Soon-to-be Project of the Week - Restyling Furniture

This was my inspiration. I've read several tutorials on restyling furniture with paint, mod podge, and fabric. I've really been wanting to try this on my own, but I didn't want to mess up any of our furniture. Plus, we really don't have room for any more furniture. Well, I happened to stop in the Salvation Army store in Joplin a few weeks ago and I found a podium and a desk that I liked. I've been needing a podium for my classroom for a long time, but I've refused to pay a ridiculous amount for a new one. I'd rather spend my money on other things. So I've just been trying to balance a book in one hand while trying to write on the board with my other hand...not fun. Anyway, I got both the desk (which I think is really neat) and the podium for only $10 each. Crazy good deal! Now I'm just trying to decide how I want to do it. I'm thinking about painting the desk black and covering the podium with some sort of black and white print. I have a hard time visualizing what things will look like when they are finished. If you have any suggestions on what might look good, let me know. I plan on working on this the week before school starts. I'll post pictures when I'm finished. I really can't wait to do this one!

Project of the Week - Hattie's Chirstmas Quilt

I wanted to make something for my niece, Hattie, for Christmas...I've been trying to get ahead on Christmas gifts during my time off this summer. I don't know how excited a 4 year old will be about getting a quilt, so I'll throw in a toy or doll to go with it. I wanted to make her something she could use for a long time. I hope she likes it. I machine quilted this one and I love how secure it makes the fabric. This one will only get softer and more comfortable with each wash. I'm sorry this is such a bad picture. When I have time, I'll replace it with a better one.

Practical Atheist - week 3

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." - Luke 12:34

This week's sermon was about money and how it's the number one competitor for our hearts. One of the things that keeps echoing in my mind is the lack of sacrifice in my giving. Honestly it's not that difficult for me to tithe. As I grew up, my parents taught me the importance of it. The way I look at it is, it's all His anyway, so it's really not a big deal for me to return part of it. Chad and I have been blessed so much this year it's unbelievable. Just this week for instance...Chad has been having a major toothache for a while now, but hasn't had dental insurance. He really thought he was going to need a root canal. He signed up for dental insurance, but there's a 6 month waiting period for root canals or any other major work. Well, he went to the dentist yesterday and everything checked out. No need for a root canal or anything that would cost us. Last week our tub stopped draining...really not good when we've had a night of softball and volleyball. It was pretty nasty. Well, the plumbers came out and fixed it. While they were here, they noticed that our toilet was about to fall through the floor and they pulled up our flooring and fixed that too. Again, could have been a major expense, but we didn't pay a dime. It seems as though things like that come through all the time. It amazes me how blessed we are. It doesn't matter how much we give, God always provides and out gives us. All that to say, tithing is a no brainer for me. The question is, do I feel it when I give? Am I really sacrificing anything? I kinda feel like we're in a difficult situation because we're trying to put as much as possible toward paying back Chad's student loans. You know the whole "borrower is slave to the lender" thing. That's exactly how it feels. I have this vision of being so generous, but it's like I'm trapped and I have to wait to fully act on it. I can't wait for the day when we are free from payments and we are able to do so much more. I don't want to lose sight of that. I want to give sacrificially now. I want to have that principle in place in our lives now and expand on it as time goes on. Anyway, that's what's been floating around in my mind since Sunday.

Shattered Window = Shattered Plans

I needed to run to Wal-mart this morning, but this is what I found when I walked out to my car. I think it must have happened when Chad was mowing last night...a rock must have hit it or something. The bad part is, I was planning on leaving for Okc in the morning and now I'll be at the car repair shop instead. I've been looking forward to spending time with my friends and family. It seems like it's been forever since I've seen them. So, hopefully they can fix it really quick in the morning and I can be on my way. I can't wait to see you guys!!!

Short Weekend

Last weekend Chad worked on Saturday and was on call Sunday. Saturday I sewed like a crazy person and then went to our softball games. Sunday we went to church...love it! After church we went to Ozark, MO to meet Chad's parents, Megan, and Ryan at....go ahead and drool...Lambert's. We had planned on spending the day with them, but Chad got a call and we had to come back early. After we got back, we just spend the day relaxing.

I did find a new resale shop in Joplin last week. It's not quite as good as the ones I used to go to in Oklahoma City, but it's not bad. If you know me very well, you know my weakness is designer jeans. I love them. However, I can't really justify spending $200 on a pair of jeans. That's why I think resale shops are so great! I'm not above shopping here...especially at the really nice ones. I can swap out my clothes that I'm not going to wear anymore and get something that I really want without spending much at all. I don't like to have extra things cluttering up my space. If I'm not going to wear it anymore, I want it out. If I'm not going to use it or wear it, I want someone else to...whether that means reselling it or giving it away. Speaking of giving...I'll tell you about Sunday's sermon tomorrow.

Working in Miami

Although I don't like to think about it because my summer break will be gone before I know it, here's where I work...

and here's where Chad works.
In other news...I hope to have a few more recipes up soon. Chad's been working hard to eat healthy lately. I'm trying to be supportive by not making a lot of food that he's trying to avoid. This is a struggle for me. I love food. The main reason I eat is because I enjoy the flavor, not because I'm hungry. It's not like I'm completely deprived, we do go out once a week and eat whatever we want....at least I have one really good meal to look forward to. Needless to say, I haven't really been cooking much during this healthy eating kick. I do, however, have a few recipes that I'm dying to try that look really really good. Hopefully I can try a few out when I'm in Okc next weekend and then share them with you.

Project of the Week - Picture Frame Dry Erase Board

This week's project of the week is inexpensive, quick, and easy to make....which is a good thing. Right now I'm in the middle of making 4 quilts. I'm trying to focus my time so that I can finish them before we go on vacation....I can't wait to be on the beach!!!! Anyway, back to the craft. I think these would make a great gift for someone going to college. We all had dry erase boards hanging on our doors so that people could leave us messages. I wish I would have made one of these for us to use back then. I think it would be really cute hanging by a ribbon. If I had counter space in the kitchen, I think I'd use it to write the menu for the day. I think I'm going to set this one on my dresser or night stand and write a different verse on it each week....I need to find some fabric that better coordinates with our bedding. To make one yourself, all you need is a picture frame, fabric, and a dry erase marker. (If you want what your writing to stay on there longer, use a Vis-a-Vis marker and wipe it off with glass cleaner). I hope you all are having a great week!

Practical Atheist - week 2

"The Lord says: "These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me." -Isaiah 29:13

Practical Atheist: Someone who believes in God, but lives as if He doesn't exist. This was our second week at Ignitechurch.tv. The sermons are very challenging and thought provoking. The first week we were there, the pastor talked about fearing God and when you truly fear God, you'll serve Him wholeheartedly. Your life forever changes. This week's title was "I believe in God, but I don't want to go overboard." Hmmm.... how true is that?! I love God and I try to live my life in a way that honors Him, but I do like to blend in....not blending in by compromising my standards and values with the rest of the world, more like blending in like a fly on the wall. I hate being the center of attention. It makes me feel really awkward, even if it's just a conversation with a few people. I wish it wasn't that way, but I continue to struggle with it. I think that's exactly where Satan likes to hold me. Yes, I can impact others by the way I live my life, but there's so more to it than that. That doesn't mean I need to go into public speaking, but I do need to make more of an effort to build relationships with those around me. It's been an adjustment living in Miami. I am completely away from everyone I'm close to except for Chad. In other words, out of my comfort zone. That combined with the fact that I know we're not going to live in Miami permanently, has been my excuse. I haven't tried very hard to build relationships with people here. That needs to change. I need to stop holding back and let God work though me to impact those around me. Sunday's sermon was about being a lukewarm Christian. That's not where I want to be. I want my life to make a difference, but lets be honest...how big of a difference am I really making? I don't want to just sit back. I feel like I've been slacking spiritually and I need to step it up if I'm going to be effective. I'm praying God will help me be more focused on the eternal. I'm also praying that He will open my eyes to the everyday ways I can serve others and build relationships with them so that He can have impact their lives through me.

It's Monday...someone deserves a treat!

Try a Sonic chiller. They come in cherry limeade, strawberry limeade, and classic limeade. I've heard they are good...and you can get one for 99 cents now until July 24th on Sonic's website.




OR, check out FREE MOCHA MONDAYS
at McDonald's. Every Monday until August 3rd you can get a free 7-oz. Iced Mocha or 8-oz. Hot Mocha, between 7am and 7pm!

Have a great day!

Perfect Weather for Fun!

So the weather this weekend was incredible! We spent most of the weekend outside soaking it all up. Friday night we went to Buffalo Run Casino (that's where they have all the major events here in Miami). They were having a big biker rally here in Miami and we went to check it out. Those type of things are always a little interesting to me. All sorts of people are there. They had some guy there doing bike stunts, but it was going to be $15 each to get in...so we decided to watch the stunts from outside the gate for free. The picture above is of the guy doing a really big jump while on fire.



Saturday we took some great curvy roads on the motorcycle over to Bentenville, AR. There's this really good pizza place there called Johnny Brusco's. We stopped in for lunch and then headed back for our softball games.



Sunday was so fun! We went back to Ignitechurch.tv in Joplin...love it! I can't even tell you how much we are enjoying going to this church! I'll try to recap the service tomorrow...it was really good. After church we went to Coconut's, a new restaurant in Joplin that I've really wanted to try. I think I may have another favorite place to eat. YUM! Originally we were going to see Harry Potter after church. However, after we had such great weather on Saturday, Chad suggested we go canoeing instead. That was a no-brainer. Harry Potter can wait. So, after lunch we headed over to Cowskin (where we always float on Labor Day) to rent a canoe and we went down the Elk River. It was so fun! The weather was perfect and it was so peaceful out there. It was such a great date!

This Stuff is Really Good

This post is mostly for my mom. I was telling her about this stuff, but I couldn't remember what it was called...
So I was at Sam's (my favorite place in the world to grocery shop, no lie) the other day and they were giving samples of mini burgers with this stuff on them. It was so good! The lady said it's good on just about everything, sandwiches, roast beef, or as a dip for chips and veggies. After I tasted it, I believed her. I didn't buy it because I knew from reading the label - Artichoke Jalapeno Garlic - that Chad would hate it. Well, I really haven't stopped thinking about it so I bought some for myself today. If you see some near you, you should try it. I love it! By the way, that Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper that's in the fridge is pretty great too if you haven't tried it yet.

And the Winner is....

CONGRATULATIONS KENDRA - "mom to 3 boys!" You won the wristlet. I don't know why I can't get the results to show up when I post it, but the result was 3 and you were the third entry. Email (isaacs898@yahoo.com) me your address and I'll send it to you. Thank you to those who participated. This was fun and I hope to do another one soon, so keep checking.

Project of the Week - Rit Dye

This week I'm really just working on orders and Christmas gifts, but I felt the need to post something new that I'm making...What am I making? I'm not sure yet, I just picked up a box of Rit dye last night. They didn't have much in the way of colors at Wal-mart, but I picked up red thinking I could make something with OU on it...since football season is around the corner. I'll update this later today with pics of what I made. :) Hopefully it turns out ok. I don't think I've ever used Rit dye.


UPDATE: So I dyed a onesie, one of my old grungy tank tops, and two burp cloths. I wanted to experiment with a few things I already had on hand in case it looked really bad. Here's a pic of a before and after shot of the onesie. It's kinda hard to tell from these pics, they are a little blurry, but I appliqued 'Boomer' on the bottom of it. Right now the front is plain, I haven't decided if I want to add anything else to it. For the other items...I'm going to put 'SOONERS' on the back, bottom part of my tank top and maybe put OU on the front. I think I'll just put OU on the burp cloths.

Miami Flood July 2007

Shortly after Chad moved to Miami, there was a major flood. I remember talking with him on the phone and when he would say flood I was picturing a few inches up on the curb. I didn't really grasp how bad it was until I came to help him clean things up. When I saw the waterline that was about 4 1/2 feet high on his garage door I started to realize... Thankfully he was only renting the place where he was staying and he was able to get most of his stuff out without any damage. Others weren't so fortunate. These are a couple of pictures from the flood. The one on the left is on one of the main streets in Miami (there are only two main streets, Steve Owens and Main St). The waterline is just high enough where it looks like the can on the billboard is pouring it out. The other picture puts the level in perspective, you can see the same billboard on the right side of the picture...along with hotel rooftops on the left side.

WE FOUND A CHURCH!!!

I am so excited!!! This has felt like such a long journey. I've been in Miami for 11 months now and Chad's been here for a little over two years. I have visited more churches in the last 11 months than I have in all of the years of my life put together. We've seen a lot of different things, but haven't found a place where we feel we belong. I'm not going to bash the churches we've been to...it's just been a struggle for us. We really desire to be involved in a church that's alive and real and growing...a place where we can connect to God with other people.

Last week we were driving in Joplin and passed by a building that said Ignitechurch.tv. I was intrigued and pointed it out to Chad. We decided to check it out this week. When we walked in, the people were very normal, friendly, and nice. When we walked into the service, the lights were off and I was able to focus my attention where it needs to be. The style of the worship music made it really feel alive. The pastor gave a great message on fearing God and 'having a form of godliness, but denying His power.' For the first time in a long time I left church feeling excited, challenged, and renewed. It was like a breath of fresh air. I am so thankful. I already want to go back. This is a place where I would be excited to bring people. I'd be excited to serve and be involved. This is a place where I feel like we fit!!!

GIVEAWAY

It's a great day! I feel very blessed...AND I feel like giving something away!!! I love getting free stuff, hopefully you do too. Here's how it works...leave a comment on this post to enter and I will use a random generator to choose the winner next Wednesday, July 15th. I will post the winner that day and send your gift on its way as soon as I get your address. Anyone may enter. I hope to do these every now and then. This time I'll be giving away a wristlet similar to the one from yesterday's project of the week post. Good luck!

Project of the Week - Wristlets

I love to use wristlets! My problems is, though, none of the ones I have are big enough to hold what I need. It's like I always had to carry half of my stuff in my wristlet and the other half in my hand which kinda defeats the whole purpose of a purse. So I decided to make one that was big enough to hold all of my stuff and this is what I came up with. Now my phone, credit card holder, camera, lip glosses, keys, and whatever else I might need will all fit in one small purse! Yea! These are what I'll be working on this week.

Fourth of July Weekend

I spent the 4th of July with my in-laws this year and it was so much fun! Chad and I drove to Tahlequah Friday night and got to spend the whole weekend with family. I hope this becomes a tradition, because it was so much fun! Saturday was filled with different competitions. We were divided into teams by couples. Chad's sisters made each team t-shirts to wear...we were Isaacs Inferno. I wish I would have taken a picture of us all together in our shirts. Oh well. We started the day off with a fishing competition. The weather was perfect and we were able to fish for a couple of hours before it started raining. Then we came in and had lunch while we waited for the rain to stop...tons of food and really good desserts all day. Once it cleared off we had a corn hole (bean bag toss game) competition followed by a chipping contest. Now when they first said we were having a chipping contest I started to panic because I was thinking...chipping....we're in the country...isn't that when you throw cow poop??? I didn't want to make a big deal about it, but I was not wanting to touch cow poop!!! Thankfully I caught on pretty quickly that they were talking about chipping as in golf, not poop! Thank you!!! Later that night we played Texas Hold 'em. I'd never played before, but it wasn't too hard to learn all the rules. I ended up staying in for a long time and with Chad's help, I came close to winning. Chad's parents gave gift cards to the winners of each contest, which made it even more exciting! We all had such a great time together.

A Kitchen Must Have

If I had a lot of money, I think I'd buy one of these for everyone I know!!! Chad and I received this waffle iron as a wedding gift and have enjoyed it so much...we have waffles at least once a week. This waffle iron is so easy to use and the waffles turn out perfect every time! If you don't already have one of these, put it on your wish list...you'll love it! I'd also recommend getting it from Bed Bath and Beyond. Ours quit working and I took it back to see if they could do anything and they gave me a new one! No questions asked...even though we've had it for a while, used it a lot, and I didn't have a receipt or the box! They were very friendly and apologized for the inconvenience. What customer service! Thank you Bed Bath and Beyond! I'm so excited we get to have waffles again!!!

*I try to make healthier foods. Though they don't taste quite as good, this is how I make the waffles. I like the Wheat Waffle Mix (I can't remember which brand) and I just follow the measurements on the box only I use applesauce instead of oil and eggs. I also add some cinnamon and vanilla. I either mix in blueberries or add them on top after it has finished cooking. They aren't as tasty as the real recipe, but they're pretty good for being healthy.

The Fanciest Place in Miami

There's not a lot of places to go or things to do here in Miami, but there are a few unique places to visit. The Coleman Theater is hands down the fanciest place in Miami. It will catch your attention as you drive by, but it's the inside that is super elaborate. From the chandlers to the old balcony seats, it's kinda like taking a step back in time. The theater was opened in 1929 to a full house of 1,600 at $1.00 a seat. If I understand correctly, it's stayed open ever since. I've only been inside once and that was to see the high school musical last fall, but I do hope to go again.
*I didn't take these pictures myself. I found them on the Coleman's website.