I Have A Confession...

I love to clip coupons.

I'm not one of those crazy people who saves insane amounts of money by clipping millions of coupons every week.

I just go to couponbug.com every few weeks and pick up the P&G Brandsaver at the commissary at the beginning of every month. I'm very sad if I miss the P&G.

I went to the commissary to get a few things this morning and the September P&G was out. I grabbed 3. They're calling me from where I left them downstairs. I must go see what wonderful savings they have for me this month!

Please don't judge me.

Q&A Session with Sarah

Hello my faithful readers! I know I kept you waiting late into the day. I just never got around to it until now. You'll forgive me, right?

First, a picture of me in the traditional crown (in my family anyway) and the cake I baked for myself. Please excuse the gross-ness that is my upper arm in this picture. I don't know what happened.

So that's what 24 looks like...looks a whole lot like 23 to me. Just sayin'.

We're going to dive into the question portion. You've waited this long for the winner of the giveaway...you can wait a bit longer. :)

SarahEileen's Q&A 2009:

Hannah Noel at That Girl asked:

What's your favorite color?

Blue.

What's your favorite part of being married?

Is it a bad sign that this is a difficult question for me to answer? I'd say my favorite part is running my own house. I like cooking dinner and having an entire house to organize/furnish/live in however I wish. I also love getting to know my husband better. It's been a looooooooooong time since we've been together for any length of time so these last 8 months have been great. We've had some rough patches, but we're still standing and I think our relationship continues to get stronger.

Do you plan on getting anymore pets soon?

No. We've joked about it, but no. There are a couple reasons for this. First of all, Tiny is 160 pounds. He's basically a big hairy 3rd grown man in this house. I think he takes the place of like 3 "normal" dogs. Another reason is that Tiny is rather protective of me. Because of his size, he hasn't been properly socialized with other dogs. I've always been too afraid to walk him by myself because he's too big for me to handle. I've walked him a number of times with other people (my mom mostly) and we're almost to double digits on loose dogs running full steam at Tiny causing Tiny to, understandably, react defensively. *Loose dogs is a major pet peeve of mine.* So, in conclusion, adding another animal to our house would mess with the nice equilibrium we've been able to create. I just couldn't do that to another animal, to Tiny or to Brian or myself.

How soon do you plan on having kids?

It won't be for another few years. Our tentative plan is to get through another deployment before trying. Rumor is that Brian will be going again in early 2011, but his dwell time will be up next summer so it's really whenever after that. I'll move back home again to save money, pay off debt, and have one last hurrah living with my parents. After that I think we'll be ready. I'll be 26-27 which is a little older than I had always imagined, but I just am not ready right now. I know that much.

Who did your blog layout?

I did it. With help from some other blogs. The background came from here. I made the header and signature in Paint (no joke). I changed the font on my blog titles using this tutorial. I also got both fonts used in the header, titles and signature from her website. I used this tutorial to do the signature. I can't do anything fancy with blogs cause I am not that good, but I can now make killer signatures that will work with white backgrounds and I can make plain text headers. I also successfully changed the font of my titles. (Can you tell I was bored one day?)

Allison at I Heart Change asked:

What do you like about life in the military?

I like the familiarity. I like feeling like I'm a member of some cool club. Nerdy? Yes. I'm sure I've talked about it before, but I grew up in the military - Air Force to be exact. My dad retired when I was 10, but we lived in an AF town my entire life and used the base on a regular basis. We shopped there, went to church there, and worked out there. I'm super comfortable on military installations. So...if I had to move away from home, I'd def want it to be to a military installation. Army is a little different than AF, but I've adjusted.

What do you dislike about life in the military?

I miss my family like you wouldn't believe. I knew that was part of what I was signing up for and I'm grateful that for the time being I can get back home in 8 hours. I can't allow myself to imagine living farther away than that. I also dislike the fact that I can't find a single person I get along with. I connect more with Brian's 20-year-old buddies than any girl I've met. Luckily I like to read and hang out with myself!

If you could live anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?

I haven't seen much of the world and it's hard to pick a place that you've never been. Out of the places I have been, I'd take a beach house on Long Beach Island, New Jersey in a heartbeat. It's still my favorite place in the world and I haven't been there in years. I vow to get back there.

Did you have a honeymoon?

Nope. We sure didn't. We didn't have time. Brian got a 4-day so he could get home for the church wedding and he was back to work the Tuesday following. We didn't do anything after the civil ceremony in '07 because, well, it was a civil ceremony. We knew we'd have a "big" wedding later. We also don't really have the funds right now to go anywhere. Who knows if we'll ever get anywhere. It's hard to get away when you have a giant dog and little-to-no leave time.

Did you ever get your skin care stuff taken care of?

Sort of. I quit trying to change what was (mostly) working. I have really sensitive skin, so I need to stick with my gentle face wash, a good washcloth to exfoliate and Clinique moisturizer. My face won't ever be perfect, but it's mostly manageable.

What actor/musician is your famous crush?

He isn't an actor or musician. I have been headoverheels in love with Derek Jeter for over a decade. I can't resist that face.

Why did you pick "Faith, Hope & Love" as your blog title?

I've always thought that 1 Cor. Bible verse was gorgeous. I have the word "Faith" tattooed on my ankle. This passage was read at our wedding 3+ weeks ago. I'm not a big Bible reader, but this iconic verse has been stuck in my head for years. And honestly...those 3 things are really what gets me through life. Faith that everything will work out, Hope that tomorrow will be better than today and Love for every single person who means so much to me. Can't really argue with that.

Where in Texas is home?

Good ole Abilene, Texas is home. It's the biggest thing for about 150 miles in any direction. Churches and high school football are very popular. Dyess Air Force Base is there. There's decent shopping/eating. I didn't know how good we had it until I moved to Louisiana! Ha.

Casey at The Ever-Changing Life of a Military Wife asked:

Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

Some Army post somewhere. 2-3 kids. Stay-at-home mom. I hope to have my Master's by then. I also hope Tiny is still with me, but Great Dane's don't live to be 13 very often. Who knows...things could always change.

What's the biggest life lesson you have learned?

Wow, that's a heavy question. I'm not sure I've been through enough to have learned a big life lesson. One thing I learned the hard way a couple times is that friends come and go, but family is always there. The only people you can truly count on in this world are the members of your family.

What's your favorite thing about military life?

The pride I feel every time I look at my husband in his uniform. I'm proud of myself for being strong enough to marry someone who willingly sacrifices so much for so many. I'm proud of Brian for busting his butt for 14 months over there and continuing to bust his butt back here at home. He's done alot with his Army career in 2 short years.

Marsie at Quite Contrary asked:

Would you/have you considered joining the military?

No. I've never considered it. I would never make it through basic training. I think marrying Brian counts as joining.

What did you go to school for?

I have a BS in Speech-Language Pathology. I could work in TX with my degree, but it doesn't translate so well to other states. I really need my Master's in it to get any decent work anywhere. I don't think I'll be getting my Master's in it, however. It's too time consuming, expensive, and hands-on. I don't know when I could get it done in this military life. I'm looking into other options.

What is your favorite book?

The first one to come to mind is Sarah, Plain & Tall. It's meant for young teens - which is when it was given to me. Hallmark made it into a wonderful movie. Read/Watch it if you ever get the chance. I also love Nicholas Sparks' novels, especially his earlier ones. I'm a big fan of the Twilight Saga. I also read the last 6 books of the Sookie Stackhouse series in 6 days. I just like books. I rarely read a book more than once, but I'm always reading something.

Melissa at New Girl on Post asked:

What's your favorite thing about Fort Polk? Your least favorite?

My favorite thing is the size. As I mentioned earlier, I grew up around Air Force bases which are small. The one in my hometown is still smaller than Polk, but I'm grateful that my first Army post experience wasn't at some giant place like Fort Hood. I think it would have been overwhelming for me.

My least favorite thing is where it's located. I sorta despise Leesville and the surrounding area. There isn't much to do unless you really like fishing. It's still a pretty good drive to New Orleans. The roads annoy the heck out of me (worst roads ever). We're so close to Texas, yet there's nothing even over the border worth going to. I'd love a Target and a decent mall closer than 45 minutes away.

Any more running in the future for you? As in a 5k?

My goal remains to run the Turkey Trot 5k that my dad's Runner's Club does every Thanksgiving morning. Last year I walked it with my brother. This year I hope to run it. Well, jog it really. Keith (brother) and I jogged 2 miles slowly when I was home last month and I totally kicked it's butt. Right now it's too humid here to run, but I'm going to pick it back up in a month or so when it starts cooling down. I will do it.

What is your favorite dish to cook and why?

Sweet, Sticky and Spicy Chicken. I make it exactly how the recipe is written except I only use 1 Tbsp. of hot sauce (I can't imagine using 2!). It always turns out just right and I love the flavors. It reminds me of Kung Pao Chicken from my fav. chinese place back home. Brian and I gobble it up each and every time. I generally make it with Oven Brown Rice. Yum!

*This is how I make the rice: 1 cup Mahatma brown rice, 1 can chicken broth (2 cups), 1/2 cup water, about 2 Tbsp. olive oil (instead of the butter), healthy sprinkle of garlic powder, decent sprinkle of seasoned salt. Stir and cover. Cook for 75 minutes in a preheated 375 degree oven. Perfection every time.*

If you were a spice, which one would you be and why?

Oh geez, I hate these thinker questions! Um...I'd say vanilla. Does that count? Whatever, it does now! I'd be vanilla because vanilla makes any baked good even better. I love to bake, I love sweet things and I think that I make every thing/person/situation better. You don't know you were missing me (or the vanilla) until you've met me (or added said vanilla) and realize you how much you were missing.

What's the most unusual thing you've ever eaten?

I am NOT an adventurous eater. I am super picky and eat horribly. Therefore, the most unusual thing I have ever eaten in a bite of my dad's Buffalo at a restaurant in Disney World in Jan. 2007. For me, that's unusual.

Now for the fun part! I printed everyone's name out the appropriate number of times. Then I carefully cut them out and piled them up to take this picture:

The font matched my blog...coincidence? I think not.

Brian let me use his cowboy hat that was hiding out in our closet. He doesn't wear it...but he still has it. I gave them a good stir and then grabbed one.

And the winner is...............

Congratulations Hannah!!

Please email me (I think you have my email address) or leave a comment so we can get together and figure out what of My Favorite Things you would like! As a reminder, the options are: home, kitchen, or bath/body/beauty. Lucky for you I'm going to Target and Bed, Bath & Beyond on Friday so I can get you some good stuff!

Thank you ALL for participating. I was just telling my mom earlier how awesome my readers are. I don't have all that many, but the ones I do have are pure quality. You girls are the sweetest and always know what to say to put a smile on my face. Thank you for all the wonderful comments and wise words. I'm just sorry you all couldn't be winners. Maybe I'll think of something for another giveaway that more people can win. I'll get back to you on that.

So, thus ends my birthday. It wasn't anything remarkable, but I really wasn't expecting much. I'm just grateful to have my wonderful family and my loving husband who is actually home for this birthday! Hopefully 24 will be better than 23!

24.

Happy Birthday to me!

I turned 24 at 3:44am Central Standard Time.

There aren't any big plans for today. I'm making my own chocolate on chocolate cake.

I miss my family today.

The Q&A and giveaway winner will be posted later. :)

Remembering

I'm still unpacking. Yeah, I moved in almost 9 months ago. Leave me alone.

I'm looking around the office (second bedroom) - which I have totally claimed as mine. Sorry, honey! Anyway, all this unpacking is making me incredibly nostalgic.

What would you learn from me if you looked around this room right now? You'd quickly see that I love Eeyore. I have 4 Eeyore stuffed animals, 2 Eeyore picture holders and an Eeyore mug. If you heard the music blaring out of my computer right now (Bruce Springsteen - "Backstreets" live 1975) and coupled it with the Animal House poster (the iconic John Belushi in the "College" sweater) you'd figure I have some love for the time when my parents were my age. I'm also surrounded by pictures of my family. My brother and I through the years are on display on my desk. Pictures from Brian and my trip to New York in 2007 are easily viewable when I'm on the computer.

There are also less obvious things that are highly valuable to me. A little 2 inch tall Pokey (as in Gumby's pal) sits on the windowsill. My really good friend Jana still calls me Pokey. I got that nickname in 6th grade. I guess some things really stick with you. I see Pokey on my windowsill and I think of her. Right smack dab in the middle of my desk near my cup of pens in a flip book of Derek Jeter. You remember flip books, right? If you flip one direction it's Jeter batting. The other direction, he's catching a ground ball and then firing to first in typical Jeter fashion. I love Derek Jeter. Could you tell? I love the Yankees too. They're playing the Texas Rangers tonight and I wish we got those games here. We got them back home, but I can only get Houston Astros games here. :(

Next to the TV is the second season of Friday Night Lights. I'm not sure if anyone outside the state of Texas likes this show. My mom and I love it. I usually sit on the floor in here and put my make-up on (great natural light) and I'll always put on some FNL in the background while I'm getting pretty. I'm slowly working through the 2nd season. Next to that is a People magazine I bought while I was home. Robert Pattinson is on the cover. I didn't buy the mag just because he was on the cover, but he does look mighty yummy. I tend to keep my love of all things Twilight under wraps, but it's a tiny bit obvious if you see that mag laying around and then notice the nice 4-book set I got for Christmas.

All of this is only a fraction of the sentimental items I brought to not only this house, but this marriage as well. A little while ago I opened a box that I sealed shut over 2 years ago when I was moving out of my house back home and into my parents' house. Right on top was the poster for the musical I was in my senior year of high school. The entire cast signed it. I had total nostalgia overload and had to walk away. I want to look at every single thing, hold it, feel it. I just don't know where it all belongs in my new life. I wish I could find places for everything, but even if I could now, I know there will come a day when it needs to be packed away for good.

Tomorrow I turn 24. It will be the first birthday ever that I have been away from home. Alot has changed for me. Some days I'm happy to look ahead, but today I seem to be looking behind me with a faint smile, sad eyes, a heavy heart and happy memories.

Productive

So I had a productive day yesterday and I'm hoping for a repeat performance today.

I put together the cheap bookcase that we bought for the office yesterday and...it's a cheap bookcase! I swear it's leaning, but it'll do the job nicely.

I also walked yesterday. It was perfect walking weather. Translation: I didn't sweat my butt off like normal. Is it bad when a 3 mile walk results in sore muscles? I really need to stretch next time.

Today I have some normal house junk to take care of. I think I might swing by the library too. I need to return a bunch of books and try to find a GRE study guide. Anyone else take the stupid GRE? My mom thinks I'll do fine on it, but I at least want to get a handle on what's on the dang thing.

Alright, don't forget: the giveaway ends tonight. Winners and the Q&A will be posted tomorrow!

Warning: Boring Post

Isn't it weird how I'll post something everyday for like 3 days in a row and then...nothing? Yeah, I don't know what's up with that.

So...this weekend...what did I do?

Yesterday (Sat.), Brian and I hit up Alexandria for some Target shopping and an Outback meal. One of Brian's buddies tagged along which was nice. He kept Brian entertained in the toy section - no lie - while we were in Target. I'm married to an overgrown child. The boys had been craving one of those onion blossom things and we had a gift card to Outback so we just had to go there. I, personally, don't do the onion thing, but they seemed to enjoy it.

I got a cheap bookcase for the office so Operation Organize the Office is back into full effect. Not that it ever really stopped, but I ran out of places to put things.

We have to go back to Target this coming weekend cause the bookcase I need for the living room is finally on sale. I should get a frequent shopper card or something at Target. Seriously.

Today I woke up early, put on some new clothes that I bought weeks ago while I was home and headed to Mass. After the stress of the wedding, I needed a break from church, but it was time to go back. I don't love the church on post here, but it works just fine. Besides, for me, it's not so much about the priest or the building or congregation, it's more about taking that hour out of my life to reflect and be thankful. It grounds me.

After that I ran in the commissary to pick up a few things - HA! Few things my @$$. I might as well have done a normal shopping.

I had things I wanted to get accomplished this weekend, but none of them got done. I guess washing the cars can be put off a while longer. And I've lived without curtains in the bedroom this long...what's another week?

This week should be more interesting than normal. My birthday is Wednesday. My giveaway ends on Tuesday (winner announced Wednesday). I have the fun lady doctor on Thursday (don't get me started on stressing over this one). Plus, I have a bunch of projects around the house that need to get squared away so I can start making myself figure out how to start subbing.

Isn't this like a horribly boring post? I'm so sorry.

Also, I've read 5 books in 5 days and it might end up being 6 books in 6 days if I finish the last Sookie book tonight. Sick, I tell ya. I don't know what I'll do with myself when I'm finished. I might be hitting up the library tomorrow (after I make myself do some form of exercise, of course!) to try to find something else to read that doesn't involve vampires.

What did you guys do this weekend?

Lazy

So, I'm in a bit of a rut. Only a small one. See, over the last couple days, I really haven't gotten much accomplished. Oh, I've read almost 3 books in as many days, but as far as the house goes, I haven't done a whole lot.

Well, I did clean out the dreaded corner in the living room. Ya know that corner that still had boxes from when we moved in 8 months ago. The boxes weren't empty either. Shows you how much stuff I brought to this union that we probably don't need! I also cleaned out the dining room. Four adults can finally sit around the table without tripping over boxes and other miscellaneous crap. Now if only I could find 2 other adults who I wouldn't mind having dinner with.

I guess saying I haven't done anything is an understatement, but I have felt a bit like a bum lately. Maybe I've just started feeling lonely.

My mom started back to work this week so instead of talking to her half a dozen times a day, we talk about twice a day. I miss talking to her at every turn! :(

I still have a couple big cleaning/organization projects that I need to get done around the house, but once those are through, I promise I am going to see about subsitute teaching. I don't really want to, but I think I need to. I need to make myself. I'll be happier once I do. Hopefully.

That means I need to get my butt in gear and get our upstairs in order. Everything I cleaned out from downstairs made its way upstairs and now it needs to be properly sorted through and put away. Don't even get my started on our bedroom - and it's totally my fault! Ugh.

Today, I am going to read some more (really, it's much to gloomy and gray out to do anything else) and cook dinner later. I think I may also try out a dessert recipe that I've had my eye on.

Sorry for no Wedding Wednesday yesterday. I'm still waiting for my wedding pics to come in and I just didn't feel like blogging. Maybe next week.

P.S. I'm still doing that giveaway, but I'll refrain from linking to it this time (just to make Casey happy :P). Less than a week til the deadline!

Oh, Rainy Day

It's a rainy afternoon down here in LA. I've been craving a day like this. I'm holed up in my office (aka spare bedroom) listening to Pandora and procrastinating starting Dead to the World. I'm not procrastinating because I don't want to read it, I've just gotten lost wandering around the internet.

How about a weird-guy-at-the-post-office story?

I finished my wedding thank-yous yesterday, but needed stamps so I set off to the Post Office this morning (thankfully before all this crazy rain). The PO is hit or miss in regards to crowds. Luckily there was only one man at the counter when I walked in. I took my place in line and waited. And waited. And waited some more. Apparently this guy was getting a PO Box cause he just moved here. Whatever...it really isn't important what he was there for. While he was taking care of his business he kept doing strange things. He couldn't stand still and he couldn't keep from talking. He would say things to himself but loud enough for everyone to hear. (Eventually there were 3-4 more people backed up behind me in line.) It was obvious he was saying these things for the benefit of those around him. His phone rang and he said "oh, I probably should change that..." like he just noticed his ringtone might be annoying or something. He also kept moving around: pacing, stretching his leg, & picking up the "ring for service" bell and flipping it over to inspect how it works. I was getting tired watching him. Maybe he forgot to take his ADHD meds today.

After the Post Office I ran into the PX to try to find sand paper - couldn't find it. Then I hit up the library to see if they had The Time Traveler's Wife - they didn't. They, however, did have the entire Sookie Stackhouse series except Club Dead. Lucky for me, I read Club Dead when I was home. I had the paperback copy of Dead to the World at the house so I picked up the 5 that come after that one. I'm thinking I can knock them out before their Sept. 15th due date. I guess this means that dear ole Harry Potter is on the back burner for the next month. Sorry HP!

Seeing as I've got this perfect reading weather going on, I'm going to take advantage of it and dive into Dead to the World.

Happy Tuesday everyone! Hopefully another installment of Wedding Wednesday tomorrow. :)

P.S. Remember the giveaway! We're up to 5 participants...you don't want to miss out!

Weekend Ramblings

Some notes on my weekend thus far:

• Marinated Flank Steak on Friday night: disaster. Brian would beg to differ, but I'm a tad big of a perfectionist and I wasn't happy.
• Watched The Curious Case of Benjamin Button on Friday night: loved it! (I just went to imdb.com to get that link and realized that movie came out way back in '08. Huh, I didn't realize I had been putting off seeing it that long.) I generally don't love Brad Pitt as a person, but I didn't mind him in the movie at all. I thought it was amazingly thought out and the makeup/wardrobe was brilliant. See it if you haven't!
• This doesn't really qualify as the weekend, but we also watched Push and Coraline on Thursday night. Loved Push! I always enjoy those type of sci-fi/action movies. I thought Dakota Fanning was great in it. I love her even more as she's growing up. Coraline was...odd. Good movie. Good message. I just don't see it as a kids movie. I'm hoping that's not really who it was geared to, but it had a PG rating and was about a little girl (ironically voiced by Dakota Fanning). I don't know, I just think I wouldn't have been happy with my hypothetical children seeing it.
• Yesterday we went to see G.I. Joe. I know right, we watch too many movies! Anyway, I liked it alot. Worth the $6.25 we paid for the matinee. There were some parts where I caught myself looking at the screen with confusion and disbelief, but overall it was good. I didn't think it was up there with Transformers and Star Trek, but worth seeing.
• I bought a box of Sour Skittles to take to the movie. I hadn't had them before. After trying them, I think I have a love/hate relationship with them. I keep eating them (even now), but truly don't love them. The sour gets to me. Oh well.
• Brian and I cleaned up, organized and rearranged some stuff around the house yesterday after the movie. I hung up a few pictures that had been sitting around for months and I'm really pleased with how it all looks. I took pictures, but my camera is all the way downstairs and I'm too lazy to go get it.
• We officially have new neighbors in the end unit next to ours. We share a carport with them, so I'm hoping they are sane. So far so good. Brian talked to the guy a bit and he's going to be in Brian's unit, but not doing Brian's job. Brian wouldn't have been a happy camper if some guy he works closely with everyday lived next door. The new neighbor introduced himself to Brian using his last name after Brian has introduced himself by his first name. Read into that as you will. They have Florida plates on their cars, but no military decals so perhaps he's fresh outta AIT. I'm sure we'll find out. So far, no sightings of animals, but they do have a little girl. She looks much cleaner and better behaved than the neighbor kid on the other side.
• Our bedroom looks like a disaster area. I think it's about time I purged some of my clothes. It's also probably about time to unpack. I've been putting the bedroom off in an effort to get downstairs looking more presentable. My goal is to get it done this week. Totally attainable, right?
• I made dinner for lunch today since Brian is having a bud over for steaks tonight. I made Famous Butter Chicken. It turned out really yummy. It wasn't overly flavorful, but it was a great basic baked chicken. If you make it, cut the butter in half! I paired it with Rice-a-Roni Chicken Rice and Llano Estacado Blush wine. I'm not a big wine drinker, but I'm trying to drink it more often. We served this wine at our wedding two weeks ago and I brought a couple bottles home with me. It's nice and cheap, tastes decent and is made a couple hours from my home town.

I'll quit rambling here. I hope you all had and are having fabulous weekends! Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!! So far only 3 people have entered so your chances are fabulous!

You'll REALLY Want To Read This

In honor of the following 3 things:

• My 300th post (this one!)
• My 10 followers (double digits, baby!)
• My birthday (12 days!)

I am hosting my very first giveaway and Q&A session.

This could very well flop since my readership isn't anything spectacular but I have a few faithfuls and I needed to commemorate all those things up there somehow.

So, the details...

What are we playing for? We are playing for a box of My Favorite Things (kinda like Oprah's, but on a much smaller scale). Ok, ok, so you won't know exactly what you will win, but you have options. If you win, you get a box of My Favorite Things in one of these 3 categories:

• Home
• Kitchen
• Bath/Body/Beauty

After you pick which you want, then it's up to me to pick what favorites you get! Sound like a plan?

How do you enter?

Ok, here's where the Q&A comes in. Ask me questions, people! Every question you ask me is one entry. You must ask at least 1 question to be entered. They can all be in one comment. I just ask that you keep the questions respectable.

Want extra entries?

Tell me you're a follower for an extra entry. If you aren't a follower, then go ahead and follow me! Just make sure to comment and let me know you're a new follower.

How about a few more extra entries...just to make it interesting?

Blog about this. Tell all your readers to head over here and get to know me. I mean, no pressure of course. If you don't like me, then I understand not wanting to share me...but then why are you reading? Hm. Make sure to let me know you blogged about this cause you'll get an extra 3 entries.

Honestly, guys, you've got a pretty good chance here. I mean even if just half my followers enter...that's only 5 people. That's good odds if you ask me!

So, think it over. I'm giving you until 9 o'clock on the day before my birthday to get your questions and other entries in. When's my birthday? August 26th. So, get everything to me by 9PM CST on August 25th so I can try to get the Q&As all together and choose a winner for my birthday.

Questions? You know how to reach me. I hope you all play along...I mean, can you really deny the birthday girl who's posted 300 times and has reached double digits in followers? I thought not.

Have at it!

Check It Out!

So...you should really check out the minor overhaul I just did on my blog. Go ahead...click on through if you're getting this in your reader. Tell me how cute it is! :)

P.S. This is my 299th post. What should I do for my 300th? Anything? Ideas? Lay 'em on me!

Food!

I've been in a bit of a cooking rut lately. I kept making the same things over and over. I never deviated from my trusty chicken and ground beef recipes. Well, I'm branching out! Dinner tonight and tomorrow will be two meals I've never made before using meats I've never used before.

Tonight is Red Beans & Rice. It's a nice simple recipe that I have high hopes for. I imagine there are far more complicated recipes out there, but I'm a huge fan of simple so we'll see.

Tomorrow night is Marinated Flank Steak. I really hope it turns out well. I'll throw the marinade together tonight and let it do it's thing over night. I'll even get Brian in on the gig by making him grill it (along with corn on the cob!).

I'll let you know how it goes.

The rest of today will be spent grocery shopping again* and hopefully plowing through some thank you notes. If only the last lawn guy would make it rounds so I can let Tiny out before I leave...

I also busted out a Master Grocery List this morning. When I went grocery shopping yesterday I jotted down what was in each aisle of the store so I could type it up and make my own master list. I have hopes that this will make shopping easier and quicker. I seemed to have a problem with missing items the first go-round and having to double back for them, but not knowing exactly where they were in the store. Basically, I didn't have the layout of the Commissary here committed to memory yet.

Have I rambled on about food long enough?

Yeah, I thought so too.

SarahEileen :)

*Yes, I am grocery shopping two days in a row. Why? Because I forgot my coupons at home twice yesterday. I refuse to buy anything that I know I have a coupon for at home. So, this afternoon is coupon shopping!

Wedding Wednesday

Instead of writing post after post about my wedding, I've decided to keep the wedding talk confined to wednesdays only.

This will help you, my reader, from getting all sorts of annoyed with my never-ending chatter about all things wedding related. At the same time it will still allow me to get my thoughts, memories, successes and failures down "on paper".

I had hoped to have my wedding photos in hand by now, but I'm assuming they aren't ready after two unreturned phone calls from my photographer. (She really is pretty crappy at the customer service.)

I want to wait to get into the nitty gritty wedding stuff until I can illustrate with pictures so until then I will tell you about things that don't need photo support.

Today I've decided to tell you about one success and one failure. Failure first? Sounds good.

The day before the wedding I treated my bridesmaids (3 of them) to pedicures at a local salon. I also got a manicure - must look good for pictures! I was pretty unhappy with how the salon was run. It just wasn't the experience I had imagined. We all had a good time and it was nice to get all the girls together so they could meet before the big day. I don't think any of them had met each other before the pedicures. When it was all said and done, I paid way too much and headed home.

Before I continue, I need to let you all in on a little secret: I'm sort of a perfectionist. I tend to think that I do things better when I do them myself. I can be a tad bit controlling just so I know things get done "right".

So this perfectionist streak extends even to my nail care. I rarely (like very rarely) get my nails done. I've been taking care of them all by myself for years. So as I left the salon, I knew I wasn't 100% satisfied with the way my manicure looked. A couple of my nails were ragged which was seriously bugging me. I also wasn't really liking the white tips of my french manicure. By the time I got home I was crying. I'm sure it wasn't just the nails, but more a combination of all the wedding stress that had me crying.

Everyone assured me that it looked fine, but I knew that I would keep noticing it in pictures. I was really afraid that 20 years from now I'd look at my wedding pictures and only notice my crappy manicure. Right then and there I decided I need to change it. My aunts ran to WalGreens to pick up some nice neutral wedding colors and set out to redo my manicure. When all was said and done I had a nice pale whitish pink on my nails that I was much happier with. I learned my lesson and plan to do all my own manicures from now on.

Now how about the success?

We had an open bar at our wedding, but chose to limit the options. We didn't feel like we needed a full liquor bar when our wedding was at noon. We had 3 types of beer, one type of wine and margaritas on the rocks. I had to tweak the margarita recipe a number of times leading up the wedding, but we ended up with a real winner. I got a number of compliments on the recipe. I'm not a big drinker and definitely not a big marg. drinker, so I was hoping the recipe I ended up with would be a good one. If any of you choose to try it out, let me know how you like it!

Sarah's Wedding Margarita Recipe

12 oz. can of frozen limeade concentrate (can be made with the limeade straight out of the freezer or thawed)

24 oz. water (fill the limeade can twice)

6 oz. tequila*

6 oz. orange juice*

*I found I needed to actually measure these with a measuring cup. I tried to eyeball it in the limeade can and ended up with 8 oz. of tequila. After that I made sure to measure it exactly.

Mix all ingredients in a pitcher. Pour over ice and enjoy!

These were yummy over crushed ice. Cut back on the water if you'd rather make frozen margaritas by blending the recipe above with ice.

That's all I've got for now! Any memorable failures or successes from your wedding?

S.

Goals for the next 24 hours:

1. Finish Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
2. Watch my Yankees sweep Boston *knocks on wood*
3. Get to sleep at a decent hour
4. Pack all of my recent purchases and gifts into the bed of the truck
5. Say goodbye to my family without crying
6. Drive the 8 hours back to LA without any unnecessary interruptions
7. Get everything that I managed to cram into the bed of the truck into the house in LA
8. Take stock of my kitchen and groceries and make a shopping list
9. Snuggle with my puppy
10. And my husband (in the eyes of the law and God now!)

I'm back to Louisiana tomorrow after my extended stay in TX. It'll be hard to leave, but I'm looking forward to (re)decorating my house, seeing my husband, and attempting to possibly get a job. Coming to you next from LA!

Sarah

Shopping Spree

It's really really hot today. This is about the point that I start wishing for fall.

I've been on a shopping spree the last 2 days. Shall we go over my purchases? (Even Brian doesn't know everything I've bought. Not because I've been hiding it, but because it simply hasn't come up. *edited to add: I just got off the phone with him, so he knows all about this now. And he wasn't mad! :]*)

Last night at Target I bought:

• 2 baskets that will *hopefully* hold about 50 DVDs each. They fit perfectly on the bookcase I have in my living room. (Since the bookcase is also a Target purchase, I tested the basket size out on the display bookcase in the store.)
• Face wash that was a whole dollar cheaper than at Wal-Mart. Who knew?
• The 4th Sookie Stackhouse novel. It was $2 cheaper at Target than at Hastings (and Amazon). I almost bought the 5th one too, but I have a million Harry Potters to read in the coming months so I held off.
• 2 packs of Orbit Strawberry Mint gum. They were on clearance for some reason (hopefully they're not doing away with the gum!) so I grabbed two packs instead of one.
• PJ shorts and a matching t-shirt. They were both on sale, so really, how could I resist.

Yesterday at the mall I bought:

• A painting (the mass-produced kind) and some big sconces at Kirkland's.
• A pair of clearance Gianni Bini flats (the brown ones - more than 1/2 off!) to replace my worn out pair that I've worn the last 2 years.
• Lego: Batman for Wii and In Good Company on DVD from Best Buy. (I had a $25 gift card I wanted to get rid of.) And before you make fun of the Lego: Batman game - go buy it and try it out. It was only $20. Brian and I can waste hours playing those games. The other two that we already have are Lego: Indiana Jones and Lego: Star Wars.

Today at Hobby Lobby I bought:

• A giant basket to hold blankets in an unused corner in our living room.
• A perfect table for right inside our door. No more wobbly round table that Tiny nearly knocks over daily!
• 4 or 5 picture frames for the wall collage I plan to create on a big blank wall in the living room. Have I mentioned before how much freakin wall space there is in our house?Especially in the living room!
• A metal wall hanging in the shape of a key with 3 hooks attached to it. It's cuter than it sounds and also for the collage. If I ever get it all together, I'll take pictures. Remind me.
• And last, but not least, a gold letter "I" - also for the collage.

Everything I just listed, all together, cost less than $200. Almost every single thing was on sale. Alot of it wasn't just on sale, but on sale on sale. Get what I mean? Most of the stuff from Hobby Lobby was 50% off and that painting from Kirkland's was $12. It's a decent sized painting too! I think it was originally $30 or $40.

Before I head back home, I really want to buy a good-sized clock to incorporate in my collage of pictures and other decorative stuff. There was a coupon in the paper for 40% off a regular priced item at Hobby Lobby, so I may be heading back there in the next few days to see what I can find in the clock aisle.

Tomorrow will be my final big shopping day here. Mom and I are going to go to Bed, Bath & Beyond to finish my registry. I added up everything that is left that I want and I have enough gift cards to cover most, if not all, of it. I think the truck will look like it did after our shower in March - stuffed with stuff! I'm excited about it, though.

I really enjoy our house. It's spacious and it's ours, but in the last 6 months we have merely been living there. Yes, there are things on the walls, but not really in any thoughtful way. Plus there area a lot of walls! It's also hard to decorate when the only things at your fingertips are Wal-Mart and Lowe's. Um, thanks, but no thanks. So, I can't wait to take all these new goodies back home and put the plans in my mind into action. I want my house to feel like my home. I want to walk into a room and smile when I look around.

I think it's about time, don't you?

S.

Happy Birthday Tiny!!!

My baby dog turns 3 today! I guess he's not really a puppy anymore. :(

Over the last year,

• Tiny and I have made numerous trips between TX and LA.
• He's mastered the art of running up and down stairs.
• He has scared his fair share of delivery men.
• He re-learned how to take a bath in a bathtub.
• He forgot who Brian was, but quickly remembered once Brian was around everyday.
• He went from eating once or twice a day to eating 3 meals a day like a human.
• He was my best, most loyal friend.

Hopefully the next year will be equally as fabulous.

Love you, baby Tine! (Even tho you can't read this...minor detail.)

S.

Wedding Hangover

The last of the family left this morning. After a late breakfast with my parents, I crashed in bed for 2 hours. I didn't even know I was that tired.

All in all the wedding was fabulous.

There weren't any major problems. There were quite a few annoyances, but nothing that could even come close to ruining my day.

I'm debating on re-hashing the entire thing on here. For now, I think I won't.

It's still so special to me and close to my heart.

If I were to re-hash everything, I know I would remember the things that irritated the hell outta me and I just am not ready to do that.

Now, I get to move on to all the post-wedding stuff. I plan to complete my registry with Mom on Friday. I need to deposit checks and get our finances back in order. (I totally threw them out of whack in the last month that I've been away from our LA home.)

I've also decided that, as a reward for getting through the last month, I am going to spend some hard-earned money on some house decor. I generally love my government housing in LA, but I have been having the hardest time decorating the place. I have massive expanses of walls that I have the hardest time knowing what to do with. I also have a hard time spending money on stuff for the house that isn't absolutely necessary. So, while I'm in a town with both a Michael's and a Hobby Lobby, I am going to pick up a few things to make our house more personable.

I'm hoping to have my wedding photos in hand before I head back to LA in the next week. Perhaps then I'll go through some wedding details with pictures to accompany my stories and memories.

Life should be getting more interesting (i.e. not so wedding-centric) over the next month or two. Maybe this will translate into better blogs on a regular basis. Maybe.

S.

The Big Day

I'm getting married today at noon.

I hope nothing goes wrong.

But I'm not naive enough to think nothing will.

*fingers crossed*

S.