Life Laid Bear

Thankful 9/52

Have you ever had one of those people in your life that just gets it? They just get life. Their outlook is just so simple, so perfect, so right. Even the problems that seem so big, they can magically fix. That person is my dad.

This past week was rough. It was just a truly trying time. A time when a lot of little things built up into a mountain. So I decided to confide in my dad (as usual), and of course he just made it all go away. "Sis, have you thought about it like this" is how most of the sentences started. And you know what, it made sense. It calmed me down, and it made me realize that it isn't so bad. So this week, I am beyond thankful for this man who loves me, listens to me, and continues to teach me everyday. 

The bond between my father and I is unbreakable. It is true that no one will love you like your father. Dad, I am so thankful for you in my life. 

 

Book 3 of 2014

This book is everywhere now. I see it in every bookstore window, every time I go to Target, and everyone is reading it online. So when I got it as a Valentine's Day gift, I knew I had to read it. It took all of one 4 hour sitting to finish it. I didn't want it to end! 

It is wonderful, tragic, and filled with so much life and love. John Green sure knows how to pull at your heartstrings. I am now adding some of his other books to my must read list. In all books narrated by cancer patients, this book made me so sad. Not because you feel bad for the main character, Hazel, but because you want her to be healthy so badly. You want her to be able to be loved by someone and for someone to love her. There is a quote on the back that sums the whole book. It says that this book will break your heart, and then put it back together again. What a true statement! The main characters, Hazel and Augustus, meet and fall in love in a cancer support group. Augustus is in remission and Hazel is at a stand still. Her cancer is not getting worse but it is not getting better either.

This is essentially a book for teenagers, but the dialogue is way beyond their years. The love these two share in this book is magical, the time they spent together is just the same. But it was not portrayed as being perfect. Far from it actually. They did not see eye to eye very often. This book is so real, so raw, and so very teenager like. At one point, a friend throws trophies around the room in anger. That seems like the typical emotional response from a teenager. I loved that nothing was sugar coated. 

The writing was beautiful, the story was beautiful, and the characters were beautiful. You will cry, laugh, and cry some more. 

around here

1-2.He came home and didn't even want to take his harness off. That was a first. 2. Valentine's Day gifts for my guy. He wanted to go see The Lego Movie, so off we went on Sunday. 3-4. Chilly morning snuggles in Kyle's robe. 5. It looks like I robbed the Young Adult section of a bookstore. I promise I didn't. 6. Still too cold to swim, but it is getting there! I feel it.

Thankful 8/52

Today I have been thinking about the simple things in life that we take for granted. So for now, I am thankful for good weather, bad hair days, and a husband who is great enough to take a thousand pictures before I find one I remotely like. Thanks Mr. Williams!

The best frozen margarita

I can honestly say that this is the best frozen margarita recipe that I have ever tried! And I am a margarita girl through and through. It is easy, natural, and so tasty. I have this crazy obsession with Mexican food, I could eat it everyday if needed. So when I became old enough to drink, margaritas were the first thing I fell in love with of course. This recipe will not give you traditional green/yellowish margaritas.  (I have no beef with green margaritas, they are all great. I promise).

the mister whipped these up last Saturday and I think this might just be a new tradition in our house come summertime. Saturday's are now margarita days! Who agrees? This recipe will serve 3 large margaritas.

4 ounces (1/2 cup) tequila

2 ounces (1/4 cup) Orange Patron (You can use Triple Sec or Cointreau)

2 1/2 ounces fresh lime juice

4 ounces (1/2 cup) honey (You can use simple syrup if you don't have honey)

12 ounces of ice. 

We have this really cute little blender that we bought to make smoothies in. Well, we haven't made smoothies but as a small margarita blender.... it ROCKS! We had to split the recipe in two to fit it in the blender but it worked great. 

If you can't tell, we love these glasses. We use them for everything. They have been around the block a lot, but most recently here. Purchased at Marshall's.

Public Service Announcement: Saturday is National Margarita Day! This holiday is special in my book, so I hope you celebrate. If you try this recipe this weekend, let me know what you think. 

Thankful (7/52) on a Friday

Picture from 2010 engagement session by Amanda Lenhardt.

It's Friday! And it's Valentine's Day. What could be better? I am a hopeless romantic. I can't help it. These silly Hallmark made holidays are just so much fun. Go tell someone you love them today. It doesn't matter if you are single, married, in a it's complicated, or dating.

I am just so thankful that I can be completely sappy with this guy of mine and he is okay with it. Today, I know he will go out of his way to live up to these expectations that women set for their guys on Valentine's Dy. That goes unsaid most of the time, but today I am thankful for this. He deals with me in a way no one else can. He calms me when I am in tyrant mode and he is always my biggest supporter. He even let's me call him silly names. This guy makes me a better me without even trying. We have our ups and downs but more than anything, I am thankful for this moment in our life. This time where we are just us. Just content watching funny tv together. I know that time will pass and the urge for more will come, but for now...we are just coasting as the two of us. My life is full. Full of love, full of life, full of family, and full of future.

currently I am...

 

Savoring every free weekend that I have with these three. Sleeping in, eating breakfast in bed, and being silly all day. 

Loving this blog. She has such a way with words.  

Spending way too much time reading. 3/4 of the way done with this one. 

Craving all things chocolate and caramel. I will not cave. 

Constantly replaying this song. John Legend, your voice is perfection. 

Scouring town for a perfect Valentine's dress. The beau is planning some surprise. I love surprises! 

Finishing January Project Life. 

Looking forward to an Easter beach getaway with the whole family. 

Obsessed with this dress, these boots, and these sandals in every color. 

Drinking coffee with whipped cream on top. It's such a treat!

Wearing spring colored nail polish. 

 

Honey Whiskey Sours

I have never been a whiskey girl. If it isn't sweet, I don't drink it. Whiskey has always just tasted a little too boozy for me so I stayed away from it. So when I mentioned to Kyle that I wanted to try to substitute honey whiskey he was all for it. My guy loves a good whiskey sour.  

The weather was warmer this weekend so I decided to make a batch of our own sour mix.The bottled kind is fine, but it tastes very sugary and artificial. I prefer to get my sugar coma from something a little more cupcake-y. 

Sour mix could not be any simpler to make. This makes a large container. 

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup lemon

1 cup lime

I stirred the sugar and water together until the sugar dissolved. Then I added the lemon and lime. That's it!

I added two ounces of honey whiskey and four ounces of our sour mix. It is fun and simple to make! 

 We spent the rest of the day outside with the pups and family. It is almost time to get back outside and in our pool! Almost is a little too strong a word considering we are being hit by another cold front, but we savor those nice sunny weekend days while we have them. 

 

Puppy Invitations

We like to send out paper invititations. They seem so much more personal. So in honor of the birthday pups, we sent invitations out to our family and friends asking them to spend the day with us. (I have blurred some infromation for privacy) 

The invitations were pretty simple, so I added some stamped paw prints on the back to dress them up a little. I also added a little card (from Sunshine edition of Project Life), explaining the occassion a little more. 

 I threw them in a red envelope and stuck some washi tape to the back to make sure it stayed closed. Then they were off. (This one was for my sister in law in Japan)

They were so easy and fun to make, and of course it gave me an excuse to use some of my paper fraft supplies up! 

 

thankful 6/52

Funny story. Over the weekend, I looked at our bookshelf and noticed that it was getting a little full. I said to myself... wow we need a new bookshelf. Where will we put it? Then I thought are you crazy! Don't buy another bookshelf, go get your butt a library card. Then I say something along the lines of oh I have been saying that for two years. It is true though, I have lived in this county for two years, and have talked about getting a library card since day one. 

So let's just say the next day, I went down to the library and finally got a card! I guess it took seeing a small fortune on a bookshelf to motivate me. This week, I am so thankful to not only be saving money but also support our little library. I have a half dozen books on hold already. The Wakulla library is very small, and almost all of the books I want are checked out. But I am just so grateful that we have a place in the community for everyone to go with a common goal in mind.