smith mountain lake.

we went with my family to smith mountain lake over halloween weekend.

my brother's birthday is a few days after halloween so we went to the lake to celebrate and just get away.

here's the birthday boy himself.  on friday night he opened presents but sadly i was being lazy and only got one, non-blurry picture from friday night.

the weekend was wonderful.

for real.

i can't even explain it.

on saturday we spent time hanging out down at the lake.

fishing.

thinking.

laughing.

umm...being confused?
[and in need of a shower - at least me]

being crazy.

and watching fall.

we went to a place that had all kinds of little shops.

and a dock where there were a ton of fish.

worker man and casey spent about half an hour trying to catch one with their hands.

clearly it took a lot of concentration.

we went out on a boat for an hour.


here's the captain.

the reason we only stayed out for an hour?

because we were being pelted in the face by huge raindrops in 50 degree weather.

quite hilarious actually.

here are the manly men.
[well, maybe my brother and sister's bf, casey, were being manly. worker man? not.so.much]

okay, seriously....the only picture i got of us two all weekend.
apparently i felt like make-up was optional.  maybe i should have reconsidered.

i drove everyone crazy with my camera.

colby and courtney [the gf].

on sunday morning we got up and did a devotion.

let me tell ya, everyone loved my camera.

worker man insisted that he put me through the same torture i was causing everyone else.

i stopped after that.

family time was awesome.

the view from the fabulous screened in porch was wonderful.



and this....

....was much needed.

home.

i've been sick yesterday and today.

and today my mom came to my house (an hour and a half away from my parent's house) to check on me and brought me back to her house.  she couldn't stand it.  worker man is out of town and she couldn't stand me being home by myself, sick.

yes, i am married.
yes, i'm in my twenties.
and yes, my mommy still comes and gets me when i get sick.

and no, i wouldn't want it any other way.

[she'll also still hold my hair back if i'm throwing up which i'm super thankful for because i've found out that worker man will.not.do.that.period.]

so, long story short, i'm at their house tonight.

since glee comes on on wednesday nights, i asked my sister if she watches glee.
[does anyone else watch glee??]


her response:

jenny, i don't have regular channels in my room [only antenna].
therefore, i watch hunting, camel races or my friends dvds.

apparently my dad has worker man beat on tv choices. 



and yes, we're watching camel racing tonight.

wreath.

i saw this wreath from pottery barn.

and i saw this tutorial.

and decided to make my own.

i bought my reindeer moss and my straw wreath frame at hobby lobby.  the moss was on sale and i used 4 bags.  so the pottery barn wreath would cost $45 and my wreath cost under $10.  

i love it!

p.s.  i haven't put lights on it because i'm trying to find some battery powered lights.  if i find them and can fix the wreath to include them, i'll post another picture with the update.

old and married.

it's 9:25 pm.
on friday night.

worker man and i are sitting on the couch.
in our pjs.
watching a show about how to make a saddle for a horse on the science channel.


we are officially an old dorky married couple.




my sister would be so proud.


**updated to add:  okay, it's now 9:39 and we've moved on to watch how walnuts are harvested.  i have to tell you, worker man is even more excited about this one**

organized.

our bathroom closet has been in desperate need of some organization lately.

i'm embarrassed to even show you this!

the random assortment of baskets and containers.  junk everywhere.  no specific place for anything.





so, i went and bought the colored photo boxes from michaels.  
[they are on sale for $1.66 this week].

i labeled the boxes and added some ribbon to the jars and baskets.








i also came up with a system so all the towels don't get thrown up on that shelf with no particular spot.




i'm pretty happy with the results!

especially since it cost under $12.

hopefully this system will work.  
it has to be easy enough that everything ends up back in the right containers each morning without "cleaning up".

the true test will be how it looks after a week.
 

good reads?

so my book list has gotten out of control.
but, since it's getting pretty ridiculous, i figure i should just continue to add to the chaos.

does anyone have suggestions for good books?  specifically books that you've read?

here's what i have on my list so far:

• Love and Respect by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs
• Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis
• The Jesus of Suburbia by Mike Erre
• Sex God by Rob Bell
• Joni by Joni Eareckson Tada
• The Giver by Lois Lowry
• Jesus for President by Shane Claiborne
• Desiring God by John Piper
• Jesus:  The One and Only by Beth Moore
• The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
• I became a Christian and all I got was this Lousy T-Shirt by Vince Antonucci
• Messy Spirituality by Mike Yaconelli
• The Ragamuffin Gospel by Brennan Manning
• The Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne
• The Hole in our Gospel by Richard Stearns
• Grace Eventually by Anne Lamott
• The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• Black, Red, White and Green [four different books] by Ted Dekker
• His Need, Her Needs
• The Power of a Praying Wife
• Every Woman's Battle
• Sacred Influence by Gary Thomas
• Sacred Marriage by Gary Thomas
• Sacred Romance by John Eldrege
• The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
• Emotionally Health Spiritually by Peter Scazzero
• What's so Amazing about Grace by Phillip Yancey
• Dangerous Wonder by Mike Yaconelli
• The Prodigal God by Timothy Keller
• The Grace Awakening by Charles Swindoll
• In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day by Mark Batterson
• Secondhand Jesus by Glenn Packiam
• Vintage Jesus by Mark Discoll
• Experiencing the Depths of Jesus Christ by Madame Jeanne Guyon

okay, don't judge me.

i know this list is never-ending.

i read all the comments on this post and got a ton of books from there.  they all look amazing.  plus my list has been growing for awhile anyway.

my one problem, i'm reading three books right now and it's taking me forever to finish because i can't just commit to one.

guuuhhh.

so yeah, any other book suggestions?

or suggestions for my uncontrollable addiction?

[p.s.  they can be any kind of book - i know the majority of books on here are based on christianity but i do read other books too, promise]

future.

many of you already know that worker man and i went through financial peace university [by dave ramsey] but what some of you may not know is that worker man talks about dave ramsey all.the.time. 

so i just got an e-mail from barbie that said:  this is so going to be your child!

check it out for yourself.

Elijah Offering Video from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

i think she's probably right.

christmas organization.

how do you normally organize for christmas?

this year i am going to try something new. 

the christmas countdown plan from organized christmas.

a friend at work has done this the past few years and loves it.

here's the deal [straight from the website]:

Follow The Plan: During the Countdown, we'll follow a six-week organization plan from the last week in October through the first week in December. Goal: to complete holiday planning and preparations by the first weekend in December.



Six Weekly Themes: Each week has a special theme to focus Christmas organizing.



Week by week, we'll zero in on gift-giving, take charge of holiday budgets, organize Christmas cards, plan holiday meals and decorate for the holidays. Find each week's assignments at the weekly themes pages.

i'm starting two weeks late but i think i can catch back up.
i'm going to make a cute little binder [which makes everything better] and hopefully get on track this week.

 anyone with me?

i'd love to hear anything that works for you!

bruises.

first of all i just want to make sure you all note that we have previously had a conversation about bruises and my sister [together].

so no, this is not the deja vu where it really hasn't happened before but you feel like it has.
this is for real deja vu.


a couple of nights ago i received this text [seriously].

from:  sister

i have a new HUGE bruise!

its the biggest one yet.

u need to blog it

lol.

jk but rly.

its huge.

i think [bruises] might have to become a new label.

or maybe [sister's bruises].

wish list.

i can't believe that christmas is right around the corner.
seriously, it's so hard to believe.
i feel like this year has flown by.

and throughout this really quick year, my wish list has grown, and grown and grown.

please make sure you realize this is my wish list.  meaning, i know that i might not get a lot on here but hey, a girl can dream.  right?  

1. Photoshop Elements 8 for Mac - is this a good choice?  not sure if i should go with elements or save up for the real deal??  any suggestions?
2. 7 For All Mankind Jeans - 'Dojo' strech trouser (size 26)
3. iPod Nano - the older model would be totally cool - don't yall think the newer ones are super shiney? weird.  i like both but i would assume that an older model is cheaper?
4. Danskos - so many choices! i think these are my favorite color (size 39...i think)
5. The Message on cd - i feel like this would be perfect for my long commute
6. black converses - low top (size 8.5)
7. Nike running shorts - love them! any of them really...but those are just a few i like :)
8. Tall black boots - mine are worn out.  I wear them all winter long!
9. Holey jeans - not sure i spelled that right :)  but you know what i mean!
10. North Face Pullover - these are the best, for real!  make sure to check the kids section.  they are cheaper and an XL in kids fits me - so that's where i bought my first one :)
11. Camera Strap - these are a few i like - but i think i like just about all of them!
12. Patagonia Classic Retro-X fleece - again, a girl can dream, right??
13. i plan to post my unending list of books i want soon.  those can definitely be added to the christmas list!

okay, i'm done.

finally!