It's picture time!...

Every once and awhile I convince my family to take group photos. So difficult to do because they are all impatient and usually several leave before we even get started. This was again the case this past weekend for Mother's Day. I did manage to get a few of them together. A couple of my cousins were missing, my little brother was gone, and my uncle left about an hour earlier. Oh well, I'll have to photoshop them in later or something. But without further ado, here's the latest Eubanks family photos...

The Eubanks (minus Kevin)

Grandma & Uncle Mike

Grandma and her daughters, Karen and Cheryl

Cody & Aunt Karen

Jason, Mom, and Me (Derek had already left by the time we got to these)

Mom, Grandma, and Me

By the way, my mom is wearing the necklace and earrings I gave her for Mother's Day. Every girl needs some pearls. I gave Grandma and Aunt Karen a grape tomato plant each, along with some other plants. Nothing like the gift of food!

Jeremy stayed home and did some yard work (looks fantastic!) Later that night we went out to eat with his parents at the Village Steakhouse. Love that place even though it is on the pricey side. Jeremy's gift to his mom was a James Taylor songbook to help her learn to play some of his tunes on guitar. A thoughtful gift I think. He's learning so well :)

And since I'm a mommy to my cats (don't judge), I went out on Saturday and got a replacement cell phone cover (for FREE, thank you AT&T) and a new video game (again, don't judge) as gifts for myself. All in all, a great weekend!

Read more...

Lots of new things happening...

Along with the new season has come the birth of productivity. So many things are getting accomplished thanks simply to the power of a list! There's something so gratifying about crossing each item off as it's finished. So far, the garden has been planted, the bathroom painted, and the business of crocheting is underway. Which reminds me, here's the most recent addition to my little crocheted bed buddies family:

Not as cute as the bunnies that I previously made, but the little kitty will do :) Next up on the agenda: Elephant. It's probably going to be a little more difficult that the others, so wish me luck. I simply cannot wait to have enough made to start an Etsy store. My MIL is coming up with some great matching pieces and ideas as well. Going to be cute!

Speaking of cute, check out this photo of the world's smallest horse that was just born. 6 lbs., people! How flippin' adorable is this little guy?! Everyone take a look at "Einstein" and on the count of three.....1....2....3...Awwwwwww!

By the way, I've got a second interview for the marketing director position on Thursday, so keep your fingers crossed and have a happy Tuesday!

P.S. New header...woohoo!

Read more...

I'm a lucky girl...

Normally my time is spent venting about various things that annoy me. Today's different though. Today, I want to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for all the wonderful aspects of my life...

Family. Biological and by marriage, my family (for the most part) is fantastic. Words can't express how thankful I am to have Jeremy in my life. Sure, he can be a jerk...a self-professed one, by the way...but he has a supportive and nurturing side that takes my breath away. His talent, hunger for knowledge, and discipline amaze me and make me incredibly jealous simultaneously. His willingness to let me have my way (most of the time) never ceases to surprise me. I'm forever in debt to his family who have been our safety net. Always willing to offer any type of help or support, they are our backbone. No one could ask for better in-laws. While my family situation is more complicated than that of Jeremy's, I'm thankful for everything it's taught me. The rest of my life will be spent in constant gratitude for the last conversation I had with my dad before he died. I only wish it had come sooner. But the people that really should be thanked are my mother and grandparents. Although I wasn't the easiest child in the world to contend with at times, they were always there for me and stood behind the decisions I made. And just ask Jeremy, it's no small task having to deal with me!

Home. As much as I like to complain about the issues of living in a 109 year old house, it's really quite wonderful. I love being able to mold and make it into something that is a reflection of me and makes us feel like we belong. It's much more than a lot of people have. In fact, it's more than I ever thought that I would have. While it's still a work in progress, it's slowly starting to feel more like home.

Opportunities. Everyone knows that this economy...well, sucks. We are extremely fortunate to have jobs that bring in at least enough money to get us by. We're not getting rich by any means, and our bank accounts have been a little heftier, but we're able to pay the bills and be content in the mean time. There are a few prospects on the horizon that hopefully will put us in a better situation, but for now, we're just thankful that we're not on welfare.

There's so many things missing from this list, but I could really go on for days: the sound of a purring cat on my lap, laughing every evening with friends, smell of clean laundry, being able to open the windows and let the spring breeze fill the house, crocheting something new, freshly painted walls, the lighting at dusk, 5:00 on the clock at work, curling up under a blanket with Jeremy while watching a movie, and my personal favorite...having nothing planned to do on a Saturday afternoon but sit at home with my hubby :) Makes me look forward to tomorrow.

Read more...

FIRST Time's a Charm!

Well....here we are. The Wonderful World of Blogging. Now, before you get your hopes up, I want to make one thing perfectly clear. I will never make the statement that I am a witty, fabulous writer. More than likely my remarks won't be condensed to cute thought-provoking quips, but that's fine with me. I enjoy writing like I'm having a conversation with someone. (And sometimes that involves not using correct grammar or even making concise sentences.) What I will do is share a little bit about myself and what is happening in my life as it happens. Well, there's no time like the present, so let's get to know...well, me!

I'd like to begin by listing one of my pet peeves which is describing myself...lol. No really, I detest it, but let's just make this quick like pulling off a band-aid. My name is Jewel (just jewel, not julie, or julia or juliet or anything like that). I reside in eastern North Carolina with my hubby, Jeremy. We have 2 cats (Mr. Anderson & Hitler) and a border collie (Topher). I am a sucker for animals and would have more if Jeremy would give the ok :). Photography and Art are my passions. My degree is in graphic arts, but I like letting my creativity loose on other mediums besides those that involve a keyboard. That's mostly what you will be hearing (or reading) about here. My next post will just be some examples of my latest work. I love meeting new people, so feel free to leave me a note :) Til we blog again....

Lots of Love

-Jewel

Read more...