5 Years Ago

Five years ago today this picture was taken and I didn't think life could get any better.  Boy, I was wrong, it gets better everyday when you're with the person you're meant to be with.  Happy Anniversary, my love. I'll leave the sappy, profession-of-love message for your card, because, let's be honest, people probably don't care to read about that. :)
Enjoy your weekend.  We are off to the beach!  Whoo-hoo!

Little Changes

Today I'm posting some little changes we've made around the house.  The first picture, though was one I found on my camera that gives a better view of the color of brown that our living room once was.  This is a picture of the back of our front door before we painted it white.  Now, imagine that color ALL over the walls and ceiling.  Very depressing.

Another little change is that we got a new duvet cover!  It's just plain white.  Very simple, I know, but I've always loved clean, white beds.  With it being white I can change out the throw pillow for different looks.  And, I got the duvet cover for 50% off, so I can't complain. :) 

 The next little change that Cory took care of was to take up a ramp that went to our kitchen door.  The little old lady that lived here before us had this ramp installed when her health started to decline.  We kept it around for a while for moving in furniture and house renovating purposes but quickly were ready to kick it to the curb.  Here it is before:

 And after:

Another thing we changed was some shrubbery in our front yard.  I will be the first one to admit that our house's exterior needs to be repainted and that our landscaping isn't quite up to par.  Cory & I have been focusing on getting the inside completed and also have been waiting on some cooler weather to tackle those projects.  We have made a small start, though.  Here's a picture of our house with some shrubs in front of our porch.

 We wanted to open up the front porch some so we took out two shrubs.

When we did that we exposed some squirrel damage.  Apparently our house tastes delicious because squirrels are constantly chewing on it.  It is REALLY frustrating and I have never wanted to harm a living creature until this has started happening.  It is a little freaky when squirrels attack your house and will not run away when you try to scare them off....I'm getting angry just thinking about it.  Anyway, we touched up some paint on the places they chewed and then planted some new Hawthorne shrubs in the old shrubs place.

 And the last little change is only "little" by last name and size.  It's a big change and a VERY happy one (and this change was not made by us).  It's our new little nephew, Henry Randall Little.  He was born on September 14th and he is a doll.  I'm so happy that I get to call him my nephew and I can't wait to see him again.

I hope everyone has a happy week!

I've lost my mind

So, I totally think the paint fumes are getting to me. I guess I dreamed I posted this blog before but noticed that I had not tonight. Two weeks ago my family welcomed a new member. My sister, Angie, got married! Guys, for real I thought I wrote this blog before and I also thought it was a rather good post...I wish there was a recorder for your dreams. I also hope that whatever fumes are making me hallucinate won't have long term effects.

Anyway, on June 10th(a day after our anniversary) Angie married Brendan at a family friend's house on the lake. They were actually married on their deck while the sun was setting behind them. It was beautiful! Brendan & Angie chose to get married in front of very close family. It was just my parents, me, Cory, my grandparents, and Brendan's parents & brother. It was very intimate and really nice. I'm really glad they let me be a part of their big day. I'm very happy for them and their new life together. Now, I just need to figure out how to get them to move a little closer so I can see them more often :)

I present to you "The Gunn's" (cool last name, huh?)

Exciting News!!

Cory and I are now homeowners! We've been going through buying this house process for a while now and it's been hard not to talk about it with folks. That's one reason I've been missing from the blog world lately. I didn't want to mention the house we were making offers on until we actually had the keys in our hands.

We are so super pumped about owning a house of our own. It's a cute little gray house and it has it's faults and warts, but we love it. It's a great starter home for us and it has some work to be done, which is one of the reasons we love it...you know how I (we) love a project ;)

The house was built in 1941 and had the same owners until last June when the 99 year old lady that lived there past away. The couple that built and owned the house was a lawyer and a homemaker who hosted fun gatherings. I think it is so neat that Cory & I are a modern day version of them. Instead of me being a homemaker (which would be cool) I teach kids basically the skills of one...maybe it's a stretch? Anyway, I've enjoyed learning about the past owners and the history of the house in the last few weeks. They kept the house in good condition, but it's somewhat outdated. Tonight as we were cleaning things out we kept finding small remnants of their lives. We found old recipes, keys, nice watches, and postcards that make me love the house even more. We also found a box with the blueprint of the house and a detailed sketch from the architect that is really neat. I can't wait to post pictures! I accidently left my camera at the house tonight. Speaking of pictures, this blog may turn into "house posting central" soon because I love before and after pictures.

Thanks for letting me ramble. I must go to bed now because I have some house work to do tomorrow.

P.S. Some other exciting news that we've had in our family is that Cory & I are going to have a nephew in the fall. Laura & Benjamin are expecting and we couldn't be happier for their family. :)

Change of Post

I was going to post a recipe tonight but instead I'm going to post a prayer request (I seem to do that a lot on here---but it sure helps) In the past two weeks I have heard of so many families going through tough times and it truly breaks my heart. The year has just begun and I have heard of many deaths, sicknesses, and misfortunes. One bit of bad news that I just learned about yesterday was a dear friend of mine's dad has been diagnosed with leukemia. He is actually a close family friend and such a sweet, sweet man. He would honestly do anything for anyone and has treated me like one of his own daughters many times growing up. He is also a very strong man and I'm confident he will overcome this obstacle with the support of his family & friends and the healing power of God. Please pray for Jackie and his family as he goes through this process. Thanks.

Hip Hip Hooray!

Today we found out that Cory, my brother-in-law, Benjamin, and our law school friends passed the Bar exam. I'm beyond thrilled for all of them. It is such a nice feeling to know that all their hard work paid off and that they are now officially lawyers.

Fortunately Cory got to come to Tuscaloosa last night so we got to celebrate the good news together tonight. We went out for a celebratory steak and some Yogurt Mountain goodness. We got to eat yogurt with Rachelle, who was the sweet friend who let us know the results were posted this morning. She's awesome. :)

I hope everyone has a happy weekend. :)

Spin Pins

Sorry it has been a while. *Things have been a little busy/different around here lately*. I want to share a product that has become my new friend(s). Spin Pins! If you have no idea what that is, then you can check them out right here.

I actually bought these a few weeks ago after at least 4 people recommended them via their facebook status. I had my doubts but they actually work. I love pulling my hair back because I can't stand it when hair gets in my face and also my hair is frizzy and looks bad down. I used to put my hair in a bun when it was longer because it was such an easy fix to a bad hair day. I stopped eventually because I felt like an old lady and it took quite a few bobby pins to hold it. The Spin Pins fix both of those problems. The bun it creates is nice and soft (not too tight--does that make sense?) and it takes the place of 20 bobby pins. I've really enjoyed them this summer with it being so hot and humid. It helps keep hair from sticking to the back of my neck. You should try them. You can get them at Walmart or Target.

* Ok, now for the reason things have been busy and the reasons I have been stressing is job related. If you have talked with me in the last month you know this and all the wonderful (sarcastic font) events that have taken place for me. If you haven't spoken with me then basically I've been a mess trying to figure out what to do next year. I'll try to keep this short (if you want a longer version then I will share with you) Cory will be working in Florence starting August-ish and technically in October. He won't get his Bar results back till the end of September so he won't be doing legal work until Oct, but he'll be working come August. Since he will be moving naturally I tried to find a job in the Shoals. It is rare for there to be a job opening for my field and there was actually two around home. Well, I didn't get either one. I'm trying not to let it get me down because in both circumstances it wasn't because the principal didn't think I would do a good job. I apparently didn't go to the right high school and didn't make it to one place in time. God opens and closes doors for reasons and even though I'm still trying to figure this one out, I know that one day I'll look back at this and hopefully realize why it happened this way. After MUCH prayer, planning, and stressing Cory & I feel that it would be best for me to stay in Tuscaloosa a little longer. I'll be staying here until December. My principal has been so kind and accommodating through all of this (which makes it easier to stay) and our landlord is graciously allowing us to extend our rent until December (it ends in August). Even though it will be hard to be apart from Cory during the week I know it will be ok. The whole time we dated we lived in different cities so we know how to make it work. :)

Sorry that may not have seemed like a short version but believe me it is.

I hope you have a great day. If you'll be in Tuscaloosa anytime in the next few months, holla. ;)

Happy Father's Day

My heart aches today...well, it does everyday actually, but this picture makes me smile. Thanks, Laura, for taking it.

"As a father shows compassion to his children, so the Lord shows compassion to those who fear Him." Psalm 103:13

Our Anniversary

Cory & I celebrated our 3 year anniversary yesterday. When we got married I thought it would be fun to stick to the "traditional" anniversary gifts. The first year was paper, the second was cotton, and this year was leather. Last year Cory & I said we should save up for a leather sofa for this year's anniversary, but that didn't happen.

My first thoughts were to get Cory a belt or a new wallet but he's got plenty of belts and the wallet I gave him a few years ago is still in good condition. So then I thought about getting Cory some leather flip flops/sandals but then I couldn't find any that were his size or any that he would like. Then I thought about getting him a leather desk organizer thing for when he starts working this fall but struck out again because I couldn't find one (it seems like I always see those things though). Next, I thought about a leather daily planner(he had one a few years ago and really liked it) but the ones I found were really girly looking. I was out of ideas so I bought him a video game that he wanted and went on.

Well the other day when I was browsing around Hobby Lobby, I came across this little item.

Yes, that is a leather wolf coin bag! It was a craft project for kids that wasn't expensive and fit in the leather category so I had to get it to go along with the game. Cory loves wolf items (not in a for real way, but in a joking manner...if you know him, you understand).

When Cory got his gift he was excited about the wolf bag. He actually started putting it together before he broke out the video game. We had a good time laughing at him wearing it on his belt loop...we're so weird!

Oh yeah, I was also really excited to give Cory the perfect card. We're pretty predictable in the cards we choose for each other. I usually always get Cory a funny card and then write a sweet message inside and he usually gets me a card with an adorable animal on it (smart guy). This year though, I picked up a "mushy" card because I liked the colors and as I started reading it, the message sounded exactly like what I would say. It wasn't your typical "mushy" card with a cheesy poem that you just skim over but it had meaning and was still a bit silly....I can't explain it that well, but when Cory started reading it he turned it over to the back and said, "Did you have this card made?". haha. He thought I had gone online and had a card specially made for him. I'm telling you, this card was on the mark! The first thing I wrote on it was, "This card explains exactly how I feel". Sorry, but I was really impressed with this card.

I'm basically just posting this because I think the wolf coin bag is so goofy. As I was straightening things up this morning I kept seeing it and giggling to myself. Maybe it will make you smile a little too.

If You Want Me To

Lately I've been stressed over some situations. Some big decisions have been put on mine & Cory's plate and mixed with end of the year school matters I have had some knots in my stomach. Maybe soon I'll go into details with my concerns but for now I'm keeping it light since I just started my summer vacation. :) This morning on my way to school I popped in a mixed CD with some Christian music on it. My CD player is set to shuffle songs so the first song that played was not #1. The song it chose was #5 and couldn't have been a better song to start my day. It's a song by Ginny Owens and it's called "If You Want Me To". If you haven't heard it before you should give it a listen. It's just vocals & a piano, which I tend to really like. I've sang this song along with my CD many times before but today as I sang with it the words became my prayer and brought me such a peace. Here's the lyrics if you want to read them. I hope everyone has a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend!

The pathway is broken
And the signs are unclear
And I don't know the reason why You brought me here
But just because You love me the way that You do
I'm gonna walk through the valley
If You want me to

Cause I'm not who I was
When I took my first step
And I'm clinging to the promise You're not through with me yet
so if all of these trials bring me closer to You
Then I will walk through the fire
If You want me to

It may not be the way I would have chosen
When you lead me through a world that's not my home
But You never said it would be easy
You only said I'd never go alone

So when the whole world turns against me
And I'm all by myself
And I can't hear You answer my cries for help
I'll remember the suffering that Your love put You through
And I will walk through the darkness
If You want me to

Because when I cross over Jordan
Gonna sing, gonna shout,
Gonna look into Your eyes and see You never let me down
So take me on the pathway that leads me home to You
And I will walk though the valley
If You want me to

Yes, I will walk through the valley
If You want me to

Praising Him in the Storm

The past week has been filled with many sorrows. My father-in-law being diagnosed with leukemia, a student of mine brother was killed in front of him by an unfortunate event and my student hasn't come back to school in 6 days, another student of mine mother has passed away and right after his father left them, tragedies in school shootings, and so on. It's really easy to get down from all the bad news. I have had the Casting Crowns' song, "Praise You in the Storm" constantly going on in my head through these hardships and it has comforted me. Because even though there are hard times, God is still in control and is holding us in His arms. We must praise God in the good times and the "storms" in our life. There is hope.

Here are the lyrics:

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Fish Cakes

I've written a message at the bottom of this post that doesn't have anything to do with the recipe. Just letting you know that there is more than just the recipe.

Today I'm posting a recipe for fish cakes and remoulade sauce.

For the sauce here's what you need:

1 cup of mayo

2 tsp lemon juice

3 tsp parsley

2 TBS sweet relish (you can leave this out, though)

1/2 cup ketchup

1 TBS Worcestershire sauce

a dash of paprika

Mix ingredients together and chill.

For the fish cakes you will need: (there are different options so read carefully)

2 cans of tuna OR crab meat OR shrimp

1 pkg Stove Top Stuffing mix for chicken

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1/2 cup chopped celery OR shredded carrots

1/3 cup mayonaise

2 TBS sweet pickle relish

3/4 cup water

**Before I give you the directions, let me warn you that this recipe will make 12 fish cakes. A serving size would be 2 cakes. I always half the recipe. A good site I use to calculate proportions is here. I use this site a lot when I want to increase or decrease recipes.

Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Now get a 1/3 cup measuring cup and scoop out mixture. Make a patty with each scoop. You can put them in the fridge after this until ready to cook, or you may go ahead and cook them.
Spray some Pam on a large skillet and heat it up on medium.

Lay the cakes on the skillet and gently flatten them with a spatula.

Cook 3 minutes on each side or until they're golden brown on both sides, turning the cakes over carefully.

Remember to get your sauce out of the fridge.

Enjoy!

On a serious note:

I don't usually post many personal things about my family on here...Just silly stories from my life that include me and Cory. I'm not going to go in to much detail and if you know me then you already know that my father-in-law has just been diagnosed with leukemia. He's getting treatment right now and is feeling alright but he still needs prayers. Please pray for him and my mother-in-law (and rest of the fam) as he beats this stinkin' crud. He's a strong man and I know he's going to kick leukemia's butt. Just please keep him in your prayers.

Third Time's the Charm?

So, this is take 3 on starting a blog. I started one when I first got married (2 years ago) and that lasted about two weeks. Then later my husband and I tried it again and it lasted about 1 month. Here's hoping that this blog continues longer than the others. I am starting this blog to share about craft projects, some recipes, and a little about my life. My husband, Cory, will also post some things on here from time to time. I guess that's it for now. I hope you have a dandy day! :)