Fall Additions...

I couldn't resist taking a few more pics of some new Fall/Halloween additions to my house.

Check these pics out...

I added the hay to the planter I set out this weekend. I think it makes a WORLD of difference. The gourds sit up a little higher and I think my front door is NOW complete.

I have never talked about scrapbooking or stamping on my blog before. But YES, I am a stamper!! I have an entire closet full of paper, stamps, ink, bows, bags, envelopes...you NAME it, I've got it. Speaking of my stamp closet...I'll have to take a before and after picture of my closet...I do plan to organize it and fix it up (one day) because it is an absolute MESS right now. ANYWAY....I bought this ADORABLE Halloween paper this weekend and hung them up on my photo hanger. It's hard to tell in the photos, but they have a TON of glitter all over them :)

I took one sheet of the paper and put it in this frame with "EEK!" in the front...it turned out pretty cute, but my flash kept making a glare on the picture.

I used this confetti paper in the vases with my BOO blocks and couldn't let the rest go to waste. So I filled my wine glasses on the bar with it. Pretty festive!!

I'm having so much fun...tomorrow is October 1st...Happy Fall!!!

Halloween Fun at Work...

I have a great idea that I'd like to share with all of you so you can have a little Halloween Fun at work...

A co-teacher of mine, about five years ago, started this at our school and I actually had a great time starting it at my school last year. Here's what you do...

1. Copy and paste this little poem with directions on cute stationery...

Boo!!!

The air is cool, the season fall,

Soon Halloween will come to all.

The spooks are after things to do,

In fact, a spook brought this to you!

On your door is where it works,

It warns off spooks and scary jerks!

The treats that come with crypted note

Are yours to keep, enjoy them both!

The power comes when friends like you

Will copy this and make it two.

Then others here among our friends

Will give more fuzzies that will not end.

We'll all have smiles upon our face-

No one will ever know who "BOO'D" whose place.

Just one short day to work your spell

Or a big "ZAP' will strike your tail.

And don't forget a nifty treat,

Like something cute or something sweet.

Please join the fun, let's hear it

And spread some BOO'S and Halloween Spirit!!

Directions:

1. Enjoy your treat!

2. Place your "BOO" on your door.

3. Now you have 24 hours to copy this twice, make two "BOO's" and secretly deliver to two friends who do not have a BOO on their door.

4. Now watch how far this spreads Halloween Joy!

2. Pick up or make two cute BOO's to go along with the poem. I bought these two little signs for less than $2 each at Michaels and added my own bows.

I also made these two little cards and plan to put a ribbon on the top so they can hang from a door handle.

3. Now you take the poem and your sign and secretly place them on your co-worker's door.

It really is a lot of fun and you'll be surprised at how fast this catches on. Now, of course, I work at a school...so teachers are creative and like to do cutesy things like this. So be selective when you choose who to "BOO!" You want to make sure that everyone plays along.

Have a great time and I hope you enjoy "BOOing" your co-workers!!

Boo Blocks and More...

I ordered these cute little BOO blocks from Raising Allikaye but didn't know exactly where I was going to put them when they came in. They are SO small...yet SO cute. Last night I remembered that I had these three tea-light vases in our master bathroom. So I thought...they would fit perfectly in these vases....take a look for yourself :)

I finally went out and bought some pumpkins, gourds, and fall-ish decorations for my front door. I wanted to be able to leave the decorations out until Thanksgiving---not sure the pumpkins will last till then, but I think my front patio turned out pretty festive!

I have had this old planter box for some time now...but decided to paint it black to match my front door. I think it turned out pretty good. I also purchased a hay bale and I'm probably going to fill the bottom of the planter with hay so the gourds will sit a little higher. What do you think?


The weather has FINALLY cooled down now so it really feels like FALL and I'm LOVING it!!

Have a great Sunday and Go Jags (and yes, I'm putting Kodi in his TEAL and black again today, it worked last weekend)!

Taggin' and Braggin'...

I've been tagged by Mojito Maven!!!!



Here are seven random/weird things facts about ME :)

1. I use my mouse BACKWARDS...let me explain. I had a computer growing up, but never used it. My parents let me take it with me when I went off to college and I set it up by myself and started to use it one night. I taught myself to use the mouse upside down?!?!? This means that when I need to move the mouse to the right, I literally shift it to the left. When I need to move the mouse up, I literally shift it down. When someone tells me to "right" click...I have to "left" click. It's very strange and very odd and to really get the craziness of it all, you just have to see me in action. I have tried SEVERAL times to use a mouse correctly, but I just CAN'T do it! This is why the DH purchased a wireless mouse...I always get the cord tangled up :) Sorry honey!


2. Every morning I wish I had just ONE more hour to sleep before having to get up and get dressed for work. BUT...on the weekends when I have PLENTY of time to get caught up, I can't even MAKE myself stay in bed later than 7:30 a.m. Do you see something wrong with this picture???


3. I purposely set my alarm clock (and the clock in my car) 30 minutes fast. For some reason, psychologically, it helps me stay on time...although I KNOW it's ahead 30 minutes every time I look at it...WEIRD!!


4. I create spreadsheets for EVERYTHING!!! From my ovulation cycle to the plants I buy and where I've planted them....I've got to stay organized :)


5. I create a TON of posts on my blogs....although I feel as if I can only post one a day. I have SEVERAL posts, waiting in the wings so to speak, ready to share with you...but I only like to post once a day.


6. I'm not allowed to go the grocery store. The DH thinks that I not only spend too much money at the grocery store, but I also don't buy enough---I think he just likes to have snacks and I really don't snack :) But, this is all well and fine with me...one less thing that I have to do!!


7. I brush my teeth in the shower. Not sure if this is weird or not...the DH thinks it is. But hey, why dirty up a clean sink with toothpaste reminants and accidentally spray the mirror with water drops? My way doesn't leave a mess :)

Now it's your turn to share some random/weird facts about yourself...

I am tagging Susan at Waiting and Hoping, Heather at Life at Sonic Speed, Krysta at Keeping Up With the Jameses, Amy at Chapters, Kristy at The Hall Family, Faith at Walk With Me By Faith, and Hollye at Hollye's Hobby.

Get to braggin' ladies :)

Don't Judge a Book...

(or a dress) by its cover! Let me explain....

So if you've read my previous post about the dress that I just HAD to buy for the wedding we are attending next weekend, then you know that when I went to buy it Wednesday morning online I received a message stating it was NO longer in stock! So I got to school and called my local White House Black Market. (I do need to take a second and say THANKS to Mimi for volunteering to check with her local White House Black Market for me and THANKS to Laura for having the great idea of contacting my mom to see if the one in Houston had it too!) To my excitement, my store had a few left in stock. So I had the sales clerk hold one for me until I could make it out there. Unfortunately, when I arrived at the store, the dress just didn't give me the WOW factor I was imagining when I saw it online :(

I guess that's why those ladies they have wearing the dresses are models. They make EVERYTHING look good ...

So my mother-in-love and I took a little longer browsing the store and I ended up picking out TWO dresses. But, because I was so good about searching for coupons, I basically got two dresses for the price of ONE. I literally had $96 worth of discounts...pretty good, huh?


Here are the two dresses I purchased...

This dress was the winner from my original post back in August.

And this one just WOWed me when I put it on :)

After I got home though, I started thinking that it probably wasn't such a good idea that I got TWO black dresses....not to mention that I will wear one Friday night and the other Saturday night. So I had another dress that I REALLY liked too. So this afternoon, I took one of the black dresses back and exchanged it for this one...

If you recall, the Rehearsal Dinner has a Mardi Gras theme and the bride and groom are encouraging everyone to wear masks. I think I will wear the black dress to the Rehearsal with one of these masks...

Which one do you think would go better? The black one or the pink one?

I already had these two cute purses...

I just need some WOW shoes to go with my WOW dresses....anyone wear a size 6.5?????

Invalid Poll...UPDATED

UPDATED: Before you read this post, I need to add that I got up early this morning to enter in my second coupon and purchase the dress. As I was getting ready to close out my shopping bag and checkout, a red box popped up that said "Sorry this item is no longer available and will be removed from your shopping bag." WHAT????? You guessed it girls, the dress was so popular that they no longer have ANY to ship out. I'm planning to call my local White House Black Market and see if they have it in the store, but I can't get it online. I think this is God telling me something....so I'm not going to pursue it too far...if my local store doesn't have it, I'm resorting back to one of my other choices...will see?!?!?!?


I must first apologize for the post I created in July about what dress I should wear at our friends Blaise and Julie's wedding. Because I have just found the PERFECT dress to wear!!! I receive emails weekly from White House Black Market because I am a White House Black Market member. The email I received on Friday was about all the NEW dresses they have available. I saw this dress and just KNEW it was the ONE...

I am sure you will agree that this is a MUST have for the wedding we are attending in a few weeks. Unfortunately, I nearly had a heart attack when I saw the price....$168. Luckily, I am a pretty smart cookie, and searched for White House Black Market coupons. I came across a code that I could enter to reduce the price by 20%. I still felt as if it was still a little pricey and contimplated what I should do. Low and behold, when I came home today, I had another email from White House Black Market giving me a code for an ADDITIONAL 20% off!!! Is the Lord working in my favor or what??? I can't use the additional code until Wednesday...but you can rest assured knowing that this dress will be MINE on Wednesday!!! I can't wait to order it!! One dress down and another one to go...of course I need one for the Rehearsal Dinner too :)

Therefore my poll is invalid....sorry ladies, but this dress wins the election!!!

Don't Lose Your Joy...

I came home from work today...upset, defeated, and just plain tired. I have really been feeling the stress of my job, the negativity of my co-workers, and the overwhelming sensation of trying to stay afloat. So what did I do? I sat down in front of the TV and pulled up the shows on my DVR. What did I watch? My favorite Sunday show...Joel Osteen. Today's message was "Don't Lose Your Joy." And BOY did I need to hear that today! Here is a summary of what Joel had to say in today's (really yesterday's) sermon...

"No one will take your joy." ~John 14:27

Attitude is EVERYTHING! We can't control our circumstances, but we CAN control our approach and attitude to the situation. No, I do NOT like the fact that I work with a lot of people that are unhappy. No I do NOT like the fact that I am surrounded daily by negativity. No, I do NOT like the fact that my DH and I are struggling with infertility. But I DO like the fact that I can change all of this by doing ONE simple act...have a positive attitude. Joel reminded me today that I can't control my circumstances...but I can control my approach.

I refruse to let other people keep me down! I must realize that I can NOT change people. I can only encourage people and give them the knowledge and support to BE happy. In John 14:27, it says "stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed." Although I have been working on putting a smile on my face, ignoring the negativity, and trying to move forward, I need to continuously remind myself that each day is a gift from God. God is directing my steps...and I am walking along a path that He has set before me for a REASON. I must submit my plans to God and stay in constant peace that He is leading me down this path for a reason.

Joel told of a story when he was driving in circles in a parking lot trying to find the closest parking spot possible. After much time driving and driving, a car finally pulled out in a spot closest to the entrance. Just as the car was pulling out though, another car whipped around the corner and stole the close parking spot. Instead of getting upset, Joel put a smile on his face and found the next closest spot. After he parked the car and started to walk into the store, he saw a couple approaching him with great enthusiasm. The couple stopped Joel and shared that they were experiencing a horrible situation with their son...he was dying. They stopped Joel to let him know that they were reading his latest book and that they were so inspired, gained spiritual help through his book, and just wanted to express their thanks for all his encouraging words. Joel stopped and prayed with the couple and thanked them for sharing this news with him. Afterward, Joel realized that God had given him the SECOND best parking place for a reason...so he would cross paths with this couple, pray over them and their troubles, and give them the peace they so desperately needed. Coincidence or purpose?????

God has a reason for the things he does...John 13:2, "you do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." If God would have given Joel that front-row parking, he never would have run into this couple.

So, I walked away from this 30 minute broadcast so VERY thankful for the path God is taking me down. He would never give me more than I can handle.

This leads me to press forward with my job, my family, and my infertility, knowing that "He will give me power to keep myself calm in the days of adversity."~Psalm 94:13

Afterall, "this is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it."~Psalm 118:24.

Quacking Up...

I was sitting at the computer yesterday, blog-stalking as usual, and Kodi started barking. I looked out the window and look what I witnessed...

We had all these ducks in our yard!!! The neighbors across the street have a pond in their backyard and these ducks usually hang out at their house. But today it looked as if they found something to feed on in our yard.

Can you believe how close they let me get to them? I guess that they really LOVED what they were eating and didn't care much about me or that I was taking pictures.

I was so amazed at all the pretty colors...I saw a few with BRIGHT green heads and one that had a gorgeous deep blue head...so so pretty!

This one must have had enough food and was starting to walk across the street...but then he changed his mind and came back with the rest of the group.

As the ducks continued to enjoy their meal, I turned around to come back into the house and saw that SOMEONE wanted to come out and play with the ducks....

This just QUACKED me up :) No such luck Kodi...I don't think the ducks would have appreciated me letting you out to play.

Sporting the Teal and Black...

We are going try something a little different this Football Sunday....

Kodi is sporting the TEAL and BLACK!

You've gotta do what you've gotta do....so we are hoping this RALLY will help the Jags get that WIN we so desperately need.

Speaking of Kodi...check out this ADORABLE tag my mom sent him...

And here he is wearing it....I love how it stands out with all his black and white fur. It 's made out of stainless steal with an enamel coating. They have a ton to choose from....so check out this site where she bought it!

Thanks mom...And GO JAGS!!!!

FALLing Into the Season...

I just couldn't resist...I decided to get our Fall and Halloween decorations out today. I have been looking forward to this day since I visited my mom in Houston and picked up a few cute Halloween decorations!


So, I crawled into the attic and pulled down my Halloween Box and all its goodies. I set everything out on the bar, so I could decide on JUST the right place for each and every piece. I forgot that I had a massage appointment this morning at 10 a.m. so I had to leave the majority of the items on the bar to put up when I got home.


I KNOW I should have taken a picture of this...but unfortunately, I didn't think about doing it until NOW :( But when I got home from my appointment, my clever DH decided to decorate the house with the remaining Halloween items...TOO HILARIOUS!!! Of course, he wasn't serious about any of this....he thought it would be funny to see my reaction when I got home. For example, he had my Halloween flag hanging from the mantel, my ghost sign hanging off the edge of the TV, and my pumpkin stake for the yard in the fireplace tools. It was a pretty funny surprise, but of course I quickly removed all the items and placed them where they should be...where I want them :)


Here are a few pics of my decorations so far...

I just love this BOO sign...and I think it looks perfect on this shelf.

This Trick or Treat sign is made to go in the ground...but the DH stuck it in this container and I actually liked it....so it's staying! Good job Honey :)

Here is the view of the entire set-up...it looks a lot better in person, but you get the idea.

My little witch and her cat...if you look closely you can see my Trick Or Treat Cat hanging on the tree in the background :)

Our swing with the pumpkin stake to the left and our Halloween Flag to the right.

A close-up of the Halloween Flag and my Pumpkin Patch sign...

I took down our butterfly and dragonfly to hang up the Trick or Treat Cat...what do you think?

That's the preview for now...I'll post more pics when I get the remaining items put out. I did get a GREAT Halloween mat for the front door...but I'm waiting to get a few pumpkins before I set it out.

Happy "almost" Halloween!

Our Garden...

I started another blog a few months ago to help journal about my trials and tribulations with infertility. It has helped me to meet new blog friends that are also suffering with infertility and/or those desiring to have a baby. I can't tell you how many WONDERFUL friends I have met and the encouraging words I have received have literally been OVERWHELMING!!

Please take a minute to check out my other blog....Growing Our Own Garden. I receive so many positive and uplifting comments on my Be Thou a Knight blog and I would love to hear even MORE comments, prayers, and encouragement in the area that I am struggling with the most...infertility!

I was talking to my best friend yesterday and she agreed that inviting ALL of you to pray for me and my DH for what we are desiring most, a baby, would be one of my BEST ideas yet :) So please add us to your prayer list...personally and in your church. We sure could use them.

"And the Lord shall guide you continually and satisfy you in drought…And you shall be like a watered garden…”~Isaiah 58:11

Happy 3rd Anniversary....

Today is our 3rd wedding anniversary. I can't believe how time flies!! These past three years (really four) have been full of changes, moves, great memories, and life lessons.

Here is a little background...

The DH and I met in 2003 through Match.com...YES, you read correctly. You CAN really find the love of your life though one of these online dating services :) I'm living proof!

The year 2005 is VERY special to me. Not only was this the year the DH and I were married...but 2005 was overall OUR year....

• The DH popped the question...March 2005



• I received my Master's Degree...May 2005



• After 10 years in telecommunications, the DH changed occupations to become a yacht broker...June 2005



• Our beautiful wedding...September 2005



• After spending 32 years of my life (my entire life) in Texas, we made the big move to Jacksonville, Florida...November 2005

2007 & 2008 also stand out as two years I could never forget either...

• We moved into our new house...April 2007



• My sweet nephew was born...September 2007



• We had our first IVF...November 2007



• We had our second IVF...April 2008
  

Wow...can you say BUSY?!? Although we have experienced many changes over the past few years, one thing has ALWAYS remained the same...my Darling Husband! I can't believe how in love I am with him and how each and every day it grows stronger and stronger.

Honey, I hope you know that I love you more than the WORLD!!