More tea pictures!

So Whitney took these pictures and they are just TO beautiful not to post. I'm a little late getting these all posted but that's okay! I'm thinking about printing out some of these and framing them for the holidays! What do you think!?!

This one is my favorite!! I LOVE how she took the pictures of the all the Christmas ornaments! This one I am for sure framing!!

And of course my Mother's table. Is she not just the most creative person ever!??!! Always has great ideas for her tables, you should have seen her plates SO cute!! They were Santa dishes, LOVE IT!!!!

Thank you Whitney for some great keepsakes!!! I know my pictures would not have turned out as good!

I wish I didn't have to work......

Having the last five days off has spoiled me!! I'm sitting here thinking about how I have to get back up tomorrow and go to work. Boo. But it was a good long weekend, Dave and I have not done too much these past few days. Very nice.

Whitney emailed me the pictures so here we are with Dina.....we very much enjoyed meeting her at the Open House!

I did manage to go to Hobby Lobby Saturday to get this Rooster picture (which Dave ended up liking, didn't think that was possible as he NEVER likes things I buy for the house) and I also got the garland to go on top of my cabinets in the kitchen.

And I also FINALLY got a frame for the P in our hallway. And what do you know, Dave doesn't like it framed!?! GO figure.

We did manage to get a few our decorations out and hung. These stockings my mom gave us last year at Christmas and I LOVE them. So cute. I need to get our names put on them so Santa knows who's is who........Dave hasn't been super good this year so I think I'll be getting WAY more from Santa :) Just Kidding!!

We did get the tree out and put up. I'm not completely done with the ornaments on it, but it'll do for now. This year Dave and I did it together, which was nice. It was raining today so he couldn't hang outside lights, although he did hang some garland around the door with lights!

"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.........." Dave is busy trying to decorate the rest of the house so that's my que to stop blogging and go help. Only 26 days till Christmas ya'll! Have a great week!!!

The Blind Side

Yesterday was a very good day, it being Thanksgiving and all. This year (like I said in previous posts) I found myself sitting and thinking about all the things in my life I'm thankful for, all the blessings the good Lord has given me. And this was even more apparent to me after seeing The Blind Side.

We have all seen the previews so I will strictly only talk about what is available to everyone as to not give any details away :) The basis of the movie is one simple thing..........doing the right thing and making ourselves available to what God is placing in our lives. I found myself crying within the first few minutes of the movie and let me say this, this is an extremely HAPPY movie.

Human nature tells us to stay in our comfortable little place in life without inconveniencing ourselves by helping others. Now this isn't everyone BUT I think we have all had our moments in life that God tests our faithfulness by placing things in our paths where lessons can be taken away and at some point or another we, me, have failed.

I found myself thinking after the movie was over would I have done the same thing Mrs. Tuoly did? She, my friends, is one tough cookie with a very special heart. To take someone into their home, to take a chance on a kid who has nothing (and I mean nothing) was pure and simple: God was working through this special lady to reach the heart and change the life of a special child.

Even more than that, I found myself asking would I have the same attitude Michael had in the movie? This child was born into a life style that many in the world are, without someone who loves them and tells them daily how loved they are. I found it to be inspiring and a great testament to just how much the love of God can work through us. He was an extremely lovely, polite, reserved young boy who just needed a break and a little help.

It's amazing to me the challenges some go through and how typically people let their situation get the best of them, they let that evil in their lives win. And I think it's because we forget that there are two forces working in our lives, Satan is real and some allow him to take over. But God is alive and loves us and in this movie, in my opinion, God allowed Michael's situation to take place maybe for the simple reason as to tell it. To tell the story of how helping someone you wouldn't normally can be the best thing you have ever done. Michael's life was change but the Tuoly's lives were changed as well.

Please go see this movie. And yes while it's "Hollywood" there is a great moral to this story.............one I hope to remember for myself every time I come across an opportunity to help someone else.

Thank you Power

Thank You Power
25 Nov 2009Rachel Olsen"Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NIV)

In my (part-time) job as a university teacher, I'm frequently reading research. I know … it sounds as dry as an over-cooked turkey. Sometimes it is but often I find interesting stuff in that scientific prose. For example, I read about a study that showed just how great it is to be grateful.

The researchers found that grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, more satisfaction with life, and more vitality and optimism. All good qualities I want more of in my life. They also found grateful people show lower levels of depression and stress - two things I'd like to experience less in my life.

What's more, they found tha t people who write weekly in a journal about things they are thankful for are healthier. They exercise more regularly, report fewer physical symptoms, and feel better in general than people who journal about neutral or negative life events. That sounds great, and I'll take all the help I can get in the exercise department.

Finally, the research showed that people who daily count their blessings report higher levels of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, and energy. Wow, the benefits of being grateful are remarkable and many! I guess that shouldn't surprise me after considering today's key verse. The Bible urges us to give thanks … all the time … in every situation … because this practice is the will of God.

Let me be clear, there are terrible things that happen to us that may not be the will of God, but us praising God and giving thanks in spite of them certainly is the will of God.As Christians, we can always find reason to give thanks – thanks for the salvation of Christ, the nearness of God, and the counsel of His Spirit for starters.

The psalmist declared, "I will give thanks to the LORD because of his righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High" (Psalm 7:17, NIV). We can do that too.Christian poet John Milton once wrote about every grey cloud having a silver lining. Purposing to give thanks, no matter the weather, will train us to look for it. Continuing in this manner day after day ensures that gratefulness will become a normal mode of operation.No wonder those researchers found that people regularly counting their blessings grow happier, healthier, and more optimistic. A

fter all, that research wasn't discovering anything new, but rather confirming the will and wisdom of God. God already knows how great it is for us to be grateful. Now "science" does too.What can you give thanks for today?

Dear Lord, thank You for this day. Thank You for Your Son and Your Spirit, given to me. Thank You for the provision of shelter and food I have today. And Lord, thank You for this reminder to become more mindful of my blessings. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Dallas Stars!

Monday night was actually spent at the Stars game! A family friend has season tickets and couldn't go so they asked Dave and I if we could go, which of course we said yes! They tickets were right in the center, 18 rows up and in the first 25 seconds a fight broke out. Needless to say, it was a very exciting game :)

And #10 is my NEW favorite athlete. He was very fun to watch. So thank you Robert and Kathy for asking us to go to the game! Dave and I had a great date night!!!

Weekend Wrap Up

What a great weekend we had! It was full with lots of driving but well worth it! It started Friday night after meeting up at the church to decorate my table for the tea Saturday. Sherry, my mother in law came with me to bring up some donation items for the silent auction. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend the tea because Saturday she woke up feeling crummy. Thank you Sherry for helping Friday, it was much appreciated!!!

Dave did a lot of this during the weekend. Although Saturday he did clean the whole house! So many brownie points were earned while I was out running around!

Are you ready to see my beautiful table!! Ready................................................


TADA!!!!! It was such a huge hit and turned out just like I thought it would. Whitney took better pictures so when she sends those over to me I'll post them so you can see up close all the wonderfully decorated details on my table. Thank you to my Mom who is a great shopper and had many of the things I needed to complete the look!

Whitney and I had a fun filled day! It started with a nice breakfast at Caroline's Cafe in Midlothian and then onto the Christmas Open House over at Dina's. Whitney and I were so nervous before we went in because she is even followed by Kelly at Kelly's Korner so she is kind of a big deal :) It was so fun and her house, oh my! So cute! We did get a picture with her, that will be included in the bunch Whitney is sending to me.

"Sisters, sisters. Never were there such devoted sisters...." I LOVE that song, Jenna sings it all the time. This year we were all there for the tea Friday and Saturday. Although how we managed to not get one with Mom is beyond me. This was actually during her speech, oops!

After the tea I met up with my friend Kelly who I hadn't seen since my wedding for dinner. It was so great catching up! She lives up north and we are so far south we don't get together much. But we had a great time and Dave even came to meet us after for a little bit.

Sunday was spent laying around, doing laundry, and lots (and I repeat) lots of football. I'll be glad when the football season is OVER!

Can you believe Thanksgiving is this Thursday!?! Only two and half days of work though, that's my kind of week :)

My Heart is Heavy

For anyone who reads Kelly's blog, please make sure you follow the links she has for today's post. I decided to read them at work, not a good idea. Can you say choked and up and crying? Touched my heart, it really did. If not go here and check it out.

I must say, Kelly's trip really touched me. I know God calls us all to different types of servanthood and I don't think mine is traveling around the world visiting third world countries (not that I am ruling it out). But in the past few weeks my heart has been touched, and I have a dire need to meet my calling, my place in life to serve. I want to cry just thinking about it.

My mom always talks to us about being good servants, in any area. She is one of the most loyal servants I know, always helping others through her creativity and outgoing personality. I get to witness it , a true servant, God has blessed her with a loving and faithful heart. This weekend I get to see the glory of God shown through a woman who felt a calling to help in the lives of battered women. And I feel blessed and lucky to call that woman my Mother.

I highly encourage you, if you are free tomorrow, to come visit Inglewood Baptist Church for the Cindy Tamplin Memorial Tea. It's amazing to see God working through the women at Inglewood to make a difference in the lives of others.

Friday Inspiration

Overcoming the Fear of the Unknown
20 Nov 2009Micca Monda Campbell"Then you will know which way to go, since you have never been this way before." Joshua 3:4a (NIV)

Do you have a fear of the unknown? If so, then you know how nerve-racking it can be. Fearing the unknown can cause us to live on pins and needles as we spend precious energy anticipating the worst-case scenario.

There are two problems with this type of fear:
1. The future is not here.
2. The future is not ours.

While the future may be out of our hands, it's not out of the hands of an adequate and trustworthy God. When we face a worrisome unknown situation, we can look to Joshua as an example.It's recorded in the first chapter of Joshua that before Moses died, God passed the baton of leadership to Joshua. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for 40 years under the guidance of Moses. Now, their journey was almost over. Just beyond the Jordan River was their promised land—the land that God had guaranteed to Abraham and his descendants.

Upon reaching the Jordan River, Joshua and the Israelites set up camp by the stream and awaited God's direction. Much like their meeting with the Red Sea, God had to make a way for them to cross over the river. On the third day, God told the officers to instruct the people that when they saw the Ark of the Covenant (where God's Presence abided) to follow it because they had "never passed this way before" (Joshua 3:4).

In essence God was saying, Follow Me and I'll see you through this unknown territory. That's not all. The people were instructed on how closely they should follow the ark. Without this instruction, the people would have crowded the ark and God wanted every person to be able to see His presence eve r faithfully leading them through the unknown valley.

What greater encouragement could they have than this, that the Lord was their God, a God who was with them?You see, friend, the Lord understands our fear of the unknown. He realizes that you may be in a situation that you've never passed through before and you're afraid. It may be the first time you've been without employment. Maybe you've just been diagnosed with an illness or your child is in rebellion. You've never been down this road before and you don't know which way to go or what to do. God will guide the way.

Joshua's life was unpredictable and full of unknowns much like yours and mine. Yet, he successfully resisted fear by keeping his focus on God rather than the events surrounding him. Just as God guided the Israelites through unknown territory, He will guide you and me too. When we come to a place we've never passed through before, God is always present to help us."When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.

For I am the LORD, your God,the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; (Isaiah 43:2,3b, NIV).Even though the children of Israel were not told how they would pass over the river, the people went forth in faith. We too can move forward in faith sharing in the promised presence of God leading the way through our unknown circumstances.

Dear Lord, thank You for Your promised presence. It comforts my heart to know that I am not alone. Lead me, Lord, through the unknown in my life. Make Your path clear and I will follow it. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

Stolen Pictures

Totally stole these pictures from Kristine and thought I would post them. This was from Saturday game night and my friend's house which like I said in an earlier post was a blast! Kristine is a friend from middle school!! Isn't it funny how life brings people back together sometimes!?!

I thought this pictures was funny because who ever was drawing had almost everyone's attention, except Audra who of course was eating candy. Audra looks like a model but manages to eat candy like it's going out of style and still is stick thin, the nerve! :) All the girls in this picture have been friends with someone else since at least elementary. Chrisha, the red head and Andrea, the girl standing next to her have been my friends since elementary!! Craziness, to see us all older, married (the majority), some have children, others still living the single life. Interesting to see where life leads all of us........

In the spirit of Thanksgiving

Can you believe Thanksgiving is next week! Oh my! This post is dedicated to all the things I am thankful for, there are many.......

First and foremost I am thankful for my salvation. I kind of feel faith is a personal experience, like many others state on their blogs I believe in my Lord Jesus Christ. I believe he died on the cross for me, I believe in his grace and forgiveness, and his unconditional love. Dave always asks me why I am so "addicted" to reading people's blogs. To be honest, I get to witness the Lord's faithfulness to others and see first hand how loving others, praying for others, and learning from others help me grow in my salvation. I know the Lord answers prayers, and I know he walks with me daily even if I don't always walk with him.

Secondly, I am thankful for my wonderful family. Everyone always says this, I guess sometimes you just truly forget how lucky we are to have each other at times. I am thankful for parents who love me unconditionally and want the best for me. I am thankful for the most incredibly supportive husband who encourages me to follow my heart and never, ever questions my goals. I am thankful for two wonderful sisters who I couldn't live without, or would hate too. I am thankful for friends in my life that are never ending. Friendship is hard work like any relationship and there are many people in my life who work extremely hard to keep our relationship growing and for that I am grateful. I am thankful for my aunt, who always has a funny story to share and who listens to me when I need an ear and keeps my grandparents memory alive by always speaking of them. I am thankful for in laws who strive to be a part of our lives and who always see the positive in situations, even when I or Dave can't find any.

Third, I am thankful for my work ethic. Funny to be thankful for huh? Well, I can tell you if there is one thing I know I do well is work. I may not be great at everything in life, but I can get my bottom out of bed every single day and at least attempt to be good. I have always been thankful for having a strong work ethic.

Fourth, I am thankful for my house and health. My Dad always told me this "If you can't pay for anything else, pay your rent. You can't work if you don't have a place to stay." I always thought it was so funny but it's true. I am thankful the Lord has blessed me with this healthy body that enables me to pay for my house. I am not a very materialistic person, I like nice things but am finding more and more that my happiness comes from serving others and being a good steward in my walk with the Lord. Again, I'm not always super great at this but I am trying.

Maybe later I'll find more things to be thankful for but right now I think these just about take care of it.

Garage Sale, Babysitting, and Birthday Party

This weekend was full of laughs, catching up with old friends, hanging out with new friends, and pretty much nothing on Sunday. Friday night we had Brenna and Braiden for a little bit while getting everything ready for the garage sale we had Saturday. I'm sad to report that it was not as productive as we had hoped, although we did get rid of a few large items that I was extremely happy to see go. Cody and Whitney came by for a bit to hang out and see what super cool things we were selling, and Heather even brought over Avery to help get everything sold. Avery is such a good baby! She just sits and looks and smiles at you, no crying for her. We love those kind of babies at our house, the other kind make me nervous. I don't know what the crying babies want or need. HA!

Saturday night Dave and I went to dinner at this very cool local BBQ place that we LOVE. They have the BEST nachos there, yes nachos. They are topped with queso, pork, and BBQ sauce. Then we headed off to my friend Amber's to celebrate her birthday. A good group of us came and had a blast!! We played Pictionary and Catch Phrase and just hung out. It was extremely entertaining! Although today Dave and I paid for it because we woke up feeling a little under the weather if you know what I mean. :)

I would have pictures but I am waiting on another blogger friend that was at the party with us to post them! (hint, hint, Kristine!) :)

On to another week, can you believe Thanksgiving is a week from Thursday! Oh my!!

Thursday Nights

Ah, what to do....what to do.............my brain is just on overload and can not stop thinking!!! I HATE that. Choices and decisions. I wish I could just say "poof!" and decisions are made for me. Just can't stand agonizing over decisions, it just sucks!

I'm looking forward to this weekend, Dave and I are watching Braiden and Brenna tomorrow night while getting ready for our garage sale Saturday morning (wishful thinking that we can sell EVERYTHING we are putting out there so it's OUT of here and I don't have to look at it anymore). Our poor lab is needing a surgery on his leg so our garage money will be going towards that. Boo. He is really hurting and sad and I can't even stand to look at him sometimes. You know when you really want to do something and can't, that's like C'Mere. He LOVES to fetch and we can't play with him because the vet says it's just hard on his leg. You can tell it's just killing him!

Thursday nights are my FAVORITE! Of course today there is a poopie football game on so Dave is watching that. BOO. Isn't one full day of football enough for us women??

The Office is such a hoot! Love it. It's almost over so I'll be going now to watch it!!! :)

November 21st Events

This will be short but I wanted to let you know two super fun things coming up on November 21st. From 10-2pm Dina over at There's no place like Home is having her 4th Annual Christmas Open House. I am so there! She is very creative and the one I tell all my friends about who has the very unique and stylish decorating ideas for her house. I am planning on attending so if anyone else wants to go, let me know! I would love to have some company!

From 1-3pm at Inglewood Baptist Church my mom is having her 10th Annual Cindy Tamplin Memorial Tea. This is for a very cool cause and it's all about dishes!!! All proceeds go to Brighter Tomorrows Women's Shelter. There is a silent auction and it's $10 to get it, you get to eat and look at lots of cool table settings with some very cute dishes! I will be setting a table this year but you will have to come to see it :)

If you are interested in either one, let me know!! I will be a tired girl that night, that's for sure!

Scrapbooking and Kids

Oh weekends, why must you go by so quickly? It is already Sunday and I'm sitting here enjoying a cup of coffee and honestly listening to a Celine Dion concert on TV (which is quite nice actually) and getting ready for the day. I don't plan on doing a ton, I have lots of cleaning to do and maybe some grocery shopping. This weekend has been very nice, I didn't have to work which is lovely. Friday I got off work and went for a pedicure with Sherry and came back and fell asleep quite early! But Saturday consisted of cleaning out "Dave's Room" (which will be his man cave to keep all his hunting stuff and fishing gear in) and got things ready for the garage sale we will be having next Saturday. Thank goodness, I'm so ready to get rid of some of this stuff we have been keeping entirely way to long. We had a nice family dinner Saturday and then I went over to my friend Traci's house to do some scrap booking!! She is so creative and has so much cute stuff, it reminded me I need to stock up on some more of my scrapbook material! Look at this super cute wedding album she made:

So cute!!! I'm going to get her to make me one! How creative is that! If anyone is interested in ordering one, let me know and I'll send you her contact information. She has done several other ones that are just adorable!

This has been a very good but kind of weird weekend. I have been pondering several things about my life, job wise and yes kiddy wise. I am ready for Dave and I to start a family, and he is ready too. You know, we have been talking about it for a while. Mainly because he is 30 and I'll be 28 and we want two kids. I try really hard not to plan that stuff because we all know the Lord has different plans than our own. But what scares me about it is I want to have a job that when I do get pregnant and can see myself at for years to come. I'm in the process of starting a teacher certification program.

I fought the idea of teaching for forever. Both my parents were in the education field so I kind of have biased opinion of growing up in a teaching family and always told myself I would not be a teacher. But I took some education courses throughout my college career and have really been thinking about it long and hard for quite sometime. There are many pluses and minuses about any career but currently I miss the feeling of having an impact on the lives of others. I don't get that feeling with my position currently and I think teaching would be a great fit for me. I am looking to do high school, no elementary school for me! :)

I just pray and keep positive about where my life is going and know that God will lead me in the right direction. It's scary to think about a career change, but I want to do it BEFORE I have children. Once you have kids I think it's harder to take the leap and change something in your life because you have another person to be responsible for and myself along with Dave are in a position right now we can really figure out what we want to do so we can plan for kids :)

Geez, I NEVER thought those words would come out of my mouth. Scary, guess I really am an adult now!

First Run and Housewives

I wanted to blog, really just document that I am officially COMMITTING to getting up at least 4 times a week and going for a run, or walk, or doing one of my super fun work out videos I have at home. SOMETHING. Dave started his new schedule which involves him getting up at 5:30, so I am now taking this opportunity to get my lazy bottom out of bed to do something active before work. This is for myself, to hold me accountable. Just needed to get it down so I can look back and see if I stayed committed or not. :)

Also, I have to say WOW! Did anyone watch The Real Housewives of Orange County last night? Geez louise!! Those ladies are freakin crazy! Most of them are going broke, Grethan is full of it (I think) and Vicki is still my favorite! I have not yet watched Parks and Recreation or the Office from last night so that is on my agenda for this weekend!

We had dinner with my parents last night and it was yummy! I have left overs from Matt's Mexican Restaurant in Uptown Village in Cedar Hill so that is one of my highlights of today. Sad I know but it was so good! :)

Happy Friday guys!

Weekend Wrap Up, a few days late

So yes I'm a few days late on the weekend wrap up but that's OK. We have had a busy few days! I had to work Saturday at the KLTY Business Expo, which turned out to be a good event but slower than expected. Although I was WAY excited about meeting Frank Reed from the morning show. One of the workers probably thinks I'm crazy because I heard he would be there and kept asking which one he was.......I just think it's cool to actually see someone and see how different they look in reality compared to what we think in our heads. He was very friendly and his family was very nice too! He spoke about how to run a Godly business and be successful.

After my event and Dave's very exciting day of his Concealed Hand Gun class (yes, he is now certified to carry, oh my!) we went to celebrate our first anniversary! Our original plan was to go the Catfish Plantation, but we got there and the wait was very long (it being Halloween and all) so we went to a place that looked very similar to Texas Roadhouse..............I won't go any further, I feel like I was cheating on my old stopping grounds.

Yeah just realized the label is showing, so yes we went to Logan's Roadhouse. It was very yummy, minus the queso they gave us that was cold.

The top layer of our wedding cake. A girl from work asked me if married people actually eat their top layer. I thought it was funny because I wondered the same thing before I was married. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. But we did have some just to say we did :)

Then Monday night, our friend Lisa came in town for business so Leslie and I met up with her to eat some dinner. Tex Mex of course! She lives in New Mexico and always says tex mex is just not the same there. It was a fun night of catching up and lots of laughs, always is with Lisa!!!

Which by the way, I love love love the gray sweater I got at Target. It was only $20, which actually seems like a lot to me because I'm to the point where I only buy clothes if they are on sale. Old Navy was having a huge sale over the weekend, I got two shirts for $11. Very nice!!

I am SO excited about this weekend. It's the first weekend I have had off since the beginning of September. We have some big plans of which laying around and relaxing are a huge part of the agenda. YAY! Can't wait!!!