Posts Tagged ‘Windham Familia’
Hook ’em hawks!
Posted on: September 3, 2010
- In: Life
- 8 Comments
I’m just gonna come clean and say: I know nothing about college football. It’s quite shameful, having gone to Texas and now living in Hawkeye country and still not having a clue about the game. But this year is going to be different – This year I’m going to watch college football.
Being a Longhorn by blood but a Hawk by location, this new undertaking is going to be pretty hefty. Not only am I now going to start watching football, I’m going to be cheering on two teams. Guess it’s a good thing they are in different conferences {which is one more thing I really don’t understand}. I’ve made up a schedule for UT and Iowa, highlighting what I considered four must see games {UT vs. OU, A&M; UI vs. IaSt, OSU}. Please feel free to correct me on what I consider “must see”, since we all know I don’t actually know.
Here’s to blending teams and watching football for the game and not just the commercials!
Hook ’em horns and go hawks!
A biker family
Posted on: August 31, 2010
- In: Life
- 6 Comments
At the beginning of the summer we bought a second bike seat for Hannah and since then have been a biking family! It took Hannah a couple of rides to get use to the helmet, but now the girl loves it! {Despite the face in the photo – she was super tired.} While August hasn’t been nearly as crazy as July, it seems to have flown by all the same. We started the month off with our anniversary trip to Minneapolis. Then Grandma moved in and we all got sick. Not quite a highlight of the month, but what can ya do?
Jonathan celebrated his birthday this month. Thirty-two years. Wow. In a good way! It took Jonathan a week or two to fully recuperate from his July work schedule. But now things are “normal” and we’ve been enjoying having free {is that even possible} weekends. Julia seems to be getting smarter by the minute. She’s gotten really good at repeating everything she hears. Let’s just say, I won’t be saying c-r-a-p any more. For real. Not cool to have your two year old immediately repeat that word. Oops. As for Hannah, she went a little crazy on us this month when she decided to teeth four {4!} molars. At once. Whew. Thankfully after 7-10 days she was done. She now has her four canines coming through, but it doesn’t seem to be bothering her nearly as much {mama does a happy dance!}. As for me, I’ve been sewing up a storm. Well, not really. I’ve only made one other apron – for Julia. However, I have a friend who just gave me some fabric and asked that I make her a couple of aprons. I’m pretty excited. 🙂
Waiting on the Lord
Posted on: August 30, 2010
- In: Life
- 3 Comments
{Be sure to check out my Eco Natural Soap giveaway!}
Have you ever waited for something? I mean really waited? What does it even mean to wait, especially in our have-it-now society?
In the last few days I have begun wondering what it means to wait upon the Lord. Psalm 27:14 {NLT} says: “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
Psalm 37:7 {NLT} says: “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act.”
I have a hard time being brave and courageous when asked to wait for something I want, or to receive an answer to a burning question. I begin doubting whether what I want/need answered will actually be provided. I question God, His true faithfulness, and can begin to feel overwhelmed and defeated. But once I get past the fear of waiting, I almost always move quickly to action. I begin taking matters into my own hands. I start acting on Sarah’s power and not God’s. In my actions {and even more in my heart} I say, “God can’t, but I can”. I try to move mountains, speed up time, change people’s thoughts and play God. Talk about a tough role to fill!
This weekend God gripped my heart. I asked a question, one whose answer either way will bring me joy and gladness. And He asked me to wait. Patiently. With bravery and courage. He will answer me. He will act. I need only wait.
Happy Birthday Jonathan!
Posted on: August 27, 2010
- In: Life
- 4 Comments
{Be sure to check out my Eco Natural Soap giveaway!}
Today is Jonathan’s birthday. I have to say, I am truly amazed by his life. Sometimes I think of all the series of events that brought him this far, that have brought us together. It’s quite humbling and quite literally a God thing. Jonathan’s life is a true testimony of God calling out for the lost, long before the lost even know He is there. Jonathan’s life is a living example of true Christian faith. I see his struggles, but I see him turning to God for help. I see his continual quest to be like Christ, in his faith, in showing grace, in loving others and in loving his family. I could not have asked for a more perfect husband for myself.
{And of course, the girls are always delighted by their daddy!}
I love you Jonathan. You’ve been the best thing to ever happen to me.
*P.S. You can count this as your birthday card. 😉
My New at Home Getaway
Posted on: August 23, 2010
- In: Life
- 9 Comments
For the last couple of months, I’ve been daydreaming about having a mother’s corner. Just a little nook all to myself for reading, sewing, relaxing. Jonathan and I agreed that the best spot in the house would be the laundry room. It gets the least traffic {especially from the Windhamettes}, is rather large and has a door for more privacy. The only draw back is that it looks like this:
Not exactly what you would call homey and inviting. But Jonathan said with some paint and rearranging, he could make me the best mother’s corner possible. And about 6 hours later, this is what we had:
The laundry area
My sitting area
We painted the floor and started on the walls {mostly focused on my corner so that it would be completed first}. And if you couldn’t tell the amazing difference just of the floor, I’ll show you:
Before
After
Amazing, right?! Just one more reason my husband rocks. Rather than relaxing on his well earned day off, he works all day just to create an area for me to relax. Seriously, he is always this awesome.
Dyson – The Apple of vacuums
Posted on: August 19, 2010
- In: Life
- 9 Comments
We’ve had the same Oreck vacuum since we were married. And Jonathan had it for a year before that. And his parents had it for about two years before that. So when it died at the end of July it didn’t come as a total shock. We debated having it fixed, after all it did the job* and we liked that it was fuss free – no attachments, no hoses, just a vacuum. But then we decided to buy our dream vacuum: Dyson – All Floors.
{This picture almost makes me think angels are singing in the background, what with the perfect lighting and super clean carpet}
We found a great deal at Home Depot, paying $100 less than we expected and we bought it. As soon as we got home, we put our Dyson to use. And here’s what we got:
Pretty gross. We had vacuumed two days before and the floors didn’t even look very dirty. But the Dyson pulled up all the dog hair, dirt and yuckness that apparently our other vacuum {and vacuums we have borrowed since ours broke} just couldn’t get. Wow. After that first run through, we did it again and got half as much, then did it a third time and got about a fourth more. Pretty spectacular if you ask me.
Jonathan said Dyson is the Apple of vacuums. They are sleek, state of the art and pricey but worth it. My favorite part is that I can vacuum our wood floors {which is the kitchen and all the bedrooms} so I don’t have to sweep, which just so happens to be one of my least favorite chores.
Visit Jill at Diaper Diaries for more Things I Love Thursday.
- In: Life
- 13 Comments
In the last week Jonathan’s grandma moved in with us, our whole family got sick, and I freaked Jonathan out by suggesting we use re-usable toilet paper. And during all that time, I learned some real life lessons.
1. Flowers from my husband “just because” makes my heart flutter.
2. Mamas don’t get sick days. Ever.
3. I have a wonderful community of friends. I already knew that, but felt it even more this week.
4. I still can’t sew a straight line. But I’m learning.
5. Hannah is not pleasant teethers.
6. Cola icee + no naps + Sam’s club = absolute craziness.
7. Cocoa roasted almonds are delicious.
8. Dyson makes the best vacuum in the world.
9. Mattresses on the floor will provide hours of entertainment for toddlers.
10. There are 130 days till Christmas. Oh yeah, I so just went there.
Visit Oh Amanda for more Top Ten Tuesday.
- In: Life
- 16 Comments
There are times that I really do think our family {read: me} might just be a tad bit crazy. But I wonder, is crazy really all that bad?
Saturday we went toilet shopping. Yep, pretty much the best way ever to spend your Saturday morning. Eat pancakes, drink coffee, toilet shop. Seriously, we aren’t always this cool. Anyways, we came across these waterless toilets. Our interest was peeked {because, you know, we’re crazy}. I did a quick Google search and discovered composting toilets by BioLet.
I’ve not done a ton of research on the subject, but it seems harmless enough and something I would consider doing. And the more I thought about a composting toilet the more I thought about family cloth. What is family cloth you ask? Well, think about cloth diapers. Only for your entire family. Just let that sit for a minute. Ok, you’ve got it. Essentially, family cloth is a replacement for toilet paper.
I heard about family cloth about 2 years ago. It’s a pretty outlandish idea. At first I really thought “Are you kidding me?“, but slowly the idea has grown on me. I mean, we are using cloth diapers. And I am using cloth pads. So doesn’t the next logical step seem like cloth toilet paper?
What are your thoughts? Ever heard of family cloth? And just how crazy do you have to be to use family cloth?
Our family just got bigger
Posted on: August 14, 2010
- In: Life
- 7 Comments
As I mentioned once {in random passing} Jonathan’s grandmother is moving in with us. I haven’t really written about it since, as there wasn’t anything to tell. But now there is; Grandma moved in Thursday night!
{fair warning: Grandma hates having her picture taken, so set your hopes low for ever seeing her smile in one}
We originally planned for her move toward the end of this month, but on Wednesday changed everything for her to come the following day.
We are all very excited about this newest path in our life and family. I think it’s going to be a wonderful life lesson for our girls {and me!} to live in a multi-generation home. And like with all housing situations, I am sure there will be issues and problems to work through. In fact, for me we’ve already had our first. Thursday night, Julia and I both got really sick. Grandma’s welcoming committee was the two of us throwing up and feeling less then hospitable {at least on my part}. While Julia felt better by Friday morning, I stayed in bed most of the day. Not quite how I imagined starting off hosting, but what can ya do? Thankfully, she didn’t mind in the least.
Anniversary Extravaganza 2010!
Posted on: August 9, 2010
- In: Life
- 11 Comments
Jon and I went to Minneapolis this weekend to celebrate our five year anniversary {July 30}. We had a wonderful time {made even more relaxing knowing our girls were well taken care of – Thanks Abdos!}. I have a confession: We didn’t take as many pictures as I {pr maybe even you} might have expected. From the moment we arrived in Minneapolis, all responsibility, even photo taking, went out the window.
We started the weekend off by driving this:
2010 Chevy Camaro – Awesomeness
We stayed on the 16th floor of the Marquette in downtown. We love tall buildings and lots of crowds, so we were delighted with our view:
Minneapolis reminded us a lot of Austin. Which in of itself made us love the city. One of the coolest things we came across was public bicycles. Minneapolis has this bike rental program called Nice Ride. The idea is to rent bike for a day, month or even a year, then when you are done riding, return it. There were return kiosks all over downtown, so finding and returning the bikes were quite easy. I loved it. Although, there were times {say 5 o’clock traffic} that I was less than confident riding on the streets. But, Minneapolis is incredibly bike friendly, so after the first few minutes I realized most drivers were use to having cyclists riding along side them {not something I can say is as true here} and I stopped worry so much and went with the flow.
Our three main goals of the trip were 1) sleep in, 2) eat at a really nice restaurant, 3) plan nothing. That last one was easy. Aside from our couple’s massage on Saturday {which was as nice as it sounds} we made no plans. And while I doubted I’d be able to sleep in, I actually did. I woke up at 6:30 on Saturday, went back to bed and then got up for the day at 7:30. However, Sunday morning I slept till 8:30. I couldn’t recall sleeping that late since Julia was born. Talk about a nice way to start off your Sunday!
As for eating at a nice restaurant, we had dinner Saturday night at 112 Eatery. The atmosphere was a little louder and less romantic than I had originally wanted, but rather than sitting across for one another, Jon and I sat side by side, which actually made it more romantic. And the food? It was worth every penny. We had scallops with mushrooms, a pasta with lamb sauce and this amazing green bean and feta side dish. Oy! It was so good, I dreamed about it that night!
Here we are all dressed up for our night out:
We got home on Sunday night around 8. The Abdos weren’t home from church yet, so we were able to unpack our bags before getting the girls. I’ll admit – I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be “ready” to start being mama again. Even as we pulled into town, I kept thinking “I don’t want to go back to reality just yet”. But when we saw the Windhamettes for the first time, I was thrilled. Hannah caught us through the window and just stared in puzzlement. Once she figured out what was going on, she just started laughing. It was really sweet and made me glad to be home.
And now, as our week has started and life moves on, I can look back at a wonderful time spent alone with Jonathan and rejoice in God’s blessing in our marriage.
A Wife Loved Like The Church 
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