traditions.

{here}

we would have all of our halls decked around here by now, but our christmas decorations are mia. i have no idea why they disappeared from where we stored them, but hopefully they'll turn up. 

for now we have an artificial pre-lit tree and nothing else. 

artificial because last year we had a real one and i literally couldn't breathe for 2 months. it sucked and i'll never have a real tree again. i would be sad, but i value breathing too much.

the tree looks stupid. there are no ornaments. 

i'm not buying anymore. maybe after christmas is over i'll buy a few, but not before then. and maybe not even until next year. the lack of ornaments now has me too annoyed to bother spending anymore money. that stuff is expensive!

i'm trying to get more into the christmas spirit that i was in pre-disappearing ornaments but it's hard when our apartment looks the same but with some random tree in it. 

i'd like to start some new traditions and watch old christmas movies. i'd also love to have hot chocolate but it's 65 degrees outside and our apartment is always so hot, so i don't know if hot chocolate is in the cards for me. 

maybe the missing ornaments are a lesson in my goal to live more simply. i had 3 themes of ornaments purchased, planning to use them on a rotating basis. i can't do that anymore. now, i'll just but 1 theme and live with that. having less is much better anyway. 

my life is full.

{via}

i have so much to be thankful for, and i'm so happy that yesterday reminded us all to be thankful for our many blessings. i'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband that i can journey through this life with, who loves me so much and makes me laugh everyday. my life wouldn't be complete without him. i'm thankful for in-laws who love me and have become my family, too.

i'm so excited to get ready for christmas, something that is new for me. i could care less about the gift part of christmas. i'm looking forward to all of the warmth and love that christmas brings and i can't wait to decorate our home and bring that love and warmth to us. i plan on watching old & classic christmas movies, curled up with my husband drinking hot chocolate many times this christmas season.

i hope thanksgiving was a blessing to you, as well.

black friday.

i'm recovering from some early morning black friday shopping, so here's a link to a post that will remind me of what i will be signing up for in the future. it reminds me to tell my husband "i love you" everyday, and give him at least a kiss goodnight someday when i haven't had a chance to shower in 3 days because of a baby. but hopefully it won't be like that, right?

babies are good, but hard.

best friends.

"I don't want to hear about the endless struggles to keep sex exciting, or the work it takes to plan a date night. I want to hear that you guys watch every episode of The Bachelorette together in secret shame, or that one got the other hooked on Breaking Bad and if either watches it without the other, they're dead meat. I want to see you guys high five each other like teammates on a recreational softball team you both do for fun. I want to hear about it because I know it's possible, and because I want it for myself." 

- Mindy Kaling, Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

***

there are times when ben and i are laughing so hard our stomachs hurt, or sitting talking with each other, or cooking together that i remember "he is my best friend." 

whether i'm sitting and watching some ridiculous manly show on the discovery channel with him, or i'm making him watch a girlie movie, or we're shopping at target together, or eating dinner together, or taking a road trip, i know that we're really enjoying each other. 

it's important to enjoy each other in marriage. it's not about the heavy stuff, it's about being friends. 

yes, i love ben. a lot. but i also like him. 

i love being around him. we make each other laugh and do really embarrassing things together that create a stronger bond. 

take the photo for example. 

we were goofing around, taking tons of pictures. during this picture we didn't know what the other was doing. we know what the other finds funny, and so we did that. 

it's moments like those that make our marriage great. 

obviously we're only a little over a year into this lifelong journey, but i'm glad we have a large part of the battle understood. it's about having fun and liking the person you're married to. i'm lucky and thankful to have that.

two more days.

two more days until my favorite holiday. i can't wait to eat more food than i can imagine.

today i'm thankful for:

-having a short week at school

-nyquil so i could sleep last night

-mucinex for being the best cold medicine ever. (can you tell i'm sick?)

-christmas shopping with my husband

-a great family day on sunday

what are you doing to prepare for the holiday? i'm starting to get into christmas mode which is very odd for me because normally i'm not into it until december 24th. i'm just so excited to decorate and be with family.

i think in the next few years i'd like to host my own thanksgiving. the thought scares me but i love the food so much!

getting the ball rolling.

around the beginning of the summer i decided i was going to take all the items i was creating and finally open an etsy shop. at that time i didn't have a job and needed some way to make money and also something to keep me busy.

so, i learned tons of new crafts and practiced sewing even more. i created bags, quilts, paintings, headbands, etc.

now, i'm finally doing it.

well, almost.

i know, 6 months should be long enough, right? wrong.

for months i was too scared. then i decided i didn't like some things and needed to sell better stuff. so i continued to practice. then i decided i hated the name of my original shop so i needed time to brainstorm new ideas. i'm bad with naming things.

now, i have a name. but i am sick of our apartment and cannot create in here anymore. i need windows. our apartment is a cave.

the shop is created and essentially open. however, there are no items.

my goal? jan 2012 will be the grand opening. maybe we'll have moved and i'll have created many more items. i have so many ideas i'm just bursting at the seams waiting to create.

not to worry, the shop will be linked here.

feeling thankful.

-that tomorrow is friday.

-an upcoming night out.

-that i have wonderful in-laws who i can call friends and family.

-a husband who makes me laugh everyday.

giving thanks.

from now until thanksgiving i'm going to post here what i'm thankful for on that day.

-smiling faces at a puppet show

-preschool kids who love hugs

-a pre-thanksgiving dinner

-a husband who makes me feel special

-a paid off debt

thanksgiving is my favorite holiday, so i'm very excited!

shyness.

at one point in my life my father seriously asked me if i was "doing okay socially". he knew i had many friendships, but he was referring to my shyness. my family is all very loud and i am definitely the black sheep. i even walked around quietly.

it must be noted that being shy does not mean that i have no friends, never speak and spend all my time alone. i think there are a great many stereotypes about shyness and many are wrong.

i do in fact talk when i feel that i have something to say, or when i am comfortable enough to. i do have friends, though i would rather have few friends than many friends.

i find the quiet comforting. i don't mind sitting with someone and not talking.

i also feel uncomfortable in large social situations such as parties, church services, classes and large family gatherings. i tend to talk to one person during these events or stand quietly by myself.

one on one conversations are easiest for me.

i hate talking on the phone, ordering food, or asking questions. i feel nervous and awkward and most of the time i have my husband do these things for me if at all possible. thankfully i married a man who is willing to do all of this for me even if he finds it ridiculous sometimes.

facebook has made my life easier. i can "talk" a great deal without actually having to say a word. the same goes for this blog.

i can tell you about my shyness without having to talk to you face to face, especially if you're a stranger.

when i get dressed in the morning, i often change my clothes because i don't want anyone to notice me and i'd rather blend in. so, i don't dress with confidence. i stick to neutrals and solids. patterns are scary to me.

i came across this blog today, and i identify with a lot of the topics that she discusses on her blogs. however, i will not be starting my own shyness project anytime soon.

i'm an introvert who also happens to be shy. i'm not the shyest person i've ever met, but i'm definitely shy. i'm not friends with other shy people because we just bring out the awkwardness in each other.

i'm okay with being shy. i'm okay with also being introverted and needing time alone everyday otherwise i feel completely overwhelmed. errands are exhausting to me, and i'm sure the checkout person at the grocery store thinks i'm rude when i'm actually so nervous to talk to them.

shyness may be a weakness at times, but i'm okay with it. i know who i am. so kudos to the shyness project, but i'm happy being me.

continuing with the theme.

{here}

“We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are.”

- Marjorie Pay Hinckley

marriage.

this quote from an article about love is something i identify with in a very real way, especially the middle paragraph.

"My husband and I don’t have a great “meeting” story. We met in a conventional way and had a conventional wedding. And in some sense, we lead a conventional life.

But my husband has seen me at my worst, at my most vile. And he has seen me at my best. He knows the things I don’t tell anyone, and the lies that I tell everyone but him. I have made sacrifices for him and been angry about it. Sometimes his flaws are so egregious, so blatant, they are all I see. And sometimes his kindness is so stunning that I am humbled.

And that’s love. Big, epic, fairy-tale love. The kind of love people write about. The kind of love that could inspire a poem."

read the article here.

inspiring.

{here}

"love of music, of sunsets and sea; a liking for the same kind of people; political opinions that are not radically divergent; a similar stance as we look at the stars and think of the marvelous strangeness of the universe - these are what build a marriage. and it is never to be taken for granted."

- madeleine l'engle

not a typical friday night.

(here)

we finally did it. well, sort of.

my goal for a night unplugged finally happened, and rather organically.

i've been talking about how i want to get rid of cable if something doesn't change. having a husband who only wants to watch tv for fun officially wore me out on friday and i asked if we could go out for dinner and spend time without the tv on.

this was easy for me, hard for him. he kept rushing me through things. we were talking and he said "when are we playing scrabble?" he even asked if we could watch a movie afterwards. i love this man, but this need to always have a tv on is driving me crazy!

after hours of talking, silliness and 2 games of scrabble (1 regular and 1 speed round) i gave in and let him pick a movie.

this little experiment on friday really showed me that my husband needs to find other things to do besides stare at the television and i need to find ways to help him do that. it's easy for me, but hard for him (which is okay).

i'm determined to keep this experiment going. there is no more tv on unless there is something specific that wants to be watched. i know it probably seems like i harp on this on my blog but it's a real struggle around here, and i'm being honest.

i don't think we need a specific day where we aren't allowed to use the tv, laptops or phones, but some time every now and then is probably good for our brains and our relationship.

consider this my last post about the stupid television. more to come about simple and clean living, crafts and holidays!