It's the most wonderful time of the year...almost.

I hope everyone has been doing awesome because even through "hell week" at ECU, I have still managed to keep positive no matter what.

My niece Tyler Anne just turned 1 years old this past Saturday! She had an awesome birthday party (JJ and Jim even dressed up as pirates because it was a pirate theme). Kara made her an adorable owl cupcake cake. The whole day was so relaxing. Aunt Danielle and me got in the hot tub and soaked away the Thanksgiving holiday in style. Speaking of Thanksgiving, I think this one was the best one yet! We started by leaving EC Wednesday after JJ got off of work. We dropped the doggies off in New Bern and Jim came with us to my parent's oyster steaming and crawfish etouffee night. They started this sort of tradition last year the Wednesday before Thanksgiving but JJ couldn't go because Kara went into labor with Tyler Anne! How time has flown! We all had a blast at my parent's and Lauren joined us too. Many people enjoyed a cold beer but I had strep throat and felt like death so I opted out. We stayed at my mama's house and celebrated Thanksgiving with my family in the early afternoon. JJ helepd Aubrey "beeuild" with Legos. We then headed to Emerald Isle to celebrate with the Mead's where Tyler Anne, Jim, Kara and Tom had arrived. The whole day was beyond fun and I loved getting to spend time with our families. Friday Kara and I toughed the Black Friday crowds for a little while then made a Mexican feast for dinner. Sunday we went to Annunciation with the Mead's and then enjoyed breakfast at Bayside (Thanks again Aunt Mitzi!). We headed back to EC late Sunday night.

This week has been CRAZY! I headed back to Greenville on Tuesday morning and this is how my schedule went: Computer lab for 3 hours, class, KON initiation, class, Lauren's house (best part!), internship where I had the worst headache of my life but did my last lesson, helped Jessica make a swaddle for Nathaniel, Lauren's house where I did my presentation, final exam, presentation, computer lab, presentation, computer lab, class and then turned in 2 big assignments then FINALLY- on the road again back to EC! Came home to my house decorated for Christmas, swept and room rearranged all thanks to my hubby! :D

I just wanted to do a little shout-out to my buddy Lauren. If it wasn't for her, all this back and forth would have been dreadful! Thanks for opening up your house to me- it truly made a huge difference in my attitude and comfort in Greenville! You are such an amazing friend to me and I thank God for putting us back together. I think we make a pretty unstoppable, hilarious team.. definitely one that the world couldn't handle missing! I love you!

While I am on the subject of feeling sappy, let me just point out a couple of things. I am working on writing my Christmas letters to go in my Christmas cards (corny..I know) and I got to thinking...wow, how am I going to fit all of my overflow of blessings onto ONE little page!? It will go something like this: getting engaged, JJ's graduation, bridal shower, bachelor/bachelorette party, our wedding and now marriage, JJ landing a wonderful job, us moving to EC, me finishing up my last "semester" at ECU...I just got exhausted thinking about everything that happened. Not many people can say their year was the best year ever but I know wholeheartedly- ours was! Thank you to all the people who supported us unconditionally (my parents, Jim, my three amazing sisters, all of our family members, my bestest friends (Lauren, my bambeanie Ashley, Alli, Kaitlyn, Yolanda, Janna) who stuck by my side through it all. I most importantly want to thank my hubby who always keeps me calm, works hard for our new little sprouting family and prevailed through all the obstacles this year brought (can't have a rainbow without the rain, right?) He is a motivating factor to push through my traveling and school because come May, it will all be worth it! I can't wait to take our delayed honeymoon this summer. It is going to mean so much to me to get to spend that relaxing time with you and I feel we will appreciate it a ton!

My parents are the best parents in the whole world. Point blank. No questions. They would do anything for their children and even their grandchildren now. They have been so supportive of all the changes in mine and JJ's life this past year. We couldn't have done any of this without them! My mama has been the bestest friend I could have ever asked for. When I am feeling lonely or sad or mad or happy, she is always there to lend a listening ear. I don't know what I would do without her. They sacrifice so much for us kids and I hope that as JJ and I venture into independence, both of our parents can finally start doing things for THEMSELVES. Both of our parents have given so selflessly to us and I hope as we start to build our family, we can do the same for them! Mama- I was serious about of Vegas trip by the way!

I haven't had anytime to post any tutorials because I haven't been able to exercise my creative side in awhile. I hope I can catch up and not disappoint soon but for now, I am going to continue to watch the Rachel Ray show drinking my hot cup of coffee with my dogs by my side in my newly placed bed with the heat blanket soaring. Have a good day everyone!

Sincerely,

Marcy Beth

A - Z

A-Z

A. Age: 22
B. Bed size: Queen
C. Chore that you hate: Pretty much all of them but #1 would be dusting!
D. Dogs: Rascal and Mercedes (Rascal is lab/husky/chow/pit bull mutt boy and Mer is a poodle/beagle mix but I think she has terrier in her?)
E. Essential start to your day: Coffee. No questions.
F. Favorite color: Purple, Teal
G. Gold or Silver: Silver
H. Height: 5'3"
I. Instruments you play: does the recorder count?
J. Job title: Currently: unemployed!
K. Kids: 0
L. Live: in Elizabeth City
M. Mother’s name: Kimberly
N. Nicknames: "Marcy Beth", Little Bit, Ember
O. Overnight hospital stays: No
P. Pet peeves: The sound of Styrofoam..!!!!Q. Quote from a movie: "Don't judge me monkey"-Grandma's Boy
R. Right or left handed: Right
S. Siblings: Older brother, two older sisters, sister-in-law and a half-brother
U. Underwear: Always
V. Vegetable you hate: BEETS!!!!!!
W. What makes you run late: My dogs being so cuddly
X. X-Rays you’ve had: Teeth
Y. Yummy food that you make: I don't think I have a signature dish but I keep trying new recipes all the time
Z. Zoo animal: Otters

After some soul searching, I can't think of a title!

I have already started slacking horribly on keeping up with my blog. :/

I know this video is super random but JJ and I started singing this on the way up to VA Beach yesterday and I forgot how funny this song is!

I don't even know where to begin playing catch-up so instead of writing a novel I will make this shorter than I normally would. My internship this past week: we made homemade cinnamon rolls. My classes went smooth as well. Thursday night I got to go back to Havelock to stay with my family. I got to see my niece and nephews. I went to Lauren's bridal party night (I think I had more fun than I could even begin to describe!) My mama came with me so that made the night even better. Saturday I came back home and recovered. JJ and I watched "Limitless" on Netflix and it was an interesting movie.  Yesterday we went up to VA Beach to see some of JJ's family. I took the girls to the mall and we saw Breaking Dawn. I was shocked at how graphic the movie was since it is geared towards teenagers. I thought the movie was good and I will definitely have to go see Part II when it comes out. 

I actually get to be home until Wednesday afternoon. We are heading to Havelock to have oysters with my family. Thursday around lunch we are doing Thanksgiving with my family then we are heading to Emerald Isle to do Thanksgiving with JJ's family. I am making a broccoli and cheese casserole (can't give the recipe because it's a secret!), sweet potato cupcakes and pumpkin fudge. If the pumpkin fudge turns out correctly, I will post it. Tonight for dinner I am making beef stroganoff and asparagus for dinner. I will post pictures later.

I have several recipes and steps I have not posted yet so I will post one later today.

One reflection I have is this: I am so happy with where I am at right now. There are only a few loose ends I feel like I need to tie in my life (school, only two relationships), and I can see how much I have grown in just the three years I have been at college. Things that would bother me then certainly do not bother me now. When something bothers me now, I address it then instead of stewing or thinking into it too much.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Monday! :)

Words from the wise:

Sincerely,
Marcy

Out of touch

Sorry I have been so slack on writing! Keeping up with my blog makes me happy but I have had so much going on in my life. Some good (hanging with the hubby and Lauren came to visit) and some bad (not ready to blog about all of it yet) but life is trucking along. Will be posting later this week! Fabric pumpkins turned out great for the luncheon. Last thought of the day: starting to read the novel version of Fireproof by Eric Watson. Heard this was good so giving it a shot!

Sincerely,
Marcy

Fabric Pumpkins

Fabric Pumpkin!

Here are the directions:
NOTE: If you have a rotary cutter, USE IT instead of scissors! Much easier but I think I lost mine in the move :(

 Fabric Needed: Large 10” x 21”, Tall 10” x 18”, Med. 9” x 16”, Small 7” x 10”

 

1. Fold fabric right sides together making a sq/rect.

 

How I pivot when sewing- keep the needle in and lift the presser foot.

 

Always back stitch to secure your stitches.

See? Secured!

Cut the cord;)

Sew down 1 short side and 1 long side. (1/4” seam)

2. Do not turn right side out yet. Make a squared bottom by spreading

apart bottom and folding up one side and matching it to side seam and

folding up opposite side and matching seam to fold.

Fold as directed. I always iron to hep keep seams opened. Plus, ironing helps to keep your pumpkin standing up.

3. Measure 2” in from point for 3 largest sizes and 1” in for small size

Measuring and drawing a line in pencil so I know where to cut.

Cut off points to leave 1/4” seam

After you cut 2" from the tip of the triangle

Sewing the edge

How it should look after you sew the edge closed

4. Turn right side out.

Standing up

With double strand of heavy duty thread make

a knot 5” in from end and sew a gathering stitch ¼” in around top of

pumpkin leaving a 5” tail.

Make-do gathering stitch

So you get the idea... be careful not to break this stitch! The purpose is so you can pull this open or closed. For the finished product, this will stay closed

5. Weight the pumpkin by placing 1-1/2c.cat litter in a Ziploc bag

for Lg. pumpkin, 1c. tall and medium, and 1/2c. for small. Stuff

pumpkin. Pull up gathering stitch and tie leaving room for cinnamon

stick stem.

(Sorry I do not have a picture of this step for these pumpkins yet. I have to get the supplies. Will post soon!)

6. To make pumpkin sections use embroidery floss as if tying up a

present…number of sections is up to you…tie a knot.

(Will post soon. You can look at the examples below to get an idea.)

7. Decorate!

Mine is the front left. This was my first attempt to make one and I thought it turned out wonderful!

You can get the decorations at Family Dollar or Micheal's if you are feeling fancy!

If you have any questions while creating this, shoot me an e-mail: hebertm08@students.ecu.edu

I get e-mail straight to my phone!

Sincerely,

Marcy

Eliza Doolittle "Skinny Genes"

Enjoy this video! Reminds me of my super awesome Bambeanie Polk (Ashley Polk).

Here is a picture of this cool person and myself:

And here is a picture of our lazy feet, moments before we fell asleep on the hammock for a couple of hours!:

 Aren't you glad I forced us to go grab a blanket?

She is in Spain right now. I miss her like crazy! Thank the Lord for Skype or I would go absolutely crazy!

I regret not getting to do as much with her this summer as I wish I could. I was working, planning a wedding and had some family things going on. It's true: Absence makes the heart grow fonder. I can't wait for her to return but I am so proud of her for going on this journey again. I love hearing about all of her adventures! If she does go to the mountains when she returns, then we will have a mountain and a east coast place to crash ;)

Love you schweebie, pumpkin pie head! :)

"I fell right through the cracks and now I am trying to get back"

So here are my whereabouts since my last post...:)

 No reason for this picture.. doesn't it look yummy!?

Thursday I went to school. First class of the day is my hospitality management course and I was the "Back of House" employee for my fellow students Thai luncheon. They did such a wonderful job! The decorations were gorgeous and the food was delicious...especially the soup... I made it by the way ;). My merchandising course was cancelled so I went to an earlier section of my educational technology course (my teacher is so sweet for letting me do this.. keeps me off the road late at night). I truly enjoyed my day of classes on Thursday. I came back to Elizabeth City with a full car to unload (still getting random miscellaneous items to the new place). JJ and I went to our favorite new place, Andy's Pancake and Steakhouse for dinner since it was too late to cook. I got the country fried steak with mashed potatoes and gravy with a side of (my number one favorite fried food...) fried okra! This day was a huge success! Friday I went to pay the rent and send off some thank you cards from the wedding... still working on trickling them all out! You know what they say, slow and steady wins the race? I'm just going to keep believe this. I did some chores around the house and made the most delicious soup.. the same one from the luncheon! I will be posting pictures and instructions after I post this blog so check it out! Saturday we went and did some errands and discovered the neatest fabric store.. it is called "Quilts & More" here in Elizabeth City. It was out in the country and I thought I had typed in the wrong address. When we arrived, it was a store set in a house! Each room had different fabrics and one of the rooms was for sewing classes. We were immediately greeted by the store owner (who was celebrating her 60th birthday) and given plates of food! We ended up sitting and talking with everyone for about two hours! When we finally got home, we caught up on "The Walking Dead" and "American Horror Story" (I LOVE scary stuff!). Sunday we went to the early church service and they were continuing their segment on the four chapters in The Book of Ruth. I can honestly say since I was little, this is the first time I have actually looked this closely at the Bible. It tends to confuse me but I am learning as I go and am enjoying this process. We went to Andy's (again..sad, I know but it is so cheap and so, so good!) and JJ went to play disc golf and I worked on some school assignments. I watched my Desperate Housewives and JJ and I had a bake off to see who could make the best Rice Krispy treats.. (I believe IIII won....). Now, JJ is off to work and I am waiting for the electrician to come and install some base board heat so drinks don't freeze on my counters this winter!

I am actually going to be making some fabric pumpkins later this afternoon.. here is what they will look like if you are interested in seeing this process:

I will catch up on tutorials/instructions when I get back to Greenville.. when I am here in Elizabeth City, I want to spend time with JJ and the doggies!

Here is a link to a lesson I am doing on Wednesday at my internship:

 

http://prezi.com/b77gjohvec-v/foods-ii-402/

Sincerely,

Marcy

P.S. The title is from the Jason Mraz song "I'm Yours". JJ's Uncle Curt played this on his acoustic guitar when I was walking down the aisle... ahhhhh what an absolutely perfect day! <3