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The Ebb and Flow of Marriage

December 16, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

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In marriage, we ebb and flow like the ocean. We move. We change. But we keep drifting back like the pull of the waves reaching out to the sand. The tides roll in and sometimes storm out. Yet something keeps tugging at us, keeping us from breaking away from the shore.

Please join me today on Nursing, Naps, Nostalgia where I’m guest posting about marriage as part of a “Love Stories” series.

Writing Down a Week of Gratitude

November 26, 2014 by Jessica Leave a Comment

I used to be so good at keeping a gratitude journal. Each night I would sit down with my journal and write down the positive points of my day. It’s so easy to dwell on the negative. This practice helped me to remember that, in life, it truly is the little things that count.

Being that it’s a time for giving thanks, I challenged myself to faithfully write in my gratitude journal for one week. I took time to write about those little things throughout the day that made me happy.

11/17/14

Coming off a good weekend that ended with warm snuggles.

Visiting with family.

Learning when to shut my mouth.

11/18/14

Getting lots of Christmas shopping done!

Receiving my first designer payment!

Chestnut praline lattes.

Successful, new recipes.

A little redecorating.

Finishing jobs ahead of schedule.

11/19/14

Morning surprises.

40% off my Christmas pig deocoration!

Getting posts finished ahead of deadline.

Visiting with dad.

Alpine Punch latte deliciousness!

Friend in town! Making plans.

Putting the cardboard out on time. BIG accomplishment!

Watching him smile while he sleeps (does that make me a creep?).

11/20/14

Getting all of my December contributor posts finished.

Making an AMAZING pork roast!

Wine and yoga pants.

Freshly painted red nails.

Evening walks and the smell of fireplaces.

11/21/14

I am thankful for a husband who allows me to stay home and tirelessly work on my blog, Etsy shop and thousands of other projects.

Starbucks – for allowing me to stay awake and focused through all of my projects.

Too much pizza and wine family fun!

11/24/14

Coming off a busy, hectic, not always fun weekend. The wind woke us up early this morning so we both found ourselves out in the living room. We watched “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” until he had to go off to work.

I didn’t write in my journal over the weekend. I worked tirelessly on projects. I was moody. I was exhausted. I was stressed to the max. I’m still not finished, but my mood broke at the end of the evening when the hardest part of my to-do list was finally done. I may have even cracked a smile or let some laughter slip! I am thankful for that laughter and for continuously being knocked out of my mood by the goofball I married.

So let me add this: I am thankful for pillow fights, for The Wizard of Oz, for feeling the weight lift off my shoulders, for my husband making me dinner and cleaning up and for the calm under the weight of his arms wrapped around me while we sleep.

Even though it’s Thanksgiving, it’s important to remember what we’re thankful for all year long. If you would like to start a journal of your own, there are some great tips on Tiny Buddha for writing a gratitude journal. Also, make sure to read the beautiful story about how one person stopped feeling sorry for herself and started writing down what she was grateful for instead.

Happy Thanksgiving! What are you grateful for this year?

The Memories We Make

November 14, 2014 by Jessica 6 Comments

When Summer comes to an end and the days get shorter, I tend to feel a little sadness. I know our evening walks on the beach will come to an end. Our days spent outside in the garden will dwindle and we’ll find ourselves spending more time indoors. But it hasn’t been that way since Fall’s arrival. We have done so much! I realize that Winter is just around the bend so I am enjoying these moments as much as I can before we find ourselves tucked beneath our blankets, hibernating for the Winter.

I love living in an area where the beach, the woods, the city and farmland is just a drive away. I never was much of an outdoorsy girl, but I appreciate it so much more as I grow older. While I spent so much time in my teenage years wondering how to get the hell out of here, as an adult I have found a way to make something more from where I live – memories. And better yet, someone to make them with me.

We went canoeing over the Summer and both really enjoyed it. We said we would do it again in the Fall when the leaves changed. A few weeks ago, we rented a canoe for a couple hours. It was a beautiful, Fall day and the peaceful stretch of river not far from our home proved to be just as pleasing. The leaves were just starting to burst with color and I probably did a half-ass job of paddling as I snapped photos with my iPhone.

A true test to a relationship is being stuck in a canoe with someone for a couple hours while you travel up and down a river. The pretend “let’s tip the boat” movements. The playful splashes. Whistling the theme to “Halloween” repetitiously and not getting knocked out of the boat. You’re stuck, kids, unless you want to swim. And who knows what’s lurking in those waters besides duck poop and the occasional beer can you spot along the way. Still, I’d do it all over again because I love being out on the water. And I love being “stuck” with my fellow paddler.

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Over the Summer, we bought a kite. I had never flown a kite before so we took our adorkable NASA shuttle kite to the park. As I waited for my turn, I realized I probably wasn’t getting one. My husband turned into a kid as he ran the stretch of the grassy section we had claimed with ~~our~~ the kite. It was a bit annoying at first, but then I turned it into an opportunity to nab some photos and laughter watching my husband, the kite astronaut, enjoy himself so much.

After kite flying, we did one of my most favorite new activities – hiking. There’s something so magical about the woods. Especially when it gets cooler out. Have you ever gone hiking while the snow is falling? MAGICAL! But it’s just as special when the leaves change and color is everywhere. It’s quiet. It’s peaceful. And sometimes you end up finding secrets in the woods when you take a different path.

Like Marilyn! The hiking boots I got for my birthday are definitely coming in handy this year. I would love to find new hiking trails to explore before we turn into an icy wonderland.

We recently went horseback riding after I dropped numerous hints to my husband. We got to the farm on a weekend morning. There were lessons going so we got the two trail horses available. I was given Rosa. My husband was given Red. Rosa is an old girl. She is stubborn. She needs a bit of budging and she knew she could play me. So halfway up the trail, we turned around to switch horses.

I got on Red and felt so much more at ease. We were a perfect fit! Red was a such a good boy. If I could have ridden him home and turned half our garage into a stable, I would! I fell in love with this horse. He was easy to handle and loved galloping, which I loved! He was fun to ride, but also had quite a personality on him. He HATED mud and as we rode through the woods, he would avoid muddy puddles. I guess he didn’t want to ruin his pedicure! As we got back to the stables, my husband said, “I guess Red is your favorite color now.” If we visit again, I am definitely requesting my new pal, Red!

Most recently, my husband came home from work and asked if I wanted to go to a Devils game. Like I would have said no! So we had a rare Tuesday night date to see our team play the Wild. When I thanked my husband for taking me on the way home he said, “I knew you wanted to go to a Wild game.” Former Devils player Zach Parise (and definite hall pass) wasn’t there due to injury, the game wasn’t overly exciting although we won and yet the two of us sat in the stands talking and laughing most of the time and had those moments where we’d just look at each other and laugh.

As I hung up my #9 jersey in my closet, I smiled to myself. While we may both have ongoing projects (me: establishing myself as a DIY designer and professional blogger, him: restoring a ’60-something Camaro) there are always going to be memories to be made. We’ve had our fair share of ups and downs in our relationship, but those ups are OH-so-good! So we hold onto them and look to create many, many more.

Pumpkin and Not-So-Apple Picking

October 20, 2014 by Jessica 2 Comments

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A couple weekends ago, my husband and I attempted to visit Alstede Farms, but instead turned around and headed home after seeing what a mess the parking lot and lines were. Last week, my husband took a personal day from work so we could attempt to go apple and pumpkin picking again. On our second attempt to visit the farm, we left bright and early to get there when it opened. It was overcast and cool when we got to the farm and there was nobody in the parking lot. It was great! It felt like we had the entire farm to ourselves!

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We grabbed a wagon and followed the signs to the apple orchard. However, we didn’t find many apples in the orchard except for a few rows of Stayman apple trees. Considering the fact that this farm is huge, we may have missed another part of the orchard. We managed to grab only a few apples from the tree. Slightly disappointing since I had dreams of making homemade applesauce, pies and cakes.

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We did much better in the pumpkin patch! My husband found his pumpkin right away. I was indecisive about the shape I wanted and ultimately grabbed a pumpkin for its stem. I passed on some of the gourds that were also in the patch, but some of them were really interesting looking! We paid for our pumpkins and made a stop in the farm store for apple cider doughnuts (SO GOOD!) and apple cider. That’s a must when visiting any orchard!

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That evening we got out the paint and brushes and I printed stencils to decorate our pumpkins. I painted a Medusa design (as a Doctor Who fan, I chose this because it looked like a Weeping Angel to me!) and my husband chose a “Rotten Day” face. I went a step further with my design and painted a coat of glow-in-the-dark Mod Podge over it! And to ensure our squirrely little neighborhood nuisances stay away from our masterpieces, I did as I had done last year and wiped our pumpkins with hot sauce and sprinkled the tops with pepper flakes. It worked last year so let’s hope they stay away again this year!