confessions of a newlywed: cooking 101

okay, so with everything that has gone on in the life of the alleys the last couple weeks, i have not really had the opportunity (or the joy ;) to go to the grocery store and purchase all the ingredients needed for all those meals i planned about 3 weeks ago. well, yesterday i braved the "winter blast of 09" grocery store crowd and headed out to harris teeter...not for bread and milk because of the storm but because we literally did not have ANYTHING but popcorn and dried fruit trail mix in our pantry. i am happy to report that the two hours i spent in the grocery store were not that traumatic and all in all, an okay experience. (and i'm not EVEN going to address my disappointment regardling the lack of a true winter blast 09. ;)

so, tonight was the night...my first attempt at making dinner for my husband. now, don't get me wrong...i have cooked before and i've cooked for joel before but those times were few and far between AND usually special occasions. i did feel a little pressure (because who wants to cook something and have your husband hate it) but was excited to be doing "married life things." i know, i know...i'm a dork but i'm okay with it.

three weeks ago i sat down with a pile of cooking light cookbooks (we're working on eating healthier meals) and planned out two weeks worth of menus. tonight's menu consisted of horseradish hamburgers (YUM), baked beans, sun chips, and strawberry muffins for dessert. it was a little bit of a challenge for me cooking hamburgers without a grill but aside from that small moment of stress, everything went well AND the hubs claims that he loves them. we had a very candid conversation at dinner that went something like this:

me: so, do you like it? i mean...is it okay? i really hope you like it.

hubs: yes, babe, i love them. they're really great.

me: seriously, i know you don't want to hurt my feelings and it would make me sad if you didn't like it but.....i want you to be honest with me.

hubs: i promise, they're great

me: so you would want me to make them again?

hubs: absolutely

me: are you sure?

hubs: frustrated sigh ;)

so the horseradish hamburgers will make more appearances for dinner in the alley household and i'm glad that the hubs liked them because i thought they were really great, too. i'll be happy to share the recipe if anyone would want it...i know when you hear horseradish, you think spicy but they're not spicy at all. the horseradish just gives them a great savory flavor (according to the hubs). i'm also open to any and all menu planning and cooking tips. this newlywed knows she has a lot to learn :).

(joel was also very sweet that he let me take a picture of his plate right in the middle of dinner. he even helped me "stage" it. :)

confessions of a newlywed...

having been single for 29 years or so of my life, i was a little worried that i wasn't going to be a very good homemaker. i've watched my mom and my sister for years and if anyone "has it together" in the domestic world, it would be those two. i'm not trying to be negative or self-deprecating but i admit that i was worried that i wouldn't know what to do. i was concerned that it wasn't going to come as naturally to me as it seems for my mom and sister. and honestly, getting excited over appliances and things for a house? that seemed so foreign to me.
well friends, let me just tell you. the unthinkable has happened...all of a sudden, i'm excited about appliances. i mean, really...i LOVE my coffee maker, i adore my kitchen aid mixer and have actually been planning recipes (yes, i've planned recipes) just so i can use it and don't even get me started talking about all the wonderful things i want to do with my crock pot.

i have also been a bit encouraged that organizing the house and putting things away came quite naturally. i have seriously been tempted to take pictures of the linen closet because i have loved how neat and organized it looks.


so, while i have a lot and i mean A LOT to learn about being a wife and taking care of our home, i am encouraged that i can say that i understand how exciting it is to get a new washer and dryer.


maybe there is hope for me, yet :).

the nest

for all of you out there who have been engaged recently, you're probably familiar with the knot and while it was a fun resource for a bride-to-be, i am having twice as much fun with the nest. basically, it's a site for newlyweds who are working to establish their home and settle into married life.

i think we're doing well settling into married life (i LOVE it) and we are working on "the nest." we've made a few small changes and have some plans for the future. it's been fun making the house a home for both of us.

do any of you out in the world wide web have any tips on establishing your nest? i'd love to hear what you have to say :).

wedding/reception pictures

okay, so thanks to some great family, i have some wedding pictures to share. we don't have the professional pictures, yet as we are still sorting through ALL the proofs! i can honestly say that the day was one of the most perfect and amazing days of my life. everything went completely as planned (eventhough every person that gave me advice warned me that something would go wrong) and it could not have been more magical. i was so worried that the minute the doors opened for me to walk down the aisle, i would be so emotional that i couldn't hold it together for the ceremony but it was the complete opposite...i was so happy and so excited i COULDN'T wait to marry "the boy" ;).

the church before the ceremony...it was absolutely beautiful!


the groom watching his bride walk down the aisle! :)


exchanging of vows and rings


the Lord's supper...one of the most powerful things ever....it was the first thing we did together as a married couple while jason sang "o holy night" in the background. amazing.


praying over us...


pronouncing us man and wife!!


joel kissing his bride!

the entire wedding party

the grayson family

the alley family

being introduced at the reception as mr. and mrs. joel andrew alley!

cutting the cake

first dance as husband and wife...it was such a sweet moment

dancing with my daddy

our goodbye at the reception...love the bubbles!

honeymoon pics and a (small) update

**edited to add... if you have trouble viewing the pictures on facebook, leave me a comment and i will send you an email with the link to view the pictures through snapfish.**

you can view honeymoon pics by clicking here. we are back and doing well with the exception of a minor case of jet lag and we are trying very hard to get back into the swing of things.

the wedding was absolutely amazing, magical, and flawless and the honeymoon was beyond description. we had the BEST time with each other and loved nyc and hawaii.

hopefully, within a week or two the blog will have a completely different look and a different name. from now on, it will be all about the alleys, and watch out...joel might even blog a time or two. :)

merry christmas!

home

in 4 days (almost 3) i will say good bye to a place that i've called home for 24 years. a place that even while my address may have read boiling springs, fort worth, dallas, or even mooresville, my heart was always here on perry st. this place that i so dearly love was built by my paw-paw a year before my mom was born and i couldn't even begin to list all the memories that have been made within these four walls. while i absolutely love the house itself....the floors, the staircase, my bedroom, the glass doorknobs, i love what this home has represented for so long for so many in my family. this home has been a place of refuge, comfort, laughter, peace, and warmth not only for me, my parents, and my sister but for my aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. even though my paw paw has been gone for 8 years, this will always be his house in my heart and in my mind.

so, as i lay my head on my pillow for the last time in "my room" i will remember the years growing up of playing school, dress up, and all the times i pretended to have so many different jobs. i will remember the tears that were shed on that carpet as i spent time with the Lord...getting to know Him and loving Him more and more when i was in high school. i will remember getting ready for the prom and graduation and my last night before i left for college.

i know that i will always come back to this house but it will never be the same. on saturday i will start a new journey with the love of my life and i have the opportunity to make our house a home...to make new memories and start new traditions as we start our family. i am excited and nervous and thrilled and overwhelmed all at the same time.

i have to say, as i'm talking about home, i could not be more blessed by my amazing parents. growing up they loved me, disciplined me, nutured me, and guided me. they have supported me and not only did they tell me they always wanted the best for me but their actions have always supported their words. as an adult, they have been an amazing source of wisdom and i adore them more than i can express. i am so proud of them and of the way they have loved not only me and my sister but in the way they have loved my brother-in-law, stephen, and my hubs-to-be. i don't believe i have ever known parents who have been so gracious and loving to their son-in-law and their son-in-law-to-be.

this will probably be my last post as a single woman. woo hoo!! i know today is tuesday (almost wednesday) and the wedding isn't until saturday but if you could see my "to-do" list, you would understand why there will be no blogging until after the wedding. i am also doing my best to savor and enjoy every moment of this week. so, with that said...see you after the wedding! (and with pictures!!)

oh yeah, sometime after the wedding the blog address will change because i won't be amy grayson anymore. i don't know what it will be but i just thought i'd give you a heads up! the next time i write, i'll be amy alley!

see you in a few weeks!

joel + amy = fo-eva

9 more days...9 more days, people until i get MARRIED!! woo-hoo! can you believe it? it's hard to even wrap my mind around the fact that we are in serious countdown mode...we are in the single digits now!!

lots of things are wrapping up and my goal is to really enjoy the next 9 nine days so that it's not just one big crazy blur. most everything i have left to do are things that i am enjoying doing. we are still up to our elbows in ribbon and working diligently to get all 300 bows tied but even while we're working on that, mom and i have had fun talking and laughing.

i think i've mentioned it before but i have to tell you that i am so excited about the ceremony itself. we worked so hard to create a memorable worship experience...that's what this is...it is such an amazing, miraculous thing to witness the joining of two people into one and ultimately, we want the Lord to be the centerpiece of the ceremony. and ya'll...i just have to tell you that the music is incredible. i have been listening to my "wedding ceremony" playlist on my ipod and everytime i listen, i cry. i can't help it; i thought that maybe if i listened to it over and over before the wedding, i wouldn't cry during the ceremony but i just don't think that is realistic ;).

as a side note, the title of the post is a little shout out to cari and andrea who offered to bedazzle the bridesmaid dresses to spell out "joel + amy = fo-eva" when everyone stands up front during the ceremony. we are all about the klass (and class spelled with a "k" is extra klassy) in the grayson/alley wedding...KLASSY, i tell you. :) i did see, though, on one of the redneck wedding episodes the bride bedazzled her new name on the train of her wedding dress. if only...too bad i don't own a bedazzler!