Ta-ta For Now

Be back soon ;)

Happy December

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"When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy."

Matthew 2:10

 

Overstuffed with daily bread

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I am horrible at keeping up on things, and so I didn't post all the things I was thankful for like I had planned on doing at the beginning of November. But I have just so many things to be thankful for that I figured I'd list them out in one post and maybe, just maybe, that could make up for it.

In addition to all the others I have listed, here are a few more things I'm thankful for:

1. Old friends - They know your dirt and still love you.

2. New friends - They are learning dirt and lovingly help you grow.

3. My job - puts a roof over my head, food on the table and clothes on my back.

4. My home - a safe haven of love and creativity.

5. Cooking skills and food - Thank God for blessing me with cooking skills because I seriously can whip up some tasty and healthy food.

6. My boss - She is patient and easy going.

7. Wine - I really am thankful for it. Wine warms the heart and reddens the nose.

8. Laughter - It cures a multitude of ills.

9. Forgiveness - I'd be lost without it.

10. Love - most important of all and most thankful for. 

And this is how we spent our Thanksgiving - snuggling and reflecting on all that we have to be thankful for. Every good and perfect gift is from above.

“[Thanksgiving] I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge—”  ~ 1 Corinthians 1:4-5

Happy November!

{Rifle Paper Co}

"In all things, give thanks." ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Happy November, friends! Can you believe it is already here? Wasn't it just over 100 degrees not to long ago when I was laying out by the pool and getting my tan on? Sheesh, time really does fly when you are having too much fun.

November means Thanksgiving and that means Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Well, that AND Giving Thanks :) So I thought I would spend this month Giving Thanks to the One who has blessed me with so much. 

Therefore, of course I have to start off the month with thanking God for finding and saving me. When I think about who I would be or where I would be had God not rescued me, I am beyond humbled...and thankful. I honestly can't remember life without God, having been raised in a Christian home, but I can remember times where I felt lost or when I ran from God, my sin and my shame. It is a lonely feeling and a place without hope. Definitely not somewhere I would ever want to go or be in again. But little did I know then that I was not really lost or alone. God was still with me, watching over me and working through even my brokenness and drawing me closer to Him.

To put into words what God has done in my life and for my life, I'm finding to be very difficult because all that I am and all that I have is from Him. I am accepted, I am forgiven, I am found, I am saved from death and my sin (for my God has conquered both), I have hope (in His promises), and I am forever, unconditionally loved. Oh, and so much more, friends. And one of the greatest truths is, I have done nothing to receive all of this except to believe that He sent His son, Jesus, to die on the Cross as a ransom for MY sin. His love, blessings and mercies are not performance driven. They are new every morning and He extends them to me (and you) in love. 

On this November 1, I am thankful for my Lord and Savior.

May this be a blessed November for you, too!

Boil, boil, toil and trouble...

{Happy Doodle Land}

It is the last weekend before Halloween, and I'm SOOOOO excited! I love LOVE this weekend! So many things to bake, cook, decorate, make, etc. And I just don't think I'll be getting it all done. At least the flavors of pumpkin continue to go into the month of November. Mmm...pumpkin. {Sigh}

{Making Pumpkin Whoopie Pies for the Hubs!}

Annnnd....Here is our weekly menu:

Friday: Crockpot 3 Bean Turkey Chili and Pumpkin Beer and Pumpkin Bread

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Seared Steak with Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola

Monday: Smokey Roasted Chicken Corn Chowder and Caramel Apples

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Spaghetti Squash Lasagna  and Roasted Acorn Squash

Thursday: Leftovers

Have a wicked, spooky, haunted, pumpkiny weekend!

 

Weekly Menu 10/14/11

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This week was Homecoming Weekend and I really did not feel like doing much in regards to food. Just ask the Hubs. He was (and I quote) "Scrounging for food" on Saturday. Oh well. I can't be on my A-game ALL the time :)

Here is this week's menu...I'm planning for lots of leftovers so I can relax!

Friday: Pasta with Sauce and Bake Zucchini Sticks

Saturday: Leftovers

Sunday: Flank Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and asparagus

Monday: Crock Pot Turkey White Bean Pumpkin Chili

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Eggplant Parmigiana and salad

Thursday: Leftovers

I flit, I float, I fleetly flee, I fly

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I saw the happiest butterfly today. While walking campus, the sun was shining, leaves were softly falling to the ground and the wind was gently blowing. Along came this little monarch butterfly just floating in the breeze. Not flapping her wings trying to get somewhere, but just floating, enjoying the breeze and where the wind took her. It made me smile and think, I should live my life more freely like that butterfly. Just enjoying the many blessings, big and small, that God has given me, and just let Him take me wherever he leads me.

Say hello to my little friend

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As soon as I decorated our house for Halloween this past weekend, lo and behold, nature adds its own little touch of decor to our home - spiders. So far 2, but really only 1 now. I accidentally killed the first one. The Hubs took some photos of it before I accidentally killed it, though. So that's nice. And I know what you are thinking. "Why didn't he kill it?" Because he is scared of spiders. And "How did you accidentally kill it? Why didn't you intentionally kill it?" Because I'm a schmuck for spiders. I've always loved Charlotte's Web, and I just can't help myself. Seriously.

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So yesterday, I found the second spider. I named him Boo. He was shy and scurried away once I found him. He did let me examine him a bit, and I spoke baby talk to him. But then he hid on the mantle with the fake spiders. I think he's confused. Oh well. He's my friend, and I'm thankful for all the other little buggies he will kill in my home.

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I wonder if I'll start seeing some witches if I start decorating with them in our home...EEK! I love Halloween :)

A little graphic design ala me

What a wonderful world

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"Love is to the heart what the summer is to the farmer's year - it brings to harvest all the loveliest flowers of the soul." ~ author unknown

What a wonderful weekend! Despite the Hubs being out of town for the weekend, I managed to make the most out of my time alone. When I wasn't studying for the GRE, I was enjoying a glass of wine (or two) with a dear friend who I don't get to see as often as I'd like due to her busy residency schedule, I cooked myself up some blueberry pancakes thanks to my momma giving me TONS and TONS of blueberries hand-picked by herself and my nephew, cleaned the kitchen, vacuumed floors, organized and cleaned the laundry room, cleaned the bathrooms and finally hung some photos I've been dying to hang, and this was all done before Sunday!

Once Sunday rolled around, I started the day off leading worship for the pre-schoolers, sprawled out by the pool with some good girlfriends and cooked an AMAZING dinner for me and the Hubs!

 Here was our dinner menu for the weekend:

Saturday Night:

Beer-battered fish tacos with tomato-avocado salsa

Bud light lime (of course)

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake

Sunday Night:

Grilled Flank Steak with Avocado Relish 

Grilled Corn on the Cob with roasted jalapeno butter 

The corn on the cob was seriously the best corn I've ever eaten thanks to the amazing jalapeno butter! WOWZA!

Wall art hung in kitchen. Art by Katie Daisy

Photo collage hung in kitchen. "LOVE" art by Katie Daisy.

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake...drool.

Home Makeover - Hubs and J edition

The Hubs and I have been living in our home now as a married couple for 1 year. Prior to our marriage, the Hubs lived with 2 male roommates - One of them was a fellow med student classmate of the Hubs and the other was a college friend of the Hubs, both of whom were in our wedding. As one can imagine, the house was a bachelor pad, to say the least. Smelled like boys lived there and looked like boys lived there. The walls were tan and there was little to no decorating in the entire house except for some photography the Hubs displayed throughout the house. 

Thanks to our parents who gave us the best wedding gift ever, our house was transformed from a tan, boring bachelor pad to a colorful, inspiring home. The Hubs and I have put a lot of thought into each element of our home, and are trying to find a balance between his love for the ocean and my love for all things artsy, eclectic and vintage. Here is what we have come up with so far. Enjoy!

Entry way

Art by Katie Daisy

Living Room

Kitchen Table

Spray paint solves everything!

"Wine is bottled poetry" Art by TagTeamTompkins

Wall of Fame

Vintage Cross...from Hobby Lobby...haha :)

"C" from Hobby Lobby and Fish from a boutique in Dallas, TX

My favorite photo on the Wall of Fame

 

More art by Katie Daisy

More art by TagTeamTompkins

My favorite piece of art by Katie Daisy

Happy Thoughts on a Hot Summers Day

Life is good.

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I wish I could bottle up summer and save it for a cold winter's day.

Hey-Oh!

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Hey-oh! Bring on the weekend! It's Friday, Friday, gotta get down on Frida-aaay!

Yesterday was Thursday, Thursday
Today i-is Friday, Friday (Partyin')...

...Tomorrow is Saturday
And Sunday comes after ... wards
I don't want this weekend to end

Home

Last night, when the hubs and I got ready for bed, and he put his arm around me, just like he always does when we go to sleep, I recalled what life was like a year ago when the hubs was still a boyfriend and I lived 2 hours away. I hated leaving him and having to go back "home." It was a very sad and lonely drive for me. But walking into the empty apartment was even more unbearable. It would take all I had to not breakdown and cry into my pillow those nights.

Looking back, I now can appreciate those lonely moments. The loneliness has taught me to appreciate all that I have. Home, for me, is not a place, its a person. So now when I go home and I open the door, I don't find loneliness there. I find love smiling back at me, and I know how blessed I am.

A new day

After expressing yesterday's heavy emotions, I delivered a birthday present to a dear friend, worked out hard core, and shared some drinks with new friends. I am doing well. Please do not worry about this girl. But if you feel so inclined to send me flowers or gifts, I will accept them :)

On a different note, I am headed back home to my roots to celebrate three, yes THREE, birthdays! One is my little mexican chimichanga's bday, Mr. Miguel. He will be turning the big F-I-V-E. Oh, I remember turning 5. Got my ears pierced. Hurt like hell. Ho hum. The other birthday celebration is for my lovely cousin's baby girl, Maybel, who is turning one! WOW. And the last birthday celebration is for my oh so young cousin Zachy. Oh to be young again. Ha!

I love birthdays, especially when celebrated at Chuckie Cheese! There will be sugar highs, game playing, screaming, food comas, crying, and that's just all from me! Oh boy. You can bet there will also be kissing, hugging and drooling all over my adorable little nephew and niece...and my cousin. I love her to pieces, and I can't wait to smother her chillens with love, too. 

Me and my little chimichanga :)

Happy Friday!

Fear Less, Hope More.

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Bedtime Routine

image via heidi burton

I have a new addition to my bedtime routine. After taking a shower, applying lotion to my face and legs, brushing teeth, taking meds and removing contacts, my new bedtime routine addition is to wrap myself in a robe and drink tea in bed with my eucalyptus candle lit. What a wonderful way to prep oneself for sleep :)

In the depths of winter

Winter Song 

by Ingrid Michaelson and Sara Bareilles

This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon,
it rolls in from the sea

My voice; a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light,
to carry you to me.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love

They say that things just cannot grow
beneath the winter snow,
or so I have been told.

They say were buried far,
just like a distant star
I simply cannot hold.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
cause youre not where you belong;
inside my arms. 

bum bum bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum
bum bum bum bum bum bum 

I still believe in summer days.
The seasons always change
and life will find a way.

Ill be your harvester of light
and send it out tonight
so we can start again.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

This is my winter song.
December never felt so wrong,
cause youre not where you belong;
inside my arms.

This is my winter song to you.
The storm is coming soon
it rolls in from the sea.

My love a beacon in the night.
My words will be your light
to carry you to me.

Is love alive?
Is love alive?
Is love alive?

Change of heart

I was already to be a grump today. You see, I'm not a fan of snow unless I'm watching it fall from inside the comfort of my home with a cup of hot cocoa, or while skiing or sledding on it. So when, I awoke today to find an additional inch or two on top of an already 5 inches of snow, I crawled back in bed for 30 more minutes. 

With eyes done up, but not awake, I somehow stumbled across this little gem of a blog that changed my mood, attitude and heart...AND, I might have even drooled a little.

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

Image via Brown Eyed Fox

God also gave me this Bible verse today:

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“God didn’t give us a spirit that makes us weak & fearful.  He gave us a spirit that gives us power & love.”  ~ 2 Timothy 1:7

Here's to a happy, bright, albeit WINTRY day!