Katie of Skunkboy Creatures made Chilled Spring Rolls recently and they look AWESOME.  I’m determined to try my hand at some this Spring because they are, after all Spring rolls.  Ba doom boom!

I had no idea there were so many variations – but apparently, you can put whatever the heck you feel like in them…score.

These Smoked salmon rolls have rice noodles in them and although I would substitute the salmon (not a seafood person), the simple combination of fresh veggies and lean meat sounds delicious.

Yes these are technically Wintery Spring Rolls but I’m pretty sure they would be just as good in the Spring.

BLT Spring Roll?  I’ll take 5…or 10!

Do you have any combinations for me to try?  I can’t wait to roll them up and devour – and maybe I’ll share.

Tristan and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary right after Christmas.  I still can’t believe that it’s been that long!  We were super young when we got married – I was 19 and he was 21, but it was definitely the right time for us.

We got married December 27th, 2001, and then went to London for our honeymoon.  We were both so excited to go (neither of us had been), and it was such a fun trip!  We froze our tails off in the December/January weather, but we have desperately wanted to go back ever since.  We had planned to take a second trip to England for our 1st anniversary in 2002, but when it came around, we had a mortgage and baby #1 (Gavin) on the way.

We waited a couple more years and decided to try the London revisit for our 5th anniversary.  Our plans were changed when I had to quit my full-time job because of a bad work situation and we also found out that baby #3 (Gemma) was on the way.

After a couple more years, we decided to try the trip for our 10th anniversary in 2011 (which, at the time, seemed SO far off in the distance!).  We talked and planned over the past few years, hoping that it would finally work out (but I don’t know if either of us actually thought it would ever happen.).  But guess what?  We ARE going to London!!  We leave in 2 weeks (deep breath), and we are SO freakin’ excited!  The kids will be staying here with my parents, and Tristan and I will finally get to go back to London:)

Oh, and we also decided while we are there, to take a short train ride to a little city in France….Paris.  Yup, we will get to spend half the time in London, and half the time in PARIS!!

Eeeeeeeeeeeeeep!!!  No words.  There are no words.

Time for Toms One Day Without Shoes Campaign.  Are you in?

I participated in this campaign last year and the year before and tomorrow, April 10, is the day that it comes around again.

{Photo by Hannah Wills}

It’s SO easy to participate.  Just don’t wear shoes – all day.  And when someone asks you why you aren’t wearing any, tell them it’s to promote global poverty awareness.  Tell them it’s because there are so many people around the world who don’t have the privilege of wearing shoes.  And if that sentence sounded weird to you, that’s good – because I don’t think it should be a privilege to wear shoes – it should be a given.

Unfortunately, it’s not a given – and it’s also not something that we first world people think about…really, ever.  I think we should though…so be cool.  Go without shoes tomorrow.

Also, if you feel inclined, support Toms and buy some shoes – they give away one pair of shoes to children in need for every pair you or I buy.  That may not seem like alot, but it’s more than I did today to help children in need.

Hoping to see you barefoot tomorrow.

On Saturday we dyed Easter eggs with the kids.  It was fun to see their designs, and also to see that the dyeing process really hasn’t changed much over the past couple decades.  I love the pretty colors – they make me happy:)

On Easter morning we went to church and the girls both got new dresses – Guini’s was bright pink with a large collar, and Gemma’s was pink and white lace with puffy sleeves.  Gavin has gotten to the point of not wanting new “dressy” clothes, so he just wore some he already had.  They all looked so cute!

The girls both got press-on Mickey Mouse nails in their Easter baskets and they looked SO cute in them!  Gemma didn’t leave hers on for very long, but Guini  made it a couple hours before peeling hers off:)

I love these kids and getting to spend holidays with them.  I really can’t believe that another Easter has come and gone….the next one will be here before we know it.

Sometimes I like to just check-in on my own blog…just so you don’t think I’m dead or anything.  You’re welcome.

I’m not really sure what happened this week.  I had a meeting on Wednesday night and then went to sleep fairly early because I’ve been feeling slightly under the weather the past few days.  Then today I spent some time with the sibs after work and have been doing laundry like a crazy person since I got home.  I’ll just barely get this posted before Saturday – I guess some weeks are just that way.

This weekend is going to be CRAZY wonderful.  So much time spent with family it will be insane, and so much fun – I can’t wait.

Okay, so here is something.  Since when is Good Friday a holiday and that EVERYONE and their mom gets off work except me??  Not that I’m complaining that our government recognizes Good Friday…but seriously…why is everyone acting like it’s normal in the U.S. to have an “Easter holiday”? …I just don’t remember this ever happening.  And I sure as heck had to work today and will be working on Monday.  Just sayin.

Meanwhile, did you hear about Thomas Kinkade?  Woah.

1 year ago, I told you about a new project I was working on:  FIBBIE!  I can’t believe that it’s been a whole year – it went by really quick.

My very first listings were put up on April 4th 2011.  And my first sale happened that day as well!  This vintage Led Zeppelin t-shirt that Gavin modeled for me:)  I can’t wait to see what this next year brings!  Thank you to all of my customers that bought 95 items (wow!) from me.  I’m excited to get to my 100th sale very soon:)

Head on over to Fibbie and see what’s new!  I know you want too:)

Christian Siriano is definitely one of my favorite designers from Project Runway.  He won Season 4, and I’m so happy to see that he is still producing beautiful work.  These dresses are part of his Spring 2012 Collection.  I love the color and silkiness of these looks, and at only 26 years old, I think that he designs with a pretty great sophistication, don’t you?

Which dress is your favorite?

This:

Is always a good sign.  And it means one thing – birthday time!

Even though my birthday is 2 weeks away (eeeeeek!), my sister Tara and I were going to Ikea tonight anyway, so we stopped by Anthropologie to use my birthday gift from the incredible store.

They seriously send the cutest birthday gifts ever…which is part of the reason I love them so.  Wanna see what I got??  Okay!

Sketchbook to tote around in my purse.

The sweetest little terrarium postcards I ever did see.

Happy early birthday to me!  & thanks Anthro – I love you so!…I also like rhyming.

Yesterday Gemma got a pair of kid’s scissors and clipped the front part of her hair off.

Apalling as it may be, she is actually my 3rd  child (out of 3) to cut her own hair without us knowing.  Now, I know what you are thinking, “why are your kids left unattended with scissors?” and to be honest, I don’t really have a good answer for this, other than they found scissors, and seemed to think that a little trim was a good idea.

I felt like getting upset and yelling at her.  I could have easily let my emotions lead the way – blown up, cried and screamed….but I chose not too.  Even though it’s a little embarrassing right now, I don’t want to make her feel bad about the way she looks.  In any way.

She is beautiful.  And I will treasure these photos every time I see them.

After all, it’s only hair right?

It’s Friday evening (okay, technically ‘night’ since it’s about 10PM)…finally.

This day.  This day was LONG.  I was ready to crawl into bed as soon as I got home from work but decided to grab coffee instead so I had enough energy to do a little yard work before it got dark.  I am SO glad I did.  My plan is to work on my yard tomorrow while I try to get some sun on this pasty skin, but it’s always nice to work in the cool of the day – and it also helped me feel more productive and I won’t have as much to get done tomorrow.

After I worked on my yard for a bit, I took a lawn chair and some water out to the front porch so I could start reading “Quitter” by Jon Acuff.  I’m only through the first chapter so can’t give a full opinion, but so far I am loving it.  The subtitle is, “Closing the gap between your day job and your dream job”….ummmm, yes please.

If you didn’t already know, I am sort of addicted to Instagram (username: @stormierhoades) – I can’t help myself.  I took this photo while I was out reading and I posted it.  The sun was on the verge of setting but there was still a faint light lingering.  I had to use an effect that would add some light because it was getting pretty dark already.

A few minutes later, the sun broke back through the clouds and it was the warmest and most brilliant light.  I looked up from my book and I knew right away, I should have waited.  I posted the photo too early – I missed the glory of the sun as I sat relaxing on my porch.  If I would have just waited a few minutes longer, just 200 seconds – this would have been the one:

This is not a contrived lens flare, this is the real deal.  This is exactly what it looked like when I took the time to stop paying attention to the words in front of me and take in the glory around me.  I don’t know about you, but the second photo is breathtaking to me – and the first one pales drastically in comparison.

I know it seems silly to make such a serious commentary on Instagram photos, but it’s really not about that.  It’s about the place I am at in life.  The waiting point.  I have been so frustrated in the last few months, trying to figure out what my next step in life is.  After my sister moved out, I began this weird transitional period where nothing is comfortable and I feel out of place.  I have been trying to figure out what to do with my time and where to go from here.  I have felt like my close friendship base has been very small – in that I don’t know a lot of people that are in the same situation as I am (same age-ish/single/figuring things out).  And because I have The German at home, I can’t be out all the time and leaving her so I spend a lot of time at home alone.  Whenever I talk about the fact that I don’t do much with people, the response is always, “well you have the dog” and while I know that people are kidding (sort of)….it just really isn’t the same talking to a dog that doesn’t talk back.  Not that I would want her to talk back, but you know what I mean.

Now, before you start thinking this is a pity-Stormie post, it is not.  I am not asking those of you reading this that live close to me to try to keep me busy.  I am a busy person as it is and I don’t want anyone to feel sorry for me – because I don’t.  I’m realizing more and more and the Lord has been revealing to me that I am exactly where He wants me to be.  As hard as that is sometimes (certain days more than others), it is liberating at the same time.  Right now, in this place in life, He wants me to wait on Him.  I have no idea what I am waiting for, but if the above photos are any indication, I know it’s going to be something great – something breathtaking.

Everyday, I have to remember that waiting on the Lord does NOT mean sitting impatiently, tapping my foot and wondering what the crap is going on.  Waiting on the Lord means that I am expectantly perched on the edge of my seat, in anticipation of the glory and goodness that He will reveal in His timing.  Man, I am not good at that sometimes.

“Consider it a sheer gift, friends, when tests and challenges come at you from all sides.  You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors.  So don’t try to get out of anything prematurely.  Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way.“ – James 1:2-4 The Message

I don’t want to prematurely snap the picture of my life.  I don’t want to “get out of” this place of being uncomfortable and of being ‘alone’ just because it isn’t fun sometimes.  I could easily jump the gun and force all kinds of changes and new things but I know that’s not what the Lord wants from me.  I know that I am feeling this way, that I am living this way for a reason.

It’s funny sometimes how things happen.  My plan was to throw these photos up tonight and say, “Geez, look at the cool photo I got but I had already posted the first one.  Boohoo”.  It wasn’t until I started writing this post that all my thoughts came together and formed what this now is.  It wasn’t until I uploaded the photos to begin writing that I realized the Lord is always speaking and He is always confirming His words over and over again, even through something as silly as the Instagram photos I captured.

Waiting does not always feel exciting, but it is definitely giving me joy tonight as I hope in the Lord and expectantly anticipate His next move.  Gorgeous things are coming…glorious things are coming – so I am okay with the wait.