Red and Pink Week {2013}

Willow joined me for some RED and PINK fun this week!!

 

 

The Fusion girls got their first taste of RED and PINK! 

They did a lovely job, if you ask me!!

XALT. lol! I guess Black's the new RED and PINK for most of these girls!

Love this girl and her enthusiasm for theme outfits!!

To Kill a Mockingbird starring a Fusion student as Jem.

He rocked it!!

The entire play was amazing though!

I seriously feel blessed that we live in a town that loves theater!

It's one of my faves!!

 

Chase's sister gave me this scarf and it's too cute.

"Thank you" if you're reading!! 

Oh! Winter Jam, how you wear me out!

You provided some good entertainment and

quality time with TSM students so...

I'll let it slide this time!

But seriously, the one day it snows in NC! C'MON!!

 

MY VALENTINE~THIS CREATIVE BEING

Alycia over at the Crowley Party and a few other bloggers are hosting a Valentines Blogger Party!!

Of course, with my love of Valentine's Day and parties I could not pass up such a fun opportunity.  I emailed my name and blog info in and I was randomly matched with Sam from this creative being.  

WOW!! What an amazing lady?! Not only is she a clever blogger but a mom of FOUR, a wife, an artist, and a journal-er.  Well it's actually JournalArt! Sam's art is inspired and inspiring.  She has taught art in the school system and loved sharing her knowledge with youngsters because art is so important to pass on. Even though she has a passion for visual art, it doesn't take long to see that she's no stranger to literary art as well.  I started my blog with the intention of posting book reviews and having dialogue with others about books and literature so I was so excited to learn that Sam loves words too!! I look forward to continuing to read her blog and seeing her perspective of the world.

I'm awful with pictures of items so I decided to have Chase record this! Oh my! Afterward I regretted that decision. Toward the end of the video I get a crazy case of the blinks so be warned.  Also, Thank you Chase for being a good sport!

 

The journal excited me so much because it was a way of Sam passing on a little bit of herself to me...who knows maybe this bad-stick-figure-artist will give journal art a go!!

SAM, THANK YOU SO MUCH! I LOVED EVERY GIFT AND CAN'T WAIT TO TRY IT ALL!

everyone, make sure to visit this creative being sometime soon!

p.s. I hope you're all wearing some red and pink this week!

spread the love

Roses are Red, Families are True Blue

This weekend we met my family in southern Ohio at my Grandma's house. 

It was SO good to see them for the first time since Christmas. 

We saw everyone...not only my family but Grandma, Aunt, and Cousins. Talk about fun!!

We ended up seeing Chase's sister and her husband too! 

They were amazing hosts and terrific company.

 

This is awful but since I didn't blog a lot in the Fall, I have an introduction to make... 

My little nephew!! He's so sweet!! 

If you couldn't tell WE LOVE BEING AUNTIES!!

 

He has grown way too much already but he just gets cuter and cuter!

Now he's making little baby noises and smiling but he's still small enough to like being held. 

For the first time in four years my sister and I saw each other during RED & PINK week!! 

(We're Valentine's Day enthusiasts so we wear red or pink all week!) 

Our mom and sister-in-law joined us this year!! 

It was amazing to start off the week actually being together.

There isn't a lot of face time for the fellas in these pictures

but much love to my dad, brother, and Chase too!!

Eats of the Week

Chase, so generously, offered to make brownies for a Superbowl party. As we were getting ready to leave he said, "we're never buying Aldi brownies again. Brownies are supposed to be flaky on top and these are fluffy like a cake. I even tried to flatten them down with my oven mitt!"
Having more faith in Aldi brand than my husband's cooking I asked, "well did you make the cake that was in the cabinet?" Checking the cabinet we found the brownie box quietly untouched!! LOL!!
He made one delicious cake...even though his heart was set in brownies, poor fella.

P.S. I love how loyal he is...still sporting the Brown's gear!

Monday at work we had a SOUPerbowl party. Over the past three years this has become one of my favorite school days. I always get to see some different faces when we potluck. It's nice to see how some of the other teachers are doing and chat with them. Plus these ladies know a thing or two about soup! I tried the Taco Soup and a Cream Cheese Chicken Chili. Our wonderful PTA made the goodies...red velvet cupcakes-yum!!

After mastering self-control over my Sweet Frog addiction by not going at all in January I have returned to fro-yo. It will have to be on a more limited basis than before...but gosh it's just so good! I shared Sweet Frog with two friends from church who also are amazing volunteers at Xalt!! We had a blast be-bopping along to some Jamie Grace and chatting about life.

Times with friends and good food cannot be beat!

Shop and Drop

This weekend was our Annual Shop and Drop event where the girls (obviously) go shopping and the boys (implied) drop each other AKA play video games and have air soft wars!!

It is neat to see the different personality of the group each year. The first year our night was defined by getting ice cream. My group included to very sweet sisters who now volunteer with the student ministry. The following year, we spent a majority of the time in Clair's as well as trying on fancy dresses. Last year, the girls chose Bass Pro Shop as their destination of choice.

That's the fun thing about student ministry the personality grows and evolves every year. So this year we just had a chill window shopping vibe. Of course, we did buy some things, I mean we are girls!!

Improv Class

Chase and I attended our first improv class on Sunday with the Charlotte Comedy Theater. Taking these classes has been Chase's dream since he moved down to NC in 2009. We have been to a few shows of the improv team and enjoy it every time. So here we go trying it out for ourselves!!

We car picnicked to make sure we made it there on time! lol!

The class was surprisingly big, 19 people were there.  Everyone was over 18, of course, but acting like kids on a playground...perfect for Chase and I, that's how we act every Wednesday night at Fusion.  We played some super fun warm-ups including one called Samurai.  

Samurai

The "it" person had to run to someone and slice them with their fake sword, the victim screamed in agony while drawing their sword upward in defense.  However, while their sword was up the people on either side of them swung devastating blows to that same victims mid section.  The victim then became the "it" person and started the cycle all over again.  Did I mention each person had to scream war cries the whole time? Sounds like a fun student ministry game, if you ask me!!

This first class had the emphasis of knowing that we do not have to try to be funny, just simply be yourself and funny will come! I liked that about it. 

We also learned A LOT about teamwork: 

• being there for one another 
• taking one for the team (looking stupid for several minutes or simply saying "the")
• playing off another teammate's idea or character 

The trainer talked about how when you learn improv, you retrain your brain to use the left and right sides at the same time.  How cool?! While looking like crazy people we are becoming smarter!! AH!

Let me know if you've ever done a class or club similar to this.

Tell me about your experience. 

Contrast

Ever since the orangy/tan colored boots became popular I have been dying to have some.

I'm not sure what it is about this look but I.Love.It. 

I've seen many girls wear their light brown boots with a black outfit and at first I wasn't a fan

but then it started growing on me.

It's kind of rebellious to wear brown and black together.

And I love it!!

Chase bought the boots for me for Christmas, they are from Rack Room Shoes

it's like a Shoe Dept. kind of place.

(Funny Fact: Chase refers to it as Shoe Depot instead of Shoe Department!! LOL)

The outfit would not tie together without the belt, which I found at Target on clearance. Score!

So there you have the brown elements.

All that's left is to find black tights with a black dress or black skinny jeans with a black top.

The key to the outfit is that the top has to be paired with a skinny belt. 

Maybe a blousy button up or a classic v-neck with a cardigan.

The contrast of the black and light brown look so classic. 

This outfit looks nice but is also comfortable! See, I even drove a bus route while wearing it!!

 I hope you all stay safe whatever the weather brings. 

Operation Retro {3}

I found this dress at J.C. Penney last fall for under $10.  I love a clearance sale! 

My jacket is from so long ago I honestly don't remember where my mom found it.  

I actually have two that are this similar style that I was pumped to find when I got out my winter clothes because of how well they fit with this retro theme.

The shoes were a peculiar and surprising find.  

The Salisbury Wal-Mart had them which if you've been there you'll know they have a terrible shoe selection compared with other Wal-Mart stores so they were a happy surprise on my grocery trip.

Check out my past retro outfits here and here

I'm sorry these pictures are slightly blurry. Not sure why?

#TOC2013

Willow and I sported orange today to support The Orange Campaign. I also received a few texts from family members who joined the cause too! Thank you for reading and getting involved.

A good friend of mine posted a verse on the fb concerning our responsibility for the victims of Human Trafficking and I wanted to share it.

Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter— when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood? (Isaiah 58:6, 7 NIV).

The Orange Campaign

A friend of mine with a fantastic blog posted a few weeks ago about The Orange Campaign...

And I wanted to share the awesome thing they are doing and encourage anyone to get involved too!!

Redeem the Shadows is a non profit organization that fights modern day slavery better known as Sex Trafficking.  The big event they have planned is all about awareness.  As we start to become more aware of the injustice and REALITY of human sex trafficking we will also start to care more and cause more people to care.  The Orange Campaign strives to spread awareness by asking everyone to wear ORANGE on Friday January 11th.  This small step may not seem like a lot but our wearing orange could give human sex trafficking the attention it needs for someone to notice who has a great idea, a powerful voice, or tons of money so that gains can be made for just one boy or girl to be spared from this life.   

Join with the movement and wear Orange to show your support. You can also change your Facebook cover to the "Stop the Traffic" cover or change your profile picture to an image of you wearing orange.
Use your social media to spread awareness for the cause hashtag #TOC2013
  
Visit the sites to find out all the ways you can get involved:

http://www.theorangecampaign.com/
http://www.redeemtheshadows.com/

If you remember Red and Pink week from last year, you'll know I'm all about some themed wardrobe especially when it comes with a meaningful cause so join me Friday by wearing orange.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

I read the final two books in the Harry Potter series in record time (for me).  At the end of last August I was scheduled to start taking classes for my master's.  At the end of July I decided my main goal for the rest of the summer was to finish book 6 before my classes started.  Luckily, we went on vacation at the beach which is like reading heaven.  I actually ended up finishing book 6 at the beach so I decided why not try to finish the whole series?  Once I had the final book I read and read.  It actually ended up taking me until Labor Day but still I finished both books in about a month!!! That's good stuff when you read like molasses.  However, in my rush to finish the books I neglected my book review post...until NOW!!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince 

Fave Scene: Dumbledore and Harry take a journey to find a piece of Voldemort that will help defeat him.  The entire book is leading up to this moment.  It's dark and late in the scene.  They travel to a cave along the side of a cliff with waves crashing up from the sea beneath it.  An eery setting foreshadows the dark magic inside the cave which only gets worse as their time inside the cave lasts longer. 

Fave Character: Dumbledore. I know, I know this seems pretty obvious but he is a great professor and headmaster.  Not only does Dumbledore think out-side of the box when it comes to running Hogwarts but he loves each student and thinks the best of people.  Dumbledore trusts the students and strives to create an environment for them to self-teach.  Learning happens in all forms and avenues at Hogwarts, and Dumbledore likes it that way. 
Even though, Severus Snape (the professor who hates Harry) seems awfully sketchy ALL of the time, Dumbledore still trusts him because Snape says he is trustworthy.  By the end of the book, you want to kill Dumbledore for still trusting him.  Dumbledore invests so much time in Harry and other people who don't seem worth it.  I know it's a character but isn't that what life is all about, investing time in others!

Dumbledore and Harry preparing to use the Pensieve.

Fave Magical Item: The Pensieve. The stone basin holds memories and offers a way for one to look back on memories their mind may have become too full to remember.  Dumbledore takes Harry under his wing for regular meetings, in an attempt to help him learn as much about Lord Voldemort's past as possible.  Memories can already be in the Pensieve or one can add a memory to it.  To review the memory, one must look into the Pensieve and lean over it.  This allows them to enter the memories in a non-obtrusive kind of way.  The on-looker, is just that, they can see the memory taking place but cannot become involved in the events or be seen by the people in the memory. 

I have always loved flashbacks in books and movies.  The Pensieve basically offers several flashbacks throughout the book, which I also enjoyed because I love to learn more about a person's or character's background.  The memories helped piece together Lord Voldemort's past, and shed a light on why he is the way he is.