A Cushion

Over the summer, my mom and I were able to spend some relaxing days together shopping and visiting and just generally enjoying each other's company. (How great is it that I'm a "grown-up" now and can hang out with my mom? Answer: VERY.)

At Mom's suggestion, we took on the project of creating a cushion for the kitchen window seat. I'm so glad she encouraged this project, because although I thought it would be nice, it certainly wasn't at the top of my "home renovation" list. But, with my mother's guidance and general oversight of the task, we put together the cushion one afternoon.

Our supplies:
a piece of board from Lowe's ($5ish), cut to fit courtesy of my handy husband,
quilt batting from Walmart (another $5ish),
foam pieces (FREE! see note below),
fabric ($10ish),
and staple gun (borrowed).

About that foam.... Do you realize how pricey foam is?! It's ridiculous, really. Mom, however, had the brilliant idea of using the foam pieces inside of the leftover Kindergarten mats in her classroom. Each mat has three or four rectangular foam pieces inside, and we used two mats and cut the foam to fit. Voila! Free foam. 

Foam on top of board, batting on top of foam, staple on the underside, stretch fabric around, staple again.
You get the idea.

The finished product!
Still on the lookout for some throw pillows....

I think it turned out really well, and the fabric complements the wall color nicely. It adds to the kitchen aesthetics, but I love it all more because it turned into a happy memory made with my mom.

So, what will we tackle next?! (Curtains.)

Finally Furniture

For our anniversary gift to each other, we decided to purchase living room furniture. (Which also fits the traditional two-year anniversary gift, "cotton". Okay, it's definitely a stretch, but we think it works.) It's not as exotic a gift as last year's trip to Mexico was (oh, I'm missing the beach these days....), but buying furniture was really a much wiser purchase at this point in time. And, to be honest, celebrating a special milestone by gifting each other with something to help make our house even more of a home felt quite romantic.

We're not laying on the beach this year, but we are finally laying on the sectional...and it's pretty darn great.

Yeah, Royal, I see that mischievous look.

So far, so good....

Exodus 14:14

via Pinterest

"Shadow-Hunting"

Royal has developed many habits, but among the most entertaining is his love for chasing shadows.

We discovered early in the summer that when afternoon began to turn into evening, and the long shadows made their way across the yard, Royal became incredibly preoccupied with them. There was a week or so when we were convinced we had a problem: that the dog was so overwhelmingly interested in them and nothing (or no one) else...that he was going to drive himself crazy. He didn't seem to be scared or otherwise emotionally affected...just intensely preoccupied. He'd head out to the yard in the early-evening...prime "shadow-hunting" time...and we knew that we wouldn't be seeing him for the rest of the night.

Thankfully, he worked through that obsessive behavior relatively quickly. Now, it's more of a hobby, and he lets us play with him again now, too. Among other things, he'll chase the shadow of a ball being tossed in the air (not the actual ball, mind you...he's bored with those...just the shadow that the ball's upward trajectory makes on the grass). Then, he'll dig where the shadow lands...which isn't our favorite aspect of this hobby of his, but it is somewhat cute.

All things considered, it's quite entertaining! As is watching him chase the flashlight beam across the yard, an activity that provided great evening fun on multiple occasions this summer...and proved to be a great way to wear him out before bedtime. Goodness, that puppy can run fast. Of course, it's not an activity easily photographed...but it is another happy memory from our first summer with our little guy.

Royal, you're one cool cat dog.

Our Second Anniversary

August was for us, as it seems to be for many people, an incredibly busy month. Between our anniversary + the beginning of a new school year + my best friend's wedding, last month was a blur...which left little time for blogging! But, now I'm back and finally have time to reflect a bit. 

Bobby and I had a low-key anniversary celebration...which was absolutely perfect for the busy month we were in the middle of! (It was also a Monday and the first day of the school year.) Bobby came home after work with a bouquet of flowers, including Cosmos, which he romantically explained was the two-year anniversary flower. (I didn't even know there was such a thing, but I was definitely impressed by his thoughtfulness.) 

He ushered me outside to the porch and told me to wait while he got things ready inside. He brought me back in, where a delicious Hong Kong Inn meal was waiting for me on the kitchen table..."because the modern two-year anniversary gift is 'China'". 

Well-played, Mr. Phillips! Isn't he romantic??

Our fortune cookie fortunes.
Appropriate for a married couple, don't you think?

Our 2nd annual anniversary 'hand' photo. You know, like the traditional ring photo on the wedding day?
We'll see how long this tradition of ours lasts. Cheesy, yes, but fun for now!

It was a romantic and memorable anniversary, and exactly the kind of relaxing evening at home we needed. Thanks, handsome. You are absolutely the best! 

Hallway Progress

The hallway has been in the following state of completion for the past two months, or so. We're oh, so pleased with the progress! The painted trim, doors, and the new wall color (Valspar Natural, color-matched to Olympic Premium No-VOC) lighten up the space immensely. We should be all set once we get a new hallway light fixture, add decorative trim to the doors...oh, and replace the doorknobs.

Who knew doorknobs were so expensive?! That's going to be an 'as-we-feel-like-buying-them' ongoing project, we've decided. So, if you come over to visit and need to use the restroom...consider yourself warned.

Before.

In Progress.

Weekend Guests

Two weekends ago, Bobby and I got to have a long-awaited visit with our dear friends, John and Natalie. Their beautiful wedding was in May, and (wouldn't you know?) the newlyweds had a busy social calendar all summer long, so we were just now able to coordinate schedules and spend a weekend together.

The happily-married couple!

It was worth the wait. We were so, so excited to see those two!
I think they'd tell you that the feeling was totally mutual.

Dinner Friday night at Little Tokyo Japanese Steakhouse. 

John and Bob at Wilson's Creek National Battlefield.

A black snake that Natalie spotted slithering around on our hike.
I'm quite convinced that it was actually larger in real-life than the photo depicts.

Since I wasn't having enough fun (note the sarcasm) getting to play hostess and entertain our very first overnight guests in our new house, I decided to make things a little more interesting and get sick. Yes, mid-day Saturday, in the middle of our hiking excursion, I started feeling ill. I had a fever, was entirely exhausted, and later spent several hours in bed while everyone else had fun. (Yes, I'm still a little bitter.) The boys left to go get pizza (thanks to the rain and my state of health, the planned BBQ wasn't happening), and Natalie, being the darling that she is, cleaned up the kitchen. She's amazing, I tell you. Anyway, I was able to re-join the group after dinner, and we all spent the rest of the evening watching last season's episodes of "Parenthood".

I certainly would've preferred getting to spend our time together a bit differently. But, John and Natalie are special friends...the kind that don't mind hanging out in the living room all night with germ-infested me...or sleeping on an air mattress in a guest room with no door knob (...and eventually, no door, but that's John's fault, really).

I didn't count on getting sick on a weekend that we'd looked forward to for so long. And I was bummed about the unexpected (and unpleasant!) turn of events. But, I was expecting that, as always, there would be lots of laughter and that the four of us would make new memories together. That there was, and that we did. Our time together did not disappoint...and we can't wait to see our fellow married friends again!

Melt

Photo by Meg White Photography.

In life's busyness, and the everyday..."stuff"...

it's all too easy for me to take for granted 

the love that Bobby and I share. 

I get to be married to the handsome baseball player 

who made me weak in the knees when he first asked me to dance.

He still makes my heart melt.

And now, I get to spend a long three-day weekend with HIM. 

Am I a lucky girl, or what?

Happy Friday, everyone!