One Last Chance

Oh man. Not only has it been ages since I've posted anything here (10 days to be exact), but I've also dropped the ball with our Second Chance Book Club. I was supposed to be writing and discussing The Catcher in the Rye with you, but unfortunately that didn't happen.

So. That being said, Aubrey is going to host our final Book Club of the year. She's going to be discussing A Christmas Carol on December 26. Check out her newest post for more details.

Also, please take our survey for next year's Book Club! This year we (clearly) focused on classics and even though we didn't make it through all of them, we still enjoyed our time.

This next year, 2016, is a time for us to explore other genres and styles than we have previously read. When you take the survey, don't be afraid to suggest specific titles you'd like to read. If you're a fan of certain time periods, don't hesitate to request those! I know there are some books on our list already that focus around WWII. If you love graphic novels and there's a new one you want to read, suggest it!

We will try our best to accommodate something from all of the surveys. If we don't, please don't hold that against us. We're trying our best!

If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know and we'll do our best to get back to you in a timely manner!

On that note, HAPPY MONDAY!

Five on Friday: Home Improving?

I really, really, REALLY wanted to have some great renovation/home improving photos for you. Alas, it isn't so. So...this will be Five on Friday: Misc edition.


one | home improving updates

Our kitchen is painted (?!). I know. Big steps at the Entzel house.

We also have a new door on the front of our house. It's an $800+ door that we scored for $200! Thank you, scratch and dent!


two | fall

The fall is wrapping up. Every day I sit at my desk and look outside at the sad, sad, sad trees lining the street and our building. And there are NO LEAVES. Boo.


three | snow

It's November 13 and we've not had an accumulating snow yet! How awesome is that?? We live in North Dakota, so snow is a staple in our wintry lives.

Two weeks we had some large, pretty, fluffy snowflakes. Unfortunately fortunately they didn't stick around long. It was a bummer for hunting and tracking (not that our hunters needed it), but it's not keeping me up at night.

I originally wrote this post for last Friday. Unfortunately we now have snow on the ground. So, scratch all of the information above.

four | upcoming projects

I really want to redo our front entry way. I'm thinking about tearing all of the wallpaper down and  some tile for the flooring and a nice storage bench for future littles to store their shoes and hats and mittens. I'm thinking something like...

source

 

five | Friendsgiving

Tomorrow we are celebrating our first (hopefully, annual) Friendsgiving here. I've been asked to bring the dessert. What should I make? Cupcakes? Carrot cake? Pie? Help!

 

As always, head on over to see who else is participating in today's Five-on-Friday. 

 

 

 

MIA

I'm sorry I've been absent this week. Life has been absolutely crazy. Last weekend, as you know, we hand our last wedding of the season year. It was a blast and we are so thankful we got to spend time with friends and family.

In addition to that, we had our Christmas cards taken by Carissa Pic Photography on our way back home on Sunday. I can't wait to share them with you!

Carissa and I went to college together and shared a few education classes. And instead of teaching, she opted to go the photography route. Seriously though, aren't these photos just lovely? More on that later.

I also finished up Parent/Teacher Conferences last night. It was niiice when all was said and done. Bonnie over at The Life of Bon wrote about conferences a few months ago. Go see.

I'll be back more in the next few days. I hope. If you want to get in contact with me when I'm not around here...check here, here, or here.

Happy Wednesday!

Also, don't forget to take the book club survey here.

Here Comes the Bride...

...all dressed in white.

You know what that means, right? You've got it. Another wedding. Since the beginning of 2015 we've attended weddings in Fargo (1), Bismarck (1), Mayville (1),  Grand Forks (2), Montevideo (1), and Hudson (1). We were also invited to three that we couldn't attend in Fargo (1) and Grand Forks (2).

We are rounding out our 2015 wedding season with a wedding in Jamestown.

The awesome thing about the wedding this weekend, is that we don't have to pay for a hotel! We are fortunate enough that we'll be able to stay with Kyle's parents and celebrate til the cows come home (or buffalo, whichever). 

Family will be in town and it will be glorious. One thing I love about spending time with Kyle's family is that the weekend will be filled with baby snuggles from our niece, late night games, lazy mornings, and lots of coffee. All things lovely.

The thing I struggle with most when it comes to weddings is, "What do I buy them?" I know, I know...just follow the registry. And as easy as that is, some of our favorite gifts weren't on our registry. 

I mean really, how cute are these??

I don't think you can register for hand embroidered flour sack towels. Maybe somewhere, but I've never seen it.

I also loved this pitcher that we got.

We use(d) it frequently...and then someone found out that really hot water shouldn't run in/on it. Don't look at me. 

And even though we loved most of the stuff that wasn't on our registry, we did receive some things that we've not even taken out of the box yet. And because I'm not sure who all reads this here blog, I won't even show you what those items are. 

Check in on IG, Twitter, Facebook or Snapchat for updates this weekend. 

But seriously. What's your go-to wedding gift? 

I know my mom's...a glass pitcher 

like the one that broke at our house. 

Hunter or Hunted?

It's that time of year again. The time when the blaze orange and giant thermos bottles come back. If you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about, I'm very sorry.

It's a tradition in our family to gather during one or both weekends of the deer hunting season holiday. This year we went home for deer opener and had a fabulous time. On Saturday we spent time with family, waited hunted some deer, ate potato klub, and were in bed and asleep by 10 pm. Then Sunday, we got up and did it all over again.

I don't know how you feel about family time, but weekends at my parents' house are some of my favorites. Even though I have my own home and it's nice to get back after a weekend away, I relax so much better out at the farm.

I'm so thankful for a husband who is willing to spend time with my family and even enjoys being there. I hope and pray that Hunting Holiday is a tradition our children will learn to love as much as I do.

I hope that my children will love visiting their grandparents as much as I love visiting mine. I pray that they will long to invest their time in their grandparents' lives as much as I do. I long for the day that my children will anxiously await the next season of Deer Hunting and potato klub. And above all else, I hope and pray that my children will find comfort in enjoying time with family.

What traditions do you hold every year? I'd love to hear about them.

What We Watch: Five on Friday

I always feel like I'm the only person with bad habits. In this case, it's not just me, it's Kyle too. We have a bad habit. We watch a lot of television. Not only do we watch a lot of television, but we tend to watch it while we eat supper.

It's so easy to sit and watch an episode of one of our favorite shows and not think until it's suddenly 8:30pm and we have to get things ready for the next day. Amiright?

Does anyone else have this habit? We know it's not the best idea, but somehow it's so hard to break that cycle. BUT! We've been working on breaking this habit. We've set some guidelines for shows, times, frequency, etc. And even though we're working on it, we sometimes still watch too much tv.

That being said, for this week's Five on Friday, I'll be sharing the five shows we watch the most or are currently watching.

one | Frasier

We started watching Frasier quite a while ago. It's a show that's easy to watch one episode here and another two or three weeks months later.

imdb

 

two | Gotham
Honestly, I suggested this show to Kyle because I saw that Ben McKenzie stars in it. I mean, really. What fan of The O.C. wouldn't want to see Ryan Ben McKenzie star in another show.
But really, Kyle has decided that he actually really likes the show. Some episodes are a tad cheesy, but we like seeing how each character changes throughout the season.

imdb

three | Psych

I've probably talked about it before, but we really love Psych. We just finished watching it all the way through for the second time. The antics, the jokes, the continuity, everything is just so well done that we catch something new each time we watch it.

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four | Parks and Recreation

Who doesn't love Leslie Knope and all of her nicknames for Ann? Let's be honest. We also love us some Andy Dwyer.

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five | The Office

I know The Office is old, but whenever we are stumped for what to watch, we will pull up a favorite. As long as Michael Scott is present and Jim is pranking Dwight, all is right in the world.

imdb

So, not only do we have the bad habit of watching television more than we should, we also have five shows to keep us busy. As you've seen, it doesn't even matter if we've seen them before...we'll always have something to watch.

What about you? Do you have any bad habits? What are your go-to shows? We're always looking for suggestions!

 

Inked.

I'm not a rebellious person. Growing up, I never wanted to make my parents mad. Sometimes I did let them down and then I cried. Mom and I yelled many times, but when Dad told me he was "disappointed in me", I broke down.

For some reason, I really, really, REALLY, hate letting people down. When I wanted to get my belly-button pierced, my parents said, "No more piercings or any tattoos until you're on your own and you pay for them."

So...what did I do in my first two months at college? I got a new piercing.

After I transferred to UND, I decided it was time to get a tattoo. So I went to 46 & 2 in Fargo for my first tattoo.

I loved it!

I didn't let many moons pass before I decided to get another one. I made sure to return to 46 & 2 for my second.

The time has come where my itch for a new tattoo is too strong. My pal, carrie, and I are headed back to 46 & 2 for some fresh ink. I wrote about my upcoming tattoo, last week.

So if you've got me on Snapchat or if you follow me here, here, or here, be on the lookout for fresh ink this Saturday!

What do you think about tattoos? Do you have any?

I'd love to hear your opinions!

What to do: By the Numbers

Daylight Savings officially ended this weekend. I'm sure most of you already know that. If you don't know that, then I'm assuming you've been early for the last day and a half. Hah!

Since we "fell back" this weekend, I'm trying to scheme all of the things that need to get done. Winter is just around the corner *I know, don't shoot the messenger* and the Entzels have a lot of things to do. Some tasks are fun and others, not so much.

Here's a short installation in our By the Numbers series. As always, if you care to join in, go to my "Buttons" page and grab the button for this series and link back here!

Between now and the end of the month there are...

...at least fifteen cabinets to prime and paint.

...at least eight school meetings.

...five exercise classes for me to attend.

...four Bible Study meetings to attend.

...four gifts to hand make.

...three meals hosted by us.

...three batches of cupcakes to bake. 

...two days of deer hunting to celebrate.

...two dressers to sand, prime, and paint.

...one friends-giving to partake in.

...one GFEA social.

...one wedding.

...one teacher date.

...one tattoo to get.

...one front door to install.

...and one house to ready for Christmas.

I know it's a little early to be thinking about Christmas, but by the time the end of the month rolls around, we're going to be ready to start decorating for Christmas.

What do you have to get done by the end of the month?