Insta-Fri

The week has flown by for me. It's been my first week at work and the training has been exciting, fun, intense and challenging all at the same time. I can't wait for the weekend because my Hubby will be home and maybe I'll get to sleep-in once! This weeks Insta-Fi was from last Friday when I did a little window shopping in the downtown area. We're renting right now and dreaming of owning a home. I have decorated our rental as much as I can without putting up curtains, painting, or doing any major revamping! I have so many things I'd like to do, but for now it will have to wait. There's nothing to keep me from dreaming though. Do you ever play the game if you're at a store and you think, "What if I had unlimited funds and owned my dream house, what would I buy?" I love playing this game, because it helps me decide what I really like. I have a tricky time deciding what I really like. I like western, I like french country, I like modern, I like.....oh so many styles. Here are few finds which I picked out last week during my window shipping tour.  The pillows were a warm golden color and had a texture almost like burlap. These were so soft and squishy, perfect for a comfy couch. The ottoman was an awesome faux cowhide, I love the warm brown, white, and black color. The table and cabinet where similar in style so in my "dream world" I wouldn't actually buy both so it's not too matchy, matchy. You can't really see it in the picture, but the wood was a smooth un-varnished with a turquoise paint texture over it. Almost like it was painted turquoise at one time and then was sanded off. So far I've determined I believe my style is sophistication that's a bit rough around the edges at times. Kinda of like me.... ;-) What's your Insta-Fri from this past week? I'd love to hear about it!

Love, 

Bethany V.

DIY Miniature Garden

Ever since I was a child, tiny things have always fascinated me. My Grandma Jean had a little curio cabinet with all sorts of little animals and I absolutely loved it as a girl. There's something so darling about seeing something usually termed as "large" or "big" and being able to hold it in the palm of your hand. As a middle schooler I had dollhouse which my Grandpa had dug out from his neighbor's trash. He refurbished it and gave it to me as a present. I literally spent hours playing with my Victorian Playmobile (best kids toys ever!) and making all kinds of tiny articles for them. Such as food made out of Sculpey Clay, tiny bed sheets from scraps of material, cutting out little pictures from magazines to hang on the walls.....and so on. Oh, yes I was into it. Okay. Back to the future, oops, present. Lately I have been seeing a lot of miniature gardens both real and faux popping up in gift stores, garden centers, home decor stores, and of course Pinterest. My mom had a perfect spot for one. She asked me to make a faux mini garden for her front room coffee table. Here's what you'll need for a miniature garden:

A planter for your garden. This could be a miniature green house like the one I purchased at this store  or it could be a simple low cut pot. Basically anything that will showcase your miniature garden in style. ;-) Choosing the size of your container will dictate how big our small you want the garden to be. 

Obtain some small leafed faux plants from your local craft store. Baby ferns, small vines, smaller flowers that you can break off etc. I even cut a couple of red dogwood branches from the garden, entwined it with vines I purchased and used it as a tree.  

You can find miniature pots at a craft store like Hobby Lobby (don't forget their 40% off coupon) or Michaels. I found a small loveseat bench at a local shop downtown, watering can, a few faux succulents, and a little turtle. Basically anything that catches your eye or you fall in love with, go for it! Home/garden decor stores and craft stores will be your best resource.

You will also need some moss; a moss mat and some loose moss, a small piece of cardboard, sissors, wire cutters, and a glue gun. 

Measure and cut the cardboard to fit your container. If you have a low potted planter, place and glue floral styrofoam in the bottom to raise up your cardboard piece. Cut the moss mat so that it has a 1/2 to 1" excess around the edges of the cardboard piece. Taking the cardboard, place and glue the loose moss on top. This will give the illusion of the "ground" having some and texture so it's not completely flat. Turn the moss side so it's facing down on the wrong side of the moss mat (see picture). Glue up the edges around the cardboard. Ta-da! 

Place inside your planter and now the fun part begins! Begin setting up your garden with the miniature materials you've purchased. Use the wire cutters to cut any materials down so they are smaller. Once you have things how you want them begin discreetly glueing to your base. I even added some dirt spilling out of one of my pots and though you can't see it, there's a small ladybug climbing up one of the ferns. 

And you're done! Place in an area where you will enjoy it daily and where the light will showcase your work. Revel in the fact you will never have to water it! ;-)

Love, 

Bethany V. 

Monday Reflections

Today I start my new job in Oklahoma City! I'm very excited and also a tad nervous. So many unknowns right now. I'm certain by the end of the week I'll have less unknowns to worry about than I do right now. I was inspired by this post about picking a word for the year. Even though it's September I'm sure it's never too late to start, right?! I feel like if I had to pick a word the first word that comes to mind is Courage. This past year I have been on a roller coaster of emotions. Between the joy of being newly married and leaving family and friends back in Colorado. There have been times where I have felt so glad I could have burst for for happiness. Other times I have felt so alone the whole world seemed to be engulfed in one giant rain cloud. I have learned something about myself this year: I don't like doing things by myself. Living at home for a good part (well, all) of my life there was always someone to "go with" to the grocery story, Walmart, clothes shopping, you name it. While Hubby and I try to do as much as we can together sometimes it's just not possible as he is often hours away. This means I have to go by myself. Courage. The courage to job search by myself. Courage to grocery shop and come home to an empty house and try to muster up the enthusiasm to "make" dinner. Courage to meet new friends. Courage to drive to new places and embrace getting lost. I found this definition of courage: the ability and willingness to confront fear, pain, danger, uncertainty, or intimidation. While I don't pretend the things I'm facing are life and death, they are uncertain and often unknown. Courage. I have to be wiling to confront the fear of the unknown. I must be willing to confront the uncertainty of a new job. I must be willing to tackle the pain of leaving family and be willing to courageously find friends here. Courage. First day at work, I am aiming to courageously take you on!

Love,
Bethany V.

Polka Dots & Yellow // Sweet Style

Summer is coming to an end, even though we're still having lots of upper 90 degree weather. I'm wearing shorts more than normal to live up my last week without work. Next week I start my new job and I'm really looking forward to wearing business casual!! For about a year I've been in love with the color yellow, I feel like it's a good neutral that goes with anything. This yellow purse I purchased right before our wedding and I love that it has a detachable strap so it can go over the shoulder too. On my shopping list for this fall I'd like to find a yellow belt and maybe some yellow ballet flats. I feel like I've gotten a lot done this week and my nightly addiction/ reward has been the Downtown Abbey series. If you haven't watched it I would highly reccomend it. No, run (or drive ;) to the library, Target, or Barnes & Noble as fast as you can and get it. Then sit down for some wonderful enjoyment! There's romance, mystery, and of course delightful English accents. ;-) I hope you are all enjoying the last days of summer too. Live it up 'cause I  can't wait for fall.

Love,
Bethany V.

Monday Reflections

I'm letting you know in advance this is a sappy post. Okay. That is my disclaimer.  If you're not up for sincere sappiness you do not have to continue reading (lol, ;-). On August 24, Hubby and I celebrated our one year anniversary! I know it's cliche, but it REALLY flew by! It's been a good year for us. We've learned a lot about each other. I thought I knew Bret pretty well when we were married. Nope! Every day I learn something new about him and I love that! We learned quickly how we're not perfect. We are, however, perfect for each other. That's probably been the biggest lesson for me this past year.

I had all these high expectations of who I was going to be as a wife. Expectations on how I would respond in certain situations. I was pretty convinced I'd never lost my cool. I knew being on the road would have challenges, but I thought I could handle it. The expectations I had for myself were pretty high and I've learned so much about myself this year. I've grown to love my Savior more and I'm thankful He forgives our mistakes. I've also grown into a greater understanding of what a great man I married.

I'd have to say Bret's expectations for me were zero. He simply loves me for me. He's loved me through happy days and sad days and the-in-between-kind-of days.  I knew I married a great guy on August 24, 2012. A year later,  I see to a greater depth how I've been blessed with this wonderful man. Bret's my best friend, my faithful listener, my encourager. His love for the Lord and for me points me back on track when I'm off my rocker! ;-)

Our faith and laughter has been the glue that's held us together this past year. It's grown us closer. One of my favorite things in flipping though all the wedding photos is seeing how much we were laughing on our wedding day! I love that we have a sense of humor!!

Happy 1st Anniversary Hubby, I love you so much! Second year of marriage - we can't wait to see what you hold for us!! It's an adventure....!

Love,
Bethany V.

Kansas // Travels 2

Today I am continuing our travels from the summer! Hubby and I were sent to Cheyenne County in Kansas for several weeks. I loved the fields of sunflowers we drove past on our way there! In Goodland they have a HUGE (80 foot tall) Vincent Van Gogh replica painting of the Kansas state flower: Sunflowers! 

My favorite day(s) were spent with Hubby in the tiny town of St. Francis. You can drive from one end of town to the other in a matter of minutes. Hubby spent his time in the courthouse while I drove around and saw the sights! :) Something I have loved about traveling with Bret is we get to see places off the beaten path. While most of these little towns I would never set out to visit, I feel like I have been able to see a piece of the heartland of America. The people are warm and friendly. They always know you're a visitor because everyone knows everyone! There is a quietness about these little towns I love. The folks aren't enthralled with the latest fashions, they drive old pick-ups and everyone waves. It's a good feeling!

St. Francis had a county fair going on while we were there. I watched the horse competitions (for free) browsed the local produce, ate delicious berry pie and met a friendly horse along the way! The rides were so ridiculously cheap it would be the perfect place to take a family to! So quaint!

I also visited the local museum of St. Francis. There was a bulletin board filled with pictures of all the old family barns in the area. I love old barns! Some have been torn down, but it's fun to think of how the barns were a place to protect livestock as well as a gathering place for parties and get-togethers. I think I may want a barn someday....

 

A collection of old Valentine cards - too cute! They had also persevered the old soda fountain from back in the day. I wonder how many people sat on those bright red stools to talk about all the latest gossip in town. ;)

Kansas was quaint and pretty. I wouldn't mind stopping by and visiting a few more little towns if we happen to be driving through. Until next time....

Love, 

Bethany V.

Insta-Fri

The idea behind Insta-Fri is every Friday from the past week (Friday to Friday) I will post a favorite photo from my Instagram (a_sweetfreelife), cool right?! :) This photo was taken while Hubby and I were on our weekday getaway this past Tuesday to celebrate our one year anniversary. We had nearly escaped being poured on and as we headed to our dinner reservation, in Estes Park, we spied two beautiful 'bows in the sky! Breathtaking. Good reminder, when God makes a promise He always keeps it. Feel free to link up in the comments with your Instagram feed and share your favorite photo from this past week! Yay for Friday! 

Love, 

Bethany V. 

Monday Reflections

It's  known fact. I've never been a cooking extraordinaire. Can I cook? Yes. Am I  any good? I'm okay. Do I enjoy it? Sometimes. I've alway enjoyed baking a whole lot more. I have a sweet tooth for sure and who can say no to carbs, calories and chocolate?! There's a family story about my cooking skills and it goes something like this: My brother Nathan is a very good cook, he's more like a chef. When I lived at home he made all the dinners during the week and it was divine. One day he was going to be gone for the evening. He was discussing with my mom what we should do for dinner that night.

I offered, "I can make dinner, if you want."

"What would you make?" he questioned. (Why he would question what I would make, I don't know...)

"Ummm [pause] I can make tacos?"

"Oh, yeah. You can make tacos."

Thanks, bro. Just tacos, huh? Yep. That's one of my cooking achievements is taco making. After all our travels I've really enjoyed cooking the last few weeks. I just feel like I keep seeing over and over how its the small things I take for granted. Its the small things in the day to day living I complain about and overlook how wonderful they are. When you're on the road it seems like easy, unhealthy food is the staple. The last couple weeks I've been loving using our dishes, pans, silverware and buying fresh produce! Dinners from scratch seem like a luxury. Even Hubby commented that it's been nice to have some home cooked dinners. No more microwave dinners for a while (at least for me) - yay! So next time I'm complaining (in my head of course, I never complain out loud ;) about making dinners, I'm wanting to remember that it's a luxury. Be thankful Bethany and enjoy it! I'm not saying this will happen every time. I know it won't. I'm hoping to catch myself at least 1 out of 5 times and be thankful. :)

Tonight I made dinner in my own kitchen, with my own  dishes, cooking supplies and fresh produce.You guessed it, we had tacos!

P.S. Above, is a photo of chef Nathan's tacos. They're AMAZING!

Love,
Bethany V.

Sweet Style // Emerald & White

When I lived in Colorado I didn't wear shorts all that often, but here in Oklahoma when it's upper 90s and into the 100s, shorts are WONDERFUL! These shorts are a great length, not too short or too long and the shirt from Old Navy is so comfy and dressy at the same time. I'm still trying to figure out how to take pictures without a tripod (Hubby if you're reading...Christmas idea ;). Right now Bret is working out of town and so I don't have anyone to take a picture for me. Soooo, I had to get creative. My make-shift tripod today was the grill and a piece of wood! Yeah. I really hope nobody was watching. What are you wearing to keep cool? Share in the comments, I'd like to meet you. :)

 Trying to get hair in my mouth and succeeding ;) // Shirt: Old Navy, Shorts: Old Navy,
Shoes: DSW last year, Necklace: Kohls Watch: Sense of Place

Until next time....

Love,
Bethany V.

Nebraska // Travels 1

I kept my promise didn't I? You thought I wasn't going to post for another six months, right? All I can say is it happens and you can't get rid of me that easy (lol!). Here's the first state we spent some time in. Nebraska! It has a special place in my Hubby's heart. 1) His grandmother grew up on a farm near Hebron 2) his grandparents had a dairy farm in Omaha 3) Hubby was born and raised in Omaha for the first few years of his life. We've been in Nebraska about three times this past year and I'd have to say it's gaining a spot in my heart too. What? Nebraska? I almost can't believe my fingers are typing this?! Well, traveling around has given me an appreciation for each state. From what I've seen, they each have their own beauty and they each have something to offer. I used to think Colorado had it all (okay I still think that, moving on!). We spent one of our nights hiking (Hubby hiking, me huffing and puffing) "The Monument" in Scottsbluff and the view was spectacular!

                 

                                 

This tunnel went right through one of the bluffs near the top of the monument! The monument itself towers about 800 feet above the North Platt River. According to the National Park Service it was the second most referred to landmark on the famed pioneer trails such as the Oregon Trail ("you have dysentery, would you like to stop?" Wow I just dated myself), Mormon Trail and California Trail. Okay, enough history, here are some more photos. ;)

Please don't tell him I took this photo, he doesn't know. It'll be our secret, okay?! He's just so darn handsome I couldn't help myself.

No, someone doesn't live inside this rock. I thought it was a chimney too (kidding). It's actually a surveyor's pole. I can't remember when it was surveyed and Google didn't provide me with anything (what's with that?). At one point in time the pole was flush with the surrounding rock, so you can see how much of the monument has eroded over time. I wasn't a bit surprised as it was very breezy up there! The view took my breath away. I tried to picture myself as a pioneer. After traveling miles upon miles of prairie, this would have been an inspiring spot to take it all in. 

I'll be back with some more of our state travels in the next weeks. I also have a DIY coming up and other exciting stuff too! Happy Tuesday and see you soon!

Love, 

Bethany V.

Monday Reflections

The last six weeks have been a whirlwind of activities and I'm happy to be back home! I will not bore you with all the details, lets just say I spent the last 6 weeks in 4 different states (more on that coming soon)! It was fun and a bit crazy at the same time. The last week was bittersweet as I was ready to go home and at the same time I was sad as it may be a while before I travel with Hubby. Why? I was recently handed the ticket to find another job. So I will be job searching for awhile here in good 'ole Okie. The reason I'm reflecting today is because I've noticed a pattern in my life where I don't really fully appreciate something until it's gone. Does that ever happen to you? No? Oh, well guess I'm the only one ;). In the last year and half a lot of things have changed for me: I got married, moved to a different state, adapted to a different life-style, got used to living with another person (who happens to be my best friend) and so on! I've been realizing there were so many things I took for granted and the sudden change brought out how comfortable I'd become. Being uncomfortable is challenging. I've found myself wishing for things to be back in my comfort state. Now with the recent job loss I had a sudden jolt of reality. How many times had I complained? How many times had I considered I would be happier doing something else? Now that it's gone I find myself wishing it back. It was comfortable. It worked. I knew what was expected of me and what was required. Now all that has changed. It's as if I can be unhappy with the present and then when it changes I begin to think I'd be happier with the past. Crazy, right?

I just finished a wonderful book called One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp. I'm sure you've heard of it or already read it, I can be behind the eight ball on these things! She writes on the attitude of cultivating a thankful, in the moment, heart of gratitude in Chapter 4: I only live the full life when I live fully in the moment. Wow. So simple and yet SO difficult to do. I'm purposing to not wish for what was. I'm not going (Lord help me) to wish for this season to be over. I'm going to ENJOY it right now. For tomorrow it will be gone. Reminds my of what my Lord said, Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself (Matthew 6:34). It's easy to talk about, Lord, help me live it. Next up I'll be sharing some photos from our recent travels. Stay tuned......


Love,
Bethany V.

SPRING FEVER = SHOPPING

Right now Hubby and I are stationed in a small town located in mid-eastern Illinois for work. Let me state two very important facts right up front: 1) I'm a little stir-crazy because I'm in a hotel room for most of the day. 2) It's cold here. Like REALLY cold. I'm getting that spring fever kick. I know, it's January, but I'm ready for warmth. Anyways, since it's a small town there's not lots to do. When I have a chance to drive the car (a.k.a. when Hubby is home in the evenings) I try and get out so I don't have to check myself into an asslyum. The two major stores in town are Walmart and Kohl's. There's only so many times you can go to Walmart so recently I've been browsing at Kohl's. Hubby is a big believer in Kohl's. He loves Kohl's because he gets great deals. I've sorta had a love hate relationship with Kohl's. Sometime their clothes are great and sometimes not. Sometimes I can find the right size and sometimes I can't. But today I found some cuties that I actually LIKE! Maybe it's because there aren't any stores around or maybe it's because I've just hit the jackpot with Kohl's. Who knows (insert shrug)?! Here are some of my favorite finds I'm hoping to add to my wardrobe:

A comfy hoodie, I'm always game for nautical inspired prints:

SO Striped Henley Hoodie $19.99

Pretty peach sundress: 

City Triangles Floral Eyelet Dress $53.99

Bunny tee. A note about me, I've always loved bunnies. They're just plain adorable:

Princess Vera Wang Bunny Tee $13.60

 This navy lace dress with the bow belt is darling:

City Triangles Lace Dress $46.99

I love colors. I love birds. I prefer gold over silver = perfect necklace:

Princess Vera Wang Gold Tone Bird Link Long Necklace $18.20

Yellow is my favorite crush color and these little anchors are so springy (is that a word?):

LC Lauren Conrad Anchor Drop Earrings $9

Thanks for shopping with me! Are you ready for spring? What kinds of things are you loving right now?

Love,
Bethany V.