Too Cute Thursday

For my too cute thursday...I would like to share something I made!!

I want to be crafty so very badly, but sadly, it usually doesn't really work out.  Here's my pumpkin :)

And, I'd like to share something else I have been eyeing....

SHOES!

I don't know what my deal is lately, but I have been just drooling for shoes!

Steve Madden...

Jessica Simpson Women's Vanity Pump,Prince,6 M US

Jessica Simpson Henri Bronze pumps

JESSICA SIMPSON Teluride Bronze Heels Shoes Womens 8.5

Jessica Simpson Women's Lizza Pump,Black Patent,10 M US

mmmm....I'll take one of each please :)

Prayer Thursday

Hi Ladies! 

Thank you all so much for your prayers this past week!  If we can pray for you, please leave your prayer request in the comments below, or feel free to email me - michelle.ann.ellis@gmail.com

Here are our prayer requests for this week -

Many today are mourning the life of Allen Salinas, who passed away on Tuesday after an early morning accident while running.  I did not have the gift of knowing Coach Allen personally, but I have heard such beautiful, wonderful things about him.  He was a swimming coach, a friend, and a mentor to many young people.  He will truly be missed by all whom knew him.  Please pray for his friends and family to have peace and comfort during this time. 

Please pray for Laura.  Her Grandma is showing signs of kidney failure.  She has had a very rough time over the past 15 years, losing two husbands and her mother.  Please also pray for her husband Don, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and is going through treatments.  Please pray for God to give her the strength and hope to fight through this, and that he hold her tight with love and comfort during this time.  Please also pray for Laura's niece, she is having eye surgery.

Please pray for sweet baby Bennett.  He was born oh-so-tiny, but has been getting bigger and stronger!  You can read his little story here.

We have been praying for sweet Annika for awhile now, at the request of Kasey.  Please say a special prayer for her dear little body, that God will give her the strength to fight this disease.  Annika is 5 years old and was diagnosed with a rare form of acute lympocytic leukemia.  Please pray for her, her family and her doctors.  I can't imagine what her family is going through.  Isn't she beautiful?  Just look at that smile!

Please pray for baby Cohen's parents. You can read their story here.  He is in God's beautiful hands now. 



Please pray for sweet Sarah.  She is praying and waiting for God to bless her with a true Godly man that could be a wonderful influence to her young son to share their lives with.  Her testimony is so beautiful, I felt inspired just reading it.

Please pray for my coworker Colin.  His daughter in law had breast cancer three years ago, and won that fight.  Unfortunately, the cancer is back - this time in her spine.  She is going through radiation now and the prognosis is not positive.  Please pray for her.

Please pray for my sweet friend Jackie.  She had the babies!!!  They are all safe and doing well.  She is super mom!  Please pray for her and the babies.  You can read about her journey here.

Please pray for my Daddy's (Jerry) job search and that his good spirits continue.  I just know God has the perfect plan for him. 

Please pray for my Grandparents, Ed and Helen.  She is showing signs of Dementia, and it is very hard on them.  She goes through phases where she thinks he has kidnapped her, and she gets very scared.  Please pray from them both.

Please pray for little Jed Harper.  You can read about his story here.  What a beautiful family turning their sweet son's health over to God.  They are truly inspiring.

I have been following Lianna's blog for a few months now, and she just seems like the sweetest girl!  She and her husband are waiting for God to bless them with a child.  You can read about them here.  Please pray for their journey to become parents.

Could you please also pray for our friend's Dad?  He had surgery a few of weeks ago and is having some memory problems.  Please pray for their family and his doctors, and that they can find out what is wrong.

Thank you so very much for all of your prayers!  Please let me know if we can pray for you!

Thank you & my 200th Post!

Wow...this is my 200th post!

I just wanted to take a moment to thank all of you ladies for all of your support over the past couple of years.  I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I started this blog, but I can tell you that the kindness, support and encouragement that I get from you ladies is invaluable.  I feel so blessed to have to opportunity to seek your advice, and to find encouragement through your blogs.  Thank you so very much!

I especially want to thank the ladies that offered me advice and encouragement after my post about finding a church home.  You have NO IDEA how much I needed to hear that I am not the only one with those feelings, or the only one that is having a hard time searching.  Thank you Sarah, your comments are so right in line with how I think, and I couldn't agree with you more!  I'm so happy I'm not the only one that sees things that way :)  Chelsea, thank you for your sweet comment - it reminded me that a small church can be a wonderful home as well.  I really enjoy your blog, thank you for sharing!  Shana & Candice, I hope that you find your perfect church homes too!  Lisa, I can't thank you enough for your prayers and encouragement, thank you!  I have found so much encouragement through your blog!  Melanie, thank you so much for the encouragement, kind words, and the information on your church!  I spent some time on the website and can't wait to visit very soon!  I appreciate it so very much!!!

To all of you that read this blog, thank you so much!  It means so much to me that you take time out of your busy days to stop by.  You have no idea how much I appreciate it!

Love and blessings to you all!

Where did Sunday go?

We are having the hardest time finding a church home.  We even had an argument about it last night.  How awful is that?  To argue about church?  Hmmpphh.

You see, we have been going to the same church for a few years, but we both know it's not our church home.  Over the past few months, I have had this inner NEED to find a church home.  Hubby and I need a Bible Study.  I need other women to worship with.  Hubby doesn't really want to go around trying out new churches...so this makes it really hard.  He is frustrated too.  It seems like each church that we find is either too small, with people that we really don't feel like we have that much in common with, or they are a super church with a full out rock concert before the service.  We both grew up in moderately conservative churches, and would like to find something like that now.  I don't mind lots of songs, but could you please leave the lights on and turn off the fog machines?  I don't mind the casual dress, but could you please encourage the teenage girls to not wear shorts they would not be allowed to wear in school, or ask that men do not wear ball caps? 

The church we visited today had a wonderful message, and I enjoyed that part.  They served communion without explaining what it was, or praying.  They sang a song and said you could come and get it from one of the many stands in the church and say your own prayer.  This bothered me.  I know there were people there that didn't understand what taking communion meant.  The coffee bar, donut stand, smoothie bar, rock concert...I could do without.  There were people in work out clothes there. I admire that everyone is welcome.  I admire the "come as you are" atmosphere.  On Wednesday night church.  I cried as we left today, frustrated (and a little hormonal to be honest) and asked hubby, "Where did Sunday go?".  All of these church services feel like youth group or Wednesday night church.  Could we please sing a hymn?  Could we please dress up for God for one morning?  Could we please do without coffee for an hour during service?  Where is Sunday morning?

Those of you that go to churches like this - if I come across as offensive, I truly apologize.  That is not my intent.  Is this the type of church you always dreamed of?  Do you like this relaxed environment?  Is it something that took getting used to?

The programs in these large churches are amazing.  Hubby and I are wondering if we have to sacrifice our "Sunday Mornings" for a church home that has everything we are looking for.

Those of you that have found your church homes, if you don't mind sharing - how did you find them?  How did you know that church was the one for you?

Friday Fives - What's in your fridge?

This week's Friday Fives....

What 5 Things are Always in Your Fridge???

1. Dales Sauce

I seriously LOVE LOVE LOVE this stuff.  We put it on everything!  Veggies, beef, turkey, chicken, soups....mmmm.....not all grocery stores carry it, but you can find it at the link below.

Dale's Liquid Steak Seasoning - 16 oz

2. A Pitcher of Lipton Tea

I don't drink it (too full of calories for me!) but hubby LIVES on this stuff.  We got through one of the huge powdered canisters a week.  It's crazy really.

3. Wine & Bud Light

Always :)

4. Crescent Rolls

I love them, and there are so many different meals I can make with them.  I always stock up when they are on sale!

5. Veggies

We have some type of veggie with each meal.  I always have something in there!

What's in your Fridge?  Link up to Beth at Just Me and My Life!!

Big 12 Picks - Week 1

I am SO excited about football this weekend!  Here are a few of the Big 12 games that I am excited about...and my picks.

My Aggies are playing SFA.  We better blow it out of the water!!!

Eat 'em up Cats!  Hubby went to Sam Houston :)  His sister went to Baylor.  Needless to say, Baylor will take the win, but we are going to root for the Bearkats.

As an Aggie, I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to like Oklahoma, but I have such a respect for their program.  I'm looking forward to watching their win against Utah State.  Everytime I watch one of their games, their fight song gets stuck in my head for hours - haha!

Hubby is a Cornhusker at heart.  His family is from Nebraska, and he has loved them for as long as he can remember.  He is heartbroken that they are leaving the Big 12.  I'm pretty sure they are going to rock Western Kentucky.  I'm looking forward to see who they start as QB...they have been so elusive about it!

Um..I'm pretty sure the longhorns are going to beat Rice.  I do think it's cool that the game is here at Reliant.  Is anyone going?

Those are my key Big 12 games this week.  And, because I can't help myself, I'm excited to watch Auburn and Arkansas State.  I grew up in Alabama, and Auburn was my school of choice :)

Prayer Thursday

i Ladies! 

Thank you all so much for your prayers this past week!  If we can pray for you, please leave your prayer request in the comments below, or feel free to email me - michelle.ann.ellis@gmail.com

Here are our prayer requests for this week -

Please pray for my brother in law, Mac and his wife Jenny.  Mac has terrible headaches, and has been in the hospital this week having testing done and trying new medicines.  Please pray that the doctors find a solution, and for he and Jenny during this time. 

Please pray for Laura.  Her Grandma is showing signs of kidney failure.  She has had a very rough time over the past 15 years, losing two husbands and her mother.  Please also pray for her husband Don, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and is going through treatments.  Please pray for God to give her the strength and hope to fight through this, and that he hold her tight with love and comfort during this time.  Please also pray for Laura's niece, she is having eye surgery.

Please pray for sweet baby Bennett.  He was born oh-so-tiny, but has been getting bigger and stronger!  You can read his little story here.

We have been praying for sweet Annika for awhile now, at the request of Kasey.  Please say a special prayer for her dear little body, that God will give her the strength to fight this disease.  Annika is 5 years old and was diagnosed with a rare form of acute lympocytic leukemia.  Please pray for her, her family and her doctors.  I can't imagine what her family is going through.  Isn't she beautiful?  Just look at that smile!

Please pray for baby Cohen's parents. You can read their story here.  He is in God's beautiful hands now. 



Please pray for sweet Sarah.  She is praying and waiting for God to bless her with a true Godly man that could be a wonderful influence to her young son to share their lives with.  Her testimony is so beautiful, I felt inspired just reading it.

Please pray for my coworker Colin.  His daughter in law had breast cancer three years ago, and won that fight.  Unfortunately, the cancer is back - this time in her spine.  She is going through radiation now and the prognosis is not positive.  Please pray for her.

Please pray for my sweet friend Jackie.  She had the babies!!!  They are all safe and doing well.  She is super mom!  Please pray for her and the babies.  You can read about her journey here.

Please pray for my Daddy's (Jerry) job search and that his good spirits continue.  He did not get the job offer that he has been interviewing for for months, and I know he is disappointed.  I just know God has the perfect plan for him.  He also had some kidney stones removed this week, please pray for his recovery.

Please pray for my Grandparents, Ed and Helen.  She is showing signs of Dementia, and it is very hard on them.  She goes through phases where she thinks he has kidnapped her, and she gets very scared.  Please pray from them both.

Please pray for little Jed Harper.  You can read about his story here.  What a beautiful family turning their sweet son's health over to God.  They are truly inspiring.

I have been following Lianna's blog for a few months now, and she just seems like the sweetest girl!  She and her husband are waiting for God to bless them with a child.  You can read about them here.  Please pray for their journey to become parents.

Could you please also pray for our friend's Dad?  He had surgery a few of weeks ago and is having some memory problems.  Please pray for their family and his doctors, and that they can find out what is wrong.

Thank you so very much for all of your prayers!  Please let me know if we can pray for you!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL????

I adore college football.  I grieve for it each year as it ends.  I look forward to it all summer.

IT.IS.FINALLY.HERE!

I am so ready!!!

I love me some TAMU football!  We are going to be better this year...I just know it!

I'm ready to see our band that gives me goosebumps...

I'm ready for some YELLS

And....I'm ready for my Ag's to

BTHO SFA!

WHOOP!

Not So Wordless Wednesday & My First Awful Meal

Can you believe that my hibiscus plant is still alive???  My darling Mother In Law gave her to me, and I have been so scared that I would kill the sweet little plant.  I'm so proud of myself!  Usually, I treat my plants wonderfully for an amount of time, then I get disinterested and hubby informs me when they are on the brink of death.  Oops.  I'm working on it :)

So, we have been out of town for the past 4 weekends.  Meaning, I haven't done a big trip to the grocery store.  And, I don't plan on doing one until this weekend.  Our reserves are running low.  So I'm having to get creative on what I make.  Last night was the first time I made something that hubby didn't go back for seconds of.  When he came to the table he said, oh babe, what is this?  Let's just say that it included ground beef, hash browns, cream of mushroom soup and cheese.  FAIL.  I thought it was great, but he said, "It would be just fine with me if you didn't ever make this again, um, unless you really wanted to or something". Then he asked, "Are we having money troubles?"  haha!  Poor fella.  He was really, really sweet about it.  Those are the moments when I am a little overwhelmed with the man I married, in a wonderful way.

Have you had a kitchen disaster?  Or not so much a disaster, but something that your other half hated?  Please tell me I'm not the only one :)

Crockett Summer Weekend!

Hubby and I decided about a month ago that we needed a weekend away with some good friends.  Since this summer has been so busy and so expensive, we decided to head to his family's lakehouse in Crockett, Texas with some of his fraternity brothers.  We had so much fun!

This is Terrence at Don Rafa's - the tallest ice cream cone I have ever seen!

The boys might not be in college anymore...but they sure do enjoy themselves like they are!

We were treated to a patio concert by Geoff and Josh.  They really are good!

Okay, so I know how incredibly white trash this picture looks, but we had the best time.  Note the chair leaning over into the water...yeah...that's mine.  There are so many things about this picture that make me giggle :)

This is Champ.  Josh fell in love with this dog.  He dived down into the water for muscles, cracked the shells in his mouth, ate the inside and spit the shells out.  Gross, but very smart of him :)

I found this picture on my camera the next morning.  Silly boys.

Wanna hear a funny story? 

So, hubby and I got to the lakehouse early to get everything turned on and opened up.  We left to go to the grocery store, and saw a little doggie wandering down the road.  I told hubby that we just had to stop and check on her, so he did.  He loves animals.  She had on a collar, with a rabies tag.  On the back of the tag, someone had scratched "Bella" and a phone number on it.  We tried to call all the number, and every possible combination of the number - but nothing worked.  It was just too hard to read.  So, being the smart cookie that I am, I decided that we should call the vet that issued the rabies tag.  Oh my small town gracious!  The sweet woman on the phone looked for the file for about 20 minutes, and the tag that "Bella" was wearing was not issued to a small terrier.  She didn't have a "Bella" in her system either. 

Me: "So, does she maybe have a microchip?"

Sweet Vet Lady: "Oh no honey, people don't do that in Houston County."

Me: "Oh.  Well, can I bring her to you so when her owners call you will have her for them to come and get?"

Sweet Vet Lady: "Well sure, but we gonna have to charge you $50."

Me: "I'm sorry, what?  I don't understand."

Sweet Vet Lady: "Well, we ain't gonna just take in strays, so we gotta charge for when people bring 'em in."

Me: "Oh, okay.  Well, how do I get there?"

You see, at this point, we are involved.  It is not an option to just let the dog out where we found it.  What if something happened?  What if Bandit was lost and someone wasn't willing to pay the $50 to get him to safety???

And, this whole time, this sweet little dog is sitting in our truck, licking hubby on the face.  He loves her now.

Sweet Vet Lady gives me some very confusing small town directions, which I am trying to pull up on my phone at this point.  Then, I tell her, okay we are on our way.

Sweet Vet Lady: "Well honey, we're closed, you can't come until Monday."

Oh my goodness.  We have been on the phone for almost 45 minutes now.  Why on earth did she give me all these directions if I can't come???  Hubby is starting to giggle.

Me: "Well, can I at least leave you my phone number in case someone calls looking for "Bella"?  You are welcome to give it to them."

Sweet Vet Lady: "Well Honey, I'll take it, but I think you just done got yourself a new dog to take back to your big city!"

Oh my goodness.

So, we take "Bella" back to the lakehouse, and put her in the laundry room with some water, hoping and praying that she does not destroy anything.  Off to the grocery store and dinner we go.

All our friends coming into town met us at Don Rafa's for dinner, including our cousins, Don and Kristy, that have a place just up the road from our lakehouse.  I start telling them our story, and Don starts laughing so hard that he turns red.  "Oh Michelle, YOU STOLE BELLA!"  You see, Bella lives right across the street from where we found her.  She is an outside dog you see, and apparently people just let their precious furbabies wander the streets (okay fine, dirt roads) all hours of the day.  Oops.  So Don called their neighbors to let them know that Bella was with us.  They hadn't even realized she was missing!

Bella was returned to her road, and all is well.  After that, everytime a dog ran by the porch, it became the running joke - "Michelle, those dogs are lost, go steal them!".  Very funny guys, very funny.

Just a Little Random Update....

Oh my goodness...I haven't blogged in forever! 

Life has been so full and so fun - and I have been trying not to spend as much time on the laptop at night since our schedules have been so crazy.  Trying to give hubby some good quality time :)

Here are a few things that have been going on in our world...

* I just got back from my sweet friend Erin's bachelorette party in LA!  It was an amazing trip with the most fun, beautiful women I know.  I'll do a post on it this week :)

* We spent a weekend with my parents and my Pappa in Port O Connor.  We fished, went to the beach, ate some great seafood, and enjoyed a Sunday at my Pappa's church.  It was a wonderful weekend!

* While I was out of town in LA, hubby decided to "clean" the house.  His version of cleaning is putting things away.  If you have read this blog for any amount of time, you know that he is more than a little OCD about clutter.  Well, now I can't find anything!  My drawers are reorganized, my closet is all confused, and our hall closet is so jam packed that I can hardly see anything.  He also changed out the pictures in a bunch of our frames : /  I'm not sure why.  I know he was trying to help, but I would have much rather him worked on his "honey do" list and left my stuff alone - haha!  I mean, who needs to replace the light in the kitchen that burned out two months ago, or fix the recliner swivel, or put the little pluggy thing back in my sink that he took out?????

* My Daddy had three kidney stones removed.  Then, they realized that he had a huge one in there, and they had to break it up with a laser.  He is recovering and doing fine, but I just feel awful for him!

* I've decided that I want to paint our living room and our bedroom before Christmas.  I am consumed with finding the perfect shades of paint.  I didn't realize it would be this difficult!

Those are my recent highlights :)  I am way behind on my favorite blogs, but I promise I will catch up this weekend.  We are doing NOTHING for Labor Day Weekend and I couldn't be happier!

I hope you are all doing great!

Too Cute Thursday

Today I'm excited to link up the Marriage Tales for her first Too Cute Thursday!  It's about sharing something that you found this week that is just too cutie not to share.  I love this idea!  I can't wait to see all the cute things you wonderful ladies find!

So, today, while I was helping one of my dearest friends find things for her wedding welcome baskets, I came across these -

They are koozies for wine bottles!!!!  Not only are the adorable and useful, but they are monogrammed too!  I want one!  I think I shall be giving a few of these for Christmas gifts this year :)

I found them on etsy, here.  Let me know if you order one, I want to see how you like it :)

Prayer Thursday

Hi Ladies! 

Thank you all so much for your prayers this past week!  If we can pray for you, please leave your prayer request in the comments below, or feel free to email me - michelle.ann.ellis@gmail.com

Here are our prayer requests for this week -

Please pray for Laura.  Her Grandma is showing signs of kidney failure.  She has had a very rough time over the past 15 years, losing two husbands and her mother.  Please also pray for her husband Don, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer last year and is going through treatments.  Please pray for God to give her the strength and hope to fight through this, and that he hold her tight with love and comfort during this time.

Please pray for sweet baby Bennett.  He was born oh-so-tiny, and is having some trouble with his lungs right now.  You can read his little story here.


We have been praying for sweet Annika for awhile now, at the request of Kasey.  Please say a special prayer for her dear little body, that God will give her the strength to fight this disease.  Annika is 5 years old and was diagnosed with a rare form of acute lympocytic leukemia.  Please pray for her, her family and her doctors.  I can't imagine what her family is going through.  Isn't she beautiful?  Just look at that smile!

Please pray for baby Cohen's parents. You can read their story here.  He is in God's beautiful hands now. 



Please pray for sweet Sarah.  She is praying and waiting for God to bless her with a true Godly man that could be a wonderful influence to her young son to share their lives with.  Her testimony is so beautiful, I felt inspired just reading it.

Please pray for my coworker Colin.  His daughter in law had breast cancer three years ago, and won that fight.  Unfortunately, the cancer is back - this time in her spine.  She is going through radiation now and the prognosis is not positive.  Please pray for her.

Please pray for my sweet friend Jackie.  She is pregnant with quadruplets!  She has survived 4 full weeks in the hospital!  She is carrying these babies like a champ!  She and the babies are doing very well!  Please pray for her and the babies.  You can read about her journey here.

Please pray for my Daddy's (Jerry) job search and that his good spirits continue.  He did not get the job offer that he has been interviewing for for months, and I know he is disappointed.  I just know God has the perfect plan for him.

Please pray for my Grandparents, Ed and Helen.  They are having some health troubles, and my grandmother seems like she is suffering from depression. 

Please pray for little Jed Harper.  You can read about his story here.  What a beautiful family turning their sweet son's health over to God.  They are truly inspiring.

I have been following Lianna's blog for a few months now, and she just seems like the sweetest girl in the whole world!  She and her husband are waiting for God to bless them with a child.  You can read about them here.  Please pray for their journey to become parents.

Could you please also pray for our friend's Dad?  He had surgery a few of weeks ago and is having some memory problems.  Please pray for their family and his doctors, and that they can find out what is wrong.

Thank you so very much for all of your prayers!  Please let me know if we can pray for you!