2.20.11 - baby cuteness

loved spending time with this sweet girl last weekend
i love being her aunt

2.19.11 - bookstores

when i first heard while listening to NPR that borders was going bankrupt this week i almost cried. anyone who knows anything about me knows i love books. i love to read. i always have. i used to get in trouble in elementary school for reading during other subjects. i may have even been known to sit under a tree during recess reading a nancy drew novel. my idea of a perfect day would involve a good read, a cozy blanket, some hot tea and a comfy chair. or a light breeze, the ocean, a lemon ice and a beach chair.

the idea to me that book stores may not be able to survive breaks my heart. brandon knows my favorite dates are dinner followed by an hour or two browsing around the bookstore, sipping some coffee and walking away with some new paperbacks. just this past sunday morning after brandon and i attended elevation in charlotte, we went to borders to kill some time before meeting some friends for lunch. we sat at a table with sunlight streaming in with stacks of magazines and seattle's best and just enjoyed the morning together. it was perfect.

with everyone ordering their books from amazon or reading them on a kindle, i guess it makes sense that book stores are struggling, but there's just something special about walking around a bookstore with the one you love browsing. there's something about curling up with a paperback novel that just couldn't be the same with a little computer. i need to hold the book and smell the paper and the ink. if they sold perfume that smelled like a book i'd probably buy it.

maybe it's because the smell and feel of a book remind me of being little. maybe it's because it's relaxing. maybe it's because bookstores remind me of the love of books i share with my dad and dates i've spent with my man. i want to take my kids there and read to them and let them pick out a book. there's just something sacred to me about bookstores and real paper books. the idea that they may be all gone one day definitely leaves this girl teary eyed.

2.15.11 - on love day (a day late)

10 things i love about my man ...

1. i love his dark eyes and his dark hair
2. i love his intensity
3. i love his ability to make me laugh
4. i love how manly he is
5. i love listening to him sing and play guitar
6. i love that he loves going to target as much as me
7. i love how he protects me
8. i love how hot he looks in his leather jacket
9. i love how safe me makes me feel
10. i love how he prays for me
    

i love this man more than he probably knows

2.12.11 - i won something!

let me first say that i can't remember winning anything luck-based in my entire life. maybe i have, but i can't remember, so i'm sticking with my never.

until this week ...
on this blog ....
i actually won something!

thanks arielle for this great giveaway! i'm pretty excited about my necklace from wonderfully made. check out the blog post here and the jewelry here.

2.6.11 - my super bowl sunday

i'm sure lots of you, or maybe the five of you that still read this, are headed out to a friend's or family's house to eat wings, nachos, chips and dip, brownies, etc. and cheer for your cheeseheads or the steelers. that's what we did last year. and it was fun. but this year today is a little different. great morning at church, followed my a few hours of cleaning, then catching up on my shows via dvr, a simple dinner, and now cozying up under a warm blanket to cut out recipes with my stacks of food network and taste of home magazines and some hot tea. the game may be on in the background. we'll see. it may not be what i'm supposed to be doing tonight, but i'm okay with that.

for the record, i'm pretty sure brandon will be watching the big game :)

2.3.11 - what God is teaching me

"we fail to live by faith, because sin is more real to us than faith, so we just end up living in hope rather than faith, which is actually living in fear!"
- brother larry

wow.

2.2.11 - happy birthday Andrew!

today is my baby brother's birthday
he's 21 today
i can't believe he's that old
i couldn't ask for a better brother
i love you Andrew
happy birthday!

2.1.11 - what's new?

happy february all! one month closer to warmer weather ...

so it's been a while since i last posted. what's been going on you ask?

well, lots of snow and ice. it feels like the winter lasts forever here. from december on, cincy is nothing but grey skies and cold weather. can't remember the last time we had a good sunny day. i just keep trying to focus on good things during the winter (which is definitely not my favorite time of year). like warm blankets, turning up the heat full-blast in my car, knee-high boots, cute sweaters ... um, i can't really think of much else ... :)

the biggest and most exciting thing going on is the hub's new album he's working on. brandon has been working on music for a while now, and has really been wanting to record a new cd. God is so good and has opened the door to allow him to record in charlotte with an amazing producer, joel khouri. he was down in january for a week working on pre-production, and will be going back for a few more weeks to record soon. keep him in your prayers - we have huge faith that God is going to do great things with this album! go check out the music facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/brandongilliammusic and become a fan! i'm so proud of him, he's worked so hard and really has a heart to reach people for Jesus through his music. you can keep updated from the facebook page i mentioned or his website www.brandongilliamonline.com