Monday, November 26, 2012

Black Friday.

Unlike last year, I didn’t participate in the rush to begin Black Friday craziness. We did make a purchase, but we didn’t venture out of the house until later in the afternoon when the lines were gone. Honestly, I didn’t feel like there were any deals good enough to fight the crowds.

The little one picked our a new washer & dryer for her cloth diapers. {I know, she looks like her daddy so much in this picture.}

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Our current set is our second pair of hand-me-downs from our parents. Both sets are old, not efficient, and one died and the other is on its last leg. Finally time to bite the bullet and invest in a new pair.

We bought this Samsung washer from Lowes.

Samsung 4 cu ft Top-Load Washer (White) ENERGY STAR

And this dryer for a little over a grand total. We debated on spending about $250 more for a front load Samsung set, but settled on this version as our final choice.

Samsung 7.2 cu ft Electric Dryer (White)

Eugene researched a lot of models, and these got very good reviews. Oh, and they’re huge! I’m looking forward to testing them out soon. :)

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Sunday, November 25, 2012

Giving thanks.

As always, we had a very busy, family-filled Thanksgiving. This holiday is Eugene & my favorite holiday, and this year, we had so much to give thanks for {mainly, this little turkey}…

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The little one had some quality cousin time on the way to Columbus. {I love this girl.}

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And she loved playing in the leaves. I promise, this photo wasn’t posed…

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We ate a Thanksgiving lunch with my mom’s side of the family. I made baked brie with cranberry sauce and crescent rolls…

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The little one was very good, playing with her little book most of the time…

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And then she took a little nap on Grandma…

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Next was an hour drive followed by a Thanksgiving dinner with Eugene’s mom’s family. Forty-one people all seated in one room together. This is such a special time for us. Eugene’s grandpa leads communion, reads the Bible, gives everyone the opportunity to share a prayer of gratitude, and then we enjoy dinner. It’s real Thanks-giving, in my opinion. I’m not sure if we’ll be blessed with this type of set-up next year, so I’m especially thankful that Aela’s first Thanksgiving included this tradition.

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I made my favorite cranberry, pretzel, sweet potato casserole and a new bread machine roll recipe {which I’ll share later cause it’s a keeper!} Yum!

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The little one slept peacefully through the entire quite part of the pre-dinner traditions, and she woke up with some wild hair…

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I couldn’t help but cry just thinking about the family around the table {at both Thanksgivings} who prayed for our little one during my pregnancy and once she arrived. I am SO THANKFUL for all who covered my little family in prayers.

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She is my answered prayer, and for that I am eternally thankful.

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Wednesday, November 21, 2012

A roomie wedding weekend.

This weekend, I was a bridesmaid in my college roommate’s wedding in Cincinnati. Eugene & I stayed at a hotel after the rehearsal dinner, and the little one stayed at home with her Aunties. It was my first night away from her. I felt like I was missing something all night, but we both did pretty well with it.

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God blessed Melissa with an unbelievably beautiful day {especially for November in Ohio!} It was warm and sunny, and the bride was GORGEOUS. Here’s a photo dump from the weekend…

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Melissa definitely gets her sweet spirit from her mom…

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Seriously stunning…

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I heart her so much!

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The happy newlyweds!

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This was probably one of the best bridal parties I’ve been a part of – no one complained about anything, everyone had fun, and the focus was always the bride & groom. Perfect :)

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She changed into blue shoes for the reception…

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City skyline…

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The bowties were the groom’s thing. He bought all the groomsmen a different bowtie to wear to the reception…

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My roomie & me…we’re opposites {volleyball/soccer, tall/short, science/communication, etc} but we are wonderful friends. She’s so special to me!

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The Mr. & Mrs…

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I love my family {so much.} At the reception…

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The little one slept through the super loud music. She was awesome…

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We even partook in the photo booth…

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The little one stayed in our hotel room Saturday night. She did fantastic, and loved sitting on the king-sized bed in the morning…

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We had a wonderful weekend away, celebrating great friends.

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Friday, November 16, 2012

Bathroom upgrade.

When we bought our foreclosed home, there was a small half bath attached to one of the bedrooms. It consisted of this plastic/cardboard, faux floral tile wall covering with lots of chunky wood accessories. The floor was the thinnest shiny faux light grey marble sticky {or not so sticky} tiles.

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Here’s a close up of the faux tile wall coverings…

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I blogged a while ago when Eugene removed the wall coverings and replaced the flooring

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He’s still working on the final pieces of trim, and we still have to paint the ceiling and finish some other little details, but our little half bath has come a long way….

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New pedestal sink, new toilet {with a diaper sprayer attached}, beadboard walls, clean light and bright mirror with new floor and trim.

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I made a a colorful doily pendant too – I’ll blog it later.

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A church friend bought this cute piece of homemade art off of Etsy…

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I bought the light from Menards and got the mirror for $14 from Meijer, of all places.

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It’s not perfect, but it’s so much better. Cleaner, brighter, & happier. :)

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