Tastes Like Fish

Jeremiah and I used to be big fans of frozen tilapia. The first couple times we tried out fish we bought it fresh, but found that the frozen tasted just the same. That is, until recently.

I suppose some sales are for good reason, like buy one get one free frozen tilapia for $5.99. No fish should ever be that cheap apparently. This was a different brand than we normally get and one that we'll never venture to get again. Although it reeked of fish when we took it out, I thought we'd just been lucky in all our previous experiences of unscented cuisine. Unfortunately, it tasted pretty revolting and we ended up throwing it out. We gave this brand another college try last week, but again were hit with a strong smell. Jeremiah took matters into his own hand and thought he could mask the unpleasant odor and taste with oh about a quarter of a stick of butter. Take a look, can you guess which is his?

When not even this much butter can make something good, you know you've been scammed.

Three's Company Too

We never watched the early 80's sitcom, and after listening to the theme song preview on iTunes just now I surely know why. And while that jingle is absolutely horrendous, I'm totally on-board with the concept. Why such the sudden interest in Three's Company you ask?

Perhaps because both Jeremiah and I are one of three children, or perhaps because we've been married a bit over three years, or perhaps because Jeremiah is just shy of three months from his summer break.

But, perhaps it's not for any of these three reasons. In fact, it's not.

Why we couldn't be more jazzed about three nowadays is because come October 16, 2011 we will be a family of three!

Ahhh! No need to adjust your screen, you read that correctly. Jeremiah and I will be parents to a little guy or girl this fall. I'm 12 weeks pregnant and on the brink of my second trimester. Although we're officially announcing our big news, we know this stage of the pregnancy is still considered risky and so we hope you'll pray with us for baby Link to continue to grow and develop healthily (yes, that's a word, I looked it up). Hearing that powerful little heartbeat and seeing that sweet thing alive and well via sonogram is a miraculous thing.

God has been gracious in timing this just right for us. I'm sure you'll be shocked to know I've been waiting for this bundle of joy for months and was starting to grow impatient. But how thankful we are that baby Link decided to make his/her appearance now. Moving into our new home is behind us. I've had time to adjust to a new job. Kristin won't have a Matron of Honor going into labor at her wedding. All good things.

I anticipate having many more things to update our fans on now that our life is getting a bit more exciting. We're in for a wild ride for sure!

Note the faded second line became much clearer after the second (and third) time I took a test. One can never be too sure!

Let There Be Light

Jeremiah is making his way up the handyman ladder quite impressively.

His most recent undertaking (which actually occurred a couple weeks ago but I'm clearly horrible at keeping things up-to-date around here) included switching out two lights. People, this is not just handy work, this is handy work plus electrical. And knock on wood (for no house fires), this not-so-amateur-anymore handyman did a flawless job.

Since day one, we've known we just had to get rid of the formal dining room chandelier hanging in our "study." We chose to have this formal dining area closed in with french doors to act as another room to house maybe a desk and computer, maybe guests, or maybe even a baby in the future. Before Jeremiah tackled the lighting, it was an awkward and barren wasteland of a room. It's still a barren wasteland, but now slightly less awkward with the removal of the chandelier. In its place, we have a crazy light from Ikea. Even crazier are the shadows it creates on the wall that I wasn't expecting. If you are thinking to yourself, hmm that light looks a little high, that's because it is. Ducking through the room to get to the desk was no way to live. Hitting one's head on the chandelier when forgetting to duck was no way either. Once we actually have some furniture in the room we think it'll all even out.

And so, what to do with the chandelier. It's not a bad looking light, and after researching, we found it costs a pretty penny, too. So, why not transfer it to the other neglected space in the condo--the master bedroom sitting area. Before the fancy addition, there was the cheapest, ugliest light hung flush to the ceiling. Horrible and plastic and blah. We certainly gave the sitting area a different feel with the change, and we think it's a good one. After we hang curtains and really figure that space out some more we think it'll come together.

All in all two good transformations. Jeremiah, what a guy.

Arts and Crafts...and Truth

Someone's creative juices have been flowing.

Since we've moved in to our new place the empty wall space above the TV has stumped me. I've wondered what would fit best for over two months now. Mirrors? Wall decals? Hanging something? I just couldn't figure it out.

But finally, I think we've got something that we're happy with. On some random blog I came across a similar DIY piece of art, but had long forgotten about it. Until one day while I was browsing Michael's and had a vision. Lucky for me someone left a 40% off coupon laying lonely on a shelf so I used it to pick up a 24" x 36" white canvas. Then I scoured the aisles for vinyl lettering and finally decided on 2" Helvetica vinyls. On a separate trip I picked up some granite spray paint at Home Depot. I couldn't wait to come home and get to work.

And work it was. Cutting out each letter, peeling, sticking, and aligning just right (with the use of painter's tape and a yardstick). Unfortunately, I quickly realized vinyl letters don't stick very well to canvas. Nuts. But I pressed on, crossing my fingers, since I had no back-up plan. Several days later I conned Jeremiah into spray painting for me. He of course was nervous and didn't want to screw it up, but I assured him I had no clue how to properly spray paint either. Ultimately, he did a great job, especially given the letters kept curling up, making it difficult to get crisp edges around the letters.

So what did I spell out on this canvas? Ever since our pastor shared this verse probably a month and a half ago I've wanted to use it somewhere in our new place.

"He brought me out into a spacious place, he rescued me because he delighted in me." Psalm 18:19

I don't think this verse would have struck me nearly as much had we not just moved into the place we now call home--a spacious place. Our condo is nearly twice the size as our apartment. We have so much more space to stretch out. We're not piled on top of each other and on top of our things. It's much more comfortable, calming, and relaxing. We can finally breathe. And that made me think of other crammed spaces. A crowded grocery store on New Year's Eve, traffic on 95, squeezing into a seat in Beaver Stadium. The agony! And then I thought about how it feels to be OUT of that small space, how absolutely wonderful and freeing it is to be out into a spacious place. And God does that. He brings us out into a spacious place--a place where we can feel free and not crammed. He rescues us from places like that. When I'm in those horrible situations I really feel like I need to be rescued, like I can't get out of there soon enough. And not only does he rescue us, but he does it because he delights in us. Now that is something that is harder for me to think through. That's a significant word, delights. That says a lot about who God is and who I am to him, and it's a lot for me to take in. And I hope that reading that truth everyday in my living room will help me believe it one day, really really believe it.

Hopefully you enjoy this little piece of DIY wall art as much as we do. It's not perfect, but we kind of like it that way. It's got a hint of character to its modern feel. And most importantly, its got a lot of truth.

Cocktail Attire

Two weekends ago we visited the Koehler side of the family for an extra special occasion. Happy belated birthday, Andria! My dear sister turned 30 on February 13 and what better way to celebrate than with a fancy party. To set this get together apart from other get togethers there was a dress code. Cocktail attire only. Suits and ties, dresses and heels and sparkles. 30 is a sophisticated age after all. We dined on delicious hors d'oeuvres and decadent desserts. The menu was outstanding. I think we could open our own restaurant with that menu and make a fortune. Here are just a couple shots of the set-up.

And of course, no sophisticated party would be complete with out a mid-celebration run to Wawa for cigars, right Cameron? The after-party was held out on the deck around the fire with suits and cigars and beer and winter hats. And that guest list was a lot smaller--my brother, his two friends, Jeremiah, and my dad.

Let the good times roll.

New Editions

This weekend was a success for our condo, and it's about time. After several weeks of disappointing shopping trips, we've finally been able to rip the tags off and throw away the receipts.

Feast your eyes on the fabulous chair from World Market. We spotted it a couple weeks ago and almost made an impulse buy. Fortunately, we both had a burst of patience and decided to wait. This may or may not have had to do with the kind salesman telling us he was sure it would go on sale soon. Not only was it on sale, it was $70 cheaper. HELLO! What a steal. The colors are absolutely perfect for my taste and fit in perfectly with the paint colors. Grays, blues, and greens. Love it.

And now our neighbors will be seeing a little less of us thanks to this roller shade on our door that looks out to the balcony (and parking lot). I spotted this piece of perfection at Bevin and Claiborne's house last weekend. I just had to know where it was from and can you believe what she told me? Country Curtains. Not my life. My mom is smiling right now, knowing that she had suggested Country Curtains to me several weeks ago for my window treatment needs. Mom, you are so wise. After a bit of frustration, Jeremiah got this bad boy up successfully and without any marital disputes! Love is in the air. He is becoming quite the handyman.

Four Year Old Fun

Yesterday was sweet Ruby's fourth birthday party. Woo hoo! Turning four is fabulous as we were reminded of as we opened the door to a little blonde haired girl in Disney princess plastic roller skates (you remember those skates you wear with shoes on with the adjustable bar along the bottom). The little kid party had a Candyland theme, which Chrissie (Ruby's mom) did an incredible job with! I was very, very impressed. It was such a cute idea that perhaps I've tucked it away for one day in the future.

After seeing the piles of gifts upon our arrival (after the kid party mayhem), I was more than a bit worried that our gift would win the Most Forgotten award. Of course you've all guessed by now that we got her clothes. Truth be told, I cannot walk past the little girls clothes in Target with a birthday approaching and not buy something. However, I was pleasantly surprised with Ruby's reaction. The card was a total hit--a jungle theme with a sticker sheet! Big fun! She passed out a sticker to everyone right away. Then she pulled out the first article of clothing from the Dora (another point for the Links!) gift bag and immediately put on those adorable heart leggings. After pulling out everything else, the Ruby stripped down to her birthday suit and proceeded to put on another new outfit. Yay! Success! What a relief.