Best Trade Ever!

I traded 40 Soy Joy bars for this fish print. Bo and I went and had it framed last night and it looks great hanging over our bed. My friend Lizzie painted it. She is such a wonderful artist. Bo and I are both amazed by her talent. I'll be on the look out for more Soy Joys so I can make a few more trades.

Christmas Wish List

Okay, I'm like a little kid when it comes to Christmas. I love to think of all the wonderful things that could be sitting under the tree on Christmas morning and I also love to think of wonderful gifts for my family and friends. Christmas is one of the most wonderful times of the year.

I have started to leave clues for Bo on different things I would like for Christmas. Bo and I are different than most couples our age because we have no children. So we are able to buy ourselves more extravagent gifts.

I have found this years wish list diverse and interesting:

First off I really want a Food Saver from QVC. How much fun would this be to help keep all my good deals on meat freezer safe for up to 6 months. I'm really hesitant on asking for this because I really don't know how much more room I have in my kitchen. So maybe I need to ask for a bigger kitchen and then a bigger house. See this could get out of hand pretty quickly. Man, QVC really has me sold on this. I remember my aunt having one of these when they first came out and I made hair bows with it. Now that seems like such an odd craft project.

The second thing I'm thiking about is something I always said that I didn't want an embroidery machine. I thought this especially when everyone and there sister had one. But now I think it would be a good thing to have and it would add to some of my sewing projects. I also think that this could wait until I have kids, but again this could be a lot of fun.

I love my PRISMA Color pencils so much that I want the PRISMA Color markers. I have a few and they are so much fun to work with. I seem to keep on drawing a picture of Bo in an Andy Warhol style over and over again. By the way I love Andy Warhol art making the ordinary look extra ordinary is an amazing task. In no way am I comparing myself to Andy Warhol, but I would love to see what I could do with these markers.

I have a great camcorder that Bo's parents gave us several years ago for Christmas and I love it. Bo and I have a tradition that when we go on vacation we interview each other at the end each night of our trip about what we liked and disliked the most about it. It has been so much fun to have, but I am really interested in the Flip because Bo comes up with these songs that are just amazing and crazy. (Two nights ago he came up with a new Thanksgiving song.) By the time I could get the camcorder out he forgets them. I love the idea of caring the Flip around in my purse along with my camera so they could be ready at a moments notice.

How cool is this bike!!! Bo and I went to Academy Sports the other day and I just feel in love with this bike. I mean who doesn't want to see a 32 year old, over weight woman ride down the road on a pink bicycle. I know I would have to stop and take a double take if I saw it. This would be the coolest thing under the tree. Sadly, I have been told that we do not have enough room for it in our storage building. So unless I get the bigger house I won't be able to get it. I would look so good ridding this bike.

So there it is my Christmas wish list. Will I get anything from this list? I don't know. Will I get it all? No, but then there is always next year and more things to add to my list. Will this be my final list? Probably not. I'm sure I'll take things off and put new things on until Christmas. Again, I'm just like a little kid.

Scratch Beginnings

I finished another book. This one took me a little longer to read because I had to take a week off from reading it to digest it all. This is an excellent book about how you can live the American dream when starting out with nothing. I think this book really stresses the attitude it takes to make this dream attainable. This book reinforced that hard work and determination are needed to live the American dream and that apathy will keep a person from going anywhere. I think this book would be a good one to give to a person who seems lost or searching for a way to go in life. This story is very inspirational. Even though this lifestyle was an experiment for Adam Shepard many people live this life not as a experiment, but as the only way of life they have. This book made me think more about the people who have started out with nothing and have moved up the ladder. What amazing stories each of them much have to tell. If anything this book has reinforced my idea of hope in the American Dream if only if could have brought back my hope in the American People as a whole.

The following information about the book was taken from the Books-A-Million website:

Adam Shepard graduated from college in the summer of 2006 feeling disillusioned by the apathy he saw around him and incensed after reading Barbara Ehnrenreich's famous works "Nickel and Dimed" and "Bait and Switch"--books that gave him a feeling of hopelessness over the state of the working class in America. Eager to see if he could make something out of nothing, he set out to prove wrong Ehrenreich's theory that those who start at the bottom stay at the bottom, and to see if the American Dream can still be a reality.
Shepard's plan was simple. Carrying only a sleeping bag, the clothes on his back, and $25 in cash, and restricted from using previous contacts or relying on his college education, he set out for a randomly selected city with one objective: work his way out of homelessness and into a life that would give him the opportunity for success. His goal was to have, after one year, $2,500, a working automobile, and a furnished apartment.
But from the start, things didn't go as smoothly as Shepard had planned. Working his way up from a Charleston, South Carolina homeless shelter proved to be more difficult than he anticipated, with pressure to take low-paying, exploitive jobs from labor companies, and a job market that didn't respond with enthusiasm to homeless applicants. Shepard even began donating plasma to make fast cash. To his surprise, he found himself depending most on fellow shelter residents for inspiration and advice.
Earnest, passionate, and hard to put down, "Scratch Beginnings" is a story that will not only inspire readers, but will also remind them that success can come to anyone who is willing to work hard--and that America is still one of the most hopeful and inspiring countries in the world.

Coincident?

I don't usually talk about God or religion on my blog, but for once I'm going to change that. You can ignore this post now if you would like. Bo and I are participating in a Bible study at Church. Actually, we haven't been very good at keeping up with the reading, but the discussions have been amazing.
So this is my story on seeing God in the little things:
On Friday night Bo had a headache and needed two Advil. The only ones we could find were in my purse so he took the last two we had. On Saturday morning he insisted on going to get more just in case he needed them, even though his headache was gone.
Saturday afternoon as I was leaving our tailgating area to go with some friends I saw Bo come out of the building with the bathrooms. I stopped my group and told them I needed to go see him. I gave him his sunglasses and made sure he had everything he needed. As I went to walk away he asked for the Advil. I told him to put it in his shirt pocket, but he said no he needed to put them in his pants pocket because otherwise he would forget about them. I thought that was the end of the Advil.
When we were riding home that night he told me that he took a bathroom break during the game and there was a guy in there that looked like he was hurting. Bo asked what was wrong. They guy responded that he had a headache. Bo, who never remembers anything, said, "Hey, I have some Advil if you would like it." The guy was glad to take it and I'm sure it made is his night a lot better.
Bo and I both believe that this was more than just a coincidence, and a reminder that God even takes care of the little things in life.

Firecracker Shrimp

Okay, so I don't usually tell you about a meal that we made from a box of frozen food, but this firecracker shrimp was so good I just had had to tell you about. It is made by Seapak, but is very comparable to Bang Bang shrimp by Bone Fish. I will definitely buy these firecracker shrimp they are a lot cheaper than going to Bone fish, but give me the flavor I'm looking for. Next time I have them I will put them on top of lettuce just like pictured on the box. In no way was I compensated for this post.

Another Football Weekend

Bo and I went to the Alabama game again this weekend.

While we were there two students had this tall bicycle.

They would charge $1.00 for an opportunity to ride it.

Several people paid to ride it.

Most of them feel off the bike and injured themselves.

I guess some people just don't learn from others peoples mistake.

Pumpkin Carving

Okay Blogger is totally Messed up tonight. This is the final product and you can see how we got here you can read on.

I got to cut the top off of our pumpkin, but the rest I let Bo do.

He even got to scrap out the guts of the pumpkin.

I know I should have saved the seeds, but they just went into the trash.

Not the most green thing to do.

The final cuts and the final piece is out of its mouth.

Wordless Wednesday

We have a new friend in the backyard.

Fall Decorating

Tonight, I plan to decorate for Halloween and Fall.

The last couple of years I really haven't had time to decorate.

This year Bo really wanted to. So we are taking the time to make our house festive.

Pumpkin Picking

Bo and I picked our pumpkin tonight at Publix.

I hope to carve it later in the week.

Alabama v. South Carolina

Yesterday, I went to my first Alabama home game. I loved the tailgating, the game was okay, but Bo really wanted me to go.

It was really really cold and it seemed to get colder by the end of the evening. My face is so windburned today.
We sat on the first row of the upper decks. They were great seats except if you looked over the rail.

Bo and his cousin enjoying the game.

This building cost a $1.00 to get into, but it is the best $1.00 you could spend because you get your hand stamped and can come back in and use the restrooms as many times as you could before they closed. The price for indoor plumbing is priceless.

This is just a ton of meat someone was cooking.

This guy had to be cold and I don't really think the socks are helping him stay warm because he has shorts on. How crazy?

Bo and I had a lot of fun and hope to do it again soon.

Snuggie

I did it I bought the Snuggie pattern.
I'm going to pick out my fabric next time fleece is on sale.

I want something different.

Why else would I make a Snuggie instead of buying one.

Memory

Last night, I had a great idea for a post, but now I have forgotten what it was about. So if it comes to me I'll let you know.

Crazy Art

For my birthday Bo got me this amazing set of colored pencils. I haven't had a chance to use them yet. They have sat there for almost a month wanting me to use them.
Last night I used my pencils to draw this.

Tonight I used some sharpies to draw this pictures of Bo.

I'm going to redo Bo's picture he doesn't like that I made his crows feet look like a scar. The orange also makes him look like an Oompa-Loompa.

Columbus Day

So yesterday was Columbus Day and I celebrated the best way I knew how - I cleaned out my closet. I may not have discovered the new world, but I did find several articles of clothing that must go.

Because it was Columbus Day Bo and I continued our discussion that has gone over several weeks. He says that historically Columbus was a failure because he did not reach his stated goal of finding a route to the Indies. I on the other hand think that if I was the kind of failure that Columbus was I would be pretty happy with myself. Even though he didn't discover his route to the Indies he did discover the New World and made it widely know to most of Europe. (I know that it had been discovered before Columbus. Columbus just had better PR.) I doubt anybody is going to remember my name some 500 years after my death. To many other things have been discovered or invented acidentally while searching for what was thought to be the correct goal. Do we call these people failures? No we praise them for what they found! I don't care if Columbus accidentally found the new world or if he wasn't even the first to find it. I'm still going to celebrate Columbus Day.

So what do you think was Columbus a Failure?

Alabama National Fair

Tonight Bo and I decided to go to the fair. As always it was a lot of fun.

The dress I entered won second place.

Needless to say I was disappointed, but there is always next year.

I couldn't go to the fair without playing some fair games.

I didn't win a prize, but I didn't feel like I was cheated either.

I don't what I would do with an extra large stuffed animal anyway.

I enjoyed my Carmel apple with peanuts.

I love these and could eat them until I was sick in my stomach.

Then we watched the racing pigs.

Bo was selected to participate in the Chunk-N-Dale Dancers. This is him dancing.

I wish I could have taken a better pictures, but I was having so much fun seeing him dance in front of 200 people.

Then finally the diving pigs.

Bo got a bumper sticker for participating. It says pot bellies have more fun.

Then we went to the petting zoo and feed the baby goats.

I loved our night of old fashioned, clean, family fun at the fair.

Surprise

Last Peppers of the Season

I have no clue what to do with them. Any ideas?

Happy

My new garden gnomes make me happy!

And they were only $0.10 a piece.

What could be better?

New Blog to Follow

My friend Kandi, who I made the graduation dress for, has a new blog. She is writing about being a vegetarian. Check it out.

The Traveler's Gift

I don't really seem to be sewing much lately, but I have been reading a ton. I love to read and always have, but lately I seem to finish one book and within the hour I have started another one. Almost like I'm searching for something, but I don't know what I'm looking for and the books I'm reading don't really seemed to linked to each other. So as of right now I'll continue to read and enjoy my time with my books.

Last night I finished The Traveler's Gift. I have to admit I wasn't to keen on reading this book, but I did at the insistence of my boss. I did enjoy this book, but it seemed to take me longer to read than most books of this size. It was almost like I had to digest what was said in each chapter. The main character of David Ponder could be anyone, especially during this trying economic time. (As a side note I find it interesting that this book is coming out in paperback right now.) He is having both a financial and personnal crisis and he travels in time to meet leaders from the past to find out what made them great. He caries this wisdom with him to help him become a great leader. I would highly recommend this book to a recent graduate.

From Amazon.com:

Christian author and motivational speaker Andrews effectively combines self-help with fiction to catch readers' interest, sustaining momentum while simultaneously passing on instructions for positive thinking. With his can-do style, Andrews (Storms of Perfection; Tales from Sawyerton Springs) tells the allegorical tragedy of one David Ponder, whose woes begin when he loses his job, his confidence and essentially his drive for living. After a succession of losses, Ponder is rendered unconscious after a car accident, and is magically transported into seven key points in history. At each stopping point, he is met by historical figures such as Abraham Lincoln, Anne Frank, King Solomon, Harry Truman and Christopher Columbus, each of whom imparts one of the seven key decisions that Andrews asserts are essential for personal success. After his travel through time, Ponder regains consciousness in a hospital and discovers he is holding letters given to him by the various heroes. The letters offer familiar self-help counsel: accept that the buck stops with you, become a wisdom seeker and a person of action, determine to be happy, open the day with a forgiving spirit, and persist despite all odds. Although Andrews writes from a Christian perspective, his overall message (trust that God is sovereign, but do your part in making your future happen) will ring true with a broad spectrum of inspirational readers. Some astute thinkers may be put off by the simplistic story line, but Andrews does an exemplary job at providing positive suggestions for overcoming life's obstacles.

A Little Light Reading

No cruise would be complete without a little light reading.

Bo and I enjoyed several hours of reading two or three nights on the ship. We found a little area on the back of the boat that was really quiet. We would go there watch the wake and the moon light bouncing off the sea and we would read. Sometimes I would get lost in the setting and other times I would read without even noticing it. My goal was to finish this book before we got off the ship. I cann't remeber if I finished it before we debarked or on the car ride home. Either way I really enjoyed this book and I plan on reading her next book.

I have never watched The Hills and only know of Lauren Conrad from E! News and The Soup. L.C.'s book would definitely be liked by teens and young adults. I actually saw one older lady on the ship ask me several times if I liked the book. I must have give her a questioning look because she said she had given it to her mother and she wanted to read it when she got back. I guess there is no age limit on the women who will read a Lauren Conrad book. My only thing is that I feel like I splurged because it was a hardback book. If you can wait until it comes out in paperback I would.

This book is not deep by any stretch of the imaginationa, but if you want some good enertaining reading this is a winner.

From Inside the Cover:

Los Angeles is all about the sweet life: hot clubs, cute guys, designer . . . "everything." Nineteen-year-old Jane Roberts can't wait to start living it up. She may be in L.A. for an internship, but Jane plans to play as hard as she works, and has enlisted her BFF Scarlett to join in the fun.
When Jane and Scarlett are approached by a producer who wants them to be on his new series, a "reality version of "Sex and the City,"" they can hardly believe their luck. Their own show? Yes, please

Soon Jane is TV's hottest star. Fame brings more than she ever imagined possible for a girl from Santa Barbara--free designer clothes, the choicest tables at the most exclusive clubs, invites to Hollywood premieres--and she's lapping up the VIP treatment with her eclectic entourage of new pals. But those same friends who are always up for a wild night are also out for a piece of Jane's spotlight.

In a city filled with people chasing after their dreams, it's not long before Jane wakes up to the reality that everyone wants something from her, and nothing is what it seems to be.

"L.A. Candy" is a deliciously entertaining novel about what it's like to come of age in Hollywood while starring in a reality TV show, written by a girl who has experienced it all firsthand: Lauren Conrad.

Fun Day at Sea and Heading Home

On our Fun Day at Sea, Bo and I tried to play miniature golf. Lets just say that you have to take it as a entertaining because there is no way you can take it seriously. Due to the wind and the movement of the boat the ball moves everywhere. I won one round and Bo won the other one.

I may sound like a snob,but and I never got in the pool on the cruise. Mostly because Bo and I both grew up with pools and the "big" pool on the ship was the size we grew up with and there were like a hundred people in there. I just can't swim with that many people in that small of a pool.

We didn't take our luggage off the ship with us. So we had to wait for our number to be called. We were lucky enough that we had a low number and we got off the ship pretty quickly.

Bo and I enjoyed our cruise so much that we are thinking we want to go on another one next year, but to a different location.

Nassau

Our day in Nassau was interesting and historical.

We visited the pirate museum. I loved this paper mache pirate head. It was huge.
I should let you know that we took a historical bus tour of Nassau and then visited the Pirate Museum.

This is one of the water tower on the island.

I just loved the way this tree was growing out of the side of the wall.

This is the Queen's Staircase which was carved by hand.

After our historical tour we went to a public beach. We were told it was safe, but there were several shady characters there.

I like this picture of Bo, his mother, and his brother looking at our cruise ship.

Bo and I enjoying our swim in the beautiful water.

Bo and I hope to go back to the Bahamas one day and visit Atlanis. If anyone has been there let me know what you think of it.