Stories & advice that feel like coming home.

The Top 10 Posts of 2013

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This year has certainly been one for the books for me. I've gone from being a fiance of a deployed sailor to a Navy wife; from a high school teacher to a university professor; from working outside the home to working from it. I've lived in two different states and three different places this year-- a city, a beach resort, and a small town. I went from me to we; from mine to ours; from one ring to two. In the span of a week we totaled (through no fault of our own and every fault of our horribly old cars) our two cars and bought-- for the first time for either one of us-- a brand-new car. I Keep Reading...

All-Natural Slow-Cooker Applesauce

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Hello, hello, dear friends! Despite having posted in November, it feels like it has been such a long time since I've written about our journey. (Grab a cup of tea or coffee! It's time for a dish sesh!)John and I are finally settled in our new home. Our PCS (a move sponsored by the military) went as smoothly as possible-- our apartment was ready, we had no crazy accidents, and other than a broken drawer and busted light bulb, everything made it to our apartment intact! We decided to move everything ourselves-- no movers for us, although John's sister graciously drove down to help us unload at Keep Reading...

Crispy French Bread Recipe

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A few posts ago, I shared a quick recipe for really delicious Bruschetta Pizza Slices. In case you forgot about that post, go ahead and drool a little over this picture. Even writing about it makes me want to make that for dinner!Today, I'm sharing the French Bread recipe I used for those bruschetta slices. I've been on a bread kick recently-- quick breads, sandwich breads, artisan breads-- and I've had a blast doing it.You'll Need:2 Fleishman's packets of yeast2 cups warm water1 teaspoon sugar2 teaspoons saltat least 5 cups of flourDirections: In a mixing bowl, combine and let foam: Keep Reading...

5 Ways to Save Money On Your Wedding

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Going into wedding planning, John and I knew that we had to be smart about our wedding budget. I was leaving my job of five years to move to where John's stationed and we'd be making two moves in five months.Obviously, those things had an impact on our wedding planning. But we both agreed: we wanted a timeless, elegant wedding. The trick was figuring out how to do it on a budget. Here are a few things I learned from 14 months of wedding planning:Have a plan. It took me a while to decide what I wanted for our wedding, but when I finally made up my mind, I had it figured out to the last detail. Keep Reading...

How Ikea Saved Us Cash on Wedding Decorations

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One of my favorite breakthroughs-- and perhaps the one that I'm most proud of-- during the wedding planning process was taking an inadvertent stroll through Ikea and realizing that so many of the products that we were using for decorations were available at the Swedish superstore... and drastically cheaper than other stores, too!  It was exciting as I loaded up my cart (although returning to Kohl's and Michaels to make massive returns wasn't nearly as exciting later) and realized how much money we'd be saving on our wedding decorations. Here, for your perusal, are the items that we Keep Reading...

DIY Wedding Table Numbers

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We're back from attending a wedding in California, and I'm ready to share more wedding stuff with you! Yay! John and I met in college, but we only started dating after he was in the Navy. (We do things the hard way. Never the easy way for the two of us.)  Our entire relationship was long distance, so we thought it would be fun to name each table as a place that is important to our relationship. We tried to match each place with a coordinating picture. I don't think anyone noticed, but I set the table numbers up so they told our story-- the first guest table was where we met and the Keep Reading...

Review: Cardstore

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Disclaimer: I was contacted by the folks at Cardstore to try their service. I was compensated with a product for this review.All opinions and observations are mine. Cardstore is an online shop that sells unique greeting cards at an affordable price. The best thing, in my opinion is that there are so many card options to choose from. The topics are wide-ranging, unlike some brick-and-mortar card stores. All of the cards can be customized with text, and many of them can be with photos.Since my youngest sister, Becky, is heading back to college and will need a little sunshine in Keep Reading...

DIY Wedding Ceremony Decorations

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Warning: This post is just a cheap excuse to post pictures of our wedding. John and I were married in my home church, which is already very ornate, so we didn't have much to do to decorate for the ceremony. The biggest decoration project for the ceremony were pew bows. I just loved them. They were simple, elegant, and added a touch of color without being obnoxious. They took so little time to make, too.  You'll Need:1 1/2 yards of netting per pew1 yard of ribbon per pew (we used 1 1/2 inch ribbon)1 bunch of Baby's Breath per pewtwisties or clear tapescissorsDirections:Pull the Keep Reading...

How We Spent Less than $70 on Our Save the Dates

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We're back from our honeymoon! I'm working on getting our apartment in order, but I am so excited to share so many things with you! I couldn't figure out where to start, but after eating some left-over hibachi and thinking for a long time, I decided that the best place to start is at the beginning. (If you don't know about our loooooove story, check it out here.) And the beginning-- other than our love story-- really starts with our save the dates. It was one of the first decisions that we made as a couple for our wedding, and one of the ones we knew we had to make-- we had so many friends and Keep Reading...

6 Care Packages You Can Make (and Send!) Under $15

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Care packages are expensive. While I never kept track (and I know, I know, I should have!) of the cost of each full-sized care package, I think mine (including postage) ranged between $40-$60, depending on the contents. Add another $15 for shipping, and funding care packages can be a job in itself! I've found that there are many ways to make care packages cheaper including shrinking the size of the boxes! In between the full-sized boxes I sent, I tried to supplement with other creative ideas to help to ease the financial strain. These boxes are small and either fit in a large envelope or a Keep Reading...

Free photo albums, tuna, and coffee for deployed military-- great resources!

3 Programs to Use During Deployment (That Actually Work!)

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There are tons of programs run by nonprofits, businesses, and organizations that are specifically designed to support and help deployed service members and their families during deployment.Today, I'm highlighting the three that John and I found.  I didn't really use many programs or organizations while John was deployed. In fact, these were the only three that we purposefully sought out and utilized. All three of them were absolutely wonderful and helpful. If you're looking for more programs than these three, there are many more online and on Pinterest. These, however, are top-notch Keep Reading...

5 MORE Money-Saving Care Package Hacks

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Ever feel like you're dumping out your wallet to send a care package? I know I did when John was deployed. I didn't begrudge him any of it, but still, with an impending wedding, a car on its last legs, and a thrifty upbringing, I wanted to make my money stretch. After all, the further that money stretches, the more stuff John could get! It was a win-win, and something that I worked very hard to accomplish. And before you start reading this list, just a friendly reminder that you might be interested in my original post on the hacks that can save you huge amounts of money on care Keep Reading...

5 Money-Saving Care Package Hacks

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Care packages can be expensive. Really expensive. Shipping, even with Priority Boxes is pricey... and then you still need to fill them.I will be very honest:  I was pretty bad at staying in a budget while shopping for John's care packages, although I know I didn't spend as much as other people do. Depending on the box and what I sent, I spent between $20-40 on large boxes (not including postage).  That adds up quickly! It's not that I began the deployment wanting to blow the bank; in fact, I tried very hard to be thrifty (and generally speaking, I really watch my spending). Those darn emotions Keep Reading...

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