Morning Hunt

Ah it's the weekend! And a three day weekend at that! 

After MUCH debating, I finally broke down and decided to go hunting with E. 

I had to see what all the hype was about. I wouldn't say I am not an outdoorsy person but anything that involves being cold and getting wet I usually don't take part in. Just for the simple fact of being uncomfortable. But I decided to brave the weather, be a good sport and go hunting with my honey..

In my opinion I am the perfect hunting partner. So quiet the duck can't even hear me ;) Hey you wake up at 5am and tell me you aren't tired!

The view from our "hiding spot". 

When I wasn't sleeping I decided to play photographer! I think I did a good job! 

All in all we had a good time. E's friend came with us, we didn't kill any because the fog was terrible! The weather just wasn't good for hunting this morning. But we had some good laughs and some good quality time. Now it is time to ring in the New Year tonight.

This is the second New Year with my honey ;) There's noone I'd rather kiss at midnight!

A Christmas Blessing

Hopefully, everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We surely did. Family time is our favorite thing about this time of year. We spent a lot of time with our favorites from Texas (Eric's sister, brother-in-law and their two adorable kiddos). We ate entirely too much, did not get a lot of sleep and were constantly on the move. Tis the Season right! Me and Eric were talking about how crazy it was without kids and how would couldn't imagine what it would be like with kids. Good thing we have a couple of years before we find out ;) I am so behind on posts because of all the craziness. I have all the Christmas pictures uploaded on the computer, I am just working on editing them. 

Yesterday we had quite the scare!!

And it all had to do with our lil man Manny.

Yesterday morning, E and Manny went on a hunt (this is a picture from it). I had work from 1-4. Eric told me that he was gonna put new lights on his boat trailer while I was gone and then take a nap. When I got off at 4:00 I got a phone call from Eric..which was weird cause he was supposed to be sleeping. He asked if I was coming over after and I said yes. When I got there that is when he told me...

Our Manny got hit by a car. The tears started welling up in my eyes but Eric reassured me he was alright. Him and Manny had been in the front yard and Manny ran to the neighbors house. Eric called from him to come back and right when he started running, Eric saw a truck coming around the corner. Manny caught the back end of the truck. Eric immediately picked him up and brought him to the vet. He gave him a shot and some pills and said everything was ok..he would be good to go in a week. 

Thank God the vet took him.

When I went outside to see him, he was covered in blood and there were puddles of blood all over the patio. Poor Manny.

I just wanted to cuddle up next to him and pet him all night.

Poor thing was out of it last night. 

Our Manny was a year old on Christmas day. He was a blessing then and a year later it  is a blessing he is still with us.

Rain Rain Go Away..

Are you serious?

Only 3 days till Christmas?!

Pooooooo-ya. I have so much to do still! There are a few more little gifts I need to get and the weather is just Perfect ha not! It is so icky and it is just now getting cold! Oh the joys of living in the South.

Just lovelyyyyy!

Not to mention, I am getting sick! I woke up coughing and with the worst sore throat ever. Doesn't my body know I have things to do? AND! on top of all of that, I took pictures of some of my recipes and my camera just decided it didn't want to save them! SO now I have no pictures of all my Christmas treats what a rip off!

I did manage to save this one though!

This is my ohhhhh so yummy almost home made trail mix ;)

But seriously I don't think any tail mix is fully homemade.

It was so quick and easy!

Here is what you need:

• A Christmas tin of popcorn (I got the one from Target it had three different flavors in it Caramel, Chocolate and kettle corn..I didn't use the chocolate though)
• 2 Bags of Holiday M&Ms ( I got the Peanut Butter)
• One bag of Cinnamon Swirl Cookies (Or any other kind of small sweet cookie, I got mine from Walmart)
• A jar of Honey Roasted Peanuts
• A bag of Reeses Peanut Butter chocolate chips
• Puppy Chow (Recipe to follow)

Here is what you do:

Throw it all together in a giant tin till it's all mixed in together and VOILA! Jar it. It's a great sweet present ;)

Puppy Chow Recipe:

1/2 cup peanut butter

1 Cup chocolate chips

1/4 cup butter

1 box of Chex cereal or 9 cups (I used the honey roasted)
3 cups powdered sugar

Put peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between. Once all the ingredients are melted, add it to the cereal. Stir it around until all the cereal is covered with the mixture. Put 3 cups powdered sugar in a gallon size ziploc bag, and add the cereal. Shake it around until all the cereal is covered in powdered sugar.

I poured mine out onto a cookie sheet before adding it to the trail mix so that all the excess powdered sugar wouldn't be lingering in my trail mix.

Oh and...WARNING

MAKE SURE THE POWEDERED SUGAR BAG IS SEALED BEFORE TRYING TO PUT IT BACK UP...OR ELSE IT WILL FLY ALL OVER THE FLOOR LEAVING YOU ONE HECK OF A MESS!

Me and Eric found that one out first hand..on accident of course. I did have pictures but those are the ones my camera decided to delete....!

A Trip Down Memory Lane

For some reason today, I was overly thankful for me and Eric's relationship. I was thinking back on everything we have endured. I looked at these pictures over and over again today (taken by his sister...yyyyeeeea she's pretty amazing) and I just thought I'd share ;) 

Not to mention...they make me really miss spring.

On October 22nd, 2010, I fell in love with this goofy, handsome, loving guy. He has become my strength. How we met is quite interesting. Eric is a teller for a bank and I work at City Hall. We use his bank and I would always see him in the drive through..and I always did the whole fix my hair and make up thing before going through. And I would ALWAYS think, oh boy he is cute. One day I was on Facebook and recognized him on a friends page so I added him. Instantly he messaged me and asked if my dad was Mark and I said uhhh yea why. Come to find out his dad and my dad were good friends in college..Small world! And the rest is history. 

I couldn't stand to go without talking to him. I had dated before (ALOT) but this time was different. We shared a love for the outdoors and had a lot in common and we are each (to say the least) a little on the goofy side!

Before I knew it we were spending all our time together..and I just fell in love with him. I saw my future with him. I no longer saw him as just a guy. I saw him as my future husband, the father of my children, my supporter forever, and the one I'd be rockin' next to in 60 years.

He has become my strength. My best friend. The person I go to first for everything. He holds the key to my heart and calms me (most of the time). No person will ever take his place. We hold each other together. Without each other, I know we would fall apart.

It hasn't always been hearts and butterflies. We have had our challenges. Probably more than other couples. But we have learned and grown and the best part is, we have done it together. We are still learning but I couldn't imagine doing this with any other person. 

My heart has completely been taken, my world completely rearranged, my time completely taken up, all by one person..Eric. I wouldn't have "us" any other way. 

Love Dare Day 6:

Love is not Irritable 

Sadly, I am behind on my Blog but thankfully, we are NOT behind on our Dares ;) So I am catching up from the weekend! 

Day six was all about love not being irritable.  I often see people that are so quick to get angry and offended. This day taught you reasons not to be. I think we are all guilty of becoming irritable, and I am the QUEEN of overreacting (which I am working on). It also talked about what caused irritability in a relationship. Day six was packed with great information that pertains to every single relationship. I encourage everyone to read this day..Love Dare Day 6 

Bible Verses

He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit, than he who captures a city.  -Proverbs 16:32

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34 )

Favorite Quotes

"Love is hard to offend and quick to forgive." 

"When under pressure, love doesn’t turn sour.  Minor problems don’t yield major reactions.  The truth is, love does not get angry or hurt unless there is a legitimate and just reason in the sight of God."  

"If you are walking under the influence of love, you will be a joy, not a jerk."

"Life is a marathon, not a sprint.  This means you must balance, prioritize, and pace yourself.  Too often we throw caution to the wind and run full steam ahead, doing what feels right at the moment.  Soon we are gasping for air, wound up in knots, and ready to snap.  The increasing pressure can wear away at our patience and our relationship."

"Love will lead you to forgive instead of holding a grudge.  To be grateful instead of greedy.  To be content rather than rushing into more debt.  Love encourages you to be happy when someone else succeeds rather than lying wake at night in envy.  Love says “share the inheritance” rather than “fight with your relatives.”  It reminds you to prioritize your family rather than sacrifice them for a promotion at work.  In each decision, love ultimately lowers your stress and helps you release the venom that can build up inside.  It then sets up your heart to respond to your spouse with patience and encouragement rather than anger and exasperation."

Day Six Dare:

Choose today to react to tough circumstances in your marriage in loving ways instead of with irritation.  Begin by making a list of areas where you need to add margin to your schedule.  Then list any wrong motivations that you need to release from your life.

We did not do this dare, because we did not feel that it really pertained to us. But we did gain a lot of knowledge from reading.

 Love Dare Day 5:

Love is not rude

Today was all about not being rude. There are things that each me and Eric do to each other that get on our nerves, but today taught us that through love we should try our hardest to not do these things. Obviously, you will never love EVERYTHING about someone. There will be little things that just annoy the heck out of you. And no one will ever love EVERYTHING about you. It is about knowing what gets on the other persons nerves and try your hardest not to do these things. 

Bible Verses:

"He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him". (Proverbs 27:14)

“Better to live on a corner of the roof than share a house with a quarrelsome wife”

 (Proverbs 25:24)

Today's Dare:

Ask your spouse to tell you three

things that cause him or her to be

uncomfortable or irritated with you.

You must do so without attacking them

or justifying your behavior. This is

from their perspective only.

I guess the good thing is, me and Eric could only come up with 2 things each about each other. Obviously I am not gonna share those things ;) But it was definitely nice to talk about it, and neither one of us became offended about it. We both agreed that both of us had valid points and we agreed to work on these things!

A Pinterest Play Date!



Ohhhhh Pinterest how I love you.

I have a confession to make..I am cheating on my boyfriend....

WITH PINTEREST!!

This is the most addictive site in the whole world! It is full of recipes, crafts, DIY things, and much much much more. With one simple click you can save all your favorite ideas. I spend all my free time on Pinterest if I am not on Pinterest, I am wishing I am!

Well today was Sunday Funday at the Chauvin house and me and my cousin decided to make Sugar/Salt Scrubs for Christmas gifts. I was so involved in my scrub that I didn't take pictures of my cousins, but I will be doing hers soon. I did the MOST SIMPLE salt scrub ever and it smelt and felt fabulous!

Easy Peasy...Lemon Salt Scrub!

Ingredients

5 Tbsp. Sea Salt

1 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Lemon

(This recipe yeilds about one 8oz mason jar)

I bought a four pack of these cute mason jars at Walmart for 3.27! I also bought ribbon to tie around the jar and an oversized popsicle stick to tie on top for scooping! (I am doing mine as Christmas gifts)



First, mix together your Sea Salt and Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Make sure the oil coats all the salt because it will keep the acid in the lemon from dissolving the salt.

Next, cut your lemon in half and squeeze both halves into the sea salt mixture. (Before I cut my lemon I roll it back and forth on the counter to get the juices flowing).

And that quick you are finished! I added a little lemon slice to mine just for added look.

Then I tied a ribbon and a stick on the top and VOILA, the perfect Christmas gift.

So cute and sooooooo simple and it smelt great to boot! Stay tuned for more Pinteresting Play Dates!

Pin It

Outdoor Adventures! ;)

So Saturday was the first day back hunting from the split (two week period during duck season that you can't hunt). And Eric was up bright and early for hunting. 4:30 AM to be exact. Need less to say I did not partake in this little hunting adventure (I rarely do). It is just WAY to cold to get up that early to go sit in a duck blind. I leave the hunting to him and Manny. I must say though that it was a beautiful morning. Eric sent me a picture of the water and it was absolutely gorgeous. 

People who are from Louisiana truly understand the beauty of this. Eric definitely surprised me with the ducks they shot! Most of the time he comes home empty handed (phaha poor thing), but this morning he was far from empty handed! 

This is Eric's pride and joy, Manny! I must say he is a gorgeous dog! This is him sitting in the blind waiting for the ducks! ( This picture is from Sunday's hunt not Saturday's)

These are just some of the ducks him and his cousins shot! I was so very proud of him..Now I just wonder what they are gonna cook! 

That night we carried on our outdoor mood and Eric made a fire and we had my favorite snack S'MORES! Yummy Yummy! It was quite interesting since this is the first fire we have had with Manny around (Manny is Eric's Lab that will be a year old on Christmas). Manny was overjoyed to be around all the S'mores ingredients. 

Our fireeee :) E did a good Job!

So I took this picture AFTER Eric chased Manny around for a while! Manny decided he wanted some Marshmallows too! Before we knew it he had snatched them up and was running all over the yard with them! It was quite hilarious! He was NOT gonna let go of them! Finally Eric got him to sit and got them away from them. This happened multiple times lol

Manny just relaxing.

This picture is pretty dark but I love him!

He was enjoying his S'mores a little tooo much!

We had a great night! With our busy schedules, we don't find time to just sit and relax and enjoy each others company. I think it is time we FIND the time. It the simple moments like these that make you thankful for the other person <3 

Love Dare: Day 4

Love Dare Day 4:

Love is Thoughtful

As many of the other dares did, this one hit close to home. One of the BIGGEST issues in me and E's relationship was the fact that we were so comfortable with each other, he thought he did not have to show me he loved me, I should just know. I understand that we have been together awhile and that the whole giddy feeling will not always be there. But that feeling has been replaced with a greater feeling....love. This day clearly stated that women are alot more thoughtful then men..and it's true. There were many days I would sit there and just think of things to do for Eric that would surprise him or showed him I loved him. Men don't have that kind of mindset. I also learned through Day 4 that men DO NOT understand when women try to tell them things between the lines. I would ALWAYS do this. Hint around to what was bothering me instead of just coming out and saying it. Eric would always just bluntly say what was on his mind (which I always admired) when he did decide to talk about things. I am working so hard on saying exactly what is bothering me instead of hinting around. And he is working extremely hard on talking about what is going on instead of keeping it inside. We have already come so far and learned a lot about each other and it's only Day 4!

Favorite Quotes:

Love thinks. It’s not a mindless feeling that rides on waves of emotion and falls asleep mentally. It keeps busy in thought, knowing that loving thoughts precede loving actions.

If you don’t learn to be thoughtful, you end up regretting missed opportunities to demonstrate love. Thoughtlessness is a silent enemy to a loving relationship.

Men, for example, tend to think in headlines and say exactly what they mean. Not much is needed to understand the message. His words are more literal and shouldn’t be overanalyzed. But women think and speak between the lines. They tend to hint. A man often has to listen for what is implied if he wants to get the full meaning.

Love requires thoughtfulness—on both sides—the kind that builds bridges through the constructive combination of patience, kindness, and selflessness. Love teaches you how to meet in the middle, to respect and appreciate how your spouse uniquely thinks.

Bible Verses:

How precious also are Your thoughts to me. . . . How vast is the sum of them! If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. —Psalm 139:17–18

Love Dare: Day 3

The Love Dare Day 3:

Love is not selfish

Selfishness is something we are all guilty of. Whether we are selfish in a relationship or just selfish in everyday life. At one point or another we have ALL  been selfish. In a relationship selfishness is one of the main reasons for disagreement. With me and E, it definitely was. Whether it was him spending time with Manny or me wanting to spend all my time with him, we were both selfish. Once again it is a give and take thing. We both must learn to do things the other wants to do whether we enjoy it or not equally of course. Whether it is eating somewhere the other wants to or watching a movie that I don't want to watch. We both must make sacrifices. Being a only child, it is really hard for me to understand it is NOT ALL ABOUT ME. But I am working on that ;)

Quotes I love:

Almost every sinful action can be traced back to selfish motive.

Selfishness is a trait we hate in other people but can justify for ourselves.

You either make decisions out of love for others or out of love for yourself.

You can not be acting out of real love and selfishness at the same time.

Bible Verses:

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” (Philippians 2:3)

"Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;
give preference to one another in honor."(Romans 12:10)

Day 3 Dare:

 Whatever you put your time, energy, and
money into will become more important
to you. It’s hard to care for something
you are not investing in. Along with
restraining from negative comments,
buy your spouse something that says,
“I was thinking of you today.”

This is so true! Eric put all his time and energy into Manny and I put all my time and energy into my cupcakes! The things that we put our energy into consumed us and slowly became more important. I would rush home to bake and he would rush home to Manny. It interfered with our relationship. We didn't pay as much attention to each other anymore. It is crazy how something can slowly take over your life.  Today Eric called me at work to just see how I was doing and how work was. It was so nice just to talk to him and see how eachothers day was. I love those little phone calls. The mean so much and can brighten my day in an instance!  

Love Dare Day 2

Day Two:

All About Kindness

Today the love dare was all about kindness. 

"Love makes you kind. And kindness makes you likable. When you’re kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and good for them."

Favorite Bible Verses From Day 2

 “Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man” (Proverbs 3:3–4)

The Bible describes a woman whose husband and children bless and praise her. Among her noble attributes are these: “She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue” (Proverbs 31:26)

What is desirable in a man is his kindness. (Proverbs 19:22)

Day 2 Dare:

In addition to saying nothing
negative to your spouse again today,
do at least one unexpected gesture
as an act of kindness.  

Sometimes, I have come to learn that we get so wrapped up in the day to day routine that we forget to do those little things that mean so much. Something as simple as just calling to say hey or a good morning text. We get so comfortable that we feel as if those things aren't necessary anymore. Today was all about a random act of kindness just to say "hey I love you". Today, on my way to work, I stopped off at Eric's work and text him to come outside. I got to see him and tell him hey and I told him I loved him. Usually we just text good morning but seeing him was so much better. We also had lunch together! It was great. Something we used to do all the time and started taking for granted suddenly meant so much again. Kindness doesn't have to be a gift or bought, kindness is so much more...

The Love Dare

In case you aren't aware of this movie it is called Fireproof. It's about a struggling couple who is on the brink of divorce. Once bound by love, now all the couple does is argue. Caleb's dad gives him a book called the "Love Dare". It is a forty day journey with God and his signification other. The Love Dare, being very difficult at times, strengthened Caleb's relationship with his wife and God.  The Dare saved his marriage and taught him more about love than he ever knew. Me and Eric watched this movie together awhile back each of us had a different state of mind back then and didn't realize how important we were to each other. 

Being in a relationship is hard work. It is give and take. And love is NOT always enough. But if you truly love someone you will do whatever it takes to make it work. I was on the edge of giving up on my relationship. Sunday I was walking in Walmart and came across this...

I think when I first saw it I stood there awhile. And the first thought that crossed my mind was I HAVE to get this. Even though me and Eric aren't married, I thought it would help us get a greater understanding of love and of each other. We have vowed to read it every night together talk about the words and scriptures and the next day do the challenge. I am really excited to start this journey with E! I think every couple should do this not just couples that are struggling.

Day One

These are some of my favorite quotes from Day One!

Day one was all about patience. "Love is built on two pillars, love and patience". 

"Love will inspire you to become a patient person. When you choose to be patient, you respond in a positive way to a negative situation. You are slow to anger. You choose to have a long fuse instead of a quick temper. Rather than being restless and demanding, love helps you settle down and begin extending mercy to those around you. Patience brings an internal calm during an external storm.

"The Bible says, “He who is slow to anger has great understanding, but he who is quick-tempered exalts folly” (Proverbs 14:29) 

“See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another” (1 Thessalonians 5:15)

Day One Dare:

The first part of this dare is fairly

simple. Although love is communicated

in a number of ways, our words often

reflect the condition of our heart. For

the next day, resolve to demonstrate

patience and to say nothing negative

to your spouse at all. If the temptation

arises, choose not to say anything. It’s

better to hold your tongue than to say

something you’ll regret.

Patience I have learned is very important. And I must say we both nailed this dare! We had a fun day together doing a little Christmas shopping and eating lunch together! One of the best days we have had in a while!