As I watched my neighbors dig my car out Wednesday morning, still a bit unsure WHY I was going to work in the mess of Snowmageddon 2011, I was struck by how kind it was of them to make sure our driveway was clear for me to get to work (even though everything else in town was closed). Ok, I'm over it, really. They bought us lunch at work and let us go at 3:00 so it wasn't too bad. Back to Wednesday morning. Once I was able to scale the heights of the snow drifts and make my way onto the roads I realized that without the 4 wheel in the suburban I was driving, I wouldn't have made it anywhere.
Yup, the 'burb that the friends who are living in Lebanon for a few years kindly gave us to "keep running" for them until they get back for the summer in April. Just when we thought we were going down to one car for awhile, that blessing dropped into our lap and although we try to stick to using it moderately, it has come in handy more than once. Days like Wednesday, the times we needed to transport things, help friends move & not fight over who was going to drop the other off to have the car for the day, the suburban has been a surprise blessing.
It got me thinking about the other things along the journey of the past few months that have just "dropped into our laps". Like the beautiful crib & dresser set that friends just happened to set aside in their garage sale before they even knew we were pregnant. They thought $100 was a fair price and we knew that was more of them being gracious and basically giving us a huge gift and we took it. A blessing. And then there are the 4 or 5 friends whose clothes are gracing my wardrobe as my belly expands, boxes they just happened to set aside for whoever wanted to borrow them. Cute stuff too, like fitted old navy tees, classy dress clothes, funky dresses, you name it. I seriously have too many options right now and that is ALWAYS a blessing. I did go ahead and buy a few pairs of jeans for myself, staples that are a must have right now but besides that, I am pretty set.
I could go on and on if I sat here for a bit longer but a Friday morning off means that I need to get myself moving for the weekend's activities. I just think it is good to reflect on the surprise blessings that come our way once in awhile. So I have one more for YOU. I have a $20 shutterfly gift card that is good until the end of March that I want to bless someone else with. Here is the catch: you can't use it for yourself. Whatever you use it for has to be something to bless someone else. For example, a photo book a special trip they took, a mousepad with your face to grace their workspace, a Valentine's day gift for someone you love or a photo calendar of their family. Tell me all about who you plan to bless with it and how. I will announce a winner on Friday so be sure to let me know by Thursday night who you plan to bless!
Showing posts with label surprises. Show all posts
Showing posts with label surprises. Show all posts
Friday, February 4, 2011
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
my red door
remember a few days ago when I wrote about this?
Well here is the finished product and I am loving the new updated look of our house! I can't believe the difference a little sand paper and paint can make and it inspired me to get the fall decor rolling on the inside as well, which as we know from last year, is quite an event to me.
I just have to brag on my hubby a little bit more in that it was almost dark by the time he realized that the border on the garage would look better matching the door and jumped right in to make it happen. I ran inside to grab the star that I had in the basement, got the ole spray paint out, and we got the job done.
Well here is the finished product and I am loving the new updated look of our house! I can't believe the difference a little sand paper and paint can make and it inspired me to get the fall decor rolling on the inside as well, which as we know from last year, is quite an event to me.
I just have to brag on my hubby a little bit more in that it was almost dark by the time he realized that the border on the garage would look better matching the door and jumped right in to make it happen. I ran inside to grab the star that I had in the basement, got the ole spray paint out, and we got the job done.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
my own red door
I had the best surprise waiting for me today after I got home from work. My very own red door. I love our home, I truly do but lately I have started to have itches to re-decorate and make updates. I think my internal "we have had things the same for awhile now" clock ticks away about once a quarter and this time Ryan helped fill my need for change without me asking; even better!
All that to say, as I pulled in, he was in the process of painting our shutters black & our door a barn red that I LOVE and am thrilled with. I have always felt like the exterior didn't represent us but once you are inside, the spaces speak of us so it wasn't as big of a deal. The best part was that we haven't really talked about it or looked at paint, he just knew. and I liked that. alot.
Now to figure out the perfect expression to decorate with! He suggested white wording and I think this one is pretty darn cute although likely a wreath or something funky in place of the bouquet!
In other door news, I decided to keep the old antique cellar door I created for now & set it up in the living room (another one of those "needing change" moments. I think I can make the most of this new creative endeavor by trying pieces out in my house before I sell them. Don't worry, you won't be stuck reading a novel on my walls next time you come over, Ryan won't that happen!
All that to say, as I pulled in, he was in the process of painting our shutters black & our door a barn red that I LOVE and am thrilled with. I have always felt like the exterior didn't represent us but once you are inside, the spaces speak of us so it wasn't as big of a deal. The best part was that we haven't really talked about it or looked at paint, he just knew. and I liked that. alot.
Now to figure out the perfect expression to decorate with! He suggested white wording and I think this one is pretty darn cute although likely a wreath or something funky in place of the bouquet!
In other door news, I decided to keep the old antique cellar door I created for now & set it up in the living room (another one of those "needing change" moments. I think I can make the most of this new creative endeavor by trying pieces out in my house before I sell them. Don't worry, you won't be stuck reading a novel on my walls next time you come over, Ryan won't that happen!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
back to blogging
I am allowing myself until tomorrow morning to end my vacation, regardless of the fact that we got home last night. I decided that it goes on and until Monday morning I am allowed to do whatever I want. So there.
I so completely disconnected that I am having a hard time plugging back into reality, so I am trying to do it with caution, knowing that that complete disconnect was so healthy and much needed. I was starting to think that the internal calendar always running through my mind and chaos and sayings like "blessed and stressed" were good mantras to carry around. I needed to step away from blogging and facebooking and phone calls and schedules only to realize that the cadence of my life is mine to determine.
So for a week, it was nothing but days that flowed freely into one another, full of adventure and laziness and laughter and GOOD FOOD. lots of that. I will share more about it this week but wanted to share a few pics of the pit stop we made on the way to Lake Geneva. I saw a sign for the Jelly Belly factory & Erich, Al & Ryan were kind enough to humor me and follow it. We were all pleasantly surprised to find sugar heaven, with every flavor of Jelly Belly and candy you could think of. Almost like Willy Wonka goes Jelly Belly. Here are a few pics before we drifted into sugar induced comas:
I so completely disconnected that I am having a hard time plugging back into reality, so I am trying to do it with caution, knowing that that complete disconnect was so healthy and much needed. I was starting to think that the internal calendar always running through my mind and chaos and sayings like "blessed and stressed" were good mantras to carry around. I needed to step away from blogging and facebooking and phone calls and schedules only to realize that the cadence of my life is mine to determine.
So for a week, it was nothing but days that flowed freely into one another, full of adventure and laziness and laughter and GOOD FOOD. lots of that. I will share more about it this week but wanted to share a few pics of the pit stop we made on the way to Lake Geneva. I saw a sign for the Jelly Belly factory & Erich, Al & Ryan were kind enough to humor me and follow it. We were all pleasantly surprised to find sugar heaven, with every flavor of Jelly Belly and candy you could think of. Almost like Willy Wonka goes Jelly Belly. Here are a few pics before we drifted into sugar induced comas:
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