Beautiful Day

It is such a beautiful day here in Texas!

I have pics to share from today! We decided to do some landscaping to our front yard today. We've had these horrible trees in the front of our house and last spring I cut them down to make our house look a little better. This year, we wanted to get rid of them, so we did...we used a small tractor from family and pulled those nasty stumps out! I'll keep updating on the condition of our front yard. We have a lot of plans for it, landscaping wise!


We're about to head to Kona Grill a sushi restaurant to meet with Brian's father & step-mother for a late Christmas and birthday. We've been trying to get together with them since August and we finally have a chance!

Challenges Monday

It's time to do my challenges for this week! I look forward to Mondays so that I can focus on these challenges! If you haven't joined these blogs yet, don't worry, catch up on your own time and follow the next challenges! You won't regret it.

Courtney @ Women Living Well is hosting the Peace on Earth Challenge.

Here's this week's challenge: Take out your calendar and SCHEDULE a night where you will take a warm refreshing bubble bath. Bring your Bible. Read the story of the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1, 2 and Luke 1,2.

Last night I read this before going to bed. I was actually thinking strongly about taking a bath before she posted...but this just put the cherry on the top for me.

So I took a bubble bath...it was AWESOME! I'm still at my parents house, and they have an awesomely huge bathtub in my bathroom. I'll go take a picture of it!

*sigh*

I read the story of the birth of Jesus while taking my bath. Everytime I read the story, I get something new out of it. This time, I read it, to understand it more. It was so relaxing to give my time to God, and read the bible.

Thanks Courtney for a great challenge that I LOVED!

Brittany @ The High Heeled Housewife is hosting the My Favorite Things Challenge

This week, enjoy your favorite part of the holiday season! Plan for your family to join you in celebrating this wonderful part of the season.

My favorite part of Christmas and New Years is the spirit that everyone has on a day to day basis. (Besides the ba-humbugs out there). I love that people wear a different smile during the season of giving, and it makes me a happier person as well. All of my family is in such high spirits and I get to really enjoy the reason for the season. Brian and I were discussing our decoration theme for the front of our house. We plan on decorating this afternoon, and Brian simply asked for one thing in particular. He asked, well more like demanded, that one of our Christmas cut-outs says Merry Christmas on it.

We talked about how last year, I had planned on making a cross cut out to put in our front yard, but alot of people, like my aunt and grandmother, told me that it wouldn't be appropriate, so I then changed my mind to a cut out of the nativity scene. They didn't agree with that either. Their argument was that only Church's have a nativity scene (which is not true), and that people would judge my front yard, and Brian and I, as people who don't embrace other beliefs.

I was honestly taken aback by their opinions, and I never got the chance to do my cut outs due to Brian leaving for West Virginia last December, and I went and stayed with my parents like usual.

This year will be different. This week I plan on making appropriate cut outs with the CHRISTmas spirit! People judge no matter what I will have out in my front yard. I want to decorate my front yard to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the reason for this season. I'm not afraid to show my faith in Christ, so this afternoon we will decorate for Christ, and our faith.

God Bless,

 

Seashells

Good Evening,

I was helping my mom clean her house today, when I thought to myself, "I should tell the world my mom's cleaning secrets". So here I am, about to tell you about one AMAZING cleaning tip when it comes to cleaning the toilets in your house! I've used this technique myself, and am so glad my mom is such a cleaning genius, and so glad she is letting me share her secrets!

Here in the Texas Hill Country, calcium and lime buildup on tubs, sinks, toilets and other stuff is a hastle and sometimes near impossible to get off. Even in El Campo near the Texas Coast, I was having a hard time scrubbing the lime buildup from 2 weeks of non-scrubbing from when we got home from summer vacation! Our house was built in the 1960's and the commodes were replaced in the 90's, so the commodes already had a stain on them previously when we moved in. I've been really frustrated at the way they looked after I'd clean them. I then proceeded to call my mom, and ask her how the heck I get that stuff off. It was turning colors and I was going to have friends over in hours and was starting to freak out! I tried using a brush, a toilet scrubber, several types of cleaning agents, and even used clorox figuring it would eat the stuff away if I put enough in the toilet (I later was told that I shouldn't do that because it would mess up the sewage system in town, oooopppsss! :/...oh well I just killed 1/1000th of the germs in the sewage) lol.

Then my mom laughed quietly and told me "Use a seashell...", I thought to myself, "mom, what good is a seashell going to do in my toilet when I want to clean it?". She told me to go find a seashell and use the edge to scrape off the buildup. Yes, a seashell is like a magic eraser when cleaning a toilet!

I was lucky enough to have seashells in my truck from a recent visit to Matagorda Beach. I had an entire bag of them, and took them ALL into my bathroom. I took one out and got to scrubbing, and with much less effort than I was using before, the lime buildup was disappearing!!! I was amazed. I used comet with my seashell and in 2 minutes I was flushing the buildup powder down! If you use it with the pretty side down, it seems to work best for me, however, my mom uses it flipped over with the pretty side up. So to each their own, on how to actually use the seashell.

Thank you mom for telling me your secret! She says its really not a secret, she just happened to be frustrated one day when cleaning her toilets and decided to try one last thing, a seashell, which she happened to have in a basket by the sink. She said she was so relieved to find something to remidy her toilet troubles! Haha! Who'd-a-thunk a seashell from the Texas Coast would work so well!

There ya have it Ladies! USE A SEASHELL!!!

For Now & God Bless, *Amber*

*I linked up here*

Making Your Home a Haven

Hello Hello!

I'm an avid follower of my favorite blog, High Heeled Houswife. I saw a post/challenge the other day that I really wanted to be a part of. So here it is...

I want my home to be a haven for Brian and I, and our guests. Even though we aren't married yet, we consider our lifestyle one of a family.

Every week Women Living Well blog will post a new challenge to make our homes havens for our families. I encourage everyone to join in with all of us homemakers!

Good Luck to all! I will try my best to post at the end of each week about each challenge!





On another note, a quick update about the previous posts. Our A/C unit is going to need to be replaced, COMPLETELY! A $2000.00 replacement. Thank goodness we are only renting and our landlord will most likely take care of it. Otherwise, Brian would be in West Virginia for the rest of the year to make the money we would need for a new A/C unit.

El Campo Prairie Days is approaching quickly. Sweet P Boutique, my mom's and I's business, will have a craft booth there from 10am-Midnight. Check out our Sweet P Boutique Blog here and help us countdown to El Campo Prairie Days: 4 days!

Have a wonderful week!

For Now & God Bless, *Amber*

One Way to Lose Weight

Should have never written about stress in the previous post...our house temperature inside is 84 degrees. It's 78 degrees OUTSIDE!!! It's warmer in my house than it is outside! I cannot SLEEP in an 84 degree house. I'm giving up, God, please help me. I surrender!

Wishing I was here RIGHT NOW!


For Now & God Bless, *Amber*

OOOps I did it AGAIN!!!

♥

Ok so I forgot to post again! It's been a while...I do have to say though, that I have been super busy! Hmmm...where did I leave off?!?!

My last post was on a Wednesday...It was over 2 weeks ago...oh well...

So since the last post, I've done quite a few things...

Brian left to go on a job the day I wrote the last post...

Not much went on until Saturday, May 1st. I went to the WCYF Princess Pageant. My cousin Kayla was a contestant...she placed in the top 10 and won the Program Cover Design Award...she did a great job. I'm proud to call her my cousin. She's such a cutie...

That night I went over to Deric & Mel's and had a whole bottle of wine to myself...it was crazy...Brian wasn't there, he was still on a job. It was a bit awkward because it was ALL couples...I was the only loner there without my MAN! :( I talked with Erica, Chad's girlfriend for the most part...I had fun, but it got awkward when the couples started talking about babies and their sex life...lets just say I left early on purpose.

The next day Deric & Melissa invited me to go to Matagorda Beach with them. It was awesome as always. I watched everyone's kids...because no one watched their own...but I thoroughly enjoyed it...I got burnt as usual...lol...

Last week, Tuesday-Thursday, Deb & I did landscape work around our house...we cut down the trees in the front yard, trimmed the privacy trees, fixed up my flower beds...and did ALOT of mowing/weed-eating.

We started walking 1.2 miles last Friday morning. We walked Friday & Saturday morning. Brian came home Friday night from Wichita Falls. I made jambalaya for dinner for him, which was excellent by the way! Saturday he had to go to the shop, and around 10am I got a call from mom asking if we wanted to go to Galveston to see Uncle Bo play with Matt Rawls & Counterfeit. So, Brian got home around 1:30, we packed and left by 2pm. The gig started @ 3 @ Woody's on Galveston Beach. We got there around 4:30...we took the scenic route to Surfside Beach and then down the coast. It was nice.

MR&C did great as usual. I got a lil tipsy...we ended up going to Landry's and then staying at the Hilton Hotel on Galveston Seawall...we had a great time. We left Sunday morning and headed back home.

Monday was a lazy day. I was exhausted from the weekend. Tuesday, I finally motivated myself to get up at 7:30 and start walking again. Deb & I walked Tuesday-Today so far. 1.2 miles each morning. I feel sooooo tired when I wake up, and I try to talk myself out of doing it. Somehow I convince myself to finally wake up and get dressed, and drive over to Debs. Lately I've stayed til 10am and talked with her. She's so great. I enjoy talking to her.

Today we went to a few garage sales after our walk. They were mostly clothing and old antique furniture. Nothing to my benefit was being sold. But it did inspire me to start going through things and pack up stuff to sell for a garage sale. It would be super nice to get rid of some stuff. Anyways, I got home and mowed the front and back yards. The grass wasnt very long, but I still did it. Our garden is finally growing too. The yellow squash are doing the best. They're blooming like crazy. The green beans are blooming too.

I made engagement party invitations, and printed them out the other day. Below is a pic of them. Now I just have to get a few more addresses and I will be able to send them out before we go to Garner.

We have ALOT going on in the next 2 months. This weekend Brian is on call. So we prolly wont do much if he comes home. I'll be focusing on my craftroom and laundry if he doesn't.

We have Astro's games coming up on the 20th & 21st. Then on the 24th we meet with Rosa, our wedding planner, at Austin Wedding Planners in Austin. The 29th is Deric's birthday.
June 5&6 Brian is going fishing with Justin.
June 12-13 me and the bridesmaids are going to get together and do some bridal gown & bridesmaid dress shopping. June 13 there is a Bridal Expo in San Antonio that will be LOTS of fun!
June 19 we travel to GARNER!!! Garner is until the 25th. 5 days of floating and swimming and 6 nights of CAMPING!!! I cant wait. Brian is super excited too!
July 4th wknd we arent doing anything so far.
July 17th is our ENGAGEMENT PARTY
July 30th is the BOYD PARTY/ASTROS GAMES whichever we decide.

So we'll be super busy and I doubt I post much in the next few months...Its summertime now, so things are really starting to pick up!!!

YAY!!! Well now I'm going to look up more ideas for my craftroom. I'm excited to get that going. The only problem is if we move in August, this wont be our home anymore. I love this house, but we're paying TOO MUCH a month to rent it. It's got some major flaws aka MAJOR foundation problems. So hopefully we can jump on a better offer in August, otherwise, we'll be staying here another year.

Well I keep posting ALOT, so I'm pretty much done for today!