What Makes You Happy??

Here are the rules:

List 10 things that make you happy.

(try to do one of those things TODAY!)

Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day.

Make sure to link back to the person that tagged you!

 

1. My wonderful husband, who completes me in every way. I am just now realizing how lucky I am to have him!

 

2.My wonderful children, who never cease to amaze me! They are the funniest children you will ever meet:)

 

3. My mother, she has put up with sooo much from me over the years. Yet, she always knows how to make me feel special and loves me uncoditionally!

 

4. My daddy, because he knows exactly the right time to call and put a smile on my face! I will always be daddy's little girl!

 

5. My job, not just because I have one, but because I work with some of the most giving and loving people on the planet!

 

6. The Summer, because I love going to the lake and feeling like I have not a worry in the world.

 

7. My BFF, because no matter how little I talk to or see her she knows how much I love her and cherish our memories and friendship.

 

8. My blackberry, Ok so it doesn't necessarily make me happy but I am somewhat addicted to it! ( I am trying to recover)

 

9. Shopping, because for some reason it makes working worth while, even if I am just shopping for groceries!!

 

10. Restaurants, because I don't have to cook!!

 

 

 

A night with Michael Waddell !!

Well last night was such an awesome night! My hottie of a husband and I attended the National Wild Turkey Federation banquet and the special guest was none other than Michael Waddell!! If you are not familiar with him, he is a hunter on the outdoor channel and a hunting idol in this neck of the woods...

He was very friendly and so easy to talk too! We were able to get our pictures made with him as well as quite a few autographed items! I was able to ask him all the dumb questions I could think of and even let him know that I had friend requested him on facebook so we could be bff's! As we walked away my husband looks at me and says "ya know honey, you are pretty funny"!! Honey he could have just given me a million dollars, that statement alone made my night (as well as the "all you can drink for $2) ... They were giving away prizes galore and guess who won a door prize?? That's right yours truly won a gun, a remington .22 rifle (at least thats what they told me) Matt was so excited! I was half asleep when they called my name, but when I heard Leslie Sturkie, I jumped up a yelled "what'd I win?" Matt was in the bathroom so he missed all of the excitement. We also won some things in the raffle, but nothing as exciting as my first ever, in my own name, gun!! (which I will never shoot:)

As we were leaving, Michael Waddell had stepped outside to talk on his phone and we caught him in the parking lot. We gave him our thanks (and then he asked me to be his 2nd wife...ok not really but he's a cutie) and Matt looked at me and says "I thought the day we got married was the best day of my life, but damn tonight could have topped it" HMMM thanks darling!! I will post the pics of us with Michael as soon as the NWTF has them loaded!!

Thanksgiving according to a 5 year old!

Mrs. Molony asked her K5 class how to prepare the Thanksgiving turkey and then she wrote down what each child said...This was Chase's interpretation:

How To Cook The Thanksgiving Turkey

"I will go to Bi-Lo and buy a 30lb. turkey for $15.00.
I will cook it in the oven on 72 degrees for 8 minutes.
We will have turkey, chicken, french fries, cheese pizza, and frosted flakes. For dessert we will have chocolate pudding.
I will invite momma, daddy, bailey, mamaw, and papaw.
Me and momma will clean up while everyone else plays the Wii!!"

Happy Thanksgiving, Love, Chase

Yum, don't you want to be at our house for thanksgiving!!

FINALLY!!!

We have been working and working on this all summer! We felt that when Chase turned 5 he should be learning to ride his bike without training wheels..Why the rush, I don't know, it was just a milestone that we felt needed to be accomplished! It was such a struggle and lots of tears were shed (by Chase being lazy mainly) and even the bike being thrown in the woods at one point (by the hubby)!

Well, the time has come, my baby is officially a bike rider!! He hasn't even had interest in that bike in 2 months and he has learned to ride it in 3 short days! I am one proud momma:)

Is It Odd Thursday??

IS It Odd That:

* our little town wants to have a white Christmas so badly that they have rented snow machines for the square? I am soooo excited by the way!!

* my daughter's hair is resembling a mullet at this point in time

* my son found the Christmas presents I had hiding in the closet and when he asked about them I told him they were for poor children in Africa? ( he believed me and asked when UPS was coming)

Till next week weirdo's! haha

Meeting Needs

Sunday at TNC

How to Wreck Your Marriage

Week 3: 11.15.09Share


THE MESSAGE: Watch online at http://www.truenorthchurch.com.

Expecting your spouse to be like you is an unrealistic outlook of marriage. Your spouse is not like you because men and women are not alike. A man's brain is like an arrangement of boxes--it sectionalizes activities, emotions, deep thoughts, free time, etc. A woman's brain is like a ball of wire with all of these things running together; each can easily segue to one another. This creates a need to be intentional about meeting each other's needs, as the deepest needs of a wife and husband vary. "A man should fulfill his duty as a husband and a woman should fulfill her duty as a wife, and each should satisfy the other's needs" (1 Corinthians 7:3 GN)

Husbands, your wife needs your affection: "Husbands, give your wives much love; never treat them harshly" (Colossians 3:19). They need to feel like they are No. 1 in your life. Four ways to show your affection to your wife are by your words, by your actions, by the way you touch her and by focused attention.

Your wife needs conversation with you: "Reliable communication permits progress . . ." (Proverbs 13:17). Your wife is less interested in you telling her the answer to her issues and more interested in your listening and communicating with her. Intentionally hear her heart. This is one of your wife's biggest emotional needs.

Your wife needs your honesty and openness: "Insincere talk hides what you are really thinkin . . . It brings nothing but ruin" (Proverbs 26:23, 28). Always be sincere. Be your wife's friend. Be there for her with financial security and support, and commitment to the family as well.

Wives, your husband needs your affection, too, including sexual fulfillment. This is one of the biggest crossroads in wives understanding husbands. It comes from men trusting their wives to be the only one to fulfill this need for them (1 Corinthians 7:4-5). It is also the one need only a wife can meet unless the husband goes outside of the marriage.

Your husband needs admiration. The emotional need is huge, and the absence of admiration is often what a husband looks for outside of marriage when he is not adequately receiving it. From doing the laundry to sharing about his career, husbands what to know they are appreciated in this regard. (See Ephesians 5:33.)

Your husband needs an attractive spouse. This doesn't mean you need to feel like you're supposed to measure up to women in store window displays. What it does mean is to take care of yourself. Men are visual, but should not compare their wives (Ephesians 5:21-25). Your husband also needs your domestic support and recreational companisionship. How that looks needs to be determined among a husband and wife, as it varies.

Knowing your spouse's deepest needs will help you connect with each other on a powerful level. This is a fleshed-out way of living out Ephesians 5. Love your spouse the way Christ loved the Church. He did so be sacrificing His all. Give up yourself. It is a constant thing for us to be who God wants us to be, and the only way to do it is to be ultimately committed to Jesus.

Dear Monday,

Dear Monday,

Why oh why, must you come so soon? Just as I was enjoying my relaxing and family filled weekend, you showed up like a theif in the night! It must really suck to be you because it seems as though no one likes you very much, I would apoloize but you do kinda suck sometimes~unless you are having a holiday and we all LOVE you :)

Sincerely,
Leslie

CMA'S

LOVE LOVE LOVE

Best awards show EVER!!

So where should I start?!?

How about Kellie Pickler's hair!! I was definitly shocked but it will grow on me! I mean when I dyed my hair back to it's natural state I was like WHOA, but I am starting to really love it, so I will just give her hair some time to grow on me too!

Brad Paisley and Carrie Underwood are just too cute together, they have great chemistry! The funniest was when they made fun of Kanye West for interupting little Taylor Swift..."Momma's don't let your babies grow up to be Kanye" hilarious! She changed dresses 15 times (so I hear, I didn't count) and looked gorgeous in every one of them! But, her performance outfit for Cowboy Casanova was just a little skanky (just sayin)

But, If I must be honest  If I had her body I would definitly wear that too (just sayin)!!!

In our family we LOVE Reba and she was awesome! I swear she never ages and never sings a bad song, she is simply timeless! I could totally see us being BFF's if she were to be my neighbor...My husband wanted to go as far as naming our daughter after her, but I had to draw the line, there can only be one Reba!!!

Seriously I would rather have her body at 50+ than Carrie's now, her arms are insane!!

The BIGGEST suprise was who won Entertainer of the Year:

Yes, that's right, Taylor Swift!!!

I was a tad bit shocked, I mean she beat out some tough compitition!!

Who beats George Strait?!?

She is very cute and sweet, and has sang some really great songs...but I just dont see her in the same catagory as some of these legends! Maybe I am just getting old and It's hard for me to accept change. Oh well, congrats Taylor!

Is It Odd Thursday?!?

OOOPS! I am a little late today...

So tell me: Is it odd?

* That I found a small treasure box in my desk drawer with 2 HUGE molar teeth in it?? EWWWW

* That I am super excited about meeting Michael Waddell (from the outdoor network) next week, yet, I have never been hunting or even care about going?

* I am obsessed with QVC...I literally awe them my paycheck!

* My children have better clothes than I do?

* That I have been thinking of odd things to write this week and as soon as I start writing my mind just goes blank! ugh

Until next week oddballs:)

Funny Story

I wanted to save this for "Is it odd Thursday" but I just couldn't wait!

This morning I had to go into Chase's classroom to talk with his teacher about his field trip tomorrow. This was our conversation:

Mrs. Molony: Can you believe I caught Logan cutting his hair yesterday?

me: OMG, I bet his mom could just die, he has the cutest hair with curls!!

Mrs. Molony: Well you know why he did it don't you?

me: ummm no!

Mrs. Molony: Apparrently Chase has told the boys in class that girls don't like long hair on boys, they only like short hair!

me: hahaha....I have no idea where he gets this stuff, I am going to have to apologize to Logan's mom!!

Mrs. Molony: But whats even funnier is John David says "Chase, what about my hair?"
Chase says "Oh well, your hair is fine but your bangs are a little long" 
"Is this better?" JD says as he is pushing his bangs back with his hand.

That kid just kills me sometimes with what he comes up with, I guess I have been just a little anal about his hair and clothes! It shocks me that 5 year olds are worried about the opposite sex already, i should really start a book of the things these youngins say and do!!

The Biggest Loser

Ok Ya'll, help me out!!

WHAT HAPPENED TO SHAY???

 I know she got voted off, but they didn't show her at the end at her current weight!! Did she gain it back?? Someone must tell me! I mean, I cried my eyes out the entire show and ate wayyyy to many cookies while watching, and I got left hanging...I need details!!

(I must add that Chase and I did do a few of the workout moves during commercial break and my arms are sore this morning! So I balanced out the cookies)

I am very upset that she got voted off! Amanda is a sweet girl but lets face it, she can do fine away from the show...Shay needed to be there for the support :)

Refuge, Strength, Encouragement

This Sunday at TNC was week 2 in the "How to Wreck Your Marriage" series. As I said below this series so far has been very enlightening and I have learned so much that I have obviously forgotten. I have posted the sermon notes below.

How to Wreck Your Marriage

Week 2: November 8, 2009

THE MESSAGE: Watch online at http://www.truenorthchurch.com/.

Other than Jesus Christ, marriage can be one of the greatest refuges there is. Statistics for successful marriages, however, are staggering. It is said that roughly 2 out of 10 couples experience marriage the way God intended. Over half of marriages end in divorce, and the ones that do last may not be the strong, loving relationships among two people they were meant to be. One out of four marriages go through affairs, thus affair proofing your marriage is vital to its survival.

Although affair proofing a marriage is not entirely possible, measures must be taken to make it last. Proverbs 4:23 says, "Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life." Guarding your heart means staying in the game and not building walls. Marriage takes active participation between a husband and wife. Spouses must be a refuge and a source of strength and encouragement for each other. Don't be the opposites of these things. A blueprint to this is Ephesians 5:25-33.

When you're not a refuge to your spouse, their ability to be themselves goes down. Numbness enters the picture, and affairs follow the pain that was experienced. Fight. You can either fight for your marriage or fight in divorce. The passage in Ephesians states that married couples are united as one. Respect each other. When disrespect enters marriage, it's gasoline on a fire.

Seek intentionally to address and heal the major wounds in your life. Do you have pain from past experiences that is leading you to wrongful behavior? Share this with someone. Seek godly counsel and work it out. These things can ruin a marriage when not dealt with properly. God gives example of His healing in 2 Kings 20:5 when this happens. You have to trush in others to make your marriage work, and you must confess (James 5:16). Don't allow these wounds to sit in darkness and lead to darkness.

The environment necessary for love to grow in marriage is one of freedom and responsibility. Don't control your spouse's every move. Love can't be experienced without giving someone freedom to love you. Control leads to escape being sought, and in marriage, that escape is often an affair. Put boundaries in place, and don't overburden your spouse. A tired spouse will fanticise about what else can be.

"Holy Mother of gynocology"!!

So please tell me you saw the season premiere of "The Real Housewives of OC"??  It was seriously like watching a train wreck, I could not look away!! My favorite housewife is certainly Tamra, she cracks me up with her one-liners! At one point in the show she and Vicky were discussing Gretchen's choice of vibrators and she burst out with "holy mother of gynocology", funniest thing ever!! I am sure to be using that one soon!! I am so over Gretchen's fake whining already and it was just the first show! I really hate that she lost her husband and I really dont blame her for getting back on the horse, so to speak, I mean her husband was REALLY old and well lets just say her gyno was probably her best friend for awhile!! I also really hate that Jeana and Tamra are going broke and they have to eat out less and maybe get rid of a couple cars!! Cry me a river, I have to save and scrape just to go buy  groceries...I am sure they will survive!! I am just waiting for Bravo to get a clue and find some REAL women, with REAL issues, and REAL wifely and motherly duties, now that would be a hit show! They need to bring it on down to E-Town, we'll show them REAL HOUSEWIVES!!

Is It Odd Thursday!

IS IT ODD

That I?

* am so obbsessed with facebook that I checked it five times before I even made the statement

* have yet to really decorate my house and the last picture that was hung my MIL did it for me, its been 2 years!

* have yet to fix my blinker in my car and it has been broke for six months, and when I have to turn a refuse to stick my hand out the window to let anyone know

* am obsessed with all things pertaining to pageants and have only competed in two my whole life

* love to get my nails done but end up picking at them 2 days later

I got this idea from another blog...Every Thursday I will compile a list of quirky things I find myself doing, and post. Comment me with your quirkyness, we may not be so odd afterall:)

Time, Energy & Sacrifice

WOW!! I am on a roll today!!

I wanted to write about the sermon at church on Sunday...TrueNorth Church has started a marriage series that will go on for the next 4 weeks. I am so excited about these messages because I think we could all use a little refresher course every now and then. There are times when we take our spouses for granted and just expect them to be robots and read our minds. We as women need to realize that men just do not think like we do. They are not as complex in their reasoning and are not capable of automaticly knowing "what we mean", we must be straight forward with them and if we want something or feel a certain way, tell them! It doesn't mean that they will get us what we want or feel the same as we feel but it is a start. I love being married and I love my husband more than anything, and one thing I learned on Sunday is that I need to put my husband first (after God of course) and by respecting him and not having unrealistic expectations of him, our marriage will survive this crazy world. We have sure had our ups and downs and I am sure we will have more, but nothing is worth having that you don't work to get. If you think the grass is greener on the other side, think again, it is still just more grass that will die when the frost comes! I have posted the message notes from our pastor, it's a great read!

How to Wreck Your Marriage

Week 1: November 1, 2009Share
THE MESSAGE: Watch online at http://www.truenorthchurch.com./


Marriage can be crazy; especially when we embrace unrealistic expectations.
Do any of these sound like you?
-If our marriage is hard work, we must not be right for each other.


-I shouldn't have to change who I am to make our marriage better.


-My spouse is responsible for my happiness.


The truth is: marriage is hard work. Because your marriage is hard does not mean you do not belong together. We are different as individuals, and families, children and careers add to those differences. Where is hard work needed in your marriage? Spouses are constantly having to change for the betterment of the marriage. This is no different than improving in your career or anything else in your life. Marriage is two people coming together, helping each other change. What is it in your marriage that that needs to be changed? Although only Christ will complete you, your spouse is there to compliment you. However, your spouse is not responsible for your happiness. We need to be committed to the person, and not the expectations.

Our expectations are born as natural desires in our hearts, and when realistic are very rewarding. Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12). How do spouses merge the pictures of their expectations? By being aware, reasonable and clear about what they expect, and through their willingness to listen to the Lord. Have a tender heart towards God. Nehemiah 4:14 tells us to remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and to fight for our wives and homes. Satan is the enemy to your marriage, and fighting for is vital to its longevity.

Marriage is going to take hard work. It means giving time, energy and sacrifice. Keep these things up with your spouse.

The dark side!

So I have decided to do something I have been wanting to do just haven't had the guts. The crazy thing is, I decided to do it at a time when my mom was out of town and my salon was closed!! I got a wild hair up my butt and decided to dye my hair brown!!! I have been "blonde" since I was in 6th grade and truthfully had no idea what my natural color was/is. We went to Wal-mart Sunday and I just decided to pick a color and go with it. This is not the best picture in the world, but you get the idea. I am getting use to it, I have never seen my hair match my eyebrows! haha As long as my hubby likes it, I am all for it :)

Halloween!!

I am a little late posting but promise to do better! We actually had a pretty laid back halloween this year. Not one time did I feel rushed to be somewhere or aggrivated to be going, this is an accomplishmnet in itself!! Matt had to work ALL weekend so he missed all of the festivities and was greatly missed:(  We started out Friday night at the school carnival. We had a fun time, except it was wayyy too hot in that gym. Chase's class was in charge of the cake walk and each mom had to work the booth for 30 min. During my slotted time we must have played a hudred times and some kids were relentless when it came to trying to win a cake! The funniest thing is this: The moms were asked to send a cake for the cake walk, I decided this year I was not going to be slack and actually make a cake. Nothing special just a strawberry cake with sprinle icing, and I will have you know all those kids wanted were the store bought ones with the price tag on them!! haha you live and learn, I could have saved an hour of my life...

Even my mom got in on the fun of the cake walk!

Saturday was such a lazy day in general. The kids and I did not even bother to dress until it was time to get costumes on and leave. I love days like that, even if it makes me feel lazy for the rest of the weekend and the house looks like a tornado hit it afterwards:)   

I had one sweet little ladybug, who is still wearing her antennas around the house!

(Bailey also won the costume contest at the church festival we went too)

and a dedicated deer hunter, who was supposed to be Garcia from the SC Gamecocks but decided on a last minute costume change. ( But, after the aweful game against TN that night I don't blame him!)

Our first stop was to a church festival mainly for Matt's family to see the kids in their costume. We stayed for about an hour and then went and visited Aunt Amy and the boys. I was sad that I didn't get to see their costumes but it was good just to see them (minus Peyton, he was at the fair). We didn't trick or treat this year due to the annual haunted hill party that is put on by some friends. The kids had a blast just running around and going on a hay ride. They did get candy before they left and believe me it was way more than they would have gotten going house to house. ( i will post pics later!)

Overall we had a fun weekend and now are getting prepared for Thanksgiving (my personal favorite holiday...no stress, just food)