A New Car!

We bought a new (to us) car! It's a very nice '05 Nissan Altima, and the charcoal color almost matches Josh's truck. I'm very excited about the car because it has leather seats and a sun roof! :)

Isn't she pretty?

We've been thinking for some time about getting a new vehicle. As luck would have it, one of our friends was trying to sell this car and posted it on Facebook. I'm definitely looking forward to having this car for the 8-hour road trips to Kentucky.

The sad thing though is I'll be saying goodbye to my first ever car, the Ford Focus. My parents got me that car in 2003 before I left for WKU. It is definitely the best material gift I've ever been given.

She's pretty too.

For some reason, getting rid of a car has always been an emotional thing for me. Not like a bawling, tear-stained-face experience. But still a little emotional. I can remember being sad when my parents traded in the conversion van we had. Oh yeah, it was sweet. It had a TV inside, the middle chairs could swivel 360 degrees, there was a button you could push to put the back seat down into a bed and there were blinds on the windows. Seriously, what kid wouldn't think that was awesome? I also remember my brother trading in his Dodge Dakota Sport and me thinking it couldn't be time for that yet. (I think I miss the blue color of that truck.) Then there was the green Ford Taurus my high school buddy Jared Burke had and the Ashley Sallee's Corolla. 

And this Focus has been a great car for me. It's taken me across this 4 state journey life has put me on. (I'm including TN because on those trips to MS, the drive through TN was never ending.) It still has my Western Kentucky University sticker that I put on it because that's what all Freshman did. Then there's the Real Life Radio 1380 bumper sticker that's a reminder of the time I spent working for the station and Benedictus Bookstore. (Such a fun and amazing job to have.)

And, like always, I'll be a little sad to hand her on. I know, I know, getting nostalgic about a car is pretty silly. But I only have one trip left with my first vehicle. We'll be going to Jacksonville this weekend for the wedding of Matt Miller and Andrea Skinner. (woo hoo!) And there, I'll hand on the keys to the new owner, Josh's Aunt Ann. So I won't be too sad, because she'll be staying in the family. :)

Uncle Chester

Wow, it's been a pretty long time since I've posted anything. Well, here's one that I've been thinking about for a very long time.

Let me introduce you to someone very special to me, my great uncle, Chester. 

Uncle Chester was amazed with the I-Phone camera. He loved seeing pictures from the national championship game on my phone.

In 1993, Pa, my maternal grandfather passed away. Uncle Chester was married to Pa's sister, Mary Evelyn, who we all called Al, short for Malene. When Pa was little, that's how he said Mary Evelyn's name and the nickname just stuck. 

In 2006, grandaddy passed away. But just a few year later, I had the great fortune of moving to Lexington, just a few blocks from Uncle Chester.

Up until that time, my memories of my uncle are pretty limited. I saw him at the Leitch family reunion every year. I would hear stories about him owning the A&P where my mom worked and later owning convenient stores. 

The most distinct memory I have of him is from Amy's wedding, his granddaughter. Chester beamed around Aunt Al. He had just bought her a new necklace, and she was showing it off to everyone. At the reception, they had a dance where they invited all married couples to take the floor. The deejay called out different years: 5, 10, 15, 20 and the couples who had been married less than that had to leave the floor. I'm not sure how long they had been married, but I know Chester and Al would have been the last ones left on the floor, if they could have made it out. I remember Uncle Chester going up to her chair and asking her to dance. Unfortunately, Aunt Al's health wasn't all that great, but I will always remember that gesture and the love Chester had for her. 

When I moved to Lexington, I would walk to Uncle Chester's house every now and then, and I've found out so much more about him. He is the most jovial person I've ever met. On every visit I'm greeted with, "Hey hon, come on in. It's so good to see ya." He always offers a drink or a little something to eat. He makes a great pimento cheese (and I didn't even think I liked pimento cheese) and good-tasting sweet tea. We've shared bowls of strawberry ice cream and talked all things UK football and basketball. We both love a BBQ sammich from Billy's in Lexington.

I've learned more about his life. He is truly part of the greatest generation. Uncle Chester served as a tank machine gunner in Patton's army. Once, when Josh asked him if he had ever been to France, Chester calmly replied, "Well, I liberated France. It's a nice place." He was present at the Battle of Bastogne. He saved lives of some of his fellow soldiers who were about to cross a bridge rigged with explosives. When he returned from the war, he made a living with farming and business. He owned an A&P store and convenient stores around central Kentucky. When a thief tried to rob one of his stores, he went to the safe and got one of his guns. Needless to say, the robber was unsuccessful. He and Aunt Al raised two girls and have a number of grandkids and even great grandkids. 

He's really filled the role of grandfather in my life. When Josh and I got engaged, we made sure to stop by his house to share the news. He gave us a wonderful gift of a rocking chair, passed from my great grandmother to Aunt Al. Uncle Chester himself re-did the chair. I hope to one day put it in our nursery and later hand it down to the next generation in our family.

But the greatest gift Uncle Chester has shown me is how to truly love. When I think of him, that's the thing that stands out most. My Aunt Al suffered with Alzheimer's for a long time at the end of her life. Chester, along with his family, cared for her at their home. I know there were many tough times and many more days where it simply broke Chester's heart to see his loving wife in such condition. But he was always there. He always cared for her. He fulfilled the vows he made on their wedding day many years ago. And he continues to fulfill that vow, even after her death in early 2004. When he speaks about Aunt Al, to this day, it is evident how much he cared for her and loved her. There were no excuses of "she's just not the same person anymore." He knew she was the same person he fell in love with and lived with for all those years, no matter what shape her mind was in.

I hope that I can keep that gift with me for life. I hope I love in that same way, and that people can hear and see that love when I talk about Josh. I am very thankful for all my visits with Uncle Chester and hope they can continue for a long time. And I hope you've enjoyed learning about my Uncle Chester.

Clearance Shopping

Oh, how I love finding good clearance deals.  That makes me a very happy person.  And about once every two months, my debit card starts burning a whole in my pocket, just begging to go out and find those deals.  I treated myself today, picking up a good amount of Christmas clearance and some other things too.

Kirkland's

A red and a blue vase on the clearance shelf - those were meant for our house.  The crocheted ornaments were adorable too and will make great gifts next year for my nieces.

 Kohl's

I found two night lights which will be a great addition to the hallway during Halloween and Christmas.  I also really like snowmen because those can stay up all through winter, not just advent and Christmas.  I found a snowman bath hand towel and a football snowman ornament which will go perfect on our Alabama tree.

Michael's

I have a strange obsession with ribbon.  I don't know why.  I also like to think that I'm a crafty person although I rarely do crafts.  Oh well.  I found some great deals at Michael's.  The bouncy balls are another gift item for next year.  Then there's Christmas sprinkles, ornaments, ribbon (of course), buttons, and cutouts.  

Target

The skiing bear Christmas cards were just too cute to pass up, especially at under a dollar.  Cinnamon sticks will be a good decoration item next fall.  I needed a planner for 2012.  And I got a few items from the dollar area - an exercise resistance band, dish scrub brush, and a basket that will hold my ribbon.  That's another pinterest inspired organization project.  I also bought a shower gift, but left that out of this picture.

All this stuff and the damage was just over 45 buckaroos.  According to my receipts, I saved more than 100 dollars.  Now I just have to actually do something with all of this stuff!

More Pinterest Inspirations.

A month ago, I posted about some inspiration I've gotten from pinterest.  Looking back, I now realize that I haven't done any of those things - although I am on the look out for a clasping spaghetti holder.  (Any ideas where I can find one?  I've check Target, Wal-Mart, and Dollar Tree.  Saw some at a flea market but they were 5 bucks a pop!)

Anyway, I have some other inspirations from pinterest that I have actually followed through with, and I wanted to share those.  Makes me feel like I've done something productive.  First, pantry storage.

The Inspiration

Extra Storage

My version: 

I hung a shoe organizer - not made but bought from Target - onto the back of the pantry door.  It's great for holding baking items, jars, and other loose items like cereal bars and packages of pb crackers.  Josh even admitted to liking this addition today - although it does take some getting used to.  I love having this extra storage space.  It makes the rest of the pantry easy to organize, too!

Second - Pumpkin cookies with caramel icing.  Good gracious these things are amazingly wonderful, moist, and will be a regular during the fall season.  Nom, nom, nom.

The Inspiration

Pumpkin Cookies

My version:

I love the messy frosting.  The cookies are good by themselves.  Just good, not outstanding.  But the frosting...oh the frosting.  It makes these cookies irresistible!  If you click the link above for the recipe, the originator suggest flattening out the top of the cookies with a glass, which I did not do - thus the extra messiness of mine.  I will try to remember to do that the next time I make these.  I also added chocolate chips to half the batter, and those are even better than the others.  Might try white chocolate chips next time.