Back to the Blogging World

OK so I've been terrible not so great at blogging for the past 5 months lately. So much has happened and I honestly have no excuses but I've missed blogging....a lot, so here goes my attempts to keep it up again. Since so much has happened I've created a few sections on new things...feel free to skip to a section that is interesting to you.

Job
OK so we moved to Rock Hill in May where I was jobless. It got around August 6ish and I still didn't have a job so I looked into long term subbing. I got a long term sub job in a county next to us for kindergarten. I was excited to get my foot in the door and back into the classroom however, I was really hoping something would open up in Rock Hill and it would be permanent.
I worked getting that classroom ready for the school year and the weekend before the kids started school, Clint and I went to visit my parents. I saw a listing for a kindergarten position for Rock Hill listed so I emailed the principal. Sunday as Clint and I were driving home I received a call from the principal asking for an interview on Monday. While I was beyond eager for an interview, I couldn't go Monday b/c that was the first day my kids at the other school started. I explained the situation and she asked if I could come in 1 hour. I, being a bit shocked and extremely excited said sure. We rushed home, I changed clothes and I left for my interview on a Sunday afternoon at school. It went well but I wasn't sure if I got it or not. I had no time to dwell on it, I had my first day of school the next day and I got ready. That day I checked my phone after lunch and saw the other principal had called. I couldn't call her back until I dropped the kids off at buses so I was scared, excited and eager about what she was going to tell me. After dropping the kids off at buses, she offered me the job. I then left school, drove straight to my new school where I had open house 1 hour later and got kids that Wednesday.
It's been a whirlwind but an amazing one. This school is just so beyond awesome! Everyone has been wonderful and I'm so happy to find my forever school! I have 19 kindergartners (ahhh LOVE having a small class!) The school incorporates art into their curriculum. My kids go to dance, drama, art, music and PE for specials....I'm so proud to be part of such an amazing school.

House
We looked for awhile for a house. Nothing really screamed out "This is the One!" I started to get really discouraged. So many of the houses were so personalized and we felt like we would be redoing so much. While we both love working around the house, we also both have very involved jobs and when we got home, we didn't want to have to worry about the 18,208 things we wanted to change in the house. We finally found a house! It's perfect for what we wanted, not too small, not too big, new but not brand new and really just very "us". We love our new neighborhood. I will get pictures up of the house soon....I promise.

This Past Weekend!
Kelly and baby Emily came to visit! It was our first overnight house guests and we had so much fun. It was so beyond great to see one of my best friends and of course we enjoyed getting our baby fix for awhile. I miss them both so much already but so thankful they were able to come up.

I think that sums up the big events that I haven't blogged about lately. I've missed the blogging world and I'm excited to get back into it!

Birthday Weekend!

We are still getting settled in to our new home. It's smaller than our home in Nebraska and the one we had at the beach so basic math tells you we have to be super creative when it comes to space. I'm still working on the creative end on that one...perhaps it will come to be before our six month lease is up.
Friday we went to the movies and saw "What to Expect When You Are Expecting". Saturday we went to Adrianne's house. I'm so excited that I live less than an hour from one of my best friends. We cooked out and I got to spend time with her and her two adorable boys.
Sunday was Clint's birthday. We went to Concord Mills, a big mall, and also went to see a boy movie..."Battleship". We ended our night with sushi for dinner. Clint opened his gifts of clothes, a wedding book I made on Shutterfly and a shadow box I made using a few things from memories of Nebraska. It was a great weekend. Miss you all!

We Are Back!!!!

WHOA! What a week! We started our journey from Nebraska about a week and a half ago. We made it to South Carolina Tuesday and started unloading the truck. Our trip went well and I am forever grateful for all the help!

My Dad & I....with our LAST Penske truck.

Packing is NEVER fun! Then again, unpacking hasn't proven to be my favorite past time either.

Saying bye to our Nebraska home.

Once we got the truck unloaded and I could sort through boxes enough to sleep Tuesday night and pack for the weekend, we were off to the beach. My friend Bevin got married this past weekend and her wedding was BEAUTIFUL!!!!

 It was so beyond great to see friends and be back at the beach. We had a WONDERFUL time and came back to Rock Hill Sunday night.

Clint started work Monday and LOVES it! I'm renewing my teaching certificate and hoping for a job in the fall. We aren't living out of boxes anymore....well for the most part. I've gotten to spend some time with my fabulous grandmother that lives in the same city as we do. Life really couldn't be better. It's been so hectic and for lack of better words, chaotic but it's great. We are going to start house hunting this next month I'm way excited about that!

Once again, thanks so much for all of the love and support! We feel blessed beyond measure and are excited about the future! 

And the move has started

This is going to be a short post. Just wanted to let everyone know we started our journey to South Carolina today. We were able to leave Nebraska around 8:30 this morning and we settled into a hotel in Illinois around 7 tonight. St. Louis and Kansas City have been the only "hard" cities to drive though. We've been very grateful for the beautiful weather and safe trip. As always, thanks for the kind words and encouragement. We can't wait to be on the east coast again!

Goodbyes are Never Fun...

Today was my last day of work. I'm officially unemployed....scary. My school has been so incredibly wonderful that I can't even begin to say how much I will miss them. They had a "Going Away Luncheon" today for me and a sweet card with a Barnes and Noble gift card. I also got some really sweet handmade cards from the kids.

I consider myself beyond blessed when it comes to schools. I hope my next one is my "forever school" and hopefully I find it very soon.
It's hard to believe this is our last weekend in Nebraska. These past few months have flown by! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and we hope to see many of you soon!

Let the Packing Begin....

We started packing last week. We've stopped by our local grocery stores and picked up boxes every couple of days and have started the packing process. It does seem oh so familiar.....Can you find Charley?

The pictures are down.

 In other news. I picked up my dress for Bevin's wedding today. The lady was finished doing alterations. She had her hands full with alterations on the dress and I'm still surprised that it was only $15 to get it all done. I guess that's the difference of Nebraska and South Carolina. Once I picked it up today, I fell in love with the color, yet again.

We've finalized everything today with an apartment. It's crazy trying to secure a place to live when you are 1,500 miles away and can't look at anything. Our lease is only for 6 months so that should give us plenty of time to get settled in & go house hunting.
Last but most certainly not least, we cannot thank everyone enough for the love and support with this move (and everyday). We are so excited to be close to friends and family again. I can't believe Friday is my last day of work and this weekend is our last weekend in Nebraska.....Craziness.

Our BIG News!

Enough suspense already, for those who don't know already.......Clint got a new job! His new job is doing the same thing he does now but it's in Richburg, SC, which is about 3 and a half hours from Myrtle Beach. We just found out that he got the job last week and me, the super planner, has been in crazy mode for the past seven days. My last day of work will be next Friday, the 27th. Clint's last day will be May 4th. Our goal is to have the entire house packed up in the Penske truck on the night of the 4th (for the exception of a bed) and leave out as early as possible on the 5th. Since we are on a time crunch, we are going to be renting an apartment for six months and using those six months to house hunt. We will be finding a home in Fort Mill, SC and keeping our fingers crossed that I get a teaching job soon!
We are overwhelmed, once again, by the love and support we have received from friends and family. We are beyond blessed to have such a great support system that has been encouraging us all the way. Once again, I will be having a hard time leaving a school family. I feel so unbelievably lucky to find a great school out here and have a job before I even moved to Nebraska. I have a principal and group of teachers that have been so unbelievably sweet and helpful at school.
That's our big news! I've started the packing process and it seems to feel so familiar...I wonder why? (slight sarcasm)
It seems as if we have been super busy but mostly it's just getting things lined up for the big move. (ex: trying to figure out where we will be living while I'm 1,500 miles away)
I'm making Clint go with me this weekend to finish taking pictures of our Nebraskan city. These past few months have flown by!
Charley was pretty excited when we told him the news. I already called dibs on him riding with me on the 24 hour journey back to SC. After all, I don't think his car seat will fit in a Penske truck....Sorry Clint....and yes, our dog has a car seat.

Last, a few pictures to relive our last move. Same truck, opposite direction....Stacy isn't getting out of the trip this time.

 The Truck

 My Scared Face....or just the face when I realize we were actually moving to NEBRASKA!

A Road Atlas....and our old house. This is kind of sad....it's the house I was living in when I first met Clint and the house Charley was brought home to.

Love you guys!

It's Friday

I know, I haven't blogged in awhile. It's not because we haven't had an eventful couple of days (my usual excuse). We've actually had a VERY eventful couple days. However, I will share more of that next week.....sorry!
In usual life news.......

So my pillows on the couch aren't machine washable.....

I got the cutest baby announcement from a dear friend today....made me smile. I'm still waiting on my alterations to get finished on the dress for Bevin's wedding. I talked to the lady yesterday and it's going to be about another week. It's prom season and she's been busy. I can't believe it's less than a month until the wedding. Crazy how it seems like last week when I think about my wedding and it's been four months.....slow down life, slow down!
In other news, we had a great weekend last weekend. We went to Omaha Saturday and we used our PF Changs gift card. We also went to look for new tires for my car. I need new tires but we are going to shop around a bit. We did get a new printer. Apparently our printer head needed to be replaced so we got our new one at Staples. They were out of it in the store but was shipped here Tuesday. I was off school Monday and the Friday before so it was a super long weekend for me. OH, can I say how awesome it is to be able to wear jeans and a school tshirt to work on Fridays. I love it :)

Hope everyone had a fabulous week and look for our big news next Friday. (no baby, before my dear reader's minds start wondering, ha)

LOVE!

Charley

This is a short week at school. We are off this Friday and next week we are off Monday for an extended Easter weekend.
When I got home yesterday I cleaned up and then took a shower. While I was in the shower, Charley somehow managed to eat some Easter candy.....Hershey Kisses to be exact. I instantly freaked out and texted Clint. Luckily he had his phone nearby and called his mom. I then did my research online to find out that if he eats .8 of his body weight in milk chocolate it is then life threatening. Then of course, just like WebMD for humans, PetMD (yes, there's a such thing) tells you the absolute worst case scenario. I then freak out some more. After talking to my mother-in-law....which is a life saver and I know I've mentioned it before but she's awesome.....Anywho she said that we needed to get him to throw up. OK, I know you really didn't read my blog to hear about my dog's bodily functions but here it is. If you give them hydrogen peroxide, it makes them throw up. I knew Charley didn't eat the .8% of chocolate for his body weight but I also knew I would feel better if he did throw it up. Anywho, I guess I'm the odd one who's dog didn't throw up after a tsp of hydrogen peroxide. He seemed to be fine and his normal self for the rest of the night and today. He most certainly scared the crap out of me....and then I was cleaning up last night to find Hershey Kisses under his dog bed....HOARDER!
The sad part is, that's most likely the most eventful thing that's happened since my last blog. The weather is great. These past few days have been in the 70's and 80's. Today is in the 50's but I'll take it. We've gotten so lucky with the weather this year! Miss you all!

I finally got to open it....

Once Clint got home....we opened the package. I'm so sporting the bunny ears....never too old for a sweet package from the parentals.

Busy Week

We've gotten off to a great start this week. Yesterday, I met with the lady that's going to do alterations to my dress. She's super sweet and is super reasonable with pricing. I was somewhat shocked when she said it will be $15 considering how much she's going to have to do. I'm excited about it...which means I'm excited that it's so very close to May and I will get to be part of such a special day. Plus, bonus points it's a dress I will wear again and who doesn't like a new dress?
My school is doing testing....for the next four weeks. This makes our normal routines needing some flexibility but it's working out great.
I found a nail place for the first time today....special...yes, it was special. It's weird, sometimes I feel like Nebraska is so similar to South Carolina and other days it seems so....not similar. Today was the latter. There's actually a few nail places here, which surprises me. I tried the most legitimate looking one. It was different but clean and good....and well, clean is always good. My toenails now have white polka dots......the man said that was what's cool....I just went with it.  Add that to the experience.
My parents sent us a package today. I was told not to open it until Clint got home. Apparently, they were concerned that I would open it before him.....I have no clue what would make them think that. Needless to say, it's driving me crazy not to open it but a promise is a promise and let's face it, Clint would so call and tell on me if I didn't wait on him.
We do have some exciting things going on (not baby, for those who might automatically jump to that conclusion...ha) Again, we would sincerely like to thank you all for the kind words. It's always overwhelming when you take a moment to really think how beyond blessed you are to have such supportive and amazing friends and family. Looking back this crazy past year has undoubtedly been the most unexpected, difficult year yet it has given us priceless experiences, all of which we could not of done without all the love and support.
Ending on that somewhat sappy note...Lots of love to our friends & family!
-Stacy

Wonderful Weekend

We've had such a great weekend. Very rarely does a weekend seem to not fly by but this weekend we have gotten so much accomplished. Yesterday we went to Omaha to get a few things for my dress for the wedding in May. We also had lunch at P.F. Changs....which was fabulous. I found a lady that's going to be able to do alterations on my dress. I meet with her tomorrow after work. I'm excited and relieved I found someone. One of the hard things about being somewhere new is to find where to go for things like that.
We got our wedding video Friday in the mail. I think I blogged about it last time. It's amazing.....end of story. I'm SOOOOO glad we got it from Hart to Heart Media. They were so awesome and the final product is everything plus, I could ever imagine. We watched it Friday and were able to Skype with Clint's dad & stepmom, the video.
Today we just stayed around the house, cleaning and getting ready for the new week. We have a lot of exciting things going on and appreciate all the thoughts and kind words of encouragement through this journey. I've signed up to teach summer school and finishing up last few things for my teaching certificate to get switched. Hopefully I will get a classroom teaching position next year. I'm so ready to get back into the classroom.
We also got a few movies in this weekend. Blind Side was on tv last night (one of my all time favs) and today we watched Yes Man. The funny thing is the couple in the movie go to the airport and get a ticket for the next flight, just for a random date. It turns out, it's to Lincoln, Nebraska. Funny how a year ago I would never of dreamed that I would be living in Nebraska....craziness.
Tonight we are just finishing up the never ending laundry pile and watching Desperate Housewives.....still sad about the last two episodes. Perhaps they will give us some happy news but that's not looking like it's likely. 
Hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
Lots of Love!

Trivia Night

When living in Myrtle Beach, Clint and I went to trivia on Thursday nights at Gordon Bierch, most weeks. It was fun and we while we weren't the best, it tested out our useless knowledge. Not to mention the sound of a goat cheese & hummus salad with grilled chicken is enough for me to want to get in the car and drive to our closest one...only 5 hours away. Where we live now, is much different. Our town is smaller. We have two "good" restaurants and Wal Mart is where everyone is talking about when they say they are going shopping. Many good things have came from our transition from a large town to a small town. I would now consider myself....a decent cook. We eat out less which gives us more time to cook together and have healthier options. I don't just stop by Target to pick up a few things and get to the register with $100 worth and we appreciate our trips to Omaha or Lincoln to go to a mall. So back to the story....we saw that Appleby's has trivia on Tuesday nights. We decided to try it out last night. It's much different than what we are used to but we had a great time.



A lady just comes around and gives you a butterfly stamp if you get the question right. We got 8 out of 10 right but didn't win. It was still a fun time and always interesting to see how things are different in different places.

Also, I got an email this morning telling me my Hart to Heart video from the wedding is done. My mom went by there today to pick it up but my copy is being mailed. It takes awhile for anything to get all the way here so I'm expecting it Saturday or Monday at the earliest. I have a feeling I will be trying to talk my mom into pointing the skype webcam toward the tv as they are watching it. I'm just way too impatient. Hopefully I will figure out a way to post it to my blog. We will see if I get that technology savvy.

Catching Up

I've had a wonderful week and just got back to Nebraska on Saturday. I flew into Charlotte last Saturday and spent the week with friends and family at the beach. The week flew by far too quickly but I'm excited to be back home with my fabulous husband. I was able to see many friends and visit a few of my favorite places. I was able to meet Emily Grace and between her and my friend Jill's baby Sophia.....I got my beyond cute baby dose for the week. I would love to say I took a million pictures but I didn't. I did bring my camera but was spending so much time catching up with everyone, I didn't take pictures. Goodbyes were hard....as always. I'm so horrible about goodbyes but like I said above, it was nice to see Clint and get back into our routines. I just reminded myself it will be less than two months and I will be back for one of my best friend's wedding. Speaking of that wedding....I just got my bridesmaid dress in today. I'm way excited! While all the other girls got their dress last week....it takes mail to get to Nebraska a longer time. I'm going to ask around school tomorrow and see if someone knows of a place for alterations. I can't wait to see everyone again and share that day with Bevin.
In other news, I signed up to teach summer school. My teaching certificate should all be finalized by then and I signed up for 3rd grade or younger. It will be nice to keep a routine in the summer and I'm always the type that's happier when I'm busy.
I think that sums up what's going on with us. I did download an app on my iphone called BigOven. I highly recommend it! It has recipes and ideas that are great. You can just put in the ingredients you have and it will find a recipe using those. My favorite part is you can find a recipe and add it to your grocery store list and bring your phone as your list, checking off things as you get them. Ahhh it makes me feel all technology savvy, ha. We cooked Chicken Marsala last night....delish.
Hope everyone is doing fabulous!
Love!

Spring Break....Nebraska Style

OK....lame title, I know. Today officially starts my Spring Break from school. We get Thursday, Friday and all next week off. The Thursday and Friday are because we did not use any snow days this year. This winter has been very mild for Nebraska and I can honestly say I am beyond thankful for that. It's made the transition much easier for me. Clint on the other hand, would take snow everyday. It's pretty but then after a day of being stuck inside, I'm over it.
About a month ago I started looking for plane tickets for spring break. I found a round trip (not to Myrtle Beach but right outside of it) for a reasonable price. Tickets from Omaha to Myrtle are way more and after talking to my parents, it just made more sense to fly in through another airport for this trip. I will be flying out Saturday and I'm so excited. It's a bit bittersweet because I wish Clint was going with me. It's weird to think I will be eating at his favorite restaurant without him. I guess not weird enough to not go...hummmm. I'm way excited and hope I can squeeze as much in that small amount of time as possible. I can't wait to see my mom, dad and fabulous friends......AND.....Emily Grace :)
One of my best friends just had a baby this morning, Emily Grace. She's beyond adorable and has a head full of hair, which is perfect for the bows....perhaps those huge bows that take up half her head but just take cute to the fullest extreme. God help us if Clint and I have a girl one day. :)
In other news, the weather is WONDERFUL! OK, so maybe not Myrtle Beach wonderful but still wonderful. We are in the mid 50's and the wind isn't that bad. I can't wait for Myrtle Beach weather in a few days!
Today I've just been hanging around the house. Charley and I took a walk and now he's exhausted. I'm washing clothes and will start packing tomorrow. I'm also making Clint a cherry tart (his new favorite thing in the entire world) before I leave. I figured I would save those two things to do tomorrow.
Hope everyone is doing great and Happy Birthday Emily Grace :)

Reflection

Reflection:
Today I've decided to reflect over the past year. It might be lengthy and boring to some so perhaps a few of you might want to just bypass this one.
I thought about this year because yesterday, a year ago, Clint asked my father if he could ask me to marry him. Clint and my father are the two most amazing men in the world and for them to have that relationship is priceless and what I've always dreamed of. I thought about this time a year ago and suddenly felt like part of it was years instead of months ago and other parts seem like yesterday. So much has changed over this past year and more than anything, it has taught me not to take anything for granted.
I knew with Clint's career and to really pursue his dreams of his career, that it meant most likely not living in SC forever. I also knew, a year ago, that my second year teaching would be a million times easier than my first year. I knew that I could spend many weeks in the summer preparing my room for the year and really getting things organized, something I wasn't able to do last year. With the wedding and my second year teaching all working out as planned, I thought this would be the smoothest year, yet. Things change and life is beyond unpredictable. With things changing at work and Clint getting calls from major engineering companies, we knew the move was in our future, sooner rather than later. I remember taking Clint to the airport for his trip to Nebraska for the interview. It still feels me with the eager yet unsettling life changing feeling that I went to work with that morning. It's the uncertainties we have, in everyday life that we don't know what every single decision is going to bring to our future. He called once he landed, again when he got to the hotel, again before the interview and obviously right after. The job is everything he wanted, plus more. A day after he landed back in South Carolina, he got a call with the job offer. As I look back I remember wondering if I would be able to finish the school year out with him moving in October. I can't imagine getting married in December and being 1,700 miles away from him for the next six months. I feel like this change in our life, only two months before the wedding was crazy for lack of better words. I still am uncertain of how it all worked out, in the since of getting everything done. We were able to pack up my entire house in less than two weeks, load it on a Penske truck and I then moved back in with my parents for two months. Clint drove all the way out to Nebraska with the truck and his car towed behind. I visited over Thanksgiving and then got back on the plane, tears and all.
Looking back, I still am in amazement on how everything worked out. I know a huge part of the success was the help of my parents and Clint's parents. The move and adjustments would of been so FAR from smooth or even possible without them. I miss my friends and family more than words can ever say but I'm also so beyond blessed with experiences that are not replaceable. I've been able to see a different lifestyle, climate and learn more about myself than I believe I ever could. The experience of seeing different schools has been priceless. I LOVE to see different teaching styles and technology working in classrooms to its fullest potential. It's amazing how different schools are in different parts of our country. I feel like every school has so much to offer and ultimately I like to think these experiences just make me a stronger teacher. At this point, we have no clue what life will bring to us but we know that it's a great journey that we are forever grateful for.

Saturday, OH Saturday

A year ago today, my sweet husband called my parents after work and arranged to stop by their house. He arrived and asked my fabulous father if he could ask me to marry him. Obviously he said yes. I am so beyond blessed to have an amazing family and a husband I love more and more everyday. I think about everything that has happened over this past year and I can honestly say its been quite the year!
We went to Omaha today to pick up Clint's sunglasses. We bought them at Lenscrafters about two weeks ago and they came in this week. We then had lunch at Cheesecake Factory and went to see The Lorax. I heart Dr. Seuss. The movie theater was packed with kids and we both enjoyed the movie a lot.
In other news, the weather is warming up. We are going to have a few days next week that get in the 50's. I'm pretty ecstatic.
Also, I've found some amazing Pinterest recipes lately. Lucky for me, Clint's a great sport and tries all my random dinner ideas, with a smile. I'm kind of happy I didn't really get into Pinterest while I was wedding planning. There's just so many great ideas and I think a wedding is just like anything, you can always keep on doing more and more. There's always a point you have to just say, it is what it is, everything is going to turn out great. I had a fabulous wedding and honestly it was a beyond great time and tell Clint all the time I want to do it again.....same husband and all, just like the party and all the friends & family.
LOVE!
-Stacy

Windy Day

I always knew that Nebraska was cold. Today is just like most days, lately. The temperature is around 30-35 degrees, which really isn't that bad. (its been 3 months in Nebraska for me to tell you that 30 degrees isn't cold, ha) I will say today is perhaps the first day I will admit to being beyond freezing.....it's the wind. We are having wind around 50 plus MPH. I'm pretty convinced it's a hurricane without the rain outside. The air seems to just cut you as soon as you step outside. I've been procrastinating taking that much needed WalMart trip just because of the cold, cold wind. I've put on layers and will attempt that journey soon enough.
In other news, Clint and I started the Couch to 5K last week. We are doing pretty well with it for the exception of my lack of eagerness to run today in this wind. We are considering a gym membership but on the other hand we only have about another month of cold weather then it will be perfect running weather so maybe we will just tough it out for a bit more.
That's about it for us. Hope everyone is doing well and we miss you all!
-Stacy

Pictures

I haven't posted lately, perhaps just lack of exciting news. We are all settled in with our routines. School is going great for me and Clint loves his job even more, everyday. While all of my South Carolina friends posted about the 80 degree weather they were having yesterday, we had snow. It wasn't much and has already started to melt but we had snow.
I did get the DVD in the mail of all of the Shutterbooth pictures from our wedding. This was one of my favorite "extra" things we did for the wedding. Not only did we have a wonderful scrapbook that we will cherish for years to come, with the sweetest notes ever :) but we also got a DVD with all of the pictures taken that night. We had such a great time and it was truly everything we could of asked for in a wedding. I've posted a few pictures from the booth below. Enjoy the warm weather my SC friends! Love!

 Kaylin & Kara.....wonderful bridesmaids & fabulous "sisters"

 Hayley & Linsey

 Fabulous, beyond Fabulous Friends!

 The best mom & dad ever, ever, ever!!!!!!!

My mom & my other mama :)

Happy Friday!!!!

I hope everyone had a fabulous Valentines day!
Clint is amazing and my Tuesday morning started with him cooking me breakfast before work, a card and my favorite candy in my car and a dinner out in Omaha with a stop by the Pandora store. My beyond fabulous mother in law started me on my Pandora charm bracelet and after just finishing my first one I started on my second. I've moved half the charms on my new one and for Valentines Day, Clint got me the red glass bead in the center.

I also made a cherry tart....delish and it made me feel like it was Christmas time filled with all my family.

Yea....I was totally cheesy and did S hearts C.....don't hate.

Clint has an eye doctor appointment in Omaha Saturday so I'm excited for a day trip there. Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

LOVE!

Stacy

Cherry Tarts and a Fun Weekend!

We had yet another great weekend. I had Thursday and Friday off school which would of been fabulous however I caught a lovely 24 hour stomach bug and didn't feel so great those two days. I did have a very wonderful surprise Friday morning. My aunt Joanne sent me a package in the mail.

It was everything to make her famous cherry tart. To give you a bit of a background on the cherry tart...it's basically the best dessert in the entire world. My aunt promised me she would make it for my wedding about 10 years ago, long before I met Clint and really before it would of been legal to date him..ha, (he's three years younger than I am). She didn't forget and had one waiting for us after the reception in our room with a bottle of champagne. I can't wait to make it and was beyond excited to get the package in the mail. Clint was way excited as well.

When I woke up Saturday I felt great and was ready to get out of the house. We went to Omaha and enjoyed a day out. We went to the movies and saw Contraband. It was a bit more of a boyish movie but I enjoyed it too. We ended our day out with dinner at PF Changs. It's weird, times like that make me feel like I'm back at the beach....then I walk outside and it's 5 degrees. It was a great day and had a wonderful time.

It snowed again last night. I will say today was the first day I drove to work and the roads were not cleared. The weird thing about driving in the ice and snow is when you back over ice or a big thing of snow the sound always sounds like you are hitting something. I instantly feel my stomach drop and then realize that there's nothing there I could of possibly hit and get over it. They are starting to clear the roads now so tomorrow should be an easier trip to school than today.

Last but not least, I decided the other day that I would just dye my hair brown again and then wait until I was at the beach to get highlights back in. I feel like I'm cheating on my hair dresser...we have a tight bond, ha. Well, my idea totally backfired and now my hair is way darker than I intended but I figure it's not really a big deal, not like its green or anything and I got over it. When I was at work today a child asked me why I painted my hair red when it was yellow before.....super.

I guess that sums up our weekend and Monday. I'm thankful to be feeling better and excited about another great week. Miss you all!

-Stacy

All those times I say I would post it but I never do

OK so I've mentioned in a few blogs that I would post recipes or projects that I've created and then I never do....so here it is.

Dessert:
I found this on a blog that I read daily. It's not a food blog...even though that sounds fabulous, ha. This is a SUPER easy and would be super easy to bring to an event where you just need a delish twist on a brownie.

You will need:

*9x13 glass baking dish

*1 pack of Moist Supreme Devil's Food Cake Mix (or plain chocolate cake mix)

*Whatever ingredients your cake mix calls for - look at the box! 

*One can of Sweetened Condensed Milk

*1 tub of Cool Whip (thawed)

*Caramel Ice Cream Topping

 

Steps:

 

1) Cook the cake mix as called for

 

 2) Bake as the box calls for

3) Poke holes in the baked cake. I used a wine closer thing....ha, but the end of a wooden spoon works fabulously!

 4) Pour the condensed sweetened milk and carmel in the holes. I didn't use more than a fourth of the can of milk....the more you use the sweeter and moist the dessert will be.

 5) Refrigerate! Then put the Cool Whip on the top as the icing...if you put it on before its completely cooled down, the Cool Whip melts...not cool.

 6) Decorate with Carmel....you could also add some candy bar pieces or chocolate sprinkles or whatever you are in the mood for. Then refrigerate again and it's ready to eat!

 

With the unhealthy first....now the healthy!

I found this on Pinterest and loved so many of the great ideas! It's from a food blog (two of my favorite things, ha) http://www.sixsistersstuff.com/2012/01/fresh-food-friday-100-healthy-snack.html It's 98 great healthy snacks.

1. Frozen Grapes

2. String Cheese
3. Banana
4. Frozen Banana (peel it first, stick in the freezer overnight- it's like a yummy popsicle)
5. Low-fat Yogurt
6. Sugar-free or fat-free pudding
7. Apple dipped in Peanut Butter (or spread peanut butter on top of apple slice and top with pecans . . . so good!)
8. 100-calorie bag of popcorn
9. Applesauce
10. Raw veggies with hummus (my new favorite!)
11. Almonds
12. Apple
13. Skinny S'more (two graham crackers with one roasted marshmallow and one small square dark chocolate)
14. Smoked Beef Jerky (about 1 oz- look for low-sodium!)
15. Chocolate Milk
16. Hard Boiled Egg
17. Sunflower Seeds
18. Cottage Cheese
19. Sliced Cantaloupe
20. Raisins
21. Pita Bread and Hummus
22. Rice Cakes
23. Sugar-free Jello
24. Dried Fruits
25. Frozen Yoplait Whips Yogurt (these seriously taste like ice cream when they are frozen!)
26. Air-Popped Popcorn
27. Pistachios
28. Clementines (we call them Cuties or Clemmies)
29. Fruit Smoothie

30. Handful of olives
31. Pickles
32. Handful of blueberries with 2 tablespoons fat-free Cool-Whip
33. Ants on a Log (celery with peanut butter and raisins)
34. 1 cup mixed berry salad (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, and/or blackberries) tossed with one tablespoon fresh-squeezed orange juice.
35. Peanut Butter and Bananas on whole wheat bread
36. Trail Mix (make your own! Throw in dried fruit, sunflower seeds, nuts, low-sugar cereals, and even the occasional piece of candy for something sweet.)
37. Orange Slices
38. Cherry Tomatoes
39. Graham Crackers
40. Small Green Salad with light dressing
41. Mango smoothie (frozen mango, mango Greek Yogurt, and a small amount of orange juice)
42. Kabobs (thread low-fat meat, low-fat cheese, pineapple and cherry tomatoes onto a stick)

43. Half of a  Cinnamon-Raisin topped with peanut butter and banana slices
44. Grilled Pineapple (throw them on the grill or a skillet on med. heat for two minutes or until golden)
45. Baked Apples (one tennis ball-sized apple, cored, filled with 1 teaspoon brown sugar and cinnamon, and baked until tender)
46. Animal Crackers
47. Strawberries dipped in fat-free Cool Whip
48. Low-fat tortilla topped with egg salad, shredded carrots and cucumber slices
49. Parfait (build your own with Greek yogurt or plain yogurt, fruit, and granola)
50. Bowl of bran flakes with 1/2 cup skim milk and berries
51. Guacamole with veggies
52. Triscuit's Thin Crisps dipped in cottage cheese or hummus
53. Cashews
54. Pretzels
55. Sun Chips (portion control! Read the serving amount on the side!)
56. Cheesy Breaded Tomatoes: Two roasted plum tomatoes sliced and topped with 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
57. Sugar Snap Peas
58. Steamed Veggies (steam non-starchy vegetables in a microwave safe bag and sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese or 1/4 cup pasta sauce)
59. Apricots
60. Laughing Cow Light Cheese Wedges
61. Any 100 calorie pack
62. Snack/Granola bar (around 150 calories or less, like Kellogg's All-Bran, Kashi TLC Trail Mix, or Fiber one Bar)
63. Baked chips (about 7-10) with salsa
64. Soy Chips
65. Protein Bar
66. Sweet Potato Fries (one light-bulb sized sweet potato sliced, tossed with 1 teaspoon olive oil, and baked at 400° for 10 minutes)
67. Wrap (I like a slice of turkey, swiss cheese, baby spinach leaves, and cranberry relish wrapped up in a tortilla)
68. Pumpkin Seeds (2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds, sprayed with oil (just a spritz!) and baked at for 400° for 15 minutes or until brown. Sprinkle a tiny amount of salt on top)
69. Bean Salad
70. Broccoli Florets
71. Peaches and Cottage Cheese
72. Chopped Red Peppers (dipped in fat free ranch)
73. V8 Vegetable Juice
74. Tuna with Triscuit crackers
75. Cooked and Cubed Chicken Breast
76. Homemade Popsicles (puree watermelon, strawberries, mango, banana, etc and freeze in popsicle molds)
77. Dates with almond butter or rolled in coconut
78. Quesadilla (whole wheat (or corn) tortillas w/cheese (or not) melted in microwave - adding on tomatoes, beans, corn, olives, avocado or guacamole or whatever sounds good)
79. Watermelon
80. Cubed Apples and Cubed Cheese

81. Craisins (I love to eat these with almonds- it's a good combo)
82. Goldfish Crackers
83. Edamame
84. Cheesy Roasted Asparagus (four spears (spritzed with olive-oil spray) and topped with 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, baked for 10 minutes at 400°)
85. Turkey Roll-Ups (Four slices smoked turkey rolled up and dipped in 2 teaspoons honey mustard)
86. Strawberry Salad (1 cup raw spinach with ½ cup sliced strawberries and 1 tablespoon balsamic)
87. Oatmeal
88. Banana Smoothie (½ cup sliced banana, ¼ cup nonfat vanilla yogurt, and a handful of ice blended until smooth)
89. Lime Sherbet (1/2 cup serving) with sliced kiwi
90. Apple Chips (dehydrated apples- they are so good!)
91. Black Beans (mix 1/4 cup black beans with 1 tablespoon salsa and 1 tablespoon Greek yogurt for an added twist!)
92. Lettuce wrap (try two slices honey-baked ham with 2 teaspoons honey mustard rolled in a lettuce leaf)
93. Pecans (try five pecans roasted with 2 teaspoons maple syrup and 1 teaspoon cinnamon)
94. Chocolate Covered Strawberries (dip 5 strawberries in 2 squares of dark chocolate- that is still good for you, right?!)
95. Honeyed Yogurt (½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt with a dash of cinnamon and 1 teaspoon honey)
96. Blackberries (so good mixed with plain yogurt)
97. Frozen Mangos
98. Tropical Juice Smoothie (¼ cup pineapple juice, orange juice, and apple juice, blended with ice)

Last but not least...a Pinterest inspired baby gift.

I had a picture on my camera but accidentally deleted ALL my pictures instead of just one random one so I stole it from Facebook after Kelly got it in the mail. Keeping in mind the white onsie was wrapped around one of the other pieces, representing rice....it's baby sushi. I can't wait untill Emily Grace arrives! She is so loved already!

 

Snow...

There hasn't been much new with us since the last post. It snowed a bit last night but things are starting to melt. Now we just have the dreaded ice to deal with. The roads have been cleared quickly and to my surprise, fairly ice-free. I have yet to fall on the ice but I've had far too many close calls.

A picture of my school sign as I arrived to school on Monday.

Most of our neighborhood roads were cleared by Saturday night/Sunday morning. The ice on the road really wasn't that bad until Tuesday. Ahhhh this is quite the experience!

In other news, I'm working on getting my teaching certification switched to Nebraska. There's a class that I have to take or show proof that I've taken one similar in college. After looking at all the requirements, I realized that I did take one very similar. Those who know me best, know that I have cutter-phobia....just the thought of the show Hoarders makes me itch (at the same time it's like a train wreck you can't not look at). This being said, my syllabus from that class is long, long gone and clearly didn't make it to the move to Nebraska. I've been in touch with some old college professors and keeping my fingers crossed that it all works out. Not only will this speed up the whole process of getting my certificate switched to Nebraska, it will also save $400 plus on the whole process of taking a class at a college close by.

Charley was thrilled to know that his hair cutting clippers arrived on Monday. Clint and I have cut his hair ourselves for over a year now. His hair cuts started costing more than mine and we decided that we could do it. He's a great dog and stands still the entire time. Considering it's freezing, he didn't need a summer cut like we tend to give him while he's in South Carolina but we trimmed his hair last night.

Maybe I'm a little basis but he's so cute and such a great dog. We got him about three years ago from the humane society in Conway. He's such a trooper in the snow and makes the best pre-child we could ever ask for.

I'm out of school Thursday and Friday and don't really have any plans. I'm sure it will consist of laundry and cleaning and perhaps some pinterest inspired crafts. I will keep you all updated!

LOVE!

-Stacy

And We Woke Up to Snow....lots of snow

These pictures are on Facebook but I thought I would share on here as well because I know a few people who follow us here verses Facebook. Sure enough we woke up to snow. It's about 7 in. of snow now but it's still snowing steady so the predictions are around a foot & a half by tomorrow. Charley wasn't so sure and the pictures we got with him were all within five minutes before he begged at the door to get back in. He's tired and sleeping now. Enjoy to snow pictures.

 The sliding glass door in the back of our house....it's covered.

 If he didn't have grey ears and black nose we might not of found him in the snow....it was above his head.

 Nebraska: My reasoning to justify buying UGG boots.

Family Snowmen....Clint on the left, Stacy on the right and we can't forget Charley in the middle!

Tired puppy!

The snow is still coming down steady but in the meantime we are enjoying hot chocolate....thanks Keurig!

Spoke Too Soon....

For those who have been watching the news....or weather at least, you may have heard that Nebraska is about to get the winter blizzard this weekend. I bragged  mentioned in my last blog that we were having a mild winter...clearly I spoke too soon. I went to the grocery store this afternoon in a search for a random ingredient for my latest recipe creation and was overwhelmed by the "herd" of people at the store. The shelves were getting near empty and were out of what I was looking for. I then had a fabulous ridiculous idea to go to WalMart to get what I needed. After stopping by our only Starbucks in a 50 mile radius (which happens to be inside the grocery store) to pick up my beloved chi tea...I got brave enough to tackle WalMart.
Needless to say it was packed but I found what I needed and left in under 20 minutes...which wasn't too bad.
Everyone was clearly preparing themselves for the possibility of being snowed in for days. I will post pictures once the snow starts to accumulate.
In other random news.....I just noticed today that I have a bunch of corn husks in my backyard....be jealous South Carolina.

Schools were out early today. To be completely honest, I don't know the reasoning but I'm not one to complain. We are also out next Thursday and Friday. I checked to see if there were any ridiculously cheap flights to Myrtle...but no such luck : ( Kayak.com and I are not friends today.
We will most likely just stay in this weekend, especially if the weather turns out to be anything close to what they are expecting. Hope everyone has a great Super Bowl weekend and I will post snow pictures soon enough.
LOVE!
-Stacy

Who doesn't like a survey?

Anna tagged me in a fun survey!

1. What is your favorite meal?

I would have to say Gordon Bierch's Hummus and Goat Cheese Salad with Chicken....ahhh I miss that a lot....no Gordon Bierch in Nebraska

2. What do you like best about blogging?

Since we moved to Nebraska, we are so far away from all of our family and friends. While it's not exactly another country, it seems like it sometimes and blogging helps me keep in touch with all the friends and family that live on the east coast. It allows us to share pictures and our daily activities which aren't way exciting but it's our life and we love it :)

3. What is your favorite movie of all time?

This is far more Clint's category than mine. I'm not really a movie person, I blame this on my attention span. I would have to say Blind Side.

 

4. What would a perfect day look like for you?
It would be a trip home, spending the day with friends and family.

 

5. What is the best book you've read?
I'm currently reading Green River Killer...ahh that sounds so bad but it's about his wife and her story on how they were married for 20 years and she had no clue what he was doing. It's really interesting.

6. If someone had asked you ten years ago what you would be doing in ten years, would you have answered correctly?
HA! Well, kind of.....I would think I would be married, maybe a child but I'm perfectly ok with the timing of our marriage, I couldn't be happier. I would never in a million, billion, trillion years think I would be in Nebraska....but who knows where life will bring you.

7. What's your guilty pleasure? 
Watching Teen Mom

8. Have you ever broken any bones?
Negative
9. What time do you go to bed each night?
Now it's around 9:30 on the weekdays and 10...sometimes 11 on weekends but 11 is kinda stretching it.
10. What time do you have to get up in the mornings?
Weekdays I'm up around 7, I don't have to be at school until 8:30 which is a big difference from before. I attempt to sleep in on the weekends but I'm always up by 8.
11. Do you have a go to outfit? If so, what is it?
I don't have a specific outfit, but lately it's jeans and black long sleeve shirt w/ a random bright scarf.

Just Another Tuesday

We get the mail today and I thought my dear South Carolina friends would enjoy what's on the front page of the Classified section. This section includes everything our Sun News includes, jobs, homes, cars....and livestock.

Pick your cow....

In other news....$500 later, I have my Nebraska licenses plate.

Notice my dear husband screwed the frame upside down....funny how I didn't notice this until I took a picture for the blog.

In other news, it is warm here. The temperatures are in the 60's today and this is EXTREMELY not like Nebraska. Kids are in summer clothes at school and really its hard to believe it's this warm. I was the only one at the grocery store today with a jacket on. I just hope February and March don't make up for the weather we aren't having in January.

I'm experimenting with a dessert that found on a blog that I read everyday. I will post it later this week if it's not a complete disaster.

LOVE!

-Stacy

Wonderful Weekends

Perhaps we are just kids at heart but who doesn't love weekends? Yesterday we went to Lincoln. We ate at the Mexican restaurant that we found the other week and made it to Hobby Lobby. This picture is a professional picture I found when I was looking on Pinterest today...kind of ironic. It's of Lincoln at night.

It's much smaller than Omaha but still has plenty of things to do. This picture is from downtown and shows their theater and shops along with a few big business buildings.
Today we just stayed in Columbus. There's a park close to where Clint works that I've seen a couple of times. We decided to take Charley there and discover it for ourselves. It's a large park right by our river....I guess you would call it a river or stream or whatever the body of water is. It was frozen so if that tells you that even though I'm referring to today as being warm...it's still cold for this South Carolina girl.

OK, not to be completely cheesy but look at the water puddle we found.

 Clint couldn't help himself. It did look like fun but someone had to be the photographer.

 Me & my other love

 My Loves

 You learn something new everyday.....There was a memorial for Andrew Jackson Higgins. He was from Columbus, NE and he invented the Higgins boat for WW11.

We had a blast and walked along one of the paths which took us along the water and under a few bridges.

Last but not least, we needed to get some more nails. We have all but two pictures hung up in our home and those who know me best know that those two pictures just leaning against the wall reallly erks me. Clint being as fabulous as he is, stopped by our version of Lowes or Home Depot and picked up some on our way home. Little did I know that it was a fascinating store. I could of spent hours in there....don't be surprised if I blog next week that I spent my afternoon at Menards. First, I've pronounced it wrong since we moved here. I called it Mean-ers when really it is Ma-nards.

They have everything. It's kind of like a home improvement, grocery, pet, furniture store that just happens to have hair straighteners as well. I was excited....just sayin'.

It was a great day and now it's just time to prepare for another work week. Hope y'all (YES I can say y'all....even if no one else says it here.) had a fabulous weekend and ready for a great week!

-Stacy