The Pioneer Woman

I'm obsessed with this woman! I recently found the Pioneer Woman (PW for short) off a friends blog. I was definitely doing some "blog stalking" and ran across a link. She is a city girl who married a cowboy and now lives on a cattle ranch. She obviously has a blog, but it's unlike any blog before! She posts recipes, photography, random confessions, etc. And if you need a laugh or an idea for dinner--this is the place to come! If you've never heard of her, don't quit reading my blog, but when you finish, go to this link: http://thepioneerwoman.com/

I've been trying to find new recipes to cook. I cooked for David before we got married and I feel like some of my recipes are a little old. He's tried most of them, and while they are good, I want new options. So began my journey with the PW! She has tons of recipes, and here's the best part--WITH pictures! Yeah, that's right! I'm the person that has to SEE it before I'll make it. She not only has pictures, but she shows you a step by step guide. Love it! So far we've tried the BBQ Pineapple Quesadillas (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2010/05/grilled-chicken-pineapple-quesadillas/) and the Marlboro Man's Second Favorite Sandwhich (http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/marlboro_mans_s/). The Marlboro Man would be what she references her husband as, but let me tell you that MY husband LOVED that sandwich. Given that two of her recipes have been a great success, I thought I'd share the Pioneer Woman with you. Plus she gives away great prizes! And the desserts look WONDERFUL. We just don't need to eat that much dessert all of the time!

My goal is to try a new Pioneer Woman recipe every week. We'll see if that actually happens! Oh and word of warning, this woman likes butter more than Paula Deen. Not everything is healthy, but I have at least used Olive Oil when possible! Haha! Enjoy.

Pictures below of the two recipes I've tried. And no, they are not my photos. They are the PW's.

Grilled Chicken Sandwich: Marlboro Man's Second Favorite Sandwhich

Grilled Pineapple and BBQ Chicken Quesadillas

Wedding Weekend

So it's about time I post about our wonderful wedding weekend and honeymoon! So get ready. Judging by the fact that our ceremony lasted an hour and five minutes, it's a safe bet that this post will be really long!

Wedding weekend kicked off with my Bridesmaid Luncheon Friday at the Veranda. After David and I got engaged, I was approached by a woman at our church in Starkville about doing the Bridesmaid Luncheon. She gathered up a bunch of special people in our life and asked them all to be hostesses. Before I knew it, Mrs. Kathy had the Veranda booked and ready for the day. It felt like it would never come! You can see those special ladies below. They all mean so much to me! All of them have prayed for me and watched me go through many chapters of life over my college years. At the end of the Bridesmaid Luncheon, we had a special prayer time, and I asked any of them to pray who wanted to. Their prayers are something I will cherish forever. I so wish we had recorded them so that David and I could go back and hear them throughout our marriage!

From L to R: Mrs. Martha Watkins, Mrs. Dana Brooks, Mrs. Cynthia Travis, Mrs. Jenny Loving, Mrs. Ann Sansing, Mrs. Myra Keasler, Mrs. Kathy Edmondson, Mrs. Cathy Shipp

We had such a fun time of eating and laughing! It was such a blessing to have my bridesmaids all in one place before the craziness of the weekend began. This was actually before the weekend became a blur, and I was so thankful just to enjoy some time with them. And of course, you know wherever we were, there was lots and lots of laughter!

Mothers and Daughters

My mom, Cousin and flowergirl Sydney, and Aunt Pammy

Wonderful bridesmaids and flowergirl

Mommy!

Bridesmaids: L to R (back) Danielle, Kate, me, Bethany, Brittany (front) Megan, Anna, Katherine, Laura

Next was the Rehearsal and Rehearsal Dinner. Such a blur! Our rehearsal was held at FBC Starkville with the dinner following at the State Theater. Luckily, the Adams family hired a photographer for the event and we got such wonderful photos from the night! The photographer was a close friend of my family's, and I spent a month navigating Lima Peru with her for summer missions one summer. She did such a fabulous job.


And then it was on to the Rehearsal Dinner. Since it was at State Theater, David's mom decided to do a Movie theme. It was so cute. Below are some pictures of the decorations and room. You can tell by the expressions on our faces that it was such a special time for David and I! There were plenty of stories to be told about us both. Some funny, most of them making fun of my habit of talking frequently, and some that made us tear up. All of them were special, and I am thankful we have a DVD coming with all of them on it. This was such a special time to be surrounded by our closest family and friends!

If you've made it this far, I'm really quite impressed! Our day was so special. Rebecca took photos all on Saturday as well. But I made sure to tell her that I wanted candid pictures of people and not traditional shots! That's what my real photographer was for. Below are some pics that give you an idea of the weekend:








If you made it to the end, here's a link to all 180 photos that Rebecca shot. Remember that she didn't take my formal photos and there's more pictures to come!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=233113&id=204713740519&l=6f085155d1

Also, you can find a few of my photographer's photos on her blog at:

http://maggiephipps.squarespace.com/blog/2010/6/28/sara-and-david.html

Honeymoon photos to come!

Home

So obviously this post is late! I've really been meaning to write one with honeymoon and wedding pictures. So just to update, we're settled into David's apartment in Starkville for the moment, and packing boxes for storage. Trusting God on our next steps and knowing it's going to be a fun journey. I've yet to start thank you notes, but I promise they are top of the list tonight!

As is another blog post with wedding and honeymoon photos! I promise! Until then, here are ten that my wonderful photographer took to appease your appetite.

http://maggiephipps.squarespace.com/blog/2010/6/28/sara-and-david.html

Now I must go appease mine over lunch with my best friend!