More cupcakes in Tulsa....

Just heard about a new cupcake shop opening in Tulsa, yay! Check them out on Facebook or HERE :)

Dancing at the Movies

Here's a fun little video for anyone who likes some good dancing. My mom sent this to me.

Specifically, if you're like me and LOVE Dirty Dancing (RIP Patrick Swayze)....

and Grease

and Saturday Night Fever

and Footloose (I used to listen to this tape on my purple boombox)

and Singin in the Rain

and a whole bunch more :)

Enjoy!

33

I am now the ripe age of 33, or 25 for the 9th time as I prefer to reference it :)

Despite my dislike of getting older, I did have a lovely birthday weekend thanks to my fantastic family!

Things I like in general about my actual birthdate:

• October is pretty much the greatest month
• It ALWAYS falls during the Tulsa State Fair, one of my favorite events
• The weather is usually really nice
• Leaves are changing
• Pumpkin latte's are available
• Pansies, mums & pumpkins are available
• Football season has begun

So, Friday night Eric & I went to the fair. We saw the infamous Donut Burger. Didn't partake in trying it after we saw the people who were waiting in line for one.

Saw the pregnant pigs in the birthing center, had a cinnamon roll, pumpkin fudge, roasted corn on the cob, and a sirloin/potato/mushroom/green bean dinner, commented on the rides but rode nothing. People watched & saw entirely too many people eating turkey legs like cannibals. Saw several mullets. Went in the petting zoo & I immediately started sneezing so we left.

Saturday morning my sister took Eric, mom & I to have breakfast at Wild Fork in Utica Square. Delish as always & it was a lovely morning, perfect weather. Thanks to her I got my first gift card to Anthropologie, woo!

Mom & I went back to the fair to see the Sugar Art Show which I had always wanted to go to but never had. Its very cool & you'll have to watch for the special show about it on the Food Network!

Eric & I then went & bought some pansies & started on the yard work in the front yard. Lots of clearing needed. So happy to have that done! I just need to plant my tulip bulbs next :)
Saturday night we had dinner at my grandma's house with my mom & stepdad. This consisted of mom's delish lasagna, Pioneer Woman's "The Bread", salad, & spice cake with caramel icing. Yummo! Mom got me so many things I had been wanting & admiring, I love all of it!! Including a new necklace from Vintage Pearl, 3 of the Jane Austen books I've been wanting from Anthro, a personalized cake pan from The Cake Pan Lady, and Scrooge's house for my Dickens Christmas Village :) And Eric's mom & stepdad sent me a new piece for my village also, its the cutest thing ever!

Sunday we had church & then finished up some more yard/house work which I actually enjoyed just because the weather was so nice! Sunday night my dad, Kristen, Lauren & Jayson brought Hideaway over & we had a casual birthday get together. Dad got me the OSU "posse" metal cutout, we have to find a good place for it!

I have so much to be thankful for & feel very blessed after this weekend!

New House Pics, Pt 1: Dining Room Update

Here some before & afters of our dining room. We still want to replace the light fixture, but haven't found one we like in our price range, so the one we have will do for now :) We also want to get a china cabinet eventually & will put something on the walls, but we like it plain right now anyway. We also will eventually continue the hardwood laminate that is in the kitchen & main hall into this room & the living room. Makes it more formal we think.

It is such a nice improvement in general that its my current favorite room at the moment!

I am so excited to have a formal dining room, it was one of our requirements in a house. We love the molding on the walls & the bay window. I remember how much I loved eating Christmas/Thanksgiving dinners in the "formal" dining rooms at both of my grandparents & parents houses growing up. It always seemed like such an event!

Updates:

• Unhinged a random door that was not needed & filled in where the hardware was in the frame
• Removed ugly light fixture in the bay window & filled in opening
• Scraped off popcorn ceiling
• Sanded ceiling
• Primered ceiling
• Sanded ceiling again
• Primered again
• Painted ceiling white & install lighting medallion
• Primered walls grey
• Painted walls Red Velvet
• Installed new dimmer light switch
• Brought in new-to-us dining room furniture (yay estate sales). The table has 2 leaves which are in & can seat 8, I just have to get 2 more chairs :) p.s. ***Love, love, love the buffet!! :)
• Found buffet lamps
• Fall decorating began :)

Prayer

"Our prayer must not be self-centered. It must arise not only because we feel our own need as a burden we must lay upon God, but also because we are so bound up in love for our fellow men that we feel their need as acutely as our own. To make intercession for men is the most powerful and practical way in which we can express our love for them." John Calvin

I just wanted to pass on some prayer requests for any praying people out there reading this! I hear & know of so many lately & I know that too many prayers going up can't hurt. Some are people I know, some are not, it doesn't matter one way or the other but I will post the links for more info where available.

But first, a PRAISE! I had been having some abnormal test results on something for over a year, and this issue was always hanging over my head. I got results back this week that it was finally NORMAL. Praise God, I am so grateful. Huge load off!!!

Thanks friends!

~Amelia, 7 months old. Recovering from surgery for a tethered spine. Progressing well but still has some small hurdles.

~Lucy. Has been battling breast cancer for several years and now she is fighting lesions on her liver. Treatment options are running out. She just started a new chemo & lots of prayers are going up that it works & reduces the liver lesions. Read her story HERE

~Aspen. Pregnant with twins Camden and Tinley. She just found out that Camden has a heart defect and may not make it through next week. They will be traveling to KC on Friday (Oct 1) and Monday to meet with a neonatal heart specialist. The babies are due in January.

~Ted. Had a PET scan today (Sept 29). Recovered from tongue cancer and this is a follow up scan to make sure he is still in the all clear.

~Chris. 62 yrs old. Went to the dr for what he thought was an ulcer about 6 weeks ago & found out that he has advanced cancer in the pancreas & liver. They gave him 5-6 months with chemo & 3 months without. He chose chemo. This has been very difficult on all involved.

~Rayden. 9 yrs old. Has been admitted in the children's psychiatric ward at a local hospital. He threw a desk at school & was threatening to kill himself & other kids. Had been stabbing himself in the head & chest. This is extremely hard on the parents & other siblings. And awful for a 9 year old child as well.

Pillar

I really enjoyed this post today from the Bring the Rain blog. She is such a good writer, and reading her stuff makes me want to post even though I can't write nearly as well :)

This is a good reminder though & will hopefully be an uplifting read for you too.

http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/2010/09/pillar.html

FALL!

Ok so we've been busy, but thought I'd post some random happenings of the past few weeks.

And today is the first day of Fall, which I love by the way even though it is 88 degrees outside :) So HAPPY FALL!

~We've been working on the house lots & finally have it somewhat put together and my fall decor is out, pics to come later.

~Labor Day was uneventful, I just know we thoroughly enjoyed the extra day off!

~We celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary weekend in Branson/Silver Dollar City. It was fall loveliness, with the exception of the stomach bug I had most of the weekend. Didn't keep me from doing much except eating. I still love Silver Dollar City as much as ever!

~I took Pepto Bismol for the 1st time in my life that weekend.

~We are still looking for a mirror & coffee table for our formal living room. We need weird sizes which is why we haven't gotten anything yet.

~My dad got married.

~Our 2 Koi fish, Lucy & Ethel, died at our old house because we hadn't had time to get over to feed them in a week. I found them & it was very sad & awful. I had to dispose of them. We got them as babies & they lived through some rough winters & ice. They were about a foot long & had grown so much. *Lord, please forgive us for killing our fishies, it was not intentional. *

~Funding ran out on the contract I was working on at my job so I am now doing odd/temp jobs on our other contract & have no permanent desk. Awesome. Grateful for a job though.

~We are enjoying OSU Football season very much!

~We decided on our Halloween costumes for a party we are going to Oct. 16. Its a pretty perfect idea and easy to pull off, can't wait!

~Anthropologie is opening in Tulsa this Friday! Woo!

~I turn another year older in 9 days. I am not happy about this and will continue to believe I am 25.

~Race for the Cure, Brush Creek Bazaar, and Art of BBQ are all this weekend, should be fun!

So, here's to a very happy fall, can't wait for what God has in store for us the remainder of the year :)