When we grow up...

New Year, Road to New Me!

2010-01-04T18:13:00.002-06:00

I'm not much of a resolution girl. I just can't do it. I am all over it the first few weeks of January, then I fizzle out.

But this year I want to set myself some goals, just things to work on. Not something I have to check off a list or mark on a calendar, just things I want to try to do to be a better me. Things I want to look back on next January and see a noted change in myself.

These goals are in different categories, people and things I want to work on.

Relationship Goals-
For God- r.e.a.d the Bible. Not in a checklist, read the bible in a year kind-of way, but in a learn something kind of way. Spend more time listening. Memorize one Bible verse a month. (I tried two a month last year and got overwhelmed by like March and quit)

For Nick- be a better wife. Duh! Do more acts of service (that's his love language- and SO NOT MINE!) Make time for just us and spend time with him. Let things go.

For Bates- be patient. I'm not patient by nature and I want to slow down and enjoy him.

For Friends and others- be a giver. I talked about this on our adoption blog. Pray for my friends, ask them their needs and pray for them.

For Me
Drink water (i'm starting small with one bottle a day!)
Run my life, don't let it run me.
Say no to things. Simplify our calendar.
Blog more. Turn blog into book.

That'll about do it.... here is to 2010. A big year for the Browns!

more christmas shopping sites

2009-09-18T10:26:00.002-05:00

Tiny Rockstar
Wild Olive

couponing update

2009-09-16T11:09:00.002-05:00

So apparently, all I have to talk about is couponing and our adoption since that is all i blog about....

Anyways.

I went to Publix (with Marty, which was a NIGHTMARE because she didn't have her coupon's organized!) and spent $12 and saved $28! WHOO HOOO

Then I went to CVS where I bought: a roll of paper towels, a bag of hersey kisses, a toothbrush, two boxes of cereal, and printed 4 pictures i needed and spent $2.01! And I got $4 in extra care bucks! So really, CVS owes ME money!

My friends, I think that is success!

how did i miss this?

2009-09-14T14:24:00.002-05:00

Did you know that the ecoupons you can load onto your Kroger card can be used IN ADDITION to your paper coupons? Well, they CAN!
I just loaded a BUNCH of coupons and with my paper coupons I should save BIG! I have an ecoupon for $1 off any 2 pillsbury breads and a $1 off any two pillsbury breads paper coupons. That will be $2 off 2 of them!

I'm going Krogering tonight.... whoohoo!

christmas shopping early

2009-09-08T12:29:00.002-05:00

So it's never too early to start your own Christmas list, I have!
Every year I give some of my family members gifts from world vision. Nick and I sponsor two children through World Vision and we normally give gifts in our family members honor. We have given children health scholarships in honor of my mawmaw, a fishing kit in honor of my pawpaw, an education kit in honor of my mom, an art kit in honor of william, etc, etc.
This year will be no different, although I am going to try to only buy gifts that will benefit others. You know, fair trade, charity, orphans, etc. So here are some of the sites:

www.tenthousandvillages.com
www.147millionorphans.com
www.tomsshoes.com
http://twohandsworldshop.com/

And soon, I will have my own fair trade coffee site up and running. They will be donating $5 of each bag to our adoption, so if you are a coffee drinker, I know what you'll be getting this year!

If you are expecting a Christmas gift from me, you better check these sites and make your requests now....

way to save more at Kroger

2009-08-24T09:18:00.002-05:00

So last night I took my reusable bags to Kroger with me, just to save some plastic. Well, when I was checking out, the cashier asked me how many bags I had. I counted 7. She asked me if I wanted 4 cents off or gas points. Since I use the gas points to get 10 cents off a gallon on my fill up, I chose gas points.

I called customer service when I got home and asked them to explain the deal to me.

So, for every reusable bag you bring in you can choose to get 4 cents off your total grocery purchase or an additional 5 gas points per bag!

It's not much, but it will add up fast! Not to mention you'll get better coupons from the coupon printer at the register. I got a $1 off your next purchase!

$7 date night

2009-08-18T14:01:00.000-05:00

Since we have had a house full of folks for awhile now, I decided it was time for a date night, but since we are saving $$ for our baby to come home. I planned a $7 date night.
We are going to see Night at the Museum 2 at the $1.50 movie. So $3.00 in tickets. On Tuesday it $1 popcorn and drink night. So we won't even have to share popcorn.

I'm looking forward to spending time with my hubby and for $7 - you can't beat it!

party of five no more

2009-08-09T19:56:00.000-05:00

So my brother closes on his house tomorrow and he's moving out. And Anna and Chase have an accepted offer on a house.... so our party of five will soon just be a party of two!

Nick and I are thankful to be able to share our lives (and home) with our family, but are looking forward to it just being the two of us.... until it's the three of us....

You were born for THIS!

2009-07-31T14:58:00.002-05:00

Nick and I have attended the 1st of a 2 part session at our church by Bruce Wilkinson (author of Prayer of Jabez). He is teaching on his new book, that isn't even out yet called You were born for this!
It is all about living a life of predictable miracles. The first night was INCREDIBLE and I'm so looking forward to tonight! Bruce (we are on a first name basis, fyi) said what he was presenting and what his book is about is a life change in your way of thinking. I couldn't agree more.... I'm still processing and I can't wait till tonight!

big news....

2009-07-21T15:11:00.002-05:00

Well, the secret is out, the cat's out of the bag and it's time the whole blog world knows...
Nick and I are adopting a baby from South Korea!

I hinted at a second blog in my last post. My new blog will be about our adoption journey.

To follow our story go to www.bringinghomebabybrown.blogspot.com
and journey with us...

Call Willard Scott ...

2009-07-17T17:03:00.003-05:00

..this is my 100th post. I should be on a Smucker's label!

To celebrate my 100th post, let me tell you 10 (cause I can't think of 100 things) about my blog world.

1. I'm a stalker. I stalk all sorts of folks blogs. Most I'll never ever meet, but I'm sure if we did- we'd be best friends. I don't want to list the blogs I stalk, that would be embarrassing.

2. If I don't regularly update my blog, my MawMaw will send me a friend reminder that it's time to update my blog.

3. In all seriousness, I think I have maybe 10 readers, but that's ok- I love you ten!

4. Nick reads my blog to keep up with my world. It's sad, I know.

5. I don't normally have things to blog about, so I just ramble- this post in point.

6. I can't do a regularly scheduled post, Friday tid-bits, meal plan mondays, wordless wednesdays. I just can't, sorry.

7. I blog and write like I talk. I've had someone tell me when they read my blog they can hear me talking. I take that as a compliment. I am who I am, cyber world or not.

8. My blog stylist, Ashley, is simply A-MAZING. You'll see why soon.

9. I take lots of pictures, but never post them. In my next 100 posts, I'll do better. Pinky promise.

10. As if one blog isn't enough, I'll be starting a new blog soon, so stay tuned!

Here is to 100 more posts with my 10 friends!

Mom the missionary day 2

2009-07-06T15:37:00.001-05:00

Dear all-

It is Sunday evening and we have had an incredibly full day. It started early.... We had breakfast at 7:00 and left for the Cathedral of Leon for mass. It was way cool. The cathedral was wide open and you could hear the sounds from the street mingling with the sounds of worship. It was odd, too, that there was so much going on during the worship. People just wandered in off the street; a man walked in with his bicycle and young daughter; another man (looked to be homeless?) walked down the center aisle muttering to himself and headed right out the door; a janitor mopped the marble floor during the service. It was quite unusual. But with all that going on, there was a tremendous sense of reverence and worship. The people there were intent on their God and the distractions didn't seem to phase them.... I bet God likes that. =-)

After the Catholic service we boarded the bus and went straight to the small Methodist church in the barrio right near El Ayudante. The pastor there was so glad to see us and said he remembered Robbie and me. He welcomed us all with great hospitality. The worship service was so sweet. There were several young people helping lead worship this time. Last year, it was just the pastor and one young lady singing. This year, there were about five to six young teenage girls who sang, read scripture, danced, etc. That shows the growth of the church. I'm glad the church is thriving. We went with the children when they left for children's Sunday School. The teachers (again, teenage girls) told the story of Daniel in the lion's den. We served juice and cookies to about 120 kids. It was amazing!

These two groups of people truly worshipped this morning. They had no hymnals or projected song lyrics. They sang from their hearts and souls. They worship with their whole being. There are lessons to be learned here. Also, I was again struck by how big our God is... all around our world this morning people joined together in worship. The pastor of the Methodist church even spoke to that. He said that no matter where we come from, where we live, etc. we are bound in unity through our faith in God. I like that thought. There is great comfort there.

This afternoon we took several kids from the center to see the movie, Ice Age 3. It was fun, though the movie was in Spanish with no English subtitles. You'd be surprised how much you can figure out from just watching an animated movie! After the movie, we all had dinner together because many will be leaving tomorrow and going to their homes or extended family. School is out here next week and the Ministry of Family likes them to maintain the family connection. They will be gone until Saturday. Bill said that they will be sent home with a week's worth of groceries to ensure that they are fed while they are away. Some, however, don't have homes to go to so they will remain here.

I told you this morning that I would let you know about Dina. I saw her last night when we went over to the kids' house. I called her name and she turned around and grinned. I know she didn't remember me, but she came to me and hugged me. She took me by the hand and wanted me to lay on the floor with her and watch Cinderella. It was sweet. We then went outside and played a while. She has really grown and seems to be doing well. We saw her again this afternoon for dinner. We ate dinner together and enjoyed playing.

Some random thoughts.... On our way to El Ayudante we passed over a stream and there were three young men bathing in the water. Also, with all our differences, we are all still so very much alike. There are mothers worried about feeding their children; there are families going to the movies; there are kids who are scared of the dark....

Tomorrow we will go into the barrio that nearly took us to our knees last year. Carey, Allen and I will do the lesson about Noah's Ark. We have lots of games to play with the kids and activities that go along with the story. We were to plan for 75 kids. We'll see. If it's like last year, they just begin to appear from nowhere! Then in the afternoon, we will take the teen girls shopping for things for their new home. It will be fun.

Please continue to pray that we are all open to God's direction and that the work we do here this week will be meaningful to the people we meet and to us, as well. (Not to mention worthy in God's eyes...)

Blessings to all-

D'Leigh

Mom the missionary day one

2009-07-06T15:35:00.000-05:00

So my mom and little brother are back in Nicaragua on a mission trip. Mom sends daily updates and I thought I'd share them with my 5 blog readers... enjoy!

Greetings from El Ayudante!

Our trip was fine and we are settled in our home for the week. About our accommodations.... because of the numbers of teams here this week, and because Bill feels like we are family, we are staying in the home where interns usually stay. There aren't any interns this week, so that opened up the other building. The good news is that it is air conditioned and we have hot showers. The bad news is that these ammenities feel odd to me. Crazy, huh?

We were met at the airport by staff from El Ayudante, as usual. We saw someone we remembered from last year, hugged and greeted, and then he said, "I think you think I'm my brother." It was the twin of an interpreter from last year. Sure enough, about that time, up walks the guy we really knew, along with two other fellows we remembered from before. They all remembered Robbie and me, but they said William had grown and changed so much they wouldn't have known him.

The bus ride through Managua was a little surreal. Everything I saw was what I remembered, but it took me by surprise. How can something you know about surprise you? I remembered the sadness, the filth, the poverty and all, but at the same time, I took me back. Seemed a little crazy....

At our first stop, there was a young lady with two very young little girls with her. She stood by the door of the bus as we came out of the gas station with our drinks and snacks. She never said a word. Her little girls never said anything. They just stood there. I'm sure they were wanting food or money. We just got on the bus.... I thought I'd die.

Then during the ride in the city just about everytime you stop at a traffic light, people (most of the time children) come up to the window begging or trying to sell you something. You just have to tell them, "No." One little boy in particular broke my heart. He couldn't have been more than eight or so. He had a cleft palate. He kept saying, "Money." He even tugged on the sleeve of our shirts. It was heartbreaking. I guess that's what I'm trying to say. How could I be surprised by this? I knew it was all here. I knew it breaks my heart, but yet I was surprised at how easily I had gone home, slipped into my own comfortable world, and yet there were these people here all along, just like I left them last year.

I need to wake everyone up. We are going to go have breakfast at 7:00, go to mass at the cathedral in Leon, and then go to church at the little Methodist church we attended last year.

I will tell you about seeing Dina (the little girl I loved on last year) later today or tonight.

Thanks to all who helped me get here...

Love and blessings for a wonderful Sunday!

D'Leigh

Dear Mary Leigh....

2009-07-03T08:40:00.004-05:00

Today is my four year anniversary. It's been quite a fun and adventurous 4 years.

I've learned a lot about myself, marriage, and what it takes to make it work over the last 4 years. So today, I've decided to write myself a letter. Someone, please give this to me 4 years ago in the Bride's Room right before I walk down the aisle.

Dear Mary Leigh,

It's your wedding day. It's everything you've dreamed and planned for 18 months. It will be perfect and more than you could have asked for. You are starting on an adventure that will last a lifetime. You have worked so hard to plan this wedding, but let me give you some advice that will help in the planning of your marriage.

Your marriage will be a blast! And it will go by so quickly! Take time to enjoy life together, don't rush through it! In four years you will wonder where the time went.

You don't always have to be right. The sooner you let that go, the easier.

You've never loved cleaning and it will be worse when you have a big 'ole house to clean. But you'll have to clean and Nick will help, so value that.

It doesn't matter how much money you make, if you have a job you love it will make for a happier marriage than any amount of money.

Spend time together. Just the two of you and enjoy each other. You will have roommates, sooner than you think and longer than you think. Enjoy the time alone together.

I know you have this big plan of moving back towards "home" in a year, but you are going to fall in love with Murfreesboro. You'll find that Murfreesboro is your "home" and you won't want to leave. And guess what- some of your family moves to Murfreesboro, it's so great!

You won't believe the kind of church you will find and love. It's so not what you think, but I won't spoil that one for you!

You'll learn to love to cook. Yes, you read that right. You will COOK! And it will be good. Couple of tips though: don't put all the okra in the frying pan at once. And don't grab the handle of the skillet- it's still hot. Oh, and don't use your sweatshirt as an oven mit - it will catch on fire!

There is a perfect man at the end of that isle waiting for you. You are truly marrying your perfect mate today. There will be days when it won't seem that way, but trust me girl he will become your rock. You will build a love that is so strong. Not one of those butterflies in the stomach, huggy, kissy kinds of love, but a true deep, rock solid, best friends kinds of love. When you face challenges and struggles, you will face them together side by side. He won't walk in front of you to shield you from things, but he will be beside you as your best friend, strongest supporter, and loudest cheerleader.

It's an incredible journey, slow down and enjoy it!

You make a great wife!
- yourself in 4 years

Ketchup Post #3- Jon and Kate Plus 8

2009-07-02T19:12:00.002-05:00

So I'm so sad about their divorce, but I blame myself. I mean I was totally invading their lives like it was any of my business. So, sorry Jon and Kate.Sorry I, and thousands others, have pushed your marriage to the breaking point.

However, I would like to say if I hear "what's best for my kids" one more time I might loose it! When you are married, you should be doing what's best for your spouse. When Nick and I have a family, he will always be #1 in my life. If Jon and Kate had kept each other as #1 I don't think they'd be in this position. *steps off soap box now*

My heart goes out to them and I'm sorry their marriage is falling apart. Jon seems to have already checked out. I'm not watching anymore, I won't give them my support. My support is what have gotten them in this mess.

On a side note, last night my MiMi asked me at dinner what I thought about Jon and Kate. I couldn't stop laughing, my grandmother watches Jon and Kate!

ketchup post #2- Real World: The 'Boro

2009-07-02T13:30:00.002-05:00

So, if I actually liked MTV I would call them and ask them if they wanted to film a Real World Season at my house right now. We'd call it The Real World: The 'boro.

It's not 7 complete strangers picked to live together.... but it's 5 family members, which is better entertainment anyway!

Nick and I have had my older brother living with us for a year now, since he transferred to TDOT in Murfreesboro. And as of Sunday, my sister and her husband of 2 weeks live with us to.

Robert is currently house hunting and once Anna gets a job, she and Chase will house hunt, but until then, we are one big happy family!

5 adults and three dogs (who don't get along all the time)will make for some great stories, stay tuned for next week's episode!

Ketchup Post #1 - Watch your self Coupon Mom

2009-07-02T10:39:00.002-05:00

I got on the coupon bandwagon some time ago. I kinda let up some when my life got so crazy but I have gotten back on the band wagon and I mean business this time. I need to save money where I can since we now have a house of 5 adults (more on that later).

So, look out Coupon Mom- this girl means business!!

Last week I saw Lipton Tea bags were on sale at Publix buy one get one free- which at Publix means each one is half price. I had two 50 cent coupons off a Lipton purchase. So here is the break down-

Tea Bags originally $2.46/box on sale for $1.23/box. I used 50 cent coupon on each box, which Publix double to $1.00. So, I got a box of tea bags for $.23!!!! Two boxes for $.46!

Hello, that is major savings people!

Consider me back on the bandwagon!

please pass the ketchup

2009-07-01T16:27:00.000-05:00

*post title "borrowed from emily @ Red Bay Days - thanks Em!*

Ok, so I'm crazily behind on my blogging. I mean I haven't posted about ANY of Anna Marie's wedding showers and she is MARRIED! I mean seriously, I'm a slacker!

I have lots to blog about so as I have time I'll try some "Ketchup" Posts as well as blogging about our current life.

Meal Plan Monday

2009-05-04T18:39:00.000-05:00

My friend Becky has started doing Meal Plan Monday, so I'm joining up....
Tonight: Quesadilla bar
Tuesday: Cinco de Mayo dinner with Ben and Becky at GARCIAS (which is my FAVORITE mexican place, I can't wait to take Becky!)
Wednesday: pizza pasta salad (new recipe)
Thursday: grilled pork chops, grilled corn, and steamed brocolli
Friday: date night, Nick and I are both off work, so we will be doing "date day"
Saturday: eating at the Couples Retreat at New Frontiers

My apologizes

2009-04-27T15:05:00.002-05:00

Dear Blog,
I am sorry I haven't been writing to you (or is it on you?) lately. I've been a busy little girl. It is nothing personal, I still love you. This was not a break-up, just a little break to work things out on our own. I have decided I love you and want to make this relationship work.
Love always,
Me

Graduation Day

2009-04-03T09:16:00.003-05:00

I know I have been slacking on blogging lately, but my life has been a little busy. I only stopped in (I'll be back later for more, I promise)to say today is a very important day-
It's my PawPaw's last day of radiation! He did his rounds of chemo and is today finishes his last round of radiation. As I told him this weekend, he is graduating!
Congrats PawPaw, now stay cancer free......

it never fails

2009-03-19T19:37:00.000-05:00

The moment I go to get my fresh produce I hear that low rumbling and then the mist starts! Everytime! I get wet and end up with a wet bag of cucumbers. Seriously, just my luck!

better late than never

2009-03-18T18:39:00.001-05:00

So I'm a few days late on posting my memory verse. Sorry.

This one is also from our Advance Team Memory Verses at church.

It's not fancy hair, gold jewelry, or find clothes that should make you beautiful. No, your beauty should come from within you- the beauty of a gentle spirit that will never be destroyed and is very precious to God.
1 Peter 3:3-4

Eye Doctor

2009-03-10T08:50:00.001-05:00

I don't like going to the eye doctor. I try to only go when I HAVE to, you know, when you only have one pair of contacts left and they won't give you anymore till the doctor sees you. Well, yesterday I it was time.
Let me just say that I LOVE my eye doctor, she is such a nice younger chick. Her office is real casual and she takes her time and hangs out with you and just chats. In fact, I learned we both see the same regular doctor and same gyno, small world! So anyways, nothing against her but I HATE the eye doctor.
It's like taking the hardest test ever and I get nervous.
What's better- A or B? 1 or 2? Now B or 2?
I get so stressed out my hands start to sweat. I just feel like I'm giving the wrong answers. And then: can you read this line.... oh I hate that part. I can kinda read it if I take my time and really try, but does that count?
Oh the stress! And if I give the wrong answer is that going to screw up my vision for all eternity?
I'm blind enough as it is and the eye doctor is just too much pressure. But I'm good for another two years or so, thank goodness.
Now today I have a physical. I hate that "take a deep breath" part. Is this deep enough? Am I breathing too fast? Agggghhhhhh.

So, I'm kinda famous

2009-03-05T19:34:00.002-06:00

Awhile ago, I got a blog facelift. I was jealous of my friend Katie's super cute blog, which by the way, Katie is in Mexico right now- hate her. Katie told me to email this chick named Ashley and ask her to help me. So I emailed Ashley and she helped a sista' out! I just LOVE my new look. Ashley did such a great job reflecting me and my personality. I told her she was fabulous and she should go into business... well... she has. (I'm sure it was my suggesting it to her and all)
She has since updated my side bar, check out my cute little fonts and has/or will update my signature. She asked me to be one of her featured blogs- must be my stellar write ability/grammar/spelling. Hello, I'm famous!!

So if you are jealous of my new look, but aren't married to a graphic designer. Go see Ashley at Great Grabbie Designs and she can hook you up.
Just don't make them look better than me, Ash!
(I can call her Ash, cause we are bff now)

Memory Verse

2009-03-02T11:46:00.002-06:00

We teach 4th-6th graders at church in a program called Momentum. It's fantastic and Nick and I have an incredible time with the kids and we learn so much. Part of the curriculum is a "contest" called Advance Team. It requires memorizing Bible verse, reading books of the Bible, showing up to church, bringing you Bible, etc, etc. So last week we got the new memory verses for this semester, so what a better place to find my new verse.
Here is is:
Do not worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks. And God's peace, which is so great we cannot understand it, will keep your heart and minds in Christ Jesus. -Philippians 4:6-7

Ash Wednesday

2009-02-25T17:22:00.003-06:00

Today is Ash Wednesday which marks the start of Lent, the 40 days before Easter. (Can you believe Easter is only 40 days away!)
Growing up I loved the Ash Wednesday service at church. You leave with an ash cross on your forehead, but it was cool. The season of Lent is symbolic of the 40 days Jesus spent in the wilderness (I think) and you are traditional supposed to give up or sacrifice something. I have given up things in the past (Cokes, Fast Food, etc) but this year I am going to start "doing" something. At the end of the 40 days I want to have made a change in my life and the world around me, not just start drinking Cokes again. So this year, I stole my idea from my mom (HI MOM!) and am going to do an intentional random act of kindness everyday. It can be something simple to letting someone pull out in traffic in front of me to something a little more grand.
Stay tuned for updates on how I'm doing.

Coupon Savings Report #1

2009-02-25T12:56:00.004-06:00

So Sunday I armed myself with my master grocery list and coupons and sale fliers and off I went. I asked/made Nick go with me cause he is a math wiz and can figure out the best deals on products while I fumble around with the calculator on my phone. We make quite a team!
We went to Kroger and Publix because some of the things I needed were only on sale at one or the other store and I have coupons.
I saved almost 35% on my grocery bill! I spent $220 and saved over $75!
I was soooooo pleased with myself! I can't wait till next Sunday's ads and coupons!

Dancing with the Stars

2009-02-18T15:07:00.002-06:00

My favorite dancer from So You Think You Can Dance last season was Chelsie Hightower. That "Bleeding Love" piece with Mark was A.MAZING. Well, good news folks, she is on Dancing with the Stars this season. I can't wait. Too bad she is paired with Ty Murray (Jewel's hubby). He's just a good ole boy and I don't think he's got it.
I am very excited about Julianne Hough and her real life man, Chuck Wicks. And, Lil'Kim and Derek Hough. And the pair that I'm saying will be most entertaining but don't have a shot are Steve-O and Lacey.

Crockpot 1-2-3

2009-02-18T11:56:00.002-06:00

So I have tried three crockpot recipes off the Crockpot365 site and I must say, they are all keepers.

Night one: Candied Chicken
Notes: Smelled funny when cooking. Casey and I both made this the same night and hers smelled funny too! I was really afraid it would be my first "dinner isn't eatable, order pizza" night. It was actually good. Although it said cook for low 6-8 hours and I used HUGE frozen chicken breast and it was WAY over cooked. Next time I'll cook on low for like 4 hours.

Night Two: Buffalo Wing Soup
Notes: GREAT! But again cooked too long. The chicken is already cooked (boiled) when you make it, so I would only cook on low for 4 hours. We love hot wings, and this was a fantastic twist on them!

Night Three: Pizza Soup
Notes: Perfect. I'd make this every week. We aren't tomato eaters, so I'd leave those out next time. And, I don't think I bought the right Italian Sausage. Mine was ground sausage, but it worked just fine.

I still have a list of other recipes to try, so I'll keep you posted.

New Bible Verse

2009-02-17T11:50:00.002-06:00

I know, I'm a few days late. Sorry to my 3 faithful readers.
I got a new Bible yesterday! I had to go to Lifeway to get the Beth Moore Esther guide for a study I'm starting next week and I had a coupon good for yesterday (see, couponing!) I have been wanting a Hollomon Bible. It's kinda a mix between The Message Bible (which I recently got and like, but not for everything) and the NIV (which is my go to version). They had a hardback Hollomon Student Bible for $10! Now I'm pretty picky about my Bibles, I like "pretty" pages and the pages need to be thick, I'm not a fan of that tissue paper stuff. Anyways, LOVE this BIBLE! I'm so excited about it. So I knew I wanted to use this version for my verse this week- just had NO clue what verse I wanted to use. I have all these verses I like, but I want it to be the ONE verse for my two weeks. Well, found it. It's a side bar on my friend Katie's blog and I love it.

He will fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy.
-Job 8:21

Happy Heart Day!

2009-02-14T15:44:00.002-06:00

Valentine's isn't my favorite holiday, by far. It's not even in the top ten. I like flowers and chocolate just like everyone else, but I married a very Non-Romantic guy, so romancing just ain't his thing.
But happy heart day to everyone!

Crockpotting (I like taking nouns and making them verbs)

2009-02-06T09:37:00.002-06:00

I got 7 crockpots for wedding gifts. It because this running joke about my crockpots and I even took a picture of all of them in their glory when we finally moved in our first house and unpacked all the wedding gifts. Just so you know, I only kept two, a big one and a small one.

I LOVE cooking in my crockpot! It makes me so happy to come home after work and dinner be READY. Not to mention it makes my house smell happy too.

Marty had mentioned to me a blog a lady did with 365 crockpot recipes. She made a new year resolution to cook with her crockpot everyday of 2008. I googled her site and found more crockpot recipes than a little girl could ever want.
In case you want it too, I'll save you the google trouble.
www.crockpot365.blogspot.com

I spent an hour or so this morning reading though the post and printing some recipes I want to try. I have a list of recipes and after Sunday armed with my coupons, I'll be crockpotting like a mad woman. I'll post my fav recipes.

coupon update

2009-02-04T14:25:00.002-06:00

I spent the morning get myself together for my new task of couponing. I headed to Kroger to do my pricing, since I never really paid attention to what things cost.
They had ground turkey on sale for $.99 a pack! It's normally $3.49! I saved $2.50 a package!
We don't use ground turkey much. I'm just a ground beef girl. I don't mind ground turkey, you can't taste the difference, it just looks different. But for $.99- sold- I bought 4 packs and will probably go back and get more to freeze.
I know I wasn't couponing, but I saved over $16 today and only spent $10! I'm so proud of myself.

Couponing

2009-02-04T10:24:00.004-06:00

Yesterday I watched Oprah. I never watch Oprah; I don't agree with her and what she does or does not stand for (but that's a topic for another day, another time).
The whole show was on the Economy and budgeting and such. I really enjoyed it. They have the thriftiest family in America on. They survive (and save) on an income of $58,000 for a family of 5. Holy cow! But what really interested me was Coupon Mom. She was incredible.
I have tried to coupon (is that a verb?) a couple of times. I get so overwhelmed with clipping and then filing and then I can't remember what I have and when it expires. Oh, it's awful. Not to mention I end up spending more money cause I buy more than I would simply because I have a $.25 coupon.
I told Nick if someone would just set up the system I would do it. I just can't figure out how to make it work. Well, my new BFF Coupon Mom has the system in place. You just print out the handbook and start saving!
But today, faithful readers, I'm turning over a new leaf.

So starting today, I'm on the coupon bandwagon! All aboard....

Books, books, and more books

2009-02-03T13:45:00.001-06:00

I LOVE to read. About 10 years, heck, even 5 years ago, I never would have said that about myself. I have this complusion now- once I start reading a book, it's almost impossible to put down. I mean I seriously finish a book in one sitting. I'm a fast reader, well actually I scan, not read- but whatever. Anyway, so I have a problem...
I don't know what to read next.
I just finished Twilight Series and I'm book two of the Mark of Lion Series (which is a hard read) but today I wandered around Barnes and Nobles for an hour. I don't know what I was expecting, something to just jump off the shelf at me or what. I ended up buying a puzzle (hello, I'm a grandma!).
So help, what are some good reads...
I'm off to do my puzzle and watch talk shows!

I'm cheating, in a good way

2009-01-27T15:04:00.002-06:00

I feel like I should confess that I'm cheating on my scripture memory verses. I started memorizing Habakkuk 3:18&19 back on the 15th and truth be told I had it memorized that day. I kept the note card in my car and one on my bathroom mirror and said it all the time. I feel pretty confindent that I know it really well, so I'm moving on. I know I shouldn't start a new verse till the end of the week, but I'm ready.
So my new verse is:
God is able to do immeasurably more than all we could ask for. -Ephesians 3:20

I know I had such a hard time picking a verse last time, but not this time. This verse really just jumped out to me.

And while I'm confessing that I cheated and started a new verse, I'll come clean about this too- I'm actually starting two new verses. I found another one I just loved so I figured I'll do both, especially since the Ephesians verse is so short.

Do not be afraid. Just stand where you are and watch and you will see the wonderful way the Lord will save you today. The Lord will fight for you and you will not have to lift a finger. -Exodus 14:13&14

There is a little bit I left out "The Egyptians you are looking at- you will never see them again". I guess that's cheating too, but hey, it's my memory verses.

I have a Wii!

2009-01-26T20:25:00.001-06:00

Finally after months of waiting, we went Wii shopping Sunday after church. It only took 3 stores, but we scored one! I have to order Wii Fit online though, we couldn't find it anywhere!
Last night, I got beaten in tennis by a 7 year old. So today I spent some of the day practicing only to get my butt kicked when Nick and Robert got home. Are males just born with the ability to win at video games- seriously?!
My arm is sore from boxing, bowling, and baseball- headed to ice down my injuries.

More Christmas Pictures

2009-01-14T13:36:00.001-06:00

Here are the "normal" Christmas pictures, or as normal as my family gets.

Cheerleading Christmas

2009-01-14T12:37:00.002-06:00

It's what you've been waiting for... the pictures from our Cheerleading Christmas half time number as well as the spirit tunnel.
We know we are crazy, but enjoy!

Scripture Memory

2009-01-14T11:36:00.003-06:00

So sometimes God really hits me over the head with things- I guess I am a little slow on the pick up sometimes. Well over the last few months, it's been scripture memory and my friend Becky was the last straw. So I'm adding a new 2009 goal to my list (which I'll blog about soon)- Scripture Memory. I'm going to try to memorize two scriptures a month starting tomorrow, the 15th. I'll change verses the 15th and 1st of each month.
I got my Bible out this morning and flipped and flipped and flipped. I was seriously stressing over what to pick (I have issues - I know!) I went and got my Message Bible and flipped and flipped and flipped. Then I went and got my Student Bible from high school and college and decided I'd memorize something I had highlighted years ago- flip, flip, flip... Then it hit me. I'd start by memorizing a verse that was the cornerstone for the memorial service for my friend Alicia (who died when I was a senior in high school). The verse is Habakkuk 3: 18 and 19. I don't remember lots from the service but I remember the Ken (the preacher) sharing how he had gotten Alicia's Bible after the accident and was amazed that she had read Habakkuk and had highlighted this verse; Habakkuk is a small kinda no name book that gets overlooked.

So, to start my journey...

"Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be happy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength; he will give me the speed of a deer and bring me safely over the mountain" -Habakkuk 3:18&19

I'll be *trying* to remember to post my verses here for accountability sake.

check me out...

2009-01-11T08:01:00.001-06:00

So how bout my new blog look?! Don't you love it, well I do.
I'd love to take credit for it, but I know NOTHING at html coding and design. Thanks to Katie I got hoooked up with Ashley who designed it for me! Thanks Ashley- I LOVE IT and you are fabulous!
Now maybe I'll blog more regularly... maybe.

2008 year end review

2009-01-05T20:03:00.002-06:00

Since I am WAY behind on my scrapbooking right now, I'm doing my year end review here first.
2008 was a great year for the Brown household. Here are some of the highlights:
1. My brother moved in with us. He transferred to TDOT here in Murfreesboro. It's been great. I enjoy having him around (and the free manual labor isn't bad either)
2. My little sister got engaged. I mean, she's not old enough to be a wife.... but we are glad Chase will finally be in the family, he's been around long enough.
3. Nick and I took a couple great trips. Boston and the beach and some short weekend get aways. I love traveling!
4. Mom, Anna, and I took the funniest trip ever. I will never forget the memories we made in backwood Virginia, not to mention the airport! We're already planning our next adventure.
5. Project Baby Brown was started. So far... no news.
6. My best friend, Erin also got engaged to a GREAT guy and I couldn't be happier for her. I'm just sad she is moving to Virgina, but I'll be visiting!
7. I started a new job as a photographer and got myself a fancy camera. I just LOVE it!
8. I read a ton of books. And I do mean a ton. This year I'm keeping a list so I can have a count.

I guess that's about all... now on to 2009.

ho ho holidays

2009-01-05T19:59:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I'm a little behind in blogging, but being off work makes me lazy.
We had a fantastic Christmas season. We spent Christmas with my family in Memphis. Words can't describe the craziness that is my family. We have such a great time together. We laugh until we cry! I'll post some pictures of the Halftime Present Opening Cheerleading Routine the girls did at MawMaw's and PawPaw's because words just won't do that justice. (I just can't find my card adapter right now- of course)

We got way more that we needed or deserved. Guess I was a good girl this year. I'm sad the holidays are over, I just love it, but that means we are closer to spring and WARM WEATHER!

Farmer's Market

2008-12-19T16:44:00.003-06:00

I know it's not Farmer's Market season yet... but, I love a good Farmer's Market. Murfreesboro has one, but it's hours and location stink. Today Nick and I had "date day" we went to lunch (Taco Bell- so romantic) and to see Four Christmases (super super cute- Casey, go see it- we'll keep Will!). On the way home we were driving down the road Sam's is on and they are building two new building kinda by the PAWS Animal Shelter. I asked Nick what it was. He told me it's a reception building, but the back is an open air FARMER'S MARKET!! I can't wait for it to open, I mean it's a great location for me (and Em, and Leah, and Katie, sorry Casey :o)!) I'm hoping it will be ready for the summer season of fresh fruits and veggies!
I think I'll take the workers some hot cocoa next week to speed them up- anybody with me?

holly jolly

2008-12-16T16:49:00.004-06:00

I just love Christmas time. It seems this Christmas season has flown by... so I thought I'd post some pictures of the Holly Jolly-ness that is the Brown household.
Here is our house during the "blizzard" we got the other night.

La Cocina (that's kitchen for those of you who don't speak spanish)

Here is our downstairs tree, with and without the lights on.

And the stocking were hung....

My dining room ready for guests

The nativity my MawMaw made for us our first Christmas.

Our bonus room tree

I'm already dreading taking it all down....

medical term for the day is...

2008-12-15T18:18:00.002-06:00

Pectus Carinatum, which is what my little brother got diagnosed with today. Here is what that medical lingo means in real people language. His ribs and sternum have not fused correctly as he has grown and now that he is growing like a weed, it's more apparent. He has this bulg that stickes out, but it's a like a rib that you can mash back down. It's actually kinda gross feeling- he made me touch it. It's has varying degrees of severity and can damage your internal organs if not corrected. So he has to wear this chest brace for 16 hours a day for the next YEAR- hello, a year- not cool. I mean comon' he is a freshman in high school and you want him to wear a body armor getup. I feel sorry for him. Mom told him he could wear it when he gets home from school and through the night and maybe not have to wear it at school, bless him! He will have to wear the brace for at least a year, maybe more, depending on his chest and how much he is still growing. He will then have to wear it the rest of his life like a retainer. He goes next Tuesday to an orthopedicis place to be fitted for his "super suit", "bullet proof vest" or "turtle shell"- take your pick of names.
So send up a little prayer for him, I know it's not fun or cool or gonna be comfortable. But at least there is no surgery and it's can be corrected.
It's always something....

help...

2008-12-11T13:20:00.002-06:00

today at lunch Nick told me he needed ideas for my Christmas gift... i am racking my brain and can't think of much... so help me out
what do i want?

makes me happy

2008-12-05T21:08:00.002-06:00

I'm sitting here in my pjs, drinking a Caramel Apple Spice (86 the whip cream) in my pretty warm red Starbucks cup, listening to Christmas tunes, and looking at my Christmas tree in the bonus room.....
makes me happy!

tragedy

2008-12-01T20:23:00.001-06:00

The other night Nick was reading my blog and said "why don't you write anything about me?" I asked him what he wanted me to write and he said something to the effect of how wonderful and smart and good looking he is. um, yeah...
But here is a post about him:
HE BROKE A PLATE TONIGHT.
And not just any plate mind you. Not one of my countless fiesta plates, which can all be replaced. He broke one of my Christmas plates. They are a set from Target that I got the Christmas before we got married. So, needless to say, I can't get them anymore! I'm so sad. Now I'm down to 7 plates. Guess I can't have more than 6 people to dinner at a time now.
Bummer.
But on a happy note, my two trees are up and I just LOVE THEM! Bring on the holly jolly!

grateful

2008-11-24T21:44:00.002-06:00

We had a rockin' worship Sunday at church. It started with some jammin' (that's so 80's sounding) music and then an awesome sermon about having a grateful heart. And followed that up with a great lesson for our 4th -6th graders about entitlement and wrapped up Sunday with a great small group lesson about contentment. Sometimes God really gets your attention, doesn't he?I thought myself of somewhat of a grateful person until Sunday when I re-evaulated my gratefullness. I guess I was one of those people who was grateful for the "big picture": thanks for my family and my friends, thanks for the food on the table, you know, pretty simple thanks. Allen (our preacher) urged us to celebrate the specifics.
"Thank you for a husband who does the laundry while I watch Jon and Kate plus 8 and doesn't ask me to help because he knows I love that show"
"Thank you for a mother who never forgot to pick me up from practices as a kid"

I can't tell you the difference it's made in the last two days. Having a grateful heart really helps me look at the world differently. In an economy that isn't so perky right now it's made a difference to find the specific things to be grateful for. Like today, I had to get my oil changed before headed to Mom and Dad's for Thanksgiving and I found myself driving home thanking God for allowing me to have to PAY for an oil change cause it means I have a car to drive and a family to go home to. I mean, that is NOT the way I normally think. I'm a "oh great, how much is that gonna cost" thinker.
I know it's Thanksgiving week, but I'm not just taking one day, or a week to be thankful- I'm making it a change in my everyday attitude!
Allen told us "Giving thanks is a catalyst for experiencing God in your life". I don't know about you, but I don't wanna miss God in my life.

I hate WalMart

2008-11-19T18:23:00.002-06:00

It's no big secert to my blog readers that I don't much care for WalMart. Well, today I decided to bite the bullet and go there. I need to go grocery shopping and get some random things (air filters, cleaning stuff, etc) and since it's so cold I just wanted to get in and get done and get home to warm up.
So here are the reason I hated WalMart today in order of occurance:
1. People can't drive in the parking lot.
I passed one guy going the wrong way down the aisle. I waited behind someone who was waiting for 10 minutes so she could get a parking spot two spaces closer (which she could have already been in the store by the time she waited for that spot. Not to mention all the people PARKED in the firelane waiting to pick someone up!
2. People can't walk in the parking lot.
You must have a death wish to walk in the parking lot of Wallie World. People would walk RIGHT out in front of me! I mean people, please look before you step out into traffic!
3. The carts
I am not kidding when I tell you there were 8 carts in the cart holder when you walk in. I was there early this morning- you can't tell me those carts had all been used. Where were they? Probably out in the parking lots, not in the cart return. Out of those 8 carts, I went through three before I found one whose wheel all moved in the same direction (for the most part)
4. The friendly service you get
No person in a blue shirt can help you with ANYTHING. In fact most don't speak English. They park their unloading carts in the MIDDLE of the aisle and look at you like YOU are in the way. AGHHH
5. I can NEVER find everything on my list. EVER.
6. The produce department is NASTY. I mean if this is what the front of your store looks like, I'm afraid of the back where I can't see.
7. There are a million registers and only 2 are open. Seriously? Why?
8. The check out lady is rude (which I made sure to mark on the survey on the keypad)
9. Back to the parking lot (see #1 and #2)

I will admit, the groceries are a tad cheaper, but is it worth it, I think not.

tag I'm it

2008-11-18T15:22:00.003-06:00

So I was tagged by my friend Katie.
It's my first tagging experience, whoohoo
Here are the rules:
Go to your fourth picture folder and then go to the fourth picture in the folder.Write four things about the picture and then tag four other people.It's amazing what you'll find!!!

1. This picture was taken on our girl's trip (me, mom, and Anna) last summer to PA. Which was by far one of the best and FUNNIEST trips of my life. This picture is on the Duck Boat tour we took of downtown Pittsburg.
2. Mom and Anna teamed up and made me sit by myself! Boo. So this is a picture of me and my bench partner, so black chick from Memphis (small world).
3. Those SUPER cute orange sun glasses I have on my head are now dead. I miss them. It's hard to find good sun glasses.
4. Anna got to drive the Duck Boat, she was a better driver on water than she is on land! :o)

Ok - and I tag:
1. Casey
2. Emily
3. Marty
4. Becky
Get to it girls!

$1.97

2008-11-07T17:29:00.000-06:00

Yes, folks $1.97 is what gas is in Murfreesboro right this minute. Yesterday it was $2.07 and I though, man it's so close to being under $2.00. I can't remember when gas was under $2.00. I have 3/4 of a tank, but I think I'll stop to top off to celebrate the price!

wedding weekend and then some

2008-11-05T18:40:00.004-06:00

We headed out about lunch on Friday to get to Knoxville for Chris and Leslie's wedding. Chris was a groomsmen in our wedding, so it was time for Nick to return the favor. I knew Leslie from college, we had some mutual friends so hung out some from time to time. She's a cool chic, don't know how Chris landed her.
We got to Knoxville about 3:30 and headed to Whitney and Robert's house. Whit is a girlfriend from college who was nice enough to offer to let us stay with them. We met Jackson, their cute little 20 month old boy. He is so stinkin' cute. Here he is in his Halloween costume.

We changed and headed to downtown to the rehearsal. Man, what a pretty church! And it was great to see some of our friends from college and get to catch up! The rehearsal dinner was at a BEAUTIFUL house on some lake outside of Knoxville. Although a little chilly, it was picture perfect- except the firework that exploded under the tent and caught part of a mum on fire. Long story- let's just say a couple of folks at the table almost met their maker that night.
Saturday morning Whit and I headed out for a little shopping and left the guys home watching football. After lunch Nick headed to the church for pictures and such and Whit and I played with Jackson.
The wedding was so pretty. Leslie was a beautiful bride. The reception was at the Foundry - which is a super fun place. We had the best time dancing all night. But my feet were KILLING me. It's hard to dance in three inch red high heels for 6 hours! Whew!
Sunday morning we got up early (well early enough) and headed to Gatlinburg. We had wanted to do a little hiking, but I was sore from my night of dancing! We opted to drive up to Clingmon's Dome and hike the 1/2 mile on the paved walkway. I was breathing hard- I'm blaming it on the altitude, but it might be the fact I am OUT OF SHAPE! We headed back down through the Park into Gatlinburg. We stopped for lunch at No Way Jose's (which is nasty- NEVER eat there) and then we walked the strip. We headed to Pigeon Forge and checked into our hotel where Nick watched some football and I tried to nap. We got ready and headed to dinner at my ABSOLUTE fav resturant in the WORLD- the Apple Barn. We got there about 30 mins before they closed and had an entire dinning room to ourselves! It was so nice to have a quite dinner just the two of us in my favorite eatery! We had the entire place to ourselves by the time we left.
Monday morning we headed to the outlets for a little shopping. Nick was a really good sport! He even had the ladies in the Gap laughing at him trying on jeans. He needed my opinion on each pair.
We started home after lunch and made a few stops on the way, including this dish store where this mean old man tried to argue with me about Fiesta Ware- excuse me dude- I know MY FIESTA!
Now, we are home again home again....
Here are some pics from our weekend.

HOV Lane

2008-10-13T20:39:00.002-05:00

Today I drove to Hendersonville to the ICM (Inspirational Country Music) awards. We are taking pictures and stuff there this week... but anyway- that will be another post once I meet a celebrity (I hear Carrie Underwood, Natalie Grant, and Point of Grace are there somewhere!)
So, back to the point at hand. Driving home I was coming through Nashville during the HOV lane hours. I am a supporter of the HOV lanes. Carpooling = great idea = be green! So, it really irks me when people ALONE IN THEIR CARS are flying by me in the HOV lane. I want to citizen arrest them! I mean, folks, let's all play by the rules. With that being said, to the rest of you drivers out there- When the HOV lane is in effect, the lane beside it then becomes the FAST LANE. Do not drive in the lane next to the HOV lane doing 67- NOT.COOL.
Thank you and I look forward to sharing the road with you again tomorrow.

today, my friends, we celebrate

2008-10-05T09:21:00.002-05:00

This is a day of great rejoycing and celebration here. Today I fit in (well not just fit in, fit in well enough to wear out of the house)a pair of jean I haven't been able to wear in two years!
I was home alone this morning so nobody was here to celebrate with me, but Addie- not that Nick would have celebrated much anyways!

Here's to a day of skinny jeans!

the door

2008-10-03T19:20:00.003-05:00

My chalkboard door is finished.

Check out Addie's little paws on it. So cute!

Now I need to add some wording to the door- any suggestions?

And I need to get some chalk. I went to three places already- guess I need to go to Target!

the bed to myself

2008-10-03T17:10:00.002-05:00

Nick has been gone all week to Chattanooga on business. I actually like it when he is gone- it's normally for only three days about every month or month and a half. So it's a nice little break. I enjoy my "me" time. Long bubble baths, not having to cook dinner and sleeping in the MIDDLE of the bed!
Nick got home yesterday and he told me this morning I was pushing him and kickin' him all night! I told him it was because I was use to having the bed to myself.
He left AGAIN this morning for the weekend for a golfing bachelor party trip- so tonight I'm spreading out.
Although, I am kinda ready for him to be home.... just not to be back in the bed! :o)

somebody stop me

2008-10-03T17:05:00.002-05:00

I got out my Halloween decorations on the 1st (by the way- how is it OCTOBER already!?!). I have this candy corn bowl that I put on my coffee table and filled full of candy corn. It took two bags, and it still wasn't full. Everytime I walk through the den, which is quite often, I grab a small handfull. Seriously! Someone stop me. I don't even really like candy corn. I mean, they are ok, but they are not my favorite halloween candy by any means; they might be like number 47 on a list of 50. I just can't help myself.
Aggghhh, and I was actually doing better. I had lost a few pounds, as of last week it was 5. I mean my just-out-of-the-washer-do-squats-before-wearing jeans are a little big on me now- Or use to be, before the dreaded candy corn....

been busy

2008-10-01T19:45:00.005-05:00

Whew, I've been busy. I feel like I always say that... but it's true. Nick and I are so busy, it seems like we always have something going on! It's a busy life, but we love it!

I have been going to a girl's Bible study in Nashville on Monday nights. We are doing Beth Moore's study "Stepping Up". It's pretty awesome. It's based on the Psalms of Ascent, which to be honest, until three weeks ago, I never knew exsisted. It's been a great study and I've had fun bonding with Casey and Leah on our 40 minute car rides!

I have been doing a little home improvement work too. Below are some picture.
This first picture is the new iron piece I hung on the fireplace. I really like it; think it adds a nice touch.

This is a little towel holder I hung in the kitchen. I got it at the last Ikea trip, but just finally got it painted and hung. This is replacing the paper towel holder by the sink. I'm trying to be more green, just one little change at a time.

This last picture is the new words I put on the wall today. I have been wanting to put this saying on the wall above the front door since I got my cricut, but wanted it in brown and wasn't really happy with any of my fonts. Casey let me borrow this font and I love it.

I have one more project that will hopefully be finished tomorrow. I am replacing the door between the kitchen and the laundry room with a flat door that I have primed, painted (THREE COATS!) and painted a chalkboard with chalk board paint. It's all ready to go, but tonight Robert and I were cutting the trim (which is RED!) and I ended up needing another piece. So, I'll have to wait till tomorrow to finish. I'll stop at Lowe's on my way home and get another piece of trim and more red paint (I used the very LAST drop today!). I have to paint the trim four times and then we'll be ready to go. Hopefully it can be done tomorrow night.... I'll post pictures. It's gonna be so cute!!!

One more thing. Any of you who have old nasty, out of style, don't ware any more coats- Please give them to me. They can be anything from kids to adults, light jackets to rain jackets to heavy winter coats. My little brother is involved in a project to gather coats and sell them to underpriveldged people for super cheap (we are talking $1 or so). It's a great cause and it's not a handout. The money raised will be donated to a local homeless shelter or food bank. Let me know if you have some old coats! Thanks!!!

my best friends

2008-09-17T09:16:00.002-05:00

One of my best friends Hallie, just had a baby boy last week. He is the cutest little boy, but sorry, Hallie, he doesn't look a thing like you! Hallie and I met in college at the TKE house and we ended up having a few classes together. We lost touch after college, but reconnected over a year ago when we found out we were both in Middle TN. We have since become best friends, she truly is one of my bestest friends and I love her to pieces. It's been exciting to watch her get married and start a family. Now if she can just get that boy to sleep!

My oldest (not age wise) friend Erin just got engaged! Erin and I have know each other, as we tell people, before we were born. Our mommies were friends and were pregnant at the same time. Erin is 5 days older than I am and we spent almost everyday of our childhood together. Our relationship is a little different since we haven't lived in the same city for over 8 years, but she is still one of my dearest friends. Her fiance is a photographer for the Navy and is in Cuba for 6 months. She went down to visit and he pop the question at a romantic beach somewhere. I'm so excited for her - it's about time. Not to mention he is a great guy and so good to her.

ooops

2008-09-05T19:43:00.002-05:00

If you happened to be at Thorton's Gas Station tonight about 6:15 you sure did get a treat!
I got out of my jeep to get gas. I undid my gas gap, inserted my debt card, picked the grade I wanted, you know- all those things you do when you are getting gas. I put the nossle in my car and went to step over the hose so I could get my debt card put back in my wallet. Well, I must have misjudge the step and ended up tripping on the hose and fell into my jeep. It made the LOUDEST noise! Everyone looked over at me just in time to see me falling from the side of my jeep onto the concrete! I banged my knee really hard (not sure if that happened when I hit the car or when I fell to the ground!) I just caught myself on my hands and knees on the ground and quickly jumped up and back into my car, shut the door and tried to gather myself! I was so embarassed I couldn't get back out of the car to stand there and wait for the pump to finish. When it finally shut off, I jumped out and quickly put the pump back and grabbed my receipt- it wasn't until I was back on highway 96 that I realized I had left my gas cap off and my gas door open....

wal-mart trash bags

2008-09-02T19:38:00.001-05:00

I went out on a limb and bought the Wal-Mart brand trash bags a few weeks ago. I will never do that again! I have had one rip when taking the trash out and one just come all apart when trying to put it around the lid of the trash can- and this is just in the last week! Next time, I'll spend the extra $1.50 and get the good stuff!

adventures in parenthood

2008-09-02T19:23:00.003-05:00

So, we survived the weekend as parents and it really wasn't bad at all! Being a parent isn't that tough, kinda tiring, but fun!
Hannah is so stinkin' cute. She is just the sweetest and well behaved girl every. Although she is into asking Why? For instance:
H: Who is that girl?
ML: That is my sister.
H: Why?
ML: Well, we have the same parents.
H: Why?
ML: Because our mommy and daddy had both of us.
H: Why?
ML: I guess they wanted more than just two kids.
H: Why?
ML: Cause they wanted a big family.
H: Why?
ML: So they would have a chance at someone letting them live with them when they get old.
H: Why?
ML: so they won't have to go to a nursing home.
H: Why?
....................................................
Joshua (or Wash-you-wah) was an angel as usual. Although he didn't feel too good all weekend and just wanted to be held. I didn't mind hold that sweet boy at all! Although, I will say, a bottle at 5 am comes early to those who aren't used to see that side of 7 am.

The funniest thing of the entire weekend was at dinner on Sunday night. Robert had just gotten back from hunting and we were all eating at the table. Robert was telling Nick a story when Hannah spoke up and said "Mr. Robert, you shouldn't talk with your mouth full." It was all we could do not to laugh out loud at her!

We were so glad to be able to have the kids for the weekend and give us a taste of parenthood. We are looking forward to parenthood one day, but as for now, I like sleeping late, taking naps, doing my own thing, and talking with my mouth full!

gold eyeshadow

2008-08-25T20:52:00.001-05:00

Can I wear gold eyeshadow?
I just bought some at Target...

Randomness

2008-08-25T18:46:00.002-05:00

I have been asked to update my blog. Sorry I was absent, but I've been busy. The past couple of weeks have been a blur of Olympic wonderment. I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the Olympics and watched as much of them as humanly possible.

I don't have much to post about, so let me share some random tid-bits.
1. When cooking I normally double the amount of cheese the recipe calls for. For instance, if the casserole says "top with 1 cup of cheese" I easily use the whole two cup bag. I just can't help myself! I love cheese!

2. I have a fantasy football team this year. After at least three years of begging my brother to let me have a team in his league, he FINALLY broke down and let me. I know it was because they needed to fill a spot, but I'll take what I can get. I think I have a great team (great looking anyways!) but Robert told me tonight that two of my players are out hurt for the season. Guess I'll need to pick up a few new good lookin' guys!

3. We are taking a run at parenting this weekend. We will be keeping our friends Julie and Aaron's two kids from Thursday night to Sunday night. They are great kids and we are looking forward to it. But something tells me I'll be tired come Sunday! I'll keep you posted on our fun filled weekend!

4. I am in the process of publishing my first cookbook at www.tastebook.com. It's a super neat website- some of you might even get my cookbook as a Christmas present.

5. Speaking of Christmas, we are three months from Christmas! I get excited just thinking about it. In fact, I told Nick this weekend that my fall decorations are coming out in a week!

Guess that's all, for now....

U-S-A

2008-08-15T21:18:00.003-05:00

I LOVE the Olympics. I am partial to the summer olympics. Now that I have DVR I come home to about 8 hours of Olympics to watch. While I watch most of it in fast forward (comon' how many prelims are there in swimming!?) I do watch MOST of it. I am spending this evening catching up on the past few nights.
I have roped both Nick and Robert into watching it with me- I think mainly cause I am control of the tv in the bonus room, so they can't play Playstation. But man, I can't keep staying up till after midnight!
The other night we were all watching the Women's Gymnastic Team Competetion. It was about 10 something and the competetion was heating up. Robert said, "well, I can't go to bed now, I have to cheer these girls on. Give me a flag or something to wave!" Then he and Nick get into the scoring and start giving their own scores.
After we lost (which by the way, there is NO way those girls were 16, hello, she had BABY teeth and my sister is a dental hygenist and 16 year olds don't have BABY TEETH!) anyways, back to the story... after we lost, Robert said, "that's it I'm boycotting rice!" and went to bed!
It really is fun watching the Olympics with these two boys!

Happy Birthday

2008-08-14T20:57:00.001-05:00

Fifty one years ago today one of my most favoritist people was born....
my momma!

Happy Birthday, "Old Lady"!

name brand vs. brand name

2008-08-08T08:46:00.002-05:00

I went to the dreaded WalMart on Wednesday with Marty to do a little grocery shopping. I really do HATE that place, but since I was buying so many groceries, I broke down and went to WalMart. Thanks for being my tour guide Marty.
Before she got there I picked up a few things I knew I could find, one being garbage bags. I opted for the Hefty odor sheild. Marty saw them and suggested I save some $$ and get the WalMart brand. Now trash bags are one of those things I never buy the off brand of, just not sure how they will do. (I'll let you know how these bags work)

So, this got me thinking. What are other items you do not buy the off brand off...
Here is my list.
1. detergent. I choose liquid tide (bought at sams)
2. Cokes. I tried the Publix cola once because it was only a penny, totally won't do that again.
3. Toliet Paper. I think we all know why.
4. tootpaste. that off brand crap is just nasty.
5. Pickles. ewww, they are like rubber and nasty. I like Klausin (sp?)

I had a whole list going in my mind, but this is all I can come up with right now. So add your suggestions to the list...

best trip ever, the finale

2008-08-07T08:47:00.002-05:00

So, how did we get all these purchases home. Well, Friday after shopping we decided mom was going to need a different carry on, since hers was TINY. We went to Target to buy bubble wrap, tape, and a new bag for mom. We headed back to Newell to try to pack up.
We unpacked everything from Fiesta onto one bed, this was the staging area. We wrapped it all and packed it on the second bed, the packing bed. The goal was to get all the fiesta in my carry on, mom's carry on, and Anna's carry on. The problem was Anna and I both couldn't carry a purse since we were both carrying on two bags, well, Anna was carrying on a picture frame. More on that later. We actually, surprisingly, got all the Fiesta in our carry ons. Mine and mom's weight about 40 pounds each! The very tried to pack all the Ikea breakables into my suitcase which I would check planeside, rather than have it go to the basement where the gorillas handle it. Yippeeee, everything fit. So we had two bags, mom and Anna's in which we had to fit ALL of our stuff and the leftover Ikea stuff. Let's just say it was tight.......
We ordered a pizza and headed to bed praying for the security personal tomorrow.
We were off to the airport. Now, let me give you a mental picture of what we all had. I was carrying on a about 50 lb bag of fiesta and had my rolling suitcase as my bag to be checked planeside. All in all, I was toting about 90 lbs. Mom had her 40 lb fiesta carry on and a STUFFED checked back. Her bag weighted 52 pounds, but the nice lady let it go without charging her the $90 for an overweight bag! Anna had her fiesta carry on, hers wasn't as heavy for some reason and a HUGE picture frame as her carry on. She tried to check a bag, but it was WAY over weight, so we ended up opening it and moving random things to over bags.
So we got the bags checked and headed through Homeland Security. The men were so nice to us, even with our heavy bags and picture frame. They were helpful and didn't even question us. Awesome! The only person who wasn't so nice was the man at the gate who told me I should not be checking my bag planeside because it was bigger than a carry on. I kinda just said, well that lady told me I could and kept walking. I couldn't risk losing the Ikea bag!
We had to change planes in Cinnicantti. We boarded the plane and were sitting there when the pilot came on and told us "due to a lack of staffing, we are going to have to de-board and wait about 2 hours". What- are you kidding me. We were so close....
Everyone on the plane was grumbling, but what can you do. Some people were starting to get off, when they came back on and said, someone had shown up so we could leave. I said, kinda loudly I guess, oh yeah, I want to kiss him on the mouth. The two guys in front of me and Anna apparently thought that was very funny and just laughed at me. Oh well.
So we made it home safe and sound with nothing broken!! Nick and William picked us up at the airport and we went to celebrate a little tax free weekend. We could buy as much as we wanted now since we didn't have to worry about getting it back on the plane!

best trip ever part duce

2008-08-05T08:45:00.004-05:00

So Friday morning we got up and had a surprisingly good breakfast in the lobby then headed off to the Fiesta Factory. Ok, so picture this. A factory built in the early 1900s (no, I am not kidding) with vines growning all over it, mismatched windows (if they weren't broken out) sitting on the side of a river in the valley. That's the Fiesta Factory.
We had a tour scheduled for 10:30, but of course we were early, so we had time to check out the shop. They had a HUGE room of 'second' pieces that were so cheap- more on that later.

Our tour guide was a somewhat nice lady who had worked there for over 30 years- she really knew her stuff. We put on our goggles and were off. It was the neatest tour. There were are all in our flipflops and goggles walking all around, touching whatever we want. I can't believe this tour hasn't been shut down. We couldn't take pictures inside the factory, but believe me, it's cool. I just couldn't believe that these pretty dishes come from somewhere that looks like that.

After the TWO HOUR tour we went back in the Outlet, grabbed our milkcrate shopping cart and started shopping. We scored some incredible deals. Mom and Anna got a canister set for like $60, when just one piece of mine I got for my birthday was $60! The whole time we are shopping we kept wondering, how are we going to get all this on the plane (much more on that later). We gathered all of our purchases and headed out.... this is what our cart looked like.
Oh, funny story. We all decided to get a grab bag for $2. So this is what was in them and how excited we all were.

We knew we needed to head out of Newell to get something to eat, because as I have told you, there is NOTHING to eat there. We decided to go BACK to Ikea to do a little personal shopping for a friend, Marty, who had emailed me her shopping list. We drove the 45 minutes back to Ikea and had lunch before we filled up ANOTHER shopping cart full of stuff- yet again, how are we going to get all this back on the plane.
We decided to head back to the hotel early and try to get our stuff all pack up and figure out how we were going to get through security with about 100 pounds of fiesta and three bag fulls of Ikea business.
How we got this all home will come later....

the BEST trip ever

2008-08-04T08:34:00.004-05:00

We had the BEST time on our girls trip. It's going to be impossible to describe it in words, but I'll do my best.
We left in the middle of the night on Thursday morning. Our flight was at 5:50, so we left the house at 3:40! Whew! All was fine going through security and we boarded no problem. It wasn't until we reached Cinncinatti that we had a little bump in the trip. Apparently I booked mom and Anna on a flight that left at 9:30 and me on a flight that left at 10:15. (why that happened is another LONG story...) so they boarded without me (I couldn't change planes because I had checked baggage.) They arrived in Pittsburg and waited for me in baggage claim. As I am coming down the steps into baggage claim - there they are holding a little sign that says MARY BROWN. Ha!
We gathered our bags, got our little rental car, and plugged Maggie the Magellian in and we were off. We were headed to downtown Pittsburg to take a ducky tour of the city. We were driving along, minding our own business, when out of nowhere- IKEA!!! We all screamed with delight! Mom and Anna had never been, so I was pumped to take them. We continued on into downtown and did the ducky tour, and Anna even got to drive the ducky boat in the water.
Let me just say that Pittsburg is a really cool city. I didn't expect much, pollution and grime, and nastiness- but it's a really clean young, fun city. After the tour, we raced back to the car, entered Ikea's address in the gps and headed that way.

What a blast we had in Ikea- we were only there for like 4 hours....needless to say many funny, funny stories- like when mom hit Anna and me cause she was so excited.
After Ikea we decided to head on to our hotel in Newell, WV and check in then eat. Ok, so Newell is in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE- It was like Deliverance. As we are getting closer, I say, wonder where the worlds largest teapot is, we round the corner and BAM- there it is! We, of course, get out and take pictures.

We get to Newell about 8 o'clock. I go into check us in to the ONLY hotel in town and ask where to eat dinner (we had only seen a McDonald's on the way in) The nice lady says "oh, It's 8, it's getting late.... there is either a Subway or a McDonald's in the next town over" Well, great, thanks. We decide to drive on into town (and I use that term loosely) to see what we can find. Crazy, but Newell, has a casino.... totally random, and totally not nice, but a casino none-the-less. We opted to stop at Dollar General and get some "snacks" for dinner... see below

To be continued....

Annual Girls Trip

2008-07-28T19:01:00.002-05:00

At 5:50 Thursday morning, mom, Anna and I will board a plane for our annual girls trip! This year's destination is Newell, WV. Why Newell you ask- it's the home of the Fiestaware Factory! We fly into Pittsburg, PA and then will drive about 30 miles across the WV boarder. I'm pretty pumped!
Our intentary looks something like this:
Thursday: fly in, have lunch downtown, take a Ducky tour of the city, head over to West Virginia
Friday: Fiesta factory tour, lunch in Newell, then over to Falling Water (a famous home built by Frank Lloyd Wright)
Saturday: fly home
It'll be a quick, but fun trip and we WILL make time to see the World Largest Teapot in Chester, WV too!

my momma the missionary

2008-07-23T09:26:00.002-05:00

As you know, my mom and little brother are on a mission trip. Several of you have asked how they are doing- well, they are GREAT! Mom has been able to send email updates every morning, so I am including those for you.
Keep on praying, and hopefully mom won't come home with a few of the children, but it's looking that way....
Monday Morning
Hello, again-
Yesterday afternoon with the kids was really something else. There were 15 little ones, aged 3-5. When they came across the field, it was a sight. One little girl zeroed in on me, came running and held her arms up for me to pick her up. That was the end of that. We spent all afternoon together. She wouldn't let me put her down. Her name is Dina (Dee-na) and she's 4 years old. We looked at books, ran around, played with stickers and hand prints, whatever she wanted to do. What a precious angel. At one point she pointed to a rocking chair and we went to sit. We rocked and she put her head on my shoulder and closed her eyes. I rubbed her hair and she took my hand and held it against her face.... Needless to say, I was MUSH!!!!! The rest of the kids played and had a big time. We had parachutes, beach balls, jump ropes. They were like little ants all over the place. It was interesting how some of them just hoarded stuff. One little boy was walking around with a stack of probably 8-10 frisbees and wouldn't let anyone have one. Another little girl, Kimberly (a tragic story I'll share later) was a force to be reconded with. You don't cross Kimberly....
We took them to eat in town. They had the choice of pizza or chicken... "pizza or pollo?" The places are side by side; they were divided half and half. Dina wanted pizza, so guess where I went?
We brought them back to the compound and they happily skipped off on their merry way. We had dinner. The food is very good. After dinner we cleaned up after the chaos of the afternoon and then had some debriefing time.
It was VERY hot in the evening. The nice breeze we had during the day died down and it was miserable. We came in and showered and cooled off some. Funny, the cold shower wasn't so bad that time! We went to bed early. We were all so tired. Had a good night's sleep and are ready for another day. This morning we go to a little preschool in the Barrio (spelling?). It's only 3 miles away but will take 30 minutes to get there. Does that tell you anything?
Love to all-
D'L
Tuesday morning
Good morning, all-
All is still well, but you cannot believe how hot! As long as there is a breeze, it's bearable, but when the breeze dies- look out! The gnats and bugs begin to have their party!
Yesterday's visit to the Little Garden Preschool was very touching. The lady who runs it is named Miss Ramona. She started this preschool when her son died in the revolution. He is buried beside her house (if you can call it that...). It is way out from the city- very rural. We had the biggest adventure getting to her place. We rode in one of those big trucks that have the bars over the top in the back that they put tarps over. Think Romancing the Stone or Indiana Jones. It was really something! We were on roads that I'm not sure were roads.... The driveway (ha!) up to her little place was all but straight up and it took a couple of tries to get up there. When we got out the children (40 of them aged 3-5) came running to greet us. They held their hands out in front of them palms together. We were to put our hands over theirs. That's how they shake hands.
The kids went into their classroom (a cinder block room) and sat down. They were very respectful and obedient. Miss Ramona had them stand and sing us a couple of songs. They were so sweet. William and I led a lesson on the story of Jesus telling the disciples to let the little children come to me. I told the story and the translator then repeated it line by line. All the while, William was using the flannelboard story we made to illustrate it. Then we role played the story. After storytime, we broke into smaller groups to do different activities. We had bubbles, a parachute and beach ball, handprinting, coloring, stringing beads to make necklaces. The kids seemed to have fun.
We then provided cookies and milk. They made a little handmade gift presentation to us.
What struck me about this was a couple of things.... Miss Ramona has dedicated her life to making a difference in a place where she could have seen hopelessness and just given up. But she is doing what she can with nothing to make a difference. She is teaching these children academic skills and giving them the gift of spiritual nuturing. Where would those kids have been without that? She is also doing this on her own. Her little school is recognized by the govenment (Ministry of Education), but is in no way funded. She has nothing. The Living Water organization came out in 2005, I think it was, and drilled her a well. She does all this very humbly and with a total dedication. It has given me a whole new outlook on my job. Where do I get off complaining about not getting a raise when she gets nothing? How about fussing about buying supplies for my class when virtually everything is provided for me? I will go back in a week or so with a new perspective. I am trying to think of a way that maybe my class could partner with hers.....
In the afternoon we took some of the kids to the pool at the university here for swim lessons. It was really fun to watch.
This morning we go to a special needs facility in Leon and in the afternoon we will tour the old cathedral.
All is well- hope it is there, too. Hold down the fort.
Love to all,
D'L
PS-Thanks to those who have responded. It's good to get feedback from home.
Wednesday Morning
Friends and family-
Have I mentioned that's it's hot? I know from George's emails that it is very hot there, too, but my goodness!!! I have no idea what the highs are here during the day, but it must be 120 heat index. I have not a dry thread on most of the time. At least it cools off at night and we are able to sleep comfortably.
Yesterday morning we went to a public school in Leon. It was not far from the compound. It was VERY interesting to visit and learn about another country's education system. The school has around 800 students. The principal greeted us at a locked gate. That keeps people off the street from coming on the school grounds. That was kinda weird right off the bat. I guess we aren't the only ones dealing with school security issues. The principal was extremely nice and very proud of her school. She was very professional and seemed very young. We went into her office (It was really just a room with a desk...) and she told us a little about the school. We hadn't been there 5 minutes and already we were in the principal's office!
Not everyone gets the opportunity of education. If the parents cannot provide uniforms or supplies, they can't attend. That is tragic!
The school itself was nice. There were maybe 25 classrooms all opening up to a center courtyard which was a basketball court (concrete). Every class has a door with bars and windows that stay open, of course, for ventilation. The classrooms were small and PACKED with kids. Every class has at least 40 kids. Can you imagine? PE classes were going on right outside each class while the teachers are trying to teach. Talk about distractions! We had recess with our kids (level 3 preschool, which is like our kindergarten). We played bubbles with them and used the frisbees we had brought. When our time was over, other kids came out wanting frisbees. We were almost mauled trying to get back to our class. The kids all followed us and hung on the door and windows. It was very noisy and Janet was trying to teach a lesson on the story of creation. It was madness until the principal came a shooed the kids away. We shared snack with the kids and then they sang us a song. We were drenched in sweat by the time we left!
Lunch was good. The meals have all been very good. There has been rice at every meal except yesterday morning when we had black beans with scrambled eggs. They were delicious... just different to have them at breakfast.
In the afternoon we toured the medical clinic here on the compound. It has only been open for 2 months and specializes in women's health. They have one of the two ultrasound machines in the country. They see patients three days a week. All the supplies and equipment have been donated by medical mission teams who have come. here.
After that we went into Leon to see the large cathedral. It was built in 1757, I think. We paid to go to the top where the view was spectacular. We paid to go underground where it was even hotter! We thought we would see the tunnels used long ago, but they have been sealed off. It costs each of us $2 for the rooftop tour and $2 to go underground. Our interpreter was concerned that that was too much money. Funny about perspective, huh?
There is an active volcano not far from where we are staying. It spews smoke most of the day. You can tell when it is active because the air smells funny. That's pretty cool.
The ministry here that ElAyudante is doing is remarkable. It is two fold really. They, of course, provide care for the children at the center, but they are an unbelievable presence in this area. They provide full-time employment for 70 people. There are about 50 part-time employees. Each employee is paid a fair wage. The average income in Leon is $2 per day. The factory workers make $4 per day. Our interpreters make $18 per day. El Ayudante takes good care of the employees and their families.
A new little girl was dropped off on Monday. Her name is Daniella and her story is tragic. She is 8 years old and looks like she is 5 or 6. She and her brother were taken from their abusive, alcoholic mother that morning and brought to the center by the Ministry of Family or Health or something. Daniella will stay here, but the brother is too old. He is 11 and they cannot take kids into the program over age 10. They can stay past that age once they are a part of the program, but can't come in that old. Bill, the director, said it was heart-breaking to see them when they took the little boy away. There they had been taken from their mother that morning and separated from each other that afternoon. Daniella was checked over yesterday and she is terribly malnurished and anemic. She has injuries in her mouth from blunt force trauma. I can't get her or her brother off my mind.
Bill Cox, the director here, is an amazing person. He has two daughters and a wife who live here in a house on the property. He has a 24 year old son who lives in Georgia who is an engineer with a TN Tech diploma! Small world, huh? He is a quiet, humble, unassuming man who is following God's call. He loves these kids and is passionate about the program here. He has the faith the size of that volcano. He is a man of great vision. We have been blessed by getting to know him.
Enough said. I need to go finish getting ready for our day. Today we go to another school in town and then after lunch we are going to the beach followed by dinner out at a local restaurant.
Keep praying, guys!
Love to all,
D'L

work in progress

2008-07-21T21:07:00.001-05:00

thanks to ryan my GIANT picture has been resized.
my blog will be under going a face lift thanks to the plastic surgen (aka graphic designer) ryan. so look back for updates soon.
it pays to have talented friends!

prayer request

2008-07-19T21:40:00.002-05:00

For all you prayers out there, and I'm pretty sure all my friends are (if not, we need to talk), I have something to add to your prayer list. My momma and little brother left today for a mission trip to Nicauraga. So pray for them and the about 20 other folks that are with them.
Hurry home, safely!

beach pictures

2008-07-16T11:31:00.001-05:00

fiesta update

2008-07-16T11:30:00.002-05:00

The grand total was 55 pieces of fiesta! After I unpacked it all to sort it into piles for mom and anna, I decided I needed to go back and get a few more things, so the grand total is now 62 pieces, at least until I go back to Old Time again!

bargain

2008-07-15T08:32:00.002-05:00

Thanks to my friend, Hallie, I found the most incredible bargain. She told me Old Time Pottery had some Fiestaware. My mom, sister, and I have fiesta and we just love it. In fact we are flying up to Pittsburg in just a few weeks to tour the factory! So I went to Old Time yesterday morning on my way to work not expecting to find much. They have had some fiesta there before but only just a few pieces but oh, have mercy! There were rows and rows and rows of it, in good colors! I called mom and she and anna got their game together and I went back yesterday night. I got so much stuff, but how could I resist: plates normally $9.99, only $2.99- serving bowls normally $29.99, now $3.99- pitchers normally $19.99, now only $2.99! So I stocked up. I was on the phone with Anna and Mom for a good 45 minutes figuring out what we all wanted and needed. I took my basket FULL up to a register and the poor girl had to call for three more cashiers to help wrap all my stuff! It filled the back of my jeep! I am going to unpack it all after work and I'll give you a grand total of pieces....

Beach Trip

2008-07-13T18:56:00.002-05:00

I have a fan out there who is much anticipating the arrival of a new post about our family beach adventure.
We had a great time down in Perdido Key, FL for a week. It was a great time and ALL of us got to go. It was: Mom and Dad, William, Me and Nick, Robert and Emily, and Anna and Chase- the whole gang! We had an awesome place right on the beach. It was a townhouse and the best part was that the house owned the beach, so we had a private beach right out our back door.
All in all it was a relaxing trip, just laying out and reading (I finished 5 books in 5 days!), great food - I tried some seafood and think I now like Talipa (sp?) and crab legs, and fun times. We played a highly competitive game of Cranium, boys vs girls. No doubt who the winners were- the GIRLS! But it made for some good laughs, especially when William had to act out Batman and stood up and hummed the theme from Indiana Jones and held his arms out. Who knows how Chase guessed Batman. Mom really came through on our team, she couldn't hum for laughing but she pulled through on the spelling (we all know we didn't want Anna spelling!).
We hunted jellyfish all week. For some reason, there were lots of jellyfish out in the afternoon, so we would catch them in the nets and bury them. We had a little jellyfish grave yard, complete with headstones.
It was a great trip, but I am glad to be home in my own bed!
I'll post some pictures once I get them uploaded from my camera sometime later.

Boston Part 2

2008-07-04T12:13:00.005-05:00

Our second day in Boston, we decided to drive up to Salem and check out the "Witch City". We hopped in our car and headed off. We toured Salem, the witch dungeon, the witch monument, all that touristy stuff. We stopped in a little pet store in the shopping district where I got a sticker that says "Bark less, wag more" as soon as I find it, it will be going on my jeep. We asked the man running the store where to eat lunch; he reccommended this little local spot. It was fantastic. It in an old house and the food was FANTASTIC. The best clam chowder I had on the trip. Nick told our waitress "yes, mam'" at some point and she just looked at him and said, you must be from the south. Ha! After lunch we did a little shopping and then headed back to towards our hotel. On the way back I decided to take a little detour to a place called Marble Head. It is out on a 'neck' into the ocean and is the most wanted real estate in the upper coast region. Ok, no kiddin', these are the biggest houses I have ever seen! They were incredible! There is a place on the neck called Castle Rock. It is a tiny little gate between two huge houses. You just park on the street and walk through the little gate to this beatiful rock cliff overlook. I felt like we were standing in these peoples back yard. Here are a few pictures, although they don't do it justice!

So then we were really headed back to our hotel because we were going to the Red Sox game that night. Nick stopped in the lobby to check his email and I headed on up to the room. I got off the elevator and there is a luggage rack in the hallway with OUR luggage on it. The front desk guys come walking out of our room with our stuff. I said, um, that's my stuff and that's my room. Long story short, there was a mix up and they thought we had checked out. So, needless to say they gave us free meals from the resturant in the lobby the rest of our trips and made sure to do everything possible to make up happy. Good thing for them we are pretty good sports.
We cleaned up and head out to the ball game. And what an experience it was. The ball park is SO crowded. We never were sure where we were supposed to sit, so we just found seats and sat in them until someone came to sit there. It was a fun time but we were both ready to get out of the crowd, so we called it quits about the 6th inning and headed back to our hotel.
Thursday morning we ate our free breakfast in the hotel and headed out to see Plymouth Rock. It was kinda out of the way, but I wanted Nick to see it. Once in Plymouth we checked out the rock, don't be overly impressed, it's a rock. They are building this HUGE monument over it, kinda ridiculous if you ask me. We walked over and saw the Mayflower 2, the replica of the original boat and then headed back to the car to head to Rhode Island. We made it to Newport about lunch time and had lunch at a cute little outdoor place on the pier. Ok, so Newport is this pricey little town where all these rich folks summer. It was incredible. The lady at the visitor center told us we could walk to the start of the Cliff Walk. Seriously, it was like 4 miles. I was tired of walking before we even started the cliff walk, which is 3 1/2 miles. The cliff walks are fun, you are basically walking along the cliffs in the backyard of all these huge houses. The Vanderbilts have a house on the cliff and it looks like a mini Biltmore. One house had a wedding set up in the backyard, so pretty. It was a fun, but long walk. We finally made it to the end and then had a 4 mile walk BACK to our car- whew! We stopped for icecream and loaded in the car and took the scenic ocean drive through town and then headed on back to Boston and stopped and had pizza at Uno's, a Chicago pizza place. Here's some shots of the cliff walk-

We weren't sure what we wanted to do Friday, since I had to be at my conference about lunch and Nick's flight left at 3. So we just slept late and had another free breakfast before packing up and heading to the airport. I took the shuttle to my conference and Nick headed home.
My conference was good and pretty uneventful, until it was time to fly home. My direct flight was overbooked and they were offering a $400 voucher and well as a first class up grade if you would change planes, fly to New York, have a 2 1/2 hour layover, then arrive in Nashville about 9. I volunteered, I figured what did I have to loose, it would get me home about 4 hours later, but the voucher would almost pay for our girls trip tickets to Pittsburg. I had to RUN through the airport to get to the flight to NewYork, they were holding the plane for me. I relaxed in first class, even though it was only about a 45 minute flight. So once I got in NY, I had to get a ticket for my flight and went to the terminal to wait. We were scheduled to board about 7, well about 6 I decided to go grab something to eat. I get back about 6:30 and notice our flight has been delayed till 9:30! AGHHHHH. So I get my book out and start reading and talk on the phone to mom. All of a sudden I hear, last boarding call for flight whatever the number was to Nashville. I look up and my flight has boarded. I run over to the counter and give them my tickets and the lady tells me to hurry up and board. Hello, I was sitting there the whole time, how did I miss this? Apparently they moved our boarding BACK up to 7:45! Whatever, I was on board and ready to go. We taxi out to the runway and after about 30 minutes they come on and tell us we are waiting our turn to take off. We were plane #100 in line. Yes, 100..... as in there are 99 planes before us. AGHHHH! Ok, so finally we take off about 9:50. Whew, we got to Nashville about midnight I grabbed my bag, which had come on my original flight and headed home.

1095 days, 26280 hours, 1576800 minutes

2008-07-03T08:02:00.003-05:00

That's how long we have been married! July 3, 2005 we promised to love each other forever. It's been a great three years. Loving Nick forever hasn't been too hard, it's the liking him forever that I sometimes struggle with- good thing that wasn't in our vows. We have grown so much and have learned so much about each other in the process. I can say the third year of marriage has been the best so far, I can only hope it keeps getting better.

Nick, you are the love of my life. You are both my husband and my best friend. And I thank God for you and the life we are blessed with.

Our Vows
I, Nick, take you, Mary Leigh, to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.

I, Mary Leigh, take you, Nick, to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according to God’s holy ordinance; and thereto I pledge thee my faith.

Back from Boston

2008-07-02T16:34:00.002-05:00

before we head to the beach this weekend I wanted to update my faithful two readers (MawMaw and Hallie) on the Boston adventure.
Since I was in Boston a full 7 days, I feel I can now make some general sterotypes and comments on the entire northern population. So here they are:
1. Turn signals are simply an accessory and do not serve a useful purpose.
2. The lines in the middle of the roads are also optional. If it looks like you can make the off ramp a three lane, by all means, go for it. Same principal on roundabouts. Just get on and spread out.
3. There is NOT a Walgreens on every corner, but there is a Dunkin Donuts on every corner. In fact at one point we saw two Dunkin Donuts across the street from each other- just makes it more handy when you are headed both into and out of the city- no need to turn across two lanes of traffic.
4. No sweet tea. I knew this going in, but come on, sugar after the fact is NOT sweet tea. I would have thrown the tea overboard too. You only think the settlers were mad about taxing, but the Boston Tea Party is a result of no sweet tea.
Those are my 4 comments on the overall trip, now to the details.

We got there Monday late afternoon and picked up our rental car, a nice blueish, purple Ford Focus. Although I have to say, not a bad car and AWESOME gas mileage, we are talking about 30 miles to the gallon! We headed to our hotel and found it without getting lost- whoohoo!
Tuesday morning we were up and at 'em pretty early as we planned to do the entire Freedom Trail that day. We took the hotel shuttle to the airport subway station and then rode that into the city. We had no trouble finding our way - red line to green line, or something like that. I grabbed my map and we were off. We got majority of the trail done before lunch, and stopped for lunch at Cheers 2 in Quincy Marketplace. Then it was a walk through the North End (little Italy) and over to Bunker Hill Monument. The monument is this tall tower thing that you can walk up and look out. They said 264 steps to the top. I didn't think it would be that bad, but after about 50 steps I was breathing hard- hello, out of shape! There is no air movement inside the tower and the staircase wasn't wide enought for two people which was fun when someone was coming down and you were going up. Once we FINALLY made it to the top, I just sat on the little bench while Nick took a few pictures, then it was back down. It had started raining while we were climbing, so we walked back to the harbor in the rain. The rain stopped just in time to take the ferry back to the city. Once back in the city since we finished the freedom trail and it was barely mid afternoon, we decided to get back on the subway and go find the flagship store for Life is Good. Life is Good was founded in Boston, so I was excited to see the store! After Life is Good, we sat in Boston Commons deciding where to eat. We decided on Ye Ole Seafood, which is the oldest eatery in the country. As we were walking back to the subway station, it started to POUR. We had to RUN to get to the station before the bottom fell out. We made it to the resturaunt semi dry, and I had my first offical bowl of New England Clam Chowder. I have to say I loved it! Now my shrimp, take it or leave it. We walked back to the subway station and back to the airport for our shuttle back to our hotel. I just knew my legs would be sore from all that walking and climbing, man was I right!
Stay tuned for Day Two highlights!

birthday boy

2008-06-30T21:17:00.002-05:00

Today someone turns three one! I can't believe a year has flown by so fast, it seems like just a few months ago we were celebrating the big 30 and now here we are celebrating another year. Birthdays aren't a big deal to Nick, but to me, they are huge (ie the ENTIRE month of December is MY birthday!) I kinda dropped the ball this year. I didn't get home from Boston till after midnight, so we didn't do much to celebrate tonight, just dinner out. I didn't even really get him a gift, I just told him to go get the new golf clubs he has been wanting. We all know I would have no idea what to buy. I am glad he doesn't drop the ball when it comes to my birthday.
Even though I kinda failed as a party planner this year, Nick, I love you very much and am so thankful for every birthday we celebrate together as we are growing old together!
Happy Birthday Nick!

Boston bound

2008-06-22T21:24:00.002-05:00

This has been a busy week for us- between Character Quest at church and getting ready for a couples baby shower at our house- we've been busy!
Saturday night we had a couples baby shower for Hallie and Franklin at our house. I think the turnout was around 50 people and they got TONS of great gifts! It looked like Christmas morning in our living room. We can't wait for little Grant to get here- I'm already lined up as his #1 babysitter!
Tonight we went over to Aaron and Julie's to hang out with our small group folks and grill out and play a little bocce ball. Now it's home and time to pack cause...
Tomorrow we leave for Boston! I'm so excited. I have been to Boston before, but it's been years ago, and I just loved it. Nick loves history stuff, so he is going to just love the city. Nick is flying back on Friday and I am staying for a Kappa Delta conference. I'll be headed back on Sunday. Then it's time to hit the ground running again, since the week brings Nick's birthday, our anniversary and a trip to the beach- whew! I just love summertime!

it is finished

2008-06-18T19:34:00.003-05:00

we finished up the last touches of the pergola tonight!! We meaning Nick and Robert. I helped for a bit, but then my dinner date, Hallie showed up so I cut out on them! Thanks again for dinner, H!
Robert decided it needed some braces on the post and then we ran cross beams on the top.
Here it is in all it's glory-
ps- can't figure out how to upright that picture- sorry

character quest

2008-06-17T18:28:00.003-05:00

I just love our church!
This week Nick and I are on the Ropes Team for Character Quest. Character Quest is like vacation bible school on steroids for 4th-6th graders. There are over 225 campers there. The 4th and 5th grade are just day campers at the church but the 6th grade gets to go to New Frontiers and spend the night. They do some amazing things, low ropes, high ropes, 60 foot climbing tower, zip line, human swing- and that's just the ropes course of the week. Today was our first day and it was a blast. I worked the high ropes course this morning and Nick was at the climbing tower and zip line. After lunch, I moved to the human swing and Nick stayed at the tower/zip line. I got some shots of the kids in action so you can see them conquering their fears.

It's incredible to see this week pulled off, the countless hours that have gone into it and the hundred of volunteers who are making it possible. It's simply amazing to watch it all unfold and we are so blessed to be a part of it! It's a life changing week for these kiddos as they are stretch to give the Quest their all.

just the finishing touches

2008-06-12T20:27:00.003-05:00

So, for all intensive (is that the right word?) purposes, my pergola is finished.

All we have left is a few finishing touches. I want to have brick collums done around the post and either stain or paint the whole thing. I also want to either attach my hammock or a porch swing to it.

The only injury suffered during the project was a busted finger. Robert NAILED his finger with a hammer. It looks nasty and I'm pretty sure he'll loose his finger nail. Don't worry MawMaw, I am keeping an eye on it and he already went to the doctor.

My construction team is out for hire now....

coming right along

2008-06-11T09:05:00.003-05:00

My pergola is coming right along. We have both post set and the headed bolted into the house. Last night we put up the two cross beams- see picture below. All we have now are the rafters. We'll be making a stop at Lowe's tonight, maybe the last stop!
My goal is to have this finished by next weekend, for Hallie's shower. I bought some concert stain to stain the patio, but I think I'll run out of time to do that.

one quick shout out

2008-06-08T22:03:00.001-05:00

Here's to you, Ryan, on the start of your new job tommorrow!
Make us proud, kiddo! And, wear your green jacket!

weekend review

2008-06-08T21:42:00.002-05:00

this seems to be such a busy busy busy time of year for us. It's Sunday night again, so tomorrow begins another new week- whew, where does the time go?

So to catch up on our life over the weekend.
Thursday afternoon Nick left to go to Sardis, Mississippi to my PawPaw's fish cabin, aka The Sardis Hilton. The report was they had a great time and caught a whopping 11 fish.

My mom and sister came up Thursday night to go wedding dress shopping on Friday. They headed to the shop with me Friday morning and Anna found the most fab dress. She absolutely looks amazing in it! It's so perfect. I can't believe my sister is all growed up and getting married. I'd post a picture or two, but Chase can't see the dress yet. She also picked out bridesmaids dresses, which are gonna be pretty dang awesome. Her colors are apple green and navy. Super cute! Mom also picked out her dress, which Anna and I both totally loved. Then we headed to lunch together and mom headed to take Anna to meet Chase. I worked the rest of Friday afternoon and shot a wedding Friday night. The wedding was gorgeous and the weather couldn't have been more perfect. We have some fab shots- check out the website this coming week!

Saturday I was off and mom and I played around Murfreesboro all day. We hit up a few of our favorite stores and I scored a few bargains, as did mom. She monogrammed a few things for me and one of my friends who happens to be having a little boy named Grant (that's you Hal!). We cooked a fantastic dinner for just the two of us and watched Becoming Jane. FYI- it's the most confusing movie. I never understood what they were saying, but I love me some Anne Hathaway!

This morning brought church and then teaching Momentum. Hallie's mom came over and we decided where she would do some flower arrangements for Hallie's upcoming baby shower. Mom left mid afternoon and Robert and I headed to Lowes for some more pergola materials- which is coming along very nicely! Nick got in about 8 tonight and now begins a new week....

It was really a great weekend. I am so glad my mom and sister got to come "play" with me. I sure do miss having my "partners" around. My mom and sister truly are my best friend!
It seems our schedules have been so busy the past three months, but I wouldn't trade it for the world, but I'm ready for a vacation. Boston- 15 days!!!

just like the good 'ole days

2008-06-03T21:07:00.004-05:00

We kept our friends Ryan and Marty's little kiddos on Sunday night so they could go to dinner and a movie. Peyton, or P as I call her, just finished Kindergarten and is the sweetest little girl. She kinda reminds me of myself as a youngster, she is a tad, shall we say on the bossy side. And Mason is like 20 months, or something. He is super cute. He has just started really talking more and likes to repeat what you say. He calls both Addie and Barley (our dogs) Ad-DEE. Although Robert calls Addie Sparky, so he taught Mason to say Parky. So I fed the kiddos dinner (among other junk they only get to eat at my house- like ice cream before dinner) and poor little Mason couldn't reach the table without sitting on his knees in his chair. We grabbed some phone books for him to sit on just like the good ole days.
This picture is too cute not to share.

It seems like just yesterday that we met Ryan and Marty and their family. Man how time flies, both Mason and Peyton have grown up so much in the last year and a half. We are glad they are all a part of our lives and are grateful for their friendship.

our projects

2008-06-03T20:49:00.004-05:00

I have a list of project we want to do around our house hanging on the side of our fridge. We have finally finished one- our front flower beds. So as promised, here are a few pictures of the completed project.

I'm pretty please with how it all turned out and so far everything is living and appears to be thriving! Go me!

Next project- a pergola on our back porch. Here is what we are aiming for, although eventually mine will have an outdoor fireplace attached.

Luckily I have a brother living with me (aka free labor) who just so happens to be a structural engineer. Robert designed the pergola and we got started earlier this week.
Step one, frame and dig holes.

Step two, put post in ground. Side story- we bought two 80 pound bags of concert the first time we went to Lowes thinking that would be plenty, one bag per hole. Let's just say, we've been back twice - since each hole took six 80 pound bags to fill! I had the pleasure of loading them in the back of my jeep- let's just say, I am stronger than I thought! A quick shout out to the guy at Lowe's who finally came to help me on the last bag!

Step three will be to attached the headed to the house. Then on to the beams.... stay tuned for more pictures.

these are a few of my favorite things...

2008-05-28T16:23:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite movies is the Sound of Music- I just love it.
So, in honor of my favorite movie I'll tell you some of my favorite things. (in no particular order)
1. A good sale. Now I'm not talking 30% off. 50 or more and you've got a deal. The best is Hobby Lobby after the holidays, pretty sure I scored some halloween decoratiosn at 90% off!
2. Traveling. I would love to just travel once a month. I have a list of places I want to see before I die and the list keeps getting longer.
3. Christmas time. I just love the way the air smells outside when it's Christmas, it's magical!
4. Cheese, excluding swiss- other than that, I'm game.
5. Going to bed early, which I happen to do on a regular basis. Which leads me to number 6...
6. Taking a bath and going to bed with clean sheets. I LOVE clean sheets!
7. A good book. If I like it, it's possible to finish in one sitting- done that many a times.
8. Smell of tennis balls in a can when you first open them. Weird I know, but I love it. Actually, I have pretty particular nose.
9. Beach, minus the sand in your bathing suit.
10. Fall time. I am getting a copyright on those words, you have summer time, spring time, and winter time, but just fall.... comon'. But I love fall, the smell of leaves buring outside.
11. A good glass of wine. White and cold, please.
12. My hubby's pillow after he has gotten up in the morning. It smells like him.
13. Massages. Thank you.
14. Fresh fruit. Pineapple, watermellon, strawberries, peaches, I love it all.
15. Wallabe Darn from outback. Hands down the best drink on the planet.
16. A clean house, when I am not the one who cleaned it.
17. Surprises. I am not good at being surprised, though, I'll have to warn you.
18. Honesty. Sheer honesty.
19. Scrapbooking.
20. DVR. This is the best thing ever invented. I watch way less tv now and NO MORE COMMERICALS!!!
21. Funfetti cookies. Oh yum!
22. White water rafting. Oh so fun. It was also fun to get to experience it with Nick his first time.
23. Photography. This is a new "favorite" thing for me. But I am really really liking it.
24. Shaved ice. There is a shaved ice stand in the summers in the Target parking lot, already been there 3 times. I'm a regular.
25. Disney world, hello, the happiest place on earth!

Ok, I'll end with 25. I might have to add more later, I have lots of favorites.

Happy Anniversary

2008-05-26T22:05:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow, May 27th, my parents will celebrate 30 years of marriage. Way to go mom and dad, you make me proud!
My parents are incredible people, parents, and friends. They have done a fantastic job in raising 4 kids (although, they aren't finished with William yet.) Our parents somehow managed to raise 4 completely different kids, and all in all, we turned out alright. I know we were difficult at times, so here are some highlights:
1. Robert. I can say that he wasn't a easy child. My brother is a very strong willed person, which would test my parents as a teenager. Let's see, he ran the van through the garage into the laundry room, he used me as target practice in the backyard, and if you look closely at the walls in his old room, you will still see the little holes from his throwing stars.
2. Me- I was an absolute angel and an easy child to raise. :o) Actually, let's just say I went through this little "sassy" phase about 13 that lasted well until I was 16.
3. Anna Marie. If you didn't get to experience jean shopping with a 13 year old Anna Marie, you haven't lived. We can laugh about it now, but 7 years ago, it wasn't funny. You've come a long way since then, thank God!
4. William. He is the sweetest little boy but he can really try my parents sometime- I mean he is a 13 year old boy about to start high school.... enough said.

The four of us owe more than we can every express to our parents. For 30 years, they have been the rock of our family. They love us unconditionally and were always in our corner. They would go to bat for us when needed but taught us how to fight our own battles. They set a fantastic example for us of what a family means and how to make a family of your own. They are the best role models anyone could ask for.

I heard this song on the radio not too long ago and it reminded me of my parents. Their love did give us roots and helped us find our wings.

It's only for a moment you are mine to hold
The plans that heaven has for you
Will all too soon unfold
So many different prayers I'll pray
For all that you might do
But most of all I'll want to know
You're walking in the truth
And If I never told you
I want you to know
As I watch you grow

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

May passion be the wind
That leads you through your days
And may conviction keep you strong
Guide you on your way
May there be many moments
That make your life so sweet
Oh, but more than memories

I pray that God would fill your heart with dreams
And that faith gives you the courage
To dare to do great things
I'm here for you whatever this life brings
So let my love give you roots
And help you find your wings

It's not living if you don't reach for the sky
I'll have tears as you take off
But I'll cheer as you fly

So happy anniversary mom and dad and congratulations on a job well done!

my green thumb

2008-05-24T11:18:00.004-05:00

Nick and I have been working over the last four or so weeks and weekends to get our flower beds done. We had to raise the bed like 6 inches, which required 3 truckloads of dirt. Then we had to dig up all the plants in the bed and replant them all. Then a trip to Lowes to buy stuff to replace the things that died last summer. So all in all, we have been very busy. We are down to the finally leg- one more plant, some annuals, then mulch.
Here's how it's shaping up.

Red Geraniums. These are a tradition in my family, started with my great grandmother, Ninny. She had these on her front porch every year. I remember them from playing in her yard as a little girl. My grandmother, MawMaw has them now too, although I think hers are on her back porch, but that's ok. Mom has them on her front porch in a pot. I now I have my very own pot of red geraniums in memory of my Ninny.

Stella de Ora (check the spelling on that) day lillies. Absolutely one of my favorite flowers to have in a flowerbed. They just SCREAM summertime! Not to mention, they are super hardy and grow pretty fast.

New for me this go around. Knock out rose bush. Apparently these are the "new" thing. They kinda grow like an azaela bush but with hardy roses. We'll see how this goes....

I love love love love love these little calalillies I found at Lowe's. I have always loved the flower, but when I saw these cute little ones in a pot- I knew they had to go home with me and live in my flowerbed. Again, never tried my hand at these, so we will see how this goes.

I'll post more pictures of the finished product.

Hi MawMaw

2008-05-24T11:17:00.001-05:00

I know I have at least one faithful reader out there- my grandmother, MawMaw. She emailed me yesterday and told me it's time for another update. So this is for you, MawMaw!

housework

2008-05-21T10:47:00.002-05:00

So, for those of you who don't know, cleaning isn't my speciality. I like a picked up house, but as far as dusting baseboards go, I'm not your girl. Luckily I married a man who likes, well, at least is good at cleaning. (It was on my list of qualities to look for- I knew Nick was the one when he would do my laundry and help me clean my apartment in college)
So anyways, I am off every Wednesday throughout the summer. Which, by the way, the pool opens in 3 weeks! Today I decided I would pull my own weight around the house and tackle our bathroom. Now, we have a fairly large bathroom and I have been using the "wipe down the counters cause people are coming" techinique for awhile now, but as far as deep cleaning goes, probably been a couple of months.
So, one entire roll of paper towels, an empty bottle of "the workx" and 45 minutes later- I'm done! (except the shower, cause you have to get IN it to clean it)
So, yeah me! Now it's off to lunch with Marty!

Weekend review

2008-05-16T19:00:00.003-05:00

Before we start another weekend, here are the pictures from last weekend.
We went to my parents house to celebrate Mother's Day, Anna Marie's 21st birthday (whohooo- who won money at the Casino- ME!), Robert's going away party, and a surprise engagement!
Everyone, even William, was in on the surprise! I'm so excited for my little sis, but dang, when did she get old enough to get married?