time with the Oteros

John and I celebrated our anniversary in Savannah back in May.  It was a delight of course, Savannah is so charming with the spanish moss, old architecture and street side cafes.  Not to mention it is the home of Paula Dean's restaurant.  But guess what happened?  We are walking down the street and from the other side of the road we hear "Tetens!"  yelled.  We looked and saw April and Joel Otero.  They were vacationing in Savannah and we had just happened to be there on the same street at the same time in Savannah!  How fun is that.

Joel and April are also on staff with the Navigators here in Florida.  They are at the University of South Florida in Tampa.  They are such a fun couple and they make us laugh whenever we are blessed to be with them.  

So here we both are in Savannah.  They are on vaca, we are on our anniversary celebration, and we think to ourselves why go to our separate romantic dinners alone when such fun friends are here in such a fun city?  So we did it!  We had dinner together!  And why, when you have Paula Dean's restaurant available, wouldn't you go eat at a Vietnamese place? So we found ourselves celebrating four years of marriage over a bowl of Pho with the Oteros!

We had such a fun time that they asked us to come to Tampa and have some more summer fun before the school year began.  So we did, and we ate Pho again, because we love it.

April is who I got to go thrifting with in Tampa, and it was SO fun.

thanks Oteros for being our friends!

                                              

here is a little sneak peak at something I fell in love with thrifting that now has a fresh coat of paint!  It just needs a quick upload to the computer for blogging.

Congrats on your fourth anniversary Hofmanns!

for my fellow sewannabees

I love learning how to sew.  I mean I hate it at times too, but mostly it is a rewarding hobby.  I also love thrifting and recreating things from the thrift store.  And I have found another blogger, thanks to Whitney, that does it SOOO much better than I do.  Introducing Grosgrain

She creates beautiful dresses from thrifted items.  She makes her own patterns on Burdastyle and she has made simple tutorials for things that can be hard to master (like buttonholes for me).  And to top it all off she gives away a bunch of her creations.  What a woman!

I even bumped into some young women at a GoodWill in town who were looking for frocks to alter into hip dresses.  Turns out they were inspired by Grosgrain too!  How funny is that.

Hope you can benefit from her creativity too!

some house projects

we have had sofa chair in our office for the past few years.  we got our first one sitting next to the trash bin outside of our apartment.  I know, a little gross.  we kept it for about four years until we upgraded to a new next-to-trash sofa chair that looks a lot less disgusting.  So much so that I might one day forget where we got it and actually sit on it!  It looks great really, and John did a great job vacuuming and washing it.  Hooray for dumpster diving.  we have quite the collection.

we spent the past weekend in Tampa with some friends.  more on that later.  But my friend April and I went thrift shopping.  Now I love a good thrift store, and so does April.  So needless to say we fed off of each others eagerness to turn frumpy finds into our next home goods! 

this tray was $3, and just needed some updating.  Scrapbook paper is a cure-all

mwaahh!  I cannot wait to show you more of our recent projects.  John has been so wonderful working in this heat!

at a Suns game courtesy of a sweet friend!  $1 beers and sunflower seeds!

date night

along the St. John's river after sushi and before tea and cribbage

what have I been reading?

I haven't posted a finished book because there haven't been any finished books around here.  dang.  We recently learned that most county libraries charge for late books.  Our last library in Gainesville forgave the fee once the book was returned.  Needless to say we were never in any rush.  So after paying a few bucks for some outstanding books I have not made it back to check anymore out until I am sure I have the time to read them.

But for now I am reading a book that was on my own shelf.  It is a biography written about Dawson Trotman, the founder of the Navigators, the interdenominational Christ-centered organization that John and I work for.  Daws is one of the most detailed accounts written about the start of the international organization and the man who was behind it all.  It is extremely interesting to me because it is part of my heritage now too!  And this man is a man of faith and discipline, things I can certainly grow in.  If you like biographies, I think Dawson is enough of a one-of-a-kind character to interest you!  Dawson Trotman believed God for big things, and took Him at His word, then invited people to do the same.  Other less lengthly books are The Navigator and Living Legacy.

berra pickin'

So I have had a dream the past few years to go pick something at a local farm.  Apples, berries, who knows.  This past weekend my dreams were realized in Tennessee.  We went to the Apple and Berry Farm that David and Pamela had been to before.  This is the map they used to show us where were were headed.  Cardboard.

The Fellas are gathering energy for the picking about to commence

Blueberries were first.  We could have picked all day long there were so many.

next was the blackberries.  These were a little harder, and this is where I think I got my 20 bug bites on my legs.

and finally, peach pickin.  which was not really fruitful. literally. figuratively. But John made up for it with his good looks.

All in all each couple took home about 5 lbs of Blueberries, 5 lbs of blackberries, a few green peaches, a fresh fruit slush and a smile!

Now for a peach blueberry blackberry pie.

Smoky Mountain Time

We are back from a glorious weekend with David and Pamela.  We went putt-putting, sangria swirling, waterparking . . . twice . . . good ol' Dollywooding, berry picking from a local farm (pictures of that adventure coming) and for sushi at a sweet spot in Knoville.  Thanks friends!  John did not make it for the photo because he was chatty cathy on the phone. woops.

we have been enjoying the beach and our new home so much I have been neglecting to post.  

But heres to the beach and heading to Tennessee tomorrow.  To see these fine folk . . .

and these special people . . .

I . . . just . . . cannot . . . wait . . .

the 4th

the forecast for this holiday weekend is rain, rain and more rain.  which doesn't sound very celebratory, but when you live in Florida, it is!  Bring on the clouds and slightly cooler weather.  we will enjoy this weekend on our porch (with our new-to-us patio furniture, pics to come)  with some watermelon, corn on the cob and maybe even a blueberry pie!    Happy celebrations to you all! 

good news

The homemade deodorant works!  To my surprise and yours too I bet.  It kicks butt in this Florida summer heat.  Here is the recipe if you want to try it too.

1/4 cup aluminum free baking soda

1/4 cup organic cornstarch (or arrowroot powder)

5-6 tablespoons coconut oil

5-10 drops tea tree oil

Mix all ingredients together and press into an old deodorant container. To use, let it rest against your skin for a couple seconds to soften the coconut oil, do one slow swipe under each arm and use the palm of your hand to spread it around.

The mixture melts above 75 degrees, so I keep it in my refrigerator so it stays in the deodorant mold.  If you don't want to do that but live in a hot climate I would put it in a jar of some sort and use your fingers to apply!

all my springs are in You!

a summer sew

thanks to the suggestion of my wonderful sister-in-law, Kristi,  I embarked on another sewing project that inspired my last post about seam ripping.  Dang it.

But this woman has taken a men's shirt and turned it into a summer dress.  Of course I could not follow the directions to a T.
But I did come up with this number after sewing, ripping and re-sewing.

the tank is not attached, just happened to be wearing it at the time.  Florida summers call for a number of breezy dresses and I have one more thanks to one XL man!

a new blog I appreciate

Fosterhood

a new friend in Jacksonville told me about this blog.  The blogger is a single woman in NYC who has become a fostermom.  She writes little blurbs about her experience.  It is eye-opening to read her stories.  And I am thankful she has opened her heart to little kiddos that need some lovin.  Check it out if you are interested.

www.fosterhood.tumblr.com

O Lord . . . how blessed are those who trust in You.

what have I been sewing lately?  I did finally put together some aprons for my sister and my mother (I hope there will be pictures to come, hint mom and april, wink, nudge, wink). . . but other than that I have become a professional seam ripper.  I am mostly learning what not to do.  Bummer.

Happy Father's Day Dad.  I LOVE YOU!  Look how young and spritely you look here.

on The Hiding Place

My suspicions were right.  Biographies are where it is at.  At least in this case.  I would highly recommend reading this.  I know some of you read it when you were in grade school.  It was worth the read and the gripping feeling in my stomach as I read her story.  Corrie ten Boom and her family walked with God through the horror of WWII.  It is challenging to see them trust God in such circumstances when I am tempted to distrust in little things.

This is a picture of Corrie's bedroom.  A brick wall was constructed to provide a secure hiding place for the various Jews she had hiding in her house at any time.  Amazing to think of the fear that people lived with compared to the comfort we live in now.  Thank You, God, for a testimony like hers.

100 degrees in Jacksonville right now.  Our only refuge is AC because our pool feels like a bath tub, so warm.