Concert Goers

The Farmer and I went on a date last night. Date night doesn't happen as often as it should in the Farmer household, but when they do, we cherish our alone time.

Last night we went to the MercyMe and Newsboys concert at the Iowa State Fair. And oh my, the concert did not disappoint. (and no, I don't have picture because the website recommended NOT bringing a camera and I obeyed.)

We went to the fair a little early to enjoy some of the ridiculously unhealthy fair food. We had cheese on stick (so reminded me of Corn Dog 7 and Auntie K), curly fries (huge serving, so good), a peanut butter rice crispie treat on a stick, lemonade, 2 bottles of water and a bucket of popcorn. Did I mention the "feels like" temperature was like 109 degrees? (So glad we didn't bring Sweet P out in that heat.)

So after filling our tummies (and feeling sick in the process), we found our seats (not the best in the world, but not the nosebleed section either!). Right before the Newsboys started, I was saddened by the fact that the Grandstand wasn't overflowing with people, but then I looked around at all the people there praising our dear sweet Lord and couldn't help but cry. And when the Newsboys started singing "Something Beautiful" tears streamed down my face! I couldn't believe I was crying at a concert! And it wasn't because I was overwhelmed by the presence of the celebrity of the Newsboys, I was overwhelmed by the presence of God in everyone at that concert. And by the lyrics of "Something Beautiful," especially these:

"It's the child on her wedding day. It's the daddy who gives her away. Something beautiful"

I just thought about my awesome husband and our precious little girl. Gah! I'm crying now. Sheesh.

I cried AGAIN during MercyMe's last song, "I Can Only Imagine." Have you ever listened to those lyrics? Oh man, they get me every.single.time. So there I was bawling my eyes out, singing with 10,000 other people. And you know what, it was AWESOME.

And you know what else? If you'd told me 5 years ago that 5 years from then, I'd be at a Christian concert in Iowa with my husband while my baby girl slept at home, I would have laughed. THAT is the power of our God.

Blog Award

My blog recently received the One Lovely Blog Award from Jessica at Adventures With Three Girls!

According the rules of accepting this award, I'm supposed to tell you 7 facts that you don't already know about me. So here we go:

1) I was a cheerleader for 10 years, including 3 years in college. Go Lobos!

2) I grew up in Roswell, NM. Yep, the one the show Roswell was based on. And nope, I never saw nor am I an alien.

3) I never ever ever ever ever ever (in a million years) thought I'd have a child with blue eyes when I married a man with brown (seeing as how I also have brown). But I did. And I still can't believe it. And despite what everyone said, they didn't change.

4) The Farmer and I were dear friends for over a year and a half before we began dating.

5) I tend to walk around with my glass half full. I believe in hope and optimism.

6) My wedding was the most fun day of my life.

7) Delivering my daughter was the hardest and most rewarding day of my life.

Thank you, Jessica! I'm passing this award along to a different Jessica at Our Family for His Glory, Julie at The Peanut Gallery, and Gap Girl of If Only Everyone Thought This Way.

Simple Sticker Page

I've wanted to get Sweet P a sticker book for awhile now, but after searching high and low for something that didn't cost much (read: cheap) I decided to take matters into my own hands. Literally. On my way home from looking for sticker books one day, I racked my brain for materials that would be sticker proof. I thought good and hard about wax paper and my idea took shape. So here's how to create a simple reusable sticker page for just about nothing. I had all these materials at home.

Simple Sticker Page

What you need:

wax paper

1 piece of cardstock or construction paper (cardstock is better)

double stick tape or tape runner

scissors

stickers galore!

Use a tape runner or apply double stick tape to the front of your cardstock. Pull a piece of wax paper from the roll large enough to fit the cardstock.

Carefully place the wax paper on top of the cardstock and gently press down on the taped areas. Once you have the paper in place, cut around the wax paper to make it fit the cardstock.

Try it out with a sticker. Then give it to your little ones to enjoy over and over again!

What I learned: This was SO easy. It seriously took 3 minutes. It took me longer to find a piece of cardstock then it did to make this! And I didn't have to buy an expensive book!

What else I learned: Our house will revisit this project a bit down the road. Sweet P has a hard time with stickers. She likes them, like to stick them to herself and the paper, but also likes to, ahem, eat them. So, we'll be trying again later.

Happy sticking!