Project 365 ~ Week 9

Here is a picture of what I watched a few hours in Las Vegas before I flew home. I had a great trip and I think I am finally back to a normal sleep schedule.

We stopped for gas one day this week and I had the camera with me so I decided to take a picture of Mike cleaning the windshield. Every time we fill the car with gas Mike washes the front windshield. Rain, snow, wind, heat... doesn't stop him
This is the last meal I enjoyed with my parents before they moved to South Carolina over the weekend.
Mike decided to buy himself a new toy. Here he is with two of his favorite toys: laptop and new cell phone.

Mike's daughter is getting married this coming weekend in Florida so we did some shopping for wedding gifts.

Week 8 of Project 365

Another whirlwind week but here are some pictures to help you get up to date with what has been going on in my life.
I arrived in Vegas on Sunday night. Monday we went and got our nails done. Kathy and I had pedicures and Trinity had a manicure. I think this was her first manicure and it was so funny to watch her sit there like a pro and have them done.
When she was all done she had these bright green (I think glow in the dark) nails with white flowers on them. She loved it... she walked around admiring her hands all day long.

Tuesday we ended up driving Paul to work. On the way to California the view was gorgeous. All of the mountains had some snow on them but a few mountains were all white. This picture below was taken driving down the highway with the window up...i think it turned out great. I love how the cloud was hovering over top of the mountain.

By the end of the week we were all so ready for the weekend we decided to have a girls night out. Paul decided it sounded like fun so he crashed the party :-) We did have a good time at RE Tapas. After dinner we went to watch Confessions of a Shopaholic which I thought was a cute movie. So all in all, Friday night was a blast.

Saturday we went to a French bakery and had bacon, egg and cheese croissants. This is how it was served to us. The croissant was soooo delicious. I even ate some of the salad even though it was breakfast. The salad dressing was a lemon dressing and it was very good. These type of bakeries are a huge weakness for me. I am so glad I don't have any around where I live.

Saturday afternoon I got my hair cut and styled and we went to the Stratosphere for dinner and Cirque Du Soleil after. This is a picture of the dessert we got. It was all chocolate... too much for me but a true chocoholic would have no problem eating it all.

Cirque Du Soleil show we watched "O" was at the Bellagio hotel. We walked through the gardens which are always beautiful. Here is a picture of a lovely orchid they had. The gardens were decorated in Chinese New Year fashion so it had pandas made out of plants.

Sunday was a complete day of rest which was much needed. Monday I flew home. Here I am at the airport watching the luggage containers being put into the airplane.

So now you are all up to date with my life. I will try to be more on time with next weeks Project 365 pictures.

Project 365 - Week 7

The week before Valentine's day was a week of preparation. Mike and I were going to South Carolina to visit Michael and then on our way back Mike was dropping me off at the airport to fly to Vegas to visit Kathy. So here is a picture of one of the many little things I try to do to let Mike know I love him. When I go away I leave little notes around the house and a basket of snacks on the kitchen table for him to enjoy while I am away. This basket was filled with Hershey's Kisses, popcorn and cereal/granola bars.Thursday afternoon Mike we lost Internet connection. So Mike ended up on the phone trying to get things back up and running with our Internet provider. After Mike not being able to work half of Thursday he woke up early on Friday to see if the problem had been solved. He was still not able to get online so he was determined to find a different Internet provider. We were told to call a number that would help us find the different companies that serviced our area but we had 2 problems. One problem was that it was a voice recognition system and here is Mike trying to get automated system to understand what we was saying over the phone. Our second problem was that we live in a somewhat country area and therefore no one seems to service our area except for our current provider. Oh well. Since I was going to be away the week after Valentine's day I thought I would make some truffles and put them in the fridge for Mike to enjoy while I was of town. I made 2 dozen of these truffles and put them in our almost empty fridge. On top of the cartons I put his Valentine's day card along with a bunch of little hearts I punched out and wrote little notes on.
Once we determined that Mike wasn't going to get any work done on Friday we got in the truck and went to South Carolina. The roads were good and God granted us safety. We got to Michael's apartment in time for dinner. We enjoyed 5 very different flavored wings from Jamaican Jerk to General Tso's. We had a great time talking about Michael's work and what he does. He really enjoys his new job and we are very happy for him.
Woke up Saturday (Valentine's Day) and decided to head on over to Panera's for breakfast. Here is a picture of my coffee and Mike's cobblestone muffin. Breakfast was delicious.After breakfast we went to a gun shop and after the men looked around and found out there was a long wait list for the shooting range we decided to hit the road. We drove all over the place looking at lots of different model homes. One of the homes had a pool table so Michael and Mike had to play. The game ended just in time when another family started walking through the model home. Mike won and Michael had to treat us for lunch :-)

South Carolina is beautiful and I look forward to many more trips out there to visit family and do some sight seeing.

Thanks Michael for your hospitality!

To God Be The Glory

Just a quick post while I continue to work on pictures from the past 2 weeks.
I just want wanted to Praise the Lord for the things He has been accomplishing in my families life.
God's timing is perfect, may we never forget that.
Michael got an offer on his house in GA, and in this economy that alone is a huge praise!
He also found the perfect home in SC that is new construction but they don't have to wait the 6 months to have the house built.
Dad's job transfer looks very promising where as before there was a hiring freeze.
The GA house is closing today.
The movers are packing the truck right now.
The new house in SC will close a week from today.

Praise God from whom all blessing flow!

I'm So Far Behind

I'm so far behind I don't even know where to start. I have so many pictures to share and so much has happened but I seem to be overwhelmed.
So for now let me tell you that I am still here, alive and well. Just got back from a full week with my sister Kathy in Vegas. We had a great time, did tons of stuff and laughed all the time. I will be sharing pictures don't worry.
Right now I need to get lunch ready for Mike and then I will be back with pictures. Promise!

Misc Updates

Valentine's weekend - Mike and I had a great Valentine's day. We went to Charleston SC to visit my brother and see the area since we've never been there before.

We drove back to GA on Sunday and I flew out to my sister's in Vegas. I am here wide awake while everyone else is sleeping away. By the end of the week my body will start getting use to the time difference, just in time for me to go back home :-) Oh well.

Menu Plan Monday - I will not be posting a menu for this week since I am not home cooking and I don't know what Kathy has planned to make this week. I do have the freezer stocked at home for my hubby to enjoy home cooked meals while I am gone.

Project 365 - I will post pictures at some point ~ sorry they are late, but better late than never.

Well that is about it for me. I am going to start working on inventorying my sister's books until everyone wakes up here and get the day started.

Not sure how often I will be able to post on my blog but I will try.

Have a blessed week everyone!

Using Only ONE Word

I got this email from my sister a few weeks ago but I forgot all about it until I was cleaning out my emails tonight. It is really hard to only use one word answers.

Where is your cell phone?
bed
Your significant other?
Mike
Your hair?
blonde
Your mother?
awesome
Your father?
inteligent
Your favorite thing?
family
Your dream last night?
none
Your favorite drink?
coffee
Your dream/goal?
motherhood
What room are you in?
kitchen
Your hobby?
stamping
Your fear?
snakes
Where do you want to be in 6 years?
country
Where were you last night?
church
Something that you aren't?
brunette
Muffins?
blueberry
Wish list item?
flash
Last thing you did?
eat
What are you wearing?
pajamas
TV?
none
Your pets?
Betsy
Friends?
many
Your life?
complete
Your mood?
excited
Missing someone?
always
Drinking?
soda
Your car?
Chevy
Something you're not wearing?
hat
Your favorite store?
Walmart
Your favorite color?
purple
When is the last time you cried?
yesterday
Where do you go over and over?
church
My favorite place to eat?
Shane's
Favorite place I'd like to be right now?
cabin

Please join me in this game if you're up for the challenge. It's not as easy as you might think!

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 2/8

Breakfast:

• Granola and Yogurt
• Bagels/Cream Cheese
• Oatmeal Pancakes

Fruit:

• Apple
• Orange
• Pineapple
• Peach
• Apple Sauce

Lunch/Dinner:

• Sheppard's Pie
• Chicken and Rice
• Empanada Bake
• Chicken Casserole
• Meatloaf

Veggies:

• Mixed Veggies
• Steamed Broccoli
• Peas
• Corn

I don't have many meals planned this week because we are going to SC on Friday for a weekend with my brother Michael. Can't wait to see him!

Project 365 ~ First Week of February

This week is a big blur to me. The only thing I remember doing is making cards. I forgot all about Project 365 or else I may have a picture of my family at dinner tonight. We meet up with my parents and brother, SIL and niece at TGIF tonight. We enjoyed a great meal and between coupons and gift cards we only paid $16 for the meal (7 people eating) and $15 for tip. Then we went to Walmart and did some shopping :-)

This is my first goof up of the week. I made these cards and got this stamp out and put everything together. I thought I was ahead of schedule and everything was going great. Then my Mom calls me to ask for some Valentine's cards and I go to pull them out for her and I realized I used the Happy Mother's Day stamp on the cards instead of Happy Valentine's Day, so I had to remake all the cards. Oh well... I guess that will teach me to be so far ahead of schedule :-)
I found a print out of a card that I really liked and wanted to make. Here is my version of the card (sorry for the bad photo). I changed a few things around from the original but I think it turned out good.
This is a guy card I made. On the tab I plan on writing something on it. A personal little message/note from me.

I have had this flower ribbon for a while now and I decided it was time to use it. So this is what I made. Now I am trying to decide if I should stamp a rose in the big white space or just leave it as is. What do you think?

This week I finished up getting all my inventory sheets done. I have all my stamp sets in order numerically. I have an excel spreadsheet with the stamp name and the number so I know where to find it. Sometimes however I am looking for a specific stamp but I don't know what the stamp set is called, so for those times I created a notebook of all my stamps stamped on paper. So each set of stamps has its own sheet, each stamp included in that stamp set I stamped on the page and all the pages are organized alphabetically. Did that make any sense?

I am working on getting a Stampin Up order together so I organized my ink pads to see what colors I need and what I already have. I didn't realize it but I am actually missing Ballet Blue. Not sure how I never got that but I don't have it. Maybe one day I will find it in my craft room but for now I am going to order myself another ink pad. A few months ago I lost my Basic Black ink which I use for EVERYTHING so I will be ordering one of those also. My life would be so much easier if I actually had that craft room ALL organized. Maybe one day I will. I can dream at least.

Then Sings My Soul Saturdays

The children at my church are learning this new song. They are even learning the sign language to go with the song. I have never heard this song before but I think it's a great reminder/warning to all of us.

Straight is the gate
and narrow is the way
that leads to life eternal
no room for pride
no room for works
nor trust in the external.

You can enter the gate
you can find the way
that all the saints have trod
Jesus is the gate
Jesus is the way
that leads direct to God.

But...

Wide is the gate
and broad is the way
that leads to Hell's destruction.

You can do what you please
live a life of ease
ignores the Bible's instructions.

Bit the friends you choose
and the pleasures that amuse
won't win you a delay.

Wide is Satan's gate
broad is Satan's way
that leads to Hell someday.

But...

Straight is the gate
and narrow is the way
that leads to life eternal
no room for pride
no room for works
nor trust in the external.

You can enter the gate
you can find the way
that all the saints have trod
Jesus is the gate
Jesus is the way
that leads direct to God.

Created to be His Help Meet ~ 3

Chapter 3 ~ A Thankful Spirit

• A wise woman sets a joyful mood in her home. Through laughter, music, and happy times, she creates a positive attitude in her children. She knows that a lighthearted home relieves her husband of stress.
• Proverbs 15:15 ~ All the days of the afflicted are evil; but he that is of a merry heart hath a continual feast.
• Discontentment is not a product of circumstances, it is the state of the soul.
• Philippians 4:11 ~ For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content
• Hebrews 13:5 ~ and be content with such things as ye have
• I Timothy 6:6-8 ~ Bit godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and reiment let us be therewith content.

Contentment

• Thankful people have a view of life that begins somewhere seep in their souls, and outside circumstances just can't mar their joy. To them, life is a wonderful, continuous dream come true.
• Joy begins with thankfulness
• By making a conscience choice, we can tip our souls into dark moods of complaining, or into thankfulness and praise. It is amazing how much your mouth controls your soul.
• Thankfulness is how you think; joy is the abundance it produces.

Practice Makes Perfect

• Practice having a merry and thankful heart.
• Most people have practiced hitting the notes of bitterness, sourness, hurt feelings, and frustration so long that their soul finds the discordant notes easily, almost without thought.
• But you don't have to keep on practicing discord; you can practice joy and thanksgiving just as easily and certainly with more pleasure.
• Every day, every right response makes the finders of your soul find the notes of joy and thanksgiving easier and easier
• Practice makes perfect. Learn to enjoy life. Be thankful. Smile. When you catch yourself becoming irritated or disturbed at circumstance, stop and laugh at the little things that steal your peace.
• Count your blessings and learn to be appreciative.
• Thanksgiving is good; thanks living is better.
• Colossians 3:15 ~ And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.

Time to Consider

• Galatians 5:22-23 ~ Bit the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such things there is no law.
• Joy is a fruit of the Spirit. If you are a child of God, joy will be a visible reality in your life.
• Philippians 3:13 ~ Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things wish are behind, and reaching forth until those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Oatmeal Pancakes

My Dad told me about these delicious pancakes my Mom made and he suggested I get the recipe. So this week I called her, got the recipe and since I had all the ingredients on hand I made them for breakfast. They are delicious. They have a different texture than other pancakes and they are really healthy for you because they are made with oatmeal and wheat flour. Now let me share this recipe with you.

Oatmeal Pancakes
2 cups oatmeal (uncooked)
2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup wheat flour
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup melted butter

Mix oatmeal and buttermilk and let it soak overnight in the fridge. Then add the rest of the ingredients and mix really well.

WFMW - Clean Monitors

We have lots of laptops/computers in our house and the screens were looking really dusty. So I went online to see if I could find the best way to clean all of our monitors without having to buy the fancy and may I add, expensive monitor wipes. I found these simple instructions on eHow that allowed me to use simple household items to clean my screens. This is my Works For Me Wednesday go to Rocks in My Dryer for even more.

Giveaway Winner!

The Bloggy Giveaway is now over and its time to announce the winner.

After a random selection from the comments left on my post... the winner is...

Vic

Vic said...
I really like your cards and the store's website! utgal2004[at]yahoo[dot]com

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of 2/1

Breakfast:

• Pumpkin Pancakes
• Breakfast Cookies
• Sourdough Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
• Cereal
• Granola and Yogurt

Fruit:

• Banana
• Apple
• Orange
• Pineapple
• Peach
• Apple Sauce

Lunch:

• Spaghetti & Meatballs
• Sheppard's Pie
• Chicken and Rice
• Chicken Tortilla Soup

Veggies:

• Celery
• Mixed Veggies
• Steamed Broccoli
• Peas
• Corn

Dinner:

• Meatloaf
• Pizza
• Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches
• Baked Legume Casserole

Project 365 ~ Week 5

Monday night I had my friend Rebecca over for dinner and some talk time. It was a great night and she was even nice enough to trim my bangs for me. So here is a picture I am taking of myself to show you what a great job she did. My bangs needed to be trimmed so badly. They were all in my eyes. Thanks Rebecca for doing that for me. I collect Precious Moments figurines and this one is one of my favorites. It's called "Lettuce Pray" and it is a great reminder to me to pray without ceasing.Wednesday was a rainy day here so I spent some time reading. I started this Cathy Marie Hake book that my friend Christie gave to me. I only read the first few chapters but so far I like it.Thursday I was able to spend an hour or so in my craft room going through yet another pile. In a box I started going through I found this frame that I made. I need to find a place to hang this in my craft room.Here is a new birthday card I made this week.We got our pre-ordered Fireproof movie this week. When I brought it in the house I decided to wrap a ribbon around it and put a little tag on it for Mike. We watched this movie on Friday night for our pizza and a movie night.Saturday I met my friend Bea at the Outlet mall. She brought me these cute magnets from Holland (I even got the original bag) I had such a great time talking that I ended up forgetting to take a picture of her. I put my camera in my purse and everything.

Here is Betsy, checking to make sure our house is secure :-) On one of our walks this week Betsy got attacked (don't worry she is ok) by this little male dog. I was so proud of Betsy because she was so good and didn't get aggressive at all., she just didn't like this dog taking advantage of her.