Top 2 Tuesday! - dream houses

Well, in my lifetime I have lived in many different places and states. Houses, apartments, mom and dad's of course, from Nashville to Phoenix. Being a flight attendant gave me the opportunity to see and experience all different types of environments.

As you may have read before, I do NOT like heights! So you won't find me living on some mountain top. I am also fairly claustrophobic. I like my space. Therefore, a house in a crowded subdivision is not my thing.

I would love to have some property where I could build my own dream house. Although, after the recent flood here in Nashville that caused the Stones River to invade my basement, I would prefer to be at least a mile from any sort of lake or river..... I love to visit them on nice, sunny days, I just don't like seeing them come into my house uninvited.... call me crazy.

The house would be similar to a plantation house you see in places like New Orleans, or even the Hermitage. Brick exterior, big columns, and a porch filled with ferns and rocking chairs. It's cozy, yet elegant. I like to feel like I am away from everything, but within driving minutes of the places I need to be.

Inside I am really fond of my hardwood and tile floors. No carpet for me to clean. I would have a big, bright, open kitchen with all the cool accessories!

Plus, a bathroom that I could relax in. I love cozy, but also charming and spacious.

Most of all, I would love a fireplace! None of this gas stuff, I want to burn real wood! I grew up in a home where we always had a fire going in the winter. Although hauling the wood in the house can be a pain, there is nothing else quite like it!

My second "dream house" is going to be on the beach. While we are dreaming, let's make sure that there is no one else around. I would love to have my own private beach with a dock where my boys could fish and my husband could park a boat.


Again, I love spacious. Room for the whole family to go down and relax whenever they want to.

Oh yeah, any dream house I ever own..... will be loaded with flood insurance! :)

Snack time!

So, it's time for the Friday Fives again at my friend, Beth's blog. This week's topic is my 5 favorite snacks. Wow, let's see if I can narrow it down to 5.... I love food and therefore I love to snack, I just have to be careful not to have too many snacks!

1. Popcorn!
Who doesn't love popcorn? It's pretty light, so you don't feel like you ate a meal. It's just enough to hold you over until dinner! Plus, it's the only snack that goes along with a good movie. Just make sure there is salt and butter, otherwise why bother?


2. Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls
I know, I am not a little kid anymore. I can't help it, I love these things! I am noticing now, too that as my kids get older they seem to like them also. I may have to resort to hiding the box, otherwise they will all be gone... I certainly don't mind letting them have them, but it is so frustrating to go in to the pantry only to find an empty box! How sad is that!?


3.carrots and Purity french onion dip
Aren't you proud of me for throwing a healthy snack in here!
As a southern girl, raised in Nashville with family employed by Purity Dairies this is the only dip I use. Once you've had it you know why. Yum!! Nothing else even comes close.



4. Yogurt
It doesn't really matter what brand or flavor, honestly I usually have whatever was on sale that I also had a coupon for. I don't buy it unless it is dirt cheap. My favorite flavor is the black cherry. Those little 4 ounce yogurt cups are just enough!



5.Oreos
Mmmmmmm..... need I say more? It's hard to put a limit on them, so I rarely buy them unless it is a super great deal. But, when I pair up a couple of oreos with my Dr. Pepper, yum!

We are Nashville!

Well, thankfully I have managed to clean up the mess here at my house for the most part. Pictures will come in the next few days. I am very blessed and very thankful. I feel so lucky to have suffered so little damage. When I drive around and see my surroundings I know how much worse my situation could have been.

I wanted to link up to a couple of blogs for you to read. One is my friend Beth here and the other is a local sports writer who wrote a very heartfelt, amazing article here.

It is so sad how Nashville has been ignored in this. We are not a city to ask for help. However, this is among the biggest natural disasters in history (non-hurricane related). We have barely been a side-story on the national news.

I am so proud of my city. We help each other. We have such loving and gracious people here. When the river was pouring into my house yesterday people simply started showing up. Next door I watched as my son's school was flooded, yet hundreds of volunteers showed up wanting to do something to help. It is a Christian school, it will not receive the funds that Metro schools receive to rebuild. Everything that has been done so far has been from volunteer efforts; people who know and love the school (as seen below.... under lots of water). That is the Nashville I know and love.


But I am also disgusted at the national media for basically ignoring the gravity of this situation. So many people have lost EVERYTHING and they need help! Please pass this along to anyone you know that may be able to help, send donations, ANYTHING!

My sister's church was home yesterday to the residents of a local nursing home who were forced to evacuate. After she spent the day bailing water and moving stuff out of my basement she went there to serve them dinner. (I seriously owe her for that!)

Bottom line, this is a great town that is desperately in need of help. We need to get the word out and so far this is the best way I can find to do it!

Is this Louisiana??

Well guys, I am going to keep this brief tonight. I haven't posted in a few days and haven't gotten a photo of the day up in a while.

It has been a LONG two days. Sadly, we were in the path of the flooding you have all heard about here in Nashville. This is unlike anything I have ever seen here!

As you may know, I am married to a true New Orleans native. All day long, as we moved stuff out of our basement full of water, he kept saying "I thought I moved away from all this mess!"

This is my backyard.


Yep, that is my kids' trampoline. It's actually a pretty picture. You can see the sun shining and reflecting all the trees in the water.

I have to say, though, I am very blessed. As we surveyed the river flowing into our house this morning our family and friends began to show up. They got to work, brought food, called, all asking what they could do next. They were fantastic!

I am so thankful to say that our prayers were answered and the waters have begun to recede! While everything is still a stinky mess, the water is no longer standing in my basement. It is mostly just puddles here and there. I will post more pictures in the coming days as the cleanup begins.

For more pictures, including that of DCA where my Cameron goes to school and many others, visit my friend Beth's blog here. It is simply devastating.

You will not see me complaining! I am so grateful, it could have been so much worse and there are many people out there tonight in worse shape than me.

Please pray for all the families who have lost so much.

Friday Fives - nothing mushy please!

Well, folks I am sorry to be getting this up so late! It has been crazy here the last couple of weeks and I have fallen behind on some things. But, better late than never I guess...

Ok, on with the Friday Fives! As you may know, I link up with a friend of mine who comes up with these and they have been a real hit so far. So, I will keep them going as long as you all tell me you still enjoy reading them!

Today's topic is my 5 favorite movies. That will be tough! I love watching movies! It has always been one of my favorite things to do! I could be fixing dinner, working, or folding laundry, it doesn't matter.... I will turn a movie on while I work. The problem will be getting my favorites narrowed down to just 5. There are so many, but I will try to keep it brief since I have already rambled on quite a bit.

So, I should probably elaborate and tell you that I am rather picky when it comes to movies. For many of you this will come as no surprise. To the rest, sorry.... my taste is a little different than many. Anyway, here it is:

1. The Sound of Music
This is a classic! It isn't one that I sit and watch over and over, but I still love it.
Now, be prepared. This is probably the only "chick flick" that will show up on my list.... I don't do "mushy" movies!

2. The Ring
Oh man! This one was good. Actually, just about any creepy, scary movie will work for me! Not the cheesy, predictable "Jason" or "Freddy Kreuger" will do. I prefer the ones that have a creepy twist that really requires paying attention.

3.Shining Through
I know, you may have never heard of this one. It is a spy movie based in WWII. Over the years I have come to really like war movies. Maybe the fact that I cannot count the number of relatives in my family who have served in the military (including my husband) has given me a soft spot for them. Who knows? My husband was a history major, so his interest in them has really had a lot to do with it too. The spy aspect of it just makes it that much more exciting. Yeah, there is a little bit of a love story in there but it doesn't overwhelm the theme of the movie.

4. My Big, Fat, Greek Wedding
This movie was just hilarious! I will admit, I am most picky when it comes to comedies. I think it was the family dynamics that cracked me up most about this movie.

My husband and sister (who strangely share more of the same interests in stuff like this) get a kick out of teasing me. That's OK! I am not ashamed to say that I HATE dry, dumb, slapstick humor. I know most people will call me crazy and I may never hear the end of it, but here goes..... I can't stand Will Ferrell, Saturday Night Live, or any of those comedies where people are just acting like idiots! There, I said it! Go ahead and make fun. Just don't make me watch them!

5. Memphis Belle
Did I mention that I have a thing for the guys in uniform??? When I was in college, my roommates and I liked this movie so much we went to see it 8 nights in a row! Now, at that point it had moved into the $1 theater (I was in college, I couldn't afford full price!). We were all in school at Austin Peay, just minutes from Ft. Campbell and we all happened to be dating guys in the military at that time, who were all overseas in the first Gulf War. For some reason we latched on to this movie. By the end of the week we were quoting it line for line. I haven't watched it in a while, at least not until a few days ago. I walked in and saw Chip watching it with the boys. I was so excited, and they loved it!

Envelopes, baby!

Hi guys (and gals)!
I was so excited to hear that today's "show us your life" link up on Kelly's Korner was money saving tips. BOY DO I HAVE LOTS OF THOSE! I will try to keep them to a minimum today, though. I know you don't want to be reading this all day.

Here goes!

1. Envelopes, baby!!
Laugh all you want, but I am a total Dave Ramsey nut. I have been listening to him for years and I really believe that someone who has made a VERY good living following his own advice because of screw-ups he made is his own past (and learning from them), not to mention the fact he has helped thousands of people out there cannot be wrong. I have mentioned before that The Total Money Makeover is a book that everyone should read. If you follow his advice, doing the debt snowball and the envelope system you will find yourself getting out of debt and building wealth. You can click on the blue link I gave you to go to Amazon and get a good deal on it. It is really one of the best books I have ever read!!



Now, does this mean that I have made it all the way through the plan? NO. But, I am working on it!

My own mom even taught me growing up that you should use envelopes for things. I promise you, it works! When I want to save up for something specific I make an envelope for it. Even if I only have few bucks to get it started, the envelope is there and it gives me hope. Dave even suggests using it for monthly expenses, which works great too.

Right now I have an envelope for my driveway, which I intend to have paved. I have an envelope for it, and it makes me so excited every time I can add to that. Plus, because I have the envelope stashed away, I am not tempted to spend it on crap stuff.


2. Round up in your checkbook
It may sound strange, but this is something I have been doing for years, and as long as you are careful it works great! Any time I write an expense down in my check register, I round up to the next dollar. Whether my total was $5.09 or $5.89 I automatically write down $6. First of all, this helps with the math when I start trying to balance things. My husband was a math major, not me! I hate all the scribbling and subtraction in the edges of my check register, this makes it so much simpler. Then, every month when you get ready balance stuff out you will notice there is a little extra in there. You would be surprised how fast those pennies and quarters add up!


3. I NEVER USE CREDIT CARDS!!!
OK, I know you are tired of me talking about all the Dave Ramsey stuff, but hey if it works I go with it!!

The whole argument I have heard about credit cards is " I need it for emergencies", but if you have your emergency fund built up (starting out this is $1000 in the bank, in a normal savings account) then you have it there to fall on if that emergency happens. You know, the $400 car repair you weren't counting on...... (well, in my case this year it was more like $700 - ouch!) then you have your emergency fund there to take it out of. Then, you just gradually put it back, and just think you won't have to pay interest on that purchase or dread going to the mailbox for the inevitable credit card bill that you know is coming.

4. Pay cash for stuff!!

This one should be obvious, but if you cannot pay cash or write a check for it DON'T BUY IT because YOU CAN'T AFFORD IT!!
OK, I know this might get me some nasty comments but that is alright. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but that is mine and I guess if you are reading this then you know that by now. This is just how we do things. Plus, it has been proven that when you use a credit card to pay for stuff (even if you intend to "pay it off at the end of the month") you are more likely to spend more than you would if you paid cash. Interesting, huh?

Ok, so those are my tips! Let me know if you have done the same and how well you are doing!

Photo of the day! - for Mom

Aren't these two cute!?

They came to me wanting to surprise their parents. They are two sisters, both attending a local university. They knew that the most recent pictures their parents had of them was their individual senior portraits, but none together other than snapshots.


I thought with Mother's Day coming up this was fitting. While these two were planning for Christmas, how thoughtful they were to think of such a gift they knew would be loved and appreciated much more than flowers, chocolates, or dishes.