oh my, yes!

17 Weeks or The Bump Gets Legit

2012-01-22T20:02:00.003-06:00

Here it is, friends. My momma lives on the other side of the state (along with a lot of other family), and I want to document my first (ever!) pregnancy, so here we go...weekly photos. I am thinking about writing a note to the little guy or gal each week too, but I doubt that I will post them on here. It's kinda between us and Baby Tank.

As far as symptoms, I have really been feeling great. My appetite is funny in that it seems huge, but I really only want smaller amounts of food all day. I just make sure to pack good snacks for work, and I am good to go.

The belly really made itself known this past week. So many people have mentioned it, that I finally feel like I may look pregnant. I want to enjoy this "cute" stage, because eventually I know I will feel...less....cute.

We find out the gender in just a few weeks. Tyler and I very much have our suspicions and have probably felt a little too confident that we have it figured out so we will see. But, really it's true what everyone says, it doesn't matter what gender this baby is we just want our baby to be healthy. Plus, I don't like the traditional blue everything for boys and pink everything for girls.

We took our first trip to Babies R Us this past week. That store is no where near as overwhelming as I thought it might be. We just went in, picked out a few big things we liked, laughed a little at the craziness of the baby industry and went home excited at having figured some stuff out. Thankfully, we have had people tell us that you don't need everything and that the store WILL still be there after the baby is born.

Next on our agenda: figure out the diapering situation, have lots of dates, and sleep the heck in (wooo! 7:45).

And...Baby!

2012-01-07T10:59:00.003-06:00

Big news. We announced it to everyone before Christmas, after keeping it a secret between us and a few family members and close friends for a long time.

Thanks again to everyone for the sweet words of encouragement and congratulations, it made us smile a lot. We were so anxious to share our news with everyone.

To say that Tyler and I were surprised when we found out we were having a baby would be an understatement. Interestingly enough, we had recently had conversations about starting a family sometime in the next two or three years. We were both starting to feel really anxious and excited about having babies, but thought that even though it might be a little bit hard to wait, that it was the best thing for now.

Once we saw the test results, we were elated. We have both said that having a baby right now is exactly what we didn't know we wanted. Tyler and I always thought that the road to becoming parents (if even possible for us) would be a long and intentional one. We love our little-huge surprise!

I read a lot of blogs and I am in my mid-twenties, work at a school, and with kiddos, so that means that I hear about babies and pregnancies A LOT. I always thought about what it might be like to be pregnant (maybe too much?) and to be actually experiencing it right now is both bizarre and surreal. At times, this whole thing is seeming to creep along so very slowly but in my mind I am always reminding myself to treasure this time. At most, I will only be 14 weeks pregnant a small handful of times. In a few months, when my belly starts getting outta control, I might start missing my little is-it-a-gut-from-Christmas-or-a-baby? thing I've got going on right now.

Also, I slept until 8:00 this morning, and I hear that once the baby comes I can pretty much forget that.

I really want to start documenting this pregnancy much more than I have been. Now that I am in the second trimester (hurrah!) I am feeling much more like my old self, which means getting back to things I love like cooking, crocheting, and writing. And eating.

A little disclaimer or two: Some people find reading these kinds of posts really annoying,boring, pointless, cliche, whatever and that is fine. For some that are ready to be in this stage but for whatever reason aren't, reading blogs about pregnancy and babies is downright painful. I just want to warn everyone that I think about baby stuff a lot and that is what I am likely going to write about. I won't be offended if anyone doesn't want to read my blathering posts (like this one). And every facebook status from now until forever won't be just about preggo/baby/kid complaining and/or gushing. I promise.

And for the record, there will be NO bare belly shots of me. Ever. Ever. Ever. That's just not the way I roll. (But props to whoever does find that meaningful or whatever. I don't care what other people do.)

So...Much...Food

2011-09-19T06:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend was a fun one since it was my birthday weekend! I was totally spoiled by my husband and friends. I felt very special each time someone took the time to wish me a happy birthday in person or on facebook!

The great thing about this weekend was that I declared it a "Calories Do Not Count" weekend. The bad thing was that I forgot that it gets BAD when I have nothing stopping me from eating a bajillion Fruity Pebbles Treats. Or the four delicious cupcakes that a friend gave me. Or a huge veggie burger and fries. Or...CiCi's Pizza (what?!). I am too embarrassed to even speak of the rest. Or of the way that CiCi's makes their bacon pizza look like cheese pizza. NOT a fun surprise.

To try to alleviate my fats-and-sweets-hangover, I decided that this breakfast was in order:

Yummy eggs with avocados and tomatoes and a small glass of orange pineapple juice. Now, that's more like it. I love me some junk foods, but there is a reason for moderation. And that reason is feeling sleepy and blah and like your teeth are coated in sugar.

I spent some time this weekend planning out my posts for this week. Some fun things to look forward to (if my blog is something to look forward to...yeah...don't answer that question):

-A post about Community Living

-A little tip for fruits

-A typical day in my life

-A recipe for using up all those veggies in the fridge

Now, let's all go have a great Monday, shall we?

A Fresh Start

2011-09-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Ok, here's the deal.

I love reading blogs. I love writing. I want to remember my life right now. I think everyday is a gift. I want to share my ideas and inspiration.

So here I am. This is by no means a "professional", "crafty","fashion","organizational", "what-have-you" blog. This is not a way to springboard into a business or have a bajillion followers or make people feel like my life is super-dreamy and whimsical.

My blog is just a way for me to write and to have fun documenting this amazing life stage that I have found myself in. Who knows what this totes cray-cray [totally crazy] blog will be in a year or two? I don't know and right now and I don't really care.

All I can say is this: I hope you like pictures of my dog!

Breaking The Silence!

2011-09-16T17:11:00.002-05:00

I just needed to say three things:

1) Tiny 7.5oz Diet Cokes might be a great stepping stone to not drinking soda.

2) They also may just be a whole new addiction?

3) Expect Jess to be back to blogging! Woohoo!

And I will probably be even more goofy, 'cause that's how I write.

Thoughts on Babies...And Why We Don't Have One Right Now

2011-06-07T09:51:00.003-05:00

Disclaimer: This post is not meant to offend or sound harsh! It's just me jabbering.

In a few weeks, Tyler and I will celebrate our third wedding anniversary.

Sometimes, I can't believe it has been three years.

Sometimes, I almost forget what it feels like not to be married to him.

Early in our marriage, people refrained from asking the great "baby question". I suppose they figured that we were just going to wait.

But in the past couple of months, I have heard little things here and there (mostly through inferencing or through the grape vine) that are along the lines of, "When are you guys going to start having kids?"

I even heard that someone was wondering if we were having problems trying to have a baby.

Rant time: Since when does being married and in your mid twenties mean that it is automatically time to have children? I read a lot of blogs, many of them for a year or more, and I have been amazed at the number of young married couples having babies. You should see how my google reader has changed from being full of artsy, crafty blogs to baby blogs! I mean, it isn't a big deal, everyone should decide for themselves the right time to have children.

Is there anything wrong with having kids young? No, if that is what is right for you. I think my problem comes when I feel like there is an expectation to have children when you are young and married. Or maybe the expectation isn't so much in the young part, but in the length of marriage. What if Tyler and I want to be married for fifteen years before we start having children? I am willing to admit that maybe the expectation is totally just made up by me and not legitimate in any way. That is always a possibility.

I guess this post is just a therapeutic way for me to have a press conference of sorts releasing the news that:

-Tyler and I are extremely happy with our family of two plus a pup.

-We aren't finished having the freedom to both leave our house after 8:00 pm at a moment's notice.

-We are still having an amazing time getting to know one another, and we want to keep enjoying that.

-We are 24 years old. Hardly time to get panicky about being "old" when our kids go off to college.

-We will have kiddos someday.

-It's going to be a while, as in years. I don't want to wish away time or life stages.

-We will be pretty private about the process when we do. I don't really think anyone needs to know the dirty deets of the "trying".

-If I look a little suspicious in the midsection, it is likely veggie burger-related.

-You can't plan everything. This post may be a total jinx.

So, if you were wondering, now you know.

The Ten This Week

2011-05-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

1. Put a basket/box of some kind near our front door to serve as our "inbox". Bonus points for finding a way to incorporate a "to shred" box!

2. Finally, finally, FINALLY go to the River Market (City Market? I can't remember which one is the correct name). Caleb and I have plans to go this Saturday morning.

3. 10 minutes organizing the junk drawer. Possible future "bill paying station" location.

4. Do my somewhat bizarre laundry routine at least every work day this week. My system really isn't that strange, I just put clothes in before I go to bed, put the machine on delay start so it starts around 5:00 am. Then at 6:00 am I get up and change the load over and go back to bed until 6:50, then get up and fold the clothes. It works for us, because doing one load a day is really all we need to do (consistently) to have the piles under control.

5. Write someone an encouraging facebook message.

6. Delete at least 100 read-but-still-floating-around-in-there emails. My inbox is a bit crazy.

7. Buy the Mother's Day gift we picked out.

8. Make a cake for Community Group Tuesday night.

9. Have some new friends over Friday night.

10. Keep up with Wally B's meds. The poor guy has seasonal allergies and had a pretty awful ear infection. He is on quite the regimen, but I am so happy he is feeling better!

There you have it. Nothing fancy, nothing over-the-top. Will I get them all done? I'm not sure, but at least I won't spend ALL of my free time watching Cake Boss on Netflix (though I will spend some of it that way).

Do you have ten for this week? Feel free to grab that graphic and blog about yours. Let me know if you do!

Excited To Announce...

2011-05-02T22:47:00.002-05:00

A new blog feature! I wanted to think of something to help me stay on track and have a little fun. I always have been extremely task oriented, so each week I will be sharing "The Ten". These are ten things that I am going to get done each week.

Often, they will be silly cleaning tasks. Otherwise, the door frames in our house would never be clean.

Other times, it will be tackling part of a large task in manageable chunks. Hello closet in the guest room!

I will also always try to include something fun. Try a new recipe, go to the library, watch a movie I have been wanting to see.

All in the name of fun and productivity (things that if you are Jess Tankersley seem to be inseperable...WHY?!)

Stay tuned for my list for this week!

How do you handle your to do lists?

Five Minutes

2011-03-30T17:51:00.003-05:00

I was being ultra-productive Saturday morning (don't worry, it didn't last long) and I realized that the fact that I actually had nearly all of the laundry done meant that this happened:

Yeah, that's not going to work. I have to point out that our system for this drawer apparently involved needing the turkey oven bags more than anything else (notice their prominent place in the drawer.) I set the timer for five minutes. Whatever didn't get done in that time was getting shoved back in the drawer because, hey, I don't have all day to clean out my towel drawer. The key was to not think too much about what I was getting rid of and just let it go.

Check out this stack. Goodbye microfiber towels that are way too scratchy to use!

Isn't this better? Note the turkey bags' demotion to the back of the drawer.

So, there you have it. Boring info to share? Sure. But, stuff like this really inspires me to just get it done. What can you tackle in five minutes?

Currently Reading

2011-03-27T20:18:00.004-05:00

I have a REALLY bad habit of starting 1.5 million books at the same time and finishing exactly zero of them. I only recently started really enjoying reading again after about five years of sleep deprivation and not being able to read more than five pages without falling asleep.

I have an enormous stack beside my bed that I am hoping to get through, but the two I am working on right now are :

So far, I am really enjoying this one. It covers a huge area of topics from to-do list tips, learning to say no, and meal planning (among many others). It is a quick read that I picked up from the library, which has a great selection of books like this.

This book has been SO great. It covers lots of different behaviors and some really great strategies for handling those behaviors. It has been great to already start putting some of these to use in the classroom. I would recommend this book for teachers and parents!

Currently I am on a HUGE non-fiction-self-helpish-type books kick. I guess it is alright, but I really want to include other types of books in my rotations. My plan is to start doing a rotation of books:

-A non-fiction book on time management, finances, organization, etc.

-A professional book (i.e. a book on early childhood education or special education)

-A religious book (I have a ton that I want to read!)

-A fiction book

I feel like this will keep me balanced and help me avoid any reading ruts. Not that I think I should HAVE to stick to this list or anything, that would be totally silly.

What types of books do you like to read? Any recommendations for the fiction book?

Stuff And Money

2011-03-25T05:38:00.003-05:00

I used to frequent craft blogs. I would spend so much time reading them and then zero time actually making stuff. I realized that it was mostly because I was in college at the time, living in a one room apartment and crafts take time and money to make. Plus, college was all about the deadlines which meant that there was always something more important to do.

Now that I live in a house and I am not in school, you would think that this would mean that I would get crazy-crafty and make all kinds of kitschy stuff for my house and friends.

But I don't.

Because I don't like stuff.

Well, I have a lot of things. I like a lot of things. There is always something that I think I would like to have or something that I want to save my pennies and quarters for. But the thing I like more than stuff is...clean. Or simple at least. This has been said a million times before on a million different blogs, but the more stuff you have, the more time you have to spend toward your stuff.

Working to buy it, working to maintain it, working on keeping it clean, working to add stuff to it. That just isn't my style, friends.

I used to feel bad about spending money on eating out or going to the movies which only lasted for a few hours at most and then was gone forever. Shouldn't I be using my money for stuff so that I can keep using it and looking at it? Well,no. Because I really like going to an occasional restaurant and movie with Tyler. It is meaningful to me (also, I love food.)

I will say that I think the best use of money is to use it to help others. There is ALWAYS more that I can be doing in that area. I don't think that all of my money should be used for gluttonous purposes, after all. I think we can all benefit from opening our hearts and wallets more.

What do you think about this issue? Do you lean toward spending money on stuff that will last rather than fleeting things? Do you have a system for spending, saving, and giving?

When Pretty Good is Pretty Good

2011-03-24T07:46:00.004-05:00

I am a recovering disorganized, do-it-later, mess. Whenever I would try to make a change, I would spend a whole day organizing and cleaning one room to utter perfection and then make a promise to myself that I would never, ever let it get that bad again.

But you know what? (I bet you do.) It always got bad again. I was placing expectations on myself to change instantly when that is just not the way that much of anyone works. So, as I started embarking on change at the beginning of the year, I started reading many things that talked about taking organization and habit-change slowly. Baby steps, people.

Because I have been taking this approach, putting effort towards my goal, and giving myself a little grace I have seen real change. Things that used to bother me and overwhelm me now just bother me and spur me on to get it done then.

I have also been sure to know when things are good enough. Sure, I could organize my shoes perfectly with each shoe nestled in with its partner, organized by type and color...but I wouldn't keep that up. I can keep up a system where I throw by shoes in the same general place immediately after taking them off. The only reason that this system works is because I don't have many pairs of shoes and don't ever intend to (but that is another post for another day).

Maybe someday I will get it all looking perfectly neat like I used to think it should be. But in the meantime, keeping clothes hung up and organized in the drawers and closet is enough of a job in itself from a former take-it-out-of-the-clean-laundry-pile-and-throw-it-in-the-dryer-for-fifteen-minutes Queen.

So, my challenge for you today is to find three or four places where you realize that pretty good is pretty good. It may not be ready for a magazine, it may not look like your super-organized-from-birth friend's house, but it can be good enough for you right now.

A Little Order in the House

2011-03-05T09:18:00.004-06:00

In keeping with my most recent theme of writing about "home" stuff, I thought I would share with you a bad-turned-good incident here in my world. Let me warn you that this is almost beyond trivial...

I had started recently following the website flylady.net , and had made one of the things that she suggests, a "Control Journal". Basically, it is just a binder filled with your daily cleaning/organizing/whathaveyou tasks for the day and then a special mission that changes every single day. I carefully planned out each day's morning, after work, and bed time routine and put everything in sheet protectors so I could write each day's mission on the appropriate day and not waste paper. I used it pretty consistently for about a week and I was pretty proud of myself.

Then the binder disappeared. I have searched (what I feel like has been) everywhere and there is no trace of it. I interrogated (asked) the guys if they had seen it, and they hadn't. It was upsetting how much losing something like this was upsetting me, so I was basically getting angry that I was getting angry. Make sense?

I resolved last night that the silly thing vanished, never to return again. This morning, I decided to just check and see if there were any apps for my phone that I could recreate the lists with so there would be no more missing binders.

It seems like I found something even better. This morning I downloaded (installed? added?) a free app called "MoMo Lite". It stands for "Motivated Moms", and although I am not a mom, I can appreciate the way that it works. It seems to be pretty much based on Flylady philosphy, so it has a daily routine and then special tasks added into each day. It even has a daily Bible reading that you can choose to turn on and add to your daily routine.

I have only looked at it a bit, but it seems like I have a winner here. And best of all, unless I lose my phone, I know exactly where to find it.

Now, if only we could find Tyler's missing textbook that disappeared at the same time as my binder....

A Little Vegetarian Fare

2011-02-25T18:01:00.003-06:00

I got two really lovely vegetarian cookbooks for Christmas, but had yet to try out any recipes in them. I tried my hand this past week at meal planning (and loved it) and decided that I should use that as an opportunity to put these little beauties to good use.

These are called "Middle Eastern Pita Pizzas" and made my recently-addicted-to-greek-inspired-food self very happy. Since the folks living with me were all away this evening, I cut the recipe in half and just made one for tonight and one for lunch tomorrow.

For my half (slightly modified) recipe you'll need:

2 Pita Breads (these are a lot larger than what the recipe called for, but they have flax seed in them!)

Some hummus (we love, love, love Sabra hummus)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (I used closer to 1 cup, but it ended up being a bit much)

Some onions, diced

1 cup shredded fresh spinach

1 roma tomato, chopped

I am going to show you some of my cool products from The Pampered Chef that I used for this too.

Heat the oven to 400 degrees.

Place the hummus on your baking sheet. I am using my large stoneware bar pan. It is getting pretty ugly looking, which means that it is now naturally nonstick. Spread the hummus on the pita. I am using my large spreader, because I like to make excuses to use it.

Dice your veggies and crumble your cheese. You can buy already crumbled feta if you want, but I got a couple more oz for the same price by buying it this way.

Sprinkle on the cheese and put in the oven for 8-10 minutes until the cheese is a little melty (very technical and professional, right?)

After you take it out, just sprinkle on the rest of your veggies and it is ready to go! Mine turned out a little crispy on the edges, which I liked. If you use the 6 inch pitas like this recipe calls for they are only 330 calories a piece. I like that they contain lots of whole food and only two processed ingredients (the pita and hummus). I try to eat at least five different fruits and veggies a day, so between this and the banana that I ate while the pizzas were cooking, I only have one more to go...

These were really easy to put together and I am sure once Tyler and Caleb try them out they will be added into the regular rotation of meals. Let me know what you think!

Happy Valentines Day

2011-02-14T05:00:00.003-06:00

last spring, hanging out in the yard

You're pretty cool, Tyler.

But, I might have to have this little dude as my Valentine this year. It is his first, after all.

(kidding, of course.)

Happy Hearts Day, everyone. Whether you like the day or not (I am pretty indifferent to it, for the most part), it is still nice to celebrate having ones to love in your life. Even if they have fur and like to shred boxes of Kleenex. Or if they happen to be awesome husbands. Or both.

Enough with the weird jokes, Jess.

Sorry.

2011-02-12T21:58:00.002-06:00

I know that I have changed this blog up a MILLION times over the past, well, forever.

So, this is it. This is the new blog design. I am not messing with anything on it until August, and even then I am just going to think about it.

Sound good?

Veggin' Out

2011-02-12T08:38:00.006-06:00

When I started this blog, I imagined it to be like all the other crafty little blogs out there. I had a really slow start to consistently posting because I never really DID anything crafty.

I decided a few months ago that I am just going to try to make this blog about things that I am already doing in my everyday life. Maybe not so much a day-to-day chronicle, but more writings about things I am thinking and learning about.

Fun fact about me: I love to eat. Another fun fact: I am a happy vegetarian.

I am happy because I eat lots of good food, and I want to share those recipes with you! So, look for more of that 'round these parts.

Off to go eat breakfast with Tyler, Caleb, and Patrick (my father-in-law) at a great local breakfast place and then babysit a couple of awesome kiddos. Later tonight, we are celebrating the birthday/going away of a great new friend of mine.

Looks to be another great day.

Cleanspiration

2011-02-11T11:56:00.008-06:00

Lately, I have been really working on my goal to make our house into more of a home. For me, this does not mean buying more stuff to put on shelves, walls, or in closets. It means making our house one place where we can really live our lives.

I have been looking to several websites for inspiration, tips, ideas, and whatnot. I used to think that I had to do EVERYTHING if I was going to do ANYTHING at all. Hello, perfectionism! This idea caused so many stressed out days and nights feeling like I was somehow inadequate and that I needed to somehow magically become like all of those other people that can get it all done in a day. You know, those people that always have the fresh vacuum lines on their carpet, a perfectly organized fridge, and clean the bottoms of their trashcans weekly.

Oh wait a minute, those people do not exist. Well, they may exist, but I doubt that they are the "norm".

So, during the many, many snow days that we have had here in Missouri, I decided that I was just going to research ideas and then figure out what works for us. Period. I wasn't going to stress about having an absolutely perfectly clean house. I decided that I just wanted our house to be visitor ready, for the most part, all of the time.

And you know what...our house has been staying cleaner than my perfectionism ever allowed. So, I just wanted to give you some of the tips that are making my life work, along with sharing some of the websites that have been really inspiring to me!

Empty your dishwasher every morning. Load it before you go to bed. If the dishwasher is empty all day, then all you have to do is rinse the dishes and throw them in dishwasher, the do the dinner dishes after dinner and you are done. Whatever doesn't fit I wash and dry by hand, no big deal. Emptying the dishwasher is my only morning chore. It always makes me feel good to walk into a clean kitchen!

Clean your main bathroom twice a week. It takes just a few seconds, really. And it is a lot easier to keep it clean this way.

Organize things where you like to leave them. I used to be the queen of complex organization. But you know what...I don't like to keep my makeup in a bag, I would rather just throw it in a bowl in a cabinet. So that is where it is. We like to just throw all of our remotes on the table, so might as well put them in a pretty basket. Sometimes, functional things do need to be out in the open.

Get rid of things. Yeah, you probably knew I was going to say this.

Set the timer, I promise the job won't take as long as you think. I have heard this numerous times around the internet, but it is totally true. After I do the dishes as night I set the timer on the microwave for 20 minutes and just straighten up nonstop. I can usually get quite a bit done, and since I just did it the night before, there isn't always much to do.

When the timer stops, call it quits for the night. You should be allowed to relax in bed with a book and still go to bed at a decent hour. No sense in working, working, working all night long.

Vacuum twice a week, quickly. For me, this is a perfect amount to vacuum. Any more than this would be silly. Any less would be bad because we have a dog that sheds and is addicted to shredding paper when we are not looking. I don't get in all the nooks and crannies, just the main areas.

Assign jobs, gracefully. Communicate about what you hate/don't mind. Tyler hates sweeping. Caleb hates cleaning bathrooms. I hate taking out the trash. So, we all help each other out.

Routine, routine, routine. Maybe habits should be in there too. It has been really hard for me to make the effort to change habits, but routine is really helpful. I used to just leave things everywhere, but now, with some effort I habitually put things away (mostly). Yay for no more blow-dryer-falling-in-the-toilet hazards!

Make a REASONABLE list. No one can get it all done. Make a list of things you can accomplish, know you can accomplish them, and then DO IT. It will feel great! I used to make these long impossibly hard lists and would feel depressed about not getting them done. That is not helpful for change at all! Successfully completing a to do list: awesome.

Tomorrow is another day. You can always try again.

Anyway, these are by no means just my original thoughts. Here are some websites I have used to help me:

Flylady.com

Small Notebook

Young House Love (check out the topics tab and then read through some of the organization posts)

Let me know if you have any more tips for me. I don't know what it says about me that I find this interesting and enjoyable, but I do! My college roomies would be so proud!

On Top Of It

2011-01-26T20:08:00.005-06:00

Inspired by this post (written by a great blogger that I have recently started reading and enjoying), I decided to do a little work tonight and actually WRITE OUT my plans for blog posts in February. Look at me, being all pro-active and whatnot. I am really excited about some of the posts. I have a crazy array (it took my like six tries to remember how to spell that) of interests, so I have lots that I can jabber/write about.

Things like:

Early Childhood Education

Food (My gosh...FOOD)

Not havin' lots of stuff

Being thankful

Cleaning (let's see if I can come close to making that NOT boring.)

and more...! (purposely cheesy, btw.)

Anyway, organizing things and planning them is great, but not anywhere near as awesome as actually DOING them. So, hold me to this little hand-drawn blogging calendar, ok?

Thinking.

2011-01-16T19:29:00.004-06:00

Warning: This could turn into rambling. Just so you know.

I listed my goals a couple posts ago, and although I haven't blogged much since then, I have really been working on those goals. I have been eating healthy, cleaning, rearranging, and organizing our home, reading more, and working on making daily routines to help me deal with the little things in life (hello, laundry).

I have made some really positive changes that I should be so proud of...but the truth is, I haven't been feeling so proud of myself. I am a notorious perfectionist and over-thinker. But I am also pretty lazy and compulsive, which can be a terrible combination. Even with the positive things that I have been doing, I still am beating myself up over things like needing to mop by the front door or craving cookies and cake.

I know that changes in life are hard and challenging, as they should be. However, if pushing toward those changes leads to constant negative feelings over not being "good enough" for myself, then is the change really worth it? Is getting more housework done really worth it to never be able to break out my sewing machine without feeling guilty? Is losing a few pounds really worth NEVER having a Thin Mint again?

I think the answer that I have come to for these questions is: Well, sometimes. As someone that tends to be extremely "all or nothing" (i.e. Salad or Taco Bell?), I really have to work at achieving a graceful balance for things in my life. Sometimes, I need to go weeks without eating anything that is going cause negative effects in my body. Sometimes, I am going to have to get a dessert crepe. Sometimes I do need to say no to doing certain things that I would like to do in order to scrub the bathroom or load the dishwasher. Other times, I should pick up my guitar and play it, leaving the dishes for tomorrow.

Somehow, I just don't think there is a council of people somewhere keeping track of the last time we vacuumed the rug under the dining room table or ate some (gasp) WHITE bread. These things I do are just for me. It just makes me feel better, enjoy my day more. If it is worth it to me, then I should do it. If not, well it can wait another day, by golly.

No Apologies

2011-01-09T17:05:00.004-06:00

I do not feel sorry for posting so many pictures of my dog. He is cute and a willing photography subject (for the most part).

Hopefully soon I will have some more pictures of people to post. I want to improve my photo taking/editing skills.

Reasons Why 2010 Was Awesome

2011-01-01T10:04:00.004-06:00

- Tyler and I moved to Liberty and started attending an amazing church that we love with all of our hearts.

-I got my first full-time "Big Girl" job and through that I discovered what I want to do with my life (be a Special Education Teacher). Onward to a master’s degree soon!

-I learned to love my families even more by being far away from them and only getting to see them a few times a year. The awesome part was the loving, not the missing so much.

-On an impulse we brought our little man (dog) home.

-I learned what it means to treasure the stage you are in.

-I learned how to be a better wife to my amazingly graceful husband.

-I got to decorate my first big Christmas tree.

-I got over some really big hang-ups that show how much stronger my relationship is with my sister than it used to be. (Jen, I am talking about what we discussed last night)

Reasons Why 2011 will be Awesome:

-It started out with charades game that included my father-in-law acting out “A water buffalo giving birth to twin pigs”. Seriously, I was dying laughing.

Hope your year started out great! Happy New Year, friends!

The Resolutions

2010-12-31T10:44:00.003-06:00

I plan on working on all of these starting soon (uh, tomorrow) but I am also planning on focusing on one each month so as not to overwhelm myself. They are in no particular order and there are a few that I left out (I don't particularly care to share the specifics of my weightloss goals or anything).

1. Read at least twenty books of any kind.

2. Have at least two Pampered Chef Shows a month (Did you know that I am a Pampered Chef Consultant?)

3. Workout at least 10 times a month. This is just a base number. I hope to work out more, but I didn't want to set a goal of, say, 20 times a month and then fail and give up.

4. Journal everyday, even if it is only a little bit.

5. Blog twice a week. I am getting better at this, I think.

6. This one is something that is happening later this year that I will share later. Let's just say that it involves some great friends and will be an amazing experience.

7. Take more pictures as I fully enjoy another year with my little family of Tyler and Walter.

8. Work on making our house more of a home in creative and thrifty ways.

9. PROMOTE PEACE. I am not sure exactly how this one will look, but I look forward to watching my dreams grow into reality.

10. Do a recipe challenge with Jen.

11. Go on a hike. A good, rugged one.

12. Do more with less. This is also a vague goal, but I think it will be fun to document this!

I know that some people think that New Year's Resolutions are silly, but I am really just wanting to take the time to write down these things so that they can become a reality. There are a million more things I could list to change or do in this next year, but I won't. I want to be able to actually attain these goals. Hopefully in a year, when we are on the cusp of 2012, I hope that I can check a few of these off, and be satisfied with myself.

Happy New Year, everyone. I truly hope that your 2011 is filled with peace, joy, love, thanksgiving, kindness, and hope!

"Snow" Much Fun. Get It?!

2010-12-30T19:35:00.005-06:00

It snowed and we went to my grandparents' house and took the photo op. It was fun and followed by sledding on inner tubes. It was a blast, I haven't laughed that hard in a while. You know, laughing as you are hurtling toward a frozen lake and can only stop yourself by running into a bush.

Oh, Christmas

2010-12-29T13:52:00.003-06:00

I am a Christmas Freak. All year round. I start talking about it (half jokingly, half for real) in about June. I listen to Christmas music starting Halloween night (I know, sickening.) This year has proven to be so filled with Christmas merriment that I am looking forward to the slower pace of the next few winter months. In a way, it feels good to be gearing up to getting back in the normal routine.

It's a White Christmas, y'all.

Our pretty little tree

Christmas was so much fun and I am loving all of this relaxing family time that I am getting with both families. I have taken SO many pictures that I want to share, but that will all come in the next few posts. Can't use up all of my good material now.

Anyway, just hoping that you had a wonderful Christmas filled with lots of celebration, joy, and love. Gifts are nice, but people are better!

Realization

2010-12-19T21:21:00.005-06:00

I love the winter, I really do. But right now, I just wish that I could walk around exploring in the woods. I am notorious for getting off of the trails, especially when there are rocks to climb around on or streams and rivers to follow.

I love being outside, I need to be doing it more!

In other news, I accidentally match the snowman. Seriously, it's a bit strange that it was sitting right here beside me.

I cannot believe that Christmas is only a few days away! I am not ready for it to be over. Taking a tree down is not nearly as fun as putting one up. But, good things happen all year round.

Have a lovely week!

A Task

2010-12-08T13:32:00.004-06:00

Today, give yourself 15 minutes.

It doesn't matter when.

It doesn't matter what you "should" be doing.

You can take a 15 minute break.

Do something that you WANT to do that will make you happy and remind you that life is good.

Don't take your day (or this season) so seriously!

I colored two Peanuts Christmas pictures. I am going to send them to people in the mail.

It was so fun.

Something About Nostalgia and Appreciating

2010-12-05T07:31:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe that Christmas is only three weeks away. Why does it have to go so fast? October through December is my favorite time of year and it always seems to be over before I really have enjoyed it!

I know that I have talked a lot about this on my blog before, but I have just been learning so much that you have to treasure each and every moment because this stage in life will be over so soon. This weekend I have been visiting my sister in Springfield and have been overwhelmed with nostalgia! I had some of the greatest years of my life while going to Missouri State. I had some time to kill so I drove past the house that I lived in with my roommates during my junior year.

I felt like I wanted to cry, not from seeing the house but just driving to the house and seeing all the places where we used to take walks. Tyler and I started dating while I lived in that house. We fell in love while taking walks around that neighborhood. So many memories! I think part of the sadness came from the fact that I know that I was so focused on being anxious and ready to marry him that I did not fully enjoy the "dating" and "engaged" part of my life!

This is how I feel when I think about having children. I don't normally talk about this on my blog (for no particular reason, honestly), but there are some days when I really feel like Tyler and I could add some little kiddies to our family anytime now. But much more often than that, I am finding myself stopping and being overwhelmed with love and joy for the stage that I am in right now. Even adding little Wally B to our family has changed things, and I want to make sure that I am soaking it in and living it up while it is just Jess, Tyler, and a puppy. I love that Tyler and I can sleep in until nine on Saturdays and then lazily talk in bed until we are ready to get up. I love that we don't have to even think about going to Starbucks or the movies or to Ihop at midnight. We can just go.

I just want to be thankful. I want to appreciate everything around me because right now is such a blessing. I hope that one day (far away) when Tyler and I have little kids running around that I can look back so fondly on the years that we had together and know that I enjoyed it as fully as possible.

Life is good, and that is just all there is to it. I pray that I can use the stability and good things from my life to help others whose lives are not good. God, give me strength and wisdom.

Feeling Thankful, Again.

2010-11-22T20:53:00.004-06:00

It has been so fun to notice all of the little things around today! Here are a few silly and serious things for which I would like to express thanksgiving:

-Impromptu dinners with neighbors and friends that feel like family

-Diet Soda (I know it has all kinds of bad chemicals in it, but it is such a treat to me. I only allow myself one a day, at most.)

-Coming home to a surprise clean house (way to go, Husband.)

-A cozy bed and a good book, which I will be enjoying in about two hours

-Packing. Well, not the packing itself, but the fact that I am packing to leave tomorrow evening to see family!

-On a similar note, working for a school district and NOT in retail. Love it, love it, love it.

-Peppermint Hershey's Kisses (and at the same time...darn you, Hershey's!)

-A new and exciting business venture, to be blogged about at a later date.

-A funny story from today, and my willingness to tell it (also later), proving that life is so much better lived when you do not take yourself too seriously.

Enjoy your night! Tell me some thing that you are thankful for!

Feeling Thankful

2010-11-21T22:40:00.004-06:00

This week is obviously one in which we should count our blessings. All this week I will be posting some things (little and big) for which I am overwhelmed with feelings of thanksgiving. Here we go...

1. Obviously, my two boys. The human one is the best friend that I have ever had. He makes me laugh everyday, shows me how to live out faith and kindness, and shows me just how interesting and beautiful the Hebrew Bible can be. And as for the canine one, he is walking joy.

2. Happiness. I am so thankful that I get to wake up each morning and really feel that the day is full of possibilities, full of good, and full of fun things to look forward to.

3. My Community of Faith. I love feeling so connected and so hopeful about the future. I love that I go to church with a bunch of people that are willing to dream big and give everything to serve those around them.

4. Seasons. I am already getting excited for snow!

5. That I get to be Ms. Jess. I love being in the field that I am. There is nothing quite like spending time with preschoolers as they discover just how much they can do and getting to be a part of their wildly fun imaginative scenarios.

Stay tuned for more!

Amateur Hour

2010-10-13T22:54:00.002-05:00

I made this silly thing tonight. My first experience with iMovie.

The song is "Middle of Nowhere" by Hot Hot Heat.

Not too bad, right? Right?! (heh.)

The One Were I Ramble About Housework

2010-10-10T07:20:00.003-05:00

Doesn't a lazy day sound nice?

I have been SO proud of myself lately for not being lazy. I mean, sure, I still read a lot of blogs, watch a little too much Hulu and Netflix, but I have been getting things done too, and it feels great.

I have always been a procrastinating perfectionist when it comes to housecleaning. But lately, I have been staying on top of keeping things clean (for the most part) and it just feels nice. It is funny too how when you achieve one thing it makes you more motivated to keep going. My next goals are to tackle cleaning out my car and the little breakfast nook that has become a sad little storage area. I should let it be known that I am not the only one working harder at keeping things clean. Tyler and Caleb have been doing a lot too. I am firmly against the idea that housework should automatically be the responsibility of the woman of the house. We work full time too, you know!

After typing this and reading it, I realize that this might be the most boring blog ever. Honestly, that's okay with me. Should be back with something a little more entertaining here soon.

May your Sunday be filled with laziness or productivity, whichever you desire.

Secrets

2010-09-28T20:27:00.003-05:00

An actual conversation that took place while Tyler, Caleb, and I ate dinner last night:

Me: I actually do have a lot of secrets that I keep from you guys...

Tyler: Ok, how many that don't involve food?

Pause.

Me: Oh...then none.

Thoughts On Halloween (And It's Probably Not What You Think)

2010-09-26T20:39:00.003-05:00

This is a picture from Halloween last year. My dearest friend Alyssa and I dressed up as 1950;s housewives. This was the only picture of my costume. Hah.

I love holidays. I especially enjoy Christmas decorations, music, parties, food (my goodness...the food), and the general spirit of the season. Often, people think that if you start enjoying these types of things before that special Thursday at the end of November then you are just skipping right over Thanksgiving and on to Christmas. I start listening to Christmas music the day after Halloween.

But really, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. Not a lot of pressure. Just a holiday about being thankful for what you have and thinking of ways to help those that do not have. Note: Not a SINGLE Christmas decoration goes up before Thanksgiving.

On the other hand, we could just skip Halloween altogether and go straight to Thanksgiving. I don't like candy much anyway.

Thoughts?

Hot Tea Tastes Better In A Kitten Mug

2010-09-25T07:35:00.003-05:00

Last night consisted of eating some yummy Thai food, coming home and then going back out for frozen yogurt, drinking hot tea, and losing seven or so games of "Go Fish" to Tyler before falling asleep while watching Letterman.

Feeling simply happy is a great feeling.

Which brings me to something that I have been thinking a lot about lately. Contentment. I haven't written too much about my faith on here yet, but it is a huge part of my life. If it isn't your cup of tea (in a kitten mug!) then just don't read the rest of this entry, no harm done.

I have been (oh so slowly) reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard J. Foster. This book is full of great ideas for spiritual practices in everyday life with the purpose of bringing one closer to God. For some really great specific reflections on this book (as well as getting a peek inside a really great adventure my dear friends have just started) check out this blog.

Although I haven't gotten to a chapter like this in the book, I have felt so much like right now I am learning to be content in my circumstances and to celebrate the things that other have rather than looking at them with envy or jealousy. I have always been one of those people that thought (mostly secretly), "I wish I had what they had." or "My life would be better if I could just change this or that."

I don't want to be looking forward so much that I miss the journey. I don't want to start appreciating the stage that I am in now after it has already ended. I want to love being married to a great man, having a loving little pup, working at a preschool, serving at our church, diving into our community, living simply and lovingly, taking deep breaths and being thankful for each and every blessing that I have been given.

Contentment is a spiritual discipline. And a hard one sometimes. One of the people that I has taught me about being thankful and content is Tyler. He never complains or wishes that life were different. He never gets bored or feels like he wants something more that what we have right now.

I should also, however, say that I don't think that we should feel so content that we become apathetic about the world and people around us. I think that I should always strive to do things a little greener, love people a whole lot more, live a little more simply, spread a lot more peace and joy.

So, that's what I have been thinking about lately. What do you think about contentment? Do you ever feel so overwhelmed with thankfulness for what you have you can hardly stand it? Do you struggle with this kind of thing?

May God grant us all a spirit of thankfulness and contentment with what we have been given, but an aching desire to do more for those around us.

edit: I realized after rereading this like it might sound like I am not content right now. But really, this entry comes at a time when I am so overwhelmingly content and I can see how far I have come in just a few months. This post is me celebrating realizing how beautiful it all really is.

Pic-a-Nic

2010-09-22T12:24:00.002-05:00

One day Tyler and Jess decided to go on a picnic at a park to which neither had ever been. It was a pretty simple goal, since they had yet to visit a park for the entire nine months they had lived in Liberty. After eating, it was time for a walk. Because the two had both a bottle of water and a camera, they decided that it was time to try to capture pictures of the classic "startled-spraying-water-out-of-mouth" gag.

Though neither consider themselves to be excellent photographers, they did find success.

"Boy, this sure was swell fun, Jess." exclaimed Tyler.

"Why, yes it was, Tyler. Yes it was." came Jess' reply.

THE END

Positive Thoughts

2010-09-06T06:30:00.001-05:00

I like this sentiment so much. This would be a nice addition to the bare walls of our bedroom.

The Room

2010-09-05T06:00:00.000-05:00

First of all, these colors look super odd on blogger. Apologies. This is one view of the new craft/guest room. I made it all vintage and girly and I love it. The I have all of my stuff in a big dresser across the room, so it is all stored away neatly. I have a yellow vintage card table that is at Tyler's parents that will go in this room too.

Let the sewing begin!

Happy Saturday...!

2010-09-04T07:21:00.006-05:00

(Fun at the Gift Shop at Union Station when we visited an awesome Dinosaur Exhibit this summer.)

It is hard to feel stressed or upset when the weather finally loses that hot, humid feeling and is replaced with a crisp, breezy feeling. Oh yeah, and in case you hadn't noticed, it is a three day weekend. Awesome.

This Saturday will be filled with:

-Farmer's Market

-Grocery Shopping

-Picnicin' with Tyler

-Various other leisure activities

-Possible Trip to Hobby Lobby

-Cleaning a house that has been neglected for the past few days

-Continuing to train this crazy-loving puppy (If anyone has any tips on dealing with separation anxiety in dogs, it would be helpful!)

-Being immensely thankful for life and all the wonderful people, things, and experiences in it

On another note, Tyler, Caleb (my brother-in-law that lives with us), and I will be starting a new "diet" of sorts. It is not really a diet to lose weight, but just to eat things that are better for us and less filled with chemical and processing and such. We are not eating carbs (mostly simple carbs, I will probably not try to avoid beans or starchy vegetables) or sugar.

So...that means a lot less of this:

and this:

But a whole lot more of this:

An Equation of Sorts

2010-08-22T22:36:00.006-05:00

1 box of yellow cake mix

1 can of organic pumpkin

1 bag of butterscotch chips

+20 Minutes at 400 degrees

_________________________

Yummy Treat That You Can Eat And Pretend Like It Is Fall

Notes: Next time I am going to try spice cake mix and cinnamon chips instead. Also, a whole bag of the butterscotch chips was a little much. This batter is REALLY sticky, just to warn you. Let me know if you try this or a version of it! The first time I had it is was with devil's food cake and a bag of chocolate chips, and that was yummy.

And my boys are pretty awesome.

(Walter's favorite thing next to cuddling and eating is sitting on this rug and watching us cook. He will do it for as long as we are in the kitchen.)

Motivation

2010-08-21T11:45:00.003-05:00

My thirteen year old sister is really talented with the camera! She disappeared with the camera for almost an hour the last time that she was here and came back with some great shots like these.

Today is dedicated to cooking some yummy food and turning this house into the organized, vintage, clean place that I always want it to be. I will share pictures of all my hard work soon! Got a great start on organizing all of the craft supplies and moving them into the new (smaller but more perfect) craft room.

Have a great relaxing or productive day (whichever you chose!)

Presenting...Walter Batman Tankersley

2010-08-19T13:00:00.002-05:00

How could you be mad at that face?

Answer: You can't.

He is a good little doggie, anyway. Doesn't chew stuff up or destroy anything. Doing great on potty training. Did I mention that he is cute?

Who's With Me?

2010-08-19T08:12:00.003-05:00

I love seasons. So much. I have enjoyed the (somewhat) lazy pace of summer. I love swimming and playing in sprinklers. But we are heading into my favorite part of the year and I could not be more excited! My sister, Jen, wrote a great post on fall and my sentiments reflect hers exactly.

I am even more excited to spend my first Fall and Christmas in our new town. It is sure to be lovely.

What are some of your favorite things about fall? Are you starting your Christmas shopping? Tyler notoriously starts his early, I usually wait until the last minute. I am going to try, try, try to get started earlier this year because I want to make some really awesome homemade gifts!

Thanks for putting up with the lack of posting. I am about to have TONS more free time, so it should make for more blogging!

Summer Breeze

2010-06-06T15:41:00.002-05:00

Hiya! It has been quite the perfect Sunday so far. Church was great, the kiddos I watched during the early service and Bible Study were all little angels, and it has been a beautifully productive/relaxing afternoon. I even learned to use a push mower for the first time! The self-propelled part of it is broken, so my arms feel all sore now (a good thing).

I am really happy to be blogging again. I put it off so much, but I feel like now that I have broken the silence it will be much easier.

It seems like at least some people are interested in my preschool teacher ideas, so I will probably be posting about that quite a lot since right now I am teaching WAY more than I craft/make my house look pretty.

I am working on compiling a list of some of our favorite books for our classroom. Keep in mind that I teach children 24-36 months old, so the books that they like best are the ones that are simple and have lines that they can repeat and remember.

See you soon, hope your day is great!

Yikes.

2010-06-05T07:50:00.002-05:00

Soooo...it has been a LONG time. Things are about to settle down a little in my life as I am going back down to one job in the next few weeks. This should equal more blogging, and pictures and such.

It has been a long time since I have crafted as well. I have just fallen in love with my job teaching two year olds, so often when I have free time I am spending it at the library getting books, making little games for the classroom, or reading inspiring preschool teacher blogs. It feels good to love my job.

Would you all be interested in children's book reviews/ideas for preschooler activities? I am pretty sure I could talk forever about this kind of stuff!

I hope everyone has a wonderful day. I have lots of work that I have procrastinated on for my job that is ending soon, so I need to get on that RIGHT now!

Big, Big, Big News!

2010-03-13T19:04:00.002-06:00

Some exciting news regarding crafts, etsy, myself, and the lovely Alyssa from snuggle bug....

Can you guess what it is?

It is happening April 19th....

You Take The Good You Take The Bad

2010-03-02T21:04:00.004-06:00

I hope you are all singing the "Facts of Life" theme song now.

I have been spending a lot of time here the past few days rewatching 30 Rock season 2. No, I am not sick. I am just a little sad. Tyler has been out of the country since Thursday and I haven't been able to talk to him since then. He gets back next Monday, and I could not be more excited about it! It is things like this that make me realize how much I do love him. He makes everything so much more lively! I wish you all could meet him and see for yourself. I know I am being pretty cheesy, but, it's ok.

The title of this post should let you know that it is not all bad stuff that is going on in my life! I was hired at a new job today! I am going to be a preschool teacher and I am so excited and nervous. This is the third job that I have gotten in 2010, but I really want this one to stick. I am excited to feel like I have a career!

I have also felt SO loved by my church family at right now. I have had so many dinner invitations and people letting me know that if I need anything to ask them. It is really nice to feel so loved.

I am still working on the blanket that I showed a couple weeks back. I am working on some other little projects that I will have to show you.

The bedtimes keep getting earlier and earlier. I think I am calling it a night.

Rawr...Here Comes The Sun

2010-02-23T21:11:00.010-06:00

(Yes, these were on our cake table!)

I just realized tonight that I have never really "properly" blogged about the story of how Tyler and I met, fell in love, and got married. I decided to start at the "end" of the "beginning"...does that make sense?

When we got engaged I knew that I wanted and sweet, simple (cheap!), and meaningful wedding. I had always dreamed of a black and white wedding (before they were popular, I feel inclined to add!) I knew that I wanted sweet white shasta daisies as our flowers and a dress with NO poof and NO train.

Our wedding day ended up being perfect for us! We got married in a little cove of trees in Tyler's parents' backyard right at sunset. The reception was in their yard after dark and included dancing and fireworks. It was an eventful wedding too, with me COMPLETELY blanking on which hand was Tyler's left hand to the fireworks falling over and spraying into the crowd (scary! No one was hurt, thank goodness.)

Tyler just wore black pants, a black shirt, a white tie...

Converse were MANDATORY for the dudes.

My sister is amazing with hair and make up for brides. (She has done SO much wedding day hair for someone who is not a stylist.)

Our centerpieces were simple, borrowed from my mother-in-law's work. The little favor boxes were made my mom and I and contained dinosaur tattoos, a little plastic dinosaur, and a wedding mint. Dinosaurs are one of those silly little clues that Tyler and I are perfect for one another, so we had to include them in the wedding! The bridal party, which consisted of only the siblings (we had uneven sides...GASP...but it was so special having my two sisters, his sister, my brother, and his brother standing up there with us!) walked out to the song "And The Winner Is" by DeVotchka.

The most magical part was the natural atmosphere. The sunset was BEAUTIFUL and right as I walked out a sweet breeze picked up. It really felt like God was smiling down on our ceremony and saying, "Yes, this is My Will." I walked out to Sufjan Steven's "The Dress Looks Nice On You"

Sorry Mike and Dr. G, I don't remember much of what you said during the ceremony. Tyler and I were too busy giving each other sweet and silly looks. I remember giggling a ton. After the kiss, we walked back down the aisle together as husband and wife to Boston's "Peace of Mind".

We had some RANDOM music that included a Star Wars Remix song, the Beatles, and the song Dreamweaver. My dad and I danced to Randy Newman's "You've Got a Friend in Me". The reception was really just a total blur. We smashed cake in one another's faces, danced to "Closer" by Travis, and my sister caught the bouquet and was married exactly a year later. There are snippets I remember, but really, I was just too busy gushing over the man that I just married! I will have to post more pictures some day when I find the disk, but I just had to give you a little look at our very special day! I would not change one single thing! (Unless I had any bridezilla moments...I don't think I did...but still!) It has been almost two years, and I could not be happier with this guy!

All but the first photo were taken by our friend Anna Kicker. Can you believe this was her first wedding shoot? Our pictures were AMAZING.

edit: I am super confused as to the change in size of this text and my inability to fix it. So, I did notice, but my attempts to make it "normal" size did nothing...so we will just leave it.

Little of This and That

2010-02-23T20:18:00.006-06:00

This is one of my favorite little nooks in my house. (Can you see where I "staged" another picture from a few posts back... :) ) It is one of the only places that looks somewhat "finished" to me. This is right beside our front door. We are SUPPOSED to put our keys in that little bowl...but it is more my style to just throw them anywhere that I lay my purse down.

This past week/weekend was pretty great. Got to make a short trip back to Cape Girardeau to see some family. Sadly, both of Tyler's grandparents on his mom's side have had strokes within two weeks of one another. While they are both recovering, it is somewhat slow. Prayers for them would be so much appreciated. They are two amazing people that are so much fun to be around. Even though they have been in my life for less than three years, I love them so much.

I transitioned out of one job and into another in the past week. I know work part-time at a sub sandwich shop and part-time at my church as the Interim Children's Pastor. I really like both jobs. Eventually I want to start a CAREER, but for now, I feel blessed to have any jobs at all. Some people have so much less.

On another note, OH MY WORD, has anyone in Kansas City ever been here? Some friends and I went on Saturday and it was SO neat. I don't know if it is just a KC thing or they are other places or not. But it was so inspiring and neat. I got to see some designer fabrics in real life. Pretty dreamy. They even have classes. Yes, please!

I better get back to the last 15 minutes of LOST. This has been a good one. And that is all I am saying, because I really dislike spoilers.

Have an excellent evening!

Way Back When

2010-02-19T07:40:00.003-06:00

Remember that Art Guild Show and Sell (Sale?) that I wrote about right before Christmas? Well, I realized that I never showed the pictures of the things that I made for it. Sorry for the poor lighting in some of these. I was running super late the day that I was taking them.

All in all, it was fun doing my first "Craft Show" of sorts. Definitely something that I would like to do in the future. I only sold two bags (the whale and dino bags). Most of the rest I have given away to the sisters, including the wreath.

It was really neat to be able to make some money off of something that I created myself, hope that there is lots more of this in the future!

So...honestly...what do you think?

My Husband Is So Good To Me

2010-02-10T21:48:00.004-06:00

(you can sign up too!)

Thanks for believing in me, Tyler.

Addicted.

2010-02-09T22:28:00.003-06:00

Can I say that I am addicted if this is only my second one? This is going to be a wedding present for some wonderful friends (check them out here and here). I am going to alternate between two sets of blue stripes and two sets of green stripes. So far I am really happy with the results. I was going to try to make it a surprise, but I am SO bad at keeping secrets like this. Secrets that only really involve me surprising people.

Sorry it has been so...boring...around here. This week has been crazy. Although, honestly I haven't been blogging because I haven't been taking pictures. That is a pretty lame excuse, I know.

I can't believe that I am saying this at 10:30, but it is bedtime for me!

Why don't you leave some comments and tell me about how your life has been?

Afghan Part Deux

2010-01-30T21:02:00.004-06:00

This sums up my night. I am pretty cool with this scenario.

Hope your night is good and crafty.

After the movie, dare I go try to clean up my studio?

The Place Where We Eat

2010-01-27T16:48:00.006-06:00

Here it is. Our dining room. We have never had one before and are finding that we have to remind ourselves "Oh yeah, people usually eat in a dining room." It is a pretty blank canvas, as you can see. I have some paintings hanging that I did for Tyler about a year ago that have part of some Bible verses that we used in our wedding vows (Micah 6:8). The house that we are living in belongs to the oh-so-wonderful church that Tyler (and now I) work for and the piano belongs to them. It is seriously one of the most beautiful pianos that I have seen, in my opinion. The table belongs with the house too, but it is a really nice one and we like it.

And that is basically all that is in that room right now. It is A LOT of wood tones. A LOT. And while I do like them and think that they make our house feel really nice, there needs to be some color in there to break it up.

These are some things that I picked up the other day that I liked and that I may use in this room. The little plate things were all fifty cents at Target and the table runner was on sale for less than $10 at Pier 1. I LOVE floral fabrics but I really don't want this room to be too girly or too "young" feeling.

Our house is really perfect just the way that it is. The church did SUCH an amazing job when they remodeled it earlier this year. I just like the challenge of making it even more pretty and more personal.

One thing that I am for sure doing can be found on my dear friend Emily's blog . I am thinking about making a sign like the one that she made in one of the blues or plums found in that table runner. Except I think that mine would say LOVE to go with the theme of the verses that I have hanging on that one wall.

So...thoughts? Ideas? Inspiring links?

Did I mention that everything has to be cheap/free? Because, it does. I love a good challenge with no deadline.

2010-01-27T00:22:00.005-06:00

Our pretty Christmas Card Picture...just had to share.

So first of all, how exciting is this? If you are stumbling upon this little ol' blog of mine through Smile and Wave, then WELCOME! I was so excited to see a picture of my recently finished granny square afghan that I immediately had to make the husband stop the episode of LOST that he was re-watching just to see. I hope that you decide to keep checking back up on me here. Getting to know new people is SO the best part of blogging. That, and the massive amounts of time that I can now kill on the internet reading crafty blogs.

On to the news... if you have been reading this blog for long (or if you would just scroll back a few posts) you would see that I recently graduated from college. Well, already I am ready to go back. I got a degree in General Studies, knowing that I had to graduate and get on with life. Well, I just can't shake the feeling that I really, really want to be a teacher. I am leaning toward teaching Middle School (gasp!), but we will see. I am also toying with the idea of taking a few years to substitute teach. Anyone have thoughts on this? Seriously, I would love any feedback (positive or negative) on this stuff.

There was another bit of exciting news, but it is no longer true. We had a dog for about two days, but he is going back to live with his old family. They just missed him too much, and since we are such good friends with his former owners, we knew that it was the best decision. We are unsure (meaning not in both on the same page, haha, in a just fine way) about where the pet search will take us next. Let's just say, I am a much bigger fan of kittens than Tyler. We were able to spend some times with a rad Cairn Terrier, so we are thankful for that.

And lastly...I will be back later today with my new blog feature: HOME TOUR WEDNESDAY. We are in the process of turning our new house in our home, and I want to share it with you. PLUS, I really need decorating advice. I am the Queen of Indecision and also the Queen of Cheap, which makes for a long and drawn out decorating process. So, let's see what you guys can come up with!

Today I will be showing you my dining room...and then I have some pretty cool craft ideas that I might try to execute if I can get

I'm Back!

2010-01-26T15:36:00.002-06:00

Sooo...I will post more tomorrow when I have some pictures to show you of some cute and fun things.

Last week was supposed to be a time of not visiting blogs as much and not using the internet as much and...well...I didn't really succeed. I don't know what I was trying to prove or to whom I was trying to prove something, but it doesn't matter.

But it was a week of exciting things, and there is some pretty cool and exciting stuff going on in my life right now. I am making lots of decisions about my future.

I will let you know more later, as I am sure the suspense is killing you...(I am totally kidding.)

Re-Focusing.

2010-01-18T11:35:00.004-06:00

Hello all. This is just a quick note to let everyone know that I will be a little M.I.A. this week. I feel like I am spending way too much time on the internet, so I am taking a week break from blogging, and viewing others' blogs. I want to take some time to realign my priorities. I will see you all next Monday! I have an idea for a "blog schedule" day that I will share with you when I get back!

Hope you have an excellent week! Make sure that you are taking time to turn off the computer and have some fun of your own!

Love,

Jess

p.s. The picture is just a pretty one that Tyler took in the early fall of his parents' house. Had to give you something pretty to look at!

It's Done

2010-01-15T11:08:00.004-06:00

I finished this one last night. I like how it turned out. The next baby blanket that I make for someone, I am totally doing it this way.

Also, check out our super cool graduation gift from Tyler's parents. We each got matching Cracker Barrel rocking chairs. We cannot wait to wake up early in the Springtime, take them our on the front porch and sip on coffee and hot tea watching the sun rise...

I will for sure be back later tonight with more. In the meantime I am going to shower then watch some more of Sense & Sensibility while I craft.

Have a good day!

Ok Folks...

2010-01-14T09:32:00.003-06:00

I am TRYING to redo the blog. I know practically nothing about this....so just bear with me ok? The old layout was just a little too dark for me.

In the meantime, I will still be posting, so keep visiting back, ok? And you can look at the granny squares that I made a while back and just have sitting in a bag waiting for me. I tried one method of joining them SEVERAL times, and honestly, I just don't like it. But I saw a new method on the show Knit and Crochet Today that involved a yarn needle and the joining looked pretty good, so I think that I am going to use that method, once I get my hands on said needle.

I am also going to finish (yep, FINISH) the blanket that I showed you all yesterday. It isn't going to be the largest blanket that anyone has ever made, but I think it will be ok. I highly recommend using the huge-granny-square pattern, it was easy and fun and I think it looks pretty cute. I think it would be excellent for making baby blankets.

On another much, much more serious (and so much more important) note, remember the people of Haiti. It is so easy to get bogged down with the little things that we go through here that we forget what real tragedy is like. Let's think and pray about ways that we as individuals can help those that have lost literally everything. And let's all just take today and not complain about one single thing...because, seriously, what do I have to complain about?

One Big Granny Square

2010-01-13T16:34:00.005-06:00

Yep, that is what I have been working on since New Years Eve, when I realized that I got the wrong gray yarn to work on my other afghan and started this new one. It is for my sister-in-law, but don't tell her, it is a surprise!

What do you think? I am going to finish a few more times around with the purple and then maybe do one fore row of each of the blues and the pink. I will show you the finished product when I am done.

It feels good to finally post a project. I wish that I could say that I have gotten a wide variety of crafty-stuff done in the past couple of weeks....but I can't. I am so addicted to crocheting right now! I think I am going to have to take a little break though after this blanket and do some embroidery. I want to make something "Royal Tenenbaums" inspired, because that is one of our favorite movies.

I also have a crazy tutorial in my head...but I need to find some good thrift stores around here first.

Well, it is off to church dinner, because I have the night off. By the way, thanks for the comments, Jamie and Kara! You two encourage me soooo much.

Have a pleasant and crafty (if you are in to that sort of thing) evening.

Spring Fever...

2010-01-12T10:22:00.002-06:00

Is it ok if I already have spring fever? It might even be borderline summer fever. I guess that the constant snow on the ground is getting to me. I love for it to be cold in October/November/December so that it feels all nice and Christmas-y, but after that, I get so anxious.

When I first got my new job (working the front counter at a dry cleaners), I was worried that the hours of 2-8 most weekdays would not be the best, but for right now, I am really enjoying it. I love being able to sleep until about 8 and then just get stuff done around the house (and the internet....of course). I don't know that I will always appreciate it so much, but for right now, it is great.

Can I just say, also, that I love not being in school? I am seriously enjoying getting to read for fun and craft and watch endless movies with the husband. Our mailperson is probably going crazy having to bring those Netflix back and forth all of the time. We just watched 500 Days of Summer the other night, which I had already seen, but he hadn't and he loved it. I was pleased with that. Does anyone have movie recommendations? And while you are at it, some book recommendations? I am currently reading a book called The Jesus of Suburbia, a book all about how Jesus is not here just to pat us on the back and tell us that we are right all the time, and that having the biggest and best stuff all the time is a-ok.

As for Julie & Julia, I would say that I did like it. Would I eat any of those crazy, crazy, crazy meat dishes? I HIGHLY doubt it. But it did inspire me to cook and blog more, so hey, it was worth it just for that.

We have friends coming into town this weekend, and I have to work. These friends are so rad though, I love them. Alyssa and I will most assuredly be crafting together at some point.

How about some pictures tomorrow? I have a couple projects that I am pretty determined on, so I will show them tomorrow!

Thanks for reading, seriously. Have a great day. Be thankful for the little things that make you smile!

New Everything

2010-01-10T22:54:00.002-06:00

Hello all. I hope that the craziness of the holidays and the super snowy weather (here at least), has given way to both relaxation and routine in your lives.

We are settling into our new home and our new lives here in Kansas City and absolutely loving it. We have made lots of new friends, I have found a job, and our new church home is filled to the brim with people that are so loving and caring that it makes us feel right at home. People really are the best, usually they are the best way for me to see God at work in my life.

I promise that I have lots of plans for this blog in the next month or so! Our internet goes from being sketchy internet to the real deal this week. This means much more blogging. I have made a list of blogging goals this week...PLUS I need to kick the thrifting into high gear. Our house is looking pretty sparse at the moment. I am not in a rush, though.

For some reason I am finding myself incredibly exhausted. I think it is time for me to get the jammies on, brush my teeth, and finish Julie & Julia. Has anyone read this? What did you think about it? I have zoomed through it, and I think I like it, but it may be too early to say. I sometimes have to process things a little bit.

Nighty-night!

Good Tidings to You, Wherever You are...

2009-12-24T11:14:00.004-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Tankersleys!

I hope that this Christmas season has been special and that we can all stop and be thankful for the real meaning of Christmas!

The wait for a Messiah is over!

I will be back with regular posting pretty soon...we are officially moving to Kansas City the day after Christmas! Safe traveling to everyone and have lots of fun!

Guess What...I Am Still Here!

2009-12-15T00:00:00.003-06:00

Family Christmas card photo shoots are super fun. These were the ones of Tyler and I. I will have to get some of the other ones of the whole family so I can show my great family off to you.

So, yeah, who has been neglecting her blog friends lately....ME!

I am sorry. We have been SOOOOO busy with moving, coming back to take finals and finish moving and all that jazz.

But I will be back for good REALLY soon. Like now, probably.

I hope you all haven't forgotten about me and my little blog. I have been reading yours and it has been SO fun seeing all of your Christmas decorations. In fact, I am already looking forward to next year when I can actually be moved in and I can decorate. We didn't get to get out our little tree and pretty decoration this year because we have been going back and forth from so many places. But next year, I am going CRAZY with the decorations!

Good news...Tyler and I do not have to be apart anymore! I am so happy to be back with him for the next few months without having to think about him leaving.

I am in the process of looking for jobs in KC, I will keep you all posted on that. I think it is pretty fun starting new jobs.

Also, GRADUATION IS THIS SATURDAY. I, surprisingly, keep forgetting about it.

Tomorrow I am going to see White Christmas with some ladies from Tyler's family. I have never been to the Fox Theatre in St. Louis before, and I have heard that it is beautiful, so I am really looking forward to it.

I have so much more to tell you all! I am excited to be back, I missed you!!

The fireside is blazing bright...

2009-11-16T21:02:00.002-06:00

Anyone else remember that N*Sync song? There was one year that my dance studio did a Christmas recital and my class did a dance to that song...never really LOVED it, but hey...

First of all, I want to say to Jamie and Kara, I have not forgotten about you and your giveaway winnings! The Hobby Lobby here has been out of the lumberjack plaid ribbon! Just wait until I get my hands on some....I promise extra goodies will be on their way....soon! Thanks for being so patient ladies!

Without further ado, I thought that I would give you my to do list, and that I would update it as I complete it. These next few days will be CRAZY, but hey, it's all good.

School:

finish Service Grant Proposal (!)

finish MPP Grant Project

read article for CF 402

type up marriage interview questions

work on PY 432 stuff (response, formal, commentary, quiz)

finish group powerpoint for PY and email to members

check out book for UI book review

Craft Sale Thursday:

finish wreath (I have gone crazy on this, wait until I show you.)

finish mustache bags (3)

start and finish dino bags (4)

anything else!

Life:

finish painting kitchen

get stuff ready for church kid's service project

pack for KC

Please note that I am not writing this list to complain! I am just getting it all down in one place, and I assure you that this is all a manageable amount, if I set my mind to it.

In SUPERAWESOME news, I am leaving bright and early early Thursday morning to go to KC to see the husband. I cannot wait. Kansas City is such a fun place to be too.

Don't get to stressed you all, ok?? Nothing that you may have to do today is a big deal. You can do it!

Friday, Friday.

2009-11-13T09:59:00.002-06:00

Happy Friday! Ever since I quit working at Hobby Lobby and I don't have to work on Saturdays, they take on all new possibilities. I am staying at my in-laws tonight and I am going to get some serious home-working done. And crafting for the student Show and Sell next Thursday.

I am making cute mustache totes, dinosaur mini-totes, a wreath, and any other random things that I can think of during the next few days. I am excited to really sell some of my things for the first time. Alyssa (my best and craftiest friend here in Cape) and I are doing a table together. AND we are using my name "oh my, yes!" as our table name!

I know that I had planned on starting my etsy shop November 1st, and I feel terrible about not meeting that deadline, BUT as the holidays are approaching, money and time are getting tighter, and I am just feeling like another time once we are all settled in Kansas City would be better. I think that Alyssa is going to join me in my etsy endeavour and we may both make stuff for the shop. So, one day, it will be up and running.

Tyler moved yesterday. I get to go up to KC and see him in a week, so it's really not too long before we get to see each other. And, for those of you in school, can you BELIEVE how little time we have left in the semester? Yikes, I love it.

Are these not the cutest things that you have ever seen? And guess what...they are FREE DOWNLOADS from Wild Olive. Plus all of her shop proceeds until November 15 go to assembling Worldvision Caregiver Kits. Awesome. I love to see people crafting and hand making things for a good cause! Go check her out!

I hope that everyone gets to have a relaxing weekend. Cuddle up on the couch with a blanket, some crocheting, and hot cocoa and watch a good movie for me, ok? I think that is what my babysitting Saturday night will consist of after the three kiddos go to bed!

Move Along.

2009-11-09T22:54:00.003-06:00

So pretty.

For a while it seemed like the semester would never be over, but here we are with only five weeks left! I only have five weeks until I am a college graduate. How can four and a half years seems so long and so short at the same time? hah.

We have been packing and moving stuff to Tyler's parent's house. I will live with them while he is gone. I usually think that moving is exciting and fun...but the packing thing is not ANYONE's favorite part.

Sleepiness is getting the best of me. Tuesdays are my early mornings because I teach at our Parent's Morning Out program at church. It can be stressful, but it is always a BLAST. Tomorrow, we are dying rice with food coloring, then playing in it as long as we want...playdough, books, and running around is also in the forecast tomorrow morning.

Get some good sleep tonight, all!

Changes, Wreaths, Prayers, and Halloween, oh my!

2009-11-04T15:03:00.014-06:00

***edit: I think I fixed the comment problem. Thanks Em and Jamie for pointing that out.***

Notice the changes? Well, I am really trying to make the blog look pretty. I wish that I had illustrator or photoshop or whatever the heck other people use to make pretty things for blogs, but I think it is looking pretty good...

Who is not obsessed with these wreaths right now? I love them. I am working on one right now for my sister in her wedding colors. I got to amaze my friends with pom-pom making last night. Here are some oh-so-pretty wreaths for you...

Super cute pom-pom wreath. (this one even has a tutorial!)

Fun woodsy lumberjack gnome wreath

Fun little bike trail wreath.

I am still getting inspired for exactly what my finished one will look like, but I am pretty sure that one of my stops today will be a thrift store to find some scrabble tiles...

Ok, now is the time when I ask for prayers...

Tyler moves to Kansas City on November 12. That is VERY soon. I am doing better than I ever though that I would, but it will still be hard sometimes.

I am thankful that this is *the most...wonderful time...of the year* (you're welcome for getting Christmas songs in your head now!). I am also thankful that I have Tyler's wonderful family here and my wonderful family only and hour and a half away and amazing friends that feel like family.

Really, it is less than a month if you count the time that we will be together for Thanksgiving and such, so I am totally fine, but prayers are such a good thing.

Now, just for funsies, some Halloween stuffs. I had a really packed, really crazy Halloween that included a costume change. For the family party friday and the two Halloween parties on Saturday, I dressed as a 1950's housewife (pretty popular costume I think..) then we went to see Rocky Horror Picture show, and I changed into the much more comfortable lumberjack-costume-that-really-just-made-me-look-like-a-hipster-or-member-of-the-village-people-costume.

I hope you all have wonderful days. Mine will be because I have lots to do, but none of it is really all that scheduled out. It just has to be done by tonight.

Do something nice today! (then tell me about it!)

Wowzers...

2009-10-24T08:41:00.003-05:00

As most of us do, I love Elsie's paintings. Usually though, I see them and like them, but have never seen one that I actually felt like..."Gee, I would absolutely love to own that!"

Well, not true with the latest update. This is SO Tyler and I. Right now, I can only dream about actually owning it, and I am sure that wherever it goes it will make someone super happy, and I am way cool with that.

We have already been including some Christmas songs in our latest traveling mix cd's. We start out slowly, with just Jars of Clay Christmas songs, then Sufjan Stevens...but after Halloween...it's Bing Crosby and Andy Williams all the way.

I know that not everyone likes to listen to Christmas music that early, I just can't help myself. Thanksgiving really is my favorite holiday, so no one can accuse me of skipping right on over it or anything.

Basically, I am just one silly girl. I am so happy that I did not marry a Grinch.

While I do listen to Christmas music, not a single decoration goes up or a single classic Christmas movie gets watched before Thanksgiving.

This is the best time of year. Love it.

Have a happy Saturday, folks!

Happy Friday!

2009-10-23T08:51:00.005-05:00

I hope that everyone has had a GREAT week so far. I cannot believe how fast mine went by. I guess when you have as many little things going on as I do, each weekday is SO different and it makes the week fly by most of the time.

Have the leaves been gorgeous where you are? They are just so pretty right outside of our window. We usually never open our blinds (I don't know why, I love natural light), but I just had to keep them open all day yesterday so that I could stare at them the whole time that I was home!

The weather was SO perfect at the retreat this past weekend. Not too hot, not too cold.

Laura Hoffman and her husband, Warren gave the messages. SO good.

My very good friends Alyssa, Joshua and Matt led the worship.

The retreat was so beautiful, so relaxing, and so re-focusing. I can hardly describe the things that God did in my heart through the four messages that we heard while we were there. We talked a lot about how our lives are not meant to be lived for ourselves, but that we are called to leave fingerprints of love on the hearts of one another. I think that is such a beautiful picture. Whether you consider yourself to be a follower of Christ or not, I think that we can all agree that living for the sake of those around us is a good thing. And that is what I love about the message of Jesus. It was LOVE.

Is everyone ready for Halloween? I actually have my costume done early (for me, anyway). My friend Alyssa and I are dressing up as 1950's housewives. Fake martinis and all, haha. What are you (or your kiddies) going to be this year? I am not a huge fan of Halloween (probably because I love Thanksgiving SO much that Halloween is just the holiday that we have to celebrate in order to get to it...haha) but I do LOVE dressing up. Last year, Tyler and I were Poison Ivy and Two Face, and it was awesome. I think I put a picture of it in a post a while back, you should go look at how amazing his costume was!

Well, I hope that everyone has a great weekend. Mine includes:

-a bonfire tonight after work

-an anniversary party for the in-laws (yay for 25 years!)

-going to see Where the Wild Things are

-going to see a the play Steel Magnolias with the husband at his old highschool

-writing the three essays that are due Monday

-church

-Pizza with the Pastor after church

-hanging out with my husband all Sunday afternoon

-chapel service Sunday evening

I am so blessed, and that is just all there is to it.

Winners!

2009-10-18T23:52:00.003-05:00

So....guess what.

I think you both are SO special [and the only ones that entered... :)] I decided that you BOTH get pretty new hair clips! Yay Jaime and Kara!

I forgot (and by that I mean ran out of room in my bags) to pack any homework with me when we went on our retreat, so I am frantically trying to get all of my homework done tonight, so there is no fancy post until tomorrow! See you then?

[Kara and Jaime-just email me at jesstank(at)gmail(dot)com with your addresses and I will send you some goodies! Thanks for the sweet advice! I loved it]

Anyone there?

2009-10-16T10:26:00.003-05:00

Look how girly I look painting in this picture! It cracks me up, because I am so NOT afraid of working hard and getting dirty...

Haha. I just wanted to let you know that so far no one has entered my giveaway! That means that if you do enter, your chances are pretty good! Just leave a comment below with some advice for me...(the sillier, the better, I might add.)

So much to do today before we leave at three! But I have lots of time and have been super-productive with the time that I have been up so far, so I am not worried about it.

I worked at Hobby Lobby last night and it was the day when we get our shipments in, so I was putting away yarn and finally found the colors that I am using for my granny square afghan. They are I Love This Yarn (and I have to say, the name is totally true, for me anyway) and the colors are Burnt Pumpkin, Old Leaf, Grape, and Peacock.

They look a little more muted on the skein. Once I started making them into squares I started getting worried that they were too bright, but I think it will be alright.

I want to make a pretty big afghan, anyone know how many squares I need? I was thinking somewhere around 144 or so, but I am not sure. I got six done last night, and I am taking it all with me this weekend, so I will show you the results when we get back.

Hope you have an awesome weekend and that the leaves are looking as pretty where you are as they are starting to here! Is autumn not the best time of year?

Don't forget about the giveaway!

Giveaway time!

2009-10-15T09:52:00.002-05:00

I have been talking about it for a while now. This is just a quick little giveaway for you this weekend (it is fall break for me, so the weekend started today!) Who doesn't need more plaid for this fall? I spent all last Saturday making these cute little flower clips and bows and I saved some just for YOU.

All that you have to do to enter is leave me a comment giving me some words of wisdom. It doesn't matter what it is about, just leave me a little piece of advice!

This week has been pretty great. We have been working on repainting the kitchen in our building. I didn't think that it would be too difficult, but it has proven to need a lot of steps, and we can only really work on it in small chunks of time in the late evening, so it is a slow process.

Good news, I FINALLY got my sewing machine working. It came with plastic bobbins, and no matter what I did the thread got all loose and messy on the bottom. So I bought some metal bobbins and tried them and it works perfectly. All I have made so far is a pillow, but I am excited to get back into sewing. In high school, I sewed all the time, making my own purses and clothes and such.

Tomorrow we leave for a spiritual retreat at Logan Valley Camp, so I won't be around this weekend. I am so looking forward to spending so much time outside thinking and reflecting on God and how I am supposed to live my life for Him.

So, I won't be around much this weekend, but I will be missing you all!

I hope you have a really great day and that you get a little surprise to brighten it all up! Sometimes the littlest things can make the whole day brighter.

Don't forget to leave a comment to enter the giveaway! Be sure to leave one by Sunday afternoon, I will be drawing a name on Sunday evening (possibly by vlog...I have never done one before, so that means that it will probably be extra silly!)

Love you all, seriously.

Did you miss me?

2009-10-09T09:53:00.006-05:00

My blogging intentions were good...but you know how it is sometimes. I have been reading everyone else's blogs though!

We got safely back from Kansas City. I absolutely loved it. I am so sad to be leaving this season of our lives, but at least I am really excited about the next step too.

I was really just stopping in to say that a proper blog post will be coming soon because I was surprised last night at work to find out that I have Saturday off!

It has been raining here lots this week. I love the sunshine, but rainy days really are my favorite. Something about them just makes me feel so cozy inside, then peaceful outside.

Hope you all have a wonderful day. Today, tell someone that you love them for the first time. I bet it will mean a lot!

I will leave you with a pretty little thing that I put on my Christmas list:

Just so you know...

2009-10-02T09:35:00.003-05:00

Ok, lots of news.

I am in Kansas City all for the next three days. We got here yesterday evening. Tyler has classes all weekend for his Grad school, so I get to hang around with my former roomie and her husband.

Can I just say that Emily is the best? We lived together with her sister and another girl for two years. Some of the best memories in college were made with those girls. This is the night that we kidnapped Emily took her to coffee at Big Momma's and then walked around Commercial Street taking silly photos. We said this was our engagement picture.

We both discovered yesterday our mutual obsession with crafts and craft blogs! Tomorrow we are going to go craft supply shopping...so excited.

In other news: we got a new computer. Thank goodness. It is a Macbook, and I really like it so far. Does everyone else like their Macs?

In other OTHER news: I got a new camera. It is such a nice one that we got for pretty cheap on clearance at Target. I like it sooo much. I will show you more pics soon. I haven't take too many pictures yet.

In the last bit of news: I got a sewing machine. I just went for a new one, because it would have been just as expensive to fix the old one. I messed around with it for a good two hours and STILL could not get the bobbin tension right, so it is not in working condition yet. Anyone have tips on fixing this? I have turned that little screw both ways and tried like 50 times, but the stitches in the back still come out all loose and crazy on the back. Anyway, tips would be appreciated.

Well, just an update. I hope to get out and about some today and take some pictures and whatnot.

Hope everyone has a super day! Do something to make someone laugh today...they will appreciate it!

Musings.

2009-09-22T23:24:00.003-05:00

Tonight was pret-tay, pre-ttaaayyy, prettt-taay good. (You get this if you watch Curb Your Enthusiasm...and if you watch that show we are automatically friends! Please tell me if you watch this show!)

Tuesday afternoon/evening is the only time during the week where I have a large chunk of time free before 8:30 at night. So, instead of accomplishing much of anything homework wise, I took a trip to a junk store, and Goodwill with the husband. Picked up some GREAT plaid shirts for him (he looks awfully handsome in plaid!).

Then we watched some Curb. went to Bible Study, came back and made couscous with craisins, then watched Sunshine Cleaners. Alan Arkin is a favorite. Along with Amy Adams. I thought the movie was pretty good, but I built it up a little too much in my mind (based on nothing, I might add.)

Time for sleep oh-so-soon!

Hope your day was the best!

Hey There, Friends

2009-09-17T09:16:00.004-05:00

I just wanted to say that I promise, promise, promise that I am still alive and going to update the ol' blog with an actual post pretty soon.

Have you ever noticed that the fourth week of classes is always the craziest? This happens to be the fourth week, and there is oh-so-much to do!

In craftin' news:

For my birthday (which is today...) the husband was SO thoughtful and told me that he ordered me a "grab bag" of stuff from Red Velvet Art! It has not come in just yet, but I am soooo excited about it.

I also GOT A SEWING MACHINE! I am super, super excited about this. It is an old Singer that needs a bobbin case, plus the posts are broken off (need to figure out a way to fix that...) BUT I only paid $10 for it...so I am not complaining at all.

Rachel and Elsie's Autumn Craft Class Started, and I am already really enjoying it. I am working on the first project...slowly but surely. I will post pics when I have it done!

A give-a-way is coming very soon! And there will be THREE chances to win!

(This is partially what has taken up some of my late nights when breaks from homework are needed....Denny's with our friends. hehe.)

I hope your day is filled with lots of love and adventure!

A Sappy One

2009-08-26T23:21:00.010-05:00

I guess when Tyler is gone it means I blog more...

I signed up for etsy today. Yay! I am one step closer to having my own etsy shop. The goal is to have it up and running by November, hopefully in time for Christmas. Now, I am not silly enough to think that there is going to be a super-high demand for my stuff. It's just something that I want to do, and it makes me happy enough just to try.

Which leads me to something sorta-philosophical that I have thought about before. So often the whole "two become one" phrase gets thrown around about marriage. While I do believe that there is some level of this, I have found that marriage is not exactly what I thought it would be in this area.

What I mean is, having Tyler in my life provides me with a safe place to land if I should fail. Before I had him in my life, I was pretty scared to try anything new. In a lot of ways, I didn't know who I was. Now that he is my loving safety net, I feel so much more free to take chances. Who cares if I fail? I still know my worth, and if I should forget it, I have someone at home to tell me that I am being silly.

Tyler and I have "become one" in some ways, but our lives exist beyond one another. I thikn that is healthy. We aren't wrapped up in eachother every minute of everyday. Instead, we have found our place in our world right now, and at the end of the day we get to come home to eachother and treasure the time we spend together. Maybe this is not everyone's experience in marriage, but I have found it to be mine, and I like it a lot.

I also know that I have only been married for a little over a year and that we have LOTS of experiencing to do. I look forward to experiencing it with the best guy I have ever known.

Sorry for the sappy post, I guess I just miss him! But who wouldn't? Look how cute he is!

Favorite Things:
Funfetti Cake
Christmas
Blankets/Quilts
Little Miss Sunshine
Home Alone
90's Music

Tell me some of your favorite things! Have the best, best, best day ever!

-Jess

P.S. I am thinking about doing a give-a-way....stay tuned!

Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?

2009-08-25T23:09:00.013-05:00

Can I just say that I love, love, love my sisters? This was at my sister Jen's wedding this summer. So much fun, what a happy memory.

Oh man, I have been listening to the same few songs over and over again. Anyone that knows me knows that I do this from time to time. The main songs are "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here" by She & Him, "That's Not My Name" by The Ting Tings, and (don't laugh) "Battlefield" by Jordin Sparks. I guess that I must be in a weird mood, because usually I am listening to Waterdeep and Sufjan Stevens or classic rock...hehe.

School started, which means adjusting to a new schedule. But all of my friends are back, so it's a fair trade-off.

The husband is gone the rest of this week. That means a lot of talking to my fish, but also means sleepover and craft night at Alyssa's! I will have to find my camera to share some of our creations and inevitable-cheese-pizza-roll-eating...

Oh, Oh, Oh, I almost forgot to mention something really important! One of my favorite blogs, Run With Scissors, belongs to my fellow Jesus-loving, Missouri Girl, Janel. I love how kind, positive, and giving that she is to her blog readers! She is doing a Quilt Give-a-Way ! Go on over and check it out!!!

How perfect is this quilt? I think she just inspired the colors of Tyler and I's future bedroom.

I think instead of doing a great big post about favorites, I will just leave you with a few at the end of each blog post, so....

Kittens

Honey Nut Cheerios (I could eat them for breakfast and lunch everyday!)

yellow

the book of Luke

Flowers, especially white daisies and hydrangeas!

Hope everyone has an awesome Wednesday. Mine will be filled with working out, school, and working at the church!

A Little Something

2009-08-10T19:10:00.005-05:00

::insert general apology for not blogging here::

Well, now that is done.

I just realized that I have said nothing about what I like, what I do, what I want to do in the whole crafting arena. Right now, I don't do much. My husband and I are in a transition time before we move to Kansas City at the end of the year, so my goal is to downsize things as much as possible. I am hoping, hoping, hoping that our next place has some room for me to keep all the crafty stuff out so that I will feel more freedom to do it without having to drag everything out and then put it all back up at the end of the night. (If my husband is reading this, he is probably laughing at me saying that I put it all away!)

I like to make cute things. Sorry for the bad picture, I am still learning. But this is a purse that I made for a friend. I am pretty proud of it.

I made some dino ones too, because they are my favorite.

I also love to crochet. My Granny taught me when I was a little girl, then a friend helped me pick it back up a couple years ago. I am on a mission this fall/winter to make a granny square afghan. I just need to find the perfect color combo.

Lately I have been CRAZY about going to antique shops and yard sales. I think it feels like a treasure hunt, searching for that perfect fabric, perfect metal tray, perfect daisy spoon rest....so much fun!

The prospect of moving and having a larger apartment and redecorating has been really exciting, My style has drastically changed since we first moved into this apartment. I have gone less "urban-loft" with lots of blacks and greys to everything white, yellow and floral. Sorry, Tyler. He really is a good sport about it though, I am really blessed.

Next time, how about a list of my favorite things? How about you leave a comment telling me your favorite things...

Well, hello again.

2009-07-11T09:35:00.000-05:00

It's second post time!

Things have been going pretty smoothly around here, as usual. This has been the craziest summer of my life. For the first 8 weeks of summer vacation, there was not ONE WEEK where I did not go out of town at some point. Whether it was to go visit my parents, family vacation, or my sister's wedding, it was always fun. But you know how tiring traveling can be.

Anyway, this week I have been home all week, so it has felt like a somewhat slow week. I like it, but I can never go at a slow pace for very long!

For one of my jobs I lead the Children's Ministry at my church. I love it and the kiddoes soooooo much. I am way excited because next week is Kid's Camp in Tennessee. The camp is hero-themed, and I am working on some cute hero costumes for the girlios. I only went to camp as a kid one time, so I am pretty pumped to be going with them!

Well, off to work an eight hour day at Hobby Lobby. I love this job too! I feel so blessed to be able to have so many jobs that I really do love!

Peace.

Oh hi. I didn't see you there...

2009-07-09T10:57:00.001-05:00

Well, I have been putting off my first post until I could make my blog a little prettier, but that seems to be coming along a little slowly, so I decided to go ahead and introduce myself anyway!

My name is Jess Tankersley. I am a college student, but only for one more semester! I have a totally RAD husband named Tyler. He is silly, brilliant, funny, down-to-earth, and super cute. We just celebrated our one year anniversary last month (with Chinese food and The Lost World...to give you an idea of our dorkiness).

Right now I am in an amazingly fun stage of my life. I love my jobs, have a great teeny-tiny apartment with my husband. Good things.

I started this blog because I am really addicted to reading other people's blogs. Especially the crafty ones. I think I was just tired of reading everything anonymously and wanted to join in on the fun myself. While I don't make nearly enough time to be crafty, it still happens from time to time. Maybe this will help me be more motivated, no?

Please be patient as I figure out how to make the blog pretty and fun. I think it will be fun learning how to do it. I like just messing around with things until I figure them out...

Thanks for reading ladies and gentlemen!