Friday, June 15, 2012

Show Us your Bedroom

I linked up with Kelly's Korner two weeks ago for "Show us Your Living room". Last week it was kitchens and our kitchen in our apartment is SOOO small so I skipped that week. This week it's a tour of bedrooms. This is our bedroom. Our apartment has two bedrooms but our spare bedroom is being used as our craft room right now too and it's nothing special. Maybe I'll show it one day :) Enjoy the tour of our small yet great space! 


Entrance to our room from the living  room


This is our bed. The quilt on our bed is a t-shirt quilt that our dear friend, Keva, made for us. We normally have a brown comforter on the bed but for the summer this quilt is perfect plus, it's special! The picture above our bed was painted by another great friend, Mandy. 


Our sink is in our bedroom. So cool...NOT! The messages on the mirror are love notes we write to each other. 


This scripture is our Morgan Family life verse. Mandy painted it too. We both love it. It's on the wall opposite of the window. 


An up-close of the painting above our bed. 


Our dresser, mirror and our TV with our current guilty pleasure playing :). The dresser is at the foot of the bed. 


Our closet. Small but functional for us. This door is right next to our dresser. 


This is "our" wall. Pictures of us, bridal, engagement, and wedding. Wedding license too. 

We love our room and hope you do too!

Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans? 

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

A Wedding-related post....One of my goals :)

As one of my goals on our 101 in 1001 list, I wanted to write a post or a series of posts related to our wedding including all details that I felt were relevant etc. Since Matt and I have been working on our blog series together and I've seen how much time it seems to take, I decided one post about the wedding etc would probably be best. Also, I likely won't post many, if any, pictures because they are on a post from last year. This may get wordy.  Here goes...

We were engaged on July 10th and we knew that we did want to be engaged longer than 6 months. Our original plan was to get married on October 31st (I think) because it was a free weekend from football (not that that is a huge factor) and it was close. This got vetoed for reasons that I don't care to discuss anymore but we then decided that it really didn't matter what date we picked whether it was 4 months or 4 years from our engagement date, that it would always be a conflict for someone. That being said, we decided to get married on 1/1/11 at 1:11. We were so glad to have the date chosen and could not be happier that we chose that date.

Of course at this point I went into planning mode. I did not plan to go crazy planning a wedding because we knew our budget was tight, we didn't want anything extravagant, we just wanted to be married AND it wasn't about the wedding at all. It was about the marriage. BOOM!

Side note: To everyone who feels like they have a terrible marriage and thinks that marriage can NEVER be good. I'm so sorry. Please don't project that onto all happily married people. KThanks. 


We chose our date 1st. Then we decided to get married in Louisiana because it was just the most practical. We then decided on details...flowers, dress, church, catering, groomsmen, bridesmaids, cake, photographer, favors, gifts, invitations, etc.

Flowers...We chose artificial because it was more cost efficient for us and Matt's aunt is a florist so she got us some great and simple flowers for a great cost for us.

Dress...Mom, Mandy and I went to shop for a dress and I found the perfect one after trying on 3. It was a little more than I wanted to spend but after talking to my maid of honor about my dress etc. She decided she would make our wedding gift from she and her husband, my dress. It was a great blessing. I went the next day and got the dress. Didn't even have to be altered. I got the perfect purple shoes to match and I was pumped! Also, another dear friend made my veil and gave it to me as a gift. Another blessing.

Church...We decided to get married at Mom's home church, House on the Rock. It's a great setting with an attached fellowship hall that we knew would be a perfect size for us. Since we picked an afternoon wedding on a major holiday, we knew the crowd would be smaller.

Catering...We chose a local lady, Ginger Tastet, to cater our wedding. She does a lot of events in Amite and she did great. We went with a mainly dessert reception including an ice cream bar. It was simple and fit within our budget and we liked it.

Groomsmen...Matt knew from the day we get engaged (probably before). Just who his fellas would be...Ben, his brother, Chad and Jeff, his buddies and Drew, his friend and mentor

Bridesmaids...Again, I've known for years who would be in our wedding. Jill, Brittany, Rebekah and Rachel...The BFF's  Neither of us could have chosen better

Cake...We went with a simple sheet groomscake shaped like an open Bible with Matt's life verse on it and we did our cake as cupcakes. We loved them.

Photographer...We originally chose a photographer named Jody Herring because she photographed a friend's wedding and we liked their pictures. However, after shooting our engagement photos she discovered that she had a prior engagement and we were back to square one. We chose Mary Degruy because we loved her simplicity, her price and her photography packages. We LOVED her and are so glad we chose her. We loved our pictures.

Favors...We went with a candy bar and CD's with our favorite songs. We were glad to have the candy bar but the CD's weren't marked (our fault) and there were many left. Oh well. Along with the candy in baskets, we decorated the table with self portraits of us that we took all throughout our courtship. It was a piece of us.

Gifts for people involved in the wedding...We gave some people personalized Tervis Tumbler cups. The bridesmaids received personalized canvas that I had made for them. Some received gift cards that suited them. Others received mugs with the "ingredients" for the perfect cup of tea. There were also some fun items thrown in with most of the gifts just because that is SO us.

Invitations...We ordered these from The Prints Well Store where one of our dear friends works. They were simple but we liked them a lot.


As it always goes with posts like this, I'm sure I'm leaving something out but those were the main details of the wedding. The planning was fun for us most of the time and very little stress was involved. I know that the wedding wasn't extravagant and at times, I wish more people had been in attendance, etc. BUT at the end of the day, we were married and we have lived happily ever after.

Also, parents helped a tremendous amount with the financial aspect of it!

Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans?

The Whipping Boy



Matt and I decided a few weeks ago that we were going to read through all of the Newberry Award winning books since our birth years. We started with 1984. We have so enjoyed it so far. We skipped one because it was a thicker, fantasy-style book but we will come back to it later. 

So far we have read: Dear Mr. Henshaw, Sarah, Plain and Tall, The Whipping Boy and Joyful Noise: A poem of two voices. 

We are currently reading: Lincoln: A Photo biography, Number the Stars and Maniac Magee

They are such fun books to read and we just like laughing during most of them. 

I thought I would talk about The Whipping Boy and try to find a blog to link to for a book club post. Just for fun! (it's also one of my goals.)

Synopsis: (I had to use Wikipedia's explanation as a Guide because I'm just not great at summarizing!)


Prince Horace AKA Prince Brat is spoiled and always searching for attention. He is always being
mischievous but because is a royal, no one can punish him. In comes the whipping boy. Everytime Prince is in trouble, the whipping boy, Jemmy, is summoned to receive the Prince's punishment. Jemmy is an orphan whose father was a rat catcher. He lives in the castle and despite his circumstances, he has learned to read and write etc. The Prince decides to flee the castle and forces Jemmy to go with him. Along the way, they are captured by two no good fellas, Hold-your-nose-Billy and Cutwater. These fellas want a ransom since they realize who they are dealing with. Jemmy tries to convince them that he is the prince so that they can both escape but Prince Brat is offended and just doesn't get it. Finally, they escape and go through a series of events including meeting a girl with a dancing bear and a wagon driver. Back come the fellas and because they are confused about who is who, Horace gets beaten. 
Lots happens in between but the prince does overhear several people talking about how terrible it will be when he is king. The prince is hurt. Meanwhile, they learn that the king has posted ransom for Jemmy. The boys have another run-in with the fellas. They finally lure them into the scary sewer where rats attack them. 
The prince decides to go home. The prince explains everything to the King. Jemmy is forgiven and the story ends with both boys being able to live in the castle. Best Friends. 

LOVE the story. It's just a great story about how things can change in an instant. Great read for kids! 


Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans? 

Sunday, June 10, 2012

The Morgans...Part 2

As part 2 of this series (which was started a while back), we are sharing some of the things we like to do for fun!

Matt and I love to have fun BUT we are also on a pretty tight budget right now as we finish paying off student loans and save as much as we can for future endeavors. We still make time to have fun and budget for that as well. Here is a quick list of the things we enjoy doing for fun!


-Watch TV shows
     We don't have cable but we love to watch TV series on Hulu or check series out from the Library

-Work on our 101 in 1001 list
     We started our list in January and we have already crossed off over 20 goals! It's so much fun!

-Go to the library
     We recently got library cards and have enjoyed reading new books and watching new DVDs. We decided to read all of the Newberry Award winning books since we were born. That has been fun. We have an AWESOME library too.

-Go out to dinner
     We try to go out to dinner twice a month just for fun. We love to cook but going out is fun too!

-Cook together
     We love to cook together. We generally do this 1-2 times a week at least and we have made some YUMMY foods too!

-Work on crafts together
      In an effort to make and save extra money and also have fun, we have started doing some crafts together. We have made several wedding gifts, Christmas gifts and things to sell. More to come!

-Travel together
     We like to travel together. We have taken some fun trips together. We try to do trips on a budget so we can take them more often!

-Play games together
     We recently started playing board games together. We have been playing a new game called, Zooloretto. It's a fun game but mostly it is fun to sit down and talk while we play.

-Rub each other's feet (mostly Matt rubbing mine)
     Matt mentioned this one and I had to laugh out loud because I hardly ever rub his feet but I always let him rub mine :)

-Find new hobbies to do
     This has been a fun thing to do. Crafting, refinishing furniture, cooking, working on our list etc. Coming up with new hobbies to do together is such a blast and keeps marriage fresh!

-Dream about the future
     We LOVE to sit together and dream about the future. It's possibly the most fun thing we do together.

What do you do for fun?

Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans?

New Items in Our Etsy Shop

Here is the link to our Etsy Shop. We added some new items today!


Let us know what you think!

Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans? 

Sunday Social, Week 1



Sunday Social

I'm linking up with a few blogs for a new link party....just for fun.

Here are my answers to this week's questions.

How did you come up with your blog name? 
I had a blog called "Life of Leslie" but when I got married, I wanted us to have our own blog. Our last name is Morgan, so we picked "Did YOU Hear about the Morgans?"

What is your favorite thing about blogging? 
I actually started blogging to keep my family up to date about my life because I moved and lived away from home. It has now become a fun hobby to chronicle the adventures my husband and I have. 

What is one thing you have discovered because of blogging and now can't live without? 
It's an online journal. It's nice to be able to put things down and have it there for the future. 


Facebook or Twitter? and why?
 Both. Facebook for keeping up with friends from high school and college. Twitter for most of my newer friends because Facebook can be so dramatic :)

If one celeb read your blog who would you want it to be?
 Hmmm...I'm not given to being starstruck usually so I can't think of anyone. 

What is something you want people to know about your blog? 
That it is just a true life account of our lives. Fun or not fun. It is what it is :)

Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans? 


Friday, June 1, 2012

Love notes...on the mirror

Matt and I love to write love notes to each other. It's just one of the many ways that we express our feelings. This week, I wrote a couple to Matt on the mirror and he wrote one back :) So fun! 

(FYI, we used EXPO marker. It writes well and erases without any difficulty)



(This says: Love, Laugh, Smile, Sweet, Joy, Fun, Happy   I love all these things in you!)


Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans? 

Another goal marked off!

This past Monday we got Library cards! 



Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans?

Our Living Room

Today, Kelly at Kelly's Korner is starting her tour of homes. I thought it would be fun to join in. We live in an apartment but it's home to us! Today is the living room. I may or may  not participate each week. Let's be honest, some parts of a house/apartment are just boring. :)

Enjoy a sneak peak into our living room!


 Here is our couch, chair and ottoman. That chair is over 50 years old. It belonged to my grandparents and I have always loved it! It swivels too :)


 A portion of our cross/collage wall and another chair. You see this right when you walk in the door. 


 The left side of our collage wall and our fireplace. I LOVE this wall! It's got a lot going on but it makes me happy :)


Another chair, also known as the place I put my purse and the mail. :) 

It's simple but it suits us just fine. 

Til then-
Did YOU Hear about the Morgans? 


101 in 1001-May 2012 Update

I can't believe that we are 5 months into our list and we have already completed so many of our goals! Today we celebrate 17 months of marriage. Also, can't believe it's been 17 months already. I love my guy and I'll keep him for sure ! Enjoy our goal update! :)


Our Goals

1. Add a member to our family :)

2. Pay off all student loans. (our set deadline for this is 12/31/13; we are on target) 

3. Visit NYC...We are discussing a trip next Spring. We want to take a train one way and fly back. 

4. Take a long road trip. (think this would be covered with the above mentioned train ride)


5. Sell something on Etsy  


6. Have Dad's Crawfish in Louisiana.  

7. Take a trip to Louisiana at least once a year. (1/3)

8. Host a holiday in our home.

9. Go camping.


10. Build a real fire.   

11. Rent or buy a house. (Our apartment lease is up in October so we will look towards renting a house at that point)

12. Decorate the outside of a house for Christmas.

13. Stay at or Visit the Biltmore. (edited in May 2012 secondary to cost constraints) 

14. Serve in a soup kitchen.

15. Grow our own tomatoes.

16. ******* ;)


17. Give an item away each time we buy something new (clothing, housewares, etc).  

18. Go on dates at least every other week.  (I am keeping this on here because life can change over the next 2.5 years, however, we go on dates usually once a week)

19. Complete a blog series together. (in process) 

20. For one month, don't buy anything extra.

21. Contact our family members at least once a week.

22. Go to a shooting range. (Matt and Granddad and talking about doing this soon) 

23. Go sailing.

24. Get involved in a community service group.

25. Go on a mission trip.

26. Read at least one book a month for a year. (5/12)


27. Start a small business. 

29. Buy a new Christmas ornament each year. (0/3)

30. Get a massage. (we found a local place that does couples massages so we want to try and schedule within the next month)

31. Send a card to a friend or family member just for fun.


32. Begin a photography business (big or small).  

33. Eat at a local/non-chain restaurant every time we travel. (we do this consistently because it's so fun!)

34. Visit a new place once a year. (So far this year, Charlotte, Asheville, Columbia, Chimney Rock)

35. Ride in a hot air balloon. (we found another Balloon Festival in October so we HOPE to ride in one then)

36. Attend at least one festival a year in the state where we live. (1/3)

37. Stay at a B&B.

38. Floss more- at least once a week. (WE HATE FLOSSING) 


39. Give a 100% tip. 

40. Go see a musical.

41. Eat a new type of foods (Korean, African, etc)

42. Repurpose a piece of furniture. (we just purchased an old end table and we are refinishing it!) 

43. Watch a sunrise and photograph it.

44. Explore secret paths.

45. Do something nice for someone anonymously. 

46. Pick fruit at an orchard. 


47. Get a library card. (DONE 5/25/12)

48. Go to a garage sale together.

49. Celebrate our Golden Birthdays in style! (1/2)


50. Make homemade ice cream. (Done 5/20/12; we made vanilla ice cream with honey and flaxseed-so yum)

51. Learn a new hobby together. (we are talking about becoming fishermen :))

Leslie's Goals

52. Lose my desired amount of weight.

53. Continue to utilize this blog to document our lives especially once we start having children.


54. Get a Skype account and use it. 

55. Paint something worth looking at (not just a wall) :)


56. Add at least one cross to my cross collection. (Matt painted one for me!)


57. Learn to make the best sweet tea my husband has ever tasted. (DONE 5/19/12; sugar and honey combined with really strong tea)


58. Make homemade marshmallows.  

59. Sell/Give away at least one cake or cupcakes that I've decorated for a party/gathering/birthday/etc.


60. Plan a scavenger hunt for Matt. 

61. Bake and decorate each of Matt's birthday cakes. (1/3)

62. Rake someone's leaves.

63. Meet up with at least one other blogger whose blog I read.

64. Complete a blog series or post about our wedding, including the planning. Just for my own sake :)

65. Continue mailing out birthday and anniversary cards to our friends and family. (I have continued to do well with this; if I am able to continue for the next several months, I'll consider marking this one off) 

66. Invite someone to stay with us for a weekend or longer at least once a year. (1/3)

67. Complete a vlog.

68. Go fishing.

69. Make a point to call my closest friends as often as possible, not just texting.

70. Take a continuing education class related to Autism or other childhood disorders-even though I don't currently work with children.

71. Find a yummy Low Country Boil recipe and cook it. (really hope to do this soon!)

72. Take at least one picture of Matt and I every time we travel.

73. When we take a long trip (5+ hours one way), drive so that Matt doesn't have to.

74. Take a trip to visit a few special friends (we know who they are).

75. Take a cake decorating class.

76. Read a book, write a blog post about it, and link up with a book club blog.

Matt's Goals

77. Run a 5k. (Planning for the Color Run in Charlotte in October) 


78. Take a photography class. 


79. Take Leslie to an air show(Done on May 6th) 

80. Make a picture frame out of an old or hand-made window frame.

81. Go to a college football game.

82. Get a dog.

83. Get a new camera lens. (we are in the process of saving for this. Our goal is 9/13/12)

84. Make my wife cry in a good/romantic/sweet/you get the idea way.

85. Give Leslie a love letter at least once a month for a year. (Doing well on this 4 down, 8 to go)


86. Visit Chimney Rock, N.C. 

87. Wear a suit, and look good doing it. ;)


88. Visit a new, to me, zoo. 

89. Watch the Flyers destroy the Hurricanes in Charlotte (hopefully with Leslie).

90. Fix something for someone.

91. Cook something new and exciting.

92. Swim in both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans.

93. Make something from scratch.


94. Do something with Granddad. 

95. Journal more often.

96. Learn all the words to or learn how to play one of Leslie's "high school days" favorite rap songs.

97. Teach something to someone.

98. Ride a horse.

99. Surprise Leslie with surprises. (doing good so far) 


100. Spend an entire day, literally the entire day, in bed. Hopefully not while sick. (done on 5/28/12) 

101. Figure out how we will finish all 101 things on this list. (HAHAHA)


21/101


Til Then-
Did YOU hear about the Morgans?