fake plants

Yes, it's true...I use fake plants outside on my porch. I try to mix in a couple real ones as well but the majority are fake. This may come as a surprise to many but if you saw my porch you would understand that even Martha Stewart would have a hard time keeping all of the plants alive! As Jon and I prepare the house to be sold this Spring we are staging it and the porch is a BIG project. I think fake plants are a great idea because they never look bad and you can't tell they are fake until you get right up on them. Fake plants look so real in fact that I currently have a fake fern hanging from my porch and I watched this morning as 4 birds landed and tried to make a nest in it. If my fake plants can fool birds they can fool anyone!

ohhh the details

Good morning all! Today's post is about the details in life. I sometimes wonder if I was going to write a book about my everyday life would I simply say, "Today I woke up and began reading in Matthew about the birth of Jesus." OR, would I say, "Today I woke up to the thumping sound of my Yorkie scratching his neck and the pathetic whining of my beagle reminding me that it was now ten minutes past his normal breakfast time." Would I mention how I woke up in a bad mood but then made a choice to begin the day with a grateful attitude no matter what demands were laid upon me first thing in the morning by my dogs..not kids.. but dogs. Would I mention how I pondered for about ten minutes after reading that King Herod ordered every child two years old and under to be killed in an attempt to find and kill baby Jesus and how the soldiers that carried out that task were probably effected emotionally but had no choice because they were orders from the King...I cannot begin to fathom the details of that situation for everyone who was involved.
All these thoughts made me realize that the details are what makes life eventful and without them we would miss out on a great deal of the story.
I laugh sometimes when someone asks me, How are you today?" The general response is, "fine." What does that mean? Does it mean, I really am "fine" or I'm choosing to be "fine" or I'm just telling you that because I don't want to vomit all the details of my day on you because honestly, do you really want to hear them? I have to actively engage myself in a conversation when talking with someone and asking them, "How are you today?" If they say "fine" then I won't pry but if they chose to tell me the details will I want to listen and genuinely be concerned with the details they are unfolding. I truly want people to share the details (of course there are always boundaries) but I am truly interested in the details of their day and their lives. It's not always an easy task since it is natural to be selfish and only think of me. The Holy Spirit revealed to me that there is a lot to be said in the "details" of life. Each day we can choose to live out the "headlines" of our lives or we can take a moment and really appreciate and find joy in the details. Today I am going to focus on the details and not take them for granted. The details are not always pretty but there is joy to be found in everything and I am determined to not let satan and his ugly details steal my joy...what is intended for bad, the Lord will take and make good :) Thank you Lord for reminding me that you are ALWAYS at work in the details of my life!

Oh did I mention...we were a part of the "first 100!"

In case you are not familiar with the "first 100" at Chick-fil-A let me explain. Each time a brand new Chick-fil-A opens they hold what is called the "first 100" and that means the first 100 people to arrive at Chick-fil-A by 6am the day BEFORE they open will have to remain there (outside) until the following morning at 6am no matter what the weather is like! Well, the new Chick-fil-A opened up near us and Jon and I were out there waiting to earn our right to be apart of the first 100. We had to sleep in a tent and remain outside the ENTIRE TIME and the weather got down into the teens that evening. Needless to say, WE MADE IT! I'm not going to lie and tell you it was an easy task but it was a challenge and I am proud that we overcame the challenge and were victorious! You may be asking yourself, "why in the world would someone want to do that?" Well, simple, if you can last then at 6am the following morning Chick-fil-A employees line you up and walk you thru the building as they cheer you on and hand you a box FULL of 52 combo coupons!!! That's right! If you spread them out you can have Chick-fil-A FREE each week for an entire year! BAM! We do love Chick-fil-A and we love it even more when it's free!

I'm BACK!

HELLLOOO EVERYONE I know it's been a long time since my last post and I'm sure that you've all been sitting there at your computers awaiting the moment when I update everything that has happened in the past few months. I'm just kidding! I like to amuse myself every now and then! Seriously though, I am back and ready to plunge into the blogging world one post at a time. I am officially caught up and ready to move forward! In the meantime, feel free to scan over all the posts from Thanksgiving till now. They will make you laugh, they'll make you cry, they'll make you wish you could block me from your inbox ha ha :) Enjoy!

New business alert!

As most of you may or may not know...I have recently (within the last two months) joined Thirty-One Gifts. Thirty-One is a great company that offers purses, totes, stationary and MORE! The new Spring/Summer catalog just came out and it is packed FULL of fun patterns. I recently had my "Kick Off" party at the end of February at a local cafe' in my town. It was a huge success and I want to personally thank everyone who came out to support me :) I know the Lord has BIG plans for this business which is founded on Proverbs 31 and focuses on celebrating, encouraging and rewarding virtuous women everywhere. Feel free to visit my website: mythirtyone.com/amandabowman to learn more about the Thirty-One experience. Happy shopping :)

Tea time ChApS

What does every mature woman want for their 27th birthday? A TEA PARTY OF COURSE! At least, that is what I wanted this year :) I wanted to get together with my friends wearing big obnoxious hats and eat dainty little finger foods while sipping on tea. I asked to "borrow" the Bowman B&B for this occasion and not only did my mother-in-law say "yes" but she and grandma wanted to throw the tea party themselves as a birthday gift to me-woohoo! They did such a wonderful job making it look and feel like an authentic tea room. The decorations were perfect, the food was fabulous and the atmosphere was like something out of a Victorian Tea Station right down to the soft playing music in the background. Thank you ladies for going to all the trouble of giving this big girl, a little girl's wish of having her very own tea party. By the way, everyone looked Fabulous!

Happy Anniversary my love of SIX years!

Jon and I celebrated 6 years of being married this year in January. We had a wonderful meal to celebrate the occassion with his side of the family. After the meal my mother-in-law made us both our own separate desserts (you know we couldn't like the same one and make things simple!) As we began to dig into our desserts our eyes met and it was love-at-first-sight all over again. We lovingly wrapped our arms around(like we did on our wedding day) and fed each other....it was a romantic moment when time stood still....YEAH RIGHT! The real story is we both got our desserts and didn't want to share with anyone and then my mother-in-law asked us to take a nice romantic picture at which point we goofed off and acted like we were two kids getting in trouble with mom standing there watching! It was great! Jon did offer to take me to dinner but offered the cash to me if I didn't want to go...is it wrong that I took the money and made dinner at home? :)
Thanks for keeping me young at heart my love! We are a perfect match!

Happy Anniversary Ma and Pa!

This year was my in-laws 35th Wedding Anniversary! As a family (the kids) decided to put together a surprise "family party". Together with grandma we planned well in advance for the event. Each one of the kids sent grandma a piece of fabric (clothing, blanket etc) that meant something special to us and she quilted them all together along with pictures of the past 35 years. The memory quilt turned out amazing and was such a blessing. We also put together a scrapbook full of stories and information about why we chose the fabric on the quilt to represent us. All of the girls made a special lunch for the family (this made my mother-in-law happy because she didn't have to cook)and then we all went to the Melting Pot for dessert. It was a GREAT day and one that will be memorable to all who were a part of it.

Christmas time catch up! Ready, set, GO!

#1 (Pajama PaRtY!)

Girls may grow up but they never grow out of wearing pjs! This year I had the pleasure of attending TWO pj parties with two separate groups of Godly women. We had an amazing and relaxing time hanging out and exchanging ornaments. No matter the age, pjs are a great thing! Love you ladies!

#2 (family + food = my beagle sleeping for days)

My dad and stepmom came over to our house along with my sisters to celebrate Christmas together. I made lunch for them and then we spent a couple hours playing board games (LOVE IT!) On Jon's side of the family, per tradition, we made homemade pizzas and we all wore our festive aprons and hats (thanks mom-in-law!). Of course our children, Jack and JimJim were there for all of the festivities and JimJim even wore his holiday bow while his little brother Jack enjoyed the overflow of leftovers that seemed to find their way into his food bowl on more than one occasion. Jack loves Christmas time....in fact, he tends to sleep the other 11 months of the year in anticipation of it.

#3 (Not always easy to say goodbye...)

December was a great time to celebrate... but also a bittersweet time for me. At the end of the year I left my job and the office full of people I love dearly. It was an exciting time to prepare for being a full time student and working towards my goal of teaching but at the same time I was sad to move on from the familiar faces of the people I worked with. At our office Christmas party my team gave me a farewell gift and even treated me to a luncheon later that month. You'll notice in the larger picture my team and I are humbly accepting our first prize awards for a game we won together at the Christmas party. Thanks for a great two years everyone! You are forever in my thoughts and prayers! xoxoxoxoxox

#4 (a long awaited reunion)

This year Jon had the great idea of getting together with four guys he grew up with and having them over to the Bowman B&B along with their wives and children. It was a lot of fun seeing everyone and getting to know their families. Of course I gravitated towards the tiny baby girl in the sweet little Christmas dress while Jon loved the older boys. One of my favorite pictures of the night was of Jon, his dad and baby Jordan. Three generations of family and friends in one room-what a great combination!

#5 (dinner with friends)

Jon and I had an awesome night out with our long time friends. Each year we switch off and treat the other couple to a Christmas celebration. This year was our turn so we took them to a nice formal dinner complete with flowers and a card and then we ended the night at a local ice cream shop that has been featured on the Food Newtwork. It was the perfect casual end to a formal beginning :)

Christmas at the Biltmore in NC

Jon and I spent Christmas with my family at the Biltmore this year. Instead of gifts we decided to take a trip together and since my sister lives ten minutes from the Biltmore we were able to stay with her and save a TON of money. We all had a great time and the Biltmore house was incredible to say the least. There were over fifty Christmas trees inside the house not to mention the ones used to landscape the exterior of the home. It truly was a magical Christmas!

Asheville, North Carolina...what a great place!

While in Asheville, NC my sister treated us to a history lesson and showed us why she loves the city of Asheville. Kalyn took us on an awesome tour of the city and I was in awe of the buildings and history that laid at my feet as we strolled the streets. With each turn there were new things to see and enjoy. The city is crawling with character and I found myself getting lost in the uniqueness of it all! There were statues around every corner and each had its own story to tell. The local businesses were numbered using 1/2 numbers in order to squeeze in more local vendors and I found a small piece of Heaven in the form of a ballet shop complete with a Christmas tree decorated with the most beautiful ribbon and pointe shoes as its ornaments. The shops were adorable with cute names like, "Bake it Pretty" and "Cupcake Corner." Asheville truly is enchanting and the tour gave me an appreciation for the city's creativity and natural design. I absolutely LOVE this city and can't wait to visit again. Thanks sis for being our great tour guide and introducing me to Asheville! Love you :)