Our baby bean-dip (9 weeks 3 days)

So what happened was . . .

Holiday Prep

With Thanksgiving is about a week away I have found myself nesting. My mom is coming to stay with us for the holiday weekend and celebrate with my new family this year. She stayed at our apartment when we went on our surprise honeymoon. I was so embarrassed cause it looked like a bomb went off in my house and I was not expecting guests. Being a good mom she stayed and did not say a word about the mess. In fact when we surprised her by coming home early on Sunday she and my mother-in-law had made plans to clean for us.

After that I was determined to show her that not only did I want her to join me and the new family I had for the holidays but I wanted her to see I was not completely domestically challenged. I can have a clean kitchen and a reasonable amount of laundry not spread through out the house and covering the patio.

Being a young married couple our house hold furniture is donated. Things do not really match or even go together. We are missing some normal pieces of furniture. We have a small bistro table that pretends to be a dining table which we never eat on. So in preparation for my moms arrival and the holidays in general, I have begun to get small things to bring my miss matched house together and decorate with the color black and not seem too girlie or depressing.

I will post pics of the renovations but I have to say so far I like that way things are looking. I might not stick with everything I have chose so far but i like to think of my house as a work in progress until we buy a house in a few years. When I post the pics you will have to let me know if you think I should keep this look or change it.

Make today a great day!!!

Something small but great . . .

A day in the story of the life of my little family we jumped a hurdle yesterday. I guess I should honestly give all the credit to Tony cause it was his hurdle. Being the old one by six years in a marriage is at times overwhelming. (I am 26 my husband is 20.) There are a lot of things is life that are still very new to him. For example something as small as opening a checking account. I try to encourage a.k.a. nag him about trying to go do some of the adult duties we have without me and just ask questions. He is a bright boy, charming and adorable, I explained women will be more than happy to help you if you ask. So yesterday he did it, he marched into Bank of America and opened our checking account. We have been trying to build his credit but have been turned down repeatedly. He found out that it seems there is an issue from and old account he had from his mom's bank account that is in collections and has really affected his credit. So the good news is that is we at least know what the issue was in getting him credit. He called after he was done said he was taking the cashiers check to the apartment for rent and the account was open I just had to go in a a sign for my side later.

Last night I drove to the bank to withdraw cash, and this silly little feeling of pride and excitment came over me. I know a checking account what is so exciting?? Well I have learned when you marry someone a few years younger than you, there are times where you feel more like the parent then partner. I was just so proud of him, without being told he took it upon himself to open the account ALONE. Steps like this remind me that he was there and aware of what the commitment he made to me was all about. Being a husband in my book means you protect and care for a family. You make moves to help your family grow. Something as small as the bank account reminded me I was not alone it sharing the commitment of our marriage vows. So in closing yeah for the hubby let see what he does next time to top himself. Make every day a great day.

Wordless Wednesday

A year ago . . .

Blogging

So, I wanted to vamp things up and add my new projects. Blog more often, however it seems I cannot manage to remember to blog. Maybe I should set myself a reminder to blog on my calendar along with the reminder to call my mother, father, grandmother, brother and drop off the birthday present I have had in my car for niece since the beginning of the month. Life is so busy now a days and I get the warning from close cousins with little ones that I have seen nothing yet until I add a baby into the mix. Oh my Lord I am not sure I am gonna make it, lol.

Projects i have in the works are the following: #1 Make three bouquets for e-bay flip by January 1st. #2 Make two baby blankets for various friends with baby showers past and baby shower coming up. I like making presents like blankets they are not super expensive and they seem to mean more. I still need to get a sewing machine in order to pull this one off though. #3 Work on templates for Mom #2's new business. #4 Working on decorating Mom #2's house with chanel art that I am drawing for her. She does not know about what I have up my sleeve in all fairness. #5 Decorating my own kitchen and bedroom. Cows in my kitchen and the jury is still out on what to do with the bedroom. Any suggestions would be great. Hubby is not a big fan of girly and everything is black and white so far.

So if that is not enough the holidays are coming up and there will be a lot todo with that. I am sure no one needs me to elaborate on this but I will put it this way. I have two sets of family to see and so does Hubby. That is a lot of family, again insert "gets crazier with kids."

Since we are on the subject of kids. I have been told many different things when it comes to making the choice to have babies. "There is never a good time," "Wait until yous husband has a better job," "Better have them before you turn 30," (Mind you I just turned 26.) The list can go on an on. But when do you feel is the right time? Planned or unplanned? Please tell me what you think.

This wraps my ramble for today I will try to improve my content for future blogging, lol. Until then ramble on!!! lol

Chicken Tortilla Soup with Chipotle and Fire Roasted Tomato-by Rachel Ray

Rain season is here in California, bring on the flooding and leaky roofs. And the best part bring on the SOUPS!!! A really great way to cook mass amounts of food for cheap. If you have a hubby like mine he could eat you out of house and homes in a flash. Soups and stews are bulk cooking and for you women who need a quick easy recipe for a dinner feel free to change up any recipes I post. I post them as they are given. I am always adapting recipes in my house, maybe not using all the ingredients. Or instead of taking the time to cook things separately I throw it all in my skillet and cook it. With this soup and stew season I need to add a crock pot to my kitchen so dinners can cook all day and I don't have step away from the work I bring home to make dinner. Maybe just maybe I might even be able to get back to working out on a regular basis. Ok enough jibber jabber take a look at the recipe below try it out add or subtract what you like, just have fun with it.

Ingredients

* 3 cups chicken stock
* 1 pound chicken tenders
* 1 bay leaf, fresh if available
* 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 turn of the pan
* 4 slices thick, smoky center cut bacon, chopped
* 1 onion, finely chopped
* 4 cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 chipotles in adobo, chopped, plus 2 tablespoons sauce
* 1 (28-ounce) can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
* Salt
* 4 cups lightly crushed corn tortilla chips
* 2 cups shredded fresh smoked mozzarella or smoked sharp white Cheddar, 3/4
pound
* 1 lime, cut into wedges
* 1/2 red onion, chopped
* Freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish

Directions

Bring broth to a simmer and add chicken tenders, poach 6 to 7 minutes with a bay leaf.

While chicken poaches, heat extra-virgin olive oil in a medium soup pot or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until crisp then remove with slotted spoon. Drain off excess fat, leaving 2 to 3 tablespoons in the pan. Add onions and garlic to the skillet and cook 5 minutes then stir in chipotles and tomatoes.

Remove chicken from stock, dice and then add to soup. Pass stock through a strainer then add to the soup.

Place a pile of crushed tortilla chips in the bottom of each soup bowl. Cover liberally with smoked cheese then ladle the hot soup down over the top. Serve with lime, raw onions and cilantro at table to finish the soup.

Trying to vamp things up a little

I am on a mission. I have wanted to shake things up with my blog for months. I am in the process of considering starting up a couple different extra projects. Yes extra projects, on top of my 40 hour work week, two dogs, messy apartment and energizer bunny husband. I enjoy reading other women’s blogs so much I hope to step mine up to their level. Granted most of them are stay at home moms or moms that work part time. If I want to get to that point in my life where I have the freedom to stay home when I am a mommy I need to rev up my networking skills big time.

I swear I have a point and here it is. Please, bare with me as I mess with htlm codes and working on my writing skills. If you have read any of my previous posts I am horrible about my grammar and typos. I started this blog just as a place to spread the near disgusting levels of happiness I was having after meeting my husband and moving in together. Now I want my blog to be a place to chronicle our growth as a family and hopefully showcase my projects.

What kind of project do you ask? Well I just got married two months ago, in July. For my wedding bouquet I wanted all white gardenias. Well after calling flower shop after flower shop having my dream of this perfect bouquet shot down by florist after florist. Apparently July is a bad month to have white flowers let alone a delicate one like gardenias? At that point thoroughly disheartens I was struck with a brilliant idea. (Light bulb on) I will make my own, it cannot be that hard. I have made three other ones before.

So approximately $45.00 later I had my perfect bouquet. Ha take that you floral heart breakers. Granted it was a silk bouquet and not real, but that was ok. I sprayed it with a little gardenia spray and my perfume and it smelled great the day of my wedding and sits in a vase in my bedroom for me to enjoy forever. (The finished product on the big day)

After seeing my mini masterpiece, a friend who was getting married in October asked that I make her one as well. I agreed and just delivered her the final product today. She has been encouraging me to make them and sell them. I have until the end of the year to produce three more at a reasonable cost price for myself for her to try to sell. Just to see if there is a demand for custom silk bouquets. I love making them and would enjoy doing this as an extra job. Tell me what you think of my hair brained ideas? (Priscilla’s Bouquet, Pretty in Pink!)

The Honeymoon!!

Two months later but still fun to watch.

Decorate for less

Ok, I will admit it. Madison has become my blogging hero. I look forward to each and everyone of her posts. She has great ideas, funny stories. Not to mention some of the cutest baby pictures of little Easton. So after reading her last post I got an idea. She was talking about ways to shake up your home, wardrobe, etc. for cheap. I recently heard about a company called Uppercase Living. My cousin is a consultant for the company and as a wedding gift presented my husband and myself with the missing half to our phrase "All because two people fell in love . . ." ". . .And they lived happily ever after" (see below)


After hearing my cousin so enthusiastically tell me all about her newest passion, I just had to take a look for myself. Not to get too into detail but, after you view their catalog of great sayings and embellishes take a look at MyDesign Suite. You can customize your own creation. I have an uncommon last name and with their custom designer I was able to create a sign with our last name on it. Two of my cousins have decorated their children rooms with their names on the wall, again names that are rare or spelled just a little differently. Take the plunge and have a look. I inserted a link to the website below and you can make your own opinion. Should you chose to order plug my name for the referral, lol. Ladies as always thank you for your time and happy decorating.

http://joleen.uppercaseliving.net/Home.m

Wedding pics slideshow!!

. . . and they lived happily ever after

Soo 11 days and counting. My bouquet is almost done I just need to finish the handle. This picture is not the most current I made a few changes to it after I took this photo so there is still a small element of surprise.


Tony's ring . . . it took a while to find one we both liked.


My dress is finally hemmed, I have the my tummy tucker, lol. My hair piece and earrings. Just need the guarder.



This was the photo on our wedding invitations!!!


We meet with the judge this weekend for a little prep. I have written my vows I think Tony is waiting until the last minute, lol. My Mom is coming into town next Tuesday the 14th and then the 15th we are gonna go get my nails done and maybe go see Harry Potter. The 16th I have all day off and I am gonna be running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to get ready for the next day. Tony and I cannot seem to agree who gets to stay at our apartment the night before since we are not allowed to see each other that day until the ceremony. First night in 10 months we have have not spent together it will be strange for sure. 11 more days then we are married, I keep saying my everyday life will not change. I will still get up go to work, come home make dinner, so on and so forth. I will just have a different last name. lol


Well until after the wedding I am sure this is my last post, so farewell as Paulene Carroll . . .

LuLu

so we have a new addition to our little family. It was a birthday gift from Tony's mother. With a small donation for yours truly. I know three dogs but she is soo small she counts as like a quarter of a dog or at least that is my story and I am sticking to it.
So 18 days till I do. Tony's ring came in the mail fits perfectly my dress is ready tomorrow. We go apply for our license Wednesday morning. Need to schedule a time to meet with the judge in the next two weeks. The guest list is pushing 80 and getting down the wire certain people have not responded yet but I will count them better safe than sorry.
So lets see Oh yeah Tony turned 20 yesterday. No longer a teen and getting married in 18 days the poor guy, lol. So that is all for this very quick update more to come later.

Wedding Hick ups

Ok so just when you think all is going your way and 32 days and counting hick ups come along. Like Friday taking my dress to be hemmed thinking it would be no more than $50.00. . umm no it is $125.00. Ok, well on to the next the wedding cake maker we had lined up, was going to do our cake for free now has an unexpected emergency and will not be in town so she can not make the cake. So today I decided to just make it myself. It was only going to be three levels anyway so instead of it being stacked it will just be separated. On to the next thing a forgotten expense came up of my car registration which is due like immediately $206.00. I still have yet to get Tony's ring, at first he wanted a really inexpensive one then said honestly he wanted a more expensive one, which was fine with me but now due to unexpected expenses I might have to get him the less expensive one, which I don't love but since we plan to get different rings regardless it is not that big of a deal. My current ring is the wedding ring that belong to my grandparents. In years to come Tony wanted to get me a ring he bought himself. We both love and appreciate the use of a ring that was part of a beautiful marriage but one day want our own that we can pass down to our children as our ring. So wedding hick-ups to date are not that bad. The wedding is increasing in price with every yes RSVP we get the small wedding we planned is getting bigger every day. so far the RSVP'd guest list is at a count of 62 there were over 100 people invited and I know I am missing people on the RSVP list. Did I mention it was Tony's birthday next weekend and I had wanted to spoil him a little but now that spoil him is going to be very, very small. So here we are 32 days and wedding hick ups on there way and I am sure they will not stop there. But like I say every time the only thing that matters is that I get to marry my best friend in the whole world.

Wedding maddness

So I have my binder I have my invitation in the mail. I have my dress and shoes. Location and food will be ordered as soon as I have a final head count. Thanks to the assistance of many: We got the prefered location courtesy of Tony's mom and her parents; We got the photographer courtesy of Kristin; The judge courtesy of my boss; Favors and side dishes courtesy of my aunt Mary; Cake courtesy of miss Cam and her lovely mother April; Oh yes and the dress and shoes were courtesy of my mother; My ring is the ring my grandparents used for their last anniversary together before the passing of my grandfather; His mom is getting his tux.

I have the flowers to make my bouquet apparently gardenia are not the most ideal flower for summer, lol. I will be getting Tony's ring this month. So lets see what else. . . we will need drinks, (ie. soda and water) aside from the fact that Tony will only be 20 and does not like to drink anyways, we can not have alcohol at the lake. Since it will be a Friday afternoon I am hoping people know not to dress up. The wedding and reception is going to be outside this is granite bay and it will be JULY which means hot, hot and more hot!

So yeah I still feel like I am losing my ind and missing something, but I hear that comes with the territory. I have 45 more days left and it seems too far and yet not enough time to make sure I remember everything. I need to get the undergarments for my dress and get it hemmed, so proud that is the only alteration I need, lol. I have tried to make checklists but can not seem to think long enough to make it through them, lol.

I guess when you have an event like this you seem to lose your mind. We did not save for this and have been scrambling to make ends met to have something nice but not to over the top. The last big thing we need to purchase is the honeymoon. We are only going to Monterey for the weekend so it is not like a huge expense but still I always seem to fret over spending a large amount of money, lol. Must be the cheap Portugee in me.

I can not think straight even long enough to finish this spastic rant. But there is one thing I do know for sure. He is my best friend, my lover, my partner. And marring him is the best thing in the world. I was born to be his wife and someday mother of his children. Everyday he saves my life because, without him I was lost and with him I am home.

The Making of an Adult

So in my experience when you begin to make your own life choices and are willing to be held accountable for those life choices you are in fact being an adult. No one ever said that everyone had to agree with your choices nor did they say you would ever, let alone always make the right ones. For it is in the act of making them and following them threw that defines you as an adult. It will always be scary and you will always want support but you have to take the steps to make those choices. I say this as I stand here about to make a big choice that not all or even a few might agree with, but this is what I want and I ready to follow it through. May I never forget that I will not carry this choice alone but with my partner and with god to remind me I can make it through.

Bitter Party of One!

Ok so, I have been working at my new job for about four months now. Ubber stress full but what else is new right, they would not call it work if it was fun, but, why not? For years now I have had this battle, work does not equal fun, but stressful work does equal a stressed out Paulene. So I am very happy with my personal life for once, and I like my job, well to be honest I like the paycheck. It is hard to turn down $2,000 a month net! Especially in this economy, so yes a part of me is very grateful to have a great job. However I do hate the 8:30 to 6:00 in a box all day without daylight. Why is it that in order to get a great paycheck you have to be stuck inside all day, (this mostly applies to summer and spring) and sit at a desk where you butt inevitably gets bigger, and play prim and proper all the time.
I think my major issue was like some I never really figured out what I wanted to do for a living. I really only ever wanted to be a stay at home mom. I know hello 1950’s women’s lib called, they want their right to work back from me, lol. But I really swear that is all I wanted to do when I grew up. I unfortunately had to start working right after high school then ended up working in admin and after five years and worked up to a pretty good paycheck.

My future husband is only 19 going on 20 in June so his taking over the head of household and being ready for babies is a few years off. So what is the question? What do I do in the mean time? Do I keep working the job I really don’t like? Do I start the search for a new job yet again?

I left the admin world last year for greener pastures with my massage work, unfortunately again that did not pay very much, in fact nowhere near what I make now. And due to the break from admin I have a bit of debit that I was not able to handle and is still looking at me around the corner going I told you sooo! Part of me knows deep down I am stuck where I am need to make the best of it and deal with the choices I have made. Then there is the voice that goes no, wait! We can figure out some way to work from home we would be a lot nicer to your brain and stress levels so you can bide the time until Tony is ready to make you the stay at home mom that you want to be.

Friends say I am nuts about wanting to be a stay at home mom and that I will get bored. I tell them that despite what they think unlike little girls when they play pretend nurse, doctor and teacher, I was at home playing mom! It is just in my nature to be that person, I was born to be a wife and mother nothing more and definitely nothing less. I do not consider myself conservative by any means, so those that think I feel a woman’s place is in the home would be wrong. Women’s Liberation was not just about a woman’s right to work it was more about a woman’s right to chose her life. Having had a stay at home mom that was home even after she became a single mom, made me value the joys of being involved in their lives seeing them grow up every day. I blog with many stay at home moms and find myself so jealous of a life I want. The closest thing I can do currently would to be open my own home daycare. Because in order to work at a facility daycare where the pay is more consistent than owning your own business, you need a degree. Most facilities would not consider my years of daycare experience with my mom’s daycare business enough. So that leaves me to starting my own daycare. This is risky and does fluchuate year after year considering kids grow up and go to school. Not to mention that start up costs of opening your own business.

So I think I am simply trying to ignore the inevitable that says wake up if you want Plan A, stay at home mom with no job, you must sit tight and save and follow Tony through school with support while he considers a career as a firefighter or whatever career would allow financial freedom to have one parent working. Plan B, open my own daycare, still sit and save, buy a house and then make my move in about two years to get all my ducks in a row. Or Plan C, begin looking for a job that is more fulfilling that pays what mine does, and oh yeah by the way sit tight and save.

Having been an over thinker and not too patient one can drive themselves nuts trying to figure it all out in advance, which you never do because nothing ever goes according to plan. So when I can reconcile myself to spend less then I make and save what I don’t spend, I will find myself in a position to truly enjoy what I make and what I do. And even better to possible get to a point where I can figure where I am really meant to be. So ends my bitter rant! lol

Ready set summer!!!!

Ok so I moved to Roseville in August of 2002, and up until this weekend had never been to Folsom Lake. I know crazy all this time and I had never been there. So this Saturday I got up at about 10:00 am and took the boys potty outside and it was so beautiful that I ran back inside and told Tony to get up and we needed to go out cause it was too pretty to stay inside all day. So we got up put the leashes on the boys made a quick stop at petsmart for lake toys for the boys and off we went.

Bubba loved the water I had to send Tony out after him a couple of times because he would swim farther and farther out.


We took lots and lots of pictures and had a blast. Blaze was not to hot on the water idea he spent most of the time on the rocks watching Bubba and Tony swim.

We decided to make these little adventures a ritual at least once a month for the rest of the summer.

Next time we will be a little better prepared though because we went there without food, drinks, towels or anything really but toys for the boys. Live and learn, regardless we had a blast and I had two pouting boys in the back of my car all the way home.

We are officially gearing up for the summer and getting ready to be outdoors as much as possible especially when I am cooped up in an office for 9 hours four days a week and for 5 hours on Friday.

Sweet day light I miss you and summer sun on my skin, spring a summer are when I miss daycare the most!!!
One more thing we shaved blaze down for the summer hoping he would feel a little cooler take a look at da cutie pie baby.

Easter and pictures

Grandma Conti on Easter/ Birthday 2009


Bubba getting into the pancake mix after I made blueberry and almond pancakes and me and the bubba do

Tony and Mikey the day, Mikey left for AZ. (Mikey is Tony's little brother)

Tony and I Easter 2009 at Grandma and Grandpa Conti's

Update on tax money

So we decided no puppy and we are going to try to get a matress instead. We took out our borken box spring last night so the matress is on the floor now. Tony's car needs some repair and another puppy though wanted is not needed. We needed to be pratical. And that money would go alot faster then we thought. I got my federal back already and when that was gone in a weekend I went whooooooaaaaaa we need to be careful because just as everyone tells me once you splurge life throws you a curve ball. One day we may be able to splurge more but for now tight belts and have faith that things will be great!

Us leaving the folsom outlets this saturday it was so pretty outside I just wanted to enjoy the day!

What to do with the tax money

So Since this is Tony's first year of filing he got a pretty big tax return. I got a pretty good one for me as well since I was only working for the law firm for 7 months and did not make much during the summer when I was doing massage full time. So we have been wanting to get a chihuahua for the longest time to add to our little doggie family. I want a girl since I live with all boys. And Tony's mother kept Tony's Chihuahua Lucky who has never been fixed, so his mom was asking that if we get a girl can we mate her with Lucky and then she would like a puppy. We can either keep the rest and have an little army of doggies or sell them. So I have been on the hunt for a girl that is not too expensive my max price I will pay would be $350, if you know anything about buying purebred small dogs that is really hard to find. So while no luck just yet in finding one yet I will not give up. Tony would rather have a boy, I said NO, so he came to me with the compromise. He changed up his supplements this month and is saving us about $180 and with the refunds we are getting we are going to be doing really well this month. I got another raise and he is looking at getting a second job. Sooooo he asked if we could get a girl for me and a boy form him. Since we have to larger and rather rough boys already when neither of us is home the new puppy would need to be crated for her own safety until she learns how to run and hid from the bigger boys. So get this Tony pulls the since she will be all alone if we get another boy they can keep each other company!!! HA! I could not believe it, but me loving doggies more than I should said hey if we can snag both for $350 then sure. I asked him what his max price was for them he said $500 before he would get upset about the costs.

Another thing we desperately need is a new bed, our box spring is broken and the mattress is a walmart bed in a box that I bought two years ago. Needless to say we need a new bed with the two boys already we need a king size because both dogs sleep in the bed with us. Bubba is a 75 lb Lab and Blaze is a 50 lbs Scottie mix. Tony is 5' 9" and 217 lbs I am 5' 3" and 178 lbs (cant believe I just admitted to that, lol) So you can imagine there is not a lot of room to sleep comfortably. Tony found a deal in the local adds for a kind size bed for $700 and change with zero % apr for 36 months. That is an amazing deal!!! As I am sure most of you know buying a new bed and a large one at that is expensive sometimes you can get a car for cheaper. lol.

So the debate is what do we do . . . we could afford to do all three or just two of the three or just one. First instinct is in this economy to take the money and bury it in the backyard, lol. But I will say if we do all three then we need to save something even if it is just a little bit. I am betting on the fact that not everything will fall into place as easily as finding all three for the prices we will pay, so I think fate will have a hand in how it works out. But we have been keeping things pretty tight we do not usually go out nor do we take trips to save a little here and there, so do we treat ourselves since we have not really done so in a while or do we get really practical???

Growing Family. . .

First let me say no, we are not pregnant . . . just in case the title is a little miss leading. When I say growing family I mean Tony and myself growing, as adults and as a couple. We have been together for 7 months going on 8. It seems so much longer than that, yet when I think of last August it seems like not that long ago. Strange how you can feel like there has been years between and amount of time and yet at the same time like it has not been that long.

We have been in our apartment for three months and are finally getting to a point of working out our budget and trying make our money last, working together on dinners and house hold choirs. I work more hours away from the house then Tony does but being a woman feel that some, if not most of the house choirs are my area of domestic rule. The things I control and get to keep up on. Not because society tells me I do but almost a natural instinct in myself that I never thought I would feel. I like being domesticated, cleaning house making dinner I find myself wishing I could at the very least work from home so I can manage it all my house, a job and me time.

I feel overwhelmed at times, I work 8:30 to 6:00 Mon through Thurs and then go to the gym for an hour or, (have not been to the gym in a week BTW.) By the time I get home I need to make dinner and shower and before I know it, it is 10pm. My day is gone and I am exhausted. Feeling like I had a full day I feel justifiably exhausted, but still exhausted. Friday is my day of slowing down I work from 8:30 to 1:30 which I love. I go home see Tony for about an hour then he drops me off at his moms house and she I spend our Friday afternoon watching TV and talking and drinking wine into the evening. Granted we had a little more wine then we should have last Friday but still having fun girl time. We are the only two girls, since Tony only has one younger brother and even the dogs are boys. Weekends are spent sleeping in, and with Tony and me never really leaving each other’s side for that long. We make time to play with the dogs seeing that they are 2 and 1 and half so they require a lot of attention still. For example this last weekend we let the boys have brain teaser Sunday morning, they have Kong balls that Tony’s mom bought them they love to play fetch and can pester you right out of your mind wanting to play. While playing with then the ball made it into one of the laundry hampers and Bubba was just beside himself trying to figure out how to get it out of the basket after about two hours of crying and barking at the basket Blaze helped him figure that he had to tip over the basket to get the ball out since it was too tall for him to climb into. After that we got creative, Bubba is a very active Lab and needs plenty of exercise, and since we already not a notice about playing vetch with the boys outside of our apartment we decided they needed exercise inside. We have a pretty long hallway so we put up two hurtles made of laundry baskets for them to jump over and they played fetch that way. It was so very funny to see them jump. After that we both filed our taxes for the first time ourselves, with Dad's help of course, but for the most part we did it. Tony has never filed before and I used to just give my W-2 to my aunt and have her fill out the forms. So we both felt a sense of accomplishment after completing the task. Dad made dinner for us afterwards and we ate together like a family, which we miss after having moved out on our own.

We have been trying to plan the wedding a little here and there. We have considered the 10th of July for 2010. We were going to invite only the immediate family which is pretty big to begin with. After talking with his mother she thinks we could manage to pull off the entire family which is at a rough estimate 77, and goodness knows those lists can grow and shirk over time. We decided who will cater our wedding . . . and though some might think it absolutely low class, we are going with Subway. It is kind of an inside joke, anyone who knows Tony, knows he is very picky about his diet. He rarely eats bread and does not eat pasta, his one exception with bread is for subway where they take out part of the bread and he over loads the sandwich with double meat and two to three times the veggies as normally allowed. It resembles a wrap but much larger. So the joke was how we feed a lot of people inexpensively in the middle of the summer and with food that Tony will eat. My friend Kristin said Subway!!! Thinking it was a joke I dismissed the idea at first but then it began to grow on me. July in Roseville/Granite Bay is HOT as some of you may know. With the wedding taking place outdoors and in the evening people might not want to eat in the first place, so small sandwiches and cold salads were the perfect idea. I wanted a backyard wedding feel without being exactly that. We are very casual people and Tony's biggest request was to get married by the water whether it be the beach or the lake where we feel in love at (we went there on our third date, after we went to the movies and we had those talks where you just connect with someone).The lake was more within our price range so that is where we have chosen to get married. We took this picture there about a month into dating.
Turns out that our dating anniversary is only a day off of his grandparents and his parents were married at the same lake we are going to get married at and in the same month of July.

We have talked about haivng kids as well recenlty and what kind of plans we have for that. Originally we said like five years now it may be sooner then that, but again no I am not pregnant right now nor are we trying right now. Having been the child from to people who were married when I was born just not to each other I am very strong on wanting to be married before we have a baby.

I swear I never can stay on point when I blog I guess that is kind of the point though. I started saying how we were growing and it is the little things we are doing, filing our taxes, planning our wedding, planning for a family that make me feel like we are growing as a family. Through all of that blabber my biggest point is that I am happy, so happy with my life and my partener and best friend. We are both very excited about getting married when you find that person you can be yourself with and just know that you have unconditional support and endless effort from someone you love and adore nothing in life seems that hard anymore. I hope everyone can enjoy this feeling in life. Until next time . . .

Tony's new adventure

So Tony has been into body building since he was about 13 or 14. Trying to get the edge for freshman football. He practically lives at the vitamin shoppe and gym. All this dedication has paid off. USP labs is going to feature his testimony in it's biggest magazine add of the year. It will be in several magazines such as Flex, Mind and Muscle and maybe one or two others which we are not 100% sure of. With the success Tony has had taking one of their products he is the perfect candidate for their add. He is a natural body builder, and is proud of how his hard work is finally paying off. The company has already given us a number of free products and assures us that we will see a lot more of it in the future. In the mean time since the add is also featuring the vitamin shoppe they would like to feature Tony in their local store here. On top of that they offered him a job part time and in this economy that is a lot. He already has a full time job however, he is considering taking them up on their offer. He wrote his testimony and I am very proud of the leaps and bounds Tony has achieved. With is past being what it was, he has come so far and is giving his whole story for the world to see. Not afraid of being judged by people, he is more concerned with the add changing the mind of just one young man. He was very young and impressionable when he began this journey of pushing his body to its physical max. And after trial and error he has made it his mission to "Eat right, work hard and do it naturally or not at all." I am so proud to stand by his side as he tries to make a difference and be the amazing man I see him grow into everyday.
The Add

My Honey!!

our 1st valentines day

We wanted it to be special being the first one. We had our apartment all to ourselves and we could not wait to give each other presents. I got two pairs of earrings, a little stuffed puppy in a bag, two jackets, perfume and he made me a card. I got him the nikes he wanted, a superman shirt a hat and superman decals for his car and I got him a card that said the only thing I need for valentines day is. . . just the two of us. It was one of those cards that play music and it sang the song Just the two of us by Grover Washington, Jr. with Bill Withers. It was a great day. Weh had a nice quiet dinner at home watched movies and reminded each other to tell one another that love was not just one day a year but everyday. Promising to remind each other how much we love each other everyday. What else can I cay love this guy more everyday!!!

Pay it forward . . .

This sounded pretty fun!

Here are the rules:

1.Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me!


2. Winners must post this challenge on your blog, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!

3. The gift that you send to your 3 Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. Remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!

4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it! If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! SO, REMEMBER…Pay it forward!

Bride Pressures

Ok so we have pushed out the wedding until May of 2010. We want to save more money and a summer wedding is going to be expensive. But I have a number of accounts like myspace and facebook. They list my status as engaged and I loved that what I hate are the adds that followed. Like "Is your wedding dress going to fit," "Where to plan your honeymoon," etc. The kinds of pressure that applies is just plain mean, you hear me you internet adds! I am hard enough on myself I don’t need any help worrying. So trying to not get to far ahead of myself I am pretty sure I found my dress but a year an half later I may change my mind. Either way here is a pic of it.



But I am trying to not get too caught up in the pressures to be the perfect bride. I am already self conscious about my weight. I am trying to get my body where I want it and ready for summer. I am determined to like myself in a swim suite this year. I am getting off topic, there are just so many little things to plan and do and so much $$$$$$$$$$. I want the few essential things: a dress I love, a photographer to capture the day, family there if they can make it (the one thing we have decided is we want a destination wedding, again may of 2010 is a long way away could change) a cake, and a spectacular honeymoon! But where do you go what do you do it is a wedding the only one I ever want to have. I have so many ideas and need to channel them somehow maybe I will keep a journal of ideas then when the date gets closer I can put things into action. Gheez I am a Virgo so bad I am about to go Monica (from friends) and make a wedding binder! lol. Well I am sure it will all work out just fine but I cannot wait until plans are made and we have things in action I will be able to breathe easier. I am trying not to be too anal about everything but I want things a certain way, it might be bad but I am even going to make my bouquet. I have made three for others a wedding so I am not lost on what to do but I need to now chose my own flowers and for some reason that seems very difficult. To be honest none of that should matter since I am going to marry the man of my dreams and as long as it is he and I at the end of the day I could not ask for more. Ok venting is officially done. Btw to those married ladies any advise on what to do to help with the wedding planning stressors???.

Zodiac

Cancer Man and Virgo Woman
Wow! What a match. In addition to being a great potential relationship, Virgo woman and Cancer man will probably have the kind of friendship that will last for years and years. You share a common understanding that will transcend time and space. What better foundation could there be?
A Cancer man and a Virgo woman make a really good couple. Both of them can come real close to each other and will shower each other with lots of affection. The compatibility between these zodiac signs can lead to a long-lasting bond. He will make her feel loved and bring out all the passion that she hides behind her shell. With him, she will feel secure and protected. Neither of them will have any reasons to be suspicious or get jealous as both are very sincere, loyal and extremely trustworthy. They will just need to control their critical nature a bit.
A quiet-living couple who will snuggle up real close and whisper secret thoughts to each other. For the Virgo lady, preferably in her ear, the only place seemly enough for such thoughts to go
This is a good match that can definitely lead to real, lasting love. With a Cancer man, both you and he will feel more passionate and confident than you do with most other signs. His mushy, cuddly love style makes you feel nice and secure. You won’t have to worry about this man straying- when he falls in love, he stays in love! You will both have to watch your mouths a bit- you both have a tendency to be over-critical. If you can keep your picky comments to yourselves, though, this relationship has a real chance to turn into the "real thing." It’s a very good love match.

new home

So all the boxes are unpacked and the house is clean. I have never been known for being very domesticated. Mainly in the cooking department however, I love the new challenge. Tony does not make it much of a challenge considering his diet consists of mostly chicken and salad. But it has been an adventure

I have a few pictures of the place and please excuse the laundry in a few we had a bit of a backlog to do when we moved in.


So we have been in our new place for a whole week. When I was driving into the complex last friday and saw a moving van and just laughed to myself. Thinking of the previous weekend with the boxes and the soar back from lifting stuff. I then drove up to our new apartment and looked around with a feeling of total satisfaction. We were home.





And the last photo is of the ring, Which has a very sentimental story to it. It was the ring my grandfather gave to my grandmother for their 35 wedding anniversary. Their marriage and their love is only one that Tony and I hope to share. I remember growing up and listening to my grandmother tell me the stories of this man, this amazing man who loved her more then anything in the world. After two weeks of meeting her he asked her to marry him then two months later they werer married, 9 months after they were married they welcomed this first baby. Tony and I were engaged rather quickly not as quickly as two weeks but quick none the less. My mother gave me this ring to use and with it her blessing. I am truly blessed and hope that my grandmother would be proud! I am making him buy the cow grandma!! lol