Day 42

I made a post about Hudson's love of this beach ball last week. Unfortunately, the beach ball has suffered an injury. I hate to break the news to Huddy, as this is his favorite toy.

Day 41

We finally have real snow, the fluffy stuff, the fun stuff, the way too cold for me to really like stuff. I am not going to lie, as an avid enemy of snow, I was actually looking forward to a few inches from this most recent storm. Huddy has never had a chance to play in real snow, so I was excited...until I glanced out the window. Several of our neighbors had lawns full of white, pretty fluffiness, yet we were left with a not so pleasant mix of snow and leaves. It was like fall and winter all bundled up into one big yard of play. Spencer and I decided that despite our obvious lack of pretty snow, Hudson still needed some playtime outdoors today. He really enjoyed it too, however he enjoys any occasion that offers a chance to wear his boots. Spencer being the great daddy he is tried to teach Hudson how to throw a snowball at his mommy today, however my sweet baby opted away from this and ate it instead.

While the above picture is the "picture of the day",

I decided I must share the following two as well.

I love this sweet smirk, it brings smiles to my days and giggles to my heart.

I LOVE how these two always seem to take the same exact steps.

I love IKEA!

Spencer has two days off in a row this week, so we decided a day trip was needed. We have been so eager to return to Ikea after our first visit a few months ago. We knew at the time of the first trip we would be relocating very soon, so we actually didn't really purchase anything (other than some amazing dish towels). This was definitely a wonderful trip. We bought several great and much needed items for our house. We love our little rental, but it is definitely in need of some TLC. Our style has changed since Huddy joined the family, I am now all about functionality. Little fingers and breakables just do not mix around this house. Here are our great finds from today, in no particular order. I will update later when we have had a chance to add each to the house.

One

Lack Wall Shelf



Photo courtesy of Ikea.com



I spotted this shelf months ago in the Ikea catalog and fell in love. I love the clean lines and how the mounting package allows the shelf to actually become part of the wall.

Two

LATT

Children's Table and 2 chairs

Photo courtesy of Ikea.com

I think this is absolutely adorable. Hudson has his own space in our livingroom. It is a corner and it is his space for his toys. Lately he has been trying to sit on anything he can and also use the entertainment center as a track for playing with his cars. I decided a couple of weeks ago, it was past time for a table and chair set. I actually found this on Amazon.com but the price was more than double what I paid at Ikea today. I honestly love the clean, sleek style, but most of all I love the color. I am all about Hudson having a space in our livingroom, but this does not mean it doesn't need to go with the flow of things. Most children's tables I found were bright primary colors, I love the simplicity of this set. I am sure the wonderful drawings he produces while sitting at this table with bring plenty of color to our lives. 

Three

KROKEN

ceiling-mounted utensil rack

Photo courtesy of Ikea.com

I must say, my husband has amazing taste. While I was browsing through the selection of spice racks, he found this beauty. He immediately had my attention. We love our kitchen in this house, the cabinets are great, the tile work is beautiful and I love the countertops. However, it is lacking in storage. While we love the style/color of the cabinets, we are very limited on them. I have incorporated my childhood dresser into our kitchen space, it sounds crazy, but it actually works quite well. Our love of kitchen equipment quickly filled up all the storage. Spencer pointed out that this piece will look amazing hanging above the black dresser. It will also provide another space for pots and pans, and open up some storage for food. 

Four

KASSETT

DVD box with lid

Photo courtesy of Ikea.com

I love these little boxes! So simple, yet so needed in our home. We have three gaming systems and a collection of dvds. I love our collection, but I do not necessarily want to display them. These little boxes are the answer. The bright green will look great on my new shelf, yet all of the games/dvds will be neatly (most definitely alphabetically, if you know me well this shouldn't surprise you) stored in the containers.

And many more great items...

There were definitely several more great items purchased on this trip. I purchased several additions for my home office including a new chair, a work lamp, and a magazine rack. Other favorite items for me were three simple small vases, a small picture frame, and a spring form pan. I can't wait to bring all of these items into our home, trust me you will be seeing pictures.



Day 40

I love this picture! We took a wonderful day trip to Ikea today. It takes almost three hours from our house now, so needless to say I spent the entire time searching for interesting apps on my new phone. Usually, when it comes to photography apps, I am just not that impressed. I am fully capable of editing my own photos in photoshop, so why bother. I was proven wrong today. This little app is called Retro Camera and it is quite amazing. It provides the user with four separate cameras, each with a very different style. I was eager to try this one out, so I snapped a picture going 70mph down I20. I wasn't expecting anything that great, but wow was I shocked.

The Best Freebie



Image by La-Z-Boy

I love this type of freebie! It is a freebie that you don't actually receive, but send instead. Go “Like”  La-Z-Boy’s Facebook page to donate a Comfort Bear for free to your local Ronald McDonald House. Click on the RMHC tab for further directions. Once you enter your zip code, you will be able to select the Ronald McDonald House of your choice.

After completing this freebie, you can remove the application from your facebook by following these simple steps provided by Freebies 4 Mom. Go to “Account” at the top right of your Facebook page then click on “Privacy Settings”. Look at the bottom left for “Edit your settings’ under Applications and Websites. You can then view all applications you’ve allowed and delete any that you wish by clicking on the “x” on the far right for each application listed.

Thank you Freebies 4 Mom!

Day 39

Today's picture is my all-time favorite cookie recipe. It is simple, but delicious. My mom taught me this easy little recipe many years ago and I always go back to it. It is a quick solution to a sweet craving, without having to dig through the pantry for ingredients.

Easy Peanut Butter Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Peanut Butter (I prefer extra crunchy)
• 1 Cup Sugar
• 1 Egg

Directions

Mix all ingredients together and then form into 1 inch balls. Use a fork to create a criss cross pattern. Bake in an oven pre-heated to 325 degrees. Remove from oven just as the edges start to turn golden brown.

Day 38

"Then Horton stopped walking. The speck-voice was talking!"

I love this book! It is a collection of Dr. Suess stories and an amazingly cute book that Spencer picked out for Huddy a few months ago. The colors are so bright and of course the classic Dr. Suess tells are great too. Tonight, I read Horton Hears a Who to Huddy. He giggled at the pictures and begged to turn the pages himself.

Day 37

Happy One Year Anniversary to us! I can't believe it has already been a year, but at the same time it feels so much longer. I am so happy and grateful that I am going to spend the rest of my life with such an amazing man. I am blessed beyond measure to have him in my life. Our celebration was low key this year. Dinner at Outback with Hudson, followed with dessert at Yogurt Mountain. The night was perfect.

Our Relationship...in pictures

A year ago today, I married my best friend. We have been through so many things together, that honestly one year just seems like a brief snapshot of the milestones we have celebrated already.

November 12, 2005 - This was our very first picture together. We met the day before on the longest trip to the Galleria and a promise of Bottomfeeder's hushpuppies.



December 31, 2005 or January 01, 2006 - The night we officially became a couple. Spencer tells everyone that I threw out a DTR (define the relationship) around midnight.



January 01, 2007 - Celebrating One Year of dating.



January 1, 2008 - Happy Two Years of dating.



I do not have a picture of our third anniversary of dating. On Thanksgiving Day 2008, we realized we were expecting a baby and life changed. Our focus on where we were going and what we were doing changed completely. The next several pictures are from my pregnancy. We grew so much as a couple during this time, I would not have wanted to go through this process with any other man. Spencer was an amazing Daddy from day one.







July 27, 2009 - Without a doubt, this was and is the best day of both of our lives. I can't begin to express in words just how wonderful the moment is when you meet your child for the very first time.

First Family Picture. There were so many cameras, we were all looking different directions.


This little grin confirmed just how much our lives were about to change. Hudson is truly a blessing from God and has changed our lives forever. I would not change the circumstances of how he came into our lives or change the timing. God knew what he was doing when he sent Hudson our way.



Things changed after this day. The focus shifted from a couple to a family.

Day 36

This boy loves his daddy so much. While Spencer was playing Xbox, Huddy just had to climb up in his lap and tell him ALL about this extension cord box.