.This Blog.

I will be the first to admit this blog has been forgotten.

My husband and I were blessed with conceiving a child and giving birth to that precious life, our beautiful daughter Penelope, and life changed..

Our lives have changed in every way possible and for the better. God gave Adam and I the desire to become parents years before we met and then gave us the greatest privilege and gift with Penny.

This blog used to be a large source of joy and affirmation in my life but now things have changed. Now I am a mother and my heart has been filled with purpose, love, adoration, gratitude, and confidence. I know who I am and know who the Lord is continually molding me to be. It's the best wife, mom, daughter, sister, friend I can be to glorify Him.

For the past few months I have been devoted to my baby, my husband, and my Savior. We have all bonded in ways I did not know were possible. I have experienced love I did not know existed. I have found the absolute light in my life and it is Penny. Adam shared the other night as we were talking this statement that has made my heart burst--He said, "Penny is filled with joy."

She is.

And so am I.

This blog will still be up and running. There will be more posts. Some deep sharing about my life and faith, some showcasing a new craft or room in my home, and some simply a picture of my darling girl. This blog will have posts out of order, will have random topics, will have weeks and months pass with nothing new, will be messy at times..but it will be here.

This blog will be here for me to look back and reflect on. To remember what God was teaching me in the different chapters of life. To remind me of my creative juices and to act upon them. And to remember you.

I appreciate you for checking in and reading what I have had to say over the years.

Thank you for taking the time to get to know me through this blog. Thank you for giving me the encouragement I needed in the years past. Thank you for sharing your life with me.

This blog will remain and will always be about the little things that bring smiles..after all, it's the little things that are the biggest things in life.

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 23.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my new home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things to see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from September:

- Having a friend from college visit for the weekend

- Traveling to Chesapeake to celebrate my niece's 2nd birthday

- Finding a few small accessories for our house at an antique shop

- Seeing Colden's little paw indentations on our couch cushions

- Having the air conditioning off for an entire month now!

- Adding extra blankets to our bed

- Drinking morning coffee with my love

- Taking weekend trips to the apple orchard with friends

- Going out for dinner

- Having a special "Adam/Katie" day with the girls I watch at the pumpkin patch

- Celebrating birthdays with friends

- Watching Adam have a little too much fun slicing/chopping/mutilating the cured ham 

  we bought at the orchard

- Playing with my pup

- Wearing a fleece for the first time this season

- Completing more house projects

- Adding two new pieces of furniture to our house

- Planning a trip to MN!

- Eating hot brownies (gluten free of course!) with vanilla ice cream on top

- Staying inside on cold rainy days

- Having a fridge and pantry stocked with food (we are so blessed)

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 22.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my new home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things to see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from August:

- Watching a deer sprint across an open field

- Early morning snuggles with my pup

- Fall clothing shopping trip

- Weekend trip to Myrtle with dear friends

- Riding the log flume with my hubs

- Fresh peaches

- Vanilla ice cream with reese's pieces on top

- Family visit to Chesapeake to see my brother, sister in law, and niece

- Practicing walking with the baby I watch and seeing her take 8 steps all by herself

- Having my folks and grandparents come to our house for a long weekend visit

- Staying up late playing games with family and drinking coffee

- Laughing so hard it led to tears (thanks for that Adam)

- Watching as Adam completes a very big project and feeling so proud of him

- Long car trips with friends

- New season of Breaking Bad (if you do not watch this show, start now--available on Netflix!)

- Receiving lots of love on the blog thanks to these three mirrors

- Picking up the oldest little girl I watch at Kindergarten and seeing her adorable uniform

- Deep cleaning my house, like really really deep

- Swimming in the ocean 

- Experiencing Medieval Times for the first time

- Seeing Adam's subway art every day in our home

- Going to the aquarium with my little niece

- Sharing a breakfast with my brother at our house on a little surprise visit

- Watching Colden stretch and curl his paws resembling bunny feet

- Sleeping in with my love

- Spending two hours every Tuesday night with our friend's month old baby girl

I feel like I could keep going..the Lord sure blessed me with a great month :)

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles: Part 21.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things to see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from July:

- Hosting a house full of people due to the mighty wind storm

- Celebrating the 4th with dear friends eating great food and playing games

- Making progress on decorating our dining room

- Scoring an awesome Craigslist steal

- Visiting our friends in the hospital to meet their precious baby girl..

- ..Holding the baby

- ..Staring at the baby

- ..Seeing Adam love on the baby

- Finally completing our Deck Makeover

- Watching two bunnies play in our front yard while Colden went CRAZY inside

- Staying up late watching movies with Adam and sleeping in on Saturdays

- Adam and I took a break from coffee for a few months but we busted out our coffee 

  pot this July and have enjoyed every single sip

- Making plans for family visits

- Sitting under our deck during a huge rainstorm with Adam

- Adam threw out his back (not something that made us smile) but he missed work 

  and was HOME! More fun for me than him, poor guy.

- Cooking new meals, some good some blah

- Watching Adam play with the girls I watch, especially the baby

- Double date with my in-laws

- Going to church with family to hear Adam's Grandpa preach in celebration of his 90th 

  birthday

- Spending "me" time crafting

- Seeing our house featured in a magazine!

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 17.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from March:

- Returning home to a clean house after our Icelandic vacation

- Settling back into our normal routine

- Keeping the girls I nanny for a weekend

- Enjoying the warm weather

- Watching as the tree buds begin to bloom

- The vibrant colors of green, pink, and white in my yard

- Listening to the birds sing in the morning..even if it's early

- Taking Colden on walks in the beautiful weather

- Beginning a new show on Netflix: Breakout Kings

- Having Adam take care of me when I was sick (now we have switched places, I may 

  have spread my germs over to him..whoops!)

- Working on the yard and seeing improvement

- Preparing the yard for a very big project coming in April, stay tuned!

- Weekend family visits

- Downtown adventures

- Completing a DIY house project

- Girls Weekend with my college besties to Williamsburg!

- Returning home and hearing Adam say, "I missed you"

..and one rather big thing:

- Feeling strong, healthy, and 30 pounds lighter!

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 16.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from February:

*Warning: this may be entirely about Iceland*

- Celebrating Valentine's Day with my love
- Attending my friend's wedding in MD
- Enjoying Lynchburg's first (and only) big snow

- Shopping and packing for ICELAND!

- Visiting my parents in NJ

- Leaving the country for the first time with Adam

- Experiencing Iceland

- Appreciating God's creation..the mountains, glaciers, volcanoes in Iceland

- Exploring Reykjavik with Adam

- Eating Icelandic food

- Visiting with family members in NY before coming back to VA

..the list really would never end talking about Iceland so simply see these posts to read about our amazing trip!

- Iceland Day One

- Iceland Day Two

- Iceland Day Three

- Iceland Day Four-Five

Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 15.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from January:

- Visiting with Adam's family from Minnesota

- Making meals following my mother's recipes

- Hugging with little nieces and nephew

- Showing our family our new house for the first time

- Enjoying movie double dates 

- Game nights at my mother-in-law's house

- Celebrating a late "Cookie Sheet Christmas" with Adam's family

- Exchanging gifts with the night owls who are the Millers

- Taking a trip to the children's museum with my nieces and nephew

- Celebrating New Years with the Holm family (my mother-in-laws fam)

- Sharing time with the Holms when everybody got to talk openly 

- Bonfires 

- Sleeping in with Adam

- Cleaning the house (really, I love to prepare it for guests!)

- Experiencing our first snow flurries for about a minute
- Completing a DIY craft project

Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 14.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from December:

- Preparing our home for family visits

- Setting up our Christmas tree

- Decorating our home for Christmas

- Listening to Christmas music thanks to Pandora

- Starbucks dates with my love

- The cold weather

- Weekends with the girls

- Baking and crafting with the girls

- Buying Christmas presents for friends and family

- Heating blankets and coffee

- Brand new slippers from Target

- Celebrating Christmas with the Morrows

- Holding my niece Emma

- Playing and laughing with Emma

- Cooking meals for my family

- Hosting my first Christmas Eve dinner party

- Celebrating Christmas morning with my love

- Morning snuggles with Adam and our pup

- Watching as Adam played video games

- Late nights playing board games with friends/family

..the list could honestly go on and on, December was a fantastic month!

Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 13.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with my home, crafts, and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. 

I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from November:

- Being the second car in the carpool line

- Enjoying the holiday drinks at Starbucks

- Seeing our new dining and living room take shape

- Celebrating my birthday with Adam and friends

- Receiving letters in the mail

- Connecting with high school friends from home

- Spending quality time with family

- Watching 'Christmas Vacation' as a family

- Holding our friends' new baby girl

- Taking road trips with my love

- Having two full weeks headache free

- Staying on my gluten-free diet (even through Thanksgiving!)
- Holding my first garage sale with my Mother-in-law

- Getting all green lights on the way to work

- Purchasing a few new craft items

- Cooking different meals and liking them
- Having my dear friend and old roomie visit with her Mom

- Doing a craft night on my birthday!

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 12.

It was exactly one year ago today when my husband encouraged me to start blogging. We worked together to think of clever names and were really fond of  "Katiedid" which is a fun play off of my name, the crafts I would be sharing, and most of all the insect. (Side note: I am a very big science geek at heart.) Sadly this name was taken and Adam told me to think deeper and to decide what my blog would reflect. 

After sleeping on it, I came up with 'Little Things Bring Smiles' because it truly represents my outlook on life. I wanted to blog to not only share the crafts I made, but to share my life and how God shows Himself to me. For me, He is in all things, but most important He's in the little things. No matter what kind of day you are having {depressing, joyous, frustrating, relaxing} there is joy and comfort found in the little things. 

For the past year, I have compiled small lists of the little things that made me smile. I have found with each passing month, I look toward the little things and notice how minute they always are but how mighty they fill my heart. I often pray for God to continue showing me these little things to be a constant reminder that He is there for us at all times and reveals Himself to us more times than we ever notice.

I would be delighted if you would join me and share the little things that brought smiles to your days.

October:

-  My husband waking up early to fill my car with gas

- Hearing three favorite songs play back to back on the radio

- Having a very pleasant and fun experience cooking with Adam

- Driving down the highway with yellow leaves falling on my dash

- Watching the ground hog (who lives under our back tree) collect food

- The comfort a heating blanket produces

- Meeting up with old friends and picking up right where you left off

- Going out of my way to bring coffee to Adam's office

- Rainy, snuggly days followed by the most beautiful sunny day

- Hanging new curtains in our living room

- Having my dog work his way up the bed as the night progresses

- Trying and liking new food

- Hugging my mom and dad

- Laughing til you cry    

Now it's your turn, what are your little things?

Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 11.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with the crafts and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from September:

- Making my first yarn wreath

- Driving 3 hrs to and from Ikea on a Saturday with the hubs

- New purchases, thanks to Ikea

- Falling leaves
- Arranging a "Guys Night"

- Starbucks dates with Adam

- Dinners at home

- Seeing an old lady walking home with groceries decked out in jeans, flannel shirt, puffy vest, and cowboy boots (I hope to be as cool as her at that age!)

- Gas prices dropping to $3.19

- Having 'Breaking Bad' marathon nights with Adam, thanks to Netflix

- Watching an 8 week old baby every day

- Snuggling with the baby

- Feeding her

- Making her smile, so precious!

- Grocery shopping "dates'
- Having friends over to sit and chat around the fire

- New camera lens

- Celebrating my niece's first birthday

- Visiting with family

- "Torturing" our pup by bathing him with the hose on the deck (just hilarious, Shiba Inus do not like being wet)

- Listening to old songs Adam and I grew up with thanks to Spotify

And two BIG things:

- Reaching 500 followers (what? how did this happen?)

- Remodeling our home!

Now it's your turn, what are your little things?

Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!

.Little Things Bring Smiles Part 10.

The name of my blog is

Little Things Bring Smiles.

I chose this title because it is important to remember the little things in life and to rejoice in them. My reason for blogging is to share my life, all parts of it {including the good, the bad, and the ugly} along with the crafts and DIY projects I complete. Each month I want to focus on the little things that brought smiles to my days. I would love for you to share your little things and see if they bring a smile to me, or another reader :)

 Here are my little things from August:

 

- Cooler weather

- Visits with friends from NC and MD

- Breakfast dates

- Sunbathing

- Teaching Bible stories to the girls

- Bubble baths

- Organized closets

- Our friends new puppy

- Movie nights

- Watching the Baptism service at church

- Singing old camp songs with Adam

- Fresh fruit

- Making plans for our house

- Quiet time

And one kind of BIG little thing:

- Buying new clothes size MEDIUM from Target!

 

Now it's your turn. Always remember,

Little Things Bring Smiles!