Happy Monday!!! GUESS WHAT???

I WON FIRST PLACE 🥇!!!

Soooooooo in December Zadie B’s had a contest for writing the best review for your favorite dress that they have and 

                               GUESS WHAT???? 

I ACTUALLY WON 🥇 FIRST PLACE!!! I can’t believe I neverrrrrrrrr win and especially first place!!!! 

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The reward is a $100 gift certificate to Zadie B’s!!! Which I’m actually NOT SPENDING!!! Because I’m on a SHOPPING 🛍️ FAST!!!! Miracles STILL HAPPEN!!! Bahahahahaaa 

This is the dress I reviewed!!!

This is my review…

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JOY DRESS

The design of this dress makes it THE BEST DRESS EVERRRRR!!! I got this dress in four different colors. I love the design and fit so much! It can be dressy but i choose to wear it for casual because it is literally sooooo comfy and I still look amazing in it, so why not look amazing everyday and not just for church ⛪️ right !? I especially love the front pocket on it, it also makes it perfect for traveling! I just stick my little card wallet and airplane ticket and even my phone 📱 in it and because of the shape nothing falls out like so often happens with side pockets! My favorite is the Barbie pink dress color though! I have literally gotten more compliments just going to Costco or the dry cleaners wearing that dress than anything I have ever owned! I highly recommend the Tabitha dress because I get lots of compliments in all the colors but especially in the PINK!!! And Heyyyy you can’t go wrong with compliments right?!?! Also I think of the pink Tabitha as my Joy Dress!!! I was wearing this dress the day my brother died, holding his hand in the hospital room, and in the middle of pain and sorrow, i had my bright pink dress that made people smile. The dress is a reminder to me that there is joy in the midst of sorrow and our hope is in Jesus and heaven. I highly recommend every woman buy this dress because the world needs more joy and if we can bring a smile and joy to someone’s face by simply wearing something bright and beautiful then WE SHOULD!!!

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Get your own JOY DRESS HERE!!!

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Soooooo what do you guys think??? Would you have first placed it??? Clearly I didn’t edit the punctuation before submitting it lol Thank you ZADIE B’s for choosing me!!! 

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                   Get your own JOY DRESS HERE!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

PS for sizing reference I’m wearing a 2x

Shopaholic…

Ahahahahahahahaahahahahahahahaaaaa!!!!

I saw that on a meme annnnd HAD to make my own version!!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Behind the scenes...

Last year, I was trying to open a new PayPal account and the card I was adding wouldn't go through! It kept like denying money transfers and it was soooooooooo INCREDIBLY FRUSTRATING!!! I was liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat IN THE WORLD is going on????

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I'm a busy woman!!! I've got bills to pay, money to send annnnnnnnnnd just some really important things to do...

Liiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiike HELLO...

SHOOOOPPPPPPING!!! ;)

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Weeeeeeeellllll NO MATTER how many times I put my bank card in, no matter how many times I put my bank account info in...NOTHING WOULD WORK with my PayPal account! I read and reread the directions over and over again!!! I was getting SOOOOOOOOOOO MAD!!!! WHAT AM I DOING WRONG???

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Finally I tried to call PayPal buuuuuuuuuut whatda ya know, their lines were busy and I was gonna have to be on hold for liiiiiiike a million-kajillion hours and hey, "Ain't NOBODY got time for THAT!!!" ;)

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Sooooooooooo I decided to email the customer care email and asked them what was going on with my account and if they could explain to me what I was doing wrong??? Well, they got back to me the next day in an email and explained to me that I had done everything right with adding my new debit and bank account, but that PayPal does a security check before they allow things to go through my account to make sure it was ACTUALLY me and not just someone claiming to be me. (I'm paraphrasing!) They explained that it could take about two weeks and they are so sorry for the wait etc...

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After reading their explanation, I couldn't really be mad at PayPal anymore! After all, although it was frustrating to have to wait, Identity theft and fraud IS REAL and PayPal really was just looking out for me!!!

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THAT GOT ME TO THINKING...

What if there is a hold up in our lives, because behind the scenes, God is doing a security check??? Think about it, so often we don't understand WHY God is making us wait on something. Why God just doesn't let certain things go through??? You've been waiting SOOOOO LONG for something, buuuuuut...

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 WHAT IF there really is nothing wrong with you??? Sometimes we do need to make changes in our lives and we should ALWAYS be ready to do self-examination. BUT, What if this is just God looking out for you? What if, BEHIND THE SCENES OF YOUR LIFE, God is doing a security check to see if this is THE REAL DEAL!!!! To see if something really is THE BEST THING for you!!!

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In your Bible, Numbers 22, you can read the story of Balaam and his donkey. The long story short the donkey would NOT move forward on their journey because the angel of The Lord was blocking his path with a sword, but Balaam could not see the angel and got mad and beat his donkey to keep going. Then God opens Balaam's eyes and he to can see what his donkey saw. "And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way..."

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There have been times in my life that I just could not understand WHY God did not allow something to work out! It seemed like everything lined up in a row and pointed in that direction to happen, It literally made MORE SENSE for it to happen in my life, than for it to NOT HAPPEN annnnnnnd YET it never did. 

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That's because there was a God-block standing in the way, stopping it from happening. Only now can I see, what God could see all along. There are other things that i may never know and always wonder WHY they didn't happen, buuuuuut I know that I can trust God to look out for me. 

I want to encourage you all today, to know that sometimes things aren't working out because God is doing a security check behind the scenes to ensure that this is indeed THE BEST thing for you. Don't push, or beat or fight against the God-blocks in your life. Seek God on the matter. don't stop Him from standing in the way of something bad happening in your life. If it is right, be patient, it will happen when it has passed through God's security check!!!! 

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"Commit thy way unto the LORD; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass." (Psalm 37:5)

♥Mary Frances :)

Have you everrrrr heard of...???

As i've told you all before, I'm not really a museum person-it's just not my thang! I mean, there's a few occasions i've been impressed and I still really want to see the Seattle glass museum, buuuuuuuuut other than that, my favorite part of a museum is usually THE GIFT SHOP!!! Hee, hee!;)

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Sooooooooo the other day I was telling my sister, people like get ALL EXCITED about the Phoenix Science Center...

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OMW! The Science Center is sooooooooo amaaaaaazing!!! And I'm just sitting there liiiiiiike...

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UMMMMMMMMM...

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD OF...

THE MALL???

JUS SAYIN!!!

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♥Mary Frances :)

P.S. If you think about it, the mall is kinda educational too....It's kinda like a museum of STORES!!! Hee, hee!!!

I know a magic trick!!!

 Sooooooo you guys I want to share with you all my magic trick!!!! It's something I am sooooo gooood at!!! I'm NOT sure if it's a talent OR what buuuuuuuut my magic trick is this...

I CAN MAKE MONEY DISAPPEAR!!!

Faster than anyone I know too!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

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Buuuuuuuuuuuut when I get married, it'll become a two-part magic ACT!!!!

Act 1: I make the money disappear

Act 2: HE MAKES THE MONEY REAPPEAR!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA!!!!

Literally over here laughing my head off!!! 

♥Mary Frances :)

P.S. I have NOOOOOOO IDEA WHY I'm still single!!!!😇😉

Thanksgiving Day 2016!!!!

Yesturday was an AWESOME-funnnnnnnn Thanksgiving Day!!! We started the morning off with the Turkey Trot in Fountain Hills. Met up with my sis, MJ, Odin, Sis. Abbott, Janelle and Everleene from my church! It was GREAT FUNNNNN! Next year I am sooooo RUNNING this and NOT just doing the fitness walk...which was still funnnnn!!! Annnnnnd I'm gonna go ALL out with my Turkey Trot outfit...hee, hee!!! Just wait, Turkey headband, Thanksgiving Turkey Tutu over my skirt!!! OH YEAH!!!

VERY, very, VERRRRRRRRY excited to have my FIRST marathon ribbon...

SOOOOOOOO going up on my wall!!!

 Managed to talk the big sis into it THE NIGHT BEFORE...wooooohooooooo!!!

 There MAAAAAAAAAAAY have been ONE person that wasn't exited about this morning activity tho...bahahahaha!!!

Afterwards we went and celebrated at DJ's Bagel shop in Fountain Hills...YUMMMMM!!!

After that, I was going to go hiking buuuuuuuuuuuuut opted out for a NAP instead...LOL...Gotta get ready for SHOPPING TIME!!! Hee, hee!!! After my nap I headed over to Dad's house to start setting up and baking stuff...

 

I liked our table get up, we ain't fancy folk but festive and funnnnn is our style!!! My mom's picture was in the middle of it all...a constant reminder of her there with us! Her greatest fear about dying was leaving us and that her grandchildren wouldn't know her...BUT they will...her legacy is continuing on...She planted the seeds, we'll never forget!!!

Before dinner started, I read to the kids, "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" I just LOVE being a Auntie!!!

Eating, talking, laughing and having a great time together!!!

I pretty much wore this outfit for the whole past week...LOVE IT!!!

 The one thing we forgot this year...

My family wouldn't let me use it...they thought I would get drunk...LOL!!!!

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More fun, playing, walks, desserts, leftover distribution and CLEAN UP!!!

Feeling extra festive and happy!!!

Annnnnnnnnnnd NOW SHOPPING TIME!!! NOW for me, as soon as Thanksgiving is over, its CHRISTMAS time!!! Soooooooo being the very festive person that I am, it was TIME to get all decked out...wooooohoooooo!!!  It was a blast and I'm definitely GLAD that I took that nap!!! We went to Walmart, The mall and the outlets...where my sis waited and the LONGEST EVERRRRRR LINE to get in the Kate Spade store...she got some cute stuff tho!!!

Overall, it was a great day!!! I had been worried about being sad without my mom here, buuuuuuuuut, I was to busy to get sad, just moments of thankful reflection on her life with us and gratefulness for where she now is!!!

Thank you God for a great day and a wonderful life!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Juuuuuust a red purse!!!

Sooooooo I was telling Stultz the other day that while I was in the Bay, I only did ONE BIG purchase shopping and that was this read purse...

Ain't she a BEAUTY??? I named her Rahab after the scarlet rope that Rahab let down, buuuuut this is like a TONE of little scarlet ropes...I just want to MAKE sure they see me when its time for disaster...LOL!!!

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Soooooo I'm telling Stultz, this wasn't JUST MINDLESS SHOPPING, I don't have a read purse, THEREFORE, I really NEEDED that purse!!! So Jonathon was like, Oh SOOOOO YOU don't have a RED PURSE, buuuut you have a MAROON ONE!!! Sooooo i'm like, Weeeeellll yah, buuuuuuuuuuut, MAROON is NOT RED!!! It's MAROON!!! BIG DIFFERENCE!!

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Then I realized something...like DING!!! I'm like, Waaaaaaaaaaaait as second, NOW THAT YOU MENTION IT JONATHON, I ACTUALLY don't have a MAROON PURSE EITHER!!! AHAHAHA!!!

THANKS FOR REMINDING ME!!! Hee, hee!!!

*Roswell shopping goal=Maroon purse!!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

The prayer of my heart!!!

AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! For realz, I NEED STRENGTH!!!

♥Mary Frances :)

Ghetto mall!!!

I don't know if anyone else has ever noticed this, buuuuuut I've noticed that the ghettoer the neighborhood that a Walmart is in, the BIGGER the clothing department!!! Meanwhile, in Scottsdale, the clothing department is much smaller!!! LOL Like in the ghettoer cities, the racks of clothing just go on and on foreverrrr!!! it's like they know that Walmart is gonna be a BIG seller for everyone in the neighborhood!!!

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Its like a MINI MALL

 for THE GHETTO!!!

Annnnnnd  guess who they're #1 shopper is???

YUP, YOURS TRUELY!!! :))))

No denying it...

I'm ghettolicious and I know it...

there's NO SHAME in  MY GAME!!!

 Hee, hee!!!

♥Mary Frances :)