how awesome is this?

I LOVE this cake...what's not to love? cake AND musicals! LOVE IT!

google reader

Hello. My name is Emily and I'm obsessed with google reader.

It's a bit out of control.

If you don't know what it is, google reader is a place where you bookmark all the blogs you want to read and it automatically updates it for you when there is a new post to one of your blogs. I currently have 86 blogs on my reader. I've got everything from friends, to cooks, to decorators, to party planners, paper companies, photographers, crafty moms...you name it. It's a bit out of control.

It's amazing to me how technology has opened up this door of sharing and learning...encouraging, creating, and giving. I read a lot of blogs who's author I have never met and probably won't ever meet. It's fascinating to me. that is all.

gettin' dirty

I love josh's back yard deck area! it's no Merryman back yard escape...but we are getting there. You should all come over sometime. Josh will grill you dinner!

ready to plant

I'm sure I've probably helped my mom plant flowers before (she loves her some gardening) but I don't remember a time. Sorry mom if I've forgotten. So when Josh asked me to help him plant some stuff around his yard I was super excited!

Josh had gotten a groupon for Bate's Nursery so he bought an azalea bush and some daises to plant (the daisies for me of course!...they are just the happiest...or friendliest...lele?)


Then we went to target and got some seeds to plant around the mailbox. We'll see which ones actually turn up.


check back tomorrow with pictures from how it all went down...

a card

so...I like to make cards for people. Yes, I work at Hallmark. No, I don't buy their cards. I know it's ironic.

I've been really challenged lately to broaden my card making tools. What started out with contruction paper, crayola markers, and tape in high school...has now turned into card stock, patterned paper, glue dots, ribbon, stamps, embossing, and possibly buying a cricut (is it worth it?!).

So, I'm taking a risk and posting my first card. It's not awesome, but it's a start. I'm proud of it and hopefully will one day be able to participate in challenges like this really fun one and get more involved in the card making circle.

Courtney is a WONDERFULLY talented card maker/designer/scrapbooker/all things crafty person! She is so encouraging and her videos are great! Here is the video where I learned the ribbon technique I used on this card. Thanks Courtney!

mystery flower

Does anyone know what kind of flower this is? I have seen it EVERYWHERE (in blog land at least) but no one says what they are called.

Mule Day 2010

Who doesn't love a good small town festival?! Seriously. I had never been to Mule Day in Columbia, TN so Josh and I figured this was the perfect event to kick off the festival season.

naturally...baby mules.

some of the "arts and crafts" at the festival.

we got some "dinner" while we sat down to watch them show their mules...

how cute is this little cowboy?!

next up...mule pull! poor mules. I would hate my life. When we saw them 2 mules were pulling 1600 pounds. By saturday, they got up to 3200. dang!

this way my favorite part of the night. dessert.

a slice of cheesecake factory cheesecake. on a stick. dipped in chocolate. HEAVEN!

break time

10:00 and 3:00.

Everyday at these time the ladies at my office take "15" minute breaks. Used to, they would grab their snacks and sit in the kitchen and chat for a few minutes. I would never join them. Not that I didn't want to to talk, I just never did.

until...

Last spring Cheryl introduced everyone to this gem of a game. It really is fabulous. Then break time turned into bananagram times. Twice a day. I was hooked. If I don't have work I'm in the middle of then I try and make it to game time.

Now...here's my dilemma. They all bring their own snacks. Usually I've either already eaten something earlier or ... don't have anything for snack. Which is fine. But sometimes I get sad. So I'm trying to find the perfect healthy easy to pack, easy to play bananagrams snack.

Two ladies always eat a banana with peanut butter. The PB always smells so good. So today I thought i would try it....nope. Didn't like it. I ended up eating way more peanut butter and then just eating my banana plain. Sad.

Any suggestions for a healthy break time snack?

live simply.

it's kind of a hip phrase these days...but it's been a topic of conversation for me recently and has really been a humbling thought process.




Since October I've been living with my mom. It's really been a good thing but I'll be honest...when new seasons come around or I see some really cute dishes I get a little sad. Josh got me a place setting in the fabulous new lime green fiestaware for valentines day. He thought I didn't like it because it's still sitting on his table...in the box. The truth is I love it...I just don't have a house.


While it is kind of sad sometimes to not have a house to decorate, and little hard sometimes to live in a one bedroom space with all your things...or wrap a present for someone in that one bedroom space with all your things...I think I'm really learning important lessons.


Lessons like...I don't need a new serving tray for every party I host, I don't need a new picture frame...and not just because my mom won't let me hang things on the wall. But also lessons on how to live simply now. Not just when my kids are grown and we can downsize to smaller house but to maybe live in a way now where I take up less space and spend less money on my things and more time and money on the poor, the widowed, the orphan. After all, that's what we are called to do. (James 1:27)


I do think it's hard to plan a future and a possible family and not dream up this wonderful home with lots of space and a big yard and full of fun stuff. I just pray that if ever do have a nice home it's an open place for those in need to use a spare bedroom, that it's not filled with wasted space or trivial materials, and that the things in my closet don't cost me so much I can't afford to give to others.

Call it what you want...missional living, living simply, maybe even just simply thinking of others. That's always a good idea.

is this my future?

Josh and I have now been dating for 8 months. We have a lot of fun together...most of that time.

A few nights ago we had cooked dinner and I went to put the dishes in the sink and noticed this...

yup...standing water is his dishwasher...and it smelled.... so the rest of the night we was working on that...and this...other plumbing was backing up so he worked on this too...I had issues of my own when it came to DIY-ing some shower invites. All turned out well in the end and I'm excited to show the finished product along with other baby shower goodies!

We talked to each other throughout the evening...I'd check water levels for him...he'd ok the cut out circles, etc for me. It was after 11 when I had finished my crafting and he was at a stopping point with his garbage disposal. I thought to myself, "Is this what married life is like?"

I kind of liked the normalcy of it all. Nothing fancy, showy...just living normal life together. It was just wierd to not really spend the evening with him...yet be with him all night. And now you know how super awesome and exciting our lives are!

a boy and his dog

This is Josh. He thinks he's super creative when he makes a heart with his hands. It means he loves me.


This is Josh and his boston terrior Dylan.

flowers

Josh...he's pretty great. What girl doesn't like having these pretty flowers delivered to her at work?!

gotta love grilling

The weather has been crazy lately (along with the pollen) but mostly really nice! It's been fun being outside, with new patio furniture...and the grill!

So...I love grilling out. But I think I'm a gas grill kind of girl. Poor Josh, I wouldn't kiss him at all the rest of the night. It smelled like he had litterly eaten a piece of charcoal. I'm hoping I can convince him to go gas...I mean, it's quicker, not as smelly, and doesn't make for grilling to be such a process. Any tips on how to help persuade him?

a happy heart

a few years ago I wrote about how much I loved Sharpie's new PENS. Since then, they have filled my office, my home, my purse, my car, etc with their presence. And I'm pretty sure I'm a better person because of it. I also just like my handwritting better when I use them. Is anyone else wierd like that? Does your handwritting change based on the kind of pen you are using?

Anyway, a few months ago Lele blogged about the new and improved retractable sharpie. I'll admit I was hesitant. I don't so much love the retractable...the ink dries faster in my opinion. But I just bought my first set at target and I have to say...they are growing on me.

birds + robots = love

That oh so common wedding shower theme...birds and robots. But I think we made it work!

Charlie and heather are getting married in less than a month. We wanted both of them to feel very much showered with love so we tried to incorporate a little something for the two of them.

We had notecards with the words printed, "LOVE IS..." for people to write on for the two of them to keep...

We had cheesecake cookie cups with bluebirds (not to be confused with ducks) on them for heather...

WALL-E and EVE cupcakes for Charlie, with his favorite cake and icing flavors...

Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese icing (for heather) with cutest little robot cake toppers (for Charlie)

Caitlin made some leaf/bird garland. It's awesome. If she had a blog I would link to it. But she doesn't. But she should. And she should have an etsy shop. If you could see the fun things she makes you want to buy them all! maybe one day...