Let Wedding Madness Begin!

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

Well, obviously a lot has gone down in my world as of late

Putting it lightly.

*ahem*

The past few days have been mostly talk of wedding when and where, but no more details than that.

We have decided to get married August 14, 2010. That's roughly two weeks before I head back to school, so we can go on a honeymoon and come back home and get settled back into normal life.

Our colors are a leaf green and a buttercup yellow. Different from just plain green and yellow. It's a summer wedding, so I want the colors to be bright and charming.

And we have picked a ceremony venue and have already gotten a preliminary book on the date.

I went to Barnes and Noble before work on the 24th and bought myself an organizer and a magazine. They have been very helpful so far!

Obviously I have nothing to do except plan right now since I'm not in school. But come early January, I hit the books again and things will slow down somewhat. We've got a little over 7 months, and I am realizing how much there is to do, so I don't feel stupid or weird already planning and booking.

Something

 This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!


For my birthday, I got...



Something fuzzy




Something smelly





Something pretty




And something sparkly



I wanted to announce first on Blogger that as of December 23rd, 2009, Jarred and I are officially engaged!
We went to a little restaurant downtown with my parents, sister, and her boyfriend. After we ate, Mom wanted to take pictures of us under the Christmas lights. Katherine and Zach took pictures first, then Mom and Dad. Jarred and I took a few pictures under the archway.



I began to walk away and Jarred called for my mother to take one more photo. He reached his hand into his pocket, got down on one knee, and asked me to marry him. :)



I didn't answer him right away because I was in absolute shock and I was crying so hard, like hyperventilating. I believe my father called out "What's the answer?" and I finally was able to gather myself enough to say yes.


We both cried and Mom took runny, red-nosed photos.

*************************************************************************************

Jarred and I went to look at engagement rings on Halloween. We went to a few different stores, but then saw mine as we walked back through Zales. I thought the ring was so beautiful and after we left the store, I cried a little bit to Jarred because I knew that was the one.

He went out with my Dad the following Monday and purchased the ring.

Jarred told me he was planning on waiting until our 3 year anniversary (in March 2010) to propose. But when he went downtown for a cigar show last week and saw all the beautiful lights, he knew he wanted to propose then.

We are so happy and of course haven't begun to plan anything yet. But we threw out ideas last night that we want to get married in the next year. I don't want a very long engagement (I mean like a year or longer). My parents were engaged for around 9 months and I'd love to get married in late summer, early fall.

*************************************************************************************

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas! Remember that Jesus is the real reason for the season!

Merry Christmas Season Ya'll!

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

Not just because I love my Garmin, but I think they have some of the best holiday commercials.





Sweet. I love Carol of the Bells anyway.

Some Christmas Music to Soothe

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

I believe it's high time I posted, don't you?

It's been roughly a week and a half since I last left, but it feels like much longer to me. I know I should update more often, and normally, I do. But there's these finals things and work late things that get in the way!

I haven't gotten completely well from having a cold/bronchitis 2 weeks ago. Jarred and I are both feeling rather ill today. But I got to sleep in for a little bit this morning. I had a final at 10:30 and slept until 9. I haven't gotten to do that in an entire 2 weeks. Maybe that's why I'm still fighting sick. At least Lucas is well and kickin'. Though lazy. He's sitting in the fluffy green chair beside me. He's been with us for over a month and he's just now found places he really likes, such as this chair. He also likes to hide in our closet, but on Jarred's side. Maybe because there aren't as many shoes piled up!

We're halfway through December and it still doesn't feel like Christmas to me. I've been too busy to enjoy anything I believe. Once finals are over, I may have a bit more time to relax. I will be working the same amount of hours, but eliminating a good 30-40 hours of school stress (it IS a full-time job in itself you know!) will really help me get in the spirit.

I was studying for a final I have on Wednesday earlier tonight and decide to unwind a little by listening to holiday music. Of all the songs I have, there are always clear favorites.

Here is a wonderful rendition of Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella by Gregg Miner.




I think it is a beautiful song and the lyrics are equally nice:

Bring a torch, Jeanette, Isabella!
Bring a torch, come swiftly and run!
Christ is born. Tell the folk of the village
Jesus is born and Mary's calling.
Ah!* Ah! beautiful is the Mother!
Ah! Ah! beautiful is her son!

It is wrong when the Baby is sleeping,
It is wrong to speak so loud.
Silence, now as you gather around,
Lest your noise should waken Jesus.
Hush! Hush! see how the Baby slumbers;
Hush! Hush! see how the Baby sleeps!

Softly now unto the stable,
Softly for a moment come!
Look and see how charming is Jesus,
Look at him there, His cheeks are rosy!
Hush! Hush! see how the Child is sleeping;
Hush! Hush! see how he smiles in dreams!

And I also have a favorite contemporary Christmas song. I have stated it before in a post early in my blogging days. It's Casting Crowns "While You Were Sleeping". I don't actually listen to a lot of Christian artists, but I do know who these guys are for sure! Here is a video a YouTube member created. There's no official video for this song, which is disappointing.



I really hope you take the time to listen to the lyrics.

I'm starting to get into the Christmas spirit. We are almost 10 days away. Time does surely fly, does it not? It may be interesting to me only, but as soon as I think time cannot go any slower and that life is going nowhere, it does.

Thanks God for showing me it can be all roses, even when you think life sucks.

I am wanting to get the Doggie Blog up and running again. I haven't posted since March. Baby is giving Lucas the rights to the blog since he's living with us. Lucas has a pretty interesting life, that's for sure.

Lucas Makes What??

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

There is no sound on my camera, but for this video, none is needed. His expression says everything.



Background: I came home from work sick tonight and before I could unlock the door, Jarred swung it open and Lucas was sitting next to the GlowBoard, which was flashing the funny picture. My first reaction was literally, "OMG, where did he poopie???"
But he didn't. So Daddy was trying to get Lucas in trouble with me on purpose!

Being with Family, Fuzzies and All

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

I'm Thankful

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

Thanksgiving. One of the most underrated holidays. But one of the most meaningful and special.

I'd like to take the opportunity to relive this past year and talk about what I am truly thankful for.

I am thankful for my family. I was given the chance to come back home and I have not regretted it once. It's so cliche, but you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I didn't realize that home was very special and exactly the place I wanted to be all along. It just took me spreading my wings a bit to decide home is so much better than anywhere else. Mom and Dad welcomed Jarred and me back home and took us in. There probably aren't too many parents who would do that, but that just goes to show how wonderful my parents are.
My sister is a very beautiful person inside and out and I am thankful that she is who she is and does not compromise for anyone.
I still have extended family back in NC and SC and I miss them very much and am sad I will not be spending Thanksgiving with them.
I am thankful I have a very supportive family as well. My Aunt L and Uncle R read my blog and I am glad they are getting to keep up with my life. I am thankful I get to talk to my grandparents on the phone and hear their voices.
I'm thankful Granddaddy is in a better place. I miss you this Thanksgiving and I will miss you every Thanksgiving.
I am thankful for my extended family. Jarred's family in NC has welcomed me with open arms and I am so grateful. I am thankful to have gotten to know Ashley and I wish Jarred and I were in a position to visit her and Ethan more. We love them very much.
I am thankful for Jarred's father. He was obviously a very special man and he raised two great children and the love he had for Jarred and Ashley's mother was very apparent.

I am thankful for all the opportunities Jarred and I have had over the past year. I had the chance to work for FOL in the winter of '08 and it was a great eye opener to how a business is run. I am also thankful to have my current job, however much I gripe. I work with a very eclectic group of people and I have learned that not everyone lives the same kind of life I do.
I am thankful for the job opportunities Jarred has had, but especially for the job he has now. It has been a God-send and is definitely one of the top things we have to be thankful for.

I am thankful for Baby and Lucas. They are just little humans themselves! Baby is my fuzzy sister and I cannot express how much I love her. Lucas is my sweet baby son and even though we have only had him for 3 weeks, he has already stolen my heart and will always have it.

I am thankful for the life God has given me. Jarred and I have come a long way in one year and there is really no way to express our thanks to everyone who helped us along the way.

And there's something itself. The one last thing I am thankful for: Jarred. You are my rock and I love you more than anything. I don't need a fancy apartment, clothes, or ring to know that you really love me. I can't wait to see what this next year has in store for us. I have given you much grief over certain things when I know I shouldn't. Everything will come in time and all I need to remember is that you love me. God brought us together for a reason, like Aunt K has always said, maybe God knew you would need someone to see you through your sorrow and pain. I believe I saved you, but in so many ways you have saved me too. Please know I will always love you. You make a wonderful best friend and boyfriend, you will make a wonderful husband and father someday. I'm so glad God chose me to take this journey with you.

He is the Doggie Treat of My Eye

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

Yes, Lu and I were working hard cleaning the apartment, why do you ask?

And this is the way our boy sleeps. BTW, those cats on the pillow had stuffing in them. Not anymore thanks to ol' Lu here. He ripped those kitties to shreds. I don't blame him.

I also found him today in the middle of pulling an old t-shirt of mine off a chair and snarling at it and rubbing his face into it. Lovely. And then he found a plastic hanger. Oh the joys.

Heeeerrrreeee's Lucas!

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!


Not the best picture (thanks Nikon!) But it's the best I could get of me and my fuzzy son! Now I have two babies to take care of! Just kidding J! It's been super difficult to get a picture of Lucas because he won't look at the camera. Ever. I had to hold his face steady in this one.

He's been such a good boy. He loves the antimicrobial bed I get him from Wal-Mart and we try to go outside ever few hours for at least 30 minutes. Maybe we'll take him to a park this weekend!

It's been a good past few days. Adopting Lucas has taken my mind off of many things and has offered me a bit of peace from hectic life.

Lucas's Goodie Jar

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

Happy Birthday Daddy! I haven't gotten to see him yet today, but maybe he will see this. Probably not. 'Cause he's at work. Jarred and I got him a cool gift, and we know he'll really like it!

On another note, I'd also like to wish Stellan a Happy Birthday. I've been reading the blog for almost a year and a half, even before I myself started blogging. So I remember the posts about your SVT back then, and it's sad to still see them now. I hope you do like before and fight this!

And on one more note, I have a classmate that I have gotten to know and she is celebrating her four year wedding anniversary today.

I brought home Lucas's goodie jar today. Wanna see?

Just a bit longer 'til Jarred and I get our Christmas gift!

Not Me Monday!

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!




Such a love-hate relationship with Mondays, I have. They are the first day 'back to the grind' and I think everyone can attest that Mondays are pretty slow-going. But now we can look forward to Mondays just a little bit. MckMama has created the blog carnival "Not Me Monday" and now I am able to spill my guts without being too forthcoming!

Sunday got off to a bang! It wasn't me who got up to cook up some country sausage to put in biscuits. I did not sweat over a hot pan full of ground-up-somethin' with grease everywhere, just so Jarred and I could have a real breakfast. And by real, I do not mean unhealthy, full of fats and salt.

And it wasn't me who absolutely couldn't wait to get to work that afternoon!*

Today I did not talk to the guy who sits next to me in class and ask him about his fall break in Florida. When he told me he enjoyed eating at Chipotle's, I never even thought of laughing out loud and recounting a sketch from South Park introducing the As Seen On TV product ChipotlAway. He most certainly did not seem utterly offended by my remarks. Nope.

Short but sweet! There is not much I do that I am embarrassed by, but there are always a few times a week I get a little flush in my cheeks!

Tonight will be a good night for NO WORK and I will spend it relaxing. I am a little down right now from a phone call with a person I don't care for earlier today, and I'm going into the ophthalmologist tomorrow, but I am trying not to let myself worry. There are bigger things to be concerned with. Or maybe the saying should be, "Try not to have anything to be concerned over." Life is far too short.

Speaking of that, a prayer should be lifted up for Farhat, a girl in one of my management classes. Our teacher told us that she was killed in a car accident over break. I never spoke to her, but she always contributed to class conversation and she seemed very nice.

Hope everyone has a good rest of the Monday!


*This isn't even a part of my Not Me Monday. That's just sarcasm

Stir Fry

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

Just 'cause I love blogging so much, here's another recipe. This one is for chicken and veggie stir fry. I adapted it from a recipe in the church's cookbook.

Chix and Veggie Stir Fry

1/2 tsp of ginger
dash of pepper
1/2 cup of chix broth
1/4 cup soy sauce (don't use light soy sauce, yuck!)
1 cup baby carrots, sliced
1/2 of a zucchini, cubed
2 small potatoes, cubed
1/2 of a green pepper, cubed
2 chicken breasts, cubed
Oil

In a bowl, mix together the ginger and pepper, then gradually stir in the broth. Once stirred, add the soy sauce and set to the side. In a large skillet, heat just enough oil to coat the veggies. Put all the vegetables in the skillet and stir fry on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, or until veggies are almost completely cooked. Take veggies out of skillet and set aside in a large bowl. Add a bit more oil to the skillet, then throw in the chicken that has been cubed. Fry until chicken has been cooked through. Add veggies back into skillet, then stir in the soy sauce mixture. Bring everything to a boil for around 1-2 minutes. Serve with brown rice.

This is an awesome recipe. I wolfed down my plate and I think Jarred liked it too. You could possibly add cornstarch to the soy sauce mixture to make the mixture a bit thicker. But I like the soy sauce to remain a bit more liquid so it will soak into the rice. Just use any veggies you have around the house or anything that is in season. I would have also added peas, but I didn't want to open up a bag from the freezer yet. It's an all-in-one meal and I love those. It's all you have to serve. You could substitute the chicken for any meat. It's great!



As I said in my last post, I am getting super excited for the holidays. I definitely want to go to the Hallmark store so Jarred and I can each pick out another ornament for our tree. We are starting the collecting young so by the time we are real old, we will have many ornaments and memories :)

Little side note: if anyone wants to have the most perfect paring knife, I would highly recommend the Quikut brand. These knives are actually under a dollar and are the sharpest and best paring knives I have used. I had to share my absolute joy at finding the most perfect paring knife!

Randomly, we are getting excited for Lucas to get here! I'm getting home a jacket (whether Jarred likes it or not) and taking him to the dog park in town. Yes sir, he will be styling and healthy!

Alton, Apples, Avastin

 This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!


Ah, Alton Brown. This comic suits him to a tee.
And thanks Natalie Dee for the comic. Be careful clicking on her website if easily offended. Some of her comics are rather crass.
I bring up Alton Brown 1) because I watch a lot of Food Network and 2) by watching a lot of TV, I now know that Good Eats is having its 10th anniversary.
And I just got done making his biscuit recipe. And they are deelish.
Jarred and I had a busy day since I didn't have to go into work. Yay! These are the only times I can get stuff done. We went to Kohl's to find Jarred some more dress pants and shirts to wear to work. And I got a cable-knit sweater and some long sleeved shirts. My winter wardrobe doesn't consist of much. I don't like wearing short sleeves during fall or winter, while Jarred is fine just slipping on a coat to go outside.
At the store, I tried on a faux-fur white vest. And then promptly took it off because of how ridiculous I looked.
I might have to go get some more cords for work when I get my next paycheck. I am running on two pairs and that just won't do.
After lunch, Jarred and I took a little trip up to the orchard. I thought it was freezing outside. There were so many people there, but at the same time, it wasn't bad. We bought a good amount of stuff. We bought a bag of Granny Smith apples for my bread recipe, 2 bags of Hoppin' John mix, Dill and Chive dip mix, Apple Cinnamon pancake mix, Xtra Hot Chow Chow, Apple Cherry Cider, Apple Butter, and a beautiful basket made by a village in Africa.
The Apple Butter made Jarred think of the Alton Brown program we had seen last night on biscuits and he wanted some. We were taking our weekly trip to the grocery store and we bought all the ingredients. Thank goodness we have some country sausage in the freezer, just for an occasion like this! We are going to have a good albeit unhealthy breakfast tomorrow!

On some not so exciting news, my eye is acting up again, and I am going to have to go through with surgery again. I don't need my ophthalmologist to tell me that, just confirm it.

I don't know if I've ever written a blog about what is wrong with my eyes. But just in case I haven't, here's the rundown:

Sophomore year of high school, I was taking an Algebra class. We were working with gridded paper. I noticed that the lines seemed a bit distorted, but I didn't think much of it because I'd always had 20/20 vision. I just assumed I was tired and needed more sleep. After about a week of distorted vision, I got scared because I knew something was really wrong. Mom took me to the optometrist. I don't remember what he found, but he sent me to a specialist. The ophthalmologist confirmed that I had OHS. It is caused by a fungus in the soil and dust that is inhaled. It creates flu-like symptoms (and yes, I did have the 'flu' in elementary or middle school). Histoplasmosis irritates the eye and created scarring on the retina. A weak blood vessel will leak into the scar and cause distorted vision.

And it sucks.

I have had quite a few laser surgeries to correct the problem. It would burn out part of my vision, but my doctor said since I was so young, my right eye would over compensate for my left.

Then the wonderful medical community found a better treatment (more like barbaric): Avastin. If you are easily alarmed or grossed out, stop reading now.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Okay all non-squeamish, Avastin is a kind of liquid/gel/I'm not sure that is injected into my eye. With a needle. While I watch. It hurts. Like a mother. Like hell. And then my eye pops, and my vision goes completely black. It is so gross feeling. And then 15 minutes later, I feel another pop and my vision is back, but blurry. And the whole car ride home, I am in pain. Avastin is injected into the 'offending' blood vessel. It is pretty simple, but of course, it hurts a lot more than the laser surgery. When I had the Avastin injection my frosh year at PU, my parents came to be there with me. I was so scared in the waiting room. I cried and cried and cried. I don't know if I've ever cried that much in public before. I am pretty certain that has got to be something most people would avoid; getting a needle stuck straight in their eyeball.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Alright, you can start back reading here, all weak-stomached. This is something I am going to deal with my whole life. There is no cure for OHS. It just depends on how often it happens. Another weak blood vessel has burst into another retina scar, so I will need some sort of treatment. Probably Avastin. Maybe I'll let Mom and Dad photo-document to show everyone how brave I am. Because I felt so brave after the first treatment, let me tell you! I can't tell anyone to pray that there's nothing wrong, because there is, and the distortion won't magically go away. I can only ask everyone to be thinking of me and I will give updates on when I get treatment.

The Office Wedding

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

This is why I love The Office. If you don't watch, maybe you should start.
I have a lot of respect for the writers who gave their fans the happy ending we've been wanting for four years. And I also love the cultural references. Get onto Hulu to watch the first part and second part.

Fuzzy Sister

This post was first featured on my now defunct blog, M&J Hooray!

Who wants an update on Baby? I haven't been writing very much about her since I don't see her very much. Tonight I had Mom take some pictures of me and the fuzzy sister.

I love her so much. She truly is a 'baby'.

Funnies Thing Today

This video is titled "Proof Women Are Born This Way".

I think Jarred and Dad would agree.

The Big Reveal

So who wants to know what all the hub-bub around here has been?

A show of hands?

Nobody?

Well, I'll tell you anyway. It may be a letdown to some of you all, but Jarred and I are so excited!



OKAY!


Jarred...... GOT A JOB! He is working in Credit and he starts on Monday! This means he is salaried and he is going to be making some gooooood money. We are so excited for him to start. We have already begun planning our summer vacation next year to FL because he gets off 2 weeks. We want to take a week to go to FL and just relax. But that's getting a little ahead of ourselves. But still.

Jarred now has an official job title. He is an adjuster for the Credit Department and I know he is going to love it there.

This is so exciting to us because this leads to other opportunities for us. And it is also nice to be able to be a bit more comfortable financially too. We're not struggling, but we're nowhere stable by any means.

But that all changes on Monday!

I know I've said it before, but I just can't help but remember this time last year. There weren't any prospects for him at all. He applied at places, but they took one look at his resume, saw "Degree in Criminal Justice" and said no. He was working part-time retail, getting up at 3 in the morning and working until lunch time and we were at a really low point in our relationship. After he left his retail job, it was a good few months (like almost 4?) until he got a job with the dealership. We are so thankful they took a chance on him and gave him other responsibilities besides for showing cars.

His interview went great and I think every single person in the family cried when we found out he had gotten the Credit job.

I truly believe that Jarred is the most deserving man alive and I love him very much. I am very proud of him and how he stuck through everything and kept on trucking, even when times were really bad. I know his dad would be so proud of him.

I am very thankful to have this blog to document our lives. We have come from living with my parents, Jarred working a retail job as a college graduate, while I am not in school at all, working a basic office job. Then we went to Jarred quitting the retail job, me working appliance retail and not having any money to our name. I have my parents to be thankful for because they told us we could like at home for as long as we needed. Then we were at a point where Jarred got a sales position at the dealership, me still working retail. We moved out of the house, into our own apartment, and have lost sleep many nights because of finances. We have been worried sick about how we were going to pay for things.

Now.

Now we are still getting used to living on our own (but still close to Mom and Dad) and I still have the retail job. But that's okay. Jarred quit his dealership job today and told them he had been hired to work for the Credit department.

I think we have come a long way in a year and a half. Jarred and I have been back home for a year now, and it is hard for me to think of how sad we were. We never thought we were going to be getting anywhere in our lives together any time soon.

But now.

Everything is coming together now. We are beyond blessed. God has really provided for us in the tough times. He never threw us anything that He didn't think we could handle. Everything we went through (heartaches over jobs and life) has made us all the more thankful for where we are now.

I know that this wasn't the news some of you all were looking for, but we are so excited for the doors this job will open for the both of us. Thanks for being faithful readers and always offering words of encouragement to us. I hope you will continue watching us as our lives change even more very soon!

A Change, a Prose, a Bark

Is it truly only Wednesday?

This week has been super long already. With two tests, two meetings for projects, and another project/paper due Friday with working 26 hours this week, I'm a little tired. I worked a full day at work, and I am still running on adrenaline at the moment. But I'm sure I'll crash and burn very soon. Fall Break cannot come soon enough!

In other news, it will be sometime tomorrow or Friday that I will announce one of our big surprises. The changes Jarred and I are making are moving us in the right direction towards having a more secure future. We are so excited to share our news, but it'll have to wait a teeny bit longer!

Jarred was a good 'house-spouse' today while I was at work. He cleaned the entire apartment! It looks fabulous! He opened all the windows and it seems to have gotten out the funky smell that has stuck around since we first moved in. He even put up my French test on the refrigerator. I got an A :)

Now I just want to take a little time to clear up some things about my new blog site, The Traveling Menagerie. I created the site with the intention of getting away from talking about my everyday life, which is what this site has become. I am trying to revert back to my old way of writing, which can be viewed if you read posts from February and March. I had a more airy, light tone to my posts and I was a bit more philosophical, if I can say so myself. Nowadays, there is no more deeper meaning to my posts other than what I ate for lunch. I decided to separate the to forms of writing. M and J Hooray is still my go to, but I will be writing of topics meaningful to my life in Menagerie too. Just in a more prose-like writing. I would never abandon my baby that is M and J Hooray, but I wanted another outlet for writing. And don't forget to check out It's A Doggie-Ful Life soon. Baby has proved to not be much of a writer, so she tells me she is going to be passing on the blogging torch to Lucas when he comes home.

Can't wait for puppy!!!

Please Excuse the Reconstruction

UPDATE: I am through messing with my blog for now. I have also taken the time to create a new blog, The Traveling Menagerie. Follow please!

NOTE: I am changing up my blog look. Bear with me. It's gonna take a while.

Try my recipe! TRY IT!

It's feeling a lot more like fall weather here. I can't wait to break out the sweaters and sheepskin boots (And yes, I do also have a pair of Uggs. Don't hate.)! I've already pulled my cords out of the bin and have been wearing those to work.

Fall is so beautiful and there is nothing better than the warm smells and tastes of fall food. To get into the spirit, I concocted up a recipe for cinnamon apple bread. It is being used to get rid of some apples I picked up at the farmer's market. I had a feeling I would never eat them, but I don't want anything to go to waste. It's so hard to really cook for two people anyway. We normally have so many leftovers, and then those never get eaten.

So here is my recipe for Warm Cinnamon Apple Bread:

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 apple
cinnamon, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Combine dry ingredients (except cinnamon) and cream butter and brown sugar together.
3. Slowly add dry ingredients to the butter and sugar, mixing on low.
4. Add the eggs, continuing to mix.
5. Chop the apple (I use Golden Delicious) very finely and add of mix
6. Add cinnamon. (I added this ingredient last because it gave me ribbons of cinnamon throughout the bread.
7. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Easy recipe! And I did it all myself.

Some points on the recipe:

1. I use dark brown sugar because it has a stronger flavor than light. My recipe doesn't call for vanilla extract, so the dark brown sugar gives it that sweet flavor. But if all you have around the house it light brown sugar, just add maybe a 1/2 tsp of vanilla extract or imitation.
2. You may also want to sprinkle cinnamon or nutmeg or allspice on the apple itself once you chop it up so the spices can really infuse the apple.
3. Another good alternative could be using a can of pumpkin for pumpkin bread. Just omit one or both of the eggs.
4. If you want the recipe to be eggs-free, use some applesauce!


UPDATE: I tried the bread almost right after it came out. It was so good! It had a nice thick outer crust and a soft, dense inside. Perfect.

I'm thinking of making two other loaves. One for Mom and Pops and maybe Mom can give the other to C.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I am so glad this school week is over with. But next week is going to be tough. I have two tests back to back on Tuesday and I hope to make time to meet with my French group again. But we'll see. All depends on work. Adding work to school next week officially makes it HELL week. The tests and projects that are due next week is getting me all in a tizzy, plus we have inventory next week and then getting a truck right after. F-U-N!

Poo.

We're Coming For You Lucas!

I'm really just trying to make it to the weekend. I still work this weekend, but still. I'm not looking forward to next week in that respect either. It's inventory time and I'm working a buttload of hours. The money is always helpful, but I am so burnt out from working.
I worked so many hours when I was a temp at FOL because I was full time. I worked 40+ hours every week. But I loved it because I enjoyed the work and the people. Not so much the case currently. I know it's getting bad because I'd rather be at school than at work.

Today was a great day off. Though Jarred is sick and I may have a stomach bug, I was able to go to school and go out to lunch with Mom. I also went back over to school to work on a project with two girls from my class. I made dinner when I got in (Cheesy Chicken and Pasta with a side of broccoli) and I am now taking a short break from studying for my French exam tomorrow. I wanted to make some apple cinnamon bread tonight, but it has gotten a little too late. And I really needed the time to study anyway. I'll probably make it tomorrow before I got into work.

There is no real other news, but Jarred and I are getting very excited for a few changes our little family is making. I'll leave you in suspense because I won't say anything else until they actually happen. But we are ecstatic! As I've said before, Jarred and I have come a long way in the past 2 years we've been together, and we are glad to finally get a boost in life.

Something I can talk about is how excited I am to be getting Lucas soon. I was searching high and low on Facebook for a picture either Jarred or A had of him, but I didn't find any. I have only seen Lucas very briefly about two years ago. But this is kinda what he looks like. Operative word being kinda:

Kinda-- meaning this is a picture of a mini and that's what Lucas is. This is about the length I will want to keep his hair. Maybe a bit longer. I want a cross between a Westie cut and a mini cut.

Enough blogging for now, back to studying!

1+1+1=Happy Home

Jarred and I have recently decide to add to our little family! We love our fishies very much (RIP Moe), but I have really been missing Fuzzy Butt. It's a change to be around a furry companion to nothing.
I have been talking about getting a cat since around Christmas '07. That was a good while ago. I would still someday like a cat, but honestly, staying with A, Jarred's best friend from high school, my mind has changed. At least until a house comes into the picture. A lived in a little apartment and boy did it stink from cat pee. Houses with cats don't smell, but there's no getting away from it in a tiny apartment.
Of course I would only want to get a dog from a shelter. I have been researching a bit, but who knows whether the animals there today will be there tomorrow. I have been set on going to the Humane Society in the next couple of months to begin our search. Jarred was up for the idea, but he came up with a wonderful idea tonight.
His family has a white miniature schnauzer named Lucas who was abused. Jarred's family bought him and have given him a loving home. But with all the life changes in the past years, Lucas has to be kept outside. Jarred has wanted to eventually bring him out here to stay.
So we have officially decided we are going to 'adopt' Lucas. This way he is able to get the attention he needs, Jarred's mom knows we'll take care of him, and we get another furry baby!
I'm very excited to have an animal to love on again. It gets lonely here sometimes.

I should mention the RIP for Moe. Moe was one of our fish, and we had noticed his color changing and he wasn't really eating. Last night when Jarred went to feed them, he found Moe almost completely gone. And yes, I'm not ashamed at all say that I shed a tear for my poor fish. They are so sweet, I just hope they stick around forever!

Had to share the news. We are very excited and can't wait to bring Lucas to his new home!

PICTURES FINALLY UP!

EDIT: These are pictures of the apartment as it was today. The first 3 pictures are of our bedroom. It's all my furniture, so it might be girly. But Jarred said I could pick out whatever bedspread I wanted.


In this picture, you can see Mr. and Mrs. Fuzzums under the window. But I'll save introducing them for another post. We're glad to have our fishy babies back with us. And I have put up a few pictures on the wall. Still more to do though.


More Van Gogh's will go up in the bedroom, but we haven't been able to buy any more 3M stick-ums yet. We don't want to put nails in the wall, considering the horror stories J, one of the managers, told us. People won't use a stud finder to hang a heavy painting and will rip a hole the size of your torso in the wall. Um... no thank you.


I know this picture is sideways. But I was too lazy to change it. Just tilt your head. Our seashell curtain is waaay tacky, but I love it! Who doesn't love the beach and shells?


Okay, this is the picture I feel I need to explain. This is our computer room and 'walk-in' closet. HAHA Jarred! Anyway, it was all cleaned and pretty a few days ago, but once Mom and Dad came back from the Home State, they brought us my Pottery Barn blue chair (pictured on it's side). They also gave us their old TV. There has been nowhere else to put these things but in this room. Also, maintenance came yesterday to spray the inside for spiders (eek!) so I'm sure things were strewn everywhere to get to the baseboards.


Our living room! Jarred is very happy with his new TV and I of course love finally having a place to put Camilla!


Once this corner gets all fixed up, I think it will be a cozy nook! But putting pictures on the wall always makes things better. But again, money.


My kitchen :) I can't wait for my kitchen kart to get here! Jarred ordered it yesterday. It's granite on top and I am excited to use it for cutting up veggies!


Our dinner table. Mom brought the flowers, but they are almost dead. We have our infamous painted mugs on the wall. Love it.