New blog

So, I guess all the internet safety stuff got me a little freaked out about having our first and last name in the url. I figured if I am going to preach it to my kiddos, I better follow it myself. So, I have been trying to come up with a url that does not have our name in it. This is pretty hard considering most every creative url has been taken out there. So I finally came up with this, here is our new blog site:

http://lovealotlaughalot.blogspot.com/

Hope you see you there!

Seasons of Life

I have always heard the "season of life" saying, but I didn't really understand it until recently. We will all experience different seasons of life. No matter what our season is we have one thing in common and that is that He loves us. He loves us.

I love this song by Hillsong called Desert Song. I love every word of it.

"This is my prayer in the desert,

When all that's within me feels dry,

This is my prayer in my hunger and need,

My God is the God who provides,

And this is my prayer in the fire,

In weakness, or trial, or pain,

There is a faith proved more worth than gold,

So refine me Lord through the flame,

I will bring praise,

I will bring praise,

No weapon formed against me shall remain,

I will rejoice, I will declare,

God is my victory and He is here,

This is my prayer in the battle,

When triumph is still on its way,

I am a conqueror and co-heir with Christ,

So firm on his promise I'll stand,

All of my life, in every season,

You are still God,

I have a reason to sing,

I have a reason to worship,

And this is my prayer in the harvest,

When favour and providence flow,

I know I'm filled to be emptied again,

The seed I receive I will sow"

I hope that we will use this blog to share a little bit about us, and our different seasons of life. I want us to be able to look back 50 years from now at the stories and pictures and smile at each and every season of life.

"All of my life, in every season,

You are still God, I have a reason to sing, I have a reason to worship!!!"

Goodbye Summer

I can't believe summer is over. It seems like yesterday we were celebrating Memorial Day Weekend. The house situation kept us pretty busy this summer. We made a few trips to the lake and only went to the beach once. We are still unpacking boxes from the move. Sorry I refuse to post pictures until we have finished the decorating. I am still trying to figure out paint colors, fabric, etc.

It took a few weeks for Maggie to get used to things. She did not know what to do on the hardwoods. She spent the first few weeks upstairs on the carpet. I think she is finally getting used to everything. Here's a pic of her in her favorite spot. There is an outside cat across the street, so she spends most of her day staring the cat down.

The end of summer brings our other favorite time of year. Ryan, Catherine, Josh, and I traveled to the plains for the game.

I don't think this lady minded staying home with the little guy.

Down by the creek

We decided to take a break from packing and take Maggie to Buck Creek on Saturday. We used to do this all the time, but we have been so busy lately that I think she has missed swimming in the water. This is my fist try and uploading video, so hopefully it will work.

Video of Maggie getting her workout on the Treadmill.

She loves to dive for rocks.

Buck Creek just makes me feel like I'm way out in the country. It reminds me of a Kenny Chesney country song. While we were there some boys were swinging on the rope swing. This was just the perfect picture of a gorgeous summer afternoon!!!

4th of July

YIPPIE!!! I think that has become my new favorite word this summer!! We had a great 4th of July holiday. We rode over to Lake Oconee in GA on Monday. Ryan worked at the plant that week while I read relaxed on the dock. Ryan's parents came over on Tuesday also. We had a great time relaxing, reading, and playing with the entire 4th of July crew. It wasn't as eventful as last summer, but it was a nice one. I am trying to figure out a way to post a video that Matthew made of the adventures from last 4th. I would love to tell more, but I am now spending my time trying to find a new house. We sold our house on the 4th. We sold it a little faster than expected (less than 2 weeks on the market) so the rest of my vacation time will be spent looking for houses. We close at the end of the month, so I am a little frantic, but thankful!!!!

Our only picture from the week. We tried to get Maggie in it, but she decided she would rather jump off the dock and swim. She also had a blast with all the other dogs.

FINALLY!!!!

The sign is up!!!!

First fruits

Bell pepper, lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, and jalopeno pepper

 Things are growing like crazy!!  It is so nice to just walk out and pull off something to have with dinner. This is the first year I've done lettuce and it has been wonderful. I know for sure I will plant more of it next year.  Hopefully the squash will be ready by the end of the week.  

Ryan and I took this little cutie to the pool on Saturday.  We realized it might be our last summer with the neighborhood pool, so we are trying to take advantage of it.  

It is  a lot more fun to have someone to play with rather than just laying out.  Hopefully we will have many more trips to the pool this summer! 

The letter

The letter came in the mail last week addressed to me on very nice letterhead. It stated how I hadn't visited in a while and they missed me. How nice of them to notice. Yes, we had been a little busy lately, and I did really miss my daily visit. So this morning I packed my bag and headed over after work. I walked in said hello and began to notice some of the changes since April. Here are a few things I noticed and observed: 1. Every boy under the age of 20 was wearing a colored wife beater. Yes colored. Red, Gray, Black, mostly black. I sure hope this is not a new trend. 2. Every person over the age of 70 was wearing pants, long sleeves, and a jacket. My how things change from 20-75 3. I don't really like my exercise playlist anymore. I'm tired of all the rap, rock, and hip hop songs. The only thing that worked good for me was Hillsong and Third Day. 4. I need new running shoes 5. My knee popped a few times. Am I getting old? 6. There should be a required dress code. I do not like those short running shorts on men. They just look funny. 7. There should be directions posted on how to work the rowing machine. I really want to use it, but I can't figure it out. 8. I missed my old friends that I saw every afternoon. Even though I had never had conversations with many of them, I was nice to smile and say hello. Thank you YMCA for caring enough about me to send me a letter, see you again tomorrow.

Just a little reminder...

of how awesome God is. Please take 8 minutes to watch this video. It is so cool!!

Monday Night Lights

Ryan got this...

from playing this.

He has been playing second base on our church softball team this spring.  Tonight the ball took a bad hop and gave him a nice goose egg (and possibly a shiner, we'll see in the morning!) above his right eye.  The stitches on the softball even made an imprint!  They don't have the best record, but they have fun playing.  It is always funny when you hear them joking in the field "maybe 10 years ago you could have made that play."  He has had a great time playing with the guys and the wives and children have had a lot of fun hanging out during the games.  This cute little guy came in town last weekend.  He is getting so big and is a blast to play with!! We miss you Jacob and can't wait to see you again!!! 

Time Keeps on Tickin...

Okay so I realized it has been forever since I posted.  Sorry. Things have been a little busy the last few months.  Here is a brief overview of a few events.

Ryan and I took a few days off and joined the Millers at the lake Easter weekend. We decorated the lakehouse and celebrated Dan's final chemo on Thursday!!!  

No, that is not Icabob Crane.  Dan spent the weekend bundled up. He says that chemo makes him very sensitive to cold. 

Maggie and her Cousin Otis spent all day running and playing in the water.  They were both very tired at the end of the day.

I finally got to plant the summer vegetables last weekend.  Here is a list of what I have so far. I am a little worried about which ones will actually make it. The vegetables were pretty picked over at my nursery.  They actually looked better at Wal-Mart, but I just couldn't buy them from Wal-Mart. That's weird!!  I planted Tomatoes, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumbers,  Green Peppers, Squash, Zucchini, Eggplant, Basil, Rosemary, Parsley.  New this year is 2 different kinds of lettuce and Ryan wanted some type of spicy pepper.  I really hope the lettuce works. Something about picking my lettuce, tomato, and cucumbers to put on a salad just makes me happy!  I didn't do as much of a variety this year, but I planted a few plants of everything so that we'd have a lot to share.   We have also packed up A LOT of these.  For the past 2 months I have TiVoed every staging show on HGTV.  We are now the proud owners of a 10 X 10 climate controlled storage unit.  Very exciting!!  We have spent every free moment we have filling it up and doing some other projects.   The tool box has become a part of our living room furniture lately.  We have installed new faucets in all the sinks and replaced all the light fixtures.  I am hoping to get some painting done next week.  We are very eager to put it on the market very soon.  Right now we are just trying to decide whether we want to do it ourselves or get a realtor.  Hopefully, by my next post it will be on the market!!

My addiction

A very talented lady

She finally did it! After years of bugging Jennifer to start her own business, she finally did. Jennifer is a very very talented photographer. She has truly been given a gift, and she loves it!! She has been taking pictures for friends and friends of friends children, and she is now open to business for everyone.  Here is her website if you are intersted

www.jenniferneelyphotography.smugmug.com

For the pet lovers

We went and saw Marley & Me last weekend at the dollar movie.  It was a good movie, but made me love on Maggie a little more.  After the movie I let her snuggle with me on the normally forbidden couch.  She didn't quite know what to think or what to do.

Check out this blog for directions on how to print a $20 voucher to be used with your vet bill. 

I hope you love on your pet a little more today.  

Traffic Light Humor

I love laughing hysterically in a car by yourself!  I tried really hard to not look like a stalker as I snapped the picutre, but I really wanted to show it to Ryan.  Hope you had a happy Monday!!!

The stache

As you can tell from the previous post, Ryan went on a few hunting trips during the month of January.  During this time he seemed to have forgotten how to shave.  I don't know if he was just going for the rugged look, or if he thought it helped with the camouflage. He did finally shave after hunting season was over. I always enjoy the fun we have when he shaves his beard. Here are a few pics from the different "looks" of Ryan. 

Ryan decided to wear the mustache to work.  This time he seemed to be trying to fit in with the surroundings in Bessemer. 

Free Gift Cards

I don't know about you but I love Google. Whenever I do any searching online I always go to Google.  I recently learned about a new search engine that gives you money for searching online.  Swagbucks is an online search engine that rewards you for searching online.  I almost have enough for a Starbucks gift certificate!!!

It only takes about a minute to sign up.  There are no hidden fees, credit card numbers, or phone numbers requested.  After signing up, you are credited 3 points to your account.  Then download the toolbar and every day as you're searching online, you earn a few more points. After only 45 points earned, you can get a free Amazon gift card. Or at 50 points, you can get a Starbucks gift card. There are dozens of other prizes, too.

Now, you might be thinking, "What's the big deal if I only earn a $5 gift card every month?" Well, you're right, $5 isn't that exciting. It's something, but that's only the beginning. You see, your earnings will exponentially multiply when you refer others.

Do you know anyone else who searches online? Well then tell them about send them your referral link, and you'll not only instantly earn more points when they sign up, you'll also earn points for the searching they do online.

Tell lots of folks and you're well on your way to funding your entire Christmas budget with free gift cards from Swagbucks.  I don't know about you, but that sounds pretty sweet to me! So what are you waiting for? Go sign up here!

Free Diet Dr. Pepper

The first 2 million people to sign up at http://www.freedietdrpepper.com/ from 1/26 to 3/31 will get a coupon by mail for either a FREE 20 oz bottle or a FREE 2 liter bottle of Diet Dr. Pepper (your choice). The coupon should arrive in 4-6 weeks.  Enjoy!

There's something hiding in my freezer...

What could it be???

A little fun and a little work

Here are a few pics from my trip to the Florida Educational Technology Conference in Orlando.  I  had a fabulous trip and learned A LOT!!! I walked away very overwhelmed, yet excited.  My favorite part was being with the other technology specialist in the system. We don't get to see each other very often, but when we do, we have a blast!  Thanks ladies for a wonderful trip and for all the laughs!!   

Davis Neely

I'm  a little late in posting these pictures, but I thought I would share our newest member of the family.  Our godson, Davis Neely, was born on December 30th.  He is just the cutest little guy.  Jennifer, his mom, and I have been friends since we were little.  Our mom's have been friends since Kindergarten so we are like sisters.  I stayed with their other son Noah the day Davis was born.  He was so excited about getting to meet his little brother.     Davis, Noah, and Jennifer are all doing great. 

We spent the past weekend with them at the farm in Blount Springs.  It was very very cold so we didn't get out much.  The guys braved the cold and hunted.  Jenn and I did get out and chase the cows in the four wheeler and we even had some snow flurries.  Maggie enjoyed playing chicken with the cows. She didn't really understand why they wouldn't chase her.  We had a wonderful relaxing weekend just hanging out.

Super Savings Sunday

I love saving money!!!!  At the grocery store, I purposefully wait until I hear the grand total before I hand over all my coupons. I love the shear pleasure of seeing exactly how much I saved!!

Thanks to some money saving blogs, I saved $71. 38 on my Sunday grocery run. 

Here is a list of all the financial blogs that I follow.  Most of them are for Publix and CVS since that is where I shop most often.   All it takes is a little time clipping, organizing, and printing coupons.  Enjoy!!!

BeCentsAble

Fiddledeedee

iheartcvs

Kingdom First Mom

Money Saving Mom

Coupon Cravings

Freebies 4 Mom

Reality TV

I have to admit I have an addiction to reality tv shows.  Not all of them.  I just seem to find a set few and watch them episode after episode.  Ryan and I have recently become hooked to a show called Momma's Boys.  It is sort of like The Bachelor, but they have thrown the moms into the house with all the girls.  It is awesome.  This one mother is very very opinionated and likes to tell everyone what she thinks.  Poor thing has to sleep on the couch every night because no one likes her. Last week they decided to bring in a huge glass vault with background info on each girl.  So of course the girls who had been in various magazines and websites in the past were freaking out.  Then of course one girl, in her early 20s, had already had 2 breast agumentations, botox, liposuction, nose job, hair extensions, and was already $120,000 in debt!!!! Her explanation to the mother was that she just liked to shop.  Well, that boy decided that he wanted to keep her. What the heck!!! Anyway, it comes on Monday nights.  

The new season of The Bachelor starts Monday night!! Thank goodness for TiVo!! 

Here is my Top 10 Favorite Reality Shows

Extreme Home Makeover

Rob and Big

The Bachelor

Momma's Boys

Jon and Kate Plus 8

The Biggest Loser

Amazing Race

Nanny 911

The Next Food Network Star

Anything else on TLC