The Kitchen

This was before....


And this is after....






We painted the kitchen this great green color called Recycled Glass from Sherwin Williams. We painted the brown trim and under the chair rail white. Gone is the shelf full of grandmother's "stuff" and the scary chef man with a dead fish on it!

The monogram windows were great finds at Hobby Lobby! 50% off all home decor stuff! 3.99 a piece. 12.80!





Just a little paint and some clean up!




We are not completely done in the kitchen but we are getting there. The breakfast table (refinishing), the back splash and a few odds and ends are all that is left...but wow just the paint and a few little things made such a difference!!

Renovations

So kitchen renovation turned into...whole house renovation. This past weekend we painted the living room, dinning room and kitchen. I can't believe how well it all turned out. Now I just have to go do a little treasure hunting to pull it all together.

Before

Extreme Kitchen and Office Make Over

So here are the plans. My kitchen and office are in desperate need of make overs. We are so fortunate to be living in Brandon's grandparent's house but we don't want it to look like we live in Brandon's grandparent's house. We started a few months back by changing out my bathroom, his bathroom and our bedroom. So it is time to finally start doing something about it.

(Can you tell grad school is over for now and I need something to occupy me???)

The goal is to do it for as little as possible. I want to really get creative on how I go about doing this and really keeping it to a small budget. Our budget for both rooms is 200.00. We'll see how that goes!! :)

So here is where you come in...I need some advice on how to make this thing happen for CHEAP!

My first major decision is going to be whether or not to paint the cabinets in my kitchen. I really want to paint them white but I really don't know that I want to put forth the time or the effort. If I can make it all come together without doing it I would rather.

I will say that one good thing about being in the cake business is that my paint for both of these projects has been provided for the price of a cake. That's pretty exciting and saves me money on my total bill.

My idea is to use the green in the oven and pick a lighter shade of green. I want to do black and white accents. So...start chiming in and I'll post pictures as I change things up.

Pictures as soon as blogger stops acting up!

New Blog and New Love

I have a new love. Not that I can afford to many things from her collection, but WOW her stuff is so pretty. She also has a pretty great blog that I love to follow.

http://www.lisaleonardonline.com/

I am thinking about asking for a graduation present!! :)

Yum Yum Sauce

We have a huge joke in the Peevy household about Yum Yum sauce, or as some call it the seafood sauce from Japanese restaurants. At a really fancy Japanese restaurant in Disney, Brandon (who apparently turned into country bumpkin) asked for that stuff..you know...seafood sauce. They brought him ranch.

So anyway, for Valentine's day we went to Sho-gun. Their yum yum sauce was not so yum yum. In fact it was really bad. For our left overs tonight I decided to try and make it. Turns out it's basically homemade honey mustard with a kick. I found a few recipes but didn't really like any of them. So I just decided to take some of their advice and do my own.

Below are the ingredients. I tried to measure it out but really just ended up playing with it. It turned out AMAZING! I am so excited that I got it right on the first try.

Around 1/2 to 3/4 cup of Mayo...more if you need more
TBS of Vinegar
1/4 teaspoon of Paprika... See More
1/4 teaspoon of Garlic
Teaspoon or so of mustard (less is more...and you can always add more!)
TBS of Honey (probably would have been ok without it)
2 TBS of Sugar

EEEEK!!

I am so excited for Brandon and his new journey as a firefighter. He got fitted for all his uniform stuff today and will officially start the training academy next month. He will be in the academy for 10 months. During that time he will go through EMT training and the actual fire fighter training part. At the end of the 10 months he will graduate from the academy and be a firefighter. The whole time that he is in the academy he will be paid by Gwinnett County but it will be a significant pay cut for us. Still, this is his dream. So we will sacrafice where we have to and live way below our means to make sure that we are covered during this transition time. It'll be tough but we have already started making preparations for it and it's going really well.

So wish him luck, wish me luck...cause here we go.

Frankie is on his way home

Dave and Kim are picking up Frankie tonight from an airport in Orlando! Miracles do happen!

Heart Line Ministries

If you are wanting to donate to Haiti but are leary of some organizations out there, Heart Line Ministries is a great organization. HeartLine is an orphanage in Haiti that is in desperate need of our help. They are not only caring for the kids that were already in their care, they are now caring for other kids that have come their way. They have set up make shift clinics to try and help all of those that are in need. You can learn more about them here

Frankie Update!

Not only were Kim and Dave able to be on ABC with Diane Sawyer (thanks to Skype!) to plead their case...they got some great news yesterday!!!

HUMANITARIAN PAROLES WERE GRANTED!!!!!!!

Kim and Dave started the year dreaming that Frankie would be home sometime before the end of the year. They will soon have him in their arms and home with their precious family!

Continue to pray for the orphans of Heartline Ministry as they make this transition to live with their adopted families. Pray that their will be peace and sweet dreams for all of these little ones.

YAY!!

Orphans in Haiti

In the process of moving to Georgia I was lucky enough to be introduced to a ministry called Wayfarer Ministries. One family from this ministry, Dave and Kim Rhodes, were currently in the middle of the adoption process when the earthquake hit. The adoption process in Haiti is long and painful at times. Couples who adopt from Haiti understand that there is usually a waiting period of over two years. Dave and Kim were pretty far along in this process and were finally starting to see some good progress being made.

I am posting this to ask you to read their journey and get involved. Dave and Kim are looking for people that would be willing to contact local US officials that have the power to help get the children of the Heartline ministries home to their adoptive parents.

You can read all about it http://kimrhodes.wordpress.com/

Annie

I've always loved the movie Annie. (However, it wasn't until I watched it a few weeks ago with my niece that I heard GD in it, not once but twice. Yikes!)

Annie and I are twins. Well maybe not, but here is why I always liked her!

1. She was an orphan.

OK...so I was only an orphan for like 12 hours until my adopted parents drove to Tampa to get me, but give me a break.

2. She sang the song Maybe.

Growing up I had this delusional thought that MAYBE my birth parents were really good people. MAYBE the card would come in the mail like my birth mother promised and MAYBE my birth father was this really great man. Neither true but still I like the song. When I was mad at my adoptive mom I use to go around singing the song at the top of my lungs. She would always scream back...MAYBE they'll come pick you up. DYSFUNCTIONAL I know...but we still love each other.

3. She could sing.

I randomly like to burst out in song. However, my singing is more like country meets rap. Crabb Family meets Nelly!

4. She had a dog.

All I got was a bunch of guppy fish that were ugly as sin. Maybe that's why I have a fish phobia now.

5. Her locket.

Her locket says her birthday is October 18. Ring a bell??? That's my birthday! However, in last night's play they said her birthday was October 28th and I almost got up and stormed out in protest!

6. She was adopted.

Ok so she was adopted by money bags but the point is the same. Blood may get you here, but love is what makes it worthwhile. My mama and daddy may have been limited in what they could give me that was worldly, but the love and security that they gave me was more than enough. I will never be able to repay what they did or me.


That's why my Christmas present of seeing Annie live last night was so special! Thanks husband!

Hope

Hope isn't optimism. Optimism often denies reality.Hope never does. Optimism is positive thinking; hope is passionate trust.- Rick Warren

So long 2009

Wow...I can't believe that 2009 is really almost gone.
Here's a recap!

Januaryish - Mee-Maw Christmas = Hippopotamus ornament and another drive pass the railroad tracks, turn left at the post office, and a failed attempt at watching a dvd!

February - Atlanta Valentine's Day. World of Coke, Varsity, DownTown ATL. (This trip ended up having to be salvaged at the last minute but my sweet husband pulled it through and made it a great weekend.)

March - Lost my job

April - Worried about losing my job.
JDAY! It really was one of the best that I can remember.

May - One Year Anniversary trip to Nashville. Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame, BB King's and so much more. We stayed free at the Hilton because of the mishap on Valentine's Day Trip mentioned above.

Moved into Brandon's grandparents' house.

June - Got our new puppy Millie.

July - Got and started new job at Youth Middle School

August - Heather had PIPPA!

September - Millie's accident. She became a 3 legged pup!

October - My birthday...what else do you need??

November and December - Because they have seemed to morph into one this year. A hard two months but very blessed to have been able to spend the Holiday season with such good friends and family.


So...so long 2009. I pray that 2010 is one of health and happiness for us all.

Hope

Hope

Every year we buy an ornament that symbolizes and sums up our year.

This year it took a little longer than usual to find the perfect 09' ornament to add to our collection. It's difficult to put into words what our year has been like. A roller coaster probably would seem more fitting!

However, when I finally found her I knew she was the one.

HOPE!

Brandon and I have decided that this will be our theme for 2010. Something to keep our hearts and minds focused on why were are here on this earth in the first place.

Merry Christmas and may you find yourself resting in HIS HOPE this season.


"Hope is faith holding out its hand in the dark." ~George Iles

Together....

Over the past few weeks Brandon and I have endured our toughest challenge as husband and wife. We have held each other, fought with each other, laughed at each other and cried together. We have looked at one another wondering if the pain would be less the next day but preparing for the worst. We have grieved the loss of a child that only heaven has seen but one day we will hold. The good thing is...we've done it all together.

I fell in love with Brandon for so many reasons, the first being his smile. It captures you. It engulfs you. You can't help but smile back. It is contagious to say the least.

His smile still melts me but now I love him for something so much bigger. I love the way he loves me. He takes care of me. He protects me. He knows that all I want on this earth is to feel secure and he is seeking to make that his number one priority.

The past few weeks have been hard. I'm sure that there will be things that we will go through that will be harder but knowing that he is by my side makes it so much better.

Love, Love, Love Christmas

So excited about Christmas this year. I love, love, love the season of Christmas because...

1. We get to celebrate Advent and light the candles in our church and in our home!

2. Love the fact that Jesus was once a baby....so human yet my Savior.

3. Love the decorations and the cozy feeling in our home. We are slowly adding a few new decorations each year and really making our home look pretty during Christmas.

4. Love getting together with so many different groups of friends and family.

5. Love that Christmas means a new ornament for my tree from a Mee Maw.

6. Love the smell of Christmas things...fires, cinnamon, cranberries.

I just LOVE it!

Wahoo

I am now officially on Thanksgiving break and it feels amazing. So glad that I ....

1. Have time to catch up on grad school work. Just sooooooo ready to be done with it.
2. Have time to clean my house.
3. Am GOING HOME TO ALABAMA. I haven't been there since the summer. This is the LONGEST that I have EVER gone without going home and I can tell it. So ready to be there.
4. Can rest.

Hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving.

Trust

Tomorrow we continue our Relationship series at church and the word we tackle is TRUST. Trust is a BIG word to only have 5 letters. In fact, it is a word that send shivers up and down me. Putting my trust in something or someone is a really big deal to me. I try to not be a person that is defined by the circumstances. The fact that I was abandoned at 9 months old is merely that...a fact. It is a part of my history but I am not defined by it. My life has been about trying to live above that reality and becoming a better person because of it. However, a pastor of mine said it best when he told me that you are not brought into this world and left abandoned without having trust issues. But I've learned that it is better to live and be hurt, than to not live at all. No one is perfect. Everyone will do something to hurt you eventually whether it is intentional or not. Trust is a choice that I choose to make.

What does trust mean to you? Does it come easy or is it a choice that you have to make on a daily basis?

Presence Voice Touch

I can remember going to church as a young child with my aunt Lorene. It was a small, white, country church in New Hope. The people in that church loved the Lord and meant well. I can still remember the church offering envelope that I would be given in Sunday School. You would check off if you had prayed everyday, read your bible everyday, how much money you gave, and how many people you had contacted in the week about church. For so long I have struggled through most of my Christian life feeling as though I will never hit the mark. Never be able to check off all of those things on that envelope. I'll never do good enough, never pray enough, never say the right things, etc. I know that this thinking is wrong but it's so hard to break out of this mentality.

Recently after reading THIS BLOG (Annie is a greater writer) I stumbled upon Brad Huebert! Brad is a pastor in Canada that makes sense and puts all of this into perspective. His book Finding Home is a free E - Book that you can download that is in incredible. It's a short read but it is so good. He writes it in the style of a parable about a man (himself) finally finding the true Kingdom of God. It is one of the best things I have read in a long time and just finally makes sense.

He also has a website that is pretty neat. Happy reading!!

Psalm 46

This morning at church we sang the song...You and I were made to worship. A line stuck out to me that When you and I choose to believe, you and I will see, what we were meant to be. What could/would happen if I truly chose to believe in the power of God, if I chose to believe in myself more, if I chose to believe in the goodness of others?

Psalm 46 was the text for our sermon that was delivered at a needed time in my life. The pastor told us that sometimes you have to be weak enough in order to surrender all that weighs you down. It all made perfect sense!

1. God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.
2 So we will not fear when the earthquakes come and the mountains crumble to into the sea.
3. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge.

10 - Be still and know that I am God!

Google Images

I would love to know what Google Image you can look up and find my blog under but apparently you can (just see the Feedjit!...especially if you are German). Maybe time to jump on the private bandwagon...hmmmm?

Week from hell behind me...

So by now you might have heard that we have just come through the week from hell around the Peevy household. It actually started two weeks ago when....

1. Our basement flooded during the ATL flood of 09. No serious damage...just annoying. However, we love our friends the Kendricks who helped clean us up and fed us that night so that we didn't have to deal with cooking.

2. On the way to clean out the basement Brandon's grand daddy experienced some heart trouble and was put in the hospital where he is still today. He will be coming home soon. Lots of details that I don't remember but things are looking up at least.

3. Thursday night Brandon starts to feel bad.

4. Friday he comes home from work with a high temperature.

5. Monday...finally goes to the doctor to discover he's had H1N1. Sweet!!

6. Tired of being in the house all weekend, Brandon and Millie decided to take a ride to the walking trail by our house. Millie usually rides really well and just hangs her head out the window. But for some unknown reason she decided to JUMP OUT OF THE CAR!!

7. Breaks her leg. 3,000 to fix it, put her down or amputate. Those were our options.

So we decided to amputate and save Millie. Brandon just couldn't make the decision to put her down and there was no guarantee that she wouldn't need additional surgeries. She is doing great though and we are just glad we have our dog.

So that's it. Fun times in a bag. October has officially started off better than September ended at least.

Hoping that the week from hell is behind us!!

Crock Pot Fun

So I've been looking for ideas on how to cook every night of the week while going to grad school 3 of them.

Cooking for a whole month?? Not for me. Idea is great, reality it's just not that feasible right now. Number one because I don't have a whole day to cook, another is because I don't get home until 10:00 sometimes and there's just no way to heat up all that frozen stuff at school....

So...that led me to the Crock Pot Blog. (thecrockpotblog.blogspot.com) It's not the same as the 365 crock pot blog (that's a lot of CP meals) but it looks great. The recipes seem easy and look good. Brandon is a very picky eater but I'm hoping that I can throw in a few things here and there and make our dinners a little healthier.

So...I'm going to spend Sunday shopping (with my coupons of course) and trying to figure out my schedule. I'm hoping to post some reviews so that you can try them out too!!

You know what assuming does??

Just a little rant...

Why does everyone assume that when you get married you are no longer available to be friends? Change is so hard for me sometimes and I just never know how to deal with it. I hate the feeling that I am not really friends with people that I use to be so close to. They are all still friends but somehow I'm the one that drifted away. If I never texted, called or facebooked them I would never hear from them. Maybe it was my fault for assuming they would call me and should have been more proactive about protecting and nurturing those relationships. I just hate feeling the change in the air and hate feeling like I can't even have a conversation with "friends" because we don't know each other anymore. Oh well. I'll value the friendships that I do have and look forward to new ones that the Lord may place in my path. It'll just be hard to look at wedding pictures down the road.

It feels like home to me....

It's been a whirlwind around the Peevy household since the end of July. School has started and the only word that can describe it is hectic. Youth Middle School has turned out to be a great place for me and I am finally able to see the pieces of God's plan come back together. For a while I was very resentful of having to leave Davis and my friends behind. I am just now starting to see why I am there and why I am not at Davis and I know that it will all continue to work itself out.

School starting means that grad school has officially started as well. I am taking 4 classes this semester in order to try and finish in May. I filled out my application for graduation the other day and it felt amazing. (minus the 75.00 fee) I will finish next semester with one class, my internship (second part) and my final capstone. The hardest part is being gone three nights a week. I don't know how people who travel all the time keep their marriage strong and together. This whole season of being gone takes a toll on us but we are fighting (not literally...ok maybe) through it the best that we know how. Just say a prayer for us if you think of us.

This weekend has been Labor day weekend and we decided to start some our painting projects. We've just put them off for so long that we decided it was time to make this place feel a little bit more like home. I've planned, bought and prepared for a few months for these rooms. We are hoping to have the entire house painted and decorated (somewhat) by next weekend. So glad that it's starting to feel like home.

There are some photos up on facebook but I'm hoping to have some good before and afters up soon.

Hope all is well with you and yours.

So excited...

I FINALLY HAVE A JOB!!! Even though my summer if officially over and I start back to school next week, I am so happy to finally have a job. I didn't realize the weight that I had on my shoulders until it was finally lifted with the words you have a job.

The ladies I interviewed with were wonderful and the school itself seems to be a pleasant environment. I am really hoping that it's going to be a great place.

The only downfall is the fact that it's a 20 mile drive (which here can take you forever) and I have to be there at 6:45 in the MORNING....gross. But a job is a job and that's all that matters.

So for now it's GO HORNETS!!

Selfish

I get so selfish sometimes and get involved in my own little pity parties. However this story reminded me this week of how blessed I am and just how good I really have it right now in my life.

A few days ago a former co-worker of mine sent out a prayer request for a family that she knew that lives in our area. I opened the e-mail to find the most heart wrenching story I've ever read. Yet, they are hanging on somehow to the hope that the Lord has a reason behind their ordeal.

You can go hear to read the story of the Morgan family. They are a family of five who have lost both the mother and youngest son out of the family this week to cancer.

It's times like these that you have to hope that there really is a God who really is control and knows what's best...and pray that he holds this family close.

www.superryan.blogspot.com

Catching up....

I have spent the majority of the afternoon uploading about 400 something pictures from the camera to the computer. I finally got to the box with the USB cord in it!!

So much has happened in our life since the summer started.

At the end of May I left my position as a teacher at Davis Middle School. We are still hoping and praying that the opportunity comes back around for me to work at Davis in the fall. However, I have put in my application with other surrounding counties and hope to hear from some of them soon. This is a picture of most of my class from this year. I taught EBD (Emotional Behavior Disorders). It was a challenging job but I learned just as much as the kids did from the experience.



During the month of May we also celebrated our first anniversary. We spent the weekend in Nashville. We were able to go to the Country Music Hall of Fame and to the Grand Ole Opry!! In some ways it feels like we have been married forever and in other ways it feels like we have been married for only days. He is truly my best friend and I love him more than words could ever express. I hope the next 50 years go by slower than the first!!









At the end of May we were finally able to move in our house. The house sits right behind the Mall of Georgia on a very busy road. We are hoping to only be here for a few years but are grateful for the chance to live in a house with such a rich heritage and great family memories. His grandparents built this house and raised both Brandon's mother and uncle here. The house is kind of quirky with some of it's features and additions. One funny thing is the indoor grill that is in the fire place. Who wants to the smell of charcoal in your house?? Still, it's fun to to have. We have an amazing fire place that I am excited about using in the winter. The only thing I don't love is the scary basement. With our washer and dryer down there it's a great way to get out of having to do the laundry. :)








The first week of June brought about yet another wedding. Since our wedding in May, four of Brandon's friends have taken the walk down the aisle. We started the trend I guess you can say. We headed to Birmingham for the Loudermilk wedding. Brandon's friends are crazy but always a blast!! Jane added our fourth wife into our self proclaimed wives club. We love having her here and can't wait to have Amanda round out our group soon!! That's a hint Baker!!









After we left the wedding on Sunday, we headed up to Huntsville to pick up our newest addition. Millie is a lab/something mix. We say that because there is a big debate about what her mix is. The vet in Huntsville thought border collie. The vet here say Jack Terrier. That's a pretty big difference if you ask me. She has made this house exciting for sure. She is so sweet and loves being here. She has learned her name and even done well with using the potty outside. She has chewed up a few things including a ballpoint pen on our new sofa that we just bought a few weeks ago. However, we love her a lot and think that our family is pretty complete for now.








The last few weeks have been spent trying to pack in as many things as possible. I've started decorating cakes and that's a post all to itself. We are headed to the beach this weekend with family and are set to see the American Idol tour at the end of the summer here in Atlanta.

We are also inviting you all to come to our house for the 4th of July. It's a great place to watch the fireworks from the Mall of Georgia. So if you want to see them and have a free and great view, come on up!!

We hope that your summer is safe and fun and hope to see you soon!!

Meet the newest Peevy

Her name is Millie. She is a lab that I got from my great grand big from Judson (well of that family line!) We picked her up on Sunday from Huntsville. She was real shaky and nervous in the car. We stopped to let her pee and she just fell over when she got out of the car. She had no clue how to walk on the leash.

Since then she has made her home here and seems to love it. She gets real happy when she sees Brandon in the afternoons and pouts when we put her in the bathroom when we have to go somewhere. We are reading all the websites on how to potty train her. The fact that I am home during the day doesn't hurt either.

She'll be huge when she gets full grown, so I am enjoying her being a puppy right now.

Come see her soon!!

BFF

Only we can sing all the words to Fancy...even the ones that we made up because we couldn't figure out the real ones and still sing to this day like they are the real words. Only we can randomly tell the random songs on your random CD's by the first few notes and bust it out like we are ghetto. Only we can have 10 word conversations on the phone, most of the time calling each other some kind of name, and end it with love you...bye. Only YOU can be the best friend I've ever had or wanted. I love you and hope that you have a great birthday.

I'll even make you a for real birthday cake instead of one out of cereal.

She didn't have to be....

There are very few words that can express the love that I have for this woman. She had no reason to take me in and love me like her own. She had no obligation to rescue me from the horrible life that I was living thanks to her step-daughter. She just simply chose to love and care for me in a way that only a mother could. She once gave me an angel that said "without you I wouldn't be a mother,".....but without her I wouldn't be alive. She may have not physically gave birth to me, but she gave me a life that I wouldn't trade for anything.

Restless

Lately I have been so restless. That's not really a good thing for me. I am a very impatient person and hate not knowing what the next step is. Sometimes in that state of being restless I do stupid stuff. I eat tooooo much, sleep tooooo much (when given the chance), buy tooooooo much or just other random acts of stupidity.

I just really want to be settled for the first time in a long time. I want a job that will be there year after year. I want to be in a house that is "ours" and not something that we are renting or "borrowing" as the next case will be. I want to be done with school and not having it hanging over my dagum head all the time. I want to be at a place where we could start a family when we want, but a trip to the doctor's office the other day confirmed that it might be a while. I'm just so stinking restless.

Ugh...

Still no word on the job. Looks like the test results from the Math and Science test might mean the difference in a job or no job...very anxious and emotional, tired of waiting and really going crazy because of all of it. I feel like my entire life is on hold and I don't like that.

Bring on the Rain...

Ok...so I'm not really happy with all the rain, BUT it has washed ALOT of pollen away which is a good thing in my world. So now that I am getting a little bit better it's time to turn my attention on better things...like moving. We are scheduled to move sometime at the end of next month into Brandon's grandparents house. I seriously doubt that it will be that soon but with my spring break being next week, I am planning on doing some packing and cleaning out. I want us to move with very little stuff that we don't need. I also have to find a way to get rid of some "holy" clothes of Brandon's as well.

The job situation is still about the same. Right now we are waiting to see if our numbers will go up. If not, I will sub and finish my master's degree next year. A job would be great but the idea of staying at home sounds pretty good as well.

The couponing is going ok. Some weeks are better than others. This past week was still a good savings week but I had to buy alot of stuff that didn't have coupons. So far my average savings is around 30.00 each time. I've worked it out to where I only go once a month for a BIG trip and then make little trips here and there.

We did really well not going out to eat when we had no money but now we have to learn to live like that when we get paid too!!

I'm ready for this upcoming month and all that it has in store...Spring Break, J-Day, Easter and Dancing with the Teachers just name a few.

Hope everyone is healthy and happy!

What is wrong with me...

I am sick for what seems like the 100th time in a row. It's another stinking sinus infection. I don't know what I can do to make these things go away. Any suggestions?

Crystal Ball

I really wish I had a crystal ball right now. I want to know what the plan should be for next year. I just wish I had an answer. But I don't have one, and I guess that's what faith is and how it gets stronger.

Happy St.Patrick's Day!
I'll leave you with this.

An Irish Prayer
May God give you...
For every storm, a rainbow,
For every tear, a smile,
For every care, a promise,
And a blessing in each trial.
For every problem life sends,
A faithful friend to share,
For every sigh, a sweet song,
And an answer for each prayer.

Local Folks

Savvy Shopper this week has some incredible deals for local places to eat.

Subway has 2 free sub coupons for 6inch subs right now. The cool thing is that right now a 6 inch sub is only 5.00 anyway. So that's 2 subs for 5.00. Can't beat that!

Cabos has buy one entree and get one free. Best Mexican resturant ever!!

Taco Mac has buy one get one free.

*It's our mission to try and not ever pay for two entree's again. Ok..for a while anyway. So if you want to go out to eat with us...we are picking the place!*

Updates and a new fun game!!

Sit down. Grab a cup of coffee...it's going to be a long one!

For those of you who didn't get my frantic text on Thursday...as of right now my contract for next year will not be renewed. The county that I worked in had trouble producing the number of students that it had projected and as a result I got cut.

So let me answer some questions and fill you in on the latest.

1. How are you? To say that I am not mad is a lie. I have worked my butt off doing jobs that no one is standing in line for at this school. However, some of it is my fault for being stupid in math and science and not having the certification for it. My principal is a very godly man. I trust his judgement. Many people have been through worse, are going through worse, and will go through worse than this news. I continue to believe that the Lord is faithful and have been blessed by his provision this far. I still have my health, my husband and my home! As my precious father in law said...our family still has their health and each other...what more can you need??!!

2. What are you going to do??
Well...that is not so clear right now. Here are the options that we are weighing...
Option #1. There is are a couple of positions that could come available back in Gwinnett county, which is where I was a para-professional at for 2 years. I am not looking high and low in Gwinnett simply because the county is HUGE. There is a room in particular at my old job that I would love to be able to teach. If it's meant to be it will happen.

Option #2. My principal informed me when he told me the news that I would be the first rehired if our numbers at Davis increased. So...if the Gwinnett job does not run out, I will wait, which could be till August to hear from Davis.

Option #3. Sub next year and finish my master's degree.

Option #3 is what led me to my new fun game of COUPONS!!

My friend Jennifer has been doing this game for a while but it wasn't until recently that I found out just how much fun this can really be. While Brandon does not bring home the BIG bucks he does bring home enough to support us. It wasn't until there was no job for next year that we ever really sat down and saw that we really could live off of his salary if we were willing to change how we live. There are some sacrifices that will have to come with this new adventure should we choose for me to start staying at home. No more eating out for breakfast (me usually), lunch (him usually) and dinner (both). No more spending just because we have it. No more buying when we have it at home or not being careful with or wasteful with what we have. At this point we are planning to start living off Brandon's check and saving mine just to see how well we can really do this. We are going to turn off the cable, lose the gym memberships (Look at a recent picture of us and ask if we have been going...) and find the other ways our money is being blown.

The new addictive form of this lifestyle though has come in the form of coupons. I use to think that you clipped a few out of the Sunday times and took them with you when you thought about it. I had no idea until recently that there are people out there that live and breathe this until recently when Jennifer started posting the coupon sites on her blog. Right now I am just a beginner, but just in case you are just starting out let me tell you what I have done.

First...(stole this from Jennifer) I went and purchased a dollar photo album. I took some post it notes and started labeling categories of things I would need a coupon for. I started thinking of the layout of my favorite store (Publix) and just started jotting down the categories. Then as I clipped my first Sunday newspaper worth of coupons I added categories that I had forgotten. I take them with me to the store and when I see one that I will use I take it out and put it in my wallet next to my debit card.

Second...Jennifer has hooked us up with some great websites that teach you the trick of the trades. There are some INCREDIBLE things that you can get for FREE at places like Walgreens and CVS. It's all about taking some time to get familiar with what they are saying on the blogs and then just going out to do it. Learn the words Buy One Get One Free and love them!!

Here are the ones that she suggest...

http://www.beingfrugalisfabulous.com/
http://www.couponsavingfamily.com/
http://fiddledeedeeblog.blogspot.com/
and www.coupons.com


Third...I heard Kate from Jon and Kate plus 8 say..."if we don't have a coupon we don't by it." That's our new mentality in Peevy land. Now of course there are some things that won't...but for the most part we stick to that...or the theory that if it's not on sale we don't buy it.

Fourth...If we don't have a coupon we don't eat there. What once was junk mail is now a hidden treasure. Instead of throwing away all those sales papers I dig to find fun surprises. A LOT of local restaurants have buy one get one free! We have some fun new places to go this month...not the same ol' same ol!

SO...how did I do...

Well for my first real coupon experience I went to Publix...

Over 7.00 in Vendor Coupons
Over 4.00 in Store Coupons
Over 30 something dollars in Buy One Get One Free

For a total of 44.00 in savings.

Plus I shopped smart and got three weeks of lunch and breakfast combos and 2 weeks of dinners for the both of us. I hope to be able to share with you my savings each week as a way to get you pumped about this and to keep me accountable to the process. I will also post the fun restaurants that I find for all those local people looking to be frugal about where they eat out at!

So that's the update. Thank you for your words of encouragement and prayers for Brandon and myself. We are going to be just fine!!

Time for a Change

Did a little spring cleaning on the blog! Hope you like it!

Bound to start some trouble...

2 post in one day is unusual for me but I have a rant to make. After reading some blogs today, being in church and just thinking about things I have reached a conclusion...I am sick of people talking about "Christian" things. Since I was 14 I have gone to church in some capacity but seen very few people put into action the things that they say. Now when it comes to being one of those people...I'm probably the freaking poster child and spokeswoman of living one way and doing the other. I'm a hypocrite more than I am not and will admit that I have done more harm in my 28 years than good. But it just bothers me to no end to hear career Christians talk about talking about being a Christian.

I have no need to sit at Starbucks and listen to people talking about "doing life with each other." I would rather be with my hellions in my classroom and see them get the fact that somebody cares about them. They are my community. I am with them day in and day out, watching them make mistakes and achieve unthinkable things.
I don't have to sit around and talk about the new slang Christian terms like "community." To me I would rather have friends that go about the business of helping you when you are hurting, give you a dose of reality when you need it and tell you to get over yourself when you need to lose the pity party. I have about 10 friends in my life that if I needed them I could count on them. Really count on them to help me. To listen to me and to guide me. I don't want to sit around and have conversations about things that I will never be able to achieve like having a quiet time every day or saving the world. I just want someone to help me when I need it and be a help when I can.

I'm tired of watching churches trying to be bigger and better than the rest. I'm tired of people trying to one up each other on the checklist of being a good Christian. Maybe I am just bitter but this is where I am right now.

This probably doesn't make sense to anyone but me.

Me and the Boyz

So it's time I guess for a little update. It's been an insane last few weeks. Christmas was spent redeeming my title of "driving ho" by going to the houses of our dear family all over the freakin place. From Alabama to Georgia we went around spreading Christmas cheer. Ok...so we made it to each spot by the skin of our teeth, plastering our fake smile on while we probably fought in the car. Ok...so it wasn't that bad either. I did start the tradition of making Christmas cookies with the nieces and cousins in the family and hope to get those pictures up soon.

Christmas closed again this year with Mee-Maw Christmas and it was incredible. We were once again failures at watching a DVD, had an insane amount of chicken and creations from the Jones house, stayed up way to late, and yelled way to loud at the announcements of babies to come. I still go around my house saying...Heather is having a baby!!! :)

Since then it's just been back to work. Me and the Boyz as I like to call it. Around November I was switched to our EBD class room. EBD stands for Emotional Behavior Disorders. Yeah...right person to teach the class right. Right now I have 7 boys in the class. They range in age from 12-14. All of them have rough home lives or emotional circumstances. We apparently lose our minds after Christmas break because we are just now starting to remember how to act semi-appropriately again. Semi being the theme.

I love my boys though. I guess you can almost say I've found my calling (almost because I promise you if a wealthy benefactor came to town I would say adios to the boys and hello to the beach.) I love seeing them make the right choices. A good day is when we realize that someone cares for them and out of respect we do the right thing. There are some hard days with these guys (my chiropracter should be able to build a new wing thanks to me), but those bad days make the good days AMAZING.

I hope all of you are doing well and hope that 2009 is a year filled with precious moments and memories!

My first trip to DISNEY!!!

Magical Kingdom...the greatest place on Earth!














Here is just a short first installment of our trip to Disney. We went with our good friends Lee and Christie. We got there on Friday night and started our Saturday off at Magical Kingdom. For a girl who has never been to Disney it was the greatest experience. The husbands didn't love it so much but they endured our love for the characters and we went to Epcot next. It was amazing. We went around the world they have built there and rode some amazing rides. Everything at Disney is such an experience. We started out Sunday at Animal Kingdom. We went on a Safari and had so much fun seeing all the amazing animals right before us. The best roller coaster at Disney is Mt. Everest at Animal Kingdom. It was hands down all of our favorites. We went back to end our evening at Epcot at the most amazing Japanese resturant. On Monday we spent the day at MGM Studios. We finally got wise and split from the boys and got to see shows like the Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. When we finally rejoined them we rode the Tower of Terror and I seriously thought I would wet myself by the time we got off the ride. So....we rode it twice. We finished out our Disney journey with the light show FANTASMIC!! It was such an incredible show and was filled with ALL of the Disney characters. I got a little teary eyed.

It was so much fun. I'm so glad that I got to do it before we have children but can't wait to go back and see the smiles on the faces of our kids as we introduce them to this "Whole New World!"

Thankful Thanksgiving...

I've been thinking on these things for a while now but decided to finally put together a list.

A random list of things that I am thankful for....

1. Brandon - I never knew that I could love or be loved this much.
2. Being married - It is just a great feeling to know that for as long as I have on this earth...I have it to spend with him.
3. Our little house - It may be little and I may want to scream when I try to cook in our tiny kitchen, but it really is becoming a home.
4. Making new memories and traditions as a family - It seems like this year everything is new. Putting up our first Christmas tree together (without my mother wanting to put nasty silver garland all over the thing) was a HUGE deal last night. It was just so much fun to get to do some of these things together for ourselves for the first time.
5. Lee and Christie - Lee is Brandon's cousin and best friend and Christie is his new wife. They are so important to us. Not only are they family but they really have become our best friends. We love to just cook and have them over, go to different places and shows with them and soon we are all headed to the greatest place on Earth...DISNEY!!
6. Friends - I love my friends. I love my friends from home that I can go forever without talking to but pick right back up when I do get the chance to hear from them. I love my friends from Judson that I have so many memories with and can feel like I am home when I pull back through the gates. I love the mee-maws and what we mean to each other. I love that we might not all talk all the time but there is a bond between us all that keep us living for the moments when we do all get to be together. I love my Georgia friends from churches and schools that I have been blessed to be a part of. And I love my newbies. The newest group of friends that I get to hang out with at school and staff develop with on a weekly basis.
7. New Hope - I love pulling back into town after being gone for a while. Although I don't think we will ever live there again, I do miss it. I love the small town atmosphere and the scenery that makes it such a beautiful place to go back to.
8.Facebook - There I said it. It's crazy but I love to be able to talk to people that I love, see people that I miss, and stalk people that I am interested in their life but have no real reason to want to communicate with them.
9. Alabama Football - I just love it.
10. Sara Beth - I know we don't get to talk as much as we use to but I love it when we do. I love that our conversations can be as simple as a 10 second call to remind each other that we still know the words to Fancy or an hour conversation trying to figure out the world's problems because we don't want to face our own. And sometimes even the conversations when we do face our own because we don't judge each other, we love each other, and we always tell each other that we do when we hang up.
11. Aunt Jettie and Uncle Harold - That they love Brandon as much as they do me.
12. Terry Carter - That he hasn't blocked my text or e-mails of prayer request daily from my crazy life and that he counts it a privilege to get to be a part of the insanity.
13. Ornaments - Mee Maw ornaments to be exact. Each one holds a memory of a Christmas of laughter and food. My tree will never be bare.

There's much more that I could list but these are the things that my heart is thankful for right now.

Yay for Baby Jack and a Prayer for Baby Kaia

Yay for Baby Jack Bird. Rita you will be the most amazing mom to that little boy. Congratuations.

Please pray for my friend Heather and her baby Kaia. Heather was forced to go into labor at only 26 (or so) weeks. Baby Kaia was born weighing 14oz. She is alive though and breathing on her little own. Please preay for Heather and the baby. Heather has had some issues related to everything but both her and the baby seem to be doing better now.

We're still here....

I feel like we have fallen off the face of the earth most days. School takes everything I have out of me most days. Teaching special ed is so hard sometimes. Along with the paper work, I have to make sure that each lesson has something going at all times. I can't give these little 6th graders with probation officers any down time. They have to be kept going. We start World War 1 next week and I'm anxious to see how that is going to go with them. I can hear it now...."Mrs.Peevy, so what you are telling me is....a bunch of people got pissed off and started shooting. We do that in my hood too you know." Or something like that. Of course with mine it might be a more red neck version like...." It's kinda like the time my cousin came in from huntin and got pissed off at my other cousin and they started throwing stuff and shootin." I'll probably understand those kids better!

Married life is wonderdful but cleaning house sucks. I can't imagine what my life will be like if Brandon and I ever do decide to have children. We can't do laundry for ourselves. I know if I would just get in the habit of doing it daily it would be better....instead MT. Laundry is in my living room right now and looking at it just makes me want to take a nap.

Ok...so the only really interesting thing we have going on right now is our new doctor. Brandon suffers from the gout and until now every doctor has just wanted to put him on medicine that will one day shut down his kidneys and tell him not to eat beef. So a few weeks back I decided to contact a doctor that my friend had been going to that takes a more holistic approach on things. So far Brandon has enjoyed meeting him and I'm going to start his new metabolic program for weight loss and healthy living. We'll see how it goes. I go on the 18th for a series of fasting blood work and metabloic testing. Sometimes it takes extreme messures to do what is best for yourself. I don't want to get pregnant at the weight that I am at, so that gives me a great incentive to want to trim down and be healthy before I even think about sharing that space and growing a baby Peevy.

So the journey starts next week and I'm going to try and do my best to blog about it. Maybe seeing the results on screen and hearing encouragment from you all will make it a little bit easier.

I'm really looking forward to seeing pictures of baby Jack soon and ready for Christmas this year. This will be the first year that I will be able to decorate my own house and I am so looking forward to that.

Hope all is well with you.
Peace.

People let me tell you bout my best friend

A few updates and one really corny, cheesy ramble...

1. Mom and her man are back together. I'm over it and over her. If it makes her happy, fine...be happy. Just come to Georgia for Christmas and Thanksgiving if you want to see me.

2. Grad school is kicking my rear end. I only have one week left of the class from Hell. That week has an 8 page paper and a huge final though. I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel right now.

3. I still LOVE my new job, I really do...but this week has thrown me for a loop. We lost a teacher this week due to numbers. She was displaced in our county. So as of tomorrow I no longer co-teach 3 classes and have one by myself. I now teach 3 by myself and co-teach one. I have 2 6th grade social studies classes, one 8th grade Language Arts and my co-taught 7th grade LA. Co-teaching is not what you think either. I actually co-teach. The other teacher and I feed off of each other and take turns throughout the lesson teaching different aspects. I'm excited but hate, hate, hate losing my kids that I have learned to adore. I also hate changing my caseload after spending endless nights working on things to help them in class. Oh well...at least I have a job at the same school.

Now the ramble....

Brandon has been gone since Wednesday. He went on a hiking trip to the North Georgia Mountains and is getting back today. I've always heard of people calling their spouse their best friend but thought that it was going a little far. After being away from him for four days and having very little communication with him (2 - 3 minutes a day) I'm starting to realize that he really is becoming my best friend. I never realized how much I depend on him, crave his attention, long to hear his voice, need him to bring me back to earth, need him to comfort me, want him to say everything is going to be ok...just so I can get mad at him and tell him he has no idea what he's talking about. I have missed his companionship and his laugh and can't wait for him to be home in just a few minutes. We've been away a few times since we've been married, a lot this summer, but this was the first time that we've had no communication. I pray that I keep strong friendships with those that I grew up with, went to college with, and gained here in Georgia...but he really is my best friend.

I told you I was right...

I hate to say this, especially with my mother's happiness on the line, but I was right. I knew I was. I knew there was something going on with that man that creeped me out. I knew it.

Here's the rest of the story...

My mother dated a guy when she was a teenager. She has just finished taking care of her mother who passed away when my mother was 19. She loved this man. He was called away to war and came back in a wheelchair. He told her that he didn't love her and wanted nothing to do with her. I'm sure it was because he didn't want her to have to live that way but still he broke her heart. Mom met dad, married him, and took care of him for the last 10 years while he was in and out of the hospitial and nursing home. Dad passed away 2 years ago this November. The day he died there were flowers on our front porch from that man. A few months later they started dating and were engaged just a few weeks ago. The whole time I did a very poor job of keeping an open mind about him but crap...the man broke my mother's heart. She called to tell me they were engaged and I lost it. I never did like the situation and was even more pissed that our house would be sold and I would have to go to "his" house when I went home to New Hope.

She loved him. I'll give her that. She loved him, he made her happy, so as much as I could, I put on a happy face and pretended to finally be ok with the situation.

Until last night....Mom called me around 5 my time. I was in class and didn't answer and figured no one had died when she didn't leave a message. I called her when I got out of class and she had already gone to bed. My mother is 61 years old and works 11 hour days so her being in bed early is nothing new. I asked her though why she had called me so early. She responded that usually she was somewhere else but she hadn't gone over there last night because he had told her on the phone that they needed some time a part. Who says that? 14 year olds...that's who. The more I thought about it the more pissed I was. So being me and being like Kay I called him. I said some really not nice things. Especially when he led on like it was her fault. Are you kidding me? The woman works 11 hours a day, goes to his house, takes care of his crippled rear end and then comes home and goes to bed. Really...she has time or energy to cheat on you....come on. So after setting him straight and deciding not to drive to New Hope to kick his face in, I calmed down.

I say all of that to say this....you don't mess with my husband, you don't mess with my mama and you don't mess with the mee-maws. I will punch your face!

So....if I call you and tell you the bus is swinging by to pick you up to go kick some rear end...just put on some pink shorts and be ready!!

It's Labor Day

and though I'm sad I'm not sitting on a whale with these girls...I'm ok that I'm not in New Orleans!

I am at home however, coughing up a lung, sore throat, and reading a book that I would rather use as fire wood in the winter.

Here's to fun memories!

If everyone else was jumping off a bridge...

I would probably strap it on and jump too! So I finally got around to changing this thing and updating it a bit. Maybe just maybe that will keep me motivated to post on it. I cliked on my very first entry and looked through all the months just the other day. It has become a scrapbook of events, feelings, emotions, highs and lows.

I got my first real paycheck today. A paycheck that might just cover all the bills, food, and leave me with 25.00 at the end of the month. I've been paid now for 2 years once a month and I'm still not use to it!

We are spending a weekend at home this Labor Day. Hopefully I'll be productive and lazy all at the same time.

Have a great weekend.

Look at this photograph

So this year at school I get my own laptop. I'm pretty excited about this because now I don't have to share a computer with my husband. I decided to make my screen saver my saved pictures. I went on facebook and myspace and my e-mail and saved a whole bunch of pictures to my documents. I hit apply and there you have it, my pictures are my screen saver. And then it hit...

I'm sitting at my desk at work today. I'm tired. I'm frustrated. I'm lonely in my trailer and my computer goes on stand by. The first picture pops up and it's the mee-maws on a whale. The second one is of me as a baby. The third of Brandon and our nieces at our wedding. The next a picture at a wedding I was in with old friends from Georgia. The next of me and Sara-Beth at a Judson function and then the next of us at my wedding. A picture of Brandon kissing me on the forehead on our honeymoon and one of him on bended knee asking me to marry him. And so on and so on. The flood of tears came as I sat and watched my life unfold before me. Of course it wasn't a complete snapshot of my life, but it covers a lot. My mind went from being tired and frustrated to overwhelmed at the goodness in my life. There was a bittersweet feeling towards all the changes in my life. Joy over pictures of my sweet husband and family. Sadness over friends that have drifted away or no longer care to be a part of my life. Sadness over the distance between the Judson girls and myself. Pride at the pictures of children and families we have created and moments we have shared since graduation.

Tears of joy and sadness.

To everything there is a season, and
a time to every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and
a time to die;
a time to plant, and
a time to pluck up
that which is planted;

A time to kill, and
a time to heal;
a time to break down, and
a time to build up;

A time to weep, and
a time to laugh;
a time to mourn, and
a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and
a time to gather stones together;
a time to embrace, and
a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and
a time to lose;
a time to keep, and
a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and
a time to sow;
a time to keep silence, and
a time to speak;

A time to love, and
a time to hate;
a time of war; and
a time of peace.

Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8

It's really over...

My summer vacation that is. I have to go back tomorrow to new teacher orientation. I'm not really excited about this part. I am however excited about the fact that my classroom is going to be ready for me by the end of the week and I can get all this crap in there that's been living on my kitchen table this week. I'm pretty excited about the fact that I get to set up my classroom. I'm really getting into this whole planning phase of things but I'm also pretty nervous about this upcoming semester. I'll be teaching for the first time, have my own caseload of special ed students, take the hardest class next to capstone in my master's degree, look after the youth ministry at our church and try to still learn to be married. It's going to be a lot but I think i'm ready to get back into a routine....that's for sure.

I miss my friends though and wish we could get together someitme soon. I may just have to rob a bank and make it to Lily's party. I really want some mee-maw time.

He shocks me sometimes...

Random conversation in our house the other day...

Brandon: I don't think Jon and Kate really like each other...
Me: If we had 8 kids I wouldn't like you much either
Brandon: I'm excited about you getting pregnant so we can take those sideways belly pictures...

Then he preceeds to stick his stomach out like he was pregnant. Too bad I could take those pictures now without being pregnant.

The end...

Oh wait...the new Sugarland is amazing and worth getting the deluxe version on ITUNES!! Wish I could be around my friends to sing Stay like I was cheating on someone. Shut up Brandon...I'm not.

Just a little update...

So i've decided that the first year of marriage really is the hardest but the best thing ever. It's so fun to find out new little things about Brandon every day. And even though there are still some issues that we have to work through, some on a daily basis, it's still the best feeling in the world laying down every night to the one that I love more than anything.