Top: all bundled up x2 / chevron maxi
Middle: cuddling with daddy / snow / mint nails
Bottom: Brad and Abby / my little buddy <3 br="">
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Thursday, February 21, 2013
SPD ~ Pin That! ~ Winter Maxi
Ok, this is my quit addition of SPD. And no, this is not my best one. I even contemplated just forgetting the whole idea. It's Thursday, and I have been non-stop this week! Monday was 7:30 am-9:00 pm (work then class), Tuesday was 7:30 am-8:30 pm (work then dance class), and Wednesday was 7:30 am-9:00 pm (work then tons of errands and gym). Yikes! I'm exhausted and have some much needed couch and DVR time coming up soon!
Anywho, here's my SPD for this week! This is also my first "fashion" SPD. Now, do I love clothes and fashion? Yes. Absolutely. Do I claim to be a fashionista? Absolutely NOT. I try. That's about it. Thank the stars for Pinterest though!!
Here's the original outfit from Pinterest...
Originally from here.
And here is my version. I love the originals yellow scarf, but I don't have one! So, I used my own colors!
And yes, I know this picture is teeerrrrible.
The end!
Happy Thursday!
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Gym, Sushi, and Cricket ~ First Things First
Happy Tuesday! Personally, Tuesday has not traditionally been an easy day for me. I am, somehow, always exhausted after Mondays! Uuummm, maybe it's because I work 8-5 pm and then run right over to my class, from 5-10:30 pm! Yikes...that makes for a long day! The again, Tuesday nights are our Swing Dance Class, which I love!!
So, I found this link-up this morning and thought it was a cute idea. Just another "get to know me" post. Somehow, I think this one could have a few laughs thrown in there...
First Thing I do at the Gym:
~Oh the gym. If you know me, you know I'm addicted to the gym. I don't think that's a bad thing at all! The first thing I do at the gym, normally, is warm up. When Brad and I are lifting weights, we try to warm up our bodies on the treadmill or elliptical for at least 10 minutes. This gets your blood flowing and your body moving around. Then we usually warm up the muscle group we are working on by stretching it out. This habit is something that's really important if you don't want to injure yourself!!
First Date with my Husband:
~My husband and I had *the best first date* of all of both of our dating histories. My husband and I met at the gym on a Monday night in early December 2010. We talked after working out every single night that week. On Friday, he finally asked me out on a dinner date. He picked me up at my house Saturday night and we drove to gorgeous downtown Greenville, South Carolina (where we previously lived). We started out at Tsunami, a sushi restaurant. We started with edemame, had a glass of wine, and lots of yummy sushi. After that, we were having such a good time, Brad took me to a snazzy wine bar down the street called, Stellar. He ordered us a bottle of wine and we sat there until 12:00 am talking. It was amazing how well the conversation went that night. Everything we talked about, we had something in common. We thought the same way, had the same morals/ideals, had the same religious beliefs, and had the same type of upbringing. Love at first date! Brad was such a gentleman. He dropped my off with a hug (knowing I would not want to be kissed on a first date, very intuitive of him...I'm pretty strict/prudish when it comes to dating) and said he would call me the next day. Which he did. The rest is history. We've been together ever since!
My First E-mail Address:
~Now this is slightly funny/embarrassing. I got my first e-mail address when I was in Middle school. My family had gotten a computer when I was in elementary, but I didn't get an e-mail address until later. Somewhere between 7th and 8th grade, my friends nicknamed me "cricket." I seriously have no idea where that even came from, but it stuck all the way through high school! So, my first e-mail address was,
cricket0831@aol.com. Ha! The things we do in Middle school...
Happy Tuesday!
So, I found this link-up this morning and thought it was a cute idea. Just another "get to know me" post. Somehow, I think this one could have a few laughs thrown in there...
Today's Topics:
- First things I do at the gym
- First date with my husband
- My first email address
First Thing I do at the Gym:
~Oh the gym. If you know me, you know I'm addicted to the gym. I don't think that's a bad thing at all! The first thing I do at the gym, normally, is warm up. When Brad and I are lifting weights, we try to warm up our bodies on the treadmill or elliptical for at least 10 minutes. This gets your blood flowing and your body moving around. Then we usually warm up the muscle group we are working on by stretching it out. This habit is something that's really important if you don't want to injure yourself!!
First Date with my Husband:
~My husband and I had *the best first date* of all of both of our dating histories. My husband and I met at the gym on a Monday night in early December 2010. We talked after working out every single night that week. On Friday, he finally asked me out on a dinner date. He picked me up at my house Saturday night and we drove to gorgeous downtown Greenville, South Carolina (where we previously lived). We started out at Tsunami, a sushi restaurant. We started with edemame, had a glass of wine, and lots of yummy sushi. After that, we were having such a good time, Brad took me to a snazzy wine bar down the street called, Stellar. He ordered us a bottle of wine and we sat there until 12:00 am talking. It was amazing how well the conversation went that night. Everything we talked about, we had something in common. We thought the same way, had the same morals/ideals, had the same religious beliefs, and had the same type of upbringing. Love at first date! Brad was such a gentleman. He dropped my off with a hug (knowing I would not want to be kissed on a first date, very intuitive of him...I'm pretty strict/prudish when it comes to dating) and said he would call me the next day. Which he did. The rest is history. We've been together ever since!
My First E-mail Address:
~Now this is slightly funny/embarrassing. I got my first e-mail address when I was in Middle school. My family had gotten a computer when I was in elementary, but I didn't get an e-mail address until later. Somewhere between 7th and 8th grade, my friends nicknamed me "cricket." I seriously have no idea where that even came from, but it stuck all the way through high school! So, my first e-mail address was,
cricket0831@aol.com. Ha! The things we do in Middle school...
Happy Tuesday!
We Believe in ~ Valentine's Day - 2013
I love Love. How can you not?
Brad and I, over the past year, have decided that we are going to be the kind of people/couple that celebrates...everything. Even the little things. In fact, we celebrate all of the little things.
I know, I know. Valentine's Day is a made up holiday, supposedly. But excuse me, it's a day to celebrate LOVE! And since I have met "my one" all I want to do is celebrate our love.Of course, we celebrate us daily/weekly/monthly, etc. We don't go overboard with the spending part of Valentine's Day. We usually do small gifts, dinner out, and a special dessert. What we do go overboard on is remembering why we fell in love in the first place and celebrating the road we have traveled down to get to the point we're at.
Everyone has a story, but ours is my favorite.
I got Brad a sign from one of my favorite stores, Swoozies, in Greenville and a Cyclones sweatshirt. The sign says, "I love you more than Ice Cream." If you know Brad and I at all...you know our favorite sweets to eat is ice cream, so this sign cracked me up. Yummy! The story behind this sign goes all the way back to March 2012. When Brad was moving to start his new position at John Deere in Iowa, he bought me a little present along with a card on his last day in Gville. The present was a wooden sign from Swoozies that said, "I love that you're my best friend." The sweetest right?!? Well, the sign that I got him matches the sign he gave me. I thought it was too cute and definitely "us."
Brad gave me a necklace from Helzberg. Yep, that's right. My man is pretty good about giving me diamonds! He shocked me with this one. Have you seen the dainty necklaces that are a cross sideways attached to a chain? I love them and had mentioned it months ago to the hubs in passing. Well, he found one at Helzberg and ordered it. Problem...it never came in the mail. He was not happy about that. On V-day, I got to see a picture of it and was so surprised!! What a thoughtful hubby I have! Helzberg called and said that when he ordered it, it was actually out of stock, so I will get it in about 4-6 weeks. Bummer! But...I still got diamonds for Valentine's Day!! Best husband - check.
Here's what my hopefully, soon coming necklace looks like! Love it!!
Brad and I, over the past year, have decided that we are going to be the kind of people/couple that celebrates...everything. Even the little things. In fact, we celebrate all of the little things.
I know, I know. Valentine's Day is a made up holiday, supposedly. But excuse me, it's a day to celebrate LOVE! And since I have met "my one" all I want to do is celebrate our love.Of course, we celebrate us daily/weekly/monthly, etc. We don't go overboard with the spending part of Valentine's Day. We usually do small gifts, dinner out, and a special dessert. What we do go overboard on is remembering why we fell in love in the first place and celebrating the road we have traveled down to get to the point we're at.
Everyone has a story, but ours is my favorite.
I got Brad a sign from one of my favorite stores, Swoozies, in Greenville and a Cyclones sweatshirt. The sign says, "I love you more than Ice Cream." If you know Brad and I at all...you know our favorite sweets to eat is ice cream, so this sign cracked me up. Yummy! The story behind this sign goes all the way back to March 2012. When Brad was moving to start his new position at John Deere in Iowa, he bought me a little present along with a card on his last day in Gville. The present was a wooden sign from Swoozies that said, "I love that you're my best friend." The sweetest right?!? Well, the sign that I got him matches the sign he gave me. I thought it was too cute and definitely "us."
Here's what my hopefully, soon coming necklace looks like! Love it!!
I hope everyone's Valentine's Day was as a good as ours! Happy Valentine's Day!!
Monday, February 18, 2013
More Shame...Abe
Our dogs...I swear, the provide endless entertainment. It's always funny, too, after the fact.
Our sweet, big pup Abe is just a plain ol' mess. Mess, mess, mess. He's just a big goof-ball! Brad and I discussed it, and we decided that if Abe had a people personality, he would be chill like a "surfer." Every time we tell him to go do something, he just gets this kind of blank stare and then you can just see this..."ok"...kind of look on his face. It's hilarious to make voices for him and the hubs does the best impressions of him. Too funny!!
Well, this dog shaming came about because our big man likes to chew. The hubs and I drove down to the Quad cities last Friday (Feb 15th), so that he could attend a meeting at John Deere in Moline. Luckily, I had the day off, so the doggies and I just went with him and I spent the day reading and working on my class work at the rents house. We went to dinner with the rents at this great place called, Barrel House in Davenport. Yummo.
Then we decided to go ahead and drive the 2 hours back home so that we could spend the night in our on beds. We got packed up, loaded the dogs, and set off for home. The dogs had been on their leashes, obviously, and we happened to leave them on. After about 20 minutes, Brad said, "Hey, you should probably take Abe's leash off so he doesn't chew through it, again."
Woops...too late...AGAIN!
His face is too funny! I crack up every time I see this. What a mess. But he's so cute!!
Our sweet, big pup Abe is just a plain ol' mess. Mess, mess, mess. He's just a big goof-ball! Brad and I discussed it, and we decided that if Abe had a people personality, he would be chill like a "surfer." Every time we tell him to go do something, he just gets this kind of blank stare and then you can just see this..."ok"...kind of look on his face. It's hilarious to make voices for him and the hubs does the best impressions of him. Too funny!!
Well, this dog shaming came about because our big man likes to chew. The hubs and I drove down to the Quad cities last Friday (Feb 15th), so that he could attend a meeting at John Deere in Moline. Luckily, I had the day off, so the doggies and I just went with him and I spent the day reading and working on my class work at the rents house. We went to dinner with the rents at this great place called, Barrel House in Davenport. Yummo.
Then we decided to go ahead and drive the 2 hours back home so that we could spend the night in our on beds. We got packed up, loaded the dogs, and set off for home. The dogs had been on their leashes, obviously, and we happened to leave them on. After about 20 minutes, Brad said, "Hey, you should probably take Abe's leash off so he doesn't chew through it, again."
Woops...too late...AGAIN!
His face is too funny! I crack up every time I see this. What a mess. But he's so cute!!
6 Month Anniversary!!
Welp, we have hit the big one. That's right my friends, we have been married a full 6 months! That's 1/2 a year baby! I can honestly say, that these have been the craziest, yet best 6 months of my life. I married my best friend, after all. Yep, I'm a sap and I love it.
Apparently, we weren't very good at taking pictures of ourselves this past month, but I was pretty good at capturing all the "loving" that we give back and forth, whether it's love notes, a project, special gifts, or just us being "us," we try to show each other in some way, every day that our love is for only us and one of a kind.
Brad and I are really good about writing Love Notes. Who doesn't love a note? We used to use sticky notes galore...but after I created the "I Love You" chalkboard, the love notes just kept on coming. We still write on the bathroom mirror, we still leave sticky notes in random places to find throughout the day, but we are loving the chalkboard in the kitchen. It makes me smile, minimum, once a day. Love it!
Love you bear. Happy 6 months!!
Apparently, we weren't very good at taking pictures of ourselves this past month, but I was pretty good at capturing all the "loving" that we give back and forth, whether it's love notes, a project, special gifts, or just us being "us," we try to show each other in some way, every day that our love is for only us and one of a kind.
Brad and I are really good about writing Love Notes. Who doesn't love a note? We used to use sticky notes galore...but after I created the "I Love You" chalkboard, the love notes just kept on coming. We still write on the bathroom mirror, we still leave sticky notes in random places to find throughout the day, but we are loving the chalkboard in the kitchen. It makes me smile, minimum, once a day. Love it!
Love you bear. Happy 6 months!!
InstaLately
February 11-17, 2013
Top: flannel / my boys / teal blazer
Middle: new DL / Valentine's Day presents
Bottom: fancy skulls / flannel #2 / "just because" flowers from my hubs
Thursday, February 14, 2013
Country Concerts ~ Gloriana and Alan Jackson!!
We. Love. Country. Music. #duh
Last year, Brad and I did not get to go to any concerts because of the craziness that was all of last year.
This year, we decided to try to go to as many concerts as our bank account would allow. What...? We're still exploring our new state! And how better to explore than to go to concerts in different cities? Well, we think it's a great idea. That would be why we're doing it. (#duh)
January's concert was The Band Perry and Rascal Flatts. Awesome. February's (this months) concert was Gloriana and Alen Jackson!!
We had a little bit of an "uh oh" moment the day before the concert. We had bought 4 tickets originally so that we could go with some friends. Well, we had no problem finding some friends to go with, but Friday morning, those friends text and said that the husband was sick... *uh oh* moment. So, we scrambled trying to find some friends to go with that hadn't already made plans for Saturday night.
One of the friends we called was already going to the concert, so we made plans to meet them for dinner before hand. The friends that we did find to go with us, knew the 3rd couple, so it worked out great!
The 3 of us couples went to Mulligans before the concert to eat and have a few drinks, then off to the concert we went! There were a few seats still open that were all together, so we ended up all sitting together!! Now that made for a good night. We probably looked segregated because the husbands sat together on the left and the wives sat together on the right. We had us some good ol' girl time!
Gloriana is one of my favorite bands, so I was so excited to see them. They were amazing, as usual. Now Alan Jackson...what a good ol' guy. He has so many good old songs, including one of my favorites, "Good Time," as well as "As She's Walking Away" (originally done with Zac Brown), "Don't Rock the Jukebox," ""Chattahoochee," and "Summertime Blues"! Loved it!!
We didn't get too many pictures...we were too busy having fun ha!
Overall, GOOD TIME!!
Last year, Brad and I did not get to go to any concerts because of the craziness that was all of last year.
This year, we decided to try to go to as many concerts as our bank account would allow. What...? We're still exploring our new state! And how better to explore than to go to concerts in different cities? Well, we think it's a great idea. That would be why we're doing it. (#duh)
January's concert was The Band Perry and Rascal Flatts. Awesome. February's (this months) concert was Gloriana and Alen Jackson!!
We had a little bit of an "uh oh" moment the day before the concert. We had bought 4 tickets originally so that we could go with some friends. Well, we had no problem finding some friends to go with, but Friday morning, those friends text and said that the husband was sick... *uh oh* moment. So, we scrambled trying to find some friends to go with that hadn't already made plans for Saturday night.
One of the friends we called was already going to the concert, so we made plans to meet them for dinner before hand. The friends that we did find to go with us, knew the 3rd couple, so it worked out great!
The 3 of us couples went to Mulligans before the concert to eat and have a few drinks, then off to the concert we went! There were a few seats still open that were all together, so we ended up all sitting together!! Now that made for a good night. We probably looked segregated because the husbands sat together on the left and the wives sat together on the right. We had us some good ol' girl time!
Gloriana is one of my favorite bands, so I was so excited to see them. They were amazing, as usual. Now Alan Jackson...what a good ol' guy. He has so many good old songs, including one of my favorites, "Good Time," as well as "As She's Walking Away" (originally done with Zac Brown), "Don't Rock the Jukebox," ""Chattahoochee," and "Summertime Blues"! Loved it!!
We didn't get too many pictures...we were too busy having fun ha!
Overall, GOOD TIME!!
SPD ~ Pin That! ~ Our Maps Picture Frame
Yet again...it's Thursday! That means: Pinterest projects. Are we getting the hang of this yet?
Thursday = craft displays!
And this week, my hubby has a nice addition to his office, thanks to Steph @BEAUtiful Mess and Katie @Keep Calm and Carry On. I love these two ladies blogs!
Anywho...back to my DIY for this week. My hubs had a "map" theme in his office. It used to be in his bachelor pad living room, but now that he has a leading lady (i.e. me - the wifey), the map theme has moved into his office. I saw this pin a loooong time ago on Pinterest and was saving it for the perfect time.
I think this pin is Valentine's related. It's for my husband, it has hearts on it, and it's about our Love Story! Done deal. Valentine's Day DIY. Woot woot!
Here is the original pin...
Kayla's original project of maps was for places that they have lived. I thought it would be perfect for B's room to show maps of:
- where we were born (Iowa and Colorado)
- where we met and were married (South Carolina).
I think this especially meaningful for us because we came from 2 different states, but both ended up in SOuth Carolina, where we met, fell in love, got engaged, and were married!
Isn't God good?!? He brought us together because we were supposed to be together, even though we were born in very different places! God just amazes me sometimes. And let me tell you, I am very Thankful that God brought our paths together. I could not do this life without my best friend.
So, here's what I ended up with!
Materials:
- frame: Hobby Lobby, $10.00
- heart stickers: Hobby Lobby, $1.50
- maps (I printed these at home)
How To:
- Print the maps that you would like to use. I used a website called, State Master, "http://maps.statemaster.com."
- Cut out the map and place a heart sticker on your city.
- Place the maps onto the back of the frame using double sided tape.
- Put your frame together and enjoy!
Happy Thursday and Happy Pinning!
InstaLately
February 4-10, 2013
Top: snow leopard and fuchsia / pink sunrise / mint and ruffles
Row 2: pretty lady / new canvases / DIY First Dance lyrics
Row 3: bright heels / curls / doggie walk
Bottom: sock thief / sleepy man
Friday, February 8, 2013
Friday Letters [V. 4]
February 8, 2013
Dear Friday:
I say this every Friday, but I am very glad you are here. Thank you.
Dear Fabulous Fashion Friday:
I am loving "dressing up" every Friday instead of doing the normal dress down Fridays. Today's outfit consists of curly hair, grey sweater, white fluffy scarf, black pencil skirt, tights, snakeskin shoes, and silver accessories. This outfit was put together so that I could wear my hot snakeskin shoes. I'm glad I went with the curly hair today...it's been a while. As I was driving to work, I realized that my whole outfit is from Target (excluding the skirt). Random thought, but I'll take it!
Dear Hubs:
I'm sorry that you have been sick all week. This has not been a very easy week with both of us sick on Monday and you sick all week. I hope you are starting to feel better. We have a busy weekend and I need you full throttle at Saturday night's concert. Love you boo.
Dear Metabolism:
Whoa. Just whoa. You are kicked into high gear! As I am writing this, I am sucking down a protein shake, because it is 10:00 am and I am already starving!! Keep it up metabolism. Let's knock this fat out. All this clean eating and working out is doing this body good!
Dear Belle:
You have been a little rascal this week, but your face is too cute for me to even handle. Stop stealing socks, underwear, and my tights out of the laundry basket. They are not "tug-of-war" toys for you and Abe. You poked a hole in my tights, you little jerk. Bad girl. You are cute.
Dear Abe:
You need to work on the cuddling at night, big guy. I know you are still a puppy and like to play, bite, and nibble all the time, but mommy likes to cuddle and relax after dinner. You are a big goofball and I love you.
Dear Students:
You make my heart melt when you draw me pictures. Now I have some decor for my little space!
Happy Friday Y'all!
I say this every Friday, but I am very glad you are here. Thank you.
Dear Fabulous Fashion Friday:
I am loving "dressing up" every Friday instead of doing the normal dress down Fridays. Today's outfit consists of curly hair, grey sweater, white fluffy scarf, black pencil skirt, tights, snakeskin shoes, and silver accessories. This outfit was put together so that I could wear my hot snakeskin shoes. I'm glad I went with the curly hair today...it's been a while. As I was driving to work, I realized that my whole outfit is from Target (excluding the skirt). Random thought, but I'll take it!
Dear Hubs:
I'm sorry that you have been sick all week. This has not been a very easy week with both of us sick on Monday and you sick all week. I hope you are starting to feel better. We have a busy weekend and I need you full throttle at Saturday night's concert. Love you boo.
Dear Metabolism:
Whoa. Just whoa. You are kicked into high gear! As I am writing this, I am sucking down a protein shake, because it is 10:00 am and I am already starving!! Keep it up metabolism. Let's knock this fat out. All this clean eating and working out is doing this body good!
Dear Belle:
You have been a little rascal this week, but your face is too cute for me to even handle. Stop stealing socks, underwear, and my tights out of the laundry basket. They are not "tug-of-war" toys for you and Abe. You poked a hole in my tights, you little jerk. Bad girl. You are cute.
Dear Abe:
You need to work on the cuddling at night, big guy. I know you are still a puppy and like to play, bite, and nibble all the time, but mommy likes to cuddle and relax after dinner. You are a big goofball and I love you.
Dear Students:
You make my heart melt when you draw me pictures. Now I have some decor for my little space!
Happy Friday Y'all!
Thursday, February 7, 2013
SPD ~ Pin That ~ First Dance Lyrics
Saw it. Pinned it. Actually Did it!
Welp, it's Thursday...again! And that means it's time for SPD: my weekly excuse to craft/DIY/decorate/cook/etc., etc. I'm suuuuure that my hubby appreciates this link up... right babe? Yep. That's what I thought.
This has been one loooong week.We had our Super Bowl party on Sunday (stayed up late cleaning up), both of us were sick on Monday (the hubs even missed work! *shock**gasp*!), I was better by Tuesday...B, not so much, the Bachelor was on for TWO nights this week, Wednesday we had a meeting with our StateFarm agent-but other than that it was normal, and that brings us to today (i.e. Thursday)! Whew!
So, this week I picked a pretty easy DIY. Obviously, this was orginally found on Pinterest, but this specific pin came from Etsy. Now, don't get me wrong. I LOVE Etsy. It supplied almost my entire wedding. Love, love, love it. I also love the fact that Etsy is compiled of small business owners. Great!
Anywho, here's the original pin:
The frame has the lyrics of the First Dance. Isn't that sweet? Our song and First Dance is Tim McGraw's, "My Best Friend." Our photographer used our song's lyrics in some of our "Day After" photo shoot (see below), so putting the lyrics up in our house was something I wanted to do!
We have one of these photos hanging up on a wall, so I wanted to add the Song Lyrics Frame to the shelf. Smart, right?!? (I'll assume you answered "Yes!" with enthusiasm).
So, here's what I came up with...
Thank you Etsy for the idea. Normally, I would order from you, but this one was a little too easy for me to copy! And I'm sure I saved some money by doing it myself!
Happy Pinning!
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
2013 Super Bowl Party
The Super Bowl. Woohoo! However, both Brad and I did not care about either team that was in the game. We tend to root for the Vikings, so we both just picked a team and halfheartedly rooted for them.
Our Super Bowl parties started back in 2011. Brad and I met in Dec 2010, and by Feb 2011 we were planning our first Super Bowl Party! Brad had mentioned that he wanted to have one, but wasn't so sure about the food part. I was asked/volunteered to help out in that department. I made the menu, we went to the grocery store, and away I cooked! Our first Super Bowl party went really well and we had TONS of food left over. I tend to over-cook...like every time.
Our second Super Bowl party was in 2012. We invited friends, co-workers, and had yet again, waaay too much food. This time I started cooking on Saturday and cooked the rest of the goodies on Sunday. Having parties, cooking, and hosting is definitely something I LOVE to do! Brad and I both love having people at our house and hosting, so I think this year we will think of lots more excuses to do so!
We wen back and forth about having a Super Bowl party this year. We've been in our house for about 3 months and we're still pretty new to the area. About 2 weeks before the Super Bowl, we decided to go ahead and have a party. We invited several of our friends - Deere friends/couples, church friends/couples, and work friends/couples. We quickly realized how blessed we are to have made so many new friends here! A lot of people had already made plans, were going to be out of town, or um...having a baby at any minute, so we ended up with 3 of our close friends coming over. All together there were8 of us. It was a good number for our little Super Bowl feast.
I say "feast" because I had told Brad, "I'm just going to do something easy this year. Small appetizers and goodies. Let's keep the menu smaller and ask people to bring something small with them." At least I tired?!? Yet again, my hosting personality kicked in and or small menu turned into amedium..."largish" menu. Our dining room table turned into the food table with overflow on the kitchen island. All in all, we had yummy food, good friends, and lots of laughs. I'm really glad we ended up having our 3rd annual Super Bowl party. We'll plan ahead a little more for next year!
These are the pictures I snapped right before our friends started showing up. I added about 4 more dishes to this while friends were walking in the door! Pluuuus, everyone brought at least one dish with them! Food-fest!!
The table...
Most of the food! Yum Yum!!
Good thing we saved Sunday as our cheat meal day....
Our Super Bowl parties started back in 2011. Brad and I met in Dec 2010, and by Feb 2011 we were planning our first Super Bowl Party! Brad had mentioned that he wanted to have one, but wasn't so sure about the food part. I was asked/volunteered to help out in that department. I made the menu, we went to the grocery store, and away I cooked! Our first Super Bowl party went really well and we had TONS of food left over. I tend to over-cook...like every time.
Our second Super Bowl party was in 2012. We invited friends, co-workers, and had yet again, waaay too much food. This time I started cooking on Saturday and cooked the rest of the goodies on Sunday. Having parties, cooking, and hosting is definitely something I LOVE to do! Brad and I both love having people at our house and hosting, so I think this year we will think of lots more excuses to do so!
We wen back and forth about having a Super Bowl party this year. We've been in our house for about 3 months and we're still pretty new to the area. About 2 weeks before the Super Bowl, we decided to go ahead and have a party. We invited several of our friends - Deere friends/couples, church friends/couples, and work friends/couples. We quickly realized how blessed we are to have made so many new friends here! A lot of people had already made plans, were going to be out of town, or um...having a baby at any minute, so we ended up with 3 of our close friends coming over. All together there were8 of us. It was a good number for our little Super Bowl feast.
I say "feast" because I had told Brad, "I'm just going to do something easy this year. Small appetizers and goodies. Let's keep the menu smaller and ask people to bring something small with them." At least I tired?!? Yet again, my hosting personality kicked in and or small menu turned into a
These are the pictures I snapped right before our friends started showing up. I added about 4 more dishes to this while friends were walking in the door! Pluuuus, everyone brought at least one dish with them! Food-fest!!
The table...
Most of the food! Yum Yum!!
Good thing we saved Sunday as our cheat meal day....
February UNI Game
This past Saturday (Feb 2), Brad and I were invited to another UNI basketball game for a work "get together" in the John Deere suite at the UNI McLeod Center!
One of the Supervisor's that Brad works with, now and then, invited us to attend the game. We have had dinner over at his house before, so it was nice to visit with hi and his wife again. There were a few other couples that I knew, but we were also able to meet some other Deere families. Deere has a box that the Supervisors can reserve and have work parties at. It's so nice to be able to go to the game, have some room to sit and talk, enjoy some yummy food, but also have a great view of the game!
UNI played Wichita State (where one of our cousin-in-laws actually went to school). The game turned out to be really good!! UNI ended up winning the game, but it got pretty close there at the end! The students could not have been happier. After the win, all of the student section stormed the court and celebrated.
We also had a pretty good view of TC and TK (the Panther mascots) roaming around the crowd below us. The half-time show was fabulous, as well! There were 4 guys that used a small trampoline to have a "dunking contest" and show off their tricks. They were awesome!! I was pretty impressed with their show!
Here's a few pictures of us and the game...that I took with my iPhone. Not the best quality, but it's what I had with me at the time!
One of the Supervisor's that Brad works with, now and then, invited us to attend the game. We have had dinner over at his house before, so it was nice to visit with hi and his wife again. There were a few other couples that I knew, but we were also able to meet some other Deere families. Deere has a box that the Supervisors can reserve and have work parties at. It's so nice to be able to go to the game, have some room to sit and talk, enjoy some yummy food, but also have a great view of the game!
UNI played Wichita State (where one of our cousin-in-laws actually went to school). The game turned out to be really good!! UNI ended up winning the game, but it got pretty close there at the end! The students could not have been happier. After the win, all of the student section stormed the court and celebrated.
We also had a pretty good view of TC and TK (the Panther mascots) roaming around the crowd below us. The half-time show was fabulous, as well! There were 4 guys that used a small trampoline to have a "dunking contest" and show off their tricks. They were awesome!! I was pretty impressed with their show!
Here's a few pictures of us and the game...that I took with my iPhone. Not the best quality, but it's what I had with me at the time!
Monday, February 4, 2013
For Shame! ~ Dog Shaming
This dog shaming bit just does not get old! Our 2 pups sure do provide a lot of entertainment. There is not a dull day in the Bishop household with these two messes!
Last night, Brad and I hosted our 2013 Super Bowl party. We had lots of yummy food and goodies, as well as great friends and lots of laughs last night.
After everyone left, the house was tidied up, the dishes were cleaned, the washer was a-workin, and we were wiped out and getting ready for bed. I heard Brad yell/laugh and walked into the bedroom to find a naughty little puppy acting guilty.
You see...during our Super Bowl party, Abe was eventually let out of his room. Abe loves to be around people and was soaking in all the attention and cuddles. He stayed away from the food table for 99% of the night. Every now and then, he would take a little sniff, but that was the extent of his interest in the food. He's such a good boy.
Belle was let out...for a few minutes. In those minutes, she managed to eat a couple of chips. So, back into her room she went. This happened twice. We tried! She's just a food junkie.
So, back to her late night naughtiness... This is why the hubs yelled/laughed...
She knew she was a bad girl and oh-so evil! What a little stinker. Now, we don't know if this is why she peed in Abe's bed...but it sure seemed like it! This one...I tell ya...never a dull moment.
Last night, Brad and I hosted our 2013 Super Bowl party. We had lots of yummy food and goodies, as well as great friends and lots of laughs last night.
After everyone left, the house was tidied up, the dishes were cleaned, the washer was a-workin, and we were wiped out and getting ready for bed. I heard Brad yell/laugh and walked into the bedroom to find a naughty little puppy acting guilty.
You see...during our Super Bowl party, Abe was eventually let out of his room. Abe loves to be around people and was soaking in all the attention and cuddles. He stayed away from the food table for 99% of the night. Every now and then, he would take a little sniff, but that was the extent of his interest in the food. He's such a good boy.
Belle was let out...for a few minutes. In those minutes, she managed to eat a couple of chips. So, back into her room she went. This happened twice. We tried! She's just a food junkie.
So, back to her late night naughtiness... This is why the hubs yelled/laughed...
She knew she was a bad girl and oh-so evil! What a little stinker. Now, we don't know if this is why she peed in Abe's bed...but it sure seemed like it! This one...I tell ya...never a dull moment.
InstaLately
January 28-February3, 2013!
I can't believe it's already February! January has already flown by, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We have been pretty busy with friends, concerts, events, family time, etc., so the quickness has all been enjoyable!
I can't believe it's already February! January has already flown by, which is not necessarily a bad thing. We have been pretty busy with friends, concerts, events, family time, etc., so the quickness has all been enjoyable!
Top: new picture frames / protein shake / DIY Wedding Card album
Middle: snow day cuddles / more snow! / polka dots
Bottom: sock bun / UNI game / Super Bowl party goodies