Spring Things

The boys were here this past weekend and Brian and I wanted to get some more flowers in the front flower bed so he and the boys spent some time planting yellow gerbera daisies.  

They both helped fill in the holes with dirt before they watered the new plants.

They had so much fun and were so proud of the flowers they planted. I think they've both got a green thumb, just like their daddy.


We had fun this weekend. I'm already excited for the next time they will be here. It has been amazing watching them grow. Just from this time last year the changes I see in them are remarkable. Tanner will graduate from K-5 in just a few days time. Tucker is as bright as his big brother. They both ask more questions and learn new things every day. They're little sponges- soaking up the world around them. Here are the boys one year ago:

They are so much fun and they bring so much light and joy to our lives.

Stocked and Loaded

A few months ago, one of the things I did to prepare myself to be a wife was take a couponing class. In just a few hours I learned more than I could ever have known on my own. The wonderful lady over at Southern Savers teaches all of these classes herself. If you haven't been to her blog, and want to save money, then what are you waiting for?! I have learned that you actually don't need to clip coupons every week, Wal-Mart is NOT the cheapest place to buy your groceries (we shop at Bi-Lo), and that I never need to pay for anything at CVS ever again ("CVS-ing" is the newest lingo in my vocabulary).

Today was a major victory in the area of couponing for Brian and I. If you know us, then you know that cereal is one of our major food groups, good for any meal of the day, and is a meal saver when you don't know what else to eat (I learned all of this from my roommates in college). But the downside of cereal: it is so dang expensive! $3.00 a box if you're lucky for name brands, and maybe a dollar less than that if you go with the store brand of the same cereal.

So here is the cereal that we bought at Bi-Lo tonight:

  
That's 16 boxes of General Mills (the best) cereal. After the Bi-Lo sale and coupons, we paid, get this, 89¢ a box! If that is not enough to make the cereal lovers out there get up and dance, then I don't know what is.

So that being said, I don't mean to gloat, I'm just so freaking excited to get my favorite cereals for less than a dollar a box. It may seem ridiculous, but you would be excited too, trust me.

If you haven't gone to Southern Savers already and signed up for one of Jenny's classes, please do! Its a few hours of your time that will save you hundreds if not more on your groceries, toiletries, everything you buy!

Betty Crocker who?

Brian revealed to me today that he thinks I am unmotivated. I started to argue, then realized he may be right. My wife-ly skills, still being as undeveloped as they are, seem to be on hiatus (if that's possible two weeks in). As it turns out, cleaning is not my strong suit (anyone who has lived with me can attest to this). I definitely haven't figured out how one human being -or even two for that matter- are supposed to keep a house clean, laundry done and folded, and make a meal at the end of the day among everything else there is to be done. 

Here in lies the problem: Its all so easy in the beginning. You start dating and only see each other a few times a week. Those nights its super easy to plan a great meal, have the place tidied up, and have everything ready the second your sweetie hits the door. It turns out that mirage for Brian has faded somewhat. It also turns out that I may be the most unorganized type-A personality you have ever met- is this possible you ask? maybe not but that's my story and I'm sticking to it. 

In my defense, I did make a full dinner two nights last week. Yes, I made the same thing twice, but that was only because Brian asked me to. And yes the dishes may in fact have been in the sink until this morning (when Brian loaded them into the dishwasher)- at least I'm trying.

While I'm navigating the rough waters of wife-hood, I'm just thankful to have a husband who loves me even though I let it slip that maybe I don't really have it all together. True love sure is patient, thank God for that.

My Husband

I am so happy to finally be able to call myself Mrs. Oakes! We had a wonderful time at the wedding but personally I'm glad all of the planning and stress is over with! Week 1 of married life agrees with me very well and I am loving being able to spend all my time with my wonderful husband (I'm still not use to saying that). We honeymooned in Myrtle Beach but decided to come home earlier than we had planned. Waking up to 65 degree rainy, cloudy weather at the beach is no fun, so we called it a day a day early and got headed back home.

Now that we're back home, I'm loving decorating, organizing, and cleaning the place up (ok, maybe not the last part so much) and just making it feel like ours. Already, I'm not exactly sure how my mom kept our house clean all these years. I feel behind already! I'm also very excited to start painting- our house will no longer be filled with blank, white walls! 

Any ideas for redecorating on a budget? Or better yet, are there any volunteer painters out there?? :)

 Stay posted! More pictures from the wedding will be up soon!

Simple Things

Needless to say, my precious baby dog seems to be the only one around here not stressing out even a little bit. Me on the other hand, I wouldn't say I've been a wreck but I've been having trouble sleeping, waking up in the middle of the night, thinking about a wedding detail I may have overlooked. This wedding planning thing is hard work! Tomorrow is when we will see just how organized and planning-savvy I have been (or lack there of) and hopefully the next two days will go off without a hitch (except for my getting hitched to Mr. Oakes of course!). 

I can't wait for a week at the beach with my best friend and new husband. It seems like we have everyday up to the wedding planned out, and the day after seems to be a mystery as to what will happen, and I can't wait to live and experience everything with him! We were talking about the things that we look forward to the most about being married and we were both in agreement that it was the little things that we can't wait for: eating dinner together every night, hanging out at home, and the like. All of these simple things make me so excited to be Brian's wife and I couldn't be more excited about my soon-to-be husband.

Here's to the unexpected and all of the blessings that life brings along the way.

Showered With Love

So today was my first wedding type festivity, a bridal shower in Greenville. I was so happy to have my best friends, family, and some future family members there to spend time with me. Another happy memory I am glad to have made. 

The wedding planning continues, and I'm hoping that all of the details will fall into place before our big day. I feel unprepared, but I am excited to see all of my family and friends.

So here's to trying to get the wedding details together, all while having a 50 hour work week coming up! Its going to be a busy week.

40 Days and Counting...

So my life as an Oakes has not officially begun- Afterall, I need to marry my Oakes man first! We got all the addresses and such together today and finished up the invitations. Its off to the post office first thing in the morning and they will be on their way. I can't wait to see who will be there on our special day. It will be good to share our new life with old friends, and to begin the next chapter of our lives with our new families. My sisters are so excited they will finally have a real brother, and I'm pretty excited to be getting some new brothers of my own, and not to mention 4 wonderful sisters!

This time is hectic and stressful, but yet exciting and I'm loving every minute of it. I can't wait to be married but I'm savoring these last moments in the house I grew up in, with my mom who still takes care of me, until the day I will be taking care of the man who will be my new family.

Stay posted for more blogging about what Brian and I are up to. In the meantime, go here to get all the latest about our wedding.

Sending love to all of our family everywhere. "I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy" (Philippians 1:3-4)  

Be seeing you soon :)