Future Purchase Friday

After a jobless school year of pinching pennies, I finally have a a bi-monthly paycheck, a healthy looking bank account, and a wish list of somewhat practical things. 

Here are some items that I intend to purchase in the near future:

I need a good planner. I am a thousand times more productive with a to-do list and I sleep better at night knowing that all important dates and deadlines are written down neatly. I am currently using a month by month planner that just isn't cutting it. This adorable Sarah Pinto planner has a month view, a week view, and ample space for a daily to-do list. And a price tag of only $10 ($15 including shipping). Score!

I've been using the same Asics backpack since volleyball season of my sophomore year of high school. That's five years folks. It's about time to upgrade! The mesh side pockets, multiple zippered compartments, and cushy straps make this North Face backpack look like it would be well worth the investment. 

Alas, the day has finally come that I have the desire to wear a sophisticated looking watch. I'm a fan of tortoiseshell because it can be worn with brown, black, or navy. After lusting over this beauty for a while, I can't wait to have this Anne Klein watch on my wrist. 

What do you have on your wish list?

Note (August 6, 2011): I ordered online and have already received both the Sarah Pinto planner and the North Face backpack. So far, no complaints. However, I did go to Dillards to see the Anne Klein watch in person, and thank goodness I didn't order it online. It looks nothing like the online picture; the tortoiseshell has a yellowish/greenish tint and it almost looks camo...not cute. I found tourtiseshell Fossil and Michael Kors watches that I actually liked better, but unfortunately they were way out of my budget. 
So for now I'm rocking this little number that my sweet mother picked up for me at Stein Mart: 

I googled "beige ceramic looking sillicone watch" and this is what came up. But the one I have is more beige and less goldish looking. Beige goes with everything...Love it.

Halloween in July

Fact: Halloween is one of my least favorite holidays. I really can't stand it. 

Fact: I love throwing together a costume without spending hardly any money.

So what's a gal to do? 

Dress up for anything and everything that might require a costume! 

Remick (left) has been one of my besties since 4th grade, and Artur is one of brother JB's homeboys (because boys don't use the word "besties".)

Our motto of the evening: "Free costume, free meal". Seriously though, not one of us spent a cent.  And according to my  sweet friend Rylee working at the register, we had some of the best costumes of the day.  HOLLA.

Why yes, that is a cowbell around my neck. I'm also wearing COWboy boots. Get it?
 It was hard to look at JB without saying "how now brown cow how now brown cow". (#Anchormanreference)

I have a pure, undying love for Chick-fil-a and sometimes I get sad for the people outside of Southeast America that might not get to experience fried chicken and waffle fries in all their glory. 

I know there are people of the world that don't get to experience food in general, but still, it's sad. 

A mere week later we rallied the troops for:

The last debut of all things Harry Potter. 

Obviously that called for attending the midnight premier in full wizarding attire. I had to be at work by 6:45 AM the next morning, but nothing was going to stop me from ending my childhood with a bang. 

Stephen, me, and JB decked out in graduation robes... Sillyness runs in the family.
Special thanks to my dear Sara for lending me that rockin' Gryffindor tie.

Artur and JB posing as a very convincing Draco and Harry.


The movie lived up to my rediculously high expectations and renewed my admiration for the genius that is JK Rowling. I have a lot to say about Harry and the Christian themes intentionally demonstrated throughout the series, but I think I'll just save that for a rainy day.

Did anyone else dress up for these occasions?!


(PS. I was planning on being super cheesy and waiting until July 31 to post this. But then I realized that I'm cheesy enough as it is and this post is already a couple of weeks overdue.)

Organized chaos

Welp, it’s been forever since I updated. Whoops.

This month summer has been pure crazyness. With a 40 hour a week job, a book club, a bible study, a reemerging interest in running, a long to-do list of crafting apartment décor, an unwatched season of Friday Night Lights on DVD, and a week long vacation to a little slice of heaven, this month has been the best kind of busy. 

I’m writing this post from the back porch of my grandparent's house in itty-bitty Hayesville, NC. The river is ten yards away and it’s storming somethin’ terrible. Everything about this place is absolutely perfect and it's a small wonder I haven't packed my bags and asked my Nana and Papa to let me live here permanently. 

I’m sure your waiting with bated breath to hear about my last couple of weeks at camp. As I mentioned in a previous post, I was pretty much dreading the task of coaching the week long volleyball camp. I'm happy to report that it went really, really well. All seventeen middle school girls were incredibly well behaved and genuinely interested in learning to play, which made my job a heckuva lot easier. I can’t say that I turned them into superstars, but by Friday I was grateful for the opportunity to coach them and I was actually disappointed that the week was ending.

By week six I was reunited with my crazy little Red Group. Dancing has been all the rage lately and I can finally say, thanks to all my co-workers, eight year old friends, and you-tube tutorials, that I can do the Jerk, the Cat Daddy, the Stanky Leg, and the Dougie without completely embarrassing myself. Our field trip was to the movie theater and we watched Zookeeper. The kids spent an insane amount of money at the snack bar and my sneaky co-worker smuggled in some Chick-fil-a from the nearby foodcourt for us bigguns. (#Oreomilkshakeblisssss.) I can’t say the movie was good, but I can say that I was being paid to watch a movie that was already paid for, and that’s never a bad thing. Unless the movie is Semi-Pro...Love you, Will Ferrell, but that moive was just plain awful. 

As a sidenote, I won Counselor of the Week! Which proves that dreams really do come true.

I finally finished rereading Gone with the Wind and I somehow enjoyed my second reading more than the first. I have yet to read a novel that is a more perfect mixture of history, imagery, and human nature. Next on the docket: The Help. Following that, a rereading of the entire Harry Potter series. 

Git-r-done.

Stay tuned for a sappy, Eric Church-esque post about my love for southwestern North Carolina. 

PS. Has anyone else tried to conquer a Diet Coke addiction? I've been going through withdrawals like nobody's business. Any suggestions?

The Notecard Journal

Read this post if you have: a love for all things homemade, any interest in decoupaging, a stack of old magazines that you refuse to recycle  (because let's face it, there has GOT to be some little project you can use them for), and a really, really low budget.


My friends, I present to you:
The Notecard Journal
(If I tried to come up with a more creative name, it would just be plain cheesy.)


After randomly making one for myself last semester, I came to the realization that it would make a pretty good birthday/baby/wedding/anything gift, if I don't say so myself.

I made one for Mama Lisa's big birthday and I actually remembered to take pictures so I could share with all of you. Check it out...

1. Find yourself a smallish (slightly larger than a postcard) sized box.
I picked up this gem at Target for $1.00.

2. Cut up a bunch of symbolic, kitschy, fun pictures from a stack of old magazines.
If you're a magazine hoarder like myself, this will be your easiest (yet still incredibly time consuming) step. 

3. Glue those bad boys on!
If you were really serious, you would probably use special decoupage glue. Or if you're cheap like me, Elmer's clear craft glue works just fine.
After your box is completely covered in pictures, use a sponge brush to cover the box in a thin coat of glue for a more polished look.

(Um, no idea what the heck is up with the lighting in this photo. Woops.)

4. Use 366 lined index cards for the actual "journal" part.  Use your best penmanship or a date stamp to indicate the month and day on each card. (Don't forget to include Leap year!)
Warning: This step takes longer than expected.

5. And there you go. A Notecard Journal.
I used old photos as month dividers, but postcards would be pretty great too.



For a birthday gift, you should start the journal with the date of their birthday.
(For example, Mama Lisa's birthday is July 1, so the very first index card in her box is July 1.)

Each line on the index card is used for one year. The first line would be 2011, the next 2012, the next 2013... Pretty self explanatory. After writing the year, the owner would write a short little something about their day. Most index cards have ten lines so you could potentially have a decade's worth of one liners. (Literally... Gosh, I'm punny.)

The daily entries don't have to be profound, witty, or breathtaking. Because, as we all know, some days just aren't. My entries range from:
"ONE OF MY BFFs GOT ENGAGED!!!"

to
"found some great new music: Amos Lee, Benjy Davis Project, and Ben Rector"

to
"Crappy day. The only good thing was Oreos.".


A lot can change in a year, let alone ten. I think it is going to be really cool to look back at July 13, 2011 in a few years and see that I "decided to go cold turkey on my Diet Coke addiction". (Unfortunately, I'm not making that up.)

Years from now, maybe I'll look back at that terrible day with the Oreos in 2011 and it will be the day  that I finally get my Dream Dog. Or some sort of wedding day. Or it could keep up its sucky reputation and be the day my Jeep Cherokee dies. Only God knows.

Maybe I'm just overly sappy and sentimental, but I can already tell you after a few short months, my notecard journal is one of my most cherished possessions.

Happy Wednesday and happy birthday Nana!

Summer Camp: Week Four

Since the beginning of time mothers throughout the world have said:

 "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all."

Well folks, camp was rough this week.  

The days were chaotic, the weather was miserable, and the kids really 

wore my patience thin.

And that's all I have to say about that.

Thankfully, my co-workers are the bomb and they make the worst of days 

more than bearable. 

Here are some pictures of this week's shenanigans: 

(P.S. I don't have a cool smart phone to take pictures with, but thankfully most of them do. I snagged these from our YMCA CAMP COUNSELORS RULE! Facebook group. Hooray, technology!)

The campers' interpretation of us in paper doll form.
The longer you look at it, the funnier it gets.

Apparently posting pictures of yourself "planking" on random things is the cool thing to do.

Believe it or not, we actually do watch the children. 

The Prank Wars are in full swing and Cory (male) made the mistake of leaving his sunglasses unattended in the arts and crafts room.



This coming week I will be running the YMCA volleyball camp. By myself.
I'm confident in my ability to teach fundamentals and run drills from 9:30 to 4 everyday, but I can't say that I am particularly looking forward to it.

So, if you are the praying type, I would ask that you pray that God gives me a renewed sense of enthusiasm, patience, and compassion for working with the kids this week.
I really need it.

I am fully enjoying a lazy Sunday afternoon, and I hope you all are too!

She loves Jesus, and America too.

The Fourth of July is my favorite holiday. 

(Actually, I lied. It's tied with Thanksgiving. November means college football, scarves, my birthday, and fried turkey. But July means no school, tan lines, ice cream sandwhiches, and fireworks. And I see no problem with having two favorite holidays.)

My family and I agreed that this was the best Independance Day yet, so obviously I'm going to blog/electronically scrapbook about every single detail. 

We kicked off the holiday weekend Saturday night with a precious patriotic party that was hosted by Emily's beautiful and fun loving family. 

Erin's family was also there, and they are also beautiful and fun loving.  

I've known these girls most of my life and they have been nothing but a blessing, especially this summer. Love y'all.

Emily, Elizabeth, Erin, and I all dressed up for Uncle Sam.
(Photo credit: Julia. She doesn't have a blog...yet.) 

Chalkboard painted pantry door. TPFW.  (Too Presh For Words)
(Photo credit: Erin and her awesome camera)

Nothin' says America like pie!
(Photo credit: Erin and her awesome camera.)

We enjoyed a fantastic night of Arnold Palmers, Bananagrams, and Erin's famous guacamole.

And laughter. Lots and lots of laughter. 

On the actual 4th of July, I rose before the sun to enjoy a little fishing sesh with Dad and JB.

There are few things more beautiful than watching the sun rise above the Atlantic ocean.

Besides my first bout of seasickness ever (incredibly random and incredibly unappreciated) and a practically broken toe, it was a lovely morning. 

You can't eat bonita, but they sure are fun to catch and release!
 (Makes me think of Nemo every time)

Upon returning home, Mom and I spent an entire afternoon/evening cooking up a feast fit for a Southern king. 

My 'Merica playlist was blasting and the Diet Coke was flowing. 

Quality time with Mama? Check and check.

At least I'm not awkwardly holding an ear of corn or anything...

Our menu included:

Mason jars filled with layers of pulled pork/baked beans/cole slaw

Mississippi corn bread salad

deviled eggs

corn on the cob, on a stick

American flag cake

Thank you, Bowers Family Craft Closet, for providing everything in this picture.

This is me trying to be artsy fartsy and take a cool artsy fartsy photo with my non-artsy fartsy camera.

The finer things in life.

Hard-boiled eggs, boiled peanuts, and the beginnings of sweet tea. 

Yums.

Even the deviled eggs loved Ol' Glory.

Adding the final layer to the baked beans/slaw/BBQ jars.
We are pretty fond of Mason jars 'round here.

Can't take credit for this idea.
However I did make the decision to use lemon cake, which nicely complimented the berries.

We didn't know how the menfolk of the family would feel about our burst of patriotism. 

A few eye-rolls were slightly expected. But they pleasantly surprised us with compliments out to wazoo and an impromptu costume contest after supper. 

Awesome? Yes.

Check it out...

Clearly my entire family is as silly and over the top as I am. 

To polish off the day, we drove the ragtop Jeep out to watch fireworks with the rest of the town. 

"Smile boys, I'm forcing you to pose for yet ANOTHER picture. You'll thank me one day"

You can't see it in the picture, but the Stuart Feed Store is in the background.  #Americana

By the end of the day, I felt like this:

Exhausted, giddy, and bursting with pride 

for the red, white, and blue.

 And yup, that's Stevie boy.

Between patriotizing (if that wasn't a word, it is now) my outfits, scavenging through my Paula Deen cookbook, and disgustedly watching ESPN's broadcast of the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest, it was easy to get caught up in the pure joy of it all. 

Since I love 'Merica and all.

But sometime during the four or five hours that mom and I spent in the kitchen, I realized the cost required to enable that kind of true, abounding freedom that I usually take for granted.

The bloodshed of one Savior and over a million American soldiers.

That's what it cost. 

I am free, and I am thankful. 

Happy (belated) Fourth of July everyone!

I hope you enjoyed America's birthday as much as I did.

Drab to Fab: Ruffled Lamp

I have too many hobbies. Way too many. 

Crafting just happens to be one of them and its near the top of the list. 

Disclaimer: I do not want to leave the impression that I'm using this blog to pat myself on the back saying: "HEY EVERYONE LOOK HOW CRAFTY AND CREATIVE I AM!!!".

Because that's not the case. Instead, I want you to know that I spend way too much time looking through  DIY blogs of insanely creative women. I find inspiration from a few different ideas in the blog-sphere, and this is the result. If I can do it, you can totally do it too. 

The final product.

Its new home will be on my desk in my apartment in Tallahassee.
I didn't make any apparent efforts at decorating last year, but this summer I have been thrifting and crafting my weekends away to find and create some lovely decor for my little room.
The theme is navy and gold and white. 

First you will need a lamp with potential. I found this in the abyss that is my family's 
(read: mom and I's) craft closet. 

Use hot glue to cover the lamp shade with a solid colored fabric. I used an old pillowcase,
but anything would do. 

Prime and spray paint your lamp base.
The wonders of spray paint will never cease to amaze me.

Cut fabric into 3 inch (ish) wide strips. The amount of strips you need depends on the size of your lampshade. I am pretty terrible at caring about specific measurements, so I just kind of cut up the fabric and hoped for the best.  It worked out (as it somehow usually does), but I would advise more precise measurements.

To create ruffles in the fabric, use a straight stitch and set your sewing machine to the maximum
width, length, and tension settings. 

It basically ruffles itself... Easy peasy! 

Hot glue the ruffled strips onto the lampshade. Cover all the gaps to ensure the fabric of the lampshade won't show through. 

And, voila! You've got yourself a snazzy little lamp that is sure to bring texture to any room.

Craft on, my friends. Craft on.  

Summer Camp: Week Three

When I think about the fact that I get paid a whopping 59 cents an hour more than minimum wage, my thoughts are either:

"One kid has a head full of lice and another has whitey-tighties full of diarrhea. I do not get paid enough".

Or

"Well, I'm getting paid a whole $7.90 just to cruise down I-95 in a school bus full of napping children for the next hour...Sweet."

But either way, I'm super duper thankful to have a steady, consistent, 40 hour a week summer job. Thursday was pay-day and my checking account has more than $3 in it for the first time since April. Praise the Lord!

My co-workers embracing the "Superhero Summer" camp theme.  

And now, for a segment of "Kids Say the Darndest Things"...

It is a normal morning at camp and I am walking around the playground, making sure the kids aren't throwing pine cones at each other or kissing behind the trees. A little girl, who is proving herself to be the strangest child I have ever met, strikes up a conversation with me. 

Her: Hey Miss Amanda! Do you know that church in Port St. Lucie?

Me: Which one? There's a lot.

Her: That one by the road.

Me: Um, ok. Sure, what about it?

Her: Me and my mom and drove by it and I asked her if we could go to church every Sunday. I love God. 

Me: That's great! I do too. 

Her: Yeah. I gotta go now. The werewolves look like they are waking up and they can't leave the cave.

...Right.

Fast forward a few hours and we are at arts and crafts time. The kids are making spiders out of Oreo's and yarn. Although I was pretty busy stuffing my face with America's Favorite Cookie, I was still able to eavesdrop on this gem of a conversation. 

Child 1: No way! You can't talk to God. That's dumb.

Child 2: Yeah you can its called praying, duh! You close your eyes, hold your hands like this, and just talk to him. 

Child 3: Yeah he lives in Heaven. I think you have to climb a stairway to get there.

Absolutely precious. 

And I know you are all probably waiting with bated breath to see pictures from this week's field trip, which was to the South Florida Science Museum. It is child focused, hands-on, and indoors, so no complaints on my part. I even set a new personal record, by accurately head counting all 48 of our kids in ten seconds flat. I give you permission to be thoroughly impressed. 

Gettin' their ancient Egypt hieroglyphic groove on.
(PS. I spelled "hieroglyphic" right on the first try...you can be impressed by that too.)

Cute girls working on a Brain Teaser.  I'm pretty terrible at those types of puzzles, but children think that since I have some kind of authority, I automatically know the answer to everything.
Sorry kiddos, I got nothin'.

Being silly in the "Frozen Shadows" room. (Its dark, a bright light comes on for a few seconds, it gets dark again, and your shadow is vivid on the walls. Could keep them entertained for at least three hours.)

Double chins means I'm having a blast.

I genuinely love these kids, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't looking forward to a three day weekend free from fictional boo-boo's and the desire to bathe myself in hand sanitzer.

Happy Fourth Y'all!