Welcome to the Good Life!

what im loving wednesday!

Hello friends!  Doesn't it seem like the weeks just keep going by faster and faster?  I feel like time flies around the holidays--right when you want to stop and savor each moment!  I'm back this week with another WILW, linking up with the super sweet Jamie! :)

First, I am totally loving our little kitten!  Rob and I are so enamored with Charlie.  Pretty much everything he does is the cutest thing ever. :)  Look at this precious little face! 

I'm loving Victoria Secret Fashion Show!  I loved seeing Adam Levine singing to his girlfriend and Orlando Bloom's face was priceless when he saw Miranda Kerr!  Love it all! :)  (However, I did miss Heidi Klum just a little!)

I'm loving some Christmas projects I'm working on for family!  I love  knitting and being crafty and it's the best feeling when someone actually wants something you've produced!  My super cute niece asked me to make a scarf for her and I am beyond thrilled. :)

I'm loving the Christmas date I'm going to have with some of my girlfriends next week!  We are going to watch Christmas movies and address our Christmas cards together!  I've had mine for a couple of weeks and I am so anxious to get them out in the mail!  :)

I'm loving this pinterest find.  I really want to make these for friends and family for Christmas! They're just as yummy as they are cute! 

I'm loving anticipating this weekend!  Rob and I are going away for the night and I couldn't be more excited!  I am going to Cincinnati for work on Sunday, so we decided to celebrate our two year dating anniversary with a fun night in downtown Cincinnati.  I can't wait! :)

I'm loving this holiday season!  This is, after all, the season when Rob and I first met and I love reliving all of those first memories together!

{one of our first pictures together when we went to see Christmas lights at the Columbus Zoo!}

 

introducing...

Introducing the newest member of our little family!  Here's Charlie! :)

When I came home from work on Wednesday, Rob surprised me with this baby kitten!  Charlie is only 10 weeks old--so he is very tiny!  He's got a big personality so he isn't taking any slack from his brothers. :)  Isn't he darling?

it's monday, it's monday!

• I dropped Tobbie off this morning for his little surgery.  I'm not 100% if I'll be able to pick him up today or if we will have to wait until tomorrow.  I can't wait to get his little baby self home!
• I'm subbing this afternoon in an attempt to take my mind off of things.  I'll be with fourth graders--one of my favorite ages. :)
• I'm working on a Christmas Wish List.  What items do you have on yours?
• Mondays after long weekends and holidays are always so so hard.  I had an extra huge cup of coffee this morning, but it's not nearly enough!
• I'm looking for some new books to read.  I'm currently working my way through Tinker Tailor Soldier and Spy since the movie is coming out.  John le Carre is one of my favorite authors, so I'm really enjoying it! :)  What are you reading?  I'd love to know! :)

tiny prints holiday cards!

Hello friends!  I hope you have each had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  It's time to start thinking about Christmas Cards (if you haven't already! :) )

Tinyprints is doing a wonderful blogging campaign where they offer bloggers 50 free holiday cards if you help them with a little advertising!  Tinyprints has SUCH cute cards!  I spent quite a bit of time on their website today trying to figure out which ones I like the most.  

Here are a few of my favorites:

Which cards do you like?  Have you picked out your cards?

what i'm loving wednesday!!

I'm loving this week is a holiday weekend.  I am working a half-day substitute teaching, so send me some nice thoughts!  I'll be dealing with second graders, and I know they'll be really anxious and restless with their vacation just staring them in the face!  I think it's weird that any school is in session on Wednesday, but I'm not complaining!

I'm loving this evening!  Tonight Rob and I are meeting up with some of our friends for dinner and fun!  I can't wait to kick off the Thanksgiving holiday right!

I'm loving I will get to see my mom this weekend!  We were going to go to Kentucky for a few days, but now things have changed and she is going to come stay with us for a few days!  I am so excited to see her and spend some quality time with her. :)

I'm loving my pets!  Tobbie has to have a minor surgery on Monday morning.  I try to love on our pets daily, but knowing one of them has to have a procedure done makes me want to love on them just a little extra!  They are more than just furbabies, I tell you! :)

I'm loving the blog world.  I am so thankful for each of you, my dear readers.  I pray you have a wonderful week of Thanksgiving! :)

ten on tuesday!

I'm barely sliding in on Ten on Tuesday, but I wanted to participate because it is Thanksgiving themed! :)

 

1. What are you doing for Thanksgiving this year?
Rob and I are spending the day with his family!  His mom is hosting Thanksgiving and his sister and family will also be there. :)

2. What are you most thankful for this year?
I am so thankful for my sweet husband.  I was having a rough day and he showed me so much love and sweetness.  He's the best and I am so so thankful for him today and always.

3. Do you have any traditions on Thanksgiving? The parade? Football? Long naps?

This year is a little different since it's the first Thanksgiving I'm going to spend with Rob's family.  I'm looking forward to some yummy food and a good nap though! :)  My family spends the day playing games--especially card games. :)

Rob and I started putting our Christmas decorations up right after Thanksgiving last year.  I'm really looking forward to doing that again this year!  I'm also looking forward to getting our Christmas cards mailed as soon as December is here!  

4. Is it called stuffing or dressing? Is it in the bird or a separate dish?
My family calls it dressing.  It's not in the bird--it's a separate dish.  My papa makes three different kinds--sage, regular, and oyster.  Since I'm a Celiac, I don't eat dressing.

5. Do you cook?
I LOVE cooking for Thanksgiving!  Last year Rob and I made broccoli cheese casserole and the sweet potato casserole.  This year we are in charge of the cheese plate, veggie tray, and I am making a gf pumpkin pie.  

6. What is your favorite dish?
Sweet potato casserole is by faaaaar my favorite dish.  It's like a dessert!  I am also a really big fan of leftover turkey being made into turkey salad.  Delicious!

7. What is your dessert preference?
Pumpkin pie!  It's just not Thanksgiving without it! :)

8. What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory?
I love every Thanksgiving.  There is something so special about gathering around a table of yummy food and thanking God for all of your blessings.  And, knowing that people all across the US are doing the same thing makes it even better.  One year, I did have a pretty different Thanksgiving though!  My friend and I were invited by the president of U of L to go to Maui for the Maui Invitation with the basketball team.  It was my senior year of college and we were able to spend 8 days in paradise.  Pretty amazing!  On Thanksgiving Day, we spent the day with the basketball team and some other fans.  Rick Pitino offered the blessing over our food.  Pretty insane. :)

9. Do you plan to shop on Black Friday?
Rob and I want/need a new tv.  We've seen some great deals at Target, but I think that's all of the shopping we will be doing!

10. What are you most dreading about Thanksgiving this year?
I wish my family and Rob's family would have Thanksgiving together.  And every holiday.  There are so many people in both families, but it would make my heart so happy. :)

 

miscellany monday!

I hope you all had awesome weekends!  I was able to get so many things checked off of my to do list including invitations for my cousin's baby shower and a fun date night with Rob!  I was also able to hang out with several of my friends.  One thing I didn't do?  Sleep!  Right now I could definitely spend a few days somewhere like this....

-I'm in the process of making a Christmas wish list.  One thing I'd love to have?  This pretty necklace in silver!

-Even though this week is a short work week, there is so much on my agenda!  Tobbie is having a minor health problem and I'm taking him for a second opinion today.  Also on the list is work and grocery shopping, plus a checkup at the doctor.  I'm also out of makeup and am supposed to have brunch with a friend.  And that's just Monday! :)

-Thanksgiving is this week!  I am so excited to spend the holiday with Rob's family and my family.  I'm a little bit sad about needing to board Rex for the weekend.  Do you get upset about boarding your pets?  Rex seriously looooves where we board him, but I still feel so bad when we drop him off there!

-Rob and I found the best Thai restaurant just 15 minutes from our house.  We live out in the boonies, so 15 minutes is just about as good as it gets!  We may have gone there twice this weekend.  Maybe.

-Also, I might have gone to bed at 9:30 last night.  No judgement.

What miscellany thoughts are you having on this Monday? 

a pinterest re-creation!

I've been lusting over this nail polish combo for a couple of weeks now.  It's so so pretty!  I have been trying to figure out a way to recreate it, but I really don't like the way my nails look with grey polish.  I think I'm too pale already. :/  

 

However, I've recreated the look with Essie's Ladylike and Sally's Strobelight.  I love it!  It's a little more subtle than the picture above, but I like that about it! :)  

Have you recreated anything from Pinterest lately?  I'd love to hear about it! :)

what i'm loving wednesday!!

I can't believe it's Wednesday again.  I seriously feel like I just wrote my last WILW post.  Time flies when you're having fun, right? :)  While there are lots of things going on in my life and in the world that aren't the greatest, I have so much to be thankful for and I love this weekly reminder of looking at the positive and counting my many blessings!

-I'm loving all of the sweet comments, emails, and facebook messages I received after yesterday's post.  I am so excited to report that we had seven new kids at youth group last night!  And, it was a pretty rainy evening!  I am so so excited to go back to Middletown and see those kids again! :)

-I'm loving substitute teaching!  I had the best time on Monday and I'm back at the same school again today!  Today I'm substituting for Choir, which if you know me in real life is absolutely hilarious.  I can't carry a tune to save my life.  I am hoping today goes smoothly though!  I'm so thankful this is going well--I was pretty anxious about it at first!

-I'm loving my guest post on Henning Love.  Have you checked it out yet?  Meg is the sweetest!

-I'm loving all of the cute owl things I've seen on Pinterest lately!  Once a Chi Omega, always a Chi Omega! :) 

-I'm loving this hilarious pin I saw today.  I love the spin on classic princess dresses!! :)

 

-I'm loving these Thanksgiving pins I've seen lately.  I can't wait to celebrate with both my family and Rob's family!  Thanksgiving is such a fun holiday! :)

 

-And of course, I'm loving Rob!  There has been so much going on in our lives lately, but Rob has absolutely been my rock.  I am so thankful for someone who is as attentive and caring as he is.  I still can't wait to get home to him every day!  I'm really looking forward to this weekend when we will have some time to hang out and maybe take a mini-trip! :)

How's your Wednesday?  Tell me what you're loving! 

 

I honestly don't talk that much about my job on my blog--but I would like to talk about it today!  Most of you know that I serve as a Youth Minister for my church--it's a job that I feel so incredibly blessed to be doing this job everyday.  

For a little over a year, I've been leading a youth group at one of my congregations.  I have felt a little bit restless over the past few months, sensing there was something else for us to be doing there.  Over the past couple of weeks, I've been involved in some conversations where we have decided to mix things up a little!

We are still going to have a traditional youth group meeting, but before our formal gatherings, we are going to meet together in prayer.  We are going to pray for the group and the surrounding neighborhood.  And then--this is where it gets good!--we are going to walk the neighborhood around the congregation inviting kids to our youth group!  We walked the neighborhood a few weeks ago and there were over twenty kids hanging out.  I'm praying we get all of those kids--and more--into our youth group. Pretty bold statement, but I believe it can happen!

So, if our youth group crosses your mind today, I'd appreciate it if you could offer up a prayer for us and our attempt to invite more people to Christ!

**Also today I am guest-blogging at one of my favorite blogs!  Meg from Henning Love has asked me to share about what we would do if you came to visit!  I loved thinking up my favorite things to do in my city!  Be sure to check it out! :)**