Wordless-ish Wednesday

I see a lot of blogs that have Wordless Wednesdays. I've never done one before, but I think it'd be fun to maybe start doing it on a regular basis. Mine is going to be a bit different though. Mine's going to be an image from Pinterest (as well as the link) that I found interesting and thought worthy to share!

Source

P.S. I spent about 40 minutes on Pinterest before I could pick a photo!!!!

Wii Fit/Couch to 5k

This is the entry I posted on my other blog, Wii Fit Extravaganza, on Monday. If you'd like to follow my weight loss/better health journey, I welcome you to "follow" me on that blog as well. I will occasionally blog about my exercising/weight loss on this blog, but mostly, I will try to keep it separate. I would LOVE for anyone who is encouraging to follow my Wii Fit Extravaganza blog and give me a "Go girl!" every once in awhile! :-) The hubs and I started the Couch to 5k program last night. An entry about that will be on my other blog in just a bit. :-)



"Today is Day 1. Day 1 of the rest of my life. Day 1 of a better body. Day 1 of feeling better. Day 1.

I got back on the proverbial horse today and used my Wii Fit. Geesh. What a let down. I didn't realize I'd gained THAT much weight. Yeah, my clothes still fit, but not the same. Exhale. Well...it's still time to make a change. Change doesn't happen over night. It takes time. It takes patience. It takes perseverance...."


Click here to continue reading!

Friday Freebie-- School

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Here is your Friday Freebie courtesy of Bella Parola. All Friday Freebies are Angela Bailey originals. :-) Enjoy!

Please click here to access the downloadable freebie!

Leave a comment if you download this image, please! Oh and read over the terms of use below, so you don't get in trouble! ;-) Have a great weekend!

Copyright Angela Bailey 2011

TERMS OF USE

You May NOT:
1. Redistribute the digital file for sale.
2. Claim this as your own work.
3. Sell creations made with this work including but not limited to framing this print and reselling, matting this print and reselling, using this print in website layouts, etc.
4. Alter the digital file in any way, including removing my digital signature.

You May:
1. Print for your own personal use in decorating.
2. Print and frame as a gift.

Have a spectacular weekend!

So About That Fabric Obsession...

Remember last Thursday when I said I was obsessed with fabric (or something to that tune?) Well...it's so bad that I have the HARDEST time deciding which fabric to choose when I want to make something. It's ridiculous. For example, sometimes when I'm at Joann's I walk around for an hour with 6-8 different bolts of fabric in my cart...when I only need to choose one. The hubs is so super patient with me, thank goodness. He offers his opinion and helps me weigh the pros and cons of each print. Then, when I finally decide which I want, HE gets in line to get it cut so that I can go visit the other sections of the store before we leave. What a good man I have! <3

If you read last Thurday's post, you know that I am planning on making a quilt (hopefully to be completed before Christmas.)  This particular quilt requires that I purchase 10+ fat quarters of fabric for the colorbrick front. Layman's terms? It's the pretty part of the quilt. Well, as stated above, I have issues choosing ONE fabric. How in the world am I supposed to choose 10+ that coordinate well? Thank goodness for designer collections. Michael Miller, Amy Butler, Heather Bailey, Tina Givens, and my personal favorite, Joel Dewberry are just SOME of the amazing fabric designers out there who make quilting easier on the rest of us! Not only are they geniuses, but they create coordinating collections in different colors!

Here are some of my favorites:

Havens Edge by Tina Givens, Mint Julep

Havens Edge by Tina Givens, Lavender Dreams

Nicey Jane by Heather Bailey, The Kissing Booth

Heirloom by Joel Dewberry, The Sapphire Collection

Sugar and Spice by The Quilted Fish

Happier Cottons by Deena Rutter

Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry, Saffron

Aviary 2 by Joel Dewberry, Lilac

The last collection, Aviary 2 (Lilac) by Joel Dewberry, is the one I am 99% sure I will use for my colorblock quilt. Sadly, the second to last fabric (Sparrows in Plum) is out of stock until at LEAST October, so I plan on subbing in more of the fabric right above it, Lodge Lattice in lilac, and then adding one more fat quarter each of the second fabric, Damask in dill, and the third fabric, Bloom in lilac, to equal my 10 fq's.

What do you think of my choice for my quilt? Do you prefer one of the other collections I posted? Do you have a fabric obsession, too? I'd love to hear anyone's thoughts about quilting, this specific quilting project, fabrics, etc.

Friday Freebie- True Love

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Here is your Friday Freebie courtesy of Bella Parola. All Friday Freebies are Angela Bailey originals. :-) Enjoy!

Please click the link below for a high resolution download.

Please click here to access the downloadable freebie!

Leave a comment if you download this image, please! Oh and read over the terms of use below, so you don't get in trouble! ;-) Have a great weekend!

Copyright Angela Bailey 2011

TERMS OF USE

You May NOT:
1. Redistribute the digital file for sale.
2. Claim this as your own work.
3. Sell creations made with this work including but not limited to framing this print and reselling, matting this print and reselling, using this print in website layouts, etc.
4. Alter the digital file in any way, including removing my digital signature.

You May:
1. Print for your own personal use in decorating.
2. Print and frame as a gift.

Have a spectacular weekend!

Call Me Crazy...

I am obsessed with beautiful fabrics. Yep. It's true. I LOVE sewing, crafting, graphic designing, etc. My sister, Kristin, is the visual artist/sewer. I am the crafter/sewer. Our sister, Hannah (16) is really into her wire-bending jewelry-making as well as sketching. We're all a bit artsy fartsy, but in different ways. The hubs is into photography, but that about covers it as far as visual/creative arts go. He plays guitar/bass/drum/ukulele/banjulele (yes that is real) but that's a whole other topic.

Source 

Oh Pinterest...you've done it again. I found this on there today while I was perusing (read: scouring) other people's pins. I literally LOLed at it. It fits Vance and I so much! The hubs is a computer programmer/customer service/I'm not exactly sure what he does because when he starts speaking code my brains start leaking out my ears. As I said above, I am crafty. I am a card-making, jewelry-producing, scrap-booking, sewing fiend, and I am PROUD of it. (You only wish you were as cool as we.)

Anyway...my latest project that I've decided to take on (read: haven't started yet...or gotten past the dreaming stage yet) is making a quilt. I admit, I am scared. I have wanted to make a quilt for sooo long, but I am scared of spending so much on fabric to make a quilt and then somehow screwing it up beyond repair. There's a quilting group that meets at church once a month, but I HATE going places by myself, even though I know a few of the ladies there. It also meets during the evening hours that I spend with the hubs. (Why yes we are attached at the hip thankyouverymuch.)

SO! Now that I've decided to make a quilt...which do I make? How much fabric do I need? What kind of batting? Do I have to free hand the quilting or can it be simpler? Do I need binding? Should I make a block quilt or something with sashing? What is sashing anyway? Yeah. my brain is still whirling just thinking about all of those things. Well, as luck would have it, my friend, Jenn, posted an easy beginner's quilt with step-by-step directions on one of her Pinterest boards the VERY DAY I decided I wanted to make a quilt.

Source

As I read through the instructions, it seemed like I could do it! HOORAY! The instructions are really simple to understand AND if something is confusing, SEVERAL people are available to help you! Dream come true for those of us who have no quilting experience and no family members who seem to have a clue (except maybe my grandma, but she has more experience sewing/making clothes.)

Are any of you looking to take on a new sewing project? Anyone care to join me in this adventure?

I am DETERMINED to see this project through. Here's hoping it happens before Christmas! ;-)

Life Gets The Best of Me Sometimes

I know. I know. I KNOW. It's been awhile. I took a leave of absence. I needed it. I was developing my Bella Parola business on FB. I currently have 621 fans on there! Yay! I've also been involved with some giveaways and some in-store orders including a new local boutique girly type story here in Winston-Salem, NC called simply PiNK. Their grand opening was this past Saturday and let me tell you...that store is ADORABLE! :-)

So anyway...life is what happens when you're busy. I haven't felt much like blogging. I've been in a slump outside of my nannying job/graphic art business. I have struggled with this whole not being pregnant thing. For some reason, I just don't think I'm getting a positive this month either. No proof...too early to tell, but just a gut feeling based on past experience. Plus, if I were to be pregnant, I would be super excited without having worked myself up about it. It's easier that way. I need to guard my heart. Enough about all of this, though. THIS is one reason why I haven't been blogging much the past couple of weeks.

In other news, received my first blog award a couple of weeks ago! My sweet friend, Cami, over at First Day of My Life, bestowed the Versatile Blogger Award on me! Thanks so much, Cami! You rock!

The Rules after accepting the Versatile Blogger Award are:

• Thank the person who gave you the award and link back to them in your post.
• Share 7 things about yourself
• Pass this award along to 10 recently discovered blogs. 

7 Things About Me

1. I double majored in college at Johnson Bible College (now Johnson University.) My two majors were Bible and Elementary Education. I was accepted into the Master's program for Holistic Education, but decided not to go.

2. I am terrified of mice, rats, and most rodents...including squirrels.

3. I LOVE glitter!!

4. My favorite movie is Beauty and the Beast.

5. The paranormal fascinates me, but I do not believe it is ok to screw around with psychics, mediums, witchcraft, etc. I am a Christian and a firm believer that both light and dark forces exist. I have experienced demonic activity as well as angelic activity. Both are VERY real. (If you want to know more about my experiences, please feel free to email me. It really isn't blogging material nor something I want to downplay by putting it on the Internet.)

6. I do not anger easily, but I irritate easily, especially if it pertains to people KNOWING what they should be doing and CHOOSING to do the opposite. I have a low tolerance for stupidity. HOWEVER, I am a patient person, and I forgive easily. I know. I am a conundrum.

7. I've never dyed my hair. I've had highlights a couple of times, but I have never fully changed my hair color. It is naturally DARK brown. People ask me ALL THE TIME which hair dye product I used to get my hair to be black, but not witch-looking. I have to tell them it's natural because I'm Italian on my mom's side and have Cherokee and Sioux on my dad's side. (My sisters' hair isn't nearly as dark as mine due to our Irish, English, German, etc. blood that also runs through our veins.)

15 Blogs That Now Get This Award

1. Always Looking for Something New
2. Baby Making
3. Dandelion Paperweight
4. Domestic Adventure
5. From Inspiration to Reality
6. Live. Love. Oliver.
7. The Diva's Mom
8. The Great Umbrella Heist
9. Tiny Green Elephants
10. Wrapped With Hope

Friday Freebie- Keep Calm and Party On!

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Here is your Friday Freebie courtesy of Bella Parola. All Friday Freebies are Angela Bailey originals. :-) Enjoy!

Please click the link below for a high resolution download.

Please click here to access the downloadable freebie!

Leave a comment if you download this image, please! Oh and read over the terms of use below, so you don't get in trouble! ;-) Have a great weekend!

Copyright Angela Bailey 2011

TERMS OF USE

You May NOT:
1. Redistribute the digital file for sale.
2. Claim this as your own work.
3. Sell creations made with this work including but not limited to framing this print and reselling, matting this print and reselling, using this print in website layouts, etc.
4. Alter the digital file in any way, including removing my digital signature.

You May:
1. Print for your own personal use in decorating.
2. Print and frame as a gift.

Have a spectacular weekend!

Friday Freebie- Love Makes The World Go Round

I hope you all had a wonderful week! Here is your Friday Freebie courtesy of Bella Parola. All Friday Freebies are Angela Bailey originals. :-) Enjoy!

Please click the link below for a high resolution download.

Please click here to access the downloadable freebie!

Leave a comment if you download this image, please! Oh and read over the terms of use below, so you don't get in trouble! ;-) Have a great weekend!

Copyright Angela Bailey 2011

TERMS OF USE

You May NOT:
1. Redistribute the digital file for sale.
2. Claim this as your own work.
3. Sell creations made with this work including but not limited to framing this print and reselling, matting this print and reselling, using this print in website layouts, etc.
4. Alter the digital file in any way, including removing my digital signature.

You May:
1. Print for your own personal use in decorating.
2. Print and frame as a gift.

Have a spectacular weekend!

All The Cool Kids Are Doing It

On Monday, I visited my dear friend, Sara, over at her blog and saw a cute little blog idea that I just had to do myself! (Apparently, her friend did it because her friend's friend did it...etc. etc.)

Paris, France

Ireland

Haiti

South Africa

Australia

NYC

California

Homemade Cheesecake

Homemade Christmas Presents (gonna do that this year!)

A quilt

Bunting

Hanging daybed

A baby

Dog beds for my dog babies

Vance's Pawpaw

Jesus

My great grandparents who died before I was born

Rahab

Jane Austen

Laura Bush

Genevieve Gorder

More picture frames

4 door Jeep Wrangler

Full Sized Mega Mac Computer

ipad

Scattergories

A thriving business 

A margarita machine

people who ruin surprises

people who tell you what's going to happen in a movie before it happens

people who talk during movies

bad drivers

people who assume I'm less intelligent because I believe in God and am a CHRISTian

women who flirt with my husband in an obvious way

the "gangsta" people who drive by my house at 4am blaring their ghetto-fabulous music 

My Best Friend's Wedding

Beauty and the Beast

The Butterfly Effect

The Matrix Trilogy

Harry Potter Series

Twilight Saga

The Exorcism of Emily Rose

God

Vance

Babies

Reading

Pinterest

Singing

Glitter

Hanging By A Moment by Lifehouse

Everything by Lifehouse

Broken by Lifehouse

Something Beautiful by NeedToBreathe

For The Moments I Feel Faint by Relient K

Christ Is Risen by Matt Maher

Be Thou My Vision

conundrum

phlebotomy

gup (we call Petey this a lot)

pickle

hermit

lacquer

faux

So, no peer pressure or anything, but all the cool kids are doing it. Why not give it a go, too? ;-)

Bella Parola Giveaway @ First Day of My Life

Hello and good morning bloggy friends!
   No long post today! I just wanted to let all of my wonderful followers and friends know that my pal, Cami, over at First Day of My Life is hosting a 100 followers giveaway...and she chose Bella Parola, my graphic design/print business, to be part of it! :-) Please stop by her blog and show her (and me!) some love!

Clicky Clicky

Every Girl Is A Princess?

Recently, I read an article dealing with gender roles and how all too often girls are pegged into the "play mommy," "be a princess," or "play with barbies" categories. The article went on to further say that these gender roles are dangerous to the developing child and their perception of what it means to be a girl (or a boy.) It also said that only gender neutral ideas should be placed in child's head an that both types of gender toys should be included as a default, no matter what the child may show interest in. In my experience, I find this to be bull. I think gender roles have a certain cred. to them. I also don't think they have to be forced to be applicable. I don't recall my mom or dad EVER telling me I had to like pink, wear dresses (except to church because that's how church was back then,) or play princess. I liked pink when I was little, but later, my favorite color was green. It was green for well into early high school years when it morphed into purple, hot pink, black, and white. To this day, I love purple and hot pink.

Source

I rarely played princess growing up. I always wanted to be queen. Heh. We actually used to play what my sister, Hannah, refers to as "Amelia." I was around 12 or so. My sister, Kristin, was 11. Hannah was around 3. I was the queen, Kristin was the princess, and Hannah was the servant girl. Now, don't be alarmed about what I'm going to say next. Hannah, always played the part of Amelia, the servant girl...naked. She was the kid who would shed her clothes shortly after we put them on her. We have a video of her naked with her butt in the air digging in the garden and playing with the hose. No lie. She's 16 now and probably LOVES that I'm sharing this with you, but nonetheless, it happened! Anyway, so Hannah always was Amelia, the naked servant girl. She sometimes wore an apron, if I could convince her to do so. We all loved this game! Hannah loved getting us drinks, "sweeping," fanning us, etc. SHE would ask to play this game, and being such good big sisters, Kristin and I were always willing. :-D That's about as close to playing princess as Kristin and I really got.

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Kristin and I played Barbies like it was our job. We also played school quite often. We loved our American Girl dolls (I have Samantha, Kristin has Kirsten and Hannah has Kit.) We liked going on adventures in the woods down by the creek. We rode our horse. We had picnics. We played sports (I was a softball and basketball gal. Kristin was a cheerleader and soccer player. Hannah is a swimmer and soccer player.) Kristin and I went through a power ranger and teenage mutant ninja turtles phase. We loved Batman, Gargoyles is still, to this day, one of my favorite cartoons. We also loved Carebears, Polly Pockets, and Lizzie McGuire. We are all girls. We all liked girly and non-girly things.

Source

Today, my sister Kristin, is 24 and a crunchy hippy. Ha. Ok. Not exactly...but close. She loves hiking, camping, music festivals, etc. and she's still very feminine. Hannah is 16 and is a HUGE flirt. She loves color guard, tutus, and really crappy music. (She doesn't think it's crappy, though.) She can get down and dirty working in the garden and doesn't bat an eye. I am a 25 year old wife who adores her husband. I love sparkles, babies, and crafting/sewing. I hate being sweaty/dirty, but if it's serving others or improving my life, I am more than willing. We all were raised the same way, in the same house, by the same parents, with the same values, and with pretty much the same toys. We are not defined by our gender, but we all seem to embrace being female, while not being over the top girly girls. (As I discussed this post with the hubs and Hannah, we came to the conclusion that at this stage in life, I am by far the most girly girl out of the three sisters.)

Source

What do you think of traditional gender roles? Do you feel like the psychological community is putting too much emphasis on not defining gender roles or not enough? Do you feel like society forces us into gender roles? Remember, no opinion is better than another, just don't expect me to agree with you, if our opinions differ! ;-)

Happy 32nd Birthday To My Hubs!

Today is a very special day for the most special person in the world to me. Today is my hubs 32nd birthday!

Alex Vance Bailey, Jr. was born to Alex Vance Bailey, Sr. and Katherine Bailey on August 1, 1979 in St. Paul, MN. He was the answer to their prayers. After several miscarriages and many heartaches, Vance was the first and only baby that his mother was able to carry to term. Due to her heart shaped uterus as well as a couple other minor issues, nature would say that there was no way that Alex and Katherine would ever be biological parents. Good thing God had other plans.

Vance, Mom Bailey and Dad Bailey

Dad Bailey holding Vance before his christening. 

Vance with his Mumu and Pops.

Vance won a bulldog contest with those cheekers!

Throughout his life, Vance was raised to love sports (especially golf), interior design, photography, cooking, music, and computers (his father, after all, has a software business.) His grandfather, also known as Pawpaw, instilled his passion for golf into Vance from a very young age.

Vance and his cousin, Christopher, being hardcore.

Isn't he a cutie??

Why yes, that IS a shower cap on his head...

Sailor suit + golf club = EAT YOUR HEART OUT, LADIES!

Vance's family moved around a lot. Before he was born, his parents moved a lot due to his dad's army job. After Vance was born, they moved a lot due to his father's software company. They lived in places such as Alabama, Ohio, Texas, and most recently, North Carolina. During their extended stay in Ohio, they started foster care. While in OH, they adopted Vance's sister, Amanda. Not too long after they adopted Amanda, they moved to good ole NC.

Mom Bailey, Vance, and Amanda

Vance and Amanda

Dad Bailey, Mom Bailey, Vance, and Amanda

Later in life, Vance and his friends had a bit too much...fun. They made some poor decisions including drugs and alcohol. (Poor T, the cat, will never be the same due to the fact that he was in a room of boys smoking pot. The cat was stoned for a week straight. He's a VERY friendly cat these days, though.) Vance ended up getting his GED, moving to Gulf Shores, AL and enrolling in culinary school. The "partying" only escalated in culinary school. It's a little known fact that the culinary arts are a breeding ground for drug abuse. Emeril himself had a severe problem with drugs, even. Upon making the decision to change his life for the better, Vance moved back to NC to try to rid himself of his dangerous and abusive lifestyle. During this time, Vance's parents continued in foster care and adopted a sibling group of three kids, Kristina, Ricky, and Greg as well as two other children, Katie and Madison.

Vance's Graduation from Tarheel Military Academy

Vance at one of his birthday parties.

Vance at another of his birthday parties.

Vance on Christmas morning. He told me once he's pretty sure he was high here. 

Vance with Greg, Ricky, Amanda, Katie, and Kristina.

Vance with Amanda, Ricky, Katie, Kristina, Greg (what a goob) and Madison.

Vance with Kristina, Amanda, Ricky, Greg, Katie, and Madison.

Fast forward a few years and that's when Angela came into the picture. Vance and Angela originally met online, but their families (her uncle, aunt and cousins and his parents and youngest three siblings) knew each other through their church and the academy at their church. Neither Vance, nor Angela was looking for a relationship. Neither of them expected anything but a friendship. Neither of them were prepared for what God had in store. Angela remembers standing at the restaurant (Sushi Thai) and watching Vance walk up. She was seriously blown away. She was NOT expecting the gorgeous man walking toward her. (His profile picture was TERRIBLE.) Apparently, he was blown away as well, though she didn't quite know it at the time. They went inside to eat and conversation flowed like the River Jordan. (I'm assuming the Jordan River flows well...)

After eating dinner, Vance and Angela went to Starbucks (which they were both addicted to at the time) and spent the rest of the evening, til closing time, talking and laughing outside. She ended up freezing her butt off (it was early June and when the sun goes down, it gets chilly) so they went back to get her car and ended up talking for a couple more hours sitting in his car. At that time, they both had to pee like race horses. That's when Angela did something she has NEVER done before. She said he could go back to her apartment which was a few minutes away and use the bathroom. They ended up sitting on the couch...and falling asleep...til around 430 when she woke up and said,"OH MY GOODNESS!!!" (I do NOT recommend doing this. I should not have done this, but thankfully he wasn't an ax murderer or a rapist.) Anyway, their next date was him going with her to church. That afternoon, he asked her to be his girlfriend. A month later, she went with him and his family to Gulf Shores, AL and to his best friend's wedding. A couple of months later, he proposed. :-) 9.5 months later they were married. :-) (Yes, I realize that was all VERY fast, but when you know, you know! His parents were married within 2 months of knowing each other and have been married 38 years.)

Vance and I the first time he met my best friend!

Vance and I at his best friend's wedding.

Vance and I in Gulf Shores, AL.

Vance and I in Gulf Shores, AL after going on the bumper boats with his family.

Vance and I at a restaurant in Gulf Shores, AL. 

On June 19, 2010, Vance Bailey married Angela Theresa Kahl, the love of his life. He and his wife currently live in Winston-Salem, NC with their two dog children, Petey the Pug and Cinnamon the Doxie-Beagle. They attend church at Pinedale Christian Church. He works for his dad's software company, Polaris Systems, Inc. He enjoys playing golf with his best friend Erik, playing cards, and Alabama football. (Roll tide!) He is currently into photography, playing the ukulele, and photo editing (he keeps interrupting the writing of this post to show me different things he's done to some pictures he's taken! Ha!) Vance Bailey is having the time of his life with the love of his life!

Vance seeing Angela for the first time on their wedding day.

Vance and Angela during pictures before their wedding.

Vance and Angela on their 1 year wedding anniversary in the OBX!

Dearest Vance,
   I hope you enjoy the very short recounting of your life done by someone who has only known you for the last 2 years. Haha. I love you so much and I hope I did your life justice. Your life is truly a miracle, but not just because of the fertility issues your parents had. Your life is a miracle because of all you bring into the lives of others especially mine. You are an amazing husband. I could not ask for better. Happy 32nd, Turtle! I love you infinity and 'yond!

Love always,
Your Sweetpea