What Marriage Spark?

I'm not quite 25 and my husband and I have been married almost 3 years now.  I'm not going to say we're perfect.. but I honestly wouldn't change a thing about getting married "young".  I actually love the way things fell in place and I truly believe the following things keep the spark in our marriage.  I swear some days it feels like we've been married a week and sometimes like we've been married 20 years.  Whether we feel like pros or like we're still in the honeymoon phase.. each and every day, there's a spark with him. 

I think it's because...

We really do kiss each other goodnight.. every night, no matter what.  
Even if we're in a little tiff, had a pretty "quiet" dinner, or if someone's not feeling too good - there's always a good night kiss.  We promised ourselves that when we started dating.  There's just something about the kiss that says, "I love you and we got this."  (Even if that means we'll talk about "it" tomorrow)

We are not attached at the hip.
I do girls nights, he hangs with the guys, and not necessarily on the same night.  Yes, we might leave the other at home.  And of course, I miss him when I crawl into my best gal's bed at the end of the night.  But that's what we need.. some "ME" time.  ( I hate to say it.. but that's the hardest part about getting married young though.  So many people then pretend or assume that you are attached at the hip now.  So then you may see some invites or friendships decline, and it hurts) I think the "ME" time allows us to miss each other, allows us to appreciate each other, allows us to to be "friend" first, and reinforces our unwavering trust.

We say "I love you" often, and I mean OFTEN. 

We say it in words, and try to as much as possible in actions.  Who doesn't want to be reminded that they are loved.  Sometimes I catch myself saying "I just love you".  Because when you think about it.. it's true.  Even if I started dinner too early, and it's super cold by the time he gets home.. it's just "because I love him" :)

He's my best friend. 

(don't get me wrong.. I have others, duh.  I need someone to get ice cream with, indulge in wine, talk about Dave with, and to see a chick flick with.  Or heck, to be their wing woman!)  But in all seriousness, Dave is my best friend.  We're not just husband and wife.. we are friends.  We rag on each other like friends, we do stupid things together, we count the hours until we see each other, and everything is better with him by my side.

We both wear "the pants".
People joke and ask who wears the pants in relationships.  Some days it may seem like one more than the other.  But really, we both have a pant leg.  We hold budget meetings each month, we calendar together, we make plans to tackle debt, and we both do work around the house. And we both have hopes and dreams that the other supports.  


Lastly, we laugh. A lot. 
We laugh at each other, at ourselves, and just when we are together in general.  What fun is life if you don't laugh?  People wouldn't believe how odd things may be sometimes in our house.. but we make each other laugh, even if sometimes someone ends up with a scratch, bruise, or minor concussion!  What's a marriage without laughter and being able to see your #1 with a big ol' smile?

       

  

leave the "eh" behind

and love with spark again

hugs,

abi

HELLO fresh!

Of course it's reasonable to be skeptical of fresh food getting dropped off, in perfect baggies, ready to go, with an easy and simple recipe. Sounds too perfect, right!?

I would absolutely recommend 'Hello Fresh'.  I was really unsure but I figured.. might as well give it a try!  (you can cancel your subscription at anytime or you can skip weeks super easily) If you're in for a try.. use my promo code at the end of this post to get $40 off your first order!  (which is 2 nights of meals for two FOR FREE!)

So what did it look like?  This awesome package showed up at my door the day I chose. 

And yes, the meat was still cold and they were divided into each meal and each recipe had its own card.   

  

So the first meal we went for was the toasted rice and shrimp bowl. 

 First of all.. I'm obsessed with the packaging and the recipe cards!  You can bet I'm keeping every single recipe card to use again. And when you open the box.. there are all your ingredients- just smiling at you! 

So we got to cooking!  Following the recipe card step by step. The instructions are clear, the pictures are exactly what ours looked like, and the ingredients were clearly labelled. 

   

oh!  And a margarita is always a plus when cooking and went great with this recipe.  

  

These are some photos from the steps throughout the recipe.  The kitchen smelled amazing and cooking with someone else is always fun! 

This is the end product and let me tell you- it was awesome!  (and remember, I'm a picky eater, very picky eater!)  And did I mention this recipe is ONLY 550 calories a serving (which is plenty, we were both full) 

So what's so great... you could make this on your own right?  Yes.  But let me tell you avoiding the grocery line, not ending up with extra of the "random ingredients" needed for a recipe, actually coming up with a recipe, and coming up with one that's actually good for you--- forget all of that!  Hello Fresh takes care of all those things for you!  It's a no brainer!  If you have the budget where you could do it every week.. go for it!  If not, you can skip weeks as you wish with one simple click!  For me and Dave spring is just absolutely crazy with both of us coaching so this is a great answer for us!  And remember you can cancel at any time. 

But wait... you have kids (possibly picky eaters) or you're a vegetarian!  No excuses!  They have a classic plan, family plan, and veggie plan. 

Interested in giving it a try?!  Click here to receive $40 off! with my personal code. 

Bow Board!

With a new niece on the way I wanted to try out my first palette project.  So I dove head first into making a bow board for my niece's room.  

Here she is 2 days old!  

I didn't want my first palette attempt to be too intricate; I just wanted to get to know the material a bit better.

So I put Dave to work and we started deconstruction on the palette. We kind of "cheated" on this one and just cut straight up the board to create mini planks. After the mini planks were cut I played around with pieces, thinking about size and color to begin the board layout. 

After I had them laid out, I turned them over and numbered them on the back just to be sure I kept them in the right order. Then we attached two planks on the back to keep the board together and to use for hanging. 

Then I sanded the front, back, and edges to be sure the board was completely smooth. 

 

Now it's time to grab some paint!  Since we're in the middle of the long process of remodeling our house we have a lot of paint lying around.  I used just a semi-gloss white paint that we used for our white washed fireplace.  I simply painted areas and then took a clean rag and wiped away excess for the desired look. 

          

In the photo below, the top half has been done and the bottom half has not.

I let it dry while I went out and ran some errands.  Then I attached the pins using hot glue.  I created the rose on the top left using burlap I had around the house and gave it a purple bow to tie it in with my niece's room. 

Here I am with the finished product. 

I fell in love with this once I put the rose on the corner.  And I fell in love with it even more when my sister sent me the photo of the beginnings of Reagan's bow and hat collection on the board. 

Plexus- Slim

Plexus Slim... maybe you've heard of it.  Or even heard of it as the "Pink Drink!" 

If you find yourself reaching for multiple cups of coffee, Mountain Dew, or you always hit that 2:00 or 9 pm craving or crash.. this might just be for you!

Let me tell you.. at first I was so hesitant to try Slim.  Being a powder that was supposed to taste "great" in just water, I was extremely skeptical.  Having been someone that used Shakeology and had a miserable experience trying to force it down, I was afraid that would be the same in this case.  But wrong I was!  Slim tastes GREAT!  And I mean, great.  Like you're drinking the best pink juice you could ever find!  I actually look forward to drinking it in the morning.

As for benefits.. I noticed my cravings at 10 am were no longer.  I wasn't rummaging in the cabinet at work for a snack.  The pink drink cuts cravings and I found myself when reaching for a snack going for a healthier option.  

With the pink drink there's no need for those 3 cups of coffee and getting your caffeine fix.  I felt energized from the moment I took my first sip each morning!  And with a 20 minute drive.. it was easily gone before I even pulled into the work parking lot.  And no, I don't crash around 2:00 after it "wearing off".  It gave me balanced energy throughout the day and enough to continue going after work.  I'd happily hit the gym and didn't need to worry about grabbing some afternoon caffeine or feeling sluggish.  

So what's the negative?  I wouldn't really call it a negative.. just poor branding.  The name is "slim" so you'd expect it to work on weight loss.  It can be beneficial to weight loss.. but when used with other products in the Plexus line.  So if I could change anything... it'd be the branding.  It's a great product but I'm sure some consumers may be upset when they just assume based on the name and then don't see those expected results.  

So check it out if you're looking for an alternative to coffee, mountain dew, or if you're tired of the cravings, or just need to balance your blood sugar!  And feel free to contact my sister-in-law, Katrina Robinson if you're interested or have any questions about this product or any Plexus products. 

Katrina's Facebook Page       Katrina's Online Plexus Shop

leave the "eh" behind for you and your body!

hugs,

abi

Easter Wreath

We're only a couple weeks away from Easter, so it's time to make our front doors ready!

So DIY or contact me and I'd be happy to Do It For You.

Materials needed: Natural wreath, flowers, burlap, hot glue gun and glue sticks, wire cutter, floral wire, and eggs

1. Start laying out your idea

*Remember if you're going to put a bow on the side you will be able to cover up the ends of the flower stems*

2. Grab you wire and hot glue to start putting things in place!

3. Check it out every so often.. make sure nothing will fall off.  

4. Finalize your flowers and then add your burlap bow!

Lastly, if you're making this for the Easter season, grab some plastic eggs.  They have cute ones at Michael's or if you have old ones around the house use those as they are or you can spray paint them! 

And here's the finished wreath on our door for the Easter season!