Miles The Lumberjack

Miles was a lumberjack for his first birthday. After having to cancel our big party because the three of us were sick, we hosted two small family parties a few weeks ago. It was great to have our families in our little home. We don't often have family gatherings here because of space issues, so it was special to actually be hosting our loved ones.

I had a lot of fun putting together the menu to match the lumberjack theme. The menu included a flapjack bar with toppings, snickerdoodle cupcakes, acorns of Hershey kisses and nilla wafers, smore marshmallow pops, fruit, chex mix and pretzels.

Party Resources:
Party Hat: Oh Happy Day template
Miles Cake: Oh Everything Handmade
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes: Mom Advice
Paper Products: Oneleven Creative (all designed by me, of course!)

Coffee Date 1.23.14

Haha, these so-called weekly coffee dates have been a joke, huh? Life has been going so quickly, I'm having a hard time holding on. Between my responsibilities at home, with Miles, with Mike and working, sometimes my head barely feels above water. But I'm wanting to get some balance back in my life. This might mean saying no to projects, using my time more wisely while Miles sleeps and staying up later. 

Let's get this hanging out thing back in order too! I really enjoy blogging but it's not a "necessity" and is one of the last things that gets attention. 

If we were meeting for coffee on this snowy morning, we might get to sit at my dining room table while Miles naps and catch up. I'd tell you how weird it feels to be the mother of a one year old and that thoughts of wanting to be pregnant again are circling around my mind. We had planned one big first birthday party for Miles with all of this favorite people, both family and friends. But two days before our little family came down with a yucky case of the sickies, so we had to cancel the party. I was super bummed because I had put so much time and effort into planning the menu, theme and of course paper products. We ended up rescheduling the party and just ended up doing two smaller family parties at our house last weekend. I can't wait to comb through the photos and share them on the blog next week. It was awesome to celebrate my Miles being around for an entire year. 

I'd tell you how lucky I feel that Mike is a teacher, especially since he had off work from Monday through Wednesday because of the holiday and snow. It feels weird for him to be back at work this morning, but the end of May is coming quickly, then I'll get him home with me all the time! Yay for summers off! 

I'm always amazed at how pretty the snow is as it falls. It seriously snowed from 7am to 7pm on Tuesday and it was so peaceful. But in the city, it so quickly gets gross. The once clean, smooth white snow turns into dirty piles that line the street. I'm sure there is some metaphor to how quickly sin stains our righteousness, but my mind is not there quite yet this morning. 

I'd ask you how your new year has started. Have you made any exciting resolutions, and have you been sticking to them? Mike and I have decided that we are going to read through the Bible together in one year chronologically. For two people who never have been good about reading the Bible together, the past few weeks have been awesome. We've had days where we skipped reading or life felt just too busy to sit down together, but for the most part we've been dedicated. I can only thank the Holy Spirit for that miracle. 

Welp, Miles is stirring in his crib so I suppose it's time to end our time together this morning. Until next week, really! 

A New Year, A Fresh Start

I love starting a new year. There is something exciting about starting fresh and looking forward to the next 12 months. I love to set goals and make plans, even though I'm not crazy about actually committing to them. I've dubbed 2014, the year of Freedom. So often I feel burdened by stress and worry. If things aren't going my way, I tense up. Even when Miles refuses to take his morning nap - like is happening right now in his crib - I feel my body tighten and my heart pound. I'm not a go-with-the-flow type of person, and that doesn't help make our house a relaxed place to live. I know that with the help of the Holy Spirit and the accountability of my husband, I can change that. I know that I don't have to try to control everything.

Choosing a theme for the year is much more attainable than setting six goals with monthly check ins.

2014 is the year I embrace living free.