Lifestyle

#StayHome Easter Ideas

0 · Apr 3, 2020 ·

Easter sure is going to look different this year. No big family gathering. No big church breakfasts. No sunrise services. No connecting with others. It seems so strange to think about celebrating alone.

Visions of frilly Easter dresses and egg hunts have vanished. The normal Easter baskets are going to be a little less stuffed. It’s like Easter, stripped down.

I suppose that means we could focus on the true meaning of Easter. The reason that we have hope. Because that’s something no one (not even quarantine or executive orders) can take away from us.

But on the subject of quarantine and wanting to keep a little “normalcy” in our lives, I’ve been brainstorming how to do some of our traditional activities, even if they do have to be tweaked a little.

Coloring Eggs

I don’t have any egg color kits laying around my house and won’t be making any trips to the store to grab one. The last couple of years we’ve played with natural dyes and have loved the results. We’ve used onion peels, beets, cabbage, tumeric and coffee grounds, which has been not only fun in coloring but also in learning what colors these common items can produce. Fresh produce might be in short supply (although coffee grounds and onion skins can definitely be found around our house), so we might even further our creativity.

Natural Dyed Easter Eggs | TownLine Journal

Decoupage eggs are also fun to make. Or just regular old craft paints. Look around your house and utilize what you have, watercolor paints, chalk paint, spray paint, gold foil – the idea is to have fun! My only word of caution, if you’re planning on eating your hard boiled eggs afterwards, make sure your art mediums are non-toxic 😉

Easter baskets

We’re not all running to the stores finding the perfect giftable options. And perhaps you don’t even have a basket laying around to still all the goodies into.

Last year, I used upside down umbrellas instead of baskets. Not only was is super cute, if gave the girls another gift. Some other ideas could be using kitchen bowls, new bike helmets or jewelry or trinket boxes you (or your kids) already own. Umbrella Easter basket ideas Spring Easter basket ideas for kids

I think crafting activities and outdoor toys are more essential than ever this year. Think paints, colored pencils, sidewalk chalk, coloring books, yo-yos, gardening supplies, bubbles or anything that encourages outdoor play and less screen time or boredom. Amazon has a ton of options and of course Target is still shipping for those of you still taking advantage of online shopping.

quarentine Easter ideas

(For those curious, in these baskets each of my daughters recieved one of the Classic My Little Pony 35th Anniversary Edition, Gretta recieved a rainbow keychain for her backpack, a jumprope and candy. Willa June recieved a small metal watering can, a miniture gardening set (from last year’s Target dollar spot) and more candy. The umbrellas were from Pottery Barn Kids. Shopable links are provided for reference only and are not affiliates.)

Worship

Because this is what the day is actually about, I encourage you to gather whoever lives in your house together and worship. Whether that means watching church online together, taking advantage of a drive-in church service so you can wave at your neighbors from car to car, or hosting your own private sunrise service in an empty garden or even your own back yard. You can certainly keep it simple, God knows our hearts. But I also think it’s a good time to still dress up and show Jesus the respect and honor he deserves. I don’t know about you, but things have been pretty casual around our house lately, getting fancy for a day might just set the perfect mood.

quarentine Easter ideas

I’d love to hear how you’re planning on celebrating! I’m always looking for more creative ideas as my wheels have just begun turning. If you’re looking for more Easter inspiration, here’s an Easter/Spring inspired tablescape from a couple years back and a look at our real Easter celebration in 2018. Enjoy!

14 Ways to Celebrate Valentines Day (and those we love)

0 · Feb 1, 2019 ·

We made it to February! January was a really great month, until all the snow storms and cold hit – shutting down what seemed like the entire Midwest. The latter part of the month dragged and while I know that winter isn’t over, there is some relief in knowing that we’ve survived the polar vortex of 2019 and hopefully there are warmer days ahead.

Days filled with love.

I work in the wedding and floral businesses. So Valentine’s Day, it’s pretty huge. I’m not doing any valentine’s florals this year (but maybe next? We’ll see how the year plays out). Regardless, I think we all should celebrate. However, that doesn’t mean I think we should all fall into the commercialized trap of Hallmark cards, overpriced chocolates and lacy little nighties – unless of course that’s what you want to do (there’s certainly nothing wrong with that!). What I am saying, is we should always take time out of our schedule to celebrate love. To savor it and to appreciate the love that we all have in our lives. That might mean a spouse or significant other, but also the little loves that bring our homes to life. We should honor each other’s love languages and create a day, or even month, reminding them just how loved and special they really are.

With that being said, I’m sharing 14 ideas to celebrate. Whether you’re actually celebrating the holiday or need to just take a day (or 2) to focus on the people who are important to you.

1. At home date night

Valentine’s Day is in the middle of the week. We all have work, kids, schedules, etc. and finding a baby sitting can be both difficult and expensive. When it comes to date night, my husband and I rarely leave the house. We spend the early evening with our girls, make them dinner and tuck them into be a couple minutes early (the advantage of having young children that can’t tell time yet) and then at 8:00pm our date night starts. We’ll make up a charcuterie board for dinner, have a glass or two of wine and sneak off to our bedroom to watch a movie, play a board game and just enjoy a meal and time together.

2. Love notes

Leave a love note for your spouse somewhere in the house. Have a note tucked in their bag/briefcase/coat pocket to find while their out in the world. Have it waiting next to their toothbrush when they get up in the morning. Wherever the placement, surprise them with a sweet note sharing how much you care and reminding them that even when their out in the world on their own, they will also come back to you.

Photography: K. R. Moreno | Calligraphy: Ciarra Claire Fine Art | Florals: Shelby of The Day’s Design

3. A note a day

This takes the idea above and stretches it out a little. In this idea, for the two weeks up to Valentine’s Day, you leave a one line note every day sharing something that you love about your spouse. By the time Valentine’s Day rolls around, they’ll know 14 (if you start today) little things that you love about them and start to feel really special. This is a really significant idea if your spouses’ love language is words of affirmation.

4. Mini gifts

Last year, my husband and I decided that instead of doing a large valentine’s gift or exchanging cards and chocolates, we were going to do 14 mini gifts – one a day for the first 14 days of February. They were small thoughtful gifts that didn’t cost much but were easy ways to say “I pay attention” and “I care.” Some examples, a package of my favorite pens, some clothes pins (along with the promise to hang a new clothesline for me once the weather turned nice), chap stick, new earbuds – we chose practical things that we recognized would make our spouses’ lives just a little better and again, it was an easy way to show how much we really do pay attention to each other’s needs. While it was fun giving and receiving something each day, it was almost more fun having something to look forward to each evening, knowing that we were carving a few extra minutes of out of our day for each other to do something just a little special.

5. Home cooked meal

Make your family’s favorite meal. It might sound like such a simple gesture, but something that’s cooked with love is going to show them love. It’s also a way to involve you children as well, giving everyone a taste of one of their favorite treats, making each person in your home feel loved.

6. Wine tasting date

We live in an area where wineries are very prevalent. However, taking the time to actually explore them is not something that we often take time out of our schedule to do. Going wine (or even beer tasting) is a relaxed and easy way to get out of the house and try something new, creating an experience together.

7. Let your spouse sleep in

Don’t we all wish for just a little more sleep? Valentine’s falls on a week day this year, so maybe on that particular day it might not be possible, but what about gifting the promise of a quiet Saturday morning, staying in bed until noon. It doesn’t get more inexpensive than that and it such a treat! You could even top it off with serving a little breakfast in bed.

8. Get dressed up

I’ve come to the point in my life where I’m constantly in my “mom uniform”. Jeans and/or leggings, big heavy winter sweaters and clothing that’s just practical for life. We rarely leave the house as just the two of us and as much as I do try to do my hair and makeup and keep myself “presentable”, it’s certainly not the extent of getting dolled up like when we were first together. So even if you’re not leaving the house, put a dress on, wear something nice and spend a little extra time to “wow” your spouse, reminding them of the of the girl they fell in love with.

8 1/2. Get More Dressed Up

We all know that lingerie and similar items are being highly promoted right now. Something new is always a fun way to grab your spouses attention. Or if you’re feeling a bit more daring, boudior photography is a gift that will knock his socks off. I’ve done it and it was a very well recieved gift. However, my piece of advice is find a photographer who’s work you love, you feel comfortable with and will make you feel like a godness. It can be so tasteful and beautifully done as a work of art. (You can read more about a boudior session I styled previously here.)

Photography: Kelly Sweet Photography

9. Wine and cheese party

While spending a quiet night alone is the usual go-to idea for Valentine’s Day, it doesn’t have to be that way. It’s a day about love and maybe there are more people in your life that you’d like to share that love with. So why not host a party? Invite some close friends over, have a little wine and cheese spread, ask everyone to bring their favorite rosé or bubbly and enjoy great conversation. This is also a great way to include those single friends in your life who may often feel a little “unloved” on this day of the year – we’ve all been there.

10. Make breakfast

We talked about Valentine’s Day being on a week day this year. Which means a normal day of work and school for most of us. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t start the day off right with a big breakfast treat. My husband usually sneaks out the door with a cup of coffee and a granola bar or banana, if he’s lucky. Wouldn’t it be a pleasant surprise to have breakfast ready and waiting when he got out of bed that morning?

11. Light a candle

It’s that simple. Candles smell good and instantly add a relaxing, romantic glow to any room. What you do next is up to you 😉

12. Make heart shaped pizza

I have come to realize how many of these ideas revolve around food but what’s that saying – the way to a man’s heart is through is stomach?? – or something like that. Making little heart shaped pizzas is festive for him and for the little ones in your life, plus, who doesn’t love pizza?

Or try heart cookies, homemade poptarts, muffins, cakes or any other food that you could turn into a heart (I even saw a post on how to cook heart shaped bacon!)

13. Do something around the house that your spouse finds a chore

Stay with me here – this is designed around the idea of preforming an act of service for your spouse. Maybe cleaning the bathroom or taking out the trash is at the top of their list of hated household chores – so clean it for them. Perhaps there’s some nagging happening about new wallpaper or lighting fixtures that need to be hung. Can you imagine if you walked into your house after a long day away and it was perfectly cleaned from top to bottom? I’d fall over with glee – what a great gift. Can you reverse that and clean his car/garage/man cave? Think of other little gestures that might be outside of your normal scope of duties but would make a big impact on their day.

Photography: K. R. Moreno | Calligraphy: Ciarra Claire Fine Art | Florals: Shelby of The Day’s Design

14. I still do

Those 3 little words are huge. It means time and time again, I would choose my husband, regardless of what the last 8 years of marriage have held. Kel and Mel have an entire moment, with products designed to celebrate those little words. Words that at times are so much stronger than saying “I love you” because we all know people who have walked about from other’s that they love, but these words bring us together over and over again. Their website if full of sweet and thoughtful gift ideas.

Regardless of how you choose to celebrate or even if you prefer not to acknowledge this holiday, I encourage you to remember love and keep it at the forefront of your mind in all that you do.

“Can I Help You?”

0 · Jan 25, 2019 ·

This post was originally drafted last week. But in the wake of things happening in New York, around the world and the general state of disgust that I feel for the attitudes of the world – I feel that it’s necessary to pull the moral of the story and the punch line to my little tale right here to the top. I want it not to be missed, even if you decide not to continue reading on.

We are responsible for teaching our children how to live. It’s our responsibility to share the messages of truth and show the difference between right and wrong. We must lead by example and it’s more important than ever to show them how to spread love and kindness, leading by example and creating community/town/world where we all want to live.

The Christmas tree was taken down last week.

I’d like to say that I waited so long to take it down because I like to prolong the spirit of Christmas. But that’s only a partial truth. The rest of the story is that I really dislike the task. Removing each ornament, carefully wrapped and packing them away, unwinding the lights and taking care that they don’t end up tangled for next year and then the slew of needles that follow behind all of the these things, staying in your house and socks until July. None of it is nearly as fun as putting the tree up on a cozy winter’s night.

But I decided it was time to stop putting off the inevitable. And as I slowly started pulling each bauble off of the tree, my girls jumped in and said “can we help?”

I always encourage them to be “helpers” but its been awhile since I’ve seen this eager spirit of giving come through. So the three of us tackled this task in record time, leaving the final part to dad – removing the sadly undecorated fir from our cozy home and into the cold winter air.

The day got me thinking about being a helper. When was the last time you helped someone without being asked? Family excluded (because I hope we’re helping our kids, our spouses, etc without giving it a second thought). However, I realized I can’t remember the last time I helped a complete stranger. I sincerely hope that I’m doing it subconsciously, small acts of kindness that are second nature and I just have failed to notice. But what if that isn’t the case? What if my girls don’t have the “helper attitude” because I’m not setting the right example? That would break my heart.

Your kids learn what you teach them. It’s our responsibility to teach them the right and wrong and they watch you. I can’t change the laws. My little voice isn’t going to stop people from hating, not cherishing life or thinking that they know more than our Creator. But in my house, I can be both seen and heard. So it’s more cruitial than ever to lead by example and show them how things should be done, even if that’s not necessarily the message that the world is telling them at the moment.

8 Years

0 · Jun 19, 2018 ·

I had my makeup professionally applied. I bought a new dress, squeezed into a girdle and curled my hair. I added just the right amount of perfume and slid into my strappy sandals. And then my husband looked at me and said, “You have grey hairs.”

As you can imagine, that was not the reaction I was going for. But I’ve learned that marriage isn’t always the picture perfect, happily ever after, scenarios that we’re envisioned for ourselves. There are good days and there are bad days. There are days of triumph and so much defeat.

Today we celebrate 8 years of marriage. While there’s much to say on the subject, I’m going to postpone my words and simply share this session that Josh and had taken together -just the two of us – last summer.

For us, date night normally take place at home. So that where these pictures were taken as well. While I don’t normally wear heels on our walks down to the lake and our chippy old boat isn’t usually adorned with flowers, it was still fun to style a session right here in our own little slice of the world.

Photography: Samantha James Photography | Floral Design: The Day’s Design | Makeup: Natural Beauty Salon

Want to know how we’ve made it 8 years so far? Read 3 Tips for a Successful Marriage and follow along our Marriage Study.

Tone It Up :: Week 1

0 · May 8, 2018 ·

We have been put on this earth to bless others, not to live for ourselves. And how can be live to our fullest potential if we’re not making our well-being a priority?

I was always a naturally thin person. I could do minimal workouts and eat healthy less than 50% of the time and still remain thinner than a vast majority of the population.

And then I had babies.

I gained over 50 pounds with each pregnancy and struggled (and am still struggling) to lose the weight. People say, “It’s okay, you’re a mom now.” “Look how amazing your body is, you had two girls. Just learn to love your new body.” “Don’t expect to be that thin again, you have other priorities now.”

I’m struggle with those statements. My girls are a huge priority and for that reason, my health should be also. If I’m not healthy and active and being the best version of myself, who’s going to take care of my family?

Even more so, how can we do what we’ve been put on this earth to do? How can I be a blessing to others and share the good news if I’m unwell, stuck in bed or even in a dark pit of depression where someone with a poor body image might find herself??

In fall of 2016, after seeing a horribly unflattering picture of myself when I was all dressed up and thought I was treating myself “good”, I said enough. I purchased the Tone It Up nutrition plan and completed their first challenge. I learned about healthy eating – for real – not just foods that I thought were okay because they’re low fat. I lost 10 pounds during those first few months and was close to my goal and felt so much better. My mind was clear and my spirits were lifted. I had shed the food fog that was often in my brain. As time has passed, I still somewhat adhere to their guidelines, having good days and bad, and I’m sad to say that as of late, I’ve had more bad that good days. I am in desperate need to get back to the routine and have recommitted to following a healthy pattern, schedule and working out again. The Bikini Series started yesterday which I’m so excited about, there’s something extra motivating about the challenge and knowing there’s a whole network of people out there fighting the battle with me. But this isn’t just about vanity – there’s a bigger mission on hand. I need to overcome temptation, that’s straight from the devil, not just in the form of a big chocolate brownie. It’s a temptation to sink back into unhealthy habits, both physically and mentally, and not fulfilling my life and what I was put on this earth to do. Food is made to fuel the body so I can do God’s work, and second is good taste (an eye opening reminder from a friend). Of course treats are permitted but I need to keep my eye on the goal and my priorities in order.

Above are the strawberry shortcake muffins from their new plan. They’re so good and I can’t wait until Michigan berries are in season, which will make them even better! I am so excited for the next 8 weeks (and beyond!)

Welcome to TownLine Journal

3 · Mar 27, 2018 ·

When I was in high school, I dreamt of becoming a writer. I scratched down poems, rewrote song lyrics, and started stories, imagined plot lines and scripts for screenplays and novels – all with no audience in mind. I wrote in a journal almost daily, exploring the best way to convey thoughts and emotions and the pen became a form of comfort and therapy for me.

However, I never let anyone read any of my work. It was too personal. Too close to my heart. And in hindsight, I suppose I was afraid that someone else might critique it, say it was bad and crush my little dream. Even in my creative writing and English courses, I never let anyone besides my teachers read my writings. I hated having to do peer reviews, or when one of my pieces were selected to read aloud, it was like one of my biggest nightmares was coming true. My thoughts were being exposed to the world.

I started The Day’s Dream Journal five years ago. It’s become my space to share wedding planning ideas, advice topics and sometimes little snippets of what’s on my heart. It’s been an extension of my wedding portfolio and a part of my business that I have very much enjoyed. But I’ve felt as though I had artistic limitations – mostly self-imposed limitations – but limitations just the same. My creative realm and interest extend far beyond just my wedding and floral work and often I want to share more. The Day’s Dream was born of wedding hopes and the dream of what I hoped The Day’s Design might become, but it’s not a space were I felt I could fully express all of our country adventures, share my thoughts on marriage or decorate beyond a wedding venue. I desire to be more than just pretty pictures and empty imagery.

The fear of criticism has been all too real for this space as well. Oddly enough, my very first comment on my blog was a very negative one, completely ripping apart the post. It was spam, auto generated by a mean computer program, but at the time I was crushed and didn’t realize it’s faults, as I was excited to read my first piece of “fan mail”. Today, I’m not longer seeking fans, but rather seeking to be source of inspiration, praise, cheer and support to others.

With that, I am announcing the end of The Day’s Dream and introduce you to TownLine Journal.

This will be a space filled with purpose. There’s a mission that’s been laid on my heart and I introduce this new site with the following aim in mind-
• To be the voice of calm in the chaos
• To encourage others (in marriage, motherhood, business and life)
• To show hospitality to others
• Provide a guide to purposeful wedding planning
• Extend love beyond the wedding day
• Find beauty in the everyday trials of life

Photography: Hetler Photography

I have a friend who has shared with me that her love language is quality time. She repeatedly faces the obstacle of her husband working long hours as seasons of life are spent apart from one another. She believes God gave her this challenge in life to be an encouragement to others. I whole heartedly believe this, as she’s already provided reassurance to me. I have experienced blessing from her struggle and the wisdom it’s provided. She’s become an inspiration to me, and I feel that we all can learn from one other, gather together in fellowship and create strong families and relationships.

Welcome to the TownLine Journal.

PS – a new domain and a few other updates are coming soon!