Thursday, July 31, 2008

Painting Pottery

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Yesterday we went to "Clay Funk" to pick up our freshly fired pottery that we had painted for our anniversary. I painted a coffee cup for Chris, and he made me a laddle for the stove. I was very impressed with how they turned out, and happy to see that the kiln burned away some of my imperfections with the paint brush. I give us two thumbs up!

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Stich Sews and other Fun Birthday Antics

A disclaimer to start...I must note that our home is not over run with stuffed animals, and no, we do not have kids yet, lol. I do however still hold my childhood favorite "Ducky" very dear and Chris has indulged me with two snugly teddy bears over the years. Also, Stich came home with us from our Honeymoon in Disney World.

That being said, Chris was totally creative with his birthday surprises and set up a scavenger hunt of sorts that was so much fun! He set up our stuffed animals in different places around the house, each with different presents and clever notes leading to the next. Here are my favorites:

A note from my first bear(who was holding a sweet birthday card) read "Ducky is cooking up a suprise in the kitchen." This is what I found in the kitchen: (It's impossible not to get a good laugh out of this!)

Ducky's present was a new apron, which I can't wait to cook in! His note said "Uh oh, go get Stich before he sews himself up!" Lilo and stich fans, you know that Stich is a little out of control...

Skipping a stop from the rubber ducky in our bathroom, the grand finale lead me to this:

A Zales box, are you kidding me?! Congratulations Chris, you have finally surprised me. He very thoughtfully picked out a beautiful necklace. I was beside myself with surprise and excitement. Though I love looking at nice jewelry, I usually don't venture beyond the Goody's sales..needless to say, I will take very very good care of this one!

Afterwards we enjoyed a great dinner at TGIFridays (beginning to be a birthday tradition) and came home where I sat down to figure out my sewing machine and Chris worked on his lessons for Kidstunes. A great day! I'm so thankful for a husband who is thoughtful and creative and who loves to indulge the smiling child inside.I will always appreciate my husband for this day.

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Laughing at the time to come...

My good friend Amy and I have had many a musing and thoughtful conversations about the joys, challenges, and blessings of becoming the modern "Proverbial woman." Through my daily life, then and now, single and married, I dream of and sincerely strive to be such a God honoring woman. Needless to say, it's quite a feat, and I have a looongg way to go!

While there are many more shining examples and traits of biblical womanhood to be found in the bible, Proverbs 31 is one of my favorites. The ESV entitles this passage "The Woman Who Fears The Lord."

10 An excellent wife who can find?
She is far more precious than jewels.
11 The heart of her husband trusts in her,
and he will have no lack of gain.
12 She does him good, and not harm,
all the days of her life.
13 She seeks wool and flax,
and works with willing hands.
14 She is like the ships of the merchant;
she brings her food from afar.
15 She rises while it is yet night
and provides food for her household
and portions for her maidens.
16 She considers a field and buys it;
with the fruit of her hands she plants a vineyard.
17 She dresses herself with strength
and makes her arms strong.
18 She perceives that her merchandise is profitable.
Her lamp does not go out at night.
19 She puts her hands to the distaff,
and her hands hold the spindle.
20 She opens her hand to the poor
and reaches out her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of snow for her household,
for all her household are clothed in scarlet.
22 She makes bed coverings for herself;
her clothing is fine linen and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates
when he sits among the elders of the land.
24 She makes linen garments and sells them;
she delivers sashes to the merchant.
25 Strength and dignity are her clothing,
and she laughs at the time to come.
26 She opens her mouth with wisdom,
and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue.
27 She looks well to the ways of her household
and does not eat the bread of idleness.
28 Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:
29 "Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all."
30 Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

Wow, that's quite a woman! Thank God for the grace we need to aspire to such great heights.

*"Feminine Appeal" by Carolyn Mahaney is an encouraging read on this topic.*

Monday, July 28, 2008

Early birthday treats and broken boots...

It's been a very eventful weekend-here's a breif recap. On Saturday, Chris and I painted pottery at "Clay Funk" in honor of our 1 year anniversary last week (Stay tuned for pics). While I'm not changing careers or anything, it was a pretty fun activity. Between the two of us, I think Chris and I have some very artistic genes! Afterwards we had lunch on Red Robin, a complementary early birthday treat(My actual birthday is the 29th). Red Robin is without a doubt one of my favorite restaurants as far as fun atmospheres go. :)

Sunday was a topsy turvey kind of day. Following a great morning at church, we headed on to Goldsboro for a joint birthday celebration for my mom and I. After a wonderful steak lunch(a treat for Chris and I), my dad and Chris went to work on my car, which had been making strange and disturbing noises over the past week. Turns out the problem was much more complicated than a simple break job-namely a break job, two broken boots and seriously worn out routers :/ Don't you love cars! Looong story short, my car monopolized most of the afternoon. My mom and I set out chairs on the lawn to watch the boys work and played with the dogs in the afternoon sun, so we did manage to salvage some quality time in the midst of the car dilemma.


Oh, and we did squeeze in some cake time, of course. Yummmyyy! As presents go, I am sooo excited and thankful for my new sewing machine! I'm sure this will be the subject of numerous posts to come! Chris also suprised me with cake decorating classes at Michaels. That's right ladies, I will soon be Wilton certified!

Tomorrow I will be 23 years old..officially. More birthday suprises to come!

Tuesday, July 22, 2008

Let Them Eat Cake!


A quick shout out to "Ashley Cakes" for making us this deliciously delightful cake for our first anniversary. Our wedding cake, seen below, was also beautiful and quite possibly some of the best cake we have ever had! If your in the market for a good cake, whether it be for a birthday, wedding, or just because, Chris and I give a three thumbs up to Ashley Cakes. Check out her website at www.AshleyCakes.com.



We love this last picture, of Chris wiping the cake off my face...one year later, and I'm still an incredibly messy eater! Needless to say, this is still a popular scene in our home, lol.

Sunday, July 20, 2008

1 Year Going Strong


On July 21st last year, I walked in white towards my husband to be and promised "I Do." I can't believe it's been a whole year..cliche aside, time really does fly!

I must say it's been an eventful year, bookended with a magical honeymoon in Disney World, and buying our first townhome. The pages in between contain chapters on moving, changing jobs, juggling school, finding a wonderful new church family, and joyfully taking on our first mortgage. I am happy to report that we have come through it with success(more or less), and are growing and learning more as husband and wife every day.

I am so thankful that God in His sovereignty has brought Chris and I together, and pray for our growth and sanctification as we pursue a God glorifying marriage. God willing, we have a long way to go.

What's on the horizon for next year? God only knows...but as for the immediate future, I'm seeing a puppy, cake decorating classes, and a romantic first anniversary dinner!

Wednesday, July 16, 2008

One Year with CBWM...

On July 16th last year, I started my first day at Coldwell Banker Ward & Misenheimer. I can't believe it's been a whole year! This morning I was greeted with beautiful flowers from my very thoughtful bosses. How grateful I was to feel so appreciated! (Can you believe I hadn't even remembered what day it was! I was very touched to know that not only did the guys remember the day, but that they also bought flowers in celebration...it definitely made my week!)

Over the year I have learned alot in the ways of marketing, real estate, and time(and people!)management. I count myself extremely thankful to be in a more casual, family oriented workplace where I can call many of my co-workers friends and am regularly treated to Panera Bagels and other sweet surprises. Though work is work, and there are good days as well as busy and somewhat frustrating days, I am overall very glad and proud to be here. The theme of the year...practice and patience.(A recurring theme I feel outside of the workplace as well!) Although I feel well past the daunting learning curve and completely confident in my position here, I continue to be challenged daily and look forward to learning and growing with this company in the upcoming year :)

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Adventures in Cupcakes...


"A Learning Experience" would be the perfect summary to my first time baking and making icing from scratch. Suffice it to say that my past baking experiences have been aided by the expertise of Betty Crocker, Duncan Heines, and the like. I've love to bake, and am lately finding much joy and satisfaction from being creative in the kitchen.
To the seasoned baker, these tips will sound very comical I'm sure. However, if your a beginner like me, you might find this helpful!

Attention amateur baker, these tips are for you!

1. Soften butter does not mean "melt" butter....after thorough investigation, I think this was my biggest culprit.
2. "Sift" is not a word one should read over lightly...get a sifter!(Herein lied my consistency issue)
3. Generally, wet and dry ingredients are best when mixed separately.
4. Cake flour is indeed different than regular flour.
5. Similarly, there is a difference in regular food coloring and cake food coloring.
6. "Overbeating" is an easy trap to fall into...resist the temptation.
6. Practice makes perfect!

I look forward to learning from my mistakes here and meeting my next cake with success!

Monday, July 14, 2008

Finally, a Real Place to Eat

We finally got our dining room table ordered this past weekend, no more eating on the island for us! This is our first official "dining room" table. Before we had a smaller breakfast table in an eat-in kitchen setting, so this is definitely a nice change for us. And, it has a built-in leaf to make it bigger for company! I can't wait to have many dinners around our new table :)

Friday, July 11, 2008

John 14

We are currently memorizing John 14 as a church. In renewing our dedication to memorizing this passage(unfortunately, Chris and I have been extremely remiss in our memorizing!), I've found some great resources on bible memorization from "Desiring God." I encourage you to take a quick look at the two excellent sermons from John Piper on the value of the Word. It only takes a few minutes to read through them, and they are well worth the time...my workday is already much more exciting thinking on these pearls of wisdom!

The Word I Have Treasured In My Heart

Why Memorize Scripture?

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. 2In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4You know the way to the place where I am going." 5Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" 6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me..."

Monday, July 7, 2008

Smile, were home!

The first picture of us in front of our new home...

Fourth Festivities


Chris and I had a great fourth of July weekend! On Thursday night, the third, we spent time with my parents watching the fireworks at Seymore Johnson Air Force base. On my list of most favorite things in the world, fireworks competes for top five(somewhere near cupcakes, between girl scout cookies and strawberries). Then on Friday and Saterday we had a great time with Chris' mom and family for some more fourth of July festivities, rolls and barbecue chicken included. Between my dad's yummy hamburgers and Chris' aunts lunch, we had our fill of good American food this weekend! I also enjoyed making a very simple yet delicious patriotic flag cake.


Wednesday, July 2, 2008

Let the decorating begin!

Our home is still a work in progress, but I am happy to report that we are slowly but surely getting there! Our new couch was just delivered yesterday,and my next project will most likely be making the pillow covers-I went to the fabric store last night and was so excited to cut samples and envision them in our new living room...stay tuned for pics! For now, we are mostly done with our bedroom and the kitchen, give or take some wall art...