Awesome & Awkward

AWESOME

• New addition to the family! Baby Isaac- he's incredibly adorable and is such a blessing. Welcome to the family baby cousin!
• Learning a lot at work this week by caring for some very sick newborns. Having awesome staff members that are incredibly helpful is always a bonus. Though I love caring for these little ones, I love it more when NICU can come save the day!  
• These new picture shelves & my new "Jenna corner."  (Organized chaos? What do you think?)
•  Fro-Yo date with my brother & Mamaw (in Oregon for the summer from Iowa & Texas).
• Snuggling with my hubby.
• Beautiful weather for over a week... hello sunshine, welcome to the NW! We're thrilled you're here!
• Hearing my Mr. talk about all he's learning in med school. I love his passion & excitement. More-so, I couldn't stop smiling when he told me about his "elder-care" visit this week and the kind lady he got to know. My husband has such a sweet spirit & kind heart. Seriously, how many men would enjoy talking with an old woman from a nursing home and not stop talking about all he learned from her (following HIPAA of course, no worries!).

AWKWARD/BUMMER

•  Feeling jetlagged every day of my life...working nights and having absolutely no consistency seriously puts a damper on my overall health. Constantly fuzzy headed, frequent headaches, fatigue...  ick. 
• Filling out a bank slip 4 times (I messed up that many times) before the bankteller had to take over and do it for me. Yeah, that whole fuzzy headed thing.... kinda scary/getting ridiculous and obvious to others! Oh, did I mention the bankteller was a good friend? Hey Matt- thanks for taking over and being understanding! 
• As one room gets cleaned up- another fills up with junk/laundry/stuff to clean & organize. I like to trick myself into thinking the apartment is clean... until I walk into that other room & am outed by the piles staring back at me. It's been 6 weeks in our new place- you'd think we'd be all settled in & organized by now! 
• My sunburn from 3 weekends ago... Someone from work said, "Oh, you're sunburnt! When I saw you yesterday, I thought you were just really anxious & nervous." Ha... awesome...

 Pre-photo shelf "Jenna corner" 

I'm not sure if I like it better now or not. However, with the new photo shelves- I can interchange photos & mix things up, which I like!

No better place

 

 

 run

jump

discover

explore

picnic

football

talk

frisbee

walk

waves

dunes

friends

campfire

sun

seagulls

bare legs

sand

praise

sun burn

kite

surfers

fun

Oregon Coast

...

no better place

Moms & Banana Barf

{via}

When I think about the mothers I have in my life, I think of the tasty dessert our family affectionately calls "banana barf." Ok, it doesn't sound as appetizing as it truly is. It's amazing. And that is what the mother-figures in my life are: incredibly amazing. Here's the recipe- try it out! 

Love you Mom, Happy Mother's Day! 

(my sister put this site together of all of my Mamaw's and Mamaw Keith's (great grandma) favorite recipes. It's still in progress and needs photos of the food; but it's a fabulous place for tasty southern, delicious recipes).

___________________________________________________________________

Mamaw's Banana Dessert (aka Banana Barf)

{via}

1st Layer
1 c. flour
1 stick margarine
2 T sugar
1/2 c. walnuts

Mix well and press in bottom of 9×13 dish or pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Let cool.

2nd Layer
1 c. Cool Whip
1-8oz pkg cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar

Mix together and pour over 1st layer.

3rd Layer
Slice 3 large bananas and layer over 2nd layer.

4th Layer
1 large package vanilla instant pudding mix
3 c. milk

Pour over bananas and let stand in refrigerator until set.

5th Layer
Spread 2 c. Cool Whip on top and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

Or... you can try this recipe for Banana pudding dessert

 I am also blessed to have an amazing mom-in-law. I love you Vernita, and am inspired by your incredible kindness, support, love, compassion, and sweetness.

I simply couldn't ask for more amazing moms.

left: Wearing Grandma's wedding dress as a "going away dress". Special memories.

 Growing up, I thought all kids were this close to their grandmas- then I found out it just wasn't true. I'm thankful that these women are my friends, confidants, supporters, and so much more than grandma's. I love you guys and am so glad to be your granddaughter!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you Moms out there! 

Husbands really do care

Just in case anyone is wondering, husbands really do care if the dishes are done, the laundry is clean, yummy meals are made, and wives are home. "No duh!" right?  I've been a far less-than-perfect-wife the past week and I was reminded in the sweetest, gentlest way possible by my loving husband. 

 Don't get me wrong, he helps when he can and we discussed a few more ways to help each other with house work. But, sometimes I get pre-occupied with work, crafts, photography/editing, projects, pinterest, blogging, hanging out with friends, you name it... 

I was reminded this week that it is important to take care of our home, my husband & his needs. I adore him and can honestly say there is more joy and happiness when things are taken care of at home. Sometimes I just need a respectful little kick in the rear to get motivated.

I got my kick, do you need yours?

Balcony!

 With an unusually sunny week in Oregon- we got our little deck set up! After a quick trip to Ikea and just 10 minutes of getting everything unwrapped and set up, I'm pleased with the simple, cozy, little space we created. 

Still want to get:

• Tomato plant
• Maybe a little tree/larger plant of sorts (to place in the corner I'm photographing from in most pics for more privacy)
• Herbs? 
• Deck bulb lights

We've spent some time each day this week on the balcony and look forward to lots of summer use! It's the perfect spot to read a book, journal, enjoy afternoon sweet tea, people watch, surf the web, you name it! It has also been nice to step outside and enjoy dinner without the distraction of the tv being on or the computer open, etc. I cherish eating dinner most nights before heading off to work with my hubby and eating outside makes it 10x better! 

table & chairs- $70

cushions -$8 each (x2)

flat woven rug- $25

black & white striped back pillow- $5

extra plants & pot- ~$10

=$134

Considering that we still have lots of moving ahead in our future, I tried to purchase only items that could work both inside and outside. 

*The cushions/rug are brought in after use though they could stay out. I don't trust the rain/wind and don't mind the mini hassle of doing so*