My Christmas Letter to You

Hm where do I start? I've been MIA for the last 6 months from my blog, I'd apologize to any and all of my readers, but frankly, I've been having way too much fun! As the year is rounding out, and the Christmas cards are pouring in, let me write a little about my last year as part of my Christmas card to you.

For starters Mr. W & I celebrated our one year anniversary!! Yep, one whole year with an amazing man & forever to go! I feel lucky to say that! We celebrated with a long weekend in Omaha, nice dinners & fun nights out with one another. Then, we got to help Mr. W's friends celebrate in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic their marriage! My handsome hubby made a very cute beach groomsman and we enjoyed every minute helping the two of them celebrate such an amazing promise. 

Then, I came back, chopped a foot off my hair to obtain what my lovely hair dresser refers to as, 'The Lob.' If you're like me you are probably wondering what that even means, it is a long bob. If you're like my Grammy, a bob is meaning around the chin, my 'Lob,' is cut A-lined about to my collar bone. Total mom-cut, but for anyone who knows me beyond my blog, this is a huge personal success. I have not had my hair this short since 2007.

While cutting my hair off was a big accomplishment,  I have some other exciting news! Mr. W and I will be packing boxes and moving! :) Only across town, but doesn't it sound so House-Hunters-International when I say it like that? I'm excited to be moving into a bigger house but in all honestly,  I will miss our little house. Mr. W & I have a lot of good memories in our little place.  I guess it will be time to make new ones as we embark on yet another journey together.

Every year I think I get a little more sad thinking about memories past. Mr. W thinks that is the weirdest thing, but I think it is kind of sweet. I think part of me is sad to see the memories be over and done with. No matter how much I try to savor the year, it passes me by. The other part is somewhat scared and nervous of what the next year will bring. Mr. W assures me 2015 will bring nothing but good things. I can't help but know he is right, and THAT is why he is my rock. 

So, I'd say its been a great year filled with blessings of love, happiness and health. We have so much to be thankful for and so much to look forward to in 2015. May each of you have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Xo

Mrs. W

Demo & Remodel.... Two of my favorite words

Recently, I have had a few requests to show some of our home improvement projects. When I told Mr. W this he laughed and told me we are, "taking a break," from those for a while. Well, typically that means we probably will not start on anything until at least fall, which actually is probably okay. We (Mr. W.) have practically gutted our entire house. When I moved in the whole upstairs (except the bathroom) had been done and the basement was the only thing left that needed some work. The basement was really my first project. Total 80's style wood panneling covering the walls and carpet that was not even secured to the floor. First was the fun part, demolition! I thought it was fun until we started taking down the drop ceiling. I'm only about 5'6 so I'm just going through the basement, grabbing and tearing down what I can reach. Well, the old owners seemed to like to hide things in the ceiling. Not only did we find about 5 florescent light bulbs, but we also found an old glass bottle of Pepsi and landscaping paper! Yep... This room was a beauty. Once demo was done Mr. W did the sheet rocking and woodwork. My brother-in-law was able to come over and help us paint (he is so good at it!) and then it came to the point where everything was done but the floor. We debated on the flooring for quiet some time, but decided to go with a floating wood laminate. Laminate sounds like it would feel like plastic, but this was amazing! It looks and even feels similar to real wood. Mr. W and I hauled it to the basement and started laying it. Once we got the hang of it, this was probably the easiest home project we have done that gave this room a total transformation look. The wood literally snaps together, no nails, staples or anything else you would need to hold it together.   Mr. W and I had a blast doing this together. While it was a lot of work, it's fun working on your first house together. It's even more fun when you get to enjoy it!  Pre-furniture and pre-woodwork, but still pretty!

Our Honeymoon: Whitehouse, Jamaica

Our honeymoon was great, but aren't they all? Great room, nicest pools, ocean walks every morning, snorkeling in the afternoon, and of course the little umbrella drinks (who doesn't love those?). The best part was after all of the hustle and bustle of our wedding, I got to spend time with my new hubby and it was just us! That was the best part. Now, Mr. W may put that right up there with the food, which I have to agree was the second best (5 star restaurants, sign me up!).

We went to Whitehouse, Jamaica. It was beautiful! The resort was all-inclusive so we were able to eat as much as we wanted, drink as much as we wanted, and not pay for a thing! Not to mentioned Sandals is a couples only resort so it was nice to meet other married couples, one of which we became great friends with. I would highly recommend this resort to anyone out there looking for a getaway. The staff was helpful, the drinks were cold, and the view was amazing! Oh, and the food, the food was absolutely fabulous!

I don't think I can count using all my fingers and toes (hubby's included,) how many times I have seen on Facebook, "Hey everyone, what is a good place to go for a honeymoon? Suggestions are appreciated!" Either all my friends are getting married... or all my friends are getting married! ;) Of course there are always the ones that respond right away and tell you every detail, and then there are people like me who like to keep their secret spot hidden!

Ok, it's not so secret but our honeymoon was special and amazing; we have vowed to go back on major anniversaries, along with taking at least one destination trip a year to have new adventures together. (This year is the Dominican Republic!) This may seem like a radical way for newlyweds to spend their hard earned dough, but we would much rather spend our money on trips and experiences that we can to do together, rather on clothing, bags, and jewelry. An article from the Huffington Post proves that experiences make you happier than stuff, and I can't agree more!

Here's how much fun we had:

On our sunset catamaran ride!

My huge lobster on our first night there

Mr. W found a live starfish!

Me & Mr. W

Spaghetti Squash

If anyone has every made spaghetti squash, they probably will be able to relate to what I'm about to say. I just started eating spaghetti squash probably over a year ago when my sister introduced me to the healthy veggie. Since, every time I have made it I always feel like it is a near death experience. Have you ever cut one of those puppies open? YIKES. Talk about the possibility of losing a finger.

So, this year being a smarter-brighter-married-grad student, I took matters into my own hands and looked up the easiest way to do this. I followed this tutorial to get the squash cut. It worked great, the only hard part was getting the hard shell of the squash to crack.

To cook the squash follow these directions:

1.) Start by preheating your oven. This time I cooked my squash at 375, but it was a little soft for me. I would suggest if you like it a bit crunchy preheat your oven to 350.

2.) After you have the squash cut in two, take a large spoon and scrap out the seeds just like you would a pumpkin.

2.) Next, fill a 9 x 13 pan with about an inch of water.

3.) Then, take your half or halves depending on how much you are wanting to cook at one time, and place them face down in your pan with the water in it.

4.) Place in the oven for 30-40 minutes. Once time is done, take it out and let it cool a little bit before touching the spaghetti squash.   Once it's cool, take a fork and scrap the inside. The squash will fall apart like little strings.

5.) Serve & enjoy! We like this best with salmon and fresh veggies!

Reviewed by: Mr. W

Star Rating: 5

Shrek: The Musical

Last year, The Crane River Theater Company started a new tradition in our town (At least last year was the first I was made aware of the 'tradition.') They put on the musical Seussical in the park, open to friends and family free of charge. They have created a neat atmosphere partnering with several vendors that come out to support the show with goodies for sale (ice cream, snow cones, pizza, and of course Runza). Seussical was absolutely amazing! We were completely blow away not only by the acting, but the props and backdrops were beyond creative. Mr. W and I took one of our nieces to the play and she absolutely LOVED it! As you could guess we were looking forward to going again this year.

So this year we hauled through the park with our blanket, lawn chairs and a nice picnic to watch Shrek: The Musical. It was absolutely amazing! This year they brought in actors from all over, Minnesota, Chicago, and of course some local favorites from right here in Nebraska. Our niece loved it! We loved it too but I think for different reasons. The play was amazing, don't get me wrong, but it was so nice to spend time with family outside and be able to enjoy every second. There really is something about savoring the moment when you know your little nieces are not going to stay little forever. She truly had a wonderful time, and I'm so thankful our town is able to put this on for families.  

Now for the pictures!

Avocado Hummus Dip

I keep thinking I like hummus even though I've never been brave enough to try it. So, I've been on the search for a hummus dip that tastes good and I have finally found it! This recipe is delish! It tastes more like a guacamole recipe than hummus dip. I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a go. I did alter the recipe from the original I found because I didn't have the ingredients and frankly, I didn't want to go to the store. How is that for lazy? :) The altered recipe was a hit, we actually took it to my sister's house for the 4th of July. It was nice to have a healthy option to munch on during the holiday!

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 15oz can of chick peas
• 2 ripe avocados (soft enough to easily mash)
• 3 Tbs. oil olive, more for serving if desired (I used 4 Tbs. + a little water to make it creamy) 
• 3 Tbs. lime juice 
• 2 cloves pressed garlic 
• Dash of salt and black pepper to taste
• 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 1 handful of chopped cilantro 

*You can use a food processor or something similar. I thought using my Magic bullet would be a good idea and be a little easier for clean up. After finishing the recipe it might have been easier to combine everything in the food processor, but the Magic bullet seemed to work fine too.

Directions: 

1.) Pulse chick peas, olive oil, lime juice until smooth. (Suggested time is about 2 minutes in your food processor.)

2.) Pulse avocados, salt and pepper, cumin and pressed garlic.

3.) Add handful of chopped cilantro. Mix together chick peas mixture and avocado mixture, either by hand or continually add it together in your food processor.

Chill for an hour or so and serve with pita chips or corn chips! Enjoy! 

Reviewed by: Mr. W

Star Rating: 4.8
(Mr. W is now using decimals. Taking his job seriously, he wants to give you guys exact ratings! :))

PriceMatcherz: Save money at the grocery store

  
     Each Friday, I try to post something helpful to wives or other women out there. While the topics vary, I’m very excited to share one of the best hidden secrets I have found since we have been married. A few years ago Walmart announced they would price match, meaning if another store had it on sale for cheaper you could bring the price and where it was on sale and they would give you that sale price. I always knew they did it but I didn’t get into it until recently. I came upon this website by accident, I think I was actually search for how to coupon. I always am amazed by TLC’s Extreme Couponing, those women walk away with $1,000 in groceries and pay maybe $3.00? I still will never understand that or how they have the time to clip coupons. I love using this site because I can make my grocery list, then go through PriceMatcherz to see what is on sale that we actually need. That way we aren’t just buy things just because they are on sale.

     This site goes through all of the local ads and in my hometown they match anything within 45 minutes of the local Walmart. All I have to do it look at the website and take my list with the prices into the store. While some of the prices matches I’m only saving .30 cents, I have saved up to $2.00 on some items.  The site also identifies if it’s a great deal, meaning stock up now! Let me give you an example of how this has helped us. Mr. W is a blueberry addict so whenever blueberries are on sale we stock up so we can freeze and eat them throughout the summer. Last week they had a pint of blueberries for $1.50 and we bought 6 pints. Normally, a four pint bag of blueberries sell for $10.00, so by doing this we were able to save $4.00.  While you may not think a few cents here and a few dollars there will add up to much to be significant, I was able to cut off $25 every week just by price matching. The best part? It takes me maybe five extra minutes a week to look at PriceMatcherz because they have already done all the hard work for me.

Happy Price Matching!!

A Black Tie Affair

     Mr. W and I recently took a trip to Dallas, TX. Where the Southern accent is a little thicker and things are a little bigger! We went to Dallas for a wedding that Mr. W was in for his long-time friend. Bottom line: We had an absolute BLAST!

     We got the invite a few months prior and got our airfare and everything with our stay taken care of. The most stressful part of all of this? What to wear! The invitation said ‘Black Tie.’ Of course, living in Nebraska our whole lives, we never had been to a Black Tie Affair. In fact, at our own wedding we had cowboys in wranglers, boots and cowboy hats. So as you could guess, I was extremely stressed about what to wear, what color to be in, etc. I immediately started asking around, as you may have guess the term, ‘Black Tie,’ has changed quite a bit for women. Men are still in the traditional tux and bowties, and women are still expected to be in long formal gowns, but the color choices have gone from black and navy to almost anything! I mean it, we saw almost every color you could image.

     I took to the internet, our small town doesn’t have a great selection of floor length gowns in the middle of May. I was able to find a beautiful one-shoulder navy dress and couldn’t wait for it to come in! It came in about a week before we left, my mom took it up a bit so it didn’t drag, then it fit perfect. Comfy enough to dance in, nice enough to look extra-fancy! So off to Dallas we went! We met Cory and Hope there, Cory is another one of Mr. W’s life-long friends. It was nice to have another wife there that would also be dateless for the wedding ceremony.   

     It was about 6:05 on Saturday (the day of the wedding), when I decided I needed to get into my dress to make it to the 6:30 ceremony. Hope and I had been getting ready together and decided we probably should start to hurry in order to make it on time. So in I went. It was a perfect fit and I felt like a princess! I went to put my shoes on and stood back up, that’s when I heard it. My zipper SPLIT. Yep, completely split. How could this happen? It wasn’t like I was trying to fit in a smaller size here. Let’s be honest, I am not a size 0 and I keep that in mind when I order online! Figuring it was like any jacket I have ever had I figured, ok zip it down get it unstuck and zip it back up, all will be fine. Well, one problem. It wouldn’t go down. We tried to get the zipper down multiple times, that sucker was staying there. It was 6:15 by the time I got out my needle and thread (Still thanking my Grandma Elly for giving me a sewing kit for my purse a few years ago). I turned the dress around and started sewing myself in, Hope finished the job and you honestly couldn’t tell. All I could think at that point was, “Darn, we are in the wrong profession, we should have been seamstress!” Only this would happen to me. Right when I’m stuck in a town I don’t have extra dresses at my fingertips, a mother that could take out a zipper and sew one back in in five minutes flat, and less than 30 minutes before I have to go to a wedding ceremony.

     We made it! Mr. W was curious to where his Mrs. had been. I waltz in like nothing was wrong. I whispered in his ear what had happen as he ushered Hope and I to our seats. I thought this would ruin my night that I would be so worried about my dress and how I looked, but we had an amazing time and Mr. W was so helpful making sure my sewing job was still doing the trick! It lasted through the night and all was well! Needless to say, I think next time we travel for a wedding, I’ll be bringing 3 if not 4 dresses!

Mr. W and Myself

Hope & I along with our two boys, Cory & Mr. W

Our table, absolutely beautiful!

PB Oatmeal Butterscotch Energy Balls

     Nothing puts me in the mood for a batch of cookies than a test coming up and cold weather. (I say cold because it wasn't humid today and 72! That is a Nebraska 'cold' summer day!) I was at my sisters a few weeks ago babysitting my three-year-old niece who informed me there were cookies in the fridge. Of course I couldn't resist. I opened the fridge only to not find cookies! Darn. What I did find were these yummy cookie dough balls, almost as tasty as the real thing. This is a great recipe that tastes naughty, but is actually a fairly healthy recipe to keep you away from indulging in a tasty monster cookie! 

     I knew I had to try these. Not only did my hubby have at least half of my sister's batch, but I soon started seeing this re-pinned all over Pinterest which usually means one of two things. One, it actually looks good, or two, it actually is good. Few, far, and in-between have I found these two things coinciding with one another.  However, this time I think I have met my match.

Here's what you'll need:

• 1/2 c. Whole wheat flour
• 1 1/4 c. Rolled oats
• 1 tsp. Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 c. Natural Creamy Peanut Butter
• 1/3c. Light Maple Syrup
• 1/4 c. No-sugar-added applesauce
• 1 Tbs. Honey
• 2 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1/4 c. Butterscotch chips 

Directions:

1.) In a small bowl, whisk the flour, oats, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

 2.) Cream the peanut butter, applesauce, maple syrup, honey, and vanilla in a large bowl until well-combined.

Should look like a gooey caramel.

3.) Add the flour an oats, stir until combined. Then add the butterscotch chips and stir well.

I think this is where I wanted to grab the spoon!

4.) Scoop about two tablespoons of dough and roll into a ball, then place on cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Repeat until you use all of the dough.

I used a cookie scoop which made for a little less mess! 

5.) Refrigerate for around 30 minutes or I suppose you could freeze them too if you are really anxious!

Ta-da!

Now the final and most important part of the recipe, take one whole ball and... Pop it in your mouth!!  This one is sure to win your hubby's heart!

Enjoy!

Review by: Mr. W

Star Rating: 5

Adventure: Lady Antebellum

     This weekend was absolutely amazing!! We spent the weekend celebrating my beautiful sister turning the big 3-0! The plan was to head to North Platte (about 2 hours away) to Nebraska Land Days to see Lady Antebellum, one of my sister's favorite country bands.

     So we all loaded up in a few mini-vans and headed to North Platte. As we drove, the sky seemed to get darker and darker. Looking at the radar it looked like we may be able to get through without the storm hitting us too hard. Unfortunately, that was not the case at all. We were about a mile away and decided to try make it into North Platte to find a place to cover the cars (both of which were brand new). The minute we got onto the interstate, the 90mph winds the radio mentioned, slammed us along with rain so hard we couldn't see. The concert was postponed and we waited out the storm for about an hour before heading to the concert venue. We waited until we at least heard music playing to head into the venue.

     We finally made it! We were in the concert and ready for a good show. We headed over to where we were supposed to be standing, The Pit (if you are familiar with concert terms). It was a complete mud hole! Everyone standing in this area was barefoot in at least 6 inches of mud. Luckily, we were able to sit in the grand stands and enjoy the concert under a covered seating area.

     So now for the pictures... Enjoy the ones of me in a hat and sporting a long sleeve shirt. I originally came to the concert in a tank top and cute shorts. It was so cold. Thankfully, I was able to dig up a few things to keep warm! We had an absolute blast despite the weather, and definitely gave my big sis a birthday to remember! Happy birthday to one of the most beautiful people inside and out that I know!

Waiting for the storm to pass.

My handsome guy!

Lady A!

Happy Birthday Crys!!

Two Timin' Pasta

     I absolutely love pasta! I was looking for a simple and quick (as always) recipe that didn't require much prep work. I came upon this recipe, and decided to give it a go! This recipe is actually one I found on Pinterest and it worked out great. I highly suggest pairing this with garlic bread and a nice glass of wine!

Here's what you'll need:

• 1 box penne pasta (I used whole wheat)
• 1 (15 oz.) jar alfredo sauce (I used the light version)
• 1 (24oz.) jar marinara sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheese
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
• 1lb. Meat: (I used hamburger but I felt like it would be better with a spicy Italian sausage)

Directions:

  

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350

 

2.) Boil water and cook pasta according to directions on the box 

 

I love to use this product from Pampered Chef, Boil Over No More. It is very easy and prevents the huge boil over spills that seem to always happen to me. Plus, you can throw the noodles in and set the timer then just wait for the noodles to finish cooking. It makes cooking noodles even easier!

3.) While your noodles are cooking, start browning your sausage or hamburger.

4.) Once the noodles are completely finished cooking, combine the meat and noodles. 

5.) Next is the easy part, pour in both your sauces (yes the whole entire jar) and shredded cheese. Mix until the pasta is well coated.

6.) Now pour contents into a 9 x 13 baking pan. I sprayed it with olive oil so it doesn't stick.

7.) Take your Parmesan cheese and spread it evenly over your pasta mixture.  Then bake in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until cheese is bubbly or the top is a bit brown toward the edges. Your finished product should look something like this:

YUM! Now time to devour!!

Review by: Mr. W

Star Rating: 5

GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment

     Probably three months before my wedding I really started taking skin care seriously. When I say seriously, I mean I would literally try anything and everything that could possibly give me the wedding day glow. I really tried to use natural products to prevent any harsh breakouts, however, I found it was really hard to see the results I was looking for. (And let's face it, by that time I was borderline desperate to find a fix all so I could finish all the last minute Pinterest projects I decided to start literally 3 weeks before we said, "I do." If you asked Mr. W what he thought of all this, he would look at you and say, "Seriously? She put HONEY on her face." So now I am bound and determined he will do a mud mask with me!

      I am notorious for getting stressed out only to break out, and then I get stressed out about breaking out. See how that could be an issue? So to find the most truthful reviews I headed to the internet. Obviously everything you read on the internet is true, so I spent a fair amount of time doing my homework before deciding on a product to test. I came upon the GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment, this product claims to actually lift all the junk out of your pores to help keep them clean. I had to see it to believe it, I checked out if anyone had found it on Pinterest and sure enough there was a picture of a girl with the a close up of her nose and all the pores literally looked like they were being tackled by this mask. According to the Sephora description of the product it states, "This formula was clinically developed by GLAMGLOW® dermatological chemists to help fight all common skin concerns including breakouts, discoloration, black and white heads, razor bumps, and in-grown hair. Powerful, skin-clearing mud visibly draws out dirt and congestion while a proprietary six-acid blend dramatically brightens and softens skin. It works to magnetically draw out dirt and pores with Activated-X Charcoal, leaving skin smooth and healthy-looking."

     Sounds kind of cool right? It is a bit pricing, ringing in at $69.00 at Sephora, however it is on Amazon with prime shipping for $39.33... that is a steal! So I figured before you even spend $40 to test this out, I'd show you how it worked for me. It comes in a Hollywood-flare box, but when you open it be prepared, it literally looks and feels like mud!

     Start by using a thin layer and cover your whole face. (I would include a picture of this, but I'd like to keep the readers I do have! :)) Wait for about 10 minutes for it to be fully dry and watch all the dirt, grime, sweat be lifted out of your pores. 

Grossed out yet?

 Then take a warm washcloth & gently remove the mask. 

     You're probably wondering if I thought it was actually worth the $69.00 (ouch!) I paid. I would give it an 9! After using the mask, it made my skin feel smooth & clean. I can honestly say I felt like it diminished a lot of discolorations I had, and also reduced break outs. I would definitely order it again especially at a cheaper cost through Amazon, to have on hand for weekly use.