Oh how I hate packing!

Finals are over & now it is time to hit the road...or should I say beach! Tomorrow we will be saying "Bon Voyage" as we head off to the Florida Keys & the Bahamas for our 7-Day Honeymoon cruise! After we return from that we are heading to Colorado to spend Christmas with my family! What can I say, it's a rough life...you feel sorry for us, I know! Anyways, needless to say I am extremely excited but there is so much to do before then considering we have to pack for the next month...

So, while I attempt to get everything done enjoy a few of our wedding pictures that I just got!

Thanks Lyns! You are AMAZING!!

Love Birds!

All the Christmas decor is out & the house is finally clean! It is Nathan & I's first Christmas as a married couple so it has been a lot more enjoyable decorating because it is "Our House"! Of course he has had his smart aleck remarks about me spending money at Hobby Lobby on decorations. I of course respond by saying, "Fine, we will just be BORING newlyweds that don't celebrate at all!" He just laughs and I know by this response that he secretly loves it! He says so any time one of his guy friends comes over and says how "cute" our house is! haha

Unfortunately we have no lights on the outside of our house. I love coming home to Christmas lights but my husband refused to put them up since we weren't going to be able to enjoy them for long enough considering we leave in a week for our cruise!! I better have some next year considering we will be out of school and home for the holidays. No excuses here!

We are supposed to do stockings for each other! We will see if i get anything ;)

Wish I could have had a reason to get my Christmas dishes out!! There is always next year...

A Meyer Thanksgiving

Like I expected, my first Thanksgiving as a married woman was drastically different... I cannot complain because Nathan’s family was very welcoming and really treated me like I was a part of the family. It was a lot quieter holiday than I am used to and the conversation was quite different. Obviously in a family that is predominantly composed of die hard hunter’s the conversation is ALWAYS about who has seen the “Biggest Buck” or it is long periods of complete silence…which they are completely okay with. Personally it makes me feel totally uncomfortable because my family NEVER shuts up & I LOVE IT!!! We always have a great time with everyone laughing until it hurts at the randomness that usually comes from Haley’s mouth!

There were definitely quite a few laughs in Sabinal as well at the ways that they entertain themselves. At Nathan’s Grandma’s house we got plenty of laughs out of watching Nathan’s brother Neal attempt to shoot at a woodpecker---unsuccessfully of course. Later on at his Aunt & Uncle’s house they each got on the 4-wheeler and would throw the football to the person driving. Really safe, I know---Neal almost ran into a telephone pole. Like I said, very different from the hayrides and s’mores that my family usually does for the kids!

This "family portrait" was one of our good laughs --- they thought they needed a nice family portrait that they could hang in the dining room!

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The remodel went great! Everything turned out really well and everyone seemed to love it. I had a few helpers in the beginning but as the hunting increased they decreased---drastically. I spent quite a bit of quality alone time on Wednesday with trim, doors, & crown molding while the men went looking for those “Big Bucks”. The reaction from Nathan’s Dad was great so that made all the hard work worthwhile. He just gets more and more excited with each room we do. I told him the kitchen is in the near future considering we all waited at the Dairy Queen for 40 minutes to get our greasy dinner…only in Sabinal! Eventually I want to put in a new oven & fridge but obviously that is not in the budget for now! I told Kenneth I was eventually going to put a table & chairs in the dining room---a profound thought, I know! (He said it just gets in the way...)

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Ok, I know I have been longwinded so here are some pictures!

Obviously it still needs some decor but it's a start!

The kitchen in the background is next on the list.

If you haven’t checked it out recently, go look at my sister’s blog. She did a really cute Thanksgiving post! Such a clever pastry chef!

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Oh & by the way, I did end up getting to go see my family! I woke up early Saturday morning and drove back to hang out for the day. It was wonderful to be around women & to talk about LOTS of girly stuff ;) No hunting there!

But I really do love fall...

Typically I look forward to Thanksgiving all year long. The food, the smells, baking, family time ---I love it all. For some reason this year is different. I hate to say it but I am trying to wish it away too quickly. I am not trying to seem ungrateful because I am very grateful in fact. I have a wonderful husband, a great family, & the cutest little house but like I said this year I feel .... indifferent.

Here is the problem---I love being married but with marriage comes the splitting of holidays... Nathan's family is wonderful & am excited to be a part of it but at the end of the day they aren't my incredible parents, my fun sisters & my comical Memie. It will be my first holiday to ever be away from them. I am pretty sure I will probably cry in my room or something on Thanksgiving & more than likely I won't be able to call them because that will make me miss them even more...sorry Mom!

Sorry, I don't mean to be such a downer I just love my family that much & I am going to miss them a ton! On the bright side, I am making Pumpkin Cookies AND we are doing more remodel work at Nathan's Dad's house during the break. We are planning to paint the dining room and the hallway. I know, not incredibly exciting but it is 2 more rooms checked off the list!

Here are a few before pictures

We are going to put dining room furniture in here eventually too. It's just not in the budget right now....

What a difference it will make when all the trim, walls, & ceilings are not all the same color!!

Check back next weekend for the after pictures! It won't be before that because it would take hours to upload pictures on dial-up in Sabinal....

Happy Birthday Janna Rae!!!

Just wanted to wish a Happy 21st Birthday to one of my best friends --- Janna Rae!! (She is the one making the mean face on the right in the oval frame) She is an amazing friend that brings lots of laughs & signature "Janna" dance moves!! Love you so much & hope you have a wonderful birthday!

Enjoy the new background! I know it may be a little early but I am just too excited about Christmas! I have been dying to put up my decorations but have forced myself to enjoy what is left of fall decor! All in time...

Happy Fall!!!

The Best Pumpkin Cookies You Will EVER Have!!!

Yield: About 5 dozen


Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
½ cup sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1-1/3 cup granola without raisins
1-1/3 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1-1/3 cup vanilla or white chips

Icing:
¼ cup butter, softened
2-3 cups confectioner’s sugar (may need more)
3 tablespoons milk

• In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and pumpkin. Combine the flours, cinnamon, baking powder, ginger, salt, baking soda, nutmeg and cloves; gradually add to creamed mixture. Stir in the granola, nuts, and chips.


• Drop by tablespoonfuls (or cookie scoop) 2 in. apart onto a greased (or parchment paper) baking sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-18 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove to wire racks to cool.


• In a small mixing bowl, combine icing ingredients until smooth. Frost cookies with small spatula or use a piping bag with a decorative tip for a more impressive cookie! Also, if you would like, set on wax paper and drizzle warm butterscotch or caramel sauce over the cookies. Store in the refrigerator.

I made these for 2 of my friends that are in the Miss UMHB Pageant on Friday as good luck treats. They loved them, as did the ladies at my work and all Nathan's friends that come over to watch the baseball World Series! So, go try them out---they were amazing and it will make everyone want to be your friend!!

We didn't kill each other!!

I told you in my last post that Nathan & I were about to delve into the world of house remodeling... Well, we have officially started! There are lots of pictures so I will try to be brief. Ever since Nathan & I started dating, my OCD has been dying to scrape this old paint off the walls and slap on a new and brighter color. I was always a little hesitant because I didn't want to overstep as the "girlfriend" but I have now officially been the "wife" and a part of the family for 2 weeks so here we go!! Enjoy the transformation!

The paint is literally falling off the walls in every room.

All the trim took 3 coats of paint unfortunately...I refused to let the boys help me with trim for the most part. I sent them hunting instead ;) I think they gladly welcomed the break!

It took forever to scrape this lovely LEAD paint off the ceiling and walls...

This was Nathan's scary Halloween costume!

After the first coat of primer...


Ta-Dah! It's finished!! All of our hard work paid off because Kenneth loved it and can't wait for us to start on the rest of the house---We are going to have to wait a little while though. We are poor newlyweds so feel free to make donations ;) Totally kidding!


It still needs some finishing touches such as pictures on the walls and "girly stuff" (as Kenneth calls it) on the dresser.


Ok, funny story. Look closely at the trim in this picture---notice 1/3 of it is a different color. This measured all of the Meyer boys heights while they grew up so there was no way we could paint over that! We figured it would be comical and a unique detail that only their house would have!

Look how much brighter a new coat of paint, white trim, & new curtains make!

Oh & in case you were wondering, Nathan & I did great! No arguments at all! What a miracle!! We have lots left to do so I will keep you posted as it comes along!