Will you?

Layout for the latest challenge on FaithSisters.com. The challenge was to make a valentine...how better a valentine than Jesus showing us His love for us on the cross. This is a digital layout...still prefer paper scrapping, but digital is fun for something different. Picture credits to Izzy Galvez.

Sorry I've been so MIA but I just haven't been on the computer much...I've been finding many other things to occupy my time right now and that's OK...sometimes in life you have to move on to other things in order to appreciate the things you are used to doing. You kind of get in a rut and sometimes you just need to step back, refocus, and hey you never know you may find something new along the journey that you never experienced. I'm just trying to not get so stuck in a routine or better yet, spend so much time on the computer. So many things out there in life to discover and enjoy. Here's to discovering something new!

Have a great week and if I don't see you before Valentine's Day...have a lovely one and think about the one who gave you the ultimate Valentine!

The Reveal...

OK folks...the moment you've been waiting for. Take it these photos were taken before I've put anything on my counters, but you'll get the picture....still not totally finished but much better than before.





I feel so happy and grateful to have this done at least to this point anyway. I was able to make Thanksgiving dinner in my new kitchen! I love my new oven and stovetop and microwave too. They are so cool and amazing. They actually tell you when your food is done. Technology, it's so amazing! And my new sink...I could swim in this thing it's so huge and deep! Love that bunches as well! So all we have to do now is paint the backsplash...we are going to put an edge of brick along the bottom of the backsplash to kind of tie the whole room together and then also put some brick in front of the sink as a splash guard. Then the cupboard doors...which in all honesty I'm not sure I want to go there...the guy who refinished them for us did an awesome job....the doors were beautiful....unfortunately they were the wrong color. Why he didn't test one of the doors to see what we had and to see if we matched is beyond me, but my cupboards are more of a brown and his doors are more cherry red. We used the same stain, but I guess the stain on the exterior of the cupboards took a little differently than the veneer on the cupboards. He's going to try to make them more brown, and I pray that they turn out. I don't expect them to match perfectly, but I told him I didn't want red. I don't like cherry, even though the stain we used was an antique brown cherry...the stain he showed us on our cupboards appeared more brown when he showed it to us...for some reason his came out more of a red. I was so sick and upset by it...but I figure it will eventually turn out, God is in control anyway...just one more setback that's all. Just pray with me that they do turn out more of a brown than a formal cherry red...I'm not into formal.

Anyways...hoping your Thanksgiving was great. My Thanksgiving was wonderful...cooking in my new kitchen, had my parents and hubby's mom and step-dad over to eat with us. We had a great time, had MORE than enough food and great conversation and spoiling the grandkids was had by all. I love having family around me...it just makes everything feel like its meant to be. It makes me content.

So did you do the Black Friday shopping thing??? I'm not into getting up before dawn for ANYTHING, not even to save a few bucks. I think I'm going to do what I've done for the past several years...shop on the internet....for me it's just the way to go. No lines, no hassles, don't have to deal with people or get frustrated cause you can't find the right thing and drive all over God's green earth to find it. I can sit in my jammies, surf the net, and just order and have it delivered to my door. And many places offer free shipping too....how can you beat that?!?!? I know with three boys I sure can't.

Well I have to go finish helping hubby clean a car, finish some laundry, get dinner, then start selling some eBay so I have some Christmas $$ to do that internet shopping with ;-)

Have a great week!

From our house to yours...

Wishing everyone a very Happy Halloween!!

Still alive...still painting...almost done with Austin's room...hopefully by the weekend (cause I just want to be done with it!) Kitchen is still gutted...new electric for kitchen goes in Friday. Hopefully new countertop next week (really hoping). Still sick though feeling much better other than an irritating cough that won't go away. Boys went trick or treating tonight...Austin was a Jedi (of course), Brennan ended up being a cross between a vampire and a pirate...we called it a Vampirate....and Colton has for months said he was going to be the black spiderman...tonight he changed his mind and for the third year in a row...he went as the regular Spiderman...guess when you've got a good thing going you stick with it...he's wearing Brennan's old Spiderman outfit now...luckily there is always Austin's Spiderman outfit when outgrows Brennan's...who knows how long this Spiderman thing will last ;-) Will post pictures of the boys once I get them downloaded...right now I'm going to go take some cough medicine, hack up a lung and hit the hay. Happy Fall everyone!

Snowed In....

If you have been following the weather channel...then you know we are pretty much snowed in where we are...Tuesday it snowed like crazy....while we were at the Funeral...it was quite a messy sight. Though we were invited to stay and visit at hubby's uncle's house after the funeral, hubby and I decided it was time to come home...and boy are we glad we did. I-77 was a total mess and by the sheer grace of God, we were able to make it home...the roads were AWFUL! We saw several accidents along the way including a jacknifed semi. Luckily hubby's mom let us drive her 4 wheel drive Endeavor. Otherwise who know if we would have made it home. I did come home to this on my back door though...

The rest of the family wasn't so lucky...as they tried to head out I guess they closed I-77 and they ended up having to stay another night...I was just so glad to be home and be safe. We ended up with ice on top of the snow...not fun. In all we got about 8-10 inches. School was cancelled yesterday and today. Hubby had to work a 14 + hour day including having to be out in that mess and deliver mail. I was quite frustrated...not at him, but at his situation. He seems to always be the one that has to take up the slack for those who just don't want to work...it's annoying.

With all that it wasn't quite an enjoyable Valentine's day. Though in all honesty...I'm not huge into Valentine's day...I'm not huge into the obligatory holidays...you know the one's where your significant other HAS to do something for you or they're in the dog house. Why should the calendar or card industry tell me when I should show my affection or when someone else should show it to me?? I'm more into the "it's March 2nd and though it's not a special day I just wanted to tell you today how special you are to me" kind of chick. The element of surprise...the not expecting it...that is what I like. Just makes it all that much sweeter for me...How about you?? How do you feel about it??

I'm not usually into watching movies in the afternoon (too many other things to do) but they had Message In A Bottle on TBS this morning...watched bits and pieces of it intermixed with fixing breakfast, snacks and drinks for the kiddos. Such a sweet movie. And though it's filmed in Maine from what I understand...it makes me miss North Carolina...hope we can visit again soon...it's been almost 3 years...miss it so. Especially now since I'm surrounded by all this white stuff!

Well hopefully the weather is better where you are...going to go try and shovel myself out now. :-)