Monday, September 30, 2013
Personalized Gift Wrap
I went to a wedding shower yesterday, and like I usually do I wrapped the gift in brown paper and twine and then found a cute and simple way to personalize it. I bought a W stamp from the $1 section of Michael's and then just randomly stamped it all over the paper. A super cheap, quick, and easy way to personalize your gift!
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Tuesday, September 24, 2013
A Little Box of Fall
Ever since I moved away form home my mom has been great about sending care packages. What made these packages so fun was that they were usually themed. I got St. Patrick's Day packages where everything in it was green, or one year for Valentine's Day I got a package full of cupcake themed items. I always remember Mom talking about how much fun she had putting the packages, and now I know exactly what she means. I recently mailed a friend a fall package, and I really did have so much fun looking for little fall items, or just things that were orange. I just kept an eye out for things for a few weeks until I had just what I needed.
Here's what my dear friend got in her package, and I was most excited about the pencil socks, because she just got a job as a first grade teacher!
Here's what my dear friend got in her package, and I was most excited about the pencil socks, because she just got a job as a first grade teacher!
Monday, September 23, 2013
Let's Go...Hokies!
This past Saturday my whole family was together in Blacksburg for a VT game. It was a cool, crisp day, we had good seats, we made a touchdown minutes into the first quarter...it was a great start to a day of football.
Start is the key word there. It soon started raining, VT was throwing interceptions, the calls were crappy. It was not ideal. By the half Jonathan and I were pretty wet, so we went and stood under the stands until the third quarter started. The rain picked up in the third and it was a scoreless quarter for both teams. Honestly, I was kind of ready to call it quits, but nobody else had suggested it and I didn't want to be the first, so I just stood there, huddled up. I'm glad we stayed though. We ended up tying the game right at the end and went into overtime. The rain picked up and we went into a second overtime. The rain picked up more and went into a third overtime! It was so intense! We were cold and wet and jumping and cheering and FINALLY we were able to pull off the win! It was a long walk back to the car, but having the win made it all worth it. We ended up saying that several times throughout the rest of the weekend, that toughing it out in the rain made the win that much sweeter.
Here's a clip of highlights from the game, which you should watch because needless to say it sums up things much better than I did.
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| Headed to the game! |
Start is the key word there. It soon started raining, VT was throwing interceptions, the calls were crappy. It was not ideal. By the half Jonathan and I were pretty wet, so we went and stood under the stands until the third quarter started. The rain picked up in the third and it was a scoreless quarter for both teams. Honestly, I was kind of ready to call it quits, but nobody else had suggested it and I didn't want to be the first, so I just stood there, huddled up. I'm glad we stayed though. We ended up tying the game right at the end and went into overtime. The rain picked up and we went into a second overtime. The rain picked up more and went into a third overtime! It was so intense! We were cold and wet and jumping and cheering and FINALLY we were able to pull off the win! It was a long walk back to the car, but having the win made it all worth it. We ended up saying that several times throughout the rest of the weekend, that toughing it out in the rain made the win that much sweeter.
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| So nervous...who will win!?!? |
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| Not a fan of all this rain. |
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| The hood of Amanda's poncho kept filling up with water. I feel like there should be a goldfish swimming around in there. |
Here's a clip of highlights from the game, which you should watch because needless to say it sums up things much better than I did.
Friday, September 20, 2013
A Party. With a Pig
Last Sunday my friends Will and Jessica hosted a birthday bash at their house, which has become an annual tradition. It's always a fun night with lots of friends, good food, and a campfire, and this year was no exception. We even had a pet pig and photo booth props this year!
That's right, a pig. Jessica is an animal lover, so it really wasn't that surprising to find out she had a pig named Sammy, in a harness, grazing in the back yard. My friend Jessie and I were especially fond of the pig. Probably because we're single. At one point when we were playing with the pig Jessie said, "Aimee, look over there (pointing back to the house where everyone was). There are all our friends, and they're all married. And here we are, playing with a pig." It was actually pretty comical because earlier this summer we were at a wedding and I realized that everyone around us was married/engaged/ dating and Jessie and I were getting really excited about the llamas in the field next to the wedding venue. Hopefully the next time we're at an event surrounded by couples there will be some livestock for us to hang out with.
Me and Jessie. I was going to crop the picture down, but then I realized this was the only one I had that showed the cute decor and details.
That's right, a pig. Jessica is an animal lover, so it really wasn't that surprising to find out she had a pig named Sammy, in a harness, grazing in the back yard. My friend Jessie and I were especially fond of the pig. Probably because we're single. At one point when we were playing with the pig Jessie said, "Aimee, look over there (pointing back to the house where everyone was). There are all our friends, and they're all married. And here we are, playing with a pig." It was actually pretty comical because earlier this summer we were at a wedding and I realized that everyone around us was married/engaged/ dating and Jessie and I were getting really excited about the llamas in the field next to the wedding venue. Hopefully the next time we're at an event surrounded by couples there will be some livestock for us to hang out with.
Me and Jessie. I was going to crop the picture down, but then I realized this was the only one I had that showed the cute decor and details.
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| Scottie, me, and Jessica - I love these ladies! |
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| POW! She's almost ready to pop, just 4 more weeks! |
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| Our wonderful hostess! |
Tuesday, September 17, 2013
Monday, September 16, 2013
Friday the 13th
Last Friday was Friday the 13th and I had been looking forward to it for a while. Why? Because I was going to be providing Friday lunch to the ministry team students and staff of The Well. Each Friday a different person/small group/church etc. brings a home cooked meal to The Well House and the students come and everyone gets to enjoy a great meal while simply being together - no schedule or agenda, just being together. This was always a highlight of the week, and way back in the spring I decided I wanted to provide one of the meals for this semester. Friday, September 13th was the date I'd be doing it and I couldn't wait!
We used to get a lot of the same meals over and over so I wanted to make something they wouldn't be likely to have again, and I decided on doing breakfast for lunch. I made breakfast casserole, hash brown casserole, fruit salad, biscuits, and muffins. Cooking for 50 by myself was a little intimidating and there were times that I thought "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" but I managed to pull it off and everything was a hit!
Two of the reasons that I was able to pull it off was that 1) I'd made all the muffins the weekend before and then froze them, pulling them back out Thursday night to thaw and 2) I did the hash browns in the crock pot. That way I only had to cook one thing that morning, the breakfast casserole. Both casserole recipes were new, so I was a little nervous trying them out for the first time on a crowd of hungry, eager students, but like I said, they were a hit. And really the hash brown casserole wasn't so much a casserole as it was cheesy hash browns, but still good. The muffins I made were Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, and Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch.
I had to work that night, and something happened that I knew would sooner or later - I spilled a drink on a customer. She was so nice though and as I was down on the floor wiping it up she looked down and said, "Don't worry about it dear, it's Friday the 13th!" I'm so thankful she had a good attitude about it, otherwise I probably would have a been a wreck the rest of the night.
We used to get a lot of the same meals over and over so I wanted to make something they wouldn't be likely to have again, and I decided on doing breakfast for lunch. I made breakfast casserole, hash brown casserole, fruit salad, biscuits, and muffins. Cooking for 50 by myself was a little intimidating and there were times that I thought "What in the world have I gotten myself into?" but I managed to pull it off and everything was a hit!
Two of the reasons that I was able to pull it off was that 1) I'd made all the muffins the weekend before and then froze them, pulling them back out Thursday night to thaw and 2) I did the hash browns in the crock pot. That way I only had to cook one thing that morning, the breakfast casserole. Both casserole recipes were new, so I was a little nervous trying them out for the first time on a crowd of hungry, eager students, but like I said, they were a hit. And really the hash brown casserole wasn't so much a casserole as it was cheesy hash browns, but still good. The muffins I made were Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip, and Apple Cinnamon Butterscotch.
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| Sitting on the front porch of The Well House, just like old times! |
I had to work that night, and something happened that I knew would sooner or later - I spilled a drink on a customer. She was so nice though and as I was down on the floor wiping it up she looked down and said, "Don't worry about it dear, it's Friday the 13th!" I'm so thankful she had a good attitude about it, otherwise I probably would have a been a wreck the rest of the night.
Thursday, September 12, 2013
Thrifty Thursday
When I was in Lynchburg last week I went to two different Goodwills, and found a great deal at one of them. This red, 80% wool pea coat...for $6! One of the first things I noticed about it was that it had a hood, which I wasn't a fan of. I like wearing scarfs and hats in the winter, so a hood wouldn't really be needed; but then I realized the hood was removable. Score! Then I tried it on and realized that it was a missing a button. I knew I could remove one of the buttons at the top, under the collar, and sew it where the missing button was, but thought that once I'm in England I might want to button the coat all the way up, since it will be so cold. I thought about buying the coat anyways and hoping to find buttons in the store that would match. Then I slipped my hands into the pockets and felt something round. "There's no way!" I thought, as I pulled the missing button out of the pocket. There was no debating it now, I was getting the coat! And one of the nice things about being at home was that Mom sewed the button on for me.
I'm not at all wishing for winter weather, but I will be excited about getting to wear my coat!
I'm not at all wishing for winter weather, but I will be excited about getting to wear my coat!
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
A Few Days At Home
I was in Lynchburg for several days last week, primarily to meet with people and talk about my upcoming move to England. My days were pretty full, but I was able to squeeze in some "just for fun" things, including:
A trip to Mr. Goodies, the go-to ice cream place in Lynchburg. It's actually just a walk-up and order at the window sort of place, in a big parking lot behind a CVS. It's only open in the spring and summer, which is probably why it's so popular, and why there is always a line.
A visit to the elementary school I went too. Some things have changed a lot, like having to show your ID to even get in the building, and some have not, like the unfortunate-shade-of-yellow tile that lines the halls. But it was fun to stop in and see some of my old teachers.
A visit to the job I had in high school. It was good to see my old boss and others that still work there.
Two trips to Goodwill. I found a great deal at one of them, details coming Thursday!
A trip to the Virginia Candle Company outlet. This is the company that makes the WoodWick candles, and I got $130 worth of candles for $57! None of the candles have the wooden lids, and some of them don't have the labels on the side, but they still smell and sound like the ones you'd get in a store, but for that price, I don't mind!
Pedicures with my mom.
And dinner with an old friend just to catch up.
A trip to Mr. Goodies, the go-to ice cream place in Lynchburg. It's actually just a walk-up and order at the window sort of place, in a big parking lot behind a CVS. It's only open in the spring and summer, which is probably why it's so popular, and why there is always a line.
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| Blurry picture, sorry. And yes, there is a giant ice cream cone on top. |
A visit to the elementary school I went too. Some things have changed a lot, like having to show your ID to even get in the building, and some have not, like the unfortunate-shade-of-yellow tile that lines the halls. But it was fun to stop in and see some of my old teachers.
A visit to the job I had in high school. It was good to see my old boss and others that still work there.
Two trips to Goodwill. I found a great deal at one of them, details coming Thursday!
A trip to the Virginia Candle Company outlet. This is the company that makes the WoodWick candles, and I got $130 worth of candles for $57! None of the candles have the wooden lids, and some of them don't have the labels on the side, but they still smell and sound like the ones you'd get in a store, but for that price, I don't mind!
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| I was able to get those medium candles for $6 each; they retail for $20! |
Pedicures with my mom.
And dinner with an old friend just to catch up.
Monday, September 2, 2013
Confessions
I treated myself yesterday to a coffee, cupcake, and a stack of magazines, it was lovely.
So what are my confessions? Well for one, that isn't a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Unlike the rest of the Pinterest/Instagram/Twitter/Facebook world, I don't love them. I don't dislike them, I'm just not crazy about them the way everyone else seems to be. Confession number two? Two of the magazines are about Prince George. I'm definitely not obsessed, but I have become quite interested in the royal family. But I feel like I have good reason, seeing as I'm going to be living within an hour and a half of London soon!
So what are my confessions? Well for one, that isn't a Pumpkin Spice Latte. Unlike the rest of the Pinterest/Instagram/Twitter/Facebook world, I don't love them. I don't dislike them, I'm just not crazy about them the way everyone else seems to be. Confession number two? Two of the magazines are about Prince George. I'm definitely not obsessed, but I have become quite interested in the royal family. But I feel like I have good reason, seeing as I'm going to be living within an hour and a half of London soon!
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