A Weekend to Remember

 Mr. Free and I had a fantastic long weekend!

He surprised me with a trip to Minneapolis!

We already had a 3 day weekend, and a month or so ago he told me to ask for the following Monday off so we could have a 4 day weekend.

I knew nothing about what was going on, except that Levi would go with his parents and to pack for any kind of weather.

Leaving Levi was hard, but we really needed some time the two of us.

I know a strong marriage is the best gift we can give him, so as hard as it was, it was good for all of us.

And he had so much fun with grandma and grandpa!

 They fed him lots!

And he carved his very first pumpkin!

 Pretty good, huh? : )

 He even went to Chick Fil  A and had had his very first kids meal!

And, of course, grandma took him shopping!

So...back to us...

We headed out Friday morning.

Mr. Free started driving north.

It wasn't until Des Moines and we stopped for lunch that he told me our destination!

We got there around 5 and checked into our hotel.

We then took the shuttle to the Mall of America.

I was a happy girl!

This place has its own zip code!

 We were just fascinated by how huge it was!

And the large amusement park in the center!

We just bought a few souvenirs and tried to find our way around.

It is overwhelming!

We stayed until it closed then took the shuttle back to the hotel.

Saturday morning, we headed to IKEA.

I was so.stinkin.excited.

 We started the day in the cafe' for breakfast.

 $.99 baby. Not bad.

Brian with a random guy in a kitchen display.

I had so much fun roaming through.

Even though it was crazy crowded.

I was bad and barely took any pics inside.

I was having too much fun.

We did buy a few things...

For Levi (for Christmas) we got:

The Mala Easel.  Just $14.99! Wood with white board on one side and chalk on the other.

We also got a ginormous roll of paper that feeds up and over the easel.

A plush tool belt with plush tools. 

 A plush moose. Doesn't that just seem "Minnesota"?

This adorable eating set $4.99

 And these cool stacking cups which we will probably put in his stocking ($2.99)

 We also got 2 items for our mini living room makeover:

A wall mount for our LCD TV ($19.99...so  much cheaper than anywhere else!)

We also got the Lack Shelf in Black/Brown ($14.99) to go below the TV to put our Mac Mini and components.

I like the floating look and think it'll look good!

We also got some yummy food items, like hazelnut chocolate and lingonberry jam!

We then went to two art museums and the Walker Sculpture Gardens (amazing!!)

We first went to the Weisman Art Museum, which was free, small and good.

Then we headed to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.

This was free, amazing and HUGE!

Look at its gorgeous view!

 We both agreed it was our favorite there.

We got Levi this board book there at the gift shop. It is so cool!

I didn't download the pics from the Sculpture Gardens yet, but they were so cool!

It is the location of the famous Spoon Bridge and Cherry.

I tried some Caribou Coffee. Total Yum.

That night we headed to Matts Bar, to try the "original" Jucy Lucy.

(A Jucy Lucy is a cheese stuffed burger...it oozes out cheese...mmmm....)

It was definitely a dive and had like 15 tables.

It.was.amazing.

Holy yum.

Sunday Morning

We hit up IKEA again, solely for the $.99 breakfast, then went across the street to the Mall of America again.

Brian indulged in a Godiva shake. The only girly drink he will have.

 We walked around a little bit...

 Then rode this bad boy.

The Sponge Bob roller coaster.

 We knew we had to ride a coaster there..and this was highly recommended.

 I was a little woozy afterwards...

We then headed to Minnehaha park

 I love fall. Isn't this gorgeous?! This was our drive to the park.

We had a picnic lunch by the "52 foot waterfall".

It was dried up. : (

But, still a beautiful area.

*sigh*

 

We then headed to the Walker Museum. Definitely our least favorite art museum.

It did have great views from its roof though...

 We then visited to Minneapolis Stone Arch Bridge.

We then ventured to The Nook in St. Paul for their version of the Jucy Lucy.

This place was on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives.

My burger was very good...but Matt's Bar wins.

We then went and walked the mall a bit more before calling it a night.

Today we drove and drove and were so excited to hug our little man.

We missed him like crazy.

We kept remarking "Oh, Levi would like that!"

"Can't wait to take him here one day!"

Such a great weekend. : )

Back to reality.

10 years

Ten years ago today, Mr. Free asked me to be his girlfriend.

I was a scrawny, buck-toothed, frizzy-haired red head that was full of spunk.

He was a skinny, handsome, funny teenage boy that could always make me laugh.

In the last ten years we have:

Graduated high school

Graduated college

Attended Grad School

Began our careers

Got engaged

Got married

Adopted pets

Bought a home

Traveled

Mourned the loss of grandparents

Battled through miscarriages and fertility testing

Gave birth to a bouncing baby boy

I'm so glad I said yes : )

Sewing

I am really loving sewing.

I am loving making things for my home and my family.

Items that cannot be reproduced.

Because they are made by me.

They are unique and made with love.

I am loving sharing my items with people I know and also complete strangers!

It's so great that this little sewing machine Mr. Free got me many years ago without even a mention of wanting one has become such a fun pastime and small little business for me.

You see....I've messed with it a bit over the years, but over all, it collected dust.

In fact, Mr. Free used it more than I did!

But, this past summer as I was home with my little baby boy I was reading a book.

"Beautiful In God's Eyes" by Elizabeth George.

I've read it many times.

It is all about the Proverbs 31 woman and breaks each verse down to make it practical for today.

It always challenges me each time I read it.

This time, the chapter about building a Cottage Industry caught my attention.

She mentions "taking something personal and making it professional."

Elizabeth emphasizes that the life of women is to revolve around the home and family.

She also recognizes that Proverbs 31 clearly shows that women is a businesswoman as well.

However, her business is still actively part of her family life.

I thought there wasn't anything I could do, outside of music and teaching, that could bless my family financially.

But, it was if the Lord hit me over the head.

Sew.

I wasn't very good, and still have a lot to learn.

But God has put a little passion in my heart to create warm and soft things for my home and my family. And with the abundance, sell them to bless and help my little family.

So I did.

And {Free Style Textiles} was born.

I am proud of my hard work and thankful for the great support I've had.

I love picking fabrics, creating new items and sharing them with my family and others!

Here's a sampling of my projects

Thank you to anyone who has bought from my little shop.

I am having a blast and it is so great to help my family financially through my hobby.

At the bottom of my business cards?
Proverbs 31:24

So, do you have a "Cottage Industry"?

Something "personal that became professional?"

A Day in the Life

 I am very much enjoying this season of life.

And I think, 2 months into our new schedule, I am starting to feel like I'm in the groove. 

As much as a frazzled, first time mom balancing work and home can.

: )

But here's a little peek into our daily life.

First, here is our very loose "daily schedule".

 Some days, Levi doesn't sleep well (which means Mama didn't sleep well) and we sleep til we wake up. 

Schedule out the window.

But more days than not, our day somewhat resembles this schedule.

I usually wake up sometime around 7ish. Mr. Free has just given me a smooch and he's off to work.

I then get around and get ready.

Pretty soon, Little Man is up.

We enjoy breakfast together.

I have the cutest breakfast date ever.

(I often have my daily devotional before Levi is up, or if he's up early, at the breakfast table)

After breakfast, it's chore time.

I corral the boy somehow so he can play while I clean whatever area is on the chore chart that day.

I sometimes will wear him while I clean, if he's having a more "clingy" day.

 Then it's play time!

We usually play down in the family room or play room.

This boy sure loves to play!

We end "play time" with a book or two.

Then, we gather our things and it's off to the sitters!

I head out around 11 to take Levi to the sitter and I head to work.

My 3.75 hours (who's counting, right?!) goes QUICK! 

I rush in, impart my wisdom and passion of music to children and I'm off again!

Mr. Free then picks up Levi from the sitter and I head home.

I get home around 4, and I may have a few minutes to breathe if dinner is in the Crock Pot.

If not....time to make dinner!

We eat dinner around 5:30 or so. At the table as a family.

Mr. Free is a Rockstar and usually cleans up dinner for us and then we all hang and play as a family.

We retire to the family room and Levi crawls every which way, Mr. Free plays with his boy or gets caught up on his lesson plans or homework.

I get caught up on the computer (Facebook, blog, Etsy...etc.)

At 7:30 it is bedtime for Little Man!

We get our jammies on and read a book, nurse and lights out!

This is the time now that I can sew. 

I try, try, try to keep my little side business/hobby out of the way of my mommy and home responsibilities. The day time is quality time with my family and helping our home.

So, back down to the family room.

I sew til my little hearts content and Mr. Free hangs and relaxes.

We usually retire around 10.

Zzzzzzzz....

So that's it!

I'm still learning to balance everything, but I am enjoying the journey as I "get there".

Mama got her chevron rug

 Isn't my little model adorable?!

 Since Little Mister began crawling, we knew we needed a bigger, softer rug for our living room.

The old rug was too small (4 x 6) and scratchy (an indoor/outdoor).

This suited us just fine when it was just us and the pets.

But with little baby knees on it, we needed a change.

 Luckily, RugsUSA had exactly what I had been looking for. AND it was on sale!

This 5 x 8 chevron rug is originally $109, which isn't bad but hoping for a better deal. Then it went to 50% off, so it was $58! And free shipping!

It came within 5 days and I'm in love!

I had searched everywhere.

Target, WalMart, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Overstock.com

Nada.

If I liked it, it was like $300.

No way, Jose'.

Then I remembered many bloggers remarking about RugsUSA, so I checked it out.

Score.

Modern rugs for a bargain price.

I will say, it is quite thin. But it's soft.

And for the price? No complaints here.

They had a few color options. I debated between this blue and cream or the brown and cream.

However, with all the colorful art work in our living room and hallway, I decided the floor needed a punch of color too.

And I'm in love.

 We are in the process of giving our living room a "mini makeover".

Since we use our family room most of the time, we want to simplify our living room a bit.

More on that later...

 Here are the zig zags up close.

So, if you're in the market for a new rug...I highly suggest checking out RugsUSA.

Anyone else scored any major deals lately?