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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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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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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A Week of Giving Thanks

November 20, 2012November 20, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

This past weekend C & I traveled to MN for Marty & Danielle’s wedding – the newest Newlywed Lefebvres. 🙂 It was a beautiful ceremony, and it gave us both a chance to listen to and recommit to those same vows we took two months ago.

A beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple! We thoroughly enjoyed our entire weekend! It was wonderful to visit with family – especially since we won’t be back up for Thanksgiving!

And then I got to thinking…Ugh. Craig has to work on Thanksgiving. Of course. Bleh. And started feeling sorry for myself…And then, I started thinking of all we have to be thankful for…and what Thanksgiving really is all about…and while we can’t be together on this special day, we can still share our thanks – and I have a big list coming for y’all in celebration of the Nationwide Gobble!

Today, on the Tuesday before our first Thanksgiving as a married couple, and in celebration of Marty & Dani’s love, Craig and I are thankful that God led us to one another. And as I said, the bigger list is coming for Turkey Day!

Have you sat down and thought about, no matter how bleak life looks at this particular moment, the long list YOU have to be thankful for?

Lots of Love,

Pier & Craiger 😉 (And a special shout-out to our dear French Dip!)

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Random Tidbits For Today

November 12, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres1 Comment

We are super excited to leave this week for Marty & Dani’s wedding in Minnesota! Marty is Craig’s cousin and was also our Best Man. They are a very special couple to us and we can’t wait to celebrate with them this weekend! Keep your fingers crossed for the flights, as we try to fly out Thursday evening!
I discovered the BEST GLUTEN-FREE frozen blueberry waffles EVER. They are delicious. Oh my goodness. Gluten-Free or not, I would urge you to try them, and see if you could do the healthy(ER) alternative to waffles. Here’s a link to this delicious breakfast: http://www.vansfoods.com/The_Goods/#/Waffles/Wheat_Free–Gluten_Free/Vans-Blueberry-5
Craig and I ventured out to a ‘dance club’ in town this weekend and quickly discovered why we hadn’t been back to this place since the last time we went, back in the summer of 2011…Not only was it so smoky neither of us could breathe, but I was also ‘accosted’ by a rather hulky female who (commenting on my sparkly sea green top) asked who I thought I was, Vanna White? I think my husband was a little tickled by the remark…Um…was that a compliment, Mrs. Hulk? I can think of a million people I would be SAD about being compared with…but not Vanna White!??!
Happy (Belated) Veterans’ Day! We sent my father a thank you text, but that doesn’t even begin to cover the amount of gratitude we hold for him and all other U.S. Veterans and Active Duty Service members. Thank you for all you have done and continue to do for our great nation!
Yesterday’s Gospel reading was from The Gospel of Mark, Chapter 12, verses 38 through 44, and our homily really made me think about how much more I could (and should) be doing. God gave me musical talent, so why am I not singing with our ‘choir’? He blessed me with the ability to speak in public well, and without nervousness, so why haven’t I stepped up to be a lector? Because I always have an excuse…My commute. Oh, we travel too much for me to make a commitment to something like that. Oh, they don’t really need me, do they? It’s time for me to stop making excuses for why I haven’t devoted more of my time to the Church, and do something about it. Stay tuned….
And last but not least… GO DAWGS!!!! Seriously! A 38-0 win over Auburn AT Auburn to take the SEC East!! Wahoooo! The Deep South’s oldest rivalry, indeed!

Well, enough for now…Hope all of you are safe, sound, and doing very well! Love to all!!

xoxo,

Pier & Craig

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Love Is In The Mountains

November 5, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres2 Comments

This weekend C & I were honored to be guests for our dear friends’ Josh & Julia’s wedding in the mountains of North Carolina. C used his photography skills to document the whole thing, but unfortunately, for the moment, you’re stuck with MY photography… Luckily, the bride, groom and their beautiful children made it impossible to take a bad picture. Here are a few samples: And one of the videos I took (and I profusely apologize for my videography skills…Goodness, the sun was in my eyes and I was trying to hold a small digital camera still in the wind…I know – excuses, excuses…):

The rest of the pictures are HERE and you can see the other videos HERE. Witnessing the marriage ceremony of two of our most treasured friends, especially in such an unbelievably gorgeous setting, really brought home for me (or perhaps I speak for both C &I) God truly being in the midst of such an event. And if you’ll allow Him to, He will remain at the center of everything in your relationship. At the end of a long week, there is NOTHING like going to Mass with my sweet husband. Nothing makes me feel closer to him and nothing makes all of my silly anxieties and stresses melt away like worshipping with my soul mate.

We wish our newest newlywed friends the very best! We are so blessed to have them in our life!

Xoxo,

Pier & Craig

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Betcha Didn’t Know…

October 26, 2012 The Not-So Newlywed Lefebvres4 Comments

In honor of my sweet husband’s post yesterday, I decided to dedicate a post on the blog today all to him. 🙂 You know Craig, but do you REALLY know him? Do you really know what a wonderful man I am lucky enough to have? Here are 10 things about C you may or may not know:

He makes my coffee for the next morning before we go to bed. Without him, I would be the frazzled mess I am ‘pre-coffee’ all day long! 🙂
He loves to sing karaoke with me! Just last night we spent the evening playing SingStar on the Playstation 3…C can do “Walking In Memphis” so well it would bring tears to your eyes – and it did to mine last night, but don’t tell him that! Shhh!
He is a roller skating champ – I mean really. How well he can roller skate would astound you. I can’t wait to go back to Sparkles (hint, hint) for some FUN exercise!
He writes beautiful poetry…♥
He loves lemon-flavored desserts…which I am not particularly fond of.
He doesn’t like his socks to be folded like a normal person…but rather, actually folded. This drives me INSANE when I am putting away laundry…Alas, the things we do for those we love. 🙂
Craig has the patience of Job…something I am trying to glean from him… 🙂
He absolutely HATES Wal-Mart…My thriftiness dictates I shop there for groceries and household items as much as possible, but as much of a spend-thrift as C is, he would avoid entering a Wal-Mart at all costs – literally. Especially the self-checkout…Want to test that Job-esque patience??? Suggest using the self-checkout at a Wally-World…Goodness gracious…
At some point on a Saturday or Sunday, you WILL find Craig at Mass. Whether he is on the road, we are on a vacation, we are exhausted from the week, or it’s a typical Sunday morning, he makes it a point to attend Mass – no matter what. That’s one of the top 5 things I love about my husband. He is the spiritual leader of our little family, and his love for God shines through everything he does.
He secretly enjoyed writing yesterday’s blog…and I’m fairly certain it wasn’t his last post. 🙂 When he and I began corresponding back and forth in the beginning of our relationship, one of the things that attracted me most to him – sight unseen – were his ‘letters’ to me…They weren’t just simple responses to questions I asked or pointed questions toward me, but flowing and sweet and thoughtful letters. So, whether he’ll admit it or not, I think you lucky folks have more reading of Craig’s notes ahead. 🙂

Well my dears, now you know! 🙂 Have a wonderful weekend all! We are heading north tonight to Clayton, GA and Tallulah Gorge…I’m sure we’ll return to post many gorgeous pictures of the scenery here and on our Shutterfly page. I cannot wait to enjoy ACTUAL FALL WEATHER here in Georgia!! Wahooooo!

Much Love Y’all,

Pier & Craig