever city we were visiting--i just thought it was the coolest thing ever. i still kinda do actually. :)

i've been eyeing the first one necklace with the monogram for a while now and might just have to break down and buy one for myself. i can only resist for so long! now all i have to do is think of an occasion/reason to justify spending $60 on one necklace. does the first day of the month count for something? :)

happy monday!

better blogger

2010-02-24T20:09:00.016-06:00

yes it's almost march, but one of my goals for this year is to become a better blogger. i love reading blogs that are consistent, and while i am not a professional blogger (can you believe that even exists??), i do want to try to post more often. so one of the ways i plan to do this is to post updates on life, fun blogs i find or love, cute things i come across, more pictures, what i'm learning, etc.

so to start off, i wanted to share a new blog i found that is quickly becoming one of my favorites.

Love Actually has some really good ideas on how to love on your spouse/significant other or make them feel special. the blog stemmed from the idea that love is normally portrayed as effortless in movies or pop culture, but "love actually" takes work. the blog is broken into ideas ranging from date night, quick and easy romance, lovey-dovey gifts, fun and games, etc.

she also gives "mid-week romance tips" that are so cute. here's one of my favs (probably bc joel LOVES pb&j so much).

the blog also led me to this gem of 100 date ideas from redbook. there are so many to choose from...i love it!

some of my favorites:
::Pick a TV show, get a season's worth on DVD and make a running date to watch it together every night.
:: Museums usually have one free night a week, so hit one then.
:: Paint coffee mugs at a paint-your-own-pottery place.
:: Hit a farmers' market and scavenge for your dinner.
:: Stop at a fancy bakery and pick out a treat each — for each other.
:: Head to a batting cage.
:: Check out the talent at a small local art gallery.
:: Get all dressed up and catch an orchestra or opera performance.

so if you want some new ideas for dates, romantic guestures, or fun ideas, then jump over and take a look and see how you can make the one you love feel extra loved today! :)

snow twice in a row

2010-02-12T10:32:00.011-06:00

i can't believe we got snow again! i wasn't expecting it, so i was pleasantly surprised when i woke up this morning to the downpour of white. it was so thick and powdery...just lovely.

joel and i had so much fun taking pics and playing in the snow, despite the pain that followed from making snowballs with bare hands. we're celebrating valentine's day today, so it was a great start to what will be such a fun day! now i'm off to watch a movie with this handsome fellow. :)

happy snow day!!

jen&ink flicks

2010-01-06T17:02:00.002-06:00

jen&ink got a flickr account!

check out my post if you want to know where to go to find a collection of all things jen&ink! :)

pictures, presents, and pillows

2010-01-03T11:44:00.029-06:00

i can't believe Christmas has already come and gone. i had such a blast hanging out with friends and family and am sad it's already over. here are a few things we did over the break:

we finally put up our pictures. i LOVE them and they make me so happy when i see them.

my high school girls came in. they wanted to see the house, so over the break while jamie was in town, they all drove up. it meant so much to me that they came. i've known most of these girls since elementary school, and it's always so fun catching up and seeing where life has taken us. we have another wedding coming up (yay betsy!), and i can't wait! she's going to make a beautiful bride.

santa came! i, unfortunately, was sick during Christmas but still enjoyed it to the fullest. me and joel woke up, made coffee, opened our presents from each other, and lounged around until we headed to his family's place to eat and open/give more presents. i just love seeing people's reactions when they open gifts...it never gets old!

this was what i gave joel. in case you don't know, we LOVE coffee. he tried a machine similar to this one that made a cup of coffee in no time at my aunt carla's house and he was in love. so i did some research and found a great deal on this machine that makes coffee AND espresso, cappuccinos, macchiatos, and lattes. he loves it and has dedicated an entire cabinet to his discs and mugs. he was so hilarious to watch setting it all up.

the sunday after Christmas, we had Christmas with my mom's side. this is us in front of my nana and papa's house. it was lots of fun and we got to see baby stella that was born a couple weeks before.

we then went back to our house and had my family's Christmas. i was especially excited to give mal her present since it was her and james' first Christmas engaged and hers was the only handmade gift i was able to make this year. she has a little dog and pledged phi mu this past fall, so i knew just the thing! it was so fun designing and making it with her in mind. i think she loved it...or else she's a really good actress. :)

and last but not least, i finally finished the pillow i'd been working on!! i saw this tutorial a few months back and knew i HAD to make one myself. it was pretty easy but time consuming. i LOVE ruffles and this same thing can be done for headbands and belts. i love how it came out!!