"....I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." ~James 10:10~

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

{Hot Summer Giveaway!}

I promised you a giveaway soon and the time has come my friends!!!

If you've been reading lately, you've probably noticed I'm really into embroidery. I want to give my readers ...(though they may be few and far between:)... a chance to win one of these custom embroidered beach bags I've been so crazy about!
This is the one I had made for my lil' sis and hopefully you can see how cute it is...despite the AWFUL pic. It's a large, sturdy canvas bag that's perfect for all your beachy needs!

One lucky winner will get a bag just like this one (except it will be bright pink instead of green) and can choose any name they would like to be embroidered on it!

I'm keeping my friend Tiffany busy with tons of embroidery this summer! She does such a great job!

All you have to do is leave a comment telling me a little about your favorite summer vacation spot and you will be entered into the contest. Contest ends at 11 pm on July 6th and a winner will be randomly selected and then announced on July 7th!!!

Best of luck to all!!!

Love,
Laura

{Pretty Eats and Not-so-Appetizing Doggy Treats!}

Isn't this just the most BEAUTIFUL cupcake you've ever seen? J-Lowe made them for her wedding shower! She cut mini marshmallows diagonally and then dipped the sticky side into sprinkles and arranged them into a pretty flower! He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not....
After the shower, we ate at a new restaurant in town- The Electric City Grille


It is sorta like a Greek-Grille and the flavors were really strong and different...yet good. We had a hummus appetizer that was to die for!

I hate to go from THAT to THIS....

...but I'm gonna do it anyway! Lol! A major appetite killer! Can you believe that this entire pile of hair came off of Glory in ONE brushing?! She's shedding like a beast this summer! Yikes! Thanks to Trav for doing that dirty job!

So...

Here's your joke for today!

What do you say when your dog runs away?

**Doggone!**

Have a WONDERFUL WEDNESDAY!

Love,

Laura

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

{Beach Surprise!}

A little something for my sister-friends to carry their beach towels in!

One for Nikki...
{Pardon this cruddy camera phone pic....it's really a pretty, bright pink!}
And one for Al Pal!

Hope you gals enjoy these on vacation! There's one stipulation though...they must contain SUNSCREEN! LOL! No arguments!

P.S. Mo, you have an embroidered surprise coming your way soon!

Love,
Laura

{Hello Sweet Mama!}

We have REALLY been into Watermelon at our house lately! And not just any watermelon, but this one... The Seedless "Sweet Mama" that is on sale for $2.99 at Bilo right now! Love a good fruit with a cute name! And since it's on sale, why not eat one every night this week? *Wink!*


We ate EVERY LAST BIT OF THIS ONE SUNDAY NIGHT...


Then we polished off this "Sweet Mama" last night!
We're batting two for two and have another half to enjoy tonight!



**I like my watermelon COLD and SALTY! What about you?**



I also had a very tasty treat from the DQ on my way home from E-town the other night!



ICY, GRAPEY, GOODNESS! It's an Artic Freeze, formerly known as a "Mister Misty" and it was so delicious and refreshing!
Proof that I enjoyed every last drop! Lovely, huh?


On a different note, I had a dentist appt. yesterday....YUCK! I really DO NOT ENJOY going to the dentist, --who does?--, but I wanna brag on my dentist for a minute! I've been seeing Dr. Copeland now for several years and I couldn't ask for a more gentle, professional, painless-as-possible dentist!


And guess what made my dental experience even better yesterday? I got a present from sweet Bette! She picked me up since my car is out of commision and surprised me with this..



And look what was inside..

Oh so true!!!
Bette told me that her mom used to say "Anyone who had to have their teeth worked on deserves a present!" I think that's so sweet and I might start a little tradition in my own family!


Now, for a Tuesday morning joke in honor of my upcoming beach vacation....


What did the shrimp yell to the seaweed?


**Kelp! Kelp!**


P.S. I've got an A-town "inside scoop" that i'll be telling you about soon! Check back for more details soon!


Love,


Laura

Monday, June 28, 2010

{Thankin' my LUCKY stars}

I just found out that I won my first ever blog giveaway!

YAY! YAY! YAY!

I entered a contest at Made by Stephie and SURPRISE...I won!

I will be receiving a CSN giftcard in the mail shortly and I can' t wait to put it to use! Check the website out...they have everything you could ever want! And I want it all...lol!

And enter as many blog giveaways as you can...you might get lucky!

Thanks so much Stephie and CSN!

In honor of my win, look for a giveaway to start on my blog VERY SOON!
Woo Hoo!


Love,
Laura

{Mission Breakfast}

This morning I was able to avoid a near breakfast disaster! I was rushing out (as usual) and grabbed two packs of my instant strawberry oatmeal as I ran out the door. When I got around to cooking it this morning, much to my dismay, I discovered it was PLAIN oatmeal! Yuck! That's Hubby's, not mine! But this girl has to get her breakfast on, so I had to think fast. Enter-

PEANUT BUTTER TO THE RESCUE!


Peter Pan Reduced Fat Peanut Butter to be exact!


I mixed in a teaspoon of peanut-buttery goodness along with a packet of splenda to create a tasty, filling, excellent bowl of oats! I also figured that I would stay fuller for longer by adding the protein from the peanut butter.

Successfully Saved Breakfast=A Happy, Full Girl!
Here's your Joke...
What did one earthquake say to the other earthquake?
**It's not my fault!**
Happy Monday Everyone!
Love,
Laura

Saturday, June 26, 2010

{My Budding Fashionista!}

My lil' cousin, Morgan, is a FASHION DESIGNER waiting to happen! Since she was small, she has loved to cut, glue, and sew whatever she can get her hands on into awesome outfits!
Here's her newest creation...
A dress made entirely out of a sheet! Pretty cute, huh? Doesn't hurt that she has the cutest model in the whole world to show it off!

Gotta run get ready for J-Lowe's wedding shower!

Love,
Laura

Friday, June 25, 2010

{As crazy as it sounds, I'm not making this up!}

Well Folks,

Yesterday was quite possibly one of the worst days I've had in QUITE some time. Although I try to consider everyday a blessing (because it is) I really struggled yesterday to keep my composure throughout the day's unfolding events...

And here's why...

I got to work yesterday and my car just WOULD NOT turn off! Weird? Yes, I know. I had to call Travis to come by my office and he finally got it turned off. This had happened a couple times before but hadn't happened recently so we thought the problem may have fixed itself. We were wrong. Obviously.

Then I had the awesome privledge of picking Makayla up at daycare which was the highlight of this trying day. I was so happy to be getting my little neice, ran in daycare, grabbed her up in a big hug and kiss, buckled her in, and went home. Well...wouldn't you know that my car wouldn't turn off when I pulled into my driveway. Ahh! I had very few options considering I had a hot little baby in the back seat so I just left the car running and took Makayla inside. Travis was at work and couldn't get off to come help so he called his Grandfather to come help. Poor Nun Nun tried the best he could out there in that awful heat but with no luck. It was still running and we still couldn't get the key out. So I decided to check with my neighbor and see if she had any ideas.

WORST MISTAKE EVER!


When I was walking back to my yard, her FEROCIOUS DOGS ATTACKED ME! I am not kidding...It was the scariest thing that has ever happened to me! She has a Chow and another big scary looking dog and they both bit at my legs as I ran back into my driveway. Luckily, they stopped once they hit their electric fence but not before bruising my legs up pretty bad and scarring me for life! Needless to say, Trav had a long convo with them about their vicious pets later that night...but I'll get to that in a minute.

After the attack, I calmed down enough to realize that I still had this situation with my car to deal with. After it had been running for atleast an hour we decided it was time to head to the shop. Luckily, our friend Al from church came up to his shop and helped me turn the car off and I left the ole' Burbarian there for Al to fix 'er up.

I waited there at the shop, in the hot car, with no air, for about 1 1/2 hours until Trav was able to pick me up. A test of patience, to say the least. But on the up side, luckily I had picked up a FABULOUS new book at the library earlier in the day, called One Child, and was able to read about half of it during my wait. It's AWESOME...you should read it, too!

So...back to the dog attack...

The more I thought about it, the more concerned I became about those mean ole' dogs living next door to me. Travis was really concerned too, so we researched some of the city ordinances about dogs. And it was very apparent that you are not allowed to have mean and vicious dogs in the city limits and if a dog attacks anyone in the city limits, animal control is to be called and the owners normally have 48 hours to get the vicious dog off the city property. Travis decided to go have a heart-to-heart with the neighbors, who happen to be fine neighbors (just with mean dogs!) and ask them to keep the dogs inside or restrained properly in the yard so that they CANNOT possibly hurt anyone. They nicely agreed and so that's were we left it. We're hoping that they will uphold their end of the deal. If not, we will be forced to get the officials involved and we want to avoid that if possible. I'll keep you updated.

After all that, I went to bed a little stressed, with a sore and bruised calf. So I treated myself to my favorite Micky D's breakfast this morning!


...and my day is already much better!!!


And this right here is sure to get your patriotic juices flowing...hehe!

My mom gave herself this 4th of July Pedicure! Isn't it awesome!

And now for your Friday joke...

What's a ghost's favorite food?

**I scream and boo-berry pie!**

Have a great day...and BEWARE of mean dogs! Seriously!

Love,
Laura

Thursday, June 24, 2010

{I believe in...}

1. Good Deals! You know that, though! DUH!

I got this new lipgloss ...

and this new nail polish

today at CVS! Each item was 75% off!
Yay! The lipgloss is super GLOSSY and has a pretty summer red sheen that really looks more deep pink when you put it on. LOVE IT! I needed a new gloss for the beach!
See? You like?

2. Angels!

If it's in God's Word, I believe it! Angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible. I've been reading this GREAT book by Billy Graham that I scored at the Goodwill Clearance Center. Angels are as real as you and me! Pretty awesome, huh?! P.S. Like my cupcake bookmark?

Isn't it awesome to know that when you were Saved, Angels had a little party in Heaven for you and God?


**Luke 15:10 "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." (NKJV) **

The Bible doesn't say exactly how many, but there are a TON of Angels helping God carry out His Almighty Plan!
**Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels."

Angels are put to work by God to do many things!
**"There are many tasks that angels perform. They deliver messages, are sent to explain the meanings of visions, give direction and guidance, protect, warriors, worship and praise, and to carry out God's discipline."**

COOL! But remember, the Bible is very clear that we aren't supposed to worship Angels. It's God who deserves all the Praise and Glory, Forever and Ever!

Love,
Laura

{Double the C, Double the S...}

...Then you know you've spelled SUCCESS!!!


Woo Hoo!

I'm more than halfway to my weight loss goal! I started on March 4th at 152 lbs (YUCK!) and was stalled at 140 for quite some time. But this morning I stepped on the scale and did a little victory dance! 138....FINALLY! I found myself growing VERY impatient along the way but I continued to stick with it and I couldn't be happier! It took three months to get here and I still have 8 lbs. to go until my ultimate goal of 130- but I'm considering this a HUGE success!

I've been tracking my progress with this little weight loss tool! It's awesome and helps you see your little successes along the way! I found it at http://www.dwlz.com/ and it was free to print. Yay!You'll find lots of other valuable resources there, too!

If you're on your own personal weight loss journey...I wish you all the best! Keep working at it and you'll get there! Slow and Steady wins the race!

And here's a little joke to brighten up your Thursday!

When is a car not a car?

**When it turns into a Driveway!**

So corny you can't help but chuckle!

Love,

Laura

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

{If you like it then you outta put your name on it!....to the tune of the recent Beyonce Hit}

And that 's just what I did!

I got my name embroidered on several bags I found recently at the Goodwill Clearance Center!

Here's my new LL Bean travel kit:
I love it! Can't wait to fill it up with travel goodies for my next vacation!

And here's my new travel makeup bag: My friend, Tiffany, did all this embroidery for me. If you would like her to do anything for you just let me know and I can tell you how to get in touch with her! She does a really great job...don't ya think? And reasonably priced, too!This one's a close up so you can see how good it looks!

And finally some advice...

Wear sunglasses EVERYTIME you go outside...even on cloudy days. Wanna know why?

Ok!

"There are a lot of things that you can do to keep your vision healthy throughout your life and one of the most important things you need to remember is that the sun can be harmful to your vision. While we all enjoy our share of sunlight and enjoy the beauty that it provides us, we must also remember that the sun releases harmful UV rays that can damage our eyes. We all know that our vision is very important to us and anything we can do to protect is important. While you may think that you are unable to do enough to protect it, I can tell you that the solution is much easier then you may have original thought.

The simple answer to this problem is to wear a pair of sunglasses. Sunglasses are not just something that makes it less strain of your eyes, but it also protects you from the UV rays that the sun puts off."

Don't take my word for it though...read more about it HERE.

Then go get yourself a cute pair (or two!) and flaunt them all over town!

Here's today's joke:

Why did the chipmunk stop arguing with the Porcupine?

**He got the point!**

Love,
Laura

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

{Father's Day Weekend Photo Album!}

Hello!

Hope you are having a TERRIFIC TUESDAY! This weekend was BUSY, BLISTERING, AND BEAUTIFUL...wouldn't you agree?

Here's some of the recent happenings in the World of Rada...

First, I DID get a free smoke alarm from my city fire department. Each family in the city limits can get ONE per family. I mean, we already paid for it anyway...taxes and all, you know? So I was happy to take mine home! So...I was sleepy and drained Friday after work so I did the following:

1. Stopped at Bilo and got this...my new favorite candy
And this...which looked like a pretty good chic flick...which it was!
And I curled up here to watch and eat! I was asleep by around 7 pm!
After a well rested Friday night, Saturday morning I met Bubba and Elizabeth for breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Greenville. Can you guess where we went next??? Of course...the Goodwill Clearnance Center!

Elizabeth and Bubba relaxed while I paid...

And then we got a quick group photo! I love these girls!

This is my new bookshelf. It took several men and lots of sweat to get this loaded into Bubba's car but we finally crammed it in! I was determined to get it home!
I also got this for Makayla! These usually retail for about $14.50 new so since I paid about 30 cent for this I'd say it's a bargain! It works great!

I also got this Coleman fanny pack...lol! For my next camping or hiking adventure!

Saturday night I went to E-town for our Father's Day get-together!
Me and my WONDERFUL "DEDDY"! I love you, Dad!
Some of my family relaxing after our big meal...
Me and my Pop! He's such a special guy...I love him so much!!!
My Granny and Amy...about to watch the fathers open their gifts! I love them so much, too!
Pop enjoying the night with his family....
Dad opening a present from me and Trav....
And about to open another one! I wish I could give my Dad the world!
We had a great time celebrating together!
Sunday, I got up and had the organizin' bug! Here are my "BEFORE" books...
And here's the "AFTER"....
Much better, huh?!
My Granny grew these cucumbers...she gave me some and it made me really happy! I already ate them up!

After cleaning most of the day on Sunday, I had a hankerin' for a cold, icy, indulgent drink! So I made myself a virgin frozen margarita!
YUMMY,YUMMY IN MY TUMMY!
I got the mix on my Sunday afternoon trip to Big Lots, poured a little in the blender, threw in some ice, and enjoyed my little treat! I just love the flavor of a cold, tropical tasting drink...how about you?
On Monday morning...EARLY monday morning might I add...me, Trav, Patrick, and Daniel we went to Furman Golf Course for a SCGA qualifying event. I was Trav's handy dandy caddy and followed him through the 36 hole day! I had a great time being their with my honey on the golf course!
Here he is getting ready for the first tee!
Here I am about to take off in the cart...so fun!

And this is the end of the day...A tired Caddy ready to go home and get in the shower! LOL!
I wanted to take more pics on the course, but it wasn't allowed...boo!
So, that was my weekend, folks!
And here's your joke...
What do you call an oyster who won't share his pearl?
***Shell-Fish!***
Gotta Run!
Love,
Laura