"She works with her hands in delight" Proverbs 31:13

Finally, a post!

Wow! I am actually writing a blog post. :) I hope y'all are all doing well! Today I have decided that I am going to officially explode from too much happiness. :) First of all, and most importantly, I am marrying the most wonderful man on the face of this earth! That is my main reason for my wanting to explode today. :) Secondly, I was surprised this afternoon with such a wonderful blessing...I can't hardly believe it!

Mom and I drove out this morning to help Mrs. Donahue, a dear friend from church, thoroughly clean the house that her family is moving out of. While cleaning (during which time I had Mom and Mrs. Donahue singing love songs...quite entertaining...I just casually kept vacuuming :), Mrs. Donahue asked me if I would be interested in taking a stainless-steel top kitchen cart that she didn't want and had tried to sell. Little did she know...I have always wanted one!!! I was thrilled to no end. :) It is absolutely beautiful, and I just still can't believe it! God has just overwhelmed me with blessings lately...I'm telling you...I'm going to explode! The two side flaps come out, and there are shelves in the right side of the cabinet, and a bottle rack in the other. I'm thinking about having Dad cut come wood shelves to lay on top of the bottle racks to make more shelves since we don't plan to use it for a wine rack. And it rolls! I cannot wait to start using it in our new home. :) Actually...I'm probably going to be using it up until then anyway! It is already set up in the kitchen. :) Thank you so much Mrs. Donahue! You don't know how much you have blessed me. :)

                

Speaking of blessings...a little while ago, we had our annual homeschool convention here in Richmond.  We were planning on going because we hadn't been in a couple of years, but unfortunately, we were unable to make it this year. Eli and Philip, however, did catch the tail-end of it on the last day. Let me tell you...the end of the convention is the time to go! The guys brought home tons of used books...that they had received for FREE! Since the convention was coming to a close, they were just giving them away! This week, I have been listing them on eBay just to see what I can get for them. I have put about half of them up for auction, a still have a few more to list. I think I may keep that Russian language course for myself though...that would be interesting!  Just kidding. :P

                    

In other news, I have made some potpourri for the first time! I took Peggyann's wonderful advice and laid my rose petals out on a plastic lid and set them in the hot car to dry. Thanks Peggyann! They dried up very quickly, and the color retained beautifully. I took my white roses, some petals from our red roses,  and my lavender and mixed them all together. The lavender is really potent! In the future, once the lavender smell fades, I think I'm going to purchase lavender oil and sprinkle some in the mixture. :) Now I just need to get some sachets...or make them somehow...to put the potpourri in. I wonder how you could make them? I'll have to do some research. :)

Well, this weekend I am going to look through my hope chest and get it organized. :) One thing I wish I could've done differently with my hope chest would be to have started collecting for it MUCH earlier than I did! Girls, start stocking up now...don't wait! :) I began to seriously collect for my hope chest like last year. :) I have quite a few things packed away, but I so wish I could've collected more for married life! So if any of y'all have a hope chest...I want to encourage you to fill it with keepsakes and other special things now. There is no time like the present. :) I'm keeping my eyes peeled now!! Hee hee. Maybe I'll do a hope chest post in the future...hmmm...

Well it's really dark and stormy now, so I had better get off of here! I just wanted to let y'all know that I am still alive...actually more alive now than ever! Haha! Do you see hearts and stars coming out of my head? Anwyway, you all have a blessed weekend, and continue to keep the Lord first in all that you do!

What have I done?

                       

Happy Friday Everyone! I hope y'all are eagerly anticipating the weekend as I am. ;) Today, Mom is feeling much better, and I am miraculously burn-free! :) 

We headed off to good ol' Wal*Mart for some grocery shopping this morning...always exciting! After getting home and unloading, I had to make tons of rice crispy treats for an Alert Cadet meeting we were holding tonight at our house (it's like Christian boyscouts in a way). I made six batches for Eric's friends and came to realize that melted marshmallows make you stick to practically everything. :) Well, we just received a phone call and found out that tonight's meeting was canceled because a lot of people couldn't make it! So we have to eat like 40 rice crispy treats before they go bad. :) Does anyone want some? Haha! I don't really care for them myself...probably because I made so many of them today. :) Oh well! Thankfully the boys like them!

                       

                      

Today I was also able to put the finishing touches on some skirts that I'm making for someone. I love the fabrics she chose for them! All I have left to do now is finish altering a colonial dress for a friend, and I have an Edwardian apron to make. I love sewing projects...but I don't like rice crispy treats. :) Have a wonderful weekend!!!

Fiddling Around...

Hi Everyone! I have a question...does anyone know how I can post a Playlist (music) on my sidebar? I tried to, but when I did my blog disappeared and scrunched up in my sidebar. :) For now, I have put my Playlist under "My Pages"  until I can figure it out. :)

Watch out Indiana Jones!

On Monday, a very special "Indiana Jones" hat was passed down to Eric. :) And I am not kidding...he has been wearing it ever since! He comes down to breakfast with it on and goes up to bed with it on. He only removes his hat when he is praying and when he goes to sleep, and it hangs neatly on the corner of his dresser when not in use.He thinks he is something else with this hat on! I have to say, he looks quite dashing...and a little mischevious...when it's on his head. ;)

Sometimes he even lets me wear it for a brief moment...

Thanks Indy for the hat! :)

Drill-Happy

Did I mention that I'm not too fond of the dentist's office? I totally got a numbing shot this morning, which actually wasn't that bad, I just couldn't feel the left side of my mouth for many hours.  I was smiling very crookedly today. :)The dentist was discussing gas prices back and forth with his hygienist while I was being drilled...very interesting. I thought I was never going to get out of that chair! I'm cavity-free though! Just in case y'all were interested. :) This is a really random post!

I can't wait for the dance this weekend!

Thank you!

I am still here. :) Wow, thank you all so much for your kind comments! What a wonderful blessing and encouragement it is to have your thoughtful words and prayers! They are truly appreciated. Thank you again. ;)

Megan, to answer your question about the dress...I bought it about 2 or 3 months ago at a store called Belk's. They had several different color combinations to chose from when I was there. I hope you can find one! It is so very hard to find modest feminine anything nowadays...especially dresses. So sad. :) I remember when long skirts were "in style" a year or two ago but I guess that "fad" has died out for now. Maybe it will come back! I hope you find the kind of dress that you're looking for Megan!

                          

I am so excited about this Saturday! I'm going to my first Civil War ball! I have never been to any kind of historical dance before, so I'm really looking forward to it. :) I'm not going to be dancing at the ball though...just watching. And that's probably best because I would be tripping all over the place. :) It is going to be so much fun to be able to watch all of the ladies twirling around in their hoop skirts. I don't have an actual Civil War gown so I'm just going to be wearing a colonial-style dress that I had made for the Jamestown Quadrecentennial event a while ago. Now, I have no idea how to do my hair!! I'm going to have to try and figure that out before the weekend. :) If anyone has any suggestions for a Civil War-like hairstyle, please don't hesitate! I'm thinking half-up with lots of curls. Hmmm... I will be taking blog pics of course, so I'll share them with y'all definitely!

Arg, I just remembered that I have to go to the dentist tomorrow. :( Why me?? I'm not a big fan of hospitals, doctor's offices, or the dentist office. They all smell the same and have sharp utensils. :) I only have what is starting to "seem" like the beginning of a cavity, so I'm hoping I don't get the drill tomorrow when they fill it. Mommy! :)

Sit! Down! Nevermind...

               

My grandparents (who live right down the street) have left for a cruise, and I have been left in charge of their two dogs (Kita and Dauber) and cat (Bridgette) for a week and a half. This is a terrible crooked picture...my first attempt at using the self-timer on the camera. :) The dogs wouldn't stand still...and Eric and I couldn't stop laughing! Let the pet-sitting extravaganza begin!

I'm back!

                      

This is Buddy after his lunch...out like a light! He has such a hard life. :) Thank you for your encouraging comments under my last post! I have arrived back to blog-land after a much needed break, so get ready for some posting. ;) Today, I'm working on some skirts that need to be sewn for a friend...so that is my project for today! I can't wait to finish. :) In the meantime, I hope y'all are having a wonderful Monday...if Mondays can ever be wonderful. ;) See you soon!

A Blog Fast

                     

Hello Everyone! I just wanted to let y'all know that, after much prayer, I have decided to take some time off from blogging for now. I'm going to be taking a blog "fast" so that I can use that time to pray about some things that have been on my mind lately and to re-gain my focus, which has been a little too toward my blog recently. :) I'm not sure when I'll be back to blog land...I'm just going to follow the Lord's leading...but I will definitely let y'all know. :) Until then...thank you for reading...for commenting...and I'll see you when I get back! God bless! ~Alli

"Find a Book" Meme

I have been tagged by Peggyann for a "Find a Book Meme"! Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book of 125 pages or more (no cheating!)

2. State the title and author of the Book

3. Find Page 25

4.  Find the first 5 sentences and enter them.

5. Find page 100 and enter the first, second and fifth word on the page.

6. Post the meme to your blog.

7. Tag 5 people.  Have fun!    :o)

Here goes nothing...

The nearest book to me is "Raising Maidens of Virtue" by Stacy McDonald.

5 sentences from page 25:

"They were not interested in sheltering their young in a place void of greenery and lacking in beauty. The bees, butterflies, and other insects and wildlife found little nourishment here any more and visited the garden less and less often. Surprisingly, the Fence Dwellers did not realize they were shriveled and dying. Their bald heads were stripped of petals, and the clay was suffocating their stems- yet they still yearned to be something they were never intended to be. They were blinded by their own vain desires and remained with their faces toward the quarry- turned forever from the Gardener (Proverbs 28:14)."

The first, second and fifth word on page 100:

Ummm...there is a picture on page 100. :) I'll do page 99! The words are- Dear, Lord, and guard.

Okay...I am going to tag:

• Hannah
• Sarah
• Meredith
• Megan
• Morgan