what i love about Sundays...

...recooperating from the week with a nice afternoon nap.

 

...marathons of SATC.

...a huge home-cooked meal.  (bbq ribs, mac and cheese, twice baked potatoes, peas, and corn.)  mono put a damper on my cooking routine so i'm glad to be back in the game!

...taking time to appreciate the little things.

nate and i have had a wonderful weekend at home with absolutely no plans. 

add that onto that fact that i had class at WKU friday, had lunch with all my girls, got my car washed, bought groceries, and cleaned the house with Pandora up way too loud... and you've got one happy girl.  it was just what my soul needed.

this is my last week at my placement with 2nd graders.  it will most certainly be bittersweet.  those kiddos have pushed me to my limits on many days but they are total sweethearts.  i cannot wait to see what God has in store for my next placement with 5th graders!

have a wonderful week, friends :)

becoming a MRS {reception}

Wedding posts are back, y'allllll!  After some final cooperation with Blogger, it is here.  And a hallelujah to that! 

 

If you'd like to catch up...

our ceremony

the details

getting ready & first look

honeymoon

 

Back to the task at hand today... the reception.  I kept our ceremony simple and intimate and I wanted to keep that going for the rest of the afternoon... with some flair of us thrown in there.

 

After the receiving line following the ceremony, we all enjoyed some yummy food and iced drinks.

 

And, yes, that it is a cow trough.  Not just for livestock, friends.

We cut the cake (provided by the mother of my aunt).  It was simple, yummy, and absolutely perfect!

And just for the record, he started it.

We proceeded with the bouquet and garter tosses.  However, we made sure to have a seperate toss for the little ones.  Nothing sucks worse than to lose a bouquet to a 4-year-old... just speaking from experience. 

So we threw a football tied with lace ribbon to the little boys...

And we threw a lollipop bouquet for the little ladies...

Then the real mischief began...

We totally rigged it to where our friends, Chad and Elizabeth, got both the bouquet and the garter.  And it must have had some luck to it... they got engaged less than a month later :)

One of my most favorite parts of the day came next... The Shoe Game.  In case you're unfamiliar with it, you have an emcee (my uncle played this part very well) read about 30 questions, such as "Who is the better driver?" or "Who is most likely to use all the hot water in the morning?"
Meanwhile, the bride and groom each have one shoe of each other's.  Once the question is read, the shoe is raised for who that question applies to.  For example, Nate's boot was raised for the better driver and my boot was raised for the hot water.  Guilty as charged.

The game gives your guests a fun look at your relationship... these are some of my favorite photos from the day :)

check out the reactions in the back... my mom, cousins, dad, and nanny. priceless.

bridal party reactions.

a little inside joke since my middle name is Grace... and it's a Miranda Lambert lyric.  duh...

And, finally, it was time for our sparkler send-off and to get away for the most peaceful days of our life.

So there you have it.  Perfect ending to a perfect day.
:)

balance, perfection, screw it.

Today, I'm linking up with Becky at From Mrs. to Mama.  She is hosting an amazing link-up today where we, as women, can just write.  And I just have to say that it couldn't have come at a better time.

 

 

The past 5 months of my life have been full of nothing but change.  I moved out of the only home I'd known for the past 21 years, married my best friend, got semi-adjusted to life as a newlywed, then got thrown into the world of teaching at the beginning of the year when I began student teaching.

 

Don't get me wrong.  These are all amazing things.  But they are changes, nonetheless.  And as a creature of habit, it has been terribly hard to struggle to find balance over the past few months.

Let's rewind a bit to the fall.  We returned from our honeymoon and, to my delight, things just seemed to work themselves out.  We both adjusted well to being newlyweds and I felt like I had it under control.

Then the new year came and my college girl schedule quickly changed into the real world of teaching.  And, boy, was that ever an eye-opener?!

You see I will openly admit that my biggest strength and downfall are that I am a perfectionist.  And the sad thing is that I am the only one who brings these expectations on myself. 

My husband does not expect things to be perfect.  My family does not expect things to be perfect.  My friends don't expect things to be perfect. 

So why do I?

We all have that picture in our heads.  House always spotless, meals always home-cooked, society stresses our weight/appearance, etc.  It is a never-ending vicious cycle. 

Well, apparently my body finally decided last week that it had enough of the cycle.  On Thursday, after feeling totally unlike myself for a few days, I finally visited the doctor and tested positive for Mono.

My body had literally had enough.  And so had I.  I was exhausted.

I have since spent my days on bed rest and have been doing a whole lot of thinking.  I am done with putting those expectations on myself.  They are weighing me down and only causing me to miss what really matters in life. 

I wasn't really sure where this post would be going when I started writing, I just had to write.  And I hope one of you ladies out there will choose to go with me and screw perfectionism.  Because the imperfect things are what we remember.

Here's to enjoying life as it comes... not as we picture it should be.

NWTF, Camaros, Sweet Tea, & CCDW

Happy Sunday, friends!  I have survived Mono... still on the mend but I do believe the worst is behind me.  That was a feeling of exhaustion I've never known before and I hope it never visits me again.

 

Of course, up until today, I spent my weekend on the couch with TV and Pinterest.  And it was just what I needed.  No homework, very little cleaning, just straight up rest.

 

I was beginning to get a case of cabin fever so we and some friends made it down to Nashville today for the annual National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) Convention.  The NWTF is an organization that has consistently grown the population of wild turkeys over the past few decades.  When they first began their mission, wild turkeys were nearly extinct.  They are now thriving in our country.  We love being able to show our support for this kind of organization and continuing the heritage that we love so dearly.

 

The Convention is a yearly gathering of all who embrace the outdoors... booths and booths and booths of hunting goods.  Oh yeah, and some fancy cars thrown in for the ladies that tag along.

 

We couldn't resist testing out this brand new Camaro.  The seats were just oh-so comfy.

 

After spending the morning walking around, we rewarded ourselves with some lunch at Texas Roadhouse.  And I do believe we single-handedly emptied out their sweet tea stash... that's 9 glasses, my friends.  I drank water so that was split between 4 people.

Apparently we were giving Uncle Si a run for his money.  Bring it on, Jack!

On a final note, I feel it is noteworthy to report that Nathan and I both passed our Carry a Concealed Deadly Weapon (CCDW) class last weekend.  Once all the paperwork is complete, we will be packin' heat. ;)

(I know we all have different political views on this issue but I do encourage you to educate yourself about these classes. We do this purely as a way for protection and to practice our constitutional rights.)

That's all I got.  Hope you had a fabulous weekend!  Here's to hoping that Monday doesn't kill us all ;)

that time the doctor prescribed bedrest

There has been a good reason for my absence. 

About a week ago, I started to feel weird.  Totally unlike myself then I had some weird symptoms showing up.  Headache, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes all over my neck, and a tight chest.  I tried to shake it off and took several OTC meds at the beginning of the week.  My hope was that it was just the seasonal sinuses and it would go away.  But, it didn't.  All the while I was feeling extremely tired and wanting to take naps as soon as I got home.  Which is totally unlike me.

Thankfully "Aunt Flo" showed up Wednesday night so I could get rid of the whole my birth control didn't work and we're pregnant freak-out situation.

Finally, on Wednesday night, I convinced myself to take myself to the doctor yesterday morning.  They ran tests for strept throat and Mono.  Strept test was negative. Mono was positive.  (Not surprising to me since I already checked WebMD and had nearly every symptom and my mom diagnosed me.  Let's face it, moms are always right.)

Happy Valentine's Day to me.  Little SOB Cupid.

If you're unfamiliar with Mono, google it.  But here's my summary.  Basically your body produces more white blood cells than your immune system can handle and it shuts down.  Extreme fatigue sets in and the symptoms appear.  The liver and spleen swell which was causing the chest tightness.

There are no meds to cure mono... only steroids to ease the swelling and bedrest to allow the body to heal.  Yes, bedrest.  So, here's what my view has been since yesterday.

Life Savers, Boy Meets World DVDs, Joyce Meyer book, 2 types of vitamins, prescription Prednisone, pain relivers, and my beautiful red roses from Hubs.

This was certainly not how I planned our Valentine's Day to go.  However, I am happy to know that I hadn't been feeling like crap the past week for nothing.  Sometimes you just know when something isn't right with your body.  I can already tell a major difference in myself and am so happy to start feeling like myself again.

I will continue to be on bedrest for the weekend and will head back to school on Monday still trying to take it easy on myself.  Praise the Lord that this all didn't come about last week during my solo week at school.  Although, I am convinced the stresses from last week contributed to my fatigue.  Such is life ;)

A HUGE thank you to my mom, MIL, and husband.  They have been saints through this process and have allowed me to get the rest that my body truly needs.

I will be back and well soon, my friends.  In the meantime, wash your hands.  Wash your hands.  Wash your stinkin' hands.

mother nature's time of the month

They say that if you're unhappy with the weather in Kentucky, wait 20 minutes and it's likely to change.  Well let me tell ya, mother nature pulled some good ones on us last week.

Tuesday was nearly 70 degrees with tornadoes in the area.

Thursday hit bottom at 13 degrees with snow flurries in the area.

And, finally, Saturday night we got 2 inches of snow.

So, here's to hoping that Mother Nature has run her course and won't put us through another roller coaster this week.

Then again, this is Kentucky.

Pinterest > Susie Homemaker

I just cannot express my love fully for Pinterest.  I would give up all other social media, for real.  Ever since I became a wife, it has brought about so many great recipes, cleaning solutions, and organizing tips... and Nate really can't complain.  Today, I'm sharing some of my favorites with y'all!

DIY Mop Solution -- made from simple things you probably already have at home.  I am loyal to vinegar, Dawn dish detergent, and warm water.  Floors stay cleaner and fresher with this!

DIY Shower/Tub cleaner.  I have to admit that I still use my Scrubbing Bubbles once a week on our shower.  (I blame some of that on the fact that Nate always comes in greasy from work.)  However, doing this real quick each morning does make the weekly scrub-down easier.

T-Shirt Drawer Organization.  This was necessary for me.  So much so that I actually did it on the day I pinned it.  For real, this has been a lifesaver for me.

 
The best chocolate chip cookies ever.  I made these on Saturday for our date night-in... we had 6 people (including us) here and I made about 2 dozen cookies.  When the night was over, 2 cookies were left.  They're fluffy, chewy, and perfect.

For our better halves... glazed pork chops.  I made these babies in our iron skillet and they were just as tasty.  And I have to admit, I devoured these just as much as Nate did.

I give you my word that all of these are husband-approved. ;)

What are some life-changing pins you've found lately?