Merry, Merry Christmastime

      

Merry Christmas!

Since school wound down for the semester, we have been prepping for our First Christmas as Mr & Mrs. Here's what we've been up to...

We put up our tree, figured out how to work the fireplace, and planned a Christmas party with our other newlywed friends (the longest married couple was only a year and a half, and the freshest was two and a half months).

We mingled, had dinner....then faced off on couple-teams for a Gingerbread house decorating showdown. Far from the usual "candy cottages" our Gingerbread houses were things like The Titanic, a Time Machine, an airplane, etc. (we chose subjects out of a hat to which we had each contributed ideas). Unfortunately for the rest of us, one of the couples happened to both hold degrees in fine art....they won with a very convincing airplane, while the rest of us struggled to hold our respective structures together with the icing-glue.

The picture does not even begin to do it justice. 

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, we also brought order to the study:

This is where I am now blogging. It used to be a horrid blue color (our first painting attempt) but we fixed it with a neutral tone. Added armchairs, stained the end-table, built and stained the large bookcase.... It is becoming a functional study room.

The lighting is a bit off in these photos-- they were taken in the evening, just after we finished putting the room together.

Of course, there was shopping and decorating to do...

    We went to the outlet mall- craziness there so many people. Dang last minute shoppers... (like us!)

But we scored a gift for his sister, and his mom, and I snapped this handsome photo while he was distracted. He is so cute. He also discourages me from constantly taking his photo, but with that face it is hard not to.

To my everlasting delight, we took a break at Starbucks, which, despite their overpriced drinks, is one of my favorite hang-outs. He doesn't much care for coffee shops, but settled for a large hot chocolate. Brace yourself for this: he would not share, not even a sip. I had to content myself with my own Skinny Latte. Which was not nearly as delicious, undoubtedly due to significantly less sugar. It was a nice break from the business, but did not last long.

*Friends, this man spoils me.*

After Starbucks, he took me to the pet shop where we played with this cutie:

Look at those eyes! A fluffy husky 

she was and I was in love. 

No, we did not buy her (I don't approve of pet store puppies anyway), but it was fun to play with her and what is more Christmasy then a husky puppy? Nothing, that's what. 

     Last Friday, I went to see a performance of the Nutcracker Ballet with a girl friend. It was a charming experience and I gave in to the pressure to buy a little nutcracker for our Christmas tree.

Christmas party at his work. We didn't
 notice the photo was fuzzy until we got home.
Oh well, it's a holiday memory nonetheless. 

I will conclude now and, in the spirit of the season wish 

Peace on earth, good will towards men, and may God bless us, every one.

And if you have not, you simply must read 

Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol

September/October Happenings

Hi everyone. I miss blogging, I really do.
 I am counting down until summer when I will get my degree and be done with school! (for the time being at least). I have a growing list of plans, such as "Start a Bible Study for the Middle School Girls in my Church" and "Get Back into Blogging" and "Develop a Workout Routine". I love learning, but sometimes I just want to live a little. In fact, I should be writing a paper right now, but I couldn't bring myself to it-- I've been trying all afternoon... I'll start the MOMENT I finish this post....probably.
Here's a quick update of my life over the past month or so:

1. AKC DOG SHOW. We went to a dog show, just for kicks. Here is a sneaky snapshot of the Shiba Inus (still the hubby's favorite): 
They were cute, for sure, but naughty little buggers, the whole lot. I preferred the Shelties one ring over.

2. PUMPKIN SPICE COOKIES. I think I made them up. I made these delicious Pumpkin Spice sugar cookies last night for my Sunday school kiddos. Improvised and, dare I say, improved on the classic Sugar Cookie recipe. I made two dozen and, needless to say, it hardly satisfied them. Also, you can see in the photo on the right my lovely, red tea kettle that my Lt bought me "just 'cause"-- so now I can make proper tea (Peppermint brewing as we speak). It whistles. :)

He hid beside the dryer for like a week before he
came to the conclusion that we would not, in fact, eat him.

3. WE GOT A CAT. Ever since we made the very grown-up decision to wait on getting a dog until we are home more, I have been on the prowl (pun intended) for a pet that would be happy in our apartment until we got home each day. We went to the shelter "just to look" (yeah. right.) and found this 6 1/2 year old Maine Coon mix. For those of you who are more dog people (like me) a Maine Coon is a big furry cat. We now own one. Or at least I think we do-- he doesn't like the whole "being a pet" thing very much; in fact, he was quite bitter about the dragon wings I put on him yesterday. I can't imagine why.

He slunk around until I took them off. Little did he know his slinking made for
a perfect Dragon Walk.   He does not like staying still for photos. I'll work on it.

Wait, wait. I know, you're dying to know his name. I'm an English Literature fan. My husband is a history buff. We both like classical music.... 

so the cat is Beowulf Wolfgang.

We call him Wolf. He thinks we're racist against felines. 

I think we are too. 

Alrighty folks, that's enough procrastination. Time to work on my paper. 

Goodnight bloggers, until next time.

Bake Sale Plans!

There is talk of a bake sale at the office next week to raise money for a Heart Disease charity walk that is taking place in a few weeks. I am scheming and scouring Pinterest for treats that would sell like mad yet be easy to make and easy to take to work (and minimal mess).

Here are some ideas:

• Petite Pumpkin Spice Donuts
• Mini Pumpkin Cupcakes
• Peppermint Oreo Pops
• Nutella Stuffed Sea Salt Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Apple Spice Cupcakes with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting
• Oreo Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Pumpkin Bars with Cream Cheese Frosting

 I don't know which I shall choose, but I noticed a theme in my picks: Autumn! Pumpkins, cinnamon, apple spice, oh my! I am so excited for fall. The First Day of Autumn- and a Pumpkin Spice Latte!- is coming up next week!

I'll post pictures of whatever I choose.

                                       ~Rebecca

It's a Wonderful Life

Well, hello, old buddy.

       I'm taking a study-break tonight for some coffee, dark chocolate, and a little blogging. Being Labor Day, I did not have work or class today, which was such a blessing! I slept in and my hubby made walnut/raisin oatmeal for breakfast (he's on a health kick-- which I fully support [I say as I eat chocolate]), then I went shopping for most of the afternoon. Hobby Lobby had their fall decorations on sale. My darling spouse isn't a fan of cutesy decorations, but I couldn't resist so I compromised and only bought a little sign that says "Happy Harvest".

Despite the beginning of what promises to be a busy semester, I have a couple of DIY projects up my sleeve. The first is the makeover of our bland study. We painted it blue this weekend (though the shade didn't turn out quite as dark as we had hoped) and bought a desk. Next we are going to stain the bookshelf we (cough.cough.myhusband.cough.cough) built earlier this summer. Piece by piece, that room is coming together! We are both excited.

Next on the list is pillows! I picked up my sewing machine today (a birthday present from my mother) and some dark red suede to match the living room. I had intended to make pillows for the chairs in the study, but the red matches the lamps in my living room so well. :)

Readers, my life is so blessed. Three weeks in and I still love y new job, two weeks into school and it's not so bad, and my husband, my gosh, I love that man. In celebration of my first paycheck, a new friend and I went and got pedicures. Twas my first time and it was oh-so-nice! 

Life is good, so good. 

And. And it is almost Autumn! I had to share this from a friend's blog:

(Note: Jack is her dog. Replace that one with "read a book at the park")

In the next few months, I plan to do all this and more. 

                                     Life is grand, don't you agree?

Savoring Summer

Only a few days left of freedom; school starts Wednesday. I am excited, but nervous- I always am at the beginning of a school year.
Still no progress on the puppy plans, but another breed to consider when the time comes: the Shiba Inu.
Here are some pictures, enjoy :)

They are a small Spitz type. I like it.

Look at that grumpy little face.

My husband loves this breed, which is a plus. It isn't the fluffy type that I like (think Cavapoo etc), but it is a cutie, and quite portable.
We'll see. I'm a little worried that a puppy would be miserable home alone. Of course, I'd come home at lunch and it would get lots of attention during the mornings and evenings, but I think it would be lonely as a baby home alone. Anyway, we still have some time to decide.
Well, looks like my DIY projects are going to be quite limited for awhile, which probably means blog posts will slow down- I don't want to bore anyone with mundane matters. ;)
Here's to the last few days of summer and a productive semester after that!

Weekly Report

Well, it's Thursday. My new job started on Monday and- phew!- I have a lot to learn! I have some very sweet coworkers though and another "new girl" who started Monday happens to be a military wife who lives in my neighborhood! We carpooled to work today. ;)
The semester kicks off next Wednesday. I am super nervous. Can I handle four classes and a full time job? We'll see I guess.
Today my husband's unit had a bake sale. I made 2 dozen cupcakes and- errghh!- forgot to take pictures. The recipe was from Taste of Home and these Cream-filled Cupcakes were a hit! I actually made 48, but only filled and iced 28 (my husband ate four). I also added chocolate shavings to the top of mine- used a Hershey's "Cookies & Cream" chocolate bar. Delicious.
Tonight I made a yummy, buttery chicken dinner and afterwards realized how incredibly unhealthy I have been cooking. So, yeah, diet restarts tomorrow. Bad timing for a diet though: my birthday is this week. Yay for birthdays: Oh No! for cake and sweets. I think I will forgo our American traditional birthday for a healthier Angel Food Cake and Strawberries dessert. Again, we'll see.
Still want a dog. Still no dog.
No real crafting to report, but am planning on buying a sewing machine soon. The only trouble is, I don't know if I will have time to use it this semester!
Good news: I bought a fantastic skirt for work--> it.has. POCKETS.
Time to go: my cookies are burning. And, no, they are not for me. There is a potluck at work tomorrow.... Maybe I should start my diet next week.
Uhgh! Pray for strength!

Love,
 A Happy, Busy, Unhealthy Military Wife

At this time I would like to note that "wife" was accidentally typed "wide" but lately that feels appropriate.

Oh, p.s. my mouth is healed! No wisdom teeth troubles ever again!

And so, for one 1/2 hour, I don't feel guilty for not working out...

Inspired, I did some sit-ups and "plank pose" then walked to the nearby gym: completed 7.7 miles on a bike in 30 minutes. I have no idea where that falls on the good/bad scale, but apparently I burned 200 calories, plus it got my heartrate up for an extended period. Then I walked the neighborhood (15 minutes) I'm gonna say it: winning. ;)
(Say the following outloud in a movie announcer voice. Because we're cool)
This shall be the beginning of a new era of fitness!