Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I'm Alive!

Despite popular opinion, I am in fact alive and well.  Just a little under water these days.  Under water in a good way - as in - a lot of great things are happening and I am blessed in so many ways.

 Unfortunately, my time is incredibly limited these days - which means that something had to give.  And blogging was the thing that had to give.  To be honest, I probably won't have many posts this week either.  But I promise I will be back soon enough with lots of updates to my 101 in 1001 and other exciting happenings.  (Hint - I may have gotten that drastic new hairstyle I was talking about!)

Thanks for being so understanding - sorry for being a bad blogger!  I really appreciate those of who you have sent me a line just to check and see how I am doing.  It's so thoughtful and makes me feel so special knowing you are thinking of me!  :)

Monday, October 11, 2010

Miscellany Monday

{one}  Well - I marked another big item off my 101 in 1001 this weekend - which turned out to be a pretty big F.A.I.L.  The Tide fell to South Carolina.  Which should be bad enough.  Losing our #1 ranking and having to fight like mad the rest of the season for a shot at a second national title is never a good thing.  But the loss was the least of it.  I have never in my life experienced such poor sportsmanship, profanity and disrespect as what we endured at the hands of the South Carolina fans on Saturday.  After four quarters of being cussed out, screamed at and mocked, I was literally in tears as we left the stadium.  It was disgusting - too awful to event recount.  I'm still mulling over my feelings about this one and I think that a "Letter To The Editor" at ESPN, Sports Illustrated and any other sport related publication that I can find will be sent off later this week.  I am embarrassed to be a fan of the SEC after what I witnessed from South Carolina fans on Saturday.  Disgusting.

{two}  My pastor preached a sermon yesterday about Gluttony.  Whew - did that one hit home.  I discovered not only am I gluttonous in my eating habits, but also in my spending habits, and my general desire to collect more and more stuff. Simply put, I live a life of excess.  So God and I are working through some issues this week and I am earnestly praying that He will reveal ways in which I can trim back my eating/spending habits in order to live a life of discipline and control.

{three}  Vegetable beef soup is in the crockpot as we speak (or type!)  Number one - I love crockpot meals.  It's so liberating to know that dinner will be ready the moment I walk through the door.  Number two - I love vegetable beef soup.  I perfectly balanced Zone approved meal that is yummy and satisfying!  :)

{four} Boo for being at work on Columbus Day.  :(

{five} Even though my boys suffered a tough loss on Saturday - I'm still a devoted fan!  :) :)

{six} I forgot to post the winner of the Designs By Kelsea giveaway on Friday.  Results to be posted later this afternoon - I promise!!!

Friday, October 8, 2010

Welcome To Our Home!

Happy Friday!!!  The work week is almost over and I am *so* excited to attend the South Carolina vs. Alabama game tomorrow.  ROLL TIDE!

Okay - now that we have that out of the way, I figure it's time to finally share the pictures of our home that I have been promising ya'll.  My trusty new camera was an absolute joy to use this morning as I snapped some quick shots of the entry way, living room, dining room & kitchen. 

So please, allow me to welcome you to our humble home....

View as you enter the front door...a little dark - but you get the picture.


Entry way


View of entry way & master bedroom hallway from fire place


View of living room from entry way


View of living room from master bedroom hallway


View of living room from dining room


                             
Daily dose of Fox & Friends


Mantle & fire place


My pretty puppies


Finally - my cross motif from 101 in 1001


View of dining room & kitchen from living room



Dining Room


Kitchen

That's all for now!  I will post pictures of the outdoor fall decorations, master bedroom, guest bedroom & office next week.  Thanks for stopping by - hope you enjoyed your visit!

PS - Please excuse the random dogs throughout the pictures.   They kind of own the place and it was impossible to keep them out of the shots!


Thursday, October 7, 2010

My Hubby Is The BEST!

In all honesty, I've had a difficult week so far.  Work has been hectic, productive, but hectic.  And with my back bothering me so badly, I was unable to workout Monday & Tuesday.  Despite my attempts to stay positive, there have been many small, irksome events this week that have kept me at a constant state of annoyance.

But - there is a light at the end of the tunnel!  Steven and I are attending the South Carolina vs. Alabama game this Saturday at Williams-Brice Stadium.  I am so excited!  This will be my first live Alabama football game and I get to share it with my hubby!

Which leads me to the point of this post.  My digital camera is a piece of crap ancient horrid outdated.  The battery will not hold a charge longer than an hour and uploading pictures is a nightmare.   I have wanted a new digital camera for some time now, but have not been willing to spend time doing the research for a good deal or willing to spend the money.

But I have dropped quite a few hints to Steven that I would love a new camera but just do not want to deal with the stresses of buying one over the past few days.  I kept mentioning how sad I was that I wouldn't be able to properly document our first Alabama game together because I didn't have a sufficient camera - you know...the good guilt trip.

Last night was my first workout this week due to my back injury and I had to significantly modify the workout.  I was bummed and really sore while driving home and kept thinking, "How awesome would it be if I came home and Steven had a new camera waiting for me!?!"  But I knew better....I mean how often does your hubby telepathically know exactly what you want him to do at the exact time that you want him to do it? 

I walked through the door to find Steven preparing dinner and cleaning the dishes.  (What a pleasant surprise!)  I entered the kitchen and we began catching up on each others day.  He nonchalantly asked me to put the lid to the crock pot back in the cupboard.  So I grabbed the lid and opened the cupboard.  But there was something in the crock pot, so I just shoved the lid in an open spot somewhere else. 

Steven quickly asked, "Did you put the lid on the crock pot where it belongs or did you just throw it somewhere?  Dang - he caught me! "Umm...I put it where it belongs of course", I replied.  To which he sighed and asked, "Really, you wouldn't be lying would you??"

Caught with no excuses, I opened the cupboard to put the lid where it belongs and noticed the blue package sitting in the crock pot that originally prohibited me from putting the lid in its rightful place.So I argued, "Well I was going to put it on the crock pot - but there is something in it!"

To which Steven replied, "Well take whatever it is out then."  Slightly exasperated by this little crock pot fiasco, I begrudgingly removed the package from the crock pot.  Strange...why would a Best Buy bag be in my crock pot?!?  To my complete surprise the bag contained a brand new pink digital camera with memory card, tripod & carrying case.  Woo-hoo!!!!

I was so excited I started jumping up and down like a giddy little school girl.  :)

As I went to bed last night, I couldn't help but think about all the ways that Steven treats me like a complete princess.  If I am being honest, I may have milked this whole hurt back thing for all it's worth this week.  He has made multiple ice bags each night, rubbed my back with Stop Pain numerous times, gotten up in the middle of the night to get me something, taken care of the dogs, and so much more. 

And he doesn't just take care of me when I'm hurt or surprise me with a new camera when I've had a rough week.  He truly takes care of me in so many ways each and every day.  I am so unbelievably blessed to be married to him. And the sad part is, that I take him for granted more often than not.  Truth be told, he treats me so much better than I treat him and he rarely complains about it.  I really am such a blessed girl!

Once again, thank God for good men!!!

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

What Makes You Angry?

It's another gloriously busy day on my end.  Struggling to keep things afloat.  So I will leave you with this quote from an anonymous author that my pastor shared last week. 
"The size of a man can be measured by the size of the thing that makes him angry."
This quote keeps playing over and over in my mind this week each time I feel myself getting frustrated or becoming angry.  All too often I become angry over the smallest things and allow those small things to steal my joy and happiness. 

So today, I'm focusing my efforts on being grateful for the many ways that God has blessed me.  Instead of wallowing in a sea of self pity (umm...like my post yesterday!) I am going to make the most of today and cross some very important items off my to-do list.  And most importantly, I'm going to strive to be a woman of character who becomes angry over matters of importance such as injustice, poverty, and immorality instead of the trite, minuscule matters that I so often find myself consumed with.



Monday, October 4, 2010

Miscellany Monday - I'm A Mess!

Miscellany Monday @ lowercase letters


{one} Do you ever have that feeling like you're treading water just to stay afloat or barely hanging on by a thread? I've been feeling that way over the past two weeks.  Not necessarily in a bad way....but just a bit overwhelmed.  Things are going very well for Steven and I; however, there just aren't enough hours in the day to get everything done and I feel like I am halfway completing everything.  It's a very frustrating feeling.

{two}  I'm horrible at dieting.  I will follow Zone strictly for four-five days and then blow it for two-three.  The main problem is poor planning.  I don't mind eating Zone approved meals - it's just taking the time to create a meal that is perfectly balanced with 40% carbs, 30% protein & 30% fat that becomes a bit difficult - especially when I don't get home until 8:30 most evenings.

{three}  I've hurt my back.  We maxed out shoulder to overhead yesterday at CrossFit.  I tried to clean and jerk 75 pounds (which is totally weak!) and I couldn't get it overhead.  Instead of dropping the weight, I held onto it and completely messed up my lower back.  I'm in so much pain.  I have no one to blame but myself because I should have just let go of the bar - but I hate throwing down weights.  It seems so violent for some reason.  I soaked in Epsom salt yesterday, applied Stop Pain all afternoon and took a much needed nap.  But still...I'm in pain.  Anyway....now I will probably have to miss a few workouts this week to allow myself to heal.  Grr...
Dixie and I taking a much needed nap after a tough morning.

{four}  We have no groceries in the house.  Which only makes preparing Zone approved meals more difficult.  Maybe it is a good thing that I'm not going to CrossFit tonight -at least I will have time to fill the fridge and cupboards with food for the next week.

{five}  Even my purse is a mess!  You know things have gone completely down hill when it takes two and a half minutes just to find your lip gloss.  Just another example of how unorganized I am these days....

I can't believe I'm posting this for the world to see......

{six}  With all that being said - I've really got to get it together.  Steven and I are discussing some pretty big changes that may occur in the spring and there is no way on earth I will be able to continue this disheveled lifestyle and survive.  So I've got about three months to get it together.  Looks like I need to get a game plan together!  (Any guesses what these big changes may consist of??)

{seven}  Don't forget to enter my Designs By Kelsea Giveaway!



Friday, October 1, 2010

Designs By Kelsea Giveaway

HAPPY FRIDAY!  Whew - what a week.  I swear I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off; hence my lack of a blog post yesterday and my limited comments this week.  Here's hoping things settle down soon.

I do have some very exciting Friday news.  Kelsea Gunter from Overwhelmed By Grace and owner of Designs By Kelsea has offered to sponsor a giveaway in which one reader will win an elegant, handmade item from her shop.  After browsing Kelsea's shop, I immediately fell in love.  The quality of her work is evident and I love the fact that she names each piece she creates.  Allow me to introduce....

Kate


Tara



Courtney

Readers may gain an entry to the giveaway for each of the following:
1) Be or become a follower of my blog.
2) Follow Kelsea's blog Overwhelmed By Grace
3) Like Designs By Kelsea on Facebook
4) Visit Designs By Kelsea Online and tell me which item from her shop you like best.

The giveway will run through Thursday, October 7th with a winner announced Friday, October 8th.  Please remember to list each entry seperately.

If you love what you see and want to make a purchase immediately, Kelsea is offering a 10% discount to all of my readers.  Please just mention that you found her shop through my blog!

Have a great Friday & Good Luck!


Young, Fabulous, Newlywed





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