Five Question Friday

1. Where did you meet your spouse and did you instantly know it was love?I met my spouse at Green Valley United Methodist Church seven years ago at a Vacation Bible School my church was holding. It was the last night of VBS, on a Friday, so all the children, their parents, and VBS teachers & leaders were there for a fun carnival experience - complete with food, games, pictures...the whole shabang! I remember my best friend Amie and I were talking, and this really tall, really cute, really familiar-looking boy walks over to us. Come to find out he had been helping at VBS during the morning session with Amie, I of course worked the evening session so I never got to see him throughout the week. So Ray walked over to us, mainly to talk to Amie, but we did introduce ourselves to one another as well. I later found out that he had recently moved to Las Vegas from San Diego. I also found out that his mom and my mom used to work together in the same church office when I was around 5 and he 7 - this would explain why I thought Ray looked so familiar. His family was always moving between Las Vegas and San Diego, but once Ray and I started dating they stayed put! When we met I was 13 and he 15. When we met I knew there was something very special about Raymond.I can't say that fireworks blasted and I instantly knew he was the one...I just had a feeling that I knew I was supposed to be with him. As we started dating and got to know each other more, this feeling was all the more confirming in my heart and I knew Ray was the only one I wanted to share my life with. He was the boy I was going to marry!

2. What is your favorite room in the house?

My favorite room in the house would definitely have to be the boudoir! Aside from teal, my favorite color is red. My bedroom consists of red, gold, and brown decor. We have cast iron sconces on our walls, candles, floor length curtains, and pictures of us on our wedding all around the room. The look I'm going for in this room is romance elegance (I made that up myself). I think your bedroom should be a place that is calm, relaxing, a sanctuary, and it doesn't hurt to add a little romantic to the mix.

3. Can you wiggle your ears?

I've tried wiggling my ears and it doesn't work.

4. What is your evening ritual?

4:30-5: Begin prepping for dinner

5-6:30: Cook dinner, set the table, and get ahead start on washing the dishes

6:30-7:30: Eat dinner

7:30-8: Clean up the kitchen

8-10: Hang out with hubster

10:15: brush teeth, take out contacts, and get ready for bed.

10:30-10:45: Goodnight world!

5. How many hours of sleep do you need in order to function?

In order for me to function rightly I need between 6 and 7 hours of bedtime.

Link up and Join the Fun at My Little Life!

Project Mystery...

For the past few weeks I've been working on a craft of my own. I'm not finished with it yet, but I want to give you a teaser as to what the craft I've been working on may be. I should have it completed in the next few days and I will make sure I post it as soon as it's finished! So here we go!

The project I've been working on has something to do with these...

Any thoughts as to what I may be working on?

My Guest Bedroom is Finally Finished!

For the past few months I have been working on finishing my guest bedroom and this past weekend I finally finished it! I wish I had "before" pictures, but at the time it never occurred to me to take any. So, all I have is a ton of "after" pictures. To get a better idea of what the room looked like before, just picture the bed and white walls. Not a whole lot going on. The color palette that I chose for the room is dark chocolate, a mint green, and sky blue. Here is the finished product:

{It's hard to tell in the picture, but on the left I painted one wall Chocolate Brown, the other three walls are painted mint green.}

I also found a D.I.Y wall art project over at Rose Knows Coupons that I decided to do it on the opposite wall facing the bed. I knew I wanted something to take up the majority of the wall because there was so much empty space and I knew this D.I.Y would be perfect! This project is so simple and affordable. All you need is left over 12x12 scrapbook paper, 12x12 scrapbooking frames, a level, and a good eye!

Before

After

I got the scrap book frames at Michael's when they were on sale for $4.99 (originally $9.99) and also used at 25% off entire purchase coupon, so on frames I spent $37 bucks! Paper was .50 cents each, so the total cost for this project was $41.50. Of course you can save even more money by using left over paper that you have lying around the house.

I love to decorate. I think it's so much fun to create and design on a budget. You'd be amazed at some awesome things you can find at garage/estate sales, thrift stores, and even from the people closest to you.

In This Room:

Bed - borrowed

Bedding - borrowed

White lamp - borrowed

Decorative Pillows - gifts (I had these pillows from when I was still living at home)

Dresser - borrowed (this piece belongs to my sister, but because she's still in high school and is out of room in her bedroom, I am holding on to it until she moves out)

Mirror - garage sale: $1

Clock bird cage - garage sale: $1

Floral basket - garage sale: $1

Candlesticks - Christmas gift

Wall sconces: $19.99

Estimated cost for the entire room, including paint, about $100 bucks. I am so pleased with how this room turned out and amazed with the total cost.

Next rooms on the list:

*Office

*Laundry room

*Master bath

Have you decorated a spot in your home or completed any D.I.Y projects recently? How'd it turn out?

Happy Decorating!

Organizing and My 2011 Reading List

I recently stumbled upon the Passionate Homemaking blog through This Camera Tells My Story last week and after much thinking, have come to the conclusion that I am going to create my own Home Planning Notebook. My heart literally skipped a beat when I saw Lindsay's Home Planning Notebook because I love organizing...period. I've always been the organized, list-making, and planning ahead type of girl, but after reading about the Home Planning Notebook I realized I have a lot to learn and more room for growth in this area. In Lindsay's binder she keeps record of family goals, weekly plans, calendars, menu plans, finances, and family journal to name a few. Under Lindsay's goal section, she also keeps a book list for that year. My sis-in-law, over at This Camera Tells My Story just created her own book list for 2011 and I thought I would jump on the bandwagon as well. Keeping a book list for the entire year is such a good idea. I have so many books on my Goodreads account, but I never seem to have enough time to read all of them. My 2011 Reading List will definitely help me make the time to read. I don't know when I will have my home planning notebook completed, but I will post pictures as soon as it's finished. With that being said...

Here's My Reading List for 2011 and the first page ready to go in my Home Planning Notebook!

January

*Twelve Extraordinary Women: How God Shaped Women of the Bible and What He Wants to Do with You by John MacArthur
*Spiritual Leadership: Principles of Excellence for Every Believer by J. Oswald Sanders

February

*The Book on Leadership by John MacArthur

*The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis

*Total Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey

March

*Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer

*The Weight of Glory by C.S. Lewis

April

*Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs

*True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

May

*Family Driven Faith by Voddie Baucham

*At First Sight by Nicholas Sparks

June

*Desiring God by John Piper

*Glenn Beck's Common Sense by Glenn Beck

July

*Answering the Call: Saving Innocent Lives, One Woman at a Time by John M. Ensor

*Original Intent by David Barton

August

*Crazy Love by Francis Chan

*Three Weeks with My Brother by Nicholas Sparks

September

*Unplanned: The Dramatic True Story of a Former Planned Parenthood Leader's Eye-opening Journey Across the Life Line by Abby Johnson

*The Choice by Nicholas Sparks

October

*God's High Calling for Women by John MacArthur

*The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

November

*The Truth War by John MacArthur

*Monster by Frank E. Peretti

December

*Living Under God by Toby Mac and Michael Tait

*Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

{I'm also reading A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George with my small group at Hope Baptist Church. We read one chapter a week, so it will take awhile to finish. I will also be reading My Utmost for His Highest by Oswald Chambers, a daily devotional for the year. Because of the length of time spent on each book, I didn't add them to the list.}

Have you found any new ways to stay organized? What books will you be reading this year?

2010: A Year in Photos

Here's a look back at 2010!

{Dinner at the Luxor with the Morgan Family}

{RelevanceX - Phil Wickham concert}

{All the ladies from Hope Baptist Church-Refuge during Exposure week}

{Sarah's birthday at the Mandalay Bay-The Lion King}

{Graduated from NSC with a BA in Elementary Education! Yay!}

{Summer Student Teaching: Teaching a writing lesson!}

{Summer Student Teaching: Teaching a science lesson on balance & motion!}

{Grandpa's 80th birthday in Santa Barbara, California}

{Mike & Emily's Wedding in Cali}

{Hiking & camping through the Zion Narrows with the hubby and his Zappos team}

{Camping at Dana Point, California for Thanksgiving}

{Hope Baptist Church Refuge Leaders: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party}

30 Day Challenge Wrap-Up!

Day 26 - What I did this week!

*I started reading a daily devotional by Oswald Chambers.

*Read chapter 9 in this book by Elizabeth George about how to have a heart that values being a mom.

*Found these easy recipes for a complete chicken marsala dinner and it was delicious!

*Visited LVAC three times this week! Time has come to get back in shape.

*Found cute ideas to do for the hubby on Valentine's Day here and here.

*Started following this meal-planning blog and am contemplating purchasing my own Pocket Full of Posies.

*Found this blog about creating a craft binder to store all the crafts you may find and like throughout the year. I worked on this a little bit this week.

*Worked on getting my class ready for spring 2011 at NSC.

*Found this Home Planning Notebook and want to make one for my home!

Day 30 - My Plans for 2011!

*I want to better serve my husband. Elizabeth George states in her book, A Woman After God's Own Heart, that as wives, we need to realize that we are on an assignment from God to serve our husband(s). She suggests, that our career should be our husband. This hit home from me. I always knew that I'm supposed to serve my husband, but I never saw it as my career. This year I want to see to it that I help my husband and not hinder him in any way.

*Work on becoming better at meal-planning and saving money. I found these two websites, Emealz and Pocket Full of Posies that have great ideas for meal-planning each week that is designed to save time and money.

*Go to the gym more. I have a membership, so technically I should be going multiple times throughout the week, but it's so easy to fall out of that routine. This year I'm hoping to go to the gym 3-4 times a week, combining pilates, abdominal workout, Zumba, and spin classes.

*Craft more and become better at sewing!

and most importantly...

*I want to trust God more - with all of me, in all areas of my life, knowing that He will take care of everything. With this comes practicing the art of patience and knowing that God's timing is better than what I think the right time is. I need to grow in this area. I also want to be more aware of His voice - I want to hear Him better and more clearly and then act without fear.

What are your plans for 2011?

30 Day Challenge Potpourri

Hello everyone, sorry I've been MIA for awhile. Lately I've been so busy preparing for the upcoming semester, going to the gym, and doing other housewife duties around the house. In my last post I said that I would finish the 30 Day Challenge and I am sticking to my word. That's why I will be combining Days 24, 25, 27, 28, and 30 in this post. Tomorrow I will combine posts 26 and 29, just because I think they suffice wrapping up the 30 Day Challenge a lot better. So, here we go!

Day 24 - Where I live in detail, what makes it special?

Many of you already know that I live in the beautiful, sunny, and extremely warm Las Vegas, Nevada. I've lived in Las Vegas for about 16 years and have been currently residing in the Henderson area for about 3 years. Henderson, Nevada is approximately 5 minutes away from Las Vegas. Henderson, Nevada, like I mentioned in a previous post, is the second largest city in Nevada with Las Vegas being number one! Henderson is special because not only does it offer lots of shopping, resorts, fine dining, and parks/recreation, but no matter where you go in Henderson, you feel a sense of family and community.

Day 25 - Guilty Pleasure

My number one guilty pleasure is a tie between:

Starbucks Mocha Frappucino and...

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Dark Chocolate

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Day 27 - My Worst Habit

My worst habit would definitely be procrastination. Another bad habit of mine is cracking my knuckles.

Day 28 - What's in My Purse?

I have to be honest, I had been waiting for this post for SO long! Here's what's in my purse:

*3 Ballpoint Pens

*1 Yellow Highlighter

*Travel Size Mary Kay Satin Hands, Hand Cream

*Sunglasses

*Car Keys & House Key

*Coupon Holder

*Wallet

*Coupons

*Lots of Receipts

*Chap stick & Lipgloss organized in a Mary Kay Compact

*Hair tie

*65 cents

*TicTacs

Day 30 - Car You Drive (and past cars too!)

For my high school graduation gift, I received a white 2007 Hyundai Accent from my parents. This car was my favorite - excellent for a college student, good gas mileage, and super cute.

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In the spring of 2009, on my way to school I got in a car accident, that luckily I wasn't at fault for, but which completely totaled my car. After dealing with all the insurance stuff that comes from getting in a car accident, my husband and I looked for a new car. After much searching, we ended up getting a used 2008 Hyundai Elantra, which I am still currently driving. I love this car and in many ways is much better than the Accent I drove. For one thing it's has more room, which is ideal for when we start having babies!

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