i survived

for the past week (well- i guess i should say the week before saturday) i have been busting my tail end trying to prepare for "personality". personality is our county's version of a street fair. fair food-yum, carnival rides, craft booths, awareness booths, live/local music, etc. we live in person county- just in case you were wondering where they got the name 'personality'... yeah i know...

anyways- i had a booth. but it wasn't until a week before personality that i knew i was going to have a booth. you see- i e-mailed them (the powers to be) about a month or so ago to get information about setting up a booth to sell my stuff... never heard back... didn't think much of it... then- on thursday, november 6th- hubby surprised me- he had taken it upon himself to call the chamber of commerce and find out about getting a booth space... the deadline was the 7th- so- after school on friday- hubby and i went and signed up! woohoo!

then it hit me- i didn't have enough crafts to bother with even entertaining the idea of a booth.... so i spent the whole weekend and week up until this past saturday making jewelry until i had blisters... hubby even jumped on board and made 4 bracelets!

i had fun- but i am glad my first is over... i just didn't have a clue where to start or how much to do....

the most interesting part of this adventure was dealing with the weather... you see- we were OUTSIDE! that would have been fine, since the temp was in the 60's... but the 20mph winds didn't help out so much! especially when you are trying to hold down a 10x10 tent.... it was RIDICULOUS!

i didn't make any money- but i did brake pretty even.... and i still have quite a bit to sell... so a profit is still a possibility... looking for unique Christmas gifts?!?

here are some pics for your pleasure...

hubby's bracelet that he designed himself... it sold... and then she asked for matching earrings!

a pic of hubby helping me total up the cost of all the jewelry so we could price it accordingly... he was so helpful!

Vote Life

Millions of young lives depend on our election-day decisions. Over 35 years of hard won pro-life battles could be reversed if voters remain uninformed - especially Christian voters who alone could reclaim the rights of the unborn on November 4th.




We need to be wise and biblical in our decision making... we need to use God's word as a guideline...

here is a link to a recent sermon about Our Civic Responsibilities based on text from the book of Daniel. http://www.westwoodfamily.org/TheLibrary/Sermons/Message%2010-26-08%20Lessons%20From%20Daniel%20On%20Our%20Civic%20Responsibilities_24kbs.mp3

He's Gone and Done It!... AGAIN!!!

hubby has a blog :-)

AND HE HAS POSTED AGAIN!!!

he is going to show me up i'm afraid

stop by and read how it came about...

then leave him some love so he will keep the bloggin' up

*click the banner*

New Shoes...

well... i think the title is self explanatory...

however, how the new shoe extravaganza can about it not quite as it should have been...

i needed new jeans- BAD! being a teacher- jeans are not in the equation as much anymore- so jean days only roll around once or twice a week... and i have been living with only one fitting pair for a while now.... therefore- needed to jeans to help welcome in the fall season. by the way- i HATE shopping for jeans...

coach and i went to Danville, Va last weekend to look for jeans... goodies was our first stop... lucked out and walked away with a pair that were on sale for $16 bucks! SCORE!!! my fav jeans are lucky brand and usually cost between 80 and 120 dollars... so to find a pair that fit ok for that cheep was awesome!

hubby loves new shoes because he destroys shoes... i can wear the same pair for years.... the life span of his shoes is 6 months tops! between playing sports and coaching - he wears them out and they literally fall apart...

i was happy with my find so i didn't mind going to the shoe carnival next door to see what they had.... never dreamed we would walk out with FIVE pair of new shoes!!! now granted- we did just save money on jeans... but holy cow! redonkulous (that's for katie)!!

hear me out though... i can justify them all :-)

i "needed" black boots.... the bottom of my heels fell off the winter before last (ya know - the plasticy part that makes all the noise when you walk- yeah- that's been gone for a while- just a big hollow heel- pretty ghetto) and because i was buying them at regular price... hubby was able to get a pair half off (the asics)... not bad for tennis shoes... and old ones have been stankin'. then we made our way to the back wall with all the clearance... hello! arn't those heels cute! and on sale for $14! and as you can see below... hubby found two pair he liked on clearance... both were under $25 each... and he too "needed" some black semi-dress/casual shoes... his old sketchers needed to find a trash can! and well- the brown fubus were just adorable on him (i don't know that he would appreciated that description- how about - they were hot)

so there ya go! gotta love new shoes!

True Woman '08

I returned last night from a women's conference in Chicago. It was phenomenal! Some of you may be familiar with Nancy Leigh DeMoss- or her popular book Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free- or maybe her ministry Revive Our Hearts. Anyways- True Woman is a ministry within the Revive Our Hearts ministry. This years conference in Chicago was the first of hopefully many to come. Being able to experience God in the presence of over 6,000 women is amazing. I was able to go with 8 women from our church, plus meet up with my dear friend Courtney once we got there. Through the many speakers (Pastor John Piper, Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Mary Kassian, Karen Loritts, Janet Parshall, Joni Tada, and many more), and worship led by the Gettys, God got a hold of me in many ways. More on that is to come.

But what I really want to share with you now is a spiritual movement that is underway... and you can be a part of it! The theme verse for the conference was Esther 4:14, "Who know whether you have come to the kingdom for such a time as this." And over and over again during the 3 days, Now Is The Time was stressed... the time to become true women- biblical women - embracing the womanhood that God designed for us. Below you will find the True Woman Manifesto.

John Piper was quoted saying, "I regard the True Woman Manifesto as a faithful, clear, true, wise—indeed—magnificent document. What an amazing thing it would be if hundreds of thousands of women in America signed on with their heart to the True Woman Manifesto."

Take some time to read...dwell...study...and pray through the True Woman Manifesto. (I am still in the process of doing this!)

If you see biblical womanhood as a gift from God, and agree with the True Woman Manifesto, sign it by filling out the form HERE. We (Revive Our Hearts Ministry) are believing God for 100,000 people like you to join this movement!

If you want to be a part of the True Woman Manifesto and have signed the document online, take a stand and LET ALL READING THIS KNOW!

Not sure how to to do this?
1. Post about your decision to sign the True Woman Manifesto on your blog. Be sure to mention this blog so that others can come sign the Mr. Linky also... spead the word!
2. Click on the title of your post so the only post showing on your page is the one you just wrote.
3. Copy the address of that post.
4. Come back here to my blog.
5. Type your name in Mr. Linky, and then paste the address to your True Woman post.
6. Click Enter.

Now In Theaters- TONIGHT!

I am super excited about seeing this movie... we have tickets for this Sunday! WooHoo! If it is showing in your area- go check it out...

Most Embarrassing... well here goes...

while i was browsing a friends blog this afternoon... i found one of those posts... write about the blog topic and then sign up on the Mr. Linky... ya know what kind of a post i am talkin about... anyways... as you probably could tell from the title... here goes nothing...

my most embarrassing moment has nothing to due with pregnancy or motherhood (sorry- but that is a good thing cause i don't have any kiddos yet...)

the story she shared about her experience in high school took me back to middle school... those dreaded years... my most embarrassing moment was more than a moment... it was a WHOLE DAY of torture...

it all started when my mom let the dog out the night before... the most horrible thing a dog can go through happened to poor old suzie... she got sprayed by a skunk... the attempt to clean began... you see she was an indoor dog... therefore we spent several hours in tomato juice up to our knees in hopes to eliminate the smell before bringing her inside... she was one of those dogs that leaving her out was not an option...

anyways- for those of you who have ever had to deal with such a task know the impossibility of it... needless to say- the dog smelled better- but the stench of skunk was still around...

that next morning i went to school as usual... thankful to get out of the house and away from the smell of skunk... or so i thought...

as soon as i sat down in homeroom to let the day begin, people around me began to complain... you see- our house and our noses were so full of the smell of skunk that we didn't realize that WE too smelled like that lovely beast. the kids around me all started moving away as quickly as they could... some even asked to go to the nurses station cause they thought they were going to throw up... this continued in every class for the whole day... IT WAS AWFUL! i was an awkward kid that got teased as it was- let alone to have to deal with this...

well- now that i had to relive that... i think i am going to go curl back up in bed...

to join in the fun go visit http://momfessions.blogspot.com/

Strange Obsession - Caught In The Act

ok... so this is to give you just a glimpse of Heidi's obsession in real time... this has been going on for WEEKS! "the vent" that she has the only interest in is the one in the computer room... where we spend a large part of the evening... she does follow us when we leave the room and doesn't stay and sit if we are not in that room... but when we are... this is what she does...

oh yeah... and for those of you who don't know my dog personally... she is a little weird... this isn't the first...

Strange Obsession

everytime... all of the time... any ideas or suggestions?!?

travel photography

here is a pic i took this summer while in florida... i really love the colors and the warmth... i may add it to my etsy shop... yeah- believe it or not- i have one!... i would love to be a photographer/crafter full time and make a living that way... ha- i don't see that happening any time soon... a girl can dream can't she?!?

if you could be anything when you "grow-up", what would you be and why?!? (come on lurkers- you too- don't be shy!)

a little behind

ok-- i know, i know... i have gotten out of the blogging habit once again- arg! getting back into the swing of things with school and all has been very time consuming... plus i am a procrastinator.... and when i put something off for a little while- i put it off even longer -cause i am behind- then i really put it off because i don't like to face the reality that i am way late on something- a great example- this blog... an ever better example- hubby and i have yet to order wedding pictures...yeah... and they are already paid for...go figure....

i have so much i want to blog about- i was even tempted to start a list so i would remember all of it... good thing i started the 'rewind episodes' a while back... you may see A LOT of those soon... well, let's be honest... maybe soon

Vote!

Here's your chance to let the media know where the people stand on our faith in God, as a nation. NBC is taking a poll on 'In God We Trust' to stay on our American currency. Please send this to every American you know so they can vote on this important subject.

Please do it right away, before NBC takes this off the web page.

Poll is still open so you can vote.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10103521/

Back to Reality

well... our two weeks of fun in the sun has come to an end...

we got home last night around 9:30... made it to church this morning... have vegged all afternoon... dreading starting back to work tomorrow... summer is officially over... :-(



BUT- i do have tons - and i mean TONS- of pics from our trip and some good bloggin to go with them... it just might take a few days...

Time for Takeoff...

Well... there ya have it... kinda makes me not want to go... ugh... 14 hours? really?!? can i handle that again?

2 weeks on a vacation getaway... just me and hubby... final lazy days before school starts... he is a blast to travel with... resort hopping... 3 nights at Wyndham Sea Gardens... 4 nights at Wyndham Palm Aire... 4 nights Wyndham Bonnet Creek... that sounds better...

before you ever ask... we decided that while we were down there to try a few of the resorts that are part of our timeshare... compare them for friends, family, or a return trip for our self... i don't mind... i think it will be fun... each resort has different things to offer...

ok- i seriously have to go pack... i am not a good packer... i pack too much... i pack last minute... i usually forget something... did i mention that packing is not my thing?!?...

i know that it would be of no surprise to most of you to see me absent from blogging for a week or two... but i have been trying to be a good bloggirl lately... i will try my best to post.. heck who am i kidding... the beach awaits me :-)

i will share all the joys and photos to prove it when i return :-)

update~~~ not sure why- but the links i provided above will only take you to view ONE of the resorts... even though i did each link separately... ok... if you are interested in checkin out the places... click on the first one (Sea Gardens) and check it out... then from that page click the blue button that says Explore Resorts... drop down- click by region... then there you have it... you can search any and all of the resorts in Florida... happy surfing... which brings me to my next point... we can sometimes book vacations for YOU... see something you like and i will see if anything is available...

Summer Fun

She never saw it coming...

5 Minutes for Mom is holding a summer fun photo contest. You submit a photo showing some “summer fun” and you get a chance to win $500 bucks. Can I seriously not give it a 'shot'?!? Get it? haha- I am so darn hilarious :-)

3 down... Many more to come

Three years ago today, Coach and I got hitched! How exciting...

We had a lot of fun yesterday going through the events as they would have happened hour by hour three years ago... the nerves... the decorating... finding out that JT (who was driving up from NC to marry us) was not certified to wed in WV... panic of paper work/faxes to get him certified... getting a call from Bobby (groomsman) that he was stuck at an airport in the Bahamas and would be late... how late?!?...the rehearsal... dinner at the Pizza Place :-)... bowling with the bridal party and fam...Bobby missing the rehearsal but making it in time to bowl... night with the bridemaids at a hotel...

then today... going through the memories of waking up excited... after a night of not much sleep due to nerves... the note i left on his truck before heading off to get my hair and make-up done... getting to the church for final preparations... the fun of getting into that dress without messing up the hair and make-up... time with my bridesmaids (Jessie, Emily, Sara, Lindsay)... 3 of us helping one of the girls zip up her dress... my bouquet arriving ALL WRONG even though i gave them a picture to go by... realizing that my flower arrangements weren't what i expected either... holding up the photographer while i waited for a new bouquet... (ok- so i wanted something small and hand tied with a ribbon- but got one of those long arm ones that they carry in pageants- i don't think so!)... new bouquet showing up with only minutes to spare (still not exactly like i dreamed... but better that that darn arm thing)... mom's purse being snatched and Lindsay's money stolen during bridal party pics... wedding liaison swapping out the candles -we had spent hours burning down the day before so they looked prettier -with fresh new unburnt candles because she thought new candles would be better (needless to say she didn't ask before doing this)... lots of pre-wedding pics without hubby... until finally it was about time... the music starting... Pachelbel's canon in D... cue for the girls... one at a time... then me... seeing him standing at the front... him helping me up the steps in that big dress... vows... Jessie pulling his ring off her thumb with her mouth (haha- looked as though she had held it in her mouth then popped it out of her mouth)... unity candle while Cara sang 'God Blessed the Broken Road'... as JT is praying before the big kiss, him handing hubby a breath mint... me getting the giggles while he is still praying because i saw him slip shawn the mint (i had my head bowed, but eyes were open because i was teary and didn't want my mascara to run)... THE KISS!... becoming Mr. and Mrs... walking out to "This Will Be (An Everlasting Love)"... exiting the church under a cloud of bubbles... then drive around the block just to come back in and take lots of pics... then off to the reception... big entrance... lots of good food (thanks mom!)... about to toast and cut the cake... "WAIT! you mom is outside on a smoke break"... standing by the cake for 2 minutes with a knife in my hand waiting for mom... getting a big laugh when she came back in and everyone applauded her arrival...ok... cut the cake... first dance to "At Last" (it was beautiful Cara)... dollar dance... bouquet caught by a very evil woman-more to come about that...lots of fun and good memories... time for clean up and emily's camera was 'missing'... evil woman claimed to have put it in one of the gift bags... finish clean up...

hubby and i off to our honeymoon suite... i will spare you those details...

next day... decided money would be good for honeymoon... opened cards... some cards already open... money missing... hummm... no camera either... turns out that the evil woman who was suppose to be helping in the kitchen helped herself to money and a camera... apparently, she greeted guests at their arrival to the reception and so kindly offered to take their cards and gifts to the table... grrr... we later learned that she tried to help herself to the dollar dance money but groomsman Nick thought it would be best kept with him... thanks Nick!...

off we drove to Peterstown, WV (hubby's hometown)... cookout/celebration for those to didn't make the drive up to P-burg for wedding... good time... spent 2nd night as a married couple sleeping in shawn's brother's twin size bed... haha

woke up early and drove to Florida... long, long drive... 1 night in Orlando with Nick and Martha... 3 nights in Fort. Lauderdale... 3 nights in Weston, Fl... 4 night cruise to Bahamas... it was wonderful- well worth the drive...

and now... three years later... happily married... i am so thankful that God put him in my life... i couldn't ask for anything better...

for Shelia...

Hey... I am entering a give-away... but not for myself... for SHELIA of momfessions... she has baby number 2 on the way and this would rock...

check out what an AWESOME give-away! can you believe it?!? i was totally stoked when i won this coffee mug... can you imagine scoring with this kind of win!!! go check it out here.

if you don't need it for yourself...

Shelia would be very appreciative :-)

Umbrella...remix of course

not very many posts eh?

i am not intentionally a bad blogger... :-(

"Let's Go P-Burg! "(dunt-dunt-du-du-dunt)

Parkersburg made it to the top 20 for Title Town USA! Who would have guessed :-)
Go HERE to vote for Parkersburg to be Title Town USA 2008.

in the car again...

It seems as though we have been in the car a lot lately... with hubby and I both being teachers... summers off allow us to travel and visit family without the worries of taking time off from work. nice! no restricitons or deadlines to be back... makes time with family a little more relaxing.

However... as nice as it is to come and go as we please... the untold hours in the car are not so much fun... especially for hubby (my eyes just get so tired).

With that being said... we are in the works of planning a 14 hour drive to Flordia in 2 weeks... Yay for Flordia and the hot summer sun... Boo for FOURTEEN hours in the car...

Two of my favorite summertime words...

well... they use to be... that was until today when the unloading of the attic began... and kept coming... and it still coming...
one of my favorite things about summer when i was a kid was having and heading to yard sales... it is like a scavenger hunt...
i guess when i was little, mom did most of the work... because today- i am exhausted... and the sale isn't until tomorrow and Saturday...

the untold amounts of stuff that we had in the crawl space we call an attic was unbelievable! and the sad thing is... most of it is new in the box... or still has tags! i am a pack rat like no one else!

tomorrow...when we unload all of the hundreds of dollars of treasures onto the tables... and wait patiently for strangers to go through our personal belongings... and pay us maybe 2% of what we originally paid... i want to take pictures of the... ummm... unusual things we have come across... i will post those tomorrow... maybe you will get a laugh like we did!

Cardboard Testimony

What is your cardboard testimony?
Could you even narrow it down to one?
How is God at work in your life?
How are your allowing God to use you?
Think about it...

Shubbery is my weakness...

Cheap Make-Up... gotta at least post once during the month of May

So... I was blog hopping the a little bit ago and found a website with really cheap make-up... great for all of us who cringe over $6.00 eye shadow...
How does $1.00 sound for eyeshadow... and eye liner... and foundation... and... the list goes on and on and on...

And to make this ever a better deal... enter the coupon code 'CAROLINA' and you get 50% off your order (up to $15 off)... I just ordered 12 items... shipping cost $6.95... and my total payment was $12.95... HELLO?!?!? you can't beat that!

ok... i blogged... well at least a little blog... it has been a hectic month... pray for me

Life's a Beach...

Or so I wish...

I LOVE the beach... I LOVE, LOVE the beach... the sand between my toes, the sound of crashing waves, the splash of water up around my ankles (water was too cold to go any deeper this time)...

Coach (aka my husband) and I were able to escape this past weekend and take a mini-vacation. We had a few days off of school and we needed a break!!! Two of our friends from church came along with us...

Allow me to take you on vacation with us...

So we headed south with a mission...

Our first stop was at a winery... but we missed the tour... and I forgot to take a picture of the cute little bistro... so...

We drove about a mile up the road from the winery to witness... first hand... a must see... the World's Largest Frying Pan... how could we not?!?it looked like they had it covered... I guess for winter... there were big-ol-bumble bees swarming everywhere! and it smelled like burnt grease...


The guys were thrilled... let me tell ya...

Then we continued south towards Wilmington...


trying to park was interesting... we found a pay-to-park lot. We parked and followed the signs to figure out where to pay. We found a big metal box. The directions said to fold up dollar bills and stick them into the slot with the correlating number (where you parked). That seemed a little shady so we went and found a meter instead. We walked around for a while... mainly down by the river. That evening we stayed in a very classy joint. Can't you tell my the glassless table top and chairs with no bottoms??? This was very unique patio furniture. I think Martha Stewart must have done the decorating.
(Let's just say it was the cheapest we could find in Wilmington)

One good thing offered in Wilmington was diner at the Olive Garden... my fave! :-)

After all the 'fun' we had in the Wilmington area, we headed on down to Myrtle Beach. We got there around noon on Sunday... so we had some time to kill before we could check in to our resort.

We decided to lay out first and get some sun while it was out... forecast was for rain later in the day. After burning for about an hour... and yes- i got burnt... we took a walk and made it down to one of the piers. We had lunch at a little joint by where the old Pavillion use to be (sad that it is gone).

Later that evening we went to play Miniature Golf- aka Putt-Putt- at "Captian Hooks". Then on to dinner at Crabby Mikes in Surfside, SC. Kevin was proud of his mad ice-cream cone skills.

Well... the rest of the trip... well... was the beach! We had a great time enjoying the warm weather and staying in our timeshare. (yes- we have a timeshare... actually... three... but that's another story for another day... and to think... they tried to get us to buy more!...grrr)

Here are some random 'beach' pictures...