hello monday {30}

{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!

rainy days are good for...

...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!

hello monday {28}

{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}

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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!

hello monday {27}

{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}

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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!

hello monday {26}

{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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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!

hello monday {25}

{hello monday}

{hello sunshiney skies and warm temps}

{hello fixed laptop}

{hello QTs}

{hello emails, checking Twitter, and TVGuide.com}

{hello morning of ENG 111 writing and research}

{hello reading outside}

{hello Anatomy vocab. and coloring}

{hello mid-day shower}

{hello project for the cousin, Samantha}

{hello more ENG 111 homework}

{hello texting with a WOL friend [gonna have a park day tomorrow. totally pysched]}

{hello chores}

{hello Dad}

{hello family time over dinner}

{dinner clean up}

{hello YouTube vids with Dad}

{hello Community with Clark}

{hello PJs and chocolate}

{hello DTWS and blogging from under the electric blanket}

{hello Castle-less night :(}

{hello sweet 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! 

playing catch up

My dear readers, can you find it in your heart to forgive me?! Or I guess the first question I should ask is did ya'll notice I was gone, ha! I am so sorry for disappearing for a week {and if you think back, I haven't been posting on a regular basis lately}; it honestly was not my intention to leave my faithful readers high & dry for a whole week!

The past couple of weeks haven't treated me well, but I'm learning to take the curveballs God throws at me with grace...not throwing a hissy fit. It's not all bad, trust me...I've had about a million good things mixed in with only a few bad things. But ya'll, those bad things were {and if I'm still being honest, those things are still hanging over my head} BAD. Not even lying. It's at times like those I wish I had an anonymous blog to vent because my poor family can only handle so much.

All that to say, I'm playing catch up in every sense of the word. Catching up in my blog reading, blog posting, etc. I'm so sorry for the major spammage that's about to happen in your Google readers or what have you. Because, dude, watch out. I've got about 5 posts already written up in my head.

Cheers, readers! Here's to life, the good & the bad parts all mixed together.

hello monday {24}

 {hello monday}

{hello wake up from the mama}

{hello QT for Word of Life + Precepts study}

{hello WOL book [amazing, BTW. maybe a book rec coming soon?}}

{hello multigrain Cheerios}

{hello Anatomy reading with the mama}

{hello TWO lessons of Algebra 2}

{hello late lunch}

{hello daily chores}

{hello afternoon of stinky ENG 11 homework}

{hello blog reading}

{hello shower}

{hello dinner & family time}

{hello more blogging and texting with a bunch of mah peeps}

{hello DTWS and Castle}

{hello late night reading}

{hello sweet bed with electric mattress cover}

{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! 

 

I'm baccckkk after a couple week hiatus from my beloved Hello Monday linky! Can I get a woot woot?! ;) Happy Monday readers.

God's teaching me things

Like my title says, God's teaching me things, how to look at the bad things happening from His viewpoint. In other words, seeing the good out of every situation; it might not happen right after the bad thing occurred, but later on down the road...and that's when it's the hardest to accept.

While I absolutely love Lindsay's It's the Little Things link up, it makes things seem perfect {since you are only telling the good parts of the week instead of reflecting on the bad; nothing wrong with that}. I'm all about being a real blogger, but I don't want to bring my readers down by constantly writing about the not-so-good moments in my life. Therefore, I decided to show how God is working in our life by revealing himself in those moments.

Instead of getting in a funk about how it rained for the second straight time we've had a campout party, I can remember all the fun we had INSIDE the house playing UNO, having Twister chamionships, playing Night of the Assains, and putting glowsticks on the ceiling fan while the lights are out. If it hadn't rained, the boys would've been outside for the night & I wouldn't have gotten to hear their sweet laughter that makes me want to have a bunch of kids.

Instead of complaining about the hole in our ceiling that we cut weeks ago {to find a leak that had been there for years} and not having the time to patch it up, realizing that if we had, we wouldn't have seen that we hadn't fixed the leak and that's it still there, dripping right next to an outlet. What a mess it would have been to think we had succeeded and fixed the leak, patched up the ceiling & begun the next step in redo-ing the

Instead of crying about my bad grade on both essays I've done so far for my online college English class, I can feel the nudge to work harder & to learn to accept criticism, because ohhh boy...I hate criticism when it's directed at me.

There are things I'm still struggling with, like how I missed seeing my camp friends Hannah, Jack, and Sam last night because I was "stuck" here at Clark's party, but God's going to reveal that in no time. I believe that with all my heart <3

Today has been a good day. Really, it has. Productive because I washed my sheets, re-made my bed, got the house back in order and restful because I took a two hour nap,  made a HUGE dent in my blog reading {many people get freaked out over a bunch of unread posts but to me it means lots to read & catch up on. it's one of my favorite things}, texted with my camp bestie Hannah, and drank tea in bed while watching House.

We'll be back to your regularly scheduled happy blog posts next week, I promise. Thanks for sticking with me, readers. :)

it's the little things {link up #2}

I'm back with It's the Little Things after a week off...and it's go to be back, sharing the little things God does to bless me during the week. If you think you'd like to join in, read her rules then go to this week's post to link up!

...rainy afternoons.
...productive school days; so productive that I got two days off! Yeah baby.
...premade cookies in the fridge so I could satisfy my chocolate craving right.then.
...hanging out with the cousin TWICE, on back to back afternoons.
...babysitting for an mom whom I'm so close too; and chatting about camp after she got home.
...Halloween candy out & buying a bag of Snicker's just because.
...having my Dad take my outfit pictures.
...party planning and setting up!
 ...little boys that are turning into men laughing wayyy into the night outside in their tents.

Happy Friday readers! I'm off to greet our party guest and drink a lot of Dr. Pepper. Because you know that's the drink of choice at our parties. ;)

mid-week ramblings

Happy middle of the week readers! Am I the only one that has a love/hate relationship with Wednesday since, hello! the week is only half over? But then again, you've got the weekend to look forward to. Yeah, I'd totally say it's a love/hate relationship for me.

Since about a million thoughts are running through my head, I needed to get them out, so on the blog they go. Get ready for random, my friends.

{1} Lauren, Lauren, Lauren.  ::shakes head:: First you & Ilene get me hooked on Bones, then you go and write a post all about why you love Doctor Who. So, naturally, I Netflix'd {totally a word, mind you} & what do ya know? it's available to watch Instantly! I clicked, I watched, I fell in love with the show.

Man, oh, man this show is addicting solely because it's just so unrealistic. I mean, 5 billion years into the future? The earth being shield from the sun because it's expanding? Totally awesomespice, to quote Lauren. If you'd like to know more about the show, read her amazing post HERE. You won't be sorry.

{2} Party planning...it's what's happening over here at my house. Clark's 13th birthday party is going to be Amazing Race themed, complete with challenges and the works, so we're trying to work on the details without him really knowing what's going on. It's hard, but so fun because we get to work in secret; a test to see if we can do things without the snoop finding out.

{3} Day in the Life {in pictures} is in the works. Maddie inspired me with her twist on the regular ol' day in the life {just words with a couple of random pictures} by letting the photos do the talking. I documented most of my day today, so with a couple extra pictures of the things I do everyday thrown in there, it should be up next week! Hold me to that date, mkay? And the best part? I'm doing both the wordy AND the pictures version so we can compare them...because I'm a goober like that. ;)

{4} Misquitoes. Ya'll, they are everywhere...In fact, it's an epidemic since the hurricane and they are doing aerial sprays of insecticides at night to try and combat them. Don't get too close because I'm sure we all reek of bug spray. The bad part? It doesn't even touch the bugs.

 Apparently, there was one just going to town on my left middle finger and right ankle. Um, ouch? I think I'm having an allergic reaction because it's swollen up to twice it's size & it hurts to bend it. :( Looks like I'll be icing it & taking a Benadryl tonight.

**UPDATE** My finger is fine today {Thursday}; still hurts to move it though. It's my foot that giving me a problem...it feels like someone punched it repeatedly and there is a bruise underneath the skin. Ow! I'm sure ya'll where on the edge of your seats for that latest installment.

Happy Wednesday ya'll!

it's the little things {link up #1}

My blogging hero, 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!


...nutella on sale at the store.

...going to a movie with my cousin.

...late night, spur-of-the-moment texts from a friend inviting down to the river.

...a fresh new haircut.

...library books just waiting to be read. 

...ice cold Dr. Pepper & popcorn as daily snacks {hey, i gotta get my junk food in sometime, right? ;)}

...tea & toast in the morning.

...cooler temps & fleece PJs.

What are the little ways you see God working in your life & showing you He loves you lately?

hello monday {23}

{hello monday}

{hello early wake up}

{hello no wireless internet}

{hello catch up QT's from the weekend on the dinosaur desktop}

{hello Nutella toast & watching Clark play the Wii}

{hello reading outside}

{hello Anatony study guide}

{hello 1 1/2 lessons of math}

{hello lunch}

{hello texting with the cousin, Sam and friends Emily & Andrew}

{hello CBS projects}

{hello mowing}

{hello Lemonade Mouth [::sigh:: Disney Channel movies make me happy because for the two seconds after the movie, I believe that I could be in a band]}

{hello prepping for dinner}

{hello blogging time}

{hello family time & dinner}

{hello shower}

{hello Bachelor Pad season finale}

{hello late night reading}

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

 

almost wordless wednesday: sunsets

Two of my very favorites ways to see God's presence in my life is to look outside the window & a beautiful sunset or a magnificent rainbow. I mean, who else can make the sky look any other color in blue with the light reflecting off of water droplets or make the sky look like it's on fire when it's really not.

Last night we had one of the most beautiful sunsets I've seen in a looong time. God is a God of perfect timing, and that rainbow was definitely in God's perfect timing. 

Linking up with Beth for You Capture because I actually have a photo that goes with the theme for the week. Coincidence...or God? I'll let you decide, but I think you know MY answer. ;)

hello monday {22}

{hello monday}

{hello Labor Day; a day off for Dad & a half day of school for us}

{hello sleeping a tad later}

{hello catch up QTs & school reading

{hello homemade McDonalds fruit & maple oatmeal}

{hello quick break to read the Help}

{hello Anatomy}

{hello Algebra 2 lesson}

{hello lunch}

{hello first & second failed draft for Fantasy Football}

{hello afternoon of chores, computer time, and reading}
{hello chat with a long lost friend, Eden}
{hello more chores}
{hello dinner & a shower}
{hello hot tea & TV}
{hello more Help}
{hello sweet sweet bedtime}


{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.

 

hello monday {22}

{hello monday}

{hello 7:45 school alarm that I forget that I set again}

{hello breakfast}

{hello Internet catch up time}

{hello school reading}

{hello Anatomy}

{hello more yardwork}

{hello lunch & a little blog reading}

{hello math lesson}

{hello grocery store/Dr. Pepper}

{hello catch up blog reading [i was wayyy behind because of no Internet since Fri. night]}

{hello supper time}

{hello freak summer thunderstorm with a power loss again ::sigh::}

{hello power back on, yay!}

{hello shower}

{hello TV & more blogging}

{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.

 

Quick Hello Monday announcement: Lisa is going to start doing a linky for HM, so if you do these type of posts make sure to link up starting next Monday; I'll definitely be!

 

hello monday {21}

{hello monday}

{hello alarm that I thought I had forgot to turn off from the morning before [turns out I DID mean to set it]}

{hello rushing around to get out the door}

{hello Woodley's} 

{hello insane amounts of iCarly, Call of Duty, and softball in the front yard}
{hello lunch & laughter}

{hello new subject in school: anatomy [yay for the human body]}
{hello baseball game that ended because I whacked the ball down the street drain ::sheepish grin::}
{hello ride home with Mama}
{hello school, chores, and txting with my friends}
{hello little bit of blogging & afternoon snack}
{hello reading outside in the warm sun}
{hello taking sunset pictures}
{hello chat with Dad on the tree fort}
{hello dinner}
{hello shower & prep for the busy day tomorrow}
{hello more catch up blogging}
{hello sweet 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.

 

august? i hate you.

photo credit

If you can't tell by the title of the post, I have a hate/hate relationship with the month of August.

photo credit

First off, it brings school. Now, don't get me wrong; I love a good productive day of school with a hot cup of tea & rain pattering on the tin roof...but let's be honest. That doesn't happen often, and in reality we don't sit around reading whatever textbook we want, we frantically make sure we have all our college class assignments done for the week & go insane doing geometry proofs with coordinate planes. Or maybe that's just me. In that case forget everything I said... ;)

photo credit

August brings a sense of the end of summer, but I like it. So I guess I do like something about August. August is a last hurrah, if you will, and I love having almost a whole month saying goodbye to summer. It's full of bright & colorful things, epic sleepovers, and great family vacations. It's a month for making end-of-summer memories, ones that will last a lifetime.

photo credit

{Goodbye wonderful summer & hello school.}

hello monday {19}

{hello monday}

{hello sleeping in late late LATE}

{hello sweet wake up by mother dear}

{hello bowl o' cereal}

{hello WOL QT, Heaven is For Real, & Driver's Ed handbook}

{hello 1st half lesson of math}

{hello 2 loads of laundry}

{hello late lunch and an episode of Mercy}

{hello 3rd load of laundry}

{hello 2nd lesson of math}

{hello floating poolside with Mom}

{hello afternoon of talking on the phone with FIVE ppl}

{hello cold shower}

{hello supper & family Mythbusters time}

{hello evening texting}

{hello scrapbooking & card making while watching the Bachorlette finale}

{hello late night reading}

{hello alarm & sweet 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.

hello monday {16}: july 4th edition

{hello monday: july 4th edition}

{photo credit}

{hello sleeping in}

{hello catch up QT [quiet time]}

{hello catch up blogging}

{hello breakfast}

{hello last minute prep for the cookout}

{photo credit}
{hello lunch}

{hello chilling/napping in the afternoon}

{hello Nichols family for a cookout}

{hello fun & good food}

{photo credit}

{hello rushing around getting ready}

{hello short ride to the town commons}
{hello raindrops that sent us running for the car}

{hello fireworks show}

{hello thunderstorms}
{hello sweet bed}

{hello monday: july 4th edition}

Here's to all of our men & women who have served/are currently serving to preserve what we're celebrating today: freedom. Freedom is never free. 

Happy 4th, readers!!  

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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.