Pamela's Place

I swear I am half Italian, half Mexican.

2012-02-26T06:00:00.008-08:00

A few weeks ago I shared that B & I made pizzas together! Growing up, my mom & I would make these & I love it!! Not only were we making yummy pizzas, we were spending time together! I loved, & still do! I carried the tradition over to our home now! :) I hope when we have kids, they enjoy it as much as I do!

Furbaby!

2012-02-25T06:21:00.000-08:00

No coffee, no workee

2012-02-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

Two posts in one day!? I'm wild, I know.

SF's birthday was February 3rd, & I am just now getting around to posting it. Actually, for the next week I will probably be recapping a bunch of stuff that happened during February! That's what happens when you don't have internet, ha! So bear with me :)

He can't start a morning without his coffee, so as soon I saw this, I know I had to get it! I purchased it from jessicaNdesigns, on Etsy of course! It is the cutest shop. Go check it out! She has some wedding themed ones as well, which I will definitely be ordering a few soon, go along with gifts! I loved how it turned out, even better he loved it!!

Do you think he looks like he is 42!?

I don't!

Randomness.

2012-02-24T09:17:00.001-08:00

I don't really have much to say today! Tonight, I am going to do something different in our little ole house hold, that will hopefully bring out the (even bigger) kid in us!! It's a surprise for B! :) I'll let you know what is/how it goes next week!

Tonight is another crock pot dinner! We will be having lasagna. I have fixed lasagna in the crock pot before, which B loved, but this recipe is a little different, & hopefully will taste even better. I'll let you know how that goes too!

Crock pot = best invention ever.

Our local winery just updated their Facebook page by saying that Linville Mist, which is green apple flavored. Hmmm, might have to try it out! Their wine is so good & not even five minutes from our home, even better!

Heather (HW) is in town, so tomorow we will be meeting up for lunch at a local Mexican restaurant. Heck, we have like ten Mexican restaurant in our small town? I don't get it. Oh well, love me some Mexican food. Oh yeah, go check out her cute little blog while you're at it!

18. Drink

Whoops, didn't take a picture!

I did drink cranberry juice, punch, & sweet tea.

19. Something you hate to do

FOLDING LAUNDRY! Seriously. I hate doing it.

This pile has been thrown onto the bed in

the spare bedroom. I will eventually fold it.

20. Handwriting

21. A fave photo of you

One of my bridal portraits!

22. Where you work

23. Your shoes

Life Lately!

2012-02-23T06:33:00.001-08:00

Good morning! Hope your day isn't as yucky/foggy as mine! If we aren't going to have one good snow, can we pahlease just go straight to Spring!? I don't have too much to say today, but wanted to share some pictures of what has been going on lately!

02.16.12

While watching Swamp People, Bentley decided to

lay on top of his daddy! He was so comfortable!

This picture was taken sometime last week.

My boys cuddled up in bed!

02.17.12

I made this picture frame for my cousin.

I went to her baby shower on Saturday!

02.18.22

KC & I at her little girls second birthday party!

02.19.12

On our way back from Matthews Sunday, it started

raining & sleeting some. After I dropped MW off,

the biggest snow flurries I had ever seen started

falling from the sky! It continued for several hours.

It was very pretty to see!

02.22.12

Friday night, we had purchased Reynolds Slow

Cooker Liners & I gave it a shot yesterday.

You just place it inside the crock pot, put your food

in, & ta da! You don't have any washing to do!

B called it the 'crock pot condom', ha!

Chicken Taco Soup

Don't forget, if you ever want to order Pick Your Plum's deal of the day, click the link on the top left corner! ;)

Now head on over to Holly's cute little blog, Eight Six Eleven! She is talking about one of my favorite things, cupcakes! We both might have a slight obssession with these yummy little treats. She may or may not showing of some pictures of when B & I ate some cupcakes in Charleston ;)

Look the world straight in the eye

2012-02-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Never bend your head. Always hold it high.

Look the world straight in the eye.
-Helen Keller

Sunday morning, MW, MC, & I drove to Matthews (near Charlotte), for a free Mary Kay makeover (& the free two night stay to anywhere), that I had won a few months back. We were all nervous & iffy about what to expect. When we pulled into the parking lot, the first thing we saw was a brand new black Mustang with 'Mary Kay' on it. We were all sold, as soon as we saw that car, ha! I love Mustangs (any Ford for that matter!). My first car was a convertible Mustang. One day I will own another one!

We walked into the cutest office! It was decorated in pinks, greens, purples, blacks, & animals prints. We met with the local director, Meg. This girl has got it made & absolutely loves her job! Wouldn't that be amazing!? How could you not love your job, if you had won three cars in the past ten months!? Yes, I said that right! She travels all over the country for Mary Kay & has over 100 Mary Kay consultants that work under her. She was a lot of fun to work with!

She showed us the basics of their face products. We had a lot of playing around with the products. We learned what we should & shouldn't do, which is great to know! I don't wear a lot of make up, & I think it's because I didn't really know the correct way to apply it. Now I know some stuff :) We used Mary Kay's mineral foundation. MC & MW said that have/already use mineral make up, but I never have gave it a shot! I loved it! I am so ready to get some now! Meg also told us that we shouldn't used a pencil eye liner. While you are tugging & messing with your eye, it can help with creating lines & aging in the area. Noo, thank you!

I took some pictures on our camera, hopefully I will post those soon, along with the Cherokee trip & other pictures from this past weekend.

Before we left, I did purchase a 3-in-1 cleanser & age fighting moisturizer. We are actually going back March 4th, to play around with our eyes, learn about brushes (MC probably already knows all of this, but I don't have a clue, ha!), & other fun girly stuff. Meg will take our pictures & use them in her portfolio. Our faces will be used to represent North Carolina!

I had so much fun with these girls, & I think they did too! We definitely deserved this fun day! We each have a lot going on in our lives. Can't wait to go back!

Since we will be going to go back to play around with

our eyes, I wanted show some fun eye make up pins!

You can click on the pins, to see where they came from

& some may have tutorials on how to accomplish the look!

God doesn't give you what YOU think YOU want, gives you what He knows you need.

2012-02-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him,

to enable them to fulfill the purpose for which they are called. (Romans 8:28)

About two to three weeks ago, I had heard that there was a position available at our local Clerk's office (court house), so I left my resume & application. I went for an interview last Wednesday. The interview went well & everyone that I spoke with was really nice. I was one out of six people, that they were interviewing. They told me that day, that they were going to try & let everyone know by Friday afternoon, as to whether they got the job or not. That way whoever did get the job, could put their two weeks notice in & start on March 1st.

I thought the interview went really well, but I didn't get the position, so I guess it didn't go well enough, ha! They hired someone who had ten years or experience, which is totally understandable.

I debated whether I should post about this or not, but it is apart of life & this is my journal (this is not intended to get attention or for a pity party, that is not who I am). I would be lying if I said it didn't hurt & I was a little disappointed in myself. I felt like a failure, not only to myself, but to the few people that I did tell. I felt like I had let myself down & everyone else, even though I knew that there was that possibility that I would be one of the few people who did not get the position.

My mom, MW, & B had encouraging words to say. I appreciate them so much. Love you guys!

My husbands words stuck out to me, more than anyone elses though. He said that he was very proud of me, no matter what. He also said that God didn't want me to get this job because He has something bigger & better out there for me. Made me feel so special. He held me tight, while I cried my eyes out & said that everything would be okay.

ignore the title of the pin, ha! I think the quote fits!

He told me to go to Zumba & work off some of my frustration. I did & it felt good! I always feel like I can conquer the world after Zumba, ha! Before I left, I had asked him if he would sweep or fold laundry for me. Once I got home, he had swept the whole house, put sheets on the bed in the spare bedroom, dusted the fan in our bedroom, & folded (a crap load of) laundry. I thanked him & told him that he didn't know how much it meant that he did all of that. I told him I could've cried! Maybe it was because I was already emotional, ha!

While I am over my little crying spell now, I know that he (my mom & MW) are right. There is something even better waiting for me. Now, I just have to get out there & find it! :)

Famous in a small {empty} town

2012-02-20T06:11:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, KC had told me that there was a movie was being filmed near her home, but she wasn't sure the name of it. Well, (I might be a little late to the discovery, ha!) I just discovered that the movie was The Hunger Games! It makes me even more excited to see the movie, knowing that some of it was filmed right here in North Carolina!

How cute is he!?

The buildings have been used to film the beginning of the movie, to show as District 12. Wade Shepherd, actually owns the 76-acre town, but has never wanted to sell them. I think they will fit perfectly with the storyline! It used to be a small textile community. It was all built in the early 1900's. It amazes me how they are still standing, after all this time. It is so crazy to know that when I was younger, I used to drive through this same area with my Granny. The town always creeped me out a little because it was so dead & empty, & it rings with 'no trespassing' signs.

The Charlotte Observer states that, "Small, wooden homes - which housed the workers of Henry River Manufacturing and their families - still line the road through town. Perhaps 20 houses, built in the early 1900s, when the town was new, are left. The brick company store also remains, as does the dam that powered the mill. The factory, which manufactured yarn, closed in the late 1960s, and its citizens drifted away. The company town was bought in 1976 by Wade Shepherd, who had hopes of reviving the mill. But the mill itself was destroyed in a fire the following year, and the dam's generator was later ruined in the wake of Hurricane Hugo."

TGIF!

2012-02-17T06:36:00.000-08:00

Dear Husband, it's ok that you can't find my car keys (& you had them last), because we know that they are somewhere in our home, but I hate that I was late for work.

Dear Peyton, today you are two years old! Wow! Time flies by! Tomorrow I will be there with you to celebrate your second birthday & I can't wait! You are such a cute & funny little girl. I love the relationship between you & your mom, KC. Happy birthday pretty girl!

the day after she was born & her first birthday party

Dear Bentley, I think it is kind of funny that you gave your daddy a bloody nose Sunday night. He wanted to play rough, so you gave it to him rough! Just don't make it a habit mister.

Dear MW, Not sure if you will read this today or not, but thank you for being the wonderful friend you are! I am so blessed to have you in my life! You always know the right things to say. You are so encouraging. Can't wait til Sunday!!

Dear Mom, thanks for being a wonderful mother & being there for me. Love you!

Dear Hubby, I really hope the end of my day gets better! You know what I'm talking about. If it doesn't, it's ok! Thank you for always supporting me. I loved how you said you were proud of me this week. I got that tingling in my heart, when you said that. Thank you. Love yous!

9. Front Door

The front entrance to Harrah's Cherokee Casino!

10. Self Portrait

This was kinda awkward to do, ha!

11. Makes You Happy

My boys!

12. Inside Your Closet

13. Blue

Whoops! Forgot to do this one!

14. Heart

I have two pictures!

A lady I work with, her daughter sent

this delicious cookie to me! SO good!

B gave me a pack of heart shaped gummies!

15. Phone

Whoops, forgot!

16. Something New

You've already seen this, but it's my latest purchase!

17. Time

The time as I was typing this-

Saturday night.

2012-02-16T07:01:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of the year, I shared this post about my dad. I am so glad that I shared that piece of my life, with all of you. I can honestly say, since I typed it & clicked 'publish post', I have felt so much better. My heart & mind are clear. I gave it all to God. I know in my heart, that none of it is my fault & no one can ever make me think that. I told myself that if he wants anything to do with me, he can make the effort. I'm done trying to grab his attention, like I have for so long.

I haven't spoken to my dad, since I don't know when, that is until he decided to send me a text message Saturday night.

He first started with the normal 'hey how are you' conversation. He asked about the weather. Guess he was trying to make conversation? Ha. I thought we were done with the conversation, so I stopped texting. Well, I guess I was done with the conversation, because I didn't have anything else to say & it sounded as if he didn't either. Then an hour later, I received another text from him. After a minutes of going back & forth about his mother (No, I have never ever called her my Grandmother or anything like that. She has always been 'your mom' to me. I do not know her well enough to give her a title, just like the rest of his family) who has been sick, he decided to cetch me off guard.

It went a little like this:

Dad: Question for you. Do yall plan to have kids

Me: No not anytime soon ha

Dad: I understand just thought I would ask, probably crazy coming from me huh

Me: Kinda since you never talk to me but we get asked that all the time ha

Dad: Sorry, I'm going to change that because I miss being in your life

Me: In all honesty, I tried for so many years to really get your attention & tried to be in your life, but it never worked. So I gave it all up to God & it's up to you now.

Me: What makes you say that?

Dad: Well I miss talking to you, I miss seeing you . . .

He continued his long text talking about my mom & him. Acting like it still bothers him that they split up, around 10 years ago or so? It may bother him in some way deep down. I am sure it does. I am sure he knows that my mom was/is the best thing that he could ever had/have.

Anyways.

I am an honest person. Sometime during high school, I grew up a lot. I said what I wanted & still do. It runs in my family. I don't have a problem telling you how I feel, take it or leave it.

I proceded to tell him that I have learned a lot from the divorce, from what I want in life & in our marriage.

I even asked him if him & his wife were having issues, if that's why he was saying all that to me. I can't help but wonder, you know. I haven't talked to him in so long. He is good at making 'appearances' in my life, & then stepping back for a while. All that does is confuse me. Don't do that to me, ya know? Not anymore, I have a clear mind & heart. He said that they were not having any problems, just that he wants me in his life more. I told him again, that I was leaving it up to him to try & make the effort. He said, "I am." Two simple little words. So I sent one little letter back, "K." What else was I suppose to say?

Then he said that he had to go. He said "I love ya and talk to ya soon." I told him I loved him.

Has he tried to talk to me since Saturday night? Whether it's a phone call or a text? Anything?

Nope.

Did I expect him to? No. He has went through this spill before.

Not saying that I wouldn't/don't want a relationship, but it is hard to really trust someone after hurting you so many times.

But you know what? It's ok. I told him what I needed to say, so it's all up to him now.

B asked me last night if I had heard anything from my dad. I told him that I hadn't & asked if he thought I really would. We both just chuckled.

My dad is almost 50 years old (my mom is much younger!). Maybe he thought that because he is getting older, he should try now? Not sure why he decided to randomly say all those things that he did Saturday night, but it's ok that he did. He knows how I feel.

No, I am not downing him. I am just stating what happened & how I feel. Which he knows. Yes, I do love him. Yes, deep down part of me does want him to grow some balls, step up, act like a man, & be apart of my life.

Just wanted to share a little update of what has been going on!

I got this! I can do it!

2012-02-15T05:44:00.000-08:00

I have always hated running. I hated PE. I didn't play sports in school.

Now that I have said that, I am going to say this . . . I am planning to run in a 5K in October. Crazy, ha! SO not me. I am determined to do run! I want to to prove to myself that I can and will do this. Deep down, I've always wanted to be a runner, but honestly never really had any motivation to do it. None of my friends ran/run either. This time it is different though! It is you, my blogging friends, that make it so much more different. After seeing some of you post about running, it makes it easier for me. It makes me want to get up off my butt & get out there. It helps me out! We may not ever meet, but you have helped me & continue to do so! Thank you for the motivation. It makes it even easier knowing that my IRL friend, Tamara, is the same way & we're determined to run the same race!

I pinned this & love it. Especially for a little ole beginner, such as myself!

What race am I talking about, you ask?
Well, we'll pretend that you asked :)

I mean seriously, how much fun does this look?! Like a freakin blast! It makes it easier for me, knowing that it is going to be fun. The race is in Charlotte, at the end of October. There are two rules to the race, wear a plain white tshirt & get colorful, like a box of crayons! The website states that, "Each kilometer of the event is associated with a designated color. 1k is yellow, 2k is blue, 3k is green, 4k is pink, and the 5k finish is a “Color Extravaganza.” As the runners/walkers hit the KILOMETER COLOR ZONE, they will be blitzed by our volunteers, sponsors, and staff with COLOR. The color is a special “elf made” recipe of magical color dust. All products are 100% natural and safe."

I can't wait for B & I to look like this-

Well, if he can sneak away from the corn maze for

one day! The race will be during the last weekend

of the corn maze, that he will be part owner of this year!

I know of a few fellow bloggers that may participate in The Color Run!

Which makes it even more exciting!

I bought these lovely new shoes in TN Friday, to start preparing for the run!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T06:19:00.000-08:00

Good morning! Hope everyone has a great Valentine's day!

Whether you're spending it with your significant other, friends, or family!

This is our sixth Valentine's together (second married!). I thought I

would share a few pictures from some of our past Valentine's!

2009!

Tennessee!

2010!

2011!

Our first Valentine's as Mr & Mrs!

The winner of Tamara's giveaway is. . .

Annabelle from Carolina Country Girl!

Thanks to everyone that entered & thanks

to Tamara for her cute guest post & giveaway!

Hopefully there will be another fun giveaway soon!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Weekend in {cell phone} pictures!

2012-02-13T07:06:00.000-08:00

I'm baaack!

Our trip to Cherokee was wonderful! Harrah's Casino was a wonderful place to stay at. I would recommend it to anyone, whether you gamble or not - the heavenly beds are worth it! Literally, we just sunk right in the bed. We even woke up at 10:17am Friday morning, & had to be checked out by 11am! Whoops, we never sleep that late!! I'll be posting pictures from our trip later this week!

After we left the hotel, we drove up to Pigeon Forge, TN. I found some tennis shoes at the Nike Outlet! I tried uploading a picture of them, but it won't for some reason. Guess what? They're gray & yellow! I'm in love! Can't wait to put them to use! Color Run, anyone!?

When we got home Friday night, Bentley was very happy to see us & we were happy to see our little furbaby too! We ended up being lazy & catching up on shows that were in the dvr (Criminal Minds & The River). Oh my gosh, did anyone else see The River last week?? We are definitely hooked! It is unlike another show. Can't wait to watch the next episode on Tuesday, after Last Man Standing!

Saturday was a cold, lazy day! The highlight of the day was seeing some snow flurries!! It didn't last long, but it was pretty to see. We made some chocolate chip cookies & ate supper (grilled steaks, baked potatoes from the crock pot, green beans, & macaroni & cheese!)! Hubby did sneak down to the river (in the freezing cold temperatures!) to fish, while I worked on a few crafts!

frozen strawberry daiquiri while been crafty!

Yesterday was a pretty normal Sunday for us. We went to church, then ate lunch at mom's. Once we got back home, I worked on the crafts from Saturday while B & SF went fishing. Last night, during the Grammy's, B wanted Bentley to play with him. Bentley wasn't having it at first, then he gave in! Sounds like a bunch of kids, ha! Sometimes B gets rough with Bentley, but he gets rough right back! He may be little, but he is fiesty. Well, let's just say that this play time ended in someone getting a bloody nose! I can't help but laugh, ha! I know that may sound mean, but it's funny. B couldn't get mad at Bentley because he was just playing (& he was the one who started it). Bentley ended up biting down on his nose. The left side of his nose bled for a while! We could tell that Bentley felt really bad about doing it! He wouldn't go near him for the longest time. It was pitiful, but cute!

We have a long, empty wall in our living room. I haven't been sure of what I wanted to do with, but now I think I am going to do a big gallery wall! I have slowly been buying some frames to hang. I am a cheapo & I am not going to buy everything at once! We are going to measure the wall this week & hopefully attempt to get started on this little project!

watching the Grammy's!

Don't forget to enter the lovely giveaway from Tamara, here!
It ends tonight at 9pm!

I love you because: you let me be myself.

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

While we are on our mini getaway, I have a surprise for you! A guest post from my IRL blogging buddy, Tamara, & a giveaway! Doesn't get much better than this! Enjoy & have a great weekend!

---

Hey there! I am Tamara and I blog over at T Times Three.

Pamela and I are friends IRL and go wayyy back all the way to elementary school! I am so excited to be guest posting for her while she and B are enjoying a fun, Valentines get-away in the mountains. Maybe I'm a little jealous, too!

With Valentine's Day coming up, we are all thinking of how to show our love to our special someone. To be quite honest, I'm not a huge fan of the holiday. I'm a firm believer that you should show your love and affection every day of the year, not just on one day!

Maybe that is why I have fallen in love with these cute little dry erase message boards on Pinterest.

I mean, how cute is this? What a great way to remind your loved one how much you love them!

Well guess what? You are in luck!

I am giving away a framed "I love you because _____"
print to one lucky Pamela's Place reader!

I conned my wonderful husband into helping me prep these pictures.
I have to say, he came up with some pretty sweet reasons!

So, you want to win?

Here is how to enter!

There are 3 ways to enter!

Please leave a comment for each separate entry.

1. Be a follower of Pamela's Place.

2. Leave a comment letting us know what you love about your significant other.

3. Follow me over at T Times Three and leave me a comment letting me know you entered!

The giveaway will end Monday, February 13th at 9pm. Pamela will announce the winner on Valentine's Day!

Good luck!

---

Isn't she the cutest!?

There ya have it, now go enter!

Random Thursday!

2012-02-09T06:21:00.000-08:00

Ready for a random post?

Hear we go!

The Crockpot Chicken Tacos turned out so good!! Normally, we have a competition to see who can eat the most tacos, but we both only ate two each! I was surprised, ha! We didn't have lettuce, so we just put shredded cheese & sour cream (well I did!) on them! We had enough for leftovers, for both of our lunches today!

I wanted to go ahead & post my Photo A Day pictures today, since I won't be on tomorrow! It is days 3-8!

3. Hands

This picture was his idea!

4. A stranger

Saturday afternoon, I took some pictures for a

lady I work with. Her daughter, Megan, was attending

her first Anchor Club Formal. Her dress was gorgeous

& of course she was! I didn't know any of her friends,

so that counts, right!? The girl in the middle was

one of their friends. She is not in the Anchor Club,

but wanted to see everyone & take a few pictures!

Megan is the girl on the far right. Gorgeous!

Sorry, but I have to show this one too! I love it!

5. 10am

Normally we would have already been in Sunday

School, but we were running late for church. Here

is our view in the truck, on interstate, at 10am!

6. Dinner

After Zumba I wasn't in the mood to eat Chicken Taco

Soup, so hubby fixed me a huge egg & cheese sandwich.

Addicted. It was so big, I had to make it into two

sandwiches! It was so funny!

7. Button

This is not a good picture, at all, but it is a picture of

some buttons on my latest pea coat. I'm addicted to coats!

8. Sun

This picture was actually taken today. Yesterday

was a dreary day, but when the sun finally decided

to make an appearance, my phone died!

Like usual, ha! So I took this picture this morning,

as I was pulling out of our road! Good morning!

Today we are off to Harrah's Cherokee Casino for a little mini Valentine's get away! It's the first time that we staying at the hotel & I am super excited! There is one of Paula Deen's restaurants there & I am determined to eat there! We are only staying one night, but tomorrow we will drive up to Pigeon Forge, to the outlets! I need new tennis shoes, so hopefully I can find some!! I can be picky! The pair I have now, are hurting my foot when I exercise. It may or may not have anything to do with the fact that I have had them since maybe my freshman or sophomore year in high school (graduated in 2006!), hah!

Oh, in case you didn't hear - Duke won ;) hah!

Hope you have a great weekend! See you Monday!

Tomorrow: A special little something for you! :)

Obsessed.

2012-02-08T06:11:00.000-08:00

I am currently obsessed with gray & yellow! I love it. As I posted earlier

this week, my nails are painted a gray color (Hazy by Revlon) My scrapbook room/office is the only room in the home that has not been painted. B said that he would paint it for me, (like he painted every other room, ha!)

but I wasn't sure of exactly what color I wanted. I think I know now ;)

Bedding for a nursery, couldn't resist! It's too cute!

Not happening anytime soon though!

Can't forget about the clothes either!

Then there is this . . .

This . . .

and this . . .

One of my favorite gray 'people' . . .

Oh, and Crockpot Chicken Tacos is what's for supper!

I'll let you know how they turn out!

Love is in the air!

2012-02-07T13:39:00.000-08:00

I have been seeing this all over the blogging world

today, & thought I would join in! I didn't really have

much to say today, but still wanted to blog! Weird?

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

We dated for a little over four years & have been

married for a year & (almost!) six months!

Our first picture together. Bless our little hearts, ha!

2. How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

Long story short, we met through mutual friends!

My best friend at the time & his best friend at the

time were dating & hooked us up. Thanks guys ;)

I wasn't too fond of at him at first, but couldn't let go!

3. If married, how long have you been married?

If not, is this the guy you hope to marry? {do tell}

According to my little wedding tracker up top, we

have been married exactly one year, five months,

one week, & three days!

4. If you are married, where did you get married at? Big or small wedding? If not, where would you like to get married? And will it be big or small?

We were married in Marion, NC. It's a small town! It was

actually at my cousins (now ex!) wifes family home. It was

a small, outdoor wedding. We couldn't have asked for a

better day or better weather! It was perfect. You can

some pictures from our day here!

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

Ohh goodness! We have a bunch, ha! We can come

up with the silliest ones. I call him BB, hubby/hubbies,

peckerhead (ha!), & some others. He will call me

wifey, boogerbean, & more!

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

1. His eyes! They're so blue & pretty. I aggravate him,

& tell him that my blue eyes are prettier, ha!

2. His sense of humor! He can make anyone smile/laugh.

It's hard to be mad at him because sometimes he will

say or do something just to make me smile!

3. His kisses! I love when he kisses me on the forehead

& my cheek! Both so simple, but mean so much.

7. Tell us how he proposed? Or your ideal proposal?

He proposed on stage (sold out show) at the Comedy

Barn in Pigeon Forge, TN! Talk about nervous!! You can

read the whole story here!

8. Is he a flowers and teddy bear kind of guy for v-day,

or strawberries, champagne, and rose petals?

Hmmm, flowers kinda guy! Although, he knows I like

my strawberries & wine, ha! Valentine's Day isn't a

huge deal to me. I mean, I think you should always

show your significant other that you care about him/her!

9. Are you a sunset dinner on the beach kind of girl, or pop a movie in and relax on the couch?

Here recently I have been more of a 'pop a movie in'

kinda girl! I would take a sunest dinner on the beach too though!!

10. Tell us one thing you'd like to do with your

significant one day. If you could do anything? Go anywhere?

Go to Paris! I have always wanted to go there!

It would be the perfect romantic getaway!

11. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine's Day.

We are going to Harrah's Cherokee Casino this Thursday night,

for an early Valentine's getaway! I can't wait. We still have a

few giftcards, that we got for Christmas, & may possibly go

out to eat with one of those on Valentine' Day.

12. Are you asking for anything this Valentine's day?

Nope! We actually aren't giving gifts to each other this year!

13. Give us one piece of advice of keeping a

relationship strong and full of love.

Always be honest & have respect for each other.

Both are so important to any relationship!

14. Show us a picture of what love means to you.

While holding each other tightly & always being there

for each other, we can conquer anything! Whether we

are on top of the world happy, or in the lowest valley.

How was your weekend?

2012-02-06T07:51:00.000-08:00

I am linking up with Savanah for the first time, for Phone Photo Fun Mondays!

Hi there! :)

Hope everyone had a great weekend! We did! Friday, we went to my mom's house & celebrated SF's birthday! Afterwards, we rented Change Up. It was really funny!

Saturday morning, we got home & hubby made us egg & sandwiches again! I love them. Can't you tell? The morning started off pretty nasty & rainy. Our small town just opened a Tractor Supply, so we went to the grand opening. We did a little shopping around town. Then I stocked up on some more Christmas goodies at Hallmark!

"Nice" wrapping paper - $1 each, Christmas cards - $1 a box, & Gift tags - 50 cents a pack!

8 items = $7 - Plus I had $6 in coupons, so I only paid $1 & change! :)

That night we made homemade pizzas! I had mushrooms on mine, & he just had pepperonis!

Can you tell who eats the most?

At 8pm, we took a random trip to Barnes & Noble (which is 30 minutes away!), with mom, SF, & CF! Mom wanted some books for the class she is student teaching right now. SF, hubby, & I headed straight to Starbucks as soon as we arrived! I had to have my Pumpkin Spice Latte! Hubby (being the dessert eater as he is!) spotted the cakes, cupcakes, & cookies. He knows that cupcakes are my weakness, & it said it was from The Cheesecake Factory! He got himself a huge chocolate chip cookie!

Yesterday, before we went to church, I surprised my husband with cake batter pancakes, in bed! He has been so sweet about fixing me breakfast each morning lately, so I thought what better way than to surprise! After church, we had my family over for chicken taco soup! Before we went to WT's dads house for his Superbowl party, I painted my nails! I am currently obsessed grey & yellow together, so I knew what color my nails were going to be painted! I was tempted to do a yellow accent nail, ha!

Hazy by Revlon

Every year at the Superbowl party, there is an abundance of food. That's the best part anyways, right? There was salad, steak, chicken, hotdogs, a variety of flavors of wings, different kinds of dips for the chips, rolls, you name it! What did you think of Madonna's performance??

OH! I am now an Affiliate for Pick Your Plum! So keep your eyes open everyday for their cute, new deal at the top right of my page! If you wish to look more into the product, or make a purchase just click the "Get it!" button!

Stay tuned for something special on Friday!

Today

2012-02-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

Today is finally Friday, Friday, Friday. Annoying song stuck in your head now?

Today I want to thank all of you! I have gotten several new followers lately! Thank you!

Today is my step-fathers (SF) & my SIL's birthday! Happy birthday, yall! :)

Today we will go to my moms to celebrate SF's birthday!

Today (& yesterday) hubby fixed me an egg & cheese sandwich for breakfast!

Today I won't lie. I didn't exercise & have been really slacking. I don't know what is wrong with me, but I don't like it!!

Today is National Wear Red Day, in honor of the American Heart Association. It's going to be in the 60's today (winter??) & I don't have a red tshirt. I need to get one! I wore red/pink socks today instead!

yes, I took a picture of my sock, ha!

Excuse my snow white legs.

Today I will be showing my pictures from the February Photo A Day Challenge! I will probably show the pictures each Friday, instead of waiting until the end of the month. Chantelle from Fat Mum Slim started this lovely challenge!

1. Your view today

My desk! Working hard . . . on Pinterest.

2. Words

Shayln from So Shay posted this quote yesterday. I needed this!

"Once upon a time, we believed the world was flat – that beyond a certain point,

there would be nowhere to go, And though we now know the world is round, we still

fear falling off imaginary edges, too often thinking there’s only so far we can stretch,

so hard we can push. The most dangerous limits are those in our own head. When

you feel you’re at your edge, look again. You can go farther."

Fabulous Valentines Challenge!

2012-02-02T07:20:00.000-08:00

I am linking up for Amber & Neely's Fabulous Valentines Challenge! Today the topic is 'love weddings'. I know that I have shown pictures from our wedding, & I even have a tab up top showing pictures from our big day, but I just wanted to show them again :)

We joined as one, on August 28, 2010. It was a sunny, gorgeous day. As you hear every bride say, the day was everything that we wanted! We had a small, intimate wedding. Not going to lie, I wanted it to be a little smaller than it was. We had mostly family & a few friends.

The ceremony & reception were all at the same location. It was a backyard wedding. Gorgeous, gorgeous backyard with trees everywhere. I swear, something you would see out of a magazine! We still get compliments from people, saying how gorgeous our wedding was. Some say it was the most beautiful wedding that had ever been to, or they could just be being nice, ha! Either way, it makes us feel so good, knowing that we picked such a pretty place. There was a small red barn, which made for some great pictures!

For our guestbook, I created a book with our engagement pictures. I love it because we are able to pull it out anytime & see the kind words that everyone left! It's not stuffed in some old box, it sits out in my scrapbook room/office.

The girls wore a cornflower strapless dress, with a chocolate sash, & brown shoes. It was exactly what I had imagined! Our flower girls dressed was simple with a flower on it! It was perfect. Our little ring bearer wore a chocolate brown vest & shorts.

The guys wore a chocolate brown tux with a cornflower tux. My hubby didn't want to wear brown for the longest time, but finally he gave in & said he would do whatever I wanted him to do, ha! They all matched perfectly & looked so handome!

WT was hubby's Best Man. I have known him since we were babies. I am actually a year older. He is like a brother to me! He ~~can be~~ is so crazy & fun. Love him!

I think the funniest part was when the flower girl & ring bearer were headed down the aisle. He set off to go down he aisle first, then stopped & sat down in the grass. From where I was standing at in the home, I could see some of what was going on & I was laughing so hard! It definitely helped calm my nerves down some. It was the funniest & cutest thing! Everyone was laughing, so was he!

We had agreed that we wouldn't make a mess with the cake, & we didn't! Hubby can be girly, so he really didn't want to do it, ha! Sorry hubs ;) After we had cut our cake, someone wanted a little piece too! It was adorable.

Our lovely photographers entered our first dance picture in Shutterbuggerz magazine, & won! It was so exciting!! Our picture was in shown in the magazine!

We had a DJ during our reception. WT used to actually be a DJ, so we used the company he had worked for. We love to go out with all of our friends, dance, & have fun, so it was a big deal to have music. My mom loves to dance too ;)

These sneaky boys done this some point during the reception, to my car!

*some pictures are from our photographer's Facebook page

Let's eat!

2012-02-01T05:56:00.000-08:00

Crockpot Italian Chicken

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts

1 packet of Zesty Italian Dressing Seasoning

1 8oz cream cheese, softened

2 cans of cream of chicken soup

Mix it all together in the crock pot & cook on low for four hours. If the sauce is too thick, add a little milk. Enjoy!

I served it over some pasta. YUM! We loved it. Yall know I love my crock pot!

Want to follow me on Pinterest?

Just click the button over there on the right!

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Blessed!

2012-01-31T10:30:00.000-08:00

Today is the last day of January. Can you believe it? I can't! The saying is true, time sure does fly by as you get older (& while you're having fun!). As I've gotten older (I know that I'm not that old, but still), I've realized time, family, & friends are very precious. Nothing or no one last forever. Hold onto to those dear, precious moments & don't let go. Take a million pictures. Laugh way too much.

As I was looking at the month of February in my planner the other day, I immediately freaked out. We will have to spend money, & that can add up quick. We have a lot going on, but as I am writing this, I realized how blessed I am to have all of these events going on in my/our life. We are very blessed to have some amazing people in our life! We will be able to share some wonderful memories with these people, during these events.

Oh, hubby, I am blessed to have you bring breakfast in bed to me on Sunday morning too ;)

It may not look like much, but here is what we have going on!

February 3 - SF & my SIL's birthday

February 4 - My dad's birthday (?) & I'll be taking some pictures for a friend

February 5 - Super Bowl = FOOD!

February 9 - Our Valentine's getaway to Harrah's Cherokee Casino

February 14 - Our second married Valentine's Day!

February 18 - Baby shower (1-4), birthday party (1-3), & possible snow tubing

February 19 - Free Mary Kay makeover with friends

February 24-26 - Possible trip to Ohio (to get Hubby's deer head, ha!)

We have a busy month ahead of us, but it will be a fun one, I am sure of that!

Blog Lovin'

2012-01-31T08:37:00.000-08:00

I am on Blog lovin' now!

With all this crazy talk of things being shut down,

switched, whatever, thought it would be a good idea to join!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Weekend in {cell phone} pictures!

2012-01-30T06:21:00.000-08:00

This past weekend was a quiet, but good one! Friday, worked was so crazy! All of us girls in the office shifted every single file in all of the filing cabinets, to make room for more! I could definitely feel it Saturday morning, but it's ok! As soon as I got home, I went straight to our bed & laid down! When hubby got home, he joined Bentley & I!

He was pretending to sleep!

That evening while I cooked supper, hubby went to pick up some deer jerky that he had a made make for us (from the deer he killed in Ohio!). For Christmas, he got supplies to make his own jerky, so next time he will be making his own! The man half mild & half hot. I'm in Heaven.

Don't mind if I do, while I cook

Baked Ziti

Gallon size bags filled with yumminess!

Saturday, I got up early & cleaned the house. So much fun, ha! Hubby worked until about lunch time, to get some overtime in, then went & play softball with some friends. He isn't a baseball/softball type of guy, but said that he did pretty good & had fun (that's all that matters anyway!). It was the first time he had picked up a bat in years. That afternoon, we were lazy & laid around (he napped & I watched Teen Mom 2, ha!). For supper, we met up with my cousin, BB, & her fiance & ate at Applebee's. We had a giftcard for Longhorn, & went there first but it was an 80-90 minute wait! Sorry, but no thank you. On our way back home, we stopped & saw Shelbi Lynn & her parents :)

What's up, pup?

We did stop by Best Buy & look at their flashes for my our Nikon. We have been talking about getting one for a few months now, but still looking! Best Buy had this SB-700 AF Speedlight External Flash, for $329. Any thoughts? Ideas? Tamara??

Yesterday, we went to church & had an amazing guest speaker, Leroy Cannady. It was absolutely wonderful! I may or may not have cried a little. While I did my Sunday afternoon coupon clipping (ha!), hubby cleaned out closet & other ~~crap~~ stuff. Finally. We ended the night by watching Wizard of Oz & Once Upon a Time!

Well, I watched the Wizard of Oz . . .

a quiet, warm, sunny place

2012-01-27T13:16:00.000-08:00

Been daydreamin'

BAD!

Look Whooo's One: Party!

2012-01-26T05:19:00.000-08:00

iiiiiiittttttt'ssss party time!

How cute is this cake!? MT's Aunt made it for Shelbi Lynn.

Her cakes/cupcakes are always so delicious & gorgeous!

Here comes the birthday girl!

I am so glad that I got to see this

beautiful lady & her adorable son!

Before Shelbi Lynn was introduced to her first

taste of sweets, she had a little wardrobe change!

MT was hoping that she would play with her cake & love it.

Yeah, well, that didn't happen! She didn't know what to think!

Present time!

I was in charge of writing down who

gave Ms. Shelbi Lynn which gift!

The only picture of MT & I from the party, was

taken from hubby's cell phone! After the party

was over, we realized we hadn't taken one

single picture together. That is very unlike me, ha!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2012-01-25T05:15:00.000-08:00

So I lied. I said I was going to post more pictures from Shelbi Lynn's party, but I am not. Well not today, but I will tomorrow! Promise. After being on Pinterest yesterday afternoon, I just had to share these hilarious pins that I found! Definitely helped pass the slow afternoon by!

I could totally do this next

one at our local Wal-Mart!

The best for last . . .

All of these are pinned on my Funny board!

Look Whooo's One: Decorations!

2012-01-24T05:21:00.000-08:00

On January 14th, DT & MT had thier daughter's (Shelbi Lynn) first birthday party! It's so weird to think that she is one year old now! I started this blog the day after she was born. MT went to the hopsital on a Sunday night, around 7-7:30pm, then had Shelbi early the following morning (January 17th). We stayed there all night with her family & friends awaiting the arrival of thier precious little bundle of joy!

I am breaking her party up into two posts. Today I am just going to show off the decorations for her owl themed birthday party! I made most of the decorations. Not going to lie, I was stressed at times, but thought in the end, it all turned out so well! I would do anything for little Ms. Shelbi Lynn & her family! They're more than our friends, they're family.

I made my first banner, for her party! I was nervous

about making it, but I think it turned out alright! I

wanted to drape it from one wall to another, behind

the cake, but I was afraid that it would not stay, so

we placedit above the food table.

This little wooden table was used to hold the treat bags.

I used frames that I already had at home to

display 'Whooo wants to thank you for coming?'

& 'Shelbi does!' I purchased the owl design for the treat

bags, from an Etsy shop, Wants and Wishes Design.

Inside each bag were colorful gummy worms!

My jewelry tree!

I used some of the owls that I purchased to display

around the room. Here is one with Shelbi's own little cake!

Up next is my owls! Not going to lie, I am pretty

proud of these cute little things! :) I thought that

they turned out so well. They were easy to do,

just time consuming. I love them!

My Pin-spiration can be found here!

MT, MW, & I made the pom-pom flowers as centerpieces.

Each table looked so cute & nicely dressed :)

MT borrowed these little owls from Ericha!

The food table was filled with pizza,

chips & dip, pickles, crackers, & veggies!

Here is a sneak peak of the gorgeous, yummy cake!

Tomorrow I will show more pictures from the party!

My cuddle buddy!

2012-01-23T06:36:00.000-08:00

I started to get a bad cold Wednesday afternoon. I worked all day Thursday, but left around 2pm on Friday. I couldn't stop sneezing! I still am a little stopped up, but I think this annoying cold is finally starting to go away, or so I hope!! Therefore, my weekend consisted of watching movies with the hubby, episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, reading The Hunger Games, & snuggling with this cute creature!

In the main picture, he was pretending to sleep,

but really staring at my Sour Patch Kids!

01.01.12 - Our free 'I'm with the cute one' Bounce shirts, ha!

Take a moment to breathe.

2012-01-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

taken in our front yard, at the end of December 2011

New Years weekend . . . 3 weeks late!

2012-01-20T06:10:00.000-08:00

Do you know how bad it sucks to not have Internet at your own home?

Sucks real bad, but hopefully that will be changing soon!

Anyways . . .

Here are a bunch of pictures from our New Years trip to TN! All of these pictures (except for the last one!) were taken at the Lumberjack Feud show.

The show was fun & interesting. The storyline is based on two families that used to cut all the wood long ago, the Dawson's & McGraw's, in the Smokey Mountains. The president wants to cut a road through the mountains & start building attractions & such, like what there is today. The families get to

choose a tree, to be used as the Christmas tree in the White House. The

whole show they are competing to see who is better & which family will

get to chop the Christmas tree down! The men in the show are actual

professionals & have won national/worldwide awards.

Poor husband always gets conned into doing this stuff!

Racing up the poles!

Since he participated in the show, everyone

signed a piece of wood, that had been cut during the show!

01.01.12 - Just woke up!

Last night, my cousin BB that recently got engaged during the Christmas season, sent me two text messages saying that they have some wedding plans now & that they will be getting married at Oak Island, during the Memorial Day weekend, & we can stay at the house that their family has rented! I am so excited, but shocked that they are getting married this quick because they said that they were not in any hurry, ha! She is going to be such a gorgeous bride! I am so happy for these two!

Etsy!

2012-01-19T13:35:00.000-08:00

As I have mentioned some on here before,

I have started my own little Etsy shop!

There are only a handful of items in there right now.

I only have coasters listed, but am thinking

about adding a variety of other items as well.

If anyone is interested in a custom order, please let me know!

Here are some pictures of sets that I have done -

ASU

WCU

Click here to go to my shop!

Happy birthday!

2012-01-18T05:59:00.000-08:00

Oh, How Pinteresting!

via

A year ago I started this lovely little blog!

The first blog that I started reading was Sarah from Thrifty Decor Chick.

I read her blog for months & was addicted. I had thought about

starting a blog, but thought it was kind of silly. Psshhh! Glad I did!

No one knew that I blogged for months, not even my husband!

It was (still is!) my little 'getaway'. I have learned so much more

about myself. I have 'met' some wonderful ladies

& am thankful for each of you!

When I think of birthdays, I think of desserts

(besides presents, of course ;))!

All from my Desserts board, on Pinterest!

Happy birthday bloggy :)

If you do what you've always done, you'll get what you've always gotten.

2012-01-17T06:48:00.000-08:00

via

Yesterday I did a 'mid-length' class on Zumba 2 & it said that burned 416 calories! I could definitely feel it! This morning I was lazy & didn't get up as early as I wanted to, but I still did 60 stomach exercises. I thought maybe I should start switching my exercises up from Zumba too, that way I won't get bored & get used to it (won't push myself!).

Last night, hubby & I went to the grocery store to get some healthy food. I had planned on just getting items to make a smoothie, but we ended up spending a little over $30! That's usually how it goes, right? We bought several different types of fruit, 100 calorie packs (to snack on during work!), & milk (regular & Almond). We have agreed that once we finish drinking the soft drinks that are in our home now, we are finished with them! Sorry, but this southern girl can't give up her sweet tea though!

This morning I started my morning at work off with a berry shake! You take 10oz. of low fat soy or almond milk, a cup full of berries (I cut up strawberries & blueberries), & a handful of ice, & blend it all together in a blender!

Taaa daa!

via

Last night I sat down & tried to do another weekly meal plan! I think this week we are going to have Cheesy Chicken Lasagna & chicken pie (my cousin's recipe that is in our church cookbook). They may not be the most healthiest meals (ok, I know they're not!), but it should be ok! I made Cajun Shrimp & Rice last night. I used the wrong rice, otherwise it would have been perfect! I wasn't too crazy over & hubby said it was ok! Tonight we are having marinated chicken & going to have baked potatoes, from the crock pot, of course! Most of the meals that I have made lately, are cooked in my crock pot! I'm in love.

Accessory swap!

2012-01-15T15:39:00.000-08:00

I signed up for an accessory swap, that Jessica from Stilettos & a Fishing Pole hosted. I was paired with Ms. Ashley from The Simple Things! She is a gorgeous girl & has such a cute daughter! You should definitely go & check her out!

When I received the package Friday, I found this cute card & bag! I couldn't wait to see what goodies I had inside!

Makes me want to get all dressed up & go out 'for a night out on the town'! :) Thank you so much Ashley! I love everything!

Get to know me!

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Recently I have been tagged by four different bloggers recently! Holly from Eight Six Eleven, Bethany from Skinny is a Mindset, Amanda from The Brandon & Amanda Story, & Tamara from T times 3! Thought this would be something fun & different to do! It will be long, but maybe it will give you more insight about me. Here we go!

First up is Holly's question! There was a form to fill out, then I had to list random thoughts about myself!

1. Names your favorite song: This has always been hard for me! I like all types of music, so I don't know if I could just name one!!

2. Name your favorite dessert: Like Holly, I love a good cupcake!! Doesn't hurt that so pretty to look at either!

3. What ticks you off: Guess Holly & I are alike in more ways than one! Like her, I can't stand for someone to leave their turn signal. It drives me nuts. I literally cringe every time, ha! I also can't stand when people don't chew with their mouths closed!

4. When I'm upset: I normally like to be alone, so I can try to chill out & collect my thoughts.

5. What's your favorite pet: Growing up we had a dog named Sally. We all loved her to death! She was so sweet & playful. When we moved, while I was in high school, Sally passed away. We didn't think we would ever get another pet. Then Sammy came along! A few months after we got married, we got Bentley (actually last January!)! It's hard to pick a favorite, but everyone loves Sally so much & she was like a sister, as silly as that may sound!

6. Black or white: I have really been liking white a lot more lately! Especially white furniture for a nursery & no I am not pregnant!

7. Biggest Fear: Oh goodness, hmm. Well I have a huge fear of needles?

7 Randoms:

1. I am right handed.

2. Everything has to be symmetrical or an even number.

3. As stated in #7, I have a major fear of needles. Like someone still has to go with me to the doctor, if I have to have a shot done. I know, I know.

4. On January 18th, I have been blogging for a year.

5. I don't like meatloaf, but I like making eating.

6. I like been to Washington DC, VA, TN, GA, & FL in the US. I really want to travel out west.

7. The paint colors in our home are green, caramel, blue, orange, & a tan/gold.

The next three are similar, but yet different at the same time. They ask you to name eleven fun facts about yourself, then answer their eleven questions!

Eleven fun facts!

1. I am not crazy about chocolate.

Give me some Sour Patch Kids or Sweethearts.

2. Is someone misspells something it drives

me nuts. If I happen to misspell something,

I think the world is coming to an end.

3. I love going to concerts.

4. I can't live without sweet tea.

5. I am a planner. I like to know what is going on.

6. As soon as I get home, I normally put

my pajamas on. Old woman, over here!

7. I wrote my hubby a sweet little note last night.

I was trying to sneak up on him & lay it on

him, but he moved & saw me. I ran like a

giddy little school girl, ha!

8. I want to add more items to my

Etsy shop, other than just coasters.

9. I have a degree in Interior Design & a certificate in Fabrics.

10. I use to make those bottle cap belts, (the

ones that you could buy in stores). I put the

seatbelt buckle on it & all to snap it together!

11. I love horror movies, not matter

how bad they can scare me!

That was seriously hard, yall!

Bethany

1. What is your favorite clothing brand? I don't really have a favorite! I am a cheap shopper, so whatever really!

2. What magazines do you subscribe to? Real Simple, thanks to Tamara!
3. Who is your biggest celeb crush? Johnny Depp!
4. What is your favorite meal? I love food way too much! I love SF's Shrimp Gumbo.
5. If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Pay off our loans! (car, truck, school, Best Buy!)
6. What is one thing you would tell your 16-year-old self? Don't go wild.
7. What are you listening to right now on your MP3 player [or in your CD player]? Lady Gaga, Miranda Lambert, Colt Ford
8. What is your most annoying habit? Biting my nails
9. What is the last book you completed? Something Blue
10. If your house was on fire and you could only grab 3 things, what would you grab? Hmmm! Bentley (that's a given!), try to get some scrapbooks? laptop or camera? Maybe at this point my Erin Condren planner, ha! Okay, that is more than three, sorry!
11. What is your favorite thing about blogging? I love being able to document & say whatever I want! It is mine, after all! & 'meeting' all of you :)

Amanda

First off, how cute are those two!?

1. Your favorite DIY project you have done? And if you haven't done one, which one is on your to do list? Hmm! I don't know! I made my first wreath last Fall & I thought it turned out pretty. I think it is probably the owls I just made for MT's daughter's birthday party.

2. What's your favorite ap? I have a droid & don't really use them as much, ha! We want an iPhone so bad!

3. When you log onto the Internet, where is the first place you go? Facebook. Which is sad because it's on my phone & it can get on my nerves!
4. What's your favorite thing about the blogging world? I love being able to document & say whatever I want! It is mine, after all! & 'meeting' all of you :)

5. Favorite vacation spot? Bahamas, again please!

6. Your favorite thing to cook? Will you share the recipe? Probably baked spaghetti! Sure, it's so easy!
7. When was the last time you did a 'good deed' and what was it? The last 'major' good deed was that we got my mom & her fiance a tv.
8. What's the best book you have read? I honestly don't think I have a favorite!

9. What's your go to bible verse? I don't read the Bible like I should, but there are so many! Anything in Psalms or Romans 8:28.
10. What's the last thing you purchased? Groceries, ha!

11. Who is your favorite Disney Princess? Belle!

Tamara

1. What is your favorite color? I don't have a 'specific' favorite color, but right now I am into oranges, greens, & blues, & have been for a little while!

2. If you could go on vacation to anywhere in the world, where would it be? Paris!!

3. Can you speak another language? If not, would you want to? Which one? No, I can't! Even though I took Spanish classes, I don't remember anything except for the basis 'hola', 'bueno', 'senor'. ha!
4. Salty or sweet? Sweet!
5. Where is the furthest place you have been from home? Bahamas, twice!

6. What was your favorite cartoon growing up? Probably the Rugrats!

7. What is your proudest moment? Oh, wow. Probably the day we got married!

8. What are you most afraid of? Again, needles!! Seriously. It's that bad.

9. What is a TV show that you absolutely won't miss? Desperate Housewives & Grey's Anatomy.

10. Do you have any "favorite kid" names planned out for your future children? (C'mon, we all do!) Easton Rhyder for a boy. If it is a girl, it's still up in the air! I like Autumn Ryleigh! Their middle initial has to be an 'R' though because both of our middle initials start with 'R's!

11. What is the first thing you do in the mornings? Kiss Bentley & then go pee! You asked, ha!

There ya have it, folks!

Thanks for tagging me, girls!
I love reading all of yalls blogs!

Happy Saturday!

Life Lately.

2012-01-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

I got all this for $8.51. Saved $13!

Bentley sleeping Wednesday morning, while I was doing Zumba!

Last night Bentley pulled the blanket completely off

of his daddy, so he could have a little comfy spot!

Tamara told me about the pot roast she found off

of Pinterest. I made it Thursday & it was so good!

Got another one of these for free!

My friend Ericha had her baby girl, Charli Ann, last night at 11:03pm!

She sent me these two pictures. Adorable!

I have to admit, this morning I did not do any form of exercise! Yesterday afternoon my back (around my left shoulder blade) started hurting, & felt worse on through the night. This morning it didn't hurt as bad, but still does.

Recently I have been tagged by

four bloggers! Tomorrow I will

be posting all that :)

Hope everyone has a great day!

Tragedy.

2012-01-12T06:20:00.000-08:00

Last night our county & one other surrounding county experienced something that we haven't seen in years.

It poured rain all day yesterday, the wind was awful at times, & it was cold. The rain stopped around 3 or 4pm. At our house it started storming around 5:30ish. It was raining so hard, thundering, & lightening. It didn't last too long though.

I checked my phone around 6:30 & had two missed calls from MT. I called her back & she said, 'are you alive?' Not really knowing what she meant I said, 'yeah, are you?' She told me how it was storming at her house. I told her that it had already passed through our area. She said that near where her Grandma lives, it was storming so bad, like a tornado. Her Grandma had called & told her how someone she knew had went to their basement, to stay safe from the storm. While they were in their basement, their home collapsed on top of them.

A tornado formed in the eastern part of our county. Homes were destroyed & people were injured. Luckily, as of now, there are no reports of death. Around 50 homes were destroyed. As of last night, Emergency Services reported that up to 800 homes were out of power.

Growing up, we have always heard how lucky we are because we do not experience tornados in our area. I heard on a local radio station this morning, that this was the first tornado since the '50's, that had formed in our county.

I sent KC a text message last night because she lives in the area, of all the damage. Luckily, her & her family were okay, with no damage. She said that there were news crews on her road reporting everything & that a few minutes from them, homes were really hit.

Hubby's cousin lives where the storm hit. They were okay, but she said that some of her neighbor's lost anything.

I think it is so weird that we received this kind of storm in January.

Here are some pictures that I got off of FB, that a friend & our local radio station posted.

A two-story home destroyed by the tornado

A roof completely destroyed. The man that owned the

home was sitting inside at the time that this happened.

He is ok though! There used to be a carport on the left

side. Some of the back patio is on top of his vehicle.

home cut in half

garage destroyed

I am so thankful that our home was not effected but this. I am so thankful that no one lost their life. Things can be replaced, people can not. Please remember everyone that was involved in this awful storm!

Oh, How Pinteresting!

2012-01-11T07:34:00.000-08:00

Normally on Pinterest I am looking at home decor, DIY,

or recipes, but last week I started looking at their 'Humor'

section. Oh.my.gosh. Some of the funniest stuff!

These next two are so me, ha!

Hope I could make you smile!

Oh, & the Crock Pot Potato Soup that I mentioned I was

going to make, I did so yesterday. It turned out okay. Hubby

wasn't too crazy over it. It did taste better than it looked, ha!

So that was a plus! It was definitely worth a shot!

I just found this pin! Thought it was fitting for yesterday's post.

Go link up, over at The Vintage Apple!

Work that body, girl!

2012-01-10T12:20:00.000-08:00

What to talk about today? There are so many things that I want to talk about - from The Bachelor, meal planning, exercising, life! I feel like I have so much going on right now in my little life.

How strong is that? I pinned this today. I love it. One of my goals this year, like everyone else, is to lose weight/be healthier. Over the past week, I have decided that I want to start getting up early, & do some sort of exercise! Let's just say, if you know me, I already have enough of a hard time getting up to go to work each morning. I like my sleep & being cuddled up to my Bentley each morning! My mom & hubby supported me & said I should do it! Everyone else may have had faith in me, but honestly I didn't have faith in myself. That is where it all has to start if you want to something, in you.

I told MW yesterday about what I wanted to do. She said that it was good idea, & she would like to start doing this same as well! Last night we went to Zumba, but we know we should go more; so we agreed that we would both get up earlier that usual, & do some sort of exercise. It was easier to know that someone else would be doing this as well! I set me alarm for 6:10am, but didn't get my lazy butt out of bed until 6:30! I got up, went in the living room, & put Zumba 2 in our Wii! I wasn't able to do as many songs, since I woke up later. I did two. I swear the first one lasted for almost ten minutes! I was already sweating! After I finished the two songs, I had burned around 100-120 calories! MW said that she got up early, walked a mile, & burned about 160 calories! I hope we stick to this!!

Since we both love Zumba so much, I want to share with you some of the songs that we do in our class! I found these on You Tube. . .

Pitbull

LMFAO

Kenny Loggins

"Wobble" Love watching them do this! It's so fun!

Weekend!

2012-01-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

This weekend was kinda a laid back one, & I loved it! It was the first weekend in over a month, that we didn't have anything planned.

Hubby worked eleven hours on Friday, after working seventeen on Thursday! He came home & ended up taking a little nap on the couch. We had a gift certificate to Shoney's (which is now called Abele's in our little town!), so when he woke up we went & took advatage of their breakfast bar! I always eat too much, but hey it's ok!

Saturday he worked eight hours! I had plenty of time to myself, to whatever I need to do! I planned our meals for this week (plus some!) & did some grocery shopping! I started to write the meals in my planner, but basically like Tamara said today, things happen & you may not want that meal, on that certain day! I'll share more of that later, but I am going to make potato soup in the crock pot tomorrow, thanks to Pinterest!

via

I also am going to try to make this Cajun Shrimp & Rice soon! I found it under a 'Healthy Crock Pot' recipe pin on Pinterest. It led me to a few other recipes as well! Doesn't it look so good!? Can't wait!

via

Yesterday, we went to church & finished making the owl's for MT's daughter's birthday party. I want to add little party hats to them, but not sure if I like it! The party is this Saturday. Tomorrow night MT & MW are coming over to our house, & we are going to work on some more decorations for the party!

Ever since I bought some Sally Hansen nail polish, right before Christmas, I have been obsessed with painting my nails. It was the first time in years (probably) that I had painted them, ha! So yesterday I switched out colors! I had been wearing Avon's Red Velvet, but now I am wearing a deep, dark purple color. I forgot the name! Whoops.

Avon's Red Velvet in a Matte finish

My nails now

Last night while watching Once Upon a Time, I organized all my coupons! I put them in baseball card holders. I have seven pages right now! They had been piling up in my scrapbook room, but thanks to MT's Aunt I know have these baseball card holders to use! I had been looking around our town, but couldn't find any! It is so much easier. Now I just need to put them in a notebook! These lovely little things scored me several packs of Bisquick pancake mix for free Saturday at Bi-Lo!

Crockpot Enchiladas!

2012-01-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for sweet, kind, honest words on yesterday post! It really means a lot to me. I debated whether I should have even posted it or not, but it felt good to get all of that off of my chest, whether anyone would have seen it or not. Thank you again!

via

I saw this on a low carb website, but I can't for the life of me remember which one! Whoops! Here is their recipe & my finished product!

Ingredients:

1 lb. ground chicken breast

2 tsps chili powder

1 cup chopped onions

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/2 cup chopped bell peppers

3 ozs shredded cheddar cheese

3 ozs shredded Monterey Jack cheese

30 ozs canned dark red kidney beans, rinsed & drained

10ozs undrained tomatoes & green chilies

8 whole fat-free flour tortillas

1/3 cup water

In a skillet, cook chicken, onions, & bell peppers until chicken is no longer pink & vegetables are tender; drain. Stir in kidney beans, tomatoes, & green chilies, water, chili powder, & black pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover & simmer for ten minutes.

In a small bowl, combine shredded cheeses. In a 5-quart slow cooker, layer about 3/4 cup chicken mixture, one tortillas, & some cheese. Repeat layers. cover & cook on low for five hours or until heated through.

Makes 10 servings

Nutrtional Info Per Serving:

Calories: 296; Total Fat 8g; Cholestrol 44g;

Carbs 32g; Sodium 626mg; Fiber 6g; WW Points 6

It was a little dry, but my husband & I both agree that next time we are going to get some salsa & cheese dip & smother it on top! We had a little bit at home, but not as much as we wanted. It was a really good meal!

Last night, hubby didn't get home from work until around 12:30! He worked 7am-12(ish)am! He was wore out! The company he works for just bought a new, empty plant. Him & a few other men are responsible for cleaning & getting it ready. Hopefully within the next year or so, they will be hiring 200-250 more people! Very thankful that he has a stable job right now, even though he will be working a lot of overtime for a while now!

Now for some randoms!

The 31 thermal tote bag that I won! I am in love!

Sammy playing with his football toy!

Bentley & his best friend!

Long, deep post.

2012-01-05T07:42:00.000-08:00

Today I was going to share a recipe, but something happened at work & it hit me. I can't shake the aggravation/upset/confusion.

I have mentioned before (only a little bit) that I don't speak to my dad. It's not that I don't want to, it's just that we don't. Does that make sense?

My parents split up when I was a freshman/sophomore (think sophomore?) in high school. I knew it was coming, so it didn't really upset me that bad.

Growing up, my dad drank a lot. My mom worked two jobs to support us. He had a job, but didn't always have work to do or didn't go. When he did work, he was a good worker.

Sometimes at night, he wouldn't come home. My mom would get me out of bed, wrap me up in a blanket, put me in the car, & try to go out & find him. Most of the time I would be asleep, but there are a few times where I do remember seeing everything. Most of the time we would end up at a bar (we would not go in, so don't think anything like that) or a carp pond.

He loved to fish. All night long.

I would hear them argue at night time. Sometimes I would hear him hit a wall, or maybe her. I would lay there, scared & pray it would end soon.

My mom would bust her butt to support & provide for us. Sometimes I wasn't even able to see her a lot because of it, but I knew she was doing what she had to do.

She or my Granny always saw it that I went to church on Sunday mornings & Wednesday evenings. Always.

We lived in a single wide trailer. It wasn't always in the best condition, but it our was home. There was always food, power, running water, so it was fine with me!

My dad even started going to church. Life was good. He started singing in our church, then became the choir director. He had a good voice. All of a sudden, he said that God called him to be a preacher. Ok, I know we are not at all suppose to judge, especially something so powerful as that, but I just knew that God did not call my dad to preach. I even told my Granny that. I thought, yeah God may have called him to be a choir director, but not a preacher. I just knew in my heart that something wasn't right.

Our church paid his way through seminary school. Throughout the week, he lived at the school, then would come home on the weekends some. So there he wasn't working, & my mom was still working her butt off. Gosh, I love that woman.

He started preaching a few sermons at our church. He did his research & would preach a good sermon. I still didn't feel right though.

Then, I saw it. He started to cuss again. Then the drinking slowly started back. Then the divorce papers were drawn up.

When my dad first moved out, he lived at a friends home. Then would travel around. Half of the time I wouldn't know where he was at. I would try to call him, but then number was changed.

I wanted a relationship with him & still do. Sometimes I (still) questioned myself as to why, but he is my dad. Whether he may act like it or not. Whether we have a real relationship or not. I will always have a soft spot for him. Some may not understand that. Sometimes I don't. I miss having that father figure in my life. The real one.

Don't get me wrong, I love SF to death & is a wonderful father (figure). I am blessed to have him in my life! Guess God knew what he was doing!

My dad's wife (girlfriend at the time) had found me on Facebook & sent me a friend request. I denied it. Then there were some heated messages back & forth between us. Then, I decide she was not worth. She was not worth tearing up my nerves. I was better than that. She didn't know me, nor did she know my life or anything about me.

My dad & I would occasionally talk, but it would mostly be through text messages. I would normally have to send the first one too (still do).

When HW & I were helping plan a wedding last year, we went with the bride to view the site. It was in the same town that my dad lives in now. HW being the wonderful friend she is, asked if I wanted to go see him. I debated whether I really wanted to or not. She was driving that day. I didn't want to make an extra trip. It felt selfish. She was very supportive though. I hadn't seen him since I graduated high school (2006), I think. I said yes, then we headed that way. I began to get very nervous & sick to my stomach. I hadn't seen this person in so long. How was I suppose to act? Had he really changed, like he said he had? I didn't know him & he didn't know me.

When we got there, he was outside smoking a cigarette. We went inside & there was his mother (he takes care of her now), his sister, his nephew, his wife, & their dog. I spoke to everyone, but his wife. I have no use for her. Everyone was nice to me, but it was still awkward. I can say that I made the effort though.

Sometime last year, I was snooping on his wife's FB page & saw where they had went to TN. Which means, that they probably (may not have but that's what I think) drove right through the little county that I live in. Never heard a word.

I have trust issues. Ask my husband. I have gotten better though! I honestly believe it is because of my dad.

When we went on the Amazing Marriage Retreat in September, we had to write down a few things that we wanted to 'lay down'. We couldn't show them to anyone, not even our spouses. Then we burned them in the fire, as if to get them off of our hearts & minds, & give them to God. One of them was my dad (how I try so hard , how we don't have a relationship). I prayed & still do, but it is not easy. I still struggle with this. Guess that's why I am writing this book long post! Hoping that actually writing it down, will help me.

Not too long after the retreat, he sent me a text message. We sent some back & forth a few times, then he proceeded to tell me that he was going to be preaching again & he was active in the church they were attending. I honestly had a feeling that it was going to happen again. My mom did too. I pray that if it is really true, it is for the right reasons. Only him & God know that though.

When I think about having kids, it scares the hell out of me. What if my husband does the same thing? What if he leaves? I don't want nothing like that to ever to happen to us & I will try my hardest for it not to, but I still have those thoughts running in the back of mind.

How can you not want to have a relationship with your child? How can you not want to know what is going on in their life? How can you choose alcohol, drugs, people, anything, over your child?

I feel like I have tried so many times, but nothing ever happens.

Most of the women in my family have been married twice, & the second marriage is the one that has lasted. When I was younger, I told my Granny that I did not want that to happen to me.

I didn't write this post for sympathy or attention. I didn't write it to bad mouth anyone. I wrote it to hopefully get it off of my chest. My mom told me a while back that maybe I should write it down or write him a letter, to get it off of my chest! I haven't written a letter, but this works for now!

Please pray, as I continue to deal with this & hopefully 'lay it down'!

*not going to lie, I debated whether I should press the 'publish post' button or not!

Goals & Pinterest!

2012-01-04T06:46:00.000-08:00

Sunday evening, I sat down & wrote my New Year's resolutions/goals in my fabulous new planner! I am so in love with that thing! Anyways, I normally don't even attempt to do New Years resolutions. I don't know even know if I really like the word 'resolution.' I like think I like 'goals' better!

I thought if I actually wrote them down & blogged about them, maybe I would actually push myself more to do accomplish them! Here is my list!

Be a better wife.

That's self explanatory! I know that there is

always something that I need to improve.

Lose weight.

Isn't that on everyone's list, each year!?

I want to eat healthier & quit drinking soft

drinks (I've done it before, so hopefully

I can do it again!). I want to go to Zumba

more, or just exercise more in general.

Make at least 10 things off of Pinterest.

Should be easy, right!? Below you will see

that I am already working on one, so then

I only have nine more to go, ha!

Start/finish scrapbooks.

-Wedding planning

-Wedding

-Honeymoon

-Cruise

-Christmas

I am so behind!!

Watch my attitude.

I can blame my family on this one ;)

We all are smart elects. Sometimes it

can be a good/funny thing, but sometimes

it can get us in trouble. This would better me,

my outlook on life, & how people see me. I

am not too concerned with how people see me

or what they think. God is the only one that matters,

& I am pretty sure he doesn't like my attitude sometimes!

Have more date days/nights.

We may live together, eat together,

watch tv together, but we need more

of those special moments! When it gets

warm, I want us to go fly a kite.

Random I know, but I think it would be

fun & I/we have never done it!

Be more organized.

Thanks to my lovely new planner, I hope

I can accomplish this more! I definitely

need to organize my scrapbook/office room.

Etsy.

I want to make more items

& help my shop grow more!

Shop for Christmas items more throughout the year.

This one might be a little silly to you! I already shop

throughout the year, but I want to do it more, to help

us out when the Christmas season comes back around!

Especially now with another vehicle payment!

Tithe.

I am not going to lie, I do not tithe

like I should! Starting now, I want

to do better. We went to a

Dave Rasmey seminar through our

church & he talked about the

importance of tithing. I already knew

how important it was, but something

really hit me while we were there.

Work/finish the basement.

Our basement was unfinished when we bought it.

It is a big basement, with a wall inbetween, making

it into two rooms. One side is where our laundry

area is & the boat. The other side (the side you walk

into, coming from upstairs) is where our wood stove is.

Hubby has already painted the wood stove side of the

basement. We want to get some carpet down, & then

put my Great-Grandmother's pool table down there!

It's a lot, but I want to accomplish as much as possible!!

I am linking up again, for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!

As I said before, MT is going to do her little girls first birthday party in owls!

You know as soon as she told me, I got excited about this! I pinned this owl

on Pinterest a while back & knew immediately that it would be perfect.

Well, here is my version! Please excuse the mess behind it!

I am going to make a little party hat to go on top

as well! MT has not seen it yet, but MW has!

Maybe I am just a bit partial, but I think it

is too cute! What do you think?!

I still have to make a banner & work on treat bags for the party, ha!