Gitz.

Hey, Iowa friends (and everyone else)! If you aren't familiar with Sara's (Gitz) blog, you can check it out here. She's from Algona, home bound, and recently unexpectedly lost her dad.

Jessica Turner posted a link to where you can send Sara a free card (until July 21). It takes about 2 minutes to do. If you have the time, go check it out.

This.

"GIVE THANKS IN ALL CIRCUMSTANCES, FOR THIS IS GOD'S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS."

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18

This?

This is God's will for me? To give thanks?

This is God's will for me. This moment.

This.

Right here. Right now. This. This family. This career. This husband. This friend. This body. This stress. This love. This happiness. This bank account. This dog. This house. This town. This day. This life.

This.

This is His plan. His will. His doing.

This moment is my life. I'm happy for this. I give thanks for this.

And this.

A Complaint About Complaining

One day I logged into facebook only to see a status that kicked me right in the stomach.

"wish I could knock that girl out. If only I wasn't pregnant."

Uh. Excuse me?

Once I picked my jaw up off my keyboard, I was pretty offended by it. I mean, I can (barely) take the complaints about nausea and bratty kids and needing a break from all those bratty kids that made them nauseated for 9 months. But wishing you weren't pregnant so you could knock someone out. Really?

Then quickly, I was reminded of how often I've complained about my job. About my dirty house. About my burnt dinner. About my annoying amazing husband.

How many people do those complaints kick right in the stomach? The unemployed. The homeless. The hungry. The widow. And the list of people I've offended is as long as that list of complaints.

"When you feel like complaining, it's God inviting you to give thanks."

That's the quote I read on my work computer. I guess I need to post it in a few more places.

Starting with facebook.

"give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

1 Thessalonians 5:18

Independence Day

Life. Liberty. Pursuit of Happiness. Dirt Roads. Watermelon. Laughter. Friends. Red, White, & Blue. Steak. Sun. Road Trip. Contagious Giggles. Bare Feet. Cute Kids. Sweet Corn. Swimming Pool. Pond. Bags. Horseshoes. (Waiting) Zipline. Lounging. Walks. Trees. Laughter. Fire Pit. Fireworks. Country Music. Small Towns. Side Trips. Food. Fun. Freedom.

Happy Fourth of July!

Holly's Shower

Holly's wedding shower was a couple weeks ago back home. The big Vegas wedding is THIS month and the reception will be down home in August.

The shower was a Pampered Chef shower. I love Pampered Chef bridal showers because there's time to socialize and there's no need for the circle of everyone watching the gift opening. I remember at my wedding shower everyone was so generous and the gifts were really great. I really did love them all but it was so embarrassing because afterwards I realized I said, "OH I just LOVE it!" after about every gift I opened. I guess I didn't think about other things to say when you open a gift (I really did love them all though!).

Yes, we used the cliche shower snack trays and punch glasses. I like them 100x better than paper. Even if they are cliche. :)

Pampered Chef sells an apron that you can use as a sign in but this is just one I made. Not as fancy but a lot cheaper and more personalized. The 'chargers' are actually just textured scrapbook paper.

Instead of a card basket, we had guests bring a recipe to share with Holly. Rusty might argue that this recipe is not the best meatloaf recipe ever, but this recipe has a lot more meaning behind it to the bride than Rusty's favorite meatloaf recipe.

Next time you see Holly, ask her what Peggy's note means...

Oh and do you notice the blob? Mo & Maddman were helping me set up the day before.... They signed in for the party too! :)

The lovely Pampered Chef Queen. (She demonstrated veggie pizza, of course!)

Quick slideshow I put together of Holly & Andrew's engagement pictures.

From Holly's yard. I want.

We played two quick games. Andrew's sister was in charge of that department (you know how bad I am at planning shower games!). The center pieces doubled as favors for the guests.

We were so excited Aunt Diana was in town for the shower!

Recognize the littlest in the picture? I'll be seeing her again next month for 6 month pictures. Hard to believe she'll be 6 months already. It will be her 3rd visit for pictures!

Orange Wedding Shower Punch:

6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate

64 oz apricot nectar juice

1/2 box orange sherbet

2 L sprite or 7up

Lots and Lots

I have lots and lots of updating to do. I haven't even posted a picture on the Hickstionary in forever way too long. So hopefully before the busy weekend I'll get a chance to get caught up around here.

Starting with Mo.

Can you believe she'll be FIVE this month? I cant. And I'm not sure how I feel about it.

She came for her 5 year pictures and did a fantastic job. She's such a sweetie!

She even had her own ideas about where and how she wanted to do her photos. "You know, Heidi. I was thinking we should do my pictures down by the big jungle and the treasure." (Remember our treasure hunt from last time?) :) And she's full of unsolicited poses. At one point I asked her why she had her hand in front of her face (she was pulling at her mouth). She said, "I'm trying to make it a BIGGER smile!" :) So definitely check out her pictures. She's a doll. I may be a little biased but I think you'll agree.

Not much of an update on Dakota. He's been out of his kennel for a few months now and he loves it. So far he hasn't messed a single thing up being out (not that he ever did before) so it may be time to officially retire the kennel. He doesn't even go into it on his own anymore like he used to. He's still not so sure about all of these people at our house and he's definitely not sure about all the cute puppies that have been around. Especially the one next door that gets way more attention then he does. We are trying to decide if he is bike ride trainable. I got a new bike so R & I have been going for lots of rides. So far we haven't taken Dakota along. Poor guy!

R & I have been staying super busy with work. {captured by} heidi has taken off 100x bigger than I ever dreamed. I've exceeded my original goals and am now set on bigger sights. God is good. R has been working with the basketball program and for his friend Nick. I'm working on a little page for them. Check it out: West Central Tree Service. (And call them- unless you have a neighbor with a hitch and a video camera for youtube!) ;)

We've been trying to get as much sun and fun in as we can. Hopefully I'll remember to take some fun pictures of this weekend. Happy 4th!

summer lovin'

There's so much I love about summer.

Here's a tiny part of it. In no particular order.

Sun. Lunch dates with R. Lunch dates with J. Swimming. Plates of Banana Bars. Sun. Fun. Watching R work. Bike rides. Bike baskets. Junking. Thrifting. Shooting. Designing. Free Tanning. Sleeping in. Peaches 'n cream. Fire pits. Lightning bugs. Tomatoes. Flowers. Friends. Family. Sun. Porch swings. Pet rocks. Being outside. Catching up with friends. Tuesdays. Sundays. Mondays. Yes, Mondays. Sunsets. Smores. Corn on the cob. Uncle Doyle's ice cream. Walks. Roller blading. Lemonade stands. Sun.

i. love. summer.