Next to Heaven

20 Q's for your Sunday reading pleasure

2010-03-21T09:30:00.000-05:00

{Hubby and I get back late tonight. I missed y'all!}

1. What current tv comedy is your favorite?
Modern Family!

2. Who is the fourth person on your cell phone's "missed calls" list?
{This was written on Tuesday} Hubby :)

3. What kind of weather do you enjoy the most?
I love our "Spring" in Texas. It's usually gorgeous weather with highs in the 70's. There's generally a pleasant breeze too and it's just awesome!

4. I want something to drink. What's in your refrigerator right now?
Orange juice, 2% milk, Cherry Pomegranate Crystal Light, Arizona Sweet Tea, and Miller Light.

5. You're planning a trip--money is not a concern--do you opt to travel by plane or take a road trip instead?
By plane. We're going to Italy baby!

6. What is your favorite movie whose title begins with the letter H?
I think I need to do a Google Search haha! How about Hancock.

7. Do you enjoy cookouts?
Yes, very much!

8. What was your sixth grade teacher's name?
Sixth....I think by then we had several teachers. I honestly can't remember.

9. Where did you live in 1987?
Webster, Texas

10. What's the "right way" to read a magazine?
I usually flip through scanning the pictures and articles. If I come across an interesting article then I read that one. I also dog ear good pages :)

11. What would make today a better day?
If it were Thursday and I was already on vacation.

12. What was the last song to get stuck in your head?
A Lady Antebellum song since I was just at their concert.

13. Did you inherit your eye color from a family member?
I think my dad has sort of green eyes.

14. Do you like fireworks?
Yes! Especially the really cool burst ones!

15. What is your preferred outdoor temperature?
Low 70's with a nice breeze. Low humidity.

16. What three professions would you like to try for a day?
Wedding planner, professional organizer, and/or a teacher.

17. What do you do when you're stuck in traffic?
Talk on the phone, listen to the radio, or put on a playlist.

18. Who was the last person you know who got married?
Wow. For some reason, that answer escapes me. Oh, I remember. Two friends from high school in October 2009.

19. Name three things that are overdue right now.
Hmm. Possibly some etsy orders while I'm out of town? :)

20. If your mood were a weather forecast, today would be:
{I'm writing this Tuesday} Gloomy with a chance of showers.

Nabbed from Dawn

A little here, A little there

2010-03-20T09:30:00.001-05:00

{More fun for you while I'm away! Much love!}

I love a good quiz...

The Ultimate Color Test

Your Colors Say You Are Hopeful

When you are at peace, you are:

Energized and innovative

When you are moved to act, you are:

Confident and optimistic

When you are inspired, you are:

Flexible and experimental

When your life is perfectly balanced, you are:

Connected to nature and the world

Your life's purpose is:

To live a passionate life

The Ultimate Color Test

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What Time Of Day Are You?

You Are Sunrise

You enjoy living a slow, fulfilling life.

You enjoy living every moment, no matter how ordinary.

You are a person of reflection and meditation.

You start and end every day by looking inward.

Caring and giving, you enjoy making people happy.

You're often cooking for friends or buying them gifts.

All in all, you know how to love life for what it is - not for how it should be.

What Time Of Day Are You?

****

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

Blue

Your Favorite Color Says You're Tender

Emotional --- Affected --- Sensitive

Peaceful --- Tranquil --- Connected

Spiritual --- Experimental --- Deep

Green

Your Favorite Color Says You're Sympathetic
Balanced --- Relaxed --- Flexible
Compassionate --- Philosophical --- Humble
Loyal --- Inventive --- Unique

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You?

****

What Does Your Birthday Mean?

You Are a Dynamo

You are more than a big ball of energy - you are a big ball of hyper.

You are always on the go, but you don't have a type a personality.

Instead of channeling your energy into work, you instead go for fun and adventure.

Witty and verbal, you can have an interesting conversation with anyone.

Your strength: Your larger than life imagination

Your weakness: You tend to be pretty scattered

Your power color: Lime

Your power symbol: Lightening bolt

Your power month: March

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

****

and just for fun...

What Is Your Pimp Name?

Your Pimp Name Is:

Sugar Lips Money

Your pimp hand is strong!

What's Your Pimp Name?

{idea nabbed from Dawn}

A teeny tiny Q and A

2010-03-19T09:30:00.000-05:00

{Hope y'all are still missing me!}

I saw this on Perfectly Imperfect as well as a few other blogs and I thought it would be fun to play along.

The questions...

1. What's your favorite Easter candy?
Cadbury's Mini Eggs

{From here}

2. Who do you think is cleaner..men or women?
Based on my experience, women are definitely cleaner. I think some men are probably neat freaks, but the vast majority are not.

3. Which do you prefer..wordy blog posts or ones with pictures?
I like a good mixture, but I really enjoy posts with pictures. It seems to add a fun or personal touch.

4. Were you popular in high school?
No, I wouldn't say so. I mean people knew who I was, but I wasn't well known.

5. What's your bra size?
Wow. Really? The tiniest of tiny. 34a. At least I will look the same when I'm 60 :)

6. How many states have you lived in?
3: Texas, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia.

7. What's one blog you read every day?
I don't know that I can pick just one. I have a small list of favorites in my Google Reader and I always read those.

8. Peanut butter or Nutella?
I've never officially tried Nutella, but I have heard people rave about it. So, I guess that leaves me as a peanut butter girl. Crunchy please!

20 Questions

2010-03-18T09:30:00.001-05:00

{Since I'm away on vacation, I wanted to leave you with a little something to read and enjoy :) I have some questionnaires and other get-to-know-me things for you. Miss you!}

1. What was the easiest subject for you in school?
English. I actually lettered in English 3.

2. Three signs Autumn is here:
It's not 100 degrees. Daylight Savings Time. Pumpkins are at the grocery store.

3. What is your favorite flavor of potato chip?
I love me some BBQ chips.

4. What is your favorite dessert to get at a restaurant?
Oh, that's a tough one. Usually one with ice cream or chocolate.

5. Where is your favorite place to go when you need some time alone?
My craft room.

6. Scatter-brained or organized?
Organized the majority of the time.

7. Would you pay extra for a room with a view?
It really depends on where I am and the "upgrade" price, but usually we do pay for it, since you know we're on vacation!! Go big or go home right?

8. What is your favorite black-and-white movie?
Oh wow. Umm I can't say that I really have a favorite. Isn't White Christmas in black and white? King Kong?

9. What's the best part of the playground?
The swings for sure.

10. Which do you prefer: the activity of city life or the peacefulness of country life?
Peacefulness of country life hands down. I don't want to hear cars, only nature :)

11. The color yellow makes me think of:
Sunshine and my wedding tee hee.

12. What was the last tv program you watched?
Kendra on E!

13. How old were you when you got your first bank account?
17 or 18.

14. What is your most productive time of day?
Usually the morning or early afternoon.

15. Ketchup goes on:
Lots of things: hamburgers, chicken burgers, fries, onion rings, hot dogs, etc. etc.

16. Which room in your home needs the most cleaning attention right now?
Ooo...Umm probably our master bedroom.

17. What bill do you hate to pay the most?
The mortgage is the biggest, but I don't mind it so much. I think the cell phone bill is a bit overpriced though.

18. Why did you choose the shirt you are wearing today?
{I wrote this on Tuesday so it's based on that day} Honestly, it's the one that made me look less fat.

19. Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
Absolutely not. I say that because I am married. I think some people have lost sight of it's true meaning and value though.

20. Where was the hangout spot when you were a teenager?
Hubby's house tee hee

Grabbed from Krystyn.

Adios!

2010-03-17T22:24:00.000-05:00

{Source}

Tomorrow I will be there, in Seattle!

I am so excited to have a few days away, but most importantly, to visit my two older brothers, my sister-in-law, and my other brother's girlfriend.

I'm looking forward to some good family time, some R&R, and some sightseeing!!

I'm taking my DSLR, so I hope to practice taking pictures and getting some really good pictures at that!

While I'm away, I scheduled some posts for you to read. There's fun questionnaires and quizzes, so you can get to know me better and all the new readers can learn more about me too.

Don't miss me too much!

Much love...

A few quick notes...

2010-03-16T09:21:00.000-05:00

Monday Mantra {3.15.10}

2010-03-15T08:44:00.000-05:00

This week Hubby and I go to Seattle!
I believe that vacation is highly needed!!
I'm addicted to kettle corn.
I wish the beginning of this week will go by quickly.
I'm jealous of my husband who's on Spring Break.
Soundtrack/Mantra for the week "When one door closes another door opens; but we so often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door, that we do not see the ones which open for us."
― Unknown

Happy Monday!

Good Morning!

2010-03-14T20:39:00.001-05:00

I recently found a recipe on Smitten Kitchen for some whole wheat apple muffins. I decided to make them Saturday morning and they were oh so good.

Actually, they were amazing! Way too good not to share. So here's the recipe with my picture documentation!!

Whole Wheat Apple Muffins

What you need:

1 cup (4 ounces) whole wheat flour
1 cup (4 1/4 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1/2 cup (1 stick, 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk or yogurt (I used vanilla yogurt)
2 large apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 18 muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, and set aside. In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and 1/4 cup of the brown sugar.

Beat until fluffy. Add the egg and mix well; stop once to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.Mix in the buttermilk gently. (If you over-mix, the buttermilk will cause the mixture to curdle.)

Stir in the dry ingredients and fold in the apple chunks.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, sprinkling the remaining 1/4 cup brown sugar on top.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for 5 minutes in the tin, then turn them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

I hope you enjoy these as much as I did!! They are scrumdillyumptious!!

Half Full Friday

2010-03-12T16:56:00.000-06:00

Eyegirl @ Life As Eye See hosts Half Full Friday posts and is inviting everyone to join in! Please go here for more information and to play along.

This week's list:

I am happy that today is Friday - thank goodness

I am happy that this week is over.

I am happy that I go on vacation next week!!

I am happy that I don't have to come to work for 2 WHOLE DAYS!

I am happy that I have a really wonderful and supportive husband.

I am happy that I made a new necklace this morning that I really love.

I am happy that I get to see my brothers and their significant others next week.

I am happy that Hubby and I will have a nice dinner tonight just the two of us.

I am happy that it has been beautiful outside the last few days and looks like it will be an absolutely perfect weekend!!

For example...

View on my drive home yesterday

The view out of my sunroof today :) {Makes me smile}

What are you happy about? Share and link up with Eyegirl.

Because I have to...

2010-03-11T14:35:00.000-06:00

and because I have a ~~unhealthy~~ healthy fascination with vampires :)

AND because I'm so flippin excited for this movie!!

Auction Item

2010-03-11T10:06:00.000-06:00

My lovely wedding photographer, Laura Odom, is hosting an online auction benefiting the American Cancer Society. My etsy store, Spunk & Sass, has donated one of our hand stamped necklaces as an auction item.

You can head over to Laura's Blog to bid on the item. All proceeds are going to the American Cancer Society. Additionally, if anyone purchases anything from Spunk & Sass from now until Friday, March 12, I will donate 10% of all the proceeds to the American Cancer Society on behalf of Laura Odom. Let's support a great cause y'all!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T16:18:00.000-06:00

{source}

WTF...like really!

2010-03-09T21:02:00.000-06:00

I am generally a calm-natured, patient, and understanding individual. It takes a lot to frustrate or anger me, unless it's rude and ignorant people, but that's a different story for another day.

I am so frustrated at the moment I could literally scream. Sorry if anyone was coming here for some sunshine on this post. Sunshine will return when I type the last period.

Anyways...why I'm annoyed...

Situation #1: I can't elaborate fully, but I am so unbelievably tired of being told that I'm inefficient and basically suck. I bust my ass and no one seems to care or take notice. I buy a book to better myself and then I'm told that basically it's not going to help me, because umm well apparently there is no hope. Wow, gee thankssomuch. And I wonder why I have no motivation...

Situation #2: Hubby and I currently have Comcast for our cable, internet, and phone. We had it when we lived in our apartment and just transferred it over when we bought the house. The service is great until you have to call customer service and then all hell breaks loose.

AT&T U-verse is finally available in our area and we were planning to switch in May when our contract with Comcast was up. Well today I got an e-mail from AT&T talking about their current promotion. I decided to look into it. I chatted with the customer service rep online and they were so helpful! I went ahead and ordered U-verse and set up installation for next week. Hubby and I are psyched. This isn't why I'm mad though. This would be the happy moment of my day well that and reading Sookie Stackhouse, but that's besides the point.

Well since I ordered U-verse, that means I have to do the pain in the arse part of cancelling with Comcast. I called this afternoon and told them I wanted to cancel. They didn't even try to keep me as a customer! What kind of customer service is that? Anyways, the guy asked me if I wanted to cancel effective today and I said yes not thinking. I hung up but later in the afternoon I was thinking and was like oh crap! I don't need service canceled today, I need it cancelled next Tuesday!

So I call back this afternoon and explained my mistake to a less than happy customer service rep. She said she adjusted the cancellation date and all would be well. Fantastic! However, I didn't have the birds are singing warm and fuzzies, as nothing is that easy with Comcast. If you have to call, prepare to have something screwed up and to be placing several more calls. All of my experiences with them have been this way.

My husband got home this evening and what do you know...no cable. I'm on my way home, so I call Comcast from the car. After speaking to two customer service reps, the lady tells me that my service is "green" and should be working properly. Great. Hubby confirms it's working, so all is good.

I get home and check the internet and ha, what do you know...it doesn't effing work. Go figure. So I call Comcast for something like the third time. I explain everything again to the customer service rep and she checks my "status." She tells me it's "green." I'm so tired of hearing green when the service obviously is NOT working. After several times of her telling me it's green and I tell her it doesn't work, she tells me she cannot help me and will transfer me. After 10 minutes or so on hold our internet connectivity is restored. WOW! It's a miracle!!

Service with Comcast has routinely been a large pain in the you know what. To say that I'm excited for the switch to U-verse would be a HUGE understatement. I would much rather pay a company my hard earned money who actually solves problems on the first run and isn't so much of a headache. Not to mention more service and perks for LESS money. The choice was easy. See ya Comcast!!

Situation #3: Hubby and I ran a quick errand to Walgreens this evening to grab some chips and salsa to go with dinner, as well as a few other things. We stopped in the Easter candy (to torture ourselves of course) and decided to go ahead and grab our favorites to indulge in when Lent is over. We check out and hubby makes a comment that one of the candies were expensive. I step away from the register and check the receipt. I bought two bags of the Cadbury Mini Eggs as they were advertised as 2/$4. I was charged $5.99 for each bag.

They call a manager and she comes to assist me or rather I go over to the photo area. She pulls out the ad and starts reading it. She says I bought the wrong size for the coupon. I tell her that the sign specifically says 2/$4. After arguing with her and insisting she go see the sign, she walks down the aisle. I show her the sign that is clearly under the specific candy and it's placed over the price tag of $5.99 for the bag of candy.

She proceeds to tell me that she will not honor it and that it was placed in the wrong place--That it was for the smaller bags, which didn't make sense becuase those bags had their own coupon of $1 off. I told her if she wasn't going to honor it then she should take the sign down. She waved me off and said "No, it's fine." Really? It's fine? Because you just said you weren't going to honor your obvious mistake AND you're not going to take the sign down, therefore you're going to go through this with another customer? Oh and get this...she's a MANAGER. Those are some spectacular managerial skills. Like top-rate I tell you. I grabbed the smaller bags of candy, got my refund, and left.

This isn't the first time a store has advertised something and then wouldn't honor it when it was CLEARLY their mistake. I think that is stupid on their part and really makes me question being a regular customer in their store. I own my own business, as small as it may be, but if I accidentally advertised something as such, someone purchased it, and then I realized my mistake, I would honor what I advertised. I think that's a fundamental of business. Walgreens is a multi-million dollar company and my little business is barely in the hundreds, yet I seem to have a better moral and ethical compass when it comes to business relations. I just really think companies need to own up to their mistake, honor the price, and then change their advertisement to avoid confusion or problems with other customers.

Did I need the bag of candy? No. It's the principle here folks. The principle.

In my humble opinion of course.

Whew. I feel better just writing that. I was fuming when I started this post, but now I feel better. I'm sorry my rant carried on, for what maybe seemed like an eternity, but thanks and kudos to you if you stuck it out all the way to the end. Another thanks for letting me rant whenever I feel like it and not taking me off your Google Reader or subscription service :)

Lots of love,

A little "blog" cleaning...

2010-03-09T16:04:00.000-06:00

Do you remember my little super secret box giveaway? The one I did for reaching 100 followers?

Yes?

Well the winner, Sarah @ Becoming a Mommy, posted about her gifts today! Head on over to check it out!

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Also, I was recently awarded the Beautiful Blogger Award by Jenn @ Perfectly Imperfect and Melissa @ The Missionary Mama. I received this award awhile back, but since the rules are a bit different I'll play along and send this beauty on its way...

Rules: List seven interesting facts/list seven things about you.

1. I can fold my tongue completely in half without using my teeth.
2. I was born a week late. I think this challenges my concept of time sometimes.
3. I can't stand to not have my toe nails painted. I also can't stand chipped polish.
4. I hate for my food to touch. Different foods have different rules. Thanksgiving is a nightmare for me.
5. I like for things to end on even numbers, except for the number 7. Things can end on 7. (yes I know I'm a little OCD)
6. I am insanely weird with expiration dates. If it's one day past I won't eat it.
7. I used to eat mayonnaise sandwiches as a kid. White bread, no crust, mayonnaise only. Yes, I know...disgusting. I think so too!

I pass this along to:

Tuesdai Noelle @ "a reflection by Tuesdai"
Meredith @ (flash) pasteurized

Take Life by the Horns

2010-03-09T14:38:00.000-06:00

**All done in my effort to stay positive**

Today is Women's Day

2010-03-08T15:08:00.000-06:00

{Source}

I heard on the radio today that it's Women's day. I also read a few blogs today that mentioned it as well, so I thought it would be a good topic for today. I have the utmost admiration and respect for the women before me who fought for the rights we have today. Because of them, I am an independent woman with my own career. There are a lot of women around the world that don't experience the luxuries that I do, and for that I am grateful for the life I have.

I can make my own decisions. I decide my own well-being. I'm independent. I can really do as I please.

So today I would like to honor influential women in my life and who have had a hand in making me the young woman I am today.

My step-mom.
My grandmother.
My mother-in-law.
My aunt.
My girlfriends. {in a hetero way of course}
My mother.

Thank you for always believing in me and pushing me to do anything my heart desired. Thank you for never holding me back. Thank you for teaching me to be a successful and independent woman and that I could achieve anything I put my mind to. Thank you for teaching me morals and values that make me the woman I am today as well as the wife I have come to be and the friend I am.

It is because of wonderful and influential women that we are inspired to do great things and push ourselves to the limits. To make us take the leap to achieve what our heart and soul desires.

Please take a moment today to thank the women in your life and well love being a woman in all its glory.
"I am woman. Hear me roar!"

On that note, I know I've mentioned before how inspiring and wonderful my fellow bloggers are. All of you are amazing. In every sense of the word.

So in honor of Women's Day, I wanted to award some lovely bloggers with the Inspiring Blogger Award {made by me of course-it's my first award so be nice}.

This award is given to lovely bloggers who inspire others through their writing and support fellow bloggers. It is meant for those who share their lives not looking for praise or pity, but to connect with other like or not-like bloggers, and to share their story with the world.

Rules: There really are no rules, other than to pass this on to other women bloggers that you find inspiring. Spread the love :)

These ladies listed below are great writers and are certainly inspirational. I read them, without fail, everyday as they bring a smile to my face. Thanks for brightening my day and inspiring me to write.

Eyegirl @ Life As Eye See It
The Purple Princess @ My Life in Purple
Bailey @ Addicted to Addison
Jenn @ Keeping Up With Kaegan
Melissa @ The Ideologies of Melissa
Rachel @ It's a hero...
Heather @ Planning Our Wedding
Alissa @ Newlywedded: Life, Love, and Me
Bailey @ Our Walk
Amy @ Ha ha. Wait. What??
Iva @ Iva Messy
Julie @ Brown Eyed Belle
FG @ Fidgeting Gidget
Jenn @ Perfectly Imperfect

A huge thank you, though, to all bloggers I read or who follow me.Celebrate with me today :) Oh yea, and enjoy your awards. {I've never made one before, so I hope it works!}

Monday Mantra {3.8.10}

2010-03-08T10:56:00.000-06:00

This week I will try to do some more organization at my house.
I believe that no one in the world can make me as happy as my husband can.
I'm addicted to apples :)
I wish things could happen differently sometimes, but I know that everything happens for a reason.
I'm jealous of no one and nothing.
Soundtrack/Mantra for the week “A strong positive mental attitude will create more miracles than any wonder drug.”
― Patricia Neal

Happy Monday!

My Life in Pictures

2010-03-07T20:00:00.002-06:00

**Updated: I forgot the pictures of my casual outfit. haha**

Last week I asked y'all if there was anything about me or my life that you wanted to see. A few people participated, so Friday morning (and Thursday night) I took some pictures. Here's what some readers asked to see...

Eyegirl: I want to see a picture of you dressed in your absolute favorite outfit!
{I don't know that I have a favorite outfit. I have a lot of clothes, therefore I have a lot of favorites! I started thinking about it and I had a lot of trouble picking out just one thing. So I used pictures from Thursday and Friday as it's my "dressed up" version and my "casual" version.}

Mrs. Lovely: I want to see a picture of what's in your purse.
{Warning: I carry a lot of junk!}

I like to be prepared and my purse carries all my necessary daily items. In the first picture I have my business card holder for work cards and Spunk & Sass. I have gum, all my lip gloss and lipstick, pens, a flash drive, an SD card reader, nail clippers and a pocket knife as well as a nail file and shout pen (hubby makes messes!). In the second picture I have my camera, which I always carry with me. Also pictured is my wallet and fishing license in the little red thing. In the last picture I have a Gussy pouch for my cell phone, Twilight woods lotion, hand sanitizer, a reusable shopping bag, a planner for Spunk & Sass, and some Victoria's Secret free panty cards :)

Ashley: I want to see wedding pictures! maybe you've already posted some on here, but I'm new. :)
{I loved my wedding and I adore all my pictures! I'm more than happy to share some more.}

From Ceremony

From Formals

From Reception part 2

From reception part 3

Elizabeth: How about your closet?
{I apologize for the mess!}

Beaver: Your craft area...and you don't get to clean it up first! :)
{I guess I lucked out because I had just straightened up before your request! Lucky me}

I had been making a few random things last minute so some of my bead stuff is out :)

Fidgeting Gidget: Bedroom! And I want to see what it looks like on a regular basis...don't make your bed if you don't usually... :)
{I used to always make my bed. Always. Then I married my husband, who never made his bed. That's one thing I let go of haha}

So here you see our unmade bed. The ironing board I use every morning to iron our clothes, which usually has some clothes on it. You can see our exploding hamper. Then there's my dresser, littered with my jewelry :) Oh and oops! Don't mind my over the shoulder boulder holders on the doors!! haha!

Eyegirl: If you had to leave your house suddenly and permanently and you could only keep one of your current possessions what would it be? (And I mean real possessions not your hubby or dog, they are going with you! :) )
{This was extremely hard...}

One option was my camera. If I took that I could document our move and make new memories. Plus I don't really want to replace it haha!

On a sentimental note, I would grab my childhood stuffed animal. It's the only one I still have. It's supposed to be this little dog. I got her when I was three and she's been with me ever since. Ellie, her name, has been with me through all the rough periods in my life. She's soaked up many tears and she's had many "surgeries" i.e. limbs and ears sewn back on! I want to pass her down to my children one day, as she means a lot to me. She's not something I could replace and I wouldn't want her left behind. (That's my garter from my wedding around her waist haha!)

Another option would be our laptop. It holds a ton of information and a lot of our pictures. It would definitely be helpful to have if we had to leave quickly. The only thing is that our wedding pictures and older pictures are all on our external hard drive...that presents a problem.

This was a tough question to answer. To only grab one thing. I honestly don't think I would think that far if I had to leave immediately. I'm sure I'd make sure I had my husband, my dog, and my purse. I wear my wedding rings, so those would already be with me and wouldn't have to use those as a choice. If I could think farther than that, I would probably grab one of these three things.

Does anyone have any other requests of things they would like to see? I had fun with this post!

Spire Design Group Giveaway!

2010-03-07T19:40:00.002-06:00

My giveaway ended today, which featured Meredith and her bags by Spire Design Group!

Did you win??

Well let's see...

Via Random.org, the winner of a $12 store credit to SDG is....

Jaime @ Jaime had a baby!!!!

Congrats Jaime!! Please e-mail me at nexttoheaven [at] live [dot] com to redeem your prize!

A huge thank you to Meredith for sponsoring this giveaway!

Another huge thank you to all that entered!!

Happy Friday

2010-03-05T12:49:00.002-06:00

{Source}

Beautiful Bags! (and something for you)

2010-03-04T09:45:00.006-06:00

I recently met (online) Meredith @ Design You Can Live In who also runs Spire Design Group. She currently owns her own interior design business and does some amazing work. We chatted about business, photography, and the fun in crafting. We got to talking and decided to do a product swap!! She recently started sewing and makes some adorable bags. I would send her some jewelry and she would send me a bag. Good trade right? I certainly thought so!

So I sent her a hand stamped necklace with her initials and a birds nest ring and she send me the most adorable wristlet you've ever seen! I love it and can't wait to use it!

I wanted all of you {fabulous readers} to get to know Meredith like I have, so I had her answer a few questions for me:

Tell us a little about yourself.
I am 31 and have been married to my best friend for over 5 years. I have the best little dog ever who serves as my assistant. We have lived in Destin FL, Los Angeles CA and St. Paul Minnesota before moving back home to Indiana almost 2 years ago. I hope to have babies VERY SOON!! I love to laugh and make others laugh. My dream job is to be on Saturday Night Live!! I have an insane amount of energy, even without my coffee!!! I own an interior design firm, Spire Design Group.

What is your favorite hobby/favorite thing to do?
Well, sewing is my favorite hobby!! But I also like to read, blog, read blogs (HEHE!!), spend time with my husband and friends and family. Love to shop for clothes and home "stuff". Love to watch reality TV, it is my guilty pleasure!! I also like to make up songs about people and places. It is so random and they are awful songs, but it makes my husband laugh so hard, and I love that!!

How did you get started and how long have you been sewing?
I sewed for the first time when I was about 9. I made an elastic waist skirt in 4-H. I didn't sew again after that summer until middle school home-ec class. I made a pair of MC Hammer pants!! (Remember those huge pants he wore??!!) They were hilarious! It wasn't until recent that I really started to sew again and really fell in love with it.

Where do you find your inspiration?
I LOVE Vera Bradley, and I LOVE purses and bags. I watch the trends and I watch what colors are in style. Being an interior designer, I am around fabric ALL the time, so I get most of my inspiration for fabrics that I find interesting.

What do you enjoy most about sewing?
It is almost therapeutic for me. I lose track of time sewing and it just puts me in a great mood. I love being able to create something and have an end result. I love the thought that someone will carry one of my bags!! It is a great creative release that is immediate. My interior design projects can take months or years to see an end result.

When and why did you decide to open a shop?
Well, once I had made about 100 bags, I thought it might be a good idea!! HEHE!!! I love the idea of buying and selling homemade items. It's awesome when your hobby can become one of your jobs!!

Do you have a favorite item or style in your store?
Not really, I have a weird attachment to them all!! I have a few fabrics that I am obsessed with and keep buying more of!!

Do you keep any of your bags for yourself?
Just one. I need to make more for myself to carry!!

What do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
I read, hang out with the hubs, work out, go shopping, spend time with my family and friends, eat (HEHE!!), walk my dog, talk on the phone. Oddly enough, sometimes I enjoy cleaning and organizing!!

What is your favorite food?
Seafood!! I love crab legs so much!! I have actually eaten 2 pounds in one sitting. I may be small, but I can eat!! I also love Mexican and Italian food!! And cake, I love cake. Basically, I love to eat!!

Favorite TV show and/or movie (if you have one)?
The Office is my favorite show. Followed by American Idol. I really LOVE reality TV for some reason, I know I shouldn't!! I don't have a favorite movie, I just love to laugh. So comedies are usually high on my list. But when I am alone and get to pick a movie just for me, I usually watch chick flicks!!

Have you read any great books lately?
Sadly no. I have been too busy to read lately. But I am looking for suggestions!!!

Tell us something interesting about yourself.
I love musical theater and I used to be very active in a community theater growing up. The last role I played was Sandy in Grease when I was 21. HEHE!!!! It was such a blast!!! Maybe it is time for me to make my comeback!!??

I hope y'all enjoyed getting to know Meredith and learning about her new line of bags! Meredith was SOOOO kind that she told me she wants to give one away to one of my wonderful, dedicated readers! {That's you!!}

That means...ANOTHER GIVEAWAY!!
{Are you excited?}

Meredith is giving away a $12.00 shop credit to one lucky reader!! {Did I mention I'm jealous}

So you will get your pick of one of her lovely bags to call your own.

There are so many choices! You'll just have to go to her website, Spire Design Group, to pick out your favorite!!

So to win...you need to do any or all of the following:
{You must be a follower of my blog to enter}

{1 entry} follow my blog and leave a comment or if you are already a follower, leave a comment letting me know.
{1 entry} follow Meredith's blog and leave a comment letting me know.
{2 entries} for visiting Meredith's store and letting me know your favorite bag.
{2 entries} for tweeting about the giveaway. Make sure to put @vcesari and @meechols9 in your tweet. Come back and leave a comment to ensure your entry is counted.
{4 entries} for blogging about this giveaway. Come back and leave your link.

That's 10 possible entries to win a gorgeous bag! Now hurry...go enter! Giveaway will end on Sunday, March 7 at 8 am CST!!

{Oh p.s. you can also enter to win some of my jewelry on Meredith's blog today through Sunday as well!! Be sure to enter!}

Prayers for little ones

2010-03-03T16:30:00.004-06:00

I know on Monday I mentioned something about my best friend and her babies, so I thought I would share some more.

In September, my best friend found out she was pregnant! She was so excited. At the end of December, when she went to find out the gender of the baby, she found out she was having not only one boy but TWO! I was shocked! I was so excited for her, but bad news followed her good news. At 18 weeks she found out her water was broken and her membrane was torn, she was admitted to the hospital, and she was told she would be on bed rest for the remainder of her pregnancy.

She was released from the hospital on strict bed rest until the beginning of February when she would be admitted back to the hospital until her boys were born. It was tough news to take and a long month at home for her, but she stayed positive knowing what she had to do for her unborn babies. {Did I mention she's amazing?}

She was admitted to the hospital a day early for precaution and that is where she's been until yesterday. I went to see her every week and sometimes brought her goodies for her room :) I went to see her last Thursday and all seemed well. We heard the little boy's heart beats and they sounded so good. Friday morning Bailey called to tell me she was having contractions, not to worry, but she wanted to let me know. By Friday night she seemed better. That was music to my ears.

Saturday morning she had an emergency C-Section because her boys were ready to go! She was 25 weeks and 6 days. I was in my photography class, so I had no idea until that afternoon and I rushed to the hospital immediately.

Her babies were whisked away to be observed and put in incubators. They both are tiny, tiny and have a long road ahead of them. The little one, Jack, is her Rock Star and seems to be doing well. They called him a normal preemie haha. The other one, Ben, is having some problems, but he's a good little fighter.

These boys are near and dear to my heart and I've never even seen them in person. They are my best friend's children, how could they not be? Bailey is an absolutely wonderful friend and I love her so very much. She's the true meaning of a friend and I only want the best for her. I am happy for her beyond words for her new family and her little miracle babies. God has done some amazing things for her and will continue to do so.

I ask that you pray for my friend's babies: that they grow big and strong and have as little complications as possible. Pray that Ben gets stronger like his little brother :) These sweet little boys need your prayers. If you would like, please take their button and put it on your blog. I know Bailey will appreciate it. She is already amazed at all the prayers for her and her family.

Keep up the fight Ben and Jack! We're all rootin' for ya!!

Benjamin Ray Walkup
& Jack Harrison Walkup
February 27, 2010

Grab their Button Please!

You can read their mama's story here on Bailey's blog and follow along as they get big and strong!

Oh btw, Bailey is Sass from Spunk & Sass!! {Just in case you didn't know}

A-B-C's of Me :)

2010-03-02T20:58:00.005-06:00

Here's a fun little post I found on Perfectly Imperfect and I just couldn't pass it up!

{A} Age - 24

{B} Bed Size - Queen

{C} Chore you hate - Dishes! Hubby is sweet enough to do them :)

{D} Dog's name - Boudreaux

{E} Essential start your day item - toothbrush!

{F} Favorite color - Olive Green or Carribean Blue

{G} Gold or Silver - Both although my wedding rings are gold

{H} Height - 5'1.5" (exactly - I kid you not!)

{I} Instruments you play - I don't play anything anymore. I once played cello and I once played clarinet.

{J} Job title - Project Coordinator

{K} Kid(s) - eventually and soon :)

{L} Living arrangements - 4BR, 2BR house with my sweetheart and our dog

{M} Mom's name - Mom: Rebecca, Step-Mom: Karen

{N} Nickname - Val, smallone, Val-er-rina

{O} Overnight hospital stay - Umm...when I was born?

{P} Pet peeve - Rude and inconsiderate people

{Q} Quote from a movie - "Life is like a box of chocolates. You nev'r know what you might get." --Forrest Gump

{R} Right or left handed - Righty :)

{S} Siblings - 1 biological brother, 2 step-brothers, 3 sister-in-laws, and 1 brother-in-law

{T} Time you wake up - Monday through Friday: 5:45 AM/Saturday through Sunday: 7-8 AM

{U} Underwear - Victoria's Secret!

{V} Vegetable you dislike - Do I only get to list one? No. 1 on the list is mushrooms! YUCK!

{X} X-rays you've had - teeth, knee, and toe/foot

{Y} Yummy food you make - umm all of it...duh! haha jk. I make some mean enchiladas and a fabulous pizza roll.

{Z} Zoo animals you like - I really love animals, but I really like the elephants!

Productively Wasting Time

2010-03-02T11:59:00.004-06:00

Monday Mantra {3.1.10}

2010-03-01T10:56:00.002-06:00

This week will be a good week full of prayer and happy thoughts.
I believe that beautiful sunny days make all my worries go away. Sunshine is good for the soul.
I'm addicted to lightly salted pita chips. YUM!
I wish and pray that my friend's babies will be OK.
I'm jealous of anyone eating sweets. {yes, still}
Soundtrack/Mantra for the week “Time you enjoy wasting, was not wasted.”
― John Lennon

Happy Monday!