Out of Touch

I've been neglecting my blog for the last week due to a slam of school work.  The semester is coming to an end rather quickly... only 3.5 weeks left... then it's time for a break... and a cruise! Woo Hoo! My parents are taking Chad and me on a cruise as my graduation present! I am soooo ready for some R&R and loads of fun too!

So anyway, back to what I was saying before I was side tracked by thoughts of palm trees, sunshine beaming down on my skin, and no homework...

Because I work so hard at the beginning of the semester to make good grades, I get VERY unmotivated at the end of the semester... which makes for a VERY busy home-stretch!

Oh, and I almost forgot, I have also been trying to finish most of my school work before I go out of town... I will be boarding a plane Wednesday night to go to one of my favorite places... you guessed it... FANCY FARM, KENTUCKY!  I am out of school for Veteran's Day, so the Hubs and I decided to take a little trip to see his relatives.  Well, the truth is, Chad wanted to go to Fancy Farm to hunt for their last week of bow season.  He swears he is going to let me hunt with him on this trip... it will be my first time and I know some great stories will come out of it... so stay tuned!

I LOVE Fancy Farm and all of Chad's family that lives there!  It is such a beautiful part of this great American country... I love the simple life the people live... the good eatin'... sitting in the front yard in lawn chairs just chatting all afternoon... and fishing in the pond in the front yard.  Here's some pictures so you can see the lovely Fancy Farm for yourself!  I will take plenty more pictures this time for sure!

Break's over! Going back to studying for the test I'm taking tomorrow!!!  Just know that I haven't forgotten about y'all!  I won't be blogging while I'm in Kentucky... but keep checking back! I've been stewing over my next pour-my-heart-out post... you won't wanna miss it!

Til next time... have a safe week and pray for my safe travel please!

I thought I had nothing to say...

I really have nothing to say, but I thought that maybe you would like a little look into our home.  I love our home and I also like decorating it! Here's some of my brown/blue/green decor:

The green bottles above the cabinets are very special to me!  My extended family (grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins... lots and lots of cousins) used to spend a week every summer at an Indian Pass beach house.  So many memories were made there on the beach... shaving cream fights, fishing on the bounty, beach olympics, and red stained mouths from MawMaw's homemade freezy pops!  These green bottles were collected by my MawMaw throughout the years as she walked the beach looking for shells.  My MawMaw is a woman near and dear to my heart... she is my housewife role model!

We got the back-splash tile very cheap from a Surplus Warehouse and installed it ourselves.  Funny story there... Chad shocked himself while moving the plug out to make it flush with the tile and I caught it all on tape! I just tried to upload the video and it's not working for some reason.  Every time I use that outlet I have to snicker at the memory of his girly screech.

The sign is my disclaimer to my husband... and I think he likes it!

These are dish towels that I stretched over some wood frames.  It is a really easy project! All you need is a staple gun, a wood frame (I got mine from a photography business where I used to work... these were from the messed up canvas prints, but you can get them from the craft store in all sizes), and the fabric of your choice!

Just a little sneak peak into the home of the Real Housewife of Panama City! The kitchen is the only room I have cleaned so that's all you get to see!

So here it goes... this was supposed to be a post where I have nothing to say and the words are starting to pour out of my heart!  I've spent so much time and effort making this house a home.  Do-it-yourself projects and decorating are hobbies of mine.  What bothers me is that I spend more time thinking about decorating than I spend with God.  I look around at my home, satisfied by the outcome of all the hard work I have put into it.  When I look at my life and what I've accomplished for God's kingdom, I know that I fall short of His expectations for me.  I desperately need to examine my priorities!

My goal is to make these my priorities:

1. Get to know God better every day through personal time with Him!

2. Make myself available to Him for the work of His kingdom!

Pottery from Anniversary Day!

I picked up our coasters today!

I painted a cool splatter design with blue/brown/green colors that match our house... Chad painted his "one true love" and after my evil eyes, this changed to his "other true love besides me!" He was talking about his dog... Molly.  We were in Fancy Farm, Kentucky for a family reunion when Chad saw this beagle puppy in his cousin's yard and it was "love at first sight!"  I have to admit... I wanted to bring her home too!

So here are our coasters:

This is Molly, see the resemblance?

Making Progress

I cooked dinner 2 nights in a row! Until this week, I couldn't even remember the last time I cooked dinner... good thing my hubby likes to cook!

Monday night: Salisbury Steak and Rice

Recipe (compliments of my lovely momma):

1 lb hamburger meat

1/2 cup Italian style bread crumbs

1 egg

1 chopped onion

salt & pepper

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 can of milk

Knead together the meat, bread crumbs, egg, onion, salt & pepper.  Make hamburger patties out of the mixture.  Brown the patties in the frying pan.  For the gravy, switch to low heat, add can of mushroom soup, fill the can with milk and add it too.  Stir occasionally until gravy is desired thickness.  You can add a can of mushrooms to the gravy if you'd like!

             

Tuesday night: Jambalaya

Recipe: On the box of Zataran's Jambalaya Mix!

We have lots of deer sausage still from last hunting season, so we're trying to eat it all up before Chad brings home a deer this year!  I like making my jambalaya way meatier than the recipe calls for.  It calls for 1 lb of chicken... I put at least 1 lb of chicken and 4 sausage links!

Chad's parents came over for the Jambalaya.  We watched the election results and were excited about Marco Rubio winning the Senate race.  They remembered watching his farewell address to the Florida House of Representatives.  So I went and watched it on YouTube... here it is for you to enjoy.

Wow! Preach it Brother!!! I am so proud to have him as my Senator!

Here's another thing I take for granted... being an American!!!

I heard this great idea on the radio yesterday... they suggested to start a gratitude journal.  Just have a notebook where you write down things you are thankful for.  What better time to start than now, as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday!  They were suggesting it as a method to get out of debt.  I really need to start the gratitude journal because apparently, everyday I think of something ELSE I take for granted.  I think it would help me to be content with my life so that I won't want to buy more THINGS.

I HATE when I go shopping and see something I really need... ha, I don't NEED IT!!!!! I WANT IT!!!  I have an internal argument with myself every time:

Leah, just walk away, you have everything you NEED! But it is SO cute! No... No... wait til it goes on sale!

I really need to work on my self control when it comes to buying THINGS.  They are just THINGS! I KNOW THAT THINGS DON'T MATTER! So why do I always want THINGS???

So this post was pretty random, but I am definitely making progress as a housewife... cooking dinner AND having people over to eat it!!!

Victory!!!

We celebrated our 2 year anniversary yesterday!  The whole day was dedicated to us... to spending time together... and it was SO much FUN!

First, we did something we don't get to do very often... SLEEP IN! It felt soooo good too!

Being married to a drummer means non-stop dashboard drumming every time we enter a vehicle.  Here is my dashboard drummer on the way to our first stop, Home Depot (I know... How ROMANTIC! haha BUT it REALLY was romantic! Keep Reading!):

One of my favorite memories from childhood is my snap dragon garden.  When we were building our house, Chad promised me that we would have a snap dragon garden.  Snap dragons need to be planted in the fall and we finished our house in the spring, so the snap dragons were never planted.  Well, Chad remembered his promise! He surprised me by pulling into the Home Depot parking lot!!! Too bad Home Depot didn't have any snap dragons! But at least he remembered!

Then he took me to my favorite restaurant - J. Michael's - for lunch.  It has such a cool beachy atmosphere! We used to go there for lunch a lot when we first met.

We both got Greek salads... mine got extra loaded with all the things my picky husband doesn't like! Pickled okra (YUM!), tomatoes, pepperoncini, olives, mushrooms... 

One of my favorite things to do is play Putt Putt... I think I like it so much because it's another childhood memory of mine. This summer Chad and I went Putt Putt about once a week.... and he beat me every time! But not this time!!!! That's right! The title of this post sums up my Putt Putt experience!  So WHAT if I only beat him by one point!!! I STILL WON!!!!!!  AND because I won.... I get to post this embarrassing picture of my man losing so gracefully!

 

And this one of me in my victory pose!

 

And I really like this one too!

 

Then, we were off to Pier Park to get some yummy frozen yogurt and to go to a paint-your-own pottery studio!  Here is my vanilla/dulce de leche yogurt with twix, heath bar, white chocolate chip, and cherry toppings! Mmm! Mmm! I promise there really is yogurt underneath all that sweetness! AND because it is yogurt... it is Healthy ;-)

Sorry, no pictures from the pottery studio because we were so busy making our coasters beautiful.  But I will post pictures of the finished products when I pick them up!

We ate a delicious dinner at Carrabbas... then went to the Hungry For Love Concert.  All of the bands were amazing!  This is Leeland...

 

All of the pictures were taken with the camera Chad got me for our anniversary!  It really was just a relaxing and fun day... something we needed!

What is your favorite place for a date?  Do you and your man have a game where YOU always win?  I desperately need to find something I can do better than him!

Oh, and I almost forgot.... Happy Halloween!  We are going to the festival at church tonight... what are your Halloween plans?

 

The perks of being a Real Housewife of PANAMA CITY!

This is something I forgot on my list of things I take for granted.  Yep, that's right... this beautiful piece of God's creation is only 20 minutes from my house.  This is my HOME.  I was born and raised in Panama City... I spent most of my childhood on the beach!  I love the sounds, the smells, the feeling of the sand between my toes...I need to go there more often... I feel so relaxed when I leave the beach. Maybe I will go there tonight for the sunset!

What piece of God's creation do you call HOME?

I saw God today :)

Let me just start out by saying, no one is perfect... but do you ever have moments where you think of yourself as the queen of imperfection?  Like you can't do anything right or you can't remember the last time you did something nice for someone or you can't think of anything positive at all.  Yesterday, I had a day like that.  Just one of those pity party days... they don't happen very often, but OH when they do... the tears rage like a rapid river!

Despite all the encouragement from my man:

At school I was discouraged.  I kept telling myself I am just not smart enough to be an engineer.  At home I was discouraged.  I kept telling myself that I am a horrible, mean, complaining wife, the house is an absolute wreck, and it's all my fault. 

Well, the truth is that some of the above are only true some of the time (I can't say that none of the above are true because I do admit that I am mean sometimes and I complain sometimes).  I prayed this morning for God to show himself to me.  "God, let me see you today.  I need to be reminded that you are with me, that I am your child."  And guess what happened... I saw God!!!!

My mom invited us over for dinner tonight.  She called as I was leaving school and asked me to pick up some rolls at the grocery store.  I was standing at the bakery, staring at the 12 pack of rolls, counting how many people would be at dinner.  Hmm... definitely 6 people, maybe 8 people, no maybe even 11 people... you know, I really love these rolls so I'll just get 2 packs because I know I'll want more than one roll! Check out, get in my car... as I'm reaching to close the car door a woman stops me.  She tells me this story about how her and her husband only have $2 to their name and they came all the way from Texas for a promised job after losing their jobs etc.  She didn't ask me for money... instead she asked me for anything, anything at all that I could do or give her.  Wow, I happen to have an extra bag of rolls!!!  So I gave her the rolls and she was so thankful!  Upon leaving she asked, "Are you always this happy?"  I thought for a second.... actually yes!  How could I not be happy?  I have the gift of God's grace!  She said, "I knew you were a Christian.  I could see it on your face."

Now talk about God showing me that I am his child! What better way for God to show me than to put that woman there to tell me she see's God in my face.  I am in awe still of how amazing my God is!!! I was reminded of a sermon on Romans 8 that I heard a few years ago titled, "Be a winner.  Not a whiner!"  I used to wear a bracelet with this title on it... I was constantly reminded that I have nothing to whine about.  I really need to find that bracelet!

I was also reminded of how spoiled I am... of how much I take for granted: my loving ( and very attractive) husband, my awesome family, my beautiful home, my new car, my health, my scholarships for school, I could go on and on... just more reasons to be a Winner, not a Whiner!!!!

Do you expect God to do great things?  How has He showed himself to you?

Hello Monday. I should be sleeping through this part of you.

A couple of months ago, a group of friends started a tradition of going out to eat after the Sunday night church service.  I normally love this tradition.  We have some really great fellowship... a lot of laughter, story telling, interesting conversations.  But tonight, we went to Red Elephant where I enjoyed:
count them... 1 - 2 - 3 glasses of Coke.

I am currently...

Making up silly songs.

Dancing to my silly songs.

Annoying my husband!  He amazes me... I think he is immune to caffeine.  He had lots of sweet tea tonight and he is acting completely sane.  After all, he DOES drink at least one Mountain Dew a day!!!! So a little bit of sweet tea isn't going to affect him much!

If only I could funnel this energy into things that I REALLY need to get done like...

Unload the dishwasher.

Do some laundry.

Sweep the floors.

Study for my test on Tuesday.

Make the PowerPoint for a presentation on Tuesday.

I'm going to go ahead and say SORRY to everyone I will come in contact with today (because technically it is already Monday).

Hello Monday.

Hungry for Love

 

I am so excited about the Hungry for Love tour coming to Panama City on Saturday, October 30.  My husband (Chad) and I are going to celebrate our 2 year anniversary!  I absolutely love the song "Lead Me" by Sanctus Real.  It sums up so many conversations I have had with Chad.  While I struggle with being the wife that God has called me to be, Chad also struggles with being the husband God has called him to be.

You've got to go look at these Lead Me Prayers I found on the Sanctus Real website.   I have made the prayer for wives my prayer.  I taped it beside my bathroom mirror so when I'm getting ready in the mornings I will be reminded of my role in my marriage.  One of the most important things I have learned from being married is that LOVE IS A CHOICE!  Seeing this prayer and praying it in the mornings is my CHOICE to honor my commitment to God and my husband.  (That's a whole other topic for another post... marriage is first and foremost a commitment to God!) Here is the wife's prayer:

"Heavenly Father, you have called me to honor and serve my husband in grace, humility, and love, and yet I so often let worry, insecurity, and fear overshadow that calling.  Unburden my heart from worry and expectations.  Teach me to relinquish control of my life and marriage to you, for only you are strong enough to carry and sustain it.

Lead me to a place of deep trust and intimacy with you, so that I would seek no emotional fulfillment elsewhere, but would bring to my relationship with my husband a rich overflow of confidence and strength, making of our home and marriage a peaceful, restful haven.  Show me how best to love my husband, supporting and respecting him, praying for and trusting the work of your Spirit in his heart and life.

Give me the wisdom to value what is eternal, so that I might be truly content with my present circumstances, and not fretful or anxious over family decisions and finances.  Teach me to be beautiful as you define beauty.  Let me be a creative and enjoyable friend and companion for my husband, gracious and kind, gentle in disagreement, and quick to forgive.

Only as you lead me will I become the woman and wife that my husband needs.  So lead me, O Lord. Amen." (Copyright 2010 EMI CMG Label Group)

Please make this your prayer too! I have been so amazed by how much it has affected my marriage already!  Being in the right mindset makes for a much more peaceful home.  Another one of my secrets about my prayer life is, I pray for my husband!  I finally realized that begging for him to LEAD ME was not going to work and the most effective thing I can do is PRAY FOR HIM.

I'm also praying for YOU! Yep, that's right! I'm praying that the women reading this will get something, ANYthing out of this.  I'm praying that you will be a woman after God's heart! 

Open For Business

So the name of my blog is a spoof of the show "Real Housewives of ...insert city here..."  After watching a few seasons, I realized that I have some of the same characteristics as the women on the show:

1. I DON'T CLEAN!

2. I DON'T COOK!

3. I LIKE SPENDING MONEY MORE THAN MAKING MONEY!

4. I ONLY THINK ABOUT MYSELF!

 This realization made me start examining myself and my lifestyle.  God has been showing me lately that I am not fulfilling his calling to be a supportive, submissive wife! I am determined to change this!!!  Now don't get me wrong... I LOVE MY HUSBAND!!!! But because I love him and because I love God, I want to be the best wife that I can be!

I know I am not the only wife out there struggling with this.  After all, the hole submissive thing just does NOT come naturally!  I'm opening my heart to all of you so please join me on my journey to becoming a Real Housewife!