happiness is a warm puppy. - charles m. schulz

disclaimer: if you are not a dog person (or treat your dog like your child), you may want to skip this.

"happiness is a warm puppy" are wise words spoken by the creator of peanuts and the famous beagle, snoopy.  on july 5, 2010 jake and i brought home our very own puppy, dug.  we had just been married a month when i saw my mom's neighbor's sister (whew, did you get that?) had set up a stand with her beagle puppies for sale.  i made the huge mistake of picking up the most cuddly puppy in the bunch.  despite the nebraska heat, this little guy snuggled in for a little nap in my arms instantly making me call to convince my new husband that we needed a puppy.

we researched and discovered beagles are a friendly breed and the characteristics of a beagle were something we were fond of.  so a call was made, date arranged, and in 2 days we were off to pick up our beagle.  we had to drive about 45 minutes to ravenna to pick him up.  when we arrived she let out the beagle puppies from their pen and they instantly started running all over the place chasing each other.  we quickly wrangled ours from the pack, paid, and were off.

as soon as we were out of the driveway, our new beagle was upset.  do you blame the poor puppy?  he was just ripped from his mom, his siblings, and the comforts of his pen.  he cried (shrilly and loudly) for the complete duration of our drive home.  there were several times jake and i looked at each other and wondered what we had gotten ourselves into.  i'm pretty sure i even suggested taking him back.

but we didn't.

we arrived home and he instantly calmed down.  he was finally warming up to us.  a few minutes later, we showed him his shiny new food bowl, and fresh water, as well as a green, fluffy, squeak bone with tug ropes coming out of it (his first toy).  that sealed the deal.  he was in love with us.

there's so much more i could add to the story about raising a puppy (potty training!), sneaking him into our bed while jake was on a camping trip, teaching him tricks, his hate/fear of cats, etc. but it all comes down to the fact that our home is so much better with our dog.  i couldn't imagine life without him.

as many know, one of my favorite books to read with my students is "where the red fern grows".  i'll close with a quote from the book.

“Men," said Mr. Kyle, "people have been trying to understand dogs ever since the beginning of time. One never knows what they'll do. You can read every day where a dog saved the life of a drowning child, or lay down his life for his master. Some people call this loyalty. I don't. I may be wrong, but I call it love - the deepest kind of love."

After these words were spoken, a thoughtful silence settled over the men. The mood was broken by the deep growling voice I had heard back in the washout."It's a shame that people all over the world can't have that kind of love in their hearts," he said. "There would be no wars, slaughter, or murder; no greed or selfishness. It would be the kind of world that God wants us to have - a wonderful world.”
― Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows

and what a wonderful world it would be.

our third anniversary

june 5th was our third wedding anniversary.  i wanted a low key night so we headed to yanney park with jimmy johns and chocolate pudding!  we had a cozy picnic while watching a little boy and man fly kites.  jake and dug ran around and then we took him on a little walk around the park.  yanney is where jake and i had our first kiss as well as where he proposed so it holds a special place in my heart.

happy valentine's day

happy valentine's day... a week late...

jake and i had a low-key evening.  i hate going out of valentine's day.  our evening consisted of homemade cards, breakfast for supper, and sharing a candy bar all while watching dexter.  probably not the most romantic show to watch, but it was nice to have an excuse to relax and do nothing other than hang out with each other.

i made this overnight paula deen baked french toast.  it's seriously more like dessert.  it was so good.  you can find the recipe here.

ok, seriously... i didn't get a single photo of us on valentine's day.  i fail.  hope your day was full of love and thankfulness.

psalms 32:8

i was doing my devotions yesterday and read psalms 32:8

"the Lord says, "i will guide you along the best pathway for your life.  i will advise you and watch over you." -new living translation

i also liked the new international translation.

"i will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; i will counsel you with my loving eye on you."

i've been contemplating applying for a teaching position in my current town.  this would be no more daily 2 hour commutes, but it would also mean i would leave a school i adore.  i'm torn.  i know that i am meant to be a teacher and i can't live without teaching, but where does God want me?  i will be meditating on this verse this semester.  Lord Jesus, guide me on the best pathway you have ready for me.

our weekend

this weekend was busy.  i've almost completed my to-do list!

10:00 pm saturday night i decided to make those 2 ingredient banana-oatmeal cookies i've been seeing on pinterest.  jake was at work and it was rainy.  i added some chocolate chunks and cinnamon to the mixture.  i like them.  they're different, but curb my sweet tooth.

every week i contemplate if i should get groceries at target or wal-mart.  and every week it seems that whatever location i choose, i end up having to go to the other store for one or two more items.  this week was the same.  i went to wal-mart for our groceries. they were out of french bread and quinoa to i had to go to target.  and yes, i got out of target without buying anything unnecessary - score!

this year i'm taking the easy route and giving soda to my students for valentine's day.  we have our party on thursday.

oops, i guess i did get these adorable stamps at target - but they were in the $1.00 section so that counts for something, right?  i have some valentine's cards i would like to make with these stamps.

my sunday school work time partner.  i work in bed and dug is always ready to join me.  he naps.  i grade papers and catch up on school work.  it's a good system, but sometimes i would like to switch roles.

i hope the weekend was ultra-productive and relaxing for you.  i know i'm not ready to go back to work, but it should be a good week.

friday night

love you swore, john mark mcmillan

i'm typically behind the times when it comes to music.  i have a few artists i follow and love and i mostly just stick to listening to them.  pandora also makes it easier for me to just listen to artists i like and similar artists without having to pay attention to when a new album comes out.  

i have a john mark mcmillan station on pandora, but last week a friend in our Bible study loaned us one of mcmillan's albums, economy.  it played in our car for the whole week.  i loved it.  this song, love you swore really spoke to me.

here are the lyrics:

Chase me down like a lion
Like a bird of prey
Lift me up from the ashes
Of my hearts own shallow grave

Cause I know that I love you
But sometimes I’m afraid
Whoa oh…

Spare my body from the wolves, God
That crouch down at my door
Lift me up above the waters
And the sharks that guard your shore

Cause I know that I need you
But sometimes I know it more
Whoa oh…

Harbor me in the eye of the storm
I’m holding on to love you swore

the lyrics cause i know that i need you, but sometimes i know it more are so true of my life.  it's almost convicting.  there are times in my life where i haven't had a close relationship with God because my life was going well and what i thought, according to plan.  and when troubles would arise i would be there begging to God.  what an awesome remember to always be in need of God.

here's the song if you're interested.

suzy homemaker in the works

is it just me, or does decorating your home make you nervous, sweaty, and overly anxious?  anyone? ...ok i'm probably one of the only ones, but decorating our space can be difficult for me.  i typically can make decisions quickly and with no regret... except for when it comes to picking out a pillow for the couch.  i've made a lot of progress the past few months years (who am i kidding here?!) but i'm starting to feel like giving up.  i feel like sharing this will motivate me to continue decorating our apartment.

a lot of my struggles come within spending money or DIY-ing things i see and like.  i'm also the most impatient person when it comes to completing projects.  above, you can see my nightstand.  we use vintage orange crates propped on one end.  the lamp was thrifted and i added twine around the lampshade.

i used burlap, white acrylic paint, and stencils to add some details to the above frames.  the album is bright eyes' first day of my life.  early on when jake and i started dating he gifted me the framed album - which is my favorite.  now, go listen to first day of my life by bright eyes.  i hope it makes you smile like i do every time i listen to it.

this is jake's side of the dresser.  he loves his tolkien.  the giant clothespin was a gift.  the camera was thrifted, and the mushrooms are from target.

this would be my side of the dresser.  the bowl is part of a set i was gifted at one of my bridal showers.  the shell ring holder was something that once belonged to my grandma and the earring crate is something i thrifted.

i'm sure plenty of you have seen tutorials on many blogs on this project.  i simply found a picture at a thrift store (the frame is what sold me!) and added the saying "such great heights".  it was our wedding song (iron & wine's version) and has a lot of special meaning to us.  it's hanging above our dresser.

ok, i think i'm off to finally decide on that pillow... or maybe i'll just try to make one myself...

Christmas is all around...

we celebrated Christmas with my mom's family early this year.  my sister was able to fly into nebraska from georgia so we went to my mom's for the weekend.  seeing some of the same Christmas decorations from my childhood just gives me the warm fuzzies.  that nativity scene has been around probably before i was even born.  my favorite memories of Christmas involve playing and rearranging the nativity scene almost daily.  it's gotten so much use that it's even missing one wise man (death from cat) but that's another story for another time.  any Christmas decorations or traditions that just immediately get you into the holiday mood?

have yourself a merry little christmas...

just a few snapshots of holiday decorating at the french house.  

thanksgiving

another year is wrapping up and thanksgiving approached so fast!  i feel like every year i become more and more reflective on our day of thanks.  this year i felt so convicted about being so selfish and greedy!  i feel as if i always want more and need more.  thanksgiving was such a great time to realize how much i do have!  here's a couple of snapshots on thanksgiving day.  jake had to work, so it was just me and dug road-tripping to my mom's house.

it didn't take dug long to figure out who was carving the turkey.  uncle marlin and dug soon became fast friends.

i know this is a horrible quality photo, but dug was literally in a food coma the entire evening.  so many relatives slipped him a piece of turkey here and there.  in his opinion, it was the best day ever.

we're moving!

what a whirlwind!  on tuesday, i drove over to kearney to meet up with jake at the end of his work shift so we could head to our Bible study together.  he surprised me saying he found an apartment that would allow a small dog and had scheduled an appointment with them that was in 15 minutes.  i was a little skeptical.  we had already looked at 2 apartments that allowed a small dog and they were so disgusting i wouldn't even let dug live in them.  

when we arrived we were pleasantly surprised.  it was small.  but it was spotless.  we filled out an application, and the landlord offered it on the spot saying he could skip the credit check since i was a teacher and jake's job is managerial.  i love the "i'm trustworthy because i'm a teacher" card.  he gave us a couple hours to think about it.  after Bible study, i was still in love with the place as was jake, so we did it!  we took the place.

friday night and today has been spent packing, organizing, and unpacking.  we still have a lot to do, but the huge smile on my face is still there.  through all this, i feel as if God was really teaching me a lesson in patience.  i am so impatient, but several weeks ago i finally gave it up to Him knowing that He would work it all out for us and put us where he wanted us to be.  God is good.

i'm off to pack up a few last boxes so we can finish moving tomorrow!

welcome fall...

dear fall,

welcome!  summer has long overstayed her welcome (at least in my opinion).  i'm so glad you finally have arrived in nebraska!  the leaves are changing colors and they become more and more beautiful everyday.

fall, we took a walk this evening.  i enjoyed hearing the crunch of the leaves under my feet... almost as much as i enjoyed my company for the walk.

i love these two.  they are so adorable.

the glowing sunset was beautiful tonight.  this pile of pallets makes me want to create all the pallet art and furniture i've seen on pinterest.

the wood piles around town are slowly, but surely growing bigger and bigger preparing for the crisp mornings and chilly evenings.  fall, you have to promise me you won't let old man winter budge in before your time is up.  he likes to arrive early in nebraska - sometimes bringing snow as early as october!

i'm enjoying the first crisp breeze nipping at my cheeks and pulling the long sleeves and sweaters out of storage.  fall, i love you and all the beauty you bring.  please, stick around for awhile.

love, 

holly