I Love You Because...

My Thoughts at Thirty

This birthday came with the perfect surprise!  Friday night I got home from dinner with a friend only to see one of my favorite families piling out of thier suburban. My big brother Chad had brought his cute family up from Florida to spend the weekend with me. We hung out here at the house, we teased eachother, we relaxed, we played games, we watched the cousins play and giggle and wrestle. It was the perfect weekend! 

Surprisingly, being married to an almost fourty year old didn't prepare me for turning thirty the way I thought it would. Numbers and Age never really meant anything to me.... until this last week. Not that I care how old I am but it make me realize how much I've changed in my twenties. How different I am and how much more comfortable I am, being me. Don't get me wrong, I still have a lot of personal progress to make but, as I look back on the last 10 years I'm kinda proud of who I've become and how I've grown. I like who I am, I love my family and my relationships within it and I love my friendships and how even those have grown over the years, I love my marriage and how that has evolved and grown over the last ten years, I love my life! So, my thoughts on being thirty? I am so blessed. I am so happy and I can't wait to see what the next thirty bring me! 

Hopefully it will include lots of fun family time just like this!
THANKS CHAD, TERI and DOUG for making my birthday PERFECT!

Love you!
JJ 

 

 

Baby Cam

Dear Cameron

THANK YOU for joining our family and making our family complete. From the moment you were born I felt an amazing feeling of peace and awe. You have a very special spirit and I know our Father in Heaven has some big plans for you. I'm not sure if I am worthy enough to be your Mother but I am so thankful that I was given the gift of raising you. One thing I do know though is that you will always be loved. You have two big brothers who already adore you and protect you, you have a big sister who will always be willing to lend a hand or give a love. You have two parents who love you so much it hurts. Your Grandma has probably already kissed you more then any other baby on earth, you have a Grandpa that loves you more then you will ever know and the countless numbers of cousins, aunts and uncles you have cheering you on through this life. I can't wait to see who you become and what you accomplish because you, son, are amazing.  

Love Always,

You Mommy

Cameron Ray Wallace

We celebrate the life of the best man I ever knew: a soldier, a father, a husband, a man of faith, a great friend, a warm heart, and the biggest smile ever - my nephew Ray Wallace. His cousin, Cameron Ray Wallace joined our family at 1:32am this morning. May he be as happy in life as his namesake!

-Husbandface

Ray and Ethan.... March 2003

Valentine's Dinner

I love, LOVE this little tradition of spending Valentine's Night with my cute family. The presents we gave the kids were summer shoes for hiking and the foor? This year it was all pink and red. Glazed Salmon, Strawberry Asperagus Salad, Homemade bread and Raspberry Smoothies (and to top it all off I loved spending it in my newly painted dining room! Thanks Husbandface!) 

ps- yes, I did get my love note. It was the best! 

JJ

Simple Saturday

A perfect rainy Saturday.... 

Snuggling on the Couch with our little ones and working on Pinewood Derby Cars before heading out on a dinner date to Shakespeare Tavern with Husbandface to see Merchant of Venice. 

It doesn't get much better then this. 

Homemade Gifts 2011

Speaking of traditions, this one is another one of my all time favorite traditions... HOMEMADE GIFTS! Every year My siblings and I homemake our gifts to eachother. Every year it's different and fun and always heartfelt. It just brings such a personal touch to the gifts and puts their personalities in our lives and in our homes. We went to Florida a few weeks ago for my nieces baptism and it was so fun to see the same decorations and family themes decorating their house too. As I was getting ready for this post I realized that in EVERY room in my house you can see evidence of homemade gifts over the years.... 

A tableloth pieced by Teri in Owen's room.

In our living room, Sean's Photography... (I wish I had more!) 

In my kitchen, Emily's recipe boxes (she took all my Grandmother's and Mother's recipes, typed them up, printed them and laminated them for us one year... This is probably the MOST USED GIFT EVER!!) 

In our entryway, from April and Gentry the ledges (he made those!) and from Spring and Sean the Santa cross-stitch (yeah, crazy, I know but, I love it!) and that picture of Christ? It's cross-stitched as well, My Mom made it for me 15+ years ago. (now are your starting to see where we get the craziness from?) 

and in every bedroom, This year Teri and Chad gave us Christmas Pillowcases... (the kids are so mad at me because I took them off today to wash them.)

This year my Mom also made me a Santa Quilt, it's in Lorali's room and it's so beautiful. Santa's from around the world, all appliqued on, I LOVE IT! ...

This year Sean and Spring gave us a super thoughtful gift, it's a little candy cane countdown to Christmas, exactly like the one I grew up with (makes me smile every time I see it.)...

Then Emily really out-did herself this year, I have no idea how the heck she found the time to make this with her busy schedule but, I'm not complaining it's perfect and I have the perfect spot for it this fall in my entryway...

and what did I make this year? All November my dining room was turned into a leather workshop, Yep, more leather projects just like last year. I now realize how my Grandpa had it as his lifelong hobby. It's addictive! I already have ideas for projects to keep me busy all year. This time it was just for adults... Blank Leather Books. Fishing Logs, Hiking Logs or Journals, whatever they're used for they're all personalized. 

I've already made some for most of the grandkids but decided not to give them at Christmas but to give them to the kids one at a time for thier birthday's this year...

and for Dad's birthday I made him a few more Fly Fishing Reel Pouches... 

Now, I'm off to start planning for next year! 

 

 

 

 

 

Nativity 2011

My 3 Favorite Christmas Traditions....

 

1. The Nativity on Christmas Eve ----

The 3 Wise Men Guys.... 

Our Shepard, Angel, Mary and Joseph...

 

2. Playing Chimes on Christmas Eve ---

 

3. Lining up on Christmas Morning ---

 

 

Cousin Camp 2011

10 days. 7 kids. 5 books. 3 new recipes. 28 projects. 110 juice boxes and too many meals to count... my kids favorite week of the year is over and I miss my nieces and nephews already! 

I miss my sister!

I hate that my big sister is currently in the center of that red Tornado Watch in Kansas City! She's okay- but goodness that is too close for comfort! I say we start a petition to get her to come to Georgia and let me keep her family safe! 

We're Moving.

It's official. We're moving. We made an offer on a great house way closer to Doug's office, it's been a week of back and forth negotiating, we've settled on a close date, financing has been approved, and our inspector has given us the green light. Now it's time to sit back and enjoy our last few weeks in this cute little house. It's time to clean up and clear out. It's time to start saying our good-byes to teachers and scouts and neighbors and friends. We're moving! After soo many years of trying to make this happen and yet still listening to The Spirit prompt us to stay until the time is right, I think we both feel like now is that time. Everyone needs more time with each other, I need a fresh start, the kids need to be settled somewhere more permanently and the sooner we do that, the better. While it's all working out on the new house side of things- it's not working out at all on the old house side. We had a pipe start leaking really bad this past month that ended up fixed but also put a hole in the roof of the laundry room, we have been showing it at the drop of a hat at least 2-3 times a week for the last 5 weeks but no contract on it yet so... it hasn't sold and we're moving on to Plan B. We're leaving it empty. Lucky us! We get to pay two mortgages (ouch) until we can find renters. It's certainly not how we had it planned and it has caused me to loose sleep and make myself sick with stress but in the end I just have let it go... I have to have faith that it will all work out. We are putting it in The Lord's hands and know that we are doing the right thing for our family. We're moving!