Conversations with a Conservative

I really have no words.  I have no children yet so I can't even come close to knowing what it would feel like to lose my baby, my child.  I also have no way to even begin to understand how someone can shoot anyone, but especially children, basically point blank.  Only someone that is very disturbed.  There is no way to explain it.  I don't even know the proper response to most of this other than I am praying and will continue to pray for those hurt and wounded by this horrible act.  All I can do in any situation is to turn to God, my Father, for peace, love and comfort.  I truly don't know how people make it through a day in this fallen world without Him. First, I want to share this link from Melanie's blog, Big Mama - it is touching, perfectly said.  Read it here . Also, if you feel unsure or are questioning why God would allow this, read THIS .  The only thing that helps me understand these tragedies and find any sort of peace or comfor...

I am back with 7 Quick Takes again this week - I kind of enjoyed last Friday.  Check out Jen's and the others here . 1. I have to share this - if you have a heart, I warn you, it might make you cry!  This was a story I saw when reading my daily Cultural Commentary post - check out the full story here .  Basically, this young boy has cerebral palsy and is on his school's wrestling team.  He finally got his chance to wrestle a very kind-hearted young man and this is the video, but seriously ready the story because I think it will encourage you! 2. So I sang the song this week "Reunited and it feels so good"...to my skillet.  Yep, I have been attempting to "cook" in our kitchen with only a stockpot for about the last 4 weeks or so.  I hadn't been able to locate the rest of our cookware, but I finally did this week and made stir-fry for real.  It was awesome! 3.  I am tired of getting headaches everyday.  Trying to get pregn...

If you are following along with Misty's Christmas Link-up party, then you may know that my 6th post ever on this blog was a conversation about babies and how I was so not ready for one.  Check it all out here ! Well, my how things have changed in a couple of years (well not quite two).  Now I am longing for a baby like crazy - I want nothing more than to be pregnant!  See, I told everyone eventually I would be ready to not be ready.  I know once a baby comes, I will be freaked out and wonder how I will care for that little life, but I am so ready for that. You see, back a couple of years ago my husband was still in law school, and A LOT has changed since then.  He graduated, passed the bar, started and now runs a successful solo practice, I took the PE exam and passed, got a promotion, and we moved to a bigger house ready to fill with kids!  God has been so good and gracious and blessed us so much over the last couple of years - none of the above would ...

Misty over at Across and Down a Little decided to host a fun Christmas link-up party where we count-up to Christmas by linking back to our very first posts ever.  Technically I had a blog before this one that grew to be bigger (not huge, I think I had like 140 followers), but then I became bitter over a blogging thing so I took a break for a while.  I started anew with this one, but it has been almost two years (okay a few months shy) since I started this one so it actually was fun to go back and look at where it began.  You can always scroll over to the side and check-out my archives, but make sure and head here so you can see mine and others first posts. I would love to add a picture here for you, but Blogger and Google Chrome don't play nice apparently on my computer so I need to go back to use LiveWriter I think to make this all work.  Anyone else having these problems with uploading pictures?

So I decided to join in on the fun with Jen and partake in the 7 Quick Takes Friday link-up that a few of my daily reads do, so here it goes (I figure this is an easy way to get me back into blogging): 1. I haven't blogged in so long it took me a few extra seconds to realize how to start a new post.  Sad isn't it?  I blame it on the house. And Thanksgiving.  And a cold. 2. So the house; it is actually coming along.  We can sit on our couch and watch a movie if we want now - isn't that fabulous?  I mean I thought being able to shower and use a toilet in the same room was big time, but now I think movie watching trumps that.  Plus, that has been nice since I have been so sicky this week that the husband and I have pretty much only watched movies every night this week.  It has been a nice and much needed break from the house renos. 3. Thanksgiving - we stayed in town to hang with hubby's family, and my parents also came down.  They are awesome...

So I have been processing the election and needed to take a day or so to organize my thoughts which is why I hadn't posted anything yet.  If you are sick of reading election thoughts, by all means skip over this post.  However, this isn't really just about the election but just my thoughts on the country and government as a whole. Yes - I'm conservative.  Duh.  If you didn't get that from the blog title, well I can't help you. Yes - I voted for Mitt Romney.  I didn't think he was perfect, but I do think he was the better choice for protecting our liberties, freedom, and making a better country for ALL. Yes - I am a little sad he lost, but more than that I am BAFFLED. That is my one word to explain the election this time - BAFFLED.  I was blown away by the results, but now I am using it as an enlightening experience.  I have learned that I don't I fit into the typical mold of my generation so it is interesting (and sometimes mind blowing) to hear ...

I hope everyone has voted today, but if not, RUN! You still have time in most places! I don't get to rock an "I voted" sticker today because I voted two weeks ago. However, I did rock some red and blue for the day!  Outfit breakdown: Sweater, Lands' End Canvas, $20ish Polka dot peplum top, Kohls, $7 Red jeans, Kohls, $20 Leather boots, Banana Republic via Ross, $40 Leather purse, Banana Republic

Y'all have been lucky - I have been so busy with house stuff that I haven't gotten too political on this ol' blog this year, but don't worry, I still pay attention to these things.  Let's be honest, my blog title probably gives most of you an idea about who I support (although, it doesn't pertain just to politics).  I do hope everyone votes, and even though I may disagree with your vote, I am glad we live in a country where we get to vote. This election season has been hard for me.  I pray often, and struggle with praying for who I want to win versus who will bring the most people to the Lord.  Sometimes I don't think that is the same person so it kind of scares me, but that is when I am glad I can surrender it to the Lord.  I pray that He is in control and that He is in each candidates life.  I did want to share an email my pastor sent out a few weeks ago when our church was talking about the election and current issues.  I really enj...

Alright, I promised yesterday and I need your help!  Here are the two hairstyles I am deciding between (similar lengths, just different shapes): My hair isn't quite this long yet, so I am going to ask my hairdresser to cut into of these styles so it grows out into the right shape.  Okay, so should I go with Brittany or Thandie?  P.S. Is it weird to use a picture of someone who passed away?  I hope not - I loved Brittany Murphy! 

Don't you just love a really long and descriptive blog title?  Me too! We are just blowing and going on the house (trying to get most of the big stuff done before my parents come down to stay for Thanksgiving) so I just don't have much time at all to blog.  However, once we hit the lull, be prepared for an abundance of house projects.  That also means hopefully we'll have unpacked and my camera cord will be found so I can quit uploading only phone pictures.  I'm still mostly holding out on house pics for that reason, but here is one teaser of our new granite: It is called Sienna Bordeaux, and I'm pretty much in love it with it. Oh, and you get a sneak peak of the new cabinets too!  Things are happening, but there was...just...so...much...to...do.  We will finish one day. So in the meantime, here are some pre-moving outfits, a few at the beginning of the move, and some more from the last week.  I didn't take many outfit pictures over the last 6 w...

So we are just going to assume that y'all know I am not posting much because I pretty much live, eat, sleep, breath house reno right now (sometimes I worry literally, I can't wait until all the dust has settled and is gone!) Anyway, just wanted to pop in.  I could post some lame phone pics, but I would rather wait to post better camera ones once I find the cord.  So I'll just tease you with what we have going on: kitchen cabinets - gone. New cabinets - in the middle of being stained. Counter tops - pick out today during my lunch break. Master bathroom - 90% done!  Master bedroom - 95% done!  We actually slept in our bedroom for the first time last night.  It felt so weird being 3 feet off the floor. I sort of worried I might roll out of bed and wished I had a toddler rail last night.  Luckily, no falling out of the bed occurred. We are working fast and furiously, and this thing called a full-time job just keeps getting in the way :)  Really, thou...

Who has a fear of the unknown?  Raise your hand? You can bet both arms and legs and head and anything else I can raise is waving around in the air like I just don't care (okay, I digress, and I do care - far too much).  Lindsey (who writes a blog I love and have been reading for years now) talked about her fear in a recent post and it really resonated with me.  Click on her name to read the post. So my biggest fear is of the unknown, and specifically right now, the end of the world.  Oh yeah, you know, no big thing.  I hate this, because as a Believer, I KNOW God is in control and NO ONE knows when Jesus will be returning.  God is not putting thoughts of fear and anxiety in my mind, but satan is.  I am allowing him to rob me of the joy and freedom I have being a new creation in Christ.  I just want him to leave, and I know I need to just turn my heart to Jesus and just meditate on Him and He will banish satan out.  Somedays it feels like a...

They make demo work look like so much fun, but in my opinion, it stinks.  I would much rather be putting back and making pretty than pounding away with a sledge hammer.  It is messy and then you have to accept that there were (we are saying "were" not "are") critters living in your walls.  For example, we found acorn shells and nuts under the old bathtubs - gross.  We majorly bug bombed the whole house.  Anyway, we are starting to gain some traction with the projects, and we are sleeping at the house now so we have much more time to do things (as well as logging more sleeping hours too!)  So below is sort of a dump of a lot of what we currently have going on.  Our goal this week is to finish up the master bathroom and closet and hopefully get the lighting figured out in the bedroom, too.  Then we will move to the kitchen! We also finally bough a fridge last night.  I will save you the long version, but I felt like we couldn't give our mo...