So much to tell ya...

Y'all today was such a great day and I have to share with you!

I got a phone call today at work from Pam and she asked me if I like pie? Do I like pie...umm...I love pie! Guess what this ol' girl is doing tomorrow? Judging pies at the Kentucky State Fair! Apple pie, pumpkin pie, cherry pie, chocolate pie, coconut cream pie, butterscotch pie, lemon pie, strawberry rhubarb pie, and every pie in between. I will probably be sick as a dog afterwards but it will be fun while we are judging! Now some people turn up their noses to judging food at the state fair. They don't know how clean the kitchen and cook are and are afraid to taste test. I, for one, am not scared. Bring on the pie. I will let you know how it goes.

Remember when I blogged about my 20 seconds of courage HERE? Well today I called the volunteer coordinator at the Hope Center and I have the opportunity to serve homeless men a hot meal Thursday night. I absolutely can not wait! I hope to grow from this experience and learn something about myself, my community, and my faith. I am going to try to volunteer whenever my schedule permits and am so ready to get started. Be looking for a blog post about my experience soon.

I came home tonight and the Teak whipped up a fabulous dinner. In our house, she cooks and I clean. Well tonight, I cleaned...I cleaned my plate! She made homemade blue cheese dressing...HEAVENLY!!! It was rich, creamy, and so blue cheesy. You have to love blue cheese to want to try this dressing. Here is the recipe:

-1 package cream cheese (dear Lord!)
-blue cheese crumbles
-pinch of garlic powder
-Milk

The more milk you use, the thinner the dressing so make according to the consistency you want.

The Teak made up this recipe and it is so good. Don't you want to have a big ol' wedge salad now?! We sure did!

I feel like I have only talked about food so far and that is a problem. You see it is a MAJOR problem since I might be losing Danny. Danny has taken a job at a gym in Winchester and I don't think we will be able to train in the evenings after work. Danny and I have been together since January and Lord knows he has heard every problem, law school frustration, wedding plans, work issue, moot court hatred, Master's milestone, and any thing else I could possibly think of during our 1 hour workouts. When I talk to Danny it is like talking to Lauren or Whitney. It is straight girl talk and he just listens to me...and then tells me to do more reps and do it faster next time. I will know more this week if we can continue to train or not. It is sorta like a breakup and I hate to leave him but he has a great opportunity to go do his thing somewhere else. I gotta find a new trainer by the end of this week because I will eat my weight in pie tomorrow!

Until then...

What I swear by...

TGIF!!!!!! Y'all this week dragged by for me. Every morning I woke up and  thought to myself, "it's Friday", only to realize that it was in fact not Friday. Cruel way to start the day.

Today I had to run to Bare Escentuals in the mall and pick up some new lip gloss and concealer. No one needs to see my chap lips or dark circles. It is for the greater good for me to purchase these products.

I swear by Bare Escentuals and it was the Teak who introduced me to it. Well, I have been hooked for about 2 years now. Before BE, I was an Avon,Covergirl, and occasional Clinique makeup kind of girl. Nothing wrong with these products at all and they have great prices. However, BE steps up the game just a little bit more. You may pay a little bit more but I promise it lasts for a long time. (If BE wants me to be a sponsor, I would gladly do so!)

Now this is awful to admit, but when I walk into Bare Escentuals they know me. When I say know me, they greet me with a hug and "how are ya Katie?". I don't know if that is a good or bad thing. The makeup lasts a long time so its not like I run in there every day. I just attribute their hug and greeting as good service. Even though I could get BE at Ulta or Macy's, I keep going back to the boutique because of their service.

Donna is my girl that hooks me up. She is always pushing a new product on me but my little budget won't allow for all her fun and enticing products. Today I was strong and stuck to my budget and walked away with only the lip gloss and concealer.

What type of makeup do y'all use? Something you just swear by?

Everyone enjoy your weekend. Here in the Bluegrass it feels like a lovely Fall day and I plan to soak it up!

Until next time...

The Sisterhood of the Bride Bag

Hi Friends!

Do you know what today is? August 3, 2012. In exactly one year, I will greet my best friend at the end of the aisle and together we will walk down as Mr. and Mrs. Jace Stamper! How crazy is that? I can't imagine the emotion, excitement, and pure joy that will be packed into that day. If I think about it too long I start to tear up! I am still on cloud 9 about our engagement and have been soaking up every moment of wedding planning!

I have found that with wedding planning I have a ton of stuff. This stuff includes my Southern Living Wedding Planner binder, engagement cards, programs from friend's weddings, samples of invitations, revised editions of guest lists, a stack of wedding gown pictures, business cards, an etiquette book, and so much more. All of these things need a place and a central location. This is where the sisterhood of the traveling bride bag comes in.

When Whitney got engaged I bought her a Bride's Bag. The bag is sorta like Mary Poppins carpet bag because it is incredibly deep and holds everything! Now almost 3 years later, this bag has gone through 3 or 4 other brides. These brides all have a common thread...we are all friends of Whitney. After I got engaged, Whitney called me and said that is was now my turn for the bag and I picked it up last week. It was filled with wedding stuff from the other brides--magazines, bobby pins, rose petals, books, receipts, etc. It was fun to sort through what other brides had left in the bag. There is a sisterhood in this bag and it has special meaning for me! In a way, the bride's bag has come full circle and now I am the one using it!

Source: Google Images

I am thankful to share this bag with so many women and am thankful to have such a dear friend in Whitney.

1 year y'all, 1 year!

Zumba Class

I have had this blog post in my head since Monday night and have been dying to share with y'all! Since I had the opportunity to work from home Monday, I got to go with Mom to her Zumba class that night! I am so proud of Mom for exercising twice if not three times a week in her Zumba classes. She loves it and has formed some great relationships. Her friendships keep her accountable and we all need that when it comes to exercising.

We had our water bottles, signed in, and were ready for class. I have been with Mom before but it has probably been a year since then. One thing I love about the class is before the workout begins, all the women stand in a circle, hold hands, and pray. Always good to have the Lord on your side when you know you are going to sweat to death.

After Amen, we all get situated and do a warm up activity. Then we get down to business. Now I know I am a white girl and there is about 2% of rhythm in this body but that doesn't mean I don't love to shake it. Y'all they played the best songs. I look over and ol' Sandy is moving and a grooving to Nappy Boys, Luke Bryan, Little Big Town, and Justin Beiber! Then they put on Proud Mary. Honey we were all rollin' on the river and my legs were a burnin'!

Y'all I laughed through the entire hour. It was so much fun. I would mess up and laugh at myself. I would watch the other women and they would make me laugh because only a select few had legit moves. But the worst was when I could see some woman's tan line from where her butt ends and her thigh begins. It took every bit of me to not bust out in laughter.

There is a portion of the class where the women use weights. To add a little somethin' somethin' to this portion of class, some women put on a belly wrap. Mom said she was good and didn't need that to enhance her Zumba experience! HA!

Source: Google images

I was really hoping we would get to do the Cupid Shuffle but we didn't do that dance. Mom and I can walk it out like no body's business and are prepared to do it at the wedding at any given moment.

By the end of the hour I had a little SWAS  going on (SWAS is "ass sweat" for short) Lord forgive me, but I taught all of Mom's friends what it stands for too. I did this in the church gym of all places! So next time you are sweating, you just tell people you have SWAS!!!

It was so much fun to go with Mom and I encourage you to take a Zumba class if you haven't before.

Weekend Recap

Hey Y'all. So much to tell you, so be watching for numerous blog posts this week!

Y'all this weekend was like a mini-vacation and I feel rested and rejuvenated. I got home Friday and visited with Mom. We talked wedding. She had questions, I had questions, and we figured out a few answers. Lord, we are already planning the breakfast menu the day of the wedding. Keith women plan and are organized and Aug. 3, 2013 will be no different! We had a wonderful dinner at home and then picked up Doris, a dear family friend, and had dessert at Chow 45. We all got something different and I think we all agreed the chocolate chip bread pudding was the best. By the time we finished dessert, Jace was in Graves County! He stopped over later Friday night and presented me with this little number!

My ring had to be sized down a whole size and I departed with it after our vacation in Seaside. It had been at least 3 weeks without my ring and wouldn't you know it, I saw everyone, their mother, and their dog during that time. Needless to say, I am happy to have it back.

Saturday I was busy as a bee. Pup had a day at the spa. She got a mani/pedi and a shampoo. Most women love this but poor pup is scared to death. It kills me to leave her but I consider it training for when my babies go to Kindergarten. While pup was at the doggy spa, I visited with my MeMaw. She was watching Bonanza and my Uncle Jim told me that she loves it. Now I have to be honest. I had no idea it was Bonanza. I am 25 years old and I have no recollection of that show. I remember Mama's Family, the Golden Girls, and the Cosby Show. Yet, MeMaw was happy and that is all that matters to me. Afterwards, I visited Dad. It was the prettiest day on the farm. The sun was shining, it was the perfect temperature, and it felt good to be surround by 122 acres.

After all that visiting, I had to pick up pup and her tail showed me how happy she was! Jace and I met up later in the day and hung out. Mom headed to a wedding and then we had to debrief about the wedding afterwards. That night, Mom, Jace, and I stayed at home and fixed a dinner that rivals any restaurant meal. We had grilled asparagus, grilled BBQ pork chops, crescent rolls, and baked potatoes. Not only was it much cheaper to stay at home but it was so much better. We rocked the rest of the evening away on the deck. It was so pleasant outside Saturday night that I could have sat out there all night long.

The perfect Saturday night!

The real treat of the weekend was Sunday. Normally, Jace and I travel back on Sundays and it cuts the weekend short. This weekend we got to spend Sunday at home. I had the opportunity to work from home on Monday and Jace was staying in town for a dentist's appointment. To have this extra day meant the world to Jace and I. We were in such good spirits all weekend long and I am happy to report not one tear was shed when we had to leave one another on Monday. These high spirits are still with us and I think excitement has taken over. We are excited that Monday was our last goodbye for the start of another school year!

All in all, it was a GREAT weekend. We didn't do anything we didn't want to, didn't spend a dime, and got to visit with family. I love spending time with Mom and I can't imagine going through wedding planning without her. Being with Jace and spending quality time with him was so nice. Those two allowed me to return to work with a rested and renewed spirit!

I hope y'all had a great weekend too! In the next blog posts. I will tell you about me attending Mom's Zumba class and the sisterhood of the traveling Bride's bag! Until then...

Heading West...

I am so excited for this weekend and Friday is almost here! Tomorrow I am traveling back home or in the words of my momma, I am heading west to God's country. Jace is coming home too and should arrive late Friday night.
I haven't seen Jace in 3 weeks and this will be the last time I see him for quite some time. If school permits, he will come home for Labor Day weekend. However, I know what it feels like to be a student and having that Monday off can be a great get-ahead-on-homework day. If Jace can't come home on Labor Day, the next time I know I will see him is...October 17th. Yes, I said it, October 17th. If I dwell on that too long, I get upset and sad so I try real hard not to think of it. However, it is always in the back of my mind.

For the past two years, we have traveled to Gatlinburg for a long weekend and have enjoyed one last fling before the semester starts. Well, this year is different since he is in MS and I am in KY. We have decided to go home and for the past two weeks we have thought long and hard on what we want to do. We thought about going to Patti's or Doe's and enjoying a really nice dinner together. But ultimately, we have decided to do NOTHING!!! We are going to stay at home, grill out, play horse in basketball, spend time with family, and spend as much time together as possible. All I want to do is soak up every minute with him and enjoy our time together.

By now we are used to this song and dance but it doesn't mean there won't be some tears shed on both of our parts. But guess what? This is the VERY LAST TIME we have to do this!!!!! How can he already be in his final year of law school? This year will be long simply because we will be counting down to our wedding/the bar exam/anticipating our honeymoon/preparing for a move but those things will also make this year fly by. Thinking about those things keeps me going.

Let's hope this weekend creeps by at a snail's pace. Y'all have a good weekend. I am heading West...

Odds and Ends

Hi friends! We are halfway through the week and the weekend is in sight! Hallelujah!

Just some odds and ends for you today.

By now you know that Whitney and Lauren are my absolute best friends. We have experienced so much together and unfortunately today we all experienced bypass surgery. Today Lauren's daddy, Tommy, had quadruple bypass surgery. Tommy was having some chest and arm pain and was a little stubborn when the pain first started. However, after a good momma talk from his daughter he found himself in the hospital. Adam has kept all of us girls in the loop and he said that surgery went fine today and Tommy is now in recovery. Please keep Jane, Tommy, and Lauren in your prayers. Lauren holds herself together for the whole family and her shoulders are awfully strong!

On a much lighter note, today was Teak's turn to host bridge at our house. 3 other ladies come over, they eat lunch, and play bridge all afternoon long. I love these days. Bridge day means bangin' leftovers and today did not disappoint. I had leftover spinach salad and zucchini bread! Later tonight, I will be having a large portion of homemade chocolate mousse! I don't anticipate there being any leftover.

Now for a little food for thought. I saw a quote on Facebook last night from an Eastern Kentucky homemaker who said, "if you are not staying busy doing something you love, you are dying". Think about that for a second. Let those words sink in. I would say this Homemaker is wise beyond her years. I bet we could all learn a thing or two from her.

My day is ending on a laugh. Jace and I were skyping tonight and he got real close to the camera and very seriously told me that he thinks he is starting to develop wrinkles. My response was immediate laughter. Now Mr. Stamper is not too far away from the big 3-0 (2 1/2 years and counting). Now, these things happen naturally and no amount of cream or moisturizer will fix gravity. Women know this but we continue to buy all the products that say they are THE cure! So to ease Jace's worry, I told him the so call wrinkles are simply laugh lines. Let's pray I believe my own self when I see my first wrinkle.

Y'all have a good night! Talk soon...