Yes Please!

When we move to Greensboro,NC in May we've decided we are going to rent for a while. Although we really wanted to go ahead and buy a home, it's become pretty clear to us that we cannot afford what we really want right now. So we are renting for a year or two that way when we do buy we can afford this:









Time has been going by so fast lately that I know it won't be long until we can finally buy the home of our dreams :) Best part is this particular house is right by the lake! So here's to hoping we find one just as nice when the time comes!

Almost Free!

MERRY CHRISTMAS :)

I've been MIA lately due to finals. 3 down and 1 more to go. I have A's in all my other class except this math class. If I don't get a decent grade on the final and pass the class with a C then I can't take my "methods". <-----If you're a teacher then you know what I'm saying...IF I do well then after tomorrow morning I'll have 3 weeks off to enjoy.
Parker has a Christmas party at school tomorrow so I have to somehow find time to make cookies (shown below) and study for this exam. I'm going to make normal sugar cookies (ya know pre-packaged with Christmas designs on them) and these cute little babies I found on familyfun.go.com




I'll post the recipe & let you know how they turn out later.

Sunday and Church

Today I went to church. I haven't been in awhile. My sister-in-law and her husband spent the night with us and wanted to try out something different. He is a preacher at a small, very old-fashioned church back home. I thought the church we had attended several times before would be the perfect place to take them. I was right.

They loved the experience. The music and the message were equally amazing. What I realized though is that as much as I wanted to take them, they gave me the courage to go again. Parker goes to preschool there and even though I loved going on Sunday mornings before, we had just gotten out of the habit. My husband stayed home so I just left Parker at the house this time with him.

I'm still not sure why I stopped going. Why I didn't get more involved. It is a big church so going every Sunday and coming home isn't enough to really become a big part of that community. I think that maybe the commitment scares me. Maybe that overwhelming emotion I get when I go. Now, especially that I know we are moving to NC in May I'm torn. Idk. I do know that I want to start going back, even if it is just for a few months. Overall, it was an awesome morning and definitely just what I needed!

I did miss my boys though!

We went to Gatlinburg a couple of weeks ago. I never shared any pictures, here are a few :)

Goodbye Kentucky!

I'm still here! There has been so much going on for us lately I'm not sure where to begin. First off Robert has been going to fellowship interviews all over. He was traveling a lot towards the end of October and beginning of November.These are a few of the places he visited: Novi,MI; Columbus, OH; Greensboro, NC; Houston, TX and he had an interview here in Lexington at UK. He had a couple of other interviews set up but he did get the offer we were hoping for! Any guesses?







This is Greensboro, NC! I've never actually been to Greensboro but I did my research and out of all the options, besides Lexington of course, I just felt like this would be the best place for our family. He'll be finished with his Masters in May so we'll be moving as soon as that semester is over.

I know that it's months away but it seems like time has been going by so fast lately! I mean can you believe it's already Thanksgiving? After Christmas I plan on trying to start packing up things that we aren't using, which will probably start with all the junk in the garage. The other good news is: we are buying a house! We thought we were going to rent but everyone advised us to look into the option of buying since we know we're going to be there a while. My only concern is finding a house that we really like for the price range that we'll have to stay in. I look at houses like my husband plays video games....A LOT! It's kind of became my hobby. I like the idea of having a 1 story home. We have two dogs and trust me when they run up and down our current stairs it's annoying. We need to have at least 1500 square feet though. I just don't think I can downsize to anything smaller; especially since I know we will want to try for another little one at some point while we're living in this home.
What kind of house do you suggest for a first time home buyer? Any advice?



I can't wait to make a trip in the spring and begin our home search!

This means one thing for me: finishing up my education degree in NC. The fall of 2012 is my student teaching semester (which means I'll FINALLY graduate in December). In January I'll have to fill out some paper work and submit it to a board for approval to do my student teaching elsewhere. Hopefully this will go over smoothly so keep your fingers crossed!

This post has been a little random, right? It wouldn't be complete without some pictures of my babe. These are just a few from the fall, Halloween and Parker's Thanksgiving feast at school.

My favorite picture of the boys at Natural Bridge.

Picture Overload

I know I haven't been on here in quite sometime. Well, I take that back I have most definitely been on here but just quietly reading everyone else's interesting blogs! Why do I ever need to buy a book when so many people seem to have far more interesting lives? ha

I think that sometimes I just don't know what to say! Lately, our days have been pretty much the same routine and finding new friends has been a very hard task. We've lived here two years now, you would think that I would have come across many people. We moved 2 weeks after P was born and that first year I was basically a hermit crab. Which is not much different now but I'm definitely making a conscious effort lately.

I thought it was about time to post some pictures.

These are from a festival back home, Apple Day!









This past weekend we went to a small wedding.




And of course I had to take a couple of pictures from Parker's first field trip with his preschool class! We love Evans Orchard!



Always a winner when you come home with pumpkins!



FYI this post that should have taken only 10 minutes to type up but I had to take breaks to hold my diaper-less child. Wonderful morning already! Now if I can just get motivate to take a jog. I've went two days in a row. BIG BIG accomplishment for this woman!

BLOG HELP!

Okay. So as of now I have 0 followers.I know shocker, right? I think this might be partially due to the fact that a) I need to get out of the house more and b) I'm not to keen on how to use everything on blogspot.


The reason for this post is: I am AWFUL with comments. I have no clue how to respond to peoples comments. Granted I have 1 comment on this entire blog, if there happens to be someone out there reading, can you help me? Pretty please?


If someone leaves a comment how do I respond? What if someone responds to a comment that I left and it comes through email? There you have it.
I'm clueless.


Any tips or advice would be awesome :)

alphabet flashcards

Today I was thinking that I really need to start doing more with Parker at home. He LOVES the iphone...way too much..and watching episodes of Diego on Netflix. The child is 10Xs better than me at electronics and he's only 2! He just started preschool on Tuesday and goes twice a week but on the other days I don't feel like he's being challenged enough. I've been online looking up games, cards and coloring sheets that I can print off at home. Much easier, much much cheaper.
Printed this matching game off of nickjr.com called Sea Friends matching. Parker likes Umizoomi and aquatic creatures so I figure its a win win.



Yesterday we went to Half Price Books. I bought Parker some Thomas the Train number cards for $2.98 then realized I probably could have just made those on the computer. But I didn't so that made me think about Alphabet flashcards.

I looked some up and actually found several that I liked. Then I came across this lovely lady

If you are a mom or just someone who likes to make things yourself (or like me you like to attempt to make things) check out this blog! Just browsing I've seen crafts for the kiddos, small clothing items (i.e cute retro aprons!), recipes etc. Definitely worth a look. Not to mention I found these adorable alphabet flascards. Just what I was looking for :)



I couldn't quite figure out how to make the picture a link to where it's located on her site...I know it's sad, I'll figure it out one day. You can however head over to her cute little blog and go to printables :)

Email Issues

I realize I just posted...like literally a few minutes ago but I really need to have a me moment and complain about school. YES, I'm still in school. I go to EKU here in Kentucky and I swear I've never been to a more complicated school. Don't get me wrong it's an awesome place but it seems like I'm always encountering some kind of problem. For example yesterday I went to log into my email...didn't work...today I went to long into blackboard to do some homework..didn't work. For some odd reason the system changed some of my information and changed the numbers at the end of my username..really? Don't you think that it's kind of weird it randomly decided to say "hey you, let me make your day even harder,"...I'm hoping it will be fixed by tomorrow since I have several assignments due this weekend.

Hoping to see that one of these days!


The husband just went to the post office. He will be graduating in May with a Masters in Health Administration so he's been applying to fellowships all over the place. I think it's cute that he's so nervous about it! We're hoping to know by Thanksgiving whether we're staying in Lexington or making a big move. Which also means I better figure out the deal on student teaching but we'll save those details for another rainy day!

Happy Wednesday!

I have several pictures I need to post from the past week/weekend. Of course I can't find the camera cord though...go figure right?! If you don't already know...I lose things... A LOT!
For now here are some things I think I might purchase soon!


Everyone needs a necklace with their initial right? I figure since I don't own anything gold, this would be a good first. Ya think?



I also really want a new bedspread. We're totally using one that my husband's mom gave us. Guess how old it is? She had it when she owned a water bed. Oh yeaaa....


I really like this one but I wonder if the orange is too bright? I want something that's inviting but I want to be able to coordinate it well in the future too... It's normally $240 and it is 63% off right now... 89 bucks for a KING size duvet cover = pretty fantabulous to me!


I took the "what's your bedroom style" quiz on HGTV.com and this is what I got: "Cottage style is comfortable and uncomplicated," explains Layla Palmer of The Lettered Cottage (www.theletteredcottage.net). "To achieve the look, blend the fresh with the familiar. Flank windows with airy curtains to allow natural light to pour in. Decorate with painted furniture, textural accessories, time-worn finishes and colors inspired by nature." The cozy atmosphere is enhanced with softly hued, but lively, patterns like checks, stripes and florals"
I do very much like the cottage style. I love bright, airy and inviting spaces. All of which my house screams nothing of at the moment! However, I'm not sure that's what I was going for in my bedroom.


On another note I like these too...


You can find all of this stuff here: http://www.hautelook.com


Hope you're having a good Wednesday!

I forgot to mention...

Omaword.

I realized that while introducing the fam yesterday, I forgot two very important members! If they read this [which of course they can] they would be highly upset.

Here they are: Charlie & Bailey.







Robert & I adopted these guys before we even lived together. They had a hard time adjusting when Parker was first born but now everyone seems to get along pretty well. VERY thankful for that. I'm sure you'll hear some good and bad talk about in posts to come about these trouble makers.

In other news we've been having a lazy Sunday morning. Mommy is about to get her "me" time because Parker is heading for a nap. And if you didn't know "me" time is code for laundry and dishes. I'm so lucky I know ;)

Oh & if you happen to live in the Lexington area today is "Touch a Truck" day at Keeneland! We've never been but hear it's a great time for the kiddos! $15 per car load and everything inside is free...including lunch from O'Charley's...YUM!

http://www.zvents.com/z/lexington-ky/touch-a-truck--events--198893845

Once again I am going to try and give the blogging world a go. The first time I tried I realized it was more of a personal journal for myself and my family. This time around it will still most definitely have LOTS about my family, especially my pride & joy (aka Parker) but I hope to also include things that will keep you coming back to read this little blog of mine!

So without further ado, let me introduce you...

Emily & Robert.



Parker



Handsome, isn't he? I like to think he's the best looking guy...EVER. Maybe, we shouldn't tell his Dad that K?