My Window "Mistreatments"...

Family room treatments...
My treatments in the kitchen...
Recently I started reading this blog called, Nesting Place. I love this girl. Her style is great, and she gives great tips on how to decorate on a budget. She posted a while ago on her "window mistreatments", as she calls them. She has given tutorials on several different styles of treatments, so I thought I would try out this one. Mine aren't exactly the same. I actually took the window treatments (out of the living room/dining room) that came with our house, "mistreated" them and put them up in the kitchen/family room. Also, mine are hemmed, since they were already that way. So, really they aren't THAT similar to the Nester's treatments, but she gave me the inspiration, so I will give her the credit. :)

In other news...my two boys are sick. Austin woke up Friday morning, throwing up, and hasn't yet stopped. And then today Nate came down with it. I've never dealt with this before...and to say I have a weak stomach puts it mildly. Sigh...pray they get better soon. We are suppose to head off for vacation/work trip on Friday, so pray we can still make it!

A Smile for You!

We recently heard that Great Grandma D (Nate's grandma) is now able to look at our blog on her new MAC! So, here is a smile for you from Austin, hope you enjoy! :)

Happy Birthday Anna!

Today is Anna's birthday! (Well, actually Alaska time it is still one hour until her birthday, but central time it is.) Anyways, we just wanted to wish her a very happy birthday. We hope you have a wonderful day! :)

I was looking for some recent pictures with Anna in them and I am sad to say these were the best I could do! The first picture was taken at Michelle's wedding. And the second was in Kansas right before we left for Alaska, my how our babies have changed since then!

Much love to you!

Valentine's Day 2008

The card I made for Nate...
Our place settings, at the counter. We just got new barstools, so I wanted to utilize them. :)
Austin and I, at Kincaid Park.
Nate and Austin, Kincaid Park.

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day. It was so nice to just spend the evening together. It was still light outside and not too cold when Nate got home from work, so we decided to take a quick walk around a nearby park. Kincaid Park is very close to our new home, and one place we are very excited to utilize come this Spring and Summer. The link I posted has pictures taken from the park. They have trails up and down the coast and we can't wait to drag the bikes out and ride away. Hopefully we can take some of you there someday. :)

Nathan bought me a new cell phone for Valentine's Day. Very practical, but something I have been begging to get for a while now. We have been "sharing" a cell for a while now, which mainly means he takes it to work and I use it nights? But, finally I got one all to my own, well that was the plan at least! We actually just lost our phone, it is in some snow pile somewhere in Anchorage. (So, we lost all of your numbers, sorry if you called us and we never returned your call) So we are down to one again, but soon we will get Nate a replacement too, and be back to normal again.

Anyways, A just woke up from his nap...have a great weekend!

Whats been going on around here...

Here is a little update to catch you all up on our lives...(I know, you all must be so excited.)

1. Nate made it home safely last week from his trip. We are, of course, thrilled to have him back home again. He never stops though, and it has been busy busy busy since he came home.

2. Nate and I went skiing for the first time together (since we have moved here) last Saturday night. It was a freezing -10 degrees outside. Yep that is right, NEGATIVE. Way to cold to go skiing, in my opinion, but I sucked it up and we actually had fun.

3. On Monday we had another bucket of snow dumped on us. Which means, yeah, it is finally warm enough to snow again! We are FINALLY out of the negative temps around here and up into the teens and twenties again! I never thought I would be so excited to see snow, but it was a wonderful sight.

4. Austin is doing really well. He is oh so close to walking. He will walk around holding one of our hands, or "cruises" around on the furniture. So, it won't be long. He is growing up way too fast, but it is fun to watch. Here is a little picture of him...

Hope you all are doing well! Have a great Wednesday!

Day 12, of Trip #3

Sigh....

I was going to post the lyrics to a song called, "When You're Gone", but after I had printed them out I realized it might sound like I am feeling sorry for myself. So, I opted not to. I am sad to say though, that that isn't far from the truth.

So, I guess I will just say...

I miss my husband.

Anyone Else A Lost Fan?

Tomorrow the new season of Lost begins! I am so excited, is that sad or what?
Nate and I jumped on the band wagon a little later than most. Most of my family has watched this show from the beginning, and every get-together they would chat non-stop about what was going on. Nate and I would just sit there, not believing the show could be THAT interesting. Boy were we wrong! Last January we finally caved in and started renting the DVD's. Nate used it as a little "pick me up" for me, during my constant nursing times. :) So, each evening while I nursed (or really whenever we could make the time) we would watch an episode. And finally we caught up, sadly it didn't take us that long. :)

Time is Flyin'...

Austin turns 14 months old today. It is strange for me to think of him as a toddler, when I often still think of myself "as a new mom with a baby". The fourteen month mark is when I often hear of other "more together moms" getting pregnant with baby number 2 (or 3 or 4). It seems in the circle that I run in the magic number is to have your children 2 years apart (or less, Grace :)).
Just to turn off any rumors...no, I am not expecting. It HAS been in Nate and I's discussions lately though. Trying to decide what is best for our little family. We have a different kind of life than most. Not better or worse, just different. Ultimately we want what will be best for Austin and future children to come.

We want a home where our children get to see their father every night, where they aren't surprised when he is home for the weekend, and where he can play a very active role in their lives.

It is hard to REALLY know what is best, thankfully we don't have to. I have been so grateful lately that we are in the Lord's hands. His timing is perfect and we can rest in that alone.

Austin, tonight, playing with his toys before bed...

"There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven".
Ecclesiastes 3:1

Our new furniture!

So, Beth recently reminded me that I still hadn't posted pictures of our new furniture yet. Sorry for the delay...life just keeps getting busier. I took quite a few pictures but these were the only ones that semi-turned out...due to our poor lighting, ya know, Alaska is just full of sunshine these days. But you can get the gist from this... This is what I am going to recover the pillows with...just ignore the pins. :)
The pillows the sofa set came with. :( Why o why do they have to be so ugly?
Anyways, we got the sofa and love seat set, and are liking it more and more each day. A new home AND new furniture...what more could I ask for? :) Thanks for all your help!

More of Austi...

These pics show the outfit's hood better, and show off how much he is growing these days. He is getting so tall that he can reach door handles now! Thankfully he hasn't figured that totally out yet!

Our little Austi...

My little boy is growing up so fast. I know I won't be able to put him in these one piece outfits much longer, but I couldn't resist buying this one for him this week. Austin really really wants to put that cord in his mouth, but he knows mommy is right there watching... :(
Check out the hood to the outfit...I love that it gets long and skinny. (Sorry I didn't get a better picture of it, you will just have to trust me on how cute the hood is.)
I got Austin's little outfit Monday at the ever so amazing Old Navy clearance sale. If you haven't been yet, you need to check it out! I got the outfit for $5...! I love a good bargain!

WE DID IT!

There is no turning back now! We decided on and purchased the furniture of our choice today! It should be delivered sometime early this week...stay tuned for pictures!

Oh, and we picked choice #5. I was going to wait to take pictures of it in our house...but apparently some people want to know sooner! :)

Wanna Help Me Choose?

***Edited***
Okay...here is another choice...lets call it #5. Does anyone like this? It was one of our choices at the store. It is darker (more the color of dirt). :) Firm but comfortable. I like the color, I was just thinking I would end up going very light so it didn't make the finals.


I need help picking out furniture!!
For those of you who know me well, it will come to you as no surprise that I am having trouble making yet another decision. I am SO bad at it.
Below are three of the four living room sets that we are choosing from, and I just can't make up my mind. The fourth one I can't find a picture of. It is the same material as the sectional pictured #2, but it comes as separate pieces.
All four of the sets are microfiber material.



Any input would be appreciated...I am driving my husband crazy because I keep changing my mind. :)

Tagged From Michelle

I will tag Rachel and Eryn to be up next then ya'll tag two other people after you do it...if you want...

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments. What is it?
1. Produce: Avacados
2. Bakery: Doughnuts
3. Meat: Chicken
4. Frozen: Juice
5. Dry goods: Cherrios (for Austi)

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of CLOTHING with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. Jeans
2. Swim suit (its a family rule)
3. Nice Shirt

1 task you wish you were better at doing?
1. Sewing

1 Celebrity you wish you looked like (silly, I know:))
1. Kate Hudson ??

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. Austin is awake already?
2. Austin, NO!
3. Nate, are you coming home yet?
4. Austin, good job!
5. Yeah, Dada's home!

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Drink a Dr Pepper
2. Spend time reading my Bible
3. Go to sleep next to Nate

What 5 places do you visit roughly every week?
1. The Base
2. Church
3. Shopping
4. Walmart (the have the cheapest milk)
5. Gas Station

If you were to shop at three stores for a whole year to supply your wardrobe and money was not an issue, which 3 would it be?
1. White House Black Market
2. JCrew
3. Banana Republic

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. OPRAH (sorry Nate)
2. Project Runway
3. Lost
4. Martha Stewart Show

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a tripple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Peppermint
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
3. Cookies N Cream (just for Nate) :)

Somebody stole your purse… in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. Black Wallet
2. Chap stick
3. Blue pen
4. Two check books
5. Some sort of toy

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
1. Don't waste time on guys
2. Continue to play the piano
3. Keep playing sports
4. Be Yourself

Thanks for reading! :)

Happy Baby...

These pictures were taken the day before we left for Alaska. We were in the hotel room and my dad shot these of Austin "reading" the newspaper. So, they aren't recent, but they make me smile. And I need that.
We are "enduring" another week with daddy gone. Trying to make the most of a situation none of us like. Thankfully, we have only two more days to go.

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas everyone! We have had a wonderful holiday, and are praying that you all did too. This, of course, was our first Christmas without any family. So, it was different, but the Lord was faithful to bless us in other ways.

We spent Christmas Eve with Beth and Nathan, and their two kids Brianna and Nathan. Nathan is only a few months younger than Austin, so that was a treat for him. Finally someone his own age to play with! Beth and I went to high school and college together, and they happen to live here as well. We had such a great time together, laughing more than I have in a while. We played games, ate way too much food, and had a wonderful time of fellowship.

Christmas we spent with a family from our new church. The family had us over along with their children and grandchildren, so it was a full house with something going on at ALL times! We feel so blessed that so many people have reached out to us in these first few months so far from home. The Lord's faithfulness has been shown to us over and over again, and we are continually praising HIM.

Merry Christmas everyone!

More Alaska Pictures...

These photos were actually taken by our realtor...she just send them to us and told us we could share them with others. She lives up on the hillside, and has gorgeous views! So fun...
The city you see in the background is Anchorage, where we live! :)
It is lightly snowing outside right now, yesterday the high was only zero, but today a warm front came through and I think the high is 18degrees! :) Freezing! So glad we are safe and warm in our house.

Christmas is Coming...

We (or I) put up the tree first thing when we moved in. I know weird, but it happened to be one of the first things unloaded when the movers came, so I went right to work. I love Christmas decorating...I wish I could do more, but that is all I will probably get to. If only I had a month more....once I have time to decorate more, Christmas will be over :(
We are celebrating the time we have together though, and so happy to finally be in our home.

Alaska Pictures...

Here are some pictures of Alaska, finally!
Nate took these on his way in to Anchorage, almost two months ago now.

We finalized and closed on our house on Wednesday morning. Everything went fairly smoothly, and we are thankful that although we had a few "hiccups" in the process, we were still able to close on time.
We moved out of temporary living Thursday morning just in time to meet the moving company at our house. Unfortunately, they never arrived... :( apparently they got the date mixed up. So, we spent the first night in our new house sleeping on the floor... :(, nothing like camping in your own house.
But...movers arrived Friday morning and now our house is filled with boxes and more boxes. Nate keeps telling people it looks like a bomb exploded in our house, sadly it does. I didn't realize how much work it was to unpack a whole house, especially with a little boy crawling around undoing all that I do! Someday we will get it done...probably not soon though!

Thank you all for your prayers! We love and miss you all!

Our New House...

So, I finally have some pictures of our new house. Just the outside, but this gives you an idea of where we are soon to live. The pictures were taken in the morning before it actually gets light here, so the color of the house isn't correct. The house is actually a sage green of sorts.

We found out this morning we will be able to move in a few days early. We are planning to move in now on Wednesday instead of Friday, so we are thrilled about that. Finally all of our stuff again! It will be almost 6 months since we have seen any of our possessions...it is amazing how much you can actually live without.

I was thinking the other day that Austin will have lived in 7 different houses this year alone (I am counting living in a house as us being somewhere at least a week). It has been a crazy ride, but we are at the end of the tunnel and will finally be able to give Austin the consistency he really needs. Praise the Lord for His provisions so far.