Simply Sarah-Anne

like vs. love

2012-02-14T16:51:00.000-05:00

Remember Blimey Cow? If so, proceed. If not, then get thee to this post, then click through to YouTube and watch the hilariousness that it Jordan and his take on life. If you have been introduced to this something funny, sometimes rude, but always true video series, read on.

Love. It's a word that as SUCH a powerful meaning...that is overused in today's culture. Just watch this video. It rings true.

What do I like vs. love? Well, I'm glad you asked.

I like...food. Movies. Dance parties. My Bruno Mars Pandora station. Day trips up to Fuquay. Laughing so hard I snort. Yep, I snort. I'm also crazy about Instant Netflix, blankets, clean sheets, Dr. Pepper, and fires.

I love...My family, friends, God, the Doctor and Peeta. Those things are the ONLY things that deserve such a strong word.OK, maybe not the last two. ;)

Happy Valentine's Day, readers. I hope your day was filled with the things you like & the people you love.

i, i love you like a love song baby

2012-02-11T20:29:00.000-05:00

I'll admit it...I'm a sucker for a good love song. It's probably the girlest thing about me. When a Colbie Calliat or Adele song comes on, I turn into an amazing (SARCASM) and sing my heart out. And since February is the month of love (at least it is for 14 days), what better time to share my favorite songs with you?

Note: these songs aren't all about love, per se. Some are break up songs, some are happy-go-lucky you've found your soulmate songs, but they all center around love or lack thereof.

{1} Brighter Than The Sun - Colbie Calliat

{2} Marry You - Bruno Mars

{3} Rhythm of Love -Plain White T's

{4} The Way I Am - Ingrid Michealson

{5} Lucky - Jason Mraz & Colbie Calliat

{6} Banana Pancakes - Jack Johnson

{7} 1, 2, 3, 4 - Plain White T's

{8} You and I - Ingrid Michealson

{9} Love You Like A Love Song - Selena Gomez (it's the title of the post so you knew it was going to be included)

it's the little things {link up #6}

2012-02-10T18:00:00.000-05:00

One of the most gorgeous and talented blogging women you'll ever met, Lindsay, started hosting a link up called "It's the Little Things" to remind us that God blesses in a not-so big ways. A whole day can turn around when I get a special little something in the mail or my favorite show is on TV that night, and it's great to document the little things God puts in our day to show us he loves us!

...phone calls from Rebecca that last 72 minutes. That's over an HOUR, people. We had such a great time talking, and neither of us ever talk on the phone. She gets me. I can ramble on and on about something and she looks past my not-so-great way with words and knows exactly what I'm saying. We're gonna make it a weekly thing.
...baby-sitting with a friend. I love kiddos, but I love watching them with others. And I especially love watching them with friends. Kaley was sweet enough to keep me & my jobless self in mind for a baby-sitting gig at my old church, so I was totally psyched when she asked me to help her today!
...chicken pot pie, made with love by me. Nothing like a hot meal waiting for you Recipe coming tomorrow.
...epic sleepover plans with aforementioned RDAWG & Emily. Pictures coming from that as well!
...scheduled posts that take a load off so I can catch up on my Google Reader.
...a new blog design. I still can't get over that my blog looks exactly what it looked like in my head.

hello monday {30}

2012-02-06T20:55:00.004-05:00

{hello monday}

{hello chilly morning}
{hello alarm. i very strongly dislike that beeping machine.}

{hello QT}
{hello breakfast of comfort food: english muffin toasted with peanut butter.}
{hello new history book}
{hello quick break to watch Netflix. shhh, don't tell!}
{hello anatomy reading}
{hello chores}
{hello lunch of grilled cheese and chips}
{hello anatomy coloring}
{hello afternoon of math}
{hello cleaning the bathroom}
{hello shower in said clean bathroom}
{hello emails & a little of the Voice on Hulu}
{hello Dad home from a long day at work}
{hello dinner}
{hello kitchen clean up}
{hello bath for the pup}
{hello Monday TV: the Bachelor & a new Castle episode. one of the best!}
{hello sweet heated bed}

{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. Don't forget to link up in Lisa's comments as well!

it's the little things {link up #5}

2012-02-03T21:10:00.000-05:00

One of the most gorgeous and talented blogging women you'll ever met, Lindsay, started hosting a link up called "It's the Little Things" to remind us that God blesses in a not-so big ways. A whole day can turn around when I get a special little something in the mail or my favorite show is on TV that night, and it's great to document the little things God puts in our day to show us he loves us!

...unexpected visits from the Bolands to our WOL group. Bear hugs were given and lots of talking happened. Love that family so much!
...on that note, surprise phone calls from Hannah at 10 at night asking for MY advice on something. SO honored she thinks I have it all together. NOT, ha.
...a Snickers for dessert from Mama just because.
...warm days & cool nights. The best weather is when I can go barefoot during the day and snuggle under the down comforter at night. Not winter weather for sure, but a nice change up.
...the puppy having more good days than bad. Hallelujah!

Happy Friday, readers! I hope you've had the blessing of seeing God work in your life through the little things.

nichols afternoon

2012-02-02T20:53:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday, we trekked over to Emily & Andrew's house for an afternoon of much-needed, quality, friend-bonding time. Check and respect my awesome adjective usage.

Lots of chocolate animal crackers were consumed...

Seriously, SO good. Buy some and eat half a bag like we did.

...pictures were taken...

So proud of this girl...she is learning SO much about her camera and it's settings.

...and the longest Life for Wii game ever. Seriously, it was wayyy too long. This picture of Andrew (below) accurately describes just HOW long this game lasted.

Clark's words as we took this photo? "Don't censor me!" In regards to SOPA, of course. He's so funny!

HAHAHA.

Of course the highly anticipated revealing of our spouses were photograhed. Because DUDE, the Wii picks cray-cray looking hubbies/wifies for us. Take a look!

Clark & his wife. The glasses kill me.

Andrew and his manly, pigailed wife.

Excuse the blown out picture...was trying to take a picture of my ::ahem:: husband that had DREADLOCKS.

Funny story: when Emily was the last one to get married, we all crossed our fingers that she wouldn't get an Asian husband because poor girl ALWAYS ends up with that guy. As soon as the words were outta her mouth, there he was, almond eyes and all! We howled with laughter. (nothing against Asians...we just revel in the fact that she & an Asian seem to be meant for each other in Wii land)

We are huge techies! It was so hilarious because when it wasn't our turn playing Wii, we were playing Words with Friends, checking emails/FB, or even sending the occasional text.

About halfway through the endless Life game, we got hungry (AGAIN) and then Emily and I decided to

Are you ready for the awesomeness?! I don't think you are. But, watch at your own risk...there is serious hip action (me, much to my dismay) and head bobbing (Clark). Just watch.

Cupid Shuffle! from Emily N. on Vimeo.

HAHAHA. Ya'll. I can't watch that video without laughing my head off. Are we rockin' or are we rockin'?! Also, you're welcome for me getting that song stuck in your head.

After the Life game ended, I had a couple "little" projects that I was expecting to take an hour tops...ended up taking ALL the rest of the time, besides an hour out of the time for dinner and a CHUCK episode. Pictures to come!

Turning 70's bell bottom jeans into skinny jeans. Just as easy as pin, sew, cut, admire!

Many hours & fits of laughter later, we went home with sweet memories. Thanks for having us guys!

one foggy morning

2012-02-02T15:29:00.000-05:00

Last Thursday we have quite the early morning drive. I mean, when you can't see more than 20 yards, things start to get interesting. Everyone becomes a backseat driver and you basically take a leap of faith & trust that we you're not pulling out in front of a car.

Foggy mornings are a lot like my life lately. New phenomenons, like new friends that turned out to be soulmates and some not so welcome changes in other friendships. God's got a plan, and we just have to cling to Him to be able to see through the fogginess.

Happy Thursday, friends. Rejoice! God's given you another week on this earth. Let's praise Him to together, mkay?

the good, the bad, the ugly.

2012-01-31T21:02:00.001-05:00

Ya'll. This week is not treating well. Today was kinda sorta a balance...one minute everything's cool, the next I'm sobbing. This has nothing to do with emotions (I know, that was my first thought too...I am a girl, after all) but just life in general. Life is totally...life. That's the only way how to describe it.

So, if you want to know how I cope with the ups & downs of this thing we call life, read on.

Depressed when ya get up? Start you day off right with emails, the Twitters, and watching silly JHutch videos. Seriously, I've watched this video five times today. He is SO making fun of Vanessa and she thinks it's hilarious which makes that much more hilarious to me.

Sad that your blog is blue and all wintry when the weather is anything but? Email your amazing blogging design friend and plead for her to resize your February header. Then make your blog look all pretty in pink and starting updating it a little. Full monthly makeover post coming soon!

Annoyed that you had to work on schoolwork until 7? Be proud of yourself for sticking with it and having a hot meal lovingly prepared by your mom. Also? Reward yourself with a Doctor Who episode while eating yummy turkey tetrazzini.

So sad for your sweet puppy not feeling good that you sob in the shower for the 2nd night in a row? Eat your feelings by stuffing your face with a Snickers bar and snuggling him.

That's my day. School, worry about the puppy, and surfing the Interwebs. Happy Tuesday, friends!

bullet update

2012-01-28T20:14:00.002-05:00

Just a little update for those of you who were so sweet enough to pray for our Bullet baby.

I am SO happy to report that the very next day, Wednesday, he was acting like his ol' self. Tired, yes but way better than that sad day. We were thrilled!

Yeahhh. Look at that CUTE face.

So happy he was tired enough to still lay in my arms like a baby.

And the best part? He's only gotten more energetic as the week as progressed. Lots of walks to ::ahem:: get things moving if ya know what I mean because this guy still can't get his business right means lots of time playing outside since the weather is SO unseasonably warm (70's?! Yeah, crazy I know.) I took my camera out this afternoon.

Sticks are cool. At least that's what Bullet says!

THAT LOOK <3

With the ears flipped back, yo!

Again, we only love him a little bit ;) Happy Saturday, readers! I hope you have puppy snuggles in your near future.

how muchloveilly brightened my {gray} day

2012-01-26T15:56:00.000-05:00

{Shirt} Target {Skinnes} Old Navy {Headband} Gift-MuchLoveIlly Etsy shop {Watch} Gift-Target

The Christmas I received my second handmade headband from Emily, purchased from the one and only Ilene's shop, Much Love Illy. Seriously, I was SO thrilled when I opened the package I squealed. Or at least I did in that ol' mind of mine.

It is oh so comfy, and the elastic part of the headband NEVER gives me a headache like the el cheapo Walmart ones. Plus, it's just SO stylin'! I'm be remiss if I didn't mention just how many compliments I received on the headband alone. Everyone loved it!

So the gist of this post? Go buy a headband (or brooch! or poppy ring!) from Ilene. It'll make both hers and my day, I'm sure. And, in parting, I'd title this photo "Hey! I have no idea how to look cute in outfit posts. Help?!"

All photo credit goes to sweet Emmylou!

Happy Thursday, readers. I hope your day was not quite as awkward as that photo up there.

{almost wordless wednesday} photography LOVE

2012-01-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Wanna know what happens when a professional photographer wants to take your little Canon Rebel out for a spin?

photo not mine!

THIS. This is what happens. I almost died from the awesomeness.

Happy middle of the week, readers!

bullet {3 months}

2012-01-24T23:00:00.000-05:00

As the title says, our sweet baby Bullet turned three months old today. Last Thursday, we marked a month since he came to live with us and turned our life upside down because DUDE. This dog is like a baby. It's been quiet here on the blog when it comes to the pup, so here's an update on our little bundle of black curly fur.

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{1} I mean, look at him. He's cute, even though he looks like a cave~~man~~dog. Seriously. He's so hairy you can't see his eyes because of his beard, which has morphed in a Ryan Fitzpatrick type of thing. For the record, Bullet can totally pull of that look. The Bills QB? Not so much.

He's still jet black, which makes it hard to photograph him and get his (brown) eyes...thus no pictures of him. The only part that isn't black on him is his two back feet & a little white patch on his chest, which I'm fairly certain is common for schnauzers.

{2} He's pretty good with routine...feeding, doing his business, and playtime vs naptime. But he has trouble holding it at night the poor guy. We've washed his bed so much it's falling apart because he has NO problem sleeping in his own urine. Weirdo. Even though we wake him to take him out at 10 or so, his little puppy bladder just can't handle it so we have to (usually) take him out at six. In the morning. Thankfully that's not my job. I handle the daytime "business trips". I'm such a horrible reader of his signs...he peed down the air vent in the dining room because I was too busy staring at his cute little face. It was (and still is) flippin' hilarious; the look he gave me after he finished was priceless.

{3} He's aggressive. Not in a I'm-gonna-rip-your-arm-off-your-body-because-I'm-a-devil-dog kind of way, but he's testing his boundaries...trying to see how far he can go until you cry uncle. The biting has gotten better...we used a yelping technique where if he bite we screamed like a puppy in a litter would to stun him.Ever since we started, he's gotten SO much better...our arms thank us. Good thing it's winter & we can wear long sleeves to cover up our scarred forearms.

Yeahhh. We love him just a little bit ;)

**Update** Since I wrote this post, we've taken him to the vet for a regular check up. He hadn't been acting right (we just though he was constipated), but it was off & now. As in, he's be fine in the morning and really lethargic in the afternoon. Weird behavior for a puppy.

He had lost weight and was walking funny (ie falling over with he was trying to go to the bathroom because his stance was funny; he looked like a camel) so the doctor thinks there may be something more serious going on. A liver problem that presents as neuro? I was stunned and almost cried.

Prayers are appreciated...as much as we love our little guy we just can't afford to spend all this extra money for something that might not even be there. We just want God to heal him & our sweet pup to be back to normal!

hello monday {29}

2012-01-23T22:01:00.005-05:00

{hello monday}

{hello CRAZY dream that made me *think* I had turned off my alarm}

{hello cat meowing in my face as a substiute alarm}

{hello emails}

{hello nutella toast for breakfast}

{hello both Bible studies homework}

{hello new history book}

{hello new anatomy module}

{hello quick break to play Sudoku, Words with Friends, and listen to music on the Kindle}

{hello making lunch with Mama}

{hello White Collar epi on lunch break}

{hello lunch clean up}

{hello lesson in Math}

{hello vet visit for Bullet}

{hello a few quick errands}

{hello blog reading on the Kindle}

{hello supper prep}

{hello blogging}

{hello hot shower}

{hello dinner}

{hello dinner clean up}

{hello playing around on the Kindle}

{hello Castle}

{hello sweet bed}

{hello monday}

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rainy days are good for...

2012-01-21T20:33:00.002-05:00

...sleeping/taking naps. I had perfectly good intentions of taking a cat nap this afternoon because DUDE. Homegirl got 4 hours of blissfully dead-to-the-world sleep last night. The crazy part is I woke up all hyper & actually talked to people within 30 minutes of waking up. Your body does cra-zay things when you mess up your sleep schedule.

...sitting in the Coffee Shack. Technically, I was tagging along with Mama on a coffee date with one of her friends but I had a date with my laptop. It was amazing; we got reacquainted with the whole blogging thing.

...comfort food. From a doughnut for breakfast, a mocha frappe at the Coffee Shack, peanut butter sandwich & apples for lunch, AND a Dr. Pepper, I've had some of my favorite food today. Too bad it's not healthy or anything. Excuse me while I nom on carrot sticks to make up for those THREE donuts I had in 24 hrs.

That's my day in a nutshell: no sleep, food, and sitting in front of a glowing screen typing away. Glamorous, I know. Happy Saturday, readers!

WOL girls lock-in {1.20-1.21}

2012-01-21T20:22:00.000-05:00

Yesterday night, all the girls from WOL converged at Landmark to have one of the most epic sleepovers ever. Seriously. Camp was amazing, but this sleepover was wicked cool too.Thanks to all the WOL leader ladies (say that three times fast!) that planned the whole event...I will remember with a stupid grin on my face forever.

Before all the fun began, we wielded staple guns (scaryyy) and tacked up the from last year to get a head start on the decorating...

Funny story...we were arranging the verse so it read right but couldn't remember how it went so we just stared at it. Then Meg was like "OH! a Bible!" and picks it up. We laughed..it was awesome.

This was what it looked like before we ate...can't show ya the after without giving it away!

Break for pizza & Dr. Pepper. Lauren ate a whole pizza. By herself. Everyone had a blast tallying up the slices as she ate.

Shiny metal chairs on the table...I couldn't resist.

Back to the decorating! We finished up the gym decor (no problem since we had lots of people helping. someone was on to something when they said "Many hands make light work.") and then went into the old kitchen to have our silhouettes drawn by the resident artists Emily & Rebecca.

After we finished with the decorating (around 9:30), we trekked upstairs to play Catch Phrase. Everyone played it a different way, but we found a style that worked for everyone...but Katie and I were ruthless on each other since we played the same way.

Note everyone's expressions. They are so diverse!

So many cameras! I don't know how we heard each other over the sound of the shutter clicking.

Abbey and her Nikon. I still love her despite her camera company choice.

Abbey and Emily.

Lauren AKA the girl who ate EIGHT pieces of pizza.

PJ's were put on and then we gathered upstairs to split up into teams and play an AMAZING hour & a half of Sardines. In a dark church/gym. Best game of Sardines ever. I'm pretty sure there was snorting involved on my part because do you know how hard it is to sit under a conference room table on top of your friend's legs while she does a Hollywood-equse scream?! Unbelievably hard. It was even harder to control my laughter when we all started making animal noises after the billionth time the other teams ran past us.

Back upstairs for a midnight dance party!

There's Abbey again. She is such a natural photographer!

Talking. A requirement at a sleepover.

I was deemed the Queen of the Cotton Eye Joe dance. OK, maybe that was only in my mind. But I totally was rockin' out to that, Glee, and various other artists. Everyone kinda dissipated and formed little groups to talk in (as evidenced below). Rebecca & I bonded over blinding each other with the flash on Katie's Droid.

At some point (1AM maybe?) we started the movie, Courageous, but Becca & I were oblivious to it all...only catching snippets of was totally worth talking with her. We only stopped talking because it was 3AM and the leaders were semi-threatening us. Hahaha. Good times.

Becca & I were the first ones up & sat in our sleeping bags trying to keep warm (it was freezing!) and talked for another hour, then ventured downstairs to stuff our faces with egg casserole and a fourth doughnut in 24 hours. I'm not proud of that fact but they were just SO good.

Again, thanks to all the leaders who made this happen...it was so awesome!

it's the little things {link up #4}

2012-01-20T17:04:00.003-05:00

One of the most gorgeous and talented blogging women you'll ever met, Lindsay, started hosting a link up called "It's the Little Things" to remind us that God blesses in a not-so big ways. A whole day can turn around when I get a special little something in the mail or my favorite show is on TV that night, and it's great to document the little things God puts in our day to show us he loves us!

...applying for part time jobs. Frustrating because I haven't been hired anywhere, but excited because HOLY COW I'm filling out a job application. & I'll get monies in mah pocket.
...puppy snuggles from a ::ahem:: no pooping dog. Bullet needs to learn that the grass is his bathroom. That is all.
...sitting in the Coffee Shack writing this post. & eating a panini with the jazz music blasting behind me.
...reading blogs on my Kindle Fire. Thanks to Emily for reminding me about
...wearing my brother's shirt. Forget about waiting until I'm married to wear men's clothes...I can go into Clark's closet and have plaid shirts all ready for me to wear ;)
...lock-ins at church with my best friends.

Happy Friday readers! I'm off the aforementioned lock-in for WOL girls...pictures to come!

photography rut no more!

2012-01-19T18:33:00.000-05:00

Today I picked up my camera. Like, really picked it up and enjoyed getting the settings right, capturing the joy on the CBS kiddos faces, and showed off my photography because I WAS PROUD OF IT. I haven't been proud of my photography in a longgg time.

Ruts are a-okay every once in awhile, because eventually you pick up whatever your hobby is & see it in a new light. That's what happened to me today. Having cute kiddos who love the camera helps.

Happy Thursday, readers. May your Friday be amazing and your weekend even more so.

blimey cow

2012-01-18T16:45:00.000-05:00

A year or so ago, I used to love Julian Smith. My friends and I would laugh our heads off at this video...and this one. And maybe this one too. Oh yeah, can't forget this one. TOO funny. Then we fell off the bandwagon and I forgot the awesomeness of funny YouTube videos. That is, until I watched this video that's circling around the blogosphere (and Facebook. but, ya know, i wouldn't know about that).

While Seven Lies about Homeschooling is amazing, Stupid People Who Do Stupid Things on the Internet convicted me while making me laugh so hard tears ran down my face. Just watch...

Convicting, right? I mean, I do things for the sole reason of telling ya'll about it. It's not nessicarily a bad thing because it keeps me accountable on projects, New Years resolutions, etc...but when it gets in the way of your life, that's when it gets bad.

Let's vow to share the good AND the bad with each other without losing who we are in the process. Agreed? Agreed.

ice, ice baby

2012-01-14T20:19:00.004-05:00

I'm sorry about that title...I just couldn't resist.

A couple days ago Jack told me that his WOL youth group was coming to our town. ::gasp:: AND they were going ice skating ::double gasp:: His sis Hannah & I were JUST talking about how much we wanted to go ~~wipo out~~ skate around the rink all graceful like. AND they were inviting our youth group to go as well. ::triple gasp:: OK, so at this point in the gasps I'm hyperventilating. But I'm pretty sure I was doing that in real life.

It was a looong two days, ya'll. Knowing that you're going to see some of your best friends whom you haven't seen in MONTHS in just 72 hours can make a person crazy...as if I wasn't already. HA.

Today was the day. And it was AWESOME. I had SO much fun I barely took any pictures. I kept coming out to give my ankles a break (thanks to Dylan's tying skills) so that's when I snapped all of these.

They were showoffs.

Erika. I lub her.

TOO MUCH PRETTY <3

They are SUCH goofballs. (L to R: Hannah, Jack, and Connor)

Random lady watching random people whiz by

At some point, we were so frozen & so we decided to go thaw out in the snack bar, which then morphed into Sam, Connor, Erika, and Grace sitting with me & Hannah. In one booth. Yeah, it was cramped but so fun. The boys found out I laugh at guy (read: inappropriate) jokes. After much laughter and stealing of gloves (I'm lookin' at YOU, Sam), we went back out only to come back in and go back out when the lights dimmed.

photo FAIL. But it was SO awesome.

I was still shaking once we left & had already gotten to McDonalds (which, funny enough, was the same one Sam works at. he can't escape that place) but warmed up by laughing at more stupid guy stuff that the other girls didn't get. Memories.

Gahhh. I love those WOL people SO much. I miss them already!

it's tebowww timeee!

2012-01-14T20:03:00.002-05:00

photo credit Google Images.

People. I'm a totall Tim Tebow freak. Yeah, he's a Christian and yeah, he had an amazing college football career and yes ::whispers:: he might pull off the rugged look just fine, but he wasn't doing so hot in the regular season. All that changed last week. If you missed it, Google it. It's amazing and we all were screaming at the radio/TV (some of us were in the car and some were at home).

Tonight's the night to see how Tebow leads the Broncos in the playoffs. It's gonna be hard; the Patriots are amazing. But the stage he's set himself up on to spread the Word of God will still be there no matter if they win or lose.

Come on, Tim. It's your time to shine. I'm wearing orange & navy blue PJ's rooting for you ;)

it's the little things {link up #3}

2012-01-13T19:56:00.000-05:00

One of the most gorgeous and talented blogging women you'll ever met, Lindsay, started hosting a link up called "It's the Little Things" to remind us that God blesses in a not-so big ways. A whole day can turn around when I get a special little something in the mail or my favorite show is on TV that night, and it's great to document the little things God puts in our day to show us he loves us!

...the perfect cup of tea with pumkin seed granola for breakfast.
...rainy days.
...THIS song.
...new series on Netflix. Currently watching White Collar...MATT BOMER. Dude, how had I never watched this show before. It's so good!

...Words with ~~Friends~~ Family. Clark and Samantha are currently in a heated game with me...and I'm beating them. Yesss.
...free books with Amazon Prime for my Kindle Fire.

...ice skating with friends from other WOL groups. Pictures coming!

Make sure to link up with Lindsay and congratulate her & her hubs on their new little one...so happy for them!

Happy Friday, friends.

where in the world is carmen san diego, er, sarah-anne?!

2012-01-09T18:29:00.001-05:00

If you've asked yourself that question in the past couple weeks, you're awesome.

Truth is, I can do everything EXCEPT read blogs on my Kindle Fire. Which stinks, but you win some, you lose some. & since that's the only thing I can't do on the Kindle, I forget that we own a laptop & sink into a Words with Friends coma (wanna play? leave your username in the comments & i'll beat you! or maybe you'll be me...50/50 chance). Thus, no blog posts.

Forgive me?!

Happy Monday, friends. I hope you've settled back into a normal routine nicely since the holidays are over ::sniff sniff:: Be on the lookout for a bunch of new catch up posts!

regeneration 2012

2012-01-07T15:51:00.000-05:00

Remember Regeneration? Yeah, that. PS Pleaseee do not look at those pictures, just read the words. I can't believe I even posted such blurry photos but it was before I ever took my camera off of Auto. Ah well, you live & you learn. It was my first experience with the WOL youth group here in my town. After going to Regeneration, I started attending WOL and it's been the best thing that ever happened to me. For serious.

And the best part?! It's happening again this year, just a three weeks from today. If you'd like to come, let me know & I will get you a FREE ticket. FREE, people. In addition to hearing great music, you can see us running around the gym like crazy people...because we are. We're crazy about our Savior.

Wanna learn more about it? Check out their FB page.

new year and all that.

2012-01-01T21:19:00.000-05:00

Peoples. It's 2012. But I'm sure you already knew that. ::whispers:: Because...ya know, the world's supposed to end and everything?! Nahhh, I'm just teasing ya. I like to joke about the end of the world, remember?

If the world really IS gonna end this year, I want to do some stuff. Like, bungee jump and all that. Nope, kidding again. I hate heights. But I really do want to challenge myself in some areas of my life, so here's my list of things to do in 2011.

{1} Do a Project 365 blog. I know, how cliche of me. But really, I'm the person they had in mind when they invented P365; I go days without taking a picture then end up taking 100 over the weekend and photobomb my readers. Therefore, a picture a day is my solution. I think it's going to be so awesome to see not only my photo skills evolve, but see my year in pictures.

{2} Challenge myself in my youth group. Something you might not know about me since you're never met me IRL is that I'm deathly afraid of doing things in public. I hate doing sports when people other than my family is watching, I almost pass out when I speak at WOL, and I can't even imagine singing in front of someone, although my shower head is my biggest fan.

I want to not be afraid & kick a soccer ball even if I flat on my backside, to share what God's been doing in my life without my voice cracking & breaking out into a cold sweat, and sing my heart out up on stage. I feel like God's calling me to challenge myself in these areas, & I know I can do it.

{3} Do a WOL QT every day (on time!) and have a word of the day relating to the devo as well. OK, so the QT a day thing is probably unattainable, but the WOTD per QT is going to happen. It's something that started at camp...we'd think of what the QT meant to us personally and summarize it to just one word then write it on our hand to remind us what we learned about God that day. I fell off the wagon when we got back from camp (HA) but with the new year I'm going to start again!

That's it. Three simple things that I know I can stick with...that's not to say I'm not going to accomplish other things but these are the ones I want you, my readers, to keep me accountable on.

And, since I love Doctor Who/David Tennat (ohhh, DT), I'll leave you with a little parting gift...

Pea ess: I cried when he said this. To know why, you HAVE TO watch Doctor Who. No exceptions.

Oh yes, it's gonna be a great year indeed.

scenes from christmas weekend 2011

2011-12-27T20:48:00.000-05:00

As if Christmas wasn't cool enough on it's own, it fell on a weekend. Which meant a WEEKEND FULL OF CHRISTMAS. I'm still recovering from the food/sugar/lounging around in PJ's coma I put myself in.

{Christmas Eve 12.24}

Since Christmas fell on a Sunday and all that good sthuff, we opted to have our family time on Christmas Eve instead. Mama's side of the family came, along with Gran Jan, and we ate & ate & ate. And admired Bullet.

The guests converged in the living room.

The grown up table.

Mama & I worked hard on the meal of ham, mashed taters, green bean casserole, another assorted veggies, and deviled eggs. I had three of those suckers...then two more later. I'm such a pig.

Clark focuses on eating.

No meal is complete without Dr. Pepper.

After dinner, we hung around & loved on Bullet some more. Because DUH! He is just so lovable.

Dumb kit lens wouldn't give me amazing bokeh like I saw in my head.

Yeahhh...he's totally stolen our hearts.

And then there was dessert...two pumpkin pies, fudge, and Amish bread.

After everyone left and we had MORE food, we settled in the animals & opened our traditional Christmas Eve present of new PJ's.

Bullet crashed...thank the Lord! He was wide open all afternoon.

Butter, the other pet...he's such a weirdo. Slept up against the HOT metal fireplace & on Dad's wood gloves.

Wonder what it could be?! ;)

Bullet got up and helped. <3

Polka dots FTW!

My little bro

Bullet joined us in putting the star up on the Advent calendar.

We ended the night with watching It's a Wonderful Life for the first time {and then finding out it was on TV too was hilarious!} and reading Mockingjay snuggled under the blankets.

{Christmas Day 12.25}

Bullet did a GREAT job sleeping through the night, and we all slept so late that Mama & Dad had to wake us up around 8:30. Getting woken up by little puppy licks on your face is amazing, BTW.

After we had read the last installment in our Advent story, it was onto the stockings! Yesss.

I spy candyyy!

Something my readers don't know {yet}, it that I decided to become a nurse this past school year. Lots of things lead up to the decision, like my love for the medical field & the feeling that if I went with a different career I'd regret not pursuing my dream. I even wrote a paper on it for the evil English class of 2011, I'm so hardcore about it. Ha.

All that to say, I asked for a camera ornament {we always get one representing our year} but alas, Mama couldn't find one. So, I just said OK & wondered what one they'd get me...turns out my got me such a great one: it's a nurse! I was so surprised & almost cried.

it's just SO awesome.

Surveying the stocking goodies...

the size of his eyes when he saw the giant

What I made out with in my stocking this year: tea, my ornament, new mascara, pretzel M&Ms, and a giant Hershey's bar.

Ususally we get a "big" present each year...Clark's was the puppy {DUH} and mine was a Kindle Fire! I am so totally stoked; this is my first tablet/techonlogy ALL MY OWN.

Puffy & makeup-less but joyful face. Thanksn Mama & Dad!

Other gifts...

Shower radio from Gran Jan...I rock out to Maroon 5 while washing my face. You're jealous I know.

JCPenney's gift card WOOT! I can never shop there because it's so dang expensive.

My view (I didn't get ALL these gifts...both the puzzle & Yahtzee are family presents.

Puppy snuggles <3

Bullet made out like a bandit. Dog toys galore, but of course he prefers to bite us better.

In addition to the puzzle and Yahtzee, we got Hedbandz. Clark saw it on iCarly. Ahem. I am simutaneously appalled and proud.

Dad got sweatpants, flannel PJ bottoms, slippers, and a water bottle. Mama got the latter two plus hand towels as well.

We spent the rest of the day eating {I had FOUR more deviled eggs. I'm addicted, I tell ya}, watching movies {Cars 2 & From Prada to Nada} playing around on the Kindle Fire, and just enjoying each other & vegging out in front of the fire. ::sigh:: I love the holidays.

SUCH a goober.

We ended the night with football & a couple games of Yahtzee, which Clark & I had NEVER played before. It's a new favorite!

I hope you guys had a great Christmas as well!

hello monday {28}

2011-12-26T21:09:00.001-05:00

{hello monday}

{hello after Christmas crash}

{hello after 9:30AM wake up call}

{hello lying around}

{hello WOL Quiet Times}

{hello childhood breakfast of a brown sugar poptart}

{hello chores}

{hello web surfing}

{hello playing with the pup}

{hello PB sandwich with apple for lunch while rewatching Doctor Who}

{hello afternoon watching Bullet for Clark [he went into town with Mama]}

{hello cleaning up puppy spills}

{hello fire}

{hello 2 hour puppy nap & blog design working}

{hello refreshing Dr. Pepper}

{hello laundry}

{hello Mama & Clark with FOOD}

{hello singing along with my new shower radio}

{hello dinner}

{hello Netflix watching on my New Kindle Fire ::squeee::}

{hello second game of Yatzee}

{hello blogging}

{hello rerun of Castle with the family}

{hello Hunger Games reading [book review coming AS SOON as I finish]}

{hello lights out}

{hello monday}

----------------------------------------------------------------------

if we did a Christmas card...

2011-12-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

...this would be it.

taken on our beach week in August 2011

Merry Christmas from our family to yours, dear readers. I hope you have a wonderful day enjoying those around you & celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Quick note: Unlike most bloggers, I WILL be around next week...no blogging break for moi! Can't wait to share our Christmas celebration with ya'll.

bullet's story

2011-12-23T19:22:00.000-05:00

While the idea of a puppy was a total surprise to you guys, it was something that had been in the air ever since Clark was little. We even went as far as to rescue a bro/sis duo from the local animal shelter only to realize we had NO idea what they were going to be (expect for the obvs Lab features).

Turns out, the male had great dane and the girl could jump 5 feet in the air & when Clark said "dog" he meant "dog that would be little as long as he lived". It's hard to figure out what a 4 year old wants. Due to many reasons, we had to surrender them to the humane society after 7 years, and we missed the 100 lb teddybear & the spastic girl.

The idea of a puppy that would stay small throughout it's adult years remained on the back burner, and when Clark began to research what breed we should get, we knew that we were going to get a puppy. Lots of late night Google searches and visits to look at litters lead us to a breeder about an hour away. We honestly didn't get a good feeling about the breeders & their conditions for the puppy, but we didn't rule them out.

A week went by and while we had several little road trips to look at other litters, we felt lead to go "rescue" this one black male puppy that loved on us from the very beginning...and so, on Christmas Eve Eve Eve, we welcomed Bullet into our home.

Yeahhh...I took this picture & knew he was ours.

Puppy fight...it there be anything cuter?!

Even though we knew which one we wanted, we made sure to give every puppy attention.

The runt of the litter. I loved on him the most because he would just get trampled by the others.

The day we got him, a week from when we first met Bullet.

Today we took him to the vet and he made all the ladies swoon. He's such a cutie. <3

Funny story: he honestly can't control his legs very well and when he stood on the metal table, he just slid down into a Superman post.

Hangin' on the floor.

While he has accidents, he's getting the hang of telling us he needs to go, and he LOVES to play outside after he's gone to the bathroom. His name suits him...he runs as fast as his little legs will take him.

And eating dandelions is a top priotirty as well.

So that's Bullet's story. He always feels like he's been part of our family and we honestly love this little pup & his snuggles SO MUCH.

introducing...

2011-12-22T19:06:00.000-05:00

Bullet

Weighing in at 4 lbs, 14 oz

Proud owner: Clark

Full story coming tomorrow. But for now, I'm off to get some more puppy snuggles. We are so in love with this little guy <3

first day of winter

2011-12-21T19:22:00.000-05:00

The first day of Winter in Eastern NC was ushered in with temperatures in the upper 70's and a stiff southerly wind. Say wha?! The kicker was it was still 72 after the sun had gone down. ::sigh:: That would be Eastern NC for ya. One year you're preparing for a snow storm the day after Christmas & the next you're searching our drawer for red & green summer clothes like I did today.

Did you hear that? I had SUMMER clothes. Eastern NC is just so crazy when it comes to weather. We skip seasons & where short sleeves 3 days before Christmas.

But hey, at least I looked like a candy cane today.

This smile was forced...I wanted to be wearing a turtleneck NOT a lightweight shirt.

scenes from the weekend

2011-12-20T20:10:00.000-05:00

Busy, busy us. The only way I know how to tell what happened over the weekend is to summarize it in my "scenes from the weekend" posts. Do ya'll enjoy them? Because I aim to please.

{Friday 12.16}

We just can't live without our CBS friends. Even though the last day of CBS was the day before, we scheduled a Christmas party at the assistant Children's Director's house. It was a fun time had by all, and it was nice to NOT talk about CBS & dirty diapers for once :)

The decorations were amazing. Miss Jeanette outdid herself; her place was so festive!

It's become public knowledge that I'm a bokeh addict. It's just SO prettyyy <3

Mr. Pete relaxing in the recliner after a great meal. If he hadn't snagged the seat so quickly, I'd would've been in there chillin...it looked SO comfy.

Bunny lamp <3

There I go with the Christmas trees again! I'm sorry, ya'll.

FUDDD.

{Saturday 12.17}

Hehehe I can't tell you what we did...other than hang around & be lazy on our Christmas break! It's a surprise that will be revealed in due time ;)

{Sunday 12.18}

One of our long-time homeschooling friends host an annual ladies Christmas tea. It had been awhile since I was on the list, but over the summer I got the chance to grow closer to both Annagrace & MK (which you might remember their beautiful faces from this post) and was SO excited to get a chance to particapte in the party. Even though tea parties aren't my cup of tea (see what i did there? i'm so punny.) I really enjoyed myself! Thanks for the sweet memories, ladies!

Everything was just SO festive. I was all "CHRISTMASSS. Let's do this!!"

Christmas china?! Totally awesome.

They had two forks, a knife, and a spoon. I freaked and asked Kaley for help.

Even though regular ol' black decaf tea is my favorite, I also loved the Gingerbread Sleigh Ride I had there.

The spread.

SO GOOD <3

We're such nerds. But I love her anyways <3

That large hole in my dessert plate held angel food cake...I was just SO eager to eat it I forgot to take a picture until it was ALL gone.

I just couldn't resist ya'll.

After the tea party, we loaded up our car with MK & Emily, then went off to WOL. That particular night was the Christmas party and we had pizza, went caroling at a local nursing home, and did a little gift exchange to end the night. While everything was so fun, I really liked going to the home & seeing the residents singing along with us, following us around in the wings, and waving as we went by the rooms.

How was YOUR weekend readers?! Do tell.

hello monday {27}

2011-12-19T21:02:00.001-05:00

{hello monday}

{hello early wake up during Christmas break}

{hello unloading firewood with Sam, a camp friend}

{hello stubbed toe [dropped a huge piece of wood on my left big toe] & something in my eye}

{hello chore filled morning}

{hello lunch}

{hello trying to find some relief for my eye}

{hello blog reading}

{hello little road trip for the afteroon}

{hello second fire of the winter}

{hello quick catnap and resting my eye [felt much better]}

{hello Monopoly with my boys}

{hello leftovers for dinner}

{hello kitchen clean up [i love turning around and seeing a sparkling kitchen before flicking off the light]}

{hello more Monopoly in front of the fire}

{hello shower}

{hello working on blog posts}

{hello Terra Nova season finale [Clark got into it so we follow along]}

{hello Hunger Games [i'm on Mockingjay. dude, intense. but more on that in another post]}

{hello lights out}

{hello monday}

----------------------------------------------------------------------

a christmas tag

2011-12-18T19:43:00.000-05:00

In honor of it being one {ONE?!} week until Christmas, I'd thought I'd to a little Christmas tag. But really, it's just an excuse to do yet another tag. I'm sorta addicted to them. Casey did it as well so I know it's pretty cool ;)

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate & popcorn is my favorite nighttime snack. Not ever lying when I say I'll have it days in a row.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wraps them...although this year Santa ::cough cough Mama & Dad cough cough:: is getting behind in setting out the presents.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White. Traditional all the way.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? I've always wanted to but never have. Mostly, it's because just so darn high up in the trees & heights are not my friend.

5. When do you put your decorations up? I make myself wait until after Thanksgiving, but this year we were a little late getting everything up.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Tough question...I'd have to say green bean casserole. I'll totally addicted to the fried onions.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Again, tough question. A couple that stand out in my mind are my little bro getting a fire truck bed {he was REALLY into fire trucks that year} and reading two or three books in bed one Christmas morning waiting for everyone to get up.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My parents never "did" Santa...plus it wasn't hard to figure out; my parents didn't hide the fact they were Christmas shopping for us.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Every year since I can remember...and it's always PJ's.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? It's not a themed tree by any means. Just full of our yearly ornaments with regular ol' lights.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT! Sorry, all capitals had to be used. It's my favorite weather type after all.

12. Can you ice skate? I absolutely love it, but I can't say I'm amazing. At least I don't fall down a lot.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? Probably Just Dance 2. So many memories playing that game!

14. What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Remembering that it's not about ME, but about Jesus. Without him, we would be nothing...and there would be no Christmas at all. Harsh, but true.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Crockpot candy. Recipe coming!

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Opening up the pajamas, of course!

17. What tops your tree? A gold star that my mom spray painted YEARS ago. This year we intertwined lights inside it as well...looks amazing!

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? While I love receiving {I mean, who doesn't?!}, getting the perfect gift for someone & seeing their face light up makes me oh so happy.

19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? YUCK! Can't stand peppermint/mint. It's a wonder I can stand brushing my teeth.

20. Favorite Christmas show? Confession: I'm not into the holiday movies. We're going to watch It's a Wonderful Life for sure!

21. Saddest Christmas Song? Mary, Did You Know or You're Here. Total tear-jerkers.

22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Amazingly, You're Here. I'm a sap for sure!

Merry one-week-til-Christmas, readers!

coffee shack at Christmas time

2011-12-17T14:01:00.000-05:00

My favorite coffee shop in the world, the Coffee Shack,is all decorated for Christmas. Ya'll, it.is.amazing. I didn't think the Coffee Shack could get better, but it did. It's just so...magical with all the lights.

Coffee Shop PLUS bokeh?

One cool thing about the Coffee Shack is they have a conference room with a TV {that has cable}. AND. You can watch whatever you want. Score!

Loving this shot. I saw it in the corner of my eye and knew it was gonna be amazing.

They have a fake storefront in their store. INCEPTION. Ok, not really.

See? Magical, I tell you. ::sigh:: I love that place. It helps that my famous friend Lindsay works there AND they have amazing cinnamon rolls. Happy Saturday readers! 8 days til Christmas...are YOU ready?!

crank up the christmas tunes

2011-12-16T13:23:00.000-05:00

My recently-discovered-love-of-my-life Pandora has been blaring the Christmas music since the day after Thanksgiving every time I sit down to write a blog post. Right now, Micheal Buble is tellin' me Santa Claus is coming to town. I'm a big fan of Buble's style music so I created a whole station full of him & Josh Groban, Martina McBride, and Julianne Hough because not only can that girl dance, she can SING. Amen? Amen.

While I love the traditional carols & the instant calming effect they have, I'm a weirdo and like the non-traditional Christmas songs even more. Erika, the gorgeous red head behind Rouge & Whimsy, inspired me to share my favorite Christmas songs. In no particular order, because who can pick a favorite? I sure can't.

Baby, It's Cold Outside {Martina McBride with Dean Martin} - Martina McBride is amazing. The end.

Jingle Bell Rock {Julianne Hough} - Just listen.

Baby's, It's Cold Outside {Elf Soundtrack} - I mean, really. Is there anything Zooey Deschanel can't do? The answer's no, by the way. And yes, I have two versions of the same song. What can I say? I like it!

Jingle Bells {Micheal Buble} - Totally in love with his version of this song.

Last Christmas {Taylor Swift} - I'm sure I had heard bits & pieces of this song in earlier years but I feel like I just discovered this song!

It's Called Christmas with a Captial C {Go Fish Guys} - Yes, I know these guys are VBS type music, but listen. It's not a great message. Pea ess skip the first minute or so to hear the actual song.

Have any favorites among this list? Let me know in the comments!

last CBS til 2012

2011-12-15T14:58:00.000-05:00

Today was the big children's ministry performance day, marking the last day of CBS before the holiday break. The kids did ah-mazing {I was so proud of them as if they were my own little kiddos} & sang there hearts out.

the little swinging feet

Mama introducing the music teacher, Miss Laura Beth.


Singing "I've got the JOY"

In a way, I'm super sad that I won't get to see those kids for 2 weeks. BUT! 2 weeks where I can sleep in & not get up at 6:30 sounds pretty darn amazing right now.

Happy Thursday readers.

worship music wednesday

2011-12-14T19:42:00.000-05:00

Ya'll. This is probably my most favorite Christmas song EVER. I heard it on the radio yesterday for the first time this season and basically cried. Yes, I'm emotional and no, I'm not sorry for getting choked up about my Savior coming to Earth as a little baby.

Even though you can clearly understand the words, I'm posting the lyrics because I think they stand alone and tell a story without the music.

Hold on now, I gotta take a deep breath
I don`t know what to say when I look in your eyes
You made the world before I was born
Here I am holding you in my arms tonight
Noel, noel, Jesus our Emmanuel

You`re here, I`m holding you so near
I`m starring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
You could`ve left us on our own, but you`re here

Don`t know how long I`m gonna have you for
But I`ll be watching when you change the world
I look at your hand, they`re still so small
Someday you`re going to stretch them out and save us all
Noel, noel, God with us Emmanuel

You`re here, I`m holding you so near
I`m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
They could`ve left us on our own, but you`re here you`re here
someday I`m gonna look back on this

The night that God became a baby boy
Someday you're gonna go home again,
But you leave your spirit and flood the world with joy

You`d be here, I`m holding you so near
I`m staring into the face of my Savior, King and Creator
They could`ve left me on my own, but you`re here you`re here
Hallelujah you`re here hallelujah
You`re here

Happy Wednesday readers! I hope you're having a wonderful Christmas season so far.

christmas break, baby!

2011-12-12T21:27:00.000-05:00

Update: I got an A in the horrible English class. That little letter makes me almost as happy as the fact that it's Christmas time. Almost.

As a homeschooler, we have the freedom to choose when we want to start school, take breaks, etc. Since my dad is a teacher at the local community college, we usually follow his schedule so we can enjoy the same days off. The only downside to that is we start earlier than most...second week in August is the norm. However, we get done with the school year earlier than most. Totally worth it to be free a month before the public schoolers.

Even though Dad doesn't get time off from his full time teaching job until Friday afternoon, thus beginning his Christmas break, I decided that once I submitted my final paper for quite possibly the worst class I've ever taken {English 111 isn't bad, but it is when you had a teacher like mine} I was DONE. So, as of right now as I'm typing these very words, I am free. Free, free, free! I could not be more thrilled that Christmas break has begun!

Here's to Christmas movies {finally going to watch It's a Wonderful Life in it's entirety!}, singing Christmas carols, reading our advent story, and admiring our Christmas tree. Oh, & there's bound to be non-Christmas related shtuff like sleeping in, reading the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, board games with the family, Instant Netflix browsing, and lots of time with family & friends.

Happy Monday readers. Amid the wrapping paper and Christmas cookies, let's remember that without Jesus, there would be no Christmas. He's the reason for the season {yes, I totally had to throw a cliche saying in there. some people say it WAY better than I do}.

gingerbread house party

2011-12-10T15:14:00.000-05:00

Ever since I can remember {wow, that sounds totes cliche}, we've made gingerbread houses. To take it a step further, the Nichols, our family, and a few others have had a gingerbread house party at the Cortright's as well. It's always full of friends, fellowship, and candy. Oh, so much sugar.

Last year we didn't do a party, but did our gingerbread decorating at our respective houses. But. This year we hosted at OUR house, complete with roaring fire and homemade hot chocolate simmering in the crockpot. We were so excited to have the Nichols and the Furloughs come out and join us last Saturday. We missed you, Cortright family!

Gingerbread house bokeh! Mind? Blown.

Some of the materials we had to decorate...

On to the decorating!

Emily's house in the works.

Nate & Josh's little dog. So cute <3

Clark's house.

The finished houses, two hours later:

Andrew's

Clark's

Blurry, I know but I couldn't leave Nate & Josh's house out.

Elizabeth & Trey's.

Mine. People, I spent an HOUR alone on the epic gingerbread house fence of 2011.

The end scene. Coconut everywhere and icing decoating not only the houses but our clothes but many memories made!

We ended the afternoon with a short game of football & my special hot chocolate with red velvet cupcakes and snickerdoodles. A pretty good combo, don't you think?

Happy Saturday, readers!

Bible Study Christmas Party

2011-12-08T21:25:00.001-05:00

Last Thursday my Bible Study group had our annual Christmas partay. BUT! To shake things up we decided to forego all the sugary snacks {i know, i was like "say wha?!"} and go out to eat instead. Chili's it was!

When I got there, I was almost late and was expecting everyone to be waiting to chew me out, but it was just Miss Lorraine & Kelly, sitting all by their lonesome. The rest of the troupe went across the parking lot to Target with Anna, Miss Lorraine's daughter. Everyone came back & we took a ridiculous amount of pictures {with flash!} in a small space with others. I'm such a deer in the headlights when it comes to taking pictures with flash that I was the one that caused all the re-do. Good times.

We talked and talked and then BOOM! I smelled something funk-ay and all burnt, so I turn around to find a rag on the heating vent. One whole corner was black & it was dark else I could say for sure I saw a little steam coming off of it. Emily said I saved the day...and I didn't deny it.

Ohhh, Kelly. <3

Veronica + Miss Lorraine

Anna being a creeper.

There were cameras EVERYWHERE. Okay...only three. But still, they were all one end of the table so we got a little snap happy.

While we were waiting for our food, we decided to go head with our tacky gift exchange. It's a tradition in Miss Lorraine's studies to exchanges some of the most off the wall gifts, like a singing Elvis stocking OR ::duh duh duh:: THE PIG.

Basically, the pig came into existence years back, and believe me...it is the ugliest thing ever. Creepy & tacky too. It went to a different home each year & when went missing for a couple years. It made it back into our Bible Study circle and Miss Lorraine screamed when she got it {which was last year}. We all knew the pig was coming back this year, but no idea WHO would get it.

Miss Lorraine always gives the best little gifts...these snowman mugs AND stripey socks were so cute <3

The gift-giving herself with all the loot:

Veroncia is ADORBS, no?

Emily was the next to last person to get a gift and no one had gotten the pig yet, so it was a no-brainer she was going to get it. I saw a little bit of red fluff and it was all over at that point. Everyone started freaking out that Emily was the one to get it!

A creeper {Anna again} in a creepy pig picture. Ha!

While the pig was the best gift in her own, um, creepy way MY gift was definitely the best! And I'm not even biased. Everyone fell in love with Bart {short for Bartholomew}, the Sing-a-ma-jig. He harmonzies, just talks random words in his own language, and sings "Clementine". Thank you Kamilla for Bart! <3

See? He was totally the life of the party. We even creeped out our server out because when he came to take our orders he said "WHOA! Did that thing just move it's mouth?!" Totally priceless.

We ended the night with amazing food {Chili's doesn't disappoint...try their Chicken Club Quesadillas} & fellowship. I love my Bible Study girls so much!

Happy Thursday readers! Tomorrow's Friday; it's practically the weekend.

wipeout {TV show}

2011-12-08T19:29:00.001-05:00

not my image. obvs.

THIS? Is happening tonight. I cannot wait to snuggle up under my blanket with popcorn & hot cocoa whilst laughing my head off.

Don't know about Wipeout? It's a summer show that usually pops up once or twice in the off season with specials...like tonight, for instance. This one's called Deck the Balls. Ha. Haha. Hahaha! I know. You basically watch people who have signed themselves up to bounce off big red balls & dodge sweeper arms. & get smacked off their feet. It's SO funny, trust me.

almost wordless wednesday {trimming the tree}

2011-12-07T14:58:00.000-05:00

After the tree had all its lights on, we decorated it. DUH.

While I think themed trees are amazing & I admire those who do that, I love love love our homey tree. Each year we get an ornament that represents that year, and along with Mom & Dad's ornaments from their childhood, and our tree is FULL this year. It looks so amazing & tells a story, so I'm not complaining.

See? Lots o' ornaments!

Butter was totally into the decorating. NOT.

Since I actually know how to manipulate my camera, I got decent shots of the ornaments on the tree. I was pleased with myself for sure.

My very first ornament.

A fave of everyone's. Dad got it in Africa.

Yes, we have an ECU football helmet ornament. We are hardcore like that.

Finally! All decked out in it's tinkly lights glory. This brings me so much joy.

Happy Wednesday, readers!

the Help {movie & book review}

2011-12-06T20:26:00.000-05:00

{Book Review}

If you haven't heard of this book/movie by now, you must live under one huge rock...Everywhere you turn you're bombarded with the Help's success both on & off the silver screen. It's such a wildly popular movie! That, coupled with the fact that I love love love books that are made into movies & comparing them to each other, I knew that I had to give both the book and the movie a shot. And, of course, share it with you readers :)

I first heard about the book even before the movie was announced & wanted to give reading it a try, but didn't buy the book until I saw it at Sam's Club for less than ten dollars. Score!

photo credit Google Images

I loved the book...one of the best I've read in a while. Sure, it was so super sad & I felt so bad for the characters at times, but it was lighthearted as well...gave you an insight to what it was like back then when the help was just that: the help. Never to be thought of unless you needed something. That and so many others things made me realize WHY this book is a bestseller. You'll have to read it for yourself...

The only downside that I had with the book AND the movie was the language ::sigh:: Of course they had to throw it in there, but I guess it's just something we have to deal with as Christians, am I right? I'd just be reading along and BAM! they use God's name in vain, totally out of context if that's even possible {because when it is OK to curse our God? never, that's when}. There was other language, but nothing like the Fword...in all honesty, those words don't bother me as much as when someone uses God's name in vain.

In fact, I was so taken aback by it that I stopped reading the book for a little while, intending on returning it. But I felt like I needed to give it a second shot and I'm so glad I did! If you can get past the language, it's an awesome read!!

{Movie Review}

Samantha & I both wanted to go to the movie but since we knew it was going to be crazzzyyy opening weekend {not to mention the fact that we were both down at the beach that particular Friday and everything is more expensive at the beach}, we decided to wait a little longer. Scheduling conflicts kept us away from the movie theater, but we finally got to go see it, along with Emily!

I loved it. Like, as much as the book! It was great...so emotional & the characters were portrayed excellently. Emma Stone is awesome, as are Viola Davis & Bryce Dallas Howard.

And again, the language was the only drawback to the movie. GD, the Sword and the Fword made their appearance numerous times. The only drawback in my opinion.

So what are you waiting for? Go rent the Help!!

hello monday {26}

2011-12-05T21:26:00.001-05:00

{hello monday}

{hello on time wake up [without an alarm. i am awesome]}

{hello vitamin C packet for scratchy throat}

{hello Quiet Time about the amazing man Daniel}

{hello computer rountine [check the twitters, scan my blog reader, and emails. oh yeah, and a little Pinterest to inspire me through the day]}

{hello morning of work on my Penn State paper for ENG 111}

{hello Doctor Who episode [I love Matt Smith, but David Tennant will always be my favorite Doctor]}

{hello potato soup for lunch}

{hello watching Doctor Who Weakest Link on YouTube}

{hello 2 Peter precepts study}

{hello Tim Tebow book [thiiisss close to finishing]}

{hello Anatomy reading [on the nerves. amazing how God designed those tiny things to do such big tasks]}

{hello 1 little lesson in Alegbra 2}

{hello hot shower and radio playing [i sing in the shower. loudly.]}

{hello leftovers for dinner}

{hello silly texting with the cousin}

{hello Pirates 4 with my boys}

{hello break to read our Advent story and take pictures}

{hello more Pirates}

{hello blogging [while watching the movie. i'm good at multitasking.]}

{hello FUN Castle episode [Castle and Beckett are just so cute together <3]}

{hello Hunger Games chapter}

{hello early wake up call}

{hello monday}

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it's beginning to look a lot like christmas...

2011-12-05T19:39:00.001-05:00

Around here, we try to wait until the day after Thanksgiving to start celebrating Christmas, including (be certainly not limited to): listening to Christmas music, Christmas shopping, and getting our Christmas tree decorated. It's just our way of not giving into the hoopla associated with Christmas. Yes, we're rebels in our minds at least.

BUT. This year we couldn't wait and decided to buy the tree the weekend after Thanksgiving. I was totally down with that. We hit a couple bumps along the way, like ::ahem:: we don't have a truck anymore. Thus, we'd have to be one of those people who drive around town going oh so slow as to keep the tree on top of the roof. All I could envision was something like this Allstate commerical:

Hahaha.::wipes tears from eyes:: OK. Maybe not that extreme but you get my point.

The second thing that happened was the tree pickings were slim this year. Literally. The trees where so skinny they resembled me. We went to 3 different Food Lions before we found a good tree. Most of ya'll would say that's quite a trek but in our town FL's are so common there's 3 within 10 miles of each other.

Where's ~~Waldo~~ Clark?

They are so creeper-ish! But I still love them.

Mama was the official tree inspector.

Strapping the tree onto the car wasn't an easy task. I just watched while Clark and Dad did the heavy lifting. & yes, that's a Sonic cup in the backseat. Mama had to have her Happy Hour fix.

Since we had a football game to go watch with the Bannings {ECU's last game, hence all the pirates apparel}, we got home late and didn't get a chance to put it up that night. If I remember correctly, it stayed in the garage all night & then we put it before church on Sunday.

It's a forest in there!

Wielding the chain saw to cut that puppy's trunk down. Also? Look at Clark's pants; they are PJ's. We are super classy like that.

The tree went up on Sunday and we finally got around putting up lights up tonite night. Mama is in charge of the lights, and it's slow going but I love watching the tree come together.

Butter was into the lights. Like, literally INTO the lights.

Yeah, I got a little snap happy with the lights. Sorry about that.

She only got a little farther that this before she quit. Ha!

Ending this post with a favorite of the night...

Happy Monday! You're almost halfway through the week...give yourself a pat on the back.

happy birthday Simply Sarah-Anne!

2011-11-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

Wow, time flies doesn't it? Seems like just yesterday I was pulling together Etsy sellers & writing up the giveaway posts for my first blogoversary celebration, waiting in anticipation to see who won what giveaway. But in reality, that was a year ago and you're 2 now. So, happy birthday Simply Sarah-Anne! Here's to many more blogoversaries over the coming years.

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Yes, I just wrote a birthday post on my blog FOR my blog and yes, I realize that I do the same thing with human friends. I'm certifiably crazy and you can commit me to the mental institution now.

But, this blog connects me to my human (blogging) friends and I'm so grateful for that. Simply Sarah-Anne is like that mutual friend that introduced you and your best friend. Through my blog I've met so many inspiring, Christian, gorgeous (Yes, I just pulled the beauty card, but I seriously follow all the blogs that have the prettiest authors out there.) bloggers. Is it possible to be in debt to something that's not alive? Because I am forever in debt to my blog for leading me to all these wonderful ladies.

This blog means friendship to me and through that I'm encouraged on a daily basis, both in my walk with Christ and life in general. I hope it means the same to you and my readers stick around for another year...and another and another and another.

In addition to the friends I've made, I've grown as a writer and challenged myself in so many ways. From my photography (I bought a DSLR and just this year, switched to shooting in all Manual), outfits (I used to wear blah stuff over and over again no matter what), and projects (like i said, inspiring people inspire you) I've grown so much. Call it peer pressure, but it works for me...seeing someone else do something so I can take the plunge and do it yourself.

So, happy birthday to Simply Sarah-Anne. Here's to many more friendships to be made and blog posts to be written!

thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T20:40:00.000-05:00

Ah, Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, only second to Christmas {I mean, DUH} because I love the emphasis put on family and, of course, the food. In fact, cooking the food is my most favorite part of the holiday...something about seeing your family enjoy the food you worked oh so hard on makes my heart happy. As tradition in my family goes, we make green bean casserole, my grandma's family recipe stuffing, and mashed potatoes. GET IN MAH BELLEH.

After sleeping in {can I get an amen on that?!}, watching the Macy's Day Parade, and a big breakfast of pumpkin pancakes, we went to Gran Jan's to spend the afternoon with her & Mr. Jim just like last year!

Green Bay Packers on Gran Jan's big flat screen. Clark takes just the mere act of watching football seriously.

Mr. Jim brought Dr. Pepper for me & Clark. We really like him ;)

I'm pretty sure I talked the timer into dinging a little soon than it should...I was just SO hungry!

Our table!

As if the game on wasn't enough football for the guys, they used Dad's HTC to sstay updated on the other games being played.

Clark: "Hello? No bro, I'm just chillin' with my Dad and lookin' oh so handsome while doing it."

We also admired the handmade backgammon set from Africa.

Finally FOOD!

Clark got the honors of cutting the turkey up. He was so proud...

...and so hungry he couldn't look at the camera.

Lining up!

I fell asleep after the meal only to be woken up by something (namely, someONE). It was nice while it lasted!

After we had let all the food settle in our tummys, we set out on our annual Turkey Day walk to the park off of Gran Jan's neighborhood.

Mama & Gran Jan sat on the benches while the rest of us tossed us the football in the waning sunlight. It was amazing and the perfect way to end the day.

Poor Clark...he COULD NOT get himself to flip over the chin-up bar, so Dad helped him.

Then Dad HAD to prove he could flip over the bars too.

And then the Master Herself had to show her family how it was done.

OH HAI!

And THEN we all had to have a go at the monkey bars. We all failed, except for Dad. While we were doing all this, Gran Jan just stayed on the bench and watched. Smart woman.

Heading back!

Back at Gran Jan's we had pumpkin pie & watched MORE football & played Rummikub.

We packed up and headed out, then went home and watched a favorite movie of all time, Iron Man! & played Scrabble and went to bed late. It was awesome.

So readers. How was YOUR Thanksgiving?!

the ABCs of thanksgiving {2}

2011-11-24T20:02:00.001-05:00

Remember last year's ABCs of Thanksgiving where I linked up with Hannah's mama, Rachel? I'm doing it again this year {but different than my ::shudder:: scrapblog thing...forgive me? it was a newbie blogger mistake} and you should too!

{Another year from God} Blogging Friends, Birthdays, Books {Cameras, Camp, Clark} Dance Parties and Dad {Email} Fires, Football, Family {God} Heaven and Holidays {Inspiration} Jesus {Kindness} Laughing, Love, and Laptops {Movies and Mama} Naps and Netflix {Outfits} Playdates [the teenager kind], Pumpkin Spice Lattes, Pinterest {Quirkiness and Quiet Times} Religion {Seasons} Texting {Unfailing love [from God]} {Vacays} Word of Life program {X [just the letter. stealing that one from Rachel herself}} Youth Group {Zest [for life]}

Happy Turkey Day {gobble gobble} readers! Hope you and your family had a grand time eating yourself into a turkey coma...I know I did :)

thanksgiving break, baby

2011-11-23T21:21:00.001-05:00

I'm free! Free from schoolwork, free from any special chores/housework, and apparently grammar rules as well because I'm pretty sure you're never supposed to start a post/paragraph with "I". My bad.

Here's to staying up late, sleeping in, reading the Hunger Games & any other fun book I want to {instead of school textbooks. bleh}, catching up on blogging, movies + TV shows, eating good food and spending time with family. Oh yeah, and watching football Ahhh, it's gonna be a good 4 day weekend.

Happy day-before-thanksgiving, readers!

scarves are amazing, agreed?

2011-11-20T15:49:00.000-05:00

Two outfits posts in ONE week?! Craziness. I promised more outfit posts so I didn't wanna dissapoint...although I will probably go a week without sharing an outfit. It's just the way I roll.

{Dress} Old Navy {Scarf} Giveaway win from JANNYSGIRL {Tights} Target {Shoes} Hand-me-downs

This outfit was lookin' BLAH until I remembered my JANNYSGIRL scarf...thanks to Mama for reminding me about it. It took a boring outfit to a interesting one in no time flat. OK, I will quit professing my love for scarves now.

Happy Lord's Day readers!

harvest time

2011-11-19T17:51:00.000-05:00

I'm no Brittany {one of the most genuine Christian blogging mamas that loves her kids and her farming life; check out her blog HERE} and I most certainly don't take amazing harvest/tractor pictures like she does. BUT! I just had to share what Mama said when we saw the tractors & throw in a couple of my own tractor pictures.

"Oh great...now the mice will start to come into the house..."

I just about died laughing. I mean, that's only something you'd say down in the country, amIright?! The answer's yes, BTW.

Happy Saturday friends! May your house be free of those little furry tailed creatures forever and ever. Or, you know...just until harvest time is over.

authenic people {blog party}

2011-11-17T17:58:00.000-05:00

You could interpret my choice to post yet another blog party {my such and such, in fact} many different ways. 1. I'm a sucker for blog parties. and 2. I'm a lazy blogger and like the "pre-made" blog posts that blog parties provide. And...yeah, that's it. Both choices are true, BTW.

Wanna join me in my laziness? Then head on over to Abigail's blog, read up on the rules, and link up to win some sweet prizes!

"Hiya! The name's Sarah-Anne, but some people call me SA...mostly because it's all around easy to say & remember. You're free to do whatever. I'm a homeschooled high school junior {say wha?!} at SC Academy, and love to take pictures of things that make me happy. Blogging is fun too! Stay awhile will ya?"

1} What's the nerdiest/geekiest/weirdest thing about you?

It's no secret that I love Doctor Who, I'm a new Hunger Games addict, and I'm not grossed out by flesh-eating beetles like the ones on Bones. Yeah, I let my inner nerd shine all the time, no exceptions. As for weirdness, I'm so organized that both my closet & drawers are color coordinated.

2} If you could live in a fictional universe from any book, movie, or television show, what would it be?

Dude, that's hard. CHUCK has my heart, so I'd have to say it would be pretty darn cool live in Cali & be a spy.

3} Little or big, practical or frivolous, what is one of your favorite items in your house?

Our blankets. We live in a reaaalllyyy drafty & cold house so we have about 5 blankets in the living room to curl up with on cold nights.

4} Do you like animated movies? If so, what is your favorite?

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and Toy Story 3 have my heart.

5} What is your favorite household chore?

Laundry. Something about separating the loads by color and getting them all folded nice is soothing.

6} What's your favorite thing to get at Starbucks (or your favorite coffee shop)?

No secret on this: I love <3 a good Pumpkin Spice Latte.

7} What is your favorite pizza topping?

Supreme without mushrooms or onions, pleaseandthankyou.

8} Waffles or pancakes?

Dad's pumpkin pancakes are amazing, but waffles are so few & far between that I'd take them over a pancake. Sorry, Dad.

9} Do you like to play games? If so, what is your favorite?

Yes, I play board games and physical games, but I love a good game of football.

10} Have you ever let anyone win a game?

Oh probably. But usually only if it's a little kiddo I'm playing against.

11} Have you ever dyed your hair?

Nooo. And I never plan too.

12} Do you make your bed every morning?

Yes. Another weird & obsessive thing about me.

13} Picasso or Norman Rockwell?

Dude, I'm NOT a art person so I could not tell you the difference.

14} Do you like carpet, tile, or hardwood floors?

Hardwood floors! I love carpet too but our 70's blue and maroon carpet give me nightmares.

15} If you could put one thing in a safe under your bed, what would it be?

Myself. Also, my box of treasures, the book I'm currently reading, and my camera, but that's 4 things.

16} What's your favorite condiment?

Mayo! Love the stuff.

17} Have you ever thrown up on someone (excluding when you were a child)?

Yes, my mom {but who hasn't?} I also manage to throw up on MYSELF from time to time if I'm just so exhausted from puking for 12 hours straight. True story.

18} What was the last thing that made you laugh?

A text from Jack. Or maybe it was his bro Sam...it's hard to tell who's who when they take turns trying to confuse me.

19} Think fast...what's the first song that pops into your head?

I always have a song playing in my head, so that's not really a fair question to ask me. BUT! Jar of Hearts has a special place in my ::ahem:: heart.

What are you waiting for?! Go link up with Abigail already!