I need a new case for my iPhone and I love this idea! Get a clear case and insert pretty scrapbook paper so you can constantly update the look of your case. I just might have to try this!
I am totally doing this in my kitchen. It's a faux roman shade and looks like it will be totally easy. Although those instructions for folding a fitted sheet looked pretty darn easy too and I never did figure that out!
How adorable are these!? The first ECU football game is in Charlotte this weekend but I will sadly be missing it. But I'm kind of glad I didn't get tickets because now it looks like I will be going to the beach! Woo Hoo! But I'll be cheering on my Pirates from the seashore. Go PIRATES!
I have a problem when it comes to self-control. I suck at it.
I was doing pretty well with keeping my shopping under control when I was doing my envelope budgeting. But I took the month of August off because I got a bonus and was doing a lot of upgrades to my house, and well now I need to stop the bleeding. I have shopped more in the last month than I had in the previous 6 months! I am going back to envelope budgeting this month and sticking to it!
When it comes to shopping I am also a sucker for sales. Just look what I bought at the Borders going out of business sale yesterday!
Granted I got 8 books and 2 audio books for about $40 which is really good! But do I really need all those books? And I am contemplating going back today to buy the Twilight box set because it is half price! Someone please take my wallet away!
Another area I need to get under control is my diet. I think I might have an addiction to sugar. Or maybe just all food in general. I try. I try to track my calories and I will do good for a few weeks and then it all goes to crap. Usually when I am traveling I have a hard time sticking to a good eating plan and since there was a lot of traveling this month, the diet AND exercise plans have been pretty much non-existent. I still go to the gym here and there (I even went on Saturday in the middle of the hurricane!), but it is not consistent.
So for the month of September I am going to give up DIET SODAS. I usually drink at least one Diet Mountain Dew or Diet Dr. Pepper per day. But no more. I am going to give them up. All those chemicals can't be good for you even if there are no calories. Hopefully this will help me get my cravings a little more under control. And I find when I can show complete control in one area it often spills over into other areas.
I'm also going to start the "Ease into 10K" training plan on my iphone this week. I loved the Couch 2 5K app and this is similar but for 10k distance. I'm going to do an 8k in November, so I figured this would be a good program to start to prepare for that. And I think I'm going to give the Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30 DVD a go again. Hopefully this time I will make it past week 2!
One thing I have been able to give up for good is smoking. Since I quit back on March 9, I have had only one full cigarette and one puff. The full cigarette was back in July at a party and it wasn't even that good. I couldn't even smoke the whole thing. I had a puff from one earlier this month and it was nice, but I am not even going to think about starting that nasty habit again. I still get a craving for one sometimes, but I never ever want to be a smoker again, so I just push the craving away and move on. I feel so much more free since giving up cigarettes!
Now I just need to apply that self-control to other areas of my life!
I am officially declaring the month of September- Self-Controlled September. I am going to focus this month on my self-discipline. I am going to start healthy habits and stop unhealthy ones. I WILL DO THIS! and you guys better hold me to it!
What do you have a hard time showing self-control with? Any tips for improving my self-control? Any other suggestions for Self-Control September? I'll keep you updated on my progress.
This weekend I decided to try out church on Saturday night. I went to the 4:15 pm service and it was nice because I still had my whole Saturday night to enjoy and it put me in the right mind-frame to make good decisions for the night. We had a Christian rapper- Shai Linne- at church this weekend. I thought it was just something they did on Saturday night to be cool, but apparently he performed Sunday morning too. It wasn't cheesy at all. I really enjoyed it actually. Here's a little sample I found on YouTube of his stuff:
We are doing a study on abiding in the Gospel- how if you are constantly reminding yourself of what God has done for you, your attitudes and actions will naturally change. Our pastor often refers to it as organic change vs. mechanical change. What does abiding in the gospel look like? Well our study says it looks like a wheel:
The Gospel is at the center of the wheel. When you are constantly reminding yourself of what Jesus did for you these things will naturally flow out of that forming the "spokes" of the wheel:
1. Prayer & Bible Study
2. Character
3. Community
4. Evangelism & Missions
5. Generosity
Last week the sermon was on Prayer and Bible Study. I am not very strong in these areas, but I am getting better. One of the questions from the study on this that got to me was:
What does your schedule/calendar reveal to be most important to you right now?
I don't have a scheduled time for God every day. I will say short prayers throughout the day as I think about things, but I don't schedule time with God except for my weekly small group and church. If someone looked at my calendar what would the most important thing in my life be? Right now, if you took out work which takes up the biggest chunk of time, it would sadly be reality TV- Big Brother and Bachelor Pad have got me hooked!
This week the sermon was about character. We looked at Galatians 5:16-26 which compares the fruit from 2 different trees- fruits of the flesh and fruits of the spirit. I'm a very visual person so I drew a picture in my notes:
Basically what does my life look like every day? Is it full of greed, envy, gossip, anger, etc. or is it full of love, joy, peace, patience, etc.? Sadly it is probably the first one on most days.
In relation to this topic...Earlier this week someone asked me if any of my co-workers were Christians. Honestly I have no idea. If I can't tell if they are Christians how can someone tell I'm a Christian? Can people tell from the way I am that I am a Christian? Shouldn't they be able to? I don't want someone to have to ask me if I am a Christian or see a cross around my neck to know that I am a Christian I want them to be able to tell from my actions. And not out of some duty or obligation. I want them to know I belong to Christ because I love Him. But I don't want them to think of me as some religious, judgmental person. And then another part of me doesn't even care at all what others think of me because I already know what God thinks of me and that's all that matters.
Faith seems so secretive nowadays. I mean you're never supposed to talk about politics or religion right? But aren't those some of the most important things to discuss?? I must confess I even feel bad writing these Sunday Snippets like I'm being preachy or offending someone or something. But I'm just a girl that loves God and is finding and defining my faith. Why can't I share that with others without feeling guilty?
Maybe I should bring back my defining character series?
There's a sneak peek inside my brain for today...no real conclusions, just lots of questions. And you know what? it's ok to have lots of questions. i find i always do the most maturing when i am full of questions.
I've seen some good movies recently and wanted to share with you guys what I thought of them:
I went to see this movie with a good friend and her mom on my birthday. I took the day off work (even though I wasn't leaving for my trip until later that day). I HIGHLY recommend taking the day off work on your birthday even if you have nothing to do. It was so nice to do whatever I wanted that day. And if you are a summer baby like me, maybe one of your teacher friends who has the summer off will be able to hang out with you!
Anyway, I LOVED this movie! It was a little different than the book, but they did stay pretty close to the storyline. Although they did leave out some of the best stories from the book! I'm not a crier at movies and I did tear up a couple times. I was also laughing out loud at some of the scenes! I highly recommend you go see this one!
I rented Limitless from the Blockbuster kiosk using a free movie rental code a friend had posted on Facebook. I love, love, loved this movie. Bradley Cooper is hot and I loved the idea and the thrill of trying to figure out what is going to happen. Basically Brad Cooper's character starts taking this pill that allows him to use more of his brain power than normal people. I seriously was imagining all the possibilities if I could take a pill like this. I'd love it! But it turns out there is a huge downside. I'm not going to give away anyting, but if you like thriller, edge-of-your-seat type movies, you'll probably like this.
I also rented this movie using a free Blockbuster kiosk coupon code. (Warning- the kiosk will only let you use one promo code at a time so rent one and then return it to use another one if you have more than one promo code.) This was another "thiller- figure-it-out" type of movie. The basic premise is can you change the plan, or path, or destiny that has been laid out for you? Matt Damon's character meets a girl he is not supposed to be with according to "the plan". The Adjustment Bureau tried to get him away from the girl and back on track. It was a good movie but at the end I was like "Nope I trust God's plan for me more than anything I might want- including love."
Also go check out my Bookshelf Blog for the full reviews of these books:
I am linking up with The Vintage Apple again for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!
If you aren't on Pinterest, you need to be. Send me a message if you need an invite! And please follow me on Pinterest so I can follow you and see all the pretty things you are loving!
How pretty is this? According to Wikipedia, Loi Krathong (or Loy Krathong, Thai: ลอยกระทง) is a festival celebrated annually throughout Thailand and certain parts of Laos. Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the 12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar. In the western calendar this usually falls in November.
"Loi" means "to float" and a "krathong" is traditionally made from a section of banana tree trunk. Modern krathongs are more often made of bread or styrofoam.During the night of the full moon, Thais will float their krathong on a river, canal or a pond lake.
Loi Krathong coincides with the Lanna (northern Thai) festival known as "Yi Peng" (Thai: ยี่เป็ง). A multitude of Lanna-style sky lanterns (khom loi (Thai: โคมลอย), literally: "floating lanterns") are launched into the air where they resemble large flocks of giant fluorescent jellyfish gracefully floating by through the sky.
The most elaborate Yi Peng celebrations can be seen in Chiang Mai, the ancient capital of the former Lanna kingdom, where now both Loi Krathong and Yi Peng are celebrated at the same time resulting in lights floating on the waters, lights hanging from trees/buildings or standing on walls, and lights floating by in the sky.
This might be my all time favorite quote from a book. I cried my eyes out when I read it. I might go to the midnight opening for this one! The Hunger Games movie premieres March 23, 2012. I cannot wait!
I was so excited when I saw this pin! An easy way to fold fitted sheets! WOO HOO! Yeah, ummm...I tried this Sunday night and I could not get it to work for me. After 10 minutes of repeating the steps and re-reading the instructions, I gave up. Little Miss Martha Stewart I am not.
Unroll 1 package of crescent rolls to cover the bottom of a 9x13 baking dish. Mix together cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and melted butter. Spread the cream cheese mixture over the crescent roll layer. Cover the cream cheese layer with the other package of crescent rolls. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes.
It's been a while since I have done a Sunday Snippets. I'll admit, I was a little slack over the summer. With lots of weekend trips and too many late-nights on Saturdays, I missed quite a few Sundays at church. We also took a break from our Bible study group over the summer, so I wasn't as "in the Word" as I normally am.
But church sure was back in full force this morning! Most of the college kids are back from summer break and you would have thunk NKOTB was playing at church this morning. It was packed out! We had to fill the lobby with chairs and people were even sitting on the floor! It was craziness.
I volunteer for our 11:00 service and pass out bulletins as people walk in. I ran out. Twice. While the rest of the team was scrambling to get extra chairs for the lobby, I was hunting down more grape juice for communion. We had to get extra trays for the cups too. And just in case you where ever wondering how they fill all those tiny little cups, there is actually a contraption for that. I'm not sure of it's official name, but here is what the cup-filler-uper looks like:
Anyway, we are starting a series called Gospel: The Revolutionary Power of the Christian Life. I'm excited for this series. Our small group is taking a break from our Romans study to follow along with this one in our weekly study. I'm going to start with some of my favorite snippets from Part 1, which was last Sunday's sermon:
We live the Christian life out of love-filled joy, not duty-filled obligation.
God is after our motivations, not our actions.
Real change begins not with you being told what you need to do for God, but by believing what God has done for you.
The challenge is not earning God's love, but believing that God's love was given as a gift and releasing the power of that gift into your life.
How spiritual change happens? By abiding in the Gospel.
And this:
Want to listen to the sermons, follow along with a FREE study guide, and more?
For my birthday last weekend, I took a camping/rafting trip with 12 of my friends. We went up to Hot Springs, NC (just outside Asheville). I don't mind camping in a tent (I actually kind of like it) but I really didn't like the thought of setting up a tent by myself in the dark, so I opted to stay in the cabin. The first night they messed up our reservation and we ended up in the mack-daddy cabin with 4 bedrooms, kitchen, living room (with TV), and bathroom (with a shower)! It was awesome. The second night we were in this:
Believe it or not, there were 6 of us in that tiny thing! It was basically one room with a small loft area with a double sized sleeping mat, a bunk bed with a twin on top and double on the bottom, a sink and a toilet, and we set up a twin sized cot that took up the rest of the floor space. It wasn't that bad, but it was tight.
But we were right by the river and right across from our other friends in tent city.
the river
We went white water rafting Saturday afternoon. I was a little disappointed with the rapids. They were supposedly class 3, but they were not scary at all. The scariest thing I experienced that day was when we stopped to jump off this cliff into the river. I did not want to do it from the get go, but everyone else was and they were all urging me to too. I got to the top of the cliff and looked over and ummm...no. It was so much higher from up there and I do not like the feeling of falling so I did not do it. I got up there on the edge twice, but could not force myself to do it! I had to endure the embarrassment of walking back down to the river.
We also got to soak in the natural hot springs that night. It was freaking HOT! I couldn't stay in the whole time, but maybe some of those natural healing powers in the water did some magic for my aging body!
I also got my bamboo floors installed last week! Here are some pics:
see that basket?- i take my shoes off when i come home now
Kitchen- and my pets making out?
kitchen again
living room
dining room
Bamboo floors are supposedly harder and more environmentally conscious. I got the Teragren Synergy Wide Plank Strand bamboo in Chestnut. So far I am really happy with them!
I also bought my first ever TV. It is so nice! It even has Wifi and internet apps like Twitter, Netflix, Facebook, etc. right on the TV! It's a Vizo 47" LCD HDTV. Right now on Amazon it is $1,189.99, but I got it for $849 from Amazon a few weeks ago when it was on sale!
that's my twitter feed along the side!
it's big and the picture is so crisp!
I had some issues with the picture just randomly freezing sometimes, but I called customer service and did their "fix" and it hasn't done it since.
Overall it was a wonderful birthday weekend! I know it all seems a little extravagant and yes, it is. But you have to realize I have had the same TV for over 12 years (it was almost 20 years old total) and I have wanted the floors since I moved in my townhouse 6 years ago (and my mom paid for those)! So this was a long time in the making! So please don't judge.
I really need to do a real update about my birthday weekend and my new hardwood floors, but I need more time to compile that, so I am linking up with The Vintage Apple again for Oh, How Pinteresting Wednesday!
And please follow me on Pinterest so I can follow you and see all the pretty things you are loving!
I love this idea! I am always forgetting birthdays. I also want to try to send out actual birthday cards to my friends for their birthdays because everyone loves snail mail!
We just started Bible study back up after taking a break for the summer. Man I missed it. Life and my overall mood is just so much better when I am spending more time with God.
My bamboo floors are getting installed as we speak!! So excited! But I think I'm going to need some rugs now. I'm thinking about getting this one from West Elm for my living room. What do you think?
I LOVE this tattoo! I want another tattoo. I want one on my wrist but I think this placement looks cool too. I'm just afraid my poor little feet are too sensitive for this. I can barely get a pedicure without jerking my foot out of the lady's hands because they are so ticklish!
Of course I need some thinspiration! I totally fell off the diet/work-out wagon last week due to my busy schedule and traveling. In fact I went to the gym on Monday and I think it was the first time I put on my tennis shoes in 2 weeks! I stopped doing Jillian's Ripped in 30 workout (only got through weeks one and two). Life always seems to get in the way of my goals! I wanted to run a 9 minute mile to mark #1- get in the best shape of my life off my list. I haven't ran in over 2 weeks and I tried at the gym this morning and got a mile in 10:05. I am most def. not in the best shape of my life right now.
These lemon drop jello shots look awesome! I love jello shots but they are so awkward to eat from a cup. These look adorable and they look like they'd be easy to eat too!
Are you guys watching Bachelor Pad? I didn't watch the last one, but I had to watch this one because Graham is on it! Graham was my personal trainer a few years ago before he moved to New York and he was such a good personal trainer (and not just because he was nice to look at). He really is a nice guy. I am not happy to see him hooking up with crazy Michelle and teaming up with team Vienna, but I'm still rooting for him. But Graham- eat a cookie or something because you are looking way too skinny!
P.S.- I'm almost to 300 followers! If I get to 300 followers before midnight tomorrow, in honor of my birthday, I'm going to do an awesome giveaway for you guys! So if you love my little old blog, please tell your friends and ask them to follow me! 310 would be even better becasue it would match up with turning 31, but I'll take an even 300!! :)
I hate being called ma’am. When did I become a ma’am? It makes me feel old.
But you know what? I am old(er). I’ll be 31 in just a few days. Actually IN my thirties! It’s kind of scary, but it’s good too. I’m starting to see myself as more of a woman than a girl. I still have a lot of girl in me, but I think I have also matured into a strong, beautiful woman. I’m not going to try to pretend I know all the answers to life or anything because I don’t, but I’m a lot more of a woman and a lot less of a girl than I was five years ago.
Girls are insecure but may not always recognize it and try to hide it.
Women are less insecure but are much more open about their insecurities.
Girls HAVE to have the attention of boys and will do almost anything to get it.
Women like the attention of a man, but won’t compromise themselves to get it.
Girls want fantasy land where the prince sweeps them off their feet and they live happily ever after.
Women want a good life with a man they love and can build a life with- the good and the bad.
Girls will throw caution to the wind for the sake of a good time.
Women like to have fun, but think about how their actions may affect their future.
Girls will go into debt for the sake of fashion.
Women will forsake fashion to get closer to financial freedom (or at least financial stability).
Girls will talk about you behind your back but never tell it to your face.
Women try not to talk behind your back and have more courage to tell you what they think.
Girls are more about themselves than others.
Women are more about others than themselves.
There is nothing wrong with being a girl. We are all girls before we are women. I sometimes miss that carefree girl I was in my twenties. But I am embracing this new phase of my life. It’s not a bad transition, just different. I am finally learning to embrace being a woman and letting go of some of the girl in me.
I’m also starting to realize this is my life and no one else’s. Their path won't always fit mine and my path won’t fit theirs. We all have to make our own way. Sometimes we are lucky enough to have people going along that same path with us and sometimes we walk alone. You learn a lot when you get lost. Sometimes you run. Sometimes you need to stay still for a while and rest. The days seem to matter so much, but really it is the years that give you the perspective you need. The accumulation of experiences and the passage of time really show you how far you’ve come. And a day is just a day. Problems that seem so huge look so tiny when you see them in the rearview mirror. All you can do is do the best you can, help others, and have fun along the way.
(This post was semi-inspired today by this post about How to Live a Great Love Story. My love life seems so hard and sometimes hopeless and right now pretty much non-existent, but that post made me realize how much I’ve changed over the last few years and that even though it may not be easy, hopefully in the end it will be worth it. And you know what, even if I never find love again, I've had a love story. It was short and yes, I think life will be hard alone, but it's ok. I'm not so afraid anymore. Either way, life will go on.)
My birthday is Friday. I will turn 31. Guess what. The list is still not complete. At this rate I will be 40 before I finish. I'm trying not to think about it too much.
I hate birthdays. I'm trying not to be so negative about it because really it is just another day and you feel no different than the day before. Whatever. I took the day off and I am going to the mountains for the weekend with my friends to go white water rafting, so hopefully nothing terrible can happen. I still might have a breakdown about getting older and not being where I thought I would be, but I will try to do that in private to spare everyone from my negativity.
But I did get the best birthday present ever from my mom this year! Bamboo hardwood floors! They are going in on Wednesday. At least I will be able to mark #18- upgrade one room in my house, off my list!
I also got a bonus at work and bought my very first TV. I had never bought a TV before. I inherited a huge, heavy, monstrous, wood encased TV from my Grandpa back in 1999 and I finally sold it last Thursday. I almost shed a tear seeing the empty space it left in the living room. I'd had that TV for 12 years! I hope the Hells Angel that bought it for $20 off my craigslist ad enjoys it! And thank goodness I will never ever have to move that thing again because it is seriously as heavy as a freaking piano!
Question of the day- Birthdays: love them, hate them, or indifferent?
This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. This is the week we have our timeshare at the beach. It isn't much. It's tiny and it is old. But it is familiar and relaxing.
My friends Steph and Kristin came down with me. We had a great time reading and relaxing on the beach, eating good food, and getting slightly sunburned.
Kristin is getting married in less than a month. She didn't want to have a bachelorette party and get wasted and wear a fake veil and be decorated in penis paraphernalia, but we did want to make this weekend special for her since it will likely be her last all girls trip before becoming a Mrs.
Well, I think it will be a weekend she'll always remember because she has a permanent reminder now:
She had been talking about how much she wanted this tattoo forever so we found a tattoo place with a cute name- Inkspiration -and she did it! I think it is super cute and fits her style and personality. I want to get a tattoo on my wrist, but I'm not quite ready yet.
We also made her an impromptu bachelorette cake! Think what you will, but we were cracking up about it!
It was a great girls weekend indeed! I'm heading back tomorrow night after work so I can have one more beach day before our timeshare week is over. Life is just better with a little sun, sand, and water mixed in!
A few months ago I found out that they offer surfing lessons through the NC Aquarium Outdoor programs for only $25! I thought this was an awesome deal so I convinced my friend Steph to sign up to go with me when we went to down to my family's timeshare at the beach in August.
Yesterday was D-day. I had tried not to think about it too much up to this point because I knew I would freak myself out. I am not a huge fan of being IN the ocean. I have this huge irrational fear of jellyfish. I can barely be in the ocean for an extended period of time without freaking out because of this fear.
Also, this week is Shark Week in case you didn't know. The night before, Steph left the TV on to fall asleep to and she left it on the Shark Week channel. So I had fallen asleep to stories and images of huge, fierce Great White Sharks. Perfect. Now I had images of getting eaten by a shark floating through my head as well.
So by the morning of I was really freaking out. Was I going to even be able to get up? What was this lesson going to be like? What if I got attacked by a shark or jellyfish?
Oh and we were running late (as usual for me). Would we even make it on time?
We get there it is 4 kids (with their parents) and us- the old people. At this point it almost becomes comical to us. There are 2 young guys giving us the safety talk and then they call us out because we are not wearing rash guards. Wonderful. Now I am embarrassed as well as scared.
At this point I really don't want to do this. Really. do. not. want. to. do. this.
But we suck it up and carry our surfboards down to the beach.
Then they show us how to pop ourselves up. Basically you lay on the board and using only your arms push yourself up and quickly put your feet firmly on the board underneath you. Go try this. Only use your arms. Do not use your feet to push up at all. Just lay on the floor and then pop yourself up and get your feet underneath you. It isn't easy. Unless you are a kid apparently...the 12 year olds didn't seem to have a huge problem with it.
Then we get out in the water and the 2 guys offer to help push us in to the waves to get started. One guy comes over to help me and Steph and the other one stays with the kids.
The guy is hot. With beautiful blue eyes.
Honestly I had more fun laying on the board, flirting with surfer hottie while he waited for the perfect wave to push me in to. He was so nice and funny. Trying to freak me out about sharks in the water among other things. He even dove under my board and tried to grab my feet to make me think it was a shark. I'm a sucker for pretty eyes.
Too bad he was only 20. Yes 20. Made me feel old as crap and I wished I could just go back to 20 and relive the last 10 years of my life. Oh well. He was still nice to look at!
Steph was more fearless than me and managed to get up 5 times in our first 2 hours.
I however was too chicken to stand all the way up. I also kept having this weird thing happen where the tip of the board would briefly dip under the water and splash me in the face making it impossible for me to stand up in time.
McHottie would not stop picking on me about how Steph was "winning" and I wasn't! But it didn't bother me really. For some reason my competitiveness just didn't kick in.
I did manage to stand up for a brief second on one wave towards the end. Success!
We talked all day about how we wish we would have taken a pic, but unfortunately we didn't manage to get one because we were too busy trying to catch some waves!
So all in all I think I at least had a better first time surfing experience than this guy (hilarious!):
It was fun. I think next time we take a beach trip we are going to rent a board for the day to practice our skills. I'm going to have to do some major chest and arm workouts before then so I can perfect the pop-up maneuver.
It also really made me want to see the movie Soul Surfer because I really want to see how she got back into surfing after that shark attack and how in the world she pops herself up with just one arm!
Have you ever tried surfing? What was your first time experience like?
