Stupid Cute Bouquets

My mom did my wedding flowers. They were amazing...just like her. She wants to pin them on Pinterest so I'm blogging them so she can pin from there. Never mind that I haven't blogged in who knows how long.

Here's a bridesmaids bouquet:

 Here's my bouquet:

Here's all the bridesmaids bouquets together waiting patiently for the ceremony:

 Close up of a bridesmaids bouquet:

 And here's a couple centerpieces for the tables:

 And this is me and my Daddy :) I don't have a very good close up of the boutineer:

And this is my Granny-in-law. That's probably the best close-up I have of the corsages.

Bouquet Pics

My mom did my wedding flowers. They were amazing...just like her. She wants to pin them on Pinterest so I'm blogging them so she can pin from there. Never mind that I haven't blogged in who knows how long.

Here's a bridesmaids bouquet:

 Here's my bouquet:

Here's all the bridesmaids bouquets together waiting patiently for the ceremony:

 Close up of a bridesmaids bouquet:

 And here's a couple centerpieces for the tables:

 And this is me and my Daddy :) I don't have a very good close up of the boutineer:

And this is my Granny-in-law. That's probably the best close-up I have of the corsages.

GASP

I blogged....on my other blog. Go look. Because I said so. The end.

Coming Soon :)

Hello Long Lost Blogging World :)

I'm back and hopefully for much longer than my last visit. However, I am changing the location of my blog as soon as I can think of a clever name for it. It's going to be....wait for it....drum roll please.....a baking blog :D I have always wanted to do a baking blog and there's no time like the present. Here's the dealio: I'm totally copying what that one chick did in the movie "Julie & Julia". Only I'm not going to cook my way through The Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. I'm going to bake my way through a particular baking handbook written by none other that the Martha Stewart. It's got six sections of sinful looking goodies and I'm gonna (eventually) make every single one of them! Unlike the movie, though, I shan't have a deadline or a specific day I'm going to bake on. Chances are I'll get around to making one or two recipes a week, but I would rather be flexible than put a lot of rules on the funess. And I'll be alternating baking from different sections so my family doesn't die from me making a million cakes in a row. :P And I have a digital camera now so I can take pictures of the stupidness I bake and you can drool over your computer screens and stare at the pies, cookies, and scones in longing and wishing you hadn't eaten that package of powdered donuts. :P
So my faithful (or not so faithful) followers, keep your eyes peeled for the first goody sometime next week. :)

Happy Eating,
JRae

P.S. I just read the above post to my parents. Then proceeded to brainstorm about what to name the new blog. It didn't take long before it was obvious. The new blog is officially christened, Stupid Good. The End.

You Are Being Loved

I don't normally share my personal journal with anyone. It kinda defeats the purpose of a "personal" journal. :) However on this rare occasion I would like to share the entry I wrote today. I haven't blogged in a while and I've had a couple people ask me if I was ever gonna blog again, so here ya go :)

Monday, November 15, 2010-

"Dad just built the first fire of the season in our fireplace and it's sent me into a state of reverie. It takes me back to last December. We had a fire in the fireplace all the time and we'd all read or roast marshmallows, or play cards in front of the fire. December wasn't exactly the easiest month for me last year. Sister got married and moved to a different country....ok so just Louisville, KY, but at the time it seemed like a different country. And in that month I also said good-bye to another best friend for very different reasons. It was a hard winter for me. I was torn between what I wanted to do and what I knew was right and best. There were many times I wanted to give up and leave home. Times when I thought it would make me happier if I just ran away. But it was the good times, the happy times around the fire that kept me here. Sitting and talking and laughing with my family helped me realize what I would be throwing away if I left. It was there that I felt the warmth of my family's love and the closeness of God and His loving hand, keeping me right where He wanted me.
Now, looking back, I'm so happy that I stayed. I'm so thankful that God protected me from making even more stupid mistakes than I had already made.
I know that someday this stage of life will end and I'll begin another and things will never be how they once were...it's called life. So I want to cherish this time, this stage of life when it's just us four at home. I want to be able to look back at now and cherish those memories as well, instead of wishing it away and rushing into the next stage.
Thank you God, for giving me such a wonderful family.

-JRae

P.S. Happy Birthday, Ross :)

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Oy. Today was just one of those days. Ok so, take that back. This week has kinda been one of those weeks. I've been really really struggling with discontentment and just anxiety over God's plan for my life. And a lot, a lot, a lot of impatience. On top of that, I was having a bit of a pity party. Ok, so a really big pity party. I am a really good pity party thrower. I mean, I can really throw down on some self-pity. Like I said, it's just been one of those weeks. Consequently, when today rolled around, I wasn't really in the mood to go to Bible study or even prayer meeting. Confession: I was thinking of saying I didn't feel good and just stay home. Thankfully, I didn't do that. And God was so good in giving me exactly what I needed to hear in Bible study....in fact it was slightly creepy how, it was almost directed straight at me. I don't think Jeremy is a mind reader, but after tonight, I have my suspicions. And then! On top of an awesome Bible study in Luke, prayer meeting was so very encouraging and uplifting. Talking about Christ and His amazing-ness and encouraging each other in our struggles. And come to find out, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE WHO STRUGGLES! Gee, who knew? ;) I also had an opportunity to have a more in depth conversations with people who are older and wiser, and just after talking things out, it helps me to put things into perspective. And realize that it really is going to be ok and everything really will work out. Sigh.
I think I just mostly rambled in the above material, but it had to come out somehow before I could even think of getting any sleep. :P
Please keep praying for me!!! I so appreciate it!!!

-JRae

P.S. I miss my Mommy. The End

perfect pie & prayer

Today was grocery shopping day. Woo.Hoo. Not my favorite day, but Starbucks has a way of making anything all better. :) I tried the new toffee mocha frappacinio(sp?) and it was SO YUMMY! Then I came home a baked a chocolate cream pie. The crust came out perfect! I'm taking it to The Farmhouse tomorrow. I took an apple pie in last week and they sold it and it was a big hit! So exciting! Hopefully this one will be worthy of putting on the fun dessert chalkboard. :)
I wanted to blog tonight because I haven't blogged in forever!...but I'm kinda not sure what to blog about. Besides waiting on niece/nephew to be born, it's pretty much the routine work, bake, eat, sleep, repeat routine.
There's a lot going on in my head and heart, but I'm not exactly sure how to express all that into words...or if I even want to put that on a public blog. It seems more of something you'd talk about with a close friend over coffee...
But, I would like to send out a prayer request to the cyber world. I'm struggling with discontentment. A lot. So please, pray for me.

-JRae

Complaining

I've been complaining a lot lately. Every morning when I wake up dis-contentedness threatens to ruin my entire day and I start whining about the things that aren't exactly how I want them. I hate complaining. It is SO annoying. And I hate it when I constantly have that attitude. It's rather exhausting. So, that being said, I'm asking God to help me refocus and realize how much I have to be thankful for, first and foremost, my salvation in Christ alone. Along with a million other things, here is a list I made in an effort to be more thankful.

Thanking God for:
-cute aprons
-music to cook/clean house to
-my trusty car, Vinny
-the time off to go visit Sister and Brother-in-law
-my awesome church family
-God's grace in keeping me at home, keeping me from making stupid mistakes
-My Dad, who keeps me smiling
-my first niece or nephew on the way!!!!
-the privilege to make food for Wednesday night Bible study and serve the body of Christ
-dishwashers
-Coca-Cola (especially from Sonic)
-my Love story....even though it hasn't played out yet and I don't know when it will, God has it all planned out and it's going to be beautiful
- Olivia Jane, ya, uh-huh.
-Inside jokes(even the stupid juans)
-forgiveness
-A mom that I can talk to about anything and everything, and how she brings me back to reality when I'm lost in my dramatic world of extremes. :)
-words to express thoughts, feelings, and emotions with

The Big Picture

Confession #1: I don't know everything.
Confession #2: That really bugs me sometimes. To the point that I try so hard to figure it out that I totally miss the big picture and end up knowing less than when I started.
The past couple of weeks haven't exactly been a piece of cake for me and I found myself going, "why? Come on, God, clue me in here. You say this is gonna work out for my ultimate good, but...quite honestly, I'm not seeing it." Then I was reading in Hebrews about faith. "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." Hebrews 11:1. It reminded me of a Sara Groves song that says, "I want to know the ending, things hoped for, but not seen, But I guess that's the point of hoping anyway." In other words, I don't have to know how it's going to end, why it's happening, or what's going on, because the God of the universe has it perfectly under control. And if I knew everything, what good would faith do? And since God really knows what He's doing, there is no point in me trying to figure it out. Honestly that is quite a relief because trying to figure it out is exhausting. So, I will put my faith in the God of the universe who made me and planned out my life and keep reminding myself that, it's ok that I don't know everything.
O God, give me the grace that I need for today. Give me faith to believe in my heart, the stuff that I know in my head. And thank you that for the trials you put me through that draw me closer to You. In Jesus name, amen.

-JRae
P.S. I'm preaching to myself here. It's possible I will forget tomorrow and need reminding again...feel free to do so. :)

Oops...

Ok, so epic failure at blogging...sorry guys. I don't really have much to blog about, but I'll give you the short story.....I went to the beach last week with my mom and had a blast. Me and my Dearest Twin are reading Hebrews together which has been very good for the both of us. I'm making really hard choices and learning really hard lessons. Words of the wise....listen to Mom's advice the first time. She really does know what she's talking about. The End. Other than that, I've been waitressing, cleaning, and who knows what all. There ya go. You're updated. For further detail, talk to me in person. :)

-JRae

I want a hammock. The end.

So ya....

If you haven't already discovered....I'm back on Facebook. Long story short: I've set some guidelines for myself and am gonna have like a trial period to see if I can stick to those guidelines. If I can...then I'll be back for a while. :) If not, then well....I'm back off again for good. See you in cyber world!

New Favorites

Ok, so at the Farmhouse we have a new menu. Which other than making me have to memorize a whole new menu, it's pretty awesome. Not only is it a new look, but we've added a few things and improved what was already there. I thought it my duty to try as many of the new items as possible in order to be better equipped to serve my guests. I know, I know, it's a tough responsibility, but hey, someone's gotta do it. So, I started out the tasting with the new Sweet Potato Pancakes. I almost fainted after the first bite. They were simply WONDERFUL!!! The pecan praline syrup on top was just sinful and I ate all three giant pancakes on my plate. :) We've also got a couple new sandwiches on the menu: The Farmhouse Club and The Catfish PoBoy. I've had both. The club is super yummy and you get like 4 big wedges of sandwich! Add a side of the new sweet potato fries with homemade ranch and you're in business. Ok, so I thought the club was good....but then I had the PoBoy.......and once again people were catching me so I wouldn't faint. IT IS SO YUMMY!!!!!!!! Like "make you wanna slap the person closest to you" yummy! It's also one huge sandwich...which means you get to take the other half home to drool over the next day for lunch. Needless to say I am counting the minutes until lunch time. I keep opening my fridge to stare at my recyclable to go box that has the pure goodness inside. WaHAHAHA! Food is so fun.

Enough of food for now. On to another new favorite. A new song. And with that last sentence some of you are already cringing at what will come in the next sentence. Because, ladies and gentlemen, most of you have guessed....it's a new Owl City song. :D He wrote it for that new movie coming out later this month about...you guessed it....owls. The song is about flying and since I've always wanted to fly I immediately fell in love with it. It is easily in my top five favorite Owl City songs. So of course I went straight to iTunes and bought it with my hard earned tip money from the night before. :) It's called To The Sky and it's wondermous!

? m laying here, dead tired, but my brain is going a mile a minute and I can't fall asleep! Blast! Just sayin... -JRae posted from my phone.

? Ya know how in Star Wars C3PO has that turn off switch that Han Solo is so fond of switching off?...well i could really use one right now on my brain. I'

$8

Monday night + Farmhouse Restaurant= Deadsville. I made $8 in tips tonight and folded napkins till I was blue in the face. Thank you, God for a job that I enjoy regardless of how much money I make. Thank you that I get along with my co-workers. Thank you that even after a really disappointing night of waitressing that I can come home to a cozy home with the people I love in it....and tacos. I love tacos too. Next Monday is the last Monday that Fontanel Attractions will be open on that day of the week so hopefully there won't be many more nights of $8 in tips.
I got to see my sister and brother-in-law this past weekend and we celebrated sister's birthday. :) I made a really nasty coconut cream pie and we went to Rose Peppers for dinner. (actually I was told the pie was good..but I think anything with coconut is vile.) Any-hoo, I miss them like crazy already and I hope to see them this next weekend. Today was Sister's actual birthday and I'm so thankful that God gave me the coolest sister on the planet!!!! Happy Birthday Sis!!!
Other than that, there isn't much to blog about. My life is really just been rather routine as of late. Get up, clean at Fontanel in the morning, come home, shower, do stuff around the house, go waitress at night, come home, collapse into bed. Repeat. :) O well, anything but Greystone Kitchen Staff. :P
At present, I am headed to bed for a bit of Psalm reading, then sweet slumber. Night everybody!

-JRae

November 20 is the best day ever.

This post is dedicated to my Greystone friend, Cat. :) She and I share a birthday and she's pretty much just a super cool person. She helped me stay sane at camp. I am honored to have inspired her to start her own blog, where I was even more honored to see that her first blog post was dedicated to me. :D So, I'm dedicating this post to you dear Cat. Can't wait to stalk your blog all the time. :P Love ya!

-JRae

Favorite Song. The End.

-JRae

Good Story

I was piddling about on the Rabbit Room website this morning whilst I drank coffee from my new Rabbit Room mug, and stumbled upon this rather entertaining story. I thought you might enjoy it, as I did. http://www.rabbitroom.com/?p=9165

On a completely different topic, I just watched the movie Two Weeks Notice for the first time a couple of days ago. It's a Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant film and I absolutely loved it. Very witty and a grand love story. Consequently, due to Mr. Grant's British accent, I find myself talking, thinking, and typing in a British accent. I quite enjoy talking this way, although it drives my brother batty. He might have died had he been with me at camp, because for at least 3 days straight we all put on British accents and said nothing without them. Some of us found that we couldn't stop after talking that way for so long. But any-hoo, I feel as if I'm just rambling now, so I'll bid you good day!

-JRae

Digging

At the Do Hard Things conference I found myself staring at the book table trying to narrow my purchases down to one or two rather than buying the entire table like I wanted to. Here's a little bit of the conversation I had with myself....(silently of course): " I'm at a Do Hard Things conference and I've never even read the book! I should get that one...wait...maybe a different one since I'll know the gist of the book by the end of the day?....No, because the book will have more detail, I'll get it. Ok, so maybe one more book.....I'm not even touching Systematic Theology....O! Here's Joshua Harris' newest. I bet that's good. I'll get this one. Well...I don't know....maybe I should get something that wasn't written by a Harris brother, since I'm already getting Do Hard Things and I've got two of Joshua's other books at home. Maybe I should get that book over there called Humility......Nah! We'll stick with the Harris Brothers." Before I could talk myself into another book I hastily made my way to the check out.
So, a couple of nights ago I couldn't fall asleep (surprise), so I turned on my cute little lamp and started Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris. I'm on the 3rd chapter and I can already tell it's going to be a great, challenging book. I love the way he writes and I was immediately into the book at the first sentence. I'm not going to tell you what it's about, because you just need to go get it and find out for yourself. So there! :)
I will give you a quote from the book though,
"Dug Down Deep is my reveling in theology in my own simple way-not too polished, sometimes awkward, less than scholarly, hopefully gracious and faithful. Even though these are deep truths, I don't pretend to be swimming in the deep end of the pool. I'm splashing in the shallow end. But if my splashing can inspire you to dive in, I will have succeeded."

When he signed my copy of the book, Josh wrote " Dig Deep!" And dig deep I shall. Thanks Josh! :)

-JRae