Land Surveying

Check it check it! The boys are officially in business!

Hammond & Reid

Pray warriors - pray for lots of clients!

I'm thrilled beyond words - my husband will finally be home at night! He used to leave at 5 AM and return around 7PM every night at his old job. Not to mention that from August until December he worked out of town at least 1 if not 3 nights a week! Great things are in our future for our family!!

Even cooler - we just found out Jade's new office is sitting near or exactly where his Grandfather used to have a shop - that is also very exciting.

Real Marriage

Real marriages are about committing yourself to your partner for the rest of your life. Promising to love them when you are sick and poor, wrinkly or fat - and most importantly keeping that promise.

Real marriages are about putting each other first - even before your kids - because you know one day those kids will move out leaving you as a married couple alone. You want to love each other even more than the day you married. You don't want to be roommates, but stronger soul mates.

Real marriages are about admitting when you are wrong, and apologizing even when you think you are right. They are about hugs & kisses, love letters, and sweet surprises.

Real marriages are about making each other a better person. They are about raising your voices together to the Lord in prayer for your family, and teaching your family about the power of prayer.

Real marriages face the struggles of lost loved ones together - putting your hearts into each others hands to heal the wounds & continuing to move forward.

Real marriages are about working side by side. Always remaining a team - a front to battle your kids & outside forces. Putting your blood, sweat, and tears into creating a home for your family, and providing a better life for your kids.

Real marriages are about providing loving examples to your children. About making them strong, independent, confidant people - but making sure they are all that filled with compassion. It's about giving your children the tools to succeed, and ensuring that they know what it takes to be a life partner to their future mate.

Real marriages are about holding hands, kissing under the mistletoe, and celebrating milestones together. They are about sharing each others success & passions in life.

My parents have all of these things and so much more. I strive to be the wife & mother my Mom is, and I strive to build my husband up to the man my Dad is. Because of our parents & the lessons they taught us, we expect the above things from each other & encourage the growth of love, communication, & trust in our marriage. I know that marriage isn't easy. Especially in a society that focuses on the I. Marriage takes a lot of hard work and some days it's not fun. My best wedding advice was from my pastor. It was to treat my marriage like a garden because you will truly get out of it what you put into it - so very true.

So today I want to wish my parents a very happy 29th wedding anniversary. They are amazing individuals, but an even better team. I wouldn't be who I am without them in my life. I love you both so very much. Now that I'm a married adult & Mom - I have so much more understanding of everything you have given me over the years. I will forever be truly grateful to be your daughter!

Birthday Bliss

Happy 30th to my dear sweet husband!

I love you even more than I did when you were 16! You are much more handsome than you were then - and definitely funnier! No man other man would ever hip shake it in the living room like a samba dancer & make me prove to him that I really CAN do a no arm head stand to show off our So You Think You Can Dance skills. Yes, at 27 I really can do a head stand without arms!

We are off celebrating his mid-life crisis in Nashville.

Hopefully we are somewhere here - eating something divine in our cowboy boots & looking fine. Yes - I made that a rhyme on purpose!

And for those of you planning on looting my house - not this time. My sisters are there with my kids - rubbing peanut butter on the walls and placing half eaten food under the furniture. Best part is - we don't care!

Also - a very Happy Birthday goes out to my mother-in-law Ruby! I'm very blessed to have you in my life! You help me out in countless ways! My kids absolutely adore you, and I'm so lucky that you get to watch them for me. You are an amazing grandmother & you will never know how thankful I am for that! You spark creativity in them & teach them the importance of morals & faith.

Your son is the best gift you've ever given me, but you are also a gift in my life! I am very proud to say you are my Mom as well. Happy Birthday!

Resolutions

It's a brand spanking new year. We all make resolutions and most of us tend to break those almost as fast as we make them.

I'd love to say I'm going to take up working out religiously and lose weight. I have a treadmill and a bow flex - so it's plausible - and really doable, but I'm lazy! However, I do really need to consider this idea!

This year I think I'm going to make a resolution to work hard and make Ethel Edith a success. My sisters and I really want to do a spring show, possibly a booth at least one time at 3rd Sunday Market in Bloomington, and a fall or Christmas show. In order to do this - well we have a lot of work! Since we all work real jobs - finding time is a bit difficult!

We need to get out junking, painting, upcycling and more! I'm praying my new Christmas camera aids in better picture taking for the store blog. I apologize blog readers - the colors of our pieces are distorted by my hideous camera & my house wall colors are very bold, but the pictures really make them look unattractive when they are fabulous!

Beyond that we have to prepare my garage for a spring show. Even better - we need to prepare the red barn at my parents house for an actual store!! How exciting is that? A real store you can visit! I'm very excited about it, but it's going to take a lot of work and a lot of weekends that seem to come and go so fast.

So I ask my prayer warriors to say a prayer for me and the sisters. That we stay on task, stay focused, and junk it up! And even more of a prayer - that people like what we do, and that they want to shop our stuff! That's a huge key to our success!