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Saturday, December 15, 2012

DIY: Gift Wrapping

I think I had too much fun wrapping Adam's Christmas presents. This was my first year having plain brown postal wrapping, and I loved having a clean slate to work with!

My goal was to make each gift look different while still keeping them all coordinated - and not letting any of the scraps of paper go to waste!






Supplies:

Brown Postal Wrapping Paper
Baker's Twine 
Metallic Wrapping Paper (ours is from Costco)
Acrylic Paint
Paint Brushes
Sharpie
Tape

* Wrapping Inspiration


I can't wait to wrap the rest!

Friday, December 14, 2012

Ham Asparagus Cheese Sauce Sandwich

I know these sound bizarre, but Ham Asparagus Cheese Sauce Sandwiches are seriously really delicious. 

I grew up eating these and thought they were a normal recipe (but apparently they were created by my Grandma Hazel)... This belief was quickly put to rest the first time a friend was over while we had them for dinner (and they had never seen anything like them). 

They may look and sound a little crazy, but everyone who has ever tried these has LOVED them. 


Ham Asparagus Cheese Sauce Sandwiches are really quick and easy to make, as well as a great comfort food. But aren't all things covered in cheese sauce comforting? 

(Also, I am noticing a trend with my dinner posts, and I swear that not everything we eat is covered in cheese sauce).

Ham Asparagus Cheese Sauce Sandwich Recipe:

Honey Ham (or favorite ham)
Asparagus 
Bread (I used potato bread)
Paprika

Cheese Sauce:
2 T. butter
2 T. flour
2 cups milk
2 cups cheese (or to taste)
1/4 t. pepper
1/4 t. garlic powder
Salt to taste (taste sauce first, as cheese is salty in nature)
Dash of cayenne pepper
Dash of nutmeg

Instructions: 

Start cheese sauce (See Baked Creamy Mac & Cheese for cheese sauce directions). Meanwhile, cut thick slices of ham and sear on both sides in a hot pan - one slice per sandwich. Steam asparagus in shallow water until softened but not mushy. Amount of asparagus varies by preference - I tend to really pile it up! Toast one slice of toast per sandwich. 

Assembly order - toast, slice of ham, asparagus, then top with cheese sauce. Sprinkle paprika on top. 

* These are really filling - I usually eat one with a side salad.

Enjoy!


Monday, December 3, 2012

Back to Running


Find me on Instagram @ megrenhen
In October I started the 9 week Couch-to-5K Running Plan. It is a great program for people like me - By "like me" I mean people who will do almost anything to not  run. I'm not just talking about doing other forms of exercise, but I literally have picked cleaning the house over going for a run. I've always admired people who made the effort to run regularly, I too wanted to be one of those awesome people. Unfortunately, after Week 4 an old ankle sprain started to make a comeback.

This injury happened last May... Are all sprains so persistent and obnoxious? It even threatened to make me limp down the aisle back in August. I personally think the pain keeps reappearing so I have to retell how it happened. How you may ask? Well, I slipped and fell down some cement stairs back when I was still in school. Har har har. The joke is on the stairs though because I saved my Soy Chai Latte! Just not my right ankle.

Anyways, after a two week break I AM BACK. Even with our rainy Pacific Northwest weather. Take that ankle sprain!

Etsy Lovin'

I'm not shy about my love for all things Etsy. I have never been one to chase big name brands (or even really know them) - Instead I love to have those items that people take a second look at because they have never seen one before! Honestly, who wouldn't want unique, creative, personal, homemade goods? It is like I have access to summer arts and crafts festivals year round! Awesome.

Here are a several of my favorite recent finds:

Knit Wool Fingerless Gloves

Camera Strap for DSLR
 I'm still working on getting said camera, but it doesn't hurt to plan ahead!

Nerd Herder Gadget Wallet

Display Coffee Table

Bamboo Cutting Board with Recipe
How cute is this idea? I would love one with my mom and/or grandma's handwriting on it!


3/4 Sleeve Home Alone "Ugly Christmas Sweater"







Sunday, December 2, 2012

First Days of December

This last week consisted of applying for jobs, jobs, and more jobs. At this point I have given up being too selective, but I have yet to reach the point of desperation where I'm sending in my application to just anywhere. Perhaps the job I am most excited about is working as a Juvenile Case Monitor - Not only is the pay amazing, but it would actually put my Psychology degree to good use. The best part... I am actually qualified enough for it! That was a pretty exciting discovery. Adam has been beyond awesome being supportive - both emotionally and financially - not nagging me to agree to just any job opportunity that comes my way, but I am getting really anxious to help contribute... Plus, we have a trip to Miami to save up for! Wish me luck!

Since my last post we also bought and decorated our first tree together and worked on some DIY Christmas presents. I love this time of year!




So happy to see that Movember mustache get shaved off yesterday!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Thanksgiving For Two

Yes, two.

We weren't able to make it up to our families houses today due to Adam's work schedule, but we still didn't want to miss out on all of our favorite Thanksgiving dishes - So we just went ahead and made most of them anyways! Mmmm, leftoversss.

Deviled Eggs

Salad with Pear, Pomegranate, Gorgonzola, Candied Walnuts, and Raspberry Vinaigrette

Cranberry Sauce

Green Bean Casserole

Mashed Potatoes

Cornbread Stuffing

And the star - Maple Roasted Turkey with Sage and Smoked Bacon

The smallest turkey we could find was this tasty 16 pounder... Totally necessary for two people.
Finally, delicious Apple Crisp for dessert!


 We are both so thankful for having such loving families - Although we were not able to see them today, we know how fortunate we are to have FOUR Thanksgiving dinners and households full of family just a few hours away. We missed you all!

{A positive aspect of having Thanksgiving with just the two of us: Adam was able to eat as many deviled eggs as he wanted, and for that he is very thankful.}

Happy Thanksgiving! Gobble gobble!
Sunday, October 28, 2012

Happy (Almost) Halloween!

This past week has been filled with all sorts of Halloween festivities! It has been great. Pumpkin bread, a costume party, candy (I promise that we will try to save some for trick-or-treaters), pumpkin carving, and fresh roasted pumpkin seeds - And it's not even Halloween yet!

Adam's jack-o-lantern

And my lady pumpkin!

Now not only do we have decorated front steps, but yummy roasted pumpkin seeds, too!

Although it is now long gone, this chocolate chip pumpkin bread I made earlier this week was amazing and a big hit! I want more. There is a good chance I'll be making another batch in time for Halloween.


Adam and I had a costume party to go to last night, so earlier in the week I made a peacock tutu and headband. I bought wayyyyy more tulle than I needed. I guess that's what you get when all of the tutu tutorials are for little girl sizes. (Note to readers: If you are anywhere near my size you do not need 25 yards of tulle for this project. Ha.)



This sexy beer maiden here is my husband. I'm so lucky.

Like his braids? Those beauties are what a roll of yarn, an old headband, and a hot glue gun turn into when placed in my hands. Ignore the uneven bangs and the fact that the front and back of his hair still shows... They still had the desired effect.


Like I said before, I am a very lucky girl.


Friday, October 26, 2012

Our Wedding: Ceremony

Since getting married in August countless people have asked about our special touches at our wedding. It has been so flattering receiving so many compliments! Months and months of planning and searching went into what would make our wedding personal and meaningful for us as a couple (without spending a fortune), so having everything turn out wonderfully and having our guests show our wedding so much love has really put the cherry on top of an already perfect day! I plan on breaking our wedding day up throughout several posts, so here is what made our ceremony 100% Adam-and-Megan and 100% awesome. 


We both fell for this Love Story Invite as soon as we found it on Etsy and many guests said it was the cutest wedding invitation they had ever seen (yay!)

Custom ring bearer dish instead of a pillow - I keep it out with random jewelry in it!

Beaded lace from my mom's wedding dress was wrapped around my bouquet.

Personalized Wedding Program with information on our proposal, honeymoon, wedding party, remembrance, traditions, timeline of our reception, and a thank you to our guests. We liked these because they gave our guests something fun to read while they were waiting for the ceremony to start!

I have the greatest friends ever. That helped.

Parents and Grandparents were walked in to "If There Was No You" - Brandi Carlile

The bridal party followed them in to "Ho Hey" - The Lumineers

Finally, I walked down the aisle with my dad to "All I Want Is You" - Barry Louis Polisar. I couldn't help myself! Besides, I didn't want to be bawling down the aisle... This song worked like a charm, I was beaming with happiness! I was just kind of (really) excited. Also, my dad's face in this is pretty priceless (hah!)
Two of my bridesmaids added to the specialness of the ceremony - Corinne said a beautiful prayer and Caitie followed with reading A Lovely Love Story (a book I sent Adam when he was stationed in California).

Who doesn't want dinosaurs incorporated into their wedding ceremony? I highly recommend you read it.
Adam and I wrote our own vows together a night or two before the wedding. Spending that time together deciding what we wanted to say to each other was a great opportunity to remind ourselves what our wedding was all about, especially since we were running around like crazy that entire last week.
In true Adam fashion he had me laughing (and crying) - Vows any other way wouldn't have been the Adam I fell in love with!
We sealed this Rustic Time Capsule with a bottle of wine and love letters, which we will open and reseal with new letters and wine on each anniversary

I really struggled with the sealing (oops)... but it actually became a lot of guests favorite part of the ceremony!

Needless to say, we were both extremely excited to finally be married!


When walking back down the aisle we were showered with pom-pom (yes, the type you buy in a craft store) and "You Make My Dreams Come True" by Hall and Oates was playing. It was awesome.

Sorry Adam... I couldn't resist sharing your heel click at the end of the aisle. It was a success, the photo of it was not. Hehe. It does, however, show off his sweet custom Nike's I surprised him with as a wedding gift - They are in our wedding colors and have the date on the heels!


I kept this sign a secret from everyone but my bridesmaids and mom - It was a huge hit and added to the combination of love and humor that we were aiming for!


Woohoo!

I absolutely adore this moment right after the ceremony where Molly, my maid-of-honor, ripped off a chunk of her bouquet to use as a tissue.




 As I'm sure you noticed, Etsy was a big contributor to making our wedding special - We even ordered Adam's ring from there (hopefully I'll find the link for that soon)! If you are planning your own wedding, Etsy is definitely the place to look for unique, custom, and well-priced items.

All of the little flaws in our ceremony like our officiant having to find a replacement for herself a few days before the wedding, some of the bridal party shuffling up their walking order, me slipping (but catching myself!) going over a bridge at the start of the aisle, not being able to get the nail into the time capsule, the groomsmen being very drunk (but happy drunks!), and I'm sure several others just made it all that much more memorable and fantastic. Such an amazing day!

Photography by Matt Priestman Photography