Cats

 

My cats are really cute. That's all.

Head to Toe in Gramma's Clothes

 

Here's one thing I'm notorious for: forgetting my hanging clothes. 

I'm genuinely embarrassed by how many times I've gone somewhere only to realize I forgot to grab my hanging clothes. Pretty sure it's happened at least three times since Casey and I have been married and for sure a few times before that too. It's a joke among my friends, "Did you remember your clothes?"

One time I got to Bossier (to visit my family) and was staying for a week and had no clothes. My mom took me shopping and Julianne ran to her mom's house and pulled some clothes from the clothing collection she keeps there and brought them to me so I could be dressed for the week. It was actually kind of fun wearing new/new-to-me clothes all week! 

But here is another fact: my gramma is the most stylish person I know.

I stay with her when I'm in Bossier and often raid her closet. She gives me the clothes she no longer wants. Those are inevitably the clothes I get the most compliments on.

This dress is one of those dresses that she no longer wanted, so she gave it to me. She also gave me the tank top underneath. She let me borrow the shoes (because the ones I brought didn't match), and I found the shades in the bag of stuff she was donating to Goodwill. (I also pulled a dress out of the bag.)

Anyways, this time I was not dressed in her clothes because I forgot mine. Just because she gave me the dress and I liked it and wanted to wear it immediately. 

But if I had forgotten my hanging clothes again, Gramma's closet would have taken care of me.

31

 

Somehow I'm 31 now, which means I'm actually "in my thirties." That's such a weird feeling. People often tell me that I don't look like I'm 30, and I am happy to take that as a compliment. 

The other day I looked in the mirror and noticed forehead wrinkles. I now understand why people get botox. It just needs to be puffed up a little and that wrinkle would be gone! The wrinkles have weirded me out much more than the gray hairs, but I've been finding the occasional gray hair since high school, so maybe that's why. I really hope when I go gray that I get a streak of gray first instead of random white everywhere.

Ultimately, I'm grateful for the opportunity to grow old. There was a time in my life where I couldn't imagine being 35. When I looked at my future, it was so bleak that I didn't even want to be 35. I hoped I could die a tragic, quick (but painless) young death because that seemed better than continuing life as it was and living to be old. 

Thankfully, God stepped in. He did some very unexpected things in my life and got me turned around. I'm not saying life is perfect, but man am I blessed. He got me out of a bad situation and now I can rejoice because I'm not where I once was. 

I'm learning to celebrate more, because, even if I'm blessed enough to grow old, life is still short. So I called my favorite bakery and ordered my favorite cake (strawberry with cream cheese icing) and text some friends and family to come over to my Gramma's to celebrate with me. 

I only had 12 candles on my cake (even though I wanted 31) because I couldn't make myself buy three packages of candles just so I would have enough. Although in hindsight, maybe it would have been worth the $10. (Probably not--it took two tries just to blow out 12.)

Life Lately: July 2022

 I did not mean to just... not post for over a month. I didn't even realize it had been so long, but we have been busy busy busy. Here's what we've been up to in the last few weeks.

July 11-17ish - Prep for EKWIP | EKWIP (Equipping Kids With Individual Purpose) is our church's version of VBS. We spent the week beforehand planning and prepping.

July 18-23 - EKWIP | EKWIP is all day every day for  a week. We have to stay a few hours later every day to prepare for our Kids Krusade, so we were putting in 13-hour days. Ethan was here! Ethan is my 6-year-old nephew. He came for the week of EKWIP, so we were doing 13 hour days with a 6-year-old. Whew! I'm so glad he could come.

Thursday, July 21 - Then we got invited to go on a mission trip. | On Thursday of EKWIP, we got a call inviting us to Chapel Hill, North Carolina do to children's ministry at a home mission church. If we were to accept the offer... we would be leaving one week and one day later.

Saturday, July 23 - We said YES. | On Saturday, we decided we would say yes if Casey could get off work. We had a mission fund, so why not? Turns out, God really wanted us to go and someone offered to pay for our flights and hotel! 

Sunday, July 24 - It's official! | On Sunday, he got the okay from his supervisor and we booked our flights!

Tuesday, July 26 - Bestie hang out | Juju came to town and we hung out and went to Hobby Lobby and, oops, I bought 5 yards of fabric that was on sale for $3 a yard.

Wednesday, July 27 - Bestie Hang out Part 2 | I helped Kaleigh get her classroom ready. It's her first year teaching!

Thursday, July 28 - Oops I made a dress | I used that fabric I bought and made a new dress to take on our trip. It turned out so cute! We ate pizza for dinner to support a good cause.

Friday, July 29 I crossed something off my bucket list! | We both woke up sick. Thanks, pizza. BUT we were feeling better in no time. Thank goodness, because we flew out to North Carolina! On my bucket list is: "Decide to go on a trip and book tickets and leave within a week." I got to cross it off! That night we joined Bro. Roca in a training session on how to connect with kids. And we taught action songs!

Saturday, July 30 We hiked for coffee and God is awesome | We literally hiked to a coffee shop (where we got tea, because if you've read the archives then you'll know I broke up with coffee last year) that morning then did a kids service that afternoon. God moved in a beautiful way and I made friends with another Kayley. That evening we went to an amazing Mediteranean restaurant.

Sunday, July 31 Jesus is still really awesome | We did a children's service and two kids and two grown ups were baptized in Jesus' Name! How cool! We took some friends to get weird Asian desserts and hung out with Bro. Roca's family.

Monday, August 1 It's a good thing we packed in backpacks | That's right. I packed in a backpack FOR A WHOLE WEEKEND because the carry on and baggage fees were insane. So we plopped on our backpacks and headed out to enjoy our last few hours in North Carolina. We walked downtown, went back to that Meditteranean restaurant, cried because the cat cafe was closed (I didn't actually cry, but I did add "go to a cat cafe" to my bucket list), played  a game of mini golf (Casey won), then hopped on our plane home. I finished a book and a novella on our trip.

We're now back to real life and I'm taking a few slow days! 

Meals I Want to Make This Summer

We've just emerged from a hectic season of life in preparation for SALT and I had lots of volunteer shifts and work projects so we kept relying on the same quick meals again and again. And now I'm tired of them and wanting something new. Also, with summer officially beginning tomorrow, I feel like it's time to embrace the season with some new recipes. Here are some things I want to try this summer!

• BBQ chicken legs | TBH, I'm not a big fan of chicken, but this feels appropriately summer and chicken legs are budget-friendly.
• That famous pasta sauce 
• Naan pizza (idea from The Lazy Genius)
• White Chicken Enchiladas | I actually made some of these recently but wasn't a fan of the recipe, so I want to try a different recipe.
• Taco salad | I'm honestly getting sick of having tacos on the rotation, but having it as a salad... yes please.
• Bruschetta with ricotta | I had bruschetta once in high school and that's the only time I've ever had it but I really liked it. So why not make it at home??
• Burgers and fries | We don't have a grill so this is not something that's ever been on my menu rotation. But there are other way to cook burgers. Also I used to be a person who only made things from scratch and that's just not the kind of person I currently am. So I've never bought frozen fries. But I think it's time. 
• Chili dogs | This is something we recently added to the menu rotation and it's gonna stay!

12 Things I'm Embracing This Summer

1. Cold treats | Give me ALL the snowballs (known as snow cones everywhere else besides South Louisiana). A few of the stands here have a "Barbie" flavor that is PINK. I don't remember what flavors are in it, but it sure is tasty with some sweet cream. Also ice cream. A few years ago I decided to embrace the waffle cone, so I gotta get a scoop of ice cream in a waffle cone when we come across an ice cream shop. 

2. Watermelon | This is one of those things I like but don't love, but as soon as summer hits I need a few pieces of watermelon. (Today I mixed some chopped watermelon with some sauteed zucchini, chili lime seasoning, and feta cheese. Yum.)

3. Fans on | I sleep with the fan on every night and have since I was a child. But I'm embracing turning ALL the ceiling fans on. We live in an old house so it doesn't have the best insulation and it can easily get up to 76 (or higher, yuck) as the AC fights to keep the house cool. Fans keep the house much cooler and the breeze just feels... summery.

4. Closing the blinds and curtains | I'm that person who likes to get up and open all the blinds... but lately I've just been leaving them closed. We still get PLENTY of sunlight and keep some of that coolness in. Also last summer I thrifted these super cute (read: they look like they came out of a granny's house) pink and green floral curtains that bring SO MUCH LIFE to our emerald green dining room. They're super cute and when they're closed the light coming through is PINK. Keeps out the heat AND turns the room pink? Yes, I'll take it.

5. Iced Chai lattes | Last month we picked up an iced chai latte mix on a whim and now we're obsessed. Even though I don't like hot Chai tea. But this stuff? Oh, it's the best. (Especially since I had to give up coffee last year--I still miss iced coffee.)

6. Sandals | I actually started embracing sandals for the first time last year when someone recommended Mia sandals to me. I LOVE them. They're so comfy and go with anything. 

7. Swingy cotton dresses | It's too hot to have fabric touching me, so I want loose-fitting dresses. Preferably made in breathable cotton. I've made a few and want to make some more to add to my wardrobe!

8. Staying hydrated | Two and a half years ago I left my beloved water bottle somewhere and I was devastated. So I went on a mission to find the perfect water bottle. Requirements: Be insulated, have a wide neck opening to add ice, have a lid with no straw, preferably one that didn't require being spun off, and must fit in the cup holder. Behold, I found the perfect water bottle and have been adding cute stickers to it. I just got a "Hydrate or Die-drate" one because that is our saying at camp every year. Also, it's pink.

9. Beach | Honestly, I've never been a beach person. Something about that sunburn I got at the beach at the age of 9 traumatized me. Thankfully I've since discovered sunscreen and I like to apply generously and often. Casey had a job at the beach the other day (it's only like an hour and a half away from us, which I always forget because we've only been a few times in the four years I've lived here), so I went with and we spent an hour or so at the beach at the end of the day. We're in the middle of a HOT summer (it's like, August temps outside and it's only mid-June) so it was so lovely to cool off in the ocean. We took a gallon of water and sandwich stuff (and sunscreen) and got some ice cream at a local shop and had a lovely, impromptu day trip.

10. Being Barefoot | Yet another thing I've always hated. Seriously. I'm either in shoes or socks at all times. Barefoot is yuck. BUT. It feels so summer-y (and cool, let's be honest) walking around barefoot. Do I like that my dirty feet keep reminding me of the fact that I need to vacuum? (In my defense, I've been sick all week, so I'm behind on housework.) No. But it's fine. I'll just sit on the bathroom counter and wash my feet off in the sink. (Yet another thing I've done since I was a child and people think it's very weird.) (And yes, I'll get around to vacuuming soon.)

11. Grocery pick up | I really hate it (I actually enjoy perusing a nice grocery store--I really like Rouses), but we're in a season of sticking to a pretty tight budget, and this really helps me stay within that budget. Due to an unpredictable schedule and only having one car, it's easier to plan our pick up than to figure out which day we have enough time to go grocery shopping. So I've been planning out a menu (I'm embracing simpler meals and trying to not overthink it, so menu planning actually is working--yay!) then placing an order for Casey to pick up. 

12. The Lazy Genius | She has changed my life. Seriously. The Bible is the only book that's changed my life more. I've gotten so many cool ideas from her books and podcast and Instagram that are helping me "be a genius about the things that matter and lazy about the things that don't." (That's her tagline, btw.) I just went through her list of summer meals for some new inspo for meals in the upcoming months (I'm tired of the same meals we've been rotating through) and my goal is to embrace this season of life (which is one of the Lazy Genius principles).

Wedding Quilts for my Besties

Two of my besties, Julianne and Sarah, got married this year! Julianne married my brother-in-law in January and Sarah married Zach (whom I've known since he was a child) in March. I wanted to make them each a wedding quilt, and I just finished Sarah's and Zach's, so I want to share them!

Julianne and Caleb's Quilt

This turned out to be the coziest quilt because the backing is a super soft sheet I thrifted. This quilt was made entirely from scraps and recycled materials, which is my fave kind of quilt. Every fabric has a story, and some of the fabrics were given to me by Julianne. As a fabric and second-hand collector herself, I knew Julianne would love it. She's assured me it's been plenty loved already.

Sarah and Zach's Quilt

I LOVE how this turned out. I did buy fabric for it because I wanted it to be in colors that went with their home, but I also wanted it to have a somewhat scrappy feel, so I did all the hearts in different fabrics. They're mostly from JoAnn, but some were already in my collection. The heart is from the Heirloom Hearts quilt by Lo and Behold Stitchery. I love that pattern, but didn't want to make the 9-patch blocks. 

The patchwork backing was not in the original plan. I was originally on task to finish this quilt before the wedding, but got sick and couldn't finish in time. While hanging out with Sarah the week before the wedding, she randomly showed me a patchwork quilt while she was scrolling Pinterest, so I thought it would be cool to make the backing of her quilt inspired by that photo. I used the scraps from the fat quarters I'd bought (a lovely way to reuse them since they aren't my style) plus some others in my scrap bins. I adore how this turned out and will probably do more patchwork quilts/backings in an attempt to use up some of my scraps.