Updates...

Oh my, how the time flies! I just realized that I have not posted anything since our anniversary in December. There is a reason for this...life is crazy! We have been extremely busy with the house and have made more improvements that cannot necessarily be seen, but are definitely a must before we move on to the fun stuff like painting, floors, or even decorating (my favorite!). Clay and Mike finished all of the plumbing a while back, which they had to re-do a few weeks ago due to the weather...sad day for Clay! For now though, plumbing is behind us and it is great to have new and trustworthy pipes =)

The latest project has been completely re-doing the electrical of the house. Clay and Mike have put in many hours towards this project and I can't begin to thank them enough! During one of the electrical work days, Mike had a little...let's call it mishap. He was in the attic and got tangled up in wires and ended up falling through the ceiling. By falling through the ceiling, I mean one of his legs fell through the kitchen ceiling. When I came home from work, Mike warned me before I went into the house, but I lightly told him that nothing could surprise me now...I think I have been broke in by now to all of the "mishaps" that can happen when you are remodeling a house. This is what I found when I stepped inside...

Yes, this is parts of the ceiling and insulation on my kitchen floor, but it's ok...it's just something we laugh about now...

The hole in the ceiling...

and finally a close up of the floor.

I think back to that day and I was in panic mode. All I wanted to do was clean up, dust and put it all back in place. Now, I know that without days like this one, I wouldn't appreciate what we do have and be able to look back and laugh and love those times.

More to come from the "Not so newlyweds"...

Our First Anniversary

Yesterday was our first year anniversary and we celebrated by going to Granbury on Sunday. We went to the Granbury square and spent the day shopping, sippin' coffee, and looking at Christmas lights. Granbury is such a cool town and we can't wait to go back again next year! We even saw a play called "Red Skelton's Christmas Special" and we hardly stopped laughing! Here is a picture of us just before the show...

The first year anniversary gift is supposed to be paper so I put my thinking cap on to try to think of the perfect gift for Clay. This is what I came up with...

A coupon book full of different coupons that are good for various things. He seemed to like it =)
This year has been a roller coaster, but we both agree that it has been a blessed one! I am anxious to see what the next year has to offer...hopefully it includes finishing the house =)

More to come from the "not so Newlyweds"...

Team "S" {Windows, Underpinning, & Injuries}

Well, Team "S" has been at it again! I'm not sure if I have told the story of where the saying Team "S" came from so here ya go...One day Clay and I completed something together and gave each other a high five and he said "TEAAAAMMMMM S" haha! So from now on, whenever something great or cool happens we always give each other a high five and say "Team S" (S=Simmons)

A few weeks ago we had the windows installed and they look great! It's amazing how something so little can make a huge difference in the way a house looks. This past weekend we finished the underpinning since the house is level and cold weather is on its way. Here is a picture of the front windows and the underpinning.

Another exciting, but more painful, thing that happened this weekend was the trip to the ER. I cut my hand while washing dishes and landed myself 9 stitches total between my thumb and index finger. Clay said that if I wanted to get out of doing dishes all I had to do was ask haha! It is starting to heal, but I have to see a specialist this week to make sure I didn't splice part of the tendon in my index finger so I'll let you know how that appointment goes. Here is a picture of my thumb...

In the meantime, this is Thanksgiving week and we are so very thankful for everything and everyone we have in our lives. We complain daily about the house and how much work we have to put into it, but at least we have a roof over our heads! We have learned to be appreciative of everything the good Lord has provided us. I hope you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving!
More to come from the Newlyweds...

The Finishing Touches {Laundry Room}



Yesterday, we finished putting the finishing touches on the laundry room and all we need now is a door! Check out the finished product...have I mentioned how nice it is to smell fresh laundry again in the house =)
More from the Newlyweds...

Drop your drawers here...The Laundry Room is FINISHED!

Yes, it is true...I may be the only woman in this world that is excited about doing laundry again! I have been waiting patiently for months to have our washer and dryer installed into the new laundry room and today it finally happened. Clay scored major honey-do points today! The only thing left to do is hang shelves and decorate a little =)

More to come from the Newlyweds...



Our little getaway! {A well deserved vacation to San Antonio}



This weekend Clay and I were southbound headed towards a much needed vacation in San Antonio. Originally, we had planned a trip to Rockport for some fun in the sun, but had to cancel due to flooding in the area. After planning this trip in a couple days notice, I now consider myself to be a shotgun vacation planner. This comes in handy when you are married to Clay.

We headed out Friday and spent the first night touring the Riverwalk and eating the BEST seafood at Laundry's. We stayed at a hotel right on the riverwalk and close to everything...my idea so that we could walk everywhere. Saturday we woke up early enough to get in our morning coffee on the porch that overlooked the river. We wanted to get up early because we had so much planned for the day. We started at the Mercado...Farmer's Market...and in my opinion, if you have seen one vendor there, you have seen them all =) We stopped in at the famous restaurant "Mi Tierra" for lunch and had a great time!



Next, we went to the Alamo and toured most of San Antonio after that. One of our favorite stops was at "Buckhorn Museum" where we saw all sorts of mounted animals and a really cool gift shop.



Saturday night we stuffed ourselves at the "Fugo de Chao", which is a Brazilian Steakhouse. They bring around different types of cooked meat and you decide if you want to try it or not. My favorite was the filet mignon and we both agreed that the turtle cheesecake was to die for!!!



Sunday, we woke up early and headed east towards Luling. In Luling, I picked up some pumpkins at the local farmer's market and can't wait to decorate with them =) Then we headed to Lockhart for a BBQ crawl that we have been wanting to do since we ate at Black's BBQ for the first time. Our plan was to try the 3 famous BBQ places and just order a couple slices of brisket and a couple ribs for us to share at each place. Our first stop was Smitty's, the second was Black's, and the third was Kruetz, but they were closed on Sunday. We then continued to be food critics all the way home...winner Smitty's ribs and Black's brisket =) It makes my tummy smile!

Overall, the trip was the most relaxing thing I have ever experienced. This week has been the longest week of our lives that started out devastating and ended so great. I have the best time with my husband and we are just like best friends hanging out...I love it!! My birthday is on Wednesday and I don't know what we could possibly do that night to top this weekend, but Clay can probably do it.
More from the newlyweds...

Men have different priorities...{Football game on the big screen}

Well, I have been meaning to post this story for a few weeks now. Mainly because every time I tell someone this story, they laugh and laugh and so do I. So here it is...

A few weeks ago, I was doing laundry at the in-laws (I have been doing mobile laundry because our washer and dryer has not been hooked up since we built our new laundry room) and Clay calls and wants to know when I will be home. I tell him probably in an hour or so and he is so very excited because he has a surprise for me. So in my mind, I am thinking...he has hooked up the washer and dryer!! I call my best friend, Em and tell her that I can't come by her house because I want to rush home to see what the surprise is (she agreed that he probably hooked up the washer and dryer). Well, here is what Clay's surprise was....

His idea of surprising me was moving our big screen tv from storage into our bedroom\living room just in time for the Cowboys game...for some reason I don't think he had me in mind while doing this =)
Even though this was not what I had in mind, I really have enjoyed the tv being in our room and will never try to guess what Clay has in store for me.
More from the Newlyweds...