On Our 12th Anniversary {A Love Letter to My Husband}

In the words of one of your favorite singers, Ed Sheeran

"Loving can hurt, loving can hurt sometimes"

In 12 years, we have said and done things that have hurt. Sometimes even hurt deeply. That first year of marriage that we thought we never would survive. We threw insults and jabs at each other as if they didn't matter, yet they did, they hurt deeply. The year we had our first baby and realized that if we were going to make it, we had to work as a team. I drove away from you once with our baby safely tucked into her carseat. I was determined that I just couldn't work at our marriage anymore, it hurt too much to love deeply and work so hard and not have it be perfect. That time I was a jerk and hurt you so much I truly wasn't sure our marriage was going to survive.

Yes, I would say Ed is correct that loving can hurt.

"When it gets hard, you know it can get hard sometimes"

Every time I hear that lyric, I tear up. When you are standing in the front of a church staring into each other's eyes with the most love you think you will ever have for each other, it is easy to think that life will never get hard.

Until it does.

No one tells you the struggles you will have. There have been times we truly were not sure how we were going to pay that next bill that was due, or even if we would have enough food to put on the table. No one sits down and explains to you what it means to own your own business, and the sacrifices it will take to make that business succeed. No one tells you about that lost baby that felt like every dream inside you was dying. No one would tell you that for 7 months straight you would sink down into a deep depression and cry everyday for your daughter's loss that is just too great.

"Loving can heal. Loving can mend your soul."

Yet there you were, and still are, with your arms wrapped tightly around me just letting me grieve. Through the tears, the depression, and the anger you have been here. Mending a bit of my broken soul each day. Your love for me has healed so much of my broken.

"I swear it will get easier."

We've seen life get hard and easier throughout our 12 years. It is like the ebb and flow of the ocean. I have no doubt the days ahead will be hard, but 12 years in, I know that the easier will follow the hard.

"And if you hurt me that's ok, baby, only words bleed"

How I have hurt you these past years, and I am sure your heart has bled, just as mine has when you have hurt me, but....

"And I won't ever let you go"

No matter what, neither of us is willing to let the other go. When I think of this lyric, I think of hanging on to a board in the ocean, refusing to let go even as you are pulled into the strong current, because when you let go of the other, you drown. Drowning isn't an option.

"Inside the necklace you got when you were 16, next to your heartbeat where I should be."

For my 18th birthday, you got me a Kmart special on a tanzanite and diamond heart necklace, because you knew how much I loved tanzanite. That cheap little necklace has sat next to my heart off and on since that day. I wore it on our wedding day because even though it isn't worth a thing to anyone else, it means something to me knowing that you bought it when you had not a dime to your name.

"We keep this love in this photograph. We made these memories for ourselves. Where our eyes are never closing, our hearts were never broken, times forever frozen still."

12 years Christer. 12 years of photographs that show the memories and love we have for each other. Time and love frozen still in hundreds of photographs taken throughout the years. Photographs don't show the hard times, the are we going to make it times, the heartbreak of loss, or the anger of yesterdays gone by.

But those photographs show love. The love of two broken people who joined together on a warm August day and became one. 12 years later, we have three beautiful daughters who are here because of our love for each other. We have a little home that is still filled with hopes and dreams, they just keep changing through years. We have each other.

Thank you for always loving me. For never leaving me 11 years ago like you maybe should have, or any of the other times since. For proving to me my life phrase of "What is done in love, is done well."

I love you, Christer! Happy 12th Anniversary!

*Words in italics are the words to Ed Sheeran's song Photograph, which you can listen to here.

When Love Doesn't Look Like the Movies

I'm a hopeless romantic....I can't help it. Once a year, I have to watch Anne of Green Gables and somehow even though I know Anne chooses Gilbert Blythe in the end, I have to see it for myself. The same goes for Pride & Prejudice. I have to watch it just to make sure Elizabeth chooses Mr. Darcy in the end. The part in You've Got Mail in which Joe Fox comes over to a sick Kathleen Kelly's house and helps tuck her into bed, it gets me every single time.

Darn those Hallmark movies around Christmas and Valentine's Day too, because there I am clutching Kleenex in my hand at the oh-so-expected ending of the good guy ending up with the good girl.

Even though I know that each of those movies ends the same way, with the guy kissing the girl, I can't help but smile.

It seems so perfect.

The reality is, the books and movies never tell you what happens after that kiss. They leave you thinking he is perfect for her and that it will all be amazing in the years to come. A part of me always wonders if that is how it really is, but the other part of me already knows.

I know that there are tough times following the wedding. Days in which you wonder if you made the right decision to marry so young, or even to marry him. Nights in which you storm out of the house with your keys in your hand and refuse to answer the phone when he calls looking for you. But that first anniversary comes and you breathe a tiny sigh of relief, you have made it this far, you can probably make it another year, right?

Hollywood doesn't tell you that you won't see each other for four years as you both commit to finishing your college degrees and working on the side. That those times apart will practically rip your marriage right out from you. But that you grow up together through it.

They don't show you a positive pregnancy test that you both are ecstatic and nervous over. They don't show the real hard parts of pregnancy in which the girl throws up for 5 months straight, including once in bed much to your husband's surprise. You don't get to see the hard 24+ hour labor in which your hubby, so overwhelmed and scared, stays in a corner of the room cracking jokes, until the reality that his first baby is about to arrive makes him rush to your side. Fifteen months later you don't see the second positive pregnancy test that causes the girl to cry for fear of change and being sick once again. You don't get to see the hilarity of a husband rushing to the hospital in the wee hours of the morning, barely making it in time, and forgetting the camera in the car (which was his only assignment this time around), all to watch baby girl number two enter this world.

Hallmark doesn't tell you about the baby you will lose on a warm March day. They don't show your hubby becoming your rock in that time. They don't show his tears mixing with yours as you grieve together for what may have been. They also don't show you the utter joy and rush of traveling to southern Georgia on a hot July day to add the most beautiful little girl to your family. How you suddenly become a family of 5...just like that.

You don't get to see the financial struggles, business decisions, and everyday battles of trying to raise a family together. You don't get to see the fights on how to discipline your children, who will get up with them when one has a bad dream yet again, and who will clean up the throw up on the carpet (he will in case you are wondering).

The romance stories don't show you how somehow, despite birthing two kids, having a few extra pounds and extra marks on your body, your hubby can get home at the end of a long day and still desire you. How you will laugh with utter abandon at a joke he mumbles, no matter how corny it is. How you will dance in the kitchen together as he sings to you a country love song, country is his thing you know. You don't see the jokes over how cute he thinks Jane Seymour is, or the drawn on Adam Levine picture on your fridge to tease you over your crush on Adam.

The books don't tell you about the heartache that happens in your life in which your hubby's tears run freely with yours as you cry over something that will forever change your family. They don't tell you that he will practically have to force you to eat as you go through a deeper depression than you ever have been in. You don't get to hear the words, "I'm sorry hon, we will get through this together" whispered over the phone as you call him for the thousand time in complete tears not sure how you will make it through another day.

You don't get to see the no-makeup, crazy curly hair, yoga pants, and over sized sweatshirt she wears every single day, and yet he still walks in the door and tells her she is beautiful. You don't get to see the fight over the Valentine candy he brought home for his girls that she doesn't want him to give them because it has food dyes in it, and she is trying to eliminate them from their house. You also don't get to hear the meek, "I'm sorry" whispered later on.

Sigh........those movies and books don't show you much.

They show you the lovey dovey, butterflies in your tummy, new love stage, but they miss all the rest. Which is really too bad, because it is in those horrible, ugly, yet beautiful moments in your marriage, in which true love is born.

They forget that part in the books and movies. I'm glad really. Because no movie can show what true love really is. No book will ever capture completely the journey it takes to get there.

Between all the fights, giggles, heartaches, and utter tiredness, love is born.

Happy Valentine's Day, Christer! Thank you for loving me so well, through the good and the bad. Our love is better than any movie or novel could ever be! I love you!

To learn more of our love story, check out this post celebrating 10 years of marriage.

Wordless Wednesday: Daddy's Girls

Wordless Wednesday: Breathless Sunrise

Photo Credit: My hubby who took this while duck hunting

In Which Love Looks Like 10 Years Of Almost Wedded Bliss

I still remember you dancing with me in my basement bedroom at my parent's house the week before our wedding. I can still hear your soft tenor voice, singing our song,

"Good morning, beautiful, how was your night? Mine was wonderful with you by my side."

As the song ended, you spun me for the last time and quietly whispered that you couldn't wait for the day you could say those words to me.

August 9, 2003 was beautiful and everything I wanted it to be. We were young and in love. Since I'm a music girl, I spend much of my life thinking of different lyrics, from different songs, that relate to us. The beginning of our marriage would relate very well to the lyrics from one of my favorite artists,

"Don't you worry there my honey, we might not have any money, but we've got our love to pay the bills."

I remember after we said "I do" and shared our first kiss, we snuck into one of the classrooms at church, and like young kids in love, we kissed and giggled, until one of our groomsmen accidentally walked in on us (sorry about that). Yes, we were young and in love.

But unlike most marriages, ours wasn't perfect from the start. Or maybe, we are just one of the only ones who will admit it? Instead, we both openly know that our first year of marriage was hell. Yet, at the time, no one knew that. We both went on with our separate lives, both working full time and going to school full time. Anytime either one of us would get the question asking us if we are just loving our first year of marriage, we would pretend it was wonderful. Often unknown to the person asking, I would answer that it was wonderful, only to later break down in tears. I was pretty sure we wouldn't even make it to a year.

Yet somehow, by the grace of God, we both survived that first year. You loved me despite me being immature and selfish. Each time I threw my ring at you, you showed your love for me by loving me back even when it was the last thing you wanted to do. I know all these years later we've been open and honest with each other and others about that first year, and we can laugh about it now, but there was a time when it was not funny. When I was picking out your anniversary card this year (I know, shocking that I actually "bought" into the card industry as I normally hate it), I opened up one that made me kind of laugh and I almost bought it because as corny as the lyrics are to this song, I'd say it applies pretty well to us after we got out of that first year.

"Looks like we made it, look how far we've come my baby. We mighta took the long way, we knew we'd get there someday."

Just getting through year one was a miracle, and without a doubt our hardest one yet. That doesn't mean that the following nine years have been all smooth.

Year four brought about a daughter and if we thought we were selfish before we had kids, we were in for a rude awakening with the birth of our Zoelle. We had to learn how to parent together. When it seemed as if the rest of the world thought I was crazy for breastfeeding, cloth diapering, and co-sleeping, you supported me. You may not have even understood it all at that time, but you supported me. I'm not sure you'll ever know how much that meant to me, but it did, and it made me love and respect you all the more.

Somewhere in there you became the self-employed owner of two businesses. One who is an incredibly well respected man in our community. It used to be that when we'd go out together, I was the outgoing one always stopping to talk with people. Now, it's the opposite! You are always introducing me to various people who are singing your praises for the work you do.

Once Meridian came along, we continued to learn to work together in this thing called parenting. I'm pretty sure we've both failed miserably, but somehow where one of us fails, the other succeeds. And there is grace. Lots of it. Towards each other when we somehow fail, and towards our girls.

You held my hand through two labors and deliveries. You dealt with months on end of my never ending, all day sickness, during each pregnancy. You did all the cooking, cleaning, and laundry for nine months straight for not just one pregnancy, but two.

But, if there is one moment that sticks out in my mind as a life changing point in our marriage, it is one from during our adoption journey. When our adoption failed, I wanted to crawl into bed and never get out again. To give up on parenting and our marriage. You could have walked away then. You could have told me what a ton of others did, "Well, it wasn't really your baby" "At least it happened before you had the baby in your home", but you didn't. Instead, you silently crawled into bed with me and wrapped your strong, muscular arms tightly around me and held me as I sobbed over our failed adoption. The only one who could truly understand how hard it was for me, perhaps because it was just as hard for you. No one else knew, but you did, and I didn't have to say a thing. Three years later, I still tear up at that memory. You truly showed me in that moment how you are here.

"Tomorrow morning if you wake, and the sun does not appear, I will be here. And I will be here when the laughter turns to crying."

You've loved this little girl that wasn't "supposed" to be yours. At least not through birth. Yet, you've loved her fiercely and tonight I watched as you just marveled at Xiomara singing to you. Just this weekend, a friend mentioned to me how awesome it was that our girls love their daddy so much, and I proudly declared what an awesome dad you are to these three little girls God has given us. He could not have picked a better man to give three girls to. Gentle, loving, and kind are the words I'd use to describe you. Traits that our girls will rely on and need in the teenage years to come.

Reflection Media

These last few years of being in the thick of parenting three, beautiful, precious girls have been some of the most beautiful and some of the most difficult. After all, little girls can be complete drama. And loud. And tear filled. And did I mention loud?!? I can never imagine going through it without you as you balance all our girly hormones, and I'm going to need you in the years to come.

"When you're getting to the end of a hard day and you're thinking it's a long way home. When you're thinking that you're just plain crazy, because you're on your own. Just think of me."

Outside of that hellish first year (I can call it that and know you will agree), this past year has been a tough one for us. We've dealt with business stuff, with the challenges of raising our three girls (who seem to be a bit like their mama in the passionate department), and I sunk into one of the lowest points I ever have this past year. I know that in my lowest of lows, I really hurt you. If someone would have told me ten years ago, that I would have hurt you in that way, I would have laughed in their face; and yet I did. I'm sorry. I know I've told you it before, but now, it's a part of our story. Through those sad times, I remember listening over and over to Pink, and singing the lyrics,

"Just give me a reason, just a little bit's enough, just a second we're not broken, just bent and we can learn to love again."

It hasn't all been hard. Oh no, with you there are a ton of laughs! It's one of the biggest things that I love about you. I'm pretty sure my life would be dull without you. I mean, what other guy can equally tease me about my Adam Levine crush, to the point where you find pictures of him just to hang on my fridge and make me laugh by writing something funny on them. Heck, you even willingly went with me to a Maroon 5 concert! You go with me through my crazy, "Oh I love this song phase", and you laugh at my quirkiness and passion for random different things, that you call my butterfly moments.

Also, I'm probably going to embarrass you by saying it, but dang you are hot! I won't reveal which friend texted me one day after her hubby saw a picture of you on Facebook, and declared, "Da*n you Christopher, you are the best looking DH (dear husband)!" I laughed so hard, all the while realizing how true it is. I am a lucky woman!

So here we are, 10 years down the road and I can honestly say that the words to our ultimate love song, ring true for us.

"Forever can never be long enough for me, to feel like I've had long enough with you.
Forget the world now, we won't let them see, but there's one thing left to do.
Now that the weight has lifted, love has surely shifted my way.
Marry me. Today and everyday.
Marry me."

10 years later, I'm not naïve enough to think that the next 10 years will be wedded bliss, but I can tell you that if they are years of more *almost* wedded bliss, I will stand in wonder and in awe of God who has made this marriage into what it is today. For if it wasn't for Him, we would not be standing here today, August 9, 2013 saying "I love you and Happy 10th Anniversary" to one another.

Reflection Media

So Happy Anniversary to the man whom I love with all my heart. There is no one I'd rather do this life with. Thank you for loving me through each and every year over the last 10 years. It hasn't always been wedded bliss, but it has been real, and ultimately beautiful.

I love you!

P.S. Did you really think I'd get through this without linking to a Maroon 5 song?!? ;) Just for you Christer, "whether times are good or bad, happy or sad, let's stay together."

More About Teal {Guest Post From My Husband}

I would like to introduce all of you readers to the newest member of our family; our new puppy, Lakewood’s Dazzling Indigo, call name Teal.  Teal is a Small Munsterlander Pointer or Kleiner Münsterländer, a breed that originated in and around Münster, Germany around 500 years ago.  They are a versatile hunting dog which share that distinction with other, more well-known, breeds such as the German Shorthaired Pointer and the Brittany Spaniel.  The North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association defines versatility as "the dog that is bred and trained to dependably hunt and point game, to retrieve on both land and water, and to track wounded game on both land and water.”  They are a relatively new breed to the United States and, at this point, there are only around 2,000 Small Munsterlanders residing in the United States.

I am a very avid outdoorsman and have always wanted a hunting dog but didn’t want to get one until we moved out of town, as our small yard and city life was not dog friendly.  We finally moved out of town onto four acres about a year ago so the search began to find the right pup.  Our new property just happened to be all set up for dogs with two kennels and an underground “invisible” fence encompassing the entire property.

I did a lot of research before settling on the Small Munsterlander as my breed of choice.  Initially we put ourselves on a waiting list for a Stabyhoun; a rare breed from the Netherlands area.  After discussing the Stabyhoun with several breeders in the U.S. we ultimately decided to keep looking as this breed wasn’t likely to be as promising a hunter as we were hoping for.  Plan B ended up being the Drentse Patrijshond, which stands for Dutch Partridge Dog or Drent for short.  This breed required a very long wait as there are very few litters born in the U.S. each year and, at this point, we didn’t want to import a pup from overseas. 

Ultimately we ended up picking the Small Munsterlander as the dog for us.  This breed, while still quite rare, was going to be much easier to acquire because we happen to have two local breeders within a few miles of our home.  This also allowed us to visit the pups nearly every day during the seven-week wait to bring our little girl home.

We put our name on the waiting list last August and ended up getting second choice female.  The breeder we chose is very thorough and did his homework to pick an amazing pairing with his female and a stud from eastern Iowa who is the best, most decorated male Small Munsterlander in the United States.  His registered name is Max vom Schützenknapp, call name Max.  Our pup’s mother is beautiful and gentle and an amazing hunter herself.  Her registered name is Crabtree’s Daisy Belle, call name Daisy. 

So finally the litter was whelped on January 30, 2013, resulting in five males and four females.  We almost immediately narrowed our search down to two of the females but, of course, had to wait for the first pick to make her choice before we could make ours.  The first choice female, a lady from Texas, ended up picking one of the other two pups that weren’t on our “list” so we were still able to make our own decision on which pup was right for us.  We ended up picking a pup that the breeder called “Rusty” (due to her having a small rust colored spot on her back).  She was the pup we were more leaning toward the whole time as she was just so calm and content with our family.  We wanted a dog that would be good with our children and she really seemed to fit the bill.

We brought our little bundle of energy and needle teeth home on the evening of March 22 at seven weeks and two days old.  She fit perfectly into our family from the start and has been a joy to be around and play with. 

As of today she is just one day shy of eleven weeks old and is growing rapidly. I have been busy teaching basic obedience and getting Teal socialized at this critical time in her life.  She has shown amazing intelligence thus far in her training and catches on quickly.  Her natural tracking and retrieving abilities are very strong and getting better each day.  We currently have her going to “Doggy Daycare” two to three days a week in order to get her socialized well with other people, dogs, and even cats.  I have also been taking her to work quite often, where she has a chance to interact with the other people at the shop and just be constantly exposed to new things and experiences. 

I plan on running Teal in a North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association (NAVHDA) Natural Ability test in June, where pups are tested to a standard and awarded points and prizes depending on how well they do.  I am hoping for the best and can’t wait to see how Teal progresses in her training.  We will keep you updated!

Life Around Here {InstaFriday}!

I look back at my blog and see that my blog has taken a bit of a back burner at this time in my life. It's ok though because that means that I've been focusing more on my family, specifically my girls who need me lots in these precious and oh-so-short younger years.

I try and update my Facebook from time to time, or even my Twitter. However, most of the time I am sharing those moments in my life I want to capture forever, on my Instagram account.

Here is a little sneak peak of these moments.

Loving my date nights with this guy!

Two of my favorite things: Coffee and TOMS 

My handsome nephew, Mylo is growing up! He always has a smile for Auntie Nessa!

Daddy snuggled his baby to sleep!

Time with my best friend is always wonderful to me!

Meridian with her cascading curls. 

That's it for now and also, I'm noticing I use the same Instagram action for a lot of my pictures! Anyone else do that?!? Feel free to so your own InstaFriday and come link up at Life Rearranged!

Maroon 5 In Concert {My Birthday and Christmas Gift}

Most people that know me well, know that I love music. I have ever since I was a little girl. The funny thing is that my style of music varies so much. I love pop, I love worship, I love country, I love classical. About the only music I cannot stand is heavy metal or rap.

Over the years I tend to go through trends in which I gravitate towards one style of music for a few months and then another. While I listen to other stuff during that time, I find that
a certain type of music gets me through a certain season of my life.

For many years now, one of my favorite groups ever has been Maroon 5. I think I fell in love with them on their Songs About Jane album as Sunday Morning and This Love (just note this music video is not the *cleanest*) were peaceful and relaxing to me. Almost more jazzy in sound.

The teenager in me comig out in full force as I wait for the concert to start! :)

Throughout the years I continued to listen to them, but I really fell in love with them when front man Adam Levine took a spot as a judge on the TV show, The Voice. Now I'll fully admit that I have a bit of a celebrity crush on him. Pretty much my one and only crush on a celebrity since I was 12 and in love with Jonathan Taylor Thomas. :) I find Adam funny, extremely talented (seriously he can play pretty much any instrument, and have you heard his vocal range?!?), and yes, even cute!

We didn't have super close seats, but I can't complain about these either!

This last fall, I told Chris that there are very few individuals or groups that I would want to see in concert, but Maroon 5 is definitely one of them. The fact that they almost exclusively write all their own music is rare in this industry and something I love about them. While Chris likes Maroon 5, he definitely doesn't love them like I do. He prefers country music, but when I told him this, he agreed to do so. I promised him it could be my Christmas gift and birthday gift rolled into one big gift. One week later, he had to stick to his promise as I found out Maroon 5 was coming close to us and I wanted to go.

He was SO awesome about taking me to this concert!

So at the beginning of March, we braved three snow storms in a matter of days and we made it an overnight date. I honestly had so much fun! Chris doesn't like to admit it, but he was smiling, dancing a bit, and singing along with the songs. The whole concert was so well done from the lights, the sound, to the music played, that I literally have become a Maroon 5 fan for life. I will definitely be trying to make my way to another concert in the future. Thanks Chris for letting me be a teenager for the night and taking me to see Maroon 5! Thank you Maroon 5 for the awesome, well done concert! Also, a big Happy Birthday to Adam Levine today! Yes I know his birthday! I told you I was a bit of a teenager! ;)

This love is ours

This love of ours looks so different to many on the outside, but then again, maybe it isn't so strange to some.

Someone asks, "Who does the cooking?" and I normally respond with a sheepish, "He does, or we cook together." all while you respond about how much you enjoy cooking and that it isn't just for the wife to do.

Most of the time, every other week, you help me clean the house. Of course you have enlisted our oldest to help now, but still, scrubbing the toilets definitely is love.

Sometimes late at night, just so I don't have to get up in the morning to a mountain of laundry, you will sit with me at the kitchen table and fold clothes as we laugh and talk through a task that otherwise would be daunting.

We dance a dance of laughter, love, and yes, sometimes even tears.

There are words spewed back and forth in fits of selfishness. These are normally followed by the tender, whispered moments of, "I'm sorry."

This love of ours has no chains of submission because we look to the beginning and see where God has called us to submit to one another. It's not wife submitting to husband, or husband submitting to wife, but rather we serve God together as one equal unit.

You listen to my dreams and I try my hardest to help you fulfill yours. You put up with my maniac researching, talking, and ranting. You smile when you hear someone describe me as effervescent! I listen to the passion in your voice and the ideas that you have that I realize very few get to hear. I smile when I hear someone describe you as shy.


It's far from perfect, but somehow through it all we find ourselves back in each other's arms, clinging to the promise of tomorrow.

This love is ours babe...and I cherish each moment I have. Happy Valentine's Day!

DIY Hair Accessory Holder {Guest Post by my Husband}

With having three precious little daughters with heads full of gorgeous hair comes an over-abundance of hair accessories!  My wonderful wife would find cute little hair clippies here or some neat headbands there.  Big, fluffy, flowers in all shapes and colors seemed to overflow at least one drawer of our girls’ dresser.  We had very quickly created a monster that was in dire need of organization!

Vanessa kept mentioning to me that we needed some other way to organize our many “hair things.”  She had seen other types of organizers online and wanted me to make her something that would be both visually appealing and, at the same time, very practical.  Everything I had seen thus far, I knew, would not work for the number of pieces we had so I had to think of something else.

As with many things I have done in the past, when faced with a particular problem or task, I just go to the store.  This is where my thinking happens and where my thought process shines (wink).  I can’t just sit down and draw out a plan.  I have to see what there is available and, with that, let the pieces fall into place in my brain. 

I had a general idea of what I wanted to do as far as size and colors go but wasn’t really sure how I was going to actually tie it together.  It all started with this frame I found at our local craft store.  It was a good size and a good price. (very important! ha!)  I decided to attach tiny little clothes pins and small wooden pegs to the frame around its perimeter in strategic locations so as not to cover up too much of the picture that was to be in the frame.  All of the wood pieces were stained dark mahogany to match our home’s doors and trim and then sprayed with satin polyurethane for a nice sheen. 

Most of the hair accessory holders that I had seen thus far had used some sort of ribbon or ribbons hanging down that were used to attach the various bows and such.  I knew I wanted to use this idea as well and set out to find the perfect ribbon.   Vanessa has always really liked hot pink and orange together so that was going to be my “theme” colors.  I found some ribbon that worked very well and stapled that to the back of the picture frame across the bottom and let the ribbons hang down about 15 inches.  

 I really wanted to personalize this project for my girls so I found wooden letters and purchased one that stands for the first letter in each of their names.  These letters I painted hot pink and glued to the frame as shown. 

Lastly, I found a photograph that features all three of my girls, all with different hair accessories and placed that in the frame.  The photo was made smaller than the frame so I could place an orange background behind the photo to continue with the hot pink and orange theme of the project.  This offset the pink of the letters on the frame.

So there you have it; a completed hair-thingy / accessory holder!  Once completed, we were happy to see it would hold nearly all of our accessories and make them much more accessible and visible when trying to match them to outfits.

Feel free to borrow the idea and make your own organized chaos.  It’s a fun project that the whole family can get in on and relatively inexpensive too!

To my girls-what I want you to know about love

Hi girls! Today is your dad and I's anniversary. That means that 8 years ago on this day, he and I pledged ourselves to each other forever at our wedding. It was a gorgeous day filled with tears, happiness, and love. I want to talk to you about love today. This letter has been stirring in my mind for the past year. You may not appreciate it now, but I hope as you grow older, you will.

Love is and it isn't like the movies. Oh how I wish I could tell you that every second is like a beautiful romance movie.  But I can't. Instead love is hard work, it will leave you in tears (both happy and sad), and it leaves you more vulnerable to hurt than ever in your life. But love is beautiful like the movies, in that it is a dance. Pulling you closer to your partner and then at times apart, but then back together closer than before.

Love comes at many different times in your life. If at 13 you tell me you are in love, I promise to do my best not to tell you it isn't love or that you don't know what love is. For after all, if you know what love is like at two, you know what it is like as a teenager. It might not look the same at two as it does at 13, and the love you feel at 13 is nothing like the love you feel at 30. But it is still love to you. And if it's important to you, it will be important to me.

That is the thing about love. While it may look a little different at different times in your life, or for different people, it still stays the same. It is selfless. It is giving. It is painful. It is beautiful.

As each of you grow up and journey into love, your dad and I pray that we have been a good example of what love is like in your lives. We pray that the crazy flirting, teasing, tears, and laughter, have shown you what true love is.

It isn't always perfect, but it is our love for each other, and our love for you girls.

And that is what love is.

Happy Birthday To My Best Friend and Hubby!!

Happy Birthday to my best friend and hubby Christopher!

Chris as a little boy! What a cutie!

I know you don't like the world to know you are now in your late 20's rolling closer to 30, but I have to say, you definitely age well! ;)

So handsome!

For those of you that don't know my husband, let me tell you a bit about him.

When we were dating I always told him "I can't believe how gentle you are". He treated me as if I was a treasure. He still does. Gentleness defines him to a "T". Not only is he gentle with me, but he treats his three girls with more gentleness than one could imagine. Never ever has he told me he wished he had a boy. Instead, those girls are precious to him. He beams with pride as he talks about them.

Daddy and his girls!

He loves deeply. While Chris isn't one to show his emotions very often, I know that when he loves someone, he love them deeply. This is shown in his every action toward them and in his words. A true romantic at heart, he blesses me daily with the little things he does for me that show his love for me.

2006. Pre-kids!

Speaking of words, he doesn't have many. He is a quiet guy, the complete opposite of me. Which means we are a perfect balance of each other as I'm quite verbal. He just listens and quietly inputs his thoughts as I express myself. The man has patience! ;)

    Sexy and serious (yep, I just called you sexy on my blog)! ;)

Those that truly get the honor of knowing Chris for who he is will quickly come to realize how funny he is! I've had many tell me, "I had no idea how funny your husband was until ______." Yep, that is how it is with him. He seems so reserved, but under it all, he makes me laugh daily. I'm very lucky I get to see this part of him that many others do not get to see. 

  He makes me smile and laugh!

He is an incredibly hard worker. Building up two businesses to support our family day in and day out. He makes me proud! He doesn't stop dreaming of what more he could do and he doesn't stop working hard to achieve those goals. I love that!

On our anniversary in 2010

And I love you Christopher! You know I don't believe in the card industry, so here is my card to you! I love you with all my heart! Thank you for being you and for loving me for me. May your birthday be absolutely amazing in everyway.

Happy Birthday Christer!

Easter 2011