{Lovelace Files}

Jewelry Organizer Follow-up

2012-01-31T09:01:00.001-05:00

Remember the jewelry organizer I made for my sister last year for her birthday?

Well I finally got to see it in action!

It fits her room decor perfectly... I may have to make another soon. :)

Weekend Recap

2012-01-30T09:14:00.002-05:00

This past weekend the whole family drove down to visit my little sister for the weekend. She only lives a few hours away, but since we moved her into her apartment, we haven't had a chance to just spend the weekend visiting. Of course the weekend was chuck-full of activities!

{Friday}
- We arrived pretty late that night and just stayed up watching The Office and hanging out.

{Saturday}
- Woke up early with Matt and my mom and we went out to get coffee (I got decaf tea... ) Then went shopping at this huge international market! I love it there! Got some ingredients to make Bacon, Egg and Gouda breakfast sandwiches.
- Went on another run after shopping to get more coffee... (My mom and Matt were craving. lol)
- Got back in time to make breakfast a brunch. Dad and Jenny were finally awake too. So we ate then set up for a craft. (Yup, mom came ready to tie-dye... onesies! For Baby C)

....results of the shirts are at the end of this post!

- We then helped Jenny hang some picture frames and mirrors around her place then headed out to Ikea!

It was super crowded, but didn't stop my enthusiasm! I had been waiting for months to get back in there! Got a ton of cute stuff for the nursery ( ...to post on later!)

- Afterwards we headed to P.F. Changs for dinner... yum!
- Ended the night with a movie... Red Tails. (Liked it a lot!)

{Sunday}
- Went to church for an awesome service! Seriously enjoyed every min of it!
- Came back and ate Mexican lasagna for lunch and headed out!
- We stopped by Matt's family's house on our way home to say hi then made our way home by 9pm!

<><><><><><><><><>

...and as for the tie-dye outfits...

{Grandmas)

{Grandpas}

{Mommy's}

{Daddy's}

{Aunt Jenny's}

{...and for one when Baby C gets older!}

All-in-all the trip was a huge success. Very proud of Jenny for being on her own and being so settled in. We had a great time! Can't believe it's Monday again... but the plus side is it'll be February in a couple days... which means someone is turning a year older!!! :)

While searching for recipes..

2012-01-27T14:34:00.000-05:00

....to stock my freezer... I stumbled upon this hilarious recipe submission. You're all going to laugh your heads off... the best are the comments.

Ice Cubes Recipe

Guess who's going to...

2012-01-27T10:37:00.000-05:00

Ikea.... tomorrow!!!
So... EXCITED!!!

{Taken during my last excursion with my sister... back when I was skinnier}

...this time I get to drag Matt along!!

Shopping for person we haven't met...

2012-01-25T17:00:00.005-05:00

... is super hard work! Last weekend Matt and I went to to Target to go through the baby section so that he could get acquainted with all the gear...and their weird names. It was a lot of fun because I get a kick out of seeing him be mesmerized by the tiny little clothes... immense selection of carseats...toys (his fav)... and I won't even get started in his amusement with the breast pumps. :) (I had to walk away)

Still... we got down to business researching the best carseat reading reviews and trying them out for ourselves. We were torn between two so I pulled up reviews on both (Graco vs. Britax). Turns out this particular Graco had a lot of complaints about the buckle being hard to take apart and therefore "stuck baby". We decided to put it to the test. I latched it up (which was hard enough) and then tried unlocking it but gave up. Matt then tried and after shaking the carseat up it un-latched. lol... so that one's out.

I just hope baby C appreciates all the hard work mommy and daddy are doing to keep he or she safe and comfy! :) We accept full nights of sleeping as gratitude.

Recipe: Cheesy Chicken and Mushroom Lasagna

2012-01-25T09:54:00.000-05:00

I actually made this last week. :) I used my "Epicurious App" to get the recipe..and I must say... yummy!! I did make a couple tweaks!! Check it out!... and try it out!

{Cheesy Chicken & Mushroom Lasagna}...source

Ingredients
1 (10-ounce) package cremini or white mushrooms, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup dry white wine ... I used white cooking wine
1/2 roast chicken, skin discarded, meat shredded (about 2 1/4 cups), and carcass reserved for stock
3 1/2 cups whole milk ... I used Vitamin D milk
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons thyme leaves
3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
12 Barilla no-boil egg lasagne noodles (less than a 9-ounce package)...first time using these.. I love them! So much easier.
1 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (3 ounces) ....I used a very good swiss cheese...much cheaper but still a good cheese.

Equipment: an 8-inch square baking pan

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425° with rack in middle.

Cook mushrooms, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a 4-quart heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are softened, about 3 minutes. Add wine and simmer briskly 2 minutes. Transfer mushroom mixture to a large bowl and stir in chicken. (Set aside saucepan.)

Bring milk to a bare simmer in a medium saucepan. Melt remaining 4 tablespoons butter in 4-quart saucepan over medium-low heat. Add flour and cook roux, whisking constantly, 3 minutes. Add hot milk in a slow stream, whisking constantly. Add thyme, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and simmer, whisking occasionally, until thickened, 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from heat and reserve 1 cup sauce. Stir parmesan into sauce remaining in pan, then stir into mushroom filling.

Pour half of reserved plain sauce into baking pan, spreading evenly to coat bottom. Add 3 lasagne sheets, overlapping slightly, and one third of mushroom filling, spreading evenly, then sprinkle one fourth of Gruyère over top. Repeat 2 times. Top with remaining 3 lasagne sheets and remaining plain sauce, spreading evenly. Sprinkle with remaining Gruyère.

Cover with foil, tenting slightly to prevent foil from touching top of lasagne but sealing all around edge, and bake 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese is golden, about 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 10 minutes before serving.

25 week Bump Update!

2012-01-24T09:09:00.004-05:00

How Far Along? 25 weeks 3 days

Size of Baby? About 13.5 inches and weighing about 1.5 lbs (weight of a rutabaga)

Maternity Clothes? My normal t-shirts, sweatpants and flowy shirts no longer fit. I'm full maternity now.
Stretch Marks? None! Cocoa butter is my best friend.
Sleep? Back to awful sleep patterns. I do fall asleep... but the pain of rotating in the middle of the night is excruciating do to the back pain (yeah, more on that lovely symptom below)

Food Cravings? French toast... morning, day or night.

What I Miss: Taking up less space

What I'm Looking Forward To: My next ultrasound! I can't wait to see how big Cricket has gotten.

Symptoms? I'm over the fact that I have cankles. Matt finds it completely hilarious, but does offer to massage my feet everyday. Last week I woke up at 3 am to searing heartburn. That was new and it took me awhile to realize that was what it was. Needless to say, no more Penn Station subs before bed. Many or saying it's a sign that the baby's hair is coming in...which is right on time so I'm cool with it. :) My pelvic pain is back. Probably because I've been trying to do too much... so the support belt is back on. Just wish I could sleep without the pain flaring up in my hip socket. Doc said I should try icing it. Yeah... it's like zero degrees out and she wants me to use ice. hm... we'll see.

Movement? I'm about to sign the baby up for gymnastics based on the perfect somersaults he or she has been doing. I can visually see my belly move! It's so weird and awesome at the same time.

Belly Button In or Out? What belly button?! Oh, you mean the doorbell I'm rocking?

Labor Signs? Nope!

Best Moment of the Week? Matt is convinced we're having a boy, while I choose girl. He's heard the old wives' tale that a higher heartbeat is usually a girl. So at my last doc appointment Matt came and when we heard the heartbeat the nurse said it was 145. (Boy range) and Matt got all excited and said, "Could you repeat that"... immediately the heartrate jumped up to 155. (girl range) Ha... our baby is so smart.

Weekly Wisdom: "Men will never understand the need for 1/2 of the baby gear you register for... not to mention the crazy names they have" ... still trying to convince Matt we need a baby tub. He thinks an inch of water in a normal tub or even a bucket will suffice. {sigh}

January task tackle!

2012-01-23T09:08:00.000-05:00

I posted the other week my plans for each month leading up to the baby being born. Well so far January is almost on schedule. We really only have one more weekend... and believe me, we want to make the most out of it.
{January}

Repair and replace damaged window screens (from the hail storm last summer)
Drop off recycling...yup, the recycle bins we made are full!!
Inspect and replace smoke detectors.
Get board and batten installed in nursery

This past weekend Matt was called into work, so I decided to try and be productive and get some things done around the house in his absence. At first I thought I was snowed in since we had gotten an additional 3 inches that night, but our awesome neighbor came by and plowed our entire driveway!
(No excuses now! haha) Well I bundled up and got all our window screens packed into the Civic and headed over the Ace Hardware. They measured all the screens, had me pick out the replacement material and gave me a quote. They should be done in a few days!

I was going to drop off the recycling, but realized the bins close by only take different colors of glass. Hm... need to research other drop locations.

The smoke detectors are priority in my pre-nesting phase. The ones we have now are hardwired into the entire house and we had a night a couple months ago where they all started going off. Not the subtle "chirp" sound for a battery change... but full out fire alarm! Yeah, not something you want to deal with at 2am. Anywho, turns out they need to be replaced because they've reached their max. So I did some research and we decided on this brand: Kidde KN-SMFM-i Silhouette Hardware Low Profile Smoke Alarm We both liked it because of the sleek flat design and the fact that the back-up battery is a built-in self-recharging lithium ion. So we don't have to worry about changing anything for 10 years! (Sign us up!). They're being ordered and will be installed as soon as they arrive!

I ended up adding two other tasks to the list of completing them:

Replace travel module in garage door.
Organize garage shelf

Yup... I replaced the motor of our garage door opener. We were having issues with it not wanting to be programmed to go up or down, so the company sent us a new part. Since Matt was working I figured I would attempt while their was daylight. Turns out it wasn't all that hard once I got elbow deep in wires, circuit boards and some kind of lubricating grease. Ha. Matt was speechless when he came home and the door was completely reprogrammed and working like a dream! :)

Since I was already out there I also got some cheap plastic baskets from the Dollar Tree and organized the garage storage shelf. I'll have to get some pics together once the labels are done.
Sorry I didn't have any real pics for this post. I was going a hundred miles an hour and majority of the time my hands were covered in grease! Will definitely try better next time!

Hope everyone had a productive weekend!

Tag! I'm it!

2012-01-17T09:07:00.001-05:00

I was just tagged by Ruthfaith @ Life Love & Marriage. Thanks for tagging me!

OK, here are the rules:

1. You must post these rules.
2. Each person must post 11 things about themselves on their blog.
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post, and create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer.
4. You have to choose 11 people to tag and link them on the post.
5. Go to their page and tell them you have linked him or her.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

11 Things About Me:

1. I don't have a favorite color.
2. I'll watch pretty much an genre of movies... I love movies that much!
3. I studied Chemistry in college...and liked it.
4. When I was little I wanted to be a school crossing guard when I grew up. Thankfully I outgrew that dream lol.
5. I strongly feel the only person who really understands me is my loving hubby. :)
6. I have an obsession with making lists... because checking things off feels like a huge accomplishment.
7. I collect shoes. But this past year I've really restrained myself.
8. I don't like using the computer at home. I think it might be because I use it all day at work?
9. I've never had a pet. I don't count the carnival fish that have made their way in and out of our house growing up.
10. I don't like pumpkin pie. At. all.
11. I've only carved a pumpkin twice in my life.

11 Questions Ruthfaith asked me:

1. What’s the #1 most played song on your iPod? Currently, probably "Easy" by Rascal Flatts & Natasha Bedingfield

2. What chore do you absolutely hate doing? The dishes! ugh...

3. What’s your favorite indoor/outdoor activity? probably camping. A lot of people are surprised to hear that I like the great outdoors... but I really do enjoy it.

4. What is one of your favorite quotes? "If God put you to it, He'll pull you through it"

5. If you could have a $10,000 shopping spree to one store, which store would it be and how long would it take you to spend the $10,000? Does Amazon count?? lol no? I would have to choose a department store... like Macy's. And it would probably take me a week. haha... cause I would still bargain shop.

6. What is your favorite meal to prepare? Anything Italian. I never measure and just like making homemade sauce.

7. What is the silliest prank you ever played on someone? Had to be the time we TP'd one of my youth leader's house. It was an initiation since he had just started. We hit that house hard! The TP was literally blowing across the street from the trees like weeping willows! It was great!

8. Who would you want to play you in the movie about your life? Oh this is a hard one... I really don't know who I would pick.

9. How many siblings do you have? Just one.. my little sister Jenny. But I got three brothers when I married Matt. :)

10. What is your guilty pleasure? Mom's cranberry cake... yum!

11. What food/dessert couldn't you live without? Mom's cheesecake...with fresh cut strawberries!

My questions for the 11 people tagged are:

1. What's your earliest memory as a child?
2. Do you prefer the toilet paper roll on top or bottom?
3. Do you you have a shoe policy in your house?
4. What's your favorite season and why?
5. Do you have a best friend? What makes them special?
6. How often do you blog?
7. What's your appetizer?
8. If you could live anywhere in the world... where would you live?
9. Where's the farthest you've traveled?
10. What do you consider your hobby?
11. Do you speak/study any other languages?

Tagged In No Particular order

1) Kate @ Centsational Girl
2) Melissa @ HOUSEography
3) Renee @ Living, Laughing and Loving
4) Fawnda @ Fireflies and Jellybeans
5) Dani @ Ok, Dani
6) Jennifer @ Baby Making Machine
7) TOI @ Life of Toi
8) Morgan @ Faith, Hope & Love
9) Amy @ Making Mrs. Mauritz
10) Amy @ Anything Pretty
11) Abs @ Nabstural

Let me know when you post yours!! :)

24 week Bump Update!

2012-01-16T07:54:00.000-05:00

How Far Along? 24 weeks 2 days
Size of Baby? Just over 11 inches (size of an ear of corn) and weighing a little over 1 pound.
Maternity Clothes? My preggo winter coat arrived! I love it! Finally have some breathing room! I should be good to go clothing wise until the weather warms up!
Stretch Marks? None!
Sleep? This past weekend I had the best sleep in weeks... on a blow up air mattress! I may be on to something now... lol

Food Cravings? Still can't get enough fruit. Ironically craving ice cold water now too.

What I Miss: Getting dressed while standing.

What I'm Looking Forward To: All my baby projects and nursery decor!

Symptoms? The cankles have arrived! At least on my left foot. Now I need to remember to elevate my feet when sitting or laying down.

Movement? Internal bruising anyone?

Belly Button In or Out? out and about!

Labor Signs? Nope!

Best Moment of the Week? While sitting in church the baby was kicking so hard my belly was moving around enough to actually see it. The best part was that the sermon was about children obeying their parents. Not sure if Cricket was agreeing or disagreeing. :)

Weekly Wisdom: "The baby found a new toy... my bladder"

Nursery Mood Board

2012-01-13T09:46:00.000-05:00

Many of you have been asking for details on the baby's nursery. Well we just finished painting the walls and closet. Matt is in the process of getting the wood to start his building projects. The furniture should be arriving next month. Meanwhile, I'll be shopping for fabric for the crib and decor details like wall vinyls and custom art. :) There isn't a clear "theme" to the room. We originally wanted to do a Noah's Ark... but that seemed overdone. So we're going for some modern elements while still incorporating animals... just not in duplicate. :)

To hold you all over for a bit... here's a mood board for both the nursery and short walk-in closet.

****{Cricket's Nursery Mood Board} ****

I haven't included details such as frames, floating shelves, pillows, rocking chair and accessories because we're still hunting those all down. So yes, there will be more color still!

{1} Color Scheme: The walls will be aqua and all the decor details will incorporate bright yellow, orange, red and greens!

{2} The Wall Design: As stated before the top half will be painted aqua and the bottom will be white board and batten.

{3} Dresser: An inexpensive 6-drawer dresser that will double as a changing table. {Big Lots - $150}

{4} Crib: Graco Lauren Classic Convertible {Target - $179.00}

{5} Built-Ins: Matt will be customizing the far wall with built-in bookcases on either side of a window seat that doubles as a toy chest.

{6} Lighting: Skojig ceiling lamp {Ikea - $29.99}

{7) Area Rug: Flokati high pile rug {Ikea - $79.99}

{8} Wall Decals: Giraffe Vinyl...and other animals {Etsy}

{9}Mobile: Boon Peep wall-mounted bird mobile {Kohl's - $38}

****{Cricket's Nursery Closet Mood Board}****

I used leftover paint from the office to paint the closet a fun bright yellow! The closet already came installed with white coated metal shelving and hanging rods.
{1} Shelving: Expedit {Ikea - $39.99}
{2} Shoe Storage: ...I take this very seriously haha. Closetmaid Horizontal Organizer {Target - $13.99}
{3} Baby hangers: Bagis Children's Coat Hangers {Ikea - $1.49/8-pack}
{4} Closet rod dividers: Baby Buddy 5-pack {Amazon - $4.99}
{5} Storage baskets: Circo fabric drawer monkey {Target - $9.99 ea}

As for fabrics...my mom and I will be going to Joann fabrics this weekend to get some for the sheets, blankets, crib bumper and dust ruffle. I'll also be looking for a super soft fun print to cover the changing table pad. Love this owl print... not sure yet where to use it!

{Joann Fabrics}

Officially iPhoned...

2012-01-12T09:01:00.001-05:00

Finally got rid of my flip phone and upgraded to the iPhone 4. (in white)

Actually, the whole family did. lol We decided to do one huge family plan (...which I totally recommend to anyone wanting to keep the cost down!) I couldn't believe how pricey these phones were until after our first week. It's a computer. It's a mini computer that I can keep in my purse and use anywhere at any time! And don't even get me started on the apps! I still have a lot more research to do on new ones to install but so far I'm loving these ones:

{Words with Friends}: Basically scrabble... that I can play with other iPhone friends or through facebook.

{Netflix}: We're subscribed for streaming online through our Wii...but we're able to watch movies and shows on our iPhone now..anywhere!

{Pinterest}:...nuff said. :)

{AroundMe}: basically like google maps. It locates different places around you... like stores, gas stations, banks..etc.

{SoundHound}: Ever hear a song and don't know who sings it? You can either have this app listen to the song playing...just hold it up to the speaker. Or you can hum or sing to it. Seriously.. Then it searches and gets you the names of the song, artist, lyrics and a link to download!

{Bump}: This is an app that lets you share anything with someone else's iPhone just by bumping them together..literally... they have to have the app too. (pics, videos, contacts..etc)

{Total Baby}: This is a full baby scheduler... already in love with it and baby isn't even here yet lol. Yeah... the baby has their own scheduler! Are you really surprised?!

{ShopSavvy}: A barcode reader! Great for couponing because it tells you where an item is being sold locally (or online) and price compares!

What are some of your favorite apps?!

For that perfect shot...

2012-01-11T15:45:00.000-05:00

I've been researching for over a year for the perfect family camera. And by that I mean a very nice...budget altering camera. lol. I finally made a decision right before fall that I was definitely investing in a Canon SLR camera this year. Now that we have our lil bean coming into the world soon... all the more reason to get one. I need to be able to get some crazy awesome shots of our baby love!
So after months of reading reviews...stalking other photog blogs... which one did I FINALLY decide on?

{Canon EOS Rebel T2i}

Though... I'm still considering a splurge on the upgraded model...

{Canon EOS Rebel T3i}

Of course you know I'll be hunting down the perfect camera bag too... it has to be super cute!! haha. Accessories are so important!

The price difference is substantial so I'm waiting to see if the price drops since the crazy Christmas shopping. Rumor has it electronics will start getting cheaper... so keep an eye out!!

Anyone have a digital SLR camera? I would love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!

23 week Bump Update!

2012-01-11T09:24:00.000-05:00

How Far Along? 23 weeks 4 days
Size of Baby? Just over 11 inches and weighing about 1 pound. (weight of a mango!)
Maternity Clothes? It's getting cold here and my winter coat has maybe another couple weeks before it won't zip anymore... so I ordered a maternity winter coat...and a swimsuit because I want to go lounge in the pool at our rec center. :)
Stretch Marks? None!
Sleep? Hit or miss...each night is a mystery. Just can't get comfortable.

Food Cravings? Mexican never lets me down....frozen yogurt!!!

What I Miss: Moving around easily. I feel like I'm 2 feet away from the sink when I wash dishes.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Decorating the nursery. We finished painting last weekend and now its time for Matt to do his building magic on the bookshelves. :)

Symptoms? I seriously can't quench my thirst. Lips are constantly chapped but I feel like I'm constantly attached to my water bottle! Oh yeah, I also purchased a stainless steel Camelbak water bottle... AMAZINGNESS!

Movement? All the time now...and majority of the times I can get Cricket started when I rub my belly. I can tell Cricket is moving up too because I started feeling more kicks above my belly button. :)

Belly Button In or Out? I can't deny it any longer... it's out. Matt thinks it's the funniest thing alive and is constantly wanting to push it... like it's some kind of doorbell.

Labor Signs? Nope!

Best Moment of the Week? Matt reads to the baby every night so that his voice becomes familiar. Its so cute how Cricket will be kicking up a storm just before he starts and then just mellows out while he reads.

Weekly Wisdom: "Exposing the belly once I enter a store...(especially a home improvement one) guarantees immediate customer service. I actually had a personal shopper the last time I went in. hehe..." (no shame...)

The craziness of the New Year has begun...

2012-01-10T16:36:00.000-05:00

{This is a post on organization!}

It was never my plan to be super busy starting off the new year... but as we prep for the new arrival of our family member things just got... hectic. But we're also taking advantage of the unusually warm January weather to really prep the house for the winter onslaught we're used to. Of course, I made a list of things to-do! haha. Just so I can visually see how crazy insane our lives are. Here's my plan for each month till Cricket's B-day!

{January}

Repair and replace damaged window screens (from the hail storm last summer)
Drop off recycling...yup, the recycle bins we made are full!!
Inspect and replace smoke detectors.
Get board and batten installed in nursery

{February}

Order and assemble baby furniture!
Ikea run for house stuff!
Spring MBA classes
Finish laundry room! (I want my Ikea cabinets installed!)

{March}

Organize nursery closet by age size. (With these lovely rod dividers)
Baby Shower
Attend birthing classes
Babymoon weekend!

{April}

Refinish table and rocking chair for nursery (weather needs to be warmer!!)
Schedule to get our new roof installed.
Final details in nursery...aka let the nesting begin!

22 week Bump Update

2012-01-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

Haha... another epic fail on my part for not keeping up with this through Christmas. Things were crazy hectic, so I hope you can all forgive me!!

How Far Along? 22 weeks 6 days
Size of Baby? About 11 inches... the length of a spaghetti squash
Maternity Clothes? Fully embracing them now! I actually outgrew a couple of my favorite winter fleece pj pants! That was a surprise. :)
Stretch Marks? None!
Sleep? Well I'm used to sleeping on my side now, but the newest symptom are the crazy dreams... they usually are more on the nightmare side and I have me losing a lot of good sleep.

Food Cravings? Sour cream and fruit anything

What I Miss: Sprinting.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Decorating the nursery! We start painting this week!

Symptoms? Back pain has definitely let up a lot. So grateful for that. I'm thirsty all the time now...which means the bathroom is my favorite room of the house.

Movement? Tons! And I'm loving every wiggle, poke and kick. :)

Belly Button In or Out? Still looks the same to me. (I'm naturally a halfie)

Labor Signs? Nope!

Best Moment of the Week? On New Year's Day Matt felt the baby kick for the first time. Seriously was the best start to the new year. :)

Weekly Wisdom: "Bumping my belly into walls/objects isn't a sign that I'll be a bad mother. It just means I haven't acclimated to my growing form quite yet." :)

I'm back!

2012-01-03T10:09:00.000-05:00

...from Christmas break!

Happy New Year to you all! I can't believe 2012 is here! Time has seriously flown by! I have a lot to catch up on so bear with me as I get things reorganized! :)
Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!!
Would love to hear how you celebrated! :)

Christmas Cookies!

2011-12-20T11:22:00.001-05:00

Every year I tell myself I'm going to make oodles of Christmas cookies...and every year "something comes up" and I don't get a chance. This year, I made sure it happened. A couple of my best friends came over and we had huge bake-off!

{Kristin, Ali & I}

These ladies are amazing! We try to get together at least once a month to catch up and swap new recipes...but basically we have a great time together.

So it was no surprise that the list of cookies we made was intense!

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Lemon Ricotta Cookies

Snickerdoodles

Chocolate Pretzel Fudge

White Chocolate Bark

White Chocolate Cranberry Cookies

Ginger Snaps

Raspberry Thumbprints

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Here is the kitchen all setup

Don't have any pictures of us actually baking since we were all hands in! But there were a few casualties! haha... my brain is mush these days (Thanks to the baby)... so I kept forgetting about the ones in the oven!

Luckily we had a little helper! Kristin's older son Ty was eager to help measure and pour.

Of course Aunt Ali was more than welcome to indulge is requests for sugar... haha

Yum....cookies!!!

When all the cookies were baked it was time to divvy up!

We also made cookie mix jars! (Chocolate Chip)

Overall I would say it was a huge success!!

Has anyone else started tackling their Christmas cookies yet?

19 week Bump Update

2011-12-16T13:00:00.009-05:00

Finally up-to-date with these... lets hope I can keep it up!

How Far Along? 19 weeks 6 days
Size of Baby? About 6 inches... the size of a large heirloom tomato
Maternity Clothes? Had to go shopping this past weekend for another pair of maternity jeans!
Stretch Marks? None!
Sleep? What's that?...I'm a belly sleeper and now I have to adjust to a new position which isn't going so hot.

Food Cravings? Ethnic food anyone?...and still fruit!

What I Miss: Being able to bend over to put on socks without sitting down...or panting.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Starting on the nursery!

Symptoms? Just the lower back pain...and a lack of 1/2 my brain.

Movement? Yes...and getting more frequent each day.

Belly Button In or Out? Still looks the same to me.

Labor Signs? Nope!

Best Moment of the Week? I started noticing the baby kick more after eating/drinking certain things... so that's been fun to initiate. :)

Weekly Wisdom: "My bladder is weak sauce...it acts full all the time but its all lies!"

Procrastination @ its Finest!

2011-12-16T10:33:00.038-05:00

Got this idea from Darby over at Life with the Hawleys...one of the new blogs I've started reading! Be sure to check her out! So as I'm wasting time getting Christmas pics uploaded to blog... here's a fun read!

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg nog is new to me...it's ok, but I would rather a huge cup of hot cocoa!
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? I never believed in Santa growing up... (awkward)...
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? white!! I love the `clean' look of white lights. Ironically Matt likes the colored lights. So far I'm winning that war at our house. lol
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No... but I really like the idea.
5. When do you put your decorations up? The day after Thanksgiving through that weekend... if I have the energy. :)
6. What is your favorite holiday dish? We always mix it up... but I love the desserts.
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Reading the Christmas story from the Bible...it always brought us down to Earth on why we celebrate.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I always knew the truth. lol
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Normally no... but now that we travel every other year we make exceptions.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Light then Ornaments that fit the color scheme... then sentimental ornaments, followed by any ribbon or garnish. ...topped with the star!

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? On Christmas... love it. Then it can go away.
12. Can you ice skate? Yes!
13. What is on your Christmas list this year? Maternity clothes...including a larger winter coat! Black boots...
14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Spending time with family.
15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? I don't chose favorites
16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Waking up and getting everyone together.
17. What tops your tree? A star
18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Definitely giving!
19. Candy Canes: Yuck or Yum? eh....I can never finish it. Too much mint.
20. Favorite Christmas movie? Elf... love it.
21. Weirdest Christmas song? Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer... it's just so wrong..
22. What is your favorite Christmas song? Grown Up Christmas List (Sung by Amy Grant..and recently Kelly Clarkson)

Your turn!! Leave a comment letting me know if you make your own post!

Christmas Traditions

2011-12-15T09:31:00.003-05:00

Matt and I will be celebrating our second Christmas together as husband and wife, so it's the true test of whether or not we've established any new lasting traditions. :)

I posted last year on all the newness we went through together...
- waking up before 7am to open gifts (Matt's thing... )
- Big mugs of hot cocoa

- Opening stockings (This was brand new to me...and I loved it!)
- Reading the Christmas story for the Bible
- Opening gifts and then heading to our parent's house.

This year we'll be going to his parents house for Christmas... so we may have to adjust some of our traditions. As in... I won't be waking up at the butt-crack of dawn! (Amen!!)

But the rest can stay for sure!

What are your Christmas traditions? I'd love to hear about them... who knows...we may add some new ones! Any of you planning on traveling?

18 week Bump Update

2011-12-14T12:12:00.001-05:00

Finally getting around to doing weekly bump updates! I'll post 19 weeks in a couple days... running a bit behind. :)

How Far Along? 18 weeks 2 days
Size of Baby? About 5 1/2 inches... length of a bell pepper
Maternity Clothes? Loving them! I'm officially unable to wear any of my original jeans, but I'm not complaining cause the maternity clothes are so comfy! I'll need an intervention to get me out after the baby arrives. :)
Stretch Marks? None!
Sleep? I get tired as soon as I get home from work. But then I get a second wind around 8pm. Other than that I've been ok.

Food Cravings? Nothing new this week. Still loving any fruit I can get my hands on. :)

What I Miss: Sleeping on my belly!!! Oh my gosh.. it's so hard to sleep on my side.

What I'm Looking Forward To: Matt being able to feel the baby kick too.

Symptoms? Just very low back pain... more pelvic pain. I had to cave and purchase a support belt that helps keep me stable when I'm walking around doing stuff at home. Its really been helping.

Movement? Yes...and getting more frequent each day.

Belly Button In or Out? I'm naturally a halfy... so it's still that way.

Labor Signs? None yet.. so that must be a good thing.

Best Moment of the Week? Legit kicks started earlier this week. I had been feeling the light flutters, but one day I was sitting there at my desk and felt a jab. It made me laugh... still too soft for Matt to feel though.

Weekly Wisdom: "It's best to paint my own nails now while I still can."

Blog Facelift!

2011-12-14T10:02:00.000-05:00

Cha...cha...cha..changes!
The blog was due for a much needed rehab. A lot of things have been changing in terms of our growing family and direction of a lot of our projects. We're pretty much done with the initial work on our house and now it's a matter of upgrading. :)
Here is a look at our old header...

I wanted the new header to still have the same theme... but include baby C and the focus of our family and life as we adjust... I really like the new look!

Well see where the new change takes us! You all willing to ride along?! :)

Chalkin' up a new project

2011-12-14T09:28:00.002-05:00

After the china cabinet project...as stressful as it was... Matt told me no more for the rest of the pregnancy. Yeah, he was kidding. I mean... seriously?! Did he really think I wouldn't attempt any DIY projects for the next 4 months?! Silly man...
So I have to share this idea I have for a piece of nursery furniture. It involves spray paint... chalkboard paint... my full face respirator (safety first) and uber amounts of excitement from my end! haha.
So my blog friend Ashley over at Design Build Love tackled a furniture makeover back in the day that had my juices flowing. She had an old octagonal side table that she painted silver and topped with coat of chalkboard paint to make it more functional..and super funky! I absolutely love it!

So where does my project come into play?, you may ask...

Well I have the same table! No joke... the previous owners actually left it behind for us if we wanted it. I just threw it in the corner of one of the bedrooms and forgot about it. Well..it's about to get a facelift!

It's for the nursery, so color-wise I'm thinking glossy Yellow... with black chalkboard paint. That way lil C can grow up using it as a crafty table to show off some serious art skills!

Of course... I"ll be using Krylon products. :)

The plan is to get this done over Christmas break... so stay tuned!

The New Movie I Must See...

2011-12-13T10:19:00.002-05:00

The trailer just came out for this movie..."What to Expect When You're Expecting"
Seriously just laughed my butt off. I'll be in line to see this May 11th... or possibly in labor. Either way... I'm seeing it. lol
The cast is chuck full of stars too!

...also including Dennis Quaid, Chace Crawford & Elizabeth Banks!

If the video doesn't work check it out here.

Nursery Plans

2011-12-13T09:24:00.002-05:00

We're finally breaking ground on the nursery! It's taken us awhile to get an idea of what we want to do with the room... not to mention color scheme. Since we're not finding out whether we're having a boy or girl, it was key that the room be gender neutral. But we both weren't feeling the yellow or green either. So enter aqua... with a mix of primary colors!

Matt and I both decided we wouldn't post pictures of the overall nursery for safety reasons, but we feel comfortable enough showing you some of the ideas we have in mind. :)

Right now we're currently cleaning out the room to get ready to paint. Then Matt will be building a window seat flanked by bookshelves. The window seat will also double as a toy chest. Here's a rough idea of what we're thinking...

{Source}

For the walls, I'm loving board and batten in white with the aqua color on top. Similar to this hallway...

{Source}

It's a huge project... but it'll be a labor of love...well until the actual "labor"... ha.

There's sooo much to do...so little time!

Pets and Pregnancy

2011-12-06T10:01:00.001-05:00

We don't have any pets. Matt desperately wants a dog, but we had to put that on hold while we wait on "cricket" to arrive. Until then, we live vicariously through our friend's pets. Actually I've never had a pet growing up (just a lot of fish) so I don't really have that animal bond instinct. It's like all dogs and cats know this as soon as they see/smell me...and we just mind our own business. (Works for both parties)

Well since news of the baby... all pets have been "different" towards me. In particular, the dogs. They tend to flock to me, stare (very intently), follow me around and even go as far as to lay their head on my lap and nudge my belly. Yes... actually contact. lol. At first I just brushed it off, but this past weekend it got even weirder.

We went for a Christmas party at our friends' place and their dog, normally a hyper and playful lil guy...acted completely subdued. By the end of the night he had decided he would set up residence on my lap. What killed me was when Matt would try to rub my leg... Riley would start to show his teeth in protection. Seriously.. I think he sensed the baby and made it his duty to protect us for the night. It was so amusing to me.
Oh yeah... and I totally have a picture...

But what do you all think? Do animals... especially dogs, have a sixth sense about these things?

Gender Poll!

2011-12-05T10:58:00.001-05:00

Don't forget to put your vote in on whether you think Matt and I are having a bouncing baby boy or girl!

You'll find out the same time we do... when our lil "cricket" is born in May!

China Cabinet Reveal!

2011-11-29T10:49:00.002-05:00

Soooo excited to be making this post! This has been a project that I've been working on for over a year. At least the hunting for the perfect cabinet. (here, here, and here). Then I finally found the cabinet I liked... and for the price.. I couldn't walk away. (Seller wanted $50... I offered $40 and he took it!)
Here was the cabinet before:

The cabinet itself was in great condition. The back just needed to be reattached (staples) and it needed a good paint job...and new hardware. To match the formal dining room I decided on black. I primed it with a gray waterborne primer and top coated (2 coats) waterborne black.

I lined the back with fabric using spray adhesive.

Still slowly moving our wedding china in. I need Matt's muscles more and more these days to get things out of the basement. :)

The hardware I got from Home Depot. Had to do some drilling to space out a holes a little more to have them fit perfectly.

So the room is almost complete! (Even got that last chair upholstered finally!). I still need to paint the wine cabinet. And to think... it's completely furnished by Craigslist for a total of $145 plus fabric for curtains, chairs and cabinet backdrop.

Check out the parties I've joined!

The baby bump

2011-11-28T11:44:00.000-05:00

Many of you have been asking for bump pics and I've been mum on the subject. To be honest.. I didn't think I had much of one to show off yet. :) But low and behold, as I enter 17 weeks... the baby bump is no longer able to be hidden. I'll start doing weekly posts on the progression. It'll be my baby journal of sorts. I still want the direction of this blog to be DIY and projects... but I can't deny the fact that a lot of upcoming projects will be for our little one... so here goes...! :)

5 Weeks

This was the first pic we ever took... not much to show at all. At this point I was feeling pretty good. Not tired yet, just super excited! We really had just found out on our anniversary vacation.

10 Weeks
Yup... a tiny bump is coming in. Definitely started to feel the exhaustion factor. Slight nausea... but not full out sick yet. The cravings for fruit started too...!

12 Weeks
I had to pack away some of my favorite jeans this week... they just weren't making the cut anymore! Finally was able to break the news at work too! Nausea is pretty much gone... but I still crave fruit along with steak and shake burgers. :) ...extra pickles with everything too.

14 Weeks

My laziness factor has kicked into over-drive. I get sooo tired so easily these days. I have a list of to-do projects once I get my energy back . See... even my picture was lazy... But you get the gist. :)

17 Weeks

Finally got around to taking a pic. Baby really started growing the last couple weeks. Can't believe how different I look. Lower back pain started getting a little more intense, which isn't so cool being so early on still. Cravings have let up, though I did inhale an entire box of real fruit popsicles in one day...

Stay tuned! Actually... I have a non-baby related project that I just finished up that you'll all get a kick out of! I'll post that tomorrow!

Family Christmas Pictures

2011-11-22T11:25:00.002-05:00

Every year mom makes the big announcement that we need to gather together to get the family Christmas picture taken. It's quite an event because it takes quite awhile to get everyone looking "just" right. :) But.. the outtakes definitely make for some cheerful laughs!

This year mom decided on taking pictures at the local garden shop that had Christmas displays setup. It really was gorgeous. Being a public setting meant we needed to work fast to get the perfect shot. Though... we still had some fun. :)

Matt and I were running late.. mainly cause I couldn't find a shirt that actually fit...(story of my life these days)

Mom has this thing for snowmen... during this time of year they start "taking over" the house. So of course she had to have some shots by the giant display. lol...she's too cute.

Next was the arbor setting...

Then the rustic cabin which ended up being the perfect spot!

We finally made it!

Our family pic!

Then we just started goofing off! ... Matt found a little sheep that Jen wasn't a huge fan of.

...forever in love!

Sisters...

...hey there "Cricket"!

...the ladies

...the men

...this was the preliminary final choice

...and we finally decided on this one for the cards!!

Hope everyone has a Happy Thanksgiving...and early Merry Christmas!

Operation: Christmas Child

2011-11-15T10:17:00.003-05:00

I love this time of year... gearing up for Thanksgiving and Christmas... you can just feel all the love, joy and cheer in the air. The holidays definitely bring out family traditions as well. One of those traditions, Matt and I have been doing since before we got married. It's the Christmas boxes for the Samaritan's Purse - Operation: Christmas Child program. They're basically shoeboxes stuffed full of goodies for kids all around the world!

Use an empty shoe box (standard size, please) or a small plastic container. You can wrap the box (lid separately), but wrapping is not required. Most importantly, pray for the child who will receive your gift.

Determine whether your gift will be for a boy or a girl, and the child’s age category: 2-4, 5-9, or 10-14. Print out the appropriate boy/girl label by downloading the artwork to the right. Mark the correct age category on the label, and tape the label to the top of your box.

Fill the box with a variety of gifts that will bring delight to a child. Use the gift ideas provided on the bottom of this page.

Please donate $7 or more for each shoe box you prepare to help cover shipping and other project costs. You can give online by using our “Follow Your Box Donation” option, or you can write a check to Samaritan’s Purse (note “OCC” on memo line) and place it in an envelope on top of the gift items inside your box. If you or your family are preparing more than one shoe box, please make one combined donation.

Place a rubber band around each closed shoe box and drop off at the Collection Center nearest you during our collection week!

Super easy!! Matt and I went out to Walmart this past weekend and got stuff for each of our boxes. I made one for a girl, and he made one for a little boy.

We decorated the boxes with Christmas wrapping paper:

Then filled them with goodies!
Here's Matt's box!

..and mine!

We also filled out an "All about Me" sheet with pictures of what we look like and our address in case the kids want to write us!

We dropped off the boxes at church on Sunday... so they head off to who-knows-where as extra special Christmas gifts!

Look at what I bought...

2011-11-01T14:42:00.000-04:00

Yup! Went out this past weekend and picked up one of the CL China Cabinets that was listed for $50... of course they took the $40 I offered!

...Painting begins tonight!

Fall Wreath

2011-10-31T11:07:00.002-04:00

During my girl's weekend with Matt's mom and friend we picked up this ceramic pot that was decorated with fall leaves and flowers. I had ripped them all out to use the pot outdoors and the foliage for a fall wreath! Well, I finally sat down this week and made that wreath!
I picked up a vine wreath base from our local craft store for $4!

I then began adding the foliage making sure to go around the wreath spacing them out properly. There really is no right or wrong way to make a wreath. The main goal is to make sure it's even in girth and color. It took maybe 30 min to get all the plants in. I still have tons left over! I used a wreath hook (leftover from wedding decor) this time to hang it on our front door.

Gosh I love fall!! Still need to go pick up a cornstalk to decorate outside!

Being Featured!

2011-10-28T09:00:00.000-04:00

Today I'm being featured on Reduce, Reuse UPcycle for my DIY pallet shoe rack! Be sure to head over and check it out... along with the rest of the site! Tons of great ideas and inspiration! Thanks Rachel Sue!

A-to-Z All About Me!

2011-10-25T13:36:00.003-04:00

Ashley, over at Design Build Love recently hit a blogging milestone and celebrated with an all-about-me post that I found to be super cute! Her and her hubby have a great blog, that I seriously enjoy ~~stalking~~ following! hehe.. Be sure to check them out!

So here's a bit about me!

A. age :: 27...but looking at 28 in about 3 months!

B. bed size :: King

C. chore you hate :: dishes. I seriously can't stand them piled up, and no matter how much you do, there's always more!

D. “do’s” :: movies, camping, get-togethers of any kind, cooking (if I have the time!), decorating and crafting!

E. essential start to your day :: ridiculously hot shower and a vitamin. lol, I'm not much of a morning person.

F. favorite color :: blue...and maybe light green

G. gold or silver :: silver...unless the gold is white gold. lol

H. height :: 5’3″ well, really 5'2 3/4"... but I round.

I. instruments you play :: I played the flute from 4th grade through high school. Yes, I was in the marching band. :)

J. job title :: wife, daughter, friend, MBA grad student, chemist

K. kids :: one is a cooking!...due to arrive May 8th!

L. live :: Cleveland, OH... we're Browns fans!

M. maiden name :: starts with a "K"!

N. nicknames :: hm... I have a couple of weird ones. Matt calls me "Pinky".. short for "Pinks Tuna Light", his family calls me "Rosco",

O. overnight hospital stays :: none.

P. pet peeve :: slow/bad drivers, when people say the same joke over and over, clutter/disorganization, rudeness (especially from kids towards their parents), slow service (lol)

Q. quote :: “If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it"

R. righty or lefty :: righty

S. siblings :: One younger sis.. Jen

T. time you wake up :: Between 5:30 and 6am on the weekdays.. and it varies on the weekends.

U. university attended :: Miami University - Oxford, OH

V. vegetables you dislike: water chestnuts...yuck. Olives. I'll only eat the sliced black ones on a pizza or in a dip.

W. what makes you run late :: stupid clock and its inability to freeze time.

X. x-rays you’ve had :: my back after an accident..and teeth during routine dental exam.

Y. yummy food :: Anything ethnic and/or authentic. Fruits.

Z. zoo animal favorite :: I haven't been to the zoo since I was in elementary school. But I did like the monkeys.

Try this out if you get a chance and let me know! Would love to learn more about you!

Oh Baby...

2011-10-24T14:18:00.001-04:00

...I'm preggo.

True story! Matt and I found out during our trip to Kitty Hawk for our 1-year anniversary! It's been hard keeping it a secret for the 3 months, but now you all know! We've been busy designing the new nursery and just basking in this new sense of happiness!

Here's our baby's first picture.. at 11 weeks! You can see the head on the left, then the raised arm! Can't wait to meet our little cricket!!

A Singing Show I Love...

2011-10-20T12:16:00.002-04:00

I don't watch American Idol... so naturally I didn't even turn a head towards The X Factor. Don't judge me. lol. My sister watches them and diligently sends me youtube links of the singers to look out for, so I get the highlights. There is one singing show, however that has me setting my DVR... The Sing Off. It's an acapella singing show... talk about raw talent! Seriously, I have Matt hooked too!
I recently found out one of my favorite artists while growing up is performing in one of the groups. Racheal Lampa... love her! Here's a clip from last weeks song! Seriously... no instruments. Just voices.

Click here if that doesn't work.

The China Hunt

2011-10-14T08:52:00.000-04:00

I'm in desperate need of a china cabinet! Currently all our fine china which we got as a gift for our wedding is safely tucked away in boxes in our basement. I would love to have them displayed in our formal dining room, but I don't have anywhere to store them! You may remember the Craigslist purchase of a small cabinet that I had in the corner of the room...

...well I sold it. The problem was that it wasn't a corner cabinet so it was causing there to be dead space back there {which drove me crazy}! I sold it to a lovely family who was going to use it to hold textbooks for their homeschooling...so I know it's in a good home! Unfortunately that meant everything that I had stored in there is in storage bins. For awhile I was trying to find a corner cabinet to fit there, but now I've been considering either a buffet or a full china cabinet with hutch. It would go against that right wall. But I really can't decide which style to go with. I've been searching Craigslist and of course have come along some great prospects for decent prices. They all need some rehab work, but I don't mind!

Here are some of the china cabinets I found.

For $50...

For $35...

Or if I go the buffet route... I found one for $75

I don't know... The fact that I can get a better deal with the full hutch cabinet and have the extra storage space is definitely a plus! I've been looking online for some inspiration on what I could do with it to really personalize it {besides painting it black}. I really like these...

Accenting with decorative paper or wallpaper

{Source}

Check out this Before & After here

Ah... ok... enough of this! I'm going to go take some measurements and make some offers! Wish me luck!

Sweet Potato Fries

2011-10-11T12:01:00.001-04:00

When I think fall I tend to think fall food as well. That means "spiced" flavor and rich tastes! Last night I whipped together some sweet potato fries for the first time. They were so delish!! Here's the recipe!

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes

Olive Oil

Salt

Pepper

Brown Sugar

Preheat oven to 375F.

First peel the sweet potatoes and cut into wedges.

Next, place them on a cookie sheet or baking dish and season to taste with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Then drizzle them with olive oil.

Bake for about 15 min and flip them. Bake for another 15 min or until soft in the center.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle a little more brown sugar on top and serve!

Yeah, these were super easy and yummy! Matt was on cloud nine! Now I need to make some chili... yeah buddy!
Hope you're all doing well! Thanks for the comments... love reading your responses and ideas!!

{Picture source}

It's Fall!!

2011-10-05T08:29:00.002-04:00

I may be "officially" early in declaring this, but it's October... and 40-ish degrees out! So, yeah...my favorite season has arrived and I'm welcoming it with open arms!! I just love the changing leaves, smells of spices, leather boots & scarves, pumpkins... ahh... so excited! Even the idea of a fire in the fireplace while curled up on the coach with a good book and apple cider!! Yeah... I'm so there!
I dragged up my boxes full of fall decor and started transitioning the summer stuff out. I still need to go pick up some pumpkins and a cornstalk for the front porch. Matt wants to make a scarecrow outside, so that might need to be done as well. :)

Here's some inspiration to get you all in the mood for cooler weather!

{Source}

What a great idea to make a bucket list of things to do during Fall!

{Source}

Fall can be in black and white...and still have an impact!

{Source}

Yes..yes..yes... to all of it!

{Source}

And we all know Fall is about some good rich food...like this Apple Bundt with Brown-Butter Vanilla Bean Glaze... oh yum!

{Source}

{Source}
Apple Cider anyone?

Caramel Apple Bites!

{Source}

Weekend in Gatlinburg, TN

2011-10-04T12:23:00.001-04:00

This past weekend, Matt and I made a drive down to Gatlinburg, TN to a cabin we rented with his brother's and families. We actually stayed in Pigeon Forge and drove out to Gatlinburg on Saturday to check out the sights! Being from boring flat Ohio it was nice to see so legit mountains! The best part had to be our cabin.. or should I say lodge! It was gorgeous! See for yourself! {Source}

Main floor bedroom was ours (with jacuzzi tub/shower!)

Upstairs had a loft and two bedrooms with their own jacuzzi bathrooms.

Basement had another bedroom... bunk beds and gameroom

Oh yeah, it was hard to leave! Next time we go we'll make sure to stay longer than a weekend! There's so much to do in downtown Gatlinburg and we just didn't have the time to try it all!

Shelving the Situation

2011-09-29T13:18:00.002-04:00

The office got its much needed upgrade... and for once I can say that I think it's done...for awhile at least. :)

The issue I had with the space was the lack of shelving options. I wanted a place to store books we didn't use on a daily basis, but out of the way enough as to not seem cluttered. That's when the idea popped in my end to put shelves up high... like above the window high!

So here is the space above the side windows before:

And the after: We then installed Fabian bookshelves from Ikea... two on each window!

I even purchased 3 sets of Kassett Magazine files for all the magazines we keep as inspiration sources!

...and the other side.

Now we have a place to store our how-to books/reference... and the cds we never listen to anymore. lol That'll be another project all in itself. I still need to locate the box that contained all of my books!

On a side note I took this time to also snap a shot of my new house slippers. I love them! They're so comfy with the faux fur lining and functional with gripper rubber soles! LOVE! hehe...{Every shoes gets love in my house}

Yes, we recycle...officially.

2011-09-28T09:56:00.001-04:00

I believe recycling is important... though for the past couple years...we haven't been doing so. I mean, our city claims to sort our trash out at the trash facility but we have our doubts. So we decided we would set up our own recycling station in the garage, but after searching online for the best deal I was convinced that paying $60 for a tower of colored bins was ridiculous. Then I stumbled onto Pinterest and stumbled on this project to make recycle bin hangers! Perfection!!

We ran over to Walmart and got three plastic bins for $4 each! Then used some pallet wood to mount on the walls.

Of course I ran into the house to get my trusty label maker! I decided to put the paper on the bottom since it'll most likely be the heaviest bin. I also combined glass and aluminium because they would be easy to sort through at the dumping station. The middle bin is plastic!

And there you have it! A recycling station that only cost us $12! Now to fill them up!! To help I'll be storing smaller cans under the kitchen sink to catch any items and then dump them out in the garage on garbage day.

{Check out the parties I'm joining today!}

A Walk for a Cause

2011-09-22T13:31:00.002-04:00

This Saturday I'm participating in ROTOM's first annual 10-mile walk-a-thon! ROTOM... better known as Reach One Touch One Ministries is a non-denominational Christian ministry, based out of Uganda, dedicated to meeting the spiritual, social, physical and psychological needs of the elderly and their dependents so that they may live dignified, independent and hopeful lives. In Uganda, the elderly are often overlooked and forgotten. Because of the deathly affects from AIDS done to the middle generation, many elderly are often left to take care of themselves and in many cases their grandchildren. ROTOM's main vision is to provide empowerment during this time through various projects through the community.

My sister and I have been sponsoring an elderly woman, Jane, for the past few years and had the chance to meet her during our last trip to Uganda. To think that with only $30/month we're able to provide her with hot meals, medical treatments and the chance to hear the gospel. It's amazing all the work that ROTOM has done to help these people. And now they are building a health care center to provide the needed medial care for this age group!

So... to help raise money we'll be doing a walk-a-thon on Saturday... 10 miles!! We've each had to get sponsors to donate towards each mile {or as a lump sum}...with all proceeds going towards the building project! Please visit their website for more information on how you can help... or ask me! I'm more than willing to answer anything. And it's not too late to sponsor me if you're interested! Just shoot me an e-mail! A little goes a long way!

Pallet Wood Shoe Rack

2011-09-19T10:56:00.004-04:00

Pallet wood is a silent, yet resourceful wood supply. We have a collection in our shed from handouts at Matt's work..which they would have just thrown away. We planned on using it as firewood, but since they were in great condition we've been recycling them for projects around the house. One such project I found on Pinterest! It's this shoe rack!

It's exactly what we need in our garage to corral all our various shoes through the seasons. Ok... to corral all of my various shoes... Still, this project has been on my list for awhile. Thing is, I needed Matt free to help me with the saw. :) We had time this past Saturday and busted it out... {along with two other big projects I will be sharing soon!} So here's what we did...
First, we measured the size shoe rack we wanted to fit right beside our garage door. Then, Matt took apart a couple pallets and removed all nails and staples with a hammer.

Using the measured dimensions, I cut each board with the miter saw. {The extra pieces went into the bonfire pile!}

After screwing together the frame we began making each row making sure it accommodated different widths of shoes {From steel toed shoes to flip flops!}.

At last it was time to attach to the wall. We first attached two anchor pieces of wood making sure we hit studs. Then, we attached the rack and started loading it with shoes. They all fit perfectly!

The black mat on the bottom is for boots {work and winter}. I want to get some river rocks to line the bottom.

So there you have it! A free shoe rack that only took an hour to make!
Anyone else know of some great uses from pallet wood?
Stay tuned for another one we did... :)

Check out the parties I joined today!

A Beach Wedding Reception

2011-09-15T15:58:00.000-04:00

I got some pictures from the wedding we attended a couple weeks ago. They're a little grainy because they are from a cell phone camera... but you get the idea of how gorgeous the decor was!

The head table was decorated with vases of varying heights and shapes. Gorgeous live flowers and starfish were strewed everywhere!

The place settings were so elegant with either a flower or starfish

The gorgeous wedding cake!

Another table shot!

Matt and I waiting on the pier during cocktail hour.

...Gosh I wish we could go back tomorrow!

The Inevitable Cleaning Schedule

2011-09-14T10:10:00.001-04:00

I'm so ashamed.
My house is a freaking mess right now. Like...bad news bears bad.
I have a couple excuses though.
1) I have school every Monday night
2) I teach a class at my church every Wednesday night
3) We just got back from a week long vacation and still unpacking slowly...
4) I never made a cleaning schedule!

...that last point should be a red flag because as crazy anal as I am with organization and just plain cleanliness, this matter should have been handled a year ago! {Hangs head in shame} Usually I can count of weekend visitors to get my butt into gear, but we're not hosting for some time. So, I have no more excuses. I'm going to attempt a cleaning schedule for our home and try to incorporate Matt into it. lol. We'll see how that goes. To give myself some credit I have been researching the best possible method to the madness for awhile now. I think I found what works for us. Being that we both work full days and have activities some evenings, it makes things difficult...and we don't even have kids yet!! {sheesh!}

So here's the tentative schedule:

Of course in between all this I need to make time to get my list of outdoor projects completed before the weather gets cold! The key to keeping to this schedule is having it clearly posted! That's when I turned to Ashli over at Maillardville Manor... {love her blog!}. She found this great Mead flip folder at Target that had a magnetic strip to allow it to sit perfectly on a fridge! I'm off to find it! Once I do... I'll put our schedule on front, our weekly menu on the second page...and a calendar on the third!

{Source}

So there you have it! The schedule begins next week! Anyone else have a cleaning schedule established in their home? Care to share?

{Want to be featured on Lovelace Files or be a guest blogger? Contact me with your info!}

And We're Back! {Vacay Recap}

2011-09-12T13:01:00.002-04:00

Wow... it's great to be back! Vacation in Kitty Hawk, NC {OuterBanks} was exactly what Matt and I needed... and the fact that we were on the beach pretty much made it absolutely amazing. :) Matt's friend actually got married on the beach a couple houses down from us on Sunday, September 4th! {<--yup! We share an anniversary now!} The wedding was absolutely gorgeous! I didn't take my camera down to the beach...so you'll have to take my word for it! :)

We shared a huge beach house with some of Matt's friends... here are some shots from the upper balcony just off our room. Literally...we were on the beach!

{Hubs}

{Stu}

{Josh C.}

{Me and my amazing cup of Mc.D's Sweet Tea}

We decided to hit up Dirty Dick's Crab House for dinner one night. The boys indulged themselves with all-you-can-eat crab legs... I chose the surf in turf mainly for the steak. I did dabble in the crab cake and shrimp too.

{Yummy Pina Coladas!}

{My plate!}

6 baskets of crab later...

We also did some beach time each day...

Everyone left Wednesday morning, so Matt and I had the house to ourselves for two days. It was nice to just veg around watching movies and walking up and down the beach looking for seashells. The one night I made Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Tacos using the crockpot. {Yes, I brought my mini crockpot with us on vacation! lol} They were super yummy! I used this recipe and just shredded the chicken for tacos.

We made a day trip over to the town of Duck to check out the scene. Lots of shops and we kept finding these painted horses everywhere...

Earlier in the week we found this frozen yogurt place called Sweet Frog... it's basically a buffet with endless toppings where you pay by the ounce... it was love at first site! Can you guess whose cup is whose?

We left early Friday morning and I realized we hadn't taken any sunrise shots or shots together on the beach... so I did both. lol.

Will we go back...definitely.

Thank you for all the well wishes on our anniversary and vacation.
Special thanks to Tami and Faith for your amazing guest blog posts!! Thank you!!!

It's my Sugar-daddy's birthday!

2011-09-09T08:00:00.014-04:00

{Ha! I can say that cause he's a year older than me... and he pays for my shoe hobby!}

Today is my husband's birthday!! We're on our way home from vacation, so it'll have to be a road trip celebration for now!

He vetoed the balloons I wanted to pack the car with. rude. Still...

Happy 28th Birthday Matt!!!

... I hope you're enjoying every second of it...with me... in a car... for over 10 hours!

hehe...smooches!

p.s. See..I was even nice and didn't post an unattractive picture like when you got your tooth pulled!

Guest Blogger - Tami

2011-09-08T08:00:00.005-04:00

As stated before... Matt and I are enjoying an East Coast vacation so I'm leaving you all in good hands with a couple guest posts! Earlier this week {Monday} my PW friend Faith discussed important aspects of marriage... now I'm honored to invite another PW friend, Tami! She has a lovely blog called The Tami-licious Life! Be sure to check it out her fun posts on life with her pets, hubby and beach pad on the coast of Cali! Seriously...heart her!

Miss you all! And without further ado...

Hi there [waving ferociously]! My name is Tami and I'm a huge fan of Kathy [and her blog]. So needless to say, I was beyond tickled when she asked me to guest post while she and her husband are off celebrating their first year of marriage. A true honor indeed...

On the heels of Faith’s *amazing* post about the important ingredients of the first year of marriage, I thought it might be fun to explore some outside-of- the-box ideas on traditional wedding anniversary gifts. You know the tradition of giving a specific gift on a specific anniversary year [click HERE if your answer was no]? I think it’s a super fun tradition but lots of people tend to shy away from it because the categories are seemingly so limited. But I’m here to show you that’s not so!

I know that finding the perfect gift for my husband is quite challenging [he's a no-frills kinda guy]. And anniversary gifts are even more involved because I want to make sure that it is not only unique and something that he'll adore, but also that it really celebrates us as a couple too. Because after all, that's what it's all about, right? Below I took the first five traditional wedding anniversary gifts [paper, cotton, leather, silk / linen, & wood] and put a fun twist on them. Even if something isn’t exactly your husband’s cup-o-tea, hopefully the ideas behind them will inspire you to find the perfect gift for him on your next anniversary. But watch out, this ain’t yo gramma’s gift list!

1^stAnniversary: Paper

Traditional: Stationary or tickets are usually how “paper” gifts manifest on the first year.

Tami-licious Idea: What about really wow-ing him [and maybe making him tear up a little] with some of your deepest and most heartfelt memories with the What I Love About You book. The questions and fill-in blanks prompt you to write what’s in your heart, but what you may not always say out loud. It covers topics from your first date, to why you fell in love with him, to your hopes of your future together. I did this for my husband on our 1^st anniversary, and it was a huge hit. We had so much fun reading and reminiscing together- and we’ll keep going back to it as an amazing chronicle of our love. (Cost= $11.19)

2^nd: Cotton

Traditional: Cotton robes, fuzzy blankets, or some clothing are typically given for the “cotton “anniversary.

Tami-licious Idea: Cotton isn't so boring if it takes the form of a hammock [preferably one of those double sized ones]. Not only will your husband of two years adore you even more, but you will get some serious cuddle-time out of the deal too! Your lawn may never get mowed again, but he’ll love you for it. (Cost= $100-$150)

3^rd: Leather

Traditional: Boots and wallets are usually the go-to item for the “leather” gift anniversary.

Tami-licious Idea: This amazing little Etsy shop called Radcow has the perfect solution for a leather gift that is thoughtful *and* masculine. Have a custom leather letter belt made for your honey! Now, I’m not advocating you to spell out a lovey-dovey message on it [because no matter how much my husband loves me- he would not be caught dead wearing that around]. However a cryptic message that only the two of you understand would look really cool and be crazy meaningful. Or you could put the longitude & latitude of the place where you married. The possibilities are endless really. I just love how unique, sweet, and manly this is. (Cost= $65.00)

4^th: Linen & Silk

Traditional: I’ll give you one guess what most guys get their wives for the “silk” anniversary! [haha].

Tami-licious Idea: I’m positive that there is nothing made of silk or linen that my husband would like. So I’m going to take a leap here… to NYLON! Yip. I officially just changed the 4^th anniversary gift to nylon. Because I’m not sure there would be anything more memorable or romantic than taking a hot air balloon ride on your 4^th anniversary. In my area you can find private rides that last a few hours and include a bottle of bubbly. Can you imagine? Bliss. (Cost= $300)

5^th: Wood

Traditional: Things like engraved wooden boxes and such are poplar [haha. sorry, I couldn't resist] for the “wood” anniversary.

Tami-licious Idea: What about taking this literally? Wisk that man-o-yours off to the forest for a romantic getaway! Most areas of the US have wooded areas [here in CA we have the Redwood Forest, in the North East there are the White Mountains, in North Carolina the Smokies, the mid-west has the Rockies, etc]. You can usually find amazing deals on little cabins on VRBO.com. My husband and I did this exact thing this year for our 1st year anniversary [we apparently skipped 4 years ahead] and you can see HERE what an amazingly romantic time we had. Its adventures like this that will give you memories to look back on forever. (Cost= $100-$400)

It is important to keep in mind that celebrating your anniversary isn’t all about what gifts you give each other, it’s about celebrating the love you have with one another. That is what should take center stage no matter what [the gifts are only like the fun little sideshow]. And remember, not all gifts have to cost an arm and a leg either. Sometimes the perfect card speaks volumes. And on that note, I wish Kathy and Matt the happiest and loveliest of anniversaries! All my love to you guys!

Please share any great ideas for amazing and fun anniversary gifts! I know I'm coming up on year #2 in April and I'm not quite sure a hammock would fit on our patio! Eeps!

- Tami from The Tami-licious Life!

The "Green" Initiative

2011-09-07T08:00:00.001-04:00

It's no secret that our society is constantly trying to go "green" with new products, clothing and just overall living. When Matt and I bought our house in 2009 we both agreed that we would try and go as green as we could. That meant conserving water, energy and waste. Here are some of the ways we're keeping to our agreement...or starting to at least!

1) Programmed Thermostat: This was Matt's little project. He installed a programmable thermostat that allows us to make schedules through the week. So when we're not home {or sleeping} it stays at a minimum (hot or cool) then kicks on just as we come home. It even has a vacation setting!! I'm still learning how to work it! lol What's great about it is that it conserves energy and saves us money!

2) Rain Collection Apparatus: That's big words for "Rain Barrel" haha. Seriously, this was my favorite go green project! It took a year to actually complete... but in the end we no longer use our hose on the garden...just pure natural rain water!

3) Composting Goodness: This was a messy one. We made a compost bin that we store behind our shed. It was super easy to start...and it's working really well! Thing is...it's full! For those few weeks we were collecting scraps of food and other house items we really didn't have any trash to put at the curb! It was fantastic!... but now it's full. So far it probably needs a couple more weeks till it's ready for use. At that time we'll be gearing up for real fall weather. We'll most likely pour the compost on the veggie garden and surrounding beds so that by spring the soil is ready for seeding! We're still not sure if we want to do a second bin... in my opinion it would make the back look cluttered...but we'll see after we build the second box garden! {I'm getting ahead of myself}

4) Homegrown Eats: Yum to the extreme. I'm a veggie lover to the max! Don't get me wrong... I do enjoy the regular cut of beef... but there's nothing like going outside to pick a red tomato...slice it up with some salt & pepper and eating to my hearts content! This past spring, Matt built me a garden box and with his dad's help planted a veggie garden! Since July we've been harvesting fresh herbs, tomatoes, onions and peppers! I told him next year I wanted another box so that I could plant green beans, cucumbers and zucchini!

5) Reuse or Recycle: I have a hard time throwing things away. Especially if I know I can reuse it somewhere else. You may remember the wire wreath I made out of the extra hangers Matt was bringing home with his uniforms. Since then he's been taking the hangers back to the company so that they can reuse them. :)

In the same sense Goodwill has become a frequent drop spot for old clothes...

and even 29 pairs of my shoes...

As for recycling... our city doesn't have a separate recycle pick up route. They claim to separate the trash on site...but I'm not to sure about that. They do have recycle pick-up locations all around town, so Matt and I decided we would start sorting ourselves. Our plan is to build this station in our garage. It'll have to wait till we get back from vacation... but it's on the list of to-dos!

So there you have it... our green initiative is growing! Hopefully in the future we can focus on energy use inside the house and water consumption. Any of you have some tips, ideas or want to share your green movement?! Would love to hear about it!

Another Ikea Order!

2011-09-06T08:00:00.004-04:00

Yes, you read right! Lil sis Jen has been sent to Ikea once again to purchase items for our office!
I know...we all thought that room was completed. But to be quite honest, we needed more storage.
When we left off in January the office looked like this.

The newest addition was the printer cart! LOVE the printer cart. Since we have two printers and numerous amounts of paper and cardstock, this helped me organize everything!

Well since then I purchased a laminator which had no home! So I went by Big Lots and purchased this bookcase for only $20! The assembly was easy and now we have space for the laminator and storage for some of the items that were cluttering up the desk space.

The problem was that we still have boxes of books in storage that we would like to have displayed in the office. I had found some inspiration

(Source}

So after a search through Ikea's website I found these Fabian wall shelves...and for only $7! I plan to stain them a dark brown to match the rest of the furniture.

I sent Jen to get two for each side window! Ah! Can't wait!! I also requested a couple magazine storage boxes so that I can store all my inspiration reads on one of the shelves. In green of course! Though, I'm still trying to figure out how I started receiving Parenting magazines!!

Guest Blogger - Faith

2011-09-05T08:00:00.004-04:00

I met Faith through Project Wedding while we were both planning our weddings! It's been over a year since then and we've still remained great online friends! As we transitioned to blogland we both continued to stay in touch via posts and e-mail! When I asked Faith if she was willing to do a guest post on my blog while I'm away on vacation, she jumped on the opportunity! I hope you enjoy the post as much I do!! You can visit Faith on her blog...Life.Love&Marriage. I just love her and hubby Sean...such a sweet couple!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi Fabulous friends of Kathy! I am so excited to be here while Kathy is away celebrating her dear friend’s wedding and her one year wedded anniversary!

What better topic to discuss than wedded bliss! OK, I can think of a few topics but you have to admit that marriage comes extremely close!....

I am nearing my second year of marriage which is in November but I will be the first one to say that the first year of marriage definitely was a growing time in my life. A time when I learned that it wasn’t all about me. That the decisions I made not only affected me but my husband as well.

I learned a lot about myself as a person and about the person I married. Yes, you think you know everything about the person you are about to marry but trust me when you see that person you absolutely adore do something that you have never seen before. Sometimes it is mind-blowing and you think in your head, wow, I didn’t think this person could get any more amazing and then sometimes it is not so amazing and you think in your head, wow, seriously?! Sometimes, it is more than “seriously” that comes to mind but since this post is to celebrate wedded bliss we will leave it at that.

All of that to say that I believe there are a few things that must happen between two individuals to ensure that you have a happy and enjoyable first year of marriage because they do say it is the hardest.

1. God

{This is obviously going to be my opinion as many people do not agree with that but in my marriage I truly believe that if it wasn’t for Him there is no way I could have a happy and healthy marriage. He has to be the foundation because if he is not there is room for temptations outside the marriage and the big D word. My parents taught me that not every day with your love is going to be sunshine but with God you can go through the storm and come out completely dry}

2. Communicate

{If you don’t talk, your marriage will fail. If you don’t say how you feel at the moment you feel it, your marriage will fail. This does not mean that you have to speak anyway you choose just because you feel that way. I think as grown adults we can say how we feel without hurting ones feelings or being demeaning. Do not wait until things have gotten to the point where you can’t stand it anymore and the love is gone. Nip it in the butt right away. If your husband or wife has done something to you that hurt you, let them know. Sometimes it is not done on purpose and it feels a lot better to let it out. Talk it out}

3. Date Nights {Do Things Together}

{Life gets busy. People get busy. Don’t get too busy that you can’t make time for your significant other. It is important to keep the spark alive and date nights do that. It can be a simple night in or it can be my favorite kind where I get all dolled up to the nine. I love those nights because I love the look of pure pride in my husband’s eyes when he looks at me and wonders in his head, how did I get her? Sometimes I wonder myself, haha. But seriously, date nights are important for every couple. No one wants to wake up one day and look over at the person beside them and wonder who they are}

4. Have Your Own Thing

{Do not let your husband or wife define you. Do your own thing. Have your own thing. It is important not to get so lost into someone that you lose yourself. If your husband or wife wanted to marry themselves they wouldn’t have married you. Have your own hobbies, have your own friends, do things without each other. I am not saying to take it to the extreme where you just don’t do anything together because that is the recipe for disaster. What I am saying is to make sure that there is time that you take out to do you. I do know that when I haven’t seen husband for a few hours and I see him again, I get so excited. Yes, I would rather do everything with him but to stay in a healthy and sane relationship, I think it is important for both parties to not forget who they are}

5. Flirt Intensely

{Make out, have sex, enjoy each other. It is the only thing that makes you one. It is an act of pure love and affection for your significant other. Do not make it a habit to say no or make excuses why you don’t want to get close to your significant other. I believe that people who cheat are lacking something at home. Lots of times it is affection. Make sure your husband and wife know you desire them. Send them hot texts throughout the day to get them all hot and bothered. The next time you see them I promise you won’t be sitting on the couch, watching television while you eat dinner silently}

6. Compliment Each Other

{Everyone loves a compliment and so does your husband or wife. Let them know how much you appreciated them taking out the trash, doing the laundry, etc. When you are doing something together tell your significant other how amazing they look. Let your significant other know how brilliant or funny you think he or she is. It is amazing how doing something as simple as that can go a real long way}

There are a million and one more ways to ensure that you move on from one year of marriage to celebrating 50+ golden years but then that would be the longest blog post ever, so I’ll leave this post with the six above.

Marriage is a blessing and a gift from God. The first year of marriage is when you truly learn about what you can do to ensure that you have a long and happy marriage. I hope that each and every day I remember the six above and make it a point to do them. What are the top six for you to ensure that you keep your marriage rocking hot?

I’ll end this post with a quote:

“There is no lovelier, friendly, charming relationship, communion or company than a good marriage.”
~Martin Luther

Thank you Kathy for having me! Have a fabulous time on your vacay!

- Faith from Life.Love&Marrige

One year later...

2011-09-04T07:00:00.125-04:00

Today marks the day Matt and I got married! I seriously can not believe a whole year has passed by! Seems like just yesterday we were exchanging our vows and starting the rest of our lives as husband and wife! In honor of that special day I'm going to do a small recap of that awesome day I like to remember as the best of my life... {so far!}....
Friday, September 3rd, 2010 - Our Rehearsal and Engagement
This was the day of our rehearsal lunch and traditional Ugandan engagement ceremony {Kwanjula}. It was by far a busy day for everyone involved. We woke up early to get last minute things set up for the Kwanjula, pick up guests arriving at the airport...and deal with the mismatched tuxs! In the end we all managed to make it to the church at 12 for rehearsal and then to lunch.

After a quick bite the girls had to be at my parents house to start getting dressed and Matt and his guys had to go back to pick up their tuxs...which turned out great!!
You can read more about the details of the Kwanjula here. {There are more pictures there as well!}

After the ceremony we partied and ate till late. I remember it being sometime after 1AM before I headed to bed to get some beauty sleep for the big day. lol

Saturday, September 4th, 2010 - Our Wedding Day
I could say that this day was a blur... but I would be lying. It went by at the perfect speed. I'm not sure why. I think by the time things set into action I made it a point to just sit back and enjoy the 1 1/2 years of planning. Don't believe me with the planning madness... you can check out my planning site here! {It was a legit situation!}
But in all seriousness, I just wanted to soak in the moment. And Matt and I did just that!
While Matt and the boys were getting ready at the house...

The girls and I were primping and prepping at my cousin's apartment.

Soon it was time to get dressed.

The girls and I then headed to my parents house for pictures and then to the church for the ceremony

Waiting for the ceremony to begin

Seeing my dad for the first time.

Show time!

Mr. & Mrs.!

{Click here for more formal pictures taken after the ceremony!}

Saturday, September 4th, 2010 - Our Reception
Now the party could really begin! We had an awesome reception! The food was amazing...dance floor was packed and we got to spend it all with our family and friends! I wouldn't have changed a thing!

Soul Train! Busting a move!!

Ha... I'm not going to recap the honeymoon! Mainly because I already did!

{You can read about it here... and yes, I took pics of the amazing food Jamaica spoiled us with!}

There you have it... a year old memory! Here's to many more!

On Vacay...

2011-08-30T12:25:00.000-04:00

...and so much needed!
Matt and I are headed to Kitty Hawk, NC for a friend's wedding and to celebrate our 1 year wedding anniversary! We're super psyched! But please... don't fret! I have a lineup of posts and guest bloggers to keep you all happy campers while we're soaking up rays on the beach. Well... Matt will be. I usually occupy the umbrella sipping on my pina colada lol.
Even though it won't be like our honeymoon to Jamaica... I plan on having a moment of bliss like last year...

I'll be back before ya know it!

Free Movie Rental!

2011-08-26T09:25:00.000-04:00

Get a 11 FREE night rentals from the Blockbuster Express kiosk with codes below that expire August 28th & 29th.

Expire 8/26 at Midnight

99BRAB3
85JEAH2
43SGJC5
67PPLA6
96PBCG3
56TTDR2

Expire 8/29 at Midnight

29JEAH5
39PBCG4
26TTDR3
27PGAR6
48KRVF2

You can use each code once per credit card, your card will be charged $1 a night after the 1 day free so be sure to return the movie the next day. Don’t forget you can reserve your movie online atBlockbusterExpress.com.

Unfortunately these codes do work on the very new hot releases. Still... it's a great deal!

Thanks Eastern Shore Mom!

Ice Ice Baby!

2011-08-26T08:55:00.001-04:00

I...finally...have...a...freezer!
You'll never guess where I bought it from! ...ok maybe you can.
Craigslist.
Marked $100
Sold for $80.
:)

I've been needing a deep freezer since I moved in last year. Especially with my couponing...when meat went on crazy sales I would bang my head on the wall in utter frustration! Then came strawberry picking season...{bang}, people asking if we want to go in on 1/2 a cow {bang, bang}, frozen juice concentrates on sale {bang}, Frozen pizza on ridiculous clearance {bang...wait... I totally went and bought those anyways}

So you can imagine my delight when I ~~hunted down like it was my job~~ stumbled upon a very clean, rarely used, local freezer for such a steal! We picked it up last night and set it up in the garage. {On the amazing newly paint floor!}

Look ma... it's a Kenmore!

The interior was spotless... but I still went ahead and cleaned it out again...just in case. :)

The previous owners had purchased the freezer in `99 and had it in their basement. They only had it on when they stocked up on meat 1/2 the year. So it's really only 6 years old. Score...score...score.

Now I can transfer the 6 frozen pizzas I bought the night before in celebration!

As for organizing... Pinterest has my back.

{Source}

And Jen over at IHeart Organizing has my dream interior freezer...I'm waiting on the storage bins I ordered to arrive! I may have to get more for in the garage.

{Source}

The New Garage Floor

2011-08-26T08:33:00.001-04:00

The Floor....

haha... couldn't help myself. Last weekend I saw Toy Story 3 for the first time and I loved it! Now I need to go back and watch the second one! Anywho, the little alien guys were my favs in the first movie. :)

But back to the real reason you're reading this!! The garage floor is done!
Actually it's been done for about a week and a half, but my lame self hasn't gotten around to snapping pics. So this morning, before I left for work I got a nice shot for you all. I apologize now for not taking before and during shots. Matt was actually the one who did all the painting and he had to work fast before the paint hardened up on him. I think he did a fantastic job! Now I have the urge to repaint the walls {basic white} and organize the whole space.

What we used--> Last summer we purchased Shield-Crete from Sherwin Williams while it was on clearance. They come in a range of colors with optional decorative flakes

We chose pewter! {aka dark gray with a tint of blue}

Here's how it turned out!

I love it! The floor looks so clean...and organized despite the mess. For example, check out the storage rack I get to tackle sometime next week!

Can you say...clear storage boxes...with labels?

And I have no idea why we have bright orange hard hats...{up top}... wow.

Organizing Wedding Photos {Part 1}

2011-08-24T12:33:00.000-04:00

September 4th, 2011 will mark my one year wedding anniversary! It's crazy how fast time flies! And in that time I've managed to print off ZERO wedding pictures. lol. I know...I should be hanging my head in shame. But to be honest, the task seemed daunting. Besides our professional wedding photographer, we had three relatives taking amazing photos through the entire weekend of events. Yes...events. The engagement ceremony {Kwanjula}, the wedding and the reception. Not to mention all the family get-togethers in between at my parents house...oh...and the honeymoon. We Ugandans take our celebrating...very... seriously. :)

So since I'm knee deep in pictures anyway with the gallery wall, I figured why not just print all the wedding photos too. Then I decided I'll put them in albums during our road trip to Kitty Hawk, NC for our anniversary {and a friend's wedding!}. Sweet... sounds like a plan!!

Step 1 - Sending Pics for printing
My one cousin sent me four cds of pictures that she took during our wedding weekend. By far the most pictures we've received for anyone! They're gorgeous too! I already went to Target and got 206 prints {with coupons of course...haha}. I'm currently uploading 286 to send in...and I still have 2 other disks! Yeah. After those upload I'll send in the rest I have from Brett {Pro photog} and my uncles. :)

Some of my favorites...

Some of my bridesmaids before the Kwanjula

My absolute favorite ceremony picture!

Dancing with my dad

Relaxing honeymoon...Jamaica style!

Step 2 - Organizing
I'm one of those weird people who needs things to be in order of occurrence. So after all the pictures are printed from each source, I'm going to sit down and put them all in order from start to finish.

Step 3 - Storing

I decided to order these Kleer-Vu photo albums from Amazon. They were on sale for $16 a piece and hold 500 pictures!! Perfect. I'll take 3.

I also invested in an external hard-drive to store digital copies! Now I'll have disks, hard-copy and prints!

Step 4 - Order Photo Books for the Parents
I meant to get this done... last year. Again, the overwhelming factor kicked in. But I have no excuse now... they will get ordered in September!

So there you have it...a clean and concise 4-step plan to get our memories displayed and locked away safely.
{sigh...I'm tired all of a sudden.}