Wednesday, November 26, 2014

So Thankful

I started thinking about the fact that I haven't been blogging as much as I wanted to, and thought this is the perfect opportunity. It's thanksgiving. So I started thinking about all of the things I'm thankful for, and I have concluded this: I am suuuuper blessed. So Here's what I'm thankful for, in no particular order. I'm going to do this in sort of a stream of consciousness method. So it might get kind of funny. Here goes:

Lord, I am so thankful for:

1. That I get to be an American and enjoy so much liberty and freedom. 

2. I get to worship God freely, without fear of persecution.

3. God created you and me and he loves us all so much that he sent his son to die, so that we can know Him. 

4. I have the best kids in the whole world. 



5. I come from a great family where I always knew that I was loved -- and unconditionally so. 

6. My family (The Bouskas) really really like each other — probably more than ever — and we love hanging out whenever we get the chance. 

7. I married into a really great family that loves each other so much. 

8. I get to live in a really great house that is warm and stays warm thanks to the new furnace we got on one of the coldest days of the year last year. 

9. We have two cars that work well. 

10. I get to stay home with my kids and watch them grow up.



11. IPTV now comes in through our archaic rabbit ears -- since we rearranged our family room and moved the TV. (Coincidental that this comes after being thankful I get to stay home with my kids!?)

12. This week, Penelope, August, and I somehow, by the grace of God, avoided the food poisoning that my parents both got after eating chicken at their house. Apparently, they ate contaminated pieces and we didn't. I'm sorry, mom and dad, that you have to go through this. But I am so thankful we are well!

13. I'm thankful we got sick the week before Thanksgiving. I might never be able to eat turkey and mashed potatoes again if I had to try to catch them in a bowl while Penelope threw them up. 

14. I'm thankful Penelope is getting old enough to throw up into a bowl. (Seriously, this is a huge deal.)

15. August has the best laugh in the world. Yesterday, as the kids and I were coming back from Minnesota, August had just woken up from an epic nap (that got us all the way to Ames), he just kept laughing. Not only was it one of two non-stop trips we've made from Minnesota in the last three and a half years, it was so pleasant to have a kid laughing, not crying in the back seat. 

16. I'm so thankful for that car ride. And that I didn't get pulled over for speeding. 

17. I'm thankful for the really great snow suit I got on Craigslist for August that I got just in time for the snow. And for the really cute snow suit we got from the girls next door for Penelope. These kids really like playing in the snow!



18. I'm thankful for the early winter. Romans 5:3-5 tells us to rejoice in our sufferings, so that is what I will do :) But seriously, though, it is annoying and it takes an extra 30 minutes to get out of the door...and then my van doors get frozen shut so we pile in through the hatch. But winter is so beautiful. And I'm honestly thankful for how the white snow reflects the dim light of winter. I think God had a plan with the season. 



19. I'm thankful for my husband. (Sorry I didn't get to you until #19.) He is so gracious and loves The Lord. He compliments me so well. And he cleans up after me a lot. 

20. I'm thankful for how Tim loves our kids and spends quality time with them. I'm thankful for how excited they are every night when he comes home from work. 



21. I'm thankful that we have plenty of clothes and plenty of food. 

22. I'm thankful that God's grace meets me at my sin and imperfection. 

23. I'm thankful for the Bible -- that I can read it and know who God is and understand what he wants for me in this life. 

24. I'm thankful that there is more to life than just this little, fairly insignificant life. I'm thankful that God can use my life here and now, and after this is over, I will get to be with God in heaven. 

25. I'm thankful for my incredible friendships. I have friends here in Des Moines that I met the first week of my freshman year at Drake. I have a history and commitment with these people.

26. And then I get to make new friends all of the time. And I am so encouraged by my newer friends' lives, too. I just know so many people who love people so sacrificially and selflessly. It is a beautiful thing. 



27. I'm thankful for story time at the Library. I get to see a couple of my college roommates there with their kids. It is so fun to have this time to catch up and encourage each other. The three of us go to different churches, but our hearts are really about doing the same things, and I love it. 

28. I'm thankful that we killed the two mice that were living under my bed. True story. I would wake up at night hearing things right beneath me. Tim would touch me and I would scream, thinking a mouse was actually in the bed. But they are gone now. So thankful. 



29. I'm thankful we didn't have a bat in our house this fall. 

30. I'm thankful for the girls next door. They are 8 and 4, but they play with my kids every day we are in the backyard. They came over today and made a giant fort in my living room. They are great kids, and it is such a blessing to have playmates for Penelope. 



31. I'm thankful that I get to go to bed around 9:30 most nights. I love my bed. I'm always exhausted. You know you're in a new phase in life when you are in bed on a Friday or Saturday before 10 and you feel like you've won the lottery. ha!

32. I'm thankful for my sister Beth and our friendship. I'm so thankful that she was blessed with such a healthy boy this year and that she is a great mom. 



33. I'm thankful that, even though my sister Julie lives in London, she comes home so often I see her just about as much as I would if she was still in Minnesota. And I get to see her in a few weeks!



34. I'm thankful that my kids go down to bed fairly easily, and that they sleep through the night most of the time. 

35. I'm thankful that we are all very healthy. 

36. I'm thankful that God is for me (Romans 8:31-32); that he has really good things planned for me as I trust him. I'm excited what this means for our future. 

37. Speaking of the future... This is something to be really thankful for:


Another Laehn will be coming home sometime in June. We are really excited about this. Penelope wants a sister. 

I could keep going, but this seems like a really good place to stop. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sunday, November 9, 2014

Kitchen Reveal

On the hottest weekend in August, Tim and I shipped the kids to Grandma's house so we could undertake a project. We were determined to do a little remodeling... of a useless entertainment center.


It looked kind of like this. Except it was white. (We didn't take a before photo. I just did a quick search on Craigslist and this is the closest thing I could find.)

But this is what it looks like now:


I'm pretty particular when it comes to what toys look like in my house. I just want to avoid big plastic things if possible. The Pottery Barn Kids play kitchen is like $700, the IKEA kitchen is reasonable, but not cool at all. (Penelope had zero interest in it when we were there.) So, making our own was the best option. And Tim and I like doing projects together, so everyone was excited about it. 



We did a lot of shopping at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore and found some good deals. We got the faucet for $10, the backsplash tiles for $1, and the towel rack for $1. 



The cooktop is a muffin tin from Walmart. We painted the tops to make them look like burners. It's kind of weird that the burners sit so high off the countertop, but we figured kids have an imagination. 


Underneath the sink and cooktop is plenty of storage for pots and pans. 


And there is plenty of storage in the fridge for food. Penelope got a lot of play food from friends and family for her birthday. 



The most expensive part to the kitchen were the knobs, coming in at $16. We debated improvising with some wooden knobs, but we knew the real ones would be a detail that would make it look legit. 

The greatest thing is that Penelope loves it.