Personal Thoughts...

Just to be clear, I do not want to force my opinions on anyone, and I fully believe everyone has a right to their own thought on the matter, but I saw this illustration on Pinterest the other day and it really got me thinking. 

In today's society the sanctity of marriage is taken so lightly. There are celebrities who commit themselves to one person "till death do us part" and then 30 days later, decide it isn't right and get a divorce. Before my husband and I got married, we had to go through a day long "Pre-Cana" class and meet with a "focus couple" at least 3 times to help us prepare for the sacrament of marriage. I'm not saying that all couples who do this end up happily ever after. But would it hurt if it became a requirement for all couples, no matter who you are, to go through some sort of screening process to see if you're ready for the biggest commitment of your life? 

My second little rant of this post is about gay marriage. I'm sure you can figure out what my religion is based on what I've already said, but I can NOT agree that gay women and men should not be able to get married. Since I was a little girl I've heard "Treat others as you would like to be treated", "God loves us all equally", "God wants you to be happy", ect. Yet for some reason if you're gay, you are not to be treated equal. If God wants us to be happy, then why can't everyone be allowed to love whomever they choose? Who are we to say that someone is not supposed to love someone else? 

Only 9 out of 50 states and the District of Columbia allow gay marriage. That's only 19% of the nation. What are we afraid of? 

 So those are my thoughts of the morning. I could keep rambling on this topic for a few more paragraphs, but that isn't necessary. 

Think what you like, agree, disagree, love, hate, whatever...but please be respectful of others. 

Thanks!

Weekend Recap: Baby, Bride, and Princesses!

This weekend FLEW by! I feel like I was home, but not really, and then leaving before I even knew it. Oh well, I guess time really does fly when you're having fun! 

First of all I would like to welcome little Evan Robert Huwer into the world! 

Isn't he a peanut! So sweet :) His older brother is just going to adore him I know it. He also will be getting another new cousin at the end of March!

I also got to catch up with some dear friends of mine at the bridal shower for Sarah N. We don't get to see each other all at the same time a lot, but when we do its always a good time. 

Lastly Kim (who now has her license...whoa) and I drove over to Columbus to pick up Janel and we all went and saw Disney on Ice, and it was spectacular!!!!! We had an absolute blast. If I were a princess, I would never take my crown off ever. They are just too much fun to wear. 

wooo crappy iPhone photos

 All of the little girls in the audience were dressed up and having a blast. I think we were just as excited to see Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, and Donald Duck as the little kids were. 

Donald, Minnie, Goofy, and Mickey

Peter Pan

The Lion King

Aladdin 

The Little Mermaid

Tangled 

Grand Finale! 

 So much Disney happiness :) 

I hadn't been back to Coldwater in about 6 weeks so it really was great to get some family time, as well as some friend time, this weekend. 

Hope your weekend was just as fun! 

Skinny Valentine Day Treats!

Tomorrow is Valentines Day! Like most ladies out there, I always associate this day with lots of chocolate and treats. But if you're trying to watch your weight and what you eat, inhaling a bag of Hershey kisses isn't likely to be a good decision. 

So I've found a bunch of healthy Valentines desserts that you can make and not feel guilty about afterwards! Some of these I've tried, and others just look delicious. 

Hope you enjoy! 

Super Moist Low Fat Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Glaze

picture from skinnytaste.com

These cupcakes are super easy to make and even though the picture is for Halloween, trade in the orange for red and maybe throw a few heart shaped sprinkles on top! 

3 pts+ per cupcake  -  Get the recipe HERE

Skinny Oreo Truffles

picture from eatyourselfskinny.com

by swapping out your regular Oreos for Nabisco 100-calorie Oreo Crisps you save yourself a lot of calories without giving up the taste! 

1 pts+ per truffle   -  Get the Recipe HERE

WW Cheesecake Squares

picture from ww-recipes.net

I made these a while back and they turned out pretty good! I think I needed to bake my a little but longer...but all in all a good treat. 

5 pts+ per bar  -  get the recipe HERE

Black Bean Brownies

picture from skinnytaste.com

I know what you're thinking, "Black beans?? Are you serious?" and yes I am! I have seen countless recipes that are chocolate based but have black beans in them. Be brave and give it a try! 

4 pts+ per brownie  -  Get the recipe HERE

Skinny No-Bake Peanut Butter Pie 

picture from skinnytaste.com

If you know me at all, you know I absolutely LOVE peanut butter!!! Add a bit of chocolate to that and you've made a friend for life :) This recipe is SUPER easy and very yummy. 

5 pts+ for 1/10 of pie  -  Get the recipe HERE 

Yoplait Frozen Yogurt Treats

picture from yoplait.com

I just discovered these the past weekend and OMG am I pumped. I had the black cherry frozen yogurt and it was fantastic. I love yogurt, and the entire pint was 9 points+. For a pint of basically ice cream that is fantastic. I highly suggest trying them this Valentines Day! Just check your freezer section at your local grocery store. 

So I hope you found some skinny dessert inspiration for your honey tomorrow! 

Love you lots and Happy Valentines Day!! 

Weekend Recap: Noblesville, Indiana

So this weekend Eric and I took a little vacation to Noblesville, IN to visit our friend Dave and his girlfriend Sara. It was nice to get a way for a little bit, and even nicer to see these two crazy people! Dave and Eric are true bromance partners..never a dull moment. 

Friday night we went to Detour in Carmel, IN for dinner and met up with my good friend Elyse. It was SO good to catch up with her. She is getting married this summer and I get to play bridesmaid! I'm so excited :) 

Saturday we went back to Carmel to Bub's Burgers and Ice Cream for lunch and that is where Eric tackled The Big Ugly. It's a 2lb burger that if you finish you get your picture on the wall. The more burgers you finish the bigger your picture will be. The record right now is four burgers. FOUR! I can't even imagine. Eric stuck with just one, he did mention that he is going for two next time. 

I'm so proud :) 

The rest of the day we toured Fountain Square and went duck pin bowling. The bowling alley is a 50's theme with jukebox and vintage Coca-Cola signs everywhere. It really was a fun experience! You don't wear bowling shoes, the lanes are shorter, the bowling balls have no finger holes, and are small enough to fit in the palm of your hand. You just kinda step up and whip it towards the mini pins that fall down, and then get pulled back up again by strings! It's a hoot. 

I love old buildings. Can't get enough. 

Sunday was pretty low key, we did go ice skating though! 

All and all, very fun weekend with some very fun people. Can't wait to go back! 

Weekend Recap: Bedroom Wall Art

Good morning everyone! 

I hope you aren't too tired from staying up and watching the Super Bowl last night. We weren't able to watch it, since we don't have cable, so instead we watched a mini marathon of Psych! 

If you ask me, we totally got the better deal :)

But that was just Sunday, Friday and Saturday were also filled with awesome activities! 

Friday I went out with a few of the girls to Pulse Nightclub. Its an 18+ club that took us FOREVER to figure out how to get to. One of the ladies we were with all night was having a birthday and this is where she wanted to go. It is definitely a club. Lots of drinks, strobe lights, dancing, loud music, and random guys trying to get your number. Aside from the every so confident male population, this place was actually a lot of fun! I really want to bring my sisters out there sometime. 

Saturday Eric and I ventured to IKEA. It was a madhouse. Not that it isn't always a crowded mess, but for some reason it seemed especially packed that day. We really only had 1 thing we needed to get, but of course I wanted to look at all the displays so we had to venture through the entire maze store.

The reason we went on this crazy IKEA mission was because I had a vision. I finally figured out what I wanted to do above our bed. We don't have a headboard, and there is a HUGE blank wall in our bedroom just begging for something to go there. I stumbled across this wall piece done above their couch over at Young House Love, and instantly knew what I wanted. 

(picture from www.younghouselove.com

I (like so many of you I'm sure) am addicted to Instagram. And as much as I love the pictures I take with the app....I don't feel like they ever get applied anywhere. So off I went to Picplum.com  and ordered myself some prints! These guys are so cheap and easy it's insane. You just upload your Instagram images, order your prints, and a few days later they show up at  your door in beautiful 5 in by 5 in squares. 

After my pictures came in, I used my "Get 10 free sheets of paper" coupon from Archivers  and picked up the paper for my project. 

The frames we got at IKEA were the RIBBA frames in white. They ran $19.00 a pop which was a little expensive, but I still had money on a gift card from Christmas so it cost us $0! Win! 

Looking promising!!! 

Now the fun part. I really can't take ANY credit for hanging these. Eric used his incredible math skills and was able to hand everything perfectly spaced and even. 

Isn't he the best?! :) 

During this phase I was re-opening all the frames and cleaning out any dust that I noticed had gotten inside. I also made us some popcorn....so I wasn't completely useless. 

TADAAA!!! I am in love. 

The best part is that we can interchange the pictures whenever we want. And these frames are so classic looking that there is no way they won't be able to find a new home in the future, if so needed. 

So that was our weekend. I love weekend in Cincinnati, there is always something to do. I can't even tell you how excited I am to spend the summer here with Eric this year. We're going to have so much fun!!! 

Well I hope you enjoy the rest of your Monday!