1 box yellow cake mix
1 small can pumpkin
1 small bag cinnamon chips
Mix it all together. Spoon into cupcake pan. Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
The Easiest & Best Pumpkin Muffins!
My friend gave me this recipe and I am hooked. They are so good, make the house smell great & couldn't be any easier! Three ingredients people! {Ok, I know I don't usually do the processed cake mix thing anymore, but a little won't hurt, right?}
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small can pumpkin
1 small bag cinnamon chips
Mix it all together. Spoon into cupcake pan. Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
1 box yellow cake mix
1 small can pumpkin
1 small bag cinnamon chips
Mix it all together. Spoon into cupcake pan. Bake @ 350 for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
Friday, October 29, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Kings of Leon ~ Come Around Sundown
I'm really digging Kings of Leon's new album. I was hoping for the raw rock sound they started out with, but I really like the laid back vibe of "Come Around Sundown". It's one of those great albums that you can listen to repeatedly without skipping over any songs. Here are my favorites.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Best Live Performances
These are my three favorite live performances. Of course, I wasn't actually at any of these festivals...but thank goodness for YouTube! I don't think I could get my daily music fix without it. I watch these repeatedly. In fact, I think I've watched The Avett Brothers' performance every day since I first saw it a few weeks ago. That would probably explain why I always hear Garrett singing it now. His favorite lines are "...I am a breathing time machine...I'll take you all for a ride" So cute!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Happy October
October is a month of celebrations for us. October 17th was Allen's birthday and October 20th is our anniversary. I wanted an October wedding because Fall is my absolute favorite time of year. So first off, happy birthday to Allen! He is 33 this year and, I must say, getting better with age.
Second, happy anniversary to us! We've been married 9 years on the 20th. Wow, 9 years! And we dated for 4 years, so 13 years together. We've also been friends since we were kids. We met at the lockers in junior high and stayed close friends all through our school years. He was my best guy friend and my Dad used to say "you know that boy wants to be more than just your friend". And I'd giggle and tell my Dad he was crazy. We had lots of fun times as friends for over 6 years. And then one day in college, I saw him in a new light and everything changed forever. Guess my Dad was right....again.
We've done a lot in 13 years. We started off in a tiny little "fixer upper". It was 700 sq feet and I remember our mortgage was $300. I also remember stressing out about making that payment. Money was tight, or maybe we just didn't manage it well. Those were the days of buying what we wanted for ourselves. Those were also the days of napping on Sundays, regular Thursday night hangouts at our local bar with our best friends, and pretty much doing whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Simple, but awesome days. Then we moved to a dump. But it was a dump on 5 acres and our plan was to one day, split the land and build a beautiful house and sell the dump. And the planned worked perfectly. We now live in our beautiful house, next to the dump. ;)
In these 13 years, we also had two beautiful kids. Sydney, who looks and acts just like me. And Garrett, who looks and acts just like Allen. It's so funny to see these little people, that are perfect blends of the two of us. And those two little people are our world.
We are also business partners. We started a landscaping/lawn care business 11 years ago. Allen does the fun, creative stuff (and the hard manual labor). I do the boring, business stuff. We are a good team. And that "little" business that could barely bring in enough money to pay the $300 mortgage 9 years ago, now supports our family and allows me to be home with the kids.
But we have also been through two extremely hard things together in these 13 years. First, Allen's best friend since childhood died suddenly in his sleep from heart problems. Not even 30 yet and no warning signs at all. It was a shock to all of us. He left behind a little girl and a pregnant wife. Everyone has that one friend in life. The friend that knows the stories that no one else knows. The friend that you grew up with. The friend that you chose to stand beside you as you got married. The friend that knew you as a child and as a man and everything in between. Everyone needs that person and my heart aches for Allen that he lost that.
And then, 8 months later, my Dad died. Again, it was sudden and unexpected. His health was weak, but we never expected that so soon. He was only 62. But when you're born with a weak heart, you only get so much time on this earth. They were both born with weak hearts and taken too soon. They both loved cars and I imagine them talking about cars together in heaven.
These two experiences catapulted Allen and I into adulthood. We were no longer innocent. We were forever changed. And then I truly understood the vows of marriage. For better or worse... in good times and in bad.
We've built a great life together. We started out as polar opposites. I was extreme type A personality and he was extreme type B. But we've somehow met in the middle now. Sometimes I have to remind him to slow down and have some fun and he has to remind me to be disciplined. Crazy!
We've always had two things in common: 1. Our sense of humor and 2. our love for awesome music. Even as teenagers, we'd drive around and listen to music together. Back then, his favorite was Beastie Boys, my favorite was Led Zeppelin. So for our anniversary we went to see Band of Horses at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. I love Cain's Ballroom! Lately, I'm loving "Older" by Band of Horses. It makes me think of our relationship and how as time goes by, some things in life may change, but we are always each other's constants. So here's to celebrating a great 9 years and looking forward to what the future brings for us. I know one day, when the kids are grown, the house is quiet and world seems to have slowed down for us...we will still be here together, listening to music and daydreaming about all our big plans for the future.
Second, happy anniversary to us! We've been married 9 years on the 20th. Wow, 9 years! And we dated for 4 years, so 13 years together. We've also been friends since we were kids. We met at the lockers in junior high and stayed close friends all through our school years. He was my best guy friend and my Dad used to say "you know that boy wants to be more than just your friend". And I'd giggle and tell my Dad he was crazy. We had lots of fun times as friends for over 6 years. And then one day in college, I saw him in a new light and everything changed forever. Guess my Dad was right....again.
1996 ~ Seniors in high school & "just friends"
(check out my parent's video recorder!)
October 20, 2001
(Well don't we look young!)
We've done a lot in 13 years. We started off in a tiny little "fixer upper". It was 700 sq feet and I remember our mortgage was $300. I also remember stressing out about making that payment. Money was tight, or maybe we just didn't manage it well. Those were the days of buying what we wanted for ourselves. Those were also the days of napping on Sundays, regular Thursday night hangouts at our local bar with our best friends, and pretty much doing whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. Simple, but awesome days. Then we moved to a dump. But it was a dump on 5 acres and our plan was to one day, split the land and build a beautiful house and sell the dump. And the planned worked perfectly. We now live in our beautiful house, next to the dump. ;)
In these 13 years, we also had two beautiful kids. Sydney, who looks and acts just like me. And Garrett, who looks and acts just like Allen. It's so funny to see these little people, that are perfect blends of the two of us. And those two little people are our world.
We are also business partners. We started a landscaping/lawn care business 11 years ago. Allen does the fun, creative stuff (and the hard manual labor). I do the boring, business stuff. We are a good team. And that "little" business that could barely bring in enough money to pay the $300 mortgage 9 years ago, now supports our family and allows me to be home with the kids.
But we have also been through two extremely hard things together in these 13 years. First, Allen's best friend since childhood died suddenly in his sleep from heart problems. Not even 30 yet and no warning signs at all. It was a shock to all of us. He left behind a little girl and a pregnant wife. Everyone has that one friend in life. The friend that knows the stories that no one else knows. The friend that you grew up with. The friend that you chose to stand beside you as you got married. The friend that knew you as a child and as a man and everything in between. Everyone needs that person and my heart aches for Allen that he lost that.
And then, 8 months later, my Dad died. Again, it was sudden and unexpected. His health was weak, but we never expected that so soon. He was only 62. But when you're born with a weak heart, you only get so much time on this earth. They were both born with weak hearts and taken too soon. They both loved cars and I imagine them talking about cars together in heaven.
These two experiences catapulted Allen and I into adulthood. We were no longer innocent. We were forever changed. And then I truly understood the vows of marriage. For better or worse... in good times and in bad.
We've built a great life together. We started out as polar opposites. I was extreme type A personality and he was extreme type B. But we've somehow met in the middle now. Sometimes I have to remind him to slow down and have some fun and he has to remind me to be disciplined. Crazy!
We've always had two things in common: 1. Our sense of humor and 2. our love for awesome music. Even as teenagers, we'd drive around and listen to music together. Back then, his favorite was Beastie Boys, my favorite was Led Zeppelin. So for our anniversary we went to see Band of Horses at Cain's Ballroom in Tulsa. I love Cain's Ballroom! Lately, I'm loving "Older" by Band of Horses. It makes me think of our relationship and how as time goes by, some things in life may change, but we are always each other's constants. So here's to celebrating a great 9 years and looking forward to what the future brings for us. I know one day, when the kids are grown, the house is quiet and world seems to have slowed down for us...we will still be here together, listening to music and daydreaming about all our big plans for the future.
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Iron and Wine
I love the song paired with the video this person made. I think it's showing how, sometimes, "rock bottom" can be a blessing in disguise.
Three Kinds of Faith
This was in my church bulletin this week and I thought I'd share.
There are three kinds of faith in Christ:
1. Struggling faith, like a man in deep water desperately swimming.
2. Clinging faith, like a man hanging to the side of a boat.
3. Resting faith, like a man safely within the boat (and able to reach out with a hand to help someone else get in).
~ D.L. Moody
Where are you on your journey? I would say I am clinging faith. Hanging onto the side of the boat, gathering all my thoughts, and will soon be climbing in.
There are three kinds of faith in Christ:
1. Struggling faith, like a man in deep water desperately swimming.
2. Clinging faith, like a man hanging to the side of a boat.
3. Resting faith, like a man safely within the boat (and able to reach out with a hand to help someone else get in).
~ D.L. Moody
Where are you on your journey? I would say I am clinging faith. Hanging onto the side of the boat, gathering all my thoughts, and will soon be climbing in.
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