5/30/11

{hello monday: memorial day edition}

{hello monday memorial day}

{hello sunshine and cloudless skies}
{hello sleeping in late}
{hello QT}
{hello last minute prep for guests}
{hello smiles captured by my beloved Canon}
{hello CBS friends over for & grilling out}
{hello late lunch}
{hello chillaxin' by the pool}
{hello leftover cookout food for dinner}
{hello late night showers & family time}
{hello bedtime routine}

{hello monday memorial day}
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This post was inspired by the one and only Lisa Leonard. If you'd like to take part in this blogging meme, make sure to give credit where credit is due.

happy memorial day, readers

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Here's to those who have served and/or are currently serving our country.

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Our country would be nothing if not a dangerous place to raise our kids without you.

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So from the bottom of my heart, thanks for the sacrifices you make for our country.

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I am so proud to be an American.

Here's to a fun filled day full of family, friends, and remembrance for those who've paid the ultimate price to keep us safe. 
P.S. Here's a thought: My blogging buddy, Rachel, prompted her daughter to say a simple thank you for serving our country while walking past some soliders at Target, the solider overheard and said "Thanks, that means a lot. People don't say that very often, so let's start now! 

5/28/11

favorite things friday + saturday shopping

Today I'm linking up with Kim's  Favorite Things Friday and Gussy's  Saturday Shopping blogging meme's. I absolutely love finding new Etsy pretties and sharing them with you, so here we go!
{
Warning: Lots of cuteness coming your way. Just sayin'.}



After a 3 week hiatus, FTF + SS is back, ya'll. I've missed searching Etsy & finding all sorts of eye candy to share with you readers, and since it's Memorial Day weekend, this week's theme is red, white & blue!! 




Etsy
simpleheat

{1. Red Flower Twisted Ribbon Necklace}
{2. Howlite Ring with Silver Balls}
{3. Pearl Cotton Gauze Scarf}
{4. Red & White Striped Handbag}
{5. Vintage Chain Statement Necklace}
{6. White Pearl Bird's Nest Necklace}
{7. Swirly Glass Necklace}
{8. Red & Blue Button Necklace}
{9. Wedding Necklace}
{10. Red Leather Flower Handbag}
{11. Teal Flower Headband}
{12. White Feather Statement Necklace}
{13.  Red Flared Dress}
{14. Blue Jane Messenger Bag}
{15. Red, White & Blue Circle Garland}
{16. Red Poppy Pins}

Happy start to you 3 day weekend, readers!!

5/27/11

emily's birthday celebration/sleepover

Last Friday {which was my bestie's birthday for those who haven't followed the ol' blog as of late} I was invited to spend the night over at Emily's house. After we dropped the boys off at another birthday party for a friend of theirs, we loaded the car with my gear & went off in search of Kit Kats & Ginger Ale.

Once we got home, it was almost 9PM, so we dove into the cake celebration...









I think she was just a tad excited, no? ;)







Funny story: these candles were uber sensitive & you couldn't breathe on them, much less walk by them, and as we were singing Happy Birthday to her, she laughed & blew all the candles...twice!! She basically had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing because hey: we weren't on pitch/harmony AT ALL, but it was mostly me. At least my shower head likes me... ;)

::shakes head:: Those poor, poor candles...

And the cake...oh the cake!! I'm not a fan of lemon, and because of that I asked for a small piece, but man oh man was I wrong! I should've gotten a huge piece because this cake was awesome. For serious. Great job Katie!!




Since the boys weren't there to make fun of us, we stayed up late into the night watching Scotty from American Idol videos, making videos of us singing to said Scotty songs, discussing Idol, and late night texting with Katie. & when I say late night, I mean it: we were laying in head at 12:15 and all the sudden my phone vibrates and scares us silly. I finally got her to stop at 12:50. Silly girl... :)

Thanks for the memories, bestie/friend/woman and Katie!! I will cherish them forever. 

happy birthday eden!

{picture stolen from Eden's Blogger profile}

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you dear Eden...happy birthday to you!! 

Did you know that you were my first blogging friend? Because you are, and I am so grateful that I discovered you & your blog!! You are so inspiring {she's already a HS grad & is going to college full time at only 17}. You love your family & serve them without complaining, always willing to do your chores or help out with the family meals. Most of all you are so solid in your faith & I will always treasured our chats that we discussed our beliefs {remember?}.

Some awesome {but random} things that I love about you? You are GORGEOUS, you have such a unique accent, you are such a talented writer & photographer, you & your family are vegan, and you're always willing to chat with me when I'm feeling down! 

I love you, friend! Keep shining for God & striving to serve Him in everything. 

5/25/11

1st swim of 2011

A couple Wednesday ago, Clark & Dad braved the cold waters and jumped in the pool for the 1st time this summer. Of course I had to document it, silly... ;)

Before:

 Limbering up for the only way to get in: jumping.


Here...
 ...we...
 ...go!!

 It's...

...Clark's...

...turn!!

And the after. It was so cold they basically stayed in to snap a couple pictures then got out.







Me? I didn't get in until this past weekend, and even then I only got in enough to wet my legs. So totally not warm enough. BUT! Yesterday I dunked my head under after Clark dumped a noodle full of water on my head after I asked him not to. ::shakes head:: The boy just doesn't understand the word "no"... ;)

Again with the jumping, but this time with a ball! Wow!





This would be Dad's "Clark, what in the world was that throw?!" face. Priceless.




And this would be Clark lining up a off throw. Stick to football, buddy...


Clark: Oh look! Water!


Oh look, a farmer's tan!

What's a post without a couple random shots around the pool, huh?



Pool bokeh!



Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm off to bask in the sun with a good book and my Calcutta's... :)

5/23/11

hello monday {12}

{hello monday}

{hello EPIC thunderstorm first thing in the morning}
{hello catch up QT time}
{hello ACT studying}
{hello first lesson of math}
{hello shower}
{hello lunch}
{hello 2nd lesson of math}
{hello afternoon chores & blogging}
{hello pool time with the boys}
{hello dinner}
{hello showers [again] & family time}
{hello DTWS finale night 1}
{hello bedtime routine}

{hello monday}

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This post was inspired by the one and only Lisa Leonard. If you'd like to take part in this blogging meme, make sure to give credit where credit is due.

5/22/11

it's the end of the world as we know it...

...and I feel FINE!! Sorry, I just had to get that song stuck in your head so you could get feel of my weekend. Because that song had been in my head the.whole.weekend. You're welcome.


Sure, we laughed & joked about the Rapture, saying  Some people even took pictures of their empty clothes as if they just...vanished doing daily things like walking the dog or sitting on the porch. Our local radio station DJ asked his listeners what they wanted to be doing when Jesus cam back to get us; his answer was pretty thoughtful: be underwater so he shot straight up to heaven. ;)

But ya'll, this is serious. Can you imagine the millions of Christians that feel betrayed not only his followers but by Jesus himself? The hurt they feel. Those same Christians might have just walked away from their faith based on this event.

And what about Harold Camper, the guy who predicted it? To be wrong once before and then predict the end of the world AGAIN and be wrong AGAIN?! I can't imagine it.

We need to be in prayer about this, readers. While it's funny and Rapture jokes are still flying around, this is a horrible thing for Christ's church. BUT! I hope some good will come out of this and we can use this event to witness to people. Will you join me in this?

5/21/11

strawberries



Strawberry picking; it's an annual thing around here. The kickoff towards the end of school, the pool actually being warm enough to stick your toes in and not freeze them off your little feet, and all the things that come with warmer weather. If you don't go strawberry picking, well...you're not from Eastern NC.

Lucky for us, we have a strawberry field relatively close to us, so a quick trip to the fields was on the agenda for a Saturday afternoon. We never pick a lot of strawberries, but for the records, here's the before:


And the after...

Oh, hello ParaCord!

Filling her up...





There are never a shortage of odd-shaped strawberries...


The best part?! Eating them straight off the vine...


All done!



The neat thing about 903 is that they have an opition where you just go pick up the strawberries by the carton. Yum!

Another great thing about 903 is along with strawberry fields, they have a farm with goats & chickens & a peacock.

Hello, goat. Thanks for being so photogenic.


The peacock!

There were also bunnies. Because what farm is complete without bunnies?!



We gave the cutest one a strawberry. Probably a no-no, but Clark's a sucker for hungry bunnies. ;)




I almost asked to take these horses picture...then I remembered something: my fear of horses. Something about the big hooves & long legs & weighing more than Clark and me combined freaks me out. So a picture from the distance will have to do...


We ended the trip with strawberry stained faces {Clark} and sunburned cheeks {Me}. Good times!