Looking Back...

Well, it's December 31st.  The last day of this year.  It flew by so fast.  So much happened in 2008 that I will always remember.

 

I started dating Justin in January.

My very first niece, Ava Nicole, was born in February.

Justin proposed in April.  (very romantic!!)

We got our first home in April.

My cousin, David, (we are 4 days apart) got married in June.

I got my kitty babies in July.

Justin and I got married in August.  8/8/08.

My first Christmas as a married woman in December.

 

What a wonderful year! I only hope 2009 can be so good to me.

A Little Update-- No pictures

Since Christmas, we have been busy, busy. After finishing the paint in the kitchen/dining room, we decided to paint MORE! We have now painted an extra bedroom and are trying to decide on a color for the bathrooms! I'm loving this... pretty soon I'll have a whole new house!

Our friend Shelly moved to Minnesota in August. She came in for the holidays to visit. She went to church with us last night, and then we had her over for dinner. I didn't take pictures, but I thought I would share the recipe because it is delicious!

Pepper Jack Chicken

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

Worcestershire Sauce

Grill Seasonings

Diced Onion

Diced Jalapenos

Sharp Cheddar Cheese (4 oz)

Pepper Jack Cheese (8 oz)

Marinate chicken with Worcestershire sauce and grill seasonings for at least 10 minutes. Grill chicken breasts until they are tender. Sautee onions and jalapenos in a pan while chicken is cooking. Shred cheeses together onto a plate. Then spread cheeses and sautéed vegetables over cooked chicken, and put into oven to melt cheeses.

Church yesterday was amazing, as always. I love my church, my church family, my pastor, our worship team.. I just love it all!

Pastor Tom spoke about how we need to be "doers" of the Word, not just hearers. That really got me thinking. I know that I know the Word. I believe the Word. I hear and read the Word. But am I really living and "doing" the Word?? Do people around me notice that I'm different? Does my life show it? Am I like Christ? Because, afterall, that is what being a Christian is supposed to be about!

Justin and I decided to start following a program or whatever so that we can read the entire Bible in a year. I've always wanted to do it, but never would stay with it. Now we have each other to keep us accountable. I pray to learn and change and grow during this next year. I want my life to reflect my heart.

Christmas 2008

Where to start?  This is gonna be a long one......

This Christmas was wonderful.  It was full of love, joy, surprises, family, good food, and most importantly Jesus.

Christmas Eve night after Justin got off work we spent time with his parents, sister, and our soon to be brother-in-law.  We brought all of our Christmas presents over there and opened them together.  Justin's parents spoiled the four of us way too much.  I'm not complaining though!  LOL.  We really did get some wonderful gifts.

Towards the end of all the unwrapping, I still had not opened a gift from Justin.  He asked me where it was, and I had no clue.  Everyone stopped what they were doing.  I could feel them looking at me as Justin grabbed another box from the side of the couch. 

I opened it.  I said nothing.  I cried a little even.  I was in shock. This is what I saw when I got the wrapping paper off.

I have been wanting a new camera for a while now.  Justin and I had talked about it, looked at them, talked some more, and finally decided we just couldn't afford it right now.

 

Well, he surprised me!!!  I couldn't believe it.  I got the exact camera I have been wanting!  I cannot wait to start using it!  I think I have the BEST husband ever!!!!

 

After that, I felt like what I got him could not compare.  But it's what he wanted... a new tool belt and a DeWalt sander.  He's such a handyman and I love it.

We went home, played with our new toys, and then went to bed.  Bright and early the next morning we went back to his parents' house for lunch.  His dad's side of the family was there.

When we left there we went to my dad's side of the family.  It was bigger than ever this year and so much fun!

 

 

Of course, my Ava baby was there looking as cute as ever!  She really made Christmas fun this year.

 

 

She opened her presents and loved every one of them!  We especially had fun with her new orange ball and her foam blocks, which apparently were very tasty!

 

Uncle Mark made some of the best gumbo I have ever eaten.  And then we had a variety of desserts.  I stuffed myself silly and so did everyone else, I think.

Every year we take a picture of all the cousins.  The past couple of years it has been growing.  This has been the biggest group so far with three of us married and Miss Ava here now.

We finished out the night by going to see a movie with my aunt and uncle.  We saw Valkyrie...not my first choice in movies, but it was pretty good.  And I'll take any opportunity to go to the movies with my hubby cause that doesn't happen too often.

I hope everyone's Christmas was as perfect as mine.  And I hope everyone remembered our precious Lord Jesus on His birthday!

Cookie Surprise Cupcakes

I wanted to make something sweet to take to my family's Christmas get together tomorrow, and these look so yummy!

I got the recipe from Kelly's Recipe blog.

You just take a chocolate cake mix and mix according to the directions on the box.  Fill the muffin pans about halfway and then put chocolate chip cookie dough down inside each one.

 

This is Kelly's picture because I didn't have my SD card in my camera when I took my own picture!!!  :(

 

 

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes and top with chocolate frosting. It makes about 24 wonderfully delicious cupcakes!

Now I've gotta go get ready for my first Christmas with the in-laws!

Changes

First of all this weather!  Two days ago I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt.  It was close to 70 degrees.  Today it is below freezing and no  matter what I do I cannot get warm!  It's FREEZING outside and inside too.  I'm glad it's cold for Christmas though.  Now, if only it would snow!

Second is our kitchen..  There is no longer any wallpaper or border!  I ripped it all down and then Justin helped me take down the backing.  That was quite a job.  We worked for like 5 hours on that mess.  I know it will be worth it though!  And I have a color picked out.  It's called Rolling Hills.. it's a pretty bright green color.  Can't wait!

Something New

Two posts in one day!

I just added the Windows Live Writer application and wanted to test it out.  I think I'm gonna like it.  It makes posting more like using a word processing program, and you can see exactly what the post will look like before you publish it to the web.

So, I'll use this post to introduce mine and Justin's babies. 

About two weeks before we got married, I talked Justin into getting me a kitten.  When we went to pick him up, we left with two!  They are now about 6 months old, and we love them so much.  Since we aren't ready for kids just yet, they keep us busy.

 

This is Samson.  He is our fat cat.  Justin likes him best and has no problem admitting that.  He just likes fat animals.  Ha ha!

 

 

 

This is Sylvester.  He is much skinnier and gets into things he shouldn't much more often.  I like his little "mustache".

 

I guess that's it for now.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!!!

!!!!!

I'm EXCITED!!!!
Today Justin and I started helping his parents paint the rooms of a house for his sister and her future hubby. While we were over there helping out, we started talking about doing our house. Well actually, I have been wanting to redo our kitchen since I moved in, but we just haven't had the money.
We decided to just do it in small steps. And I'm super excited because Justin said we could start this week! Tonight while he is working I'm tearing down our ugly wallpaper and border in the kitchen. Hopefully later this week we will paint. Eventually we are painting the cabinets, getting new hardware and new countertops.
YAY! YAY!

I'll have to post before and after pics once we get some work done!