Michelle

We’re Getting a Puppy!

February 26, 2019 by Michelle Filed Under: Being a Mom, Life Leave a Comment

Y’all, Andrew and I are SO very excited to share with you that WE ARE GETTING A PUPPY!! It’s been almost 4 years since we lost our sweet Lil-bug. We still miss her so much and Reynolds says that he still remembers her…and LEGIT prays for her almost every night {along with my mom}.

Several months ago, maybe even a year ago {or more? I lost track of time!} we started talking about getting a new dog for our family. Emory loves every dog he sees and Reynolds needs a four-legged friend, and I think a little responsibility. And in all of our conversations about dogs, what kind, how big, etc., we settled on a Goldendoodle and started our journey to finding our new family member.

Fast forward to just a couple of months ago, when we found a breeder in Pickens, SC {near Greenville, for my non-SC friends} that would have a litter sometime early February. We inquired about the litter and were told then that they wouldn’t know until closer to the due date how many puppies there would be, but that we could of course get on their waiting list. We jumped in, last on the list, but expectant.

The puppies were born on 2/1 and a few days after that we received an email from the owner with some details and information. They had more deposits than puppies, so they opted to give up a boy puppy from a December litter that they originally had wanted to keep. Thankfully, someone opted for this cute little guy, which meant, WE would now get a puppy!

At this point I started stalking these sweet babies on their Facebook page – Double U Doodles. First a few pictures, then videos, we were all immediately and completely smitten by these sweet little faces. Reynolds even saw a video and announced that he wanted “Red Boy”.

We asked the kids the other night what names they could come up with for a girl or boy dog, and though I can’t remember them, they were all quite silly and unrealistic from a mom’s perspective.

Well, today was the day that Andrew and I got to go visit these sweet puppies so after dropping off all the kids at their respective schools, we hit the road, north. The drive was quick and beautiful. Andrew worked and made phone calls while I listened to the Today show {Hulu is amazing!}. Our visit was limited from 11am-12pm and I wanted every bit of that hour to meet these sweet little pups.

We pulled up to the gate promptly at 11am…no other visitors were there so it was just us and the puppies, all to ourselves. They were fast asleep, in a little puppy clump when we sat down next to their pen.

They were seriously so much cuter in person. The owner/breeder, Rebecca was so sweet – in her email she’d stated that we wouldn’t get to hold these sweet pups because they were still so young, but today she squirted hand-sanitizer on our hands and opened the pen for us to love on them!

I didn’t tell Andrew, but I wanted them ALL. In that very moment.
Rebecca told us that most people wanted a ‘red’ puppy – there are three of those: two girls: Flower Girl and Pink Girl and one boy: Red Boy. Sort of figuring we won’t get one of those {Reynolds may be slightly heart broken…but hopefully not}, we focused first on “Blue Boy” a Sable colored little fella – brown and black and “Turquoise Girl” who is black with little bits of white on her paws.

Blue Boy, asleep on my legs…y’all. so sweet!

Turquoise Girl…who made the sweetest little sounds. She reminded me of Eliza Jane..we call her ‘Squeaker’, and have since the moment she was born. This one could be ‘Squeaker 2’.

This is Pink Girl…she actually came over to me and all but put herself in my arms…and then fell asleep. I may have fallen in love with her.

Me with both Pink Girl and Blue Boy…both asleep.

We had such a fun time holding these sweet puppies; Rebecca was a delight and made my day by letting us play with them. Before we left we gave her our top 4 list, which was actually really hard. I hated having a ‘last’ option, as we will be THRILLED with whichever puppy we end up with. Which, by the way…it will possibly be tomorrow that we know which one will be ours! Of course, it’s a few more weeks before we can bring him/her home to the crazies {our kids}…but that gives us time to figure out a name and get all the fun puppy things. :)
By they by…where’s the best place to go for puppy training?

Oh, and did you know that today is National Tell a Fairy Tale Day? I may be looking for a fairy tale about puppies, to tell at bed time.

Until next time…

Finding Peace

February 21, 2019 by Michelle Filed Under: Faith, Life 2 Comments

Do you have a word of the year?
Around New Year’s, when everyone was posting about their top 9 photos from 2018 and resolutions/goals for 2019, I was also seeing posts about finding your ‘word of the year’. One friend even linked DaySpring’s quiz so that you could discover your own word for 2019.

Like any curious person, of course I took the quiz myself and discovered my word for 2019 is ‘Peace’. In the moment I thought that was an odd word, and being unhappy about my result, I attempted to take the quiz again. I even changed up some of my answers {just call me sneaky}. And guess what?
I got the SAME result. hmmm.
Now feeling like this was providence and not just randomness, I decided to embrace the word and try to understand why peace would be my word for 2019.

Fast forward to yesterday morning, after having dropped off my oldest child at school, I was driving away listening to a local Christian radio station. The morning show team was discussing their word of the year and as I thought on the conversation, I went back to my word: Peace.

Why had that word been chosen for me? I certainly believe it was chosen for me. I obviously didn’t pick it – I wanted to change it. I probably would have picked some other fun word like joy or gratitude, but this word – Peace – was for me.

Peace.

Some of the definitions of this mysterious word, according to Merriam-Webster are:
*a state of tranquility or quiet
*freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions
*harmony in personal relations
*in a state of concord or tranquility

Not that I have come to some sort of extensive realization about my life + peace, but there are some things that have gained clarity for me in this second month of this new year…

I have been lacking peace. Genuine peace.
There’s been a lot of turmoil in my personal life…relationships that have been frazzled and torn, especially over the past year.
My spirit has been downcast and and troubled for some time, and I think I’ve tried to suppress it with filling my time with stuff/keeping busy.
Also, a lot of changes swept into my world last year, in a very short period of time, causing much restlessness and sadness.

So, yes, there is a great need for peace in my life. Peace that passes ALL understanding, and the lack thereof as well.
In looking at the definitions of peace, my life has been the complete opposite of those words so I can more clearly now see WHY peace may have been chosen for me.

Yesterday morning after I got back home and was pondering peace, I looked the word up on Biblegateway.com…what were some verses that could point me closer to finding peace?
There are a lot. ha. The Lord does not lack talking about or showing peace, throughout the scriptures. One verse in Romans in particular stands out to me: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13.

Dear friend, if you are like me, and lacking in peace today, may you cling to this verse as I am. Let us be filled with hope, joy and peace as we trust in Him, the author and perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2).
Until next time…

8 Pages

February 18, 2019 by Michelle Filed Under: Life, Marriage, Reading Leave a Comment

Happy Monday, Friends! Today is, among a few things: National Drink Wine Day, President’s Day AND my big brother’s 40th birthday! Which is so incredibly hard to believe… 40 years… I remember when my parents turned 40, and to be in that camp so many years later seems so surreal. But alas, we are here and I’m hoping my brother has been celebrated today by those closest to him!

Now, I wanted to share with you today about my most recent 8 pages book. Last fall, Andrew and I had the privilege of going to a conference where one of the speakers strongly encouraged the audience to be reading every single day. At least 8 pages.

Confession, I am NOT a reader. I don’t enjoy sitting still, which you generally have to do to read. I like to be active, to be moving, so this challenge really was like a dare to me. Could I do it? Sure. Would I do it? er. maybe.

Andrew and I accepted the challenge when we got back home from that little conference and we’ve been reading 8 pages almost every night since then. I will admit that some nights we get to bed too late or are just plain exhausted, and we skip, but we try our best to make this a priority at night. We’re going for good/great, not perfection.

I have been choosing books that push me both spiritually and personally and my most recent book was Your Money, Your Marriage. I honestly cannot even recall how I found this book, or why exactly I wanted to read it, but nonetheless it proved to be a great book. Encouraging couples to not only commit to loyalty within their marriages, but also within the context of their finances.
I’m going to detour for just a sec, so bear with me. If I were to take a poll today of my readers, how many of you have made a purchase in the last 48 hours that your spouse doesn’t know about?

Guilty.

One section of the book, that I actually highlighted reads like this,

When you buy whatever you want to buy, whenever you want to buy it, and your spouse does the same thing, you end up spending more than you make. When you detest the idea of a budget because it controls what you can and can’t do, you miss the mark for a secure financial future every single time. The illusion of being in control leads to the exact opposite when it comes to your money and your marriage. You wind up with your finances and relationship careening out of control.

I don’t know if y’all remember a few years ago I wrote a post about the word budget being a bad word. I’ve never liked a budget. I’ve never wanted to be constrained by it. But the night I read this paragraph above, I was slapped in the face. And quite honestly, I felt overly convicted, remorseful and embarrassed. I flagged it in the book so that I could come back and read it again {and again, and again…} after the book was finished.

I think my purpose in sharing this excerpt and book with you is that it reminded me that when Andrew and I became a union, we became one. Our hearts joined, our homes joined, our finances joined…and while we do all the things of married couples that show we are ONE, our finances haven’t been that way. So if this is a challenge to you as it was to me, make some small changes. Realize that the things you do in secret don’t help your marriage or your finances.

Back to the 8 pages…
I’m sure many of you read so much more than I do, and that is super. I applaud you! If you don’t even read the mere 8 pages that I’ve started reading, I would like to extend the challenge to you. Put down the phone or the remote a little earlier than ‘normal’. Get into your cozy bed, or couch or chair and find yourself a really good book. Whether you like fiction, historical, self-help or even just your Bible. Reading has so many benefits, that I’ve even experienced in the few short months that I’ve been doing my 8 pages: stress reduction, more/better sleep, better memory, cheap entertainment {library books are FREEEE!}.

I’m not quite sure what my next good read will be, but if the anticipation is killing you, and you’d like to follow along in my next 8 pages, follow me on Instagram – I will often post an excerpt from my nights’ reading in my stories! Until next time…

A New Start

February 15, 2019 by Michelle Filed Under: Life, Marriage 3 Comments

It’s been a year since I last wrote a post on this sweet blog of mine. I never dreamed, when I started Camellias & Copper, that I would go a year without putting thoughts down and sharing them with you all. I actually had a number of drafts saved from last Spring that never were finished…and truthfully, were completely forgotten.
I remember there were times that I would think to myself, ‘I REALLY need to sit down and write a post’, or ‘gosh, it’s been a really long time since I wrote down my thoughts…’ And then the moments, and days, and weeks simply passed me by.

So here we are, another turn on the calendar and I’m yearning to get back to this blog that I loved so dearly for so long. An opportunity to sit, quietly, for a few minutes each day and ponder a question, a thought, an instance, and be able to share it with you, my readers and friends.

Here goes.

There is so much that has happened in a year. As you may be able to relate, some good, some bad, some ugly things…but forever for my good and a deeper love and reliance upon the Lord. I am another year older than I was the last time I wrote a post. Maybe a little wiser, maybe a little more kinder…hopefully a little more loving and compassionate.
My kids are also older, Reynolds is half-way through his kindergarten year, which is completely insane to me. Emory talks our heads off {often demanding whatever it is that someone else has}. And Eliza Jane is as giggly as ever.
Another change that has occurred is that I am now working with Andrew in our real estate ventures, which has been both a learning and growth adjustment as I know very little about this world I’ve just entered. But he is patient and smart and is teaching me everything I need to know to help our business be successful.
A friend asked today what positive has come out of me leaving my previous job and joining forces with Andrew, and with a twinkle in my eye I said, ‘getting to have lunch with him several days a week.’ Eight years ago when he came back to Columbia for work {right before we were married}, we were giddy with the anticipation of being able to have lunch together. Over the course of those eight years, we had lunch together maybe 10 times. Now I can have lunch with Andrew anytime I want. And I feel a little like Melanie Carmichael in Sweet Home Alabama when asked why she wants to marry Jake, replies “So I can kiss {him} anytime I want.”

I’m so thankful for the opportunity we’ve been given to do this fun work together. Another huge positive is that we now have the time to take dance lessons! Y’all. I’ve been wanting to take dance lessons for years now, and after looking last fall, there was really only one place that was local to us, but most of the available time for private lessons was a night. And with three kids and lots of other activities already in place…who has time to add anything else?! Not us. So I kicked that can down the street.
Andrew to the rescue.
For my birthday he got me dance lessons with Jim at Blue Moon Ballroom. We went on Tuesday for our first lesson where we learned the box step and rumba, with corner breaks. It was so much fun. We laughed, we danced, we didn’t step on each other’s toes! It was terrific. We had our second lesson yesterday and added to the rumba, the promenade, which was a little saucy! And then we started learning the fox trot, which was much easier than I’d expected {I didn’t really have an expectation so…}. So I would suggest to any of my couple-friends in the Columbia area, who may be looking for something fun to do together, go take you a dance lesson from Mr. Jim.

There’s so much more I want to tell you about all of the new things, but I’ve got to scoot out and go get Reynolds from school and run some errands so I’ll leave you with a sweet excerpt from a book I was given for my birthday. “If God wrote your Birthday Card” – a sweet Hallmark book, written from the perspective of God…on your birthday ::
I want you to shine brightly because, dear child, you make me smile.

You, friends, make me smile. Thanks for being here…for reading and for caring. Until next time…

The 40-Day Sugar Fast :: Week 1 Complete!

January 15, 2018 by Michelle Filed Under: Fitness, Life Leave a Comment

Hey y’all! I survived my first week without refined/added sugars!!!!!!! Yipeeeeee..Praise the Lord!

As a quick reminder, I’m doing the 40-Day Sugar Fast, which started last Monday. Over the last week I didn’t have any sweets, no chocolate, no wine, save Friday night when I did cheat because we had dinner at a friend’s house – and had a glass of wine. I didn’t have Starbucks at all, which mentally was hard, but really wasn’t so difficult in the end {previously it was like every day….seriously}.

I didn’t have any mid-day crashes, I didn’t feel lousy, I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything. Overall, I felt like my first week without sugar was really good.

Now that I’m thinking thru it all again, I’ve had a couple of slight headaches, but then we were in the upper 60’s Friday and 30-something yesterday…the weather-swings tend to give me headaches so I don’t know for sure that those were sugar-related.

I have lost 3 pounds…not that I am trying to lose any weight. But knowing that sugar is a huge part of my normal diet, I was curious to see how no sugar would affect my weight so I weighed myself a week ago to see what it would be over time.

I have’t changed anything else. I’m still doing my normal treadmill walk/runs and in the last week I’ve done 32.32 miles {I love my Fitbit!}.

That’s it! I’m hoping week two is even easier than the first.

I’m keeping this Matthew 5:6 verse in front of me and if you’re curious about the 40-Day Sugar Fast – here’s the link!

I hope y’all have a great week!

The 40-Day Sugar Fast

January 7, 2018 by Michelle Filed Under: Being a Mom, Food & Drink, Life Leave a Comment

I know you probably read that and chuckled to yourself thinking, “Good luck sister!”

I’m either crazy or determined. And thankfully I’m pretty strong-willed and bullheaded…. So I think I can do this!

I also think I’ve shared with you all before my obsession with sugar {You can read this here post}. And a couple of months ago I made the decision to stop my Starbucks drink {cold turkey!}.

I needed caffeine in the morning so I consulted a co-worker friend who told me about black tea. It’s amazing. I’ve been drinking hot black tea without any sort of sweetener {Tazo’s Berry Trifle and Organic Peach Cobbler are faves!}. Getting rid of my Starbucks Vanilla Latte was a major accomplishment for me.

But then I often find myself throughout the day snacking on sweets and carbs. I grew up in a home with cookies and cakes and all kinds of sweets to it’s just always been part of my life. After every meal I want something sweet. Anyone else?

So when my friend Dana tagged me in a Facebook post about this 40 Day Sugar Fast I thought, “I want to do that…but first let me learn more.”

This is a sugar fast that you can make out of it whatever you want. The basis is to get rid of all added and refined sugars like the donuts, the sweet drinks, the M&M’s or the Snicker bars or the cookies in your pantry, whatever little bit of sweetness you have in your drawer at work or a secret stash at home {you know you have one…the one that no one else knows about…???}. Get rid of those things AND, this is the biggest thing: refocus upon the Lord and go to Him in those moments of desire or craving {desperation? deserving?}. It’s a true fast in the sense of fasting so that we’re focused/desperate for the Lord.

No doubt, by the end of tomorrow I’ll be desperate so we’ll see how this goes.

I’m excited for the scriptures. I’m excited for the desperation. I’m excited for the joy. AND I’m excited for the freedom that this will bring.

This is a FREE group to join…so if you’re ready to put sugar aside and turn your eyes upon Jesus…sign up here!

And as a side, I have nothing to do with this group…only that I’ll be seeking guidance and encouragement, and hopefully BE an encouragement to a few folks!

What Are You Binge Watching?

January 3, 2018 by Michelle Filed Under: Life 6 Comments

Quite frequently of late I’ve heard people talking about what they are ‘binge watching’.

How.

When.

What.

Why.

Seriously. Please tell me all the answers.

Sometimes I wonder if there’s anything I want to binge watch. But then the thought of spending a day, by doing nothing but watching a show…I can’t comprehend it.

So again…why? what? I really would love to read all of your comments!

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