Yard Sale!

Over at Fine Linen and Purple, a community wide yard sale is being hosted! I thought I'd have a lot more to sell, but I'm having that "but what if I lose weight!?" dilemma now that I'm back on Weight Watchers. Really, I should sell it all because then I'm guaranteed to lose weight ;). But anyway, here's a few goodies from my closet! Price does not include shipping, but if you give me your zipcode I can tell you how much shipping will cost... hopefully around $2-3 per item. If you order more than one item, you'll get a discount. I use Paypal for payment. If the item is still available in a couple days, feel free to haggle the price! Email me at buttercup419@gmail.com if there is an item you want. I will try to keep this as updated as possible and take things down when and if they sell.

St. John's Bay size L; this is one of my favorite shirts EVER but it hasn't fit in quite a while.

$5

Cato size XL; this shirt fits but I just never could get into the ruffly material.\

$3

Liz Claiborne size petite M. Petite? What was I thinking!? This used to be one of my favorite shirts because it is SO SOFT, but it no longer fits. The fabric shows a little wear, but only if you are looking closely at it. 

$3

Merona size M. I would say it fits like a roomy M. 

$4 (or 2/$6 with the below shirt)

Merona size M. Twin to the purple shirt; see price above.

St. John's Bay size L (red, not pink). I love the style, but should not be allowed to purchase stripes.

$4

Merona size L, but a roomy L. Comfy elastic waist and (on me) hits a little below the knee. Dresses suit my body shape better than skirts, but it's a nice, casual skirt.

$4

Hide your chillun! Adult eyes only! K, just kidding. This cute little nighty has never been worn, due to the size L being kind of a joke. It is more like a M... or maybe a not-super-endowed L. It's a cute, baby doll style and is soft with ruffly straps and a ruffled bottom. It is "Smart n Sexy" brand, which is an online retailer... it is not smart nor sexy for me to buy things like this online.

$4

Old Navy pj pants size L, cute little trim along the bottom.

$2

Same pants as above, different print. 

$2

Magenta purse. Can't find a tag to tell you the brand! 99% of my bags are Liz Claiborne but I don't think this one is....

$10

Holidays on the Cheap

Nope, this isn't a post about buying/making gifts for people the frugal way. There was enough of that in bloggyland last month to last you for... forever? This is about decorating for holidays! If you are as lucky as I am, you come from a childhood home where the house oozes with festivity for each holiday. Christmas was of course the most festive occasion, but my mom decorated like crazy for pretty much all holidays. Not just the standard holiday themed door hanging or wreath; I'm talking down to napkins, kitchen and bathroom hand towels, and an outdoor flag. I'm talking us kids being her Valentine every single year, green milk for St. Patty's, and Easter eggs hung in the front yard tree. I'm talking stuffed animals that have clothes themed for each holiday. It was wonderfully magical!

I got this door hanging on clearance from Michael's last year. I love the shabby chic feel to it. It's a tiny bit beat up (hence paying about $2 for it) but I like to think it adds to the character.

When I moved out and got my own place, I slowly collected Christmas items over the years. We have a lot... a LOT... of Christmas stuff now, but I'm finding that we don't have much else for other holidays. I wanted at least a piece of that festive feeling in our new home, especially with two upcoming saints' days! As you know, I'm pretty hard core about sticking to our budget, so I wasn't really willing to spend the money on the super precious items that Target sells for upwards of $15 or $20. So what do those of us who aren't super crafty (or don't have time to craft) do when we don't want to spend more than $10 or so for decorations? It just so happens that I've brainstormed a handy dandy list for you!

I love the cheesy happy birthday banners, so I was excited to see a Valentine's version at the Dollar Tree! I also got the cute hearts-on-a-stick that are in the cups on the left and right.

{Decorating on a Dime}

• Dolla Dolla Tree, ya'll! No, but seriously. I know there is a lot of junk at the Dollar Tree, and I also know that anything you buy from there will not be passed down or remotely near heirloom quality. And I'm here to tell you that's ok. I don't want to promote extra waste, but if you buy a crazy cute turkey door hanger for Thanksgiving and it can't hack the elements for more than a month, you had a decoration for that season for $1 (and what... 7 cents?). Worth it! So far, my Dollar Tree items have stood the test of time which makes this girl happy because I hate throwing things away, but even if something fails after one season, it was still a good deal!

• Speaking of the Dollar Tree, check the Dollar Spot at Target. They will have less stuff, but usually have some holiday related things. Michael's always discounts their items a few days before the holiday until the stuff is gone. You can either buy it full price and use a fairly-easy-to-find 40-50% off coupon, or wait for it to go clearance. If you have a "Five Below" in your area, they have a few things too, though probably closer to the $5 mark than the $1 mark. 

• Ask your mom for things that you loved as a child. My mom has this awesome theory that she doesn't want to wait until she's gone for us to enjoy stuff of hers. She wants to see us enjoy it while she is still here (which will be for another 60+ years, right mom?). So she has given me a few things that ARE heirloom quality and CAN be passed down to my children, that I can decorate with now! Be prepared that the answer could be no, but it could also be yes and your mom just never knew you had an interest in having certain things!

• Check thrift stores shortly after holidays. People tend to get rid of whatever decor they don't want right after the holiday is over. You really can check any time of year since people do things like spring cleaning, but right after a holiday you are usually guaranteed to find a few goodies. One man's trash could totally be your treasure.

• Be ok with building a stash over the course of a few years. All I have for St. Patty's Day right now is a door hanging, and that's ok. Next year I'll buy one or two more things, and so on until I get a good collection, which will probably cost me a total of $10. 

What are your favorite tips for decorating on the cheap?

7 Quick Takes- Random Picture Pairing Edition

--- 1 ---

Today is the March for Life in DC! Since I can't be there in person, I will be there in spirit. Every time I go to a social media site today, I am pledging to say a prayer. This will equal LOTS of prayer for the babies aborted, babies in danger of being aborted, and mothers who feel like abortion is their only choice. We have plans to go to adoration tonight, but we are supposed to get a winter 'storm' which means I may be coming home from work early so we can hunker down and stay off the roads. Either way, we'll be joining our prayers with yours today!

--- 2 ---

Speaking of which, I love campaigns to save the trees, save the whales, save the baby seals, save the environment... but today I'm reminded of the need to campaign for saving humans, from conception to natural death.

Umbert the Unborn

--- 3 ---

Did I write about planting peas? Anyways, I planted them and then put them outside in the exact spot where the rain pours off of the roof and into the pot. So they are toast, I'm assuming (probably so since they should have begun sprouting on 1/16). So then I bought the little teeny cups you can start seeds in and then plant the cups in a large pot once they sprout. I was putting them on the deck railing during the day for more direct sunlight. After 2 days of that, they fell off and promptly dumped into the yard, seeds never to be found again. So I'm on my 3rd round of planting and I'm sure this will be as fruitless veggie-less as the last!

Fluffy Pants is subjected to many a brushing.

--- 4 ---

Three weeks into Weight Watchers and I've lost 8 lbs. This week, when I entered my weight, the site told me to click here to learn how to lose weight more slowly. I almost slapped the computer. My pants are finally not so tight that they are hurting me anymore, thank God!

Red Lobster meal I want to create at home: Bacon wrapped shrimp. NOMTASTIC, and shrimp and center cut bacon are crazy low in points.

--- 5 ---

We've really been exploring coconut oil more, besides just eating it. Steven started using it on some... eczema? Psoriasis? Something that the dermatologist keeps throwing steroid creams at and it works for about a week. We'll see if the coconut oil does the job. I've been using it as my moisturizer and it is DIVINE. My face is actually less oily by the afternoon than normal, and the scent is heavenly.

--- 6 ---

I've been feeling a little low on blog topics lately. That happens sometimes and it's not a big deal- I just wait until I get inspiration, but I was wondering if there was anything you'd particularly like to see me blog about? Something I've already blogged about (faith, PCOS, NFP, real food eating, being a crazy cat lady) or something brand new? I have a post brewing about prayer habits, but nothing past that.

The cat.... eating my expensive purple curtains.

--- 7 ---

I go off call today AND Steven is off for the 3rd Sunday in a row, so this weekend should be relaxing and fun. We have no plans besides church and tackling a few household projects. I looove relaxy weekends. What are your weekend plans? 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

For the Sake of His Sorrowful Passion

Today is the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and, in that time, about 50 million children have been aborted. We are participating in a beautiful novena for life and one of my favorite things about the novena is that is has a section on making reparation for sins, with 3 options for each day that you choose one from. Today we will be saying the Chaplet of Divine Mercy for all of those babies who were aborted, for the mothers who aborted, and all of those struggling with that decision today. Would you join us?


Go check out Jess's post. Check out the links, but don't miss the overall point. It's beautiful.

Review: Umbert the Unborn

My husband is a huge comic book fan... HUGE! We have giant comic book boxes in the closet where every comic is put in order with protective sleeves over them. So when I saw Umbert the Unborn,  pro-life comic book written from the viewpoint of an unborn baby, I knew I had to have it. I had heard of Umbert before and I had seen a cartoon or two, but was very happy to see a bunch of them all compiled in one book. It's a great combination of faith, facts, and fun! One thing that I love about it is that the book seems appropriate for all ages. Young children will enjoy the cartoon blocks and drawings, while older children and adults will enjoy the humor (sometimes subtle) and information about life inside the womb. There are many great points for conversation included on each page. In fact, some of the statistics and information led to a lot of discussion for us, and we learned some things- a bonus in a comic book! The book is laid out in chapters, and we have really enjoyed reading a chapter before bed each night which takes about 10 minutes. This would be a great book to purchase as we enter the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade tomorrow. We are now big Umbert fans! How can you look at him and NOT be!?

Source

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Umbert the Unborn - A Womb with a View. The Catholic Company is the best resource for gifts for every Sacrament celebration, such as First Communion gifts and Baptism gifts, as well as a great selection of limited-time Year of Faith gifts and resources.

7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

Let's start off this week's quick takes with a little humor. Here are this week's hilarious google searches that led people to my blog:

• "on our wedding night" tmi
• nfp messy
• nfp tmi

--- 2 ---

Did I miss my calling as a sex blogger??? Sorry ladies, it's hard enough for me to give regular updates on using NFP now that more people read my blog. Me thinks the above topics won't make their debut on this blog any time soon!

--- 3 ---

I also had someone find my blog by googling my email address, and someone else by googling my email address and the word "number". I don't know why, but that gave me the skeevies a little bit. I originally did not have my email address and blog linked together, but I ended up changing it. I think I might change it back. Or else actually use the catholicandcrunchy@gmail.com address I made forever ago. Thoughts?

--- 4 ---

Now that THAT is over with, let's talk about how my life was balancing a caseload of 70 (versus my normal 35) this week, PLUS doing paperwork and fielding phone calls for two, PLUS interviewing 3 people for the open position. Well, let's just say that I would be really happy that it's Friday, except that I go on call tonight. It could not have happened worse if I'd planned it! I am hoping for a quiet weekend, but my anxiety level stays above normal just *knowing* that the phone could ring. My weekend plans besides church are: computer, tv, books, finally put away the Christmas decorations that are taking over the guest room. So as long as the phone is fairly quiet, hopefully I will be ready for another INSANE week on Monday. We are going to offer the job to someone today (as soon as we figure out which of our 2 favorites we are hiring!) but it will probably be the first of February before that person can start.

--- 5 ---

Alright, alright, nobody likes a whiner. I get it! So in happy news, I ate like 65 points last Saturday and enjoyed every.last.one. I surprised my dad for his birthday and my mom took us out to Red Lobster. I devoured cheddar bay biscuits, coconut shrimp, and bacon wrapped shrimp along with a hefty pile of mashed potatoes. *drool* I still came out with 6 leftover weekly points, though! Only a measly .6 lb weight loss, but I expected that.

--- 6 ---

I did the saint generator a few weeks ago, decided to do a blog post about them (one for us as a family, one for the blog) and promptly forgot all about it. Oops. I rock novenas but I suck at appreciating blog saints.

--- 7 ---

Today I will actually have time to enjoy quick takes over a cup of coffee because there is a two hour delay due to inclement weather which means no staff meeting! Woohoo!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Omelette Muffins

First of all, does that name gross you out or stir up weird food images in your head? If so, feel free to read this post and then comment with a better name. I'm pretty good and coming up with recipes. Not so good at coming up with creative names.

I was trying to think of healthy, easy breakfast ideas the other day. The requirements were:

• little to no preparation on the day of, or else Steven wouldn't eat it
• high in protein to keep me full until lunch
• low in carbs and low in weight watcher points
• going hand in hand with the above two: PCOS friendly!
• could be made en masse and could be frozen (we are eating them too quickly to test the freezer part, but I'll try with the next batch)
• and, of course, tasty

So I knew I wanted to use eggs, and went to town on pinterest. I found a few different ideas, but nothing that either a) appealed to me completely or b) used ingredients I had on hand. So, I decided to work off of the base of a few different things I'd seen and try to create my own recipe (which is definitely hit or miss, I just don't waste time posting the misses!).

Omelette Muffins

serves 12
3 points plus per serving

One dozen eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp thyme

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

8 slices of center cut bacon 

Preheat your oven to 325. I never do this first because then the oven is on way longer than necessary, but it's always at the beginning of recipes.

Prepare your bacon and set aside to cool. We do ours on the George Foreman but I realize that's not normal.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk one dozen eggs. Add and whisk the cup of milk, salt, thyme, and parmesan cheese.

Cut or tear the bacon into small pieces and mix into the egg mixture. 

Spray a muffin pan and divide the mixture into the pan (2 if you are using a 6 muffin pan).

Bake on 325 for approximately 25-30 minutes. You'll want to keep an eye on them so they don't burn. They are done when the tops are no longer wet and a knife comes out clean.

*If you aren't a big thyme person, or if you don't have it on hand, you can skip it or use less. I really like the depth of flavor it adds, and I'm used to the flavor because we use it when we make stock. But if you are unsure, try using half as much the first time and then you'll know whether you like it or not.

Here they are going in.

And here they are finished (you knew I wasn't a photo blogger before this post, right?). Some spots still look shiny, but I knew they were done because they weren't wet and nothing got on the knife when I touched the tops and tested the middle of one of them. I eat two at a time with a fruit and they are DELICIOUS and filling!

7 Quick Takes

--- 1 ---

Remember when I said I joined pinterest? I'm officially addicted. Crap. The good news is that I made a "pinned it, did it" board which guilted me into actually doing things (and then I give a one sentence review). That has been a lot of fun!

--- 2 ---

This week, I planted peas in a container in the backyard. Per this awesome website (found on Pinterest) I should see them sprout sometime next week. I bought pea and carrot seeds, and the place I ordered from sent me a free packet of red leaf lettuce! The last two don't get planted for a few months, though.

--- 3 ---

So I won the rug from Grace's blog, which was enough of a surprise, but they gave me a GIANT RUG! I was supposed to win a 5x8, but the one I really liked came in a 5x7 so that's the one I requested. Except they sent me an 8x10! It's supposed to go in our future baby room, which is a quaint and cozy 9x10.5, so it will be less like a rug and more like a carpet. Unless I decide to confiscate it for the living room... so tempting. I mean, we can always find a cheap yet cute rug somewhere when the time comes, right?

--- 4 ---

My coworker quit and I'm the only other person who knows how to do his job (since we have the same job) so it's been a rough week. My caseload has doubled and will stay that way until we can hire someone. We interviewed someone today and have a few more lined up, so I'm hoping we make a decision by the end of next week. Of course, it would probably still be two weeks after we offer the job until the person could start. I might need therapy by the end of the month.

--- 5 ---

I had a doctor appointment this week that was pretty disheartening. I don't think I want to get into the details, at least for a while, but basically we are praying hard about what steps to take and would certainly appreciate any prayers you can offer up.

--- 6 ---

Ooooh, I almost forgot to mention that I lost 5.4 lbs on my first week of weight watchers! I know not to expect that every week (believe me, I lived through a year of .5 lb losses and learned to recognize those as big successes!), but it certainly was a morale boost for this first week. I did lose a point though, but it was worth it.

--- 7 ---

Monday is my dad's birthday and he is turning the big six zero! So, I am headed down to SC after work today to surprise him :). Saturday he, my mom, and I will go bowling and to Red Lobster. Then I'll go to church with him Sunday and head back. He has no clue! 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

Wedding ABC's!

You might have thought I was done posting about our wedding, seeing as it has been (almost)9 months. But I saw this awesome post on Caitlin's blog a while back and knew I wanted to do it before our first anniversary. So, I've broken it up into 3 parts which will all be posted in the last few months of our first year of marriage. If I never make our wedding album, at least I'll have lots of blog posts full of pictures! Maybe I should just print them all out.... 

Attending

I was nervous about attendance from the get go. Steven has a fairly large family and, though of course I wanted everyone to be there, I was worried about having a gigantic number of people. I'd always dreamed of something a bit small. So we invited all family and then just very close friends, versus inviting a lot of coworkers or people who straddle that acquaintance/friend border. It ended up working out perfectly because there was another wedding in his family that day so some came to ours and some went to theirs. We had just under 100 people and it was the perfect amount! 

Some of our guests in the beautiful Cathedral.

 My mom heading the train at the reception.

Guests breaking it down!

Bridesmaids

My matron of honor was my sister, Rachel. I knew I wanted her by my side because she is my sister and always will be, above any friend I'll ever have. Next was Jennifer, who I became friends with in 9th grade and we were inseparable throughout high school (and are still close now, but we just don't see each other much). Then was Jillian who I went to middle school and high school with, but we actually didn't care for each other much then! We became friends in college when we lived in the same dorm. And then was Jessica who I met while in grad school because I crashed her bday dinner when Jillian asked me if I wanted to go, and it was history from there! I loved, loved, loved my group of girls and they were spectacular about staying with me during my jitters the day before and day of! I had sort of thought my bridesmaids would be just for show, because they all live in different states so they couldn't help me much with the day to day aspects, but they were amazing emotional support to me through phone calls and then their physical presence the day before the wedding and the wedding day. 

The girls putting my NC State garter on me :).

 I remember being thinking, "Just get me in the car!". For some reason, being outside made me jittery.. I wanted to be at the church!

 My very favorite picture of me and the girls <3! 

Cake

I kid you not, cake was one of the first things we discussed when we got engaged. I don't play around with cake! Embarassingly, I think we interviewed the most vendors for this than anything else! Not that cake tasting was a tough job, or anything... we ended up going with a married couple with the last name Baker (how could we not!?). Their price was amazing, the pictures of their work were stunning, and their cake was to die for delicious. They recommended 4 tiers, because at the time we were expecting more people. And you know how people sometimes shy away from wedding cake because it has a bad rap? Not ours! There wasn't *that* much left over! Maybe half of a layer plus our top layer. We ate some on the wedding night and ate some when we got back from the honeymoon. We have been talking about our top layer since then... and may have already eaten half of it. Everytime we see pictures of our cake in our wedding video, I get a teensy bit emotional about how pretty and perfect it was. I actually said multiple times at the reception that I didn't want to cut it! 

 3 Flavors: Chocolate with caramel filling, white cake with chocolate ganache filling, and cream cheese poundcake with cream cheese filling; we never got to try the chocolate out of our cake, but the other two were TO DIE FOR.

 I plan on having a collection of Willow Tree figurines for various life events... love them!

 Steven said the other day that cutting a slice out was hard. I didn't remember it being difficult but we look pretty focused here!

We ordered freeze dried petals to put on the tables. They didn't exactly match (they looked a bit different online), but actually looked really pretty on the tables. It's probably a good thing that they were slightly off, because I can go overboard with matchy-matchiness.

Dress

I was so nervous about shopping for a dress. I knew I didn't want something strapless (for the tons of skin look and because I would be pulling it up all night) and that would limit my options. Plus, I knew it would have to be a specific fit and style to flatter my shape, but I wasn't sure what that would be. I only wanted my mom to go with me for a few reasons. First of all, I didn't want lots of opinions. I didn't want to feel pressured into something because the group opinion was that it was best. I wanted to get something because I felt beautiful in it. I knew my mom would give me her opinion gently and also support whatever I wanted to do. Plus, I wanted it to be a surprise to everyone but my mom (I ended up showing it to my sister and to one friend who was very sad about not being able to attend my wedding due to being out of the country). So I went in to David's Bridal with a basic budget in mind and a list of 5 dresses I wanted to try on. There was one dress in particular I really liked, but I told the lady not to bring it to me first, because I was afraid I would think it was 'the one' just because it was the first wedding dress I ever tried on. That was a good thing, since I almost thought the first one that I tried on (strapless!) was 'the one' for that exact reason. I got a bit emotional seeing myself in a dress, and it was a simple soft white dress with a flower thingy at the smallest part of my waist. The lady put a headband on me while I was in the dress and I was like, ok I don't think this dress is the one but I am definitely getting that headband! So, then I had to make sure whatever dress I got went with my accessory lol! The lady ended up bringing me the one I liked best at the end, which was cute of her. The other 3 I tried on were huge flops! They were not flattering or just not at all what I wanted to wear on my wedding day. So I was very nervous when she brought me my fifth and final choice! She put it on me and I tried not to look down at myself while she was buttoning me up. I wanted to see it for the first time in the mirror. She backed me out of the room and put me in front of the mirror.... where I promptly dissolved into huge tears, making all the brides, workers, and families around me stop and staire lol. Luckily there weren't that many people there! I knew instantly that it was the dress and everyone else did too! I kept it on for about 30 minutes... I just did not want to take it off! The veil was kind of funny because I wanted one of those super traditional Catholicy veils, but I felt like it really detracted from the dress. So then I got stressed and just sort of told my mom and the lady to pick one that went with the dress, since it was ivory. They picked one, put it on me, and I was like sure! They did good because, on my wedding day, my veil made me feel so elegant and bridal!

Engagement

I've written about our engagement before, so this is the short version. In May 2010, I was at a conference in Asheville NC for work. I won the door prize, which was two nights at the hotel we were at. So, we decided to go in January for a combined one year of dating and Valentine's trip. Steven apparently decided over Christmas that he wanted to ask me to marry him on that trip. He asked permission from my parents while they were visiting one weekend in January, while I was in the bathroom! I came out and had no clue. We drove straight to The Biltmore House that Friday, the 21st, because they closed at 4 and it was just after lunch time. When we got there, we parked and walked up to the house. Steven knew he was going to propose, but had never been there so wasn't totally sure when he would do it. He had the ring box in his pocket, and a glasses case in case I bumped into him and wanted to know what was in there! When you walk up to the house, you start at the far end, so I made us stop and take pictures about every 10 feet through the front yard until we got up to the house. Steven was sure I would request a picture right at the front, and decided to ask me then. Except I was really cold and said I just wanted to go in, that I was done with pictures. Haha, poor guy! So I was walking up to the door and he was a step behind me. I heard him say, "Wait" and he tugged my jacket sleeve. I turned around to find him on one knee, struggling to get something out of his jacket ;). I knew and my heart start beating. He asked simply and beautifully, "Stacy, will you marry me?" with the ring box open. I pulled him up for a hug and kiss, and was crying. He put the ring on me and we stood there hugging and talking for a few minutes. An older couple came up to us and offered to take our picture, congratulating us on what they had just seen. It was funny because all of a sudden I realized there were people scattered about the front of the house, and I didn't even know another soul existed besides us! 

This is the picture the couple took for us. How appropriate that he proposed to me in front of a member of the cat family ;)! 

Flowers

I trusted my florist from the get go once I saw her pictures and her office. Everything was breathtaking! I told her that I wanted my bouquet to be purple and white, no lavendar, and that I wanted the girls' bouquets to be all purple, and I liked a more rounded shape (versus sprigs sticking out here and there). Beyond that, I didn't give her much direction. I requested that she stay on budget (she came in under!) and use whatever she could in season/local. She did not disappoint in the least! A bonus was that the church decided to leave the Easter lilies up because they still looked good. So we had our flowers, the alter flowers, AND tons of Easter lilies. I looove spring and flowers, so it was absolutely perfect! 

 I know this is a picture of the boutonniere, but the close up of the tie reminded me of how dreamy Steven looked in his ivory vest and striped tie! 

  Easter lilies and altar arrangements. 

 Close up of my bouquet (and our super cute custom painted champagne glasses!)... I love the variety of flowers she used!

Far away shot of our flowers

The bmaid bouquets. 

Groomsmen

Steven's best man was his best friend since preschool, Rob. Next was Devin, his best friend since probably middle or high school. He went to college and roomed with both of them. Then was Jeff who he has met since he began his professional job, so they've known each other a few years through that. And last was Alex, who he also went to high school and college with. 

Handsome guys outside of the Cathedral

 We could not have had any better weather than we did... it was mild and sunny all day!

And the dashing groom, for good measure :).

Stay tuned for part II and III!

7 Quick Takes

But today, hosted by Moxie Wife.... see take 7

--- 1 ---

Let's here it for a short week. WOOT!!! After having so much time off for Christmas, coming back to a 3 day week is a total necessity to break myself in. Usually the first day back is insanely crazy, but Wednesday actually wasn't too bad! For the first time in 3.5 years, I took everything off the surface of my desk (about 7 feet of desk) and my round table, organized and put it away, and CLEANED it. I think I heard the collection of germs gasping.

--- 2 ---

If you have been reading me for any amount of time, you'll know that my husband and I are totally cheesy when it comes to everything dates. We celebrate every single -versary that exists. Well, today is our 3 year in-a-relationship-iversary. If you feel like you are in the twilight zone, last month was our meet-iversary, but we weren't 'official' until Jan 4th, 2010. I scored a bowling groupon for $2 (2 games and shoe rentals!) so we are spending our evening going out a la gift card to Subway and then headed to the bowling lanes!

--- 3 ---

I started Weight Watchers on Wednesday. Surprisingly, I was trying to find a way to use up my last point that day. And that was with a 5 point Reese's pumpkin in the mix! Of course, evening rolled around and since I wasn't busy, food kept plaguing my thoughts. I think evenings when Steven is working are my biggest downfall. I tend to snack way more and not even realize exactly how much I'm snacking. Maybe in lieu of snacking I will actually get some scrapbooking done. Probably not, though. I'll probably just find a new show  on Netflix. Right now I'm eyeing "Upstairs, Downstairs". A PBS show has yet to let me down.

--- 4 ---

Along with Weight Watchers, I decided I needed some type of exercise I could do while watching tv because I hate exercise and need to be distracted. The only form of exercise I actually like is walking, but I wanted an option for rainy days, super cold days, and days where I don't want to worry about looking even a fraction of decent to go outside. So I went to Kmart to look at a super cheap treadmill they had on sale, but it had horrible reviews. Then I happened upon this gem:

So much bling in one photo. 

I. LOVE. IT. It's a stair stepper on the bottom, and resistance bands on the top. It keeps track of steps, calories burned, time, and a few other things I don't remember. AND it was like $35. It's tough but not too tough, I can do it in my slippers (although I'm sure I shouldn't), and I can change it up by doing different things with the resistance bands. I find something good on tv and away I go. I'm just aiming for 4 days a week right now. I have a long history of starting big and quitting early.

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I am going to make us go broke in produce now that WW made fruits and most veggies 0 points. I mean, it's a good thing for my health, but a terrible thing for our wallet. I can't WAIT for summer produce at the farmer's market. *drools on keyboard*

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Tired of WW talk? My bad! I'll go back to normal stuff next week. Anyway, I was thinking of making a blog where I combine real food recipes with weight watcher points... basically changing real food recipes just a little to make them more point friendly without using fake stuff. But then I decided that I'm just not a food blogger. If you know of any blog or site like that, though, please let me know! I use a lot of stuff from 100daysofrealfood.com that I'm tweaking on my own a little, right now. And having said that:

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Last, and most important, please storm heaven with prayers for Jennifer Fulwiler and her unborn baby as she battles not one, but TWO pulmonary embolisms in her lungs. She is our regular quick takes host (thanks, Hallie, for hosting today!) and has been in the hospital the last few days as they try to figure out treatment for her. Her blog's patron saint for this year is St. Michael who is patron saint of the sick (I would say it's ironic, but I like to think he picked her knowing she would need him!) so please join all of us in bloggyland as we pray:

Saint Michael the Archangel,
defend us in battle;
be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray:
and do thou, O Prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God,
thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits
who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen

Update: Ok, PRAYERS ARE AWESOME! Right after I finished writing this last night, I saw an update that she was sent home and they will treat the clots at home. YAY! Let's keep praying, though!

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