My Little "J" (or "L", or "T"...)

This

Plus this...

Equals this

(I have smoothed out the edges since this picture too).

This was my first attempt at a "thrifty" craft. I had seen some posts about making a moss-covered letter, which I loved! Well, I couldn't find the moss I wanted to use, so I did something different. This is the same fabric that I used to cover my dining room chairs (thank you to Zach & my mother-in-law, Helen, for helping with that task a couple of years ago!), and I also had Zach's Aunt Gail make a table runner with the fabric. Well, I still had a lot of that fabric left, so I put some of it to good use.

I found the "J" (or "L", or "T") at the thrift store. I really stumbled up on it. I went back & forth about it (like I always do), then ended up asking the lady that was working there. "What letter do you think this is?" Haha! We never really decided on it, so we figured that if we couldn't determine what letter it really was, who else would analyze it??

I'm planning on my next post being a long, boring one. Doesn't that make you want to read it?
I'm just going to post all of my little projects I have been working on lately in one post. That way, you can skip over it if it bores you! I'm hoping to paint my first piece of furniture this weekend also, so I may include pics of that one on it too...if I like the way it's looking so far. 

...Oh, and just for the record, Zach says it's an "L". :)

Mother's Day Weekend

We had a great Mother's (is it Mother's or Mothers'?) Day weekend with our families! I made it a point to bring my camera, because I now want pictures of everyone and everything. It only takes a minute to take a picture, and then you'll have that memory forever. Pictures are so important to me right now! 

(Sorry for the rant...)

On Saturday, we headed to Chattanooga to spend the afternoon with Zach's mom. We had a quick lunch at Chick-Fil-A, then we met her at her favorite coffee shop, Rembrandt's, in the art district. She & Zach enjoyed a dessert, while my dessert was a cup of their tomato artichoke soup. I had this the last time we went there, and loved it! We enjoyed visiting out in the sunny courtyard area. It was nice to sit & relax for a little while!

Zach & his mom :)

She took a couple of us too!

On Sunday, we went to Sunday School & church that morning. We sang a BEAUTIFUL arrangement of Amazing Grace, and had a guest bagpipe player. One word: AMAZING!!

Mom & I went to visit Mamaw Ruth after church and brought her food from one of her favorites, Captain D's. :) We really enjoyed our time with her. I realize that this is the hardest Mother's Day she's ever been through. I couldn't imagine. She's still hanging in there though, and that really inspires me.

We headed to Gadsden that afternoon- Mom, Jonathan, me, Zach, Mamaw Helen & Papaw Hoyt- shopped for a while, and ate to our heart's content at Top O' the River...yum!! If I have a pot of their turnip greens in front of me, I'm a happy girl! Hehe!

Mamaw Helen opening her gift

Three generations

Me, Mamaw Helen & Jon

We visited the cemetery that afternoon when we got back. Dad's grave has grass coming up and it looks nice. (Wow. It still seems so weird to say the phrase "Dad's grave" or even see it when I type it.) Mom got him a gorgeous arrangement for decoration. Slade did it, so you know it's fantastic! He included red & white flowers and a houndstooth ribbon. Roll Tide! :)

We got home fairly early that afternoon, and I headed outside for my little spray paint party. I have accumulated a few things lately that I have wanted to spray paint. Since reading a lot of design blogs, I have realized how simple it is and how much it can change something, just in a matter of minutes. I took a few "before & after" pics, so I may post those soon...if I don't think it will be too boring of a post.

Things are going well! Zach is still extremely busy, and his Leadercast Conference at The Summit this past Friday was a SUCCESS!! I'm so proud of him! :) Also, to top it all off, they made an official announcement that the great little city of Fort Payne WILL be getting a Chick-Fil-A in the near future!!! Yay!!! I don't know which one I'm more excited about- Chick-Fil-A or Hobby Lobby (it's been confirmed by the Chamber of Commerce that we're getting a Hob Lob too!) Needless to say, life is pretty good in the Jones household right now. :)

Going Green...the Cute Way!

I realize this is a shallow post, especially after the subject of my last post. But, something one-dimensional sounds pretty good right now. With all of these heavy events happening lately, it feels good to talk about something light.

So, I treated myself yesterday. I know that I, in no way, deserve anything (especially after seeing people lose so much in this past week), but every now & then, I just want to buy myself a little something. I know that one day, I may be spending all my money on kiddos and won't be buying anything for myself anymore, so this is my time.

I have countless purses, for Spring, Summer, Fall & Winter, but I guess I thought I needed to add just one more. I did a good deed while shopping for myself though- I bought one of these same purses for my sweet momma! I plan to spoil her this Mother's Day. I would like to think that she has always felt spoiled & pampered on Mother's Day, but I think this year, she's entitled to a little something more.

My colorful, Spring-y Lilly Bloom bag

The bag is made 100% from recycled plastic bottles. Pretty neat, huh? Actually, I'll tell on myself: this fact is just an added bonus to me. A lady came in the office last week with one, and I have wanted one ever since! The colors of the bag first caught my eye, and when I walked over to them in the store & saw them up-close, I knew they were coming home with me. After all that, I noticed the tag that said it was a "green" product. :) I'm not saying I'm not into "going green," but it's not at the absolute top of my list. Neither is buying all organic. As Zach always says, I think it's great to buy organic- if you can afford it. Maybe some day they will start to make organic products more affordable. Until then, we're just fine as we are.

All the pockets & different compartments are awesome!

I got so excited about buying this for myself & Mom. I love simple things, as you can tell. It's not an expensive designer bag, and I like that. I get tired of the same bag, so I don't need to invest a lot into just one. Also, cheap is good, as long as it doesn't look cheap. :) I bought it at an outlet here in town that I love, and the original tag on it shows $59.00, so it wasn't cheap at one time. Oh, how I love bargains!

4/27/11 Storms

Love this! A friend of mine posted it on Facebook, and I loved it, so I stole it. :)

So much has been going on all around us. The storms of 4/27/11 were some of the worst ever in our area. Only one other outbreak of storms in the state compare to them, and it was back in the 1970's. Tuscaloosa, AL was hit, and so were Rainsville, AL & Trenton, GA, along with many other countless communities. It is always a somber event to witness things like this, but when it is nearer to you, you feel it even more.

Please keep my best friend, Sheena Quizon, in your thoughts and prayers. She has lost her home and so many of her things in the Tuscaloosa tornado. I can't imagine what she's going through, and I feel so helpless to be so far away!

Since Zach & I are so close to Rainsville, we felt that there would be atleast something we could do there. We went to church on Sunday morning, which was a sad but inspiring service, then ate lunch and headed out. We ended up finding work (and plenty of it) at a relief center that had just been set up that day. It is located in Rainsville in the building of Orchard Lanes bowling alley & Zoom In photography. It used to be a Winn Dixie, so it has tons of room. When we first got there yesterday afternoon, it was almost empty, but when we left some hours later, it was filling up quickly! Praise the Lord!

See what God can do?! This building was empty just a few hours before this photo was taken. I hate that I didn't take a Before pic, but you can imagine it being empty.

There's my sweetie working. The clothes just kept coming!

Bring more, if you are able! These people will have to replenish EVERYTHING- clothes, food, home stuff, toiletries, etc.

Water and drinks galore!

Please spread the word about this place!! I have been posting things non-stop on FB (which is about the only thing FB has been good for lately, besides Bin Laden comments), and have already heard from many that have made donations. This is such an awesome set up, and I hope the word gets spread to the victims in need!! If you have any questions about it, please let me know!

******

Our only loss was what food we had in our fridge & freezer. From what I've seen at work with claims, the amount we lost was not much at all compared to others. If food and power for a few days are the only losses we had, WE ARE BLESSED!! Being without power gave us a chance to enjoy the little things in life, that's for sure. We spent one night playing Scrabble, and another night hanging out (by candlelight) with our friends & neighbors, David & Amy & their kids. It's amazing how much we can actually do without, isn't it??

I went into work on both Thursday & Friday, because we were absolutely covered up. It was a strange experience working in the dark and with only one phone line, but it did the job. We cooked out from a charcoal grill with things that we were cleaning out of our freezers.

After work on Friday, Zach & I headed to his mom's in Chattanooga for a mini get-away. It was nice to visit with her and enjoy power again. We had to take Miss Daisy with us, but she was actually very well-behaved. I was surprised!

We ate and shopped in Chattanooga, then headed back home before it got dark on Saturday night. The days weren't too bad without power, but the nights were boring. We were blessed, though, in that we have a gas grill for food and a gas hot water heater for hot showers. There aren't too many people around that had gas water heaters, so we were blessed in that.

Heck, we were blessed just to have each other & our home. Period. 

We had heard that some of downtown FP had power by Saturday afternoon, and I received a text that day that FBC was having the Sunday morning service. We got up and went to church that morning- my curly hair and all. It was a sad, but sweet service, with so many calling out prayer requests and telling stories of how they were touched by what had happened. We were so inspired by others who were sharing stories of helping others, that we decided to take part. We ate lunch (the best Cracker Barrel meal I have ever had, it felt like), then headed to Rainsville.

I encourage you to help others in need whenever the opportunity arises! You never know when it might be you on the other end, needing help from others.

On another note, we were resting and enjoying TV on Sunday night after we got home. We had power restored to our neighborhood sometime Sunday afternoon. We learned while watching The Celebrity Apprentice the news about Bin Laden. I did hate that we missed the end of the show, though! I caught a screen shot, just so I would have it. This will be one of those times where you will always remember where you were the day you heard the news.

I couldn't believe it when we heard it! There are so many mixed emotions surrounding this- some people on FB are posting the Bible verse on how we shouldn't be happy when an enemy falls, and I agree to some extent. I just can't help but be glad that this man is not on the face of this earth any longer. It's safe to say that the families linked to 9/11/01 feel the same way.

So many different events wrapped up in this one week. I definitely know that 2011 has been an eventful year already, and not in a good way. I pray for what God has in store for the rest of this year.

Thrifty Chick

So, I mentioned I have been checking out a lot of design blogs lately. I have always been interested in that sort of thing, and I didn't realize how many people are out there that are just as obsessed as I am! My favorite site so far is http://www.thriftydecorchick.blogspot.com/. She is always talking about trips to her local thrift store and she gets really great stuff for craft projects. I decided to take my lunch one day last week and have an outing like this for myself.

I have been in our thrift store maybe one other time before to actually look around. I have dropped off things we were getting rid of a few times before, but never checked anything out. I didn't even look around at the clothes while I was there. I don't think there's anything wrong with the clothes there- it's just not my thing. The "knick-knack section" is where it's at! Especially if you're in the market for picture frames, this is the place to be! I purchased two myself while there. One was 25 cents and the other was 50 cents. Worth it? I think so.

(Sorry for the glare) 

I also bought this little candy dish. It reminds me of something that my great-grandmother would have had. I do have a couple of things from her house, so this fits right in. I love how this style is still in style today. It's neat to think about my kids and grandkids using my things later on.

(I did clean this up after I took the photo. It made a world of difference!)

My next item was one that I thought would probably freak Zach out. He doesn't want to think I'm already planning out a nursery or anything (which I'm not), and that's understandable. Don't want to rush anything now, do we? :) He was ok with it though. I spotted this lamp when I walked in the store, and I kept going back to it a few times. I hate it when I do that (and Zach does too). I almost always end up getting whatever it is that I keep going back to, but I still keep reasoning out the purchase in my head.

How cute is that?!

Since I've been looking at these blogs, I've caught on to the fact that most of the bloggers/designers look at things in a different way. Like, in looking at this lamp, I didn't just see a lamp with a white base and cute little shade that I may use years down the road in a little girl's room. I saw a good, sturdy lamp base (could be any color with a little paint) and a cutesy shade that I could easily replace- oh, and a bulb was included. All for $4.00. Sold!

I'm going to keep the lamp shade, for a little while anyway. It could always be thrown into the yard sale pile...which, by the way, is quickly growing. We currently have a spot in our guest room reserved for any and every thing going into our next yard sale. I'm hoping to have one in the next few months. We'll either participate in the Highway 11 yard sale and set up at a friend's house, or open up at our own house on a different date. Anyways, I hope to paint the lamp base soon. We'll see how that goes. I won't even elaborate on the fact that we have nowhere to put said lamp right now, so it may be in the closet for future use for a while. :)

After getting a quick bite that day, I stopped by Dollar General (another favorite of mine) and got some spray paint. I hope to have a spray paint day one Saturday, now that it's warmer outside. We'll see what I come up with. It's something to do and it's not work, so it will be fun.

Also, just want to throw a little suggestion out there. If you haven't played Words With Friends, you need to! A bunch of us choir people at church have really gotten into this game (especially at the times when we're supposed to be rehearsing). It's a lot more fun when you can find your friends on there and start a game with them. So far, I'm playing with our choir director (Dr. Roger), our pianist (Brad Fricks) and my favorite singer in the church (Susan Downey). It's a fun game, so try it out when you have the time. It's also on Facebook I believe.

Speaking of choir, I sang in my last trio yesterday with Jeannie Woods & Bob Johnston, our Sunday School teacher. Rehearsals have gone really well, and the performances were even better. I give all the credit to God, who first & foremost gave me my voice, and helped me through the songs each & every time. I pray for calmness every time I sing, and it always works out- ALWAYS. We are all singing in a night service on May 15th also, so keep that in mind when praying!

Hope everyone had an awesome weekend! I went shopping in Chattanooga with my sweetie and we ate at Outback for free (thanks to birthday gift cards), so ours was great! Yay for shopping weekends! :)

Random Things About Me

I saw a post like this on a friend's blog, and decided to take the time and do the same (in other words, I'm bored). I have not done one of these in a long time, so surely I've changed some since then...

10 Random Things About Me:

1.) I would rather sing in front of people than speak. I used to sing solos at our last church, but haven't done that in a while. FBC is too big for that! Haha! I do love singing in small groups, especially trios, and I love working with our kids' choirs. Music is one of my favorite things!

2.) Everyone says that their spouse (husband, in my case) is their hero, and the same goes for me. But, my mom is also my hero. To go through all that she's gone through, and come out the wonderful, strong, bright, happy, funny person that she is-- that makes her my hero. :)

3.) People tell me all the time that I'm always smiling, and that I talk too fast. If those are the worst things they can say about me, I'm doing ok.

4.) I am a dog person. Growing up, we always had cats, so that's what I've always liked. We had a stray dog show up many years ago when I lived with Mom & Dad, and we've been attached to dogs ever since. Dogs are so much more fun and have people personalities. Our two doggies are our babies right now. Life would be boring without them! And, just for your enjoyment, here's a recent photo of our babies:

I'm a proud mom, can you tell? :)

5.) I can be a clean freak sometimes. I get this from my grandmother. When I say can be, I mean our house is definitely not always clean. When I start cleaning it though, it has to be done right then and it has to be done just the way I like it. I'm bad about wanting to do it all myself, just so it's "done right." This also goes for laundry and cooking. I tend to want to take over and do it all on my own. Zach can be this way with cooking too. I enjoy it when he cooks though- I just hate that I get stuck with the clean up. I clean up when we BOTH cook. That doesn't add up, does it??

6.) I am obsessed with home decor. I would rather buy something for the house than clothes for myself. However, I also love buying clothes, shoes, purses and jewelry. This is not healthy for my checkbook, but my closet definitely looks healthy! Bonus fact for ya' on the subject of shoes and purses: My shoes always have to match my purse- ALWAYS.

7.) I can't hear or sing an Eagles song without thinking of my dad. Neither can I watch any type of UA sport. Can't wait for football season, by the way! I can't believe he won't be here to enjoy it, but I think he'll still be watching. :)

8.) Zach will laugh at this one- I can't have my hair behind my ears. Period. I can put a little behind my ear, but some has to be covering my ear. This goes for any time, but especially when I'm sleeping. Can't go to sleep with my ear exposed. I'm a weirdo.

9.) I have never weighed enough to give blood- thank you Lord! I know this sounds so selfish, but I just don't think I could do it. I may hit that point (like, right before giving birth I hope), but even if I did weigh enough, I'm just not sure about that. On that same note, giving birth scares me. I know it is a thousand times & more worth it, but it still scares me. I'm still not sold on which way is "easier" either. I've heard so many stories on both sides, but it's just one of those things where you don't know until you go through it, I'm sure. Just for the record: I have always wanted atleast two kids, a boy and a girl. My mom was the same, and she got her wish, so maybe I will too. Either way, as long as they're healthy, I will be thankful.

10.) Some of my closest friends right now are girls I went to school with. I'm very fortunate in that respect. I'm glad that we can all still keep in touch fairly closely. Our lives have changed quite a bit, but we're all still friends.

Hope I haven't bored you to death! If you have the time, send me or comment on one of your random things. Hope everyone is having a good week!

Nieces :)

Marissa sent me this cute pic of me with the girls that was taken at Zach's mom's house for his birthday dinner. I was so glad she thought to take one of us! Zach had his camera there, but he was pre-occupied with setting it up for shots of the "super moon" (which didn't turn out to be so "super"), so he didn't get any of the fam. I think the girls cooperated really well for the photo. I couldn't imagine trying to get both to look at the camera A.) at the same time and B.) while smiling. I think it turned out well, except for the fact that I needed to get my hair done at the time, but the girls' cuteness overshadows that! :)