lucy makes cadbury eggs

well, here i am again gracing the internets and your computer screens with my presence. lucky you! i haven't been around much lately for no reason other than sheer lack of motivation. hubs and i are having lots {and lots and lots} of conversations about our future and dealing with all the little {and big} ups-and-downs of life that seem to be coming all at once these days. and while next year still has a big question mark next to it, i can definitely say i've kicked my funk and am feeling myself again. this uncertain time is a chance for us to define ourselves and look at life as an adventure again, not an obstacle, and i'm excited about the possibilities. even if that ultimately means staying in kansas one more year. {also, hubs passed his thesis defense! great news indeed} {also also some things are in the works that i might be sharing with you soon!}

so, moving on, happy belated easter! it's no secret that i'm in love with dessert of all shapes and sizes but husband really isn't. that being said, he's obsessed with cadbury creme eggs and i've kept a constant supply of them in the house since they appeared. since they'll be gone soon i tried my hand at making my own {with these instructions}

they taste ah.mazing!

unfortunately i didn't want to get molds and i'm really not good at dipping things in chocolate and i made a huge mess in the kitchen {and on my hands. and on the floor...} i felt like lucy at the chocolate factory. 

good thing my stomach doesn't have eyes!

a little more love

i love my bestie. so i used the holiday as an excuse to send her a package, all wrapped up in red and pink.

it included {among other things} this most ridiculous-but-yet-perfect card:

{it makes sounds, too}

and this little owly keychain. i made one for myself a couple weeks ago and i just knew sarah would love one too. 

{here's mine}

yep, even our keychains are besties!

it's valentine's day!

oh valentine's day. what a controversial holiday. and not one that i have ever particularly liked or celebrated- hubby and i rarely acknowledge the day, except maybe for a small love note or two. i do love making things and telling people i love them, so i made some cards for friends, and then i made some more for all my kiddos at school.

i found these over at mer mag and thought they were perfect. 

i made a few changes and personalized them a little so that each kid wouldn't get exactly the same thing.

i think pirates arrrr adorable!

{groan....sorry, i couldn't help it....}

well, whether you celebrate it or not, i hope you're all having a beautiful day!

scenes from our little thanksgiving

we had a wonderful thanksgiving {and i hope you did, too!}

i was extremely proud of myself for making us a feast and getting it ready on time {i don't cook often, so it's nice to know i can if i want to} 

the menu:

-rotisserie chicken {we're not big meat-eaters, so husband grabbed one of these from the store}

but everything else was made by me:

-homemade bread

 -cranberry relish

-cheesy potatoes {we cheated and made these the night before and had them for dinner!} 

-stuffing

-green bean cassarole

- chocolate crackle cookies

   

we borrowed a table and had dinner in the middle of the livingroom, with good music in the background, and the football game on mute {i don't know how the lions are able to keep fans when they're always so disappointing and heartbreaking, but husband always goes back for more} he sat on a desk chair and i sat on an ottoman.

and besides the food, i also made some decorations. {told you i wanted a leaf theme!}

like some leaf swags:

 and leaf candle holders {using jars i already had}:

and some mini pumpkin votives, too:

i got a remnant of cream-colored burlap a couple weeks ago and made it into a table runner:

i embroidered leaves on it, with one side mirroring the other:

 {the middle} 

 {with graduated colors}

 {from dark brown}

 {to green}

and even though it was just the two of us, i had a little fun with "place cards" using our initials:

i convinced husband to take this photo quick, before we ate:

{and don't be fooled, we put on sweaters over our pj's for about 2 minutes, and then quickly switched back the rest of the day}

so, even though we were far away from family and friends, we had a wonderful day together, with way too much food! 

and then we went and saw harry potter.

i wish thanksgiving came more than once a year!

happy thanksgiving!

it's just husband and i this year. we're happily settled in and watching the parade and planning to have our turkey dinner in pj's. 

i hope you all have a wonderful day with your loved ones!

jumping the gun? nah.

husband and i recently came to the conclusion that going home for thanksgiving just isn't in the books this year. travel is so expensive, and i only get a couple short days off of work, so the idea of spending 2 days traveling for 2 days at home just doesn't seem practical.

i have to keep reminding myself of these facts because, well, thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday and the idea of not being with family is kinda sad. to me, this whole holiday is about family. i remember so many wonderful thanksgiving dinners together and every few years or so we would go around the table and say what we were thankful for. but most years we didn't. i always felt like we didn't need to. it was obvious what we were all thankful for. 

we were thankful for our family.

we were thankful to be together.

 so in an effort to convince myself that a thanksgiving dinner away from family will be fine, i've actually found myself getting really excited about the prospect of starting some new traditions just for the two of us. a quiet weekend filled with our favorite foods and music and lots and lots of cuddling on the couch.

i think it's going to be incredible. and a thanksgiving to remember. 

so even though it's early, i'm already dreaming up ideas and scouring the internet for inspiration. i'm thinking of going with a leaf theme. {for the table, that is}

{here}

{here}

{here}

{here}

how about you, are you thinking about thanksgiving already, too? 

are you starting any new traditions?

and most importantly, do you have any ideas for me??

a message from the king

happy halloween!

halloween cupcakes!

i made some halloween cupcakes. 

they're wolves, hooooowling at the moon! {i resisted the urge to set up a photo shoot with three cupcakes and a fake moon a la this shirt}

i used marshmallows for the ears and muzzle, m&m's for the eyes, fruit rollup for the mouth and chocolate sprinkles for fur {instead of piping all the fur on. too much work for a whole batch of cupcakes!}

now of course my biggest problem is what to do with all these cupcakes! i think i'll send them with hubby to share with his officemates this time.

i love my job.

yeah, i love my job. i get to plan fun stuff.

and this year we're celebrating all kinds of random holidays, like skyscraper day, when any and all building is encouraged:

mini-golf day, when i set up a little indoor course, and gave each kid a ping-pong ball to blow through the course:

or elephant appreciation day, when we painted with our feet {inspired by these elephant artists}:

we have fun. and i can't wait until chocolate-chip pancake day!

my flowery weekend

what did you do for memorial day?

me? i went to visit my parents in omaha {for the last time before they move to chicago} and while the weekend was mostly filled with family time, movies, and just sitting around, we did make a trip out to lauritzen gardens. and it was gorgeous!

peek-a-boo toes!

me, mom and grandma grandma {as i always call her}

and when we took grandma back to her home, there were little ducks running around. they live in the pond right outside.

how cute are they?!

i hope you all had a weekend as beautiful as mine :)