{holiday time}

While I did not get around to taking pictures of any Christmas decor this season, or doing any type of blogging about the house,... I did manage to take some pictures while hanging out with both sides of our families for the holidays! 

On my brother's birthday {December 23rd} we almost always go the the plaza for dinner... I got a picture of all us siblings together, which I think turned out great! And according to Leanne she resembles "a linebacker," but she's actually just a cute pregnant lady in a winter coat! :)

The Prince clan...

Birthday boy & Lainey...

Mom & Hank...

And with Caleb's side of the family, there were some great photo opps during a playtime in the snow on Christmas Day!

So that's what I've been up to lately! Happy Holidays!

summa time

It's been a while since I have been able to blog due to all the summer happenings going on the Champ household!  While I'm not able to start my new job until August {boo!}, I'm still working at the hospital and keeping busy!
We were able to go visit Caleb's brother and his family last weekend in Oklahoma.  It was so great to get to see them and it was extra special because we finally met our newest neice Kalli.  She's is four months old and all sorts of precious... :)

Little toes...

I was also thrilled to be able to spend some time with my sister-in-law Kristi, {I lovingly referred to her as my female soulmate} just to be able to share life with her! We talk joys and struggles and it's just an overall good experience for my soul! :)

We are starting another adventure this next week with a lake vacation with my side of the family! I'm super excited and hoping it involves s'mores, swimming, tanning, singing, laughing, late-night dock hang-outs, and of course, some time in Branson.  I'm sure it will be just as amazing and entertaining as last years lake trip {minus my husband's nasty facial hair - I prohibited that this year}!

{exciting, fun, adventorous} week

This week has been a great week! Why? Because so many good things are happening!  First off, I got offered a job! Yay! {and I plan on taking it}  :)  It has been hard to be patient since graduating and passing boards, but I've tried to rest in the fact that I know God has a place and a plan for this phase of my life & career.  I'll be working as a nurse practitioner in a hospital and skilled nursing facility {which is an in-between place for people between hospital & home} in Blue Springs, Missouri.  I'm really excited and a little nervous about starting.  I don't have an exact start date yet but right now I'm celebrating in the fact I'm no longer looking for an NP position!

Yesterday, I told this news to my family while celebrating my mom's birthday.  I started off with "I have a little bit of news to share..." and I saw that initial look in my family's eyes when for a split second they thought maybe I would say I'm pregnant... but then it all dawned on them that it was probably just a job. They all still acted excited though for the job anyway! Ha! {One huge life change at a time, people!} :)
Dinner was great though!  Here's a picture of my mom and I after dinner.  I get told all the time I look like my mom.  I'm used to hearing people so much that I know it's true but sometimes it's hard to see it in yourself when people say you look like someone else.  Well... I see it in this picture...

It's like we have the exact same face! It's a compliment for me so, I'm blessed with that!

Another reason why this week is about to get even more awesome is because we are leaving shortly for Boston!  We are going with our friends, Tim & Melody.  Tim is a stud of a runner and he is running in the Boston Marathon.  I've never been to Boston so I'm excited to see some of the historical sites there, as well as experience {from the sidelines} the legendary Boston Marathon.  The weather is supposed to be nice and mild too!  Plus, who wouldn't want to travel with these guys...

They let me take pictures of them recently to try out a lens I rented to take on our Boston trip. :)

What a wonderful week, I'm truly blessed!  Can't wait to share Boston pictures and memories with you all soon!  East coast... here we come!

remembering...

I was recently telling a friend who blogs that I'm not one who normally puts much emotion into my blog posts... but I had forgotten that I had started to write this post.  So a little warning, this post does contain some emotion. :)

Caleb and I have experienced a few very hard losses since our marriage.  We both find it important to find ways to remember the people we love so dearly that are no longer a part of our lives here on this earth.  Right after our engagement, I lost my grandfather, "Papa" Kenneth Oyer and Caleb lost a grandfather, "Grandpa Bob."  Since we have been married, we have lost my father - Thomas "Tom" Gault Wilson, my grandmother - Elaine Adele Wilson, and most recently Caleb's grandmother, Virginia Burns or "Grandma Burns."
I had a fear of forgetting memories after the loss of my father, so I wrote down several memories in a notepad so that I could always go back and reflect on them.  I also wanted to implement other ways to remember... which can sometimes be emotional and I was unsure if I was okay to publicly display my personal memoirs or should I keep it all behind closed doors?  If I did publicly display anything, would I get asked a lot of questions? Would I get emotional if I was asked about it?  I finally decided that it was more important for me to have this symbol of remembrance than it was to save face if any of those emotions happen to surface.  For remembering my dad, I decided to have a special locket made.  I wanted to put a quote on the locket that reflected how I felt about the fact I couldn't call him up everyday, but rather that his spirit and genuine personality would never be forgotten because he was a part of who I had become.  I stumbled upon this quote on Pinterest one day, and it comes from the wisdom of mister Whinnie the Pooh himself...

I found a vintage locket on Etsy and my mom bought it for me for Christmas a few years ago.  The quote is long {to be engraved on a small locket} so it spills over onto both sides. It is a little hard to read unless you get pretty close to the locket, which was fine with me.

Inside the locket is a picture of us dancing from my wedding

I'm so glad I did go through with the locket and it definitely doesn't bother me if anyone asks about it or ask to see it.

Caleb's grandmother, Virginia {or "Grandma Burns"}, was so special to him.  She invested so much in his life and we had the pleasure of being near her for the last year or so of her life {she had previously lived in California}.  We were on vacation in Colorado when Virginia passed, but Caleb had been able to spend time with her the day before we left.  Virginia passed away at Caleb's parents' home while on hospice, so Caleb's mom was by her side during her last moments.  Caleb's mom is known for being a lover of the hymns and for never needing the hymnal during church services because she knew all the words of all the verses by heart.  She sang a hymn to Virginia to comfort and reassure her that is was okay to leave her suffering body and go be greeted by the Lord right before she passed away...

I made this using a photo I took of a small chapel on a college campus nearby.  We framed this and gave it to Caleb's mom for Christmas this year.  We also got ourselves a copy and framed it, it's currently hanging in our bedroom.

Of course I try to display the treasured pictures of our loved ones as well.  This is a perfect picture of my grandfather {better know to me as "Papa"} because of his expression!  He was quite the jokester and funny man so this is exactly how I remember him. {When I was little, he used to tell me every time he would get surgery that they were "taking his jokes out" or "putting them back in"} :)  Part of me is sad that Caleb never got to meet him {he passed away a few days before I was going to take Caleb out to meet my grandparents} but it's pictures like this and sharing memories that help Caleb get a glimpse of who he was.  The same goes for Caleb as well, he has grandparents I never got the pleasure of meeting.

And the same will also apply to my children and the fact they will never know my dad, "grandpa Tom."  We will share the photos and memories, just like my sister has done with my niece Lainey.  And I will share my notebook of memories of my dad with my children and explain all the little inside jokes and funny nicknames we all called each other.  It will be something that sparks lots of stories!  They will hear about the duct tape use, the bad boat driving, the 30 pairs of sunglasses, the dancing, the attempt to sing rap, and on and on... Lainey and every other child from my siblings and me will forever know how much grandpa Tom loved to be goofy and make people laugh, how he would do absolutely anything to help out his family, and how excited he will be to meet them in heaven someday.

And just in time for March Madness... a picture of a picture I have in my home of my dad dunking in his younger years...

Reminds me of a retro Nike ad :)

  

Also, the friend I mentioned at the very beginning of this post, Melody, also recently blogged about an emotional time in her life.  She and her husband, Tim, recorded an old David Crowder Band song that is AMAZING!  They both have incredible voices plus it's a great song... take a listen here. {My friends can sing better than your friends... just kidding :), but seriously...}

living room for a bro {mood boards}

Last week I posted my ideas for bedroom decor of my brother's new downtown Kansas City studio loft.  He already purchased a new sofa and chair so he was also looking for pillow ideas.  I took it slightly beyond pillows and came up with two different living room mood boards that could work for anyone wanting that slightly modern or urban vibe!

Since he already got his sofa and chair, I didn't have to search for those and it made it easy having the larger living room pieces already selected.  He choose very clean and streamlined look in a charcoal gray from Room & Board's Ian collection.  I also tried to keep in mind the colors he liked best from the bedroom mood boards, which was option #3 of blues and oranges.  I didn't want it to match exactly nor did I want it to clash, since this is a studio loft that is completely open.

Here's the first board I put together, using mainly warmer colors...

1.  Bondis Wall Clock - Ikea $19.99
2.  1900's Kansas City Map - Etsy $15
3.  Leisure Burnt Orange pillow 23" - CB2 $39.95
4.  Ribbon Pillow - Crate & Barrel $24.95
5.  Gray Linen Pillow Cover - Etsy $40 {shop sukanart)
6.  Jarvis Azure Rug - Crate & Barrel $249 {5'x8'}
7.  Kite Kilm Floor Pouf - West Elm $149

 Next option using blues and lots of geographic shapes...

 

1.  Amsterdam Canal Watercolour Print - Etsy $120 {shop simoneridyard}

2.  Vintage Blueprint Map of Downtown Kansas City 20"x30" - Etsy $29.95

3.  Castillo Floor Lamp - Crate & Barrel $229 {I imagine with the popularity of this style of lamp there is most likely a cheaper option available as well}

4.  Stockholm Cushion in Black & White - Ikea $12.99 {I own two of these and love them!}

5.  Stockholm Cushion in Blue - Ikea $12.99

6.  Leisure Blue 23" pillow - CB2 $29.95

7.  Lappljung Ruta Cushion Cover - Ikea $10

8.  Olin Black Rug - Crate & Barrel $149 {5'x8'}  --- I think this is a great price for such a classic looking rug - comes in other colors as well.  The gold color is currently on major sale!

Other honorable mentions that didn't make the cut... :)

Drake Natural Shag Rug - CB2 $339 for 5'x8'

Stripe Cabana Pillow in Cobalt - Pier 1 $20 {it's an outdoor pillow, but could still work as long as it's comfortable}

Eivor Throw - Ikea $19.99

Happy decorating!

bedroom for a bro {mood boards}

Based off the title of this post, you may think I'm going to talk about designing a bedroom for an obnoxious frat-dude, obsessed with partying, self-absorbed college punk... well no, that's incorrect.  Actually I'm helping out my actual BROther, Tommy, with ideas for his bedroom and living room in his new downtown studio loft.

I created 3 mood boards, which I have never done before, using Photoshop {I found a tutorial for using Photoshop here}.  Once I got going it was pretty easy to do! And it always feels better coming up with all these ideas knowing it's not your money that would have to be spent! ;)
Tommy and I have similar yet still fairly different styles.  Often times we like the same store but not always the same pieces.  He has much more of a modern style than I do.  I made 3 boards because I had a feeling the more options the better, in this case.  So here's my take on a modern, masculine, bedroom design...

Option 1... using gray, navy, a citron greenish/yellow...and stripes!

 1. Stripe Duvet Cover + Shams in white/feather gray - West Elm $69 {full/queen} $19 {standard sham}
2. Stripe Sham in white/citron - West Elm $24 {euro sham}
3. Stripe Sheet Set in white/citron - West Elm $69 {full set}
4. Embroidered Dot Pillow Cover in India ink - West Ellm $39
5. Solid Throw in regal blue - West Elm $49 {on sale!}
6. Nash Table Lamp - CB2 $49.95





Option 2... using gray, navy, off-white/cream, mustard yellow, and some different patterns...

1. Pietra Duvet Cover - Crate & Barrel $189.95 {full/queen}
2. Cotton Velvet Duo Pillow Cover in golden gate - West Elm $24.99 {on sale!}
3. Colorblock Stripe Pillow in mustard/cream/charcoal - Etsy {JillianReneDecor shop} $45
4. Y City Pattern Pillow Cover 20"x20" - Etsy {designjennis shop} $28
5. Evan Throw - Crate & Barrel $59.95 {on sale!}
6. Sherwood Table Lamp - Crate & Barrel $79.95
7. Solid Throw in regal blue - West Elm $49 {on sale!}
8. Window Pane Throw - West Elm $39.99 {on sale!}





Option 3... gray, orange, bright tropical blue, and a mix of stripes and chevron... plus some urban art!

1. Linen Cotton Duvet Cover + Sham in slate - West Elm $149 {full/queen} $29 {standard sham}
2. Leisure Burnt Orange Pillow 23" - CB2 $39.95
3. Chevron Crewel Pillow Cover 20" - West Elm $44 - could replace this with a cleaner, more straight-line chevron design, or the Y City Pattern pillow from option #2
4. Leisure Blue Pillow 23" - CB2 $39.95
5. Striped Orange Throw - CB2 $69.95
6. Clutch Walnut Table Lamp - CB2 $99.95
7. Avenue Print - CB2 $199.95
8. Rajika Bed Linens Standard Sham Set - CB2 $59.95 {for set of 2}


Next, I'm going to try to come up with some ideas for his living room! 

{snow day}

This week's snow day is much better than last week's... for me anyway.  Last week I was trapped at work for about 24 hours... it was miserable! Today I finally got to sit around and do nothing with Caleb! Actually, we got out and enjoyed the snow a little bit. I really wanted to get our dog, Lola, out of the house and get her some exercise.  She sure did get it jumping from footprint to footprint behind us!

We took a walk to a creek near our house...

Lola is definitely worn out now, success!  She'll be busy doing this for the rest of the day... in this exact location...

Hope you all are keeping warm!

celebrating valentine's day

We spent our Valentine's day at one of Caleb's basketball games this year.  While not an ideal way to spend V-day, it was an extra special game with our dear friends there, spending their Valentine's day next to me on the bleachers and being amazing supporters of Caleb!  And we all went out to eat afterwards so it was a great double date with some people we love the most!
On Friday night we also celebrated Valentine's day in a way we hadn't before... with a 3 {almost four-year-old} as our date! It was a date all about hello kitty & princess movies!  I wanted to make it feel like a special day for Lainey, so we got her a small gift.

Here she is opening her Hello Kitty gift basket...

Then we headed down to Crown Center to eat at Fritz's.  It had been a long time since I had been there and Caleb had never been.  The grub was delicious!  Lainey choose the house specialty grilled cheese sandwich. :)

Caleb embracing the railroad attire.

Then we took a quick moment {it was cold!} outside to get a few pictures and Lainey also wanted to see the people ice skating in the rink.
The trees in the court yard area were still lit up which made for a great camera backdrop!

 

Back inside Crown Center we made a quick stop into the Crayola store so Lainey could express some of her creativity!  Her illustration of choice that night was definitely "rainbows"... even if they were all brown. :)

 We had a great time with our sweet date! We topped off the night watching the movie Brave at home!  

Hope you all had a great time with your loves this Valentine's day!

watching coach champ

This is an overdue, mushy, bragging post about my husband.

Here he is at his basketball game last night...

Pic I took with my phone last night.

I love watching him, he is truly an amazing coach!  He is such an encourager and has a smart basketball mind {well, a smart mind overall but I am always impressed basketball coaching abilities}. If I were describing my husband while he was coaching to someone who didn't know him I would say: "See that handsome, dark-haired, coach who is jawing a little bit to the refs about that bad call?" :)  All good coaches have give the refs a little bit of trouble... but not too much.  He hasn't even gotten a technical foul this season! {that's a record since he got two last season} ;)

Eyes are closed, but doesn't he look good with his skinny tie on? :)

The only thing I have to complain about is how sore my tush is after sitting on bleachers through JV and Varsity games!  I need a coach's wife seat cushion!
I can't wait for him to coach {officially or unofficially} our kids some day!  Love you Coach Champ!

DIY {A-frame tents tutorial}

A while back I mentioned I would share about some Christmas presents I made for all the kids in our family.  Caleb side has 6 nieces and nephews {with 1 more on the way}, and my side has 1 niece.  So with 7 kids to buy for coming off a year where I barely worked due to school, we needed to come up with a fun gift that also didn't brake the bank!  Of course Pinterest served as my main area for inspiration, and I came across this tutorial for making A-frame tents from the blog Cakies.  I decided to make 4 tents, one tent per family.  I pretty much followed the tutorial but I'll let you in on my process for making the tents...

www.laurie-freshpicked.blogspot.com

SUPPLIES FOR A-FRAME (per tent)
- 4, 1"x2"x48" wood molding pieces
- 1, 3/4"x48" poplar dowel rod
- drill
- 3/4" spade drill bit
- ruler & pencil
- twine
- sanding block
- stain/sealer (optional)

Caleb did all of the wood working for the tents so I don't have any pictures but the process is pretty simple.  First I had him sand down all of the molding pieces just in case there were any splinters.  Then he made sure all of the molding pieces were exactly the same length and trimmed up any that weren't.  {SIDE NOTE: since I was making 4 tents, I bought several 12 foot molding pieces from Home Depot and they cut them into the 4 foot pieces for me - so there were a few that were just a tad off and I was just wanting to make sure that each group of 4 boards that would make 1 tent were all the same length}  Once he had all the molding boards grouped into 4 sets of 4, he measured from the top of the boards down 6 inches and made a mark in the center of the board where he would drill.  The drilling made the hole for the dowel rod and...voila', you can now construct the A-frame!  We decided to use some clear stain/sealer over the boards just to give them a nice smooth finish so that it wouldn't be rough on the little ones' hands if they grabbed the boards.  The twine is to tie the tops and the joints of the pieces together because it can be a little wobbly... the Cakies tutorial said that the dowel rod fit extremely snugly into the drilled hole that she didn't have to use the twine, but that wasn't the case for us.

SUPPLIES FOR TENT
- 1 twin sheet or piece of fabric {hemmed to apprx. 44"x83" -- the measurement doesn't have to be perfect}
- sewing machine & thread
- elastic strips: 4, 5" strips per tent
- scissors
- ruler

Hem the fabric to the measurement above and it doesn't need to be perfect.  Then fold over the elastic to make a loop coming off of all four corners of the tent - the strips should come off at a perpendicular angle from each bottom corner -- does that make sense?

Sewing on elastic strips to the tents

SUPPLIES FOR DECORATING
- 1 sack of potatoes!
- Knife to carve out design in potatoes
- Acrylic or fabric paint (I used acrylic because I had better acrylic colors)
- Scrap cardboard or other protective material to put under the sheet as your paint it
- Straight edge (I use a long metal ruler we have)

Get your area ready to use the potato to stamp out your design.  I had to do the stamping in my kitchen on my hardwood floors because its the biggest space in my house to lay everything out, so I made sure all my floors around me were protected! Then I carved out my designs in the potatoes...I tired to keep my designs fairly simple since I was making 4 tents. {SIDE NOTE: the potatoes don't last overnight once you've carved one because then the sides wilt and it won't look good -- I learned this the hard way & had to re-carve the next day} 

Potato stamping supplies

I found the area to start stamping on my tents by folding the sheet in half {like how it would hang on the tent} and measured down from there several inches and then used my long straight edge to make sure I was stamping in a straight line.

Some of the different patterns I did

 Let the one side dry -- I hung mine over my banister railing to dry -- then do the opposite side! Then assemble your tents...

The assembled tent {without the twine wrapped around}

 Then let the kids enjoy!

Lainey

Kamrin

Isaiah

 Hope you enjoy this project as much as I did!