Horseshoe Market

This weekend I ventured out with some gal-pals to Denver's Horseshoe Market. You never know what to expect when you arrive at a handmade/vintage market, but this one was amazing!


We met some wonderful vendors and found some great goodies. It was blazing hot, but that didn't stop us. It was so fun to have some girl time and chat it up with local artists.

One of our first finds was Larka Designs. Holly had some amazing headbands, brooches and necklaces. I made sure to snag this one before we left. It's laser cut wood. How cool is that?


Next we wandered through the booth for Sister Hipster. She had some amazing nursing covers, dish towels, hair clips, buntings and more. Oh my was it beautiful!

And finally, I got to meet Alissa from Three Leaves Toys! I was the winner of their very fist giveaway, and sine then we have been friends via Twitter. It is so fun to meet internet friends in real life and you could tell that Alissa is a wonderful gal. If you have a teething youngster or older, make sure to grab one of their beautiful wooden toys. Our munchkin loves hers!

If you are in the Denver/Boulder/front range area, you have got to make it to the next Horseshoe market on October 1st. I plan on doing a lot of Christmas shopping then. It was such a wonderful adventure!

xoxo.

Couch to 5k- week 1, day 2

Earlier this week I started the Couch to 5k running program. I'm not a runner, let alone very good at exercising, but this seems like a great way to start to enjoy it. I've always wanted to like running, but I never knew where to start.

So, I got these out of the closet.And charged up this bad boy.

Day two was better than day one, which makes the whole thing so much more enjoyable! When you can feel your body getting stronger it makes exercise so much more enjoyable. I got up early today and got to get out before the munchkin woke up. What an awesome way to start my day!

I'm currently on the hunt for the best running mix. What are your favorite songs to run to?

xoxo.

Munchkin Turns 1

Sorry for the insanely long blogging break. Hopefully that is over and done with!

Our little munchkin turned 1 on July 8th. In a matter of less than 2 years, we went from infertile to parents of a toddler.

Looking back on the past year, it's hard to deny that God takes care of us and provides. We have moved twice since Sophie was born. We have planted a new church in one of the most adverse cities in America. We're happy, healthy and striving after Christ's plan for us.

That doesn't mean it's been easy, though. We've messed up. We've hurt people we love, struggled financially, and sinned against each other, but thankfully we have been forgiven and are always covered by His grace.

And from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. John 1:16

Happy Birthday Sophie!

photo courtesy of Chase Davis

Just a quick note...

Do you follow any of Lauren Landkford's writing? What about her man, Max? Check out both of them here. They have a lot to say and it's all worth reading.

Have a good Monday, friends :)

Blogging Block

I haven't written in the space in a long time. I've been struggling with how to use this little spot on the internet and what it's meant to be. After spending over a month trying to digest the pros and cons of the blog world, the internet and social media, I really have zero conclusions. So, for now, I'll use this spot to document life as a church planter's wife, how the church plant is evolving and tidbits of my munchkin (alright, probably more than just tidbits).

Here's the latest on the church plant-
The website is almost complete! After some major hard work, boulderwell.org is live. Check it out. We've also outgrown our living room, which is awesome, but also overwhelming. Starting in June we get to meet in this cute little place-

God is doing amazing things in Boulder. It has been amazing to see how He has brought together our leadership team, humbled all of us and how He has taught us to live together in community.

And the little munchkin? She's awesome.


She's army crawling, standing up on her own and eating everything in sight. Everyday she surprises me and everyday she makes me giggle. I don't think life gets much better than this :)

xoxo.

Momma Monday

It's Monday, but I've got a million things to pack to get ready to head off to... Just know that we've had a good week as a momma and daughter pair. She makes me smile more and more everyday.

Here's to more Momma Monday posts in the future, when I've settled into CO!

xoxo.

New Tunes

Have you heard of Rend Collective? I hadn't either, until I found them on this blog.

Check out this music video. The lyrics are great, it's happy, and sums up my excitement to start a new part of our journey as a family and the Church.



Don't you just want to hang out with them all day?

Happy Sunday :)

xoxo.

[Saturday Snapshot]

I'm linking up with Miss Kim of Yellow Songbird this morning! Check out her blog. It's adorable.

Saturday Snapshot is a way to litter the internet with fun, fabulous and interesting photos from the present or past. Here's this week's photo-

This picture was taken in 2007 while I was visiting an after school program in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I had been there the year before and met this little gal. All of the kids here were being taken care of by family because they were orphans. The program offered them some schooling and at least one meal. It was an amazing experience.

Both of my trips to Africa helped solidify a longing in my heart to expand out family be either adoption, foster care, or just taking in stragglers. This past week, some of our mentors told us that they see our home in the future full. Full of people in need of a family and home. This made my heart sing. We just signed a lease for a condo that is more than we need, but we want it to be full of family, friends and anyone who needs a new start.

I can't wait to get to Colorado and start our more permanent home. We have been looking into foster care and I think that is where God is leading us, but that will be in the future. For now, we want to host anyone in need of a stable home and a good meal.

Need some friends? Come stay with us in Boulder, CO :)

xoxo.

Boulder bound

In 14 days I get to move here.

And reunite with these guys.

To do the work that God created us to do. How awesome is that? It's definitely a privilege.

I'm so excited I can barely stand it.

xoxo.

Momma Monday

Hey friends!

Mondays on the blog are used for looking back on the past week (that is if I get my act together and blog!). Being a momma is hard work. It is so easy to doubt yourself as a mom with the responsibility of raising up kiddos. Some of the best moms I know don't believe in themselves and that's bologna. Take some time today and think about how you rock!

This past week, we've been working on crawling. All of the "baby milestone" emails that I get say the bambino should be crawling by now. She's 8 months and is not crawling. This automatically throws up a red flag in my mind, but it shouldn't. She's physically developing perfectly. She's hilarious, babbles and laughs all day. She's rocking on her knees and attempting to get into the crawl position, but not trusting her arms. I finally realized there's nothing to worry about and I need to relax.

photo credit

There's no crawling, but she's figured our how to log-roll all over the house. She seems pretty content with that. :)

xoxo.

Saturday Snapshot!

I'm linking up with Miss Kim at Yellow Songbird for Saturday Snapshot! It's a hilarious and fun way to find old photos and splash them all over the internet.

Here you go...

This was taken right after our wedding. Matt just gave me a butt squeeze. Can you tell what was on his mind?!

Happy Saturday friends!

xoxo.

Coming Soon... Seriously!

I've been talking a lot about this "upcoming Etsy shop" that I am opening. I promise, it will actually happen. Turns out having an infant is more of a time commitment than I thought :)

I've been busing cutting, sewing and pinning vintage sheets and rick-rack. The shop will have Dinner Napkins (double-sided napkins with vintage patterns and rick-rack), Lunch Napkins (smaller, with vintage pattern on one side and white fabric on the other), magnets and Pop of Vintage brooches. Hopefully I'll have some photos for you soon!

I'll also be listing all sorts of vintage goodies for your home. I've got those photos taken and hope to have them up soon, but here's a sneak peak....

vintage Pyrex butter dish

fishy fishy Vintage pot

olivetti typewriter

I love thrifting and searching for the hidden vintage treasures. I am currently searching for some red moccasins. What are you looking for?

xoxo.

Momma Monday

It's Monday again (seems to happen a lot) and it's time to look back on the week and celebrate the success I had as a momma! Moms tend to get down on themselves and stress a lot. I challenge you to use Monday as a day to remember how much you rock!

Best thing about this past week? Date night!! We hadn't been on a date since September. I know, it's ridiculous. Working in ministry and temporarily living in Arkansas doesn't really give us many babysitter options. We can't afford the normal rate and don't know too many folks, but our good friend came over to save the day. My husband took me out for some brick oven pizza. We got to sit outside and just relax, together. We wandered around town, holding hands and smooching. It was wonderful. I was all twitterpated the next day. It was like we were dating again. It was wonderful!

This picture sums it up.

boyfriend cardigan: Target, embroidered shirt: Anthro, ruffle
skirt: Old Navy, tights: Target, boots: thrifted vintage Frye

Being a mom is amazing. It's full of love, smiles and giggles, but it's hard. It's really hard. It gets overwhelming and a little smothering. Date night made me feel like a beautiful, smart, adult again. Filling your day with binkies and baby food can make you feel a little less than hot, but it's worth it!

How did you rock as a momma this week? Don't have kiddos? How did you rock just being you?

xoxo.

I have to be honest. I woke up grumpy. I woke up feeling overwhelmed by the disaster strewn all throughout our apartment. I woke up to dirty dishes and piles of trash to take out. I woke up to a husband and baby who are still sick and I can't seem to make them better. Nice way to wake up on Valentine's day, right?

But, I was able to make some surprises for my man and spend a little time alone once the munchkin was down for a nap. I spent some time thinking, praying and listening. Not only is it a day to show your love for others in your life, but I think it's an awesome day to be thankful for what you have.

This time 2 years ago I was on a cocktail of drugs to improve our chances of getting pregnant. We were praying, hoping and just waiting. Well, now I've got the most wonderful little girl in the world (I'm pretty biased). I have a man who loved Jesus, me and the Church. What the heck is there to get all grumpy about?


So, I'm over it. It's a great day. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

xoxo.

Weekend Fun

We are a young, broke family working in ministry. One of our favorite, cheap things to do is to go stroller around the outside mall, nibbling on some ice cream. It's simple, but we love it. It gives us time to hold hangs, daydream and laugh with our little munchkin.


I hope you had a wonderful weekend :)

xoxo.

Valentine Garland

This is our Valentine's every day garland. I made it last year when we were still in Colorado. It survived the move to Arkansas and will make the trek back to Boulder in a few months. It was supposed to be for just February, but I like it and it stays up all year.

I found this idea on my favorite blog. I cut out some hearts, zig-zag stitched them right onto some yarn, and stuck it in the wall with some thumbtacks. I love how flopping and imperfect it is. It makes our room cozy and special.

I have some Love Day crafts brewing in my head for my man, but I'm sure they won't be started until Monday morning. He always says "the best gift you can give me is to not spend any money." He's pretty happy with a handmade card. Easy to please!

xoxo.

Arrr.... pirates + radios

Have you seen Pirate Radio? Here's the trailer for your viewing pleasure.

We watched this Monday night and laughed, a lot. It was hilarious, fun, and chock-full of fantastic music. I don't think the trailer does it justice. Put it on your Netflix queue.

Ever since then I have been obsessed with my Beatles Pandora station aaaaand finding something like this.

shop

I found something similar for $6 out thrifting, but it was missing a knob. If I could find one that worked, I would be thrilled!

It's another snow day here in Arkansas. Being from Colorado, my husband is it work. The only people in his office are the folks from Colorado! I've got a sick baby and a messy apartment, so I think I'll spend time snuggling, tidying up and sewing.

How's your Thursday going?

xoxo.

Momma Monday

Happy Monday, friends!

I use this space on Mondays to reflect on the past week and to stop doggin' on myself as a momma. If you have a kiddo or two, you know that being a mom is filled with worry and doubt. Well, enough of that! Let's start celebrating milestones and stop dwelling on the "what-ifs."

This week, oh man, this week was awesome. Simply, awesome. You may be wondering, "why?" Well, we cut out the late night feeding and can put the munchkin down at 8:00. It's glorious. It's amazing. It gives the hubby and I at least 2 hours of alone time to feel like grown-ups again! We spend time watching movies, reading books, and just talking. Talking about the day and about our worries and excitement about life. It's wonderful.


Munchkin is also taking 2 naps a day and I'm putting her down without rocking her (miracle). She usually fights it for a few minutes, but realizes that sleeping will make us all much more happy! Woop!

In other news, the Etsy shop is on it's way to being stocked and open soon! I'm in the process of sewing napkin after napkin. That's right, napkins! They are beautiful, vintage and full of rick-rack and pizazz. Get pumped! There will be all sorts of other little goodies, too :)

Have a happy, wonderful, confident, Monday!
xoxo.

I love Sundays.

I love Sundays. I love the sabbath. We sang this song at church this morning and I could barely keep it together. What an amazing, glorious God we serve.
.................................................................

"Beautiful" by Phil Wickham

I see Your face in every sunrise
The colors of the morning are inside Your eyes
The world awakens in the light of the day
I look up to the sky and say
You're beautiful

I see Your power in the moonlit night
Where planets are in motion and galaxies are bright
We are amazed in the light of the stars
It's all proclaiming who you are
You're beautiful

I see you there hanging on a tree
You bled and then you died and then you rose again for me
Now you are sitting on Your heavenly throne
Soon we will be coming home
You're beautiful

When we arrive at eternity's shore
Where death is just a memory and tears are no more
We'll enter in as the wedding bells ring
Your bride will come together and we'll sing
You're beautiful

I see Your face, I see Your face, I see Your face
You're beautiful, You're beautiful, You're beautiful

xoxo.

birds!

I am probably the last to see this hilarious video, but have you watched it?

In honor of my hysterical laughing fit, here are some products with birds. Lots of birds.

a beautiful birdie throw pillow. I could dig this on my couch.

shop

isn't this print beautiful? it's one of my favorite color schemes.
shop

birdie earrings from my favorite shop.

shop

So, get hip. Go buy something with birds. Everyone's doing it.

xoxo.

Bloglovin

Follow my blog with bloglovin

Because it's the best.

Change of plans

I said I was going to do a post on how I use vintage items in our home (tiny apartment), but I accidentally deleted all of the photos while I was editing them. So, someday in the future.

For now, let me try and humor you with a little story of one of my days last week.

We live in an apartment right now and it's on the first floor with an outside door. When we park, we are about 20 feet from the front door. It's very convenient, but also a little obnoxious to have a parking lot in your living room (well, almost in the living room).

We had gotten back from a trip the night before, so the bambino and I had just made a big grocery store trip. She had passed out in the Jeep on the way home. We parked, and I pondered, "take her in, she wakes up, I get distracted, milk gets yucky and ice cream melts." So, I left her in the back seat with the trunk hatch open (it was 70 degrees out) while I ran back and forth with the groceries, never leaving her out of my site. Then I grabbed her, she napped and everyone was happy.

BUT

Right after I got her inside, the cops pulled up. They sat outside my window for a while. The whole time I am thinking, "Now way, someone called CPS. No way." Luckily for me, there was some other hooligan that they were visiting, but jeeeeze! Talk about nerve racking!!

Would you have called CPS on me? Nah!

xoxo.

Why I live in Arkansas...

... and some other random facts about me!

-We live in Arkansas (temporarily) because my hubby is in a church planting residency program. We are moving to Boulder, CO, on April 1!

-I really really love nachos, but my husband doesn't like black beans.

-In order to feel relaxed, the couch has to be fluffed, and the pillows have to be put back in place. I'm a little nuts.

-I could spend hours wandering around Savers, or any other thrift store for that matter.

-I love cooking, but don't really care about baking. Baking takes too much precision.

-My mom taught me how to knit years ago. Maybe I will be a master knitter like her someday.

-I hiked a week's worth of the Appalachian Trail when I was in elementary school. My brother hiked it in it's entirety last summer.

-When I'm sick or blue, I watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding.

-I want to be a foster parent in Boulder County.

-I hate to vacuum, but I love the end result.

Aaaand, that's a few random facts. Pretty silly, but somewhat fun. Tomorrow I am doing a post about how I incorporate vintage items into our home to make it feel more warm. Come back and check it out!

xoxo.

Momma Monday

It's Monday which means it's time to vacuum, do laundry and plan meals [blah], but it's also time to reflect on the past week and what kind of success I've had as a mom.

Nothing too exciting happened this week, but there was a lot of strollering, sunshine, swing sets and giggles. It has been a glorious 70* and sunny here in Little Rock. From what I have seen online, it's snowing in Boulder right now, so I will stay put for a while :)

Yesterday, while I made pesto, toasted pecans, whipped together ingredients for dessert and boiled noodles [the kitchen looked like a science lab gone wrong], I made my first batch of baby food. The Bambino loves her mushed veggies and fruits, but I don't want to buy it all. So, I boiled down a bag of organic carrots, threw them in my awesome food processor (thanks, Husband) and pureed them into smithereens. I've now got a little stock-pile of food in the freezer. Bon appetite, little munchkin!


Today we are off to Joann's to spend a gift card to get the Etsy Shop up and going. It's called A Vintage Bambino. You like it? Hopefully it will be unveiled soon!

xoxo.

Vintage Sheets

A stack of vintage sheets makes me smile. Why isn't bedding this beautiful anymore?

Now, let's see what I can craft up for you to enjoy out of these gorgeous things!

xoxo.

Grown-Up Birthdays

I celebrated my 26th birthday this past week. I love birthdays. I love celebrating people and how God created them. It's so exciting!

We were in San Diego for a Converge assessment for the church plant we are doing in Boulder, CO. It was an insanely intense 4 days. We were quizzed, interviewed, met with a shrink, did many role playing activities and finally finished with a stamp of approval. After doing all of that with a baby on my hip and not enough sleep, we got to get out to La Jolla beach for my birthday.

Things change once you have a baby. Life becomes less spontaneous (because of diapers, runny noses and naps), but it's worth it. We spent some time strollering, talking to the seals, and soaking up the sun. We tried to have a nice dinner, but the bambino had a melt down, so we gobbled up our food and headed back to our hotel. The best birthday gift ever was spending that day with my little family of three. We had lots of giggles, sand under our feet, and got to bask in God's awesome, beautiful creation.

All in all, growing-up is weird, hard, and full of changes, but I wouldn't trade in those changes for anything.

How has your life been changing?

xoxo.

Momma Monday

Oh hey blog world!

One of my New Years Resolutions? Blog more.

Mondays are set aside on the blog to document why I rock as a mom. No, I'm not trying to be hot-headed or obnoxious, but as a momma, you need to take a break and reflect. Being a mom is amazing. It's incredible, rewarding and fun, but it's filled with worry, doubt and stress. I spend too much time worrying about my skills as a mom and how I am raising our little nugget. Here are some successful moments from the past week.

Momma Victory #1:
Not only did Santa bring a rocking high chair (thanks Ma!), Sophie digs it, and also looooves bananas and carrots. Feeding her
baby food has been hilarious, and, it gives dad a way to feed her and connect with her, which is awesome.

Momma Victory #2:

The little nugget is now a sitting master. She loves playing on the floor with her Discovery Cube. The cube may make some of the most obnoxious noises and plays unannounced sounds, but she loves it and therefore, I love it.

Momma Victory #3:
I can make her giggle! For a while, only dad could make her chuckle, but she now thinks my goofy faces are worthy of a little chortle. Hooray!

Happy Monday, friends. How did you rock this week?

xoxo.