Friday, March 30, 2012

Life Changing



Today is February 17th. Its been 4 days since I had a car accident that will forever change my life.I am having a hard time finding the words to start this blog, but here we go.
As I was coming home after working in Columbia on Monday, I was involved in an accident. A car came into my lane, and hit me head on. I remember everything; the sounds, the smells, the sheer horror of realizing what was happening around me. I have told this story at least 100 times, and every time, the accident replays in my head. I'm not going explain every detail of the accident, its still just a little too real at this point. I was taken by ambulance to Greenville Memorial Hospital, where I spent the next 7 hours as they checked me out from top to bottom. Again, I remember it all. I had severely broken my right leg and broke a small bone in my left wrist.I had one cut- it was on my finger. It was where I had been hanging onto the steering wheel.The stitching on the wheel dug into my finger from hanging on so hard... 


Obviously it is not February 17th, it's actually March 30th. I started writing this blog a few days after my accident, but never could finish. To be honest, over the past 6 weeks I have a hard time remembering everything that went on, but I finally feel like I'm ready to share what happened. 

Like I started sharing earlier, I was in a car accident the day before Valentine's day. I had surgery on Valentine's Day to repair my leg, where they had to insert a rod and screws into my Tibia, leaving the fibula alone since it bears no weight. IT WAS ROUGH. I was in the hospital for 4 days. It was the scariest thing I've ever been through in my 26 years on this earth. I was very very lucky though. It could have been so much worse..... My wrist was broken and would have to  be repaired after I got out of the hospital, but honestly it was cupcakes compared to the pain in my leg. When I was released from the hospital I knew it would be hard to adjust, but Lord was it hard.    One broken leg, one broken arm and one very fragile Emily. 

You know, nothing prepares you for something like this , where you see your life flash before your eyes, you hope for one more chance to see your family, to be ok. And yes in the end my wounds will heal, most people say "it's only broken bones", "it's only surgery" but in the moment sitting in the car before anyone was there to help me, I felt so scared. But not alone. I knew the Lord had protected me.

The past 6 weeks have gone by so fast, although day to day it feels like time is dragging. I've spent a lot of time reflecting on what's important, sharing quality time with family,  laughing with friends, crying because of the pain, crying because I just wanted to feel like myself again, experiencing anxiety like never before just riding to the doctors office, fighting through the anger and hurt feelings, working everyday to get better, pretty much any and every emotion you can think of. But every single day gets better:-)




I am walking again, without a walker, crutches, wheelchair or cane! I had a doctors appointment yesterday and I am healing wonderfully. My doctor says it will probably a year before complete normalcy will return. My arm is healing great also, but I will continue to be in a splint until the bone is completely. Although it also has a screw in it, they require that the bone be healed before being released....hopefully about 4 more weeks.

I could not have made it through this without certain people:

First my amazing Husband, Daniel. We've only been married a little over a year. Not exactly what you expect to go through during that honeymoon period, but in any case he has been my rock. He has been such an encouragement to me when I felt like giving up. He has been the one that has made me laugh when I didn't feel like I could laugh about anything. He has held my hand when I woke up with nightmares and loved me more than I ever thought someone could. He's always been my hero, but something like this just brings you closer than you can ever imagine. I could not have made it through the hardest days without you, and I wouldn't want another single person to spend the best days with.  I love you honey! You have my heart forever, even though you already knew that ;) I will spend the rest of my life trying to show you how much I love and appreciate you!




Next my mom. My mom and Daniel were the team that bathed me, changed my clothes, did all the laundry, made grocery runs, adjusted me countless times when I couldn't get comfortable. They took turns at the hospital so each could get rest. Mom we couldn't have done it without you!! Thank you for every single moment!

My In-Laws, my coworkers, my friends and all those people praying for me through this- I appreciate every single word of encouragement,  meals, prayers, cards, flowers, gift cards, visits .... every single thing helped me recover and gave me reason to get up every morning. It is amazing how God has blessed me with such amazing friends and family! I probably don't deserve any of them, but I am so grateful! 

I hope this is the very last time I ever have to share something so tough with you guys, but this is life. Things happen every single day that we don't expect. Somethings will be easier to deal with than others, but never the less, things happen.
There is one thing to remember... there is HOPE. We have a God who loves us and gives us a new start every morning. A chance for a new day. And I know that I am so so grateful for that new start He gives.

Please continue to pray for healing of my body, mind and spirit. I'm ready to get back full time to my crafts, cooking, baking, traveling and sharing the crazy, fun times of The Hudsons!

With Love,
Emily H.


Thursday, February 9, 2012

Christmas in February??!!??

I can't believe it is February!! Let me start with an apology for being away for so long. It has been non-stop since December 1st! Two months later I finally have the time to look back on the crazy madness that has been our life.Let's start with Christmas. This Christmas was absolutely wonderful. It was filled with time with family, laughing, and making memories. 



We spent the 23rd with my family at our favorite Chinese restuarant then back to my parents house where we exchanged lots of homemade gifts, made cookies and spent hours looking at old family albums. It was wonderful! This is the birdhouse Daniel and I made for my mom- she was so surprised!!

We spent Christmas Eve with my husbands family. It too was wonderful! 
 
Great company, great food and wonderful memories. 
Then I got sick! BOOOO!
Not only was I sick, I was supposed to be getting on a plane the next morning to go to Jackson Hole, WY with my sweet husband on our dream get away. Needless to say, I was doped up on NyQuil for the first few days but it was magical. The Rockies were amazing, Yellowstone was breathtaking and I CAN NOT WAIT to go back. 6 days was far too short a time to enjoy the area, but no worries, we WILL be returning. Here are just a few pics from the trip!

At Snake Rive Lodge and Spa in Jackson Hole ,WY


Riding snow mobiles in Yellowstone

Sleigh Ride 
Sunset on our sleigh ride
Sweet Husband skiing in Jackson
Tram and Clock tower in the Village

There are about 1000 more pictures, but I will spare you all. It is definitely a trip worth taking! Even if you don't ski, it is a magical place to visit with great people and really nice spas:)

It has been non-stop since coming home. We were home a little over a week then went to Pigeon Forge, TN with GREAT friends for a really long weekend, came home for 2 weeks then headed to Florida for my brother-in-laws winging ceremony in Pensacola, Fl  (more in the next blog). I don't see how people who travel all the time do it! I would finally get all the laundry done, then it would be time to leave again! In any case, we are blessed to have jobs that allow us to travel and so we will enjoy it as long as we can. Hope to share some more life moments and recipes in the next few months. I've tried some great, lighter options over the past month and I can't wait to share. More exciting things to come in 2012!!

With Love, 
Emily








Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Girls Night!!!!



When I got married to my husband Daniel, I automatically inherited LOTS of cousins. Luckily they were already my  friends:) They introduced me to girls night and I was instantly a fan. We've had lots of great nights eating great food, making great memories, laughing our tails off and just getting away from the boys for a night. I LOVE these ladies! They have been some of the best friends I've ever had, and I'm grateful for each of them:) 

So, to get ready for the holiday season we got together to try some amazing desserts and make Christmas ornaments! It was soooo much fun. Who new glass ornaments from Hobby Lobby and glitter would create such cute ornaments? Here are some pictures of ornaments we made:

The SPREAD!



So.Much.Fun!
Here are some simple directions for the glitter ornaments.

Supplies:
Clear glass ornaments (hobby lobby)
Glitter
2 Funnels-One for Glitter and one for liquid
Windex or Pledge Floor Polish-sounds nuts but it works
Ribbon
Paint pens, stickers, paint or whatever you want to decorate the outside

Directions:
Take one clear ornament. Using a funnel pour in just enough liquid to coat the inside. Pour out excess. Using another funnel pour in glitter liberally. Whatever doesn't stick will pour out. Place finger over top of ornament and shake the ornament until the internal surface is coated completely. Pour out excess. And that's it! It comes out just like this:
I cut the letters out of vinyl with my cricut then added details with paint pens, but you could just buy letter stickers from Hobby Lobby or Michael's. Add some pretty ribbon and you have a simple homemade ornament. 
I totally plan on making these as gifts this year:) 
There is nothing like a homemade Christmas gift! They are by far my favorite gifts.

Can't believe Christmas is less than a month away! I love this time of the year. Not the gifts or the commercialization but the excitement of Christmas morning, the time spent with family, the memories that old Christmas songs bring, advent calendars, Christmas programs at church, baking and the new memories being made. It IS the most wonderful time of the year! 
Merry Christmas Y'all!

With Love,
Emily

Chocolate Pecan Pie

Ladies and Gents this is the easiest, most delicious pecan pie ever. Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE better yet am ADDICTED to Pinterest! I have found some of the best craft ideas and recipes on there. If you don't know what Pinterest is you are missing out:) Moving on... Here is the recipe for this pie. It's a Paula Deen original, so how could it possibly be bad? Super simple and delicious. Enjoy!


Ingredients 

1   (9-inch) unbaked pie shell 
2 cup pecan halves 
3   large eggs, beaten 
3 tablespoon butter, melted 
1/2 cup dark corn syrup 
1 cup sugar 
1 Tspn Vanilla Extract 
3 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 
Cover bottom of pie crust with pecans. 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and melted butter. Add the corn syrup, sugar, bourbon and the chopped chocolate. Stir until all ingredients are combined. Pour mixture into the pie shell over the pecans and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet. 
Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to bake for an additional 25 minutes or until pie is set. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. 
And here is the finished product:

Try it and let me know what you think. I assure you there won't be any crumbs left once you serve it:)
With Love,
Emily

The First 365 Days

I can't believe it's been a year! One year since I married my best friend and my everything. When we were dating we used to talk about what we wanted our wedding to be like. Daniel would tell me that he was going to always take care of me and that one day we'd have our perfect day. Growing up together, 5 years of dating and 1 year of marriage later we are happier than ever. He is such a blessing in my life and I am forever grateful that God made him mine. How about a few wedding pictures for old times sake:)

The trees we made ourselves:)

The photographer called this picture "First Sight". I am such a blessed Lady!


The girls and I

 We were so happy!

I swept up birdseed in our bathroom for weeks:)



Finally:)


What a perfect day!
 So 365 days later it was time to celebrate our anniversary. Daniel was sneaky and planned a weekend getaway-without me knowing. For anyone who knows me, this was big! I'm quite the planner/control freak and I usually handle all vacations or getaways:) We went to Asheville for the weekend and went to the gorgeous Biltmore House! It was my first visit, and as beautiful as the house is the grounds and other attractions are just as magnificent! He ALSO planned a horse back ride on the grounds of the estate and it was my FAVORITE part!!! Here are just a few pictures from the weekend! If you ever get the chance to visit Asheville you must make a stop!
Cutting our cake 1 yr later...well one from the baker that looked just like it:)

The Biltmore House and the HUGE Christmas tree in front

Right outside the front door.

My favorite-the Lagoon on the back of the property. It was gorgeous!

Daniel on our horse back ride

Me with the house in the background


We had such a great time! 
After one year I can imagine loving anyone more. He is my best friend, love of my life, and everything I ever prayed and hoped for. I CANNOT wait for all the adventures we have left to experience together! 
Here's to forever:)!
With Love,
Emily







Sunday, November 20, 2011

Decorating for Fall and Halloween Visitors!

 I LOVE fall ! The leaves have been gorgeous here in South Carolina this year. This tree is in our front yard and it has been beautiful to watch the leaves change from bright green to vibrant reds!

I had LOTS of wedding decorations left over so I decided to put them to good use! I made a super simple wreath. I took a vine wreath I bought at Hobby Lobby and hot glued paper leaves to the wreath. Added a bow and Ta-Da simple fall decorations. May have cost $7 all together.

My next fall decorations were almost as simple. I bough a little hay bail at Wal-Mart, used a cloth napkin from the wedding and 3 fake pumpkins. A little craft paint and here you have it, monogram pumpkins!

I don't really decorate for Halloween, so this is about as close to Halloween as it gets. When I was growing up, Halloween was massive. My dad and brother would decorate the house in the scariest  creepiest decorations ever. I, however, was never a fan. I loath scary movies, ghost, goblins and anything that would give me nightmares. I loved dressing up like a princess and getting candy, but heaven help you if you jumped out and scared me. You may be on the receiving end of my little fist:) Luckily there were no ghost and goblins that came to my door this year. I did however get a visit for a beautuful Princess Belle, and sweet little ghost, and a handsome little elephant. I had a school project on Halloween night so I missed the most adorable nerd ever. These little babies are so so precious. I've been lucky to watch them grow from tiny babies to adorable toddlers. I am blessed with some amazing girlfriends who let me spoil and love on their sweet babies until I have some of my own, and even then I'll always love these little guys! Enjoy these sweet little guys!

Princess Blakely and Sweet Ghost Gracie
Davis the handsome Elephant
Isn't this the cutest costume? Say hello to Max:)

Still more to catch up on. The end of the year is busy, busy, busy. Just a sneak peak of whats to come; Our 1 year anniversary, Chocolate Pecan Pie, Ah-Mazing Cheese Cake, Girls Night, Carrot Cake Muffins and Christmas Decorations!!! 
Whew! Can't wait to share! 
With Love, 
Emily