Bellamia... a children's shop

Bananas.....

2012-01-24T13:13:00.000-06:00

This morning we were 30 mins early in getting ready before heading off to school. This doesn't happen often. As we all sat together in the Living Room while Tim and I enjoyed our morning cup of joe, we set goals for the day. Each one set one, I set four. The fourth being blogging.

This post doesn't mean I completed 1,2 and 3.

In fact.

I only accomplished number one so far. Which is not even this recipe that I am blogging about.

Sometimes, that's how I roll.

Some of you know, we decided to Homeschool Elizabeth the last part of this year.

That is another topic, for another day.

Today, when working on math, I decided we should wrap up our fractions, by putting them to good use in the kitchen.

So we did.

I think Math and Home Economics are very important.

That is also, another topic for another day.

I had some bananas, shall we say, maturing...ack hem; so I ventured to this site for a good ol' Banana Bread recipe; because we all know she is going to produce a good one.

I laughed at her first line on this blog post, because I can relate. Besides being one of the longest words (besides Mississippi) that I felt a sense of accomplishment by spelling it at an early age, I detest bananas. Hate them (yes, I know that is what detest means. Just really trying to get my point across here). I think they are disgusting and I as well, have never eaten a whole one. And because of that, I made my girls eat them since infancy and they like them. That is something that I am proud of, and can hopefully add that to the list of "I'm glad my mom made me do it".

But, even though my fondness of despising the monkey's favorite grows yearly...... I LOVE Banana Bread. Go figure.

I followed the recipe to a "t", except.....

There is only one thing that stood out as being odd in this recipe. The lack of salt and vanilla extract.

I know Ree knows what she's doing, but I love, love some extract. Since using salted butter , I didn't add salt, but when going for the vanilla; opted for it's lovely companion, Almond extract. And of course, if you are like me, I love nuts added to anything. I added the extract (1/2 tsp)after the butter and sugar was creamed for those that want to know.

Therefore, I toasted some almonds (with a little butter and a sprinkle of salt) for taste and beauty. Sprinkled the almonds on top with a sprinkle of sugar as well and waaaaaa laaaa....

Because I used loaf pans instead of bundt, my cook time was exactly an hour, instead of 1hr 10min.

Loaf pans make it easier for sharing :)

Serve it up with a nice cup of joe or cold milk!

Enjoy!

because i said yes.....

2012-01-19T22:30:00.000-06:00

This post might not be one of what you are thinking.

It's not a love story.

Well, scratch that.....

It kinda is.

But, it's not of the knight in shining armor, with a damsel in distress, love story.

Well, on second thought, scratch that too.....

because it kinda is.

Satan and I had a throw down tonight.

yes, I said Satan.

And before you think I hit the bottle tonight, let me explain..

You see, from the very beginning, because I said yes, someone got really jealous.

So jealous that at times, I feel like he is attacking me because of his jealousy.

No; scratch that, I KNOW he is attacking me because of it.

I have said yes, many of times to things he hates. Which in return only makes him more vicious.

So why didn't I realize that when I said yes back in October, I also signed up for war.

The other day, my daughter spoke truth to me. Truth she didn't even know would minister to me. When talking about local businesses with a friend; they were sad discussing how businesses would close, because they would "run out of money" as they say. When her friend looked sincerely at Elizabeth and said..."yeah, like...your....", Elizabeth piped in and said "Oh no! My mom closed because God told her to".

So bold, so confident, so real.

That spoke wonders to me.

It reminded me...."Oh yeah God. You did tell me too. You did press that on me. I did have peace.You did want me to close. It is, and will be good."

My eight year old, in her sweet child like faith, faith that was much greater then her mama's, declared to her friend and to me, truth. Declared God's provision, mercy, love and goodness.

Tonight I told Satan that he could go back to Hell where he belongs, and asked God to forgive me for not kicking his butt awhile ago and preaching truth to myself daily.

And because I said yes, I have an armor to carry. And it's shiny and heavy and strong, and it does rescue damsels in distress.

God doesn't promise easy; but He does promise victory.

And victory is sweet my friends, victory is sweet.

BMV

2012-01-18T11:35:00.000-06:00

"B"ible "M"emory "V"erse

This is our BMV for the week.

Maybe I think my kids need it, because they think their mama needs it..........

my heart has been yucky this past week. really yucky.

I keep wanting to blog "Happy" thoughts, but I need some revival!

praying this verse over and over again this week in hopes it will break the complaining in my heart, which in return will stop the arguing. Those two go hand and hand ya know. Funny how God words things isn't it :)

I am getting there, it just takes awhile sometimes with me. I am stubborn. I want control and God takes it from me sometimes...or was it even mine to begin with....hmmmmm... Thankful God is Faithful and His Mercies are new every morning.

Check out these cards. They have blessed and been used to convict my heart and to Glorify God in the process. (and they're super cute as well!)

Have to/Want to, and a PARTY!

2012-01-12T14:22:00.000-06:00

You know that "Have to"- "Want to" thing I talked about yesterday??

Well, it's going to make it's way to the screen again today, except in a different light...

I've been meaning to blog about this. It was a HAVE to on my list, but also, a very much WANT to.

If you haven't figured it out yet; I do love to plug a local when I can, and Landmark Park, is a local.

A very much LOVED local. Especially on beautiful days like today :)

A local, in need of, like all local businesses; the continued support from our faithful community.

Please consider joining us for this fun filled evening; but if the date and time won't cut it for you, then please, oh please consider ordering some yummy Ribs. We will have the Rib pick up at 3 different locations as a convenience to you and a thank you for your support. You can call the number above, or email me kcpilcher@gmail.com and I will hook you up with some tickets!

Racing....

2012-01-11T13:10:00.000-06:00

Today I have to run.....

did you catch that.

I HAVE to run, like in, physically have to run.

I made a resolution {who didn't??}. I would run, every other day in January. I have already failed. I had a good excuse{who doesn't??}. So two days ago, I got back from my 4 day hiatus and ran. So today, I have to run.

I am hoping the HAVE to, will turn into the WANT to. I know it will, but as I lay in bed last night, my mind was racing. Not just about running. I would think.......... tomorrow-

I have to do this.

I have to do that.

And this.

And that.

My world has been totally rocked.

In a good way, no doubt, but it has been rocked.

Everyday for almost 8 years, my evening menu was planned and prepared for by at least 7am that day. I had school projects on the calendar, school lunches packed, I would be committed to this, be committed to that, and my laundry was always folded and put away. I ran a business and most of the time it all worked like clockwork. All is true but the laundry part; those who know me, know I don't do laundry. As in, laundry does me in. I hate it. My mom did. I do. And I am convinced my children will LOVE it, because I make them do it for me ;) Ha!

I know it will take time. But I NEED to get my groove on. Lord, PLEASE send me a groove!

Trying to Want to, more than Have to right now.

I know I will get there. It's just different. Very different. Like, my heart races sometimes; different. And to confuse you more, a lot of my HAVE to's are WANT to's ; I just feel like I am not enjoying them to the fullest and I am just making it through. Do I make any sense at all???

All the pics are from us keeping our nephew a few days this past week. It was a total WANT to, and we'll take him anytime Caleb :)

Happy Monday!

2012-01-09T10:15:00.000-06:00

this sits on the table in our playroom.......

Yep, that pretty much sums up my week!

happy Monday y'all!

If you want to purchase it, contact my SIL here.....

Bringing in the New Year!

2012-01-04T19:54:00.000-06:00

South Carolina.....oh, how I love thee.

Did I mention that I lived there once.

We did. Right out of College. Made some life long friends there in Aiken. Learned to appreciate what a downtown CAN be and how important the Local Businesses are.

It's where we had our first home. Tim's first Engineering job. Where the Lord shook me up and drew me to him. Where I experienced true Church community. And where I also learned that white linoleum floors are my enemy.

Natalie and I were drinking the same water when we found out we were preggos with our youngest.

Sadly, we both parted ways....us- Dothan, them-just south of Greenville

But the distances hasn't kept us apart.

They've been there for us for EVERYTHING.

She is the sister I never had, and vise versa.

On the way up there I got a text-

Thai or Sushi or a really nice Jazz place tomorrow night?

Ummmmmmmmmm, hello, can I just say....DOTHAN, PLEASE OPEN A JAZZ RESTAURANT!

After an awesome night in Downtown Greenville and one dry cleaning bill later (friends don't let friends borrow your white coat at a coffee house.), we headed back to Downtown the next day for some fun on the ice......

if you are ever wondering. go ahead and slap that zoom lens on. It seems to be best at capturing the true moments when they don't think they are being watched.... Happy New Year!

Blogging from my phone, and a recipe!

2011-12-30T07:00:00.002-06:00

This will be an experience for sure! I already know it is going to be a challenge because I loaded these pics before I left for the day and decided that it couldn't be that hard to type the text in the middle of them; but i was proven wrong. yes i know that now i have not capitalized the last few letters needed, but you are just going to have to trust me on the reason why. i already have a picture out of place, and it is driving me crazy! now, on with the blog and done with the rant! i have mentioned before that i love seafood. that includes oysters. my husband loves them as well, the kiddos, not so much. but my youngest adores this stew. the above picture is all you will need. and since i have yet to figure out how to skip a line for a paragraph i will jump right into the recipe, with a huge grammatical apology.

take four slices of bacon(chopped) and add to a large stockpot. cook until a nice crisp. remove bacon and set aside. discard bacon grease from pot (but do not wipe out drippings). add 1 stick of salted butter. when butter is melted, add your oysters. i bought mine at sam's club near the fish. fresh, not frozen. (make sure tou take off the little hard plastic thingy....the piece that holds the oyster to shell..it's easy). sautee' oysters in butter and bacon drippings for about two minutes on med high heat. add a heaping teaspoon on salt and pepper (add more to taste if you like. we like a lot of pepper in this).

and you just thought you added the "healthy" part. now add 4 cups or heavy whipping cream and 2 cups of milk. stir in your bacon and let simmer for 15-20mins on med low. eat with saltines or serve along side a good dish of shrimp and grits!

oh, and sprinkle some chopped chives on top before serving :)

if you need a good dip for a New Years get together, whip up this super easy and delish dip! below is what you will need.

take your 2packges of 8oz of cream cheese soften and half cup of mayo (might put in a little more, i just spoon in).....whip together.

add one and a half cups of shredded cheddar cheese. and continue to mix until well blended.

add your three chopped green onions.

i usually stop there, but decided i would make it a little more festive by adding a jar of chopped pimento to it.

so glad i did! just fold the pimento in.
(make sure you drain liquid from jar before adding)

add to a pie dish or a baking dish equivalent to such.

bake at 400 degrees for about 20 mins, or until it is really bubbly and gooey. sprinkle with about four pieces of cooked and crumbled bacon. and serve with your favorite buttery cracker!

trust me, it is a crowd pleaser for sure! happy new year to y'all! enjoy!

A Merry Christmas....

2011-12-28T18:45:00.000-06:00

hoping all you peeps had a Merry Christmas! We were busy little bees up until Christmas Eve.

Remind me next year, that even though I don't have a business to go to everyday, I shouldn't schedule something everyday of the week the week of Christmas (eek!)!

The girls had a couple of girlfriends over and we had fun, continuing to use up the rest of the fabric glue and goodies I bought for this.

We also decorated cupcakes, made our lunch and ate until our heart's content. Isn't that one excuse we use for the Holidays ;)

The Church we have been visiting, did not have a Christmas day service, but a Christmas Eve Celebration; and it was truly awesome.

I was so humbled by the Joy and Celebration of Thanksgiving for our Savior, that I couldn't help but well up with tears. Tears of Joy during the music, tears of Thanksgiving during the recognition of God's work in His children, tears of celebration as our youngest took her first communion, and just tears over a baby born.... to die..... to save me.

Christmas Morning Greeted us, and to much surprise, I was up before all the kiddos; the first in probably MANY Christmas years!

This year we had our tree in the living room......

I think the only people that enjoyed it being in that location were the ones driving by our house and our neighbors. It is usually in the "feasting area" of our kitchen, but we grew into a bigger table this years so we lost room for it. I learned: It created terrible lighting on an early Christmas morning for pictures. I don't like a flash and neither does my family. For different reason, but all the same, we don't like.And so with frustration, I gave up on adjusting my settings...it is what it is... Next year, we will have to make something work, because we love to sit by the fire in our kitchen, turn up the music, turn down the lights and gaze at the twinkling lights :)

(and for those of you wondering.... it is not a picture or some sorts of Buddha that Jillian received, but rather this....it's pretty cool, you should check it out! )

The girls then changed into their new pajamas and awaited for my mom and grandfather to join us for Christmas breakfast....

I read on Facebook later, that someone made the comment that their child said "Jesus must be pretty special to give every one else gifts on HIS birthday".......I think that sums it up pretty good, don't ya think.....

And if your not sure what I mean by that, it's simply this......

I am selfish, I am a sinner, I was someone that was separated from God because of my sin. By God's grace and mercy, He sent His son Jesus, born in this world on Christmas Day to save me from my sins. I still sin, but He placed my continuous sins on Himself when He died on the Cross and then Defeated the Grave, by rising to life so that I may join Him in eternal life, when my body is sent to the grave one day. And He has done this for you too. I pray you believe this to be true :)

This causes great reason to celebrate. This causes great reason for joy. This causes great reason for thanksgiving.

Praying you and your family have great reason to celebrate........

who has time to read a blog!

2011-12-21T17:08:00.000-06:00

Who has time to read a blog........

Rather yet, who has time to write one!

We have been super busy around here trying to squeeze in every last tradition! I hate to say.....

I feel a little rushed!

So much, that today, the girls and I made these.......

And I didn't take any pictures of the process. BUT...... it is super simple.

Follow the rice krispie recipe on box for Rice Krispie Treats (except, I add 6cups instead of 5 cups)

For Peanut Butter-

When your marshmallows are almost melted, add 2 TBLS of creamy peanut butter, mix and melt with marshmallows.

For Peppermint-

When your marshmallows are almost melted, add 1/2 tsp of Peppermint Extract (found on the spice aisle). mix well with melted marshmallows before adding cereal.

Press in 9X13 dish and let COMPLETELY cool, I waited about 6 hours.

Cut into squares and dip half in melted Chocolate almond bark. Garnish the Peanut Butter ones with chopped Peanuts and the Peppermint ones with crushed Candy Canes before your chocolate hardens. Yummy!! Share with your neighbors :)

Now, off to Karate (why we tried to squeeze that in this week too is beyond me!)......

Enjoy!

Thinking of others.....

2011-12-15T07:33:00.001-06:00

tomorrow I am going to be doing a project with my girl's 6th grade class........

I intended on them making tee shirts for themselves.....

But then, I started thinking.......

We all could branch out from doing things for ourselves.....

And think of others.......

So that is what we are going to do........

by sending them to a local ministry; and hopefully, bless a child.

Merry Christmas!

the little things....

2011-12-14T10:10:00.001-06:00

This morning I sat down at my computer and these greeted me......

I know my little one lined these up just like this for some reason. Not sure if it was to put a smile on my face, but it did. :)

I also sit in my kitchen to enjoy the sunshine bursting through the windows in my "feasting area". :)

{could you tell, that I still haven't made slipcovers for the two chairs added to the table...nothing like a can of spray paint to help with the procrastination!!!}

I found these little birdies here ,{ well actually at their outlet store, so I only paid $1.00 for them}. I hadn't an idea what I was going to do with them, but I knew....... I WANTED THEM!

My oldest, BEGGED me this week to add presents under our tree......

So I gave in and wrapped and wrapped and wrapped yesterday. EVERY year, EVERY year I tell you; I wrap every gift in the same paper, and add a different color ribbon for the person to which it will make it's ownership with. And EVERY year, I still get asked, "which color is mine this year??"; in which I reply with the reminder that they won't know until Christmas morning.....

I love the little things, although; see this.........

I have a dog that INSISTS on sitting on the pillows of our sofa. She is a sneaky little devil and decides that as she hears me walking into the room, she will jump in her bed........ the bed I SPECIFICALLY placed by the tree and window, just for her to enjoy. Those little things, well, sometimes they drive me nuts......

But then, I look at things like this......

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...........and the pillows go away ;)

miss this little booger! Send him back Caleb!

Hope you are enjoying the little things!

memory full....ugh

2011-12-13T15:19:00.000-06:00

My stone age laptop, decided it was not going to let me load all my Disney Pics.

It apparently doesn't have memory storage for the 17824 pics I took while there ;)

So I decided to let it "rest" and work on it later when I have more patience.

In the mean time. I have RACKED and RACKED my brain for teacher gifts.

Starbucks? Been there......

Barnes and Noble? Been there too....

Monogrammed Water bottle/Coffee Cups, you say???? Been there as well....

So I was in Sam's Club this afternoon and saw these......

They had potential for sure. I knew I had some ribbon and burlap at home, soooooooo.....

I thought outside the box :) I got me one too.....Hope this adds a little inspiration!

Gotta run, Hot sugar cookies out of the oven and three little girls just getting home from school are calling my name!! :)

There's nothing like a good surprise!

2011-12-07T10:42:00.000-06:00

Last Thursday we got the girls dressed for school............

and then as we were walking out the door "for school", I told them to run put on what was laying out on my bed. They had know idea we were leaving that very moment and heading here.......

BEST.FAMILY.TRIP.EVER!!!! God is so good. First trip to Disney.... Did three parks, waited only 10mins for almost every ride. Elizabeth was 2" taller then limit to go on every ride with us. We played and played and played some more. It was awesome! More pics to come, in the mean time, I get baby nephew time for three days and so I am off to get him from his nap and head on over to Mimi's for a visit! Happy Wednesday everyone :)

i'm back.....

2011-11-29T13:48:00.000-06:00

I am alive and kickin', but not for long in this blog post, because there is wayyyyyy to much I've got to do today and wayyyyyy to little time to accomplish it all!

Thanks for the emails, texts and concerns over my arm. I really appreciate your thoughtfulness and prayers! I am getting feeling back, but a couple of my fingertips are still a little "sensitive". We are still investigating. In the mean time, who doesn't like some good ol' cousin time?????????

Around here, my girls can't get enough!

This month has been F.U.L.L!

I should start by saying that the day after we closed the shop, I found myself in Hobby Lobby....in the middle of the morning....alone...wandering.....

If you are wondering why that is so strange to me, it is because I don't typically "wander" in a store.

I am usually on a mission.

Get in.

And get out.

I was excited and a little sad all at once.

I was there to grab some goodies for the girl's Halloween costumes.

That never got made.

But that's ok.

We were super busy and they were thrilled with the Mario, Luigi, Toad trio that they went as.

the day after that trip to Hobby Lobby, I went by my mom's house after dropping the girls off at school.

To my surprise.

Her house was flooding......

Those little pesky plastic tubing on the back of a toilet like to come loose or break so I hear.

The good news.

My mom was 1 week into her 5 week trip to Africa to visit my brother and family.

The bad news.

My mom was 1 week into her 5 week trip to Africa to visit my brother and family.

Within, 10 minutes we had Performance (my hero!!!! THE BEST CREW OF PEOPLE!!!!) and then my mom's insurance adjuster (awesome!!) at my mom's.

My brother's and I opted NOT to share this info with my mom while over seas. We knew it would ruin her trip, and she quite possibly would've returned.

Four weeks later and one day before her arrival and two days before Thanksgiving; we had 1200 sqft of her home re-done, with upgraded hardwood flooring and new paint throughout the house.

The hardest part. We had to completely PACK HER HOUSE UP and move Everything, Everything.....did I say EVERYTHING, into storage. Thankfully, she had an awesome insurance coverage. Oh, and did I tell you, it took like 10 minutes for her to notice. Yep, we are that good. Un-packed her and placed every little item back where it belonged, thanks to my many pictures I took before packing and wonderful help from my brothers, friends and family there to unpack and place/hang it all :)

She was shocked. Thankful we didn't tell her. And excited for the new upgrade.

We had some good cousin time this month as you can see from above.

So, many of you have asked me....."well, what's it like?, what are you doing with your free time?" Well, honestly, it just started :)

Thinking the Lord gave me something to do over the last month to keep me going strong. I am very Thankful.

And on a different note. It's chilly outside. Last night I made my FAVORITE soup! I love the Chicken and Gnocchi soup from Olive Garden, so last year, I decided I would try to re-create.......

LOVE.

This is what you will need........

add 1 stick of butter to medium heat in LARGE stockpot.

Add 3 chopped Celery stalks, 4 chopped carrots and 1 clove a garlic (chopped)....sprinkle with 1-2tsp of salt and Simmer for 20-25 mins.

Take your Rotisserie Chicken and shred it. Add all of it to the pot.

Add 2 1/2 cans of the LARGE chicken broth.And crank heat to med high and simmer for another 20 mins.

Add your LARGE whipping cream (slowly stir in) and 4-5 basil leaves (slightly chopped). Add your Gnocchi (two packages) gently against the side so it won't slosh up and splatter soup everywhere.

We enjoyed ours with hot ham (left over from Thanksgiving) and swiss sandwiches!! IT IS THE BEST!

Hopefully, be back soon with a camera full of recipes and other adventures we seemed to squeeze in during this crazy month!

Enjoy!

i'll be back....

2011-11-16T16:35:00.000-06:00

A good post is in order, but I have a good excuse for my absence........

We were chillaxin' (as my girls like to say) over the last few days.It was FABULOUS! But during that time I somehow managed to develop a "dead/heaviness" feeling in my right arm and tingling and numbness in my fingertips. So it isn't quite comfortable to propped my arm and type when it feels this way. After 5 days it is still here, so off to have nerve testing tomorrow! Hopefully be back soon, without the feeling of needles as I type!

Nothing to say....

2011-11-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

I am lost for words....

Shocking I know. But the weekend has me excited, so I am signing off until Monday! I am one of those people that keep the Pumpkins out until the day after Thanksgiving....it makes me Happy. What about you??

short and sweet!

2011-11-09T20:24:00.000-06:00

Short, because I promised a post every other day, but this time change is kicking my butt! I want to go to sleep by 5:30pm!!

And sweet, because a couple of weekends ago, I was apart of giving one of the sweetest people I know a baby shower!

Very pregnant, this couple decided they wanted to find out what the sex was. To her surprise, because baby #1 is a girl, she found out baby #2 is a boy. She was pretty shocked as she thought for sure baby was a girl.

So time to pull out the blue! We handed out "advice" cards for guests to fill out on little boys....I learned a few things myself ;)

Opening baby clothes can be extremely exciting, and you start picturing your little man or princess in the given attire. Yet, this baby shower was different, as in, this was a military couple, only here for 6 mos, limited space/storage. About to move, and has a huge heart for mercy ministries. So, the "gifts" to them, was actually given, with the understanding, and donated in Baby's Name to the local pregnancy crisis care center Wiregrass Hope Group.

This is truly one of the most fun couples I know. They were here several years ago in flight school, so it was a sweet reunion for them to return for a short while.

Because they are super fun, I couldn't shake the thought that this shower needed to be super fun.

Up until two days before I struggled with a fun idea.......and then I had lunch with a group of ladies and one just happen to mention an idea she came up with for a baby shower she gave.......

when I heard the word baby shower, I tuned in. This person, new to my acquaintance, was fun and bubbly, and I knew that whatever she had to say, was not the typical "who got the mustard dirty diaper" game for a prize, kinda' of gal.

I she explained, I got so giddy inside and went straight to Wal-Mart for the supplies.......

Here's what you need:

Fabric Glue
Fabric/felt/buttons/pom poms/ric rac/ribbon
Pins
Onesies
Bibs
Burps
Printed objects on cardstock (for ideas/inspiration and pattern)

(and a big bowl of M&M's for snacking ;) )

We started them with a simple example that literally only took me 5 mins to make......

And then gathered around the kitchen and coffee table.......

And then, whaaaaalaaaaa.......

(there was actually more, we just ran out of room hanging them up!)

It was the most fun I have ever had at a shower! And the best part......

They get to take a little piece of Dothan with them on their next adventure from people that love them and made this especially for Baby Matthews.

I am taking this idea "on the road" to the girls school. I am in charge of a Christmas Craft.....thinking I could do a lot with fabric glue, t-shirts and 6th graders :)

Good Night y'all!

Family

2011-11-07T11:28:00.000-06:00

did I mention there is a STRONG possibility I will not be blogging on the weekends??? Well, it's true. The weekends have been beautiful and anticipated more and more in our home as the girls get older.

This weekend the girls especially anticipated it! You might be thinking it was because of the Fair that came to town and camps out two weeks over the first part of November, but it wasn't.

A few months ago, we were talking as a family and decided that since we celebrate birthdays and we celebrate anniversaries, why not celebrate family. So we started a new tradition. Every 6th day of each month (because that day will never interfere with a family bday or anniversary) we will celebrate our family.

There are three rules-

1.) we ALWAYS have to celebrate it that day. No matter where we are or how much is going on.
2.) we have to go or do something that we normally do NOT do as a family. In other words, it has to be a stretch.
3.) we have to end the evening with an affirmation to each person (last night was naming a certain characteristic we appreciate about them)

Yesterday was our Family Celebration day and we chose to go to the movies. We never go to the movies as in, we might have taken the girls three times their whole life.

The girls have been wanting to see Courageous and so that's what we went to see.

We cried the whole movie, or at least I did.....

I have heard statistics on suicide, divorce and domestic violence many times about children of fatherless homes and it is heart wrenching. But last night it hit me so much harder. I guess that the fact that there is a very strong possibility that my girls will marry a man that came from a fatherless home, just really made me morn.

I am not just talking about the homes where father's haven't been present since conception. I am talking about the homes where the father's might very well be physically present, but emotionally and spiritually absent.

This movie did a fantastic job of showing the importance a father's role is. It also brought sorrow to me as I watched a father make a decision not to dance with his daughter in public because of the embarrassment it would have caused. Or when he wouldn't run the race with his son because he never liked running, or sitting in front of the television after a stressful day at the office just to "tune in" to believing this is what he deserved, just so he can "tune out" what he didn't want to do with his responsibility and love.

It's all about decisions in life. We make them every day. Many many times a day. If fact, every thing we do is based off of a decision.

Parenting is such tough stuff. It is by far the hardest thing I have had to do in my life. We have pre-teens in our home that are starting to decide who they want to be. Who they want to listen to. Who they put their trust in. Where they find their security. How to handle what this life brings.

And with every decision they make, every single day, there are times I wish I could go back 5 years and pour into them more and more.

We are by far not perfect parents. And I am grateful to God that He pours His everlasting grace and mercy into our lives, because sadly, so many times I just want to "tune out".

I am so very thankful for the father my girls have. I am so thankful that he takes time, hours in an evening to listen and to guide our girls. I am so thankful that when I want him all to myself sometimes or have a honey do list, I find him playing softball with them, fixing their bikes, or teaching them how to build something. I am so thankful that he has given them the perfect example of how to love me as Christ loves His church. He would lay down his life for me and for them and I know that they know that. But most importantly, I am thankful that he has shown them the total dependency he has on his Heavenly Father and that the bible is truth. They need to see that, they need to hear that, because apart from God, there is nothing.

It's more then just taking them to church, making it to the soccer game, the piano recital or the yearly trip to Disney.

It's about decisions.

still working on my groove....

2011-11-03T19:53:00.000-05:00

I have missed blogging, but have been so busy lately that it seems that if I were to sit down and start blogging then it would be "forced". Does that make sense?

I actually have become very fond of writing over the last year. I have never really been a "journal" kind of girl (although I encourage it now :) ). In fact, the last journaling I did was when a friend gave me a journal after I had my hysterectomy 7 years ago. She told me that she kept a journal for every major event in her life and encouraged me over that major event in my life that I journal about it.

Even when writing it, I remember being so mad at some points that I would hope no one would EVER find it and read it. To say I wasn't very nice over that week is an understatement. I believe that probably most of my journals throughout that event was triggered by my most absolutely hot temperness towards Tim. For what you might ask????..... not getting flowers sent to me while I was at the hospital.

Yes, yes, I am that selfish and I would like to to blame a lot of it on my hormonal state, but truth is, I held on to many stupid things like that and so therefore I think I was vulnerable to blowing my top even more with the state I was in. Just writing this brings to reality just how many crazy lies Satan fed me that I used to hang on too. Man, God is Good. That was an emotional time....hmmmmm, maybe journaling about that wasn't so bad of an idea.

Now, back to what I started this post with!

When I feel as though I can't get to the computer and type, or that computer decides it doesn't have enough space to load anymore of my pics and tons and tons of recipes are backing up in my head and I am not it my groove.....well, I just don't "feel" it in a post. Like it is "forced". I love it, I want to, but I feel like I am jumping hurdles sometimes to get to it.....

So, I have decided that I WILL post every other day, at least through this month. Why??

1.) because I love it
2.) because I need that challenge
3.) because sometimes I need a little forcing
4.) challenges me to cook more
5.) encourages me to dig deeper for creativity and activities with our girls
6.) and documents pieces of our life
7.) keeps me sane

so without further ado. I made this recipe last night. It is not a new one, I have had it several years and it is a favorite of many.....

Potato and Leek Soup

This is what you will need......

Chop your bacon (I normally use a half a pound, but I only had a quarter) and add to hot stock pot.....

while bacon is cooking chop and clean your leaks (two)...if you haven't ever cooked with leeks, they can be VERY dirty. Best way to clean them is cut off the bottom(where roots are) and slice length wise all the way down (creating two long halves) then flip to the flat part and chop them like you would a green onion and add to a large bowl of cold water and run your hands through them to separate them and the dirt will fall to the bottom of the bowl.

When your bacon gets done cooking, remove it and set it aside. Reserving about 2 tbls of dripping in Stockpot.

You can use any baking potato, but I found a bag of these minis at Publix and well, they were cute and I thought it would look nice and cut my prep time down. So wash, and slice in half all potatoes and add to med high heat in your stockpot with reserved drippings....

this is where you will need to season with salt. So sprinkle 1-2tsp of salt (this depends if you get sodium free chicken stock). Toss and cook for about 5 mins....

Then add your leaks......

Stir leaks and let those two ingredients cook for about 3-5mins....

When you remove all your leeks from the bowl of water to discard, you will happy you cleaned them this way, and you will see the bottom of the bowl full of dirt.

Now add your stock....

Give it a stir, cover with lid and let it simmer on med high heat for about 30-45 mins.....

Stir in your bacon right before serving.....

Also, serves up awesome with a grilled cheese! Enjoy :)

Shall I.....

2011-11-02T19:01:00.000-05:00

give you an update??

Over all, life has been busy. VERY busy! And I realize, this blog post might be all over the place, as I jump back into the swing of things and try to get my groove on :)

This month was full of sorrow, joy, excitement, planning, overwhelmness, praise, thanksgiving, a birthday and lack of sleep, just to name a few! I don't have too long to blog, so I will leave you with a ~~ton~~ few pics over October! Below will be outings we took to see the Scarecrows at the Botanical Gardens, a trip to Landmark Park, a stroll to the local Friday Farmer's Market at Dothan Nurseries (where I got the eggplant for our little grub below!), several pumpkin patches including this one, and additions to our Booth at Highland's Antique' Mall (continue to shop with us out there!).

We are tying up all ends with the close, including cancelling phone service, which will then cancel my Centurytel email account, which this blog and my facebook is registered under. If you subscribe to this blog and after this post no longer receive any posts via email, then you will most likely have to come back and re-subscribe :/ sorry! I hope it will be an easy transition and it will not have to go that far, but sometimes these little problems can turn into big ones. But for now, enjoy the outings below.........

This is my favorite time of year, and I truly LOVE the fact that we have a local Farmer's market going on through the third week in November at Dothan Nurseries.....

Sometimes, we just love to eat fresh simple things, locally grown, for an easy, yet beautiful lunch......

And don't forget while you're at the Nurseries to pick up some beauties.....

And for some odd reason, I feel as though I must put a sentence here to divide up these pics and explain the ones below. So for the ones that haven't seen or visited our booth at the Highland's, then here's a sneak peek.... (two sentences.... I feel better...)

We officially closed our shop the day before my birthday....

Little did a friend know that when she dropped off a little something for me on my last day.....

Truly, one of the most special and cherished gifts I have received........

Lil Light O Mine created these precious, beautiful scripture cards with children in mind. But I assure you, they will bless and encourage any age......

I hope you will visit their website. These would make an awesome gift!

I also hope you enjoyed the pics and they give you a little inspiration to get out, visit and enjoy these local places! Be back soon with more recipes and ideas including this one.......

Good night y'all!

Tomorrow.....

2011-10-16T18:15:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow just might be our last day opened. We will see how it goes. I have been truly in awe of God's goodness and every one's love and support to us, especially last week. We have sold almost the entire store. There are still some very precious things in the store to be sold.

Starting tomorrow Everything in the store is 50% Off! And I can imagine at that percentage and the fabulous items that are still available it will sell out; but there is always a possibility for Tuesday, and if so, I will post and keep you updated on that. Merchandise will not be marked any lower, so if you would like some of these items then hurry in! Our hours tomorrow will be regular business hours- 9am-5:30pm.

I will be taking a break to clean up the shop and rest then you will see me again here. Thank you all again for your encouragement, love, friendship and support! It has been an honor and complete blessing to serve you all these years. See you tomorrow......

Purpose...the close of a season.

2011-10-11T18:30:00.000-05:00

“When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me.”- Erma Bombeck

We just started a new series in church on the Purpose of our Life. If you are like every other person, you have thought this thought in some way or another. It might have been differently worded. It might have been in different stages of your life, but you have thought, and if you are a Christian then you have asked God....."what is my purpose?". I asked God that question about 10 years ago when I struggled with the everyday. The wake up, make breakfast, make bed, brush your teeth, go to the grocery store, clean your house, prepare for dinner, etc, etc. I struggled, not because babies didn't "fill" my time, and I didn't have a million things to do, but I struggled because, did my million things matter? I found myself asking...Do I use my time wisely? Do I live each day to the fullest? Do I get out and stretch myself in areas that intimidate me? Do I love and serve well? Do I challenge my faith? Do I live as though Christ lives in me? Do I live for the Kingdom?

God showed me that He was my purpose. I was to live for Him in every stage and season of my life. Seasons would change, but my purpose would not.

Everyone reading this can look back at the last 10 years of their life and something has changed. You got married, maybe divorced. Had children, or maybe grandchildren. You may have even lost a child/children. Gained an in-law, lost a Parent. Discovered Cancer, beaten Cancer. Graduated High School, Graduated College. Started a Family, Started a Career. Started a new job, or even two jobs. Nursed your infant, nursed your dying parent.

With every one of these, there was Joy and Sorrow and still yet, we asked the question "what do I do?","why am I going through this?", "what is my purpose?".

But unlike all these seasons, your purpose never changed.

I have a purpose, and it is through joy and sorrow that I share with you that my purpose remains the same that God showed me 10 years ago, but I have a season that is changing.

I have a heart for Community which is one of the main reasons for opening Bellamia. God has challenged my faith, stretched me in areas that intimidate, humbled me with His grace and mercy, strengthened my marriage, grew our family, taught me to be more organized, how to use my time more wisely, how to get creative and most of all, how to wake up each day and live for Him for I am incredibly dependent on Him alone.

A few months ago, I asked the Lord if it was time to close the doors of Bellamia. There have been great challenges, oh yes, and the economy has been very unpredictable. Yet, I knew that if the Lord wanted me to stay in the business and hang tight for what everyone was saying about 2012 being the turn around year, then He would sustain us and give me peace. But I did not have peace, and felt the calling to close it's doors. God has been so very gentle in His timing and shown once again His faithfulness to us. Of course this decision didn't come without many tears shed over the loss of something so big in our lives, but the peace and joy I have for whatever the Lord has in store for me is what I stand on. He is faithful. He always has been to me and He always will be.

I look back on my New Years post earlier this year and already see God's gentleness in preparing me for what He would show me a few months later.

I can not tell you the exact date of closing for that will depend on the sales of inventory and fixtures. We do plan on keeping the Highland's Antique Mall booth until I am lead other wise.

I can not thank the Lord enough for all of you. I have enjoyed every bit of watching your children grow. All the conversations we've had. All the excitement we've shared. All the trials we have grieved. All the support we have given to each other. I wish I could thank each of you individually and probably won't be able to wear any mascara over the next few weeks for the tears that will well up as you enter and exit the doors of Bellamia for the last time.

I will continue to keep my blog and I do have some creative things lined up for it. Please keep our family in your prayers if you think of us as we close a season in our life and start another.

You all have been such a blessing to us and I hope that you have enjoyed Bellamia to it's fullest.

Starting tomorrow, sales will be 30%-50% Off on All apparel and 50% Off All gifts and accessories.

May you find great purpose in your life, be stretched in your faith, challenged in what you find intimidating, encouraged in your understanding, peace in your decisions and blessed by your faithfulness.

For I am forever grateful to live community.....

To God be the Glory!

Shop 'til ya drop!! SALE!

2011-10-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

This is Big y'all!! Buy one regular priced item, get one 1/2 Off! Or buy Two regular priced items and get TWO 1/2 OFF! Or buy Three regular priced items and get THREE 1/2 OFF....etc (you get the idea)! See you soon!!!!

what happens?

2011-10-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

What happens when little girls stop playing dress up?

What happens when little girls stop playing with dolls?

What happens when little girls stop climbing trees?

or skating and riding their bikes?

What happens when little girls grow up to be big girls?

What happens?

Last weekend Jillian wanted a friend over, but her question.......

What are we going to do????

WHAT, REALLY??? All of a sudden it was if God immediately spoke to me and said "phase 2....get creative"

Are we a society of T.V. Watching, Video Game Playing, Movie Seeking, Mall Dropping and Lazy Lounging entertainment for our kids?

What DO you do with pre-teens?

I wholeheartedly believe that these little girls growing up battle between Dress Up (adolescences) and Hanging Out (adulthood) more than we think. A few years ago, my girls were at "The Pool" and asked a local peer if she wanted to play "Mermaids". The Peer responded "Mermaids??? No, Mermaids are for babies!!."

And although my girls still enjoy the things stated above, they are quickly learning, the interest among their peers is sparse.....

And you know what else I believe. I believe that we were all created in the image of our God; and because we have a very creative God that has created everything we see and haven't seen, means that somewhere in us, we have some creativity.

Now I know what you are thinking; easier for you to say.

I realize that there are gifts and levels to this side, but because we had a lot of creative details in putting us together, I believe that sometimes we just don't explore ways to bring it out.

So when Jillian made that statement to us, I realized that I had to explore ways to be creative with pre-teens.

I know that some women don't like to cook and therefore think they CAN'T cook. I also, know that women try to cook and still it doesn't always come out the way they want it to. Don't give up. Sometimes cooking comes naturally and sometimes you have to practice it. Oh, how many times my biscuits turned out like rocks from over kneading, my grits lumpy from lack of whisking and temp too high, or my meat dry from over cooking and my chicken wirery from feeling as though we might get salmonella if I didn't "re-kill it".

PRACTICE!

So, because I also believe that God gave women the natural desire to "home-make", I would encourage that in my pre-teens as they explore their creativity in the Kitchen.

The Kitchen seems to always be the place everyone gathers. Food is comforting, relationships get real around the table. So, we decided that this "phase 2" would include cooking with our pre-teen friends.

We will start with the basics and simplicity. They can then gather around and chit chat over the fruits of their labor. Try this recipe below. When I say easy, I mean, it is EASY!

Enjoy!

This is all you will need......

Empty the box mix and canned pumpkin in a mixing bowl....

Pre-heat oven set for 350......

Mix the two contents (just the cake mix and pumpkin!)

Spray your muffin pans... (i only have a regular 12 count and two 6 count jumbo pans)...

Spoon about 1-2 tablespoon of batter in the muffin pans and spray your child's fingers with cooking spray and have them pat the batter as flat as they can in the bottom of the pan......

Bake 10mins for Regular Size and 12 minutes for Jumbo size. Let them cool.....

Spread Marshmallow Creme when cooled... (NOTE- this is the very first time I bought or made anything with marshmallow creme- I know sad. Anyway, this was entirely too much! we learned quickly it expands! only add about 1/2-1tsp.) on one half and then top with the other.....

and DIG IN!

Note- this filled TWO 12 count regular sizes muffin pans and TWO 6 count jumbo muffin pans for a total of 18 Sandwiches! Refrigerate when not serving....Perfect for the Fall :)

Explore your creativity and share with us! Leave a comment with a link to something you have done creative or found creative on the Web! Hope to hear from you :)

Coupon Monday!! This is HUGE!

2011-10-02T19:26:00.000-05:00

Come shop with us! This is valid on all Christmas Apparel as well!! See y'all soon!!

Things are exploding...

2011-09-30T13:16:00.000-05:00

Not only are things exploding in my home, but also (in a good way) in the Shop! Enjoy the picture of the new arrivals....

Come shop with us this weekend!!!! Hope to see you soon :)

when it rains.....

2011-09-26T13:45:00.000-05:00

***photos compliments of Amazon.com***

It Pours!!!

Literally...like..... flooding.....

Why does my Kitchen Faucet and Guest Bath Toilet have to go out.

Better question.......

Why does it take me SO.LONG. to pick out a replacement??????

And why do I want to remodel everything when something needs fixing ;)

**Bath Photos Pulled from Google Images**

The Honey-Do list just got bigger......

Coupon Monday!

2011-09-26T09:49:00.000-05:00

Hope you had a fabulous weekend!! See you soon!

Happies

2011-09-23T10:30:00.000-05:00

If you don't know, or haven't heard; you can find a very small, second location of bellamia here.......

**camera pic**

I don't venture there as often as I like. Mainly because I come home with something from there every time. :)

I love art by Cornbread. It's so bold and funky, but it just doesn't always look like it would "fit" in my home. But I have been tempted {on many occasions} to buy a piece and then decorate an entire room around it.

** images compliments of Cornbread Art in Galleries found here, now go check them out and possibly purchase one**

Every time we eat at The Red Elephant or come across it at an Art Festival, I comment that I love it.

If you remember, Jillian is our little artist....

well........ holding onto a little inspiration....

One of our trips to the Highland's Antique' Mall brought us across this for $10.00........

Now remember......don't always look at what things are...

but what they can become........................

thank you Jillian, for adding another "happy" to this room and to our life :)

Hope your weekend is full of "happies"!

Coupon Monday!

2011-09-19T09:46:00.000-05:00

I spy something................

Red!!!!

Hurry in! Lots of red :)

and the winner is..............

2011-09-16T16:35:00.000-05:00

we can pretend there is a drum roll going......

Congrats CJ!!!!!

Stop by to pick up your gift certificate to Pinky Nails for a Spa Pedicure by Next Friday, September 23, 2011.

sigh....

2011-09-16T09:02:00.002-05:00

What a week! Some of you might have thought I fell off the planet, I think I thought that about myself a time or two this week as well.

"Coupon Monday" did not get posted this week, and for that I apologize. So, because of that, here is a special weekend coupon! Hope to see you soon, and as always, thank you for your support :)

Stay tuned for the winner of the Pinky Nails Give-Away!!

It's a Give- Away!!

2011-09-08T11:04:00.001-05:00

Alrighty blogger peeps! It's been awhile since we have done a Local Give-Away! Are you ready???

If you remember....I told you Jillian really wanted a mani/pedi for her birthday.....

So we went together and it was some fun girl time :)

This week's Give-Away is for a Spa Pedicure at Pinky Nails!!!

We love Pinky Nails, and if you haven't had the treat of being served there then hop on it! You will love them!

Here are the rules.......

to enter you must simply do one of the following for one entry. You may choose to do all or some of the 4 for multiple entries.

1.) "Like" Pinky Nails on Facebook
2.) Link Pinky Nails on your Facebook wall
3.) Post something on Pinky Nails Wall.
4.) Post something on your wall about Pinky Nails.
After doing any of the previous, come back to this blog post and comment what you have done and leave your email address-

Example:

I did two!
I posted something on their wall and linked Pinky Nails to my wall...

bellamia@centurytel.net

All entries must be in by September 15, 2011. Drawing to be held September 16, 2011!!

Let's have fun! Enjoy :)

Coupon Monday on Tuesday and a GIVE-AWAY!!!

2011-09-06T08:49:00.000-05:00

Good Chilly Tuesday Morning Blog Peeps!

I am thrilled, just thrilled, over this mornings temps! I am even regretting as I type this the fact that I slipped on my open toes this morning!

We had a much needed chillaxin' (come on spell check, when are you going to catch up with today's lingo!) weekend at home. Hope you had a fabulous holiday!

Our Give-Away this week has something to do with this..........

Stay tuned for details! First, with inspiration from Miss Jillian's toes, here is

"Coupon Monday" (on Tuesday!)................

See you soon!

See anything you like???

2011-09-02T05:00:00.000-05:00

if so, then shop today thru Monday with the Coupon Below and SAVE 20% Off up to THREE Fall apparel items!!

Hope to see you VERY soon :)

Jilly Bean.....

2011-09-01T12:06:00.000-05:00

Excuse some of these photo's. Apparently I didn't have my camera set up for the excitement :)

But I love them all the same.

Our little Jilly Bean (Jillian) turned twelve.......TWELVE this past month.

She has been wanting a guitar for the past year.

I found this life is good tee and couldn't resist it for her bday.

Especially since she had know idea she would be getting the real deal.....

Unfortunately, the only negative thing about Jillian's birthday is that it falls the day before school starts every year.

which means, that her party normally falls weeks before and is almost always shared with her sisters.

This year, on her day, we just had a small cake, she asked for her first Mani/ Pedi and shrimp fettuccine for dinner (recipe to follow sometime in the near future!) .....

And for an art party.

Jillian is our little artist. She is so creative. She LOVES to draw, paint, write, craft, sew.... you name it, she loves it!

I can not take credit for all below. It was an collaboration of inspiration from customers, the Internet and friends. But it was Oh.So.Fun!

We had to push the party out 3 weeks from her birthday and it was a whirlwind of a weekend!

Tim and I attended a marriage conference that was one of the best things we have done in our marriage! It was jam packed and filled every second of the weekend up until Jillian's party Sunday. Hopefully I will get a post on that soon!

I have still yet to answer some email questions I have receive from some of you and I do apologize for it taking awhile! I'm getting all those answers together and hopefully out to you soon! Life is full and when the kiddos get in the car from school and the hubs comes home from work, I try to give them my full attention. Lately that means, the computer stays at the shop and you receive my voice mail when calling.

The Party Girls all sat down at the table to begin and had "artist block". I told them they could walk around the house for inspiration. That is really cool to me now, because in each of their art I can see where they pulled their inspiration from without even asking them....

Enjoy the pics! Hope they add a little inspiration to your next event :)

Happy Thursday! Hope you have great plans for your long weekend!!

More Fall Arrivals....

2011-08-31T14:30:00.000-05:00

loving our new fall arrivals!

come see us :)

Fall is arriving!

2011-08-30T14:49:00.000-05:00

Fall is filling up the shop!!

Come check out our SALE rack 50%-75% OFF! We need to make room for all the Fall Clothing arriving daily!

Coupon Monday!

2011-08-29T09:57:00.000-05:00

What to do, what to do????????

You decide :)

Happy Monday Y'all!

Part 2...road trip...

2011-08-23T15:06:00.000-05:00

You might recall if you have been following me for some time now; that my hubby traveled a LOT with his previous job. Then the Lord blessed us with a new adventure that had him home a WHOLE LOT more. His travel is minimal. And on occasion, we pack up and join him on his outings. Last week, his road trip took him to Branson, Missouri and he wanted me to tag along.

My thoughts....

There is NO way! First week of school for the girls, less help at the shop with ~~my right arm~~ Leah gone and not to mention the other 9,274 things that mother's have to do on a day to day basis, and to think to leave for a WEEK!

Well, with lots of help from family and friends, and our fantastic Amanda holding down Fort Bellamia; (even packing Saturday night as if it still wasn't really going to happen) we set our alarms, set out before day break and arrived here just before sunset....

Tim's conference was in the hotel we were staying in, Chateau on the Lake. And after touring the city of Branson the first day, decided I'd rather stay in this fabulous Hotel the whole week.

I wasn't impressed with the city itself, unless of course you are looking for things like this....

just in case you would like to have a closer look of this GINORMOUS chicken.... to enter you must pass through his legs. They serve chicken, but down stairs it is an all you can eat crab claws buffet...huh, go figure?? Not like anything else in this town is a little strange.....

Don't get me wrong, with what seemed as 100+ putt putt golf parks, every kind of buffet, and an "Old Time Photo" shop on every corner; I am not saying it isn't fun. I just decided since Tim was in conference and the Kiddos were 800 miles south, I would rather enjoy the views of Table Rock Lake from the pool. And venture to the Spa that is connected to the hotel....

There is only Two things I regret happening (besides not pulling the kids out of school the first week to enjoy this, I must have said that a million times!)......

First, was Not going in here.....

Seriously, I think it would've been so cool.

Second, was having the Fire Alarm go off during the night while you are staying on the 9th floor, and realizing your husband is completely helpless when awoken in such a panic. I am pretty sure I was halfway down the hall when the Manager said it was a false alarm. I will give Tim credit that he got up to look for a shirt, but when I came back in the room he was in the bed...I am sure it had nothing to do with driving 14+ hours and jumping into teaching 9 hours a day that week ;)

My most favorite part by far was our drive home.

We traveled 2 hours south to eat breakfast here.....

It was incredibly fabulous! I am so glad Tim remembered passing it on the way up.

Then we ventured in a few Flea Market and Antique Stores........

This was our first stop.....

And it says it ALL on this sign. It is truly the largest antique store I have ever seen.

Of, course unless it could fit in our Volkswagen Jetta, it wasn't coming home with us.

We were just about to leave when I spotted a stack of these....

Apparently the owner, (from what the other Antique'ers say), gets everything in crates from over seas. So they said that he is true to his word on these four old late 1800's wooden folding chairs from Ireland we picked up.

We had been keeping our eyes open for smaller unique chairs to go around this table....

Our plan is to strip and stain the chairs......thinking a color stain like red, yellow or black would be fun and different.....one more thing on our endless "to do" list...

The Table above is our kitchen table, well was, until recent. The history behind this is that I won it in an auction along with the six matching chairs. While in School at Auburn, Tim, stripped and stained them.

Well, our little family has slowly out grown this table with four chairs and a stool around it. It was time to give Miss Elizabeth some leg room. So we moved it to our Playroom to create a game table out of it since we replaced it in the kitchen with this.....

On our way up, we stopped at one antique store right before they closed and I eyed a very small chandelier. We have an old home, which I LOVE, but one disappointment when we bought it was either....

a.) the original owners didn't have the going "taste" for the era the house was built, by not having the fabulously beautiful chandeliers and crystal door nobs. or....

b.) taking them out when the 60's got here and replacing them with NOT good looking retro ones.

Tim and I have been slowly restoring these details in our home.

I had never seen the chandelier I "eyed" at this place in that small of a size. I left with out purchasing it, but it stayed on my mind throughout the week.

On the way home, Tim asked me if I wanted to stop back by and pick up that chandelier. Of course I was thrilled. When we walked in the owner's reconized us, and when approaching the chandelier they said it was mis-marked the other day and the real price was actually supposed to be $100 more, but they told us they would give it for the price we came back for.

Of course hanging around there that long and telling them about wanting to bring back the details of our home, the owner went in the back and came back out saying, "well, I just got this in yesterday. Haven't cleaned it up yet, but you can buy this one too if you want.".......

Of course I had the perfect spot for that one as well....small one in the hallway and large one in the dining room.....

I had to go to work on Saturday after returning from our trip, but when I returned home later that afternoon Tim had already cleaned and hung them.....

The old light fixture in the hall.....

And the new.....

I don't have a picture of the before of our dining room, but it was a Lowe's Special....

here is the "before it was cleaned" of the new one.....you always need to keep an opened mind to: not what things always look like, but what they can become....

And after......

I am pretty excited about our "finds"....

And of course a road trip isn't complete without a trip in the gas station for pork rinds, beef jerky and a Kit Kat. WHAT WERE WE THINKING...... the lady behind the counter should've pushed her sales and suggested Tums to us.

we didn't even eat dinner that night......we aren't kids anymore, that is for sure!

I missed you guys that week and had so much fun fancying these little guys when I returned......

Fall is EXPLODING in Bellamia! Come see us!

Part 1....

2011-08-23T08:37:00.000-05:00

Hopefully this will be Part 1 of today's post! Really trying to play catch up since being gone last week. But I was tardy on this............

and I knew some of you were really looking for it yesterday, so I wanted to get it posted first thing this morning. My apologies!

Be back soon!

would you like a cucumber with that....

2011-08-17T15:00:00.002-05:00

never done this before, but I am need of a vacay! As a result, the shop will be closed this Friday, August 19th only, for a "personal holiday". I hear this is common abroad. So, I will let my guilt be swallowed up by this............

**image compliments of Google Images**

Yeah, that's my story and I am sticking to it! My apologies extended for the inconveniences this may cause you. If you are in need of a gift that day, you may shop our booth at the Highland's Antique Mall. And if you shop at the Mall on Thursday, they are open until 8pm, with sales throughout including our booth! We will re-open the next day on Saturday at 10am. Thank you for understanding :)

Since I will be getting a little treat, this one is for you.....

Oh, and BTW, ~~some~~ TONS of new Fall Arrivals this week! See you soon :)

Wednesday's Coupon :)

2011-08-16T15:00:00.000-05:00

Here ya go!

As you know, Kissy Kissy hardly EVER goes on sale. Use this coupon and have fun :)

Tuesday's Coupon....

2011-08-15T15:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Monday to you!

Here is a coupon valid tomorrow ONLY!!

See you soon!

Coupon Week!

2011-08-14T10:41:00.001-05:00

Hello to all you blog peeps!

This week is Coupon Week! Each day I will post a coupon that is valid for the following day ONLY! So don't miss out! Make sure you check it out each day. Here is Monday's Coupon......

Happy Monday to you all!

My New Favorite......

2011-08-11T09:47:00.003-05:00

This has become my new favorite in the store.......

Classic, simply classic. Do I need to say more.......

This is also my new favorite at our table.......

This was an experiment meal, and I am so glad that yet, unfamiliar, I jumped on board, because it is now my FAVORITE :)

This is a Lamb Meatball Linguine, with a Lemon and Rosemary Cream Sauce.

I thought about Lamb, and I have only eaten it about about ten times in my life. Never like this, but I knew that Rosemary, Dijon Mustard, and Lemon would complement it so I started with that. This is what you will need (minus the cheese to the left. I took this picture with the thought that this is all I would use but opted to omit cheese and glad I did.).............

I don't know if I will EVER make meatballs with beef again! My kids will agree, they prefer the lamb.

Contact Gaucho Farms for your Lamb. $6.50 a pound. I used two pounds. It made around 40 + mini meatballs.

Unfortunately, I forgot to take a picture of what the mixture looked like before mixing and shaping, but this is what you will do.

Add your Lamb to a large mixing bowl.

Sprinkle with salt ( if you can't tell, I like sea salt and use a grinder, so I am guessing I used about 1tsp- 1 1/2 tsp)

Add two eggs-

My grandmother always taught me to crack the egg in a small bowl before adding to any of your mixtures, in case it was a bad egg (had blood in it).

Then, when ever I have left over baguette bread I freeze it for bread crumbs and croutons(shown below). so you will need to break off about a hand size of your baguette (to make around a cup of bread crumbs), and put in your mini or regular food processor.....

Add to your Lamb Mixture.

Sorry no pics, but you will now add, one LARGE sprig of chopped Rosemary (not the stem), about 2 tablespoons of Dijon Mustard (I just squirt in...sorry not exact) and 1 chopped Green Onion.

Mix together (I use my hands) and shape into mini meatballs and lay on platter.

After your meatballs are formed, get a LARGE pot of salty water going for your Linguine. I'll say it again, most pasta dishes are bland if the noodles are not seasoned well during boiling. Trust me, I know that literally you can over salt something, but it is VERY hard to over salt pasta noodles. I used 1 1/2 boxes of the Linguine. I boil my noodles for 10 mins. Drain and DO NOT RINSE!

I have a VERY large skillet (don't know what I would do without it!) but I realize that not everyone does, so you will probably have to cook in batches. Cook your meatballs when your noodles are going.

I heat up my large skillet with 2 cloves of garlic, olive oil and 2 tbls of butter.....

Place your meatballs in the skillet (med high heat).....

Cook about 4 mins on first side.... Flip...

And cook about 3 mins on the other. Lamb needs to be served medium rare. Do not over cook. Emily said when she was eating it, "mom, is it supposed to be a little pink in the middle". YES! Of course this is depending on the size of your meatballs (open one up while you are cooking to check and taste test if you are unsure of doneness..is that even a word, spell check say not??). It should be a light pink through the middle.

Take meatballs out of skillet and place on a plate/platter and move them out of the way. I placed my in the microwave to keep warm and out of the air.

Discard 1/2 of the dripping from meatballs, and return skillet and other reserved drippings to Med. High heat and add the rest of your stick of butter and 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped.

Then squeeze in the juice of 1 lemon.....

crank the heat up to high heat and pour in 1-1 1/2 cup of white wine, I used a Pinot Grigio.

simmer for a couple minutes and then whisk in 8oz of heavy whipping cream.....

Add one sprig of rosemary (I just ran my knife through one time, didn't want it chopped but wanted flavor to be released from leaves)....

simmer for just a minute and pull your meatballs out and place linguine and meatballs on a large serving dish and pour sauce on top....

The sauce is not heavy in this meal, but it is very rich. It doesn't look like much from the picture, but the sauce did spread underneath the noodles. It it so YUMMY!

serve with a Creamy Caesar salad and toasty bread! Cube your left over stale baguettes and toss in a med high heated skillet with olive oil, butter and sea salt until toasted to make your own croutons......

Enjoy!!

New Fall Apparel......and a recipe :)

2011-08-09T07:00:00.000-05:00

Good Morning!

A couple years ago, Tim wanted to loose some weight and ask that I help him on the "menu" end. He wanted some grilled meat and steamed veggies....

After some time, I had to figure out something to do with just plain steamed veggies, so I opted for roasting them most of the time. It has been my new favorite way to eat veggies ever since!

My kids LOVE red meat, so we eat it often.

Here is one of our favorites and this is what you will need.

In a medium skillet add to med heat 4-5 TBLS of butter, 1 TBLS of Olive Oil and 2-3 cloves of chopped Garlic.

Meanwhile- poke your meat (around a 3lb London Broil) with a fork a few times and add to a large zip lock bag with a couple of garlic cloves roughly chopped, 1/2 cup Dale's Marinade, and a drizzle of Olive Oil.

Close your zip lock and leave meat out at room temp (better for grilling) and marinade for about 15-20.

While the meat is mellowing out, add your sliced baby portobellos (LOVE these, WAY better then just regular button mushrooms). Sprinkle with salt.

Continue sauteing at med high heat for the next 5 or so minutes...

Crank up the heat and add about 1/2- 3/4 cup Red Wine. I used a Pinot Noir. Keep the heat on high for about 1 min. Then cut the heat off and let it hang out until the meal is complete.......

Wash and snap your asparagus and spread on a cookie/baking pan. Drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and throw some garlic cloves in the mix and pop it in a 450 degree pre-heated oven for 10 mins.

Mushrooms mellowing....

Toss your meat on a med high heated grill and grill on both sides IMPORTANT 7 mins on one side, flip and 6 mins on the other (for around a 3lb roast). Time this, it is very important you do not over cook. You will end up with a medium rare London Broil and it will be delish!

While the meat is grilling, slice open your packages of Gnocchi.
If you have never had Gnocchi then you are missing out! I LOVE it! We all do, and we can thank Suzanne with Gaucho Farms for introducing us to our new favorite "Starchy". (Tim, normally skipped the starch when trying to loose weight. That year with good diet and exercise he lost around 30lbs)

Make sure you have your timer for the meat going....

Add both packages of your Gnocchi to a large stock pot of (very salty) boiling water. Gnocchi is a potato pasta, and the only time to flavor it is when it is boiling. So add a few tsp of salt. Gnocchi only takes about 3 or 4 minutes to cook. You boil and when the Gnocchi rises to the top, then it is done. I just take a slotted spoon and scoop the Gnocchi out as it rises to the top and put in a mixing bowl.

Meanwhile, run outside and take your meat off the grill and lay it on a cutting board and cover for about 3-5mins. This helps keep the juices and flavor in.

Top your Gnocchi with 2-3 Tbls of butter and a drizzle of olive oil, a few basil leaves chopped and a handful of your favorite (hard) cheese. Then toss together.

Take your Asparagus out of the oven.....

Crank the heat up on your mushrooms so you can serve hot and pour it over your sliced meat.

Enjoy!

These little Beauties arrived yesterday....

Top Two.... up to size 12!!

See you soon!

Coupon Monday and an Invitation.....

2011-08-08T09:20:00.000-05:00

Good Monday Morning Folks! Below is Coupon Monday and an Invitation to an event I would like you to ~~consider~~ attend.....

I recently was browsing through some archived blog entries and came across one I briefly wrote on marriage.

Kudos to Wiregrass Church for hosting and teaching on such a vital subject.

Strong Marriages = A Strong Family
Strong Families = A Strong Nation

Hope you will join us, please click here for details.....

See you soon :)

Sunday.....

2011-08-03T22:14:00.000-05:00

Blah! That is how I feel! So I am really hoping that as I type this, my feelings of "blah" won't come out in the writing. It is 8:15pm and I have been trying to get to posting something ALL day! When I don't post for a few days, I miss it, and then I feel like I have so much to blog about that I simply will not be able to catch up! Any of you other bloggers out there feel that way???

This post is about Sunday-

There is no disputing- God is good. Or He is faithful. Or He is gracious. Or He is loving. But lately, He has shown me just how gentle He is.

If you know me, or maybe just from reading; you may have discovered that I am a black and white, type A, kind of girl. With that, means that sometimes my edges can be kind of rough, especially in the parenting department.

One thing God has shown me, is that if I continually ask Him to show me guidance, wisdom and timing to teach my girls, He will! It still isn't very easy, but it is good.

God has been very gentle lately as well. What I mean by that, is that changes have been made in our home, tough ones, decisions to be made, and God has given a great peace with them. A gentle peace.

Sunday was a hard day, and yet a great one. A day that could have sent me into wanting to throw in the parenting towel, but instead fighting for what is so important to Tim and I; a good relationship with our girls.

Tim, has always been the listener. He has so much patience, in fact, that is why I continually tell him that his patience is why God gave us three girls. He has been like that from the beginning; wanting our girls to come to us for anything and everything, no matter how hard. He believed that if we spent more time listening (him) instead of lecturing (me) then they would feel our love, and know that we understand them, want to help them and we truly want what's best for them.

Eight years ago we got rid of our television, meaning, all cable, even local channels. We have "snow"in other words. We have our television for movies. With the girls being 12, 11 and 8 years old.... you do the math, they have never come home and plopped on the couch and flipped through the channels like most of America.

We also, have not given much time to electronics period. For Christmas about 5 or 6 years ago, someone gave us a brand new playstation2 with a few games and we have played it maybe 10 times. And if you are thinking that Tim and I must not have grown up with TV and games, and that is why we don't care that much for them; then think again! We had it all, and Tim even worked at Diamond Gems or Jim's (which was it?? video arcade) in the mall while we were dating.

Even though there is much "trash" on t.v., our main reason for "giving" it up, was to teach us, how to use our time more wisely. Instead of making sure the kiddos where fed and in bed by the time Survivor came on. Or not having your friends over for dinner on Thursday night because you might miss your show. It forced us to look into other options like, reading more, and even reading together, playing a board game or cards, entertaining etc.

One of the challenges with making this decision though, was that when our girls got older, making sure that once they had the "freedom", that because they didn't have a TV, Game station, ipod, cell phone, computer, that they would learn to use them wisely and not flee to them because they didn't have them before. AND another big challenge..... feeling totally excluded from conversations with friends because they don't know what their friends are talking about when talking about a character on a t.v show they don't know about, or a song they've never heard, that happen to have just topped the charts for the 6th week in a row....HELLO??? WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN???
When and how to slowly introduce them to that freedom was key. That was the part we wait on the Lord for.

Well, on Sunday, God gave us the opportunity to listen to our kids and to show them how much we love them.

When expressing despair on not knowing but a few lines of some Taylor Swift song (only cause I've heard them over and over again by my friends, Jillian explained), our girls shared how isolated they feel that they don't know those songs.

***I will pause here to state, that Tim and I LOVE music. In fact, my husband has gone through every stage...when I met him, it was alternative, then after marriage...country, then after a high stressful job....classical, you name it, we've listened to it! And enjoyed it! ****

We also, are not JUST His Radio 94.3 listeners, although 95% of the time our children are in the car or at home with us, we are.

All this to say, that on Sunday night the girls threw out songs or artists, we looked them up on the computer, downloaded them and then listened to them....together. Then, we let the girls tell us what they heard. We would talk about them, talk about the message in them. Talked about the tone the singer was singing, the example that singer was setting.

Of course most songs are about love, that is a given. And love isn't bad. Love is a good thing. But if the songs talked about stealing a boyfriend, sneaking out of the house, life sucks, or I need you now or I don't think I can live anymore and to those effects, we would give the thumbs down, and they would know why. But if not, we would download them on their MP3's and they could listen to them with freedom.

It was a long night. But a great night. We learned something about our girls. They came to us. And they learned something about us. We listened to them. God is good. He is Gentle.

Good night!

Coupon Monday!

2011-08-01T09:13:00.000-05:00

See you soon!

Happenings....

2011-07-29T15:22:00.000-05:00

So much going on, so little time to blog!

We have been busy little bees around here lately....what happened to the "lazy days" of summer????

And lately we've also been fond of these little guys ....

Right before Christmas, Elizabeth became very fond of Lego's.

We purchased her a "house" kit, one that you could build three different houses out of the same Lego's just different direction. Anyhow, she LOVED it and has built them over and over again.

The only problem...

The kit only came with ONE person.

For her birthday, she asked for some Lego People.

Have any of you ever tried to find Lego people??????

NOT.EASY!

If you want to find Star Wars, Harry Potter, or even Toy Story, then that is a breeze. While I know my child has a huge imagination, I still didn't think fair to give her Darth Vader, Princess Leia and Mr. Potato Head and expect her to imagine them as this cute little family inside her newly finished English Tutor home she just built.

So after exhausting myself locally, I clicked over here at the end of my rainbow and found my pot of gold...

Yes, if you clicked over you read correctly..256 pieces. An entire community! I was thrilled! And so was this little girl....

Well, my blogging time is cut short today...working on a birthday post from Miss Elizabeth's day :)

I will leave you with a few pics of some Fall "Happies" we received this week that I am very fond of...... Enjoy :)

See you soon!

Need a gift this weekend......

2011-07-28T09:03:00.000-05:00

We've got 'em!

Also, been adding little "happies" here.........

Come see us!

Coupon Monday!

2011-07-25T09:33:00.001-05:00

look at these "Qt Qt" by Kissy Kissy! They are super cute for Fall! Kissy Kissy gets better and better every season!

little boys......

2011-07-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

Hurry in! These little tees leave us in a hurry!