Closure

First of all, WE ARE FENCED IN! YAY :) I love it and our yard looks 100% better! Although I do understood that oranges on the ground, an old hose, and dead grass do not exemplify beauty to all of you, not having to look into my neighbor's window is beauty to ME!

We are getting ready for that puppy, you know...



And, for all of you who wanted a whole-room view of the curtains, etc. here you go! It is a smaller room and I was standing in the attached dining room when taking this picture.

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Nana's Long-Awaited Curtains

I am SO excited to share with you the beautiful curtains that Danny's Nana made for us for our Christmas present. I bought the fabric and she put in almost 30 hours of labor! They turned out not only EXACTLY how I had imagined, but better!

Here is Nana putting on the final touches...



Helpers getting it in place.




YAY!

This really doesn't do it justice, we are so happy with the color...I mean it was just so STARK before, very bare. We are glad to have the space filled.



A close up of the colors...the "bells are a chenille dot material and the
"swags" are a pretty paisley. It all goes so well with the rest of our home!

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Giveaway Winner!!

The winner is...Charon from Surrounded by Boys!

Congrats Charon--email me at julianne.hendrickson@gmail.com with your information!

I really enjoyed doing this and hope to do another soon. Have a great Monday!

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Gasparilla, a Tampa tradition

Here in Tampa we have what we like to call "Gasparilla". Gasparilla is a huge event, somewhat like Mardi Gras. There are children's parades and adult parades. The adult parade is Friday the 30th and all January everyone decorates their homes to celebrate the upcoming event.

All day Saturday floats will go up and down the Bayshore, the road that is along the Tampa Bay, and throw beads and other fun objects to the crowd. It is a REALLY fun day. We have been a few times, but this is the first year we have our own home to deocorate!

Did I pass up at the chance? NO!

Here is our mailbox accessory--I love it...perfectly placed.



Here is my wreath. Many people buy professionally made wreaths for their front door for between $150-300. They are GORGEOUS and so much fun, but I just couldn't do it, for obvious reasons.

So, I took our "christmas" wreath and stuck black and white feathers in it, and lots of fun beads and pirate heads. I love it! All for $7! This wreath will also be redone for Valentine's Day!




Here is our flag. I promise, everyone has one. We are not crazy! The skull and crossbones is a type of "decor" used for Gasparilla, along with pirates and "booty" and beads and feathers.



We have friends coming into town to celebrate with us and enjoy the day! Hope you enjoyed a little Tampa tradition.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway, it ends on Sunday!

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Patio Beginnings!

I am a very decisive person...some may say I am "impulsive" but I like to use the word, decisive. So decisive it is...say decisive three times fast, phew I sure can't do it. It took me all of 10 minutes to pick this color out from ALL 30 choices...I am just that type of person...most of the time I am happy once it is all over, I just hate making the decision. It didn't help that I had to make it alone. The hubs is the indecisive one, so the two of us together on something like this could have been lethal.

Anyways, we are on the road to a brand new patio! YAY. The "patio man" will be installing mid February (our valentine's gift to each other) after ordering all our brick pavers.




The outcome will look similar to these, but with a cobblestone design instead.



We are so excited!! The "fence man" comes today. I am awaiting his arrival currently. I learned a lot from the "patio man" on how to get a deal...I will be trying my new tricks on the "fence man." You know, in this economy you would think people would be trying to do things at a better price than usual...maybe it is just because we look young and inexperienced, but give me a break! I can tell when you are trying to scam me...and I WON'T stand for it!

OK, most of that is a lie. I get whooped by these "men" and normally end up saying OK to prices I do not agree with, until my beloved husband steps in and takes control...phew, thank goodness for him!

Don't forget to enter my giveaway here!

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100th post GIVEAWAY!!

Thanks you to everyone who reads my blog, whether you have commented once, never, or a million times. I am so excited to be doing my FIRST giveaway, and to be writing my 100th post! I can't believe some of you actually read about my life...thank you for making my days better with your sweet comments!

I thank those of you who have been with me "from the beginning" (hehe). You watched me grow in my marriage and go through serious struggles in the last year.

I thank those of you who recently started following and have become fun bloggers to get to know.

Finally, I thank my friends who are "lurking" out there and rarely comment, but always mention the blog when we talk :)

So here we go...my first giveaway!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

Here is your special care package all done up.




Let's check out what's inside...

4 adorable napkin/coasters with red dot border
6 red and white dishcloths
2 candles, one red, one white
Pomegranate sachet



A closer look



Here are the rules:

Please leave your email in at least one of your comment entries!

1. Follow me! Leave me a comment to let me know you follow this blog for 1 entry.
2. Comment on this post to receive 1 entry (Just for fun, tell me how you feel about vday--like or dislike?)
2. Blog about it and link up to this post for a 3rd entry.


Giveaway will end on EDIT: SUNDAY the 24th of January at 11:59PM and winner will be announced MONDAY January 25th! Just in time for you to get to use all these fun items!

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Haiti Outreach

I know so many of us are feeling the desire to help in some way with disaster relief in Haiti. A friend of mine has close friends that are working as missionaries at an orphanage in Haiti. They have a blog where you can read all about their adventures:

http://jayanddiana.weebly.com/

This is the organization that was started to help orphaned and needy children in Haiti:

http://www.lespwaworldwide.com/lespwaworldwide/

There is a button on that last website to donate, it doesn't even have to be much. Let's all thank God for all fortunate we are and pray for continued aid for Haiti and all those who live there.

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Puppy Love

So the hubs and I have been talking a lot about a puppy lately. We decided on a breed and me, being the impulsive person I am, decided NOW was a good time to start looking.

Well, I found a GREAT breeder, right around the corner, and guess what ya'll, she has 7 puppies right now!! 7!! And 6 are the tri-color we like :) Oh man, they will be ready for Valentine's Day--is your facial expression just full of love and shock right now! MINE IS!

Look at these cute babies...




Not the color, but just way too cute not to show...



And the most perfect baby..ever...



My only hesitation is that we both work and it worries me to leave him alone right off the bat. What do you think? Anyone gotten a puppy while they were working? I mean, people do it, I am sure! Right???

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Pride Comes Before the Fall...

My New Year's Resolution is to get up at least 15 minutes before I normally do and have a quiet time with the Lord. I have been skipping around the Bible and become absolutely amazed by God. It seems the perfect passage comes at the most perfect moment. Funny how that happens, don't you think? I started reading some in Psalms, because they are just so beautiful, and at 6:05 AM was thrilled to read, "Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul". Psalms 143:8.

This has been one that I have been so touched by. Knowing that each morning I can come to Him and start over, allowing Him to take full control of my life. Letting go over control is definitely my biggest issue. I enjoy being in control, but let me tell you just how incredibly freeing it is to NOT be in control, but to let God do all the "work".

I have to admit it is so easy to pray for help and then forget to praise for the help that was granted. It is almost like I expect for my prayers to be granted and when they aren't I continue to pray wondering why they weren't. But when they are granted, I forget that God was responsible for the praise-worthy help.

Finally, one last thing to admit. "Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall"- Proverbs 16:17-18. I had just had friends over, including Danny's family, and they were all so impressed by all of the beautiful plants I have outside my front door on the patio. Everyone oohed and ahhed and I just smiled and acted like it was "no big thing"! Well, these beautiful hydrangea were my last big prideful moment...








They are gorgeous, don't you think? But, as ya'll have heard, Florida has seen quite a bit of hairy weather this past week. It has dropped into the 20s! Well, silly me though my plants were free from death and didn't tend to them in the cold. They look so miserable, I won't pain you with pictures.

The day I come home to DEAD, I'm talking DEAD plants we find out we are hosting a Young Professionals dinner at our house at the end of the month for all the 20 somethings at our church. Needless to say, I learned a small lesson with big meaning this past week. Things can change so quickly: weather, self-certainty, and humility.

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Time for a Change...

New year, new template!! Hope you all like it...this is my 96th post, and for my 100th post I will be doing a GIVEAWAY!! It is the FIRST giveaway I have ever done and I am very excited to be celebrating my 100th post. Become a follower so you can join in the fun!

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Renovations 2010!

We have two big renovations we are really excited about this year! The kitchen has been one that we were originally going to do this Spring, but once we started looking at all the options I became quickly overwhelmed and decided that we could do lots of other less daunting projects before we do the kitchen. I think 2010 will END with a complete gut of our kitchen! So exciting, and scary, all at once...




Like I've noted before, our kitchen oven does not work, so we have a over-sized toaster oven that works fine for the two of us for now. Our stove works, 3 of the 4 burners, so I think that is just fine. We bought a new fridge and have a microwave. What more could one ask for? I know! I know! Pick me! Pick me!!

ANYWAYS...

The project I am really excited about is our new backyard. We are going to install (ahem have the hired contractors install) a paver patio with space to lay out on a warm sunny day and grill out on a warm summer night. We are also going to put up a nice tall privay fence. No more looking in on our neighbors eating breakfast early in the morning or late at night...phew. I've had ENOUGH of that! How dare they eat breakfast in their own dining room!

We are also going to landscape (new sod, flower beds, etc) in both the back and front yards.

We plan to do the fence and patio this month and next month and then all the planting late April. We are so excited! Can't wait for you all to see!

Here is the beautiful before...




This is what I would love to be the after:


This first one is a dream...I could never keep all those beautiful plants alive...




This is the most realistic of the bunch...



And again, someday we will live on a lake...but other than that, love that patio.



We'll keep you updated on our progress!

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Couponers MUST-HAVE

I Heart Publix is my FAVORITE site, since that is where I get most of my "deal" ideas. I have done great this week, spending around $5 and saving $35!!

I bought mostly vitamins, Benevia fruit juices, and essentials for the house. Anyways, she came out with a new spreadsheet where you can punch in everything you are going to buy that week and it calculates it out for you (with coupons included). That way, when you go to the store you know what you need, and from what section to get it from, and how much that item will cost you after coupon.

Check it out here :)

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Super Mario Brothers & Marriage...

So we got this new game for Christmas from my brother. Seriously, we were thrilled. Who doesn't remember playing this as a child? I played it on the original Nintendo system with my brother and it consumed us for long periods of time...I am sure my mom was thrilled to pieces for some time to herself.

Well, I had forgotten that you play with your partner at the same time. For instance, Mario and Luigi play the same level at the same time...they are supposed to be "team players". I guess my husband and I aren't "team players" because here as some of the phrases that have been known to come out of our mouths while playing...

Counting down the top 3:

3. Hey! You're on my head, get off me!

2. Not fair! You were already big, I want to be big too!

1. Oh, thank you for killing me...if you had just been patient I wouldn't have died.

We have been known to stop playing and walk off into different rooms of the house, not speaking to one another for the next 45 minutes.

Not to mention that I find myself wondering if I really did just hear the sound of a coin, even when the game is off.

I'm telling you, even the strongest of marriages will waiver in the sight of Super Mario Brothers...dare you to differ!

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New Year's Dinner, thank you Pioneer Woman!

I channeled Ree, the Pioneer Woman, on New YEars Eve and made a delicious feast for the hubs and I. I will include all the recipes...NOTHING was bad, in fact it was all INCREDIBLE!

We started with Mushrooms Stuffed with Brie which were delicious and so very easy.



Then, I whipped up, ahem defrosted, my mom's sweet potatoes from Christmas :) YUM!



Here is Ree's famous Cesar Salad.



It required anchovies which were very gross and smelled like cat food...




Which is why this "rat" decided to join me.



We ended up with this yummy assortment! I was very pleased with myself, obviously.

We had steaks as our main course and I always make a topping for them...here is the recipe:

Equal amounts of (all room temp):

Crumbled Blue Cheese
Butter
Onion and Chive Cream Cheese

Mix them up by hand and plop on top!




At midnight, we walked down to Bayshore which is Tampa's Bay and watched the fireworks. It was very pretty.






Happy New Year!!

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