Celebrate: Happy Birthday Girl!

 

 

Today is my friend Mel's birthday! If you know her you know how great she is and if you don't well you'll have to trust me on this one, she is a gem. To support my point in celebration of her birth here are a few totally important unimportant reasons why I love Mel:

 

She rocks it out in the car - for real Mel is the worlds best car dancer!

 

She makes up great words - is there a sound you have made in glee, disappointment or fear? Mel has figured out how to spell it and sent it in a text message or written it on my facebook wall.

 

When we were young she wrote our own personal young adult fiction serial - our group of girls would go over to her house every few days and she would read aloud the next part of the story. I wish I could remember the name of the characters now.

 

The story of when we met is really silly - it was just about 20 years ago, Mel came over to my house with a family friend and we became fast friends, we jumped on my bed, we talked about spiders and the rest is history.

 

She uses words like "Girl" and "Chica"

 

So please join me and wishing Mel the happiest of birthdays! Love ya chica!

 

Celebrate: Welcome To The World My Little Love

7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. 

- 1 John 4: 7-12

Yesterday my newest nephew was born and tonight I'm thinking about love and what I would whisper in his ear if I could be in Virgina holding him close. I would whisper little words of love and hope, I would say something like "I love you, your family loves you and The Lord God Creator and Sustainer of the world loves you, yes you are loved. I hope you have a life full of blessings, that you grow strong and wise, that you find joy in the morning and rest at night and more than that I hope you feel all of this love everyday of your life." it would all be about love, every word, because every person should be born surrounded by love.

Actually if you think about it the unconditional and undeserved love we give babies is a way that we model God's love. For this little person has done nothing for me, yet I would do so much for him, just because I love him. So tonight instead of whispering my words of love in his ear I will pray that my little dear will be surrounded by love all the days of his life and that as he grows he will model God's love by loving others.

Welcome Dietrich I love you, I love you, I love you! 

Celebrate: Hey, Hey, Hey Happy Birthday!

Today is my mom's brithday. I could tell you a lot of things about my mother, but I think this sums it all up: The world is a better place because she is in it!

P.S. Isn't this a great picture of her with my cousin Barb?

**image by Sara Renee**

Celebrate: Hey Andrew, Happy Birthday!

Can we talk about brothers for a minute? It seems to me that when it comes to sib relationships the ones between sisters get all the press and I totally agree having a sister is great, but let me tell you having a brother is pretty great too!

Today I'm wishing my first brother a very happy birthday! Andrew is loving, caring and thoughtful every girl should be so lucky as to have a brother like him. Happy 28th Drewski, I can't remember life before you and I can't imagine life without you!

Celebrate: Happy Birthday Kels!

If you knew my sister in-law Kelsey here are a few fun things the two of  you might do:

• Play Board Games (and card games)
• Eat Popcorn
• Watch Friends
• Talk About Young Adult Distopian Fiction (I kinda can't believe that is a thing)
• Walk Around Target
• Text About The Voice
• Visit Historic Homes & Museums
• Take Road Trips
• Laugh & Laugh & Laugh

Happy Birthday Kels, my life is better because you're in it!

Celebrate: Happy B-Day Lyd!

What can I tell you about my dear cousin Lydia on this her birthday? She is so dear to me, we are friends and family all rolled into one. Last week Lyd gave birth to a sweet baby girl, her sixth child. Little Rosie was born at home and I was honored to be there to help welcome her to the world. That night, as i sat next to Lydia in her bed cooing at this wonderful new person, I thought about how glad i am to be so close to Lydia and her family. We have been around the bend together, we have grown up a little (okay - a lot!) together, we have cried together and laughed together and I can't wait for for all the new things we will do together in the year to come!

So happy birthday my friend! I've been testing out 29 for you and it's not so bad!

Celebrate: Risen Indeed

> you can find this and many more down loadable bible verse prints over at french press mornings<

Inspire: March

Woohoo another month, another chance to share a few of the good things I've found around the internet. Ready? Okay!

Listen: The Joy the Baker Podcast - so fun, I feel like Joy & Tracy are like the big sisters I never had.

Change: See Something Say Something by A Blog About Love - share the love, help someone have a better day.

Live: The Six Types of Friends Everyone Should Have - how many of these types of friends do you have?

Celebrate: My Party Closet by Oh Happy Day - be ready to throw a party at a minutes notice.

Decorate: Amazing Printable Vintage Prints - did I mention they are free!?! I am equal parts fascinated by & creeped out by this octopus print.

Make: Crochet Llama - so adding this guy to my to hook list.

Celebrate: Happy Birthday Naomi (I think you're cute and I stole this picture from your facebook)

** Oooops this post went up early, so Happy Early Birthday Naomi! **

Today I am wishing a very Happy Birthday to my fabulous cousin Naomi! I am increadablly lucky to have a bunch of cousins that are also great friends and she is most certainly among them. She is smart, fun and stylish! I'm so glad I "saved your life" all those years ago so that we could be grown up friends today!

Celebrate: A Little Valentine's Day Party

 Last week I made a pinata and filled it with small gifts for my cousin Lydia's kids, then I hatched a plan to have them over for a tiny Valentine's Day party. I thought we'd have Hot Cocoa and I'd make some cookies or a cake, but when I stopped over to invite my guests their mother suggested that we decorate the cookies their Aunt Hannah had sent them. It was the perfect activity for a bunch of kids, but my dining room was a mess by the time they were all packed into the car.

My favorite part of the day was when they all had to wear the destroyed pinata as a hat in a sign of victory! 

Celebrate: Happy Birthday Bro

(Uncle James and a brand new niece!)

On this day in 1990 my third brother was born, that was probably the time that I realized I was going to be the girl with a million little brothers. He was a kid that liked to watch and rewatch and rewatch the same movie everyday and he would tell you over and over about how the game had cheated him out of a win on Lost Vikings. Now he is the brother that will get into watching a new scifi show with me or who is always up for playing a board game. Happy Birthday James, you are great!