diy pillows.

yesterday, my mom came down to corvallis and attempted to teach me how to sew. i have always wanted to learn, and now i'm addicted. all i need is my own sewing machine :]

project #1: pillows

my apartment has somewhat of a shabby chic look to it. i wanted to sew pillows that were rustic, with a feminine look to them. at my wedding, i had burlap table runners, and i knew i wouldn't ever use 50 table runners again, so i though i'd get some use out of the burlap. i decided to make two burlap pillows and three black &&& white pillows.

pillow #1: burlap &&& lace.

[the burlap was free, because i had leftovers from my wedding. the lace was a little spendy, it was around $6 for 1/4 of a yard. personally, i think the splurge was worth it, it really adds a lot to the pillow]



pillow #2: black &&& white.

[this fabric was a little more expensive, but i only needed 1.5 yards... plus it was 40% off at joann fabrics]



:::the end result:::





thanks for the help, mom :]

the feminine fifties.

why couldn't i have grown up in the fifties? women in the fifties were so classy. they actually designed and sewed their clothes, which is unheard of these days. oh to be a young woman in the fifties. {sigh}











aren't those photos wonderful?
fortunately, these styles are coming back.
hope you enjoyed them as much as i do.

celebrating,chinese, cute friends, conversation, and coffee.

saturday
my mom was celebrated.
it's her birthday on the 30th of may, but this was the only weekend for all of the nelson kid[d]s :] to all get together.
my mom is the most lovely, thoughtful, beautiful, amazing, woman on this planet.



we celebrated by going to see the movie date night.
hilarious.
and dining at pf changs for lunch.
delicious.
i absolutely adore my family. they are so wonderful. it was great spending quality time with all of them. i admire them all so much.

rain at the end of may.
only in oregon.




sunday evening
i drove to eugene to visit two of the most darling women on the planet.

our first stop was coffee [of course] we went to this adorable cafe, vero.

as you can see, the barista did a great job of latte art on our mochas and hot chocolates.



{aren't they beautiful}



these women bring so much joy into my life. i am constantly encouraged by them.

we ended the evening by going to their church, ekklesia. the service was candlelit, which made the setting very intimate and low-key [which i love.] worship filled my soul, and reminded me that christ is constantly pouring into me, filling me, and fueling me daily.

overall... my weekend was a success :]

sunday with the kidds :]

every sunday, brad and i enjoy spending the whole day together. since most of the week we are scrambling around, trying to get from point a to point b, it's nice to spend our sundays as peaceful as possible :] sometimes we hide in our quant nest, other times we go out and doing something. either way, it's just nice to spend the entire day together.

we usually start off getting coffee before church. this morning, ben and julia domogalla joined us, which was a lot of fun. after coffee, we headed over to grace city church. grace city is a great community of believers. brad and i have really grown and continue to grow in our faith. each week we end up leaving church challenged and spiritually fed. grace city has been going through the book of exodus the past few months [i'll be honest, i just to think exodus was so boring, but now i find it to be one of the more relatable books in the bible.] we talked about idolatry today... and let me be the first to tell you, i have way too many idols in my life. it's easy to recognize that christ is the only one true idol, the hard part is letting go of all my earthly idols that ultimately always leave me unsatisfied. i'm working on letting those things go, and worshiping only my creator.


the thing i love most about sundays is... LONG NAPS. it's the one time a week i can sleep as long as i want in the middle of the day. such a wonderful thing :]


this evening, brad and i had a lot of fun making dinner.

we made homemade strawberry lemonade, pasta w/homemade red sauce, grilled chicken, and salad.

mmm mmm mmmmmm :]

{everything was gluten-free, of course}

:::salad:::
spinach
romaine
grape tomatoes
onion
avocado
toasted almonds
oil & vinegar


:::the main course:pasta w/red sauce & grilled chicken:::
:::pasta:::
trader joes gluten-free spiral pasta [only $1.99 per package]
:::red sauce:::
1 can of sliced red tomatoes [include the juice]
1/2 tablespoon of butter
garlic
basil
:::chicken:::
trader joes free-range frozen chicken [cooked on the george foreman]


:::strawberry lemonade:::
sliced strawberries
trader joes organic lemonade


the finished product

[at our coffee table :] ]


just recently i filled up my journal, so i figured it was time to make a new one...

brad made a journal to write psalms in &&& i made one to write everything in.

:::my inspirations:::




:::the finished product:::



if only every day could be sunday.

{sigh}

saying goodbye to the television...

"no television for a week."
those words were spoken by my oh so wise husband last night.


i waste SO much time watching stupid shows, when i could be doing so many other things.




:::here's how the idea got started:::

last night, brad and i met with a couple we really admire over dinner. we asked them about their first year of marriage, and they shared with us things that were hard & things that were great. they told us that for their first year of marriage they didn't own a television. yes... it's true... they didn't own a television their first year of marriage [they've been married for 6 1/2 years so it wasn't that long ago.] not having the distraction of a tv their first year of marriage was one of the best decisions they've made. they challenged brad and i to go 6 months without a television... we compromised and said we would try a week :] [ironically brad had already mentioned this no tv for a week idea in the car ride over to their house.]

today was day one, and i will be honest... i missed watching ellen, oprah & law and order, but i have accomplished so much in the time i would've been watching these shows. i worked out longer, finished my homework, ate dinner with brad NOT in front of the tv [which is a rare occasion] but face to face at our quant dining room table that usually is consumed by our laptops, and started the laundry [which NEVER happens on a monday.]

having a television isn't necessary, and so far, it's been a good reminder that i don't need a show to entertain me.

i am overcoming my automatic, everyday television habits and figuring out that time is precious & not worth wasting.






[who knows... maybe this week will turn into 6 months... which wouldn't be such a bad idea]

she turned her can'ts into cans, and her dreams into plans.

someday...


i will invest in a quality camera, and learn how to be a photographer.



i will buy flowers more often for the people i love. i am blessed beyond belief to have so many people in my life who care about me.



i will actually read an enjoyable book from start to finish without feeling guilty, just because i can.



i will explore, discover, and dream in the midst of god's magnificent creation.

{without any time limits}