Extreme Make Over Office Edition

We have a front room that we don't really use. It was an extra guest bedroom, but I took all of the furniture out of it to use in Lubbock for school, so it was mostly just an empty unused room. It served little purpose and that bothered us, because well, we pay for it and it just was there. We had talked about making it an office for a while. Matt was going crazy with all of my school stuff all over the kitchen table constantly and I really couldn't work at the house, but I still had a lot I needed to accomplish at the house when I am home like laundry and dishes and what not. Plus, it's such a pain to haul all of my stuff to the library. A couple of weekends ago we finally decided to go for it. Here's how it progressed:

See, boring room.

Some remnants from when there was actually furniture.

So one day, I lost my mind. First, I decided we should paint the room grey and brown. I hate painting, but we decided to go for it. Matt LOVES projects so the fact that I agreed to go with him to the Home Depot was plenty enough for him to be on board.
Then, at some point I became certifiably insane and somehow we decided to take out the carpet and put in wood floors. WHAT?!? Neither of us had done that before. Before I knew it we picked out the wood and we were in the room pulling up carpet. Pulling up the carpet isn't the hard part. Getting the stripping stuff up that holds the carpet down, that's difficult. I was having regrets.

 So now we have a very empty, dusty dusty room. This was all night one.

 Everyone needs a handy husband. It's real nice.

 Every husband needs a photographer. Right?

 Morning 2: we paint. I told you we went with a dark grey and an accent wall of dark brown. Our entire house is painted white and we just went for it. And it actually worked!! Come afternoon 2, we started working on the floors. At that point we looked at each other. Have you ever done this before? Nope. Some how, by the grace of the good Lord, it turn out, and turned out well!

Insert sigh of relief here.

 We're not completely finished. I still have some accessorizing to do. But that's the fun part. Here's how it looks today.

Yay for projects! Yay for accomplishing things together! No idea what our next project will be, but I'm looking forward to it!

Read More

The Best Yet

Sadly, Matt and I wont be together for our first Valentine's day as a married couple. I have school and he has work. The good news is that I've never really been big on Valentine's day because I only like the made up holidays that I make up. It's especially good news that I'm not big on Valentine's day because Matt and I have such a horrible track record with Valentine's day that it's almost comical. Our first Valentine's day was 2008 and it was sort of a nightmare because he, being as thoughtful as he is/was decided to buy me a North Face jacket (all the rage amongst sorority girls every where). Well, he had a college kid budget to work with so he decided to shop on eBay. It turns out, that there is such thing as a counterfeit North Face jacket, and Matt got his hands on one. The sizing was all wrong and it was tiny. Teeny. Tiny. You really don't want something that your new boyfriend buys you to be too small for you. But we laughed it off (or cried inside!) and moved on. 2009 we decided to just order a heart shaped pizza from Papa Johns, rent a movie, and call it good. I still wasn't over the previous year. In 2010 we decided to skip the gift giving and we went to Vegas for a 3 day weekend. It was a ton of fun and much better than returning ill fitting gifts. The only thing was, at the time, I was sort of ready to be engaged and I guess he sort of wasn't because on our awesome trip over Valentine's weekend... he didn't think that was a good time. Turns out he was right in the end because our engagement was perfect... and happened at the perfect time. Anyway, back to the point. 2011 comes along and we're engaged for Valentine's Day. Want to know what Matt got me?? I wish I could tell you! In all fairness, George Straight and Reba McIntyre were going to be in town in a few weeks after Valentine's day and he was going to get us tickets as my gift. Well they sold out in 10 minutes and then were selling for something crazy like 1000's of $$. So his heart was in the right place... he just forgot a back up plan. Now, this isn't a slam on Matt because in all honesty, he is extremely generous throughout the entire year and I've preached over and over that I think Valentine's day is sort of dumb. But I tell you all of this, because you now see how high Valentine's day is on my priority list. We decided to go ahead and celebrate this year on Saturday (yesterday) since we wont be together.
I have to tell you, I had the BEST Valentine's day of my life! In the morning I gave him his gift.

Could Girl Scout cookies come at a better time of year??? I also got him Just Dance for the Wii, which is too much fun, and hilarious to watch. And then I got him a business card holder from a local store which is made out of an oil core... thing... I don't know. He wanted one and it matched the coasters we got for the guys in our wedding so it will look cool in his office. I didn't go too crazy, because remember, we don't really do Valentine's day too well, and I am okay with that.

 And of course we couldn't forget our little love, Pistol!

And then- Matt goes off and makes up for all 5 Valentine's days! Holy Moly! Now, I'm not one to brag on social media about gifts and such because I honestly think it's sort of tacky. But really, how blessed am I to have such a wonderful human being in my life? Don't look at it as bragging.. look at it as me giving him some due credit (which perhaps I don't do often enough)

The gifts were cool and all, but the day was so much better. I would forget any and all Valentine's gifts for the rest of my life if I could have 1 day a year like yesterday.

We just hung out together in the morning which was nice. We spend half the week apart, so some quality time really is priceless. Then, we went to see The Vow, which was pretty good. It was just fun and sweet to watch together. Then we came home and watched our wedding videos (our vows ;)). Then, we went to dinner where it was completely crowded and nuts and even though we had a reservation we just sat at the bar and enjoyed a glass of wine and didn't even notice how much time was going by. We had a wonderful dinner at an Italian restaurant, and even talked politics without fighting (Miracle!!). We came home and topped off the night with..... Breaking Dawn! Matt watched an entire minute before he fell asleep and I wasn't too far behind him. It was just a perfect sweet day of love. I still think Valentine's day is silly. But, I'll try to be a little less of a scrooge about it.

Days like yesterday confirm that marrying Matt was the smartest thing I ever did. Hope your Valentine's day is great! If not- don't worry about it. Eat some guilt free chocolate and tell someone you love them. That's a blessing any day.

Read More

Facebook According to Real Simple

I have a subscription to Real Simple magazine. I have had several magazine subscriptions over the years (Seventeen, you'll be missed...) but my favorite by far has been the one Matt got for me this year, Real Simple. I've gotten a lot of recipe and decorating ideas from it, and overall just good advice. There was an article that I have to share parts of with you titled "Social Disgrace" because it's sooo true! I love Facebook, especially now that every one from college and family has gone their own separate ways and it's a great way to keep in contact and just know what's going on. Well, on the other side, some people just act a fool on Facebook and it needs to be stopped! Actually, it's sort of entertaining, but also saddening. So here's some highlights from the article:

What's the most annoying kind of Facebook update?
24%- Intentionally vague posts meant to generate concern and attention; aka vaguebooking "Jennifer wonders whether it's all been worth it" or my personal favorite "Some people really make me so upset and they're not worth my time" OR OR "I'm going to quit Facebook"- where they try to get people to tell them not to. Then a month later they're back. And then they delete it again! Make up your mind. we're not calling you off the ledge here. It's not that big of a deal.

20%- Chronic complaining
19%- Meaningless calls to action "If you want to fight world hunger, put the color of your socks as your status update for the next half hour. I want to see who is brave enough to take a stand"
Don't even get ME started
14%- Over sharing. Like when people tell the world about the details of their divorce. Or their labor. With pictures Up to the minute.
13%- Miscellaneous posts including polarizing religious beliefs or political statements, indecipherable txt spk, and game updates. Want a one way ticket to being defriended by Shanna? Ask me to join FarmVille.
10%- Posting too frequently. "12:03 Chicken salad or tuna? 12:10 Chicken it is! Thanks for the input!"

A note of vulgarity:

"If it's not something that you would say on national TV, the best strategy is not to post it. Dozens of survey responses specifically mentioned swearing as a turnoff... For R-rated commentary, use the messenger"

Did you know that the average user has 130 friends?

Photos we would rather not see:

Multiple PDA photos
Every single one of the 3668 blurry shots that you took of the Grand Canyon
What you are eating/are about to eat/ have eaten (I'm not sure I agree with this one)
Self portraits in the bathroom mirror (AMEN!)
Inebriated people
Shirtless people
Endless baby pictures
Profile pictures of pets, cartoon characters, or anything that isn't the person in the picture (I say to each his own on this one)
Duck Face (guilty)

I'm not saying that I'm not guilty of some of these things (especially when I was younger), but I think I have around 700 facebook "friends" and I and everyone else need to think twice about what we're putting out there. I really try to live by the rule, "Would this compromise a political career one day?" I really think the party of Shanna is going to catch on one day, and I need to be prepared when that comes around.

Read More

A Shout Out to the Moms

Like I've said before, my Christmas break has been 40 days. I go back to school on Monday and it's kind of a bummer. I like school but I love being home doing what I want to. The thing is, normally I would think, "40 days! That's so long! I would be so bored!" I haven't been bored for a moment. I seem to constantly have tasks to do. Since school is starting next week, I am trying to take care of my personal stuff in the morning and then start reading for my classes in the afternoon. I never get to complete everything! I was thinking about it this morning. I started straightening things up, got some laundry going and decided to work on a task that I have been avoiding for a long time. Ya see, Pistol is a chewer.

I present exhibit A:

This is the infamous baby duck that landed Pistol an over night trip to the emergency vet. Not only was it extremely expensive, but it was heart breaking. I was faced with the possibility of losing my dog (he ate a LOT of stuffing and it could have caused major problems in his intestines) and I realized that I was forever changed by this little creature.

Since this episode, Pistol is no longer allowed to have toys with stuffing in them. Turns out he's not the first canine with this problem so we have been able to buy him substitutes. However, he STILL chews on them and tries to get the squeaker out. So we have a little collection of toys that need to be sewn back together. I sat down this morning and took on the task. I am terrible at sewing. I just imagined myself sewing little Halloween costumes in the future and I just can't imagine it! Store bought it is!

But I tell you all of this because it seems like I have endless tasks to do every day and I'm off, free to do what I want. I keep thinking about moms. Pistol demands so much of my time and attention- but a child!?! Perhaps multiple children! Some people are fortunate enough to be stay at home moms-but geez. I imagine that they stay busy all stinkin day. It's hard enough to keep this house clean with the two of us. Kids are so messy! And there are moms every day that keep their lives together with kids. They are super humans. THEN. THEN there are moms who work full time. Holy Moly. My mom worked full time and kept everything together and I just can't figure out how she did it. Joe and I made it to school (pretty) clean, with a lunch, came home to a snack every day and well, survived in general. How did she do it?!? She kept the house clean, we even ate dinner at home every  night.

So if you're a mom- I just want you to know that I think you're amazing. Your house might not be clean all the time. You might have fruitloops in your hair. Your kid may be a total spaz that jumps off things and writes on the wall. But if you've kept yourself and your little spaz alive, then any other accomplishment is a total bonus and makes you that much more superhuman.

One day we will probably have a little spaz of our own, and I'm going to need your advice. Until then, I need to go read so I can graduate and get a cool job where my spaz can be taken care of if he/she needs me. Professor jobs are where it's at. I hope.

Read More

The Trouble with Blogging

The trouble with blogging is kind of like scrap booking. You just get so far behind that you stop getting excited about it and then you put it off. Or at least that is my experience. I always have my best ideas for blogs at the most inconvenient times like when I'm sleeping or driving. I made a list of things I was going to do during my break from school- so let's look 'em over and see how I'm doing:

1. Clean off the DVR. Hello Glee, Biggest Loser, Sister Wives, 19 Kids and Counting, and Greys Anatomy. I've missed you
I've done a FANTASTIC JOB. Tip Top. Not sure how proud I am of this though...


2. Eat dinner with my husband EVERY NIGHT
I believe I have spent one night away from Matt since I've been on break and it has been truly wonderful. It's going to make it that much harder to go back to school.

3. Sleep in my bed for more than 4 consecutive days

Done and Done! But barely. We have traveled to soo much (Christmas and the Fiesta Bowl) that I have just barely achieved this goal.
4. Wrap presents
I wrapped my little heart out. Every gift was wrapped with love. I hate that wrapping is SO wasteful and I love it [wrapping] so much. For the record- yes wrapping paper is recyclable- but you do have to take the tape off


5. Bake Christmas goodies like a mad woman

This was a ton of fun. Once again my aunt showed me up, but I am just going to have to learn her amazing ways.
6. Exercise. Remember when I "pledged" to lose a pound in November? I was totally full of it! Zumba, here I come!
Have been going to the YMCA more- but would like to kick it up another notch. I rented Dance Party 3 on the Wii. You MUST MUST MUST try this game. It's too much fun!


7. Read just because I want to. Any recommendations?
Started reading the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series and I'm addicted. The movie was pretty close to the book, which was good because it's so irritating when it goes in a whole other direction. However, this book/movie deals with some dark topics so I have to read in small doses.

8. Go watch Breaking Dawn. Again. By Myself.

FAIL! They only play it twice here in the evenings and Matt draws the line at going with me twice. He does have a work dinner next week... so I just might go. I also got an email from Amazon that you can pre-order it. Comes out Feb 11th. Woo!
9. Cuddle with my puppy.
You have no idea. He may have to start coming to school with me. He's the sweetest little creature I have ever met.

10. Sleep in.
If you call 8:30 sleeping in, then YES!

11. Build fires in the chimney.
It's been kind of warm for the break (except for snowing twice- why is Midland so confused about weather??). We have put on a couple of fires- but I could totally go for more.

12. Christmas SHOP

Check.
13. Catch up on Redbox movies

Check-ish. We rented Hanna the other night and it was really good. Go check it out!

14. Craft- Thank you Pinterest
Not even a little. For some reason I'm having a hard time getting expired. I went to visit Lo and she created a whole house full of awesome projects. Maybe I'll go to Hobby Lobby later. Thanks for reminding me!

15. Finally update my journal. About the wedding. Whoops.
Still no- geez!

16. Work on some photo projects I've been putting off.

I basically did the exact opposite of this when I dropped my camera at the Fiesta Bowl and now need it to be repaired.
I did make an awesome calendar with photos for the family for Christmas which I am pretty proud of =)
17. Spend time with friends
I could always use more of this, but it's been a lot better with having time off and the holidays

18. Find fun ways to spend time with Matt.
We've been doing all kinds of fun stuff. I even let him talk me into going to Lowes (I HATE Lowes. I get to bored). Question- do you think that kitchens and bathrooms should have fixtures on the cabinets and drawers?? I say no- he says yes. Help!

19. Clean my house until it sparkles. I love a clean home.
Too legit to quit.

20. Whatever I want. All day. Every day. For 40 days.
Check!!! This break has been AMAZING!!!!!

Now I need to get serious about preparation for school. I'll try to throw in a few blog posts in the mean time. I've been cooking like a mad woman and there's some recipes that I need to share. I was going to do a review of 2011- but I feel like there's a statute of limitations on how late you can do a year in review and still have people interested... so I may have to pass. Or maybe not. We'll see!

Read More

First Married Christmas!

We're finally home and have everything in order from our first Christmas as a married couple. It was really nice, and so busy! So much to do, so little time!! Matt and I are weak so we exchanged one gift at home and did our stockings before we headed out of town. Last year he got me a zoom lens for my camera, and this year he got me an external flash. Woo!! So I used my lens (on Friday) that I rarely get to use and took some pictures of the buffalo at the Wichita Mountains Wild Life Refuge on our way to see Grady, Erin, and new baby Ralph. 

Erin and Grady are committed to producing foods that are Sustainable to the earth and the human diet. They had a whole operation going and it's fascinating to listen to them talk about it. They both interned at Polyface Farms in Virginia (Have you seen Food Inc? The farm is featured in the documentary). This farm is where Grady and Erin met. Due to the drought and a huge fire on their farm, Grady and Erin are going to go back to Polyface for a while and pursue the work that they're passionate about. I sincerely hope that we go visit them, it sounds like an excellent opportunity!

Erin and 7 week old Ralph. It should be noted that I think Erin may be the nicest person I have ever met. Oh, you thought it was you?? Ah well, this is awkward. I'm sure you come in a close second, but seriously, this chick just beams with kindness. I wish I were more like her.

 Ralph and I are cuddling. He smells like a baby. His little chubby cheeks make my heart melt. It's so sweet.

Saturday was Christmas Eve. I'm going to let you in on a little family tradition of my family's. It's a game, that I guess is called "Christmas Eve Gift." We've played it my entire life. This is how Christmas Eve Gift goes. On Christmas Eve, if I see you first, I say "CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT!" and I then "got you" first, so you have to give me a gift on Christmas Eve. You can't get someone after they get you. You're gotten. Time to pony up a gift. And it can't be the gift that you were already going to give them for Christmas. Usually, this is a small gift. Like.. a scratch off lottery ticket. A bottle of body spray. Socks. See what I mean? Like a $1-$10 thing. It's fun. You and your family should try it. We don't own the rights to Christmas Eve Gift. It's all yours.

Well Matt decided to up the Ante this year on the Christmas Eve Gift. It was hilarious that I beat him though. I laid in bed waiting for him to get up and go to the bathroom or something. Eventually I look over and he's checking his email on his blackberry, so I lean over and whisper in his ear, "CHRISTMAS EVE GIFT!!!". He was so mad. For like half an hour. He was mad because he had been pretending to sleep for about half an hour waiting on ME to get up. So he got mad at me for doing to him what he was trying to do to me. I got a Keurig. Woo!

 And just in case you were wondering, yes those are my footie pajamas from our Christmas card this year. So what? They're so comfy!

 I got Matt a board game (it's fun!) even though he didn't win just so we could play. He got his mom so she got him socks. I'm getting the in-laws involved! Except Roger. He just ignored me when I tried to get him.

Lisa some how schemed Roger into letting her have her gift early (a lime green Kitchen Aid mixer). She's doing her "Shanna Smile". She thinks she's clever! Let me tell you a little secret about being in a picture. If you want it to come out well, you gotta smile like you mean it. Seriously. You can go ahead and do that half smile thing without showing your top teeth if you want, but don't come running to me saying you never look good in pictures. Don't shoot the messenger, I just calls em like I sees em.

So my in-laws did Christmas on Christmas Eve because we had to go to my parent's house on Christmas day.

Here's Ian admiring Auntie Shanna's handy work on his gift. Oh my Auntie Shanna, look at this bow work. Is my gift talking to me? We gotta get this thing open!

 Ian is the most serious child I know. He's so sweet though. (Ian is our nephew).

OH! And I forgot to mention my awesome Christmas sweater. I saved this from Lisa's garage sale a couple of years ago.

 Check out the detail! My mom bought me the "Santa Baby" pin.

 And here's the icing on the cake. Little hair clips. Who's got Christmas spirit? This girl.


We went to my parent's house for Christmas day. I had a picture of them and it somehow disappeared and  Blogger gives me picture issues sometimes so I can't get it back. Anyway, my aunt and my cousins came over for dinner. We haven't spent Christmas day with them in a really long time, and it was such a blessing to have us all together in one place. Ahhh- the holidays. Don't they just warm your heart?

 This is my cousin Khi. My parents got him this crazy stuffed dog that's about 8X bigger than him. He LOVED it. Loved it.

And finally here's Joe and I. He's planning to go to OSU next year, so we have to get him accustomed to our rituals. Go Pokes!

Hope your holidays were wonderful. Can't believe tomorrow is the last day of 2011. It's safe to say it was the best year of my life. For that I am very grateful and can't wait to see what 2012 holds!

Read More

Is Santa Taking Applications?

Is Santa Taking Applications? Because I'm about to start charging an "elving" fee. I love Christmas and I just can't help myself but be super involved in all of the happenings of the season. Not only have I done all of our Christmas shopping, wrapped every present with care (including hand made- yes I said HAND MADE BOWS!!!), baked with every ounce of Christmas spirit that I have in me, but I've also shopped for other people and sent out ideas a plenty for gifting ideas to keep every one happy. It may sound like I am complaining a little bit, but the truth is I live for this stuff.

I've been on break for a week now and I have loved every minute. I've cleaned off a lot of the DVR, as promised. I finished up my shopping. I've spent quality time with my husband. I even got to see my little Lo Lo last weekend! Last night we went to visit our friends Lonnie and Sara, and I got the chance to make up this holiday treat that was actually inspired by Matt.

I really just wanted an excuse to use this dish that we got as a wedding gift and I wanted to make something Christmas-y. So I used green apples, red apples, green grapes, strawberries, and marachino cherries and I layered them with cool whip in between each layer. I crumbled up vanilla wafers and put them in the bottom and the top to give some texture. It was deeeeelicious. And, not so full of guilt like a typical pie or something. Great food and great fellowship. 2 of my favorite things!

Continued to the next day...

Yesterday was a day and a half. I felt like superwoman, or at least got a dose of what Santa goes through every year with all of the last minute hustle and bustle in preparation for the big day. There’s little that I love more than going on a trip and then coming home to a nice clean home. So I got after it. All of the laundry in the house got washed (including all of the sheets). I mopped the floor. I vacuumed. I put everything in its place. Then, I took the box from the Craftsman toolbox that Matt got from his parents for Christmas and put it in the trunk. I then played Tetris with the Christmas gifts and strategically placed them so they wouldn’t crush the other gifts, OR smash any of my perfect (ish) hand-made bows. I’ve never been good at making bows, but somehow I figured it out this year. I honestly think that how the package looks it almost as important as what’s in the package. People like personal, pretty gifts. It’s a fact. Go look it up. In the words of my good friend Siva, “Google it, B****.” We have to be careful what we say around Siva, he picks things up quickly. (Siva is my friend in the Poli Sci program with me at Tech. He is from India and is often tickled by our American expressions. Just for the record, I didn’t teach him that one). Anyway, so I cleaned the house, packed the “sleigh,” and then I baked.

Have you heard of the website pinterest ? I have a conspiracy theory that Hobby Lobby actually invented Pinterest, because seriously, think about what their sales have to be since the development of the website. It’s out of control! Raise your hand if you have made something from Pinterest. Maybe soon I’ll do a blog dedicated to my Pinterest projects .Anyway, there’s also good cooking ideas on Pinterest. My roommate made these awesome chocolate toffee dessert things She said the recipe was on her Pinterest board “The Fat Lady Inside Me.” This thing doesn’t have many ingredients and so I decided to go for it. I should have taken pictures of what unfolded but I really couldn’t bring myself to add insult to injury. Plus, I was dealing with a crisis. I guess I had too many crackers on one tray, and there weren’t lips to the baking sheet. I don’t really know what happened, but I had this liquid caramel toffee stuff running into the bottom of my oven at a rate I couldn’t control. The smell also wasn’t fantastic. I sort of recovered some of my treat, but they don’t really look like what my roommate made. The good news is that I conquered the milestone of purchasing my first can of oven cleaner and now my oven is cleaner than I had started. That’s good news, right?

Check out all of the goodies that I made! This tray is for my Aunt. Making Christmas candy reminds me of my grandma, which I guess is why I’m so determined to do it every year despite all of the disasters. My aunt also makes Christmas candy every year and she always shows me up. I’m just glad I have someone to look up to and learn from.

I also made some treats for both sets of families.

Matt and I also did our stockings last night because we’re weak. Our Christmas day is going to be all over creation, so we wanted to do our stockings together. Here’s the pictures of our loot! Sooo fun!

 

PS- this is what I look like after a long day of cleaning. My apologies.

Pistol also got his! He got a rawhide candy cane that’s almost as big as he is. He keeps trying to hide it from us like we’re going to take it away from him.

Then to top it all off, I made my very first pot roast. I had to start it at 8:30 a.m. and it was finally done around 7:00 p.m. Turns out that Matt isn’t crazy about pot roast (who knew???). I thought it was delicious. We completed the meal with some of our leftovers from my holiday fruit dish. Yum!

Hope your holidays are happy and safe!

Read More