(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

This is my original baby boy. In 2004 this guy wandered into our garage just a tiny little fluff ball. He could fit comfortably in the palm of my dad's hand. Now he weighs 16 or 17 lbs and has SO MUCH FUR. I had just graduated high school and was getting ready to go off to college, but I wanted this kitten so bad. My parents weren't going to keep him, there were already three cats living in the house. However, I made them a deal; if I paid for his vet bills and took care of him, he could stay with my parents until I could have a pet in a place of my own. He was too little though to be tested for the kitty diseases and we didn't want to infect the other cats if he did have an illness so he lived in the garage until he was old enough to find out if he was healthy. Unfortunately living in the garage gave him this extreme devotion to my father. As much as I love Jake, when I got married and moved out of my parent's house, I couldn't separate Jake from my dad. At least now I have two baby boys of my own!

Cindy

Valentine Cards

I love making cards for people. In fact, I just really love making cards in general. It's so fun to be creative and see what kinds of things I can make! I will admit though that most of my cards are CASE cards. (Copy and Share Everything) Sometimes I don't feel very creative and so I look through Pinterest or Split Coast Stampers for ideas. Awesome website and resource. Anyway, I get the inspiration and then I make it my own!

Because I love to make cards for people and because I have lots of people to love, I really enjoy making Valentine's. This year I made a dozen cards and sent them to my close friends and family!

Most of the supplies I used are Stampin' Up, however a few of the embellishments I got at Michael's and Target. If you have any questions about any of the cards' specifics, please don't hesitate to ask! I'd be more than happy to give you an exact breakdown of what I used for each card! And feel free to CASE my cards and make them your own!

Cindy

5 Fact Friday

Happy Friday, my friends! I am so glad the weekend is here. Even though we had Monday off, it still feels like this week has been incredibly long! This weekend is not going to be too terribly relaxing, we've got lots planned, but I think it will be fun and I'm excited for it!

1. I love going to the chiropractor. Mainly for the reason that I rarely have neck pain anymore, unless I sleep funny! I had been dealing with neck aches/head aches for months. And after going for about two months my constant pain was gone! It's been about 4 months and I couldn't be happier!

Waiting for my appointment on Wednesday.

2. Instead of giving something up for Lent I decided to read through a 40-day devotion book to get myself closer to God and hopefully form a habit. I succeeded for two days. =/ However, I am not giving up. I picked it back up yesterday and I'm going to finish it, even if it isn't before Easter!

3. I downloaded Photoshop to my computer a few weeks ago. However, I've only opened it once because I'm so intimidated by it.

4. I love my cats to death, however, their constant scratching at the door and meowing starting about 20 or so minutes before the alarm goes off is driving me crazy!

5. Sometimes if I see the neighborhood kittens in the bushes outside I'll put out a can of food for them. I just feel so bad that they don't get yummy food. Seeing kitties outside breaks my heart. However, having kittens on the patio thrills my cats. They sit there and watch and try to "get" them.

I hope that you have a wonderful weekend, dear ones! I pray that it is fun, relaxing and everything you need it to be!

Cindy

(Semi) Wordless Thursday

Hello friends! I didn't forget about you yesterday, I promise! I left you all hanging though on Tuesday with my Two Truths and a Lie game. Oops... I just was unexpectedly busy yesterday and didn't have a moment to blog! I do hope you'll forgive me.

But since I missed giving you the answer to which one was my lie yesterday, I have to share today! In case you missed my post, before you find out the answer go here and take a guess at which fact you think isn't the truth!

Filler photo so you can't cheat... ;)

Alright, now that we're all caught up.... #2 was the lie!
2. When I was younger I hated the way my name was spelled. "Cindy" was too normal and I wanted to have it spelled "Cyndi". I tried for months to get my parents to spell it the way I wanted it but they just kept telling me "We spelled "Cindy" the way we did on purpose, we're not going to change it now." Eventually I conceded and started liking "Cindy".

I said that there was some truth to it, and there is! I did at one point in time wish my name could be spelled "Cyndi". However, I didn't try to convince my parents to change it. And it didn't even really last that long (the me wanting it spelled different thing), maybe like a month or so. I will say though that when my sister turned 18 she insisted everyone start spelling her name Kaity instead of Katie. I refused for about a year because I thought she was just being silly and rebellious. But it stuck and I think finally everyone spells it Kaity now. It did take a while for people to actually do it though!

So, did you guess correctly? Of the responses I got most of you did guess number 2 was the lie. Maybe I'm not that good at this game...

Now, because I love them, here's a few more pictures of the tulips Collin bought me for Valentine's Day!

Hope you all have a lovely Thursday!

Cindy

Is That True?

Happy Tuesday! I had a glorious 4-day weekend! I love when my CWS Friday falls on a holiday weekend. It makes for some pretty spectacular weekend time! I hope that even if you only got to have a 2-day weekend that you made the most of it! I pray it was relaxing and just what you needed.

Today I discovered this fun little game online... Do you ever remember playing "Two Truths and a Lie"? Well, I do! It's so fun to find out random things about your friends and try to guess which thing they made up. So today I decided to play along with Jena and a few other ladies.

1. I now only sit on an exercise ball at work. I decided that I was tired of getting fat just because I have to sit in front of a computer all day. So I welcomed the exercise ball a few months back; and even without changing much else in my life (diet/exercise) I've noticed my pants already fitting better.

2. When I was younger I hated the way my name was spelled. "Cindy" was too normal and I wanted to have it spelled "Cyndi". I tried for months to get my parents to spell it the way I wanted it but they just kept telling me "We spelled "Cindy" the way we did on purpose, we're not going to change it now." Eventually I conceded and started liking "Cindy".

3. The first winter after we got married I started to develop really bad eczema under my rings. I was fine when it was just my engagement ring. It itched so bad and got to be so raw that I ended up going to the doctor and was prescribed a prescription strength lotion that I still continue to use every day.

I'm curious to see which one of these you guys think is the lie. It was really hard to come up with a lie, I will admit! And there's even sort of a bit of truth to the lie! Leave me a comment and let me know which one you think is the lie! I'll let you guys know in my post tomorrow which one is the lie! BUT... if you leave a comment, I'll reply via email and tell you sooner!

And because I hate posting without a photo, here's a picture of my tulips from my Valentine! I love that he got me tulip bulbs in a vase! I can't wait to replant them so that they keep coming back! It's the gift the keeps on growing. And this color is beautiful!

Cindy

Happy Valentine's Day!

The past two Valentine's Days I posted about love, Valentine's Day and what this day means to me. You can read that post here because it still all is very true. However, today I want to do something a little different. Today I am going to participate in a Valentine's Day Link Up where Collin and I each answer some questions to see how well we know each other. Or rather, how well Collin knows me. ;) Melissa at Life of a Not So Ordinary Wife is hosting this fun little link up!

How long have you been married?
Him: Working on three years.
Her: It will be 3 years on April 24!

Where was your first date?
Him: Chick-fil-a
Her: Chick-Fil-A and a walk around Target.

Where was your first kiss?
Him: I believe it was on her parent's living room couch, but I may be crossing wires between stories.
Her: I think it was on the couch at my parent's house.

Who first said, "I love you"?
Him: She did when I put on the score from Braveheart.
Her: I did. I just couldn't hold it in any longer. We'd only been back together for like 3 weeks but I just knew. I knew he was my future husband! He didn't reply then (I told him he didn't have to), but by the end of the week he realized he felt the same way!

What were your wedding colors?
Him: Blue and yellow.
Her: Blue and Yellow.

What is her most commonly used phrase?
Him: "Interesting"
Her: "I don't know." (What do you want to eat? - I don't know; What do you want to watch - I don't know. lol)

Who is her celebrity crush?
Him: Cuba Gooding Jr. *In his defense, I really do like Cuba!*
Her: I don't really have one, but if I had to pick, John Krasinski.

If she was ordering drinks for both of you what would you each get?
Him: Water for her and sweet tea for me. Both with no lemon.
Her: Water for me and Sweet Tea for him, both without lemon.

What is the best meal she has ever cooked you?
Him: Hmm... I have a bit of talent show syndrome here (where the more recently experienced things seem better) so I'm going to say the tamale dish she made a few weeks ago.
Her: Oh man. He seems to like almost everything I cook. I'll say, Chicken Club Brunch.

What is the worst meal she has ever cooked you?
Him: Something with long noodles that weren't cooked all the way and bad sauce. I forget what it was called. *Totally what I was talking about!*
Her: I have no idea. I block the bad things out. Oh! Probably this spinach and artichoke fettuccine one time. It was so gross we couldn't even take more than like two bites each.

What is the most-played song on her iPod?
Him: I wanna say... Embracing The Sunshine by BT
Her: I listen to my music on shuffle pretty much all the time. So everything gets a mostly equal play time. But I suppose "The Birds and the Bees" by Patrick and Eugene is up there.

What would she say is your most annoying habit?
Him: That I'm always trying to help or not helping. Whichever is the one she doesn't want at the time is what I'm doing usually.
Her: Not putting his pants in the drawer when he takes them off if he doesn't want them washed yet.

What is the last thing she does before she goes to bed?
Him: Before GOING to bed, she brushes her teeth and takes out her contacts. Before sleep, she puts Vaseline on her lips and lotion on her hands.
Her: My goopey stuff as I call it. Putting Vaseline on my lips and lotion on my hands.

If you could throw out one item of her clothing what would it be?
Him: Just one?... The yellow tights but I believe those got a hole in them so I don't have to worry about those anymore.
Her: He likes pretty much anything I wear. But he would definitely throw out my "jaundice-colored tights" as he calls them. (I thought they would be more mustard-colored when I bought them...)

What would you say is your favorite thing about her?
Him: Her love for music. *Totally not the direction I took this question...*
Her: My butt...

What's her go-to drink at Starbucks?
Him: If she ever even went to Starbucks, it'd probably be the pumpkin spice latte.
Her: I don't go to Starbucks (or really drink coffee) but when I do I usually get a chocolate chip creme based frappacino.

What's her blog's name?!
Him: This and That
Her: This and That

Wow! He did really well!! I knew he would though, sometimes I think he knows me better than I know myself! I just think marriage is so much fun. The fact that we can answer these questions so similarly and even agree on most stuff is just great! I love my sweet hubby and I can't wait to celebrate many more Valentine's Days together!

I hope that you guys enjoy your love day! Go love on those people in your life you just can't get enough of! Whether it be your spouse, children, parents, siblings, or even friends, go share some love!

Most importantly though, don't forget to show some love to the One who makes love possible! Tell God you love Him. You can't ever say it enough to Him!!

Love to you!

Cindy

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

We haven't had a sunrise like that in several days. I've been missing my pretty sunrises on my drive to work. Today's was especially nice because the rest of the day it's overcast and supposed to start raining. I think my favorite part of today's sunrise was the clouds, though. They're just so pretty!

Cindy

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Last week I mentioned I was going to have a recipe post for you guys. Well, here it is! I'm sharing the recipe for the DELICIOUS trifle I made for the Super Bowl party we went to. This trifle was a huge hit, everyone kept commenting on how yummy it was and it was mostly gone by the end of night!

*I will say though, if you are on a diet, or allergic to peanuts, don't read any further in to this post. =)*

Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle

Ingredients
1 package of fudge brownie mix
26 ounces of miniature peanut butter cups
4 cups cold milk
2 packages (5.1 ounces each) vanilla instant pudding mix
1 cup creamy peanut butter
4 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 tubs (8 ounces each) frozen whipped topping, thawed

Directions
1. Prepare brownies according to directions on package. Make sure when you are baking that they are not too done. You want them to be pretty moist, not chewy.
2. Cool brownies on a wire rack and then cut in 3/4 inch pieces.
3. Cut peanut butter cups in half.
4. In a large bowl, whisk milk and pudding mixture for 2 minutes (mixture will be thick).
5. Add peanut butter and vanilla; mix well.
*Tip for adding the peanut butter, melt it in the microwave for about a minute or two.
It will be thin enough to easily mix in with the pudding.*
6. Fold in 1 1/2 cartons of the whipped topping.
7. Place 1/3 of the brownies in a trifle bowl, top with a 1/3 of the peanut butter cups, then spoon a third of the pudding mixture on top.
8. Repeat layers twice (or until bowl is full).
9. Cover with remaining whipped topping.
10. Refrigerate until chilled.

This is such a rich dessert that I suggest you don't take huge servings of it. But it is so, so good that you'll want to overindulge! I'm sorry if I just ruined any New Year's Resolutions. ;)

Cindy

5 Fact Friday

Happy Friday, my friends! I don't know that this is going to become a regular thing here, but since Fill in the Blank Friday ended, (Lauren wanted to focus more on her family than coming up with blanks each week, which I can completely understand!) I haven't really posted on Fridays! I saw this on another blog and thought it might be fun to try today. Maybe I'll do it next week, who knows! It's also a fun opportunity for you guys to get to know a little bit more about me!

1. I am a bit of a hypochondriac. It's silly, but when someone around me is sick I get paranoid thinking I'm going to get sick. Or if I have weird pains or symptoms (that are usually nothing) I freak myself out and make myself feel worse sometimes because I am so afraid I'm getting sick.

2. For the longest time I didn't want to watch How I Met Your Mother because I thought it was raunchy. However, Collin started watching it on Netflix. Every once in a while I would catch bits of an episode and thought it was funny! So I started watching it from the beginning and love it! We're almost done with season 3 (no spoilers, please)!

3. I love taking pictures of my cats and I'm not ashamed of that. For now I am a kitty mom and they are just so cute it's hard to resist pictures of them!

4. As you can see in the photo above, despite the toys we have for Seabass around the apartment, it seems the ones he prefers most are our recycling. He's been going crazy over this yogurt box since yesterday morning.

5. I've been sitting on an exercise ball at work now for 3 months to improve my posture and reduce back pain. Sitting in a chair is REALLY bad for you. But since I started sitting on the ball I've notice a slight improvement in the way my pants have been fitting! Yay for my core being constantly worked!

I hope you guys have a great weekend! May it be filled with fun and relaxation! I'll see you back here next week. I've got a book review and a recipe to share!

Cindy

(Semi) Wordless Wednesday

The Super Bowl was on Sunday. I am not a football fan. I don't watch games unless I'm at my in-laws house and my father-in-law has a game on. I really don't know too much about the game except for the answers I get from the questions I ask during a game. I do enjoy watching the Super Bowl though, mainly for the fellowship and excitement. And of course the commercials!

This year, Collin and I went to a party at his parent's house and had a good evening! The food was delicious and the game was so good! Plus, it was our local team (Ravens) playing and then they WON. That was super exciting! And we got to see some pretty funny commercials. The only disappointing part of the evening was that some of the other people were talking during some of the commercials and that bothered Collin and I. But other than that we had a really good time!

I made a peanut butter brownie trifle and the very first peanut butter cup I pulled out had TEN wrappers around it. I said to Collin, "Whoa, this one has lots of wrappers, I'm going to count." Then I started counting and when I got to five and kept going Collin just kept laughing!

Delicious food on my plate. Pulled pork sandwich, my buffalo chicken dip with crackers, dirty rice, orange peppers and mushrooms.

The trifle in all its delicious glory!

I didn't make this but it was an awesome cupcake arrangement that a friend made!

Cindy