Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Harvest Crusade

Have any of you heard of the Harvest Crusade?
Well they ventured out to Chicago this weekend and we had the opportunity to go on Sunday. We misread the schedule and thought David Crowder was playing, but it ended up being Friday night so I was a little bummed. But instead we got to see Steven Curtis Chapman and Jeremy Camp. :)
It was a pretty awesome event with a really awesome message. And some awesome worship. It felt good to feel the presence of the Lord through music since it has been a while for me. I haven't been to church in some time now. Although I still talk to God, I feel like he is definitely leading me back to church. My husband and I have been talking about it for a while now and we are going to start looking for something that is right for us. Wish us luck. 

Hello there Jeremy ;)


And for good measure, and because I didn't get to see Crowder again, here is one of his many amazing songs.


If you like him check out some of his other songs, a few of my favorites.....


Has anyone been lucky enough to see him in concert? I've seen him a few times and each time it is amazing and I just can't even describe how powerful his music is. 

Hope you enjoy :)

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Love it



"I had a dream 
That I could fly from the highest swing. 
I had a dream."



"Long walks in the dark through woods grown behind the park, 
I asked God who I'm supposed to be. 
The stars smiled down on me, God answered in silent reverie.
 I said a prayer and fell asleep."

-Priscilla Ahn


Have a wonderful night :)
I have to go trim my stach

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

I can't wait....

[my little sister Lauren, 2006]

To bake an apple pie and eat it aside a beautiful scoop of ice cream 

To jump in a big pile of leaves, and throw them in the air

To have a cozy bonfire with friends and wear my favorite hoodie

To find my way through a corn maze

And to carve a pretty pumpkin

I live for this weather ♥

Today Fall tried to tease me, or trick me? The past two weeks have been cool and breezy, hoodie weather, my weather. And out of nowhere comes little Mrs 80 degrees.. But I refused. You don't own me weather. I will continue to wear my pretty blue fleece even if I can hardly breathe, and so I did. And it was really hot. 

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Noodles is.........



Travel Kitty.........
and Stephanie should think about sweeping her floor

Friday, September 17, 2010

Food Love: Spinach and Feta Pasta



Ahhh this recipe is amazing!! 
Spinach, Feta, tomatoes, mushrooms and onoins! What? Thats amazing.
Its seriously so simple and it tastes like heaven. 
No joke. Im in love ;)

Found this recipe here

Spinach and Feta Pasta


Ingredients:


1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups chopped tomatoes
1 cup sliced fresh mushrooms
2 cups spinach leaves, packed
salt and pepper to taste
1 pinch red pepper flakes
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled


Directions:


Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente; drain.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and garlic, and cook until golden brown. Mix in tomatoes, mushrooms, and spinach. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook 2 minutes more, until tomatoes are heated through and spinach is wilted. Reduce heat to medium, stir in pasta and feta cheese, and cook until heated through.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Shawnee National Forest



Shawnee National Forest
(....Time to Hike....)

The trail we hiked was called "The little Grand Canyon"
Oh Lord it kicked our butts. But so much fun









The hubbs and I have acquired a new love for Hiking and I think we will be doing a lot more of it these days. :)


Monday, September 13, 2010

Video :)

Here's a little video I made from my sister birthday picnic we had.
Hope you enjoy :)

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Carbondale trip.....



Last weekend the Hubbs and I took a little road trip to see my best friend!! 
She recently moved down to Carbondale (5 hours away!) to get her masters
I was so excited to see her and her bf, it had been about 2 whole months since our last coffee date!


We went to this adorable breakfast nook.

Every table and chair was different. They were all old kitchen tables or old restaurant tables!
How awesome is that? The walls were filled with art......paintings, photographs etc. 

I was in love....
And to top it off, all of the coffee mugs were miscellaneous as well!!! 
My husband got a mug from Colorado. (too perfect, as that is his dream)


Alyssa's bf is in school for Forestry so he gave us a little nature walk tour.
How crazy is that tree! Although I can't remember the name. I should have taken notes.....


This one is called Sassafras......We had too much fun with these. When you crumble the leaves, they smell like mangoes! yum


How crazy and beautiful are all these little things that God created!


Carbondale is filled with wine trails..... Lots of them
We stopped at one of the wineries/vinyard.... I had never been before

and oh Lord was it beautiful!
Tons of people sitting outside in the sun or under these big beautiful blue and white umbrellas enjoying company and some wine. 




We had so much fun on our little trip. I can't wait to go back. 

Have a wonderful weekend all!!

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Summer Favorites ♥

Fall jumped on us so quickly this year! And I am more than happy with that.
But I had a beautiful summer and I figured I would try and pick out some of my favorite pictures from some of our fun adventures :)

This beautiful prairie my hubbs took me too near our house...

Photo shoots with my sisters


From our Picnic




Our Sister Video Shoot


and Video

Good bye Summer...Hello Fall ♥

Friday, September 10, 2010

Tonight......



I am going to open all my windows and let the beautiful cool air into my home
I am going to light my favorite candles
I am going to drink too many cups of tea
and I am going to listen to my favorite music over and over

All while cleaning my house.
Sounds good to me.

I hope you all have a beautiful friday!!!

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Food Love: Chickpea Croquettes





I loved this meal. It may look a bit strange because of the whole chickpeas but it is pretty darn amazing. 
Even my husband ate it! The salad topping is my favorite part of this and I think I could eat it plain all day. It probably has something to do with the massive amounts of Feta Cheese I put in it. Yum.
I found this recipe here.


Chickpea Croquettes
serves 4


Ingredients:


Topping
-1 cucumber, quartered and sliced (1 cup)
-1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
-2 green onions, chopped
-2 Tbs. lemon juice
-1 Tbs. olive oil
-1/2 cup crumbled low-fat vegan feta cheese, optional
(I just used regular feta cheese!)


Croquettes

  • -1 cup chickpea flour (I used regular flour)


  • -2 tsp. ground cumin


  • -1 tsp. chili powder



    • -1/2 tsp. salt



  • -1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained


  • -4 green onions, chopped (1/2 cup)


  • -1/2 cup diced red bell pepper


  • -1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley


  • -2 Tbs. lemon juice


  • -1 Tbs. olive oil


  • -2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)


Directions:
To make Topping:
Toss together cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, lemon juice, and oil in bowl. Gently stir in feta crumbles. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and set aside.


To make Croquettes:
1. Whisk together chickpea flour, cumin, chili powder, and salt in bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup hot water. Stir in remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper, if desired.
2. Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Scoop 4 ı/4-cup dollops of chickpea mixture into skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden.
3. Flip with spatula, and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with remaining chickpea mixture. Serve each Croquette topped with 1/4 cup Topping.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

Pretty Pretty picnic....


My sisters birthday was last week
We set up a surprise picnic for her at this cute little spot by my house.
and it was wonderful :)




 wanna know a secret? Those are beer bottles...he-he I just had the 
hubbs and his friends finish us a 6 pack and there you go!



I thrifted these old milk bottles and they are perfect for flowers


I love my family :)

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Food Love: Wild mushroom and Asparagus Tartines



I am not too sure why, but there is something about eating out of foil that makes me all giddy
Maybe its along the same lines as drinking tea from a soup bowl cupped with two hands because I feel like a caveman type deal.
Any way, My sister and I attempted this dish not too long ago and we both loved it.
My only advice is to let it cool for a few before eating it. Aside of the obvious, um its probably hot, we felt like the taste really busted out as it started to cool down a bit.
So if you love asparagus, mushrooms, and Feta cheese, well this here dish is for you then partner!

I found this recipe in this magazine, and I approve :)

Wild Mushroom and Asparagus Tartines
serves 4

Ingredients:
-4 slices whole grain bread. toasted
-4 cups thinly sliced wild mushrooms
(I ditched the wild part and just used regular mushrooms)
-1 lb. asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces (3 cups)
-2 Large shallots thinly sliced (3/4 cup)
-1 3/4 cups low sodium vegetable broth, divided
-1 large egg
-1 large egg white
-1 Tbs. minced fresh thyme
-1/2 cup crumbled chevre or goat cheese
(I used Feta cheese because I have an obsession)

1) Preheat oven to 400 degreese F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges into semicircular "bowl" with 1/2 inch sides. Coat inside of foil with cooking spray.

2) Place one slice of toast in each foil packet. Combine mushrooms, asparagus and shallots in medium bowl. Add 1/4 cup of broth, and season with salt and pepper. if desired. Divide mixture among packets.

3) Wisk together remaining 1 1/2 cups broth, egg, egg white, and thyme in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper of desired. Drizzle each packet with 1/2 cup broth mixture. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet, and bake 25-30 minutes.

4) Transfer to serving plates (or rock the foil) Open carefully, escaping air will be hot.
Sprinkle (or douse) with cheese :)

Let me know if you make this. I had fun with it. Enjoy!

Monday, September 6, 2010

Black and White film

Its so lovely....

My little sister, playing guitar (2006)

Little sister at the park (2006)

I need to start shooting film again


p.s : I received an awesome little note in the mail yesterday from the wonderful Tiphanie
It seriously made my night and it inspired me to get back onto the bloggin train!
I have been seriously slacking lately and Ive just been so busy that I would put it off.
But I have really come to love blogging and it is something I want to keep up with.
So thank you Tiphanie for the beautiful little note that made me smile :)
and go check out her blog its pretty awesome ♥

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

"book review" ?? kinda.......

I recently finished these two......

"Shiver" - Maggie Stiefvater


I was at Borders last month in the checkout line and the cashier was raving about this book that was on the counter. She was telling the customer that if he wanted to get someone hooked on reading they needed to read this book. She said they were better than Twilight and yadda yadda. She was a little crazy though, the man told her there were other books out there and she yelled that this specific book was better as he walked away. But I guess she won me over. I wouldn’t say its better than Twilight, but only because I am creepily in love with the series (don’t judge me) But this book definitely kept my attention. It’s a love story of a girl and a werewolf and that’s pretty much all I can share without ruining it. I really did love the book because it has a pretty great story line.




"Linger" - Maggie Stiefvater
The second part to the series. I thought this book was just as good as the first. I finished it even faster than the first and although I haven’t looked into it yet, I can see them producing a third book to the series and I will definitely be waiting for it. Both were easy reads with great story lines and I do recommend them :)




Currently reading-
"13 Reasons Why" – Jay Asher


So far I love this book. I'll let you know if I feel the same when Im finished. :)






Currently awaiting the arrival of-
"The Kind Diet" – Alicia Silverstone

Now, I am not vegan (I just can’t give up my feta) but I am curious. I think it will be interesting to learn more about it and maybe try out a few ideas here and there as well as the yummy recipes I have been hearing about!
A Simple Guide to Feeling Great, Losing Weight, and Saving the Planet
I watched this video of Alicia talking about her book and I was so inspired by her life! Literally. Now i don't expect you to watch the video because it is an hour long, but somehow I made it through the entire thing. I couldn't get over her talking about how she feels. She kept saying that she wakes up in the morning feeling great and energized, no coffee/tea needed. Her skin glows, she never goes to the Dr. and she just always feels great. It made me jealous. I eat healthy, but I don't feel like that all the time. And I am curious as to what more I could be doing So I will be reading this bad boy soon and Im excited.
Any book suggestions are welcome! I hope you all have a wonderful night!!
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