Crazy BUSY Weekend!

What a whirlwind of a weekend! 

 I successfully completed 95% of our Christmas shopping with only getting myself one gift.

 I decorated our apartment for Christmas, complete with a tree hooked up to a clapper. Laziness at it's finest! 

I cleaned out and colored coded both of my closets. I have two bags going to goodwill (clothes from high school) and two bags going to my litter sister (stuff that's cute that just doesn't fit).

I threw out and organized all of my beauty products. 

I scrubbed the bathroom floors, counters, and mirrors. 

Basically . . . I killed this weekend!

CT on the other hand . . . not so much.

Besides winning his last football of the season, he didn't really have the best of luck.

He left his keys and wallet in KC Saturday night, and then on Sunday he locked me in the car and then locked himself out of our apartment. He was without a jacket, in the freezing cold, waiting for a neighbor to show up to let him in. What's funny was I was in the warm car but couldn't get out because his annoying alarm would have went off with no way of turning it off. 

He was awesome at life this weekend! 

This week has started off amazing! I'm absolutely in love with this time of the year. Gatherings with friends, staying home, cuddling, watching tv . . . nothing is better! 

 God is good ya'll! 

Sunday Inspiration: Soon

Soon  

Hillsong United ft. Brooke Fraser

This song is so full of promises, it brings tears to my eyes every time I listen to it. 

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. 

Soon and very soon

My King is coming

Robed in righteousness and crowned with love

When I see Him

I shall be made like Him

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon

I’ll be going

To the place He has prepared for me

There my sin erased

My shame forgotten

Soon and very soon


                                      

I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I’ll see Him

There my soul will be satisfied

Soon and very soon


                                           

Soon and very soon

See the procession

The angels and the elders 'round the throne

At His feet I’ll lay my crowns My worship

Soon and very soon


 I will be with the One I love

Soon and very soon

My King is coming

Robed in righteousness and crowned with love

When I see Him

I shall be made like Him

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon

I’ll be going

To the place He has prepared for me

There my sin erased

My shame forgotten

Soon and very soon


                                      

I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I’ll see Him

There my soul will be satisfied

Soon and very soon


                                          

 Soon and very soon

See the procession

The angels and the elders 'round the throne

At His feet I’ll lay my crowns My worship

Soon and very soon


                                    

 I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I’ll see Him

There my soul will be satisfied

Soon and very soon


                                   

 Though I have not seen Him

My heart knows Him well

Jesus Christ the Lamb

The Lord of heaven


                                     

I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I’ll see Him

There my soul will be satisfied

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soonlove

With unveiled face I’ll see Him

There my soul will be satisfied

Soon and very soon


                                   

 Though I have not seen Him

My heart knows Him well

Jesus Christ the Lamb

The Lord of heaven


                                   

  I will be with the One I love

With unveiled face I’ll see Him

There my soul will be satisfied

Soon and very soon

Soon and very soon

                                                

Chalkboard Walls . . . Drooling

I've been doing the equivalent to drooling with your mouth, with my eyes in regard to these awesome chalkboard walls. Chalkboard paint is nothing new to anyone, but I stumbled across some really classy/clean chalkboard walls on pinterest the other day and I knew I had to have one in my house someday. 

I love the sharpness of the lettering on this wall. I need to find out how they made it so perfect? A chalk pencil? A stencil? I need to find out their trick! 

Who doesn't love a calendar and even more a calendar in chalk? The colorful frames finish the look. I love them! I've seen the exact same ones at Michaels for less then $3. I even have a few laying around the apartment waiting for me to turn them into something cool. 

I like the size of this chalk board wall. It's not too big and it's not too small. It's my fave that I've stumbled across! I also love how the shelf separates it from the top of the wall, making it look super classy. 

 all via pinterest

I love how they used this chalkboard wall to draw frames for their already hanging artwork. This technique would be super fun in a playroom.

There are so many fun and creative things you can do with chalkboard paint. Painting walls is only the beginning! I just need to figure out how to eventually one day talk the hubby into this! As long as I can make the writing look pretty and be able to clean the chalkboards so they look crisp, I think that'll convince him! And if it doesn't, you know how the saying going "happy wife, happy life" (I'd probably get my way anyways!)

How have you used chalkboard paint?

The Perfect Combination

I would like to think of myself as a connoisseur of fine dining. I would also like to think of myself as having quite the mature palette. With that being said, I have found the perfect concoction 

at . . . 

CT and I have turned Friday night dinner into a tradition of eating out at Chipolte. It started as something we did before every friday night football and basketball game, and it's continued since then. I can't tell if it's a good habit we've formed or a bad one. On one hand I think it's good because it tastes so delicious, but on the other hand it's bad because it's putting a dent in our wallet as well as putting a dent in the back of my legs. That cellulite is no joke. ;)

Anyways, the perfect concoction is . . . 

 - bowl

- half brown rice/ half white rice

- no beans

- fajita veggies

- steak

-no salsa

- corn w/ extra corn

- sour cream

- cheese 

- guac 

- add salt 

Try it. 

I promise you will not be disappointed! 

White Elephant Scarf Party

A few years ago I attended a girls night out full of food, fun, and a gifts. At this gathering we had a white elephant gift exchange of scarves. With 35+ girls, there was a huge variety of scarves and it was so much fun!  

Tomorrow I'm throwing a 'scarf party' for the ladies I work with. We are heading out after work to grabs some drinks and exchange gifts! 

Rules:

- Purchase, make, or take a scarf from your own closet. 

- Wrap it. 

- Choose your order: oldest to youngest, draw numbers, etc.

- The first person starts and opens a package. 

(Once you open a package you keep that scarf.)

- Next person can either steal a scarf or open another package. 

(A scarf can only be stolen twice and then it's out. If you get stolen from, you can steal someone else's scarf or draw another gift.) 

- Continue until everyone has gone and all the gifts are opened.

I highly recommend getting together with some girls to exchange scarves! It's a great way to kick off the holiday season, plus who doesn't love a new scarf? They are all the rave these days!

PS - of course, I purchased an infinity leopard print scarf for the occasion! 

Recipe: Graveyard Veggie Pizza

Last week at work, I was part of a committee hosting our 4th quarter birthday celebration. We chose to have a Halloween themed birthday lunch and I was in charge of decorations and a graveyard veggie pizza!

I took my inspiration from A Taste of Home:

but in my version I doubled the recipe and added a lot more goodies! 

Graveyard Veggie Pizza

Crust

2 cups all purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon canola oil

Topping

3 cups cottage cheese

1 packet of ranch dressing mix

1/2 cup mayo

1/4 cup milk

2 cups shredded lettuce

2 cups shredded cheese 

1 cup chopped broccoli

1 cup chopped cauliflower

2 cans chopped ripe olives

1/3 cup shredded carrots

1/4 cup chopped red onion

3/4 cup chopped banana peppers 

1 can green chiles 

Tombstones

1 package cream cheese

4 teaspoons sour cream

10 - 15 crackers

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Crust

- combine flour, baking powder, and salt

- add milk and 1/4 cup oil, mix well

- shape into ball and knead 10ish times

- on a lightly floured surface, roll into a 15x10 rectangle 

-transfer into an ungreased pan.

-prick with a fork and brush with remaining oil

- bake at 425 for 14 minutes or until edges are lightly browned.

 (I noticed mine needed a little more time because I made it thicker)

- let cool completely before adding toppings

Topping

- combine cottage cheese, ranch dressing mix, mayo, and milk

- spread over crust 

- sprinkle with lettuce, cheese, broccoli, cauliflower, olives, carrots, onions, banana peppers, and green chiles

Tombstones

- beat cream cheese and sour cream until fluffy

- place mixture in a ziplock baggy

- cut a small hole in the corner of the bag or if you are fancy get out your cookie decorating tools

- decorate crackers 

Even though Halloween isn't my fave, I enjoyed whipping up the festive veggie pizza! I was nervous about making a homemade crust and bringing it to work after my first time of making it. Needless to say it was a huge hit and very delicious! 

And Serenity Now

Not My Fave

I have never been a fan of Halloween. 

Why don't I like it? 

1.  Halloween is Jenna's birthday (the lil sis) and she has always LOVED it. She has always been more artistic and has always had better costumes than me. In our house it was always a day that she got the most attention. Maybe theres a tad bit of hidden jealousy here? Who knows. 

2. I don't like the thought of dressing up. And even more, I don't like the thought of spending tons of money on a costume that you'll only wear once. I find it embarrassing more than anything. Plus, most girls use Halloween as an excuse to dress super slutty for a night and has everyone come to expect this. Call me lame because I'm not a fan of publicly baring it all. 

 A borrowed costume from one of CT's students. 

A cute outfit with falsies, a trident, and devil horns. 

Can I get any more lame? 

3. I suck at carving pumpkins and that's why this year I tried bedazzling and painting them.

Mine was the #5 with stars.

 Again, how lame! 

It's just never been my thing, and I don't ever see it being my thing. Maybe one day when kids come in the picture, I'll let loose and get in the spirit. Until then, every year I'll be the grinch of Halloween!

Do It Anyway

Inspiration from the online devotional 'She Reads Truth' in regard to Ruth's story. 

Flashback Friday: I said Y-E-S!

6 years ago today I said yes to being CT's girlfriend. We had met in August of 2007 but I made him stay in the 'friend zone' for a few months. 

I previously wrote about my fairytale: how we met and I can't believe how far we have come. 

From strangers to best friends.

From neighbors to roommates. 

From friends to boyfriend & girlfriend.

From fiancés to husband & wife. 

Our journey is only 6 years completed and I can't wait to see what the next 60 years brings us. 

Where you go, I’ll go. Where you stay, I’ll stay. Your people, my people and your God – my God. 
Ruth 1:16