A Day in Laurel, MS 10/27

Have you watched the HGTV show "Home Town"? It features Ben & Erin Napier and the work they are doing to restore their hometown of Laurel, MS. They have redone so gorgeous, old homes and have brought new life and interest in their little home town. 

I've loved watching the show and really admire what they are doing--I love the idea of investing your time, energy and talents into where you are instead of searching for something better...make it better where you are--make where you are into something you invest in, something you love, something you are proud of.

We started our day at the Lauren Rogers Museum where they happened to have a DaVinci exhibit going on--it was so cool. 

 There were replicas of his inventions & paintings, interesting videos about his life, and a lot of it was interactive. 

We even got to be Mona Lisa...kinda. 

The museum also held some very beautiful art, woven baskets, and some other really neat pieces. The grounds were breathtaking and it served as the perfect start to our day. 

 We headed to Pearl Diner for lunch and had some seriously tasty southern cuisine. 

If you've watched Home Town then you know Mrs. Pearl was on one of their episodes and they renovated the cutest little house for her. 

She came in for lunch at her place while we were there so we were able to meet her. 

You definitely want to eat at Pearl's Diner if you make your way to Laurel!

We spent the rest of the afternoon hitting up all (and I mean ALL) of the shops. 

Everywhere we went, they were decorating for Christmas and sprucing up their storefronts. I can imagine that it's quite enchanting during the Christmas season. 

All in all, it was a fun, full day of working our way through Laurel. 

I also started reading Ben & Erin's Memoir that just came out entitled "Make Something Good Today" and it's been such a good read. It's been neat to read about their upbringings, how they met and how The Lord used their families, their upbringings, and their talents to bring them together and take on this task. Definitely worth a read!

What I'm Loving Right Now (14)

So much fun and exciting stuff has been happening lately. This fall season has been busy and quick and you know what that means--I need to share with you guys all the things I'm loving right now! 

 The first weekend in November, we had Mary Claire's first baby shower. It was the sweetest afternoon and I know she and little Ann Hatten felt so incredibly loved. 

 This shower was hosted by some of the ladies of Lakeland Presbyterian. One of the sweetest parts of being a part of the same church for over 20 years is that the people at our church are not just people, they are family. Many of them have watched Mary Claire, Aaron, and I grow up and navigate through each stage of our lives. They have loved us and our family so well for so long and we are forever grateful for the little taste of heaven we receive from our church family and their graciousness and goodness towards us. 

 Then, just this past weekend, Mary Claire had her 2nd baby shower and it was just as sweet! 

It has been so good for this sister's heart to see Mary Claire and Grant so excited to bring Ann Hatten into this world and I think I speak for the whole family when I say, we can hardly wait!

And speaking of babies--I am surrounded by babies and pregnant friends right now and I couldn't be happier. They are all so sweet, cuddly, and down right precious!

I love this season of life watching all of my friend's little families grow. 

 These two are the latest additions--look at all that sweetness!

This TV show--Jason and I have been watching this show for a few weeks now and it is simply hilarious. We are only in season 2 and I am looking forward to seeing where it goes. 

I've been doing a book study since August and we went through this book and all I can say is--married, single, divorced, whatever walk of life you may be in--this book is wonderful. It is full of so many good, good, biblical truths and it brings to surface many things that we just don't think about in relationships, marriage especially. 

These are three of my favorite quotes from the book or study guide:

"What, then, is marriage for? It is for helping each other to become our future glory-selves, the new creations that God will eventually make us. The common horizon husband and wife look toward is The Throne, and the holy, spotless, and blameless nature we will have."

"Well, when Jesus looked down from the cross, he didn't think, "I am giving myself to you because you because you are so attractive to me." No, He was in agony, and he looked down at us--denying Him, abandoning Him, and betraying Him--and in the greatest act of love in history, he stayed. He said, "Father, forgive them, they don't know what they are doing." He loved us, not because we were lovely to Him, but to make us lovely. That is why I am going to love my spouse. Speak to your heart like that, and then fulfill the promises you made on your wedding day."

“Repentance is not just feeling sorry but changing the direction of your heart’s affections. In true repentance, you begin to see Jesus as more desirable than the sin you thought you were finding satisfaction in. Only God’s spirit can provide lasting change, but such change begins as you choose the glory of God over the faux glory of sin.”

My class. 

I love my class this year. 

They are 6 of the sweetest, cutest, funniest, silliest, most unique kiddos that I've had in a long time. I am so enjoying having a smaller class size again and I wish I could share with you all every single event and detail of our days because each day brings either a hilarious moment, a sweet moment, or just one of those..."did that really just happen?" moments that you just have to laugh about. 

Guitar Lessons with Dad. 

I've been taking guitar lessons from my Dad since August and I am loving it. Not only do I love learning how to play guitar (slowly but surely) but, I love having something special to do with my Dad and getting to spend time with him each week. 

These new lip colors/lip liners I got. 

I'm going to let you in on a secret--if you use MAC makeup and ever have empty containers--don't throw them away. If you take 6 empty containers to the MAC counter, you can get a FREE LIPSTICK of your choice. I mean, can you even beat that? I may or may not have cleaned out some of my eyeshadow containers from high school that I knew I'd never wear again (cue the blues, silvers, pinks, and other "why did I ever even own those" colors). 

I know all of these colors look similar but, they all look so different once applied. 

The far left color by L'Oreal was literally purchased to match a sweater and a shirt that I recently bought. But, it's turned out to be one of my favorite fall colors. It is called "Cinnamon Toast" and it is the perfect brick-reddish-rusty-orangish color for fall. I love it. I don't like the way it smells--very perfumed, but it doesn't even matter because of how much I love the color. 

The middle color by MAC was my free color that I chose. It is called "Russian Red" and it is a matte color, which I love. MAC classifies it as an "intense bluish-red"--whatever that means, it sure is pretty! I've only worn it twice so far but, it's awesome. To me, it is the perfect red. 

The far right color by MAC was the one that "I just couldn't live without" when I was trying to decide which one I wanted to get for free. It's within the red realm as well--it's considered a brick red.  It is called "Fire Roasted" and it's the perfect color if you want something showy...but not over the top. It's such a pretty color. So pretty that I left with the lip liner as well and it actually serves as a great liner for all 3 of the lip sticks--you can check it out here. 

The other lip liner pictured is called "Soar" by MAC and that joker can line just about any color of lipstick that's in the pink/neutral/brownish family. MAC describes it as a mid-tone pinkish brown. Not to mention, it's a wooden pencil so it will last FOREVER. I actually lost the one I purchased over 5 years ago and was devastated and that's what kickstarted my MAC lipstick craze that's happened here recently. 

Last but not least, Thanksgiving Break is coming!

I am so excited and ready for a week off. 

This week is always so fun and so special because this is the week that Jason and I got married. 4 years of marriage, coming soon!

As always, thank y'all for reading and following along!

"In A World Full of Tens, Be an Eleven"

Last night was a night we've been waiting for--for quite some time now! 

STRANGER THINGS 2 was released by Netflix and we had a watch party that was epic. 

Before watching, we ate together and we had a few "Stranger Things" themed foods--mainly Eggos and chocolate pudding. 

Let me be the one to tell you, if you google recipes using eggos+stranger things, your mind will be blown. There are so. many. options!Jason and I decided to go simple and make S'mores Eggos using nutella and marshmallows and it was DIVINE! Seriously, you'll want to try this. 

After eating, we made our way and started on one of the greatest shows of all-time (no, I'm not being dramatic)! We were only able to watch the first two episodes at the party but, Jason and I finished them up today and...YES, it's as good if not better than the first season. AHHH! I just love it. 

So now that my Stranger Things tank is full, I am going to share with y'all some of the best apparel or accessories I've seen and/or gotten:

This blu ray/DVD combo that can only be found at Target--I literally went and got it today and it's as awesome as you would imagine. Get it here.

This outrageously cool shirt that I found at Target. Is it not the cutest? Get it here.

I don't own this one from Target...yet! Get it here. 

And this is just classic--I'm telling you, Target has it going on. Get this one here. 

While I was getting the blu ray today, I had to keep myself from getting this Monopoly as well--I mean come on! How fun would this be? Get it here. 

And since Eleven is my favorite character--I can't forget these two shirts from Walmart:

Get this one here. 

And I'm pretty sure I'm going to get this one for myself--looks so classic. Get it here. 

So now that I've made you want to spend all your money and spend the day watching season 1 and 2---well, don't be a mouth breather and go! Go and get it done! 

What I'm Loving Right Now (10)

It's been so long since I've done one of these posts. 

There's a lot of new stuff that I'm loving right now and I am excited to share with you all!

This Tobacco Pipe scented candle--I know, tobacco pipe? Trust me though, it's not an overpowering smell and I absolutely love it. I found it at TJ Maxx (surprise, surprise) the link I provided takes you to Amazon--that's the only place I could find it online. I have seen it at TJ Maxx recently though.  I've decided this is one of my favorite candle brands too. They have wood wicks so they make the crackling noise as they burn. Seriously, you can't go wrong with this candle. I've also purchased their vanilla scent and it was divine. 

Ellie Holcomb's new CD "Red Sea Road"-If I thought I could even love her music more...I now know that I can. I love this album. I love her music because her lyrics are so rich and full of so much biblical truth. My favorites (so far) on this album are: "Find You Here", "Red Sea Road", and "Wonderfully Made"--they are all great. 

Here's a clip of "Wonderfully Made"

I chose the pink vinyl because honestly, why not?

I also love the fact that on her blog she is posting the meaning behind some of the songs. That's one of the things I liked most about when she performed at our church because she told the story behind each song she sung and it was just, neat. 

My dear friend, Emily Tate, and her family are still on their adoption journey. After a failed adoption placement earlier this year, they are now selling new t-shirts (in addition to their old ones) that share their feeling of "HOPE" for this next step for them. They truly are the most comfortable shirts and I LOVE all of the color options that are available. CLICK HERE to purchase one--this will be my 3rd shirt to get from them because really, I needed a short sleeve, long sleeve, and a now, I need a HOPE one--I can't decide between the black short sleeve or the mint--what do y'all think?

 Here is a link to her blog so you can read about their process from the beginning. 

You can also donate to their Adoption After Loss campaign--here you an also read more about their story of loss. 

I got an Apple Watch at the end of October and I have really liked it. I wanted to give plenty of time before I posted anything about it but, it's worth it. I've really enjoyed the 'activity' aspect of it--it's given me the motivation I need to start of the new year on the right foot with my exercise. 

Speaking of exercise, one of my New Years resolutions was to start running again. I've locked myself in and signed up for my first 5K of the year with Mary Claire. We are doing the Full Armor 5K that benefits Child Evangelism Fellowship of MS. It's not too late to sign up and join us! Sign up here. I have enjoyed hitting the pavement again and can't wait to get back into my groove.  

Criminal Minds--I am hooked on this show. It scares me and intrigues me equally. I love how smart all the people at the BAU are! Dr. Reid is my favorite. I want to read a few articles on how many of these cases are based on real cases--but, I'm one of those that doesn't want any spoilers, etc so I am making myself wait until I'm finished. 

As if I'm not creeping myself out enough by watching Criminal Minds, I'm also catching up on my reading and catching up on all of the Women's Murder Club books by James Patterson. He's my favorite mystery/thriller author. You can fly through his books and it's safe to say that I am (almost) always surprised by the ending. They are great. 

I am loving this cooler weather--even though it is a few months late, I'll take it. I'm enjoying it and pulling out every sweater and beanie I have....even if I have to shed the layers by mid-afternoon because let's face it, we live in Mississippi. 

Ozark Trail Tumbler (Yeti knock off)--Y'all. This cup really is amazing. Yes, cups can be amazing. I mean it. The big one is under $10 at Walmart and that bad boy keeps ice all day. I purchased the smaller one for my coffee and that sold me even further. Most days at work, I'll come in with my coffee around 6:45 and some days I don't get to have a sip of it until I take the kids to lunch (around 10). When we have those days, it's still hot because of my amazing Ozark Trail cup. Get one of these! Which by the way, while looking for the link to share with you guys I found out they even come in different colors. I need the green one now ;)

Speaking of coffee--Chick-fil-a has the best coffee. Hot or cold. It's the best!

I got this spiralizer for Christmas and I am a veggie spiralizer, crazed woman! My favorite thing to do right now is spiralized salt & vinegar potatoes. I would definitely recommend the spiralizer, it's easier than the last one I had and makes very short work. 

If salt+vinegar potatoes sounds like something you would like all you need to do is:

pre heat oven to 375

spiralize (or cut) your potatoes

soak them in a zip lock bag with some white vinegar--just enough to coat them all

line a baking sheet with parchment paper

put the potatoes on the baking sheet (don't let the excess liquid onto the pan

sprinkle them all with salt

bake for 20 minutes--check on them, move them around, etc. 

We do that over and over until they are "to our liking"

We're obsessed. 

If you've ever wanted to try Rodan+Fields, now is the time! 

When you purchase a whole regimen plus our lash boost, you get 20% off. These are HUGE SAVINGS! 

Here are my personal results from using Lash Boost:

above, the top picture is from Oct 11 and the bottom picture is from Jan 18th--both withOUT any mascara. 

Below is a picture with mascara from Dec 24th

Real results, all my very own lashes! I love it! 

Check out my site to sign up as a Preferred Customer and receive some great savings and take advantage of the amazing deal we have going on right now--don't miss this!

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And that's it folks--until next time!