Veterans of Marriage: Having Fun!

Veterans? More like n00bs!

Guys and gals, let me just tell you how awesome being married is. In this post, I'll touch on a few things I have found are AWESOME about life. Period! You don't have to be married to do these things! It just helps to have your best friend by your side.

This post isn't supposed to be braggy, but hopefully it will be helpful! I've found that my husband and I have an awesome friendship and have a lot of fun, so I wanted to share some of our fun!

I'll try not to be too mushy, 

but this is about a man better than the man of my dreams, 

so beware!

1. Play GAMES! Whether it's Uno, Guess Who?, Backgammon, or ERS, play, play play! Whenever we're tired and want to wind down for the night, we'll play a quick game to end the day. We're both pretty competitive, but reasonably so! We never ever fight over games. Thankfully, we're pretty even when it comes to our skillz with the board games ;)

2. Try new things! Use Groupon (and their awesome app!) coupons! We found the most delicious Mexican restaurant last week! There was a Groupon deal that was $10 for $20!  It was called Agave. Here's their Facebook page. Thomas got a combination plate and I got the vegetarian fajitas. They were the bomb dot com, folks!

3. Be adventurous! You can do lots of fun outdoor activities! Take a walk and get lost, go pool hopping, or even ding dong ditch some cookies! Do something out of the ordinary!

4. Travel to a city close by and visit all of the antique shops, parks, and restaurants! Research the area! Check out visitors centers for coupons and deals for zoos, farmer's markets, museums, etc.

5. Be silly. We love games, playing out side, playing games outside, flying kites, etc. Forget all of your worries and have fun. Being along friends or just play with each other! Summertime is so nice because you can get some fresh air and make new friends!

6. Go thrift shopping! My husband and I have a problem with hoarding board games. But when they're $2 and $3 for brand new games, how can we resist?

Here's what I'm talkin' about!

We pulled them all out the other night to sort through the ones we wanted to resell. As it turns out, we wanted to keep all but one! We'll keep these forever, so I'm happy :)

7. Race! Whenever we want to clean the house but want to go play at the same time, we'll race to see how fast we can clean the living room! I know it sounds so silly, but we played Chutes and Ladders the other day while cleaning. It was a hoot! My husband is so creative.

8. Play 20 questions, Would You Rather, Never Have I Ever, and Truth or Dare. These games are lots of fun in the car or on long road trips. You could dare each other to buy the food for the car behind you for lunch! Or do a happy dance at the gas station! The sky is the limit!

9. Write old friends, missionaries, your mama, or a stranger. Has anyone ever seen the YouTube video Validation? If not, watch it! You'll love the good feelings you get when you see those happy faces!

10. YouTube. I know this is a big one for our generation. Pull up your favorite videos and laugh til you tinkle! We love watching silly ones like these Japanese learning videos! You can watch them here and here! Hysterical.

11. Start a TV series together. We absolutely LOVED Sherlock (BBC version) and Pushing Daisies. Check them out!

12. Start a project! Together, we renovated our little house, created a picture holding frame, and framed pictures from our wedding!

Ain't he handsome?!

There you have it! Just a few of the things we love to do! We hope you have fun together!

Coconut Oil: Fad or Fab?

Ever since I saw the many different uses for coconut oil, I was hooked! Something you can cook with, moisturize your hair and skin, style your hair, etc.

What could be better?

My husband knew I really, really wanted some, so he surprised me a few weeks ago! He found it on Amazon for cheap cheap! I think the entire container was around $6 with a few dollars shipping. I was pleased. Everywhere else I saw was upwards of $15.

This is my favorite!

Cooking:

I steamed some cabbage with coconut oil instead of my usual olive oil. While it tasted delicious, the flavor was too strong for that dish. I probably won't be using it for my cabbage again.

I give this one an 8 out of 10 for potential.

Here's a neat website with Coconut Oil Recipes

Moisturizing:

To be honest, I loved the smell of the oil on my hands, but I didn't notice too much of a difference from regular lotion. I wasn't paying too much attention to how long it lasted. I was also cooking and washing my hands a lot that day, so I'm not positive about how long it lasted. I'll have to try it during the Wintertime when it's much drier.

You can also wash your face with it! I'll have to try this one!

I give this one a 9 out of 10 for the obvious benefits of moisturizing. Friends tell me they rub it all over their body after a shower. Others have told me they shave with the oil. I tried this and shaving with the oil was the best shaving experience ever!

Hair:

I soaked the oil in my hair for about 3 hours. It only recommends at least two hours before washing, but I think I forgot it was in there :) I soaked it into my ends where I normally condition and threw it into a bun. I've heard some people massage it into their scalp, but that seems like a little too much moisture and oil for me. I washed my hair as normal, and then did another washing on the ends just to be safe. To be honest, I'm not super impressed. I accidentally missed a chunk of my hair, and it was a little greasy and limp.

I give this one a 7 out of 10. I may be biased, though. My hair is naturally soft, so maybe the coconut oil is unnecessary. I've never dyed my hair, but friends of mine that do dye their hair love it.

There are so many uses for coconut oil! These are just the obvious uses I've heard of. I stumbled across this website that gives 101 Uses for Coconut Oil.

Neat tips I saw on the website that you can use coconut with!
-Eye makeup remover
-SPF 4 sunscreen
-Massage oil ;)
-Frizzy hair calmer
-Chap stick
-Allergy symptoms (rub on the inside of nose) Oh my! Trying this one!
-Increase milk supply for breastfeeding mothers
-Good source of energy
-Deep frying

Overall, I love the oil! Not only is it healthier than most oils, butters, etc., it is so versatile! I learned a lot from the 101 Uses website. I can't wait to experiment some more!

The Expensive Nightmare of Automobiles

Raise your hands if you hate money sucking cars!

Recently, my husband and I had really bad luck with our cars. While helping our friends pick up a changing table close by, we were greeted by a huge piece of metal in our Jeep's tire. Poor Sally.

Annihilated Tire

This is what I do while my husband changes the tire.

Up close to the wound.

Long story short, Geico would only tow us 5 miles before charging us. This was at 11 PM on a Saturday night. We were not excited. Luckily, we had pulled off in a fairly quiet part of town 20 miles from home, so we were safe to leave our poor three legged car overnight! We left a note in the windshield just in case. To be safe, I called the local police department to make sure we were okay to park there and that we wouldn't be ticketed. The lovely dispatch had NO idea and couldn't tell me anything. Thankfully, though, we were not punished :)

The next morning, we were able to purchase a new tire close by for only $40! This included the new tire and installation. We were pleased.

So technically, my real reason for this post is to show you:

"How to Not Pay an Arm and a Leg 

(and Possibly Your First Child) on Cars" 

post!

That was a bit too long to be a real title, but there it is! :)


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Here is what I suggest you start doing NOW!

1. Research! Know what your car insurance will and will not do. AAA is really nice for roadside assistance.

2. Know the area you are in! If traveling, research the route and your point B for all mechanics and shops. Google, Yelp, and Yellow Pages are really good resources.

3. Ask friends! This is my favorite resource! Grill anyone and everyone you know about the experiences they've had with local shops.

4. Call around. We have saved hundreds, literally, because we called around to check pricing. Most shops will do what you *think* is wrong, but won't tell you all of the problems until the end. Make sure they explain everything before they change anything! (We thought our brakes were out on the scooter, but it turns out they only needed to be tightened! It ended up being $10 instead of $100! Phew!)

5. Get a crash course on cars. Ask a friend or neighbor to show you the ropes, even if it's basic, such as:

• Changing tires
• Keeping a spare tire in the trunk
• Tire pressure
• Jumping a car
• Checking oil and fluid levels
• Listening for odd noises
• Being aware of your car's warning signs (check engine light)
• Keeping your car's owner manual in the glove box
• Keeping jumper cables in your car

6.  Make sure you get your oil changed every 3 months or 3,000 miles! This is HUGE! I drive a '95 Toyota. I can tell you now that I get awesome MPG because I change my oil often!

7. Stay calm! Don't rush and waste money at the first place you see or remember. I know it's much easier just to pay rather than worry, but that's why we stay prepared!

8. Keep an eye out for coupons and promotions! Newspapers, back of receipts, mailers, etc. This is how we found out favorite mechanic! He is so honest and the least expensive we've ever seen!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

On the way back from changing my husband's tire, we discovered my brakes had completely gone out. The cylinder was also shot (can you tell I have no idea what that means? Haha!). I was not a happy camper. I ended up crying like a little girl. My husband just held me and made me a spinach and strawberry smoothie. What a stud.

My car was a little more pricey; about $300. We went to our trusted mechanic down the street. (He snagged us a few months ago with his super cheap oil changes ad!) Even though it was expensive, I was happy knowing it was good ole' Caesar fixing my car!

For my local readers, this was Provo Car Medic! They are located at: 

660 E 300 S St  Provo, UT 84606

(801) 370-3333

I would honestly travel miles and miles to go to them!

Throughout this whole ordeal, my husband and I were able to pay for everything in cash. We have a few different savings habits, such as a cash stockpile, a money jar, and bank savings. Unfortunately, we had to spend our "play money", but it was nice not to have to put it on credit or pull it from our checking accounts!

Are there any other tips or tricks that have worked for you? Please share with us!

Must-do Summer Activities in Utah!

I love Spring and Summer!

Swimming, grilling out, camping, playing outside, garage sales, etc. I like to think that I never grew out of my childhood love of the outdoors.

My neighbors across the street are always, and I mean always, outside with their kids. I can't wait to do that with my kids! Lemonade stands, sidewalk chalk, and sprinklers!

Funny little story: Growing up, if the sprinkler was on, we were in it. Period. It wasn't until I was an adult (no really!) that I realized that the sprinklers were for watering the lawn and not a toy! I just never thought about it! Oops? :)

In the beautiful land of Utah, I am surrounded by the glorious mountains, trails, lakes, streams, and sunshine. I've often gone longboarding down the canyon, canoeing on the river, and rafting. The snow melt rivers are not ideal, but they can feel lovely on the hottest of days!

For my non local readers, forgive me! To find out about cool activities and places around you, try to google "Fun things to do in..." There are tons of websites that will give you ideas, and even coupons or deals with large groups! Hey! I may even inspire you to take a vacation to Utah! ;)

Here is a list of my favorite things and how to actually do them! 

Canoe down the Provo River

My husband and I did this when we were first dating! It was a lot of fun. We went with another     

couple, but got "lost" down the river. It was perfect. For a canoe for two hours, it's $13 total. Not   

bad! There are a few companies that will host this. I believe we went through CLAS Ropes Course.

Rafting down the Provo River 

Big groups are the best for this! We had a blast doing it.  Usually you can call ahead to get a group     

discount. I've used High Country Rafting quite a few times and I was pleased. My only qualm with 

them was timing. They got behind and we waited an extra two hours to go down the river. They 

charge about $10 per person, but with groups you can usually talk them into $8. What I love is that  

you park, hop on a bus, jump in the river, and then float practically back to your car. It is about a 20 

minute drive up the canyon, and about a two hour float back down. Definitely worth it for me!

Camping in Southern Utah

My husband and I both love camping! In fact, for his last birthday, we got a bunch of camping 

supplies. It was my best birthday ever! ;) We got two lawn chairs, a cooler, a fold out table, and   

cooking supplies. We went camping at Sand Hollow and loved it! It was $8 per day to camp there. I 

loved it because you can camp next to a huge lake! It's absolutely stunning. As a bonus, there are    

restrooms and an open shower close by! I know it's not exactly roughin' it, but when you have to be 

at church early the next morning, you don't want to be sandy and stinky :)

Bonfire in Provo Canyon

Nunn's Park in Provo has the perfect place for a bonfire! It's just up Provo canyon. There are about a

dozen pits and a ton of picnic tables. It's free and based on a first come first served basis. The pit's     

are spaced out nicely, so you don't have to worry about crashing any one's party. Bring your      

starbursts to roast along with your hot dogs and marshmallows!

Bridal Veil Falls

One of my all time favorites! My husband and I have a lot of memories here. This is us last summer. He is 6'9 by the way! I am a proud 5'3 (on a good day).

Here's a better picture of it. As you can see in the picture, it's easy to climb up to the main falls. We usually go barefoot to make sure we have a good grip and don't slip on the rocks. It's like rock climbing, but much safer and cooler in the hot summer sun! It was a weekly thing for us to climb it. We would tie our shoelaces together and throw our shoes over our neck for the hike back down the trail. You can climb back down the falls, but that may be a little risky! I would definitely recommend visiting here even if you don't climb it. It's gorgeous!

At Nunn's park where this is located, there is also a beautiful paved trail for cycling, boarding, and running. The river is rushing right next to you as you sit in luscious green grasses with your watermelon.  We usually chill our watermelon in the river for a few hours and then come back to devour it! Yum!

Longbarding in Provo Canyon

The paved trail is also boarding friendly! I love night riding because it is not nearly as crowded. The trail is perfect for beginners because of it's gradual downward slope. The first few times I went down, I required a friend's hand. My first time riding solo was at night! As scary as that may seem, I was much more focused on my balance and speed because of the darkness. The moonlight gives the perfect "night vision" light. If it's overcast, it's even better! The moonlight reflects on the clouds. It's very peaceful and fun.

Scenic Drive in Park City

I love Park City! I love the old timey feel the little town gives me. It has gorgeous lakes like Deer Creek you can go boating in. There are fields and fields of horses and pastures to soak in. Being a country girl from Georgia, I miss the green fields. This is my "getaway" place if I need to clear my head. I love getting lost and wandering around the town. If you want to go on a Sunday drive, I would recommend Park City!

Horseback Riding

This is something I haven't done in Utah yet, but it's definitely on my bucket list! I love horses and nature. riding horses through nature is amazing! I've gone through the mountains of Virginia before, but never Utah. You can find places to do this here!

Temple Picnics

Whether you're LDS or not, this is definitely something you need to do. If you're ever passing through Utah (and many other states) and need a place to take a walk or have a picnic, I would recommend one of the temples! The grounds are open to the public. The grass is always beautiful and the flowers freshly planted. We had time to kill last weekend, so we got some shaved ice and sat in the shade with some good friends. We just talked and enjoyed the beauty of the temple. It was very peaceful and relaxing. If you'd like to find a temple near you, go to this website: http://www.lds.org/locations. You can search for a church building, a temple, visitor centers, and much more!

See what I mean? 

This, of course, is only the tip of the iceberg for activities to do in Utah! I've done quite a few, but I have many more things to discover! For more ideas of Utah activities, you can find the mothership of ideas: here

Happy Summer!

The Crock Pot Diaries: Thunder and Blunders

I am a Crock Pot junkie. I think they are one of the best kitchen appliances man has ever created. If you have something you think is better, then please share! I love nifty gadgets.

Since moving out to college, getting married, etc. I've learned how to make the easiest, fastest meals. Honestly, crock pots are the lazy wife's secret tool!

I have a few favorites that I want to share with y'all.

I call this 

"The Easter Roast"

 I only call it that because I made it for our Easter dinner. Yum!

I had to sneak a bite before the picture! You can just see it falling apart in the picture.

When I tell you the ingredients for this, you will probably think I'm crazy!

Ready? Mustard, ginger, soy. It's a real thing, I promise!

Now, I don't technically follow a recipe for this bad boy, so I'll do my best to give you an idea.

You will need:
-Pork (roast, should, butt, loin, etc.) Whichever you love most!
-Mustard: Just the standard yellow mustard you buy for your hot dogs
-Ginger spice
-Soy. I like Kikkoman.

Technically, you're not supposed to put frozen things in the crock pot, but I break that rule. Often. I would recommend thawing out your roast overnight if you're nervous about it.

Directions:
1. Throw pork into the crock pot on low
2. Mix together the mustard, ginger, and soy.
-Approximately: 1 tsp ginger, 1/4 c mustard, and 1/3 c soy.
3. Pour over roast.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Probably 5-6 hours on high.

After a few hours, I like to throw on some extra mustard and soy for good measure. If you feel there isn't enough liquid in the crock pot, throw some water or even broth in there with it!

My philosophy for the slow cooker is always the longer the better. I recently cooked a pork roast for almost 24 hours. That may be a bit of an overkill, but man was it delicious!

If you try this recipe, let me know!

Ranch House Chicken

You will need:
- 3 or 4 chicken breasts
- Cream of chicken soup (I get the big can or use two 10 oz cans)
- Dry ranch dressing mix
- Sour Cream
- Cream cheese (optional)

The original recipe suggested to shake the ranch powder on last, but I put it directly on the chicken just in case! It probably doesn't matter. It was drool worthy.

1. Put the chicken in the crock pot
2. Sprinkle the ranch packet over chicken
3. Put in sour cream and cream of chicken
4. Put on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours

I put in the cream cheese in the last few hours of cooking. It didn't look creamy enough for me, so I threw it in last as an afterthought!

Serve over rice or mashed potatoes.

We ate it with mashed potatoes, but you couldn't taste the potatoes! I would recommend eating this as the main dish or having the potatoes on the side.

Here's the original recipe! http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2013/01/ranch-house-crock-pot-chicken.html?m=1

The best thing about this dish was how good it tasted days later! My husband raved over how good the flavors were. I was pretty happy with this one.

Blunder to Thunder!

Forgive my terrible joke. You'll see what I mean ;)

I love the idea of salsa and chicken! Eat it over rice, in tacos, etc. To be honest, I had never tried making it before, so I gave it a shot. And I didn't follow a recipe. I just threw what I thought was yummy into the crock pot. This is almost always a good idea. In this case, though... I did an oops.

I threw in:
-Chicken breasts
-Salsa
-Chicken Broth (first mistake)
-Cream cheese (never a mistake)
-Cooked rice (second mistake)

To be fair, I added the rice at the very end. I thought my husband would be home soon, so I threw in some rice to mix it in and thicken it up.

When I served in an hour later, the rice had turned to mush. I don't know why I didn't realize this would happen... Oops!

My husband kept telling me how good it was during dinner. He is so sweet, but it was awful. The texture of the rice was not a good thing. We sucked it up and ate it.

I contemplated turning it into a casserole with cheese and chips crumbled on top, but never went for it.

Here's where the thunder comes in! The next day and a couple days after that, it was so delicious! I guess the fridge made the rice bearable, the flavors were so yummy, and with some cheddar cheese sprinkled on top (and that is never EVER a bad idea), it was so good! I may have to try this one again, but leave out the rice until just before serving (although I believe that's what made the flavors pop!)

Yum.

Here come the real blunders...

I stumbled upon a recipe that I thought sounded absolutely divine. It turns out that is isn't so great. But maybe that's just me.

The recipe is Orange Chicken in the crock pot.

Here's the original recipe: http://thefrugalgirls.com/2013/04/crockpot-orange-chicken-recipe.html

I have to admit that there are still leftovers in the fridge. Even though it was only two days ago, I still don't love the idea of it.

I love salt. Salty meat. Salty food, period. The idea of sweet on meat has to be very convincing. That cranberry-like sauce Ikea puts with their Swedish meatballs: BEAUTIFUL. Honey glazed ham? I can do it.

Maybe there was just too much sweet for me in this dish.

All I did was throw chicken, BBQ sauce, and orange marmalade in the crock pot for 8 hours. Served over rice. It smelled so delicious.

Not.a.fan.

Who knows! Maybe you will love it. I think I may have overdone the marmalade a bit, but I think I just didn't love the dish at all overall.


Have you had any crock pot successes or failures? Share with us!

I Need Help!

Friends,

I have a dilemma. Not really, but I could use some help.

My house is ancient and has extremely high ceilings. We made it work with the rest of the house, but the first wall you see when you walk in is very blank and awkward. Do any of you have suggestions or ideas? I've researched it, but I want to hear it straight from y'all!

Ikea had a cute suggestion:

While this is cute, this wall is much, much smaller than ours. Here it is!

Cluster of pictures? A huge picture like the ones you see at Ikea? I'm stuck!

And please excuse the awkward color of the bathroom door. It's under construction. :)