Vintage Bridal Shower

I had the pleasure of hosting a vintage lingerie bridal shower with 3 other maids' of the Bride at our home a few weekends ago. The bride is a very dear friend of mine...and now she's all off and married! Missy & Michael---I couldn't be more happy for the two of you!

Here's some pictures and collages I created to give you an idea of our evening. We chose the colors red, black & turquoise for the shower and tried to use them throughout our decor. (I apologize in advance that some of the photos are of poor quality.)

The Invitation:

Inside it invited guests to an

"Old Lace & New Love"

vintage lingerie bridal shower

My delightful friend, Missy,

playing the part in the "Photo Room"

I created a room where guests could have

fun and be silly by creating their own phrases

on chalkboard painted cardboard quote cut-outs

and an assortment of vintage hats, gloves & purses.

Hostesses & Bride:

One of my favorite details were the drink tags

we made using leftover scrapbook paper from the

invitations. I already have a lot of turquoise in my home

and getting to bring these little goblets out was fun

cause I don't use them that often and they just

happened to work perfectly with our color scheme!

Above: turquoise goblets with scrapbook paper name tag,

coffee filter pom poms, the food table, red velvet cupcakes

with cream cheese frosting & strawberries, red roses.

What my make-shift mantel looked

like before all the presents arrived! I

used the vintage dancer print in the decor

cause the Bride is a dancer (it used to hang in my

room when I was growing up).

More decorations:

Above: tree decorated with coffee filter flowers, vintage

ballet dancer print, coffee table glamour, refurbished

goodwill lamp

My chalkboard adorned with a natural

coffee filter flower & red ribbon chain

If you're interested in making these flowers,

they really are a breeze. All you have to do is crinkle

each filter til they are crumpled and soft, spread them out,

then pinch in the middle of each filter and arrange with your

fingers until you get the look you want. If you want them really

fluffy and layered you can stack several filters. Secure with

a pipe cleaner or ribbon and you're done!

Vintage details:

Above: vintage 1950's Ladies Home Journal Magazine

lingerie ad, vintage paper dolls (I played endlessly with

these when I was younger), vintage silk

robe with tulle that belonged to my great Aunt.

It's hard to see in this photo, but the scrabble letters

read: "MISSY AND MICHAEL SITTING IN A TREE....

FIRST LOVE.....THEN MARRIAGE...

And married they are indeed!!!

~~~~~~~

I hope you enjoyed the party!

Gail

Hydrangeas

The hydrangeas on my patio are in full bloom! I love their pom-pom blooms and light fragrance. To me, they're especially beautiful right after a light rain or sprinkling of the hose when their mop heads are slightly damp.

Each one of my hydrangeas are special to me because they mark a special time in my life. This one (above) was given to me by my Mother when I got engaged. Blue hydrangeas are my favorite flower and I used a lot of them in our wedding, so it was special to receive this from her. It makes me happy that it's lasted this long too! I hope to keep it alive for many years to come. ;)

Did you know that blue hydrangeas can range from light purple to dark blue depending on the acidity of the soil? The more acid {lower pH), the darker the color. Last year I would dump old coffee grounds on them and they were much darker and bluer. I'm enjoying the purple this year though!

This hydrangeas is also from my Mother and was given to me at Easter when we lived in our first apartment. I still have the dried blossoms that it produced that first year. {Thank you, Mom!}

This pretty pink variety was given to me by Matthew right before we moved from our 1st apartment. Moving is always a hard transition, but this little lady helped to soften the change.

Someday I'd love to have an entire hedge of pure hydrangeas in all varieties, but for now, I'm perfectly content with these beauties. ;) They bring gladness to my heart and remind me of The Gardener who does a much better job of taking care of them than I ever will.

Happy gardening to YOU!

Gail

A Birth Story

I was being sentimental today, so I made a little video of Cole's birth that I thought I would share with you. Each stage that brought him closer to us is precious to me; memories that will be forever etched into my mind. I think as a new mother the story, our story, of how our Cole was born is so intensely personal, yet at the same time too beautiful and natural not to share. I hope you enjoy this video.

Love & life to you,

Gail

A Day {Home} with Baby

Yesterday Cole and I spent the day at the home I grew up in, surrounded by my parents (Grammy & Papa to him), my delightful sisters and brother, and some very adoring cousins. It was such a wonderful day.

I love everything about the home I grew up in...the smells...the rich, country colors...my mom's homemade quilts....the redbud trees lining the driveway....the fruit orchard......Dad's immaculate garage....and the big kitchen where everything happens.

It's such a peaceful place to go back to. I always love visiting because immediately I feel at home. Annie, our Golden Retriever, is always the first one to greet me. I love that....and someday Matthew and I would like to have a dog for our kids. They're just something about growing up in a house with a dog...

My sister Greta now occupies the room that used to be mine. As soon as I walk through the door I am at once flooded with all the wonderful memories of that room. I grew up playing with my American girl doll Samantha in there (or any dollies for that matter....little dollhouse people and paper dolls, too! I was such a girlie girl...still am ;p). It was my first "big girl" room, and it was all mine. :) I had sleepovers in that room, hid under the covers during thunderstorms in that room, and had my first looooong conversation with my future husband in that room.

In a way, that house will always feel like home. Maybe it's because Matthew and I have only rented thus far that our houses have never truly felt like our home. We're big dreamers though...and someday we hope to be able to stay in one place, fix up a house, and make it a home for our children. Oh how I long for that day....

In the meantime though...it's good for me to be thankful for where the Lord has us right now....and I do love where we are. We've been very blessed...oh so blessed. And if I should ever complain, I ought to be slapped in the face for my ungrateful heart.

I once heard someone say, "home is where you feel loved".

I couldn't say it better myself. I'm very blessed to have a husband that loves and cherishes me....a son that makes each day special....and a loving family that I will always love going back to. So, while I may still dream about a day when Matthew and I will be in our own home...right now....I've got everything I could ever want.

Love & warmth,

Gail

I {Heart} My Husband

Sunday night we had an unexpected thing happen. When an asthma inhaler gone wrong incident occurred that sent my husband's heart into irregular palpitations and a rapid heartbeat of 198 bpm, we decided that going to the ER was a good choice. Here we were at 3 in the morning, sleepy baby in tow....heading to the ER. I'm sure we were a sight walking in there...hair going this way and that, morning breath, and confused looks on our faces.

After about 6 hours in the ER with meds given to reduce his heart rate, he was sent to the cardiology floor where they could monitor him. He was diagnosed with having Atrial Fibrillation, which basically means that the top part the heart is fluttering while the bottom part of the heart is beating as normal. This can put someone at risk of forming blood clots in the heart if it persists. Scary!

After awhile, his heart rhythm did return to normal, so he was no longer at risk. Thank you Lord! He did stay overnight so they could run some additional tests and monitor him, but he really was so much better after his heart rate returned to normal. It was such a weird thing though....sort of an out of body experience to see him go through all that. Especially in the ER when he looked so pale and worried. And me, well, I was letting my mind get the better of me and thinking of the worst possible scenario that he was going to die and leave me alone with the baby to raise him on my own. That evening (before it all happened) we had even had a really good talk about parenting, had both said our "I love yous" before going to bed and were totally on the same page. My thought while I was driving us on our way to the ER was, "well if that had to be our last evening together, at least it was a good one." Isn't that awful? Isn't it strange how our brains take over, or really our fears take over to lead us to think such thoughts?

I can't imagine my life without Matthew. I love him so much! We fit together so well, are on the same track about so many things, and are so much apart of eachother. I could never ever ever find anyone else as good for me as he is and I never want to. He's my companion, knows me in and out, and has experienced my life with me. He's in my past, my present, and my future. We've gone through some really tough stuff tough together including losing a baby...and now we're raising our son Cole, together. Nobody knows you like your spouse does except God. And IF, God forbid, something should happen to Matthew before me, then I know God will be there for me in that time. But for now, I don't want to imagine what that would be like.

Now that we're back home now, this little incident has definitely made me appreciate him all the more and not want to take things for granted, not him...or anyone. Each day is a blessing and a gift. Each night that I get to lay next to my husband in bed is a gift. Each day that I get to spend time with our sweet son is a treasure, not to be taken lightly.

I waste a lot of time worrying about things that don't matter, being upset at people that I just need to forgive and love or fussing at Matthew for things that don't matter in the scope of all eternity. Life is precious, time is short, and I want to take advantage of every moment I have.

Please Lord, remind me of this lesson I've learned....every. single. day.

Love,

Gail

{ER}

{This pic is for Glo}

{Sweet, tired baby that never fussed

at all in the ER}

{Finally in a room}

{Feeling better!}

{Our 4 Mo. old Punkin ;0) }

{Vis-a-vis}

A Happy Valentine's

Yesterday was the best day EVER. I don't know if it's because I went into it with low expectations or what, but it truly was one of the best days in our 3 1/2 years of marriage. True story.

I had fully planned on waking up early to make Matthew breakfast, but guess who beat me to it? Yep, he was up and at 'em and soon ushered me into the kitchen for this lovely treat...

It may be hard to tell, but that's scrambled eggs dyed red

with toast & butter. YUM. Not pictured (which was

equally delicious) was pomegranate green tea. So thoughtful!

Later on in the morning I got him back and blew up pink and red balloons and threw them in his office, along with sweet messages taped on his office door that read "This Office Belongs to the Man I Love" and on his chair "King of my Heart". So sappy....I know. ;0)

I also decorated our table in the afternoon for dinner....

I set the table for 4 to make it look more complete,

but it was only for the two of us. The only thing I

bought were the placemats for $1.99 each, everything

else I had on hand.

Remember these beauties I scored at a garage

sale for 25 cents for a set of 12? It's amazing

what a little bleach will do.

Valentine cookies. YUM.

Drop cloth tablecloth, pink votives, red

tapers and heart playing cards. ;0)

For lunch I surprised Matthew with this...

Tomato basil soup with Caesar salad- one of our faves!

I got a little cream-happy, thus the distorted heart.

♥ My Valentine ♥

For dinner we cooked together. Fun! Here's the table at night:

Strawberry "heart" spinach salad with red onions,

glazed pecans and a homemade dressing.

Fillet mignon, creamy scalloped potatoes,

buttered asparagus & (not pictured) sparkling

cranberry juice & bread.

And here's my studly Valentine again

sporting the pink polo. (nice shave, too.)

And if that wasn't enough already, Matthew surprised me by recreating our first date together by going iceskating! Cole had his first babysitting experience with Matt's parents while the two of us were able to get out for a little alone time. It was WONDERFUL and we laughed and smiled the entire time. Before heading home we finished out the evening by going to Braums for my favorite icecream: Cappuccino Chunky Chocolate! Perfection in a cone.

Anywho, I really didn't write this post just to brag and boast, it just made me so happy I had to share it!

I was happy to get home to this little dude though....

(Photo taken Valentine's Eve)

Love & hugs,

Gail