what the dinner table means to me

you see, the house we are in has a living room and a ‘den.’ I’ve never really understood the need to have both. what I do know is that our ‘eat in kitchen’ barely has enough room for a small 4 person table.

this led me think “hey laura, why don’t you use the den as the family room (where the couches, chairs, and tv will be), and turn the living room (which is a long, skinny room w/ only 1 window and a fire place) into a formal dining room!” <<lightbulb moment right there>> but then I began to search for a table. something large that could fit at least 6 people, if not more. I absolutely love hosting Thanksgiving and Christmas and dinner parties but we just do not have the space to gather everyone. and you know what I found? those tables are freakin’ expensive, don’t  include the chairs, and none of them were really what I wanted.

as I was perusing [Pinterest] one day, I found these plans for a DIY farmhouse table. and I fell. in. love. I need to make this table. I think about it daily. As I broached the subject with Josh, he looked at me like I was a crazy person. you want to build the table. yourself?? hahaha.. it was laughable to him. but that made me even more determined to do it.

all I could imagine in my mind was josh and I sitting around this table I made with our children, having dinner talking about how momma made this table. or having a piece of furniture that is sturdy enough to be able to pass it down to my kids. and that began my obsession with making a dining room table.

…and here we are a few months later and it’s finally getting cool enough to work in the garage with the doors open without having a heat stroke and so, this coming week I will be gathering my supplies to start. I will be taking pictures because whether it works out or not, I feel this needs to be documented. and hey, if it works out I guess we’ll be eating dinner, just the two of us, on a huge table with plenty of room to spread out. or will it be just the two of us?……… I guess we’ll see. won’t we?

 

and as for the eat in kitchen area//

blogging with a purpose//

so I’ve been thinking a lot – juggling back and forth about whether to continue on, putting my self & my life out on the internets for all to read// do I have something meaningful to say? is it interesting? does it really matter if I put my 2-cents out in the sea of millions of voices? how will the information I put out into the universe affect my family and friends who may be involved in whatever part of life I’m talking about// and basically I’m just scared.

scared to put my true thoughts and feelings typed out for all to see// if I put them here that means they’re real, permanent, and I have to own them. which makes me want to filter and sensor and not put everything out there// then I feel like a fraud.

so many emotions and thoughts going through my head//

but I’m going to do it. and we’ll see what happens. maybe I’ll continue. maybe I won’t. maybe I will change directions 100 times or maybe I will finally find that one thing that people fall in love with. that I fall in love with// I guess we will see.

Taking The Easy Road

This week has been a very trying time for me at work. I have felt more aggravated, frustrated, and exhausted than I’ve ever felt so for tonight, I feel the need to write. But I’m taking the easy road and using sydney's prompt to get the writing juices flowing::

Making: a snack // leftover birthday cake with a scoop or two of chocolate ice cream
Cooking: dinner // or should I say ‘made’ – roast beef in the crockpot then put on hoagie buns with provolone cheese under the broiler until melted and toasted. delish. and easy. I need easy right now.
Drinking: a warm coke // I grabbed the wrong one but cannot think of even getting up right now // warm coke it is
Reading: Catching up on blog posts I’ve missed this week // mortgage application I need to fill out
Wanting: to be finished with this home buying process // I’m purchasing my sister’s 1/2 of our grandparents home so I will own the whole thing // I think some times it is harder to deal with family on what I would consider a business deal
Looking: forward to the house projects we are planning once it’s all ours.
Playing: the ‘what if’ game in my mind // not good.
Wasting: time on the computer when I should be showering and heading to bed
Sewing: nothing but that reminds me I need to pick up my sewing machine from mom & dad’s house // I have some sewing projects I’d like to work on – curtains for one thing =)
Wishing: for a smooth flowing week @ work next week
Enjoying: hearing husband snoring on the couch beside me
Waiting: my laziness to pass so I can get up and get a shower before bed.
Liking: my nail polish color // Sinful Colors Brand – Folly #795
Wondering: What type of dreams I’ll be having tonight // I’ve had some crazies lately
Loving: My nights and weekends spent with husband // it’s nice quality time
Hoping: for more faith
Marveling: at the sheer ability to produce as much laundry as husband and I produce each week // what do we do, wear 3 outfits a day??
Needing: some more butterscotch delight // took it to work and it was gone in a day // so delish!
Smelling: a wild fern candle from hobby lobby // one of my favorites.
Wearing: my favorite blue sweatpants from old navy and a t-shirt // feet are covered in my fun cheetah print slippers
Following: my newest favorite blog // the Bauble dept. // she’s going to live on a sail boat!!
Noticing: I really need to repaint my nails
Knowing: that I really need to get up on time to fix my hair and look presentable for work tomorrow // I just love sleep
Thinking: about a possible job opportunity that I’m given the ability to pursue // keeping my fingers crossed!
Feeling: tired
Bookmarking: a few easy crafts to start working on for the house
Opening: my foundation container, scraping out the last little bit until I can get to the store to get a new bottle
Feeling: happy

Upon The Rock

So yesterday was my 26th birthday. And a happy birthday it was! The day started out with church with husband (more on that later). We grabbed some KFC for lunch (we never eat fried chicken but we were both craving it. weird) then headed home. Chores for me and birthday shopping for husband was our afternoon plans then to round off a wonderful day, my parents, sister, best friend Abby, Josh and I grilled out, had lots of delicious food, and ate ourselves into a sugar coma from cake and ice cream. I was blessed with some wonderful gifts and wonderful time spent with family and friends. I can say that the highlight of my day was our church service yesterday morning.

I will say that included in all of my other daily prayers is one for husband to be the leader of our household. that’s not to say that he isn’t the leader but everyone can improve and I always pray for strength for him to make the best decisions and lead our family into the path that God wants for our life and our marriage together. It just so happened that the sermon yesterday was all about families, men stepping into their intended roles, and building a solid foundation for your family and home.

I left yesterday’s service craving more. I could have sat there for hours: learning, listening, praising, and worshiping. And I honestly think yesterday really spoke to Josh’s heart too. After we left he kept saying what an amazing service that was, such wonderful preaching. I just cannot say enough about it.

One thing that really drew me to our current church is the fact that our preacher doesn’t preach to win fans. he preaches what he believes to be the truth whether it offends people or not. and usually if I’m the one who is “offended” it’s because I’m not living my life the way I should be and him “calling me out” (not by name) but me knowing in my heart that I haven’t been living the way I should really keeps me accountable and I couldn’t ask for anything better.

I’d really like to share a few points that Pastor Phil shared with us yesterday:

>Outside all homes and families look very much the same but on the inside are so very different
>Every home faces problems and adversities, pressures from above (rain), below (flood), and around (wind)
>These storms will come against every home, Christian and non-Christian. Only one house survives the storm and it is the one with the foundation built on the Rock

How to ‘weatherproof’ your home:

>Communication: between husband and wife, between parents and children, between friends and family
>Moral Consistency: not just “do as I say, not as I do” – children (and I firmly believe adults also) would rather see a sermon lived out through someone’s life rather than hear one.
>Spiritual Foundation: it’s not material or financial, it’s spiritual. if a father is active within church the odds of staying in church as an adult is 80%. if it’s only the mother that’s active within the church that drops to 15%.

building the foundation of your home on the Rock is essential to a strong marriage and strong home to weather any storms that may come your way.

this message really spoke to Josh and I as we are always working to build a strong and stable home in which to bring children in to some day (next summer possibly? more on that in another post)

i.s.t.j.

 

okay sounds good. ;-)

september goals//

 

 

 

3 month vacay//

day 2.. let’s jump on it

if you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world, what would you do?

Travel.

Hands down, balls to the wall. Get my a$$ off the couch and out of Tennessee. Grab husband by the hand and travel.

Where would I go? Let’s take a looksee//

the coltswald, england via

the stepping stones, tollymore, ireland via

the gardens of cosmic speculation via

holi festival in india via

the crystal cave, skaftafell, iceland via

“the secret garden” aka Leach Garden, portland, oregon via

Other items on my list in that 3 months would be:

• Westward Ho: California Zephyr train ride – from Chicago to Emeryville, California – 51 hour trip
• Mount Evans Byway: highest paved road in America – 14,130 feet. spans 28 mile trip
• skydiving – not really picky as to where

 

this isn’t even scraping the surface but in three months his would get me going!

 

It’s Friggin’ September aka The Month Of My Birth

I cannot believe it is already September! Happy day after Labor Day ya’ll. This gal was actually off work which almost never happens in the medical practice I work in – we could be compared to a mini-ER so we’re there for you no matter the holiday.

September is a wonderful month in which I prefer to celebrate every day because come the 15th it is on like donkey kong bishes. aka, it’s my birthday and I will curse in sort of curse words if I want to. we good?

As I was perusing my BlogLovin’ feed I came across Jenni and her once again imaginative way to get back to writing. and it is such a help, especially for those of us just starting out or who sometimes get a little blog fright – I equal this to stage fright for a performer. I love having a blog but am sometimes afraid of saying what I really feel or putting it all out there because of negative criticism or disheartening comments or people who want to fight and argue other points of view… I’m all for free speech and I love the fact that not everyone is the same cookie cutter person but be who you are in a respectful and dignified manner please. and thank you.

so let’s get this party hoppin’ shall we?

describe where or what  you came from. the people, places, and/or factors that make up who you are.

whoa. jumpin’ off the deep end are we now…

I’m from Tennessee. born and raised. I came from a mom and dad who divorced when I was 2. Mom remarried when I was 3 to my wonderful step-dad. They had a daughter who I so lovingly refer to as my sisser. Only the best sister you could ever have in the entire world. She and I were the only grandkids for our mom’s parents, Nana and Papaw. They were the best grandparents you could ever dream of. Nana died in 2005 and Papaw in 2010. My bio-dad moved a lot when I was younger and there would be years that passed before we talked to each other. The longest stretch between my 9th grade year in high school and my sophomore year in college. My step-dad who I call dad/daddy/pops walked me down the aisle at my wedding. Yes my bio-dad was there.

My papaw became very ill just a short two months after my wedding. A few years prior I had been assigned medical/durable power of attorney and at the time I never thought I’d have to do anything but after two months of him in ICU and on a ventilator and after a lot of prayer, talks with medical personnel, family, and researching, I was the one who had to sign the papers to officially “pull the plug” and although I haven’t talked about it since, it’s something that shaped me. that made me realize that life is such a precious gift that can be taken away from us in an instant. He had been gone for a few days before we made the decision to turn off the machines but it was still the absolute hardest decision I had to ever make in my entire life. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone and I hope to never be put in that position again. making me who I am. hell yes.

something else that has made me who I am today would be my husband, josh. he and I have known each other since 6th grade and have been in a relationship since we were 16. we will be celebrating our 10 year anniversary this December and he has taught me more about myself than I could ever have imagined finding out without him. He has been with me through the hardest times in my life and some of the best. he isn’t just my husband, he is my best friend and he supports me and guides me and has helped to shape me these last 9 1/2 years.

BOOM. [and that’s not even all of it – that’s just the beginning]