The Russells

Hello 8-1!

2009-05-14T16:04:00.006-04:00

It's been a while but I figured I'd post something new since some of my students have recently discovered my blog (thanks, Mrs. Beasley ;-) ). Leave comments, 8-1!

We resisted getting a dog for a long time, but had to give in after we dog-sat and realized that we missed Max so much we had to get one of our own. This is our new puppy, Rufus. He's a Shih-Poo (Shih-Tzu and Poodle). We've had him for a little over a week. He's pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.

The Point

2008-10-29T16:05:00.004-04:00

We ate at The Point at Glenwood Monday night for my birthday. Here are a few reasons why it's a great place to eat:

1. The food was great.

2. It was not packed and we've never had to wait for a table.

They also have pizza that's reasonably priced if the other prices on the menu are a bit too high for a dinner that's not a special occasion.

Another good buy...

2008-10-15T19:36:00.009-04:00

Thank goodness for Wal-Mart.

This cork board costs $149 at Pottery Barn.

This cork board costs $11.50 at Wal-Mart and is just as big.

I put the picture wire ($1.17) on it to display cards with the mini binder clips ($2.50). My goal is to arrange stuff on it like the Pottery Barn one....once I find the stuff to put on it.

Dad's Home!

2008-10-11T21:42:00.004-04:00

My Dad came home on Thursday afternoon after spending the past 14 months (12 of those in Iraq) far, far away from us. Since he's been gone my Mom has built a beautiful home in Oxford, NC, my brother, Dan has finished his first year at State, I've gotten a job (actually I've had 2 different jobs), Jason's changed jobs, and Jason and I have bought a house. We spent Friday evening and Saturday catching up.

Dad (left) in front of Saddam's palace.

A good buy

2008-10-07T21:28:00.004-04:00

One of the decorating tips I've picked up from the many, many hours of HGTV I've been watching lately is that accessories in a room make a bigger impact when you use multiples. For example, a group or series of frames makes more of a statement than one frame by itself. The same goes for whatever else....wreaths, candle holders, lamps.... The problem with this tip is that I usually can't bring myself to spend the money it takes to buy 2,3, or more of the same thing. Even if you can find something that is a great price, the bargain is pretty much useless if you've got to buy multiples to make it worth using.

One day at good ol' Wal-Mart I was poking around the picture frames and saw some for $3. The first ones I saw weren't that great, but then I saw some black ones that were 8x10 and black. They have them in 8x10 and 5x7 and would be great for a big frame collage. I got three for now, but I have every intention of going back and getting many more to use in other rooms.

This is a corner in our very, very unfinished bedroom. Just imagine that the walls are porcelain blue, and there is a chair rail with beadboard on the bottom half of the wall...oh, and that I've taken the generic photos out the frames and put in some very cool, artsy pictures.

My Sidewalk Chalk Art Never Looked Like This....

2008-10-07T16:49:00.006-04:00

I feel like I'm looking at one of those Magic Eye things if I look at these too long.
Original article

October is here!

2008-10-03T17:02:00.002-04:00

So glad October is here....the weather is finally cooling off and I'm ready to put away the shorts and get out the jackets and sweaters. Good riddance to the heat and humidity.

A Good Weekend

2008-09-27T19:16:00.008-04:00

Thursday Night: We had $60 worth of Rewards Bucks from Best Buy. We completed our collection of The Office seasons and bought season 4 even though it wasn't that good. We figured we could stand to spend "free money" for the 4 or 5 episodes that were good. We also got the special edition of That Thing You Do!

Season 5 of The Office premiered. After a very disappointing 4th season I was pleased to see that the first episode of season 5 did not suck. Spoiler Alert!: Jim and Pam get engaged.

Friday Night: We had dinner at El Rodeo and watched Leatherheads. The movie didn't do that well in theaters, but it was actually pretty good.

Saturday: We watched That Thing You Do! and I'm currently watching Sister Act II: Back in the Habit. Two of my favorite movies from the 90's in one day! Go 'head, Lauryn!

It doesn't take much to make me happy.

Spray Painting

2008-09-19T08:56:00.003-04:00

If you've ever watched one of those budget-conscious decorating shows, you know that a can of spray paint can be your best friend. Yesterday I was finally able to paint our foot board and a few other things. The footboard had brass accents (yikes) and used to belong to my parents and the bird cage was greenish and used to belong to my Grandma. The mirror is from Wal-Mart and was only $17 when we bought it. Now they have them for $27 and I swear I saw it used in an episode of Color Splash on HGTV.
I couldnt find our attachable trigger for the spray can and now I have a case of crazy fingers. I can't feel the tip of my thumb and pointer finger on my right hand.

keeping the boredom away

2008-09-15T21:31:00.009-04:00

Don't get me wrong...I love being tracked out, but all of the free time can get boring. When I was tracked out in May I was fortunate enough to get a sewing machine from my wonderful mother-in-law. I went crazy. I literally spent about 3 days straight making pillows and an apron.

Here is my handy work:

That apron is the only time I've branched out from pillows. The back is pretty rough.

This track out I've been working on our daybed in the office.
This is taking me a lot longer than I thought it would. I am no where near done and I have so many more pillows to cover. I still haven't decided if I like the red in there or not. Maybe I'll attempt to make a daybed cover so I can get rid of the cheap fitted sheet on the hand-me-down mattress.

Where I get my stuff:
1. Discount Fabric Warehouse
3523 Maitland Dr
Raleigh, NC 27610
Pretty much everything is $7.99/yard. I've seen the same fabrics in there that I've seen in other pricey fabric stores.
2. Ross
This is the best place to buy down filled pillows. You can't get plain inserts for as little as you can get an ugly down pillow with a removable cover from Ross. I found 18x18 pillows for $3.99. I've bought 20x20 pillows for $7.99....it's great!
3. Wal-Mart
If you can find a Wal-Mart that has fabric it's worth checking out. They buy remnant fabric from nice fabric stores and you can get it for $4.50/ yard or cheaper. You just have to dig through the ugly John Deere and camo fleece to get to it.

Jar Glove!

2008-09-14T21:25:00.006-04:00

Those "As Seen on TV" infomercials are absolutely ridiculous. The problems that they always present as reasons for you to buy their product shouldn't (and most likely wouldn't) happen to anyone with half a brain. My new favorites are the one for a blanket with sleeves and the Slim Clip money clip. Apparently getting your arms out from under a blanket is too much of a hassle and millions of Americans are suffering from back pain caused by their 4 inch thick wallet. The makers of the Jar Glove think that you should buy it to avoid having to bury your husband you accidentally killed while trying to to open a jar.

Also, you should check out Tracie Jordan's Meat Machine....Meat is the new bread!

Success!

2008-09-11T10:20:00.004-04:00

After looking everywhere and checking Craigslist multiple times a day we finally found a little kitchen island at a decent price. Last weekend we went down to Salisbury with my mom to do some furniture shopping. There are lots of great discount furniture places down there. Most of them have freight damaged furniture (stuff with little nicks and dents that would get there anyway and are hardly noticable) and showroom samples for way cheaper than the stuff in an actual showroom furniture store.

This is our new little island/kitchen cart:We got this from R & J Furniture Xpress in Spencer, NC. The Home Comfort Clearance Outlet on Glenwood is a good place to go in Raleigh. Lots of times they'll have the same stuff that's in their showroom.

Tag! I'm it!

2008-09-07T23:27:00.009-04:00

Ok, so I got tagged by Susan. The Rules: 1. Post the rules on your blog. 2. Write 6 random things about yourself. 3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post. 4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag.

6 Random Things About Myself...

1. I was born in Alaska, but in no way do I consider myself to be an Alaskan or an Eskimo....so please don't try to convince me that I am one just because I was born there. (People have done this)

Not me ----->

2. I am addicted to a couple of websites which I check on a daily basis.

http://officetally.com/ : For all the spoilers and news info surrounding one of my favorite TV shows.

http://mugglenet.com/ : Even though all of the books are out and I've read them multiple times, I still check to make sure the movies are coming along nicely.

3. My favorite desserts are sweets with chocolate in them. My second favorite desserts are sweets that are apple, cinnamon. Recently I've been seriously considering replacing my second favorite with just plain cinnamon after some really delicious Ben & Jerry's cinnamon bun ice cream I had.

This stuff made me fall off of my "No Sugar" wagon back in April. I haven't been back on since.

4. When I was in elementary school my favorite American Girl was Samantha because I thought I looked like her. 5. I used to be really into theater and musicals from the 7th grade 'til the 11th grade, but after moving to Leesville, Louisiana where no one cared about stuff like that I gave up...also it turns out I don't have that great of a singing voice. I can still (poorly) sing every word to A Chorus Line and Rent, though.

6. I played clarinet for 5 years! I quit after the 9th grade and the only reason I wasn't in the very last chair (I was second to last) in the Hardaway High School symphonic band is because one girl didn't show up for the chair placement auditions.

The Dark Knight

2008-08-31T17:38:00.004-04:00

We finally saw The Dark Knight on Friday in IMAX. I thought there was no way a movie could live up to that much hype....but it did. Heath Ledger was great and the few things that people were critical about didn't even matter in the grand scheme of the movie. Here is a shot-for-shot remake of the trailer starring someone's kids.
See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

chocolate french toast and black paint

2008-08-25T15:29:00.012-04:00

We got a lot done on our office this Saturday. Before we stared working we had to try a recipe we saw on the Today Show for chocolate French toast. In an effort to keep this entry from getting too long I'll leave out our unfulfilled quest for brioche in the South Raleigh/Cary area. We ended up using a loaf of white bread from the Harris Teeter bakery.

Chocolate Stuffed French Toast

Ingredients:

3 eggs
3/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
8 to 10 pieces thickly sliced brioche
semi-sweet chocolate chips
powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Beat eggs, milk, sugar, HERSHEY'S Cocoa, vanilla, and salt in large bowl until smooth.
2. Heat griddle or skillet over medium-low heat. Grease griddle with margarine, if necessary.
3. Dip a slice of bread in egg mixture. Place on griddle. Place a layer of the chocolate chips on top of the toast. Dip another piece of bread in the egg mixture and place on top of the chocolate chips. Cook about 2 to 4 minutes on each side. Serve immediately with powdered sugar, if desired.

(I tried to find the video of the French chef who was actually on the show. When he made it he
put bananas on the side. If you've never heard a French person say "bananas," I highly recommend that you do whatever it takes to hear it.)

Painting the bed and chair took a little longer than we thought it would, but we are really pleased with the results:

While I'm tracked out I'll be working on making our $40 Craigslist twin bed look like a pretty classy daybed. I'll probably use a black ticking stripe for the daybed cover. Hopefully it will end up looking like the one below (better yet, I'll find a cheap one at the Pottery Barn outlet):

I'm going to get lots of different black/cream fabrics from the $7.99 fabric warehouse to make pillows. Here's a sample of one we already have:

The finished product should have a similar look to the bed below:

kids say the darndest things

2008-08-21T08:48:00.004-04:00

As difficult as my job can be some days, it definitely has its rewards. I try to be strict and stone-faced for the first couple months of school....but sometimes I just have to laugh.

Student #1: Mrs. Russell, are you mixed?

Student # 2: With What?!

Believe it or not this was not the first time a student has asked me if I was bi-racial. What is it about me that makes me look like I have a little more that just plain white in me? I don't have the slightest idea, but I'll take it as a compliment.

stuff we've done to our house...

2008-08-20T16:26:00.007-04:00

We've been in our house for about a month now and even though we haven't done much...it's getting there.We hung our Pottery Barn recessed shelves. They were a steal from the Pottery Barn outlet. Originally $120 each...we got 'em for $25 each. Now I just have to find something cool to put in them. I also covered old lampshades with fabric we got from the $7.99 fabric warehouse to disguise the "contractor grade" light fixture.

We got a desk/project table to go in our office. I'll be doing lots of sewing on that thing. That chair will be painted black.

This is currently our office. We painted the walls "Latte" from Sherwin Williams. The bed was a Craigslist find that will be painted black and turned into a daybed. We also got blinds!

This is what I hope our office will resemble someday (but with black furniture)....we have a lot of work to do.

yearbookyourself.com

2008-08-19T22:07:00.008-04:00

So I found this website that allows you to download a picture of yourself and it shows you what your yearbook photo from the past would have looked like. The results are pretty funny...

1. Me in 1954 & Jason in 1956....I think we could've been homecoming king and queen....

2. At some point in the '60's we both had glasses...

(Of all the disgusting things I've done around Jason, he said he's never been less attracted to me than when he saw this picture. I think I look cute with cat-eye glasses.)

(Jason looks like he rode the short bus.)

3. And my favorite.....at some point in the '70's we were both black....

I love Wordle

2008-08-17T22:43:00.002-04:00

So this is Wordle. I love this website! www.wordle.net
Take your random thoughts, bible verses, song lyrics, or whatever words you want to - paste them in a box and wordle will make a jumble of words for you. You can customize the font and colors to make some pretty cool pieces of art.

This one is a song from pretty much the best band ever - U2. See if you can figure out what song it is.

We've Moved!

2008-07-20T19:55:00.009-04:00

We finally moved into our house this weekend! It was a lot of hard work, but we finally got it done.
Before: After:
There is still so much to do, but it's comin' along.
Here's the kitchen with our brand new fridge and accidental GE Profile microwave. The contractors put the wrong microwave in, but we get to keep it!

In addition to getting away from pickled oak cabinets, white laminate counter tops and gross apartment carpet:

1. I only have to drive 10 minutes to get to school! No longer will I leave the house at 6:30...hopefully I'll actually able to get there on time too.

2. There is a brand new (opened this past Wed.) Super Wal-Mart 5 minutes away. Hooray! for cheap groceries.

3. Pelican's SnoBalls. One of the things we missed from Louisiana were the shaved ice snoballs. Neither of us had been able to find a place with snoballs (not snocones) similar to the ones in Louisiana until Friday night. The people that own the stand are from New Orleans, the snoballs are great, and it's less than 10 minutes away!

SnoBall Flavors

Bahama Mama
Banana
Big Red
Birthday Cake
Black Cherry
Blackberry
Blue Bubblegum
Blue Raspberry
Blueberry
Butterscotch
Candy Apple
Chai
Cheesecake
Cherry Cola
Cherry Margarita
Clear Bubblegum
Clear Cherry
Clear Grape
Coconut
Cola
Cotton Candy
Cream Soda
Dill Pickle
Dreamsicle
Egg Custard
Fireball
Fuzzy Monkey
Fuzzy Navel
Georgia Peach
Granny Smith Apple
Grape
Green Apple
Grenade
Guava
Hawaiian
King Cake
Kiwi
Lemon

Lemon Lime
Lemonade
Lime
Mai Tai
Mango
Margarita
Maui Wowee
Melon Berry
Nectar
Orange
Orange Pineapple
Papaya
Passion Fruit
Peach
Peanut Butter
Pina Colada
Pineapple
Pink Bubblegum
Pink Grapefruit
Pink Lemonade
Plum
POG
Polar Punch
Praline
Red Raspberry
Root Beer
Skylite
Sour Apple
Sour Cherry
Sour Grape
Sour Tsunami
Spearmint
Strawberry
Strawberry Cheescake
Strawberry Daquiri
Straberry Lemonade
Strawberry Shortcake
Sweet Cherry
Sweet Tart
Tamarind
Tutti Frutti
Tropical Punch
Vanilla
Vanilla Charlie
Vanilla Cola
Watermelon
Wedding Cake
Wild Cherry
Wild Strawberry
Wild Thang

Our House!

2008-06-30T21:11:00.006-04:00

Less than 3 weeks away from move in. We visited this weekend and the only thing left to do is clean up and finish some minor details. We've started packing and trying to get rid of things so we'll have less to move. We've gotten rid of a desk and a washer and dryer....anyone need a microwave?

Here are our most recent pictures:I'm not so sure about this light fixture.Wood floors! No more nasty apartment carpet.
Don't our fake counter tops look real?
My brother, Dan is in the doorway. He'll be our first house guest.

2008-06-24T21:24:00.001-04:00

This one is for Garrett. Here's your blog you've been asking for. It's a good one.

Paradise Lost

2008-05-11T21:29:00.003-04:00

So I started reading "Paradise Lost" by John Milton. This was a work of poetry I first read (just a snippet) when I was a junior in high school. I was very bored with it back then. But now that I am way more interested in theology and the things of God, I wanted to pick it back up. It's considered one of the best pieces of literature ever. It is a epic, depicting the fall of satan and of man. Peculiar thing is, Milton wasn't a Christian. He actually was a heretic. He denied the Trinity and didn't believe Christ was the only incarnation of Jehovah (David Hawkins, XXXVII). The amazing thing about Milton was that he was a guy who "got it" but didn't "get it." What I mean is this: it's hard to believe that someone who wasn't a Christian could write something so on target. In these lines of pristine poetry, Milton is describing why God let Satan sin against Him and why He chose to let the enemy roam the earth:
pg. 17
So stretch'd out huge in length the arch-fiend lay,
Chain'd on the burning lake: nor ever thence
Had risen, or heav'd his head, but that the will
And high permission of all-ruling Heaven,
Left him at large to his own dark designs:
That with reiterated crimes he might
Heap on himself damnation, while he sought
Evil to others; and enrag'd might see,
How all his malice serv'd but to bring forth
Infinite goodness, grace, and mercy shown
On man by him seduc'd; but on himself
Treble confusion, wrath, and vengance poured.

I'm just amazed that a man could understand grace enough to write that - yet not trust Christ.
If you have time, read this great work by Milton.

Things Jason Misses from Home

2008-04-16T23:00:00.010-04:00

LSU FOOTBALL!!!!!!!!!!!

Good Food

Duck Hunting in the Mississippi Flyway

The BEST Saltwater Fishing

GREAT Music!!
Great History

I really miss Louisiana and Baton Rouge more importantly. I hope we get to visit soon.

I'm pretty sure I shouldn't have copied some of the pictures from different sites. Please don't sue me! I'll give you credit or take the pictures off.

Welcome Jackson

2008-04-15T07:20:00.009-04:00

Our friends Garrett and Lara had their first baby last night at 9:05 PM. His name is Jackson Berry Conner. He is a stud like is dad, but hopefully he'll get his moms hair and looks. Here are some pictures I (Jason) got to take.

We will return....

2008-04-14T23:40:00.001-04:00

Ok,

So we didn't exactly take the reins of the blogging world and ride it into the sunset. A few posts and we lost interest I guess. But we're going to try it again. Hopefully, we'll make you take interest in our lives. We'll post soon.....I hope.

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!!

2006-12-18T21:00:00.000-05:00

December 7th was my birthday. Aaron made me dinner and a cake. Keep in mind she only had 2 hours to complete these tasks (oh, and clean the apartment too). Dinner was awesome and so was the cake. But the way the cake looked.....um...let's just say it looked more like the San Andreas Fault.

Who is Tom O'Brien?

2006-12-07T09:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, Aaron might frown at me for writing this post, since our blog is so new, but I'm dumbfounded right now.
Having grown up in Baton Rouge, I'm a die-hard LSU fan. But I married a NC State girl, so I find myself caring about two schools now. For those of you back in Louisiana, you may not know that NC State recently fired its head football coach, Chuck Amato. One of the names in the mix was Jimbo Fisher, Offensive Coordinator for LSU. I was pushing for him big time here, but it looks like that's not going to happen. Instead, the often criticized athletic director, Lee Fowler, has made, what I think is, a poor choice.
It is reported that Boston College head coach, Tom O'Brien, will be the new coach of the NC State Wolfpack football team. I can only shake my head in disbelief. The thing is, this guy has no ties to the South and will find it very hard to recruit top notch players to the Raleigh-located school. With the amount of talent that comes out of the region, State will get the short end of the stick. Furthermore, over the past few years, the ACC has been, at best, mediocre in regards to football. I don't think any team can boast at a winning record, with exception to Wake Forest, in the ACC. Tom O'Brien might be 9-3 this season, but he very well could be 3-9 in any other conference. Botton line, it's a bad move to not consider a coordinator from another conference, because you feel you have to have a head coach.

My forecast: NC State will win no more than 6 games a season for the next 5 years. They will compete in small bowl games, if they even go at all. And they will never get where they need to be with Lee Fowler as AD.

But, in the long run, its just sports, and Christ is King. There's more to life than football.

Our Wedding

2006-12-07T09:24:00.001-05:00

We want to put pictures of our wedding up, but we don't have them. We'll post them as soon as we get them.

Let it Begin

2006-12-06T20:49:00.000-05:00

So here's our first post. We've been married for 4 days. Since every married couple we seem to know, at least those who live far away from their family and friends, have a blog, we wanted to do one too. We love our families and friends so much. We want them to be able see us as we grow in Christ.