yeah... i know

look... i know... i've be busy (head down and ashamed)... but i am here to share an awesome giveaway with any of you who may stumble my way.

how does a trip to Paris sound? to good to be true? yeah- tell me about it!!!

check this out
http://ohhappyday.com/2011/06/goes-to-paris

Fabulous Food Friday - Potato Soup

UPDATE: There is a recipe swap that is taking/took place over at Simply Modern Mom

Colder weather
gets me in the mood
for a big 'ol bowl of
potato soup.
Here is a recipe that I hope you enjoy as much as we do!

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 to 2 celery ribs, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
3 to 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tea. minced/chopped garlic (optional-but great!)
1 tea. minced chives (optional)
1 1/2 tea. sugar
1/2 tea. salt
1/4 tea. dried rosemary, crushed
1/8 tea. pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk, divided (see below before measuring)
1 1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 cup frozen peas

Directions:
1. In a saucepan, saute onion and celery in butter until tender.
2. Add broth, potatoes, sugar, salt, rosemary, garlic, and pepper; bring to a boil.
3. Reduce hear; cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.
4. Combine flour and 1/2 cup milk until smooth; gradually stir into soup.
5. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Stir in ham, peas and remaining milk; heat through. **I don't always add the remaining 2 full cups of milk. Add milk slowly until you reach the desired consistency. I personally prefer a thicker soup!

Oh my... makes my mouth water thinking about it... I think I might just go warm me up a bowl!
Serve with honey cornbread and enjoy!

I am a bad, non-consistent, always neglecting, pitiful blogger... this makes me sad... mainly because when I found out I was expecting, I got super excited to have something to blog about! My plan was to use this blog to keep track and journal my progress and new pregnancy experiences...

Needless to say... that didn't happen... :-(

Pregnancy has come and gone and - believe it or not- she is already a few days shy of being 2 months old! Can you believe it?!? (well- I am sure you can... you may not have even known I was expecting) But I sure can't believe it... where has the time gone?

oh... she is waking..

Super Pout

She has perfected the pout!

I'm Impressed

I have impressed myself at exactly how long I can go WITHOUT BLOGGING! March- seriously?!?
The funny thing is- I actually have had things to blog about... bummer huh?

Well, school is about to start back up in full swing... so with my one week left of summer, I am going to try my best to get up-to-date with all of this summers events. I can tell how excited you are!

Pancakes...

hubby made me pancakes yesterday for breakfast...

he loves me :-)

Giveaways out the WaZoo

Some of my dear, real-life friends, are doing giveaways at their blogs this week...

*pst- i am being promoted in one of the giveaways... well, my photography*

Jessie at My life is written on an etch-a-sketch is phenomenal at being artsy/crafty... she is giving away a spoon pendant... they are soooo cool! the contest is open till feb. 7th... i think i like this one the best...


and my other friend Jessica, over at Don't Give Him Crackers is doing giveaways for a week (starting tomorrow- sunday, feb. 1st) to celebrate her 500th post... she is offering one of my photographs... woo hoo!

i love my friends... even if we are in three different states.... and never see each other... i miss them... and i love them dearly!

This is it....

well... can you believe that this is it? my 100th post... too bad it took from april 15th, 2007 to make it to 100.... yeah.... there have been a lot more than a hundred days to pass me by...

well... my plan has not amounted to much... you see, i had big hopes of coming up with a scavenger hunt for "my readers"! and there was going to be a prize! woo hoo!...

that didn't happen... YET!!! it is coming... just not right now...

for now, instead of a fun time for you, i am going to have fun time for me... below you are going to find my favorite posts... have fun reflecting with me over my last 100 posts... (in no particular order... well- that's a lie- they are from oldest to most recent)

We Freed the Hotdogs

Mother Daughter Blonde Moment

Need a good laugh? (video)

Rewind Episode #2

Paid The Price

Blog Party Like a Rock Star

Cardboard Testimony (video)

Shrubbery is my Weakness! (video)

3 Down Many More to Come

True Woman '08

Happy 100 to me!

which post was your favorite?

I'm Doing A Giveaway! Carnival Style...

!!!UPDATE!!! and the winner of the classic put all the names in a hat and pull one out is.....

Mary! from My Life in Scotland

Mary was a friend of mine from high school... haven't seen each other in years... then found each other again on the world wide web.... good thing it is world wide cause she now lives with her hubby in scotland... yeah- i hate her for that too! *jk*

Mary- contact me and let me know which print you want... i also have a few more if you want to pick from them...

oh... that was fun...

well... i hope the title gives it away... but, for those of you that... oh forget it, i'll be nice...

in honor of my recent photography contest win- i want to do a giveaway... HOWEVER... giveaways come with guidelines and rules- so here ya go...

***note to reader- this post and the following post go together***

Things to know:
~i will be giving away a 5x7 print of one of my photographs (0f your choice) - you may choose from the post below, or one from my etsy shop (www.dzdragonfly.etsy.com) i also have two ore that you will be able to choose from that have scripture...
~you can enter up to two times- first by writing a post and signing the linky, and second by leaving a comment (more details to come)

What to do:
1. Write a post on your blog about your favorite photograph- include what, when, where, who, and why it is your favorite.
2. In that post- be sure to mention/link back to THIS BLOG and encourage others to come visit this giveaway. (ok-ok- so this is a shameless plug to try and get some more "followers"... i love all 3 of you that currently read my blog... but i need a reason to keep up better with posting)
3. Come back here and sign the Mr. Linky- link back to your photograph post (not your whole blog)

And / Or

4. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post telling me which of my photos you think won "best in show" *see following post* there should be eight photos visible.
5. Be sure you have a valid e-mail address or blog so that I can get a hold of you if you are the winner.

~~~The giveaway will be closed on Tuesday, Jan. 20th and a winner will then be selected...

This is my 99th post... be sure to check back for my 100th post scavenger hunt and giveaway!

i got THE call...

**UPDATE** the picture that took 1st place and Best in Show... was called "The Village"... :-)(that's the one with the bike and pots)
thanks to everyone who joined in a played along :-)

have you ever gotten THE call... the one you had been waiting for anxiously... part of you wanting to hear the news and get it over with... and the other part wanting to drag your feet nervous about what you may hear?
well... today was that day.... i got THE call...

you see- last week i entered some pictures into our local, yearly photography contest... *i did last year as well*

after school today, as i was checking my voice mail, i got a message from the Kirby asking that i call back... that they had "good news"! this made me nervous... if you go check out the post from last year, i had created "big shoes" for myself and didn't want to get my hopes up and let myself down...

when i browsed the gallery last week, i noticed some really good shots... but of course mine were better... (just kidding) so i wasn't sure exactly what "good news" meant....

turns out that i won first place in one of the categories.... THEN that particular shot took "BEST IN SHOW"! woohoo *once they choose 1st in all of the categories, they choose best in show from the 1st place winners*

I have posted my shots along with this post... they are kinda all over the place... sorry about that.... i couldn't get them to go where i wanted them... grrr....

i am so tickeled with my win that i am going to DO A GIVEAWAY and Mr.Linky thing... you know, one of those "you post a post about what i ask and sign the linky and link back to me and leave a comment and then i will pick a random winner".... yeah- you know- one of those!.... rules to come in the post above

seriously?!?

i am well aware that i have neglected my blog... and have been 'mia' for a while... but seriously?!? was my last post really november 18th?!? wow- i have to saw that i have shocked myself.

i have done plenty of blog reading and hopping... but just no posting. i guess that is how life goes.

and to think back at all the things i could and SHOULD have posted about, but did not... sad... thanksgiving... my birthday... Christmas... and even new year's has come and gone... sheesh!

well- with all of those things going on, maybe that is the reason i haven't taken the time to sit down and write out my thoughts... humm

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?!?