What am I thankful for?

It's officially Thanksgiving Night, and I am writing to the rumble of my full stomach, at least I hope that's why my stomach is rumbling...Michael had the stomach bug yesterday, and I hope it hasn't buzzed my way! Nevertheless, we had a great thanksgiving, and I am so thankful for lots and lots of things! If I do get catch Michael's bug, I am very grateful for a warm bed to be sick in and to have an unlimited source of Gatorade that I know Michael will go out and get me! It's such a small thing, but just think of how awful it would be to get sick and not have a warm place of your own to lie down and recover. I am very thankful for my bed!

I am thankful for the renewed relationship I have with Jesus Christ, and the conviction he has given me to serve Him and others more. I am grateful for the ever-growing purpose in my life! I am thankful for Michael, my best friend and soulmate, who never fails to love me for me. I am thankful for my best friend and beautiful mom. I am thankful for my extended family who have shown so much love towards my mom this past year, and I am thankful for my inherited McGreevey family who came to visit us and spend Thanksgiving with us today!

We are very lucky to be living in this great country where we are able to wake up every day and choose how we want to live each day! Freedom is priceless, and I know I take it for granted!

I am thankful for all of you who read my blog. Thank you for your support and your interest in our lives! I hope all of you are having a wonderful holiday and have many things in your life for which you are grateful!

Happy Thanksgiving!

November Photography

So I officially moved November Photography to this blog to consolidate the two blogs...sadly there is not much to consolidate because I haven't been taking many pictures! We did, however, go to the park last week when the leaves were so beautiful, and I was able to take some pictures of the fall foliage. Nature is my favorite subject to shoot, and I love fall colors, so I am glad I finally brought out my camera. Here are some of my favorites!






















I love the next three pictures of Scarlett!

Answers

I've had a rough week! One of my toughest weeks in a while. I've learned that some people are just mean and unhappy and they say hateful things and attack you blindsided. I also learned that in times of trial, I find it very easy to let my emotions and anger get the best of me and I attack back, which results in making the situation worse. It is my nature to be passive and a people pleaser, but then when I have had enough, I let it all out-which I promise does me no good! I know a lot of you do that too, but unfortunately "letting it all out" in a no win and unfair situation does nothing in our favor. I learned a tough lesson this week, and though I had a few bad days, and I am still a bit angry, I am thankful for the growth I have already experienced from the situation. Several weeks ago, I began studying the One Year Bible provided by our church online. It is my quiet time everyday, and it gives me a few minutes of peace that I need just to get through the day sometimes. Today, I received so many answers to the situation that happened to me this week, and I am so grateful to God for His instruction, His love, and His mercy. I wanted to share a few passages from today's bible study that may help you if you are struggling with a situation as well. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. The LORD has done it this very day; let us rejoice today and be glad. LORD, save us! LORD, grant us success! (Proverbs 118:21-25) A ruler who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no crops. Those who forsake instruction praise the wicked, but those who heed it resist them. Evildoers do not understand what is right, but those who seek the LORD understand it fully. (Proverbs 28:3-5) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God. Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us. But he gives us more grace. “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:1-8) Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” (James 4:13-15) I thank God for the answers he gives! Now, it's just up to me to submit to what he is teaching me! Click on One Year Bible if you are interested in beginning a daily bible study or you want answers to life's little trials we all have. It's nice just to have some direction in this chaotic world!

Happy Harvest!

Today was the most perfect fall day in Birmingham! The leaves are finally at their peak color, and the temperature outside was awesome. Scarlett and I took a long walk around 10 a.m., and I could have stayed outside all day because it was so nice...even in the sun. It was a pefect fall day for football as well. Tennessee pulled out a huge homecoming win against Ole Miss! Go VOLS!!! It was 66 degrees in Knoxville most of the game, and I wish we could have been there. Michael was actually in Tennessee today, and is now on his way home. He got stuck taking the cheerleaders to the Samford at UTC game this morning. Tough job, but someone has to do it right?! Since it finally felt like fall today, I thought I would take some pictures of our fall decorations around the apartment. I love decorating for the holidays, and as much as I enjoy putting up the Christmas tree, there is something about warm fall decorations that make me so happy! Our apartment is predominantly decorated in cool colors, so for the fall I like to make our home seem a little cozier!

Scarlett has no problem getting cozy on our couch snuggled up next to the new pillows I got for fall. I found them at Kohls for $20 a pair, which is a steal! I thought they coordinated with every color we had in our place because they have the brown with the blue and green. Michael hates throw pillows and would prefer a bare couch, but every girl has to have throw pillows. We compromise by not having tons of pillows on the bed!

I wove a fall garland from Celebrating Home through our chandalier, and we use the CH mixing bowls and stand for our apples and bananas every week. The bowls also make a perfect tray for Michael to throw in his wallet and ipod when he gets home.

I love the fall garland because it has so much green in it!

I added some fall touches to our homemade wine racks as well. I stuck some sparkly pumpkins and squash in a clear bell jar, and added leaves at the bottom of my decorative plate.

Our entryway was so bear, so I added my Celebrating Home trunks with some more sparkly pumpkins and a lantern filled with acorns and pumpkins. Scarlett posing by the decor adds a nice touch!

For an apartment, we have lots of counterspace. Why not decorate the counters too! I've got the sparkly pumpkins again, my favorite plate, and our Thanksgiving Beanpot that's filled with Scarlett's treats.

My favore Celebrating Home piece is my Tuscan Pitcher. It's perfect for fall, and it holds our cooking utensils. I love this picture because you can see Scarlett lounging on the couch in the background being a Princess as usual!

I love fall for so many reasons! I love the opportunity to bring out my sweaters and boots, the air always smells like campfires, the trees are so beautiful, football season is underway, and the holidays are just around the corner. Having the reminder of fall inside our house makes it that much better!

Happy Harvest Everyone!

Baby Wagner is A.....

Tonight, our friends Jamie and Eric invited us over for their official announcement of Baby Wagner's sex! Michael had to work, but I have been so excited to find out what they are having, so I wasn't going to miss it! Many of my friends have had babies, but Eric and Jamie are the first mom and dad to be that I have had the opportunity to be around during the entire pregnancy. I am pretty excited about it all because I am still trying to figure out if I want anything to do with being a mom. I wish Michael could have been there because it really was neat to watch the dvd of the ultrasound. I can't imagine how awesome it would be if the child was my own! From the moment Jamie told me she was pregnant, I knew they were having a boy. Maybe it's because I couldn't imagine them with anything but a little boy! So I put on my blue jacket for "Team Baby Boy" and headed over there to find out who baby Wagner is going to be!

Jamie pointing out the baby parts with the two new grandma's!

This is so awesome to me! Baby Wagner is only 18 weeks old, and you can see so many features!

And Now For The Big Moment!

YAY! It's a Boy!

Jamie and Ms. Jean were calling everyone to deliver the official news! The proud parents, Eric and Jamie! Me and Jamie...I think she was trying to trick us by wearing pink!

On April 7, the world will welcome baby Elijah Paul Wagner! I can't wait until he is here, and I get to spoil something other than Scarlett Belle! Good Luck Jamie and Eric! I am so happy for you!

Happy Birthday Scarlett Belle!

Today is Scarlett Belle's 3rd Birthday! I can't believe she has been in our lives for 3 years already, and I hate that it has gone by so quickly! Our lives would not be the same without this precious ball of fur. We love her so much!

Me trying to get the birthday girl to cooperate for a photo!

She's not happy about it, but I got one. Check out the next picture of the two of us when we just got her. She was so precious!

Me and my little baby!

Here are some pictures of Miss Scarlett Belle from when she was a little puppy until now. I really can't believe how quickly time has passed by!

Happy Birthday Michael!

I want to wish a Happy 27th Birthday to my wonderful husband and best friend! I can't imagine my life without Michael, and it is so funny how I get just as excited, if not more, about his birthday that he does. It seems crazy, but Michael and I have been together since he was 19 and I was 20. It was so long ago, our first pictures as a couple were taken on film cameras. Nope, we didn't take digital photos back then! In fact, this is the earliest photo I could find of us when Michael was 20, and I was 21.

Now, he is the big 27! We are planning a date night on Saturday, but I made him dinner tonight. I called it my "Cracker Barrel" dinner because I made beer bread, turkey meatloaf, green beans, and mashed potatoes.

I have never made meat loaf or beer bread, but they were so much easier than I thought. I've had the beer bread mix for a while, and I have been waiting for a special night to try it. All you do, is open a can of light beer, pour it in a bowl, stir in the mix, and stick it in the oven in a loaf pan!

Here's my first beer bread loaf!

I also made my first meatloaf tonight, and I must say it was quite delicious, and again, so easy to make. I mixed together 2 lbs. of ground turkey, 2 eggs, 1/2 cup ketchup, and a package of Stovetop stuffing, and I stuck it in the oven in my new Celebrating Home loaf pan. Michael loved it, and it turned out to be a good birthday dinner!

Don't you just love my ketchup decoration? I should have made a "27!"

Welcome to Michael's "Cracker Barrel" 27th Birthday Dinner!

The hungry birthday boy!

Along with a homecooked dinner, Michael got some great gifts. His brother and Caroline got him a swanky new pair of Aviators, since his other ones swam away in the lake last spring! Let's hope he can keep them until he's 28! I got him two sports books because he of course love sports and that's the only way I can get him to read!

I have heard so many great reviews about Drew Brees' inspirational memoir about his struggles after Hurricane Katrina and the awesome journey he and his team made to winning the Super Bowl. I want to read this book too!

The second book I got him by David Thomas is Remember Why You Play, a book about faith and the game of football. I had to get it for Michael to honor his dad because I know this is a book his dad would love and would get for Michael himself if he were here. I hope Michael loves it...he said he is going to read this one first!

I love birthdays, and I hope my hubby had a wonderful 27th! Not too many husbands get a blog post about their birthdays!