Friday Favorites-For the Home

I promise that I will not always have such themed blog posts as I have this week. I'm dreaming of sprucing up our apartment, and these are some things I'm loving lately from some of my favorite shops. 

Embroidery Hoop Art from Blossom & Vine

Serving Bowls from Tilly's Touch

Rocky Top Tennessee 8x10 Print by Mandipidy

Psalm 91 Mixed Media Print from Naptime Diaries

 

64 Sunny Day Ln House Pillow Cover from Olive Handmade

Hope you all have a great weekend.  I'll be hanging out with my favorite niece (among other favorite in-laws). 

Thankful on a Monday

Happy Monday!
This past weekend was one of my favorites in a really long time.  This is the first weekend in as long as I can remember where we didn't really have anything planned.  Oh, how wonderful!  Here are some things I'm thankful for on this Monday:

• Rest.  I took a nap on both Saturday and Sunday.  I can't remember the last time I took an afternoon nap.  It was seriously a treat.
• Renewed Inspiration.  While I spent some time sewing some custom order this weekend, I had re-runs of the old TLC show "Take Home Chef" playing.  There was something about people being taught to create yummy meals from scratch that really had my creative mind buzzing.  It's funny to me how watching a cooking show made me dream of pretty fabric pairings.  
• Cheeseburger in Paradise with Nate's parents.  YUMMMMMMM.
• Clean Laundry.  We share a washer and dryer with the three other apartments in our building, so I try to wait to do laundry until I can be home for a large amount of time.  Silly people taking our wet clothes out of the washer.  I was SO thankful to have the weekend at home to wash every single bit of laundry in our apartment.  It's the little things, y'all.  
• Time with Nate Dubs.  Love this guy, seriously.  We watched silly movies, played games, and just enjoyed each other's company.  
• Sunday Morning in the OC.  Our church is partnering with a small church about 40 min away.  Nate preached there on Sunday, and it was such a sweet time.  The people there are SO kind and hospitable.  They actually really remind me of a bunch of sweet Tennessee folk to be honest.  Love them.  
• Nate preaching.  Love it.
• Haircut.  Like at least six inches.  I can get ready for work in like 30 min now and it's awesome!  Also, Nate doesn't have to hear be fuss about my knotted mane. 

What a sweet, wonderful gift of a weekend.  Now, I've GOT to start remembering to take pictures!

Hannah Day (Week) Re-cap

I wanted to write a few things about my birthday this year before I forgot.
I had a sweet time celebrating my golden birthday this year (24 on the 24th).
I'm so thankful for sweet co-workers, friends, and family that made my day extra special.  
Here's the celebration breakdown from last week:

-In-laws took me to lunch on Monday (they were out of town for b-day weekend, and that was the only mealtime we had free last week)
-My boss took me to lunch on Tuesday at our local Mediterranean place-yum!
-Friday night-Nate took me to Chick Fil A and to see The Hunger Games
-Saturday-My parents and sister came into town for a couple days, and sweet friends Mike and Jewel drove over from Louisville for the day.  We went for a fun walk around downtown Newburgh, stopped at the country store for a glass bottle Coke, chatted aplenty, and ate dinner at my new favorite Mexican restaurant.  To end the night, we had cake and ice cream, and I clobbered beat my family in a game of Rummy.

I had a great birthday this year.  I only wish I would have taken pictures!  I must get better at this whole documenting our lives thing.  Good thing a blog is motivation for that.  :)

P.S. Most days I still feel 18 which is good and bad at the same time.

Date Night

Hubs and I have been together since the beginning of 2008, and we have always attempted to treasure time set aside for just the two of us.  It's been a tricky thing to figure out for us, as far as time and finances go.  I know that once we begin to grow our family, we'll have to reassess a few things, but I wanted to share a few date ideas with you.

1. Shoot to have a consistent time for dates.  We've tried weekends before, and that does not work for us, as something usually comes up that we don't really want to miss.  For now, we're sticking with Tuesday nights.  Sometimes our weeks are so slammed, that we might have to miss a week or two, but we both understand that we should try to protect Tuesdays as much as possible. 
2. A date does not have to revolve around a meal.  We have been able to save quite a few pennies by not limiting ourselves to the idea that a date has to include dinner out.  Lately I have been trying to reserve the easiest meal for date night, whether it be a crockpot meal, leftovers, or something I can prep in advance.  It's great to not have to spend the energy cooking, and to not have to spend the money on a meal out.  If food is involved in a date, we usually go for coffee or dessert for a much cheaper outing. 
3. Utilize God's creation.  We love walks together in our neighborhood, and even though it's something we do most days when the weather is nice, a walk is usually incorporated in our date night somehow.  We have found that some of our best conversations have taken place while we are on a walk.  We don't usually take our phones, and it's a great time to talk about life without distractions.  We talk about homes (or dogs) that we see in our neighborhood, and the things that we like about each one. 
4. Check out local universities for concerts, plays, or art exhibits.  I was a music major for a few years in college, so for some of our dates in those days, Nate would go with me to recitals and concerts.  We recently started back this tradition at a local university.  The events are almost always FREE, and we usually feel so very classy when we leave. 
5. Support church members in their hobbies.  Since we work with the teens at out church, we love to support them in activities they are participating in.  We have been to all sorts of sporting events, recitals, concerts, or plays.  Though we usually sit with family members of the students, it still feels like a date of sorts, and we always have fun watching the students in their elements. 

I think I'll stop there, since this is getting fairly long.  Hope some of these tips help!   What are some of your favorite date ideas.  Tonight, we're walking a few blocks to a local restaurant for a $5 french press for two.  Can't wait!