Unexpected Findings

Wal-Mart has treasures, you just have to take the time to look.

I know a lot of people who think Wal-Mart is gross and for only poor, low-down people or whatever, and that's NOT true!! I also know many people who shop at Wal-Mart for practically everything, and its almost like their second home (my family is like that!). :) You can find REALLY good deals there.

So this afternoon my mom and I went shopping, to return a sweater my grandma had gotten me for Christmas but it didn't fit. (We did Christmas with my dad's parents after Thanksgiving this year because we won't see them for Christmas.) So we went to return it, and in exchange found two pairs of colored jeans my first ever pairs!!! and a gray and black leapord beret. JUST LIKE GEORGIE HENLEY'S.

Yeah you betcha I was flippin happy!!

//my deep apple-red jeans//

Oh, and I already have my Christmas Day outfit planned based off these ^^ jeans!

//my eggplant colored jeans//

//my amazingly awesome Georgie hat look-alike!!!//

So that's my most recent haul, I guess. :) I usually don't have a pocket full of money, but today I did!

What are some recent purchases you've bought and loved??

Love,

Manda

Summed Up

We serve a great God, do we not? I'm sooo thankful that the Lord led my family to Ohio. I'm blessed to attend the greatest church and youth group, and to have found some of the greatest friends here, too! *you know who you are* I tend to be negative and to look for the bad things in life, but really, I should be rejoicing and praising Jesus for all He's blessed me with!!! I need to remind myself to look for the little blessings in life, because they are out there, you just gotta be lookin for 'em! :)

Also, a huge thanks to all the kind comments and love I got on my last post!! I just needed to get that subject off my chest. :)

In other news, Thanksgiving is almost here!! Ohmygoodness. I'm so excited to get to see my family who live so far away from us!! And of course I'm excited for all the amazing food, too.

What are your plans for Thanksgiving? And anything I could be praying about for you??

Much love,
Manda

Prepare Yourself - Beause I'm About to Vent

I would like to know why I rarely get any comments. Would someone like to please explain??? I just posted two nice picture-filled posts (and my last post was one filled with high-quality, edited pictures, too!!) I have 62 followers but out of that 62 followers, about only five to ten of you atually leave comments! Why are you following my blog if you aren't going to leave a comment now and then?? Are you following me just to be a creepy stalker or something?? Like seriously, its really getting on my nerves.

When I follow people, my intention is to read about their daily lives and to leave nice li'l notes at the bottom of their posts. I don't leave comments for every, single post they write, but for the most part, I leave comments on most of their posts.

And as I've said before, my blog is not a photography blog. I don't have an expensive, super high-tech camera, and I don't plan on ever buying something like that. My point and shoot camera works just fine for me. If some of you are expecting posts filled with pictures most of the time, that's prolly not gonna happen, just because I'm not a photographer. But when I go to events (like last night's youth event) I do take my camera and take some pictures, just for memory's sake.

Please people, I want feedback!! Do you know (to those of you who regularly post) how depressing it is to have been blogging for years, and when you post a nice long post with pictures I might add, and to not get any comments whatsoever??? It makes you seriously think about quitting blogging!

When I post on here, I want people to leave me opinons, suggestions, etc. on what they thought of my post, what they liked or didn't like. I want to know if there's anything you guys would like to see me post about! And please people, seriously, BE HONEST. I don't want you guys to be faking what you think of my posts (not that you are!) but I want you to be honest. That's all I ask. Is to be honest, and to give me feedback. Please. I do thank my faithful comments and followers like Kendra, Marie, Hans, Allie, Mack, and Jo who faithfully comment on here and make me feel like I'm something in this blogging world.

And I apologize if I offended anyone. Yes I'll be sad if I lose some followers after this post, but I was being honest and telling y'all what I think and feel.

Thanks for listening.

Love,
Manda

The Price Is Right {Added from FB}

*creds to the wonderful katie for all these great pictures!!*

//my amazing youth pastor andrew, & his wife katie! love them both soo much! they are such blessings in my life//

//left to right: erin, hans, allie, heather, & me//

Okay story time!! So, right before this ^^ picture was taken, Katie and I were walking down the steps, and suddenly I just tripped. I practically knocked both of us over, and I was holding on to Katie so hard I thot we were both gonna go down, but she held me up and said, "I gotcha." So we didn't fall, and had a good laugh about it afterwards. It was pretty embarrassing tho!! The reason I tripped was cuz of these babies:

Hahaha Katie and her love of shoes....

Anyways!! Soo, I hope you weren't totally bored looking thru all these crazy amounts of pictures, but I had to share them with ya, cuz it was such an AMAZING night spent with my friends and my awesome youth group!! :) 

Oh, and one more thing - right after I prayed that my ticket would be called to get some money, what do I hear but my ticket number! I jumped up, leaving my camera and my ticket on my seat, and rushed forward (as fast as I could in my wedges) and was about to grab the money from Adam's hand, and he's like, 'Where's your ticket'? I left it on my seat! So I rushed back and Lauren handed me my ticket and then I went back up front and received $5!! I was so happy. So now I'm not flat broke anymore. lol

Love,

Manda

The Price is Right {Youth Event}

Tonight from 7 - 10 was a youth event at the chapel. I got soo many awesome pictures, so I had to share them with you! And also, when Katie *hopefully* puts the pictures from her awesome expensive camera, onto FB, I will then add those, too. :)

*WARNING: PICTURE OVERLOAD!*

//hans and me//

//me and mercy//

//me, lauren, & hans//

//miss m., me, & hans//

//miss m., kels, me, & hans//

//allie & me//

//me and twinnie andrew//

//me and my peace-lovin friends//

//me and allyson//

//me and rach//

//katie and i. katie's the best youth pastor's wife ever!!//

//mr. s., katie, & me//

//katie, kels, me, & courtney. & p.j. photobombing...//

//me and courtney... and p.j. again...//

//sami and i//

So there ya have it folks!!! My 70s themed crazy night!! :)

Hopefully Katie's FB pictures to come soon!

Love,

Manda



Getting My Inner Hippie On

I'm soo excited for our youth event tonight - named after the popular show 'The Price is Right'! We're going back to the 70's folks!! Pictures to come, I promise!! I just realllly hope I come home with a prize of some sort! :) Like money would be nice.

What are your Friday night plans?

Love,
Manda 

Announcement

So because of the future horrible -to-come-economy, the fam is picking up my grandparents in Iowa and Illinois and we're changing our last name to Walton and moving to the mountains of Wyoming.

Tell me if I'm kidding or not.

Love you all,

Manda

To all my readers

I think I'm in shock.

61 followers?!?!? 

I never thot my blog would get to such high numbers, but here we are!!

*take a break and do a happy dance with me*

Thank you so much to everyone who reads my blog - It means soo much and I appreciate all your love and support. :)

Please do tell me if there's anything you'd like to see me post about, too!! Any trending topics or whatever.

Happy Monday! Go and look for the good things in life today!!

Love,
Manda

Highlight of my Friday Night!!!

Guess what y'all????

I am now the extremley crazy proud owner of 'Songs from the Silver Screen' CD & DVD by Jackie Evancho!!!!!!!!!!!

The story is this: ever since Jackie's CD came out on October 2, 2012, I had been wanting to buy it. And especially at Target, because Target is the only place selling the combo CD&DVD. So tonight, since its Friday, the fam was gonna go out to eat somewhere and then go somewhere and have fun. But at the last minute Mom started to feel really sick, so Dad just ran to Rally's and got us all some burgers and fries. After eating supper (which was delish!) Dad consented to taking us kiddos to Target. I mainly was just wishing to look at the CD&DVD, to make sure they weren't all gone. :) And, the Lord was awesome and blessed me with the last combo on the shelf!! So, somewhat jokingly, I said, 'Who wants to lend me $6 and I'll pay you back in Decemeber after I babysit then?" No one really spoke up, but Dad was kinda like, 'I'll think about it.' haha So then us girls went to look at clothes, with the CD&DVD clutched in my hand (cuz there is no way I was letting anyone else have it!!) and then a few minutes later, as we were heading towards the front of Target to leave, Dad handed me a gift card that Lis had had and she was paying Mom and Dad back for something.... whatever! So anyways, I was able to use that gift card, plus some of my own money, to buy this amazing CD&DVD!

//These are the number of lovely CD's I have by this amazing girl!!//

And they all have a DVD that come with each of them, so that's a sweet bonus. :) The only CD left to get is 'Heavenly Christmas'.

And for those of you who don't know know anything about Jackie, she's a child opera sensation. And she's STUNNING. I am in love.

*www.jackieevancho.com*

So yep. That's my exciting li'l tidbit.

What made you happy today?

Love,

Manda

Some Things That Made My Day

Its Thursday!

Mom recorded Jackie Evancho on 'Rachael Ray' this morning!! So I got to watch it when I arrived home.

Jingles' adorable li'l self wiggling with happiness when we stepped into the kitchen.

I got my school picture retaken today and I think it actually looks okay this time 'round.

Singing "All I Have Is Christ' in chapel today!! I looove this song!

Seeing my green & blue M&M's in my cookie smushed together.

Eating cupcakes galore today at school after our bake sale on Tuesday. Yummalicious.

What's made your day today?

Love,
Manda

We're All Holding Our Breath

Today is/was Election Day. A few hours ago Andrew and I voted (our 2nd time, last year it was just for local stuff).

I'm working on history homework and, along with the rest of my family, glued to FOX News, praying and doing my best to trust the Lord for the outcome, whatever is is.

Whatever the outcome, we must remember Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans not to harm you but to give you a future and a hope." God is good, and He already knows the outcome!!

TRUST IN THE LORD!

Love,

Manda

The Song Title Says It All

Seriously one of my top favorite songs!! :)

Happy Monday y'all!

Love,
Manda

1st Football Game of November!

So at 2:30ish this afternoon Hans emailed me and asked me if I wanted to come over, and then later go to a high school football game with her and her dad. Of course I said yes!!! And this only being my 2nd high school football game EVER - well it was awesome!!! :)

We drank hot chocolate, and ate cheesy nachos and sour candy strips. Also, our team won 28-0 and they've been undefeated this whole season. 4 more to go til the State Championship!!! :) Good times...

What did you do on your Saturday night?

Love,

Manda