we've been busy...

decorating for Christmas (no Christmas before Thanksgiving)
drinking apple cider
listening to Bing Crosby records
shoveling the driveway thanks to a small Thanksgiving day snow
visiting friends and family in South Dakota
eating waaaay too much good food
wrapping gifts with newspaper
experimenting with this
loving every single minute of living in a now consistently heated house
brainstorming design ideas
planning for a trip out west in May

miss south dakota

I've said it before and I'll say it again: I LOVE surprises. I seriously can't get enough of them! I love being on both the receiving and the giving end. And this past weekend, we pulled off a surprise party that has been in the making for about 25 years. It all started when my mom turned 21 and her BFF Tara kidnapped her, blindfolded her, drove her around, and had a big surprise birthday for her. Since then my mom has been patiently waiting and planning on "revenge," and since Tara has a milestone birthday coming up, mom thought it would be the perfect opportunity.

So to Platte we went, hauling everything you need to make a party for a past beauty pageant queen complete - hot pink streamers, sashes, rhinestones, and crowns. With the help of another friend, we had the whole evening planned, from snacks to games to gifts. By total chance, we even got one of Tara's pageant dresses that I wore for part of the night. It was hysterical. And she was SO surprised!

What a fun night to celebrate one of the most important women in my life. Tara, you are one of my most self-less, giving people I know. You make everyone around you feel special and important. I cherish all the road trips and late night conversations (and dessert plates!) we've had over the years. I am very blessed to have you in my life. Love you and happy birthday!

The invitation I designed for the party.

Surprise!

So many fun women in one place.

"Tara's 50 - let's show her some support!"

november

I am thankful for:

a cozy home to call my own
hot coffee waiting for me each morning
a husband who does the dishes and laundry
hot water
my job
the deer that has been foraging in our backyard
neighbors that bring us bread and build us a new mailbox
our fireplace (which is still the only thing heating our entire house at the moment)
coupons that save me $17 at the grocery store
chicken pot pie
my sister
early morning walks with the dog
trials that bring wisdom, understanding, and full reliance on God

I am truly blessed.

my prayer

I voted

this is what election night looks like without tv and without central heat.

let's recap :: projects/Chicago/I'm cold

I'm cold.

I will tackle the last item on the list first. Why am I cold, you ask? Because it's November...and it's 30 degrees outside...and we haven't turned our heat on. This is what you get when you're married to Mr. "I haven't been cold (or hungry) since 4th grade." At first it sort of started out as a little game - how long can we go without turning on our heat? Tim jokes every year that we're not turning the heat on until Thanksgiving, but that idea usually only lasts about 2 seconds because I swoop in with my, "Ha! Yeah right. I HATE being cold. No way." speech. But I am sorry to report that we may actually make that dream/nightmare a reality this year, just not on our own terms.

With a new house, comes all sorts of uncharted territory. The one we're battling and exploring at the moment - boiler and steam heat. How the heck do you get those things to turn on? Last night Tim was tasked with figuring out how to turn on the heat because I thought I might go hypothermic. But after hours of tinkering and researching, we had nothing but a big puddle of hot water on the basement floor. Bummer. We're not really sure what to do next. All I really know is that I will be sleeping yet another night wearing 4 layers and 5 blankets.

Projects

In other house news, we've been busy nesting and improving. We are both still reveling in the joys of being homeowners (until we can't figure out things like turning on the heat). What we love so much about this house is that nothing major needs to be done to it; everything we envision doing is all reasonable, weekend DIY projects. This past weekend was the first free weekend at home we've had in awhile so we decided to tackle a little nook in the kitchen.

When we moved in, there was a small, dim light over the sink circa 1970 that was begging to be replaced. After tearing down the old board and light, Tim cut and stained a new board and then it was off to shop for a new light fixture. We ended up buying three different options, taking them home, holding them up, and then deciding which one would work and look the best. And holy cow, what a difference a little lighting makes!

The window in the kitchen has never had a shade on it, and I thought a little pop of color would look good behind our fresh, new lights. So I decided to try my hand at a DIY roman shade I'd seen on Pinterest. For the most part, the tutorial was great and very detailed. The project was pretty time consuming, but the shade works great and it literally cost less than $15. Can't beat that.

Chicago

At the end of September, Marji called me with a great idea: girls weekend in Chicago over MEA. Never having been to Chicago, it didn't take me long to say, "Absolutely!" So after a few minor speed bumps (lost wallet/driver's license) we were on our way to the windy city early Thursday morning. We had such a blast. Thanks to our cousin-in-law (is that even a word?) we were able to stay in the heart of the city, just a few blocks off Michigan Avenue, which made it so easy to see and do so many things. Highlights would include:

• deep dish pizza at Pizzeria Uno
• The Field Museum
• Chicago dog from a street vendor
• the ease of taking public transit
• the smell of cookies wherever we went (due to a chocolate factory nearby)
• shopping Michigan Ave.
• architecture boat ride tour through downtown
• breakfast at Wildberry
• The Bean and Millenium Park
• champagne and sushi at Sunda

What a great trip! I can't say enough good things about it.