Fresh Flowers & Marriage

I'm such a sucker for fresh flowers! Always have been, probably always will be! (hint hint husband)

I feel like that make a room happier & polished. This weekend was FBCWPB's Marriage Conference with Dr. Danny & Charlotte Akin. After it was over I got to take home some of the beautiful hydrangeas from the centerpieces!

Let me just say the Marriage Conference was such an encouragement & so packed full of wisdom. I pray we absorbed all of it & will put to use what we've learned this weekend. I'm also so thankful that we've had Godly couples pouring into our marriage. We are blessed!

Remembering Steve Price

The Steve Price I met was not the one I knew. The man I met first was his son... he is the one I got to know. Through getting to know him, I've gotten a better glimpse of the real Steve.

The one who'd go fishing for hours & be the dad on the sidelines at every game. The one who loved history & read books all the time. The one who volunteered as a fireman & visited every major civil war battle field.

Steve was a responsible man. He was wise with his finances which Nathan & I marvel at & hope to learn. He loved his animals & they loved him. He was smart & enjoyed history. I'd venture to say he knew more about the civil war than most history professors! He was proud of his son. So very proud. He was proud of his new daughter. He teased Carol all the time & that's how he was affectionate! He told her he loved her often. He teared up every time we had to say goodbye & told us how much he loved us.

The man who sat before me was an honorable man who couldn't do the things he loved anymore. He was unhealthy. He had to have missed the outdoors. He didn't sleep well & he didn't pick up his books any longer.

The part of me that is sad is sad for my husband who lost his father, my mother-in-law who lost her husband of nearly 40 years and my future children who won't get to meet their PawPaw Steve.

However, I know I can't be selfish. I am so thankful that today his body no longer holds him back. I know his mind is sharp once again and I pray that he has met our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. I am glad he is no longer suffering. Thank you for all of the prayers & kind words. They have been comforting.

"Oh give thanks to the Lord, for His steadfast love endures forever!" Psalm 107:1

Stolen from his sister Cathy, circa 1973 (what a hunk Carol!)

Change is in the Air...

For the last 9 years I have worked with kids... whether it be in a camp setting, an orphanage or as a nanny. I have loved all of "my kids"! To think that some of them are already driving & some even starting their senior year makes me feel ridiculously old!! It's been a great run but I'm in need of a change... at least until we have our own kids. (Which still kind of freaks me out to think about!)

Wednesday an opportunity arose. I received a call out of the blue informing me of a need & asking me if I'd be interested in a job! At first I thought, "I already have a great job. I love the kids!" but truth be told I didn't feel like it was fitting & that maybe it was time I take a break from kids so that I can be refreshed & ready for our own.

This week I will be starting at First Baptist Church West Palm Beach! I will be working with the music ministry as a ministry assistant. It's funny how God's timing is yet again so perfect! FBCWPB was in serious need of someone to fill the position & they thought of me. (What an honor!?) While the position is considered temporary, I am still glad to be able to serve my church in this way, make new friends & hone a different skill set.

Another great thing? I can walk to work! Whoohoo for saving on gas. I start Tuesday & I couldn't be more excited!

The Year Round Wreath

I wanted to make a wreath that would be appropriate anytime of the year! Of course I can put up a holiday or seasonal one anytime but, it's nice to have something up that doesn't require to be changed every few weeks.

It was simple... but my finger tips took a beating! (Burlap & hot glue do not go well together!)

All you need is:

• A grape vine wreat
• Burlap(you don't need much, maybe 1/2 yard)
• White or any color you like fabric (you don't need much, maybe 1/2 yard)
• Hot glue gun
• Plastic pearls 

So I just went for it! I tried twisting the flowers to make rosettes & then folding/ tucking then gluing as I went along. Truthfully, I had no idea what I was doing. You just have to be bold & try! I really do love how it turned out. Just give it a try!

Attack of the kids!

I'm a nanny for a wonderful family & their 3 children are absolutely precious! Today Gabby (3 yrs) requested we visited Nathan. We were actually close to our house & he was actually home, I obliged! I did give Nathan a little warning & good thing... this is what happened!

They decided to climb into our big bed!

...and then wrestle roughly!

She is smitten!

I LOVE this one!

They LOVE Nathan. So do I. :)

Homemade Headboard- Using What You Have!

(Consider this part one of the update intended for True Life: My Guest Bedroom is in Shambles!)

Lots of things have been going on in the Price Household... one being we got a King Size BED! You guys have no idea how excited we are about this. (We're both bed hogs & covers hogs!) This meant we had to shift around our beds. We took our queen & put it in our guest room... we gave our neighbor the full, which he was pretty excited about since he has been sleeping on a twin for quite some time! 

So the brainstorming continued for a headboard for our queen size bed. Then it hit me... the mirror that's been sitting on the floor without a home! (We used it's dresser for our TV stand)!

Here is the step by step process for creating my new headboard!

Here is the mirror!

See how sad it looks!?

Mirror that has to come out!

Power tools! Easy enough to put that baby on reverse & the screws come right out!

Shocking... I'm using my favorite paint again!

It's gonna take two coats! I hate waiting for paint to try.

Dry!

The fabric I found that I love! I had a coupon so I got it for $9 & some change!

Trim your fabric up & hot glue it down. Make sure you pull the fabric tight!

Find a cute husband to prep it to hang! Then have him hang it. :)

There you have it! I'm a fan.

So much more complete!

$10... can't beat it! 

Now our guest room is ready for guests! Just in time too... I can't wait to see our friends 

The Gordons!

Broiled Parmesan Lemon Tilapia- a recipe everyone should have!

I discovered this recipe last week on allrecipes.com & have already made it twice since! It's seriously delicious & ridiculously easy. My husband claimed it was the best fish he'd ever had! I love it & it's so simple. It's not fishy at all, I think everyone should have this recipe in their repertoire!

 I just buy my tilapia at Costco frozen, so I always have it on hand! Just make sure your fish is defrosted before you try to cook! 

Here's what you need:

• 4 (4 ounce) tilapia fillets
• 2 tablespoons (or so) Tony Chachere (or something similar)
• cooking spray
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons butter-margarine blend, melted
• 1 1/2 tablespoons fat-free mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons grated lemon zest
• 1/8 teaspoon dried basil (I've been using a pesto basil mix because that's what I have on hand!)
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven's broiler & set the oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a broiler pan with aluminum foil. (Believe me, you'll want to do that! Clean up is so much easier!) Spray the broiler pan's rack with the cooking spray.
2. Sprinkle tilapia with Tony's seasoning & arrange on the prepared broiler rack.
3. Mix the Parmesan cheese, butter-margarine blend, mayonnaise, lemon juice, lemon zest, basil, black pepper, garlic powder, & celery salt together in a bowl & set aside.
4. Cook the fillets under the preheated broiler until fish is barely opaque, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Spread the Parmesan cheese blend over the fish fillets, return to oven, and continue cooking until the topping is golden brown and the fish flakes easily, 3 to 5 more minutes. 

So I think the entire entree cooks in 11 minutes tops! It's a perfect weeknight entree that is delicious. Enjoy! (You will!)