the hambricks

...sending airplanes...

2010-05-12T22:18:00.000-04:00

anna katherine has begun sending us notes at night after we tuck her into bed. steve and i will be settling in on the couch, and all of the sudden a paper airplane will sail over the upstairs balcony onto the couch. here is what we got a few nights ago...

first note:

we then thank her for the note and ask her to go to bed. two minutes later:

again- thanks but time for bed! two minutes later:

well, at least she understands what she needs.... two minutes later:

ignore the grammatical error-- she got it correct on the first one! ok, AK, GO TO BED!

last note:

HA!

... oh so fabulous project...

2010-04-25T23:33:00.000-04:00

i looked all over for a cute and creative giveaway for sara's birthday party. she had a pizza party where the kids made their own pizza, so my first thought was an apron and chef hat. but how to do this? after some research and some work, here is a picture of the final product. cute, huh? i have to say i'm super proud of these!

i found the aprons at hobby lobby for around 3 bucks each.

i ironed the wrinkles out and put some "stitch witchery" on the top where i would place the ribbon. this stuff makes the ribbon stick without having to sew it, and you apply it by just laying the strip where you want it to go.

after i stuck the strip on, i applied the thin ribbon directly up on top of it. after i placed it there, i ironed it on.

(please ignore my water stained ironing board cover!)

already the apron had become 100% cuter!

next it was time to add a personalized cupcake design.

my girlfriend Laura found the cupcake image on etsy.com, and just pulled it into photoshop to give us a workable file. she sent the image to me, and i added each girls name to the template with a super cute font. i printed them on iron on transfer paper. the paper isn't cheap- between $1-2 per sheet. it was originally 23 bucks for 12 sheets at jo-ann's, but i was able to use a 40% coupon. yippee! careful that you print on the proper side and reverse the image so it transfers correctly-- just check out the directions inside the transfer paper packet and it will all be clear.

here is the paper i used and you can see what the final printed page looks like. i had already cut out one image when this photo was taken.

so here is what i'm working with after all of them are cut out:

position the image on the apron where you want it and iron it on. make sure you hold the iron down for 60 seconds or so on each part of the transfer. if you begin peeling up the edges and it looks like it's not sticking completely, re-iron to make sure it's good to go.

wait a few minutes to make sure the apron has cooled down. begin peeling back the paper, and if it has stuck well on the apron go ahead and peel it off. remember- if it hasnt stuck 100% then just re-iron for a minute or so.

final product:

too cute!

the hats were easy as well. they were made from strips of posterboard with white tissue stuffed in the middle.

here are a few pics of the girls at the party with their chef gear on:

if you are looking for a party idea, this one was great! we played "pin the pepperoni on the pizza," colored pizza sheets, made our own small pizzas, and had a conga line singing and dancing time (kids idea!). i had brought cupcakes to decorate as well, but we ran out of time.

6 year old birthday party= roaring success

and all of this was thrown together the week of the party

(i'm a glutton for punishment)

what has been your favorite birthday party theme for one of your kids or a child's party you went to?

i'm always looking for new ideas!

...sara is SIX!...

2010-04-14T22:46:00.000-04:00

i would die for this child. she's more than i hoped for!

here are a few pictures of her sixth birthday-- which she celebrated MULTIPLE times!
she had a class party, girlfriend party, hambrick family party (on Easter), miltiades family party (during Easter gathering), and then her actual birthday at the beach! we should all be so lucky :)

complete sweetness

class party

miltiades family gathering

hambrick family gathering

beach birthday on her actual day

anna katherine liked the cake :)

birthday beach shot

Sara- my prayer for you is that you would extravagantly love Jesus all the days of your life. if you do this, everything else will fall in place! his purposes for you are beyond imagination- i can't wait to see what he has in store. happy birthday lovely!

...life is good...

2010-03-27T22:32:00.000-04:00

today was sunny and beautiful, but incredibly windy and chilly. we took the girls to a park, and once we got there we saw that we had walked into a dog show/fair. poor little indie was left at home, and all we could think was how glad we were that she wasn't with us! that girl is a MESS and completely unruly. it would have been NO fun for us if she would have come! as we were pulling into the park, we actually received a call from our neighbor that indie had escaped from our backyard and was roaming the neighborhood. ugh. remind me WHY we got a puppy?

nevertheless, we parked and got out to meet our good friends the wannall's. they brought their pup scooby. here's scooby with graham, their oldest.

and here is mary, freezing her tail off and covering up with all the coats she stole from our children (who seemed to think it was the middle of summer).

the kids had an amazing time, and loved seeing all the dogs performing. check out the poor pup in the picture below being squeezed by our girls... this guy was jumping hurdles and climbing through tunnels. i think he might be famous in the dog competition world.

the place was packed, and the playground was the place to be. the girls were all over the place, and loved this spinning thing..

have i told you yet that anna katherine has lost her front two top teeth? both within the last couple of weeks. isn't she cute? oh my. and growing up. kinda makes me sad. :(

i'm still wondering how you chew with basically no teeth up front... but back to today...

after the playground pony rides for all the kids...

and 20 bucks later we were just about done!

(recession--what??)

here are just a few more pics...

one of danny and steve

(probably complaining about the cost of pony rides these days...)

and two of me and steve

(pardon the windblown look)

good times good friends

gotta love it :)

life is good

...ch ch ch ch changin at vintage...

2010-03-14T20:52:00.001-04:00

new meeting times beginning this week. farewell 10am, hello 9 and 11.

i'm not sure i'm overly excited about moving into two services because that means change and a separation of church family, but we have to make room for all that God has planned.. so we move ahead with a new plan... and we trust.. and wait to see the cool things God has for us!

...ch ch ch ch changin...

2010-03-11T08:01:00.002-05:00

yesterday AK lost her third tooth, and this time the one she lost was front and center. she left for school yesterday, and I'm telling you those front two teeth were BARELY loose. I suppose she just decided she wanted it out, so she "cracked" it (her word) all day, and voila! it was out before she left school.

yesterday afternoon she was working and "cracking" the other front tooth as well. she was proud of the blood all over a paper towel. what's this obsession? I'm fully expecting to see a completely different looking child this afternoon too. it's a little strange to see your kid with no front tooth, but i guess everyone goes through it.

And another thing-- a kid in her class gets TWENTY BUCKS per tooth. UNFAIR I say! what about the recession? makes the rest of the kids wonder why one kid gets twenty and they get one. dang.

our girls usually get a silver dollar coin. this morning, however, our tooth fairy remembered 5 minutes before the girl woke up for school. oops. so today it was just a plain, ole dollar bill. chump change i guess compared to the jackson the other girl gets. at least she left a really sweet note for AK.. that counts for something, doesn't it? :)

...because she's had SO many...

2010-02-24T21:44:00.000-05:00

My Hair Artist

2010-02-09T08:09:00.001-05:00

Sara went to town on her barbies a few days ago. She wanted to make them "cute." Hence the Barbies, scissors and a hiding place. Steve found the hair hidden in her room.

Why would chopping their hair make them cute you ask? Well, Sara got her own hair cut a few weeks ago- they took about 4 inches off- and now she has an adorable shoulder length cut. She's been getting all sorts of compliments, so now she thinks short hair is the way to look "cute." Wasn't it sweet of her to help her Barbies out?

Here are a few before and after of Sara....

...hope to the hopeless...

2009-10-25T23:01:00.002-04:00

towards the end of september, parts of georgia were devastated by flooding. the area we live in was affected, and many people are still displaced and their homes are ruined.
a team of 25 folks from Vintage 242 (our church plant) spent a Saturday serving people whose homes were destroyed by cleaning the remains of their homes, tearing out flooring, spraying for mold, raking sheetrock out of their yards, and moving decks back to the appropriate yards after they floated down the street.
in all honesty, i was dreading the day because i knew it would be difficult and a lot of hard, dirty work. i'm so grateful that i pushed through and went! it's a day i will never forget. and i'll be praying for physical, emotional, and spiritual restoration for each of those families. the road ahead is long! insurance will not cover the damage, so it's out of pocket for every single family. many are walking away from their homes with no plan to go back.

steve throwing garbage in one of the many full dumpsters on this street. it was heartbreaking to see people's possessions destroyed and tossed away.

every yard looked just like this.

spraying for mold. we had to wear these suits to attempt to protect ourselves from the inhalation of mold spores.

here is my haz- mat team with our homeowner Will. Will told me that volunteers bring him and his neighbors HOPE. they realize they aren't alone when people like you and i show up and help.

if you are in the area, i want to encourage you to serve. samaritan's purse is an amazing organization that is mobilizing volunteers until november 21st. check them out at www.samaritanspurse.org.

...welcome home little girl...

2009-10-21T15:45:00.002-04:00

INDIE HAMBRICK

Born July 28, 2009

Adopted October 16, 2009

...product of the day...

2009-08-30T20:22:00.005-04:00

love it. been looking for SOMETHING- some pillow- to help with my neck pain. i've had severe neck pain for years, and even seen a physical therapist for it. and i've tried all sorts of pillows (some cheap and some more expensive) hoping to find one that helped. i've even tested a few out at the sleep number store, but never made the commitment. as a long shot and with a mustard seed of faith, i grabbed this pillow from target last week. for 20 bucks i figured it was worth a try. since then- NO PAIN! so if you've got neck issues, try this out before you spend the big bucks. and by the way, this feels just like the sleep number pillow they were pushing on me for 100 bucks....

... ode to the tricycle...

2009-08-29T22:17:00.011-04:00

my kids are 5 and 6 years old. they are WAY too old for a tricycle, yet i haven't been up to getting rid of this trike. sara absolutely loved her care bears tricycle, and even just a few months back she was still choosing to ride this in our cul-de-sac. she learned to ride a bike without training wheels about a month ago, and so i'm sure she won't be riding the care bear trike anymore.

here's the thing-- i want to keep it! it has years of memories for us, and even though it is ragged and ripped, and only has one handle left, i can hardly bear getting rid of it-- sentimental value and all... anyway, steve won and he got to throw it away.

boo. :(

final pictures of our trike. RIP.

... exciting anniversary...

2009-08-28T14:23:00.006-04:00

ok, so our 8th anniversary was Wednesday. In typical Hambrick fashion, we gave no gifts nor cards. We did, however, manage to go to lunch at Hong Kong Star. Yay for me, not so much for Steve, who isn't much of a fan of chinese food...but he was gracious and didn't object. and i'll have you know my new commitment is to invest in family, not to worry about the stock market. and to focus on the color yellow. thank you, fortune cookies.

instead of a romantic dinner out with candles and wine, i took sara to the urgent care. strep throat and a red ear. we all wish for such an exciting anniversary.

here are two pictures of the experience in the office. wasn't i nice to include the one of sara getting her throat scraped? :) now you can even picture what it must be like when sara has a stomach bug.

even though we didn't do anything overly fabulous on the 25th, i recognize that celebrating your marriage isn't supposed to happen just one day each year. it's not about a nice dinner or gifts. it's about living well and loving life together in the midst of sick kids, tight funds, and busy schedules. it's about loving sacrificially and preferring the other when you'd rather do things your way. it's about working through tough seasons and choosing commitment even when you'd rather not. it's about recognizing the gift that other person is to you, and enjoying him/her. and there is no one i would rather embark on the journey of life with than steve hambrick. happy anniversary hon!

...my bff...

2009-08-24T20:37:00.007-04:00

today is a very important day~~ it's my bff's birthday! let me introduce you to the lovely mrs. julie lamotta... without her the last few years would have been a heck of alot more difficult and definitely much less fun!

julie is pretty much amazing.

she lives in orlando, has four kids (one of which she adopted from china last month), is married to a hottie italian american guy, loves jesus, and loves me!

here's a picture of her kiddos-- aren't they cute?

here are just a few of the reasons i love her:

1. just look at her. 'nuff said.

2. she's not afraid to take risks.. look at her attempting to swallow fire! never a dull moment...

3. she makes really great faces.. we made a habit of this on all double dates..

4. she and joey like sushi. and wine bars. sushi + wine bars= perfect evenings out.

5. she sings. and fearlessly to wii american idol. check out her style-- amazing :)

6. she listens well, loves me unconditionally, trusts me completely, shares her heart with vulnerability and transparency, and is pretty much without compare as a friend...

my prayer for you, my dearest friend, is that this next year would be without compare in your life.. that your family would thrive... your intimacy with jesus would reach levels it never has before.. and that you would realize your unmeasurable value as a friend, a mom, a wife, and a daughter of the father! grace and peace to you without measure julie dee! happy birthday!

... should we keep him??...

2009-08-19T15:57:00.003-04:00

...home alone...

2009-08-18T20:05:00.008-04:00

well, kinda. i suppose i have the ability to be home alone but unfortunately my to-do list doesn't allow me the luxury. i will say, though, that after i took the girls to school yesterday for their first day at school, i came home, climbed back into bed, and laid there for 3 hours. YES. i think i might enjoy wasting my life away in bed every day...

so it's official. i'm an empty nester during the day. sara is now in kindergarten and anna katherine is now in first grade.

as far as first days of school, yesterday started out pretty well. the girls were excited to go to

school, and so they were laughing and playing while we got ready. unfortunately as soon as the photography began, sara shut down. it was a bit reminiscent of anna katherine's first day of

kindergarten last year. here are the pictures on the front porch before we left.

and here is one of sara hiding behind the column... nice..... (by the way, check out the smocking on the bottom of her shirt.. isn't it adorable?)

i insisted they pose in front of the school, and at least got a fake smile from sara. much better than a frown...

here is one of sara with mrs.parris, her speech teacher. THIS is a real smile. we love mrs. parris!!

we dropped anna katherine off at her class first, because i figured i would be able to keep it together dropping her off. heck, she's an old pro at this now...

her teacher this year is mrs. bullard, and we are praying she'll be a good fit for anna katherine.

we don't know her at all... funny thing-- there are THREE pastor's kids in her class! the other two are boys, and their parent's are church planters in the area as well. they might just have some church in that class :)

here is mrs. bullard with anna katherine

it's always a bit uncomfortable leaving your child in the care of a complete stranger. the truth is she'll spend more time with her each day than we will. yikes. i'm praying she falls in love with anna katherine and the year is a positive experience for anna katherine!

after we dropped off ak, we headed down to leave sara in her kindergarten class. she doesn't know anyone in her class, and i'm praying for a best friend for her. i have no worries about her teachers because i know and love them both! mrs. pulley and mrs. roland were anna katherine's teachers last year, and i did everything i could to get sara in their class this year. i'm incredibly grateful that sara was placed in their class and know this year will be awesome for her!

here's a picture of her with mrs. pulley.. i'm sad i wasn't able to get one with mrs. roland too!

look closely folks-- this lady right here is the all time best kindergarten teacher EVER. jealous?

so we dropped her off and left. and my voice was shaky and my emotions were jumbly. i made it, though. and i have to say i enjoyed that three hour nap i took when i got home.

so how did their day go? pretty well as far as i could tell. sara said she likes preschool better (wake up kid- no more ruling the roost in class- you are now in KINDERGARTEN- a place of rules and responsibilities), and anna katherine loved it and met a friend.

here are a few pics of them getting off the bus.. anna katherine is always the poser, and sara not so much. she wouldn't even think about standing on the bus steps for a photo.... i had to snap a photo of her in mid-air...

so it's done. my girls are practically grown. what adventures can i embark on from 7-2:45 each day? hmmmm.. we'll just have to see about that.

...nuff said...

2009-08-14T21:49:00.002-04:00

...your house is cleaner than my house...

2009-08-13T21:43:00.005-04:00

trust me.

i'm willing and prepared to embarass myself here. partially because i'm just tired of people complaining and apologizing for how messy their homes are. and in reality, i would probably be willing to eat off most of those floors. does your child's room look like this? not just on occasion, but pretty much all the time? yep. that's my girl. i just don't have the energy to do what it would take to get her to keep it clean. and i rationalize this because the only rooms upstairs are the girls and the office. and who goes up there anyway? right? here is a picture of anna katherine's room tonight.and lest you say, "well, it's a child's room. i bet the rest of your home is spotless," let me just stamp that thought right on out of your mind. here is a picture i just took tonight of our dining room table. that's right- our DINING room table (not office desk).

it has become my workstation and drop off toy station for the girls.. plenty of randomness can be found right here. you would be quite impressed with the variety of items that can be found either on the floor or on the table in this 10x10 room!

let's see- a new trash can, some 11x14 frames yet to be hung, some school snacks my girls constantly bring to me and beg me to eat even though school doesn't start until next week, my purse, a pile under my purse of every local church advertisement i've seen in the last 2 years, sara's american girl doll and blankie, jeans to sell on ebay, my computer, to-do lists, recyclable mail on the floor, clothes that the girls were gonna wear today but changed their minds on, kids shoes, and all sorts of lovely stuff.

you thought you were a mess. and you've only seen the dining room and a child's room. welcome to the hambricks. the good, the bad, the ugly.

can we still be friends? :)

...launching into cedarcrest...

2009-08-12T16:18:00.009-04:00

ok, so FINALLY vintage 242 is launching into our community!

our core team has been meeting at our parent church at 4pm on sunday afternoons as we've attempted to secure a space in cedarcrest. i'm thrilled to announce that after much adieu, we found a space. it's temporary because of the small size, but it's awesome. we've had lots of

people up there volunteering-- painting, vacuuming, shopping for furniture, hauling chairs, putting down trim, hanging drapes, etc. it's been exhausting but worth it!

my poor kids have put in lots of hours up there, and we haven't given them enough attention over the past 3 weeks of preparation. steve and i have been up by 7:30am to work, and have been calling it a night around 1am. it's an exciting season, but i'm ready for the preparation of

the space and all of the materials (promotional, supplies, graphics, basics) to be DONE.

THIS WEEKEND is our official launch into the community. we met last sunday as a core team in the space, and we are inviting friends and neighbors starting this weekend. pray for us as we move forward!

here are the 1/2 page and full page ads we are placing in the neighborhood magazines in september and throughout the fall. (these folks are all vintage people.)

...near death experience...

2009-07-07T22:35:00.010-04:00

july 4th was way more interesting than i had hoped. i was expecting a good time, but not quite so much excitement. we went to my mom's lake house on lake hartwell with some extended family as we do every 4th of july. i had three aunts, an uncle, two cousins, and two other children there with us for the weekend. 14 folks at my momma's lake house= recipe for FUN.

everything started out beautifully on the 4th. we took the pontoon boat out for a lake cruise around 10 am, and even played on the wave runners. we have a big tube that we tie onto the back of the boat or wave runner to pull people around, and this is where the drama began. steve headed out to pull my cousin sara and my 5 year old sara around in the tube. here's a photo as they departed:

steve swung them around a curve, and they both flew off. no problem. he pulls back around and picks up my 5 year old and sets her on the front seat. he is standing and facing backwards pulling in the tube, much like this photo (although this one was taken with anna katherine sitting up front)--

all of the sudden sara holds down the throttle and pushes the start button. the wave runner jumps forward and speeds away at close to 50mph, as steve gets thrown off the back holding the rope and trying to pull her back.

(yep, it's a good thing i wasn't watching at this point because i think i just might have had a heart attack)

sara's flying full speed ahead towards the shore. steve keeps looking at the shore and then back at sara. panic sets in. he's screaming at the top of his lungs for her to stop, and then 4 or 5 seconds before she would slam into the shore she pushes the stop button. yep. and she stops. seconds away from certain disaster. thank you lord for your intervention when we need it!

steve attempts to swim over to her, but his hand is causing severe pain so cousin sara swims

over and rescues little sara. they pile on the wave runner, nerves shot and hearts racing, and finally arrive back at the dock where i am waiting. steve drives up and i see his mangled hand. immediately i rush him off and we head to the emergency room for x-rays and a doctors opinion. i thought for sure we would be in the emergency room for HOURS on end, but the hartwell hospital wasn't expecting to get busy with drunken 4th partiers until later that night. whew. so we were outta there in only 2 hours. and no broken bones either!

here is a picture of steve's hand (which doesn't look nearly as bad as it did in real life) and a picture of him getting all doctored up:

believe it or not, we even ended up taking the boat out to see fireworks later that evening. here is a picture of sara doing just fine...

steve is on the mend, and somehow sara ended up believing that she was the hero of the day because she stopped the wave runner. we go back to the lake this weekend with friends and needless to say we will be keeping little sara FAR far away from the wave runner controls. pray for my girl and pray for us-- i think we might be in for an exciting future with this little firecracker!

...sara's creative storage...

2009-06-24T21:55:00.007-04:00

sara had her tonsillectomy follow up at the ENT office on Monday of this week. her throat looked great, and so did her ears. i thought all was well until he seemed concerned about "a few crusties" in her right nostril. he had her blow her nose as hard as she could, but the crusties were still there. he reaches for his dr. sized tweezers and pulls out a large mysterious object from her nose. what was it? a candy wrapper she had shoved in the back of her nostril. what?!?!? NICE. what i would have given if i had thought to take a picture...

... tea snob...

2009-06-15T21:49:00.006-04:00

one day a few weeks back i went coffeehouse hopping in atlanta with several girlfriends. we went to this cool little place called Java Monkey (my favorite i think) and i ordered tea.

well, this is what they served it in

a small pot called "ingenuitea".

call me clueless, but i had never seen a pot quite like it. they put steaming hot water in this pot along with the loose tea of my choice. it steeps for a few minutes and then you set the pot on top of a mug and it drains out the bottom into the mug. no pouring or anything!

since i used this contraption, i've been dying to get one. i hope to NEVER go back to tea bags again. nope, loose tea is the only way. (never mind that i just had hot tea from a tea bag last week).

anyway, i found one on amazon. and it's only 14.95! they also sell a glass mug that partners with it for 10 bucks. i think i'm ordering one tonight... or maybe later this week...

do any of you drink tea? and if so, do you have an ingenuitea contraption? give me the skinny friends!

...end of an era...

2009-06-15T21:25:00.010-04:00

kindergarten is over for anna katherine. she is now officially a first grader and she is super happy about this.
i had previously posted some pictures of sara's pre-k graduation last month, so i must do the same for my eldest.

the first few pictures are from kindergarten graduation. here is AK before the ceremony with some girlfriends from her class.

here she is receiving her diploma (in her "high heels" no less)...

and here is a picture of their performance of "first grade, first grade" sung to the tune of "new york, new york". super cute!

she went back for two days of school, and i just had to post a picture of her with her teacher and ryan, a little sweetie pie in her class who brought her a red carnation a few weeks back (he has a bit of a crush on my girl) :)

here is one with emma from her class, who lives down the street and whose parents have become good friends of ours...

and last but not least the girls at baskin robbins after school was out june 5th...

... two less body parts...

2009-06-01T22:00:00.008-04:00

sara had her tonsils and adenoids removed this morning at the hospital. her tonsils were huge, and i actually even told the doctor that i wished he would have saved them for us to look at.. he informed us that tonsils shrink by 50% once removed, so they wouldn't have looked nearly as impressive post-op. (no charge for that small tidbit of valuable information, internets!)

when she got out of surgery she was quite distraught and was crying for close to 30 minutes afterwards. she wanted her i.v. OUT. they gave her more liquid lortab, and between that and Dora she settled down fairly quickly. we stuck around the hospital for a few hours, and then we were released to go home. on the trip home, she got nauseated and threw up and also teetee'd in the car seat. nice. i felt terrible for her.

the afternoon consisted of couch time and one movie after another. she ate popsicle after popsicle. the later it got, the more whiny she became. now she's in bed sleeping nicely.

pray for an easy and quick recovery for my baby if you think of it!

...movin' on up...

2009-05-18T22:04:00.004-04:00

it's official! my baby is a GRADUATE!

farewell pre-k it's time for the real world!

be gentle, o elementary schoolers, with my angel~

(sara with her bff's)

...dr. blackthumb...

2009-05-11T22:00:00.006-04:00

this first picture is a perfect representation of what i do when i get a hold of plants.

sweet little sara brought home a seedling to grow from school, and a week later it's dead. not enough water, too much water- i just can't seem to figure it out.

i had been hiding this on the counter at a spot out of her eyesight... praying that it would decide to fight the good fight and come back to life. no such luck. finally sara noticed it and was not happy. "MAW-MA!" and tears. sorry, peanut, i'm a wanna be gardener who kills plants.

now here are two pictures of my latest attempts at gardening. and you can be extra proud, because i actually planted these flowers in the pots. TWO of the barrel arrangements, and one hydrangea. of course i had to ask the gardening sales person every detail about how to do it, but none the less i did it. yep, i could have bought the "ready made" pots with flowers already arranged, but nope! i did it myself. (grinning ear to ear)

if these live all season, then REDEMPTION. i'll let you know...

...wilson, watch your back!...

2009-05-11T21:50:00.006-04:00

little black neighbor dog wilson, how i hate thee. bite my kid again and it's all over.

OH. MY. WORD.

2009-05-01T08:13:00.004-04:00

the private practice season finale was a nail biter! the last few minutes were killer, and i had a hard time relaxing to go to sleep.

thoughts about the episode:

Addison- get some discipline. and some morals for that matter.

Violet- loved that she picked Pete

Sam- finally the confession of love to Naomi

Naomi- chicken

Cooper- he's gonna HATE that he left violet's house before going in

Charlotte- grow a heart and look for another job

Crazy Psycho patient- there are no words

do we REALLY have to wait til next season to find out what happens with violet and the baby? argh!

anyone else watch this show? thoughts?

...sara's 5th birthday...

2009-04-21T16:02:00.008-04:00

yep, my baby turned FIVE earlier this month. i told her she wasn't allowed to get any older because i was convinced she would stop snuggling with me, and that would make me sad. she's agreed to continue snuggling with me, and every day since she turned 5 i'm making her pay up on her promise. i'm still sad that she's growing up, but i guess if she keeps snuggling i can deal...

i've been feeling really bad about not blogging something for her birthday, so even though i'm two weeks late, i'm posting some pictures. here goes the highlights:

on her actual birthday, my mom came over and we all went to a hibachi lunch. the girls loved it, and we even went again the same week with friends. the place up the street has a hibachi lunch for 5 BUCKS. (hibachi +5 bucks = fabulousness!) they gave us fried chocolate ice cream and that was a first for all of us. here's the pic of us digging in...

We had some dear friends from Orlando drive in that day for the week, so we celebrated later with a cookie cake and presents. (notice the high school musical wrapping paper- she liked that better than the gifts!)

The next morning we piled in the minivans (still gasping 2 years later) and headed to the American Girl store for a birthday brunch with the babies. They each brought a doll and had a ball! It's a perfect place to take girls for a celebration- anna katherine is already planning her party there and it's not until december!

After a celebratory few days, the birthday parties were done and life went on. and like i said earlier, as long as i can get some snuggling, i think i can deal with my baby growing up on me. so far so good.

...a conversation with anna katherine...

2009-04-21T14:47:00.012-04:00

we were driving down the road earlier this week, anna katherine and i. it never fails- she always wants to listen to You'll Come by Hillsong. so we blare it out and sing at the top of our lungs. like 10 times each day.

i've burned a really good worship mix, and after You'll Come is Worthy is the Lamb by Brian Johnson. we started singing the second song, and i paused the song to make sure she understood what the song was about. i sang each line accapella, and would then explain the meaning.

here is the conversation that followed:

anna katherine: "mom, do you wish you could be on american idol?"

me: " i don't know-- do you think i should be?"

anna katherine: "well, i wish i could be on american idol."

me: "maybe you can be."

anna katherine (all the sudden weeping): "i really want to go to hollywood- what if they say no and i can't go to hollywood??" (boohooing)

(side note: we don't even watch american idol, and she's in bed by 8pm anyway. and now she's worrying that she won't make the cut and get to go to hollywood.)

conversation continues:

me: "do you know where hollywood is?"

anna katherine: "somewhere near new york city."

me: "it's in california"

anna katherine: "oh yeah! i was about to say that."

...crazier than a pet coon...

2009-03-23T22:58:00.017-04:00

this guys is a TOTAL mess! did you see this Letterman interview? i could NOT believe it. some people say it's all a hoax-- a publicity stunt. after the Letterman interview i have a hard time believing he isn't really screwed up and addicted to some serious drugs. i would love to know your thoughts!

he says he's leaving acting to pursue a hip-hop career. is he fo- real or is this all part of an elaborate plan to dupe us?

check out this link to see him fall off the stage while performing one of his originals...

... can someone point me to the money tree? ....

2009-03-16T19:16:00.010-04:00

this afternoon i responded to a desperate plea from anna katherine. she implored me to follow her into the foyer to respond to the mischief her younger sister had gotten into.

i walked in and found sara on the floor with scissors. and a pile of cut up dollar bills.

what?!?!?

"the art is not in making money, but in keeping it"- an old proverb

... cousin day...

2009-03-15T21:09:00.004-04:00

my brother and his wife needed a date afternoon this weekend, so their little ones came to hang out with me and the girls all day on saturday. steve was fishing in a tournament, so it was me and the kiddos all day long. pretty much a girls day if you don't count baby vic.. ;)

and i just had to include a picture of the girls and their tea party...

(yes, my girls have on red and white sequined bandana patterned dresses complete with sewn-in crinoline which would be perfect for a fancy hoe-down-- don't judge!)

...ak's rant...

2009-03-09T22:41:00.008-04:00

anna katherine's impromptu performance sharing her opinion about cleaning.

she and i---- well, one could say we see eye to eye sometimes. she just might be playing the role of her momma in this video...

...perfect bribe material...

2009-03-09T22:31:00.003-04:00

i know my daughter will KILL me one day for posting this video on the internet. and i guess i'll cross that bridge when i get there.

for now, enjoy :)

...blogspot question???...

2009-03-08T20:35:00.002-04:00

does anyone know why some pictures that i post can be clicked on and enlarged and others cannot?? can't figure that one out.

... old school...

2009-03-08T11:47:00.009-04:00

last night i was able to have dinner with a few of my girlfriends from high school. all of these girls were very important in my life at one time or another, and i haven't been able to spend much time with any of them in years. FINALLY there was an evening planned to catch up!

because i've been mentally occupied with sick kids and church planting i didn't really spend much time getting excited about the evening. on my way down to the twisted taco (which surprisingly enough had pretty good tacos), i turned the radio to an 80's station in preparation of meeting my "old" friends. this station can pretty much be counted on to play all of my old classic favorites, and i'm rarely disappointed when i tune in. they didn't disappoint tonight either, and i had jack and diane blaring all the way to the restaurant. memories flooded my mind. by the time i arrived, i was almost giddy about meeting up with them!

we sat and shared about our lives. we talked children, parents, and husbands. disappointments and successes. i was reminded of my affection for each of them, and grateful that even after 23 years of separation we could pick up where we left off. there is just something beautiful about childhood friendships that last the test of time...

here are a few pictures..

meet cappy and beth (and you know me)..

meet cris, kelley, and stacy. can't you tell they are ecstatic about being photographed?

after much begging and pleading, i FINALLY got a group picture.. cris got cut off, but i figure since she was the one that i had to plead the most with for the group shot, she'll probably be thrilled...

"I keep my friends as misers do their treasure, because, of all the things granted us by wisdom, none is greater or better than friendship." Pietro Aretino, 1537

... she's a trooper...

2009-03-03T09:27:00.006-05:00

my girl is amazing.

she and i spent the night at scottish rite children's hospital last night for sara to complete a sleep study. isn't she a cutie? even with all of those wires attached to her body, she was smiling. toni, our nurse, said there were close to 30 different wires taped to her head, chest, back, and belly. there was only a brief instance of fear along with tears, and then she was super brave the remainder of the night. we didn't get much sleep because of consistent equipment failure throughout the evening, but hopefully they were able to gather the data they need.

results are back in 7 to 10 days so i'll let you know what we find out.

(oh. sorry for the poor photo quality. i'm thinking i need an iphone so that i can really capture important moments a bit more clearly. don't you agree?)

...oh the weather outside is frightful...

2009-03-01T15:44:00.005-05:00

and the fire is so delightful... and since we've no place to go... LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW LET IT SNOW

after much anticipation, we finally got some snow. we walked out of church this morning to lots of fluffy white snow falling, and by the time we drove 20 minutes north to our home there was no more white fluffy stuff falling but rainy wet snow. and basically no coverage on the ground at all. bummer for the girls :(

i did manage to get these pictures of anna katherine though. this may just be the extent of the snow we'll see this year!

today we'll be renting movies and hanging out at home. wanna come over?

... tennis anyone?...

2009-02-15T18:15:00.008-05:00

we have decided we'll be a tennis family.

well it's probably more accurate to say that I'VE decided that we will be a tennis family.

steve and i both grew up playing tennis. neither one of us have played in years, but have decided we will start playing again. there are tennis teams and mixed double matches in our neighborhood, and the moment i knew we were moving here i immediately decided we would pick this up again. we are hoping to meet some other people in our neighborhood who play. and being active is a good thing. (at least i keep reminding myself)

we bought the girls rackets for valentines day. (pink no less) if we are gonna be out there playing tennis we figured they would want to have something to do as well. i don't know if they'll fall in love with tennis, but i hope they do!

here they are posing today with their rackets. when they don't use them as guitars, maybe they'll hit a ball or two. anna katherine is already doing pretty well after only 2 days of practice! sara isn't so interested at this point...

any tennis players out there?

... a political rant...

2009-02-04T16:58:00.005-05:00

often times, smaller churches and church plants meet in local schools. in areas like mine where commercial real estate and retail space is astronomical, partnering with schools has afforded us the luxury of having a cost-effective way to gather in a community. it's a win-win because we have a somewhat inexpensive way to meet and the school gets additional money to help their budget a bit.

i just got finished reading this article about a provision in the stimulus bill. This provision bans money designated for school renovation from being spent on facilities that allow "religious worship". wow. where will that put us and other communities of faith that meet in schools? on the streets i fear. what principal in his/her right mind would give up funds for "modernization, renovation, or repair" to let a church meet in his/her school?

"President Obama's version of faith-based initiatives is to remove the faith from initiative," says Staver, who believes Obama has "a completely different view on faith" from what he said during his presidential campaign.

i was hoping that Obama would surprise me. i was hoping he was all he wanted us to believe he was. from funding abortions to penalizing religious worship, it shows me he's not. and that makes me sad. :(

...they started out strong...

2009-02-03T21:25:00.004-05:00

some days i'm just so proud of my little angels. they behave well and prefer one another. today- not so much.

... my new bff...

2009-01-29T21:47:00.010-05:00

sunscreen. because clearly my skin is no friend of the sun. my dermatologist so graciously removed 4 freckles/moles from me, and 2 of them were evaluated as "severly dysplastic nevus'"- basically moles with severe cell changes. this is the stage before they turn into melanoma.

so unfortunately for me, one of those dysplastic moles was on my jawline. when the doctor got the results back, they showed that the mole had already begun changing the healthy skin around it and the borders weren't clear (meaning she hadn't removed all of what needed to be removed.) she referred me to a surgeon, and my appointment was made.

i should have gotten a final picture of my face the way i knew it. never again would i have an unblemished, unscarred face (or jawline) again. bummer. i had no idea how much skin she would remove! steve went into the surgery with me, and he was enthralled with the procedure. he was quite the trooper! he got a disgusting photo with my camera phone during the surgery, and i'm SO tempted to post it. any of you know how i can post it by getting people to click on it only if they want to see it? it's a bit too disturbing to just post straight-out. some of you with weak stomachs would not be happy with me. (if you really wanna see it, just message me and i'll send it to you over email :))

i left her office with a gynormous bandage (see below) and was instructed to treat my wound very gently. no laughing, eating burgers (no prob), smiling, chewing gum, or doing basically anything that moves my jaw for the first 2-3 months. this area is a difficult place for a scar to heal well and the least amount of movement for the area the better. hmmm. i just might be in trouble...

DAY ONE:

(i'm really excited in this picture). they gave me flesh colored tape to cover the dressing- doesn't it make a difference? you can hardly see the mound of gauze and tape on my face.

here is the actual wound during the first week:

i'm posting a pic that's a bit like a mug shot- kind of goes with the gnarly scar, don't you think? i'm trusting there will be a dramatic improvement over time...

here is a picture at ONE WEEK:

this one was taken yesterday. it's about 2 inches and it's here to stay. ugh. it is definitely improving, though, so that's good. maybe next week (or like in one year) it will be unnoticeable! regardless, i'm choosing contentment. so there!

...the craziness of life...

2009-01-26T23:21:00.006-05:00

i'm the worst blogger EVER. i've blogged a total of 6 lousy times this month. sorry for any of you actually checking this thing often!

i've thought many a time about posting something, but i've been ridiculously busy along with being unmotivated. we've been out of town this month for 3 weddings, as well as fitting in a trip to india this month too. last week i had half my jaw chopped off in surgery to remove an area that was in the beginning stages of cancer (i have the nastiest surgery picture ever which i am extremely tempted to post), and my oldest daughter was taken to the hospital ER on friday night (by her grandfather- we were in florida!) for a staph infection on her leg. we've also kicked in high gear with the church plant, and are beginning to meet every other week as of this past sunday. we have found beautiful and convenient office space which we are working on getting set up and furnished, but we are still in need of a place for our church to launch in april. help us pray that God gives us somewhere quick!

check out our logo. isn't it fab? the font might change but the design is pretty much final. i'll be back soon with an explanation of the logo, but i need steve to remind me of a few details. especially because it's brand spankin' new and my brain is turning to mush at 11:30pm. anyone have any thoughts?

hang in there with me. i'm gonna get better, i promise. grace?

...scarf tying 101...

2009-01-17T23:07:00.004-05:00

do you have a shopping weakness? do your knees go weak looking at shoes? or do you have to avoid the purse section, knowing that you'll get yourself in trouble if you even entertain the idea of getting a new bag?

well, for me this season my weakness has been scarves. the fabulous thing about having this obsession is that scarves are CHEAP and oh-so-stylish these days. and now that i live in the artic land of georgia i figure i need to have at least 6 or 7 various styles and colors to choose from. right?? now that i have all of these scarves, i've been on a quest to figure out how the heck to wear these little gems.

i know all of you are just DYING to learn new ways to tie your scarves as well (can i get an "amen"?) well, you need to wait no more. i'm linking to a video from one of my all-time favorite bloggers today, BigMama. she's super cute and writes "fashion friday" posts each friday, which i anxiously await each week because i'm not afraid to admit i am always up for some good fashion advice! check her out, internets. and let me know your favorite way to tie your scarf.

p.s. i always tie my scarf using option 4, but i'm into incorporating option 1 after watching this video.

... welcome to this world!...

2009-01-17T16:38:00.003-05:00

... calling all bloggers!...

2009-01-15T07:05:00.004-05:00

wanna apply for the best job in the world? check out this story on fox news. if i were single, it would be a no-brainer. can't wait to see who lands it!

...we're BAAACCCKKKK.....

2009-01-14T09:05:00.005-05:00

from a whirlwind trip to visit a friend in India. it was such a short trip that we weren't even affected by jet lag! we left thursday and arrived back in atlanta last night.

our friend annie watched our girls, and she posted some amazing videos each day. she's a hoot! the girls had an awesome time with her, and although they are thrilled we are home, i'm certain they are gonna miss Nanny McAnnie. who wouldn't?

if you need a smile, check out her posts from days 1, 2, 3, 5, and the last day

... an explosion of the taste buds...

2009-01-06T21:50:00.005-05:00

if you try ONE new recipe this year, may this be the one. a little warning-- it ain't weight watcher friendly by any stretch of the imagination.

*BUT* they are to die for! one recipe made 9 pans for me... GREAT gifts and great for the freezer for guests or lazy saturday mornings.

one more warning-- it's quite an ordeal to make these. lots of waiting, etc. the entire process took me about four hours. BUT it made 9 pans and the taste was oh-so-fabulous so it was worth it!

here is the link to the recipe:

Pioneer Woman Cinnamon Rolls

i check her blog daily, and have gotten several amazing recipes from her. i've tried a handful, and all were yummy.

... for your viewing pleasure...

2009-01-05T22:38:00.009-05:00

sorry for the blog hiatus. i have to confess- i've been extremely unmotivated to blog. i'm thinking it's due to NaBloPoMo i did in november (i posted 24 times that month!)

for now, here is a video for your viewing enjoyment~~

(before you play this, scroll down and press "pause" on the gap video ad a few postings back or you'll be listening to both songs at once)

this is their duet of jingle bells-- an attempt to copy the gap merry mix it ad posted on december 15th (notice the arm motions and the phrase AK attempts "saint nick got kicks like fire")

i'll try to get back into the swing of things soon.. maybe after my trip to india on thursday...

...merry christmas!...

2008-12-25T17:34:00.004-05:00

...angels we have heard on high...

2008-12-19T10:30:00.005-05:00

sara's kindergarten readiness class performed a christmas play for the parents last night. here are a few pictures. as you can see from this first one, we had a fabulous view of our daughter.

after a few songs they realized that poor sara was hidden, and moved little lainey down a row. the lucky audience gets to see sara scratching and miserable for the next 20 minutes...

she wasn't actually miserable the ENTIRE time, just a portion. she did a great job of singing and bouncing around up there, and we grinned and laughed the entire time.

here is the final parting shot that anna katherine actually captured.

have you ever seen a larger halo? wow.

...the truth comes out...

2008-12-14T06:22:00.009-05:00

disclaimer: if you visit santa and can't wait for him to bring you gifts each year, read no further.. warning!! read no further!

anna katherine now knows that santa is not real. GASP.

well, let me clarify: she knows that saint nicholas was real and who he was, but she also knows he's dead and in heaven. and that the santa's in the mall are just pretending to be him to honor who he was. she also knows it's fun to pretend about santa, but christmas is really about jesus being born.

she's an inquisitive one, and always asking detailed questions about things. so i kind of expected this conversation to occur this year at some point, but i was hoping it wouldn't.

steve and i had been wrestling about whether or not to be honest about the whole santa thing if anna katherine pressed it. i think our main issue with the fantasy of santa is that once you find out he's not coming down your chimney, and it was really just your parents putting out gifts, christmas is never really the same again. as much as you want it to be, it just isn't! steve remembers saying to his mom at age 15, "mom, i know christmas is all about the birth of jesus, but i just have to confess that ever since i found out about santa not being real christmas has been disappointing."

and i felt the same way! as much as i wanted to celebrate and be grateful for the birth of jesus (and i was), i couldn't help secretly feeling deflated and depressed each christmas. this is the primary reason we had decided we wouldn't lie if she asked. we figure if she can have an honest picture of christmas from a young age, then it would always be a happy time where the true meaning of christmas could be celebrated. of course, it's still fun to pretend there is a santa and open some gifts on christmas morning, but the true meaning of christmas is never confused with the cultural meaning of christmas.

now are many of you shocked and disappointed? i remember years ago a guy i worked with had small kids and they knew from day 1 that there was no santa. and to be honest, i thought at the time that was absolutely terrible! i couldn't believe they didn't do the santa thing, and thought they must have been religious freaks. but now, in hindsight, i get it. now that i have kids, i get it. yes, i want my kids to be excited for christmas and yes, i think there is something incredibly "magic" about santa, but i couldn't look at anna katherine in the eyes and just lie. and i didn't want an entire season revolving around what she would GET instead of focusing on the most important gift we've ever received.

so we'll pretend about santa together. but she knows we are just pretending. and trust me- they'll be times we'll wish she didn't know- there already have been, but overall we are glad we were truthful. and hopefully this means there will never be a day that christmas turns disappointing and depressing because her entire belief system about christmas was wrong and untrue. now if i can just keep her from ratting it out to other kids....

she still looks happy, no?

...twit twit twit...

2008-12-12T22:09:00.003-05:00

so who out there twitters? i joined tonight and i need H E L P!

if you are a "twitterer", then leave me a comment and tell me this:

why do you like it?

do you think it's difficult at all? (so far it seems a bit complicated to track people down, respond to others twitters, etc.)

how do i find someone i know is on twitter if i don't have his/her email address?

pass on twittering advice internets!

... we have a name!...

2008-12-10T07:46:00.007-05:00

ok, so we are doing a church plant in the dallas/acworth area of georgia. and we've been thinking/dreaming/losing sleep about a church name for over a year. and because we now have one i thought it would be nice to let you know.. especially because i've begged you for ideas for quite some time!

here is the background and vision of the church first: (DONT read ahead!)

we are gonna be about real community. about AUTHENTIC relationships with one another- ones that go deep and don't just scratch the surface. about living lives with one another. about helping meet each others needs. about breaking away from what culture says (you're too busy to invest in that person- too busy to change your schedule or adjust your plans). "church" won't be a place we go on sunday morning, but WHO WE ARE. we will live counter culturally and will model that as best we can.

the model of the early church is shown in a verse in scripture, Acts 2:42. the new living translation's version of that verse is this:

All the believers devoted themselves to the apostle's teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord's Supper), and to prayer.

i love this! teaching, fellowship, meals, and prayer. a beautiful picture of life together in pursuit of understanding and learning more about the one who is love. a verse we want to model and embrace.

so here is the name: Vintage 242.

we are taking 242 from Acts 2:42, and chose vintage in reference to the early church. taking the old, classic, and quality from years gone by and marrying it with the new. vintage 242.

i was a bit surprised with the reactions i've gotten from the name. it seems that most long-going church attenders aren't crazy about it (especially older people), but people who don't have a tie to a denomination and people who aren't churched really embrace and love it. this is obviously a generalization, because i've had some older church folks love it, but i can almost guess the response someone will have based on their life experiences and their age.

and this is the deal-- i don't really care so much if church people like the name. because they aren't our target market. we aren't about shuffling believers around from church to church, but we want to reach the unchurched. people who don't have a family of faith yet in life. people who are looking for a place to grow and be embraced right where they are in their walk of life. and i believe that these folks are less hesitant to try out a place with a name like vintage 242 than they are a place called "first whatever (baptist, pres, methodist, etc.) of cedarcrest".

now we're working on a logo and website. good stuff! we still need a location to meet in, so if you are a person that prays, will you pray for us to find the perfect location for us?

thanks :)

... i heart good pics...

2008-12-07T22:14:00.009-05:00

we had a very cool christmas card and blog banner created by vanessa at butterflysparks. if you haven't ordered your cards yet, click on over to her site.

i'm not revealing our christmas card until christmas day, but check out our new header!

props to tyler reagin for his photography skills. he's amazing, so if you need some photos done and you live in metro atlanta, call him!

here are just a few from the shoot...

... people are SICK...

2008-12-03T10:14:00.003-05:00

does it ever end? i know i keep posting stuff like this, but i just can't get past it. story after story. and this story is minor (if that can even be said) compared to the other stuff i see each day. what the heck is wrong with people?

another question to ponder: what is our responsibility? i really would love to hear your thoughts on this!

... can anyone say "sybil"? ...

2008-12-01T23:07:00.002-05:00

this can't be good...

... i need africa...

2008-12-01T15:01:00.009-05:00

hi internets! be sure to check out the mocha club website to check out their new campaign.

when i think of africa, the follwoing images immediately come to mind: starvation. AIDS. child soldiers. genocide. sex slaves. orphans. from there, my thoughts naturally turn to how i can help, how i can make a difference. "i am needed here, " i think. "they have so little, and i have so mch." it's true, there are great tragedies playing out in africa everyday. there is often a level of suffering here that is unimaginable until you have seen it, and even then it is difficult to believe. but what is even harder is reconciling the challenges that many africans face with the joy i see in the people. it's a joy that comes from somewhere i cannot fathom, not within the framework that has been my life to this day. (read more)

... it's over...

2008-11-30T20:17:00.005-05:00

NaBloPoMo. national blog posting month. i committed to attempt to post every day in the month of november.

results? i posted 24 times. that is an 80% success ratio. hmmm. a B minus. usually i wouldn't be alright with that, but these days a B minus is like an A ++ in my book. grace to me from me, which is progress!

did it accomplish it's goal? creating a habit of blogging? i think so. i surely won't be blogging everyday from now on, but i think my average will increase. we'll see.

thanks for hanging in there with me bloggy friends! :)

and i'll be posting tomorrow for sure-- about the mocha club. see you then!

...a challenge...

2008-11-29T11:10:00.002-05:00

what 'cha think?

... thanksgiving 2008...

2008-11-28T21:52:00.014-05:00

here are a few pictures from the hambrick thanksgiving feast yesterday at the our pad.
we had enough food for 50, but there were only 11 of us including the kids. you know what that means? LEFTOVERS. yum!

the first picture is of the entire group. my mom is in the black sweater next to me, my brother victor is on the other side of me, his wife julia and daughter morgan on the chair, my aunt becky front and center, my aunt nancy and my uncle bob on the other chair. and the hambricks (that's us) interspersed of course.
(i wish you could see how awesome my mantle and fireplace look all decorated for christmas but unfortunately we are covering it)

here's a cute one of the girls... and baby alive...

last but not least, us.

after everyone left, we packed up the car and drove and hour and a half to steve's dad's house. we hung out with steve's stepbrothers and their wives and kids, had a skipbo extravaganza, and then called it a day.

... dealz...

2008-11-28T10:50:00.004-05:00

ok, so pass on the deals. have you found anything on sale today or this weekend that is an amazing deal? i'm probably a bit late in asking this, as all of the true black friday shoppers are most likely at the stores right now. pass on your finds, fellow internets!

for those of you interested in a pure digital flip camcorder (if you aren't, you should be), walmart has the 30 minute version on sale today and tomorrow for $79. this is an amazing deal because they usually sell for $150 and it's rare to find them for much less. we use ours ALL THE TIME, and the girls record videos on it daily. TOTALLY worth the investment! we paid $50 thanks to the deal of the century at dell.com, but i haven't seen a price less than $129 since.

did you get out and shop today? what awesome finds did you discover?

.... o christmas tree...

2008-11-25T20:57:00.003-05:00

today we pulled out the christmas tree. oh, yes, we are beginning the process of decorating for the holidays, even though thanksgiving hasn't even gotten here yet. normally i would never consider putting up a tree before thanksgiving - in fact, i would have thought it was silly. BUT a friend pointed out that thanksgiving is late this year (last year it was on the 22nd), so now we have a reason. i for one would like to be able to have my decorations out for one month, and if we wait until after thanksgiving this year we are basically left with 3 weeks.

so what about you? when do you usually put up the tree, and are you doing it sooner this year?

...i need africa...

2008-11-24T20:13:00.012-05:00

i was asked by mocha club to write about the concept of why 'i need africa more than africa needs me.' Mocha Club is a community-based website where members can start a team and invite friends to join them in giving $7 a month- the cost of 2 mochas- to support a project in africa. mocha club's vision is to provide a way for people who don't have hundreds or thousands of dollars to make a difference in africa. i don't know about you, but i'm one of those without thousands of dollars to make a difference. so a working, viable option like mocha club is perfect!

i need africa.... because many people there have learned to be content with less and i need to learn from them.

i need africa... because africa reminds me that the kingdom of heaven is made up of more than white middle class americans.

i need africa... because being there opens my eyes to different ways of loving jesus in community.

i need africa... because things that seem like a big deal when i'm home don't seem quite so big when i'm there.

i need africa... because i begin to appreciate things like hot water heaters, washing machines, and air conditioning, and realize they aren't a right but a gift.

i need africa... because when i'm there i become aware that success in life isn't measured by the things you attain or the ladder you climb, but how well you love others and how well you love god.

i need africa... do you?

share your thoughts in my comments. blog about it yourself. and come back december 1st to see what mocha club is doing about reforming the images we have of africa as a place to pity instead of a people to partner with.

... to cave or not to cave...

2008-11-20T22:19:00.007-05:00

these are pictures of my girlfriend's new labradoodle puppy. why am i posting the pictures? well, we are considering getting a puppy for the girls as a christmas gift. we are having a hard time deciding, and we can't seem to agree on the type of dog.

i really would LOVE a labradoodle (lab poodle mix), and steve hates anything that looks or sounds like a poodle.

there are several reasons i'm sold on this breed: 1. i grew up with labs, and they are a lab mix; 2. they don't shed (and i don't clean enough, so this is good); 3. they are hypoallergenic, and since both girls and i take allergy medicine every day it's important that our dog would not mess with the allergies; 4. they are CUTE! 5. they are bred to be a medium size or a large size (we would go with the smaller of the two)

a few reasons not to get this breed: 1. they are EXPENSIVE; 2. steve isn't sold on the whole lab poodle combination.

i've scoured the internet, and searched through rescue sites and classified ads but haven't found any available on rescue sites or puppies under $850.

what do you think? is it worth it to pay for a dog that would fit your family requirements best (allergy free, no shedding) or should we just go with the standard ole pound pup and risk it all?

remember- this dog will become part of our family for a number of years....

also, any one have connections for labradoodle puppies? especially any FREE ones? :)

... guilty pleasure du jour...

2008-11-19T20:37:00.007-05:00

3 words:

TO DIE FOR

i'm not a big chip fan. in fact, if i never had another chip EVER i would be just fine.

UNLESS i was surrounded by tostitos multigrain chips. and then it would be torture.

have you tried these yet? they are dangerous. over two days i ate an entire bag minus 2 handfuls i graciously shared with steve. yikes. i might not buy these again anytime soon, but you... you should. and eat one (or a bagful) for me.

... that tricky kroger!...

2008-11-18T22:22:00.009-05:00

i filled my minivan (gasp) up with gas at kroger today. an interesting thing has been happening when i fill up there. when i fill up, the machine always asks for a kroger plus card number or phone number. for some unexplainable reason, the last 3 or 4 times i've entered my phone number it somehow then offers me 20 CENTS OFF PER GALLON. i don't shop there for groceries, so i'm always stunned when if offers me this discount. (and for those of you without a kroger gas station, they actually already have some of the lowest gas prices in town) SURE i'll buy gas from you at $1.68 a gallon when everyone else is charging $1.88 or more. the last time i filled up it was only 30 something dollars instead of 80 something dollars i paid when gas was over 4 bucks per gallon. THAT is a huge difference! i've gotten accustomed to getting this 20 cent discount deal from kroger, so i was disappointed when i got the run-of-the-mill price today.. WHAT? no discount? ugh. looks like my fortune has run out...

what's the average price of a gallon of gas where you live?

...anticipation...

2008-11-17T22:31:00.003-05:00

which one are you looking forward to MORE?

the 24 2 hour event on november 23rd followed by 2 day 4 hour premiere on january 11th

the LOST 3 hour season premiere on january 21st?

... it's a done deal ...

2008-11-16T23:08:00.005-05:00

i'm FORTY. watch out internets- it's time for me to hit my stride.

props to my husband for my birthday blog. it will be sorely missed!

... last day of 39...

2008-11-15T23:36:00.003-05:00

so it's official. today is the last day before i turn FORTY. yep, the big 4-0. in fact, at this point i have about 24 more minutes. and i think i'm gonna be alright, lord willing.

tonight we went out in downtown atlanta for a trendy, fancy dinner and later to a sports bar with 2 of our favorite couples here in dallas- the mcwhorters and the lynchs. 4 out of the 6 of us turn 40 within 3 weeks of each other, so we went out as a joint celebration for all of us. we were all so proud that we actually drove all the way to atlanta, ate at a new, trendy spot, and stayed out later than 9 pm. who says 40 is old?? :)

...my man's 35th birthday...

2008-11-14T16:49:00.004-05:00

this video is in honor of steve's birthday today! if you don't know him, you should.

...somewhere in middle america...

2008-11-13T23:09:00.006-05:00

this week in waco afforded us the opportunity and privilege of spending time with some dear friends who live in omaha. they are all part of a team of people who planted a church together called waypoint.

matthew and his wife amanda pastor this church, and are some of our favorite people. we spent several years in omaha working along side of them in ministry and respect them emensely. another couple, jon and linda, are spiritual parents for us, and it did my soul good to be able to hang out with them and talk life. i was super sad when we left, but feel refreshed just by having the time we had with them. we miss our friends in middle america...

isn't it cool when you are able to go for long periods of time without seeing someone and you feel like you pick up right where you left off when you see them again? that's how it is with these friends. they'll be lifelong buds, and i love it. :) if you ever find yourself in omaha, be sure to check out waypoint and give our friends our best.

.... my katrillionth error this season...

2008-11-12T22:24:00.010-05:00

my power got turned off today. yep, no power. wanna know why? because the bill wasn't paid. i suppose this is my fault since i'm the one who pays the bills. i'm still shocked! this type of stuff NEVER happens to me because i am an organizational freak who is never late on a payment of any sort. if it means eating pb and j's or mac and cheese for every meal, i will get our bills paid without fail. so it came as quite a surprise today when my power was the only power on our street that wasn't working. hmmmmm.

if you recall, steve and i are in texas at a church planting conference. we are here until tomorrow, and have had a friend of ours watching the girls all week. because she had to head back to athens this morning, we had another sitter arriving this afternoon to stay tonight. she could not get in the garage because the garage door opener wasn't working. and the top secret code on the outside of the house wasn't working either. come to find out our power was off. when i called the power company i was informed that our power had intentionally been cut off. NICE. apparently our last bill was due on october 20th and hadn't been paid. and apparently if you are 3 WEEKS LATE on a payment they cut off your power and charge you a 300 dollar deposit and a 45 dollar reconnect fee. UGH. i'm surprised they didn't insist on my firstborn. they were quick to inform me this 300 dollar deposit will graciously be refunded after NINETEEN months of on-time payments. no grace, people. none. to be perfectly honest, i never recall getting a bill due in october. (i'd admit it to you if i did.) of course i shared my opinion about this atrocious policy with the power company woman, but it got me nowhere. so she charged over 500 bucks to my american express and they finally cut the power back on.

am i the only one who thinks this is a bit ridiculous? no grace at all? even with a flawless payment record up until this point? please make me feel better by telling me you've screwed up like this before also...

...a poll...

2008-11-11T21:36:00.014-05:00

first of all, i know the amount of traffic i get on this site. it's not enormous, but it's definitely enough to get some different opinions and ideas on my dilemma. i need your opinion internets, so post a comment and help me make a decision. come on friends....

here's the scenario:

you are married with a small child, and graciously volunteered to leave your husband at home and bring your little one with you to come stay with my kids for a few days while steve and i went to a conference in texas.

(wasn't that nice of you? basically leaving your life for 3 days to help a friend? i'm definitely impressed and grateful)

i would love to get your something to bless you for staying at my house with my kids. would you rather have:

1. a gift certificate to your favorite restaurant,

2. a gift certificate to get pampered at a spa,

3. an actual gift of some sort, or

4. something else?

i only have a few days to make a decision, so people let me know your thoughts! all ideas are welcome :)

...squeeking it in...

2008-11-11T00:55:00.003-05:00

lest you be concerned that i miss another day on my commitment, i am posting with 5 minutes to spare.

as you know, steve and i are in waco at a church planting conference at antioch community church. i'll reflect tomorrow a bit about what i've been processing from the conference and would love to get your feedback and opinions, but all of that will have to wait until tomorrow.

tonight i just spent the evening with kat from the secret life of kat at a local coffee shop here in town. we had never met in person before, so i was a bit nervous about meeting my blogger friend, but no worries- it was alot of fun and very comfortable. three hours later i left with a renewed spirit and a new friend.

have any of you ever met a blog friend you didn't previously know? if so, how'd it go?

...i lose...

2008-11-09T16:35:00.006-05:00

the nablopomo challenge. how could i forget to post a blog yesterday????? ugh..

for those of you who aren't familiar with national blog posting month, some of us bloggers have committed to blog every day in the month of november.. and i screwed up already. on NOVEMBER 8TH for goodness sake.. only 8 days in!

(prepare for some rationalization-- a.k.a. an excuse..... preparing???? ready?)

yesterday was the last day of the merry marketplace sale, and i didn't make it home until super late. and we had to leave at 10am this morning to head to a church planting conference in waco, texas. soooooo, after i got home from the sale last night i was scurrying around cleaning my house, washing clothes, and writing a 5 page instruction book for the incredible friend who is watching our girls while we are gone most of the week.

next thing i know i'm looking at the clock and it's 12:02... in the morning... i.e. 2 minutes past my deadline to post a blog. i thought about trying to figure out a way to rig it so that it would post for saturday, but i was too exhausted to think that hard.

just another example of my life these days-messing something up and living in the need of grace pretty much every second. i'm learning, Lord, i'm learning....

so, i'm picking myself up and starting again.. (is that dramatic enough for you? especially regarding blogging?) :)

i WILL finish this race strong. hang in there other nablopomo-ites!! i'll start commenting on your blogs the moment i can find 10 minutes to read...

... cheese muffins that will ROCK your world...

2008-11-07T22:08:00.001-05:00

one of my favorite blogs to read is the pioneer woman cooks. i tried this recipe and it was TO DIE FOR! so stinkin' easy and a huge hit with our breakfast guests...

only adjustment to the original recipe: i added a few shakes of garlic powder. i mean, come on! who doesn't love a shake of garlic?

.. my life this week...

2008-11-06T08:27:00.002-05:00

come one, come all!

... wow...

2008-11-05T23:11:00.008-05:00

yesterday our country elected barack obama as our next president. i did not vote for obama, nor am i excited that he was elected. BUT-- it is refreshing that our nation is willing to elect an african american to the highest position in our government.

my biggest concern what he has stated as his first goal as president...

check out this video

he is very clear that he "will not yield and planned parenthood will not yield." he's also very clear on what his agenda is. and it frightens me. ALOT.

if FOCA is signed and the issue of choice is made a priority, may God have mercy on our nation. in all seriousness.

...sweating it out...

2008-11-04T18:52:00.016-05:00

i went to bed last night without setting my alarm clock. and for me, when i do that i usually don't sleep very well. i find myself waking up every few hours checking my watch to make sure i don't oversleep. last night was no exception (arrrrghh), and it didn't help that i went to bed totally stressed out about the election.

my plan was to wake up at 5:45 am and then hop in the car and head to the polling place. rumors were rampant that the wait would be four or so hours today, and i wanted to knock it out as quickly as possible. since all the schools were CLOSED for students today (insane idea), i had to figure out a time to go that wouldn't mean dragging two small children with me to wait half a day in a voting line. i figured that if i arrived at 6 am, i could bring a chair and a good book and chill until the polls opened at 7 am and then drive home to relieve steve to go.

i woke at 5 am, and because i was horrified that i would fall back asleep and never wake up again, i tossed and turned until 5:45 am. i arrived by 6 am, and was back home at 7:30am. YES! i was happy with that.

the wait was actually very entertaining. i met some really neat people, and we chatted it up the entire time with no lull in conversation. we talked local real estate, children, rich people, college football and life. i was surprised to see that NOTHING political was brought up in conversation.

here's a picture of me and my buddies waiting for our turn to vote:

notice that guy in the auburn sweatshirt? of course i harassed him about his terrible team. and the cool thing was he still spoke to me afterwards..

because i have a two monkeys show at the end of the week, i was able to keep myself super busy today. this is a good thing because i've been a bit (oh let's be honest- ALOT) stressed about this election, and i'm not looking forward to sitting here all evening watching election results come in. i'm tired of having a tummy that is tied in knots. NO FUN. this is one of those days i wish i had a different personality- you know, one that is LAID back and chill. unfortunately, i've got what i've got. and it ain't laid back and chill, let me tell you.

the solution for me: i have to spend time reminding myself that God hasn't gone anywhere. and He can still move. and still encounter people. and still shake the world. and change people's minds. and choices.

besides jesus, these faces also help me refocus and give me hope for the future:

...halloween...

2008-11-03T17:19:00.004-05:00

here's an attempt to briefly summarize friday afternoon and evening... the hambrick halloween festivities..

the girls got home from school, and were excited to change into their nurse/vet/doctor scrubs for halloween. the afternoon started out with the neighborhood parade at 4:30pm (packed), and then we headed to publix for their attempt to entertain for halloween. it was a bit weak- they only had 3 small stations at the store with activities, but the girls had fun. what about smothering a sugar cookie with icing and then eating it isn't fun?

below is a picture of sara throwing rubber chickens into buckets at publix. the reward for success? a mystery decoder ring (aka orange plastic pumpkin ring). oooooohhh...

we headed home, ate dinner, and prepared for the adventure awaiting us. let me just say that our neighborhood was total CHAOS. i've never seen so many people out trick or treating EVER. i walked around with the girls and 2 other good friends and their boys (shout to karla and keirstin- two bff''s that have embraced me as a new friend). their boys are THE boys my girls talk about marrying one day.. check 'em out..

they (logan and jack) are absolutely adorable- too bad you can't tell by these photos.. their ninja gear disguises their cuteness!

steve and john (keirstin's hubby) stayed outside and handed out candy while the women took the babies around. steve attempted to bribe small children by offering them 3 pieces of candy in exchange for a reese's, but no one caved.

the final pic is of the loot my girls scored.. 129 pieces each, according to anna katherine's statistics.

now if i can just have the discipline to stay away from the sugar babies and milk duds...

.... nablopomo ...

2008-11-02T07:55:00.005-05:00

ok, so i joined NaBloPoMo. national blog posting month.

this is for people who want to set the habit of blogging by doing it everyday for a month. hear me? EVERY DAY for a month. yikes. this is a daunting task, but i've never been one to turn down a challenge. so here goes.... i will be attempting to post a blog every day in the month of november. (i already missed yesterday, but grace- i just found out about this today)

like my friend bill wrote- "chances are maybe one or two of them will be worth reading"... we can only hope...

one other thing-- if y'all don't leave a few comments here and there, i just might be tempted to give up. and i'm pretty sure you don't want to live with the knowledge that you caused me to give up... :)

any one else in for nablopomo? come on internets!

...pumpkin patchin' it...

2008-10-30T20:57:00.003-04:00

...BBRrrrr....

2008-10-28T21:22:00.013-04:00

steve surprised me yesterday with a day together sans kids as part of my birthday gift. the girls were at school, and he had a friend watch them both during the afternoon until we got home. it was incredibly refreshing to be able to spend a day alone together!

we started the morning at waffle house (mmmm, yum) and then headed north to the north georgia mountains. we hiked to the top of bell mountain in hiawassee, and actually were able to see a light covering of snow on the ground. we spread out a blanket on top of rocks and spent an hour or so observing and admiring the changing leaves. it was kind of strange... i felt like we should be having a profound conversation about life or something, but we sat and were quiet together.. it was sweet to be able to have nothing pressing to work through or discuss! it was too chilly (30 something degrees) to hang out for too long, so we stayed for a while and then headed to lunch. we ate at brasstown valley resort, and can i tell you that the experience was more than i hoped for. after lunch we relaxed next to their fireplace, and then headed to a local winery for wine tasting. the wine was the pits, but the experience itself, the house it was located in, and the property it was on was amazing.

we headed back about 3:30 and finally made it home at 6pm. one of those days that close out leaving you completely satisfied with life as you know it.

... the anniversary i don't look forward to...

2008-10-27T23:46:00.016-04:00

i'm a bit blue as i write this post because 12 years ago today my dad died. he was an amazing and remarkable man, and certainly the person who has had the biggest influence in my life. i wish i could post a few pictures of him so that you could see what he looked like (he was so handsome!), but he died before the age of digital images and i haven't scanned any of my prints yet. bummer.

my brother called me this morning, and asked me if it seems like it has been 12 years. i quickly answered "yes" because it's very apparent to me that it has been a ridiculously long time since i've heard his voice or seen his face. 12 years ago means he never met steve, didn't have the opportunity to walk me down the aisle, and he never got to see or hold his grandchildren. heck, he's about to miss my 40th birthday in 19 days. many important events have transpired without him, and that really stinks. even in the midst of missing him, i would be remiss if i didn't mention that one of the cool things about being a believer is i am confident that it's not the end of the story. i'll get to see and hug him again, and he'll hold my girls and love my husband. one day. thanks, jesus, for that confidence and gift!

...deal of the day...

2008-10-27T07:37:00.007-04:00

my last post was about my favorite websites, and i mentioned both restaurant.com and slickdeals.net...

for those of you who were enticed by restaurant.com but are waiting for a fab coupon from slickdeals, today is your day!!!

go to restaurant.com, find some new restaurants you want to try (or one's you've tried and want more of!), and add the gift certificates to your cart. apply the coupon code "TREATS" at checkout, and you are set! 25 dollar certificates cost you 2 bucks, and 10 dollar certificates cost you 60 cents!

fyi-- you have up to one year to use the certificate.

ok, so let me know what you got!!

this time i bought another couple for a sushi place i tried a few weeks back....

... my favorite sites...

2008-10-22T14:51:00.010-04:00

time to share your favorite websites!

i have a few that i have on my toolbar, and each time i get on the computer i buzz through them to see the latest.

these are the ones i check regularly (in no particular order):

1. slickdeals.net

this site is amazing, and lists all sorts of internet deals. each day and all day long they post incredible deals to be found online. i was able to get our Flip video camcorder for 50 bucks instead of 150 from Dell, and have bought lots of other random things i'm not convinced i actually need but the price was too good to pass up..and they constantly post codes for huge discounts on my next favorite site:

2. restaurant.com

this site allows you to enter a zipcode and find restaurants in and around that area that have gift certificates available to purchase at a reduced price. we use this ALL THE TIME, and are saving a ridiculous amount of money doing it. a 25 dollar gift certificate is usually 10 bucks on their site, but slickdeals posts coupon codes VERY regularly with 80% discounts off of that price. so steve and i went and ate sushi last week with a 25 dollar certificate, and paid only 2 bucks for the gift certificate (10 normal price minus the 80% discount). now THAT is some affordable sushi!

you are able to print the certificate immediately, so now waiting around for it to arrive in the mail. check it out today, and go try something new tonight!

3. etsy.com

etsy is a fabulous place to buy things handmade and unique. i bought both of the vinyl wall designs shown on my last post from two different etsy sellers, and was really pleased. i've seen some amazing jewelry i'd love to get as well, and i might buy our christmas card design/template from a seller on etsy.

4. google reader

this is the place i check all of the blogs i follow. it's VERY cool, because you are able to see in one location when the blogs you follow have new entries. i remember spending a ridiculous amount of time clicking on every blog i was following to see if there were any new posts, but no longer! google reader has given me my life back... now if i could just stop checking this site every second :)

other sites on my rotation: facebook, ebay, fox news, and ak's class website.

where are you spending your time online?

what new site do i need to add to my rotation?

...speakin' my language...

2008-10-19T23:13:00.006-04:00

according to gary chapman's book the five love languages each of us needs to feel loved, and we receive love in one of five ways.

the five love languages are:

1. words of affirmation

2. quality time

3. receiving gifts

4. acts of service

5. physical touch

i'm not convinced i've always been this way, but i am BY FAR a receiver of love by acts of service. tell me i'm great- whatever. hang out with me- fine. touch me- ok. give me gifts- i like this, but no biggie. but do an act of service and you've spoken my language!

so it was beautiful yesterday when steve gave me a full day of service as one of his birthday gifts to me... (see day 11 on this blog for details). i think it's one of the most fun days i've had in a while! we accomplished all sorts of stuff on my to-do list, and i was as happy as a child in a candy store the entire day.

here are a few pics of our progress:

muscle rack shelf put up in the basement, filled with stuff from boxes we unloaded (are you impressed that it is already a mess?)

a vinyl monogram was put on the wall over the master bed

a vinyl "family established" design was placed on the wall over the front door in the foyer

and the mirror direction was changed and sconces were hung over the living room fireplace

he also helped wash and dry dishes, and was willing to do whatever i asked whenever i asked. props to my hubby for serving me so selflessly yesterday! i absolutely LOVED it. :)

so tell us internets, what is your love language?

i would love to read at least one example of someone loving you well!

...new products...

2008-10-15T22:46:00.004-04:00

i've just brought in lots of new products for two monkeys and me. so if you have a baby shower to attend, or you have children, nieces, nephews, neighbor kids, or college football fans you need to buy christmas gifts for, then check it out!

some of the new stuff:

cool art smocks, backpacks, children's toiletry bags, children's wallets, coin purses, and sweet new baby security blankets

here's the link:

two monkeys and me

...losin' it...

2008-10-10T14:21:00.035-04:00

the past few weeks i've become a different person. or maybe it's just that my mind belongs to a different person.

for those of you who know me, you know i pride myself on doing things well. i very rarely screw anything up, and i have always multi-tasked very well. i can remember my to-do list and steve's. and yours if you need me to. if you ask me to do something, you don't need to follow up. it will be done, and done pretty much close to perfect. maybe even better than you thought it could be done.

i say all that not to brag, but to confess that a huge part of my identity is wrapped up in this. it defines me to a large degree, at least in my own mind. it leads to one of my biggest faults-- super high expectations of others and super high expectations of myself. Because i do things well, i expect close to perfect performance from others. and grace for mistakes doesn't come easily. i know it's unfair, but my natural self is drawn to this response.

so you can only imagine the mental battle that occurs when i screw something up. let me tell you, it's not pretty. the mistake basically consumes me, and i even find myself getting depressed and blue.

it seems like i mess up something or make some sort of mistake EVERY day these days.

here are just 5 examples from this week alone:

1. i typed the incorrect address on a postcard printed for a home show i'm participating in. 1000 postcards were printed with the wrong address. LOVELY.

2. i missed pediatric appointments for both girls to get their hearing and eye screening done, and their flu shots. and now we're stuck with $50 of missed appointment fees. what happened? i forgot.

3. i helped out in anna katherine's class this morning (pie making day) and forgot my camera. i ALWAYS take pictures at class celebrations or on fun activity days. i also forgot my camera for the tie-dye t-shirt making day last week.

4. we went to the school fall festival this afternoon. the girls rode rides, ate snow cones, and did all sorts of fun stuff. guess what? forgot the camera. AGAIN.

5. i cut out laminated stuff for anna katherine's class. it was all due on tuesday for a project. last night i found a handful of those cut outs buried in my purse that i didn't turn in until TODAY. 3 days past the due date.

functioning in this capacity is uncomfortable and strange. obviously i'm mentally hazy for some reason. referring to this haze, even steve commented that i'm not the person i once was. my immediate response was to become defensive but i began to reflect on that thought. who am i? what kind of pride do i take in being perfect, and is the goal of perfection an idol God wants to tear down?

maybe- just maybe- i need to change. it's not like God has a problem with things being done well, but i know God doesn't want me to define myself by what i do or don't do well. i'm sure that's not how He defines me. certainly i need to be able to offer grace freely to others and to myself when mistakes happen. i know He's teaching me, and i don't want to miss the lesson. so i'm listening. and learning how to love people better. and offer grace to myself. and them. and hopefully they'll offer grace to me as well. especially in this season of imperfection!

...undone...

2008-10-08T09:21:00.002-04:00

C- R- Y- I- N- G

my husband is amazing.. check out my birthday gift...

randels40th.blogspot.com

...12 shopping weeks left...

2008-10-07T10:46:00.010-04:00

so today's question for you:

how much STUFF do you get your kids (and others) for christmas?

i REALLY want you to answer this for me, because i struggle with this question. i need a solution.

my kids will be 4 1/2 and 6 years old this christmas, so they'll be very aware of who's getting what (in our house and in their friends homes.) up until now we haven't done too much, and we haven't felt like we "needed" to. reasons?

1. their grandparents get them a lot.

2. we don't have the money.

3. we don't want to promote consumerism and materialism.

4. the focus is on jesus, not more stuff for us.

with all of that said, i think it's difficult to keep a reign on spending. it seems no one else does, so it's easy to get caught up in the mess of it. and to be completely honest, i really enjoy buying pajamas, purses, and other odds and ends for the girls they don't usually get during the year.

i have one friend that gives three presents to her daughter. these gifts are symbolic of the gifts from the 3 wise men. that's it. three gifts. i'm strongly considering adopting this idea, and think this is an excellent tradition to pass down.

here's an excerpt from a blog i wrote last december:

the national retail federation estimates that americans spent 457.4 BILLION DOLLARS at christmas in 2006. just 10 of those billion if put towards bringing clean water across the globe would solve the water crisis. 18 of those billion would bring food to every hungry child and adult on the planet. can you imagine if we began to look outside of ourselves during this season? what if we gave sacrificially to those truly in need, to show the love of jesus to those who are the least of these in our communities and around the world?
here's an excerpt from the website adventconspiracy.org:
"part of saying "yes" to Jesus means that we say "no" to over-spending. we say "no" to overconsumption. we say "no" to those things so we can create space to say "yes" to jesus and his reign in our lives. after the holidays we work for months to get out of debt, only to find that the presents we bought in the name of Christ furthered a consumerist mentality in us and our children and took our focus off of the greatness of Jesus. as Christ-followers, the advent conspiracy starts with us resisting a culture that tells us what to buy, wear and spend with no regard to bringing glory to jesus."

that sums up the struggle. would i like to spoil the girls and steve christmas morning? yes. for sure. but is it the right thing? certainly not.

those of us who are believers are called to live differently. and sometimes it's difficult. here's an occasion it is a bit difficult to live differently.

i'm looking for a solution i can get behind and live with every year. a plan.

if any of you have resolution or thoughts, please share it with us. let's discuss!

...someone figure it out already!...

2008-10-04T22:12:00.007-04:00

anyone read this article today? thoughts?

my only non-negotiable is organic milk, specifically for my girls...

...memories light the corners of my mind...

2008-10-04T16:19:00.010-04:00

the tahoe girls trip was incredible! it was action packed, and i loved every minute. it was really nice to be able to spend five days with girlfriends i have loved for the last 22 years. we've been through thick and thin together, and those friendships are invaluable to me.

we went hiking each day...

ate AMAZING food at AMAZING restaurants...

went on a sunset cruise on the lake...

relaxed at a spa...

picniked on top of a mountain...

and challenged ourselves on a high ropes course.

i am especially proud of conquering the high ropes course. i had something to prove to myself, and i did it that day. (i suppose i'm struggling a bit with turning 40 next month!!)

here is a picture of me reaching the top of a 60 foot rope tube.

here is one taken after i climbed a pole and had to stand up on the top and jump to a trapeze. i think this feat might have been the most scary, and only 2 of us actually had the nerve to do it. the picture doesn't do it justice- it makes the pole look short. it was much scarier than it looks!

3 of us made it up this pine tree, which was a 100 foot climb on staples. scary ain't even the word.. this is my friend audra, and this picture shows her about 1/3 of the way up...

one last picture of the course...

invigorating! i strongly suggest a high ropes course if you ever get the chance.

my girls and steve did great while i was gone, and when it was time to return i was ready to get back. but i will never forget this trip, and will remember it fondly. it was totally worth those three pounds i gained...

...rama jama yellow hammer...

2008-09-29T19:59:00.008-04:00

give 'em hell alabama....

so this weekend was the georgia vs. alabama game in athens. and we went. we've been wanting to go to this game for over a year now, and i even planned my tahoe girls trip around it. steve graduated from georgia, and i graduated from alabama. we've always had a bit of a rivalry regarding these teams, but to be honest, i really haven't cared too much about who won the game. (i know, i'm a terrible fan). the truth is steve is such a die-hard fan that i've learned it's probably better for georgia to win because he actually cares. ALOT. that's the kind of wife i am.

but this year- well, this year is different. alabama is actually really good for the first time in years, so my affection for this team has been rekindled. go ahead and call me a fair-weathered fan- it's probably true. regardless, i care now. at least for this season. i think alabama actually has a shot at having a remarkable season if they can just keep it together.

so we went to the game, 3 georgia diehards and i. they made me wear black (how DARE them), but i was ok with it because i realized that it allowed me the ability to scream for alabama in the georgia section of the stands, and no one would know who to throw the drink at. i can be tricky that way.

anyway, we kicked their butts. and everyone in my section of the stands was miserable. i, on the other hand, had an embarrassing grin on my face i couldn't shake for the rest of the night. to my credit, i kept my mouth shut. well, most of the time. my people were so distraught they even made us leave the game early. final score: 41 to 30. and that in no way shows the undeniable butt whooping alabama gave georgia.

here are a two pics of the girls on game day...

...pump feeding frenzy...

2008-09-29T17:20:00.016-04:00

there has been a bit of fear creeping in for many of us living in georgia. (at least those living in the metro atlanta area).. and what is causing this? petro. more specifically the lack thereof. gas is almost impossible to find! we are all trying to figure out what extracurricular activity we can cut out so that we'll have enough gas to go to work or take the kids to school. sunday pleasure driving no more.

yesterday i passed one BP gas station charging $4.39 per gallon for unleaded. (most stations are around $3.97). can you say GOUGE? i'm certain it was because they had no competition. cars were lined up a quarter of a mile down the road. i'm happy to say that most of the stations around here aren't taking advantage of our desperate situation by putting an exorbitant price on their supply.

i passed over 20 empty gas stations today in my search for gasoline. i finally found some at a superwalmart, and the line was over 40 cars long. what did i do? the only thing i could do... WAIT. and pray that the lines didn't run dry before i made it to the front. (made me thankful for the plethora of laminated puzzle pieces i needed to cut out for anna katherine's class- - the 30 minute wait just FLEW by...)

what is the gas supply like where you live? is this lack of gas even on your radar screen?

...check ya later...

2008-09-17T21:45:00.012-04:00

hey internets! the big day is tomorrow. i'm hitching a ride with delta to lake tahoe!

7 girlfriends and i are going on a mini-vacation to celebrate our 40th birthdays, and the celebration starts tomorrow and lasts until tuesday. these girls have been my friends for 22 years (back to the university of alabama days), and we've stuck together through much joy and pain-- marriages, births, divorces, and deaths.

on the agenda for the weekend:

sleeping late, hiking, defying death on a high ropes course, spa time, yummy restaurants, and a sunset cocktail cruise.... sounds oh so fab...

we're out to prove that 40 never looked and felt so good! i'll be back next week with pictures...

... needin' me some tech savviness...

2008-09-12T14:14:00.007-04:00

it's time for a new wireless router. our d-link is the pits, and our computers stall out online about once each 30 seconds. VERY annoying.

i've been researching wireless routers, and i'm confused. i need a new router, and i'm tired giving a blank stare at my options.

do i need a wireless N router, or will the less expensive G be just as good? will my macbook pro and steve's powerbook even work with N capabilities, and if i buy the N will we have to buy an adapter card? (have i lost you other clueless peeps like me?)

too much info. just someone tell me what to do, please. and if you could send the brand, model number, and cheapest place to get it, that would be helpful. :)

(i have a feeling my comments for this post might be slim.....)

what are the things you wish you understood more and had some skillz in?

another one for me--- photography.

...find extraordinaire...

2008-09-08T20:49:00.031-04:00

so today we'll be chatting about product. hair product that is...

(apologies to my internets who are uninterested men or those ladies with naturally fabulous hair with no need for product- you can go ahead and SNORE through this post... we women folk like to pass on our good finds in this department, so give me a little grace!)

which lady among us doesn't have a cabinet full of oh so promising hair product that ended up not living up to expectations? and which of us would go to the ends of the earth to find something to transform our lackluster do into sheer sassiness? look no further friends. i have found something oh so fabulous! i assure you that you'll be pleased.

my new hairstylist suggested i try this, and i hesitated. how many times have i fallen into that trap before? being convinced to try the next, great product only to shuck out 20 bucks and have marginal results. well, i waited two weeks and then bought some. and i confess i washed and dried on saturday night with great doubt..

i tell you friends my hair has been transformed! let me introduce you to my new hero: Matrix Sleek.look. they have an entire line, but my investment was but three products. i bought the shampoo, the blow-down lite lotion, and the iron smoother (for use with a flat iron). each averaged 15 bucks. can you say soft, smooth, and HOTT? you might not even recognize me when you see me next time.

run out NOW, you women troubled by the frizzy's- wanting sleek, straight, and enormously sexy hair- and buy you some matrix sleek.look product! i actually bought mine at ulta, but found it at the hair salon at superwalmart (gasp) today for super cheap.

any products you'd lie down on the tracks for? i think i've found mine. pass yours on sista!