It's Halloween...

Happy Halloween!!

Here I am dressed as Flo!

Did you dress up today? If so, what are you?

My boss gave me this card today

She congratulated me on my weight loss and reminded me to "hang" in there to reach my goal. I think this is especially fitting since today might have more candy temptations than other days. Thanks for her support, and the support of all my family and friends! It means so much to me!

Enjoy your holiday!

Create

Our DIY group has been having fun with our projects! This project-pinterest inspired- was quick and easy to create.

We had an awesome time making our creations!

What Pinterest projects have inspired you lately?

Pumpkins!

I had a super busy and super fun weekend! In addition to saying YES to the dress, I was also able to enjoy pumpkin carving with my niece and nephew.

Both Ariana and Evan weren't a huge fan of the pumpkin guts! Evan said ewwww. He like the face that his mom put on his pumpkin though.

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween!

Will anyone be dressing up this year? What are you going to be?

YES!!!

Well friends I went wedding dress shopping yesterday at Becker's Bridal in Fowler. It was an awesome trip since I said YES TO THE DRESS!!!

How exciting! It feels great to have that weight lifted off of the To Do list! I would love to share pictures with all of you, however, I wouldn't want Brent stumbling upon the blog to try and peek at it! So I guess you'll just have to live in suspense until the Big Day! :)

I would highly recommend any bride checking out Becker's. They have a huge selection (3,000 dresses) and all of the staff were amazing to work with. Since I already had an idea of what I was looking for our appointment only lasted an hour! I would highly suggest making an appointment first thing when they open, or even visiting on a weekday if at all possible. The place gets crazy busy!

So that is my exciting news for the weekend! Can't wait until April when it should be in!

Bits and Pieces

TGIF
Happy Friday everyone. Enjoy my weekly bits and pieces!

1. Brent installed the new kitchen faucet!

2. Halloween is coming- check out this amazing pumpkin a local artist painted at camp!

3. I'm spending the day helping my sister in her classroom.



4. I ran out of holes on my belt! Happy weight loss!

5. Snail mail from my bestie!

As always I'm linking up with Style of a Songbird.

Have a great weekend! I'm going wedding dress shopping; what are you doing?



Strength

Lately I haven't been able to take my Matthew West CD out of my car. I've been listening to it constantly. It has such amazing lyrics I wanted to share them with you.

Strong Enough by Matthew West

You must
You must think I'm strong
To give me what I'm going through
Well, forgive me
Forgive me if I'm wrong
But this looks like more than I can do
On my own

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough, strong enough
For both of us

Well maybe
Maybe that's the point
To reach the point of giving up
Cause when I'm finally
Finally at rock bottom
That's when I start looking up
And reaching out

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough, strong enough

Cause I'm broken down to nothing
But I'm still holding on to one thing
You are God and you are strong when
I am weak

I can do all things through Christ who
Gives me strength
And I don't have to be strong enough (2x)

I know I'm not strong enough to be
Everything that I'm supposed to be
I give up
I'm not strong enough
Hands of mercy won't you cover me
Lord right now I'm asking you to be
Strong enough, strong enough

source

This discussion of strength has been surrounding me lately. This includes not only the need for strength as I'm on my weight loss journey; but also with everyday life.

Yesterday my sister's facebook status was "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. I don't have to be strong enough!"

This pretty much sums it up. I'm not strong enough in any aspect of life; however with faith Christ strengthens us.

Remember to rely on Christ today--easy to say, but hard to do.

Any Bible verses that have been resounding to you lately?

Have a great Thursday!

 

A few of my favorite things...

rainbows after rain

the smell of fresh cookies

snail mail

laughter...more specifically laughter of children

game nights

the great state of Michigan

yard sales, sales, bargains and great deals!

cooking

hugs

reading

singing

listening to stories

watching movies

scrapbooking

snuggling under blankets while you can hear the rain outside

surprises

seeing beauty in my surroundings

and of course...

FAMILY and FRIENDS.

This week has allowed me the time to relish in these blessings that I thank God for.

What are your favorite things? Or blessings?

Games, Games and more Games!

This is my mess of games! It used to be organized on the shelves, but over time and with use they seem to get put everywhere!

Do you see any of your favorite games?
Or do you see something you've never played that you are curious about? Leave me a comment and it might be the next game I include in my blog!


On another note; don't forget to keep checking out the Book Challenge tab (above) or visit here to view where I'm at with the book challenge!

DIY

I had so much fun this weekend with our DIY group.

Click here to see our plans for the next few months.

On Saturday a total of 8 of us gathered to carve pumpkins and create fun candle holders using tissue paper.

What do you think of our creations?

We are looking forward to our next project later this month!

Have you completed any DIY projects lately? I'd love to hear about them!

Taco Soup

I first enjoyed this yummy taco soup at my Auntie Nell's house! It was soo good; and a very filling soup that is even edible for Weight Watchers. Thankfully Aunt Nell shared the recipe with me and I made it earlier this week.



Taco Soup
1 lb extra lean ground beef
1 onion, chopped
3 cans (15.5 oz) chili beans-undrained
1 can (14.5 oz) corn-undrained
1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1 1/2 cups water

Brown beef and onions, drain. Add all remaining ingredients, stir, bring to boil, simmer on medium-low for 5 minutes.
Top with cheese and sour cream.

12 servings
1 cup per serving

Bits and Pieces

Remember I'm linking up with my friend Erica at style of a songbird

New light fixture in the dining room

Enjoyed homemade taco soup for dinner with Dad and Deanna
(not the best picture; but ooooo soooo yummy!)

Saw a deer while leaving work

Booked a Stampin' Up party!

More wedding details; purchased some photobooth props!

Happy Friday everyone!

Game Count

In my haste to get my blog posted on Tuesday Kristyn brought to my attention that I didn't include a count of all my games!

Sorry to keep you all hanging.

Counting them proved to be a bit difficult. Sometimes they get a little out of hand on the shelving; especially from bringing them to and from other various game nights!

Drum roll please......
Total of 159 games! Wow!



I really need to reorganize all of them. Maybe that should be a project for next week! I'll take some pictures for you to see too!

Yogurt Freeze!

Over the weekend I decided to try out a new recipe:

Nilla-Yogurt Freeze treats! They were so yummy that I ended up making them twice already! I adapted the recipe a bit to make it Weight Watchers friendly and to make it for multiple people!

This is what I used:

Ingredients:

32 Reduced Fat NILLA Wafers

1 cup thawed fat free cool whip whipped topping

2 containers (6 oz.) strawberry low-fat yogurt

Preparation:

PLACE 16 wafers in paper-lined muffin cups

MIX cool whip and yogurt

COVER the wafer with the yogurt mixture (I used an everyday kitchen spoon and added a heaping spoon full over each wafer- at the end I had a bit left, so I evenly added to each muffin cup until the mixture was gone) 

TOP with remaining 16 wafers

FREEZE 1 hour or until firm.

Super yummy and refreshing dessert! I suggest you try them! Feel free to change up the flavor of yogurt to get different results too!

Enjoy!

Game Mania

If you missed my first Game Mania post you can view it here.

My friends and I LOVE games. If time and schedules allowed it, I'm sure we would game multiple times each week.

I mentioned in my first Game Mania post that I have a ton of games. To prove that point; I decided it was time to count and reorganize them. Guess what?!? I own ___ games! Can you believe it? I was a bit shocked to see the actual number. My dad mentioned that I should see if I could break a world record for the most games. Sadly, I don't think I will ever be the record holder. See why here.


This is one of my all time favorite card games...


Skip-bo is a very versatile game; you can play with groups of two or more, and you can vary the length of the game depending on how many cards are dealt. It's always a bit easier when you get skip-bo cards which you can use as a wild.

Skip-bo is a great, low cost game that game lovers of all ages will enjoy. Need a present for a stocking stuffer? Skip-bo might be the way to go!

Which do you tend to prefer...card games or board games?

More Weekend fun!

This weekend was super busy; but super fun!

Friday night kicked off with Game Night!

Saturday I went to a candle party

(visit Kelly's page here)

and celebrated the marriage of my friend Megan!

Sunday I accomplished a lot around the house, had family over for lunch, attended a bridal show and went out to dinner with Brent's family. I made these yummy treats for dessert (I'll be posting the recipe later this week!)

Busy week ahead, but looking forward to it!

What did you do over the weekend? Anything fun and exciting?

Happy Monday everyone!

Bits and Pieces

Happy Friday!

Here are my Bits and Pieces from the week

1. Celebrating the life of my 'Uncle' Lawerence
2. Enjoying an hour long massage from CM Massage
3. Enjoying a lunch hour walk with my boss. We enjoyed the beautiful fall leaves (even if it was a bit windy!)
4. Meeting with out DJ to go over wedding plans! yay!
5. I was selected by House Party to be a host for Battle of the Sexes Game Night. I can't wait for tonight!

Looking forward to a great weekend after this crazy week!
What were some of your bits and pieces of the week?

Thrifty Thursday

Who doesn't love a good deal?

My friends, family and co-workers often joke with me about how much money I save by finding good deals, shopping clearance, going to yard sales, using coupons and visiting thrift stores. I can't help it! I love it when I score a good deal!

One of my favorite places to visit is the Meijer Outlet! Meijer Outlet you might say?!? It's a little hidden gem in Grand Rapids that most people in West Michigan don't even know about. It's located at 4677 Alpine Avenue NW Comstock Park Mi 49321.

Hours:
Monday- Saturday: 9 am until 9 pm
Sunday: noon until 5 pm

They receive merchandise from various Meijer stores and sell it at discounted prices. I've scored multiple Christmas and Birthday presents; as well as goodies for my own home!

Keep these things in mind if you go visit:
1. Don't have a specific shopping list in hand when you go- it's not likely that you will be able to find it- however have a general list in mind (ie. Birthday gift for Mike) and you're more likely to reap success
2. The store can be somewhat crowded at times- be patient
3. Some items are tossed in bins- sometimes you have to dig to find treasures- but that's half the fun- right?!?
4. Not all items have the current price marked on the item- be sure to read the signs- often times things will get marked down an additional 50%
5. The sign outside of the store isn't a typical Meijer sign- it says Thrifty Outlet (check out the picture below!)

Have fun! Once you visit- you'll definitely want to make multiple return visits!

Do you have a favorite place to save money?

More Wedding Bliss

In my last wedding post I realized I forgot to include some details pertaining to my wedding.

More details:

Hair done by Amber at Focus Salon


Brainstorming still on ideas for table centerpieces.

Going dress shopping later this month at Becker's Bridal


Still working on invitations; although we might work with an etsy vendor to create our own :) Love etsy! Let me know if you are on etsy too; we can join circles!

I found a few fun card boxes on pinterest and had talked to Brent about making one. However I found this one over the weekend at Jo-ann's. It looks like it's the easier way to go. Brent will just be modifying it to fit our needs. (hopefully they have it here in Michigan since I saw it when I was in Indiana!)

Decor is still up in the air. Will have more thoughts as it gets closer.

Photo Booth from Little Black Booth

My sister, Ariana and I tried them out at a bridal show I won tickets to a few weeks back.

We are still discussing options for the honeymoon :)

Anything I'm missing that you are curious to know about?

Game Mania

As a lover of board games, card games and everything in between, I thought it would be fun to do a weekly game feature. Last time I counted I had over 100 games; and that was 3 years ago. It's probably time for me to count again! I will feature either games I own, or games I have played.

First feature....Ticket to Ride

Thanks to my friend Kristyn for introducing me to this game! It's so much fun!
The picture shown above is the original game but they also have Ticket to Ride Europe, Nordic Countries, Germany, card game, Map Collection (Asia, India and Africa) as well as other numerous expansions. You can check out more details here.

The object is to complete destination cards by collect train cards (pictured on the right below) and playing them to fulfill a track between two cities. You get points from both completing a track and finishing a destination. It's somewhat strategy (especially if you are playing with 4 or 5 people), but somewhat luck (based on the destination cards you draw).

The game is easy to set up and quick to play! If you are considering the game; it's worth the price tag. Trust me, you won't be sorry! I can't wait to try out more of the Ticket to Ride games too!

What about you? Are you someone who enjoys games? What is your favorite game? Any games you are curious to know about? Let me know! I'd love to hear from you!

Weekend Fun!

Brent and I traveled to Indy (well technically New Whiteland, IN) to visit my best friend Sara and her husband David. It rained most of the drive down; and we managed to hit I-465 at rush hour- not good news! But we made it in one piece!

We ate yummy dinners

Played fun games!

And visited an apple orchard where we visited the animals, enjoyed some apple dumplings and took some fun pictures!

Weekends visiting Sara and David are always a ton of fun. It's always sad when we have to leave and come back home to reality! Thanks Sara and David for an awesome weekend!

Bits and Pieces

I'm linking up with Erica for this weekly post on Fridays.

I've been following my friend Erica's blog for quite some time now. She has become my mentor to this new and crazy blog world as I try to find my way! I always loved her Friday posts listing her top five things, or bits and pieces from the week, so I thought I would follow suit!

1. Leaves changing colors

2. A nice hot shower; hopefully helping my headache :(




3. Going to visit my best friend Sara today!


4. Met with our reception venue to go over more details! (yay wedding!)


5. The little joys; a working light switch in my bedroom that you don't have to flip 5 times for it to work! (thanks Brent!)