Owl Cupcakes

Yesterday was my niece's 2nd birthday. Her bedding has owls and birdies on it, so since I love owls, I decided to create these Owl and Birdie Cupcakes. All the figures are made purely from fondant. She loved them as you can see.

Snowmen Cupcakes

Sunday was my mom's birthday and she loves snowmen. So I made her these snowmen snow globe cupcakes. I modeled the snowmen out of fondant and used tooth pics, mini chocolate chips, and chocolate sprinkles to decorate. For the globe I got the idea from Bakerella in which you use coca cola ornament bottles, remove the top, spray sugar water where you want snow, and sprinkle with sugar.

Most Loved Dogs!

I love dogs! Growing up I had many of dogs come and go. We lived out in the country so we had strays just come and join the family all the time, but we had one dog Little Bit, a dachsund. She was around from the time I was four until I was a freshman in college. My dad then brought home a Jack Russel that we named Penny, since her head was copper and our last name was Pentecost. He later brought home Elroy, a Jack Russel/Feist mix. They fell in love and had puppies. This was about the time I was to go off to the big University and get an apartment.
Enter Gracie. The cutest of the cutest puppies I had ever seen. These pictures don't do them justice, but Jack Russel puppies are some of the cutest puppies ever! She stole my heart, so I saved up enough money to pay the pet deposit and took her to live with me in Oxford. Never had I understood the attachment people had to their dogs until now. I took her everywhere which include to and from my home town most every weekend. She was the apple of my eye. This being a hard time in my life with not only being my first year in a large University, but I had gall stones which the doctors thought was ulcers for months into the school year. She was my comfort. She was so smart and newnumerous tricks, even how to fetch in the lake like a Labrador. So that year we went home for the summer, just in time to see her mom have more puppies. I was so excited to see another girl puppy with almost the same eye patch but brown. Not long after the puppies were born, just before my birthday, and day before my trip to the beach, I got a call from home that I need to come straight home after work. For some reason I knew that something was wrong with Gracie.
So that year we went home for the summer, just in time to see her mom have more puppies. I was so excited to see another girl puppy with almost the same eye patch but brown. Not long after the puppies were born, just before my birthday, and day before my trip to the beach, I got a call from home that I need to come straight home after work. For some reason I knew that something was wrong with Gracie. It was hard for me to bear, but she was gone not a year from when I took her as my own. I was heart broken, but after my trip to the beach and a little time with the puppies my heart was settled.
Enter Greenlee. Named for my favorite color, GREEN of course. She was just as smart and cute as Gracie was. I was attached again, and when school started back she tagged along. She was just what I needed, since I was to go to school this year minus my fiancee, who then was attending school 2 hours away. She went every where with me for the next 2 years of college. And when Dustin and I was married, she packed up her stuff and moved in with him as I did. We lived in the country with Dustin and his rottweiler Rocky. If these two dogs weren't enough, we adopted a dog from a friend and supervisor of mine. He was a spunky sort and named by the color of his fur.
Red! Hey, why not? We already had a dog Named GREEN-lee, why not call him RED. He gave Greenlee a run for her money on the attention, but when we moved closer to town, they be came backyard mates. They have been buddies ever since. Dustin's rottweiler disappeared sometime right after Red came along, so he took up with Red. Red proved to be a great tracking dog.
And that is the story of our dogs. If they weren't great dogs enough, they both take beautiful pictures

Sherwood Pictures

Sherwood Baptist Church has created some great movies over the past years, and has set out on their next adventure. We will get to that in a moment.

Their first movie may not be as exciting and of blockbuster quality as the ever so popular Facing the Giants and Fireproof, but Flywheel has a great message.

Honesty and morality in the business world today is a touchy subject. With a husband in the car business, I see this struggle everyday. Even though my husband is not a car salesmen, he works closely with them and feels the effects of what "the business" can do to a man's morality. The love of money can take hold of a person, drive their actions, and over shadow their faith and walk with the Lord. This movie is about a used car dealer and his struggle with being a Christian at home and in the work place. It shows the effects of what the love of money and the need for "good business" can do to a man and his family. For more on this movie click here.





The movie that made them famous is Facing the Giants. Most of you have probably seen or heard about this one. It is a great family movie with its inspirational story. If you haven't see it, this movie is about a football coach who is struggling to lead his team on and off the field, as he tries to keep his job as a coach and tries to be a Christian leader to his team. It is a great story for teaching and learning to Trust the Lord. For more on this movie click here.











Fireproof has touched so many lives and families around the world. If you are married you should definitely see this one. It is not only a movie, but is a challenge to Fireproof your marriage. This movie is followed by the Fireproof book as shown in the movie and also a Bible Study series for Sunday school or small groups. It not only teaches you have to love your spouse unconditionally, but I have be touched on how to love others and show compassion for everyone. For more on this movie click here.










And finally, Sherwood Pictures has announced their new upcoming movie to be title Courageous.
We all see the lack of male leadership in the home these days, and this movie will address just that. It will show the struggle of a group of men to be the male leaders in their homes. I am excited about this movie and am ready to find out more about it. For now you can watch a short clip from the producers here.

I hope if you haven't seen any of these films you will go out and watch them. Today's movies have been corrupting our society, and making us accept things that 50 years ago would not be at all acceptable to Christian people. It is sad to see what our youth today are able to watch, and what has been made acceptable in our movies today.

Trick or Treat! Happy Fall!

Not that we celebrate Halloween at my house, but dressing up is always fun! First we have Greenlee and Jingles as bat dogs. They really got into the spirit in their play time together.
Last year my husband dressed up as Forest Gump, his favorite movie, and Greenlee went as a Jack-O-Lantern. Dustin loves getting into character, and I had to beg him to stop talking like Forest. Talking about Creepy!
Hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!

My Mom's Chicken Pot Pie

If there is one thing I learned and love to get from my mom are her quick and easy recipes for weeknight dinners. With the cooler weather in town for a spell, I have been cooking more often. So I thought I would share one of my favorite recipes that I learned from my mom growing up.

Mom's Chicken Pot Pie
Ingredients:

• 1 lb of boneless skinless chicken breast (cut into bite sized pieces)
• 1 pkg. all ready pie crust
• 1 can Vege-All
• 2 cans cream of potato soup
• 1 can full of milk
• Pepper to taste

Steps:

• Step 1: Boil Chicken until cooked.
• Step 2: Mix chicken with all ingredients together in a mixing bowl.
• Step 3: Line a round baking dish with one pie crust.
• Step 4: Pour mixture into pie crust.

• Step 5: Bake at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

ENJOY!!!

Raindrops

Rain Rain go away... come again another day, but these old men are still gonna play.

I volunteered to work the golf tournament, and even with the rain, the games went on. Here are some pics of the rainy day.
There is just something about wet feet that makes me want to rip off those wet socks, put on a pair of warm pj's and warm socks, and watch some tv, until I fall asleep that is. In the meantime stay dry! HAPPY WEEKEND!

Facelift

I so desperately want to expand my living room area, I also in the future want to change the front look of my house. The front is so plain. Right now we have a inset porch that takes away our living area, so I would like to close it in and have that area for our living room. Then I want to add a porch with that adding to the roof line. In doing so I can either do siding under the porch or try to reuse the brick somehow. I also want to change out the windows one day, and paint the shutters black. Another option that I like would be to white wash the brick.

This is my house now...

And this is my house after photoshopping a porch in.

I like this porch because it is like most houses of the period of my house, but it has a different face to it making it look up-to-date. The options shown here include, with and without siding and with or without white washing. I know I won't be doing this anytime soon, but I like to know what I want in my house. That way I have something to look forward to, and to plan and save for.

Summer Days by the Fire

Our family loves to get together and have bonfires. That is the reason why my parents built a fire pit in their back yard. We have spent a few of our summer nights this year roasting hot dogs and marshmallows for smores. Got a love a good ole bonfire! My aunt, cousin, and her boys were all down recently so we wanted to take advantage of the beautiful weather and have us a bonfire. Chloe loves to play with her cousins maroon clothes and all. :P Bonfire nights always end in sticky fingers and full tummies for all of us, including the dogs who are always ready and waiting for the burnt wienies!

Found Kitty Needs A Home - Home Found

Update: Home found!!!! A sweet friend of mine is taking in the sweet little kitty.
A little kitten found its way to my husbands work, and Dustin couldn't just stand by and wait for it to get run over. So he took care of it and brought it home that day, thinking he'd find a home for it at our garage sale on Saturday. Needless to say everyone thought the kitty was precious, but it seems that garage sale goers are cat people too. Most of which said they had 3 or more cats already. So if you know of anyone who or you yourself would like to take in a little lovable kitten, we would love to give her, we think it is a girl, to a good home. We would love to keep her ourselves, but think she wouldn't fend well against our vicious red dog, who eats kitty cats that make there way into the backyard. We don't know why he wants to eat cats, but we suspect that it is our orange tabby cat who makes faces at him all day long through the fence. Let me know if you'd like a sweet kitty for your home.

On a lighter note, while looking for some clip art for my post, I found this hilarious picture of a Hello Kitty cat costume. I had to post it.

Hotty Toddy! Go Rebels!

When turning my alumni calendar to September, my heart fluttered to see the picture of the month. The Ole Miss stadium in all its glory! I love some Rebel Football and am so excited for our teams high ranking this year. I wanted to share some pictures of game days in the past that bring back some great memories. I got my images ready, but wanted to wait till closer to game day to post. I was planning on posting this Sunday, but forgot once the game started. I don't get to go to many games anymore, but that doesn't keep me from cheering the Rebels on from my living room. Congrats Ole Miss on your first of many wins this season!!!
I hate that I don't have any with Dustin, but He took me to my first game and taught me all about football. :) We had some fun times together my first year at Ole Miss! Boy do I miss hearing the band. The band, the cheering, and of course the BBQ nachos are what I miss the most about not being there on game day. I still get to watch them play, but it is not the same without those blisters on my feet from walking around in sandals all day. LOL! I hopefully will be going to a game or two this year, if Dustin can get us some tickets that is. I am crossing my fingers, but I am not going to be pulling out the skirt and sandals come game day this time. I think a red blouse, pants, and some comfortable shoes will do just fine since I won't be in the student section surrounded by sorority girls and frat boys.

Show Us How You Live - School Pictures

Kelly's Korner has Show Us How You Live fridays, and so I am finally showing my life. These are school pictures ranging from preschool all the way to senior year. The only thing I miss about those school days was being so skinny. Throughout my school years, I was active in softball, dance, cheerleading, show choir, soccer, tennis, and for a year track and basketball. Man would I give to have that kind of energy again. I am always so tired all the time. UGHH! It is sad to think back on how self-conscience I was in those days, but if I were that size now, boy I would be the most confident person ever. You hear that God, I will be a good confident girl just PLEASE make me skinny again! Oh well, I can only blame it on myself, and my husband who has unhealthy tastes! LOL!

Help Me Pick A Song

I am going to be singing at my church in a few weeks, and need help picking a song. I downloaded some songs by Mandisa that I really like, but they all are so pretty. I can't decide. Help me to pick! Below is a playlist of four songs, listen to them and let me know what you think. Then, on the side of my blog, you can vote for the one you like the best.

Create a playlist at MixPod.com

If you are viewing on facebook, click "View Original Post" below to go to my blog and vote.

Branches for a Friend

My friend's birthday was this past week, and I offered to paint her something. This was a good way to make myself sit down and paint instead of just relaxing or going somewhere on the weekend. I saw these type paintings online, and wanted to see how one would look if I did it. It turned out great, although the dots took longer than I imagined. You want them to be random, but not with the same color side by side. So I couldn't just paint one color, then the next, but I had to go back and forth between colors to make sure I had enough room for the varying sizes and have them not be the same color side by side. I am planning on doing something similar for myself with either a blue or green background.

Color Splash

I recently downloaded a new app on my Iphone. It is called colorsplash. I love it. For a couple of dollars you can use your finger to take ordinary photos and create extraordinary photos. It allows you to select areas of your photo to be color or gray toned, and using your finger is so much easier than using a mouse. Although color to gray is the only feature, I think it is great application. Here are few images I created using this app while playing with Chloe on Friday.

Happy Birthday Dustin

Today is my hubby's birthday. He has been into skeet shooting lately; so, I made him a cake with skeets and shotgun shells. I guess this is going to be a tradition. Every birthday make a cake with his favorite hobby of the moment. I love you, Dustin!




























I covered small disks of cake for the skeets and molded the shotgun shells with gum-paste. All of this is eatable, not that I like eating gum-paste. The cake was pretty yummy, if I do say so myself.

Encouragement

A friend of mine is having an encouragement blog giveaway. She wanted each person to do something special to show someone you love them. Dustin is going to New Orleans today for a football game with the men at church, so he was sleeping in. Before I left this morning I fixed a few of his favorite breakfast foods and brought him breakfast in bed. I left him a note letting him know that I love him and appreciate what he does for us as a family. He was snoring when I brought it in, so I got a picture for my post. I hope he woke up and ate it before it got cold. I made sure to make a little noise before I left to get him going a bit. :)

Part of the challenge also was to tell what you would tell someone in need of encouragement in a troubled time. I would tell them to trust in the Lord. John 14:1-4 says, "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." This verse also gives us the most encouraging promise of all, that He has prepared for us a place and has allowed us to go to heaven. We don't deserve His grace, but it is there for the taking. His grace gives us peace. In a time of need, just think of the grace that is set out before you, and that He is the true source of peace in anyone's life. No soul is at peace without God's Grace. Spread the joy!

Spiders and Trees

I have had the pleasure of watching two of the sweetest boys you'd ever meet grow up. I have been babysitting them for the past few years and they have just shot up like weeds. When I started babysitting them the youngest, Conner, was 3 and the oldest, Dawson, was 6. Now Conner is 6 and Dawson is 9. Wow, how time flies. Anyways, here lately I have been keeping them a lot because their restaurant has been short staffed. Which gives me an excuse to get to play with them again. The past weekends have been filled with lots of adventures, from spiders to trees.

One weekend as I was pulling down the driveway to take them home, I spotted a huge web in my yard. So we had to inspect, and sure enough in the middle was a nice sized spider. By the looks on their faces the boys weren't too excited to see that spider, but they thought it was neat none the less. We were all so nervous being so close to that creepy crawly thing, that as soon as it realized we really did notice him there, and darted up the web into the nearby tree, we all ran like mad to get back in the car. It was funny turning around in the car to see their ghost-like faces, just to die out laughing that we just ran from a thing that was not even on percent of our size. Another weekend had the boys learning to climb trees. You'd think living in the hills surrounded by woods they'd at least climbed a tree here or there, but since most their trees are massive pine trees with all their branches high up top, these boys had never climbed a tree. What a shame. Since I have a nice sized magnolia tree in my front yard, we saw prime "tree-estate" ready for the climbing. Needless to say, when time came for dinner, they were asking "can we please go climb the tree after dinner. Ahhh fun times, just to be a kid again.


We will have to see what adventures we can get into this coming weekend.

Cupcakes and Cakeballs

I recently attended a cooking school class with my mom and two of our good friends. We had a blast. Even though cakeballs are too sweet for my tastes, the cupcakes were delicious. Here are the cupcakes that we made. Mallie and I made the carrot cake cupcakes, and my mom and Melissa made the double chocolate cupcakes. We also had caramel apple cupcakes which the other girl that joined us in our class made. Those were the yummiest. I also tried my hand at digital scrapbooking this weekend. What fun!!

Progress

So we've made a little progress this week. We have the bathroom tile down and grouted. I painted the walls a nice color called Buxton Blue, from Benjamin Moore, and I have started cutting and putting up the base boards, and wainscoting. I love progress!!!!

Here is the tile. Beautiful! Well worth the work.Here is the beaded board and the paint color. I got a few pieces in before bed.

I will show overall shots of the room when it is done!

Where I've Been

Okay so I have not been blogging for a while, and here is my reason why.

My lovely house. The house has a lot of additions, but the bathrooms were so out of date. So this is the bathroom before. That is not before I started removing the yucky wall paper. Not only did it have wallpaper, but it had nasty carpet. So we gutted it. Out with everything. We got rid of the sink and toilet, but moved the tub to the bedroom for the time being.
Now to the part that has been taking so long, the tile. Love it! Hate the process. This picture is of the hallway, we are tiling it as well. So it is taking longer than i would have hoped, but a few more days and I will be able to get the wainscoting, trim, and paint on the walls. I promise to keep you as up-to-date as possible.

Pictures from Marley

Click here to view these pictures larger

Let's Go To The Zoo