This & That

*The weather is getting a little more chilly the past few days. I can't believe that there is only one more day left of September after today!! That is hard to believe!! The trees are getting so pretty. I am going to take advantage of the weather and walk with Molly in the woods this weekend. I just can't pass it up!

*Thursday we find out what we are having!! We can't wait! We aren't too picky, boy or girl, either one would be fine with us. As long as we have a healthy baby. I am ready to get the nursery painted and decorated though! I hope the next day 1/2 goes by fast!!!

*We have been getting ready for our yard sale, on Saturday, the past couple of weeks. I am going to make a few pumpkin rolls and cookies to sell at the sale. I figured I could try to make some extra profit!

*I am going to tackle a new sewing project. I haven't bought the fabric yet, but I want to make a shower curtain like the following. I am going to do shades of blue though. Right now we have a door. But I figured that when we are giving the baby a bath, it will be easier with a real curtain. I can't wait to get it started!

*My new favorite snack is oreos and a tall glass of milk! It is just the best snack! Although I do try to limit the oreos...way too much fat and sugar in those!

*We have been walking pretty much every night the last couple of weeks. Us three girls have so much fun walking together!

*Another craft that I want to get started on soon is my Christmas cards. I am thinking about doing something different this year. The past two years (the only years that I've sent any out) I used Hallmark cards. Which is fine. But I figured I could get creative this year! I found the instructions for marbleizing cards on Martha Stewart's website. I'm not going to stick to Christmas colors, I figured red and green would get a little boring!

They look kinda neat, don't they?

Well that is all for now!! I hope everyone is having a great week so far!!!

Weekend Recap!!

*Note: I haven't been on top of my blogging this past week..I kind of played catch up. If you scroll down you can see pictures from my wedding, fall display, our vacation, and our anniversary gifts.

This weekend was wonderful!

Friday after work, Malinda and I went to the Bank's customer appreciation day. They had a wonderful BBQ and we got a reusable grocery bag. That night I went into town to take a walk. The rest of the evening was very relaxing!

Saturday morning I went to Jefferson City with Malinda. She needed to get pictures developed. We went to Walmart, TJ Maxx and Hobby Lobby. I didn't buy too much. I did get two sets of fabric from Hobby Lobby to make aprons. I can't wait to get started on some of my sewing projects! When we got back I made 2 pumpkin pies, and 1 chocolate cream pie for the Catholic church dinner. I was wore out after shopping all morning and then baking 3 pies that I didn't get around to making my bread. That evening I made dinner for Matt and I. I made cornish hens, garden salad and twice baked potatoes. Everything was so good! After dinner, I went into town to walk.

Sunday-After church we went to eat at the Visitation Fall Dinner. The food was amazing! By the time I got done I was stuffed! Then we played a few games of bingo. Mom and I both won a game! We had a good time!

I haven't done too much this afternoon. Tonight I am planning on going in and walking. I definitely will not be eating anything else the rest of the day!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Anniversary Gifts!

Matt and I are both blessed with wonderful families! My family took care of all of the animals when we were gone. And when we came home there was a flower arrangement and a photo album. The arrangement was from church in honor of our anniversary (given by Mom and Dad). The photo album was filled with pictures from our wedding! We had so much fun looking through it!

For our gifts to each other, Matt got me the other side to my wedding ring. We were going to the local jewelry store so I can get sized for it next Saturday. I can't wait to see it!! I gave Matt a few dress shirts and a homemade card. My gift isn't near as exciting as his! :-)

For dinner Monday, we went out to Ron and Liz's house. Liz made the best pork chops with potatoes and carrots. We also had cucumbers and onions, fresh garden tomatoes, and homemade bread. Everything was so good! Nothing beats a home cooked meal!!

Liz has been making us a signature quilt. It looks even better than I could of imagined! Hopefully someday I will be able to make something like that!

Here are some of the things people wrote on it:

"Be good to each other. Wishing you a happy life together."-Grandma Mozelle and Jim

"Never give up on each other"-Allison (my sister-in-law)

"Never go to bed angry"-Peggy (Matt's aunt)

"Sometimes a fight is better than not caring"-Laura (Matt's cousin)

"Always be true to one another"-Sheri (my old boss)

...And too many other good ones to mention!

Here is a slice of our year old wedding cake! It actually didn't taste half bad. Although the outside frosting wasn't the best!

Here is the photo album my family got us!

Here is the blanket that Liz made us!

I absolutely love both of our families! I couldn't ask for anything better!!

Vacation!

We had a blast on our vacation this past weekend!! I wouldn't of traded the bonding time for anything!

Here is a review on what all we did!

*Saturday around 11:00, we heading to Branson! Believe it or not, we talked all of the way there. Without the radio even on! Hard to believe, I know. Checked into our hotel. We went to the Titanic Museum and the Wax Museum that afternoon. Both were so much fun. The Titanic had a lot of history to read along the way, very interesting! That evening we went to the Dixie Stampede. The meal and show were both wonderful! We had such good seats that you could feel the wind off of the horses. It was a great time!!

The meal at the Dixie Stampede!! It was all good!!

*Sunday we ate breakfast at Cracker Barrel (I love that place). Then we went to the Craft Sale. We bought a light switch cover and 2 pot holders. It probably looks like we are on a John Deere theme! lol! After that we went to Bass Pro and walked around Branson Landing. We then went to catch a movie (we had some time to kill). We watched Inglorious Basterds. It was a good movie, kinda long. For dinner that night we ate at the Great Wall. We had such a good anniversary!

*Monday we ate breakfast at Bob Evans and then headed back to Vienna around 10:00.

One thing that I liked about this vacation, is that we weren't rushed from one place to another! It was so much more relaxing that way! Not a moment was a stressed this weekend--that is such a nice feeling!

My Fall Display!

Here are some pictures of my fall display! Surprisingly, Rascal has left all of the pumpkins and guards alone. But the Indian corn is a different story! After I took my pictures I gave up on trying to keep him from dragging it off. At least it was just the corn!

Here is the well that Mom and Dad had made for our wedding. (I couldn't figure out how to rotate pictures in blogger. So try to picture it rotated!)

These are some of the bricks I got from the old school. During the summer I put flower pots on them, so I figured for the fall guards and mini pumpkins would look cute! And I was right!

One Year Down

I can't believe that I have been married now for one year! Life has been so good for me this past year. I couldn't of asked to find a better man. Before I met him, I was going down the wrong path. After seeing him a few times, I realized that I can have a decent boyfriend that loves me just as much as I love him. Time has went by so fast. My only wish is, is that there will be many more anniversaries to spend together.

Here are some pictures from our wedding. Enjoy!

Dad and I walking in!

Matt and I at the altar!

First Picture of Matt and I as a married couple!

Malinda and I!

My Family

Matt's Family

My favorite outside picture of us!

The whole gang!

Our rings on top of the guestbook!

My bouquet & the flower thing Mom made for Lauren (the flower girl) to carry!




A part of our cake!


Matt and I cutting the cake!

Our first dance!


Me and the bridesmaids dancing in the hog trough with Malinda!

That was such a fun night! And there are soooo many great pictures to remember it by!!

Randoms!

*Matt comes back tomorrow! It hasn't been too bad with him gone, but I have gotten a little bored in the evenings. I have been walking every night this week. And last night I went into eat dinner with Mom. She made meatloaf, mashed potatoes, sweet corn, rolls, and sliced tomatoes. I was stuffed when we got done, but is was so good!

*I have gotten a few things done this week. I dusted the entire living room. I dust every week, but this time I even took the books off the bookshelf. I also washed the ceiling fans. I did have a spice rack, but I recently found out that it was drying out all of my spices. I took that apart yesterday and washed it up for the yard sale. I finally vacuumed and cleaned out my car. I am going to hand wash it tomorrow.

*Matt and I leave Saturday for our trip to Branson! I can't wait! We got our tickets to the Dixie Stampede already. And other than that all that I know that we are going to is the Wax Museum, The Titanic Museum, and the Annual Craft Show. I didn't want to have every minute planned out, cause what is the fun in that?! We will be coming back Monday.

*We will also be celebrating our first Anniversary this weekend!! I can't wait! I can't believe we have been married for a year already! That is crazy how fast that year went. It has been a great year though. And next year we will have a little blessing to celebrate with. Life is so good right now! :)

That's basically it for now!

Foul Ball

A dad caught a foul ball and gave it to his daughter. It is too cute to not watch! Check it out here!

Dinner Rolls & Beef Stew

A few weeks ago I made Homemade beef stew and dinner rolls. I invited my family to come out for dinner. It was so good! Since it was on a week night, I didn't have as much time to let my rolls rise. But surprisingly, they turned out great! Maybe not as round as regular rolls...but they are unique!! The food was great, but not as good as the company!

Here are the recipes..Enjoy!!

Dinner Rolls

by: Better Home & Gardens
Ingredients
4-1/2 to 5 cups all-purpose flour
1 package active dry yeast
1 cup milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, margarine, or shortening
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
Directions
1. In a large bowl stir together 2 cups of the flour and the yeast. In a small saucepan heat and stir milk, sugar, butter, and salt just until warm (120 degrees F to 130 degrees F) and butter almost melts; add to flour mixture along with eggs. Beat with an electric mixer on low to medium speed for 30 seconds, scraping sides of bowl constantly. Beat on high speed 3 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir in as much of the remaining flour as you can.
2. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Knead in enough remaining flour to make a moderately stiff dough that is smooth and elastic (6 to 8 minutes total). Shape dough into a ball. Place in a greased bowl; turn once. Cover; let rise in a warm place until double (about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Divide dough in half. Cover; let rest for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, depending on what shape of roll you want to make, lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan, baking sheets, or muffin cups.*
4. Shape the dough into 24 balls or desired rolls and place in prepared baking pan, sheets, or in muffin cups.** Cover and let rise in a warm place until nearly double in size (about 30 minutes).
5. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes for individual rolls or 20 minutes for pan rolls or until golden. Immediately remove rolls from pans. Cool on wire racks.
6. Makes 24 rolls

Beef Stew

Recipe from: Campbell's Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds beef for stew, cut into 1-inch pieces Ground black pepper 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 tablespoon vegetable oil 1 pounds medium potatoes, cut into cubes (about 3 cups)4 medium carrots, sliced (about 2 cups)2 medium onions, cut into wedges4 cloves garlic, minced3 1/4 cups Swanson® Beef Stock 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves, crushed1 bay leaf 1 cup thawed frozen peas
Directions:
Season the beef with black pepper. Coat the beef with 2 tablespoons of the flour. Heat the oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef in 2 batches and cook until it's well browned, stirring often.
Place the potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic into a 5-quart slow cooker. Top with the beef. Add 3 cups of the stock, Worcestershire, thyme and bay leaf.
Cover and cook on LOW for 10 to 11 hours* or until the beef is fork-tender. Remove and discard the bay leaf.
Stir the remaining flour and stock in a small bowl until the mixture is smooth. Stir the flour mixture and peas in the cooker. Increase the heat to HIGH. Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the mixture boils and thickens.
*Or on HIGH 5 to 6 hours

Patrick Swayze

Patrick Swayze 1952-2009

The star of 'Ghost' and 'Dirty Dancing' , has died at the age of 57 after a battle with pancreatic cancer. He was such a good actor. I don't know too many woman who haven't seen Dirty Dancing. That movie left him with the classic line that nobody will forget 'Nobody puts Baby in the corner'.

He appeared in the September 2008 live television event "Stand Up to Cancer," where he made this moving plea: "I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, a life not lived in the shadow of cancer, but in the light. ... I dream that the word 'cure' will no longer be followed by the words 'is impossible.'"

How Big Is Baby?

This website has this 'how big is baby index'. It is really neat! It kind of gives you an example of how big your baby is. Some of the fruits and vegetables seem like they can be bigger or smaller than what they are listed on the website though. I think it all depends what part of the country you are from! I can't believe I am already 18 weeks along!!!

Your fetus has become amazingly mobile (at least compared to you), passing the hours yawning, hiccuping, rolling, twisting, kicking, punching, sucking and swallowing. And, baby's finally big enough that you'll be able to feel those movements soon.

This Week!!

I have various projects that I want to get done this week. Since Matt won't be here all week I figured I will need a few things to keep me busy!
--Touch up paint around the house (I was going to do this on Saturday, but my headache didn't allow me to :)
-- I need to freeze more peppers! I think this will be my last round of pepper to freeze, they have done so good this year!
-- Sort all my books from the book sale.
-- Try to tackle the spare bedroom! It is kind of just getting stacked with stuff. We haven't really bought anything for the baby yet. I figured we can wait until we know what we are having, and then start on the nursery. But I want to have that whole room cleaned out before I start on the nursery!
-- Sort my yard sale stuff. I have a BUNCH of clothes to sell..or they are going to Goodwill!!
-- Do more tye dyeing. I have a lot of t-shirts for me, some onsies, and some baby t-shirts.
-- I also want to drag out all my sewing projects out. They are such a good project to work on in the evenings.

Hopefully I can get some of these things done!

Weekend Recap!!

Friday-- I went into town and Mom and I went to get more pumpkins for my fall display. After that I walked around town with Mom and Malinda. I got home fairly early and Matt and I watched a movie.

Saturday-- Had a migraine again. I think this is at least the third once since I became pregnant. Not that they are caused from being pregnant. I have had migraines ever since I was a little kid. But I have gotten into the habit of taking something stronger than Tylenol. Which is the only thing I can take. This one lasted about all day. It will all be worth it in the end though!!

Sunday-- Got up and went to church. On my way into town my low tire pressure light came on. So I hated to drive it to the church and have it go flat up there. So I drove down to Mom and Dad's house. I decided just to walk to church from their house. It was an awful nice walk! And I made it to church just in time! After church we had a dinner. Pulled pork and smoked chicken! ---very good!! We visited and all had a good time! Matt came to this dinner, so it was nice to have him there!

After the dinner I went down to Mom and Dad's house and Dad aired up my tire. Then I went to my house to do a few chores and work on my fall stuff. That evening I went into town to walk. I came home fairly early and enjoyed the rest of the evening with Matt. He left for Michigan this morning with his job. He will be gone until Friday. It is going to be quiet around the house! But I think the animals will keep me company!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!!

My First Journey in Maternity Clothes

Yesterday, after my doctors appointment (which went wonderful!...we find out what we are having on October 1st!!), Mom and I went to do a little shopping. I needed new jeans really bad. I had it in my head that I was just going to get the regular kind, but in a bigger size. Mom convinced me to at least try on a pair of maternity ones. I will admit that I was a little skeptical about wearing maternity jeans. Especially when I saw the wide elastic comfort band. But when I tried them on, I was proved wrong. I had an instant smile and I though to myself "Damn, these are comfortable". When I came out of the dressing room, I told Mom "Why didn't you tell me about how comfortable these were? I should of been buying maternity jeans a long time ago."

So, my journey to the maternity section went fantastic! I am very pleased with the outcome!! :)

Weekend Plans

This weekend is going to be uneventful compared to last weekend!!

Tonight- I am going to do some house cleaning after work. And then come into town and walk later in the evening.

Saturday- I don't have anything planned. But I would like to get some things done around the house. Such as: touching up some paint around the house, cleaning the garage, washing/vacuuming my car, working on fall stuff around the house and other miscellaneous stuff!

Sunday- After church there is a church dinner that I am going to attend. They are making pulled pork and smoked chicken. My dad is the BEST smoker/barbecuer/griller ever!!--So I am really looking forward to the dinner! :)
After the dinner, I plan on not doing too much at all!! Matt is leaving for Michigan sometime Sunday. He will be gone until Friday. So I will have the house to myself, I do think I am going to get really bored though!! Luckily he is coming home early enough that we will have enough time to go to Branson next weekend!!! I can't wait!!! When I know more details I will let you all know!!! :)

I hope everyone has a great weekend!!!!

8 Years Ago...

Where were you 8 years ago today, when you found out about the terrorist attacks? I can remember exactly where I was. I was in my Mom's history class. We were playing jeopardy. I was the score keeper that time, and I even remember that I was wearing a Metallica shirt (one of my favorites). Two of the gifted students that were in my grade came in and told the class that two planes just flew into the twin towers. Seemed kind of surreal at the moment. Later we found out about the Flight 77 that flew into the Pentagon, and the selfless passengers in Flight 93 gave their lives and fought the hijackers to save other possible lives. Pastor Karen gave a short passage about the attacks on Sunday. I can't remember the whole thing, but it was very moving. We had a moment of silence at 9:11 in front of the court house. We prayed and sang God Bless America. Kinda crazy to think how many lives were affected by the attacks. September 11th, 2001, is a day that changed America forever.

Fun Facts!

Here are some fun facts about today's date: 9-9-09!

*The date falls on a Wednesday in September, both of which have 9 letters.

*September 9 also is the 252nd day of the year. 2+5+2

*In addition, if you multiply a single-digit number by 9, the resulting two digits add up to 9. Consider: 8x9

*In China, more than 10,000 couples were expected to register their marriages in Beijing on Wednesday and 6,000 more couples were set to tie the knot in Shanghai -- even though it's a weekday, said the Xinhua news agency.

In Malaysia, more than 500 ethnic Chinese couples married at a Buddhist temple in Kuala Lumpur.

That's because Chinese culture considers the number nine auspicious. In major Chinese dialects, the word for "nine" sounds similar to "long lasting."

*Marriage also will be on the mind of many around the world who hope the date will translate to a life on cloud nine.

Crazy to think that the next single-digit date won't roll around for 92 years -- until 1/1/2101!!

My New Love!

I have a new favorite snack! I am absolutely in love with white chocolate Reese cups! They have been around a while now, but I kind of forgot they existed! They are so much better than the regular kind! They consist of two of my favorite things, white chocolate and peanut butter! If you haven't tried them yet, you should give them a try!!

Coming Up...

Tonight I want to get my fall display up. I love fall! Everything is so pretty with the trees changing. I also want to run by the cemetery and wash off my Grandpa's gravestone. He has a black stone, and it just needs rinsed off every now and then.

Thursday I have a doctors appointment. Mom is going with me this time. Matt originally thought that he would be in Michigan this week, but that got put back until next week. But they are just drawing blood this time, so I decided to have mom still go with me and we can do some shopping afterwards! I was invited to a tastefully simple party that evening, but I don't know if I will back in time, so I will have to miss this one. Thursday is also the day the Tour of Missouri is coming through town!

Other than that, my week is going to consist of walking around town, playing with Rascal, and relaxing!

Have a good week everyone!!

Weekend Review!

I did so much this weekend, I will try to remember the basics!

Friday- Mom, Dad and I went to the fair, even though it was raining. The cancelled the tractor pull, so we just ate, looked at the barn, and checked out the exhibits again.

Saturday- Matt and I headed into the annual parade that morning. We sat in a new spot this year. We decided to sit by Malinda's new house in town. It sure was different watching it from a different location! The parade was fun! Afterwards, Malinda, Mom and I all went to the book sale in town. It was the last day, so all books were $1 a bag. I used my years in retail to help me bag all our books into one bag! That evening we went back to the fair to watch the demolition derby. My two cousins were in it, and my brother in law was riding with one of them. It was a lot of fun! I don't think I've ever watched the whole derby before.

Sunday- After church, Mom, Dad, Matt and I all headed to the Freeburg Picnic. We got Malinda and Mat carryouts since Malinda had a headache and didn't feel like going. The food was fantastic! They have the best roast beef ever! Thanks Mom and Dad for Dinner! :)

After we got back I did some house cleaning. Then around 6:00, Malinda and Mat picked me up to take the dogs to the river. We roasted hot dogs over the fire. Mom and Dad stayed the night down at the cabin. We didn't stay too late. I was pretty tired when we got home.

Monday (Labor Day)- Did some laundry in the morning. Around 12:30, I went into town to meet Malinda and Mat to go to Columbia. I didn't need anything, I was just kinda along for the ride! We went to Bass Pro, Sam's, and Walmart. We ate dinner at Pizza Hut. By the time we got home I was drained! Today was also my Grandma's and my mother in law's birthday!

I hope everyone had a great weekend!! :)

Here are a few news stories I have been reading on this week.

Susan Atkins was denied parole for the 13th time. She was a member of the 'Manson Family'. She stabbed Sharon Tate 16 times. She is dying of terminal brain cancer. The story of the Manson Family is an interesting one. Hard to believe people can be manipulated into killing people for another person. In my opinion she shouldn't get parole. She should of that about the consequences before she took another life.

Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped in 1991 when she was 11, and held captive until last week, is doing fine. Her, her daughters (who are fathered by her abductor), her mother and her little sister are all at a secluded place so they can get to know each other again. I can't imagine being held captive for that long. How scary that had to be for an 11 year old. What a strong person you would have to be to overcome that. Hopefully she and her daughters can eventually live a normal life.

A local woman was found gulity of 2nd degree murder in the case of her toddler son. His father is also charged with murder, his hearing is in December. How someone could hurt and torture a child, especially their own, I will never understand.

Crazy to think people can commit crimes as horrendous as these. I would be scared if it was me, when these people face their final judgment someday.

This weekend is going to be busy!

Tonight and tomorrow night I will be attending the fair. We have went the last two nights and we all had a lot of fun! Of course I will be going to the parade on Saturday, and maybe catch some candy :) .

Sunday is the Freeburg Picnic. I'm not sure if we are going yet, but I would like to!

Monday I have the day off!! Can't wait!! I don't have any plans, but it is my day off, I don't need to have it planned out!!

Tuesday I should be rested after a long weekend and ready to go back to work!

I hope everyone has a safe and fun Labor Day weekend!

Vacation

Matt and I are thinking about taking a short vacation on our anniversary weekend. Right now, we are thinking Branson. But we haven't decided for sure yet. We are thinking about leaving on Friday the 18th and coming back on Sunday night or Monday morning. I can't believe that we have been married a year already! Time goes by so fast! I will keep you informed on on 'get away' details!

The Duggars

On msn this morning I read how the Duggars are going to have yet another child. This will be their 19th! Not that I have anything against them having almost 20 kids, it is just that how do they get to spend enough time getting to know their children? I can't imagine having 19 kids, that would be way too much to handle, and not to mention the cost. Their oldest son and his wife are expecting their first child in October, that will be their first grandchild. I don't think I'd be too excited about my mom being pregnant the same time as me! I think I will stick with 2 or 3!