My Dad

My dad is great.

He can fix ANYTHING.

He's so smart.

First Blog Giveaway Ever!! {Sew Sweetly Loved} Etsy Shop

I am so excited to announce my first blog giveaway EVER!

This is Charissa. I met her way back in the day when I was in college. Jeremy and I were Young Life leaders and Charissa was involved with Young Life. That leader/student relationship blossomed into a friendship. She is absolutely precious.

And she just married Ryan about eight months ago.  They are absolutely adorable.  It was hard to pick just one picture of them because they have SO MUCH FUN together!

And she's just launched her Etsy shop {Sew Sweetly Loved}
  To celebrate, she's giving away a hair clip and earring set to a lucky LifeUncontainable reader!

"A whimsical and unique flower hair clip and earring set is just what you need to add some color to your summer wardrobe! The felt flower can be clipped in your hair, on a headband, or your favorite long necklace! The sweet button earrings compliment the clip for your casual or dressy outfit.

These items were handmade with love in my smoke-free home."

Aren't they so summery and cheerful?  Each item is handmade and one of a kind.  The set is so cute so, I know you're wondering how you can enter!

It's all in the comments, kids.

There are five ways to enter.  You'll get one entry for each item you do.  A random number generator will select the winner of the comments posted before 11:59pm on Tuesday, June 22, 2011.

1. Tell me how you found this giveaway. Leave a comment below: "I'm already a LifeUncontainable Reader" or write the name of the person who referred you.
2. Go to Charissa's Etsy Shop {Sew Sweetly Loved}, check out her items, and Favorite her shop.  Leave a comment below: "I favorited Sew Sweetly Loved."
3. Go to {Sew Sweetly Loved's Facebook page} and click to Like It.  Leave a comment below:  "I liked Sew Sweetly Loved."
4. Click the share on Facebook link below and tell your Facebook friends about this giveaway.  Leave a comment below: "I shared Sew Sweetly Loved's giveaway."
5. Copy and retweet this on Twitter: RT @htowndaners "Click to win the Sew Sweetly Loved Giveaway on LifeUncontainable http://tinyurl.com/5sjhc85  Leave a comment below:  "I tweeted Sew Sweetly Loved's giveaway."



Enter up to five times, once per task.  Be sure to follow LifeUncontainable or include your e-mail address in your comment, so that I can contact you if you win.

Good luck!

Festivities!

I feel like I've been absent from the blogging world.

I've missed it!

I've missed y'all!

(and I have a special giveaway announcement coming up, too.)

I've had some celebrating to do.  My birthday was May 20.  My mom instilled in me a love for birthdays and celebrating, so the party just ended Wednesday night.  I know it's almost a month later.  Don't judge.

My birthday was filled with texts, phone calls, and Facebook wall posts.  It was fun to hear from so many people.  I was giddy all day.  Virginia took me to lunch at {100% Taquito}.  I have a minor obsession with that place and Virginia has never been, but I think I made a believer out of her.  It wasn't hard.  The tacos speak for themselves.

The kiddos each chose a pair of earrings for me.  So sweet!

Jeremy and his mom got me the camera bag I asked for!

But, my goodness, it was not canary yellow like the picture seemed.  It was a whole lot more mustard-y.  So it's going back and a pewter one is on the way.

Some of my friends brought gifts by my house.  Super sweet!

Meredith brought a fun nail color...

...complete with birthday balloon!

(And I know that she was crazy-busy that day, so it meant a lot that she stopped by to do that.)

 Ambre brought this cool sign.  She has all kinds of neat Bible verses and quotes around her house.

 I like having the reminder, too.  I may need to expand my collection of scripture-inspired decor!

Helen gave me this pretty and yummy Scentsy warmer.  {Scentsy}, where have you been all my life?  (That's a link to her consultant page.  Check it out!)

When I got home from work, the Carlisle family joined us for dinner at our place.  Jeremy made filet minon, roasted asparagus, and pita crisps.  He is a fantastic cook!

But that's not all...

Jeremy bought two dozen cake balls from Angie's Cake.  And they are TO DIE FOR!

My tummy is rumbling just looking at these photos again....

Top:  vanilla, Middle:  birthday cake, Bottom:  chocolate

Top: snickers, Middle: lemon, Bottom: s'mores

I had to make more cake balls after seeing these pictures.  Wish I had more pictures of the evening with friend and the delicious food to show you!

So.... that was pretty much an incredible day!  But it didn't end there.  The next day, my BFF & Sister, Jill, came to visit with my nephew, {Aaron} for the weekend.  I was beside myself when I found a great deal on tickets just a couple days before my birthday.  At last check, they had been $800!  What?!?  They dropped drastically, so she snatched one up.

We planned a little Girls Night Out.  We started out with dinner at Char House and watching the {JJ Worthen} trio play.  They played my current song obsession, Journey's "Don't Stop Believin'", just for me.  P.S.  JJ is Jess' husband, so she has a little pull that way. ;) 

me, Jess, Jill, Christie

 After that, we got our groove on, which was great!  Lots of fun.  (...except for being stepped on with a stiletto just 3/4" from my surgery site on my foot.  Yikes!  She was nice about it, but I had a perfect stiletto-shaped indented print in my foot the next morning.  It later turned into massive swelling.  Oy!  Totally worth it, though.)  Jill got to stay until Tuesday and it was so great to spend time with her.

The day Jill left, I met up with Amy for dinner at Japaneiros.  We talked life and mommyhood.  It was awesome to get to know her better and she surprised my by buying it as my birthday dinner!

The celebration was set on To Be Continued for a bit.  Life and travels got in the way, but we finished up this week!

Monday night, the girls from my small group went to dinner with me at Yia Yia Mary's.  I've been meaning to go there for years and hadnt' made it over there until Monday.  It was everything my inner Greek girl could hope for!

Gina, Martha, Ambre, me, Heidi, Erin
We had Saganaki Cheese-fried cheese fried tableside! Opa!

And last, but not least, on Wednesday, I had a Birthday dinner date at Japaneiro's with my mentor from church.  (Don't go judging on the Japaneiro's thing, either. I {heart} that place!)  Diana and I both have May birthdays, so we decided a while ago that we'd have to celebrate together!

It had been a while since we'd seen each other, so it was great to catch up!

Whew!  Party animal, right?!?  And completely spoiled beyong belief.  No wonder I'm tired!

Don't forget about the giveaway announcement!  Stay tuned... it may even be tonight.  I cannot wait to tell you about it!

Granny. If you had a granny like our Granny, you'd be lucky, too.

Granny.

She was the sweetest little fireball I have ever met.

She loved us all immensely.

And we loved her.

She was witty and never short of a come back.

Her only daughter (my mother-in-law), Nancy, was her best friend.  I'm pretty sure of it.

She'd beat the tar out of you in cards and not feel bad about it.  Not one bit.

Speaking of tar, she was an avid Tar Heels fan.

She walked with a limp her whole life, but never once did I hear her complain in the 14 years I knew her.

She was close to her son-in-law.

If you ever got the upper hand in a game, she'd made a little fist and wave it around threateningly.  I loved that.  It cracked me up!

She had two grandsons.  In her mind, they hung the moon.  You could tell.

She loved Nicki and I like we'd been there all along.

She joked around.  Even right up til the end, I'm told.

She was passionate about food.  In the midst of enjoying this meal, she'd always be anticipating the next one.

She had seven great-grandchildren, who had the priviledge of knowing her and spending time playing, cuddling, chatting and reading with her.

She had a wall full of framed photos of the ones she loved in her living room.

I'm gonna miss her hugs.

Her cards for every occasion.

The way she'd say, "Love you!"

How she'd nod off and insist that she was awake.

Her cranberry jelly.

Playing board games and card games with her.

Her honesty.

How she'd hold the little ones and chat with the big boys.

Granny was a very special lady and we will miss her.

She has left quite a legacy.

And now she is enjoying her inheritance with her Savior!

³ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ⁴ to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, ⁵ who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, ⁷ so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; ⁸ and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, ⁹ obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls.

I Peter 1:3-9