A list of all sorts

Completely random list of things I'm thinking of... 3,2,1, go!

1. Not sure if I have written about it before or not, but I have been reading a devotional called "Jesus Calling".  These daily devos are perfect because they are concise, but gives a punch and gets you thinking. If you are looking for a simple devotional book that has a lot of good information and is encouraging, I definitely recommend it. You can find it here.

2. I am so over snow.... it has finally started melting and Spring is in 17 days, but it's supposed to snow again tomorrow night, booo!!

3. I have definitely enjoyed being able to watch my siblings in their sports, from football, to basketball and cheerleading... now baseball and softball are just around the corner, can't wait!

4. I've been thinking about opening an ETSY shop for my vinyl personalized products, but I'm not sure if I want to or not yet for a couple of reasons. First, I don't know if I'd have any response, and second, I don't want crafting to become a job instead of a hobby.  Thoughts?

5. God's timing is always perfect, even when we don't understand it.

6. I am still loving my Fitbit!  If you have one and want to become friends you can add me abriffe@gmail.com

7. I am also loving Scandal on Netflix, anybody else?

8. Teaching 4 year olds at church is one highlight of every week- they soak everything in like a sponge... and I get compliments like "Ms. Brooke, your shoes are BEAUTIFUL!!"

9. Driving an hour to and from work has it's pros and cons.  Some days it's not bad, while other days I just want to be off the road and at home.  I do enjoy the extra praise and prayer time I have on the road, though. 

10.  This month, we have planned a parents night out at church, and Preston and I will be keeping ALL of the kids- was I crazy for planning this?  Any fun ideas for occupying kids of all ages are welcome!

11. Eating healthier is becoming easier, but ice cream is definitely my weakness. If it's offered, I cave almost every time.

12. Zumba has definitely become my "escape".  60 minutes to get away from everything else, burn some calories, and have fun while doing it- fantastic! 

13. Speaking of exercise, I'm contemplating attempting a 5k in April.

Okay, if you made it through the pointlessness of this post, kudos to you. Now I'm off to continue working for the day... and then it's straight to Zumba! Have a happy Tuesday!

Finally Friday!

Finally, we've made it to Friday! This week has taken forever to get through... but finally the weekend is almost here.  I'm ready to dump some random thoughts:

1. We have  a new member of our family- meet Niko (pronounced nee-ko).  Niko was a surprise this past weekend. Niko is a Maine Coon cat (who will grow to be very large).  My aunt breeds cats and we thought we would be able to get one this summer, but it happened a little sooner.  This is the friendliest cat I've ever seen.  He has done very well adjusting and surprisingly Chloe dog hasn't seemed to mind too much.

2. Of course I can't mention the cat without mentioning the dog... our dog Chloe has cataracts causing her to be mostly blind.  She still has some vision, however from our walk this past Sunday, it was evident that her sight has gotten worse. 

3. I'm ready for Spring... who's with me?  Flip flops, flower beds, and warmer weather- I'm ready to see you again!

4. We already have our vacation rental for this Summer booked and I cannot wait to be back in the Outerbanks!  When I'm on vacation, I like for things to be low key and not a rush. Since the OBX isn't very commercial, it gives us just what we need for vacation- relaxation.

5. I'm excited to say that I have met my January goal for weight loss- trying to lose at least 5 pounds a month... that'd be 30 pounds before our beach trip!

6. I have been going to Zumba a few times a week.  When I am exercising, the most annoying thing is my pants sliding down and having to keep pulling them up.  Well, last night I wore a new pair that I had ordered from Kohls and they were fantastic! I didn't pull at them one time, making it a better hour of exercise because I wasn't worried about my pants.  Only problem is now I want a pair in every color! You can find these capris here.  They do run a little big so I ordered a size down and they were perfect. 

Okay, that's all I've got today.... time to finish out the work week before heading to Brinley's cheer competition this weekend!



(I did not receive any compensation from Kohls or Fila for mentioning the workout capris, all thoughts and opinions are my own, just wanted to share!)

Random thoughts

I've been wanting to blog... honestly, I have. I haven't really known what to write about though. Nothing really came to mind and I don't want to blog because I feel like I have to do it. There have been lots of thoughts floating around in my mind lately- here's what's been going on.

1. I am really looking forward to closing on our house so that all of this "stuff" will be taken care of and we will be past it.
2. By "stuff" I mean the emails and phone calls from the bank, building delays, stress...
3. Today is the first day of fall. I love Fall.. but all of my cardigans are still in storage until we move, hoping to hold out a little while longer!
4. We had a good weekend and ended it watching the movie "Endless Love" last night. By the title, we weren't sure if we were going to like it.... and I didn't like it, I loved it! If you haven't watched it, you should!
5. We are participating in trunk or treat at our church and can't decide what we want to dress up as... and I need to decide so I can get to making or ordering costumes!
6. God's timing is perfect, I keep reminding myself of that.
7. Student loans stink.
8. We're still trying to find a good routine for us since we have moved, and that hasn't really happened yet. I think we'll be more "in the groove" once we are in our house.
9. I'm trying to be ahead in work so that whenever I have to take off to close on the house it won't be a big deal, with that being said, I worked extra 4/5 days last week and will be doing it again today. Even if we don't close in the next week and a half, I think I may take a day off anyways. Still undecided.
10. I love my husband!

And there you have it, a re-cap of what's been going on with me in a 10 bullet point post.

Hello, Fall!

Friends, I've realized Summer is coming to an end- how is it already almost the middle of September? We've been pretty busy these days, and I'm sure that has passed time quickly, but wow, this year is moving! Think about it... only 106 days until Christmas!

Are you ready for fall? I can't say that I'm going to complain about cooler temperatures, beautiful leaves, and pumpkin everything, but I will hold out wearing flip flops as long as possible! Here are a few things I am hoping to do this Fall season...

1. Make another Fall wreath. I love making wreaths, and my Fall wreath that I currently have has been my favorite of all the ones that I have made, you can check it out here.

2. Carve a pumpkin with Preston and siblings- need I say more?

3. Decorate our new house with Fall Decor! We should be moving in sometime this month or very beginning of October, I love fall decorations, how perfect for the first season to decorate our new home?! Can't wait to scatter my pumpkins, leaves, scarecrows throughout the house.

4. Enjoy my first pumpkin spice cappuccino from Speedway ASAP. A friend introduced these to me in high school and I have loved them ever since.

5. Decorate my office w/ Fall decorations that have been in my filing cabinet since last year.

6. Hopefully have friends from NC and WV over for a Friday night.

7. Enjoy Thanksgiving with family.

8. Maybe take some family pictures outside when the leaves change... maybe.

9. Participate in Trunk-or-Treat at our church.

10. Relax a little- Summer is super busy!

Anything on your agenda for Fall?

Cha Cha Cha Chaaanges

At the beginning of the month, I had thought about 5 major things that are happening this month and things that we needed to do. It's almost the middle of the month and 3 of those 5 things have already been done. We've packed our stuff and we moved to Kentucky this past Saturday. It was tiring, but I'm glad we have everything boxed up and in the storage unit until our house is finished.

Speaking of the house, we meet with the builder this week to pick finishings. We had already chosen our cabinets, but now they are discontinued so we are back to the drawing board with that. We also picked our paint colors this week. I can't wait to see if finished and fast forward to when everything is unpacked and put away in it's proper place!

This past Sunday was our first Sunday at our new church. It went great, everyone was so welcoming! We are very excited to be involved there. One of my favorite things about church was the message on Sunday evening. I was reminded that work and my career are not everything. Of course, I know this, but it's always nice to have the reminder. My job is not who I am but what I do. "You don't have a job when you come into the world, and you don't have a job leaving the world, so you can't put all your eggs in that basket."

Chloe girl is adjusting to the move, however she's had a hard time. She does NOT like the stairs at my parents' house and I hope it's not a preview of how she will be with our stairs in our new house. I think she's just having to get use to them again, we've been in a 1 story for a while.

It seems like there are big changes for lots of people lately. Moving, changing jobs, expecting a baby, change in relationships, etc. One thing that is amazing to me is that God already knows what's going to happen and it's in His perfect plan- trusting Him.

Thoughts for August

It's Friday, and I'm having my lunch break at work, which means just half a day to go until the weekend! I have been thinking about some things we need to get done/ will be doing in the month of August, and honestly, there is a LOT! So, time to try to organize all of these things a little bit.

1. The huge thing we'll be doing this month is moving to Kentucky. However, since our house is not complete yet, we will be staying with my parents until then. My parents have a spare room that we are able to stay in, but before then, we need to get it ready. My mom would like the carpets shampooed and the walls the be repainted, and I'm all for that, but before we can do that, the things in it have to go out. So, today on the first day of August, we are doing just that. Also with moving, we've got to pack everything.

2. Packing is such a large task, I think that it needs a bullet point to itself. So far, we've got our spare bathroom, half the kitchen, and the dining room packed... but the list of what we still have to do is endless. Since we are only staying with my parents for a short time, we plan on just using our large suitcases for our casual clothes and then hanging our work clothes, so that will be easy. Hopefully tomorrow morning I will get the blankets and candles that are in one of our closets boxed up. Preston is off this next week so that will be helpful in getting a lot of it done. I'm trying to figure out a way to take a day off just for packing, but I've got lots of appointments next week so I don't know if that is do-able.

3. Start ministry at our new church. Preston's official first day is August 10th, however we are going to meet up with some of the youth group and sponsors tomorrow. Also, next weekend they are having a church picnic they have invited us to so we are hoping to go to that. We are very excited to get started at this church- good things are coming, I can feel it.

4. We need to officially buy our house! Our offer has been accepted and the contract has been signed, so now we are going through the other steps working towards closing. We were shooting for closing some time in the last week of August, however it's likely to be middle of September. But I am hopeful, so that is why it's still listed in my August thoughts. And if we don't actually close this month, we'll still be doing several things to contribute to closing.

5. Speaking of our new house, this month we will meet with the builder to pick out the finishings. I'm excited about being able to pick and choose what kind of things are going into our house and I cannot wait to see the final outcome! Also excited to see the drive way cement, it is gravels right now.

Well, I only did 5 things, but I feel that those 5 things to do this month are pretty huge.... crazy to know that by the end of next month we'll be in our new house!! Wooo!

Life Lately....

Hello friends!  What... a post finally not about the weekend, I know, shocking!  I just haven't had a whole lot to write about, but then I had the idea of just writing about what's been going on in my life lately, well, what's been going on besides work that is, because I'm not writing about that!

Lately I've been Reading: The most recent thing I have read was Psalm 139, during a short devo this morning.  I love this chapter and it's meaning, so grateful God created me and I have a purpose!

Via

Lately I've been watching: I haven't ever been hooked to a singing show on t.v., but this season we've been following along with The Voice and I have really liked it... I like the fact that people are chosen based on their voice at the beginning of the show and not their appearance, and these coaches can be pretty funny.  I've also been watching Netflix some, we find the show Baby Daddy to be funny.  Can't wait for Parenthood to be back on Amazon prime!

Lately I've been listening to: Currently in my office at work I have Casting Crowns Thrive cd in my cd player... I really like the lyrics from the song Thrive..."Joy unspeakable, faith unsinkable, love unstoppable, anything is possible!"

Lately I've been wanting: New spring/summer tops... especially ones for work.  I've also been wanting to plant annuals, but I am planning on doing that in a couple of weeks.

Lately I've been loving: The warm and sunny weather!  It is so nice to not have to wear jackets, however I do continue to wear cardigans... they are acceptable year round in my book.  Also loving OPI Charged up cherry nail polish, I had this color once when I had a manicure and loved it, so now I enjoy having it on hand at home, it's currently the color of my toes.



via


Lately I've been wishing: That weekends lasted longer, but I'm sure just about everyone wishes that.  Before I had a Monday-Friday job, weekends were just like any other day consisting of work shifts and homework/studying, but now that I have a "big girl job" I looove my weekends.  I've also been wishing that we had planned a vacation for this Summer, but we are planning to stay home.  I am looking forward to our camping weekend and Preston's graduation next weekend, though!

Lately I've been eating: Our menu for this week has been sausage/cream cheese croissants, chicken, grilled salmon and veggies, stuffed shells and salad, and chicken sandwhiches. 

Hope you enjoyed some pointless information about me... it's almost the weekend! Now tell me, what's life like lately for you?

Midweek Ramblings: It's Spring!

Wednesday is here... Spring is here... and I am loving both! You see, Wednesday and Friday at work at casual days and it just makes it much easier getting to wear jeans rather than dress slacks. I'm sure once the warm weather is here to stay, skirts and dresses will be enjoyable, but for today, my jeans have made me happy. Anyways, if you can't already tell, this is kind of a random post with a bunch of thoughts, sooo... why not use bullets? Sounds like a great idea to me!

* It is supposed to be 75* here today, which is glorious.. absolutely looking forward to it, especially since I worked late yesterday when it was nice.

*Speaking of the weather, it seems that Spring has finally came. Warmer weather and thunder storms in the forecast... sounds like Spring to me.

* What I'm loving about Spring right now is flowers. If you follow me on IG, you may have seen my pictures of our flowers blooming, I may be overly excited, but you guys, I usually kill plants so to see my bulbs coming up is awesome to me! I'm definitely hooked! I love seeing the different colors by our walk way.

*I'm wanting to do a craft, I am thinking maybe a burlap wreath and painting numbers for the front of our house.. maybe. Have you done a Spring craft, suggestions are welcomed.

*I have on a pair of new Reef flip flops today, can someone tell me why the shoe store put the sticky price label right where my heel goes so that the adhesive sticks to me?

*We are starting a new thing for church on Sunday with the kiddos and I am looking forward to it, I really think it will be great.

*I'm ready for a mini vacation away, problem is we don't have time right now. So, that's on hold.

*I've done good sticking to my workout plan this week, working on getting the next 10 pounds off...when I do, I'm rewarding myself with new shoes, so lose lose lose! Ha, that rhymed.

*Speaking of working out, I've entertained the idea of trying to start running.. maybe, I can't really believe I just said that. I'm not a runner, never have been, but I know it is good for your body and I've seen the difference it can make in several people.... so for you runners out there, any tips to help me get started?

Okay, now that I've got some of these random thoughts out of my head, maybe I can focus a little more. That's enough from me for now, what are you guys thinking lately?

Midweek Ramblings

Happy Wednesday, we're half way through the work week, people! I don't have really anything specific to write about, but have different things bouncing around in my head, thus the need for a random rambling post.

This week I worked late (7:00pm) Monday and Tuesday. I normally work late Tuesdays and due to just needing to get things done on Monday, it called for a late night, too. I came in early yesterday, so I am exicted that I get to leave on time today. I've been tired from working this week.

Also, I am thankful to have a husband that helps me with house work, dinner, etc. Since I've been working extra this week, Preston has the laundry caught up and made a delicious dinner that was ready at just the perfect time last night, thank you!

This weekend we are going to WV for a funeral... I hate the circumstances, but I am glad we can see people we haven't seen in a while as we honor the life of Craig. Please pray for the McGlothlin family in their time of loss.

It's snowing again today. Since we had weather in the high 60s this past weekend, I thought we might be over the cold... I'm ready for flip flops, grilling, and spending time outside!

I'm looking forward to the time changing so that daylight is longer and there is more time for evening walks!

This week I have a hair appointment, I'm getting colors I haven't gotten before, so I'm hoping it turns out well! I get bored with my hair, so time for a change. Anyone else like that? I thought about getting it cut, but I'm just going to have a trim.

I was looking at the calendar yesterday and realized that in just 3 months, Preston and I will have been married 3 years! 3 years?! How has it already went that fast? It sure doesn't seem like it.

Today is my mom's birthday, Happy Birthday, Mom!

The Bath and Body Works fresh picked hard working hand and body cream is amazing. I keep it by my desk at work and it works wonders, no dry hands for this girl!

I hope everyone is having a great week, any exciting weekend plans coming up?

Always, Sometimes, Never

I've seen always, sometimes, never posts floating around blogs lately and decided I would join in on the fun.

I always wear earrings.
I always have a car jar/ air freshener in my car.
I always change clothes right after I get home from work.
I always treat Chloe girl when she comes inside.
I always remove makeup/wash face, brush teeth before bed.

I sometimes wear shoes other than flats, but its rare.
I sometimes paint my nails weekly.
I sometimes get bored with my hair/hair style.
I sometimes take my vitamins, working on making it always.
I sometimes intentionally leave my purse at home.

I never go to work without my planner.
I never leave my car running while I pump gas.
I never separate laundry. Weird, I know.
I never don't have chapstick.
I never eat mushrooms... or olives..or avocado

And there you have it, 15 random facts about me... soo, your turn, always, sometimes never?!

The Power of a Post-it

Post-it notes... nothing special, right? Wrong. Post-its are a part of my every day life, I use them constantly at work and actually have a nice little system for Post-its. Why am I writing about it though? Because this morning, a Post-it was pretty powerful.

I got ready, got in my car, and found a Post-it note from Preston on my speedomter. Just a simple note, but at the perfect time it meant so much more than a few words on paper stuck to my car. That little Post-it was a reminder, and a reminder I'm holding onto for a while. I decided to write a Post-it in exchange. Sure, it's a 3x3 sticky paper for notes, but when giving it to someone who matters, it goes a long way. To me, it means Preston was thinking about me and my day, so much show that showed effort and wanted me to know... it was encouraging.

So here's the challenge, leave a Post-it note for someone you care about... those few words on that sticky could mean more than you'll even know, and if you have something to say to someone, why not Post-it?

Deer and Dog

It's Wednesday, we're half way through the week, people! Not only is it hump day, it's snow day... so I am home today with Chloe girl.  The morning has started slowly and I think the rest of today will include cleaning our house, repainting my nails, and then going to church this evening.  That's one great thing unexpected days off, you can kind of do what you want because you weren't supposed to have it off...well, that's how I look at it anyways.
It started snowing yesterday afternoon and didn't stop until night.  I got home from work, parked at the bottom of our hill, and walked up (in flats, again).  We spent the evening in and didn't do a whole lot.  We saw a few deer outside and then after getting a picture I decided to take a few pictures of Chloe, I just love her!
Also, I got my SLR camera last year, but if anyone has any good tips on how to use which setting for what, it'd be appreciated!

 

Excuse my tshirt and robe :)

"Seriously, mom... no more pictures!"

5,4,3,2,1....

Hello again, we're half way through the week! I am not sure if you have seen the 5,4,3,2,1 blog posts that have been out in the blog land lately, but I have and I decided to join in on the posting fun, so without further adieu...

5 things that I am looking foward to:
1. Getting my hair trimmed and colored this Saturday. My appointment was scheduled for a few weeks ago, but I had to reschedule so I am really looking forward to it (I'm sure all the people that have seen my roots are glad that I am going, too).
2. Game night on Friday.. some of our close friends are coming over for dinner and then we are playing some games. It is always a fun time with lots of laughter, the perfect way to end the work week!
3. In a couple of weekends, Preston and I are going to Pigeon Forge, TN with a couple of our friends. We are really looking forward to it because we haven't seen them in a while. Within this trip I am also looking forward to seeing the Dixie Stampede Christmas show and doing a little Christmas shopping at the outlet mall.
4. As you have read about it before, I am excited that Preston and I are making our flower box/bed. We started cutting the boards and building it last night, I can't wait to see the finished product, but more than that, I can't wait to see it filled with colorful blooms in front of our house in the Spring!
5. Call me crazy, but I'm one of those Black Friday shoppers that plans the trip and doesn't even sleep that night. I am excited that it's almost here and I've started receiving sale ads in my email inbox. I always look forward to this day, not only for the good deals, but because it is a tradition I share with my Mama!

4 things that you might not know about me:
1. I am a social worker and I love working in the helping profession, unlike the stereotype placed on social workers, I an not a "baby snatcher" or someone who just takes children away from their parents.
2. I fell off a 10 foot high dive onto concrete when I was 9 years old.
3. I love cruise vacations... seriously guys, I love them!
4. I hate hate hate tomatoes.

3 television shows that I love:
1.I know it's not actually a show title, but most anything on HGTV.
2. Duck Dynasty, Jack!
3. Now I'm trying to think of something I watched last night because I don't watch a ton of t.v., all I can think of is wheel of fortune, I wouldn't say I love it, though.

2 things that frustrate me:
1. The stereotype of my job profession that I mentioned before.
2. Poor customer service... ohhhh, don't even get me started!

1 of my favorite words
1. Not that it's a favorite, but the word flabbergasted just makes me laugh!

And there you have it, a whole bunch of pointless things that you probably didn't care to know about me... oh well, hope you enjoyed it anyways! Have a great rest of the week!!

Random Ramblings...

I’ve been having a lot of random thoughts, some that are probably pointless… but I’m sharing them with you!
•I need to get my nails filled in
•I am looking forward to my hair appointment in 2 weeks
•I’m also looking forward to my Thirty-One party in 2 weeks (you can order, just ask how!)
•I am enjoying living in our new town, but I do miss some of the amenities/places that were close to us before..but we LOVE having friends nearby
•I can’t wait for football season to start, we live closer to my family now so we will be planning to watch my younger brothers play football, and of course watch my sister cheering on the sideline
•Getting closer to fall means that it’s about time for apple cider…. And I can finally pull out my fall wreath and decorate my house with all things fall
•I am liking my new job, I feel like I’m in the groove of things now
•I am excited that Chloe liked her new dog toy, a stuffed chicken

•I’m wanting to try a new recipe next week, you should share one with me!
•I’m looking forward to Christmas decorating and baking
•I’m kind of bummed that we don’t live in a place to get many trick-or-treaters on Halloween
•I need to wash my vehicle
•I’m thankful for weekends, only one more workday this week!
•I haven’t been very crafty lately and I miss it, time for a project!
•I HATE the lack of cell phone signal in my office
•I want to buy a few new shirts for Fall
•I’ve recently became a fan of Zulily
What are your random thoughts today?