We took a fairly non-traditional route for our honeymoon... meaning that we didn't go to an exotic island a plane ride away. In fact, we drove one hour up to the North Georgia mountains (Lake Rabun) and spent an entire week hanging out and enjoying the luxuries of being newlyweds. We shared some pretty amazing adventures, whether it be cooking, hiking or toasting Coca-Colas to a gorgeous mountain sunset... most of which we have documented in the videos below for your viewing pleasure. :)
Tutorial : Mason Jar / Pin Cushion / Sewing Kit
Aloha!!
JD and I are finally back from our three and a half week trip to Hawaii! This means I've been postponing my teaching duties for an entire month now. I'm so excited to get back to the homeschool co-op next week. We will be starting our two-week lesson on how to sew an apron. I'm so excited, in fact, that I put together these little pin cushion - mason jar - sewing kits for each student. These are super easy to make (I made 13 within a few hours).
I hope they love them as much as I do!!
Want to make one for yourself?
Here's what you will need for the kit:
Seam Ripper
Tailor's Chalk
Measuring Tape
Sharp Pair of Scissors
Needles
Pins
Buttons
Spool of Thread (not pictured)
*Fortunately, Hobby Lobby is holding a 50% sale on all Sew-ology items this week. Whew!
And here's what you will need for the pin cushion mason jar:
Mason Jar
Scissors
Tag Punch (only if you have one laying around)
Cardstock
Hot Glue Gun
Super Cute piece of Fabric (measuring approx. 5.5" x 5.5")
Poly-fil (see image below)
Ready?
Let's do this...
Step 1: Punch out a circle from a piece of cardstock. You will glue this onto the back of the Mason Jar lid next. This tag punch measures 2.5" in diameter. If you do not have a tag punch around this size (should be 2.5" or smaller in diameter), you may freehand a circle with the approx. diameter or trace the lid and cut about 1/8" off. The tag punch is, by far, the quickest and easiest solution.
Step 2: Hot glue the circle to the back of the Mason Jar lid. The cardstock helps to adhere the fabric.
Step 3: Cut a 5.5" x 5.5" square of fabric.
Thank you, Hobby Lobby, for selling super cute fabric.
Step 4: Lay the front of the Mason Jar lid onto the wrong side (or back) of the fabric. Place a dollop of hot glue one side and adhere. Don't glue anything else yet.
Step 5: Grab a handful of Poly-fil. You can use as much as your heart desires, but a handful was sufficient.
I tried to take photos of every step but it got a little tough here, as I only had one hand to work with while the other was snapping photos. Multi-tasking at its best. ;)
Step 6: Place the ring of the lid upside down on a flat surface. Stuff the Poly-fil in between the fabric and lid in as much as a puffy ball as possible. Push the stuffed fabric-Poly-fil through the ring and align the lid into the ring. You may want to add or subtract some of the Poly-fil here.
Step 7: Try to pull the fabric around the ring while holding the lid in securely, so that there are no cinches of fabric. Now your lid should look similar to the bottom right pic above.
Step 8: Pull the fabric in small amounts (may need to be twisted or trimmed in some areas so it won't be too bulky) and begin hot gluing. Once you have almost finished a semi-circle, take the other side and glue it so that there is a straight line across of fabric. Take the bottom of the semi-circle and twist it just enough to a point where you can tuck it into the straight line going across. It should look like the bottom right picture. Hot glue that baby in.
Tip: Toothpicks are a great way to tuck in the fabric without getting the scolding hot glue all over your fingertips.
Step 9: Admire your new pin cushion and get super pumped about sticking some pins in it!
Step 10: Adorn it with lovely colored pins, fill it up with sewing essentials and get ready to host a sewing party!!
*You can use a thread and needle instead of hot glue, but I've found that the backside of the lid doesn't look so nice if you do it that way. No worries, we will not be using hot glue when sewing aprons for the Life Skills class. ;)
We Dashed Like Warriors.
This past Saturday, we gathered with thousands across the Southeast to compete in the Warrior Dash 5K, the world's largest running series.
Blood.
Sweat.
Tears.
Ropes.
Barbed Wire.
Mud.
Fire.
Beards.
Turkey Legs.
Here's a taste of what our race obstacles looked like...
The Warrior Dash came to Alabama for the first time this year. Appropriately, the race was held in the city of Warrior, Alabama.
We thought the fire trucks were present because of the fire obstacle (in case someone caught on fire). However, we finished the race and found the competitors washing off the mud and dirt under the showers of the fire trucks' water hoses. Crazy.
Brandon and Theresa (JD's sister), and Matt and Julie all came up to compete with us.
Brandon and Theresa came up with the perfect idea of coordinating the super rad Tees, bandanas and socks (bright ones for the gals and camo for the guys). Theresa and I designed and crafted it all though. ;) Of course, us girls had to paint our nails to match our tie-dyed shirts.
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Pre-Dash Photo Op....
How about the awesome stenciled warrior helmets?
Post-Dash......
Champions.
We ran into Mo, a college friend of JD, Brandon and Theresa. Check out his handlebar 'stache and shirt ("You can go blind from my pure awesomeness")?
After the race, we drove up to Julie's parents' house for a fantastic dinner. Honestly. It was a dinner for true warriors, or Vikings, if you will. It's a good thing we received these shirts, metals and Viking hats as a reward for surviving in the race. The outfits made for perfect dinner attire.
The weekend held amazing, Spirit-filled conversations and laughter between a few of our favorite people. Thanks Mrs. Leslie and Mr. Craig for hanging out with us crazy couples and for opening up your lovely home to us without caring about getting mud all over your floor. We had such a blast!
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By the way, JD and I flew back in from Hawaii last Wednesday! The past three and a half weeks were magical, challenging and awe-inspiring. We're going to postpone writing about Germany a few more posts because we are that excited about our Hawaii adventure this year.
Viva Las Vegas : Happily Ever After
Have you ever been to Fashion Show Mall in Vegas?
It's pretty epic.
A fashion show stage and catwalk literally rise from the ground floor and models strut their stuff. As soon as the show is over, the models step back into their window-shop positions as the stage and catwalk lower back down into the basement of the mall like an elevator.
Sheer genius.
We celebrated Jackie's birthday at Maggiano's, family style Italian.
Mmm.
The guys fought against Optimus Prime.
And we took a lovely family photo in front of a fountain.
Here's a few last Vegas shots for your viewing pleasure...
Thanks Chase and Jackie for letting us stay with you guys. We're super proud of the things y'all are doing in Vegas. God is doing amazing work in and through the two of you. Can't wait to see what else He will do!
Mom and Dad - Few kids can say that their parents have been married for 30 years... much less happily married for 30 years. Chase and I have been infinitely blessed by you two. Your kisses in the kitchen and hands intertwined when you walk have not gone unnoticed. In fact, it is the imagery of your entire marriage. Thanks for loving each other wholeheartedly. You have not only stuck with each other through the worst of sickness - but you have fought for each other within in. Thanks for rubbing mom's feet when her neuropathy kicks in full-blast and for driving dad at nighttime because glaucoma has glazed his eyes. Your support of one another is impenetrable. Thanks for remaining faithful in prayer and in the Lord when doctors said mom would only have one more year to live in her darkest time of sickness, and when doctors said dad wouldn't be able to see his daughter's birth because he would be blind by that point.
Most people must live by faith and not by sight.
But I have seen.
I have seen that God heals and that He does a mighty work in marriages, in families and in our bodies. Thank you for leaning on Christ and each other in times of trials rather than straying apart from one another. Thank you for setting such a pure example of marriage for Chase and Jackie, and JD and myself.
We love you.
Here's to 50 more years of being newlyweds. ;)
Viva Las Vegas : Fremont Street
Welcome to downtown Vegas, aka Fremont Street.
By 2013, Zappos plans to relocate into the old downtown courthouse. According to Haute Living, "Tony Hsieh, CEO of Zappos, and other investors are pledging approximately $350 million over the next few years to revitalize downtown Last Vegas. The plan is to have a city where you can live, work and play all within walking distance. The money will be used for city improvements such as local education, condos and tech start-up companies."
How cool is that going to be?!
There is a TON of touristy things and places to go here, but Chase wanted to take us to his favorite hangout: the Tech Library.
Being a fellow techie, JD loved this.
Then we went back to Fremont where we spent a little more than "just a few minutes" waiting on the perfect moment to take a photo of the neon signs covering the sidewalks.
Perfect.
We meandered through the Toy Shack, mainly for JD to get this photo with the Ghostbusters' Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.
Side Note: When researching the vicious giant marshmallow, I came across this article about why the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man is the greatest villain ever. It's worth a quick read. ;)
Did you know you can zip-line through downtown Las Vegas?
Because you can.
The ride lasts about 800 feet. and it's pretty inexpensive too! The line was nasty-long when we were there so we decided against it. However, it looked ridiculously awesome and we would love to hear from someone who has done it before!
We were super thankful for fantastic tour guides and a great host and hostess.
Chase and Jackie: You two are awesome. Thanks for everything. We love you guys.
Viva Las Vegas : Hotels and Casinos
We'd be lying if we said we didn't dip our toes into the "Vegas Culture" just a bit.
In fact, we may have slipped a few dollar bills into the casino slots. I was really hoping the bells would start dinging and pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters would start shuffling out of the change slots.
But they didn't.
Instead, the machines gave us a "Gaming Voucher" in the dollar amount of what we won. The voucher is a tricky thing. It makes you think you won more than what you put in... and then you want to slip it back in to win some more money on the voucher. JD and I won more money than what we gambled - an entire $13.52 - thanks to JD pushing the button and me sitting in front of the machine wishing and hoping. Wahoo!!
But there's more to the Las Vegas hotels than not-so-hidden casinos... Take a look into the interiors of these Las Vegas hotels lining the Strip.
First Stop: Caesar's Palace.
I wanted to twirl a thousand times under the trees lining the interior of the Wynn. Luscious fresh flower balls adorned the branches twisted with Christmas lights.
But I forgot to twirl because I was too busy taking photos. Don't you hate when that happens?
Nest stop: Palazzo.
Want to cruise through the Venetian while being serenaded in Italian on a gondola?
You can.
Don't miss the free hotel attractions every night, like the Fountain Show at the Bellagio. Vegas visitors gather around the pond's gates as the anxiously wait for the water to start dancing.
And, I'm telling you... it dances.
Like magic.
Blissful Beauty.
After the sun sets, head over to the Mirage for the Volcano Show. Fire and water merge into an array of dynamic bursts as they follow into choreographed routines.
Viva Las Vegas : Red Rock Canyon
Not what you would be expecting from Las Vegas, huh?
Located about 15 miles outside of Vegas, Red Rock Canyon will overwhelm your senses. It is a glorious creation of fossilized sand dunes mixed with amber and crimson cliffs, thanks to the iron oxide built up throughout many centuries.
Isn't my mom lovely?
And this guy? He's such a stud. ;)
The stark contrast between the deeply colored rocks and the barren valley truly mesmerizes onlookers.
Chase & Jackie
Dad, Chase & me
JD & me
Happy 30th Anniversary, mom and dad!
Viva Las Vegas : In-N-Out Burger vs. Five Guys
If you live on the West Coast, surely you've been to In-N-Out Burger, right?
Chase brags about how phenomenal it is every time he would come back from visiting Jackie's family in California.
JD and I were pumped to try it out first hand. Thus, we decided to make it a priority in our Vegas Venture.
The entire family kicked it animal style... or Wild Animal Style, as I like to say... from their Not-so-Secret Menu.
The Verdict?
In-N-Out was delicious. We were digging the scripture on the wrappers and the 50's style vibe.
BUT, we decided that we still choose Five Guys and Fries as the Nation's Chain Burger Champ. The fries are perfect and the burgers. Yeah. Period. That's the best way to describe them. The burgers cannot even be adjective-ized.
We've made our choice, but what is yours?
Which burger chain is your fave?
Viva Las Vegas : Celebrating New Seasons in Life
In late April of this year, we flew to Las Vegas to celebrate Chase and Jackie's new home, Jackie's birthday AND my parents' 30th Anniversary!! Whoop whoop!
We're dedicating the next three weeks' blog posts to them. :)
Mom and dad LOVE watching Pawn Stars. Even though we did get to walk through the actual Gold & Silver Pawn Store, we didn't get to meet mom's favorite character, Chumlee.
She got over it pretty quickly when Chase and Jackie took us to play glow-in-the-dark KISS mini-golf.
Why?
Because she got to "meet and greet" KISS superstars, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
The 18th hole!
KISS Mini Golf is awesome. We won a couple of extra tickets from trivia questions along with a free game of mini golf for the winner of each game.
Apparently, you can get married here too, but we would not recommend that. ;)
**If you're a new reader, here's a brief overview of our fam...
Reid and Mama E (Yvette): Whit's parents
Chase: Whit's older brother, works as a Front-end Web Developer for Zappos.com
Jackie: Chase's wife
Mr. Jim and Mrs. Josie: JD's parents
Theresa: JD's younger sister
Brandon: Theresa's husband and JD's former college roommate
Brandon and Theresa are house parents for the Baptist Children's Village
Philanthropic Friday : Emma Kate & the Nephcure Foundation
Things have been INSANELY crazy over the past couple of weeks. We've missed keeping up with our blogger friends and posting about our adventures but time slipped away before we knew it. Here's an attempt at getting back on track...
We want to introduce you to our sweet little cousin, Emma Kate.
Isn't she precious!? She was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome a couple of years ago.
Emma Kate is our inspiration for a new series we are beginning this week: Philanthropic Fridays.
We will probably only host Philanthropy Fridays about once a month. It will be a chance for you to link up and post about philanthropies or ministries that are close to your heart too. Let's get the word out!
Here's an excerpt about Emma Kate from Meredith's (Emma Kate's mom / my cousin) blog....
So what is Nephrotic Syndrome?
Nephrotic Syndrome, in itself, is not classified as a disease. However, it can potentially lead to blood clots and very serious conditions such as kidney failure if not treated correctly. In a properly-functioning system, the kidneys spill protein into the blood. With Ns, the kidneys spill protein into the urine instead. This causes swelling, lack of energy and urine output. Though Ns is most common in kids, doctors have yet to figure out the cause. More importantly, there is NO CURE. There are two types: minimal change (what Emma Kate has), and FSGS which is far more serious and often ends with a transplant. Eighty percent of the kids have the minimal change and do respond well to treatment. Though the cure has not been found, high doses of steroids or chemotherapy drugs can help put the body in remission.
We want to introduce you to our sweet little cousin, Emma Kate.
Isn't she precious!? She was diagnosed with Nephrotic Syndrome a couple of years ago.
Emma Kate is our inspiration for a new series we are beginning this week: Philanthropic Fridays.
We will probably only host Philanthropy Fridays about once a month. It will be a chance for you to link up and post about philanthropies or ministries that are close to your heart too. Let's get the word out!
Here's an excerpt about Emma Kate from Meredith's (Emma Kate's mom / my cousin) blog....
The entire time she was at the hospital she was SUCH a trooper. Never shed a single tear or complained about the treatments. Even through all the needle sticks, IV's, night wakings, ect., she was braver than us.
The nurses were impressed.
We were all impressed.
There were so many unknowns, and the doctors were far from encouraging! It didn't help matters that my son (5 months old at the time) was fighting a 104 degree fever and double ear infections. Thank God for family! And thank God for all the people lifting us up in prayer. With so many hard things coming at us at once, we were so thankful Emma Kate embraced the situation so well. Seeing her strength helped us out.
I cried more then than I have in my entire life. Part of the tears were from seeing how the steroids affected my sweet little girl so much. She went from hugging and smiling, to hitting and not wanting to be touched, overnight. Despite the behavioral changes on the second day, she still did well with the nurses and treatments. Thankfully, by the third day the initial shock to her system had calmed down and she was MUCH better. Needless to say I hugged on her ALL day that day, since she hadn't let us touch her the day before. A 2 year old not wanting to be touched or hugged by a parent is so much harder than you can imagine. Especially when all you want to do is love on them and let them know it's okay.You can check out the rest of Meredith's blog here. Daniel and Meredith have changed Emma Kate's diet to reflect a gluten-free, dairy-free and low sodium lifestyle because of her condition. Along with other great tips and wisdom, Meredith's blog has fantastic insight and options on which foods to buy with that diet.
So what is Nephrotic Syndrome?
Nephrotic Syndrome, in itself, is not classified as a disease. However, it can potentially lead to blood clots and very serious conditions such as kidney failure if not treated correctly. In a properly-functioning system, the kidneys spill protein into the blood. With Ns, the kidneys spill protein into the urine instead. This causes swelling, lack of energy and urine output. Though Ns is most common in kids, doctors have yet to figure out the cause. More importantly, there is NO CURE. There are two types: minimal change (what Emma Kate has), and FSGS which is far more serious and often ends with a transplant. Eighty percent of the kids have the minimal change and do respond well to treatment. Though the cure has not been found, high doses of steroids or chemotherapy drugs can help put the body in remission.
There are a few ways you can help to find a cure...
(1) Walk. Are you free on September 15? Do you live near Alpharetta, Ga.? Go walk. Registration is free; they have a Zumba warm-up activity; and a Pancake Breakfast begins at 10:15... Do you need any more enticing?!
(2) Donate. Emma Kate's team is trying to raise $2,000 for the foundation by Saturday. If you or your company are interested in donating, click on the Donate link.
(3) Get the word out.
(4) Pray. Pray. Pray. For the kids who have the rare condition and for the families who have the challenge of comforting their kids through it. And pray for a cure.
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