24 Hour Lake Vacation

The LAKE , food, friends, family, cloudy skies, hot tea, trail mix, toys, baby pool, grilling, chips and dip, diet coke, wine, conversation, magazines, pop tarts, boats, skiing, a huge back porch (complete with baby gates), a little rain, and a lot of fun comprised an overnight stay at the lake this Memorial day weekend! Our gracious friends invited us and they swore we did not wear out our welcome. We had a fantastic time away from home and away from our 957 D.I.Y. projects.


Stephen Small loved the change of scenery and a chance to play with other children. It was totally worth enduring the car sickness on the way up there. Poor little man threw up all over himself, his car seat, and ME. The winding lake roads really got his insides churning. I'll spare you the rest of the details.

I will say Aunt Lu offered for him to ride back in her car with leather interior. Now that's love. Thanks for the offer Aunt Lu. He did just fine on the way home (in our vehicle) ; He slept the whole way.

We had such a great time. The lake was the perfect 24 hour get away to re-charge my batteries and get over my broke down-ness , especially since Stephen Grande did the early morning child duties and allowed me to sleep for 2 extra hours past Stephen Small's wake time (which is very early these days). It felt SO good to sleep.



Thank you friends for being the hosts with the most! Thank you Stephen for the extra sleep. Thank you Aunt Lu for offering you car. And thank you Stephen Small for not vomiting on your mother on the way home.

Happy Memorial Day!

Broke Down with the Motherhood

Recently my mom introduced me to a new saying..."broke down with the motherhood." She first used it when she was telling me, "You were the only child I made a Christmas stocking for, because once the other two were born I was broke down with the motherhood."

I think she read the saying in a book somewhere.

Last night I received a text message from my dad...

You haven't blogged all week. Are you broke down with the motherhood?

That is precisely the reason for my blogging absence.

I'm simply broke down with the motherhood, a little overloaded and weary of the daily routine. Nothing catastrophic.

To catch you up and fill you in, I'll start with last weekend.

I worked a long and full work weekend on Saturday and Sunday. Like, I maybe sat down three times.
Monday, I stayed in my pajamas until noon. And then I picked up Moe's for dinner. I don't know where the day went.
Tuesday was a day of worshin', swifferin,' and I cooked a meal for friends with a new baby.
Wednesday, a book I ordered came in the mail. It totally sucked me in and I had no time for the computer.
Thursday morning we made a visit to Auburn to see Stephen Grande's mom and play with cousins. The afternoon we spent by the pool with Aunt Lu.
Everyone of these nights Stephen Grande worked until at least 8pm.
And for some reason Stephen Small decided he would like to wake up at 4:30 for three of these mornings. He did go back to sleep, thankfully.
Friday, here I am. Finally. Still a little broke down, but I'm here.

We are thrilled to have a long weekend ahead to play with friends, cookout, and catch up on our rest.

I leave you with a few pictures I took Monday afternoon while Stephen Grande (or rather Captain Steve) was working on a boat engine at home. We loved having him to ourselves that afternoon, even though he was working. Stephen Small loves every chance we have to play outside.



Have a great Memorial Day! Hope to be back soon.

Hope you all....

have a fabulous weekend!

See ya next week.

4th anniversary, and I'm feeling long winded

Warning: long wordy post. Enjoy!

Four years ago to this day I married my wonderful, smart, sensitive, kind, good looking, hard working, God fearing, beer drinking, boat loving husband! Stephen is a family man through and through, and I am so grateful that God gave him to ME as a husband and father to our Stephen Small. Seriously, he gets better with age. He's gets wiser, more mature, more thoughtful, & more intentional with each passing year. I think he would say the same with me. Oh we still have tough times, but thanks to the work of the gospel in our lives our marriage only gets better. The fact that we both know Jesus personally enables us to be gracious to one another on a daily basis and not expect to be served, but rather serve one another (Matt. 20:28). We absolutely deserve no credit for our ever improving marriage. It is ALL God's work in our hearts. And for that I am very very very grateful. This verse comes to mind....

being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6.

On that note, I thought I would take you down memory lane and share some pictures from our wedding week.

This picture was taken of me doing a "dress rehearsal" about a week before the wedding. Both my sister and I wore my cousin's wedding dress. Kinda neat huh? My mom had all of our names and wedding dates monogrammed on the inside of the dress.

Here we are at our wedding day brunch with my cousins, Aunt Lu (before she became Aunt Lu), and her husband Nick. The brunch was hosted by my aunt and uncle. We had Mint Juleps that were to die for, a secret Archer family recipe that dates back to the Civil War days. Okay, I don't know if that last part is true, but it sounds cool.

This is us at my cousin's lake house the day before the wedding. So in love. So skinny.


Finally, here we are as husband and wife after the recessional. The music playing was "Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee."

Normally I would end this post here, but I found something else this morning that is SO GREAT I must share.

Shortly after our wedding, Jill (Stephen's mom) sent me a collection of notes, quotes, & marital advice that she gathered from older (than me) married women. Some ladies just wrote a verse, some a list of practical advice, and some profound words of wisdom. I was digging through my file box this morning and found them. This was such a neat gift.

I'll list a few of my favorites. Most people I will leave anonymous.

1) from a nurse, mother, and friend in the church....

practically speaking, after the babies come along, never work more than part time- and have lots of fun as a couple- don't take each other too seriously.

2. from a friend...

Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Psalm 127:1

3. from a friend...

Pick your battles. Remember not every petty irritant is worth the trouble it can cause.

4. from a friend....

Don't try to change your husband, trust the Lord to do that.

5. from a family member...

Marriage is a mystery, potentially intriguing the world around you. Never give up on the high view of marriage- heaven on earth and a stage for the Gospel mystery plays.

6. from a family member...

Do the finances (or any other "man's" job in the house) if you'll do a better job; it will relieve him of much stress, and ask freely for help with traditional women's work if the reverse is true.

7. Lastly, from Stephen's grandmother. This was without a doubt the funniest....

She wrote a list of suggestions:

1. Plan a shopping weekend with friends during hunting season.
2. Don't get a cat.
3. Keep a first aid kit close by you.
4. Don't worry, if Stephen is late for dinner- he will arrive within the hour.
5. At the end of the day, meet Stephen at the door with a big smile and a kiss.

I do the 5th suggestion (most days), wearing my uniform.

...........................................

Stephen, thanks for being you. I love you so much.
Here's to four great years and a hot date tonight!

No Housework Wednesday

"You can live your life or you can clean your house." -my Mama

Today is "no housework Wednesday" at my house. What that means is I don't do housework on Wednesdays. It's a new thing. In fact, today is only the second time I've tried this.

The idea occurred to me as I was feeling really burned out with all the worshin', sweepin, and various other chores that are to be done around here.

Now one's initial response might be: If you work primarily inside the home, is it really that hard to keep your house clean?! The answer is yes. It is that hard. In fact it is near impossible.

Reason being, if you are at home all the time that means you are there all the time to mess the place up all the time. I don't mean to sound as if I'm complaining, but I could clean, straighten, and sweep every room in my house every single day and it would still look like a tornado came through by 8:00 the next morning. I can only imagine how that multiplies with multiple children!

Anyway, having a day set aside to not worry and not fret about cleaning is great. To tell you the truth its motivating. Late in the day on Tuesday, when I'm tempted to procrastinate doing that last load of worsh or thinking "I just don't want to vacuum the floor," I remember....Oh yea, tomorrow's "no housework Wednesday," and I immediately carry through with the task.

Now I want to be clear, I don't completely neglect my cleaning duties. I still pick up that occasional smashed banana on the floor or start a load of clothes that we need to wear the next day.

Also, "no housework Wednesdays" will also serve as a day to catch up on running errands, returning e-mails, paying bills, etc. So I'll still be taking care of household business, BUT there will be no vacuuming, no toilet scrubbing, no swiffering, no mountains of laundry done, no window worshin', no dusting, and absolutely no ironing under any circumstances (not that I do that anyway).

"No housework Wednesday" is days set aside to have a little fun. A day to linger outside, a day to window shop, a day to blog, a day to sew, a day to swim, a day to watch the 2 to 4 o'clock showing of Little House on the Prairie and not feel one iota of guilt.

I leave you with a picture of my morning "fun." I began painting this little children's table red. The color is called ladybug from the new Martha Stewart line. I love it!


So ladies and gentlemen, put down your brooms.

And have a fantastic Wednesday!

We're off to the farmers' market.....

Organic Milk

Stephen Grande and I are no health freaks or organic food snobs by any stretch. We do however LOVE organic milk.

These are the reasons why...

1. It tastes better than non-organic milk.
2. It last for-EVER. We never have to throw it out because it lasts and lasts and lasts.
3. We like it.



If you are always throwing out sour milk, then try it. I think you will be quite pleased.

As Stephen Small is.

Happy Tuesday!

What's up with Stephen Small?

It has been a while since I have given an update on what my bouncing baby boy is up to. So to start the week off right I thought I'd share some of the latest and greatest news in his life.

First of all, he's climbing up the walls. In the chairs, on the couch. I won't be surprised if I find him in the roof soon.

His latest maneuver is climbing into this walker by himself. I bought it for him when he was 6 months old. But he is enjoying it way more now.


Second, we are loving every minute of his ever budding personality. He's so darn hilarious. And of course we think he's just brilliant. He imitates everything we do, especially talking on the phone. I think its safe to say that his first word is "hey", pronounced "eh." At any given moment he can be spotted hodling an electrical device (remote control, phone, ipod, etc.) up to his ear and very casually saying "eh."

Lastly, I'm going to share a little bit about weaning him. So deeply sorry for those of you who find this to be TMI for a blog post. It has just been such a HUGE part of this first year of his life. He has been an avid nurser from the get go and weaning him at almost thirteen months is a challenge for both of us. I think he would nurse until he got his driver's license if I gave him the option. However, it is just time for me to let it go. I desire the freedom and flexibility of not nursing or having to pump when I'm away from him. My goal is to be done by June 1st, just in time for a two day get-away with my best friends and college roommates. Anyways, it is a pretty emotional process. I've already cried like two rivers and I'm sure I'll cry three more before I'm totally done.

Deep down I know there is a time for everything, and I so look forward to the many stages ahead. My heart is overjoyed.

To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

Ecclesiastes 3:1

Hope you all have a fantastic week.

Save Money, Live Better (unpleasent, but necessary)

While my mom was here for a visit, I got to spend a morning "out on the town." In other words, I got to go to the Y and Wal-mart without a restless child in tow! It was great.

Now as for Wal-mart, I haven't been a regular shopper there in years. I'm talking a decade or so. However, recently I have gotten reacquainted with its extreme cheapness and I'm totally hooked. Here's just one example. We eat a box of graham crackers a week which are $3.99 at Publix and only $1.28 for the just as good Great Value brand. Hello, no brainier, I'm going to Wal-mart. It is unfortunate for someone like me who a) is not much of a bargain shopper and b) hates Wal-mart. But it is necessary and WORTH IT and I just have to embrace it. My strategy is to go once a month and stock up on all our staples. That I think I can do.

The convenience of buying other non-food items while I'm there is also appealing to me in this stage of my life. Yesterday, I replaced my entire "workout" wardrobe. I've been eying these goods for weeks. I think there comes a point in every grown woman's life when you realize you shouldn't wear t-shirts everyday. My exercise clothes are literally my uniform, and the old sorority t-shirts and too small Old Navy shorts just weren't cuttin' it anymore. So I loaded up on some slightly more sophisticated attire. The shorts were $7 a piece and the shirts $5. That's all new uniforms for less than $40. Not too shabby!

I even slept in one of my new uniforms last night.

And I'm still wearing it now.

That's too much information.

Sorry y'all.

I hope you all have a great weekend and might I suggest that if you are a Wal-mart snob (like I once was) then you best get over it. Save money, live better. That will happen, assuming you don't have a nervous breakdown while shopping.

Tid Bits

1. We've had a lot of "normal" days lately. Normal routines. Normal weekends. Trips to the grocery store. Walks in the neighborhood. I'm thankful for all these average and not so exciting times.

2. Stephen Small is getting over his first ear infection. He loves his meds, bubble gum flavored Amoxicillin.

3. My mama's coming to visit today!

4. Aunt Lu will be out of school in just a few short weeks! Yay. More time with us.

5. Captain Steve is working hard. He launched his new marine mechanics business this year. He is staying super busy. As any of you boat owners out there already know, boats are always broken.

6. I want some new clothes, white jeans specifically. Never thought I would say that.

7. I'm so ready for LOST to be over.

8. My planters have doubled in size. Miracle Gro WORKS.

9. My new sewing goal is to completely deplete my fabric supply before I buy anymore. It will be interesting to see the projects that come out of this.

10. I'm excited for summer.

This picture was taken last June. Aunt Lu and I spent a morning at the farmers' market. I was so antsy to get out of the house even if that meant bringing along a sleepy headed 2 month old.

Hope you all are having a great week!

Spring Evenings

These spring evenings have been perfect for cooking out on our porch. We have enjoyed many meals out there this season.


Saturday night Aunt Lu and her husband Nick came over for dinner. I must say it is so nice to have a sister in town. There is no "pressure" when you have your sister over. Plus when she asks "Can I bring anything?", I feel totally comfortable saying "Yes, do you mind bringing the entree and will you pick up a bottle of wine on your way over?"


That Aunt Lu, she ain't half bad.

Here's to enjoying many more meals on the porch!

Book Bag

One of Stephen Small's best buds recently had a birthday. We decided to give him a hand made book bag. Because every boy needs a book bag.


No pattern necessary. I used this tote bag of mine as the "model" for size. If you're interested in making one, then follow me along on a quick and not super thorough tutorial...

Step 1- cut out 2 rectangles of fabric and 2 rectangles of quilt backing or whatever you want to use for lining. Make the lining slightly smaller (like 1/2 -3/4 inch small on all sides) because you want the lining to fit inside the bag.


Step 2- Sew fabric right sides together and lining right sides together. Turn fabric sides right side out. Leave lining inside out.

Step 3- Slip lining inside bag and line up seams.



Step 4- At the top of bag, fold under and iron the edges under. Pin.


Sew top seam.


Step 5- Cut 2 decent size rectangles for straps. Fold over and sew right sides together.


Step 6- Turn straps right side out. I put a seam down the middle for reinforcement. You could skip this step if desired.


Step 7- Sew straps to top of bag.


When I make another one, I will probably sew the straps in between the lining and the fabric. Experience is the best teacher. I would also wash and dry the quilted lining. It shrunk a little more than I expected. Oh well.


This was such a fun little project.


If I had thought about it far enough in advance, I probably would have had it monogrammed or a name put on there. I think it would be cute to have BOOKS written on it too.

I'll be back soon.

Laughing at Ourselves

Last week, we had such a treat. My my best life long friend and her adorable little boy, J, came to pay us a visit.


During our time together and as always, Lindsay and I found ourselves laughing constantly at none other but our very own selves. The height of this was during one of our outings when we braved Wal-mart together (all 4 of us). My only explanation for doing this is to say that misery loves company.

Only kidding.

It really it wasn't so bad, it was just the potential to be horrible that made us laugh. After all, we had a 12 month old boy (SS) and a 15 month old boy (J), who fell in love with the large colorful bouncy balls and insisted on making his mother buy him one until he got distracted by a lady with crutches. Oh how we laughed. We felt home free once we made it to check out. But then SS became determined to barrel himself down out of my arms and run barefooted in his unbuttoned romper in front of the vision center. It brought a new meaning to the term "Wal-Mart feet." If it makes you feel any better, we did this all in the name of crafting. Some of you understand, right?

Another hilarious moment (at least we think its hilarious) was when we opted to pick up Chinese food instead of having a night out baby-free. Stephen Grande was perfectly willing to babysit, but the thought of staying home in our elastic pants and falling asleep during a movie was way more appealing than going to a restaurant. I think Wal-Mart did us in....and motherhood in general. Once again...us...laughing at ourselves.


Finally, and maybe our most insanely funny moment while they were here was when we attempted to let the boys do a little finger painting. I was so excited about this activity. I even bought frames to put their "art work" in. Needless to say, it was a disaster. They both wanted to do everything with the paint except PAINT. Words said in retrospect about the whole ordeal were "It all happened so fast!" - Lindsay and "What a nightmare!" -me.
Oh well, what can we expect? They are both 1. Ha.

All these things give me enough to chuckle about until our next visit.

Lindsay and J, we were so delighted to have y'all. You are welcome anytime! Our pack n play is always open.

For more reading about our visit and some seriously cute photos of our Wal-Mart boys, read Lindsay's blog here.

Stephen Small's Birthday Bash

Hello everyone! I'm back and ready to dish about all the details of Stephen Small's birthday party. Most of you know that he turned one year old 2 weeks ago! I only blogged about it 3 times.

This picture was taken upon waking up from nap time. Can you tell?

We officially celebrated this milestone by having a friends and family birthday dinner at our home on a Friday night. Praise the Lord the rain held off! The sky was bleak, but the party was a blast.

As you will learn in this post, I have a ridiculous, out of control love for children's birthdays. My mother is to blame. She always planned the most fun and creative parties when my siblings and I were coming along. I guess it is ingrained in me to do the same for my children (within reason and budget of course).

My focus today is to share party details in hopes to inspire.

Oh where do I begin?!

I'll start with the theme.

The party theme was rubber duckies.


These pictured above were given out as party favors.

For the party decor' I bought classic birthday balloons. And if you want to see me get nervous, then you should accompany me on my next balloon purchase. I was so afraid they were going to escape or pop. I was shaking in my flip flops. Only one was lost...to popping.


I also had this silly ol iron duck that my dad bought on sale months ago at a home decor' store. It was a festive way to welcome guests.


The birthday banner barely made an appearance. I TOTALLY FORGOT to put it out. My mom remembered it around 5:45 (the party started at 6!). I would have been kicking myself had she not thought of it.


Onto napkins and table cloths. For this I delved into my fabric collection.

I made cloth napkins by hemming up some fabric squares on all four sides . I loved this little sewing project. I used scraps I had left over from other projects.


I wrapped them around the forks and tied them up with a little piece of twine.


For the table cloths I bought blue gingham and had the fabric store cut pieces to my table sizes. I have already re-used this fabric to make a little romper for Stephen Small. So if you like to sew, keep in mind that your table cloths can serve a second purpose after the event is over.


The little potted plants you see below were used for table arrangements. These were inspired by my friend James Farmer. He often recommends "living arrangements" instead of fresh cut flowers. It is a great way to get more bang for your buck because unlike fresh flowers that die in just a couple of days, these potted plants can be transplanted in the ground and enjoyed for months. Also, you can put them together days before. I planted on Wednesday before the party on Friday.

The cost of the impatiens were $6 and the little containers are McCarty bowls that I collect and already had. You could use anything...mason jars, terra cotta pots, etc.

Okay, let's talk about food!

My mom brought the appetizers. She made a beautiful vegetable tray and dip as well as some delicious tortilla bites with salsa that are not pictured.


The dip can also be eaten with bugles which were a huge hit with the children. All the babies could be found at any given moment at the bugle bowl.


For the main course we had hamburgers, Captain Steve's labor inducing hamburgers to be exact. They are dubbed this dramatic name because two pregnant women (one being myself) on two separate occasions, have gone into labor within hours of eating my husband's amazing grilled hamburgers. Seriously, they are THAT good and a staple at our house.


Individual chip bags were one of the sides which made it is so easy on me. Hello, no cooking!

The only thing I made was a slaw recipe similar to my broccoli slaw. Once again, not really cooking, just assembling.

Now for the cake...OH THE CAKE! Not only was it the cutest cake EVER, it tasted insanely good. My cousin made and decorated it. She seriously needs to open a bakery.


One little cake was made specially for Stephen Small. And you know he LOVED it.


Now, for my favorite party detail, which I can take no credit for because it was %100 my mom's idea. She brought this adorable little alphabet book. We set it out for each guest to sign their name on the letter that their name started with.


I'm sure we will read this book for years and when Stephen Small is old enough we can look back as say "Look who signed this page at your first birthday!"


"And this page."


Even though these details made the party fun, it was the people there with us that made the event so special. We are so grateful for the friends and family that were able to come (especially those of you who traveled)! It means the world to us.

I will close by saying one final time...HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY STEPHEN SMALL! We are so glad you were born.