the weekend and a winner, winner chicken dinner!

friday started off well. 

the kids were good. the weekend was in sight.

all my grading and lesson planning was done. 

it was smooth sailing into the weekend.

well, that was until i realized i was starving, and i couldn't figure out how to stop my windshield wipers (a problem i've had for the last month...probably the most annoying thing that could ever happen to a person, and no, i'm not being dramatic), and i left my computer at school and had to wage war against 5 o'clock traffic and drive 40 minutes back to school to pick it up, and did i mention i was starving?

i may have hung up on mr. lesley in a fit of starvation induced rage and questioned the meaning of life in the process. 

whoops.

fortunately, my sister is one wise women and told me to stop at the golden arches.

she promised life wouldn't seem so dark and terrible after dining on a happy meal.

and you know what? 

sometimes a happy meal can really make you happy.

all those empty calories renewed my hope in life and the whole of humanity.

and i was ready to enjoy my weekend at last:)

on friday night...

kari was sweet enough to bring me a note from my old students {and a pair of amazing bedazzled earrings to go with it) and let me tag along for a girls' dinner, including new friends, delicious food, and even a little blog tutorial for nancy who started her very own blog! 

on saturday...

i started off bright and early with a coffee date with jessica at my favorite neighborhood coffee shop, cafe europa. catching up paired with delicious coffee and breakfast sandwiches was the perfect start to the day.

i spent the afternoon looking through a surprise package of d.c. goodies from momma lesley, walking through the neighborhood with sir winston, and enjoying some cuddles on the couch.

someone's got to fill in for mr. lesley, right?

then, of course, there was my act of love for mr. lesley when i put the redwings sticker on the car.

true, true love i tell ya.

saturday ended with a dinner and ice cream date with two of my favs, new friend kim and jenny.

we had delicious tacos on the porch after which i introduced them to sweet action for the first time and finished up with some quality time with honest abe. 

on sunday...

i missed mr. lesley.

 a lot. 

a lot, a lot.

{i'm really over this whole long distance thing.}

fortunately, i was able to pull it together enough to enjoy the morning at church, an afternoon of errands with my sister, and an evening of lettuce raps, lions football, and cupcakes.

oh, and honey boo boo and breaking amish.

i mean, obviously.

a weekend without my honey always feels incomplete, but i am so thankful for all the amazing people i've been able to spend more time with lately. 

in the words of the beatles, "i get by with a little help from my friends."

_________________________________________________________________

and now, the moment you've all been waiting for, the winner of our give with JOY giveaway.

drumroll please...

the winner is...

LORI! 

{lori, email me so we can get you your goods!}

thanks to everyone who entered! 

happy monday ya'll! 

giveaway! {whoop, whoop}

i'm super excited to introduce you to my friend aneta, creative genius behind the etsy shop, give with JOY, fellow blogger, and denver-ite! 

she's here to share some of her goodness with us today...

Hello lovelies, 

 Faith is my foundation, art is my passion and being married to my high school sweet heart is my fairy tale. Yep, those are just a few of the things that bring me joy! 

But there are so many tangible and intangible ‘things’ in my life that I am grateful for. 

For instance my job; not many people can say they love what they do – but I can! I work for Denver Rescue Mission as the public relations coordinator. Check it out here – it’s a great place!! 

 My husband and I moved from Wisconsin to Colorado last summer out of sheer faithfulness. Steve (my husband) was offered a position in Golden, and in about a month we were packed up and ready to go. The best part of it all was that I applied and was offered a position with the Mission a week before we moved!! Nuts, huh? 

 Enough about me and who I am, but if I left you intrigued you can learn more about me by visiting my blog here.

I am also here writing to you because Hannah was kind to allow me to tell you about my shop and the inspiration behind it! 

Hopefully it will leave you feeling inspired.

This past June, my husband and I traveled to Cambodia with eight other people from our church to serve alongside an amazing ministry – In His Steps International. 

The trip was quite the financial investment, so we started to save money – creatively! We enforced no dining out months and put that money toward Cambodia, and then I started to stitch into cards to sell to family and friends. 

 I was stitching cards for five months before we left for Cambodia. Lots of stitching, but I enjoyed every minute of it. I'm a strong believer in the whole concept of "do what you love - love what you do." I love making beautiful things, so I officially launched give with JOY on Etsy in July! 

 If you’re anything like me, then you love getting a ‘hello’ card on a Wednesday! I even hoard the mail key from my husband so I can check the mail first (I know, a bit over the top).

That’s it – it’s simple. I created give with JOY because I love making beautiful things for others. I love the fact that a simple, beautiful card can bring so much joy because we all need reminder that we are meant to live a life of JOY in our happiest and worse times!

well, you all are lucky ducks because aneta has decided to giveaway 2 of her handmade cards to one lucky reader!

wanna win? 

it's pretty simple.

all you have to do is...

-be a follower of .heart to heart.

-visit her etsy shop, give with JOY.

{you should probably like her fb page too!}

-come back and leave a comment with your favorite item.

-cross your fingers.

i will pick a winner randomly {using this website} on monday, september 17th. 

also, because aneta is so awesome, she has decided to give 10% off to all my readers through september 30th. just enter the promo code HEART when you checkout! 

good luck everybody! 

and the winner is...

Ali of Violet Hills Weddings + Events

hooray!!!!

email me your address and a link to the print of your choosing!

first giveaway=success.

happy weekend.

p.s. guess who mr. lesley and i are seeing live tonight???

i'm getting my dancing shoes ready.

GIVEAWAY!

hola amigos!

in honor of our trip to costa rica and reaching 50+ followers...

i'm doing my very first giveway!

(insert screams, cheers, confetti, and dancing unicorns!)

so what am i giving away you ask?

one of these prints!

whichever one you choose.

here's the deets peeps...

1. become a follower (if you aren't already).

2. leave a comment with which print you would choose.

3. tell all your amigos/as.

4. wait in eager anticipation to hear the winner.

here are the two most appropriate to our recent adventures...

i will announce the winner one week from today!

p.s. stayed tuned for a play by play of our trip.