Lucky Day

It looks like today just might be my lucky day!  We were a bit delayed this morning when I pulled up and couldn't get into my building because of four firetrucks blocking the way.  The "fire" was apparently in the building across the street.  It made for an eventful morning!  I walked into the office and found this kind note on my desk--just a little "Thank you," but it went a l-o-n-g way.  (And you can never go wrong with chocolate!)  I remembered to wear green today, which is quite remarkable, and I have a porkchop dinner to look forward to tonight with somebody special.  :-)  I am a lucky girl.

This Irish blessing always makes me think of Nanny, who wrote it in her beautiful calligraphy handwriting.  I've always loved it...

An Old Irish Blessing

May the road rise up to meet you.

May the wind always be at your back.

May the sun shine warm upon your face,

and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again,

May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

And here's one more Irish-something, just for grins...

From St. Patrick's Breastplate

Christ be with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ in me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ on my right
Christ on my left
Christ where I lie
Christ where I sit
Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man
who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of every man
who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me
Salvation is of the Lord.


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today's Letters

via

Dear AMP, yesterday you helped Papa put in his new front door.  It makes me so happy that y'all are buddies.  SMoo, hanging out with you on Saturday was so much fun.  I'm grateful for your friendship and that we can relate about new church friends who don't know us quite as well...yet.  Dear Molly, so glad we can work together and make quick trips to HomeGoods during lunch!  Dear Girls' Weekend, you cannot come soon enough.  Adam, lately, I've realized you really listen to the words in songs, just like me.  We've learned so much about each other (here's to more of that)...which includes your newfound education on hair teasing, eyelash curlers and bronzer.  I'm glad you find my beauty regimen so fascinating. 

Our New Project

When SMoo and I shopped at a consignment store a while back, I saw this piece of furniture and told her all about how I would re-do it if I had the chance.  Well, later I asked Adam if he'd be interested in refinishing it with me, and then we could sell it.  The man likes a project, so we went and bought it and loaded it in AMP's new truck.

Side note:  Adam has recently discovered that I have a thing for guys and pick-up trucks.  Oh my word.  And he has all the pullies and bungee cords and everything to keep stuff in place.  Love it.  Perfect for projects, right??

Here's the "BEFORE" photo.  

It's actually two separate pieces.  My favorite part is the chicken wire on the two top outside doors.  We keep it in Adam's garage and have worked on it two Sunday afternoons.  

Home Depot has quickly become Adam's new hangout.  If you're ever looking for him, that might be your best bet!  :-)  He researched how to strip wood and what was the safest chemical to use.  We bought a spray can  three spray cans of Citristrip, and it has a nice little orange scent to it.  You spray it on there and then let it work its magic for about 30 minutes.   {Insert running break here}

Next we used plastic scrapers to get the wood stain off.  Turns out some of this is actually veneer and with plywood underneath, but a lot of it has real wood, so I'm hopeful that the paint will go on and still look pretty.  

This is the top piece of the cabinet we worked on this past Sunday.  In the past two weeks, Adam has perfected the art of wood-stripping, making several more trips to Home Depot.  One of the most important tools, we've learned, are wire brushes.  They are really good for small crevices and the layers of wood on certain spots, like the doors on the bottom piece.

Adam loooves this so stinkin' much.  Can't you tell??

But in all seriousness, he's really quite good at it!  He gets in all the little nooks and crannies that I sort of gloss over.  He needs projects and I need creativity, so I think we make a good team.  :-)  I'm looking forward to painting it and distressing it next.  I'll keep you posted on our progress!

Oh, Brother.

Sometimes I get so overwhelmed by all the horrible, sad things that go on in our world.  My heart is heavy for Japan, and it hit a little closer to home as I have a high school friend teaching in Hawaii, and they were on a tsunami watch.  According to Facebook, my friend is safe and sound now.  Thank goodness.

I find that the best way to get over my anxiety is to count my blessings.  And today I'm counting my sweet brother as one.  I was at dinner with my parents last night, laughing about memories I have growing up with Troy.  My dad (an only child) commented with a smile, "Isn't it nice to have a brother."  Indeed it is.

Most recently, I had to go in search of my toothpaste.  When Troy was home last month, I spent the night at home, because sometimes it's more fun to have a sleep over.  :-)  I woke up Sunday morning to a text reading "Thanks for the toothpaste, sis!"  It made me laugh.  I went and got it back that morning, and didn't think too much of it.  Well, I went home and started looking for my Colgate and couldn't find it anywhere.  I realized I must've left it at home, thinking I just didn't get it in my bag.

I went searching for it last night at the house, and couldn't find it in any drawer, and it wasn't on the counter.  I thought I was just going crazy, but I decided to look one more spot.  Lo and behold, it was sitting on TROY's counter.  In his bathroom.  The stinker came and used it again!  (And "forgot" to return it.)  But, Isn't it nice to have a brother.  

At dinner, we reminisced about the time we moved into our new house.  I was 7, Troy was 4, and for the first time, we were sleeping on the opposite sides of the house.  In my seven-year-old mind, that was REALLY FAR.  So Troy and I slept outside my parents' bedroom in the living room for nine months.  Yes, nine months.  (It's really amazing I went away to college, don't you think??)  At the time, there was no furniture, just a piano up against faux-finished painted walls.  That was it...except for us and our sleeping bags.  Isn't it nice to have a brother.  

Eventually Troy decided his bed was a good spot to sleep, so he started crashing in there instead.  I'd lost my buddy, so I began to rethink this whole sleeping-in-the-living-room thing.  Troy had a double bed, and I decided to sleep in there with him.  (I think we were 5 and 8 by this time.)  There were lots of late-night talks that happened on the dalmation sheets.  It was there that we became friends.  Isn't it nice to have a brother.

I remember one of those late night conversations really well.  We were talking about Heaven, and how you can spend eternity there if you admit you're a sinner and ask Jesus into your heart.  Troy asked me a few questions, and then he got really quiet.  I fell asleep, and apparently he slipped out of bed to see my mom.  That night he accepted Christ, and we were later baptized together on Memorial Day.  Isn't it nice to have a brother.

I have always loved having a buddy to do stuff with.  Please don't think that we're a model family and were the perfect siblings.  We fought.  We yelled.  I had to get stitches because of my brother.  But we are good friends and let me tell you, it's nice to have a brother.

We got closer when I went to college, and really enjoy hanging out together now that he's in college.  Sunday night, we had a nice chat on the phone, and it was great to catch up.  We are very differerent people, but still really good friends, and I can honestly say yes, it's so nice to have a brother.

A friend loves at all times,
   and a brother is born for adversity

Proverbs 17:17

Saturday Stir-fry

Last Saturday, Roomdog and I got to hang out.  As crazy as it seems, our schedules are so different that we have to plan time to see each other these days! We went to Whole Foods and got the stuff to make stir-fry.  Going to the grocery store is quite an experience with Claire, because she likes to go down every single aisle.   {Life is a party with her.  She makes me slow down and appreciate life!}

We put on some Dave Barnes music and danced around the kitchen while she made dinner.  It was delicious!!

She is working extra hard this semester teaching Saturday school to kids that are having trouble in school and will have a more challenging time passing the TAKS text.  She gets up early on Saturday mornings with a smile on her face and heads back up to school.  What a teacher!  Roomie...I'm SO proud of you!!

Birthday Celebration

Adam had a birthday back in January.  But I never blogged about how we celebrated.  I'd been looking forward to celebrating him for a while, so I was probably more excited than he was when January 28 rolled around!

First, we ate dinner in the kitchen booth at Buca di Beppo with our friends from church, Sandy & David.  They typically take you on a tour through the restaurant, which includes the kitchen.  Adam was surprised when they stopped there and said, "Here's your table!"

The waiters sang "Happy Birthday" to him there before he blew out the candles on the candelabra.  The other cool thing about sitting in the kitchen is that you get to sample other foods.  They gave us meatballs and also mashed potatoes to try.  Both were delicious!

Then we went back to open presents.  I'd been at Adam's since I got off work, and I was dying for him to open his gifts.  But he wanted to wait, so the birthday boy waited 'til after dinner.  First he opened the boxes that came from his parents.  He played with his new watch and examined seemingly every aspect of each gift from them.  

(Are you getting the picture that this took a while??

And that I'm not a terribly patient person??

 AMP is seriously one of the most patient people I know.)  :-)

Finally it was time.  I handed him the first box with the letter "A" on it.  Maybe he thought it was "A for Adam?"  Who knows.  So he opened the A*Team DVD.  Then I kind of got a little smirk on my face and handed him a "B" gift.  He looked at me and said, "There's not one of these for each letter is there?!"  Why, yes.  There is.  Twenty-six letters for the twenty-six year old!

Technically I combined a few letters.  The bag with "X" and "V" in it had XXX Flavored Vitamin Water in it, and "Q" and "U" were combined for a Quick Trip to Turner Falls.  It was so much fun picking out candy, making coupons for things like Fort Building and a Birthday Blog.  It was a lot of little stuff and each was wrapped up with a letter.

Here's AMP with all his loot!  (His "Happy Birthday" banner is still hanging on his mantle.  Love it.)

We finally finished and were both worn out!  

And I think he was slightly overwhelmed.  

But it was so much fun to celebrate him!!

Help a Sister

I realized that all my fun facts have to do with a Tri Delta "sister."  So today, I bring you
The Sister Edition.

Last Friday, Amanda came into town, and we got to sit face-to-face for an hour and a half dinner & catch up.  It was there we realized that we hadn't actually hung out since July.  We talk all the time at work, so it doesn't feel that long, but we just couldn't believe it!  We spent Saturday at Home Goods and eating at Cafe Express...two things she can't do in Waco!  It was such a treat having her here and catching up.

Molly and I get to work together these days, and it's so much fun.  She insisted that I have a photo of me working at my desk, because one day I'm going to wish I had it.  Without further adieu, here I am, Sonic drink and all...

And are a few other posts that made me smile recently...

Molly wrote about "living with a boy" (that would be her husband...).  It's hilarious.

Elizabeth posted a video from four years ago when she got engaged and "passed candle" at the end of our Tri Delt meeting.  Everyone loves Staples (that was her maiden name & what we all called her), so the "oohs" and "ahhs" were from genuine excitement for her and Mark and just simply because we're girls!  This made me giggle.

And Anna tells us why she loves Twitter now.  Oh my gosh.  I was dying laughing.  Please read.  {And please pray for her as she spends her Spring Break week in Honduras on a mission trip!}

I also blame Anna for introducing me to Anthropologie.  It provides lots of inspiration and could be detrimental to my wallet if I went into the store.  I think I'll just stick to the catalogue that came in the mail today...

"Nimbus" Bedding                                                               "Rivulets" Bedding

Tonight, I'm heading to dinner with SMoo to celebrate her birthday!  Her fam is in town from Fayetteville, and it will be so much fun to catch up with all of them.

And that's the latest on The Sister Edition.  Happy Weekend!