Car Karma, Red, and Project Scripture...

I hope the highlight of my week won't be the fact that an incredibly old lady flipped me off yesterday.  Apparently it was unreasonable for me to expect that she'd let me over so that I wouldn't run into the stalled car in front of me. 

And maybe I shouldn't have thrown my hands up in frustration and screamed my favorite four-letter word at the top of my lungs when she honked at me.  (I find it impossible to reach for any other word when I'm unexpectedly frightened.  Let's all pray our preacher never sneaks up on me...)

And I must just be having bad car karma because I was THISCLOSE to leaving a not-so-friendly note on the windshield of the car who parked so close to my driver's side door this weekend that I had to crawl in car from the passenger side.  (Yeah, that wasn't awkward at all...)  I was digging through my purse to find a scrap of paper, and all I could find was this notepad. 

Loud and clear, God.  Loud and clear.  (But next time, I swear, I'm leaving a note... :))

In other news, I'm just as in love with Taylor Swift today as I was in 2006 the first time I heard I'd Lie.  She released her new album yesterday, and it's great.  There are at least 5 songs that I could play on repeat all day long. 

Red, Treacherous, I Knew You Were Trouble, 22, and Starlight are my favorites.  (And if you're as curious as I was about who each song is about, go here and get the scoop!)  And, believe me, I realize that my love for T-Swifty makes me a teenage girl, but I honestly don't care.  She's a brilliant songwriter, and her songs make me happy. 

Also, I thought I'd give you guys a heads up that I'm shipping out for trial on Thursday, and I'll be gone for two weeks.  So if the posting is light between now and then, don't hate me.  I promise I'll be back as soon as humanly possible.

Last, but not least, here's this week's Project Scripture verse:

Ephesians 4:31 "Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice."

Have a fabulous Tuesday, y'all!

Our weekend, the State Fair of Texas, and Project Scripture...

Apart from the fact that it was a terrible weekend for Texas sports (ahem, Cowboys and Longhorns), we had a pretty decent weekend around the Hargrave house.

I did have to work.  A lot.  But when I wasn't working, we managed to get some things cleaned/organized around the house and make some peanut patties.  (For the record, Aunt Cinda, they weren't even close to as good as yours, but we're going to keep trying. :))  As a reward for dragging my butt up to work on the weekend, I treated myself to my favorite soup and salad in all the land.

(Is anyone else as obsessed with La Madeleine's tomato-basil soup as I am?)

I also just realized that I forgot to tell you guys about our State Fair experience!

Obviously, the main attraction was the ridiculous array of fried foods.  For the record, we tried at least a bite of each of the following:

- Fletchers corny dog

- Fried onion

- Funnel cake

- Fried frito pie

- Fried jambalaya

- Fried cheesesticks

- Jack's french fries

My favorites were the fried jambalaya and fried frito pie.  We went with my dad, stepmom, brother, sister-in-law, and Stella, so we'd each take turns buying something so everyone could try a bite.  As we were leaving, I spotted the fried red velvet cupcake, but I couldn't eat another bite. 

If you were following along on Instagram, I apologize that all of my pictures were of mostly-eaten food.  I swear I had intentions of taking pretty pictures of everything, but it was all so delicious that I didn't remember to take pictures until the food was gone (or nearly gone).  :)

We also went into the petting zoo.

And we played a lot with this little cutie, who loved just about everything and was such a good girl.

So, all in all, a successful fair experience, even if it was stupidly hot and humid for October.  (And genius here thought a sweater would be a good idea.  My brother had a lot of fun making fun of me for that one...)

Last, but not least, I'm getting this week's Project Scripture verse out on TIME this week!

"Jesus replied, "What is impossible with men is possible with God."  Luke 18:27.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend and are surviving another Monday! :)

Project Scripture: Week Forty-One

I'm determined not to keep forgetting to post the Project Scripture verse each week, even if I am three days late.

So here is this week's verse:

Matthew 7:7 "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

Thankful Thursdays (Link Up!)...

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I hope your week is going wonderfully!  Can you believe that mine actually hasn't been too crazy?  And can you believe that I'll likely have a relatively normal, work-free weekend?  I sure can't... not with trial three weeks away.  It's the little things, y'all.

With that in mind, let's talk thankfuls, shall we?

{I'm thankful} that my husband hasn't complained one tiny bit about how much I've been working lately. Good man, that one.

{I'm thankful} that you guys don't hate me for missing the Project Scripture verse TWO weeks in a row.  For good measure, here are last week's and this week's verses:

Matthew 6:33 "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them."

{I'm thankful} for my sweet extended family.  I recognize that it probably isn't normal for people my age to adore their aunts and uncles and even great aunts and uncles the way I love mine.  They've just been such a blessing to me throughout my life, and I sure hope my niece and nephew feel that way about me someday.

{I'm thankful} that I finally got on the bandwagon and signed up to receive the Proverbs 31 Ministries daily devotion emails.  I had seen blog friends and family members talk about it, and it has been so nice to get a quick word of encouragement every morning, particularly when things are hectic. 

{I'm thankful} for Mattito's Bob Armstrong Dip.  If you've never heard of it, you're likely not from Dallas.  Think queso + ground beef + guacamole + sour cream, all mixed together.  Think heaven.  And if you ever come to Dallas, you should make sure and try it.  Capiche?

{I'm thankful} for you guys.  I know I've been fairly lame lately, but you're sticking with me anyway.  God love you. :)  

Alright lovelies.  Duty calls.  What are you guys thankful for this week?  Link up and tell us!

Also linking up with black tag diaries, The Fontenot Four, First Day of my Life, kate says stuff, and  a punk a pumpkin and a peanut.

Softball, toilet paper, and red velvet brownies...

I'm in need of another weekend, y'all.  Stat.  It was wonderful but exhausting, and this girl needs to nap. ("Guys!  You've gotta let me nap!"  Name that TV show quote.)

On Friday, we had Mexican food with my Dad and stepmom.  We hit the hay early that night because Micah agreed to play in a charity softball tournament in our hometown the next day, and we had to get up early to be out there by 8:30. 

It was a double elimination, and our team played fabulously all day long, (and I do mean all day long...) but didn't win.  On the plus side, though, during a break between games, I got to go love on my little niece and my brother and Faith's new puppy, Grits.  The cuteness was almost too much, and I got some good snuggles from Miss Stella. 

Plus I got to hang out with my bestest and her sweet family all day long, so my sunburned nose was totally worth it.  (But I'm telling you guys, I look like Rudolph.  Not cool.)  I also saw a few people from high school that I hadn't seen in forever, which was also nice.

We had planned on grabbing dinner with Micah's parents afterward, but I wasn't feeling very well, so we headed home and watched more Mad Men.

On Sunday, we woke up to this.

As one of my Facebook friends said, you have officially arrived when a teenager things you're stuffy enough to toilet paper your house.  Having toilet papered more than a few yards in my day, I honestly thought it was pretty funny.  Micah, being the kind of person who would NEVER act so inconsiderately, did not.  We got it picked up fairly quickly, though, and apparently the vandals were friendly -- they said "hey" in sidewalk chalk on our driveway in the back.  :)

I still wasn't feeling fabulously that morning, so we missed church.  We did go over to my mom's house so that Micah could help my stepdad with a sprinkler head, and I got lots of quality visiting time with my sweet momma. :)

On Sunday afternoon, Micah watched football while I worked, and then I made these beauties.

Why yes, those are red velvet brownies.

You guys.  I'm not sure I'll ever be able to be satisfied with plain brownies ever again.  These things had the perfect texture, flavor, and just a hint of chocolate.  I loved, loved, LOVED them!  If you're suddenly finding yourself craving red velvet brownies, you can find the recipe here.  These will definitely be a go-to recipe the next time I need to take something to a party/get together.  And how fun would they be for Christmas?!

So that's what we did this weekend.  What did you guys do?

Oh!  And last, but not least, here's this week's Project Scripture verse.

Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Happy memorizing!

What's up with us...

After several comments from loving friends/family about how long it has been since I posted, I thought I'd check in so you guys didn't worry that I disappeared off the face of the earth. ;)

I'm sure it isn't shocking that deadlines at work have kept me busy, but thankfully things should slow down at least a teensy bit tomorrow.  Hallelujah.  I'm working on a case that's going to trial next month, and while I love this part at the end of the case (particularly the trial, itself), it's just insane how busy it gets.  Miraculously, though, I was able to take this past weekend off and spend some much-needed time with my love.  (Plus I got TWO naps in.  Amen.)

Between naps, I managed to accomplish three important things. 

          One.  I finally had my pumpkin spice latte.  Love, love, love.

          Two.  I made to almost the end of season three of Dawson's Creek.  And as I was watching, I remembered how drama-filled my own high school life was.  It's so funny how important it all seemed at the time...

          Three.  I had Thai food.  Man, I love Thai food.  But I only ever order pad thai or cashew chicken and should probably branch out.  What do you guys usually order at Thai restaurants?

In case you were curious, Lilly spent the weekend perched on this particular stair.

Such a strange little girl.  Perhaps she's slightly like her mommy in that way. ;)

Oh!  And I almost forgot, here's this week's Project Scripture verse:

Psalm 34:8 "Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him."

And that's what's up with us.  What's up with you guys?

Project Scripture: Week Thirty-Five...

With the air conditioner debacle (which was fixed today - yay!), I totally forgot to get this week's Project Scripture verse up!

So without further ado:

James 4:17 "Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins."

Have a wonderful Tuesday, y'all.

Project Scripture: Week Thirty-Four

How was your weekend?

Ours was fairly fabulous (and I've got an update coming soon!), but first I wanted to share this week's Project Scripture verse.

Psalm 51:10 "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me."

Here's to desiring pure hearts and steadfast spirits! 

Project Scripture: Week Thirty-Three...

We had a fabulous weekend and I have an update coming soon, but first I wanted to go ahead and get this week's Project Scripture verse up.

Isaiah 40:31 "But those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

I'm excited to memorize this verse so that it can serve as running inspiration for me when things get difficult.  This girl needs all the help she can get in that department... :)

Project Scripture: Week Thirty-Two

I know I'm late... so sorry!  But thankfully this week's verse is short, so I think we'll still have plenty of time to get it memorized.

Psalm 128:1 "Blessed are all who fear the Lord, who walk in his ways."


(Plus, 32 is "my" number, so I'm feeling extra confident about this week. :))

Project Scripture: Week Thirty-One (and our weekend!)...

It's Monday, and I'm sleepy, but what else is new? :)

First, here's this week's Project Scripture verse:

Acts 2:21 "And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."

**********

Apart from the fact that I was up at the office until 9:00 on Friday evening (and had to miss the dadgum opening ceremonies of the Olympics), our weekend was fabulous!

On Saturday, we spent the day with my best friend and her hubby.  I just LOVE them, and it was nice that the boys had each other (and a few fishing poles) to entertain them while Lauren and I visited, cooked, and snuggled. ;)

And can I just say, for the record, that we are some lucky girls?  Look at our handsome boys! (And don't mind the fact that they squeezed themselves into our chair-and-a-half together... apparently they like each other.)

Yesterday, we went to Micah's parents' house to celebrate my sister-in-law's birthday.  (Happy birthday, Diana!)  Miraculously, I managed to avoid the multiple flavors of bundt cake they had ordered.  This no sugar stuff really sucks when I'm confronted with cake.  Cake's my favorite.

After lunch, we dropped by my brother and Faith's house and played with Stella for a little while.  Then we all met my Dad and stepmom for sushi (delish!).

And in between friends/family time, we squeezed in as much Team USA as we could!

via

I LOVE the Olympics and am so thrilled about them that I'm contemplating skipping The Bachelor Pad tonight to watch the swimming and beach volleyball events.  That's dedication, y'all.

Project Scripture: Week Thirty (and our weekend)...

First thing's first.  Here's this week's Project Scripture verse:

"And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."  Matthew 28:20.

Happy memorizing! :)

**********

We had a pretty busy weekend, actually.  On Friday night, Micah drove over to Noteworthy Home's warehouse to pick up our entertainment center for the game room.  Unfortunately, it had started raining as he got there, so he had to drive back over on Saturday morning to get it.  While he was gone, I had to stay at the house to be there to let the electricians in.  (Although technically, because my stepdad is so wonderfully precious, I could have left while he took care of everything, but we had a fun day hanging out and visiting.) 

We had them (1) install four new recessed lights in our game room, (2) re-wire the cable from an external wall to an internal wall, and (3) install outlets on the wall so we could mount our TV.  So we now have all of the bare-bones pieces up there (couch, TV, entertainment center, pool table, dart board) and just need to get to the pretty stuff!  I'll post pictures soon so you guys can see our progress.

After they finished, we met friends for sushi, which was delicious as always.  Yesterday after church, my mom and stepdad came back over for lunch and brought this little cutie with them.

(This little girl is on the move!  Getting pictures of her that didn't look like this was darned near impossible.  And pardon my $.50 socks from Gap.  Believe me... I do understand that socks with leggings isn't the cutest.)

My brother and sister-in-law are in Cheyenne to see some sort of rodeo championship, and all the grandparents are getting a day or two to keep Miss Stella.  I was so glad to have gotten a whole afternoon with her (and my sweet momma) while the boys worked on mounting the TV.

And I'm sure you can guess what I was doing last night...

***SPOILER ALERT***

Unfortunately, because so many girls were out of town/busy, girls' night sort of fizzled out at the last minute.  So poor Micah had to keep me company.

I am so happy she chose Jef.  I was rooting for him and wondered if she'd be smart enough to look past the steamy kisses with Arie to see how perfect Jef was for her.  Way to be a grown-up, Emily!  (But let me just state for the record that I don't actually harbor any delusions that this is an always-and-forever kind of relationship.  Maybe they'll make it work and maybe they won't.  But that doesn't change the fact that I love watching it all unfold.  Or that I hate myself for loving it so much.)

This week looks to be fairly light and breezy at work (a rare luxury), so I'm planning on taking it easy before things start getting crazy again.  Hope you all have a fabulous Monday!

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Seven (and Twenty-Eight!)...

I'm going to totally blame vacation for the fact that I completely forgot to post last week's verse last Sunday.  (And I'm going to blame these banana bars with browned butter frosting for the fact that I didn't get this week's verse up last night.  Holy cow, you guys.  I can't convey the depth of my love for these things.  Make them yesterday.)

So, if you guys are up for it, I propose that we challenge ourselves and try and memorize two verses this week.  Who thinks we can do it? :)

But before I post the verses, I wanted to take a second and celebrate the fact that we're halfway through a year's worth of verses.  It's honestly one of the most rewarding things I've ever done, and I can't wait to celebrate at the end of the year!  Truth be told, a few have slipped out of my brain, and I'll be spending the next few weeks refreshing my memory so that I'm ready for the second half.

I hope that if you've been following along, you're loving it as much as I am.

On to the verses...

Week Twenty-Seven

Hebrews 4:16  "Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

Week Twenty-Eight

Jeremiah 29:11  "For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

(And I must confess that this is my life verse, so I've already got this one down pat.  If you don't have it committed to memory, I'm so excited for you to learn it.)

Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Six...

Although this week is technically the halfway point for the year (holy cow!), I'm going to save my celebration for next Sunday, when we'll have actually MEMORIZED half a year's worth of scripture. :)

So let's get to this week's verse, shall we?

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."  Galatians 5:22-23.

I'm so excited about this one. :)  Happy memorizing!

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Five... and some

Raise your hand if you had a fabulous weekend!

We definitely did.  Among other things...

... I got my hair done.  I L-O-V-E it.  I'll post pictures soon!

... Micah went fishing and caught some delicious crappie, which we pan fried and enjoyed for dinner that same night. Yum!  (And I tried a new recipe, of which I took step-by-step pictures like a good blogger, but it was a total flop, so I figured I'd spare you guys... :))

... We celebrated Fathers Day with our dads.  We kept it super low key - lunch at Micah's parents' and dinner at my dad's. 

(Micah with his brother, nephew, and dad... such good, sweet men!)

... I went shopping and found two new swimsuits at Marshalls (where I was able to get TWO swimsuits for the same price as I paid for one at Target.  Have I mentioned how much I love Marshalls?).

... I laid out by the neighborhood pool (for only the second time in a year) and got the teensiest hint of a tan.  Although I'm still practically translucent...

So that's what we were up to this weekend... :)

And before I forget, here's this week's memory verse:

"Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." James 4:7.

Make it a great week, loves!

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Four

Whoosie daisies!

I forgot to get this week's verse up last night.  (If you're a new follower, check out all the details for Project Scripture here.  Basically, I'm memorizing 52 verses in 2012, and even though we're almost halfway there [holy cow!], you're still more than welcome to join in on the fun!).

Better late than never...

(please pardon my chicken scratch!)

Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me."


This week's verse is such a powerful one for me, and I'm truly looking forward to meditating on it all week. 

Hope you guys had a fabulous weekend!  I'll have a weekend post up sometime soon! :)

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Three

It's a miracle, y'all.

I actually managed to get this week's verse up on the board before Wednesday, so I can post a picture!

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." - Proverbs 3:5-7.

I learned this verse in a song while on a mission trip (doing VBS), so that should make this week a breeze for me.  If you want a slightly annoying children's song stuck in your head for the rest of the week, you can check out the song here. :)

Project Scripture: Week Twenty-Two...

Whoo hoo!  A couple of days with no work to do and some quality time with my love, and I feel like a new woman!

I should be back to my regular posting next week, but I wanted to share this week's verse (since I forgot last week's verse - so sorry you guys!)

Ready?

"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." - 2. Cor. 12:9.

Hope you guys are having a wonderful weekend with friends and family.  Happy Memorial Day!

Project Scripture: Week Twenty...

I swear to goodness that a proper London post is coming soon!

I got home late Saturday night after my sweet husband picked me up from the airport.  (When we spotted one another in international arrivals, I ran to him, dropped my suitcase and held on for dear life for probably a full minute.  I can't even tell you guys how much I missed him.)  Yesterday, we spent some time with our moms for Mothers Day, and I spent some time just sitting around, trying to adjust to life in this time zone again, so I wasn't really up to sorting through all of my pictures.  But I promise you guys... they're coming. :)

And because I'm going for the worst blogger EVER award, I also forgot to get the Project Scripture verse up yesterday, so without further ado...

Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

(Does it get any better than that? His goodness knows no bounds. :))

 

I hope you guys are having a fabulous Monday.  My mind has sort of refused to leave London, so I'm having a hard time getting things done today.  Here's hoping I'm more productive this afternoon. :)

Project Scripture: Week Nineteen

Since I'm out of town for this week's verse, I'll keep this short and sweet. :)

Here is the verse for this week - enjoy!

Psalm 27:1 "The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?"