Christmas Craft

I love crafts and projects, really I do! I feel so accomplished after they are done and my favorite is seeing something at a store and emulating it for 70% less than you would have paid for it in the store! My sister says the word craft makes her throw up in her mouth a little so I guess not everyone is like this, but if you like crafts you should try this one for Christmas. My friend told me about it and she tried it first- nice to have guinea pig friends, just kidding! Anyways hers turned out so good I had to do it for myself! Basically how you start is with a styrofoam cone (any size) I think mine was 10" tall maybe. One pack of coffee filters, I bought the non-bleached natural color because the neutral color matched most of our other existing Christmas decor, but, my friend did the white and it looks amazing too. You can also soak the white filters in water that has any color food coloring in it to dye them a different color. The last few items you will need before starting is a glue gun and some scissors.

Then you just start filter by filter. I folded the filters into 4ths- I would fold once into a half moon shape and then again into pie slice shape then fold the tip add a little and a dab of glue then onto the styrofoam. You just continue around the base like this and eventually...

you will end up with this:
a coffee filter Christmas tree! So fun and such an inexpensive Christmas decoration. It took about 1 1/2 hours but I had my coffee in hand and a cheesy Lifetime Christmas movie on T.V. so it was time well spent for me!
I had a few more Christmas projects that I wanted to do this year as well, but it's a little late in the season now so they might just have to wait until next year. I am looking forward to having some time off and doing some DIY projects around the house-of course I will update the blog if I end up getting around to them.

Christmas music yay or nay?

Let me just tell you how much I love Christmas music...a lot! I don't know if it is because of the actual music, the fact that I only get to hear it one month out of the year, or the fact that it drives coach crazy by the time the first week of December is over, but I sure do love it! Makes me wanna bake some cookies and string popcorn- did your family do the popcorn garland thing? Mine didn't and I have to tell you, I am not sure I really get it! Putting popcorn on a string and then hanging it on your Christmas tree? Weird, right? If someone knows how or why this became a Christmas tradition please enlighten me!
Happy Christmas music listening! Mariah Carey's Christmas album will always be #1 in my heart!

June 29th...That's not good!

So I am finally back on my blog for the first time in forever, June 29th to be exact...that's not very good blogging huh? In my defense...the Mr. and I have been so busy we are just trying to keep our heads above water right now. All positive things but a lot of positive things at one time doesn't leave very much of that...time! Anyways I am going to start getting back on the blogging train today with a little family update cliff notes style!
Mr. and I both got new wonderful jobs, we have moved to a house in Cumming, we are part of an amazing small group, Mr. got a position coaching high school basketball which he loves (and from now on I will refer to him as coach-which he doesn't love this so much, but I do so the name stays!) oh and now it's back to Christmas time again, anyone know when that happened?

There is the cliff notes version of our life since my last post! Stay tuned for just a few of the 345,654,980 random thoughts that fill my mind daily... I know you will be waiting on pins and needles for the next post!

The Name Game

Ok so I know I am not the only one who has been out some where, heard a mom call her son or daughter and think really? You named your kid that? Well let me tell you about the name that I heard at the park today. A cute little girl was named....Oralee! Really? Really? Who does that! Now, don't get me wrong for those of you who know me well you know that a) I LOVE different and a bit unique names and b) I am a southern girl born and raised so naturally I am a huge fan of slapping a -lee -ann -kate or -beth on the end of almost anything, except Ora! I mean can you just imagine this with MY last name? Ha! Anyways, just thought I would share...and I would love to hear some of the "really?" names that you have heard lately!

Night of Worship

Mr. and I, along with our entire small group went to a night of worship and communion last night at our church, North Point. It was so amazing. The music was great, the fellowship was even better, and the overall experience was so neat. Just to see that many people with hands in the air worshipping our Lord will give anyone goosebumps. Not to mention there were two little girls (prob. around the age of 8 or 9) standing next to us in the aisle of the church singing their little (off key and out of tune) hearts out to Jesus....talk about a tear-jerker! I can't help but to imagine that the Lord was just smiling down on that place the entire night. It was a night that was very much needed and I can't wait for the next one!

Favorite song of the night:

He is jealous for me,

Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,

Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.

When all of a sudden,

I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,

And I realize just how beautiful you are,

And how great your affections are for me.

And oh, how He loves us so,

Oh how He loves us,

How He loves us all

Yeah, He loves us,

Oh! how He loves us,

Oh! how He loves us,

Oh! how He loves.

We are His portion and He is our prize,

Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,

If grace is an ocean, we are all sinking.

And Heaven meets earth like an unforeseen kiss,

And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,

I don't have time to maintain these regrets,

When I think about, the way

He loves us,

Oh! How He loves us!

"He COULDN'T love us MORE, and He WON'T love us LESS." -Andy Stanley

What does it mean to seek the Lord?

Just read an article by John Piper about seeking the Lord and it really got me thinking about myself and if I am truly seeking the Lord so, thought I would share:

http://www.desiringgod.org/ResourceLibrary/TasteAndSee/ByDate/2009/4163_What_Does_It_Mean_to_Seek_the_Lord/

I am TRI-ing!

The Mr. & I thought that it would be a great idea on Sunday to ride our bikes from our house to my mom's house (8 miles away) and then swim when we got there and just get my brother to take us home later. Turned out not to be such a great idea, we got caught in a monsoon and had to pull over at a school and wait for my brother to come rescue us only to find out the bikes wouldn't fit in his car......maybe we will look at the forecast before hitting the open road next time!

I know, I know

I know everyone says this but really I have been a horrible blogger. January was my last post, I mean really? That is so bad! I am not going to say I promise I will get better because I don't really know that that is going to happen, however, I will really try! Just a quick update on the past 6 months:
-The Mister and I added another addition to the family....a dog (I said the past 6 months, not 9 months!) his name is Ryder and he is a black Goldendoodle and we love him! Charley on the other hand loves him very conditionally!
-We also celebrated our first year of marriage! AMAZING this year has been filled with so much love, excitment, and fun. I am so very thankful to the Lord for giving me such an amazing man!
-We found a church that we love and joined a small group and we are thrilled at what the Lord is showing us through this church and the wonderful people He has put in our life.
-Mister got a spark to do a triatholon, so we are planning to do a sprint tri at the end of July.....my goal: try not to drown

Well, that is all of the big updates that I can think of right now! I will really try not to neglect the blog anymore.
Love,
The twice-a-year blogger

Can dogs tell time? If you said no I beg to differ. Example #1. Charley gets fed once a day at night when I get home from work (5:30) and you better believe that at 5:30 at night he wants his food. We know this because he likes to move his bowl right in the middle of the kitchen, just to make sure we realize that it is in fact 5:30 and time for us to put something IN his bowl.

In the process of getting his bowl to the middle of the kitchen...it is supposed to be up against the wall.

Example #2. He doesn't care what day it is...he is going to wake us up at 8:00am to go outside. Really? Sat. morning Charley?

Example #3. Around 10-10:30 at night he is ready for bed and will either pass out on the couch or growl at us to go upstairs.

What a smart dog.

On a different note, as you all know I love the Mr. and here is just another example of why...he lets me do all my crazy weekend projects! I would consider myself a pretty crafty person, like there are so many things that I see in stores or online and think "I can do that" and I usually try them. Some succeed and some don't. Oh well, anyways this past weekend project was something that I saw at a craft fair the Mr. and I went to not too long ago:

The before, a recycled window that I got for $5 at the Woodstock Market The after...art for our kitchen. I love this because you can do whatever you want, put scrapbook paper as the background, pictures, or paint it like I did. It is just a totally custom, totally cheap, homemade piece of art. I think I spent maybe $8 on the whole project, $5 for the window and about $3 at Wal-Mart for the acrylic paint. Can't wait to put up picture of this weekends project!

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness" 2 Cor. 12:9

Happy Birthday G.G.

Well yesterday was my mom's birthday...out of respect for her I will not say just HOW many years ago it was that she was born, but lets just say this isn't her first trip over the hill! Anyways I love my mom dearly and I am so greatful for her. I mean if it wasn't for her the world would have 5 less amazing people in it! So here's to you Gwenny! You are such a strong woman, mother, sister, daugther, and friend! I love & appreciate you so much, and I hope that you have 55 more amazing years on this earth! (Oops gave away the secret).

Happy Birthday Mom!

My Mom and the Mr. at our engagement.

My mom and MIL at a wedding shower

The first time my mom saw me after I had my wedding dress on.

My mom and I at my college graduation.

The 5 people this world would be missing if it wasn't for Gwen! We love you mom!

We'll see how this goes...

So with inspiration from "The Biggest Loser" I have decided to set some workout/weight loss goals for myself, and I hoping that by stating them on this blog it might help me stick to them a little better!
1. I am going to do a half marathon training schedule ( I was planning on signing up for a half marathon however, I looked them up and there aren't any in ATL until like Thanksgiving) so my deadline for being able to run 13.1 miles will be May 8th!
2. I also want to lose my what I call "happy fat" (what I gained after the wedding) Scales aren't really my thing so I'm not really sure exactly how much weight that is (thankfully) but my goal for this is to have it all off before I put on my first bathing suite for the summer...I'm guessing May/June ish!
3. Make healthier meals for the Mr. and me, which for those of you that know my husband you know this might be the hardest of all three!

Anyways those are my goals...late new years resolutions I guess you could call them!
Will and I have a love hate relationship, Will Power that is...so like the title says, we'll see how this goes!