December Favorites

I'm usually a sandwich, chips, snack size candy bar kind of girl, but I'm officially obsessed with shrimp alfredo lean cuisines.  I've never been one to order an alfredo dish (crazy calories) and have always claimed that I don't like alfredo (the smell isn't appetizing to me).  A co-worker had this for her lunch, I tried a bite, and the obsession started.  The best part is that it's only 210 calories and fills me up (after I eat my snack size candy bar of course).  I've always taken my lunch to work, and Scott recently got on board and is realizing how much $$ we save!!

Have you seen the new OPI Kardashian colors??  I saw them at Walmart recently and asked Santa for a few of the fall/winter colors.  Santa apparently searched and couldn't find the colors I wanted, but I happened to find it myself after Christmas.  The color I'm currently wearing is called My Empire, My Rules. 

I've always loved a Bubba mug (especially at the beach), but lately I've used it EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.  I fill it up in the morning before work and it last me all day.  It holds 52 oz, so I'm really trying to drink my 64 oz a day!!  I'm currently trying to end my addiction to Diet Pepsi (ignore that Heather), and I'm drinking water with fresh lemon or lime.

My Mom the Fashionista

Mom picked up these great finds at Anthropologie.

Good thing we wear the same size.

Christmas Cards

What do you do with your Christmas cards??

A few years ago, one of my friends told me that my pastor and his family keep all the Christmas cards they receive, and they choose a card everyday and pray for that family.  I usually just toss out the cards after Christmas (keeping the ones with pictures), but Scott and I decided to make this a tradition in our house also. I think I am going to keep the box of cards on the kitchen table, and we will pray for the family/person that sent us the card at dinner along with saying the blessing.


I did a google search to see how other's add it to their day and found the following:
According to Hallmark, one of the world's premier greeting card providers, next to Mother's Day, Christmas inspires more card giving than any other holiday. These communications, whether sent on a printed card, an e-card, via text messages or even posted online, give us the opportunity to reach out to both those close to us and our larger extended circle of friends, family members, and colleagues to say "you matter to me." But what about prayer? As Shirley Dobson suggests, the process of sending and receiving Christmas cards is a terrific way to direct our thoughts and attention to the special people and families in our lives, and bring those people and their interests before our Lord. As a family, praying for others is a unifying activity that invites the Father to the head of the table in our households.


"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."
Matthew 18:20 (NIV)

The website suggested:
• Choose one Christmas card each day from those received. Read the card aloud and pass it around the family circle. (Do this at a regular time like bedtime or after supper each night or at breakfast time.)


• Have special prayer together for each person in the family that sent the card.

By the way, we didn't send out Christmas cards this year.  I have been banned due to the 2008 Christmas card.

Baby Love

I headed straight to the hospital as soon as I got off work Friday to meet our newest family member.  My cousin Sarah and her husband Jeremy had another precious baby boy.  Caleb Anderson McArthur was born December 15 at 3:58 pm weighing 8 lb 1 oz and 20" long.  My mom was supposed to go with me to the hospital, but she was sickly and couldn't make it.  I don't ever want my mom to be sick, but I'm glad I didn't have to share baby time.

Mission Impossible??

MISSION:  Purchase Longchamp Cosmo Kudu Leather Satchel

PLACE:  NYC China Town

ACCOMPLICE:  Linda and Rick Vaughan

DESCRIPTION:

Scott overheard me giving my "accomplice" precise details, and he wanted to see a picture of "the best bag in the world".  He informed me he could find the same bag at Walmart.  Oh no he didn't!!  Their time in NYC is short, so we they may not be successful.  I would gladly accept fat witch brownies too!! :) 

(Yes mom-I do know the purpose of the trip is to celebrate your 3rd year wedding anniversary and it's not a Santa Claus for Casey shopping trip.) 

Land Progress

Scott has been working SO HARD on our land.  He had one of his logging crews come and cut some trees.  He spent lots of time marking exactly which trees he wanted them to leave.  He made sure to leave enough trees to keep it completely private and very secluded.  He put up gates at each of the entrances.  I think it looks better than I had imagined!!  He went hunting there on the first day of hunting season and saw some does and a fawn.  The next part of the plan is to plant grass where the trees were cut. 

Thanksgiving '11

We have SO MUCH to be thankful for this year!!  We spent Thursday in Locust Fork frying turkeys, eating, and hunting.  Friday we went to Gadsden to see lots of family, eat, and shop.  Scott and I have been in our Auburn gear all week getting ready for Saturday's Iron Bowl!!

Thursday afternoon, Scott mentioned that he had never been Black Friday shopping and that he wanted to go at midnight.  I happily agreed and was glad to have a parter in crime.  We got a $49.99 iphone dock/alarm clock that I didn't know I wanted but LOVE.  We picked up some $1.96 DVDs for gifts.  We also waited in line to get a $498 51" flat screen.  We were able to get one, but we realized that it was way to big to fit in our entertainment center.  We decided not to buy it.  I think we just liked the idea of actually getting one of the much wanted gifts.  Just like last year, I ran into tons of people including my Sunday school girls, Alaina and Jerika.

We had over 35 people over for Maw. Maw.'s Thanksgiving.  We had a surprise sprinkle for my cousin Sarah who is due to have baby Caleb in 3 weeks!!

Storage Wars #2

We did it again.  And, this time we Rick bought a unit!!  Mom, Rick, Ian (Rick's grandson), and I all went to a storage auction in Albertville last weekend.  It was packed, but they had 11 units to auction.  We had a blast.  Ian even threw out a bid and raised his own grandfather $6. 

Storage Wars

Scott and I LOVE all the shows like Auction Hunters and Storage Wars that are on TV.  We decided to go to an auction in Cullman last Saturday morning.  IT WAS SO MUCH FUN.  We didn't buy a unit, but I did throw out a couple of bids.  The units sold for pretty cheap, but Scott and I knew it would be A LOT of work to clean them out and we didn't see anything we had to have.

On the shows, they get a lot of money for old slot machines.  We did see a slot machine in one of the units, but we didn't make a bid

Old toys also bring in a lot of money.  I have learned that they need to be in the box and in really good condition.  We passed on Stone Cold (one of Scott's favorites).

Below is Scott waiting on the auctioneer to arrive and get things started.  I was already embarrassing Scott at this point by taking pictures.  At least I was using my phone and not the big camera.

The auctioneer would open the unit door and give everybody 5 minutes to look inside. 

Scott was bending down looking under stuff.  Look who is embarrassing now.  At least he didn't bring a spot light.

Braids

Braids are very "in" right now.  Below of pictures of my fishtail braids from my iphone.

It's Official!!

Halloween 2011

Krystal and Mat have a Halloween party every year at their house in Helena.  We didn't make it last year due to a little appendix rupture.  We almost had to cancel at the last minute due to another random health issue (more to come later), but we made it!!  I dressed up as Rachel from Big Brother, and Scott dressed up as a redneck Alabama fan.  Other people were there too even though it doesn't look like it from the pictures.

Will & Jenna Get Married

On October 22, my cousin Jenna and her new husband Will got married in a small outdoor ceremony in Gadsden.  She definitely did it the right way.  I asked Scott why we didn't have an outdoor wedding in October since the weather was PERFECT, and he reminded me that nobody should ever get married during football season.  Oh yea.  I forgot.

Cousin Sarah with her big boy, Caiden and her new baby boy, Caleb (arriving 12/2011!!)

So precious

Jenna with the bridesmaids and flower girl

Jenna and Saylor

WAR EAGLE!!

Happy Birthday Ricky Bobby

My Mom the Florist

My mom has created another beautiful arrangement for my dad at the cemetery.  She is AMAZING!!

The Bubba Keg is especially classy.

Copperhead

I was taking Junior out the backdoor to do his business the other night.  I just stood in the doorway talking on the phone with my mom.  Junior usually runs straight to the grass, does his thing, and runs back in, but this time he was just standing on the patio sniffing something.  I wasn't pay him a bit of attention but knew he wasn't going to the grass to use the bathroom.  When I looked down, my brillant dog was playing with a copperhead.  UGH.  By my screams, you would have thought it was 10 feet long.  It was a baby, but that only means there is a momma and daddy.  Luckily, my snake killing husband was home to "take care of business".

Fall Camping