The last days...

I've always had a fear that we are living in the last days. Now that I am a middle school teacher, I know the REAL fear of LAST DAYS. Not the last days of this earth, though I do find myself praying for Christ return a lot more these days, I'm talking the last few days before summer in a middle school.

These kiddos have lost their freaking minds. Holy Junk! I can only equate the experience of the days to something that I have not yet experienced...childbirth. You have to forget how bad it is before you decide to do it again.

There have been a few precious moments, like the kid who wrote the sweetest message to me in my yearbook. He said his favorite thing about being in my room was the fact that he knew that I cared about him. Isn't that really what it's all about???

But then...there are those quotes...those moments....that will one day make up my book on being a teacher.

"Mrs. Peevy, on your grave it's not gonna say R-I-P...it's gonna say M-E-A-N!"

If you would like to hear the dialect in which this quote was spoken, you may call and get the full story.

Oh well...another year down, a contract signed for next year, a love for students (somehow, still) and a great school to do it all at!

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?