How can you not laugh?

Born and raised in Tulsa, OK!

Things have been a wee bit crazy around here

Can I get a day of sleep to recover from the craziness? Please? No?

I adore my friend Natasha. You can see more pictures of her on my photo blog here.

The Table...

Cupcake toppers!

The wreath I made for Natasha to take to the hospital and put on her baby door. :)

Super proud of my mantle. 

Opening gifts

Hostessess...promise to detail how to make tissue puffs soon

There's a baby in there!

Is she not adorable?

Alright, back to posts about crafts. I promise to detail my crafts used for the shower VERY soon!

The calm before the storm.

So we're getting our carpets cleaned. Before the shower I blogged about. I am so excited! Yay! Clean carpets. Babies. All the things I love! If there was a GAP at the shower, my life would be complete.

Here are a few pictures prior to the cleaning: (And no we weren't robbed. And those pictures on Facebook were Ryan's doing, not mine.)

 Our Kitchen stuffed.

Our bedroom stuffed. We had to switch sides, and luckily, no one needed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

WANT. TO. POST.

I have been unusually crafty these past few months, thanks to Natasha. I have been preparing to host her shower at my house and I want to post pictures SO bad it hurts a little. It will have to wait!

But I did make this..

How to have a great holiday baking experience.

Here we go.... 

Pre-baking.

Step 1: Set up your baking station. Equip yourself with snacks, recipes and make sure your Husband (and children) and pets are occupied. 

Step 2: Start out with something easy, to build your confidence. These are so easy and can be ready in minutes. A little droopy, but delicious. Eat immediately. Hurry, before Husband sees.

Step 3: Try something harder. Call necessary relatives and in laws for advice. Don't bother anyone local, cause they will want to eat it. 

This is  yummy Southern Pecan pie. Add Cool whip and enjoy a couple of times a day.

Step 4: Take a picture of yourself with the pie. Success.

Plan for next time! :) 

Might as well, I've posted it everywhere else..

Spots are filling up fast! Contact me for more details!

Ch-ch-check it out....

I've thrown caution to the wind and started a photography business. Eek!

Check it out here:
www.allisonharmsphotography.blogspot.com

and on Facebook!

I would love to take pictures of your family! :)

Back to the Future?

I grew up watching Back to the Future, so I am loving the Today show appearances, the SNL parodies, etc., because of the 45th anniversary. I have to share these two clips from SNL. They are hilarious and some of the impressions are spot on. Enjoy!

Warning: a little bad language in the first one. If I was computer savvy enough to bleep it out, I would.

Oh yeah, I have a blog.

Okay, I am awful at keeping up with this thing. I would throw in the towel, what would my two, maybe three (when someone comes here by accident) readers do without me? There are better blogs out there than mine. Morgandi's is awesome. Katie updates her blog very regularly. But me? I forget I have one. But I bet you that I read yours. All the time. I'm faithful like that.

Well, what's new? I got a job. About two months ago. (I warned you I'm not good at this.) I teach music at two elementary schools in Richardson. So far I have been called Mrs. Harn, Mrs. Ham, Mrs. Harmony, Mrs. Harmes, Mrs. Harns, Mrs. Haowabaeb (mumbling) and Hey You.

Here are a few little gems I have heard so far:

"Mrs. Harm, It looks like you painted your hair."

"Mrs. Harn, I gots to use it. Now."

(To another student)
"You're turning 10 today? You're almost a teenager. But teenagers make really bad decisions. Don't set someone's trash on fire."  .....What?

"Bye Mrs. Harmony. Your name sounds like someone who is really good at harmony."

More to come, I'm sure. These kids give me lots of material.

In other news, we renovated our kitchen. Here is before: (It's blurry, I'm sorry. I promise if you have me take pictures of your children or family, they will be better than this.)

Before

After

 
I'm in love with our kitchen. I want to live in there. I seriously considered sleeping in there.

That's all for now. See you in a few weeks months.

Please Help a Family in Need

Some friends of mine in Oklahoma recently adopted the cutest little girl from Ethiopia. She is precious! She is almost one year old, and for her Birthday, they are asking that her family and friends help another family adopt a child from Ethiopia. Every little bit helps!

Here is the letter::
(Oh and I visited the Linck's blog www.ourmissinglinck.blogspot.com and cried a little bit. So be prepared.)

Friends and family,

Our little Sophia is growing up so quickly! She will be one on October 12. We are celebrating in a BIG way and we want YOU to be a part of it!!! 

We believe God calls Christians to care for orphans. Adoption is one way He uses us to care for His children. I LOVE reading adoption stories and especially love seeing how God provides the funding for adoptions. He provided for our adoption of Sophia in so many amazing ways. We never could have paid for her adoption on our own. So many of our family and friends gave their hard earned money to help bring her home and we are so thankful. You have no idea! 

We know that it wasn’t too long ago that many of you helped with our adoption, but we are asking for you to give a little of your money to help bring another Ethiopian baby home to his or her forever family. 

You see, we have some friends who are adopting from Ethiopia and we want to help them out. They are in the fundraising stage and are hoping to turn their application in on October 25, their 2nd wedding anniversary. They want to have all of the money for the fees raised ($18,000) before they submit the application. God has already provided in HUGE ways for them and it has been a blessing to watch.

So, back to Sophia’s birthday CELEBRATION!!!!! We are asking all of our friends, family, blogland buddies, total strangers, etc. to donate to the Linck’s adoption fund in Sophia’s name. If you know Sophia and she has brought joy to your life, would you please consider giving $5 or more, so Baby Linck can come home? If you don’t know her, but know how precious children are, would you donate money, as well?

For every $5 you donate, we will enter your name into a drawing for a prize. We will have a drawing when $100 has been donated and then again at $200, $300, etc. The more you donate the bigger your chance is to win. 

The first prize is a brand new copy of “The Hole in Our Gospel”, by Richard Stearns. 

Would you like an additional chance to win? If you donate money AND do a blog or facebook post about this, then your name will be entered an additional time. Make sure you comment on my blog and let me know you posted about it.

To donate, please go here:http://journeyfromethiopia.chipin.com/lincks-adoption-fund. You are also welcome to write a check or pay with cash, if you will be seeing one of us in the near future.

“‘Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” (Matthew 25:37-40)

For more information on John and Jennifer Linck, please visit their blog http://ourmissinglinck.blogspot.com/. 

Thank you so much for reading this long message and for your consideration in helping John and Jennifer bring home their "Missing Linck". I am so excited to see how God will use Sophia's life to help bring an orphan home to their forever family!

Thanks,
Katie




Please donate! 


and Boomer Sooner!!!

We will miss you, Grandpa.

Early last Thursday morning, Ryan's Grandpa, Lyle Harms, passed away. He was such a wonderful man, and a great example to his children and grandchildren. We will miss him so much. 

Grandpa was a great fishing buddy.

Grandpa, I will miss you so much. Who else will eat dessert right away with me? You were such a great man, and a great example for the kind of person I want to be. If I am half the Christian, leader, and person you were, I will be incredible. Thank you for being you. We will all miss you, but we know we will see you again. Enjoy your reward in Heaven. You have earned it. 

Photography Workshop

Yesterday I went to an awesome photography workshop with Taylor Jackson, my friend who is a fantastic photographer. And BONUS, my mother-in-law came with me! It was so much fun. We got to learn camera basics, photoshop, posing, lighting, and have two photo shoots for practice. It was so great! I would never have the chance to take pictures of these beautiful models otherwise! Both sessions were in beautiful downtown McKinney, the first a couple session, and the second a vintage model session.

They are such a beautiful couple!

(Please ignore the car in the back...that was part of the class and I failed. And its kinda dark.)

Second shoot..... 

It was such a fun day! Thanks, Taylor!! Visit Taylor's website here.

Movie Reviews

So, we've seem a lot of movies lately. Rented them, seen them in theaters, watched them at friend's houses, etc. So, I shall review them for you. You are welcome.

Here is my rating system:
Just do it--Want to see it again, really enjoyed it, you should see it.
Maybe Later--Good enough to rent later.
If You're Really Bored--Eh, but not awful.
Don't do it-- don't see it. It is not worth your time.

1. The Switch
Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Bateman
Let's start off on a high note. I was going to begin with The American, but that might depress me, and then I'll never finish this. Then what will you do?
Well, first of all, I will see any Jennifer Aniston movie. Friends is still my absolute favorite, and I will watch any movie she is in. Even if it's awful (Ahem, I'm looking at you The Break-Up).  The little boy that plays Aniston's son is adorable. I love that this is not a paint-by-the-numbers romantic comedy, and it is sweet and refreshing, like a glass of strawberry lemonade**.
Rating: Just do it.

**Pause to go get lemonade.

2. Date Night
Stars: Tina Fey, Steve Carrell
Now, this was out a while ago, and we saw it in theaters. We rented it recently with friends, and it was a lot better than I remembered it being. It's about a couple that goes on a fancy date night to get them out of their boring marriage rut. (Thankfully, I cannot relate.) They take someone's reservation to get in, and everything spirals out of control. This was very funny, and you should rent it. It's out. Promise.
Rating: Just do it

3. The American
Stars: George Clooney, A Hooker
Okay, gross. I don't even want to talk about it. I was so excited to spend two hours with George Clooney. Bless us, it was only an hour and half, cause I could not have taken it anymore. This was the slowest moving movie I have EVER seen. There is a very racy sex scene, and the woman behind me in the theater said "Hmmph" every 6 seconds. Unrelated statements. People were walking out left and right.  Do not put yourself through this. It's so bad. So bad.
Rating: Don't do it

4. The Back-Up Plan
Stars: Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin
This is on video DVD too. (I get made fun of around here for saying video.) I thought this would be similar to The Switch, but it was pretty different. It was not as bad as I thought it was going to be. JLo gets inseminated before she meets this guy, and so everything is just out of order. My favorite part was the cameo of Ceasar the Dog Whisperer. Be the pack leader.
Rating: Maybe Later

5. Dinner for Schmucks
Stars: Steve Carrell, Phoebe's Husband, Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords
We saw this in theaters, and it was funny. I mean it wasn't like rolling in the aisles, double rainbow funny, but it was decent. Zack Galifaniasysks (from The Hangover) is in it, but not very funny in it. I really saw it for him, and he disappointed me. Jermaine from Flight of the Conchords is in the movie, and if you have never watched Flight of the Conchords, google it NOW. See you in a few hours.
Rating: Maybe Later

6. The Other Guys
Stars: Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg
Uh, it was okay. Dinner for Schmucks was better. I was really hoping for Will Ferrell to redeem himself after several disasters, but he really didn't for me. Sure, I laughed, but it was no Anchorman. Or even Ricky Bobby. Ferrell and Wahlberg play two mismatched detectives who try to fight crime. Yawn.
Rating: If You're Really Bored

7. Killers
Stars: Katherine Heigl, Ashton Kutcher
We rented this last night, and I was a little disappointed. Heigl meets Ashton in Nice, France, and they fall in love. She marries him, not knowing he is actually a hit man. He thinks he is "out of the game", but  he's not. First of all, let me point out that I did not really find Ashton all that attractive until this movie. He moved up the ranks with me. But, this movie was not good. Sorry, Ashton. You look nice with your shirt off.
Rating: Maybe Later

Okay, that's all for now. Yes, there are lots I haven't seen....Eat, Pray, Love....Inception (my husband loved)....More later!

I can't believe I didn't know about this...

Okay, the following YouTube videos are HILARIOUS.

First, watch this....


Then, watch this. Enjoy.


You are welcome.

Thanks, Allissa!!

Happy Birthday, Memaw!!

Ryan's Memaw turned 80 yesterday! We had a party for her on Saturday, and got to spend time with lots of family. It was great to see everyone! Happy Birthday, Memaw!

On the way home from Ponca City, I snapped this of the sunset...

So pretty!!

It was such a great weekend. I got to see some people that I haven't seen in years! It was so great to see everyone. 

Hope you had a great weekend, too!

Cakes and Mice (Not Together, Obviously)

I tried to make a cake....and I failed. 

We cleaned out our garage, and we caught a mouse.

We let him go in a field....he was just so little, I wanted him to meet a wise cracking owl. (Friends...anyone?)

So one failure, one accomplishment. On the positive side, our friends and my husband said the cake was good. Just ugly.

Hello, ARod.

I know you couldn't hear me over the massive boo's in the crowd, but trust me, I was cheering. Very loudly. You are beautiful. 

Mission Accomplished

Last week I watched an old episode of Oprah about a hoarder. It was two episodes showing how they cleaned out this woman's home that was basically unlivable. Mounds of clothes everywhere. Her problem was that she would buy anything on sale, from stuffed animals to umbrellas...you name it. You couldn't even see the TV if you sat on the couch in the living room. It was completely ridiculous and might have given me nightmares. So today, I set out to clean out our closet under the stairs.

Here is before:

This physically hurts me. Disgusting. 

This is after.......

Wait for it.......

Are you kidding me? I could live in here! Granted, you can see how high the boxes are stacked at the very back, but man, it is ridiculous how much stuff was in there that we don't need, want or use. 

Phew. I feel better. 

Sea World, I love you.

We took a trip with some good friends this past weekend to San Antonio. Despite one awful pull-out couch, scorching triple-digit heat,  and seeing too many people that needed to put more clothes on....we had a great time! 

The girls

Waiting for a show to start....

The whole gang at Salt Lick, this awesome barbeque place in Round Rock. It was so good!!

Baby sea lions!! So adorable.

We had so much fun with our friends. It was nice to get away for a weekend and enjoy great Mexican food, friends and of course, Shamu!

Favorite Awkward Summer Pictures

In London, on the way to Wicked. Oh, how I wish I was doing that now....

On the boat. Ignore my fat hand. Such a contrast from my last post. I have hand issues. 

Me and Allissa ON A BOAT.

So that was nice and grand, but I thought it would be more fun to post some awkward summer pictures. 

Needless to say, I wasn't ready. This is in Cinque Terre.

Again, not ready. This is in Paris.

For some reason, I thought I only needed to take a picture of the back half of the lion? This is in Trafalgar Square in London. 

This is not really awkward, but just plain weird. In Cinque Terre. 

You should share your summer awkward pictures....it's fun. 

I've Learned My Lesson....

A few weeks ago, I went to my first book signing/reading with one of my favorite authors, Jennifer Weiner. Before you giggle, let me tell you that it is pronounced "wy-ner". I got there 40 minutes early and it was almost full. I really enjoyed hearing her talk about her book, writing, and funny stories about meeting celebrities, and her gay mom. She made me laugh several times. Because I bought my book at another store (forgive me for actually wanting to read it before I met the author....grrr), I had to wait for over an hour to meet her. 

When I finally got up to the front of the line, I told her that I really loved the book. I also told her that  her "Little Earthquakes" was my favorite book. She was nice and went on to the next person. I looked down at my signing as I left and it said "Allison, Enjoy! Jennifer Weiner" Enjoy? ENJOY? I just told you I read the book! Why would you write ENJOY? 

Then I reached my second disappointment of the evening. I saw the picture I took. Okay, take a look, and then I will tell you why it is so awful. 

My Husband stared and laughed at it for a good ten minutes. I have the longest fingers ever and I have awkwardly placed them right over her name. I have learned my lesson. Ryan made me hold a few books to practice, just in case I ever go to a book signing again.

I guess on the plus side, my arms look good.

At any rate, it was fun, I liked meeting her, in case she ever reads this.....which I doubt she will.

Destruction by Sadie and Parker

And by Sadie and Parker, I mean just Parker.

This used to be a tent that we used for grilling and giving the dogs shade. No more.

I came out of the shower yesterday, and this is what I found. So many questions. How did she get that rug to roll up that many times? Why did she drag her food bowl out? Was breakfast not filling? Why did we never take the IKEA sticker off?

Sadie and Parker didn't do this, I only have myself to blame..

 

I was the most mad about my claw clip getting drenched. 

I wanted to wear it, dang it.