Christmas, Woodworking, and Fondue!!

December 29, 2012December 29, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Once more I find myself on the road again. Ironically I am writing from Wisconsin again, Madison this time, and again the Vikes are prepping for another game against the Packers! Pier and I had a wonderful Christmas with family and friends and hope that all of you did as well. Our first Christmas together was absolutely wonderful. We started Christmas day off with Mass at midnight and it was great to hear and sing the Christmas hymns with my wife by my side! Then in the morning we woke and enjoyed our time together and to share our gifts with each other. I could have not asked for any better gifts than what Pier gave me. She knows me so well that she found the perfect gift for me, a painted picture of several breeds of cattle on it! Now it may not sound exciting but anyone that knows me knows how I love anything to do with farming. I love it and we have the perfect spot for it in our living room! Anyone that knows Pier knows how she loves fashion and she had been ~~hinting~~ mentioning how she would like a comfortable flat and that she had researched the perfect ones! She knew I would key in on the research that she did and that I would probably remember exactly what she wants. Well she was right! I got her the pair that she had been looking at, a pair of FSNY flats. Now the only way I could remember the initials was to say Fox Sports News Yes because I had no clue what it stood for. Although after a little research I discovered that it stands for French Sole New York. Now mind you I was not up to the task of picking and buying a pair of shoes since there are so many variables… size, shape, color, texture, design, etc. So I had to be creative. I ended up printing out the FSNY logo and I picked a pair that I thought she would like and I printed them out on paper. I found a shoe box and I placed the label on the box and then placed the paper cut outs in the box and wrapped it up. Needless to say she loved it and I also picked out the exact pair that she ended up getting!

We also celebrated Christmas with our friends Josh and Julia. On Wednesday night we headed up to the Melting Pot and enjoyed a long fondue dinner! It was delicious. It was my first time to eat fondue and I must say Craig and Pier that it is a perfect dinner to have great food and great conversation. I look forward to another visit in the future!

Now comes the wood technical part…. 🙂

In the middle of all this I have found some time to work down in the shop on Pier’s wedding gift. I must say it is coming along quite well. This past week I got the wood dimensioned out to the correct thickness and out to a rough size. To do this I first laid out wood and I drew out the individual pieces on the boards so I would know where to cut each piece from. Then I used a jig to flatten the board in my planer.

I place the wood on the jig and slide the adjustable supports up to support the board and then slide it through the planer multiple times and it creates a flat top.

Then I can flip the board over and plane it to the correct thickness. Then I joint an edge with another created jig, to create a 90 degree angle to the top and bottom. That takes care of 3 sides (top bottom and side) and the 4th side will be finished in the next step when I run it through the table saw to rip the stock to a workable width. Those will eventually be glued up to create the top and bottom of the cabinet piece.

: Planed and flat on top

So now I have 3/4″ and 1 1/4″ thick square pieces of stock that are ready to be glued or cut into final dimensions.

This past week has been busy and it does not look like it will be slowing down in the near future with our plans of traveling to Rome, Italy in early February. We both are excited to travel and see all the sites Rome has to offer! Happy New Year to everyone!! Craig and Pier

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Blessings Through Raindrops

December 24, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Yesterday morning I was fortunate enough to enjoy my morning coffee on our back deck, looking out into the distant hills and enjoying the crisp Georgia breeze. While I sipped my coffee, I prayed the same prayer Craig and I have been diligently praying for what seems like forever…and then glanced down to notice that what had once looked like tree-esque weeds, now were almost actual mini pine trees…Which reminded me that God provides. Always. Matthew 6:25-34 comes to mind and is one of my favorite passages in the Bible.

And speaking of blessings in places you don’t expect, if you know THIS Newlywed Lefebvre, you know how much I despise dedicated exercise. I love to be outside hiking, playing ball, enjoying nature, swimming, but when it comes to saying, “Ok, time to exercise for 30 minutes,” typically, I would rather be told I would be denied food for a week. HOWEVER, Craig and I decided to start running together in the mornings during the week about a week ago and we have been pretty good about keeping it up, I’m even running on my own when he’s on the road. Why and how is this a blessing you might ask? Well, first, it’s more time we get to spend together. The extra hour in the mornings before I head off to the office have now become something we actually look forward to, and in ADDITION, we are doing something beneficial for ourselves! It also makes ME thankful for modern science…as we discovered one early morning last week, without my asthma inhaler and knee brace, running is…well…not a blessing! 😉

Craig called this morning to tell me he was heading out from Oklahoma City on the last leg of his trip right as I was using my inhaler and heading out the door for my run…he warned me about the rain…and about halfway into my run, it started POURING…and I was drenched! I considered picking up the pace and running straight back to the house, but then I looked up at the sky and I thought about those little pine trees in our backyard…and how God was providing for them everything they needed to grow and mature…and I thanked God for the rain and continued the final 15 minutes soaking wet! It helped to reiterate to me that GOD WILL PROVIDE for Craig and I, and we will keep praying and thanking Him for all we already have. We are so blessed.

“Blessings” by Laura Story

On a side note, we have been promising a picture of the dresser we refinished… This dresser is Stickley and when I found it a few years ago at the antique store it was stenciled in horrid varying shades of green and red and yellow…Hideous barely begins to describe it. People would see it in my old condo and comment on its ugliness! I assured them of its potential! If you have never heard of Stickley furniture, read about it here. The antique store where I found it didn’t know what it was either, and allowed me to take it off of their hands for a mere $200!!

After removing the horrible paint and sanding down the surface, we stained it a bluish grey and replaced all the knobs with clear glass ones:

What do you think? 🙂

Well, y’all, Happy Christmas Eve! I need to finish laundry so when my better half is home in a few hours we will have something to wear to this evening’s soirée, and finish getting ready myself! We wish you all the Merriest of Christmases! May God rain down His blessings on you all!

Much Love,

Pier & Craig

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A Little Bit Of This…

December 19, 2012December 19, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres5 Comments

My, my, my…only SIX more days until Christmas! Are all of you ready? Have you done all of your shopping? I’m happy (and relieved) to note that Craig and I are DONE! Now for me to wrap everything…

The past week has been a BUSY one, and I don’t know that things are going to slow down anytime soon! I went to a ‘Holiday Couples’ Shower’ for our dear friends Ashley & J.W. (sadly without my better half – Boo!!!!!!!), but I did get to enjoy a girls’ sing-along car ride to the shower and back with one of my faves, Julia! There’s nothing like singing at the top of your lungs to every song you know to pass the time on a long road trip!

Such a fun shower! And if you recognize the location, it’s because once again, it was hosted by another couple we absolutely adore: Lauren & Randall.

After the shower and our sing-a-long ride back to Northwestern Georgia, Julia and I met up with Craig and Julia’s hubs Josh & their children for dinner. 🙂 Always a great time with all of our special friends – Craig and I are so blessed to have such a great group of TRUE friends surrounding us!

On Monday, I FINALLY got my wedding bands back from the ~~slowest man on earth~~ jewelry designer! Our design turned out just BEAUTIFUL and I think the setting will be much stronger!

I am absolutely ECSTATIC to have my wedding bands displayed proudly on my finger once again! 🙂

Last night, C & I were up until 1:30am making a COMPLETELY FROM SCRATCH White Chocolate Candy Cane Cheesecake (completely gluten-free, as well!)…We even had to make the GRAHAM CRACKERS themselves for the crust, since we couldn’t find any sans gluten. Needless to say, even the cheesecake hater Craig thought it was delicious!

Tonight, we’ll be making Christmas cookies! 🙂 And when I detail that experience, you’ll have to remind me to show you a picture of the Peppermint Plate we made last night! So cute! (And yes, it’s the same thing you’ve seen all over Pinterest!)

Oh, and how could I have forgotten!?!?! Craig booked our hotel for our trip to Rome in February!! You’ll have to ask my sweet husband all about it! 🙂 We are SO excited about our upcoming vacation!!!

Y’all have a great evening! Maybe I can sneak in a short nap at the office before my long drive home?? 🙂

XOXO

Pier & Craig

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The Trouble With Wednesday

December 13, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Today is Wednesday, and for me, Wednesdays are pretty much the saddest day of the week. Yep, I dread Wednesday even more than Monday! The reason? Well, Craig’s trips for work are usually Wednesday through Saturday, and Wednesday is the morning I have to say goodbye to my husband for nearly four days a week, every week. It’s tough. Even more so than you may think. Or you may think it only gets easier as time goes on (as both Craig & I figured it would). But for us, it is harder to say goodbye every Wednesday. Even with phone calls, FaceTime, texting and emails, it is still no fun to bid my husband farewell for four days at a time.

So since today is Wednesday, you would be right in thinking it has been a tough one for me. But luckily, I had my listening ears on when God pointed me in the direction of my now husband… Look what I came home to this evening!

AND MY COFFEE FOR TOMORROW READY TO GO!

Thank you to my sweet and wonderful husband for such an amazing and unexpected surprise!
Thank you, God, for the husband you chose for me, who is beyond my wildest dreams!

Good night everyone! Keep my sweet Craig in your prayers as he travels this week!

Xoxo,
Pier

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Cooking Gluten-Free With The Newlywed Lefebvres

December 10, 2012December 10, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Happy Monday Everyone!

I’m not sure if everyone is aware of this or not, but one of our favorite activities is cooking together. We always have a really great time, and usually make every single recipe we attempt our own…Mostly because we have similar tastes in food, and because I can’t have gluten.

Did you know you can re-create almost anything you’d like in a gluten-free (and absolutely DELICIOUS) version? Here is our most recent endeavor:

Gluten-Free Italian Asiago Meatballs Over Angel Hair with Pier’s Pink Sauce

Begin by boiling a VERY WELL-SALTED pot of water. Once boiling, add entire box of gluten-free angel hair pasta. When the noodles have completed cooking, drain but DO NOT RINSE, and set aside.

Meatballs:

1 lb EACH of Italian Sausage & Ground Beef

1 Large Egg, beaten well

1 Heaping Tablespoon of White Rice Flour

To Taste:

Finely Shredded Asiago Cheese

Parsley

Oregano

Garlic Powder

Salt

Pepper

Red Pepper Flakes

Combine all ingredients in large mixing bowl very well with your hands. Make meatballs and set aside on plate. Add enough EVOO to a large skillet or sauce pan to cover the bottom. Heat on stove on HIGH. When oil is hot, add meatballs. Rotate until COMPLETELY done. This could take about 10 minutes. Constantly rotate until done. Remove from heat.

Pier’s Pink Sauce

1 Jar of Alfredo Sauce – nothing fancy, just plain is best.

1 Can Petite Diced Tomatoes

1/2 Cup Finely Shredded Fresh Asiago Cheese

Heat entire jar of plain alfredo sauce on the stove over medium-high heat until it begins to bubble. Add 1/2 cheese. When melted, add the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese. When melted and well-combined, add entire can of DRAINED diced tomatoes. Stir well.

Return drained angel hair cooked noodles to the pot they were cooked in, and pour Pier’s Pink Sauce on top. Mix and combine well.

Serve generous helping on a plate and add as meatballs on top.

ENJOY!!!!

I wish we had taken a picture of the finished product…But seriously, by the time either of us thought about it, we were both halfway through our dinners! 🙂 So delicious and relatively easy! I urge all of you to try this! If you aren’t allergic or intolerant to gluten (or maybe you’re allergic to soy instead like my father), just replace the gluten-free white rice flour with regular AP flour and you’re good to go!

Stay tuned for our next gluten-free Newlywed Lefebvre Creation: Buttermilk Fried Chicken!!! Yum!

Love To All of You!

Pier & Craig

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Hello & Ho Ho Ho

December 7, 2012December 7, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Hey there and Happppppy Friday!

Our short hiatus this past week from the blog doesn’t mean we haven’t been moving at cheetah pace – per usual! 🙂 Between Christmas shopping, work, injury, appointments, and (the most wonderful reason for hustle and bustle of all) friends and family, we haven’t sat down to rest once.

Sunday Craig and I went out in search of this year’s Christmas tree and decorations for our home! I think we did a pretty darn beautimaus job too – especially for newlywed first-time whole home decorators! 🙂 You can see for yourself here on our Shutterfly site! But here are a few previews:

Craig chose the wreath and I made the bow. Perfect Collaboration! 🙂

We Need a Nativity Scene – The Holy Family Is Missing! 😉 Good thing we have the angel and wise men to remind us of the TRUE reason for the season for the moment!

See, I think we did pretty well!! 🙂

Monday morning my right shoulder and neck began to hurt…No matter the amount of Tylenol and Aleve I took, nothing stopped the pain…So when I got home, my dear husband doctored me up with a heated rice bag…and I began to feel a little bit better. So much so that I slept with the rice bag on my neck/shoulder all night long.

And then I woke up at 4am and tried to roll over…

And I couldn’t lift my head off the pillow. Literally.

Talk about PAIN!!!! It came close to surpassing the pain of my skiing/knee injury last year!! Craig took me to the chiropractor, but we still have no idea of the cause! And I’m still walking around with my head tilted, but thank goodness the pain has subsided somewhat!! I was literally boo-hooing because of the pain– which I think frightened my husband, because if you know me, I am NOT a crier unless it’s something serious!

Gladly, the worst has past. For the most part, I’m able to walk upright as of today! 🙂 Thank you, God! Prayer is amazing!!!

And now, back to work for another hour before I head off to the Feast of the Immaculate Conception! I’m trying out St. Ann’s in Marietta/Roswell, Georgia this evening so I am able to make the Mass, since I work tomorrow. I’m looking forward to sharing an hour with the Lord, and also seeing the inside of a church I have been driving past for years now and have never entered. I’ve heard it’s beautiful!

My sweet Craig gets back home tomorrow evening and then it’s time for Christmas gift shopping! What’s on your wish list???

xoxo,

Pier & Craig

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What will be a cheval mirror for Pier

November 28, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

Some of you may know that I do some woodworking as a hobby that I just recently in the past few years have picked up. I have in that time equipped a basement shop with some the essential tools for some basic furniture building. I have a number of hand tools and power tools and enjoy working with both. Woodworking also produced the very first gift that I gave Pier on our 4th date. This wooden cross that now hangs in our bedroom.

I love to put my woodworking skills to use and I can not think of any better way to use them than to build something for our home! For our wedding we both exchanged gifts to each other. I received the perfect and wonderful gift of a Family Bible that will help me to be the spiritual leader of our family.

Red Oak in the rough cut — 60 Board ft of Red Oak

I promised Pier I would build a cheval mirror for our master bedroom. I had it designed out and printed up some pictures of it. We decided on a type of wood and finish for it and finally now I have acquired the wood to begin the project!

I will take these 6/4, 5/4, and 4/4, pronounced 6 quarter, and turn them into a wonderful piece of furniture. In case you are wondering the 6/4 is how hardwood is measured in thickness. 4/4 being one inch and 6/4 being 1.5 inch thick. That is the daily wood lesson for the day 😉

I know Pier is hoping that this one goes a little faster than the night stands. I hope so too but seeing how they turned out I don’t mind taking my time to produce the same quality that they turned out as!

Let the saw dust fly!

Craig and Pier

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A Shortie But Goodie…

November 27, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

I hope this post finds all of you returning from wonderful Thanksgivings! As said before, it was no fun being apart on our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, but we are lucky enough to have amazing family and friends who helped make it a very special holiday!

Pier with her parents and brother. Thanksgiving 2012

Our dear friend, Jill, traveled to Green Bay, WI for the holiday to visit her sister’s family….and she was kind enough to ask my sweet husband if he wanted to share Turkey Day with them! Craig was actually able to be on the road, and at the same time able to enjoy a Thanksgiving meal that truly embraced the entire meaning of the day itself: Family, Friends, Thankfulness, Generosity, & Delicious Food. 🙂 Thank you so much to Jill & her amazing family!

Well, I’m heading home from work to see my husband now! (See, I told you this one would be short and sweet!)

Y’all have a great night!

Love,

Pier & Craig

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Many Thanks

November 22, 2012November 22, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

Today I write from Green Bay, WI!! In fact I am looking at Lambeau field as I write this and I know that leaves some of my Minnesota family just cringing. No worries as I could never cheer for a team that has colors of green and yellow. Now for my list of what I am thankful for… Being away and on the road this Thanksgiving could make it difficult to come up with thankful thoughts because I miss being around the ones I love but just the fact that I have so many to miss makes me extremely thankful for the people in my life.
– My beautiful wife. There is so much to be thankful about her. The one quality that first comes to mind is her ability to love me! There is not a day that goes by that I do not feel her love and support. Thank you!
– My parents and Pier’s parents. My parents have raised me with so many morals and helped to shape the kind of man I am today. All of these attributes have helped me to be the strong, hardworking, and loving husband that I want to be. Pier’s parents have instilled their love and family values into Pier and have helped her become the perfect wife for me. Thank you!
– My job. Even tho my job is the thing that takes me away I am thankful that it provides me with a way to support and provide for my family.

As I sit here and look out the window I see all of God’s creations. Which leads me in the direction of so many other things to be thankful for. Pier and I place big importance on our faith and our Creator and we help each other to grow more and more in our faith. Each night as we say our prayers together the Scriptures are a big part of them.
– God’s Word. The Bible does so much for us. It gives us hope. It shows us how to love. It teaches us morals. It inspires us to always be a better person. Thank you Lord!
-The Sacraments. In every Sacrament is Christ’s action and the power of the Holy Spirit to bring God’s grace to us all. Thank you Lord.
– Prayer. Even this simple little action which can be done anywhere any way is such a powerful tool that allows us to communicate with God. Prayer brings comfort and trust. When I am on the road and I pray with Pier over the phone there is a sense of comfort and closeness that I feel by simply praying together. Thank you Lord!
-My family’s health. I have been blessed as well as my family have been blessed with great health. This is out of our control and only the Lord can be thanked for this.
-My patience. I am very thankful for this as it helps me to understand and keep calm in many situations and focus on the more important things.
– My wife’s ability to understand. I know that I may not always make the most sense but she can help me understand things in a different perspective and also understand me in my Minnesota tongue 😉 Thank you!

This is only a short list of all the things that one could be thankful for and it is certainly not everything I am thankful for. So on this Thanksgiving Day take a few minutes and thank our Lord for everything in your life and also thank someone close to you to let them know that you are thankful for them. Happy Thanksgiving!!

Love and Thanks,
Craig

Whoa! My husband is quite the writer and a hard one to follow at that! 🙂

Well, let me begin my saying I have more to be thankful for in 2012 than I ever imagined. I have never been happier in my life and I only see the future as growing brighter by the minute.

I am so thankful for my amazing husband, Craig. God answered all of my many prayers and blessed me with the missing piece to my puzzle. Craig understands me like no one else and he loves me like crazy and in an all-encompassing way that I could never have dreamed of. I thank God for him every single day.

I am so blessed with a wonderful family: new and old, all unbelievable. I couldn’t ask for anything more.

On a less sappy note, I am so thankful my hair is finally shoulder length again!!!!!! This time last year I was rockin’ the wig, with my recently burned off head of hair underneath. It certainly made me appreciate my once thick and curly hair, but this year, after having experienced virtually NO HAIR, I am definitely thankful for my hair that has grown back with a vengeance! Yay!

This may sound silly, but I am very thankful for our sweet little Miss Daisy, who keeps me company when my husband is traveling. She definitely is a friendly, needy little girl and I am lucky to have such a great pet and little buddy!

Back on the serious side, I thank God He blessed me with a husband who prays with me and is the spiritual leader for our little family! Our prayer life is strong, and only getting stronger, and as it strengthens, so does our marriage and our love deepens. Absolutely amazing.

All we have would not be possible without God. He has blessed us with so much, and I praise Him for his wonderful blessings in our lives. In 2011, I could only have dreamed of the amazing life Craig and I share now. With Craig so far away in Wisconsin, our bond in Christ is what keeps a smile on my face.

I wish you all many blessings in your life, and a marvelous Thanksgiving! Thank YOU for keeping up with us on our blog, and for your love and support in our lives!

All Our Love & Gratitude,
Pier

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The Parable Of The Ten Gold Coins

November 21, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed LefebvresLeave a comment

Today’s Gospel (Click Me)

Good Morning Loves!

Craig and I have been trying to be pretty consistent with meditating on and reading the Daily Readings, and today’s gospel (with the link and reflection above) struck a chord I have spoken about in a previous post. It also is a great reading to reflect on in light of this season of giving thanks.

God has provided each of us with so many gifts and blessings. More often than not, we all focus on the negative things in our lives and forget about the wonderful aspects. This Thanksgiving, let’s make a return on our ‘investments’ – use the gifts God has blessed us with and thank Him for all He has done.

Will we show God our gratitude for His blessings or will we hide those blessing away, as if we are ashamed?