30 Day Challenge

Hello All...I can't believe it is the last day of 2011! 2011 has been a super year....Chris and I celebrated our first year of marriage, I began my third year of teaching, I graduated with my Master's degree, Chris began a wonderful new job, we got to spend a lot of time with family and friends, we've made new friends, and in fact we got two new family members (Chris & Bryce)...there is so much to be thankful for! We have also had our fair share of "hard times" this year that we can look back and be thankful for because it has made us stronger. I look forward to 2012...it's going to be a beautiful year...so much to look forward to.

With the beginning of a new year, I am starting a 30 day challenge. 30 days of eating very healthy and exercising. Notice I didn't say "to lose weight." I am simply doing it to better my health, mentally and physically. I began the 30 day challenge on December 27...so I got a jump start on the new year. Today is day 5 and it is going very well so far....25 days to go.

My hope is that at the end of the 30 days, I will adopt my changes as my new healthy lifestyle...we'll see.

So with these days off from work, I have decided to try some new recipes. It is not the easiest to cook only for two. So I have taken some recipes and adapted them for two. Check out our delicious stuffed bell peppers!

Sauteing the veggies....

There you have it folks...a stuffed bell pepper!

Delicioso!!

(Lean turkey meat, bell peppers, mushrooms, onions, garlic powder, onion powder, tomato sauce)

Have a happy new year! See yall in 2012!

Pinterest Love

This weekend was wonderful! We got to spend time with family, relax, go on a date,  and I got to do a pinterest craft that I had seen. Not to mention, this craft pretty much completes our den! Check it out...

I made 2 8X10 striped and crackled photo frames. 

It was fun and pretty simple! I would love to make one for you....just check out at Crain's Crafty Creations on facebook.

Enjoy your week....only 11 days til Thanksgiving.

P.S. Check out my precious puppy in the frame.

Up close of the crackle finish...love it!

Halloween Outfits

Chris and I went to a Halloween party...we had a blast! We were supposed to dress like someone from the 70s, 80s, or 90s. Well we decided to go last minute...so here is what we came up with. Chris decided to be Pee Wee Herman and I decided to be an 80s workout girl! I spent Friday night at Goodwill...the best place to buy clothes for costumes! Oh and not to mention a few things from Wally World. Love it! Here are our finished products...                      

Courtesy of Goodwill and Wal-Mart.

Happy Halloween friends!

Fall Break and Life lately....

Chris and I just celebrated our 1st anniversary. Being married has been the greatest blessing. When I reflect back on my life pre-marriage, I see how God has worked in each of our lives and how He has grown us spiritually. I was reflecting on how Chris and I were brought together and the feeling I got when I knew Chris was "the one." I had been praying for a husband and I learned that it should be in God's timing...not mine. I specifically asked God to show me His will for my life, no matter what it entailed. By praying for a future husband and for God's plan for my life, He taught me patience and that I had to fully trust in Him. As soon as I took my trust out of myself and began trusting in Him...life began to make sense. His plan for me soon began to unfold and it became clear to me that Chris was who God wanted me to marry (for those who do not know, Chris and I dated a year before and I did not like him, I only wanted him to be my friend...little did I know that would change :) ). It was like a weight had been lifted off of my shoulders and replaced with the grace of God. My vision of what I "thought" my life should be was very blurry, but God's was as clear as glass. The Man upstairs knew that Chris was to be my husband- a man with a kind, patient, and gentle spirit- it was exactly what I needed. I soon learned...IT'S NOT ABOUT ME..IT'S ABOUT GOD!

I rejoice and celebrate for the blessings from the past, for those blessings have made me who I am today. I look forward to what else God has in store for Chris and me.

On another note, Chris and I celebrated our anniversary in St. Louis. It was a super getaway for us! It was much needed. Here is a picture from the arch....

Fall Break has been fun. I have been updating my house....lots of ideas from pinterest. My new favorite website! Thanks for reading, see you later.

Back to School Fever

I am getting very excited to go back to school! I am looking forward to so much... seeing my teacher friends, preparing my classroom, implementing all of the ideas I have thought about this summer, and of course, most of all meeting my new students! I have been busy making items for my classroom. My favorite item though is the Crayon sign I made of my initial.

But before school starts, I will be graduating from grad school. I will also be visiting my sweet friend Courtney for her baby shower in Spring Hill, TN. Both are exciting events that I am looking forward to. My parents gave me a Cannon Rebel for graduation and so I am becoming very "snap happy" and can't wait to use it this weekend! Look for some fun pictures to come soon.

God Bless you all!

Summer....so far...

So far, I am enjoying my summer! I have been somewhat busy, so I have not experienced boredom yet. I am going to grad school and will graduate on July 30, so that keeps me busy. I have also been teaching a few paint parties, which is so much fun! We have also been busy fixing up the yard and the pool. The pool has been a pain in the bootay! When we opened the pool, we did not expect to have many problems because the liner is only a couple of years old, but of course, there were problems. The flood in May did a number on our pool that we were not aware of. We are hoping to have the pool ready by Father's Day though so we can have the family over for our first pool party!

Also, Chris has started a new job and we are super excited about it. As with any job though, it can be scary at first not knowing how it will turn out. We have been in constant prayer and have faith that God will guide us through this experience. I know Chris really likes his new job, it brings me joy to see him so happy!

At the beginning of the summer, we took a trip to Gatlinburg and visited Chris' family. Here are a few pictures showing what we have been up to lately.

Our Little Diva Niece...Abby

Abby & Me

Chris, David, Carrie, & Abby at Dollywood

Chris on his first day at his new job....such a stud!

Chris & I at Johnny & Lauren's Wedding

Jordan & I at her beautiful wedding!

I will have more pictures and blogging soon...enjoy!

Roof...Just in time...

Happy Birthday to my Memaw...I sure do miss her!!




Our roof on our back porch has been leaking quite a bit for a few months. We realized that shingles on the roof of the porch were a not so good idea since the pitch of the roof is not very steep. We decided that a metal roof would be best....well we thought so until we called a few places around town with quotes. Woa! How expensive! The joys of homeownership have started kicking in lately. Well my DIY husband decided that he and his friends could put a metal roof on for a third of the cost, and sure enough they did! I was impressed and very happy about our new roof, not to mention it was finished just in time for the crazy weather. Two thumbs up for Chris and his friends because the new roof was flawless during the Wizard of Oz type weather that we had this past week! Let's hope it stays that way....Check it out!

                              After the shingles had been pulled off, and the beginning of the new roof.

The guys working on the roof.

Almost finished! Looks great guys!

Extreme Home Makeover...Crain Edition!

Well we have been super busy...to say the least. Chris is a very crafty person, just like me. Together we come up with endless projects to do to our home. When we bought our home, we fell in love with it because it had already been "flipped", so it was going to be a home that we would have to do "nothing" to. Well we were wrong. We have come up with projects to do to our home "just because" we want to. We have been having so much fun working together and doing many DIY projects. HGTV & the DIY network have been our best friends, not to mention our amigo Miguel that Chris knows from a job site- He gave us a big hand one Saturday! We have decided to build a retaining wall at the end of the driveway...it is not finished...but it is almost there! We are also replacing the roof on our back screened porch...pictures of that to come soon. Chris and his gracious friends are replacing the roof...so much cheaper than hiring it done!

We also have been working inside our home, the den is just about complete. We got new furniture, a rug, a beautiful canvas picture from our wedding, curtains. I just need to finish my final project...the window mirror (picture to come soon).

As for now, this is where our time has gone...working on our home! We sure do have fun though :)
Here are pictures of Chris...I promise I was helping him too!

Christmastime with the Crain's

We had a wonderful first Christmas together! We were able to spend several days with Chris' family. It was really nice since we do not get to see them often. His mom and dad visited and then Cari and baby Abbigail came on Christmas day. It couldn't have been any better. It was very relaxing and enjoyable. 

On Christmas Eve, we went to my mom and dad's house for dinner. Mom made an excellent dinner...I was very impressed! 

For Christmas gifts this year for each other, Chris and I decided to buy one big gift for both of us and so we got a new Samsung 3d TV. It is pretty awesome and entertaining! We can't wait for more movies to come out for us to watch since there are not that many yet. Here is a classic picture of Chris and Cari watching the 3d tv with Bentley and Baby Abbi asleep! I love this photo...

I also cooked Christmas breakfast and Christmas dinner. Since I have been married, I have learned that I love to cook! It is very fun to me! I enjoy trying new recipes and fixing meals for Christopher. 

My other favorite thing about Christmas this year was spending time with my niece and nephew!! I think they are the most precious children and so adorable....here are a few of my favorite pictures of them from Christmas....

We also got to celebrate Dad's birthday on the 29th. He is a fabulous 62 years old! We went to Longhorn with the family and had a lovely time. On New Year's Eve we went to the casinos with our friends and unfortunately, we didn't win big, but we still had fun!

Chris and I have had a wonderful two week vacation but will be ready to get back in "the groove" of work tomorrow! (I actually miss my students a little bit ;)

 Happy New Years everyone! Can't wait to see what 2011 holds for everyone..... Oh by the way, our New Year's Resolution is to work out at the gym at least 5 times a week. Hopefully this time next year, we will be IN SHAPE AND LOOKIN' GOOD!! :)