Sweet Simplicity

Bumpdate: 16 & 17 weeks

2012-02-12T15:56:00.003-06:00

How Far Along: 17 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 4 lbs

Maternity Clothes: All maternity pants. Dresses and tops are still regular.

Gender: ??? Two more weeks!

Movement: Not yet.

Sleep: Needing less and less (still 8 hours though). It is so nice to have some energy back!

What I miss: Nothing really.

Cravings: Still with the Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch.

Other crazy symptoms: I still have the occasional headache and the newest thing is heart palpitations. My heart races at night before I fall asleep. It's all that extra blood flowing through me! I have had a very easy pregnancy so far and I'm so thankful for that. Hopefully, that continues!

Best Moment this week: Ty and I visited a couple of baby superstores over the last two weeks and I love how interested he is in everything. Holy cow, there are so many options for everything!

A Thank You and Goodbye

2012-02-07T06:47:00.000-06:00

After a couple of years of designing blogs I have decided to close up shop. I am SO appreciative of all of the support I have received! I have discovered a lot of great blogs and had a chance to be creative. I never used to think of myself as a creative person and Sweet Simplicity Designs helped me grow in that area.

With a baby on the way, I know I will not have the time to devote to it. But, really I had become burnt out on it a little before the baby. Blog designing and installing is extremely time consuming and I found it taking up a big chunk of my evenings and weekends.

As a thank you to everyone for sending clients to me and for encouraging me along the way I am going to be giving away two pre-made design templates. The templates can be viewed here. To enter the giveaway, please leave a comment below.

Bumpdate: 15 weeks

2012-01-30T18:50:00.003-06:00

How Far Along: 15 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 4 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I'm an in-betweener. I have worn maternity dress pants for two days and they tend to slide down a little, but worth having to pull them up. Much more comfortable.

Gender: ??? I think Ty is ready to find out just so I'll quit talking about wanting to know. I may or may not talk about it a lot.

Movement: Not yet.

Sleep: I've been falling asleep in the living room around 8:30 and slowly dragging myself to my bed.

What I miss: HOT baths. I was never really a bath person, but this house has a big whirlpool tub and I love it. Although, I don't really bathe in it. It's more for relaxation. I have to wash my

hair in the shower.

Cravings: Peanut Butter Cap'n Crunch. I cannot get enough!

Other crazy symptoms: Pregnancy congestion--apparently it is a real thing. It was in one of my books, so that must make it true. :)

Best Moment this week: Remember last week's best moment...I worked out three times. Yeah, that didn't happen this week. At all. I was pretty tired every evening. Nothing real special this week. Just happy to be pregnant with this little sweet pea!

Bumpdate: 14 weeks

2012-01-23T07:08:00.004-06:00

I didn't think I was going to have a photo for this week, but then I remembered that I snapped this one with my phone. My first time to show the bump off at work. :)
With Ty's schedule he leaves before I'm out of bed & gets home after me. The first thing I do when I get home is change into comfy clothes, where you can't see the bump. He had to work a 24 hour (plus) shift on Saturday/Sunday, so no picture.

How Far Along: 14 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 3 lbs

Maternity Clothes: I'm in an awkward stage of my regular pants getting uncomfortable and maternity clothes being too big. Still wearing the bella band.

Gender: ???

Movement: Not yet.

Sleep: I still like to go to bed around 9-9:30, but I have a lot more energy now.

What I miss: Feeling skinny. :) I have a small bump, but I feel more chunky than pregnant. It probably has something to do with nothing fitting the way it used to, but not being able to wear maternity pants yet.

Cravings: Still nothing real strong. I'm kind of disappointed by this. I thought I would be having weird, off the wall cravings. haha. I have been really hungry this week and can't even make it through the night without waking up and getting snack to tide me over.

Other crazy symptoms: I am still experiencing headaches and sciatica pain, but not as bad as last week. I can tell my belly is stretching and growing by the weird pains I've been having. They aren't really pains, though, just uncomfortable.

Best Moment this week: Having enough energy to work out three times!

Bumpdate: 13 weeks

2012-01-17T20:35:00.004-06:00

How Far Along: 13 weeks

Total Weight Gain: 2-3 lbs. It fluctuates each morning.

Maternity Clothes: Wore the bella band for the first time and I love that thing. The jeans in the pic above are maternity. I only have a couple of pairs of regular jeans that are still comfortable. Definitely more of a bump this week!

Gender: ???

Movement: Not yet.

Sleep: Still can't get enough, but I'm not as exhausted as I once was.

What I miss: Nothing really. Well, maybe not getting headaches. They are never ending.

Cravings: I haven't had any strong, must-have-it now cravings, but I did eat nachos covered in jalapeno juice at the movies on Sunday. (I don't like the actual jalaps.) I could definitely eat some more of those!

Other crazy symptoms: Headaches! I am experiencing some sciatica pain. It hurts to sit at work for very long. Stretching has helped and I've had Ty and Megan, a student, work on me some. Pregnancy is such a wonderful thing, but it is also crazy what it does to your body. I think it is so interesting.

Best Moment this week: It was a good week and I have several good moments.
-I had a test done on Monday where they did some measurements via an ultrasound. I got to watch my baby on the big screen for 15 minutes. It was precious!
-I had a couple of students ask if they could throw me a shower at the school. Um, yes! I was so excited/flattered that they wanted to do that for me and the baby!
-Ty got to come to a doctor's appointment. I didn't think we would get to see the little sweet pea, but the doctor walked in with his handheld ultrasound machine. Ty saw our baby for the first time!

jumbled thoughts

2012-01-12T14:19:00.003-06:00

Thank you all so, so, so much for your kind words and your congratulations on our exciting news! Each and everyone of them made my day.
Several people have asked how Chesley is doing...She had a successful surgery and is now recovering at her parents' house. She will be there until February and while it will be a slow recovery, she is in good spirits! I can't wait for her to be back in the same town as me.
We got snow last night! Nothing major and it didn't stick. I love how people (Ty & I) turn into little kids when it snows. There is something so exciting about it!
I have made quite a few recipes that I have found on Pinterest lately. All of these recipes will be making it into our rotation.

Here are a few of the recent hits!

Roasted Parmesan Green Beans

Source: skinnytaste.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Bacon, Egg, Avocado and Tomato Salad
(I had no idea it was so difficult to boil an egg! This recipe is definitely worth trying to figure that part out. Make this and make it soon. Delish!)

Source: Uploaded by user via Lindsey on Pinterest

Baked Chicken Taquitos

Source: tulsadetails.blogspot.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Chipotle Chicken Cups
I had never cooked with wonton wrappers before and I had no idea what I was missing out on. It was so easy and very good!

Source: reduceheatandsimmer.blogspot.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Another Skinny Taste recipe--love that site.
Spicy Shrimp Fried Rice

Source: skinnytaste.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

HANA hair dryer

2012-01-12T13:52:00.003-06:00

I was contacted by Misikko.com about possibly reviewing one of their hair products. I, of course, said yes! They sent me the HANA Air Premiere Hair Dryer, along with a bunch of other goodies including some shine serum and an eyelash curler.

This is what my pretty package looked like!

Misikko sells some of the best blow dryers, flat irons, and other great products including Chi hair products. It is a great selection of professional styling tools!

I have heard of people using more expensive hair dryers and loving them, but with my fine hair I just didn't think it was necessary or would really give me any results. It seemed like the people using the expensive ones had really thick hair. The first time I used the hair dryer I was impressed with the amount of power it had. It was like Tim from Home Improvement had gotten a hold of it and had actually gotten it right for once. It dried my hair pretty fast, but then again, it doesn't take a long time for my hair to dry with a drugstore hair dryer. I would be curious to see how much faster it dries really thick hair. The thing I noticed the most was after I was done drying I didn't need to use my flat iron to smooth things out. My hair also had more shine. You can look at my last post to see what my hair looked like after I had used it.

The HANA dryer did seem to weigh a little bit more than my drugstore dryer, but maybe that is because of all the power it has. Another nice feature of the dryer is the cold button. You don't have to old it down the entire time you want to use it. It stays on and is easy to turn back off. The dryer also has an extremely long cord, which can be useful depending on where your outlet is located.

All in all, I do think this dryer is much better than the drugstore brands. I am more than happy to continue using it and would definitely recommend it to those of you out there that dread the long process of blow drying.

Bumpdate: 12 weeks

2012-01-09T07:18:00.001-06:00

How Far Along: 12 weeks, 5 days

Total Weight Gain/Loss: After seeing the difference on the scale at the doctor's office from two appointments two weeks apart, I invested in a good scale. I have gained 2 lbs, but it feels like more than that. I'm not sure how much of that bump above is a bump or just bloating.

Maternity Clothes: Not yet. Let's just say things are starting to get tight. Ty put a bella band in my stocking and I think I will be busting it out this week.

Gender: No idea. I don't have a feeling either way.

Movement: Not yet.

Sleep: I can't get enough!

What I miss: Energy! Every once in a while I will want a Mt. Dew, but now that I've told the lady in the bookstore that I'm pregnant I can't bring myself to give into the craving and have her judge my caffeine intake. ha!

Cravings: I don't have any specific cravings, although Saturday night at Charleston's I scarfed down a salad like I hadn't eaten in days. I could definitely go for another one of those!

Best Moment this week: Having enough energy yesterday to clean the house after church. It was like a first trimester miracle!

Other random symptoms from the past couple of months: I want to be able to remember these details.
-I can hardly sit at work my butt hurts so bad. This is a complaint my family is used to hearing from long car rides, but I sit at work for two hours and feel like I'm going to die. It is the weirdest thing.
-I got to hear the heartbeat at 7 weeks. What an amazing sound! I thought I would cry, but I just kept smiling. It was such a relief. I was truly pregnant. There really was a baby growing inside me. Baby's heart rate was 127.
-I hope that Ty will be able to make it to a few appointments, but I really can't count on that. I thought I would be more upset about it, but the reality is that is just our life right now and maybe always. I have always been an independent person, but being married to a medical student and now a surgery resident has made me so much stronger. Luckily, Chesley was able to go with me to the appointment, so I did not have to go alone. She is a great friend!
-I could care less about sweets. WHO AM I??
-From the moment I found out I was pregnant there hasn't been a night that I've slept straight
through without having to get up to use the bathroom.
-I have grown quite a bit, ahem, up top.
-I get full really fast. It's too bad, because I really want to keep eating. :)
-A weeks or so of semi-bad nausea and random waves of nausea here and there. I haven't actually gotten sick once. I am considering myself a very lucky lady. The nausea is disappearing for the most part.
-My sense of smell has been strong since almost the day I found out I was pregnant, then allergies hit and I can't smell much.

...

2012-01-04T06:44:00.000-06:00

prayers requested

2011-12-27T14:41:00.002-06:00

Not too long ago I wrote about my best friend, Chesley having a heart cath done. Unfortunately, when they got in there to repair the hole it was much bigger than they had originally thought. The surgeon recommended open heart surgery and she will have that done tomorrow. I am praying that God provides her with comfort and peace. I am praying for the doctors and nurses. I am praying for a speedy as possible recovery. I am praying that her heart gets healed.

Chesley is everything you could want in a best friend and I hate that she is having to go through all of this. It has been a stressful few months for her, but she never fails to ask how things are going with me. I won't be able to be at the hospital tomorrow, but I will be making a trip down there in the next couple of days. (She is having the surgery done closer to her hometown.)

I love you, friend!

2011-12-12T06:14:00.002-06:00

There is something so magical about turning down all the lights and seeing twinkling Christmas lights while lounging at home. There is also something magical about all the Christmas shopping being complete! We finished up this weekend and are just waiting for a few gifts to arrive in the mail. I love the shopping part, but I don't like to be looking for the perfect gift too close to the big day. Something about crowds or being worried about shipping.

I had the hardest time finding stocking holders that I liked. I ended up buying flat ones at Target and then purchasing the little trees wrapped in burlap from there too. Someone remind me to remove the tags later, mmmmkay?

No trip to the mall is complete without a cookie from the Great American Cookie Factory.

This is how Nuts and I spent the majority of our weekend.

I did go to Jane's for a fun girls get together and Ty and I did have a date night. So, I guess I didn't lay around all weekend. It had been way too long since we had gone on a date and we had such a good time. I know I see Ty almost every day, but I sure do miss that man. Quality time together is limited and I love it when he is all mine.

I also made these gluten free cookies for Jane's party. She recently went GF and I decided to try this recipe out. It was delish and I'll be making them for my Mom soon! Pinterest has some great gluten free products and recipes.

Source: divine-baking.com via Lindsey on Pinteres

furniture!

2011-11-30T06:27:00.000-06:00

We have real furniture! This is our first big furniture purchase and we couldn't be more pleased. The majority of our furniture has been hand me downs, craigslist purchases or gifts. We really don't have that many pieces, which made moving easy!

It is a dark wood, but shows up a little darker in pictures than it is in person. We bought the bed, two nightstands, and a long dresser. It really fills up the space. Next up, king size bedding! Slowly, but surely is the motto I keep repeating to myself.

Ty finally got to fish in the pond across from our house. He was a happy man.

Williams-Sonoma is selling small candy bar sizes of their famous peppermint bark. YUMMY!

I have broken this Stella & Dot necklace twice. The first time it broke I took it to a local jeweler (who didn't charge me for the repair! score!) and the second time I got creative.

I made roasted chickpeas for the first time.

Such a good, healthy snack! Recipe here, but I did read some of the reviews and made some changes, like dry roasting them for a while before putting on the oil and seasonings and then roasting for about 15 min more.

Orange is...

2011-11-18T20:39:00.007-06:00

OSU experienced a tragedy last night, losing two of our women's basketball coaches, along with two others, in an airplane crash. My thoughts and prayers are with their families and players. I am so proud of my school and not because we are ranked #2 in football, although that is great. It is the people and the environment that they create.

I have seen a lot of these posts on facebook and I decided to do my own.

Orange is that day that you moved into a sorority house with 50+ girls. It’s meeting those friends that would stick with you for life. It's "don't look at the arc", house decks and walk-arounds. It’s wearing orange the Friday before the first game & every Friday after that. It’s KURT BUDKE, MIRANDA SERNA, Barry Sanders, John Smith, Garth Brooks, Mike Gundy, Eddie Sutton...it’s you...... and me.

Orange is putting your arm around the shoulder of the stranger next to you to sing the Alma Mater. It’s making the switch to saying “Power” instead of “Orange.” It’s remembering Lewis Field & admiring Boone Pickens Stadium.

It’s knowing that it’s left hand up to make an “S.” Orange is when it’s good for a Cowboy First Down and Ten. Orange is Pistols Firing – Touchdown Oklahoma State. It’s “...O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A Oklahoma STATE” no matter where you are when the state song is played. It’s the big smile on your face when you walk past the orange fountain.

It’s getting engaged at Theta Pond and getting married to your best friend on campus. It's working for your alma mater and loving every minute of it. It’s a cabinet full of Joe’s cups. Orange is knowing that it’s time to go home when you hear “New York, New York” or “Shoulda Been a Cowboy.” Orange is wanting to get out of Stillwater for four years & spending the rest of your life wanting to go back.

Proud and Immortal,
Bright shines your name.
Oklahoma State,
We herald your fame.
Ever you’ll find us,
Loyal and true.
To our Alma Mater
O – S – U!!!

At a recruiting event on Monday in Stillwater.

birthdays

2011-11-17T06:33:00.000-06:00

Our nephew, Nathan, turned three on Tuesday and had his party this past weekend. We weren't able to go home for it, but I know my sister-in-law threw a great party. I created the invitations and stationery for Nathan's party.

It is a great month for birthdays and I celebrated the big 2-7 last week. I had a great birthday!

Ty took me shopping and bought me these shoes. They are much cuter in person than in the picture and they are extremely comfortable! My mom bought them in black and I'm thinking I may need the black pair too. Go to Dillard's and check them out in person. The photo does not do them justice. We went to dinner at Mi Cocina, which I think is going to be my birthday tradition. We went last year on my b-day when we were in Dallas. We celebrated my birthday a couple of days before the actual day due to work schedules. Chesley took me to lunch on my actual birthday and then my mom, sister and nephew came up that next weekend to celebrate. I'm a lucky girl!

2011-11-14T06:15:00.002-06:00

My best friend found out a couple of months ago that she had a heart condition, arterial septum defect. We have the same gynecologist--love him, and he heard it and sent her to a cardiologist. Thank goodness, he is so thorough with his exams.

Chesley had a heart cath done a month ago to determine the size of the hole and I'm sure some other technical stuff. This afternoon she will have another heart cath done to repair her heart. I am praying for very specific things this morning: I am praying that the doctor ordered the right size part and that everything will go smoothly, so that she does not have to have this done again. I am praying that the anesthesia is much better this time. I am praying for a much smoother recovery than last time.

Love you, friend!

fun, fun, fun

2011-11-13T19:40:00.003-06:00

Ty was on call this weekend. When he first told me he would have call weekends, I thought that meant he would wear a pager all weekend, but still be with me for the most part. NOTSOMUCH. He worked all week, all day Friday (obvs) and all night Friday night getting home on Saturday after 12:30. That one long shift! He had the rest of the day Saturday to recover and then worked all day today. Poor guy is tired! I heard two great compliments about Ty on Friday from two different students, saying that they had heard how great of a resident he was and how nice he was. Made me swell with pride. :)

With Ty on call this weekend, I made lots of plans. I hosted a Scentsy party through Megan and had several girls over--Jane, Lynn, Ashley, Katie, and Chesley. We had SO much fun! I promised I would share a couple of recipes that I made for the party:
Chili's Chicken Enchilada Soup and Fruit Salsa. (I didn't make the cinnamon chips. You can buy cinnamon pita chips at Target.)

My mom, sister and Mason also came up this weekend. I meant to have my mom take a picture of all of us girls at the Scentsy party, but alas I forgot. Don't worry there are plenty of pictures of Mason!

Testing out the sink in my laundry room:

I love little ones in their jammies.

Such a good little shopper

We rented the stroller from the mall and the steering wheel kept him somewhat entertained.

He wasn't so sure about the carousel at first, but then he loved it!

I'm so glad they got to come up this weekend!

settling in

2011-11-04T17:49:00.002-05:00

Thank y'all for all your sweet comments on our new house! Things are finally start to settle down here and we are settling in. We moved in on a Friday afternoon and it all went smoothly. Ty actually got off a little early and was able to help carry the last thing off the truck--the washing machine. My little brother came up to help us move. After everything was unloaded we took him to eat at Fat Guy's Burgers and watched the baseball game.

Ty worked the night shift Saturday and Sunday and then, I left for Orlando for a conference early Monday morning. I did not want to go on this trip. I wanted to stay home and adjust to the new house and spend time with Ty. One good thing about my trip was I got to meet Melissa from For the Love and her cute, little girl, Blaire. Melissa was so sweet and took me to lunch and bought me the cutest new home Christmas ornament and a great new tumbler with a straw. I love those cups!

I am back home now and Ty has the weekend off. We have some fun plans! (And some unpacking to do!) October was pretty stressful for us and I am welcoming November with open arms. It's my birthday month, we are going on a mini vacay, and we get to spend time with our families at Thanksgiving. Yay for November!

This is the view from my living room window. I can also see this when standing in the kitchen.

I'm so excited to have pretty fall leaves in my back yard!

I can't not share this picture of my cute nephew dressed up for Halloween! I can't wait to see pictures of my other nephews and niece. (That's a big hint to my sister-in-laws.) :)

la casa

2011-10-28T10:41:00.003-05:00

This has been a pretty stressful selling and buying process and we are so glad today is moving day! Unfortunately, Ty was not able to switch shifts with anyone at work. We had some great friends help me load up the U-Haul last night and more friends will help me unload later today. We feel incredibly blessed and thankful for all of the help we have received! I will be signing double time this afternoon at closing, since Ty can't be there. Thankfully, our Power of Attorney was approved and I'll sign for him and for me.

We were able to pre-sign on our current home, so we don't have to be there for that closing.
The last bit of paperwork was completed an hour ago, so it looks like this is all really going to happen! Yay!

Now for the good stuff! House pictures! These photos were the ones used in the listing.

I'm getting my dream kitchen: white cabinets, wood floors, dark granite. SO excited!

I love the front door! It is beautiful wood.

Can you guess which sink is going to be mine?

The long one has a cut out for a vanity seat.

another living room shot

master bedroom. see the doggy door? I'm curious to see if Nuts will use it.

I have a feeling he will be scared of it. haha. If so, the owners left the original door and we will replace it.

I'm excited to try out the convection oven to see if it really does cook better.

We hope to get some good use out of this patio.

The yards are tiny and we are thrilled. I'll be doing the majority of the lawn maintenance, since Ty works so much and it will be so easy! Or he can do it because it won't take very long.

Our new refrigerator should be delivered tomorrow morning and then we will be set! Well, other than all that new furniture we are dreaming about. :)

my little guys & etsy

2011-10-25T18:37:00.001-05:00

A weekend at home is not complete without several pictures of the little guys in my life.

Nathan in his cool shades.

My sister, brother and I had one of these motorized jeeps growing up and we loved it!

Hi Wade!

Don't you just love the little shirt Mason is wearing? I found it on Etsy and thought it was adorable. I'm not a huge fan of babies/toddlers in sports clothes. Not sure why. It's just not my style. But I couldn't pass this one up!

Mason's was done in red and the seller added his name below the truck. via KY Girls Crafts
You can ask for the truck to be in any color to match your favorite team.

I've actually been meaning to do a post on my recent (last 6 months) etsy purchases. I love discovering fun things on there to buy as presents.

Bought this mousepad for my sister in turquoise and brown

via Rogue&CO
I would love to have some of their coasters for our new house!

Melamine plates for our niece and one of our nephews. Loved having a plate with my name on it as a kid. Hopefully, they do too!

I just loved the polka dot wrapping paper I used for Lillian's plate.

via Simply Stella

via Raspberry Bowtique

Cute Alligator Hat

via Bella Tu Designs

Letterpress Birthday cards, write in the name

via TheSparkCollective

Baby gowns for my favorite twins

And bloomers!

gowns and bloomers via Graysie Bug's Boutique

Speaking of Knox and Sloane, I have to share these boston terrier onesies I made them inspired by their doggie, Elton

Have you found anything great on etsy lately?

2011-10-23T18:33:00.002-05:00

I went to a wedding this weekend for a sweet friend from college, Joy. When I decided to transfer colleges after my freshman year, Joy was one of the first people Ty introduced me to. They had become friends through church and he just knew we would be good friends. Joy is one of my most kind and genuine friends and I was so happy to be there on her big day. Unfortunately, Ty had to work this weekend and had to miss the happy event.

Ready to be carried down the aisle by the ring bearers and flower girls

The ceremony

Joy had her sister stand beside her at the altar and James had his dad stand beside him. I thought that was so sweet.

Joy had special ladies from her life bring a few desserts as a way to be a part of the wedding.

The ring bearers and flower girls, along with the bride all wore toms. The flower girls wore silver sequins ones. So cute and so Joy!

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Several of you asked where I got the templates for the covers of the recipe binders I made. I actually designed the covers myself in Adobe Illustrator. Thanks for all the compliments on them!

wedding gifts: a personal touch

2011-10-20T06:55:00.003-05:00

Two of my dear friends are getting or already got married this month. One was last weekend and the other is this coming weekend. I bought them each gifts off of their registries, but decided to get a little creative with part of their presents.

When Ty and I first got married I had no clue what I was going to make for dinner every night. I would spend hours surfing through allrecipes.com. I eventually built up a binder of tried and true recipes mostly found on websites. Now, I have my favorite recipe blogs to supply me with new, scrumptious recipes. I got married right after college graduation, so cooking every night was new to me. (I lived in a sorority house for two years with a cook and only one semester on my own in an apt.)

I thought I would pass something similar onto my friends, Joy and Kelsey. I took a white binder and made inserts for the cover, sides, and back with their new monograms. I printed all my favorite recipes and put them in sleeves to protect them while cooking. I also wrote a few notes on some of the recipes and included a letter to each friend at the front of the binder. I hope this is something that they can get good use out of and add new recipes to it as well.

I forgot to take a picture of Kelsey's before I gave it to her, but this is what her front cover looked like:

I have already had one friend tell me that she wants one of these for her wedding. ha. I hope that these binders help them create lots of happy memories in the kitchen.

wedding details

2011-10-18T06:13:00.002-05:00

This past weekend Ty and I headed out of town for a sorority sister and dear friend's wedding. The ceremony and reception were on the groom's family's land and it made for a gorgeous setting. I loved every little detail of this wedding. It was such a fun, casual, and meaningful event!

I love weddings and all the details involved, so be prepared for a picture overload.

They had the cutest signs pointing us in the right direction. I had to take this as we were leaving, because there were too many cars behind us on the way in to stop and snap a picture.

The curly willow branches, the moss letters, white pumpkins--love it all.

the programs

Kelsey and her dad drove up in the cutest car.

The only picture I got of her with her bouquet. haha. darn photographers.

Do you see her cowboy boots poking out? :)

the ceremony seating with vintage quilts

Congratulations Josh & Kelsey!

Reception photos:

Love this detail, especially with the wedding date burlap pillow

table centerpieces

groom's cake

Kelsey added straps to her gown for the reception.

Loved Chesley's bridesmaids updo

There was a lot of food at the reception and they even had a bonfire with s'mores. yum!

I could not get rid of our red eyes on flickr, so you get b&w.

randoms

2011-10-12T06:43:00.001-05:00

Let the moving countdown begin! 2 weeks!
We have been packing a little every night and unfortunately, I'm the slowest packer ever. Must get faster.
I left my camera at my parents house a couple of weeks ago. My dad came up last weekend and brought it to me. Now, I can't find the charger. Of course! I placed an order for a new one and it should be here soon.
We are obsessed with these chips and salsa. I basically inhale them. It's a pretty sight.

Ty and I went to a burger joint called Fat Guy's Burgers last week and I can not stop thinking about the goodness that was the bacon cheeseburger. Quite possibly the best burger I have ever had. They also have great fries with a lot of different dipping sauces.
I like food. A lot.
Ty is on trauma surgery this month and like every month he is extremely busy.
Let's not talk about the fact that he is scheduled to work on our closing date and can't find anyone to switch with him. Surely, he will be able to leave for an hour.
I can't talk about it anymore. My heart is beating fast and my palms are sweating just thinking about it.
I am in the thick of things at work for our admissions cycle. I read application after application until my eyes go cross.
And so this post doesn't completely bore you to death. Here are some of my recent pins:

Nuts needs this!

Source: etsy.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

On my birthday wish list

Source: shop.nordstrom.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

Love this DIY idea to spice up plain roller shades. I have the same curtains in my dining room and love them.

Source: brooklynlimestone.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

dog show

2011-10-04T06:17:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday one of our student clubs hosted a dog show. It was a very casual and relaxed show. Thank goodness, because Nuts has zero tricks and we really entered, so Nuts could play with other dogs.

Ty worked all weekend. And I do mean all weekend. Poor guy was at the hospital by 6 every morning and home around 9-9:30 every night. He is on trauma surgery this month and it looks like he will be working a lot. Since Ty was working, I convinced Chesley to attend the dog show with me.

Forcing Nuts to take a break. He was a wild man and wanted to greet every dog there.

Nuts loved Lucy!

Crepes for lunch

We sat outside to enjoy the beautiful weather.

The owner made Nuts a pup crepe. He scarfed that thing down.

I am loving this fall weather and trying to take full advantage of it!

We have home inspections on the house we are buying this afternoon. Fingers crossed that everything looks good!

family

2011-09-27T17:50:00.002-05:00

This past weekend Ty and I went home to see our families. Ty took Step 3 boards on Thursday and had Friday off, so I took off from work and we headed home for a long weekend. We had so much fun with our families and all the little ones kept us entertained.

Mason "helping" me bake cupcakes.

My mom watches my nephew and one of Ty's nephews on Fridays so we got to spend time with both of them. I gave Wade a little dollop of icing and he decided to dip his puffs in it. haha.

Things are so fun at grandma's house!

Saturday morning 4-wheeler ride
Ty and Nathan

We trimmed Nuts' nails and cut a little too far on one of them and had to take him up the clinic to get something to help stop the bleeding. Thank goodness there are 3 veterinarians in the family!

We spent Saturday afternoon at Ty's sister and brother-in-law's house to watch the OSU game. We love going over there and Brent made the best ribs. yummy.

A little football during half-time
Ty and Lucas

Lillian looks so cute with that big bow!

Lillian and I had a dance party during the game. I'm kinda embarrassed to admit this, but my calves were a little sore next day. haha.

It was so nice to go home for a few days. Now it's time for everyone to come visit us! :)

snail mail

2011-09-21T14:16:00.000-05:00

I love getting mail and our mailbox has been overflowing lately with invites, thank you cards, and birth announcements. I have them all lined up on the windowsill. I love pretty paper and all of these people and occasions are so special.

Speaking of pretty paper, Megan gifted me with these adorable note cards. I love them!

sale!

2011-09-20T21:29:00.002-05:00

I went through my closet several months ago before my mom and Ty's mom had their own garage sales. I got rid of a lot of things, but not enough. You know those items you just can't get rid of for whatever reason...I seem to have an abundance of those things. It is time to purge.

These jeans are in excellent condition and I love the color of them, which is probably why I have held onto them for so long. They never really fit me right.

Citizens of Humanity, Ingrid, sz 27
$65, free shipping!

Please e-mail me at sweetsimplicityblog@gmail.com if you are interested in purchasing.

the weekend

2011-09-18T19:49:00.003-05:00

We spent Friday evening and Saturday looking at houses and we think we have it narrowed down to two homes. There will be a second look at both of them Monday evening. I don't think we can really make a bad choice with either one of them.

Saturday evening I had a personal shower/bachelorette party to attend for a good friend and sorority sister from college. I was so happy to spend the evening celebrating Kelsey.

The shower set-up was so cute!

The start time for the OSU game was late--9 pm, then it was delayed due to weather. Nuts and I were waiting for it to start.

It finally started after midnight and finished sometime after 3 am. That is crazy!
We could not stay up that late! We're such old fogies.

updates

2011-09-13T20:56:00.001-05:00

Ty and I took dinner over to Megan & Brent's Saturday night. We had a great time hanging out and cuddling cute babies.

Knox is snug as a bug!

Ty with Miss Sloane

I bought extra large tips from Bakers Bling on etsy and have been wanting to try them out. We had a church luncheon on Sunday and our part of the alphabet was assigned desserts. The church luncheon combined with taking food to Megan was the perfect time to bake some cupcakes. I had the brilliant idea to put food coloring in the cake batter. Something went terribly awry and I apparently need to find some directions on how to do this. The insides of the cupcakes turned out great. The outsides turned a crunchy brown. They looked moldy with the blue middle showing through the golden brown in certain places.

Luckily, M & B didn't mind the ugly cupcakes! I thought they were pretty tasty. I didn't dye all the batter and made some mini cupcakes that turned out just fine. I'm in love with the new tips and will be trying them out again very soon!

We received an offer on our house and after several counters, we are under contract with a couple. Time to get moving on finding a new house! AAAGGGHHH!! Thankfully Ty is off this weekend and we will be house hunting. Ty is taking vacation all of next week to study for Step 3 boards and takes his test on Thursday. It is a crazy time around here!

water

2011-09-07T18:01:00.000-05:00

Ty and I love to be near the water. It can be a lake, river, ocean, whatever. We love it all. The water has a calming effect on us and we would love to own a lake house someday.

We took a drive Friday evening to a lake near us and had a picnic.
It was such a relaxing evening.

Ty worked a 24 hour shift on Saturday/Sunday and had to work on Monday, so I was on my own for the weekend. I went to see The Help with Ashley and Jane. The book is my favorite and the movie was so good! The movie really did the book justice and I don't say that very often about books made into movies.

Jane and I stopped by Jessica's to see her new house. It's perfect for their family! Then, I picked up dinner from Pei Wei and ate at the hospital with Ty.

The temperatures really cooled off on Sunday and I'm loving it! The highs this week are in the low 80s. On Monday, I went to the zoo with my aunt, cousins and their little ones. It was a gorgeous day.

I finally figured out the fishtail braid!

It took a lot of youtube videos and a tutorial from Megan's MIL, but it finally clicked. I don't know why it was so difficult for me.
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Thanks for all the comments on my vlog! You guys are so sweet. My favorite comment was from my SIL: Nathan and I watched this and he is loving it! He is like, "I want to see Aunt Lindsey talk!!" I love my little nephews and niece!

accent vlog

2011-09-01T20:05:00.000-05:00

I never thought I would do a vlog, yet here I am, posting a vlog. I've watched several accent vlogs this evening and thought it looked like fun. Here we go...

Of course, my mouth is hanging wide open in the opening shot. beautiful.

The instructions are to say these words:
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:

What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?

What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?

What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?

What do you call gym shoes?

What do you say to address a group of people?

What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?

What do you call your grandparents?

What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?

What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?

What is the thing you change the TV channel with?

From Jenna's Journey

Hellooooooo September!

2011-08-31T07:00:00.000-05:00

I realize that it is not technically, September yet, but just go with me here. The way Ty's first year of residency works is you do 6 months of your specialty (surgery) and 6 months of off service specialties. In July, he was on internal medicine. In August, he was on internal medicine nights. The WHOLE month was nights and he worked his last night shift, last night, so to us it is now September. :) He did get two weekends off, but he spent the majority of that time awake when I was asleep and then asleep when I was awake. It was hard for his body to adjust in that short time period.

This has been a long month for both of us. I would rush home from work to make dinner and see Ty for 30-45 minutes. He worked 13-14 hour shifts and tried to sleep during the day. He was exhausted and our time together was not always quality. He worked 12 shifts in a row, before any time off. I am so impressed with the way he handles being exhausted. I think I would cry every day and unfortunately, make those around me miserable. He always makes time for me and I'm so grateful for that.

I have turned down hanging out with friends, so I can spend time with Ty. I think that most of them understand how important it is for my marriage. I hope that people don't get discouraged by my doing this, and then stop inviting me to things. Divorce rate in residency is extremely high and we are making our marriage a priority. This may mean that I have to rush home from things to spend just 20 minutes with Ty or I have to turn down fun opportunities, because he only gets one weekend off and I want to be there for it. In our situation, we have to make all of our time together count, because we may not get that time again for a long while. Sheesh, that sounds dramatic. But it's true!

I could write for a while on the amount of stress Ty is under or the things I'm doing or not doing, to survive residency. It is only month two of residency and we have a long way to go. I'm so thankful that he is in the same city as me and he is safe. I always think of the military families when I complain about this season of our lives. I know things could be much worse, but I also want to acknowledge the things we are struggling with in our life. I hope this post doesn't sound like a pity party. I just want to remember what this time of our life was like.
I'm also not writing all of this down for sympathy, although I will definitely take it. Just kidding! :)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Nuts and I have been keeping each other entertained in the evenings. One night it was actually cool outside and I took a towel out to the backyard to read and enjoy the weather. I've been keeping Ty entertained at the hospital with pictures and texts.

I got an iPad at work and I'm so excited about it.
Nuts and I were playing around with the photobooth app.

If anyone has any good suggestions for a pdf viewer app that also let you annotate the pdf, please let me know!

sweets for my sweet

2011-08-23T08:59:00.000-05:00

My title should really say sweets for me. I have the worst sweet tooth. Ty will eat them, but he can stop at one chocolate, cupcake, etc. I'm always wanting more.

chocolates from a little chocolate shop downtown

above: champagne chocolates and italian hazlenut
below: sea salted caramels and peanut butter chocolates

I was in the mood to bake something the other day, but it was too hot to use the oven. I remembered those yummy peanut butter chocolates pictured above and decided to make my own. I found several recipes online and combined them into this one.

I only had so much chocolate chips and powdered sugar on hand and I didn't want to make a million peanut butter cups, so I halved the recipe and then halved it again. So if you don't want to make a ton, then use this recipe. I think it made 12-15 cups. I made three large ones, because I ran out of mini liners.

ingredients:

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar, do it to taste
1/2 tbsp butter
1 cup chocolate chips
PAM
mini cupcake liners

Empty the peanut butter into a bowl and stir in the powdered sugar. Mix in the softened butter and set aside. The powdered sugar and butter make the peanut butter incredibly smooth and tasty!

Melt the chocolate in the microwave with a small dollop of crisco. The crisco helps melt the chocolate smoothly. Arrange the cupcake liners in a mini muffin pan or on a baking sheet and spray them with PAM.

Spoon the melted chocolate into the cupcake liners and coat the bottom and sides of the liners the best you can. Set the extra chocolate aside. Place the tray into the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Pipe or spoon the peanut butter mixture into the cooled chocolate cups.

Spoon the remaining chocolate on top of the peanut butter and place the tray back in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to completely set. Then eat just one and place the rest back in the fridge, because you have amazing willpower.

cupcakes from a local cupcakery, kupcakz

The top right one is a peach cake with bourbon infused frosting. Yum, yum.

Now that I've developed a muffin top from all the sweets and Ty has somehow managed to lose weight, I've switched to these:

sooooo good.

babies

2011-08-21T22:15:00.002-05:00

My weekend was full of celebrating with friends!
I went to the hospital this weekend to meet my friend, Megan's, twins. Twins! So exciting.
They are perfect!

Loving on sweet Knox!

A relative of Megan and Brent's was holding Sloane, so I didn't take a picture of her. She is just precious.

These invites have been sitting on my kitchen windowsill for a couple of weeks. They are so cute together and I don't want to throw them away. Does that make me a hoarder?!

One was for a baby shower and the other was for one of my nephew's first birthday. I wasn't able to go home for the birthday party, because I had an out of town work event Saturday morning. I can't wait see pictures from his party.

I designed the shower invite. Here is a better look at it (with made up info.)

I also made this bunting.

I thought this was the cutest shower present.

The girl who gave it to Natalie filled it with customized stationery, monogrammed burp cloths, and a monogrammed blanket. I love personalized presents.

Ty had to work this weekend, which means I saw him for a total of three hours the whole time. Not fun. I did get to spend Saturday night with my best friend, Chesley. Dinner and Target, not much better than that. :)

"quotes"

2011-08-17T19:06:00.002-05:00

I'm slowly decorating my new office at work and a few key furniture pieces should arrive in a couple of weeks. I find that I work better when I'm surrounded by pretty things. Surely, I'm not the only one that feels that way. I saw the quote below somewhere (can't remember where) and loved it. I whipped up a picture and printed it to hang in my office.

It's currently pinned to my tack board below my hutch. I may buy a mat for it and hang it with the mat on the tack board or frame it and hang it somewhere. I was too impatient to wait until I bought a mat before I put it up in my office.

I made several, because I couldn't decide on a color.

If anyone is interested you can download a pdf of the picture and print it at Kinkos or at home for you own use. I wasted a lot of time figuring out how to embed the pdf in my post for you to download, but couldn't figure it out. Visit the numbered links below to view the pdf in google docs. Once in google docs, you can click on the item and then go to File, and download or print. The pictures are 5x7. If you choose to print, a box will pop up & you will need to change the page scaling to none.
1, 2, 3, 4

You can enter to win Mary Kay products on my giveaway blog.

easy addition

2011-08-02T06:14:00.001-05:00

I am easily bored with workouts and can get into ruts, which seems contradictory. I get bored and stop pushing myself. Not good. I saw this on pinterest and decided to try it out last night. I'm not going to lie. I'm sore from those push ups. :)
I plan to combine this with running. It is so simple and I love that you can do it anywhere. I may even try it out in my office on my lunch hour.

Source: healthyisalwaysbetter.tumblr.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

**I didn't know for sure what a burpee was and substituted squats for them. Stephanie sent me this link to explain burpees. I was afraid that's what they were. Can I stick with squats?! :)

Enter to win Mary Kay products on my giveaway blog!

life.

2011-07-28T06:25:00.001-05:00

*If you are reading in Google Reader, click on over to see my new blog design. :)

I feel like my blogging and blog designing has taken a back burner the last four months or so. Ty was finished with school and I wanted to spend as much time with him as possible before residency. I want to play catch up on blogging/documenting our lives.

Ty started his residency on July 1st and we are adjusting to his new schedule. Poor guy is TIRED! He is working long hours and when he gets home has a lot of reading/studying to do for surgery meetings, boards, and just general learning.
He is enjoying residency, despite everything I mentioned above.
One of the things I am praying for during residency is for him to never lose his passion for medicine and his compassion for patients. I don't know how he does it. I would have given up a long time ago. :)

Last month I attended a shower for this pretty lady and her twins!

I have really cut back on the amount of custom blog designs that I am doing, but I have some new pre-made templates and they can be installed in just a few days. Check them out if you are looking for a new design! (Some of the designs can be customized with different colors.)

I have taken on more responsibility at work and I'm getting a new office. We have done some rearranging within our office and they are combining two offices to make my new one. It is big!

We have cable tv! During medical school, we had the most basic plan offered. Which meant just the local news channels. Not anymore! We have lots of channels and.....DVR! I see a lot of couch time in my future.

One good thing about Ty's schedule is that I'm able to work out after work at the school gym and still have plenty of time in the evenings to prepare dinner, etc. Working out balances out all the tv time, right?!

Our house is still for sale. I'm not feeling very positive about it selling. People are still coming to look at it, so I guess that is a good sign.

At least it means I have a clean house. :)

I know everyone is suffering from the heat, but my goodness it is hot. My city is the 4th hottest city in the country right now. Sheesh. I'm very thankful for the a/c.

I have teamed up with Blogher and Mary Kay for a giveaway. Check it out on my giveaway blog!

summer cooking

2011-07-22T06:16:00.000-05:00

I don't know about where you live, but here in Oklahoma we are experiencing record temperatures for July. I can't remember the last day we saw a temp below 100 and there seems to be no relief in sight. The last thing I want to do in the evenings is turn on my oven. We live in an older house and having the oven on drastically changes the temperature inside and my a/c can't keep up.

I will, however, grill outside occasionally. But at least this way there is relief from the heat when I go inside. I found some great summer recipes that do not require the oven and I thought I would share.

Crockpot Meals really are the best!
Cafe Rio Pork Salad

Source: beckyhiggins.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

The Cafe Rio Pork Salad recipe makes a ton, but it is just as delicious reheated the next day. It's all about that salad dressing.

Tomato & Tortellini Salad

Source: southernliving.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I added grilled chicken to this recipe and it was perfect. I've been grilling my chicken with a little bit of olive oil and Mrs. Dash seasoning. It has a good flavor and the oil makes it a little crispy.

Summer Salad--panera copy cat

Source: google.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

This salad has become a staple in our house. There is no recipe; you just add whatever fruit you may have around, sliced almonds, and poppy seed dressing. I use grilled chicken, strawberries, blueberries, mandarin oranges, and sometimes add goat cheese to it as well. I use Brianna's Poppy Seed dressing.

Turkey Burgers

Source: google.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

My mom made these for us not too long ago and they were so good that I picked up a package for our house. They come frozen in packs of two, so they are perfect for Ty and I. They are already seasoned and made into patties, which makes for a very easy weeknight meal. I found them at Wal-Mart.

Do you have any summer recipes to share? Please let me know!

Farmer's Market

2011-07-11T06:58:00.000-05:00

We had a great weekend! Ty was off and we were able to spend a lot of time together.
Friday night I went to dinner with my best friend from home, Chelsey, and her husband and parents. I had written best friend from high school, but changed it because we grew up together and high school just didn't quite cover it all. We were also bridesmaids in each others weddings.
It was so good to see them all! Unfortunately, Ty had to work late and missed all the birthday fun.

Saturday morning Ty and I headed to the Cherry Street Farmer's Market. We came home with some good stuff!

Pretty flowers

Our yummy lunch

The andouille sausuge was amazing. I don't even really like sausage and I loved it.

I have been making chili lime butter to go on our corn on the cob and it is delish. All you have to do is melt some butter, sprinkle in some chili powder and squirt in lime juice. Very easy.

We spent some time at Barnes & Noble, so Ty could get some studying done. I miss Border's. I wish they wouldn't have all closed here. I did find this cute cupcake package on sale, so I guess B&N isn't all that bad.

My sister-in-law, Sarah, was in town visiting her parents. She brought our two nephews over to play Sunday afternoon. They are so much fun! I should have snapped some pictures.

Ty and I ran to Wal-Mart for a couple of items and I saw this silver lamp.

I wish I had a place for it.

I may be a little behind on this trend, but I have become obsessed with pastel nail polish lately.

jade, no pre-nup, cloud
I bought the revlon colors last night at Wal-Mart. I'm curious to see how the polish holds up.

pinnable me: diy

2011-07-08T06:51:00.000-05:00

I’m linking up with Stefanie from Paw Prints and Pastry Bags again this week for Pinnable Me Friday. I have found so many great craft projects and tutorials on pinterest and hope to accomplish one of them this weekend. Maybe one of these will inspire a weekend project for you!

diy cake stand with tutorial

Source: inthiswonderfullife.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

mod podge art

Source: flickr.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

make glass bottles blue

Source: apartmenttherapy.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

citrus sugar scrub

Source: pauladeen.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

This would be so cute for a Sunday School class or your own kids.

Source: cdn-2-service.phanfare.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

terra cotta pots + fabric + mod podge = adorable!

Source: ashleyannphotography.com via Lindsey on Pinterest

I have new pre-made templates available on my blog design site! Be sure to check them out if you are in need of a blog makeover!

Happy Birthday Mason!

2011-07-03T19:02:00.004-05:00

Today is my nephew, Mason's, first birthday. My sister and brother-in-law threw him a great party yesterday. Ty had to work this weekend, so I went home by myself. My sister asked me to help with his party several months ago and I was so excited. I love party planning! I made the invitations and all the paper products.

The theme was based on this toy dachshund I bought Mason for Christmas.

mason jar filled with "bones" candy

Mason loves to pat Wade on the head. It is so sweet.

Wade is Ty's brother and sister-in-law's little boy and they are about 6 weeks apart.

sweet family

Ready for cake!

I think it's safe to say he liked it!

All the kiddos

All those boys are our nephews, except for the little one in the stripes. (We also have another nephew and a niece not pictured.)

Re-energized after his nap!

party favors: coloring sheets and bone crayons

date night

2011-06-28T12:12:00.000-05:00

Last week I took Ty out for a night on the town. We had pizza at Joe Momma's followed by arcade games at The Max. It was such a fun night and the best part was it cost very little moolah. Joe Momma's offers $5 pizzas on Tuesdays and The Max has free play on Tuesday nights. Perfect!

The Max is a retropub that has arcade games from the '80s and '90s and the food and drinks are named after "influential" people from those decades like Richard Simmons and Jessie Spano.

The bathroom was very bright!

We will be going back very soon. Or as soon as Ty's residency schedule will allow. :)

Pinnable Me Friday: dessert!

2011-06-24T06:27:00.002-05:00

Pinterest has become my go to place for inspiration. There are so many pretty and inspiring things to look at on there. I have been on a s'mores kick lately and when I saw these cookie bars on pinterest I couldn't resist making them.

Source: lovinfromtheoven.com on Pinterest

Ingredients:

* 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
* 1/4 cup brown sugar
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 large egg
* 1 tsp vanilla extract
* 1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
* 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
* 1 tsp baking powder
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 2 king-sized milk chocolate bars (e.g. Hershey’s)
* 1 1/2 cups marshmallow creme/fluff (not melted marshmallows)

Directions:

1. Spray an 8-inch square baking pan with Pam and preheat oven to 350.

2. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Next, beat in the egg and the vanilla.

3. In a small bowl, combine flour, crushed graham cracker crumbs, baking powder and salt. Add this to the butter mixture and mix at a low speed until combined.

4. Divide dough in half and press half of dough into an even layer on the bottom of the prepared pan. Place the Hershey's bar over the dough in a single layer. Spread the marshmallow creme over the chocolate. I would recommend spraying the measuring cup and spoon with Pam to prevent sticking. Place remaining dough in a single layer on top of the creme. This can be tricky and is best done in small pieces, like shingles.

5. Bake for 30 minutes until lightly browned. It is important to let the bars cool completely before cutting.

6. The bars are delicious microwaved for a few seconds before eating. Or at room temperature. You can't really go wrong. :)

The original recipe came from Lovin' From the Oven.

I bought a couple of these cute treat boxes at Target and took the s'mores to my in-laws' house last weekend.

pinnable me was started by paw prints & pastry bags.

O-K-L-A-H-O-M-A

2011-06-22T06:52:00.001-05:00

My company hosted a staff appreciation night at Discoveryland, an outdoor theater that performs the play, Oklahoma!. Ty and I had both seen Oklahoma! as kids, but had never been to Discoveryland. We were given tickets for a ranch hand dinner, snow cones, ice cream, popcorn, and pop.

There were a lot of activities before the show and Ty attempted cow roping.

The pre-show was a western revue with a special performance by Native American dancers.

I had forgotten how cute Oklahoma! was and we really enjoyed the show. Ty has been singing The Farmer and the Cow Man Should be Friends non-stop and I'm trying to work the phrase, "Oh foot!" into my vocabulary.

breakfast and babysitting

2011-06-14T06:51:00.000-05:00

I never blogged about the post-graduation breakfast we hosted at our house. I somehow managed to not snap a single picture of it all, which has probably delayed my posting about it. We had Ty's parents, siblings and my mom and sister over for the morning. We fixed bacon, eggs, fruit, yogurt parfaits and yummy bread with nutella. Everyone left to get home and I had rocked Mason to sleep on my chest, so my Mom and LeAnn went shopping. Ty and I were worn out from the weekend and were more than happy to stay at home with a sleeping baby.

We had so much fun with him after his short nap. That weekend was my first time to see him walk and it was adorable!

2011-06-08T06:28:00.000-05:00

Dear Anthropologie,
Thank you for making things that make my heart go pitter patter. I have been eying paper berry baskets on Sweet Lulu, but this is even better. It will never have to be thrown away! It will sit on my kitchen counter or in my refrigerator and make me happy every time I glance its way. Who knows it may even make Ty happy when he glances at it. The berry basket is that cute.

Your fan,
Lindsey

birthday weekend

2011-06-05T20:43:00.002-05:00

We celebrated Ty's 27th birthday this weekend. His actual birthday was today. (Sunday) We had mexican food, went to a casino, ate cake, and made s'mores ice cream with his new ice cream maker from his parents. Happy Birthday Ty!

vacay, part two

2011-06-01T06:50:00.001-05:00

Ty's parents got us all a couple of condos right on the beach. It was the perfect location.

Crab hunting or in my case crab running. I'm not about to touch those things. They are creepy.

relaxing in the shade

This stick kept Nathan entertained for a long time. Oh boys! :)

Our niece & nephews' favorite part--the pool!

The guys went on a fishing trip and then cooked it all up for dinner. It was delish!

While the girls were at the outlet mall, Ty and his brother-in-law, Jesse rented mopeds and had quite the adventure.

Ty & I loved our steamed lunch at Dauphin Island so much that we got it again at Orange Beach. We brought it back to the condo to share with Ty's parents.

Watching Tangled with Lucas

before dinner our last night there

We had plans to take pictures on the beach, but it rained off and on that evening.

There was a school of fish swimming by the rocks in the above picture. It reminded me of snorkeling and made us wish we would have brought our snorkels!

We are so thankful for Ty's parents organizing this trip. It was so much fun!

Read more about home cleaning at Reader's Digest.ca

vacay, part 1

2011-05-30T16:41:00.004-05:00

Ty & I went on vacation last week with his family to Orange Beach, Alabama. It was a wonderful week! On the way down to Alabama, Ty & I spent the night in New Orleans. Ty had never been before, so it was fun to show him the French Quarter.

We ate the best char-grilled oysters at the Acme Oyster House and had dessert at Cafe
Du Monde. Yummy!

The next morning we headed toward Orange Beach. Southern Living did a great article a few months ago about the Alabama coastline. They featured Dauphin Island and I knew we had to include it in our trip. We drove over a long bridge to get the island on one side and left on a ferry on the other side to get to Orange Beach.
We bought some goodies from Lighthouse Bakery and got lunch from a local fish market that steams seafood for you. We enjoyed it in some shade with a gorgeous view.

While driving around the island we found a walking trail that was probably the size of 2-3 housing lots. It was a big square in a middle of a neighborhood. It felt like you were walking into a secret place. The trees reminded me of Savannah with all the spanish moss hanging off the branches.

The ferry ride was the best part! It was so nice to be out on the water.

tiny prints giveaway!

2011-05-24T00:35:00.003-05:00

We have a winner! Kristin from Our Life Beyond the Game! Congrats Kristin! I'll be contacting you shortly.

Tiny Prints provides a great selection of stationery! They have a very user friendly site, especially when it comes to personalizing an item. The products I have from there are very high quality and the paper was thick, which is a huge plus in my book.

A few of my faves!

Oh letterpress, how I love thee!

The front:

The back: I just love fun little details like this!

The giveaway is for a $25 gift certificate to Tiny Prints! To enter all you have to do is leave me a comment. Winner will be announced on Thursday.

happy

2011-05-19T06:53:00.000-05:00

Happy Anniversary to the sweetest husband I know! It has been a wonderful four years!

He did the most thoughtful thing last week. I came home from work early on Friday to prepare for the graduation party. I was on the phone with Chesley as I pulled into the garage to see the cutest thing ever---a beach cruiser. Poor girl had to listen to me scream into the phone about my cute, new bike! The man bought ME a graduation present. Isn't that sweet?!

Yes, technically, he is the one who graduated from medical school (don't worry I bought him some gifts too) but he wanted to get me something to say thank you for the support the last four years.

I have been wanting one of these ever since our trip to New Jersey. He picked out the perfect bike and wicker basket and even added flowers. We are looking forward to cruising the neighborhood and the bike trails next to our house.

Graduation

2011-05-16T23:28:00.001-05:00

I hosted a graduation party for Ty at our house Friday evening. Graduation started at 7, so there wasn't really a good time for the party. We are going on vacation with his family soon, so people were wanting to get home the next day to relax and plan for the trip. Ty and I decided to do a party before the actual graduation ceremony. I'm so glad that everyone was able to come! I know it was quite the trip to make and that people had to take off work and leave school early. It meant a lot to us that people were there.

Chocolate chip cookies as favors

Did you notice those two huge balloons by the food table? I may have gone a little overboard with balloons. They barely fit in my car after I left the party store.

Ty with his parents

With his niece and nephew

The processional

Ty's Dad, who is a veterinarian, was able to hood Ty. It was very special!

Isn't he a cute doctor?!

So proud of him!

Award Winners

2011-05-15T21:48:00.003-05:00

Ty and I are in a post-graduation stage of exhaustion. It was quite the week! Wednesday night his class had a dinner and a dance at the Petroleum Club downtown. It was so much fun to get all dressed up.

We love this couple and wish them all the best in their residency!

They met in med school and got married after their 2nd year.

Thursday night was the awards banquet.

My office puts on graduation each year and the banquet is usually the place where I contribute the most. My boss was very insistent that I attend all events as a spouse. I was so thankful for this! I did help with the prep work, which included making these party favors.

Jessica at Diamond Doll Designs made the tags for us. She did them on an extremely tight deadline and they turned out perfect!! Thanks, Jess! The bags were stuffed with orange & black m&m's.

The best part of the night was both of us came home with awards!

Ty won the Surgery Department Award and I won an award that is given out to a spouse each year that has contributed to the class in some way. It was such an honor!

Celebrations and Blessings

2011-05-09T06:47:00.001-05:00

This is a big week at our house. Friday night, Ty will graduate from medical school. We have several events throughout the week to celebrate this momentous occasion. I am beyond happy and proud of my husband, but the biggest thing I feel this week is blessed.

Blessed that God put us in this city. This city that I did not want to move to after graduation and our wedding. Now, I can't imagine living any where else. I love this place.

Blessed that Ty got into his number one school.
Blessed that, that said school hired me.
Blessed that I love my job and it is a great fit for me.
Blessed that my best friend from college moved here for grad school and stayed.
Blessed that I have a great group of friends here that I met through blogging.
Blessed that Ty got his number one residency choice and we get to stay in this city.
Blessed that our marriage survived medical school.
Blessed that my husband loves me and me him.

I'm very thankful for everything God has blessed us with. It has been a great four years!

Clothing Sale!

2011-05-04T22:07:00.004-05:00

Please let me know if you have questions about an item: sweetsimplicityblog@gmail.com
E-mail me to purchase and item and I will send you a paypal invoice. $3 shipping on all items.

Dress from my sister's wedding. Worn only once!
J.Crew Chiffon, size 0, $45
this picture represents the color the best.

close-up of the top:

SOLD ~~Yellow silk Target top: Merona, size XS, $12~~
worn only once

SOLD ~~Berry dress from Target: Merona, size 2, $12~~
never worn

Blue chiffon dress from Target, Merona, xs, $12
worn only once. the waist has a wide elastic band to help accentuate your waist. a bow ties to the side on the neckline.

SOLD ~~Nude beaded top from Express, size S, $20~~
Gorgeous top! worn once.

Target Finds

2011-05-02T06:21:00.000-05:00

I spotted the shoe on the right at Target and then the next day saw the shoe on the left by Steve Madden at Dillard's. The price difference is over $40. I already have a pair of wedges for the spring/summer, but wanted to share! :)

I have found the most forgiving swimsuit ever from Target! I believe it is only available online and comes in several different colors. I bought the black, but the model in the black swimsuit was posed all weird and the suit is not flattering on her.

This suit sucks you in at all the right places and is comfortable. Perfect for our upcoming beach vacation!

Have any of you signed up for the Target debit card? I signed up for it last night and saved $9. It is not a credit card and they do not run your credit for approval. All you do is give them a blank check to run through the system and your total Target amount comes out from your bank account. You save 5% on each purchase that you use your card. The savings are applied right then and there. Genius!

Friday Randoms

2011-04-29T08:05:00.001-05:00

How cute does my nephew look in the little sunnies I bought him?!

They are baby sunglasses, but still look a little big for him.

My new Easter wreaths bought at 50% off after the big day.

I'm all about stocking up for next year's holidays when everything is on sale.

I love it when you order things and they come wrapped up all cute.

Supplies for Ty's graduation party from Shop Sweet Lulu. They have the cutest things!

I made Symphony Brownies for my student workers' last day in the office.

I'd say they were a hit.

Have y'all tried the Twix ice cream bars? I bought them at Target a few weeks ago. They are only 90 calories and oh so yummy!

This is the only picture I could find online, so excuse how tiny it is. I could eat the whole box in one sitting and probably would if Ty wasn't around to witness it. Why did I have to discover these things on his vacation month? haha.

TGIF!

recent reads

2011-04-27T06:19:00.000-05:00

I can not travel without having a book with me. I don't understand how people can sit on airplanes with nothing to do, but twiddle their thumbs. I need something to pass the time. Some of the books below I read while traveling, others just at home.

My sister-in-law bought me this book for me for Christmas. It was a good bedtime read, meaning it was easy to put down and go to sleep, but not at all boring. I have a problem with reading books in bed and staying up way too late. This one was perfect for me!

“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….
As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.
Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.
Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.

This was such a good book! I know I mentioned going to see the movie already, but it really did the book justice. Of course, the book was better, but the movie was still good.
Definitely a must read!

Though he may not speak of them, the memories still dwell inside Jacob Jankowski's ninety-something-year-old mind. Memories of himself as a young man, tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. Memories of a world filled with freaks and clowns, with wonder and pain and anger and passion; a world with its own narrow, irrational rules, its own way of life, and its own way of death. The world of the circus: to Jacob it was both salvation and a living hell.
Jacob was there because his luck had run out - orphaned and penniless, he had no direction until he landed on this locomotive 'ship of fools'. It was the early part of the Great Depression, and everyone in this third-rate circus was lucky to have any job at all. Marlena, the star of the equestrian act, was there because she fell in love with the wrong man, a handsome circus boss with a wide mean streak. And Rosie the elephant was there because she was the great gray hope, the new act that was going to be the salvation of the circus; the only problem was, Rosie didn't have an act - in fact, she couldn't even follow instructions. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

My sister-in-law suggested this book to me and let me borrow it. I have wanted to read it for some time, but it is a thick book and for some reason that always stopped me.

Two sisters competing for the greatest prize: the love of a king. When Mary Boleyn comes to court as an innocent girl of fourteen, she catches the eye of Henry VIII. Dazzled by the king, Mary falls in love with both her golden prince and her growing role as unofficial queen. However, she soon realizes just how much she is a pawn in her family's ambitious plots as the king's interest begins to wane and she is forced to step aside for her best friend and rival: her sister, Anne. Then Mary knows that she must defy her family and her king, and take her fate into her own hands.

A rich and compelling tale of love, sex, ambition, and intrigue, The Other Boleyn Girl introduces a woman of extraordinary determination and desire who lived at the heart of the most exciting and glamorous court in Europe and survived by following her own heart.

Ty and I watched a season of The Tudors last year on netflix and it is about the same thing, just told in very different ways. The book gives you a better idea of what that time period was like for women.

My current book:

Ty recently read this book and suggested that I read it to get a better understanding of what residency would be like. Atul Gawande did a general surgery residency just like Ty will be starting in July. I would suggest this to other spouses whose husbands/wives are about to begin residnency, regardless of the specialty. Gawande does a great job of telling stories about patients to explain his points. I think I will probably touch more on this closer to graduation.

"Sometimes in medicine the only way to know what is truly going on in a patient is to operate, to look inside with one's own eyes. This book is exploratory surgery on medicine itself, laying bare a science not in its idealized form but as it actually is - complicated, perplexing, and profoundly human." Atul Gawande offers an unflinching view from the scalpel's edge, where science is ambiguous, information is limited, the stakes are high, yet decisions must be made. In dramatic and revealing stories of patients and doctors, he explores how deadly mistakes occur and why good surgeons go bad. He shows what happens when medicine comes up against the inexplicable: an architect with incapacitating back pain for which there is no physical cause; a young woman with nausea that won't go away; a television newscaster whose blushing is so severe that she cannot do her job. And in a richly detailed portrait of both the people and the science, Gawande also ponders the human factor that makes saving lives possible.

Have you read any good books lately?

Bark in the Park

2011-04-24T20:09:00.003-05:00

My weekend started early Friday afternoon. I had lunch with Chesley and then decided not to go back to work. The weather was great and Ty was sitting at home doing nothing and I wanted to join him. My afternoon meeting had been canceled, so I figured why not.

Ty and I took Nuts to the park to enjoy the sunshine.

Jane and I went to see a late afternoon showing of Water for Elephants. We both thought the movie did the book justice. I hardly ever say that about books turned into movies. If you haven't read this book, you should.

Saturday night we went to Bark in the Park. Our minor league baseball team allows dogs to attend games on certain nights. I have been wanting to take Nuts and a coworker of mine had extra tickets. We were afraid that the game might get rained out, but the weather was perfect.

Nuts did a great job and sat on my lap through the whole game. However, we did have one minor problem. Nuts hated Hornsby, the mascot. He barked and barked at this blue cow. Nuts doesn't bark very often, so you know it is serious when he does. Poor guy just didn't want the blue cow in his line of vision. It was hilarious!

He had our whole section laughing at his pathetic, little bark. It was our first game in the new stadium and we can't wait to go back.

We enjoyed a very non-traditional Easter Sunday. We went to church, had Bueno for lunch, worked out, watched Despicable Me and lounged. We missed being with our families, especially all the little ones, who I'm sure had a great time hunting eggs. We've already been home a couple of times in the last month or so and we will see everyone in a couple of weeks for Ty's graduation, so it just didn't make sense to make the drive down there. There is always next year.

I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend!

Charm City

2011-04-20T06:47:00.002-05:00

I had an all day meeting in Baltimore for work last week. I used my airline miles for Ty to tag along. It has been so much fun to travel with him this month. Our hotel was in the Inner Harbor area and had fantastic views of the water from our room.

Don't you just want to be on one of those sailboats?

We got into Baltimore on Thursday afternoon and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! We explored the Inner Harbor area and ate yummy seafood. We sat out on one of the docks on the harbor for the longest time. It was so relaxing. I could have laid down and taken a nap.

This pink dog was on display in the visitor's center to encourage people to visit one of the many art museums. It was made out of pink chiffon and tulle.

Thursday evening we attended a reception at the aquarium. It was one of the nicest aquariums I have been to and our group was the only one there! No bus loads of school children, no big crowds--it was the best way to visit an aquarium. :)

I was in meetings all day Friday, but Ty was able to do some exploring. He went all over the place and took water taxis to get everywhere.

One of the places he went to was Fort McHenry, the birthplace of the National Anthem.

Friday night we walked to Fell's Point, an old historic district. The weather had gotten chilly and windy, but we made the best of it.

I loved the cobblestone streets and the bricked sidewalk. I am obsessed with chevron and loved that it was used everywhere in Baltimore, including the sidewalks.

From Fell's Point we walked to Little Italy for dinner at Ammici's. It was pretty tasty and the portions were huge!

View of the skyline from our hotel

Saturday morning we woke up to rain and it didn't stop until after we had gone to bed that night. I'm so glad we got to enjoy the beautiful weather on Thursday. We rented a car Saturday morning and drove about an hour to a small town north of Baltimore to visit a friend from high school. You may remember Ginger from my trips to DC and Philadelphia. She and her parents moved to the Northeast a couple of years ago. We grew up together and went to the same church. It was so much fun to hang out with her and her parents.

Ginger took us to on a scenic (rainy) drive to visit a little Amish store where we got whoopie pies and I bought some peach jam to take home.

We had a crab feast for lunch in her town--crab legs and crab cakes. Yummy! She drove us across the border to Delaware to go shopping. It was about 15 minutes from their house and they do all their shopping in Delaware, because it is tax free. We came home had the best delivery pizza ever and played monopoly on the iPad. {Playing monopoly on the iPad is the best way to play. No set up, no counting money, no clean up--so easy! I think I need an iPad just to play board games on.}

We left early the next morning to return home. It was such a nice trip. Ty and I love visiting the Northeastern part of the country and want to visit so many other cities in that area. There is so much to do and see and the history is just amazing.

pretty paper

2011-04-13T06:47:00.000-05:00

Or in this case maybe it should be handsome paper, but I like alliteration. I was contacted by Tiny Prints to try out their products. Tiny Prints provides simple, modern and unique stationery from Easter cards and Mother’s Day cards to personalized greeting cards, thank you cards, business cards, and even custom wedding invitations. Offering exclusive designs from the nation’s top designers, easy card personalization, a powerful preview engine and top-notch customer service and paper quality, their designs have been lauded by numerous television networks, publications and celebrities. With Tiny Prints by your side commemorating every holiday and momentous occasion is a cinch! They offer perfect party invitations for every occasion and memorable personalized photo-gifts like notebooks, photo books and calendars.

I loved all their stationery options, but I currently have a huge pile of stationery just waiting to be used. I loved all their address labels, address stamps, and moving cards, but alas, our house hasn't sold and I don't know what our address will be in the coming months. Then, I saw their masculine line of stationery and I was sold. It was perfect for Ty, who will need thank you cards for graduation. I fell in love with this monogram and chevron pattern.

I took a picture of Ty's stationery, but by the time I had blurred everything out it looked silly. The cardstock is a really nice quality--very thick. The paper is textured and I wish I would have paid more attention to that when I placed the order. I would rather it be smooth. Either way it still looks really nice.

I also ordered these fun stickers to place on food at potlucks, gifts, and taking meals to friends.

They have great customer service and really allow you to personalize items, by choosing your font and being able to preview it as you go. They also send you a proof to approve before they make your order. In the future, when we have children I would love to use them for birth announcement and birthday party invitations. Until then, I will be checking them out for personal stationery and if we ever sell our house, new address labels! :)

Greetings from Nashville

2011-04-10T20:53:00.003-05:00

Ty and I went on a recruitment trip/conference together this past week. I love that he is able to travel with me as an ambassador. He always does such a good job talking with prospective students and pre-med advisors.

Laura told me about Design Sponge's travel reviews and I will never go on a trip again without looking at her site. The post had so many great suggestions.

I wish we would have had more time to explore the city. We spent a lot of time around Vanderbilt and Ty shadowed one of our alumni, who now works at the Vanderbilt medical school. It is such a great campus and the surrounding neighborhoods are very fun.

The Parthenon

Took a walk on the pedestrian bridge to get a good view of downtown

Dinner one night at the Tin Angel; Lobster & shrimp risotto with red & yellow tomatoes.

Dinner downtown at Jack's BBQ

Belmont University campus

We tried to go to lunch in East Nashville at I Dream of Weenie, a hot dog stand, but they had closed up early. Very cute set-up though!

Instead we ate at Marche Artisan Foods and enjoyed homemade ice cream at the Pied Piper Creamery. The strawberry was oh so good!

Nashville is a very friendly city. And those accents. Oh, those accents. I wish I had a southern accent. I just loved it.

It happened. Again.

2011-04-08T11:05:00.002-05:00

Some of you may remember this post about Nuts and his squirrel. Nuts tore up his favorite toy and Ty re-stuffed it and sutured it up good as new. He has had this toy for about 3.5 years. I think Nuts gets stressed when one of us is away for the night. He likes his little family to be all together. Ty was on ICU nights and Nuts demolished his squirrel, his best friend in the whole world. It was sad. I sent Ty these pictures and he said to book him for surgery in the morning. ha! The squirrel is good as new and Nuts is one happy pooch!

Can you tell how exciting our lives are right now? Great blog material over here.

need some recs & home

2011-04-06T10:27:00.003-05:00

I attended a career fair for work at a university near my parents' house. Ty and I went down the night before and we celebrated my Dad's birthday. I made cake balls for the occasion!

My nephew, Mason, came to visit me at the career fair. Such a cutie!

Ty and I are going on a couple of trips in the coming months. Does anyone have any good recommendations for Nashville or Baltimore?

the weekend

2011-04-03T20:11:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning I participated in the American Heart Association, Heart Walk with Team Cohen. We all wore matching shirts, which were so cute. It was such an honor to be there to support such a great cause and on a more personal note, Megan and Brent. Ty, Nuts, and I spent Sunday afternoon at the park while we had an open house. C'mon someone buy our house! :)

My poor husband has to put up with all kinds of weird conversations from me, but today might have been one of the oddest. Me: If I died and you had to come identify me and my face was unrecognizable, what identifiers would you use? Ty: They would use your teeth. (What a smarty! I didn't count on that response.) Me: All of my teeth are missing, now what? I then proceed to point out all of my identifiers. I also have a conversation with him quite frequently about how he needs to watch me do my make-up, in case I'm ever unable to do so. It will be important for him to do it for me and know how to do it right. I'm a (morbid) weirdo, what can I say?

He is DONE!

2011-04-01T13:23:00.002-05:00

Ty finished his last shift as a medical student last night! He has been on ICU nights all month and this was his last rotation. He is officially done with medical school!!!!

It worked out for April to be a vacation month and April is the last month for all 4th year medical students, so he is D-O-N-E, done! I will be traveling a lot in April and he gets to tag along and I couldn't be happier. I can't believe his four years is over. I'm sure I will reflect more on this once it gets closer to graduation, but I wanted to document this day. :)

new pre-made templates

2011-03-30T01:35:00.000-05:00

This template was inspired by a kate spade e-mail I received. The color of the month for kate spade is YELLOW!

$20

I know it's Spring, but we are not experiencing Spring like weather in Oklahoma. These dreary days plus my longing for green grass inspired this template.

$20

If you are interested in purchasing a pre-made template send me an e-mail: sweetsimplicityblog@gmail.com

There is no wait list for pre-made templates and they can be installed quickly.
Check them all out here.

the weekend

2011-03-28T06:01:00.000-05:00

I left work early on Friday, due to allergies and no voice. I came home and took a great nap. Naps are always better when you sleep on the wrong end. Ty and I started the weekend off right and had dessert (hot fudge sundae from Braum's) before dinner (sushi!) We watched How to Train a Dragon Saturday evening. Such a cute movie! The rest of the weekend was spent watching basketball, running errands, working on blog designs, etc.

smiles

2011-03-23T01:11:00.000-05:00

Sometimes life can be stressful or overwhelming, but I think it is so important to recognize the little things that make us happy. This past week or so these things have brought a smile to my face.

--Lunch dates at Target with my bff, Chesley.

--Buying cute socks for $1 at said lunch date.

--Dinner with my bloggy friends

--Coming home from work to be greeted by my two favorite boys--Ty and Nuts!

--A phone call from my mom telling me that my Dad showed Mason a picture of me on his phone and Mason got really excited to see me. Pretty much means I am the best aunt ever.

--Finding my lost social security card!

weekend recap

2011-03-20T21:03:00.003-05:00

Ah, the weekend. They are never long enough, are they?

Friday night we headed downtown to see all the NCAA tournament excitement. We didn't have tickets, but the city had tents set up outside the arena with big televisions and food vendors. We had Brownie's Hamburgers for dinner and it was delish!

I could definitely go for one of those cheeseburgers right about now.

Saturday I took my BBBS little sister to a children's museum. The museum has a small city set up where the kids can grocery shop, run a restaurant, be a doctor, postman, hair stylist, etc.

I wish this ice cream cone in the "restaurant" would have been real!

After church on Sunday, I went to Megan's to work on our cookie skills. We have both been wanting to learn how to use royal icing on cookies and finally got around to doing it. We gave up on piping around each cookie and only flooded the cookies. I think they still turned out cute!

Ty isn't working any weekends this month for his ICU rotation and it has been great! We have had so much fun just hanging out with each other.

iPhone randoms

2011-03-15T06:14:00.000-05:00

It is so easy to snap pictures with my phone and I hardly ever use my camera anymore. I need to break that habit, because my phone doesn't take the best pictures. It is just so convenient though. Here's to a random post of iPhone pictures!

We got our CD of pictures from our photographer in the mail!

That isn't us in the picture. I just loved the details of the CD case she uses. It's the PR and marketing in me!
I love having all the pictures on a CD to upload to my computer. I printed a 4x6 of them all at Mpix and the quality of the photos was great! Alli, our photog, recommended the site and I will definitely be using it again. The pictures were printed on thicker photo paper and had a perfect finish--not too shiny.

Ashley and I bought a great deal on living social for a mani/pedi and cashed it in a couple of weeks ago. It was oh so nice.

Megan gave the sweetest present a few weeks ago. I really wanted to watch Love Actually at Christmas time, but it was on a really long wait with Netflix. Now, I won't have to worry about that!

Breaking in my new shoes!

Super sale from the Gap + a rewards card=$3 shoes

Enjoying a cake pop from Starbucks!

I need to make cake balls asap.

Trying to decide on a mini colander color from Anthro for my SIL's birthday

This is a great colander, because it easily fits in the dishwasher. My mom and I both have one and I hope my SIL enjoys hers. It is so much easier to use this for small jobs, because it doesn't take up hardly any room in the dishwasher!

One more nephew picture! I'm sure y'all didn't see enough yesterday.

He played with those gatorade bottles for the longest time.

I have to brag on my husband for a minute. He went to the grocery store for me yesterday! I gave him a big, long list and he found every last item. He is the sweetest. Maybe I shouldn't really be bragging about this one thing, because he doesn't really mind doing things like this and I just made it seem like he never does nice things. I should probably just tell you that it was a major accomplishment on my part in releasing control and trusting someone else to do my shopping. I have major issues! ha!

weekend at home

2011-03-14T06:05:00.001-05:00

Ty has a great schedule this month on his ICU rotation and we were able to go home this weekend to visit our families. On our way to our hometown, we got to stop at the hospital and meet sweet, little Eli and see Megan & Luke. He is the tiniest thing!

He is in his going home outfit--so sweet.

I hadn't seen my nephew since Christmas and I was so excited to spend some time with him. He is crawling and has become very vocal. No words yet, just lots of cute sounds.

My Mom, sister and I went shopping on Saturday and wore Mason out!

We spent Saturday evening celebrating Ty's sister's birthday. I didn't snap a single picture of the birthday girl or any of the little munchkins. There is always so much activity with four little ones running around.

The weather was gorgeous all weekend, but windy as usual. Ty's parents live in a secluded valley and they don't get hardly any wind down there, so LeAnn brought Mason over to play outside. We had so much fun swinging, jumping on the trampoline and riding the golf cart.

Ty and Lillian exploring the creek.

We always have such a good time visiting with each of our families! The weekends at home always go by way too fast.

loving shellac manicures

2011-03-08T09:28:00.000-06:00

I tried a shellac manicure about six weeks ago and LOVED it! A shellac manicure is supposed to stay shiny and chip free for two weeks. I wanted to document my experience with it, because I had so many questions before I had it done.

Ty and I had spent two weekends getting our house ready to be put on the market and my hands were so dry and my nails were awful. I was worried that it wouldn't last two weeks on my nails, because they were so weak. My nails are never really strong, so this was always going to be a concern of mine and I decided to just bite the bullet.

This is the brand the salon used.

I took pictures of my nails throughout the 3 weeks that my manicure lasted. Yes, I said 3 WEEKS! I wish I would have taken the pictures the same way each time and with my camera instead of using a mix of my camera and my iPhone to give you all more accurate pictures. Live and learn.

Day 1

Day 10

I had tiny chips at the ends of two nails and I just trimmed them down. They were very small and kinda underneath (if that makes sense) and I wanted to cut them down before it turned into a bigger chip.

Day 14, oops!

I pulled the rest of the polish off this nail and painted it a dark purple with regular nail polish. I wasn't ready to take the shellac off of the rest of the nails and this was an easy solution. It didn't look good, but it wasn't noticeable unless you really looked at it. The main thing was the color was the same, so people didn't really look twice at it.

Day 21

The picture above turned out blurry, because I was taking the picture with my left hand, but you can see my pointer finger that I painted with regular polish and how my thumb had chipped.

Day 21

My left hand looked great other than the fact that it had grown out. I didn't have any chips on these nails, probably because it isn't my dominant hand.

It is more expensive than a regular manicure. I paid $30 versus $15 for a regular manicure. BUT, it lasts so much longer than a regular manicure. Getting a manicure regularly is not in my budget, even one that lasts 3 weeks. They are definitely special treats. That being said the next time I get one I will go with the shellac.

The one downside is to get the shellac polish off you have to soak your nails in acetone. My nails weren't smooth once the polish was off, because they drill your nail bed to get it smooth before applying the polish. It did not weaken my nails. I polished them with regular polish to protect them. I think I just rambled for a whole post, but hopefully I answered some questions for someone. :)

Oh, and if you are in my area I would be happy to tell you where I went and also where my bff has gone to get hers done.

pictures

2011-03-02T07:44:00.001-06:00

I was lucky enough to win a photography session with Allison Lee Photo a few months ago. Alli and I were in the same sorority in college and it made for a relaxed photo shoot. She did a preview for us on her blog yesterday and will be sending the rest of the photos soon. I can't believe her fast turn around!

I debated on doing urban shots downtown or in a field. I'm so glad we went with the field. I think the grass is a gorgeous color.

Part of me loves the above photo and another part just cracks up laughing. It is so serious and Ty looks like he was trying to have sexy eyes, but I promise he was just squinting. It could be pitch black outside and someone mentions taking a photo and all of a sudden his eyes hurt and it is too bright outside. :)

To see more pictures visit Alli's blog. I can't wait to get the rest of them! Thanks Alli for our beautiful photos!

dream kitchen

2011-02-22T19:52:00.002-06:00

We have put our house up for sale and have been looking into buying a home vs. building a home. The idea of building a home is definitely appealing, since we would be able to customize a lot of things with a builder. It has me thinking about my dream kitchen.

I have fallen in love with white kitchen cabinets, white subway tile and dark wood floors.

Building is becoming a stronger possibility, which makes me wonder if I can achieve one of the looks above on what will be a much tighter budget than the kitchens above cost. I have seen a lot of white kitchens online that look cheap. We also wouldn't have the dark wood floors to contrast with the white cabinets.

Is this look trendy? Will I hate it in five years? Should I go with a more traditional wood look? These are all questions I have been contemplating. I don't want to go with something that I can't quite achieve or doesn't look good in an open floor plan. Maybe I should wait to see if we even sell our house before I get too worked up. :)

recap

2011-02-15T06:22:00.000-06:00

Friday night Ty and I headed to midtown to a sushi restaurant. I have become obsessed with sushi lately. Yummy. We walked in the restaurant & saw my best friend and her boyfriend eating dinner. What a nice surprise! They had already placed their order & were sitting at a two person table, so we got our own table. They joined us after they were done eating and picked up our tab. So nice!

grainy iPhone picture, but a picture none the less.

Sunday night Ty cooked me a steak dinner in honor of Valentine's Day.

We are going to have snow in our backyard for a long time. It doesn't get any afternoon sun. It has melted some though and Nuts has enjoyed exploring everything for the first time in over two weeks.

Ty and I exchanged homemade/computer cards last night.
I saw this on a blog and made my own, because I couldn't get the original to print very big.

Do you get it? I mustache (must ask you) to be my valentine. hehe.

I wish I would have taken a picture of the card Ty made me, but he tore it up. Let me explain.
The card was on white computer paper and the front said Open. Inside the card was a heart with a circle in the middle. Written inside the circle was push here. I pushed and Ty started singing. He made up a song to a jingle we heard on Reno 911 the other night. It was hilarious. He made me a singing card! I closed the card and immediately opened it back up and pressed the "button" again. He wasn't too keen on singing the sing over and over and tore up my card. So sad.

Thanks for all the congratulations yesterday!
We are looking forward to selling our house and buying a new one out in the 'burbs.

Forget Valentine's Day, It is Match Day!!

2011-02-14T08:52:00.002-06:00

I am SO happy to announce that Ty matched with his #1 residency program choice---general surgery at OSU!! I am incredibly proud of him!

In clinical skills lab on casting day

He put in a lot of hours with this program with rotations and even when he wasn't on a rotation with them. If he was on a rotation with an easier schedule he would stop by the hospital to put in some face time. He worked so hard and it paid off!

Now he gets to work even harder in residency. haha.

This means I get to keep my job and stay in a great city where I have made amazing friends. We will definitely be celebrating tonight!

I can't say it enough--I am so proud of him!

lindsey knits

2011-02-11T06:22:00.001-06:00

I have taken up a new hobby--knitting. There is a lady I work with (she's in another dept.) who is super crafty and is always showing me her newest projects. She came in my office a couple of months ago wearing the cutest neckwarmer/scarf. She volunteered to teach me how to knit it.

I kind of blew it off, because I had tried embroidery a year or so ago and had given up. I realize embroidery and knitting aren't exactly the same, but they both involve needles of some sort. (I need to have my SIL teach me embroidery.)

Emily taught me to knit right before the big snow storm last week, but I messed it up as soon as I got home and couldn't fix it. What a bummer. I had four days off due to the weather and it would have been the perfect time to work on it. I brought my messed up project to her and she fixed it. I started over and messed up again. I had heard about an Oops Clinic at a local yarn store, Loops. It just so happened to be last night. I didn't want to keep taking my project to her everytime I messed up, so I went.

I sat at a table with a worker in his 50s and he fixed what I had messed up and sat with me to make sure I had the hang of things. This store has some of the best customer service I have ever seen. The Oops Clinic was completely free!

Their store is just darling!

They have the cutest playroom for little ones.

Hard to photograph the paint color with my phone, but it actually looks like the lighter shade on the cabinet doors. It matches the chairs that were stacked up in an earlier picture--a beautiful pale turquoise.

What a fantastic playroom color!

My nightstand

I'm such an old lady. :)

If anyone is interested here is the (free) pattern.

giveaways

2011-02-10T13:53:00.003-06:00

Work was canceled yesterday and we had a two hour delay this morning due to the weather. I have been loving all these snow days. It is so nice to stay cuddled up inside with Ty and Nuts. We have definitely made the most out of it.

{via we heart it}

Check out my giveaway blog for two great giveaways!!
One for a gift card to Apothica (an online make-up store)
& the other for a bundle of Durafame Stax logs to keep you warm and cozy.

The sun is supposed to be shining this weekend and temps should be in the 50s & 60s. I guess that means my chance for more snow days is over for now. Oh well. Bring on the sunshine!

{via we heart it}

snowpocalypse

2011-02-06T15:07:00.003-06:00

This has definitely been one for the record books. We received 14 inches of snow and then several days later a few more inches. The weathermen are predicting more this coming week. I only worked one day last week--Monday. That is crazy! Ty has gone in a few times for his ER shifts. The roads are terrible, but his car has done really well on them. I have left the house (Ty has driven me) a couple of times for fast food and for a Target run. Thank goodness, my husband recognized the importance of getting me out of the house for my sanity and chose one of my favorite places. :)
I've taken a lot of pictures to document these past several days, most involve Nuts. In fact, this is going to be way too many pictures. oops.

I went through old magazines & tore out inspiration photos.

We decided to get out of the house to walk the roads with Nuts.

We chose to squeeze in between the bushes and the house and avoid the biggest snow drifts.

You can see the snow in our yard went above my knees.

He much prefers this to the snow.

Temperatures finally rose to above freezing on Saturday! Ty was able to shovel our sidewalk.

I did a lot of cooking and baking. I'm going to have to put myself on a diet after this.

I have enjoyed being snowed in and I'm not really looking forward to returning to work tomorrow.

Snowed In

2011-02-01T10:54:00.004-06:00

Three days ago it was 76 degrees outside. It was a beautiful weekend!
My parents came up and we definitely enjoyed the weather.

Today notsomuch. It is snowing up a storm here. Work and school were canceled yesterday afternoon before the snow even started falling. The news is saying it will be a record breaking storm. Ty had yesterday off and stopped by the store to pick up something I forgot to get while grocery shopping this weekend. He also picked up these beauties. I came home to them in this mason jar and I was so surprised!

Getting Nuts to go outside this morning was no easy task. The snow was built up too high to open the back door.

We made do with the front porch.

It will definitely need to be cleaned off before potential buyers come by. :) Poor Nuts is just too short and sinks into the snow.

Work is canceled tomorrow too! I'm more than happy to be stuck at home.

p.s. check out my giveaway for a gift certificate to Apothica (an online make-up store)

dying over the cuteness

2011-01-26T21:03:00.004-06:00

It has been a month since I have seen my sweet nephew and I must remedy that soon. These pictures make me want to drive the three hours to see him and just gobble him up.

Look at those cheeks. Oh those little fat hands. His little button nose. Someone is going to need to stop me. I could go on forever. I'm in love with this little man.

{I bought him that doxie for Christmas from this etsy seller.}

2011-01-24T20:25:00.003-06:00

We are pretty much consumed with all things house right now, which would explain my lack of anything exciting on the ol' blog. I think we finally have everything spic & span and all projects have been accomplished. Ty's parents came up on Saturday and helped us out tremendously. We could not have accomplished, so much if it wasn't for them.

I just remembered my parents are coming up this weekend to help us with a couple of things. So much for saying that all the projects were done. The things that are left are small things my dad and Ty are doing together, and shouldn't require my help. I doubt they would even ask for my help. I'm not the best helper.

See I told you. All things house.

fresh flowers for the open house

The open house was not successful. Not a single soul came. We weren't too surprised. Does anyone even go to open houses anymore? We never did when we bought this house, but maybe that is just us. The good news is two different people have come by to view the house in the last couple of days.

Last thing about the house and then I'm done. I swear. I think I confused some people by saying we were selling our house. We don't know yet if we are moving for residency, but we decided that even if we stay we want to sell it. Ty finds out on Valentine's Day where he matched for residency. Valentine's Day will be known as Match Day at our house. Maybe if I'm lucky we will celebrate both. I sure hope so, because I've got my eye on this.

hehe.

I did find a few minutes this weekend to give myself a blog makeover. My design blog needed something new. Go check it out along with a new pre-made template for sale.

2011-01-20T20:29:00.003-06:00

I have a lot of little thoughts, but not enough on one thing to actually justify a full post. Thank goodness for bullet points.

Mr. Clean Magic Erasers have become my best friend.
Deep cleaning your house sucks. It will be worth it for things to be sparkly for our open house.
I'm not a huge fan of country music, but it is my favorite thing to listen to while I'm cooking.
I'm sure Ty enjoyed listening to me sing to Strawberry Wine at the top of my lungs tonight while I was cooking.
I made this for dinner. Yum, Yum.
I had today off of work due to the snow and ice. It was GREAT!
My sister-in-law, Heather, was browsing through Netflix while we were at Ty's parent's house over New Year's trying to decide what to add to their queue. I got some great ideas from her. A few of these have already been sent to us and watched and others are still in our queue.

{via}

All of the Symphony Brownies I made last weekend are gone. I think I need to make another batch this weekend.

If that is the case I should also do the workout video I bought a couple of weeks ago, but have only done once. Yikes.
I was really jealous of all the people with the Pure Barre classes in their cities. Then, I found out they have workout DVDs. I read several reviews of the videos online and the feedback was really mixed. I really like the one I purchased and I think people were being hyper critical. Visit Kate's blog if you want more info on Pure Barre.

Pure Barre: Pershing Square 1

{via}

weekend happenings

2011-01-18T07:20:00.000-06:00

This selling our house business has us busy! It is amazing how much needs to be done. We have a photographer coming today and I'm sitting in my office at work hoping I did everything I was supposed to this morning. I'm sure I forgot to do something. We are also having an open house this coming Sunday. Ah, so exciting and scary all at the same time.

We spent the majority of the weekend getting the house ready for these things, but we did make some time to relax. We saw True Grit Friday evening. The acting was amazing and the music (old hymns) was beautiful!

{via}

We did our grocery shopping after the movie and I discovered my new favorite snack at Target.

I'm always eating the Nature Valley granola bars, but these are better because they contain chocolate. duh.

Speaking of chocolate, I made the most decadent brownies this weekend. Katie posted them on her blog on Friday and I couldn't resist making them. Recipe here. (super easy!)
Symphony Brownies

{picture via Sarah}
Ty is not allowed to mention how much of the brownies have already been consumed.

Despite all the house stuff, I managed to do quite a bit of fun stuff this weekend. Ty slaved away the majority of the time while I was out and about. Isn't he the best?!

Went to a baby shower for Megan and baby Eli

It was a cowboy theme. How cute are these plates?!

See all the cute details on Megan's blog.

On Monday I took H, my bbbs little, to see Tangled. It was really cute!

{via}

It was nice to have an extra day to add to the weekend. Now, if I could only arrange to work four days every week.

martha stewart makes me swoon

2011-01-13T06:02:00.001-06:00

As I was browsing through blogs a couple of weeks ago I came across a certain project from Martha Stewart's website. I saved the project, but I can't remember the blog I found it on--sorry! If it was your blog let me know.

I have become obsessed with the chevron pattern. I use it a lot in my blog designs and people are always requesting it. When I saw the tray I immediately wanted one. I have yet to make it, but maybe one day... I still haven't finished the bottom hem in my curtain project that I started in August. oops.

Someone use this tutorial and make me one. mmkay?

The tutorial also shows you all of the resources that they used to make the tray*.

You can view Rebecca's eclectic modern living room here.

*The tray is made with fabric, not by painting.

weekend happenings

2011-01-10T06:59:00.000-06:00

Ty and I had a busy weekend. We spent the majority of it cleaning our house, adding more plants to the front yard, and decluttering. We are in the "our house must sell" mode. We met with a realtor on Sunday afternoon and have some important decisions to make.

Thank goodness, we were invited to a birthday party Saturday evening. Otherwise, I think Ty would have made me work all night too. :) Jessica threw a fabulous birthday party for her little girls. Ty has met a few of the people before, but I'm so glad he got to meet their husbands and get to know everyone a little better. I managed to snap a few pictures with my phone, but you will want to visit Jessica's blog for a full party recap.

love this girl!

Jessica with Miss Penny

I'm in love with this design I finished over the weekend.

Welcome 2011

2011-01-05T12:19:00.000-06:00

Our theme for last year seemed to be travel. Definitely a theme I wouldn't mind sticking around! This year's theme is sure to be change. Ty will graduate from medical school and start residency. Oh my goodness, these events seemed like such a distant future when he started school and now it is almost here.

In February, we will find out where we will spend the next five years as Ty completes his residency training. We have had lots of discussions about what to do with our house if we stay where we are and what we will need to do to sell it if we move. So many decisions.

July will mark Ty's start date and that will bring about all sorts of new experiences for us. There will be a lot of adjusting and adapting to a new schedule. This summer could mean a move for us and job hunting for me depending on where we end up for residency.

Maybe, just maybe there will be time to fit in some traveling before residency starts.

One thing that I hope to continue this year is blog designing. I have so enjoyed this hobby that turned into a business. I have had a pretty consistent wait list since June and I'm so thankful that other people like my designs. I've definitely had some moments where I've doubted myself and wondered why people would choose me to do their blog designs. I'm self-taught and I usually don't think of myself as very artistic or creative. But someone liked my work and then it has just seemed to spread, like so many things in this blog world do. I hope that 2011 is just as successful. Thank you all for supporting me!

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T05:43:00.000-06:00

I am creating a Kodak book to recap 2010. I'm not very good at printing pictures throughout the year. This way they are printed and already put in an album for me. Read more about my Kodak book here.

I love to look back over the year in one blog post. I'm going to attempt to do it with a couple of pictures each month.

January

Legally Blonde with Chesley

winter storm

February

Oklahoma Mission of Mercy

work trip to Austin, TX

March

Ty lived in a hospital room on his rural rotation.

April

work trip to DC

work trip to San Francisco and more importantly to Crown & Crumpet

May

My sister's baby shower.

Received a wonderful Big Brothers Big Sisters match.

June

work trip to Savannah, GA

Ty joined me in Atlanta, GA.

Amy, Brent, Lillian and Lucas came to visit us for the weekend.

July

Our beach vacation

My sweet nephew arrived!

August

Ty's nephew arrived!

Trip to Philadelphia for Ty's test

Day trip to Ocean City, NJ

September

Work trip to Utah

State Fair

Ty spent the month in Chicago and Detroit for rotations and I flew to Detroit to make the road trip home. We spent the night in Canada.
Looking at Detroit skyline from Canada.

October

Another work trip to San Francisco

Happy Halloween!

November

Ty spent the month in Ft. Worth for a rotation and we celebrated a great Thanksgiving in a hotel room.

December

Holiday Ball

Christmas

Farewell 2010 and welcome 2011!

A Hometown Christmas

2010-12-28T19:06:00.003-06:00

Ty and I had a fantastic Christmas at home with our families. Ty's rotation schedule and my work schedule allowed us to go home on the night of the 22nd and return to our house on the 26th. Ty also gets off for New Year's. Whoo hoo for a great rotation schedule!

Thursday, December 23rd:
I spent most of the day with my mom and Mason. I did get to meet up with some of my best friends from high school that afternoon. It was so nice to catch up and see Kristan's new house and meet her little boy, who is a year and a half. I can't believe I had never met him! He is adorable.

My mom keeps Mason during the day. She wasn't feeling well, so she took a nap and Mason got to come with me. :) I had fun showing him off.

Ty's family has a Christmas Eve Eve celebration every year where we all get together and eat and play games. This year Santa made an appearance.

Friday, December 24th:
Ty and I are always the first ones to open our stockings. I had to test out my new flexible tripod
that came in my stocking.

My MIL always puts code names on all of the presents and we find out who we are when we open our stockings. There is always an orange at the bottom of the stocking with a code name written on it. Last year the the theme was Twilight and this year's theme was Toy Story. I was Slinky and Ty was Bo Peep. I love this tradition!

Lillian and I drew each other's names and we were waiting patiently to exchange our gifts.

I want her jammies! Aren't they cute?!

No trip home is complete without a golf cart ride.

Ty brought this gun home with him to protect us from bad guys. :)

Still not sure how I feel about it...

You have to love Lillian's get up for shooting a gun:
Leopard coat, heart mittens, polka dot hat, and cowboy boots.

Part of her present from me was the polka dot hat.

Saturday, December 25th:
Christmas day with my family.

We were ready to open presents!

My parents re-gifted us our bb guns. I need to search for a picture of the first time they gave them to us.

Mason checking out his present from Aunt Lindsey and Uncle Ty

I think it met his approval.

This ribbon and cooler kept him entertained the most--go figure.

Ty wearing his new vest and hat doing a little target shooting with my bb gun.

For whatever reason there seemed to be a lot of gun shooting this holiday season. At least it got us out of the house for a little bit. :)

I got sick Christmas night and have still not recovered. Fingers crossed, I feel better tomorrow. I want to enjoy my week off from work!

Merry Christmas

2010-12-22T06:06:00.002-06:00

Our Christmas card

I had the hardest time picking out a Christmas card this year. This was Ty's favorite. I decided to post it here, since it didn't make the cut.

Christmas goodies

2010-12-21T13:08:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about blogging is getting great ideas from y'all. I have found several fun recipes from blogs and I thought I would share some with you!
I have already made or will be making these Christmas treats.

I have tasted these recipes and they are delish. Hopefully, mine will turn out just as good!
Bacon Wrapped Pineapple
Bruschetta

Great small Christmas presents:
Cinnamon Honey Butter
Chesley and I made this last year and packaged them up real cute.

This is super easy to do! Here are mine this year.

My favorites:
Peppermint Bark
White chocolate covered popcorn

A new one I tried this past weekend in my gingerbread cakelet pan:
Salted Fudge Brownies

I'm a HUGE fan of sea salted chocolates, so I thought this sounded delish. I'm not a huge fan of homemade brownies. I think the next time I make this I will just make brownies out of the box and then add the sea salt.

What are you guys making this year?

Good Ol' Santa Paws

2010-12-20T20:05:00.001-06:00

a christmas tradition

2010-12-17T06:15:00.000-06:00

I have bought Ty a Christmas ornament every year since we started college in 2003. It is such a fun tradition! If you know Ty at all, then you know Christmas is his favorite holiday. I can only imagine the amount of energy he had as a child at this time of the year.

The past several year the ornaments have all been doctors. I try to find something that represents the year or one of his hobbies, etc. The past four years have been consumed by medical school and I don't see that changing anytime soon since he has chosen a 5 year residency program.

This year's ornament is a doctor, but more importantly it is a specific type of doctor. This year has been all about choosing a specialty (general surgery) and applying for residencies.

Cute little surgeon!

stock photo

Oooooo-klahoma

2010-12-16T06:26:00.000-06:00

iPhone pics of why I love my state this time of the year.

December sunrises

Holiday Ball

2010-12-14T06:43:00.000-06:00

Every year on the last day of finals our school has a holiday ball. It is mostly for 1st and 2nd year medical students, and Ty and I enjoyed them during his 1st & 2nd year. Due to some staff shortages and scheduling, I was asked to attend as a student affairs representative for the first half of the night.

The chaperones! :)