Christmas in August

Just thought I'd post some pictures from Christmas.

Yes, that was in December of last year.

Haha!

Yes, I did get him a talking coin jar!  Bahaha!

Our tree.....

So joyous about the long drive home...

We went on annual trip with Jodi and Chad to see Christmas lights...

Friends are friends forever....

I love this picture of Hal...

there we go....

me and the sister...

me and the hubby...

isn't he cute?

fun at Ma's house...

so precious...

board games...

the never ending game of Monopoly...

making cake pops for the first time every with Addie Mae...

she's a little princess...

and a great helper in the kitchen...

I can't believe I didn't take more pictures at Christmas.  I've got to do better this year.  I MUST get pictures of everyone in the family!  So family, if you're reading this....let's make it happen this year!

Can't believe that Christmas is less than six months away,

The Preacher's Wife

Adventures in Food Land

I've been exploring new things in the world of food...

My very first Indian meal.....

It was interesting to say the least.  I wouldn't say that it was my favorite.  I did love the bread though.  (I am my mother's daughter.)  Ha!

I also tried making my first green smoothie...

It was delicious!

Preacher Man kinda liked it, but he didn't LOVE it.

I also did a hot dog bar with some friends....

We grilled hot dogs and I took this spread of toppings over to put on your hot dog.  It ranged from slaw, onions, tomatoes, grilled onions, grilled green peppers, chili, potato salad, relish, pickles, jalapenos, cheese, mustard, ketchup, and macaroni and cheese.  Hello, hot dog!  It was one of the best foodie things that I've done.  It was a blast and everyone seemed to like it.  I will definitely be repeating this one.

I also made a holy cow cake...

this is what happens when your small group comes over.  I had to ask someone to leave a piece for my husband and that is all he got!  Ha!

I also tried out Pioneer Woman's White Chicken Enchiladas.  

I had high expectations but I just wasn't impressed.  :(

I also signed up for an online farmer's market.  That will have to be a blog post in itself.  It's awesome!

AND I'm going out to eat my first Ecuadorian meal ever.  Whoa!  I'll let you know how that goes!

I have a bunch of new recipes I'm wanting to try so I'll keep you updated on what's good and what isn't.

Dreaming of more hot dogs,

The Preacher's Wife

Fishing...It's What We Do

My hubby loves to fish.

That is an understatement.

We've been going to the lake a lot lately.

Fishing.

Trying to get ready for a fish fry with friends.

We're starting to get closer to being ready...

My hubby has been working hard filleting crappie, a few bass, and some blue gill!

My stomach is starting to growl...

One day when we went fishing we came upon a fire...

So I called 911 and fire department came!  How fun!  I felt like a good citizen and Smoky the Bear would be very proud!

I also went fishing with some people from work recently.  We had a big group outing at the lake.  We went fishing and had a cookout.  I'll be honest....I took some yellow dish gloves to be able to bait my own hook and take my fish off of the hook when I caught one.  I looked pretty ridiculous, but it worked like a charm!

I'm now proud to say that our three year old niece has helped me get over my fear of baiting my own hook with minnows.   

I double-dipped on this particular one!  Haha!  I'm slowly doing better on taking my fish off of the hook without any gloves on.  Just ask my husband....I'm doing much better!

I've really enjoyed fishing lately.  It's nice to be around water and look at this view...

It's pretty nice and peaceful.  It's a good thing we don't have a boat in Wake Forest!  :)

On My Way to Becoming A Fishing Queen,

The Preacher's Wife

Thanks, Moms & Dads!

It was our anniversary recently....3 years!  

What fun!

Our parents are the sweetest and so very thoughtful!

My Mom and Dad sent us orange anniversary outfits to celebrate in along with a gift card to Firebird's!

My other Mom and Dad sent us a Visa gift card to go out to eat on them!

Thank you to both sets of parents!  We love you both so much!  

We had such a wonderful anniversary!

Delicious meals, fabulous outfits, and a weekend trip to the beach!

It was one we'll never forget!

Love,

The Preacher's Wife

Front Porch Flowers

Just wanted to show you my new front porch flowers. 

 

I had high hopes for my hydrangea that Jon bought me for Valentine's Day.  Unfortunately, it passed away.  :(

 

I even had a glimmer of hope recently thinking it was coming back to life with some green sprigs popping up in the plant....and then Jon's dad pulled the green sprigs out and told me they were weeds.  :(

 

So, I decided to get some new flowers....

 

Ta-da.............

 

 

I'm very happy with them!  I don't think Jon realized just how picky I was with flowers until we went looking for them.  Ooopppss.

 

Hopefully these will do better than the hydrangea.

I'm trying hard to keep them alive!

 

Yay for flowers!

 

Love,

The Preacher's Wife

A Groupon Date

We LOVE Groupon!

Have you tried it out?

If not, you should.  The following date should have cost us $42, but with Groupon we only paid around $9.  It was awesome!

I got a deal to go to Blue Fin's Bistro in Wake Forest off of Groupon.com.  I was sent a $10 off any purchase and there just so happened to be a Blue Fin's groupon that was $10 for $20 worth of food.  So what did I do?  I purchased that Groupon with my coupon which made it free!  Whoo hoo!

We decided to head to Blue Fin's for brunch one Sunday after church...

they had a delicious menu to choose from...

My honey got milk and I got OJ...

and we got  biscuits before our meal was brought out to us...

I ordered an omelet and hash browns...

Jon ordered the french toast with fruit and french fries (instead of the normal hash browns that came with it...weired, I know.)

both dishes were very tasty!  What was even better was the price...

Yesssssss!!!

That afternoon we went to the driving range where I had gotten a Groupon for $2 for three medium buckets of balls.

We had a blast hitting some balls and me goofing off...

so much fun!

Groupon is a wonderful, wonderful thing!  If you haven't checked it out, you should.  I was proud of myself for arranging such a cheap AND fun date!

Lots of Groupon Love,

The Preacher's Wife

Happy Father's Day, Dad!

 

I feel like the picture below sums up mine and my Dad's relationship...

 

 

I'm looking at him saying....don't let me cry!  And he's looking at me smiling and telling me that everything is going to be okay!   I've always believed him when he's told me that.

 

That's just who he is.  I think he got it from his Momma!  :)

 

My Dad is the best!

 

He's been there for me through the thick and thin in life...always there with an encouraging word...or telling me how goofy I am.  Ha!

 

He's done a lot for me and my family and I know that we could never thank him enough.

 

He's been my coach...thanks for teaching me how to throw and pitch a softball.

He's been my teacher...thanks for teaching me all about Biology.

He's been my driving instructor...thanks for teaching me how to drive...and for buying me a car, too!  I love Betty!

He's been my fishing coach...thanks for teaching me how to catch 'em!

He's been my cheerleader...thanks for cheering me on at all of my softball, tennis, and basketball games.

He's been my music director at church...thanks for showing me how to worship...even though I was never on pitch!  Make a joyful noise!  :)

He's been my financial provider until I got married....thanks for the thousands upon thousands you spent on me and my sister!

Most importantly, my Dad is one of my best friends...thanks for always being there for me!  Listening to me, encouraging me, pointing me in the right direction, and always pointing me to Trust in the Lord! 

 

I'm so thankful that God chose you and Mom to be my parents!  I wouldn't be who I am today without the two of you!  Thank you both for everything that you have done for me.  I love you both very much!

 

 

 

See you both soon!  xoxoxo!

 

Love,

Your Daughter