the little things this week

Hello friends!

was it a rainy week where you were? it was very rainy here which meant umbrellas, and crocheting.

i needed to made a hook case because i am a.l.w.a.y.s. misplacing my hooks. if you were to look in my multiple purses that i rotate though in a week you could probably find at least one in every bag. hopefully i can find them all and they can find a home in this felt roll up.

along with rainy days come warm beverages!

i needed some timmies but they don't have cup sleeves so i used what i had in my car...

i'm pretty sure this is all sorts of wrong!

with the cooler weather i was more than happy to curl up in my cozy granny square blanket

and enjoy the company of friends.

i also conquered my fear of crocheting mitts, mind you they are fingerless but that just means they are perfect for texting or playing drawsomething. i also got some new lip gloss burts bees pink blossom, just the perfect amount of pink ting.

and the best part of this week is that i get to spend the weekend with this guy!

happy weekend friends!

linking here and here

dear prov,

dear Providence University College,i have been apart of your community for four years now. it has been a blast!
i was only planning on staying one year but you have a way of grabbing a hold of my heart an calling me back year after year, and boy am i glad you did!
my first year i made amazing friends! i learned so much and my eyes were opened to a whole new way of learning and growing. i was often frustrated because i had left assignments to last minute. year two came around and i found myself on student council, we had quite the group of student leaders that year but i treasure the friendships that formed so much! it was a fun year of planning events for the student body, and studying too. year three sprung up out of no where. because a lot of my close friends had graduated the year before it was time to meet new people. good thing i was a residents assistant and meeting new people was kind of my job. i loved the girls in my dorm, you made my year. now i am nearing the end of year four, only three and a half weeks left. though there were some difficult times there were amazing times too. so many wonderful memories that i will always remember. more importantly friendships that i will forever cherish! and somewhere along the way i earned a very expensive piece of paper.

thank you for grabbing a hold of my heart prov, its been a great journey!

amber

spring wears

i am so excited that spring is here!!
although being in canada and saying that spring IS here in march is kind of risky considering we have got snow in june before.
but i will enjoy it while it lasts!!
here are some cute sping outfits that i have pinned lately
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what are some of your favorite spring wears?

shower time....

bridal shower time that is....
and it was an amazing one!
thank you mother dear for putting it together.
i had a blast!!
unfortunately i didn't get to take many pictures as my phone was my only camera and it was doubling as the ipod for the music.
a lot of the wedding decor it being stored at my mommas place
so she used them to decorate the shower.
those red hearts you see were handed out and everyone wrote a sweet note or encouragement, wisdom, or advice.
they will be truly treasured!
this is before everyone showed up. it was a room full of amazing women whom i all look up to dearly and they all have blessed me greatly!!
there were four groups and we made wedding dresses out of toilet paper... apparently my lovely bridesmaids didn't want me to be to over dressed. my sister was more concerned that i have a guarder, alana was making sure i looked...full.... and lynnette was making sure i had a long flowing veil. the other teams did amazing jobs on wiping together a wedding dress. i was so overwhelmed and over joyed to spend an afternoon with such amazing women. clint and i are so blessed to have such an amazing support team behind us. it is such an encouragement to know that we are being prayed for daily and people who love us dearly will be there for us when times are hard.

.......................
the winner of the chichkdoddle giveaway is
#9 ryan

shoot me an email to claim your prize

little things this week

these past two weeks have been so fabulous and i have been enjoying A LOT of outside time.i just love being able to sit outside side bare feet, chatting with a friend and enjoying the sun.
very first bridal shower! so much fun!
thank you soon to be in laws :)these hand painted were also at the bridal shower, they were amazing!
i love seeing buckets on trees, its a sure sign of spring!
bring on the canadian maple syrup!
nothing like a little mulit tasking, cleaning the bathroom while cleaning my pores!

just a few of the little thing that i captured the past two weeks.

linking up here, here, here and here

what does your bridesmaid dresses say?

my friend showed me this and i had a little laugh!
although my bridesmaid dress colour isn't on here so i'm not sure what that means.

i am not sure where this image originated from but if you let me know i will source it accordingly.

have a happy day friends!

marriage on my mind: Everything Espey

Today for Marriage on my mind we have the wonderful Meredith sharing!!
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Hi y'all! My name is Meredith and I'm the mastermind behind Everything Espey. My blog doesn't fall into one specific genre, but is more of a random assortment of (to name a few) of our daily (mis)happenings, my thoughts on faith, marriage, life in Utah, and being a chronic Target shopper and bargain hunter with a little bit of sarcasm and humor thrown into the mix. I'd love to get to know you! I was so pleased when Amber asked me to pitch in for this wedding series. Thank you for having me!

My handsome husband Charlie and I got married last June on a hot, sweltering Texas day. People warned me about getting married outside in the summer...but I didn't listen (20/20 foresight fail). It was "unseasonably" hot (read: 100+ degrees!) and humid. However, according to the New York Post, June 17, 2011 was the happiest day that year, and I wouldn't change the one we picked.

I wasn't one of those girls that had her wedding day planned out from the time I could walk. I knew I wanted to get married, but heck, the vision continued to morph throughout the months we were engaged. I knew a few things about what I wanted for the wedding day: for Charlie to be there (obviously crucial), to be able to eat Tex-Mex, to make it as inexpensive as possible, for it to be a fun party, and to bring glory to God through the events of the day. Quite a list, eh?

I feel like giving wedding advice is like walking a tightrope. When I was planning, everyone had an over-abundance of strong opinions about what I should or shouldn't do. And for me, that was really tough to hear constantly. But, I think it's good to encourage of other women because frankly, this experience is totally unique. So take my advice with a grain of salt, and if it doesn't work for you, chuck it. You won't hurt my feelings.

1. Your budget is your own.

Inexpensive is not a word often associated with weddings. Seriously, call it an anniversary party and you'll be able to save thousands. THOUSANDS! I'm a super cheap bargain hunter at heart and the many dollar signs in front of all things wedding was hard to swallow. But it's very do-able. Recommendations from friends were the best and most practical way to go about doing a wedding on a budget. We chose an inexpensive city garden that had a gorgeous room attached, had a (very talented) college student put together our flowers, a friend of a friend make the cake, a budding photographer cousin of a family friend take our pictures, and one of my bridesmaids and her husband sing during our ceremony. And the list goes on. But it made a tremendous difference in our stress level to be able to automatically cross items off our list because of price when we considered the big picture and our strong desire to not go into debt over a 5 hour party.

2. Pick your battles.

The decisions you have to make will drive you capital c crazy. "Do you want 4 tiers on your cake or 5? Buttercream or fondant? Do you want the bridesmaids to match? How many people per table? Assigned seating or no? Buffet or served dinner? DJ or band?" Just creating that list stressed me out. Learning to pick and choose what is at the top of your list for that day will make your life much better. For us, our ceremony was one of the most important parts of the day. We made it uniquely us and our goal was for it to be God-honoring. We signed a covenant instead of lighting a unity candle or taking communion. The covenant signified the importance of Christ in the new marriage that was being formed. It's a binding spiritual contract that brings together the three strands of Charlie, me, and God. The rest of the stuff? It has to get done, yes, but it pales in comparison when I remembered what the day was really about.

3. Plan for your marriage, not only your party.

This might be one of the hardest parts of wedding planning. The options are endless and the lists can grow exponentially as you get closer to the "big day". But as someone wise told me, it's an amazing day. But it's just that: a day. There will be hundreds of days that follow that will require the same amount of effort and prayer that your wedding day took. Charlie and I did pre-marital counseling with our pastor and I would highly suggest having some counsel prior to your wedding day. We really didn't want to get home from our honeymoon and stare at each other and think "well our party's over, what do we do now?"

4. Remember that you're not super woman.

It is vital to your mental sanity to have someone who can be in the trenches of planning with you. We did most everything ourselves, and with Charlie being out of state, I needed someone to do the dirty work with me and give me very honest feedback on the things we were choosing. It's easy to become obsessed with everything being perfect and thinking you're the only one who can do it the "right" way. But you can't do it alone...your head will definitely explode. And that person may be your fiance, MOH, mom, MIL, or your best friend. I found that so many people were excited for our day that they wanted to be part of tying bows or decorating the venue before the wedding, or throwing a shower. For me, my mom and my sister were my battle partners. I can't count the hours they spent with me working to make June 17 the best party. Thanks y'all!

5. It's okay if you feel stressed. It's worth it!

I kept hearing that this should be the most fun time of your life and you'll love planning. I felt like a mental case because it was hard for me. It's an overwhelming time, yes. And it may not be your peak in life. I personally hope I didn't peak at my wedding and it's all downhill from there on out. But, at the end of the day, the planning isn't what the wedding truly is about. The commitment you're making and the significance and joy of that will outshine the crappy days you may have had leading up to it. And...at the end of the day, you married the love of your life and had a very fun party. It's ultimately a win-win!

That's all I have for y'all today. Did I mention that I'm wordy? I'm impressed if you made it to the end. If you have more questions, be sure to visit me at my blog or feel free to e-mail me. Thanks again, Amber!

--

Thanks so much for sharing!!

weekend recap

i had a fantastic weekend and i wanted to share some of my pictures with you!
my youngest three siblings, clint, and i all went on a great hike at the lake this weekend. it was quiet, the weather was fantastic, and we made great memories.
we got up to the lake and the beach was covered in snow and ice. it was fun walking around, you could still make out some of last years sand creations. we stopped for a yummy picnic, first one of the year, and hoping for many many more.
after lunch we headed to a hiking trail. it was beautiful! we stopped and explored along the way.we also went of the beaten path every once and a whilewe were out hiking about for three hours. i couldnt have asked for a better way to spend my saturday. the adventure ended with everyone passing out,
you can see chloe's collection of goodies on her lap.

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on a completely unrelated note i broke down and now have twitter
and
there is a fantastic giveaway going on right now so you should probably check it out

giveaway: Chickydoddle

Winner of the Lil' Bumpkin Boutique Giveaway...
#13 Allie
shoot me an e-mail

My name is Winnie MokWood. I have a 9 year old daughter and a 7 yearold son. I always loved arts and crafts. My first Etsy shop, The MaKu Collection, started in November, 2010, where I sell my handmade jewelry. Since I was born in Asia and was exposed to a lot of cute and uniquestationery products, I decided to bring the items I love to the USA and make them available to people around the world. That's how my Chickydoddle shop, was born. I adore a lot of creative arts and craft products that are made in the USA and the UK, so I decide to bring the ones I like most into my little shop as well. In Chickydoddle, you'll find all sorts of decorative tapes, rubber stamps, stickers, craft papers, gift bags, bakers' twine, and letter sets. My products are great for making cards, tags, jewelry, and for packaging your gifts or merchandise. I'm addicted to Washi Masking Tapes. Washi tapes are a type of removable and acid free masking tapes that are made with Washi paper. You've find a large selection of Washi tapes in my shop.

Want to see what's up for grabs??

Green, Blue, and Nut Brown Collage Japanese Washi Tapes Set

Birds, Flowers, Leaves, Snowflakes Nature Pattern Wooden Rubber Stamps SetWow! I would love to win both of these!!

How to enter: (leave a comment for each)
- tell me what your favorite item in the shop is
- favorite Chickydoddle
- follow my blog
- like 'life...unscripted' on facebook
- what is your favorite part about spring?

that is five ways to win!!

winner will be announced march 27

yumm-o brussel sprouts

i love brussel sprouts!

i could eat them for an entire meal .....
and maybe i do that sometimeshere is a super simple and yumm-o recipe for amazing brussel sprouts

2 cup fresh or frozen brussel sprouts
parm cheese
pepper

- steam brussel sprouts for a few minutes
- put them in a baking dish
- grate parm cheese over top
- sprinkle with some black pepper
- pop under the broiler for a min or two
- presto! yumm-o brussel sprouts ready to enjoy!

cooking substitutions

as you may have figured out by now i really enjoy cooking and baking
but
sometimes you don't have just what you need in the cupboard or fridge

so i have compiled a list of substitutions that work great

Pin It

hope they help you when you are in a pinch!

marriage on my mind: Liz @ Behind the Scenes

hello lovely ladies (and gents) today we have the lovely Liz sharing about her wedding!
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Hey ladies! My name is Liz & I blog over at Behind the Scenes! Of course when Amber mentioned anything regarding weddings, I was all over it! Seriously I loved my day, but I would definitely change a few things if I had the option.

One thing I wouldn’t change…

My groom. With him, I made the right choice. I have no doubts about that! He is my best friend. After 6 years of dating we finally said I DO and it was the best moment of my life. Now 2 1/2 years into marriage & I love him more than I did on our special day. I’m serious. That does happen. If you work at it, this will be the most exciting & rewarding journey you will travel.



Now for my favorite part of the day (besides having both my dad & step-dad walk me down the aisle), oddly enough my guests would probably never expect me to say it. The rain! Let me explain a little. All day, the skies looked great. Sunny & bright. But about an hour before my wedding they started getting dark. Me being the optimist that I am (sometimes) didn’t encourage anyone to gather umbrellas or make different plans. My wedding was outside. With no tent. As I was walking down the aisle, I felt the first drop. By the time I made it up the stairs and into the gazebo, it was a straight on down-pour. My bridal party was frantically trying to get under the gazebo. My guests were scrambling to find umbrellas. A family friend was trying to cover the photographer. It was a little bit of chaos. I was horrified. A little upset & a tad bit angry. I mean, it was literally raining on my wedding. Tough stuff for me, since I planned everything to the last detail.



But, it has provided almost 3 years of laughs and memories that I wouldn’t trade for anything. Because what happened when the pastor announced us as husband & wife..it stopped raining, the sun came out, & a beautiful rainbow appeared.



It was incredible. And now, I’m able to look back and declare that was my favorite part.

I think I can sum that up as the unique part of the day too. But as far as what I contributed to the uniqueness, would have to be our centerpieces. The MR. is a huge golfer. So naturally we had to incorporate that. And we did. But would you believe that nobody actually took a decent picture of them?



And the cake. Oh woman, the cake was love.



And moving along to the things I would change. The very sad part of this is that I probably would change my bridal party. Don’t get me wrong, I love those ladies tons & tons. But when ya plan a wedding, things happen. And personalities are shown. Looking back, I would just have family. It’s easier. I think that’s something a lot of people will tell you though. When you look back years later, you want to be able to say those friendships are still there & strong, but sadly when you get married and your friends don’t, a change happens. Not necessarily a bad change, but a change none the less. You have to learn how to still be friends with a hubby expecting & needing more time with you.

Oh and I’d pretty much make it a destination wedding. On the beach. Somewhere warm. With close family & friends. And I’d use pinterest like there was no tomorrow to step up my decorations.



My advice for a soon to be bride: don’t stress the tiny things. They aren’t worth it. Seriously. Your day is all about you and your man. Not you and your dress or your hair or the decorations. I wish someone would have told me that then. I think I would have enjoyed the planning a lot more if I would have just been genuinely happy that I was getting married to my man instead of fretting about ever little detail.



My advice for the newlyweds: communicate. be honest. say I love you. trust. get away. (from family/friends). learn how to be together. learn how to solve problems, without the help of your parents or siblings. I think it is so incredibly important that you start from day one depending on each other for things. You are one now. You have made a vow to each other & God that you would do life together. The two of you. So do just that. Don’t let the opinions and problems of others find their way into your world. Just simply be husband & wife. Be best friends. And whatever you do, don’t say things out of anger. You will always, 100% of the time regret it.



Mainly, if I could tell Amber one thing to remember through this…keep dreaming about life after that wedding day. It’s only one day. When you wake up the following morning, you will be a wife. You will have the rest of your days to spend with your hubby. And you don’t want to start that union carrying the weight of wedding “day” problems!



Thank you so much for letting me share about my special day! It’s so fun to go back and look through pictures & let those memories fill me with happiness! I can’t wait to follow along on your journey!

Congratulations Amber!

You can find me at these places if you are interested in learning more :
Blog / Twitter / Facebook
I’d love to have you visit
_________________________________

thanks so much for sharing Liz!!

giveaway: lil bumpkin boutique

the winner of the vol.25 print is
Shelby
send me an email so you can claim your prize
..................................

today we have the super talented Tasha from Lil Bumpkins Boutique!

My name is Tasha and I am the owner of Lil Bumpkins Boutique on Etsy.
I love everything DIY and feel lost if I am not creating something with my hands.
I am a Christian wife to my husband Gabriel, mother to my sweet lil bumpkin Ada, and a full time Dental Hygienist here in Michigan. {listing}
I first started crocheting when my daughter was born in the Fall of 2010 and had fallen in love with all the cute crochet bootie patterns.
I can become very addicted to Etsy and figured why not sell my stuff!{listing}
I have been very blessed in my little business but have also been able to donate my items to hospitals for preemie babies as well as my local homeless shelter.
I truly love what I do.{listing}
I am honored to be featured on Amber's blog and would like to offer an item of choice from my Etsy shop to one of her lucky readers!

wowza!!
Tasha is giving away any item of your choice!

here's how you can be the new owner of a Lil Bumpkin Boutique creation!
~leave a seperate comment for each~
{visit Lil Bumpkin Boutique and tell me what you would pick}
{heart Lil Bumpkin Boutique on etsy}
{share a highlight from your weekend}
{follow life...unscripted the blog}
{like life...unscripted on fb}

giveaway will be open for one week
winner will be announced march 20

crochet pretties

crocheting is probably one of my favorite pass times.
there are so many beautiful things that can be created with a hook and yarn.
here are a few of my favorites that i have found this week.

i love granny squares. i have completed two granny square afghans now.
if only the squares were this cute!
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cute little booties for babies that my friends are having.
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i would love to have this at home.
so comfy.
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mini squares!
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