life lately:: in July.

I realized I've yet to post anything for July! So here are all our July happenings.


^^Friends came over for the Fourth of July to celebrate in our homely backyard. It may not look very homely in these pictures but we worked our butts off to get it to look somewhat presentable. I'm talking weeds like you've NEVER seen before.


^^We tore out the carpet on the main floor of our house right after July 4th. Though all we're left with right now is subfloor, it's a lot better than stinky carpet. We're also in the midst of painting. I CHOSE WHITE PAINT. I feel like whenever I share that bit of information people are always judgey. I see it in their eyes. They're thinking,  "White? Really? Could you be any more boring?" I would just like to say that white is a great color for our living space. If you don't believe me... check out my pinterest board where you will find mostly white rooms. There.


 

^^I helped out with VBS at our church. It was a very special week spent with some great little preschoolers. All of our kids were so fun in one way or another. It's amazing how at such a young age they each have developed their own individual personalities. It was a good week for me as I taught a bible lesson for the first time.. to a whole class! This might not seem like a big deal to anyone but for me it was. Teaching a large group about something so important... I was just really worried that I would mess it up in some way. Thankful that God listened to all of my worried prayers and carried me through those two lessons I had to teach.

 

^^We went to an event at our local zoo call Blues and Brews at the Zoo. It was a lot of fun being able to walk around the zoo with no little kids running around. Although, we may have made up for it by acting like kids ourselves... :)

Now that you're all caught up, I'll try and keep this place up to date!

23 things before 24




I've been meaning to post this for a while now. Making goals are good so here are mine for the next year before I turn 24.
  1. visit a national park that I have never been to
  2. learn to hand letter/do calligraphy
  3. be active in a church ministry
  4. see my homegirl in NYC
  5. float down a river
  6. grow vegetables in my own garden
  7. find another source of income... just for fun
  8. decorate the bedroom/house
  9. teach more
  10. grow spiritually
  11. organize my liiffeeeee
  12. enjoy the great outdoors more.
  13. play in a band.
  14. attend a violin workshop/conference
  15. expand my social circle: real life and virtually
  16. make up a recipe ... a good recipe
  17. go outside of the U.S.
  18. learn some web design
  19. take more pictures with the SLR
  20. cleanse my closet
  21. be more physically active
  22. read at least 20 books.
  23. try new things
I figured this would be a good place to put this list since then all you people stopping by can hold me accountable. right? DO IT!  You might notice these aren't all goals. Some of them are just things that I want to do! Do you have any goals you've set for yourself or any particular things you hope to do this coming year? 

hannah

quick note: my list isn't in any particular order. i just wrote down things as they came to my mind. 

little moments


i love my family and these little moments we share // i am blessed.

hannah

we bought a pool!

charlie pool charlie pool charlie pool charlie pool

charlie gets hot so easily now that it's warming up outside, it's a bulldog thing. so jake and i thought she could use a little pool to lounge in. turns out she is pretty sporty! the best part is watching her ears as she dives in... she looks like she could fly away. 

yes, we spoil her.
hannah

sweet potato muffins? say no more.

muffins closeup

I've been dying to get my hands on Gwyneth Paltrow's new cookbook It's All Good. The book features many gluten-free and vegan recipes that actually sound appetizing. Still haven't ordered it but I found this recipe from the book and made these bad boys. Now I'm really dying to purchase it! Try this one out and tell me what you think. I'll bet you go buy the book before I get the chance to!

Recipe after the jump.

backyard camping.

camping charlie breakfast

this weekend we gave a go at camping.. in our backyard. backyard camping has to be one of the better versions of camping. better because when a thunderstorm hits at 3 am and your tent starts taking on water, you can head inside your dry house for cover. also, you and friends can gather in your kitchen the next morning to drink coffee and eat crepes. yep. it's good stuff.

hannah

spring, is that you?

charlie face path blooms charlie pose

the weather here in the midwest has been crazy. it snowed last week. apparently it's the first time  it has snowed in may in 60 years or something crazy like that.  then the weather was beautiful. i think spring has finally come... and i welcome her with open arms. 

last weekend i finally graduated from college.
this weekend i will celebrate my 23rd birthday. 
this weather couldn't have come at a more perfect time.

hannah