October Boxes

These are my boxes for the month of October. I loved all of the stuff, except for the glitter nail polish and glitter eyeliner. I don't like glitter...just ask my family!

Ipsy box

Birchbox - This lipstick is awesome

Taylor Swift Fan Club

No, I am not a ridiculous fan of Taylor Swift, but I do really like her music. She is a really talented artist. She is so smart...so bright. She also seems very down to earth and friendly.

I joined all of the others this week and purchased her new CD. I just love her music. This album is very pop...not at all country...which is what I love. I just got the CD today in the mail, so I really enjoyed listening to it twice tonight. It is very catchy. I love the artwork on this CD...it is very hippy/retro.

Five on Friday

Here are my Five on Friday:

O N E:
    This week I brought home some great recipe books from the Library.

T W O:
      I got Karen Kingsbury's new book at the Library. So far it is so good. She is one of my favorite authors.

T H R E E:
     When Michael is away I always purchase and make special food for the boys. They really enjoy all of the special food.

I made cream cheese frosting to put on this--the boys loved it

Jar's favorite

cousin recommended this

I also made some special food for them. I made them a "Thanksgiving dinner in a bowl." I also made BBQ chicken pizza and chocolate chip cookies.

F O U R:

  Jar did some building this week. I love how he lays out everything in his room. Poor guy--he needs more room.

F I V E:

     I enjoyed some relaxing moments in between doing lots of chores yesterday.

Things I Love

1)  Special Rocks

I love to find special rocks at the beach. I look for them when I go. I especially look for heart rocks. Cam gave this heart rock to me.

2)  Favorite photo

This is my favorite photo of Michael and I. I can remember this day as clear as can be. We were on our way to see the Blue Angels at Pensacola Beach with our friend Brian. We were stuck in traffic...we got out quickly to get a photo on the bridge that went across the water.

3)  Favorite photos of the boys

I love these photos of the boys when they were younger. They were taken in front of our house during the fall. I love the photos in the black and white.

4)  Jar's hands working on his computer

I love photos of the boys' hands. This is a photo of Jar playing games on his computer with the cousins.

5)  The boys feet

Here is a photo of the boys feet at the beach. I love these kinds of photos.

6)  Cam's hands playing the piano

Cam has played the piano since he was little. He has such long fingers.

Decisions...Decisions...Decisions

Every day we are faced with making decisions...like: what do I want to eat for breakfast; what do I want to wear to work; what should we have for dinner; what should we do tonight, etc. Those decisions are really not that difficult to decide (usually anyway).

The decisions that are much more difficult to make are the ones that make more of an impact on our life.

• What job should I take (unless you only have one to choose from)
• What career do I want to do
• What friends are best for me
• What college do I want to attend
• What house should we buy
• What church should we attend and get involved in
• What ministry should I get involved in
• What car should we buy
• How should we budget our money
• When is the right time to date...and how to go about that
• Who to marry

With the boys approaching some of these things, I have been thinking about the importance of these decisions. What you choose can literally change your life...in a good way or a bad way. I want the boys to see the importance of making good decisions about everything...and really following God's leading in every area.

How to say NO

Growing up, I always wanted to please everyone. I wanted everyone to like me...to love me. I did not want to let anyone down.

Once Michael and I married, he taught me that it was okay to say NO, and that it really did not matter if people liked it or not. That has really changed my life. I have said YES only to those things that I really want to do...especially in the last 10 years or so. It has allowed me to simplify my life.

Here are some ways to say NO...nicely:

• "While my heart wants to say 'YES,' the reality of my time makes this a 'NO.'"
• "I'm sorry, but I can't give it the attention it deserves, so I must say 'NO.'"

Blogging on Friday nights

We always have family night on Friday nights. I usually begin the night at the table blogging...while we watch our family shows. I look forward to this all week.

I have to have a lamp at the table because the boys do not like the glare of the dining room light on the TV. (they don't like it at all :) )

Fall day out with the boys

The boys and I went to Trader Joe's yesterday...oh how I love that place. We also stopped at the mall (where the boys got pretzels at Auntie Anne's). We also stopped to use our coupons for free coffee. (Jar has sensitive eyes...and even with the slightest brightness, he cannot keep his eyes open).

Cam loves cornbread

Cam has loved cornbread ever since he was little. The other day, when he was shopping with me, he asked if we could get some cornbread. I made it with some chili. He loved it (I made half with cheese in it; he quickly informed me that he did not want it with cheese in it next time).

Five on Friday

Here are my Five on Friday:

O N E:
    This month I received some awesome beauty products. I love it when that happens. I am pretty picky with my products.

This lipstick is awesome--a really natural color in matte finish

This shave cream from Birchbox is my favorite...it does not dry my skin out

This hand cream smells awesome

This is a new Sally Hansen gel polish...I can't wait to try it

My sister got this for me for my birthday. I have always wanted to try it, but I had not done so yet. I love it.

T W O:
      Sometimes Target has some neat treats up in the $1.00 section. We picked up a few this past week. The boys loved the Japanese cookies.

T H R E E:
      These are some new clothes that I bought for Michael. I love the grey. One pair of pants came home with the store security tag on it.

F O U R:

  This is my first selfie. We have taken family selfies before, but this is the first of just me. I was cleaning and organizing the house.

F I V E:

     I picked up some fall M & M's last week. Everyone really liked the white chocolate/candy corn M & M's best.