Bicycles & a Photo shoot

Aaron's sister, Emily got us bicycles for our wedding gift and I am in love with them. They are so much fun and such an unexpected gift that I am over the moon for them. I instantly knew they would have to be involved in a photo shoot.

Before Aaron headed back to training this past March we were able to set up last minute plans to have a photo shoot with Amber Keagle, a local photographer.

Amber is pretty spectacular. She did an engagement session with us last January and I instantly loved her style. She has this ease about her that makes you feel comfortable. Which is a major thing for us because Aaron is completely awkward in front of the camera (shock and awe).  She had tons of ideas for us to try and took the time to hear my ideas as well. Her photos basically speak for themselves. I am always happy with each and every photo and highly recommend her for anyone looking. Check out her site here!

All photo credit to Amber Keagle Photography

Friday Favorites

Praise the sweet Lord above because we have all made it to another Friday.

This week has been pretty mellow. It was the last week of the semester, hooray! I believe I pulled off all A's again but final grades aren't in till next week. Aaron went back to training today, which is by far the best news I have had in awhile. This whole limbo thing is exhausting. Now we are just praying that from here on out things go smoothly.

Any who, below are a few things I found this week that I am obsessed over. Check, check, check it out.

1. I'm not for sure why but I am obsessed with tie dye this year. I purchased this shirt from Maurice's and have yet to wear it but I am very much looking forward to it!

2. I ended up purchasing these wedges from Maurice's as well(seeing a trend). I made the mistake of wearing these out dancing my first go around but they are sure are broke in now! I love the green color and the low wedge. I can pair them with a lot of outfits while adding a little height at the same time.

3. Have you had Panera's mac n cheese yet? Well you should. It's by far my favorite and I am dying to try this recipe because if it is anywhere close then I am screwed because I will be eating mac n cheese every single day. Seriously though.

4. I am obsessing over Shakira's new song, Empire. If you haven't listened to it yet check it out and sing your heart out. Maybe even wiggle your tush a little. 

5. Pinterest was blocked at work a few weeks ago (I know, sad story) so I have been resorting to my back up Brit & co. Not exactly Pinterest but it does the job. I am obsessing over this engagement idea. Even if they label it as an engagement photo I see myself finding a photographer that is up for the challenge of replicating this photo for Aaron and I.

6. I found this little treasure on Amazon the other day and I have used it ever single day since I received it in the mail. Its crazy how similar it looks to a real lens and I love how people exclaim over it when they find out it isn't a real lens. 

7. I was introduced to this lovely online boutique through a blogger that I follow and snatched up this dress right away. I can't wait to wear it. All. summer. long.

8. If you haven't heard of Theo & Beau then you should probably check it out. Enough said.

9. One of the floaters at work sat up next to me last Friday and somehow convinced me to buy these sandals. (I forbid her from sitting up front again) The bottom of them are made out of yoga mats. Yup, I said it. Yoga mats. They are so comfy and oh look there's that tie dye again. :)

I hope everyone has a spectacular weekend. Mine will hopefully involve Spider-man 2, new work out clothes, and fresh asparagus out of the garden. 

cancer & cardboard boxes in 500 words or less.

I've been MIA for far too long so my goal is to do an update in 500 words or less... GO!

Aaron came home on Valentine's Day and was home for a whole month. Right now that felt forever ago but it was so nice to have my best friend/husband home. Oh I had missed him. The whole drive to the airport  I kept imagining my reaction to seeing him. Tears, giggles, jumping for joy. Instead I walked up and rubbed his bald head, stunned.

Mom finished her radiation weeks ago. Just this past Monday she went up for a recheck and things are looking good. She started chemo again this week and it's a stronger dose, 1 week on 3 weeks off. Spirits/hope/faith/endless love is high in the Fritz household. I must add though nothing is more surreal then shaving your mom's head.

Unfortunately because of circumstances out of my control I had to move out of our apartment this past week and it was not my most favorite week ever. Between work and school I feel like I haven't slept in weeks. I thought I would be okay living with my parents again. I thought I would be okay moving out of our apartment but now that I'm sitting in my overcrowded old bedroom and I am extremely emotional based on the ridiculous notion that this isn't home. Aaron is nowhere in this place and I dislike it to an unnerving level. I am however so blessed and thankful to have such wonderful friends and family that completely kicked butt and helped me move. No words can describe how appreciative I am.

Aaron will hopefully be back in training in a couple weeks. Fingers crossed.

The semester is over in 2 weeks. Praying that I survive.

Bam, I did it. Hope everyone is having an amazing weekend. 

2 Timothy 1:7

For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Their Version, My Version

I figured I would put off doing my homework just a little bit longer and bring to you their version, my version! I find that week after week I get into a slump of grabbing the same go to's in my wardrobe and not tapping in to over half of what's in my closet. It's very frustrating but it's hard to take the time out of my schedule to stand in front of my closet figure out a new outfit to wear. That is were Pinterest comes in. I assume that you have all figured out my addiction to Pinterest. (Another great procrastination tool!) I love to hop on the Women's fashion tab and scroll through to find inspiration from my own wardrobe. I love finding photos that can inspire me to take pieces from my wardrobe to create a whole new outfit that I would have never thought to put together. Even though I wish everything I pinned went into my closet, it doesn't and like most people I can't always afford to go out and buy clothes all the time and there is no reason to when I can recreate different outfits from whats already in my wardrobe.

Obviously, Pinterest version on left, mine on right. I have to say that I love the color of her scarf and belt but I just created a brand new outfit to wear and pulled all the pieces from my own closet without having to go out and hunt down this exact outfit. All you need is a little creativity! I added a little quirk to my outfit by adding the pink lace tank and I got tons of compliments on this outfit. I am by no means consider myself a fashionista. I put together outfits that I regret half way through my day or think "maybe I should have worn the purple scarf instead of the gray" but that's the fun of it. My number one rule of fashion is I don't give a f***. Seriously. I wear what I think looks good and I really don't care if it's not in "style" or if I may stick out a little in my small Iowa town. I wear lots of dresses and skirts, I wear way too much black and I refuse to wear khakis (mostly because I can't find a single pair that I look good in). I'm 26 and LOVE to wear flowers in my hair (the inner hippie in me) and wear anything from a "preppy" look to a "boho" and everything in between. Wear what makes you feel confident. I hope to bring you a their version, my version weekly and I hope it inspires someone to be a little bit more adventurous with their wardrobe! 

Romans 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

January Crafts

I spent a lot of time crafting this month. I keep trying to convince Aaron to let me quit my job and craft all the time but he keeps telling me no. My dad is trying to make money off of me. He says if I make the craft, he will sell it for 40/60. I don't believe that is a good enough deal though. :P 

 I love seeing my crafts in our apartment and know that I made them, that I spent the hours making it perfect enough for us and didn't dish out the bucks at Hobby Lobby or wherever for some pre-made craft. When people exclaim how fantastic it looks I can jump for joy knowing I put in the hard work to make it. I thank God that I am crafty and can make amazing things to hang on my wall and also my father cause I'm pretty sure that's who I get it from. 

Aaron and I currently had a "Mr and Mrs" sign hanging above our bed, a craft leftover from our wedding but I've decided I wanted something more romantic. I did check out Hobby Lobby but wasn't finding anything really that impressive so I decided to make my own. My father helped a lot with this craft. He helped me dig out the slates of wood in one of our sheds and screwed them all together and added a wire to the back to hang it up. He is also supposed to come over to my apartment and hang it up because I want him to use a stud-finder so it doesn't come down on me in the middle of the night. (That would be the worst way to be woken up). So technically I just came up with the idea and painted the phrase. I first saw this phrase on Pinterest and instantly became attached. It's basically perfect. 

This jar was a pain in the butt. I found it on pinterest and decided to give it a go. I needed a pin cushion for my fantastic new sewing machine and I figured the bottom would be perfect to keep all those stupid extra buttons that come with everything you buy that were scattered throughout our apartment. Whatever you do, FOLLOW the directions because I didn't and that was not a good idea. I briefly read over the directions and just winged it and I ended up having to redo the top. I used too much fabric and couldn't get the medal lip to screw back on. Click on the link for the directions!

http://shopruche.blogspot.com/2012/03/project-diy-mason-jar-pin-cushion.html

(these aren't the original directions I followed but I thought they were easier!)

My name is Brittany and I am a wreath addict. Seriously. They are beyond easy to make and perfect to hang on your front door to add a personal touch and just plain stinking cute. I not only made one but two wreaths this month and I already have 2 other ideas of ones I want to make. The top one is more time consuming because you wrap yarn all the way around. The flowers on the bottom wreath were easy to make and of course the burlap is left over from our wedding. Here is the link to make the flowers.

http://twoyellowbirdsdecor.blogspot.com/2011/09/felt-flower-tutorials.html

I was seeing this pillows in store and on pinterest and I decided I just HAD to have them. However, I was not going to spend $30 a piece. Seriously?!? What is up with pillows being to expensive. I just don't understand, its just fabric with stuffing inside. So of course I just made my own . I bought the canvas fabric, stuffing and a fabric pen at Hobby Lobby and away I went. Measure out how big you would like them, add a couple inches to make up for sewing around them. Cut them out and I chose to iron the fabric before I wrote on them because it was wrinkled. I wrote on the fabric with a pencil then went back over with the fabric marker then turn the two pieces of fabric with the writing facing the inside then sewed it around and left about half of one side open, flipped it inside out stuffed it, pinned it and sewed it shut. Easy peesy people. However, I did goof on the second one and started sewing it with the writing on the outside and didn't realize it so I had to take the time to rip out the stitches and start all over. Whoops. Also to be brutally honest this is the first time our bed has been made since Aaron left. 

As adorable as this is I have to say I strongly dislike working with chalk paint with glass. This is the second project I have tried it with and it just doesn't work. The first time I tried was on wine bottles and I ended up painting about 4 or 5 layers and then the paint just cracks and looks messy. I'm sure there is a primer out there that you are supposed to use to make it easier but I haven't found it yet. I did the exact same thing here except with a ball jar. I also found that regular ol chalk does not work on this stuff, not for me anyways. I used a chalk pen to do the "xoxo", it seems to go on so much better. I love the look of this though. It's sweet and simple and I can wash off the x's and o's and use it year around. 

I used way too much hot glue sticks to make this baby. The frame I have had forever and I have used for many different things. It just just some old plastic frame that used to hold a poster in my bedroom with a cute fluffy bunny with the phrase, "some bunny loves you".

 I did actually take the time to document with photos though. The hearts are made out of paint chips from Wal-Mart. I literally walked out of that store with a big stack of them. I'm sure they think I'm crazy and want to ban me from the paint section. I hot glued the fishing wire to the frame and then glued the hearts on, burning my fingers numerous times. The result is a lovely and colorful Valentine's day frame to display!

That's it for January. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Psalms 130:5- I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,

    and in his word I put my hope.

Obsessions of the week

1. I found this amazing recipe Thursday and made them that night. It was my first experience cooking with quinoa and I have to say I like it and will probably use it for a whole grain substitute in a lot of my recipes. I added onions and mushrooms along with the spinach to use up some of the veggies in my fridge. It was delicious and I will be making this often.
http://www.homesweetfirsthome.com/2014/01/quinoa-spinach-and-kale-stuffed-peppers.html

2. I had my hair highlighted a couple of weeks ago, my first time ever mind you, and I had to change up a lot of my hair products for colored hair products. My hair stylist used this oil on my hair after my haircut and it made my hair so soft and yummy smelling that I had to spend the extra bucks to get it.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00CH3WP2E/ref=oh_details_o02_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

3. I thought this article was pretty amazing and had to share. I am a morning person anyways but found when I traded up to add these new things to my routine it put me in such a better mood for my work day. I had gotten out of habit of starting my day with a short and sweet yoga routine and adding it back in and sticking to it for a few weeks helps me to feel more toned. I'm still on the hunt for the perfect candle to light in the morning. I'm thinking lemon. I love lemon everything. Even though she suggest something calming I think lemon would open up my senses and get more awake in the morning. The biggest thing I changed that really improved my routine is switching to watching an episode of Army Wives to the news. It's easier for me to get up and walk away from the news then Army Wives. I have to peel myself away from the couch and usually end up running late when I watch Army Wives. Knowing a little of what is going on the world makes me feel more knowledgeable.
http://www.homesweetfirsthome.com/2014/01/5-healthy-habits-to-add-to-your-morning.html

4.

I found this lovely hairstyle on Pinterest and gave it a go Friday for work. I cannot however get my hair to twist like that and I am currently on the hunt to found a video that may show me. It was simple to do and was really cute besides the fact I had to used 20-some bobby pins to keep it in but I loved it so much that I think I am going to try it again tonight.

I am also on the hunt for a headband like this so if anyone happens to find one...

Keep on pinteresting on my fellow pinners.

"Ask and it will be given to you, Seek and you will find, Knock and the door will be opened to you." Matthew 7:7

Daily Life

Between staying up late to get homework done and getting up early to get homework done I am averaging about 4.5 to 5 hours of sleep per night so I've been grumpy and over emotional so I've been hiding out so no one has to deal with me. My lack of social life is to protect everyone around me.

My mother started radiation and chemo yesterday. They will be staying up in Iowa City all week at the Hope Lodge, a building for cancer patients that live more than 50 miles away from Iowa City. It is completely run off of donations. So for the next 7 weeks she will continue her therapy down here (speech, occupation and physical) on Monday mornings then head up to Iowa City for the week. She will have radiation Monday through Friday then come back down home to have her therapy again Friday afternoon. Lots of running around. Her speech is getting better by the day. She is getting better at forming complete sentences now. The doctor's are hopeful that she will have little side effects from the chemo and radiation. She will obviously be more tired and will loose her hair. She is taking the chemo through pill form so that will help a lot.

No new news about Aaron. He is still on medical hold. He has a doctor's appt on the 4th and he MAY be able to come home for 30 days to do his physical therapy here then he will be sent back to continue his training. I'm trying to not be too hopeful but it would be fantastic to spend Valentine's day with my hubby.

Did anyone else read this article in the Hawkeye?!?! Colleges have Quidditch teams? Where has this been my whole life. If there was any sport I would play this would be it. This guy is trying to get Southeastern to form a Quidditch team and I would so join if my plate wasn't already full enough.

(I am still seriously considering it)

I also just signed up for Birchbox and just received my first box yesterday. I am so excited for this! For those of you who don't know what Birchbox is click here --> https://www.birchbox.com/

I will do a review later after I have tried out my new goodies!

Currently reading: The Mortal Instruments: City of Ashes.

It's the 2nd book in the series and of course the books are so much better than the movie. In fact if you plan on reading this series, don't watch the movie. The actors/actresses they picked for the movie completely destroyed my image of what they actually look like. Not worth it.

I received several books from my mother for Christmas and it's taking me a little bit to get through them. I have a hard time finding time to read when I have so much to read for school. I just ordered another book yesterday though that I cannot wait to get my hands on, "Me Before You" by Jojo Moyes. I saw that our wedding photographer read it and figured I would give it a go. I just read the sample on Amazon and was hooked. What really sold me to buy it though was this customer's review on it...

"throw away your shades of gray books and read about a real romance- one where individuals ultimately valued each others' wishes and allowed the other party to grow. I began reading with much trepidation, but quickly learned to love the quirky characters of Lou and Will. This is a life affirming book. You will feel better after reading it."

I'm a hopeless romantic and could use an actual romantic book instead of all the trashyallaboutsexIwoulddropkickaguythattalkedtomelikeGreytalkstoAnastasia book. :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

"You are my hiding place: You will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance" Psalm 32:7