Baby, It's {NOT} Cold Outside

I do not like cold weather.

To me, this is so funny because the college of my choice...the college that I loved...in the town that I seriously considered moving back to...is in the mountains.

And it gets cooooolllldddd up there.

But quite honestly, I can only deal with cold weather for about a week and then I'm done.

I don't like wearing coats.  My feet REALLY don't like "real" shoes.  And I just generally hate being cold.

There is just about one time of year that I will tolerate the cold...and even hope for a little bit of cold weather...and that's at Christmas.  In NC, our white Christmases are few and far between...and I remember Christmases where it was cold, without snow...and I remember Christmases where the high was in the upper 60's.  Upper 60's is not Christmas weather. 

Not to mention that for the past two years, we have been spoiled with snow right before and even on Christmas.  Two years ago it snowed on the Friday before Christmas.  It was just about as perfect as any snowfall in NC has ever been.  It started snowing in the afternoon of the last day of school before Christmas break.  We were able to stay home, play in the snow and by Monday when it was time for me to go back to work, the roads were clear...so I didn't have to miss any work for the snow.  Talk about your Christmas spirit!  Then last year, we had snow that started Christmas mid-morning...and snowed all night...and we woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland the day after Christmas.  Another perfect Christmas gift.

This year, it appears that there is no chance of Christmas snow.  And this makes me sad.

This is our 10 Day Forecast:

This is NOT Christmas weather.

I need it to be cold.

I need to make chicken-n-dumplins.

I need to make chili.

I need to use my heated throw...Ok, well I have already used it...but it's not really warranted yet.

I need to see beautiful snow flakes falling from the sky.

*sigh*

Maybe next year...

Of course, you may want to remind me of this very blog post in February when I say "I'm tired of winter and the cold"! :)

In other news, all of my Christmas "events" are coming to a close and I will be Christmas shopping/crafting/baking for the next week.  Can I tell you how excited I am about that?

I hope to see you again before...but you all know how hit or miss I am in the blogging world...so, if I don't get here, Merry Christmas to you all!

Blogging Fail

So, what does one do when you have a built in blogging topic for 30 days...hoping that this will get one back into the blogging routine?  Well, if you are me, you do nothing...and fail miserably! HAHA!  Yes...my 30 Days of Thankfulness continued on via my Facebook statuses...but never made the transition over here to the ol' blog.

And what do I have to blame this on???  Pinterest.  Yes...I've become a hopeless Pinterestaholic.  And what's even worse is that I've brought my BFF and sister into my addiction.  So...now we are all addicts.  Almost every night I snuggle down in my bed, turn on Gilmore Girls or whatever Christmas movie is featured that evening, and scroll through the countless pins.  And my lunch time has now become one big Pinterest-fest.

However, Pinterest has also inspired several Christmas gift projects...which I can't go into right now...because certain people who may be receiving these gifts may or may not read my blog...so, you'll have to wait in great anticipation to see what Pinterest inspired me to do.

And I'm hoping they all turn out...because if they don't...I don't know what I'm gonna do! ;)

Finally the weather in NC has turned cooler and I can begin to feel like it's almost Christmas!  I mean, for me anyways, it's hard to be in the Christmas mood if I'm wearing flip flops and t-shirts.  Which, yes, I wore on Monday...and the mountains had snow on Tuesday.  Welcome to NC!

Christmas also means a month of running around...church events...family events...gift buying & wrapping.  While I love Christmas and everything that it represents, I h.a.t.e. the general busy-ness of the season.  And everything that I do has such value that it's hard to give anything up.  So...when you see that blur...that's me running by! :)

Tomorrow, I'm very excited to say that we are headed to the mountains to pick out a Christmas tree.  We used to do this every year when I was younger.  Several weeks ago, I told Mom & Dad I wanted to do this again and we decided to go this weekend.  Dylan has never picked a tree in the mountains...so I'm very excited to share this with him.  Plus our tree will be much fresher than if we pick it out around here...meaning that hopefully it will last a little longer and not make me scared that it's going to burn my house down!  I love having a real tree...and Dylan isn't particular about many things...but he is VERY insistent about having a real tree!  One of the blessings of living in NC is the close proximity to Christmas tree farms galore! 

Hope you all are doing well.  I feel like the worst blogger ever...I never post and I almost never read.  Although, sometimes I read and don't comment...which is probably even worse!  I hope to see you again soon! :)

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 8 & 9

As I expected...there was no blogging for me yesterday! :)  But it's all good...I'll catch up as I can!

Day 8 - Today I am thankful for the life God has given me...it's not often easy, but it's full and I am most certainly blessed beyond what I deserve.

I'll just let you guys know...I wasn't feeling thankful yesterday morning.  I was feeling stressed...down...and ready to focus on the "don't haves".  But I had to re-direct my thoughts.  I don't know that many people have an "easy" life...mine is probably "easier" than I sometimes want to admit.  BUT, it is most certainly a rich, full life filled with people who love me and make me laugh.  And that is truly something to be thankful for!

Day 9 - Today I am thankful for Godly parents...my parents have been such an example of Christ to me...they have shown me grace, mercy, compassion and love.  I am so blessed they are my parents.

This is something I DEFINITELY can be thankful for.  My parents are truly the best.  They have loved me when I didn't deserve it...and have taught me how to be a good parent for Dylan.  There aren't enough words to adequately describe what they mean to me.

With that being said...

Happy Birthday to my Dad! :)  He is most certainly one of the kindest, most humble men I know!

Have a great Wednesday!

30 Days of Thankfulness - Day 7

So...to start things off...don't go looking for Day's 1 through 6 of my own personal "30 Days of Thankfulness"...because you won't find them!  Yes, I continue to be a slacker in the blogging department...I have no excuses other than to say that I just haven't done it! 

A few weeks ago, I began to look into my November curriculum for our Children's Worship time (I lead this at our church).  Our "theme" for the month is gratitude...very fitting as we move towards Thanksgiving and then on into Christmas.  I began to think about my own "attitude of gratitude" and I realized that I have a great tendency to focus on what I don't have instead of what I do have. 

So...I decided to devote my daily Facebook statuses to one thing each day that I'm thankful for.  What was really cool is that others have joined in!  And I have been AMAZED at how much more happier I feel.  Now, I won't say that I don't have my moments of aniexty & self-doubt...or that I don't slip into thinking again about what I don't have, can't do and can't give.  But for the most part, taking a moment each day to focus on what I am thankful for...and reading others' notes of thankfulness...has blessed me beyond measure.

With that being said, I am going to transfer my 30 days of thankfulness right here to my blog.  I may have days where I play catch up, like today...but I hope to at least write a few short sentences every day about what I am thankful for.

Here goes! :)

Day 1: I am thankful for my job. The people I work with can drive me crazy, but I'm thankful to be able to have a job where I can laugh a lot and, for the most part, know that work will not be a drudgery every day. Mostly, I'm thankful to be part of a company that strives to serve and honor God with what we do.

Day 2: Today I am thankful for good health. Dylan & I are very rarely sick...this is most certainly a blessing!

Day 3: Today I am thankful for my warm, snuggly bed...however sometimes I like it a little too much!

Day 4: Today I am thankful for the rain...this is a tough one for me...love my sunshine! But I know that the rain is an important part of God's cycle of life for the plants, trees, flowers, etc! So I am thankful for the rain today.

Day 5: Today I am thankful for coffee...especially on a chilly morning when I have to up & out earlier than I prefer!

Day 6: Today I am thankful to have the opportunity to go to church...without fear of my safety, imprisonment or death. Plus I get to work with some great kids...which is a bonus!

Day 7: Today I am thankful for the sunshine...it not only brightens the sky, but it brightens my mood as well!

I look forward to sharing with you my next 23 days of thankfulness...and I encourage you to think about what you are thankful for as well.  You have no idea what a difference it will make in your life perspective!

Have a great Monday!

I'm Still Here!!!! :)

No…you aren't seeing things.  No one hacked my blog…

It really is me updating this thing! 

So, it's been 2 months & 2 days since my last post…but I'm like Heinz Ketchup and Cheese…worth the wait and I get better with time.

Ok - so that was cheese-y…no pun intended!

So…what has kept me occupied for the past 2 months and 2 days?  The same old, same old.  School started on August 25^th…and soccer continues…and in the month of September, Dylan was doing driver's ed.  Driver's ed.  I cannot wrap my mind around the thought that I have a child old enough to drive.

But the driver's ed class was a great source of stress…since I had to have Dylan at school at 6:45…in the morning.  And no matter how tired I was, I could NOT adjust my "going to bed time" earlier to compensate for the early mornings.  My body rebelled…and for three weeks I was exhausted.

The first week of October was the Dixie Classic Fair.  This is one of my most favorite times of the year.  I was only able to go twice this year…the first Friday with my BFF, her hubby & Dylan…and the first Saturday with my family.  As always, it was fun and fall made a guest appearance for the fair…making it so much better.  The Fair is not the Fair unless it's a little bit chilly! :)

Last weekend, our family was supposed to go camping in Fancy Gap, VA; however, my mom & dad have been battling camper issues and the camper finally won.  We improvised our camping at Mom & Dad's with a campfire in their fire pit…we roasted hot dogs and made s'mores. 

My sister & her family went ahead and camped for the weekend and we drove up on Saturday to visit and play a bit.  We went to Galax for lunch…walked around the town…hit some of the stores.  We found a bathtub full of Hot Wheels - Ayden was in HEAVEN! :)

On our way back to the campground, we stopped at one of the overlooks off the Blue Ridge Parkway…

And then we went to an Alpaca farm!

I played with the kiddos on the playground at the campground...

And then we ate dinner…had more s'mores and headed home.  What a great day!

And this sweet little boy turned TWO yesterday!  We are celebrating big time this weekend! :)

Fall decided to set in for good yesterday.  Again…the yoyo weather of NC is just fabulous.  It was in the 80's on Monday & Tuesday…today's high is 60.  But the sun is out…the skies are blue…the leaves are turning.  It really is a great time to be in NC!  I have yet to turn my heat on…my original goal was to leave it off until October 1^st…now I'm trying to make it to November 1^st…but the next few days are going to be chilly…so I may be a little short on my goal!

Work has been crazy…we are down to one "office girl"…which would be ME.  It's been nice because I've kept pretty busy.  I'd prefer to be busy than to sit here and twiddle my thumbs!  But during my lunch breaks, when I used to blog, I've needed more of a "veg" time than a time when I had to think about writing and such!  I would love to get back into this so I'm not posting monthly (or bi-monthly) updates…but we shall see.  I miss reading your lovely posts and seeing what you are up to!  Any old time you are wondering about me, please feel free to drop me a line at brwnidgrljenn@gmail.com.  I'm trying to re-enter the Twitter world too…so if you are on Twitter, you can find me - @brwnidgrljenn.

Hope you are all well!  Hope to see you again soon!

Where in the world has Jenn been???

I'm hoping there's at least one or two people out there that have been wondering where I've been!  It's been well over a month since my last blog...which was really more of a "I'm taking time off" post than anything.  Things here were stale...bo-ring...and I do somewhat have a life outside of this virtual world!  I have to watch myself...sometimes I allow myself to be sucked in to the computer world and it keeps me from investing myself deeply enough into my "real" world.

Anyway...so, what have I been up to since my last post?  Well...let's see...

 - I dog-sat my parent's sweet Basset Hound, Cookie.

She is quite possibly the most people-dependent dog I know.  She doesn't like to be left alone...and she really could be more appropriately named "Shadow"...because that's what she does!  But she was a very good house guest and we will probably have her again over Labor Day Weekend when Mom & Dad go to the beach!

 - Then...I took a trip to Florida.

We drove.

In a church bus.

With 20-some kids.

Now, normally from Winston-Salem, it would take...oh about 10 hours to get to Orlando.  Maybe 12 if you factor in bathroom breaks, traffic, meal breaks, etc.

When you factor in a broken down bus, sitting on the side of 95 for an hour and 4-5 hours sitting in a McDonalds just off 95...then the trip takes more along the lines of 18 hours.

We left at 8:30 on Sunday morning...and arrived in Orlando at 2:30 in the morning on Monday morning.

BUT, our time in Orlando was great.  We did Vacation Bible School for the children living at the Orlando Rescue Mission...got to do a few mission projects for the Mission and prepared a meal for the residents on Friday night! 

AND, on Thursday we went to Universal...which was sooooo much fun.

And then...we came home.

We had rented two 15-passenger vans at the airport in Savannah to get us to Orlando...so we had to pick up the bus in Savannah.

Which never quite worked right...

But was making it OK until we hit traffic on 85...only about 45 minutes from home...which is where the bus died AGAIN.

So...we left Orlando at 8:00am-ish...and I walked in my door at 12:45am Sunday morning.

Needless to say...traveling to Orlando on a bus is not in my plans anytime soon!

So...on to what I've been doing...

 - Dylan stayed in Orlando for another week after we left to visit with his grandparents, an aunt & uncle and his cousins.  He had a great time...and wasn't ready to come home...even though he'd been gone already for two weeks! 

And I hate to say that I think I have a Floridian on my hands...he loves Florida...the heat and all. 

So...he's scheming to go to college in Florida.

My heart is breaking...

;)

 - Dylan flew home on Saturday...and then I left on the following Wednesday after work to head to the beach for 4 glorious days with my BFF.  This was my view for most of the day on Thursday...

We had the best time...lots of time spent on the beach...lots of movie watching...just a little bit of shopping and a whole lot of good times.

Quite honestly, I didn't want to come home! :)

 - This week Dylan has started soccer again...so, we have gotten very busy...very quickly. 

Dylan is the middle guy in white with orange shoes...my phone doesn't do good long distance shots! :)

School starts again next week!  Seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Dylan being done with exams and school work!  And now, I have a SOPHOMORE in high school!  I keep asking myself "How did that happen?" :)

I'm not sure where this blog is headed from here.  I'm debating.  I don't really have time to read a lot of blogs...so...I'm just not sure at this point.  So, I'll check in from to time!  Hope you are all well!

Lather, Rinse, Repeat

I am a total creature of habit.  I do the same things, in the same way, basically every day.

I have to do things in "order"...when I shower, I wash my hair...wash my face...wash my body...shave what needs to be shaved.  I have to do it in that order.  If I don't, I will forget something.

Or I will use my face wash on my hair and conditioner on my face.

It has happened.

When I get to work, I follow the same "order" every morning...get coffee, log on to my computer, start my radio station live stream, check my yahoo e-mail, check Facebook and then check my work e-mail. 

Over and over...

Just like the back of the shampoo bottle says - lather, rinse, repeat.

And sometimes things just get stale.

And that's how I feel about this blogging thing.

I've been doing the same things over and over and over...

And it's just stale for me right now.

So...for now, blogging is going to be moved to the back burner.

And if you are looking for me on Twitter, there's a good chance I won't show up there either.

For me, blogging & Twitter represent my virtual world.  I don't know the people in the blog world or the Twitter world in real life, with only a very few exceptions.

This isn't the end...

It's just "till I see you again".

Almost Wordless Wednesday...

One of my favorite twins is dealing with something no 18 year old should have to go through.  Her 19 yr old boyfriend was hit by a boat while tubing with his family in Nebraska.  His younger brother (12) died at the scene in the same accident. 

And while this whole thing is horribly sad...there is good coming out of it too.

Matt is an organ donor.  They expect for around 60 people to benefit from his organs and tissue that will be donated.  Matt was always a giving kid.  And he will continue to give, even in his death.

Please pray for the families affected here.  They will need all of the love, support & prayers they can get.

Once again this year, I am reminded of how precious life truly is.  Make sure you tell your friends & family how much they mean to you...we are not promised tomorrow.

Fifteen years later...

This sweet baby boy...

has kept me very busy for the past 15 years.

He walked at 9 1/2 months...

And ran at 9 3/4 months! :)

Today...he still keeps me busy...still runs...a lot...and I couldn't be prouder to be his mom!

Happy 15th Birthday, Dylan!

Wordless Wednesday - Family

from our recent family pictures...

Happy Wednesday! :)

Gratituesday! :)

I'm really trying to get back into this blogging thing...

VBS is over...

But work was C-R-A-Z-Y yesterday.

And I thought about writing last night, but then I just sat on my couch and played Sudoku & Scrabble on my phone.

I'm such a slacker!

Anyway, I'm hoping a little Gratituesday will help me get back in the swing of things...so, here goes!  Ten things I'm grateful for today...

#1 - Vacation Bible School is OVER! I love the concept of VBS...I don't mind participating in it...but this year, I just didn't feel like I had the time to put into it...and I hate not being able to put my best foot forward.  Plus it was such a long week.  But now it's over until next year...

Except that really it's not...because we get to do this all over again at the end of July when we go to Florida on our mission trip.

BUT, I won't have to teach it...I'm just there for crowd control! :)

#2 - Right at this moment, I'm loving this Jumping Jelly Bean scent I have in my Scentsy warmer at work. YUM!

#3 - Last week, I took my car in to the shop because it keeps throwing these strange warning lights.  Sometimes they come on...sometimes they don't.  Bad news is, the part that *might* need to be fixed is $1600.00 - just for the part.  Good news is, the mechanic says it's not a necessary fix right now since we don't know for sure that it's even bad!

Best news - he didn't charge me a DIME for checking it out.

#4 - I teach in our Children's Worship at church...my helper has had to go be with her parents for the month of July...which leaves me without a helper.  I have some subs lined up - hopefully.  I've been stressing about this...and then on Friday night I was talking to my friend Deanna (who is on the other Children's Worship team) and found out that she's been going to school to get her CNA license.  I had no idea (she wasn't telling a lot of people for some reason) and since then I've just been so grateful for her dedication to this ministry.  She very easily could've said that she has a lot going on and she might need to take some time, but she didn't.  And I would've understood that, because she also is a hair dresser...is married...and has two step-sons that she & her husband have joint custody of with their mom & step-dad.  But she didn't.  And she probably doesn't even realize how grateful I am for all of this.

But I'm gonna let her know! :)

#5 - I think my flower beds are pretty much finished.  I couldn't be happier with the way they've turned out and the way they look.  I am so proud of the way my house looks on the outside now!

#6 - This weekend is the annual God & Country celebration in a town close by.  I usually go with my BFF & her hubby.  A couple of years ago, we didn't really have much going on and after the parade we drove around a bit and ended up in Mt. Airy.  We had so much fun...just walking around...laughing...just having a day out of town.  We've decided to do that again this year...but this year, we are heading for Boone after the parade.  I'm ecstatic!  Boone is kind of my other home and I haven't been in over a year.  I need to just spend a day soaking up the mountain air & sunshine. 

Plus I got a gift card to the Mast General Store...I hear the candy store calling my name! ;)

#7 - This is Dylan's birthday week!  He will be FIFTEEN on Friday.  FIFTEEN!  When in the world did that happen?  I'm so thankful for a relatively good child.  He has his moments, as most kids do, but the issues we deal with are so minimal compared to what it could be.

#8 - We finally got some much needed rain last night!  I've been water my plants...and they've been doing ok.  We had some storms roll through around 9ish last night...nothing too severe in my neck of the woods...but I know we got a good dousing.  Of course, with our mid-90's today, most of that is probably dried up by now!

#9 - Last week during VBS, my cousin's little girl was in my class.  We were talking about sacrifice and I asked the kids ways that they could show God's love by sacrificing something of theirs.  Destiny raised her hand and told me that she had been selling some of her artwork to her family and donating the money to her church for charity.  It was probably the sweetest thing...and when I told her Mom about it, her Mom said that she never even asked to keep any of it...she gave it willingly and freely.  I'm so thankful to see young children with such giving hearts.

#10 - Next Monday is the 4th of July.  I'm thankful for an extra day off this weekend...but more importantly, I'm thankful for the independence that we have in this country.  I'm thankful for the men and women who made that independence a reality...and who KEEP our country free.  Regardless of how you feel about the economy, our president, wars, etc., you should ALWAYS be thankful for the people who put their lives on the line to keep our country safe - including our local police, firemen & emergency services people.

Hope you have a great Tuesday! :)

Dear Friday...how I love you! :)

After the longest Vacation Bible School week in the history of Vacation Bible School...I'm so thankful it's Friday!  Tomorrow I plan to sleep in...go to the pool with my friends...plant some flowers...and that's about all.  I'm hoping to ignore the fact that I desperately need to go to the grocery store so as not to ruin my day...but Dylan tends to get hungry, so I might have to give in! :P

Anyway, I don't have time for a super long post (I know you guys are thankful after the novels I've written lately), so I'll just get right to Five Question Friday with Mama M!  If you'd like to play along, head over to her site, copy the questions & link on up! :)







1. What is your current favorite tv show?

Well...I have quite a few.  I just recently stumbled onto the genius of Psych...

And then there's always Parenthood...

And for my guilty pleasure???  Jersey Shore.

Such a wide variety there...

2. What's the worst haircut you ever got?

Sorry Mom...but my worst haircut was actually a series of haircuts...and they all looked the same.  Very mullet-y. 

And I have to say sorry to Mom because she cut my hair way back then...

I'm on the right...

*sigh*

3. What was something that you did as a child that you thought you were so cool for doing?

When I was 9, my family flew to California.  Back then (in 1985), people didn't just hop a plane to Los Angeles.  We actually few from Greensboro, stopped in Charlotte (but didn't get off the plane) and then went on to Los Angeles.  We went to Disneyland, Knotts Berry Farm, the beach (COLD) and visited with my Great-Aunt Uncle. 

Yep...I was definitely cool...I'd been to the West Coast!

;)

4. Do you have any GREAT frugal family fun tips?

Not really...but I'd love to read some of your tips!

5. Would you drive across country if you had the money to fly?

No.

6 hours is about my limit in a car

And I'm too impatient to drive when I know I can get to my  destination in 7 hours rather than 14 days.

I'd like to see everything between NC & California...but I don't think I could spend days in a car...

Maybe I underestimate myself...

But probably not! :)

Happy Friday...Hope you have a GREAT weekend!

What I've Been Up to Wednesday!

I guess for at least this week, I'm down to two posts per week...

I have missed reading your blogs...I have missed your comments on my blog.

But I guess it's hard to comment when there's nothing to comment on!

So....what has kept me so busy???

Friday night, I had a little BFF / Girl's Night! We went to The Loop (one of my favorite places to eat)...and then we went back to my house for a {mini} Netflix movie marathon. I was so right when I said if we made it to 11pm, we'd be lucky!  We watched 9 to 5 and The Incredible Shrinking Woman (kind of a salute to Lily Tomlin).  9 to 5 is and will always be a classic.  Not to mention that it was just funny to see all the styles...and realize that the boss in that movie would be in jail for life with all of the horrible things he said/did! :)  The first part of The Incredible Shrinking Woman was good...the last half, not so much.  In fact, I think we both fell asleep.  Oh, well...live & learn!

Saturday I went to get a haircut and then to Lowes to pick out some flowers for my new flower bed.  I was able to get all of the impatiens planted before a huge storm came through...

Which I thought was going to threaten my "redneck therapy" at Bowman Gray...

BUT, what actually happened is that the storms came through early enough that it cooled the evening down and made the night at the races so nice!

Before we went to Bowman Gray, though, we did a little more celebrating at El Maguey...my favorite Mexican restaurant...YUM!

Sunday was church...lunch at The Loop (I told you it was my favorite - plus Dad's ate free!)...some swimming in a cold pool...and then some hanging out with my sister, niece & nephew...as well as my parents & Dylan.  That evening I had to go back to the church to get some stuff ready for VBS...

Which brings me to the rest of my crazy week...because that's where I've been every night this week!

All in all, a lot of fun stuff.  And a great birthday celebration thrown in to the mix!

Thanks for all of the birthday wishes...they were the best.

And I was going to post  some pix...but Blogger isn't cooperating...maybe later I can.
Have a great Wednesday...I'll probably see you on Friday! :)

It's Friday, Friday...

I don't know if y'all have heard this annoying song...not even sure who sings it...but they play it often on the radio station I listen to...as a joke...but still.  That's what's playing through my head this morning.

And I couldn't be happier to see Friday! :)

So begins my bday weekend!  WOOT WOOT! 

I haven't found a birthday YET that has bothered me.  And...for your information...I will be 35 on Sunday! 

Which is weird...

Because I don't FEEL 35...but that's what the numbers say!

I have a fun weekend planned...mostly spending a lot of time with my BFF.  We are going to have a Netflix movie marathon tonight...which sounds like we will be up for hours...and in reality, if we make it to 11pm I'll be surprised.

Maybe I am getting old after all! ;)

Then tomorrow, we are sleeping in (hahahaha)...I have a haircut...and then we are going swimming!  We'll finish the day by going to Bowman Gray for a little "redneck therapy"! :)

I'm not really sure what my Sunday plans are...we celebrated Father's Day last night since my BIL has to work on Sunday and I have VBS all next week.  I have to get ready for VBS...so that'll take up a bit of my time on Sunday...hopefully not too much and I can get a little more swimming in!

And we did a little birthday celebrating last night.  For my birthday this year, I asked for help, dirt & mulch for my front yard project.  (I really know how to celebrate, huh?)  But my Mom & Dad also gave me a headboard for my bed - actually my Dad MADE me a headboard for my bed.  It's a picket fence and I can't wait to get it in my room!  Sadly...I didn't get a picture of it, but I will once it's in place!

But I did get pix of these wonderful bday treats...

This is key lime cheese cake that my friend Casey made for me!

My mom found a recipe for lemon drop cupcakes!!!

Anybirthdaycelebration, today, as I most often do on Friday's, I am linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday! If you'd like to join in the fun, head over to her blog...copy the questions and link on up!

1. What is your favorite summer time activity?

Heading to the beach...no question about it.  I would live there all summer long if I could!  There is nothing like spending a day on the beach with a good book and a nice ocean breeze. 

2. Do you have one laundry soap you stick to, or do you buy whatever's on sale?

I really like Tide detergent.  For a while, I switched over to Gain, which was OK...but in my heart of hearts, I know that I'm a Tide girl.  Plus, at Wal-Mart it's only a dollar or two more than Gain...so I go ahead and get Tide. 

3. What is your favorite dinner to make in the summer?

Hamburgers on the grill with my mom's macaroni salad...maybe a little potato salad too...finished off with some homemade ice cream...

YUM!

4. Do you have any talents?

I think I've answered this question before...I have talents...but the one I'm most proud of is being able to write in mirror.  I can write, fairly quickly, so that you can read what I've written in a mirror.  I don't know what that's good for...but it sure is fun!

5. If you could instantly be an expert in something, what would it be? Why?

I'm not sure...I would love to know more about blog design...because I feel like mine is a bit on the generic side...but I really don't have time to work at it or read up on all of the great tutorials out there.

I would also like to know more about flowers & plants.  I do not have a "black" thumb...but I don't exactly know what is good where.  Thankfully my mom is a plant & flower wiz...so I just ask her! :)

I hope you have an excellent Friday and a wonderful weekend!  Hopefully I'll see you around next week some!

What I've Been Up To Wednesday!

OK - so that's not a real meme or anything...but it should be! :)

I've been super busy the past few days...I haven't had much time to do blogging or tweeting.  I do check Facebook...it's a little faster than everything else...

So, what has been keeping me busy?

Well...since you asked...

Friday I decided to take the afternoon off.  I needed it.  Plus it was the last day of school for Dylan.  BUT, Friday was happened to be one of my "busy" days.  #1 - We pay bills at work on the 10th.  #2 - My boss (who does payroll) is out this week...so all timesheets had to be entered & submitted to him before I could leave.  I think he knew that I needed the afternoon off, though, because he gave me the payables on Thursday afternoon so I could have the first step of processing done...and I was super efficient on Friday morning - so I got out of the office around 12:45ish!

I had to get my license renewed. :/  Thankfully, I ONLY had to wait an hour...which is an amazing feat in and of itself.  The only thing is that they mail you your license - so I have no idea if I'm gonna need to beg for a new pic or not!  I'm pretty sure I have a fairly stupid smile on my face because they also don't tell you that they are getting ready to take the picture.  I predict that my pic will be featured on a "yes - these are real driver's license pictures" e-mail list or website! ;P

So...after that, I decided to go swimming at my parents house - they have one of those 12' diameter intex pools - which is good enough for me!  Dylan was already there and my brother-in-law & niece were already swimming when I got there!  Ayden was still napping, but when he woke up, he joined us...and we found out that he is a wanna be fish! :)

Friday night I was supposed to go to a graduation, but there was a really bad storm and I didn't want to chance it, since it was an outdoor graduation.  Plus, the high school is not really equipped parking or traffic wise for all of the people who show up for graduation - so I figured I'd have to park a mile away and that traffic would be insane.  So, I opted out.  Dylan went to the church to play Nerf wars and I stayed home and finished some touch ups in my bathroom...that I painted three months ago! :)

Saturday morning, Mom & Dad came over to help me work on my flower beds...or lack thereof.  Also, my brick walkway was in desperate need of some "help".  Dylan & I took it up a week or so ago...so we needed to get it back in.

This was my front flower beds before:

Actually, I had already done a little bit of work to the flower beds - on the corner of the house, I used to have cana, which is a great bulb to put in a place where you don't mind it spreading and growing a bit...but mine had spread & grown to be a bit out of control.

THIS is my front flower beds on Saturday after we worked in them:

And, since Saturday, we have finished putting the brick walk in AND I now have mulch!  The only thing left is to add some pretty flowers and it'll be all done!  I do plan to move the hosta out from the porch railing a bit and move the smaller ones out into the larger bed area, but since they are already grown up and blooming, I'll have to wait on those!

Saturday afternoon, we had family pictures made...

And then I went to a graduation Saturday night...one that didn't start until almost 9pm!!!

Sunday was a "veg" day (Dylan & I have been working our way through Psych on Netflix) and we finished putting in the brick path.

Monday was work, work, work...followed by work, work, work at home...because...

Tuesday night I had a Scentsy party! :) My BFF is a consultant and I agreed to do a party to help her out a bit. 

And Dylan & I had dental appointments yesterday as well!

So...yes - I've been super busy.  I feel like that's a running theme here on the blog lately...I have about a week when I can update and read and comment on other people's blogs...and then I get busy and have to ignore it for several days...and THEN you get to read my novels! :)

I don't see things slowing down for a week or too...but hopefully I'll get by here again soon!

Happy Wednesday! :)

Thursday - Random 13

My friend, Rachel, sometimes posts a "Thursday Thirteen" list on, well...Thursday's.  Usually it's just a list of similar things - movies, books, places she wants to go, etc., etc.  So, I thought I might do a "Thursday Thirteen" of sorts for your reading/viewing pleasure!

The other day, I was looking at the pictures on my phones, and I realized I have some VERY random things there.  So, for my "Thursday Thirteen" list, I will share with you 13 random pix from my phone!

1 -

When I go to get my hair cut, or while Dylan is getting his hair cut, I usually catch up on my People magazine reading - because she subscribes & I don't! ;)  Anyway, the last time I was at her shop while Dylan was getting his hair cut, I was perusing the People magazine and happened upon these two books in the book section that looked interesting.  I don't usually buy books and I'm notorious for snapping pix of books in a store, and evidently magazines too, that I want to read so I will remember to request them from the library!  I haven't requested these yet...mostly because I have 4 or 5 already checked out that I need to read first!

2 -

Recently we had some strong storms to come through our part of the world...the clouds were really cool looking that day...I was trying to capture a pic but it was a little difficult.

3 -

I can thank my son for this little gem.  He & my brother-in-law love to play "Finger Slayer" - Dylan on my phone...Zach on his own.  Dylan sent this to him...it was his all time high score.  Later that evening I was treated to a return picture similar to this, but with a high score in the 4000's if I remember correctly.  Needless to say, I didn't hang on to that one.

4 -

This is my BFF...she is special...can you tell? HAHA! :)

5 -

I was having a dilemma about how exactly to wear my rainboots...I finally figured out the best way was to cuff my jeans...I had to show my sister! :)

6 -

Alyson got a hold of my phone...can you tell?

7 -

Back when they were promoting the Cake Boss episode where Buddy's wife is having their baby, Dylan & I decided that Buddy is NOT a pretty crier...this was Dylan's interpretation of his face! :)

8 -

My new ring that I love (and took a picture of using Instagram - which I love!!!).

9 -

Dylan & I were having a dispute about how many geese it takes to form a gaggle...and now you know too.  We actually were having this conversation as we were walking out of Wal-Mart...a passerby giggled at our conversation. :)

10 -

A headless Dylan! :) Another fun camera app for your iPhone!

11 -

Seth's birthday at El Maguey...he wore the sombrero...they sung to him in Spanish...very loudly! :)

12 -

One Saturday morning, one of the local news shows requested via Facebook that you upload a picture of your first cup of coffee...I complied.  (also done with Instagram)

13 -

This is my MOST favorite cupcake - Lemon Drop...it is lemony goodness baked up and iced with lemony buttercream icing.  And it's quite heavenly...and unfortunately (although probably fortunate for my waist line) they only have these every once in a while!

Happy Thursday!  Hold on...Friday is on it's way! :)