-- Refinement --

Its no secret that every person, every marriage and every family encounters its fair share of challenges.

Because everyone has their own struggles I choose not to dwell on mine (or at least I try) and I certainly don't choose to air those struggles over the internet.  That being said, I think there is much wisdom to be gained through sharing our stories.  So without over-sharing, our extended family has been dealing lately with the surprise, hurt and disappointment of a failed relationship.  Certainly something that many of us have encountered in one way or another.  Through this experience, it has surprised me to learn how conflicted my heart is about the issue.

This morning though, I found the blog Sanctified Pearl through the recommendation of Jones Design Company.  K.C. wrote today about sea glass and how it is that something so beautiful can only become that way through the pain and struggle of hardship.  She wrote:

"I see my life (and the life of my friend) as a little piece of beach glass. We aren’t always sure how we will survive different circumstances in our lives. We think we will break under the constant crashing of disappointments, hardships, and trials. But, if a piece of discarded trash can become something beautiful and valuable, I have to believe my Creator is doing much the same with me. He is refining me. Smoothing the rough edges. Softening the exterior that can cut and be dangerous. He values me and with the break of each wave, I am becoming more of who I was created to be. And you are too."

K.C.'s post touched me today.  I wanted to 1) save this for another day as a reminder of the refinement that is happening in my own life and heart and 2) share this with anyone else who might stumble across this post because I truly believe that we can learn and grow by cautiously opening our hearts to each other.

-- My Relaxing Time --

Most Sunday nights (and often other evenings as well) Lucas finds me painting my nails.  He calls it my relaxing time.  And as much as I hate to admit it, he's right.  I'm quite particular about making sure that I don't get nail polish all over and so it takes a fair bit of concentration... its my quiet time.

Granted, in a house without kids, its never really loud around here... but still.

My new favorite polishes are from Essie: a smoky plum called 'angora cardi' (I've got this on my fingers right now)

and a bright coral called 'e-nuf is e-nuf' (I've got this on my toes for now and wore it on my fingers over the weekend)

During my last visit to the grocery store I was also tempted to buy this one, but resisted... maybe for the Fall ;)

 

Do you spend time on your nails?  If so, can you please recommend a quick-dry top coat?  If not, how do you like to spend your relaxing time?

-- I Made This --

A couple weeks ago I came across a really neat idea and it led me to Pin.Sew.Press and a project tutorial that she had posted.  Around this time, my mother-in-law was celebrating a birthday and I was wracking my brain trying to think of something to buy/make/give her.  Perfect timing!  

Because I was short on time (only had one evening), I stopped at Walmart and was able to pick up everything I needed.  I bought two kitchen towels, a stack of coordinating fabric, some thread and a spool of ribbon.  After an hour of cutting, pressing and pinning, here's one of the finished products.

 There are two strips of fabric sewn on the front side of the towel, just far enough apart that it makes it possible to wrap the towel over the oven handle.  I strung some ribbon through each strip of fabric and tied the ends so that the towel stays securely on the bar.

Now I won't find myself searching for a towel that my husband has "relocated" :)

-- Have You Seen This Before? --

I was flipping through my pile of magazines the other day trying to decide which we going to the recycling bin and which would find a place on my shelf... and I noticed this cover.  All I could think: "She is gorgeous and looks so great in that gold dress!"

Only moments later I found this cover and thought "Whoa! I guess I'm a fan of Heidi Klum because she looks great here too..."

Ok - so looking at it now, its perfectly obvious - how on earth did I miss that these magazines have the exact same cover picture?  One from SELF for December 2010 and one from a UK magazine, Easy Living from April 2011.  Crazy!

Have you ever noticed something like this before?  Believe me, I'm going to have eagle eyes from now on!

-- A New Place to Spend Time --

Oh my - posting has certainly been light around here!  Mostly because I recently joined the rest of the world and joined Pinterest which has kept my free time quite occupied.  If you Pin, make sure to follow me and leave a link to your boards in the comment section.  Here are a few of the images I've been loving lately...

Source: flickr.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: emilyaclark.blogspot.com via Amanda on Pinterest

Source: wetbehindthears.com via Amanda on Pinterest

In addition to perusing tons of lovely photos, Lucas and I have spent two wonderfully sunny days on the motorcycle (*warning iPhone pics coming your way*).  One day visiting Grand Bend on Lake Huron...

Mmmm... ice cream in a waffle cone... on the beach...
Can it get any better?
Why yes it can - Toasted Coconut dip on the ice cream - Perfection!

 And another cruise a week later when we visited a super interesting burger joint called Chucks...

The decor was quite interesting at Chucks... Very woods-y... definitely our kind of place ;)

This place was so great that despite my best intentions to capture an image of my lunch, I completely devoured it before I got a chance :-)

I also got a chance to spend a couple days at the lake with my sister-in-law and niece Evelyn...

All in all, its best a great couple of weeks but I'm getting behind in my work and really need to plug back in this week.  Here's to hoping I get back on the blogging band-wagon!

-- The End of an Era --

Well, it was a total of 22 years coming, if you include kindergarten (1 yr), grade school (12 yrs), undergrad (4 yrs), Masters (2 yrs), but my three years of PhD training finished off with my convocation last week.

To be honest, when all my family said that they were making the trip to share my graduation day with me I kind of didn't understand what all the hype was about.  Sure it is an achievement and its been something I've been working toward, but in my view, I just wasn't prepared to have all eyes on me.  Especially considering the awesome attire that I got to wear... a red and green gown with a big floppy black hat... yeah, awesome :s   

But in the end, the graduation day was perfect.



My grandparents came...

 My sister and aunt came,





My parents and parents-in-law came and we all had a great day!

I got to sit in the front row at the ceremony (um yeah, I'm short 5'2" but seriously, those guys beside me were TALL)... 

My family cheered me on as I walked across the stage...



My mom even did a crazy loud whistle which prompted me to trip a little on my long robe as I was making my way up the stairs...



Lucas got me some pretty flowers (there is a great story to go along with this which apparently included him doing a quick Google search for a florist about 15 minutes before the start of the ceremony)...

We took some great pictures with everyone outside in the gorgeous weather...

We had an amazing meal at Wildcraft Grill in a private dining room...





And we finished the evening off with dessert (Cold Stone IceCream in my favorite flavors) and a backyard bonfine.



Such an perfect, amazing day!!  Thanks to all my family for making the trip to join Lucas and I on such a memorable day!

-- Design Disagreements --

Do you and your significant other agree on elements of the design / look of your home?

Except for paint colors, it is extremely rare for Lucas and I to wholeheartedly agree with each other regarding choices for our home.  Its true that we almost always find a compromise that we can both be happy with, but its always a struggle going back and forth trying to figure it out.

Case in point - this spring Lucas is planning on building an outdoor chair (maybe even two if we can agree on a design).  The major reason why he is building one is because he is part of an online group of woodworkers who do projects together that are led by The Wood Whisperer.  Basically this guy uploads very detailed instructional videos that are designed to teach woodworkers to improve their skill.  Great idea right?  Sure, except Marc, the Wood Whisperer makes the designs and they are never - never even close - to satisfying my design aesthetic.

See here are some pics of outdoor chairs that I like.  They typically feature a low, deep seat, wide arms, narrow slats for the seat and back and most usually a comfy seat cushion...

 But here is the design that Lucas is planning on making...

from The Wood Whisperer

Its a take on an adirondack chair, but I just don't like it.  It doesn't look comfortable and considering the cost of building something like this, I don't really feel like having an expensive outdoor chair that we both don't love...

How you do and roommate/significant other/husband handle these design disagreements?

Any suggestions on ways to please us both in the outdoor chair department?

-- Happy --

Katie wrote this in her blog yesterday and I found it this morning...  She warms my heart sometimes...

Be open to the happiness that could happen today.
Invite it in.
Nevermind wet clothes or sandy bottoms or keeping your toes out of the mud.
Today is a day for happy. 
Make it happen.
Dip your toes in.
It’ll be worth it…

-- Master Bedroom Mood Board --

I posted a little while back about the pillows that I made for our master bedroom.  They've turned out quite nicely in my opinion, but sadly, 3 nice pillows does not make a nice bedroom.  

This fall we upgraded from our super basic queen size bed to a super comfy king size and we haven't looked back since.  However, its definitely been a wake-up call because we've needed to change out almost everything in the room.  We had obviously expected needing to switch out the sheets and pillows, but it really never occurred to me that even our bedside tables would need changed to accommodate the big bed.

So its a work in progress... and most of it is in our imaginations :)  I have found it helpful to get some ideas together in the form of a mood board...  What do you think?

Right now the plan is for Lucas to make a new bed frame and headboard and we have some ideas up our sleeves about how to dress it up.  He will also make a couple bedside tables to complement the bed frame.  We are thinking something like the ones pictured below except in a wood that matches the bed.

I've also already purchased the lamps - they are not exactly like the ones in the mood board but the scale and shape is similar... the only difference is that the shades are a turquoise/cobalt blue like the middle throw pillow on the bed.  

The jury is still very much out with respect to the art on the headboard wall.  I kind of like the idea of the pictures behind the lamp, but I'm also considering going with something curvy (oval/circle) centred over the headboard.

Does anyone have any opinions?  suggestions? advice?

-- Attitude Adjustment --

I'm not sure why, but lately I've been in a bit of a funk and the lack of blog posting is Exhibit A of my bad mood.  As my Mom and Dad might say, I have been in desperate need of an attitude adjustment :)

So in an effort to perk-me-up Lucas suggested Cake Pops and that's an idea that I can definitely get behind.  My last cake pop experience was also right around Easter and they were delicious.  This batch is equally as good - and was less of a headache too because I took the route of sprinkles instead of hand-decorating each pop.

A highlight of this Cake Pop experience was that I asked Lucas to get me a piece of styrofoam to stick the pops into and he didn't have any in the garage.  So instead he disappeared into his workshop, pulled out some wood scraps and a drill bit and came back with these stunners!  Nice right?  I think that with the way Cake Pops are sweeping the country, he should patent these babies :)

Yes, I took a lot of pictures :)

In addition to making - and eating - Cake Pops, another perk-me-up from yesterday was coming across this beautiful song on Facebook yesterday by Nichole Nordeman.  What a wonderful message - my favorite line "You should have seen me smile the day that I made you"

If you've got a minute - check out this video - it will make your heart swell :)





Ok, one last Cake Pop picture...