Happy Almost Birthday JESUS

     I have a top 3 favorite things that I love... and SNOW happens to be at number 1, followed by SUNFLOWERS at number 2, and COOKING  at number 3. So happy to announce that Raleigh had its first snow of the season this past Saturday! When it starts getting cold I'm a little bit of a freak watching the weather, pulling it up on my phone, (Thank you dearly, technology.) and flipping through the different weather stations to see which one is either calling for snow or which one is saying will accumulate more snow, and which one predicts it arriving the fastest. Based on all that, its how I decide which channel to watch... I'm always the one that believes the weather man 100% when everyone elses doesnt.

     This past Saturday when it snowed Caroline and I watched probably 5 Christmas movies and baked cookies and iced them. We were in our pajams all day and she watched me act like a child catching snowflakes on my tongue, and trying to measure the centimeters that were accumulating on our deck. LOVE IT. Every year when it snows I never have the normal measuring device... a ruler, so I always am looking for something to measure with, pencil, wine stopper, fork.... totally gotta get a ruler. (Santa, did you hear that.) Anyways never got the measurment, but it coated the deck to a blissfully happy white !

    
     Pretty snazzy mantle for Santa to come down huh?! I love making arrangements for the different seasons, until a week ago I had my Sunflower arrangement up, definitely had to go... I couldnt remember how I did my arrangement last year so I used some of the stuff I had from the previous year but bought a few more "spiral things" at Micheals this year. They are pretty cheap. Caroline and I bought the stockings for a dollar at Micheals as well as the wreath for 3 dollars. Us three went to Laurens parents for dinner in Timberlake this past Sunday had steaks, wine, good talks, saw the Panthers lose again (Im beginning to think this is a good thing, soposedly we get "the first pick" for next season if we lose the most games... thats what the male gender keeps telling me.) and.... we monogrammed our stockings!! Woohoo for the Brooks's monogram machine. It's the bomb. I am thankful my mom gave me the creative, arrangement making gene! Sorry dad, it was all mom for sure.




add flower to your face, makes the picture look cooler :)




$13 dollar cookie cutters, putting to use!




your never to old to decorate!



Dear Santa, I would love a new camera.





yes, Im rocking ECU sweat pants, comfy socks, my betty crocker cam apron, and my monkey fleece, dont be jealous now.





Snow 2010!



"Being thankful for laughter, love, and learning new things often"

-  I have learned to cheer on the Panthers to lose.
- I have learned to Shop at Micheals for deals
- I am thankful for my love to decorate and celebrate the season of Jesus birthday!
- I have learned to never make home made popcorn alone without Caroline... It leads to stove fires....serious.

Thelma and Louise hit the road

 The adventure begins... and as my blog states: THIS TRIP I REALLY AM  THANKFUL FOR LAUGHTER, LOVE, AND LEARNING NEW THINGS OFTEN!

ME at the "lookout studio" over the Grand Canyon!

If you would have asked me a month ago if I would ever see the Grand Canyon, my answer would probably be "man I hope so, one day..." If you would have asked me a month ago if I would ever travel cross country in a CAR I would have said NO! Its funny how things work out, because I just did both of those things and had the most fun I could have ever had imagined doing it. Deana (mom of Aiden and Evan who I had been watching) and I left the Raleigh airport and flew to Atlanta and finally landed in LA!

When We arrived in LA we went out for dinner and drinks at the PINK TACO, went to bed... and woke up for our packing party, duh, mimossa's and packing!

Deana aka THELMA, Chaz (her actor friend), and me aka LOUISE standing on the boardwalk at Santa Monica

We had to buy cowgirl hats for our upcoming MULE RIDE to the top of the GRAND CANYON!

... AND WE DID IT!

PSALMS 104:24 engraved on the side of the lookout studio...really neat.

Just a few tips for if you ever decide to drive cross country:

- Don't get nervous if you at some points feel as though you are driving through the scene of Lion King where "Scar" is about to attack you. Check yourself, you are not Simba, and its just the scenary your NOT in the movie.

- Don't buy water bottles at every stop, take your previous cup and refill with ice and free water. We could have saved a bunch of money if we realized this when we were leaving LA not when we were in Asheville.

-Cows are not necessarily dead if they are laying down, same goes with horses. No need to call Animal 911.

- Elmers glue is a quick fix temporary face mask for when your feeling disgusting and just want a facial in the car. apply, let dry, peel off, done.

-Start becoming a fan of Indian things including their blankets a week before you start your traveling, you will see signs for them and exits for where to purchase them.

-Drive like a Mexican and overload your car with stuff, its just more fun that way.

-Appreciate truck drivers, they really do shower at Subway sandwhich shops, I saw the shower stalls.

-Take notes and write down all of your "funny's"... it WILL create quite a memory journal.

-If you see paper in the bathroom stall that says "Hi, tell us about your trip" by all means tell the paper about your trip but don't drop your wallet in the toilet at the same time.

-Don't rush the road trip or try to make a certain time... stop and have a fat girl meal, cheeseburger fries and a brooskie.

-Order room service at least once on your trip at your hotel.

-Bring PLENTY of comfy clothes to drive in or you'll be stinkin and end up taking a shower at the hotel and sleeping neked, and have a repeat of stink clothes the next day.

-Go out even just for a night cap at every city you stop in just for the experience and to tell people about your adventures, and of course go out in your "car clothes".

-Practice your "honking at truck driver moves" if its not on point, you won't get a honk

-Search deep down and find some kind of new appreciation for windmills... I mean they do save energy, they just look ridiculous when 20 are clumped together.

-Get your contacts/glasses/goggles all up to par so you don't run over tumbleweed, or albino animals while driving.

-Talk about EVERYTHING with whoever you go with.... and you'll come back with a new best friend, LOVE YOU THELMA!



memorization at its best

...as most of you know I have been eating, sleeping, and studying these days. Taking notecards to the face like a pro. (for my big GRE test) Its exhausting for sure! Sometimes I feel as though I have been ran over by a 16 wheeler or something, and I wonder why because I was sitting all day studying. If you really think about it though, looking at a computer screen for hours can totally be emotionally and phisically draining. In the midst of all of this I sometimes laugh out loud, (literally a "LOL" moment for all you acronmym junkies) by the way I study and actually memorize my vocabulary cards. I think of the craziest, most unheard of, ridiculous ways to memorize. So here you go for a laugh for the day if you havent had one:

mollify: It means to calm or soothe, I remember it by the "moll" in the word, reminds me of a girls name "Molly" and well, Molly's  usually are calm and soothing to other people right?

discourse: It means a lecture or discussion, I remember it by the word "course".. In college my courses I had lots of lectures and discussions, didnt you?

extemporaneous: It means done with out preparation. I remember it by, If I made dinner extemporaneously it would be NOT Food Network material.

taciturn: It means not talkative. I remember it by thinking of the word "turn" that you see, and then I think if someone were to say "It's your turn to talk, I dont like talking"

tout: It means publicly praise. I think, If I catch a Trout fish... someone better be praising me!!

circumspect: It means to be careful and prudent. I think of a circle and how you have to be super careful when drawing a perfect circle!

enigmatic: It means mysterious. I think of Aliens. point blank.

acumen: It means accurate, quick. I think of putting the spice Cumin and how I never am accurate when measuring that spice in my chicken salad... even though its still on point!!

maverick: It means one who does not go along with a group. I think of my mom and how she HATED sororities in college, ha!

volatile: It means fickle and changeable. I look at "tile" and think people change their tile often in their bathroom. They don't, and shouldn't but just go with it.

propagate: It means to multiply/spread. Danny had bed bugs at his house a month ago and they propagated.

inchoate: It means not fully formed, initial stage. MY NEPHEW CLARK IS INCHOATE!

ephemeral: It means brief. The ep in the word reminds me of an epi pin... and I think those are brief shots... who knows.

buttress: It means a support or prop. When your old you might need a support for your butt, maybe, maybe not?

desiccate: It means to dry out. If you notice the two C's in the word I think Camerons Car... I have to dry it out if it pours rain inside my car if I have left the sunroof open.



Alright class is dismissed,
xoxo
Cameron                                            

Mimi: I am posting a picture for YOU since you say I need to show more pictures :)


Dear Cameron, Your hand is so unnatural, weirdo. ME AND MOMMA!



a FRESH start

     Fall is my MOST FAVORITE season of the year, and for that I am thankful that I live in a place that gets to experience all of the changes throughout the year. Fall however, for me is just a clean, crisp fresh start to all things pertaining to my life. I have cleaned out my summer clothes boxed them up, sent some to Good will, It's a fresh start for football season which the Panthers totally need each year, I have organized all of my tupperware and they are anxiously awaiting the day I make pots of chili and fill them for the freezer on a colllllld night, I have somewhat turned Asian in the way that I have been studying like a pshyco for my upcoming GRE test November first (I'm keeping all 20 little limbs crossed that this will lead to another fresh start of beginning Graduate School), I got a Brita from Jordan for my Birthday and have just started a new thing where I add either oranges, lemons, or limes each week for a hint of flavor to my purified water... and it is beyond refreshing! I just signed up to help with the Raleigh Rescue Mission downtown, to help prepare lunch for the homeless,(Taking part in helping the homeless during this time of year is not only very rewarding but this is when I feel they need it most and we need to help prepare them for the Winter! I have opened my windows and it is pretty amazing to turn off the air finally, and to wake up to the wind blowing in your room, and going to bed like that as well, again REFRESHING!
     Those of you who know me well, know I'm pretty much a happy girl, but I sware Fall season I'm just a little extra, and full of vitality (go with it...its a GRE word and I practice every second I get, for those of you who don't carry around index cards with vocabulary on them in your purse or wallet, the word means ENERGY). There is much anticipation about things to look forward to in my eyes about the fall and here they are:

-wearing my Uggs and sitting by a fire
-Santa is coming soon (I dont care who you are 5, or 80... the man is cool.)
-Clark, my soon to be nephew will be born in January!!
-Drinking hot chocolate and sugar cookie tea (yes they have it I promise...)
-waiting for the leaves to change color and fall so that I can make place card names for the Thanksgiving Table
-Pumpkin carving (PS invest in some vaseline, if you put it around the edges of your carving it lasts longer, for real)
-Toasting Pumpkin seeds
-Roasting marshmellows
-Grilling on the patio with the fam all bundled up with blankets
-The smell of any and everything pumpkin
-Christmas cups at Starbucks
-My first Best Friends Wedding
-Watching kids play and jump in the leaves (It just reminds me of my childhood, is 25 too old to participate?!)
-Home made apple cider in my crock pot (I always turn into a super Betty Crocker in the fall...)
-Playing with our NEW cornhole that Carolines dad made for us, and Laurens bean bags that she will soon sew! (THIS is realllllly exciting in our household, now I won't have to scrumage around and put rice or flour in bags as if those would suffice.....because lets be honest, they DONT!)
-Halloween Jokes, the kid ones, like: Why didn't the skeleton go to the party? Because he had noBODY to dance with........ha!
-Making Pumpkin desserts for my boys I nanny for (I am learning a TON about being a mother by the way..)
- our second annual girls carving party accompanied by spiked/non spiked pumpkin lattes and hot chocolate!

     I am sure there are more, but those are mostly what makes me happy about Fall and the season to come! As I was saying before, referring to Fall being a Fresh start for me for a lot of reasons, There is one thing that I think would be an awesome idea for me personally to do and maybe you should do with your family also. Before you go to bed, think about the best thing that happened to you that day, or one good thing that happened that day. Obviously there are plenty of crappy days throughout the year that we all have, so on those days I would advise your answer to simply be that you woke up alive, breathing and healthy that day. Now that I keep talking about this, I think I'm gonna pull a "Brady Bunch" and get Caroline and Lauren to play this little task with me when were cooking dinner or just hanging out at night, "What was the best thing that happened to you today, and what was one bad thing that happened" (your pretty stellar if you don't ever have a bad thing, Go you!) So cheers to my new assignment and the beginning of Fall!

I will start: Good thing(s): I had a major Fall clothes clean out/swap out, I killed a cockroach on my deck... Bad thing (s): This blog is taking to long to write and its exceeding my break limit for studying, I saw a few left over school things I had made under my bed for my previous classroom while cleaning and it made me sad.

I will leave you with a picture from our last years girls carving party, can't wait wait for this years!! PS, my hair is SOOOOOOOOOOOO short in this picture, seriously it takes a year to grow an inch and a half, what the heck man?!

The 2nd list of what you may not know....

1) I like to fall asleep to the Food Network Channel and NEVER anything else.


2) I love wearing mens Old Spice deoderant... it just smells really good, goes on really good, reminds me of a good smelling man... I don't know, go figure.


3) I do not match up my socks in my sock drawer and recently this has been getting on my nerves, so I'm in the process of changing this habit!


4) Every night before bed I count how many hours I will get to sleep


5) When in college around christmas time I used to take extra Christmas tree branches and put them under my seat in my car so that my car smelled 100% like Christmas, only to realize it turned brown and flaked all over my car 4 days later... but so worth it! HA.


6) I cry every birthday, it's inevitable... man, 30th and 50th are gonna be real brutal.


7) People say I look like a Cabbage Patch kid, compliment?!


8) If I had a "bucket list" swimming with dolphins  would be in my top 3!


9) I used to watch "Barney" past the cut off age.... I'm going to blame it on, "I had to watch it with my baby sister Jordan"


10) I LOVE a hoody, jeans, good company, and a great bonfire

Andrea's Bachelorette!



Andrea, me, Mel, Mo, Sarah



decor, and our AMAZING view to the ocean...



Just the stickers I made that perspired IMMEDIATELY off... rude.



Crazy Bachelorette bar in Charleston, and we even got a decent pic, good job ladies!



Cheers to the BRIDE!

This was just an epic friday evening at the beach, with the BACHELOR party!



I can't believe I met you in 5th grade, here we are about to turn 25, and your getting married in a month! Beautiful Bride, I couldn't be more happy for you!!!! Cheers to you... :)



Linda's no calorie DESSERT!

haha, gotcha! Come on, ya'll know there is no such thing, but there are definitly ways to limit the calories to awesome desserts! Last night I had an itch to bake/ make a dessert and when in need for a recipe and not actually having time to look up one from Cooking Light Magazine whoooo should I call? Nope, wrong, not ghostbusters, good ol' "Linda Next Door" who has been our neighbor in Charlotte for years! She is all up on what is healthy for you and what is not, and ways to still get our sweet tooth fix that we all have sometimes! So, I called her yesterday afternoon and she gave me this awesome recipe to try, no baking, just a little sauteein' and your done! I'm not sure the exact name she likes to call it but I like to refer to it as,

                             Linda's No Calorie Dessert
What you need:
Peaches- go for the fresh ones if they are in season!
Pound Cake (I used angel food cake, for less calories)

Saute cut up peaches with butter and Cinnamon, juices will fill the pan!

Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Butter

Light Cool Whip

break up the angel food cake place in a pan

Add your juicy peachy concoction!

and now you have your light cool whip on top with some nutmeg!



now go get a spoon and dig into your own!!!

Jump into the Picture

I have to get an A, I have to get an A, I have to pee, but I have to hurry and get this coloring done so I can get an A, my hand is cramping up and my "Duggar Family" dress is officially choking me...."

and the nest is empty...

...and I mean by that Jordan has grown up and gone to college... It is a little bitter sweet I think for the whole family. I mean she's the baby, always has been and always will be! It is absolutlely a blessing to have her here in Raleigh with me as she goes through this new chapter of her life at NCSTATE! I am so excited to spend more time with her go to dinner, cook dinner, grab coffee at "Cup o Joe" (where my dad used to go when he was at STATE... crazy huh!?) and really just be with her more and deepin our relationship! Being 6 years apart and not living at home the same time as she was growing up maturing and getting older was sad, and I feel like this is perfect for us! I will admit that I feel like my mom sometimes and very much worry about her when she's out, I guess I get to take on that role now, somewhat, since she so close to me. If she doesn't call me back right away, I worry ecspecially at night.......ohhhhh the mom in me, what the heck is going on!!?? And on top of that, I totally analyze all of her facebook college pictures now, where is she, who is she with, who is that boy, what time was it, how did she get there, whats in that cup really, is she at a frat house............ohhhh LORD! She's a smart girl though, its just me being an older sister I guess :)

One of the funniest memories of us together when she was little and obviously me too (CLEARLY, would have not done this otherwise...) was when mom was bathing Jordan and I was in the bath with her too, probably playing with cooking utensils, singing, and essentially having a cooking 101 class in barbie bubble bath... what more could a little girl ask for... WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN: a "tootsie roll" looking thing creeped behind me and mom said I walked on water like Jesus!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you Jordy :)

Enjoy the pics of move in day!

The infamous shelf that dad has been given to put up in all three of our college dorms, and rooms.... HE HATES THIS SHELF... it is a pain to put up it has that plastic little tuby looking thing you have to put in the wall, and then the nail goes in that, its a headache, its hard to get it leveled and dad always seems to take a deep breath when we hand it to  him and does it with a smile, and I just laughed when Jordan busted out the infamous shelf on Sunday for him to put up... "like here we go again, round 3.." HAHA!

She went with the Yellow and Black theme... She overlooks the pool, and boys, and boys, and boys.... ohhh what a freakin life, I miss it!

and her desk....... :)

 LOVE YOU LITTLE JORDY, STUDY HARD! ... and don't overdraw dad gets a litttttttttttle mad!

xoxo

Tick- Tock....

Tick Tock, Andrea's Shower went around the clock and it was A BLAST! Melanie and I and our moms planned this shower for Andrea last weekend at my parents house. It was our very first shower to plan, and since we both are pretty creative and love crafts we had tons of fun planning! All three of us have been best friends since 7th grade, even though I met Andrea in 5th Grade in Mrs. Ipocks class HA! We have grown up together, shared many many fun memories, from our water fights in my moms kitchen to Backstreet Boy concerts and passing notes in highschool, and Monday night YL where we were laughing so hard that I actually named us the 3 blind mice. It stuck thats for sure. I couldn't be more blessed to have these two girls in my life, what a bond we three share...

Back to the shower, We played a game, and had Mason video himself of him answering questions that we had given them and if she got it wrong, she got a sticker on her face, kind of like the Newlywed game. It was VERY ENTERTAINING and a blast to watch!! We had a bunch of different Salads for food (THANKS MOMS!) and to top it off with Jordans Fondont clock cupcakes it was perfect! We sat outside on our patio sipped lemon blueberry coolers, ate, chatted and enjoyed the breeze and the shade while celebrating Andrea! Enjoy the slideshow... I finally figured out how to do it, go me!

Children are Gods Gift to the World

I am not quite sure what it is... but when I have that special connection with a child, whether it is one I have taught or not I get really attached and fall in love... Tyshawn is one of those children. I taught him last year and saying goodbye to him at his Preschool graduation was really hard! I caught my self actually tear up a little bit and had to suck those tears right back in because we had to sing the ABC rap song! His mom told me that I needed to come see him this summer and we exchanged phone numbers.... I had been thinking about him a lot recently and finally called his mom. She said, Ms. Todddddddddd I am so glad you called Tyshawn asks where you are EVERY morning! Right then I thought to my self, "Unbelievable how I have had such an impact on one child, even through the discipline that I had to utilize at some points, it really shows you how much of the little things that you do for them they remember the most."

I went to go see him Last week, and I was a little early so I called his mother to tell her I was there. She was on the phone and said that they just went to the store but they were coming up around the corner. Meanwhile I could hear Tyshawn in the background saying, "Ms. Toddddddddd, DON'T LEAVE IM COMING, IM COMING IM COMING!" He is hilarious. I spent an hour or so with him, he showed me his house and his toys and his kitchen and he danced for me, he hugged and kissed me and danced some more. I have never seen such a LIT UP child before in my life.

I am so thankful for Tyshawn, and the bond that we have together. I am thankful that he has inspired me to not give up on my teaching career, event though it has been a slow and steady road to get to where I actually want to be. I am thankful for Giraffes, because Tyshawn LOVES Giraffes. I always knew that you have to have a bond with a student, and actually establish that before you can teach them and they can learn, but Tyshawn is a true, real example of this and I love him even more for that. So hear is to Tyshawn and impacting my life when he has no idea!

This last picture was taken at school when he was getting ready to go home one afternoon. Every morning, literally, every morning when I got him out of the car, he would give me my kiss and I would carry him inside even though he's clearly capable of walking I just had to get my Tyshawn love in, what can I say. At least he was still in preschool, because I would have had to nip that one in the bud if we were in Kindergarten :)

Living Creatively

I have ALWAYS loved fresh cut flowers in my home, ecspecially in the warm seasons! I have seen this idea in magazines where different vegetables along with fruits were put into a vase, such as asparagus, zucchini, and squash. I decided to tweek it a bit and just go for the lemons, oranges and limes. As far as I'm concerned asparagus, zucchini, and squash belong on the grill seasoned and then essentially... in your tummy :) NOT in a flower vase! It didnt take long at all to do and it adds such a fresh look and smell to your kitchen. It lasted about a week or so, and then the water faded to a dull color. I'm already thinking of my next flower vase concoction....

I would MUCH RATHER prefer Sunflowers in this vase but Kroger was slackin' the week I went to make my flower purchase.... rude.




And the wine glass painting continues :) This is my absolute favorite that I have made so far, so I gave it to my momma for Mothers Day! "Sea Turtle Shiraz" .....

He's ready for a wine pour momma.....

We're growing red, yellow, and green peppers and they are just cute little babies right now!

It is so crazy to watch them grow.... SO FAST, might I add! Some people watch, care for, love, nurture their children while I watch, care for, love, and nurture my vegetables on my deck... HA. Seriously, I count how many we have coming every day! Below are our cucumbers, we have 17 so far growing on this one plant, its a little out of control but I love it! I mean these really are newborn cuc's! The vines are unbelievable too... they have wrapped onto our tomato plant and just took off, If we have a TomatoCucumber come out somewhere I'm gonna lose it!

Awesome Cucumber salad:

Sour Cream

Dill ( we have TONS on our deck also, please come over and pick a branch off)

Light Mayo

Plain Yogurt (not vanilla)

We usually just make it to taste, a little this and a little that, and a whole lot of DILL :)

And I save the BEST FOR LAST: I'm going to be an AUNT!!!!!!!!!! Jennifer and Brian are having their first little one due in January. I am so excited I can't even stand it. "Mom, I wanna go to aunt cam's...." I can hear it already.

I have already bought:

My mom and dad used to read this to me a lot.... at least I think they did?! So I wanted to buy it for Jennifer and Brian to read to their little one. It is the sweetest story about the love of a parent to their child. This book is where I got the line, "mom and dad I love you thissssssssssssssssss much ( and stretch your arms as far as they would go when your 5...I definitely thought mine was big)"

Jennifer and Brian, I can't wait for you to tell me when your little one says that to you guys, and make sure to read the little note I have written in the inside cover to my niece or nephew.... and I mean NOW (I'm trying to form the best aunt bond first), yes you can read to them while they are still growing. Love you xoxox

Siblings painting

Tommy Woo!! Open that yellow paint for me, then get your Tiger off of the painting table. I hear older cousin Chin Shoo coming up the stairs. She's back a lot earlier than I thought from getting her nails done, and the tiger belongs in the loft with the other animals.... HURRRRRRRY Tommy Woo.... I dont want time out!!!

jump into the picture

Nathan, I know mom said to wash our hands after the potty, but how do you do it with this ridiculous dinosoar towel wrap on? The tail is in my way!!

what you don't know

Top 15 Livin the Cam life things that you probably don't know....

1: I paint, then pick off, then paint, then pick off, then paint again my nails

2: I like to brush my teeth in the shower

3: I deep condition my hair once a month and saran wrap my head like an Arabic

4: I hate technology and would much prefer pencil and paper, but I'm trying to keep up with the times...

4: I secretly love disecting things and think I did this along with being a singer in my past life

5: I never want to be famous, but really wanna be the next bachelorette... go figure.

6: I love shrimp, but hate fish only because I picture them swimming with their family like Nemo in the ocean.

7: When I was little, my mom would go looking for me... and EVERY time, I was in my bed asleep with my "Obo" (pretty positive I was the best child... maybe I shoud say baby...)

8: I want to marry a man with the heart of my father.

9: I think a lot about adopting chilren with rough home lives, fixing them up socially, emotionally, mentally, personally... and with manners.....then giving them back to teach their parents.

10:I wish I could go back and erase all the mean things I said to my mom in highschool... they were AWFUL, she is an amazing woman.

11:I have always wanted to be a photographer

12:I HATE baking, just like to eat the batter, I HATE measuring things, which is why I LOVE cooking and throwing a little this and a little that in....

13:I love a rocking chair and a BIG front porch.

14:Sunflowers are my all time favorite flower.... guess that fits my nickname my best friend Jason gave me, "sunshine cam"

15: I rather hold my nose, close my eyes and eat fish than walk in Lowes, such a man store......

thunderstorms are tornados I guess...

take cover everyone......

QUOTE OF THE DAY: (all from the same child, my favorite little boy!)

my momma was in da car drivin to food lion....

da tornado was followin us....

my broda saw it....

we were runnin....

I told ebybody to get in da house and get low...

dat ting wus loud, it wus black....

okay, my week is complete now! Thankyou Lord for making everyone unique and funny in their own ways, even when they don't realize all the personality that they do have :)!

arts and vino

Time for arts and wine with cam session 101...

I very much enjoy crafts and ecspecially crafts that you can use over and over again... aka the wine glasses :) It takes a lot of steps, you can't do it all in one setting because it needs to fully dry before you go on to detailing etc... This is great though, paint when you get home from work. Paint after the gym. Paint before dinner. Paint before bed. Its just enough arts and crafts time to just relax and do something fun for yourself, whether you are keeping it or giving it away. I tend to really love giving them away as gifts! This first one that I made, I gave to my principal who has helped me a lot over the past year with recs and just basically having that extra ear out for me whenever she heard of a job openings. Granted, I never landed one, but that is okay, the thought was all that mattered!

I will play Martha Stuart for a moment and name this wine glass:

Seaweed Noir

Close up of one of my fish I painted and its 3 little air bubbles.


Looks like the light got a hold of this picture, oops!

FIRST things first.... do the bottom always first. Its kind of the foundation for the whole project, and the easiest.

Make sure you get the right paint! Glass paint that is... You also need the clear (one posted in the middle) liquid. You HAVE to put this on before you do any kind of color or when your enjoying your vino the paint will just flake right off! Remember don't be so limited to these base colors, take it back to elementary school and MIX! Red and Blue make Purple! Yellow can always lighten up a color! Mix and match on a plastic lid and play around with it!

Have fun... I'm on to my next wine glass: Sand Castle Shiraz :)!