Thursday, October 13, 2011

Slacker

I'm sorry for my absence, there is no excuse honestly... sighhhh.... here's yet another quick update on The Reynolds and fingers crossed this will be the last one as I will get back to regular postage!

1.)  It's October already? This year is flying by!
2.) My husband turned 26, love my old man :) he wanted to keep it low key this year so we had dinner at the house and watched a movie.
3.) Buddy Dog became mischievous one night while we were gone...and J left him out again one after this devastation and he ripped it up even more. We love him of course but not trust him right now to stay out of his kennel when we aren't home... poor guy.


4.) While Buddy Dog did destroy the couch, we still had couch time a few days later when J went to bed a little early. He looks very great danesque doesn't he?

5.) My sweet Grandmother is continuing to progress towards meeting Jesus which I'm sad and glad for all at once. Please pray that when she does go it's painless and hopefully in her sleep.
6.) Clemson is still undefeated! Holla... :)
7.) J bought me mums for the house and I finished my fall wreath! I need to take a picture...
8.) J installed our glass door and it looks amazing and lets so much more light into the house when we're home!

For now that is all. I'll post more pictures later!

Thursday, September 29, 2011

Busy!

I'm back! I can't believe it's been over a week since I've posted. We've been busy is an understatement... so updates of note:
  1. My Grandmother is getting worse by the day and I'm hoping it won't be long now til she gets to meet Jesus, I've been to see her twice this week. She's sleeping a lot. Please pray for her!
  2. Work has gotten super busy and when I've come home I haven't wanted to be on the computer at all. Praise the Lord tomorrow is Friday!
  3. My doctor's appointment today seemed to go well. The therapy treatment should help, fingers crossed no surgery!
  4. Buddy almost ate J's birthday present that came in the mail today. It seems he's still not old enough for us to leave him out in the house while we're gone.
  5. Speaking of birthday presents... I ended up telling J I bought him tickets to the ACC championship in December.. I'm so bad with surprises, it's weakness. It's usually why I wait til the last minute to buy something so I won't end up getting so excited and telling him.
  6. We tailgated last weekend in Clemson and watched as they beat Florida State. We had a blast with Boone and Nic! J found a new tailgating game online called Hammerscholgen which was a huge hit with anyone who saw us playing it :)
  7. We're going to Scarowinds tomorrow night with my family minus my Mom. She scares easily. Super pumped to hang out/spend time with the siblings and Dad!
  8. I'm taking my MIL and Grandmother in law to see my Grandma on Saturday morning. Grandma Reynolds is going to play some hymns for Grandma :) and then we're going to Trader Jo's, I've never been so it's going to be fun. Glad to spend some time with them, with the new job it seems I don't get to do it enough with any of our family members. J is heading to Columbia for the USC game with some his friends.
  9. Sunday we went to the Panther's game courtesy of a contractor J works with. I was so excited since I've never been and have always wanted to go! It poured but we stayed dry and watch the whole game.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Sha, sha, shake it...

 
I bought this cute little number off of Amazon for $4 plus shipping. I’m going to keep it on our sofa table in the living room for a mail holder since we don’t currently have a place for mail and it gets tossed around quite a bit. 

I made bacon burgers last night for dinner and we watched Thor, really healthy I know I know. Thor was FANTASTIC! Our Monday was pretty slow, BUT I came home and J had bought me a surprise! During the day I asked for a hint and he replied with, “You’ve said you wanted one of these.” I was lost until I got home and saw...

...a Shake Weight in the living room!!!!!!!!

And no, you may not judge my desire for one or the fact that I own one like Sarah B. from work did earlier today. “You really wanted one of those? Why don’t you use regular weights?” Oh Sarah, I’m hoping to show you up :) Well, I used it this morning and followed the DVD, guess we’ll see what happens over the next few weeks!

Monday, September 19, 2011

The way you look tonight

Rachel and Brandon’s wedding was beautiful! Congrats you two, I can’t wait to see what happens in the years to come…. Maybe some babies?! (Side note: I know I was in my sister in laws wedding in August and never posted any pictures but no pictures have appeared on Facebook for me to post, I’m hoping she’ll post some soon!)


I’m so glad that I got to be a part of their special day and while I’m sad to see them leave Charlotte for good, I’m kind of jealous that they’re going to Seattle to live.
Before I met J, I never had any intentions of living anywhere near where I grew up. I wanted to stay in Greenville or move to GA and go to grad school and then move to some big city and be a graphic designer. That seems like a lifetime ago to me sometimes when in reality it was only 3 years ago. Yes, I still want to go to Grad school but I think that’s a dream I’m probably never going to be able to fulfill due to the fact that school is expensive and we’re still suffering from my undergrad expenses…
While Grad school may never happen, I really don’t think I want to live the rest of our lives here in Rock Hill. My opinion on the subject changes on a weekly basis I think. Sometimes I can’t imagine living or being anywhere else and other days I want to go somewhere new, just J and I to start a life all on own. Who knows what in store, all I know is that this is the plan I think God always had for me--- to meet J and move here and get married. I’ve had a lot of amazing opportunities here, so I shouldn’t complain. I can’t wait to see what other adventures he has for us!
Few things to note from the weekend:
1.) I splintered my cell phone screen, again.
2.) I’m ready for my hair to be dark again. I’m over being somewhat blonde.
3.) Clemson won and ended Auburn’s 16 game winning streak, GO TIGERS!
4.) We watched Eat, Pray, Love this weekend… my opinion is still pending. It was good from the whole, let’s find myself stand point and not take on the persona of the current guy I’m seeing but bad from the whole guru Hinduism thing as well as leaving her husband simply because she didn’t want to be married anymore.
5.) I’m thoroughly enjoying the colder weather (except in a strapless, tea length dress on Sat night…) and I’m sad that it’s supposed to be hot again this weekend.

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Today is Thursday and as the trend with the past few Thursdays, I’m drawing a blank for what to blog about. I need to come up with a topic for Thursdays, any thoughts? Anything you followers want to hear about? Your input would be lovely :)
A few things I am certain of today: 
1.) I need a beer maybe two or three.
2.) Work was a massive pain the side today and I’m ready for the weekend.   
3.) I love my husband more than he’ll ever know, he’s so encouraging! 
4.) I saw my Grandma today; it wasn’t a good day for her. I’m going to miss her when she’s gone… probably the hardest thing I’m ever going to experience in my life is losing her. 
5.) I can’t wait to see Rachel Steele get married on Saturday!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Pinteresting...

I can't believe it's only Wednesday of this week... it's dragging on. Anyways, check out my favorite Pins from this week. 

Gorgeous isn't it? Soooo ready for the leaves to change!

I want the hanging mums on our porch!

I bought the orange burlap yesterday to make something similar to this :)

Love the Monogrammed pumpkin and yellow and purple mums

I'm making two of these for the living room. I went a little nuts in hobby lobby yesterday. 


Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Yummy dessert!

J and I went to Dana and Patrick's for the South Carolina/Georgia game and dinner on Saturday. I was in charge of dessert and side dish, so I looked through my Pinterest Recipes and decided on Carmel Cheesecake Apple Dip.... (insert Borat's voice here) great success!Great dessert for tailgating or parties :) and super, super easy too.

Caramel Cheesecake Apple Dip

Ingredients:
12 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature (I used and 8oz package since that's all I could find at the store)
3 Tbs. heavy cream
1/4 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla

Caramel sauce (recipe below) or store bought
Heath milk chocolate pieces
mini chocolate chips (I used regular)
2-4 Granny Smith or other crisp tart apples, sliced and soaking in lemon juice/water until ready to serve (Soaked mine in Ginger Ale and Lime Juice, worked just as good)

Place softened cream cheese in a mixing bowl and beat on medium speed until smooth. Scrap down the sides of the bowl. Add the heavy cream and powdered sugar, mix well, until smooth. .Place the cream cheese mixture in serving dish smooth with the back of a spoon (If you dip the spoon into warm water before you start to smooth the cream cheese, it will be much easier to spread.) Spoon on a layer of caramel. Sprinkle with a layer of chocolate chips and the Health pieces. (I put the chocolate pieces and Heath Bar down first and then put the Carmel on top) How much you use is up to you but don't go to overboard or you may have trouble spreading the top layer of cream cheese. Place in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes.

Monday, September 12, 2011

"Let's roll..."

This is the first weekend in a long time that we’ve been pretty busy and I could tell it was wearing on Jeremy yesterday afternoon. I wanted to go kayaking but decided to hang out at the house since some rest and relaxation was in order. 

We watched the two hour 9/11 special on National Geographic, and while I’m not a huge history buff by any means, I was enthralled with the program and it really spoke to me. I can’t believe it’s been ONLY 10 years since one of our nation’s biggest tragedies, it seems like it’s been a lot longer than that. I was 14 years old when it happened, walking into my first block class and Eric told me that a plane hit a building in NY. We walked into Coach Moore’s Social Studies class and sat in silence and watched everything unfold. I’ll never forget watching the second plane hit the other tower, we were all in shock. The local news said they were evacuating the Bank of America in Charlotte, so I did know that my Dad would be safe. 


As we watched the show, J started talking about how proud he was of the passengers on Flight 93 and how if a situation like that every happened to him he would do the exact same thing. I wasn’t really shocked when he said it; I know for sure that he would do what those men did, die trying to save other people. Holy cow though, that would be so hard. To not have your husband anymore but to know he died trying to save others and himself. I teared up as we watched the widows of the three men who stormed the cabin of 93 talk about the last conversations they had with their husbands. One of them said after one of the calls with her husband she went and threw up. One of the other ladies said, her husband call her and he told her loved her and tell the baby (who was only 4 months) how much he loved her too and that they were going to storm the cabin for her to hang on the phone and as he put it down she heard him say ‘Let’s roll…’ I can’t even imagine going through something like that but when I try I get choked up.

Thursday, September 8, 2011

So fresh and so clean, clean


I started using a new Suave shampoo this morning and it smells wonderful. I have become quite the Suave connoisseur since all of their products smell fantastic, work wonders on my hair and don’t cost me an arm and a leg. While I have been using their Sleek and Smooth Shampoo since junior year of college and I loved it, I decided it was time to change it up a bit…

 So I bought one of their natural’s series, Almond and Shea Butter Hydrating. So far so good this morning :) J and I use the same shampoo, I’m curious to see what he says about the change…


I started using anti-frizz serum about a year and half ago since I got some from my mom, it was Garnier and when I ran out and went to buy more I about had a heart attack when I saw how much it was. Therefore I walked over to the trusty Suave products and figured I would try out theirs, and lo and behold for $2.27 at WalMart I have found yet another Suave product I love!


When I’m being lazy and don’t want to straighten my mop of hair, I use Suave’s Captivating Curls Mousse. It holds my kinky curls all day long… 
 In other words, I highly recommend Suave products, especially if you're on a budget!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Buddy Update :)

 My Buddy is so pretty :) No more cone! Hopefully this time will be the last for him for forever!

The boys pretty much play fought all weekend and week. Buddy kind of looks like a devil dog if you look closely at his eyes. They're ridiculous!

Monday, September 5, 2011

Reality Check

I love 3 day weekends and as I've stated before, I wish that we had 3 day weekends all the time! J and I had lots of quality time together, this is obviously my favorite and it's why I married my best friend :) We cooked, cleaned, watched football and movies, went to church, saw Grams & Allie, had friends over, organized the house some, did laundry, etc. We accomplished a lot and the house is as always coming together more and more and because of our efforts!

The biggest accomplishment of the weekend was catching up on my tithing for  the past 4 months.

If you know me at all you know that I can be what some people call cheap frugal. I've never been the best tipper even though I worked in the service industry for a bit and I loathe paying full price for stuff unless I absolutely have to (aka the biggest reason for my love of Craigslist). I've had a job since I was almost 16, my parents raised me to understand the value of dollar and that if you want something you have to work for it. For example: I paid my parents back for a car I wrecked for over a year after the wreck. I paid for car insurance up until college (Dad lovingly paid it through college as a present)

Since I've had a job, I've always had bills (aka: cell phone, car insurance, gas...) and I pride myself on the fact that I've worked hard and paid for all of the bills I ever had. I never got a credit card until about a year ago and this has kept me free and clear from that trap of credit card debt that so many people get sucked into. I feel that my parents really started to prepare me monetarily for adulthood when I was 16, although it was hard and sometimes it was a struggle to see other people not having to work like I did. Dare I say jealousy at times? Yes, it happened I'm human, but I will be forever grateful to them for enstoring in me a good work ethic.
My hang up with tithing started way back: For as long as I can remember, my Dad had always gotten onto me about tithing. I needed to do it more and to give the percentage that God asks us to give back to Him. This has ALWAYS been one of my biggest struggles and for the life of me I can't figure out why. I've always known that I needed to I just never did, I feel like it was a lack of trust in God on my part. That if I tithed then there wouldn't be enough money for bills or gas or if I wanted to do stuff with friends.


When J and I started attending Elevation we discovered that tithing was an issue for both of us. We decided in September of last year that we would hold each other accountable to it. You see our church had put it in a light that I had never really seen, maybe I wasn't mature enough yet to understand or maybe I was just plain blind: The money I was making was never mine to begin with, God blessed me with a job and if it wasn't for Him I wouldn't have any money in the first place.

We did great for the first few months, it became a fun thing to talk about and we got excited to go online and give to the Lord. (PS I really want a shirt that says, 'Listen, I tithe online' to wear on Sundays.) We saw the Lord really bless our lives as a result of being faithful in giving back to Him: J got a full time job here in Charlotte, we got engaged and were able to have enough money to pay for our wedding and go on a fabulous honeymoon, we found J an affordable car, we purchased our first home, etc.

Once the wedding was over and we were getting settled into the house, I slipped out of the routine of tithing. I kept making excuses to myself, 'Oops you forgot to tithe again, just catch up next week. No biggie.' Well those weeks turned into 4 months....

With the launch of the new Elevation Rock Hill campus next week, we really felt the need to contribute! As the leader of our home, J asked when the last time I tithed and we logged on to find out it hadn't been since April. So, with some talking and encouragement from my loving husband, I caught up on tithing for the past 4 months. And man it was hard!  It was a lot of money, so it was super hard for me being the tight wad that I am. J said, 'Babe, remember it was never your money anyway.' I'm still thinking about it today, but I know that we made the right decision. I want to be in the will of God, I want to further his Kingdom----especially here in Rock Hill.

All of this to say, I can't wait for Elevation Rock Hill to start next week, I can't wait to see what happens! As a couple we're still going to continue to hold each other accountable to tithing, especially as we're trying to pay off student loan debt and J's car. We've decided that tithing is our first "bill" of every pay check we receive.

Sorry this was so long and personal, but it's been on my heart for a few days and writing it out makes it even more real to me, it's been quite a reality check too. Hope you've all had a great Labor Day Weekend!

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Feels like it should be Friday already, this week has drug by, probably because we have Monday off of work! Praise the Lord for Labor Day, I'm really hoping to hit up Ikea on Monday.

I stuffed myself at our team breakfast at IHop, I'm in a food haze currently. I got 2 pancakes, hashbrowns, 2 strips of bacon and scrambled eggs (which I didn't eat, eww) for $4.99. Not too shabby IHop, not too shabby. 

Monday means the end of summer. I'm so ready for fall to get here aka scarf season, boots, cardigans, fires outside, football, soups and chili, pajama pants, North Face jackets, mums and pumpkins, Halloween and Thanksgiving, apple cider and hot chocolate.... the list could go on. It's been quiet chilly in the mornings when I take Buddy out and like the McDonald's commercial says, 'I'm lovin' it' (don't mind me and my cheesy line)

Today is pretty boring, hence the short, weird blog post.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

What I'm loving Wednesday

It's that time again :)  Happy Wednesday to you!

1.) Water, yes, yes the good ole' H2O. I drink so much while I'm at work, thanks to my handy dandy Yodle water bottle they give us, I have to use the bathroom every hour on the hour it seems.
2.) The Banana Bread Cupcakes I made last night. Sadly no pictures but they are going to be excellent for breakfast for the next week. I had some banana's going bad so I bought some mix (yes took the easy way out) and nuts and made a batch. They're fantastic! J didn't try them, he's not the biggest fan of my sweet treats it seems.
3.) Jacket Sale Forever 21 is having this week.... Love the Bomber one in gray!
4.) My Almay Eyeliner for Blue Eyes... LOVE it! Really makes blue eye pop and goes on smooth.  

5.) Opening weekend of College Football starts on Friday! Which reminds me, I need an orange scarf for this season hmmmm..........


Tuesday, August 30, 2011

1/3 of a year

 Can't believe we've been married for 4 months today!

Look at that stud of a husband :)

Monday, August 29, 2011

Flippity FLOP

So I tried another Pinterest recipe this weekend which was a total flop, Strawberry Angel Cookies

While they looked divine on the website...

They did not look so divine when I tried to make them.
The recipe says to not add milk or water, well none of my mixture was congealing what-so-ever so I added a little bit of milk. Apparently that was a bad idea and they turned out more like pancakes and I honestly didn't like the taste either. J said well, this is your first cooking flop since we've been together. I guess that's not too shabby huh? Have any of you have any Food Flops lately? Share them, won't you?

We had a fun laid back weekend again and for those I'm so thankful! We started our subscription to Netflix too, you can't beat $7.99 a month. I know that we spent more on RedBox so I think this is a good move for us.

J got his man cave all set up, Football season here we come. Our Friday and Saturday will be filled with football, purple, orange and nothing else this weekend and being the good wife I am, I can't wait :) I think I'm going to make BBQ for Friday night--- crock pot it up a bit and then on Saturday I'm thinking finger food goodness all day! I'll keep you posted on the status of my menu for the weekend, I'm pretty excited about cooking! Which teams are you pulling for this weekend?

Friday, August 26, 2011

Another one bites the dust...

Another week that is, hello Friday and the weekend!

We're heading to dinner tonight with my sister, brother in law and mother in law. Pretty psyched to see them all, it's been a few weeks since I've seen any of them, no idea where we're headed fun dinner but I really want a grilled chicken salad at dinner tonight. I've been craving greens lately, this is a good thing my friends.

I went to the doctor yesterday and the good news is that I got a good report, he says I'm very healthy although I'm going to have to go in for a few therapy treatments to help with some pain I've been having. The bad news (sorta) I got so sick while talking to the doctor about my body that I didn't go in to work yesterday. I felt like a pansy, but this isn't the first time something like this has happened. I can remember the first time it did, 6th Health Class. I walked out and threw up, and last year it happened too and the year before, etc. Maybe I'll grow out of it one day. BUT J and I were so very thankful for the good report :) I've been stressing about it and my face is definitely showing that aka the break out from hell.

J bought me a paddle finally for the kayak, it'll be our first kayak adventure together tomorrow morning! I'm stoked :)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Had lunch with my Grandma today :) It made me day! Love her so much 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Steak and Potatoes

The Reynolds grilled out last night :) We had marinated some steak on Saturday to eat on Sunday night but ended up waiting til last night. I found a new potato recipe yesterday on Pinterest, decided to try it and while it wasn't the biggest hit with J, I really liked them!



Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

2 large potatoes, scrubbed
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning
1 tsp salt
4 Tbsp Parmesan cheese

Slice potatoes into very thin slices (1/4 inch). big ziploc bag to coat the potatoes. Toss potatoes with olive oil, Italian seasoning and salt in a ziplock bag to coat.  Place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with foil. Bake at 450 for 15 -20 minutes, until lightly brown.  Top with Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 5 minutes. 

Monday, August 22, 2011

Why can't we do this every weekend?

This past weekend was so much fun, I wish every weekend could be like it!

Friday night I had dinner with Rachel and Joanna at Mac's in Charlotte. I had the 1/2 order of wings with fries and two beers for $13 with tax and tip. Not too shabby if you ask me :) It was so much fun to catch up and hear all about Rachel's wedding coming up in September. She's very much ready to just 'BE' with Brandon, you see he's in the army and has been stationed in Seattle for the past few months. I have the honor of being a part  of her special day and I couldn't be happier for them!


Saturday I went grocery shopping and then asked J if he would go to Big Lots with me to pick up some of the Febreeze air freshener refills. Well, we only went for the air fresheners but ended up coming home with new curtains and curtain rods too--- we were sadly disappointed at how much we spent on curtains the weekend before at Target for J's man cave and we couldn't take them back :( Look at the beauties we found for the dinning room! Yes, I know I had originally wanted Roman Shades but I love these just as much and at a fraction of the cost of Roman Shades, $36 for the RED curtains and the rods.... please and thank you Big Lots!

Don't judge the camera phone pictures :)

Saturday night I made BBQ ham sandwiches and apple sauce for dinner. Super easy recipe that J loves! Then we headed over to Dana and Patricks and let me tell you, the best time was had by all! Over drinks and cigars on their back deck I feel like we became even closer. I treasure the friendship we have with them and I hope we can make this a monthly occurrence! We got there right after 7 and didn't leave til almost 1 and I swear there was not an awkward moment of silence to be had. We laughed, shared stories, encouragement etc. I'm so thankful for nights like these! It's not like we're in college anymore, where you blare loud music, play beer pong and do drinking games. I'm not really into the big groups of people thing anymore it seems, actually I never really was to begin with. Just sitting outside with a drink in hand, laughing and carrying on is my favorite! I think we're out growing it, which sad and exciting all at once. I feel like we're outgrowing a lot of things, things really do change when you get married. 

Me and Dana, again camera phone pic :) but isn't she the cutest Mom you've ever seen? 

Although I did yet again learn, liquor is not my friend. My poor husband, he's the best honestly for putting up with  my crazy self. I cried about being a hot mess on liquor when we got home, so I've decided no more liquor for me and that Buddy ate the Bread gave me to eat.Which made me laugh hard on Sunday when J told me about that. I'm sticking to wine or beer when we go out! 

Since we worked on our budget last weekend, we have officially paid off my Honda :)  Makes me so proud! We're working on becoming debt free, I honestly want to try to have no debt except the mortgage before we have kids and I think we can really do it! Yes I have huge student loans but we've been listening to Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and we're following his advice and I'm praying that God will help us to be wise with money. 

Friday, August 19, 2011

Twinning!

I stayed up last night and watched Jersey Shore and learned a new word, "Twinning!" (I'm sure it's on Urban Dictionary already) I'm so not jealous of their lives, they're all ridiculously messed up but entertaining none the less.I got sucked into Jersery Shore in the first season, it's my weakness on Thursday's honestly but once Grey's returns I'll be set straight!

I can't believe that this work week is pretty much done already. I'm headed to dinner with some girlfriends tonight, can't wait!We're going to Mac's on Tryon, I'm hoping it's got good food and GREAT Happy Hour specials.


I'm hoping SteffieFresh joins us, I think she's sleeping right now!

J and I are hanging out with Dana and Patrick tomorrow, so excited to finally see them... I'm hoping we can get a glimpse of Whit before he goes to bed :) It's been about a month since I've seen him!


Thursday, August 18, 2011

Fly by...

Holy cow. It's 4:30 already, my day has literally flown by and my head is kind of spinning.

My morning started out with two huge meetings at work, then all the girls at work had asked to see our wedding photos so I emailed out a PowerPoint of pictures and they all seemed to really like the pictures and how much DIY stuff we did :) As you know this basically made my day by like 11.


Then my day got even better when my sweet husband asked me to lunch and I got to meet his friend Chad from work. We went to eat at Sauceman's in Charlotte. We were recommended the Sauceman Original with Turkey since they were out of Pork for the day. (Side note: It was a BBQ place, how in the world were they out of Pork?) Superb choice! The Sauceman Original was a sandwich on Texas Toast with 3 very thick pieces of smoked Turkey (J raved about how good the meat smelled and tasted) tomato and onion rings AND we dipped it in their amazing ranch as we opted out of the recommended Cranberry Honey dip. FYI: I am a ranch junkie, I like to think of myself as a ranch connoisseur. The sandwich was huge, I ate a half and then half of a half and I was completely full. You don't need sides at this place otherwise you'll feel like a 'fatty.' I highly recommend Sauceman's! J and Chad are going to take me back there when they actually have pork available, they say it's amazing. I'll let you know!

I described my lunch to Sarah who said I was 'Talking dirty' to her about food. She's getting married in October and as you know with all brides not gaining weight before the wedding is imperative, I was there a few short months ago so I can totally relate.

I'm ready to head home to my little family :)