Fab Friday

I'm coming off a serious high right now (see number 2 and 1).  Here goes the top five for this week.

5. Last weekend we went to Marshall for Josh's cousin's bridal shower and to spend some time with family.  The drive is never fun, but it was good to see everyone.

4. Even though it snowed about 5" here on Wednesday night, I was able to work from home on Thursday!  Love working from home and being able to get ALL of the laundry done over a normal work day.

3.  Yesterday, for whatever reason, Avery was SUPER cuddly.  Josh was sitting on the couch by himself with the whole thing open, but she insisted on sitting on top of my in the tiny chair.  Avery is not a generally cuddly dog, so you have to take advantage of things like this when they happen.

2. I was invited to go to a new professionals development lunch today. I have been feeling really disconnected from my field lately, so it was great to get back with some like-minded people... and to see some friends I haven't seen for a LONG time.

1.  I wrote into Mytalk 107.1 (the radio station I listen to every day) after our great experience with First Equity Mortgage in buying our house.  They advertise on Mytalk a bit, so I made it my goal to get Ben mentioned (they always talk about David, the owner).  As I was coming home from lunch today, I heard Alexis (one of the morning hosts) use my quote in a commercial! One, I'm famous, and two, goal complete!

Have a good weekend everyone :)

Middle of the Night Secret

I have a secret.  I love when Avery wakes me up with kisses.  She has only been allowed to sleep with us about 3 or 4 times.  We let her stay when she has been in her kennel all day and then we go somewhere at night, so she is in her kennel all night too.  To be honest, she usually goes into her kennel by herself when we do this.  We just leave the gate open so she can roam a bit.  On those nights, I usually get a wake-up call from puppy kisses.  I act annoyed to be awake at 3 in the morning, but deep down I love it.  I love that she feels the need to get out of her kennel in the middle of the night to come give us kisses.  It is nothing but precious.

Avery is a very vocal dog.  She is always sure to let us know what she is thinking.  Lately, she has been letting a yip of joy out after I let her out of the kennel in the afternoon.  It took me quite a few days to catch this video, because she doesn't do it every day, but I wanted to let Josh see this.  I love my pup.

Fab Friday

This has been a very weird week.  My job is very dependent on people submitting work to me, and it has been DEAD!  After months of crazy, I shouldn't complain, but it just feels off.  Josh had a happy hour for a co-worker who was leaving on Wednesday, so we didn't see much of him that night.  AND I had to renew my license on Wednesday, so I spent an hour of the most beautiful day stuck inside the DMV.  But I have the day off today, and we are headed out of town, so I can't complain.  Here are some highlights of the week for Fab Friday.

1. Because things were dead at work, I was able to catch up with some life stuff (meal planning, budgeting, etc.).  Boring, but it makes me feel better!

2. We had dinner with some friends on Friday night.  It was so nice to see them and catch up.

3. The cash envelope system has been going well so far.  I have the opposite problem of most people, I usually spend cash more than I use my card.  I was nervous the same thing would happen, but not yet!

4. I noticed that my water consumption was LOW (and I mean low!) so I set a new goal to drink 4 water bottles worth of water every day.  So far, I have been consistently drinking 3 plus extras (smoothie, tea, etc.).  Not bad for the first week.

5. Last but absolutely not least, we finally got our new couch!  So thankful to have something to sit on inside besides the ikea chair.  It is even prettier and more comfy than I remember from the store.  Woohoo!

Have a great weekend :)

Pineapple Margaritas

Last weekend, we were doing some major meal prep.  One of the recipes called for a half cup of pineapple juice.  We only had a giant can of pineapple juice.  Solution: Pineapple margaritas!  I found a bunch of recipes that were super complicated, so decided to wing it a bit.  Our version was super easy and super delicious.

Mix equal parts pineapple juice, margarita mix, and tequila.  Blend with ice. Done!

We have had a giant bottle of tequila sitting around FOREVER because we don't love it (sorry I'm not sorry about being a tequila snob).  This is a great way to use up a tequila you aren't fond of.  That being said, it is better to get a small bottle of the good stuff than a large bottle of cheap stuff.  Trust me, it's worth it!

One blog I follow does a Friday post called High Five for Friday.  I love that it gives an opportunity to reflect on the good things that happen each week.  This is something that we all should be doing, and I am going to make a conscious effort to start posting my reflections on here.  Thanks Kate!  I would love some help coming up with a fun name for it.  Thankful Thursday?  That's all I have so far... the creative juices are not flowing this morning.

1. Going to the lululemon warehouse sale and picking up my first lulu gear

2. Being able to make almost 20 freezer meals last weekend

3. Being able to take a LONG, wet walk with Avery on Sunday

4. Watching Frozen
5. Working from home on a snowy April day

Bread

For a few months now, we have been making homemade bread instead of buying it from the store.  We got an amazing bread machine for our wedding and I am so happy to be able to use it.  Although it is a bit different from store bought bread, it is so delicious!  It makes amazing toast (and grilled cheese!).

Too impatient to wait for it to actually toast all the way, but still delish!

Up until lately, we have been using the white bread recipe out of the cookbook that came with the machine.  Josh just brought home some whole wheat flour so I am hoping to experiment with that a little soon.

If you don't have a bread machine, I recommend getting one!  Ask for your birthday, Christmas, anniversary, or check a thrift store (I have heard you can get a GREAT deal!).  It is a bit of an adjustment, but totally worth knowing exactly what you are eating.  Plus, there is NOTHING like the taste of freshly baked bread.

New House

We have officially moved!  It feels so good to be in the new place.  Unfortunately, we are still waiting for our furniture to be delivered.  We also recently found out that we will not be able to put our brown couch downstairs since it won't fit past the pillars down there.  Some setbacks, but we are looking forward to being a little more settled and having somewhere to sit.

Fun fact: just because your house is "finished" when you move in, doesn't mean there isn't tons to do to make it your own!  This week is spring break at work, so I have had a little free time to take a look at my inspiration boards on pinterest and put together a list of things I want to do to settle in a bit more.  Some of them are LOOOOOOOOONG term goals, but I am going to try to get a few things done each month.  First up, hanging our gallery frames on the wall going down the stairs and mounting cork board in our kitchen cabinets to hang stuff since we have a stainless fridge and can no longer hang on it.

Avery's latest preferred perch

On another note, we are starting a modified version of the Dave Ramsey financial method. We are going to meet with our bank in the next few weeks to see if refinancing our car loan is worth it.  We are also starting a modified envelope system and debt snowball method as well.  Money has always made me nervous, but this helps me feel like we have a plan which is great!  I will try to keep updated on the progress of this.

Living Room Inspiration

Our move is fast approaching.  I can't believe our closing date is just over a week away!  We have been working away packing for the move and purchasing some necessities (and some fun things too!).  As Josh likes to say, this house is my pinterest dream house, so I want to make sure we are very intentional about what we have inside of it. I have been obsessing over cream couches for a while now.  I switched over to grey for awhile, thinking that cream wasn't practical.  However, I read an article once that said you should have a cream couch while you still can before you have kids.  Well... now is that time for us! Combined with the great warranty JC Penney offers, we pulled the trigger to purchase this sofa and a matching chairs in time to take advantage of the President's Day sales.

Our sofa in a slightly darker color

I am really trying to focus on purchasing high quality products that will last us a long time, knowing that it will take us longer to finish the space.  Here is some inspiration for our main level living room.

I love some farmhouse/cottage style, which is part of the reason I love our new house so much.  I love the cream and natural wood combination in this.

I found the plans to build this table and a matching coffee table and console table and I love them!  I think they will really go with the look we are going for.  Now just to decide to keep it more natural color or to give it a whitewash finish.

I love the blue and white in this, and the wicker basket in the corner, and the flowers in a pitcher.

I think this photo is my ultimate inspiration.  I am hoping to eventually create a look similar to this.

So here's to hoping our sofa is a good start.  And that I can stand to be patient with all of this.  We all know how I do with patience...

p.s. Avery got her hair cut a few weeks ago.  Looking good, and already needing another bath from this slushy weather we have been having!