The One With a Skirt as a Dress

I was looking for something to wear for church last night and tried on this skirt. I would occasionally wear it to class with rainbows and a white tank top, real casual like. Needless to say it was never my best look. I bought this skirt at a thrift store a couple years ago though, so don't judge me, I did not spend much on it! Anyways, long story short, it ended up being worn as a dress to church today. Not bad eh? :P

Because of Memorial Day weekend there was no Sunday school today and one of our associate pastors spoke. It was a great sermon on Matthew 6.

He started in verse 24 with:
No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.

He related the sermon to the economic times and then went on to preach on the rest of the chapter which tells us not to worry.

My favorite point he made was about verses 28 and 29 which read:
And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lillies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all of his splendor was dressed like one of these.

Solomon was not a ruler that ever saw war, his name means peace, which is where shalom comes from. David fought all of the battles, accumulated much wealth, and Solomon was the one who built the Lord's temple with that wealth. After Solomon finished the Lord's elaborate temple, he spent 13 years building his own elaborate palace.

He was the richest and wisest man in the world and yet the Lord says that Solomon in all of his glory does not compare to the beauty of the lilies of the field which do nothing to work for or earn their beauty.

So in conclusion, how much more does the Lord love, protect, and guide us? Who do we think we are worrying about such trivial and insignificant things that do not have eternal value? It makes no sense!

My prayer for the week is that I will keep the Lord and His will in the foreground of life and other things that I am tempted to worry about in the background. If I live focused on the Lord, I am confident that everything else will not seem as significant :)

The One With A Mountain Hardwear Giveaway!

Head over to Thrifty and Chic Mom and enter Ellen's giveaway to win this Mountain Hardwear Transition Jacket!

The One With Place Mats and Charm Squares

I finally finished this set of place mats for my mom! I am so happy with how they turned out, especially for it being one of my first sewing projects :)

I also completed the sewing for both of my sisters bulletin boards last night. My inspiration came from the Eva Patchwork Memo Board at Moda Bake Shop.

I am using charm squares from the Amy Butler Love collection (which I think is fabulous!). Here is the layout of the squares before the sewing:

Anyways, so far so good! I'll be sure to share pictures of the finished product :)

The One With Arbonne and the GRE

This book is going to be the end of me!

I have never felt less intelligent. My vocabulary is pathetic! I only made it through the analogies portion today and was exhausted. I loved the analogies on the SAT, they were like little puzzles that made me feel smart.

Now I am a little fish in this big grad school pond and the GRE is my first official welcome to little fish-dom. It is exciting to keep getting closer to the actual application process, today was just my big realization that I have a lot of work to do! I am planning on taking the test twice, once at the end of June and then if I need to I will retake before training camp in early August.

Before my study session my mom and I picked me out the right shade of Arbonne's Mineral Powder. I have been using Bare Minerals make-up for the past few years but just tried Arbonne (because my mom has gotten involved in the company) and LOVE it.


There are so many awesome things I could say about this company and so many products I want to recommend! I love that all products by Arbonne International are all certified vegan. I am not a vegan, but the fact that all of their products are free of animal by-products is just one sign of the caliber of materials the company uses.
As I have studied and learned about the human body and nutrition I have found it fascinating how the things we put on our body affect the inside.

Anything we put on our skin is absorbed into the bloodstream within 26 seconds. On top of that, many of the ingredients used in common cosmetics, shampoos, and skin care in the United States are illegal to put into similar products in Europe.As if that is not motivation enough, Arbonne has a number of different lines, their most popular is the anti aging RE9 system. They also have a great detox spa collection (which is my favorite), aromatherapy, weight loss, nutrition, cosmetics (I prefer them in quality and quantity to Bare Minerals or any other powders I've tried), and even a teen collection (which has a collection of amazing scents!).


I L-O-V-E their products and hope you do too! :)

The One About SwagBucks

Has anyone else had any experience using swagbucks.com?

I signed up for it today and have been looking around it, trying to figure things out.

I guess the more you use it, the more points you get, and once you get a certain amount of points you can trade them in for Amazon gift cards and other prizes.

You just have to use the search engine and get points for it.

Check it out and let me know what you think! Its worth a try right? :)

The One About Screen On The Green

There are so many things I love about summer in Atlanta. There are so many awesome things to do and places to go. Piedmont Park is one of my favorite places to go, I love day dates there! There are tons of playing fields and great picnic locations. I love being goofy and roller blade-ing around the park, I think they even rent them out :P

Anyways, for a month or so of the summer there is Screen on the Green and it is so much fun! It is one of those things that no one has an excuse not to come to because its cheap (free), after work, and at a pretty central location. People pack picnics and groups of all ages come out for it.

Photo is from Piedmont Events. The article reports that in 2007 crowds were around 20,000+ per showing!

The line-up for this summer is:

• May 27 - National Treasure
• June 3 - Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
• June 10 - Dreamgirls
• June 17 - Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope
• June 24- Viewer's Choice: Jurassic Park

The best movies are the ones I have already seen because usually it is hard to hear or I get talking for 3/4 of the movie and just sit still to watch my favorite parts and ending. :P

I love it and the first one is tonight! Dinner at Moe's and then walking to the park.

National Treasure, oh yes, here I come!

The One About A CUTE Market Tote

Yet another adorably Lilly giveaway!
Head over to Juleps & Jon Jons to enter!

The One With A Huge Praise!

As of today I am Outback's newest hostess for the summer!
I have spent the past two summers serving tables there part time, but serving is just too hard on my back, so bring on hostessing!

I will be hostessing part time and volunteering/interning with my physical therapist to get volunteer hours and experience in for grad school applications. I can't believe how soon those applications are coming up.

The GRE is my next academic mountain to conquer. I'm a pretty good standardized test taker, but I do need to prep for it. I have the book, now I just need to actually read it :P

Anyways, HUGE praise that they were able to bring me back on at Outback! SUCH a relief to have at least some income!

AND...

I got my L.L. Bean catalog today! So many cute things that I would love. Their lines keep looking more and more j.crewsy with every catalog. I have kept it to my top three-ish most recent loves from L.L. Bean :)

Water Proof Pea Coat in all colors bright and sunny!
Camden Embroidered Totes come in four different patterns and colors! Don't you just love the mini? :)


Their cotton cardigans are so cute! I love the patterns :)

Today was a great day! It just started to rain and is SO peaceful. I am quite content right now.

The One With Another Giveaway! :)

Head over to Pink Preppy Lilly Lover and enter to win this cute cute scarf! :)

The One About Headbands

I am a big fan of the headband lately! So cute and SO easy! :)

Southern Proper Belle Bands

I love the Belle Bands from Southern Proper, Vicker Leed Headbands from Kiel James Patrick, Tucker Blair makes Custom needlepoint headbands, and of course the Vineyard Vines Headbands!

On top of all of that shopping I found some pretty cute headbands on Etsy (for a fraction of the price)!

Julie's Things is a shop on Etsy that features a bunch of great girly hair accessories! Most items are from Vera Bradley fabrics, which makes them easy to pair with so many outfits! :)

Looking 4 Lilly is another shop on Etsy that focuses mostly on hair things. Kristina has a slew of cute headbands listed and all are in Lilly Pulitzer fabric! :)

Have a lovely Tuesday!

The One With An End and A New Beginning!

Not that I am an addict or anything but I am SUPER excited about the line up on the tele tonight :)

The two hour 24 finale at 8
Folowed by The Bachelorette Season Premiere at 9!

I hope Ali is sweet and feminine and not just a woman on a mission! :P

The plan is to watch 2 hours of 24, record the Bachelorette, and watch that afterwards.

I do not faithfully watch many shows. I am not even a huge fan of 24, it just gets too intense sometimes and tires me out. The Bachelor and Bachelorette are my guilty pleasure shows that I get hooked onto everytime!

I hope you have a great night! I know I will :)

The One About Summer Sandals!

Check out this cute shoe giveaway at Classy Covet! :)

The One With the Final Congrats!

Awhile back I posted on how awesome I think mod podge is. I still think it is pretty cool and I used it to spend some time last week making this sign for my sister.


I can be pretty meticulous when it comes to making things, and this was no exception. I made every letter different and had a blast coming up with different creative ideas :)


I used a lot of scrapbook paper and tissue paper, some paint and ribbon, and accented with some gemstones. The base of each letter was simply poster board, we used yarn to lace them together and added beads, just to make the whole thing MORE girly :)


I had tons of fun making it and loved hearing people say "my favorite letter is..."

We are still recovering, we have managed to normalize the main floor but the basement and upstairs are both still a mess! :P

The sun is shining and it is going to be a great week! :)

The One About Graduation!

It was a great weekend! We had such a great time with all of the family that came in town and everything worked out perfectly for the party!

Thursday night was the official ceremony, Baby Sister wore AWESOME shoes and managed to stay up and walk gracefully in them! :P

Friday night we were surprised when Auntie Jean arrived with my Aunt Kathy and Victoria from Michigan. We were even more surprised when over dessert she asked if we could remove her stitches. PA Aunt Deb volunteered to take care of that one after everyone else strongly declined!


Saturday afternoon/morning, as we were setting up, an ice cream truck drove by, for the first time that I can remember since... ever! So, as you can imagine we were a little excited, and ran for my mom's wallet like we were seven years old again!


And then there was the big event! Saturday night was the party, Baby Sister had tons of fun seeing new friends and catching up with old!


It was a whirlwind of a week and it seems surreal that it has finally wound down! Today was great and relaxed, we have lots of left overs, and my baby sister is finished, for good, with high school! :)

Congrats girlie!

The One With A Summer Storm

Rain, Rain, Go Away, Come Again on Sunday!

We need a sunny day tomorrow for the party and a non-rainy day right now for the set up!

I love summer storms, even this one is very calming and relaxing, but only so much relaxing can be done when there are 12 people staying in one house!

I know everything will work out no matter what the weather is, but I will be praying for sunshine for tomorrow! :)

Don't you just love these rain boots? My favorite part is the way Hunter makes the fleece liners which make the basic Wellies look so cute! :)

The One About A Sick Day

Taking a sick day with strep throat :(

Due to spending the day in my pajamas I thought it would be appropriate to share this cute little nightie tutorial with you from Sew, Mama, Sew!

Back to bed, pray I can put myself together for my sister's graduation ceremony tonight!

The One About a Bison Burger

Happy Birthday Mommy! :)

We had a great day, it started with breakfast in bed, included my grandparents flying in for my sister's graduation ceremony tomorrow, and ended with d fabulous dinner at Ted's Montana Grill.

It was my first time at Ted's. I never realized the awesome story behind the restaurant and how eco-friendly everything is. The restaurant chain was started by Ted Turner and is a "classic American Grill featuring fresh, made-from-scratch comfort food within an authentic turn-of-the-century Montana grill atmosphere." All of the meat comes from his ranches. Their trademark is the feature of bison meat on their menu, which is delicious! It is not very different from beef but does have a little bit of a different taste.

As for eco-friendliness, Ted's Montana Grill is a 99% plastic free restaurant. Everything from take-away cups to the straws are biodegradable. The straws are even made from paper! I did not care for the texture of them but love the idea! :P They have so many other earth loving ideas, you should check them out!

Over all it was a pretty good day, I woke up feeling very sick, but slept my fever off for most of the day, and hope to keep fighting whatever it is well! I need my health for the next week!

I hope you try Ted's Montana Grill, it was delicious down home cooking! It is a great place for a casual and simple date and amazing if you are craving a good burger! I also HIGHLY recommend the strawberry shortcake :)

The One With Great Advice

About a month ago Christine posted this article on her blog and I loved it. It brought back floods of memories and filled me with great reminders that I know I will need at any age!

Advice for the College Girls
[Reprinted from an article entitled "Do As I Say, and Please Call" by Bella English | The Boston Globe, Spring 2005]

Start the day with breakfast. End it with dessert. Exercise every day (see 'dessert,' above). Make it a part of your life. Smile while you're running or biking or swimming. It will lighten the task and disconcert others. Beware of the 'Freshman 15.' It's a lot easier to keep weight off in the first place than to take it off later. When walking, don't look down. All you'll see is dirty shoes. Look around, look up; observe the world. People-watching is a fantastic pastime. Listen well - to your friends, to the birds, to music. Wear comfortable shoes. They don't have to be ugly. Don't worry if you don't know what you want to be when you grow up. Many of us adults still don't. Write thank you notes. Why shouldn't you take five minutes to say thanks when someone has taken much more than that to buy, wrap, and send a gift? (And if you don't write thank you notes, you won't get as many gifts). Find a soul mate. The most important decision you'll make in life is whom you choose to spend it with. Get a dog. They're walking lessons in love and loyalty. Spend time with children and the elderly. They're master teachers. Go out on dates. Have a relationship. Don't settle for 'friends with benefits.' What is the long-term 'benefit,' anyway? Vote. It's proof that you're a participant, not a spectator, in our democracy. Read the newspaper daily (preferably, this one). Earn your own money. Save some of it. Get a comfortable bathrobe. Guard against smugness, which is simply self-ignorance. E-mail often. Keep in touch with your siblings; they're the ones with whom you will share your old age. Don't take a television to college. If you're doing things right, you won't have the time or inclination to be a couch potato. Find your passion and pursue it. Tell your parents you love them. It won't kill you, and it will thrill them more than you know. Volunteer. Get outside. Study under a tree. Take a break and play volleyball or toss a frisbee. Buy a bike. They're fun and environmentally friendly. Be kind. Tell corny jokes. Don't color coordinate. Dance with abandon. Dare to be dorky. Be curious. Take chances. Go someplace new. Do something different. Laugh often and loudly. Especially at yourself. Never pay full price. Don't worry about geometry. Chances are, you'll never have to use it again. Get acquainted with the washer and dryer. Change your sheets more often than every leap year. Make friends across cultures. Learn another language; go abroad and practice it. Remember that luck is a large part of life, but so are the choices you make. Eat chocolate. Read for pleasure, not just for class. Read everything from Homer to Homer Simpson. Give surprise parties. Don't be afraid to ask for help.Stay in touch with your old friends. They knew you when.Lock your door when you leave your room and when you go to sleep. Always wear a seat belt. Learn to say 'I'm sorry.' Remember to sleep. Remember to go to class. Start 'War and Peace' now. You might finish it by graduation. That tattoo that seems so cool today won't be 10 years from now. Ditto on the nose stud. Be patient with your parents. Someday, God willing, you'll be as old and ignorant as they are.
Call your mother. She loves you."

The One About Lilly

Due to my sister's graduation party quickly approaching and running around like crazy trying to get things done, I have not had much time for posting. But here is a great giveaway from Cool Gal at It's the World I Know that you should check out!

The winner will get a pair of Lilly Pulitzer Callahan Shorts in any print and size they would like! :)

This giveaway is just too cute to pass up! Be sure to mention I sent you when you enter!

See ya later Alligator :)

The One About Summer Training

I did it! I cut my hair short and love it!

Before I got it cut Emma, my stylist, started asking me questions and quickly realized I had no idea what I really wanted. It was bad, practically to the point of breathing heavy :P
Bob? Bangs? Layers?
We decided to start off slow with no bob, bangs, or layers, and if I like it we will try something a little bit more gutsy next time.

I am such a fraidy-cat when it comes to trying new things, especially with my hair, but so far its been great! :)

Sorry for the blurry picture, its all I have so far!

Today also marks a momentous occasion, that, I must admit, I wish would not have come so soon.

My summer training schedule starts today!

For the past week "exercise" in my life was represented by nice long dog walks (or more like drags, but Darla is old so we like to walk instead of run). They're great, no pace to keep, relaxing, possibly even therapeutic.
Therapeutic is a little bit of a stretch, but the point is I love slow walks :)

No more of that! Today, I will be running as hard as I can for 12 minutes and 30 seconds and completing core workout #1 which is:

1. 25 Crunches

2. 25 Air Bike Crunches

3. 25 Oblique Crunches

4. 25 Full sit-ups w/ a twist

5. 10 Front plank-side plank-back plank-side plank

Not bad at all, but definitely not an hour long relaxing walk or even jog or run. I love running, maybe I will run my loop and do this work out. Hmmm...

Anyways, here we go! Let it begin! :)

The One With REALLY Cute Shoes :)

These adorable Lilly sandals are being given away at how I met your father!

How cute are they!?!?! :)

Happy Sunday!

The One With Strawberry Shortcake and Popsicles!

“You can always tell what kind of a person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you”

-Audrey Hepburn

Photos from Petite Fraise Handmade. Check out her wonderful work with polymer clay! :)

The One With a (possible) Haircut :)

I'm contemplating going
from this:

(I'm in the middle)

To this:


I'm not sure how I feel about copying the look of a 16 year old. I'm pretty sure I'm confident enough to handle it :P

The One About College Matters

College Matters by Jacob Perry, staff writer for TrevEchoes, TNU's school newspaper

The unspoken truth about the four year (in some cases five to ten) process of earning a bachelor's degree at TNU is that there is a certain social theme for every year.

Freshman year: Everyone is in a state of adjustment, and nobody wants to be labeled the source of discord by causing problems. So, for the most part, everyone gets along, Much of your time is spent getting to know one another and getting a feel for who you want to spend your time with. You learn that late night fast food runs put weight on faster than Kirstie Alley and playing your guitar and singing really loud in The Hub at its busiest times is really cool.

Sophomore year: The gloves come off. Some magical transition takes place during the summer between your freshman and sophomore years. some people mature, others seem to regress into a permanent adolescence, and a fair amount of students seemingly perfect the art of living and have become fully licensed philosophers ready to divulge priceless advice on situations they have not yet been in themselves. But its okay. They're philosophers. You start to spend more time with the people you can actually stand to be around. You also learn that playing your guitar in The Hub is not cool at all.

Junior Year: By now, you have typically weeded out the people you deem unnecessary to the survival of your happiness. you settle into a level of comfort with the ones you love. You keep your friends close and your enemies (thought it is not good to have any, but who are we kidding?) as far away from you as possible (which is easy to do save for the awkward run-in in the caf.). It's safe to say that in your junior year you find out who your real friends are.

Senior Year: Though it comes much too quickly, your senior year is spent with a mix of eagerness for the road ahead and regret for the one behind. There will always be something you wish you had done or done differently. But this isn't just senior year. This is life. You just learn to balance your life in such a way that what matters is where you are and who you are. You pull the friends you have made close. Oftentimes, you will find this number to be small, and that's okay. Count yourself blessed if you go through life with a small number of people you can actually call "best friends."

What an awesome article! He hit the nail on the head! I have struggled with how many "friends" I lost over my Junior year, but the author definitely shed a great positive light on it. While I have lost many skin deep friends over the past semester or two, those who I have grown closer to I have come to love and care about more than I knew I could for friends.

Anyways, have a great weekend! My baby sister is graduating from high school this year and we are having ~150 people at our house next Saturday night for dinner, so, pray I survive the chores and tasks given me over the next week! I have already repainted screen porch furniture, made 100 meatballs, and ran errands all around town. Busy is an understatement. I am ready and willing to help. I am so excited for her and want to do all I can to make this time as great for her as possible! :)

Find Photo Here
Let's Celebrate! :)

Help me to Honor Thee

Help me to honour thee by believing before I feel,
for great is the sin if I make feeling a
cause of faith.

-prayer from The Valley of Vision

Lima Bean Wreath!

I started making a lima bean wreath for my mom's birthday today. I am so excited because it is actually turning out the way I hoped it would! :)

Check out All Things Thrifty for some great pictures and well documented tutorial!


I will post pictures of my own wreath as soon as it is finished! :)

The One About Mother's Day

Have a Happy Mother's Day!
Thank you mommy :)

The One About the Persecuted

The displacement of Christians in the Middle East is not a new idea. However, I so quickly forget how Christians are forced to live in other parts of the world. This is an excerpt from a prayer update e-mail subscription I received the other day:

Christians in Iraq have been warned by Muslim extremists to leave the country immediately or risk violent death, according to The Voice of the Martyrs contacts. An Iraqi bishop received a letter from the General Secretariat of the Islam Supporters warning Christians in Baghdad and other areas to “leave the country of Muslims (Iraq) for good and immediately in the form of mass transmigration.” ....Despite the threats, Christians in Iraq remain strong in their faith. “We thank God for his protection during this difficult time the country is passing through,” a VOM contact said. Pray that the Lord will protect our brothers and sisters in Iraq, and ask God to give them the grace to forgive their persecutors.

See full text story here

I often find that when I pray my prayers tend to be very me centered. By receiving Voice of the Martyr's magazine and prayer updates it keeps my eyes and heart open to the bigger picture of things going on in the world. They give a voice to those who are risking their lives and everything they have for their faith in the gospel.

As if that in itself is not inspiring enough, check out the Voice of the Martyrs website. They publish a free monthly magazine/newsletter that is filled with amazing heartbreaking yet awe inspiring stories.

I encourage you to visit their website and look around, I assure you it will light a fire in your heart and open your eyes to the real spiritual battle that is going on around the world!

The One With A Goodbye

Tonight is my last night in this surprisingly cozy bed.

I know everything is part of the Lord's plan and there are no truly "bad" circumstances, but this has definitely been a year of growth and struggle for me. I am so thankful for where the Lord has led me, but at the same time it has had some hard parts. I am so excited and looking forward to the summertime, my last semester in the fall, and what the Lord's purposes for my life are! I am so thankful for the new friends the Lord has brought into my life this year, the existing friendships He has strengthened, and my increased comfort with spending time quietly by myself. I have learned so much and cannot wait to see what is to come next!


Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"
And I said, "Here am I. Send me."

Isaiah 6:8

The One With Mother's Day Crafting

Getting gifts for my parents has always been difficult but this year it seems especially hard because we are each pretty strapped as far as our budgets go. My sister and I are both collegiate athletes and are unable to work because of that and my youngest sister is a senior in high school and not exactly financially savvy. While we could just ask my dad to get something for us, in my mind that kind of defeats the purpose of doting on our mother. So, for mother's day we are putting together a gift basket with some things bought but most things crafted. So far we have:

• A set of modgepodged clothes pins that match the kitchen for chip clips
• A personalized stamp from Purple Lemon Designs
• An ink pad to go with the stamp
• The movie The Young Victoria

We have a busy few days of crafting left. Middle Sister has decided to paint/craft her a personalized ceramic tile trivet, similar to the one below.

From Angela Designs

She is also going to make a set of tile magnets. Similar to these coasters I found in The Salty Peanut's Etsy shop.

The Salty Peanut

My project, as the worst daughter ever, is to finish part of her Christmas present. Terrible, I know. I started in January after I showed my mom the fabric and have completed five of them but still have the last three to go. Right now they look like this:


When they need to look like this:

Lots to do but it will be fun. I know crafts aren't the best gifts but they are all functional and match the kitchen and hopefully they will make her smile and know we love her when she uses them :)