Merry Christmas

We took a family picture in front of our Christmas tree to send to Connor at the MTC and it really made me want to send out Christmas cards, however we just took the picture on the 18th so it didn't give me enough time to get one made then printed off and then in the mail. So we will just do an e-card this year. I did have a lightbulb moment though... since our anniversary is in August, every year we can get our pictures done and then I can use those for a Christmas card. I really want to be good about getting pictures taken even before we have kids because I think it is so fun to look back at everything.

Gingerbread House

We had a fun stay at home date night the other day watching Home Alone and making a gingerbread house. Preston picked up a kit at walmart and after work we had a party! We went a little frosting crazy and got way too much on the sides of the house so we had to hold it in place for a long time! Getting a cheap kit was easy but the frosting and the candy was yucky so next year we will probably stick with graham crackers, and do it all our selves.

SLACKER

I have been a slacker! I was having problems with the template of our blog and tried to make our own background and it was not working! So I got frustrated and gave up, hence the lack of posts lately! Well we have been  very busy of course with the holidays, so lets play a little catch up hopefully!
          Preston was involved in the color guard for ISU senior night, I forgot to bring my big camera so I didn't get the greatest pictures, but it was really cool to see how everyone looked at him and treated him since he was in his ASU's.

We found a REAL movie rental store, so no more standing outside in the cold weather hoping a red box has the movie we want, so we've been having lots of movie dates in our cozy pants, lately it's been old Christmas movies like Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph, Home Alone, and the original How the Grinch Stole Christmas

We had a very delicious Thanksgiving. We drove to Shelley early Thanksgiving morning so Preston could play in the Turkey Bowl at the High School, and so we could have breakfast with my parents. We ate at my Grandma Eborn's first, and Preston couldn't believe that even though lunch was at one oclock we went at 11:30 (the Littlewoods are notorious for being late, and the Eborns are early for everything). It was delicious as always! I know everyone says this but my Grandma makes the BEST mashed potatoes and gravy! After spending a few hours there we went to Preston's parents house (it's so nice having our familys so close so we can split holidays and such). We played a mean game of Rudolph Monopoly, and had leftovers. I forgot to get a picture of our first married Thanksgiving though!
               Preston finished school with a bang! He had three finals, and two group projects due so he had a stressful last two weeks, but he did amazing and got four A's two B's and a C. He his loving having three weeks off of school and being able to do whatever he wants (even if it's nothing at all).         
            We decided to get an early Christmas present for each other...Bandit! Our cute little Morkie puppy. A morkie is a Maltese Yorkie mix. We picked him up on the 11th, and he was only six weeks old. I forgot how much work a puppy is! Preston has been doing most of the work with him though since he's off school. Preston has never had a dog before, but he is already hooked, he takes Bandit into town with him, plays on the floor with him and calls him his "boy". It's so fun to see a different side of Preston. Bandit is a pretty good dog though, he loves to play, he sleeps through the night already and makes us laugh a lot.

We went and cut down our Christmas tree out in the Mink Creek area. It was so fun, and a tradition we want to continue. We ended up with a pretty good Charlie Brown tree, but we love it. We had a fun drive out there laughing and talking. Once again though I forgot my camera so all I have are some from my cell phone and they aren't the best.

We have almost no Christmas decorations but my mother in law let us use some of her ornaments, and I bought some lights and ribbons, and I think it ended up pretty cute

Veterans Day

Preston had a very busy weekend for Veterans day. He was part of the color guard for an event, he gave a speech at good ole Shelley High School, did honor guard for a funeral, and even got a free haircut from Sports Clips. The Veterans Day assembly at the high school was really good, they had a few soliders speak, and had a couple slideshows, that started the water works for me, and honored all Veterans. Preston did an amazing job, he is so good at talking in front of groups of people (I've always been jealous of that)! I remember being in High School and hating that assembly, you knew it was going to be a bunch of old people just talking and talking. Its crazy how a few years can change your life. I've definitely grown up a lot, and of course becoming an army wife, I have a whole new prespective on what the military goes through. I am so thankful for Preston and all he does for me and all that he has already done for others. I'm thankful for how selfless he is, he is willing to do whatever he can to protect others and their freedoms. I'm honored to be his wife and to be an army wife.

The Finishing Touches

Now that I finally have the dresser and desk all redone and painted, I'm getting our extra room/office put together. We decided one half would be my stuff and the other half Preston's, so I put the dresser in the corner with the TV on it (even though we hardly use that TV) and the desk is my new getting ready area. I bought a bunch of plastic dividers to help keep my makeup, and hair accessories organized in the drawers. I had a big mirror I was going to use, but I thought it would look better in our front room, so I stole another one from my parents house. It was painted to match the dresser and desk so I needed to paint it too of course! I wish everything was as fast and easy to paint as this was!

Before

After

Christmas Keepsake Box

Pinterest has gotten my creative juices flowing, and I just can't stop! I made this little bad boy last night, and it only took like 30 minutes. I hate when crafts or remodels take days, but when there quick and simple and turn out so cute I love it! I've had this box for years I bought it with great intentions and then of course procastinated forever. One of my cousins took a pen to it and scribbled on it, so I figured the best way to cover it would be with paper.

My Supply List:

Box

Mod Podge

Scrapbook Paper

Scissors

Foam Brush

White Craft Paint

Coarse Paint Brush

As you can see I cut the paper to match all of the edges, then applied a thin coat (if you get too much it can warp your paper) of mod podge on the box one section at a time. Apply the paper and push firmly until it stays stuck, make sure you get the corners well, they tend to pull up the most. After you have the box covered, apply another coat of Mod Podge over the paper. It will look milky white at first but it dries clear, and puts a protective cover over the paper. After that dried I didn't like how you could see all the edges and that they didn't match up well so I made it "snow". With a coarse paintbrush dab white paint along the edges, the more un-uniform the better. After a little bit of drying time wa-lah!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Can you say delicious?! These were so good, and really pretty easy to make. I LOVE to bake, it's almost like therapy for me, and since there is no Cocoa Bean in Pocatello I wanted to make my own gourmet CUPCAKES. Something with a little more pop than just cake and frosting. So I found this recipe on Bean Town Baker I just used a chocolate fudge cake mix (I wanted to be lazy). I had never made ganache before but it was actually really pretty easy.

Chocolate Ganache

1/4 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 square unsweetend cocolate square

1/8 cup heavy whipping cream

bring whipping cream to a boil in small pot, pour hot cream over chocolate and mix until chocolate is melted. you don't want the consistency to be too runny, but if it is too thick to pour add more hot cream.

After the cupcakes have cooled poke a big hole in the cupcake (I used a frosting tip) and spoon ganache into the hole. It will slowly settle and seep into the cupcake so I filled them twice.

Peanut Butter Frosting

1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
5 T unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup heavy cream

Mix powdered sugar, peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and salt on medium speed scraping the sides often until creamy. Add the heavy cream slowly and mix on high speed for two minutes or until frosting becomes light and fluffy. Spread onto cooled cupcakes and enjoy!

What To Do?!

I hate these nightstands! I've only painted one so far, and it's really gonna take a lot to convince myself to do the other one. They did not cover very good at all. I put a heavy coat of primer on, and two coats of paint, and even a third coat in a few spots. The worst part is, I don't like how they look.

I plan on painting the lantern green or something but it still isn't what I was going for. I've found a few pictures on Pinterest of things done with a glaze, that I really like but I've already put so many hours into painting it I worry the glaze wont look good, and I'll have to paint them again or something. So for right now I think I'll leave them alone and think on it for a while.

Hadley Picture Wrap Up

Dresser Revamp

I wish our nightstands, were as easy to do as this dresser and desk!

Military Ball

Saturday we went to an ROTC ball at the school. It was a little nerve wracking to begin with, but ended up to be a lot of fun. We had never been to anything like this, and didn't really know what to expect. I was really worried up finding a dress to wear, I didn't want to be too fancy but I didn't want to be under dressed (yeah I know only a girl would worry about something like that.) But I found a great dress a few weeks ago that was even 50% off. Preston was in charge of color guard, so I was on my own, while he figured things out. We had reserved seats at our tables, and had to RSVP what we wanted for dinner. It was all very fancy of course, but not the best food I've ever eaten. Preston gave a toast for the fallen soliders, and did a great job. After dinner, a speaker and some dancing, we left and went to hang out with Ockerman and his wife. It was a great night!

I found a hairstyle on Pinterest to try out. It wasn't excatly the same but I really liked it, and was actually pretty easy to do.

We didn't get very good pictures because I had to do it with the timer, but there was a photographer there that took some for us and hopefully we get them soon.