First Christmas

Our First Christmas went great! We had 3 Christmas Celebrations. The First was on Friday Night with Matt’s Family, his Uncles, Aunts, Cousins, Parents and Brother. We ate dinner, played Minute to Win it, and exchanged gifts. Our Second Celebration was with Matt’s Dad, Mom and Brother on Christmas Eve. We had a fun time; we had a late present exchange because Matt’s Dad had to work until 830! The Third Celebration was with my parents on Christmas morning; we opened presents and then went to Church. Church was great. We sang Christmas Carrols and had a message and then we got to partake in Family Communion. My parents came down here for Christmas because Matt unfortunately had to work from 11-7 on Christmas. I guess technically we had 4 Christmas’ because when Matt got off we had dinner with his and my parents and brother. It was a lot of fun, we had dinner and played games!

On December 15 Matt Graduated from East Central University with his Bachelors in Biology with a concentration in Education. He started shortly after as a Para for 2-4 grade kids. He is going to start applying for teaching jobs in the summer. I am so very proud of him!  

We are going to be spending New Years with my parents, I am very excited to go to Tulsa, this will be the first time in a little over a month, too long! Mom and I are going to do our annual baking Monday! Can’t Wait!

I hope you enjoy the pictures, just a few of our Christmas Decorations…I had forgot and took my nativity scene down without taking pictures, oops.

Happy New Year!!

Fabric Christmas Tree Tutorial

This is my first shot at a tutorial, so bare with me. I found this in a magazine to do for my photography class. We were assigned to find a magazine and re create a item with our own idea with pictures. So I immediately wanted to do something crafty, and since Christmas is right around the corner there was a Holiday Craft magazine. So here we go. . .


Step 1:
Gather all your materials, here's what you'll need.

Materials Needed:

-Canvas (I used an 8x10, the bigger the canvas the bigger the tree and smaller canvas smaller tree)
-Christmas Fabric (I just got like 9 inches of each one)
-Brown Fabric
-Buttons
-Red and Green Thread and Needle
-I found some super cute little lights in the craft section of Walmart that came in a package.
-I had some red star buttons so I used that as my topper (you could find angel buttons or use whatever you wanted to us.
-Hot Glue gun
-Different size circle items (I used a milk jug lid, ibuprofen lid, and a water bottle lid)
-Scissors
-Pencil

Step 2:
      I started by picking my favorite fabric and tracing my circles. I did 3-4 circles on each fabric. I   always find it easier to use the back to trace on, that way if you don't cut right on the line it won't matter, and your line is usually easier to see.

Step 3:

     

     Once you have several circles cut out, its time to start placing your circles on the canvas in the shape of a tree, its really up to on how close together you want the circles. This is where you'll want to add you buttons and if you get the little lights put that on there also. Take a picture of what you decide so you can go back and look at it, because you'll have to take everything off to sew the circles and buttons on.

Step 4:

     Then start your sewing!! It's always sew much fun, hahahaha. When you are all done sewing you'll need to put your lights on, I hot glued my lights on, also the star and bottom on tree trunk was where I couldn't sew, so I just tied thread through my star then glued the star and sewed half the trunk and glued the rest.

 Tada, the finished project.

I hope you enjoy making yours!! 

Short and Sweet

So it has been awhile, once again! I no longer work at Scraptopia, I now work at Bath and Body Works. I had orientation last Thursday and I have register training next Friday night! So for now I am being a substitute when needed and going to class! Oh and making stuff! :) which makes me very happy! I think I will post some of those pictures. I finally got a camera! Its a Nikon D90!! I love it, it really has me in the mood to shoot some pictures! I want to shoot some portraits outside! I am really looking forward to taking some pictures with Matt this Fall! :) He doesnt know about it yet haha! So we live in the Married Student Apartments, and there are a bunch of little kiddos around, and I am hoping that they go trick or treating here haha, I am looking forward to that! Yeah so this post is super random! This weekend Matt and I are going to Tulsa, my cousin Jake and his wife Sommer are coming to visit from North Carolina! He just got home a couple weeks ago from Afghanistan, he was there since Feburary! I can not wait to see them!! Well I think thats all for now!

2 Months 2 Long!

It has been so long since I have posted!! A lot has happened in 2 months! Matt and I’s wedding went wonderfully! It was everything I dreamed it would be! We also got our engagement pictures taken, haha they were a little late, but at least we were able to get some! We had a lot of fun doing that. Karla, my mom’s friend took them for us! After we were done with our pictures my mom and dad met up with us and we took some Family pictures!

Matt had planned out honeymoon and it was a surprise, He told me during the ceremony! You know when the Bride and Groom does the unity candle/unity sand/ or in our case the Unity Cross and then they stand there during the song and talk? Well that is when he told me that we were going to San Antonio! I was so excited!! We had a blast! We stayed right on the River Walk, it was so beautiful! We went to Seaworld, I LOVED Seaworld! That night we ate with some friends that were going through San Antonio at Hard Rock Café, it was quite tasty, and it was fun to catch up! We and took a tour of a Cavern, it was really pretty, but so incredibly hot! It was I think they said in the 80’s with 99.9% humidity! We came out looking gross! On our way back from the Cavern (while I was taking a little nap hehe) Matt saw a restaurant called “Texas De Brazil” and told that he wanted to pick dinner and told me what it was and that he wanted to take me! Oh My Goodness, it was amazing!!! In Brazil they have this drink called “Guarana” and it’s a pop, kinda like sprite, but so much better! Luckily they ladies next to us had it setting on their table because I almost missed out on having it! After dinner we went see Cars 2! It was really good! On the last day we took a river boat tour, which was neat and interesting! We also went to the Alamo; it was nice to see, but not much to see. We checked out the big mall, and then headed home! We stopped at the Tanger Outlet Mall and then in Dallas we stopped and had Rainforest Café for dinner, Yummy!!! We had a great time!! We are hoping to go back in November, when we bought our tickets for Seaworld we had a coupon and we were able to get in for kids price and a second visit free, but it expires on January 1,2011 so we have to go soon if we can! And around Christmas they decorate, and from what I have read they have a “Polar Express” theme, and if you know anything about me you know that I LOVE Christmas and The Polar Express!! So I really hope that we are able to go! Since we have been married we have been just trying to get our apartment all in order. We cleared out our spare room for when my parents came down and brought us my bed for the spare room, but when they brought that they also brought the rest of my junk and we still have to go through that! Yuck! Someday (probably when we are moving out) we will get it all organized!

So I have a new obsession, Pinterest! Some of you may know what it is, I didn’t until Friday afternoon and I am already hooked! I love making things!! So it is right up my alley! Pinterest….let me try to explain it. When you become a member you are able to make these boards, which you pin pictures on….they have categories that you can look at that other pictures that people have pinned…my favorite section in DIY & Crafts! When you see something you like you can repin it to one of your boards…the pictures are usually from someone’s blog and you can click on the picture and it will take you to their blog where you then learn how to make whatever it is! Brilliant! You can also be browsing the internet and see on someone’s blog something you would like to have on your board, once you have downloaded the pin it button you can pin away! I haven’t yet tried that, but it sounds easy! So if you haven’t seen this amazing website, you should check it out…you don’t have to be a member to browse!!

Well I think that is all I have for this post! I’ll try not to wait 2 months to post again! Here are some of my favorite pictures from the Big Day!

I Love Stevies Face in this one!

The Strong Guys

Matt and His Mom and Dad

I Love this one!

Me and My daddy Walking down the isle!

With this Ring

Michael and Stevies Faces are Priceless

This is our special pose

Like Father like Daughter

My Wonderful Girls!

Our Cake

This was such a special moment!

Sommer had a letter my cousin Jake,

who is in Afghanistan, wrote for Matt

and I, and she read it to us.

Our First Dance as Mr. and Mrs.

Father Daughter Dance

Me and Mom dancing the night away

Matt Grooms Cake

30 Days!

Well we have hit our 30 day mark!!! wahoo!!! :)

Last week was Church Camp, and it was a blast! I LOVE church camp, as if you already didn’t know that from last times post haha. Surprisingly enough I didn’t get sun burned, well except my scalp, but that’s minor! So I don’t have to worry about tanning because of tan lines! yay! Friday we got back from camp...I barely made it home, because stupid me stayed up until 4:30 talking with Rowdy, Bethel (Seth) and Nicholas (Nick)! It was fun, just not the smartest idea, considering Nick and I both had to drive teens home! haha but we made it with everyone alive!! At Church Camp a lot of lives were changed and a lot of decisions were made! I know that from our church there were 3 teens that gave their lives to the Lord for the very first time, and there were about 8 teens that rededicated their lives!! It was amazing!!! After I woke up from my nap Mom and I went to run few errands! We got my shoes for the wedding and a few other things! And I made Christina’s baby shower gift, so all in all it was a pretty productful day! Saturday Mom and I went and took my dress to get altered!!! YAY! I am SO excited!! After that we went to Christina’s Shower, she's getting so close to her due date! :) I can't wait for Emalyn's debut!! We went and saw my Papaw on Saturday too, he is in a nursing home for rehab, but he is making great progress, Prayers for him would be greatly appreciated! We finally found shoes for the bridesmaids to wear!!! :) And I ordered Matt's ring!! A lot of wedding stuff was accomplished last weekend!!!

Father’s day was great! I got to spend the day with my dad, first time in quite awhile...I have either been on Missions trips or at Church camp on Father’s day since 2007!! And Moms birthday was last Friday and I got to see her!!! So it’s safe to say last week was great!! :)

There is still plenty to do for the wedding!! We have to find shirts and ties for the guys and shoes for Kayedence and Brooklyn, and some other stuff...along with getting centerpieces together! I am so excited for Saturday to get here!! Rowdy and my Mom are throwing me a Bridal Shower!! It’s going to be so much fun! Then on Sunday, Matt's Church is giving us a Shower, needless to say, this weekend is going to be a blast!! :)

Well that’s all for this post!! :) 30 Days!!!  

44 Days!

See I am already bad at this whole blogging thing. It’s been almost 2 weeks since I have written anything. I have been super busy with trying to get wedding stuff done.  I almost have all my invitations addressed and ready, that’s good because I’m mailing them out tomorrow :/ eek! Yesterday my Papaw fell trying to put the mower up and he broke his hip..this was after he had already been to  the hospital Monday for chest pains, they sent him home Tuesday morning.  This morning they took him in for surgery to put a rod in his hip and the doctors said that it went well, we are glad they didn’t have to totally replace it because that would have been a worse recovery. Needless to say it hasn’t been the best week for my Papaw and Granny!

Sunday we leave for camp!!! I’m so excited! Another year for the adventures of Rowdy(Stevie) and Goose(me)! It’s bitter sweet because this is most likely the last year we will be at camp because we’re both getting married and gonna be old! Haha. Church camp is a very important thing in my life, a lot of big things have happened to me at church camp…that’s where me and Rowdy met, where I answered the call to be a Missionary and where Matt told me he liked me for the very first time!!! So this place means a lot to me!!  

Just 44 days until the BIG day!!! I feel like there is so much to do still though! I know they are all small details but all the small details are what make the big details.  June 18th I’m going in to have my dress altered, the June 25th Rowdy is throwing me a bridal shower at my house, June 26th Matt’s church is throwing us a shower…hopefully either June 25 or July 9 we will be taking our engagement pictures. We still have to get Brooklyn’s dress and shoes, Kayedence’s shoes, the girls’ shoes, my shoes, shirt and tie for Jereme, shirts and ties for the ushers, candles for the reception….I think that it is all. Whew, lots to get done!!! On that note looks like I need to be researching dresses, shoes, shirts and ties!!! So I guess that’s all for this post!!

Surprise!

So my birthday was on Tuesday right? Well Matt brought me lunch for my birthday and a present :) he hadn’t been here very long and he said he had to go, I wasn’t too happy he was leaving so soon, but he said he had a meeting with the married housing department at the school. I didn’t think much about it because they had just called like last week to tell us that they didn’t have any apartments open, plus we had been trying to get into one (well to get matt into one until we get married) but because he wasn’t 23 they wouldn’t let him. Anyways about 30 minutes passed and he called and said that he had a confession to make that he had lied a little bit, my initial thought was “oh dear” and he went on to tell me that when he told me he had a meeting with them the meeting was actually to sign papers for our apartment and that he had the key in his hand going to open the door! I was so SHOCKED to say the least!!! Total surprise, I was tearing up I was so happy! This has been something I had been worrying about everyday! That night once matt got off work me his mom and him went and looked at his and soon to be our new home! I love it, it is small, but perfect for the two of us. He has already moved into it and the rooms actually are bigger than they looked with no furniture in them. Once my mom and dad get a little less busy they are going move our couch, loveseat and table and chairs. Matt’s mom and dad bought us a in table with a lamp on it, some curtains and matt some food! I am so excited to get to start decorating it and getting it all set up for when we come back from our honeymoon and get to live in it together! Mom and dad surprised me to with a birthday cake bouquet, it is super cute!! 

Welcome

 This is our living room

This is our dining area

 This is our Kitchen

 Matt's room for now, but going to be our master room

Guest room

Pantry

and bathroom

My Beautiful Birthday Cake Bouquet

Today Matt and I took our invitations to staples to get printed. We get to see the proof tomorrow! Yesterday I ordered our napkins for the wedding and our cake topper. I have been working on getting everyone’s addresses for the wedding invitations, man that is some hard work entering them into the computer and keeping track of who gave you theirs and if you put it in the computer right and so on and so on. I gotta start addressing them or I’m going to run out of time, yikes!! We have 57 days to go!! But only a couple of weeks to get the invites out!! It’s coming quick and I’m so excited!!!

21.

Today is my 21st Birthday! My Dad and Mom told me this morning that they are getting me the new movie that was released on DVD today "Gnomeo and Juliet". I’m quite excited! It is kind of funny that this movie was released on my birthday because I have some history with Garden Gnomes.

My freshman year of college we were pretty bored so some of the students came up with a... we'll say adventure called Dare Night. Already starting to sound bad huh? We had been split into teams and in each team we had a list of dares we had to get done in the allotted time. There was things on the list like "Take a bite out of an onion", "let a dog out of a yard" (which by the way we did, but sort of cheated at the same time, the dog was safely returned to the yard), "T.P a tree", change the letters on a Church sign" "Call your parents and convince them you turned gay"...you get the idea. The last one that we did was "Steal a garden gnome from someone’s yard" great idea, right...NOT! So we started out in a neighborhood, in my car, with me driving and the first house we found with a garden gnome of some sort the passenger was to jump out and grab it..so we found one and the passenger jumped out ran, grabbed the object and ran back into the getaway car and I zoomed off....here’s where it gets interesting, the object we got wasn’t just any ordinary garden gnome, it couldn't be that easy, it was a figurine....of Jesus!!! It was huge and really super heavy, but we made it back to campus with Jesus and all. That was a Saturday night, so therefore the next day was Sunday....and Church! So I’m setting listening to the sermon when I start to feel this guilt, that I had stolen something...I went to the alter and was so very upset. Afterwards I talked to one of my team mates that went to the same church as me and believe it or not he had the same guilt, so that night we snuck to the waterfall where our beautiful treasures were displayed and grabbed Jesus and went back to the neighborhood and returned him to his yard sidewalk in from of his house.

I told my parents about this, and I’m beginning to think that wasn’t the wisest decision that I have ever made, but I did. They thought it was hilarious...so much that it is still a joke 3 years later. Later that year I get an email from my mom...a sweet little greeting card. In this greeting card there is a talking Garden Gnome and this little guy is personalized just for me...telling me that the Gnomes felt safe until I came into town, that they were watching me and had security and all this and that. It was funny

That is story of my encounter with Garden Gnomes and why my parents are buying me the movie! :)

It Happened in France

I felt like I should share why I chose this name. Matt, my fiancé, and I met in 2009 on a mission trip to France. We had both set out on this journey with the goal of not liking anyone on our team. Well obviously that didn’t work out for either of us! After we started dating we talked about the day we started liking each other...and it turned out that we had started liking each other the same day which was my Birthday, so 2 years from today! :) So I thought "It Happened in France" was a fitting Name!