East Avenue

Room Envy

2011-06-26T13:00:00.002-04:00

How amazing are those two chairs?!

Nautical

Lovely breakfast nook

Another beautiful nook I'd like to escape to. Would be even more awesome with a few floating shelves for books.

From Keri Russell's home. Love the modern meets rustic feel.

Lovely built-ins

Russell Brand and Katy Perry's home. Such a great common area

Perfection. Can I have those stairs too, please?

So cozy and beautiful while remaining totally functional

All images via my Pinterest here

Beautiful on the Outside

2011-06-24T12:05:00.001-04:00

I love looking at pretty home exteriors

Beautiful door colors

Side porches=love

Love the shingle siding and big front porch

Craftsman style is my favorite

Cute and country

So pretty for a beach or lake house

All images via my Pinterest here

I'm Gonna Get Pinched...

2011-03-17T10:08:00.000-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm going to have to scramble to find something green to wear today. Don't want to get pinched!

St. Patrick's Day is my favorite of the lesser known holidays and has been for many, many years. No, I've never drank green beer. And I went to college in Columbia, SC which has a St. Patrick's Day party to rival Savannah, GA, but I never managed to attend in 4 years. Yes, I'm lame. No, I love St. Patrick's Day for another reason.

John Mayer. Take a listen if you've never heard this one before...

*Swoon* I love John Mayer.

Happy St. Patrick's Day from this half Irish girl!

Window Wonderings

2011-03-16T01:28:00.000-04:00

There's a little nook in our living room. On one side of the nook is the side of the fireplace and on the other side is a narrow window (pardon the lack of photos, camera is dead, charger is missing). It would be pretty simple to build a little window seat there, and with a hinged top it could even provide storage space for extra blankets and pillows.

This image was my inspiration:

via

I'm totally in a soft grey/blue phase right now. And this photo is speaking volumes to me. It's making me want to build my own little window seat right now to relax in and enjoy.

Favorite DIY finds of the Week

2011-03-09T18:42:00.000-05:00

So I've been homebound this week after having an outpatient surgery, and what better to do than catch up on all of my favorite blogs and find tons of new ideas. I have a few goals for my home that I would like to complete this year and there is never a shortage of inspiration to be found on the net. After lots of time spent reading, I've compiled a few of my favorites. I swear, if I can be half as talented and original as some of these DIY bloggers, I will be one happy lady!

(Click on the photo to get the original post!)

Kristi at Addicted 2 Decorating made this beautiful sunburst mirror. Can you tell what it's made from? Wood shims from a home improvement store! Beautiful and genius!

Michelle at Prudently Painted Vintage gave her own version of board and batten. If there is one DIY project I never tire of seeing, its Board and Batten. I plan to use it in my dining room and can't get enough of all of the different ways people make it work beautifully in their homes.

Kimba was inspired by some other great spring wreaths she saw, and made her own version of a spring wreath using fabric flowers. So cute and chic.

Cindy did a fabulous side table makeover from a Goodwill find for only $20! Inexpensive projects that pack a lot of creative punch are the best!

Did you have any favorite projects this week? Or maybe you made something fun? Do share :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

2011-01-26T08:00:00.001-05:00

I'm loving/loved seeing Black Swan!

Saw it last night and it was so intense. If you are into psychological thrillers I would definitely recommend it.

I'm loving that we are getting our house appraised this week so we can move forward with our refinance. We chose a 15 year loan so we can knock some major principle off, which will help us down the road when we choose to sell.

I'm loving Netflix!

Hubs and I have been watching Netflix through our Wii and we have been having fun spending time together and watching hub's favorite (and my new favorite) show, 24. We are on season 3 so far!

What are you loving this week?

What's your sign?

2011-01-13T17:48:00.000-05:00

Saw a few different funny/cool/exciting things in the news recently.

Verizon is getting the iPhone 4! I'm mostly just happy for Verizon, because I'm a loyal Verizon customer and I thought Apple was pretty lame for only using AT&T, but I might be too chicken to try the iPhone. I LOVE my ~~Crack~~Blackberry. Anyone else made the switch to an iPhone from a different type of smart phone? I wouldn't want to pay full price for the iPhone (my contract isn't up for awhile) and then turns out I don't like it.

Apparently, all the zodiac signs have changed because of the tilt of the earth and I'm no longer a Virgo, but now a Leo. I feel a little betrayed for some reason. I've always been a Virgo and now they (whoever "they" are) go and change the whole sign chart. Go here to check out if your sign has changed as well. Let me say, I've never believed for a second in astrology, but I thought it was kinda crazy how they can just up and change it.

The beautiful (and future princess) Kate Middleton attended a wedding this past weekend and now people are calling it a scandal because of, get this, what she wore to the wedding. There was the whole conversation about whether or not it was ok she wore black to a wedding, whether she was even wearing a bra, and, *gasp*, a plunging neckline! I think she looked gorgeous, as always.

Got to love crazy new stories.

Top Two Tuesday: Strange Addictions

2011-01-10T17:37:00.000-05:00

1. I am ADDICTED to the Gems game on my Blackberry!

The only problem is that hubs is addicted too! We take turns playing levels and we are both pretty good at it. If one of us is every bored, you will find us playing this game.

2. Multi-tasking the computer and television

I'm doing this right now! My attention span has become so short that sometimes I will get antsy if I'm watching TV without being on my laptop at the same time. Its so bad. I play on the computer (mostly blog reading) and listen to the TV. I can watch a whole episode of a show without even looking at it too much. This is just proof that our society is too "wired." We depend on technology so much that we can't focus on one thing, which is, I believe, the cause of my strange addiction.

Share your strange addictions over at Taylor's blog!

1-1-11

2011-01-01T01:02:00.000-05:00

We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day. ~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Wishing you the happiest of New Years from the Oakes family

Goodbye 2010: A Year in Review

2010-12-31T11:03:00.000-05:00

Wow, can you believe this year is over already?

Its been a good year for the Oakes family this year. After all, we started our family in April of this year.

We welcomed a new member to the family in June:

Started looking for a new home in July, only to decide to stay in our current home. Yes we are full of drama around here.

In October we did a major decluttering of our home in our (then) effort to sell our house. We might have decided to call the whole thing off, but let me tell you, decluttering is something you will never regret.

And then before we knew it Christmas was here! Our first married Christmas, and let me tell you, hubs blew it out of the park in the present department:

Sorry bad quality. Its actually my right hand I wear it on, my Mac flipped it backwards when I took the pic

He knew I loved the Princess Diana/Kate ring and I'm in love with this princess inspired ring.

And so tonight we will watch our Gamecocks play in the Chick-Fil-A bowl and then ring in 2011 with the family. Can't wait!

What was the best part about your 2010??

See you next year!

Quote of the Day

2010-12-29T12:16:00.003-05:00

Last night, among my other usual internet surfing, I ended up doing a little New Year's Resolutions research. My "research" consisted of going to good-ole-google and typing in "how to find something you're passionate about." Yes, I'm clearly having a little trouble dealing with my resolutions this year.

But I found this great quote:

"Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it" -Julia Child

So I've determined that finding a passion can be as easy (or not) as choosing a topic, activity, whatever, and becoming interested in it. Learn all you can about it, become a self professed amateur-professional.

Sounds easy, right? I'm telling myself that anyway.

What are you passionate about? How did you become so?

Top Two Tuesday: New Year's Resolutions

2010-12-27T20:46:00.000-05:00

These resolutions have been something I've been giving a lot of thought to. Its the same every year for me (and I'm sure I'm not alone); you have these great ideas and plans that sound so wonderful but are just downright hard to pull off and stick to. This year I'm hoping to complete a few goals that are on a bigger scale and more of a "whole year" goal, rather than a "right now" goal.

1. Find something I'm passionate about

For years I've always struggled with never really having a hobby. There are things I like to do of course, but I've always put more of my time and energy into my friends, school, work, whatever; and less time on something that I enjoy just for me. I'm thinking it maybe could be photography (I've been eying all of the DSLR cameras out there) or who knows what else. I've always been so jealous of my husband -his "thing" is fishing. He goes to the lake whenever he can and he will tell you he isn't the best at it but it just makes him happy. Its my goal to try some new things this year and find something that I can do every once and awhile that will bring me joy.

2. Making a point of remembering birthdays

This past year was a doozie in this department for me. I've got 8 new nieces and nephews, and countless new in-laws whose birthdays passed without me having any clue. Its not such a big deal for the adults, but I would really like to remember to send a card or small gift anytime one of the kids has a birthday.

What are your resolutions this year? Go on over to Taylor's blog to share your top two!

Unto Us a Child is Born...

2010-12-26T15:57:00.000-05:00

Well, our first Christmas as husband and wife is down in the books, and it was extra special this year getting to spend the whole day with my husband and both of our families. And to top off our special day, the southeast was hit with a "snow storm." I say "snow storm" because of course the maybe inch of snow we got doesn't begin to compare to other areas of the country that will be hit with snow in the next few days, but being from the south, it was definitely a storm for us. I think I heard that it has been 50 years since our area has had a white Christmas.

Call me a scrooge, but I would be just fine if it hadn't snowed. I don't exactly like being cooped up inside the house because no one in SC knows how to drive in snow and ice, and I wasn't about to be another bad driver out on the roads. But the snowfall is slowly stopping and its already melting off of the ground, so I hope we will be snow/ice free in a day or so.

Its that time of year again, thinking of New Year's resolutions I might actually be able to stick to. Doesn't like 4 out of 5 resolutions fail by February (I may or may not have just made that statistic up)? I'm trying to think of things that are actually do-able.

Anyone else have trouble sticking with New Year's resolutions? Do you even bother trying them in the first place?

Thursday Five

2010-12-16T15:13:00.002-05:00

So its been a looong, long time since I've blogged. Life has taken over the past few weeks, and we have been keeping busy. Who isn't busy this time of year anyway?

But anyway, onto Thursday Five! Its something I'm doing for the first time.

1. I'm excited for my Christmas present from hubs to finally be here. It won't be here until after Christmas, but it will totally be worth the wait!

2. I am joyful about this time of year. I wasn't so into the Christmas spirit for a few reasons, but I think I've finally come around.

3. I am thankful for my gracious and loving husband who never gives up on me, no matter how crazy I can be!

4. I am happy to see my wonderful step-sons next week and have them stay for Christmas.

5. I'm pumped that it is almost the weekend!

Top Two Tuesday: Cleaning Tips

2010-11-30T20:07:00.000-05:00

Hmmm.... I'm nowhere near qualified to be telling anyone else how to clean (not being so great at it myself) but I have picked up a few tidbits of info, especially after living on my own for the first time in college.

1. Baking Soda

Not Hub's Tub. Just an example. The style of the tub looks the exact same though, must have been the norm for houses built around the 40's.

Its non-toxic and scrubs like a dream. When I first started dating hubs, I came to his house and immediately noticed his bathtub ~~made me want to gag~~ was gross. So naturally I got down on my knees and began scrubbing. Bleach, Kaboom, some "As Seen on TV" product...

Nothing. Would. Clean. This. Tub.

But then (cue angel chorus)..... I discovered baking soda. I got the tub wet, sprinkled it on, let it soak a little while, and then with a scrub brush, the tub came clean! I've since learned that baking soda is great for all kinds of things. My great-grandparents even brushed their teeth with it. Who knew!

2. Microwave De-Gunker

Mom showed me this trick. In a microwave safe container, mix water with a teaspoon of cinnamon, nutmeg, or cloves (or your favorite spice), and heat for 2-3 minutes or until water boils. It will help loosen all the gunky stuff that always gets all up in your microwave, and as a bonus, it makes your kitchen smell fab!

Go on over to Taylor's to see all the great cleaning tips!

Potter and the Ring

2010-11-21T15:51:00.000-05:00

Its been an exciting week!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 1 debuted in theaters. I dragged hubs with me to see it, and now he says he wants to see all of them (success!).

Overall, I was very happy with the movie. Splitting it up into two parts has enabled the film makers to stick more closely to plot lines from the books. But there were still a few key things missing. The story of Dumbledore's past was really absent. Nothing about his family, sister, brother, etc. nor his relationship with Grindewald. I love the way the story of the three brothers and the deathly hallows was illustrated on screen as Hermione read it aloud. The saddest moment of all the films had to be when Dobby died. (I think hubs was pretty close to tears at this point haha- just kidding babe!)

All in all a great movie though!

Now on to the best part of the week.....

I literally shrieked like a little girl, jumped out of my seat and sat crossed legged in front of the TV when the story of their engagement came on the news. Yes, my husband finally knew for sure at that moment that I was crazy. But I just can't help being so excited about this. Its every little girl's dream to marry a prince and William and Kate's love story is somewhat of a fairy tale.

And the RING! Omg the RING!

An 18 carat sapphire sourrounded by 14 diamonds. Of course you probably know that it was William's mother Diana's engagement ring. Given Diana and Charles' unhappy marriage and divorce, I was kind of surprised that William gave Kate his mother's ring. But it was so sweet that William said this was his way of making sure his mom didn't miss out on the excitement. A GORGEOUS ring, wouldn't you agree?

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Jobs

2010-11-16T00:01:00.001-05:00

Over at Taylor's blog this week is top two favorite jobs you've ever had. The problem for me is that I've worked for the same company since I started working at age 14. So I guess I will choose my two by telling about my two favorite positions I've been given at work.

Well, my husband and I work for Sonic Drive-In. That's where we met about 8 years ago and hubs is now a successful partner in his store here in our hometown. So I will go on to describe my two favorite things I've done for Sonic and try as hard as possible to make this not sound like my resume :)

1. Assistant Manager

I was promoted to assistant manager when I was 16, the youngest manager I've ever heard of at that time and since then. I was a carhop before then. Basically I ran shifts, counted money, and sent upset customers home happy. Anyone who has worked in the food industry can attest to the fact that to work in any kind of restaurant is a different world from retail or any other environment and no two days are the same. Its crazy, stressful, but mostly fun and I can honestly say I have loved almost every minute of my time with Sonic.

2. Local Store Marketing

I've been promoted very recently to the area of marketing for my husband's store. I will go door to door to businesses, talk to people about Sonic, and foster relationships with schools' academic and athletic programs. Its very exciting because I get to take all the things I know and use them to build relationships with the community to help grow their programs while growing our family business.

Go to Taylor's blog to take part in the fun!

All Quiet on the Blogging Front...

2010-11-15T19:29:00.000-05:00

Been awhile since I've been on here. We've been busy for sure. Quarterly meeting on Thursday. Then we left for Florida on Friday for the Carolina vs Florida game. We had a great time. Met some awesome people. Its very unusual to be welcomed with open arms by fans of the opposing team. We pulled up to our tailgating spot and immediately people from nearby spots were coming over to introduce themselves, offer us food or drinks, and just chat. Well, if you watched the game, you know that USC dominated, but all the Florida fans we crossed paths with after the game were congratulating us on our win.

And now Thanksgiving in drawing nearer, I'm trying to decide if we will have our own thing at home or go to my mom's house. And I'm starting to get stressed about Christmas shopping. So many things coming and so much to do.

And to top the weekend off, we were given some bad news while in Florida. One of hubs high school friends passed away on Saturday. It was very sudden and unexpected. He was buried today and it has been a hard day to say the least. Hard to say goodbye and just hard to understand why this happened. Please keep his family and friends in your prayers.

Rest in peace, Matt.

For Maddie

2010-11-10T06:19:00.000-05:00

All week, I've had this little girl on my mind.

Her name is Madeline. This week would have been her 3rd birthday. Sadly, she was only able to celebrate her first. She passed away as a result of complications from being born prematurely. Her mother, Heather, writes the blog The Spohrs are Multiplying. It was one of the first blogs I began to read daily when I first "joined" the blog world. She is one of the funniest and wittiest bloggers and the videos she makes of her youngest daughter Annabel make me smile and laugh every week. She is a woman of many talents and much strength. It is needless to say that I don't know how I would cope with such a loss as the one Heather has endured. I have both laughed and cried reading her heartfelt blog.

Her foundation, Friends of Maddie, is a support for families of premature babies. Heather has made a DVD compilation of the videos she has made and 100% of the proceeds will go to Friends of Maddie. Check out her post on it here. Its a wonderful way to honor Maddie's third birthday and it would be a great Christmas gift for kids, these videos are HILARIOUS! :)

Please check out Heather's blog, and if possible, donate to Friends of Maddie or to your local March of Dimes. And whether or not you are able to do this, join me in saying a little prayer for Heather and her family, and for all the premature babies and their families around the world.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 29

2010-11-08T00:28:00.000-05:00

Day 29: Three wishes

Right now these are the things that are on my mind. They are more like dreams and hopes rather than wishes, but here they are:

1. I wish we were debt free.

2. I wish we could be living in our dream house right now.

3. I wish I could find a great job that pays well and will help #'s 1 & 2 come true more quickly.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Days 27 & 28

2010-11-07T23:48:00.000-05:00

Once again, I'm late on these. Busy weekend. Hubs and I went fishing on Saturday morning. He had gone the day before and caught a lot of fish so we thought it would be fun to go together. Well, 6am came too early on Saturday and lets just say that catching no fish + 40 degree weather = unhappy me. Hubs caught fish, but I couldn't feel my fingers so I gave up pretty quickly. He told me to quit whining like a 12 year old, so naturally I just sat in the back of the boat with my arms crossed for awhile after that. haha :)

But anyway... on to the blog challenge! This has been a lot of fun and I have no clue what I will post about when its over! :)

Day 27: Pets

Cookie was my first very own dog. She is a black lab, dalmation mix. We got her when I was about 7 or 8. She has been the best dog. Always so sweet.

Here she is at Christmas a few years ago. She is going on 14 years old now and has a lot more gray on her little face, but she is still as sweet as ever. She lives with my mom and I miss her. But I have all of these other crazy fur babies keeping me busy here at home with hubs.

Jack is Brian's black lab. He and hubs were bachelors together before I came along :) He is the most gentle big baby ever. He loves playing with our dachshunds and is so sweet with them, although he does step on them everyonce and awhile, but hey, hes BIG!

He loves the water!

Beautiful boy.

And of course there are the two weenie babies.

This is Captain, the (former) miniature dachshund. I say former, because he now weighs too much to be considered "miniature." Hes about 15 lbs now. The biggest "mini" dachshund I've ever seen, but he's not fat, just all muscle. He is 15 lbs of pure force when he plays, it wears me out!

This is Chloe. She is a force to be reckoned with as well, except she was the runt of the litter, so she is half of what Captain weighs. She may gain a pound or two when she is full grown, but she will always be small.

Our weenie babies love each other! So cute!

and Day 28: What stresses you out?

To be honest, not much stresses me out. That is a good thing because I think stress can really kill you if you're under it too long, but then again, stress can also be good for getting things done. I think when it came to studying for tests and writing papers in college, that stressed me out, but it was good that I felt the pressure to get things done (even though it was usually the last minute- procrastination is a whole different issue!). I think I'm just more laid back. I've been with the same job for 8 years now. It is the kind of environment that some people can't handle, because the stress can really get bad at times, but I just take things as they come and at the end of the day, things are always ok, so I never let it get to me.

Lately money stresses me out, but I don't worry about it. I guess its a fine line between the two.

I'm having fun with this challenge!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 26

2010-11-04T22:21:00.001-04:00

Day 26: Family Pictures

The most important thing in life is your family...

There are days you love them and others you don't...

But in the end, they're always the people you come home to....

Sometimes its the family you're born into...

And sometimes its the one you make for yourself <3

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 23

2010-11-02T12:23:00.000-04:00

Day 23: Favorite Vacation

I would have to say that my favorite vacation was our trip to Myrtle Beach in 2009. I had just finished my Junior year at USC and we had been dating about 6 months at this time. It wasn't the most scenic or expensive vacation but I wouldn't have traded those few days for anything. After coming back, we were engaged just a few days later.

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Gifts

2010-11-01T21:57:00.000-04:00

I have a lot of great gifts that I've been given, such as my salvation and my husband. But like Taylor said, I'll make this list a little bit more materialistic :)

1. MacBook Pro

I LOVE my MacBook Pro. It was a gift from hubs for my last birthday. I did need a new computer. My one from college was about to die and hubs knew I wanted a Mac so bad so we went to Atlanta to the Apple store and picked one out! He is the best!

2. 2010 Mustang GT

Hubs got this for me last year and it was the most fun I ever had driving a car. Sadly, we no longer have it. The boys barely fit in the back and we couldn't tow hub's boat with it so we traded it in for an SUV. Hubs says that everyone should own or drive a mustang at least once in their life and now that I had the opportunity I'm glad that I did. I got to learn to drive a manual with this car too and thats a good thing to know how to do. She sure is pretty.

Go join in the fun:

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 22

2010-11-01T13:03:00.000-04:00

I've missed a few days again. Its been busy around here. We were busy watching the Gamecocks whoop up on Tennessee on Saturday (Go Cocks!) and then Halloween night was very busy for hub's restaurant. But now the craziness is over for right now at least. My step-sons are here until tomorrow and we are just hanging out and trying to keep them from eating all of their Halloween candy!

But here's day 22: Favorite City

I haven't done as much traveling as I'd like. Most of the places I've seen have been to see family, and I've never left the country, and with the state of things these days, I don't know if I ever will, but there is one place that has my heart and is hands down my favorite city. New York, New York:

My last visit to the Big Apple, in 2008

I love everything about this city. I love the subway, the architecture, the food, the sights and smells. Its one of the only places I know that has a beautiful park in the middle of a bustling city. The people there are not rude like some may say, and I've always been able to find someone to lead me in the right direction or offer suggestions on somewhere cool to visit in the city. Hubs has never been there and I love this city so much that I can't wait until the day we can share in it together. From Little Italy to China town, to Central Park, and Times Square, I would give anything to be able to live there. Its one of those places that you visit and never want to leave.


With my mom and sisters in Central Park

November Warmer of the Month

2010-11-01T12:44:00.000-04:00

To be honest, I'm happy Halloween is over. I've never really been too big on this holiday, and now I've got a bunch of left over candy that I'm going to have to try and not eat all at once. But I'm really just excited that it's over because that means that we are now in the real holiday season. Thanksgiving will be here before we know it, and then Christmas!! I've already got Christmas on the brain, and I was so excited when I visited my personal website this morning and saw the new warmer of the month chosen by Scentsy:

And the scent of the month to go with "Prancer" is called Silver Bells. How festive! Contact me if you would like to get more information about ordering, or anything concerning Scentsy. Scentsy makes for great holiday gifts!

Or if you're interested in earning FREE Scentsy, you should consider a basket party. Even if you're far away from where I live, I can mail you everything you will need to have your party, and its at no cost to you. Plus you get an awesome free gift just for hosting! Contact me at aimeeoakes@gmail.com for more information!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 17

2010-10-27T20:17:00.000-04:00

Day 17: What are you looking forward to?

I'm looking forward to...

Eating the top layer of our wedding cake on our first wedding anniversary (4.11.11)

Traveling to new places: Vegas with all the Oakes brothers and their wives (hopefully next summer) and visiting family in Utah (this winter if we can save up the money)

Being a mommy

Our first Thanksgiving and Christmas as as married couple

Kissing my man at midnight on New Year's Eve :)

That's a very, very small list of the many things I'm looking forward to in the future. What are you looking forward to?

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 16

2010-10-25T22:08:00.000-04:00

Day 16: Dream Home

Right now I am in love with Craftsman style homes. I love all the architectural details like the woodwork on the columns and such. I found this picture and loove this house:

With this staircase:

And it would have this kitchen:

A bathroom that looked something like this (I LOVE beadboard):

Oh and I forgot; there would be a super organized, blackboard door pantry like this one:

Dreaming of dream homes makes me so happy :)

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Fall Decorating Ideas

2010-10-25T20:29:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned that I loooooove fall yet? This week's topic is so fun. These are my two favorite fall ideas that I've seen recently.

1. Fall Wreaths

I love this wreath from DIY Show Off. Such a cute summer wreath, and without the starfish, it would transition perfectly for fall! I've seen this wreath also made with different colored fabrics and it could be made specially for any season or holiday.

DIY Show Off

And how cute is this fall wreath made of magnolia leaves?

Centsational Girl

2. Halloween Decorated Staircase

If I had a staircase, I would love to do this. Thrifty Decor Chick's stairs are so spooky and fun :)

Thrifty Decor Chick

What are your favorite fall decor ideas?

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 15

2010-10-25T08:00:00.072-04:00

Day 15: Favorite Bible Verse

I've been looking forward to this day's topic. I do have a bunch of verses that are very special to me and mean many different things to me.

Senior year in high school, we had to choose a "life verse" for the yearbook and all those other senior publications. This is the verse I chose then:

"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the LORD, not men..."

Ephesians 6:7

I chose this verse back then for a few reasons. I was very active in my school's missions program. I went on mission trips every summer for about 6 years straight. This verse applies to that, but it can also apply to any area of your life. Whatever we do, whether it be our job, our relationships, we should do it as if we were doing it for the Lord: wholeheartedly.

One of my other favorite verses is something that I have lived and seen to be true in every area of my life. Money is something that most people stress out about at one time or another. I won't say it doesn't worry me occasionally, but overall, I don't let it get me down:

"...do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them...Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ...and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

Matthew 6:25-34 (emphasis added)

I can now honestly say that I know that the Lord always provides. It was one of the things on my "beliefs" list earlier in the week. There are always times when things are tight, but never have I been without something I needed, and there are even times that a check for something comes in the mail that we weren't expecting. I've seen it too many times to name, and I'm sure it will continue to amaze me how the Lord continues to provide, even though we are so unbelievably undeserving.

I can't wait to read everyone's favorite bible verses!

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 14

2010-10-24T10:00:00.019-04:00

Continuing on in the challenge (three days in a row for me, are you impressed??)...

Day 14: A Picture you love

I needed a good picture, so what else is there to do than go to facebook and look at every picture tagged of you to find a great one you had forgotten about? I had so much fun reliving all the memories from college and I came across this pic and knew I had to post it.

Me (left) and Ashley (BFF)

Me and my best friend, while we were in college, being silly like always before getting ready for a night out. I've been really missing college recently, just for all of the fun times and the lack of "real life" I seem to be experiencing now. Don't get me wrong, I love being married and getting to spend everyday with my man, but college was so fun and I don't think I will ever stop missing it.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 13

2010-10-23T07:15:00.001-04:00

Day 13: Goals

-Become a better Chrstian

-Learn to be the best wife I can be

-Visit all 50 states

-Cook dinner at least 4 or 5 nights a week

-Be the best mom (when I have children) and step-mom I can be

-Get out of debt

-Redecorate our house

-Become better at remembering to do laundry (my poor hubs is always the one who suffers from my forgetfulness- sorry babe!)
-Get back to couponing on a regular basis

-Take more pictures

-Start blogging on a more regular basis

-Come up with a more concrete theme for my blog

-Make my Scentsy business successful

Oops: Blog Challenge Day 12

2010-10-22T23:59:00.000-04:00

Wow, it turns out I'm horrible at this "remembering-to-blog-everyday" thing- like I didn't know that already! :)
Well instead of boring anyone with a horrible 10 day catch-up post, I will just join in where everyone else is at the moment. Go over to Katie's Journey to join the fun.

Day 12: Beliefs

I believe in the Creator of heaven and earth, His only Son, and the presence of the Holy Spirit.
I believe in the power of prayer.
I believe there is good in each and every person on this planet.
I believe that true love does exist.
I believe that what my mother told me was true: "everyone comes into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime."
I believe that the Lord always provides. Always.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 3

2010-10-13T16:29:00.000-04:00

Your first love

When it comes to loving there have been a two firsts for me:

The first man I ever loved: Jesus. I became a Christian at a young age, but I don't think I was truly in love with Jesus until high school. I have never, even to this day, known such joy as the joy that I felt when I realized that the creator of the universe loves me, sins and all. Its the most awesome feeling and you've not truly lived unless you've experienced this yourself.

The first earthly man I truly loved: My husband, Brian. I got lucky with this one, let me tell you. He is an awesome husband and the best friend I've ever had. When we met for the second time (about 6 years after the first time) something clicked and I knew he was it for me. We have our ups and downs every day, but I know at the end of the day he loves me more than anything, and I wouldn't trade that feeling for the world.

30 Day Blog Challenge: Day 1&2

2010-10-12T13:49:00.001-04:00

I heard about this challenge through one of my daily reads, Simply Smithwick, and she heard about it from Katie's Journey. I thought "hey why not!" So here I go with day one!

Introduce, post a recent pic, and tell 15 facts about yourself

Ok, I'm guilty. Not so recent (6months) but one of my favorite pics from our wedding.

I'm Aimee. I've been married to my wonderful husband for 6 months now. We had a beautiful outdoor wedding last April and its been a beautiful ride so far. I am a graduate of the University of South Carolina and one of the biggest Gamecock football fans you will ever meet. I have my Bachelor's degree in Psychology but I work with my husband at his restaurant. I am now officially addicted to blogging, and even though I don't post too often, I love reading all of the other great blogs out there. I have two wonderful step-sons, Tanner and Tucker. Hubs and I have 3 dogs: a black lab (Jack) and two miniature dachshunds (Captain and Chloe). That's a little bit about me. Now lets see if I can actually come up with 15 facts about myself that I haven't already said!

1. I LOVE ketchup. Seriously. I can eat it on just about anything.

2. I love baking. Funfetti cake is my favorite, followed by cheesecake.

3. I can balance a spoon, knife, and fork on my nose. At the same time. True story.

4. I played soccer and volleyball in high-school. I was also a cheerleader and I coached a squad my senior year of high school. It was the most fun but challenging thing I've ever done.

5. I was born in Connecticut but consider myself a true southern girl, having lived in South Carolina since I was about 3. There is nowhere else I would want to live (with one exception, see #6).

6. I love New York City. I haven't been too many places, but this one tops the list of favorite places ever. I love everything about it.

7. I went to a private school my whole life until I went to USC, but I was never one of the ones who went wild like many others did.

8. I enjoy a glass of wine in the evenings with my husband. We like to sit on the front porch in our rocking chairs.

9. One of my guilty pleasures is watching any of the Kardashian shows on E. They are so crazy but I can't help be enthralled by their lives.

10. I have two sisters. Both are younger than me by 11 and 8 years.

11. Tomorrow marked 6 months since we got married

12. My husband is 8 years older than me

13. We have football season tickets for the USC Gamecocks and we both love going to the games

14. Fall is my favorite season

15. I would rather be cold than hot (thus my love for fall and winter haha)

And Day 2:
What is the story behind your blog's name?

I guess there really isn't a story. I'm am an Oakes now, and this is my life. Sometimes life can stink, but most of the time it is amazing and I couldn't be more thankful for the opportunity to live my life with Mr. Oakes by my side. Its the story of everyday life, fun events, and whatever else I have on my mind.

Top Two Tuesday: Dream Kitchens

2010-10-04T20:15:00.000-04:00

Can I just first say how excited I got when I saw this week's topic. I am always dreaming about what my dream kitchen will look like and its something that I've been thinking about a lot recently since we've been on the search for another home.

1. Kitchen from "Something's Got to Give"

I know this must be on some other's list also. This kitchen is gorgeous! I am in love with the white cabinets and dark countertops. Another favorite from this kitchen is the square island. I love big islands that are truly functional, like the shelves for cookbooks on this one, as well as space for pretty decor and plenty of storage space.

2. Kraftmaid Kitchen

I love this kitchen from the Kraftmaid cabinetry catalog. I love the ceiling to floor pantry cabinets as well as the bar on the back of the kitchen island. I can't get away from white cabinet kitchens and I'm sure whatever home we choose, there will be white cabinets in my future.

Go join in the fun on Taylor's blog.

October is here!

2010-10-03T14:48:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited about this fall season for more than a few reasons, and one of them is the new Scentsy. There is an awesome new warmer and scent of the month for October.

I'm really looking forward to doing my first Fall Festival on October 16th. I have a Scentsy booth there and I'm so excited to be able to share Scentsy with the people who come through. If you will be in the Greenville, SC area from 9am-noon on the 16th, stop by the fair. Lots of activities for kids and families and a great way to get a head start on your holiday shopping! Contact me if you would like more details.

Happy Fall!

Kicked to the Curb

2010-10-02T17:33:00.000-04:00

I am guilty of being a slave to stuff. I put too much stock in "things" and sometimes have a hard time throwing things away, for absolutely no good reason at all. This was more than apparent when I received a call last night that someone was coming in the morning to see our house (currently for sale). My first thought was oh my goodness how am I going to clean/declutter/beautify the house in one night. We certainly weren't expecting anyone to come see it. After all, we haven't had any interest in the weeks since we listed the house.

So hubs and I cleaned and cleaned and threw away junk and before we knew it, it was 4am. I am really proud of how much stuff we kicked to the curb (literally) and our home is so much more warm and inviting without all the unnecessary things.

So maybe the people who toured the home this morning will make an offer, and maybe they won't. Either way, I hope we were able to impress them. The search for our dream home continues. We may be relocating in the near future for work, so a lot of things are still up in the air. We will see how it all goes.

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend :)

Atlantic City

2010-09-30T18:00:00.000-04:00

Hubs and I got home around 1 last night from a trip to Atlantic City. It was a business trip, but it was a lot of fun. I didn't know what to expect, never having been anywhere like it, and it is definitely a different world there. The kind of place where nothing good happens after midnight, so you may as well just be in bed. :)

Not to knock Jersey, but I honestly wasn't impressed. From what I hear, Vegas is a lot nicer and more exclusive. I was especially not impressed with our hotel, Bally's. We changed rooms twice. The first time because there were ants and roaches in our room. The second time because they put us in a smoking room that absolutely reeked (we don't smoke and my sinuses were on fire the second we stepped foot in that room). And in the third room, I was still not impressed- dirty carpets, the ceiling paint was falling in one area, and there were hairs left over the sink from what I expect was the room's last guest. I was expecting a more swanky, elegant hotel, but I guess you get what you pay for and the trip was free. I am very grateful that we were offered a chance to go on this trip, so I don't want to sound like I'm complaining- just call me an amateur hotel rater!

All in all I discovered that I'm a closet gambling addict (just kidding, mom) and that 24 hour Happy Hour in the Wild, Wild West casino sounds like a good idea, but really turns out not to be in the end. I had so much fun playing the slot machines. We were given some spending money when we arrived and even though I left with very little of the money they gave us, at least nothing really came out of my pocket and it was sure fun. I want to go to another casino sometime and try my hand at a poker or blackjack table, something I wasn't brave enough to do this time around.

Atlantic City's best attraction (because I believe there are better casinos and hotels elsewhere) was the boardwalk.

Picture not taken by me. I'm the world's worst at remembering to take photographs of once in a lifetime moments. Oops.

Hubs and I had so much fun walking and walking, seeing all the crazy locals, and just spending much needed time together. I even heard there were some "ladies of the night" walking down the boardwalk, but we weren't out quite late enough for that!

Can't wait until our next vacation already!

Top Two Tuesday: Things I Would Like to Accomplish

2010-09-13T20:22:00.001-04:00

1. Balance

Being a new wife, I am daily struggling to figure things out. How do I juggle keeping the house clean, as well as spending quality time with my husband? Or how do I find time to relax and work out to keep myself healthy? I am ashamed to say that many night we go out to eat because I'm tired from work, or the kitchen isn't clean, or any other variety of excuses. Whew, this wife thing is tough! I'm doing my best to learn from my mistakes and find ways to balance things that I enjoy with the things that are not so enjoyable (vacuuming, scrubbing, and the like). I know I will never be perfect at this, and certainly by the end of the year, but I'm hoping that with time I will be able to learn to balance all the loves, pleasures, chores, and events in my life with ease and poise.

2. Daily Quiet Time

This is something that would be easy to accomplish. I would love to set aside 15-30 minutes a day for some reflection. In Bible class in school (I went to a private school my whole life) the teacher would point us to a story, verse, or passage from the Bible and ask us to write a reflection on it. Our response could be anything at all. Similar to a daily devotion. I would love to take the time to do this everyday. At the beginning of the day would be the best, but I'm the worst morning person. But really anytime would be beneficial. Anyone have a good daily devotional they would recommend? I have gotten away from spending time with the Lord daily, and its the one thing that I should really be focused on getting back to.

What would you like to accomplish? Go on over to Taylor's blog to join in!

Christmas in September?

2010-09-08T23:00:00.000-04:00

For some reason I can't get Christmas off of my mind. I keep seeing something cute online or in a store and I'm thinking "oh! I should get something like that for so-and-so for Christmas." I haven't bought anything yet but I'm not sure why I've started thinking about it so early this year. Maybe the way the season is starting to change has me in holiday mode or something.

One thing I've been thinking about especially is that this will be our first holiday season as a married couple. The reality is we will be spending most of the time at my mom's house or with family and friends, but I still feel the need to make it extra special because it is our first. The problem is, how do I do that? I've never had to host the holidays before, and to be honest it makes me pretty nervous.

I'm hoping we will be in our new house by Christmas, but at this rate we might not be. I'm determined to make the holiday special no matter where we are, but it would be fun if it was there :)

How do you make the holidays special for you and your family? Do you join in with old traditions or make your own?

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Things About Fall

2010-09-06T15:08:00.000-04:00

I LOVE all things fall but these two things are my favorite.

1. The Weather

Fall is my favorite season, hands down! The past few nights in fact have been in the 50's and 60's and it is amazing to open the windows and turn the AC off. I'm over the days in the 90's and can't wait until it cools down during the day as well. It makes my number two pick of fall much more bearable.

2. Football!

Me and Sir Big Spur, the USC mascot

As I mentioned last week, I am a big football fan! My teams of choice are the University of South Carolina Gamecocks (my alma mater) and the Minnesota Vikings (love Brett Favre!). I only started watching pro football as of last year and I'm not always so into it, but you will always find me in Columbia when the Gamecocks play.

What are your favorite things about fall? Go to Taylor's blog to join in the fun!

The Fall and Winter Scentsy is here!

2010-09-01T20:04:00.000-04:00

Its that time of year, folks. Before we know it, the hot humid days of summer will be over and the leaves will begin changing. Today, Scentsy released their new Fall/Winter 2010 line. You MUST go to my site and check out all the new things for this fall. I just received all my scents in the mail and the new ones are to die for! See the side panel on the right for links to my website.

Here are a few new things Scentsy has to offer this season. Click on any of the photos' captions to go to the Scentsy site and learn more about the item:

The Warmer of the month- Montpelier

Fragrance Foam! Antibacterial hand soap

Ollie the Elephant is one of the Scentsy Buddies great for kids of all ages!

The Nursery Collection of Warmers

Need I say more?! There is also the "Patriot Collection" featuring armed forces warmers, and a special warmer to benefit The National Breast Cancer Foundation. Really beautiful stuff.

Scentsy makes for fun holiday parties and great Christmas gifts. Contact me today!

Praying for Brayden

2010-08-31T17:57:00.000-04:00

Heather over at Live.Love.Laugh and her husband just welcomed their little boy Brayden into the world only a few days ago. He was born at only 28 weeks. He is doing great so far, but lets all keep him in our prayers as he overcomes the hurdles that lots of preemies will face.
I read Heather's blog everyday and I will continue to keep her and her husband and little Brayden in my thoughts and prayers.

Top Two Tuesday: Cities

2010-08-30T20:40:00.000-04:00

This week's top two is favorite US cities. This one was EASY PEASY.

1. New York City


Just looking at this pic makes me want to be there!

There is no other city I would rather be in at any given time. I love everything about it. From the subway, to the security guards who take their jobs too seriously, to the sights and smells, everything. There is of course great shopping and lots of great attractions to see, but the feeling that NYC gives you I've never experienced anywhere else.

2. Columbia, SC

This city has been weighing on my mind constantly for the past few days. Why? Because football season is almost here!!! Columbia (Cola) is the home of the USC Gamecocks and I'm so ready to see them play. Hubs and I got all of our game day gear today and I'm so pumped. I also love Cola because its where I went to school, so it will always be a special place to me. But mostly because of football :)

Williams Brice and I have a date this Thursday :)

Go join in the fun:

Back to.....?

2010-08-24T20:29:00.000-04:00

Its that time of year again. Yes, its back to ~~school~~ work. Wait, what? This is the first year in about 18 years that I'm not going back to school. Every store I go into is a reminder that I would rather be buying cute notebooks and pens instead of trying to remember that I have to do laundry or else I will have nothing to wear to work tomorrow.

I officially have the back to school itch. I've been looking up different programs for online graduate degrees. Its kind of the "I miss school" thing, but mostly a "I can't find a good job" thing. I've never heard anything about any online degrees other than the commercials I see on tv. I am so tempted to sign up tomorrow. I truly love learning and would love to get a more advanced degree, but no one I know has ever done the online thing, so I have no one to ask about it.

3 hours of class beats 8 hours at work any day.

Top Two Tuesday: Biggest Indulgences

2010-08-23T17:30:00.001-04:00

Its that time again! This weeks choices were pretty easy for me to come up with.

1. Coach Bags

For the past two years, hubs and I have taken a beach trip and we always come home with a beautiful new coach bag. Hubs says I'm S. A. R. (spoiled ass rotten) and I guess it must be true.

2. Electronics

I like keeping up with new technology where I can. My old Gateway from college was getting a little dated (aka slow and full of viruses). My birthday is on Sunday and hubs got me my present a little bit early. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new MacBook Pro. It was definitely a big splurge for us, but hubs is the best and wanted to get me something I would actually use and love, and I do!

Go join in the fun!

Dreams of White

2010-08-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

We officially made an offer last night on the home we wish to purchase, and our current home went on the market. We are currently in the process of spiffying the place up to look great for the pics that will be posted on the listing as well as for any visitors we may have tour the home. As I look forward to hearing a hopefully positive response from the sellers, I keep dreaming of what we will make of the new home and I don't see how I will be able to keep myself from painting everything white. I love the clean, crisp and airy feel that white brings to a room and to a home as a whole.

I am inspired by these photographs:

Country Living

Look how bright and open this kitchen seems. I love the accents of the exposed wooden beams as well as the rustic looking bar chairs.

Found Here

I love the green accents here and there in this kitchen. Beautiful wood floors as well.

Found Here

I don't think I could ever have enough beautiful things to display on those shelves, but it is stunning nonetheless.

Keep your fingers crossed for an accepted offer and a home that will be quick to sell!

Top Two Tuesday: Characters

2010-08-17T12:11:00.001-04:00

This week's Top Two is Characters you would want to play. This was pretty easy. I just thought of my two favorite characters from literature or film and two immediately popped into my head.

1. Elizabeth Bennet from "Pride and Prejudice"

Whether Keira Knightly in the most recent film adaptation or Jennifer Ehle in the classic BBC version, either Mr. Darcy would be quite alright with me, wouldn't you agree? :)
Elizabeth Bennet is such a strong female character and wasn't afraid to go against society's thoughts of what a lady should be. I think it would be a very fun role to play!

2. Bella from the "Twilight" series

Who wouldn't want to star opposite those hunks from the Twilight series? I love these books and wish that someone different had been cast as Bella in the movies. Not to say that I could do better than Kristen Stewart (I definitely couldn't), but I never felt like she was quite right for this role. It would be a fun role to be in because of the fantasy aspect of the series.

A close third was any of the ladies from Sex and the City. It was my favorite TV series of all time and I would LOVE LOVE LOVE all of the clothes, shoes, and accessories that they get to wear!

Can't wait to read your picks of the week!

Approved!

2010-08-11T21:59:00.000-04:00

The bank FINALLY came through and we are making an offer on the home tomorrow! I am so excited and yet so nervous at the same time. I realize it will be awhile before we hear anything, probably, but it gives me butterflies at the thought that that wonderful house could be ours. I can't stop from daydreaming about how it will look once we've remodeled it. I shouldn't get my hopes up because who knows what will happen, but I can't help it. Blogs on inexpensive home decor have become my favorites recently. I will give a little shoutout to my two favorites because I have gotten so many good ideas from them: Thrifty Decor Chick and My Sweet Savannah. You can see both of them on my blog roll on the right side of the page. I've also been reading Country Living and Better Homes and Gardens and those types of magazines looking for inspiration. I'm hooked on decorating a home that isn't even ours yet!

Anyone have any good decor blogs they love to read? I would love to find some more to read everyday!

"Debt is Dumb"

2010-08-05T17:59:00.000-04:00

I was just doing my daily reading of all my favorite blogs and I came across a post by Thrifty Decor Chick (which you can read here) about Dave Ramsey. She writes about how she and her family are paying off their debt using Dave Ramsey's plan. This got me wanting to write a post about it as well because just last night hubs and I were making our "snowball debt" list. If you follow Dave's plan, then you start with your smallest debt and pay it off first in order to have more money to put towards much bigger debts.

I will be honest here. It was disappointing, no rather, disheartening, once we put it all down on paper. I typed all the numbers into my calculator, hit equal, and the number on the tiny screen took my breath away. Not only did it make me sad in a way, that we had so far to go, it made me mad. I was angry that we have allowed ourselves to become slaves. Slaves to debt. We live to work and pay off our debt. When in reality we should be serving something (Someone) much more worthy. Dave says that in order for his plan to work you have to get mad. You have got to realize the crappy situation you are in and you have to be angry enough at your debt to want to banish it from your life and never let it return. And I truly believe we are at that point.

Just like the post linked to above says, we do not follow his plan word for word either. But we have a budget and we do our best to stick to it. It is awesome to be motivated to change our situation. It will be a lot better once we are able to sell Brian's car. That will take a huge chunk out of what we owe. We are so ready to be rid of our debt and have freedom from the chains that money can put on you.

Anyone else trying to get out of debt? What plan are you using?

Top Two Tuesday: Simple Pleasures

2010-08-03T19:00:00.000-04:00

When I think "simple pleasures" the first things that pop into my mind are food and sleep. So I will have to try to widen my horizons for this post.

1. Reading

There is nothing I love more than to curl up in my favorite chair, or in bed, with a good book and let my mind escape the world for a few minutes. I always have, and always will love to read.

2. Double Dark Chocolate Ice cream from Marble Slab

Ok so I just had to have a food item on the list, and right now I have ice cream on the brain. This is one of my most favorite ice creams ever. And I love it so much more now that hubs and I can go enjoy ice cream together. He never used to be an ice cream lover but I've converted him :)

Go join in the fun:

Dream Homes and Broken Hearts

2010-08-01T21:56:00.000-04:00

So here is the update on our dream home purchase, or rather, the rather frustrating lack of updates.
It seems like this whole thing is a waiting game here. The bank that we have our mortgage with now is who we would like to finance our new home. The problem: the banker who is to pre-approve us for our loan won't call us back. The only time he gives us a phone call is when I go to the bank to tell the bank manager he hasn't called us back. And then he says, "let me run all the numbers and I will give you a call tomorrow." Yeah right. So I'm frustrated to the extreme but don't know what other bank to go to. I've asked to deal with someone else but apparently there is no one else in the area who we can deal with at our bank.

Our little family

And there is something else adding to my troubles this weekend. I've never really gotten too personal on this blog, but I just feel the need to write some things out hoping it will make more sense on the screen than it does in my head. My husband's two sons from his previous marriage moved this weekend. Their mother took them out of state to live with her and her fiancé. I so wish they could have stayed with us and now I hate that they are so far away. We asked her if it would be possible and she said no. We didn't consult a lawyer about it, but now I'm regretting that decision. I know judges tend to favor mothers for custody of their children and I see their point of view. Having been a daughter of divorced parents, and living with my mother, my father never seemed to care much to spend time with me after the divorce. But now being on the other side of the issue, and married to a man who loves his children more than anything, I see how unfair the system is. It would be a horrible, and expensive, legal battle to get primary custody of the children. Being only their step-mom, I have no legal rights to them, and I understand that. But I love them as if they were my own and I would love every second of it if they could come live with us, especially if the deal with this home does go through- they are in love with our possible home to be as we are. I wish they could have someone who would pack them lunch for school every day and someone who would stay home from work to be with them after school so they wouldn't have to be in daycare.

Maybe I'm wrong to wish they could live with us and maybe I shouldn't be feeling any of this, I don't know. All I know is that they are two hours away and my heart is broken.

Favorite Fridays: Party Game

2010-07-30T09:25:00.000-04:00

In college, there were definitely a lot of fun times just hanging around whether it was a party or just the roommates and I. Two games stand out.

1. Apples to Apples

Here is one such instance of playing Apples to Apples in 2008:

I LOVE this game. We always had the best time and get some of the most hilarious cards in the process. Anyone who hasn't played this, bring it to your next party!

2. Circle of Death

Now I'm not one to be big on drinking games, but this one is the BEST. This is the only game that can surpass the hilarity of Apples to Apples. Having alcohol in the system makes people and their responses even more ridiculous. You can find the rules here. If there were any rules we didn't like, we made up our own. Its more fun that way.

What are your favorite party games? Join in the fun!

2010-07-29T19:51:00.000-04:00

Hubs thought it would be funny to bring a monster into the house and put it into the dogs' cage to see if they would play with it. Me finding it the next day and thinking how the heck has this creature sneaked into our house- not so funny. This two inch long beast of a grasshopper almost scared the poo out of me.

For future reference, hubs- leave the critters outside!

Workout Wednesday?

2010-07-28T17:35:00.001-04:00

So I've been feeling pretty down on myself lately. I think all the stress, the restaurant food, and the constant "go here, go there" of life has been catching up with me. Not to mention the bliss of the "honeymoon" stage of our married life which equals lots of time spent in the kitchen baking yummy goodies. All that being said, I'm really feeling awful about my new, much curvier physique. Being Italian, I realize my curves are going absolutely nowhere, no matter what weight I'm at, but I feel like enough is enough as far as this "married weight" is concerned. Did anyone else experience this?

So naturally after work today, I headed out for a little retail therapy. A girl at work told me there was a great sale at Old Navy so I headed out to find something that would fit my new body better than all my pre-weight gain clothes are fitting at the moment. What I got instead were a great pair of workout pants, a super cute workout tank, and a uber comfy sports bra. This is the inspiration I've been needing (I hope). I'm now about to get out of my chair and get moving to a workout video- with some good tunes playing of course. I would love to go for a walk but its about 100 degrees outside (can you blame me for staying inside?), and I'm not too keen in walking the neighborhood without hubs being at home anyway. But hey, some kind of movement is better than none at all.

So I've dubbed today Workout Wednesday. Hopefully if I blog about it once every week, my motivation to keep on moving won't waiver.

Anyone else got a great fitness routine that's working for them? or What are you doing to live healthy this summer?

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Scents

2010-07-26T22:21:00.001-04:00

These scents are both for men but men's colognes are my favorite!

1. CK Free

This is what I got hubs for Christmas and I love it. Hubs always tells me when he has his "smell good" on and i just got to hug him and get a whiff.

2. Abercrombie Fierce

This has been one of my favorite scents for years. I'm even guilty of wearing it on occaision because it smells so amazing. If you've walked into an A&F, you have smelled Fierce and I don't know anyone who doesn't like it.

Go on over to Undomestic Momma to join in the fun!

Only a few days left in July to take advantage of my Scentsy Special. Buy a warmer, get a scent bar FREE! You might just find your own new favorite scent! Read about the special here.

House Hunters: SC

2010-07-15T17:53:00.000-04:00

We officially started our house hunt a few days ago. But the odd thing is, its not really a hunt, because there is only one house we want, and it really all happened by accident. We were driving out of town and passed the same beautiful, old house that we have passed hundreds of times. We have never seen a car there as long as we could remember. We figured it was just left to rot because it is overgrown and rundown. But this particular day, something was different. A For Sale sign in the front yard by the road. I immediately got on my blackberry and searched for the home and found it. Its in our price range, bigger than we ever thought we could afford, and is beautifully situated on 10 acres. The kicker: its a fixer-upper- like majorly.

Got in touch with a Realtor and toured the home. Having been an estate, the home is still full of the last owner's beautiful antique furniture. But it needs a new roof, the landscaping is majorly overgrown, and there is a colony of honeybees in one of the front columns. That's the least of the issues plaguing this beautiful house. But we want it. We want to make it ours.

Our Realtor said there is a type of loan made just for this situation. It will give us the extra funds to fix all the problems and it actually forces us to get the stuff done in a certain period of time so we can't drag our feet in getting the remodel done- which is good because it will give us a very strict time line of when we would be able to move in.

We will make an offer on Monday after visiting with our banker. Send a few prayers our way that our offer is accepted!

Jaded

2010-07-14T09:25:00.000-04:00

I loved our wedding. I truly did. There is nothing that I regret. Nothing that I wish I would have changed. We had the most beautiful weather, at the most beautiful location, with the most beautiful family and friends surrounding us.

But if I think about it honestly, it is not something I ever want to do again. I know, that's a good thing. I don't mean it in the sense that I hope I never get married again, because I've already got my perfect match, but I mean it in the way that I never will plan another wedding. Not for myself. Not for someone else. Never.

Wedding planning was stressful. It was expensive. Who wants to spend their hard earned money on bubbles or a silver knife you will only use once? I know I'm being a little ridiculous, but I think planning my own wedding has jaded me. If I turn to TLC and Say Yes to the Dress is on, I have to change it. Immediately. My heart starts racing, and I feel that at any moment my palms just might start sweating.

I know I'm only three months past my own wedding, and maybe this reaction will fade over time. I'm hoping that it does. Weddings are a beautiful reminder of why we all fell in the love in the first place and they cause us to hope that our love can always be new and fresh every day.

Scentsy Special

2010-07-13T09:40:00.000-04:00

Many of you may have seen the giveaway on Taylor's (Undomestic Momma) blog for for a Scentsy warmer and two scents. I would like to continue the fun and offer a special for the month of July. Any orders placed in the month of July will receive a FREE Scentsy Bar with their order.

So for instance, you could buy one of these:

Taro Plug In Warmer: $15

Or one of these:

Faith Full Size Warmer: $30

And get a Scentsy Bar scent for your warmer for FREE! The warmer is up to you, and the scent is FREE! This is great for anyone who has never tried Scentsy before.

Visit my Scentsy website here and then send me an email at scentsationaloakes@gmail.com to let me know which free scent you would like or I can help recommend one if you're lost in all the wonderful scents :)

And finally, if you live in South Carolina or a nearby area, lets Party! A Scentsy Party that is. Email me at scentsationaloakes@gmail.com if you are interested in hosting a Scentsy party. You get to smell all the wonderful scents and receive free stuff, just for hosting a party. What could be better!

Thanks for looking!

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Summer Recipes

2010-07-12T18:32:00.001-04:00

I was so excited about this week's top two. I love summer recipes because of all the great fruits and veggies that are harvested at this time of year.

1. Tomato Sandwich

You will need:

Your favorite sliced bread (texas toast works great!)

Tomato slices-as many as you would like

Mayonnaise

Salt and Pepper to taste

This has to be the summer sandwich of the south. Nothing is better than using a fresh tomato from the garden to make my favorite summer time sandwich. Hubs thinks these sandwiches are disgusting- but then again, he doesn't like sweet tea, so what does he know anyway :)
Some don't like tomatoes, but for those who do, try one of these if you haven't before! You may have just found your new favorite sandwich!

2. Peach Cobbler

Living in South Carolina, we never have a shortage of fresh peaches during the summer. There is no better fruit for making all of your favorite summer baked goods. Check out Paula Deen's recipe here. I've never made Paula's cobbler before, but you can never go wrong with Paula. I can't wait to try it!

Join in the fun here!

Also be sure to check out the Scentsy special that I'm offering for the month of July here!

The First Step

2010-07-07T21:47:00.000-04:00

Today, Hubs and I took a very big step. This step was our first big leap towards being debt free. Hubs wasn't so wise in the past (heck, who is?) and as a result, we now have debt that we really want to get rid of. I don't want to sound like I'm an angel financially. I'm the girl who financed her wedding dress, only to discover she actually didn't love it and bought another dress before the old dress was even paid off. True story. And lets not even start with my student loans.

Our getaway car

We knew our first step was to get rid of hubs's baby- his Shelby GT500. I think I actually love this car more than he does, but the monthly payment is too much to handle, especially with the goals we have for our future. So today we looked at and bought another car for hubs so he can sell his Shelby. I'm so proud of him for doing this. Its a big step down from a Shelby to an old truck. I'm happy that he's happy, and he's happy he has a truck to tow his boat. Now we will start the process of selling his car.

We've been talking about starting the process to become debt free and now we are finally able to see progress. Its easy to talk about something, but even harder to put it into action. God has been so good to us. Its been a struggle for the past year or so, but we've never gone without and its awesome how much more God provides for us now that we are being good stewards with all the blessings he has given us.

Let Them Eat Cake

2010-07-06T10:17:00.000-04:00

We had a great 4th of July weekend. Yesterday was a lot of fun. We went over to my husband's brother's house for a cookout. Hub's brother is deploying to the Middle East in a week, so it was a going away celebration for him. We had a fun time hanging out with family and all the kids had a great time running around with eachother.

I made a few desserts for the event that I'm pretty proud of and just had to share with you! Please excuse the pic quality- they're from my phone.

Watermelon cake! I got this idea from Women's Day magazine- you can see in online here. I saw it on the shelf in the grocery store and said I have to make that! It was surprisingly easy and I've never made anything like it before, so I was pretty impressed with the results.

And best of all, strawberry cheesecake. Instead of making the crust with graham crackers, I used ground gingersnap cookies. It makes such a difference. Its a subtle change, but so good. My brother-in-law requested this cake be made again for his birthday. Those Oakes boys love some cheesecake!

Top Two Tuesday: Favorite Purchases This Year

2010-07-06T09:59:00.002-04:00

1. Our Wedding

A wedding is definitely not a "purchase" per-say, but anyone who has been married knows that it takes quite a few purchases to pull the day off (too many it seems like). Aside from the obvious "it was the best day of my life" thing (which it truly was) there were a ton of special things from the day that make it the most special day and the best money spent ever.

It was the beautiful location

The dress. (From J-Crew)

The food!

Our fun favors.

The cake. So delicious!

The flowers.

The rings. Hub's ring is from an etsy shop- here.

First Kiss: Priceless.

2. Our Fur Babies

I don't necessarily like to think of them as a purchase either (although, lets face it, puppies can be expensive), but more of an adoption. It was one "purchase" we are so happy we made. You can read more about our miniature dachshunds here.

Join in the Top Two Tuesday fun here!

Wishful Wednesday: Style

2010-06-30T17:17:00.000-04:00

Today's wishful Wednesday is all about shopping and style. I'll be the first to admit that I am not so stylish, or I feel like I'm not anyway. I'm a jeans and t-shirt kinda girl but I do like to enjoy a day shopping when I have the time and/or money for it.

Sooo....... 'I wish' .... I had H&M as my personal closet and could shop from it daily.

I've only been a few times when I was in NYC, but I loved H&M. They have cute everything, and they are reasonably priced, I thought, which is always a perk.

Go on over to the Seattle Smith's to link up with your pick! :)

The Best Day

2010-06-30T11:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was an awesome day for a few reasons.

Number 1: Eclipse. Hubs and I went to Columbia to go see a midnight showing with my best friend. The movie was amazing! The best yet. For films like Twilight that are based on books, it is sometimes hard to keep certain parts from being... "stupid" (for lack of a better word). Its like those really awkward scenes where the whole Twilight world kind of falls apart for a moment because of a stupid line, bad acting, or weird visual that makes you go "I'm a little embarrassed to be watching this right now." That being said, Eclipse lacked a lot of these stupid scenes, which is awesome and hard for filmmakers to accomplish with the fantasy subject matter. The film flowed brilliantly. The acting was much improved, although I think that Kristen Stewart still can't act (although she has improved) and is totally wrong for the role, but thats a different story. I felt it wasn't a far cry from the book, which is always good. And I basically just had a great time watching it and I really can't wait to see it again.

Number 2: USC won the college world series! We watched the game from 7:30 last night up until we had to leave for the theater at 11. We were sitting in the theater waiting for the movie to start when someone yelled "We won!" So exciting. I wish we could have seen the end of the game, but its always cool to be sitting in a room with a bunch of Gamecock fans and hearing you just won the national title in baseball. We've been waiting for this day for a long time and it feels awesome.

Number 3: Beezers. Haven't heard of Beezers? They make the most amazing sandwiches that are the staple of a college student's diet. Its amazingly tasty, its cheap, its better for you than pizza, they're open until 4am and they deliver. What could be better for a college student? I went there several times a week when I was at USC and since we were in Columbia last night we were able to go. Twice. Once for supper, once for a 3am snack after the movie. Beezers tastes like college, and I guess that's why I love it so much. It reminds me of the best years of my life and I only wish there was a shop closer to my house. Clearly, I'm obsessed.

It was a wonderful day.

Top Two Tuesday: Deserted Island!

2010-06-29T09:26:00.000-04:00

Undomestic Momma's Top Two Tuesday topic this week is two things you would take with you to a deserted island. This was tough. One item came to me easily, the other not so much.

1. Good Books

Ok, ok. So I realize that I can only take two things, but I fly through good books so fast, that one books would surely not keep me busy for long. I love reading and its a good way to pass the time no matter where you are. Maybe I need to invest in the Kindle that everyone is talking about, then I wouldn't be lugging all my books around the island!

2. My iTouch

So I didn't want to bring a cell phone, because that seems just too easy. My iTouch can basically do everything my crackberry can do, besides making calls. I would have good music, games, and heck, I could even blog for help if need be.

I can't wait to see all of the top two picks across blogland this week!

P.S.- I'm giving away a Scentsy warmer and two scents at Undomestic Momma. Only one day left to enter for the giveaway! Check out my Scentsy website here. I would love to talk you about Scentsy, whether you would like to buy or sell! If you would like some more info, send me an email via my Scentsy website and I will mail you a free catalog. Thanks for all of your support so far! :)

Its Your Lucky Day!

2010-06-24T15:35:00.000-04:00

Taylor at Undomestic Momma was kind enough to host a giveaway from me on her blog. You can enter to win a Scentsy warmer and two scents of your choosing! Just go on over to her blog to enter.

If you have any questions about the wonderful Scentsy line of products or becoming a Scentsy consultant, email me at scentsationaloakes@gmail.com

Two Peas in a Pod

2010-06-22T22:45:00.000-04:00

Captain and Chloe are officially best friends. Since my last post about our two weenie babies, they have grown so attached to one another. They love to play so much that I have to hold Captain when we go outside so Chloe will actually remember to go potty. They will cry if either one is alone, but just play and play when they are together. Last night I found them in the cutest way ever:

Aw they love each other. We couldn't have made a better choice then to adopt a friend for Captain. If he could he would thank us, I'm sure.

Top Two Tuesday: Reality Shows You Would Love to Be On

2010-06-21T18:19:00.000-04:00

I have to admit, I'm really not a fan of shows like Bachelor/ette, Survivor (or any show you get voted off of, really). I'm more into the Kardashians (hence last week's Top Two Tuesday) and reality shows with families and such. So here we go!

1. Kate Plus 8!

Let me clarify right away, I do NOT want eight children, or even 6 at one time. But I would love to have twins or maybe even triplets. But then again no one would watch, because lots of people have twins/triplets. And I don't want all of the marriage drama either. I guess what I would want in a show would just be the kind of show that focuses on everyday family life. I think shows like that are the most intriguing. Its always fascinating to see someone else's life lived on screen- which is why reality TV is so popular these days anyways, right?

2. Ace of Cakes!

I would so love to be on any kind of cake/food reality show, especially Ace of Cakes. I saw Chef Duff talk when I was at USC. He is so cool and funny and seems like he would be so much fun to work with. No, I don't have any cake decorating skills, but I'd learn if they let me be on the show! :)

What are your Top Two?

Fill In the Blank Friday

2010-06-18T22:01:00.001-04:00

Over at The Little Things We Do, its Fill In the Blank Friday! Its my first one, and it just might be fun. Lets see!

This week has a school theme. When I say "school" I really mean "college" because I don't want to think about high school. Gag.

1. The best thing about being in school was going home to my best friends every day and living on my own. We had some awesome times. Oh and how could I forget, the other best thing was free football tickets!!!

2. The worst thing about being in school was papers and homework.

3. My favorite subject in school was my Health and Society class my last semester. The greatest class I took, hands down.

4. One subject I wish I could have mastered was Spanish. It would be awesome to speak two languages, but I wasn't so into the studying aspect of it. I guess that was my problem.

5. I could never get tired of studying- well I didn't really study much of anything but I did enjoy my psychology classes.

6. The most memorable teacher I had was my public health teacher. I can't remember her name, which is odd, considering she was my favorite teacher. She held classes in such a way that they were never boring, we never had to sit through any lectures, and we were able to speak our minds and our viewpoints without judgment. I wish I had discovered her classes earlier because I wish I could have had more than one class with her.

7. If I could choose between going to school for the rest of my life or working for the rest of my life, I'd choose school. Absolutely. You go to classes for like 3 hours a day and then don't have to do anything else. College was heaven and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

Your turn!

Save the TaTa's

2010-06-17T18:09:00.001-04:00

So this week was the first time that I ever had a doctor's appointment that stressed me out, made me cry, and kept me awake in the nights leading up to it. I visited my lady doctor last week for a routine checkup. For the past year or so I've had a small cyst in one of my breasts. I had it looked at once when I was still in school (Thank the Lord for the free student health center) and received a recommendation to have it looked at again once I was on my husband's health insurance. So I went to my doctor last week and explained to her about my small cyst. During my exam she told me that it wasn't in fact, a small cyst at all. She said in her opinion it was actually rather large and I needed to have a mammogram as soon as possible to rule out anything dangerous. I was like, excuse me, a mammogram? I'm 21 years old. I was told before I would need an ultrasound of it, but not a mammogram. I always think of mammograms as the thing you do when you turn 40.

Hubs went with me to the appointment and waited with me in the waiting room. I was checked in and went back with the nurse. I felt foolish and childish as I asked her if it would hurt. After the procedure, I waited in a room until the radiologist looked at my scans. The nurse came back into the room and explained that the doctor wanted to get another scan from a different angle. This scared me more than anything. I asked if there was something the doctor was concerned about and she replied "she just wants to get a different angle." No "yes" or "no." After the second scan, I went in for my ultrasound where they got a good picture of the cyst and took the measurements of it. And after all of this the doctor came in and explained that I have a benign fibrous tumor (something like that? or a combination of those words). Benign is the best type to have. She said its not pre-cancerous and I shouldn't worry in that regard but I should consider having it removed if I felt like it was going to continue to worry me. Whew. It was a very stressful few hours and I'm hoping I don't have to do it again anytime soon. Now I just need to decide if I will get the surgery done to remove it.

I only write all this to encourage young women and all women for that matter to do regular breast exams and to tell their doctor if you are worried about anything. Many times it may be nothing, but wouldn't you want to know that now instead of worrying for a whole year like I did?

Prevention is the best medicine of all, so stay healthy everyone. :)

Top Two Tuesday: Guilty Pleasures

2010-06-15T20:28:00.000-04:00

This is one Top Tuesday topic that I thought was so much fun, although you may not believe my answers!

1. The Kardashians

I am in love with any show that involves the Kardashians. Their lifestyle is a little ridiculous, and they have a Paris Hilton-esque fame (a.k.a. why exactly are you famous again?) but I LOVE watching Keeping up with the Kardashians and Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami (and I even loved their True Hollywood Story). I felt so bad for Kim as her past sex tape was dragged up again and again, gasped with everyone when Khloe married the guy she knew for 3 weeks, and cried when Kourtney had her baby (which they replayed again today, and I cried all over again). Its all sad, but true.

2. Sweet Tea

Probably for the past 6 years or so, I've sworn off any drinks that have calories or sugar. Let's face it, Diet Dr Pepper got me through college. But recently, I am in love with sweet tea. I've always loved it, but never let myself drink it. Now I get in a few glasses a week. I'm trying not to overdo it, but this stuff is so stinking good!

Head over to Undomestic Momma to share your top two!

Lake Day

2010-06-12T21:49:00.000-04:00

We spent the day at Lake Greenwood today with some close friends at their lake house. I loved just relaxing and cruising around the lake with nowhere to go and nothing to do. We had some great food and just a great time in general hanging out. Brian and I did a little fishing off of the dock and caught about 10 little fish.

I wish I had taken some pics from the day but my mom borrowed my camera for a trip to Ireland and I haven't gotten it back from her yet. Cell phone pics don't make for the best viewing, although my phone does have a good camera as far as cell phone cameras go. I am interested in getting a DSLR camera, but knowing not the first thing about them, I need one for a beginner. I've looked on craigslist but haven't found anything that I'm willing to spend that much money on, being that I may not like it, or figure out how to use it. Anyone with a dslr camera out there that would know what kind I should get for a beginner? I really would love to get into photography and learn how to take great pictures, but I need a better camera for sure. Any tips would be sooo appreciated.

Hope everyone is having a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

From 2 hours to 7 hours

2010-06-10T10:19:00.000-04:00

So thanks to a lovely, random thunderstorm last night around 5 (which lasted for about 15 mins) a tree in the neighborhood fell and took a power pole and power lines down with it! This seems to be a trend. With all of the beautiful old oaks around here, we never have a shortage of branches and trees knocked down all over the place whenever a storm comes. CPW man said that the power would be back on at 7, then 9, then 11. Frustrating!

It took all I had to entertain a 6 and 3 year old. I guess I never thought before how much we rely on electricity (cliche as it is to realize you never knew how great something was until its gone) and how much it entertains the kids. Whether its the television, computer games, guitar hero, etc, etc. We finally all ended up on the front porch because it was cooler outside than in. The boys had a lot of fun chasing fireflies and putting them in their bug catcher. Once again, fireflies are amazing, as I've stated before. They were the entertainment for a good while until it was too dark to see much of anything besides the lightning bugs.

We talked and laughed by candlelight until finally everyone was ready for bed. We made a bed on the living room floor so the boys could stay in there with us and before long they were fast asleep. It was nice having a little bit of a break from all the distractions that keep us so busy during the day. Also very glad to have the power back on too.

Chloe was clearly very unconcerned about all of this.

Will the amazing giveaways ever end?!

2010-06-10T10:00:00.000-04:00

Once again over at Undomestic Momma, there is another giveaway I am dying to win. A whole new blog design courtesy of Dumplin Design Studio. That would be awesome!

Father's Day Giveaway

2010-06-07T19:47:00.001-04:00

Gourmet Gift Baskets is giving away a father's day basket over at Undomestic Momma this week! What a great looking basket for a lucky dad out there :)

I can't wait until Father's Day. I've got something special in mind for Hubs, hope I can get my hands on what I'm thinking of. He deserves something special for being an amazing daddy.

Go look!

Top Two Tuesday

2010-06-07T19:39:00.001-04:00

This week for Top Two Tuesday over at Undomestic Momma is Top 2 favorite books.

This one is TOUGH! I love so so many books but there are two that definitely stick out and ones that I re-read often.

1. Pride and Prejudice- this classic love story of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy gets me every time. I love the movie with Kiera Knightly as well as the BBC mini-series. Jane Austen hit the nail on the head with this one! If you haven't seen Becoming Jane, the story of Jane Austen, its a great one as well! I love all things Jane Austen.

2. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban- hey, don't judge. And even if you did, I wouldn't care. I LOVE the HP books and this is my favorite from the series. Yes, Harry Potter beat out all of the classics from my library collection, but I got into the series at a young age and I have fallen in love with the characters and was so sad to read the final installment. I'm still a big kid at heart anyway :)

Go join in the fun:

Weekend Recap

2010-06-07T01:02:00.000-04:00

The boys were here this weekend. Our fun outing was to see Shrek 4. I definitely liked it. It was better than some of the other sequels, I thought. We all had fun going to the drug store to pick out candy and drinks before hand. We also had fun wearing our 3-D glasses during the movie. What was not fun? The additional $3 we had to pay for the glasses (or so the guy at the box office told me) and then they ask that we recycle the glasses in one of their bins after the movies. Heck no! I paid for these things and I'm keeping 'em! When all the other 3-D movies come out this summer and I bring my own glasses and ask them to waive the $3 fee because I already have some, you can imagine what the theater will say: "No." But all that aside, it was a great movie and something we all really enjoyed doing together.

The garden is finally bearing veggies. We picked some squash and sauteed it up for supper this weekend. I've never seen a child cry because they didn't want to eat something before. Oh, but it happened. I was excited because I thought that since he helped daddy pick it from the garden he would want to try some. Wrong. It hurt my feelings more than anything I think. Putting dinner together that kids actually like is harder than it seems and it stinks when they don't like something you prepared one bit. I'll just have to hide it in the sauce next time I guess...

I'm excited that my sisters are coming to visit tomorrow! Brian is too. They're staying a week or so. Its always nice to have company around the house. We have a few fun meals planned this week. I can't wait for fajita night! and Guitar Hero!!!!!!

It has been BUSY at work. Buy one get one free milkshakes are kicking our butt. Not to mention 99 cent sundaes after 8pm. Phew, glad its over for tonight.

Hope its been a wonderful weekend for everyone. :)

Giveaways!

2010-06-04T20:40:00.000-04:00

Head on over to the Undomestic Momma for her HuePhoria giveaway! Their line of products is so cute and makes great gifts!

This Little Light of Mine

2010-06-03T22:09:00.001-04:00

I was just outside walking Captain, and I caught the first glimpse of something that made me smile and think "summer is really here." Lightning bugs. I remember being a child and I was so enamored by them but I was scared to actually catch them in my hands. I also remember the time when I became brave enough to do so. I would peek through my fingers to see the small bug inside illuminate every few moments, and then watch as they would fly away.

I think that fireflies are one of God's coolest creations. I got to wondering about them and googled them. It turns out (I hope my info is correct here) that the females don't actually light up at night. It is the males who illuminate to attract a mate. Its like a beautiful dance. It brings to mind how I think about Brian. I am daily amazed by him. His smile and his attitude. He looks at the world in such a positive way, that I can't help but be enamored by the light he brings to my life.

It also makes me think of the light that we are all supposed to be. In Matthew chapter 5 verse 16 we are commanded to "let our light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and glorify our Father in heaven." We are the "light of the world." Light guides us in the dark and and leads the way. Light almost always refers to something good, and often something holy. Its easy for our lights to waver and to be blown out by the storms of this world. Its a good reminder to see the tiny, flying lights that come back year after year.

All these thoughts from a few little bugs.

The Newest Oakes

2010-06-01T20:28:00.000-04:00

The newest addition to our family came yesterday. She is an adorable black and tan, long-haired miniature dachshund. We are obviously big fans of the weenie dog. I absolutely love, love, love Captain, as hardheaded as he is, and we thought his energy and playfulness would be best suited for a companion. So far that is just what he has needed. One day in and nothing has been chewed up. Its amazing. I know it seems silly, but its true. I haven't had to vacuum the living room floor today because he miraculously has not looked for a piece of paper to shred. He is too busy playing with our new little girl. She doesn't welcome it some of the time, he is very rough and a lot bigger than her, but she can hold her own and isn't afraid to nip right back at him.

I've read about how longhaired and smooth coat dachshunds are different and its amazing how true it is. Dapple dachshunds (Captain) are stubborn and hard to train (Captain, again). Our little miss is already using a puppy pad with no accidents in the house at ten weeks old. This is amazing. We are hoping Captain will catch on, so far no luck.

Needless to say, we are so happy with our little girl.

Spring Things

2010-05-29T00:59:00.001-04:00

The boys were here this past weekend and Brian and I wanted to get some more flowers in the front flower bed so he and the boys spent some time planting yellow gerbera daisies.

They both helped fill in the holes with dirt before they watered the new plants.

They had so much fun and were so proud of the flowers they planted. I think they've both got a green thumb, just like their daddy.

We had fun this weekend. I'm already excited for the next time they will be here. It has been amazing watching them grow. Just from this time last year the changes I see in them are remarkable. Tanner will graduate from K-5 in just a few days time. Tucker is as bright as his big brother. They both ask more questions and learn new things every day. They're little sponges- soaking up the world around them. Here are the boys one year ago:

They are so much fun and they bring so much light and joy to our lives.

Stocked and Loaded

2010-05-04T23:45:00.000-04:00

A few months ago, one of the things I did to prepare myself to be a wife was take a couponing class. In just a few hours I learned more than I could ever have known on my own. The wonderful lady over at Southern Savers teaches all of these classes herself. If you haven't been to her blog, and want to save money, then what are you waiting for?! I have learned that you actually don't need to clip coupons every week, Wal-Mart is NOT the cheapest place to buy your groceries (we shop at Bi-Lo), and that I never need to pay for anything at CVS ever again ("CVS-ing" is the newest lingo in my vocabulary).

Today was a major victory in the area of couponing for Brian and I. If you know us, then you know that cereal is one of our major food groups, good for any meal of the day, and is a meal saver when you don't know what else to eat (I learned all of this from my roommates in college). But the downside of cereal: it is so dang expensive! $3.00 a box if you're lucky for name brands, and maybe a dollar less than that if you go with the store brand of the same cereal.

So here is the cereal that we bought at Bi-Lo tonight:

That's 16 boxes of General Mills (the best) cereal. After the Bi-Lo sale and coupons, we paid, get this, 89¢ a box! If that is not enough to make the cereal lovers out there get up and dance, then I don't know what is.

So that being said, I don't mean to gloat, I'm just so freaking excited to get my favorite cereals for less than a dollar a box. It may seem ridiculous, but you would be excited too, trust me.

If you haven't gone to Southern Savers already and signed up for one of Jenny's classes, please do! Its a few hours of your time that will save you hundreds if not more on your groceries, toiletries, everything you buy!

Betty Crocker who?

2010-04-25T00:24:00.001-04:00

Brian revealed to me today that he thinks I am unmotivated. I started to argue, then realized he may be right. My wife-ly skills, still being as undeveloped as they are, seem to be on hiatus (if that's possible two weeks in). As it turns out, cleaning is not my strong suit (anyone who has lived with me can attest to this). I definitely haven't figured out how one human being -or even two for that matter- are supposed to keep a house clean, laundry done and folded, and make a meal at the end of the day among everything else there is to be done.

Here in lies the problem: Its all so easy in the beginning. You start dating and only see each other a few times a week. Those nights its super easy to plan a great meal, have the place tidied up, and have everything ready the second your sweetie hits the door. It turns out that mirage for Brian has faded somewhat. It also turns out that I may be the most unorganized type-A personality you have ever met- is this possible you ask? maybe not but that's my story and I'm sticking to it.

In my defense, I did make a full dinner two nights last week. Yes, I made the same thing twice, but that was only because Brian asked me to. And yes the dishes may in fact have been in the sink until this morning (when Brian loaded them into the dishwasher)- at least I'm trying.

While I'm navigating the rough waters of wife-hood, I'm just thankful to have a husband who loves me even though I let it slip that maybe I don't really have it all together. True love sure is patient, thank God for that.

My Husband

2010-04-17T23:27:00.001-04:00

I am so happy to finally be able to call myself Mrs. Oakes! We had a wonderful time at the wedding but personally I'm glad all of the planning and stress is over with! Week 1 of married life agrees with me very well and I am loving being able to spend all my time with my wonderful husband (I'm still not use to saying that). We honeymooned in Myrtle Beach but decided to come home earlier than we had planned. Waking up to 65 degree rainy, cloudy weather at the beach is no fun, so we called it a day a day early and got headed back home.

Now that we're back home, I'm loving decorating, organizing, and cleaning the place up (ok, maybe not the last part so much) and just making it feel like ours. Already, I'm not exactly sure how my mom kept our house clean all these years. I feel behind already! I'm also very excited to start painting- our house will no longer be filled with blank, white walls!

Any ideas for redecorating on a budget? Or better yet, are there any volunteer painters out there?? :)

Stay posted! More pictures from the wedding will be up soon!

Simple Things

2010-04-09T19:32:00.001-04:00

Needless to say, my precious baby dog seems to be the only one around here not stressing out even a little bit. Me on the other hand, I wouldn't say I've been a wreck but I've been having trouble sleeping, waking up in the middle of the night, thinking about a wedding detail I may have overlooked. This wedding planning thing is hard work! Tomorrow is when we will see just how organized and planning-savvy I have been (or lack there of) and hopefully the next two days will go off without a hitch (except for my getting hitched to Mr. Oakes of course!).

I can't wait for a week at the beach with my best friend and new husband. It seems like we have everyday up to the wedding planned out, and the day after seems to be a mystery as to what will happen, and I can't wait to live and experience everything with him! We were talking about the things that we look forward to the most about being married and we were both in agreement that it was the little things that we can't wait for: eating dinner together every night, hanging out at home, and the like. All of these simple things make me so excited to be Brian's wife and I couldn't be more excited about my soon-to-be husband.

Here's to the unexpected and all of the blessings that life brings along the way.

Showered With Love

2010-03-21T23:53:00.000-04:00

So today was my first wedding type festivity, a bridal shower in Greenville. I was so happy to have my best friends, family, and some future family members there to spend time with me. Another happy memory I am glad to have made.

The wedding planning continues, and I'm hoping that all of the details will fall into place before our big day. I feel unprepared, but I am excited to see all of my family and friends.

So here's to trying to get the wedding details together, all while having a 50 hour work week coming up! Its going to be a busy week.

40 Days and Counting...

2010-03-03T00:11:00.004-05:00

So my life as an Oakes has not officially begun- Afterall, I need to marry my Oakes man first! We got all the addresses and such together today and finished up the invitations. Its off to the post office first thing in the morning and they will be on their way. I can't wait to see who will be there on our special day. It will be good to share our new life with old friends, and to begin the next chapter of our lives with our new families. My sisters are so excited they will finally have a real brother, and I'm pretty excited to be getting some new brothers of my own, and not to mention 4 wonderful sisters!

This time is hectic and stressful, but yet exciting and I'm loving every minute of it. I can't wait to be married but I'm savoring these last moments in the house I grew up in, with my mom who still takes care of me, until the day I will be taking care of the man who will be my new family.

Stay posted for more blogging about what Brian and I are up to. In the meantime, go here to get all the latest about our wedding.

Sending love to all of our family everywhere. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy" (Philippians 1:3-4)

Be seeing you soon :)