There's No Place Like Home

This weekend went by in a hurry.
I was not ready to come back, but here I am.

Saturday, we went up to see my Granny. 
My aunt and cousins were there, and we spent an hour or so just sitting outside talking.
My Granny lives about 3 miles west of my parents.
Her house is considered, "The Farm."
This is where the guys' shop is, as well as most of the machinery.
My dad farms with one of his brothers, and my brothers help in the summer and on some weekends during the school year.
I grew up helping out on the farm as well.
**For my brothers' sake, I'll mention that I didn't help near as much as them, but I still put my time in.**
Although I'm living it the city now, I still love getting back to the country.
There's just something about the dirt roads, 4-wheeler rides, and quiet that I love.

My mom's knockout roses were absolutely gorgeous, so I made everyone take pictures after church on Sunday.

I love her sass in this picture.

We played a lot of games this weekend:  Monopoly Deal, Farkle, Wii.

I know my dad would have loved to have been able to be in the field this weekend, but I'm selfishly glad that he got to be home and spend time more time with us.

I also love that he plays the Wii with us. :)

Applesauce made me sad this weekend. 

Yes, that is our dog's name.

My brother named him...because he looks like applesauce.

Anyway, Applesauce is 15 years old.

He's losing ability in his back legs so he drags his feet.

You can tell he isn't himself because he doesn't run much anymore.

Well, he came in and was laying beside me (which is also hard for him to do), and he kept looking at me.

I knew that couldn't be comfortable, so I put a pillow under his head.

I think he liked it. :)

We also raided my parents' freezer before we left.  

We got all kinds of steak and a brisket and some hamburger.

Yum.

And this barely fit in our freezer. :)

One last thing...

We are still celebrating 200 likes on our facebook page!!

Have you "liked" it yet?  

You can get the latest information regarding shop promos and items there!

You can get 25% off our purchase in the shop through this evening!!

There are also some discounted items in there as well!!

Hope you have a wonderful week!!

Did y'all do anything fun this weekend?

I'd love to hear about it!!

Preparations {and a SALE}

As I make the final preparations, I'm getting more excited to see my family.

They are coming tonight!

This will be my first Thanksgiving meal to cook and prepare.

No worries, I will have some help. :)

I've never roasted a turkey, never cooked a ham {my husband is spoiled}, never made stuffing.

Lots of firsts for me!

But let me tell you what I have made...

every year for at least 10 years...

the pumpkin pie.  

And it will be perfect.

Here's what my preparations have consisted of this week:

Monday night was spent making cookies and other goodies.

These were originally for our small group.  Sadly, it got canceled last night, so they will now be more goodies for the family.  I mean, they are my Dad's favorite cookie...

We got the meal all planned out.

Last night, my hubby surprised me and took me to eat Mexican.  Oh, I'm so glad I married someone who loves Mexican food as much as I do.  Isn't he such a cutie??  #howdidigetsolucky?

I've been trying to take advantage of the spontaneity in our life.  Sometimes I just get so "in the groove" of things that I know what needs to be done and when.  I don't want to take the time to cuddle or just enjoy each other's company, because there are things to be done.  But I've realized this, and now I'm trying to just take it all in.  Life is short and I don't want to regret always passing up opportunities.  So that's why I said "yes" to a spontaneous date out last night.

{Then I stayed up til midnight cleaning and doing everything else while he was sleeping.}

This is what is waiting for me when I get off work early today!  I'm making my pie and brownies for our dessert.  Friday, I will share all the recipes of the goodies I've made for Thanksgiving.  So be on the lookout for those!

I think this is the cleanest our living room has been in a l.o.n.g. time!  Other than our work bags and the orders that are going out today, it looks pretty darn clean.

I am really excited to share with you the details of our weekend.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family, friends, or whoever you will be spending it with.

Are you going Black Friday shopping??

**For those of you who don't want to face the crowds {I don't blame you}, you can shop online in my shop.  As I gear up to turn 24 at the end of the month, we'll celebrate year 23 with a sale!**

Starting midnight on Friday, 11/23 and midnight on Monday, 11/26.

With every jewelry purchase, you'll receive a free red or green organza bag!

Use code YAYFOR23 at checkout.

But not until Friday or Monday! :)
Oh, and it may be the last time to get some of these items at these prices!
I'll be revamping my shop after Thanksgiving!
So get them while you can!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Miscellany Monday

Monday.

Where did the weekend go?

I've always had this idea of switching the work week with the weekends.

Anyone else want to do that?

Mondays are growing on me.

What? 

Who is this person?

I love being in my car, driving to work on Monday morning, and praying for the week ahead.

Usually, my Monday prayers start like this:

Lord,I give you this week.  Help me to find joy in each day.

When I give Him the week on Monday, I can rely on Him rather than myself. 
This morning, I was listening to the radio and several songs of the same theme were being played.  
Now, I am dense.  
When God speaks to me, He has to say it a million times for me to be able to get it.
Basically, He hits me upside the head.
So when I was listening to these songs, I was thinking, "Why is He telling me this?"

Yahweh, Yahweh
Great is your glory
When you go before me
 {Needtobreathe: link}

I know Who goes before me
I know Who stands behind
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
The One who reigns forever
He is a Friend of mine
The God of angel armies
Is always by my side
 {Chris Tomlin: link}

God goes before me.
He stands behind me.
He is always there when I need Him.
He is here in this week.
When I give Him my week, my day, I'm inviting Him in to do His work and to carry me through.

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<

Yesterday, we had a fantastic last message in our sermon series: 20/20.

The preaching staff has been preaching this series to share with the congregation what the vision of the church is and to let us know they have a vision until the year 2020.

Micah 6:8

"He has shown you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."

We have to build our foundation on the Rock.  

Because when the floods rise, if we're not built on the Rock then we won't last.

We will be wiped away.

The wise man built his house upon the rock

The wise man built his house upon the rock

The wise man built his house upon the rock

And the rain came tumbling down

Oh, the rain came down

And the floods came up

The rain came down

And the floods came up

The rain came down

And the floods came up

And the wise man's house stood firm.

The foolish man built his house upon the sand

The foolish man built his house upon the sand

The foolish man built his house upon the sand

And the rain came tumbling down

Oh, the rain came down

And the floods came up

The rain came down

And the floods came up

The rain came down

And the floods came up

And the foolish man's house went "splat!" 

Yes, we did sing this song in "big church" yesterday morning.
And yes, sometimes we need this reminder.
Sometimes, on a daily basis.

Not only is this true, but I've been thinking ahead to our next series.

We will be reading the book "Not a Fan," by Kyle Idleman.

The book talks about how Jesus doesn't want "fans."

He wants sold-out followers.

But before we can be a sold-out follower, we must have a solid foundation.

When the storm comes and we've build a solid foundation, on Jesus Christ, then we have absolutely nothing to worry about.

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<

I got new tires this weekend.

And it makes this girl very happy.

Brand new tires give a new perspective to your car.

My car quit "humming."

It quit shaking at 70 mph.

I don't slide around the round-about at 20 mph anymore {on wet pavement}.

It doesn't spin out when I barely touch the gas, either!

Woo hoo!!

Yes, I may be the only girl ever to be excited about new tires.

But it's a blessing.

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<

I've been working on CHRISTMAS in my craft room!
I'm so excited about Christmas this year, because:

1. We won't be homeless!
2. We will actually get to leave our {small} Christmas tree up until after Christmas this year!  Last year, we had to take ours down on Dec. 23rd to move. :(
3. We can establish our own "family traditions."
4. We are no longer in the "transition phase."  We are fully settled in our little apartment and looking forward to seeing where God takes us.

So be looking for those things in my shop towards the end of October/beginning of November and you can find new information about my shop when you "like" my facebook page.

Here's a snippet of what will be added soon!

{This was my first bunting that I made this weekend.}

>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<

Another reason I love Mondays is because I get to catch up on my favorite blogs!

I have several that I love posted on the right side of this post!

Check them out!

Many have an etsy shop or something of the like!

Happy Monday, friends!

How was your weekend?

What are you looking forward to this week?

Tell me.  I really want to know!!

 Linking up with Carissa.

My Cup Overfloweth

Random...yes.

List...yes.

My favorite...yes.

1.  I had the best weekend in a long time.  My momma got to come up to visit, which I talked about here.  It was awesome!  I was so glad that I didn't have to tell her good-bye until I went to work on Monday morning...because that meant more time to be together on Sunday night {when usually, she'd probably be making the 4.5 hour trek home}.

2.  My momma spoiled me while she was here.  SPOILED me!!!  She made supper on Saturday night so when Tyler came home from Saturday night service {he was playing in the praise band} we could all eat together.  She helped me clean my kitchen.  On Sunday, she helped me do laundry and cleaned some more.  She washed my dishes, folks.  Like...in the sink kinda wash. Whoa.  I hate washing dishes.  That's why a dishwasher was a requirement on our apartment hunting list {and will be on our house hunting list}.  She even took me to urgent care on Saturday morning.  I can't say this from a parent's perspective, but I can from a child's perspective.  There is nothing like a mother's love.  NOTHING. No one {no one!} can compare to that kind of love.

3.  I absolutely love our small group.  AH!  Last night we went to the Cardinals game together.  It was so neat to just have everyone sitting together enjoying {or pretending to enjoy} the game.  Tyler and I have been blessed immensely by this group already.  I am excited to have married couple friends! :]  That didn't happen in Springfield...

4.  I met two {two!} of my Instagram friends in real life last night.  Woo!  I met them several months ago on IG, before we had even moved to the St. Louis area.  I was so excited to see them in real life!  It was awesome!

5.  I love having nights where we don't have to do anything but stay home.  I also love nights where we have things to do.   Contradictory?  Maybe...but I think it's all about an even balance.  Tonight is one of those "stay home and snuggle on the couch and catch up on Parenthood" kinda nights.

6.  Today is Wednesday!  Already!  Where has this week gone?  I feel like the last several weeks have flown by. Crazy!

7.  Have you memorized your verse?  I am really learning that God can do immeasurably more that I ever hoped or imagined (Ephesians 3:20-21)!  My next verse that I'll be learning is Micah 6:8:

"He has showed you, O man, what is good.  And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Want to join in?  It's never to late to start hiding God's Word in your heart!  Have no idea where to start?  Let me know!  I have a few verses that are great starters!

Ok, I think that's it.

My heart is just overflowing from God's goodness.

I am so blessed.

How have you been blessed this week?

New Beginnings

Last night I got a reminder of how life was before our move.

Of how life will be from here on out.

We finally hung out with our {new} friends Kelsey and Steven.

We met Kelsey while we were in college and actually had geology class with her.

We hadn't met her husband until last night.

Y'all, they are a genuine couple.

The love they have for the Lord and each other is unmistakable.

I pray that this will be the start of something fabulous!

Goodbye loneliness and homesickness!

This week has just been a good one for new friends!!

Choose Joy

Yes, my last post was very depressing.

But that's how I was feeling at the time.

I am feeling better though!

I've really been learning through this move that 

I choose my attitude.

Whoa!

Who woulda thunk it?

I've had such a struggle with it all...

...being unemployed for 6 months, still haven't met any "friends," and have been busy to boot!

Can life slow down just a little bit?

Please?

Yes, you read that right.

The girl who counts down to everything wants life to slow down.

Now, that's an oxymoron!

I'm having a better attitude this week.

I've made it to Wednesday and the week has gone by fairly quickly.

I posted this picture on Instagram today.

Time to pay some bills!  This week, my theme has been, "Choose Joy."  My job is not ideal and definitely not glamorous, but my God has been faithful.  He brought me this job when we needed it most.  I will choose joy in life instead of letting life steal my joy!

Isn't it true, though?
When you choose your attitude, things are much better!

So in choosing joy this week,
I'd like to share some of the things that have made me happy.

I got to wear my *new* earrings made by Hannah.
Check out her {shop}.  She's SO talented.
Oh, and she has a heart of gold!

An at home date with my husband.

Slumber party!!!

SOOO much fun!!!

 














I got to go thrifting on Saturday and found this beauty!

I wore my new dress to church on Sunday! 

I actually felt up to being a wife!

After being extremely exhausted I actually felt like cooking supper.

Oh! AND I packed our lunches the night before!! :]

Lastly, but definitely not least:
I finally shipped my packaged to my mugswap partner!
I have been SO excited about this opportunity. 
*I will write about the experience at a later date.*

So while sometimes life can get you down,
you have to pick yourself up, dust yourself off
and get a new attitude.