A little U goes a long Way! 2008 Victory Celebration...

Yesterday was United Way's big VICTORY CELEBRATION! For those of you who are not familiar with what United Way does, I'll give you a brief run-down. The United Way of Rutherford & Cannon Counties (the United Way I work for) supports health & human service programming throughout Rutherford and Cannon counties by raising funds in the community. Our goal for 2007/08 was $2.6 million, and I'm excited to say that we raised $2, 670, 053.58!!! We were very excited that we reached our goal and that we are going to be able to help thousands of people throughout our community!

I am the Director of Marketing and Special Events at United Way, so I am in charge of all marketing materials, any special event (we have 4 large special events), and keeping the public informed about United Way via major media (print, e-media/marketing, radio, television). This was my first special event to do all by myself, and I was pretty nervous! However, everything turned out BEAUTIFULLY! The decorations were a huge hit, everyone enjoyed lunch, and I think everyone enjoyed the "party" atmosphere. I wanted all of our guests to have a good time and feel like they were really at a CELEBRATION! I was a little nervous about attendance since yesterday was a snow day, and most children were out of school. But that didn't stop them - we had nearly 350 people present - a packed crowd! Here are a few pictures of everything before the people came in!

This is a picture of the welcoming table - there is the big arrangement my mom and I made! The theme for the event was "A little U goes a long Way!"

Here is a picture of all the tables inside the event venue, Park Place. Park Place is a renovated ribbon factory - it's really neat with the exposed brick walls! I chose colors that corresponded with the United Way logo - blue, green, red and yellow. I really like how bright and colorful everything was - especially with the tissue paper flowers as the centerpieces! A couple of schools and daycares took the flowers to decorate their classrooms with, so I'm glad that someone will put them to good use!

Another picture of the large banquet room.A close-up of one of the tables - we added some confetti to make it sparkle :)

A picture of the food table.A close-up of the head of the food table with the china, napkins and flatware. I picked napkins that matched the tablecloths and paper flowers - and yes, I stacked the napkins! Ha!
I have gotten several emails this morning from people who went to the event yesterday, and I appreciate all of the kind words! I am so blessed to work with such an amazing organization - everything I do helps those in our community who are not as fortunate as I am! If you are not familiar with the United Way in your community, I urge you to call and get more information - you won't be sorry!

Party Flowers!

Since I had a couple of requests about how to make the paper flowers, I thought I would dedicate a whole a post to them! I have to give credit to the wonderful MARTHA STEWART for these. When I was planning my wedding, I found an article about these flowers in the Martha Stewart Weddings book - they looked fairly easy, and I thought they were adorable! For my wedding, we did them all in red and yellow (my wedding colors), but for the United Way event I'm planning, we did them in red, yellow, blue and a couple in green. They are so easy to make, and I hope to see y'all make some as well!

Step 1 - you will need about 10 sheets of 20"x 30" tissue paper (you may have to order this from a wholesale place - I ordered mine from Nashville Wraps). Lay the paper out flat in a stack.

Step 2 - Make 1 1/2" accordian folds as shown below.

This is what the paper will look like when you finish making the folds.

Step 3 - Fold an 18-inch piece of floral wire in half, slip over center of tissue, and twist to secure.

Step 4 - With scissors, trim both ends of the paper into rounded or pointy ends. I did a pointy end on this flower.

Step 5 - Open up the creases so it resembles a fan.

Step 6 - Separate layers, pulling one piece of tissue paper from the center one at a time. (Make sure you are very gentle during this part - you don't want to pull too hard, or you will rip the tissue).

This is what the flower will start to resemble as you are pulling the layers up.

Step 7 - This is what the flower looks like after you have pulled all the layers up. They may have some holes, or they may not be completely rounded, so I always give mine a good shake to fluff them out.

Here is a completed flower - I have it hanging from the ceiling here. Isn't it adorable???

This is what my parents' house looked like for most of the weekend - this is only a small section of the flowers - the whole house was covered with them!

This is a big arrangement my mom and I made - we attached the flowers to some curly willow branches and stuck them in a huge vase. I think it's the cutest thing I've ever seen! I just wish we would have thought about this for my wedding! Now here are a couple of pictures from my wedding. We lined the outer edges of the tent in the yellow and red flowers, and then we filled the ceiling with white paper lanterns. I loved everything about my little southern country wedding!

Hopefully my directions weren't too complicated! I hope y'all will all make these flowers - just make sure you show me what you did with them! I'm off to decorate for our big event that is TOMORROW!!!! I am going to take lots of pictures so I can show the final result :)

Blessings, y'all!

The picture.

Here is the picture that I referred to in my last post - the first picture is of my great-grandmother. She is probably close to 18 years old in this picture.

Now, here is a picture of me. Do you think we look alike? I think it looks EXACTLY like I do!
Anyways, my grandparents brought me a couple of pictures yesterday that were on the slideshow, and I just love to show them off!

This weekend was super busy - sometimes I wish I could just have a relaxing and calm weekend with NO work!

Friday night, I spent the night at my mom's house since my dad was out of town watching my brother play baseball in Alabama. We ordered a pizza from Sir Pizza and watched "The Game Plan" with The Rock - it was actually kind of cute! The little girl is so ADORABLE, so of course I loved watching her. I worked on Saturday at the shop - we weren't too busy, so I got a chance to move around some displays and clean up a bit. On Saturday night, Brad and I went to Dave and Buster's in Nashville with one of his co-workers, JoAnna, and her fiancé - Micah. I have never been to Dave and Buster's, and of course it was PACKED with people watching the UT vs. Memphis basketball game. Brad and I played a ton of games, and we won over 700 tickets! It was a fun and LATE night.

Brad opted out of church on Sunday because he was tired, and my mom has been sick, so I ended up going by myself. Sometimes I like going to church by myself - I feel like I really get into the praise and worship (maybe it's because I don't have to keep poking Brad when he falls asleep! Ha!). I spent Sunday afternoon at my mom's house cooking lunch - we made turkey chili, and my grandparents came over to eat. We had a good time sitting around talking about everything under the sun.

After a trip to Marshall's and TJ Maxx (where I got a TON of goodies), we began to make these....

We made these for my wedding to use in the outdoor tent, and I thought they would be cute for an upcoming event we have at United Way. I can't wait to post the finished result, but I guess you'll have to wait! So far, I've made 20, and I have 20 more to go!!!

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, too! I don't know about y'all, but I am so ready for SPRING!!! I have already started day-dreaming about all the pretty flowers I am going to plant!

In memory of Granny Willeford.

The past two days have been bittersweet for my precious family. We lost our dear Granny Willeford, and we will miss her so, but we are comforted by the fact that she is suffering no more. I am a very emotional person (as is my mother and grandmother), and we all get that from my Granny Willeford. So, at the visitation, when I saw how beautiful my Granny Willeford looked, I wept. I wept because she has suffered for so many years, and she looked so magnificient. She wore her favorite periwinkle suit that she wore to her 60th Wedding Anniversary party. Granny Willeford always like to look good, and she especially like to have her nails painted. She always scoffed at women with clear nail polish - so of course she had her nails painted bright red.

At the visitation, they had a slideshow playing of various pictures from Granny Willeford's life. I have been told my whole life that I look like my grandmother, but I never thought that I looked like Granny Willeford. Anyways, the very first picture they showed was a picture of Granny Willeford in her teenage years. When I first saw the picture, I gasped. Everyone started saying, "Lena! That looks JUST like you." I wish I had a copy of the picture so I could show y'all how much it looked like me! Hopefully, I'll have my own copy soon.

Even though most people never get the chance to know their great-grandmothers, I am extremely blessed to know that I spent almost 24 years of my life with my sweet Granny Willeford. I know that those who have gone before her - especially my PawPaw Willeford, Aunt Peggie and Uncle Dean - were waiting on her in heaven, and I am thankful that I will one day see them all again.

Here are some pictures from the past couple of days - even though we were all mourning the loss of Granny Willeford, we managed to celebrate her life and have a few laughs - that's what she would have wanted us to do.

Here is a picture of me in my FAVORITE suit that my parents got me for Christmas. I was playing around with some of my grandmother's antique hats - I love old hats! I thought it looked pretty good, but I opted out of wearing it to the funeral - it may have been a little too flashy :)

My absolute best friend, my mother. Through all of this, I have been reassured again at how precious my family is to me. I love this woman with everything in me!

This was after everyone left, I got my grandmother into the hat collection as well. Do you think we look alike?? Someone must have said something funny because we are really cheesing here! I love the hat I'm wearing - it reminds me of something Audrey Hepburn would have worn!

Yesterday was my grandfather's birthday (his birthday is exactly one month from mine), and it was also my great-aunt Lenore's birthday as well! Of course we had to have a cake and candles!

This is the first time I have posted a video - I am going to try and make an effort to video tape things more often - you can hear my southern accent singing "Happy Birthday" - HA!

Thank you again for all the prayers and sweet words - I am forever grateful to you all.

In memory of Mattie Kathleen Alexander Willeford - mother to 5 children, grandmother to 14 grandchildren, great-grandmother to 29 children, and great-great-grandmother to 1 child.

September 18, 1910 - February 19, 2008

I love monograms!

Thank you all so much for the precious words and prayers about my great-grandmother - you have no idea how much that means to me! Even though my heart is a little heavy with her loss, I have faith in my Father that she is in a better place! Please say a little prayer for my family as we come together today to celebrate her beautiful life!

On a different note, I just want to tell y'all how much I L-O-V-E monograms!

When I got married, I could not wait to have everything monogrammed with my new "W"!!! I was so happy to marry with a W-last name, because I think a W makes the prettiest script letter! Don't tell my husband the only reason I married him is for his W!!!! Just kidding!

Anyways, here are a couple of my newest monogrammed items...

This is my new Milano laptop/tote bag. I got this before I went to Jacksonville since I needed to carry my laptop, plus I had a couple of notebooks I need to carry as well. I love the cute lowercase monogram! Green and pink are two of my favorite colors, so I love the pink letters with the navy dots in between! I get a lot of compliments when I carry this bag to meetings! I told my mom that just because I'm a boring old marketing gal doesn't mean I can't carry cute bags! Ha!

Now, some of you may know what this is, others of you may be a little confused...any guesses as to what this is????

It's a MONOGRAM ON MY CAR!!!! This is one of the newest items we carry at The Write Impression, and I am in love with it! Thank you Brad for washing my car and putting this adorable sticker on! Anyways, when I was in South Carolina, I saw so many cars with a monogrammed sticker on them, and I HAD to have one! I convinced Susan (the owner of The Write Impression) to order them so I could get one of my own! Of course, I debated as to whether I wanted it in green or pink - Brad suggested I get green since he drives my car sometimes, and he didn't want to drive around with a pink sticker - HA! What do you think???

So, those are a few of my newest purchases! Are y'all in love with monograms as much as I am? I think it is definitely a southern thing, but I love 'em!

Oh, I have another prayer request - could y'all please say a prayer for my sweet husband? He is interviewing for a new position at the bank today, and if he got this job, it would be his "in" to loan operations - which is what he wants to do! So, if you could, say a prayer for Brad (his interview is at 10:30 this morning)! Thanks, y'all!

Blessings!

Joy-packed reunion.

As I write this post from my warm bed, the snow is coming down - it is so beautiful, and it means even more to me right now than it has any other day. Today has been a hard day for me, and it is not even 8 o'clock yet. I awoke last night not feeling so well, and I have been up all morning with some sort of stomach virus. A co-worker was sick this weekend with a stomach virus, and I have the worst immune system, so I probably caught something.

I received the phone call this morning that I have been waiting for - the call that my dear great-grandmother has gone on to be with her Father. When I heard my mother say that grandmother had died last night, I immediately started crying. But they were not tears of sadness - my grandmother has gone home.

She died last night around midnight - my granny and her siblings were by her side until around 10:30 p.m., and they left to go home. Grandmother was very stubborn, and I think she did not want to breathe her last breath in front of the children she loved so very much. When my granny got to the nursing home, she said Grandmother looked so very peaceful. The last couple of days have been so rough for her, but there was no struggle last night.

I can just imagine how happy she is to be with her beloved husband. After she became ill with alzheimer's is when my great aunt and uncle were murdered, and no one had the heart to tell her because she simply would not understand. My heart is bursting with happiness to know that they were all waiting for her.

So, on tomorrow night and Thursday, we will celebrate Mattie Kathleen's life, and we will rejoice that she is no longer suffering. I thought this passage from 2 Timothy in the Message was perfect to describe how I feel this snowy morning.

"Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you, the God I worship with my whole life in the tradition of my ancestors. I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a

joy-packed reunion."

- 2 Timothy 1:3 (The Message)

My little secret...

Okay, well it's not really a secret, but I am officially obsessed with Chicken Breakfast Burritos from Chick-fil-A! Ha! Just a little random tidbit about myself...

This weekend was so busy! Does that really mean it's a weekend when you are running around like crazy??? Anyways, I worked at the shop on Saturday, and I had the pleasure of working with an awful Mother of the Bride. Now, I'm usually not this rude, but she was awful. I felt so sorry for the BRIDE - I felt like the mother was not even letting the bride pick out anything. The MOB (Mother of the Bride) kept saying over and over again, "I want something different - none of these fit MY taste." Um, hello? This is not YOUR wedding - yes, I realize that you may be paying for a lot of things, but your precious daughter should be able to pick out some things. Of course, I didn't say any of this - this is just what I was thinking in my head. Poor girl.

So, after that ordeal of about 2 hours with the awful MOB, I had a terrible headache. Brad's parents were in town, and they were shopping around The Avenue. I told Brad I needed a nap - and it did just the trick! We went out to eat with my family at our favorite mexican restaurant, and we got home in time to play a little Scrabble. Well, I didn't play, I just tried to assist Brad - the bonafide champion of Scrabble - even though he LOST! Ha!

We woke up super early on Sunday morning and went to the early service at church - what a wonderful service! Afterwards, we had breakfast at Cracker Barrel, and I splurged and had FRENCH TOAST! Yum yum yummy! Brad's parents left after breakfast to head back to Atlanta since the weather was not looking so great.

After Brad's parents left, my mom and I ventured to a little town about 20 minutes from Murfreesboro called Woodbury. We both LOVE Woodbury - they have the neatest antique store that is housed with the Old Feed Store. Anyways, I bought a blue donkey planter that matches my mexican-themed kitchen and a brass hummingbird figurine. I was a bigger spender and spent all of $7! Well, we were hoping to find some more things, so we decided to drive to McMinnville. Nothing was open there, so we decided to drive another 20 miles to Smithville - we had no idea where anything was and of course nothing was open. We saw a sign for I-40, which we knew would get us home, so we start travelling north. Well, we crossed over a lake, and I said, "Mom, this is CENTER HILL LAKE." Ugh-oh, we were a long way from home! We finally found I-40, and we were almost to Cookeville, which is about an hour and a half from Murfreesboro. We were laughing so hard I thought I was going to die! When we got home, we had travelled 175 miles! Ha! It was so much fun being with my mother, and we talked about everything under the sun. It is a memory I will truly treasure.

Today is President's Day, but it's not a vacation day for me. Of course, my banker is home probably still asleep. I'm envious of those of you that have the day off.

How was your weekend?

Blessings, y'all!

Tag! I'm it! And other random happenings...

Last night, Brad and I ate with April and Brandon at Blue Coast Burrito - it was the second time April and I have met, and converation was NOT lacking! In fact, they pretty much had to kick us out of the restaurant! We are going to plan an all-day scrapbooking event, and I want all of you avid scrapbookers to come and share ideas, so be checking back for more details! After dinner, Brad and I made a trip to Books A Million because I have been looking for a particular Beth Moore book to have for my morning quiet time. Well, I have not been able to locate the one I want, but I did find something else...it's called "Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World" by Joanna Weaver. We studied Mary and Martha in my small group a couple of weeks ago, and I have been completely in awe of their stories. I love to ask women who they think they are more like - Mary or Martha? My grandmother and I had a beautiful converation about them on the airplane to Jacksonville a few weeks ago. I can't wait to dive deep into this study, as I have always longed to worship as Mary did. Anyways, back to the real reason for this post, I was tagged by my good bloggy friend, April. And I can't wait to join in the fun!

The details:List 7 random things that people may not know about you. The rules are to link the person who sent this to you and leave a comment on their blog so their readers can visit yours. Post the rules on your blog. Share 7 facts about yourself. Tag 7 random people at the end of your post, linking their blog. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

1st hold up your right hand and repeat after me"I --insert name here-- do solemnly swear not to pass judgment on Lena or any parties involved in this open & honest meme...so help me God!"Ok..you may proceed!

1. Just like my friend, April, I had some issues growing up with a security "blanket" and sucking my thumb. When I was a little girl, I had a little stuffed birdie (my security blanket - I STILL have it) that I used to carry around with me everywhere. When I would try to go to sleep, I would rub my thumb along the edge of the tag (it would tickle), and I would suck my other thumb until I went to sleep. My parents tried for years to get me to quit sucking my thumb; however, nothing worked. Even when I got up to the age of 10 and 11, my mom said she used to check on me in the middle of the night, and I would have my thumb in my mouth! I paid for that by wearing braces for nearly 4 years since my thumb could fit perfectly in the roof of my mouth - resulting in a severe overbite. So, I am going to try with every bone in my body to keep my children from sucking their thumbs. My mom did say I came out of the womb sucking my thumb. Ha!

2. I am a complete clean freak, and I love to organize things. I hate to see dust anywhere in my house, I hate to have a pile of laundry, and I wash my sheets every Sunday. I make my bed every morning - usually by myself. I cannot leave my house until my bed is made up! On the weekend when I am working, and I get up early, Brad is usually in the bed. I made the rule (HA!) that if you sleep late, you have to make the bed! When I shop for groceries, I keep everything in categories - frozen things, refridgerated things, and pantry things - that way when they are bagged, I don't have to dig through every bag to find things that needs to stay cold!Every Sunday, Brad and I give the house a good clean so that we are ready for our week. It keeps me from having to clean on the weekdays when I am so exhausted after work.

3. I am totally and completly obsessed with stationery - I love to feel paper, I love to pick out fonts and ink colors, I just LOVE stationery! I could seriously spend thousands of dollars on Crane's cards, paper, envelopes, calling cards, anything! Ha! I also love etiquette and learning more about etiquette. I have been neglecting my etiquette blog, but it is my goal to get started back on it - especially since I have to put together a presentation on email etiquette for my office! So be watching for that!

4. I already have all of my childrens' names picked out. If Brad and I have a boy first, his name will be James Harris Warnock, and we'll call him Harris - Brad's first name is James, and my grandparents' last name is Harris - so it's perfect! If we have a girl, I want to name her Pellie Mae Warnock - after my great-grandmother. Brad does not like Pellie - he prefers Charlotte Mae Warnock, but I think Pellie is SO unique! I like really southern names like Henry, Louise, Lucille, Mattie, Ruth, Noah, Charles - I just love them! So, which do you prefer - Pellie or Charlotte???

5. I am a NATIVE TEXAN! I was born in Waco, Texas (please don't judge me!). I love to go back and visit Texas, and many of my friends have recently moved to Austin, so it's even more reason for me to go back to the great state of Texas! On my first car, I used to have a "Native Texan" bumper sticker on the back - Ha! People are so proud to be from Texas, and I am definitely one of those people!

6. I absolutely love blogging. I started blogging after reading my ADPi big sis - Melanie's blog. I used it as a way to journal and talk out my thoughts. It's so much more than that to me now - I feel like so many of you that I have never met in person are just like close friends. April and I talked about how we feel like reading blogs of bloggy friends is just a way of "talking" for us. We talked about how we can't wait until Kelly gets pregnant. Or how Megan is completely obsessed with blogging because of me (love you, Megan). We talked about BooMama and her journey to Africa. Blogging is so fun and exciting to me - I love checking my blog for new comments, and I love to check my bloggy friends for new posts. Blogging has been a great way for me to meet other kindred spirits like myseslf; and it gives me a new opportunity to learn more about my Lord and Savior; it gives me the chance to get new decorating/crafting ideas. I LOVE TO BLOG!

7. I could watch "When Harry Met Sally" and "You've Got Mail" every single day. I adore Meg Ryan, and I think she is the cutest actress in both of those movies. I can quote lots of lines from both, and I almost always cry at the end - they have the most PERFECT happy endings. Brad always makes fun of me because I always want to watch them - but the funny thing is that "When Harry Met Sally" has actually rubbed off on him, and I don't think he minds too much! Ha! Don't tell him I told you that :)

Alright, now that you know 7 random things about me, I tag Melanie, Caroline, Missy, Sarah, Alison, and Jessica!

Blessings!

HOW GREAT IS OUR GOD!

Oh blogging friends - what a weekend we have! Tonight, Brad and I are meeting with good friends, Brandon and April at my favorite restaurant (and April's) - BLUE COAST BURRITO!!! Yum, I can already taste the pineapple salsa!

Tomorrow morning I have to work at the shop, and I know I'll be super busy because it's my favorite time of year - WEDDING SEASON! A couple of weekends ago, we had FIVE brides come in. I love helping brides pick out their wedding invitations, stationery, napkins - anything! I love to share with them my own planning stories, fears, and jubiliations.

This weekend is going to be busy because Brad's parents are coming into town to stay with us on Saturday and Sunday. I'm excited for them to join us for church, and I can't wait to hear Pastor Jackson's part 2 of WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF??? I'm sure I'll have lots to share about his message.

I would like to ask a special favor of each of you that read. Please take a moment out of your time today to pray for my precious great-grandmother Willeford (Mattie Kathleen). She is my grandmother's mother, and is a very special lady to my family. She has had severe alzheimer's and dementia since 2002, and she has been in a nursing home for the past couple of years. She has led a beautiful life of 97 years. However, she is not doing so well, and doctors think this may be the last couple of days for her. We are not sad, though. We are rejoicing because she has lived in pain and suffering for many years, and she is going home to be with her Father. And there is nothing more beautiful than this. I have so many precious memories with my Grandmother Willeford, and I know that I will share those special stories with my own children one day. So, please, if you have some time today, please pray for her and my family. It will mean more to me than you'll know! Here is a picture of Grandmother Willeford with some of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at her 97th birthday party:

Blessings, y'all!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY, y'all! I hope you are all enjoying this day of L-O-V-E!!! Today has been a wonderful day for me, and I have lots of pictures to share with you!

Here is a picture of our house yesterday as the snow was coming down - you can't see the snow, but there were some pretty big snowflakes coming down at one point! You would have thought we were in the middle of a blizzard the way people were flocking to the grocery stores! Ha!

The Warnock's Home

I was so excited to get the mail yesterday, and we had TWO Valentine cards in the mailbox! Thanks, Marcia and Ron! Thank you, Miss Ada! Here is our bulletin board on the fridge where we keep cards, invitations, save-the-dates (those are coming in like crazy) and

pictures of our friends' babies!

Here is my cute clock that I got from Hobby Lobby yesterday for THREE DOLLARS! What a bargain - it says "le thé pour deux" (tea for two in french). I love it!

How do you make me smile from ear to ear????

(notice my NEW short haircut???)

Take some raspberry sherbet, add Jones FUFU Berry Soda, and you get the CUTEST PINK FLOAT!!! One of my sorority sisters works at The Waverly Café, and this is one of their specialities! Brad made them as a surprise dessert for us last night!I made strawberry cupcakes with pink icing last night for mine and Brad's co-workers. Here I am mixing the batter....

Brad decided to help out - doesn't he look like he's having a BLAST??? (He would kill me if he knew I put this on my blog! Ha!)

Filling up the cupcakes...

Here are all 30 of my precious pink cupcakes! I hope everyone enjoyed them today!

Today, we had an Executive Committee Meeting and Board Meeting, so I have pretty much been in meetings all morning long, and I have seen all these women getting flowers at my office. One of my co-workers, Ruth, seriously got the biggest arrangement of roses I have ever seen. I was really hoping that Brad would get me some since I LOVE flowers, but I was beginning to think I wasn't getting any. Then, my handsome husband showed up at my office with this...

It's a BEAUTIFUL arrangement of hydrangeas and pink roses (my favorite flowers) with stargazer lillies! It's the biggest arrangement I have ever gotten! I just kept saying over and over again "It's so huge!" Everyone had to come look, and they were all impressed! I'm not really a red flower kind of girl - I love pink, so I was so happy to see pink roses! Thank you, sweetie!

I hope y'all are having a blessed Valentine's Day!

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

- Deuteronomy 7:9

SNOW DAY!

Today was a blessing from the Lord - a SNOW DAY!!!

I went to bed fairly early last night, but I awoke around 3 a.m. with some really bad cramps/pains. I went ahead and got out of the bed - I kept watching the news hoping that the city schools would be closed in my town, so that I could have a day off from work since I wasn't feeling well. Then around 5:30, I saw that schools were closed in the city and county - WHOO HOO!!!! Although it wasn't really snowing, I knew the roads were probably fairly bad with black ice and whatnot.

Last night, Brad rented Becoming Jane for me since I'm a huge Jane Austen fan. I wrote my senior term paper on Sense and Sensibility, and I have always loved her novels. I absolutely loved the movie - it was full of beautiful vocabulary and conversation. The movie is based on Austen's life, and it was so neat to see her own love stories. If you are an Austen fan, I definitely recommend it. Then, I met my mother for lunch and a little shopping. We went to O'Charleys and had chipotle chicken - our favorite! Then we went to Hobby Lobby, and I got some Valentine's Day paper to make valentines for everyone in my office, and I also got the most adorable kitchen clock for THREE DOLLARS!!!

Tonight is Brad's only night off this week, so we're celebrating our Valentine's night in tonight - we are making veggie lasagna! Yum! Then, I'm going to make strawberry cupcakes to take to work tomorrow! I'm so excited about seeing the top 24 for American Idol - the suspense is killing me!

What are your plans for Valentine's Day??

Blessings!

The working mommy.

Today I had the pleasure of eating lunch with my sweet friend, Megan. Megan and I are in Junior League together, and we have tried for many weeks to get together - so I was super excited when we got together today! We met in downtown Murfreesboro at a local favorite - Maple Street Grille.

Megan was so sweet to give me THIS BOOK - she said she has given it out to several of her other friends, and because I love to prepare for everything in my life, I cannot wait to pray (and plan) about our future baby :) Thank you for thinking of me, Megan!

I'm so thankful that God has blessed with precious friends like Megan. I have been thinking a lot lately about being a mother and what it is going to look like in my life. Although I am a young wife - well, I'm young all together - I have had many people tell me that I should be very proud of myself and that they wished they would have been in the same place that I am when they were 23. Yes, I'm a young one. I admire other young mothers like Megan, who have made their way in the community and are amazing mothers.

And that got me thinking about working mothers in general - and I have to be honest, I'm in awe of working mothers. They are successful in the workforce and in the home. Although I was blessed to have my mother stay at home with me for the majority of my childhood, I know that not everyone grew up like I did. I have always felt like being a mother is my life's calling and what God designed me for in my life, and I hope that I can be as active in my children's lives as possible. But I know that if I have to be a working mother, I have amazing examples like my friend, Megan!

Do you know other working mothers that amaze you?

Recap since I last posted...

So I have been neglecting my baby blog for a while now, and I am starting to feel the pressure to post! I have sat down to write several different posts, but I'm suffering from a serious case of writer's block and couldn't get anything down! So, I'll be posting some semi-deep (you like that word?) posts in the next few days - there a just some questions/themes that have been bugging me day and night, and I want to get them out of my head! Ha!

Anyways, here is a recap since I last posted:
Thursday and Friday were extremely busy days for me at United Way. I know everyone has busy days, but sometimes my days are so busy that if I do not write something down at the second it happens (or I remember I need to do something), I will forget it in an instant! Crazy! I always told myself I would never be a list person, but I seriously have to make a list every single morning when I get to work, or I'll fall apart! Friday I did get to eat lunch with my favorite girls, Abigail and Diane. And being the bad blogger I am, I forgot my camera and did not take a single picture. We were seriously cracking up the whole time, and I know I would have gotten some hilarious pictures! On Friday night, I ate with my grandparents and parents at our favorite family restaurant - TOOT's!!! I seriously ate an entire basket of fried pickles and did not feel so hot afterwards! Then, my sister and I ventured to Hastings bookstore and read some hilarious coffee table books - I love spending quality time with my sister!

On Saturday, I worked on a few things around the house, then we went to the birthday party we had planned for my mother, grandfather and uncle. Here are a few pictures from the night - I was so worn out afterwards! Entertaining a 5-year old and a 3-year old can really wear you out!

Brad and Tye - someone was getting tickled!

Tessa and I - please excuse my curly fro - I didn't feel like taming the mane! Ha!

On Sunday, Brad and I went to church where we started our second 3-week series for the New Year. I'm going to have to post about the sermon because I think everyone that reads will benefit somehow - the title of the series is WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF??? After church, I made chicken fajitas for lunch - and we even ate off our FIESTA dishes! You would have thought we died and went to Mexican heaven! Ha!

After lunch, we went to The Avenue, an outdoor mall in Murfreesboro - got Turner a toy @ Petco, visited with my parents, and went home to CLEAN! Sundays are always our day to clean the house, and yesterday was not any different - except I had my mom's vacuum. And boy, what a treat that was! I know y'all are probably thinking I'm crazy, but I'm a clean freak - I LOVE TO CLEAN!!! Yes, I just admitted it. And my mom's vacuum is fabulous - lots of attachments, which makes cleaning even more fun! Ha!

Turner and his new chew-toy.

So I woke up this morning to an extra spiffy house - which makes my Monday wonderful! Today has been busy around the office, but I'm glad I got a few minutes to update y'all on life at the Warnocks!

Oh, FYI, my birthday is in 39 days!!!! Whoo hoo! (I will be posting a birthday want list for all friends and family - so watch out!)

Scary weather.

Last night, Brad and I visited my parents for dinner and some American Idol. For some reason, we always watch American Idol at their house. Well, our show kept getting interrupted with weather alerts, and I was getting very annoyed. I didn't get to see if some people made it or not! Anyways, back to my point...my dad is such a weather freak. He always has been - when we were kids, he would just wait for a big storm and then go into "storm mode." We would all huddle in the hallway with our blankets and pillows, and my dad would stand guard. He would roam around outside - which always freaked me out. He said his dream job would be a "storm chaser."

A what? Why in the world would anyone want to do that?????????

So, last night he was just eating up all the bad weather, and I knew he probably wasn't going to get any sleep because he would be staying up all night watching the weather. Well, I'm glad he did.

Around 2 a.m., I got a phone call from my dad, and his voice was quite frantic. "Lena, there is a bad storm coming RIGHT towards you. You need to take cover right now."

Well, being asleep and all, I JUMPED out of the bed and turned the television on. Sure enough, there was our little community of Christiana on the television.

And the freaking out began.

I grabbed the cats, dogs, pillows, flashlights, anything I could get my hands on and ran in the bathroom. You know what Brad was doing? Walking around outside and throughout the house like a FOOL!!! I thought I was going to pass out I was so scared.

Needless to say, the storm weakened considerably before I got there, but it reminded me a lot of my days when I lived in Texas - when everything would get extremely calm and still before the storm came. And because in 2003, a tornado went right past my parents' home, and they suffered lots of damage, I was even more frightened. I am so very thankful that I did not have to experience destruction again.

Even though we were out of the "tornadic activity," my heart was racing because I was seeing all of the destruction that was happening across the southeast. Because I have a heart for service - especially in times of disaster (I did relief work on the Gulf Coast less than 3 weeks after Katrina and have visited 4 times since then), I immediately began praying for all the people who would wake up and see the destruction in the daylight. It breaks my heart for these people who will have to re-live all of their pain once the sun shines on their destroyed homes and families.

So, even if you think the storms didn't affect you life, they did. I encourage each of you to check within your local American Red Cross to see if you can help - give your time, your blood, your money - anything helps. Believe me, I have been in that situation before. Remember to say a prayer for all the states that have been affected - this storm has changed the lives of many citizens of our country.

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
- Romans 15:13

Blessings, y'all!

Things I'm looking forward to....

Today has been a great day - busy - but great! I feel like I've been running around like crazy, but I honestly could not think of anything interesting to post about...

I've been playing catch up at work, and it's been quite the task since I hate being behind. I'm working extra, trying to get the new LIVE UNITED campaign started at our United Way. My boss and I had a brainstorming session yesterday for about two hours, and the creative juices were really flowing! If you are interested in learning more about LIVE UNITED, visit liveunited.org - there isn't anything on the website yet, but there will be in a few short months! And it's all very exciting! Brad laughed at me when I got home with all of my DVDs and CDs, but he just doesn't understand that I eat all of it up! When they unveiled the new commercial, I had tears in my eyes because I thought it was beautiful. And y'all probably think I'm crazy! I majored in journalism with an emphasis in public relations, and one of my minors was marketing - so good marketing makes me tingle! What silly stuff makes you tingle??

I'm looking forward to a marketing meeting for the United Ways of Tennessee tomorrow - I just got asked to be on the committee in November, so this is my first meeting! I can't wait to hear what everyone else thinks about the new stuff!

Friday is a special day because it's when I have lunch with two of my very best friends, Abigail and Diane! We always meet at Goodness Gracious, and I haven't been able to come for the past two weeks because I was in Florida, and I had other meetings - so I'm long overdue for a 'ladies that lunch' date!

I'm also looking forward to throwing not one, but TWO bridal showers this spring! They are both very different, and I'll post something about each so I can get some ideas!

Thank you to those of you that commented about good southern authors - I actually picked up Cold Sassy Tree last night, and I can't wait to jump into it! Thanks, Melanie!!!

I hope you are all enjoying your Super/Fat Tuesday! Ha! It's a SUPER FAT day :)

I'm off to start praying that my house doesn't get pounded with storms tonight...I need some REST!

Catching up...

Well, I'm BACK!!! I had a wonderful trip to Jacksonville, Florida - although if you ask me, I think the whole "sunshine state" thing is a lie! It was rainy and dreary pretty much from the time we landed on Tuesday until we left on Friday (although I was blinded by the sun on the plane on the way BACK to Tennessee!) I had a wonderful time with my grandmother, and we got to do some catching up during our trip. I spent the majority of my day in workshops learning about the new advertising campaign for United Way, but I got to spend the evenings with my grandmother. Here is a picture of us from Wednesday night at a reception they held at the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium - we got to see the field and spend the the evening on the terrace (where to the top dogs spend their time during football games). I learned a lot at the conference, and I'm super fired up about merging our United Way with the new advertising campaign! I'll keep y'all up-to-date on those occurances!

Other random things that have been going on in my life - I have become addicted to crafting every single night! Before I got to bed, I will pull out some paper and either make cards, or scrapbook. It's funny because Brad is posted up in the office doing his puzzle (the boy is addicted to puzzles), and I'm in my little corner working on some crafts! Here are a few examples of the cards I made last week - one was for my good friend, Myranda, who just got engaged. The other one was for my other sweet friend, Megan. And lastly, the 'thanks' card was for a dear lady who goes to my church. One of my new year's resolutions was to be more creative and share that creativity with others, and I think cardmaking might be it!

Here is an example of the invitation I made for a birthday party my family has coming up - my Uncle Billy's birthday is January 31st, my mom's birthday is February 11th and my Papa's birthday is February 21st, so we do all three together! It's at my grandparents' barn, so I tried to make it look country! I thought it turned out pretty cute!

Here is another little craft I worked on last week. Last year, I got one of these CD case calendars from The Write Impression, and when it came time for a new calendar year, I thought instead of buying the sheets for each month, I would make them myself! I only did February, and I'm going to try and get March done here in the next few weeks. I love having a calendar with the entire month in front of me, so this works perfectly! So, if you have an extra CD case lying around, you can make your own desk calendar!

Yesterday, my mom and I made a trip to the TJ Maxx Home Goods store in Mt. Juliet (about 30 minutes from Murfreesboro). It was the first time I have ever been, and let me just say that I'm HOOKED! We literally spent HOURS in there! I got so many great ideas for my house, and even though I didn't make any big purchases yesterday, I can see some in the future! I did pick up this framed picture to go in my master bathroom. Brad and I bought a new shower curtain on Saturday night at Marshall's, and I think this picture is the PERFECT compliment!

Other things that are of interest...while I was at the airport on Tuesday waiting to leave for Jacksonville, my friend Myranda (that just got engaged) called to ask me to be in her wedding! I was so shocked that I started crying! Myranda is one of my sorority sisters, and we have recently gotten very close, even though she lives in Chattanooga. She will be moving to Murfreesboro in the summer, and I CANNOT wait! It's so nice to have so many of my old friends moving back home! I cannot wait until her wedding, and I ordered my dress on Saturday. Myranda's colors are navy blue and pink (how preppy is that?), and the bridesmaids' dresses are navy blue strapless with the cutest pleats in the bottom and then we are wearing pink sashes! I can't wait until her wedding in July!

Lastly, one of my other new year's resolutions was to read more and stop watching so much television. I'm proud to report that since the new year, I have read THREE books! I read one this weekend - I couldn't put it down. I read The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd earlier this year, and I re-read The Secret Life of Bees, also by Sue Monk Kidd. The Secret Life of Bees is one of my favorite books, and I always recommend it to others. This weekend I read The Choice by Nicolas Sparks - he is seriously one of those authors that grabs you in the beginning and has a hold of you until you finish reading. Although he is an extremely feminine writer, I can't stop reading him! I'm now reading Gods in Alabama by Joshilyn Jackson, and I'll let y'all know how that one goes! I love reading books that are set in the South - do y'all have a book that you just LOVE recommending to other people???

Well, this has been an extremely long post, but I had to get y'all caught up since I've been gone! I will let y'all know that I did read my daily blogs every day while I was in Jacksonville on my blackberry - thanks for keeping me interested!

Blessings, y'all!