That's what cakes are made of...

Mark and I celebrated our one-year anniversary on Monday! Yay! Even though this sounds really cliche, I cannot believe it has been a year! We have had so much fun and I cannot wait for many, many more years together. We were definitely made for one another!

So, cool anniversary story. For those of you who don't know, Mark and I grew up together. We met in Kindergarten and lived 4 miles apart our whole lives. When we were about 15 or 16, Mark was playing and singing at our church one Sunday. After church, my mom looked at me and said, "In ten years, remind me to tell you what God told me today." TEN years...seriously! To a 16 year-old, ONE year is ridiculously long, much less TEN! Needless to say, I have bugged her beyond belief ever since. "What did God tell you? Tell me, tell me, P-L-E-A-S-E!!" I begged and begged but to no avail.

Well, fast forward to last year...my mom, who is amazingly talented, baked and decorated our wedding cake. It was gorgeous and quite yummy, too! Like tradition suggests, we put the top of the cake in the freezer for safe keeping until our anniversary this year. Mark has been SO excited about eating our cake ALL year long!

So, Monday morning we woke up and decided to eat wedding cake for breakfast! I cut Mark a piece of cake and noticed something hard in the center. Huh? I cut another piece for myself and there was plastic sticking out of the cake. I cleaned the icing off of the plastic and noticed my mom's handwriting underneath. What!? Mark slowly pulled the plastic bag out of the center of our cake. My mom had written us a note, put it in a ziploc bag, and tucked it into the center of our wedding cake! Who does that!?! Haha. We retrieved the note while trying to retrain from getting icing all over everything. Mom's note was filled with sweet, sentimental anniversary wishes. How thoughful! BUT, at the very end of the note was a surprise...She gave in! I only had to wait EIGHT years! Here's what it said:

"...it's time that I told you both "the secret"!!! Mark, when we were at church one Sunday, and you were playing the piano, the Lord said to me, 'That's your son-in-law!'"

She KNEW!! No way! All this time and she knew! What is it with mothers? I can't wait to be one just so I'll know cool stuff! Haha.

Anyways, I was so blessed by my cake surprise and it was a sweet end to a perfect anniversary celebration weekend!! I am a blessed woman!

How to buy groceries...in any economy!

So, Mark and I have a new hobby...shopping!  Don't worry, we're shopping smart!  Let's take a look at our most recent Walgreen's trip, shall we?

We bought:

a $9 razor

5 toothbrushes

4 tubes of toothpaste

Rimmel foundation

Loreal facial cleansing cloths

cold medicine

4 bottles of Pert Plus shampoo

And our total: $1.03

No, I did not leave several numbers out!  Seriously, we paid $1.03.  How?  I'm glad you asked!

There's a website called couponmom.com.  If you're like I used to be, you probably think that coupons do not save enough money for your time or the off-brand version of the product is cheaper even after you have a coupon.  Well, Coupon Mom has proven all of my theories to be incorrect!

Basically, here's how it works.  Mark and I buy 4 papers each Sunday.  When we get home, I "gut" the papers and file the coupon circulars in a file folder with the date noted on the folder.  All of the circulars for the week go together and I don't touch them again until I am ready to go shopping.

Then comes couponmom.com!  Coupon Mom has several tips for saving with coupons.  First of all, it is important to know your store's coupon policy.  For example, Kroger and Publix double coupons up to $.50 which means a $.35 coupon is actually worth $.70!  Also, the best time to use a coupon is when the product is on sale so that you're getting your best bang for your buck.  

Well, the good thing about this website is that it does all of the work for you!  Coupon Mom let's you know when the product is on sale, which circular has a coupon, and, perhaps the most important information to a math teacher, the percentage saved on the item.

Mark and I have only been taking advantage of coupon savings for a month and we have already saved somewhere close to $300!  Crazy!!  Some deals we've snagged:  cereal for $1 a box, free Betty Crocker box potatoes, free doggy treats (that we gave away), and we were even paid $4 to buy 4 bottles of shampoo!

Here's how the shampoo worked...it's my best deal yet!  The shampoo was on sale for $.99 and I had a coupon for $2 off.  $.99 - $2.00 = a credit of $1.01...and I bought 4 bottles and had 4 coupons!!  Amazing!  

We are SO addicted to finding deals and saving money!  Mark thought I was crazy to begin with but now he is just as hooked as I am!  Also, since we are finding great deals, it is easy to stock up...and stocking up means there's lots to give away...which feels even better than saving lots of money!!

Trust...what's that?

This whole house hunt is becoming a really grueling experience. Mark and I are so tired of looking! I want it to be done and over with! Because my husband and I have such different personalities, we approach the hunt in very different ways. I would just about take any house at this point just to get the ball rolling and the move underway. Mark, on the other hand, is in search for the right house, the one God has prepared for us. (He's smart, I know.) The only problem is that, in my head, Mark's approach is much slower than what I want. Notice I said "what I want". You see, that's the real problem. Me. I like to be in control. And I kinda like things my way. But for some crazy reason, God didn't set marriage up that way. Hmm...wonder why? Probably because I'd really screw things up by being impatient. Mark is the head of our family and thank God he is! He's so in tune with God's direction for us and refuses to budge until he gets the "okay" from our Father. Even if his lovely wife keeps getting super impatient. I am slowly learning the design that God set in place for the family. It's not always what I like or what feels good but Mark's leadership and my submission are imperative to us creating a godly home environment and ministry life. Mark's working really hard on his end of the deal...and I'm trying to catch up.

I ran across this Scripture the other day. The disciples just trusted and jumped out there with Jesus. They make it look so easy! It's definitely not easy but I'm learning...learning to trust my husband and learning to trust my God.

Mark 1:16-20
"One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living. Jesus called out to them, "Come, follow me, and I will show you how to fish for people!" And they left their nets at once and followed him. A little farther up the shore Jesus saw Zebedee’s sons, James and John, in a boat repairing their nets. He called them at once, and they also followed him, leaving their father, Zebedee, in the boat with the hired men."

Packing and Babies

So, I've found this new obsession...it's called packing! We don't have a house yet but almost all of our apartment is currently in a cardboard box in the closet. I absolutely love organizing and making hedge way on a seemingly daunting task so packing is the perfect part time job! Mark thinks I'm crazy...and he's probably right. I started with small boxes weeks and weeks ago and I haven't stopped since. By the time we close on a house, moving will be a breeze!

Speaking of part time jobs...I got the job at Favorite Time Academy in Acworth!! I've been training this week and my official start day is on Monday. An opening came up in the infant room so I get to work with the babies! I love it so far...running around barefoot with precious little bits. What more could I ask for?! I am so excited about the opportunity to pray over "my babies" and watch them grow on a daily basis. Lots of good future mommy practice!

Mama's 50th Birthday

This past Thursday was Mama's 5oth birthday. Mark and I ran home for a day so that we could make the surprise party that us older kids threw together. Almost all of the crew were there and we're growing! Let's see...2 parents, 11 kids at home, 1 in college, 4 married with spouses attending, and 2 engaged with significant others attending...and that's not counting the 3 older kids that couldn't make it! I love my crazy big family and I get so excited each time we add a new addition...whether it's a brother or sister-in-law or a sibling or two!

And the woman who makes it all happen...Mama! She is the most organized, patient, loving, and godly woman that I know! For her birthday, we made a poster with a list of 50 reasons why we love her. With all of the kids pitching in to help, you can imagine the laughs that we had. She's amazing and the youngest 50 year-old I've ever met! I would be lying if I didn't say that I want to be like her when I grow up...and according to my husband, the resemblance has already started to happen!

Mmm, mmm, good!

When Mark and I got married, my amazing mother-in-law subscribed us to Taste of Home's Healthy Cooking magazine.  We have fallen in love with it and we (ok, so maybe it's just "I") get so excited when it arrives.  I've found so many great recipes that are tasty and not bad for us.  Here's my new favorite...

Chocolate Peanut Butter Parfaits

2 TB reduced-fat chunky peanut butter

2 TB plus 2 cups cold fat-free milk

1 cup plus 6 TB reduced-fat whipped topping (Cool Whip)

1 package (1.4 oz) sugar-free instant chocolate fudge pudding

3 TB finely chopped salted peanuts (optional)

1.  In small bowl, combine peanut butter and 2 TB milk.  Fold in 1 cup whipped topping; set aside.  In another small bowl, whisk remaining milk with the pudding mix for 2 min.  Let stand for 2 min. or until soft-set.  

2.  Spoon half of the pudding into six parfait glasses or dessert dishes.  Layer with reserved peanut butter mixture and remaining pudding.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Refrigerate remaining whipped topping.

3.  Just before serving, garnish each parfait with 1 TB whipped topping and 1-1/2 tsp peanuts (optional).

Makes 6 parfaits.

146 calories, 6 g fat, 1 g fiber

 

Is this really happening?

Okay, just to get everyone up to speed, here's what has happened to us in the past few weeks...

May 2nd - My interview with Cornerstone Prep

May 3rd - Cornerstone Prep offered me a job!

May 5th - I took the job!

May 5th - Mark got us connected with a real estate agent so we can buy a house!

May 6th - Mark tried to apply for a UPS job online but the system would not allow him to finish the application because there were no openings.

May 7th - I set up an interview at Favorite Time Academy for a fulltime summer job.

May 7th - Mark spoke with a mortgage broker to get us preapproved for a loan.

May 8th - Mark looked at the UPS site again and this time it let him complete the application! We're hoping that means there's an opening!

May 8th - We are preapproved for a loan!!

May 9th - Our real estate agent took us to see 2 potential houses!

May 10th - I graduated from Berry!

May 13th - I interviewed with Favorite Time for a summer position.


We're waiting to see what else can be added to the list. God is throwing doors open left and right! We are blown away daily.

It's really happening...we're moving to Acworth!

Graduation

Graduation is such a strange thing. You work and work and work...and about the time you think it's over, you work some more. Papers, projects, homework, really hard math problems, even harder math labs, proofs, student teaching hours, lesson plans, paperwork, portfolios. And then you're done. But are you?

I happily graduated from Berry on Saturday and it feels so weird. As far as I know, the only thing I have left to do is perhaps turn in my post office box key (yeah, I so forgot to do that before graduation!) but there's this nagging fear that something bigger was left undone. Surely, I have one more math problem? But I don't. When does this feeling go away? When will I really feel like college is over? Perhaps, when my new, real job starts...?