Our Christmas tree on a diet

 

Last year, we picked out a very w-i-d-e tree.  It was beautifully full and just the right height, standing around 6'.  One issue with it: getting it in and out of the house.  It was so fat that we had major clean up both before and after it was in the house because it was so difficult to get through the door. 

This year, we decided to go for a much thinner tree. We spent a long time looking for one that was both thinner but nicely full.  We were so excited when we found one!  Problem is, we were so focused on how full yet thin it was, we missed how T-A-L-L it was.  Once we cut it and brought it to the register, we realized it was just shy of 9'!!

Thankfully, the wonderful staff at Prairie Pines helped us tie the tree to the roof of my car.  I kept thinking of the Allstate commercial of mayhem and the Christmas tree as we drove home.  Thankfully, everything was fine!

So, here is the very tall, yet well-proportioned tree!  It's funny because last year we had to move the tree further into the middle of the living room because it was so wide.  This year, we had to move it further away from the window because it was so tall, it needed extra height!

 

Side by side comparison:

 

 

Progressive Dinner 2012

Kevin and I hosted the entree course once again for our young adult small group. 

On the menu:
Pork roast stuffed with pureed apples and cranberries
Twice Baked Potatoes

We had a total of 15 people this year! It's fun to see how much our grouip is growing!

Benton was dressed in his holiday tie!

Filing Cabinet

Kevin and I have been wanting a metal filing cabinet for a few months now.  We used to have a plastic Rubbermaid type, but it only had one drawer that could really be used for files.  My parents recently gave us an old one that had been left in the house they recently purchased.  I knew immediately I wanted to make it cuter.

This is the filing cabinet prior to being painted.  It was in good condition, but it screamed boring.

My inspiration for the entire office:

Once I decided on yellow versus teal for the cabinet color, this was my inspiration:

source

This is the in progress picture.  Benton was convinced the cabinet needed a faux-Benton fur finish:

The finished product!

Benton's Vet Day

Benton went to the vet today.  He's super healthy! Here's a great picture of our baby being super patient while waiting for Dr. Albertson!

New York, New York

Yesterday, two colleagues and I booked our trip to New York City for a week in September! It's the national annual conference for the Council for Opportunity in Education.  Our hotel is in Times Square, and there will be some free evenings for us to go to a Broadway show, go shopping, and see the city! I've been to NYC one time before (church trip called UN/DC), so I've seen the major sites (Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, Broadway Show, 5th Ave.,), but I'm so excited to go back!

Pie time

I'm not sure why I've been in a baking mood since it's about a million degrees outside. But, for some odd reason, I am really enjoying it.  So far, this week I've made:

Banana cream pies with meringue

 Individual chicken pot pies

I guess the temperature outside is reminding me of the temperature in the oven?! I'm not sure, but I haven't had any complaints about the extra baking!

I love my job

I have been at Butler for about 4 months now, and I LOVE IT! Monday's just don't feel so Monday anymore...

Redecorating, part 1

Tonight I spent awhile in Target looking around while Kevin was at home studying. I'm taking a week off the first week in July to work on home projects (organizing the basement, reorganizing the office, adding a few extra house decorative objects), so I thought going to Target would be a fun way to start visualizing some of the changes I want to make.

Here are a few of the items I liked (I only bought one thing just because I'm only starting to figure out exactly what I'm wanting and will likely get items from other stores, too):

OFFICE:

The first thing I found that I liked!  This fits the color theme I really like for the office - and I liked the size and that it is canvas

This was a no-brainer - I wasn't planning on purchasing anything tonight, but obviously this was something I had to snag!

Love this bulletin board 

Great curtains - color and pattern - for the office

Fun organization in good colors and patterns - sorry about the sideways orientation - tried to flip a couple times and gave up

Pack of 4 picture frames in various shades of teal

Not sure if I would need a throw in the office, but I liked this one

Throw pillow - I like the gray with teal - again, not sure if I would need in the office, but I like the color scheme and may incorporate gray with the teal

Cute, and cheap, clock

So, obviously I really honed in on the teal element of the office. I will definitely want to incorporate another color (probably gray or yellow), but I thought this was a good start!

LIVING ROOM:

Another sideways shot - I like the gray and yellow chair a lot! I don't think I would buy furniture from Target, but it's so cheap it might not matter if it didn't last that long.

This looked a lot more gray and yellow in the store - I think I would like this if I went with a neutral chair instead of a pattern

LOVE THIS for the living room!!!

And, just a random shower curtain I liked for the master bath:

Summer Fiesta

For a few months in the summer, there is nothing better than breaking out the Fiesta!

Homemade Limeade

My mom always made homemade limeade every summer, so now it just doesn't feel like summer without it! I always wait until limes are on sale to make this really easy recipe.

2/3 cups granulated sugar
6 limes, squeezed (I use an electric citrus juicer)
2 quarts chilled water

Slice limes and measure out sugar into pitcher

Squeeze juice of six limes

Add lime juice to dissolve sugar

Add water (and limes for decoration) and Voila! Kevin loves it, too! He's not a fan of carbonated drinks, so this is one of the few limeades he likes!

Kevin's Birthday Party

Kevin's birthday was on Tuesday, and I put together a party for him on Thursday! It was so fun to see everyone, including a little girl who just had her birthday six days earlier (Welcome to the world, Corra!).  We had barbeque for dinner from Hog Wild, then we all enjoyed carrot cake!

I made Kevin's favorite carrot cake!

Britt holding Corra, Becca and Shawn's brand new baby girl!

How many guys does it take to light 27 candles? 

Still working on it! I'm guessing they just enjoyed playing with the fire.

Making a wish! If I had to guess, I would think it had something to do with travel!

Happy Birthday Kevin!

Seattle

I had a great time in Seattle a couple of weeks ago! I left on Friday and returned on Monday morning.  The conference was fantastic, and I brought back many neat ideas for my office.  I also had some down time in Pike Place Market. 

The first ever Starbucks!

The first day I went out, it started raining on me unexpectedly!  By the time I got back to my hotel room, I was soaked!

I stayed at the W Hotel in Seattle, just two blocks from Pike Place Market! I think Benton wishes he could have come with me!

The rest of my time in Seattle was gorgeous weather and around 50 degrees!

Pike Place Market

I can't wait to go back sometime with Kevin! I think we would really enjoy vacationing in Seattle!

Sarah's Baby Shower

 On April 14, the Grad Girls threw a baby shower for Sarah Buchanan!

Stacey's cute little dog, Bailey

All ready for the shower

The shower ended up differently than most I've been to before, though.  The morning of the shower, we got a text that Sarah had started labor! She was just shy of 34 weeks, so this was a surprise to everyone!

We still had the shower and were sending well wishes! Beautiful Braelynn Rae was born that afternoon in Topeka, and she is home from the NICU as of yesterday!  We love you Sarah, Bryce and Braelynn!!!  I can't wait to meet her!