Hump Day Happenings

Happy Hump Day! I know that is so cheesy, but I honestly couldn't come up with any other title for this random brain dump.

It seems like this week is going by pretty quickly, which I'm so thankful for. It's a long, holiday weekend and I'm looking forward to it very much! This July 4th will be the 13th anniversary of when Chad and I started dating. What little youngin's we were =)

~This little munchkin will be spending the night with us and I can't wait! We've all been so busy lately that it's been several weeks since we've seen her and I've been having withdrawals.

I heart them!

~I shared my new obsession in my last post. One of the things I've been playing around with lately is different ways to do my hair. I saw this tutorial recently and gave it a try last night.

Source: None via Faith on Pinterest

 Here's my results...

I thought it turned out okay. Definitely better than the last curling technique I tried. Unfortunately, my hair just doesn't hold curl that well so it did fall and just ended up looking a little wavy. I may give it another try sometime because it was easy and quick. Anything to help me sleep a little bit longer each morning I will definitely try!

~My amazing husband (whocancookbetterthanIcouldeverhopeto) made this yummy meal for us tonight. We've tried a couple of things from SkinnyTaste and have loved them all!

~Lastly, my heart is anxious tonight because my sweet baby girl will tentatively be having surgery tomorrow.

We've had an eventful couple of weeks with our girl and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a nervous wreck. We noticed a small knot on her chest and took her to have it looked at. After some testing the vet recommended that we have the mass removed and biopsied. They did some bloodwork last week as a pre-screening for the anesthesia and there were some things that concerned them a little, so she will be going back tomorrow morning for them to do a little more testing before they decide to operate.

I know to some people this may seem trivial, but this dog has been my baby for the last 10 years and I cry just thinking about something happening to her. I would very much appreciate your prayers for Calie (and her momma) tomorrow, that she would do fine and that everything would go well.

Thank you so much!

*****Edited to add - When Chad took our girl to the vet this morning, they recommended putting her on an antibiotic for a week and then operating. The Dr. feels that she will do much better with the surgery that way, so that's what we'll do! I'm quite relieved....for now =)******

Long Time No Blog

My goodness, it's been a while! We have had a hectic couple of weeks with nothing exciting going on. Unless you call dealing with two older vehicles and mechanical problems exciting. I do not.

Our state requires vehicle inspections each year in order to renew your tag. They will not inspect it with the check engine light on (learned that one the hard way last year), so I made an appointment at the dealership to have it looked at. And, wouldn't you just know that on my way to the dealership the car completely died. As in, had to be towed to the dealer dead.

After we spent a small fortune to have the car repaired I was able to get it inspected and was quite happy to see this:

Aaaaand, now the light is back on and I dropped it off at the shop this morning, but let's not talk about that right now, k?

Car trouble stresses. me. out.

One of the many reasons that I love my husband is that he knows just how to help me calm down and relax when I tend to get riled up and wound pretty tight. I came home last night after a long day at work and an after work dinner function and he had this all cued up for me. Laughter is good for the soul!

I can see clearly now...

About five years ago I had lasik surgery done and it was one of the best things that I've done. I was very nervous about the results because my vision before was baaaaaddd. I'm talking -10.00 and -11.00. Yowza!! They told me that there was no guarantee that my vision would be 20/20 after surgery, but I was willing to go forward with it because I knew anything would be an improvment.

The morning after surgery I was shocked that I was seeing 20/20! Could not believe it. I had never known what it was like to be able to see my alarm clock (or anything, really) without glasses or contacts. I was free!

They told me all along that there was a chance of my vision regressing, and that if it did there really wouldn't be anything they could do about it. Fast forward to a couple of years ago when I started sitting in front of a computer all. day. long. and started noticing my vision getting slightly blurry.

I went for an eye exam and sure enough, I needed glasses for working on the computer. It was a sad day. Granted my vision was about 20/30 then, but still. ;-)  I wore my glasses at work but could get away with not wearing them any other time. Well, over these past two years of working at a computer (stupid job!) I've noticed that it has regressed even more and I have needed to wear my glasses constantly. I've been dealing with annoying headaches from my eyes straining and I could not take it anymore. It was time to update the rx.

So, my new glasses came in yesterday and I can see clearly now! It makes me a little sad that I am needing them all the time, but then I remind myself of what I used to have to deal with and this really isn't so bad.

I love my new frames, even though it took me months to make a decision. (Indecisive much?) I even ordered rx sunglasses. Man, does that make me feel old!

And, I realize that this has been the longest, most boring post about my vision, so I apologize for the minutes of your life that you have wasted and will never get back ;-)

Hope you all have a blessed Easter weekend. Tomorrow is Friday, but Sunday's coming!!



Catch Up

Shame on me...what a terrible blogger I've been lately! Things have been busy but at the same time just nothing interesting enough to write about on here.

Here's a little rambling for ya:
~I've been working on things for my sister's bridal shower coming up. I have so many ideas of things that I want to do, just not enough time or money to get them done. Sigh...

~I took a photography class recently and learned so much. But, would you believe that I have not taken one picture since the class?!? I will be doing a newborn shoot this Sunday and I'm anxious to try some new things!

~I've been working on Miss E's Easter dress and I can't wait until it's finished. I've messed up several measurements on projects for her lately and it has taken me so much longer than it should. I just wish I could get things right the first time. Ha!

~We've been talking about LOVE for the past few weeks in our youth group. It has truly been eye-opening for so many and our prayer was that the students would view love, dating, s*ex, purity, etc. the way that God does. I don't believe that the church talks about this often enough and we have realized that we should have been talking about these issues long before now. Students are searching and they are questioning. It has been a great time together.

~I've found myself in a season of discouragement lately in our journey to parenthood. I am in a constant battle to walk by faith and not by sight. We are still praying and asking BIG of God and believing that His best is on the way. My flesh just wants it to be SOON ALREADY! ;-)

Happy Hump Day!

Boots Debacle

I have been on the hunt for brown boots pretty much all season. I have looked all over our city and never did find anything I really liked, or if I did then they were more than I wanted to spend.

Here we are pretty much through winter and I was so tired of looking for boots so I just decided to break down and buy some that I saw another blogger had.

I ordered them and was really hoping that they would come in time for our trip to Georgia. Well, they did come. Aaaannndd, they were too big =( I was so disappointed because I had pretty much planned my whole weekend wardrobe around those new boots.

So, I just decided that I would have to do a little shopping while we were out of town ;-) My sweet man was so patient with me as we went in every store that sold shoes in downtown Savann*ah. Still, nothing...

I was at my wits end when we found a mall one evening and started the hunt again. We ran into this little hole in the wall store that only sold shoes and began to look around. I came across something that might could work!

They weren't exactly what I had been hoping for, but after all the looking I had done, and with a price tag of only $35, I decided they were coming home with me. And, with the money that I would save I could do even more shopping!

I'll leave you with this terrible iPhone pic of my favorite niece. She stayed with us this weekend and we went to one of our favorite local dives for dinner. She is such a stinker, but we love her so much!!

Tomorrow evening we have a big outreach event planned for our youth group. If you think about it, please pray for my sweet man as he delivers the message and for the hearts of students to be drawn to our Father. May He receive all glory and honor!

Tuesday Thoughts

Happy Tuesday to you all! Thank you so much for all the shampoo suggestions that y'all gave. I gather that quite a few of you like Biolage, so I may look into that. My sister uses Joico and gave me a little bit of it to try, and I liked it too. I just hate to spend all this money on products that I don't like!

Life is busy around here, just like with the rest of you. I feel like I'm being pulled in a hundered directions lately - between work, embroidery jobs, blog designs, photography requests, youth group and high school girls small group - I don't know if I'm coming or going. All of those are good things, but I just have felt that I can't really do any of them well lately.

I have so many thoughts swimming in my head, but nothing is coming to mind right now as I sit down to write, so I'll leave you with this: My sweet blog friend Sarah is doing some mega give-aways right now to benefit her darling niece. Please stop by her blog and get involved if you can!

Shampoo suggestions??

I have had the hardest time finding a shampoo that I like. I don't know what the deal is but I need some help.

I was recently using a natural shampoo with argan oil that my hairdresser sold me and I didn't like it because it didn't really lather. I like a good lather :)

Before that I was using a shampoo and conditioner by Keune and I didn't really like the way it smelled.

I had used Aveda products for years before that so I recently decided to give them a try again. I got the color conserve shampoo and conditioner and damage remedy for a once a week deep condition.

I have not been happy with this either! It is the weirdest thing but my hair just doesn't "feel" clean even after I've just washed it. I have rinsed and rinsed and rinsed, but it feels like there's a film or something on my hair.

Sooo, I need some shampoo suggestions! I have fine, color treated hair that can tend to get oily at the roots but the ends are drier. Sounds lovely, doesn't it?! I know you're all jealous ;)

Please help a girl out!

TGIF!!

Wow, what a week it has been! I've been a little silent on the 'ole blog for a while, which I really don't like, but it's so hard when stuff goes on through the week that I just can't talk about in blog land.

Sooo, here's some randomness for ya...

~ My job was extremely trying this week and I really felt like giving up more than a few times. The Lord did send encouragement through my brother and some friends at just the right time. I've been trying to change my attitude and outlook on things instead of becoming bitter, angry and frustrated, but it has not always been easy! The Lord reminded me on Tuesday morning that I have to CHOOSE joy - it's a conscious choice that I have to make, and I desperately want to make the right choice.

~ I got off earlier than expected today, which after the week I've had, I know it was a blessing straight from the Lord! 

~ I had my first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season today and it was delish!

~ I'm so ready for fall! It's probably my favorite season, and it cannot get here soon enough.  The Pumpkin Spice Latte will be even better when it's not 90 degrees outside.

~ You know what's also better when it's not 90 degrees outside? Tailgating. We are tailgating at a local high school tonight with our youth group and it is going to be boiling. Should be fun!

~ I'm entering the last couple of days of my twenties. I'm not gonna lie,  I'm a little sad about that. I know that 30 isn't that old, but it's kind of a big deal. This year I hope I can reflect on all that the Lord has blessed me with rather than focus on where I thought I would be at this point in my life and how things have not turned out at all like I had once hoped. Again, that will be a conscious choice I have to make.

~ Birthday's do involve cake though, and I'm not one bit sad about that!

~ I'm looking forward to spending time with my husband, fun friends and family this weekend and I know that they are just another picture of God's blessings in my life!

~E's birthday outfit is almost done and it is so cute, if I do say so myself. Of course, the model is the cutest thing of all and she is so excited about wearing it. I just can't wait to see her in it!

~ One of my team members from the Costa Rica trip put together this recap video. Watching it today just made me smile. Our God is so good!

I hope y'all have a great weekend! Next time I blog, I'll be 30. EEK!

From Boring to Beachy??

I have become so bored with my hair lately! I've been letting it grow out some and I'm just at that in-between, yucky, sick to death of my hair stage. You ever been there? I don't really want to cut it, but I'm also tired of the same old, same old. {sigh}

So tonight, as I was "gettin my hair did", my hairdresser started telling me that perms were actually coming back in style. Wha???? She said that the hot new thing was this "Beach Wave" perm.

Check it out...

I was so intrigued and very excited that I may have some options for these boring locks! She said that I need to let mine grow at least another inch before trying it. =( I wish I could do it now!

I may try something like this in the meantime. Have y'all used any of the "surf sprays"?

Bumble and Bumble makes one that supposedly works well, but I'm just wondering if it will work on my hair that is stick straight and really has no body at all???

Okay, I'm off to take some vitamins so I can get this hair to grow, grow, grow!!

Tuesday Thoughts

~ I am loving tobyMac's new cd. My iPod has been stuck on re-play since I downloaded it. If you haven't gotten it yet, what are you waiting for? Hold On and Break Open the Sky are a couple of my faves.

~ I CANNOT get over "The Bach. - women tell all" last night. Rozlyn - seriously?!?! I am soooo ready for this season to be over and done with.

~ I do not understand why some people are so hateful. I have dealt with more than my fair share of rude patients lately and I just don't get it.

~ I get three days off next week and I could not be more excited!! Not having to deal with the above will be GLORIOUS!!!

~ I have a hair apppintment this week for a cut and color...finally! I think I'm going to keep growing it out a little longer. I just needed a change. Not sure what to do about color though...

~ I'm addicted to chamomile tea. I used to think that I didn't like it...not sure why, but now I'm sad for all the times that I missed out on this goodness!

~That's not the first time I thought I didn't like something that was actually delicious. Hello, Zaxby's! I heart you.

~ I'm also addicted to the Words with Friends app. I'm not really that great at it, but it's still fun!

~ I've been daydreaming lately about an owl themed nursery. How cute is this stuff from PBkids?? I'm so ready for the day when the daydreams become reality. Let it be, Lord, let it be!

~ Speaking of owls, every time I see one I think of my Ma-Ma (great-grandmother) who collected them. I have some of her collection that I am adding to and I'm so glad that they are becoming more popular and easy to find!

~ I think I'll do a post soon about my little collection. I just love them all and they are each so special to me.

Hope y'all have a terrific Tuesday!!

Q & A...Part 3

A

ll things random...

How long have you been blogging? Love the little owl on your blog, did you design it yourself?
I started blogging in March of 2008. I had no idea if anyone would read this little blog, but I had already started to form friendships with other bloggers and decided to take the plunge!

I collect owls and when I saw this little guy I knew he would be perfect for my blog. I did not design him, but found him on Funky Playground Designs, and just made him pink and green to match the color scheme!


What is your favorite verse and why?
Hmmm, this is a hard one! There are several that I really love and are very special to me. Right now Psalm 73:26 gives me hope: "My flesh and my heart may fail, But God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

And, one that I am clinging to and claiming for our lives is Isaiah 25:1 "O Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done marvelous things, things planned long ago." NIV and I also love it in the NLT "O LORD, I will honor and praise your name, for you are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now you have accomplished them." Oh God, I'm believing that You will accomplish Your wonderful plans for our family!


What are some of your favorite books and/or authors?
I don't consider myself a huge reader, mostly because I just don't have the time, but I do enjoy reading while I'm on vacation or out of town. One of my very favorite books is Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers. I also like anything by Nicholas Sparks.


Where is your favorite vacation spot?
Chad and I really have not had the opportunity to vacation a lot but I do enjoy going to the beach (we love Charleston and Hilton Head Island) and we really like the mountains (Blowing Rock, NC is beautiful!). We took a very fun vacation to Boston a few years ago and I would love to go back again sometime!


What great chick flicks have you seen lately or any that you would highly recommend?
I haven't seen too many movies lately, but I did love The Pr0posal. Some of my all time faves are Steele Magn0lias, The N0tebook, Sweet H0me Alabama, H0w to L0se a Guy in 10 Days, and I'm sure there are more that I'm forgetting right now =)


Can you send me some of that soup you tweeted about the other day? I haven't been able to get it out of my head since then... :)
Sarah, if I could ship you some of that yummy wild mushroom and artichoke soup, I definitely would! If you are ever in my neck of the woods, I will take you there and the soup will be on me ;-)


Where did you get the adorable scarf in the photos your brother took?? I love it!!
My sweet friend, Emily, gave it to me for my birthday. She knows me so well! I think it came from T@rget, or maybe 0ld Navy...I ripped out the tag and now I can't remember!


How is your job going?
Oh my, what a question. It's a job ;) It's not what I want to be doing right now, but God has provided through it, and for that I am thankful. Our credit card is paid off (hallelujah!) and we are saving everything that we can. My desire is to be at home, as a housewife for now and stay at home mommy whenever the Lord sees fit, so I am just praying for that day to come sooner rather than later.

What is your favorite thing to cook? and of course you gotta share the recipe for it ;)

I really wish that I enjoyed cooking more than I do. My mom is a fabulous cook, and so is my husband for that matter, but it's not really something that I love to do. One of my all-time favorite meals though is Chicken Breasts Supreme - in fact, my sweet husband surprised me and fixed this for dinner last night =) It is sooooo incredibly yummy!

I like to cook things that my mom has made before and I know they are good. You will have to check out her recipe blog to see all the delicious goodness she has over there!

What's your product/make up product must haves? What can you NOT live without?
Hmmm, I know that I am somewhat high-maintenance, but I really had a hard time coming up with this. There are lots of things that I think I have to have, but after traveling out of the country on several mission trips, those things that I think I can't live without really don't seem that important. As much as I like having my hair dryer and straightener and freeze it hairspray (for my poof) I really can live without them.

If I had to pick one thing, I would say it is my Burt's Bee*s lip balm. I must have something to put on my lips at night and that is what I have used for years =)


Thanks so much for playing along! I've had such fun answering all of your questions. I'll announce the giveaway winner soon!

Okay...ask away, and a giveaway!

Some of my other blogging friends have opened up their blogs for a question and answer time, so I thought I would give it a try! Seeing as how I'm seriously lacking in the blogging material department, I figured this would definitely give me something to write about =)

So, if there's something you want to know, now's the time to ask away!

And, how about a giveaway just for playing along?! You may have read about my family's love for this game here.


Now your family can join in the fun too! All you have to do is leave your question in the comments and you will be entered to win this fun game!

ABC's of me!

I saw this on Betsy's blog and thought it would be fun to do. Since I haven't blogged in over a week, I obviously needed some material =)

A - Age: 28

B - Bed size: Queen...a step up from the double we slept on the first few years of marriage, but we would like to get a king size one day.

C - Chore you hate: Anything to do with the floors...sweeping, mopping or vacuuming...don't like any of it.

D - Dog's name: Calie and Mason

E - Essential start your day item: A nice hot shower to wake my sleepy eyes up. Then a cup of coffee.

F - Favorite color: Pink

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: I like wearing both silver and gold (the more antique-y gold)

H - Height: 5'5"

I - Instruments you play: None any more...played the clarinet in junior high.

J - Job title: I don't really think I have a title yet. Really just the person who doesn't have a clue what she's doing!

K - Kid(s): None yet. Please Lord, bless us soon!

L - Living arrangements: My sweet man and my little fur babies.

M - Mom's name: Emilie

N - Nicknames: Faithy-may

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: I've never had to stay in the hospital overnight.

P - Pet Peeve: Chad biting his nails and hearing the sound, people making popping or cracking noises while chewing gum, my house being messy and cluttered - which it seems to be most of the time!

Q - Quote from a movie: "No, never, never", "Do you own rubber gloves? I rent 'em. I have a lease with an option to buy." From "Fletch". We love that movie!

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 1 brother and 1 sister

T - Time you wake up: Used to be around 8:30 or 9:00 but those days are now gone and my alarm goes off at 5:15. Uggghhh!

U- Underwear: Yes please, I don't particularly like going commando!

V - Vegetable you dislike: I'm not a huge fan of carrots.

W - Ways you run late: Pushing the snooze button one too many times.

X - X-rays you've had: wrist, teeth

Y - Yummy food you make: I'm pretty good at making Chicken Tetrazinni or Poppyseed Chicken, but I'm certainly not the best cook there is!

Z - Zoo favorite: I like the giraffes and the lions...I think they are just beautiful!


Hope you all had a wonderful weekend, and I pray the coming week will be as well!

I have a lot of phobias

and one of them is outdoor things. I am not an outdoorsy girl by any means and I am pretty much terrified of any kind of flying, slithering, creepy, crawly creature.

I am loving this beautiful spring weather that we are experiencing now, but I could certainly do without a couple of things that come along with this season.

For one, the carpenter bees are back in full effect. We get them every year and I don't know how to get rid of them! I HATE them with a passion. This is what greets me when I walk out my front door:

Y'all, I literally take off running out the front door while that thing is buzzing and hovering near my head. Then, there's another one that hangs out at the end of our sidewalk, so I nearly twist my ankle trying to make the turn and get in the car as fast as I can to get away from the things! I'm sure my neighbors must think I'm crazy if they ever see my exit strategy!

Then, if that isn't enough to contend with, I have to dodge all the caterpillars that have made their way to the front porch. These little woolly things are EVERYWHERE!

Ugh!!! I cannot stand them either.

And lastly, there's the little green lizard ("Lizzy") that hangs out on our front porch year after year.


This year she is getting a little too close for my comfort and has been hanging out ON the storm door. One day last week we came home and Chad got to the door first and said that Lizzy was on the door. Well, the next day I walk to the door first, and as I'm opening it I think "Oh, I didn't look to see if Lizzy was on the door" and right about that time I see Lizzy FALLING FROM THE TOP OF THE DOOR TO THE GROUND RIGHT AT MY FEET! Y'all, I screamed bloody murder and even did the little run in place move! I just kept thinking "what if it had fallen in my hair???" I really think I would have passed out. So, now when I'm walking up the sidewalk I make as much noise as I can by stomping my feet and jingling my keys warning every little critter that I am on my way. (Again, wonder what my neighbors think?!?!)

I know I'm a wimp, but I just can't handle it! It's almost enough to make me not want to leave my house ;-)

P.S. I'm still creeped out from just searching for the images to post on here. I'm itching all over and keep getting the chills! Ugh!!!

Long time no blog

Well, have I just become the blogging slacker or what? You know it's been a while when people email you to see if you're okay ;-)

There is so much going on right now and it's almost like there's too much to talk about! God has been working in such awesome and very real ways and it is so exciting to see His hand moving. We found a new church home and are loving it there! I can see how God is changing my heart and my husbands heart and it is so neat to see. Following the Lord is the greatest thrill of my life...it's not always easy, but it's where I want to be!

So, for some blogging material I thought I would just share with you some random things going through my head right now. Proceed at your own risk!

~ I love my new church!

~ I'm going to Deeper Still in July and cannot wait to see Beth, Priscilla and Kay!

~ I really hope Travis sings some of his new songs from the recording...awesome!!

~ I miss the blog friends I have met in real life and wish they lived right down the street from me so we could hang out =)

~ I saw a tutorial on how to make a Snuggie , and I'm seriously considering it.

~ I can't believe I just admitted that.

~ I hate doing taxes.

~ I love my husband for taking care of them the past several years.

~ I love that we are getting a decent refund this year. Hallelujah!!!

~ My car wouldn't start this morning so I'm stranded at home today.

~ I really hope it's just the battery so we don't have to spend our hard earned refund on car repairs.

~ I would much rather spend it on a new macb00k, but I know that won't be happening ;-)

~ I'm finally reading "The Shack" after much protest and kicking and screaming that I didn't want to read it.

~ I think I might be the last person on earth who hasn't read it.

~ And surprise surprise, I'm actually liking it!

~ One of my new favorite restaurants is Z@xby's.

~ I resisted it for a long time because I didn't think I liked it. What did I know? Now I am mourning all the time I lost enjoying that delicious Z@x sauce.

~Are you noticing a theme here with things I resist at first and then fall in love with?? I should really listen to others more...

~ I think I'm allergic to dust.

~ Which doesn't work out real good for someone who hates to dust and whose house is pretty much one giant dust-pan.

~ I love my niece so much! She keeps us in stitches anytime she is around. The girl is hilarious!

~ She spent the night with us and we walked to our neighborhood playground to play for a little bit. She was climbing up this rounded ladder and so determined to do it herself (Miss Independent) and told me "don't touch me, just look at me" I then told her "you are five feet off the ground on a metal bar that is about an inch wide, I will be touching you and making sure you don't bust your rear end!"

~ I'll leave you with a pic of my favorite girl in her PINK pajamas eating cinnamon rolls with PINK icing!

Happy Monday!!!

Thursday Thoughts

list style...

~ I did laundry today and will now have clean sheets on the bed tonight. LOVE!!!

~ We had the best dinner last night...ham steak, fried okra with Cajun seasoning (that's the ticket right there!) and horseradish mashed potatoes that Chad made (he rocks!)

~ Tonight I'm eating leftovers ;-)

~ I went fabric shopping today with my new friend Heather (the creator of the awesome pics you've seen) and had so much fun looking at all the new fabrics. It made me miss the store SO much and wish so badly that I could still be doing what I used to. The new lines from Amy and Heather are so pretty I just want to lay down on the floor and roll around in them!

~ After all my looking around, I only bought two fat quarters and a yard of ribbon...what is wrong with me???

~ I am looking forward to my accountability group tonight. I love these girls so much and I am so thankful that the Lord brought them into my life. I really don't know what I would do without them. And, I really don't want to have to find out.

~ Speaking of my girls, will you please pray for the mother-in-law of one of them...she just found out that she has cancer. We are asking the Lord for healing and specifically that the cancer not have spread to her lymph nodes. Our God is the Great Physician!

~ Does anyone have any fabulous ideas for jewelry storage??? Mine is a big mess in a box right now and needs some serious help. How do y'all store all of your necklaces and such??

~ I called E tonight and she wouldn't talk to me =( What has happened since she turned three???

~ This weekend is the Christmas open house at the store where our little booth is. I am really praying that we are busy and sell lots of stuff!! However, I'm going to keep my eye on things because in the past week I've had two, count 'em two, kitchen towels STOLEN!! What on earth people??? Are you really that bad off that you need to steal a kitchen towel??? I oughta pray that it just falls apart when you wipe your hands on it. Ha!

Well, that's enough rambling for now. Hope y'all have had a great week!

More Pics, and a few tricks...

We got the cd with more pics from our session with Heather and I wanted to share a few more that I love.

This one is really special to me. Heather captured us as we were reading through some verses that have meant a lot to us on our journey through infertility. I have prayed Psalm 27 over and over...especially verses 13 and 14. I have a note in my Bible from one of my best friends where she wrote that same prayer for me in August of 2006. We are still waiting and continuing to believe that God is going to answer our prayer for a baby!

A kiss on the cheek =)

I love weeping willow trees!

This is one of my fave's!

 

Okay, just one more =)

I really cannot say enough good things about her! Now comes the hard part...deciding which ones to print and frame. Aagghh!!

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Now, for a few tricks. I have come across some things that have really helped my blogging/computer time. You may already know about these things, but I just wanted to share in case you didn't!

~ Firefox web browser. I love it SO much more than Internet Explorer! Browsing is so much easier now. I love that they have these cool add-on's...like a gmail notifier, google reader notifier, facebook toolbar, etc. LOVE IT!!!

~ Speaking of google reader - 10 times better than bloglines in my opinion!

~ And, for blogging, Windows Live Writer...oh my word - SO much easier to work with! Get this....when you insert pictures, they actually stay where you want them! Gasp!! Can't you just imagine how much time that saves??? It has a bunch more cool features, and it's free! Gotta love that!

Again, I'm probably way behind on the times when it comes to this techy stuff, but I just wanted to tell my peeps in case you didn't know either! Hope it helps!

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This is a big week coming up. Let's be on our knees seeking the will of God for our country and it's leaders. And, remember WHO is on the throne! Praying for you all!

Oddities

I saw this on Kristin's blog a while back, and since Amy called me out on my posting funk, I decided to play along!

35 Odd Things About Me

1. Do you like blue cheese salad dressing? no

2. Do you own a gun? yes

3. What's your favorite drink at Starbucks? Decaf, tall, extra hot, peppermint mocha. Yum! I would love one right now!

4. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? coffee or aveda hot tea

5. Do you do pushups? Umm, no

6. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? A pair of big muted gold earrings that Chad gave me for Valentine's Day

7. Favorite hobby? sewing

8. Do you have A.D.D? No

9. What's one trait that you hate about yourself? I tend to be a little uptight =)

10. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment: I cannot stay up as late as I did last night, I'm thirsty, I need a more comfortable computer chair since I sit in this thing so much

11. Name 4 drinks you regularly drink. Caffeine Free Dr. Pepper, Water, Lemonade, Sweet Tea

12. Current worry right now? When are things going to pick up in the building industry so Chad will have more work?

13. Current hate right now? house cleaning...this is ongoing, not just current!

14. Favorite place to be? Anywhere with my husband

15. Do you like to travel? Yes, I wish we could do it more

16. What color shirt are you wearing? Green

17. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No, they're too static-y!

18. Can you whistle? nope, can someone teach me how? I really wish I could!

19. Favorite color? Pink

20. If you could, would you be a pirate? I'm thinking no

21. What song do you sing in the shower? Anything that comes to mind

22. Favorite girl's name? Kinley

23. Favorite boy's name? Davis

24. What's in your pocket right now? Nothing

25. Favorite bedsheets as a child? Pink flowers

26. Worst injury? sprained ankle, knee sprain from cheerleading

27. Do you love where you live? I love my neighborhood and it's location. My house, I really like but wouldn't mind something a little different.

28. How many TVs do you have in your house? two

29. Who is your loudest friend? Ha! You know who you are!

30. How many pets do you have? two adorable furbabies

31. Does someone have a crush on you? my sweet husband =)

32. What is your Favorite Book? Redeeming Love

33. What's your favorite candy? Tw*x, K*tKat, Ree.ses

34. Favorite Sports Team? Boston Red Sox

35. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? I can't believe I slept this late!

Friday Frustrations

Edited to add: I made the switch from bloglines to google reader and I'm hoping it will work much better. Also, I downloaded Firefox browser and I am LOVING it!!! Soooo much better than Internet Explorer, I think!! Yay! It seems some of the technical difficulties are no more!

~ My internet has been acting up all week and it is driving me crazy! Just when I get online and start making some headway reading blogs, it acts up and says "this page cannot be displayed" I am so tired of seeing that page I could scream!

~ Bloglines...is anyone else having trouble with it? I have several blogs that have a red exclamation point beside them indicating that there is an error, but others have no error message but are still not notifying me of new posts. Agghh!

~ I started working on a photo book using this cool site and my computer frozed up TWICE, of course before I could save the progress I had made.

~ Sorry if I am behind on reading/commenting on your blog due to the aforementioned technical difficulties.

~ I tried to motivate myself to clean some this morning and got a few things done. I swept and vacuumed, but decided against mopping. It has rained here the past couple of days and I know that Mason will track muddy pawprints all over the floor tonight. I'm ready for the sun to come out and dry things up!

~ I have so much on my mind and weighing heavy on my heart. We may have some big changes coming in the near future, and even though it is something that I have prayed about (even as far back as August '07), it is still a little scary to think that it might actually be happening soon. I find myself worried, concerned, anxious and nervous about what God has in store.

~ The first words of a devotional I read this morning were "Do not fret..." Ps. 37:1 God's Word is good, and it is alive and active. Thank you, Father! Your lovingkindness reaches to the heavens, Your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

"Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for Him; do not fret..." Ps. 37:7

Go ahead... (updated)

you can call me crazy. My husband sure is!

Y'all, I warned you that I wasn't real sure about the new design and that I didn't do that well with change!

I really appreciate all of your sweet comments about the new look, I just didn't think that it was "me" the more I looked at it! So, just don't mind me until I get things figured out! I'll settle on something soon!

****EDITED TO ADD****
Check here and here for directions on how to change things up on your blog. I used some digital scrapbook elements on the header and created it in my photo editing software. The background is a fabric swatch from Michael Miller. I just love playing around with all of this!!!

Oooooh, and for those of you who want it done already this site has cute layouts, and they are FREE!!! What could be better than that??? Let me know if you give your blog a makeover!!!