weekend: friends, fishing, & farm

Weekends go by too darn fast.  Time flies when you're having fun?!  Yea, I believe it.  I had an awesome weekend catching up with my old friends and shopping with Nathan.  Yup, you read that right ;)

On Friday morning, Fiance and I had a few errands to run before he went into work.  He needed some new work boots, fertilize and tick killer for the garden, dog food, and other random things for the farm.  We headed to Uncle Lee's and Rural King... two local sporting goods stores.  After browsing through all their patio furniture and flowers, I am officially ready to Spring-ify the farm.  Once school lets out, that is at the top of my list.  There's nothing better than dressing up the porch with some pretty flowers.  Nathan totally agrees! ;)  We had lunch at the restaurant inside Uncle Lee's.  Imagine an old-fashion burger and fries.  It was so good.  I swear the hamburger was the size of my hand... and I ate it all.  We headed back home after we stuffed ourselves and watched some TV before he got ready for work.

Friday afternoon was super busy.  The Pampered Chef party was a HUGE success.  I ended getting $140 of goodies for free.  Girlfriend was happy!  I can't wait to get them all in and use them.  Nate's pretty pumped about that, too ;)  After that party, I headed to another party... BFF's 21st birthday party sleepover.  It was a blast!  Here we are at 1 in the morning with our strawberry and chocolate cake pops...

Kristen (birthday girl), Kelby, Elizabeth, and myself 

We were starting to wind down right about here.  I think we all hit the sack around 2.  I swear we all used to stay up all night... we're just too old for that now ;)

We woke up Saturday morning to some chocolate chip pancakes and headed out to Nate's farm for a little fishing.  We decided to get our bait the old-fashioned way... worm digging.  After about an hour of digging, fighting spider webs, and pulling off ticks, we all agreed that we were tired of digging had enough worms.

And, finally, we got to fish!  Here I am in deep concentration.  I didn't have a bobber on my fishing pole so I had to feel the line tug in order to know if I had a bite.  Nate's pond is full of tiny little bluegill... the perfect way to keep some teenage girls occupied for several hours.

Here's the birthday girl with her catch of the day  ;)

After a while, we were all hot and decided to go in the house for a much deserved popsicle.  I cannot explain how blessed I am to have such great friends... Nate does too!  We are so happy to be able to share this time in our lives with some amazing people.  Oh yeah, I have a pretty great fiance too.  He got all the fishing poles ready for us and carried some chairs down to the pond for us.  He's a keeper ;)  That afternoon (after I took a shower to wash off all the sweat and fish slime) we headed out to find him some clothes for our engagement pictures.  Thankfully, it was a success!  We ate supper at Logan's Roadhouse then headed back to his place to watch some reruns of "Boy Meets World" before I went home.  It was a near perfect day!  I love our simple, country life :)

Finally, here's a pic that the birthday girl captured while we were worm hunting.  Why does this make me excited?  1.)  It's beautiful.  2.)  We're getting our pics taken here!  Have I mentioned that I can't wait to see how those pics turn out?! ;)

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend, too!  Happy Monday!

can I get an amen?

Happy Thursday night, friends :)  It has been quite a day for me.  Bittersweet, actually.  I spent my last day in the field today with my sweet 5th graders.  After spending nearly every Thursday together since February, I hated saying good-bye but I knew it was just another step towards having my own classroom.  I have enjoyed the experience, shared many funny stories, and am thankful that God called me into this profession.  I know it's what I'm meant to do.

As a small token of appreciation for my cooperating teacher (a lady with over 20 years of teaching experience under her belt), I browsed Pinterest for gift ideas.  Lo and behold, I found something and was successful at recreating it.  Pinterest success, y'all.  Can I get an amen?

I don't mean to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty darn proud of it.  And if you're not interested in teaching, you may not quite get the whole crayon thing.  They're a beloved symbol of teachers... take it from me :)

I came across something on Wednesday that made me so happy it was unreal.  My girl, Miranda Lambert, was named one of People's Most Beautiful Women in the World.  Not that I'm surprised, of course.

I think my obsession with this gal is pretty well-known on this blog.  I adore her.  She makes me feel so proud to be a normal girl with curves who likes to shoot guns.  She kicks butt, takes names, and looks darn good while doing so.  Can I get an amen?


I was so delighted to hear the news that Bill and Giuliana Rancic are expecting.  I'm not a devoted viewer of their show, but I watch it often.  They have publicly shared every step of their infertility and have kept their faith while doing so.  Not to mention that Giuliana has courageously fought breast cancer.  I finally got to watch the episode where they were told by their doctor that their surrogate had successfully received their embryo.  It was so touching... their emotions were so raw.  With everything they've been through, it gives a new meaning of "for better or for worse."  Can I get an amen?

Finally, I am so excited for the weekend!  Nathan is off on Saturday... long-overdue quality time is calling our names.  My future MIL is helping throw a Pampered Chef party for me tomorrow afternoon.  Immediately following I am high-tailing it to my best friend's (and bridesmaid's) house.  She turned the big 21 today!  We're celebrating tomorrow night with an old-fashioned slumber party.  She and 3 of my other best friends from high school will be there.  Excited doesn't even begin to describe it.  Some things are for sure.  Good food, good conversation, good friends, and a good time.  Can I get an amen?

:)

Wedding Wednesday {e-session inspiration}

Happy Wednesday, y'all!  I'm writing to ya from home today.  This gal took an Advil on an empty stomach last night and it didn't settle well.  At all.  I'm thankful that I had no classes today and my boss is letting me work from home today and to make up some hours tomorrow.  Today's wedding topic is engagement pictures :)

The thought of engagement pictures make me ten kinds of happy.  Fiance and I have never had professional pictures together and we are beyond excited to finally have some that will capture this moment in our life.  Yes, even Nathan is showing some excitement too!  Our photographer is amazing and gave us a package that included our e-session and wedding day pictures.  We've been in contact recently to schedule our e-session and we're hoping to get them done towards the middle of May.  In the meantime, I've been scouring Pinterest for some inspiration for our photographer.

What do y'all think?!  We want them to be casual and to, of course, include our dogs... and maybe a touch of camo.  We shall see ;)  Don't worry a bit.  I'll be posting those bad boys on here as soon as I get them.

This sick day isn't turning out so bad after all.  Now that I'm getting over the nausea, tired, weak feeling... I'm being super productive and getting some R&R.  Just what I need.

Y'all have a great day!

Two for Tuesday

Let's get real, people.  What did we do before Pinterest?  How did we meal plan?  How did we throw outfits together?  Did we know the term "upcylce"?  I digress.  My love for Pinterest is evident.  And Nathan's becoming quite a fan too.  He's become my guinea pig for new recipes.  (So far, we haven't had a disaster.  Thank ya Jesus!)  This weekend we tried Roasted Parmesan Potatoes and Poppyseed Chicken.  They are both fairly simple... the poppyseed chicken takes some time due to the amount of steps.  Ready for the links and reviews?!

Roasted Parmesan Potatoes via Iowa Girl Eats. 

I would rate these a 5 out of 10. They weren't terrible... but definitely not my favorite. Nathan had no complaints about them though so I guess it just depends on your taste. I'm pretty picky on my potatoes. It's a southern thing ;)

Poppyseed Chicken via The Girl Who Ate Everything.



This dish gets a 9 out of 10 from me and Nathan.  Why not a 10?  Well, because you can't throw it all in a crockpot and only have one dish to clean.  The dilemmas of a housewife in training ;).  However, this is one of my new favorite entrees!  I didn't include any of the "extra" ingredients that she lists and we both still loved it!  Y'all definitely need to give this one a try.

Both of the blogs that I've linked you to have tons of great recipes... so look around!

Happy cooking and Happy Tuesday, my friends :)

weekend run-down

Happy Monday, lovely readers!  Here's a day-by-day recap of my low-key weekend:

Thursday

• Wonderful day observing my 5th graders
• 3-mile walk with my BFF (and bridesmaid), Kristen.  I caught this picture of a bee enjoying the honeysuckle bush nearby.  Love springtime in KY!

• An afternoon at the City Park watching my little cousins' soccer and little league baseball games.  I have got to remember to snap a pic of Lily in her soccer uniform for y'all.  Cutest thing ever.

Friday

• Spent the morning with Mr. Fiance and caught up on housework before he went into work
• My first dress fitting at David's Bridal with my Mom and Nana.  I love putting on that dress every time!
• We then had some dinner at Chick-Fil-A, hit up Mighty Dollar, and went grocery shopping.  Definitely not the most glamorous plans... but I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them!  It was much overdue :)

Saturday

• After another morning with Nate, I came home and visited with my to-do list.
• I washed my Nike sandals, make-up bag, and my sheets.  Is there anything better than the smell of clean sheets?
• It was time to tackle homework at this point.  I have one major project left (a student profile) for the semester.  I'm about halfway done with it and I'm confident that I'll get the majority of it done throughout this week. 
• I got tired of homework and realized there was a marathon of Reese Witherspoon movies on... love her!

Sunday

• I tried out a couple of new recipes yesterday for lunch, Poppyseed/Ritz Cracker chicken and Roasted Parmesan Potatoes.  I'll share the pics and links to them tomorrow! :)
• I made my to-do list for the week, watched some Law & Order, and finally finished this book!

• Summary?  Read it now.  I love Peeta.  End of story!

What kind of fun did y'all get into this weekend? :)

PS - Thanks for the positive feedback on the new layout.  I hadn't changed anything since last Spring so it was much overdue ;)

Wednesday Lovin'

HALFWAY TO THE WEEKEND!  Here's what I'm loving today...

I'm loving this whole celebrity doppleganger mess.  I couldn't help but join in.  So here is who I was matched up with as my celebrity look-a-like:

Brittany Snow.  I've never been told that before but I can sort of see it in pictures.  I'm flattered nonetheless... she's a doll!

Lauren Alaina.  I do get told this a lot!  I think it's the blue eyes, nose, and face shape.  What do y'all think?

I'm loving a good deal!  I've been drooling over these jeans since the Fall.  Yup, you read that right.  God finally smiled on me.  They are originally priced at $125.  There is no way on this planet that I'm going to pay that much for jeans.  I waited for them to go on sale and they did for $59.99.  I still wasn't a fan so I waited around until they had a good sale on clearance AND I had a promo code.  Well, friends, that day was today.  I got these bad boys for $44, including shipping!  I've heard so many great things about them and the way they flatter us girls who are pear-shaped.  I hope they live up to my expectations!

I'm loving having two little girls to spoil.  I've been birthday shopping today for Miss Lily.  I told Nathan that we were in trouble if I ever had a little girl.  I had $70 worth of clothes in my shopping cart before I knew it.  I did finally make my final purchases for much less than that, though... with another coupon code ;)  But, seriously, aren't baby clothes the cutest?!?  I love my cousins!

I'm loving Betty White's new show!  I wan't sure if it would be silly or downright funny.  Last week was the first episode and I was really pleased.  It comes on again tonight on CBS.  Have y'all tuned in yet?  I just love Betty!

I'm loving Skinny Cow's ice cream cups.  150 calories of pure goodness.  For a girl who loves ice cream, this will be a life saver during summer.  Cookies-n-Cream is my fave!

I'm loving this beautiful weather we're having in the Bluegrass state today.  It's gorgeous and just perfect to ride around with the windows down :)

As always, I'm loving my fiance!  He tagged out on Monday with his second turkey of the season.  He killed it with a bow... a first for him.  He literally couldn't breathe when he called me, y'all.  So stinking happy for him!

Hope you are having a fabulous day!

prayer request & TV

Happy Tuesday, friends!  Can I ask a favor?  My fiance's great-aunt found out yesterday that she has stage 3 brain cancer.  At this moment, they are trying to find her the best care possible.  Please pray for his entire family to receive the peace they need during this time.

I thought I'd share with y'all today some of my recent TV obsessions.  I don't watch a lot of TV (due to invasion of homework) but when I get hooked on a show, I'm done.

The Voice.  I'm sure this isn't a surprise to many of you.  I prefer this show hands-down to Idol because I love Blake Shelton.  End-o-story.

But today, I wanna talk about Christina.  I have complained the past year about how she needed to wear less make-up and stop killing her hair with all that bleach... you can verify with my Mom all my complaints.  To my satisfaction, the girl finally listened.  She has shown a much softer look in the past couple weeks as shown in the yellow dress.  What do you guys think?  I approve!

The Client List.  This series was based off the movie which was based off a true story.  Follow?  Well, for some reason, I became a huge fan of the movie so, of course, I'm watching the new series.  Granted, the story line is extremely controversial, but I can't seem to switch the channel when it comes on.  What is wrong with me? Haha!

What's consuming your TV screen and DVR these days?  I'm looking forward to having many hours during the summer to catch up on TV and reading.  Yippee!  Y'all give me some suggestions, pwease :)

PS - Do ya like the new layout?!



Turkey Season

Happy Monday, y'all!  Can you believe we're already halfway through April?  I'm not complaining... just not sure how time flies by so quickly.  Anywho, I apologize for the lack in posts over the past couple weeks.  School has been consuming the majority of my time over the past few weeks.  After this week, I'll feel a sigh of relief... this too shall pass ;)

Weekends pull me through!  It's that time of year again in my neck of the woods... turkey season!  To be quite honest, it's my favorite hunting season.  The trees are in bloom, the weather is warm, and I get some QT with the fiance.  There's just nothing like it.  Remember last year when I had a little tantrum before we killed something?  Well, it kinda happened again.  Except I didn't throw a chair or fall in mud.  I was just highly peeved that he was going to make me belly crawl in a thorn bush.  I think he sometimes forgets that I'm a female and I draw the line somewhere.  I gave him the evil look a few times and we finally agreed on a game plan.  We were going to set-up a blind in the same place that I killed my turkey last year.  And, guess what?  It worked two times over this year, y'all :)

I prayed that we would both get a turkey... and we did.  The amount of excitement I see on Nathan's face each time I kill something is priceless.  He's so proud!  I killed my bearded hen and he killed this 24-pound longbeard.  Just in case you're wondering, in my state you can kill any turkey as long as it has a visible beard.  My hen was certainly not as big and it didn't have any spurs... but they are very rare and I jumped on the chance to get her.  We can't wait to fry up some tenderloin along with some gravy and biscuits... YUM!

And, here's a closer look at the beard... along with a nice pic of my ring ;)



This pretty much consumed our weekend... along with some much-deserved rest after getting up at 4:30 Saturday morning.  I hope you all had a fabulous weekend!  Let's get this week started on a good note :)

PS - I hope this post does not rub anyone the wrong way.  Hunting is a common hobby where I live and it's a way to harvest food.  It's a lifestyle for us... and I'm not apologetic about that.

Wedding Wednesday {my groom}

Halfway to the weekend, yeahhhhh!  I'm back with Wedding Wednesday this week.  April is the most stressful and busiest month of the year for a college student.  For real.  I can't seem to get ahead which is not common for me.  Hence, wedding planning hasn't gone much of anywhere for a week or so.  I'm confident though that once school is out for the summer, I'll drive everyone around me bonkers with wedding talk ;)

I just wanted to take a moment today to talk about my groom.  I don't share a lot about him personally on here.  Mainly because he's a very private person and I respect that he doesn't want his face plastered everywhere.  However, I've had a few moments over the week that have just warmed my heart and made me so thankful for the man I have.

Youth turkey hunting season was this past weekend.  The kiddos always get the first chance at a bird because that's what it's really all about.  Nathan loves taking kids hunting!  I can't explain the joy and nerves he gets each year from it.  He took a family friend, Houston, this year on his last youth hunt -- he'll be at an age next year where he can hunt on his own.  They spent all morning roaming around the family farms and finally got Houston his prize :)

He looks kinda like a mini-Nate!  Anywho, I checked my Facebook yesterday morning and had the sweetest message from Houston's momma....

Please tell Nathan thanks for taking Houston hunting and looking out for him!!! It is so nice of him to do that. Thanks again. ~Christie

I was beaming.  :)

Then, I get a sweet picture yesterday from my soon-to-be MIL.  Nathan was washing his truck (long overdue) and got a little help from his little cousin.  I think the picture speaks for itself... melts my heart.

And, finally, when we were signing the final papers on the car this past Friday.  I kept asking and wanting reassurance that he was fine with having his name on the title along with mine.  After all, we're not married and he doesn't have to do it.  He said, "You love the car, you deserve it."

Many times, I feel like I could wring his neck.  He aggravates me on purpose and admits it.  I get annoyed when he leaves dishes in the sink for several days and the food becomes glued to the plate.  But I know that he is who I'm supposed to spend the rest of my life with... and I'm so thankful that God placed him in my life. 

Easter Weekend

Easter 2012 is in the books.  I hope you had just as much fun as I did :)  BUT before we get to the festivities... allow me to introduce you to my new friend.

Yup, that's mine and Nate's first purchase as a couple... and we've lived to tell about it.  Both of our names are together on the contract and the title but the driving privileges belong to me!  And I can't tell y'all how much I am in love with this car.  I went from a car that didn't even have power windows to a touch screen radio.  It was quite an upgrade.

In addition to buying a car on Friday, we finished registering at Target and Kohl's.  Yes, it was a mighty long day but we got a lot accomplished!  I have a few edits to do on our registry and then I'll show ya the links :)  The edits are a result of me getting scan gun happy.  I knew it would happen. 

Both of these events made marriage seem even more real and close... neither of us could be happier about that either!  Just under 6 months to go :)

Now back to Easter.  Here is me and the fiance... quite a lovely picture of us if I do say so.  And just to settle your thoughts, we did not plan the whole matching checkered, button-up thing.  We actually match a lot without purposely doing it.  It annoys Nate a lot, to be honest - haha!

My entire outfit is from Old Navy.  I didn't buy a single new thing in honor of my spending fast.  Because of that, I spent nearly an hour on Saturday trying on every single dress I owned.  Somehow I got creative and threw this together... it turned out better than I expected ;)

After looking back through the pictures of us, I thought we could be a knockoff of Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert.  Ok, so I need implants and Nate needs a growth spurt but if you squint we're practically twins ;)  Agree?!

I just love the Easter holiday.  It's one of the very few that doesn't get so caught up in the gift giving and chaos.  We enjoyed some time with both of our families yesterday and the weather was perfect!

 Of course, the meaning of Easter means so much.  It is so hard for me to sometimes comprehend the love that Jesus has for us.  But he does love us, regardless of our faults.  I hope you had a moment over the weekend to think of the story of Easter... it's something we should do each day.

"Why do you look for the living among the dead?  He is not here... HE HAS RISEN!"

Happy Monday, friends!

it's hard to be humble

WHEN YOU'RE A KENTUCKY FAN!

I witnessed GR8NESS :)

PS -- I know I'm a day late... but I'm still beaming from the big win!

quitting sugar. progress ;)

We have a love/hate relationship.  I love it... it hates my body.  I have an undeniable sweet tooth.  I have been trying for as long as I can remember to try to somewhat overcome it.  I know I'll never be able to fully give up my sweet treats.  But they should only be a weekly occurence, not daily.  I set it as one of my New Year's Resolutions, but that didn't help much.  However, two things brought the sugar problem to my attention recently.

This blog. 

And this app.

The blog is written by a lady who literally had to give up sugar.  It was wrecking her body to the point where she got an autoimmune disease.  The funny thing?  She never really had those unhealthy sweet treats.  She ate hefty amounts of what we call "good sugars."  I strongly encourage you to read up on what she has to say about these good sugars... it really opened my eyes to a lot of things.  The app brought to my attention how much sugar I was really consuming in a day.  The app recommends that I have about 30 grams of sugar per day.  I was eating nearly 80 grams per day.  That's almost TRIPLE, y'all.  I kinda freaked out.  In the meantime, I wasn't feeling better even though I had cut down on my caloric intake and I was bloated nearly every single morning.  Which really makes a person feel miserable.  Cutting down on sugar was the only logical option left for me to do in order to feel better... and even though I really didn't want to, I did.  And I have for several weeks now.  Basically all I've changed are my breakfast choices and exchanging veggies for fruits.

Old Breakfast

Apple Juice -- 6 grams

Yoplait Light Yogurt (Bostom Cream Pie) -- 15 grams

Old Afternoon Snack

Apple (medium) -- 10 grams

That totals up to 31 grams of sugar.  So pretty much, I could eat those 3 things and no other sugar each day.  That's impossible, for real. 

Here's my new menu:

Breakfast

Apple Juice -- 6 grams

Don't judge.  This stuff is equivalent to my coffee.

1 cup of dry Cheerios -- 1 gram

Afternoon Snack

1 cup of carrots -- 5 grams

1 tablespoon of Light Ranch Dressing -- 1 gram

That totals up to 12 grams.  With those simple changes, I cut my sugar intake in half.  In addition, I have also exchanged my animal cookies with Wheat Thins at lunch time... saving me 4 grams of sugar.

This is not hard, people.  You just have to be very cautious of what you put in your mouth and read the labels!  The results?  My clothes fit better, I feel great, and no more bloating each morning.  Oh yeah, and no more headaches. 

I'm not saying you can never splurge either.  In fact, I had some Oreos and milk over the weekend.  You just have to use moderation!  This is still a work in progress for me, but I hope it helps you become more cautious of your eating choices.  Comment if you have any questions... I'd love to hear them :)

spending fast & our weekend: Lily, CATS, the river

Happy Monday & April, friends :)

I had a fabulous weekend.  It was filled mostly with homework, of course, but that's to be expected.  April is a college student's worst enemy.  Experience tells me so.  I have two major units due in the next 2 weeks.  If I can survive that, I'll breathe a little easier.  The weekend wasn't a total loss, though...

I drove up the road Friday afternoon to see my favorite girl.  She was the perfect break from homework.  We played on the back deck while her mommy cleaned and little sister, Gracyn, napped.  Her favorite toy was her brand new hula hoop.  Unfortunately, I can't hula hoop... but I thought of all kinds of creative uses for it.  We used it as a basketball hoop, rolled it around, and I think she did karate with it.  I pretty much just let her do whatever as long as she's not hurting herself.  I love her sweet little laugh!

Fiance and I took a long boat ride down the river yesterday afternoon. There's nothing I love more than feeling the water on my hands and wind in my hair.  Freedom.  We got back to his place just in time to grill some hamburgers for supper.  They hit the spot!  There's nothing like a grilled hamburger in the warm weather, right?! :)

And, finally, one of the highpoints of my weekend was when UK beat U of L.  It was a nail-biter several times and Louisville put up a fight, but we pulled it off.  Yes, it was sweet!  We play for the National Championship tonight for the first time in 14 years.  Basketball is religion around here, so I'll be tuning in.  Either way, I'm so proud of my CATS and all they've accomplished this year.  I'm a proud KY girl!

On an unrelated note, Emily had an amazing post last week about spending and money.  I've decided to join her this month on a spending fast.  I have no debt and I have a decent amount of savings, but I still feel like a lot of my money just flies out the window each  month.  I'm going to try my hardest not to buy anything I don't need this month.  Want to join us?! :)

Let's get this week rolling, shall we?  Have a fabulous day!