Sassyfras: Catch Up

So, it' been awhile since I've posted. I didn't exactly leave on a good note. However, although it's been a hard climb, it's in the right direction. It's only up, up, up from here.

In January we had my son's 4th birthday party. It was superhero themed. I sewed capes for all the kiddos and we played some games. I had decided to go old-school comic style with the decorations and the cupcakes.

Our Super Hero Punch

He Really like them


Us in front of the picture backdrop my sister-in-law Bekka and I made.

For Valentine's Day, Josh and I had a kid-free weekend at home. It was quiet and sweet. In the past, we've gone all-out and by the time the preparations were finished, we were too tired to actually enjoy the time together. So, this was such a nice change of pace.

A few weeks ago, there was a terrible tornado outbreak all through the area. We were so blessed to not be affected in our town, but one of our neighboring cities was hit with an E-f 2 twister. I think three people lost their lives from this one tornado. It had something like a seventy mile path. The pictures of the destruction brought me to tears. It's scary to think of how everything you once held dear could be gone in seconds.

In much needed positive news, my sister-in-law Bekka and her boyfriend Sam got engaged! I can't think of a single person I would rather her marry than Sam. They've been friends for years and we all saw this day coming before they did. Her wedding will be in October. I can't wait to help with the crafting and planning. My first task was to go to the site where he proposed and get some pictures. The look-out was a good choice, Sam!

My next task will be to make an appointment with my cousin Tracy to get engagement photos done. Rachel, my other sister-in-law who lives in Nashville, will be blowing up Pinterest helping me plan Bekka's engagement luncheon/ tea. I'll definitely be doing more posts on this. I'm so excited!

We finally got our taxes back and we've been able to pay off some debts including Josh's car. We've been able to get some projects done around the house that we've been wanting to get done like painting the front porch, my swing from my Grandad's house, and making a coffee table out of an old wooden coffee table frame and an old almost rotting door. I know, it sounds gross, but here's the finished products....

My Grandad's swing. My sister has the other one that also used to hang on the porch at our Grandparents house. I have so many great memories swinging with my Grandad, coloring pictures with my sister, and finding Easter eggs. This swing just makes me happy.


The coffee table for our patio. We had a shell of an old coffee table, so we just screwed the old door down on top of the shell, sanded, clear coated, and decorated with solar lamps and petunias. I'm pretty proud of this thing!

We finally got a new front door and storm door!

Our welcome rug that Josh's family got it a few Christmases ago. I love it!

This was the first "big" purchase we got as a couple after Josh came home from Iraq. It was bamboo colored, but our walls are gingerbread colored, so it blended in. I finally got to paint it black, so now it pops!


An old chair that we found in a friend's barn. Bekka and Sam repaired it for us last weekend while we were out camping.

We've dug up those nasty bushes in the front of our house. I've order dwarf burning bushes, dwarf butterfly bushes, and Snow in Summer to replace the bushes. We also have many other plants ordered. There will be another post for that.

This last weekend was seriously one of the best I've had in a very long time. We got up on Saturday and took the kids to Lost Valley hiking trail by the Buffalo River. It was Sofia's first time there. She sat on Josh's shoulder and Sawyer was able to navigate this time without us having to hold his hand the whole time. We saw the water fall ( I was too distracted with safety to remember to take a picture. Ugh!) When we left there, we stopped at an old homestead half a mile down the road. It was built in the 1880's and I showed Sawyer how different the homes back then were. There were huge gaps in between the boards and it looked more like a barn rather than a house.

We came home and I made meatloaf cupcakes with mashed potato icing and cheese sprinkles. I found the recipe here.

This isn't the best picture since it was taken with my phone, but here's the finished product.

I also took the time to finish up the perfumes that my niece and I mad out of dried herbs and vodka. I started a new batch and I've hung some Lilac up to dry to make some perfume out of it as well. I infused some olive oils for cooking and labeled everything. (Label ALL the things!)

My Lilac Drying

Our finished perfumes. And yes, I agree that I need to make them prettier.

My infused olive oils

New batch of perfume

Sunday morning we woke up and went straight into planting our garden. I'll admit it, I kill everything I plant. But I figured with Josh's help, the plants might not die so quickly. We mowed, hung up a clothes line (we have a dryer but clothes always just smell so awesome when they've been outside!), then Josh grilled some awesome burgers while I made potato wedges and Provencal aioli for dipping. We finished up with the family sitting around the fire-pit, visiting, and asking Isaiah (Josh's little brother who lives with us) what his plans were for college and such. It has been absolutely amazing!