Lessons from Lacey

It occurred to me at 5:30 this morning while cradling a shaking and crying Sheltie in our queen size bed that there are many, many lessons I can learn from my dog Lacey.  Please bear with me while I attempt to put into words the lesson God taught me through my dog this morning.

At approximately 5:30 am, David and I both were awakened by a terrible clap of thunder and our dark bedroom being illuminated by a huge flash of lightening.  I had taken Benadryl last night to combat mosquito bites from this weekend (to be recounted in a later blog post--this weekend, not the mosquito bites).  And if you know me and Benadryl...we don't make for a good pair.  I had been needing to take it all day due to a mosquito bite the size of a golf ball on my leg, but I am an embarrassment when I take it.  The thought of family Easter with David's extended family and Benadryl was enough to give me nightmares.  I envision being drunk would be something like me + Benadryl.  Slurred speech, crazy dreams, grogginess.  I have been known to forget having conversations with people while "under the influence" of Benadryl.  I'm surprised I woke up to the thunder.

Quickly following loud thunder clasp:

David: "What time is it?"
Sara fumbling for phone
Sara: "five thirty"
Lacey: insert crying noise here

Yes, with all of her wonderfully good qualities, we have recently learned with all of the tornadoes that have come through that Lacey does not like storms.  In fact, she shakes, cries, and goes crazy.  Honestly, this is unlike anything I've ever witnessed.

I looked at David who was trying to go back to sleep and said, "I think I'm going to have to get Lacey," all the while thinking I'd take her to the couch like I have done the past two weeks with her.  David doesn't like her in the bed.  To my surprise, he said "okay."  No grumble or groan.  Maybe he slipped some Benadryl last night too, I thought.

I opened her crate door and she walked the opposite direction.  I scooped her up and we went to the bed.  There is a window right next to my side of the bed which is not a good combo for a dog afraid of thunder and lightening.  I could feel her shaking in my arms.  And the panting began.  She continued to try to jump over me to David's side of the bed.

It was a battle like none other to get her to lay down.  She refused, continued to shake, and panted heavily all the while trying to escape my arms to go to David.

Finally, in a last effort to not have to move to the couch so David could sleep, I reached out, picked up David's hand and put it on her head.  He gently petted her in his sleepiness and told her it would be okay.  And strangely, our dog quit fighting my arms and laid down between the two of us.  David went back to sleep, and I continued to hold her shaking body. 

Crazy dog, I thought.  The safest place to be right now is in my arms!  I wanted to scream at her, "why won't you believe that Lacey?"

As I put my hand on her head to cover her eyes, it occurred to me.  Do I do this to God?

Do I run when God calls me to him?  When He opens the door of my little world, do I go the opposite direction? Away from His safety? 

"Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Matthew 11:28

Does He seek me out, scoop me up in His loving arms, and whisper that this storm will pass?

 ¹¹"For thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I, I myself will search for my sheep and will seek them out. ¹²As a shepherd seeks out his flock when he is among his sheep that have been scattered, so will I seek out my sheep, and I will rescue them from all places where they have been scattered on a day of clouds and thick darkness. ¹³And I will bring them out from the peoples and gather them from the countries, and will bring them into their own land. And I will feed them on the mountains of Israel, by the ravines, and in all the inhabited places of the country. ¹⁴I will feed them with good pasture, and on the mountain heights of Israel shall be their grazing land. There they shall lie down in good grazing land, and on rich pasture they shall feed on the mountains of Israel. ¹⁵I myself will be the shepherd of my sheep, and I myself will make them lie down, declares the Lord GOD. ¹⁶I will seek the lost, and I will bring back the strayed, and I will bind up the injured, and I will strengthen the weak, and the fat and the strong I will destroy. I will feed them in justice. Ezekiel 34:11-16

Do I fight His arms and struggle to get to what I think is safer?  Better?  Clearer?  Trying to handle things on my own?

²²One day he got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, "Let us go across to the other side of the lake." So they set out, ²³and as they sailed he fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water and were in danger. ²⁴And they went and woke him, saying, "Master, Master, we are perishing!" And he awoke and rebuked the wind and the raging waves, and they ceased, and there was a calm. ²⁵He said to them, "Where is your faith?" And they were afraid, and they marveled, saying to one another, "Who then is this, that he commands even winds and water, and they obey him?"  Luke 8:22-25

Do I need him to say, it will be okay when I should already know that He is bigger and badder than anything that could try to hurt me?

³¹What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? ³²He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things?.......³⁸For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:31-32, 38-39

Do I tremble until He covers my eyes so that I can only see the little piece of His plan right in front of me so not to be overwhelmed by the entire puzzle of life?

Why oh why can't I just run straight to Him in a storm and let Him envelop me in His shelter, trusting that He will protect me from everything?

 ¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
   will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  Psalm 91:1

This was my lesson for today.  All at 5:30am.  All while souped up on Benadryl.  All because of a dog.  God works in mysterious ways.

I'm pretty sure Lacey would like hanging out with God.  He is after all the Shepherd, we are His sheep, and Lacey could be His Shetland Sheepdog.  I hope this is a good case for there being dogs in Heaven.  Every Shepherd could use a good Sheepdog.

¹⁴I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, ¹⁵just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep.  John 10:14-15

Psalm 77

In the Day of Trouble I Seek the Lord

To the choirmaster: according to Jeduthun. A Psalm of Asaph.

 ¹I cry aloud to God,
   aloud to God, and he will hear me.
²In the day of my trouble I seek the Lord;
   in the night my hand is stretched out without wearying;
   my soul refuses to be comforted.
³When I remember God, I moan;
   when I meditate, my spirit faints.
                         Selah

 ⁴You hold my eyelids open;
   I am so troubled that I cannot speak.
⁵I consider the days of old,
   the years long ago.
⁶I said, "Let me remember my song in the night;
   let me meditate in my heart."
   Then my spirit made a diligent search:
⁷"Will the Lord spurn forever,
   and never again be favorable?
⁸Has his steadfast love forever ceased?
   Are his promises at an end for all time?
⁹Has God forgotten to be gracious?
    Has he in anger shut up his compassion?"
                         Selah

 ¹⁰Then I said, "I will appeal to this,
   to the years of the right hand of the Most High."

 ¹¹I will remember the deeds of the LORD;
   yes, I will remember your wonders of old.
¹²I will ponder all your work,
   and meditate on your mighty deeds.
¹³Your way, O God, is holy.
    What god is great like our God?
¹⁴You are the God who works wonders;
   you have made known your might among the peoples.
¹⁵You with your arm redeemed your people,
   the children of Jacob and Joseph.
                         Selah

 ¹⁶When the waters saw you, O God,
   when the waters saw you, they were afraid;
   indeed, the deep trembled.
¹⁷The clouds poured out water;
   the skies gave forth thunder;
   your arrows flashed on every side.
¹⁸The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
    your lightnings lighted up the world;
   the earth trembled and shook.
¹⁹Your way was through the sea,
   your path through the great waters;
   yet your footprints were unseen.
²⁰You led your people like a flock
   by the hand of Moses and Aaron.

Happy Birthday Dear Brittany

Before I begin this post, I need everyone of you to know that Brittany Martin celebrated her 25th birthday....on April 12th.

I woke up this morning in Starkville, and the first thing I thought as Lacey licked me to let me know she wanted to get up {David was in Memphis}, was that I needed to wish my dear friend Brittany a very Happy Birthday.  I had thought about writing this post many days ago to be ready to publish for her birthday but had been distracted with school and laundry. 

Now you may remember my friend Brittany from her Top 7 things about me list. Brittany and I go way back so I want to take a moment to tell you all about our friendship.  This blog post is, after all, dedicated to our friendship and her birthday. Which is today.  Or so I thought this morning.

Brittany and I met our freshman year when we were on Freshmen Forum with the one and only Elisha Blades.  Brittany thought I was engaged.  I thought Brittany was an over achiever.  She basically did anything and everything that Elisha needed her to.  I later learned that Brittany is such a detailed person like I am and will ALWAYS do anything anyone asks her to do {within reason} if it means helping them.  She later learned I wasn't engaged.  Brittany still can't tell her left hand from her right hand! ;)

Brit pledged Chi O when she was a sophomore, and I was ecstatic!  Not only was Brittany going to love Chi O, but Chi O had no idea what they were gaining in Brittany--an incredible, dedicated, all-in girl!

This was us at the Black, White, and Red all over date party.  We hung out all night because both of our dates didn't really like to dance.  I think my brother hung out with us too.  That's a totally different story!

Brit and I were party friends frequently.  The above picture is from formal sophomore year. 

From the time we set foot on campus for our freshman orientation, Brittany and I wanted to be Orientation Leaders.  So much so that I tried out twice and she tried out three times.  We both commented on how we knew that it was God's purpose that we did not get selected in previous years.  We definitely were supposed to be on the team together and with the others that were there.  Isn't it wonderful how He works ALL things together for His purpose!

Seems like Brittany was always campaigning for something, and I was always getting roped into wearing the t-shirt for it! :)

At our Cinco de Chi O party. Don't we look Mexican?

On my bachelorette party.  My creative friend made us all t-shirts for the weekend.  The bridesmaids said bridesmaids in rhinestone letters. 

Brit was one of my girls standing up there with me for my wedding, and I'm so thankful she did!

Just a few things you should know about Brittany:

1. She will do anything for anyone. {I know I mentioned it already, but it's worth mentioning again}
2. She LOVES all things K.Raye and owl related.  {just like me}
3. She is unafraid to be creative at the expense of being "cheesy."
4. She's passionate about many things: her job, her friends, the Lord, decorating with owls, MSU football--list could go on and on!
5. I love spending time with her.  She makes people feel like they are her best friend--including me!
6. We've both walked through some "stuff," and Brittany has been there a BILLION times to listen to my mini-meltdowns and remind me that God is faithful.  I try to do the same for her, though I'm sure hoping God uses me in some way for her heart because I'm not sure I could repay her for what she means to me!
7. She remembers all important dates.

So back to my story from this morning.  Lacey licks me, which would be totally disgusting, but look at this face:

Lacey licks me, I think, "I must text Brittany Happy Birthday."  I then remember that Brittany attended the simulcast of Secret Church {which is awesome by the way}, so she probably won't be awake since it lasted until midnight {or later}.  So I think, I'll just get on Facebook and write on her wall then text her later today.  Well.  I get on Facebook.  And as you've already figured out, I realized her birthday was not in fact the 23rd like I thought.  It was April 12th.

Oh. My. Gosh.

How. Could. I. Do. This?

What on earth should I do next?

Well, the most logical thing of course...text Brittany and tell her what I've done!  {You do need to know at this point that I gave her her present the first weekend of April, so at least she knew I knew her birthday was approaching!}

My suggestion to Brittany?  Consider changing your birthday to the 23rd! :)

My friend Brittany's response?  Hey, at least I get to celebrate longer!

I may celebrate Brittany's birthday on the 12th and the 23rd every year now.  Sound fun?

Songs for the Season

Every year in about October, I get antsy.  Why, you ask?  Well, Thanksgiving is around the corner which of course means it's almost time for one of my favorite things ever. And strangely, I'm not talking about the Egg Bowl!

If you guessed Christmas, you'd be correct.  But more than just Christmas, the changing weather of October brings with it a desire to break out the Christmas tunes!  {Let's face it, I'd like to break them out in July when Hobby Lobby puts out the Christmas decor, but I don't think my hubby would approve}.  Christmas music seriously has to be one of my FAVORITE things about Christmastime.

Well, about two years ago, I made the decision to celebrate Easter in the same way.  Shouldn't we have Easter CDs too?  I mean just think about it.  Maybe you disagree, but I decided to create a compilation specific to my Savior and what He did for me.  As we go into this Passion Week before Easter on Sunday, I wanted to share with you my list.  It is an ever evolving list, and there are definitely hundreds more songs that I could have included on it.  These are just a few I choose to celebrate the week with.  While they may not be the author, I included the artist that sings my favorite version and tried to include links to the youtube videos.

1. Hosanna by Christy Nockels
2. Come and Listen by David Crowder Band
3. Why by Nicole Nordeman {love this song}
4. Lead Me to the Cross by Hillsong United
5. Crimson by Nicole Nordeman {Chopin's Prelude in E min--really cool song}
6. Nothing But the Blood by Matt Redman
7. At the Cross Where I First Saw the Light by John Sherrill Band
8. At the Cross by Hillsong
9. The Wonderful Cross by Matt Redman and Chris Tomlin
10. Mighty Is the Power of the Cross by Chris Tomlin
11. Lord, I Need You by Chris Tomlin
12. Amazing Grace {My Chains Are Gone} by Chris Tomlin
13. Jesus Paid It All by Kristian Stanfill
14. The Glory of Your Name by Christy Nockels
15. The Glory of it All by David Crowder Band
16. In Christ Alone by Avalon
17. Salvation is Here by Kristian Stanfill {link is Hillsong United singing it}
18. We Win by David Crowder {I know it's really about Jericho, but we have already won!}
19. Set Free by Chris Tomlin and Matt Redman
20. Shadow of Your Cross by Joel Engle
21. Carry Your Name by Christy Nockels
22. Awesome God by Hillsong
23. Our God Reigns by Chris Tomlin, Matt Redman, Charlie Hall, David Crowder

So if you were making an Easter CD, what would you include on it?  I just might have to add them to my ever-expanding playlist!

Learning to Reupholster

I have been referencing this post for a couple of months now.  I just haven't gotten around to writing it!  So here is my chair redo from a few months ago! Enjoy! 

A few months ago, David's mom discovered that Days Inn was redecorating.  That meant that they were "Garage Sale-ing" a bunch of furniture.  {And yes, I know it should be "selling," but it was a garage sale of sorts}.  So she headed over to see what they had to offer.  She found a few pieces of furniture that were priced and two small parsons chairs. When she asked them what they would charge for the chairs, they responded, "oh you can just take those."

Yes, I know, super ugly. But what you may or may not know about my mother-in-law is that she is an expert at reupholstering furniture.  So she reupholstered her two chairs.  She mentioned something about them to me when we were out searching for lamp shades.  I freaked out.  I had been looking at two from Target that were on sale for $99.  Free...$99....free....$99.  Hm. So she went back the next day and asked them if she could get some more.  I think she came home with 7 more.  Two more for her, and two for me.  She still has a few left that I think she plans to redo to go with some of the furniture that she bought.  ALL FREE.

After discussing with my Mom, we decided I should invest in some nice fabric that would stand up to people sitting in it.  She knows me, and she knows it is hard for me to throw things away, sell them, etc.  I recently sold our old bedspread on Craigslist and she had a freak-out moment in which she asked me was I her same child.  I thought her blood pressure was going to spike.  Then I'd have to call my dad and tell him I gave my mom a heart attack because I actually sold something.  Please note our green chairs, coffee table, lamps, microwave table, or the desk from my childhood that my mom was going to get rid of, but I rescued to my home, among other things that she or my mother-in-law gave us.  I can't stand to get rid of something.  But she did not spike her blood pressure and she did not have a heart attack.  Thank goodness.  She did ask me to sell some of her stuff on Craigslist though.  If you'd like to sign up for that deal, let me know.  Our cut will be an even 70/30.  Me 70, you 30.  Haha. Maybe we can come up with something else....50/50?

Anyway, I digress.

I bought fabric from Hobby Lobby and set out to remove the bajillion million katrillion staples that had been used to secure the hideous fabric to the Days Inn chairs.  And yes, bajillion and katrillion are words...infinite number of numbers...remember?  Barrrzillion if you prefer Mississippi talk!

After I got them out, I Febreezed the heck out of my chairs.  I even sprayed Lysol on them.  I mean, you don't know who has set in them.  Then I set to work on staining the legs.

Oh staining the legs....where to begin.  I will HAVE to remember to get Danielle to teach me how to stain things because 1 week, $40, varnish stripper {I typed only "stripper" first and then added varnish! Haha!  VARNISH stripper}, putty knife scraper, and stained hands & clothing & yes, even shoes later, no stained chair legs.  UGH! Can we say frustrating.  I'm pretty sure I sanded those legs 18 hundred million katrillion jillion {here we go again} times.  Finally, I had a genius idea....yep, you guessed it.  Spray paint.  

Now we pause for an Ode to Spray Paint

Ode to Spray Paint, how I love thee

When I'm so frustrated with my project, you make me feel artsy.

You fix my mess You dry my tears

Be my compadre for many, many more years!

And now, I promise to leave the poem writing to David.  If you don't know what I'm talking about, you should read our engagement story...here.  I can't believe that's still online!

Okay...seriously, back to the chairs.  I spray painted my legs..I mean, the legs.  And some of my legs.  And off we went at my reupholstering lesson.  The following are pictures of the progress:

 

Well, what do you think?  I learned a few lessons in my first reupholstering endeavor {staining not included}:

1. Be sure to not manicure your nails before beginning pulling staples out.
2. Have plenty of band aids on hand while pulling out staples.
3. Have a husband near by to finish the last part of staple removing because you seriously can't feel your fingers anymore.
4. While heavy duty fabric is a good idea for wear and tear, not so much for trying to staple the folds of the extremely thick fabric.
5. Always check what end the staples are coming out of the staple gun.

I just realized EVERY one of these lessons involves staples.  You've been warned. All in all, it was worth it.  I'm pretty sure I'll be up for doing it again, just not anytime soon!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to my Mother-in-law, who without, NONE of this would have been possible!

Pottery Barn Headboard Makeover

You'll be happy to know I have begun our guest bedroom redo, and it is coming along SO well!  I don't want to post a picture until it is all of the way complete, which I realize could be awhile!  But I guess that means, you'll have to either A. Come see us or B. Keep checking the blog.  Which of course, I wouldn't know if you are or not because you all never comment.  But that's another story!

So in beginning the room redo {you can view our home in this post}, you will remember seeing our lonely queen size bed on a frame.  Well I've been trying to come up with headboard options for awhile.

My personal favorite of the DIY blogs I read--Frugal with Flourish--found this cute headboard made from beadboard (below), and while I THINK my landlord would have let me nail it to the wall if I promised to take it down when we left, I didn't want to ask her.  However, I did think that this was a very good CHEAP possibility.

Then I thought maybe I could do something where we framed beadboard and attached it to the frame.  Then I started looking online and found an example like this headboard below : 

Which made me remember the headboard that one of my friends did from an old mantle that she found at an antique store.  I had asked her about it awhile back because I thought I might could recreate it.

So after alllll of this brainstorming, I was exhausted at the thought of taking on a project of this magnitude.  Because, let's be honest, any of the above would require a WONDERFUL husband (check), a saw (no check), buying wood (easy enough), and a bunch of time from said wonderful husband to make it work.  More of a burden on him.  And since we haven't spent the past five weekends in Memphis, I wasn't sure when exactly said headboard project would be started, much less completed.

So what does a girl do when she is frustrated that her dreams won't become a reality?  Turn to Craigslist of course!  Now, don't get me wrong, Craigslist does not always have good buys.  However, I found a white headboard that looked great in a terrible picture on Craigslist.  And the cost was only $30.  STEAL.  It was no where near what I described above.  I would find a picture, but it's not on Craigslist anymore.  It had two cut outs that I thought would be perfect for upholstering fabric and nailing in the cut outs.  So David called, he still had it, and off we went.

Sketchy Craigslist shopping, nice old man, not so nice area of Memphis.  We arrived.  Lacey still had stitches so I had her with us because the thought of putting that dumb eCollar on her was awful to me!  I jumped out of the truck.  We walked to the back of the house to his garage where he had somewhere around 15 headboards and footboards.  He directed us around a corner where the headboard we called about was stacked behind "a few others," he said.  We rounded the corner and it was like the Hallelujah chorus was sounding.  This is what we saw (pardon the bad picture--it was taken on my cell phone) in front of the other headboards:

Now you tell me that isn't perfect to what I described above.  And all it needed was my TLC and a can or two of spray paint.  I think I'm scarred when it comes to real paint from doing this project.  Primer and I did not get along during this project, and after 4 coats of red paint, the microwave cart finally wasn't pink anymore!

So we purchased this headboard {for $30.00!!!!} and took it home!  On the way home, we stopped by Home Depot and spent $15.00 on 4 cans of spray paint. It was perfect. The perfect combination of beadboard and mantle! The wood on top that makes the mantle is probably about 4-5 inches deep.

So began the spray painting the next day.  As you can tell from this zoomed out picture, I had lots of help.  Honestly, I just didn't want her licking her stitches, so I made her do everything with me!

Unfortunately, we were in a hurry that day to get out of town for a wedding that weekend.  So I didn't take any in between shots.  I snapped this picture while David was attaching it to the frame the next week.  Basically, I sprayed brown paint in the corners and crevices.  Then sprayed it Heirloom White and sanded the corners and beadboard to show brown all the way through.  $45.00 later and I love, Love, LOVE the result!

Doesn't this look just like something from Pottery Barn?  Wait till you see it with the bedspread and pillows on it! And the accessories in the room.  I'll give you a hint:

You'll have to stay tuned to see the rest of the room, though I can't promise it will be anytime soon!  Let me hear your thoughts!

Also, I have another random question that I need blogland help with.  Does anyone own a diecut machine?  I want a Cricut, but maybe I don't.  And since Birthday cash will be coming soon, I'm trying to decide if A. It's worth the money. B. If I want one bad enough. and C. Which one is right for me.  Even if I go with the Cricut, there are about 4 different types.  Anyone have one?  Anyone have any suggestions?  Anyone know one with suggestions?

30 Year Old Lamp Redo

A long, long time ago, when my parent's got married, they bought all new furniture for their fancy sitting room.  Maybe not a long, long time ago, since I did reveal that they have been married for 30 years here.  So 30 years ago (approx), they bought two lamps that looked like this:

Now, said lamps were a tad bit more maroon than this picture would lead one to believe.  They did, at one time, have lampshades.  And 28 years later, my parents decided to FINALLY redo their living room and get rid of these lamps.  And guess who inherited them? Why yes, that would be me.


However, given my addiction to spray paint, I REALLY wanted to change their color.  But my roommate wouldn't let me get rid of the maroon.  We are, after all, Bulldog fans.  Maroon just suited our MSU apartment.  But, when David and I got married and moved, all spray paint limits were off.

I informed David that I was going to be spray painting our lamps, and he, like my roommate, was skeptical.  But he came home one day to spray painted lamps.  Now, if you've already seen photos of our home, you may recognize these lamps from our bedroom.  If not, you can go here to see our home.

I started with primer spray paint and added my favorite oil rubbed bronze spray paint and wound up with this...

I loved the change! But I was beginning to regret throwing away the lampshades as I could find NONE that would fit these lamps.  I needed them to be big, but not overpowering.  Enter my mother-in-law who took me to a place in West Memphis, Arkansas to purchase cheap shades.  And they match our bedspread so well!  You can't see all the way in this picture, but there are stripes that sort of somewhat resemble zebra stripes on the shades.  You can see our bedspread next to the end table and you can tell how well they match!

I love these lamps.  1. Because they were free.  2. Because they have family history. 3. Because if I want to throw them away and get new lamps one day, it won't be a big deal.  Here's hoping I can do it before 28 years of marriage.  The lamps would be approximately 58 years old then!  And maybe by then, there will probably be a new form of electricity!

They are perfect for us right now though!  Let me know what you guys think!  {More projects to come this week...as I did the projects 3 months ago and am just getting around to sharing}.

Chi Omega Yours Forever

Wow...what an eventful week it has been in the Adams family!  After a few days without power (more to come on that one later), I have found myself slipping further and further behind.  One area that has fallen victim to this is the blog!  I have about 5 posts needing to be written, and yet, I have none done.  So please forgive me.  The next five posts should have been written weeks ago, but I am going to try to catch you all up on our lives in different blog posts.  Because let's be honest, no one has time to read a fifteen page blog post...especially when it is authored by yours truly!

Since my last blog post, there was a reunion of sorts that occurred!  Chi Omega celebrated their 75th anniversary at Mississippi State University!  That's kind of a big deal.  When I found out about the party that would take place the weekend of April 2nd, I immediately began planning a reunion of sorts for my pledge class.  What originated with my friend Brittany as a fun way to see everyone, quickly turned into an owl party of sorts. 

Brittany pretending to be an owl

This party all started with some cute invitations that I made.  I, of course, blurred out important details that I didn't want to share with the world on here, but you can get the gist from these pictures.  Thank you to my wonderful hubby for writing the super cute poem for our invites.

The paper underneath the velum.

We showed up Friday night to put together our decorations and bake food for the party.  I'm so sad that I can't make these photos go in the order that I would like, but formatting is so difficult on blogger.  So you'll have to bear with me.

Super cute oreo cupcakes.  Recipe can be found here.  Of course, I took the easy way out and just used a box mix and icing.

I had this fabulous idea to create an owl tree of sorts.  I wanted it to look super springy in our home for the party.  So we gathered some branches and hung owls all over.  It turned out as a neat centerpiece. {more photos of it to follow}

The Chi Omega Symphony

Our picture/clothespin wall. 

Owl Peeps!  I found this idea online as well.  They turned out super cute.  I had bought a bunch of heart shaped peeps at valentines day so it worked out well.  Love My Peeps Pops.

We had to have an owl cheeseball.  I used just a basic cheese ball recipe, added sliced cucumber and squash for the eyes, the "neck" of the squash for the nose, and slivered almonds for the feathers.  I used this photo of a cake to get my ideas rolling. But I thought we had too many sweet things already, so I deferred the idea to a cheese ball instead of a cake.

Brittany made these OHHH so cute owl s'mores which can be found here.  I'm not sure if you can see the nametags for the food or not, but they are made out of the same paper as the invitation and include a stamped on red owl.  These we titled, "Makin' S'more Owl Memories"

Chi Omega's colors are Cardinal and Straw, so we chose a red and yellow theme for our drinks.  We made lemonade and fruit punch with strawberries and lemons. And if you are a frequent reader of the blog, you can see Captain Rodney's in the background.  It had not made it to the table at this point, but had already been eaten.  It did eventually make it to the table!

Owls in the tree:

You are likely to see most of these again when Christmastime rolls around and I put up photos of our Christmas tree(s).

My friend Megan of Happy Bakes made the CUTEST mini owl cupcakes.  You can read her blog post about the weekend o' fun here.

Yes, Brittany wore red and yellow.  I promised I wouldn't make fun of her on the blog! :)  So I'm not!

So, so glad y'all got to join us!

Meg wore red and yellow too, but we really should have expected this! In fact, I bet Brittany that she would!

This little guy is PRECIOUS!  He is one of the girl's sons. {It's a tad weird to me that some of my friends have kids...am I old enough for that?}

His family is moving back to Starkville {lucky kid!} and you can read his mommy's blog here.

Seriously so cute! He loved the cowbells in the background.  His dad would say, "where are the cowbells?" and he would point to them.

Now after we had so much fun catching up and hanging out, we were due to be on campus in the Union.  They had a big program planned.  I'm not one to love sitting in a planned program for 2 hours.  Yes, TWO hours.  Honestly, I was most excited about seeing my friends and having some of them spend the night afterward.  But I have to hand it to Chi Omega.  The program was AMAZING!  It was so enjoyable and entertaining.  From the pictures of the Chi Omega house being built to the rush skits that the actives did from years past--it was like a time machine took us back through the 75 years of Phi Delta Chi Omegas.  I had so much fun laughing at stories and rush skits.  It made me miss living in the Chi Omega house.  There were lots of people to see and meet and reconnect with. 

Some of the only actives left that I know!  Love you both!

Beautiful flowers from the tables.  {I love tulips}

This is the lady responsible for getting me to go Chi Omega.  Love her!  Love that they said "Chi Omega is Inter-generational Friendships." So, so, so true!

 A rush skit from back in the day.  It was the Sound of Chi O, based off of the Sound of Music.  I think it was from 1945. 

My little sis and past president. 

After an eventful afternoon on campus, my group headed back to my house to spend the night.  We had fun staying up late and remembering "the good old days."  Haha.  We told funny stories, talked about weddings that are coming up, and even acted like high school girls again at some points in the night.  I'm so glad that God blessed me with such incredible friendships!  The entire weekend was based off of our Symphony.  It is one of the most special things that I think Chi Omega has, and I hope I will always have it displayed in my house.  Not only is it important for a Chi Omegas college years, but I think it it something that she takes with her throughout her lifetime.

To live constantly above snobbery of word or deed;
to place scholarship before social obligations and character before appearances;
to be, in the best sense, democratic rather than 'exclusive', and lovable rather than 'popular';
to work earnestly, to speak kindly, to act sincerely, to choose thoughtfully that course which occasion and conscience demand;
to be womanly always; to be discouraged never;
in a word, to be loyal under any and all circumstances to my Fraternity and her highest teachings and to have her welfare ever at heart that she may be a symphony of high purpose and helpfulness in which there is no discordant note. Ethel Switzer Howard, Xi Chapter
1904

And lastly, you knew that Lacey was in attendance at the Chi O weekend.  So she had to have an accessory.  Her red and yellow bow was perfect.  However, about three seconds after these photos were taken, she used her paw to pull it out.  Needless to say, Lacey is not a big fan of bows!