Getting to Know You: Blessings All Mine

hey ladies! so excited by the privilege of joining you all in this delightful little blog (and perhaps a wee bit intimidated...you gals have lovely decorating, quaint homes, and so much domestic prowess!). i'm glad to finally have a chance to introduce myself!

About Me: wife, mommy, daughter of the King...i am 29 (30 in may). i was born and raised in indiana all of my life (with the exception of three summers aways...one in ohio, one in new zealand, and one in colorado...all with campus crusade for Christ). i'm the youngest of two daughters. my husband michael and i met through Sunday school class at church and never in our wildest imagination thought we would eventually be married, but that's God for you. in july 2003 God stirred both of our hearts while we were cleaning fruit together, we started dating, were engaged just 2 months later on sept. 20, 2003, and our wedding took place the following spring/summer on june 5, 2004. hard to believe it's been 4 1/2 years! in early 2005 we were surprised with the news we were pregnant, and in october 2005 we welcomed elizabeth irene to our family. and in august 2007 we were blessed with the gift of another precious daughter katherine christine (kate...and the name kate just fits her...our little firecracker!).

Define Home...home is where you can completely be yourself. it is full of laughter and love, and yet it is a place where you can bare your heart and still be accepted. it is not always neat and tidy, but rather, it is stuffed to the brim with the little "clutter" of life. right now home is wooden choo-choos, pink socks, and my little ponies stashed in the most random of corners. home is where i snuggle up on the couch next to my husband or settle in for a stories with my girls. home smells like fresh bread or brownies baking in the oven. the older i get the more that i realize home is much less the physical structure and much less the "stuff" and so incredibly and completely the people. home is family.

Favorite Color...this depends. when it comes to clothing i seem to be in a brown mode as of late...deep chocolate browns. when it comes to decor i'm all over the board....for our bedroom a light cerulean bluish, two tones separated by a white chair rail. downstairs, a bold red splash of color for our living room, and an accenting of oatbran that will soon be painted on the walls of our front room. when it comes to the girls its bold and bright colors...a vibrant yellow in elizabeth's room and bold murals of curious george in the nursery. (although i'm seeing visions of pink and green when we eventually move the girls to the same room!).

(incidentally the plates in the pic above were my favorite piece of accent decor in my house (they have Scripture on them...until Miss Kate decided to reach up and manage to pull them off the wall during E's birthday party Sunday...shattering every plate to pieces except the yellow one...UGH!)

Decorating Elements

...i suppose you would call it "eclectic"...since there isn't really any rhyme or reason. i would like to have more simplicity but struggle to keep my head above the water when it comes to clutter! :) i feel like i see ideas that others share and would love to pull them off, but apparently that would involve finding the time and/or money! :) here are some snippets of decorating elements around our house though!

Creative Outlets ...you name it, i enjoy it. seriously...sewing, knitting, tile coaster making, writing...and on and on! :) i find i have far too many creative things i enjoy and far too little time for partaking in them! oh, and cooking...mostly the baking part.

A recipe we indulge in...i direct you to two a new fav and an old standby. cheesy corn tortilla bites and carrot cake

A household tip...i could use a few of these! okay, in all seriousness, schedule and routine. i SO rebelled against this for so long, and now it has become my best tool and is helping me grow so much as a wife and mom. i have designated times for chores and designated times for sitting on the floor playing or purposeful crafting with elizabeth...and it is SO incredibly freeing. but more than anything, my tip and my heart is to keep my focus on the people and not allow the "stuff" to take over!

Where do I find inspiration...everywhere. but i find much of my inspiration these days from my girls. but seriously, i find inspiration on all of your blogs, in my backyard, at my MOPS group, all over!

Favorite spots around my home

...this room right here...in fact, to be specific, in the corner of the couch, the one cut off in the photo. it looks out onto the front of the house, and with the window open i can feel the breeze. i love to curl up here with my Bible and journal, surrounded by pictures of my family and sweet little reminders of the blessings in my life. i will like it even better when i get around to painting the walls with the oatbran paint we already bought. but i also LOVE my kitchen...i love cooking and baking and creating...