A Little Love

Hi Mackey Madness readers! Nope, I'm not Megan... I'm Michaela and I'm here to hold the fort down for the day, as my BFF Meg is taking a little bloggy vacay. Don't worry...she'll be back, but until then me and a few other blog pals are taking the reigns. I blog over at Michaela Noelle Designs about all things design. I'm an interior design student, so design runs through my blood!

Well, I'm here to write on the subject of love, which is fitting because it is Valentine's day! I could write about my first kiss or about how the guys I've dated were bad ones and how each girl should be looking for a guy who loves the Lord, loves their family, values you and treats you like a princess {which I'm currently on a search for :) } Or I could just stick with telling you about all the things I truly heart at this moment.
Yep, the last one wins :)

1. Megan...duh :) Blog friend turned real life best friend...what more could I ask for?

2. Colored Pants:

3. These amazing-best-invention-ever-cookies with pink frosting:

4. Vintage knobs {mine are from Anthropologie}:

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5. Seafoam and a touch of peach:

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6. Valentine Ombre cake?? Yes please!

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7. My adorable white golden retriever, Miss Hope. She truly brought hope to our family.  As of now, she is the love of my life. I mean, how could she not be?!

Hope y'all {true Megan dialect...} have a beautiful Valentine's day full of love, joy and lots of chocolate!
xoxo,


PS. Sometimes and Always will be back next week :)

A Surprise Love Story

Hi Mackey readers! I'm Julie from The Smitten Mintons. I'm excited to be here today, as Megan is not only a blog friend, but a real life friend, too! I had the pleasure of meeting this sweet girl last August, and I can vouch that she is just as adorable in person! Thanks for having me here today, Meg!

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm going to tell y'all a little love story! 

Here's the scene: Spring Break. 2008. Destin, Florida.

I had just gotten out of a relationship, so I was ready for a boy-free week to clear my head and have fun with friends. However, God had other plans for me!

So there we were, enjoying our first day on the beach, when I see 2 cute guys walk onto the beach. (And I noticed that one had a particularly cute butt...yup, it's the first thing I noticed about him!) I thought to myself that we have to meet them. (I found out later that they had spotted us as well, and Doug had "called dibs on the blonde one" :)

I came up with a brilliant plan to ask them to watch our stuff while we went on a walk. When I went over to meet them, I found out that we were both attending UGA and we went to rival high schools 15 minutes apart!

After our walk, the boys told us that they had kept our stuff safe from a group of robbers that came through. To this, I responded with "my hero!" and held my hands over my heart....I still can't believe I said that! SO cheesy!

And that's how I met my husband. We hung out all week- playing golf, dancing at a club, playing a mean game of wiffleball (where I crushed the ball and ended the game), sharing grapes and cookies on the beach, and ending the week with our first kiss on a pier.

One year and 2 months later, Doug proposed to me on that same pier!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!! : )

A Song

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To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right


There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus


For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith and love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering


There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus. 


Lyrics: Cry Out to Jesus by Third Day. Watch the video here.

Sometimes and Always #13

I've been thinking in sometimes/always thoughts lately, so I'm glad that I can finally share a few today!

Sometimes: I read the news headlines when I get on the internet. 

Always: I end up feeling pretty sad about the things that people do to each other. 

Sometimes: I want to make healthy eating choices. 

Always: I can't pass up certain things...like Taco Bell. YUM!

Late night snack with the hubs after a successful grocery trip!

But then we had grapes, so that totally balances it out. 

Sometimes: I think about homeschooling my (future) children. 

Always: I get really tired of people saying, "They'll be weird!"

Sometimes: I attempt cooking. 

Always: I manage to make a mess, even with something simple. 

A frozen pizza that I dropped in the oven. Notice the broken piece and sliding cheese. Win. 

Sometimes: I think I should be embarrassed that this whole post only has food pictures. 

Always: I'm just being true to myself. 

Sometimes: I write guest posts...like about music for my sweet friend Renee. 

Always: I love it when people actually follow the link and read them! (click here!)  ; )

Feel free to use this button and link up!

Love and Kindness Link Up

I'm so excited that today is FINALLY here and we all get to share the sweet things that we did for others! 

Of course, these posts are definitely not to brag, but more to inspire others and encourage them to do the same! It's amazing to think of how many people we could touch together. 

So go ahead and write up your post about the random acts of kindness that you did this last week, then link up with us and share! And it's not too late...the link up will be open all week for those late to the party!

Feel free to use this button in your post!

This week:

- I left a $5 bill and a sweet note on a random car in the parking lot. 

- I baked cookies for my hubby and served them to him with a big ole glass of milk!

- I called one of my friends from college, just to say hey. (I'm terrible about texting and never calling!)

- I taped a $5 bill and a sweet note to my buggy at the store.

- I wrote an encouraging note to a coworker. 

- I made an Oreo cake for my husband and the guys at the fire station. 

YUM!

I know this sounds weird...but it is seriously fun to do these little acts. I kinda felt like a secret spy Santa Claus, leaving gifts and then chuckling to myself. Love and kindness kicking butt and taking over the world. Mwwwahahaha. : ) 

My new goal is to do a random act of kindness for someone once a week! 

I can't wait to see what y'all have done...I love seeing kindness take over the blog world!

Love, love!

Don't Forget...

...that tomorrow is the link up for the kindness/love movement that Anna, Michaela and I are hosting!

There's still plenty of time to do something sweet for someone...whether it's a random stranger or a close friend! Leave a sweet note, pay for someone's coffee or bake cookies for a neighbor. Find more details here!

Anna made this adorable button, so feel free to use it on your post tomorrow!

I can't wait to see what everyone has done to spread a little sunshine in the world!

Meanwhile, over in this neck of the woods, the hubs and I spent Saturday working on our dishwasher...which was holding water and smelled a little like poop and eggs. Yum. 

It's fixed now, thanks to my handy dandy hubs. Clearly, I did nothing except take pictures. 

Love, love!

PS: There's still a few days left to enter my giveaway for a phone case! Go here to enter!

Finding Love

Growing up, my mom was big on praying about our future marriage/spouse. It became something that I did as well...praying that God would send my true love at the right time and help me wait for him and guard my heart. Sometimes I prayed this passionately, sometimes routinely. But always, always it was in my heart that God knew my future spouse and I needed to wait for him and be patient...to not throw away my heart to any and every guy that came through my life. 

My college boyfriend was my first serious boyfriend. We dated all four years of college and the year after. We had never really talked about getting married, which surely should have been a sign to me that something was not right. How clear hind sight is, right?

Then we broke up. And I was 24. And I had friends getting married right and left. I wondered if maybe I would never find "the one." It seemed like the next logical step (in the eyes of society) after graduating college was marriage...and yet there I was a year after graduation and single. I resumed my earnest prayers for my future spouse. I prayed that God would save my heart until I met my future husband...I prayed that God would teach me patience...and I prayed to focus fully on God until I felt that He was giving me my future husband. I knew God would teach me and work on me as He was leading me to my future spouse.

I wanted the next man I gave my heart to to be my husband. 

And then I met my (now) husband...and I wasn't really prepared for love...and I wasn't really prepared for falling so fast...but we did. We were married within a year of dating and I knew that this love was what I had been waiting for. 

And I know that people say "I don't regret my past relationships because I grew/learned/changed." And I agree with that to some degree. But every relationship we are in, we give little pieces of our heart away. And then maybe when the right person comes along, we don't have a whole heart to give anymore. We have jealousies, insecurities and fears that hang around and interfere with our ability to love and trust the next person. 

If you are still waiting for your spouse, I encourage you to seek God and pray about it...pray to guard your heart and wait for the right person for you. You can't find Mr. Right (or Mrs) if you are dating every Mr. Wrong that walks past you! Trust God to know the perfect timing for your love story and your life. 

Deep post for a Friday. : )

Love, love!

Sometimes and Always #12

Sometimes: I can't believe that I married a guy so country. 

Always: I think my hubby is super sexy with all his country ways...it's how a man should be!

Sometimes: I want to punch my puppies in the face.

Always: I refrain from doing that because they are just too cute. 

Sometimes: I can't believe that hibachi restaurants are so expensive. 

Always: The meals are so delicious that I always say it's worth it!

From this weekend...super yum!

Sometimes: Lifetime movies give me nightmares. 

Always: I keep watching them...even when I'm home alone. 

Sometimes: I wash my hands so many times at work that my skin starts cracking. 

Always: I have a major germ obsession and can't stand dirty hands!

Feel free to play along and link up with your own sometimes and always comments...the more the merrier! : ) 

Love and Kindness

I am SO excited to announce some big news today...

I am joining up with Anna from In Honor of Design and Michaela from Michaela Noelle Designs to spread a little love and kindness around the blogosphere...right in time for February, the month of love!

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Basically, here's the deal...in the next week, do something kind and out of the ordinary for someone. It can be someone you know or someone you don't know. Think of something that would give you a little jolt of happiness...and then do that for someone else! 

Here's a few ideas:

- Pay for the person behind you in a fast food drive-thru. 

- Leave a note on someone's car telling them to have a great day. 

- Offer to go grocery shopping for your grandma. 

- Bake some cookies and leave them on your neighbor's door. 

- Write the mailman a note saying you appreciate his/her hard work. 

- Tape a "great job" note to your coworker's door/locker/desk. 

There's so many things to do...it doesn't have to cost any money! The whole goal is to spread some kindness to those we come into contact with. Think about it...if you brighten someone else's day, they will in return quite possibly brighten another person's day. And the love can continue to spread...

So go ahead and think about a few things that y'all can do...and then be sure to come back here on Feb 6th (next Monday) and link up with Anna, Michaela, and I! 

Love, love!

Friday Five

I've put together a little list of 5 things that I am totally loving/wanting this Friday.

1) A white dress to go with my brown boots. 

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2) A little lunch time picnic with hubby. 

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3) Hair that looks gorgeous at all times. 

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4) Chocolate fondue for dessert. 

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5) A big ole chandelier in our house somewhere. 

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Our plans this weekend include: REST...as I still cannot shake this sickness! 

I promise to stop whining about it someday. 

Have a wonderful weekend! 

Love, love!

Spread Some Love

I was super excited to see 29 people link up yesterday! Woohoo! I love reading all the posts!

Today I'm sharing three friends that y'all really need to know...like now. 

First up is sweet Renee from This Won't Hurt a Bit. 

We have become blog friends recently and I simply adore her. Plus, we live pretty close and are hoping for a potential blate one day! She is a nurse and her blog covers a multitude of topics, including life, fashion, inspiration, and love. She always has something fun to share! Go pay her blog a visit!

Next is the amazingly creative Amanda at Sweet Tea Paperie. 

Her shop is FULL of absolutely breathtaking things...from calendars to cutting boards to address labels to iPhone cases. And everything comes preciously monogrammed of course! I could browse around in her shop all day! One of my favorite things right now is the desktop calendar...so cute!

Buy here.

Buy here. 

Last up is the adorable Amy, who blogs over at The Charming. 

Isn't she precious?!

Amy's blog is SO full of positive inspiration, words of wisdom, wedding ideas and tips, fashion, etc. She posts super cute outfit pictures (like above) and really loves photography and design. Plus, she's engaged and planning her wedding! She always has such a great attitude and it's really a joy to read her blog!

Go and check my friends out and tell them I sent y'all! Pretty please. : )

Love, love!

Sometimes and Always #11

Sometimes: I take a two hour nap...like as in yesterday.

Always: I hate taking naps because I feel like a zombie afterward!

Sometimes: My hubby and I bake chocolate chip cookies at 10 pm. 

Always: We eat them all. : )

Sometimes: I want to live back in my college town with all my best friends. 

Always: I know that we are where God wants us to be. 

Sometimes: I say "I refuse to watch any more Bachelors because it never works out."

Always: I end up watching...and getting involved...and being sad when it doesn't work out.

Sometimes: I can't figure out how to blow my nose. 

Always: It takes me a few times to get anything out after blowing. (TMI, I know!)

Sometimes: I don't have any pictures to use in my blog post. 

Always: I fall back on old pictures...or couple pictures. You can never go wrong with those!

picture by Brandi Smyth Photography

I'd love for y'all to link up with me! Once you get started, they come pretty quickly! 

Love, love!