Warmth and Honey

Now that I finally have a sewing machine, I'm ready to attempt all sorts of lovely projects. The first on my list is curtains for our front window. Landon and I went to JoAnn Fabrics and found a beautiful printed material that we love. The colors fit so well with some other things in our apartment. I particularly love the burnt yellow and maroon together....it's so warm and cozy. A cool website I found has some really neat vintage patterns and fabrics. It's called Repro Depot. Check them out. Etsy also has fabric by the yard for sale.

I've been researching online some ideas for what style of curtains I want to make. Hopefully I can decide and get these up soon!! It's been so long since I've sewn anything with a machine that I need to relearn how to thread the bobbin and all that jazz. But it's worth it since I can make cool things for our nest on the cheap!





Landon and I shared a nice evening together on Friday last week. I picked up some hard cider and we poured it over ice and stirred in some honey and drank it with some nice fluffy bread. Delish! (We love bread way too much I think.) Pair with my favorite show, Jeopardy, which Landon records for me since I get home from work after it's over, and we had a wonderful evening. It's the simple things in life.












Have a wonderful Wednesday!

Cheers,

Leah

Just So

Some new things that brightened my evening two nights ago. My awesome friend Autumn made me a lovely housewarming gift in the form of a new apron! I'm so excited to cook in it. Autumn said "Get it stained, I don't care." and I am planning just that.

Our friend Casey gave us a really good juice drink and we loved it. I'm pretty sure it's the best soda juice drink I've ever had. It wasn't too sweet and the flavor was so rich and smooth.

We made some coffee and no bake cookies...again. I just love no bake cookies and we eat them so often it's not even funny. The container of rolled oats I have is almost gone, and we've used all of the oats in the form of no bake cookies. I know. But we this last batch a little differently. We have some leftover Easter candy and the chocolate bunnies are so sweet that it takes us forever to eat them. So we just melted down the bunny, added a bit of butter, a tad of cocoa, and a generous helping of peanut butter and mixed it with rolled oats and it was delicious! I'll eat any super sweet chocolate if it's mixed in with peanut butter and oats.

We finally go our bedroom organized using our new bookshelf. It's a ladder bookshelf and, again, we picked the dark brown finish to match our other pieces. I got some wedding pictures framed and stacked my magazines and books just so, and it looks great in our bedroom. There's just something about and orderly stack of books or magazines that just makes me happy.

Ready to finish off this work week and spend a lovely weekend at home with Landon. He makes me laugh every day. Last night, he was stirring some juice in one of our glass jar cups and it was super loud and fast. I asked him why he had to stir so loud, and he said "It sounds like a horse galloping!!" Oh I love him. We went to a Christian bookstore last night because he wanted us to get a couples devotional book and one for each of us. I'm so excited to start the book with him.
We're going to pick out some fabric for curtains I'll make, so I need to study the manual on my new machine and get it ready to sew! I can't wait to try all sorts of new things. I think I'll go get a Chai and relax a bit before work.
Have a lovely day!!

Cheers,

Leah

Classic

Finally have a free night to post, and I looked around for some beautiful things since I had a little free time.
Some lovely ladies from the good old days, and a few from nowadays. I love the classic looks and natural beauty these ladies portray, and the styles which are so crisp and simple. These inspire the vintage side of me.

Cheers,

Leah

Images: Bike, Camera, Kate, Swim, Grace, Katharine, Elizabeth, Audrey

Dress to Impress

My sister Hannah just went shopping yesterday for some fun new dresses, and it got me thinking. Wedding season is fast approaching us! We don't have a very large season this year, only three, but I am so excited for these weddings! I think a couple are going to be laid back casual weddings, and the other will be a bit more formal. I already have enough dresses, so I don't think I'll be buying any for this summer...I'm actually hoping to buy a sewing machine very soon!! But even so, it's fun to look around and see what styles are out there.

Hannah bought these two amazing pieces...she is going to look fabulous in them!!





The gold is from The Limited, and the blue is from Express.
I am so impressed with Hannah because she's stepping away from her shopping norm and trying out a bold new style for her. Go girl! I can't wait to see her rock these smocks this summer. :)

I found some more pretty things from my one of my favorite websites, ModCloth. They have tons and tons of dresses, all with a vintage feel. If you want unique and vintage, they probably have what you're looking for.
Here are my favorites:







I love this last one because it looks slightly similar to the one Landon got me for Valentine's Day. I can't wait to wear it for the 4th of July party at Hannah and Jon's lakehouse!!



Landon bought it from Charlotte Russe, another great store.

Here's to wearing fun dresses to fun weddings and such....can't wait!!

Things I'm thankful for today:

-finally getting the plates for our new car
-the sunshine
-awesome husband
-wonderful friends
-Stake N' Shake (we're going out for a snack after I get off work)
-the possibility of having my own sewing machine soon!
-blackened chicken and bleu cheese salad tonight

Have a wonderful Day!

Cheers,

Leah

Summer Lovin'

I'm ready for a summer party! The weather has been so beautiful lately, and it just gets me wanting to cook some good food, get outside, and have some people over. A good park or my sister's lake house would be the perfect setting since we don't have a lot of space at our apartment. When we get a house, I told Landon we're having people over pronto!!

So a good party to me would have great food, great drinks, great music, great decor, great activities, and great people!

Food: I found some delicious pictures of food ideal for outdoor parties.
What about a nice sandwich?



Or how about some grilled chicken kabobs?


Recipe here.

Drinks: A nice refreshing glass of lemonade or berry drink can really hit the spot on a warm evening.



We had raspberry lemonade for our wedding.



Get creative with your drinks:
- add some lemon or lime juice to spritz up a regular old berry drink
-use some mint leaves and actual berries for garnish
-take some club soda and add a bit to your juice to really give it a zing

Music: Use your sweet ipod playlist and dock or burn your favorite mix and have music playing in the background. You can bump up the fun level of your party just by adding some sweet tunes.

My new favorite party song is Rawnald Gregory Erickson the Second by Starfucker. (I don't really like their name, but their music is amazing!) You can listen to their song here.

Decor: Just adding a few simple decorations can really brighten your party atmosphere.

Try some tiki torches.



Use some old fabric and twine to make some sweet garlands. Landon and I made these for our wedding reception and everyone loved it. It was easy to make and gave a fun look to our tent.



Here's another look.



Activities: Bring along frisbees, croquet, volleyballs, set up a fire pit, play Battle of the Sexes, or Settlers of Catan, or any other game that tickles your fancy. Have a variety so anyone can be playing or doing something.

Croquet from our wedding:



Fire pits and lawn chairs always are a good idea towards the evening.



People: Invite all your friends and you've got a great party that is sure to leave everyone feeling grand!

Cheers,

Leah

Images: Sandwich, Drink, Tiki, Garland, Fire.

Up to Date

I officially started my job full-time yesterday. Whenever I start a new job, I just wish I could fast-forward three weeks where I am finally comfortable and know my way around what I am doing. It's a great job though, and I'm really looking forward to getting to know the family better. They got a new puppy yesterday, and he is so adorable! I want one badly.

With working full-time now, I've been trying to think of how I can manage my time more practically since I don't get home until 8pm. I still want to take care of my husband and cook and clean, so I've just had to juggle some tasks around. I'll just prepare the supper for the evening as much as I can before I leave after lunch, then Landon can just warm it up when he gets home. I'll definitely need to plan ahead of time and schedule my days so that nothing goes to waste and I can be productive. Hmmm, this new schedule is vaguely reminiscent of my college days. But I'm the type of person that thrives on the challenges of scheduling and busy days, so this shouldn't be too bad.

Landon's work is going very well. They said it was alright if he wanted to adjust his hours to fit a little better with mine, so he's working from 9 until 6 or so and getting home not too early before me. He's glad for a couple hours to himself after work so he can get some projects done as well. I love him so much...he had a sweet note waiting for me with some chocolates when I got home last night, and he had taped Jeopardy! for me so I didn't miss my show! He's the best.

We are excited for this new job and extra income. God has really been amazing to us and provided so much. We are thankful.

And now for a treat! I discovered a wonderful yogurt yesterday that I think everyone would love. It's Greek Gods Honey flavored yogurt. Very creamy and thick and such a wonderful flavor. Dairy products are slightly iffy with me sometimes, but this yogurt is delicious! I got it at our Kroger's right down the street. Try it sometime.



And since it's springtime, here are some new looks from Ruche that tickled my fancy today.







Aren't they lovely?

Cheers,

Leah

Glass Bottles & Potting Soil

Ahhh, it is Springtime! This is not my most most favorite season (fall trumps all), but I love the beginning of the spring when the earth is finally waking up from winter. I get an itch to get outside and get my hands dirty planting or work up a good sweat by running. Plus the birds! I love waking up early to the sound of birds out the window...best alarm ever.

I went to a cute little garden shop a few days ago to gather my little bit of supplies needed to plant a few flowers. Pansies are so beautiful, plus they will do well on our front porch which only gets partial sun. Then I had to buy a beautiful houseplant to bring some green into our apartment. I wasn't sure what to put it in, then I found a wooden bowl we had bought recently, but didn't really have any purpose for. The plant fit perfectly inside and I love the natural look!! Complete with my pansies, house plant, and potting soil, I was set. I may have used our tiny square of linoleum by the front door to pot the plants using a metal serving spoon, but hey, whatever works right? But they look so wonderful sitting by the front door and inside our home...which feels more homey because of them.

We've also been drinking some wonderful wonderful lemonade. We bought some at Marsh the other day mainly because we loved the glass jug it came in. Oberweis sells milk in these jugs too, and I just loved the look of milk in a glass bottle. Sometimes I wish I grew up during the '40s when milk still came in glass bottles.

Landon and I have a big weekend! He gets off at 12:30 today! Then, we're celebrating our 6 month anniversary a day early and going to see Clash of the Titans in 3D, and getting some yummy grub at Cheeseburger N' Paradise....I love meat! We're heading back to our parents' for Easter and I cannot wait to be with family and cook with my sister and have a wonderful Sunday service at our church listening to my Daddy preach. I am making some dishes for our Easter dinner that sound so good right now:
Creamy Chopped Cauliflower Salad, and Raspberry Chocolate Torte.





























Here are some images of my springtime fun for you to enjoy.

Have a wonderful and blessed Easter weekend!!

Cheers,

Leah