HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Did I ever mention that I love holidays? Especially Halloween! It's nice to see all the little kiddos dressed cute, some scary, and some mommies and daddies walking the neighborhoods with them! Halloween is awesome! It's so much fun!

I remember when I was still dressing up at the age of 13 or so, I was a clown! My mom and dad always went out of their way to buy my brother and I a high priced costume! Of course, now looking back on it I regret ever having them spend so much money on something that I would only wear for a little while, but it was fun for the time being! I remember being a kid and it puts me in a happy mood!

Yesterday I had Morgan and her sister over to carve pumpkins with Aidan and I. We had so much fun! I heated up some frozen soup and made grilled cheese! It was perfect for the weather. I also picked up some pumpkin cupcakes! Needless to say, there isn't many cupcakes left! Not because of Morgan or her sister or I, Aidan is to blame! 14 year old boys can eat like they haven't had a meal in over a month! I can never keep food in the house for too long. I don't look forward to having 14 year old boys of my own later in my life! I guess it's just that age..

Aidan, eating a cupcake

Morgan carved a kitty cat pumpkin!

Payton carved a ummmm... pumpkin!

and I carved a silly pumpkin!

It's hard to label all of the pumpkins! We did not use a stencil and poke holes in our pumpkins. In my opinion, that's cheating!!!!! Lol. Of course, those kind always look nicer, but that takes all of the fun out of it! Besides, those are always general pumpkin carvings that everyone has because you can just buy the kits at wal mart and what not. We found our pumpkin carving ideas on google! Maybe one year I will grow pumpkins and we won't have to buy any! Wouldn't that be nice?!

I searched all over town for pumpkins yesterday. Thankfully my mom had bought one about three weeks ago and hers was pretty and perfectly round. I went to wal-mart yesterday and they were out, to Liberty Baptist Church, and they didn't sell on Sunday, and then to the farmer's market where they were dollars a piece only to watch Aidan completely ruin his and then throw it and smash it! It was overall a good night though and ended with lit pumpkins on the porch and me watching the Twilight movies on TV!.. and then passing out early!

My pumpkin lit on the porch!

Aidan's pumpkin on the porch before he threw it.

and a sweet sleeping Bella!

xoxoxo,
Lauren

Weddingggg!

I went to a wedding back on September 24th to help with decorating and everything that morning before the wedding. Lord knows how I love to decorate and do arts and craft stuff. So I was dragged along for the fun! ...and of course to watch the wedding later on that day! It was Justin's Mom's good friend! Tiffany's wedding was just beautiful and in a perfect place! I believe that she enjoyed every bit of it!

The bridesmaid's dresses were just gorgeous and I absolutely loved the colors she picked out. Perfect for September if ya ask me!

BRIDESMAIDS!

GROOMSMEN!

After Tiffany walked down the aisle!

I have always loved doing jobs that require much artsy thought! I work in a banquet hall where we prepare beautiful settings for fruit layouts, cheese trays, crudites, etc, so I thought maybe I could help in that area. In the midst of this all, the place we were at did not provide any utensils or things like that. I had to use a pocket knife to cut a watermelon! Guess what? I did it! :P Don't ever underestimate the power of LAUREN! We didn't have a lot to work with on the other hand, so we made due with what we had!

My fruit layout

The cheese layout

The kids with Tiffany and Brad pouring the sand.

So sweet!

The Bride's cake! Beautiful!

The toolbox Groom's cake! How cute!

I've always loved old-fashioned type weddings. I love when people use old fashioned traditions and layouts.. etc... The whole riding up in a buggy behind a horse is becoming more and more popular as the years go by. Tiffany and Brad rode away in a nice old truck that was just perfect for the occasion! I loved it!

Bad area to pull out at. Needless to say, Brad zoommmeeedd! haha

The gorgeous picture layout.

These were pictures from their parents weddings.
Lastly, you know there's always a throwing of the bouquet. I always love this part thinking I'm going to catch that dang thing and it never happens. Seems like these bride's purposefully throw that bundle of flowers at someone. What happened? I did not catch it.

I had a wonderful day and some great experience working with the decorating and stuff. It turned out to be a beautiful day with the sun shining thoroughly. Tiffany and Brad are now happily married with many years to come!
CONGRATULATIONS!

xoxoxo,
Lauren

Kosher Dill Pickling!

     I have been trying to get around to making pickles for days now! I have had some over-sized cucumbers that probably wouldn't taste well eaten raw, so I decided to make them into pickles. I didn't want to throw them away! Today I finally had the opportunity to make some dill pickles! I love dill pickles!
    As much as I would love to completely home-make these pickles, someone created a quick mix and I love that thought! I'm sure home-made dill pickles would take a lot longer!

Hooray for this!

    It will tell you on the back of the bag how to make! So easy! You can even just buy this at your regular grocery store or even wal-mart. I think it's like $3.54 or something. Not the cheapest for a mix, but it saves time for sure!

    You can either slice your cucumbers long ways or slice them into little rounds. Or even if you have baby cucumbers, you can make baby pickles! How cute! Most people have a slicer to make these with, but my old fashioned slicer does not switch the thickness on it and it's far too thin for pickles, so I had to slice with knife.

My slicing job.. worked good enough for me!

Kosher Dill Pickles
7 1/3 Cup water
3 1/3 Cup White distilled vinegar
packet mix

Bring to rolling boil and boil until completely disolved

There were these little seed looking things in there. Not sure if they were supposed to go away or not, but I had boiled for at least 15 mins.

Simply pour in jars that are filled with sliced, or speared cucumbers!

My little 99 cent canning funnel!

    After you pour your liquid over the cucumbers in the jars, be sure to boil your lids for five minutes. Wipe the tops of the rims of your jars and make sure they are clean and then put the lids on! Turn them upside down for five minutes and then turn them back right side up; you should hear some popping going on! That means they're sealed!

Finished product!

    The liquid to pour over the cucumbers was a little more yellow than I expected, but I've already tasted some and they're ggooooddd!

    If you have lots of cucumbers and don't know what to do with them, try this! It's fast, easy, and delicious! (if you're a pickle lover like me!)

    I have wild pears next that I plan on canning. They'll have to be coated in sugar because they are extremely bitter, but they will be good hopefully! I may try and make some pear sauce, or pear preserves, or pear pie filling.. Who knows! Never canned fruit before so it's something new that I will be testing out! Wish me luck! I will have to save that job for another day!


XOXOXO
Lauren

God ALWAYS provides!

    I often catch myself worrying about things way too much. Worrying is like torturing yourself except in a mental way. I even wish that things were different sometimes because of the tough life we all live, but then I have to remind myself that God put me where I am in life. We only struggle sometimes just to make us stronger. I learn from my downfalls and pick right back up.
    Work has been extremely slow lately which has lead me to less labor. I have worked about 3 times in the past two weeks when I normally am a full time worker. (I work in a banquet hall where business is on and off.) I worry and worry about finances constantly, which has lead me to this post. Obviously, since I haven't been working much lately, bills are constantly on my mind. At the age of 21 you would think that it wouldn't be as hard as it is, but I will say that I am proud of the life I have lived because my parents have taught me to be extremely responsible and independent.
    I think all of us worry about finances often, but when the time comes to pay that bill, somehow the money is there. GOD ALWAYS PROVIDES. It's just so weird how this time that I have been out of work ended up around my birthday in which I received money as a gift from some very giving people in my life. Sometimes you just don't realize how generous people really can be until you step back and think about what you have been given. In the end, we have to pay all thanks to the good lord above.
     I remember last semester sitting in my marriage and family class and being taught about money and finances inside marriage. I have worked and worked and worked for a little extra money just to have what I WANT and don't NEED. I learned a lot in that class. We often work overtime and extra hours just to buy the things that we want instead of spending time with the people that matter the most, friends and family. Time is more important than money and using that time wisely is definitely more important than money. I think that sometimes we let the thought of money take over our minds and get too caught up in a selfish behavior. We become very materialistic and don't realize the things that really matter. Is it going to matter what you look like in heaven? Are people going to judge you in heaven? Just ask yourself, do you really need all the finest clothes, jewelry, electronics, etc.
    In the end, I am very thankful for the things that I have been given in life and the struggles that I have gone through. It has only taught me more and more about life. I have to put my faith in God and he will always pull me through! God is so good!
    Just a few pictures to make anyone smile are these three little sweet babies that have recently been a blessing in my family; and of course my sweet brother that I love dearly!

Little Jack! Ready for football; he's a cowboys fan!

Camryn! She is a twin to Jack! She's also ready for football! "I need some pom poms momma!"

and my little Kayleigh bear! She's learning to jibber jabber!

I miss these kiddos so much! I wish I didn't live so far away. It's about a 10 hour drive to Kayleigh and maybe 8 to Jack and Camryn! Sweetest babies alive. My other cousin has one on the way and I am so excited! He lives like 30 mins from me too! :D

My sweet brother!

He will be shipping overseas around October 5th so please keep him and my family in your prayers! I love you, Lane!



XOXOXO
Lauren

UPDATE!!!

Man! I feel like it has been forever since I have been on here. I was doing great for a while and keeping you guys updated at least once every other week, well I see I have slacked off a lot on that. So, in return, here is a major update.

Since I haven't been on here in almost a month and a half, there's lots to update you guys on! This post will probably be a little wishy washy since I'm not focusing on one thing!

In the meantime, I have gone to a baby shower, picked veggies from my garden, gone to Pelahatchie Lake, Went to an old high school football game, made cupcakes for company, and went to a birthday dinner at OLIVE GARDEN!

At the end of August, Justin's family rented cabins out at Jellystone park (Pelahatchie Lake) and stayed the weekend for some fun! We visited out there on a Saturday and had tons of fun! We fished, ate yummies, played goofy golf, rode golf carts, and rode paddle boats! Needless to say it was a fun filled day but ended with some very tired people!

My handsome man out in the paddle boat!

I caught a bass!

Morgan and Trevor on the paddle boat.

On another note, my garden hasn't really impressed me much, or either I haven't impressed it; one of the two. The only plants that have really been loyal to me would be my pepper plants. The Jalapenos and habaneros have produced like crazy. I have gotten a few tomatoes here and there and my cucumbers have been alright. I mainly grew my cucumbers to make pickles. My squash plants did not produce a thing. Funny thing, my bell peppers are just now producing; I guess because it has decided to cool off a little!

Look at all of those peppers!

My high school that I graduated from two years ago (can't believe i'm saying that!) recently played their rivals and of course I had to go. I took Morgan and one of Aidan's little friends. Morgan went to Brandon, so just imagine. Brandon are the rivals! WHOOPS! We had tons of fun and only spent 7 dollars, which was to get into the game! It brought back many of memories and made me wish I were back in high school! YAYYY for a win for Northwest!

What a cool picture!

The Saturday after the football game I woke up early and attended Justin's Aunt's baby shower in Greenwood. It was a late Friday night and an early Saturday morning for me! Me and grandma had a great day and then went out to John and Hollie's for the rest of the day outdoors! We rode golf carts and spent time with family!

Look at all of those presents for baby Olivia! ;)

The table of goodies!

Hollie opening her gifts!

She's such a silly, cute pregnant lady!

Did I mention they are thinking about naming their baby Olivia, which is my middle name! AWESOMEEEE. :p
This past weekend Justin's grandparents came down for a visit, as they always do! Boy do we love them! I made cupcakes for the company!

Aren't these cute little mini cupcakes!

Anddddd finally, Friday night I went out to meet a couple of friends at Olive Garden for a birthday dinner! I hadn't been to Olive Garden in a while! Thankfully I received an Olive Garden gift card for my birthday which paid for my dinner and I have money left for more Olive Garden visits! HOORAYYY!

Such a fun group of people! Our waitress was awesome as well!

Well, this ends for my major update! I hope you all have had as fun as I these past weeks! God sure provides when there is need for anything! [I'll post something later about this] I've been dying for fun outside of school and work and i've sure gotten it!

Love,
Lauren :)

HEALTHY note.

Today, I have just really been thinking. After all of the Reese's, cake, snickers, and just chocolate in general that I eat, It's time to give up some sweets. All these things are so bad for your body and the AVERAGE American consumes 2-3 pounds of sugar a day! This sounds so crazy, huh? Well, it's true! It's time to make a change!

I haven't decided to cut out all sugar, but I just want to get away from the candy and chocolate for a while. If I could give up sweet tea, then that would be another plus, but it's one thing at a time.

I was watching the Bachelorette tonight and following that show came the season finale of Extreme Makeover: Weight Loss Edition. I haven't watched the show all season, but was interested to see it! I missed the ending because half way through the show I went a jumped on my treadmill! Yes, I got on my treadmill and ran 1.5 miles. I was running about 2 months ago and got up to about 3 miles... but it has been probably 2 months since I last ran, so I have to get back up to that point.

Also, after Dad passed, I have been trying to make myself a healthier person. I cannot stress to anyone enough how important your health is. I think that a lot of the reason Dad passed was because of his weight. It seems like obesity is just becoming more and more of a lead to deathly situations. Obesity can lead to high blood pressure, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, gallbladder disease, fatty liver disease, and eventually a heart attack in some circumstances. I'm sure there are many more effects of obesity, but this is what I found. Isn't that horrible! We all need to make a change and try and create a healthier society!

Sorry for the rambling, but it's just what is on my mind tonight.

xoxo,
A futuristic healthier Lauren!

Gigi's Birthday CELEBRATION!!

Saturday, July 9th, my family all gathered for a wonderful celebration.... I bet you're all wondering what the heck we were celebrating..

MY GRANDMAW'S 70TH BIRTHDAY!

Isn't that such a blessing? God has blessed her with 70 years of life! I hope that I look as beautiful as she when I reach that age!

My grandpa had been planning the big SURPRISE (Yes, that's right! We surprised her!) for like a month. He was so worried that she would find out, but everything turned out great. She had no idea! He just told her that he was taking her to dinner, just the two of them. Of course you know she asked who all was going to be there, but paw paw sure played it off well!

It was My grandma, grandpa, My uncle and aunt with their four children, My other aunt and uncle, josh, Amanda, My aunt Sue (gigi's sister), My Uncle Francis (gigi's brother), Billy, My brother Lane, his girlfriend Naomi, and me! A group of 19 made it without her even knowing! :D

SURPRISE!!! She was so happy!

 I had been stressing the whole day because I hadn't gotten a birthday gift, and I was making my Grandma's 70th birthday cake! Of course, I wanted it to be nice!

The birthday cake with all of her gifts!

My cousins Phillip and Nathan

My aunt and my Mom!

My Uncle and Aunt

My cousin Josh and his girlfriend Amanda!

Grace and I

Naomi and My TWIN, Lane!

Blake and I!

Isn't she cute!

Aunt Sue, Aunt Billy, and Uncle Francis!

My sweet Gigi and I!

The special people! My Gigi and Paw Paw!

I have such a sweet family and I wouldn't trade them for the world! I love it when we gather together for family celebrations and wish that we were allowed to do it more often! I must add that our family is spread out all over the south, so it is difficult for us to get together. I have far too many pictures, but tried to get as many as possible before blogger cuts me off! haha! I usually don't take many pictures, but I have been trying to use my camera more often to catch memories like these! AND TO BLOG WITH THEM! :P

The three children and my grandparents!

Uncle bill, cousin Grace, and Aunt Lisa!

There is one special person that is missing from these pictures and that is my daddy! Daddy, I miss you so much and wish that you were here with us, but I know that God is taking good care of you and you were surely celebrating in heaven on that special day! I know you loved each and every one of us as we love you! :)

The whole crowd. (Minus my brother)

 Lane had to leave early for some military stuff. I hope that you all enjoyed the dinner just as much as I did! We had some great food and a great time! Thanks to everyone that came and special thanks to my paw paw for thinking of such a wonderful idea!

Happy belated birthday to my Gigi! She turned 70 on the 13th! Meant to create this post that day, but i've been so so busy with summer classes being rushed and finals coming up!

xoxo,
Lauren