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.}

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.

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.

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. :)

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}…

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

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

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

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

And then she took a little nap on Grandma…

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.

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!

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

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.

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

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.

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…

Melissa definitely gets her sweet spirit from her mom…

Seriously stunning…

I heart her so much!

The happy newlyweds!

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 :)

She changed into blue shoes for the reception…

City skyline…

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

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

The Mr. & Mrs…

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

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

We even partook in the photo booth…

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

We had a wonderful weekend away, celebrating great friends.

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.

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

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

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….

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

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

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

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

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