Just In From The Beach

We just got home tonight from our very-short-but-very-fun trip to Orange Beach, AL. I thought I'd share a few shots with you quickly~and more later. The next few days are going to be VERY busy and my time on the computer will be sporadic. But I'll be back regularly very soon! We only have 4 more days in Alabama, then we're back in Arkansas. Woo Pig Sooie!!!

Have a Great Memorial Day!

I hope you're enjoying your holiday weekend! Ours is a little rainy here in Alabama, but we are looking forward to getting together with some friends--even if it's indoors.

Later today we'll be finishing our packing for the beach, too! We leave for Orange Beach, AL in the morning. After this past grueling week of packing we are so excited about a little R & R!!

Have a great holiday today! I'd love to hear what you've got planned!

Just To Make You Feel Better About Your House..

I thought I'd share this lovely photo of my living/dining room~well, at least it's mine for 9 more days.
Isn't that the *picture* of organization? heehee You'll be relieved to know that this photo does not reflect on the true organization of this moving process:) I actually have a lovely list all typed up on the computer and each box has a designated number.

It has been an incredibly busy week. Which is why I've fallen off the face of blogland for several days. Apparently I'm not one of those people who can simultaneously pack, do laundry, take care of kiddos, try to maintain some semblance of order in the dismantled home and blog all at the same time. {sigh}

Thankfully my sister has been here all week helping me pack. She's an angel! So glad to have her here. We've had some fun, too. We've collapsed a few times from too much packing and watched some great *girl* movies: Persuasion and The Women (the original version). Plus tonight she, Vince and myself all went to see Angels & Demons. Very good movie! It was a much-needed break.

My sweet husband has been driving the wheels off of a rental truck this week, too. Since he's self-employed right now and has a flexible schedule we decided that we wouldn't try to move everything all at once. So we started the moving process this week in shifts. We loaded a truck on Tuesday morning and he drove to AR, unloaded and spent the night then drove back to AL on Wednesday. Thursday morning we loaded him up again (this time with the kiddos who are spending the weekend with Nana). He drove to AR, unloaded, spent the night and then drove back to AL today (Friday). He's leaving Saturday with one more load, spending the night and then driving back to AL with the kiddos on Sunday. Whew...got all that?! I'm not sure I do! He figured up that he'll have spent about 48 hours total driving this week. Bless his heart. I don't know how he's doing it!

Plus on the nights that he's been in AR, he's been building new beds for the kiddos. Yes, building beds! Since their rooms are relatively small we decided that it would be better for them to have loft-style beds to give them more play room. Mr. B's is a lower loft, with sort of a treehouse feel. The Princess' is like a bed resting on top of her very own playhouse. So far I've only seen a few (and I do mean few) pics, so I'm very excited to see them myself. I'll have to tell you all about it! Much fodder for the blog:)

So, as you can tell, there's much activity going on around here. After this weekend we'll just have one small load to take after our house closing on June 1st.

Next week we are taking the kiddos for one last quick trip to the beach~before we move twice as far away from it! I love the beach/ocean and the kiddos seem to take after me in that way. Not that Vince doesn't love it, just not as much as I do:) So I'm excited about relaxing on the beach and recharging my personal batteries, so to speak. Then I'll be all ready to tackle those boxes when we get to AR!

So I'll be around, even if it may not be as often for these next couple of weeks. Don't forget about me!! Oh~and THANK YOU all so much for voting for Vince's video this week!! Feel free to keep voting each day. The results should be announced June 6th.

Have an awesome weekend, my blog friends!

More Shameless Plugging & Begging for Votes

Well, Vince is at it again. The creative juices are once again flowing. So I'm here to beg for votes!!

This is a YouTube contest for Lowe's that had multiple categories--and you could enter as many as you wanted. Vince entered two and has placed as a finalist in both categories. Woot Woot!

So here they are for your viewing pleasure. After you take a look we'd really appreciate it if you would click here and vote for both of them.

Just a few quick notes:

1. you do need a YouTube account
2. when you get to Lowe's contest page, click the *vote* tab
3. look for the two videos with *Vince* in the title (you may need to hit the arrow tab)
4. VOTE!

Thanks so much!!

Menu Plan Monday: May 18th~23rd

This has been an interesting week of dinners. It started off a little rough..ok, A LOT rough. The creamy garden spaghetti was a total flop and I really considered making them eat cereal for dinner the rest of the week. But that would mean I would have to eat cereal, too, and that's just not appealing. So I relented and got back in the kitchen:)

I'm so glad I did because the next night's meal was incredible. We've found a new fave chicken recipe!! The Lexington-style grilled chicken was really delicious! You should definitely try it. It's spicy, so if you're not into that or you have little ones then pair it with a mild side like a baked potato. They compliment each other well. My whole family LOVED it!

Now I'm ready to clean out the freezer some more this week. Our move is getting closer. My sister is coming from Arkansas today to stay with us and help out with the kiddos and packing. She'll be here until we move at the first of June and I'm so looking forward to having her here. And lucky for me, she's not a picky eater:)

So here's the plan for this week:

Monday: bbq loaded potato casserole
Tuesday: TBA
Wednesday: steak stir fry, Asian green beans, egg rolls & cream cheese wontons
Thursday: slow-cooker honey mustard lime chicken, peas & carrots, macaroni & cheese
Friday: (small group)
Saturday: lentils & rice burritos (new!)

What have you got planned for this week?

Let everything that has breath

praise the Lord.

Psalm 150:6

(this is our resident chipmunk, Jellybean. isn't he cute?)

Old Friends

( New Year's Eve 1985)

I've had photos on the brain these past couple of days. Old photos, to be specific. Photos of me and my friends growing up, to be even more specific. All of my friends on Facebook are probably madly searching for revenge photos to post in response to the ones I've posted lately. heehee

(at Evangel University 1990)

I've only been on Facebook for a few months now, but have reconnected with so many friends from my much younger years. Friends from elementary, jr. high and high school. Friends from youth camp and college. Friends from around the world, some of whom I haven't seen in years and years.

(with friends in Ohio 1998)

Yesterday as I was starting to pack up my photo albums I decided to take the opportunity to scan some fun old photos of myself and friends to share with them on Facebook. It started quite the online conversation between friends across the nation. Very fun!

(a lifelong best friend, Kathy, in 1987)

It is amazing to me how the simplest of reconnections brings back such a flood of memories. For a moment I felt 16 years old again!

(meeting friends from Canada and Ohio 1998)

I've been so blessed with wonderful friends in all the different stages of my life and I'm so thankful that many of them have been with me through every stage so far. I'm very thankful for my newer friends, but there is just nothing like someone who has known you forever and a day. It's a special bond.

(with Kathy in 1980)

I've always been a letter writer and a phone talker. In recent years though it's been much harder to find time to sit down and write a letter or to find just the right moment to have a long phone conversation without a million interruptions. So I'm grateful for the small moments where I can connect even if only for a few minutes.

(my Canadian college roomies visiting Arkansas 1991)

As I am preparing for our next move in life I am also making plans for how I can keep in touch with our dear friends that we've grown to love here in Alabama.

(with Nancy from Chocolate Ink 1973)

I'd love to hear how you keep in touch with your friends and if it makes your heart feel young again when you do connect with the *old* friends!

April Showers Bring May....Tomatoes and Peppers

I don't know about where you live, but here in the South it has been raining. A lot. And not just here in Alabama~it rained nearly every single day we were in Arkansas, too!

So, needless to say, everything is VERY GREEN everywhere. It does look so pretty, except when you need to mow and it's so soggy that you sink in the lawn! Or when the kids are bouncing off the walls and you really need to send them outside. Immediately.

Oh well, I'm not really complaining because it'll be hot and dry soon and we'll be rationing water. Amazing how fast that can happen.

I was so excited to see how my *patio garden* was doing after being gone for a couple of weeks. Between our friend Britt and all of the rain, they are doing wonderfully! I'm so proud:) I just had to show them off.Look at that tiny little green tomato growing! Isn't it just so cute?! I just love it:)

There are little blooms and even more teeny, tiny green tomatoes growing on all of the plants.

The sweet pepper plants and the jalapenos are loaded with blooms, too. Yea! Can't wait to harvest some of those!

Now, does anyone have any experience in moving with a patio garden?

Menu Plan Monday: May 11th-17th

Yea! I'm happy to be menu planning again this week. I've actually missed it a little these past couple of weeks, it's become so routine for me.

As some of you may have read this past week, we have sold our house here in Florence, AL (yea!!) and will be moving back to our hometown area in Arkansas at the first of June. So it's going to be a busy month around here! That also means I need to start cleaning out the kitchen. My goal is to plan all my meals straight from the freezer and pantry. Less to move!!

So here we go...

Monday: Creamy garden spaghetti

Tuesday: Lexington-style grilled chicken, red/white/blue salad, roasted asparagus
Wednesday: Spaghetti & meatballs
Thursday: Macaroni & cheese, green beans, carrots
Friday: Homemade pizza
Saturday: BBQ sandwiches and French fries
Sunday: TBD

I'd love to hear what you've got planned for this dinner this week, too! If you need some ideas, be sure to visit Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie!

Happy Mother's Day!

I am enjoying my special day with my family today! I even had chocolate for breakfast:) It doesn't get any better than that, right?!



We had a delicious lunch at one of our fave restaurants here in Florence~Ricatoni's~amazing Italian food!
Now maybe I'll relax for the afternoon...or maybe I'll be inspired to pack a few boxes:) I hope you are having a wonderful day, too!!

Taco Salad

There are so many ways to make a good taco salad,

but I think this is my favorite. It's the one I grew up on...

I can't even remember how many times I ate one of these

at a church potluck dinner. It's so good every time!

Taco Salad

Iceburg lettuce
Red onion, sliced thin
Shredded cheese
Black olives, sliced
Tomatoes, chopped

Tortilla chips, crushed
Black beans, drained & rinsed

Ground beef, cooked & seasoned
Catalina dressing

***
Toss all ingredients together for an easy, delicious meal!

Look what happened while I was out of town!

Before we left on our trip to Arkansas we noticed that a new resident

had taken up on our front porch. Notice the top of the wreath.

Mama Robin (or so we suspected) was working so hard building the prettiest nest!


She had diligently mudded in her nest to secure it to the wall,
then she added more soft grass for her soon-coming eggs.

Today when we got home this is what we found:

Aren't they precious?!

For more show & tell, head over to Kellie's at There Is No Place Like Home.

OK, Here's the Scoop...{updated!}

...We have a contract on our house!!!! It all just came about Monday morning and I haven't had a chance to blog about it till now. It happened really quickly~and we hadn't had anything going on for 3 weeks. Frankly, I was beginning to think our realtor had lost our number~and then, boom, it all fell into place. We are still in Arkansas, too, and I keep thinking about all the things I have to do when I get back to Alabama. (Kayren, it does feel like we've been gone for a month, even though it's really been just over 2 weeks).

Our trip was extended by a few days since Vince and my dad decided to check out a conference they were interested in down in Little Rock. So instead of leaving this past Monday we aren't headed back until tomorrow (Thursday). Unless they hi-jack that plan, too.....but they'd better not! I'm really tired of the outfits that I brought on this trip~heehee!!

So, yes, I'm very happy about moving back *home*, I'm sad to leave our Alabama friends and I'm excited/scared about all the new plans we are making. I'll share about those more in the future. Of course, our immediate plans are to find a house in Arkansas. We close on our house in Alabama on June 4th, so you see that doesn't leave us much time.

We looked at one yesterday morning and then I went with my sister to look at another yesterday afternoon (since Vince had already left for Little Rock). I really liked the second one and think it could be a good fit for us. But I've got some calls to make in the morning and I definitely want to check out some more options. I can't say that I enjoy doing this by myself, but since I'm the only one here to look I guess I'll do it!

Now it's crunch time. Gotta get busy packing boxes. Those few that I packed last fall are really all I've packed. I just didn't think stacked boxes looked good for house showings. Now I've got to make up for lost time!

So send all of your good moving tips my way, please!! We'll be moving ourselves, so give me all of the best DIY stuff you've got!

***Update***
Our closing date just got bumped up to June 1st!!!!

Just Call Me A Tourist

We are coming up on our last few days here in Arkansas. Our trip here has been extended by a few days. Vince and my dad have decided to attend a conference in Little Rock this week before we go back to Alabama. It's worked out pretty well, although I am really getting tired of the outfits I brought. haha!

This past weekend we went to Tulsa to visit Vince's side of the family. We all had a great time! Tulsa has a new children's museum~Kaleidoscope~and it was so much fun. They had created some very fun rooms for the kids' to imagine in:

*the doctor's office*

*the beauty shop*

*the grocery store*

(I want this map!:)

*the huge playroom*

Playing along with your kiddos at places like this makes me feel like a kid again, too! I love it! We really enjoy visiting places like this when we're in different cities.

In fact, I'm always on the lookout for new places to take the kiddos. Since we've lived in AL, I've often been told by locals, "I've lived here my whole live and have never visited/heard of that place-how did you know?" Well, I call it *always being the tourist in your own town*. It's so informative to check out your local websites. These have all the sites, attractions, events calendar, etc., that gives you so much info on your area. I also stay updated on our hometown area in AR so that when we come for visits I have new places to take the kiddos. It has been a very beneficial thing to do!

Am I the only one who does this? I'd love to hear about your ideas on staying current in your own hometown.

T.G.I. Friday!

Well, it has been one busy week! I was so glad to sleep in a little this morning. In case you're wondering why I'm so tired (and why I've been a little scarce around here), we've been attending a conference in Arkansas this week. It has been wonderful though~well worth the exhaustion! Now I'm ready for a slower-paced weekend and time to absorb some of the nuggets of truth and wisdom I've gotten at the conference.

I thought I'd share a couple of new blogs with you today.

The first one is authored by one of my cousins, Serina:
Simple Solutions~Tangible Results
She has recently begun this blog to share some of her amazing grocery budgeting tips, recipes, and frugal ideas. I saw her at the conference I attended this week and picked up one of her booklets (which is listed on her sidebar). It is chock-full of great stuff! Go check her out!!

The next one is by a real-life friend, Stephanie:
God made dirt....and dirt won't hurt
She has two little boys (can you tell by the title of her blog?:) and she's begun chronicling her adventures as a mom. It's a very fun blog~definitely give her a visit!

Have a great Friday! I'll talk to you soon!