Brrrrrrrrr!

For a few days there was a glimmer of hope that we might actually get a White Christmas. Now apparently cold and wet is all we're getting. Oh well. As we packed up our Christmas and drove away this morning from our cold blue house, snow or not, I know where I'll be tonight. Snuggling with my man by the fire in our little Blue Ridge cabin, still hoping for a White Christmas, but probably, much to Steven's delight, settling for watching the movie instead.



Merry Christmas everybody!!

Reason why I love my husband #177

Saturday morning...

ME: Ummm, would you care if I paint the door by the fire place Aqua Mermaid Green?

Steven: Sure Baby, what ever you want.

By Saturday evening...





ME: Oh Babe, I love. It looks soooo good. I love it, I love it, I love it! It's exactly how I imagined it. Don't you love it too?

Steven: It's great Hun. Very...green.

I really am crazy about my new green door. I can't really tell you why. All I know is that the rest of the weekend all I wanted to do was sit in front of my green door, and eat in front of my green door, and dance in front of my green door, and curl up in front of my green door. My beautiful green door.

And you know what, it just makes me even more thankful for my husband. For being patient and loving and fun. And for letting me indulge in life's simple pleasures. Like painting a random door your favorite color, just because...

My Parents

Do you think this girl...




And this boy...



Knew they would end up here?





"Marriage is not a noun; it's a verb. It isn't something you get. It's something you do. It's the way you love your partner every day."

~Barbara De Angelis

Random...

So Steven had to work a party last night.

My evening alone started with this...



Then I remember, I'm not alone. So the girls and I gathered in the sunroom to discuss our day's events. They are very good listeners...



One of my husband's many wonderful qualities is that he's a fantastic cook and enjoys creativity in the kitchen. So I felt I should try to follow his lead and scan our pantry and fridge for ideas to create a warm, delicious, nutritious, and satisfying dinner.

I said I tried...



Oh, have I shown you my new pillow? I love it.



One day I would love to create a pillow like the one above. But for now, I'll settle for creating one like this...



And since I'm sticking with random, here's my newest creation. I met with 7 other girls this past Tuesday for girl's craft night. We made wreaths. Imagine a spread of food, plenty of wine, lots of chatter and an entire living room floor covered with evergreen branches, berries, feathers, dried flowers, bells, ribbon, and many other accessories. Sounds pretty incredible, right? I wish I had taken pictures of all of them. All very unique and beautiful, some more Christmasy then others.

I invited a little friend to live in mine...




I told you this was random.

Being a girl...

I remember going through periods of time where I secretly wished I would have been born a boy. I remember being in Elementary School and admiring the simplicity they seemed to posses even then. Whether that's a compliment or not, I enjoyed being around it. I even vividly remember the moment when my mom had to tell me it was no longer appropriate for me to take my shirt off when playing with my brother and boy cousins. We had built a slide from a plastic exercise mat and found you slid much faster if you took your shirt off and sat on it....


I was devastated. Jenny prayed for God to make her a bird, I prayed he would make me boy.

Don't get me wrong, I was all girl. Make believe, dolls, horses, Prince Charming, you name it. Being a girl just seemed complex at times.

But I have truly grown to love being a girl and all that entails. I love feeling free to express and feel every emotion that flickers through my brain. I love that I get to love things just because they are pretty. I love that I am fully capable of killing any bug and taking care of any varmint I may come across, but if I prefer, I can scream for my husband to come and take care of it. I love that seeing wildflowers in bloom make me happy. I love that seeing a beautiful horse run across a field can actually move me to tears. I love that I can carry a 100lb backpack across Alaska for a month with no showers, but still pack fingernail polish for my toes and tweezers for my eyebrows. I love that I can actually be laughing, fighting and crying all at the same time. But my favorite thing?? The thing I love most about being a girl? The reason I can't wait to have daughters? You guessed it, the Dress Up.

Whether it's a princess dress, a rock star wig, a make believe costume, grandpa's army clothes, mama's shoes, my great-grandma's jewelry or my favorite... a hodge podge of whatever you feel like. And for me, as much fun as it was when I was little, I happen to still enjoy it. Steven's working late tonight...runway time! High heels with flannel pants? Stunning. Would these two dresses look good layered on top of each other? Interesting. Should I add these boots? Fantastic. Would I ever wear this in public? Hell no. But that is what I love. And I pretend that Steven loves that about me too. Will he come home to sexy diva housewife? Or homeless layered up bag lady? It keeps it fun, right?

Dress up is just another thing I love about spending weekends with my niece Maeve. She's just on the verge of full blown dress up (she's only 2). But it's amazing to me how innate it is inside every little girl to pretend. But more then pretend, the realization that what we put on the outside doesn't define who we are but it does allow us to experiment and express what ever whim we happen to have at that time. And THAT is fun :)


Does this hat go with this flashlight??


Swimming anyone?


It's not too big, it's perfect!


This is way cuter to play in.


This is me, starting young.


ULTIMATE DRESS UP!!

And last but not least, if you were going to take a stroll at sunset wouldn't you choose a turtleneck, white stockings, red galoshes 2 sizes too big, and mama's headband to wear?? Of course!

Fierce Love and Tangible Joy

So there's this girl, a woman actually. More than that, she's a beautiful woman.

A beautiful woman, with a beautiful soul.

A woman with a growing life inside a growing belly.

She is strong, yet loving. She can be stern, yet always nurturing. She is a leader and an example without being bossy.

She is a woman who gives and guides, hugs and kisses, comforts and encourages. She is a woman who loves...

This woman already has one baby, a young girl actually. More than that, she's an angel.

An angel sent here as a little girl.



She is spirited and strong, but as sweet as honeysuckle. She will love her baby brother as fiercely as she has been loved.

She is joy in a tangible form. She is excitement and adventure and peace and contentment all wrapped into one.



She is a little girl who laughs and smiles, hugs and kisses, and she dances... she dances just because she can.



This little girl is love...

Oh, did I mention that the beautiful, nurturing woman is my big sister? And that the tangible piece of joy is my niece?

As my mom would say, my cup runneth over.