April 2017

Currently Loving- April 2017

April has been a fun month. For starters, it’s my birthday month. I am not really a huge birthday celebrator. I tend to play the “birthday card” when it’s convenient for me. (Can we have pizza for dinner? Will you bring me a glass of wine? – Basically when I need something and feel too lazy to do it myself, I ask Paul to do it.) 🙂 But I never want a big party, and I don’t care what people give me. I don’t need presents. Like my dad has always said, it’s just another day. I still have to get up and go to work more often than not and go about my daily business. However, I am very blessed and have people in my life who love me and made me feel very special. I turned 31 and had a fabulous birthday weekend spent with family, and I wouldn’t have had it any other way. All I wanted was cheese dip, tacos, and fruit pizza. And I’ll be danged if I didn’t get it!

School celebration for our joint birthday party

I even got peanut M&Ms from one student and a pair of earrings from another. How sweet were they? I even got two birthday dinners. (Tacos were lunch.) My family cooked for us on Saturday night a scrumptious dinner and that awesome fruit pizza. Then on Sunday, I got steak, a baked potato, and a chocolate pie. I felt very spoiled and very full. It truly was a great weekend. Thank you to my wonderful families and to my husband for always making me feel special not just on my birthday but everyday.

Switching gears to products- A few things I’m loving lately in the realm of beauty products is a new company I’ve discovered called Beauty Counter. Beauty Counter is a safer beauty company that doesn’t use harsh chemicals that are found in virtually all of our cosmetics and skin care. I am slowly (very slowly) but surely making the switch to these safer products, and so far, I’m in love. I purchased the Charcoal Bar for washing my face. I use it both in the morning when I wake up and at night. Some nights, if I’m extra lazy, I use it to remove my makeup and cleanse my face. But most nights I use coconut oil to remove my makeup and then wash with the Charcoal Bar.

When I bought the bar, I heard wonderful things about this Charcoal Mask. Now, it’s not like the scary charcoal masks you’ve seen all over Facebook that pull the blackheads out of your face and make you cry in the removal process, but it is a cleansing, detoxifying, smoothing mask that leaves my face (every single time) feeling smoother and softer than I’ve ever felt it. I have extremely oily skin, and I believe these two products were some of the best ones for my skin type in this company’s line of skin care.

There are so many products I’d like to try. They can be pricey, but they have nice incentives and a little goes a long way with all of their products. My consultant said she was on month 3 or something of the one bar of soap. That’s a long time for daily use of a bar of soap. I’ve had mine for about a month and have so much left. Also, I haven’t even put a dent in the mask. It’s going to last a while for sure.

I ordered their sunscreen this week during their special they were running for the best sellers. (I think it ended, but it’s worth popping over to see if it’s still going on.) Did y’all know about all the harmful chemicals in sunscreen? Whoa!

Beauty Counter Protective Allover Sunscreen

Because I ordered during the sale, I am receiving a full sized mascara with the purchase of my sunscreen. I can’t wait to use it!

If you are reading this and want to place an order, my consultant is a friend from Louisiana, and she is wonderful! She would love to help you. Her website is found here. She can also be found on Facebook. Feel free to message her for more details and info. Or if you want to know more from me about how my products are working out, let me know and I’ll hook you up with Kelly.

April, well actually March, brought on a serious battle with my allergies. I haven’t lived in Alabama for 8 years, so I’ve gotten used to the changing of seasons in Louisiana. Y’all, when I tell you I couldn’t breathe for two months, I’m not kidding. I take a daily allergy pill and have for several years now, but nothing, and I mean nothing, was stopping this! I even did the Netty Pot. (Perhaps the most unpleasant thing I’ve ever endured.) I’ve been known to be a little stubborn, so I finally went to see Dr. Slagley. He fixed me right up with a shot (miracle working stuff right there) and all the other meds I needed to get well. And within two days I could breathe through my nose again. I have thanked God so much for that since I’ve been able to do it. I will never take it for granted again. Thank you, Dr. Slagley. I’m sure I was the 1,000th patient of yours that came in with these same symptoms, but I’m well now.

Say hello to the countdown to summer. I’m so stoked! One of the perks of being a teacher is definitely having summers off. That doesn’t mean we don’t work hard during the school year. We totally earn our break. I do love the kids and will miss them, but this teacher loves her summers.

It was my first year being able to attend Putting on the Ritz, and I’m so happy I was able to. Putting on the Ritz is a local production featuring all local talent from top to bottom, on stage and behind the scenes, directors, costume designers, choreographers, everything. The talent here is just wonderful. There are so many talented children too. One little red head, in particular was stealing the show with his stellar dance moves. This year’s theme was An Evening of Pure Imagination and had a Charlie and the Chocolate Factory theme for many of the numbers. Other acts were tributes to those gone on before us like David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, and Merle Haggard to name a few, The Beatles, there was a fun Vogue number, and even a performance by the youth featuring the song from Trolls, “I Will Get Back Up Again” (I love that song 🙂 ). Maybe my favorite one was Tom Jones. Those sparkly pants and wig! So fun! Mr. Tommy did an amazing job, and I laughed a lot.

My father-in-law was in a quintet with some very talented musicians doing the tribute and sang Merle Haggard’s, “Mama Tried” wonderfully.

There were two other performers that truly blew me away with their talent and that’s Joseph Longmire and LaTonya Johnson. Holy cow, y’all! I hope they are in the Putting on the Ritz for many years to come. He has such a smooth voice, and the boy can dance! And LaTonya is a powerhouse. She sang “You Don’t Own Me” and that’s the dang truth. Don’t nobody own her! She proved that when she belted at the end of the song. I was so into their performances that I didn’t get any video or pictures of them, but trust me, they are fabulous.

All of the people involved in getting this thing put together deserve so much praise. I mean, this was so fun to see local people come out to just have a good time and enjoy other local people putting their talent out there at our very own Ritz Theater. If you have never been, next year is a must. My first year was great!

Easter was this month. I always enjoy Easter. I was able to go to church with my parents. Paul is always working on Easter, it seems. When will golf courses learn to close on Easter Sundays? If you can close for Jesus’ birth, you can close for Jesus’ resurrection. Anyway…….I quite enjoyed the day with my parents and the day before we had our Easter celebration with Paul’s family. We dyed eggs and hid them for the children and ate a very yummy dinner. I’m so enjoying being able to spend this time with family. I’ve missed it these past 8 years. It’s so good to be home.

Our community has suffered a tremendous loss therefore making April one of the worst months of many people’s lives. But one of my other April favorites is the way our town, community, schools, churches, etc have come together to rally around a family and a group of teenagers that lost a friend and loved one much too soon. I’m not sure how I would have reacted if I had been in their shoes at such a young and impressionable age, but I know that there has been such an outpouring of love from them to each other and for them from the community. It’s still very early in the stages of grief for these young people and for this family, but I know that because they are such a close bunch, they will get through this. And they’ll get through it together. Their bond will forever be strong and deep-rooted. I hope they carry that with them for the rest of their lives and look back on the happy memories of their friend. I know the pain is indescribable, but I’m thankful for the people of this community who come together to take care of their own. It’s truly inspiring and a testament to how special this person was. Though I didn’t know him or his family personally, I’ll be praying for them and his friends, and I ask that if you’re reading this, you’ll say a prayer for them too.

On a happy note, spring is a time for new things. April brought lots of new things to my life. Every month seems new to me in this old/new town of mine. I look forward to what May has to bring, and I wish you a happy May as well.

Thursday Thoughts- Let’s Go to the Movies

Happy Thursday and welcome back to Thursday Thoughts.

2017 is shaping up to be a good year for movies. I have found some great trailers for some of the upcoming movies and wanted to share the ones I’m most excited about.

First up- The Zookeeper’s Wife. I love a period piece. And Jessica Chastain is such a wonderful actress. I’m looking forward to seeing this movie. It tells the true story of Antonina Zabinska, a Polish zookeeper’s wife, who hides Jewish people from German soldiers in her zoo during WWII.

Next up- The Circle. I think this movie seems intriguing. I stated in an earlier post that I loved movies. All kinds. I know this one in cult-ish, but the cast looks pretty stellar. From the trailer I gather that this is a story of a girl, May, that gets a job at The Circle. Everyone that works there tends to know everything about her and her family, the good and the bad. It seems the people closest to her (family and friends) wonder if her involvement with The Circle is a good thing.

The Shack. I had every intention of reading this book during the month of April and seeing the movie before it left theaters here, but I was lent another book that I really wanted to read too, so I put The Shack on the back burner. I’m excited to pick it up, though, and I intend to before I see the movie. This story is about a man who endures a very difficult and traumatic event in his life and is visited by God. I’m told this book is life-changing and quite beautiful. I’ve talked to people who saw the movie, and I’ve heard nothing but good reviews. I’ll probably grab this one from Redbox, but I’m excited to see it nonetheless.

The Case for Christ. I am a big fan of the movies that the company, Pure Flix, puts out. God’s Not Dead was one of them. I am a Christian and believe in the Bible and the gospel of Jesus Christ, so these movies are always wonderfully thought provoking and inspiring. They are so full of truth, and I always walk away feeling like I have been blessed. God definitely has his hand in these films. I’m feeling like this is true for The Case for Christ as well since I learned that two of the songs on the soundtrack are from the band, The Church Vessel, of The Church in St. Amant. This is the church I attended in Louisiana, and their album, Rekindle, is amazing. It is perfect worship music, and it’s great music to play during your quiet time if you’d really like to take it to another level. The songs are powerful and annointed. I think it is amazing that they will be performed on a platform for so many people to experience. Those people will be blessed, no doubt about it. The movie looks quite interesting.

Wonder Woman. There’s no doubt in my mind that the only reason I want to see this is because it is a woman superhero. I can take or leave all of the other comic book, superhero movies. I haven’t seen any of them, I don’t think. Maybe bits and pieces here and there, but I’m not one that has to go to the theater to see them all. But when I saw the trailer for this one, I thought, I’d like to see this one in the theater. How beautiful does her home land look? And hello, Chris Pine! He’s so dang cute. Paul and I saw the trailer for it when we went to see Beauty and the Beast. When I turned to him and nodded my head and widened my eyes with approval and excitement, he met my expression with a furrowed brow, a shake of the head, and a, “nah, I don’t think so”. (Insert eye roll.) Looks like I’ll be going solo for this one.

The Book of Henry. This movie looks a little dark and scary, but I am very drawn to it. It stars Maddie Ziegler. If there are any other Dance Mom fans out there, you’ll know who I’m talking about. I will say I haven’t watched it in many seasons, but I did watch it for 3 or so seasons. Crazy ladies! No doubt that Maddie is a talented dancer, and I believe we’ll get to see her dance in this one. This movie is about a boy, Henry, who lives with his mom and brother and seems to be gifted in some way. He learns that Maddie’s character, his next door neighbor, is being hurt by her stepfather and decides to do something about it. Looks intense.

Gifted. I have seen this movie advertised lately, and it looks so good! Chris Evans’ character is caring for his niece and people are trying to take her away. She is a very gifted child, but he wants to keep her childhood “normal”. It looks inspiring and uplifting. I’m looking forward to this one.

Ferdinand. I am so excited for this movie. It is one of my very favorite children’s books. There will be more elements added to the story to make it long enough to be a movie, but I love this story overall. I’m so glad that children will get to experience it. In my 9 years of teaching, there hasn’t been one class when the majority of the students had no clue who Ferdinand was and had never heard this beautiful story. It’s a lovely tale of not having to be what everyone thinks you should be. It’s okay to just be you even if you’re the biggest, baddest bull in Spain and all you like to do is just sit and smell the flowers.

Tulip Fever. This was a book I was actually interested in reading. I just haven’t gotten around to that because it’s number 1,927,462,938 on my to-be-read list. However, I’ll watch this one before reading the book. It looks so scandalous. And again, I love a period piece.

Same Kind of Different as Me. This looks like a feel good movie. I really like Greg Kinnear, and this one doesn’t look like it’s going to disappoint. Just the trailer reminds me to look beyond the surface. The title eludes to the notion that people are so complex and deep. It’s good to pay attention to that.

And finally……Pitch Perfect 3!! I was perhaps the last person to jump on board the original Pitch Perfect bandwagon. (Not sure why…but I was.) I watched Pitch Perfect 2 in theaters with my neighbor in Louisiana, Megan, and we laughed our heads off and, remember Megan, we were the only ones in the theater. See…

Anyway, I always watch the movies when they’re on TV. I even have the Pitch Perfect station on my Pandora. I can’t wait for this new one. There’s no trailer yet, but there’s no doubt in my mind that we’ll be in for lots of laughs and some great tunes.

I’m definitely looking forward to being able to see these movies this year. Are there any others coming out that you’re excited about that you didn’t see here? I kind of want to see The Boss Baby. That one looks pretty funny. How can you not love Alec Baldwin?

I hope that everyone has had a great week. Here’s to tomorrow being Friday and to a great weekend!

Thursday Thoughts- What I’ve Read Lately

Welcome back to Thursday Thoughts! I decided to not post on Sunday since it was Easter. It’s a pretty important day, and I just didn’t feel right about “promoting myself” on such a sacred day. I hope that y’all were able to spend some time with family and with Jesus.

**Note** I started this post with the intention of telling you about several of the books I’ve read lately. This book was first on my list, and I couldn’t stop writing about it. It meant a lot to me and for whatever reason, the words just poured out. Perhaps someone out there needs to know that this book exists. I don’t know. All I do know is that I felt compelled to only share about this particular book. I hope that your week has been better than mine. (Perhaps that’s why I was only able to get words out about this book.) It’s been a tough week for some reason. Anywho, I hope you enjoy today’s post and hope that your Friday is delightful!

Lately I’ve been reading a lot. I have been reading every morning during my quiet time/devotion, and I’ve been listening to audio books like they are about to disappear off of the planet. Since I’ve been reading so much, I thought I’d share in case any of you are looking for something new.

Discerning the Voice of God– Priscilla Shirer

I borrowed this book from my dear friend, Christy. She snapped a picture of a page from the book and sent it to me one day. I told her I hadn’t read that book before, but I do love me some Priscilla (Fevernt and War Room, anybody? That movie was amazing!), so she was kind enough to lend it to me.

Honestly, I didn’t think I needed this book. I felt like I had been hearing from God just fine without a book to tell me how to do it. Wouldn’t you know that as soon as I opened the book, all sorts of “bad” was after me. I kid you not! I read this book during my morning devotion time, which is in the very early, dark hours of the morning. It’s just me and Jesus, and I prefer it that way. But reading this book was an invitation for the devil to make me so stinking tired the moment I cracked open my Bible. There were mornings that I would start reading my Bible and accompanying devotion, and I would nod off to sleep, like instantly! There were days I didn’t even get to Discerning the Voice of God.

But those mornings that I did….y’all… God is so good. If there’s one thing I’ve noticed from moving back to Alabama, it is that my relationship with God has changed. And not necessarily for the good. I left a great church that I really, really liked. I was starting to get involved and had my routine of how my weeks would play out with church now involved in my schedule. So moving here threw everything out of whack. My quiet times weren’t spent in the prayer closet I had made for myself because now I don’t have a closet I can walk into. I don’t even have a spare corner in this apartment. Needless to say, this book couldn’t have come at a better time. God knew I needed it because I couldn’t hear from him like I used to. Because I was falling asleep while he was trying to talk to me! 🙂

I am so thankful for people like Priscilla Shirer (and countless others) who have shared so much in book form about their relationship with God and how to follow him. There’s no better tool than the Bible to help you on that journey, but I know that the Bible seems old fashioned and confusing to some people, so it helps to have a “guide”.

I guess my point in writing this post is to share that God is great. He meets you right where you are and right when you need Him most. We knew moving back to Alabama was for a reason. And unfortunately it’s been a reason that hasn’t necessarily been pleasant. We’ve lost four family members in the short time that we’ve been here. But God knew that our families needed us. God knew that we wouldn’t have been able to attend all of the funerals and family gatherings if we were still in Louisiana. So, maybe not all of the time we’ve been back has been good, but it’s been because of God. I knew He was speaking to us when people told us about possible job openings here in Alabama. I knew that it was God speaking when we were told we could move into this apartment. And I knew it was God speaking when Christy sent me that picture of this book. He spoke to her too to offer it to me, and she listened. I’m so glad she did!

If you need to hear from God, please get this book. It won’t be the answer to your problems, but it will teach you ways to have your ear inclined to Him. To listen with the ears of your heart and not just the ears on your head. It’s chock full of scripture and powerful stories, personal and biblical, that are explained to even the most elementary of Bible students. A warning, though: be prepared to have all kinds of things get in your way. It’ll probably seem like every time you sit down to read a chapter that something will happen to get you to not read. Deal with the situation and go right back to reading. God doesn’t put stuff like this in people’s lives unless they are intended for a good purpose. And the devil don’t like that! But push through and do it anyway; you will be blessed.

Thursday Thoughts- Movies

Welcome back to Thursday Thoughts!

Today I’ll be sharing my 10 favorite movies. If you’re not a movie lover, we can’t be friends. I’m kidding! Paul is not a movie lover at all, and I still keep him around. 🙂 For real though, I love movies. I love cartoons, dramas, comedies, romantic comedies, musicals, thrillers, old movies, new movies, kid movies, black and white movies…pretty much all movies except for horror movies. I’m too chicken to watch those. I used to, but like I mentioned about The Grudge in this post, I’m just not cut out for all that. Not to mention, who wants that bad juju in their house? Not me. Let’s get to it, shall we?

The Family Stone– I can’t say enough how much I love this movie. I absolutely love a story about a dysfunctional family. And the cast in this movie is just phenomenal. Diane Keaton, Craig T. Nelson, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dermot Mulroney, Rachel McAdams, Claire Danes, and Luke Wilson just to name a few. The eldest son, Everett (Dermot Mulroney), is bringing home his girlfriend, Meredith (SJP), for Christmas. His sister, Amy (Rachel McAdams), has already met her and hates her, so naturally, she’s already told everyone how awful she is. It turns out to be am awkward introduction to the family and an even more awkward few days as Christmas approaches. I kind of love the awkwardness about it, though. It surely makes for a very entertaining story. The house that the Stone family lives in is just gorgeous. Diane Keaton said in an interview that she hated the cluttered mess of the house and how lived-in it was, but it was such a great feature to the movie. It was totally believable that all of those kids grew up in that home and were coming back to a place of comfort and familiarity for a few days. It was superb acting for sure, and you should definitely check it out if you’ve never seen it. And here’s another fun fact, the music is AMAZING. In the scene when Diane Keaton’s character looks out the window while it’s snowing, there is orchestral music playing. That bit of music was playing as I walked down the aisle. So, yeah, it’s safe to say that I have a real love for many things about this movie. Go watch it!

A League of Their Own– Who doesn’t love this movie? “There’s no crying in baseball!” Don’t we all know that part? This is a movie I can pretty much quote from start to finish. I watched it so many times as a kid. I could sing “It Had to be You” just like Marla did when she was drunk at the bar. I can still sing “We’re the members of the All-American League. We come from cities near and far. We’ve got Canadians, Irish ones, and Swedes. We’re all for one. We’re one for all. We’re all American.” I could go on, but I won’t. Gena Davis and Tom Hanks are obviously the stars of the movie, but the whole cast was just incredible. Despite how things have progressed for Rosie O’Donnell, and despite what your current opinion of her may be, I still would want to go up to her and ask to go have a “steak dinnah” with her just so we could talk about her experience filming that movie. I may have never giggled so hard on a film before than when Jimmy Dougan goes into the bathroom before their first game and pees for forever in front of all the girls. I remember being embarrassed to watch that with my mom and dad because I didn’t want to laugh too hard and them think badly of me. But it was so dang funny!

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes– It’s no secret to people who know me that I’m a Marilyn Monroe fan. I used to be quite obsessed and had two posters of her hanging in my bedroom, a purse with her pictures on it, a book chronicling her life in pictures (I probably still have this), and several of her movies. She was so beautiful and sexy and blonde, and I just wanted to be her. The movie is a musical, which is maybe my favorite genre of film, and I don’t care what people say about her not having a good voice. I loved it. “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend” is an iconic song and has never been covered as well as she sang it in my opinion. She is known for being irresponsible and some might have said a pain to work with, but the end result was always amazing. She was a great talent gone too soon.

Funny Girl– Another musical to add to the list. Barbra Streisand. Need I say more? The woman is other-worldly talented. Fanny Brice is a wonderfully complicated, quirky, strong, funny girl. She goes after what she wants and holds on for dear life until she gets it. And she sings one of the greatest love songs of all time, “My Man”. I cry and cry every single time. It’s a long one with an actual intermission in the film but please do yourself a favor and watch it.

Elf– Okay, I love me some Christmas movies. But who doesn’t love this? This is such a funny movie with so many great quotes. Every year during the Christmas season two of my friends from Louisiana, Tina and Rochelle, and I get our group text going when one of us is currently watching Elf and we all proceed to text quotes back and forth to each other. We are grown women, but we always laugh about this movie, and quite frankly, I hope we never stop doing that.

When Harry Met Sally– I just love this movie. I think that Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan were so great together. I know Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks are another great pairing, but this movie was my favorite of the Meg Ryan trio (When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail). I love that Harry and Sally are practically enemies when they meet and drive to NYC and then come together as friends later in their lives. It’s was a unique take on how two people fell in love. One of the greats.

The Way We Were– More Barbra. Katie and Hubbell, the song, the fashion, her hair, heck his hair, Robert Redford. Watch it. That is all. (Seriously, y’all…look at these pictures. They are two of the most beautiful people ever. So many heart eyes for their gorgeousness, their work, and this movie.)

“Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.” Google Images

Singing in the Rain– I love this movie so much. I think Gene Kelly was one of the most handsome men there ever was. And what a talent? He could sing and dance and act-total triple threat. Also, the late Debbie Reynolds was perfect as Cathy. I thought she was so pretty and “Good Morning” is one of my favorite numbers from the movie. (The girl can dance!) I always play the clips of “Make ‘Em Laugh”, “Good Morning”, and “Singing in the Rain” for my students every year as a get-to-know-me exercise. At the beginning of the year we are learning a lot about each other and I let them know that I like movies, especially musicals, through this movie. “Make ‘Em Laugh” is always their favorite. 🙂

The Harry Potter Franchise– I know this is technically more than one movie, but I am a fan of the whole franchise, so I had to include them. Paul and I watched the movies when we first got married (up through The Deathly Hallows Part 1). We were able to go see The Deathly Hallows Part 2 in theaters, and I was so excited to be an actual HP fan going to the movies to see it. I don’t know why I never jumped on the bandwagon when I was a kid and the books were coming out, but I just didn’t. After watching all the movies I decided to get all the books and spent a year or so reading all of them. To say I loved them is an understatement. I think that I really enjoy the fact that you become so invested in the characters and the story line when you’re reading the books or watching the movies for that matter. And once you get into it, everything and everyone becomes familiar. The movies were so well made and the actors were just expertly cast. I don’t have to tell you this. If you’re a Potter fan, you already know.

The Holiday– Nancy Meyers is a fabulous film maker and has a fun Instagram account with behind-the-scenes looks from the movies she is currently filming. I believe she’s just wrapped one called Home Again that stars Reese Witherspoon. Can’t wait to see more about that one. And let’s not forget Something’s Got to Give and It’s Complicated. Both hilarious! This movie was just fun for me. I love a good romantic comedy, and Cameron Diaz and Jack Black in the same movie? Comedy gold. Let’s not forget how gorgeous Jude Law is and how stupidly talented Kate Winslet is. Everything she does is phenomenal to me, and she didn’t win that Oscar for nothing. I enjoyed the interesting concept of switching houses with someone half way around the world. I would have definitely reacted the same way Iris did when she got to Amanda’s house in L.A. It was incredible. However, I totally loved the English cottage. It’s pretty adorable. The soundtrack is fantastic too. I considered a song from this movie to be played at my wedding as well. And I may have (more than once) taken a picture of Cameron Diaz from that movie into the salon to get her haircut. Most people have seen this, but if you’ve been living under a rock for the last, oh 10 years, watch it when it comes on TBS or Freeform at Christmas.

BONUS: I’m a huge Adam Sandler fan. So just about any of his movies are ones that I’m almost always going to sit and watch. I did it today when Blended was on tv. There’s another great movie pairing: Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. I didn’t so much care for You Don’t Mess with the Zohan and never saw Little Nicky or Anger Management. But I feel like those weren’t his best anyway. Give me Billy Madison, The Wedding Singer, Big Daddy, Grown Ups, or Just Go With It any day. He’s hilarious. I even loved him in Spanglish.

I hope you’ve seen some of these movies already or maybe now you’ll add a few to your To-Be-Watched list. These aren’t all the movies I’ve enjoyed. I quite enjoyed the new Beauty and the Beast, and I really love Annie, and I kind of like The Blind Side (okay, not kind of…I REALLY like that one). And let’s not forget The Help and The Sound of Music and Trolls and Sweet Home Alabama and Mrs. Doubtfire. I could go on and on and on. Like the quote above by Laura Dern, I love movies. They have this ability to take you away to a completely different world (The Hunger Games) and inspire you (War Room) and make you sad (Steel Magnolias) or happy (The Little Rascals) or want to sing (Pitch Perfect 1 and 2) and some even make you feel alive (Life is Beautiful). Again, I love movies. I hope you do too.

I hope Friday treats you well (extra well if you get the day off) and that you have a great weekend! Happy Easter!

Crafty Earring DIY

I follow quite a bit of fashion and beauty bloggers and YouTubers, and lately, I’ve been seeing these earrings pop up in a few places.

I instantly fell in love with them, sourced them out, and went to place my order. I found they were at one of my favorite jewelry websites, Baublebar, but they had to be pre-ordered and they were $38. In the grand scheme of things $38 isn’t really that much money, but if you follow me on Instagram, you know that I love myself a good Walmart clearance deal. I’ve also linked several more budget friendly jewelry retailers in a previous post. See, I’ve always been told I have champagne taste on a beer budget. And right now my budget is not willing to pay for much more than Natural Light. So, to me $38 made me initially go, “Aw man.” As I did the back and forth of “do I really need these?”, “but they are so cute”, “no one is going to have these”, “but they are nearly $40-especially after taxes and shipping”, “they are definitely an indulgence”, etc…I realized that they were made of thread. And then I thought, I’m kind of crafty. I used to cross stitch when I was a kid, so I know my way around a needle and thread. I can absolutely MAKE these! Luckily, I had a similarly shaped pair of earrings (that I got on clearance at Walmart), but I hadn’t been wearing them lately, so I decided they were getting up-cycled.

My Granny has recently passed away, and she was a bit of a “collector”-of lots of things. One of these things being thread. *Thank you, Granny!* My mom also has a rather large collection because she likes to sew and used to do her fair share of cross stitching too. I asked to peruse her collection, but she brought over two large containers from my Granny that just so happened to have the perfect colors and plenty of each one.

I started out with the black and white pattern around the earrings.

I got a little carried away and cut the thread early on after I had tied knots, but I underestimated how much I had to handle the earrings, and they promptly fell apart. So, back to square one. Live and learn, right?

I decided to leave long strands to tighten again if needed. Once I had it completely wrapped, I made sure the knots were tight, cut the excess string, and Superglued the ends down to the back. I tried to make it as nice looking as possible, but since the backs don’t really show, I wasn’t too worried about it.

You know when you set out to do a task, especially a DIY, and you think that it’ll take like an hour, maybe two? Yeah, I thought this too, but it took me all dang day and then the next afternoon to complete these things. So, when I got one completely done in black and white, I was super excited.

My Aunt Rena told me that it was fairly simple to make a tassel. I followed her instructions of wrapping the thread around something (my two fingers), cutting the bottom to open up the loop, pulling up the top a bit and wrapping a sting of the same color around to make the tassel. It really was simple. But then as I looked back at the original earrings, I saw how many I had to make. Holy cow!

I made them according to the picture but ended up not needing them all. I made up my pattern of tassels and laid them out to see if I liked it. I did. Then I had to decide how to attach the tassels to the base. This is when I went to bed. My brain had had enough.

When I got back to work, I thought I might need some jewelry wire, but turns out I could thread the tassels together using white or black thread (I chose white). I then wrapped the extra around the part of the earring that was already wrapped in white and Superglued it to make it secure.

I also added a little Superglue along the bottom of the base so that the tops of the tassels would lay flush to it.

I think they turned out cute. I have enjoyed wearing them, and though they don’t look exactly like the originals, I think they are pretty darn close. I also love the fact that I didn’t have to pay a dime (except maybe $2.00 for the actual earrings when I originally bought them).

If you’re still reading by now, I want to say that I wrote this post to show that just because you may have expensive taste without the budget to go along with it, you don’t have to go without. Sure, these earrings might not be of the same quality as Baublebar, but with a little imagination and creativity I was able to recreate something that I might never have bought for myself because it seemed a little indulgent. Also, I know that I appreciate them more because I put the time and effort in to making them with my own hands.

I challenge you to get crafty this month. It’s spring! It’s time to do something fun. Make a pretty wreath for your door, sew some cloth napkins or place mats, arrange a pretty spring bouquet for your table, or perhaps you want to make some earrings. 🙂 Happy Crafting, everyone!

Thursday Thoughts- Get to Know Me

Welcome to Thursday Thoughts- a new series I’ll be doing every Thursday to let you know a little bit about me and what’s on my mind. I love to read these kinds of posts from other bloggers because I’m always interested in learning that there are other people out there that have the same interests as I do. I also learn about a lot of cool things that I may not have otherwise known.

First, how about this weather we’ve been getting in the south? School was cancelled two days this week due to threatening weather conditions. Thankfully, we were not hurt or affected. We did see and hear a very bright flash and a loud clap of thunder this morning while watching the news. Come to find out, a few yards from our place a traffic light was struck by lightening. Scary!

Now, I’d like to share a bit of random information about myself. Maybe some things you already know about me but maybe there are some you don’t. I found a questionnaire online with 45 questions that will give you a brief peak into my life.

What is you middle name? Ann. I was born on my Aunt Sharon’s birthday, and we share a middle name.
What is your favorite color? This is actually a hard question for me. I kind of love all colors. My never-fail favorites are black, white, navy, pink, orange, cobalt blue, emerald green. Buuuut I really like all colors, and I mean all over the ranges of color. Buuuut I am totally happy with classic black and white. (I clearly have a problem making a decision and picking just one…this also carries over to other areas of my life.)
Who was your first best friend? I honestly can’t say who my first best friend was. I imagine it had to be cousins.
How tall are you? 5’5, I think.
Cats or Dogs? Dogs, but I love a kitten.
Favorite moment throughout school? I would have to say my favorite high school moment was performing in our school play, Guys and Dolls. I played Adelaide and loved every part of it. Except maybe dancing on stage in a swimsuit. That was pretty terrifying.
How many countries have you visited? I went to Canada for like an hour once. Other than that, just the good ol’ USA.
Are you in/have you gone to college? I did go to college. War Eagle!
What was your favorite/worst subject in high school? Favorite- English with Mrs. Taylor/Worst- any math class (But definitely not because of any teacher. I had excellent math teachers. I just really don’t enjoy math.)
What is your favorite drink? I pretty much just drink water. I do enjoy an Arnold Palmer, especially one from Chick-fil-A.
What is you favorite animal? Leopard…for obvious reasons.
What is your favorite perfume? I am still really loving my Stash fragrance from SJP.
Tea or Coffee? Coffee
What would you name your children? Wouldn’t you like to know? 🙂
What sports have you played? I played pee-wee basketball on the Jazz, and I play softball long before becoming a teenager. I was on the dance team in high school, but I’m not very athletic.
What is your favorite book? I have a few fiction books that I have really loved and have stuck with me for a long time, but the book I read the most and find the most impactful on my life is definitely my Bible.
Who are some of your favorite YouTubers? This is such a great question. Lots of people don’t utilize YouTube for entertainment and regular information. Okay, people my age and older don’t do this often. However, I follow several people on YouTube that I quite enjoy keeping up with. Most are beauty and fashion YouTubers, but they also post vlogs (video blogs) and other informational videos that are quite entertaining and interesting. I really like Ms. Goldgirl (beauty), Busbee Style (fashion), and The Holderness Family (the Christmas Jammie people).
What is your favorite movie? The Family Stone
Are you single or taken? Married
What’s your idea of an ideal first date? Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve been on one of those. I think it would be fun to go on a date where you had to do something. Like a cooking class or somewhere you had to do something with your hands. Maybe something outside. Something that would keep you from having to constantly be talking to each other (awkward silences are so, well, awkward) but would still give you the opportunity to learn things about each other.
Favorite memory from childhood? I was very young (3 or 4) on Christmas morning. I walked from my room to my parents’ room. It was still dark outside, and I remember seeing handlebars on the way through the living room. I knew Santa had brought me a bike. I don’t remember actually saying this, but my parents say that I went in their room and said “I saw handlebars!” And then my dad made me go back to bed and wait until the sun came up. Hahaha. Typical move of a nurse who probably had to work at some point that particular Christmas Day.
Do you speak any different languages and how well? I took 4 years of Spanish and know a fair amount of vocabulary. I can recognize a little bit when spoken, but I can’t speak it and conjugate verbs and such. I had the privilege of teaching many Spanish-speaking students in Louisiana and had to learn a good bit to be able to communicate with them and with their parents. I certainly couldn’t survive long if you dropped me in Mexico. I could find you a bathroom, though! 🙂
Do you have any siblings? I have a younger brother.
How would you describe your fashion sense? Well, I like girly things (florals, bright colors etc), but I wear a lot of black. I like heels, but because I’m a teacher I wear more flats. I am usually comfortable but in a stylish way. I don’t like to wear t-shirts and jeans very much. I love layers. My favorite season for fashion is fall. I love boots and jackets and chunky sweaters and scarves. I’m not sure what to call that style, but that’s how I typically dress.
What is your favorite restaurant? Easy. Panera. I have loved their Caesar salad and have never ordered anything else. I hope it never goes off the menu. I don’t go to many fancy places, so I can’t give you a favorite “nice” restaurant. I do really like Amsterdam Cafe in Auburn. That’s a cute, nicer place to eat.
What are some of your favorite TV shows? Oh boy. I watch a lot (too much) of TV. But some of my favorites would be: NCIS, Sex and the City, and Fixer Upper.
PC or Mac? I’ve only used a PC, but I’m not opposed to making the switch. I’ve tried to get my brother to give me his old Mac Laptop, but he says no. That’s not even what you call it is it? A notebook? Maybe I should stick to PC.
What phone do you have (iOS or Android)? iOS
What is one of your bad habits? I’ll get the mail but won’t open it right away unless it’s a magazine. This really gets under my husband’s skin.
Last person you called? Paul
Male celebrity crush? Leonardo DiCaprio
Favorite food? Pizza
Last thing you bought? A terrible bottle of wine
Last time you cried? Yesterday watching Pure Genius which is a really great TV show that is currently finished with it’s season. (I was watching from my DVR.) I’m not sure if it’s coming back next season, but I sure hope so.
Can you cook? Of course! Mama always said, “If you can read, you can cook.”
Do you have any tattoos? I have two. I have a small cross on my ankle and a pink heart on my wrist. That one’s a matching tattoo with mom.
Do you believe in aliens? Well, I don’t believe in aliens, but I know some people who do and will put up a pretty good argument to make you think they actually do. *ahem, Megan* (well, really just your mom) 🙂
Do you drink alcohol? I enjoy a glass of wine every now and then. I think I’m allergic to beer. And I’m too old for liquor.
Where are you from? Greenville, Alabama
What makes you really angry? Entitlement
Favorite band? Oh gosh, I have no idea! I like bands and could probably tell you some great songs by some great bands, but I’m not sure I could say a favorite (see, there’s that decision problem again).
What is a weird habit? I crack the knuckles of my middle and ring fingers on both hands and my right thumb all the time. But only those fingers.
Last book you read? Yes Please by Amy Poehler. The last audio book I listened to was The Rumor by Elin Hilderbrand.
The book you are currently reading? I’m reading two: Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst and One Plus One by Jojo Moyes. The audio book I’m currently listening to is After You by Jojo Moyes which is the sequel to Me Before You. Clearly I like this author.
What is a place you want to visit? Nashville, Tennessee

Well, here they are. Maybe you learned something new about me today. Feel free to let me know any of your thoughts on these answers in the comments or share your answers to the questions with me there too. I hope that you have a fabulous Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Currently Loving-March 2017

Can it be April already? I feel like this has been the fastest year ever. In an effort to slow down and reflect on this past month and what I enjoyed, I’ve come up with a list of things that I would like to share with you. My hope is that these things bring some happiness into your life as well.

One thing I’ve recently discovered (and I know I’m a little late to this party) is Kari Jobe’s new album The Garden. If you’ve never had the pleasure of listening to this mega-talented woman sing, please go to YouTube and have a quick listen, then head over to iTunes and download The Garden or any of her other amazing music. I tend to listen to praise and worship music during nap time at school and one day I was scrolling through my usual list of instrumental praise music and decided I wanted to listen to some Kari. (Sidenote: Her Pandora station is pretty fantastic too.) There was a playlist for The Garden, so I decided to listen. I’m so glad I did. The song, “The Garden”, almost had me in tears. It’s so beautiful. It will bless your soul. Go listen!

Switching gears to beauty. I got Sarah Jessica Parker’s new perfume, Stash, for Christmas. I’m still loving it. It’s technically a unisex fragrance. I love it so much for myself, though, that I’d be intrigued to smell it on a man. There’s a warmth to it that I just love. I wear it day and night but like to spritz on a little extra when going out in the evening. It’s just so lovely. Stash is sold at Ulta and is available in a rollerball if you’d like to try it without committing to a whole bottle. I know fragrance is so individual, but if you like warmer scents, you might like this one.

Can we just talk about these for a second? Perhaps my favorite candy of all time. Let’s just say that I love them so much I’ve been known to say that these better be in Heaven when I get there.

This month brought the return of Designated Survivor. We recorded the show when it originally started but never got around to watching it. One night when our DVR was cleared of everything else that we watch, we pushed play and were hooked. The season premier was so great and last week’s episode!! Y’all!! Are you watching too? You need to go catch up if not!

Paul’s not a huge movie watcher, but if I can get a “guy movie” in his sights, he’s going to at least consider it. Cue Hacksaw Ridge. Mel Gibson may have a reputation of being a bit crazy, but the man can make a movie. It is a war movie with its fair share of gore, but the story was so beautiful. And one I had never heard before. It tells the story of Army Medic Desmond Doss and his heroic actions to save 75 of his fellow soldiers ALONE. He did all of this without firing a single weapon and was awarded a Medal of Honor. It was an inspiring story of standing up for what you believe in and not backing down even when the odds are tremendously stacked against you. It’s a must watch.

I’m a pretty avid reader, well, more so in the summer than during the school year, but from August through May I like to listen to audio books. This month I listened to The Girl in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. Boy, was it a good one! I am not a scary movie person or a ghost story person. Not once in Louisiana did I want to go on one of those ghost tours in New Orleans or in St. Francisville. When I watched The Grudge in college, I was so thankful that my dorm roommate was not in town because I slept with the lights on for three nights. I do not do scary stuff. This book, though it had some scary parts, is a thriller which is slightly less scary to me. I can do thrillers most of the time. This one is about a woman who goes on a cruise and thinks she hears and sees something horrible, but when she tells the people in charge of the cruise, no one believes her. Everyone thinks she’s crazy…or do they? That’s all I can say because I don’t want to give anything away if you’re intrigued and want to read it. If this is your genre, you’ll like it. I did figure out the ending before it all unfolded, but that’s okay. I got to have that moment of victory in the last chapter when my suspicions were confirmed.

As a teacher I am so fortunate to get to still have a Spring Break. It was glorious to sleep in and be lazy. That’s me in PJs and slippers mid-morning.

I finished a series I was watching on Amazon called Z: The Beginning of Everything about Zelda Fitgerald. I didn’t know she was originally from Montgomery. Thought that was pretty cool. It was a fun show, and I love that it’s a period piece. I am a sucker for that 1920’s fashion. Zelda was a real spit-fire, and I kind of liked that about her.

I also got to go shopping with my mom to a new store (well, new to us) called At Home. Y’all, it was like Heaven. We had made our way around the store, though not all the way through, and I stopped and looked at my mom and said, “This is what Heaven is going to be like for me: home decor, Cadbury Mini Eggs, and Jesus.”

March also brought a reunion with some very special old friends. I have been friends with these people for nearly 20 years. They are the kind of friends that even though all four of us hadn’t been together in almost seven years, we fell right back into our pattern of easy conversation, jokes, and hilarity that may or may not have involved a belt that contracts your abs for you. We went around the circle talking about our current life situations including jobs, relationships, children, and even some crazy neighbors one of us has-I mean REALLY crazy. It was good for my soul to see these people that feel like family, and I pray we get to do it again before seven more years passes us by.

Well, that’s what I’m loving this month. Have any of you also discovered some of my favorites from March? Do you have some great music, books, beauty items, or T.V. shows you are loving lately? Tell me about them in the comments. I hope March was great to you and here’s to an even better April.