a day off

yay.

we finally got our deck and shed painted and it looks awesome.

thank you to jim & nancy.

the propane guy came to fill our tank, of course i said hi in my pj's slash crazy bed hair slash

no makeup.  blahhh

favorite part of the state fair this year was clear creek amana apple cinnamon jam & cowboy john's bbq 

sauce.  had yummy toast and chicken with that the whole next week after.

cleaning house today, where does all this dust come from?  dude!

labor day was fun, spent it at the farm flying kites and dreaming about flowers & gardens.

b & i just started watching this show House, M.D. kinda loving it.

direct tv!  forgot how much i missed cable.

i am lovin my iphone, i hardly even get on my laptop.

another awesome thing... SWEET CORN!  yumcity, k.

next june is our 5th wedding anniversary & we wanna do something big.

we were thinking about a disney resort in south carolina maybe but

i'm leaning more towards whale watching in seattle.  i'm pretty open to

a good deal, also interested in renting a vacation home somewhere on the ocean.

pray that i can find something amazing.

b is loving first shift, he will be home in an hour... the laundry calls

ally

xx

my favorite things. summer edition

summer dresses.

pretty trees in our yard.

hot pepper jelly from waverly farmer's market.

cookouts with my family.

angry orchard hard apple cider.

clarinet lessons with mia.

pandora 90s alternative for the ride home.

sunday night movies with b.

deciding what color to paint the front door.

thursday nights with brandon's mom.

animal crossing new leaf.

bremer county fair.

direct tv.

practicing guitar for an upcoming open mic.

wonderful fall day on july 29th. (wha)

winnie rose fallon.

boyce avenue covers.

GloZell on youtube.

we are blessed.

ally xx

it finally happened.

and we love it.

dancebreak

looking at a packed up house.

i am going to miss this place.

we fell in love here.

my clarinet student's first concert was yesterday.  1st chair y'all.

:::::proud teacher:::::

"you are so much more than all of this"

- beautiful, mercyme

"we'll stand out on our front yard, where we can finally breathe"

- new hometown, sara evans.

"under the tv lights, you fell asleep again, don't know i'm writing this song about you"

-new york to california, mat kearney

3 days til we close...

learning to be the light,
ally

current obsessions/inspirations

-the great mcbride house hunt.

-almond and banana granola bars.

-my new fav blog... One Good Thing by Jillee

-essential oils... i have a few drops of tea tree in my humidifier

-humidifier!!!  where was this my whole life?

-a knockoff brand of zyrtec.  waking up without having to blow your nose? amazing.

-vitamins.  especially fish oil.

-lucky brothers asian market.  fun to buy random snacks.... some good, some really bad lol.  

-panda express.  orange chicken & beijing beef. 

-candle warmer.  vanilla cookie crunch.

-on the hunt for the perfect yarn for an afghan for the living room, i don't think it exists.

-summer.  miss you.

- the idea of making mixtapes.  i should do this again, it's either that or get siriusXM radio or an ipod.

-wondering what new animal my mom in law got for her bday today. 

-new water fountain for the cats.  :)

-excited to meet my new dentist in a couple weeks! let's do this!!

-restrung my guitar, now i gotta wait for the strings to stretch.

-wrote some music for my clarinet student for her bday.

-jammies & couch time.

-can't wait for my new niece to get here!

-missin my awesome nephew.

-wanting a mini us now more than ever.

-the idea of canning.  strawberry jam, salsa, i've got a book! (watch out)

-eating smart.  forever trying to find balance.

-swaps on swapbot.com

-coconut oil + almond oil. i'm getting older, gonna have to moisturize, naturally.

-a drive, a milkshake, and some tony.

-asos style, cute dresses!

-vacation (where, when?)

Liebster Award!

So I was totally nominated for a Liebster Award from Violet Lilac Plum who also received the award from Heart Soul Inspiration :)

yay!
I'm still quite a newbie at blogging, so this is a great way to get me more aquainted
with you all :) :)

So here’s the rules:

-Each person must post 11 things about themselves -Answer the questions that the nominator set for you plus create 11 questions for the people you’ve nominated to answer.
-Choose 11 people and link them in your post.
-Go to their page and tell them.
-No tag backs!


11 things about me


1. I adore the mixed media artist DanitaArt on Etsy. Her work is totally whimsical, inspiring, & affordable.

2. One of my favorite things to do is to go grab a Starbucks Frappucino & drive around looking at all the pretty, twinkling, Christmas Lights. :)



3. We are in the process of looking for our home, where my husband & I are meant to be. Where life makes sense. Cross your fingers for us.




4. I walk around the house playing my clarinet, most preferably Mozart's Clarinet Concerto... I'll be teaching a private lesson this week, wish me luck!



5. I love the quote "May the past be the sound of your feet upon the ground." From the song, Carry On by Fun. For those work days that just kick your butt.



6. I honestly think this is how my husband's Grandma thinks it works...



7. I am watching the. best. korean. soap. ever! with b. it's super awesome! Super crush on Jang Wubin aka Ji-Hyun Woo. (on the far left) :) It's called A Thousand Kisses.



8. I work at a craft store & typically all my creative juice is spent by the end of the day. I can't complain looking at all the pretty, shiny, crafty things we order & put away! (the holidays, blurg)



9. I have a small group of Super Amazing, Awesome People in my life that make my heart happy. We are blessed.


10. I am totally into Super Heroes lately, I really wasn't when I was a kid, I guess nobody told me how awesome they are...



11. The two words "Make Sense" mean more to me now than ever before. I am only interested in things that make sense in my life. No complications, no drama.... just live. Live life and be happy.



Violet Lilac Plum's Questions for me..........

1. If you could go back to any age you've been so far, what would it be and why?

probably 16. i had a boyfriend whom i loved. a ton of great friends. doing great in school, basketball, band, etc. good job, a car. life was awesome. (for a moment)

2. Favorite color?


right?

3. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

sorry i got distracted. my cat Chloe is eating the glimmering snow blanket under the christmas tree. great news, a cat with a belly full of poly batting...:::::::::::sigh:::::::::::::::::

probably more of a night owl. i just think better at night. although i do notice going out in public is alot easier in the morning, mega creepers around at night.

4. Coffee, tea, or something else?

i really like unsweet tea, or cookies n cream cappucino... the kind you get from the gas station. yummmmmmmmmmmm

5. What's something you'd recommend a visitor to do for fun if they came to your city/town?

i would suggest eating at panda express YUM and then going to the comic book store in cf on college st. perfect day for me.

6. What's your favorite song at the moment? I need some new tunes!

Body Electric - Lana Del Rey.
her new cd Paradise is short, but amazing.



7. Would you consider yourself more imaginative or practical?

can i say that i'm imaginatively practical? i try to be mary poppins-ish. fun & different in a frugal way. she really is a cool lady.



8. Do you have any pets? What kind and what are their names?

i have two cats!
hannah, a british blue shorthair who is 10 &
chloe, a grey tabby who is 3.

9. Favorite season?

defintely autumn. not to hot, not too cold.


10. Last book you read? Did you like it?

a Fear Street Super Chiller Silent Night... twas awesome :)

11. What is your earliest memory?

um, probably christmas in mt. pleasant. at the grandparents' house. good times.


My questions for you.......

1.  What is the most important thing in the world to you?

2. Do you believe in love at first sight?

3. Name your top 3 websites & why.

4. What specific thing reminds you most of Christmas?

5. What inspires you?

6. What are your first thoughts in the morning.

7. Favorite food?

8. 3 things you could live without & why.

9. Do you collect anything? If you do, what?

10. What is the meaning of life to you?


I nominate:


Holly @ HollyKnitlightly

Annyz @ Annyz-Kawaii

Danita @ DanitaArt

Jenn @ EatCakeForDinner

Polly @ ThisEnchantedPixie

Roxy @ grrfeisty

Chantilly @ChantillySongs

Soma @ insomnia-of-books

Alicia @ pbjunkies

Kaelah @ HoneyBeeInTheCity

Melissa @ number2pencil

randomsssss

 random purchase: we got all these for less than a buck each, score!

 at dan's wedding reception, my mom in law is the photo bomber.

there's my hubby top left.  the groom is our former roommate, dan sadler.  and next to him is another former roommate, the best man, caleb hohanshelt.  it was a fun day!

 he was so fancy.

 i like cats.

 this is the top i'm working on.  it's crochet and i got a really pretty, washable cotton/acrylic yarn.  now, if i could get some time and patience that would be great, thanks.

woody and jessie on my mantle.  This ukelele never stays in tune, hence the display option.

               i think this would be a really cute christmas card.  i love adventure time!

                             nephew Jack at kid's city in elk run.  idk i just really like this photo.

                                       present from my sis, i love it!!!

                            halloween at maple lanes, tis the sanderson sisters!!!

                            i was mary sanderson, the one who barks and says winnie?!  lol funnnnnn

                                                 hubby and i are in love with this stuff.

                                        i must make that cardigan!  soo pretty :)

                                                              soooo mathematical!

                                                                my new ride.  cool.

                                                      suprisingly, awesome.

                                                               um, they did.  and it was cool.

                                                    Jack loves the Kindle Fire.  Studying to be 2.

                                                                      Wishlist.

                                      the cats absolutely freak over this.  it's hilarious!!!

                               another cute idea for xmas cardssss.

                                                       lol.

                                                           pretties.  yarnnnnnnnnn

pumpkin spice

today is full of gilmore girls,

and working on a crocheted bag.

lately i've been trying to recreate the trademark scratch cupcake.

so far, i've gotten pretty close to the Oh Happy Day and the Wedding Cake.

not much for open houses this weekend. dang.

we got a memory foam topper for our bed and

it has made the bedroom smell like a mint frappucino.  lol.

brandon's aunt and uncle from seattle were in town and we went to

texas roadhouse for an iowa steak. yum.

i am super excited for fall, scary movies, pumpkin spice latte's,

and hooded sweatshirts :)

duck dynasty

we looked at a house last week and we got to the basement and i said "it smells like home."

brandon's like "no baby, that's mold, looks like it got wet down here, and there's lots of

cobwebs."

"ducks are like women, they don't like alot of mud on their butts"  

-from the show i'm watching on a&e, duck dynasty   :)

we haven't found a house yet that's bid worthy, although we are optimistic about a house

that's in aplington we'll see sunday.

my heart is not in this house and i just can't wait to start our lives someplace else.

i can't wait to have a yard, to plant flowers if i want, to paint a room.  to be.

i've been listening to 101.9 alot on my way to work, it's a christian music station.

christian musicians lead lives that inspire, and so does there music.

i feel like i found god when i met brandon.  i also think that my life would be alot 

different if he hadn't been around.  i feel blessed.

here's the Afters... Light Up The Sky

ally 

new hometown

i'm feeling inspired to write this never happens. lol.

happy new year!  its been THAT long...

we got our couch, it gave me a headache for a few days when it actually came.

i mean, its ALOT of couch, like alot. 

but hubby LOVES it, "more than his tv & his car".

that is big.  so i'm happy too.

i went out to karaoke last night at the hub after work.

it was fun, i wore a dress and my new slouchy boots!

this also never happens.  

i sang CrushCrushCrush by paramore, and i really didn't do well...

but who cares! i had fun :)

i had a cold last week, instead of taking cold medicine i took

vitamin c and zinc.  and i felt better in a day or so!

we got to hang with nephew jack for a couple nights, he is amazing.

he is moving and grooving, walking and talking.  when my sister dropped

him off, he snuggled up and sighed.  i am thankful he feels comfy with us.

he loves our cat, chloe.  we love him.  he's our favorite.

i've had to add 3 extra holes to hubby's belt this week,

he's already losing weight with his new diet!

his work has offered a program called LiveSmart, 

they help him to eat better, and they pay him for it.

woop!

hubby and mom in law are going to 3 house showings friday.

2 in parkersburg and 1 in waverly.

mom in law nancy has been texting me addresses of potential houses, 

she must really want us to have kids, cause they all have like 4 bedrooms! lol

i turned 27.  getting older rocks.

i learn.  about myself, about others.  it all just makes sense. 

i love that.

i continue to feel blessed everyday, i am so proud of my husband and our life together.

i can't wait for what's to come.

it's like crazy big.

we bought a couch!

it is HUGE! lol

hubby and i were going to go shopping but we drove past
the mall, it was crazy.

drove past target it was crazy.

drove past menards.... again crazy.

so then brandon says "hey, why don't we go there... there's only 3 cars in the parking lot."

ended up at sofa mart.

we sat in all the couches, chairs, and loveseats we could...

and we bought this.

we have a big living room and i wanted something that kind of hugged the tv.

we chose the lighter color because our living room could use anything to brighten it up.

we will get it in a month.

it also has a 10 year warranty on anything that goes wrong, i like that!


also, we got the most ridiculous super sized bean bag chair... with penguin fabric.

i am so lucky to have a husband who has the same ODD taste that i have LOL

it really is comfy.

i should really get to my list of to do's for the week than tippity type on this thing.

until next time...

there is this lady named karen who walks to hobby lobby every day.
sometimes she doesn't buy anything, sometimes she does.
she is always very friendly.
i made her a pair of mittens for christmas,
she came in wearing them and she said i'm thankful for your friendship this thanksgiving,
as i was checking her out for a greeting card.

olive juice

i went in to this new handmade gift store downtown called the Plaid Peacock, because a friend of mine had things for sale there.... it was so cool!  they mod podged the ceiling with old music sheets, had lots of crocheted hats, rugs, scarves, and lots of really cute hairbows!

they saw a picture of the crocheted cheeseburger i sold on etsy and i told them of my idea for making an a la carte version.  like have stacks of lettuce, pickles, mushrooms, cheese, and you can pick a burger and add what toppings you want.  they loved it.  now i just have to get motivated to finish some stuff! it would be awesome to have my yarn burgers for sale somewhere! lol!

i surpassed 200 listeners on my radio station on blip.fm........... www.blip.fm/himynameisally i am excited about that!

i always "blip" a song of the day.... alot faster than typing out my thoughts.

there are rumors going around my hubby's work that o'neal steel has bought their company.  everyone is pretty sure they are going to announce it at the christmas party.  this is a good thing!  but whatever happens, i am just so proud of brandon.  

it is the start of the christmas retail season at work.  yipee.  i do like all of the extra seasonal help.  there was an older lady who asked me where the vitamins were yesterday.  it was hard not to laugh, but instead i said " i wish we did, i'd take some vitamin c!" lol.

my friend steph and her fiance justin had a heroes and villians party last weekend.  i was cruella deville, i wore makeup,a dress, did my hair and everything.  it was fun!  i think we are going to have a big new years eve party here.  

i am missing my nephew... i want to cuddle and splash him in the tub.  there is not enough time!  i always ask brandon... "so what's the cutoff before i give birth to an alien baby?" our response is always 30.  is that correct?  it is to us.  we will have a baby before then.  i just couldn't go through life without having a little mini-him or mini-me.  

i have alot to be thankful this holiday season, most of all for the loves in my life.  i am very blessed.

new toy!

pre ordered a kindle fire last week!

its amazon's version of the nook color, and we're excited!

i have been wanting a tablet-type device but i've been super picky and not really wanting something
as big as a ipad, i mean, its the size of my laptop, what's the point?

the new amazon kindle fire is a 7" screen, full color, that runs on android so it's totally customizable!

i keep watching the quick tour, nov.15th couldn't come sooner!

Check it out here.

bloop.

stopped by the eagles to renew brandon's membership and my favorite piano player John was there!

he played "for once in my life" and "when i fall in love" i sang and it was amazing!

there's nothing like singing with a live accompaniest!!!!!!!!!!!!

he normally never plays with anyone but it was his birthday and he handed me a mic!

i wish there were more people in the world like him.



brandon and i are going to take a day trip this weekend.

i wanted to go to gay's mills for some apples but the festival was 2 weeks ago.

it will probably be a williamsburg outlet store day.

maybe there are some haunted houses in cedar rapids.


we finished watching season one of parenthood, great show!

and the new season of dexter started sunday, yay!

also, we are going to start watching true blood, heard lots of good things.




"your words in my memory are like music to me"
-william fitzsimmons

wedding

i played piano and sang at a wedding two saturdays ago for my friends ed and brianna delagardelle.

they got married at the immaculate conception catholic church in sumner.

i had prepared some hymns and the unity candle song i had them choose- candle on the water from the disney movie pete's dragon.

so i go to rehearsal the night before the wedding and i meet father jim.

very nice man.  he asks me, do you play and sing, like together?

i say yes, and he shows me this responsorial psalm called this is the day.

i can tell right away that it means a great deal to him, and if i was gonna mess it up i might as well go home.

and i was also informed there was going to be a cello and violin to play the pro and recessional.  yay, less for me!

so the rehearsal went well, and then we went next door to the bed and breakfast that was there.

and had an amazing dinner!  like 5 courses, you can tell brianna's family is very close.  brandon just sat there in awe.... his dad passed, no sisters or brothers, his mom always working.

so wedding day, we get there on time, i know the hymn and we run through it, sounds great!  big relief :)

i actually had fun playing those inspirational songs, i'm such a church music lady in training.... LOL.

then we went to the reception- it was at the legion hall, everything looked beautiful!

we danced and danced, and it was a blast!

a vacation day...

had the best day with mr. mcbride yesterday.  we didn't go out of town we just both had a weekday off.
this never happens.
we went to the beach, ate at our favorite restaurant, golden china, and watched a movie.

i don't have much to write ever in this blog because we keep it simple.  we live, work, love the same way we did when we met 4 years ago.

i dont need fancy, i need the everyday.

i never knew what love was until i met brandon... his love makes me independent, makes me feel free.

thank god for this day and every other.  we are blessed.

the white album.

i have decided that i need to listen to all of the beatles records.  like it or not they were the beginning of pop/rock music.

i decided this a while back and in no particular order i was going to pick up records if i found a deal.

well the first one i picked up was abbey road.  funny this was the first one because come to find out it was their last album together.   

it had some good songs but always i tend to find one winner and constantly play that tune.  on this record that tune was "something in the way she moves."  reminded me of eric clapton's "wonderful tonight."

so then when we were downtown chicago i picked up the white album.  i don't know much about it.  but after just hearing the first part of it, its amazing!   this record was put out before abbey road and you can really tell that they are really sinking into it.  

it was recorded form 65 to 68 but you'd think they had just written it last week.

there was just something so magical about what they put together, that it is sad that they will never get it back.

you can clearly tell in the record that paul is the musical talent, putting together a tune.  george is lead guitar, give him a song, he'll play it and well.  ringo keeps the beat, and it takes you a while to find john, but when you do you know that he is the heart and soul of the band.

my fav of the first disc, "happiness is a warm gun"  absolutely wonderful!

hello, blog.

i had an awesome vacation week last week!  it started on sunday when i got to spend time with my nephew, Jack!  

he is the cutest little man ever!

we had a blast, lots of snuggles, elmo's song, goldfish, shopping, and naps!

everytime i played elmo's song he smiled and tried to grab the computer screen :)

ill update with chicago pics soon!

:)allymcb

12 days!!!!!

12 days? til vacation, baby!

I can't wait to spend time with my nephew Jack, he is growing and changing so much everyday, I want to soak all the new stuff in!

I also can't wait for our trip to Chicago! Brandon isn't much of a traveler but as we were google mapping our routes he muffled "I'm excited" :)

We went to my mom in law's farm in Plainfield for the 4th. It was fun, Brandon grilled, lit off lots of fireworks, and I'm still recovering from all of the bug bites tho, lol.

In August is Brandon's last car payment...... YAY!

John from the band the Texas Tenors was in hob lob today... 5 years ago he was just shopping for a good DVD of Phantom of the Opera at B&N, now he's touring the world singing, living his dream. Good to see him!

I really need to mow and give my car a wash..... but I will probably end up overhauling my Ipod.

We are going to be babysitting my mom in law's english bulldog Hampton, Ham as we call him... for a couple days while they go to a tractor show.

Do you mind my random bits of info? No organization, lol.

Like this one, if you have a floatie with a hole in it, gum does not work as a plug for that hole... i learned the hard way, lol.

here's what i have so far for my chicago ipod playlist

Gucci Gucci by Kreayshawn

Not Over You by Gavin DeGraw

Trust Issues by Drake

Forever by Drake

Without You by Keith Urban

Sweetest Girl by Wyclef Jean

What The Hell by Avril Lavigne

Beautiful Girl by William Fitzsimmons

Deuces by Chris Brown

Swimming by Breathe Owl Breathe

Fly by Nicki Minaj