Berry Pickin'

Payton's 'GIVE ME MORE BERRIES' look!!

Last Saturday will probably go down as one of the most delightful days of my summer.  We packed up and headed a few miles out of town to the charming Elderslie Farm with the hope of coming home with heaping buckets of blackberries (Mission Accomplished!!).   It was a Worm Farm kind of day!! (The kind of day where everything is so perfect you would have fun at a Worm Farm.)  The weather was cool and overcast and the berries were ripe for the picking.  

We started our visit with some delicious breakfast....it's worth the drive just to taste the blackberry and lemon scones....and then headed out to pick berries.  George Elder (our favorite blackberry farmer) gave us a very detailed description on how to pick the PERFECT blackberry.  They must be coal black and ready to just about burst with sweet juices.  He then teased us with a little sample.....AMAZING!!  We were defiantly excited to start pickin'!!!

Payton loved looking at the wildflowers.

Jake enjoying his delicious cup of coffee.

Determined to pick only the BEST blackberries....he's not competitive or anything!!

Look at the size of those berries!!

Enjoyed making memories with this cutie!

Love the contrast of the red and purple against the green....stunning!!

Happily filling my bucket!

An adorable strawberry hat is a must when picking berries....thank you Grandma Swenson.

Miss Payton loved playing on the farm!!

Elderslie is by far the most lovely farm I have every visited.  It's a little slice of heaven just a few miles outside of the city where you can take little break from all the craziness of life and just be at peace....it's always so hard to leave!!  I hope you will visit!!

And just to tempt you.....here's a little something I made with my blackberries and purple raspberries.  

Confession: It is possible that I ate all but 2 slices of this pie....but who's counting!! :)

I love My Life

I just needed to remind myself....

This week my attitude has been anything but lovely. I'm not sure why....nothing bad has happened....but I've been a grump!!  This is hard for me to admit, because I'm one of those people that likes to appear like they've got it all together (I don't).  But when I started this blog I promised myself I would be vulnerable and honest, so there you have it!!

When I woke up this morning I told myself that it was time for an attitude adjustment, but unfortunately I didn't get too far on my own. That's when my sweet Heavenly Father stepped in....

While I was driving I decided to listen to the radio. Immediately the speaker caught my attention. She said that she LOVED HER LIfE....and that's when it hit me....I had stopped loving mine. I was allowing myself to get caught up with all the little annoyances of my day, instead of looking for all the lovey moments God poured into each one.

I am so blessed, and its time to start focusing on that truth. So here are a few of the lovely little moments of my day:

• I woke up to the precious voice of my daughter. 
• My scrambled eggs were exceptionally tasty.
• The weather was delightfully cool while I watered my flowers. 
• Organic chicken was on sale, so I stocked up.
• Payton stood for a whole minute by herself...she's so close to taking that first step.

So there you have it....although those weren't big things, they were sweet, and I would have missed them if God wouldn't have remained me to love the life He's given me.

So please don't make the same mistake I did!! Be grateful for the life you've been given...take time to give thanks....look for the lovely in each day...LOVE YOUR LIFE!!

Payton's 1st Birthday

Payton will be 14 months old tomorrow, but I hope you don't mind if I take you back a couple of months to her 1st birthday. I think I started planning her party around Christmas time and was glued to Pinterest for about 6 months!! (You may recall my hubby's little Facebook post saying that maybe if his name was Pinterest I would pay attention to him....guilty!!!) Anyways, I love planning and decorating for parties and this one needed to be extra special because it was for Little Miss Lovely!! The theme changed MANY times, but I finally decided on a pink and brown ice cream shoppe theme. 

The week before the party was full of cleaning, shopping, decorating and a bad case of Tonsillitis to make things interesting (I never realized moms don't get any sick leave...sigh!). But all in all, everything came together, and it was a precious day. The BEST part was watching my cutie interact with all of her favorite people. She was all smiles the whole time and couldn't have had more fun playing with her  grandparents, little friends and cousins. Here are some pictures of her special day.

Our little Birthday Girl!!

Payton's Birthday cupcake

Our back porch Ice Cream Parlor

Ice cream cupcakes

Carnation ice cream sodas

Sitting in her Big Girl chair

Me and my happy girl

Love my sweet family!!

Wearing her fancy birthday hat

Payton's Ice Cream Shoppe

Happy Birthday Jake

     Happy 34th Birthday to my amazing hubby Jake!!  This wonderful man blesses me every day and has brought more LOVELY into my life than I could ever have imagined!!

On our honeymoon at Disney World...you take silly pictures when you are young and in love!!

     For those of you who don't know us, I thought I'd take a minute to share a few of the highlights of Jake+Angela.  We met on a blind date (YES, they actually do work!!).  I remember him calling to ask me on a date.  He said he would pick me up at 6 pm....that way if we didn't hit it off he could take me home and I would still have time to enjoy my evening.  What a thoughtful guy!!  Surprisingly, the date actually went well, and we ended up seeing each other every day that week.  We very quickly realized that we were more than likely meant to be (the options are a bit limited when you are 27, so you'd better snag 'em quick!!)

     If you know us well you've probably heard our stories more than once....but please bare with me while I share one of my favorites.  One evening Jake and I were spending time at my apartment.  He went to use the restroom and a short while later I went in the restroom too.  Much to my dismay, my FOR DECORATION ONLY towel looked like it had been used!!!  I quickly went to see if Jake would admit to this horrible crime.  He said YES, he HAD used it, and I then explained that we NEVER use the decorative towel, only the hand towel is for actually use.  He said he had never heard something so absurd, but agreed for follow by my rules.  A few days later he again went to use my restroom and then said a quick goodbye and left my apartment.  Shortly after, I went in the restroom and saw my carefully placed decorative towel all wadded up!!!!  I was shocked and ran to grab my phone to give him a piece of my mind!!!  When I flipped it open I had a little text waiting for me from my sweetie.....I DO WHAT I WANT.  And that pretty much sums up the way our relationship has gone for the last six year....sigh!!

     All kidding aside, Jake is a wonderful husband, father, son, and friend.  He is such a positive, fun, upbeat person and you can't help but smile when you are around him.  He is a very creative and hard worker and has built an excellent real estate business basically on a smile.  He loves to volunteer and has a huge heart for others....especially those hurting or in need.  He has loved me unconditionally for the last 6 years and has challenged me to be all that God has created me to be.  Jake loves our daughter Payton with every fiber of his being and will always fight for her heart.  (Her future husband has BIG shoes to fill!!!)  I've been asked many MANY times how I put up with THAT guy....but honestly being his wife is my greatest joy!!!  I love you Jake Ramstack and wish you a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!

Seriously ladies....how could you not fall in love with this guy!!

Selling his first of many homes...so proud of my Super Agent!!

Waiting to reveal the gender of our baby on New Year's Eve 2011.

Preciousness!!!

Our SUPER family!!

The Beginning

     Well...here it goes....I'm finally starting a blog after two years of thinking about it. (Sometimes it takes me a while to get motivated!!) :)  A couple years ago I met an adorable girl who had a blog.  I remember staying up late reading all of her entries and being totally fascinated with the idea of having one too.  I really wanted to start blogging, but had no idea how to begin nor did I feel I had anything to blog about.  After feeling a bit discouraged, I put the idea on a shelf and went about my life.....but never truly forgetting about it.

      Recently I ran across some beautiful style blogs and kind of became obsessed!!  That's when my little tucked away dream of beginning a blog popped up again.  I wanted to start a blog, but the same problems came up....no idea where to begin and what in the world did I have to share with anyone.  That's when I ran across a quote that truly spoke to me. I found it the Southern Lady magazine my sweetie picked up for me at the grocery store.  The quote goes as follows:

"I'd like to add some beauty to life," said Anne dreamily.  " I don't exactly want to make people KNOW more...though I know that IS the noblest ambition...but I'd love to make them have a pleasanter time because of me...to have some little joy or happy thought that would never have existed if I hadn't been born."

-L.M. Montgomery

      I fell in love with this quote because it's SO me!!  I just want to make people have a pleasanter time because I crossed their path.  That's when I came up with my title Look for the Lovely.  My life is full of so many ordinary events (dishes, diapers, dust.....), but if I take the time to look closely I can spot lovely moments that I can share with others.  And so began the blog.  

     I hope you will take a moment to pop in and see some of the lovely parts of my life and also take the time to look for the ones scattered throughout your life too!! 

Here are a couple pictures of my favorite Little Lovely....Miss Payton Alexandra

Enjoying her first All Schools Day in McPherson, KS

All smiles while playing at the park