Sylvia's Graces

DIY Baby Booties

2012-02-05T17:13:00.001-06:00

I've been browsing Etsy drooling over the cute baby shoes. I've actually found some really good deals! As always though, I start thinking "Hey, I could do that." So, I turned to Pinterest (isn't it addictive) and found a tutorial. I definitely plan to try it out and I'll let you know how it goes!

Click HERE for the tutorial.

Wonder Woman

2012-01-30T11:50:00.000-06:00

While checking the news this morning, I came across this incredible birth story. An Iowa woman has given birth to a 13 pound 12 ounce baby boy. He was just over 23 inches long.

What makes her wonder woman? She delivered him naturally!

This may not seem interesting to some, but for this pregnant lady it's something to read about!

Click HERE to read the story and see the news clip.

Etsy Love

2012-01-25T09:36:00.000-06:00

Oh Etsy.... who doesn't love you?

I am drooling over these two gorgeous Amy Butler fabric diaper bags from Etsy.

Love them!

Updates

2012-01-22T11:25:00.000-06:00

First I want to thank all the prayer warriors who have been sending up prayers on our behalf!

On Monday I was scheduled to retake the glucose test. This time it was a three hour test. I did not pass the first hour, but I did pass the second and third hours which was enough to keep me from being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. Praise the Lord! My doctor has instructed me to keep an eye on my diet.

After the glucose test we had an appointment with our doctor. They did an unstrasound to check out sweet Mary Grace. She is still cute as a button and is doing great. She is no longer laying across my belly putting pressure on my kidney, which is a great thing! She's moved into a head down position. The ultrasound tech and the doctor both checked my cervix again and this time it had thinned even more to 2.1 mm. Very scary! At that point Bobby and I were trying to mentally prepare ourselves in case we ended up having our baby before the 34 week goal. I was put on even stricter bedrest. I know what you're thinking- isn't bedrest strict enough? Well, I just thought I had it tough before, but was now told to lay flat pretty much at all times. Only get up to use the restroom and only sit up to eat.

Monday and Tuesday were very hard days- not just physically, but emotionally.

On Wednesday we had our appointment with Dr. Naef, a specialist in Jackson, MS. Can I just tell you how much we loved him! He is such an awesome doctor! They did an extensive ultrasound on my kidneys. While there was still some fluid on my right kidney, it looked much better than it did during the last check. This is due in part to MG shifting off of it and the medications I've been on to treat the issue. Mary Grace looked great, as always! They even looked for things like cleft lip, etc.. Everything looks great! She's a little porker in that she is measuring a week bigger than we actually are. This is a good thing since they are thinking she may be born early. We were told by the specialist that she would not be an April baby, and instead would more than likely come in March. March 1st is our 34 week goal, so anytime after that is good. He has estimated that even if she comes early in March, she will probably weigh around 7 lbs. 8 oz. How he came up with that weight, I have no idea. He was so thorough and answered all our questions and them some. He assured me that this kidney issue will go away after delivery and it will not end up being something that I will have to deal with for the rest of my life.

But I still haven't shared the best news of all. On Wednesday my cervix had improved a little and had thickened up to 2.9 mm. Dr. Neaf said that the medications I'm on for contractions will often help with cervix issues. I'm giving God the glory for this miracle, not the meds. Can we say answered prayers! I am still on bedrest, but am not required to lay flat 24/7. I can get up and move around, but I cannot be on my feet more than 10 minutes at a time. I can even get out of the house from time to time as long as I take it easy and am not on my feet long. Words cannot express how relieved we are. Not having the fear of going into labor any minute and having our baby born so early has been a huge relief!

We will go back to the specialist at 31 weeks and again at 34 weeks. At the 34 week mark, we will not see him anymore because as he said "If she's born, she's born and she'll be okay." Meanwhile we will continue to see our regular doctor weekly.

Again, thank you to everyone who has called, sent cards and flowers, brought food and gifts, and just stopped by to ease my cabin fever. We have been overwhelmed by such an outpouring of love from our family, church family, and friends! Mary Grace is one lucky little girl to have so many people who love her already!

26.5 weeks

27.6 weeks

She had her hand over her eyes.

This Road

2012-01-14T15:52:00.002-06:00

On Tuesday, I woke up with lower tummy pains once again. We went to the doctor's office and were told the following:
An ultrasound showed there is fluid built up on my right kidney, and to make it worse, sweet MG is laying in a way that's putting pressure on the tube that drains my kindey into my bladder.
My cervix has started to thin. The minimum is 3 cm thick, mine was 2.4 cm. Thus, I'm on bedrest and taking meds every 4 hours to prevent any more contractions. Our new goal is to make it to at least 34 weeks gestation, which is March 1st. We are praying that my cervix will not continue to thin and that we can at least make it another 7 weeks. Bob and I keep joking that we will make it past our due date and end up being induced.

On Wednesday, the doctor's office called and said that I did not pass my glucose test. We are scheduled to retake it again on Monday morning before we see our regular doctor. We also learned that the urologist would not see me since I'm pregnant and now high-risk. We are now scheduled to see specialist who deals with high-risk pregnancy complications on Wednesday, Jan. 18th.

On Friday, the doctor's office called again and said that there was still a moderate amount of blood in my urine. They placed me on more medication to try and deal with that issue until we can figure out what the game plan will be on Wednesday.

Today (Saturday) my husband cut his finger pretty badly and is at this moment in the ER waiting to get stitches/treatment. Please say a prayer for him.

While looking through scriptures and asking the big 'WHY' question, I keep thinking about this song by one of my favorite Christian artists, Ginny Owens...

This Road
A million miles away from anything familiar
A thousand places I would rather be
So I choke back the tears and try to find the bright side
Though I find it hard to see beyond my suffering
In my heart I know Your plan is so much bigger
But this small part is all that I can see
And I believe you haven't left me here to wander
Still I can't help but ponder where You're leading me

Chorus:
And I ask why this road
Why this way and this load
Tell me how far I must go
'Til I see
'Til I know why this road

A million miles away from anythig familliar
What was it like to be so far from home
And though You came in love the world misunderstood You
There must have been some days when You felt so alone
But You endured 'cause there was joy before You
Joy that came because You sacrificed
Since You gave yourself just to spend forever with me
Surely I can trust You'll lead me through my darkest times

When I ask why this road
Why this way and this load
Tell me how far must I go
'Til I see
'Til I know why this road

From here I can not see why You'd choose this path for me
But I don't have to understand to believe that You know why

You know why this road
Why this way and this load
You know how far I must go
'Til I see
'Til I know why this road

This is not how things were supposed to be. This is not the road we were on just two weeks ago. This is not the load we wanted to carry or the path we wanted to travel. We just keep telling each other that although our situation has changed, our God has not.

We want to say a big thank you to everyone who has called, came by to visit, brought us food, and most importantly to those who have been praying. Right now we are specifically praying that I will pass this second glucose test. With everything else going on, gestational diabetes is the absolute last thing we want to deal with. Please continue to lift us up!

Let The Countdown Begin

2012-01-03T18:15:00.000-06:00

How Far Along? 25 weeks, 5 days…ONLY 100 DAYS TO GO! {please tell me that sounds like it is quickly approaching and I am not losing my mind}
Size of Sweet Mary Grace? 13.5 inches long and she weighs about 1.5 pounds...some websites say she is the size of a rutabaga, while others point to an eggplant--either way, she is growing like a weed.
Maternity Clothes? I'm still in most of my pre-pregger pants with the help of belly bands, and I have a few maternity pants. Shirts are another story! I may have 4 pre-pregnancy sweaters that I can wear, the rest of my shirts are all maternity.
Weight Gain? Drumroll please--14 pounds as of yesterday! At my last appointment on Dec. 21st, we were measuring right on the button for where we should be.
Stretch Marks? Nope, but my tummy itches quite a bit these days, so I know they're going to make their grand debut anytime now.
Gender? Sugar and spice and everything nice...that is what little girls are made of!
Movement? Sweet Pea is active morning, noon, and night these days. Her movements are strong enough now that my husband can see my belly moving and jumping! He first felt her kick the night before Thanksgiving. Now, he can just look at my tummy and know that she's wiggling around!
Sleep? I haven't been doing so great the past couple of nights, but that's due to this pesky little UTI. Still, I don't sleep as good as I did a few weeks ago.
Food Cravings? Several weeks ago I was craving soy sauce and anything oriental- but it only lasted a couple of days. There was about a month span where I craved original bubble flavored bubble gum. Other than that, I haven't really had cravings, but I do find myself leaning more towards fresh foods such as fruit, salads, etc...
What I Miss? My morning cup of coffee and sleeping on my tummy.
Symptoms? Heartburn and indigestion- YUCK! The old wives tale says that since I'm having those symptoms, she'll have a full head of hair. My money is on her being as bald as a cue ball (like I was). But I would just love her to have a head full of red hair. For those of you who don't already know, I've wanted red-headed babies for as long as I can remember.
Best Moment of the Week? Hearing that our sweet baby girl was just fine and dandy yesterday! Another good moment will be this Saturday when we order her nursery furniture!

A Little Scare

2012-01-02T18:36:00.001-06:00

We had a little scare today, but everything is okay and sweet Mary Grace is just fine.

Yesterday afternoon I started hurting in my lower right abdomen. It started getting pretty painful, and last night blood was showing up in my urine. I immediately started forcing down lots of fluids and tried laying on my left side for a bit. A few hours later the situation was still about the same. I called the doctor's office at about 11:30, and the answering service transferred me to the on call doctor. He said I needed to come in to Labor and Delivery to get things checked out. We ended up at L&D this morning and we were reassured when Mary Grace was doing fine on the monitors. A little while later we started having some light contractions. I was already scared to death, but when the nurse came in and started talking about the contractions, I just lost it. I was terrified! Ultimately, the contractions were being brought on by a severe UTI. The infection was the reason for the blood showing up in my urine, the pain in my abdomen, and was even causing some light contractions.

After being monitored for a while, things started settling down. We were assured over and over that everything was okay and that we would be just fine. We were later sent home with some meds to help clear up the infection and orders to take it easy and stay well hydrated.

And while the nurses and staff were wonderful, I do not want to see them again until April!

So, Mary Grace and I have been hanging out on the couch taking it easy this evening. We made it back home around 4:00 this evening and other than the same tenderness in my lower abdomen, everything is okay. It's uncomfortable, but other than that I feel fine!

If a pesky little infection is all we have to worry about, then we can handle it! I know there are far worse things we could be facing! We are praising God for being with us and letting it be something minor! A special thanks to our prayer warriors and everyone who has called to check on us!

2011 Year In Review

2011-12-31T20:52:00.001-06:00

January
The new year started off on a sad note- my brother was deployed to Afghanistan on the 2nd.
I turned 25. I remember thinking "I'm halfway through my 20's, and halfway to 50!"
We started our master bathroom overhaul- click HERE to see the post on this adventure.

February
We spent a wonderful weekend in Birmingham enjoying good worship, music, food, and time together.

March
March was a laid back month. We spend most of it working around our yard and enjoying the early Spring days.

April
We celebrated my husband's 33rd birthday.

May
This was a month of answered prayers. We had a bit of a health scare. Bob had surgery and our prayers were answered. Another answered prayer was my job- I was told I would be able to teach at SW again in the Fall. We were a bit concerned due to all the budget cuts, etc...

June
I spent most of June soaking up the sun. I stayed with my grandparents a good bit and enjoyed just spending time with them.

July
We celebrated 6 years of wedded bliss on the 22nd. Little did we know that an anniversary gift would be arriving 9 months later!

August
We found out we were expecting on August 5th and we were just in awe of what God had done for us. We saw our sweet baby for the first time on August 31st at our first doctor's appointment.

September
We finally announced our pregnancy to our family on September 3rd. This was also a special day because my brother surprised us all by coming home on leave for a few days!

On September 4th, I was blessed to witness my husband's baptism. This was an answered prayer many years in the making.
I had been asked to take over our young adult Sunday school class back in the Spring. As the new quarter rolled in, Bob and I began this mission together.

October
October was a slow month. We enjoyed the cooler weather and spent most of the month in 'negotiations' as to whether or not to find our the gender of our baby.

November
On November 10th we found out we were expecting a sweet baby GIRL! My brother was finally able to come home for good from Afghanistan. I was sick with a sinus infection over the Thanksgiving holidays, but we still enjoyed seeing our family and friends. On Thanksgiving day we were officially half-way through our pregnancy.

December
December was spent gearing up for the holidays (of which I was just not in the Christmas spirit). We also spent most weekends working in the nursery and finishing up a few last little projects around the house.

And there you have it- our year in review. 2011 was definitely a year of answered prayers- Bobby's health, my job, my brother returning safely from Afghanistan. Our biggest answered prayer was in God blessing us with a child. We had waited nearly 2 1/2 years for that answered prayer.

As wonderful as 2011 was, we are even more excited to see what the Lord has in store for us in 2012! This is the year our first child will be born! We are blessed beyond anything we deserve or could have ever imagined, and we give all the thanks and glory to our sweet Jesus!

"....for God has been gracious to me and I have all that I need."

Genesis 33:11

Baby Bump on Christmas Day

2011-12-25T21:13:00.000-06:00

Here is our baby bump at 24 weeks and 3 days along.

Can you tell how exhausted I am in this picture? This was Christmas night after we had finally made it back home from visiting our family. We had a fantastic Christmas and Mary Grace received so many great gifts! It was a bit surreal though, knowing that this was our last Christmas as just the two of us.

I'm still able to wear most of my pre-preggers pants with the help of a Belly Band (I bought mine at the Motherhood store and it has been a life saver!). Shirts are a different story as most of my pre-pregnancy shirts are getting too short for my belly. These days I'm pretty much in maternity shirts, and I do have a few pairs of maternity pants.

I've been stretch mark free so far, but I know the day is soon coming when that will all change. Everyone says that no matter how much coco butter you use, you will still get them. I'll have to learn that lesson the hard way, because I use it religiously (and as a result I walk around smelling like a giant chocolate bar).

23 weeks, 6 days - Checkup

2011-12-21T18:55:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday, December 21st, we had another great checkup! This time MG was very active! She ended up kicking the exact spot where the doppler wand was positioned on my tummy. It was too funny! Then she continued to roll around in my tummy, something my husband could see from where he was sitting and thought was very funny.

Mary Grace had a heart rate of 154 bpm, which is the highest it's been in a few months. I think it was because she was so busy practicing her ballet moves (or, as the nurse probably thought, her kickboxing moves).

This was the first time I inquired about my weight and measurements. I've deliberately not looked at the scales nor asked about my weight gain since our first appointment. But this time around I couldn't resist. So far I've gained 12 pounds. My belly measurement is 24 cm- which is right on the button since we will be 24 weeks tomorrow.

I love appointments where the only thing I'm required to do is give a urine sample and sit contently and listen to our baby's heartbeat. I've been forewarned that our next appointment will not be so pleasant.

We're scheduled to see the doctor again on January 16th. This will be the gross glucose screening and lovely lab workup. Yuck!

One bit of good news, we will soon get to have our 4D ultrasound! Since we have so much lab work schedule for next time, the ultrasound will probably be sometime in early February. We're excited and cannot to see our sweet Mary Grace!

Ready For A Stroll- or perhaps a Jog

2011-12-12T18:43:00.024-06:00

Look what ~~UPS~~ Santa brought tonight! We knew we wanted a jogging stroller and there are hundreds out there to choose from, but finding a jogging stroller travel system is nearly impossible. I finally found a jogger that is also a travel system, so I'll be able to use it fairly soon after MG makes her debut (that is, if ~~I'm~~ she's feeling up to it).

While there are some super cute, girly strollers and carseats out there, I wanted something neutral. I figured that a good jogging stroller is something we can keep for our future babies use, so I didn't want to order one in pink and have a little baby boy riding in it someday.

I insisted that my husband put it together tonight, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say that I've been pushing it around the house all evening. After all, we do need to get acquainted with how it and the car seat works!

Here's the stroller we ended up getting- it's the Baby Trend Expedition Jogger and the color is called green tea, but it's really all black with barely a hit of green piping along the carseat. Love it!

20 Weeks, 6 Days - Checkup

2011-11-30T18:26:00.001-06:00

On Wednesday, Nov. 30th we had another great doctor's appointment. We were 20 weeks 6 days along and everything looked good! Mary Grace's heart rate was 146 bpm. I love listening to her heartbeat. I'd lie there all day listening to it if they'd let me!

Our next appointment is scheduled for Wednesday, Dec. 21st.

20 Weeks

2011-11-24T16:38:00.001-06:00

We are now halfway through our pregnancy and our baby is now the size of a cantaloupe (according to thebump.com). Thanksgiving Day is the perfect day to reach this milestone. This year we are most thankful for this life that our precious Lord is creating. It seems like just yesterday we were praying for a child, and now we are halfway to meeting our sweet Mary Grace. This first half has flown by, and before we know it we will be holding our little girl.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Getting Started

2011-11-21T08:18:00.001-06:00

Saturday we officially decided on nursery furniture/decor and we bought Mary Grace's baby bedding! The hardest part was going through fabric swatches- I bet I looked at 100 before deciding on what I wanted for the chair/ottoman. I'm starting to get the nursery 'fever'. Things are starting to come together in my head of what I want the nursery to be. I'm ready to dig and start decorating!

My husband moved out our guest room furniture from the nursery. Now all I have to do is empty out one of her closets. My mom is coming to help steam clean the carpets. The room is pretty much a clean slate- now time to start filling it up with sweet baby girl things!

For the nursery, we had already painted the walls a nice mellow gray after we moved in. I love the gray and we didn't want to change the wall colors. I'm not really into loads of pink- I know that pink sort of comes with the territory when you're having a girl. Here are some nursery ideas we've found.

Below is the baby bedding we bought. It's the Grace collection from Bananafish. I love that the detailing is very girly, but without the usual pink colors.

19 Weeks

2011-11-17T18:25:00.000-06:00

Our baby is now the size of a mango! I felt her moving around more today than ever. Everything is going great and the 'bump' is getting bigger and bigger. I've been pretty sick since last Friday and my doctor ended up putting me on antibiotics for a sinus infection. I stayed in bed all weekend (thank goodness it was a three day weekend). I ventured to work on Monday only to come back home by noon. I was home sick Tuesday and slept much of the day. I'm still not 100%. Being sick is never any fun, but being sick and pregnant is the pits!

Here's to hoping I will be fully recovered by the end of the weekend. I want to enjoy my week off for Thanksgiving!

Oh another note, my brother came home today from Afghanistan! I took him out to dinner tonight. Words just cannot describe how I feel knowing he is safe and sound here at home! Thank you to everyone who has prayed for him and our family over the past 11 months!

And she shall be called.....

2011-11-11T09:08:00.000-06:00

My husband is the one who named her, and yes it is a good ole' southern double name! Both of our grandmothers are named Mary, and of course we had to have Grace. Grace is from my name, but mostly we chose it for my great-grandmother whom I was named after. Gracie always meant so much to me, and I'd give anything to share our special news with her! It think it's kind of neat- I was named after my two great grandmothers, and our daughter is too!

We cannot wait to meet our sweet Mary Grace!

Other names we considered: Audrey, Ava, and Caroline. If we have a second daughter, she will most likely be an Audrey.

Sugar and Spice

2011-11-11T09:00:00.000-06:00

We are thrilled to announce we are expecting a sweet baby GIRL! Words cannot express how excited we are! I wanted to have a surprise- and I definitely received one! I kept feeling like our baby was a boy, but turns out my husband was right! We cannot stop smiling and our hearts are just filled with awe and thankfulness at what our Sweet Jesus is doing for us!

Our sweet baby girl looks great! She's actually measuring above average on several growth areas. Her heart beat was a healthy 146 bpm. The anatomy scan looked great and we cannot wait to meet our sweet girl in April!

When we first started the ultrasound, she was sucking her little thumb. So sweet! She quickly started bouncing around and, as usual, she was giving the poor technician such a hard time! My husband thinks we may have a little spitfire on our hands. It took quite a bit of trying and maneuvering to see 'the goods', but we were able to get two clear shots. I just hope she's t

hat modest during her teenage years!

Baby Bump and The Big Day

2011-11-10T05:59:00.001-06:00

We're 18 weeks today! The belly is definitely starting to show!

Also, today is the big day- we find out if we're having a Little Lady or a Little Man!

New Posts

2011-11-09T17:03:00.001-06:00

I finally got around to publishing my pregnancy posts. Just scroll down to read the newest ones! I've backdated several of them for the sake of my journal- some go back all the way to September.

Sugar and Spice -or- Snips and Snails?

2011-11-08T22:45:00.001-06:00

It's official- my husband won the negotiations. We will find out the sex of our baby on Thursday!

So, will it be Sugar And Spice or Snips And Snails?

I think we're having a boy. I may regret this-but let me rephrase that- I know we're having a boy. I can't explain it. Mother's intutition maybe? In the same way I knew we were pregnant, I just know we're having a boy.

Signs we're having a boy:

My intuition.
Whenever I dream about the baby, I always dream we have a boy.
The ring test says it's a boy ( I did the one over the belly and the one over my left wrist- both said boy).
Anything I'm browsing through baby things, I am drawn to blue.

Signs we're having a girl:

The Chinese calendar predicts a girl.
Everyone (with the exception of me and my mother-in-law) feels like we will have a daughter.
We've had our girl name picked out practically since before we were expecting.
My husband feels we're having a girl. Then again, he's just saying that in the case that my intuition is wrong.

What do you think? Cast your vote on the left side of my blog!

I've Been Wating For This Moment

2011-11-04T13:06:00.000-05:00

I've been waiting for the moment when I feel my sweet child moving around in my tummy. That moment came this morning around 9:00 while I was teaching reading. It felt like popcorn popping in my tummy! There is no doubt that it was the baby moving!

It just keeps getting better everyday!

15 Week Appointment

2011-10-20T12:36:00.000-05:00

We had our 15 week appointment on October 20 and everything looked great! We did not have an ultrasound, but we did get to hear the baby's heartbeat- it was 158 bpm. This time my sweet husband was able to hear it in person (at my 11 week appointment, I called him and let him hear the heartbeat over the phone).

We are still in negotiations regarding the gender. We talked to the doctor about it, and they marked SURPRISE on our charts. So, they won't tell us unless we ask at our next appointment.

We are scheduled to have our big ultrasound on November 10th. At this point, we could find out if we decided not to let it be a surprise. We still haven't really made a decision yet. I'm just looking forward to being able to see how much our baby has grown!

Baby Bump

2011-10-13T12:42:00.003-05:00

We're 14 weeks today!

Negotiations

2011-10-10T12:32:00.000-05:00

Negotiations on whether or not to find out the gender of our baby have been going on since we found out we were expecting.

I want to let it be a surprise. I feel that in life there are very few truly great surprises- and this is one of them. Now, I know it would be easier to plan and decorate if we knew, but I honestly would enjoy the surprise so much more!

My husband says we have no idea how much our lives are going to change, and he doesn't want anymore surprises than there has to be. He wants to be as prepared as possible. He promises that we will keep our next baby a surprise.

So, we're negotiating.

Baby Bump

2011-10-01T12:39:00.001-05:00

As of today, we are 12 weeks & 2 days along! There's just barely a little bump there!

11 Week Appointment

2011-09-22T20:50:00.000-05:00

Our 11 week appointment was on September 22nd. My mom went to this appointment with me- she was dying to see the baby on the ultrasound. I was just amazed at how much our baby had grown in three short weeks! This time we were actually able to see a small arm, profile, and little legs. The baby kept moving and bouncing around! I would giggle and then he/she would get really still for a moment before starting up again.

Everything looked great and the heartbeat was 160 bpm. This time we were actually able to hear the heartbeat using the Doppler, rather than just seeing it on the ultrasound. It sounded like a train going over the train tracks. I could sit and listen to that for hours!

At my first appointment I just knew I'd have to do lab work. I loathe needles! Luck was on my side that time. I wasn't so lucky this time around. But seeing my sweet baby made it all worth it!

In the top picture, you can see a little arm sticking up. I dreamed about sweet baby arms and fingers for several nights afterward :)

These Days

2011-09-13T17:26:00.000-05:00

These days the only things on my mind are 1)sleeping and 2) when I'm not sleeping I think about food.

So far I've had a wonderful pregnancy, with little to no nausea. Well, except for today when I was set off by brushing my teeth (makes me gag like crazy these days). Oh, and then again when one of my students was sick in the hall. I normally can somewhat deal with that, but just the sight of it today sent me running to the restroom.

Anywho, due to little nausea, I've been able to eat just about anything I want. Well, these days I would love to chow down on some sushi, but it's off limits for me during the next several months.

Really the only big complaint, or symptom, is exhaustion. I sleep all the time. Let me say it again. I sleep all the time. I have zero energy, and to top it off I was sick with a cold most of last week and the weekend. So needless to say I was doing good to roll over in bed every few hours. All is better now in the cold department, and I'm quite proud of myself for actually blogging!

Due to this exhaustion, I've let some things lag. Mainly housework. But before I go into that I must give a very big THANK YOU to my amazing husband who has stepped up and cleaned for me. Still, our home just feels grungy. To try and motivate myself, I stopped after work to pick up some cleaning supplies- including some great apples and cinnamon candles (don't you love Fall?), rubber gloves, and a mask (just to be safe from the fumes). I was actually excited while stocking my buggy, but that excitement quickly vanished when I had to lug my loot up my back steps and into my house. Funny how that happens, isn't it?

Everything I hear and read says that my energy will come back during my 2nd trimester and that I'll feel more like myself again. These days I'm living for my 2nd trimester. We will be 10 weeks on Thursday, so not too much longer.

Okay, enough distraction. Yes, this is a distraction. I thought I'd feel better about not cleaning if I blogged rather than sitting and watching TV. At least this does qualify as being productive ;) I'm off to tackle our house. And dinner. Ugh, I forgot I have to cook dinner. I don't have it in me to do both, so I'm off to clean and call my sweet husband (maybe I can convince him to pick something up on his way home).

Sharing the News

2011-09-08T12:18:00.000-05:00

We found out our sweet baby was on the way August 5th, but decided to wait a bit before sharing our news. There were two main reasons for this: 1) We wanted to tell our parents in person, and 2) we wanted to have our first doctor's appointment first.

It's rare that all of our parents are in town at the same time, so finding a way to get them together without them growing suspicious was a feat in itself. My husband was set to be baptized on September 4th, so our family members would all be in town. The only family member we told early was my brother. He called one Saturday from Afghanistan and we shared our news with him. I so wanted to tell him in person, but didn't think I'd have the chance before he eventually found out through someone else. Telling him via phone is a bit ironic seeing as how things turned out.

We gave our parents a framed ultrasound photo with a sweet poem attached. We told my father-in-law first, and then went to tell my dad. Right after my dad opened his framed ultrasound picture, I turned and saw my brother standing in the doorway! He had surprised everyone by coming home on leave for a few days. See the irony here? It was a great day for surprises!

We then went to see my grandparents before meeting my mom for dinner. She did not know that my sneaky brother was home, so we decided to do a double-whamy on her. We went on into the resturant and was seated at a table, then my brother comes in behind her and sits down- I thought she would die of a heart attack! Then, he gives her a wrapped gift (her framed ultrasound photo). Looking back, it may have been a bit too much for her! We captured it all on video, and I'm hoping to get my tech savvy husband to upload it onto here.

Our last stop of the night was at my mother-in-laws house. She had absolutely no idea! I think she was the most surprised out of everyone! I will always remember the sweet look on her face and how excited she was for us! We then went to tell my husband's Grandmother, who was also very excited for us. By the end of the day, we were both exhausted. The next day was topped off by my husband's baptism, then our pastor sharing our special news with our amazing church family.

We mailed out pregnancy announcements to our family and friends. They turned out super cute- if I do say so myself.

I'm not really sure what's up with the colors

300th Post

2011-09-06T17:03:00.001-05:00

My last post makes number 300 for this blog!

Oh, Baby!

2011-09-06T16:57:00.001-05:00

We are thrilled to announce we are expecting our first child in April. We found out we were expecting on August 5th. We are 2 days shy of 9 weeks along and so far everything has been great. Our sweet bundle of joy is due on April 12th.

We told our family and friends this weekend. (Check back later in the week for a post on this). We have been so touched by all the sweet comments and well wishes! Baby James is blessed to have such a wonderful family, loving church family, and sweet friends.

We had our first doctor's appointment on August 31st. Seeing our sweet gift from God, and watching the tiny heart beat, brought us both to tears. We are just in awe of the miracle of life that God is creating.

So far our pregnancy has been wonderful. The only big symptom I've had is a lack of energy. I'm tired all the time and can sleep for hours. I can count on one hand the number of times I've felt bad or been sick, so I'm hoping I'll dodge the dreaded morning sickness.

We mailed out pregnancy announcements to our family and friends.Please excuse the dark and blurry picture.

It reads:

For you created my inmost being;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

Psalm 139:19

We are thrilled to announce

we are expecting our first child.

Baby James is due

April 2012.

Bobby and Sylvia.

Our First Appointment

2011-08-31T20:22:00.001-05:00

Our first doctor's appointment was on August 31st. We were 7 weeks, 6days along. This was the day I fell in love with ultrasounds. I just love having that magic window into my baby's little world! One of the first things I saw was my sweet baby's heartbeat just flickering away!

Everything looked great and our due date was set for April 12th. The heartbeat was 166 bpm.

My husband made a copy and put it in his wallet. I carried one around with me for days! I would just sit and look at my sweet blessing from above!

My Child

2011-08-05T16:32:00.000-05:00

Before you were conceived I wanted you

Before you were born I loved you

Before you were here an hour I would die for you

This is the miracle of life

6 Years

2011-07-22T12:46:00.000-05:00

Today marks 6 years of marriage for us. Today I'm looking back on all that we've done in the last 6 years, and I'm wondering where the time went. It seems like just yesterday that I walked down the isle. After six years I can still say that I'm madly in love with my husband. He is the perfect man for me, the Lord's greatest gift in my life.

I added the song Marry Me to my playlist- it's one of my favorites.

Our Home: The Master Bath

2011-07-12T14:09:00.001-05:00

For an update on how we finally arrived at a decision on tile, grout, colors, etc... click HERE to read about our conclusion to work with an interior designer.

Before...

Wall Color: Some funky shade of blue
Tile: The shower and floor were marble. It was originally laid crooked, and thus when we bought the home we had to redo everything.
When we purchased our home, the shower was unfinished and could not be used, and there were not any sinks.

My husband picked out the sinks and faucets.

The doors, moldings, and baseboards were not even primed.

This part of the bathroom was just primed sheet rock.

No shower heads.

During the renovation.....

As you can see, all the marble had to be torn out. The entire shower was gutted down to the studs and then built back up in order to install backer board etc to prevent leaks... (which was not placed behind the marble originally). We also had two partial walls built up to give some privacy to the shower.

Inside the shower.

The day they started laying tile.

We painted the room before all the flooring was put down. This is the day they began working on the boarder that goes around the bathroom.

After.....

Wall Color: Woodlawn Colonial Gray
Trim Color: Du Jour
Tile: 3x6 subway tile in shower, 6x6 on floor, 3x6 border around floor
We had to paint all the doors, moldings, and baseboards.

His side of the shower and closet door.

My side of the shower and my closet.

Rain shower Heads

My husband picked out the sinks and faucets when we first moved in. I wasn't so sure about them, but this was the easiest thing to do, otherwise we would have had to cut the granite. Now that everything is finished, I think they look good.

Looking in from our bedroom

His side....

My side...

There are still things I want to hang on the wall, and decorative accents I need to put up, and I want to change out the vanity mirrors.. I've come to the conclusion that you're never completely finished decorating a room.

Adventures in Canning

2011-07-12T11:50:00.001-05:00

I have discovered that canning can be a real pickle.

I decided to try my hand at canning pickles. My grandmother made some using an easy 3 step ready-made packet so I figured I'd go the same route. Being as this was my first time ever canning, I wanted a simple recipe.

I skimped on the nice canning equipment because this was my first time and I wasn't sure how it would turn out, or if I'd even survive. First mistake. I purchased a cheap starter kit, borrowed large pots from my dad, and set out to make my own pickles.

I planned to make 12 quarts of Kosher Dills. I ended up with 11 quarts (one jar busted, see notes below) that consisted of 4 jars of dill slices and 7 jars of spears. I was surprised they all sealed and turned out great. We've already consumed 2 jars of spears.

Lessons Learned:

1. Invest in one of these:

2. The jar picker-upper-thingy has 2 black plastic handles. This is not the end that grasps the jars (figured that one out a little to late). I wondered why the black handle thingy broke so easily. I lost one jar and my favorite spoon rest due to this mistake. The only reason I'm sharing this embarrassing tidbit is in the hopes that someone else might not make the same mistake as me.

3. Your home will smell like a pickle for at least 2 days. Any attempts to rid your home of the smell are futile.

More Coupon Deals

2011-07-06T12:31:00.004-05:00

7-1-11

Picked up 2 tubes of Colgate Total toothpaste.

On sale for $2.79 with $2 back in ECBs.
Purchased 2 and used 2 .75 cent off coupons, which meant I purchased them for $4.08.
Received $4 in ECB's = I paid 8 cents + tax

7-3-11

Purchased all items below (and 5 2-liter Coca-Colas, not pictured) for a total of $11.88 by using coupons and splitting it into 2 transactions to use ECBs. The toothbrushes were free because of coupons and the green deodorants were purchased from another store.

On the first transaction we purchased 9 items and paid .62 cents after coupons.

On the second transaction, we purchsed 5 items for $11.26

Our stockpile is getting bigger every week!

Happy Independence Day

2011-07-04T10:17:00.000-05:00

July 4th means more to me this year than any before. Today I'm thankful for my freedom that cost the lives of so many. I woke up with my brother on my mind. I am thankful for him and all of the other soldiers who sacrifice in order to serve our country.

When it comes to freedom though, I think of my sweet Savior who died so that I can have the ultimate freedom.

Let It Be Known...

2011-06-29T22:14:00.000-05:00

...that as of 6:15 p.m. this evening, I finished painting the very last bit of trim work in our home.

Since we bought our home last Spring, we've painted every single room in this house, 19 doors (all front and back so that's actually like 38), 2 sets of folding closet doors, all window facings and door facings, all the molding, and approximately 3,082 square feet of baseboards. The baseboards I might add were the worst in that we were on our hands and knees painting those.

Here's what my week has consisted of:

Monday: trimmed out and painted one of the guest bedrooms and 2 linen closets.
Tuesday: began painting trim work and doors for these rooms, stained the new cedar shelves in the pantry.
Wednesday: put shelves back up in pantry and reorganized everything, finished the last bit of painting we had left.

Tomorrow I plan to clean out the bedroom I painted and get things together to donate/give away. Friday I'm planning to sand and re-stain my great grandmother's trunk, along with a few other odds and ends.

I'm afraid our house will no longer feel like home since we no longer have to spend every spare minute painting!

Now that all of the painting is over, I'm ready to dive head-first into some hardcore decorating.

And yes, I will list this under the label of 'milestones' because for these homeowners, it is a big one!

Friday's Favorites: Summertime Edition

2011-06-24T11:46:00.004-05:00

1. Flip Flops
While technically I wear these from early Spring to late Autumn, they're still a Summer favorite.

2. Summer Dresses
I mostly wear comfy, cool dresses in the Summer. Old Navy usually has really cute dresses, which is where I found these. Too bad for me, I have to travel to get to an Old Navy store.

3. Watermelons
Yummo! I live off of watermelon and tomato sandwiches during the Summer.

4. The Beach
It's just not Summer until I've been to the beach.

5. Seafood
Speaking of the beach, I cannot go without indulging in seafood. I love it all except for oysters.

6. Lemonade
While I'd love to say that our lemonade is homemade, it's not. We are country time fans. Their pink lemonade is my favorite!

7. Dove Energy Glow
I think this has made the top 10 before, but you can't talk about the beach and summer dresses without addressing the tanning situation. While I usually get a little color from just being outdoors, I'm not a sun goddess. This pale girl needs a little help!

8. Fourth of July
This would be one of my top 3 favorite holidays. I love the cookouts, family time, watermelon, and, of course, the fireworks.

9. Being Outdoors
We spend a lot of time on our porch just sitting. Since this is the South, it's nearly impossible to get out and about before 5 p.m.

Speaking of outdoors, these two showed up on the lake about 2 weeks ago. While we've always had ducks or geese show up from time to time, these are the only ones that have stayed. They've been hanging out right in our back yard! I hope they decide to make this their home.

10. Our Anniversary
We have about a month until, and we've been trying to plan something fun. We usually travel to the beach for this occasion.

While this favorite does not have anything to do with summertime, I thought share it. I added one of those traffic feeds to my blog to see where people are visiting from. If you scroll down it's on the bottom left hand sidebar, you can also click it at the bottom of the box where it says "Real Time View" to all previous visitors. It's been really neat to see all the different places: Bangladesh, Utah, South Carolina, Tennessee, several from Butler and the surrounding area... pretty neat! I encourage you to share your thoughts by leaving comments- I'd love to hear from you!

As always, Happy Friday!

FREE Brag Book

2011-06-23T12:34:00.002-05:00

Now through 6/25 you can enjoy a FREE photo brag book when you use the promo code BRAG only at Walgreens.

Plus, you can ship it to the store and receive free shipping!

Click on the picture above to head on over and get yours.

The brag book includes 20 pages and you can choose from several different styles.

People are always asking what our house looked like before we did anything to it. So, I compiled all of our before pictures into this free brag book.

Frozen Coconut Caramel Pie

2011-06-23T09:17:00.001-05:00

Ya'll, this pie is divine! My grandmother made one and we loved it. I'm definitely not a coconut person, but I didn't know it had it in it until she told me. So, even if your not the biggest fan of coconut, you'll still love this!

You'll Need:

2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 cup flaked coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1 carton (16 ounces) frozen whipped cream, thawed
2 graham cracker crusts (9 inches each)
1 jar (12 ounces) caramel ice cream topping

Directions:

In a skillet, melt butter; add coconut and pecans. Cook by stirring over medium heat for 10 minutes or until golden brown and toasted; set aside.

In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and milk together until smooth. Fold in whipped topping. Pour into crusts. Drizzle with caramel topping; sprinkle with coconut/pecan mixture. Cover and freeze for 8 hours or overnight or until hardened. Remove from the freezer 5 minutes before slicing. Yields 2 pies (6-8 servings each).

Enjoy!

Great Post

2011-06-10T14:25:00.001-05:00

One of my blogger friends posted this about our attitudes and how they affect our outlook. It was just what I needed to hear, and I'm sure a few of you will feel the same way.

Click HERE to head over to her blog and check it out.

Friday's Favorites

2011-06-10T14:14:00.000-05:00

1. Good Health

We are praising God for my husband's good health! We had a scare a few weeks ago, but we are so thankful everything came back okay.

2. VBS

I taught the 5th-7th grade class and really enjoyed working with the older kids. It was quite a change from what I'm used to. I had prayed specifically for one student in particular. My prayers were answered when she gave her life to Jesus Wednesday night. I'm so excited to see her baptism tonight, along with all of the kids who accepted Christ.

3. Wax Warmer

My friend T had one in her home and it made her whole house smell so good. Last night while she and I were out I picked up one from Wal-Mart. My favorite scent is the Pomegranate and Passion Fruit.

4. Allen's Battered Whole Green Beans

Ya'll, these things are sooooo yummy! I fry them and oh my goodness, I could eat the whole batch right by myself.

5. Boundary

While I love my sweet Louie man, I don't love what he does to our patio furniture. He has one chair in particular that he sleeps on, but lately he's been getting on all the chairs. My mother-in-law mentioned this spray that she uses for her dog. It keeps your pets away from areas you don't want them. Since it has a bit of a stinky smell, I just sprayed it on the wicker and not the cushions. So far, so good!

6. Fresh Vegetables from my Dad's garden

7. Frozen Caramel Coconut Pie

My grandmother made one and I had to get the recipe. My husband LOVES this pie. I've had several people request the recipe, so I'll post it later.

8. Summer Afternoon Thunderstorms

9. Pivot Mirrors

I want to change out our current mirrors in our master bath to these which would make number #154 on my house to-do list.

10. Biolage Hydrating Conditioning Balm

I was surprised to find that Wal-Mart now carries this line. Before, I could only get it at the salon. While I've tried to cut back on my pricey salon products, I couldn't resist this. It's actually quite a bit of conditioner- my tub has lasted over a month and still has some in it.

Happy Friday!

I'm in love with getting FREE stuff!

2011-06-08T14:32:00.000-05:00

As you know, my husband and I have been following the Dave Ramsey Financial program. We've really looked at ways to save our money. Lately, there's been a lot of hype about coupons and finding good sales. We decided to try out a new grocery store that offers customer rewards cards, good sales, and of course, good coupon deals.

Last week, we saved $53.97 by just using our customer rewards card- which was FREE!

Here is a list of some free items we recieved during Saturday's shopping trip:

1. Free box of Froot Loops (cereal was BOGO).

2. Free Tyson Chicken Breast (BOGO)

3. Free 16 count box of poptarts (BOGO)

But the kicker was this:

We bought a package of Tyson chicken nuggets and a package of Tyson chicken breast patties and recieved these four items FREE:

8 piece package corn on the cob, bottle of barbecue sauce, 2 liter Coca Cola, and a container of Bryers ice cream!

We received this weeks sales paper in the mail yesterday and decided to cash in on this sweet deal.

I bought this...

.....and got these four items FREE!

Lately we've been using a less expensive brand of detergent, but I just couldn't resist this deal! The total with tax was $12.83 on the large bottle of Gain 2X concentrate detergent (which was cheaper there than the stores in Butler) and saved $11.66 by getting the fabric softener, dryer sheets, bleach, and shout for FREE! To top it off, the shout bottle had a coupon :)

This week they are having a sale on Colgate toothpaste, 10/$10 - which makes them $1 each. In the Sunday paper there was a coupon for 75 cents off, so by using your coupon you could get a tube of Colgate Total (what we use, or whatever you like) for only 25 cents! If your store doubles coupons, you could get it for free- in fact, they'd owe you. :) I have coupons for this sale and plan to take full advantage of it. Looks like I may be on my way to getting our stockpile going.

I'm attending a coupon class next Monday night at 6 and I'm so excited!

Hello Summer

2011-06-01T15:11:00.002-05:00

Summer break is finally here and this year I plan to take advantage of it. This is the first summer since high school that I haven't had to work, go to school, or both. For the past two summers I've had to listen to my fellow teachers talk of how they spend their summer days at the pool or just lounging around the house. I had to spend mine typing papers and sitting in lecture halls. This summer I plan to discover how it feels to be a lady of leisure. I've intentionally not made any major plans because I want to wake up each morning and decide what I feel like doing that day. In fact, the only plans I have include a season pass to the water park which I happily purchased yesterday! Little did I know that my purchase would include a free sunburn. ;)

I just arrived home from a wonderful three day visit with my grandparents. It was so good to hang out with them and just relax.

Well, I'm off to enjoy a tomato sandwich and my favorite movie.

This is the life.

3 Years

2011-05-30T09:20:00.011-05:00

Today marks 3 years of blogging for Sylvia's Graces.

Remember my very first post here?

Here's to many more years of blogging!

The Proverbs 31 Woman

2011-05-11T17:02:00.000-05:00

Every Mother's Day the Proverbs 31 woman is discussed in churches across the world. Now I don't know about you, but this description of a woman always makes me feel inadequate.

Often times, when I'm studying a particular verse or passage, I'll look at different translations. This helps put things into focus. When I looked up this passage in my Quest Study Bible, I came across the following breakdown of the passage.

Is the "Wife of Noble Character" a realistic model for today's women?

With poetic flair this passage shows that a godly woman can find fulfillment in her home, in the community, and in a career. This passage does not limit a woman's role to any of of these areas. Nor does it create unrealistic expectations for women, calling them to do everything in all of these areas.

How is this woman a model for today?

This wife of noble character is productive and ingenious. She can even be intimidating to women who would seek to follow her example. But while everyone can benefit from her example of initiative and hard work, the main lesson she offers is her outlook rather than her output.

All of this woman's qualities and accomplishments grow out of her fear of the Lord (verse 30). Fearing God is her central virtue, and this attitude toward God is as crucial for today's women as it was then. The fear of the Lord not only undergirds our growth in wisdom, but also draws us to the grace of Christ who forgives our sin and equips us for righteous living.

Another timeless virtue of this woman is her service to others: her husband, her children, her servants (v. 15) and the poor and needy (v.20). She serves them with eagerness (v.13), resourcefulness (v.16), and strength (v. 17,25). She is neither hindered nor demeaned by serving others. Rather, she is fulfilled by it, because godly service is the source of her nobility.

The Most Beautiful Thing

2011-05-11T16:49:00.000-05:00

The first Sunday after the tornado devastation, a small group of people from my church rode out to Cromwell to see what we could do to help. When we saw a group of people gathered around the remnants of a home, we had to stop. These people were so inspiring. They were sharing God's word, encouraging one another, and praising our Lord.

Ya'll, it was the most beautiful thing to see people lifting up their voices and turning their hearts and eyes toward Jesus.

Jesus was in their midst. You could feel his Sweet spirit covering the place. And just as it always happens when you've been in His presence, I left wanting so much more of Him.

A Sweet Blessing

2011-04-30T13:31:00.002-05:00

My friend, whom I will call Blessed, is expecting her first child! She and her husband have been through so much over the past few years trying to have a family. Then, out of the blue and completely unexpected, their dream has become a reality. There are no words to describe how ridiculously happy I am for them. Knowing all they have been through for this baby makes their pregnancy even more special.

I have committed to praying for them and their baby nightly. I am so happy and cannot wait until this sweet blessing arrives in November.

Our carpool will never be the same!

There you have it, the "Good News" I mentioned in my last post.

Good News on Good Friday

2011-04-22T16:42:00.000-05:00

I was not looking forward to going to work on Good Friday. Plus, today was Fun Day. For those non-teachers out there, Fun Day in our language means a day of sun,sweat, and very energetic children. I had a blast playing with my kiddos and spending time with my co-workers.

The best part of my day though, was hearing some really great news this afternoon. I can't share what it is right now, but let me tell you, it is such a blessing! Hopefully I'll be able to share this incredible story with you later next week.

God is so good.

¡Viva México!

2011-04-21T16:24:00.000-05:00

One of my kiddos took a cruise to Mexico. While there he remembered his sweet teacher and brought me back a sombrero! How sweet!

Sabbath by Wayne Muller

2011-04-17T20:34:00.000-05:00

I rate this book 4/5

If you are anything like me- constantly feeling the need to 'do' something, always tackling several things at once, feeling like you can never really relax- then this is the book for you! One of my very favorite sites, Bloom, chose this book and it was a great read. I highly recommend this to anyone of any age. Oh, don't forget to check out the discussion videos at Bloom.

If only I had found this little jewel of a read 6 years ago.

Here are just a few of the passages that stuck to me like crazy glue.

And so we are given a commandment: Remember the Sabbath. Rest is an essential enzyme of life, as necessary as air. Without rest, we cannot sustain the energy needed to have life. We refuse to rest at our peril- and yet in a world where overwork is seen as a professional virtue, many of us feel we can legitimately be stopped only by physical illness or collapse.

We reward our captains of industry, our real estate tycoons and investment wizards with outrageous wealth and success. At the same time, people who work with those precious things that grow only in time- caring for children, making peace in troubled communities, harvesting the crops that feed us- these people are invisible, necessary but easily replaced, a dime a dozen. This economic perversity slowly corrodes the fabric of the human family.

Jesus' most poignant prayer- prayed when he knew he was soon to die- was simply this: "Thy will be done." This is not defeat or resignation, but astonishing faith that there are spiritual forces that will bear him up, regardless of the outcome. Often in our striving for a particular result, we are not willing to be surprised by a healing we cannot imagine, Paradoxically, it is often cowardice that makes us hold on to our own small solutions; it takes infinitely more courage to surrender.

Remember the Sabbath, and keep it holy. Sabbath time is set apart for remembering the holiness of life. If we speed up and saturate ourselves with accomplishment and worry, we may define what is sacred with our mindlessness. Time is the key. Time, and attention. If we grab a sandwich as we run out the door, this is eating, If we take a small crust of bread and a sip of wine, in a mindful gathering of other beings, this is a sacrament. It is neither the food nor the eating but the time and the mindfulness that reveal what is holy.

Note: While this book focuses primarily on the Christian faith, it does have a few ideas that stem from buddha and other religions.

E-Mealz

2011-04-10T17:44:00.001-05:00

Warning: This post is a tad lengthy and may only appeal to some.

A fellow teacher introduced me to this. I've always planned our meals out in order to save money and ensure that I buy everything I need for a few weeks at a time.

First, I would go through my recipes and pick out things we wanted to eat.

Then, I went through our picks and compiled my shopping list. I would also check for coupons to go along with the items I needed. I generally shopped for roughly two weeks worth of meals. This was always a time consuming process.

In comes E-Mealz to my rescue. It's extremely easy to use and takes the hastle out of meal planning and shopping. You simply select the store you normally shop at (Publix, Wal-Mart, etc..). Then you select the family size you are cooking for (couples, familes etc...) and then you select your diet (regular, vegetarian, low-fat, diabetic....).

Click HERE to see sample menus and shopping lists.

Each week the people at E-Mealz browse through the sales lists and collect coupons, then they plan a five day menu for you. Thus, when you are doing your grocery shopping you know that you're buying sale items or can use coupons. I feel good knowing that I'm saving money!

Each Friday E-Mealz sends out your menu. I love their organization! Each day has a meal, a list of items you need, and the recipe. Plus, they give you a shopping list that is organized isle by isle- no more wandering around the store like a lost person. There is a list of staple items included at the bottom of your list. It also tells you the price of teach item you are buying and how much you should expect to spend overall. I've shopped for my weekly menu consisting of 5 recipes and spent less than $40! It's incredible! I simply print out my menu and shopping list and I'm ready to go! I keep the recipes we really like, then when one comes up on my plan that I'm not fond of, I can easily substitute.

In case you need a little more convincing, it's endorsed by Dave Ramsey himself.

If you're interested in joining, it's $15 for a 3 month subscription. When joining, enter the code word Dave to receive $3 off. Remember to enter my name as the person you heard it from- in doing so I also receive a discount.

Now, I'm off to Sunday evening service. Hope this was helpful.

Happy Meal Planning!

Friday Favorites

2011-04-08T06:00:00.000-05:00

1. Spades

Last weekend we hung out with my dear friend T and her husband. I had never played before, but am hooked now!

2. Ice Cream Cakes

For the first time ever I did not make my husband's birthday cake (insert gasp...). Instead, I bought him an ice cream cake. My husband had one tiny slice but the rest somehow disappeared.....

3. The Kennedys

Can I just tell you how much I love this show!?! In case you've missed it, there will be a marathon showing Saturday and Sunday. Sunday night is the finale. I read a great book on the family last year entitled Grace and Power.

4. Tiny Prints

5. I Love Lucy
I am a fanatic for all things I Love Lucy.

6. Upholstered Head Boards

I found a great DIY guide and plan to tackle this project during my summer break.

Photo: Pottery Barn

7. E-Meals

Stay tuned for a detailed post on this.

8. Extreme Couponing

Has anyone else seen this? This coincides with #7. It shows how shoppers can purchase hundreds of dollars worth of items for mere pennies. It airs on TLC.

9.Purex Linen and Lillies

I have always been a Gain or Arm and Hammer girl. That is, until a few weeks ago. I've been on the lookout for ways to save. While browsing the detergent isle I decided that my days of paying high prices for detergent were over. Smells great, works the same, and it's cheaper- that's what I'm talking about!

10. Avocados

As always, Happy Friday.

Old Post

2011-04-07T20:23:00.002-05:00

I journaled about this on 1-2-11, but haven't been emotionally able to publish it until now. For the sake of my journal I back-dated it.

1-2-11

Claudere

2011-04-03T20:16:00.000-05:00

The Latin word 'claudere' is a verb in its infinitive form. It may mean to close, to shut, to stop. It also may mean 'to make inaccessible, to conclude, to bring to an end'

This weekend has been marked by tears, sadness, and worry over my Brother. Saturday while browsing the news, I came across the riots in the Middle East, particularly Afghanistan- specifically Kabul.

My brother is in Kabul.

I immediately called my close friend Chickadee. I told her my heart was skipping beats and began reading to her what some of the news reports were saying. I even went so far as to watch a video of the riots- people were holding signs cursing Americans- specifically American soldiers in their city of Kabul.

They're not just talking about some soldiers that I don't know anymore. It hits home.

They're talking about my brother. My brother.

During my panic, my dear friend said something that went through the phone and straight into my heart.

When I asked her what to do, she replied, "Turn it off."

I have to turn it off. Please don't misunderstand me. I want to know if there are riots and conflicts. I do not want to be stupidly oblivious. But I can no longer read in depth on the issues, hear the gory details, see the signs bashing our troops- my brother.

I'm going to close the door to panic. I'm going to shut out the details that will keep me up at night. I'm going to stop fear from gripping my heart. Instead, I will do as I have since Jan.2.....

I will pray.

Because I know that he's safer in God's hands in Afghanistan than he would be in mine here at home.

Happy Birthday To You

2011-04-02T19:26:00.000-05:00

I want to wish two of my dearest friends a very happy birthday. These are two of the most amazing women! I'm blessed to be able to call them my friends.

Chickadee

You are so much fun to be around. I love our shopping trips together and I miss our weekly lunch dates at "Cheese Dip". I love how you never take things too seriously and you are always there to bring me back to reality when things go crazy. I love our fishing adventures! You give the best advice and I'm so grateful to have someone like you to turn to when I need a friend! You're friendship is such a blessing to me and I'm so thankful to be able to call you friend!

The Lord knew just what I needed when he brought you into my life. Its funny how we went to church together for so long and never really realized just how close we would one day become. I love our long chats, Bible studies, and crafty trips to Mobile. You truly are my soul sister in Christ. Thank you for your many prayers, support, and encouragement throughout the years. I thank God for you daily. I pray the Lord blesses you just as much as you've blessed me.

Family Under Construction

2011-03-28T16:50:00.000-05:00

Has anyone else been watching this series? It is based on the Bryks family who purchased a nearly 75 year old home and are fixing it up themselves. Can I just tell you how much I would love to do that??? Well, I guess we did in a way. Our house just wasn't 75 years old. Any who, this season is over and they're taking applications from families for the second season. I just hope the next family will be as creative and inspiring as the Bryks! I loved this show! It usually airs on Thursdays at 10 PM ET on DIY.

Letters To A Soldier

2011-03-27T14:40:00.001-05:00

On Thursday I let my students make cards to send to my brother in Afghanistan. These cards show the sweetness and purity in a child's heart. I thought I would share a few with you. They brought me to tears.

Front: Dear Sgt. Carter, This is a book for your team.

Inside: I will pray for you and thank you for fighting for Amarica. All of you are great and God will take cair of you. Thank you Lord.

Front: Amracn Fllag! thak you for fing! (fing= fighting in first grade language)

Inside: Sgt.Carter I hope you are ok over their. get the bad gy's. We pray for you. We love you!

Front: sgt. carter you'r brave!!!!!

Inside: Im prayIng for you de safe thak you fou keeping us safe you'r so congeneyole!!! (Congenial was on of our robust vocabulary words this week. Several students used the word).

Friday's Favorites

2011-03-25T17:56:00.000-05:00

1. Seeing My Brother
I've been able to video chat with my brother twice. It's so good to not only hear from him, but to actually see him.

Last Saturday my Dad, Kris, niece, and nephew came over to talk with him. I was able to snap this picture.

*Note: Please excuse the cluttered desk.

2. Bible Study

On Tuesday/Thursday nights a few ladies at my church get together for Bible Study. We just finished One in a Million by Pricilla Shirer. I enjoy being able to dig in and explore God's word with my sisters-in-Christ. We've had the month of March off, but I'm looking forward to starting again in April.

3. Running

Those of you who've followed my blog for the past few years know that I love running. In the Fall I was so busy with adjusting to a new school that I didn't have much time for this part of my life. Since Christmas I've been able to get reacquainted with it. I look forward to my evening runs around the lake. I just wish I had a jogging partner..... any takers?

4. The Smell of Fresh Cut Grass

5.Orange Tic Tacs

These little things are addictive!

6. Towel Hooks

I ~~loathe~~, ~~despise~~ am not fond of towel rods. I've never had much luck with them. They always end up wobbling around and eventually pull the screws out of the wall. Plus, you have to fold the towel before placing it on the rod, otherwise it looks messy. I will add that my husband is not the fold-the-towel-so-it-looks-neat kind of guy. A few years ago I started using regular hooks. Much less hassle!

Master Bath

Guest Bath #1

7. Daylight Savings Time

I love having more time in the evenings to spend outdoors. However, I hate that it's now dark when I'm getting up. Guess we can't have everything....

8. Flip Flops

Yellow Box is my favorite!

9. Crawfish
I look forward to these every Spring. I justify my overindulgence by the fact that they are only in season for a short while.

10. Green

Green is one of my favorite colors. Seeing the trees put on new leaves reminds me of just how much I love it.

Happy Friday!

To Everything There Is A Season

2011-03-20T19:07:00.014-05:00

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 is one of my favorites!

Spring has finally made its debut! Along with the extra time in the evenings, we're also enjoying the warmer air, blooming flowers, and cheaper light bills thanks to the mild weather! :) Life on the Little Lake couldn't be sweeter!

Notice the new plantation shutters :) They make me smile every time I see them.

Remember my lovely topiaries from last year.... well, unfortunately they did not make it (as predicted by my husband). So, ferns will have to make do until I can swing into town and get more. We're also on the lookout for a simple iron bench to go on our front porch.

This was a little project I finished over Spring Break.

And these little red beauties are great for attracting hummingbirds. I'm proud to say that I've already spotted a few checking out my feeder ( and these flowers).

I love seeing God's creation in bloom this time of year!

Happy Spring!

Love Never Fails- by Big Mama

2011-03-17T20:50:00.005-05:00

I recently came across this post and loved it. It's definitely worth taking time to read. Such good stuff!

Here are a few excerpts that I loved:

My walk with Christ is as uniquely mine as my personality. I’ve spent a lot of time believing I should be more like this Bible teacher or more emotional like this person or hear from God in a certain way or adopt a child from Africa or sell all my earthly possessions, but He’s made me to be me. And He’s made you to be you. If God was only after one type of relationship with one type of person, it probably would have been a whole lot easier for Him to just create one person and be done with it.

I do not want to serve a God who fits into my limited understanding. I don’t want to serve a God who can be completely explained in the human realm. I want a God that is so much bigger than me that I’ll spend the rest of my life trying to know Him more, love Him more, and serve Him better.

I believe in a God that removes my sins as far as the east is from the west because that’s a distance my mind can’t comprehend. I’m doing Beth Moore’s study of Revelation and she talks about when John has his vision and sees the throne room of God. He describes so many incredible, unbelievable things, but he never describes God. Most likely because God defies description.

Welcome Back

2011-03-17T20:11:00.006-05:00

Ahh.... it feels good to be back. I had several people comment on my extended absence from blogging. Please accept my apologies. I'm not going to give an excuse, because to be quite frank, I don't have one. Unless I can plead my recent bout with laziness.

Hopefully the quick blog design update will motivate me to blog more. I'm really digging the new header and how quickly I was able to do it.

Any who..... Here's a brief recap of what Sylvia Grace has been up to lately.

Jan. 2- Said good bye to my brother who has deployed to Afghanistan.
Jan. 5- My vacation was over, it was back to work I went.
Jan. 18- Contractors began work on our master bath. (I cannot wait to share this with you!)
Jan. 19- Turned 25! (Insert gasp) Along with realizing that I'm half way to 30, I was struck by the fact that, for the first time in a very long time, I'm completely content with every aspect of my life. I love who I am and where I am in life.
Feb. 11- Enjoyed a marvelous weekend away in B'ham with my hubby. It was a weekend full of awesome worship, good food, and relaxation.

Around the House: 1) Finished master bath, 2)Updated our pantry (remember this post), 3) The last of the plantation shutters were installed
I cannot wait to post before/after pictures of these projects.

1-2-11

2011-01-02T20:17:00.002-06:00

My family and I have been dreading this day for a while. My brother is being deployed for his first tour in Afghanistan. I felt so sick this morning. I've been praying for strength and peace to make it through today. On my way to meet my Dad, Kris, and Josh I called my pastor and prayed with him. I also called several of my prayer warrior friends and asked them to send up prayers on our behalf.

We had a good drive to Mobile. We stopped and ate at Waffle House. It was hard not to cry. We dropped him off and it was so sad. We watched him pack up some of his stuff. Then, we huddled around and prayed over him, said our good byes, and shed many tears.

There are simply no words to describe this.

Packing up


Dad saying his good-byes.

Resolutions

2011-01-01T20:11:00.010-06:00

Last night while counting down the minutes until 2011, my husband and I picked three resolutions we wanted to stick to and then shared our picks with each other. I thought it was neat that we both had pretty much the same 3 resolutions. So, here they are:

1. Allow ourselves to be all consumed by God. Yes, we are both believers. Yes, we go to church. Yes, we study our Bible together nightly. Yes, we try and live according to His will. However, sometimes it's easy to try and fit God into a box, or a routine. For instance, confining Him to a certain time of the day or a certain day of the week. Instead, we want Him, the Giver of Life, to be part of every breath we take, every thought, every step, every decision. We want to completely immerse ourselves in Him.

2. Spend more time together away from the house. Yes, we spend almost all of our spare time together. However, we're usually at home and that means we still have things we have to do (like laundry, ugh!). We want to travel more and spend more time with each other away from home and our responsibilities. Even if it's just a night away in Vicksburg.
3. Get our finances in order. We're both really bad about just spending money on stuff. Well, we've got more useless stuff than we will ever need. We want to do the Financial Peace program from Dave Ramsey. Along with this, my personal goal is to be more faithful in tithing (my husband is much more faithful and diligent in this than I am). They say that if you want to know where your heart is, look at your check book.

2010- Our Year

2010-12-29T10:28:00.015-06:00

Last New Year's my husband and I made each other a promise: 2010 would be our year. We stuck to that promise and saw all but one of our dreams realized.

January
I turned 24 on the 19th.

February
Enjoyed a beautiful snow day! I traveled to Birmingham to attend my first concert with my dear friend Mizz Hoppa- we saw John Mayer.

March
This was an exciting month. We sold our current place and found our new home- all during my Spring Break week. We began the month long process of buying a home and moved in with my Dad until we closed on our home.

April
This was a very busy month. We celebrated my sweet husbands 32nd birthday. We spent most of the month filling out paperwork and buying things for the house. We officially closed on our home on April 28th. We spent our first night in our new home on April 30th. I took off work and spent six glorious days getting acquainted with my new home. I was in heaven! We were both delirious with sheer joy!

May
We were thrilled to begin our happy little life of the little lake. We spent the month painting our house and making it a home. After months of job searching, I started getting call backs. We welcomed a new addition to our home, sweet Louie.

June
My elementary school did not let out until the 18th and then I taught summer school. I accepted a job teaching first grade at Sweet Water and began making the move and setting up my classroom.

July
We celebrated 5 blissful years of marriage! I finished up my classes at MSU and said goodbye to my coworkers as summer school came to and end, along with my time at Parkview Elementary. We spent most Saturday's in the back yard fishing with my Dad, nephew, and niece.

August
This was a fairly calm month. We didn't work on the house much. I started my new job and spent most of my time adjusting to a new school and a new grade. I officially graduated with my Ed.S degree from MSU.

September
I took the jump at 14000 ft. on September 11th.

October
I enjoyed decorating for Fall and we hosted our first party in our home (our housewarming party).

November
We began getting excited about spending the holidays in our new home. We traveled to Philadelphia to spend Thanksgiving with my Grandparents. I spent most of Thanksgiving week hunting with my Dad. I bagged the first buck of the season!
December
I attended the MSU graduation ceremony on the 10th. We had a wonderful first Christmas in our new home! We attended several Christmas parties/family dinners. We loved seeing all of our family!

2010 was our best year yet. These are just a few of the blessings our sweet Lord has showered on us. Looking back, it really was our year. My soul smiles as I think of the many happy and blessed days to come in 2011 as we continue to live our simple life and serve our loving God!

It is my sincerest hope that your year was as happy and blessed as ours.
We pray that 2011 will bring many more blessings your way!

See you next year!

I Am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced

2010-12-28T13:44:00.000-06:00

I rate this book 3/5.

My friend Chickadee loaned me this to read. It was a quick read and kept your attention, although some of the events are a bit graphic and will break your heart!

Here is a synopsis of the book from Booklist:

"Chosen by Glamour magazine as a Woman of the Year in 2008, Nujood of Yemen has become an international hero for her astonishingly brave resistance to child marriage. Sold off by her impoverished family at the age of 10, continually raped by her husband before she even reached puberty, Nujood found the courage to run away, and with the help of an activist lawyer, sympathetic judges, and the international press, she divorced her husband and returned home. Her clear, first-person narrative, translated from the French and written with Minoui, is spellbinding: the horror of her parents’ betrayal and her mother-in-law’s connivance, the “grown-ups” who send the child from classroom and toys to nightmare abuse. She never denies the poverty that drives her parents and oppresses her brothers, even as she reveals their cruelty. Unlike her passive mother, she is an activist, thrilled to return to school, determined to save others, including her little sister. True to the child’s viewpoint, the “grown-up” cruelty is devastating. Readers will find it incredible that such unbelievable abuse and such courageous resistance are happening now." --Hazel Rochman

Oh Christmas Tree.....

2010-12-27T22:22:00.001-06:00

I mentioned in a previous post about our pitiful Christmas tree. So, I went looking for a new one two days after Christmas. I was in luck- I found a 9 foot, pre-lit, slim tree at Little Acres. Luck was even sweeter in that it was 50% off! I quickly bought it and now I'm wishing it was Christmas again so I could decorate it :)

Oh well....

Mark my words: Next year I will not have the pitiful tree!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-24T09:52:00.003-06:00

Tile

2010-12-24T08:40:00.008-06:00

Deciding on tile and a plan for our master bathroom has been miserable, to say the least. There are just too many options for a girl like me- color, size, will they be laid at an angle, texture, patterns, grout...... the choices are endless.

I originally wanted white subway tile. For years I've clipped out pictures of things I like for when we had our own home. Well, when you look at all of my bathroom 'likes', subway tile is in all of them. I wanted tile that would be timeless, and would give me freedom to change things around on down the road. Yes, we have seen some gorgeous tile that's 'in style' now, but in 5-10 years it will be dated. Plus, with some of the trendy tile, there are only so many color choices I could go with for my walls and decorative pieces. Our home is a mix of contemporary and traditional, and I felt subway tile would go well with the style of our home.

So, we decided on subway tile. Then, people began to question our decision and my husband started to waver. So, we went looking again. This time we looked at some of the tile that's really popular now. Again, I was faced with the thought that while it may look good for a few years, eventually it will look dated. Have you ever walked into someone's home and seen tile and thought "Yep, that's from the 80's?" Well, that's what I don't want to cross my mind every time I look at our tile.

We spent countless weekends looking at different tile stores and bringing home sample pieces only to find we didn't like it in our bathroom. Well, frustration set in and I told Bobby "I don't care if it's neon orange, I just want to be able to use my bathroom." So, we chose a tile and said we were done...... I bet you know what happened next?

I knew that tile was not what I wanted. But I still could not get the husband completely on board with the subway tile. He had concerns. So, yesterday we met with an interior designer to get a design plan together for our bathroom. I decided I would leave it in the hands of someone else- I was tired of thinking about it. When asked what I wanted I said "Something timeless, that will go with anything, and that will not be dated in a few years." She said "Honey, I think you need subway tile." I gave Bob that "I told you so" look!

She was a huge help. I was worried about the grout getting dirty and that it might be too much white or all look the same (boring). She said they can seal the grout. She's had it done to her subway tile and it looks just as white and clean as it did when they laid it 5 years ago. Then she discussed using different sizes on the floor, walls, etc and creating a border and angles with the tile so that it gives it interest. My husband now loves our bathroom plan and so do I! Had I laid anything else, I would have always wished I had gone with my love- subway tiles. It's bright, clean, fresh, and classic. Perfect!

She's sending her contractor out to actually measure the shower, floors etc so they will know how much to order. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that my bathroom will be finished by the end of February!

This picture is almost exactly how our shower is laid out now. It has two large rain forest shower heads. Instead of glass, we will have two walls come up just above your head. Our window is in the same location as this picture, so we don't want the walls too high or it will block the light. Plus, I wanted a bit more privacy.The tile size in the shower will be the traditional 4x6 subway (similar to this but in white). There will not be a door, instead you will just step into the shower.

Our cabinet is dark and contemporary (like these) only it's one large cabinet.

I just love it!

Can you tell from this post how relieved and happy I am? :)

Ed.S. Ceremony

2010-12-19T12:44:00.011-06:00

I did not attend my Master's ceremony and I deeply regret it. This time around I was not going to miss out. Although I had received my diploma back in August, and the excitement had long ago diminished, it was still a special event.

The graduate cap & gown made me feel like a wizard graduating from Hogwarts :)

I'm currently getting things together and applying for the Doctoral program at The University of Alabama. I want to attend a different university to gain a different perspective and new techniques. However, my heart will always be with Mississippi State University! Next time I graduate, I'll be Dr. James- if I can survive statistics.

Santa Did Good

2010-12-19T12:13:00.008-06:00

My Christmas list included a jewelry box. I originally wanted a large, simple ceramic jewelry box. After weeks of browsing stores and online, I realized that I would not be able to find what I had in mind. So, yesterday while out shopping, the hubby and I browsed for my gift. We found some really nice smaller jewelry boxes for around $125-$150, but I was worried they would not hold enough. Something told me to check out JCPenny before settling on one we had picked out. Good thing because we found this beauty:

It was originally priced at $400-but was on sale until 1:30 p.m. We bought the last one at 1:25 p.m. for $198!

My current jewelry storage is quite pitiful, as you can see from the embarrassing, unorganized chaos in these pictures.

Oh, the horror!

I'd say my Santy Claus did good this year ;)

Christmas List

2010-12-17T01:06:00.013-06:00

Dear Santa,
Please let me know if you have any trouble filling this order. If you feel that I've been extra good and deserve more, please feel free to contact me. I'll be happy to expand this list!

Sincerely,
Sylvia Grace

A Cello
I sure the elves can whittle one of these up in no time!
Hey, a girl can dream can't she? ;)

Grandfather Clock
I'm head over heals for this beauty!

Jewelry Box
I want a large ceramic box, but finding one has been difficult to say the least.

The Message Bible

Father of the Bride 1-2 movies

Crock Pot
My current crock pot is very small and very old!
Shoe Tree from BedBath&Beyond
Along with a pantry-organization-makeover, I'm also gearing up for a closet overhaul. Shoe storage is an issue. This shoe tree is floor to ceiling, and holds 36 pairs of shoes- perfect!

Fry-Daddy
My old one kicked the bucket and I've dearly missed it! We have a large fryer, but the small fry daddy is perfect for quick fixes.
Of course, cash and gift cards are welcome too ;)

On another note, this is my 250th post!

The Shack

2010-12-11T11:33:00.004-06:00

I rate this book 5/5. Yeah, it's that good!

I just finished reading this book about 2 minutes ago. I could not wait to share this on my blog. This is by far one of the best books I've ever read. It is now at the top of my list, closely followed only by Redeeming Love.

Betty Boop recommended this book to me a while back when we where shopping at Books-A-Million. I bought it, placed it on my bookshelf, and didn't think much more about it. After finishing Wicked I needed a new book, but felt guilty about buying a new book when I have so many that I haven't read. So, Sunday I started this one. I could not put it down. It was on my mind all day every day and each afternoon I would hurry home to finish reading it. If you have not read this book you should go get it, today! It is a beautiful story of loss, pain, healing, and God's unending love! It caused me to reevaluate my perceptions of love, and I'm sure it will do the same for you!

As always, Happy Reading!

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

2010-12-04T18:07:00.005-06:00

I rate this 2/5

In all honesty, this was a struggle for me. I started reading this book last Fall, and I just finished it today. It wasn't until halfway through the book that I really became engaged. Usually I just give up, but in this case I am glad I stuck with it.

Friday's Favorites

2010-12-03T18:12:00.001-06:00

1. Cheese Balls
Something about the holiday season always makes me want one- with Ritz crackers, of course.

2. Grandfather Clocks
This little beauty is on my Christmas list! Right now it's on sale for a great price. (hint, hint hubby!)

3. Hydrangeas
These are some of my favorite flowers.

I have a couple of arrangements throughout my home. I have them in white pitchers, similar to this one.This is another favorite thing of mine :)

4. Deer Hunting
This is something I love to do with my Dad. This is me over Thanksgiving with the first buck of the season.

5. Catching Up With Dear Friends
My fellow teacher friends and I were finally able to schedule a get together. It did my soul such good to see them again! One of which I haven't seen in six months!

6. Jute Rug
I've been eyeing this beauty from Pottery Barn for months and months. Maybe Santa will drop one off along with my grandfather clock ;)

Pictures courtesy of Pottery Barn

7. Built-In Bookcases
We have some in our dining room, but come January we will have some of these in our living room as well.

8. Flannel PJ's
I practically live in these on the weekends.

9. Glasses
Although I haven't been wearing them as much as I used too, I love glasses. I consider them just another cute accessory- which is one of the reasons why having Lasik eye surgery would be hard for me.

10. Wallflowers
I started using these a few years ago. I've discovered the best time to buy the refills are during major sales- like their semi-annual. My favorites are the spiced apples, sweet pea, and any of their clean linen scents.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas.....

2010-11-27T13:47:00.005-06:00

Front door...

Even the topiaries are ready for Christmas :)

Back door...
This wreath was bought as a Christmas gift for someone. However, I couldn't resist hanging it on my door. I know... I'm horrible, right! ;)

Our pitiful Christmas tree is up. I call it pitiful because it does not go with our new home. It always looked great before- big and full. However, our new house has extremely high ceilings, so now it looks small and out of place. I plan to make do this year and am planning to buy a larger tree when they go on sale after Christmas. Hopefully next year our tree won't be so pitiful.

My Yearly Excuse To Shop

2010-11-27T13:32:00.005-06:00

Black Friday was a success! I was up and going early to meet my very dear friend, Chickadee for a day of shopping and girl time.

Fortunately for us, we did not encounter long lines like this......

Nor did we have to fight a mob like this......

Instead, our Black Friday was surprisingly laid back which made for a more enjoyable day. My poor car was packed to the brim with our purchases! It was a great day! I found a fabulous Christmas wreath for our front door, stocked up on wallflower plug in refills at Bath & Body Works, and was able to indulge to my hearts content in clothes.

There were great deals on so many items. For instance, the wreath I purchased is 30 in. and is prelit. I found it at Sam's for only $40! (Thanks, Chickadee!) I also bought a new pair of New Balance tennis shoes for $19! I would mention the great deals on all the clothes I bought, but I fear my husband might read this and strangle me ;)

Here's to hoping that you're Black Friday was just as enjoyable- whether you were out and about or snuggled up on your sofa!

Recent Classroom Crafts

2010-11-27T13:21:00.007-06:00

Some of these pictures are from October- which just proves how I've slacked on the blogging front.

Cute treat bags made by Crafty Momma

Edible pumpkin patch. Another idea from my wonderful parent- Crafty Momma.
These are made with graham crackers, green icing, candy pumpkins and sprinkles.

My November bulletin board.

My dad teaching the first grade about beekeeping in October. They LOVED it!

6 years

2010-11-19T12:32:00.001-06:00

Six years ago today I was baptized.

One night in August of 2004 I had an overwhelming sense of God calling me. I walked into a church that was near my apartment in Birmingham. I had never been there before and really didn't know why I was there then. I told the first person I saw that I needed to talk with someone. I remember she found the pastor, and he and I spoke. Then, his amazing wife talked with me. I started going to her ladies class, and later I took a job working in the day school (which is when I began feeling that God was calling me to teach- a huge change from pre-med, my current major). I met some really great young women who encouraged and supported me. Then, a few months later on Nov. 19, 2004 I was baptized.

I believe that there are times in life when God calls us into the 'desert'. Birmingham was my desert.

The night I waked into the church, they gave me a Bible. One of the verses they highlighted for me to read is below. I could not sleep that night when I returned home. I felt such a sense of peace. I stayed up reading this verse over and over.

Though you have made me see troubles, many and bitter, you will restore my life again; from the depths of the earth you will again bring me up.

Psalm 71:20

Today, I am celebrating 6 years and giving GOD praise for all he has done for me.

The day of my baptism.

My Prince.....

2010-11-16T17:53:00.004-06:00

.....is engaged to Kate Middleton!

I have always been a fan of Princess Diana and the Royal family. I've read several books on the topic and have always had an interest. As a little girl, I believed that I would one day marry Prince William and become a real princess. :) Hey, what 7 year old girl doesn't dream of that?

I was excited to hear that they have finally announced their engagement. I know that the odds of me ever meeting them are extremely slim. However, I'm probably more excited about watching the royal wedding and seeing pictures of 'the dress' than Kate.

I love that he gave her Diana's ring.

Oh well. Kate can have William. I'm off to spend the evening with my own Prince! :) I know I'm biased, but I really do have THE best husband EVER - just in case you didn't know!

Friday Favorites

2010-11-12T12:55:00.016-06:00

1. Family

2. Quest Bible
I collect Bibles. It's so hard to go into a Christian book store and not want to buy a new Bible. Well, this week I couldn't resist the urge. I gave my husband a Starting Points Bible years ago when he first began seeking the Lord. I love his Bible, and often find myself reading through his instead of my many. So, I was on the hunt for my own Starting Points. I was unable to find one, but I did come across the Quest study Bible. It is very similar to his and is chocked full of thoughtfuls. I was able to find a girlie one in Turquoise and Brown :)

3. Long Weekends
This week I was lucky enough to be out of school yesterday (Veteran's Day) and today (built-in weather day). I've enjoyed being a 'Lady of Leisure' :)

4. Ceramic Heaters
This time of year the night's are cold, but the days are pretty warm. So, it's not cold enough to turn on the central heat, but at night we want just a tad bit of heat. I purchased two portable heaters at Lowes and we love them. They even come with remotes and a thermostat. Their relatively small and pretty quiet. Perfect for what we need right now.

5. Sudoku
The hubby and I argue like children over whose turn it is to play Sudoku on the iPad.

6. Matthew West
I've always been a fan. I downloaded his new album "Story of You Life" from iTunes this week and it's all I've been listening to. He's one of my favorite Contemporary Christian artists.

7. Pantry Organizers
THIS pantry makeover story has inspired me.

Inspiration Photos

8. Boot Trays
I found ours at Bed-Bath-Beyond.

9. Seagrass Waste Basket
I bought three of these for our guest bathrooms. Again, found them at Bed-Bath-Beyond.

10. Leen the Graphics Queen
I'm planning to order some quotes/Bible verses to put around our house. She does great work!
Check her out HERE.

Lookey Lookey What I've Got.....

2010-11-01T17:59:00.008-05:00

An Apple iPad.

Plus, a Flip Video camera with accessories :)

You're green with envy right? Ha!

Okay, okay... I'll try to contain my excitement. Our school purchased iPads and Flip Video cameras for each classroom. I plan on spending the night playing with my iPad. Thankfully I already have an iPhone so they're pretty similar as far as navigating around. During our professional development today we were shown so many neat education apps that are FREE and would be great in the classroom. I can't wait to use this during intervention times, centers, or just anytime we want to have some fun with technology!

A happy post such as this was due, especially after my outburst yesterday (which I took down, as promised).

Housewarming Party

2010-10-30T18:34:00.004-05:00

The housewarming party went great! Bob and I are so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family! Everyone had a great time and it was so good to see everyone. Since this was the first event we've hosted, I wanted a picture of the two of us :) Our dining room was transformed into an art room. I think the painting party was a great idea. Everything went smoothly and our guests left with their own masterpieces to 'warm' their homes. We are looking forward to hosting many more parties in our home!

Enjoy the snapshots!

Friday Favorites

2010-10-22T05:44:00.002-05:00

1. Healthy Sexy Hair shampoo/conditioner
I had been using Redken Smooth Down, but decided to try something different. I always buy my shampoo by the liters from the salon- you get more for your money and it lasts longer. I also love the Root Pump from Big Sexy Hair.

2. Hard as Wraps clear nail polish
I was definitely not blessed with gorgeous, strong nails. Instead, mine are brittle and peel easily. This is the best nail strengthener I've ever used.

3. Matt Nathanson
I love his music! In fact, some of his tunes are on the music player at the bottom of my blog.

4. Nik-L- Nips
Say that one five times fast :) Does anyone else remember these? They were my favorites as a kid. One of my coworkers brought a bag for her students and I had to have a few. I didn't know they still made these. For those of you who aren't familiar, they are wax bottles with a candy drink inside.

5. Painting
This was taken at a painting party I attended at the end of September. The artist that led the party is who I've booked for my housewarming party. I'm really excited! My faithful blog readers might remember my trips to Mobile to paint with my dear friend, T.

6. Sleep
In my old age I'm early to bed and late to rise. :) By 7:30 p.m. I'm showered, in my pj's, and trying my best to stay up until 8! Sleeping a minimum of 12 hours is a breeze for me. These days, I just feel so old. I think I sleep more than my grandmother.

7. FCA
FCA meets every Wednesday morning at 7. It's inspiring to see high school students give up extra sleeping time in order to get to school 45 minutes early to fellowship and learn about Christ. Last Thursday the FCA hosted Fields of Faith. It was a great turnout! (Oh, rising early for events like this is why I need so much of #6).

8. A&W Root Beer Float
For those of you without an A&W nearby, Wendy's also has their version (a Frosty Float). It's pretty good but I still prefer A&W's.

9. Father of the Bride I & II

10. TLC's Sister Wives
Does anyone else watch this show? While the idea of polygamy is downright crazy to me, I'm still hooked on the show. Sister Wives follows the life of Kody and his four wives (Meri, Janelle, Christine, and Robyn), his 13 biological children, and three step children.

Happy Friday

Thursday's Thoughtful

2010-10-21T06:12:00.002-05:00

Last week at our FCA meeting one of my fellow teacher's pointed something out about our purpose. Then, at Fields of Faith, the speaker mentioned the same idea. It goes a little like this........

We're not just saved so that we can go to heaven. If Jesus saved us just to go to heaven, then the minute we were saved he would have taken us home. Instead, we are still walking the Earth. Yes, we are heaven bound, but while we are still on this Earth we have a mission: to spread the good news and help others find their way to Jesus.

It's something to think about isn't is?

Have a great Thursday!

Housewarming Invitations

2010-10-17T17:41:00.005-05:00

Invitations ordered from www.tinyprints.com
You may remember I also ordered our moving announcements from there.

I wanted to do something a little different for our housewarming party. So, I've booked an artist to come and give a painting lesson (hence the $30 artist fee on the invitation). The guests will get to choose a picture and the artist will walk them through the process of creating their own masterpiece. Everyone will get to take home a canvas painting to hang in their home.

I opted for a casual Sunday afternoon party with light refreshments and a few close family members and friends. I cannot wait to see everyone!

Oh, but don't let my excitement fool you. I've been super busy trying to finish last minute projects before the big party. I just hope I can get everything done in time!

Thursday's Thoughtful

2010-10-14T06:19:00.001-05:00

Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths theater.
Gail Godwin

Fabulous Find

2010-10-10T17:25:00.006-05:00

Remember this ruched duvet from Pottery Barn? I've been drooling over it for quite some time now.

Well, while browsing through one of my favorite bargain stores with the hubby, we came across this.......

Please excuse the dark pics, they were taken with my iPhone.

Love it- and the money I saved!

It came with the comforter, pillow shams, and bed skirt, and two decorative pillows- plus it was a fraction of what PB's version cost.

You may remember that white made my Friday Favorites list a while back.... I love my all white bedding. Every time I look at it I smile :)

The master bedroom is now complete.... stay tuned for pictures of it and our office (you thought I'd forgotten).

around the house

2010-10-10T15:54:00.005-05:00

Our Home- The Laudry Room

2010-10-02T14:41:00.021-05:00

Before....

A truly hideous shade of yellow. It was almost neon.
There was a hole in the wall where a sink/cabinet combo should have been.
The wall above the stairs was just sheet rock- did not even have primer.
Non of the doors, trim, window seals, or baseboards were painted.

After.....

Paint color: Subtle Oatlands Taupe. (A light khaki color with gray undertones).
Trim color: Du Jour
We installed a cabinet/sink combo, and storage cabinets above the sink.
We spent countless hours caulking doors, trim, molding, etc... I spent an entire day on my knees just painting the baseboards.
Made curtains for the windows.

The back door looks much better now that it's painted. It was a dingy primer white.

Found this little guy at Ross back in the Spring. It was only $8!

We still have to install trim for the staircase. We've just been lazy lately. :)
Please excuse the tackle boxes/fishing gear on the stairs.
Half bath in laundry room.

And lastly, the view from the windows :)

I am very blessed to have a large laundry room. Our LR before was barely big enough for one person to squeeze into! :) Our new laundry room is bigger than our old master bedroom. I still want to add a potted plant or two, some decorative pieces on the walls, and maybe a bench.

On the sewing front, I finally got around to unpacking all of my sewing gear. My first project was curtains. I'm really liking the curtains I made for the laundry room. I tried several different things with them before deciding on just a simple valance.

My messy breakfast table :) It's serving as my sewing spot until we can get my official sewing room painted.

It took me forever to decide on fabric.

I thought I wanted something like this, but once I hung them I decided against the idea. Instead, I'm going to use this version in our office.

I think the simple valance worked best.

I'm posting before/after pics of our office next. Stay tuned....

Homecoming Week

2010-10-02T14:16:00.013-05:00

Consider yourself warned.
This post will probably come across as boring and long to most of you- but I wanted to post it for the sake of my journal.

Our theme was "Peace Love and Bulldogs- Groovin' down in Bulldog Town'.
Monday was 70's day.
Tuesday was crazy hair day. The day before I read the book Stephanie's Ponytail, so all the girls in my room wore a crazy ponytail (even me, but I thought I'd spare you the picture ;) )
Wednesday was Country/Western day.
Thursday was twin day.
Friday was purple and gold day (our school colors).

There was a door decorating contest, and a first-second-third place winner for each building. I have an AMAZING group of parents this year. One in particular, whom I will call Crafty Momma volunteered to decorate my door for me. You may remember my post about receiving a 'happy' on my first day of school, well this mom is the one who sent it to me.

Crafty Momma did an excellent job! Our door won first place for our building! The kiddos were thrilled! I also had several parents (including Crafty Momma) volunteer to do our float for the homecoming parade. They took care of everything and we had the best float at the parade! ;)

I tried snapping a few pics, but they didn't turn out to well. Sorry!

I am blessed to have such a great group of parents!

Since it was a 70's theme, all of the kiddos brought a white t-shirt. We tie-dyed them so they would all have matching shirts to wear on the float. At 12:00 on Friday I was up to my eyeballs in tie-dying! To make it simple, we just used markers to color the shirts. Here are some pics- I thought they turned out great.

The kiddos coloring the 'stubs' as they called it (the parts twisted with rubber bands).

The finished product.

Homecoming week was a blast! I had to work the game last night, but it was still a fun game! We won, 63-0. Everyone showed great school spirit- and we all had a fun, exciting week.

But, this first grade teacher is looking forward t0 a regular week of school starting Monday. I'm exhausted!

Happy October

2010-10-01T06:32:00.001-05:00

I'm in love with today- it's the first day of my favorite month! The weather lately has be gorgeous and life could not be any sweeter! I have the urge to carve a pumpkin, rakes some leaves, or take a drive with my sunroof back and my windows down.

Ahhhh..... October! What took you so long :)

I hope you all have a fabulous Friday!

I plan on replicating this for our front porch. Perfection!

On a side note: Tonight is our Homecoming Game. GO SWEET WATER BULLDOGS! :)

Thursday's Thoughtful

2010-09-30T19:49:00.000-05:00

A smile is a curve that sets everything straight.
Phyllis Diller

A smile is an inexpensive way to change your looks.
Charles Gordy

So SMILE and be HAPPY! :)

Friday Favorites

2010-09-24T06:15:00.000-05:00

1. Autumn
My favorite time of year- nuf said.

2. Life Experiences
In my old age I've found I'd rather take $20 and use it towards making memories and enjoying life rather than spending it on junk or clothes. Stuff comes and goes, memories and life experiences will always stay with you.

3. A Clean Car
I loath dirty, junky cars. Maybe it's because of my commute, but I hate riding in my car when it's messy! I definitely do not enjoy washing/cleaning it, but I so love riding in it after it's been cleaned!

4. Eating Dinner At A Table
Wednesday night my husband and I ate at our breakfast table for the first time since we've moved. We've had that table since we married, but I can count on one hand how many times we've actually eaten at it. We usually plop down in front of the tube and eat- while watching our favorite shows rather than conversing. After eating at our table we've decided to make a new house rule- anytime one of us cooks, we will eat at the table, rather than on the sofa in front of the T.V.

5. The Ugly Pumpkin
I now have a new favorite book- The Ugly Pumpkin. My kiddos and I have read this book at least a dozen times this week. I stumbled across it in our library and it's now one of our favs! Parents and teachers out there, I highly recommend this cute, funny book.

6. Cooler Weather
The cooler mornings lately have been a nice taste of what's to come.

7. Drunk Chicken
My father-in-law grills the best drunk chicken! I always look forward to holiday cookouts with him because he always fixes me a drunk chicken.

8. Coconut Lime Verbena from Bath and Body Works
I have never been a coconut fan- I hate the taste of it, and I've never found any good coconut scented items- until now. I found a bottle of this scented lotion while unpacking the other day and actually like it.

9. Say Yes to the Dress
I've always been a fan- but I especially like the new season because it's in Atlanta.

10. Kenra Shine Serum
My beautician introduced me to this. It's magic in a bottle.

Thursday's Thoughtfuls

2010-09-23T22:05:00.001-05:00

The best of times is now.
Oprah Winfrey

Never take life too seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
Author Unknown

Whatever you are be a good one.
Abraham Lincoln

Thursday's Thoughtful

2010-09-16T19:22:00.003-05:00

When once you have tasted flight you will always roam the earth with your eyes turned skyward; for there you have been and there you will always be.

Leonardo DiVinci

Are You Ready...

2010-09-12T09:22:00.006-05:00

.....to sky dive?!?

NOTE: BEFORE YOU WATCH THE VIDEO, YOU MAY NEED TO SCROLL TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE AND HIT THE PAUSE BUTTON ON THE MUSIC PLAYER.

Yesterday I took the big jump from 14000 ft. altitude. I had 65 seconds of free fall where I did upwards of 150 mph. I was even able to fall through a cloud! So, it's your lucky day because it's all on video! My favorite part was the jump... well, I didn't actually jump. I did six summer sault rotations- yes, I'm one tough cookie :)

Along with the video I have about 200 still shots. So, check back later for pictures!
Oh, the guy in the blue jumper, sitting beside me in the plane is my best friend's boyfriend (Chickadee). My brother was supposed to come but he could not get off duty in the army. That's okay though- because we're planning another jump next month!

I'm addicted. It's the absolute BEST EXPERIENCE of my life. Nothing I ever do from this point on will even come close to the feeling this gave me. Now all I do is look up at the sky and wish I were up there.

Friday Favorites - Classroom Edition

2010-09-10T16:57:00.015-05:00

1. Technology
I am blessed to work in a school with ample technology. In my room I'm fortunate to have a projector, ELMO, projection screen, two computers, a sound system/microphone, and an interwrite pad. Plus, every afternoon our class gets laptops for the students to use! We have a distance learning lab where students can go on virtual field trips. I LOVE using technology in my classroom- and today's kids are so tech savvy! My students love using the technology!

2. Secret Student
This is something I started my first year of teaching. Each morning I pull two star sticks-but I don't tell the kids whose name I've pulled. All day I make comments such as "Oh, my secret students are doing so great!". Naturally, everyone straightens up in hopes that it's them. At the end of the day I announce the names, and those two students get to feed the fish, hermit crabs, and check on the tadpoles. The kids LOVE doing secret student.

3. Costumes
I love pulling out costumes to enhance books or a lesson!

4. Click-able Dry Erase Markers

5. Pets
I love having classroom pets. The kids really enjoy them- and it's a good way for them to learn responsibility in taking care of an animal. We have two hermit crabs - Bully and Auby-, a fish named Simon (that my principal gave us :) ), and some tadpoles that a student brought.

Bully has the Bulldog paw prints (we're the Bulldogs) and Auby looks like a Tiger.
Note: I'm not an Auburn fan. A student chose that name :)

The kindergarten teachers hatched chicken eggs- so our hall had baby chicks this week. It so so neat! They are going to hatch duck eggs next, and I'm joining them! My dad has an incubator, so hopefully we will be able to have ducklings hatch in our room! Very exciting for a first grader- and me!

6. Displaying Student Work
I love hanging student work from my ceilings etc.. Right now we have fish hanging from the ceiling- it makes our room seem kind of like an ocean! :)

Family trees made in Social Studies

Growing Up Project for Social Studies
The students brought in a baby picture, a current picture, and then drew what they think they'll look like as an adult.

Mini People made in Science

Close up of a mini person.
They labeled the five senses and four major organs:heart, lungs, brain, and stomach.

7. Murials
I have always done big class murials for different times of the year. The kids really enjoy it!

"Mrs. James' Pick of the Patch"
Their fists made the pumpkins and their hand prints made the Autumn leaves.

8. The Jazz Fly
I absolutely love this book! It also has a CD and the kids LOVE listening to the jazz music! Too funny!
Go HERE to listen to the song.

9. Outdoor Lessons
I love finding ways to get out of the room for lessons. This week was focused on The Writing House (another of my favorite things). It's a writing program- and this week was dedicated solely to descriptive writing. We wrote, and wrote, and wrote! Yesterday we read Little Cloud by Eric Carle. Then, we went outside and sat on the sidewalk to admire the clouds. The students then completed a descriptive writing activity on the clouds they saw. Things like that just make school special- or at least I think so ;)

10. My Sweet, Witty, Funny, Loving Students
Last, but not least, my students. I cannot brag on my sweet peas enough! I have fallen head over heels in love with this group of kids. We've had so much fun this past month. Each day I drive to work so excited because I cannot wait to show them what fun things we're going to learn that day! I am blessed!

Thursday's Thoughtfuls - Dr. Seuss Style

2010-09-09T17:48:00.000-05:00

“A person's a person, no matter how small.”

“If you never did you should. These things are fun and fun is good”

“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.”

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. You're on your own.
And you know what you know. You are the guy who'll decide where to go.

“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.”
My kids and I say that at the end of each day :)