Amanda's Shower

'Tis the season... for weddings! It seems like everyone I know is engaged and planning a wedding! Ya know, I never used to get excited about weddings.... like, when people would tell me their colors, their flowers, their music, etc, I'd definitely politely listen, but it was kinda like in one ear out the other. After planning my own wedding, however, something changed! I can't wait to hear what the bridesmaids' dresses look like, where the couple is going on the honeymoon, what the bride is walking down the aisle to, etc. I think I remember how much fun it was to dream about every little detail...

So today was Amanda's shower... she and her fiance Stuart are getting married at the end of August. They will live exactly 6 floors below us in our apartment! In September, Deadra and her fiance Ben are getting married, and then a week later Wes and Audrey are tying the knot. So much fun!! (Wes and Audrey are going to live one floor below us in Wheaton Center... it's the place to be!)

The In-Laws

Matt's parents, Jim and Mary Ellen, visited this weekend. The four of us had a great time. Friday night we walked to Gino's East for a "Meaty Legend" pizza then walked down the street to Graham's for the best ice cream in Wheaton. Actually, it's the best ice cream I've EVER had. (If you go there, you must either get a scoop of chocolate peanut butter in a sugar cone or a hot fudge sundae made with cookie dough ice cream... the best!) Anyway, Saturday morning we walked to the French Market then went to Egg Harbor Cafe for brunch. Next, the four of us headed to IKEA (a first for Matt's parents). Mary Ellen and I spent the rest of the afternoon laying out at the local pool (I have a really cool mother-in-law.... it's been awesome getting to know her better!) while the guys watched the Cubs game on TV. Saturday night we did wine tasting at Tasting DeVine downtown Wheaton (7 wines for 7 bucks--my fav was the pino grigio... yum). We then went to The Bank for dinner. Sunday we had lunch at Ted's Montana Grill in Naperville, had Cold Stone for dessert, and walked around downtown Naperville a little bit. It was a really fun weekend. :)

Dessert

It seems like just about every week, I vow never to make dessert again (hasn’t been good on the waste line :) However, it seems like most weeks I make it until like Wednesday or Thursday before giving in and baking something sweet. :) This week, I decided to make a snickers ice cream dessert… my take on a recipe I found on allrecipes.com.

Here’s how I changed it… I made it in a 9 X 9 pan instead of a 13 X 9 (so we wouldn’t have so many leftovers tempting us from the freezer). I used hot fudge instead of chocolate sauce, added a caramel layer to give it the “snickers” aspect, and used Spanish peanuts instead of regular. This dessert not only is rich and super yummy, but it looks pretty, too!

Snickers Ice Cream Bars

Adapted from allrecipes.com

1/2 cup hot fudge
1/2 cup chunky peanut butter

2/3 cup caramel sauce

Ice cream sandwiches (about 12-14, depending on the size)

1 (8 ounce) container cool whip, thawed

1 cup Spanish peanuts

1. Combine hot fudge and peanut butter in a bowl. Microwave for 30 seconds.
2. Line the bottom of a 9 by 9 inch dish with a layer of ice cream sandwiches. (You may need to cut some so they fit tight.) Spread all of the fudge/peanut butter mixture on top of the first layer of ice cream sandwiches. Spread half of the cool whip; sprinkle half of the peanuts; drizzle half of the caramel.

3. Do another layer of ice cream sandwiches. Layer with cool whip, peanuts, and caramel. Freeze until firm, about 3 hours (but best if frozen overnight). Cut into squares and enjoy!

Madeleine

Do you remember what it was like to be in elementary school? When your biggest concern was who you were going to play with after school? Being around my niece, Maddie, reminds me of what it was like to be little... she is so carefree, so uninhibited, and just likes to have fun. I guess Matt and I inspired her to start a blog, and I thought her first entry was so cute!

Yo . Dude. Hi.This is maddie speaking. I have 2 retainers in my mouth and they HURT. Well, I was the person that thought of making this blog. It's because my aunt ( she's really nice and my uncle is to.) made a blog and I, MADDIE,wanted to make my own blog. my last name is willis. So is my mom and dads last name. My mom got married to my dad JUNE 7, 2008. IT WAS AWESOME! I got a ring and a dad. Then we danced all night long. Well I have nothing left to say. I'm logging out. BYE :-)maddie-

6 Months

Last Saturday, Matthew and I celebrated our 6 month anniversary. :) The night before, we crawled into bed at about 11:30 and Matt kept me up talking until midnight so he could wish me a happy anniversary. It was really cute. Honestly, I barely expected him to remember, and even less expected him to get me anything, but he surprised me with a beautiful silver beaded bracelet from Tiffany’s. It was so thoughtful (and really pretty)! Anyway, the evening of our anniversary, we had the pleasure of going out to eat with Jen Lowry and Ben Erbes who were in town for the weekend. We went to an Italian place… and it was kinda fun because I ordered one of the dishes we had at our Italian-feast-of-a-reception—cheese tortellini with proscuitto and peas. Yum!

Some of the highlights from our first 6 months together…
- First and foremost, our honeymoon! Best week of my life. :) We are actually going back to Hawaii (Kauaii this time) for our one year—I can’t wait!
- Settling into our new apartment together and making it our own. It’s tiny, but it’s cute and it’s our own place.
- Both of us starting new jobs!
- Visiting Sarah and Dave Ling in Colorado. It was so much fun. In fact, the other night we were laying in bed and Matt, out of nowhere, was like, “Hanging out with Sarah and Dave was so much fun… do you think they’d want come to Chicago some weekend?”
- Attending LeAnn and Mike’s wedding in Iowa.
- Many nights cuddling on the couch watching our favorite shows or just talking. I hate to admit it, but I’ve kind of turned into a TV junkie. :) Prison Break has been my latest addiction. I never used to watch TV before we were married, but I think 1) because we have a nice TV, 2) because I can teevo—sp? my own shows, and 3) because I’m working now and sometimes need to check out of life, I watch more TV. Interesting. Perhaps the topic of a different blog entry. :)
- Spending our first summer together as a married couple in Clear Lake!
- Getting to know our friends in IL better, and last,
- Finding out that my sister is going to have a baby!

I feel very, very blessed by God to have married Matthew James. Not to get too sappy on you, but he is an amazing husband. He is unbelievably patient with me. He makes our marriage a priority. He truly puts my needs above his own. He prays with me and for me and loves God with all his heart. And I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that our marriage will only get better in the months and years to come.