Back in the Blogging Seat (Finally Got Internet)

It feels so good to be back in the blogging seat! I can finally post and check my emails and be on the internet! We haven't had internet since we moved in, except for the few times we went to the library.

Hopefully this means I will get to post more on here. I have a few new recipes I wanna try plus I want to track my little growing one. I think I am going to nickname the baby until we find out if the baby is a girl or a boy.

It's so cute though how DH kisses both me and my belly before bed every night. I love him so much.

We're Pregnant! ---The Offical Post

Okay so here's the official post. I went to the doctor yesterday and she says I am defiantly pregnant. Though this is a surprise and a little earlier than expected we are both very excited and nervous! God doesn't give you what you can't handle, right?

How Far Along: Almost 5 weeks
Symptoms: Hungry all the time, but usually more thirsty, back aches, sore breasts (which are growing) sore feet and baby bloat and the one that seems to affect me the most; I am ALWAYS tired. lol. Though that's probably a mix of no more caffeine and the little one growing.
Gender: Unknown

We still haven't really told anyone. Hubby blabbed to his best friend today when he came over but that's about it and I really have that feeling of wanting to tell, but I want to wait till Thanksgiving.

I am so nervous and yet I am starting to get excited!

Excuse for my absense....

As you all know that we were moving. Well now we are all moved in and unpacked (besides a few boxes I don't feel like touching). And we just found out that we are going to have to be moving again in about 8 to 9 months.....I'M PREGNANT! I know I can't believe it either! We were hoping for lots of children in the future, but we weren't thinking this soon. None the less, we are overjoyed and now scrambling around like chickens missing their heads trying to learn everything we need to know to be first time parents. after I find my camera cord, I will post some pics on here. But in the mean time, anybody got any tips for the first time mom or dad? Gotta get back to school work (will be graduating with my Associate degree in business management this December! So happy!)

"I Don't Cook Anymore!"- Thoughts

Okay, so all week (and it has been a very busy week) at work almost every time an older female customer would come in, we'd ask if they would like to have free pots and pans (it's part of a promotion, which sucks cause I could really use some completely free heavy duty pans, lol!) and they would respond "No, I don't cook anymore." Now mind you, these were women who were shopping and up & out on their own, no disabilities (that could be viewed). They would just simply say they refuse to cook anymore and if someone (assuming a significant other) wanted dinner, they could heat up their own food.

Why is this? Has our society just grown to a point were women give up being wives and mothers? When you hit old age, do you just lose the will/drive to continue being a wife? I could understand if you have a disability, but if it seems like you are perfectly fine and shopping around and etc. by yourself without assistance from others or walking aides, why must you give up the long lost art of cooking and baking? Same thing with appearance and affection. So many times I have seen older couples (70 & up) who no longer share affection openly with each other. There is no hand holding, no hugging or walking close. And as it goes for appearance I will admit this; the older generation (70 & up) women do still pay close attention to their looks. They do their hair every morning and their makeup. They generally look as if they put time into their appearance. But, the middle aged generation does not seem to pay as close attention. Now I can see you know once a week or such where you may just wash your face and go ( due largely to schedules, children, and exhaustiveness, lol), but I think that women should still try to look nice for when the hubby's do come home. I mean, why should we only look nice for date night?

Now, I am one who could be seen guilty for this a lot, lol. But I am determined to make a change and put some effort into how I look, since I know that he puts effort into how he looks for me everyday. I'm not saying that I am going to dress up like some movie star everyday. Just simple makeup and doing a simple hairdo would suffice. It has nothing to do with how dressed up you get. It has more to do with you putting the little bit of effort in and it showing.

Long Awaited Wedding Photos

Back to School!

Tomorrow for Mr. M and Tuesday for Mrs. M!

Back to School Time!

I have only one more semester left at college, then I will have my associates. I have been spending a week getting everything together and ready to go. I have all my text books, every things paid, I have notebooks, a bag and pens. The only problem is I always feel as if I am forgetting something. I do this every year and always feel the same. I think it's just nerves. The Hubby is all set to go too, and hopefully I will be getting a car soon ( I hate being stranded!).

I can't wait till summer is gone and fall is here. Fall is my favorite season! I just love everything about it! I love the smells, I love Thanksgiving, I love Christmas shopping, I love the chilly days and cold nights, I love the colors that bloom outside, I love the sweaters and boots, I love everything about Fall!

Whats not to love about that?

I'm Back!!!!

Okay, so this past two weeks have been crazy! Hope you are all comfortable, because this is gonna be a long one.

First thing that happened: two days after my last post (which was a little over two weeks ago) my computer charger went out. Yeah, wonderful timing. So my computer had been dead until yesterday when we finally got the 100 bucks to get a new one. So I was unable to check my email, I was unable to do the DIY programs for the wedding, couldn't post here and couldn't get my invitations list off of here. But, no fear, I am now up and running again and now will be catching up on the overflowing inbox and all my missed posts here! lol.

The wedding went really well. The weather decided it was gonna be at it's hottest/humid and thunderstorm on the wedding day, so we had to move it inside, not to mention the mosquitoes and ticks back in the woods. But, we made it work out and it still looked very nice. So hubby and I are now officially husband and wife!

We had decided we would leave the reception around 8:00pm and head off to the honeymoon, and ran into some issues. There was a boat show going on that weekend that was apparently very popular, so we ended up going to 15-16 different hotels and they were all booked. We finally found one at about 2:30am and we were hungry so we ended up eating Stake n' Shake, which was the only thing open. The room smelled terrible, so I didn't get much sleep. The second hotel the next night was much better! But thats all the details you all are getting about that!

I got my hair done yesterday. Hubby wanted my to try out highlights ( and yes it was his idea), and I think it looks wonderful. It makes me look more like a wife than a student. I promise to post pics when I look better and am no longer sick.

Sick? Yes sick. The morning of the wedding I was developing a little cough, nothing to worry about then, but it got worse on the honeymoon, and when I woke up yesterday, it was terrible. My throat was on fire and I was coughing like crazy. Hubby was feeling the same way and so was a couple of the guests the week before. And today, hubby got sent home from work early and I look terrible. Hopefully this will go away soon and I pray he feels better tomorrow.

I went and got all my name change stuff done, and finished getting school stuff done. I still have to do a little back to school shopping, but it's only a couple of things.

The house is a mess. I just can't bring myself to clean. I just want to lay down. What a way to spend our first week eh?

So how many of you thought I disappeared? lol

Emotional Roller Coaster

Sorry for the scarcity of posts lately, I've been so busy and emotionally drained. I am nervous/happy/angry/sad and a whole bunch of other emotions I am sure they don't even have a name for yet!

I am happy/nervous/excited about our upcoming wedding (1 week and 2 days)!!! I absolutely cannot wait until I am walking down the aisle (read: until it's all over and we're husband and wife!). I still feel so overwhelmed because I feel like there is so much for me to do! I will just have to wait and have faith that it will all get done and go as planned.

Hubby-to-be and I are trying to stretch our legs, but there's no room for us here anymore. We have pleaded for the separate apartment downstairs and have been told no. So we would like to get our own place, but everything seems way out of our price range and apartments have so many requirements. We don't know what to do. This is where the sadness comes from. I want to get out of here and be on our own. I am tired of all the yelling and bossing around, all the melding. I mean in a week we will be husband and wife but his parents still seem to think that it doesn't matter (it's just a piece of paper, we're his parents if we tell him to do something he better do it!). It just drives me nuts! For example: if I ask him to go with me to the store or something, and his dad and mom want him to stay home and play pool or go out with them, they will throw a fit when he goes with me. How ridiculous is that? Then they say all this stuff about how we shouldn't move out and we should just live with them for awhile. Then When we tell them we need more room (i.e. the downstairs full apartment that is only inhabited by his sister and her baby, that's it. She doesn't even use the kitchen downstairs!) his dad said "If the are old/stupid enough to get married, they can move out!". Wonderful, right?

I don't know what to do. Any advice?

It's about to get crowded?

Hubby just called and said he had another couch that he got for free to add to our small livingroom. We will see how this fits....

Busy Busy Bee

I have been super busy lately! We are a little over two weeks away from our wedding (it will be two weeks tomorrow) and the stress is really setting in. I have so much to do! Along with the wedding, am also busy setting hubby and myself up for school again this year (thank goodness it's my last semester) and I have had to go up to the school multiple times. It should be well on it's way to being all set as we speak. I have been doing laundry and cleaning non-stop and working tons this week. Hopefully after the wedding I can de-stress and feel better. More updates when I can, I have to go and (yet again) put a load in the wash and fold the clean one!

48 Waffles later....

Yes! You heard correctly! 48 waffles I have just made with my new waffle maker to freeze for frugal uses........at 11pm.....I am crazy. Now I am going to go do dishes and thank you cards.

First time Cooking with Slow Cooker-- Pictures!!!

The Review:

..........It was GREAT! Thank you Raising a Quiver Full ! It is a wonderful recipe, and I am glad I tried it. It is definitely a keeper. The meat was moist and not too tough and the sauce had a hint of sweetness and a lot of tangy-ness. You all must try this and leave me a comment telling me what you thought of it!

Oh yeah, if you didn't already figure it out, these are our new plates too! So three new things; plates, cooker, and pot roast! lol. I'm a dork

First time Cooking With a Slow Cooker!

I am so excited (And as my coworkers loving call me--domesticated!) today I finally get to cook with my slow cooker! In fact it's been going for about 2 hours now, just two more to go!

Wanna know what I am cooking? Well, I figured since this is the first time I am cooking with a slow-cooker, I thought it would be fitting to cook a piece of meat I have never had the pleasure of cooking yet--Pot Roast. To be more specific, it's Cola Pot Roast . I found the recipe over at Raising A Quiverfull .

I don't really measure dry seasonings, I am just used to how mush is what by eye, so if you feel more comfortable with the measurements, I will include the link to the recipe. I also used only about 3/4 of the onion (I had a REALLY big onion).

Here's a copy of the recipe, or if you would like to see the website it's from click here.

Cola Pot Roast

What You'll Need:

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder

1 Onion, Cut up

4 Large Carrots, Cut up

A 3.5-4.5 Roast

1 Bottle of Chili Sauce (12 oz)

2 TBSP of Worecestorshire Sauce

2 TBSP of Hot Sauce

1 Can of Cola

1. Turn on your slow cooker (it says for like 8 hrs cook on low, I did it for 4 hrs on high).

2.Evenly season the meat with the dry ingredients and place it in the middle of the slow cooker. Next, place the cut up onion and carrots around the meat.

3. In a bowl mix all the remaining ingredients well and pour over meat and veggies. Then enjoy!

Its still cooking so, when it's done, I will take pics and tell ya how it tasted!

My Bridal Shower --Pics

My first Bloggie Award!

Wow, the weekend was so hectic that I didn't even realize I was given my first blog award from Camo and Peace Signs !!! I am soooo happy! Thank you so very much! Okay, so I am suppose to post seven tidbits about myself, and then pass the award onto others! Let's give it a try:

Seven Things about Mrs. M:

1. I am getting married (big secret right? lol) to a man I have known for 5 years and been dating for three. You can call him my high-school sweetie! I absolutely love him!

2. I am in a "nesting" phase currently (no I am not pregnant). I think it's because of the upcoming wedding and such. I am ready for Mr. M and I to be a family and start turning our home into a real home!

3. Holiday I am most interested in this year: Christmas. And no, it's not because of the gifts. It's because (and yes this links back up to the "nesting" thing) we (Mr. M and I, no one else) get to get OUR first Christmas tree and have it in OUR living room. I get butterflies and my heart speeds up each time I think about it. I'm crazy right?

4. I didn't get my license until after I had finished my first year of college: Why? Because I hate to drive. Everyone I know loves driving, I do not. I would rather walk or have Mr. M drive me (don't worry, I do drive myself most of the time).

5. I want to be a stay at home mom. I would like to have as many kids as I can (or at least a big family). Hubby said 5 tops it, but if we have the resources, maybe a sixth. I can live with that, lol.

6. Everybody asks me if I am excited/really nervous. I always reply "I am VERY excited, but not nervous. That will come next week" (I've been saying this for 4 months now). I think I only say this to maybe convince myself. In truth, I have been stressing tons. So much that my stress level on a scale of 1 to 10 is a big fat 100 PERCENT.

7. I love to cook and bake! And I am actually good at cooking. ( I will let you all in a secret: One day, one of hubby's friends which I ran into, asked me when I was inviting the guys over to eat. I was like what do you mean? And he was like Well ....... said your cooking is better than his moms, and I will invite myself over if I have to!) Can you believe it? One, hubby was talking about my cooking to his friends and Two, he said MY cooking is better than his moms! Let's not tell the soon to be Mother in Law, lol!

Hope Ya'll enjoyed that! Now here's all the people I have chosen to pass this on to!

Mom of Many

Southern Hospitality

A Marine's Wife!

Mrs Thomas

His Hands His Feet Today

The Ramblings of a Marine Wife

Mommy From the Midwest

Okay, yes I know that's only seven! But I didn't think it fair that I can recieve a blog award and not give it to that person since they have a great blog! So my number 8 bloggie award is going to Camo and Peace Signs ! Please, I recommend you check out her blog she, (so unlike me), is much better at keeping up a blog and I truly enjoy reading her blog!

And my ninth and final award is given to my two followers that have their blogs marked as private. I believe you two deserve an award too!

There's my list and thank you once again Camo and Peace Signs!

Saturday-- Abby and Kevin's Bridal Shower

On this past Saturday we had so much fun at my cousin Kevin and his bride to be Abby's Bridal Shower. They had really good food and some good games (gift/registry bingo, what's in your purse?, and personalized scratch offs). Kevin and Abby are getting married a month after hubby-to-be and I. Here are some pictures:

Excited! Bridal Shower

I will be so busy this weekend. I have two bridal showers to go to, one on Saturday (Cousins) and one on Sunday (Mine :) ). I am so excited that my bridal shower is this weekend. I keep peeking at the online registeries and seeing what people are buying us. I can't wait, I keep smiling! The weather is supposed to be nice 9we will be at a park) But the bad thing is I don't have a pair of shorts/skirt to wear! (At least none that fit) So now either late tonight or tomorrow, I have to go out and find me some shorts or preferably a skirt. Plenty of shirts! So tonight, if you see me posting some slow cooker recipes tonight, you will know at least one thing I am getting!

Sick all day... :(

Sorry I was not able to post earlier today, believe me I tried. I had a migraine since I woke up and was lucky enough to get the dishes done, then just layed about all day, unable to fall asleep. Finally it went away and it's 2:00 am. Time to go to bed. I just feel like the whole day was wasted. Tomorrow, I will be going with my sister ( my maid of honor) and my grandmother to go and do some shopping for the wedding. Wish me fun!

Stockpile List ----Home/ Health & Beauty Needs

Home/Beauty
Toilet Paper (12 pks)		4 Bundles
Paper Towels (6 pks)		3 Bundles
Dish Soap		12-15 Bottles
Laundry Detergent		20-24 bottles
Bleach		5 Bottles
Toilet Cleaner		6 Bottles (Powder or Liquid)
Window Cleaner		2 Bottles
Multi-Purpose Cleaner		4 Bottles
Fabric Softner		10 bottles
Fabric softner		10 Boxes
Couch Cleaner		2 Bottles
Air freshners		10
Candles		As many as I can get
Razors		20 Packages Female
Razors		20 Packages Male
Shaving Cream		40 Bottles
Shampoo		20 bottles
Conditioner		25 Bottles
Shampoo (male)		15 Bottles
Bodywash (Female, Bottle)		10 Bottles
Bodywash (Female, Bars)		10 Bars
Bodywash (male)		20 Bottles
Toothpaste		20 Boxes
Toothbrushes		As many as I can get
Deoderant (Female)		10
Deoderant (male)		15
Face Wash (Female)		5
Face Wash (Male)		10
Femine Products		10-15 Boxes
Lotion		4 Bottles
Ziploc Baggies		10 Boxes
Hair Color		4 Boxes
Hair gel		2 Bottles
Hair Spray		2 Bottles
Mouth Wash		4 Bottles
Body Spray (men)		2 Bottles
Makeup/nail polish		Whatever I can get
Nyquil (winter)		4 bottles
Pepto		4 Bottles
Tums/Rolaids		As many as I can get
Tylenal/Excederin		3 Packs
Bandaids		6 Packs
Vitamins		At least 2 pks Multi-Vit

Not all of this is needed during certain seasons of the year (such as the cold medicine and pepto) and I usually like to get way over the recommended 3 month stock on these items because if something were to happen, HHB items are a lot more expensive than food, and you can get assistance for food. It's like my "Just in Case" scenero that plays through my mind for these things. I am also sure I have forgotten things from both of these lists and will update as needed.

Stockpile List---Food needs

Pantry		Amount needed in Stockpile
Canned Green Beans		20-30 Cans
Instant Mashed Potatoes		10 Boxes
Sugar		3 Bags
Flour		2 Bags
Cereal		20 Boxes
Pop Tarts		10 Boxes
Fruit Snacks		10 Boxes
Granola Bars		10-12 Boxes
Chips		3 Bags
Rotel		8 Cans
Canned diced tomatoes		8 Cans
Cookie Mix		6 Pouches
Brownie Mix		10 Boxes
Cake mix		5-10 Boxes
Frosting		5 Canisters
Peanut Butter		4 Jars
Jelly		3 Jars
Apple Sauce		4 Jars
Pickles		2 Jars
Crackers		4 Boxes
Ketchup		10 Bottles
Mustard		10 Bottles
Franks Hot Sauce		6 Bottles
Lemonade Mix Canisters		10 Canisters
Tea Bags		2 Boxes
Dinner Kits (Variety)		10-12 Boxes/Pouches
Noodles (Spaghetti)		6 Boxes
Noodles		4 Boxes
Spaghetti Sauce		10 Cans
Soda		5- 2Ltrs. ~6-12pks
Juice (Variety)		12 Bottles
Nuts/Granola Clusters		2 Bags
Freezer
Bread		4 Loaves (3 Wheat, 1 White)
Frozen Pizza		10 Pizzas
Frozen Buritios		12
Brocoli		5 Bags
Green Beans		10 Bags
Bell Peppers		2 Bags
Chicken Breast (3 lb Bags)		4 Bags
Ground Beef (3 lb Logs)		6 Logs
Sausage Rolls		3
Hot Dogs		10 Pks
Hot Dog Buns		4 Pks
Hamburger Buns		4 Pks
Cheese Blocks		6 Blocks
Shredded Cheese Bags		12 Bags
Bacon		2 Packages
Ice Cream		2 Tubs/2 Boxes Pops/ Extras
Garlic Cheese Sticks		4 Boxes
Frozen Pancakes		4 Boxes
Frozen Waffles		4 Boxes
Frozen Juice		6 Cans
Pork Chops		2 Family Packages
Pork Tenderloin		1

Okay, so since DH now is employed again I am hopping back up on the coupon train. I loved couponing and how much money it saves! Plus, when DH was unemployed, our stockpile came in handy! So I have decided to put up my lists of what our little family needs to have in our stockpile for about 3 months or less. It varies sometimes. I will also be posting our Home/Beauty Needs list too. This is just to show an example of how to set a goal for your stockpile growth I know that it's gonna be another month and a half before I can seriously get down to business with this, but I can slowly rebuild it now to get it to where it is steady and I can wait for the good sales to come. After I start my couponing back up in full force I should have this stocked in about 2-3 months. Not bad, depending on how rusty I am and what kind of coupons start coming out in the paper/mail. And during this rebuilding stage before the serious couponing starts up, anything that I can get dirt cheap I will purchase with coupons (such as common items you can find at Aldis or Save-A-Lot and of course store brands. That way i won't have too far to go when I seriously start up couponing again. And remember: these amounts our based on my families needs, yours may be greatly different. Hope this helps!