Call me auntie...

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Great News to share... I'm going to be an AUNTIE! I simply cannot wait to meet my little nephew and furthermore can't wait to see my dear sister and brother-in-law become parents. Oh, how a babe will change their lives and oh, how they will be the perfect mom and dad for this little bundle of joy. I must admit that it has been difficult for me to keep quiet for so many months. So, thank you sis, for letting me publicly disclose my genuine excitement! Can't wait to meet you and spoil you with the countless onesies I may or may not have been stockpiling for future babies. Speaking of stockpiling onesies... I think I have a problem. Anyone else? Though, I'm kind of proud of myself for going 2 whole months with no baby purchases. Yeehaw...

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51 year old dress

I cannot believe that Christmas is just a few short days away. Where has December gone!?!? More on that later, but today I have something very special to share with you. During my recent weekend trip to visit my 2 grandmothers in Texas, we worked on this little project together. I feel so incredibly blessed to have such amazing grandmothers and to have a strong friendship with both of them.

Today would have marked 51 years of marriage between my Grandma Barb and Granddaddy Carl. I'm sure that my Granddaddy took a break from tinkering with old cars today in Heaven to look down and just smile at his beautiful wife. Their life was far from easy. Being an Air Force family, I'm sure that my Grandma felt like a single mom much of the time. But, they persevered and built a life for themselves and their kids... and us grandkids.

I scanned in this photo of my grandma (pregnant) & granddaddy but somehow cut off their heads. I still like it! Artsy!

My sister and I were both honored to wear my Grandmother's wedding dress as our 'going away dress' at our weddings. Grandma thoughtfully wanted to put each of these pictures side by side for display. I simply helped her accomplish it.

 

Started with the originals and made copies in Black and White and Sepia. 

 

Found the right frames.

Assembled the frames and my other grandma (Mamaw) helped write the dates below. A frame for each of us. So special. 

Left to Right: Jenna and Andrew (us!), Uncle Charles and Barb (Grandma and her brother), Uncle Charles and Jordan (My sister). 

Uncle Charles was unable to be at my wedding, but how special to have this memento of each of us sharing in wearing something meaningful on such a special day.

 Thank you Grandma for this precious gift. Love you so very much. 

 Meaningful, special art is my favorite. I'm slowly compiling more meaningful pieces in our home. How about you? Anything extra special displaying in your home? Anything bring back warm, sweet memories when you walk by and see it?

Oreo Chewy Bars

You must try these. No ifs ands or buts about it. They literally take 5 minutes to make and are oh so enjoyable to eat. AND, only 3 ingredients! I didn't say they were healthy by any means... but sure delicious! I made a pan before work this week and took it in for my co-workers to help make a dent into. I'm pleased to say that they were a hit! In fact, after night 2, I was only left with these measly pieces to photograph.

1 package Oreos

4-5 cups Marshmallows (I used the mini ones)

4 Tbsp Butter

You can even purchase gluten free oreos to make this a GF dessert. I've been a sucker for oreos lately. Might be one of my greatest weaknesses at the moment. 

Check out this site if you are a recipe follower. If not, just wing it with the following guidelines:

• Grind/chop/crush the oreos (I used my mini food processor) & set aside
• Melt butter in microwave and immediately stir in marshmallows to melt. You may need to microwave the marshmallow/butter mix further
• In a large bowl, mix the crushed oreos and butter/marshmallow mixture.
• Pour and press into a pan and allow to sit for 10 minutes.
• Cut up and devour

In other news... I enjoyed this sweet little fella' today- baby diarrhea and all. Look how good he's sitting up now!

Switch it up! Photo shelf style...

 Sweet picture shelves, I'm sure a fan! I change these bad boys up frequently. But, as for the last month or so, the shelves have been home to a few special Sellwood Antique store finds & gift from a friend:

• A sign-language graphic stamped artwork piece. I love it! 
• An old #2 sign --maybe an old gas station number?
• A sandalwood fan from Myanmar (from my dear friend Lynsey)!

If you like to switch it up or redecorate often, I highly recommend picture shelves! These are from Ikea. 

Though the photos above and below don't show the entire shelf, check here for photos of the "old" items on these shelves...

 PS- Check out Dominique's senior photo post from yesterday here!

It was magical timing

 There we were, headed to Multnomah Falls, driving through beautiful winding roads with the Columbia river just past our view. Green at every glance and wind blown branches beneath our tires. Little cottages and farms fit perfectly in every country cove. And then we saw it- a white sign that read, "Lavender Field ahead." My heart jumped; I gasped; Andrew looked at me with a smirk because we had just finished talking about how I still wanted to go to a lavender field before the summer was over. It was magical timing. 

The field was small, the farm was quaint. We were the only visiters. It was perfect. Every sense was engaged. The bees bzzzzzz'd, the scent of lavender filled my nares, the sun's heat warmed my bare skin, the sights were gorgeous, and I even enjoyed a cold lemonade upon returning to the car. This little stop on the side of the road may have lasted less than 10 minutes, but it was glorious and the perfect little summer surprise.

Sweet Summer Nights: Vista House & Multnomah Falls

Oh, summer bliss! Every free minute between working and sleeping (need more of that) has been spent soaking up every ounce of sun, summer, friends/fam, and the the gorgeous outdoors.

I am in love with Oregon summers and the countless beautiful places to explore and enjoy. We're taking advantage of every moment we can get before med school starts up again for Andrew. 

Portland is turning out to be the perfect place for us to live in this time of our marriage and young lives. What a blessing to be so near to beautiful scenery; praise God for this opportunity and memorable time together.

We spent a late afternoon last week at Vista House, light hiking at Multnomah Falls, and another surprise place (tomorrow's post) that I've always wanted to go to. We then enjoyed a nice "Portlandy" dinner at a new favorite: Tasty & Sons. Mmmh, so good! You MUST go- though I like the lunch/brunch menu better than the dinner menu.

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PS- Happy Birthday Mom! Love you so much!

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{taken via iPhone and edited with instagram}