Over at Bower Power

I read a blog, Bower Power and she is having a giveaway from Snap Fish for an 8x8 photo book! Woo! Other than this fabulous giveaway, you should visit her blog daily. It's a lot of fun to read and she has some great posts!

Hair Change...

Here I have some highlights. There's probably like 5 different colors here. I said I wasn't going to dye my hair ever again and let it grow out. Then... I could see the roots (You probably can't even tell in the pic. Either way... I wanted to get back to my natural looking, God-given hair color. So I bought a regular box of hair color and tried to get back to normal:

So it's definitely darker. But not drastically I don't think? Either way this is pretty close to my natural color. And as usual with washings it won't look so "fresh" and will fade some. I'm sure in a week I'll be right where I want with the color. And yes, I have said I won't dye my hair ever again... And ya'll know I'll have to, just because I'm me. ;o)
Also.... tell me what you think. Darker or lighter?

Maze of Maize

We took the youth to the cornmaze. The Jr. High and Sr. High raced. We (The Jr. High Group) won! The maze was Safari themed. So I was totally loving all of the Giraffes! As you can tell. Hehe...

At Eckert's with Kalisha. It was very windy!

With Grandpa

With Grandma

The Family eating at Wittmond Hotel.

Dad and Mom

Phillip and Me at Eckert's Apple/Pumpkin farm

More of Autumn...

The ferry we had to ride to get to Brussles.

The view from inside the van while on the ferry. It looks beautiful, but the Mississippi River is very muddy!

Phillip and I at the Wittmond Hotel. The food was fabulous!

Youth Convention 2008

The whole youth group

Me and the Husband... why can't he ever just smile in a picture? I don't know?

I will say I love this pic. We just went to Starbucks! I get to have Starbucks like 2 times a year...such a treat.

We're walking to the convention center.

The sister and me ;o)

Pennsylvania!!

We received an invitation to a family reunion Thanksgiving this year. My initial thought was, "Oh, no!" My father had to have surgery on his foot this year and was off of work for quite a while. He had to use all of his vacation. The only way we would go to PA was if we drove with my parent's(Flying is just too expensive). They have a big van and between all of us (Dad, Mom, my brother, Phillip, and myself) we could drive the 18 hours there without stopping except for bathroom breaks and one visit to Cracker Barrel (Love that place!)... So anyway, he didn't have any vacation left, so my parent's and sibs wouldn't have gone. Then my mom told me that my Dad had said it would be okay if we went ahead without him because he could stay here with his parent's and celebrate Thanksgiving. I felt SO terrible. There's no way I could do that! So I said that Phillip and I wouldn't be going. BUT!!! My dad's workplace gave him an advance on vacation and so we're going! WOO HOO!! I'm so excited! I love PA! I wish we could move there. I'm sure I've said that before. Anyway... Just wanted to share our good news!

Random

So last night Phil and I went to look at a house. We're not actually looking to sell our house right now or buy a new one. I mean, if the one we saw last night was worth it, we were going to. But when we went it was already sold and we didn't know it. Anyway... The reason we're thinking about all of this is because we'd like to start on having a family soon! And the house we are in now is okay. It's just small and the only room on the main floor would be okay for a nursery, but honestly, I just don't want to be in this house when we have a baby. (P.s.-The pics on our website are OLD! So our rooms don't look like that anymore...)My other concern is that we'll end up moving while I'm pregnant and to think about it is stressing me out already. I mean... that's packing up the entire house! Then there is cleaning and painting the new house. And to me, I don't think painting while pregnant is wise, even if we get the paint with low VOC's... So really, ideally we would move and then get pregnant. So Phil and I have been trying to make that decision as to what's more important? What do we want to do first? Start our family? Or find a home for us to start our family in? Either way, the market is really down right now. And there are a ton of other homes for sale in our town that are not what we want but have been on the market for like 6 months! And then even if we find a home that we like, we have to be able to sell ours and we would need to get what the house it worth at least so that we could move... Oh it's so complicated! All the while, we are wanting to stay out of debt! We're out of it now and do not want to get back in! So... I guess we'll just see how this all works out. I just get frustrated because I keep thinking how do other people do this? How can they afford to do and get all they do? And Phil keeps telling me they may be up to their eyeballs in debt... that may be true. It would have to be! Phil does pretty well salary wise for a 3 year teacher. And then I'm working too! I just don't know where all the money goes? Arg.... Sorry for the ranting.
Anyway, aside from all of that..............
I've been crocheting! I'm working on an afghan right now. I do not think that It will be done soon though. Ha ha... I will have to post a picture of my progress! It's keeping me very occupied while at work. Which is why I haven't really been blogging either. I'm on my 3rd skein of gray yarn and I'm not even a third of the way completed... I am thinking this afghan is going to cost me more than if I would have just went out and bought it! ;o) He he... But it will be hand made by me!
Saturday we're going to Brussels. Brussels is a small town in IL surrounded by lots of country and there's a hotel called, The Whitmore Hotel. It's where Jesse James and his "posse" stayed? It's been kept up really well. Either way they have family style meals and it's SO good! I just love going there. It's been a long time since I've been. We'll also go to the pumpkin patch and Eckert's Apple farm. There are a bunch of little "shacks" on the sides of the road too, that sell things like apple butter, jams and jellies, home-made crafts, and antiques. I just love going! Hopefully I will take some pictures and post them.
I also want to apologize to any readers I may have. I said like 2 weekends ago that I was going to post recipes and pics... I never did. I may never. Ha ha.
This past weekend we went to a youth convention. It was quite a lot of fun! The speaker and the worship band were both great! Our hotel was very ghetto... kind of dirty. But we made due and I'm sure in a year or two we'll all be able to laugh about the time we stayed at the ghetto hotel. ;o) I really got to bond with some of the students. It was a really great time. I did only get 1 1/2 hours of sleep though on Friday night. The next morning I got the largest Starbucks' coffee I could and drank that baby up! He he... It helped me get through the morning at least! I wish we had a local Starbucks. They're so yummy! I wouldn't be one of those who spent $5 on coffee each day, but it would be a great place to go to after work some days or on Friday nights. I miss the coffee house nights Phil and I use to have. We would get drinks and talk and read. It was wonderful. Unfortunately two of the coffee house's we went to both shut down. Oh well. There's one a little bit further from us than the other two were, that we use to go to ALL the time. We just haven't gone in a while. ;o( I guess we should do that soon.
Well... those are all of my thoughts today. I'm sure those are enough to last you a few days. He he...

I have been so distracted lately! I'm not getting a whole lot done in regards to reading anymore or really anything else for that matter. I've taken up crocheting! It is a new love!!! I made both Claire and I scarves. Yes... My puppy has a scarf! Hehe... And now I'm working on an afghan. I'm trying to teach myself, so I thought making an afghan I can try a few different stitches. I will have to post a few pics of the scarves and my process on the afghan. It's a lot of fun and completely portable, unlike my sewing. Of course I haven't sewn since June!! I miss it very much. But summer is always busy. I'll definitely be a in a sewing crazy once January comes. I love the months of April through December. I do not like the others... except for Valentine's day. ;o) But anyway...
Tomorrow Phillip and I are going to a youth convention with our youth ministry. We actually met at youth convention 7 years ago! So it's kind of special to us. I'm pretty excited, mostly nervous. I'm a leader in one of the rooms. It seems I have the hardest time being in leadership. It's like all of my quirks decide to come out all at once and then the girls always think I'm a very strange person. I mean, I am, who isn't? Haha... but it just makes it difficult for me to build a relationship with them. So tonight we'll be busy getting ready for that. I have to work a half day tomorrow, and then we're leaving right after. The convention center is only about an hour and a half away. I'll probably nap. Hehe...
Today on my lunch hour I went shopping. Now I have been trying to stay away from shopping because I always find something I think I need, like today. ;o) I found $115 worth of clothes for just $15! Well, actually it was more towards $20 with tax and I only got 3 pieces, but still!!! I got a skirt and a shirt to match and another shirt/blouse that is SO me! It's kind of hippie-ish looking. ;o) I don't know that the skirt will fit? So if it doesn't both the skirt and shirt that matches will be going back. They're both pink-ish. I'm not big on pink. For some reason I never really have been.
I found out this week that one of our grocery stores will be closing. It's being turned into a Schnuck's so we will still have the grocery store. But it won't be the usual locally owned grocery store. The one I have grown up with. It actually used to be called Country Fair, and then it was changed. I wasn't happy with the name they chose either. But now it doesn't matter. I'm not sure why I have this attachment to the store... nothing really took place there except that I have bought groceries there for most of my life. I'm silly.
Well, there could be more to write, but I'm tired and it's the end of the day and I get to go home soon! I can't wait for home. I love going there. ;o)

Sister's Homecoming Pictures

My sister Kalisha, went to her homecoming dance this weekend. I took a few pics of her...

Silly face!

I fell in love with this tree! I probably took 50 different poses of her on this tree alone! ;o)

Kalisha and some of her friends. They went to the dance together and then stayed the night at one of the girls' house.

Kalisha and Cher

Kalisha and Mom & Pop

So, I'm slacking on blogging. Oh well. I have a few pics from the weekend. I've been really busy since Friday night. And it seems that this whole week is busy too. Crazy how when it rains, it pours! We took Claire to the vet Monday. She did such a good job! The vet said she is really fit and a very good dog. It made me so proud! He he... I had to go to the Dr. as well on Monday. I will let you all know about that another time. I made crepes, Twice baked sweet potatoes, and Baked potato soup in the last couple of days too. Yum, YUM!
At work we had a birthday/boss's day celebration for my boss. It was really nice! One of the girls I work with is on maternity leave right now, but came in just for the lunch. She brought her little girl who will be 2 in November (she's so cute and so fun!) and her newest little addition! He's only a month and half old. SO precious. I really want to have a baby! ;o)
My sister his going to her homecoming dance this coming Saturday. I'm going to my 'rent's house tonight to try and fix her hair. Hopefully I will find something that suits her. She's so picky. I'm also going to just spend some time with my mom. It should be a good time.
I will have pics and recipes up this weekend hopefully! We don't have much planned except for a hair cut for Phillip. Hope everyone is having a good week!

I haven't posted since I think Monday? Wow. I just don't have a whole lot to say I guess. Well, I didn't. Being at work with nothing to do... You mostly sit around waiting for something. It's mind-numbing. I'm ready to lose my mind! I feel like my brain is wasting away because there hasn't been any use of it. And on top of that, when I get home it's like the switch cannot kick on because it hasn't been used. So I don't do anything at home either. I hate that kind of feeling.
At any rate, I have a few things to share today. This weekend marks a couple important dates:

***October 4th - 5 years of "dating" for Phillip and I. I don't think that you should ever stop dating, even after you're married. That's what got you to marriage for the most part anyway! You never stop having fun, and never stop learning more about each other.

***October 5th - 2 years since Phillip asked me to marry him. I thought it was very sweet he asked me to marry him the day after our anniversary for our first date! He says all the time he wishes he would have proposed differently. But I think it was perfect and simple... just like us! (Most of the time. He he.)

So we are going to celebrate! For our dating anniversary we have always went to Olive Garden. Not only is the food superb, it's tradition and we love it. We also love that we seem to end up in the same area each time. I do believe we've sat at the same booth 2 years in a row. It's fun to reminisce about the past year and years before. I know, 5 years isn't much compared to like, 25 years, but at the same time it is! We both graduated, me from HS, him from college. We got our jobs, bought a house, got married, got Claire, had some other tough situations. We did that all together. Sometimes it just seems like we look so much to the future we forget to be thankful for our past and how good God is and how He uses all of that, the good and bad to shape us! Anyway... we will also go to Borders (Phil LOVES books and I'm starting to like them a bit myself!), Hobby Lobby so I can pick up some craft supplies, and also Old Time Pottery. We love to get matching mugs there. ;o)
I'm so excited!!! It's always just so much fun. And we usually dress up a bit, at least for us. We are totally t-shirts and jeans kind of people. I will have to take a picture or two. ;o)

Wednesday we talked about another chapter in Blue Like Jazz. It was called Romance. Basically the chapter is about relationships, intimacy w/your spouse and God/Marriage. It was pretty good. Some people got pretty fired up. They feel that being alone (Single) is a terrible place to be and they hate it. I tried to explain that being single is a time to really search God and find intimacy with Him. To let Him make you whole so that when you go to find your spouse, you will help complete them in such a beautiful way! But I was interrupted and I didn't get to really say that. Oh well. I could go on and on about this. But most people would probably tell me to shut my mouth because I was married at 20 and I don't really know what it's like to be single b/c I had been dating Phil since I was in high school. So I won't go any further. I will simply state, I believe God wants us to be contempt in the place we are right now, only looking forward to what He will bring us so that we won't grow bitter. Because if we are bitter in our place right now, it's not easy for God to do His work in us.

I found a recipe on one of the blogs I just started reading. It is for Apple Creme Crepes. I've never had crepes before. So I might attempt to make them this weekend. I will have to post about how they turn out. Other than that and going out tomorrow for Phillip and my anniversary, there isn't much going on. Just our usual grocery shopping and church on Sunday. I hope everyone has a great weekend!