Introverted Date Night

...on the cheap!

Husband and I are going through a lot of life changes right now, and mostly because of my recent job switch. Bluntly put, we are the newlyweds without two pennies to rub together. =P That phrase always seems so sweet to me when other people say it. It's like, awww! They're just starting out! (always hearing this from couples reminiscing, who are celebrating 20+ years together) and it IS sweet, I guess. We're learning right from the beginning to trust God in ALL things, especially how we're gonna pay our bills! =) I praise the Lord for this, though, because HE is the provider, and He is so faithful to bless even our small efforts to be good stewards of the (little) we have.

So, in an effort to save some $$ (but still get a date night out of the house), we decided to pull out an old faithful: Coffee Date at the airport. Now when I say airport, I actually mean a small parking lot at the opposite end of the runway where we can watch the planes take off and land. Husband is a bit of an airplane-and-all-things-related-to-flying enthusiast, and I just enjoy the relaxed atmosphere. Usually we patronize a local coffee shop we discovered a couple of years ago, grab a fancy java concoction from the barista and head to the plane place, but this time, I wanted to be a little more frugal (and let's face it, a little more awesome for coming up with this whole plan).

I decided to create a coffee date picnic basket. The only thing I needed was a thermos! Everything else I already had at home, so I went on the search for the perfect two-person thermos.
In June.
In the south.
So smart, B! I found myself staring at the only larger-than-personal-sized thermos that Target could boast and it was $30. I swear I stood there holding it and looking at it for 5 or so minutes, wondering if I could justify paying $30 for a thermos I didn't really like, just so I could be thrifty in the future. It seemed to be a little opposite of saving money. So I stood there, desperately trying to find another thermos and my eyes fell on this little beauty shoved to the back of the shelf.

BPA free, double wall insulated, water tight lid, neutral color and with a handle! The best part, as if all that weren't perfect enough, was that it was 32oz for $14. Yay! I'm a BIG fan of a multi-tasker, too, and I knew that I'd use it with that cute straw when I'm practicing and doing voice lessons. Hydration is key.
Anyway! Then I thought to myself, with this bad boy, we can load it up with HOT water from home and bring our own tea bags, hot cocoa mix, or instant coffee! Because part of the fun of Coffee Date is that you don't have to get the same coffee... so guess what was on sale?

Buy 3 get 1 free. =D

So I came home, dug out the basket that my mom gave us (full of our reception food at the time, to take to the hotel, best mom ever!) and threw in a blanket, two mugs, the coffees, sugar and milk (which it turned out we didn't need, but you can never be too sure! And the teaspoon for the sugar was used as a measuring spoon for coffee, yum!).

 The "Bubba." thermos worked great. Two hours after we boiled the water, it was still hot enough to enjoy the final cup (we each got 2).The company is in Atlanta, GA and has a lifetime guarantee! I found mine at my local Target, but you can check them out here.

 First of all, it was a BEAUTIFUL day and evening. We laid out our blanket next to the fence, poured our coffee and sipped away.  After a lovely sunset, we watched the planes do their thing and bonus! The basket doubled as a little table. We're looking forward to the nice nights of the summer (but mostly the fall weather) to enjoy more of these dates.

Do you have any frugal date night ideas that involve leaving the house? We love a good home-cooked-to-save-$$-dinner-and-movie-we-already-have date night, but I like to save money and still go places! Please share if you have some ideas =)

Til then, GOD BLESS, and I love you all!
Bianca and Husband

Hosts with the Most

The most blessings, that is! 

We have been so pleased to be able to be hosts at the Treehouse!  Husband and I LOVE to have people over.  Before the Treehouse, we didn't do it so much because, well, we lived in the ghetto a little bit.  Not a very nice part of town.  We had loud neighbors with clip-clopping shoes, banging doors and booming bass lines.  We were not that excited about introducing other people to that environment!  When we found this house and knew we wanted it for our home, one of the things we loved about it was that we could finally have people over the way we wanted to.  And now we do!

I had a new friend over for tea (what a surprise!) on Saturday and it was lovely.  Leety sister was there, too and it was a great combination.  I have a favorite playlist of movie soundtracks that is peaceful and delightful, so I put that on for background music. It lasts about 3 hours and I remember thinking to myself at one point, why did the music go off? Something must be wrong with my tablet.  And then I looked at the clock and realized we had already run out of music and it was 4 hours later!  That's the mark of a lovely time, I think.  None of us were looking at clocks or watches, just enjoying each others company.  Heaven. =)

We're having one of Husband's new friends over tonight for dinner (men gotta bond over a meal) and I'm excited for that, too.  I love getting to express God's love through hospitality.  It is such a blessing!

I also have my Mama over for tea at least once a week, and today was that day.  I am so thankful to have family so close to me and the time to spend with them.  When I have Mama over I often think of my Mom-In-Love who lives so far away and wish I could get more time with her, too.  She is also a tea lover! Oh the tea parties we could plan! =P

More than anything else, I love the simple things in life.  I love spending time with people I love, and people I know I'll love one day, and people I know I have to love. I think God puts all of those people in our lives for a purpose and it's so exciting to watch that purpose come to light.  I hope you all enjoy the small things that make life a joy and a wonder today, as I know I am. 

Lots of love,
B

p.s. one of my favorite simple things is the light filtering through all the greenery in our back yard. It's so pretty it makes my heart ache!

The Treehouse

Husband and I recently moved into our first, lovely, cozy, perfect-for-us home.  We adore living here, especially since we endured apartment living for the first year plus of married life.  Our own space, our own decor, we love getting to do anything we want to OUR house!  One thing in particular that we love to do is have people over to our new house.  Family came first, then our closest friends, and finally last night, a big group of people with someone new mixed in.  It was heavenly! =)  Our back yard is huge and inviting, and this morning it is a cloudy, breezy, damp, verdant kind of morning where when you have a porch, it beckons to you.

I sat out on our porch, looking around me, almost feeling the leaves gather water from the air and ground, and sighed out, "Lord..."
The breeze picked up out of nowhere, kissing my face and brushing through my hair and I felt Him.  He is welcome in our home. 

I sipped my tea and talked with Jesus, my Lord, my Savior. He is and always will be the most important guest in our house. 

So now, I invite you to have tea with me.  My sister Ro has dubbed it "The Treehouse" because when you sit at our dining table or even out on the porch, the yard is below you; your view is of the trees, which are leafy and dense this time of year.  I just love that she calls it that.  It's so Ro, but so us!  It also makes me feel like I'm living in a fairy tale, and this morning I realized I pretty much am.  I have absolutely nothing to complain about.  Not to say my life is perfect.  However, was Cinderella's or Snow White's or any other future princess's life perfect?  No.  Did they complain?  No!  They sang.

I am feeling so blessed today, counting the blessings the way my Mama taught me to (one by one).  There is so much love in my life.  My husband, my family, my dear friends.  A lovely place to live.  And even though my professional life is in a total changing state right now, I still have a job.  And have one lined up ready to go in the summer.  I was reading a new friend's blog today and she pointed out how quick we are to let one thing in life that may not be "where I want it" to be affect all the wonderful blessings.  When I started worrying about my job, Jesus quietly reminded me to remember all the things He's given me and to trust Him with the rest.  It's something I hope to continue being reminded of.

My tea is almost finished, and so is what's on my mind and heart for today.  To be fair, it is my second cup; the first one was enjoyed on the porch. =)

Love you all and hope you find a way to enjoy your many blessings today!
B

p.s. find your way back to my treehouse soon, too! =)