like it, pin it, do it, blog it: christmas!

hello… my name is Kim, and i am addicted to pinterest.

a friend of mine has the SAME "problem" except she started actually executing her pins and blogging about them.  
so why re-invent the wheel? 
{isn't that the nice way of saying "i'm copying"?}

as promised though…. the christmas decor post!

so my house is ALWAYS freezing, my thermostat says 73 {liar}, my fireplace-starter-lighter is dead, and i have no long matches.  i was cold and wanted to build a fire…

THE PIN

SPAGHETTI!!!  VOILA!

i have so many pins on my "holiday cheer" board that it really motivated me to put them in action!

if you have ever been to my house the week after easter, or 2 weeks in to spring, you will find that the beautiful flowers my MIL-2-B usually brings me are nothing more than a pot of dirt!  

this pin allowed me to do "something" with the pot of dirt that:
 a.) won't die {again}
b.) is simple and not expensive
c.) is CHRISTMAS-Y

THE PIN

THE STARTING POINT

yup… that is my year round pot of dirt!!

THE FINAL PRODUCT

{surprisingly the pine cones smell like cinnamon too}

that is all i have for {completed} pins right now… but i do want to show off the rest of the holiday decor!

this is my pretty little {pre-lit} tree!  

one of my favorite christmas presents ever.  {back story: i had to work CHRISTMAS DAY during my residency 5 years ago.  my mom came over to Augusta a few weeks before and "gave" me christmas decorations for christmas… sad times when you are out of town and working on christmas day.  but it was really really one of the best.gifts.ever}  

i was raised with REAL trees but on the one hand i can count the # of times i have seen my parents "argue," 3 of those times were probably over stringing lights on a christmas tree!  its pre-lit for me all the way!  {that is what pine "flavored" candles are for}

i made this in kindergarten

beautiful stained glass cross.
the absolute most FAVORITE ornament i have

the cutest UGA christmas ornament
i gave to BAB's on "our" first christmas

my pharmacy school roommate made this about
10 years ago out of birth control pill boxes!
she was/is so crafty

i bought this nativity in Haiti on a mission trip.  

its a coconut and little clay people!  i wish i bought 50 of them for gifts!

the mantle.  i am starting to accumulate some of my mom's santa collection on the left!  

"won/stole" the big pink ball at last years' "Girls' Dinner Christmas Ornament Fight Exchange"

99% sure i got those little reindeer beanies out of a happy meal 25 years ago!

speaking of 25 years ago and never throwing away christmas stuff…
part of my christmas decorations present 5 years ago was the box of all our childhood ornamanents.  i use several still {walnut/strawberry} but most don't really "go" with the tree now.  

some of these little wooden goodies are older than i am
who can throw away a 30 year old rocking horse ornament!?


I got this idea all on my own!
No Pin Needed

plain wreath + hot glue gun

+ 30 year old christmas ornaments

= sentimental christmas wreath!

 the cinnamon-y smelling entrance!


don't forget to keep your Bailey's warm in a sweater

Exciting week ahead!  
last round of "round-up" on WEDNESDAY (#3)!!  
i am taking the day away from the office to run the jasmine cab {and MAYBE get a hair or two trimmed myself}.  i also have a surprise for mom… which will be our favorite thing on top of PICC line removal and so much to be THANKFUL for!!


Merry Christmas!

the BIG easy

this week i have been in New Orleans for the largest pharmacy meeting of the year.

18,000 of us have taken over the city.  

it is an eye opening experience i have the pleasure of being a part of about every 3 years.

a time of reflection on my professional accomplishments, while at the same time my clinical inadequacies are nothing less than obvious!  i am seeing former students i have precepted with more letters after their name than i could imagine, working their way up the ladder to coordinators and directors.  for about 3 days  it sounds like a good idea to come home, dive in to some research, publish something, and sign up for a marathon of certification tests… i will be happy when monday rolls around and those thoughts have passed.  

i am having a fun time though!  here are some highlights….


first stop was cafe du monde for "the best beignets" in the world!  not going to lie, they were tasty!!  just don't inhale when you take a bite or it's powdered sugar city!

after the beignet stop we headed down Bourbon Street for some site seeing!  seriously folks… just site seeing.  right before the beignets my "midyear drinking buddy" informed me she was knocked up!!  no hurricanes for her {or me… that evening}!!! 

congrats to my {former} "drinking buddy" though! 

the weather was just perfect for walking around and people watching!  the smell took me right back to college!  

mmm mmm gross! 

let's pause and reflect that Christmas is just over TWO WEEKS AWAY!  "crazy bananas" i say!!

i did bump in to a friend from many many years ago in pharmacy school.  she was NOT knocked up and knew people in high places to feed me and drink me!

it is confirmed!!

advice from the shuttle bus driver, taxi cab driver, and one of my hubs-to-be's groomsmen:

"ONE HURRICANE IS ALL YOU NEED!"

 the piano bar was so much fun

it only cost me $26 to get them to STOP playing rocky top, eye of the tiger, and sweet home alabama!

if you have never heard "the devil went down to georgia" on the piano you are missing out.  it was well worth the 26 buck-oh's

then they lit it on fire!!  

that was our sign to go ahead and go to bed!

the food has been A.MAZ.ING

 shrimp and grits topped with a little crab meat: the best i have ever ever ever had

charbroiled oysters followed by grilled gulf shrimp salad

craw fish étouffée {not pictured} was also a tasty treat to go along with my {fried} seafood platter!

Yum-Oh!!

tucking myself in early tonight to get some work done and will be happy to sleep in my own bed tomorrow!

wednesday's FAVORITE thing: powerAde ZERO

it's been a while since i have had a favorite thing AND the energy to blog about it on WEDNESDAY! {well just barely enough energy}

58 cents!  for 32 oz!

don't hold it past me to pick up another 32*32 before i head to NOLA {fun work trip ahead} this weekend and the sale is gone again for another 3 months!

a few random things to leave you with this evening:

BABs and i started our 2 to 1 premarital mentoring program and they encouraged us to read a Psalm a night.  with 115 days until our wedding, and 150 Psalms, we are on a role!  4 days in and 8 Psalms down.  it is a very nice 5-7 minutes of reflection to wind down a long busy day with each other!  i can not wait to get to some of my favorites: 13, 23, 40, 51, 86, 119…

i also wanted to send a shout out to my "soul sista" whose husband was diagnosed with hodgkin's lymphoma {"kudzu"} just over a year ago. he has been in remission and his follow up, follow up PET scan was clean as a whistle {they found out this past Monday}.  she is the one i stole the jasmine & round-up idea from, except they call it kudzu & juice!  she was probably one of the first people i poured my heart and soul of concerns out to when we found out about mom's jasmine!  i thought "if she can have a 3 month old baby, a husband with kudzu, and caboodles of other less than ideal circumstances happen to her and CONTINUE to smile {and be funny} and shine {and be BEAUTIFUL} and praise God… i need to know what is in her wheaties."  sure enough… it is faith in good old J.C.!  so just add a dash of that and… no… everything won't just magically be alright… it will still be a little a lot crappy BUT you will have the strength to get through whatEVER it is!  eat those wheaties!

p.s.  she also gave me a shout out on her blog and since then i noticed that maybe 5-7 MORE people have read my blog this week :) 

that makes me happy {and slightly more conscientious of typos!}

and we're back

well that sucked!  the headache decided to go away {finally} and i was able to get the tree up and decorated!  bittersweet this being the last Christmas in my very own condo but looking forward to the new-bowers' first Christmas next year!  

i have plans for a post dedicated to the Christmas decor all to itself so stay tuned!

Thanksgiving was wonderful!  i have been full for about 5 days now.  just ate or tossed out the last of the leftovers {with the exception of my first cheesecake!}  i was happy to get permission to "make it again!" considering REAL baking {ah-hem… not out of a box} is a new to me.  

i was lucky to organize one family Thanksgiving pic at my parents after brunch!

mom is blonde {again} and beautiful {as always} and i am trying to remind her how much "more fun" we have!!  after a dose of mom's milk punch, sausage and rice casserole,  a nap, some football, and a raid of grama jo's jewelry {pronounced "jew-rea-uhl"} box, i left Thanksgiving 1.0 with a small hangover and a new strand of pearls!  the gluttony continued {T-Day 2.0} with turkey, dressing, mashed taters, etc. at the bowers!

worked black friday… not my favorite thing but not the end of the world either

speaking of favorite things… Christmas came early!  

baby got an iPhone!  i feel like such a big girl now. i was seriously living in the dark ages with a phone that would basically just call people!  {remember when they did that?}  THEN as i was downloading aps… pinterest was recommended as a MUST have ap for any bride-to-be's phone!  ...now i received my invitation and registered MONTHS ago but just didn't really "get it."  well Saturday i finally "got it"!  3 football games later i have 10 boards, DIY ideas that will never get done, too many recipes to try, and enough motivational "get your butt in shape" quotes to keep the 3 lbs i found this past week from hanging around too long!!


on that note i am going to hit the sack!  busy work ahead to get ready to be in NOLA for a whole week and MISS the SEC championship game :(

stupid migraine

so i had big plans today to catch up on the b.l.o.g. (from months of overdue pictures and events) AND decorate the christmas tree AND do some laundry AND some spring cleaning (it is 60-something degrees out) AND update the phone numbers on my new iPhone (exciting purchase and new favorite thing) AND talk about my new obsession with pinterest (i finally "get it")… but instead spent 2 hours with an ice pack on the invisible daggar sticking out of my left eye!  boo… stupid migraine!  will try again tomorrow.

could not be more true…. thank you mandisa

Hey, heard you were up all night
Thinking about how your world ain't right
And you wonder if things will ever get better
And you're asking why is it always raining on you
When all you want is just a little good news
Instead of standing there stuck out in the weather

Oh, don't hang your head
It's gonna end
God's right there
Even if it's hard to see Him
I promise you that He still cares

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
And things can only get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger
Gonna make you stronger, stronger, stronger
Believe me, this is gonna make you ...

Try and do the best you can
Hold on and let Him hold your hand
And go on and fall into the arms of Jesus
Oh, lift your head it's gonna end
God's right there
Even when you just can't feel Him
I promise you that He still cares

'Cause if He started this work in your life
He will be faithful to complete it
If only you believe it
He knows how much it hurts
And I'm sure that He's gonna help you get through this

When the waves are taking you under
Hold on just a little bit longer
He knows that this is gonna make you stronger, stronger
The pain ain't gonna last forever
In time it's gonna get better
Believe me
This is gonna make you stronger

wft: no seaweed

this was probably one of the top 2 prettiest days in "heaven" i have ever had.  the only thing keeping it from the #1 spot was the fact that this picture was taken on the day we were leaving

{sad face}

BABs and i have been on a roller coaster of emotions and surprises lately and this scene in my opinion was "the calm after the storm." the beach we left behind on monday pretty much tied a pretty little bow on {dare i say it} things turning around for us.  

friday we met the man that will marry us and his wife at an adorable little bistro in baytowne.  it was a wonderfully comfortable encounter and we are looking forward to getting to know PE {pastor eric} and his lovely wife {darlene} over the next {less than} 5 months!  we went to their church on sunday {in a movie theater}, they gave us halloween fangs AND danced to thriller! 

as we were enjoying a post-pizza-vino we noticed an event posted on facebook by our favorite grilled cheese sandwich "restaurant". the halloweener derby saturday morning.  you would not believe how much fun 2 cat people could have at a dachshund race! we even saw a wiener dog in a wheelchair kick some derby bootie too!


{POST VIDEO HERE}


congrats to "tater" the 2011 champion

post derby we headed over to what i will refer to as plan A, aka what used to be our reception site!  {click  HERE for the pre-kitchen-explosion photos}

we looked at plan B and plan C, {even considered plan D for a minute}.  we will have to make some minor adjustments from plan A, but will still be willing to give the wedding of the year a run for its money {ok… so that was a joke… i really meant THIS wedding}


sunday was a complete FUNDAY!  church, getting pretty, and engagement photos!!  my MUA/hair-stylist was the one that "introduced" us to PE and she was just a doll!  we headed to seaside for the photo shoot and met our photographer by my favorite purple wall… {stay tuned for an entire post dedicated to the ePhotos}

see "favorite thing" photo above to understand how hard it was to leave monday!  but even after 96ish hours of wedding planning v2.0 we had to get back to work, ready for round-up #1 {of 3} and the jasmine beat down!


JASMINE UPDATE:  round-up #1 went well today!  and after tolerating a bone marrow biopsy {bmb} like a rock*star, my mother is a BAMF in my book!  she is sleeping like a baby right now and i am looking forward to spending the day with her tomorrow watching TERRIBLE television and homeade manis!


we want to THANK EVERYONE for the prayers, cards, well wishes, and delicious food!  after confirming from the BMB that this jasmine is nowhere else to be found... we can wonder how? or understand that God is looking over us, protecting us, and hearing our prayers!