It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Cravens home. After much thought and deliberation, we decided to put up a Christmas tree. At first, we were not going to put one up, because we are hardly ever home. Because our ceilings are so high in our house, I knew we would need at least a nine foot tree, but I already had a seven foot tree that I wanted to use. After looking at the Mississippi Magazine, I decide to try and find an urn to put my seven foot tree in. Kyle and I LOVE Umi's Japanese steak house and so we figured why not just drive to Starkville to go to Lowes and eat Umi's. While at Lowes, I found a perfect nine foot tree, that cost 349 dollars. I would have loved to have that tree, but instead I bought a 60 dollar urn to put my seven foot tree in. I think it turned out pretty good and Kyle was happy that I saved him A LOT of money!

Our first tree!

Our first Christmas ornament that Aunt Kim gave us.

Bride and groom ornament, also given to us by Aunt Kim

School, Married life, Thanksgiving, Gram

My, oh my, it has been sometime since my last post. There are lots of things happening at the Cravens home. One of the main things, which I am very grateful for, is that I will be done with this semester on Monday. I can FINALLY see the LIGHT!!! Praise the Lord. The last time I posted I announced that I was placed at Winona Elementary for student teaching, but what I didn't tell you was, that I am in Mrs. Becky Surrell's classroom. I cannot think of enough good things to say about her! She is absolutely WONDERFUL and an answer to my prayers! I LOVE her to pieces. I also love her classroom. She really has a great class and I am so excited about spending next semester with them! I wish I had a picture with her and her students to show, maybe I will take one at the Christmas party.

Married life is going great! I find myself falling more and more in love with Kyle. He is pretty close to perfect! God definitely blessed me with a one of a kind. My favorite thing about being married is knowing that at the end of the day Kyle will always be there. 

We had Thanksgiving at our house this year and might I say, it was good! Kyle and I really enjoyed everyone being at our house. We had so much food it was ridiculous. One of my favorite dishes that we had was Harvest Salad, from the southern living September '11 edition. 

My favorite part of the meal desserts...

pecan pie, skillet apple pie, strawberry pie, sweet potato pie

This is how Gram waits for us to get home.

School, Babies, and Kittens

Life for Kyle and me is very busy!!! After I finished classes in May, I didn't stop. So, I have not had a summer, but that is ok because I am SOOOO ready to be done with school. For two days I observed at Kirk Academy in Mrs. Windham's classroom, and might I say, it was such a treat! The kids were very respectful and listened very closely to every word Mrs. Windham said. I was very impressed in the students behavior, I wish I could do my student teaching there. On the student teaching note, I was placed at Winona Elementary and I am very excited about it! 

On March 31, 2010, we welcomed Jack, Allen and Terra's first baby boy and might I say, on August 15, 2011 he was very excited to become a big brother!

I was so so so very excited to receive a call at 7 in the morning on August 15, 2011 announcing that Terra was at the hospital and the baby would be here before lunch! I could not wait to see him! At about 11:55a.m. Wittman Moody Cravens, "Witt" made his arrival!

Witt!!!

What a precious baby he is!!! (I stole this from Terra's FB page)

I Just love to hold Witt, Kyle on the other hand, is not so sure what to do with a baby... Looks like when we have kids I wont have much help. Kyle holds him for maybe two minutes and then he is done and ready to pass him to the next person.

I know everyone is dying to know how the kittens are doing?? Well, they have adjusted very well to their life outside!!!

I snapped this Saturday afternoon! Caught them snoozing..

Kittens

About a month ago Kyle and I found a snake in our yard, so we decided we needed some cats to keep the snakes and mice away. Friday afternoon we picked up the kittens and when we got home Kyle began playing with them and trying to get them acquainted with their new home. When he came in from playing with them he began complaining and saying he didn't feel well. I didn't pay much attention to that because it is not unusual for him to feel bad and then be fine within thirty minutes or so. About ten minutes later, we went walking and when we got finished ran to Wal Mart to get some things for the kittens. When we got back, Kyle was playing with the kittens in the utility room before we locked them up in the kennel for the night. Right before bed time Kyle made the comment that he just didn't feel right and I just thought to my self, "You'll be fine in the morning." Yeah right, Kyle woke me up at about 2a.m. saying his throat was swelling and he was breaking out in hives. In panic mode, we jumped up and ran to the nearest gas station, that was open, in search of benadryl. The gas station only had children's benadryl so Kyle drank about half the bottle and luckily by morning he was fine! The point of the story is Kyle is allergic to the kittens and now the poor things must stay outside. Even though, outside is where they are intended to stay I feel sorry for them because it is so hot!

Neither of them have names yet. We are still working on that.

Our dog Gram just loves the kittens and is constantly begging to go outside and play with them. The kittens, on the other hand, do not feel the same about Gram. They are not sure what to think of him and are constantly hissing at him. I feel so sorry for Gram, because he means well and is trying to be nice. 

Gram is begging them to play with him... Poor guy...

Welcome home!

We are so happy to be moved in our new home! Our favorite part of the day is coming home to this beautiful place. My favorite part of the house is our bed room, partly because I am obsessed with our new bedroom furniture. It is absolutely gorgeous, when you walk in the room you feel like a queen. Maybe a little over dramatic, but it is really beautiful! Just so you know, I am LOVING having my very own garage door opener! It is so convenient and I don't know what I did without one. My new kitchen is wonderful! I am loving the double ovens and storage space and Kyle is loving me cooking every night! I know by now you are dying to see some pictures and I am going to share a picture of the room that is off the kitchen...

We love this room! We spend most of our time here.

House

After we sold our house we moved in with Kyle's parents instead of renting the house I posted earlier. Kyle and I found a house that we absolutely love and decided to buy it instead of building. Living with the in-laws has been fun and, I must say, I have enjoyed coming home to clean cloths and a bed made. It has been nice not to have to wash or clean. I guess all good things come to an end and Kyle and I are ready to have our own space and enjoy our new house!

Yes, that is our new home!!! We closed on it today and will be moving in tomorrow!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. I think my favorite part will be having my own garage opener! I know that is crazy, but I have never had one and I can't wait to have one of my very own.

Packing and weekend project

Before Kyle and I started packing, we went to get boxes and we thought that eight boxes would be enough to pack our entire house. We didn't think we had much that needed to be packed... Little did we know! It took me about ten minutes to fill the eight boxes and we were headed back to get more! I think we packed a total of thirty boxes. I guess you do not realize how much stuff you have until you actually start packing.

So sad to leave, but we were very blessed to sell the house!We hope that the new owners enjoy it as much as we did.

Kyle and I love weekend projects or any projects for that matter. This weekend we found these beautiful cement flower pots. When we got them they were just ordinary cement with no color and look at them now...

I am very proud of these!

While I was planting these, Kyle said "Regan, there are two things I love to watch you do, the first is mixing and the second is potting plants." If you know me, you know I do a great job mixing food and I guess potting plants reminds Kyle of the way I mix.

Temporary home, dragonfly-creations

I just want to share a few things today, I have had many people ask where we are going to live? What we are going to do? etc... Well, we really didn't know for a while and what we do know we want to keep to ourselves. We close on our house May the fourth and this will be our temporary home...

Another thing I want to share is how proud I am of this...

The pictures really do not give the picture frame justice. The quality of this frame is amazing. I just love it. Mrs. Roxanne Stewart Harrison and her husband, Kenny, make these and they do a fantastic job. The quality and price will not be beat, I promise. The Harrison's company is called dragonfly-creations here is the link to there blog:

http://www.dragonfly-creations.blogspot.com 

Like I said, these pictures do the frame NO justice you really need to see it, touch it, and pick it up to really know the quality.

They also customize letters...

Cindy's Cookies

When I was in high school one of my fondest memories from tail gates or victory parties, where Cindy's Cookies. I can remember eating them and wishing I knew how to make them myself. Cindy Noble, published this recipe in the Daily Star and one of my dear friends cut it out for me. I have had the recipe for a while, but last night was my first time to make them and they are delicious!!! In the paper, the name of the recipe was just Cookies, but I have decided to call them Cindy's Cookies. 

                               Cindy's Cookies

2 1/4 cup of flour

3/4 cup of light brown sugar

3/4 cup of sugar

1 tsp of baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 to 2 cups oatmeal (old fashioned)
*Mix together dry ingredients


ADD:
2 eggs
2 sticks of butter (melted)
1Tbsp vanilla
1/2 package of white chocolate chips
1/2 package of milk chocolate chips
1/2 cup of heath chips
1/2 cup of chopped pecans (optional)


Drop with cookie scoop onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 for approximately 12 to 15 minutes. (They are best a little uncooked.)

A service of worship

If you have ever been around Kyle and me, you know we are perfect for each other. Kyle is the kindest person I have ever met and he truly has a heart of gold. He thinks about me before thinking of himself and always strives to make me happy. I am truly blessed! God could not have done any better when he created Kyle for me. I could not imagine a day without him he is my rock and I love him very much. Kyle has a servants heart and always puts God first in his life and in our marriage. He is my perfect. Our wedding was a dream come true. It was a day that I had dreamed about for years. Everything from the flowers, food, and decorations were more than words can describe. It was everything I have ever dreamed of and more. When I was planning my wedding I knew one thing was for sure, I wanted the ceremony to truly be an act of worship, and that it was.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea.
A great high Priest whose Name is Love
Who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is graven on His hands,
My name is written on His heart.
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin.
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free.
For God the just is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me.

Behold Him there the risen Lamb,
My perfect spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
King of glory and of grace,
One in Himself I cannot die.
My soul is purchased by His blood,
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ my Savior and my God!

There's a sweet sweet spirit in this place
And I know that it's the spirit of the Lord

There are sweet expressions on each face
And I know that it's the presence of the Lord
 

Sweet Holy Spirit
Sweet Heavenly Dove
Stay right here with us
Filling us with your love

In this very room there's quite enough love for one like me,
And in this very room there's quite enough joy for one like me,
And there's quite enough hope and quite enough power to chase away any gloom,
For Jesus, Lord Jesus ... is in this very room.
 

 

 

 What a beautiful day it was! Words cannot describe the emotions I feel when I see these pictures. I can't believe that is me. Three years ago, I was a freshmen in college and I would have NEVER dreamed I would be married, but God had different plans for my life, and I thank him for that. 

Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Cravens

http://lyricstranslate.com

Lately

The past week and a half I have been busier than ever! I have been observing at Coffeeville Elementary School the past month and I have really enjoyed getting to know the students. I absolutely love my clinical instructor, she is great! Observing, school, and work tend to keep me on my toes. This week I have a lesson plan due, a lesson plan presentation, and a 1000 word paper. Talk about busy!

My favorite part of the day is when I come home to this handsome face! Gram gets so excited to see me and it makes my day! I just wish you could see him he squeals and runs all around me. 

I have managed to do a little cooking this week...

Lemon Icebox Pie

If you are looking for a quick easy recipe; this is it!

                    Lemon Icebox Pie

• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 4 large egg yolks (if your eggs are not large, just use a few extra small ones)
• 1/3 cup of lemon juice (I use real lemons, not juice from a bottle or can) and i normally put more that 1/3 cup. I normally use about four large lemons.
• 1 Graham Cracker crust

Pour the egg yolks in a bowl and then the lemon juice. Beat well. *It is important to pour the lemon juice in the yolks, and not vise versa, because the lemon juice cooks the eggs.* (you can make meringue with the egg whites, if you like it) After you mix the egg yolks and lemon juice together, pour the can of sweetened condensed milk in the mixture. Mix well. Pour mixture into the Graham Cracker crust and place in the fridge for at LEAST an hour before eating. If you are in a hurry just put it in the freezer.  ENJOY!

Jack's Birthday Party

 We had a busy weekend! Saturday night we went to charity ball in Grenada; we had a great time visiting and catching up with friends. Sunday we had our nephew, Jack, First birthday party!

Jack's adorable birthday cake

The birthday boy's seat.

This is the birthday present from uncle Kyle and Ray Ray. He loved it! At first we were scared he would fall off, but not Jack he rode it like champ. 

 

This was Jack's favorite thing! He loved the cake more than all the presents!

Wedding

I am going to share a few pictures from our wedding. I do not have many, because I have not gotten any pictures from the photographer yet. These are some that my uncle took.

 My beautiful wedding cake!

My wonderful family.

I am so blessed to be a part of such an amazing family. I feel as though I have been one of them for almost two years. They took me in and made feel as though I was one of them, and for that I am so thankful!

Leaving the reception, on our way to Bora Bora.

The wedding day was so busy that it felt like it was over in a flash.

Wedding Day agenda:

• Bridesmaid breakfast at 7:30
• Be at church ready for pictures at 10:30 -Everybody was on time, with the exception of, my matrons of honor(my sister and Candice Harris) and my maid of honor(Jodi Brisendine), imagine that. This is basically what took the most time, but that is expected. My photographer did a great job and was very flexible.
• At 12:00 lunch was served for my wedding party. I did not get to eat, because I was busy taking pictures, but I hope my wedding party enjoyed it. 
• 2:00 the wedding began
• 3:00 reception at the depot

This agenda does not seem like it is very long, but it was very time consuming. Although, it was very busy day we enjoyed every minute, and we are very thankful for the people who shared our special day with us. 

Homeless, Gram, Gifts

Welcome to our home. In fifteen days, this will not be ours anymore. Yes, we sold our house. We put it on the market on a Thursday, the sign was put in the yard on Friday, someone looked at it on Saturday, and it was sold on Monday. Yes, I know, CRAZY! I do not want to leave. I love this house it is perfect. So, now we are newlyweds and homeless. 

Living room

Kitchen

Dinning area

Bedroom

I really love this house. It is going to be hard for me to leave it. I still cant believe we actually sold it.

Everyone, meet Gram, our first child and the best part about it - I didn't have to give birth. He is my baby. Most people make fun of him because he has a little under-bite, but I still love him! Kyle is having to adjust to a dog in the house. Gram sleeps right by our feet and wakes up around 6:30 every morning. The first morning when gram woke up, Kyle rolled over and said, "We are going to have to do something about the dog situation." I can assure you Gram is NOT going anywhere. :)

Here is our room slammed full of gifts. This is one reason Kyle decided we need a bigger house. All of our gifts wont even fit! So,  I have just piled them all in one room.

As you can see it is hard to get around in this room! I am so thankful and blessed to have so many people that love and care about Kyle and me. We love and appreciate each and every gift! I have decided to highlight some of my favorites...

First, my kitchen Aid mixer that my sister gave us. I love to cook and I CANNOT wait to use it!

Next, my Good Earth Pottery...

Lastly, a canvas that my sweet friend Jennifer had painted for me...

Again, these are just to name a few. My grandmother and Kyle's grandmother both made us quilts for wedding present and the quilts are pretty high on my list of favorites. I love quilts, and I can't think of a better gift that a grandparent could give!


When I asked Kyle what his favorite gift was he didn't really have much to say, but I could figure this out on my own...