Spring Break

Lily Grace was on Spring Break last week and we had the absolute best time.  While it felt more like winter break we still made the most of every moment.  Our week was filled with either snow ( Yes, you read that right.  It's midwest living.) sleet or rain, but we didn't care.  We were even blessed with an extra day off this year.  Gracie got out on Thursday the week before.  
We didn't waste a minute.  We bundled up and ticked our way through her annual spring break bucket list.  
We had so much fun and this morning's inevitable return to school came quick and early.  
No worries!  We are on the countdown to summer break!

Ready to go and yes, my child is wearing a bathrobe.  Who doesn't put their robe on over their clothes to travel to ensure they are cozy??  Have mercy!  

And the bathrobe is just the tip of the iceberg.  She also drags along half the house.

We refused the let Matt tune us out.  You know Chicago is only 156 miles from us but I swear sometimes it feels like forever.  Needless to say, Gracie and I try to keep things lively.  Poor Matt!

Matilda played at the Oriental Theater.  This was the first time we had been to this theater.  It was so ornate.  Everywhere you looked, even the ceiling was draped in gold or tiles or sculptures.  

All seated and ready for the show to begin

The props and stage decor were amazing in this show

On our way to our favorite breakfast spot in Chicago when the snow starts even though the tulips have sprung.  That snow would follow us home to Indiana, get harder and hang around for much of the week.  Throw in the wind and brrrr!

Of course we swung by American Girl to check things out and we got the biggest laugh when Matt photo bombed LG.  

LG's birthday is only two weeks away and we had to go into the Lego store so she could at least touch the Mindstorm EV3 Lego Robotic that she is so hoping for. 

When we returned home, we made a trip to Vera Bradley.  Gracie Cakes wanted to use her coupon and part with the money she's been saving so she could by herself a new hipster.  She was thrilled and couldn't wait to get home to change out her purse.  Actually she didn't, she did most of it in the car ride home. 

We enjoyed manis and pedis before meeting daddy for lunch one day.  Boy!  Running out in flip flops in the cold rain proved to be one of the coldest pedicures I have ever gotten.  Then I had to ride with the heat on high in the floor so I could dry my toes to put my socks and riding boots on for lunch.  Gave us a good laugh nonetheless.  Gracie opted for a manicure.  She's afraid to get a pedi after this little old lady got ahold of her toenail cuticles.  HA! HA!  We all get a good laugh teasing her about that.  

And in true Lily Grace form, her daily outfits didn't disappoint.  This is her: it's 37 degrees outside raining without a lick of sunshine and I am about to hit the scene outfit. The scene being the hip and popular Fresh Market- just the grocery y'all.  Needless to say, I was way underdressed on this particular cold and rainy day beside all this. Oh!  And no worries, she toughed it out for the sake of being cute and threw on a pair of flats with this outfit. 

One whole day we spent doing a lot of this for Gracie's upcoming birthday party.  We finally just moved everything into the living room and set up shop as the rain pounded the windows.  LG worked on outfits for her paper dolls and Molly just enjoyed the company. 

When you ask LG about her favorite day of Spring Break, she doesn't say Chicago, or shopping or going to see the movie Zootopia, a trip to the bakery or a morning browsing for library books or any of the other things.  She is quick to tell you it was this day.  The day we didn't care that it was raining cats and dogs and cold.  The day we moved all of our sewing out of our sewing room in the basement upstairs into the wide open living room for any guest stopping by to see. The day we spent about 6 hours confined to this area poking ourselves, cutting and ironing fabric and learning how to tie a sewing knot.  The day it looked like a fabric shop blew up in the house.  The day we belted out tunes and sang along about God's love with Lauren Dagle.  The day her mama didn't worry if the clothes were folded and she wasn't asked to make sure her shoes were picked up and neither of us noticed or payed attention to the others mess, just the conversation between us.  We just were... we were in the moment having a good time, sharing our creations, laughing and just hanging out.  You know....it was my favorite too.  I will cherish it always.  I am very blessed to get to share these times with Gracie and each and every one of them mean the world to me.  Especially those that from the outside look like nothing too special but actually are so much more...more than even I realized until I heard her share this day with a couple of people who asked her about what thing she had done that was the most fun. I didn't know it meant so very much to her as well.
Thanks Gracie Cakes for another awesome spring break and even more wonderful memories!  123

Happy Easter!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! He is risen!

Lily Grace is always leaving these little slips of paper all over the house.  They turn up in the most unexpected spots and are simply labeled, "To: Anyone".  Matt and I love finding them.  This morning, as Matt and I sat having coffee, I noticed one of the slips.  We opened it to find the below message.  

Yes!!!!!  He certainly does!!

Molly and Lily Grace checking out her Easter basket.  

Bunny rolls to start the day

We all took a turn trying out Gracie's new label maker and I didn't want Molly to feel left out so I whipped her one up.  She slept right through it. 

LG loves her origami 

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀 🍀

Daddy - Daughter Dance

Last night, Gracie's school held a Daddy-Daughter Dance.  This was the first year they've held one in a while so Lily Grace was beyond thrilled.  
She and Matt looked absolutely adorable!  They coordinated and she even got Matt to wear a pink tie!!!  Yes, Matt actually deviated from blue.  
We met friends for dinner before the dance and had a lovely time.  
When she returned home, they were both smiles and shared the highlights of their evening.   According to LG it was simply, "amazing!"

She was so excited!

She asked for a Curled High Pony and that I take a picture to remember how cute it looked.

It may have been 20 degrees outside and blowing snow, but these two melted my heart.

A "fun" pic according to Gracie Cakes and of course Molly had to get in on the action

Dinner with friends before the dance

These girls spend a lot of time together

Throughout the evening Matt sent me pics and videos from the dance.  All smiles!

Pioneer Day

Lily Grace's school had Pioneer Day.  It was wonderful!  They visited different stations where they did quilling, needlepoint, candle dipping and games.  They also enjoyed a catered lunch and even drank lemonade out of mason jars.  Y'all the lunch was amazing and this southern girl felt right at home with fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and some green beans on the side.  
The day was topped off with a big square dance.  The kids learned to square dance in P.E.  It was adorable and so much fun!  I'm sorry to say that I don't have any square dancing pictures.  My phone died and so did my camera battery.  

Quilling

Making a talking stick

Trying to walk on stilts

Getting ready for a Pioneer lunch

Gracie and I were in Heaven

Girls Night!

Finally!  After two moves in two years, I think we are finally getting to that point after almost three years in IN where we can say it feels like home.  While I miss TN and our friends there, it's not as hard as it used to be and we now have a circle of friends that I know I could call on as well.  Our house is a revolving door of kids and I stay swamped with school volunteer projects and Matt is happy working only 20 minutes from home.  This fall he has even been invited by Purdue, (who ranks in the top 50 business schools in the U.S) to be a part of their EMBA program. He has a wonderful job who supports him and our family in so many wonderful ways.  Life is good!  Lily Grace loves it here!  She adores her friends and her school.  Again, life is good and we are most blessed.  
Three of Lily Grace's closest friends just happen to be the three ladies who I am closest to and sit on a couple of committees with at school.  It's nice!  
Thank you God for the peace you bring us in everything, for prayers answered, people placed in our lives and your blessings that abound around us. 

Friends

Family Day 2016: 9 Years

On January 30 we celebrated family day.  We actually started celebrating on Friday, January 29 and made it a three day weekend event.   
We went to Indy and enjoyed the Children's Museum, dinner and some shopping.  We also enjoyed a game day and just hanging out and having extra time together.  
Thank you God for the blessing of family and the love that we share.  Thank you for the example of unconditional love. 

1Corinthians 13:4-7,15

 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth.  It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. 
 ...And now these three remain: faith, hope and love.  But the greatest of these is love.  

Stylish- even among the dinosaurs

Matt and Lily Grace raced each other on the chocolate slide.  

Trying her hand at Chinese 

Gracie was born The Year of The Dog

Exploring the artifacts exhibit and trying her hand at putting a plate back together 

Not often you see Matt a lit up in Neon.  ha!  ha!  Not exactly business attire.

Gracie and I tried our hands at painting our faces like Chinese opera singers.  We both took "smoky eye" technique to a whole new level

Date Night

Lily Grace and Matt have been enjoying date night since Lily Grace was barely three years old.  They do something together once a month, just the two of them and they both look forward to it.  They often go out to dinner, but this time LG requested a "fancy" dinner at home.  She also requested shrimp.  People I despise shrimp and detest cooking it even more.  It's gross to clean and stinks up the house but for these two........well, I would do anything.  
Matt and Lily Grace also share a love for Legos.  It's something they really enjoying doing together.  So when Matt picked Lily Grace up from Lego Robotics after school, he surprised her with a kit they've been admiring.  
They had quite the night eating, playing cards, working on Legos and watching Snow White, all before 8:00.  How sweet!  

On the flip side, I may have spoiled these two. A fancy dinner at home has come up again. Now don't get me wrong, I loved being able to listen to their sweet date ( I stayed in another room for the time doing my own thing while they had their date.) but I am desperately hoping that if they do decide to enjoy another fancy date night at home, they request chicken and not shrimp.  Otherwise, I may lose my status as hostess with the mostess.  

Notice the white dry erase board on the side of the island.  I set it out for them because Lily Grace love long division and said that they would do a little for fun.  Too cute!  And yes, I did hear her quizzing Matt on long division.  Can't say she isn't a fun date!

Table for Two: right down to the the stuffed olives, lemon slices on the water goblets, freshly pressed (and ya'll this blog is called unfolded laundry) linen napkins and beautiful arrangement of tulips.

Molly got groomed earlier in the day and was allowed to hang out on date night.  

Enjoying their shrimp pasta dish

Part of their set done before time for shower and bed