Merry COVID Christmas

Well, it's safe to say this Christmas break was one like no other as Jason and I both had COVID the first part of the week--and yes, this included Christmas Eve, Day, and a few following. It was a HUGE BUMMER but, our family and friends made it bearable and in some ways, it still felt like Christmas--even without being able to partake in our favorite things!

We had family members and friends dropping off food and treats left and right. 

Unfortunately, we both lost our smell and taste but, we were nourished and well taken care of! 

It's coming back, slowly but surely. 

As different as this Christmas holiday was, I want to remember it. 

I want to remember how we had to take it slow, had to rely on others, and were able to literally spend every second of it together. It was sweet, in it's own COVID way and I know I will never forget it. 

I think this was my first Christmas Eve Communion Service to ever miss (in person) and while it was sad--if it wasn't for quarantine in March, we would not have had this live stream service and so for that, I am thankful that we were still able to "be there" through streaming. 

Christmas Eve is when all of my family gets together and opens presents. So, we FaceTimed and got to see everyone open their gifts and they watched us open ours (that our family had so graciously dropped off earlier that day). 

As we've gotten older, our stockings are our surprise from my parents on Christmas morning. We never know what's going to be in there and it's always so much fun opening those and going through them together. Since we were quarantined this year, Mom boxed up our stockings and delivered them to the front door with a strict note to not open them until Christmas morning. It was a gesture that most definitely made it feel more like Christmas! We FaceTimed her and Dad while we went through them before the craziness of their day started. It was simple & sweet and very much appreciated. 

Since we couldn't see anyone, we were sent ALL THE CUTE PICTURES of everyone from their Christmas mornings. 

Bennett, stealing the show with that smile!

Blair said that his new sippy cup was his favorite gift--ha!

Then, later that day, we zoomed with our extended family that we usually travel to see during the holidays. 

It felt the same as we were all talking over one another and spent a good bit of the time laughing and smiling. 

We ended the day snuggled up on the couch,  FaceTiming with Jason's parents since our trip to go and see them was also delayed for the time being. 

All of that being said, know that Jason and I are on the mend and are looking forward to spending the last week of our Christmas break out of quarantine!

I'll end by sharing this excerpt from the Advent book I read this year. The book was so, so good--it was, "Come Thou Long Expected Jesus" and I highly, highly recommend it. 

This one was from an entry written by Joni Eareckson Tada:

“On this side of eternity, Christmas is still a promise. Yes, the Savior has come, and with Him peace on earth, but the story is not finished. Yes, there is peace in our hearts, but we long for peace in our world. ⁣

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Every Christmas is still “a turning of the page” until Jesus returns. Every December 25 marks another year that draws us closer to the fulfillment of the ages, that’s draws us closer to home. ⁣

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When we realize that Jesus is the answer to our deepest longing, even Christmas longings, each Advent brings us closer to His glorious return to earth. When we see Him as He is, King of kings and Lord of lords, that will be “Christmas” indeed! ⁣

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Christmas is an invitation to a celebration yet to happen. If you’ve got a Christmas longing, you’re about to be satisfied, too. Just hold on and say with me...Maranatha! Come Lord!” ⁣

⁣

Joni Eareckson Tada

Like I said, it was a Christmas like no other but, one thing is sure--the truth and meaning of Christmas, Jesus becoming a baby and coming to save us all from our sins, doesn't change...even when you have COVID and Praise God for that!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Big Summer Project

If you've been following along with my Instagram since school ended then you know Jason and I have had some MAJOR updates done to our house. 

Why the updates?

Well...

We had some water damage to our floors and summer proved to be the best time to take them up and have them replaced. 

As with any good house update, you need some before and afters to see just how far you've come! Unfortunately, I didn't do the best job taking before pictures because quite honestly, we hit the ground running the same day that school ended and we went non-stop for a week solid. But, I found a good many before pictures on my phone so, you'll have a good visual! I even found some pictures from when the house was listed for sale online--before it was even ours! BOY! We have made some serious upgrades and I love them. 

Without further ado

This one's an old one but, I wanted it on this post since we're showing so many before and afters. We painted the shutters and the front door 3 years ago and I still love it. 

Next up...the living room!

This one was from before we even moved in. The previous owner--but, it gives you a good idea of the progression of changes

This was about 3 years ago

And now! The only change in this room was the flooring (furniture was changed around 3 years ago).

Next up, the fire place. 

We removed the tile and used the brick to resurface it. We took the wood flooring all the way to the fireplace because it's gas and there's no chance of it popping or getting ash on the floor. 

These next two are of the back door area--they are not good, at all but, this is where the problem began. It's where the water was coming in and the floor was swelling and bubbling. We had already cut a piece out to make sure there wasn't mold under there. 

You can also see how the wood flooring used to go all the way to the back door. 

Because of the water damage, we decided to do somewhat of a built-in brick "rug" at the back door.

I wasn't too sure about it but, I actually like it a lot and am so happy we decided to do it!

I didn't get a picture of the new set up from the same angle but, the only change in the dining area is the flooring. We moved our old kitchen table in there many years ago and finally got some table decor. 

 The foyer used to have tile all over it but now...

 Goodbye tile, hello beautiful flooring and rug! 

I will say, taking up that tile was THE WORST part--it was so difficult and definitely took the longest but, it looks so much better. 

 For some reason, when we painted all of our main rooms when we first moved in, we didn't paint the hallway. So, I went ahead and tackled painting the hallway while everything was in disarray. 

Such a small task but made a big difference. 

I couldn't find a picture of the office before we moved in but, I found some before we added the shelves--which transformed the room.

With the shelves and the old stained floors

and then most recently, all we did was put the wood flooring all throughout the room

We also added a rug to keep the floor protected. 

Not the best before pictures for this room but, it's the only ones I could find. The floor was very poorly stained in this room--so, I was EXTREMELY happy to get this one taken care of. 

The afters with the new flooring put in--excuse all the frames on the bed in the first picture.

and I saved the biggest transformation for last--the guest bathroom--my new favorite room in the house! This first one is from before we ever moved in--from the previous owner and it was wallpaper galore. If you've ever tried to remove wallpaper, then you know what a pain it is. It was one of the first things that we did when moving in--removing the wallpaper. 

Even these next few pictures are a little dated (maybe from 4 years ago or so) but for the most part, it looked similar to these with the green walls--I know, what was I thinking? HA!

We had enough brick to go ahead and do the floors in the bathroom, we painted it, got new light fixtures, new towel rods and some new decor. 

 These gorgeous towels are from HomeGoods and Target--they were exactly what I was looking for.

 You can see the new fixture in this one:

Lastly, the pergola

 We added some roofing to the pergola to keep water from hitting the door in hopes to take yet another preventative measure. Can't wait for a rainy day so we can sit outside, hear the rain falling, and sip coffee. 

I am BEYOND pleased with how everything turned out and I can't wait to spend the rest of the summer enjoying the house. 

Here's to relaxation!

1,825 Days

Jason and I celebrated our 5 year anniversary on the 23rd last month. 

I love that it always falls during Thanksgiving Break so we can always set aside time to celebrate. 

The traditional anniversary gift for 5 years is wood. 

We decided to spruce up our office by adding some wooden shelves as a gift to us both. 

It was certainly a task but, so worth it.

I am so happy about how they turned out and now, we have such a sweet reminder about our 5 years together! And, on another fun note, only the special/ultimate favorite books made it to the new shelves. 

 Our office finally looks like...an office and I am a happy, happy girl!

We ended the night with a celebratory dinner at Aplos. 

Look at that handsome man that I've had the privilege of loving, growing with, and changing with over the last 5 years! Here's to many, many more years!