{Pirates, Mad Hatters, and Rednecks...OH MY!}

Here's our crew...decked out in our Halloween finest and trick-or-treating in our neighborhood!


No really... I AM a real boy! Lol!
These were so realistic looking we could hardly eat them!
Yikes!
A LadyBug and a Mad Hatter...aka Katie and Morgan!
Yummy!
Lots of Treats....
and plenty of TRICKS, too! HEHE!
Blood clots anyone?
How about some giant pimples?


Pinnochio LOVES Bubba! He's your typical Carolina fan...lol!
Eww...someone forgot to flush!



Mom, Makayla, and Nikki!
Momma Chick!

Is this not the ABSOLUTE cutest thing ever???
Watch out for these people...
They WILL steal your treasure!

Happy Halloween EVERYONE!

Love,
Laura

{Halloween Fun!}

From hangin' with my Trojan Friend....

To hangin' with my co-worker and friend...

Halloween is SO MUCH FUN!

Love,

Laura

{My Decorated Door!}

Simple... but atleast I'm showing I've got some spirit! HeHe!
Love,
Laura

{Who Knew...}

Trav scored a touchdown last week at the Clemson game and is now a Heisman candidate! VOTE FOR TRAVIS! Lol!

So anyway, I feel like a busy busy bee today...hehe

Tonight is trunk-or-treat at Logan's Roadhouse and they invited us to set up a table for DSS to recruit foster parents---THANKS LOGANS!

Tomorrow is our Halloween Party at DSS! The kids all come and trick-or-treat, play games, and enjoy some snacks znd we all get to dress up and have some fun! I still have to decorate my door but I have NO IDEA what to do....g0tta brainstorm asap!

Have a WONDERFUL DAY!
Love, Laura

{Roasted Punkin' Seeds!}

Last night I dug through the gross guts of the leftovers from our pumpkin carving night and got all the seeds out for roasting! {Icky Pumpkin Guts!}
After the seeds were rinsed I let them dry for a little while...
Then I sprinkled them with butter and salt and baked for 325 degrees for about 25 mintues or until golden brown!

Y.U.M.M.Y and H.E.A.L.T.H.Y!

Love,

Laura

{Tuesday's Treasures!}

An impromptu stop at Haven of Rest this afternoon produced the following thrifty finds!---
An ornament I can personalize and use as a gift tag on a present...
A plate for Christmas cookies for a special friend or neighbor...
A cute and comfy pair of black flats...
A Hallmark tablecloth for a Holiday party...
And another lil' touch of "BOO!" ...

Grand Total- $2.75

YAY!

Love,
Laura

{30 day goal!}

I like to set short term goals for myself because when you acheive them it just feels so GOOD!

My most recent:

Try to reach 130 lbs {my ultimate goal weight} by Thanksgiving! That gives me 30 days to focus on losing 5-6 lbs! Gotta get started asap!

This morning I had a banana and whole grain kashi bar so I feel like I've started out on the right foot. Especially considering yesterday's breakfast was a big fat sausage biscuit from Bojangles! Anything has gotta be better than that...lol!

My main goal is to go into the Holiday season at my goal weight and to AVOID gaining any weight during Nov. and Dec. which can so easily happen...surely I'm not the only one who struggles with tempting Holiday treats! Right?

And I think I'll hit up the rec center---I haven't exercised in what seems like an eternity. Shame on me!

I'll keep you updated!

Does anyone else have a current short term goal you're working on? I'd love to hear from you!

Love,
Laura

{Football, Friends, and Funky Pumpkins!}

What a FUN WEEKEND!

We went to the Clemson game Saturday and saw them whoop up on GA Tech! Woo, Hoo!



Trav worked the SunTrust tent before the game and I had fun getting free goodies from all the vendors! Love me some free stuff!

Sunday morning we went to church and enjoyed another awesome hour of worship in our new contemporary Celebration Service! Sunday evening we had our friends George, Megan, Brandon, and Nicole over for dinner and pumpkin carving...

Megan made a cute, happy jack-o-lantern, Nicole made a classic and chic one, and I decided to be a lil' ambitious and tried to make a creepy cat...which just turned out looking like Grandma Wrinkles!

Whatta think? He! He!

I also decided to get a lil' crafty and made a Halloween candy jar out of an old vase I had planned on trashing. SO EASY I might change it out for every Holiday!
Just fill with candy, tie a ribbon, tie on something spooky and you're good to go!

Have a HAPPY MONDAY!

Love,
Laura

{Apron Strings}

There is just something about cooler weather that puts me in a cooking mood!

I have been craving homemade chili so I made a big pot last night and it was Y.U.M.M.Y!
The last time I tried making chili it tasted like spaghetti sauce-yuck! But like the old saying goes, "If at first you don't succeed, try try again!"----and this time it was a success!

Here's my easy chili recipe:

1. Brown one lb. of beef with half a diced onion. Sprinkle in garlic powder, tabasco sauce, and salt. 2. Once cooked thoroughly, put meat in a large pot.
3. Pour in one can of chili beans, one can red kidney beans, one can diced tomatoes with chilis, and half a can of tomato sauce.
4. Mix and stir in an envelope of chili seasoning.
5. Add a little more garlic and/or salt to taste and let simmer for 30 minutes to an hour.
Sprinkle with cheese and crackers and ENJOY!

Best of all, I got all the ingredients I needed to make this meal for only $6.42! What a deal! The ground beef was on sale and I already had the garlic powder and tobasco sauce in the pantry. Trav and I both had a big bowl for dinner, I brought my sister some for lunch, and there's still a big bowl of leftovers in the fridge so it's enough to serve a family of 4-6.

Looking forward to a trip to Denver Downs Corn Maze and Cracker Barrel---YUMMY!--- with our Sunday School class tonight! Hope everyone has an amazing weekend!

Love,
Laura

{Worship!}

You have GOT to check out this awesome worship song!!!

Kristian Stanfill "Lord of All"

Love,
Laura

{My newest and coolest!}

Happy Monday!

I can think of LOTS of reasons to be happy this morning but here's a big one--- My sistah-friend Molly gave me a vintage Regal Insta-hot pot! Although this might not excite most, I'm on cloud nine! I just love the retro look and it boiled water for my Instant Lunch in minutes! No joke....thanks Mo!

Another reason I'm happy today is because of the amazing service we had at church yesterday!We have started a new contempary worship service and it was I.N.C.R.E.D.I.B.L.E! You should visit us sometime....

http://npbcanderson.org/

And that brings me to this last thought...

The thing I'm most happy about today is that Jesus is all I need and as Preacher Tony said yesterday, We can just relax in the shade of our relationship with him. And that includes you, too!

Love,

Laura

P.S. And if you're reading this Bubba....I MISS YOU AND LOVE YA!!!

{Picture Bonanza!}

Nikki's Bridal Luncheon

Morgan's 80's themed Birthday Party!

FUN, FUN, FUN!!!

Love, Laura