Small Homes, Big Memories

Hey all!

I've been thinking a lot lately about small houses.

Most of us in this stage of life are living out of a one or two bedroom apartment with some ghetto feature or another. My sink is super tiny. I have a friend who has to balance her dresser with books to keep things level. There is always something wrong with the house we are in.

But I don't believe that we should be unhappy in our home.

One of my coworkers recently made an art piece that said the following

"Love grow best in little houses with fewer walls to separate. Where you eat and sleep so close together, you can't help but communicate. And if we had room between us, think of all we'd miss. Love grows best in little houses just like this." 

It came from an old country song called "Little Houses" by Doug Stone. (http://www.metrolyrics.com/little-houses-lyrics-doug-stone.html)

I love what the song embraces. Sometimes it takes living in a small place to really love someone. Sure it gets frustrating having only 800 sq feet when you both grew up in four or five bedroom homes, but think of the memories.

One day, I can't wait to show my kids pictures of our first house.

The joke at our house is one day I'll have a walk-in closet as big as my kitchen is now. (Once you see these pictures you'll realize it's not an unrealistic goal.)

So if you are living in a "tiny house" right now, appreciate it.

Here are some pictures of what our house loos like right now. I could have cleaned it up but I wanted to show what it looks every day.

Our "office"

I love our entertainment center 

Can you notice what is missing? (Answer: There's no counter...)

My teeny, tiny kitchen

The whole main living area. Don't you like my birthday balloons? 

Gotta love the laundry basket eh? 

We both hate decorative pillows so that's why it seems so plain

And there you have it! Our tiny, lovely, home. 

Summer Dates

On the first day of Summer, Con and I found ourselves chilling for two days in front of Netflix. We decided that it was time to get off the couch and do something better with our summer. So we decided to create a list of easy, cheap things to do on those summer nights.

1. Go for a walk up the canyon. Logan Canyon is the best place to go walking in the summer. There's easy nature walks to strenuous hikes. Sometimes we'll just explore trails to see where they go. It's fun to be out in God's creations. 
2. To the park. We have Merlin Olsen in our backyard and it makes for some great people watching. If we're really feeling childish, we'll even go down the slide a few times. 
3. Hammocking. The best investment ever! We purchased some hammocks last summer and love to take them to a quiet place to read or just sit and talk. 
4. Snow cone Drive. A child sized snow cone is $1.50. This makes for a cheap, tasty date to enjoy in the summer. I have to admit, margarita and lime are my favorite flavors. And when you add sweetened condensed milk  .... 
via GIPHY

5. Campfires. All you need for a fire is firewood (duh), matches, and MAYBE something to roast. I totally believe there's a reason humans have been drawn to fire for so many years. Plus, there's just something so romantic about seeing the one you love in firelight. 
6. Stargazing. Obviously we have to wait till it's dark so sometimes that gets late but we loooove filling the bed of our truck with blankets and pillows and finding an abandon field. And more often than not, stargazing turns into a little more than that ;) 

So those are just some of our favorite things to do in the summer that cost little to no money and don't take a lot of planning! What are some of your favorite things? 

Why Watching TV is Good for Our Marriage

Every marriage is different. That's what I'm learning more and more. I know, it seems like a "duh" thing but it was a major realization for me.

Connor works late...a lot, which has really started to wear on our emotional relationship. I don't understand how women who's husbands are gone for nights on end do it. They are much stronger than me and I applaud them for their strength.

But that doesn't make it easier for me to be alone all the time - wondering if he's ok, getting bored with homework.

I've realized how important it is to spend time together, doing something.

When my parents were first married, they had horses and went horseback riding every night.  They were lucky to have that kind of a hobby to do together.

 We don't have that kind of hobby together that makes it easy to just go. Sure we love camping and having fires and going four-wheeling, but those activities take a little bit more planning than spur-of-the-moment doing.

So what do we do to spend time?

Before I say this, let me preface it with this: "We love doing this activity together and it draws us closer so no judging."

We watch TV.

I know - we sound like lazy college students, but please hear me out.

When we sit down and watch TV, we are cuddling, which is my major love language, and spending time, which is his love languages, our needs are being met. We love watching Lost, The Office, Friends, Designated Survivor, and Chuck. Why does this mean so much to us? I don't know. Maybe because we bond over discussing plot, feeling emotions together, and getting to know the characters.

Some weeks we are crazy busy with homework, work, church activities, and other things that just come as life does. We always try and make sure that we spend one night together, even if it's just watching a TV show together.

How do you spend time together?

Happy Birthday to my Best Friend

I've been with Connor for TWO birthday's now. It's crazy to look back and see all the changes and growth we've made together. Just because I love him so much, I wanted you readers to see and understand why:

23 Reasons I Love Connor

1. He's the best shower singer
2. He knows all the lyrics to nearly every song
3. He can fix anything
4. When we watch movies, he judges the quality of them by the sound the cars/motorcycles make
5. He can make some mean mashed-potatoes
6. He loves to grill
7. He has soft feet, which makes it nice for when his feet touch mine in bed
8. When he does make the bed, he makes it perfect (better than I could)
9. His calloused hands make for amazing back rubs, and are a sign of his hard work
10. He listens to me when I need to vent, because I need to vent a lot
11. He never judges me when I have issues
12. He studies hard in school to learn, not just get good grades
13. Did I mention he's a hard worker? 
14. He's a quick learner and picks up on skills, concepts, ideas very quickly
15. He loves my family and plays with my sisters
16. His dance moves are phenomenal
17. He loves the Gospel, Jesus Christ, and God. 
18. When I need help in my Primary calling, he doesn't mind being volun-told
19. Excellent snowmobiler 
20. Cuddles at night even when he's hot
21. Holds my hand wherever we go
22. Is very thoughtful when he gives gifts (take the GIANT bag of milano cookies from yesterday)
23. He is my best friend in the entire world. 

So there you have it. He's the greatest and you all should be jealous. 

Valentine's Ideas for Married Students

One of my friends posted on Instagram the following message:

"Help! Valentine's Day is around the corner and I have no clue what to do for my hubby. Any creative people out there have an ideas? We are keeping costs to a minimum so anything fun, cheap, and easy is appreciated."

Instantly it struck a chord with me. Valentine's Days is a day to celebrate your love so why wouldn't you want to do anything? Here are my favorite ideas:

1. Rent a romantic comedy and make brown bag popcorn (recipe here)
2. Make a tasty new dinner at home. Splurge a little and buy steak or if you like fried foods, my chicken fried steak is so tasty! 
3. Have some fun in the bedroom (😉). And really, who needs to spend money on lingerie anyway? (Try out this sexy dice game)
4. Decorate sugar cookies and take them to your neighbors. Why not spread love to everyone on this heartful day. Here's an easy sugar cookie recipe to try out: Sugar Cookies. 
5. Spa night! Get some sweet smelling lotion and give each other the best massage. Think candlelight, love music, the whole shebang. End the evening with a relaxing bubble bath together. Need help learning to give an awesome massage here's a great tutorial! 
6. Instead of buying flowers, make some paper ones with this easy DIY activity. 
7. Listen to each other. Unplug and then try these reconnecting games. 
8. Make a cute gift for him! (These are some of my favorites) 
9. Why not gingerbread houses for Valentine's Day? (here) 
10. Get a Papa Murphy's heart shaped pizza, bake it, and play your favorite board game. 

There are lots of other great ideas on Pinterest, just search. Get creative. And let me know! 

Tampons and Take Out

I love my dear husband. Sometimes we drive each other crazy, but isn't that just marriage? At the end of the day, nothing relaxes me more than snuggling up next to him and watching a movie or talking about our day. We love each other.

I also hate being on my period. Emotional Alisha comes out and literally everything seems to be 10x harder. My cramps make it hard to focus on work or school. Connor's life becomes quite hellish.

Tonight, I got home from work, washed some dishes and started feeling sick. Like I might be getting the flu or my insides might be cutting me open. I don't really know. Either way, I felt terrible. Connor was late at work, so I put on my pajamas and crawled into bed. Around 6:45 I realized how hungry I was but how much I didn't want to cook. Jokingly I texted Connor

IF YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE, YOU MIGHT AS WELL  BRING ME TAMPONS AND DINNER.

I didn't think he'd actually do it.

But at 9:30 he comes home, box of tampons and Chinese take-out.

Ladies, he knew exactly what tampons I preferred, which specific brand and even the which variety pack. Isn't he the best?

Next, he knew I was on a diet so instead of getting me the rice and egg rolls, he got me orange chicken because he knew I could eat meat (not the best choice but I still appreciated his effort). I cried when I realized how thoughtful he had been.

We do not have a perfect marriage by any means. Both of us struggle with human problems and imperfections. Sometimes I worry too much and drive him crazy. He's late a lot. But we still love each other.

Service, I believe, is what glues families together. And you can't really serve another person without knowing their needs. Get to know your spouse, understand what flavor at Swigg they like. This week's challenge is to go serve your spouse in a way that you don't normally do. Laundry and dishes and cleaning, doesn't count. You'll think of something.

#2017DateYourSpouse

Break Down/Tour of Our Apartment

Once upon a time I HATED college. Not really, I love school. But on this particular night I'd had it with picky professors and stupid papers that didn't amount to any of my worth at the end of the day.

I got home from work and ripped apart my house. Growing up, I rearranged my room probably every other month. I can't handle things being the same way for too long. My sister told me she was surprised that I had lasted this long in our house. But once I got going, I realized I couldn't do it and started crying. In the middle of my torn apart house. (See pictures below)

Normally the TV is on my bookshelf and the couch is the facing the other way

All our stuff was everywhere and the desk sat in the middle of the room

Check out our poor table

After calming myself down, I went to D.I. where I wandered around for a good 20 minutes wanting to buy something, but finding nothing to help my retail therapy. I ended up getting a corn dog from Article Circle and BAWLING in the Lee's parking lot as "O Holy Night" came through my radio. I went home, made homemade fried chicken, got in the bathtub,and watched The Lizzie McGuire Movie. Connor got home from work at 1 am so I never talked to him about the disaster.

The next day I saw this blue sticky note on our mirror:

I love what you've done with the place ;) -Love you <3 

I didn't have time to clean it up so I rushed to work. I came home to this: 

My husband had put everything back AND made it look good. He'd rearranged just enough to make it look nice, without making it feel cramped. 

I know I brag about my husband a lot, but isn't he just the greatest thing? 

And now you have an understanding of how much I am looking forward to this break. Thank you school for driving me to this amount of insanity. 

We are ready for Christmas! 

Now you get a cute little tour of our tiny 800 sq. ft. house. 

Love, Alisha 

   

I WON!

I have awesome news!!

I won the Dating Diva's #30ThankfulDays challenge and with it came a WHOLE load of stuff. With $100 to spend, I bought a few things from their website that I am excited to use. I plan on updating you and doing a report on how the date went/what we thought of it to hopefully help you in planning dates.

I purchased date packages that I hoped would be cheap, easy, and fun for this time in our lives. 2017 will be the year of dates! No more "Netflix and Chill" dates (although those are necessary) but we plan are really reconnecting and doing more together than just share funny memes. To share what we've done I'll use the #2017DateYourSpouse and encourage you to do the same. I want to see how you guys still date while going to school and living life.

#2017DateYourSpouse here we come!

"Matchmaker" - A Review on Adventure

Lately I've been home alone many nights, because of Connor's work schedule. I didn't want to be alone AGAIN so I took myself on a date to see Matchmaker by Thornton Wilder performed by the USU theater department. And let me tell you, it was amazing!

For those who don't know, here is a brief synopsis of the play, which was the basis for the Tony Award winning musical Hello Dolly:  http://www.twildersociety.org/works/the-matchmaker/

I laughed almost the entire play. And not just the courtesy laugh that one gives to be polite, but literally LOL-ing. The wit and humor of each individual characters really made for an enjoyable evening. Now, I will admit, the play started off slow, but not because the actors were bad. The story was a little eccentric to get into. But in Act II the humor and farce of the play really shone through.

I walked away tonight generally impressed with the talented group we have on our college campus. Earlier in the year I attended a play done by the same company, and although I didn't enjoy the play itself, the acting was amazing.

Why is this on a married blog? Mostly because the play was free. If you're looking for a date night or something fun to do, many colleges and universities have free-for-students activities. Sometimes they even include food!

But also for this quote:

I think that having adventures is important, and that we should have more of them. In the play, whenever Barnaby thinks they are in an "adventure" he yells out "Pudding!" I loved it.

My goal for you is to find an adventure with your spouse and then GO ON IT! Do something sporadic like a drive up the canyon or stay home and have Nerf gun fight. Just have an adventure this next week and see where life takes you.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm writing this as my rolls rise. Ya, you read that right. I'm making homemade rolls. Thank heavens for Mom and her extensive knowledge.

 I have so many things to be grateful for this year. If you have been following me on Instagram you've seen just a few things. But for my Thanksgiving post, I wanted to write out 100 things I am grateful for. Here we go! (I've used this prompt from Daring to Live Joyfully to help me get going)

1. The sound of my husband singing in the shower
2. Rain falling on a tent
3. Horses winnying in the morning
4. Summer sunsets
5. Mud
6. Frost sparlking on trees
7. My soft blanket
8. Warm jeans straight out of the dryer
9. Roll dough
10. Tacos
11. Sweet potatoes
12. Chocolate cake and cream
13. Utah State University
14. Connor's blue eyes
15. Lakes
16. Bugsy our Yorkie
17. Pigs-think bacon
18. Deer
19. Friends
20. Coworkers
21. All my sisters
22. My parents
23. My parent's in law
24. Dawn - My only sister-in-law
25. Grandparents
26. Kitchen-Aid
27. Space heater
28. Bed
29. Cafe Sabor hiring me with no work experience what-so-ever
30. Anderson Seed and Garden- for teaching me and introducing me to a new passion
31. Duo Group- for putting me on the path to my future career
32. Jackson Hole/Yellowstone with my husband
33. Disneyland
34. Washington, D.C. my senior year
35. Running
36. Paddleboarding
37. Fourwheeling
38. Christmas
39. Fourth of July-I love BBQ
40. My birthday
41. Harry Potter
42. Gone with the Wind
43. O Pioneers
44. I'm grateful that I can forgive easily
45. My can-do attitude
46. The ability to change
47. The man who told me not to sweat the small stuff
48. The old ladies from the Knotty Knitters
49. The woman who picked me up after I got lost
50. SOCKS!
51. Cowboy boots
52. Gardening gloves
53. Iphones
54. My laptop
55. Christmas tree light fixer-seriously saved Christmas
56. My hands
57. My feet
58. Grandma's hugs
59. Babies
60. My primary children
61. Funny YouTube videos
62. Chuck
63. The Office
64. Once Upon a Time
65. Writing
66. School
67. Social media
68. March in Washington D.C.
69. Go to General Conference
70. Serve a mission
71. Bubble baths
72. LARGE brownies
73. Hotels
74. I've learned to not worry about making a mistake because it's the only way you can truly fail/learn
75. Everyone is different and that's ok
76. Happiness comes from Jesus Christ
77. Police officers
78. Check-out people at the grocery store
79. Gas station attendents
80. Hot chocolate
81. Reading a book by firelight
82. Smore's
83. A jewlery box from my husband
84. Heat blanket from my Mom
85. A guitar from Santa
86. Running a 1/2 Marathon
87. Seeing someone from my mission get sealed
88. Graduating with a 4.0
89. I love the memory of fourwheeling with my Grandma Nancy
90. 25 Days of Service in December
91. Star-gazing with my husband
92. The temple
93. Mtn. Dew
94. My husband's flirty texts
95. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
96. Instagram-for giving me a place to brag about all the food I eat
97. The ability to drive a car wherever I want to go
98. Shoes!
99. Thanksgiving food with family
100. The blog I stole this list from to get to 100. 

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! 

Spilled Black Beans

\\Guys, this might be a stretch of a parable but please, use your imagination//

This morning we woke up to a broken fridge and soured milk. Half of the food was ruined. We scramble to clean up before work and in my rush, I knocked over a can of black beans. The lid had been opened and I literally "spilled the beans." Small black pods were all over the fridge, all over the floor.

Piece by piece I attempted to pick up the beans. If you have never picked up beans, I don't recommend it. They squish easily making a bigger mess. Beans aren't super liquid so a paper towel didn't mop them up either.

Some choice words came out of my mouth as I spent the next five minutes picking up each individual bean.

As I sat picking at the small, squishy particles, my thoughts went to the language we used towards our spouses.

In a heated moment, sometimes words can be said that aren't meant. Or cruel, unnecessary things may fly out of our mouths. We never mean to treat our spouses with such distaste, just like I didn't mean to knock over the black beans. But just like those beans, our words, once out, are hard to take back. It's difficult to say a lump apology for a week of bad things said, just like I couldn't pick all the beans up in a large chunk.

One by one, we need to think of the wrongs committed against our spouse and ask for their forgiveness. Being specific in our apologies makes them more genuine and real.

So next time you are tempted to say not-so-nice things, remember the beans.

Easy Halloween Costumes for Couples

I know, Halloween is on Monday and I should have planned better but, maybe you're a last minute Halloween costume do-er so this works? I don't know. But here it is anyway. I see all these cute costumes on Pinterest and I think, hmm could I really pull that off as a married student? The only reason we dress up is for our annual trunk-or-treat at church. Connor and I like it though and I feel like we'll be dressing up even when we start having kids.

Last year we did a pretty easy costume.

Connor wore camo and I found this great deer jacket from DI ($6) I wore black skinny jeans and boots. The ears I made out of an old headband bought some felt from Hobby Lobby ($2) The makeup was $5 at Halloween City coming to a grand total of $13 for our costume. This is becoming a pretty popular costume around here but I think it's still pretty cute. 

This year we went as a cow and dairy farmer. 

I spray painted a long sleeve white shirt from Joann's (paint=$5, shirt = $6) and then with my free shipping through Amazon student prime, I bought the ears and the tail for $6. I'm sure they could be made as well but I didn't feel like being creative. My face paint I had from last year still so that worked out nicely. Connor wore a plaid shirt, straw hat, and muck boots, which he already owned. The costume was $17, so a little bit more than last year. I'm sure that if you wanted to use a Sharpie and find a white shirt at DI that could work too!

Here's a great list of other Halloween costumes from the Dating Divas for couples that I wanted to share: 

http://www.thedatingdivas.com/last-minute-halloween-costumes/

Happy Halloween! 

-The Reeds

Shoes

I absolutely love my husband so much. He sent me the following picture from work today with the caption: "I think it's time for new shoes."

The image of his socks poking through his shoes brought tears to my eyes.

This picture, of his sock sticking out of his shoe, summed up how amazing my husband is and why I fell in love with him in the first place. My husband is a hard worker, he knows how to sacrifice. He doesn't care about the things of the world and doesn't let hard times stop him from doing his work.

 He and I have been having a rough patch in our marriage. We're kind of moving past the honeymoon phase and into just, well... life. We are learning more about how to serve and love each other and we know these trials will bring us closer. That picture, of his poor sneakers reduced to sandals reminded me of my admiration and love for him. To work your shoes to that amount of damage must not have been easy. I don't think women EVER work their shoes to shreds (kudos to you if you have). It gave me a new appreciation, respect, and love for Connor.

My husband and I are united in Christ. We may not always be on top of prayers or reading scriptures or even going to the temple. But we talk every night, we take the sacrament, and we are learning to sacrifice for each other. His shoes, torn and tattered, I'm sure can be compared to what Christ's looked like after years and years of serving the people around him.

Connor is my hero. And don't worry, I plan on buying him new shoes tomorrow.

Yarn Pumpkin Garland

I mentioned in our Anniversary post that I had made some cute yarn pumpkins. They turned out so cute! This craft comes from the blog Honest to Nod and the original can be found here.

When my friend Lexi and I made them, they didn't turn as round as her's but still freaking adorable.  . Go ahead and follow the instructions here but don't be discourage if they aren't perfectly round. We concluded that practice makes perfect pumpkins. They turned out adorable regardless of not being perfect.

And it looks very cute on bookshelves, tables, or mantles.

All the supplies cost me $5 so it wasn't expensive at all.

This is what Lexi's looked liked hanging in her house. 

It was a super cheap yet cute fall craft to use in decorating your home.

Happy Anniversary to Us

This has been one of those weeks that make you want to run away and live out your days as a hobo. School pressure, work projects, just the busyness of life was wearing me down. On Thursday I texted my husband saying "Can we have an adventure soon? You know, like a sporadic moment?" The previous week I had also expressed to him my desire for a vacation. There's something about leaving Logan and staying in hotel that is so relaxing to me. I love hotels. When I'm at a hotel, I don't worry about cleaning or being lazy because they signify relaxation and vacation.

And boy did I need that.

The Red Rug

A few nights ago, I got home from work to hear the vacuum whiring away. My dear sweet husband had gotten off work early and started cleaning. He had vacuumed, dusted, swept the floor, and even mopped. Laundry had been folded and put away and the bed made to military exactness. The cleanliness of the house and the realization that it was one less thing on my plate swept over me.

I gave him a huge hug and a kiss and began making dinner. As I went in the kitchen I noticed the red rug under our sink had also been swept. That red rug collected everything, food crumbs, grass, straw, things mysteriously appeared. For weeks I had been trying to clean it with sweeping, vacuuming, lint roller, and it would not be clean. But Connor, my husband extraordinaire, had cleaned it. I don't know how he had done it.



Gratitude came over me as I stood on my clean rug. Sure there were a few stains that would always be reminders of our first apartment, but there were no crumbs, no pieces of field grass. He knew how much I wanted that rug clean and he had done it.

Sometimes in a marriage, love notes can only go so far. I learned that day that actions truly do speak louder than words. I love this quote by President Spencer W. Kimball:

"Some think of happiness as a glamorous life of ease, luxury, and constant thrills; but true marriage is based on a happiness which is more than that, one which comes from giving, serving, sharing, sacrificing, and selflessness."

 How do you make sure you serve your spouse each day?