The Official Pre-Baby Bucket List

I somewhat introduced you to the concept of a "Pre-Baby Bucket List" back in December when I posted about Saving Today to Splurge Tomorrow and our goal to head to Europe this summer. Basically, the idea is that we have a list of things we want to do before having a baby and we will work our way through the list... Once the list is complete, then we'll start our journey to become parents!

Quite honestly, our list was made somewhat selfishly... It's simply about doing things that we want to do! We believe that we should treasure our time as "just the two of us." We understand that once we have a baby, our priorities will change... never again will it be all about us... and we wouldn't want it any other way! When the time comes for us to have children we fully intend for every decision that we make and every dime that we spend to be made with a "what's best for the kids" mentality. But today, today we are going to celebrate us!!

So, Brandon and I sat down last weekend and wrote out our official list!

This was much harder to do than I expected! We decided it would be best to just throw out things we want to do and then once we had listed everything we could think of, start weighing out whether or not it was necessary to do before baby.  For example, I really, really, really want to attend the Kentucky Derby... I swore I would go while in college but every year the Derby falls on finals week so it's been delayed about seven years. Point being, I put it on the list but then when it came down to it, I decided going to the Kentucky Derby could wait... It was something that a baby wouldn't necessarily keep us from. (I feel as though all mothers out there are reading this and laughing... "You have no clue what all baby will keep you from" and you're right, obviously I don't but I'm trying here!)

So, here we go...

Our Pre-Baby Bucket List

1. Buy Bedroom Furniture

We want to spend some money on outfitting our home... So much of what we have is hand-me-downs from college and while those things do serve their purpose, we would like to spruce things up a bit by investing in some furniture! We decided to start with bedroom furniture... We made our first big purchase as a married couple on December 30th! I will share photos of our new pretty bedroom as soon as I get something hung on the walls... hopefully that will happen soon! But until then, here is a sneak peek:

2. Spend the Night on a Boat in the Middle of the Lake

I realize that this seems super random becauses, well, it is... BUT growing up on Lake Tenkiller, I have always enjoyed being on the water after dark. There is something so peaceful about the sound of the water hitting the side of the boat as it gently rocks you back and forth, the pitch dark being illuminated by a huge beautiful moon, and the fact that there aren't any bugs in the middle of the lake! For as long as I can remember I've just wanted to spend the night in boat... Sooo random, but we're going to knock it out! Woohoo!

3. Learn to Dance

Let me sum this one up for you - I am a white, baptist, former cheerleader... Dancing was clearly never in my future. Well, guess what? We are sick and tired of sitting on the sidelines! We are going to learn to dance... We were inspired by B's dad and stepmom who signed up for dance classes and loved every minute of it! We hope to be tearing it up on the dance floor with them soon!

See, this picture looks sweet but in reality Brandon was whispering,
"If you hadn't insisted on wearing that white dress, nobody would be staring at our terrible dancing."

4. Take Brandon to Europe

As I've mentioned before, B has never been over the pond so we have got to fix that! I'm in the process of booking our flight to Austria and Switzerland!! Now if I can just get American Airlines to open us up some frequent flier seats... Seriously guys, it's starting to make me nervous! We would really love to get to fly for free so cross your fingers that something opens up! We plan on marking this one off the list in late May!

5. Watch the Cubs Play

He wanted to watch some baseball and I wanted to visit a city in the US... Chicago was an easy compromise! Plus, I'll get to visit some great friends who migrated North! He also really wants to go to Fenway and I would LOVE to visit Boston, but B decided he wanted to wait to see the Red Sox until we had a little slugger of our own... So, Go Cubs!

6. Do Something Outrageously Generous

We don't know what this will entail but we are praying for a grand opportunity to bless someone!

7. Go on a Real Life Road Trip

We don't really care where to! As I've mentioned half a million times we love riding in the car together and we felt that road trips seemed to be becoming a thing of the past... So it seemed like the practical thing to do!

Our mini-road trips to the lake are typically prime quality time! Ha!

8. Go Snow Skiing Together

We put this one on our list because we both love to ski, but have never gone together. Turns out, we got invited to tag along with some of B's family in the end of February! We can't wait to race down some snow covered mountains!!

**UPDATE: You can read all about our snow skiing trip here!

9. Spend One Day with Each Set of Grandparents

In addition to just wanting to hang out, we believe that our grandparents are full of wisdom and we would be completely missing out if we didn't designate time to sit down and just listen. We have started a list of questions we would like to ask them - some questions are serious, some just for fun. We want to know our grandparents' stories - how they met, their first jobs, etc. So we are going to send the questions in advance for them to think over and then go visit and take a big notepad and lots of sharpened pencils!

Brandon's Parents & Grandparents

My Parents & Grandparents

10. Have at least X amount of dollars in savings

Guess who was all over this one... Yep, my sweet husband. He always wants to be prepared!

11. Go Scuba Diving Together

Pretty much the same story as #8. We both love to dive but we've never done it together. Even though this won't be a new thing for either of us, we want to get to experience a few of our favorite adventures as a couple!

12. **OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

We decided to leave two openings in case we thought of something spectacular later!! We didn't want to be too tied down... Flexibility is key!

13. **OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS

14. Explore Italy

I have never had the desire to go back to a place I've already been... In my opinion, there are wayyyyy too many amazing places in the world to see the same thing twice. Italy is the exception to my rule. I was truly mesmorized by this little country! The people are so incredibly kind, the art is phenomenal, the land and oceans are stunning, the food is divine, and I visited this place called Cinque Terra... it's the only place on earth, other than my hometown, that I thought "Oh this is heaven." I can't imagine NOT taking Brandon there.

Vernazza, Cinque Terra, Italy

15. BABY KING!

**DISCLAIMER: We make absolutely zero promises to stick to this list... It is simply a self-imposed guideline. If God decides to give us a surprise miracle baby tomorrow, we will be beyond thrilled and won't have a single second of sadness about not finishing this silly list. It's a bucket list and nothing more.

What do you think? Did we leave something crucial off? Did you have a Pre-Baby Bucket List? Is there something that you wish you had done? Parents please, please, please share your wisdom with us! Or if you're working on your own Pre-Baby Bucket list, what are we missing out on? Thanks to each one of you for listening to my wild ranting every day!! Please know that you are loved and appreciated and you make one little blogger very, very happy!

Be Blessed!

Raegan

Happy Forced Awkwardness Day!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

You know my thoughts on "Forced Awkwardness Day" but I must brag on my sweet husband! To say that he's had a rough week, would be a vast understatement. Yesterday alone, (while I had the morning off due to bad weather) he had to get up and drive all the way across Oklahoma City in the snowy mess so that he wouldn't be late for his 7AM Board Exam... Doesn't that sound like a ton of fun?! The test goes from 7am-5pm and then the poor guy had to go on-call from 5pm-10pm at the hospital! Soooo not my idea of a good day. BUT despite all of these stressors and despite being far beyond busy, he somehow made time to pull off the perfect Valentine's Day present and make me feel extra special today! We had agreed that we weren't going to purchase each other presents this year, but this morning I woke up to beautiful flowers! And to make pretty flowers even better, they were arranged in an adorable vase by my very most favorite MacKenzie Childs!! Oh, how I LOVE that slightly overpriced black and white check! I was THRILLED! When the flowers fade away, I'll still have this super cute vase to use over and over! Yet again Brandon added the perfect thoughtful touch! He is such a wonderful husband and I am so very thankful to call him mine!

Ok, so I've seen quite a few of my favorite blogs post this little quiz today and if everyone jumps off the Valentine's Day bridge, then yes, I guess I'm going to jump with them! I didn't include all of the questions because I don't want to spoil all the fun of what is to come in Meeting My Match but here's to a little Forced Awkwardness fun! 

1. How long have you and your significant other been together?

Because we went on years' worth of first dates, we don't have a specific date on which we officially started dating... I think the first time he considered me as his girlfriend was around mid-May of 2010. I mean, he didn't officially call me "girlfriend" or anything, (which kind of makes this sound like a stalker answer) but it was pretty much a done deal at that time... I'd been wanting to claim him months before that! (Stalker answer, confirmed) So, I guess a year and nine months!

2. How did you meet?

We met in Dale Hall at OU during a class... I was late, he was sweet (some things never change)... You can read the whole story on how we met by clicking here: Meeting My Match Part I. You should read it because it's pretty cute (and by "it" I mean my husband... I was late, disheveled and on the borderline of being an idiot)...

3. If married, how long have you been married?

We were married on September 17th, 2011... Three days short of FIVE months and loving every single minute of married life!

Photo by Josh McCullock Photography

4. If you are married, where did you get married? Big or small wedding?

We were married at my family's Ranch. We had 350+ at the wedding, BUT in a small town large weddings aren't uncommon because literally everyone has watched you grow up! And even though Brandon's family and friends had a bit of a drive, they rolled out too! It was so wonderful to be surrounded by all of our favorite people! We felt so loved and very, very blessed!!

5. Do you have any nick-names that you call one another? Do share!

I call him BK and B... and when I'm joking I call him "Bwan-den" in a whiny voice like how my little niece says it. I also occasionally call him, (He's going to shoot me for this one) hubby-lovey... I'm not sure where that came from but it kind of stuck! He doesn't really call me anything in particular... just the normal stuff - darling, babe, etc.

6. Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

(a) I love his passion for Christ and his desire to lead our family according to God's perfect plan for us. (b) I love his thoughtfulness and his desire to serve others... He is definitely a giver of his time and attention. I'm always so impressed that amidst the chaos of residency he continues to put others first. (c) I love his humility. It amazes me daily.

7. Tell us how he proposed?

Ohhhh, I can't wait to tell you that wonderful story... but not until we get there in Meeting My Match!

8. Tell us what you plan on doing on this Valentine’s Day.

Well, we have super exciting plans (hence the sarcasm). I have to work a basketball game tonight so Brandon is going to come meet me and we will have a romantic dinner down in the media room and watch a little OU v. Texas hoops! BUT we are going to dinner and a play on Thursday for a fun little date night!

9. Are you asking for anything this Valentine’s day?

Nope, we decided not to do presents since we are splurging and going on an impromptu ski trip later this month!

10. Give us one piece of advice for keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

Every day you have to try your best to out give the other person...


11. Show us a picture of what love looks like to you

Husband helping me plant pansies on his one morning off work. He is all that I could ask for and so much more than I deserve!

Be Blessed!
Raegan

Recipe Monday: Very Cherry Cake

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, I thought I should feature this sweet treat! This recipe comes from an oooooold Southern Living magazine which I have held on to for literally years before trying, but oh gurl I tried it last night and it was TOTALLY worth the wait! It was moist and sweet and full of flavor and oh. so. wonderful!!

VERY CHERRY CAKE

and

CREAM CHEESE-CHERRY FROSTING

What you need:

CHERRY CAKE:
1 C Butter, softened
1 3/4 C Sugar
2 T Maraschino Cherry Juice*
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
3 C Cake Flour
2 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/4 tsp Salt
1 C Whole Buttermilk
5 Egg Whits, beaten until stiff
1 C Maraschino Cherries, finely chopped*

CREAM CHEESE-CHERRY FROSTING
1 (8oz) Cream Cheese, softened
3/4 C Butter, softened
1/4 C Maraschino Cherry Juice
6 C Powdered Sugar

*By the time I was done garnishing the cake with cherries, I had used 3 small jars! Might want to stock up on those...

What you do:

(1) Preheat oven to 350 and spray 3 (9 inch) baking pans with non-stick baking spray with flour (looks just like a can of Pam but says Non-Stick Baking, mine was blue and white).

(2) In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar at medium speed until fluffy.

(3) Add cherry juice and vanilla, beating until combined.



(4) In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt; Sift. I don't have a sifter... (matter of fact, I don't know anyone other than my mother that does) but you can just stir it around with a whisk and it works just fine.

(5) Gradually add the flour to the butter mixture, alternating with the buttermilk... It has to begin AND end with the flour mixture being added. Beat until combined after each addition.

 

(6) Take your egg whites and beat until stiff. *I didn't know what in the world that meant... So I called mom! You beat them with a mixer until you can hold the bowl sideways and they don't move. This will take a while. And start with a bigger bowl then you think you'll need because that stuff grows!

(7) Gently fold in beaten egg whites until mixture is smooth.

(8) Add maraschino cherries and mix. *You could just chop them up but I stuck them in my handy-dandy Magic Bullet! I ended up chopping them up pretty good but I thought it turned out great that way - you got some cherry in every bite! Plus it added a little extra juice so my cake was an adorable pink and a little extra moist! Perfect!

(9) Spoon batter evenly into prepared pans. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

(10) Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove and cool completely on wire racks.

CREAM CHEESE-CHERRY FROSTING

(1) In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter at medium speed until creamy.

(2) Slowly beat in cherry juice until mixture is smooth. Gradually (SEE WARNING BELOW) add powdered sugar, beating until smooth.

**WARNING!! Powdered Sugar plus a mixer can make for a bad, bad thing... I knew this but I still accidently turned it up too quickly and the above picture resulted! MAKE SURE YOUR MIXTURE IS ON A LOW SPEED!

(3) Once the cakes have cooled, spread frosting evenly in between layers and on top and sides of cake. *Apply icing liberally between each layer, I had about a cup left over and I never, ever, ever want any icing deliciousness to go to waste!

(4) Garnish with cherries!


Doesn't this look like the most perfect little Valentine treat?! You couldn't ask for a better color scheme!! Now, if I could just learn to take a decent picture...

(A BIGGGG thanks to Miss Brynn for the adorable Valentine's Day card!
What a sweet girl!! And good work Courtney! Those were so cute!)

Hope you all have a lovely Valentine's Day spent with all the people you adore! Don't forget to Share the Love and get those love letters in the mail... It's okay if they arrive a little late, the people who receive them won't mind a bit!

Be Blessed!
Raegan