Friday, December 30, 2011

2011

Well the year 2011 is almost gone. I am still in shock that 2012 is almost here!

So many amazing things happened this past year. Lets take a walk down memory lane (bee dee doo dee bee doop du dooo. *that is flashback music*)

At the end of the year 2010... i did get engaged to a wonderful man!
The early months of 2011 were filled with a million wedding decisions and changes. My wedding was at first going to look like this:
A room filled with red roses and black and white accents.... but half way through.. i changed it to this:
Beautiful fuchsia all over and dark plums scattered all around. Gerbera daisies all about. :) 

I planned and planned and planned majority of the first half of 2011. In May i turned 24 years old... and also in May my wonderful then Fiance graduated from his ministry school and returned home. We met him at the airport.. signs in hands. 
Nine months of long distance (4 of the months while we were engaged) prepared me for his job where he had to travel. hehe. 
I remember seeing him walking up to us.. i remember being so nervous! As he approached us he looked soo different for some reason. My heart was pounding and my hands were sweating. "THIS is the man. THIS is the man i will be marrying", i thought. We hugged and my heart finally started to calm down. That was our little beginning to our happily ever after. :) 

In June 2011 Martin and i got approved for our new little apartment. Looking at it then.. it looked small.. now that i live in it.. it feels even smaller! hehe. We also started learning and growing with pre-marital mentoring.. and Martin started working.

July and the beginning of August was filled with last minute details. Martin working a lot out of town. And paying all the bills for the wedding. 

August 20th, 2011 i became a Mrs. 
My wedding was definitely the highlight of the year 2011.

The next 4 months has been filled with cooking, cleaning, and learning to be a wife to my husband.

I am sooo excited for the new year 2012! :)


new beginnings, beautiful pasts, and love. -M
♥ . ♥ . ♥

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

my battle wound

Well... Christmas has come and left. It kinda makes me sad actually. We wait and wait for this huge day... and then its over. I think my heart will always be a tad bit sad every December 26th. lol.

Hubby and i got some nice little gifts. I snuck out of bed on Christmas Eve and put up our stockings. He had no idea i even got him anything! :) It was just some candies, a to-go mug, and a 49er cup... but it was still fun. He had bought me a few outfits a few days before.. but i opened it before. hehe.
My mother-in-law got us both Snuggies... which i am sooo excited about! And a nice heating pad. My sister-in-law made us the warmest blanket ever!
My father-in-law's mom (so.. my grandma-in-law) got us pot holders (which i needed!) and some yummy banana bread kit.. which i made this morning!

Overall it was a fun little Christmas time. :) 

So.. i am injured. Last night i was grating cheese.. and it attacked me! We dont have bandaids (uh... does any newlywed? that is like that LAST thing people buy!) so my wonderful husband had to doctor me up with a paper towel and some tape. 
Today at work.. i got a bandaid though. hehe. 
I will have a very interesting scar. hehe. 



battle wounds of love - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Friday, December 23, 2011

Merry Christmas!!!

Christmas is almost here!!! Hooray!!!
These are my Santa jacket-inspired nails for Christmas... except.... being a busy little wife... they got all messed up. hehe

I have been very busy with work.. and hanging out with my husband. I have had a few days off and i have just been enjoying some much needed quality time with my hubby. :) Its been nice.

Tomorrow is Christmas eve and we are going to my in-laws for the Christmas celebration. Its crazy because last year is when my love proposed to me.

Its amazing how fast a year can go by and how much can change. Now we have been married for 4months! To think that a year ago today i had NO idea... where i would be today. haha. And the same goes for next year. I have no idea where i will be next Christmas... or what i will be doing. hehe.
Life is amazing and God is good! That has been my focus for the past few days. My hunger and passion are stirred up. Maybe its because of this Christmas season... but i pray i keep the Christmas spirit all the days of my life.

I have no idea where i will be next Christmas, next year, or even next month. But i do know that i am a child of God and He says that my footsteps are ordered.
He says that I have a future full of hope. (Jer 29:11). He says that when i am tired and weary that He will carry my burden (Matt 11:28-29). He says that i will find my strength in Him and not get weary (Isaiah 40:29-31). God will always supply my needs. (Phil 4:19). He tells us that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING will separate us from His powerful love (Romans 8:37-39). God will give us peace when we need it (John 14:27). AND... God has freely given me the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. (Romans 6:23).  I will walk by faith forever and believe and trust His promises.

Since i will probably not write before Christmas day... Merry Christmas! Sending you lots of love and lovely smiles from my house to yours!

peace, joy, goodwill to men, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Monday, December 19, 2011

relaxing with my curly hair.

Well it has been a week since the Lovely Little Perk-Up Challenge started. I know i didnt do a great job with the whole pictures thing. Its hard when i am working... hehe... since i am just in my uniform. i promise to get better.

Yesterday was church and my handsome hubby and i decided to dress up a little. He wore slacks, a nice shirt, and a sweater... and i wore a dress with some leggings (since it is FREEZING! ).

Church was really great and i feel like everytime we go..i love it more! :) With Christmas only a week away they talked about the spirit and meaning of Christmas. I loved it!

We can tend to forget the TRUE meaning of Christmas when we are running around, shopping, preparing to cook, trying to get together with family, and working to get all the extra holiday cash. There are parties, cards, gifts, long lines, wrapping, busy stores and everything else that can get in the way of us remembering the meaning of Christmas in the first place - Our Savior's birth. So the pastor had us remember to take joy in the birth of Christ and all that it means. Our salvation. Our entire faith is based upon the birth of Jesus. (: So.. remember that when you are running around with the holiday fever! Remember to take a moment and give praise to God for sending His son.

After church we rushed home and i got RIGHT into comfy, warm clothes! It was been sooo cold lately. Sunny... but cold. So i looked like this:

It was kinda funny with my fancy curly hair... in my fuzzy hello kitty pj pants and a loose sweatshirt. 

curly hair, wearing dresses for an hour, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Wedding invite ornament

Happy Saturday!

So... i have been working the past few days. I have been participating in the Lovely Perk-up.. but i have to wear my uniform... not the cutest thing. hehe. (:

A few weeks ago i made a super cute ornament that i found on pinterest. It is made with my wedding invitation... but it can be made with ANYTHING! baby announcement. birthday cards. love letters. :)


So.. the first step was to buy a simple clear bulb. This one i got was plastic and i got it at Michael's for like $1.75. 
Then i took my wedding invitation and cut it in little strips. I made different sizes... and i cut it so that every detail was in a strip. 

After it is all cut into little strips... take one strip and wrap it around a pencil for a few seconds. 


When you're done it will be all twisty and curly... put it in the clear Christmas bulb. Keep doing that with all the strips. 


They will all wrap around each other, just keep stuffing them. (: It is sooo stinking cute, fast, and easy!
I wrote our names on the bottom with the year with a sharpie. I made one for my mother-in-law, one for my sister, and one for us. (: I am sooo pleased with this little project. 

cuteness, simple crafts that make you feel crafty, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Thursday, December 15, 2011

facials and fun

Well today is day 4 of the Lovely Perk-up. Yesterday was my day off.... and truthfully.... i did not participate. I spend the day with my hubby laughing and relaxing and doing this.
yup, facials!!! hehe. We did not watch this movie tho... although we intended too.

He is such a trooper and did this facial with me. It was fun. We made silly faces and laughed and laughed until i cried. We had delicious chicken tacos for dinner and watched a movie. (:

Today i had the day off and perked-up my loveliness. hehe. I had the day off... and he worked.. so my sister-in-law came over as i cleaned the kitchen. (: Good day overall.

Now i am about to make some dinner. (:

I know the coloring is different... but it was hard to show what my hair looked like. I just did a simple side bride. (:

facials, giggles, and love - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

what do you want to be known for?

So.. first off.. i did participate in the Lovely Perk-up the other day... but i worked so i was in my work uniform. hehe. But i wore my hair down and did my makeup. No pics tho. i promise to get better at it. (;

Lately i have been thinking a lot about what i want to be known for. When people think about who i am.. what do they think about? When strangers meet me.. what is their first impression of me?

I started seriously thinking about what i WANT to be known for. I want to be known for my love. For my kindness. For my never-failing faith. For my laughter. For my joy. For my tangible peace that i carry. For my love for my husband and (future) children. I want to be known as a strong woman of God.

A lot of people will ask a question like "what will be written on your tombstone?" I have been thinking about it even MORE. What do i want to be known for RIGHT NOW? What kind of life do what i want live right now? I want to start living with those questions. What is my legacy? What am i leaving behind?

In the book i am re-reading (Feminine Appeal) i read something that has impacted me greatly. The author wrote that "people don't necessarily want to know what we believe in the Bible. They want to SEE if what we BELIEVE makes a difference in our lives.... Our actions either bring honor to God or misrepresent His truth."

Wow... such powerful words! So true. I want to beautifully represent His truth and bring honor to God. That is my heart. I know that it isnt always easy... and i am sooo grateful that i have a Savior to guide me along the way. 

So what do you want to be known for? Have you ever thought about it?

joy, peace, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Monday, December 12, 2011

The Lovely Little Perk-Up Challenge

So... my beautiful friend, Shawna and i were talking the other day about life, confidence, busyness, and ourselves.  We were saying that we often look at other girls  women around us and think how cute they look! Then we take a look back in the mirror and feel disappointed.

Now i know that there is soooo much more to us then our outward appearance.
Beauty is fleeting and charm is deceptive but a woman who fears the Lord deserves to be praised. Proverbs 31:30
But i think there is something to that inner confidence that shines outward. That feeling of beauty. Of course it is more then jewelry, hairstyles, and clothes. It is more then expensive make-up or high heels. 

It is that inner, quiet peace inside all of us as a women that speaks to our hearts and says "you are lovely." I do not use things (makeup, clothes, jewelry) to cover anything up (except maybe a blemish or dark circles hehe). I use it to enhance what God has already made beautiful. It is good to feel good about yourself. It is uplifting to yourself to feel cute. 
Whether you are a stay-at-home mom (like my friend), a new bride, a single woman, a full-time student, a career woman, or still discovering who you are - take some time for yourself to enjoy your loveliness. (: 

I ALWAYS feel cuter when I try just a little bit harder. Style my hair. Put on a cute outfit. Have a pretty accessory on. When you have found that inner confidence inside of you.... it is easy to manifest it on the outside. Don't make it all about the "stuff"... but find a good balance. It is okay to feel lovely. 

When i truly FEEL lovely... i just feel good! My heart is warm. I am happy. I feel confident. Feeling lovely and feeling "hot" are two different things to me. I think feeling lovely comes from both the inner and the outward. Where hot just seems.... shallow. Based upon JUST the looks. Loveliness comes from within and pours out. 

Now back to Shawna and I.  Currently Shawna is about 17 weeks pregnant with her 4th little bundle of joy and definitely needs a confidence booster! Her body is changing with every passing week as her little baby grows and she is running after her other little ones. I am a new bride.. working and learning to cook clean and basically how to be a wife. We are on different parts of life... but one thing still remains with us... the longing for that feeling of loveliness. Things feel good when WE feel good. 

So we have come up with this little challenge - The Lovely Little Perk-Up Challenge. (Shawna's is called the Pregnancy Perk-up Challenge). The challenge for ourselves is to find that little bit of loveliness in us every day.  I am not sure when it will end... or if it will become a lifestyle. But we are going to embrace the lovely bodies (even while they grow) that we have. We will find that true loveliness inside of us and have it pour out. 

We will document daily us trying to "perk-up" our days a little with a splash of our loveliness. Wear cute outfits. Do our hair. Cute accessories. Just adding a little extra everyday. After all it takes the same amount of time to put on jeans and a nice top as it does yoga pants and sweatshirt. And i know i feel way lovelier with jeans then i do with yoga pants. hehe.
Feel free to join the challenge too! It starts tomorrow!

little lovelies, confidence booster, and love. - M

♥ .  ♥ . ♥

Saturday, December 10, 2011

my Hello Kitty obsession.

Every since i was a little girl i have always LOVED Hello Kitty!

i remember my mom buying me cute little Sanrio stuff - pencils, erasers, coin purses, coloring books.
I am not ashamed of who i am. i am a girl. i love anything pink... doing my hair for no reason... music... makeup... dancing around my house... glitter... and Hello Kitty. But i think i am more like a little girl then i am a high-heeled wearing girl. hehe.

In high school i always had Hello Kitty purses.. that i would later pass down to my niece (who is 7 years younger then me). I had coin purses and maybe some pencils. I always kind of kept my obsession quiet. No one really knew how much i loved it.

BUT - then i found Kandee Johnson (a makeup artist, blogger, youtuber, and mother of 4) and she inspired me to be who i am! Long story short... i went public with my Hello Kitty love. I at first got my Hello Kitty ATM card (which reminds me to call the bank to get my new one with my married name). Then I bought a HUGE Hello Kitty purse that i ADORE (i always have it with me... and i get more compliments on it the anything else). I hope to someday share this love affair with my little daughters.
The Hello Kitty love has spread and pretty much everywhere you turn there is SOMETHING Hello Kitty out there!
Clothes. Pens. Pencils. Ornaments. Women are painting their nails in Hello Kitty. necklaces. rings. Cd players. Toasters. Sewing machines.
Of course cell phone covers. Picture frames. Alarm clocks. Laptops. Really to many things to name.


So yes... some of those things i found (i just did a google search and found TONS) are a little extreme and i wouldn't be able to get away with ALL of it. I am lucky that my hubby embraces my love for all things Hello Kitty. Last year for Christmas he bought me some pink Hello Kitty slippers.
I was at work ALLLL day and night yesterday and he bought me some early Christmas gifts. He bought me Hello Kitty socks, Hello Kitty fuzzy pj pants, and some mittens and a beanie (those are just pink and cute!)



Hello Kitty, obsessions, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Learning from Titus

This morning my husband and i got up very early (well... he woke me up and made me get up lol) and went to our church's prayer chapel to read and pray. The air was soo cold that i saw my breath. it was sooo wonderful.
Of course we stopped at Starbucks first... and then headed over.

I have been getting lost in the words of Paul in the book of Titus. I finished a book by Carolyn Mahaney called Feminine Appeal - 7 virtues of a Godly wife and mother. It is all based on Titus 2:3-5.

'The older women, likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not give to much wine, teachers of good things - that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. '

I really enjoyed the book and i am thinking that i might read it again. The book walks women through those 7 virtues and what they mean. It is transforming, humbling, and encouraging. It allows us to find the JOY in being a wife, mother, and homemaker. 

Today i read Titus again... hehe. I have been reading it a lot lately. I am always finding more and more in it though. I enjoy reading things that i have read or heard before and really realizing what the Spirit is telling me in His Word. 
Titus talks about how we should be. What we should do.. and gives us an outline of how we are to honor the Lord with our actions. Titus 3:1-7 is what impacted me a lot this morning. 

'1 Remind them to be subject to rulers and authorities, to obey, to be ready for every good work, 2 to speak evil of no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing all humility to all men. 3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.'

Paul takes us on a short little journey in these verses. He says how we are called to be. Listen to authority. Speak good of everyone. Keep the peace. Staying humble. Then he reminds us that yes... we were once not living for the Lord. At one time we were foolish, not obedient, deceived, and living in hateful ways. How can we talk bad about other people.. when we were once there? How can we not be gentle... when we needed others to be gentle to us when we were living in our sinful nature. I love the next part (v. 4-7). Paul clearly explains to us the reason WHY we can do what we are called to do. We CAN be peaceful because God has given us mercy. He poured out abundantly through Jesus, justified us by His grace and allowed us to become heirs to eternal life. It has NOTHING to do with our works and what we can do. It was all about what HE did for US. amazing! 

We can represent Jesus because He lives in us! 

I want to be known for my love. for my peace. for my joy. I want to be known as a women who has Jesus living inside her. 
What do you want to be known for?

learning, true feminine appeal, and love. -M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Monday, December 5, 2011

The Big Give.

Christmas season is here. Which means twinkling lights. cookies and milk. snowball fights. ornaments. the smell of pine. caroling. ANNNDDD giving gifts.

In honor of the birth of Jesus Christ (and because she has a big big heart) one the bloggers i follow, Nicole is raising money to donate to Samaritan's Purse to give the gift of a water filter to a family in need.

For only $100 we get to give a family something that many of us overlook - clean water. (As i type this i am drinking clean water from a water bottle that my husband and i bought). She is calling this The Big Give. 

Lets all pitch in and help with this very worthy cause. Simply go to her blog and donate anything you can. 

It feels good to give back and make a difference! 

giving back and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥ 


Sunday, December 4, 2011

Christmas parties

Well we had a busy little weekend at our house.

Yesterday i worked the morning shift and yesterday evening it was my husband's company Christmas dinner. I was a little nervous about it because i really didn't have anything to wear. Well.. my hubby is wonderful and went out while i was working and bought me a cute little outfit. i was VERY impressed with him.

He also surprised me with Christmas cheer.

 A peppermint mocha in a pretty red cup and the Michael Buble Christmas album is pretty much Christmas spirit all wrapped up! 

I got off at 3pm and went home to get all ready for the dinner. I discovered my new way to do my hair too! I learned how to curl my hair with my hair straightener! I found a video on youtube and i LOVED it!!! My hair is getting longer, but it doesnt really have a style anymore. Curling it just makes it look better! hehe.
Every single thing i am wearing my husband picked out! hehe! I was sooo proud! The best part is that everything fit really well! Which i was nervous about the pant size... but i guess he knows his wife well! haha.


Dinner was really nice! We actually went to the restaurant where we had our first date at. I got to meet everyone that is involved in my husband's work. (& all of their wives). Of course my husband and i were in his and hers outfits. haha. :)



[pictures to follow... but i dont know how to get them off my "new" camera. haha]

Today we had church and football and coffee.

Hubby and i have been talking about finding a new home church. We really LOVE the church that we go to now. We both have been going there for awhile now.. and we love our pastors and what our church stands for.
B U T our church is vveerrryyy big! very very big! You can kind of get lost in the crowd. We both grew up in smaller community churches and we have been wanting to get more involved in the church. We have been praying about it and decided to check out other churches.
We are still going to listen to our current church's services on podcast and stuff though. ;)

Today we checked out a church that my marriage mentors attend. I think we really fell in love. The message from one of the pastors was soo encouraging! He just preached the Bible! Everyone was really warm, inviting, and friendly. (numerous people came up to see us because they "didn't recognize" us and wanted to say hello) The pastor that preached even came up to us after his sermon to talk to us. We talked to another elder in the church about small groups and what their church is about.
I really fell in love. It was a smaller church. They are all about community but have a heart for missions and other countries. And you can tell how much love was there. I think we are going to go a few more weeks (and maybe check out other churches) before we make a full commitment. But i was really happy there. :)

matching outfits, new churches, and love. - M

♥ . ♥ . ♥

Thursday, December 1, 2011

spicy chicken

On the menu for this lovely Thursday day off: homemade buffalo chicken strips! yummy for my hubby's tummy!!!

So.. what we have in the freezer (meat wise) is either chicken breast of steak. Since i am still learning a lot about cooking different dishes (and we still have a LIMITED amount of ingredients in the house) sometimes it is hard to figure out what to cook. Today we decided to use the Franks Hot Sauce that my husband bought.
Excuse me now for the not accurate measurements... i found a recipe but didn't have all the ingredients so i just went with it. hehe.

I took my chicken breast and cut it in little strips (not too thick). I made a mixture of flour and italian bread crumbs. (1 part to 1 part) I added about 2 tsp of garlic salt, uh... maybe like 1/2 tbsp of paprika, and some pepper. i took 2 eggs and wisked them... dipped the chicken in the egg and then coated with the mixture.
I heated up some oil in a frying pan and place about 5 chicken strips at a time in it. I cooked it for about... 5 minutes on each side.
Then i grabbed my Franks hot sauce and heated it in the micro for about 1 minute.
After the chicken was all nice and cooked i put them in the Hot Sauce.
I cooked the rest and soaked them in the very spicy sauce and served to my hubby! hehe. :)
My husband said they are his new favorite and is looking forward to them for football Sunday. hehe

I am not a HUGE spicy lover.... so i made some of the chicken strips and did not put them in the Frank's.. and i just dipped them in barbeque sauce. They were still really good chicken strips! :)

It was a very quick, easy, delicious dinner with not a lot of ingredients. The flour mixture in the recipe called for more spices then what i had (no breadcrumbs, garlic powder [i only had garlic salt], and cayenne pepper), but it was still delicious! Its one of those recipes that you could have changed or switched out ingredients. Which is sooo helpful for me in my not-so-stocked kitchen.

Dessert was ice cream. yummy! :) We needed something cool for our hot mouths! hehe.

spiciness, easy dinners, and love. - M

♥ . ♥. ♥