Take Me Out to the Ball Game

For Father's Day Henry bought Jeremy tickets to the Reds game this past Monday. We were all so excited to go!

Although it was a little early - Henry received his first birthday gift from us. Doesn't he just look adorable in his hat? He really looked so cute, I couldn't get over it. The hat is put away again now - he'll get it back on his birthday.

He was so good at the game too! He sat in my lap and didn't fuss at all until about the 7th inning. He flirted a lot with the ladies behind us and I think they paid more attention to him than what they did the game. By the time we got back to the trolley, he was fast asleep. I think he had a great time though.

The Reds won too! That always makes for a great time.

Jeremy surprised me with a stay at the Raddison. He was so excited to see the weiner mobile parked outside of the hotel when we got back.

Happy Father's Day Daddy!!

Our view was amazing from our room. Normally I wouldn't trade a beautiful mountain or body of water for the city anytime but I really enjoyed it. We had a late night meal of White Castle and then crashed for the night.

In the morning we did some exploring. We drove around Covington awhile, found all the riverboats and then drove up and down downtime Cincinnati for about an hour. When we finally did get on the road, we stopped in Blue Ash to have chili at an 'authentic' Cincinnati chili place and then stopped at Jungle Jims and Ikea on our way home.

I had such a wonderful time and so did Jeremy and Henry!

What I Did Today

Today I added some vinyl stickers that I had bought awhile ago to my refrigerator. They are metallic and this photo does not do them justice. I may change the actually 'wishes' eventually - I feel like they could use some more structure. I just threw them on there for now. Henry absolutely loves it and he's sat in front of them starting numerous times today.

We are all going to a Red's game tonight. I can't wait!

Did you do anything creative today?

What I Did Today

Other than pay bills, go to the grocery, do laundry and clean house - this is what I've done so far today. Well that and make a roast, which is smelling absolutely wonderful right about now. (Why yes, I'll accept the term Superwoman any time now!)

My good friend Jessica's and Henry's best pal and girlfriend is turning one next week and tomorrow is her birthday party. We are so excited to go but considering that I can't even figure out what to get Henry for HIS first birthday, figuring out what to get Miss Layla was not any easy task. On a crazy-what-the-heck-was-I-thinking whim, I went and bought fabric to make her a blanket.

Now, while that may not sound all that crazy - I've owned a sewing machine for two years now and haven't touched it once. I keep telling myself that I will and I really WANTED to - but it kind of scared me. I mean, as if there's not enough creative possibilities out there, imagine if I could learn to sew? The madness would never end!

So last night I sat down at my sewing machine and fabricated what looked nothing like a blanket for Henry out of some scrap pieces that I had picked up while I was out too. His poor blanket looks like a two year old took a needle and thread to it and just went crazy. BUT it IS functional and I was so happy to finish it last night that I made him sleep with it. (What a mean mommy, I know)

Layla's turned out SOO much better. It's still flawed but I know she'll love it -flaws and all.

I could get use to this sewing thing! 

What I Did Today

Soo...another diy. This one is easier than all the other though. I found this awesome wrought iron hook/hanger thingy at a craft store today for $5. I had originally carried another one around the store the entire time, but when I saw this one I immediately loved it.

When I got home, I went out into my yard of endless possibilities (that's what I'm calling it now) and found this old piece of fence wood - it's really old and about four different paint colors. I LOVE IT.

I screwed the hanger onto the fence post and then hung it on the wall beside my front door. You can't see it in the picture but I have a bench below it, a basket for shoes and a place for our diaper bag. I really love this little space, now I just need to find some awesome photos or framed art to hang above it. I have a few ideas in mind...but we will see!

Did you make anything cool today?

Void

I haven't blogged in awhile (by my terms anyway) and I feel like I should but I really have nothing to say. I've had a busy week thus far and it's just going to keep going that way.

Monday I went shopping for some flowers to fill my flowerbeds. I ended up with several hostas, some oriental grass, some annuals for color and a few other perennials that I'm not sure of the names of off the top of my head and I'm holding my breath and hoping will come back bigger and better every year.

Tuesday Jeremy had the day off so we had a 'family' day and went to an old grain mill not too far from our house, a museum and a few other places locally. Then we came home and played in the pool for a few hours. It was a good day.  =)

Today I spent the day with my grandmother. I bought some fabric to make Henry and Layla 'silkies' for their birthdays. They both are so attached to their satin lined blankets that it's ridiculous. I also found Henry his 1st birthday outfit IF it will fit next month. It's a size 9 months but he's still been wearing his 6-9 months clothes easily so I'm hoping it will fit. If not...back it will go and I'll just find or make something else.

Tomorrow Jessica and I are going to a closeout craft store in Springfield. 'nough said. We will probably spend the entire day browsing the aisles.

Friday I HAVE to do some housework...seriously. Plus, bills need paid, the groceries need bought... it's not good. I've been a serious slacker this week.

Then it's work Saturday and Sunday.

As I said...busy...and void of anything to blog about. Or maybe just unwilling?

And then we had a pool...

Yup, that's what you think it is! We now have a pool!

It's lopsided and dirty but...it's ours.

Let me tell you something about a 'quick' and 'easy' set-up pool that you have no instructions for... it is NOT easy or quick!

We have so much junk in our yard and garage that we are constantly finding new things. As Jeremy was going through and throwing away some of 'the pile' last night, he found this pool. We couldn't have been happier although we were SURE it was going to have a huge hole or something in it. But no holes yet!

Eventually it will have to be drained and moved to a different area of the yard. We had intended on just stretching it out and filling the bottom with a little water so we could investigate for holes, but it ended up being an all night project with one draining already under out belt. I finished filling it this morning and although it's a little lopsided, I think it's fully functional at this point. It'll stay lopsided until we move it, we didn't pick a very level part of our yard to fill it.

Anyway, I'm so excited! I've been hoping for a pool and although it's a little smaller than what I had been hoping for - you can't beat free!

Homemade Chalkboard Paint

I bought the things I needed to make my very own chalkboard paint last weekend and I've been itching to whip me up a batch all week.

All I could think was that if this worked, the world better watch out because I am going to paint EVERYTHING.

Well...it worked! Do you like my tray? I do!

There's a bazillion recipes out there, so if you want to try to make some of your own, just google 'homemade chalkboard paint'. Essentially the recipe is somewhere along the lines of 1 cup of paint to 2 tbsp of unsanded grout. I just eyed it so I can't tell you exactly what I used. It's suppose to be an oatmeal like consistency and it's okay if it has a few lumps although you want to try to get as many out as you can.

  It's super easy and it's super cheap but I have a few pointers if you're going to try it for yourself.

1) Make your paint in very little batches at a time and make sure each layer of paint is completely dry before you add another. It dries quickly but if you don't let it dry completely it will chip and smear.

2) If in doubt about your mixture, I say go a little heavier on the paint side. Otherwise your paint is going to dry out and crack or chip too easily.

3) Use a paint roller over a paint brush. You can buy a trim and touch-up mini-roller with a small tray from Lowes for $1.98. You can't beat it and as long as you rinse out your roller and tray- you can reuse it multiple times.

4) Don't forget to 'season' your board. Just take a piece of chalk and rub it over the entire surface and then just wipe it off with a paper towel or soft rag of some sort.

Otherwise, it's really up to you. You can make your paint in any color and really paint anything you'd like! Use your imagination and go crazy with it.

Total cost for this project?

$1.98 for the roller -which is reuseable - go me!

The paint was something that I had laying around but you can buy a sample of paint out for around $3

$2.00 for the tray at The Christmas Tree Shops 

(You could probably find one cheaper, this one was something that I originally liked BEFORE I painted it, so it was well worth the money to me. I may have to buy another just like it later, haha.)

$1.98 for a small container of unsanded grout.

Chalk - which I had around the house. If you don't have any I'm fairly certain you can buy a package for a dollar or two.

Total cost?  $5.96

Is that awesome or what?

Plain Tired

Do you ever get plain tired of things?

Today I have just been plain tired of EVERYTHING.

Plain tired of doing the dishes.
Plain tired of trying to keep up on the laundry.
Plain tired of trying to network and promote.
Plain tired of cleaning up after two dogs.
Plain tired of the weeds that never end.
Plain tired of the trash that ALWAYS seems full.
Plain tired of searching for my cell phone.
Plain tired of checking Facebook.
Plain tired of nothing being on tv.
Plain tired of trying so hard.

But even on days that I'm plain tired, I'm still thankful. Because even on days that I'm plain tired, I'm never plain tired of my little Henry or my Jeremy who mean so much to me. I am still extremely blessed and even when everything else gets me down, it can't pull me under.

Unfolding

Every now and then I like to go back and read my blog posts from years prior. It's amazing how life changes and evolves, how prayers are answered and your dreams, hopes and worries dissolve and recreate themselves constantly.

About this time last year I was completely heartbroken. My brother who was currently in Texas was coming home for the last time before he was to go to serve in Afghanistan. You can read the entire post here but essentially, his leave date was moved up several weeks and according to our due date,  he was going to miss the birth of his first nephew and my son.

Everyone was so excited and I was just so, so very sad. My brother means so much to me and knowing that he would miss the birth of my son just crushed me. 

Then I was diagnosed with cholestasis, a liver dysfunction that caused enough alarm to move my delivery date up three entire weeks. My brother would be home, but if my delivery was put off by even a day or two, he would still miss it. We were hopeful and prayerful but things were still up in the air.

So my brother came home and we spent some time together and we talked about my son and ignored the possibility that he may not meet him until he was 6 or more months old. Then I went to one of my bi-weekly doctor's appointments a week before my expected due date - my water was low and I was told to go straight to delivery. I was scared and excited all at the same time.

A week later we welcomed our little boy into the world - right on my expected delivery date. My brother was there and two days later, he left. But he was there.

It's amazing how God's plans for us unfold in front of our eyes. I am just so humbled when I think about it. I don't believe in coincidence - only divine intervention and God's divine appointments for us are far better and far more organized than what we could ever imagine.

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. - Jeremiah 29:11

Excitement

We have so many exciting things creeping up on us in the near future that I got to thinking about it this morning and just wanted to giggle with glee. I feel like we've done a lot of the same old same old lately: work, clean, chase after Henry, work on the house and well...wonder where each week has went! So I thought I'd share some of my excitement, I mean, why not right?

Henry received his very first birthday invitation yesterday to his best friend/girlfriend's first birthday. I am so excited for this birthday party. I know it's crazy but I've been spending more time with little Layla's mommy and I feel like I've found a friend that I have SO much in common with that it's ridiculous. Plus Jeremy has been friends with Tommy for years and we all just fit so well together. It's like we've all been best friends for years and the similarities in our life are uncanny. Tommy and Jessica planned a huge wedding, canceled and got married in front of their families and God on very short notice about oh...2 months or so? before we did. They found out they were pregnant about 2 weeks before we did, had Layla almost exactly a month (she was born on the 20th of June, Henry the 19th of July) before we had Henry and are as dedicated as a couple and 'settled down' as we are. It's just been awesome hanging out with them lately. Not that I don't miss my twin and her husband, it's just been nice making a new friend. Either way, I can't wait to take Layla's first birthday photos and see her little fingers in birthday cake - I'm seriously almost as excited as if she were my own child.

Mentioning birthdays - Henry's birthday is a little over a month away! I AM SO EXCITED! I'm not excited about how fast he's growing up, but I'm excited to throw his party. I have so many cool ideas that I've slowly started getting things together for. I printed his invitations yesterday and they are AWESOME and I have so many cool decorations and food/favor things already put together. I just love to entertain and kid's birthdays are so fun. Plus we are just praising God for this little milestone; a lot of children don't make it to their first birthday and it's so, so sad. But God has blessed us with this little boy for at least this long and I can't thank him enough.

We're going on vacation in July too! Actually, we plan on leaving the day after Henry's party. We haven't made any concrete plans yet, but I'm hoping that we'll be headed to the beach somewhere. It's due time that Henry experiences sand! No matter where we go, I. can. not. wait. I feel like it's been ages since we've been on vacation and that is so unlike us - even if it's just a quick trip to Virginia.

We have some awesome new pieces of furniture that I can't wait to get my hands on. I promised Jeremy I wouldn't touch them until we get some other things done...but oh, when I do...

Our guest bedroom is looking like a bedroom! Considering I never in my life imagined having a guest bedroom when I was 24, this is so exciting to me. I have curtains up, a lamp, the queen sized bed all made up, a shelf and some decorations. Eventually it will have to be painted but right now, I'm just excited that it's there.

One reason I'm so excited about the guest bedroom is because I should be keeping my siblings on and off most of the summer. This will be the first time ever that they will have their own bedroom at my house instead of having to sleep on the couch. It's going to be so nice.

Okay...last thing for now. We're getting a pool! Or so I think we are, or hoping we are. We've started looking into them and it's something Jeremy and I both would really like so it's on our immediate wish list. We just need to crunch some numbers and make sure we could buy one without pulling money from the savings. We will see!

One more...haha. I can't believe I forgot! I bought Jeremy Red's tickets for Father's Day. We're going to a Red's game in a couple of weeks and we have some pretty awesome seats right off the first base line. I'm sooo taking my mitt!!

If you've read all this you're crazy, haha. I mostly just posted this for myself because I wanted to share my excitement. Life is such an amazing blessing!

My New (old) Pallet Shelf

I have had this pallet sitting on my back porch for at least 2 months now. I pulled it out of pile we had in our backyard because it was smaller than most and just called out to me in the strange way that a perfect pallet can. 

It started as a future piece of wall art. I painted it green (the side you now can't see) and lettered 'The Ovenshires Est. 2008' in white. It looked...cute, but it just didn't satisfy me.

Now if you know my husband and I, you know we are collectors and junkies for old(er) and interesting (to us) things. We especially have a thing for bottles and salt and pepper shakers. We also have a very definite eclectic style that is void of anything modern. I love country chic pieces and anything that's peeling and flaky and well loved but I also adore something that's funky and completely unique (like the hamper I got this week for Henry that HAS to be from the early 60's). Jeremy loves things with history - old trunks, books, etc...

I usually stick to earth tones but I'm totally accepting of a bold splash of color. I'm totally in love with wood, rocks and anything very rustic and rough around the edges but God forbid you take my lace, floral or ruffles from me as well.

Anyway, you get the idea.

So I started disassembling and reassembling my pallet to make this awesome shelf. It fits perfectly above our one couch and it holds our lovelies so well. I'm thinking eventually I'm going to add some hooks and hang some of our awesome old teacups from the bottom of it and of course rearrange and rearrange until I find the perfect arrangement for some of the things we have.

Wanna know how to make one for yourself?

Well...it's SUPER easy. I took two of the boards from the backside and nailed them across the bottom and center planks so that there was a solid surface for my things to sit on. At first I was just going to leave it that way and then lean and hang photos above it, but then I know how much stuff we have to display and I decided that extra shelf was a must. So...I found a random piece of wood and cut it to fit and nailed it down along the top. BUT you could have taken another piece from the back or another pallet. I just didn't have another pallet of size laying around.

If you do decide to make one, send me a photo. I just LOVE mine and guess what, it was COMPLETELY free. (I told you I was cheap)

Let's Just Not

Do you wanna know how to make your life 100% happier than what it is now?

Quit comparing yourself to others.

Seriously.

Quit worrying about whether you're as pretty as so and so.

Quit wondering if your husband is as great as hers. Or your wife is as great as his.

Quit questioning whether or not your parenting is as good as theirs.

Quit asking yourself if your house is as nice as a friends.

...if your kids are as behaved.

...if your hair is as perfect.

...if your car is as shiny.

...if your life is as complete.

The list goes on and on and on and on.

Just be yourself. Do you and you'll find that doing you and being you will make you happier than wishing to be anything more.

Will that be difficult? YES!

I mean, we all struggle with insecurities. (That's what they are, you know that...right?)

Mine?

Well, I wish I could say that I knew I was as poised, pretty and well-mannered.

I wish I could say that I knew that my photos were as stunning...and my writing as well put together.

I wish my house was as beautiful, clean and decorated.

I wish I was as successful as an entrepreneur.

The other things? Eh! I've overcome them already! 

My car? A 2001 Buick...but I LOVE my grannie mobile most of the time. It's been good to me and whether or not I have a brand new, shiny and up to date vehicle with all the bells and whistles is not the least bit important to me.

My clothes? Totally out of date! But they're comfortable, they're cute and they're me. Give me a pair of jeans and a cute shirt and I'm set. There's no way I'm going to walk around wearing today's fashions and be comfortable or FEEL confident. No way, sirree.

My son? PERFECT! Seriously, I don't care if he's throwing a fit in the middle of a crowded restaurant, you'll never catch me looking at the next table of well-mannered kids and wishing he were more like them. ALL kids develop differently, all kids have different personalities and attitudes and I will never compare him to another. He's my baby, my Little Bit and he's perfect for me and to me.

You get the idea! Today I vow to start working on those things that I do struggle with. I vow to take a deep breath and refuse when I catch myself comparing who I am to who someone else is, regardless of the circumstances! Bettering yourself and your life is YOUR responsibility. Who you are and how you turn out in life is all on your shoulders. It's your choice; so quit comparing. If you don't you'll find that there's always going to be something or someone that you're striving to be and you'll never, ever get there.

Out

It's amazing how a simple night out doing little of nothing can be good for the heart and soul.

Tonight Jeremy and I went to Friday's for dinner and then did a little shopping at Bath and Body Works and the Dollar Tree (don't hate, we're cheap). We were out for a total of maybe three hours, but those three hours were soo what we needed to reconnect and talk a bit.

We decided to go into super-saver mode for the summer. We're canceling the cable, saying goodbye to our smart phones, packing lunches and eating at home for the next few months. We figure this will give us the opportunity to save a good chunk of change to put back into our house (I'd really like a pool but we do NEED siding. Sigh.) We'd also like to take a vacation in July...so it would help there as well. Either way, we figure for the summer and early fall, the only entertainment we need is the work that needs done around here, one another and Henry. Plenty, right?

I have to say, I've been branching out a bit more lately. I've spent a few days with a few new friends and jumped head first into the business world with my photography. I went from 50 or 60 fans on Facebook to almost 500 in the matter of about 2 weeks. If you ask me...that's impressive. I'm getting about 50 hits per post on this blog and about 15 on my other. Who the heck is reading THIS blog I have no idea, but I've been trying to branch out more with my other to try and outreach a bit more. Before photography, writing was my first love...and it still is. If I never succeed in the photography business, I will always have my blogs...and even if no one ever reads them, they will always be there for me to enjoy and add to. That truly makes me happy.

Sooo...I'm looking forward to this summer. I'm looking forward to changes and spending more time with my husband and Henry (only one more weeks of school for Jeremy!) I'm looking forward to a vacation and Henry's first birthday party. I have several sessions booked and a ton of work around here to do. I should stay PLENTY busy and I'm okay with that. I don't much care to be idle for long.

Life Set to Words

Oh son...you make me smile.

I know one day I am going to cherish these photos of that innocent little smile and messy face. I wish I could bottle this time and keep it forever - but how selfish of me would that be!

You would miss this feeling that bubbles up from my heart when I look at you and I know that you're all mine for just a short time. You would miss all of the heartbreak and experience that comes with growing up and growing into the amazing person that I know you will be.

This has to be one of the best times of my life.

My wish is that one day you'll experience this too.