Finally, a Pretty Coat Pattern!

I'm so excited to find one I like. A coat with a ruffle! I think I might have a new project for this winter.



Though I definitely won't be wearing it with any aqua stockings. Sheesh!

A Beautiful Baby, a Finished Shawl, and a New Project

I was so blessed this weekend to meet my darling friend's child. It was truly amazing to hold a little someone in your arms who you had prayed for and hoped for. What a miracle little Luke is! His sweet momma is one of my closest friends, a Godly woman who is an inspiration to me and such an example to look up to. I may not have any sisters by birth, but I consider her to be my Sister in Re-Birth :) What a gift from our Heavenly Father to have such friends!

I hardly stopped holding him all weekend- Rachel was so sweet to share her little one with me!

Daddy and son.


That's just precious.


My own hubby with baby Luke. Luke just smiled and smiled at my hubby :)


And I finished the Never Ending Shawl last monday. Whew! What a relief :) I can't *wait* to wear it this winter. Too bad I finished it in the middle of hot summer! Lol.

I'm so happy to be done.


You can see the pattern a little better on the back. Please excuse my bedraggled hair, I spent most of today feeling not so great!



But how could I go without a knitting/crochet project for more than a couple of days? Here is the throw for our bed in the works. I love knitting and crochet because you can just pick it up and work on it, as opposed to hauling out the sewing machine and ironing board! Rachel helped me pick out the yarn this weekend in Fort Worth. I think it's such a pretty color- and I'm knitting it on connected needles so I won't have to do it in panels. I'm excited about making something for our bed!

Washington DC Pictures!

These are mainly for the benefit of my momma :) But for anyone else who would enjoy, here's the DC pictures!

Miss Faye and I outside the fancy Ritz Carlton.


The capitol building was by far our favorite spot!

We just got soaked by a surprise storm. So sad! :)

We waited and waited, but George and Laura never came out to wave.

Thomas Jefferson Memorial.

It's a REALLY big statue!

My first ever Subway ride. Staying in DC made me wish Texas had better public transit- I would LOVE to sell our cars. Sigh! You can read, crochet, or just relax while someone else does all the driving. And it makes you walk *so* much more- I think we'd all be a lot more fit here if we walked so much!

The Lincoln Memorial is so beautiful at night. And so big!

Cushy beds are nice, but sleeping without your snuggly hubby is not.

I took this one especially for momma. She loves buntings!

The subway tunnels were so neat. And they stayed pretty cool for it being so hot outside- it was a nice respite!

I think we took about 300 pictures or so (!)- this is just a small sample. I would love to spend days and days and days there- there is so much to see! I hope to go back someday. In case I do, I will be remembering these 6 Washington Commandments:

1. Thou shalt never store thy cell phone next to thy Metro card.
(This swiftly makes your cell phone crazy and demagnetizes your Metro card, leading to a kink in your easy traveling.)
2. Thou shalt always wear thy most comfortable shoes.
(Even in my most comfortable shoes, I am covered in blisters.)
3. Thou shalt ask thy congressman for House and Senate passes.
(Otherwise they turn you away at the door. Luckily, its just a short walk over to your friendly obliging Texas Congressman who will quickly aright the situation.)
4. Thou shalt carry a Metro map with thou every where thou goest.
(Otherwise you might accidentally get on the correct color train... going the wrong way. Ahem.)
5. Thou shalt arrive at the capitol building before three P.M.
(They stop giving tours at four- and if you don't happen to run into a friendly federal agent like we did, you won't get a tour! Thankfully and Providentially, we got an even better one that we would have. You can't say no to an after hours guided tour from a federal agent!)
6. Thou shalt travel with an umbrella.
(See above pictures-lol!)

That was silly... but you really might want to remember those things :)

Random Thoughts Meme

Thank you, Tiffany, for the tag! :)

I am: a daughter of the King and a happy wife.
I think: that I don't update my blog nearly enough lately :)
I know: that Christ is coming back again.
I have: a neatly and nicely organized closet, since I just finished taking EVERYTHING out, going through it, and placing it back in, in a wonderfully organized fashion.
I wish: I hadn't told my husband I would *never* need another skirt again (said while cleaning the closet) LOL!
I hate: it when people use my Lord's name in vain. (I stole this from Tiffany- because I agree SO much!)
I miss: my parent's house.
I fear: nothing but the Lord. (As in reverence and awe of our Great and Mighty God)
I feel: happy to be home and catching up on wifely duties. I'll post pictures of DC sometime soon!
I hear: my busy hubby in the background, and the hum of our fridge :)
I smell: chopped celery. (I just made a veggie plate for a church gathering)
I crave: more time at home.
I search: for keys, sunglasses, and pretty much anything else I'm prone to losing!
I wonder: at the gift of the human body, and how amazingly and intricately it works in concert.
I regret: oh... sigh. Lots of things. Thankfully, regret leads to repentance.
I love: my Saviour and God, my hubby, my family, my friends, and my baby kitty.
I ache: for a child of my own.
I am not: very good at sticking to any exercise plan.
I believe: that God knows the desires of my heart.
I dance: pretty much never, unless I'm *really* excited about something.
I sing: ALL the time. I *love* to sing praise with others, especially without accompaniment.
I cry: every time I'm really touched by something. Happy or sad!
I don't always: remember to watch my tongue until too late.
I fight: my sinful nature.
I write: on this blog...
I win: all rhyming games. Muah ah ah ah ah. (thats a cackle, by the way)
I lose: most everything involving sports.
I never: want to see another roach. Yech!
I always: have a cup of coffee in the morning.
I confuse: my poor hubby sometimes :)
I listen: to my hubby, my friends, and family.
I can usually be found: with something Vera Bradley. From purses to bible covers to wallets, I've usually got something with me!
I am scared: of taking a shower when no one else is home. I'm such a baby!
I need: to finish my black crocheted wrap.
I am happy about: being home with my hubby here.
I imagine: what life will be like if and when the Lord gives us children.
I am wearing: a blue and white striped cotton shirt and a ruffled long blue skirt I made.
I look forward to: everything the Lord has planned for us!

A few more photos

And then I really need to get back to crafting! I'll be visiting Washington D.C. this week, and I *really* hope to finish the black crochet never ending wrap while I'm there. I'd love to start on a throw blanket for our bed, but I just can't justify starting a new project until I'm all done with my wrap!

So now to prove Hubby can be crafty too... He made a potato gun. The general principle is that compressed air propels out whatever it is you put in the other side. We found prickly pears to go the farthest. Note: only do this on a farm. Not in the city!

That's my daddy and my husband... enjoying the potato gun fun, and loading it with compressed air.


Ready, Aim, Fire!


I only shot it once. And I was the only one to hit the target. Tee hee.


Okay, I admit, my uncle helped me aim it :) All credit goes to him!

And how could I forget- Who can resist a rooster that loves to be petted and sit in your lap?

Hubby and I decided...

The blog needed a new look! I really like the new template... and it was free. The link is at the very bottom of the page, so go check out her really pretty free templates.

A Behind the Scenes Zoo Tour

While out of town for the Fourth of July, we were blessed to take a "behind the scenes" tour of the Zoo. It was such a joy! And what a learning experience. The zoo director showed us all the feeding rooms, the veterinary room, and all the animals not on display. Even though it was quite warm, and I got a *little* sunburned, it was one of the best experiences of my life! Here are a few pictures...

Here is the very kind zoo director showing us his sweet kitty... Hee hee. This cougar is not on display and was a rescue animal. She's just beautiful in person and purrs like a kitten- a big kitten!

In the background you can see the baby cougars too young to be out in the zoo.

It was so sweet how the cougar purred and nuzzled the director's hand.

A close up!

A funny little fox.

I only wish we had gotten more pictures! It was so nice to have someone there to answer all your questions. I learned so much in such a short amount of time, and had some unforgettable experiences like petting a rhino (!) and getting inside the "outer cage" of the cougars!

Making your Swiffer All Natural

After my sweet hubby sent me this funny pie chart he made of my postings, I decided I needed some more "granola" in my blog.



Okay, I'm just kidding, I've had this post planned for a while. But I thought it was a funny coincidence :)

First let me say the reason why I do love all things "granola". I believe God our Heavenly Father put lots of wonderful things on this Earth that He created to help us live healthy lives and help in healing many things. I don't believe we're made for loads of chemicals and pesticides to be put in our body daily! Also, I believe this planet God made was a gift, and should be treated with thankfulness and care, just like we treat all gifts from our Heavenly Father.

Now onto Swiffer-ing. I have a love-hate relationship with my Swiffer... I love how it makes the floors squeaky clean, but I hate that chemical smell and the EXCEEDINGLY expensive floor pads and fluid. So I poked around a bit online and found some tutorials to help one out- but most of these were aimed at "sticking it to the man" and such things like that. So I thought I'd make my own to save you the sifting through :)

First ask hubby, very nicely, to cut you a hole in the TOP of your swiffer bottle. Swiffer has ingeniously sealed the cap at the bottom to where you can't get in without breaking the bottle. Hmph. This should be about the same size as the neck of a water bottle. Rinse out the remaining fluid and dry the bottle on the outside.



Now cut the "neck" off of a water bottle. No need to ask hubby, this can be done with a plain old pair of scissors :) Unscrew the top of the bottle off the neck and get your hot glue gun warmed up. If you want a water tight seal, you'll need some fancy glue. If you want one that just makes sure no evaporation is happening and you can easily access the inside, hot glue works just fine! (If you put the bottle into the Swiffer it holds it with the access you made UP) Now glue the neck to the hole in the bottle.



I filled mine with half Vinegar, half water, and a few drops of Lemon essential oil. When I run out of pads for the bottom, I plan on using some Microfiber towels we have. Just toss them in the wash when done! :)