Race for the Cure

A good friend of Mike's family was diagnosed with cancer in June 2007 and we will be participating in this year's Race for the Cure on October 18th to support her. We'd really like to be a blessing to her and her family, so we're trying to raise as much support as we can. Would you consider sponsoring us? Even a small gift is a help and really appreciated! You can donate right here.

It was Self-Inflicted

Several months ago, a friend told me I should post pictures of my house on Rate My Space. My first thought was: "why would I want a bunch of strangers telling me whether or not they like my decorating? I like it, that's all that matters." But then I found myself checking out other posts on that site for design ideas... and last night, since I had cleaned my house from top to bottom for our Care Group to come over, I decided why not just take some pictures and try it out. Within 20 minutes, suddenly my house was open to the world. I'd had over 100 visitors and quite a few nice comments! How fun! So this morning, I couldn't wait to get to work so I could check my email and read more fun comments... well it rained on my parade. Bleh! Apparently in the wee hours of the night, all the mean people came out and decided to tell me each and everything they thought I should change about my spaces. One even said "I would like to see you do.... blah blah blah" as if I were decorating just for her! Seriously??

Well, my first reaction was to just delete the pages and stop this self-inflicted misery. But I guess there's a part of me that is still a bit intrigued... so we'll see...I think I'm a bit too easily offended, so maybe this will be good for me. It's rather humbling... even though I think the positive comments far outweighed the negative ones.

If you want to check out my living room, kitchen and master bedroom - take a look... just remember, I have wine taste on a beer budget... maybe even a water budget. :)

Where'd it go?

S E P T E M B E R

This month has probably been the fastest one I can remember! I've been pretty out-of-routine all month and I'm sure that's why I'm feeling like it just flew by. We started the month by packing for our trip to Vermont, only to be stopped by our A/C dying. We spent a few days camping out at my parents' old house to avoid the heat. Then, the day before our trip, an old friend of Mike's came over and after a few hot hours in the attic, they fixed it! (for FREE!) So that was the first week. Then we were on vacation the 5-14th. Meanwhile, Justine had decided to come home to visit the 13-20th, so when we got home, we spent every free hour we had after work with her. And on top of that Mike started a new part-time job. So then the day Justine left, I came down with a nasty cold and am still trying to fight it off... so here we are: September 24th, and my favorite month is almost over with not a single "normal" day so far! Oh well.. I guess that keeps life interesting!

Our First Anniversary

We're back from our first anniversary trip ~ lots of great memories!

• We outran Hurricane Hanna as we drove up to NYC. We stayed with an old friend from MWC (Tricia) and trudged through Manhattan for a couple hours in the intense muggy humidity before we gave up and just went to dinner at P.F. Changs in New Jersey while Hanna rained down on the Northeast.


• We had a beautiful drive up to Vermont, stopping in a few towns along the way.


• In Vermont (which is BEAUTIFUL), we went to the Cabot Cheese Factory, Ben & Jerry's Factory, an Apple Cider Mill and saw lots of beautiful scenery.


• We hiked Vermont's highest peak: Mt. Mansfield


• We drove into Canada, attempting to read the highway signs in French, and spent the day in Montreal - a city I highly recommend visiting!!


• We spent the day of our anniversary in Burlington, Vermont - along Lake Champlain and then had a wonderful dinner after seeing the beautiful sunset pictured above.

Here are the rest of our pictures!

Fun Fun Fun!

Take this design style test!!! So much fun! :)
My style came back: Family Modern.

Politics & Religion

I have been very interested in the upcoming elections, although I have yet to vow my support to either candidate. I have been trying to be open-minded as I wade through the drudge of political news and ads and speeches. If you haven't yet listened to the interviews that Rick Warren of Saddleback Church conducted with both Obama & McCain, take (a few hours) and listen here. Personally, I started out liking Obama... but that quickly faded as he stammered and did all but give a straight answer regarding Pastor Warren's question "At what point to babies become eligible for human rights?" (Which, by the way is one of the most poignant and thought-provoking ways I've heard someone address the issue of abortion.) Anyway... Erik's blog basically sums up my reaction to those interviews verbatim, so I'll save myself some typing and just send you to his page.

Nonetheless, I have been challenged in the last month as a good friend and I have passionately discussed and questioned and reconsidered our political differences. She, like myself, is a follower of Christ, and develops her political opinions out of her spiritual convictions. Yet she is a liberal, and on many issues I am conservative. I have been able to share with her honestly and to offer my humble, yet consistent convictions as I try to develop my own political opinions. I think my honesty and consistency have spurred her on to look at things with an open mind and not just through the eyes of a Democrat. At the core of my beliefs is the inerrant Word of God, given to us by an omniscient, wise and good God who speaks to us through the merciful and gracious life and death of His Son, Jesus Christ. God is consistent and He is ALWAYS good. His law and His ways can be trusted and should be submitted to. That is my foundation.

But as far as who I'll vote for in November, I have yet to determine. I'm having an easier time eliminating options than finding one.

Consistency...

So I listened to Michelle Obama's speech. Overall… I thought she did a beautiful job. It wasn't particularly deep or specific… but she presented herself very very well and if I could only believe that she & Barak were truly committed to what she said…(in ALL areas, not just the economy, education & health care), I would say that based on that speech alone, she would be a great example as a first lady. I appreciate her role as a mother and a wife first. I really keep trying to like the Obamas...

But here's my issue… direct quotes from her speech:

"Barack stood up that day, and spoke words that have stayed with me ever since. He talked about "The world as it is" and "The world as it should be." And he said that all too often, we accept the distance between the two, and settle for the world as it is - even when it doesn't reflect our values and aspirations. But he reminded us that we know what our world should look like. We know what fairness and justice and opportunity look like. And he urged us to believe in ourselves - to find the strength within ourselves to strive for the world as it should be. And isn't that the great American story? It's the story of men and women gathered in churches and union halls, in town squares and high school gyms - people who stood up and marched and risked everything they had - refusing to settle, determined to mold our future into the shape of our ideals. "

"The world as it is just won't do. We have an obligation to fight for the world as it should be."

(referring to herself & Barak): "We listened to our hopes instead of our fears…We committed ourselves to building the world as it should be."

They ARE fighting for fairness in education, economy & healthcare. I respect that and I don't deny it. Her quotes are true IN THOSE AREAS, but when Barak says that
· He personally, but not politically is not pro-abortion, he isn't fighting for the world as it should be…
· He personally, but not politically practices same-sex marriage, he isn't fighting for the world as it should be…
· He is a follower of Christ personally, but he compromises and does not follow Christ in EVERY area of his political career,
then he is SETTLING for the world as it is, not FIGHTING for the world as he says he knows it SHOULD be.

My question is where does the Obamas' conviction come from as far as how the world "SHOULD BE?" Is it from a belief in Jesus Christ as the Creator of the world and the Supreme Authority on life, His Word being TRUTH, not suggestions? If so, then how do they fight for human rights in regards to economic equality, but take the cowardly route of settling without fighting for the human rights of unborn children? God's Word is not multiple choice. If you truly follow Him, you follow all of Him. You don't just pick the issues that everyone will agree with you on. You take a stand for those who don't have a voice. That's not just the poor single mom on welfare. That's her unborn baby too. So I believe that Obama should say: I am a Christian, but I don't agree with everything in God's Word. That would at least be honest. But don’t just say you're a Christian, and talk about being a family man and lean on your faith as credibility that you are a moral and decent person unless you're going to back it up with taking a stand on the things that are central to God's heart. All of them. I could probably write just as much about McCain just on different issues. I don't think you can defend just some of the weak. McCain might be more passionate about defending unborn children and less about minorities or the poor. But it has to be BOTH. But again, I'm not picking between McCain or Obama. I may not pick either - they have to EARN my vote. :) I just feel very strongly that saying you are a Christian is a responsibility, not a title. You are saying that you are FIRST a follower of Christ, then a Family man and finally a candidate for president (or whatever career you're in). I think politicians often say their family is first, then the presidency, then their faith.

So…. that's my political soapbox.

Is GREEN even my color?

I have to admit I have been quite slow to jump on the "Go Green" bandwagon. Sometimes it's simply easier to ignore than to change. And frankly, sometimes I'm downright skeptical of the commercialism aspect of "green" goods. Do I really need to switch to reusable sea sponge tampons?!! You've got to be kidding me! But even without going to the extremes, there seems to be an organic version of just about everything on the market! And I don't even know where to start! If I change all the lightbulbs in my house to eco-friendly bulbs and buy organic milk, but I still use plastic grocery bags and I use plain old Colgate toothpaste instead of the all-natural brands, am I really making a difference? I know I shouldn't ever ever microwave in plastic (although I still sometimes forget) and surely all those cell phone waves can't be good for us, but how do you radically change your lifestyle enough to really make a difference? This Young House has an interesting and informative post here and there is tons of helpful information on GreenYour.com. When I think about the future for my children one day and even for the longevity and health of Mike and I, I definitely want to start making some changes... ignorance in this department is not necessarily bliss. I'd love to hear your thoughts or any ways that you and your family have "Gone Green" without going crazy or too crunchy-granola! :)

Out of Excuses...

Am I the only one who finds it soooo hard to start exercising regularly? I come up with every excuse imaginable:

• a gym membership costs too much
• it's raining
• it's hot
• it's humid
• i'm tired
• it's that time of the month
• i feel bad exercising inside when i really should take Shelby for a walk
• i don't have time
• getting up earlier before work is too early

But I SOOOOOOO need to do something! I have gained 15 lbs since I got engaged last April, and while I haven't gained anything in the last 6 months... I haven't lost anything either. Any tips?

So Pretty!!

I want this room.

Harbor Light

Well... we couldn't wait for suggestions... so we just went out on our own and picked a color: Harbor Light. It's great! It's quite a bit lighter than it looks here on the sample, but we like it. And it should work great with our furniture and black & white bedding. So 1 borrowed ladder, 2 gallons of paint and 3 coats later...the room is transformed for just $35! Now we just need the finishing touches!

Design Ideas

This is basically what our master bedroom looks like now (except with modern B&W lamps & a black framed B&W picture above the bed). We'd like to redecorate our room, but the things we have to keep are the furniture (which is a bit traditional for my taste, but workable) and we have three bedding options: Solid White, White with black floral pattern (like picture) or Black bold with large white graphic lily.

Since we're trying to keep the budget minimal... things we're looking to change are PAINT, ACCESSORIES (wall art) and ACCENT PILLOWS.

Any ideas?? We want something modern, chic, luxurious feeling...

Play on Words

I guess I'm easily entertained... but how cute is this?













You can go to Wordle and create one of your own!

Clean-out the Fridge Meal

I was trying to not waste some of the leftover food in our fridge, so I planned to just make up some concoction out of them last night... well, it turned out to be one of the best meals I've ever made!!

Things in my fridge that needed to go:
1/3 link keilbasa sausage
1 uncooked chicken breast
1 c. heavy cream
1/2 head of broccoli
1/2 block monterey jack cheese

Things I always have on hand:
parmesean cheese
butter
pasta
canned diced tomatoes
garlic
lots of spices

Things I bought at the store:
10 shrimp

So I decided to attempt making a spicy Creole Pasta dish. I was going to just make it up in my head, but then I found an Emeril recipe that I managed to modify (quite a bit) and man, was it yummy?!

If anyone wants to try it... you'll just have to come have a dinner date with us and let me make it for you!! :)

More FREE Food!

If you still haven't signed up for e-VIC at Harris Teeter, you're missing out! This week the special is FREE ice cream! No purchase necessary! (But your card has to be signed up for e-VIC.) And today through Saturday are Triple Coupon days... I guess that's where I'm headed on my lunch break :)

Almost 1 Year! :)

As hard as it is to believe, our first anniversary is in less than 7 weeks! To celebrate, we are going to spend a week at a resort in northern Vermont with a day in New York City on the way up! We are so excited and are looking forward to hiking, shopping, eating and all the other good stuff! :) If anyone has favorite places in Vermont that you think we should see... let me know! We know that samples at Ben & Jerry's and the Lake Champlain Chocolate factories are a must. And we're also going to check out Simon Pearce handblown glass store & restaurant and we have to find where they make these great Maple Cream Cookies!!

Oh yeah!

We have gotten some clarity and peace and direction with what to do with our house/ job/ family!!! We have decided that we will stay put at least until next summer! Mike will stay with the Red Cross and continue getting good experience there... and will feel better about being there at least 18 months instead of half that time. We'll have time to work out some of the issues that have recently arisen with leasing options for our condo, and if we decide to sell, we'll put it on the market late spring 2009 and hopefully the market at least won't be any worse than it is now, even if it's not better.

We've been saying for over a year that there just aren't jobs here for Mike... but we've realized the carnality in that statement. In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps. We really need to just be where He leads us, and if He's not leading us to something new right now, we can rest that He has a plan, even if we don't know how it will unfold. Pretty exciting, actually!

The Best Deal Ever!

I am enrolled in E-VIC (Harris Teeter's weekly e-mail that tells me what's on sale with my VIC card). Wednesday, the e-mail said that with your VIC card, you could get a jar of H.T. Traders Salsa FREE - no purchase necessary! Mike got off work early and said he'd stop at the store to pick up Tilapia (which is also on sale at H.T. this week) so I told him about the free Salsa and he planned to pick one up. Well, when he went through the line, used the VIC card, it didn't ring up free. He explained to the cashier and she even said it rang up free for someone else earlier, but wasn't now. The manager came over and wouldn't honor it. So he left, and called me to tell me. Well, I read the email again, checked all the fine-print and we should have gotten it free, no question. So I printed the email and later that evening, we went back. I asked for a manager and explained the situation. They told me to go ahead and get a jar of salsa and they'd take care of it. Well... it's regularly priced $3.99. They had it on sale for $3.29. So they rang it up, it gave me a $3.99 discount, which meant the cashier owed me $.72!! And then, they gave us a $25 gift card for the trouble!!! We told them that wasn't necessary and they certainly didn't need to give us $.72 change on top of it all, but they insisted! So I spent $0 and got a jar of black bean salsa, $.72 plus a $25 gift card!!! That's some seriously productive shopping! :) If you're not signed up for E-VIC... you should be... apparently this was not advertised in the store, just online!

Needing Something New

I miss designing. Sadly, my current job neither requires nor allows for much creativity and I am realizing how much I miss that artistic outlet. So using my very limited resources, I felt the urge to do a quick redesign on my blog. What do you think? :)

I love opportunities to be creative, so I jump on them whenever I get the chance. My latest indulgences have been coming up with baby names for whenever that day comes, (yes, I admit it... I have narrowed it down to 5 that Mike likes too... I'm just praying none of my many pregnant friends beat me to them!) planning a baby shower for Suzanne, and hopefully soon, helping my mom pick paint colors, kitchen counters, and furniture for my their new house. (That's the best when I can help spend someone else's money!) :) Sometimes for me, the need to be creative can get expensive, so I'm sure Mike is glad I'm not redecorating any rooms in our house or redesigning my wardrobe!

I'm Back :)

I haven't updated this in a few weeks... partially because I have no new pictures to post, but also because I've had so many other things going on that weren't necessarily simple to blog about!

• My work hit a dramatic all-time low point a couple of weeks ago, but then God faithfully answered my prayer to work in His power in our midst. I know He has changed MY heart, and the last couple of weeks have been significantly better.
• Meanwhile, we were wrestling with whether or not we would really consider moving to Iowa if this job opportunity for Mike progressed. After much praying and discussing and thinking, Mike decided no, and I agreed. (What a relief!)
• Even so, we are still preparing for a move hopefully sometime this year. So the next big decision we've wrestled with for months is whether to sell our condo or to rent it out. Lots of pros & cons for both options... but I think we're going to go ahead and put it on the market this summer and see what happens.
• So now we have lots of work to do to de-clutter and do minor repairs, replace carpets and clean...it's rather overwhelming to think of all we need to do...and it's almost July already!
• And meanwhile, Mike's job hunt continues... we'd like to focus on Virginia, North Carolina & Maryland... but we're open to going further if need be. There's an ideal opening with a company he currently does work with in Denver that he applied for this week! He would LOVE the job & I would LOVE to live in Colorado... so would you pray with us for doors to open there! It's far, but this one would be worth it.
• I've been meeting with a woman from church every other week and we are doing Beth Moore's Believing God study... I'm excited about growing through that.

Other than that, my sister comes home tonight for about 10 days. We have a wedding to go to this Saturday and Shelby becomes an "it" on Tuesday. :)

What's new with everyone else?