Fantasy List

With so many holidays and celebration dates coming up, I've been requested to start creating wishlists for those who might be shopping for me. I've been racking my brain to assemble all of my "wants" together into one list. I have a feeling that this post will be getting updated many times...but here are a number of items on my fantasty list!

#1 Jcrew Ruffle Cardigan

Shirred ruffle cardigan

#2 Jcrew ruffle sweater

Textured jersey ruched V-neck tee

#3 Jcrew bathing suits

Jersey Lomellina® ruched tank



Solid shirred bandeau tank top & Solid bikini - brilliant navy

#4 Jcrew Dress

Flutter scoopneck dress

#5 Artwork by dazeychic

I Love Your Utensils set (*swoon* this is just gorgeous!)



Just Hang on Print

#6 Pillows by Hettle

Black and Grey Stripe Tuxedo Ruffle Pillow-2 custom sized in 18x18 size

#7 Pillow by Lindylou2

16 Inch Retro Alexander Henry Pink Zinnia

#8 Product Body Scrubs

Velvet -Dark Chocolate Almond
Crush On You - Sexy Laundry Day
Sugarfoot - Cookie


#9 MStevensonDesigns Locket

This locket done in this style with this as the bonus freebie!

#10 Kateszabone organic silver hammered bangles

#11 Yoola silver bracelet and silver hoop earrings






#12 Ninainvorm plates

This


This

#13 Shoes

This
LOVE the ruffles down the side!

This
LOVE the zippers

This


This

Heart monitor
Under Armour & Nike running gear
Ipod
Wi + Wifit
Rock climbing shoes & harness

No Backup Plan

One of my favorite bloggers, Leah, over at Marital Bless has dubbed Wednesday's as Wedded Wednesdays, a time to post thoughts and devotionals on marriage. Check out her blog for other bloggers links!


A few days ago I was reading a blog post written by someone who was going through a rough spot in her new marriage and some of what she wrote really got me thinking. The woman wrote about how she couldn't help but have a backup plan in her marriage, how when things started going awry:

"It materialized in an instant with such clarity that I felt relief. Leaving - that I know how to do. I don’t like it and it won’t be fun, but knowing you can walk out the door in a few week’s time is empowering. I wonder if he understands this about me. I don’t think he does. He asks me where I’d go, what I’d do, as if the rhetorical is enough to scare me. I’m not worried about leaving. Leaving would be a relief."

The words that she wrote were so powerful and it really stopped me dead in my tracks. My heart broke for her and for the state of so many marriages right now.

***The following is just a few of my thoughts on marriage, in general-not this lovely girl's marriage, and is in no way a criticism of her situation or choices, so please don't take anything that I am saying as a judgment on her particular situation. ***

Yes, it may be easier to walk out the door. To turn up one's nose and pridefully walk out the door with one's head held high. But at the end of the day, pride always commeth before a fall. If I have to choose between my pride and my marriage, I pray to God that I will always choose my marriage. It doesn't always feel good to admit when I'm wrong, in fact, I will go so far as to say it never feels good to admit when I’m wrong! Sometimes it feels like I'm the only one putting effort into the relationship, but that's only my opinion, seen from my point of view, which admittedly can be quite jaded at times. I do believe that God meant for my husband and I to be together, but I also believe that that is a moot point now. Regardless of what God had intended for the husband and I before we were married, I know His plan is for us to be together now. Marriage is a covenant you make before God.

In our "no-fault divorce society, we've made it too easy to walk away, too easy to have a backup plan. In an article I read on CNN recently it talked about how "it has become too easy for people to walk away from their families and commitments without a real regard for the gravity of their decision and the consequences for other people, particularly children." Yes! Often times it feels like this no-fault concept seeps into my life no matter how hard I try to keep it at bay!

I believe very strongly in the concept of no back-up plan. Once you have a back-up plan, you’ve already got one foot out the door. I don’t believe in leaving except for in situations involving abuse. Can a marriage really deepen until you've embraced this concept of no back-up? How can a marriage take root and grow if both individuals have not fully embraced this concept?

Will Smith was quoted as saying "Divorce can't be an option. With Jada, I stood up in front of God and said, 'Til death do us part.' So there are two possible outcomes. One, we are going to be together till death, or two, I am dead" While I may not agree with Will Smith on some of his other view points, I loved this quote!

I want this concept of no back-up plan to be part of our legacy that we leave behind. I want this concept to be something that our families, friends, and future children never doubt in us. No matter the tough spots we may struggle through, at the end of the day, we’re still hanging on, to each other and to God.

Life Update

Things have been looking up the last couple of days. The weekend was a really great thing for the hubby and I. Ample time together and ample time apart...what is that saying about how absence makes the heart grow fonder? Yeah, I'd definitely say that applied first hand this weekend. Our time together was golden and really helped refresh both of our minds on why we're so good together. Boy when we're strong, we're a seamless team...kills me how it swings between two such extremes so fast.

The double boudoir marathon weekend went fantastic, I'll definitely be doing a separate post about that. Other than that, we both went in to work early today so that we could leave early and take advantage of the extra daylight to get some work in on the house. I have some jewelry orders to fill as well. Thursday I'm supposed to pick Jenna up from the airport and take her out to dinner then out to shoot some 1940s engagement photos with a good friend of mine and her soon-to-be hubby. Friday, the hubby and I have our last summer fling, we fly out for New England Friday after work and return home on a 6am flight Sunday morning. It's going to be a blur!

It's funny because I can't tell if I'm looking forward more to the weekend away or the fact that after this weekend we have no ridiculous crazy packed plans for a loooong time! I'm so excited for August to be over!

FurnitureLand!

I promised weeks ago that I would post about our vacation to NC, furniture capital of the world, and I am just now getting around to it now. What can I say...August has been a horrendously busy month!

While we were vacationing in the mountains of North Carolina, we made a day trip to Highpoint, North Carolina and visited Furnitureland South. We had planned to visit a few other stores as well but, in the end this was more than enough store for us with 1.4 million square feet of furniture. And yes, we did walk the entirety of the store, at least once. Home of the world's largest highboy, our furniture looked quite small in comparison.

We ended up getting a great deal of our living room furniture in addition to the bedroom set. You may remember I posted our design board a while back. We ended up decided on the Magnussen furniture line for our bedroom set. We purchased the king size bed with the optional canopy add-on (we're not sure yet whether we'll set it up as the canopy, tall four poster or medium four poster); chest of drawers; dresser w/mirror; chiffonier; and two smaller nightstands. This set along with the mirrored vanity will likely comprise the majority of the furniture in our bedroom (as if this isn't enough!). We held off on ordering the wing chair, mostly because I didn't feel like spending the money and I didn't find anything that I really fell in love with. We still need to get a bench for the foot of the bed but I'm thinking we'll find something local that will work.

For our living room furniture, we picked up a man chair for my hubby aka the Bernhardt Murphy recliner:
It is the softest most comfortable leather chair I've ever sat in. Hubby and I have been searching for the perfect chair for about three years now. We had picked out a great one at Jordan's that I was going to get for his wedding present but we ended up not having enough room in the truck when we moved, so I wrote 365 reasons why I loved him and gave him that along with a beautiful leather-bound bible instead (just in case you are wondering, coming up with 365 reasons for anything is hard work! It would have been much easier to buy the chair-I hope you appreciate that hubby!!!)

We are going to go ahead and use our existing love seat for now ($1000 ikea sleeper couch for $60 brand new off of craigs list!). It's black and looks something like this (minus the slip cover look)

We purchased a lovely dark chocolate brown Canadel hutch and buffet, ironically as I write this, I am looking at the order form and wondering if someone made a mistake typing in the coding... The picture below will give you some idea of what we ordered though we ordered it custom so we made a number of changes to the standard option below (this is not our color, ours is more of a dark chocolate).
We also purchased this chest (matches our bedroom set) which fits perfectly underneath one of the windows in the corner of the room. I'm thinking it will make excellent storage for tablecloths, napkins, place-mats and other such things, since our kitchen space will be limited when we move in, in the beginning.

We currently already have a black low tv stand from target that was another fantastic craigs list find and we hope to purchase this to mount on the wall above it (I voted for the 52 inch, hubby vetoed and says we don't need bigger than a 46/47-is this what they call role reversal?):

We have two dark cherry bookcases that will flank the tv and stand on either side. There is an incredibly lengthy background story on these bookcases but the short version is, we got them for free after Staples shipped us 5 broken bookcases (and yes, these were ordered one at a time).

Next year, when we purchase the matching Canadel dining room table and chairs (matches our hutch/buffet and will be used in the kitchen since we won't have a dining room), two of the upholstered arm chairs will make their way into the living room for extra seating as well. I'm also thinking we should get a tufted upholstered ottoman to be used as a coffee table/extra seating. (no pictures of this yet because it will be custom made to match the hutch)

These gorgeous pottery pieces will add some nice color to the room. And there you have it! That's as far as I've gotten with the room so far. I think I'm going to need to make another design board to get it all put together and making sense. We have a lot of dark brown and black wood, there will be white trim and crown molding, lots of windows and white closet/bedroom/bathroom doors (five to be exact) running off from the living room. I've been debating painting the room green but have yet to find the not yellow/not gray/not too bright/not too dark/not too pastel/slightly bluish undertone-but not teal color. I'm thinking maybe a sage? We'll have to see! What do you all think? Anyone ever painted a room green out there?

Better Late than never...

For my darling,

Such a crazy weekend. I'm so glad it's over but at the same time I had so much fun with you. You are probably the most patient man on the planet! I love you so much, thank you for being you. There's so much I'm feeling but there are just no words to convey it all to you. You are an amazing man full of all kinds of amazing qualities, most of which I'm sure I've yet to discover. Sometimes, I wonder if you've even discovered them yourself. :) Very special package, so glad God knew what he was doing (as if there were ever a time when He hasn't! hah!). It's quite a good thing that God just ignores me and all my "plans" otherwise, who knows where we'd be.

So much to say, my heart just overflows. I hope you know how much you mean to me. You are my better half. Thank you for thinking I'm always beautiful, inside and out, even when I can't see it.

The love just keeps growing... I love you infinity mostest (me!) babe!

~Yours forever

Upcoming weekend

This weekend the hubby and I are turning the weekend into a sort of "us" weekend. While our crazy schedule will continue for another 18 days, we are going to turn my double boudoir session into a over-night getaway. We are both so exhausted that I know for a fact that by the time we get there tomorrow evening we will collapse into bed, as this has felt like the longest weekend ever. I skipped an opportunity last night to attend the first girl's night hosted by a new couples small group the hubby and I are joining and tonight the hubby is skipping his hockey game. We're both just so beat and are pouring every spare second we have (which hasn't been much) into the house.

Lately it's been particularly frustrating to watch two of my brother who are living at home, neither working full time jobs, day in and day out sit on a computer or go out and socialize with friends. Do they pitch in and help out? NO! I constantly end up being the position to clean up and do the work myself (with the hubby). Sometimes I feel like the Little Red Hen, anyone remember that story? I wish I had the power to say, you don't work, you don't eat but....both of them are old enough to know better and too big to be scolded.

House remodel update: We have the master bedroom closet framed out and drywalled and the living room insulated and drywalled. Unfortunately, we discovered that the ceiling drywall (which we had originally intended to leave in) was nailed in by the builder and the whole ceiling has since sunk and most of the nails have popped, at least partially. We're now going to either have to re-drywall or screw the whole drywall ceiling back up against the beams and pop all the nail holes, fill 'em and sand 'em. Blah...more money and more time. In more positive news (well positive for some), a friend of a friend is going through bankruptcy (hence the positive for only some of us) and we may be be purchasing her fridge from her at a greatly reduced rate! Also, we pick up the flooring beginning of next week and our extremely ambitious goal is to start laying it by September 14th. In the meantime, that means dropping all the insulation into the ceiling, installing flooring in the attic, finishing the electrical, finishing the plumbing, spackling, taping, sanding and priming. That's a lot! And only 25 days to get it all done! The next three weekends are already nearly fully committed to other things so I have a feeling we're going to be burning the midnight oil on this deadline!

Wedded Wednesday

One of my favorite bloggers, Leah, over at Marital Bless has dubbed Wednesday's as Wedded Wednesdays, a time to post thoughts and devotionals on marriage. Check out her blog for other bloggers links!

Ok, so after yesterday's post, it might not seem like I have a lot expertise in the way of marriage, but I have learned a lot from watching the relationships crash and burn around me. I think the hardest lesson for me to learn is that I can't change him.

This lesson is an obvious one, everyone says it, I knew it for years before we were married, I even gave that advise to my friends for years...but if you really look at it, it's a big leap of faith. I think when it finally hit me, it was a tough pill to swallow. Don't get me wrong, I love my husband and there is NO ONE I'd ever rather be married to. But realizing that he may never grow deeper in his relationship with God, he may never take leadership in our home like I desire, he may never communicate or initiate like I want him too, he may never love me like I want to be loved, and there is nothing that I can do about it, has been hard to accept and give over to God.

I think that often times, when we hear you can't change a man (or if you do want to change him, change him before you get married), we tend to think about more trivial things. Putting his clothes in the hamper, not leaving wet towels on the floor and other annoying habits and idiosyncrasies. I was more than ready to agree to tolerate or deal with annoying behaviors over trivial things when I agreed to marry him. I knew what I was getting myself in for in those areas.

But there are some things I didn't know what I was getting myself in for. A relationship changes when you go from boyfriend to fiance, fiance to husband. With each change, we adjusted and adapted and learned more about each other. You can only know so much about someone before you live with them, day-in-day-out; before you vow to spend the rest of your life with them and know them in a more intimate manner than you've ever known any other human being. I wouldn't say that I went into our relationship naive, we'd been through more than enough stress with work, schooling, money, moving, health, family and the wedding.

I do, however, think that we've had a tough start to a forever relationship. We never had a chance at a "honeymoon stage" (there was never even an engagement "glow"). We didn't have a place to go after the wedding was over, where it was just us. We didn't set up house, we didn't have a lot of space or privacy. We spent the first few weeks of our marriage after our honeymoon sleeping on a double mattress in the middle of a living room floor of a house filled with 9-10 other people. The next several months were filled with a blur of work travel, health problems, family health problems, money issues, work issues... An intimate relationship was nearly impossible with the living situation coupled with some lingering health issues and extensive travel with work.

Now I find myself here today and so much has changed. We haven't had quality time to ourselves, we haven't had quality time together and I think the quality time with God has been lacking too. I've come to realize that just as God accepted me, with all my scars and problems and issues, I have to accept my husband for who he is and let him become who God intends him to be. I take comfort in the fact that I did marry a Godly man and God will work with him in His time just as He works with me. This acceptance is something that I still have to work at daily.

The scripture talks about how its far easier to see the splinter in someone else's eye rather than remove the log from your own...that scripture has been whacking me upside the head lately... a lot. The relationship between God and husband and wife is often represented by a triangle. God at the top of the point and the husband and wife at each of the other two bottom points. As each individual draws closer to God in their relationship, they become closer to each other. My new mission is to focus solely on drawing closer to God and leaving everything else to Him. Here is to Day 1 of Mission Up.

Marriage

Lately, I've felt like I've just been failing in the marriage department. It's hard for me to not get all teary-eyed while I write this but it's just felt like nothings' working and we're constantly at odds with one another. Communication has been an epic fail, controlled tempers=epic fail, genuine loving on each other= epic fail.

I'm not really sure what's going on. We don't have our own kids to add stress to our relationship, though we have seven kids to add plenty of "fun" and difficulties to our normal day-to-day routine. We both have jobs again and they are now at separate employers, so this is an improvement. Yes, we are still living in one tiny room but we haven't even been spending that much time in it so I don't feel like that's to blame... The house renovation has been moving along and it's still looking like *fingers crossed* we should be able to move in by mid fall. It's not like our relationship has been perfectly peachy up until now. We've had gobs of stress in our relationship from the very beginning just from way too much on our plates constantly and we've certainly had ups and downs. Lately, it's just been sinking to all new low.

Sure it still has it's pleasant moments, but more and more I seek to get away from the relationship because it feels smothering. What happened to my husband being my best friend and me being his? What happened to us being each others soul mates? What happened to us being able to treat each other as nicely as we manage to treat every single other person on the planet? I don't know why it's been such a ridiculous challenge lately, how hard is it to be nice to someone (read: very hard)? Our arguments/verbal exchanges are word for word the exact same. I could literally tape record us and press play, in fact, this sounds way better than going through the emotional roller coaster of balling my eyes out, feeling hopeless and depressed. Yes, I'm being melo-dramatic, but the point is, it's been tough.

I feel like I've come up with a million ideas and not a single one has worked out. I think part of the problem there is that I can see his problems way clearer then my own and thus, it's way easier to point out suggestions for him to try. I'm at the point where I'm tempted to drag him to a counselor because I doesn't feel like he takes it seriously enough and REMEMBERS it long enough unless there is a negative consequence, i.e. his bank account emptying at an alarming rate due to paying said counselor. I know we both could use mentors but it would be too messy to involve my parents, his parents aren't involved with us enough and are much too far away and there's no one else I trust or admire their relationship enough to dump all our problems on. What to do? I don't have friends to go to for advice, nor many marriages that I seek to emulate within hubby's and my relationship. Out of my nine sets of aunts/uncles, four have had divorces, six have at least one partner who's currently an alcoholic; and not one of them has a marriage that I would ever want to have. In fact, there is no amount of money you could pay me and yet I feel like if I don't put a stop to this now, that is the very road I will be heading down towards.

I've bought all the books, bought all the books on tape, we've been to a marriage conference...none of it's stuck. I know in the end that someone how I need to take responsibility for all of this and that I should never expect to change him. But marriage takes two...

Anyone out there know what I mean or am I alone in all of this?

**Edited*** yes, I realize the irony of the fact that this post is right after one of hubby's love letters. And yes, I always mean every word of those love letters... What can I say, I try to focus on the positive as much as possible and some days I'm better at this than others.

Hubby's post

So my husband just called and demanded to know where his Friday post. :) Apparently, he expects these now. I've created a monster! Anywho, on with your post deary...

Halfway through the month and it's been a doozy already. Can I just say I am so ready for this month to be over? There are some days where I'm about ready to plant you in a chair with a couples therapist and others...where I feel I should be writing a book on love because things are just so peachy perfect! Le sigh, young love-such a roller coaster ride. I think if we took out the house, transported into our own place and got rid of half our commitments, we'd be doing perfect all the time! This does not bode well for kids and other "real life" experiences down the road, just saying.

I'm super excited for a date, even if I had to plan it-the next one is all on you! I'm gonna put a tracker on this here blog to see how long it takes, just to give you a good visual! Ok, but seriously, all humor aside, we've had some really great talks and grown closer together this past week. I sense a newfound maturity and youthfulness in you, confusing though that may sound. I look forward to watching you grow in your responsibilities and decisions. I love you so much!

Thank you for always being willing to give me the big side of the closet and for debating giving me expensive shoes that I do not deserve and we cannot afford. It's the thought that counts! Thank you for tolerating so much grumpyness (huh?) and bossyness (who me?) and know-it-all-ness (never!), you certainly have put up with more than your fair share. Thank you for tolerating vacations with my family, even if it equates to 0 privacy. I promise we will go on a vacation on our own! I love you more than words can convey babe, so thank you for allowing me the privledge of spending the rest of my life trying to figure out how to show you.


I love you infinity mostest (me!),
-Your forever girl

Project for the spare time

For the last several months in my spare time, (hahaha-there's certainly been an abundance of this lately) I've been working on assembling the millions of scraps of paper and recipes my mom and I have scattered around between the two of us, into a cookbook. The following are some of my husband's and my favorite chicken recipes that I have developed over the years (and yes, I apologize for no pictures-I realize it's a horrible blogger thing of me to do but I'm operating without a kitchen at the moment and it makes it a bit more challenging to get the requisite photos):

Chicken & Broccoli Stuffed Shells

1-lb. box Large Pasta Shells
12-oz. bag Shredded Cheddar Cheese
12-oz. bag Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
2 c. Cottage Cheese
6 med. Chicken Breasts, diced
3-5 Steamed Broccoli Crowns, chopped
32-oz. jar Spaghetti Sauce (extra if you are freezing)
5 T. Minced Onion
1.5 T. Parsley Flakes
1 T. Oregano
Parmesan Cheese

In large sauce pan, cook pasta shells for 10 min until tender but still firm. Meanwhile in medium sauce pan, cook chicken about 7 minutes. Steam broccoli crowns approximately 10 minutes. Combine the three cheeses, parsley, oregano and onion in mixing bowl. Drain water off shells, and rinse in cold water, and place on wax paper to drain remainder of water. Add diced cooked chicken and chopped broccoli to cheese mixture and stir in. Fill each pasta shell with approximately 2 T chicken and cheese mixture, and place in casserole dish or cake pan. Pour spaghetti sauce over filled shells, making sure to cover them all. Top with layer of Parmesan cheese, and cover with foil. Bake in preheated oven for 30-40 minutes at 375°.

Chicken Quesadillas

1 T. Chili Powder
1 T. Minced Onion, dried
1 tsp. Cumin, ground
2 tsp. Garlic powder
1 tsp. Oregano, dried
1 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper
1 lb. Chicken Breast, boneless, skinless, sliced into 1-inch pieces
8 Tortillas (10-inch)
8 oz. Monterrey Jack Cheese, grated
8 oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated
1/4 c. Cilantro, fresh, chopped
2 Green Onions, thinly sliced
2 Eggs, scrambled (opt.-we add this for breakfast burritos)

In small bowl, stir together chili powder, onion, cumin, garlic powder, oregano, salt and cayenne. In a large bowl, spread the rub onto the chicken pieces, ensuring all pieces are completely covered. Cover and refrigerate for 20 minutes or up until 1 day. Place chicken on preheated grill and grill for 5-6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink inside. Wipe grill clean. Onto each half of tortilla place chicken, cheese, cilantro, green onions and eggs (opt.) Fold tortillas over to make half moons and grill for 2-3 minutes or until each side is golden brown and crisp.

We also love to make just the spiced chicken and throw it on top of nachos (blue corn chips, roasted garlic salsa, fresh onions, fresh cilantro and cheddar cheese). If you don't have an indoor grill or panini press, a griddle, skillet or outdoor grill would work just as well. Just use something to weight the top of the quesadilla down until the tortilla warms and the cheese melts.

Garlic Chicken Bites

2 lg. Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast
1/2 c. Olive Oil
6 clove Garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
1/2 c. Breadcrumbs
1/8 tsp. Cayenne Pepper (opt.)

Place chicken in shallow dish. In small bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, and black pepper. Pour over chicken. Cover and marinate 30 minutes (or longer; all day is fine too). Drain off oil, but try to keep garlic in pan. Preheat oven to 475°. Mix bread crumbs and cayenne (can also sub. black pepper). Coat chicken. Arrange in a single layer on cookie sheet. Bake 10 minutes or until brown.

We love to throw the garlic chicken bites on top of a salad with stir-fried onions and make a meal out of it.

Garlic Lime Chicken

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon thyme
6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
4 tablespoons lime juice
In a bowl, mix together first 7 ingredients. Sprinkle mixture on both sides of chicken breasts.

In a skillet heat butter and olive oil together over medium high heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side. Turn down the heat, remove the chicken (keeping warm) and add the lime juice and chicken broth to the pan, whisking up the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Keep cooking until sauce has reduced slightly. Add chicken back to the pan to thoroughly coat and serve.

Warning, using the black pepper and cayenne pepper will make this VERY spicy. When we make it, we omit the cayenne pepper and it is still plenty spicy. This is incredible if you serve it with a baked potato or mashed potatoes because you got a delicious broth to go with the chicken.

All four of the above meals freeze fantastically. The hubby and I have had spells during our jobs where we had to make meals for FOUR months in a row (240 meals between the two of us) and freeze them in individual containers, otherwise we would have had to eat out every single night on the job. I have a plethora of recipes that froze really well and were simple to reheat, if any of you all are interested. The cooking process for the four whole months only took us a weekend too. One year we did it the weekend of the super bowl and just watched the games while we did the food prep and cooking. Any one out there ever done a massive food prep or freezer stockpile?

Remodel Update

Well, we've been making decent progress on the house. Over the weekend, however, we found MAJOR damage from carpenter ants (about nine years worth to be exact). When my parents moved in, my dad discovered had it on this barn/house and ripped some out and put up some new boards to try and keep them up but carpenter ants are resilient if anything... The flashing that was originally installed on this building was done quite poorly (read: previous owner & original builder), as a result, water leaked in through the siding and roof and wet wood attracts carpenter ants like my body does mosquitoes (read: A LOT). So that has pushed us back even further on our timeline...

We did start the drywalling process in the master bedroom and office/nursery/craft room though and it's nearly done! The master bedroom closet is also beginning to get framed out though the hubby and I still have to figure out how we want it organized. It's a lot easier to figure out how we are going to run poles and built-ins before we get the drywall up, that way we can be sure we'll have something to screw into once the closet is complete and ready for it's organization makeover.

Midway:


Today:


***I know these picturs aren't taken from exactly the same angle, the picture above was taken from the opposite side of the nursery/office/craft room then the second one.***

In other news, the hornets and bees have just been relentless. We've sprayed for them multiple times this summer as well as in the spring but they just keep coming back and building more nests in any the attic. We've yet to close the attic up completely because we want to install a better fan up there and insulate the central air properly, in the meantime we've taken to spending early mornings and late evenings vacuuming up the bat/mice/rodent droppings left behind from when we yanked out the gross insulation that was up there. We still have about a quarter of the insulation that still needs to be pulled out but with the temps in the attic reaching upwards of 120 degrees, we've decided there are plenty of other things to keep us busy, until its cooler in the fall. Plus it's bad enough touching new insulation when you're installing it, far worse when its covered in droppings, insects, spiders, bees and various nests.

Money Saver

I've been working on a budget/finance/money saving post for awhile now, but I keep thinking of more things to add to the list! In the meantime, this was too good to pass up. Restaurant.com is a website that sells discounted gift certificates, usually a $25 gift certificate is only $10. If you're going to dine out, this is definitely the way to go (they also offer them in $10, $50 and $100 increments). Some of the gift certificates have minimum purchase requirements (ie $35 minimum purchase for a $25 gift certificate) or some of them only allow the use for dinners, but a good majority of the ones I looked at today didn't have any restrictions at all! You can look up available restaurants by zip code or state and then filter by cuisine, alphabetically, listing type or atmosphere.

To top it off, now through August 13th they are running a special 80% off sale! $25 gift certificates are on sale for $2! The discount code you enter at checkout is "PORTION". There is also no waiting for the gift certificates to ship, you pay and can print them off immediately! I just bought several for some upcoming dates as the hubby and I haven't been on a date in a looooooong time.

This isn't one of those member only sites where you need an invitation, anyone can use it! What do you all think? Anyone else used this site before?

#132-Wedding Album

We did it! We have finally, finally, finally put together our list of favorite photos and sent it off to our photographer for our wedding album design. Hubby and I have had this to-do weighing down on us for several months now and it feels so good to have finally sent the list off and gotten the process started. Part of me just wants the wedding to be done...we spent years planning it, I don't want to spend years dealing with "the aftermath." Writing the hundreds of thank you's weighed on me enough, thank you very much!

The photographer said to send in our top 25ish favorites...hubby and I, only after MANY hours of deliberating and comparing, on multiple occasions mind you, were able to cull our list down to 78 (plus an additional 12 extra :-p). Don't mind us, the photos are just too good! How do we fit all the details and memories of our day into 25 photos when we were given 1500!?!

Right now, we have a 40 side album as part of our package, with the option to add additional sides instead of getting the prints of every single wedding photo plus 250 engagement photos that is also part of our package. The hubby and I are thinking we definitely would prefer to get more sides because...frankly what do we need with 1500+ 4x6 prints of wedding photos. I'd much prefer to get a couple of large canvases, a few smaller 8x10s and 5x7s artfully displayed in a gallery wall and then a massive tome of a wedding album on the coffee table. We also still have a $250 photo credit to spend...now if I just had a house or a wall to actually put photos on...then we'd be talking! Anyone out there have any experience or wisdom to divulge? The hubby and I have an agreement to get "lifestyle" couple shots every year, plus I know there will be maternity shots and baby/kid/family photos down the road so I don't want to go too crazy with wedding shots. But when you have shots like this:

or this...

or this...

or this...

How could you not get a few canvases/prints?

Boudoir Photography

Sooo...I know boudoir photography can be a touchy subject. Some like it, some don't approve. Buuuut, as I'm getting ready to do it in the next couple of weeks, I'm going to post about it anyway.

I first learned about boudoir photography when planning my wedding. Although, a little bit outside of my comfort zone at first, I fell in love with the thought pretty quick. For those who don't know what boudoir photography is, here is a little excerpt from a document written by the Regeti's, who I will be doing my boudoir shoot with in a couple of weeks:

"Boudoir, a French word meaning "bedroom", began in the early 1980's. Boudoir portraits are often categorized as semi-nudes or sexy images that in some way provoke the imagination. We have tried to broaden the eye, to see boudoir in a whole new light. This style has led to international acclaim and has started a new trend that has begun to take off around the globe. From semi-candids to posed photographs of women, we feel we have helped boudoir to evolve into a more tasteful, mature, fine art style of photography. Simply put, our approach to boudoir photography can be summed up in one word: Classy."

I actually had originally arranged to do a boudoir shoot with the Regetis before my wedding, paid for it and everything; buuuuuut, I had to push it back numerous times from being sick, and then losing my job (job search coupled with the remodel took a bit of my time). Finally, we have been able to set-up a date and time and I am so excited to be able to do this. The hubby was away yesterday playing hockey and I was able to take an hour to sort through all my clothing possibilities and accessories.

For fear that he happens upon this post and reads it, I won't post any specific items that I've purchased or picked out until after I do the shoot, but does anyone have any suggestions or ideas for a boudoir shoot? Specifically for accessories or particular places to shop (other than the obvious ones such as vs and frederick of hollywood type stuff)? Any suggestions for outfits other than the typical scanty lingerie? The hubby knows I'm doing it but so far he doesn't have any other details and I'm desperately trying to keep it that way, though I'm horrible at keeping surprises. I'd love to hear feedback if anyone has ever done this before!

Weekend Yummies

Over the weekend my mom and I put together four different dinners for friends that have recently had babies, and I decided that we needed to put some yummy desserts in the packages before we sent them off to the new mommies.

The first recipe I made is Chocolate Peanut Butter Rice Kripsy bars and the second was Strawberry Chocolate Rice Krispy bars. I've included the recipes for any of you who'd like to try them out. They were both incredibly delicious!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

1 c. light corn syrup
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. rice krispies
1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 c. butterscotch chips

Mix the corn syrup and sugar in a large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat until it boils. Remove from heat and immediately add in peanut butter; stir until thoroughly mixed. Add rice krispies and mix until thoroughly coated. Pour into 9x13 pan and press lightly to pack and level off the bars. Melt chocolate and butterscotch chips completely and stir until completely mixed. Pour over top of peanut butter mixture and allow to set.

Strawberry Chocolate Bars

10 oz. strawberry marshmallows (approximately 40 large marshmallows)
1/4 c. butter
5 cups rice krispies
1/2 semi-sweet chocolate chips

Melt butter in large saucepan, add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat and add in rice krispies. Pour into 9x13 pan and press lightly. Melt chocolate and drizzle lightly over top of the bars.

***I apologize for the poor quality of the pictures, the light was fading, a thunderstorm was coming in and my camera batteries were dying, when I went back tonight to get better pictures they were all gone! These sweets went faster than Red Sox tickets on opening day! In the end I decided to include them because I know that I always like to see a picture of the recipe I'm making (at least whenever possible!)***

I've made both recipes for parties and care packages and they ALWAYS get rave reviews! Let me know if you try these out and what you think!

We got it!

Big news! We have flooring! I had planned to post about our vacation today but I'll save that for later. We are so excited! We found a planing mill several hours away that is run by a Mennonite family. We went to visit today and were blown away at their quality and selection. They carry both common types such as oak, cherry, ash, birch, walnut and curly maple; and much more exotic woods including purple heart and bubinga.


The owner was WONDERFUL to work with, so helpful and even offered us a discount that will save us a couple hundred dollars. It was also to neat to see some younger boys/men (I'm guessing sons?) working inside the mill.


They will be cutting/drying/preparing the majority of our wood fresh this next week, we were able to see the first third of the wood bundle today. We decided to go with 4" red oak, nice and easy on the pocketbook, but still a classy look!


We have been trying to source the flooring for awhile now so it is super exciting to have this large decision out of the way. Once the electrical/plumbing/drywall is complete, we will begin to start laying the flooring. I'm excited to learn how to sand, polyurethane and install it. By the time this renovation is complete, I should know enough about building and renovating a house to at least keep future contractors honest! :)

P.S. This was the sign we saw as we were leaving, I loved it!

Friday Chapter

To my Sexy,

It's been a whirlwind week! It's been tough to keep abreast of all the going ons and stay caught up in life but some how we made it through.

Through it all, I can see you trying so hard and it just warms my heart. Just when I think I couldn't possibly be more in love, with you, I fall deeper and deeper, seeing the hard work and effort you put into us. You put so much heart into everything you do, you constantly give while asking for nothing in return. What did I ever do to deserve such a man as good as you? The Lord has certainly blessed me.

You are my best friend, the salt for my pepper, without you it just doesn't feel right. There is no one who knows me better that you do. I hope with each passing day we can draw closer and closer together. And as the tough times come (because they always do), I pray that we will hang tight to each other and stand strong in the storms. Thank you for trying to understand me, even when I am still trying to figure me out as well. That in and of itself will take more than our lifetime!

I love you babe, infinity mostest (me!). I admire you, look up to you, trust you and adore you. You are a part of me, my other 100%. I treasure the knowledge that I will get to stand by your side forever. Thank you for picking me to be your wife. I am one lucky girl.

~yours forever

Promise of a Lifetime

Lately I've been listening to the song "Promise of a Lifetime" on repeat a lot, the lyrics are so powerful that it just takes me to another place. Everytime the song comes on, I am just compelled to stop and let the song take over. Sometimes I meditate and pray, sometimes I sing at the top of my lungs and sometimes I just sit back and let the words soothe my soul. This song has become my heart's song, each time I hear it something inside me transforms and I am filled with peace and hope.



I have fallen to my knees
As I sing a lullaby of pain
I'm feeling broken in my melody
As I sing to help the tears go away
Then I remember the pledge you made to me

(Chorus)
I know you're always there
To hear my every prayer inside I'm clinging to
The promise of a lifetimeI hear the words you say
To never walk away from me and leave behind
The promise of a lifetime

Will you help me fall apart
Pick me up, take me in your arms
Find my way back from the storm
And you show me how to grow through the change
I still remember the pledge you made to me

(Chorus)
I know you're always there
To hear my every prayer inside I'm clinging to
The promise of a lifetimeI hear the words you say
To never walk away from me and leave behind
The promise of a lifetime

I am holding on to the hope I have inside
With you I will stay through every day
Putting my understanding aside
I am comforted

Source: Promise of a Lifetime lyrics by Kutless

New Etsy Spot

I just had to share my latest Etsy spot, how cute are these polka dot hats?




Made by NinisHandmades, aren't they just the cutest little designs?