You.And.Me.Are.We: 2012

2012 Recap

I've only been blogging for 7 months, but a lot has happened since June!

You.And.Me.Are.We has gained almost 250 readers since the beginning, and considering I had less than 800 pageviews in my first month of blogging, I'd say it's come a long way!

Here are your favorite posts:

How to Get Rid of Carpet Stains - Fast! {and you already have what you need in your kitchen!}

Bridal Shower Gift Idea

Easy Pumpkin Spice Muffins

Bread Maker Miracles & My Favorite Strawberry Bread

Homemade Taco Seasoning {so much yummier and better for you than the stuff you buy in the packets!}

His & Her Q&A {one of many!}

I wasn't surprised to see that most of my readers are from the US... but I was amazed to see that I have a lot of readers from France, Sweden, and the UK! So glad you stumbled upon a little blog written by a girl from Wisconsin :)

It's been a fantastic year and I am so blessed to have met so many amazing, supportive bloggers through this adventure. I thank all of you who have read my posts and listened to me ramble on and on at times. Without your kind comments and continued readership, it would make my blogging harder to do. You all are wonderful!

Here's to another great year and to creating more memories and friendships!

Saturday Inspiration

In honor of the new year fast approaching, 2012's last Saturday Inspiration are words to empower as we start a new beginning.

Your slates are wiped clean. You can right any wrongs. You can leave old grudges in the past.
You can be a better person!

Source: Uploaded by user via Sara on Pinterest

We start fresh and new in a few days - what are you going to do to make your new beginning count?

Secret Santa Reveal and My First Vlog Ever!

Today marks a milestone for me - I'm sharing my first vlog with all of you!

Note: Towards the end of my vlog, I mention revealing who my Secret Santa is. What I MEANT to say was I will reveal who I was the Secret Santa for.

As I mentioned in the video, Joni was my Secret Santa and sent me a package.Visit her at Blended With Love.

I was Kim's {from The K.O. Jewelry} Secret Santa. Here's her vlog where you can see the goodies I sent her!

Sorry for my sick-voice and for talking fast - it's a bad habit :)

So, what do you think? Should I make vlogs a regular thing? What should my next one be about?

Christmas Aftermath

Hope you all enjoyed your day with loved ones! Trevor and I spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with his. Today we're doing a little shopping and then heading to another Christmas celebration {not to mention another one this weekend and our last next Tuesday}. Christmas is far from over for us!

Here's a look at a few gifts I received the past couple of days. I am feeling so blessed and lucky to have such generous family!

1//2//3/4//5//6//7//8

How was your Christmas? What are your favorite gifts?

Saturday Inspiration

Does anyone else feel like it's too soon for Christmas? It doesn't feel like Christmas is three days away!

I'm working this weekend, but as soon as those 25 hours are over, I'm doing everything I can to get myself in the Christmas spirit. We're going to decorate a big gingerbread house that my parents built {pictures to come!}, bake cookies, eat lots of finger foods, decorate sugar cookies, and most of all just enjoy each other's company.

To help things along, I wanted to share this pin for this week's Saturday Inspiration with hopes it will help a few of you feel a little more love on Christmas morning!

Source: etsy.com via Sara on Pinterest

I can't promise I'll be back before things start getting busy {we have Christmas celebrations Sunday through Wednesday} but I am going to try my darnedest to get another Handmade Christmas tutorial posted tomorrow!

Merry Christmas to you and yours from You.And.Me.Are.We!

High Five For Friday

Holy cow! I can't believe it's time for another H54F - it feels like I just did one a couple of days ago...

Last weekend we visited my Oma and celebrated Christmas with her. She and my Opa {who has since passed} came to the United States with two kids when they were in their 30s. Because so much of their lives were spent in Germany, my Oma still keeps many traditions from overseas alive. Last Saturday, we made kielbasa and homemade potato salad {from scratch! so much work!} and enjoyed a lot of wonderful conversation. Somehow the subject of her furs was brought up and she dug all of them out of her closet. This is the resulting picture of me wearing Russian skunk {huh?!} that was my great-great-grandmother's. Agree or disagree about wearing furs, you still have to agree that it's super freaking cool that I wore something that's well over 100 years old!

Also this week, I took my last final for my chem class. Thank goodness that waste of time is over! On to bigger and better things. Up next? In spring I'll be taking biochem and microbiology!

Trevor also finished all of his classes this week! It may not have happened on time, on the day we thought it was going to, in the way we thought it would happen... but life throws you for a loop every now and again, right? I am relieved school is over for him and that he's officially graduated! Now, we're just waiting on a few companies he has applications at/has interviewed with to offer him a job making meeelions of dollars!

Yesterday, we spent the day at home, in leggings and sweats, unable to leave the house due to a blizzard outside! I haven't heard a final number of inches of snow yet, but last I heard we had gotten over a foot of snow. Even though it was a blizzard, you have to admit it makes for some gorgeous trees!

The letters of recommendation that I need to complete my nursing school application were handed out this week. Hopefully, the two nurses that I gave the forms to have completed them and they are on their way to the CON! I explained the whole process of applying to my accelerated nursing program here if you're looking for more details.

And that's that. It's been a busy week but it's also had it's relaxing moments. Today, Trevor and I are working on a few last Christmas presents that have to be finished up and wrapped and hopefully we'll find some time to tidy up the house in preparation for the holiday as well. Wish us luck!

How was your week?

Nursing School Update

It's been awhile since I've mentioned how my adventure with nursing school has been going, so let's catch you all up to speed!

For my new readers, here's the background: I'm applying to nursing school. It's an incredibly long process. The program I'm hoping to get into is very competitive - they only take 30 applicants for each cohort. It's also very tough - if I get in, I'll earn my BSN in 12 short months. I have a bachelor's degree already {with a minor in science} but have been taking a couple science classes each semester because my minor classes don't count toward the nursing pre-requisites. For example, I had to take Chem 103 for my first degree and now I've had to take Chem 102 because it's what was required for the nursing application. It's been a huge time and money sucker - both of which have been tight. It also means I've been sitting through classes that are a piece of cake. But I can't test out of them because I need the lab component in order for the classes to count toward my nursing degree. Frustrating, no?

Last week the nursing school applications went live. Meaning, we could fill them out and start submitting things to the College of Nursing. First, I had to apply to the University... had to send all sorts of transcripts in... and waited to get accepted. That happened and I had to send in a tuition deposit to reserve my spot and get my official school email address.

At the same time, I've had to submit requests for background checks, fill out pages and pages of personal information and schooling information. Basically, I'm up to my eyeballs in forms. I signed up to take the TEAS V test {anyone with personal experience with it?! I'd like to know what I'm getting myself into} in a few weeks before the spring semester starts in January. Also, I have to have two letters of recommendation be written and sent in to the CON.

After all that fun is submitted {hopefully my paperwork will be completed and in the mail by the end of the year and the rest will all trickle in afterwords} then I get to wait. And wait. And wait some more. Until the end of May. May. Guys, that's over five months of just waiting. Pure. Torture.

So there you have it! That's what I've been busy doing between work and school. That's what's been on my mind lately. It's kind of nice to know that I'm finally getting into the thick of applying - because for the last year plus I've been working toward this application. Now I can finally look forward to the next step!

I'm nervous, excited, and impatient all at the same time!

There are three steps to the acceptance process. If I get an email interview, I know I made it to the first step. If I get a phone interview I know I made it even further. I'll keep the updates coming and I'll share any results or details with you. All I ask of you is patience and kindness if the process doesn't go as I hope it does.

Saturday Inspiration

Source: data.whicdn.com via Sara on Pinterest

I'm trying my hardest to laugh really hard at least once a day! I find it makes me feel lighter and puts me in a better head space - a little positivity {why is Google Chrome telling me that's not a word?!?!?!} really helps; especially this time of the year when we're all so busy!

Try laughing next time you're stressed. I promise it'll make a world of difference!

H54F

This week's High Five For Friday is going to be lame because 4 of the past 7 days have been spent on my couch being sick. Nothing about those days made my "Top 5", let me tell you...

Anyway, last Friday night, we dragged a friend to a local Christmas light spectacular. Any pictures I took did not do it justice, so here's one of my favorites for your viewing pleasure. Do you have anything in your area like this?

Halfway through the Christmas Light Adventure, there's a few buildings where you can park your cars, hang out with reindeer, sit in Santa's sleigh, and even hang out with the ol' guy himself. Trevor and I liked the reindeer below because he was missing an antler and we root for the underdog.

Remember that sleigh I told you we could sit in? Yup, found it!

Yesterday, I was a machine! I scurried around town all day getting stuff done that I had put on my to-do list weeks ago and never got around to it. I don't have any pictures of me running around like a fool, so you'll have to imagine it. :)

Lastly, I met up with one of my oldest friends for breakfast this week. She's due with her first baby in less than 8 weeks - and I can't wait! It was wonderful to see her and talk about married things. I love having friendships that can easily be picked up where we left off two months ago because life got too busy for both of us.

And that's it! How was your week?

back from the dead

Get excited and be proud!

This girl is joining the world of the living again!

I've been sicker than sick since Saturday. So sick I didn't bother putting a bra on. So sick I resorted to wiping my nose on my sleeves. So sick I wore the same sweatpants from Saturday until yesterday. {Yeah, I admit it, go ahead and judge! No shame here!}

I had to call into work Monday and Tuesday... and I never call into work. In the five years I've worked there, I never ever missed a day. Until this nasty virus knocked me on my butt.

After a little test run yesterday {aka, I ran to WalMart for a few minutes}, I am getting out of this house! I'm going to be spending today at school celebrating our last day of class with everyone. And maybe, hopefully, I'll get a little studying done as well because our final is next Monday.

Just because I don't have a voice doesn't mean I can't enjoy a celebratory Last Lunch with some very good friends, right?

When I say HAPPY WEDNESDAY, I mean it!

Handmade Christmas: Photo Coasters

You may remember that Trevor and I are handmaking all of our Christmas gifts this year. We like to call it Handmade Holidays. This is the first of {at least} three tutorials of some of the gifts we've made and are giving to our relatives.

Dear Family, if you are related to me by blood you will want to skip this post. Unless you want your Christmas gift surprise ruined. In that case, bah humbug and carry on.

DAD, this is your last warning to click out of this page and visit another website...

Ok, so if you're on Pinterest you've most likely seen a version of these. But because I promised you that I'd share tutorials of our Christmas gifts in this post, you're getting a long post with a million pictures :)

I had made a set of these for my mom for her birthday and Mother's Day back in May. They held up so well and were so loved and appreciated, I thought I'd make a set for my dad, my aunt, and my grandparents for Christmas this year.

First, I gathered my supplies. I wanted to make a set of four coasters for each recipient {there are three of them, remember?} so I bought 12 {4 inch x 4 inch} tiles at Menards. They were something like $0.13 each or so.

I also bought a single sheet of felt from Hobby Lobby for each set of coasters {that's three sheets of felt for those of you that don't want to use your noggin}. You will need a paintbrush {I used a foam brush because I liked the texture it leaves behind} and ModPodge. You'll also need a waterproofing spray {you can see what I used below}. Finally, you will also need photos!

Cut your pictures down to be about 3 1/2 inches square. I didn't measure them or anything - I just eyeballed and cut. You could also cut little photos out and create a mosaic on each tile - but I chose to use one photo because I like the way they look more than a mosaic. It's just personal preference - try a mosaic if you want!

On a protective surface {I used a paper grocery bag}, lay your clean tiles out and roll your sleeves up!

Paint a layer of ModPodge on. Mine looks thick in this photo because of the color of the tile but you only need enough to coat it - no need to slather it on!

Next, lay your photo on and paint another layer of ModPodge on. I like to brush in the same direction so that the texture looks uniform. Again, experiment here and do what looks good to you. Move on to the next tile and do the same.

Let them dry - I think it was about an hour or so until I was sure mine were dry - and then add another top coat.

Let that coat dry - I let it dry for about 3 days only because I didn't have time to do the next step until then. Then grab your waterproof stray paint and spray your tiles. Follow the directions on your paint and do two coats. You can see that I have a matte spray - I totally love it and highly recommend it. It makes the tiles look more "polished" {put together, not actually polished} and finished.

Let that dry {lots of waiting here, folks! But it's not a big deal if you do a few steps at a time and come back at a later time. For instance, I went grocery shopping between the matte spray and this next step}.

Cut your felt out into 4x4 squares {or whatever size your tiles are!} and get your hot glue gun ready!

Glue the felt to the bottom of the tiles.

A few tips that came with experience: glue as close to the edge as you can and make sure you glue all the way around. It helps if you glue a little, then press the felt on, then glue a little, then press the felt on.

And you're done!

This is the set for my dad. My favorite picture on the coasters is the black and white of my Oma and Opa - pictured in the lower left here - when they were much younger and still living in Europe. It makes me smile every time I see it.

It really is a simple process and can be done in a day if needed. Like I mentioned, I took longer to make mine because I have been so busy, but if you plan it right you can give them as a gift tomorrow! {Pssst, you still have time to make these before Christmas!}

We just tied ours up with a ribbon and then wrapped them like the rest of our gifts for Christmas.

Try 'em and let me know how they turn out for you!

Saturday Inspiration

Source: lisacongdon.com via Sara on Pinterest

No other words are needed.
Be your own heroine!

What are you up to this weekend?

High Five For Friday

Time for another H54F, so here's my week in pictures:

Last Saturday, Trevor graduated from college! For some reason, the school held graduation almost three weeks before classes end... which means that it was kind of anti-climactic - and Trevor is still just as busy as ever {yesterday he was at school by 8am and didn't come home until after dinner time}.

He cleans up pretty darn well if I do say so myself :)

This was probably my favorite part of the week. We were stressed out on Saturday morning and were crabby towards each other but as soon as I saw him walk across the stage and accomplish something so HUGE, all irritation melted away. Something similar must have happened to him too, because we were plain ol' us as soon as we saw each other after the ceremony. Have I told you how much I love being married to this man?.

We met up with an old friend of ours from high school {he was also one of our groomsmen!} after graduation and headed to our local froyo place. They had holiday flavors {egg nog, peppermint, gingerbread} and they were all so good!

This past week marked the second birthday of our only nephew! How can you not love this silly face?

We bought him a play tool set which included a toy drill. He was obsessed with it and spent most of the night doing this:

Yeah, pretty sure he's going to be a dentist!

How was your week?

His & Her

It's back!

I'm so excited to bring you another edition of His & Her Q&A! I was bummed when Bethany at Love the Grows decided to take a little break from it... and even tossed around some ideas in my head about what I could do here at YAMAW to help you get to know my husband better. But, just in time, Bethany has come back with more questions! Here's the first set of the new group - enjoy!

What do you do when you're angry?

His: Try to get by myself. I don't like to be around other people when I feel that way. I also look for something mind-numbing to do.

Her: I get emotional and tend to cry. And I have to spew my anger everywhere which means I talk to Trevor, I call my mom, and I type up blog posts and then later delete them.

What is an item of clothing your other half has that you wish they would throw away?

His: Anything that you complain about. Like when you try it on and say "Oh this makes me look fat." or "This doesn't fit right." I can't think of a specific item - there's nothing you wear that annoys me.

Her: He has a few graphic tees that I personally think belong in a high school. Otherwise, he has some old pairs of underwear that I have been slowly throwing out with the hopes he doesn't take notice...

What is the greatest family vacation you went on as a kid?

His: There was that time we went to Minnesota for a wedding... or any time that my brother and dad went "up north" with Grandpa.

Her: My family only took one vacation so it wins by default. We rode Amtrak through Chicago and out to the Grand Canyon. It was pretty fantastic :) And just a short time later my parents got divorced so it's nice to have those memories.

Would you want to live in the city, country, or beach?

His: Country, preferably.

Her: Depends on where I am in my life. With kids, in the city near their schools. Once they're old enough to drive or are in college, I'd like to live in the country. I'd love to retire to a beach but would "settle" for a beach vacation house every now and then.

How do you handle farting in front of each other?

His: I give you a warning if I feel like it... otherwise I just let it fly.

Her: I do it in secret ;)

What is your favorite type of cake?

His: I like Red Velvet but I also like that chocolate cake with holes poked in it and caramel soaked into it.

Her: Red Velvet, lemon, any of our wedding cake flavors! Cheesecake's pretty great, too.

What is the first thing you do when you get home from work?

His: Take off my jacket and shoes. If I can I like to relax and check out what's new online.

Her: Take off my scrubs, put my lunch box away, and hop into the shower. Working with sick people is enough reason for me to shower as soon as I get home so I don't spread germs all over. It's bad enough that I know I'm bringing my C. diff. covered shoes into our home...

What is a phrase or word your other half frequently says?

His: "Lame." or "Lame-o".

Her: Hm, I don't think there is one. It's a lame answer, but he really doesn't have a catch phrase or anything. He does quote Stepbrothers all of the time and it's completely hilarious.

Did you exaggerate anything when you were first dating?

His: I don't think there was anything like that. I'm not that type of person. It's not like I had some sort of fantastic achievement or anything to brag about...
Her: Oh God, that was way too long ago. I'm sure there was because I was a high school girl with a bit of dramatic flare. Couldn't tell you what I exaggerated, but I'm sure there was plenty.

Who is your others half as a superhero?

His: She's Captain Organization. For obvious reasons. {We don't watch superhero movies or cartoons so we are totally just making these up!}

Her: He's Captain Patience because he's the most kind and patient man I know and I'm so lucky to call him my husband <3

Holiday Mixed 'Tape' Swap Reveal!

I'm a sucker for a good swap.
I may be a bit selective and participate in them only once in awhile, but I'm still a sucker for great swaps!

This was one of the 'greats'. And even so much more because I was a co-host of it! Meghan, Meagan, and I were honored and excited to bring the Holiday Mixed 'Tape' Swap to a blog near you {seriously, check out some of the links below - I bet you know some of the lovely ladies that participated!} :)

Because of a partner issue, I started the swap with one partner but after the snafu, I gained another blog friend and sent out an additional CD!

The first was Rikki from A Woman, Her Cats, and Some Books. Little did I know, she is a fellow Wisconsin native and was in the midst of moving from Kentucky back home to the Dairy State!
Get to know her better by checking out this post. Why should you? Because HELLO, we've all felt that way before! When I read her post, I was "AMEN, SISTA!"-ing out loud, in my living room, while home alone. Yes, it's like that.

Anyway, her parents live less than an hour from me and I can't wait to find a time in our busy schedules to meet up!

Rikki sent me a great CD, full of classic Christmas music! Here's what she chose for me:

1) Little Saint Nick - The Beach Boys
2) Sleigh Ride - Ella Fitzgerald
3) Merry Christmas, Darling - The Carpenters
4) Emmanuel, God With Us - Point of Grace
5) Don't Save It All For Christmas Day - Clay Aiken
6) Do You Hear What I Hear? - Destiny's Child
7) Baby Please Come Home - Hanson
8) I Wonder As I Wander - Linda Ronstadt
9) In Love On Christmas - N*SYNC
10) Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer - Jewel
11) All I Want For Christmas Is You - Olivia Olson
12) When Love Came Down - Point of Grace
13) The Christmas Song - Clay Aiken
14) Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree - Brenda Lee

Thank you, Rikki, for the great variety of music you sent my way and for being wonderful enough to move home just in time for us to meet up ;)

Holly from Perfectly Imperfect Holly was my original swap partner and we immediately hit it off. When she told me the type of music she likes and that her favorite Christmas song is 'O Holy Night', I may have freaked out a little {and we have the email to prove it!}. Why'd I go crazy? Because we're basically music soul mates! I love 'O Holy Night' and her favorite types of music are my favorite types of music. Check out her fitness blog {details here} and you don't want to miss this post introducing a fun link up all about the holidays!

Holly sent me a fun mix of music:

1) Joy to the World (Unspeakable Joy) - Chris Tomlin
2) Mistletoe and Holly - Frank Sinatra
3) I Celebrate the Day - Relient K
4) Snoopy vs. the Red Baron - The Royal Guardsmen {fun fact: not only is this Holly's favorite childhood song, my husband used to work for the same company as one of the original Royal Guardsmen}
5) White Christmas - Celtic Woman
6) O Holy Night - Trans Siberian Orchestra
7) Jingle Bells - Michael W. Smith
8) Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Chris Tomlin
9) O Holy Night - Celtic Woman
10) What Christmas Means to Me - Stevie Wonder
11) O Holy Night - MercyMe
12) Carol of the Bells - David Foster
13) Silent Night (Emmanuel) - Matt mager
14) Angels We Have Heard on High - Chris Tomlin
15) When Christmas Comes to Town - The Polar Express
16) Christmas Eve in Sarajevo - Trans Siberian Orchestra
17) Joseph's Lullaby - MercyMe
18) Twelve Days of Christmas - Straight No Chaser
19) Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas - Celtic Woman
20) Faith Noel - Trans Siberian Orchestra
21) Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bruce Springsteen
22) O Holy Night - Chris Tomlin

Thank you, Holly, for your good taste in music and the fact that I did not previously have any of the 'O Holy Night' versions you sent me - that in itself is a small miracle!

Quite the batch of songs, isn't it? They're all fantastic! I'm still sifting through them to find my favorites but so far both Rikki and Holly have hit home runs :) I love finding swap matches when I feel instantly connected to the other blogger - and I was beyond lucky to have found that in both of my partners!

If you participated in the Holiday Mixed 'Tape' Swap, don't forget to link up your recap post below!

What are some of your favorite Christmas songs? Head over to Holly and Rikki's blogs to find the list of songs I sent to them. Check out some of the links below for even more holiday music!

Saturday Inspiration

In honor of today's events...

Source: google.com via Sara on Pinterest

My husband GRADUATES today!!

I am so proud of him and all of the work he has put into this degree. Every time I catch a glimpse of the work he does I am immediately impressed by his brains and how freaking smart he is!

The sheer amount of time he has spent at school this semester is impressive. There have been many, MANY days he has left for school by 7 or 8 in the morning and returned home after 9 at night. We have both agreed to put our lives on hold for this degree and a {hopefully} well paying job. Time is ticking down and so is our bank account. We are more than ready for an adult full time job to come his way!

He still has classes for a couple more weeks but today's graduation is a milestone, that's for sure.

Happy Graduation Day, babe! I love you, love you, love you and I am so proud to call you mine!

So, what are you up to this weekend?

High Five For Friday

I missed last week's H54F due to the holiday so this week is going to be a little recap of the past week and a half or so...

I bought some super cute flats on extra clearance from DSW last week after the boots I wore to school broke in the parking lot before class even started. I headed to the nearest shoe store during my lunch break and found these. I'm kind of super in love!

We enjoyed this beautiful bird for Thanksgiving dinner...

...along with these yummy mini pumpkin pies for dessert.
{I made 14 pumpkin pies and 11 apple pie rolls the night before Thanksgiving - I was busy!}

One of the best things about Thanksgiving is old friends coming home! This year, we played the annual game of Mall Madness and it was fan-freaking-tastic!

Finally, just this past week we put our tree up. I snapped this picture before we got the ornaments on, but I made sure to get the stockings and the presents in the shot!

And that's all for this week! Hopefully I'll be back next Friday with some better, less holiday-oriented photos ;)

How was your week?

Strengthen Your Relationship - Communication Tips

Trevor and I have always been great at communicating. Sometimes we communicate so well that we stay up too late talking about your days, our future, our families, and our dreams until we doze off.

They say that a key to a solid relationship is communication. In the almost 8 years that we've been together, I can count the number of times we've raised our voices at one another on a single hand. We just don't fight. And when we do, we don't fight dirty.

How could that be? Well, we talk about things before they grow out of control and to the point that we want to yell at each other.

Do we disagree?

UM, HELLO! WE'RE HUMAN! Of course we do! On top of it, we're complete opposites so we tend to "agree to disagree" often.

Yet, we still don't have issues with that. We respect each other as adults, students, children, spouses, and partners.

I thought I'd share a marriage tool with you today that has drastically improved what we communicate about and has in turn strengthened our marriage more than I thought was possible. We use this tool once a week - on Sundays - but you can use it as much as you want {once a day if you really need to work on your communication!}.

You're going to need to set aside time for this. Not hours by any means, but you want to dedicate enough time so that your relationship is being nurtured For us, sometimes we start these questions first thing on Sunday morning and slowly work through them during the day {on the drive to church, while waiting in line, over lunch, etc}. Other weeks, we do them all at once while laying in bed Sunday night. Do what works for you and your significant other.

Here's what you'll need to do, it's simple!

Listen with open ears and an open mind. Speak with an open mind and an open heart.

Ask each other these questions and don't be surprised when they lead into much more deep conversations - in fact, that's what makes them so useful!

1) Tell me about your week/day/however long it's been since you last did these questions. {For Trevor and I, it's "Tell me about your week.".}

This helps us get up to speed on what happened during the week with the other person. Most of the time, he's at school until late and I'm already in bed when he gets home because I get up for work at 4:30am.

2) Tell me about your upcoming week.

It's nice to hear what your partner is going to be doing for the next seven days! For us, since I work an irregular schedule, it's helpful to know when I'm going to be getting up early and when I'm going to be home for dinner. It's just a quick run down of what your calendars say. This is usually when we compare what nights we have off together and pick one of them to be our date night or movie night.

3) How did I make you feel loved last week? What would you like me to continue doing?

This is your chance to tell your loved one what they did right and if you want it to be done again. If you're familiar with each other's love languages, you'll see a lot of that in this question.

4) What can I do for you this week to make you feel loved? Be specific with time of day/methods of how you can make the other feel loved.

You may find this question awkward at first because you're basically telling your loved one exactly what you want them to do to make you feel loved but ladies, let's face it, our husbands/boyfriends can't read minds and they need us to explicitly tell them what they can do for us. You'll get better at this question as time goes on and you see what a difference it makes in they way they show love towards you.

5) What can we work on together?

This self explanatory, but it's just a time to set goals for your interactions for the week.

6) What should we work on when it comes to sex/intimacy?

Yes, Trevor and I routinely talk about what goes on between the sheets - it's important! We talk about what worked really well for us the past week and what we want to try to incorporate for the next seven days. This question isn't limited to sex alone - if you have concerns or comments about PDA, lack of kissing, etc. now is the time to bring it up!

We go through the questions in order but alternate answering them. I'll ask Trevor #1, then he'll answer and ask me the same question. Then he'll ask me #2, I'll answer and then ask him. Then I'll ask him #3, he'll answer and ask me. So on and so forth.

Do you see how those questions can lead into much more thought provoking discussion? I can't stress enough that you need to set aside ample time to get through the six questions - it's worth it!

Try out the questions with your spouse or significant other and let me know how they work out for you! If you make communication a priority your relationship will improve and you will be happier in it.

Cyber Monday

In honor of Cyber Monday, ad spaces are on sale! Use CYBERMONDAY to get ALL ad spaces 60% off. This offer is good through tomorrow {11/26} at 11:59pm CST.

Check out my Sponsor page for details.

Are you doing any other shopping online today?

Saturday Inspiration

Source: instagram.com via Sara on Pinterest

I'm giving it all I've got but I can't do it forever. Thank goodness Trevor will be done with school before Christmas.
Less than a month until I can take care of myself and begin to spend more time with my husband.

Hey, how was your Thanksgiving?!

We spent time with both of our families - it was wonderful.
Instead of shopping yesterday, all seven of us spent an afternoon at a museum and ate delicious Chinese food.
Today, we're back on the productivity train: working on Christmas gifts, running errands, cleaning, baking, and hopefully fitting in some time with friends from high school.

Happy weekend - have you decorated for Christmas yet?

Thankful

Last week, I found out I won a Thirty One bag giveaway from Sara. I was super excited about it and patiently waited for the bag to show up at my doorstep.

Well, that day was yesterday. I opened the box to find a sorts of goodies including a handwritten note {so sweet!}.

So what am I thankful for today, two days before Thanksgiving?

I'm thankful for friends. And for this wonderful opportunity you all have given me to write about my life as a nursing student newlywed.

Sure, I could write every day's happenings and post them for the world to see... but without readers and people who chime in to say very kind things {Cody tells me she loves my handwriting - I've never been told that before!} it would be like talking to an empty room.

For that I say THANK YOU for letting me write and for not complaining too much ;)

Happy Thanksgiving - I'll be back in a couple of days. Until then, I'll be working on my Handmade Christmas tutorial posts for you... and eating a lot of green bean casserole!

True Confessions

If you recall, I decided to start blogging as a way to remember life as newlyweds. Life is just the two of us - no pets, no kids, nothing to tie us to 'home'. I wanted to remember the fun things we did together and the way it felt being young and married.

So Trevor and I were talking today and this idea came to mind - there are so many moments I would still love to capture here at You.And.Me.Are.We and this is how I'm going to start!

Welcome to the first edition of True Confessions of a Blogger's Husband!

I'll be posting little snippets of conversations we have in order to fully capture our newlywed life. This means you won't see the polished side of us all of the time - like the moment I want to share with you today.

I'm hoping this will be a fun and easy way to document little happenings and some hilarious thoughts that come out of Trevor's mouth :)

You are more than welcome to join me in this endeavor. If there's interest, I can provide code for the button above and we can all link up. {If you're interested, let me know in the comments so I can make some magic happen!} However, for today, I don't mind sharing alone.

Last night, Trevor and I were discussing pros and cons to peeing in the shower - saving water vs. having pee on your feet - and confessed that he'd pee in the shower without a second thought if he was the one scrubbing the tub.

In fact he said something along the lines of, "I'd totally pee in the shower if I knew I'd be the one cleaning it! But whenever I think about doing it, I tend to think of how you'd be the one scrubbing the tub clean afterwards and then I think twice!"

I'm so glad he thinks of me before he pees ;)

The Sunday Before Thanksgiving

Just a little glimpse into today's activities.

I'm still in my pajamas because addressing envelopes, filling out graduation invites, doing six loads of laundry, and making shopping lists doesn't require me to put on real pants.

Glorious, glorious Sunday.

H54F

As promised last Friday, here's the little cutie I spent a few hours with a week ago. He was wonderfully perfect and very content. It's been a LONG time since I've had such a good baby in my arms!

One night this week was spent with my mom. We made this yummy shrimp stir fry. It was absolutely wonderful to just have a girl's night and eat food that's good for us!

Last Saturday, I met up with a friend for coffee. Coffee turned into a bookstore {where I found this book that I swiftly put on my Christmas list}. A bookstore turned into a full blown shopping trip. It was great to catch up but it's even better knowing I have a friendship with her that can pick up right where it left off even if we haven't seen each other in months.

Channing and I had a date night. It was a glorious, glorious evening.

This happened. And while it wasn't pleasant at the time {not by a long shot!}, it really made me love and appreciate my fantastic husband even more than before.

How was your week?!

for better or for worse

Yesterday, I woke up sick. Trevor had already left for school for the day and I was supposed to be getting ready for a full day at school as well.

I attempted to get ready but couldn't brush off the icky feeling... and then before I knew it, I was stuck in the bathroom for far too long. After almost passing out, I managed to get myself back into bed where I remained for most of the morning.

I called Trev to let him know that I wasn't feeling well and that I was a little bit worried that I was on the verge of losing consciousness.

And you know what? He came home. Two and a half weeks away from graduation, working on final projects, busy as ever, he came home to rub my back and get me medicine and cuddle me until I fell asleep.

This is the first time one of us was so sick since we got married. Actually, I think it's the sickest I've been since the beginning of our relationship in 2005. And it is such an amazing feeling to know that I married a man who isn't phased by a really sick wife. I know that he'll make an amazing dad someday and will soothe his sick children to sleep. I'm sure of it when I say that my husband is the most perfect man for me.

You know what I realized through all of it? I take my husband for granted. The funny thing is, he and I make sure to shower each other with kind words and lots of love. So how did such a thing get past me? I think it happened because of quite a few different reasons but you better believe after yesterday's events I am making a point never to let it happen again.

A lot of us get caught up in daily life and forget to appreciate our spouses and significant others... so take a few moments today during your morning coffee, lunch break, or commute home to reflect on a time that they were incredibly strong and blew your expectations out of the water. Then, TELL THEM {!!!} how you felt and just how much you love them.

Don't let another day go by without expressing your gratitude to your loved ones!

Handmade Christmas

If I told you that I'm a quarter of the way finished with my Christmas gift giving list you may think I'm crazy, right? And you'd think I was even more ambitious if I told you that said gifts are already wrapped and ready to put under the tree when it goes up, right?

...and that they look a little something like this:

What if I told you I had to be this ambitious?

Ok, so nobody is holding a gun to my head and making me wrap gifts... but unless I want to be up until 3am Christmas morning wrapping gifts, I really have no choice.

Why? Well, because Trevor and I thought we'd try having an entirely handmade Christmas this year.

That means we make all of the gifts we're giving.

We wrap the gifts up in simple wrapping.

We focus on the person we are gifting something to and we really try to cherish the moments we've shared with them this year.

Not only is it good for our souls, we decided to do this Handmade Christmas at a great time - when only one of us is working and we are up to our eyeballs in student loan payments - because it turns out the love we put into our gifts is much more valuable than the money we could have spent at the mall buying a gift instead.

Trevor and I have most of the planning done for all of the gifts we're giving. Every weekend we get a little closer to finishing a few more. He's making half of the gifts, and I'm making half of the gifts - and with 30 total gifts to make, it comes out to be 15 gifts that we each have the pleasure of making.

I am so blessed that my husband was on board with this idea but I am even more blessed to have such wonderful friends and family that will appreciate the love, time, and hardwork that we are putting into every gift.

Because family members read my blog {Hi, Mom!}, I am choosing to keep gift specifics under wraps until we can exchange gifts closer to Christmas... but until that time, here are some great Pinterest finds that you can make for your own Handmade Christmas! If you have any other ideas, feel free to add them in the comments below - I would love hearing about your experiences with handmade gift exchanges!

Maybe you'd like to make these cute felt coasters for a loved one?