I would like to thank the Academy...

I was given this award by my friend and blogging hero, Hillary. I had the privilege of meeting Hillary a few years ago through work, but unfortunately don't get to see her much anymore. I do consider her to be a special friend and I look up to her in many ways. She's an AMAZING blogger, so if you haven't frequented her blog before, click above, read, and enjoy!


I have been asked to list five things I love and five of my favorite blogs. Here goes.

Five things I love (other than God, family, the given...):
*taking pictures and then editing them on picnik.com
*singing and my ToneRangers
*Sudoku
*selling items on Ebay
*text messages

Five blogs I love to read:
* The Other Mama-
This is Hillary's blog, from above. I promise Hillary, I didn't just list
your blog because you listed mine. I honestly do love reading your blog.
You are so articulate and have such a great way of expressing your thoughts
and feelings via your blog. I love your enthusiasm about your life,
especially your kids and your faith. I love your opinions and how
confidently you express them. It's just an all around great read!

* Bring the Rain-
I stumbled upon this blog by accident, actually. I think we all blog surf
from time to time and click this blog from that one, and that one from this
one, etc. Bring the Rain is written by Angie Smith, the wife of Todd Smith
from the group Selah (one of my favorites). She tells a heart-wrenching story
of the birth and then death of her daughter Audrey, and through that
heartbreak, how she has come to know God more, trust Him more, and
be awakened to her real purpose in life. It's AMAZING! Her words
are more than inspiring and I believe will challenge us all to live
a life more like hers.

* McKinney Madness -
This is my sista'! I truly love reading Cort's blog because number one,
I love to know every single detail about her life. Secondly, I think
she's pretty darn hilarious. And third, she has a natural talent for
writing and has made me sit on the edge of my seat reading a post, even
when I already know what happens at the end. It thrills my soul to know
she's happy, and imagining her laughing writing those funny stories brings
me true joy. Cheesy, but true.

* Blessed -
Haley's blog is one of my favorites to read for several reasons. She is our
very own "tell it like it is, Phil". She's honest and quite hysterical.
She's a wonderful mom and could write a column in any successful parenting
magazine, from customer reviews to helpful hints. She's a good cook, loves
to find a great deal, and always humors me with my latest craft idea or silly
baking contest. :) She includes lots of pictures of that precious baby and
most of all, updates regularly!

*Two Men and a Mommy--
I have gotten to know Martina through my sister and she has gotten to be
one of my favorite people. I love to hang out with her and cook, play
Mexican Train (Is that what it's called??), and gossip! HA! Her blogs
are so fun to read because she again, includes lots of pictures which I
love! She is also funny, and basically gives us a reality tv show of her
life through her blog. I feel like I'm up to date on what's going on in
their lives, and I can watch baby Colton grow even when I don't see him
everyday.

Now, you guessed it. If I chose you as one of my five favorite blogs, you are tagged! Have fun!

P.S. What is up with the spacing in this post?

It's That Time Again!!!

It is now time for another round of what's going on "AROUND TOWN." If you neglected to see the first post, read it here.

* Patsy carried her mother, Adean, for tests Monday. They ate lunch at Taco Bell and then shopped at Walmart.

* Patsy went back to Walmart on Tuesday to get more flowers.

* Josie met Patsy and Adean on Thursday for lunch at Kentucky Fried Chicken.

* Jean and Viola enjoyed eating at the Ole Kountry Kabin Sunday evening.

* Shirley ate together at Sonic's (HA) on Friday.

* Russell and Hortense's daughter and her husband spend last Sunday night until Monday afternoon with them.

* Joe's son, Rondell, brought his breakfast and Rondell's wife. Joyce, brought his lunch Sunday (pronounced SunDEE).

* Patsy and Dale went to MS last Tuesday to take their grandchildren to participate in a poster project contest. They had won at their school. Their parents got there in time to see them graded.

* Margaret talked with Emma Monday. She was doing fine.

And last but not least.....

* Edree had a phone conversation with her daughter Billie, on yet another reason to celebrate in March that Edree discovered. March is also National Pig Month.

My latest....

I saw a canvas very similar to this in a store when I was visiting Cort and Trey, so I wanted to try and recreate it myself.

Also, a friend of mine is having a baby and I painted these letters for her nursery. They were solid white, and I added polka dots and stripes.

I LOVE me some crafts!! :)

A Few Ideas

Even though I'm not buying a house in the near, near future, it doesn't hurt to look for ideas now does it? I found this picture online and thought it was so cool! I don't think it's something I will ever have in my own home, but a girl can dream, right??

Something I would eventually like to have is a sunken living room. A friend of mine from elementary school had one of these in her house and I thought it was really neat. You don't see them very often. This picture isn't my ideal, but I couldn't find a picture of exactly what I'm thinking...

I've also always loved the idea of a loft. I would love to use it for an office space/craft room/tv room.

So blogging world, I'd love to know what your "must haves" are when you purchase a house. As the pictures above are really nice and would definitely be great to have, they aren't deal breakers for me. What should I not live without? Send me some feedback!

More PICNIK

I've decided that if I ever had to choose another career, I'd love to take pictures and edit all day long on Picnik. I LOVE it!

Old Church Building

Downtown in the midst of fall

I'm S-C-A-R-E-D!

Most of you know that I've been living with my mom for the past couple of years. I was in an apartment for around four years before that, and decided I was tired of throwing my money away on rent and would live with her for a while to save money and buy a house. Obviously, the saving money part hasn't happened quite as fast as I would have liked it to. About the time I moved out of my apartment I needed another car. I had my Altima (aka Peggy) for ten years and the time had come to put her to rest. Of course, that meant a car payment. While the payment is reasonable, it still takes a chunk out of my paycheck. I pay my mom rent- not because she asked me to but because I want to. Add student loans to that, a storage payment, church contribution, and a few other expenses and it makes for not a whole lot left over. Bottom line- I can't buy a house this very moment, but I'm working really hard to pay off a couple things within the next few months, and then want to get serious about some house shopping!

While I'm sooo excited about the prospect of being a homeowner, I'm quite terrified. I know this is a great time to buy a house and I feel confident I could get a really good deal. I'm just nervous that I not only need to pay off some bills now, but I need to establish a big savings in case something goes wrong once I buy. What if the roof starts leaking? The air conditioner goes out? It's overwhelming to think of all the things you have to be prepared for when living in a place that is your sole responsibility.

I guess the purpose of this post is to pole all you homeowners out there....How prepared can you truly be??? Do I just stop analyzing every moment, bite the bullet, and do it? Should I ever feel 100% prepared? Are my nerves to be expected? I'm S-C-A-R-E-D! I'm doing this on my own. There won't be a supplemental income as of now and it's all up to me.

I know you probably could care less about my currect financial status, but I truly am seeking your advice. I know for sure I won't be seriously looking to buy until at least six or eight months. After that, I guess it depends on what you tell me. No pressure or anything... :)

Picnik.com

If you haven't heard of this website, let me introduce you to my new "favorite thing." Picnik.com is a FREE online photo editing website. You can edit colors, exposure, crop, add text and frames, etc. If you know me well at all, you know that I almost always have a camera in my hand and love, love, LOVE to take pictures! Therefore, this website has occupied lots of my time in the last couple of days. Here are a few of my latest projects. These are all pictures I've taken that I uploaded to this website and edited.