Just Drink a Coke.

I’m Finally Getting a Crown!

2013-02-20T13:37:00.001-05:00

On Monday, I received the extraordinary honor to represent my state as Mrs. Indiana United States 2013! I'm so excited and cannot believe it! It really is a dream come true, and I can only imagine the opportunities that I may receive to make a difference in the lives of others. I am reminded of Luke 12:48, “…to whom much is given, much is required of…”

In a world today where sometimes it seems as though the voice of one person will never be heard, I want encourage and inspire others to lift their voices high because one person can make a difference. The voice of one person may be small, but it’s not silent.

Whether it’s a grandmother who wants to help our veterans find work or a mom who’s worried about gun control, each person has something they’re passionate about. It has always been my personal mission to encourage others to dream big and then make those dreams happen.

With this title, I hope to inspire and encourage others in ways that only I could dream of before. So, I’m dreaming big, and I’m going to do my very best to represent my community and my state and, hopefully, make a difference in our country.

In July, I’ll be competing for the title of Mrs. United States 2013. It is truly an amazing privilege and honor to represent my state on a national level. So, wish me luck… I hope I can encourage and inspire women everywhere to make their own dreams come true!

Photo via

Wonder Woman- My Hero

2013-02-12T06:30:00.000-05:00

Do you ever have one of those weeks where it seems like the paperwork never ends? The to-do list is a mile long? And the kids voices are a full octave higher than usual?

My, oh my!

Oh, and let’s throw in a few showings on your house at some inopportune times… yikes! (Where’s a housekeeper when you need one?)

This is my life. It is crazy busy and crazy wonderful right now.

Do you thrive in a hectic and slightly stressful environment?

I think that I do. When you’re a Type-A gal with three kids, you learn to take a busy schedule and really rock it! You put your hair in a pony, grab your lipgloss and iphone, and make it all happen.

It feels good when you look back on those days that were filled to the brim and realize that you made it through, maybe even with a bit of grace and elegance.

So, it’s time to channel your inner-Wonder Woman because we, as wives and mothers, are Wonder Women. We do it all every day for everyone in our families, and we look good doing it ;-)

Cheers to all of the wives and mothers out there inspiring us all to do our best and be our best every day- you are a Wonder Woman!

Photo via

When You Mess With MY Kid, Meet Mama Bear!

2013-01-30T11:11:00.001-05:00

Have you ever had a “Mama Bear” moment? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, them you probably haven’t.

It’s that moment when someone treats your child badly, and you instinctively protect him, at all costs.

Well, I had that moment yesterday at the dental office when our oldest had to get his tooth pulled. Our sweet, thoughtful, 7-year-old has been anxiously awaiting the loss of a tooth for some time now. He’s watched his younger brother already lose two! So, the thought of having the Tooth Fairy pay him a visit was tremendously exciting, even if it meant that the tooth would be pulled out rather than falling out.

We arrived at the dental office, excited at the prospects of what we’d be leaving with- a precious tooth!

However… my sweet boy was met with a dental hygienist/dentist combo who were both in the mood to verbally belittle and horrify a child. With threats to him of my not being allowed in the room to shouting in his face to, “Stop it!” (both of which were completely unwarranted and inappropriate).

Who shouts at a child for making a tiny, whimpering noise when a tooth is being pried from his mouth????

The answer is a big jerk!

I’m usually a very passive, lover-not-a-fighter, kind of girl, but yesterday made my blood boil. When that hygienist asked Grant, “Do you want your mom to have to leave if you…” for the second time, I quietly said to her in a “Mama Bear” tone, “Stop saying that because I’M NOT LEAVING!” Let me tell you, she didn’t say it again.

And when the dentist shouted in my scared son’s face to “Stop it,” I quietly said, “He is 7 years old!” That stopped Dr. Jerk right in his footsteps.

While my “Mama Bear” moments in that office were quiet and short, they made a difference.

This morning, I called Dr. Jerk’s office and had all of our records transferred and relayed a very long message to him of why we would never step a foot in that office again. I simply couldn’t bear for that to happen again.

On the way to school this morning, Grant asked if we would be going there again…

“Never,” said Mama Bear.

Would you Wear This?

2013-01-21T11:09:00.001-05:00

I really want to, and as much as I love to try out trends, this is one that I probably will not sport.

The only reason is because it’s a little “too trendy” for my neck of the woods :-(

Sometimes, I think you have to gauge your locale…

Realist, Romantic, or Both

2013-01-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

Realist: One who is inclined to literal truth and pragmatism.

Romantic: Someone guided more by ideals than by practical considerations.

I’m a realist.

My husband is a romantic.

It’s like yin and yang. Just the right amount of both makes for an exciting, albeit somewhat grounded, life together.

What’s your relationship like- are you the realist or the romantic?

{This picture from 1941 captures exactly what I’m talking about. See how something on a stick is usually a fun treat- however, here it’s merely a carrot. Ahhh, a healthy combination of both!}

Photo via Retronaut

Brothers

2013-01-14T08:54:00.001-05:00

Last night I watched two grown men, brothers, talk like I’d never before witnessed. They were open, honest, and completely raw with one another.

I’m not sure what it was that elicited the words that began to flow from their mouths, but it was definitely something internal that summoned the dialogue- something opened a door that had been shut for a while… years, perhaps.

As I sat there, it felt as those I had become privy to parts of their lives I had never known. I sat there, silently, and just took it all it. Contributing to the conversation felt like an intrusion, as something truly special was unfolding right there in our kitchen.

I popped popcorn and just let the moment take place between two brothers.

At one point, my husband ran down to our basement and brought up a year book. They huddled around it and reminisced.

I watched as they laughed until they nearly cried.

I watched as they shared past feelings until the air was so thick with raw emotions that you could cut it with a knife.

In was, indeed, a night that had been a long time coming.

If you’re lucky enough, there comes a point in one’s life where a relationship with a brother or sister turns into something more, and it seemed like that happened right there in our home last night.

You know you’re truly blessed when your friends become your family, and…

your family become your friends.

Photo via Retronaut

Longing to Twirl

2013-01-11T14:17:00.001-05:00

“You snooze, you lose.”

That cliché hits home today because I saw this Anthropologie tulle skirt before Christmas and wanted it sooo bad, but, of course, I didn’t buy it, I just held it up to my waist and twirled around a few times in the store.

{I totally just admitted to that!}

And you guessed it, now it’s no longer available… so sad.

I would absolutely feel like a cross between the ballerina I was as a child and…

Carrie Bradshaw from Sex in the City in this fabulous number.

Would you wear this, a pettiskirt, or something tutu-inspired like it?

Easy Chicken Florentine Casserole

2013-01-08T08:25:00.001-05:00

“This actually tastes good.”

{Coming from my pickiest eater.}

This Chicken Florentine Casserole recipe from Kraft was a real winner for my family last night. The kids didn’t even realize they were eating spinach. Ahhh, it was indeed a culinary miracle!

I think we’ll sneak in some sundried tomatoes next time.

You can find the recipe at KraftRecipes.com.

Happy cooking!

My New Gadget- the Kindle Fire

2013-01-07T09:24:00.001-05:00

My parents got me a Kindle Fire HD for Christmas, and I am LOVING it!

From streaming movies (free with our Amazon Prime account) to reading, pinning the latest thing on Pinterest, or tweeting about something funny, it’s the coolest, new device… and the perfect size, too.

Can our digital world get any better than that?

I just saw that the Consumer Electronics Show is being held this week. I wonder what awesome new thing will be making it’s debut. Wouldn’t you just love to go to that!?

What’s the newest gadget you received or bought this season?

I Can Finally Cook!

2013-01-04T12:07:00.001-05:00

My good friend, Keri, knowing that I need serious help in the kitchen, got me a subscription to Kraft food & family magazine, and let me tell you… it has changed my life!

That magazine is full of great recipes that I can actually cook.

Happy Birthday to My Husband!

2013-01-03T13:08:00.001-05:00

Today is his big day- a day that should be filled with family, friends, birthday cake, ice cream, and presents!

However, with the flu making it’s way through our family like the University of Louisville Cards did to those Florida Gators last night in the Sugar Bowl, I haven’t left the house in 4 days!

So, it looks like his celebration is going to have to be postponed ‘til the weekend, and he’ll just have to just look at last year’s birthday gift from me until then.

{Doesn’t every man love subway art?? I’m joking.}

Click here to visit the original post and download your own copy, in case you’re ever in the same situation as I am and need a quick gift!

Happy birthday to the most wonderful man in the world!

A Perfect Teacher Gift

2012-12-20T15:24:00.001-05:00

It’s not too late to make your child’s teacher a Christmas gift. Hurry over to a craft supply store and grab a few items, pronto! For the rest of the supplies, I think it’s pretty fair to assume we all have colored pencils and broken crayons laying around the house.

At Hobby Lobby, I found a two-pack of canvases on sale for just $3.99! Also, for a few dollars, I picked up some tacky glue.

Now go find some broken crayons, and take the papers off of them.

With a light blue colored pencil and a straight edge, draw lines to look like a kid’s writing paper, and don’t forget to draw on the sides of the canvas, as well.

Shape the broken crayons into the teacher’s monogram and glue them onto the canvas, one at a time, with your tacky glue.

Write the teacher’s name at the bottom in black, permanent marker. I wrote the names in old-fashioned cursive!

Let the glue dry, and present the best teachers in the world with a wonderful, Christmas gift.

{These would make perfect Teacher’s Appreciation Day gifts!}

Happy holiday crafting!

Model Search

2012-12-13T09:00:00.000-05:00

It’s time for America’s Next Top Alopecia Model Search 2013 sponsored by Peggy Knight/Follea. If there’s a girl in your life (up to 18 years of age) with alopecia, you’ll definitely want to check this out. Just fill out the entry form and submit the child’s photo. There will be 61 prizes awarded, with the grand prize being a Gripper in the winner’s size and color!

You may submit your entry online here now through January 31, 2012.

{Check out Peggy Knight’s appearance on The Tyra Banks Show when she was covering a story about a young girl with stress-induced Alopecia Areata.}

Best wishes to everyone in America’s Next Top Alopecia Model Search 2013!

Our Christmas Card…& a Giveaway!

2012-12-12T10:58:00.001-05:00

I recently designed our Christmas card and had such a good time doing it that I’m going to give away one FREE design! So, if you think you’ve waited too late to order cards, this is your lucky day!

At the very bottom of this post, click on the facebook icon (it’s a very tiny box under the “You Might Also Like” section) and share this post.

Then leave me a comment below telling me you shared it. One random winner will be chosen, and I’ll design the winner a 5” x7” image today!

All the winner will have to do is send me the pictures and text they want on their card. Then I’ll design and email you your image. Simply order your cards as 5” x 7” photos at a store with a photo department (I use Walgreen’s Photo and always search for a discount code before I submit my order).

… and voila, your cards are ready!

A winner will be chosen after 5pm EST and announced right here. Hurry!

They’re Not Getting a Hippopotamus!

2012-12-12T09:43:00.001-05:00

This is one of my kids’ favorite Christmas songs. It’s “I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas” by Gayla Peevey. Enjoy!

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
Don't want a doll, no dinky Tinker Toy
I want a hippopotamus to play with and enjoy

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
I don't think Santa Claus will mind, do you?
He won't have to use our dirty chimney flue
Just bring him through the front door, that's the easy thing to do

I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles, no rhinoceroses
I only like hippopotamuses
And hippopotamuses like me too

Mom says the hippo would eat me up, but then
Teacher says a hippo is a vegeterian
There's lots of room for him in our two-car garage
I'd feed him there and wash him there and give him his massage
I can see me now on Christmas morning, creeping down the stairs
Oh what joy and what surprise when I open up my eyes
To see a hippo hero standing there

I want a hippopotamus for Christmas
Only a hippopotamus will do
No crocodiles or rhinoceroseses
I only like hippopotamuseses
And hippopotamuses like me too!

Lyrics: Lyrics Mode

We Just Turned Two!

2012-12-10T10:14:00.001-05:00

On December 8, 2010, a housewife and mother of three decided to share her heart with the world…

and that was the beginning of Just Drink a Coke.

What a great two years it has been!

It all started with my wanting to share some DIY projects, and before long, I was grabbing a Coke and talking about everything from sewing to sports on this little blog.

During the last year, you may have noticed that my resume changed a bit. I was asked to be the editor of a local print magazine’s online edition. It was a dream come true, and it all started with this little blog. You never know what God has in store for you. When you feel driven to do something, it’s probably because it’s part of God’s plan, and that little “something” that is on your heart has been put there for a reason.

I love that blogging has given me the opportunity to make friendships that would not have been possible otherwise. It’s such a blessing for us to be able to share our stories with each other, and it’s those stories that encourage and inspire each of us.

Thank you for being a part of my life here at Just Drink a Coke.

I’m so thankful that you choose to take your Coke break here with me.

Here’s to many more years together!

Elf on the Shelf Ideas: Rudolph

2012-12-07T10:02:00.001-05:00

Our Elf on the Shelf, Walker, has really been making us laugh lately! This little note and the red dot on his nose prompted the kids to run into the bathroom to look in the mirror.

The night before, the kids had watched Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer on television. So, how apropos that Walker would turn everyone into Rudolph for the next morning!

Unfortunately, everyone wiped their red noses clean before I could snap a photo.

{This prank was made possible with a little red lip gloss!}

The Elf Games- He’s in Trouble!

2012-11-30T16:02:00.001-05:00

Here’s where it all began for today’s little prank.

Our Elf on the Shelf took the lead from us after my husband and I tried a new form of discipline with our boys yesterday- writing a repetitive sentence that we hope they will remember.

“I will listen to my mother and father.”

It’s very old-school, and since our current method of using “time-outs” doesn’t always seem to do the trick, we thought we’d try this.

It looks like our little elf had to do the same thing after “playing with toys in Santa’s workshop.”

Santa told him not to, but he did it anyways. Uh-oh!

Maybe this will help improve the behavior of both our boys and their elf!

The Elf Games- No Toothbrush Needed

2012-11-29T21:08:00.001-05:00

Our little Elf on the Shelf got into the kids’ toothpaste today… such a prankster!

What a nice sentiment he wrote on the sink in toothpaste!

The Elf Games- The 'Stache

2012-11-28T09:17:00.001-05:00

Is that Tom Selleck, or Groucho Marx, or Ron Burgundy in those pictures?

Let’s get a closer look.

Oh, no, he didn’t?

Oh, yes, he did!

It’s none of those, it’s my sweet family. That little prankster gave us all mustaches!

When our boys saw this, there was outburst of uproarious laughter. They could not believe Walker had drawn on our faces.

This little prank has probably elicited the most laughter from the kids than any other, thus far.

So hilarious and can be easily wiped off with the swipe of a tissue.

{It’s just dry-erase marker… our little secret!}

The Elf Games- Zipline Fun

2012-11-27T12:30:00.000-05:00

It’s a bird.

It’s a plane.

No, it’s our crazy elf, Walker!

Ziplining from the Christmas tree to the window!? What next?

He thinks he’s some kind of superhero today!

{I bent a wooden skewer into a triangle and fastened the ends with some putty. His makeshift cape is a piece of toilet paper with a “W” written in marker. We tied some twine from the tree to a curtain rod, hung him on it, and, voila… a ziplining superhero!}

The Elf Games- Our Little Snow Angel

2012-11-27T11:30:00.000-05:00

The ever-popular “snow angel in the flour” trick!

The Elf Games- You're Trapped

2012-11-27T10:02:00.001-05:00

Walker, our Elf on the Shelf, is back!

Let the games begin!

More Clam Bellies, Please!

2012-11-20T11:02:00.001-05:00

My oldest son’s class had a “Thanksgiving Feast” where they were served many foods that may have been served at the first Thanksgiving, and I was helping out with it.

So, to make a long story short, there were some foods that many of the kids had never eaten before {succotash and pumpkin pudding to name a few}.

One little boy raised his hand, and I walked over to him to see what he needed, and this is how our interaction went:

Him: May I have more clam bellies, please?

Me: Clam bellies?

Him: Clam bellies.

What the heck are clam bellies?

It took me a moment to finally realize that he wasn’t thinking we had served him clam bellies; he was merely requesting that I give him more cranberries.

Oh, bless his sweet, little heart.

Honestly, if anyone should be able to understand a child with some articulation trouble {fancy term for those whose speech is difficult to understand due to problems making certain sounds}, it should be me. My oldest was in speech therapy for 18 months. So, clearly, I should have known that kid did not want clam bellies!

Anyhow, I’ve had some great giggles about it ever since. I hope it made you giggle, too!

Clam bellies… it’s still funny every time I say it!

Unexpected Heartache

2012-11-19T13:54:00.001-05:00

Today, my heart is heavy with sadness for a family whose young son’s life was cut short this past weekend.

He was just 7 years old.

In the blink of an eye, an accident happened…

and now their lives are forever changed.

Unlike a terminal illness, where you kind of know that eventually that person won’t be with you, an unexpected occurrence like an accident takes place, and you’re completely caught off guard, and you’re just not prepared to deal with it.

I cannot imagine the heartache that family must be experiencing. It is a parent’s worst nightmare to have to bury their child… and for them, that nightmare is now a reality.

This morning I prayed that God would wrap them in His Holy Spirit and comfort them while they grieve. This will be the only way they will get through this- with God’s help.

They will be blessed because God said, “Blessed are those who grieve.”

In that, at least, they can take heart, and they know their little boy will be waiting for them in Heaven.

Now, for the rest of us, we will do everything we can to lesson their heartache.

We will pray.

We will listen.

We will send food.

We will just… be there.

I feel a burden on my heart to ask these questions of myself each day now:

Did you tell the kids you loved them last night?

Did you kiss them goodbye this morning?

Were your last words to them filled with love?

You just never know what each day holds. Live today like it’s your last. If you do this, you’ll never regret it.

Please pray for this family even though you don’t know them; God will know who you’re praying for. And ask your friends to pray for them, as well.

Our prayers will make a difference.

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