Life of two Hills

Interesting Summer wrap up in a nut shell...

2011-09-02T10:37:00.002-04:00

Well the rest of my summer was very interesting. About a week after I posted my last blog Cray was in a motorcycle accident. Thank God he only broke his collar bone and it was the other guys fault. So for the past 2 months that has been our main focus. He ended up having a metal plate put in because of the way the bone broke and is now thankfully doing well. He is back to working out and trying to get his strength back up.

Here is a photo of the metal plate.

I started school about 3 weeks ago. It's going well. I had my first test last week and I made a 98 on it so I'm very happy about that. Well that was the rest of the summer for me. I'm so thankful that fall is right around the corner. I'm looking forward to cooler weather and fun times coming up.

Past 5 months in reverse...

2011-06-28T11:03:00.000-04:00

Cray and I celebrated our 3rd Anniversary on June 21st. We had a blast at the Whitewater Center in Charlotte.

School ended May 10th and unfortunately I failed one of my classes. So I’ll retake that class along with another class in the fall. I think I’m still a little bitter about it. Even though going into my two weeks of finals I did not feel at all confident in moving on it still just kind of sucks. It’s all in God’s hands though and He has a reason for everything.

My 24th birthday was March 14th. Cray took me out for my birthday and that was about it. Still had school that day and homework.

And that about finishes what I’ve been doing the past 5 months. School took up so much of my time. I learned a lot and I look forward to going back in August and learning more. The past 7 weeks I’ve been very lazy. I’m taking a summer class that bores me to no end but I need it for my degree. I keep thinking to myself I need a real job. Working nights and sitting around the house all day is no fun. I look forward to finishing up my schooling and moving on.

How Awesome God is...

2011-02-01T16:22:00.001-05:00

So yesterday I made my bi-weekly grocery trip. I decided that I would pull cash from the ATM but for some reason what I thought was my correct pin was not my correct pin. I tried twice and no luck. So I went inside and had the teller pull cash for me. She said she would need to send me my pin number for security purposes. So I went on to the store and got all my things on the list plus a couple goodies. Happens every once in awhile. Well I spent 8 bucks over what I had pulled from the bank and of course my card was locked. So the cashier said I needed to pick a couple items to put back. No problem I was just going to put back my extra goodies that we didn’t need. Well the lady behind me asked how much I was over and when the cashier told her she said put it on her ticket. I told her there was no reason to do that. It was my mistake with locking my card and I didn’t need the items. She again told the cashier to put it on her ticket and she said to me if she were in my shoes she would hope the person behind her would do the same for her. I of course got tears in my eyes and said thank you.

The past couple of weeks our minister has been preaching about saying yes to God every morning and doing what He asks us to do. Whether it’s helping someone out or helping lots of people out. It’s all to glorify Gods kingdom and show people His love, and that lady just reminded me so much of it all. I couldn’t believe it. It was such a humbling experience. God is amazing and I love the ways He shows me how much He loves me.

Saying yes to God...

2011-01-17T14:50:00.000-05:00

Our minister is challenging us to say yes to God every day. It's so easy for me to live my life and just acknowledge God whenever I feel like it. So today when I woke up I said yes to God and I'm going to continue to say yes to Him because I know that without Him I am nothing and nothing I have done in my life or anything that has happened in my life is short of God's amazing glory. If he asks me to go I'll go. I'll be like Moses and just do it (without the excuses though).

Merry Christmas

2010-12-25T17:52:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

I hope your day was filled with love and family.

Fun Times....

2010-12-16T12:39:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday we got together with a few of our friends for some dinner and bowling. It was such a great time to relax and enjoy each others company. The boys decided back in November that they wouldn't shave their facial hair for the month and in December they would shave it into something interesting.

Here is Cray working on his beard.

Here are the boys all together.

My sister in-law and brother in-law came out bowling with us. It was a blast!! I love their little girls to bits.

Table Restore...

2010-10-29T17:50:00.000-04:00

I have it set in my mind that Cray can fix just about anything. He's got the gift people. He sees the good in a piece of furniture where as I can't see anything good about a beat up broken piece of junk. What can I say I'm blind when it comes to that stuff. Take exhibit A.

This table had that brown paint all over it. Cray liked it though because it had the claw feet legs and it had drop leafs. So he got started on it. Most of the time we work on projects together but homework is what takes up most of my time these days so he didn't have ~~the chance to make me do all the sanding~~ my help.

He did a fantastic job on it, but that really goes without saying if you've ever seen anything that he's worked on. Here are a few shots of the work he had done.

He took a router to the legs and added some class to them. When he explained his vision for the table I was not seeing the same thing but once again it turned out beautifully.

Here is what it looked like after he put in about 60 plus hours of work on it.

Beautiful right? Now I just need him to turn the garage into the dinning room.

Fall = Camping

2010-10-05T13:35:00.000-04:00

I love fall. I think I could be happy if fall was year round. This week and next are mid-terms. I'm so not looking forward to this. I have my first mid-term on Thursday. I have to perform everything I've learned so far in clinical class. I keep telling myself if I've passed it once then I can pass it again. Let's hope that stands true.

So in honor of fall and the fact that I'm half way through with this semester of school I think it's time to go camping. There is nothing better than freezing your backside off while sleeping on hard ground. Any takers??

Words for the soul....

2010-09-21T17:03:00.000-04:00

Work: A little
School work: A lot
Motivation: None

I’m having one of those days where I just can’t seem to get anything done. I’ve been looking at page 220 in my Anatomy & Physiology book for the past 15 minutes. It’s at this point that I want to give up and go home and see if I can accomplish something there. Unfortunately I can’t do that. So I took a minute to type into gateway.com (an online bible source) the word strength and see what it gave me. It gave me some wonderful reminders of God's love and strength. Enjoy!

Look to the LORD and his strength; seek his face always.
1 Chronicles 16:11

The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. The LORD is the strength of his people, a fortress of salvation for his anointed one.
Psalm 28:7-8

She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.
Proverbs 31:25

But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
2 Thessalonians 3:3

Apple Butter 101...

2010-09-20T08:19:00.000-04:00

So first off here in North Carolina people love to can stuff. I heard about it from my friends about all the things they have canned and I went to a salsa canning party a couple months back. Since then I’ve been really interested in canning some apple butter. So over Labor Day weekend my friend, Kerri and I decided we need to try it.

What we didn’t realize is that our day project would turn into a week. Now granted we know now that we should cook the apple butter in a crock-pot….makes it cook a LOT faster. So next year if we decide to embark on this adventure again we’ll remember to bring out the crock-pots first.

First off we decided that we wanted to actually go to an apple orchard to pick our apples. That was a blast.

After we picked a ½ bushel each we headed back to Kerri’s and peeled and cut them up. I think my thumb was sore for a week after that.

Then we put the cooked apples in a food processor then back into the pot with the spices to cook.

This of course is where we should have used crock-pots because it took FOREVER. We ended up giving up on cooking it the rest of the way that day and went and had dinner with friends from small group.

The next day Kerri figured she could cook it the rest of the way and can it. That didn’t happen so I brought her my two crock-pots and it was easy sailing from there. Here is the finished project.

All in all it was a blast and I hope we try again next year.

A back up ring...

2010-09-03T08:02:00.000-04:00

This week my ring is in the shop for its 6 month cleaning and inspection. My hand always feels so odd with out it.

So last night I nonchalantly asked Cray if I could have a back up ring for when mine is in the shop. He kindly but bluntly said no and went to sleep. I think it's a great idea but I think it's going to take a lot of begging to make it reality.

In other news yesterday was the end of my 3rd week of school. I've alrady had 6 tests and one pop quiz (that was NOT fun). I'm getting into a nice groove and everything is kind of starting to balance out. Thankfully it didn't take long at all. My family is coming in this weekend. I'm so excited to see everyone...it should be a great weekend!! Hope yours is great as well.

School check list....

2010-08-11T09:05:00.000-04:00

1) School books. Check

2) Scrubs. Check

3) Stethoscope. Check

4) Records completed. Almost

5) Office done. Check

6) Lost my mind. Not yet!

School starts on Monday for me. I'm excited and nervous at the same time. I received an email today from one of my advisers saying that I could go ahead and take my communications class since I don't have a full school load. I may not have a full school load but with school and work I'm full up. We will see though, as of right now all classes are booked but something might open up next week.

On a different note. Cray had an interview yesterday with the school for a programming position. He was the last person they interviewed and they said once they make their choice HR will contact him. So thankfully we will know no matter what. He feels like he did a good job and I'm sure that he did. It's all in God's hands now.

Best parts of summer...

2010-08-02T10:39:00.001-04:00

I love summer! I love the warm sun, the smell after it rains, the vacations, ice, summer camp. One of the best parts of summer is VBS. I loved VBS growing up and now that I'm an adult I get to help out with VBS and see all the children enjoy it. This year our theme was IPODS for Jesus. Our church staff did such a great job of putting it together. I'm truly blessed to have all of them in my life.

Here we are running through the music before the children show up.

We had a goal for the children this past week. We do homeroom hope project every year through our church. Our goal this year was 225 backpacks. They needed to bring in some to help us reach our goal. They went over our goal...we had a total of 322!! They did such an amazing job and in return yesterday all of our ministers got a pie in the face. Classic!

Here are our ministers taking the pie.

New do....

2010-07-19T09:09:00.001-04:00

This past week I decided I wanted to do something new with my hair. I'd been rocking the same hairstyle since I was nine and it needed to change. So Friday after work I went and had this done.

Reminder this is what it looked like.

I love it so much more now. It's shorter but I can still pull it back and I like the new part.

Well hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Pie Crust & Pecan Pie....

2010-07-12T10:00:00.000-04:00

My first attempt at making pie crust crashed and burned. It was horrible! So after chucking the dried out dough in the trash I called my mother and cried to her and asked what in the world I did wrong. Okay maybe I didn't cry. In the end really not sure what I did wrong but mom said when Cray and I came up on the July 4th weekend she and I would make pies together.

Making them with her was a total success!! Maybe my first attempt failed because I didn't have a pastry cutter or maybe I didn't add enough Crisco or maybe too much flour. Who knows!

Last night I tried making the crust on my own. S-U-C-C-E-S-S again!!! I was so very proud of myself. Cray had to endure me jumping up and down clapping my hands like a silly school girl.

Next I made a pecan pie. I found the recipe on The Pioneer Woman blog. It looks oh so good and I can't wait to try a piece tonight.

Blackberry Cobbler...

2010-07-01T16:27:00.001-04:00

Last night I made a very yummy blackberry cobbler. I found the recipe over at The Pioneer Woman. I've never read her blog until this week and I think she is amazing! She tells such great stories and has made some very wonderful dishes. I can't wait to try more!!

More Random Flowers

2010-07-01T10:18:00.000-04:00

So we have some more random flowers around our house. This one stumps me because we have lived in the house for two years, have never ever planted anything and these decided to come out this year. On top of that last year there was this flower bush looking thing and it died so Cray pulled it up from this spot. Lovely!

Quote of the Day

2010-06-30T13:37:00.000-04:00

"Those were deer…but not pretty ones."

Cray Hill

Colorado Vacation.....Day 7 & 8

2010-06-24T12:35:00.000-04:00

Thursday morning we finished up our one night camping trip. I think the best part was that morning we had smores for breakfast and the kids where over the moon excited about having sweets for breakfast. lol. I'm sure they are still asking if they can have smores for breakfast, poor Desha.

That afternoon Stephen, Cray and I went on a hike down the Black Cannon. First off this is now my number one favorite hike. It was so beautiful. First as you are walking down you see nothing but rocks, dirt, and sage. Then you start to hear some running water and before you know it a beautiful waterfall is running next to the path you are walking on. It was amazing!! The hike down was easy but back up not so much since we of course had to walk up out of the cannon. So worth it though.

On the last day the boys went on one last bike ride and Desha and I went on a hike close to town. Unfortunately the camera died at the end of our large hike down the black cannon. Someone left the charger at home. Not sure whose responsibility it was to grab it but oh well the camera stayed faithful and lasted almost the whole week.

So that concludes our amazing trip to Colorado. Can't wait to visit again!!

Colorado Vacation....Day 6

2010-06-22T10:48:00.001-04:00

Thursday was rafting day. I'll tell you the truth I was scared about rafting. I was so worried that I'd fall out of the raft and get washed down the river. My brother was so excited and every time he'd bring it up he'd look at me and say "Amber you look more worried then anything". LOL.

So we got a great deal on a raft from the college, and an extra bonus Stephen has a friend that is a tour guide for a local rafting place and he came along with us for free. I think I can say at this point that my brother knows everyone in Gunnison and so we got some great deals. Rafting was a BLAST!! First off I didn't fall out...YAY...and second it was just fun. We didn't take the camera on the trip but took some photos before we went on our way.

After our trip down the river we made a last minute decision to go camping with Matt and Christina. So glad that we made that choice. We traveled back up into the Crested Butte mountains and found a great camping space by the river.

We had an amazing time eating and talking by the camp fire. Of course by morning my back was killing me but hey I camped in Colorado :)

Colorado Vacation....Day 5

2010-06-17T09:27:00.000-04:00

On Wednesday we all hopped in my brothers truck and headed up to Crested Butte. It is at a higher elevation then Gunnison and they still have a lot of snow. We were hoping to go sledding but my brother forgot the sleds. No big deal we still played in the snow and had a great time. I was amazed at how much snow they still had. Here in Charlotte the snow stays for maybe a day if that. So here we are in June and I was standing on snow that was almost as tall as Cray. CRAZY!!

So our goal was to make it to the top of the mountain in the truck and then do a little hike to this lake that is on top but the snow stopped us from getting to the lake that way. Thankfully there is always more then one way to get somewhere. The lake was so beautiful and peaceful. I could have spent hours up there just taking it all in.

After the hike we went to Peta Paradise. They have amazing peta sandwiches. I had the hummus peta. So very yum-o!

That concludes day 5.

Colorado Vacation....Day 3 & 4

2010-06-15T09:21:00.001-04:00

Monday morning the guys got up at 5 and went out to the Blue Mesa to fish. I was going to go with them but decided spending 8 hours on a boat with 5 boys didn't sound like so much fun. So Desha, the kids, and I went to the park and walked around town.

Here is one of Cray's catches.

That night we went to a cookout with their small group. Of course we all had to try the fish, it was very yummy.

Tuesday was another easy day for me. We went on a little bike ride with the children and played by the river. After lunch at the Blue Iguana, a great Mexican restaurant, the boys went for another bike ride in the mountains. At this point I'm guessing Cray thought Stephen was trying to kill him.

That concludes day 3 & 4. Some very relaxing days but don't worry some really fun trips are about to come up!

Colorado Vacation....Day 2

2010-06-14T07:12:00.000-04:00

So the next day was Sunday. My brother is the music/youth minister at this great local church. If I didn't think the people would have looked at me funny I would have taken some pictures of where they worship. They don't have a building so they meet in this really cute coffee shop.

Their congregation is around 30 or so people. It's great...I'm so accustom to a very large worship service with a large praise team and all. It was nice to go to something very simple for a change.

After church we went back to my families house and had lunch with some of their friends from small group. It was cool to meet the people my brother hangs out with all the time. I love it that he is close to his friends in small group. I feel so blessed to have such great friends in my small group here at home and it makes my heart happy that my brother and his wife have that as well.

After a great lunch prepared by Desha (my sister in-law) Steve, Cray and I went mountain biking. Now I'm not great on a bike. 99% of the time I'm going to get hurt if I ride a bike. I wanted to give it a try though and check off mountain biking from my list for our week of vacationing.

Colorado Trip...Day 1

2010-06-12T19:25:00.002-04:00

Last week Cray and I took our first big vacation together as a married couple. We decided to take a trip to Colorado. One my brother and his family live out there and two Cray had never been to the west side of the country (or on a plane).

I figured it all out and it would save us around 800 bucks if we flew into Colorado Springs and rented a car and drove the 3 1/2 hour drive to Gunnison. So that was the plan. We would spend 9 days with my family and do the extreme vacation. That included fishing, lots of hiking, mountain biking, rafting, camping, and eating some great local food.

The first day of course was flying out. Which was great! I love to fly and it was really fun watching Crays expressions and hear what he had to say about the airports and the flying. He loved the take off. It reminded him of drag racing.

Here is us waiting in Charlotte to board the plane.

Here is the view from the air.

Cray looking out the window.

Us reading while waiting for our next flight from Texas to Colorado.

The view in Colorado Springs.

This is part of Monarch Pass. I've been told that in the winter this is a crazy drive and you would be best just staying put. We did see a little bit of snow here.

That basically completes day 1. A whole lot of traveling but it was still really fun.

Beach Trip....

2010-05-22T13:29:00.000-04:00

Last weekend we took a trip with some friends to Holden Beach. It was very relaxing. I'm not sure if it was just a secluded beach or if no one was traveling to the beach until Memorial weekend but you wouldn't see but 5 other people on the beach that whole weekend. It was wonderful.

We traveled down in two groups. One Friday morning and the other Friday evening. I was in the second group with my friends Darcen and Susan. We got there around 8ish. This was a place we paced on the way. Not sure why this man has all this stuff but we thought it was interesting and kind of creepy.

We got to the beach around 8ish. The other group had been there since around 1.

Saturday we spent most of the day at the beach. Like I said before no one was really at the beach that weekend so it was very nice. Not to hot either.

Here is everyone playing in the water and the boys playing with the sea creatures.

Saturday night we went to a local restaurant and had some amazing grilled shrimp burgers. I know it sounds nasty but they were amazing. Afterwards we went and played a game of miniature golf.

Sunday we took one last walk on the beach, took some photos and then went back to the local restaurant for one last shrimp burger and went home. It was a wonderful weekend and I hope it's something we can do again.

School....

2010-05-18T12:09:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my orientation into the Medical Assisting program. It went great. I have a lot of things to check off my list before August but I feel very confident in finishing it all. I had a major let down yesterday. After the orientation I went over to the financial ad office to see where my status was on how much funding I would receive from the school for my classes. They informed me that Cray and I make way too much money and I will not be receiving any government funding and I can't apply for the school scholarships.

I'm so very disappointed. School costs so much and no matter what they think about our income I know it's not enough to pay for school. Especially when I quite my job in August and start school full time. There is just no way. So I've been spending my morning surfing the web looking for any and all scholarships that I can apply for. My last resort is loans. I don't want to take out loans for school but if that's my last resort I'll do it.

Please keep Cray and I in your prayers as we make decisions for my education. Either way I'm going to school full time in August. It's just trying to figure out how we are going to accomplish this financial step.

Summer Time...

2010-05-13T09:42:00.000-04:00

Well school is over! My grades are in, I made a C in Medical Terminology and a B in Algebra/Trigonometry. I've finally excepted my C in Medical Term. Memorizing does not come naturally for me and I believe that I truly gave it my best.

Now that it's officially summer time, and I have 3 months of freedom until I commit full time to school, I'm looking forward to a couple trips Cray and I have planned.

This weekend it's all about this....

I'm looking forward to being a beach bum and hanging out with some amazing friends. Have a great weekend!!

Lovely....

2010-04-27T12:52:00.000-04:00

So we have some random flowers in our backyard.

Last summer Cray would just mow around them. This year he decided to dig them up and move them to a safer spot. I really hope they hold up because I enjoy them very much.

Thoughts....

2010-04-20T13:20:00.000-04:00

Cray’s uncle passed away last week. It was unexpected so as you can imagine it was a very big shock to the family. Cray’s uncle was only 62. It has made me think about my own life. If I would die today what mark would I have made on the world?? It also made me think of Noah and Abraham. Do you think that they thought their lives were to short? I mean they lived for 700 + years. Still to them was that enough time to live the lives they wanted? Guess it shows that you only have one life to be the example God wants you to be. So don’t waste your life on unimportant things.

On a side note, I have 2 weeks left until school is over. CRAZY!! I can’t believe it…I’m having a heart attack just thinking about it. Some days I feel very confident and ready for my finals and then others I feel like I’ve learned nothing. Pray that my nerves calm down. Also I have about 7 1/2 weeks until I run my 5K. I’m up to a mile and a half; I run that in 14 minutes, 10 seconds. I’m very comfortable at a mile so I’ve been very reluctant to add anymore. My loving husband has been my coach. I thought I would never be able to run with him because he’s more extreme than me but it’s turned out to be very helpful.

I'm in.....

2010-03-23T15:22:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I received my acceptance letter into the medical assisting program! YAY!! I'm so very excited and nervous. I’ll start school full time in August. Wish me luck!!

Good Times...

2010-03-15T12:38:00.000-04:00

This past weekend Cray and I met up with some friends in Gatlinburg. My best friend’s husband was home on R&R so we decided the best way to be able to see everyone would be to meet half way. It rained most of the weekend but that didn’t stop us from having a great time. Friday night and Saturday we stayed inside and played pool and other games. On Sunday we checked out of the cabin and went over to the Old Mill for some lunch. If you ever find yourself in Gatlinburg they have the BEST breakfast! After that we went over to an old time photo place and had our picture taken. The time together was short but we made some great memories!

Confessions...

2010-03-11T10:37:00.000-05:00

Kind of reminds me of Usher's song...Okay so I’m a freak about the Twilight books. My sister was the first to tell me about the books when the first one came out back in 2005. I wasn’t interested but I finally read them in 2008 and feel in love with them just like every other girl has! The third movie Eclipse comes out June 30th and they just released the first trailer....YAY!! Here it is for all...Enjoy!

Happy Birthday to ME...

2010-03-09T12:23:00.000-05:00

So my birthday is this weekend. I sent some ideas to my loving husband and of course he turns around and tells me to pick one out and go get it. Always takes away from the surprise part. *sigh* Oh well!! So I decided to go with this lovely thing.

Our camera is getting old. It likes to turn off once you take a picture. So time to upgrade. I wanted something light and easy to use. I'm not very teche when it comes to cameras but this looked like a good one. Let's hope it is!

Snow...

2010-02-13T11:53:00.001-05:00

Well it snowed again in NC. It's a couple inches I would say. This was last night at about 10:40.

This will make it the 2nd time in 3 weeks that it's snowed here, which is rare for Charlotte. Cray and I went out this morning to play in it. It was fun but a little cold.

Of course Goochie had fun too.

In other news my classes are going well. I had my first bad grade in medical terminology yesterday. It was a C which some people might not care if they get a C but it makes me feel like I'm not trying my best.

Well enjoy the snow...if you have any. Also Happy Valentine's Day.

Oh Happy Day!!

2010-02-05T12:02:00.000-05:00

So even though it's pouring rain outside and has been since about 7 this morning I'm still in a fantastic mood. You may ask why? Well it's because my mother called me this morning and told me that my sister in-law is expecting their third child. YAY! I love babies and I love it when people share the good news about their buns in the oven, but I love it even more when it's one of my siblings sharing their good news. She is due in September and I can't wait to see this little guy or gal. :)

Lights, Camera....

2010-01-22T09:57:00.005-05:00

NOTHING. Okay so let's start off by saying I'm not one to try or make something new and not take pictures of it. I like to take pictures, for one gives me something to write on here about and two when I get really old I can look back at the pictures and say "oh yeah I remember that".

So with that said last night I made for the first time Hershey kiss cupcakes...YUM! At first I wasn't worried about making them. I mean come on people it's cupcakes! Then my BFF told me that she tried to make them and they turned out really dry. Well crap! Now she is not an incompetent cook so don't start judging. She's pretty darn good at cooking. She just needed to take about 5 minutes off the cooking time.

So...with that in mind and the fact that my lovely stove cooks hotter I went to work. I wanted to make mini cupcakes but can you believe walmart didn't have any? Come on walmart has EVERYTHING. Oh well guess it wasn't meant to be. So I ended up taking off about 7 minutes from the cook time. 7 was the lucky number because they turned out so moist and oh so good.

If my lovely batteries wouldn't have died you might have seen a picture like this...

haha...okay that's a joke. Mine don't look anything like that but when I googled Hershey kiss cupcakes this is what pulled up. Don't they look amazing though?? Okay enough rambling. Hope everyone has a great weekend! My eyes will be glued to my text books. :) Oh one last thing...took my first medical term test last night and made an 84. Not bad I guess.

Romeo & Juliet...

2010-01-18T16:05:00.003-05:00

So last night Cray and I watched the newest movie of Romeo & Juliet. (The one with Leonardo Dicaprio) I’m uncertain of this movie. Is it really an epic love story like everyone claims it to be? Sure I can see it being romantic. The forbidden love of two enemies. What’s not romantic about that? The whole love at first sight really throws me off though. I mean sure there is that first attraction. Why date someone if there is never an attraction to begin with? Can someone honestly tell me after one night of passion you could marry someone? I know I couldn’t. Sorry I need to know a little more than you are cute, a good kisser, and you’re a part of my families sworn enemy. I need to know what your hobbies are, what you like to eat, what movies you like, what makes you cry, what makes you mad, what you stand for, do you follow God?

What do you think? Is this an epic love story or just okay? I’m leaning towards just okay.

The Newlywed Game...

2010-01-15T14:41:00.002-05:00

A couple weeks ago one of my good friends asked if Cray and I would be willing to play the Newlywed Game at Wednesday night church as an illustration. She assured me that there would be no embarrassing questions...just some good clean fun.

So after convincing Cray we could do this we agreed. How could I turn down a friend in her time of need?? This past Wednesday night was the game and we won! We were so shocked for one going in we thought we weren't going to know anything and for two it seemed like we missed most of the questions. haha.

All in all we had a blast. I recommend if you ever can play that game DO IT! You'll laugh so much!!

Haiti...

2010-01-13T09:59:00.002-05:00

I've never been to Haiti but I've seen many groups from my church go and be missionaries to the people of Haiti. I'm sure by now everyone knows that yesterday they had a horrible earthquake hit them. Please keep the Haitians, missionaries, those who are on their way to help and peoples families and friends that are impacted by this in your prayers. I believe in the power of prayer and that through God anything is possible.

Back to School....

2010-01-12T09:42:00.006-05:00

Well yesterday was my first day back at school. I'm taking two classes this semester, Algebra/Trig and Medical Terminology. Thankfully I remember enough of math that it should be an easy course for me so that I can spend most of my time learning medical term. I'm so excited about this class but I must confess that I'm a little scared too. I read last night that I'll learn 1000 plus words through this course. That's a lot of words to remember how to spell, pronounce, and know the definition! Wish me luck!!

Dust off those running shoes...

2010-01-04T13:14:00.001-05:00

Okay so I have 159 days to be able to run 3 miles in about 20 minutes…give or take. You may ask why? Well my sister in-law loves to do triathlons as a team. This year they (sister in-law and her husband) need a runner. Neither of them are the best at running (their words not mine people) and they don’t have anyone else to rely on. (Crap!)

She asked me on Saturday so I ~~reluctantly~~ willing said yes. Sunday was day 1 for me and this is my results.

Day 1: 1 mile, 13 minutes

I’ve got to do better than that people!! Thankfully like I said I have 159 days to prefect this run. Wish me luck please!?!?! I’ll be sure to keep you updated about every week on how it’s going.

On a side note, I start classes next week. I’m usually so excited to start school up but right now I’m not feeling it. I guess it’s because I know my freedom at night is coming to an end. Thankfully just on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Oh yes one more thing….Happy New Year!!

Change of plans....

2009-12-30T12:18:00.002-05:00

As of right now I have no clue what we are doing for New Years Eve. Plans have changed a number of times since Monday. Guess we will find out soon enough...could just be a party for two.

Happy New Year Celebration...

2009-12-28T11:12:00.003-05:00

Well I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas. Ours was good…I missed not being able to see my own family but it was very enjoyable to be with Cray’s family.

Now that Christmas is over and I can count on one hand how many days we have until the New Year it’s time for planning time. First I wasn’t sure we would be bringing in the New Year with anyone this year but now it’s turned out to be Cray and I, his cousin and his girlfriend, and a couple that we are really good friends with.

I’m thinking about cooking crab legs, I’m a sucker for them. I’ve never made them myself but I’m thinking how hard can they be…right? You just boil them for 5-7 minutes and done! Wish me luck.

We are also of course having mixed drinks and champagne to toast to the New Year. I have no clue what we will do the entire evening. Cray would be happy with playing Halo and Gears of War but I’m not sure everyone else would be into that. Maybe I’ll buy a couple board games.

So what about you? What are you doing to bring in the New Year? Party with friends or family or just some one on one time with your special someone?

Food, food, & more food...

2009-12-21T13:57:00.008-05:00

So this past weekend we had the annual Hill Christmas Party. I had no clue what to bring but thanks to my husband and I having to buy 2 turkeys in November (long story) that problem was solved because his mother had no one bringing a meat. My next minor issue was the fact that I had never cooked a turkey in my life. That’s okay though, I’m not one to be intimidated by a dead bird…cough, cough.

So I followed all of the directions, plus my mother’s directions for cooking a bird. I’m very proud to say that I was not defeated and everyone loved the turkey! Victory is mine!!!

Because I love to cook and bake I decided to make a little dessert too. They are called Red Velvet Cake Balls. I found the recipe on http://www.bakerella.com/. She is an amazing baker/artist. You can find the recipe here.

Here are some pictures of my own. I think I did well for my first try.

Not only did we have the Christmas party that night but it was also Cray's birthday. So I made him a breakfast casserole and he played video games all day while I cooked up a storm in the kitchen. Sweet of him right? Na...it was his birthday and all. :)

Christmas lists

2009-12-17T11:57:00.005-05:00

Do you remember when you were little, how every year you would make a Christmas list for your parents? I use to go as far as cutting things out so my mom would know exactly what I wanted. LOL.

Now that I’m an adult now and married it’s not the same. Cray and I this year decided to get something together that we really wanted. So we found a car and bought it. Kind of a big gift but a needed one.

Now my mother still insists on getting her children gifts. I always tell her I don’t need gifts but she still always wants to get me something. This year at first I really wanted these cute boots so I told her she could get me those. She couldn't find any but said she would send me money. Well this morning I found these gorgeous curtains on walmart.com.

So of course I gave mom and little jingle and told her I'd love to have these lovely curtains for the living room instead of the boots. Extra bonus they were on sale for 15 bucks!!! So she lovingly purchased 2 for me and they are on their way. YAY!!

I’m slowly but surely turning my living room into what I want it to look like. I have the furniture that I’ve wanted and I’m adding some art to the walls. I want to re-paint but I’m waiting on that one until Cray removes the wall that divides the garage (soon to be den) and the living room.

So what about you? Do your parents still insist on buying you Christmas gifts? What do you and your significant other do for Christmas gifts? Do you surprise each other or do you go our route and go in on something you both have been wanting?

Christmas and goals

2009-12-16T15:12:00.001-05:00

So I didn’t realize until this morning that Christmas is next week. I have no clue how that little fact just passed me by. *sigh* Thankfully I have most of my Christmas shopping done. Just a couple little things to pick up this coming week.

The rest of this year is just going to be full of excitement. This Saturday is the Hill Christmas Party. It also is Cray’s birthday. We had to celebrate his birthday this past weekend because of the party but we still had good times. Christmas Eve/Christmas Day is going to be spent with the in-laws. (Thanksgiving was with my family). I’m hoping for New Years Eve to have some friends over for food, drinks, and fun. What a great way to end the year.

With Christmas and New Years Day both being on Friday this year I get 2, 3 (maybe 4) day weekends in a row. SWEET!! So I’m taking full advantage of this and that I don’t have school to worry about. I’m going to clean like a mad woman. I’m going to do my own “spring cleaning” but in December. I love going to school but that plus a full time job really takes away from house chores. My loving husband helps out as much as he can but somehow the house has still gone south.

So my “goal” before the New Year is to have my house all cleaned up. My 2nd “goal” before the New Year is to add some style to my kitchen cabinets. Right now they look just horrible. There is stuff just sitting up on top of them that make it look cluttered. Not pretty at all. Check it out for yourself, I’m not lying.

Hopefully I can spruce it up mostly with items I already have in my house and maybe a trip to the dollar store.

So what about you?? What are you doing for Christmas/New Years? What goals do you want to finish before the New Year?? Speaking of goals, what goals are you writing down for the New Year?

Schools Over...Time for Cheer

2009-12-14T15:05:00.003-05:00

Well the fall semester is over…..finally. I checked my class this morning and I made an A for the semester in history 131. I thought I was going to make a B but turns out I made an A… round of applause. Now that it’s all over…for 4 weeks…I’m completely into the holiday season and ready to share with whomever some holiday cheer. (Whomever are my lovely readers…or lack thereof.)

Here are some pictures of our lovely home all decked up for Christmas.

How's everyone elses holiday season going? Are you done decking the halls or have you still got some finishing touches to do?

Weekend fun...

2009-10-21T09:04:00.007-04:00

So this past weekend or last weekend whatever way you want to say it (little joke from my small group) our small group went to Cray's parents cabin up near Bat Cave. It was such a fun time!! We were originally going to go up to Virginia but they were calling for rain/snow all weekend. Didn't sound like a fun trip to all of us so we stuck with some place closer to home. Thankfully it only rained Friday night and the rest of the weekend it was just cold. Here are some pictures to recap our weekend.

Hiking to the old ladies cabin

Old Ladies Cabin

The Doctors Cabin

Testing our skills

Crazy husband taking a swim in ICE WATER

Can't believe my eyes!!

2009-10-12T09:31:00.003-04:00

So this morning I was checking out the blog world, seeing what I missed over the weekend and I saw that my besty posted a new post. I'm so glad that she did or I would have never known about the great giveaway going on over at Centsational Girl. She's doing a giveaway for a new faucet for the kitchen or the bathroom!! FANTASTIC!!! So of course I left a comment and now I'm letting my lovely readers (all 3 of them) know which one I'd pick if I'm the lucky winner!!

This is the Ashfield by Price Pfister

So perfect and so needed for the kitchen!! Ours is old and needs replaced. Don't say it to it's face though it might be offended. :)

Thank you Centsation Girl for the GREAT giveaway!!

First Test...

2009-10-08T09:00:00.004-04:00

So I had my first history test last week. I was so nervous!!! Before the teacher past out the test he told us he would post the grades before our next class. So I finished the test and felt really good about it. I was sure I made an A. Then the waiting started and of course the longer I waited for my grade the less sure I became of myself. To the point of I was sure I failed!!! The teacher didn't end up posting the grades until right before class the following week. THANKS!!! There was no need for me to do all that worrying though because I got a 94!! YAY!! Go me!!! One down two to go!! Hope everyone is having a great week and is enjoying this wonderful fall like weather.

Happy First Day of Fall!!!

2009-09-22T10:29:00.006-04:00

I must say that autumn is an amazing time of year. The morning air is turning crisp and the gorgeous trees are turning all shades of beautifulness! I LOVE IT!! Thanks to the season change it’s also a great ~~excuse~~ reason to rearrange and redecorate the house with fall like decorations, YAY!! Here are some great pictures Better Homes and Gardens had featured in their fall section. Enjoy!!!

50 bucks for slacks or 25, you do the math

2009-09-11T15:28:00.008-04:00

Okay so I have really long legs. Which are nice but also a pain in the butt. Nice because I can reach things up high but a pain because I have such a problem finding slacks, shorts, and skirts that actually fit!! If I actually want to buy pants that fit I'd have to pay just about 50 bucks to order them online. Yes 50!!!

So a couple weeks ago I was at the lovely Target checking out the new fall clothes and I found these...

So I went and tried them on and of course they weren't the length that I wanted or needed. But I started looking at the paints and it looked to me like I could take the hem out and re-hem them. YAY!! So this past weekend I purchased some hemming tape.

The best stuff on earth!! I think I would still use this stuff even if I had a sewing machine!!

Then removed the seam, ironed out the paints and cut my tape to size. Then placed the tape ruff side up where I wanted the hem to be.

Then I just ironed the fabric over top for about 5-10 seconds to make the tape melt.

How easy is that?? Now I have paints that fit and I don't feel like a dork when I sit down and my pants go up past my ankles!!!

History 131...1 month down, 3 to go

2009-09-10T11:23:00.000-04:00

So I’ve finished my first month of school. YAY!! Sometimes I feel like I’m insane for starting school when all my friends are finishing college or are already out but then I get to class and half of the roster is filled with 40 year old and up adults. Makes me feel like it’s worth it when others older than me are trying to get a higher education. All I have to say is good for them because when I’m that I age I don’t think I’ll have that kind of dedication or motivation.

Our first test is in 2 weeks and I’m so nervous. The instructor is cramming 5 chapters into ONE test!! I don’t know if I should be thankfully because that means essentially we only have 3 tests this semester or if I should be freaking out because that means I need to get a B or higher on every test. We also have 3 short writing assignments due this semester along with a 2-3 page essay due at the end of the semester. On top of my class I need to get my paperwork together to join the medical assisting department. So stoked about that!!

My life is craziness!! Though I would not want to be in my BFFs shoes because she has a class twice a week that lasts 8 hours! Crazy right?? She always has her nose in a book!! If she’s not sleeping or eating she is studying.

Well that’s all that’s going on in my life. Work and school, and of course in my free time as many church activities as possible. How’s everyone else doing in the blogger world?? Everyone as excited about autumn as I am?? FYI I did a little DYI project this weekend hemming some slacks. Thankfully the camera worked so I could snap some pictures. I’ll post a blog tomorrow about an easy cheesy way to hem paints without a sewing machine.

Summer turns into fall, Fall turns into winter

2009-09-01T09:26:00.003-04:00

Okay so I just realized that December is 3 very SHORT months away and then the next month is the year 2010!!! How crazy is that???? Where in the world did this year go?!?!

Don't get me wrong I'm very excited about the holidays coming up. I think that's one of my most favorite times of the year. The holidays will be busy this year, not as bad as last year where I had two weddings in December. One the weekend before Christmas and one the weekend after. Let’s see first is Halloween. I've never celebrated Halloween growing up but Cray's family is really into it so they have a party every year. Then Thanksgiving we are going to Kentucky to be with my family. YAY!! Then Christmas is a mix of Cray’s family and mine. Such exciting times but it just makes me realize that I need to start looking into what gifts I need to purchase.

On top of all of that I need to get my act together this month because I need to get all my paperwork together so that I can apply for the medical assisting program. I hope to be accepted for the Spring Semester so everyone keep your fingers crossed!!

Weekend Recap...

2009-08-31T10:19:00.004-04:00

Well this weekend was busy. Our weekend started a little early even though we did have to work Friday. My parents stopped in for dinner on Thursday on their way to SC. It was so nice to see them because we won't see them until Thanksgiving more then likely. I'm happy to say that they won a game in Uker, I say that because Cray and I always beat them. So kudos to the parents, now the score is 20-5. It's an on going battle. :)

Friday Cray helped a friend fix his computer. It seems that he is doing that just about every week but it's such a great thing that he can help out his friends with his savvy computer knowledge. After that we went to his parents house to pick up just about every tool made by man so we could do house work on Saturday and believe it or not when we started working on the house we thought of about 5 things we needed from his dads house.

Saturday we worked on a BIG To Do list. Of course we didn't finish even half of the projects on the list. It's amazing how little things can really set you back. Cray spent most of his day trying to fix the stupid pressure washer and I broke the air valve on one of the tires on the lawnmower. How was I suppose to know that one little hit would knock it off?? I was just doing what Cray asked me to do and that was to hit the tire back onto the lawnmower. Thankfully, in spite of our set backs, we fixed the siding on the house, moved our mailbox and mowed most of the grass (with a push mower thanks to me) before Cray hit a HUGE ant hill and got attached by mad red ants and gave up for the day. Can't say I blame the man!!

Sunday we went to church and then hung out with our friends Paul and Natalia and played some good old Volleyball.

Unfortunately I don't have any photos because none of our cameras work. Yes I said cameras, we have 3. Note to self go buy a new camera. Hope everyone had a great weekend and that your week is just as great!!!

Weekend Recap...

2009-08-17T16:31:00.000-04:00

Well this weekend was a blast. I really should buy a new camera so I can take some pictures. Maybe someday.

Well while I was finishing my very boring I mean busy day at work my mother called and asked if Cray and I would like to meet them for dinner. (Father is a truck driver and they happened to be about an hour from us) So of course I said “YES” because who would pass up the chance to see their parents. So after work we drove the hour trip to go have some grub. I looked up restaurants in the area and thought there was a Shoney’s one exit up so we decided Shoney’s it was. Well 3 exits later still no Shoney’s or restaurant for that matter. So my dad told Cray to go onto the 74 business Bypass, he figured there would be some restaurants there. Of course he was correct and we stopped at this little Mexican Restaurant called Mexican Fiesta. They had the most amazing food!! After dinner we headed back to the truck stop and continued our visit in the Hardees and play euchre. It looked like my parents were actually going to kick our butts in the game but Cray and I pulled it around and won the game!! J

Saturday I went to a friend’s house and learned the first steps in how to decorate a cake. At the end of the lesson I was no pro for sure but I enjoyed the lesson and the fellowship. After that I went to catch a movie with my friend Mary. Still not sure about the movie, we saw “The Time Travelers Wife”.

Sunday we went to church and then some friends came over for dinner. So it all turned out to be a great weekend!! So here’s a question for all you lovely bloggers, has any reupholstered a sofa?? I’m looking into it and would love some tips!! Happy surfing to everyone this week.

Made yahoo news...

2009-08-14T15:55:00.004-04:00

No not me but Charlotte NC did!! Apparently there was a double rainbow over Charlotte's skyline on Tuesday, how cool is that!?!?! I've seen rainbows before but never two at the same time. Here's a picture that someone took from the Charlotte observer. Enjoy!!

Jesus Never Fails

2009-08-04T09:48:00.004-04:00

So this weekend we received some unexpected news at our church. It was heart breaking and there were many tears. The speaker at the beginning of the sermon said something that has really stuck with me, Jesus Never Fails. Weather you say it as a chant or say it out of desperation it is so true. Right now I know my church family is saying it out of desperation, turning completely to Christ and whispering Jesus Never Fails.

On my way into work this morning I heard a new song by Need to Breathe. It really reminded me that whatever burdens you have you can lay them down at the Savior's feet and walk away. What a wonderful thing.

I Hope these lyrics moved you the way they moved me.

Come down to the river
Come and let yourself in
Make good on a promise
To never hurt again

If you're lost and lonely
You're Broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down

All you sinners
And the weak at heart
All you helpless
On the boulevards
Wherever you are now
Whatever evil you've found
Bring all of your troubles
And come lay 'em down

We're all tied to the same old failings
Finding shelter in things we know
We're all dirty like corrupted small towns
We'll bring our troubles
We'll bring our troubles lay 'em down

All you rich men
And the high above
All those with And without love
All you burdened Broken down
Bring all of your troubles
Come lay 'em down

Deep

2009-07-16T12:00:00.003-04:00

Here are some words to think on.

Matthew 7:3-5

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

I find it so easy to just go along in life and pick out flaws of other people when I should take a step back and look at my life first.

Deep right?

Congratulations!!!

2009-07-01T09:22:00.004-04:00

To my lovely sister in-law who had her little girl today but also to our good friends Drew and Corrie who had their baby boys today as well!! They should have their hands full. Can't wait to go great all these little ones tonight! Congrats you guys!!!

Michael Jackson

2009-06-26T09:48:00.001-04:00

I’m too young to have known Michael Jackson in the prime of his career but I love his music just the same. I know that he lived a very eccentric life and some things that he did I do not agree with but let’s face it what he did with his music made music what it is today. He will be truly missed by many people but his music will live on forever.

Wilmington

2009-06-23T09:32:00.008-04:00

So this weekend was AMAZING!! Such a wonderful time to get away from everything and just spend time with the one I love!! Wilmington is such a wonderful town full of things to do. We ended up going to the beach on Friday and then Saturday we went to see the USS North Carolina Battleship. Let me tell you that thing is HUGE!! It took us about 4 hours to tour it!! Saturday evening we went out and saw the town and had some dinner. Sunday it was back to the beach and then over to Fort Fisher to look around. Such a wonderful weekend!!! Enjoy some of the shots we took.

To My Love!!

2009-06-21T12:28:00.000-04:00

Happy one year honey!! You are my life, my love, my all. I thank God everyday that He had you picked out just for me.

Come fly with me, lets fly lets fly away

2009-06-19T08:00:00.000-04:00

Well it's more like come take a car trip with me but hey you get the point. :)

Mr. H. and I are going away for the weekend to Wilmington to celebrate our one year anniversary! YAY!! I’m so very excited for one I love the beach and two I love historic towns. I hope to come back with a little sun and lots of pictures. Here's a picture of this oh so lovely town on the river.

Breath taking right? Have a great weekend everyone!!

Oh what a night!

2009-06-17T09:20:00.004-04:00

Doesn't that make you want to sing that song by Frankie Valli??

Anyways, last night the sister in-laws and mother in-law and I all went uptown to see the Phantom of the Opera. Let me tell you it was the best thing ever!! I'd read the book and of course seen the movie so I was tickled to death when they bought me a ticket for my birthday.

I had such a wonderful time and I suggest if you ever get a chance to go see it, GO!! It is so worth it. Here is a photo of my favorite part of the play, past the point of no return.

Keeps Getting Better

2009-06-16T11:58:00.007-04:00

Sunday is mine and Cray’s one year anniversary. It’s amazing how time flies. How that one amazing day is now a bunch of sweet memories.

Cray and I didn’t want a long engagement so I planned our wedding in 3 short months. It was really a piece of cake because I already knew everything that I wanted. I was really worried that we wouldn’t get the church booked but my sneaky husband-to-be had already booked the church 2 months before he even asked the question.

So I spent March, April, and May planning our dream wedding. Those three months were crammed with 2 bridal showers, lots of outings with my mom, finding a home and closing on it, and the passing of my grandmother. It was one big emotional rollercoaster. But that sweet summer night made it all worth it.

Here are a couple of my favorite pictures taken by our photographer and some guests. Enjoy!!

Time Flies

2009-06-12T09:56:00.002-04:00

It’s hard to believe that a year ago today Cray and I were closing on our home. Time just flies by when you aren’t even looking. It was such a hard time trying to close our home. Believe me being a first time home buyer it was not a fun time for us.

We finally found the perfect home for us after looking at tones of MLS listings. It was always something. Yard was too small, not enough rooms, not in a good area, too far from work. Finally I pulled this one up and Cray said it was perfect!!! I was so thrilled. It was a 3 bedroom, 2 bath home on a ½ acre lot!! Perfect for two young kids starting out.

So we put in an offer and after about a day of going back and forth with negotiations we had a complete contract. We were going to close May 23st. Plenty of time to get everything in the house before we got married June 21st.

Well then our loan officer passed away and the bank decided they wanted to look over all of our paper work. I think I hate banks for this reason. It took them almost a month to decide that it was okay for us to have that loan. *sigh* What a pain in the butt!!!

So we finally got the call June 12th that we were going to close. YAY!! I was so agitated by this point and just ready to close. I was so raped up with finishing the details on the wedding that I just wanted it done! Thankfully we closed with no more problems and Cray and I were the happy owners of our own little casa.

Now a year later we are happy as could be dreaming up of ways to turn our casa into everything we ever wanted. Such a whirlwind of excitement June was last year. Thankfully this June is not so overwhelming. Mr. H is taking me to Wilmington for our one year. I’ll be sure to take lots of pictures of this beautiful historic town.

Have a great weekend!!!

LOVE.....

2009-06-02T14:07:00.000-04:00

This dress...WOW!!! At first I was like "no that's not me", but the more I look at it I know that it's a me dress! I can dress it up with some cute heals, a cardigan and some jewelry for work or on the hot summer weekends wear it with some flip flops. Those are the best kinds of dresses. Now all I need to do is talk Mr. H. into letting me have it. :)

Break out the wine!!!

2009-06-01T10:09:00.000-04:00

Well today is my parents 35 wedding anniversary. So in honor of them I'd like to raise my wine glass and say congratulations and that I will consider myself blessed if in 34 years Cray and I will be as happy and in love as they are!

Weekend to Do List…

2009-05-29T10:21:00.000-04:00

Oh yes I have a list. I love it when my weekends are controlled by a list and schedule. It seems quite un-fair if you ask me. Why should my two days of pure pleasure be controlled?? Oh well such is life.

Friday

8-1: Work
1ish: On my lunch break go to Ross to find a dress for bridal shower Sunday, and Bed, Bath and Beyond to find a gift for the blushing bride. Hope I can do this all in an hour.

2-5: Work some more. Really it’s just staring at my computer being bored out of my mind. In the words of my BFF must be nice to get paid to do nothing.

5-5:50: Go home, stupid traffic jam.

6ish: Fix taco salad, YUM!!!

7ish: Maybe start on some laundry and clean a little. I’m thinking fat chance but hey let’s try to think on the positive side.

10ish: Sweet dreaming time

Saturday

7:30ish: Get up and ready for the day. What the crap!! My one day to sleep in goes down the drain.

8ish: Hope on the bike with Mr. H and head up to Concord to help scrape and paint a house for our small group project at church. Total excited about this project!!

2ish: Head home from a hard day’s work.

3ish: Finish up chores (wish full thinking again I think) and crash for rest of the day. YAY!!

Sunday

8ish: Up for church

8:45: Off to church

10:30ish: Head home

12:00: Fix Mr. H some lunch and head off to bridal shower.

3ish: Rest of the weekend to myself. YAY!!

I’ll make sure to be back here Monday with pictures of the house project, even though it’s not my house it’s still fun to fix something, and such a great cause to help someone else in need.

Clutter

2009-05-27T10:25:00.000-04:00

I just found this article on shine.yahoo.com from Julie Morgenstern. Very interesting insight on clutter. Did you know that organized stuff can be clutter too!?!?!? I never thought of it that way. Makes me want to go home and clean out the master bedroom closet. Thank you Julie! Here are the top three myths about clutter. Enjoy!!

Myth #1: Clutter is just a bunch of junk you should easily be able to toss.

Truth: Clutter represents an attachment to something you are struggling to release: an old belief system, obsolete need, or unexpressed part of you that needs to be discovered.

Myth #2: Getting rid of clutter will get you organized

Truth: Decluttering will not create a system….it will help you manage change. Releasing the obsolete will get you unstuck—by opening up space for something new. It creates the energy, space to think, and time to figure out what’s next.

Myth #3: Clutter is always messy

Truth: Clutter is what is obsolete, the objects, things and habits that no longer serve you—and it doesn’t have to be disorganized. A perfectly arranged closet filled with clothes you never wear is clutter. So is a perfectly organized day filled with activities that no longer fuel you.

The key is to understand your attachment to the clutter before releasing it—so that you can fulfill the need in a more effective way—or determine that you no longer have that need at all.

Weekend Project...

2009-05-20T15:08:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you have guessed it, Painting!!! My cousin helps out with this investor who flops houses and of course they have tones of paint and he brought a bunch of it to my in-laws house. So my loving husband and I are going there tonight to see if there is anything I like. I'd be happy even if I just found white so that I can paint the door jams and trim in the house. They are in need of some loving. That and helping Mr. H. out with the cars makes up my Memorial Day weekend. What about you?? Any big plans??

It could be worse…

2009-05-18T12:18:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I find myself blue with envy, or is it green? Either way, it’s a hard thing for me to admit. I find that my car is not the best. It has 208 thousand miles on it, a silver finder (the rest of it is gold), and a broken turn signal cover. That’s just the major stuff that sticks out. My house just looks blah. It has no curb appeal. The rooms are not the colors that I want. I hate the carpet. The list goes on.

Yesterday in church our minister talked about power and controlling the greed that manages our lives. He said that we should always be thinking, “It could be worse”. That is so true! I could not have a car or home at all. I am very blessed! When the economy started to tank Mr. H. was hired on full time at the college. What a wonderful blessing. Every day we are blessed and I should always remember it could be worse.

Addicted…

2009-05-01T11:28:00.000-04:00

To Coffee! It’s the best stuff in the world! I always need a cup in the morning or I can’t make it through the day. Sad I know! Tell me what’s your addiction??

FYI the husband and I are cleaning out all of the computer stuff from the garage. YAY!! One step closer to turning it into a den. Have a great weekend and try to stay dry!!

Earth Day!!!

2009-04-22T11:43:00.000-04:00

It’s never occurred to me that I could do something to help mother earth. My husband has always wanted to recycle but his parents lived out in the country and really never had a desire to recycle. When we bought our house last year we found out that a truck comes around on trash day and picks up recycles. SWEET!! So we have been loyal recyclers since June of last year.

Well now I want to do more and since today is Earth Day I’ve decided to put my ideas into practice.

The first thing I want to do is start doing laundry only on the weekend. When we got married I was only doing laundry on the weekends but now it’s turned into doing laundry throughout the week as well. One it wastes my time and two wastes water and energy. So I’m going to go back to washing only on the weekends AND I’m going to stop using the dryer. This is such a big thing for me; I’m a dryer freak! I even use the dryer to take out the wrinkles in my clothes. It’s a lot easier then pulling out the iron and board. I know pure laziness. So I’m going to buy a clothes line from Wal-Mart. They have these retractable ones online that you can mount to a wall or to the side of the house. I’m supper excited about this because one I can just put it away after use, so it’s not an eye sore in the backyard, two it’s only $15 bucks, and three we save money and help save the earth in the long wrong. What a deal!!

The second thing that I want to do is start using Eco friendly cleaners. You hear all the time about how cleaners aren’t good for your family and your home. About the toxin's that leak out from the bottles and contaminate our air. Well I’m going to start storing our cleaners in the garage and I’m going to start buying the eco friendly kind.

The third thing that I’m going to try and do is switch out our light bulbs to CFL’s. Now I really don’t like the harsh light the compact fluorescent light’s give off but I’m going to test them and see if I can find one that I like.

The forth thing I'm going to do is add some indoor plants to help with the air. Also it will add some decoration to the house. :) Always a plus!

What are you trying to do to save money and the earth?? I’d love to hear what everyone is doing in these trying times to save a little green and also be friendly to the earth.

Done...

2009-04-13T12:29:00.000-04:00

Making excuses for myself and pushing things off. I need to take control of my life, I’m a big girl and I don’t need my mother to hold my hand and tell me what I need to do.

So this week I’ve turned a new leaf and actually started to put into practice what Mrs. T (MY BFF) and I put together for cleaning the house; something to make our lives easier. So this morning I got up and fixed Mr. H’s breakfast and lunch along with mine and took care of the dog. After Mr. H headed off to work I made the bed, cleaned off the sink and toilet in the bathroom, and picked up the living room. Then I got myself ready for work and made it to work on time! It’s amazing all the things you can do with-in an hour if you just put your mind to it. Tonight when I get home I’ll run/fast pace walk for a mile, then fix dinner (left over’s from Easter), do the dishes while dinner is warming up, and then sweep the kitchen, foyer, and bathrooms. I can so do all of that in 2 hours tops, not even that long really! That gives me time then to spend time with Mr. H.

Please anyone that reads my blog and from now on reads about me slacking off and making excuses please internet slap me. Hope everyone enjoyed the wonderful Easter weekend we had and hope you have a wonderful week!

A “Stepford” wife

2009-04-09T14:49:00.000-04:00

Not like I really want to be a controlled robot that my husband made but it would be nice to have my house and me looking perfect all the time. What I really need is a Rosie. You know from “The Jetsons”, what a great show.

Anyways, my life is just so crazy. I get up at 6:30 (which is too early for me) get myself ready for work, make sure Mr. H has lunch, and take care of the dog. Rush down the interstate to get to my office at 8:30. Work my butt off to make sure the office is running smoothly. Hop back on the interstate at 5 just to sit there and drive a distance that should only take me 30 minutes but ends up being an hour. Get home around 6 and fix dinner for two and make sure the dog has his dinner. Entertain my husband instead of cleaning because let’s face it that is a lot more fun. Maybe at the most do the dishes before climbing into bed anywhere around 10 or 11.
My question is how in the world do you just force yourself to do the wifely duties of making sure the house is clean? My BFF Mrs. T. and I have been trying to get into a routine for cleaning so we wouldn’t be cramming cleaning into just Saturday. We just can’t seem to get our acts together and get it done even though we broke it down into little baby steps. We have the making bed down to a T but that’s about it.

What do you do to make cleaning easier? Any suggestions would be helpful.

Spring Cleaning

2009-03-27T09:07:00.000-04:00

So last Friday was the first day of spring!! YAY!! Of course beautiful sun and warm weather came along with it so I did NOT spring clean. :) Who could stand being inside cleaning on such a wonderful day??? Well the weather has changed drastically since last weekend. It's now in the 50's, foggy & most of the time raining. Yuck!! So tomorrow I'm going to get down to business and clean my house. Thankfully Cray is working all day so I'll just put the dog in his cage and clean! Wish me luck!!!

A year ago Today....

2009-03-09T12:54:00.000-04:00

Marks the day that Cray proposed! It was very VERY unexpected. We knew about two months after we started dating that we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together but we had only really started talking about marriage for a few months.

It was funny cause if I was smart at all I would have noticed the signs but I had no clue! Thankfully my brother taped the proposal. It's a little long but the sweetest proposal ever.

Birthday Wishes

2009-03-05T11:52:00.000-05:00

Well my birthday is coming up next week. YAY!! I'm kind of lucky this year because my parents sent me money to spend with what I want. Every girls dream. :) So I've been thinking about what I want to buy and it started turning into what do I need. Well I have a list a mile long of things that I need but I started with the basics.

My dress slacks are 4 years old. Here is what I would like to buy. A pair in black and a pair in brown.

Also I need a new pair of brown shoes. I would like to also have a new pair of black shoes but it's more about needs then wants.

Now I'm sure you are wondering what in the world my husband is doing for me, well we are going to Carowinds for my birthday. YAY!!! I'm so excited about it. :)

Morning cup of Joe

2009-02-26T09:24:00.000-05:00

I always have to have a cup of coffee in the morning. Well this morning I decided to treat myself to Starbucks. YUM! Now I never really pay attention to the cup because all my attention goes into drink the coffee ASAP. But today as I was sitting at a stop light I noticed that there was a quote on the side of the cup by a journalist by the name of Tom Brokaw. It really captured my attention. I think it's a really great quote about life and I felt I needed to share it with my fellow bloggers. Enjoy!!

The Way I See It #130

It will do us little good to wire the world if we short-circuit our souls. There is no delete button for racism, poverty or sectarian violence. No keystroke can ever clean the air, save a river, preserve a forest. This transformational new technology must be an extension of our hearts as well as of our minds. The old rules still apply. Love your mother - Mother Earth.

I would like to add to that, love God because without God there would be no Mother Earth.

Feeling Great!

2009-02-12T10:03:00.000-05:00

____________________________________________________________

So one thing that I’m wanting to make into a habit is running/fast pace walking at lest 30 minutes, 4 days a week. I started last night and let me tell you it was the best 30 minutes! I felt so good after words. It's really true what they say about running. Running releases endorphins and endorphins make you happy. So get out there and run! You will feel so much better, trust me.

Spring is in the air

2009-02-10T13:07:00.000-05:00

So it is only two weeks into February but I have flowers blooming in my front yard. YAY! I couldn't believe it when I came home and found Daffodils in front of the house. So I took a picture this morning on my way out the door to share with everyone. Enjoy!

Chicken Parmesan

2009-02-06T11:59:00.000-05:00

Cooking is one of my favorite things to do. I'm always looking for something new to try. Cooks.com is one of my favorite websites to find my next meal. Thank you to Kimberly W. for sharing this wonderful dish. Below is a picture of the leftovers. Excuse the paper plate. :)

4-6 chicken breasts
Italian dressing for marinating chicken
2 cups bread crumbs
1/2 cup Parmesan
garlic powder
salt and pepper
mozzarella cheese
spaghetti sauce
oil with 3 tbls. butter

Marinate chicken breasts for 1/2 hour in Italian dressing. On plate add Parmesan to bread crumbs and garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Add to frying pan enough oil with butter and let it heat up. Dip marinated chicken into bread crumb mixture. Put chicken in frying pan. Fry until brown on both sides.

After browning, place chicken in shallow baking pan and pour any kind of spaghetti sauce of your liking over chicken. Add enough mozzarella cheese to cover and bake at 350 for 45 minutes.
If you have sauce left over cook linguine noodles, drain add sauce, add 3/4 cup mozzarella, and Parmesan for a side dish.

Enjoy!!!!

First Home Improvement Project Part 2

2009-01-12T10:27:00.000-05:00

Well it's been forever since I last blogged, sorry about that. With the holidays, 2 weddings in December, my company closing down our office and moving it to a new location, and my whole family staying at my house for well over a week I've been a little occupied.

I'm happy to say though that life is starting to go back to it's normal routine. Cray and I have started on part 2 of our home project. YAY! It was so exciting to come home and see the finished project. A big thanks to my brother, who helped Cray out with putting up the windows. Here is a before and after photo.

We are going to put some flowers or something in front of it. Anyone have an idea of something we could do? I'm so open for any ideas.

Hope you are enjoying our home improvements. Keep coming back to see how the den turns out.

Happy Note

2008-11-19T17:25:00.000-05:00

Last night I found gas for 1.99!!! YAY!!! I didn't think NC would ever get their gas prices below 2 bucks. I even took a picture this morning on my way into work. :)

First Home Improvement Project

2008-11-18T09:51:00.000-05:00

Well this past weekend we started our very first Home Improvement Project. YAY! The previous owners of our home had started turning the one car garage into a play room for their children but did not finish. Since Cray is very good at making things at little to no cost I knew that we could turn the garage into a den without going out of our monthly budget.

First step was cleaning out his "man room". I know it sounds so mean to make my husband give up is "man room" but don't worry we have a bedroom upstairs that he could turn into his own room if he really wanted. So here are some pictures of what it looked like before hand.

You might be able to see in one of these pictures that there are 18 computers cluttering the shelves! 18!! I don't think even half of them work. I believe though Cray has some good ideas for fixing up the computers and giving them to GoodWill.

There was also a weight bench in the garage but we moved it before I remembered to take some pictures. So you can imagine that it was a big project and a lot of hard work but I'm happy to say we have the room cleaned out and the computers at lest organized so he can start fixing and getting rid of them. Here are some after pictures.

So hopefully this weekend we will be taking down the garage door and installing windows that his dad has graciously given us from the shop. The shelves will go into the laundry room so I'll have a place to fold clothes once Cray figures out what he is going to do with all those computers. Then we will need to finish up the wiring that the previous owners started, lay down the carpet that is in the shed (from the previous owners), and paint the walls (with the paint the old owners left as well). Not sure why they left so much brand new stuff at the house but I wasn't going to ask; I'm very happy that we get to complete such a large project at such little cost.

Hopefully in June we will be knocking down the wall that divides the living room and garage and put in sliding doors so people don't have to walk through the laundry room to get to the den. I'll continue to post pictures as we get closer and closer to our ultimate goal.

Hello Everyone!!

2008-11-14T13:59:00.000-05:00

Welcome to my world. :)

My life is pretty simple. I get up, fix Cray's (my husbands) and the dogs breakfast. Send him off. Get ready for work. Travel 50 minutes to and from work. *sigh* (Such a long drive). Get home around 6, fix dinner, pick up around the home stead, snuggle on the couch with my love, then call it a day. :) On the weekends I love to really clean the house and do a project or two with my hub; and of course go visit the in-laws for Saturday evening meal. Got to say though I could have worse in-laws. :)

Cray and I just purchased a home back in June. It's the perfect home for just the two of us and a couple kids in about 3 years. I have yet to start decorating so it definitely feels like just a house and not a home. My best friend and I are going through ideas for the master bedroom and living room. Here are ideas that we put together and she put in a template for me. I would love to hear what you guys think and see if you have any good ideas as well.

Bedroom Idea

Living Room Idea