Wednesday, November 30, 2011

visiting my 4 yr old brother-in-law

Yesterday we had NO clean laundry. And the clothes that were clean were fraternising with the dirty laundry and so therefor were dirty themselves.

Not only did we not have clean laundry... we also had no quarters to wash them in our $2 to wash $2 to dry laundry facility at our apartment.
So my wonderful husband went to his mom's house to wash them while i was working.

I guess we had more then i thought because when i got off work.. he still wasn't done. hehe. It was nice to visit though. :)
I hung out with my adorable brother-in-law (who is 4 yrs old). He LOVES looking at the photos on my phone. He took my phone and looked at my background photo.. which is this:
and he says "oh! this was at your wedding. you and marmin (what he calls my husband) got married. i didn't get married though.. but i was there. and you and him are laughing."
It was sooo precious! He then told me about every single picture in my phone telling me who was in it and what they were doing. He especially like the pic of my nephew on Halloween. hehe. 
at this one:
was a monster!!! haha. that is the cutest monster i have ever seen!!!

He was making me laugh sooo hard! And then on THIS picture of my handsome husband that he took at work:
he asked if "marmin" was gonna get hit by that car, i said no. then he asked if i was in the car, i said no. then he said "marmin left you at home?" hahaha. it was soo cute! 

Here we are looking at pics.. my husband took this and then sent it to me. He says "huh. oh! you are getting a message." Such a smart little 4 yr old! Then he opened it and said.. "hey.. thats you and me!" 

After that it was time for my brother-in-law to play "army men". So my hubby set up the men like this:
Yup... he is gonna be great with kids! hehe. 

We finished up our laundry and headed back to our house. hehe. it was a wonderful little visit!

army men, fresh-smelling laundry, pics in cell phones, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥ 

Monday, November 28, 2011

his hobbies are now mine too.

Hobbies. Interests. Likes.
These have been on my mind lately. As a new wife... i am 1) getting a whole new list of hobbies and interests (mainly cooking meals and "nesting") and 2) learning to enjoy some new hobbies.

It is soo wonderful because my husband really enjoys spending time with me. Its great because my love language is quality time and touch. My all-time favorite thing to do with my loved ones would be to enjoy a cup of coffee and just talk... about anything really. Some of my friends and i can spend HOURS just catching up on our lives, laughing, relating, processing, and enjoying each other. It really is the thing that can delight my heart the most.

Now... i am realizing that guys (well at least the one i married) doesn't REALLY like to chit chat over a  latte. he he. But he has a different idea of what "quality time" looks like.
I have mentioned before that my husband has recently bought the Madden 2012 game for his Xbox. Well.. he LOVES for me to sit and watch him play. Not just sit by him.. but actually WATCH him and CHEER him on. Granted, at times i do grab our laptop check out Pinterest from time to time... even catch up on reading my blogs..... but what i have noticed in my last 2 days off... is that it truly gives my husband great joy that i am getting interested in one of his hobbies. I am investing my time into an activity that my husband enjoys and that makes him feel loved... which makes me feel great!

Its important in relationships to take part in the other person's hobbies, activities, and things they enjoy. Its fun and can continue to have the two of you grow closer together!

So grab your spouse, your mom, your roommate, your friends, or sibling and do something THEY enjoy. You may not particularly LIKE it... but love is selfless... and this is one way of showing it! (:

new activities, video games with hubby, and love. -M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Sunday, November 27, 2011

this is how our sundays go sometimes

This Sunday i woke up late for church. :( i was really looking forward to church this week... luckily our church streams the sermons live so we were still able to watch it. ALSO... i woke up at 9am! So its not like i woke up SUPER late... but hubby and i intended to go to early service (which is at 8:30am). Hopefully next week!

The good thing is that we got to eat a homecooked breakfast... instead of a bagel on the go. I cooked my husband bacon and eggs! :) We had oven-baked bacon. (cook at 400 degrees for about 15 or so minutes)
i lined my baking pan with foil.. so that the clean up was easier on me.

We also had cheeeessyyyyy scrambled eggs.

I worked my magic in the kitchen wearing my oh-so-cute polka dot apron that i bought at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. i LOVE aprons.. so i really want to buy more!
I just love how girly this one is... with the little ruffles at the bottom. hehe. too cute!

This was my husband as i cooked.... playing xbox live. The ONLY thing we bought at Black Friday (which.. i guess really my mother-in-law bought it for my husband for Christmas. hehe) was the Madden 2012 football game for Xbox. It was originally $60 on sale for $28! So... my husband has been playing it NONSTOP since then!


But we ate some deliciousness before we watched our sermon on our laptop.

One of our Pastors spoke on breakthrough and the process before you get breakthrough in an area. It was very encouraging! So... for the rest of the day we have just been relaxing and spending time together. My husband is still playing his Xbox live and i am still in my pjs as i type this. hehe.

relaxing sundays, yummy breakfasts, and love. -M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Friday, November 25, 2011

decking the halls

My husband and i had a wonderful little Thanksgiving just the two of us on Wednesday... followed by Thanksgiving day at my father-in-law's mom's house with the in laws! :)

Tuesday we took out Hank (our tHANKsgiving turkey) at 3pm to defrost for the next day. I guess we missed the surgeon generals warning about defrosting a turkey at room temperature. Apparently you can get food poisoning and even death. We missed that memo. Wednesday morning (after the turkey had been sitting out for a whole 16 hours in the kitchen) my husband read the fine print on the packaging of the bird that said NOT to defrost at room temperature. Needless to say we did NOT eat it. Although our family were saying it was probably fine since it was completely frozen when we took it out...  but we weren't willing to attempt it.

Also Wednesday my sister, niece, and nephew came to visit for a little while. It was great... because i havn't been able to visit in a couple of months! My nephew is 4 and he keeps getting taller and taller!!! :) My niece is gonna be 18 in 2 weeks and she is sooo gorgeous! I love hearing about all her high school stuff and of course boy drama. haha. My husband and i got to have lunch with them and visit for awhile. She also brought me her old Christmas tree! :)
We went to the store to get ANOTHER baby Hank (well just a breast roast actually) and some pie. After 3 short little hours we were eating our very little Thanksgiving dinner.
rolls are not pictured. hehe.
It wasn't much... but it was good for just us two. :) We also had some dutch applie pie. (side note: we bought a cherry pie at the same time... and we put it in the refrigerator instead of the freezer. well... there was red cherry juice all over our food last night! uh oh!)

Before dinner we decided to decorate our cute little tree. So i ran to the Walmart store to grab some little Christmas bulbs. 

The tree already came with lights... which was sooo nice! We put the bulbs all around the tree and i had previously bought my husband 3 little ornaments for his favorite football team. I also bought a gold star to go on top of the tree. 

Our tree is 6 ft tall... so i let my hubby put the star on! See that little sock monkey ornament?! He is soo cute! hehe. 
Here is our finished product! 

I am soooo pleased with it! It really is the perfect size for us! :) Now we just need to get some stockings! hehe. 

Last night we went and had Thanksgiving dinner with my in-laws. It was really nice to have all of us together. :) Then we watched the big 49er game. We lost and my hubby wasn't to happy. hehe. 

Christmas decorations, lots of turkey, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Monday, November 21, 2011

giving thanks

Well we are only a few short days until Thanksgiving!

Last night my pastor spoke on having a thankful heart.
At times it can be very hard to be thankful -- like when things don't seem to be going your way or when you are struggling. But it is still sooo important to continue to be thankful. To keep that thankful heart toward the Lord and fight the enemy with a thankful heart.

Our pastor said that a thankful heart can be a weapon in the spirit realm. Thanking God for all that He has done or is doing in your life will fight the enemy who tries to steal your joy. When we start to think of stuff that we can be thankful for... we can't help but be joyful.

Even when times are tough and we may be struggling (in whatever area) I want to keep my thankful heart toward the Lord.

Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. 
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. 
-Psalms 100:4

thankfulness and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Saturday, November 19, 2011

burdens.

I have been feeling extremely tired the past few days. Not completely sure why either.

I have been working... but that is pretty normal for me, but still feeling just fatigued.

I got paid on Friday and i was able to pay all of our bills! Praise God! Perhaps that is what was keeping me feeling lethargic.

Sometimes we can lose our peace (and stress out) without even really realizing it. We go along with our everyday life and after awhile it can take a toll on us. Relationships. Bills. Work. Home. Everything just starts piling up and we lose our peace.
We need to constantly give our burdens (our stress factors - anything that keeps us from smiling) to the Lord. He is way more equipped to dealing with them then we are.

Psalm 55: 22 'Cast your burden on the Lord, And He shall sustain you....'

The Word clearly tells us in Psalms that the Lord will SUSTAIN us. Dictionary.com (because i dont know anyone who still owns an actual dictionary anymore) defines 'sustain' as "to support, hold, or bear up from below; bear the weight of." 

God tells  us to give Him our burdens and He will support and hold us up! (: I need that! 

So... if anything is stealing your peace, (anything.. large or small. Notice the verse does NOT say "large burdens" little burdens qualify) give it to the Lord and allow Him to hold you up and sustain you!

sustaining life, giving up burdens, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥ 


Tuesday, November 15, 2011

giving my insecurity to get freedom

I am learning a lot about myself. Some good things and some bad things i'd like to change.

Communication is key in every relationship.... so much more within a marriage. I am not ALWAYS the best at it. It is something that i would like to work on.

At times my husband is trying to be playful and funny and I can play for a little bit.. and then i get offended. i KNOW this is something that i need to work on. I guess it is just insecurity all built up inside me and not knowing how to release it and talk it out. Instead i just get mad and frustrated. Often times i will even start an argument over something that is soooo petty.
But because i have all this past hurt and insecurity in me...one little remark or joke sends me to a hissy fit, yelling, and eventually crying.

I know this is something i need to work on for my marriage and my family. Figure out why i am feeling the way that i feel and then releasing it to God. Give my insecurity, my hurt, my fears,my shame, my anxiety, and my doubt all to the Lord. I know that when i do this i will have even more freedom in my life and my relationships. I am released to be the girl that God created me to be! :) A girl who is free to be, free to live, free to give.

complete freedom and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Saturday, November 12, 2011

taking a walk

My husband woke up me at 7:30am today.
Other times when i wake up at 7:30 in the AM (on my day off) i want to get mad and throw a fit that i am not still sleeping.... but today i sprung up slowly sat up and got ready for an adventure with my hubby.

Of course we first stopped at Starbucks and got another complicated order. I got my usual (1 pump vanilla pumpkin spice latte with nonfat milk) and he got a venti pike place with white mocha, peppermint, and cream.

With our deliciousness we went to the prayer chapel at our church to read and pray. OHHH... it was sooo wonderful!


After we spent some time there we dropped off the car and went to walk the river trail. I have been telling my husband that i want to get back into shape. I was my thinnest (and most in shape) at our wedding... and although we have only been married for almost 3 months... i would like to get back to it.

So today was the first day (of i am sure many days) of walking. Luckily our walk was very scenic and it gave us great opportunity to talk.


We even walked closer to the river to look around. The water was sooo fast!


Even the walk back to car was decorated with all the colors of fall. Oranges, yellows, reds. This is my favorite season! I just need to buy a warm headband thing.. because my ears were freezing! My chest also felt like it was on fire after walking up Mt Everest (okay.. so it was just a hill that my husband did some crazy foot work [he calls it the "karaoke drill"] up while i struggled to power walk).


Overall (aside from the fire in my lungs, my ears feeling like ice, and an occasional leg cramp) it was a PERFECT morning with my husband! I hope to have many more like this (and that it gets easier).

beautiful fall colors, athletic goals, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Starbucks, Hubby, & mentoring = a great morning

my handsome husband getting ready. 


I just love days that start with Starbucks and my husband. :)
peppermint white mocha. :)


This morning my hubby and I went to hang out with our pre-marital mentors (who will now be our marriage mentors hehe). It was sooo much fun to connect and chit chat. I LOVE chit chatting though. (;

It is sooo inspiring to talk with a couple who has been together for over 20 years and can relate. It is wonderful to hear that the things that Hubby and i disagree on or get frustrated with .. is normal and that we are still learning and growing. Marriage is ALOT of work but soooo worth it. 

Sure, we dont know EXACTLY what we are doing but we are trying our hardest to put God first in our marriage and to learn and grow. :) 
There will be bumps in the road but we will never stop going forward! :)

learning, growing, fancy coffee, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥


Sunday, November 6, 2011

what the chicken tacos?

Wow! This week went by really fast.
I adore having my hubby home now. (: I have been practicing my wifey skills with cooking and cleaning (everyday.... when he was out of town working it was always "clean-up friday" since he would come home on Saturdays.).

Last weekend was our first Halloween together (last year we were apart while he was in So Cal for school). We stayed at the house and watched movies. hehe... we are sooo adventurous, huh? We didn't even have trick-or-treaters (which was a disappointment to me..  i love cute little costumes.)
This year was my nephew's FIRST year dressing up EVER (& he is almost 5), so it was a big deal! He was
"robot bumblebee".
my sister said that he wore it all night and the next morning.


I can't wait to dress up my future little kids in super cute costumes. (: I have found some cute ones on Pinterest that i like. (has anyone else noticed that the start of a lot of conversation are now starting or ending with "i found it on pinterest").
this is soo clever and adorable. 

i ADORE this! hehe.

ahh... (: Someday. (:

Also this week i discovered an amazing dinner that i have made twice this weekend (per my hubby's request)  The Pioneer Woman's Chicken Tacos . Okay, seriously these were soooo good! I made them last night for my sister-in-law and my husband. I started with boneless, skinless chicken breast and cut it into little pieces.  And cooked it in the pan with olive oil.


We seasoned our chicken with Chicken Taco seasoning and peppercini juice. (my husband pronounces it "pepper-see-knee" i say "pepper-chee-knee". lol. We are in a debate.)

After the chicken is done and cooked... you set it aside and grab a corn tortilla. And this is where it is deliciously unique. You put the chicken IN the corn tortilla and put the whole taco in a pan with about an inch of oil and fry it!

Hold the taco with the tongs until it fries in the taco shape and then flip it over to the other side while you do another.

Once both sides are nice and crispy... take it out and wrap a paper towel over it to get the excess oil out. Put yummy cheese in them immediately so that it gets all melty! yum!



Then.. just put your toppings.. lettuce, sour cream, tomatoes, hot sauce. (: and enjoy!

I was soo proud of them and they were soo yummy! (:

Today (of course) is football Sunday and my Sis-in-law came over for the game too. (:



delicious food, cute costumes, fun time with friends, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥