Homemade Christmas - Personalized Sanitizer

This is another easy, inexpensive and fun idea I got from my new friend, Amy, over at The Idea Room! I literally spent less than $2 and 10 minutes a piece on these and how cute are they??You simply go to Dollar Tree and buy a bottle of hand sanitizer and peel off the labels.

Then take this image to your photo editing software and add the name to the topPrint it out either on a transparency or take it to a local printing shop and have it copied onto a transparency with a laser printer. Then, cut it out with enough space at the bottom so it will stand up as tall as you need it to in your bottle.
Roll it up and stick it in the bottle.
Use the pump thingie (I know, very technical term there) to situate it in the bottle where you want it.
Then tie a pretty ribbon around it and you're done. Cute. Practical. Inexpensive.

Our Story

Two years ago tomorrow, I married my beloved. But that's not where the story started.

Three and a half years ago, we met online, as crazy as that sounds, but really we met online. We chatted for months before we ever actually met, but when we met, I knew that he was the man that God created me to love.

We were friends for a year. So much happened during that time that grew us into the people we needed to be in order to love another person. It was like God grew us up together. It was quite a journey. We helped each other through some crazy times. Through relationships, family problems, difficult life lessons, successes and failures.

Then summer 2007, I went on a mission trip to Belize. You can read about that trip here. It was a wonderful trip, God truly moved in my life. It was hard on me too, though. It was the first time in a year that I couldn't call and tell him about the awesome things that God was doing. I couldn't email him and tell him about the way God moved in the service and all these kids got saved. I couldn't call and tell him that I missed him.

At home he was so busy, working very hard remodeling a building. It was so hot that he was working at night. I had no idea, as I worked in the central American paradise that he was missing me just as much. I had told him before (many times) that he was the one I was supposed to marry. He always laughed it off, saying that he was incapable of loving anyone. During the ten days I was gone, God moved in his heart.

When I came home from Belize, he was so happy to see me. He held me for what seemed like eternity. The world around us felt like it just stopped moving and we were all that was in it. He told me that he needed to talk to me when he got off of work that night. So after work, I went to his house and he said, "If you really think you have what it takes to be my wife then we need to do what it takes to make it happen." I think my heart stopped beating.

Vaughn went to our pastor in late August and asked him what we needed to do. He said that since we hadn't really been dating that we needed to do so for at least three months. So we did that. It was so wonderful. We started going to a couples' class at church and figuring out how life would work as a couple. So four months later, at the Christmas party I told you about before, he romantically proposed and of course I accepted. We had to wait NINE WHOLE days for another appointment with our pastor. It was excruciating!

So we met with the pastor and he gave us his blessing to go ahead and get married. Since we had both been married before, he didn't have a problem with us just goin to the JP. We already had our marriage license, so the very next day, we called the JP and scheduled it for 2pm. Seriously, we got married on a weekday in the middle of the afternoon. I even had to leave work for it.

It was wonderful. Some of our very best friends left work and were there for us. here are some pictures from our wonderful day:

Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the LORD do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.
Ruth 1:16-17

I love you Baby!!

Beore and after - Living room

"A house is made with walls and beams; a home is built with love and dreams." Ralph Waldo Emerson

All this time and I don't think I have posted ANY shots of the living room. This is the actual sit-down-and-watch-tv room, and it is open to the front room, which my grandma would have called "parlor" or "sitting room" (a place to greet or visit with guests without the informality of a living room). This room was a bedroom with a door opening to the kitchen and on opening to the hallway. We took out the door to the kitchen and opened up a huge (8 foot, I think) doorway to the front room, so they can be used as one room if necessary but the decor shows you that they are, in fact, two separate rooms. Eventually there will be doors here that can be closed to completely separate the two if situation calls for it.
Here's a straight on shot of the east wall.
Here you've got the west wall of the living room. Our comfy cozy sofa. I should have straightened the blanket and pillow from where Nay slept there last night (Nay is one of our dogs)and I should have removed the basket o' toys that are sitting here because Vaughn had to move them out of the basement because he has started working down there. Oh, and honestly, I have no idea why the Christmas basket is stacked on top of the Christmas bucket on the end table. I will investigate further. The ceiling fan is really cool, more about it in a minute.

The cowboy hats on the wall are actually our hats that we wear, just the ones we are not wearing right now. I had a very hard time finding just the right way to hang them without putting mean stickies on the wall, or mistreating the hat in some way. Then, as I was hunting through the hardware store, I found them...soft, screw on door stops. I will post about them very soon.
Here is just another view of the west and north walls. I don't have a before to go with this, as it was just a simple white wall.
For some reason, I didn't take any pictures of the south wall. Also I didn't get the ceiling fan. I really like my fan. Here is a picture from Lowes' website. Except we have the oak finish blades instead of the cherry. I am so thankful to have this beautiful home, and to have had the chance to build it together with my husband and children.

Before and After - Bathroom

Good morning! We finally got the bathroom finished just before Thanksgiving, with the exception of the can lights that still need to be put in the shower. So this weekend I took a few pictures. Here's the sink area, and yes, the horrible before picture.
This is one of my faves, the shot of the tub view. You can really see the major changes made in here when you look at it this way. My friend, Jocelyn, picked out the shower curtain. It was $4 at Ross. I love deals. I love Ross. But honestly, when I saw this curtain, I HATED it. No like seriously, hated it. But my Joce said it would go well in this bathroom and just look at it...its BEAUTIFUL! I love it. I just love it!! I also love the curved curtain rod. It follows the curve of the outside of the tub and opens up the inside of the shower like you wouldn't believe.
Here is the view from standing in the tub. The tiny cabinet in the corner was replaced with this beautiful handmade oak cabinet.

Kitchen Updates - More Before & Almost After

Well, my blog friends, my kitchen is getting closer to done. We're at a point where you have to wait a day or two between steps so in the hiatus, I thought I would post a few pictures.

This is the south wall. Sorry about the blanket over the door, we don't have any heat on in the basement right now and we're not putting a door there so we hung a blanket to keep the cold out. We still have crown & baseboards to do in here, so the white stripe at the floor level will go away. There will also be a broom closet and we may move the fridge over here. If you're new to my blog, then you'll notice the door on the right went away, that pantry became my bedroom closet and you can see the ginormous floor to ceiling pantry there on the left that my sweetie and Aaron built for me.

Here's the east wall. I just love it. Those brick on the backsplash are old Chicago pavers. We just put the acrylic sealer on it Tuesday night so maybe Saturday we can grout. We're doing black grout there, I think it's gonna look awesome. There's is still a valance to be built to go over the sink, between the two cabinets and that window trim will be painted white. We also have not decided on door knobs and drawer pulls yet, but we will make that choice soon. I can hardly believe that these pictures are the same space! And the floor!!! I'm so thankful that worked out.
These are the north and west walls. I took the original picture from a crummy angle, but you can see the rest of that original wall in the east wall before picture. I don't know why the kitchen walls and floor were green, but I am sure it was very pretty when it was first done. That's my friend Judy in the before picture, she helped me do some cleaning in the beginning. The lights will be changed out when I finally decide what I'm doing for lighting in here. I'll let you know what I decide...
I just love the way our little house is coming along. I am so very blessed to be married to such a talented man who made all of this come to life!

Adopt A Student Christmas Party

Our Gracious and Heavenly Father,
We pause in the midst of this festive occasion, mindful and thoughtful of the guidance that you have given us. We would ask today, Lord, that you be with us in this rodeo arena as we pray you will be also with us in life's arena. As cowboys, Lord, we don't ask for any special favors in this arena today. We only ask that you will let us compete in this event, and in life, as You did for us. We don't ask that we never break a barrier, draw the steer that won't lay, draw around a chute fighting horse, or a bull that is impossible to ride. Help us to compete in life as honest as the horse we ride; in a manner as clean and pure as the wind that blows across this Texas country; so when we make that Last Ride, that we know is inevitable, to the Country Up There.. Where the grass is green and lush and stirrup-high and the water runs clean and clear; You will tell us, as our Last Judge, that our entry fee's are paid. We ask these things in Christ's Name.

I tell you what, we are so very blessed!! Not only do I have the two best kids in the whole world, but I have the 6 greatest adopted students in the whole world too!!

That picture is from our A2S Christmas dinner. The boy in the black shirt is Tori "TACO" and Kutter is wearing the orange shirt. We were also to have a few of their friends at our table for the dinner since all of our boys couldn't make it.

Our boys are rodeo boys, with the exception of Morgan, a livestock judge. We are blessed, highly blessed to have the opportunity to get to know these kids as they live in the dorms here in Borger. Even though we haven't had the chance to spend alot of time with very many of them, we cherish them as we do our own children. They are welcome in our home any time and we look forward to getting to know them better.

If you have the chance to adopt a college student and you pass it up, all I can say is that its your loss...and a huge one. They are a blessing in our lives!

Merry Christmas Morgan, Kutter, Garret, Cody, Tori "TACO", and Kord; we love you guys!!

Ask-iversary

Okay, so there's no such thing as an "ask-iversary" but tomorrow is two years since the day my beloved man asked me to be his forever.

We went to our church couple's class Christmas Party where we were asked to give our testimony on how we came to know the Lord and how we come to know and love each other. We were surrounded by our closest friends and first I told my version of it all, then was his turn. I don't remember the version of our story that he told, but I do remember him saying, "She is my very best friend. She has proven that she can stand, no matter what. I never want to be without her again." This is where he got down on one knee in the floor in front of where I was sitting (and where the whole rest of the world magically disappeared) and said to me, "So, if you'll let me, I'm gonna put this ring on your finger now. Will you marry me?"

At that moment, nothing in the world was wrong or cold or bad. All was right in the entire universe. Amidst my sobs of happiness, I never actually answered him, so he had to ask, "Is that a yes?" To which I think I shook my head. It was so sweet and so wonderful. In that moment, I believe I was happier than I had been in a very, very long time.

My friend Katina took some video, which sadly got lost, but she took this picture as soon as I regained my composure

Exactly ten days later, on December 18th, we were married. I think I love him more today than I did that day two years ago. I know that it will only continue to get better. He is my love, my best friend, my help meet, my beloved.

I am so very proud to be his wife. I am so very blessed and honored to be Mrs. Vaughn Lusk!

My Weekend

I pray that you all had a great weekend! Mine was very nice. Our good friends Keith and Michelle and their kids came by. My friend Sandi reminded us once again that we are loved. My husband installed the new microwave and we got a Christmas tree.

Saturday morning is generally a time for us. Its our weekly breakfast at JT's. I have come to look forward to it all week long. Its a time when we don't have to get fancied up, we just go, eat breakfast and spend some nice time together. No one is in a hurry, its just sweet.

Then was the microwave. This task included several trips to the hardware store, some McGuyver type thinking and the help of our friend Keith. Because of a brace inside the upper cabinet, the microwave had to be moved out about a quarter inch from the wall, so my very smart husband had to devise a plan to make the happen and the microwave still be safely secured to the wall. All I know is that it included a couple of large washer, some toggle bolts and 1/4 inch thick nuts. Here he is, working so hard, I am so blessed!

Our friends showed up while we were working on this, I always love having company. It was nice, too that Keith could help hold the microwave for Vaughn, it was kind too high for my short self to be of much help.

Then we went to Amarillo to Home Depot and got a pretty little fat tree. I love fat Christmas trees. I love real Christmas trees. I really love Christmas. We came home and set up the tree.

We gave it a day to drink up some water and for the branches to relax from being bound up during transport. Then last night, we turned on the Christmas music and decorated the tree.

I can't wait to have my kids home for Christmas. They won't be here until the 26th, but that will be our Christmas this year.

This is my favorite time of the year! If I can pray for you, please let me know.