Winter Wonderland

We enjoyed our first snow this past weekend.  It started early Sunday morning and did not stop until early Monday morning.  It would have been the perfect date night in with some hot chocolate and a Christmas movie, but instead I had to venture out on the slick roads to tend to the babies at work.  Besides skidding through a red light and sliding off the road just once, I made it without a problem.  

Driving to work in the snow (probably not the best time to be taking a picture).

The snow stuck around on the ground for a few days so I was able to get a picture of Hank in it.   

Cute boy in his sweater.

The roads are slick again as it is now sleeting.   What a cold, wintry wonderland kind of December it has been!  I don’t know about you…. But I am dreaming of a white Christmas. 

MOM's B-day!

Sending you lots of warm wishes for a very Happy Birthday!  Wish we could be there to celebrate with you. We love you!  XOXOX

Holiday Cheer

I LOVE this time of year!

Thankful

Our table setting~ thanks to our wonderful family and friends wedding gifts :)

Thanksgiving was my holiday to work this year.  Not only Thanksgiving night, but the night before and after.  No Thanksgiving dinner or Alabama/ Auburn football game watching with the hubby this year.  Everybody has to take their turn and this year it was mine.  The night before Thanksgiving was a long and busy one at work.  And although I missed George and Hank so very much, I felt extremely thankful.  Thankful for the wonderful friendships I have made at work, thankful for the sweet babies and their families that I adore taking caring of, thankful to have my loving husband and sweet pup to come home to after a long night. So, when the Charge Nurse told me that my name had been the first one drawn to be called off for Thanksgiving, thankful does not even describe how I felt.  George and I were so blessed to be able to spend our first Thanksgiving together as husband and wife, and it will be one that I will remember and cherish forever.  

Yes!

2 years ago, George got down on one knee and made me the happiest girl in the world when he asked for my hand in marriage.  

Right after the proposal

Last year, we decided that we would make it a yearly tradition to visit the site of our engagement.

Celebrating 1 year of being engaged

This past weekend, we kept the tradition going....

Celebrating 6 months of marital bliss and 2 years since George popped the question.

Settling In...

We are finally getting settled into our new home.  The third bedroom still looks like a bomb has gone off, but we have definitely come a long way since we moved in.   Here are a few things that really make our place feel like home...

Henry is settling in too!  And the crate training is going great. :)

We had our bed delivered today, and I am so in love. 

 More pictures to come as we ever so slowly continue to settle in. Hope everyone is having a fabulous week!

For the Working Wife....

Night shift presents a ton of lifestyle challenges that even after 4 years, I am still trying to figure out.  One challenge I think I have finally conquered involves cooking meals.  Sometimes, when I wake up for work (when most people are getting home from work), the last thing I want to do is prepare dinner.  I try my best to be a good wife and have dinner ready for my husband when he strolls in from his long day. I am sure that many working wives can sympathize with that.  Crock pot dinners are the perfect solution. When I get home from work (when most people are waking up), I combine all the ingredients, toss ‘em in the slow cooker, and venture off to sleep (for most, off to work).  Wake up (get home) and voila, dinner is ready.  There is nothing better than waking up (or coming home ) to the smell of a delicious, ready-to-serve meal.   One of my favorite, super easy recipes is from a cookbook that I highly recommend, ‘Fix-it and Forget-it, Slow Cooker Magic’.   

Tasty Pork Tenderloins

1 Pork Tenderloin

12 oz. Jar Chili Sauce

16 oz. Can Jellied Cranberry Sauce

2 Tbsp. Brown Sugar

Place tenderloin in slow cooker. Combine all ingredients and pour over tenderloin. Cover and cook on high 1 hour and low 3 hours.  Remove pork, slice, and drizzle with remaining sauce from slow cooker.  Pair with wild rice and garnish with cranberries and rosemary, if desired.   

If you cannot preset your slow cooker to certain heats and times, then cook on low 6-8 hours.  

Delicious and so easy!

Sworn

George was recently sworn in as an attorney before the Supreme Court of Tennessee and I was fortunate enough to be able to attend.  It was such a proud moment.  Some of the pictures are not very good quality, but I got a few decent ones. 

George in his office looking very official. :)

Potato Soup

For several months now, I have been meaning to share some of my cooking endeavors. When half my full memory card consisted of pictures of meals I had made and never shared, I realized it was time to start posting!   

One of my favorites meals when the weather turns cold is a big bowl of hearty, warm soup.  I found a very simple recipe for Potato Soup online.  I made a few changes to make it a bit healthier and easier.  

My Variation:

 Add half a chopped onion along with the minced onion

Use skim milk (although this did make the soup a bit thinner than most potato soup)

Use 6 slices  (about 4 oz.) of 2% American Cheese and break into small pieces

Use bacon bits rather than a piece of bacon

Top it off with a dollop of light sour cream, shredded cheddar, and chives.  I thought it was very tasty, and George loved it too. Serve with warm bread or a fresh salad. 

Bon Appétit!

Halloween

Franklin Pumpkin Festival 

I was amazed at all the little fearless kids going up to say hi to this extremely tall skeleton.  I definitely would have had nightmares about this creepy costume!

Biggest pumpkin I have ever seen.  I actually went up to touch it because I thought for sure it was fake.  

Gorgeous Day!

Gorgeous Leaves!

I cannot believe it but this is the THIRD year in a row that I have had to work Halloween, and I already know that I have to work it next year. BOOO! ;)

Crate Training :(

Henry is a schnauzer.  Schnauzers like to bark. Barking schnauzer Henry = not so happy neighbors.  Not so happy neighbors + WAY too much time on your hands =  extremely rude lovely informative sign taped on your door.

Of course we were totally unaware that Henry has been barking ALL the time when we are gone.  How WOULD we know?  Sure he barks at dogs outside or on TV and cries when we leave, but how were we supposed to know that he barks for a long time when we are NOT home!??  Am I missing something here?  I guess someone just did not have the decency to come talk to us about it and felt this was the appropriate way to deal with it??  

Anyways, we went and bought a crate which is something that we should have done long ago. We are just trying to get him used to it right now, and it seems like so far he has done pretty well.  We are taking it VERY slow and just keeping the door open so he can go in and out as he pleases.  He has gone in there a few times to sleep.  

Hopefully, in a few weeks we can start closing the door and eventually put him in there when we leave.  Every time I leave our place and hear him cyring/ barking, I just cringe at the thought that we are disturbing our neighbors.  Any tips on our new adventure of crate training a 4 year old dog would be greatly appreciated!

Visitors!

George and I really enjoy having friends and family visit us in Tennessee.  A few weeks ago, our good friend Josh, came in town.  We headed down to another friend's awesome condo overlooking Nashville and were able to hear the Luke Bryan concert from his balcony.  I could get used to this!

Awesome view of the city.

 My sister, Katie, came to visit, and we had such a great weekend!!

We watched the UGA and Bama games at the same time thanks to Katie's idea of compromise.  George reluctantly agreed to watch the first half of the Georgia game on the small TV sans audio and the second half on the big screen.  It can be hard to have a house divided, but marriage is all about compromise. :)  Luckily, both teams won!

We carved pumpkins and, sadly, they have already 'sunken' in after one night of being lit. :(  Next year, maybe I should buy them from somewhere other than Publix.

Beautiful leaves!

We had such a great weekend with Katie!  Hoping to have more visitors very soon!

4 Years Ago...

Our sweet Henry was born!  He has brought so much joy to our lives over the years.  Here are some of our favorite pics...

Enjoying a meat bone today, a very rare treat, but one he loves!  Happy Birthday Buddy!