Frosted Flurries Apron Swap

Registration is now open for Frosted Flurries a Flirty Apron Swap. I can't wait to get started. A little challenge has been added to the tuck-ins for this swap. Each tuck-in should represent one letter to spell out a holiday word. How fun!! Registration is open until 11/8 so there is still plenty of time to join.

In other news...

A few links from today's local news. We went to a strucure fire last night and had a vehicle accident yesterday afternoon, both of which made the news.
Structure Fire with photos
Vehicle rollover

Little Lady Bug!

I finished Regan's costume this morning at about 9:30, just in time for a trick or treating event on Main Street at 11:00. Her costume was pretty last minute because I could not decide on just the right costume for her. I think she makes an adorable lady bug... with butterfly wings.
It must be instictual because Regan picked up on the whole trick or treating thing right away. She would hold up her little bucket and wait for her treat. When given the option to choose a piece of candy should would choose just one and put it straight into her bucket. I was so impressed with how well she did. We got so many compliments on how adorable she is and how cute her costume was. We had such a good time.

Working at the day job (and night job too).

I haven't had any exciting updates for the blog the past few days because I have been busy at the job that brings home the bacon. One third of my life is spent being a firefighter and paramedic for a local government fire department. Second best job in the world, topped only be my primary job of being a mommy.
These days are tiring and complicated because I have a paramedic intern. You would think having an intern would make life cushy and easy since I'm in more of a sit-back-and-watch position but it's stressful making sure that my intern learns all the skills that she needs and doesn't kill anyone. Ha! So far, so good.
Tomorrow starts the Halloween weekend and I am excited. Regan, my toddler, is going to be a ladybug for Halloween. There isn't much happening locally but we will find something fun and exciting to do together. Todd, my husband and her oh-so-wonderful daddy, will be working so it will just be the two of us all weekend. Todd is also a firefighter and paramedic. He works for the same department as I do. We have been married for 13 years as of last August!! Just to clear the air, we were married long before we started working together. We actually were married for about 5 years before we decided to go through and EMT class together and it completely changed our career paths. We loved it and went on to go through the fire academy together and then paramedic school. Surprisingly we made it through all of that together without killing each other. That's a feat! We both love our career choice and can't imagine doing anything else. I guess you could call us both adrenaline junkies who love the adventure of the unknown. Everyday is completely different at work and we have learned to expect the unexpected.
Our department website.

Country Cottage Christmas!

I have so many Christmas crafting ideas swirling around in my head. I know it's still October but time is a rare commodity these days.
Each year we tend to pick a theme for Christmas. A few years ago we did a very tropical theme complete with flamingos with Santa hats. It was festive and had a certain charm that made us smile every day. Most years we just pick a color theme and decorate the tree and house using those colors. Previous years have included a patriotic red, white, and blue, an earthy theme of red, orange, brown, and gold. I remember we one year we even decorated our tree all in purple of varying shades.
The theme for this year... country cottage. Simple, cozy, and homemade. My first "Country Cottage Christmas" project will be stockings. I'm on a mission to find thrift store sweaters to recycle into gorgeous new stocking for all three of us. I have been scouring the internet for ideas and have found some amazing ideas. I plan to line each and embellish them with fun trim. I can't wait to get started!! Now I just need to find the right knit sweaters for each of us. Keeping my fingers crossed for a successful shopping trip.
I also plan to hit a thrift store next time I am in the area that is touted to have tons of fabric, fabric scraps, trim, and patterns. Even vintage patterns!!! I'll also have my eye out for some vintage pillowcases that I can recycle into pillowcase dresses for Regan. I'm hoping to find some that were lovingly embroidered by hand.

Welcome!

This is my first ever post in my brand new blog! I have been wanting to start blogging for a long time now but hesitated because "who really wants to read what I have to say?" I have gotten so much entertainment, insight, inspiration, and enjoyment out of reading a variety of blogs lately. I figured that many of those women had the same feelings that I felt when they first started so I decided to give this blogging this a whirl.
So... Love, Grace, and Gratitude. It took me days and days to come up with a name for this blog. I wanted a name that described what I hope to portray in my writing. I recently read a quote by Denis Waitley that struck a spark in my heart. "Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed. Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude." How humbling is that? I was inspired. You'll hear more from me about each of those things, hopefully very soon.
For now I have marked my spot, made my dent, left behind a fingerprint in this virtual blogging world. I have big plans for this place! More on that very soon too...