Nataley's Gift Guide: Husbands

I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving! I know Kyle and I have enjoyed getting to spend some quality time with family and friends. We even got to have lunch with Daniel and Jordan this afternoon :) Here are the first round of pics during the thanksgiving festivities!

I will post pictures of more of our festivities later but today I want to share some fun things I found for hubby gifts! Enjoy!

1. Cooper Mug--Huckberry

2. Oklahoma Flag--Huckberry

3. Kikkerland Lightwood Fish Corkscrew--Thrillist

4. Gun Mug--Amazon

5. Keychain Screwdriver Set--Vat19

6. Monogrammed Steak Brand--Williams-Sonoma

-N

Jordan's Gift Guide: Nieces & Nephews!

Happy day after Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope you were able to spend some sweet time with friends and family yesterday and that you also had a minute to yourself to just be thankful.  

Our first married Thanksgiving was so wonderful.  We spent the morning helping my dad prepare the house for company.  It was both very sweet and very funny watching Daniel swiffer the floor of my childhood home.  My grandparents, uncle, aunt and cousins got to the house around one and we spent a good three hours feasting and talking.  

I'm the oldest of the five grandkids, but the age gap between my cousins, my brother and me seems to close more every time I see them--they're adults and I love spending time with them!

It was a fantastic day :)

However, we didn't get to see Daniel's family because they were out of town, so that was a bummer. When we got married I not only became a wife but a daughter-in-law, a sister-in-law, and the first aunt to the most beautiful little lady on the planet.  She's our only niece, so I of course can't wait to spoil her on birthdays and holidays. We've come up with a few ideas, but I want her first Christmas gift from us to be special.  Seriously, here's what we're working with:

OH MY GOODNESS!

We think we've settled on a gift, but here are a few ideas for you all with little nieces and nephews:

1. DIY Play Kitchen--Pinterest

2. Animal Head Wall Art--Anthropologie

3. Bedtime Story Shadow Puppets--Anthropologie

4. Antler Pillowcase--Etsy

5. Ocean Puzzle--Anthropologie

6. Animal Poster--Rifle Paper Co.


Hope you're still in a happy, thankful mood now that it's four o'clock on Black Friday :)


-J

Reflections on Our First Month of Marriage & Jordan's Gift Guide: Husbands!

Daniel and I have been doing this whole marriage thing for a month as of yesterday! What a sweet, sweet month it's been.  Monday night we spent a couple of hours reflecting on what we've learned in this first month over a bowl of pumpkin ice cream.  I'm so thankful for a man who is willing to sit and talk with me like that.  Here are a few things we came up with:

1. Marriage is a PRIVILEGE.
We don't deserve to be so unconditionally loved by someone else or by the God who created us, but somehow we are and it is so, so wonderful.

2. Loving is a CHOICE.
Daniel did not want to get up and run with me in the mornings during our first week of marriage, but he did it because he loves me. Rising early to run through the neighborhood while it's still cold and dark has become one of the sweetest parts of our daily routine, and I so appreciate him making the choice to get into the habit with me.

3. Say you're sorry sooner rather than later.
It's going to happen eventually--you'll be crawling into bed next to this person in mere minutes or hours.  Be humble so you can have more time to just enjoy each other before going to sleep and spending all day apart at work.

4.  You're on the same team.
Act like it. Don't talk badly about your spouse, even if you're joking.  Words of affirmation go a long way.  Cheer each other on.

5.  Make friends with other couples.
Our young marrieds small group has been a HUGE support to us in our first month of marriage.  We're able to share struggles and relate to one another in such a special way.

6.  It's okay to do your own thing.
Every once in a while.  Spending time with friends without one another is good for us, and it makes getting home to each other even sweeter!

7. Get comfortable being naked.
I mean this physically and emotionally.  Don't try to hide yourself from one another.  This person married you--he thinks you're smart and beautiful.  Let him know you.

8. Have some manners.

I'm not talking about farting in bed versus not farting in bed (but since we're on the subject--don't fart in bed!).  I mean say "please" and "thank you."  Don't slave drive one another, and express your appreciation when your spouse helps or serves you.

9.  It's going to take a while to adjust.

I still sit down to eat dinner every night and look at my phone to see how long we have until Daniel needs to head home.  Not sure when it'll feel one hundred percent okay for Daniel to sleep over and for us to have sexy time, but we aren't quite there yet!

10. Pray together.

For your marriage, and for everything else.  Pray for one another, and pray for yourself.

These are just a few things we've taken away from this very quick first month.  We are loving being married, but we know we aren't experts!

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Since I'm letting you in on a few things my husband and I are learning, I figured today would be a good day to share husband gift ideas :)

1. Monthly Beer Subscription--Beer of the Month Club

2. Weekend Getaway--Devil's Den State Park
3. Craftsman Tool Box--Sears
4. Kinfolk Magazine Subscription--Kinfolk

5. Sound System--Amazon
6. Minnetonka Slippers--Minnetonka
7. Two Person Tent--Amazon

I'm still trying to sort my thoughts out on Daniel's gift(s) for this year.  Normally I would've caved and given his presents to him by this point, but the wedding was a good distraction in that case.  But I have today off and he doesn't, so I'm thinking about running around to make some decisions on what I'm getting him.  He's my favorite person to shop for!

We're headed to Tulsa tonight to stay with my dad and brother for Thanksgiving.  I hope you all have safe travels and the best time enjoying family and friends!

-J

Nataley's Gift Guide: Nieces & Nephews!

Nieces and Nephews are so much fun to buy/make presents for! 

I know this guide is supposed to be more for my benefit but I have actually already followed the DIY guides for the A-Frame Tent and Foldable Car Caddy and I lovvvved how they turned out and so did my nephew Jarek :) I had to share them with you! Happy Gifting!

1. Tiny TOMS--TOMS

2. Wood Toy Sling Shot--Etsy

3. Nursery Printable--Etsy

4. Darth Vader Voice Changer Helmet--Target

5. DIY A-Frame Tent--A Beautiful Mess Blog

6. DIY Foldable Car Caddy--iVillage

-N

Jordan's Gift Guide: Parents & In-Laws!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE finding/making the perfect gift. The older I get, the clearer it becomes that gifting is my love language. This is making my first married Christmas incredibly fun for me (more family=more gifts I get to give!) and maybe a little stressful for Daniel.  I want to buy everyone all the things! He wants to be practical.  Hopefully we can find a balance.  For now, I'm throwing out all kinds of ideas for all our loved ones, and he's letting me dream.  I feel kinda bad he has to deal with Christmastime Jordan so early on in our marriage :)

I do want to clarify--the holidays are not primarily about giving and getting material things for me.  They're about acknowledging and being thankful for the Love who was sent down in human flesh to show us how to love and give freely to one another (which I should be doing daily).  Giving is just a way for me to think less of myself and focus my energy on showing someone else I took time to think about them, who they are, and what they might like or find useful.  And the holiday season allows me to do that for everyone I love all at once, which makes me silly happy!

So this week the blog will be dedicated to gifts in all their warm, fuzzy glory!  Nataley and I will be posting some of our ideas for specific groups of people in our lives, and we hope you find them helpful if you're struggling to come up with the perfect gift for someone you love.

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Shopping for Daniel's parents has been a challenge for me in years past.  What is an appropriate gift for your boyfriend's parents and brothers? Two Christmases ago I made cupcakes, hot cocoa, and chocolate covered stirring spoons and arranged them in a little basket for the whole family.  Last year I bought them a game for family game nights.  This year we're married, so Daniel and I get to pick out gifts together! We've spent the last couple of weeks researching a few of our favorite ideas, and we hope to make a few purchases soon.

1: Copper Cookware--West Elm

2: 2014 Calendar--Rifle Paper Co

3: Custom Family Recipe Cutting Board--Etsy

4: Recipe Cards--Rifle Paper Co.

5: Bath Robes--Nordstrom

6: Copper Mug--West Elm

7: Custom Family Portrait--Etsy

8: Custom Home Portrait--Etsy

Happy gifting!

-J

Holiday Party Prep

Daniel and I have dedicated this weekend to deep cleaning the house in preparation for the Christmas decorating process :)  I am SO excited! Last night we spent about six hours doing all the yucky stuff--vacuuming, scrubbing the baseboards, dusting, scrubbing the showers, toilets, and counters, etc--so we could do some of the fun stuff today.  

We got up and lingered around the house for a while before braving the chilly weather to visit the last Saturday market of the year.  We ended up ducking in a few shops to warm up and look for Christmas gifts then headed back toward the house to catch the end of the Arkansas game before putting up Christmas lights on the house.  We know, we know--it's not even Thanksgiving yet.  We both stand behind not putting up Christmas decorations until Thanksgiving is over, but we'll be in Tulsa Wednesday through Sunday and wouldn't have the chance to get lights on the house until the next weekend since Daniel doesn't get home from work until after dark.  So today was the day!

I also moved around a few of my fall decorations (which came from the wedding decoration stash--they're already getting a second life!) for tomorrow night.  We're hosting Friendsgiving for our small group. These people have been a crazy blessing to Daniel and me and I can't wait to break a little bread with them :)  There are few things I love more than planning and hosting dinners and parties, and now that we're married it's even more fun preparing for them together!

I hope you're all having the loveliest of pre-Thanksgiving weekends! Speaking of getting in the holiday spirit and giving, you should check out this Kickstarter and consider being a part of this band's first full length album.  They played at our wedding and we had a number of people ask us who they were--they're the real deal!  

-J

Kelsey and Tim: To Be Wed (Pt. 2)

First of all, Kelsey and Tim are the most photogenic people I know! They are so adorable and Jordan and I really had a blast taking their engagement photos together.

I’m going to share some of my favorites I took of the gorgeous couple on that gorgeous day.

They are adorable, right! Jordan and I are super excited to be involved in their wedding planning process as well as taking pictures for them on their big day! Here comes my marriage gittiness (yes, I know I'm making up words) again :) 

-N