Exciting Times

Christmas is here folks! Parties and presents and cookies and lights are in full swing! I am loving it :) So far we have had our church christmas party, christmas recital, cookie swap and annual decorating. This being a busy time for everyone, I am sure our schedule is nothing compared to many other people's!

Christmas time this year also means our first trip home since we moved to Alabama. WE LEAVE TOMORROW! Needless to say we are more than a little bit excited lol. WE have many christmas celebrations, double dates, dinners and snow to look forward to! I definitely have missed my family and friends
 and I can't wait to catch up on lost time. Many posts on this to follow :)

And now it is time for MUSIC MONDAY :) I am sticking with the Christmas theme because its on SATURDAY people!!! How exciting :) I kinda stole this song from my good friend Ria over at Life as a Wife! It is by Relient K called - I Celebrate the Day

I feel like it really captures the real reason for the season and what we should really celebrate! Plus how can you not love christmas music in times like these!

I hope everyone has a very merry CHRISTmas. Just relax and enjoy yourselves.

Breanna Mae

the Reason for the Season

The hubby and I have been on a little mini-vaca (aka recruiting trip for him) staying with our friend whose parents like in Birmingham. It has been SO GREAT just to get away and relax for a few days.


With all the time that I have had to relax and think one topic just keeps popping up. CHRISTMAS. Its so close! Just around the corner :) I cant believe its already here! I am one of those people that often gets caught up with the busy-ness of life and I sometimes forget to slow down and remember what is most important. The true reason for the season. Jesus! The beginning of a true and amazing sacrifice. Its not about all the gifts and all the yummy food (even though those are all fun :)) it is about celebrating God sending down his ONLY son just for us. So this year celebrate his birth! Shine his light, spread the love that he gave to all of us, and just slow down and enjoy yourselves and this special time of year. Lets have a Christmas that we will look back on and smile :)

Breanna Mae

Hello again and Music Monday!

Hello again friends! I am sorry I have left you for so long but last week was finals week so I decided I needed to take the week off from blogging. I missed all of you wonderful people in the blog world! Now all my classes are done (YAYYYYYY!!!!) and I am feeling refreshed and ready to catch up on my missed week!

It helps that currently my hubby and I are on a mini vaca/business trip in Birmingham, staying with a friend from school. It is beautiful here and also it snowed!! It was totally unexpected for us but I loved it because it reminds me of home. Especially 20 inches they got on Saturday - wowee! They are definitely going to have a white Christmas :)

Speaking of Christmas, I thought it would be appropriate to feature a Christmas song this week since it is just around the corner, which I couldn't be more excited about. I LOVE Christmas and anything that has to do with it, including Christmas music. BUT, I am not going to lie, I do get sick of the same old songs every year. So what is super exciting to me is when artists I love come out with new versions of old classics. This is exactly what Phil Wickham did this year!!! He introduced a Christmas album this year and it. is. so... great! My favorite is O Come O Come Emanuel.

I have always thought this was such a beautiful song and I am just so excited about this new version. I will most likely be obsessively listening to it all the way to Christmas :) I hope you guys enjoy it! The album is called Songs for Christmas and is only available on Phil Wickham's official website.

Happy Monday everyone! Have a wonderful day :)

Breanna Mae

Tis the Season

My newly decorated tree and christmas tunes on the radio continuously remind me that Christmas is just around the corner!! I LOVE christmas. It is by far my favorite holiday. It is going to be extra special this year because it will be the first time that the hubs and I get to go home to Minnesota since moving away. We cant wait to see some very missed family and friends!

Last weekend we officially kicked off the season by making christmas cookies and decorating our version of a christmas tree. Anyone else out there ever make Russian Tea Cakes? My husband is obsessed them. I always tell him he has an addictive personality and during Christmas time that definitely translates to Russian Tea Cakes. I guess I don't mind that he loves to make delicious cookies that I get to eat after ;)

The hubs loving it

slaving away.

The amazingly delicious finished product!

They were so yummy! And I am not gonna lie the whole batch was gone in a couple days :( Oh well! If anyone wants the recipe just holler :)

The other thing we did was decorate our makeshift christmas tree. Let me explain what I mean by make shift before I show pics. Our apartment is pretty moderate and therefore has no space for a christmas tree. The only space I had to work with was our table centerpiece. However the hubs loves christmas and everything that goes along with it so I wanted to create something that we could decorate. So what I did is took some boxes, cut a hole in the middle of them and filled them with foam.  Then I wrapped them and stacked them. Once I finished that my search for some good looking sticks was on. Thankfully our campus is surrounded in trees. I found a couple good ones and when I got back I just inserted the stick into my precut holes and BAM a christmas tree center piece. Here is the finished product and pictures of us decorating :)

Our very first Christmas tree :)

The first ornament!

He thinks he is funny.... :)

I have to say that for not being able to have a real christmas tree, I love this one! And it was so fun and easy to make.

Excited now for more Christmas because tonight we are going to a christmas party at our church. Then the rest of the weekend will be filled with studying and work because next week is finals! EEK! Happy Friday everyone!

Not Kept Silent

Hey ladies and gents... ITS FINALLY MUSIC MONDAY TIME! Now that I have held your suspense for ages (sorry I missed last week!) I am happy to announce this weeks special ---

Solomon's Road!

This is a band from the church that I just started attending. I have already heard them play a lot because they actually lead worship at the church also. They are so so so great. I have not known them for long at all but it is so evident that each and every member is just on fire for God and ready to do his will. They are some awesome people!

They are currently in the final stages of their first CD so they do not have a CD published YET. But they have released a couple songs and just recently releases a new music video that speaks volumes. The track is called "Not Kept Silent" and the video is about a girl who had an abortion and the power that God has in those hard times and the redemption that he can offer. WATCH OUT! -- you will be moved.  It is a powerful video. Watch here :)



Aren't they so great?! I am so excited for their CD to come out! Right now the CD it is on pre-sale at Indie Heaven where you can also listen to their other song and some CDs made in the past by some of the members (mainly the lead singer Jessica). I encourage you to check them out! If you like them head over to Solomon's Road Facebook page and give them some love!


Have a great Monday everyone :)


Breanna Mae

Day of Thanks!

Thanksgiving is such a great holiday. A celebration filled with family, delicious food and giving thanks. What can be any better than that?! What a great day!

There are so many things I am grateful for and Thanksgiving just reminds me how I should treat everyday like Thanksgiving day because there are so many things that are worth giving thanks for. "Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. Just some food for thought!

I hope everyone had a great day and is now overstuffed just like I am. :)

Breanna Mae

Recap and Music Announcement!

Ok so, I had this whole post written yesterday and did not publish it! I have been quite the scatterbrain lately. Sorry to those who have been waiting for a music post you will have to wait one more day. 

Happy Monday everyone! Who is ready for another week?? Dana had quite an event packed weekend but we loved every minute of it!

On Friday we went camping with our new friends Jordan and Sarah. Our new church owns 90 acres of land (how amazing is that!?) and they have turned part of it into a campsite. People from the church are able to just leave there campsites set up there and they can hop on over and spend the night whenever! I think it is just the coolest thing ever because the MAIN reservation I always have about camping is not wanting to set everything up.. Anyways we had a lot of fun sharing stories and apple cider by the campfire under the open sky. Everything was going just perfectly until we went to bed and discovered that..... our air mattress had a large hole and flattened itself an hour into our sleep. Needless to say I didnt have the most well rested night. But the morning made up for it when we headed over to a neighbors campsite and had scrambled eggs, grits, sausage and homemade cider. YUM! People know how to cook in the south. :)

Having not had very good sleep on Friday combined with a sickness that just refuses to go away, I was really not wanting to go into work on Saturday. So needless to say that when work called and said they had an extra person on and didnt need me to come in, I was ecstatic! I had rest to catch up on and much to do to get ready for Dana's dad to fly in!

We picked up Richard from the local airport later on Saturday night. We showed him around the town a little then headed home to have some yummy homemade spaghetti :) On Sunday we went to church then had a delicious lunch at a local seafood restaurant to celebrate Richards Birthday. Next we went to the HUGE Bass Pro Shop because Dana and Richard share what I like to call an obsession of hunting and fishing. It was a fun boys day out :) We finished off the night with off with Marble Slab ice cream and a soccer game!

Since this post is a lot longer then I originally expected it to be I am going to end with some pictures and I will introduce my music tomorrow! I know I know it is called Music Monday for a reason but just remember, flexibility is a great attribute ;) I promise you will not be disappointed from waiting an extra day because I can guarantee you will not know tomorrows featured artist!

@ Felix's... its so delicious that I actually eat fish there!

Dana and his pops

ain't that the truth! 

Breanna Mae

Fun award :)

My sweet friend Ria over at Life as a Wife! gave me my very first blog award! She gave me the Stylish Blogger Award. So fun :)

So thanks Ria!! :) Making me feel all special. The rules that go along with this award is that you have to share seven things about yourself. So here you are! Enjoy :)

1. My guilty pleasure is sweets, I LOVE them, my husband always has to drag me past the candle aisle at the grocery store. :(
2. I am very much a people person but also love my time alone with my wonderful hubby :)
3. I have now one brother and one sister and now an additional 2 brother-in-laws and sister-in-law. Soon I will also have another additional sister-in-law. My family is in the growing stage once again and I love it!
4. I like shopping (what girl doesnt?!) and creating new outfits
5. I like doing artsy projects and crafts if and when I ever get spare time.
6. I am currently addicted to all the home and design shows on HDTV
7. It doesnt take much for me to find a reason to celebrate it! That comes from the fact that I love having fun and doing things for others.

Tomorrow is Friday! YAY!
Breanna Mae

Happy Music Monday

Happy Music Monday everyone!! The artist this week is one that I only recently discovered how great he is, Phil Wickham. All of his songs have the greatest lyrics. I just love how all of his songs seem so personal. They are some of my favorite to sing.

I had the hardest time choosing which song of his I wanted to highlight so I ended up picking two. Both songs are on his new album Heaven and Earth. The first song is called "Heaven Song". Listen here The words are create such a beautiful picture. I cant wait to see what heaven really looks like. I enjoy just listening to this song and letting my imagination run :)

The second song is "Safe". Listen here. It just talks about how we are always safe in God's arms. No matter what we are going through or no matter what we have to face, he is always, always going to be the protecting us and guiding us through. That fact alone lets me live with such peace. Just knowing that God is looking out for me and he will NEVER let me go.  He is so good to us!

Enjoy everyone :)

Breanna Mae

Glory be to God

Can I just get a hallelujah for Sundays? I LOVE SUNDAYS!! They are the day that I get to reboot and get myself ready for the week. I get to spend some amazing time with the big guy while being surrounded by fellow believers. How can anything be greater?!

Now I have to admit that since we moved to Alabama Dana and I have been really missing our home churches and the family we have there. Especially since we have both gone to our churches since we were little tykes

Breanna Mae

Teal and Go

Yesterday I came across a little contest by ModCloth a cute, cute, cute vintage clothing store that also features a blog on their website. The challenge was to take on of two dresses and create a look for it. The prize is a $50 gift certificate from there store. I saw this and was totally IN. 1. Because I love creating outfits and putting quirky things together 2. I have been drooling over ModCloth's clothes for a while now really wanting to/but not being able to purchase something! So here is my "look". I used an online styleboard builder called Polyvore.

Teal and Go by Breanna Veth featuring vintage tops
There is nothing like a flirty dress and a great shoe in the fall. Take this "More than Romance" dress on a fun date with a tealicious military style boot paired with star studded earring, dottie tights, and blushed accessories. Or walk through the town in a pair of vintage heels. Creating the look with classy pearls, a cant go wrong leather bag, and a structured jacket to pull it all together. Either look you choose people will 'teal' be talking about you in the morning!

When I was younger I dreamed about being a personal stylist but later realized that it wasnt going to fit with everything else I wanted for my life BUT I still love doing it and had fun making this styleboard.

What is a fun dream you had when you were young???

Now to answer some questions I was tagged in by my friend Ria!

1. What is your favorite physical feature of your husband? How do I decide??? You are going to think I am so weird for saying this but I just love his cheeks! So cute when he smiles big :)

2. How many kids do you want to have? Boys or Girls? We haven't really decided, we want what God has planned for us but we do want at least two. And Dana like many men, of course wants a boy first :)

3. Where would your dream vacation be? Somewhere really far away like taking a backpack tour of Europe or exploring in Australia.

4. What is one thing that you have done that you so wish you could take back? I try to not dwell on my mistakes but instead learn from them and move forward.

5. Tell me about the most embarrassing thing that has happened to you? Who hasnt had a million embarrassing moments!! Ummmm... Probably caught tooting in front of a bunch of friends? I dont know I think I try to suppress these memories lol

6. What is one thing that can turn your bad day, into a great day? Giving my worries to God in some good prayer time and a big squeeze from my hubby.

better late than never

Can I just say oofta!? Just finished exam #1 of this week and it was a doozy. I am taking a break before continuing to study for exam #2 :( As much as I like learning about new things and broadening my horizons I could do without the endless amounts of studying! College and I have a love, hate relationship.
Because I was trying to keep my priorities straight yesterday I did not have a chance to post a new music monday. So I am saying, better late than never!

This week I am highlighting another super popular christian band that I am sure you have heard of....

They have had a presence for such a long time now. I remember first learning about them when I heard their song on a "Walk to Remember" ha. I must confess that I didn't really love them at first they were just one of those filler bands for me. This all changed when they gave a concert with Relient K at the college I was going to at the time, UW - Green Bay. Me and some of my girlfriends decided we wanted to go and I have never felt the same about Switchfoot since! They are one of those bands that when you see them perform you have a new appreciation open up. They are just filled with such passion and energy when they are on stage and the lead singer, Jon Foreman just sings his heart out! Its so great. When I was at their concert Jon Foreman was just everywhere. Literally. Here is a picture of him hanging  of the stage posts.

              And one of him standing here right in my row! So awesome

Tomorrow is their first year anniversary of their album Hello Hurricane from which our song of the week comes from! The song I chose from this album is called "Your Love is a Song". Listen Here I have been somewhat addicted to this song over the last week. I find myself pulling a Jon Foreman and singing my heart out. The words of the song just speak to me because I am such a music lover and I love praising God in my worship. His love is a melody. When I am praising him the the music just consumes me and I can feel him all around me. Another good tune on this album is "Mess of Me" and you may have heard "This is Home" on The Chronicles of Narnia: Price Caspian

Happy Music Monday everyone! I will leave you with this question: Who else loves jamming out in the car??

Happy Friday everyone!! Its a beautiful day here in Alabama :) Unfortunately my weekend will consist of mostly work and studying (oh the life of a college student!) so I have decided to write about last weekend instead of this weekend. I figured it would be much more interesting to read about.

So my husband knows best that I will use anything as an excuse to celebrate. I just love having fun and doing fun new things! So since Halloween isn't our favorite holiday we decided to turn it into a date day! In the morning I went down the hall to do the laundry (we live in an on-campus apartment) at the request of my husband and I came back to find these cute little candy filled bags all over the house!

You see candy is my weakness and my husband is also very aware of that so he wanted to "treat" me :) I thought that was the sweetest thing ever. Ha loving the play on words here.

Next we walked over to our neighborhood grocery store and got our essentials for the night: pumpkins, apple cider, juice, cheetos, and more candy. Then on the way back we stopped and got Pizza Hut. YUM. my fav. If you couldnt tell we decided to have a night of treats. So we spent the night watching movies, eating our yummy food, painting our pumpkin and topping it all off with some brownies and ice cream! Here are some pictures to share :)

Our friends we saw on our walk! Buzz Lightyear and Miss Pumpkin :)

My Hubby holding all the goodies :)

The gorgeous sky we saw on the way back from our walk

I thought it would be fun to paint a baby since that
will be the only form of one we have for a while.
(dont get any ideas friends! ;))

The Veths <3

YUMMY HOT APPLE CIDER

____________________________________________________________

Almost all of the goodies we had are some of my fav treats!! What is your favorite treats??

Also its a blog hop day! This one is hosted by my blog friend/real friend Ria at Life as a Wife. Visit her at her site to join in because I have not yet figured out to post it on my page as well :(

Something New!

Music really inspires me. There is just something about it that I find so powerful. It can be inspiring, mood-changing, and just plain fun. I have always wished there was a place where I could find cool new music (especially christian music!) that didn't require hours of searching. Bad news: I have not found that place. Good news: I am going to try and provide a solution!! I am introducing 

Each Monday I will introduce a song or two (It might not always be new) that I recently have taken liking to with the hopes others will be able to share in my joy. Also feel free to email or comment with suggestions of songs you would like to see written about or just want to share :)

This Monday I have chosen one of the most successful bands in Christian music history, The Newsboys.

I remember listening to Newsboys on CASSETTE when I was a little girl lol. That is how long they have had a presence yet they are still making amazing music. A few years ago the original lead singer decided to follow a different path which split up the band for a while. But then Michael Tate (from the band DC Talk) came into the picture and it was decided the band would reunite and have Tate as the lead singer. I had the honor of seeing this new band in concert right after the reunion at Minnesota's Sonshine Festival. They are still number one on my list to see in concert. I literally get goosebumps when I watch them. They. are. that. good. Anywho, they cam out with a new CD in July called "Born Again". You may have heard the hit single Born Again on the radio. I was listening to their new CD and came across "Mighty to Save", a remake of a christian classic. You guys, it was like this song was made for Michael Tate's voice. Its powerful. Here is the link to the song on you tube. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRbvWAHDvPk

The words are so true. Especially meaningful to me right now in the new chapter in my life. Its easy to just hide in the shadows when you are in a new place and you don't have that support system of friends and family near by. But God calls us to be his hands and feet and to shine his light wherever we go. We are so blessed to be called his children. He is our SAVIOR. Enjoy this song :)

p.s. This song is on my playlist below that is how much I like it :)

Don't Deny Yourself

Let me just say that even though this is my first week in the blogging world but so far I LOVE it!! There are so amazing people out there sharing their hearts. It is not mind boggling how God has created everyone so differently with so many different talents to share?! I love learning about new people and seeing how people tick differently than I do. It is so inspiring to me!


On the inspiring note, I was blog browsing and came across a post that opened my eyes. The blog is called Ordinary Inspirations. Here is a link to the post  Did You Know Your Children Can Change the World? She talks about an organization called The Mercy House. 


Mercy House Statement:  The Mercy House exists to provide alternative options for pregnant girls living in the streets of Kenya. The Mercy House will aid them in nutrition, housing, prenatal care, counseling, Biblical teaching and job skills for sustainable living.


They have not yet created the house but it is their vision. The reason why they chose this mission is because three girls get raped in Africa every 45 minutes. When they get pregnant they are looked down upon by the rest of their society. So many of the pregnant girls participate in illegal, unsafe abortions which causes 26,000 of them to die every year. How terribly heart breaking!!  The Mercy House wants to provide a solution to this circle of events. One of their campaigns is "The Power of Three". All you have to do is give $3 on the third of every month to remember the three girls raped every 45 minutes. 


Only $3!!! What a tiny amount that allows us to make a difference. I have always wanted to support many of the amazing organizations that are out there but being a newlywed college student, my financial situation is not what you would call stable... But I can do without that extra tub of ice cream every month if I can help change a girls life. For real guys.. its only three dollars, it means so little to us but when you add all the people giving, it equals a saved life. My husband and I have decided to give the $3 a month and I am so so so excited that I can FINALLY contribute somewhere. What a great opportunity. So now I ask... 


                         DO YOU WANT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE?




A totally unrelated side comment... Can I add buttons to my posts? There are ones I wanted to add that would have made this post so much cuter!! :(


HAPPY FRIDAY EVERYONE!!!!!

Here Comes a Newbie!

Hello Blog World! How is everybody?? Let me introduce myself. I am a newbie blogger, this is my very first blog with my very first post! (how exciting :)) I am a young newlywed wife living far from home with my lovely hubby. I am also a student, working on finishing my major in Marketing. Being social is one of my FAVORITE things so I thought blogging would be a perfect fit. I am not necessarily the greatest writer so don't be expecting award winning stuff or anything. What you can expect is some honest, fun, daring, and out there posts! I am excited to write about the desires of my heart and share it with anyone who wants to see. What a great world of opportunity we live in huh?! I cant wait to meet all of you out there and start some fun blog relationships. If any of you have some great advice for a a newbie blogger please share your wisdom because I feel like I am a little lost with the millions of options that are out there. My blog is definitely a work in progress right now and I can use all the help I cant get. Does anyone remember their very first post? Hope everyone had a great Monday! If not look on the bright side, it is almost over with :)