Demo & Dear Friends

One of my goals for the year of 2016, is to be more hospitable and/or make an effort to get together. Whether that includes hosting a potluck, having family or friends out for the weekend, inviting couples over for supper, or maybe just a coffee date with friends, it all counts. I find that I really enjoy having people into our home or planning an outing, but at times I lack confidence when it comes to inviting those that I do not know all that well. 

We have actually been working on a house project that will hopefully promote more gatherings in the near future. We really did not have a spacious room to set more than one table up or have a singing in, that was until New Year's weekend when my husband needed a project. He had been talking about removing a certain, non-load-bearing wall for some time. I was a bit hesitant for him to get his hammer out and start going at it, especially since there was quite a bit of electrical involved. My husband really impressed me though, he is more of a handy man than I ever realized.

An addition was put on our house several years back. This red room jets off of our kitchen and we used it as a dining room when we would have guests.

There is another room connected, similar in size, that we used as an office. Neither of us spent much time in either of these two rooms, and it felt like wasted space. Although, I'm not sure how much space two people can use. The office would never have made a good bedroom since it had such wide doors, and would have only accommodated a twin-size bed.

Nate made several trips to the attic, removed doors and trim, and did plenty of measuring before he was ready to demo. 

Things happen pretty quickly when you give a man a crowbar, hammer, and a wall.

That morning I went to the local grocery store to grab a few things, keep in mind that the wall was still fully intact before I left. I was gone for half an hour, at the longest, and I came home to this. WHAT.A.MESS.

We cleaned things up and soon realized what a difference had been made. We are far from finished, but Nate has made some good progress. He transitioned the carpet and flooring together, put in two new ceiling fans, re-routed all the wiring by himself, and has been patching the walls and ceiling with drywall.

This picture is a bit out of proportion, but it gives you a better idea of what it currently looks like. I cannot wait until we are ready for the painting stage. Goodbye red-colored walls, you are not welcome any longer.

Although my house is under construction, I have tried to not let my perfectionism take free course. It would be easy to use this as an excuse to not host, but it is not worth it.

I invited a few of my single cousins over for supper last Saturday. I did not get any pictures, but when I went to unlock my phone at the end of the night, this picture was welcoming me.

I.HAVE.NO.WORDS.

This past Thursday, I arranged to have lunch with a few of my married friends from this area. I cannot believe that the little girls endured our three hour conversation. They were so good.

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of having four of my closest childhood friends come visit Ohio. We had brunch together, and I enjoyed every minute with them. We are all now married, attending four different AC churches, residing in three different states.

Sometimes I wish that life would not have taken us all so far apart. I also know that if any of them were close by, I would not put as much effort into creating new relationships. So I guess there are two sides to just about everything. We talked about how perfect each of our husbands are for us, which is the biggest reminder that we are exactly where we are meant to be.

We really have not changed, in appearance, a whole lot since 2009 (see picture below).

So that has been our January thus far. Nothing extremely exotic or exciting. Just life as we know it.

Thank you for stopping by!!

A Few of My Favorite Things

I am here to tell you about a few of my favorite things. Like the classic song says, I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad. I am not insinuating that I am feeling bad, but isn't it true that our favorite things can transform our mood in miraculous ways.

First I will start off with....

1. Christmas Card Season

I do not know many individuals who do not enjoy Christmas Card Season. The employees of our local post office would probably compare this time of year to the tax season of an accountant or the harvest time of a farmer. The mailbox sees a whole lot more of myself, during December, when I know that there may be more than just a coupon from Jo-Ann Fabrics.

DID YOU KNOW:

• There are more than 3,000 greeting card publishers in America. (I would say that we do not lack in options when it comes to where to order from.)
• 15% of Christmas cards are purchased by men.
• Over 2 billion Christmas cards are sent in the US each year.
• The first Christmas postage stamp was issued in the US in 1962. (I love Christmas stamps, although I did not plan very well and ran out halfway through.)

Source

I wonder how many couples attempt to take their own Christmas pictures, along with the help of their tripod of course. The fact that I got a select few pictures, that had both of our faces included, is quite a victory.

2. Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day Dish Soap & Laundry Detergent

I am not an "all natural" or "go green" girl by any means, but I have become hooked on the Mrs. Meyer's Clean Day products. I love the way the products smell and I have noticed that my dish rag never gets an odor to it when using this dish soap. I can use the same dish rag for a couple weeks. These products are made with natural essential oils and they are inspired by an Iowa, stay-at-home mother of nine. I watched a short clip of Mrs. Thelma Meyer, and something she said really struck me. She said that when it comes to cleaning there should be a happy medium between perfectionism and a happy, "lived in" home. 

My personality causes me to stress over trying to get my house to be perfect before company comes, but I know that is not always possible (especially if there are children in the future). I need to pray that God will grant me that happy medium, and that I can be a relaxed and welcoming hostess.

The short video clip, from Mrs. Meyer, can be found by clicking "Source" below. It was a good reminder for me.

Source

3. My Bread Machine

If you would ask me what item in my kitchen gets the most use out of any, I would have to say my bread machine. This Oster bread machine has become an absolute necessity to me. I would say I use it once per week on average. I knew, even before I was engaged, that this would be one of the first items on my registry.

My love for making bread was passed down from my Mom. I learned all I know from her. We use the same dough recipe for multiple things: dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, bread sticks, pizza crust, pizza rolls (with pepperoni and cheese inside), ect. I will have to share the recipe in a later post.

My sister-in-law, Sara, made us some delicious Whipped Pumpkin Butter that I have been putting on Avantis dinner rolls all week long. It is wonderful! I may have snuck onto her Pinterest account to find the link. It it most definitely a winner.

Source 

4. The Andy Griffith Show

I have a confession to make. If you know me well, this will not surprise you. I have spent hours upon hours giving in to this mild addiction. So maybe this obsession does not qualify as mild. It might fit in the "major obsession" category a little better.

The time has come for me to spill the beans to you about my love for The Andy Griffith Show.

I was born into a family of Andy Griffith lovers, and so you see it was destined to be. Clean entertainment is hard to come by as you know. The Andy Griffith Show is the first non-cartoon that I remember watching as a young girl.

My brothers and I would watch the black and white shows over and over again. That practice continues for me. I am pretty certain that we introduced our love for the Andy Griffith Show to each of our spouses. Although they had already heard of the show, they were brought to a much deeper level (whether they liked it or not). 

Nate has been a great sport. It was not hard to convince him to watch these episodes with me, when we were first married. Now when I ask him what show he would like to watch in the evening, he frequently answers "Andy Griffith."

Not only does my family own most of the Andy Griffith seasons, but we also have the Andy Griffith Trivia Game.

My cousins put on an Andy Griffith potluck for the young group several years ago. Check out Helen, Barney, and Thelma Lou in the picture below (aka: Jamy, Lance, and Wendy). I love being the author of this blog and having free reign to post pictures such as these.

Who is my favorite actor on the show? That is a no-brainer. I would definitely have to say Don Knotts (Barney). He brings about such clean and funny humor. He makes the show what it is. I attached one of the many hilarious clips from the show.

What is my favorite episode? It is a toss-up between Barney and the Choir and Barney's Sidecar. Notice that they both have "Barney" in the title. I would estimate that I have seen each of those episodes around 15-20 times, and that may even be a little conservative.

I could go on about the show, but most of us are familiar with the whole Mayberry scene. I know there are several other Andy Griffith Show lovers out there who can relate.

As Barney would say, "Over and out" or maybe "10-4."

Wishing you all a wonderful Thanksgiving!!