She's Sun and Rain

Hi

2012-02-06T19:39:00.000-05:00

I wrote a blog post last week sometime about something that was bothering me. Wellllll....my husband being the loving leader of our family made me take it down, haha. I was a little emotional and very straightforward. So, yea. As my mom would say "it is what it is". :)
I must be honest, I had good intentions of writing and posting a picture a day this whole year. But we have had some changes around here and so it's been harder than I thought to keep up. I also had intentions of bringing my camera to work and taking some pictures at work, my office, the pretty area of town I work in, and I just haven't gotten around to it.
Recently we have been watching a good bit of news keeping up with what's going on in politics with the election this year. We are both registered to vote and watching to see what happens in all of these preliminaries. We're back into bible study and just normal "life stuff". We haven't traveled at all since New Years, which has been a nice break. I am ready though for a trip to the beach. Who isn't, right? This warm weather has given me the itch to feel my feet in the sand. I'm such a beach/water girl. I love flip flops and sundresses and bathing suits. (Although, I've got some work to do to get back in that shape).
I really enjoy reading other people's blogs. I don't always feel like I've got great stuff to write about, but there are days I wish I was a writer. Is that weird?
I was going to post after pics from the before posts two posts ago...but the dining room still looks about the same and I've still got work to do. They'll be up, eventually :) It's just harder working full time to get the things I actually want to get accomplished done.
Happy Monday everyone!

31st Birthday

2012-01-15T22:25:00.002-05:00

Adam and I both turned 31 this week. His birthday is the 9th and mine the 12th. We decided to go out to dinner last night for it. We went to Macaroni Grill and it was yummy. They have Macaroni and Cheese bites. If you ever eat dinner there, I recommend them. They are better than the Fried Macaroni and Cheese from Cheesecake Factory.
We meant to take a picture of us out to eat and forgot to...so, sorry about that. But, I took a few pics of the sweet things that others did for me. :)
My co-worker Bryn baked two homemade poundcakes and the staff at the church sang to me. It was super sweet! My boss Julie sent me these beautiful sunflowers! She is off on Thursdays which my birthday happened to fall on.

My other boss Michele gave me a coupon to go out to lunch in the spring. My co-worker and good friend Julie B gave me this balloon. Many of my co-workers stopped by to say "Happy Birthday", sometimes multiple times :)

When I got home from work my brother Greg, who is staying with us now, had this set up on the counter. My favorite candy is Reese's cups.

And my husband brought me these yellow roses.

Not to mention the phone calls, texts, and facebook posts. So thanks to all of you! I feel loved :) My friend Tay even blogged about me, you can see it by clicking here.
Now you're probably thinking...well what did you do for him? His co-workers got him a card, too and I got him a Lowes gift card and some of his favorite shampoo stuff (American Crew, you know).
Here's to our 31st year of LIFE! Thank you Lord for giving us another year. We are truly blessed people and it is our prayer that we spend every day of it trying to give You glory and honor.

Before and After - random

2012-01-14T10:15:00.000-05:00

This 3 day weekend I'll be working on some spaces in our home. So, here are a few before pics. Now, please understand the baby stuff...people just give it to us. Haha, seems like they want to get rid of it and they want us to have kids. Free stuff, we'll take it! ;)

Adam's parents gave us his great-grandmother's dining room table. The chairs are newer, but someday I'd like to have some fun chairs to go with the old table. The stuff in the room on the table and floor was from my Dad's house in Calabash. My grandparents are selling the place so I had to get it out. You really can't take it with you.

These are movie reels from Ballard Designs, one of my favorite home decorating stores. My mom gave us these for Christmas. Stay tuned to see where they end up :)

This room is going to see some changes. The bed is gone already - we gave it to my sister.
Tonight I'll post some pictures from my birthday. Don't go far...

Friday fun!

2012-01-06T19:47:00.000-05:00

Did I mention how fun and exciting our life is? Well....tonight we are Redbox'ing' it! Watching "The Help" my husband sweetly got for us. (Has nothing to do with me going to the doctor today and having a sinus infection, he's just that nice!) He also decided to make Funfetti, yep, Funfetti Holiday brownies! I love how Target even puts their Christmas food on sale after Christmas! It's the only store I shop at the day after Christmas, great deals on everything including food :) I don't have to get into traffic either because it is right down the street. Love that place. So here's a few fun pics from tonight. TGIF!

Adam and Greg

Where I Work

2012-01-05T10:04:00.002-05:00

So I realize this is a video and not a picture, but videos are fun right?!
This is a video done about affordable housing, but it is about a guy that I work with named Freddie. Watch his story and be amazed at one pastor's decision to give a guy a chance. Now, all these years later he's still working here, educated, and going to Queen's college. Way to go Freddie! He also has a similar story to my Dad's, and that is close to my heart. God works through amazing circumstances.

This church is beautiful, by the way. Love the architecture! It is great to work in a place that does great things :)

Our nieces

2012-01-03T21:46:00.003-05:00

Today we ran a mararthon. Not really, but we did take down the Christmas Tree, did a ton of laundry, did the budget, got money out for our envelopes, and went to the grocery store. We are exhausted. Right now I'm on the computer and Adam is watching the caucuses. Here's some pics of our Christmas decor this year. We hosted a few Christmas parties. Will post this pics later :)

Adam's Mom gave us a Coca-Cola train so we put it around the gifts and tree!

Had to post just a few pics of Ava and Marla. BTW, I skipped yesterday, but we were traveling back home. Resolutions are made to be broken but you keep going :)

2012 and I've got a story to tell. A year in pictures.

2012-01-01T22:38:00.004-05:00

Every year Tay and I, or well, I don't remember who started it... but anyway, we name the year. 2009 was "A time to shine", 2010 was "Let the fun begin", etc. But, this year... I am borrowing an idea from Taylor's new blog, and I am going to post a picture every day of the year on this blog. Not that my life is all that exciting, but this will be a great way for me to blog and share our story. Our crazy life story.

I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve :) We are in Atlanta (or Villa Rica, really) visiting my in-laws and doing Christmas with them. On New Year's eve we opened Christmas presents, ate KFC, painted Joyce and Dennis' dining room as their gift, and then went over to Aaron and Val's house to light lanterns. You know, like the movie tangled. IT.WAS.AWESOME.

Here are a few pictures from the experience! If I had a better camera, (sponsor's welcome) I'd probably have better pictures of the lanterns in the air.

Adam and Valerie with their lanterns.

Aaron and Val watching a lantern go up into the sky

Me and my lantern

Ava watched from the porch

A tired Ava after all the festivities on uncle Adam's lap :)

2 months...yikes

2011-12-29T20:38:00.000-05:00

Wellll....funny what happens when I get a full time job and we are over committed. No mas. I'm still working but some of the extra curricular have been eliminated, hopefully to give me some more time in this life. Come Tuesday, once the holidays are over I'll be getting back to meal planning and couponing a little better.
For the holidays... a little recap. We went to the beach to Mom's for Thanksgiving. We put up the tree (after much searching for one, we finally got one two days later than usual), went to the flotilla on the waterway, and had an Oyster roast at the house. When we got home we put up our own tree. We had a Christmas party at our house for our hometeam, tons of fun! Then of course we did the Davis Christmas in Wingate on Sunday before Christmas, our immediate family plus Trey and Mel on Christmas Eve, and the Alley's in Salisbury on Christmas Day. Tomorrow we head to VR for Adam's side Christmas and spend New Years with them. Then. We. Slow. Down.
We aren't going to be traveling as much come this late winter and spring. Our house is welcome for visitors! We love having people over, but we just can't travel as much as we have been. A little craz!
My friend Tay is starting up a new blog in January where she's posting a picture a day every day for the entire year. I might copy her idea...I think it would be fun. Not sure that anyone reads my blog every day (and especially since I have neglected it for 2 months) but someday I might make this thing into a book. Or something.
Or maybe when we have kids I'll make a new blog. Who knows.
I've also become really into Pinterest. What a great idea, I wish I had come up with.

As I sit here, we're watching Fox News to keep up with what's going on in the world.
I'm going to post a money post soon too, to keep you guys up with our get out of debt plan. Lots to tell there.
Well....happy Thursday night, and TGIF! Stay tuned folks...
I might even post pictures...woah!

Why I am a Clemson Tiger fan

2011-10-22T12:09:00.003-04:00

A lot of people have been asking me lately, why are you a Clemson fan? I did go to N.C. State and was a Cheerleader there none the less. Let me explain.
My uncle Kendall went to Clemson. Not only did he go, but he played for them during their amazing track to the National Championship in 1981. He was a wide receiver, #89. I love my uncle and am very proud of his accomplishments. My grandparents had orange everything...in their house in Salisbury there are still lots of remnants of those times. A pin my grandmother wore to the games, a clock with the National Championship team on it. My first college football games were in Death Valley. I have pictures of me, my sister, mom and dad with my uncle and my grandparents all out on the field after the games.
When it came time for me to go to college...in my mind, I was going to Clemson. I applied, had letters written, and I got in. I made a trip down with my friend Katie over Valentine's weekend (which I don't recommend because everyone is at mixers and socials) and stayed with one of the cheerleaders there. We went to a game and met the cheerleading coach. I wanted to go to Clemson.
Then I realized how much it cost. I lived in North Carolina which meant out of state tuition. I sat there at my kitchen table with a letter of acceptance to Clemson, N.C. State and ECU in my hands. Clemson had sent me a sticker for my car (I still have it). My friends thought they were all going to State, but they ended up going to ECU and all rooming together. (Katie, Pal, and Carmel). I knew I was going to be paying for my school, so I thought I'd make the wise choice financially and go to N.C. State.
Middle of my freshman year, I remember calling my Dad and saying..."Dad, I think I want to transfer to Clemson"... but I didn't know how.
I continued on at N.C. State...and graduated from there. And other than the fact that I made some great friends at Campus Crusade and I met my husband through my roomate Shae...I'll always be a Clemson fan at heart. I will always cheer on my Wolfpack of course, but don't blame a girl for sticking to her roots. My cousin Zac is there now and works with the football team. I am loving that they are successful once again that an Alley is in the Valley :)
So even though I am a Wolfpack fan and an alumni, ...I will root for the Tigers. Don't judge me!

Mom and Dad

That's mom, dad, and my ticket. I was 9 months old at my first game

Me and my first dog named "Tiger"

Me and Dad, and Me and Papaw Alley at the game

Fan day at Clemson :)

Me, my sister Carrie and my uncle Kendall

Me and Kendall

Clemson Colors The Sky :)

Me, Dad, and Bryan (my older brother)

Love this picture

Go Tigers!

Debt Snowballing It

2011-10-14T16:46:00.001-04:00

I've been realizing lately that I don't put much of our financial situation on here. Shame on me! :) Today I was having lunch with my sweet friend Katie and we were discussing finances. Money is on my mind a lot lately (lately, um, the last 5 years?) and a big part of our life is our 'get out of debt' plan. I'm sure you've read somewhere in here that we are doing the Dave Ramsey, My Total Money Makeover and debt snowball. We have two credit cards, two student loans, a personal loan to a family member, and another personal loan. We are working hard (and for me, that means working...after a long time of job hunting) at putting as much money toward debt as we can. We don't splurge a lot, we have a tight budget, and we are trying our best to stick to it. We were behind for a while last year, it was scary at times, but God always provided for us. We never went without a place to sleep (thanks to my aunt and the Antons), we didn't lose the house in Georgia although it was iffy there for a bit (praise God!) and we made it through without missing a meal. :)
We are tithing 10%...something we refuse to stop doing and we cut back on investing into retirement accounts until we get the debt paid off. No sense in investing while you are paying interest on other things.

Here are a few things we're sacrificing to make this happen:
- I went to my natural hair color, no more 100 dollar highlighting
- We cancelled the gym membership, a savings of 64.99 a month
- We cancelled Time Warner and went with Dish for a much less expensive deal
- We coupon

There's something to be said for living below your means. Even my pa-paw mentioned it to me the other night on the phone. :) Our debt free date right now is Sept 2014. That's barely under 3 more years...at the current rate we are going. I'll keep you all updated on how we're doing!

Scrapbooking, what's your thoughts?

2011-10-13T12:55:00.000-04:00

If you've known me any length of time or been to my house, you probably know that I am a photo freak. I love taking photos and I love putting them into scrapbooks for later viewing! I am behind, and I mean wayyy behind on scrapbooking. My mom did all of ours from birth to high school. When I got to college at N.C. State, I decided I would keep up the tradition. I scrapbooked my freshman through senior year and did a separate scrapbook for cheerleading. Since I graduated I have been struggling to keep up! I just finished my Alaska book from 2008.
I had a conversation one time with Adam that put things into perspective. It went like this:

Ginny "Babe, I love you. Can we be married forever?"
Adam "I love you too. And no, there isn't marriage in heaven".

Such is life when you marry a minister. See what seminary does to people? ;) I pouted. Like a 5 year old who was just told she can't have a candy bar. But it gave me some pretty good perspective that nothing lasts forever except eternity, heaven, Jesus.

Tying this all together - should I keep scrapbooking? If Jesus comes back anytime soon, they won't matter anyway. But if He doesn't anytime soon - the generations behind me will appreciate my books. And it will create family memories. What do you think?

Welcome Fall!

2011-10-02T15:55:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was the first week of fall, so we welcomed it in with some homemade Vegeable Beef soup made by yours truly and some cornbread. We eat outside on the screened in porch, so of course, that's where we were! Happy Fall everyone!

New Blog!!!

2011-09-15T21:47:00.002-04:00

Hey ya'll...

I am definitely keeping this blog for our personal updates, family, drama, and who knows what else. However, I have started a new blog and I need YOU to go and check it out. It's not pretty yet....but it will be soon.

Made in U.S.A. Pride!

Enjoy! Tell your friends, and check back often!

Love,
Ginny

Quick update

2011-09-13T20:58:00.000-04:00

For those of you who were just dying to know....Nope, I didn't win the pottery barn sweeps. Haha. I did, however, purchase a few frames that were on sale and cannot wait to get them in the mail. I ordered one of these:

And one of the 9 opening large frame :)

Who doesn't love frames?

In other news...life has been busy. We had Adam's family in town for Labor Day and then they left a day early so, of course, we left 30 minutes after they did and headed to the coast. We are spontaneous like that. I plan on posting some photos from that weekend as well as some others...coming soon!

Dear God,

2011-08-20T20:55:00.001-04:00

Dear God,
It would really be great if I would win the Pottery Barn Benjamin Moore Room Makeover.
~Ginny

I have been going to the facebook post and entering every day to win this sweepstakes. It kindof bugs me that everyone writes their own sob story on the facebook page to try to get whoever decides the winner to 'pick them'. Most of these people write that they have had the same furniture 25 years, just bought a new house, or my favorite...every other room in their house is PB so they need the last one they have put off as the last one to decorate to match. LOL.

So, if I were to write on their wall, I'd write something like...

Pottery Barn,
Adam and I moved 4 times last year, every piece of furniture in our house is a hand me down, we have three empty rooms, and we are on Dave Ramsey's plan to get out of debt, so furniture isn't something we'll be buying anytime soon. Since June 24th I have lost both my great grandmother's, my best friend's mom passed away from cancer, and my husband's cousin died this week. We are tired of all the sorrow and want something to be cheerful about. :) We want living room furniture so we can have our families over for holidays and our bible studies at our house and have plenty of seating for everyone!
Sincerely,
The McCulloughs :)

Project Dad

2011-08-02T08:51:00.002-04:00

Most of you know that my Dad passed away 9 ish years ago in April of 2002. Saddest day of my life thank you very much. This year I have been on 'Project Dad' trying to collect and save some of the things that remind me of him and can be passed down when we have kiddos. My dad sang and taught people about Jesus a lot. We have him recorded singing the national anthem at a Charlotte Hornets game on VHS. We have tapes of him singing in churches and giving his testimony. I'm very thankful for my cousin Steph and my aunt Carol and uncle Mark for all their help after Dad passed to put those things together. Now, we're in the process of converting them all to current technology, DVDs and CDs etc. This past weekend after a wedding we visited my grandparents (Dad's parents). They are just awesome and fun to be around so we like spending as much time with them as we can. Their names are Ruby and Jewell and they've been married 66? years this November. My grandmother handed me a small panasonic recorder, you know, the ones with the mini tape cassettes in them that people used to record college lectures on or themselves talking to help them study. Well, low and behold I'm listening to one of these on the way home and it's all of my Dad documenting a mission trip he went on to Belize! It is the coolest thing! I love being able to hear his voice and hear him talk about how he loves Cheerios and Corn Flakes, with sugar, and all the goofy things that he says that remind me why I'm me too. :) He says how he wished 'mother and daddy', 'Bobby Cox', and 'Lynn Guin' could be there with him. He talks about how he isn't strong enough to go out on some of the outings and do the hard labor but he goes into the streets and hands people fliers inviting them to church and telling them about Jesus. As per usual, he'll be in the middle of talking and bust out in song. I love this man! Seriously, nothing makes me happier than hearing my Dad bust out in song. He talks about how the people down there worship Jesus and how they don't need fancy things to do it. He talks about how he didn't get to see the Mayan ruins because the roads were too bad and the trip was too hard for him so he went and visited people in a restaurant while the others went. He went into bars to meet people. He would tell anyone about what Jesus did for us!! It is my hope that I can be as bold as he was, as intentional, and as passionate.
I can't wait to get all these converted so I can make copies and give them to my other family members. So sweet and so special. I would encourage everyone to take photos, take videos, and organize them so that when you're gone others can remember you and still hear your voice!
It's also my prayer that Adam and I would have a musical family like mine was. If only he'd get me those piano lessons I keep talking about... ;) Too bad the flute isn't as cool!

Whirlwinds and such

2011-07-18T17:56:00.000-04:00

I feel like I haven't read a blog or gotten on here in forever. I have been adjusting to a new job! I am now working at a church here in town as an Administrative Assistant for an Outreach Center. It is great and I think I'm going to love it. The hours are great and the pay is great and well, it's just great. Changes like that always take some adjusting to. It's nice to feel like a productive member of society again. I don't know who I was kidding when I thought selling Mary Kay would bring in the type of money that a real job does. It doesn't, and it definitely doesn't have all the perks that come along with it. I never understood Multi Level Marketing companies like that and always said I would never do one, and now I'll still say, I shouldn't have done it. It took away valuable time with Adam and caused a lot of stress in my life. It took away money that I would have paid off debt with, and some of that I'll never get back. Now, we are making way more progress paying off our debt and progressing in our Dave Ramsey plan.
We spent the 4th of July at the beach and then went again this past weekend. We will be teaching bible studies this fall and know we won't be able to take off on the weekends like we can now. I plan on posting some pictures from those two trips soon, got some great photos of the sunset from the boat this weekend! We got to spend time over the 4th with Adam's family too because they brought their RV up to NC. Saturday night we got to spend time with some of my favorite people, Ryan and his wife. It was great hanging out with their family and catching up! I honestly have no idea what everyone else has been up to so if I haven't talked with you recently, I'll be trying to do some phone calls this week! I hope everyone is having a great summer so far!

Mamaw Davis - Clara Belle Davis

2011-06-24T09:02:00.003-04:00

My beautiful, wonderful, fashionista, loving, sweet, caring, fiesty, great grandmother went to be with Jesus last night. That is something I'm sure of, she loved the Lord. She was a member of Austin Grove Baptist Church since, well, a really long time. In honor of her, I decided I would post. She and my great grandfather Arthur created an amazing, gigantic family. I literally had to plan our wedding around how massive my family is. We count off at Christmas and we never have less than 30 of our immediate family. They had 4 boys, who had lots of kids, who had lots of kids. They had one great-great grandson, my second cousin, Miles. I love these people. Clara and Art were married over 70 years! What a testimony to marriage. They lived in the same house forever. They had a farm, orchards, chicken houses. Now the chicken houses are all full of old furniture and just stuff. They have a "Christmas house" which hosts a Christmas tree all year round. It has photos all along the walls of the family they built. Rows of photos. Every family event we now have there. It's basically this old school trailer Papaw built and put on the land so Mamaw could host the ladies and bible study groups from church there and not have to worry about the main house. They worked hard, Papaw worked hard and God blessed them. She would tell me the story of how she remembers having an ice box and every morning she would make biscuits when the boys were little. She sewed all their clothes. She was the portrait of class. If you have ever wondered where my fiestiness or 'opinionated nature' comes from...I credit that to Clara too. She was a lovely woman.


Greg walking Mamaw down the aisle at our wedding

Favorite. Ever.

Thankful they came.

Davis Family. Only about 1/2 of them.

At their 75th wedding anniversary party in the "Christmas house" Papaw got her these flowers. He would always go pick a flower and then knock on the front door and make her come open it and hand her what he had picked. :-) That is marriage of 71 years folks.

Birthday at the "house" that is on the lake at Tillery. Ya'll. This is just half the boat house. Their big green boat house is well, if you live on Tillery you probably hate it. Haha.

Greg and Mamaw at Christmas 2009.

Art and Clara.

Combatting Materialism

2011-06-19T12:01:00.001-04:00

Lord help me, I am reading the book Radical by David Platt. I am already an over the top person when it comes to radical thinking. I'd go live overseas in some remote area and help orphans if we didn't owe everyone else so much money. Which, is why we are getting out of debt. We don't want to be tied down by the things we owe people so that we can be FREE to go do whatever God calls us to do (not that he can't call you to do things while you have debt, but you are in some way in bondage to it).

*Let me go ahead and be honest and say that I believe that health and wealth gospel, prosperity gospel, name and claim it gospel, etc....those are lies that devil has tried to make people believe and not the truth that our bible teaches. If you believe those, you seriously need to spend some time seeking the Lord and at minimum, read this book and a few others by Randy Alcorn on God and money.*

While reading this book last night, I have come up with a new way to combat materialism in our family and home. Once we are debt free and able to actually purchase things...I want to match any purchase we make, with an equal donation to help the hungry and those living in poverty all over the world. Today, 26,000 people will die from hunger. While we were in church for an hour over 1,000 died. Did you read that? That is unacceptable. As David Platt puts it, we sit in a million dollar church, with millions of dollars of cars in the parking lot, and we go home to our millions of dollars worth of houses, and while we do all this, 1,000 people just died because they didn't have anything to eat. Let that resonate with you a minute.

Something small that we can do, is match our own purchases, aside from our giving already and the children we sponsor through Compassion (www.compassion.com). When we want furniture for example, we will save up somewhere between 1 to 2,000 dollars for living room furniture. What better way to combat materialism in our home but to use the next equal amount of money to help people who weren't born in a country like ours and can't afford to eat? I guarantee, this will change the way we think about purchases! What if we all did something like this...

What will you do to combat materialism in your home?

This week's shopping list - sample

2011-06-10T10:11:00.003-04:00

Harris Teeter Ad & Coupons 6/8-6/14
Printed at SouthernSavers.com
Buy One Get Ones (price in parenthesis is if you buy only one of BOGO)

Harris Teeter 93% Lean Ground Turkey, 20.80 oz, at $4.99 ($2.49)

Crystal Light Drink Mix, 8 qt. or 10 ct., at $3.99 ($1.99)
-$1 off Crystal Light drink mix, SS 6/12

Luzianne Family Size Bags, 24 ct., at $2.29 ($1.14)

Kellogg’s Cereal 12-15 oz, at $3.69 ($1.84)
Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops, Honey Smacks, Rice Krispies
-$1/3 Kellogg’s cereals, 8.7 oz +, RP 5/15

Mario Spanish Manzanilla Olives, 5.75 oz, at $2.45 ($1.22)

Sun-Maid Natural California Raisins, 9 oz, at $2.50 ($1.25)

Nature Made Vitamins and Supplements, 30-300 ct., entire line
-$1 off Nature Made product, (sign in) printable or printable

Clorox 2 Laundry Stain Remover, 22 oz, at $3.99 ($1.99)
-$1.50/2 Clorox2 product printable
(makes it $2.50 for 2)

Pace Picante or Salsa, 16 oz, $2

KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce, 18 oz, $1.50
-$1 off KC Masterpiece Barbeque sauce or marinade, 8.5 oz. +, SS 5/15
(makes it 50¢)

Mueller’s Angel Hair Pasta $1

Classico Pasta Sauce $2
-$1/2 Classico pasta sauce, SS 5/15
(makes it $3.00 for 2)

All Natural, Boneless, Center Cut Pork Chops $2.99 lb

Dove Shampoo or Conditioner, 12 oz, $2.79

Addtional:

Milk at $3.59

Lunchmeat - 1/2 pound
2 Chicken Breasts from Butcher ($1.99/lb)

Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing - $1.99 e-vic special
- check coupon at home

Potato Chips - Keep under $2.50
- check coupon at home

If you're wondering where other items might be, this week I don't have to buy things like detergent, toilet paper, certain toiletries, or fruit because I have already stocked up on weeks they were on sale.
We also go to the produce stand down the street for fresh vegetables and fruits when we need them. You really cannot beat the prices of a produce stand.

Most of the coupons we use are from the Sunday paper. There are links to printables. For a full tutorial, visit Southern Savers and watch her videos.

As you can see, this week we will spend right around 50 dollars depending on the price of the vitamins that we buy. I could probably do better if I weren't buying the Dove Shampoo and Conditioner, but I really like it and is a decent deal. How much do you spend on groceries and how do you budget for it?

And the bigger question is, what could you do with a little extra money not spent on food each month. We are trying to become debt free so we can use our finances to have a global purpose for our God. You could sponsor a child for just a mere $45 dollars a month through Compassion International and provide them with food, clothing, and school. There are many other things you can do with some freed up money. Why not try it?!

Grocery Budgeting

2011-06-09T13:21:00.004-04:00

Over $500 dollars. That is our record high on grocery spending in one month. Never again will we do that! I thought that shopping at Wal-Mart was a good, inexpensive idea when we first got married. Having been single, I had no idea what it meant to really grocery shop or feed a man. I typically ate meals like cereal for dinner, or a combination of rice and peas with some salt and pepper. Perhaps that's how I stayed so skinny.
I was only in Augusta, Ga from November after our wedding to June when we moved. I tried to keep our grocery budget to $100 a week, so $400 dollars a month for 2 people. That is too much. When we left Georgia in June and moved to Wilmington, NC (trying to figure out what we were doing) we spent some time with the Smith's. Thankfully Meg taught me a little about budgeting and couponing. We now shop at Harris Teeter and do not spend more than $60 a week on groceries. This includes toiletries, paper products, etc. Get an envelope, put your grocery money in it, and when you run out...do not buy anymore! There have been days when we are grocery shopping and we take items out of our buggy in order not to go over. Once you do this, it is freeing. Trust me, try it once!
I learned of websites like Southern Savers that help you to know what is on sale for the week and what coupons match the sale items. I learned what a good "buy price" is for an item. You should always look for an item and purchase it at it's lowest price, and stock up. You may have seen the shows on TV about extreme couponing. That's not what I do... and I don't know of any stores in North Carolina that allow you to use that many coupons in one trip. Typically you can use 20 coupons per household per day. Grocery stores run on an 8 week cycle. We also began menu planning. Each week we write down what we are going to have for dinner. We both take our lunches to work and cereal, grits, eggs, or oatmeal are our breakfasts. I cook 3 or 4 nights a week and the other nights we have leftovers. Occasionally we eat out. (Our monthly budget for restaurants is $50, and this is doable!)
Having this plan in place, I was able to cut our monthly grocery budget from $400 a month, to between $200 and $220 a month. Almost half! I am not 'as' frugal as some, but I think this is a significant discount. I have not paid more than 44 cents for a tube of toothpaste or over $2 dollars a box (usually I get them for 1 to 1.50) for cereal in a year. That, my friends, is worth learning.
Another website I have just learned about is Grocery Shrink. This lady has been on the Dave Ramsey plan (from what I can tell) and she only spends $50 per person, per month on groceries. Phenomenal! I haven't become quite that talented yet. If you want to take it another step, you can buy produce at a stand or grow your own food and freeze or can to save money.
This year I am growing tomatoes. Next year, I plan to have a garden with onions, squash, zucchini, and beans. Baby steps :) I am going to try from her website to learn to can and freeze for winter.
I have always admired how frugal and wise my grandfather has been with money. He has a garden and they keep food over winter. I love the simplicity to it all and how you can grow your own food without preservatives and know exactly what is in what you are eating.
That's all for now folks. I hope this helps you in your grocery budget!

Blogging

2011-06-07T14:34:00.000-04:00

I have been having a hard time lately coming up with what I want to post because I think of so many things that I'd like to post. Today, I had some free time and was reading blogs for a bit. I am considering starting my own blog to try to make money. What I can't decide is what to write about, or if I should just continue it on this one. Organizing, family life, budgeting, cooking, funny marriage stories, my lack of exercise and all my intentions to exercise? What do you like to read about the most? Or, are you the kind of person who likes to see pictures only? :)

Best times to shop!

2011-05-31T10:42:00.002-04:00

I am no expert and I know several reports have a list out about the best time of the year to purchase specific items. What I do know....Memorial day and the week after Christmas have the best sales so far that I have seen. Really. Adam and I have held off on buying anything new for a year and a half while trying to pay off debt and get caught up from last year. Now that we are doing Dave Ramsey's financial peace university we actually have an envelope for clothing and it is high time that we replace some old things that need replacing. I also "had a growth spurt" after we got married, so shorts were in drastic need. You can find the best times to buy items at Kiplinger's , Lifehacker.com , or Real Simple. And next Memorial Day I suggest you hit the mall for some really great deals!
Here are a few pictures from our Memorial Day. I hope yours was fabulous!

Colin and Katelyn having a blast!

Where there are guys, there are games.

Me, Quinn, and Mama K!

The cutest little Q! Love him!

Why is blogging so fun?

2011-05-26T15:55:00.000-04:00

It just is. I love reading what other people are learning or doing in their families. I am really enjoying reading some blogs from some really awesome godly women that I mostly do not know. They are creative, fun, and entertaining to say the least. I enjoy writing in general, (probably should have gone into that line of work although not sure my skills are up to par) and so it gives me an outlet to express what's going on with us and our crazy lives, just chat about random things, or some days even, vent. I keep meaning to post some more recent pictures but today I am doing things like couponing, budgets, and cleaning. The not so exciting part of life, but having a lot of food in the pantry for not much money, knowing where our money goes and paying off debt, and having a clean home...those are exciting parts of life. The work pays off. Anyone have a half yearly goal? Those New Years goals are probably fading by now, what's something you're trying to accomplish this summer?
For me.... scrapbooking. Maybe I'll post one of those pages once I'm finished :)

Tribute to my Dad, the original Moose.

2011-05-20T10:58:00.001-04:00

Love you Dad.

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-19T09:46:00.000-04:00


Greg on the other boat, I think he was posing for my picture :)

This Mother's Day we went down to visit my parents who now live at the beach. (I heard once that the wealthier you are, you either call it the beach, the coast, or the shore) Based on my earlier post, I think we will just call it the beach :)

Adam and I on the "Wendy D" (my mom's name)

Greg caught these, and they tasted yummy!

Adam grilling out some burgers

We also went down to "The Day At The Docks" festival. I can't wait for the one coming in the fall (even though it is the one that prevented us from getting married down there!) called "Festival By The Sea".

This is the picture I took to enter into the 96.9 flip flop photo contest to win Kenny Chesney tickets. But then I forgot to enter it. Oh well, it's a fun photo.

What a fun weekend with family!

No more Cynic, but Babies? and some debt.

2011-05-17T13:08:00.000-04:00

I've decided my blog has had a bit of a serious/cynic type of feel. Please forgive. That must be a stage I was going through. I had a couple of rough weeks there. Back onto more fun topics. Like....babies! Haha. This past weekend we were in Atlanta (or Villa Rica, rather) visiting Adam's family. It was our niece's 3rd birthday party. They had the party at a gymnastics center, um, hello my life. We had a blast. Of course, while we were there, we got the questions.... wait for it.... "So, when are you guys going to have one?"....um, here is my new answer to that. Now, this is not a cynical idea, but rather an ingenius way to answer! I mean, why have people not thought of this before? ;)

"Well, you see, we are trying to pay off a few (see below for description of "few") things first so that we can be better stewards with our finances and be able to actually feed our children, if you'd like to help us in the process of children, you can donate to our new fund...the Adam and Ginny need to pay off a few things fund. That would really help expedite the process and then you could have a new (insert family status here, ie "great grandchild, niece/nephew, baby to coddle, etc) must faster! How does that sound?!"

We promise all funds will go directly to the current debt snowball item on our Dave Ramsey debt snowball. We are in the FPU class on Wednesdays learning how to get out of debt. Earlier, for my devoted readers, I posted a debt blog. Now, about 30 seconds after I typed it, I deleted it. I had blogger's remorse. It happens. I thought, well maybe that is too much info for these people. But, my dear friend Lauren was going to comment with a hearty "AMEN" so now I am having second thoughts.

Here is the short version of that blog....it went something like this.
(Disclaimer - we realize we made all these decision to get ourselves into this financial disaster. We also know that we are busting our booties to get OUT of it!)

Well, here is a synopsis of us "getting" into debt. Circa 1999. Adam goes to college under the Georgia program and incurs no new debt. Ginny goes to college and unbeknown to her, the only way you go to college is to have student loans. Hello, government, can I borrow some money from you? 13k later she graduates with a degree (we're not really sure what it was in though) and about 5k in credit card debt She signed up for a free t-shirt to get it. I think the shirt is now at goodwill. She also purchased her dad's tombstone with that money. How else do you pay for something like that when you're 21 and a Junior in college? Adam feels led to go to seminary, and unbeknown to him, the only way you go to seminary is through private student loans (the whole church and state issues mean you can't get a gov't one for this). 28k later he graduates with 2 masters degrees and about 10k in credit card debt. We had no idea that we just paid 200 (and are still paying) for a 20 dollar pizza. That was a really expensive pizza. Fast forward to 2009. Adam and Ginny get engaged, Ginny has no idea that she is going to have to pay for a wedding. So she does, so just tap on another 6k borrowed from a family member to the tab. Adam gets a full-time job at a church. They lend us 5,500 for a downpayment on a house that A was going to "plant roots" in Augusta. We got a mortgage (who doesn't?) for 155k. Then we moved. That move meant that we would then owe the government back the 8k for the first time home buyers credit we got and the church the money we borrowed from them and also, oh yea, a mortgage payment. Then our house flooded and we have a deductible on our HOI we will have to pay for. I'm not even going to bother totalling it all up for you, trust me, it's kinda depressing...so I'll just say this. This is why we are doing Dave Ramsey's plan. This is why we want to be debt free and live like noone else. Right now, we are living like everyone else. With a ton of debt. We want to get out, and we want to teach our kids what not to do! We have learned, pretty much everything about money, the hard way.

I hope this blog post makes you feel good about your financial future! I'm tellin' ya all my faithful readers, that we will pay ALL of this off. And when we do, we will be having a huge party, you will be invited, and we will have paid cash for it! :) And if you decide to contribute to our have a baby plan, I'll get you the address to send it to. ;)

I think I offend people

2011-05-16T11:24:00.000-04:00

Truth: I think I offend people. Some people just get on my nerves. While I realize this is not a "godly woman" kind of comment...sometimes that is how I react to people. I get annoyed when people speak condescendingly to me. I get annoyed when others question my word. I get annoyed when people lie. I get annoyed when people try to tell what they are learning from the Lord to others as though that is what THEY should be learning at that exact same season of life. These things...ugh. I get annoyed when people who have kids talk to people who don't have kids like they are stupid or ignorant. Same goes with married people and single people. I cannot be the only person that struggles with this. And I try really hard to filter what I say...so usually I'm only thinking that I'm annoyed but occasionally it pops right out of my mouth before I have time to catch it. I think as I've gotten older I've gotten more and more jaded towards certain things. I love people, I do. And I certainly love showing people God's love. But I have stopped putting effort into relationships where the other person does not. I'm not going to beg you to be my friend or speak to me or spend time with me. It's kindof ridiculous when you think about it. Now, I have some really fabulous friends...and a lot of friends who don't live near where I do. But we keep up. We pick up right where we left off, but we are on the same page with this. I have some "friends" who I call, text, invite...etc and they just don't respond, like, ever. Well...why waste my time? Not gonna do it :) I am so thankful for the wonderful friends I do have, so I am gonna put all my time and energy into those relationships! And they blossom, and I love it! And, I'm just going to stop being around these annoying people that do these annoying things. Haha.

What to write about?

2011-05-04T10:54:00.003-04:00

Usually I am an avid blogger. This time of year for some reason is always the busiest. I don't know if it is because of the adjusting to time change, the celebrations, or spring fever piped in and now we want to 'do' more. Our computer crashed when we moved to our new place, so I haven't taken any pictures since then...well, literally since January and our birthdays. For those of you who know me well, this is unheard of. This weekend we will be going to visit my parents at Holden so there will most definitely be pictures! I will post them after this weekend. In the meantime, here is an email I sent to 3 of my friends updating them on life a week or so ago. Enjoy...

This week has been hard for me. I am making it through of course but I am exhausted and so since I have had zero time this week to contact anyone really I thought I would send an email. A couple of weeks ago my old boss from Eola Capital (the real estate company) called and asked if I would come in and fill in for them at the reception desk. They paid me really well so that was awesome and in the midst of it, my old boss Bryan said I needed to go through the recruiting agency because that was the easiest way for them to pay me since I wasn't on payroll. This was the agency I originally went through when I got hired on with them. After I worked for them a few days the agency called and asked if I would be interested in anything else. . Last week though they called and said they had a job for me for 6 days (last Fri through this Friday) for an Engineering firm. It's a really reputable one and a fun place to work in, my opinion, the coolest part of Charlotte. (called SouthEnd - the old historic district but very artsy, cool and fun!) The building is an old cottonmill and warehouse made into offices. I'm thankful that God provided this for us this week because we had a few unexpected bills so this will pay those, but man, it has been beyond exhausting! I forgot what it was like to work full time and then to have such a busy schedule and trying to keep a house running and clothes clean for Adam and me (and trust me, laundry for two is alot more than one!) and healthy food for us. I hope I don't sound like I'm complaining (bc I know we're supposed to do everythying without complaining or arguing!) I just seriously forgot what this was like and the last time I worked full time I did not have a husband! Haha. I can say though that these Engineers are some of the most organized, nicest people ever. So many of them went to NC State or Clemson...my two fav schools! OK so a life update, on Mondays, Adam and I have a hometeam we are in led by Scott Brooks (Kristi's husband) at their house and right now we are going through Genesis. We just finished going through the book Trusting God by Jerry Bridges which, is by far the best book I have ever read in my life! At the same time we were going through that I was in a bible study led by Scott's Mom, Kay, that is called Spiritual Salve for your Soul. It is AMAZING. Kay and Paul (Scott's dad) have a ministry that they do now that they are retired that they do biblical counseling and ya'll...it is no joke! They spend half their time here and half in DC. So Kay leads the women's study and they also do biblical marriage counseling together. The Salve study has challenged me like no other. It was a 15 week study. You did a 40 minute study each day and then we met once a week to discuss. Kristi and I did it with Kay and now Kristi is leading it with some other women. I hope to be able to lead it soon. In addition to that, Adam is on a Men's softball team with the Hartford and loves it. I am the only wife that goes to the games, seriously, the only fan. (This week another one was there, so it was fun getting to know her) I really pray that we are being a witness to the guys there! On Wednesday nights we are doing Dave Ramsey's "Financial Peace University" at a local church and then after we go to "The Pursuit" which is the student group meeting that Brad teaches. Adam gets to teach every now and then too. On Thursdays is when Adam and I do biblical marriage counseling with Paul and Kay. We are going through the book "Strengthening your marriage" by Wayne Mack. We are not having problems :) we are just trying to make our marriage as strong as possible so it will be a witness to others! It is awesome. Tomorrow, we start this thing with our pastor - not really sure what it will entail but it's on Thursdays just for the month of May at 6-7am. Um, we are crazy people but we love it.

On Sundays, we are starting this Sunday a new high school hometeam for juniors and seniors that we will be teaching them about adapting to college (most of them are seniors).

Also - if I haven't told you guys, we coupon, and man, we save 50% every week at the grocery store! That's just a small tidbit.

OK well that is my life in a nutshell since I haven't been able to update you all in forever!

Let me know what is going on with you!

20 Questions

2011-04-21T07:36:00.002-04:00

There are several blog posts coming at you soon. One with how ridiculous I think it is our government has debt at all let alone the idea to raise the debt ceiling. If I said to you guys "we have 60,000 dollars debt this year but we're thinking of raising it to 70,000 just so we don't go over"....you would have me committed. Dear Lord, please let Dave Ramsey help our government. Or Ryan from Wisconsin-I like him too.

Moving on...

My sweet friend April tagged me in this 20 questions deal and since I think these are fun every now and then, I'm doing it!

Rule #1: The tagged person must write their answers on their blog and replace any questions they dislike with a new question formulated by themselves.

Rule #2: Tag 4 people to do this quiz. The tag-ee must state who tagged them.

1. What is one word that can best be used to describe you?

Hodgepodge. I am somewhere in the middle of a free spirit and a nerd. I am organized, clean, and like things to make sense but I'm creative in that I scrapbook and love photos and artsy stuff. I like instant gratification...painting and vacuuming make me happy because I see instant results. I also love running through fields. What would you say your word would be Rebecca?

2. If you could have a dream come true, would what it be?

Being 100% free. And it's gonna happen. I would love to know what Katie's dream is!

3. What would you do with a billion dollars?

See question 2. Also, I would give to my cousin Amanda's program The Street Child project and travel the world helping make it a better place and telling people about Jesus.

4. What helps to pull you out of a bad mood?

A good laugh, a long walk, the beach. What helps you Lauren?

5. What is your bedtime routine?

Put on the PJs, wash my face with my Mary Kay TimeWise cleanser, then use my night solution and my moisturizer, floss, brush my teeth, get into bed, and then Adam and I read our nightly devotion together, pray together, and go to sleep. Lovely.

6. What activities did you do in High School? If you could go back, would you do the same or something different?

What didn't I do? LOL. I was that annoying person. Type A. I cheered at school and for a competitive team outside of school, played soccer, danced, did student council, civitans, photography club...and everything else I could be involved in. I would change a lot of things, mainly the time Pallie and I kinda disappeared for a night. I'd spend more time with my youth group, my dad, and less time with boys.

7. What kind of books do you read?

Christian literature. Beth Moore, Gary Thomas, Jerry Bridges...we have a library because my husband went to Seminary. I am not kidding. You can check out books at our house.

8. How do you see yourself in ten years?

A stay at home mom, I always wanted to be Cathy Gilbert when I grew up.

9. What's your favorite piece of clothing you own?

Right now, my wedding dress...its amazing! (April, I 2nd this...it is still amazing a year 1/2 later...I keep looking for reasons to wear it)

10. What kind of skin care do you use?

Mary Kay

11. What's the first thing you do when you wake up?

Glasses, Coffee, Emails and Facebook.

12. If you could have any job, regardless of income, what would it be?

Nada. I would not work if I did not need to. I would spend time investing in the lives of others.

13. If you could pick a new name for yourself, what would it be?

I would not change my name. I love it. :) Julie, what would your name be if you would change it?

14. If you had to choose between six months of sun or six months or rain, which would you choose?

Sun. no question. I am a sun girl all the way.

15. If you could only eat one thing for the next six months, what would it be?

Cereal :)

16. What is the thing you enjoy about blogging the most?

Venting, haha. Kidding. Reading others blogs, learning new things, and just writing. I love to write. I'd like to write a book. I wonder what it is that Shelly loves the most.

17. Do you prefer salty or sweet foods?

SWEET

18. What items are in your purse right now?

Wallet, Mary Kay Business Cards, Satin Hands Cream, Satin Lips Gloss, lipstick, lipgloss, lip liner, weekender lip pencil, our budget, too many pens, extra strengh Tylenol, a small post it pad, "The Promise of Security" by Beth Moore.... geez.

19. What is the best memory you have of you and the person that tagged you in their 20 questions?

There's not one specifically...I just am thankful for her friendship and encouragement. We went through some similar tough times ;)

20. What do you watch on television that you know you shouldn't?

Nothing that I know of...all we watch is HGTV, American Idol, and The Biggest Loser. We cut out all the junk :)

Now, it's YOUR TURN!

Gazelle Intensity AKA Discipline

2011-04-05T12:55:00.001-04:00

Oh lovely lamp. We received 2 of these for a wedding shower gift. We did not register for lamp shades. Long story short - until we either A. Get a gift card or B. Get out of debt, these will continue to be shade-less. I am not ashamed. If you come into my home and I show you our bedroom, I will say..."Dave says we can't have lampshades yet". And someday when we are completely debt free, I will remember these lamps and their nakedness.
:-)

Not the cool kids

2011-03-29T09:29:00.000-04:00

There was a time in my life (not so very long ago) that I thought I might have something meaningful to say and somebody somewhere might read it. Haha... the truth is, I am just a sinful human being like anybody else humbled that God would send his son to die on a cross for me so I can go to heaven. The craziest part is that there are people in this world that don't know that fact. You don't have to teach a kid to steal, you have to teach them to share. When a baby is crying, that baby is a sinner just like the rest of us. We aren't holy like God. We can't spend eternity with him unless we become holy like God. Such a concept. Realizing it, and realizing all the selfish things we do in this life is key to knowing we need God's grace and mercy and Jesus living a perfect life replaces our sinful non-perfect life. There are people in this world that don't know that. When you are alive, you are living for one of two things. Yourself or God. I want to help people know that! I don't want to look back on my life and it have been wasted, even one minute. I want it to be used for something...for God and for people coming to realize that a life lived for God might be harder, it might be challenging, but as Tracy Quinn once told me "It is rewarding". And that girl knew what she was talkin' about. I feel blessed. Not because I'm some perfect person or because I have done anything good in my life, but because God has lined up the steps and people in my life so that I would be close to Him. I chose to accept Jesus as my savior, but God helped me get there. For anyone that prayed for me, thank you. For my grandparents that took us to church when I was little, thank you. For Paula who drove us there when noone else could, thank you. For my Dad who dedicated his life to the Lord after living a crazy life and set the example for me in redemption. I want to tell other people. To the ends of the earth. Or my backyard, whatever. If you are sad, there is hope. Lonely, afraid, confused, scared, arrogant, mean, or just feel like you're missing something, there is hope. And his name is Jesus. He lived this life perfectly and without making any mistakes so that he would take our place and we can live through him! The father sees us through him. How cool is that?!
I don't know where the title of my blog came from, somedays I feel like we aren't the cool kids. My mom used to sing us the song about worms ..."nobody likes me, everybody hates me, I think I'll eat some worms".... anyway, if you feel that way, Jesus loves you. And so do we. The not so cool kids :-)

Gettin' down to the root of things...

2011-03-14T15:17:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I pulled weeds. Adam mowed the grass (what a man!) and I decided I'd get down in the dirt too :) I love planting flowers and trees and bushes. I am hoping to have a garden in the next year or two ish. And I even love pulling weeds. I probably love doing this because it's instant gratification. I enjoy painting, vacuuming, sweeping, and other things that make things look nice instantly. I even like washing my car! I know, I'm so weird.
While I was pulling weeds yesterday I had a tough one. It's root was right near the root of one of the planted bushes. Low and behold, I pull out what looks like a huge onion bulb! I laughed out loud and of course had to show Adam. Look honey, a big root of a weed! It got me to thinkin'.
When you pull a weed out, if you don't pull it completely out by it's root, it is going to come back. Such is life. When you have an issue, an argument, a problem you can't seem to get resolved...you have to get down to the root of it or it's going to come back! Surface level stuff is for losers :)
What I am learning in my recent bible study is that everything has to come from 'somewhere'. Here's what the bible says that 'somewhere' is.

What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? James 4:1.

When we argue, it's almost always because we aren't getting what we want, or we're getting what we don't want. Instead, in every situation, we should ask God "How would you like me to respond?" and respond in that way. His answers are in Ephesians 4. (as well as a lot of other places).
Once we figure out what our desires are and learn to respond to God in a way that honors him and others, we'll argue less! It's so true, try it! :)

What I do for fun

2011-02-17T17:28:00.000-05:00

If you ever need a professional organizer, I am available. Here is a small glimpse of what I do.
I just charge a flat hourly rate, and I work miracles :) Ok that doesn't sound humble, but I can help you get organized. This is a small closet in an entryway. Those are mobs of giftbags.

Before 1

Before 2

After 1

After 2

Please spread the word if you know anyone in need :)
xoxo

I lied...I really like these drapes.

2011-02-11T12:44:00.000-05:00

Consider this a blog of greatness. I like these... you can find them at my most fav store ever and here's the link to them at Pottery Barn.

I just think they are fun. And I don't care if they have flowers. I used to think flowers were stupid, now I love them on this. Don't judge me :)

Today is packing day..

2011-02-11T09:30:00.002-05:00

Therefore do not expect anything great out of the blog :-)

A new old car and we're moving.

2011-02-08T13:36:00.001-05:00

As most of my loyal readers already know, we are going through the Dave Ramsey plan to get out of debt. We sold Adam's truck this year to pay it off and save gas money. This past week we purchased a car from my great-grandmother...a great car for Adam to drive to work, save money, and it should be good for a while! But, as with all things, there is work to be done! Adam needed a new N.C. Driver's License, we needed to get inspection, the title changed over, and a new tag/registration. So much to do to get all the loose ends tied up but it is very worth it. It's kindof like getting married...it's great, but then there is all the name change stuff! Also in recent news, we are moving again! Only a few miles away though... into a house that we are renting from some friends. We are very excited about it and looking forward to not having to bring the groceries up to the 3rd floor, having a yard, a garage, more space, and just well....we're pumped! So for those of you who have been waiting for the decorating photos of our apartment, haha, well...I'm gonna take some today before I start packing. Just continue to wait til I get some of the new place. Who knew?! God has been so good to us this year! (As always) He has provided for us in so many ways and we are incredibly thankful!

Friday...family's comin' and the easiest dinner ever.

2011-02-04T12:55:00.001-05:00

This weekend Adam's parents are coming into town. It really is a huge blessing when you get along with your in laws. Seeing that we are on a budget, we decided to just cook this weekend instead of trying to go out to eat. I love cooking...really. Who would've thought? Before we got married, I rarely cooked. But I knew that most of the women in my family were great cooks and such wonderful hosts. My mom wrote my sister, brother, and I a cookbook last Christmas with all our family recipes in it. You see, my Dad taught my Mom how to cook (extremely awesome) and so having her recipes means I have a piece of him too :) If you're looking for a fabulous, easy, cheap meal (I promise)...then go for this.

2-3 pounds of lean stew meat
2 cans of golden mushroom soup
some salt and pepper
1 crockpot

Mix all the ingredients together and cook on high 5-6 hours or low 8-10. Then make some rice and you have Beef Tips over Rice! Voila! :)

I hope everyone has a great Superbowl weekend!
xoxo,
Ginny

Give me a tin roof, a front porch, and a gravel road. - Little Big Town

2011-02-02T13:07:00.002-05:00

This morning I woke up when Adam did (way earlier than I would ever want to) and typically I just go back to sleep. I'm not a morning person...shocker, I know. However, on Wednesdays, the trucks at the plant across the street back up alot apparently. They are loud. Then the landscaping dudes come out and they have a contest to see how long they can hold their leaf blowers. After that, the longest train ever, really I think it won the guiness world record for longest trains, goes by. Then of course, there must have been an accident on the highway because the helicopters are flying over head checking out the traffic. After going to bed later than desired and then having a few interesting/bad dreams (I always have dreams, crazy ones for those of you who don't know) I was really hoping to sleep in a little this morning. Now, I realize there are a lot of people who have to get up early....I'm just sayin' it would've been nice on this one day if the sounds of the city were, say, nonexistant :)
We have talked about living further out someday. We both do like the conveniences of the city so we wouldn't be too far away, but just enough to not hear all the noise. I have this picture in my head of some land, a farmhouse or cottagey style home with lots of flowers and a garden and some trees the kids could climb on. This morning, that was not the picture I had, haha. But, Here's to dreamin'...

A seaside cottage


I found this one here.

This is a fun one... a craftsman style


I found this one here.

A traditional farm house

found this at istockphoto.com

And I think this is my favorite.

I found it here.

Well...that's all I've got for now! :) Happy Hump Day everyone!

N.C. State....my red team

2011-02-01T09:38:00.001-05:00

I just had a moment. One of those...what will we do? moments. Reading some of my friends blogs who went to N.C. State with me and so did their spouses, when they have babies...the babies all wear N. C. State gear! So here is my hope... Jay, Taylor, Shae, Rebecca, Shelly...someone who is a wolfpack fan. When we get pregnant and have a baby, I'm going to need an N.C. State onesie. You see, a lot of my family are Clemson fans (My uncle played on the team in 81 when they won the National championship - huge deal to my family and quite an accomplishment!) And, my husband is a Georgia fan. He grew up there and went to W. Georgia. Georgia is a red team, but I am kindof worried that I will not have N.C. State gear to put my kiddo in! Ok, there is my early request for someday. Please make a note of it! Haha :)

I will conquer the grout.

2011-01-31T14:13:00.001-05:00

Give me a challenging cleaning task, I dare you. I will find a way to make it clean again. Hence, our most recent project...tile grout. I am not a fan of real tile just because of the difficulty of keeping grout clean and nice. We moved into our apartment in October. I already cleaned the guest bathroom tile grout. It wasn't really dirty so I didn't notice a huge difference. However, today when I started working on the kitchen...oooh la la what a difference! Mad props to Zep Grout Whitener. (Please read all directions on the container, use gloves and open windows for ventilation!)

Thank you Zep for turning this...


Can you believe how dirty this tile was??

And after! Love it. If it's possible to love tile grout. Well, I do.

Into this!

I also used a small clorox scrubber to scrub the grout. I just let it sit for about 15 seconds, scrubbed, and then wiped with a hot washcloth. Let me know what you think!

Tables! No more red cushions :)

2011-01-18T11:08:00.000-05:00

Well ladies and gentlemen. It was a project. My sweet husband offered to go with me to hancock fabrics to purchase fabric for our table and chairs. We purchase a new table when we were dating in Augusta and recently sold it in an attempt to get out of debt. Sold the table for 550 and then purchase 11 dollars worth of fabric to make the old one liveable again :) Back in college my roomate Rebecca and I recovered it from a blue funky pattern to a red solid. Let me know what you think about the new color! Out with the old!

In with the new!

I think the next time you see a new dining room of ours, it will probably not have this table. Because I seriously doubt Adam will help me cover these again. It was not easy, but in my opinion, it was well worth it!

At first sight? Throw tradition out the window please.

2011-01-14T08:25:00.000-05:00

Ok, I have to get this off my chest. The last few days I've been looking at wedding photos to print to put up in our home. I have been lying in bed this morning thinking about it. You see, I read a lot of blogs (hence out of control blogroll) and alot of photography blogs (that may or may not be on the blogroll) and one thing keeps coming to my mind. I wish we would have done the whole "at first sight" thing. Adam and I talked about seeing each other before the wedding, but I stuck with tradition for some reason. Well, I didn't want all traditional photos, just to stick to that tradition. I do think a certain amount of traditional photos are good to have. Now, let me clarify in saying I had an AMAZING photographer, and this is definitely not her fault or really has anything to do with her :) I just wish that we would've done the see each other before the wedding thing and taken all the romantic, sweet, just him and me photos before. After the wedding and before the reception...no matter what you tell yourself, you will feel rushed to get to the reception because you'll feel guilty for making your guests wait. Don't do it! Take pictures before. Or, I guess, the other alternative is doing the day after shots or a trash the dress session with your hubby. The one thing I wish I had more of is pics of just me and him. Of course, it was our wedding day...so shouldn't that be what we have the most of?! So for any of my single friends or soon to be brides...throw tradition out the window and see your new hubs before the wedding! And, I think it'll make your ceremony not feel like so much of a blur...you'll be a lil' more comfortable. :)
Thoughts from the G for the day.

November Highlights...

2011-01-07T10:24:00.001-05:00

Hi friends...here are a few photos of some of the things we've been up to lately! I have deducted that most people prefer photos, while I have a few blog posts in my head that may not be photo related, I'll have to get to those say...in a few days.

First Anniversary! We went to Adam's parents Cabin in the mountains and then to the Biltmore House for the day. I had not ever been before so it was a blast. We also hiked a few waterfalls.

Then there was Thanksgiving. We went to my parents at the coast.

Picking out the tree. We always get a NC Fraser Fir.

Adam was kind enough to check all the lights :)

Then as tradition would have it, Greg and I put the lights on.

And then we took some photos on the beach. You can see Adam and I in the background checking out ours haha!

And then there was the boat parade.

Next up, meeting new baby Marla...our niece.

Me with Marla, and Adam with her.

Check back tomorrow for some pictures of the snow, Christmas, and New Years!

Merry (White) Christmas!

2010-12-25T22:39:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas from the McCulloughs! We took this at our church last weekend when we had our annual "O Holy Goat" party. (I do take credit for coming up with the name 3 years ago!) It's an event for the student ministry and since we both volunteer as leaders, we happy attended! It is a fundraiser to raise money to purchase goats in other countries to feed needy families. It's also a great way to teach the students they can give and make an impact in the world. We had a fabulous Christmas seeing lots of family and just enjoying the season. We are so thankful to celebrate Jesus' birth! What a great gift to all of us. I'll post more 'catch up' photos soon as this has been a busy season and I haven't seemed to keep up. It is snowing here in NC as I watch the weather channel and my husband is asleep on the couch, the tree is still lit, and of course, I'm a night owl and am wide awake ;). I have never seen a white Christmas before so what a gift this is for me...I'm thankful that it is snowing on Christmas in NC! I'm so excited that I can't fall asleep! Merry Christmas to my friends out there that get as giddy at Christmastime as I do. Love to all!

Congrats Zac!

2010-12-17T09:12:00.000-05:00

Congrats to my cousin Zac for winning the State Championship in High School Football. He played at Charlotte Country Day this year. So most of you probably know I have a younger brother named Greg that I am always very proud of. He played baseball at Charlotte Christian and is now a Freshman at ECU. I also have two younger cousins Zac and Trent, and they too, are kindof like 'little brothers' to me. I'm very proud of Zac and enjoyed getting to watch some of his games the last 2 years. I'm so thankful they have moved to Charlotte :) Here's a picture of the team!

And here's a picture of some of our family that was there. Notice, I am wearing Leonard's Clemson hat. Which...I almost went to school there and my family are big fans, so I'm not ashamed :)

I love my family :)

Whew.

2010-12-14T14:07:00.001-05:00

I love December and Christmastime and all the things about it. But this year has blown my mind and continues to do so. I hope to ring in the new year with a new attitude and hopes for a more 'calm' year maybe? Who knows. I haven't posted in a month or so and it has been insane. I am organizing, babysitting, selling Mary Kay and basically just trying to function. I am tired. Hopefully after tonight (my MK open house) things will settle down a bit.
The only thing I have figured out for 2011 is that it will be the year of scrapbook catch up. I am tired of all these photo boxes. Gotta get it done.
Well... as non exciting as this is...gotta run. Happy December!

BTW - can someone tell me how to make my blog post titles not orange?

Catch up Post #3 - Happy Halloween!

2010-11-10T15:50:00.000-05:00

This year Adam and I got to go to Villa Rica for Halloween weekend. Adam was asked to preach at his parents church and so we were able to do the 'trunk or treat' with our niece Ava. She was tooo precious. Tinkerbell of course.

Tinkerbell with Uncle Adam

Mom and Dad and Tinkerbell

Getting candy out of the pool

The cake walk! Man that cake was good!

Mostly she just wanted to swing :)

With Aunt Ginny :) I love being an aunt!

My non-techy self can't figure out how to rotate the video. So, here it is sideways. She loves Phil Collins. LOL.

Catch up Post #2 - Moving!

2010-11-08T10:18:00.000-05:00

This is us at our storage unit in Leland, NC just outside of Wilmington. We had our stuff here because we 'thought' that was where God was leading. Turns out he did, but just for a short time. We were so blessed because we were able to spend time with the Smith family. They were generous enough to come help us move out of the unit along with my mom.

Eli loved the ramp that moved up and down. He wanted to ride on it with Papa!

No more storage! Hurray!

Now, let's head to Charlotte!

Consider all of these the "Before Photos". :)

Coming up - a few After shots...when it starts to look like after shots :)

Catch up Post #1 - Fall Festivals

2010-11-06T10:48:00.000-04:00

This fall we went to Adam's hometown for a visit and went to the Villa Rica Gold Rush festival. He grew up in a small town west of Atlanta. Here are a few fun pictures from the parade :) Sweet Ava.

The family at the Parade in the back of Adam's dad's truck.

I love that they still say "In God We Still Trust". SO Important.

Villa Rica was the site of Georgia's first gold rush.

We also went to the Carolina Balloon Fest in Statesville, North Carolina this year. We have both been wanting to go, so we finally did. Two 1/2 hours later in traffic and a lot of cash, we were there and enjoyed watching the balloons lift off. It is definitely beautiful and something everyone should see once.

On our way out...we saw this. The irony of the Mona Vie sticker (supposedly helps you live healthier longer....) and the wheelchairs in the back. I'm sorry if this is offensive, but it made us laugh!

Life Stages

2010-10-27T15:36:00.000-04:00

Something spurred (is that the right word) in me today thoughts about stages of life. I was talking on the phone last week with a friend about how even though we are married women now, we don't want to exclude ourselves to only talking and hanging out with married women. When I was single, I hung out with singles, married people, people with children, old people...whatever :) I notice however that some people choose to only hang with people in their 'life stage'. I find there is something completely wrong about this. That's my opinion and I'm stickin' to it! Although I am not as fun of a playdate as someone with children, I think I'm pretty fun. ;) I'm kidding. But seriously, I think that sometimes people can get into this phase where, because they relate better with someone in their life stage, they choose to only spend time with them. There is much to be learned and shared with others in their different life stages. I love being around moms with children because I like to observe different parenting techniques. I've learned so much already. What if those moms were 'too cool' to hang out with me? I would have missed out! I also learned a lot about marriage from my 'marrieds' when I was single. It was a huge blessing to witness others marriages. So, although we might be in a different stage, don't exclude yourselves from others. Be open to spending time with whomever the Lord calls you that day!

We've movin in!

2010-10-11T20:43:00.000-04:00

This weekend we will move into an apartment! I cannot contain my excitement :) But then again, why should I? We have been out of our house in Augusta since June so we've been staying in different places...and we are so ready to be settled again. It's been a huge blessing to stay with friends and learn to be content in any circumstance but we are looking forward to our own little space. I house-sat for so many years that my stuff was in storage for 4 1/2 years before we got married. I still have stuff that is in boxes from 2005! Needless to say I am ready to unpack and organize and decorate. Just part of being a woman, wanting things to be "homey". It's hard to believe that this season of our life is coming to an end because it has been such a whirlwind experience. We have learned a lot about life and about each other. Our marriage is definitely stronger from it all. What a first year! We will definitely be celebrating come November! We sold the truck this week so we will be back on our feet again. God is so good in all circumstances. That is the truth for sure :) After we get all settled in I'll post a few pics...and hopefully one of my new duvet from a few posts ago! Oh yeah...I'm totally getting it.

Blog Recommendation :)

2010-09-28T11:00:00.000-04:00

In lieu of my own post today...I'd like ya'll to see one of my favorites. Visit Rachel in Raleigh for a great recipe and fantastic way to reach out to your neighbors. No better way than with sweet treats!

More than a Glimmer

2010-09-24T22:21:00.006-04:00

My last 'update' was more of a mini-update...so here is my full blown McCullough household update. :)
We did move back to Charlotte and in with some friends from church. They have been wonderful to offer up their home for us to stay in. It has been fun staying with them and great being able to share food costs and split up cooking nights. Brad has been able to help us with some automotive work as well, we are so thankful! (Especially when I backed Adam's truck into a pole in the parking lot at my job and now he definitely needs a new bumper!) Speaking of my job, I did end up working for Philip...a friend from high school who owns a printing company. I am helping with his office work/quickbooks etc.
In addition to all that, and most importantly...Adam got the job we mentioned in a previous post! Praise the Lord!! He went through a lengthy application/interview process and last Monday they offered him the position. He will be working for the Hartford doing commercial underwriting. Our dear friend Scott has been very helpful to us in this process. So, Adam starts this coming Monday! We are so pumped!
We put our house on the rental market after absolutely zero luck trying to sell and it rented within a week. Yay for renters and money coming in to pay the mortgage on the house in Georgia!
We are still trying to sell Adam's truck to further us along in the Dave Ramsey plan and on the track to being debt free. We have had several people show interest, so hopefully they will buy it.
Some of you may be thinking...well, what about church? We are going to Team Church which is my 'home' church here in Matthews. It is an awesome community of believers and we have been welcomed back with open arms. Adam will be teaching the Alpha Males, a high school group of guys emphasizing leadership. I will be teaching 9th grade girls. We are both excited to be serving in church again. In addition to that, we have joined a hometeam of our own studying the book Trusting God by Jerry Bridges. What a great study for where we have been the last 6 months! God has provided in so many ways.
So...as I mentioned in my 'things are lookin up' post, there was indeed a glimmer of hope. We have now seen that the glimmer was actually a very bright light at the end of a 5 ish month long tunnel. We are so blessed, thankful, and excited about this new season of life!
Thanks to all who are joining us in this adventure via blog world! :)

I finished!

2010-09-13T09:50:00.000-04:00

As of yesterday, September 10th...I finished reading the new testament! Every single word! For some of my readers (whoever you are out there...) you know I have been working on this for a long time. I think I started when Adam and I got engaged last May (09). So, obviously it took me a while, but I did it! It has definitely helped me be more disciplined with my quiet times in the mornings. Most of my life I have had a hard time with what to read or study for quiet times. It was always easy at a camp or retreat when someone gave you something to read with follow up questions. I would definitely recommend trying something like this. I was never one to stick to a specific bible reading plan but taking it at my own pace and just one day at a time was feasable. I think Adam picked up with me somewhere in Romans or Acts when we got married so it has been fun to read along with him too. I do think I'm going to do some studying on revelation because it left me confused of course. But other than that... onward with the old testament! Anyone want to join with me? I read Genesis 1 today ;)
Happy Monday ya'll!

Menus and Money Saving

2010-09-04T12:09:00.000-04:00

It's very comical to me that the older I get, the weirder the things are I get excited about. This week for example: our house rented. YAY YAY YAY. This means a lot of things. It means that we will actually be able to pay our mortgage, the water bill, and the rental company with what the renters are paying. This is an amazing thing. We are thrilled! We are getting better at using coupons and saving money. Now, I'm not the type to announce to the world on facebook every time I save a few bucks, but we are excited to be better stewards of what God is giving us. I never knew that I didn't have to spend a fortune at the grocery store to still cook well for my husband and have the things we need. That is something to get excited about. :) I also never thought that I would be the type of person to make a menu for the week, but the truth is, when you do...you save money. If I can save money on food to buy a new....(insert cute clothing item or house decor here) then I'm all about it. When you make a menu, you don't spend extra money eating out or going to the store multiple times a week. I can thank my dear friend Meg for her help in teaching me these things. I still get excited about alot of the old things, like college football, pottery barn, spending a day on the water, and a new song on the radio :) But, it's good to get excited about new things too!

Christmas...?

2010-08-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

Here it is the end of August and tonight, what's on my mind is, Christmas. We started talking about the Biltmore House and I've always wanted to go. I know it's probably gorgeous in the fall, in the summer, and especially in the spring. I bet though, that I would like Christmas time the most. I love the holidays. I love everything about them. The smells, the Christmas tree, the holly, the wreaths, the LIGHTS, decorating, family time, music, and celebrating Jesus's birth. It's all just great. It's pretty much the only thing I look foward to about winter, that, and the fact that there are less bugs. So, here's an early start to thinking about my favorite time of the year :) Happy: Christmas in August.

18 years - Here he comes ECU!

2010-08-21T21:52:00.000-04:00

Today was an emotional day for me. I'm sure in part because I am a woman and certain times call for certain emotions, but also because my not so little brother left for college today. Excuse me, August 1992, weren't you just here? I was 11 when my brother was born and we actually shared a room for a while when he was little. I babysat many a nights/days and then once I could drive became a taxi driver sister :) I wouldn't take back a day of it, it was such a blast. I was 'cool'. I was cool throughout high school and college. I think I'm still cool but I'm sure that is debatable in the eyes of a college freshman. You see, I am my brother's biggest fan. I watched him play t-ball, basketball, take horseback riding lessons, more baseball, went to awards banquets, graduations, you name it...I was there if I could be. I am so proud of my brother. He graduated from HS with a great GPA, lots of awards in sports, and most importantly, great character. I took him to visit ECU, NC State, and Chapel Hill. He really liked ECU then and decided that would be where he would go. So today, that's where he went. My little 'G' went to college! I still can't believe it. And, I know before too long I will be at his graduation looking back on 4 years ago. Crazy how time flies. Here's a picture of us at one of his last baseball games in High School. Yeah, I bought him that shirt :)

Good luck Greg! I hope you have a blast!

Things are Lookin' Up Folks

2010-08-18T17:04:00.000-04:00

Well...yes they are. We are staying positive. Positive people that is what we are. ;) Adam has had several interviews with a company and we are continually praying that works out, if it's the Lord's will. Looks like I might have at least a temp job working for a friend helping with his business, getting it organized. I like organizing you know :). We are enjoying being around friends again, having a support system, people to work out with, pray with...it has been GLORIOUS! Adam got to go mountain biking this week with Brad, have lunch with the other Brad, we have been able to go to the gym and work out with friends, and I've been able to have some girl time. YAY for being around people. Love it. Alot. Alot.
We are moving in with some friends come Saturday. We are excited about it! Thank you for friends who cheerfully welcome friends into their home. We are grateful. We have looked at apartments and trying to find the best deal if we can get settled sooner than later. We still want to continue on the Dave Ramsey plan and get out of debt as soon as possible. So, that's my tiny little update. We have some glimmers of hope and we are thrilled about it. Thank you God for always being amazing.

On the Coast of Carolina

2010-08-16T12:32:00.001-04:00

We went out on the waterway and the Lockwood Folly with some friends before we left Wilmington. Here are a few pictures from that day. More to come! :)

A day at the beach.

Provision Company.

Some kayaks on the canal.

Lots of seagulls.

The pretty marsh on the river.

The pretty sunset.

We sure do love the coast of Carolina!

Holy Guacamole!

2010-08-05T16:04:00.001-04:00

So, (sometimes I just really like starting sentences with that word)...our dear friends Nick and Meg invited us over for dinner one evening and asked us to bring the Guacamole! I had not really made guacamole yet and succeeded so I thought I would give it a try. I texted a few friends, the first being my friend Josalynn who is an incredible cook and she immediately responded with her recipe! It was very fun to make - as a couple too! Adam pitched in and helped. He really likes chopping things and using gadgets and electronics so a food processor was just up his alley (yea yea, pun intended). Here are a few photos from our guacamole experiment. I highly recommend trying it!

To update or to not update...that is the question.

2010-07-30T14:20:00.000-04:00

Let's replay.

Fall/Winter 2008 - Adam and Ginny start dating
February 14 2009 - Adam buys a house in Augusta
February 22 2009 - Adam starts in Augusta at new church
March 13 2009 (Friday the 13th exactly) - Ginny has no job
May 1 2009 - Adam and Ginny get engaged
November 21 2009 - Adam and Ginny get married, she moves to Augusta
March 25 2010 - We resign from the church and house goes on the market
April 4 2010 - Last day at the church
June 6ish 2010 - Move to Wilmington
July 29 2010 - Move to Charlotte

.....now here's where it gets interesting. During the time of April 4 2009 and let's say...Now, we have been on a roller coaster. Not a smurf one or flinstones, but like...the Viper of roller coasters. Our house has shown a zillion times, but with no offers. Some interest in renting. An agent that was no good. Thankfully now we have a great one. Then we felt the Lord leading us away from Augusta after no luck finding jobs there and it wasn't healthy for us to be there, so we packed it up and moved to Wilmington because we had a place to stay. A few things changed and now...back in Charlotte. We're happy to be here in Charlotte. We have an amazing church (see www.teamchurch.com) and some seriously awesome friends. Wilmington happened because I found a part time job and that was better than no job. Well that, and it was the beach. Who doesn't want to live there? ;) We had hopes of staying there long term but apparently that wasn't in God's plans. We were able to spend time with Nick and Meg and what a blessing it was! I definitely learned a lot from her while we were there. Even couponing! I definitely feel that they may have been one of the reasons we went there. And Bree...she worked at the store with me. She is super sweet and loves the Lord! And...such a fun store to be in!
The Lord has not allowed us to be without income of some sort during this whole process. He also has not allowed us to be without a place to stay. We know we are in His will. We just don't know what's next.
We've debated over churches and secular jobs. Ministry related jobs. Apply to all and wait. We've had some interesting calls about jobs that we thought would work out and then they didn't. We try to decide how much to tell people, to pray for, etc. Do we tell people every time we have an interview or find a new job online that we get excited about? ie: The past job in Wisconsin or the new job we saw with Samaritna's Purse. How Adam would love that job!!! But it's hard to get excited yet and decide how much to share with everyone. So we know God is moving and working, we just can't see the end yet. Not that there is really an end, just somewhere we can land. Establish a home, continue with our Dave Ramsey plan so we can be good stewards of our finances and get out of debt, and eventually start a family.
I have house-sat since 2005 other than our 6 month stint in Augusta where I didn't really decorate because we didn't know how long we would stay. Thus...I cannot wait to decorate SOMETHING! Like, I seriously cannot wait. Just prepare yourselves for blog posts of paint colors and bedding choices. Although, if we get landed somewhere before my pottery barn duvet favorite is out of style or season, I will buy it. You can see that post by clicking on this link.
As I'm sitting in Panera reflecting on all of this, I hope I have not bored you to death :) Promise my next post will be full of photos of fun stuff.
Happy Weekend!

Positive, Encouraging...

2010-07-26T15:31:00.001-04:00

People? One thing we have learned through this process is that there are two kinds of people. There are the ones who are only uplifting and encouraging through trials. They only have kind, nice words to say and keep your spirits high. We are so thankful! Then there are the other kind. You know what I'm talking about. The have nothing good to say, why aren't you doing things like this or like that...or are you sure God really told you to do that...maybe you should think about...

I wear rainbows...would you care to try them on?

Praise the Lord for the people who have kind, encouraging words. We have been blessed by many of these. Nick and Meg, Thank you! Taylor, Thank you! Heather and Chad, Thank you! Jay, Thank you! Kristen, Thank you! Kristi, Josalynn, Lauren, Katie, The Russell and Newton fam, Rebecca, our parents and siblings, I could go on...but seriously, thank you to everyone who has encouraged us along our journey. We have yet to reach our destination (but really, we don't reach it until the other side of Heaven)...right now, we are seeking the Lord with all our hearts, and that is all we can do! Thank you to the people who see that!

Ginny

No Wisconsin...or anything else yet.

2010-07-23T12:41:00.002-04:00

Wisconsin was a no go. Back to the drawing board. Waiting on the Lord.

Wisconsin or ?

2010-07-18T21:16:00.001-04:00

Yep, that is a question we are actually asking. Wisconsin. Madison. And a company named Epic. I thought I would blog about it because we should hear whether or not this week if they are going to fly Adam up there for a face to face interview. About a month ago they emailed him. Apparently they found his resume on Career Builder or Monster and said he might be a good fit for one of their positions. They are a healthcare software company and would want him corporate education. He likes to teach and they would train him with the software. We talked. Wisconsin, haha, um, okay, sure, why not apply? So he did. And they emailed back for him to take an assessment online. And then a phone interview. And then another test. And this week we will hear if he gets flown up there for the 'last step' of a face to face interview. So, I am one step away from moving to Wisconsin? Yep. It could happen. Or, it might not. Truth is, I think I'm okay if it does, and then if it doesn't I'm left wondering...well now what? Haha.
What do you think? And, any suggestions on cold weather clothing if it does happen?

Happy 4th from Wilmington!

2010-07-08T22:03:00.000-04:00

The original plan: to go to the Beach Saturday, working on Sunday would end with fireworks downtown on the riverfront, and Monday we would spend the day in Southport experiencing all the fun festivities I have tried to make happen a million times and never succeeded. What actually happened was: Saturday we walked around downtown, Sunday I worked and we did do fireworks at the riverfront, Monday...Adam had a drug test for a job and then we spent a few hours meeting with some friends in the afternoon. Someday I will make it to Southport. That seems to be a theme of my life. Will I ever get to Southport?

Anyway, here are a few photos from our night Sunday.

Our view from the sidewalk.

Pretty fireworks.

A star.

A heart.

A smiley face.

Perfect.

Red, White, and Blue.

Finale.

Happy 4th of July!

While I'm Waiting - John Waller

2010-06-30T23:24:00.000-04:00

I saw this video on a friend's facebook page today. The words are fitting of our season of life. This is my prayer.

John Waller - While I'm Waiting (Official Music Video) from Provident Label Group on Vimeo.

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Takeing every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait

I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

No news

2010-06-28T13:46:00.000-04:00

No news is not good news, haha. We are still in limbo. Still staying at my aunt's place and still on the job hunt for Adam. Our house is still for sale. We ask for prayers that our house in Augusta will sell as soon as possible and that God will provide Adam with the right job. We are waiting on His 'perfect timing'...and we're hoping that the perfect timing is really soon!

My favorite thing right now...

2010-06-20T21:15:00.000-04:00

...is this Pottery Barn Duvet cover. Allow me to explain. I love Blue. All shades but I really love light blue. My bedding at my house in high school...blue. College freshman dorm comforter...solid blue. Sophomore year...white wicker with guess what?...a blue down comforter. I loved it. I love when my room feels like I'm at the beach even when I'm not, how it is calming, how when the ceiling fan is on and the windows open, it just...well it makes me happy. Onward to our wedding registry. There were things I knew I'd want when I got married someday. White dishes. Is that weird? I knew I'd want white because it never gets old and I wouldn't waste money buying more than one set. I knew I'd want blue bedding. Well, that didn't exactly happen. We picked out a more colorful ivory duvet with orange and brown flowers. It was a compromise. Lol. Not too girly, not too manly...whatever. :) It was at Crate and Barrel, which is where we registered because I liked it, it was a little less expensive than Pottery Barn...and well, we just did. Now, however. Pottery Barn has just come out with this new Duvet Cover and I AM IN LOVE WITH IT! This is what I pictured in my head some like five years ago. Someone even mentioned this is an email to me a long time ago haha, I'd end up with blue bedding. I'm pretty much predictable. I can't buy it right now...but as soon as I can, I'm getting it! How could you not love it?! I'd probably buy the headboard too if I could. Someday...

Wilmington, NC

2010-06-17T12:33:00.050-04:00

Over the weekend my aunt Sharlene got married. All my family was in town for the wedding. On Saturday evening Adam, Carrie and I went downtown to the riverfront to take some pictures. I've been emailing my girlfriends Tay, Shae, and Kristen about how much I really love working downtown. It's a casual downtown, not uppity like other places. It doesn't matter what you wear, what designer names you represent, or how you present yourself. You just BE yourself. I love that.
Here's a sneak peak.

This is Kilwin's Ice Cream. It is fabulous! Sometimes we go get Pizza at Slice of Life downtown and then get Ice Cream. :)

This is the Wilmington Riverfront. It's the Cape Fear River. You can walk from one end of Water Street to the other on the river. It's awesome.

A Sailboat on the Cape Fear.

A Trolley that goes through downtown.

The Cotton Exchange. A building full of cute shops and restaurants.

The U.S.S. North Carolina Battleship at sunset.

Baby Bugs! This is the cute Upscale Consignment Boutique I work at that is for kids. How fun!

Some of the fun views from Downtown.

The Olive Tree...the Deli next to our shop. Front Street in Wilmington.

If you want to see the Stores and Shops from the River, you can take a $4 ride on this boat :)

This is the Key Fence. I have no idea?

Market at Front Street.

This is the street I walk by on the way to work. It makes me smile because I get to see the river every day. And it smells like salt water :)

Hope you've enjoyed a taste of Downtown.

Here goes...everything :)

2010-06-09T22:35:00.000-04:00

I have officially decided on the name for my new organizing company. I'm not going to reveal it to you all just yet...but just know it's in the works and I'm so excited about it! I've been doing a ton of research, learning, reading, and can't wait to start organizing for people! I figure, it's one of the things I love doing and most people hate it so...why not help make other people's lives calmer, simpler, and more organized of course. If you need a room organized, leave me a comment and I'm all yours. I have to log a certain amount of hours to become certified...here I am, at your service!

Back in North Carolina

2010-06-05T10:38:00.000-04:00

Our lives have been moving crazy fast and crazy busy the last few weeks. I haven't had a chance to blog, email or even tell half the people I normally would about our life changes. Adam and I have packed up the house in Augusta, GA and moved to Wilmington, NC. Wednesday was packing day, Thursday was loading up day and driving day, and yesterday was unloading day into our storage unit that is conveniently located in Leland, NC. We will be renting a townhome in Leland...sordof on the way to Oak Island in about 2 weeks. I have started work at a very fun upscale consignment boutique for kids! It's called Baby Bugs! It is downtown on the Riverfront in Wilmington. You can see the website here.
We have found a church that we like so far and Adam is in the process of looking for work too. We are excited! We have been in a holding pattern for the past several months and just decided we needed to do something and this is it! A new city with a laid back feel, making new memories, and a great place for all of YOU to come visit :) We'll get some pictures up as soon as we get the chance. In the meantime, we think we'll spend today...down at Holden.

Photo Frenzy

2010-05-24T22:37:00.000-04:00

I'm not a photographer. I am a person who loves photos. Taking them, looking at them, boxing them in chronological order (don't judge me) and scrapbooking them, either digitally or the good ol' fashioned way. What I'm not good at doing however, is organzing them digitally. I do have CDs from past computers. Currently we are on a Mac, which I LOVE because it makes photos so easy to store, use, etc. However, I know I need to back them up with something. I need an external hard drive or something. I could always continue to back up on CDs but I'm just not sure if that is the most efficient and safe way. Any suggestions?
On another note. I have a list that I need to print of photos for 2009. It starts somewhere around Teran and JJ's wedding. I have GOT to get these photos printed...so that I can get them scrapbooked. The only kicker is, it takes time and most importantly, money. In addition to that, I've decided to catch up on my scrapbooks. I go back to 2005-2009 with books that need to be finished. I need to then digitally scrapbook 2010. I'm also working on a blurb book for Adam's year on staff at Abilene. Rebecca is working on our wedding album, and I still need to actually get wedding photos printed from her. That is a lot of photo catching up to do!!!
Guess I should get off the computer then :)

Fish on Land

2010-05-10T13:39:00.000-04:00

I was telling my friend Kristi the other day that we sordof feel like Fish on Land. Out of place, awkward, and not sure what we are supposed to do to survive. Our lives have been a whirlwind since...well...awhile. We left the church Adam was on staff with Easter Sunday. Since then, we have been praying and asking God what and where we are supposed to do next. Move to Charlotte, move to Wilmington, move to somewhere a church hires us. Do we look for church positions or look for secular jobs...do we look for student ministry jobs or another type of ministry? Do we sell or rent our house? What are we supposed to do?
The answer to these questions are not yet decided. We have had some contacts for jobs but nothing has come through yet. We think we might want to move to Wilmington if we can find something. We pray every night asking God that we stay in His will.
Knowing all along that what His will might be is that we just trust in Him and be patient. Trusting that He will provide. That He knows all things. That He is in control. Only HE can sell our house. Only HE can provide for us a job or lead us into our next role. Only HE...
His will is that we become more like Him through whatever trials or questions we may be going through or asking. That we ultimately spend time with Him to discover HIM. Not to discover the answers to questions. His desire is for us to know Him. How much time are we spending with Him? How much time reading a day do we spend with Him? How much time in prayer do we spend with Him?
This has been a huge burden on my heart lately. I'm really asking myself, where are my priorities? They are where I spend the most time. Is God getting my time and my priority? And if not...what is wrong with my heart in that I'm not willing to give Him that? He was willing to give everything for me. Praise the Lord for His love.
So, while I may feel like a fish on land. I know, I'm one loved fish that just needs to spend time with my Father. The rest just doesn't matter.

Family

2010-05-06T16:55:00.002-04:00

We have been visiting family a good bit lately. Here are a few family photos :)

Greg, Brandi, Adam and I went to Red Lobster last time we were home.

Greg's baseball game. He also just got chosen as All-Conference for 3rd Base @ Charlotte Christian!

We went to Villa Rica for Adam's grandmother's birthday party.

Valerie, Aaron, our Neice Ava, Adam and I, and Munga :)

Makin' it Home...as we sell it.

2010-04-21T14:06:00.001-04:00

I love flowers. I owe this one to two people. Barry Williams and Jewell Alley. My step-dad and my grandfather. When I was younger, middle school and high school aged, Barry would always plant in the spring and the fall. Usually he would plant impatiens in the spring and pansies in the fall to last through the winter. My Senior year of high school he planted red impatiens the spring I got into N.C. State. Across our flower bed it read N C S U in impatiens. It was seriously the coolest thing ever!

Last spring Adam's brother gave him a japanese maple, some crepe myrtles, and some knockout rose bushes. These are a few pics of them this spring!

Our back yard.

The Japanese Maple

The Crepe Myrtles that lead up to the open field behind our house

Roses all around :)

I just love roses!

Gotta love Spring!

70 Years of Marriage!

2010-04-09T12:18:00.004-04:00

My great grandparents celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on March 6, 2010. They have this "house" across the way from their house that we use for parties. It's called "The Christmas House" and year-round, it has a fully decorated Christmas tree. And a red couch of course. Papaw had a huge farm, a bazillion acres, orchards etc. So now, he buys old school trailers and puts them out in the pastures. Why not right.

Papaw still picks flowers and comes around to the front door and rings the doorbell and gives them to Mamaw :)

Adam and I in front of the Christmas House.

Ryder and Papaw.

Ryder and Samantha.

Papaw and Mamaw.

The decor :)

Greg and Papaw.

Ed cooking his "free range" chickens. Haha.

Our friend Rebecca Fish designed the cake and made it. Her website is www.artfishdesign.com

Isn't it pretty?!

Here's to 70 years of marriage! That is incredible!

Congratulations Art and Clara :)

We love you!

Some things never change

2010-04-01T09:34:00.001-04:00

That was the title of the email that my mom sent me on her birthday. She turned 49 on Tuesday March 30th. She spent her day going through old papers and photos in her office, because that's what she wanted to do. I come by it honest. Here is the body of the email followed by the photos.

ran across these today and thought you might like to see that....

you made your first to do list at 4

you wanted a 3 car garage before they were invented i think

and you were telling people what they should (shud) do before you could spell it

I still write out my paper to do lists...
I'm still looking at cool new things to do to houses...
And yes, I still believe All the People in the World Shud go to Church!

We need ideas!

2010-03-31T10:21:00.000-04:00

I don't usually ask for comments on here, as I'm not sure even how many readers I have. Here's the thing: Adam and I talked about the possibility of having a joint blog...you know... joint bank accounts, joint kitchen table, joint blog...so it goes. :) Since we don't have cute kids yet to update on frequently we are brainstorming on what to name this masterpiece of eloquent writing. Lol.
Anyone have ideas???

I threw out McCullough Memories...didnt quite get the response I'd hoped for. :) Just kidding.

Be creative!

For sale!

2010-03-29T09:52:00.001-04:00

For SALE!

What a few weeks it has been! Adam and I had been praying that God would give us clarity and direction as to whether to stay in our current situation or move on to something else. Two weeks ago or so the Pastor came to Adam and they had a discussion and decided it was best for us to move on. We aren't exactly sure what that "something else" looks like yet, but we are trusting God and know He is in control. So, our last day at Abilene is April 4th, this Sunday.

Here's a pic of our house up for sale.

We also worked planted flowers and put out pine needles.

(They don't say pine needles in Augusta, they say pine straaaaw)

The flowers are African Daisies and Verbena.

So, here's to praying that our house will sell really fast and we will both find new jobs!

Discipline

2010-03-22T10:07:00.000-04:00

I may have blogged about this somewhere back in the land of blog but because it's on my mind again...here goes.
There are certain people in my life I look up to. Family, dear friends, acquaintences...they all have one thing in common. Discipline. I have the utmost respect for disciplined people. The ones who do the things they say they are going to when they say they are going to. They don't procrastinate or make excuses for why something hasn't been done or try to blame it on someone else. They are go-getters and put in 100 percent to the things they take on. People like...Caitlin Storck for example. She gets up every morning no matter where she is or what she is doing and does her quiet time. Literally, we would be out of town in the middle of nowhere Illinois and she would get up and go into the hotel bathroom and do her quiet time before everyone else got up. That is discipline. My friend Kristen T. She knows exercise is important to her husband so she gets up before her two children and her husband and works out and does her quiet time before they all get up! That is something to strive for. Katie...she gets something done if she says she is going to whether it's make a phone call, order something, make something...it gets done. Scott, now that guy, he gets up at 4:30 in the morning to go run before getting to work and then works a really long day! And Kristi, knowing her man is working so hard, always has dinner ready when he gets home and the house clean. (He calls on his way so she can know when he's coming). These people are disciplined. I'm not saying they are perfect, just saying they have discipline in their life. I would like to be more like these people! Jesus was the most disciplined of them all and I know it is an example I am to follow. It is my prayer that I will become more disciplined and more like Jesus!

I Love Red Hair

2010-03-01T09:09:00.001-05:00

I Love Red Hair!

I have several friends who either have red hair or their adorable little girls do, or both! My sweet friend Emily Layne has started a business making hair accessories and they are absolutely precious! You can choose from her designs or have custom made items that match anything you want! What more could a mom want?! She also makes spirit ribbons for hair, get one today for your favorite team!

www.iloveredhair.etsy.com

A few of her new spring designs!

Get yours today! Go to www.iloveredhair.etsy.com!

Almost Spring?

2010-02-22T12:25:00.000-05:00

Green grass. Flowers. Flip flops. Cookouts. Baseball. Washing my car outside. It's almost here. This winter I have been waiting patiently for spring. I'm content in the now, but man, green grass sure is going to be beautiful again :) Since it is almost spring, I thought it might be time to take down the Christmas cards on the fridge!

In the hopefulness of spring, Adam and I went to Home Depot on Friday and bought a grill with our wedding gift cards :) He made some great hamburgers!

We are excited about this next season in life! Come on Spring!

Good times and great friends!

2010-02-18T10:17:00.004-05:00

We are surely blessed with great friends. Adam and I both have some really special friendships. Some have formed recently and some formed many years ago in our childhoods. Last weekend we went to Charlotte for the weekend and spent some time with my family and some friends from Team Church. They were God's answer to prayer for me, and they welcome Adam with open arms :)

When we got there it started to snow... and we actually got to see it fall from the sky!

The back yard :)

I have waited so long to have snow! It was picture worthy, even if in Pajamas!

Greg, Brandi, Me and Adam @ Moms

Saturday night we had a Valentine's Dinner at the Petko's. It consisted of Fondu, Salad, Spaghetti and Meatballs and Bananas Foster! AMAZING to say the least!

Scott, Kristi and Baby Brooks

Brad and Margaret (Soon to be Saab's)

Josalynn and Michael Petko

Adam and I

And the whole gang!

Such a great weekend!

2010-02-09T12:54:00.000-05:00

This was my first trip up to Dillard, Georgia. It's near the Georgia/North Carolina border and a few minutes from Franklin, NC where Adam and I went 4th of July 08 with a group of friends before we started dating. We went Thursday and came back Saturday night. The goal (or at least mine) was to get snowed in. We didn't see much snow coming out of the sky, but we drove North until we saw some. Good thing was we didn't have to drive far. Just up to Highlands :) I made rice krispie treats for the trip. Below is a picture of the sign above the door. Cute!

We drove to see Bridal Veil Falls, the one over the road. The other where we are standing is called Dry Falls. It was so pretty with the snow.

Adam loves Dr. Pepper :)

My Jesus - Todd Agnew

2010-02-08T11:41:00.001-05:00

Which Jesus do you follow?
Which Jesus do you serve?
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ
Then why do you look so much like the world?

Cause my Jesus, bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be?

Blessed are the poor in spirit
Or do we pray to be blessed with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sand

Cause my Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars
He loved the poor and accosted the rich
So which one do you want to be?

Who is this that you follow
This picture of the American dream
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side
Or fall down and worship at His holy feet

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

Cause my Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and the least of these
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable
So which one do you want to be?

Cause my Jesus
would never be accpted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can
hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus but I'm not sure what that
means to be like You Jesus

Cause You said to live like You, love like You but
then you died for me
Can I be like You Jesus?

Ready, Set, Goals!

2010-02-04T13:20:00.002-05:00

Hello Lists. I am a list person and need them clearly defined in order to get things accomplished. Adam laughs at me because I re-write my to-do lists. Last year for Christmas my friend Katie gave me these personalized notepads from Erin Condren and it makes lists fun. See www.erincondren.com for your own!

So, here is my new list of goals.

1) Buy printer ink Done!
2) Wash Adam's hats Done!
3) Finish my Alaska scrapbook
4) Finish Fall 2003 scrapbook
5) Print the rest of 2009 photos not yet printed
6) Finish 2005-2009 scrapbooks
7) Design 2010 scrapbook...this will be the first year going digital
8) Go to Crate and Barrel and get the correct Duvet insert - Done 2/16/10!
9) Buy table runner and new candles
10) Continue to work on Kristi's baby shower Still in progress
11) Sell the log bed, buy living room furniture paying cash Sold the bed!
12) Wash, detail, and wax my car Washed it!
13) Spend less than $100 per week on groceries - So far so good in February!
14) Start working out with Adam - In progress 2/2010
15) Work with Rebecca to make our Wedding album and order it
16) Print some wedding photos to frame
17) Buy two lampshades for our lamps, this has to happen after we buy living room furniture
18) Frame the painting Chad Loftin painted for us
19) Start organizing other peoples homes and get paid for it, create a website or portfolio
20) Find a job so we can be debt free by the end of 2012!
21) Get a new bible with my new name on it
22) Watch Greg play baseball Already watched a few games 3/10 :)
23) Help promote my friends' and my mom's new business ideas - In progress 2/17/10
24) Spend more time at the beach
25) Make our yard look pretty Done! 3/18
26) Organize Adam's office at work Done!

That's it for now!

Organizing 101

2010-01-29T11:18:00.000-05:00

My friends know that I'm an "organizer". Not really anything cool about it but more and more people are starting to realize how clutter, hoarding, and unorganized lifestyles create stress and chaos in the home. When things are neat, put away, cleaned even, they feel more relaxed and peaceful. This is what I strive for. I watch shows like Clean House and Hoarders and it makes me want to get up and go organize something :) In my last post about Badin Lake, the trailer we had was small but we only had in there what we needed. I remember one time being at the Lake with Dad and it was raining so I decided to clean out all the cabinets and rearrange them. I think I was 10 years old...so this nature of mine is something that has been around a long time.

Before Adam and I got married, I house-sat other people's homes. When I moved out the last time and into my Aunt and Uncle's Carriage house 6 weeks before the wedding, the stuff in storage had to be gone through. I spent some of the fall going through each container and weeding out what needed to go. Then, the weekends when I would come visit Adam, we spent time going through his things. We had one yard sale at the house in Georgia and then what didn't sell we took to Charlotte and had another one.

Overall I think we made about $320 dollars at our sales. Not bad for some hard work and old junk. What had not sold by lunchtime, we gave the people there boxes of different sizes and told them $2 or $5 for different sizes and they could put as much as they wanted to in them. What didn't go then, went to goodwill. Tip: Don't take anything back home! Donate it. So we had purged everything we didn't need.
When we got here after the honeymoon, Adam's parents brought my car full (and packed by my awesome friends!) of the rest of my things, all our gifts and placed them inside the house for us. Very nice of them! I wish I had a picture of what it looked like then. I spent several weeks working on the clothes, closet, laundry, putting things away. The things that didn't have a spot just yet went into the 'junk room'. The junk room then turned into an office once my Aunt and Uncle gave us a desk and bookshelves that we could use. Here is a before of the junk room. It was actually way worse, this was just when I thought to take a picture!

And after...

I definitely still have work to do with photos, making albums, wedding stuff, and decorating, but this is a start. What do you think?

A Little More Country Than That

2010-01-27T10:16:00.001-05:00

If someone would write a country song about being outside I would want to be in the video. There is a new country song out called "I'm a little more country than that" by up and coming artist Easton Corbin. I know that I'm a mix between city girl and country dreamer. I like being about 45 minutes from a good mall and great restaurants, but like having some fresh air, a garden, and good people. Most people know how I like pretty scenery and when I see an open field I want to stop the car, get out, and go run through it. I love driving through the mountains, sitting on a dock at the lake for hours, or taking a long walk on a beach. I could lay on a blanket and gaze up at the stars for hours. But I also enjoy a little fast paced life sometimes too (minus rush hour and crime). Right now we live in a 'suburb' of Augusta and it's a little bit country. It's a pretty drive home and I like how I can go to a different post office and be the only one in the post office. It makes me laugh. I love how in the video he's just hanging out on the tailgate of an old beat up truck, cutting up some wood, and feeding the horses hay. It's like this great ideal of America. Love it! When I was younger we would spend the summers at Badin Lake, NC. Beautiful place. We had a single-wide trailer my Papaw put there, a great dock that we shared with Papaw's best friend Jacob (they had a house next to us) a boathouse that kept two boats and by the water an amazing handmade concrete picnic table Papaw made. It wasn't the fancy lake. It was the country, good livin' people lake. There was a community trampoline up the road that my older brother Bryan, my sister Carrie and I would race to. You had to go to the grocery store before you got into Badin or else you did your shopping at the gas station. There was one little restaurant that we never went to because Mamaw or Dad always cooked. My sister and I had this fold out mattress (before the days of air mattresses) and we would put it on the floor in the living room. I would be up at the crack of dawn, hard to believe I know, but would wake dad up so he could pull me tubing or skiing while the water still looked like glass. It was picturesque. The good life. My dad was on disability so we could stay as long as we wanted and I never wanted to leave. I remember when he let me sit on his lap in his old car so I could drive. I might have been 8. :) There was no cable, no cell phones, nothing but quality family time. We were either on the boat, on the dock fishing, swimming, on the trampoline, or playing scrabble. It's where I learned how to clean a catfish, to swim, ski, and...live. So even though I may claim to be a city girl and like a good shopping spree from time to time, deep down, I'm a little more country than that.

Click this to watch the video: I'm A Little More Country Than That on CMT

Ten Little Happys

2010-01-21T09:56:00.000-05:00

Lauren recently wrote a post stating ten things that she is happy about right now. While everyone is busy making resolutions and promises, this is a way to focus on the now :) Here are ten little happys in my life right now.

1) Bedtime and my husband. I'm borrowing number 1 because truly, this is awesome. Really, anytime Adam is home is a happy time. When he comes home from lunch, when he comes home from work, and at night when we just hang out and then go to bed. It's the most comforting, wonderful feeling ever. Love it. No matter what happens during the day I know that what we have is good and right and the Lord is with us. (Sorry if this is making some of you throw up).

2) Doughnuts and coffee. Ever since I could barely say "do nah and coccee" I have loved having the white powdered sugar doughnuts for breakfast with coffee. My mom has tapes of this when I was around 2. Yes, she gave decaf coffee to a two year old. Maybe this explains a lot about me. Haha. Regardless, I love it and have been having it lately.

3) Friends. I have the best, THE BEST, friends in the whole world. I could not ask for better ones. They live everywhere. I have a group of older amazing friends that live in Kansas, Phoenix, Seattle, Raleigh, Italy, the Virgin Islands. There was a time in 2006 I didn't think I'd ever make new friends that lived near me. Then came Team Church and the amazing girls that I was blessed with. Casey, Margaret, Kristi, Jos, Colleen, Rebecca, Julie...all their husbands, and of course all my high school girls. They are the most amazing group of girls!

4) Cooking new things. It's been really fun learning new things and making new meals. Adam helps me come up with ideas. There was always this long running joke in my family that I couldn't cook, so even though they aren't here to see it, Adam is fed and usually likes it! :) He's very helpful too...so that is always nice!

5) Crate and Barrell. Haha! I love this store and am somewhat addicted to the website right now.

6) The hope that comes with being on a budget and knowing that we will be debt free and good stewards with what God has blessed us with.

7) 60 something degree days in January. I needed this. I know God doesn't do this for me, but I sure am thankful that we had a break of some sunshine and warm weather!

8) My brother. I love my little brother. He is 6 foot something but will always be my little brother. I love hanging out with him and watching him play baseball and investing in his life.

9) Organized rooms. Stay tuned for a before and after of our 'office' room. I wish I had a true before picture but I waited til I had sorted some and then remembered to take it. Coming soon.

10) Writing. I love to write. I wish I would have pursued it earlier in life. I love reading blogs and writing and we want to write a book. It'll happen :)

What are your Ten Little Happys?

Motivation from the Blog roll

2010-01-19T13:34:00.000-05:00

I don't like the feeling I get when I look at others' blog rolls and see my title halfway down the page, meaning I have neglected my blog. Oh dear blog, how I love you so! :)
As you may well know, we are going through the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover to get out of debt, get on a budget, and start building 'wealth' (eventually). That being said our cute little house in Grovetown is missing a few things. We got everything, and I mean everything we needed for our kitchen from the wedding. I love cooking now because I have all the supplies I need! We bought a new kitchen table and chairs last February ish when he bought the house. My aunt and uncle gave us a great desk and bookshelves for the room we are calling the office. But we have dreams and goals of getting furniture for the living room and bedrooms someday. However, while we are doing our "debt snowball" we have an envelope (Dave uses the envelope system...see www.daveramsey.com) for furniture. Anything extra, if there is such a thing, can go into the furniture envelope if not being used towards the snowball. Birthday money, etc. So I in my little world have been dreaming of things I'd like to get. These are the more pricey examples of things I'd like to get. Haha. But, what I like to do is find the things I like, then either A) purchase on sale or B) find a less expensive model similar somewhere else. For example, these are the Coffee, End, and Console Tables :) that I like. They are the Chloe tables from PB. And this is the couch I like... I'm basically in love with it! Of course, these are not an option right now, but just some ideas. What do you think? :)

Turning 29!

2010-01-15T10:04:00.001-05:00

As I write this post, I thought I'd share with my readers what my 'spot' looks like. Every morning I waddle down the stairs in my pjs, glasses, and slippers (I got new LL Bean slippers for Christmas from Adam, they are super comfy and keep my frigid toes warm). I pour a cup of coffee and then sit here.

Adam and I's birthdays are 3 days apart, his the 9th and mine the 12th. On his birthday we went to the theater and saw a movie and then our friend Reagan stopped by. When he realized it was Adam's birthday they invited us over for dinner. So nice! So, we went over to Reagan, Mandy, and Riley's. We brought with us the top of our wedding cake and ate it for our birthdays! I had it made red velvet because it's Adam's favorite. Riley definitely got a little cake on her shoe too! Here are a few pictures of our celebration :)

Then on my birthday, Adam brought these home to me at lunch :) Yay for happy bright flowers!

Twenty-ten...let the fun begin!

2010-01-08T10:43:00.003-05:00

Or something like that. 2009 was a whirlwind. Great in 08, Time to Shine in 09, and in 2010...well, we will see. We started out the New Year in Charlotte with great friends and fellowship. We went over to Scott and Kristi Brooks' home (new house, they have so cutely decorated!) and Scott's family was in town for the holidays. We had a great dinner and talked and watched the Red Bull guy jump over the water in his car and then watched the ball drop - about eight times. Scott enjoyed replaying poor Dick Clark messing up the count down. Ahhh...New Years Eve :)

Katie was going to a party down the street and stopped by to say hi, was great to see her as always before they headed back to AZ. Who knows where they will be headed to next?!

Thus, the new year is here and new beginnings and thus far...it's been hard. My fun spirited self has dwindled over these first 8 days of the year and been all about what Dave says...you see, Dave is trying to get us out of debt (Thank you student loans for education and credit cards and appendicitis), but we do know that we need to be debt free. Adam started P90x, or, two days of it this week. It's a hard thing to get up before work to work out and our evenings are so full. My ciatic something was acting up - so no working out this week for me. I'll get back to it next week. It's way easier for me to work out at a gym, with people and classes and people. Did I mention people?

I'm trying to decide what to do with the rest of my life. Looking for work and just looking at all kinds of things. With the world and money like it is right now, who knows what I'll end up doing. Just praying through...maybe that should be the phrase for 2010. Praying through....we are sure praying through lots of things. I've thought about writing a book. That may sound crazy but I've always wanted to try. Really, what I'm looking forward to right now is the day we can buy furniture and Spring. Oh how I long for spring. I want to plant flowers and be outside. Yes. But, this is the winter season and there is a time for every thing, a season for everything. So I will rejoice and take this time to learn from the Lord and see what He has for me. A friend pointed out to me that this might be the only time I'll have this much quiet and little distraction to just spend time with Him. As was played by Shelly, Lem and Mike - All of my life, in every season, You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship.

Thank you Darius Rucker

2009-12-30T10:32:00.001-05:00

I love country music. Not only that but I was utterly, completely obsessed with Hootie and the Blowfish when I was in High School. I went through this brief idiotic period of time when I went to all the USC games and they would perform in the half time shows. The drummer used to play soccer there and I met him one time, can't really remember where...but thought I was the coolest person ever. I can't tell you how many Hootie concerts I went to. Probably 20. Every time they were anywhere around North or South Carolina, I went. Sometimes they played with Edwin McCain and that was just a bonus. So, when Adam and I were talking about choosing songs for the wedding and reception, I definitely wanted Darius in there somewhere. We put him on the wedding webpage using his song "Alright". When we got to the reception the DJ came up to me and asked me about the last song because I had just emailed him several. I said, let's do "History in the Making" and he said, I thought you'd choose that one. Haha! So, here is the most adorable fun video ever. I love it. I love the old house, the plaid shirts with blue jeans, the tall grass and the chasing each other around the kitchen. It all makes me smile. Maybe it'll make you smile too.

Now I know how forever feels...

2009-12-15T14:13:00.001-05:00

Well...we did it! We got married :)
Gotta say that November 21 was the most wonderful day of my life. The sun was shining, the birds were singing (at least I'm sure they were), it was a mild 65 degrees and as promised, we both said I do! A few of the photos are HERE so you can check them out. Rebecca, our amazing friend and photographer took them. Everything went exactly as planned and crazy enough, no big mishaps. We had amazing music from Shelly and Mike and Lem from Carmel Baptist. We took outdoor photos afterwards with family and most of them stayed...of course a few always wander off. I loved the decor...thanks to Colleen and all her hard work. The food was great, the cake was beautiful, everyone looked amazing...and the DJ was fantastic. Overall...I couldn't be happier with the way it all turned out.
Being with Adam that day was, as Ruby put it, like a fairytale.
Since then, we went to Mexico for our honeymoon and enjoyed Thanksgiving day riding ATVs. See facebook for photos. When we got back to Augusta life got busy fast. The first weekend we went back to Charlotte for Carmel's baby shower. Then we started all the stuff for the Singing Christmas tree here at Abilene. It was very busy. We did however manage to put up our own Christmas tree. Our first tree. :) We got it at a spot that sells them from Boone, NC. Thought appropriate since we met in NC, got married in NC...and our first tree came from NC :). Love it. Here's a few photos of us decorating.

Something about the Kiss

2009-11-10T23:43:00.000-05:00

I wonder what it is that makes a kiss the end all be all. At the end of every good (good meaning a happy ending) chick flick, there is a kiss. Sweet Home Alabama started and ended with one. Just Married. You've Got Mail. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. Spiderman, the upside down kiss. Lots of kissing going on in these movies. Sometimes it's a dance I guess, but usually a Kiss. There's the song by Faith Hill, This Kiss. The band named Kiss. Of course there's Hershey's. The first kiss is always a big deal too. Everyone always wants to know, "Has he kissed you yet?" Haha.
Then, in a wedding when they pronounce you husband and wife, a Kiss. It seals it. Sealed with a kiss. That's it...it's now in stone, there was a kiss! :)
God must have made us that way. The kiss, I mean you think about it. You talk with your mouth, you eat with it, drink, blow bubbles, put on chapstick, you sing...it's like, a big deal. So of course expressing yourself with your mouth in the form of a kiss would be hard core. God knew kissing would be one of the coolest things ever, so he made it up. This is one of the reasons why God is awesome and athiests need to rethink what they've got going. A kiss is the perfect example of why there is God.
I think I'll end on that.
;)

What would a girl do without Frosted Flakes?

2009-11-05T20:10:00.000-05:00

Here's a bit of analytical psychobabble for you. Enjoy. It's Thursday evening...8:04pm. I have been running around all day trying to be productive. Thus far, success. Now, however, I am sitting in my lil apartment over the garage in fleece pants, a warm Blair sweatshirt, socks, and a ponytail. I just finished a bowl of frosted flakes. I love frosted flakes. I love them anytime of the day but particularly at night. I was just sitting here thinking, why do I love frosted flakes at night? I was also thinking how I'd give anything to have a ten minute conversation with my dad at this stage in my life. I'm getting ready to get married, move to a new city, and start a whole new season of life. If he were around, we'd have been chatting this up from day one. So tonight as I was thinking a phone call to dad would be lovely, I eat a bowl of frosted flakes instead. Literally - thought process went - "man, I'd really love to talk with my dad right now...dad and I always ate cereal at night, I'm going to have cereal, mmm frosted flakes".
I am a freak. Lol.
I'm thinking of the things he'd tell me...
He'd first tell me how great of a guy I'm marrying
He'd tell me we're spending too much on a wedding
He'd be mad I'm not getting married near water
He'd say he's gonna wear a hat when he walks me down the aisle
Probably that he'd want a special thanks in the program LOL
That he'd be singing a song in the wedding
How many women he was going to dance with at the reception
That he'd want me to pull off in his corvette (which we don't have anymore)
And he'd remind me he was never getting married again, haha.
So with all that, I'm going to continue sitting here and eating frosted flakes on this Thursday night.

Still shinin' in 09.

2009-10-22T00:47:00.000-04:00

What a year it has been and will continue to be. A journey for sure. To think back already so far this year, it started New Years in Raleigh with lots of great friends, then my birthday in Charlotte with lots of great friends and surprised by Adam, another year spent working on Valentines day, being 'fired' or whatever you may call it, getting engaged, planning a wedding, losing an uncle, moving twice already...what a year eh? Lots of ups and downs and through it all I hope I come out of this year 'shining'.
I'm still on my journey of getting in shape and reading through the New Testament for those of you who may have been keeping up. I just started Acts and am really excited about reading through this book. Already I have been better about picking it up and reading it daily this week. The gospels are great because you get to learn about Jesus's life, death, and resurrection from different points of view... but I'm liking Acts too because it is teaching me about the disciples and about how the church began after Jesus was taken up to sit at the right hand of God. I like it... :) As for the getting in shape part, the class I've been doing on Tues/Thurs has been awesome. I've learned a lot of new exercises to do with weights and without, to build muscle and to activate certain areas. Jesse and Brian (the two guys who lead it) have taught us how using your back, core, and glutes more helps to burn more calories throughout the day. I hope I continue this after the class is over. I think I'd go back and be a personal trainer or nutritionist if I had it to do all over again. It's so interesting and helpful to people.
I'm 30 days away from being a married woman. Wow. I'm so thankful for the awesomeness of this...and I am really looking forward to that day getting here! The engagement period has definitely been fun and exciting but we are both ready :)
This fall has been filled with an engagement party, showers, beach trips, Raleigh trips, and a tour of schools for Greg and Brandi to visit. We went to ECU, Chapel Hill, and State. Here are a few of our pictures from our tour of State. I'll post some others later. But we'll do the best one first!

I am obviously a little bit biased :)

The blog world is fading

2009-10-12T23:46:00.000-04:00

Going through my blog and friends blogs I am realizing that my circle of bloggers is slowing and people are blogging less frequently. That sentence used blog in different forms many times. Anywho, should I call it quits on the blog world...since it seems so many have already done so?

Summer Fun Captured...

2009-10-01T01:43:00.002-04:00

I have spent the last couple of days at the coast getting 'organized'. Haha. I've finally gotten all my photos downloaded and stalked all my friends for theirs, leaving with me with nothing left except to print photos, post them to facebook, and blog. What a world we live in, so much technology to keep up with! Here are some from summer to get started...

Summer Camp with Team Church June/July

Looking glass falls

The whole group in Hendersonville.

Our historic Sonic runs. A yearly tradition.

Rainbow Falls, so pretty

Margaret and I on one of our many hikes down to Turtleback Falls.

4th of July @ Lake Tillery

Greg and Brandi going for a ride on the Jet Ski

Greg learning how to take the fish off the hook.

Hangin out at the lake...

At the Braves game in Atlanta with Abilene and Adam's family

Adam and Ava

At Joe's Crab Shack in Myrtle Beach with Abilene's Jr/Sr Retreat

At Jeff and Jen Salisbury's wedding

More Fall Festivities on the way!