Friday, March 30, 2012

Show & Tell Friday

I have been wanting to hang my thrift store find for weeks and finally I did today! 

So I decided I wanted a needlepoint of North Carolina. I had seen these awesome pillows with needlepoint of different states and they were awesome! However they were well over $100. Clearly not in my budget... but they were so cool. I really wanted one of North Carolina because that is where Nathan & I met, fell in love, got married, & have begun our life together as husband and wife! It will always be a special place to us. 

You all know I love thrifting & today's blog is about sharing my thrift store finds. The same day I was researching the needlepoint pillows online I decided to visit one of my favorite thrift stores here in Raleigh & found a needlepoint of NC for $5. It was in a hideous frame. (An easy change... or so I thought!)

It's an odd size but I was able to find one today at Michael's and it was 1/2 off so I only paid $4.99. It was not the color I wanted but that was definitely an easy fix.
Here is the final product! I love it and it's special. (and it only cost me $9.99)

Saturday, March 24, 2012

We're parents!

We've been talking for a couple weeks now about getting a dog. (I've done most of the talking!) Today I decided to go to the animal shelter because I've tried emailing them & that just hasn't gone so well. I left Nathan at home working on a paper & told him I wouldn't bring anyone home unless I cleared it with him first. However, I wasn't expecting to bring anyone home because I've been told multiple times, "if you want a small dog the likelihood of one being there that you like & wanted to take home was slim... they're usually the first to go!". 

When I got in the car to head to the shelter I decided to just go ahead & call to make sure they were still open like their website said it would be. The woman on the phone answered my questions & then asked me one. "What exactly are you looking for?" I proceeded to tell her that we live in a small apartment & wanted a small dog... preferably one that doesn't shed. She answered, "In all seriousness... a family just walked in with a schnauzer mix & they're about to release him to us!" I told her to please wait I was on my way!!! I rushed there & ran inside (no, literally ran inside) to quickly get to our dog! I made it but just barely. As soon as I told them who I was they told me to hurry & go as fast as I could to 'Kennel E'. There he was. Sweet little Scooter! He is a 2 year old male Schnauzer/Yorkie mix. He is sweet & friendly & we couldn't be happier with him. 
Meet Scooter!

He is just the cutest!

Friday, March 23, 2012

Mr. Fox Fun!

This week while watching sweet little Dylan I decided to read him a story. Unknowingly I picked up Dr. Seuss' book Fox in Socks & almost immediately regretted it. Then it became so ridiculous I was loving it... and so was Dylan! After I finished the book my brain actually hurt!! Tonight I decided to share it with Nathan. We went back & forth trying to read it & ended up just laughing at each other! I am definitely going to have to buy this book as soon as I find a copy.

Here are the words for you to try and read. Make sure you read it aloud! Good luck!


Fox
Socks
Box
Knox

Knox in box.
Fox in socks.

Knox on fox in socks in box.

Socks on Knox and Knox in box.

Fox in socks on box on Knox.

Chicks with bricks come.
Chicks with blocks come.
Chicks with bricks and blocks and clocks come.

Look, sir.  Look, sir.  Mr. Knox, sir.
Let's do tricks with bricks and blocks, sir.
Let's do tricks with chicks and clocks, sir.

First, I'll make a quick trick brick stack.
Then I'll make a quick trick block stack.

You can make a quick trick chick stack.
You can make a quick trick clock stack.

And here's a new trick, Mr. Knox....
Socks on chicks and chicks on fox.
Fox on clocks on bricks and blocks.
Bricks and blocks on Knox on box.

Now we come to ticks and tocks, sir.
Try to say this Mr. Knox, sir....

Clocks on fox tick.
Clocks on Knox tock.
Six sick bricks tick.
Six sick chicks tock.

Please, sir.  I don't like this trick, sir.
My tongue isn't quick or slick, sir.
I get all those ticks and clocks, sir, 
mixed up with the chicks and tocks, sir.
I can't do it, Mr. Fox, sir.

I'm so sorry, Mr. Knox, sir.

Here's an easy game to play.
Here's an easy thing to say....

New socks.
Two socks.
Whose socks?
Sue's socks.

Who sews whose socks?
Sue sews Sue's socks.

Who sees who sew whose new socks, sir?
You see Sue sew Sue's new socks, sir.

That's not easy, Mr. Fox, sir.

Who comes? ...
Crow comes.
Slow Joe Crow comes.

Who sews crow's clothes?
Sue sews crow's clothes.
Slow Joe Crow sews whose clothes?
Sue's clothes.

Sue sews socks of fox in socks now.

Slow Joe Crow sews Knox in box now.

Sue sews rose on Slow Joe Crow's clothes.
Fox sews hose on Slow Joe Crow's nose.

Hose goes.
Rose grows.
Nose hose goes some.
Crow's rose grows some.

Mr. Fox!
I hate this game, sir.
This game makes my tongue quite lame, sir.

Mr. Knox, sir, what a shame, sir.

We'll find something new to do now.
Here is lots of new blue goo now.
New goo.  Blue goo.
Gooey.  Gooey.
Blue goo.  New goo.
Gluey. Gluey.

Gooey goo for chewy chewing!
That's what that Goo-Goose is doing.
Do you choose to chew goo, too, sir?
If, sir, you, sir, choose to chew, sir, 
with the Goo-Goose, chew, sir.
Do, sir.

Mr. Fox, sir, 
I won't do it.  
I can't say.  
I won't chew it.

Very well, sir.
Step this way.
We'll find another game to play.

Bim comes.
Ben comes.
Bim brings Ben broom.
Ben brings Bim broom.

Ben bends Bim's broom.
Bim bends Ben's broom.
Bim's bends.
Ben's bends.
Ben's bent broom breaks.
Bim's bent broom breaks.

Ben's band.  Bim's band.
Big bands.  Pig bands.

Bim and Ben lead bands with brooms.
Ben's band bangs and Bim's band booms.

Pig band!  Boom band!
Big band!  Broom band!
My poor mouth can't say that.  No, sir.
My poor mouth is much too slow, sir.

Well then... bring your mouth this way.
I'll find it something it can say.

Luke Luck likes lakes.
Luke's duck likes lakes.
Luke Luck licks lakes.
Luck's duck licks lakes.

Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes.
Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes.

I can't blab such blibber blubber!
My tongue isn't make of rubber.

Mr. Knox.  Now come now.  Come now.
You don't have to be so dumb now....

Try to say this, Mr. Knox, please....

Through three cheese trees three free fleas flew.
While these fleas flew, freezy breeze blew.
Freezy breeze made these three trees freeze.
Freezy trees made these trees' cheese freeze.
That's what made these three free fleas sneeze.

Stop it!  Stop it!
That's enough, sir.
I can't say such silly stuff, sir.

Very well, then, Mr. Knox, sir.

Let's have a little talk about tweetle beetles....

What do you know about tweetle beetles?  Well...

When tweetle beetles fight, 
it's called a tweetle beetle battle.

And when they battle in a puddle, 
it's a tweetle beetle puddle battle.

AND when tweetle beetles battle with paddles in a puddle, 
they call it a tweetle beetle puddle paddle battle.

AND...

When beetles battle beetles in a puddle paddle battle 
and the beetle battle puddle is a puddle in a bottle...
...they call this a tweetle beetle bottle puddle paddle battle muddle.

AND...

When beetles fight these battles in a bottle with their paddles 
and the bottle's on a poodle and the poodle's eating noodles...
...they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle 
bottle paddle battle.

AND...

Now wait a minute, Mr. Socks Fox!

When a fox is in the bottle where the tweetle beetles battle 
with their paddles in a puddle on a noodle-eating poodle, 
THIS is what they call...

...a tweetle beetle noodle poodle bottled paddled 
muddled duddled fuddled wuddled fox in socks, sir!

Fox in socks, our game is done, sir.
Thank you for a lot of fun, sir. 
 
Did you make it!?

Show & Tell Friday!


Do you have that one item in your closet that you feel goes with anything & everything? Mine is a purple 3/4 length sweater. I found it at Goodwill for $3, maybe less. It's been ages since I bought it & if I ever find another that is similar I will snatch it up in a heartbeat! Here are a few pictures of me in one of my favorite pieces of clothing. It fits in my purse, it's a color but typically neutral enough to wear with most of my outfits & it's comfortable... AND I bought it for $3 or less! 

My family minus my sister, we were on our way to see her perform in the musical Chicago!

A day trip to Apalachicola for some oysters with my parents!


With sweet friends at a local gelato place in Wake Forest, NC... may it rest in peace. :(
As you can see I wear this sweater all the time for all sorts of events. Stacy & Clinton would either applaud my layering technique or criticize me for wearing a secondhand sweater all the time. Whatever- I love it, I'm comfortable, & it was in my budget!

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Meat Loaf Misconception

I've never been a fan of meat loaf... mainly because it looks gross & I never really knew what was in it! Now, it's all different. For the first time in my life I made meat loaf. My husband loves it, I found a recipe, & I had ground venison that needed to be used!

This recipe comes from 'Recipes from Miss Daisy' a book given to me by my sweet friend Chelsea passed down from her Granna.

Buffet Meat Loaf
1 1/2 lbs. ground beef/venison
1 cup herb stuffing mix
1 8 oz. can of tomato sauce
1 egg, beaten 
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 cup chopped onion
Ketchup & parsley flakes
(I added about a table spoon of garlic)

Mix all the ingredients & place in a loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour in an oven at 350 degrees. Slice then put ketchup mixed with a little worcestershire sauce. 


Meat Loaf is still not pretty but now that I know what is in it, it is far more delicious & it's very easy to prepare too! I made this the night before & came home after work today & just stuck it in the oven. Bon appetit!

Friday, March 16, 2012

Show & Tell Friday!

Whoa... 2 posts in one day!? Crazy. Well I couldn't let Friday pass by without sharing one of my favorite thrift store finds! So this one is for you Jennifer, you asked & here you go.

Jennifer noticed my giraffe print chair when I posted this picture of my delicious iced coffee.
Nathan & I found this chair on our honeymoon! Yes we thrifted on our honeymoon... man, I love my husband.
We found it at a Goodwill for $15.
The fabric is really dated & doesn't go with our decor at all...
But the basics of this chair are cute & comfortable. We saw the potential!
I love me some throws, so I had this one laying around & decided it would be fun for a while. It's such a comfortable chair!
Eventually I will recover the cushions; it looks super easy because they're pretty much two large pillows. For now I will keep it like this!
$15 for a great chair! Why would I ever spend more?

Finally- Above our Bed

It has taken some time for me to decide what exactly I wanted to do above our bed. It's a huge wall & it was kind of daunting! I didn't want to do another collection of pictures... especially pictures of our friends & family above our bed. (I don't know, just weirds me out!) I didn't have any artwork that I loved to fill the space. I couldn't find a "saying" that I wanted there. Finally I knew what I wanted/ could afford.

I have had the 16x20 canvas canvas hanging there but it just looks so empty.
I may have swiped 2 large picture frames from my parents garage about a year ago... I knew I wanted to use them but I wasn't sure how yet!

I decided to paint them with the extra paint from redoing our dresser!
I didn't have glass for these frames but that was ok because I didn't want to hang pictures! I had a plan.



I went to Micheal's (dangerous) & bought 2 sheets of scrapbook paper for 16 cents each & two wooden letters for $3.99 each.

Lay your letter upside down on your craft paper upside... take a pencil & trace your letter.


Next you're going to cut the letter out.
Grab your mod podge & a paint brush! (I ended up switching paint brushes... that one was way too small!)
Mod podge the wood... then place the paper on top... then mod podge the top of the paper too! Start from the center & work your way out to avoid bubbles between the paper & wood.

Let the mod podge dry... and then take sandpaper to the edges. See how there is a little hanging over the edges... the sandpaper should help this.
After you've sandpapered then you're done! It gives it a much cleaner look.


I went & got my frames that were now a totally different color & hung them where I wanted them!
Looks better already!!

I added the letters & voila! I love how it turned out. It cost me a whopping $8.30 & really not much time!

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Look Left, Right, then Left Again!

So explaining death can be a hard thing... especially to a child. 

Tuesday Crawford (8), Tatum (6), & I were driving home from school when we turned a corner & noticed flashing blue lights. As we slowed down we realized it was policemen blocking off the road on account of a deer who had apparently been hit by a car. 

Tatum was very concerned about the dead deer... so clearly my response was, "Tatum, that's why you have to look both ways every time you cross the road. I bet that deer did not look left, right, then left again!"

Maybe not then best response, but that's real life folks!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Tonight's {super easy} Dinner

Today I ran home between my two jobs & threw together dinner. It was super easy & very tasty! Here is what I did...

-Dump a 24 oz jar of salsa in a crockpot
- Dump 1 pack of taco seasoning in the salsa
-Squeeze in 1 lime
-Add about 1/4 cup of fresh cilantro
-(optional) Add 2 jalapeno peppers finely chopped
STIR
- Now add your thawed 4-6 boneless skinless chicken breasts

Cover the chicken with the salsa mixture... turn your crockpot on low & walk away for roughly 4-6 hours. (depending on the size of your chicken)

I served our chicken over mashed potatoes (I cheated & went with instant). Weird? Maybe. However, last night we had nachos & the night before that we had tacos & while my husband could eat Tex-mex everyday of the week I needed a little change up. It was delicious! I put the mashed potatoes in a bowl, poured the chicken & salsa mixture over that & then topped it off with some Mexican cheese mix & a dollop of sour cream! Mmmmm. It was filling & cheap! Best of all... 5 minutes after I walked in the door, dinner was served. Enjoy!

A good excuse to break out the camera!

In an effort to keep Dylan (the little boy I watch) awake yesterday I took some pictures. I was moving him and rolling him over... but he continued to sleep straight through them! Here are a few...
I just love such tiny little fingers!

The sweetest little lips & nose!


A little smile. Those are always the cutest!


I just love this one. That is his gorgeous crib behind him!

This is what little man looks like awake! He's a cutie. 

Friday, March 9, 2012

Show & Tell Friday

I love Fridays! Today's Show & Tell item was found on Craigslist. The week of my wedding! Nathan got to move in first because his rent was higher at his old apartment... so that just made the most logical sense. I wanted to nest. BADLY. But 1.) I didn't even live here & 2.) I still needed to finish a few last minute details of our wedding! So Nathan & my bestie, Whitney, only agreed to help me get this piece (they could see it in my eyes that I wasn't letting this one go) under one condition.... No more Craigslisting before the wedding. I agreed.

Somehow Whitney & I managed to get it in a Jeep Cherokee. (I'm still impressed with Whitney's mad tetris skills!)

You see, our apartment doesn't have a pantry... which is probably the worst design flaw ever. But thanks to this little gem we have a place to store our plates, platters, coffee cups, bowls, cake plate, ramekins, bread maker, napkins, grocery bags, pyrex dishes, party drink dispenser & a hodgepodge of things in the drawers! One day I'll probably paint it a fun color but for now it will stay like that because it perfectly matches the cabinets in our kitchen.

How much did I pay for this gem? Ohhhh a mere $15! It is perfect for our needs right now & it's real wood... not particle board. I had been looking for a hutch for multiple weeks in my spare time & it paid off. Don't just run out & buy what you need  if you can hold off & shop around do. Don't forget to check thrift stores, Goodwill, Craigslist & garage sales!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Lesson Learned- Again

After my husband, Nathan, has constantly told me I need to be singing... after Steve Wright's continuous tries to get me to sing for strangers... and after random other people who don't even go to church have asked me if I sing at mine... I decided to join the choir. Not only did I join the choir two weeks ago, I also set up an audition for solos/praise team! (kind of a huge leap for me).

So the audition was Monday. I nearly canceled it mainly because I'm a pansy but I knew Nathan & everyone else would still be asking why I didn't follow through. I went & I had fun. I enjoyed getting the opportunity to sing. In fact, I loved it. Shockingly Josh & Daniel (the guys in charge of music at Providence) were impressed & excited. Daniel asked me, "Elizabeth, how long have you been coming here & not singing?" "ehhhh... since August" I had to reply.

Lesson learned (again): DON'T be afraid of failure. DON'T hide your talents on account of your fear of failure. That is sin. Whom have I to fear?

Like I said the audition went well on Monday. On Tuesday I received an email asking if I was available to sing this Sunday! Whoa. I'll admit... I'm nervous (especially because we attend a huge church) but more than that I'm excited! I'm thankful for an encouraging husband & friends.

I'm thankful for the Lord allowing us to approach His throne everyday & that He has given me the opportunity to make a joyful noise to Him.

Friday, March 2, 2012

Show & Tell Friday

It's Friday! Today's Show & Tell find is one of my favorites. So I didn't actually buy this chair. I saved it's life! It was headed to the dumpster & I snagged it. 

I wish I had taken a before picture... but imagine with me a unloved brown chair with hideous fabric. *AND is smelled weird*
Now check out my green chair!

Fabric- $7 & Spray Paint-$4= $11 for my fabulous chair!
 My dear friend Sarah helped me sew a pillow like shape to cover the back since the back is totally exposed. I love how it turned out! It now resides in our guest room but it has lived in many places. And our friend Kacie calls it "her chair"... it is pretty comfortable!


So there you have it! I love finding things & then making them beautiful in our home! What have you found that you love?

Thursday, March 1, 2012

Miscommunication

Well I guess it's bound to happen in everyone's marriage (or relationships in general!) but today, March 1, 2012, it has happened in ours!

Nathan was feeling under the weather so I asked him what I could do to help. He hadn't eaten anything yet & I started suggesting things we have here at the house to eat. He declined them all & said, "I know what I want, I want Wild Wings!" Sounded good to me! Not the healthiest choice, but hey we don't do it that often. A lunch date it was. Now both of us were still in our pjs so we quickly got up and started getting dressed. He announced he had to put gas in his truck so he would just meet me there... plus he had to leave straight from the restaurant to go to his class. I told him I'd meet him there. As I was getting ready he called to say he'd changed his mind & that he'd prefer to go to Jason's Deli! (I love that place so of course I was game!) I told him I'd being leaving the house in a second so I'd be there shortly.

I arrived at Jason's Deli... & didn't see Nathan's truck anywhere. That sinking feeling set in. I called him & said, "Please tell me you didn't mean the Jason's Deli in Briarcreek!"... he responded, "Yeah, where are you?" ...I quickly & kinda harshly replied, "I'm at the one we always go to, the only one we've ever been to!" (Now in his defense he went to the one right by where Wild Wings is; where we were originally suppose to go.) At this point we had gone in opposite directions. He had to be at class too soon for us to come up with plan B.

We both were annoyed & mainly at ourselves for not clarifying. I childishly hung up the phone too quickly & immediately felt bad for being harsh with him. I called him back with tears of frustration & disappointment streaming down my face (I cry often... it really doesn't take much!). I apologized & he laughed & made light of the situation which made me smile... that was exactly what I needed.

I know this is nothing big, just a little milestone in our marriage. I know there will be plenty more miscommunications to come. I know my husband loves me & despite our miscommunications we'll laugh & go on.

I hope the Lord will grant us many more days to have lunch together & share life together!