Return from hiatus

So much has happened in the past few months, blogging was put to the side. Each month I would vow to myself to sit down and write...and yet life just got in the way. Well no more, I'm back and ready to find my place in the blogging world. 

First things first- a recap of everything that has gone on.

We set a wedding date, asked our wedding party, chose our venue, bought a dress...and then found out we were expecting a child. That changed everything. In the time it took for that pregnancy test to turn positive, our lives were flipped upside down. Suddenly this baby took priority over everything else. Our wedding has been pushed back so that we can be better prepared. 

With the third trimester quickly approaching, nesting has begun. With it though has also come anxiety about what is coming in the next few weeks. Every kick and nudge makes me fall in love a little bit more with our baby. It still seems surreal that there is a healthy, perfect life in the there. I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, a lot of wrong turns..but it all led me to where I am now. 

Head over heels in love with my soul-mate. He's not only my partner, he's my best friend and I thank God every single day that we met. I have a fantastic family, not only mine..but his as well.
I can't wait until our family of two turns into a family of three! Our daughter is going to be one loved little child..

Cloud 9

So much has happened in a short amount of time! We went from a crazy-in-love boyfriend/girlfriend relationship to newly engaged! *ridiculously giant grin* It's kind of funny how quickly life can change and how soon you know you have met your soul-mate. I swear, I knew as soon as we met. There was just SOMETHING about him that spoke to me. It was like my soul finally spoke up and said quietly: "HIM! I've been waiting for him." 


Anyways, I'm still on Cloud 9 and I have no intention of getting off of it anytime soon. However, while dealing with some small wedding issues, I'm getting a little concerned that there may be a hidden Bridezilla in me. I just hope that once we finally decide on and book the venue, that things settle. Besides, I'm sure A would love to speak about something other than weddings haha, poor guy. He's being a trooper. I don't think it really sank in that we need to get moving on booking until I made a phone call and the venue was completely booked for the time frame we wanted. 
Seriously. How fast do they book? My goodness. I feel almost like some people book the venue/date and THEN go find a husband/wife. (this is the only explanation that I have come up with for why everything is booked almost 2 years in advance.) 




So, I'd like to apologize to the few people who have read this; I will get back into the swing of things. I may be a little scatterbrained until after the New Year but then I'll be back. With TONS of stories and observations from this incredible journey. 


Hopefully I can keep my inner Bridezilla safely contained! 

This makes me go "awww" every single time. <3 

Little things

Our home is the epitome of half-assed projects. A likes to start things and then promptly forget about them. For instance, I'm currently in the upstairs sitting area, where I should be finishing a very important paper that is due in less than 24 hours. Instead I am staring at this sad fireplace: 

looks a bit forlorn, doesn't it?

Oh how I long to have a mantle and curl up next to a warm fire. Sadly, that won't happen at this home since we are close to moving. I don't handle moving very well, I always wind up forgetting to pack until last minute and then it's just a hodgepodge of crap all over the place. It'll take me 6 months to find where everything went. Every single time I move I make the same vow to myself: This time, things will be different. I will pack in advance. I will label. I will have a graceful transition. *snickers* I'm not even going to promise myself that this time because I know it's going to be a mess. 

But in our next home, I hope to have a fireplace. I just love 'em. Seriously. Give me a mug of cocoa, a good book and my favorite fleecy blanket and I'm set. Trade that cocoa for a glass of wine and my night is amazing. And come the holiday season, I want to do this:

Gorgeous, isn't it? Check out the lovely blog and all her fab ideas!

And those white things? Marshmallows!!! Love! 

If we don't have a fireplace in the next house, I'm going to put that picture aside for when we do. I just think it'll look amazing. And hopefully A can leave the marshmallow snow flakes alone! 

I'm ridiculously excited about starting little traditions with A and knowing that they will be things we do for many years to come. I just wish we could have a real pine tree in the house without both of us immediately having a sneezing attack. 

It's the little things that matter the most. Starting our own holiday traditions mean the absolute world to me. *happy smile* 

The loss of a skill

A button recently fell off of my favorite shirt and I realized something quite horrifying: I have forgotten how to sew. As a child, I used to sew and quilt all the time. My Grandma has evidence of my talents at her house or else I would never believe it was true! Yet somewhere from the age of 12 to 28, I have completely forgotten how; it's like a foreign language to me. I know you thread the um, thread? through the needle and poke it through the fabric...I get that. It's just the other things that I don't understand. People who knit fascinate me, I've been caught staring countless times at their fabulous creations. In fact, a woman knits in my club at school, and I have to resist the urge to sit near her just so I can get a better look. [SHE DOES IT WITHOUT LOOKING! I'd definitely loose a finger or two if I did that.]


My ancestors could whip up a shirt, petticoat and pants in the time that I could re-sew a button onto a shirt. It's slightly embarrassing and it makes me wonder what other household skills I lack. And that is a topic that I'd just rather avoid altogether. 


I've decided that before I have children, I should at least learn how to sew basic things. I can't keep taking clothes to the dry cleaners and shamefully ask them to sew a button or fix a tear. Today, after class I'm going to go buy the materials needed to re-sew that button. And then I'm going to set a timer. I'm hoping to be finished within 35 minutes and with limited blood loss. 


*crosses fingers*


Oh, and I came across this fabulous idea on www.justataste.com, she plated her chili in a coffee mug! So genius, yet I would have *never* thought to do this. Perhaps this is just another reason as to why I'm not a food blogger. Well, that and I'm a picky eater, I have my quirks about food, and A only wants to eat chicken. That just wouldn't make an entertaining food blog...365 days of chicken! Ha. 


Just look at this plating. Makes me want to dive into that chili and enjoy every morsel. Yummm. 

Check it out!

Stress and pumpkin cake

Let me just start this off by saying that I am completely and utterly overwhelmed with schoolwork. The end of the semester is near and I've been writing so many papers and cramming for exams that I feel my head might explode. I should go get a massage and a facial to calm down, but that money could go towards other things. 
Ya know, like food or bills. Important stuff. 


So, I'm relaxing the best way I know how: cooking. [I figured having a glass of wine before noon on a Sunday would be frowned upon. *sighs*]  Pumpkin cake it is then. 


After consulting the recipe, braving the grocery store, [where I nearly ran over a lady who conveniently parked her cart in the middle of the aisle. I HATE that, with a passion.] Anyways, once home I decided to bake this darn thing and see how it turns out. 
*Oh, if you plan on making it, don't bother cleaning your kitchen beforehand. It'll look like a pumpkin exploded all over your counter-tops and every single bowl you own will be used. 


I should have taken pictures of the before and after, but I couldn't find my camera. And I doubted anyone would want to see pictures of dirty dishes all over our obscenely small kitchen. 

Pumpkin Cake:

Bottom(first) layer:

1 pkg yellow cake mix-hold out 1 Cup

Add 1/2 cup soft butter

1 egg

Mix and press into the bottom of a sprayed 9x13 pan

 Middle layer:

1lb 14oz can of pumpkin pie mix(it's the large Libby's can)

2 eggs

2/3 cup evaporated milk

Mix and pour evenly over the crust

 

Top layer: [it should be crumbly]

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 cup cold butter-make sure it is cold, as you don't want it to be very soft

1 cup reserved cake mix

Mix with a fork and pinch a small amount on top until completely covered

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour. 

Thankful.

A and I had a near-death experience the other week and since then we have realized just how blessed we are to still be alive today. Facing my own mortality wasn't how I had planned to spend that weekend, but I'm grateful for the opportunity. It really put everything into perspective.

It didn't matter that the laundry wasn't done or that the dogs were shedding like maniacs. It didn't matter that sequins from a dress mishap a few months ago are still showing up like pesky unwanted house-guests. None of that mattered. The only thing that mattered was we were alive and safe and able to walk away from the accident hand in hand. 

I thank God that A was sleeping when it happened or he may have tried to reach his hands forward to shield himself. When I saw the car ahead of me on the highway run over a piece of sheet metal and flip it up in the air; I knew it was going to hit us. I just hoped it would hit the roof and I prayed I would be able to keep the car in control. [To this day I'm not sure how I did. My guardian angel must have been working overtime that day to keep me safe]

Instead it hit the hood of my car, punctured the windshield and thankfully flew up and over the car when it landed on my dashboard. Glass was EVERYWHERE. For days both of us were picking it out of our skin, our hair, our clothes and shoes.

But we are alive and safe. 

Thank GOD! 

xo

A new journey..

To be frank, I don't really know where to begin. For months now, I've played with the idea of starting a blog. Somewhere to share my mini-battles and victories as I struggle to find my place in our home. With all the blogs currently out in the universe, I questioned why anyone would want to read what I have to say...but I realized that even if nobody reads it. I'll feel better. Sometimes you just have to write for the sake of writing; to keep your sanity in a crazy, unpredictable world.


So here it is: my little sanctuary. 


I'm a 28-year-old student, girlfriend, mom to two adorable fur-babies and a homemaker. I'm recently going back to college after a little break. *blushes* Okay, I'll admit it was a bit longer than I expected. 7 years to be exact. And during those 7 years, I completely lost my way. I went down a path I never thought I would, and it wasn't until I was in a graveyard burying a friend who was on the same path as me that I opened my eyes and realized I needed to change. It was literally like a voice spoke to me and said if I didn't change, I'd be dead next.
I listened to that inner voice and made the necessary changes. Luckily in the past few years I have found my way back to where I feel I was meant to be. And I've met an amazing man. He's made me more happy in just a few months than I have ever been in my entire life. And I truly cannot wait to see what the future has in store for us.


Anyways, enough rambling about all of that. I'm sure you all will have plenty of time to get to know me. Just be patient as I find my way in this strange, new, Blogging-land. I'll find my footing eventually.