Monday, June 21, 2010

30 Day Meme

I saw this on a couple other blogs and I thought it would be really fun to do! I love filling out surveys and stuff like that so this is perfect for me! Here is the whole list...

Day 01 - your favorite song
Day 02 - your favorite movie
Day 03 - your favorite television program
Day 04 - your favorite book
Day 05 - your favorite quote
Day 06 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 07 - a photo that makes you happy
Day 08 - a photo that makes you angry/sad
Day 09 - a photo you took
Day 10 - a photo of you taken over ten years ago
Day 11 - a photo of you taken recently
Day 12 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 13 - a fictional book
Day 14 - a non-fictional book
Day 15 - a fanfic
Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)
Day 17 - an art piece (painting, drawing, sculpture, etc.)
Day 18 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 19 - a talent of yours
Day 20 - a hobby of yours
Day 21 - a recipe
Day 22 - a website
Day 23 - a YouTube video
Day 24 - whatever tickles your fancy
Day 25 - your day, in great detail
Day 26 - your week, in great detail
Day 27 - this month, in great detail
Day 28 - this year, in great detail
Day 29 - hopes, dreams and plans for the next 365 days
Day 30 - whatever tickles your fancy

So there you have it. I'll start today and hopefully I can keep this up (blogging every day for a whole month, that is)! Here's goes nuthin'...

DAY 1 - Your favorite song

If you know me at all, you know I love music. Pretty much any kind. So picking my favorite is tough. I'm going to go with Bohemian Rhapsody by Queen. I know, it's random, but that song never fails to get me singing and head-banging! I love it! I love that they did that song on Glee and I blare it in my car now that I have all the soundtracks! (Thanks, honey!) I realize it's probably not the most uplifting song in the whole world, but hey, this is my list! I can do what I want! :)


P.S. I never realized how much I say "so" until I started this blog. It's a real problem.

Friday, June 18, 2010

Proposal Story

This is probably my favorite "Show Us Your Life" yet! Here we go...

Ok let me set the mood for this one! So Jeremy and I had been dating for about 6 months when he proposed to me. I had absolutely NO IDEA it was coming! I mean, we had talked about it and jokingly (or so I thought) looked at a couple rings, but I just didn't think he was that serious!

Anyway, it all started on July 2, 2004. That night we got together with a bunch of our friends and we played all-night paintball. Yes, I know, we are crazy. So we were up all night running around a huge field getting shot at until about 5 am. ANNNNNND we had to go to work the next day! Again, I know we were crazy! So we went to work the next morning, July 3, and worked all day until about 4 pm. We were going to head up to his parent's house that night to hang out since his step-sister, Misty, was home on leave from the ARMY and I had never met her before. So I got home and showered and Jeremy came over to get me. We get in the car and he says, "Hey, I forgot my phone inside. I'll be right back." I didn't think anything about it since he's one of those guys who empties his pockets as soon as he gets somewhere. So I sit in the car dozing while I'm waiting on him. He finally comes back and we head to his house. We get there and it's his turn to take a shower so I laid on the couch in his house and slept while he was getting ready. When he got done he came and woke me up and said, "Let's go sit on the porch swing." At this point I am groggy, grouchy, and trying to figure out why we're going to go sit on the porch when the whole purpose of us being there was to see Misty. But I went. So we're sitting on the swing, not really talking, and he says, "There's something I need to tell you." Again, I'm half out of it so I'm not getting any clues here. He proceeds to tell me that he thinks I'm amazing and that he's so happy I'm in his life and that he loves me. Ok, stop right there. Up until this point, we had not said the Big L Word. We both had agreed that we wanted to be really sure before we threw that word around. So I'm thinking that's what this is all about. He just wanted to tell me he loved me. WRONG! He gets down on one knee and pulls out this AMAZING ring! Nothing like the ones we looked at! And he asks me to marry him. My response? "DID YOU ASK MY DAD????" Of course he did! My next response? "DO YOUR PARENTS KNOW???" Of course they did. Actually his mom watched the whole thing through the kitchen window! So of course I said yes! And it was perfect!

Fun fact. He was actually supposed to propose to me on the 4th of July, but he says he couldn't wait another day. When he told me he forgot his phone, he actually went back in and told my dad that he was going to pop the question that night instead of the next day.

Another fun fact. His mom actually has her house on the market right now, and you want to know what my husband asked for? The porch swing. We're going to bring it home and build a stand for it so we can keep it. He's sweet like that! :)

We've been married a little over 5 years now, and I gotta say, the decision to marry that man was probably the best one I've ever made! I am a lucky girl! :)

What's YOUR proposal story??

P.S. I'll be starting the 30 Day meme next week so be sure to check back!!

Friday, June 11, 2010

FRIDAY FOLLOW

friday-follow

Hey guys! I'm Erin and this is my blog! (DUH!) I'm kind of a random blogger, but I'm trying to do better! I love crafts and being able to make something usable. I love to cook although I don't do it much.

Look around, make yourself at home. I love reading new blogs so leave me a link back to yours! Thanks for stopping by!!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

Flower Clippies!

The other day I was reading one of my favorite blogs, The Crafty Charlestonian, and she had a DIY on making flower clippies/headbands. For any of you that know my little girl in real life, you know she is the girliest. child. EVER! No lie. So when I saw how easy they were to make, I knew I had to hook my girl up! (Because let's be honest, there was no way I was going to pay $12 for one of these things no matter how cute they are!)

So I went to my local Walmart to get some silk flowers ($3 for 7 blooms) because all the ones at Hobby Lobby were too expensive ($5 for 6 blooms) and I didn't like the colors they had. I opted for pink carnations since that's pretty much the only color my child wears. Anyway, I grabbed those and the little jewels ($1.27 for a little bag) and I was on my way. I already had the clips at home since I make all of Kate's bows too. 


These were seriously the easiest things I've ever made! You can get to Elizabeth's DIY instructions here. Tell her I sent you! And without further ado, here is my finished product!


Cute, right? This is actually the one I made for my niece. The only difference is that Kate's has a light pink jewel in the middle. And here is my darling child modeling her new favorite hair accessory!
Yep, she loves it! (Please pay no attention to her dirty daycare hair. It wasn't bath time yet!) Anyway, go give Elizabeth a shout and tell her that you love her DIYs, because I sure do! Thanks for stopping by!!

Friday, June 4, 2010

Random Acts of Kindness - Show us your life!

Oh how I love these! Random acts of kindness (or RAK as it shall be called) really restores the hope I have in humanity. There are some really, really, REALLY terrible things out there, but every once in awhile you hear about something really, really, REALLY wonderful! And it all starts with one little act...

Make the call. I love it when someone actually takes the time to call me. Now don't get me wrong! I love getting texts and emails too, but when someone takes time our of their day to call me and say "hey, I'm thinking about you" it really just makes my day so much better!

Tip someone who helps you. I remember working in retail and really trying to help a mother find her extremely difficult teenage daughter school clothes. I must have brought her 100 different outfits and accessories and shoes and everything under the sun, and I swear she hated EVERYTHING (probably because her mom liked it)!! At the end of probably about 2 hours they were finally ready to check out and when it was all said and done the mom hugged me and gave me $5. I know it's not a lot, but she knew that I had really tried to be patient and help her and it really made it all worth while to see how grateful she was.

Give a little gift. I LOVE getting gifts, but I love giving them more! I love seeing the look on someones face when you KNOW you've gotten them the perfect gift! It doesn't have to be something big. It really is the thought that counts!

Help someone in need. Work at a soup kitchen for a day. Help someone clean their yard. Buy someone groceries. Buy Christmas presents for needy children. There are so many opportunities out there to give back!

At some point, everyone needs a random act of kindness shown to them. What do YOU do to show your kindness?

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Lazy Weekends

I live for the weekends. We haven't really done anything special so far, but I just love being able to be lazy!

Yesterday I went to lunch with my sister and our friend V at Beef O'Brady's then we went to see Sex and the City 2. It was really funny, but definitely as raunchy in some parts as the first movie. It was fun though and we had a good time! So I got home from that, then immediately went to the store with Jeremy and Kate to get some rock salt for making homemade ice cream! I had never had it before so this was a big deal! I gotta say, we made a test batch Friday night, and while it didn't work right in the machine, we stuck it in the freezer and it was SOOOO good!!! It was super creamy but still icy. I can't really explain it, but let's just say I am hooked! There was also a UFC fight last night so we watched it over at my sister's house. I can tell I'm getting old because it is so hard for me to stay up long enough to see the main event! Life is rough...

Today was church and it was awesome as always! After church we headed over to Augusta to eat at Cheddar's since I was given a gift card at the Survivor's Dinner. We had never been before so I wasn't sure what to expect, but it was really good! The service was a little slow, but lunch on a Sunday is never speedy! It was so cheap and you get a ton of food! We will definitely go again!

The best part about this weekend is that we don't have to work tomorrow! I looooove long weekends! It's time for me to put this computer away and get to enjoying to rest of the weekend! Have a Happy Memorial Day!!

Friday, May 28, 2010

What Makes YOU Happy??

I know I haven't blogged since LAST "Show Us Your Life", but it's been a ssslllllooooowwwww and I just haven't felt very good. So that makes me a slacker. It also makes this topic a perfect topic for me because I need some happy right now!!

Things That Make Me Happy
(In no particular order except the first)

Jeremy and Kate
My Nephew and Nieces
Ok, really just my whole family (yes, that includes my husband's family because lemme tell ya.... they pretty much rock!)
Babies
Music. Pretty much any kind as long as I can sing to it! And it has to make me FEEL something!
My AH-MAY-ZING friends! Seriously they are the best. Sometimes I wonder how I still even have friends since my attitude can get a little crazy sometimes but they have stuck with me and I am so grateful!
Cold Sunny days
Sweet Tea
When Kate tells me that I make her happy
My awesome church
Weekends
Tennessee... When my parents moved me there, I was sure I would hate it forever, and yet now, it seems like more of a home to me than SC. Weird.
Having an in-between Southern Accent... I know this sounds weird, but my parents were raised in Oregon so they definitely don't have a southern accent. So we were raised talking the way they talk. However, living in the South my entire life has given me an in-between accent where people who live in the South think I have no accent and people that live everywhere else think I do. It's fun and it's a good conversation starter because people always want to know where I am from.
Flip Flops
Pretty flowers
Puppies (as along as they are not mine)
Perfect weather **this does not include Summer**

I really could sit here and list things all day, but these are a few of the best ones. What makes YOU happy??

**Sorry for no pictures in this post! I'm at work so I don't have access to all of the cuteness that is my child! Next time!**

Friday, May 21, 2010

Aiken, SC

Today over at Kelly's Korner the "Show Us Your Life" is about where you live. This is the first time I have participated, but I thought this would be a good one!

I live in good ol' Aiken, South Carolina! Our town mainly consists of golf and horses. It's a pretty wealthy town overall (No, I am not included in this statement) and it shows with how well the town is taken care of. It has so many beautiful historical buildings and homes. It really is a swett litte quaint town!

Probably the most famous and photographed street in Aiken is South Boundary. It has these gorgeous old oak trees that line each side of the road. It really does look magical!





We also have a beautiful little park called Hopeland Gardens that is free to go to and it has the most beautiful trees and paths! We like to go to the little pond there and feed the ducks and turtles.




As I said before, Aiken is REALLY big into horses. We have the Steeplechase every year and polo matches all the time. It really is a neat thing! Obviously a much smaller scale than the Kentucky Derby (although a horse from Aiken raced in the Kentucky Derby this year!!) but the ladies wear the wide-brimmed hats and dresses and the guys wear bow-ties! It's lots of fun! 

 

All in all Aiken is a really great town! The people are super nice and will make you feel right at home here! Y'all should come on down and visit!!




Thursday, May 20, 2010

Fun in the Sun

Hilton Head Island, beach, sun, sand, and amazing weather! What more could you ask for? Amazing friends! Last weekend we took a trip down to the coast for a super relaxing getaway! It was so much fun! We went with my sister and her family, and also our friend Vanessa and her whole family! So needless to say it was a little crazy, but it was honestly one of the best times I've ever had! 

We went down after work on Friday and just hung out that night. Saturday we got up and V and I went and got donuts from a little bakery and brought them back to feed the masses. By that time, Loren was up so we went back out and got stuff for lunch. When we got back all the kids were lotioned up and in their swimsuits so we were ready to hit the beach! 


All the kids had a great time playing in the sand and going down to the water and getting buckets full of water and bringing it back up to their "castles!

There was lots of soccer playing and football throwing also! Kate could be quite the little soccer girl! She was very impressive in her ball-kicking skills! The moms had a great time relaxing and laying out! So much fun in fact that Kate decided she wanted to lay out with Aunt Loren and listen to her iPod! 

(Aunt Loren had gotten up to take this picture so daddy decided to lay down!)

We saw lots of cool stuff when the tide went out and we could go explore the inlet! We saw jellyfish, stingrays, horseshoe crabs that were mating (although for the record, I never would have known they were mating if someone hadn't told me!) cranes, live sand dollars, starfish, and so much more! Fun was had by all! 

The best part was still sitting in our chairs most of the day soaking up the sun! Here's me and V doing just that!

Towards the end of the day we all took our chairs down to the edge of the water to put our feet in and all the kids came with us and jumped the waves and threw sand and just had a blast! 

We are so glad we went and we hope we can do it again soon! That was too much fun! 

 

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Sorry for the hiatus!

So it's not like I was much of a blogger before, but I didn't mean to be gone for so long. I have so many ideas and recipes and crafts, but I just haven't had time to blog about them! I will be back VERY soon with all kinds of fun stuff!

Thursday, April 8, 2010

Is all this pollen really necessary?

Ugh! I have never seen so much pollen in all my years in the south! It's so crazy! Everything is yellow. Allergy sufferers beware!!

In spite of the yellow haze, we had an awesome Easter weekend! Saturday morning Jeremy went to our church to help set up for Sunday morning so they wouldn't have to be there super early. Kate and I went and got some shopping done with Amber then it was back home for lunch! We ate lunch then chilled for awhile until Jeremy was done mowing our much-overgrown yard (I'm sure our neighbors were grateful!). After that we decided to go to Publix to grocery shop. Now folks, I am an avid Kroger supporter, but Publix was have tons of "buy one get one free" sales so were off to explore a whole new world! Armed with my coupons and new knowledge of scoring a few deals, I was kind of excited! I'm really starting to get drawn in to the coupon world! I'm even going to a coupon workshop on May 8th that The Crafty Charlestonian is hosting. I'm so excited! (You should check out her blog because not only will she inspire you to save money on groceries, but she TONS of adorable frugal crafts!)

Anyway, Easter Sunday was amazing! I had to teach the 2 and 3 year olds for the 9am service (we usually only have one service, but for Easter we had two) and then I got to worship at the 11am service. I just gotta say, my church is awesome! I can't even describe how loving and wonderful it is! It is such a blessing to be able to serve there! After church we went home to get ready for our Easter festivities with our HomeGroup! We had egg dying...
Then we had an egg hunt and Kate even found the GOLDEN EGG! She was super excited! Especially because it had $2 in it! That little saver was in heaven!!

We had a wonderful time and lots of wonderful food! We had ham, sweet potato casserole, fried okra, corn bread, green beans, pecan pie, and apple pie! It was divine! 

What are YOUR Easter traditions? Do you spend it with family? Friends? Do you do fun crafts? Or make special recipes???

Thursday, April 1, 2010

Not so much

Well, I'm not as big a fan of Tumblr as I thought I would be. It just doesn't seem as user friendly, so I'm staying here! Anyway...

This is Holy Week, as I'm sure you all know, and I have had a song stuck in my head all week so I thought I'd share it with y'all. Maybe some of you have heard it. It's on the Passions CD called Sacred Revolution. 

Sing to the King

Sing to the King who is coming to reign
Glory to Jesus the Lamb that was slain
Life and salvation His empire shall bring
Joy to the nations when Jesus is King

Come let us sing a song
A song declaring we belong to Jesus
And He is all we need
Lift up your heart in praise
Sing now with voices raised to Jesus
Sing to our King

For His returning we watch and we pray
We will be ready the dawn of that day
We'll join in singing with all the redeemed
'CAUSE SATAN IS VANQUISHED AND JESUS IS KING!!

Man, that song gets me every time. Even as I was writing it I started to get emotional. It's such an amazing hope that we have in Jesus!

I hope everyone has an AMAZING Easter weekend! What do YOU have planned??
 

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

We're moving!!!

Not houses... just blog sites! I have moved to Tumblr.com because I think it's pretty cool so come check me out at alifetolive.tumblr.com

See you soon!!

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Tie-Dyed Cupcakes

So I saw this idea about a year ago on a blog that I can't remember and I remember thinking "That is so cool!", but I never had time to try it. Well my baby (who is no longer a baby) turns FOUR tomorrow so I thought I'd try them out for her to take to daycare. Here are some pictures of the adventure...

These are the colors I chose. Pink and purple are Kate's favorite colors (of course) and I decided to do blue so the boys in her class wouldn't feel too left out! **NOTE** IF you ask your husband to help, make sure he knows it DOES NOT take the entire bottle of blue food coloring to dye a small portion of batter!
Here they are all pretty and swirled! I just took one spoonful of each color and put it in the muffin cup then took a toothpick and swirled all the colors around. Psychedelic, right? Haha!

Taadaaaaaaa!! See how pretty they are? I hope Kate appreciates them as much as an almost-four-year-old can! What do you think??







Monday, March 8, 2010

A new era?

Well I'm going to try this again. I've become addicted to reading blogs lately and I decided to give this a go again! I want to make it more of a crafty/mom/recipe sharing thing... ya know? Does that make sense? Anyway, this is what I'm planning, but I need to get some stuff together before I put it all out there! Let's hope it works out! Haha! See you soon! (Hopefully!!)