We are leaving tomorrow for our Christmas festivities and vacation time!!

We've been keeping busy with work and getting things ready to go home.  Who knew it is so much work to get a house, two people, and a dog ready for a 10 day vacation?  Barkley is going to be boarded 3 days while we are in KC, but we really wanted him to come so that he can come to Oklahoma with us and meet his dog "cousins".  For some reason, he LOVES Labradors so I know he will have a great time.  (Plus, it's expensive enough boarding him for 3 nights, can you imagine 10?  And the poor thing would be so bored...)

So I graduated a year ago today!  Though I have to say that today was better than that one was.

I finally used my birthday present from Steven (spa gift card) today.  I got a massage and a manicure and they were both great! 

Today was our first snow of the winter!!

It was just a light, very light dusting... none of it stuck (just the way I like it) but it was still very nice to watch it falling down!  I don't work on Tuesday's, so I enjoyed some waffles and coffee while watching Barkley outside being curious about the snow.  (He was licking it off of our grill... surely that didn't taste good???)

We have our house all decorated up for Christmas!  The youth groups are coming over this week for our Christmas parties.  It seemed like we had SO MUCH Christmas decor (4 totes full) but with it all out, it's really not as much as we thought haha.  That's okay, we have a tree, stockings, and nativity, as well as our mantle decorated and lights outside.  All the basics!!

Nothing super new here... just wanted to check in before it got to be a month without posting again.  :)

My New Obsession

When my Grammy and Papa visited us in October, they were super generous to buy me a sewing machine.  This is quite possibly one of the greatest gifts I've ever been given!  I have loved looking up different projects, and watching things transform from a piece of fabric to something cute and useful. 

I have found it very theraputic to sew and it is a good prayer-time for me... when I am making things I like to pray for the person who will be using it.  I especially try to do this when I'm making a baby item, whether one I'm saving for us or will be using as a gift.  How special to think that one day our kids will be using something that their mama made while praying over them when they were still a twinkle in their daddy's eye.  :)

Here are some of the things I have made.  All beginners projects for sure, but I am learning more with every thing I make!

My first project- burp clothes!  The zebra one is the first thing I ever made!

Taggie Blanket- with plastic in the middle so it crinkles, and the different ribbons for texture

Peepee Teepee's....  :)

Onesies with ties on them!

My biggest accomplishment thus far- a pillowcase dress!

Oh boy, oh boy... almost a whole month since my last post!  I think that is a new record of laziness in the blog-world for me.  I will try to catch you up on the major events of our November, and then I have a couple other posts to hopefully make this week.

*My family came to visit us the middle of the month.  It was GREAT to have them here!  It was my dad's first time to see the house since we moved in and we loved showing him the things we did to it.  He even got in the game and helped with some lighting fixtures and installed a new (and MUCH more modern) ceiling fan/light for us!  We had a really good time just playing games, shopping, and hanging out at the house with them, and were so glad to spend some time with them as we weren't able to go home for Thanksgiving this year.

Barkley wanting to spend the night in Kyla's bed

*The Saturday my parents were here, Steven, Barkley, and I got dressed up for our Christmas pictures and my parents took several pictures of us on our front porch for our Christmas cards this year!  Barkley was wearing a Santa hat and he was less than thrilled... which is pretty apparent when you look at ANY of the pics but Steven and I both agreed on our favorite so we got that printed out.

one of my FAVORITE pics of Barkley... spoiler of Christmas pics lol

*We had our first Thanksgiving in O'Fallon.  It was my first Thanksgiving to not be in Oklahoma with my family, so even the days before, it didn't feel near as much like a holiday as it normally does.  I worked Thanksgiving day and then went straight to Dan and Susan's house where Steven already was.  We had Thanksgiving dinner with them and it was SOOOOOOOO good!  We still have tons of leftovers in our fridge.  While it was hard not being with family this Thanksgiving, Steven and I are very grateful to have become close with so many people here who were willing to open their homes to us.

* " The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy."  This perfectly expresses our heart this year, as God has done SO much in and for us in 2011!  We couldn't be more grateful for what He has done, where He has brought us, and who He has put in our lives.  He is good!

Barkley and I bored in the car.  I told him to make a funny face but he psyched me out and smiled instead!

*This Thanksgiving/Christmas talk has made me realize how this year, more than ever before, I am just so thankful for family and grateful for the time we'll get to spend with them this Christmas.  For a while there, it was looking like I was going to only get 3 days off work for Christmas, and I was so devastated that not only was I not seeing my family for Thanksgiving, I was only going to see half of  them for Christmas and it would be very brief.  God is good though, and He provided a way for me to get ten days off so Steven and I are going to be able to see each of our families!  As a kid, Christmas was always more about getting presents for me, and even the past few years it has just kind of been "what we do" to go to Oklahoma and spend time with family.  But this year it's totally different in that I am just excited for that time of fellowship with loved ones.  Being away from home does that to you, I guess.

*Steven and I made our first Thanksgiving turkey together!  Delmar Gardens gives a turkey to all of their staff, and we were saving mine for Friday when Steven's mom was planning on coming.  She didn't end up being able to come, so we cooked it Saturday and I gotta admit it was pretty darn good!  We reheated all of our Thanksgiving Day leftovers to eat with it, and even Barkley liked it as he jumped to the counter and ingested a bone.  He suffered the consequences that night though, and woke us up twice needing to go outside.  All day the next day he was been feeling bad, too.

*Last night at youth, we had a big answer to prayer!  One of our kids, Wolf, has been coming faithfully since September, when a girl in our youth group invited him to come.  He said he was just coming to make friends and play the games, but didn't have interest in the religion part of it because he wasn't sure that there was a God.  Steven and I have been praying for him for a long time, and he accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior!  He said that he just started really listening to Steven's lessons two weeks ago, and since then God has been getting a hold of his heart.  He even made a status update about it when he got home on facebook, which is really encouraging to see such boldness from him!

Well, that's it for now... hopefully I'll be back soon :)

Hey hey!

It has been a very busy week!  We just got back from Sunday night youth group, and I am ready to crash for a while!  Thursday and Friday I worked, then spent the rest of the days getting snacks prepared for the Costume party.  Saturday was the party, spent all morning/afternoon working on snacks and the party started at 7.  Here are some pics...

1st and 2nd place "Best Costume" trophies.  I bought the skeletons at the dollar store, spray-painted them, and glued them on these light-up displays (also from the dollar store!)

Frankenstein Rice Krispie Treats

Witch Pretzels

Frankenstein Pudding Cups

Apple "mouths" with almond sliver "teeth"

Close-up

Frankenstein and Frankenstein's Monster!!

Santa Clause and Mayhem (from the insurance commercials... also the 2nd place winner!)

Sydney, Ellen, Madison, and Molly

Frankenstein's monster and the Chick-Fil-A cow :)

1st place winner- one of the bad guys from Lord of the Rings! (can't remember the name, lol)

right now i am.....
 
watching:  my computer screen.  :)
                 
eating:  nothing.

drinking:  Dr. Pepper.
             
wearing:   Gap hoodie, Silver jeans, and barefoot (but my feet are freeeeezing!)       

avoiding:  washing dishes. (but at least I made dinner!)


feeling:  relaxed... tired... thankful.

missing:  our friends in KC and Springfield.

thankful:  my house and how God has provided for us this week.  Our upcoming Christmas Break.  :) 

weather:  chilly!
                

praying:  for my friend and her hubby.


needing:  to eat healthier.


thinking:  about our upcoming Costume Party and the snacks I need to prepare for it.


dreaming: about what lies ahead.

loving:  my new sewing machine!!  And seeing what I can do with it.  :)

God is soooooo good!

We don't have to pay to get my car fixed!  Miraculously, the day before we were taking it in to get it done, the check engine light went off just for enough time for us to get it inspected again.  This time it passed, and then a few hours later the light was back on!  But we passed and won't have to worry about the darn knock sensor for another two years.  This was TOTALLY a God thing!

NEXT God-thing... I found out a week ago that I was only able to get 3 days off for Christmas.  Basically Delmar Gardens has a policy that NO ONE can take off in December.  I talked to my boss, and signed up to work Thanksgiving Day to show I am willing to help out, but there was no way around it.  This had me REALLY down because we have been saving Steven's one Sunday off all year, for Christmas so we could spend a lot of time with family.  I was mostly upset because I only have a temporary position, so it's not like I have a job there for much after Christmas, anyway.  Well, tonight I talked to a couple of my co-workers and they are willing to take 3 of my shifts, allowing me 10 days in KC and Oklahoma. This is also a total answer to prayer!

Hello, Hello!

Things have been good but busy as ever here!  I can't believe that in a week, we will have been in O'Fallon for 6 months.  I am still so amazed at how God worked in our lives, and provided our wonderful new jobs, home, friends, and (most of the time) dog all in that amount of time.

A lot has happened since my last post.  A few weeks ago, my Grammy and Papa came to visit!  They got here on a Monday night while I was working, and stayed until Thursday morning.  We had a great time with them.  On Tuesday we took them on a tour of "the O" and then they took me to Joann's Fabric store to buy me a sewing machine!  They went to Discipleship with us that night.  Wednesday, we went to Downtown St. Charles and visited the walking trail, some unique stores, and had lunch.

Last Wednesday, my sewing machine came in!  Because of work, today was my first chance to get to "play" with it and I have made two little burp rags (the easiest thing I could find to make).  I think I am getting the hang of sewing a straight line, lol!  They are really cute and I'm excited to make even more things.  I think I might have a new obsession pass-time!

We have had some vehicle issues lately.  My car's tags expire this month, so we took it to get inspected.  Well, in St. Charles county they require you pass a Safety and a Emissions test.  My car passed Safety but the check engine light has been on so it didn't pass Emissions.  The only way we can pass, is to get the car fixed, which will cost $650.  The real bummer, is the part that is "broken" is not all that important and we would be perfectly safe driving without it!

Also, Steven got a letter yesterday that as part of our "settlement" with the Suzuki deal, we have to give "his" car back.  So pretty soon we will just have mine.  It's times like now that I am wishing I had a FULL time job so we could have some extra saving money to put toward a car... we'll see what happens.

We have a busy week ahead with our youth groups.  Tomorrow we are doing our first Camp fundraiser at Culvers (getting started early this year).  Wednesday night is the Fall Festival and we are taking the Jr. Highers to the corn maze, and then Saturday we are throwing a Costume Party for high school!  I'm excited for Steven and I's costumes, and will have to put up some pics!

That's it for me for now... just wanted to give a quick report!  :)

Just wanted to share my wonderful success story with you!

Our BBC apartment's stove burners really did a number on our pots/pans.  I'm not sure why, but after just a year and a half, all of our pans looked like they had been abused badly...  lots of nasty coloring on the bottoms from the burners.  I had tried really hard to clean them but nothing worked, until I saw a post on Pinterest that said to mix Baking Soda with Hydrogen Peroxide and scrub it really good. 

Here's the result!!!  (half cleaned up and half still nasty)

They are presentable again!  :)

Well, first things first, those Oreo cupcakes were DELISH!

Next, my weekend back in KC was great but just flew by.  The 3.5 hour drive both ways dragged on, but I am such a baby when it comes to driving, especially by myself!  I got to spend Friday night with my family, and listen to some of Austin and Kyla's stories about school.  They cracked me up!

Saturday, I got up early to meet the Bride-to-be to get our nails done.  We had a VERY long wait at the nail salon, but the end result was worth it and we had a great time talking while we were waiting.  We went back to her house, and I helped with some last minute things before we left for the Rehearsal Dinner.  The Rehearsal didn't go as planned, as TWO different cars with Bridal Party members got in accidents (one of these cars also had the Groom.)  (I thought that our Best Man getting in an accident before our Rehearsal was bad!).  Luckily, they made it about an hour late and the rest of the night went really well.  I went back with Bethany and her husband Chris, and stayed the night at their house.

Bethany and I got up early to meet at Ali's house to get our hair done.  The next thing we knew, we were all getting our dresses on to go to Unity Village to take pictures.  I think the pictures are going to turn out great, and it reminded me of Steven and I taking pics there on our wedding day!  It is cool how we will both have wedding pics with the same backgrounds.  The rest of the day really flew by, we went back to Ali's to get some lunch, then began the 1.5 hour drive to the Venue.  We finished getting ready there, had the ceremony and the reception, decorated the Newlywed's car, loaded up their car with presents, and then suddenly the night was over!  I rode back with my parents and got a good night's sleep before waking up early to head home for work Monday evening.

We've had a good week here, but I have been really busy with work.  I had the craziest experience today while working... one of the old men slapped my butt!  It was the same guy who has been very "touchy" before, so I have been trying to keep my distance from him.  But today we were all playing balloon volleyball, and I was walking around helping pick up balloons and the next thing I knew he had slapped it!  I told him he couldn't do that, but don't know what was going through his head!  Goodness gracious, I never would have expected that when I took this job.

Speaking of which, just Thursday night I was praying about what God has in store for me after my temporary position at Delmar Gardens is over.  I was asking God to begin opening the right doors for wherever He wants me.  Then, Friday morning I get to work and after about ten minutes, a lady came in and was talking to one of my co-workers.  Pat (my coworker) was asking her about her trip to Indonesia, then looks at me and tells me that the lady's fiance is a missionary there, then tells the lady that my husband is a youth pastor.  She asked me what church we went to, I told her, then introduced myself.  She told me her name, and that she is the Activity Director at the Villa's!  (The Villa's are the Independent Living Center where I have been wanting to work.)  I don't know if this is a coincidence, but how cool is the timing there, not only that I met her the day after I prayed so hard about God showing me where He wants me, but also that we have that commonality that the men in our lives are both in ministry.  This makes me really excited.

Well, it's my bed time but I wanted to play some catch up!

Now that I have made a post with all of the "big" things that have gone on lately, I'm going to make another one with the smaller things!

I have tried some great new recipes lately...  I love that since it is the two of us, any time I cook we can eat the left-overs at least one other time (even if I only made a half recipe).  Our two favorites so far, that I'm sure I'll make a few times this winter, are...
Chicken Enchilada Soup
Mexican Dorito Casserole



and the next on my "to-make" list (after we finish some brownies) is:
Cookies N Cream Cupcakes
^I am particularly excited about this one!

The most exciting news on the Barkley front is that we have taught him two new tricks... Dance and High Five.  He is so stinking cute when he does these and actually got the hang of them really quickly.  Now that the weather is cooler, he LOVES being outside!  I am excited to see him when we get our first snow (though I'm not excited for the snow part of that equation...).  I'm so glad we got a dog.  Barkley is a stinker but it wouldn't be the same here without him!

Youth has been going great.  We have had several visitors come back multiple times so that is really exciting.  We have also heard from some different parents how things seem to be "clicking" with their teens, and that is what it is all about!  We have a great group of students and I'm so thankful that God gave us this opportunity to invest in their lives!

It's Been a While...

Well, hello there, stranger.

My one blog followers have pointed out that it's been over a month since I've talked to you... (thanks Mom! :) )

Quite a lot has happened... the most news-worthy was Steven catching himself on fire on Labor Day!

Every year, our church has a big outdoor picnic for Labor Day and Memorial Day.  Steven got there early to help our pastor start grilling the meat.  It was very windy and while he was flipping over some brats, he felt his body getting warm and assumed he was standing too close to the grill, until he looked down and there was a fireball on his hip.  He panicked and tried to rip off his apron, therefore putting his fingers in the flames, and finally a deacon who happened to be there early with them told him to roll in the grass.  After a couple seconds of rolling, the fire was finally out.  Our pastor's wife, Susan, took him to the hospital.

Meanwhile, I was back at the house getting ready to leave.  I was literally right about to call Steven to see if he needed me to pick up any more ice or anything, when my phone rang and I saw it was from Steven's phone.  I answered, and really it was Susan calling with his phone.  She told me not to worry, but Steven caught on fire at the picnic and was at the hospital with really severe burns.  I left the house asap and had it imagined really terrible in my head...  Like he was going to be a burn victim and this was a life-changing thing.

But, praise God, when I got there (to his room in the Trauma unit!!), he was alert and in good spirits.  He had his fingers in a bowl of cold water.  The doctor came in and told us he had second degree burns on his eight fingers (not thumbs) and waist line where the apron was tied.  Steven said it was the most excruciating pain he had felt in his life.  They gave him a lot of pain medication, which made him itchy and nauseous.  He couldn't scratch his itches though because his fingers were burnt, so I got the privilege of scratching his forehead, eyes, neck, and even the inside of his nose multiple times (bringing our relationship to a whole new level!).

Now he is doing really well and all of his fingers but one of his middle fingers have healed nicely.  We went to a burn specialist the next day, and saw a man in the waiting room with both of his hands bandaged and a terrible burn all on the top of his head.  It really put in perspective how God protected Steven and how blessed we are!!  Steven said he is just a guy with a burn, while that other guy is an actual burn victim...

One of the worst parts about this story, is that I am the one who provided the apron that caught on fire!  I invited some girls from church over to decorate it, and we worked really hard on it.  Turns out the craft aprons are not flame resistant, so I can't help but feel a little guilty...

In other news, I started my job!  (about a month ago...).  It is going pretty well...  The first day was definitely "culture shock".  I came home crying to Steven... I just wasn't ready for the level of dependence and quality of life that the residents at the nursing home are experiencing.  I am getting more comfortable every day though, as I get to know the residents better and know what to expect. 

We went home the first weekend in September, because Steven's father figure, Matt, had to report to jail that Monday.  We all found out really late and they had like 5 days before he had to report.  We left (with Barkley!) at midnight on Thursday morning , and left Saturday evening.  It was a sad occasion, but I'm glad that Steven got to spend that extra time with Matt before he left.  Matt has really invested a lot in Steven's life, even though they are not related and he had no obligation to. I really believe that if Matt hadn't taken him in when he was a teenager, Steven would be down a totally different path, so I thank God for Matt fulfilling that very important role in Steven's life.

Autumn has come to us super fast.  One day it was 100 degree summer, and the next it was 70 degree, rainy autumn.  For the first time I am actually kind of excited for the fall to be here... it was a long, HOT summer and now that we have a garage and our own house to decorate, Autumn isn't sounding THAT bad...

I am excited to come home this weekend for my cousin Ali's wedding!  Not excited for the 3.5 hour drive, but excited for the festivities that will take place and to see everyone.  I'm going to leave Friday after work and drive back Monday morning. 

That's about it for me!  Until next time... :)

I got the job!

I went in Friday to get the tour and talk more about the position, and at the end Karen offered me the job.  Right now it is a temporary position, because the lady who holds the position now is going to the armed forces so they are holding it for her until she gets back in April.  But even if she does get back and want her job back, Karen said that if I am a good reliable employee, they will find something for me to do.  I am thinking that this way I am at least getting my foot in the door at this company, and if April comes and the girl wants her job back, there may be a different full-time position open elsewhere.  Orientation is a week from today!

While I would love for the job to be full-time, and I have always wanted to be working with more "independent" seniors, I am just grateful to have a job right now.  I have seen several people I graduated with on Facebook saying how they have given out so many resumes and not gotten a call back, or they have spent the whole month applying for jobs and have only heard back from three companies.  So I am very grateful to have this opportunity.

Friday after I got the job, Steven took me out to celebrate.  We did some shopping (though he was the only one who bought anything, lol), then out to dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, then to a movie.  It was a really fun night. 

I have the rest of this week to look for some more cheap "business casual" clothes!  :)

Before and After- First Home Edition!

I have been going around taking pictures of our house now that we have finished so much work on it. I just love looking at the before and after pictures! Looking at the before pictures makes me wonder WHAT on earth we were thinking, buying a house that smelt that bad for our first house. But God let us see the potential this house had and I am so glad He did! He's good!

We closed on the house June 10, and now it is August 11, so it has been two months of working on it. We still have finishing touches to add and make it more of our "home", but here is the Before and After so far!

Living Room- Before

Living Room- After
New Paint, Baseboards, and Laminate Flooring

Kitchen- Before

Kitchen- After
New Paint, Appliances, and Pantry

Hallway- Before

Hallway- After
New Paint, Baseboards, and Laminate Flooring

Office- Before

Office- After
New Paint and Carpet

Upstairs Stairway- Before

Upstairs Stairway- After
New Treads and Posts, both Painted and/or Stained

Downstairs Stairway- Before

Downstairs Stairway- After
New Treads and Posts, both Painted and/or Stained

Downstairs Living Area- Before

Downstairs Living Area- After
New Paint, Baseboards, and Laminate Flooring