great good friday!!!

So I know I haven't posted in like a gazillion years, but today I'm feeling very ambitious. Today is Good Friday and let me tell you, it's been more like a GREAT Friday!! Here are the reasons why:

1. A day off with no obligations!! Shazam! (side note : that word is not used enough)
2. Panera hazelnut coffee. Yes please.



3. This organic lemon drop EOS lip balm I scored at Wally World for like $2.



4. These babies were on sale at Target. Holla!



5. This little lovie was on sale at American Eagle (this is the back view - a little scarfy thingy ties in back) Love it!!



6. The nail salon where I occasionally go now does something called "shellac-ing". Yeah, I'm not sure what it is either. All I know is the lady painted my nails and literally 2 seconds later she sprayed them with something and wiped them dry with a paper towel. No smudges. No nicks. Nothing. Dry as a bone. She said I should be good for 2-3 weeks without any chipping. I'm holding you to that, lady.

7. I have an appointment with my beach chair later this afternoon. Bliss.

8. I started the day out with these 3 things

paradise candle by root candles

peppermint tea

my lifemap

And this song...



9. The gift of answered prayers and my life continually changing because of JESUS! (more on this to come in a later post....hopefully soon) :)

10. As I mentioned before....it's Good Friday. As a kid, I loved this time of year. The beginning of springtime. Easter dresses. New white shoes. Pretty pastel things. As I grew up Easter still meant a lot to me, but it lost some of its charm that only a child's perspective can bring. Don't get me wrong. I love Easter! But sometimes after all is said and done, I'm left thinking...."Man, I'm exhausted!". For many (myself included), Easter is a time of busy-ness. It's a good busy (if there is such a thing), but still busy. You know...meal preparations, family outings, baskets, egg hunts, early morning church services, play practices, music rehearsals, etc. etc. etc. All this is well and good, but this year (for the first in a long time) I'm not that person. I am doing a few of the things mentioned, but I'm not busy-ing myself with them. Make sense? This year I feel as if I am that little girl again, excited about Easter, but for very different reasons. No longer is it dresses, shoes, and pretty colors. My delight is in the ONE who made me. Who gave HIS life for me. Who took my pain and shame and nailed it to the cross. I'm excited for the celebration!! Can I get an amen?? :) This morning in Matthew I was reminded of the suffering CHRIST endured for me on the cross. This Easter season I am so aware of what HE did for me. Of the price HE paid. And the fact that because of what HE did, I am forgiven. I am free. I am whole. How could I not worship the GOD who's given me life? How could I not give HIM all HE deserves. No matter what happens. No matter what I go through. I know that HE has been through it all. And that, my friends, is what makes this Friday (and every day) so GREAT!!

bring on the rain

Congrats! You are the lucky recipient of a late night, can't-sleep-so-I-think-I'll-update-my-lonely-blog post!! Here's your prize:

So...not exactly sure how to start this one (all the other posts have been about food and I have no idea how I'm going to weave that topic into this post), but here goes. Lately I have been feeling pretty dry. Not the kind of dryness where you reach for a bottle of lotion. I've been experiencing a spiritual dryness. It's not been a drought of sorts, but it's been awhile since I've felt the rain. Anybody get what I'm saying? During this time of dryness it's been very easy to let the everyday things distract me from really running after God and all He has for me. It's been easy to scoot my bible aside on the kitchen table in exchange for work I've brought home from the office. I find myself wishing for things I don't need and wondering why I'm not the person that I feel I should be when I look in the mirror. Tonight I had enough. It was time to get wet! I grabbed my journal and opened my bible to wherever it fell.....ok, Psalm 119. I paused when I came to verse 25, "my soul clings to dust; revive me according to Your word.". Can I get an amen? David took the words right out of my mouth. My soul has been clinging to dust!! REVIVE me according to YOUR WORD!! All the distractions that I had been focusing on during my dry spell were DUST. I can't think of a better word picture than that, can you? As I kept reading God filled my mind and heart with all sorts of nuggets from his word. Commandments, promises, affirmations....I felt the Holy Sprit so near for the first time in weeks. Ahhh...sweet rain.

God's word is POWER! It has the power to breathe life. It has the power to heal. It has the power to quench any thirst and tonight I'm drenched!! I'm not one for a lot of spiritual highs and lows, but I know that God takes us through seasons. Tonight I feel like a dry spell has ended. Tonight I feel so secure in knowing that God is my Father. He has created me as His daughter and no ONE will ever add or take away from that. He has prepared my home in heaven and no THING will ever add or take away from that. He is seated on His throne and He is glorious! If anyone reading this is going through a dry spell, know that you're being prayed for. You are loved by the Most High King and He wants you to know His full love. Here's to all of you getting wet as God rains on you!! Be blessed!

caramel corn coming out my ears

okay, so a while ago i had promised to share a caramel corn recipe that i love. i'm not a HUGE caramel corn fan, but i love this recipe. it's from paula deen's recipe collection and if you know this southern queen of cooking, she is not shy when it comes to butter, cream, mayo, and all things fattening.

i hope you enjoy this stuff as much as i do. sorry there's no picture. it didn't last long enough for me to get a one. send me a pick of yours when you make it! :)

when making this, i've discovered that it's best for me to give most of it away, otherwise my favorite person and i will eat the whole batch...we like the "grab a handful every time you walk past the bowl" approach best. ;)

1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
8 quarts of popped corn

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

Make your popcorn and set aside in a roasting pan. I used a big stainless steel bowl.

Over medium heat, combine the first 4 ingredients and bring to a boil for 5 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. Stir well!

Pour over the popcorn and stir until the corn is evenly coated.

Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Spread out on waxed paper to cool and then.....enjoy!

Happy eating!!

We're foodies

It's no secret that my favorite channel is the Food Network. Not because I like to eat (and I like to eat), but I am fascinated with cooking and creating new flavor combinations. Food Network has has been a HUGE influence in the way I currently cook and create. As a child and teenager, I rarely baked or cooked. I remember baking 2 loaves of bread in the shape of giant teddy bears when I was 10 or 11 and I remember being so proud of those bears. I gave them raisin eyes and noses and mouths out of something I don't remember. I even tied red ribbons around their necks so they'd look cuter. haha!!

Over the last few years I've pulled Rod into my world of all things Food Network. We enjoy watching chefs and everyday cooks create culinary treasures while we drool over every morsel we see. Rod will often say...."oohh, why don't you try to make that?" or "we shouldn't be watching this - it's making me hungry!!". It's actually become a dangerous hobby, b/c while watching an episode of Iron Chef America,Unwrapped, or Diner's, Drive-Ins, and Dives it's easy to get a "hankering" for something truly unhealthy at midnight. Not good.

Recently while watching an episode of DDD, Rod saw something that made his taste buds stand up and take notice. A chef/cook had preparing a homemade caramel sauce, tossed it with freshly sliced bananas, poured it over hot, thick slabs of french toast, and topped it with toasted pecans. Wow. All I thought was SUGAR SHOCK! Rod immediately piped up "that would be great on ice cream! Can you make that?". Hahaha! Well, a few nights ago I mixed a little of this and a little of that into a saute pan and voila - here you have it:

The trough of deliciousness....

Wanna bite?

Ode to autumn...

Okay, so it's about time this little blog of mine got itself off the ground. (it's been 6 months since I've posted and even that one wasn't really a post - lame!) Summer was a blast - but it felt like a vapor. It evaporated, just like that. Quickly, leaving behind memories of family, humidity, weddings, frizzy hair, birthdays, cruises, and great times with friends. One advantage to summer being over is that it has catapaulted me into auntumn. I love autumn! It's probably one of my most favorite times of the year. It evokes romantic memories of childhood, growing up in Indiana. I still love to visit during autumn when I can. I absolutely love the crisp chill in the air, the fall decorations that adorn the porches downtown, the scent of the outdoors, jumping in piles of leaves, hayrides, the transformation of the leaves as they turn colors as if hand painted by God, bonfires in the backyard, freshly pressed apple cider, flickering candles....ahhh....it makes my heart happy just to think of these things. To actually experience them is bliss. Autumns in Florida aren't quite the same. It's hard to get a crisp chill in 90 degree heat. Boo. However, I have discovered that I have a "nesting" instinct that kicks in at autumn. Do you know what I mean? It's like the first day of autumn rolls around and a switch flips in my brain. I get the urge to clean every square inch of my house, start home projects, pick up sewing (my parents bestowed to me a lovely sewing machine last year and it hasn't seen much action since they were here for Christmas), and bake like a machine. What the? (this is sooo unlike the summer me, who is content to come home, put on a tank top and shorts, and park it somewhere in front of a fan until bedtime) Whatever it is that autumn brings, I'll take it! :) The odd thing is, the temps don't change overnight (obviously) - but for some reason my steps quicken, I barely notice the heat anymore, I get out my fall harvest candles, I give my cardigans and scarves a little pep talk, I go to the local outdoor market to buy the necessary porch decor, and my heart skips a little beat. Thank you Lord for autumn!! Apparently, no matter where I am it's always in my heart!

Here are the results of all my "nesting" lately:

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Peanut Blossoms

And no baking day would be complete without fudgy brownies

My freezer is in a sugar coma right now!! It's been a long time since it's been stuffed with so many sweet treats - just in time for all our holiday guests!!

first post

Hey guys - this is my blog. Not sure what purpose it will serve except to give you a peek into the life I live. Hope you enjoy the journey.