Ministry Wrap Up (September)

Thought I would try a new format for my ministry updates. Welcome to my monthly wrap ups! September was a crazy busy month and our schedule is not any lighter over the next few months.

Last month we announced the 5th year celebration of Marc and I being at WABC! I can't believe its been 5 years! Your all welcome to come join us! LOL

A group of our ladies attended a Women's conference at the start of September. We spent three nights getting our tank filled back up! It was great preparation for our Fall Revival the following week! LOL

Marc with some of his fellow VUU mates the week of revival. 

One of Marc's favorite things is dedicating babies back to God. We seem to have a baby explosion going on at WABC at the moment! Not a problem for my hubby. Its not like we have any grands of our own yet! LOL

The church held a fashion show/talent competition a few weeks ago. The hit of the night was apparently one of our deacons who dawned a wig and fancy shirt for the occasion! Love that our folks don't mind having a bit of fun.

This is my Auntie. Apparently she was the fashion diva of the evening in her all leather suit! Wonder if she will let me rock that suit for a special occasion somewhere? 

My daughter Quisha is in the middle. She along with her church and Pastor were our guest last weekend for our annual Homecoming service.

This weekend Marc did his second favorite thing to do at WABC. And that was to baptise one of our youth! Jayla was so excited about making a commitment to Christ that she got in the pool before Marc even realized. And when she came up out of the water she gave him a big hug! 

Ministry can be tough and its definitely not all Roses and Chocolate but when things like this happen you forget all of that and remember why you do what you do!!!! I'll be back next month with highlights from October including our 75th Church Anniversary.

Ipsy review/make-up haul/YouTube tutorial

First of all I love the bag, even though it doesn't seem as sturdy as some of the earlier bags (if you don't count the "beach" themed pink one).

I can't explain why I get excited about these bags when they come in (even if I don't like all of the products). It's like Christmas every month! LOL

I would love to see this palette in person but you can only order it online. I still have not "tested" out the sample that came. 

I'm partially afraid to try these Skym eye gels but I really, really want to try them. Crazy I know. I'm waiting for a "pampering day" to really use them. I will have to update later.

I really wanted to like this product but I'm not a big fan of red lipstick and when I tried it on it seemed to be paler then it actually looks in the bottle. But I love the packaging for Cailyn products. 

I don't use eye pencils as much as I use to only because I think it creates to harsh of a line on a woman my age. So I will most likely give it to Nicki to use. The consistency is good in the Starlooks eyeliner pencil I'm just not a big eyeliner person.

I like the Elizabeth Mott mascara but I don't love it. It comes out of the tube really weird. And when I applied it to my eyelashes it seemed a bit sticky. I will use it for travel or take it to my mom's house to stay with my small make-up supply that I keep there. 

I fell in love with NYX products a few years ago. I still have a quad palette that I pull out on a regular basis. And I love the color blue so this was one of my favorite items in the bag. They could send me NYX products in every bag. LOL

I picked up these NYC eyeshadow palettes from the Dollar Tree of all places. I didn't expect much from them but I have been surprised at how well they apply. And you can't beat $1.00 for an eyeshadow pallet with a stick! If you are interested in your own Ipsy bag then just click here .

In case you don't know my daughter Nicki is a youtuber and freelance make-up artist. She did a tutorial on YouTube with the products from this months Ipsy bag. Overall I would give this bag a 7 out of 10 only because two of the five products will probably end up in Nicki's make-up kit.

Linen Closet re-do

There is something about the fall season that gets me in the mood to clean up and clear out! I've been working on this project a few weeks and I finally finished purchasing most of what I needed to transfer this space from the mess it was to an organized closet!

For the last couple of years it has turned into a dumping ground for books, mismatch pieces from the kids rooms and the space everyone threw their toiletries when company came! Not to mention paint brushes, tape, miscellaneous medical supplies...you name it and it was in that closet!

I started by emptying everything out and packing up all of the encyclopedia's and kids books! Then I started editing out items that had either expired, served its purpose or that was no longer wanted by family members. 

Marc and I came across a sweet deal on some office supplies in Office Depot and I couldn't resist using some in the closet. The stacked brown boxes ($3.00 each) are actually for CDs and I'm still trying to decide if I'm going to keep them here or replace them with plastic containers to hold medical supplies, extra toiletries and travel supplies. If I do switch them out I may use the Office Depot boxes to corral our movies in the Familyroom (another project on the horizon)!

The basket by the towels is actually a magazine rack ($6.00 bucks a piece) but I have placed them by various spots in my house as a "catch all basket" for those things that tend to pile up in your living space and need to be carried out when company comes or when your tidying up a room. I ended up replacing this with a smaller basket ($4.00) since it really just holds washcloths.

I also purchased a few containers from Target and Walmart and a hook from Dollar tree to hang up the broom and dustpan). 

The white bucket on the left holds our steamers (I still have to add the travel size one). The blue bucket (also from Target) holds cleaning supplies that are in use. The stacked drawers came from Walmart. They cost me about $17. But I wanted something that would fit in that small space and going with the individual drawers that stack was my best option. I plan to go back and get a few more once I relocate the laundry products to the laundry room (another project). Hubby found a deal he couldn't resist at Sams so now I have enough Shout for ten yrs! lol 

The drawers hold extra cleaning supplies. Over all I am very pleased with the space and its motivated me to keep moving forward with the projects on my list. I had  to take such a long break because of my arm injury ( which still flares up) that I'm quite a bit behind. But it's all good because at least I'm making some progress. Next project on the list is under my kitchen sink! Oh boy!!!  If you only knew! 

See what I mean?? 

August/Summer Favorites

 

I am not usually a nail polish person but every once in a while I will "treat" myself and have my nails done. I did this last month in preparation for the wedding. The night before the wedding rehearsal we had an impromptu Girls Spa with my cousins. I was leaning towards the blue polish (which is aptly named "Cinderella"). At the last minute I decided to use the gray (Slate) and I am still surprised that I liked it so much!!! 

 

I've seen several varieties of these hair ties, but after buying a Goody's pack I am hooked. When my hair is back in a ponytail I just pull this off my arm and wrap it. When I pull it off I don't have a bazillion strands of hair coming off in my hand or on the tie. It makes a cute bracelet as well. LOL

 

I brought this Bath and Body Set during the 75% off sale not thinking it would become a favorite just a really great bargain (I think I paid like $3.00 each for them). Out of all the scents I purchased this one is the one I grabbed the most. You can't tell in the picture but I am just about out of the shower gel. I even took it home with me during vacation (I usually just use the bath products I keep stashed at my mom's house).

 

I am loving the Ipsy subscription I get each month (I plan to do a monthly reveal and review starting with this months bag). So far my favorite item has been the BH Cosmetics palette (especially San Francisco and Malibu) from a few months ago. Not surprising since BH cosmetics is one of my favorite places for eye shadow.

 

The bridesmaids wore white Converse in the wedding because the bride is a Converse addict...lol (Trice would agree with this statement if she saw it). At the last minute the older cousins decided to get in on the deal (Surprisingly I never got to take a pic of that). I brought my Converse thinking I would only wear them that one time and now I find myself wanting to buy another pair!!!

 

 

I purchased these two purse while on our Anniversary trip to Florida back in June. I brought them thinking they would make great basics for the winter and fall but I have been using them all summer and I'm in love (in case you didn't know I am a purse girl at heart. I would rather purchase a nice bag then shoes).

 

 

This summer was the summer of sandals for me! I can probably say with confidence that I have just about every color under the rainbow now. Not sure which colors I will get next year. LOL The three above were my favorites in addition to a silver pair that I have just about worn out. The green ones in the back came from Target and are extremely comfortable!!!

 

 

This Thirty-One Bag was a gift from my cousin who got married. I love this bag!!!! I'm using it as a mobile office. And idea I got while watching At Home With Nikki. At some point I will share how I am using it in a more detailed blog post. I knew the first time I had a Thirty One Catalog in my hand that I would be hooked! I now have a long list of must haves (as if I need another bag anything...lol).

 

I haven't had time to read any books this summer, and very little TV. But I have become addicted to Vlogs on YouTube. My favorite this summer has been The SacconeJoly Family. Their daughter Emilia is the cutest baby ever and she is always happy (or so it seems..lol). Nicki teases me that my day is not complete until I get my Emilia fix!

Last wedding post (I promise)!!! LOL

There were so many details from this wedding that I love. From the brides converse, to the groomsmen socks. This affair truly was a family event!

In line with the "Tiffany" inspired theme even the cupcake design was detailed to the Max! And they were scrumptious! Cupcakes and Wedding cake were provided by Impressional Sweets Inc.

I don't know what I would have done without my mom's help. She never got to take a official picture. Even on my camera this is the only picture I have of her. 

The food was catered by Gidi's Gourmet. The food was excellent and I would highly recommend him again to any of my friends and clients. We had soo much food that people were able to go back to the buffet several times. And even after all of that my cousins family still took trays of food home. Weeks later everyone is still talking about his food.

When I say we had a party I mean our family had a party!!! I luv that about us. 

Speaking of fun. It was soo much fun working with Mellisa Zeyner. She went above and beyond the call when it came to her duties as a photographer. And she was open to whatever ideas the bride and I suggested. One time she actually offered to bring me water while I was announcing the table numbers for the buffet. She was very professional but at the end of the day we felt like we were saying goodbye to a good family friend!  

Talent seems to ooze out of my family's veins. The photo in the background was painted by the young man standing there with his ooh so cute daughter. He just happens to be my cousin and brother of the bride. By the way, the flower girl dress in this picture was sewn by my very talented sister!

And as you may or not know my daughter is a make-up artist and she did all of the make-up for the wedding party that day. On top of that she vlogged that day and the highlight video can now be seen on her youtube channel.

Like I said I promise this is my last wedding post. At least of this wedding. Who knows what the future holds. LOL Next week I hope to be back to my regular blogging. I've already started on my first organizing project of the month. And there is no painting involved! LOL

Its official!!!

Its official! I've finally posted the details of the wedding on my Treasured Creations blog! By the way...see that beautiful Unity Candle set? $4.00 from the Dollar Tree! Ya'll know how much I love a good bargain...well it didn't make sense to spend $40.00 on a holder that didn't really go with our theme so off to the Dollar Store we went! Two glass candleholders, a glass mirror and a glass candle plate and va voom!!! You have a cute, yet affordable Unity candle set. Oh, and the tablecloth belonged to her grandmother. We used small symbolic details throughout the wedding. You will see even more of those details when you visit my creative page. That's basically what its become since I haven't scrapped in forever.  LOL

Wedding Day!!!

 

The wedding was beautiful! I'm taking a much needed rest, but I will be posting "detailed" photos on my Treasured Creations blog really soon! I could not do what I do if I did not have the support of this man! My family pitched in big time, and if it wasn't for all of their help I think the brides mother (my cousin) and I would have lost our minds! The set up and breakdown took hours to prepare but our family worked their socks off. This event was truly a family affair (you can see snippets from the day on my Instagram. The hashtag is #operationtrice ). The bride was beautiful (all made up with a little help from my DD Martinique757 ).  The food was delicious, and the atmosphere of the day was very festive. I love my "job", but I especially love my family! You won't find much drama in our inner circle but what you may find is a crazy group of people who love on each other like nobody's business. Have a blessed week everyone.

Blog update and Ipsy Subscription

I recently started subscribing to Ipsy! So far I have received the following bags (see pics below). If you didn't know Ipsy is a monthly subscription that offers samples ( many times full size samples of name brand make up products) and included is a really cute bag! And if you didn't know me... I love bags!!!! Probably even more then make-up! lol

If your interested in trying them out you can use the link below:

Ipsy Subscription

After the wedding is over (and after a week or so of rest) I will start back up with my monthly favorites and will add a review each month of my thoughts on the Ipsy subscription. I have a couple of other post in mind including a revamp of my "through the eyes of the pw" and Sunday Best post. I have missed my regular blog posting and I'm looking forward to getting back into the swing of things! 

Hope everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer!!! 

Our Women's Ministry Workshop

Y'all know how much I luv details!!! lol We really did have a good time at our Cafe Workshop last Saturday. Of course the fact that so many of my family and friends came out to help with the event made me a very happy lady!!!

Each lady received a coffee mug to match their group color. I mean really??? You can't have a Cafe without coffee mugs! LOL

I'm known for taking stuff from home to use at church for events. I have several plants there and I took my hydrangea centerpiece out there to use.

Yes, every last serving piece on the table belongs to me!!! LOL

Our registration table. I looked everywhere for a coffee smelling candle but the closest I came to one was a Hazelnut Cream from Walmart's Mainstay line.

Instead of name tags this year each lady got a workshop folder with their journal and pen. They then had to find other women who had the same color as they did and that made up their small group.

At lunch we gave each of the ladies a bag lunch with a Deli style sandwich, chips with salsa and cheese available for them to dip them in as well as brownies made by my daughter Quisha.

Our fellowship hall made for a great "Cafe"!

Our beverage station with cold water and orange juice. Each lady also received a packet of hot chocolate. 

Our sweet table was a huge success!!! 

And even though the chocolate fountain gave us a fit, it was still a hit with the ladies!

Did I mention that I stamped T-shirts for this event? Finally my scrapbook supplies are being used again! My friend and I spent an afternoon looking for cafe or coffee related stamps only for me to come home and find them in my own stash! SMH

I also stamped aprons for our guest facilitators. Just because your a small church does not mean you can't do things with excellence! Our team did a great job!!!! I wish I could say I'm resting but the wedding is next weekend and my list though smaller then it has been the last few months is still pretty full! To top that we are preparing for our Fall Revival and the 5th Anniversary of Marc and I being at WABC. So until later...you all have a blessed week and weekend!