aych : aye : double ell : oh : double you : double e : in

Happy Halloween ya'll!

 (and how about that title - haha!)

Want to learn some random things about me? 

  

seven great things in your life.

1. my relationship with Jesus Christ

2. a husband with goals of wanting nothing more then to fully support our family

3. a mom, dad, and two sisters who always know how to make me laugh

4. the sweetest puppers on the planet

5.  a church with an amazing pastor and great worship band

6. a rock star shoe collection

7.  great penmanship

seven things you lack and covet.

1. motivation to workout

2. clear skin (hormones you suck)

3. patience

4. the skills to walk seamlessly in heels all day

5. a tan (skin cancer is no bueno so i'll stick to being pasty 

6. the ability to apply eyeshadow
7.  pitch

seven things that make you angry.

1. disrespectful/ungrateful old people

2. when my husband tries to race people while I'm in the car

3. people who leave the shower curtain open 

4. pregnant women who complain constantly

5.  student loan payments

6. k-state fans

7.  cheaters

seven things that you neglect to do.

1. dust

2. run

3. clean off the dishes before putting them in the dish washer

4. shave my legs

5.  change my scenty smells

6. wash my car

7. open the mail after I bring it inside

seven worldly material desires.

1. a navy Michael Kors hamilton tote 

2.  an autostart for willow (my car)

3.  a one way ticket to Hawaii

4.  an upgraded wedding ring - think Khloe Kardashian 

5. a massive walk-in closet with all the clothes i've pinned on pinterest 
6. season tickets to ku basketball
7. a 2013 dodge nitro - white with dark tint and rims

seven guilty pleasures.

1. raw cookie dough

2. reading naughty romance books

3. dr. pepper

4. my bi-weekly shellac manicure

5. nightly tv shows

6. candles

7. hobby lobby trips

seven things you love about love.

1. movie nights

2. a constant companion 

3. knowing someone better then they know them-self

   4. routine

5.  someone to pump my gas and take out the trash 

6.  our love of sports 

7. cozy time = nap time

How long will this linky remain open? Til Halloween, you guessed it!  Happy trails!

What I Wore: Sparkles & a Scarf

Tis the season for scarves! 

I have been having a slight obsession with them, particularly cowls and infinity scarves. 

Look what has me drooling: 

all via pinterest


As much as I love cowls and infinity scarves, I only own one. Scratch that - two and that's only because I did a quick stitch with the sewing machine and turned a regular scarf into an infinity one. 

Because I have so many regular scarves hanging in the closet I needed to find a few new, cute ways to wear them. Of course, I immediately went to Pinterest to get ideas and I came away with a winner. 


Inspiration:

via


My Version:

Scarf // gifted
Sweater // Vanity (old)


I now know how to successfully tie a scarf two different ways! 


Linking up with the pleated poppy.

A RANT - because I can

Do you know what just irks me?

When ladies trying to have babies get so frustrated when they have been trying for 4-6 months and " it's just not working " 

{try for 2+ years and then get back to me} 

When I get asked when we are going to have kids and my response is something like "well we are trying, just not having any luck." Then these women respond with "it'll happen. give it time. be patient. you're so young, you have all the time in the world. enjoy your alone time now. "

(note - don't say those things to someone wanting so desperately to be a mother. it doesn't help the situation at all}

Do you want to know what even irks me even more?

When someone gets pregnant and their whole world is revolved around that. Every facebook status, every twitter post. These ladies no longer care about anyone other then themselves and being pregnant. 
{Don't forget about the ones that were there for the journey far before you conceived. Don't stop worrying about what's going on in everyone else's lives - just because things are moving in yours.}



Do you want to know what irks me the MOST?


When ladies are pregnant and all they do is publicly complain. Like shut up already!  You are creating a human being. It is the most blessed gift God has given us as women and you are not rejoicing in it. 
{Plus, there are many other ladies who would kill to be swollen or puking or fat. Stop complaining!}

But at the top of the list is when I hear about women being so selfish and aborting their unborn babies.  
{It's so sad that the people who want it the most, it doesn't work and for those that want absolutely nothing to do with it, it works too easy.}  



. . . end rant. 


PS - Remember - this is MY blog with MY opinions. 
No need for distasteful comments. 

Non-Traditional Pumpkins

A few weekends ago, my little sister was in town and I had BIG plans to decorate some pumpkins together. You know, the whole she-bang: glitter, paint, jewels, ribbon. {check out my inspiration here} Anyways, we didn't get around to doing it that weekend, because you know how time fly's when you are having fun. Fortunately though, I had some extra time after work this past week and was able to knock out a few creations. . . just in time to take them to work for our Halloween party! 

Paint and a whole lot of bedazzling! 

Purple and gold glitter held on by mod podge! 

I also painted a bigger pumpkin with our companies logo on it and I will clean it out and put some flowers in it! I may decide to add a ribbon bow or two, but we'll see. 

Halloween is my least favorite holiday - but I love when you can be a little non-traditional while still being festive! CT even said 'This is the coolest pumpkin I've ever seen' in regards to the purple glittered pumpkin. He may not like our house in the process of all of my 'crafting' but I love when I create something and he likes it as much as I do.

What non-traditional decorations are up in your home?

Linking up with: craft-o-maniac and Making The World Cuter

Nail Files

CND Shellac - Rock Royalty. 

I've fully transitioned over into the fall colors. 

Once you go dark, you can't go back. Not until at least February or March! 

Linking up with Jennie. 

No Words

I hope this brings a smile to your face on this humppp dayyyyyy!

I told the ladies I couldn't pull off red lips, but they sure do make my green eyes pop! 

Recipe: The Perfect Pecan Pie

CT celebrated his 26th year of birth earlier this month, and I wanted to make him something special: pecan pie. I wanted to go for something unlike the traditional birthday cake. 

I had never made a pie so I took to the web to find the perfect recipe!

Here's my rendition of the Pioneer Woman's recipe. 

The Perfect Pecan Pie

(Picture taken prior to baking) 

1 whole Unbaked Pie Crust (I used a store bought frozen one)

1 cup White Sugar
3 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 cup Corn Syrup
3/4 teaspoons Vanilla
1/3 cup Melted Butter (salted)
3 whole Eggs, Beaten
1 cup (heaping) Chopped Pecans

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

- Prepare your pie crust or if you purchased a frozen one like me let it thaw to room temperature

- Mix the sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl = syrup mixture.

- Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the unbaked pie crust. Make sure you have an even amount of little pieces and bigger pieces. (the little pieces are what crisp up on the top of the pie)

- Pour the syrup mixture over the top. Cover the top and crust gently with foil. Bake the pie at 350º for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, then continue baking for 30 minutes, being careful not to burn the crust or pecans.

 - NOTE: PIE SHOULD NOT BE OVERLY JIGGLY WHEN YOU REMOVE IT FROM THE OVEN. If it extremely jiggly, continue to bake it checking on it periodically. I learned quickly that this pie sets up after you remove it from the oven to cool, so it will still have some jiggle when it's done.

- Allow it to cool for several hours or overnight if possible. 

- Serve with a heaping amount of whipped cream and enjoy!

For my first time baking a pie, it turned out fabulous and CT loved it! 
He ate the whole thing in two days. 
I hope you all enjoy it as much as he did! 

Weekend Recap

Whew! What a weekend. Like all the others, it went by ridiculously fast. 

When are we as a country going to go to 3 day weekends? 

This needs to happen asap! 

Anyways, this weekend was full of sports: football, baseball, and volleyball.

Whenever anyone asks me what I did this weekend, my response is always sports related. It's just what we do. 

CT had a game on Saturday where they lost by two missed p.a.t's. 

Along with their physical loss, they also lost their quarterback to a torn ACL and their best defensive player to a broken fibula. 

Not a good day for the Friends Falcons. =(

But on a more positive note, the CARDINALS won and they are headed to the world series!! 

We are trying to find a way to make it to Sunday's game. 

Wish us luck . . .because we are only going if we can find tickets for under $200 a piece.

 "It's hard out here for a pimp." 

We are on a budget ya'll! 

 If it's meant to be it will be. 

Also, this weekend was homecoming at Friends and with that comes the alumni volleyball game. 

Bruised thumb and floor burns = old and broken.

 Need I say more? 

It was pretty brutal! 

Are any of you as sports consumed as we are?

Linking up with Monday Mingling and Sami's Shenanigans.

2 Samuel 11

Today in church, our pastor started a new series titles "The Thing". 

The Thing = Satan. 

The Thing is lurking, stalking us . . .daily. 

He has a daily goal to disrupt our lives with temptation, but he ultimately has a strategy to blow up our lives. Because God loves us, we have a huge target on our back. 

Take a moment to read about David's sinful story in 2 Samuel 11.

It's a story about David and his affair with Bathsheba while her husband was away at war. David was tempted and Satan won. Bathsheba became pregnant and when David found out he sent for her husband, Uriah to come home from the war. David figured Uriah would come home for a little rest and relaxation and everyone would believe it was Uriah's son. When Uriah chose not to go home to Bathsheba, David sent for him to be put in the front lines of the war. This was his death sentence. When Bathsheba was done mourning, David took her as his wife and she bore him a son. In the end, it looked like David was a hero, comforting and saving a women whose husband died at war. 

At the end of this chapter the bible states:

"But the thing that David had done displeased the Lord."

This is such a scary and unnerving statement. 

When we sin God still forgives us and He will never bring up our wrongs again. 

Even though He forgives, the sin still punishes us. 

The monster we created still lives on.

Our sermon today was on affairs.

How common they are.

How easily they begin.

How much destruction they cause.

Pastor Hoover gave us some advice on how to avoid The Thing.  

1. Don't toy with temptation

2. Watch out for your vulnerable seasons

(change, boredom, and anger)

3. Don't develop an unhealthy appetite 

Weekend Plans

Praise the Lord - it is the weekend!! 

Even though this work week went by fast, I was counting down the hours until 4:45 today.

 All I wanted to do was come home and veg out. 

 It's been dark when I go to work and dark when I leave work which is really throwing me off. Fall is officially upon us and winter is making it's way in! It actually snowed here in Kansas today. October the 18th brings snow and tomorrow it's suppose to be in the 70's. Gotta love our weather! 

Anyways, this weekend I have lots planned. 

Alumni volleyball game tomorrow morning.

Homecoming football game for CT tomorrow afternoon.

Little sister in town to hang out tomorrow night. 

That calls for red box, haunted houses, pumpkin decorating, church, pizza, and shopping! I'm trying to cram as much into one evening and one morning as possible! 

I'm super pumped about this pumpkin decorating that we will be doing. 

Jewels, glitter, and ribbon! Leave it to Pinterest to give me some fabulous ideas. There will be no carving pumpkins for me this year. 

LUST

I had a good feeling today as soon as I saw that I had a new email from Kate Spade. I think I fell in lust. As soon as I landed my eyes on it, I couldn't stop thinking about anything else.

The Claremont Drive Marcella handbag stole my heart.

Here are the deets:

SIZE
12''h x 12''w x 7''d
drop length: 4'' handheld; 17'' adjustable strap

MATERIAL
seed leather with matching trim
14-karat light gold plated hardware
custom woven printed faille

DETAILS
over the shoulder bag with adjustable and detachable shoulder strap; magnetic snap closure
interior zip and double slide pockets
kate spade new york embossed signature with light gold spade stud
imported

Just take a look at this beauty.

Maraschino 

Perfect Brown

Blue Yonder

and saving the best for last: Pink Champagne
via: Kate Spade

My heart was crushed shortly after opening the email when I saw the price tag of $478. That's more than we pay for rent!

The lust will always be there, but I know that it will never work out between us. 


Which color is your fave? 

I did It. . . and I LOVE it!

If you remember last week, I talked about my itch to chop my hair off. 

Well . . . I did it! 

I use to change my hair all the time. Chop it off, grow it out. Chop it off, grow it out. Blonde, brown, red. I've had it all! Why this time was the most scary was because I had been growing my hair out since before me and CT got engaged. We got engaged June '10. That means I had been growing it out for a little over 3 years! That is such a long time!

I'm so happy I did it.

 Hair grows back.

 Change is good.

 I feel older.

 I feel more sophisticated. 

My hair needed it. 

It's so much more healthy and pretty.

Flashback:

Here's what I brought to my stylist for inspiration

And here's how it came out:

(I think it turned out the most like Tyra's)

It's so easy to do! Actually, it might be so easy to do because I learned about the AWESOME capabilities of a round brush, mixed with root boost, and some other great bed head products. 

I love that I can wear it not teased, teased, half up, a pony (even though it's teeny tiny), with a head band, and I assume I can still curl it even though I haven't tried yet! 

It was time for a change - and I'm so happy I did it!