Must See...

I feel the need to share with you my two favorite things for the week...wait make that three.

3) We have the best neighbors. Not only did Mechanic Steve fix our van for a mere $30 (and told me that the other noise it makes doesn't need to be fixed and isn't harming anything...which is my favorite answer ever,) his lovely wife Marlas had a spare package of pepperoni to loan me...it's a long story, let's just say I really needed the pepperoni. (side note to Marlas: I bought a new pkg of pepperoni yesterday, I'll have Noah run it over if it ever stops raining ;)

2) This week I purchased MY MOST FAVORITE BRACELET for a mere $4.50... ready to see it?

I've worn it everyday...who knew a plastic Peacock feather bracelet could go with EVERYTHING. Remember the Little Bit Ugly rule? That totally applies here.

1) Julie...ya'll know who she is. Julie has a super good friend named Audhild. Audhild is adorable. She has a cute blog that I love (even if it's written in Norwegian and I can't understand it.) Back to my point: Audhild posted a video on her blog yesterday that I have probably watched 75 times...it should be on YouTube.

GO WATCH IT RIGHT NOW!!! For real, it'll make your day. (Audhild is in the middle, and Julie is on the right) And while you're there, if you would be so kind as to thank Audhild for that piece of entertainment, I'd be ever so grateful.

The whole parsonage family is on a mission to learn the Beaver Song...because HELLO tiny town has a unique relationship to Beaver's (I'm not gonna get into it.) I'm just saying...I think that song is gonna spread through tiny town after a certain Norwegian girl arrives...Tiny Town now has a new theme song.

I love love love that God picked a quirky teenager in Norway to live with a quirkier family in tiny town USA. Oh the videos that will be made in this parsonage... ;)

Happy Friday Friends!

Pin It

I Entertain Myself...

Pregnancy Tickers

*Smile*
My ability to find a ticker thingy to show the countdown till Julie arrives is obviously sub-par.
But pretty darn funny though ;)

Pin It

Ordinary = Good

Here's some random information to bring you up to date on my oh-so-ordinary life.

Ordinary = Good.

No worries, I'll narrow it down to the topics I bore talk about the most.

My family: Ben and I have been doing Jillians 30 Day shred together...we're on day 6 or 7. We've committed to do it everyday (except Sunday because good grief we need some rest) till Julie comes...25 more days. I'd like to say, for the record, that I'd gladly run 8 miles over TWO MINUTES OF JUMPING JACKS!

The Boys: It goes a little something like this...make a mess, leave that mess to start another mess...eat, eat, eat...fight like crazy...play like crazy...pool...eat, eat, eat...mom has a melt down that goes something like this: pick up your mess, get out of the food you JUST ATE, stop tattling, stop saying that, *watch in amazement as they play good together for a few hours*, remind them again to get out of the pantry, tell them it's time to practice reading...at which point they all suddenly quietly disappear...Summer is fun.

Running: Going good. 1/2 Mary is September 12th. We'll be ready. We won't be fast, but we'll be ready. Goal: Finish. I know, my standards are so high.

Julie: 25 days and she'll be here. Go here to see her and here to listen to her :)

The biggest most important thing: I'm struggling this Summer with giving God the rightful place He deserves...First...top priority. I'm used to structure and routine...both in my daily schedule and with our Ladies Bible study...but this Summer has put those both on hiatus and I find myself getting to the end of the day and realizing I never really took time with just Him. I hate that I so easily allow Him to get squeezed out by unimportant things...

Cute Clothes: I had said in my last post that I was going to share some of my favorite stuff from this Summer...and I'm still going to, sometime this week!

Well, I think that's pretty much all of it!

Your turn...fill me in ;)

Pin It

Because I Like Cute Stuff...

I have a dream.

It goes a little something like this: Someone with some skill at putting adorable quirky outfits together comes to my home, takes the clothes I already have and puts outfits together for me. Ya know, cute outfits that I never would have thought of.

That way, I wouldn't just stand at my closet everyday, staring at it while my eyes glaze over...until I give up and put on a boring t-shirt and shorts.

A few weeks ago I found a neat new sight called ModCloth. A-dore-a-ble. I can't get enough of their cute stuff...especially the outerwear. And by "get" I mean "look at on my computer screen without actually purchasing" Exciting, huh ;)

From ModCloth I found the ModCloth blog...which is kinda fun...funky little fashion people sharing their style.

From ModCloth blog I found WishWishWish. I am not even kidding that I spent a couple hours one day/evening reading back through all she's written. Her style is very retro, and she just might have convinced me to go vintage this coming fall and winter...thrift stores here I come. I also love that she takes pictures of herself in outfits she's put together, which I happen to think is genius...because I need to see how things work together so I can copy. Plus, it's loaded with clever ideas like this one...which I've already bought ribbon for! She also introduced me to TopShop which is apparently a big deal...but I live in Iowa, so I had no idea ;)

A couple others that I've also fallen for are Go Jane (cheap shoes and stuff) These boots are calling my name for fall, and the price can't be beat...even if they are "man made materials."

Tulle in another cutie. Some of the stuff from the Tulle sight I've seen in a local store...the prices were much more expensive in the store. This coat just makes me happy...just looking at it.

I'm no fashionista. I don't even know what a fashionista is, except that I've seen the term a lot since reading some new blogs. But I do love seeing how people put stuff together to express their personality. I love getting cute, cost friendly ideas to make old stuff seem new and fresh and fun again.

I'm working on a post that includes some of my own personal favorite stuff I'm wearing this summer...coming some time next week :)

Happy 4th of July weekend! God bless this country and God bless these. YAY!

Pin It

Because I'm Weird...

I happened to take a good look at my Google reader the other day discovered I have some blogging stereotypes and bias.

One can learn a lot about themselves by the blogs they read.

Generally speaking, I'm a mom-blog kinda reader....ladies that are in the trenches of motherhood with me . I'm also easily sucked in by several Christian women who are sharing their journey and keepin' it real in the process. They make me laugh, relate, and many times cry...there's comfort in knowing others out there are like me...going through the same stuff of life.

Because it's no secret I'm a tad quirky there's also some un-written made-up rules I seem to follow regarding what blogs I read. Here's what I found from my reader:

• I've stopped subscribing to any of the huge blogs. Weird, huh. I've visited before, and they're pretty great (obviously, or they wouldn't be so huge) but I always end up leaving and feeling like the odd kid who's standing outside the group of the popular kids...like I need to go find another kid who actually needs a friend...
• I don't read cooking blogs...it's just not my thing. It would be like me trying to read blogs about golf or fishing...although both are fine activities I don't particularly enjoy them.
• I like smaller blogs because then I get to interact with the writer.
• If the blog posts are loooong with long paragraphs I stop reading, no matter how great it is...it must have something to do with my self-diagnosed ADD.
• If the blog background is really dark and I can't see the letters well I stop reading...it hurts my eyes...for real.
• I love blogs that look at life through a unique perspective.
• But I tend to shy away from ones that seem too sad, or too negative.
• I get on tangents of certain topics. For awhile I read a bunch of running blogs...eventually I narrowed it down to the ones who are not over-achiever runners, but more like myself...only better.
• Lately I'm hooked on some fashion blogs that are utterly adorable. I'm gonna share those links with you tomorrow...because I'm just too lazy to do it today.

It's odd, but my blog reading tendencies are very similar to my real life. Much of what draws my attention or repels it are the same.

Some of it needs to be tweaked.

Some of it, I'm just gonna leave alone...because golfing and fishing are boring, I don't care what you say *wink wink*

Pin It

I've Found Another...

Dear Scrap booking,

For years I watched people become enamored with your little craft. I swore to myself I'd never be taken in by you. Too much work...not enough time.

Four years ago, upon my move to tiny town, somehow my defenses were down and I gave in.

Everyone was doing it.

And I loved it. And in true Sarah form, I went full-boar. Eight of these babies I finished in about 2 1/2 years.

(Blogger is being totally disobediant about turning this picture)

I've known this was coming though. I've lost that loving feeling. I tried to rekindle it...I did. But it's gone. Long gone. Scrap booking, you've been replaced with a new, faster and cheaper method...called Shutterfly.

Oh, don't worry, we'll have one last hurrah...there's one last book that's half-done...my obsessive personality can't allow that...it must be finished...in January at a special scrap booking retreat that I am still going to go to even if I quit scrapping because I love that retreat ;)

Back to my point. It was fun while it lasted. But all good things come to an end, eventually...it's not you, it's me...or something like that.

My Deepest Regards,

Sarah

Pin It

Can't Come Up With a Title...

This morning in the parsonage...

• I awoke to the fact that Julie will arrive in 35 days...and then I wondered if she'll need knee pads for volleyball camp when she comes, because I'd hate for her to go and not have the appropriate attire on her third day in America. What kind of Pseudo mom am I if I don't even know what she is supposed to wear!?!?

• After dragging myself out of bed, I was greeted by Jake who had picked out his own clothes and dressed himself.

Nice choice with the dark socks and sandals little buddy...elderly men all over would be so proud of you...although I'm not sure they'd choose to wear their shoes on the wrong feet. The shirt on backwards...that's just a bonus.

• I went out to water my plants...still in my pajamas. Classy.

• I found this in my fern:

• I ran over to my neighbors house to take the cookies out of the oven for her (because we live in tiny town and we do that sort of thing...it's the best place on earth.) I still had my pajama pants on....and I was out of breath when I got back. What? How, you ask? Aren't I training for a 1/2 Mary? Why yes, technically I am. Except this week I have not ran once. Not once. I am 14 miles behind for the week...and scheduled to run 9 tomorrow....which is my 11 year wedding anniversary. Did you catch all that?

• I learned something about myself this week. This week has been full of ups and downs. Big ones. For some people, running is an escape. It is not that for me...I so wish it was. Physically, running is a great stress reliever for me...mentally though, it's just one more thing to do...one more thing required of me. This week, I just wasn't up to it. I needed a break. I fell off the running wagon. Monday though...I'll get back on...and pray that my body decides not to punish me too badly for the week long break.

• Tonight, my mom is taking the boys overnight so that Ben and I can have a date and a quiet house. Eleven years...we were babies when we got married. 20 and 23...but we were ready, as crazy as that sounds. And it has been an amazingly wonderful 11 years...which sounds even crazier ;)

• God gets the glory for it. All of it. Happy Weekend!

Pin It