Good Morning, Life!

1.  One of my favorite things about Christmas time is that I get to listen to my favorite singers sing some of my favorite songs.  Dear Rat Pack, you make me smile inside.

2.  I updated the Weekly Favorite in the sidebar.  Check this blog out if you haven't already.  She's so lovely and creative and super fashion-savvy.

3. I'm going to be eating sweet potatoes until my skin turns orange.  I made a huge thing of sweet potato casserole for Thanksgiving, and we have 3 tons leftover.  Not that I mind, of course.  It's my absolute favorite dish of the season.  Bring on the orange (I hate orange, so this is big for me).

4. Billy and I had Christmas pictures taken by one of my friends from high school who now happens to be super artsy and incredibly talented, and I couldn't be more thrilled with the outcome!


Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.

Linking up!

Keeping Up

In an effort to keep up with myself and my little home, I have been taking some extra measures this last week.  If you remember my post from 2 weeks ago you know that I am so busy and have not had much time for pampering, primping, or even really getting ready.  So far, this is what I've done:

Got my nails done.  It's amazing how something so simple can make me feel so put together.  The husband was so excited for me that he made a special part of our budget just for my nails!  I'm so thankful that he cares!

I didn't watermark this picture because I knew you all wouldn't steal my creepy happy hands in my face pose.

Cleaned out my drain.  I have enough hair for 5 people on my head.  The average person loses 80-100 hairs a day, and they don't usually come out until you shower or brush.  Since I have TONS of hair and don't shower or brush daily (you curly haired girls know what I mean), I loose about 30 million hairs every time I shower.  

Because of that sad dilemma, we always have a bottle of hardcore Drano around.  Thank goodness.

Letting my husband help.  I am pretty particular about the way that I like things done and cleaned and organized.  However, I sometimes get just too busy.  Last night, Billy told me to go upstairs and shower and he would clean the downstairs.  I didn't want to watch him do it (he didn't want me to watch him, either), so I followed instructions.  I'm sitting downstairs now, and it doesn't look half bad.  In fact, it looks great.  I should let him help more often.

What do you do to relax/pamper?  I can use more ideas, now that I'm on a roll!

Look forward to an interview post with my weekly favorite coming up!  Check her out from my sidebar!

Anywhere But Here

Today, instead of work and paper writing, I'd like to be here:

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With this guy:

Since I'm stuck in my real life today, I'll make the best of it by donning one of these:

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And, maybe, I'll rope that cute guy into going here this afternoon while I write my much-procrastinated paper:

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However, if I make that wonderful hubby of mine go somewhere, he will probably make me listen to Christmas music, which I don't count as ok until post-Thanksgiving.  He's so cute though, that I'll probably let him get away with it.

Linking up today to Carissa's Miscellany Monday!  Three cheers for randomness and dreaming!

Like a Chicken.

1. You know these two expressions:

"Running around Like a Chicken with your head cut off," &

"My brain is fried Like a Chicken,"...

Well, they suit me lately.  However, as odd as it may be, I am liking the busyness.  It gives me a sense of purpose.  It's as if crazy kind of suits me.

2. I got a new planner to help me organize all of my crazy chickenness.  

Don't you just love it?  I do.  Being organized is my only way to survive my multi-tasking, 50-thoughts-at-a-time mind.

3. Busyness = less frequent blogging.  I'm sorry.  Please pray for me though as we get ready for our move this weekend.  I will be posting pictures next week about all of the fun that moving will be.

4.  Change the World Tuesdays as a meme flopped.  I'm pretty sure that I'm not going to do that again.  However, Chloe, if you'd like to do one again, send me the link and I'll put it in my post.  Thanks for your participation last week.  

5. I'm considering going bob.  Like Heidi's:

Yes or No?

Spastic, Fidgety... and Boring

1. Real friends stay over until three o'clock in the morning and you don't even tire of them.  Billy and I had some of our favorite people over on Friday night, and we couldn't believe how late it got and we didn't even mind!  Thank God for really good, lovely friends.

2. I'm really fidgety.  I always like to be doing something with my hands (yes, like a five year old).  I hope it doesn't drive other people crazy.  I think sometimes it might make my husband think I'm a little weird, but he loves me.

3. I have a spastic style.  I show up to work one day in a skirt, blouse, heels, fixed hair, and makeup.  The next day, please don't expect this of me - I very well might not deliver.  I am likely to walk in wearing jean capris, gladiator sandals, and the first un-wrinkled shirt I could find.  And I'm lucky that day if I remember mascara.  

4. Painting my nails makes me feel weird.  I always see people with awesome colors on their pretty fingers, but I guess I just can't get used to it.  I will paint them for one day and then take it off.  I don't know how to not chip the paint - my hands are too busy (see number 2...).

If I could keep one color on them, I'd probably go with a something flesh-toned.  See how boring I am?

Maybe one day I'll get this bold:

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Or... Maybe not.

5. Tomorrow I may make Change the World Tuesday available to you all... I just haven't fully made up my mind.  I need your feedback, please?!?

Getaway

1. I'm doing a poll that I need your help with!  I might implement the meme tomorrow, maybe next week, and maybe not at all...  (IF you have Internet Explorer, you may not see the poll, which is asking about making Change the World Tuesdays into a Meme... You can let me know what you think in your comment.  Also, you should probably get Chrome or Firefox, since there are many things on Blogger that you might have issues with!)







2. Our weekend getaway was lovely!  I learned that saying "The ATL" is perfectly acceptable, but the phrase "Hotlanta" is definitely out.

The Braves lost, but there were fireworks after the game, and they were phenomenal!

Right before we saw the Swan House...

Can you see that I'm excited?!?  I almost got emotional...

Ok, so maybe I did shed one tear.  But mostly, I felt this stoked.

This is actually the back of the house!

This is the front.  And it's gorgeous!

Can you tell I'm more excited than he is?

On our way home, we drove by Aiken, where I grew up.  There are these gorgeous gardens there that I wanted to see.  They were as amazing as I remembered.

3. Do you like the border and shadow to my pictures?  Can you believe that it is in my html stylesheet, and I don't have to do anything but upload?  If you want to know how to do so, check in on Wednesday for a tutorial.  If you already have this on your blog, you could email/comment with your link so I can include your blog as an example!

4. I didn't bring any fiction books/novels on this trip because I wanted to devote my attention to my husband.  However, he even admits I'm much nicer when I'm reading consistently (of course, this applies with the Bible, but it also means just reading...period).  When I was little, I used to read the back of soap bottles in the shower, just to have something to read.  I used to try to dream up a way to read books in the shower. Still haven't figured that out... Needless to say, when we got back in town last night, I snatched up a new book.

5. You know how I said we are getting ready to move?  Well, this commercial makes me laugh until I cry because it reminds me of us when we first moved into the apartment... And, well, I'm expecting a repeat with the townhome.  Sorry, in advanced, parents, for all of our calls.

Not-So-Miscellany Monday

Disclaimer: My miscellany may not be so random this week!

1. Billy and I are in the process of moving from our apartment to a townhome!  We will actually make the move in a couple of weeks, but we can't wait!  I'll give you pictures soon!

2. I really want to make an upholstered headboard.  When I googled it (I can't believe I'm using "google" as a verb), this came up too:

(thanks, Martha Stewart)

I'm thinking I'm in love with this door-as-headboard idea!  What other makeshift-headboards do you guys have?!

3. This weekend, we went to the lake with our friends Melissa and Chad.  It was a blast! We tubed and the boys wakeboarded.  One of my favorite parts was eating watermelon in the water.  I've never eaten one in such a messy fashion.  It was so nice that it didn't matter how much juice dribbled down our chins!

The boys had a blast, of course...

We got to hang out with the cuter ones of our family:

Anna Kate & Katie

Adam (Billy is behind the float pushing him - you just can't see!)

4. I got totally sunburned again.  The most frustrating thing is that I reapplied SPF 30 3 times!  I'm on a certain pill that can make you more susceptible to sunburn, and I think that is my issue.  Once I realized how fried I was, I covered up every piece of skin possible:

5. One of the neatest thing about our day on the lake was when dusk hit.  On one island in the lake, all of these birds migrate there every evening.  Tons of boats pull up to watch because it is just so amazing!

Crazy, right?!?

Dirty hair, Dump Cake, and Granola...

1. We had a great couple over this weekend, and I made Ashley's (from 6 inches of ribbon) dump cake.  It was so good and only took three ingredients.  I felt so accomplished and our friends loved it!  I think Billy will be demanding it from here on out!

2. Almost every morning, I eat breakfast at work.  It consists of a cup of water and an Oat's & Honey bar from Nature Valley.  I don't know how nutritious this is, but to this non-breakfast-loving girl, it gets the job done.

3. I now have my Pandora set on a Kari Jobe station.  I'm now hearing a slew of breathy worship ballads that make my day just so much better (excepting the constant reminder that I will never have that voice).  I found this gorgeous song by Sarah Reeves.  Poor Billy has heard this song a good 10 times over the weekend (Sorry, Honey...)

4. When I straighten my hair, I don't wash it for about 3 days.  Sometimes 4.  For all of you straight, thin haired girls, you might think this is pretty gross.  But if you have thick, coarse, bunches of hair that could probably spread across 5 bald people, you know what I mean.  By day 3, I'm thanking my natural oils for finally kicking in and giving me shine.
If you haven't entered the Green Giveaway, make sure to do it soon!

Whirlwinds and Fruit Flies

1. Since the mission trip ended a little over a week ago, I have not felt able to catch up on rest.  I guess that's what happens when you jump right back into life.

2. When we came home from the trip, I saw a couple of fruit flies in our apartment.  We were too exhausted to check it out.  The next day, however, I noticed a ton in the kitchen.  I didn't have any fruit out, but do you know what they came from?  Potatoes!  Somehow, our week-old potatoes decided to rot (something I've never seen happen).  To rid ourselves of these pests, we bought a sticky fly-attracting thing.  It looks disgusting, but I feel victory every time I see one more fly die on that contraption.  I think we are almost out of flies.  Thank goodness.  ( I don't need to post a picture of fruit flies.  They're disgusting.)

3. Sometimes I wonder why people hang up when they call the office.  I like to imagine why they freak out when I say, "Thank you for calling ____ Church, how can I help you?"  Are they guilty?  Do they have something against churches?  Some people really do have some funny premonitions.

4. I like complete darkness when I sleep.  Before we got married, I liked to use those eye-masks when I slept.  When we got engaged, Billy told me in no uncertain terms that he did not anticipate waking up to a wife with something covering half of her face.  Especially this one from Bath and Body Works:

I guess it is just a little creepy.

5.  My friend Baillie is going to have a baby!  You all don't know her, but you might know her sister-in-law, Chelsie.  We all found out yesterday, and it is just so exciting!  Last year, Baillie, Chelsie, and I got engaged in the same weekend and all were in each other's weddings.  I can not wait to see their beautiful baby!  They'll be great parents!

(Baillie and I with our to-be husbands at our shared engagement party)

I've Missed You!

I'm linking up to the new mommy-of-two's Miscellany Monday:

1. Our Mission Trip was just wonderful.  I'll update more about it in spurts, I'm sure. And this post might be not-so-random due to all I want to share!
2. The place we stayed was just gorgeous.

3. My friend Chelsie and I became really close with these two sisters at the church we worked with.  It was such a blessing to see their dedication to their community.  I felt a partnership with them even though we came from such different backgrounds!

  4. I am always reminded of God's presence while worshiping in Mexico.  I know it is partly cultural, but the reckless abandon with which these people run into God's presence is humbling and inspiring.
5. My guest bloggers, Cole and Lauren, were amazing last week.  To read their posts: Change the World Tuesday: Feed My Starving Children & Where Would You Go to Meet God?
6. Thank you for your prayers and encouragement while we were gone.  It meant so much and I know God worked because you interceded.

Miscellany Monday & Memorial Day

1. This Memorial Day means that both Billy and I have the day off.  Which means we just woke up.  Which means the day is much shorter but also much more rested.  It also means we should all take a moment to remember the men and women in service.  They are protecting my beloved home.

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2. My design site, bon blog designs, is undergoing a makeover.  You can grab the new button, if you'd like.<center><a href=http://www.bonblogdesigns.blogspot.com/><img src="http://i46.tinypic.com/2cj8r7.png" /></a></center>
3. This weekend, my brother graduated high school.  He's so grown up!

4. The other night, I made fresh pasta (meaning I bought it fresh) and organic chicken and roasted organic asparagus.  It was so great.  I never knew the difference between fresh and dried pasta (except that it's more expensive).  I got fettuccine from Buitoni, and it was so good.  It made more than I thought it would, and the pasta has a more doughy consistency.  

5. This Saturday, we are headed to Roca Blanca, Mexico for our mission trip.  I can't wait!  I've been all over Mexico, but not here!  Sometimes, the most fun thing for me is to watch our team on the trip and how it impacts the people around me.  Certain things don't affect me as much anymore because I've seen them so many times, but it is so refreshing to see the trip grow and change people I do life with.  I can't wait.

6. Speaking of the mission trip and my 1week absence, I have a couple of guest bloggers coming your way, and they are just lovely.  It's a secret, but I know you will adore them. 

Exhausted

1. I'm absolutely exhausted. I'm not sure why that could be except that we got new bedding and a queen size mattress (we had a double, and with my 6'2" hubby, it was a bit tight).  I love sleeping in it, and I just don't want to leave the bed!  But shouldn't that make me less tired because of the great sleep?
I convinced Billy to get a Shabby Chic comforter because we found one he didn't think was too girly.  I was so excited, because, well, I adore all things Shabby Chic (the actual brand) at Target.

2. I'm thinking about eliminating single sentence sunday. What do you think?!

3. I get really giddy on rainy days.  Maybe it stems from my 4-year stay in hot, dry, Laredo, Texas, where rain was a luxury.  Maybe it's just the mood that it puts me in.  I just want to sit on my couch and read a book.

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4. I'm currently taking ideas for change the world tuesdays.  If you have something to share, email it to

sarahannsbonmot@gmail.com

5. I consider myself pretty OCD about lots of things, but lately, our little apartment has been a wreck.  Okay, so maybe not a wreck, but it's not nearly as clean as I would like.  The weird thing is, I can't get motivated to get up and get things done!  Maybe I'm just in a funk.  Maybe my ultra-relaxed man has been rubbing off on me.  Maybe I'm just really busy and should give myself a break (which is highly unlikely to happen).