A Little Shower

Our "house church" meets every Tuesday. Our church believes that "the church" happens in our homes on a weekly/daily basis and not just on Sunday mornings... we have a great group of folks that meet every Tuesday at our place! I absolutely love hosting people and having a bible study and living our lives together. Matt loves teaching and after an MDiv and 1 year down of his theology PhD he has some knowledge to share...so it's so nice to have him when we have questions and to go deeper. 

We also live life together. We mourn together in the tough times of life, and celebrate the good times! 

Dana and Alex are getting married next week, and that called for celebration!!! 

So yesterday we had a little party/shower for them. 

I was running low on drink skewers... so I made my own... 

 I broke some grill skewers and then used washi tape to make them cute. 

The result. 

I bought some jelly jars and decided to have a cute drink station. 

 

I made several drinks and put on those cards the directions of how to make them... although for most people, I still ended up being bartender. haha! 

I made: 

Pineapple Lime Cooler- 

Blueberry Fizz (i made the name up) 

Peach Green Tea 

I made those 3 things as bases, and then bought the sodas to mix with the juices and then people could add whichever alcohol they wanted. I offered tequila (the #1 choice), cherry vodka and vanilla vodka. 

(photo from Gabe's phone)

The best part of these drinks?!?! I ordered Frooba bubbles!To add to the drinks! They are like tapioca bubbles, but they are filled with fruit juices that when you pop them in your mouth you get a little explosion of fruit juice! They are soooo good and so refreshing in my iced beverage on such a hot day!  

(photo from Gabe's phone)

In the living room, I set up the dessert table. 

 
My friend Alyssa, made these delicious chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, and I made the lemon tarts (recipe here). They were both sooo good! 

Dana and Alex were so surprised! 

We spent the night chatting, giving them marital advice, and opening gifts. 

oh, and this happened.... 

Girls vs. boys toilet paper wedding dress... the girls won.. obviously.. haha! 

It was such a fun night, and I am so blessed by all these people.

Congratulations Dana and Alex!!!  

In other news... the new job started off well this week! So excited about it! 

Sunday Thoughts

Today at church, our sermon was a challenge to me. The speaker spoke on 1 Corinthians 16. The verse that stood out to me the most was 1 Corinthians 16: 14 "Do Everything in Love". 

I strive to live my life this way. At times, it is extremely difficult to love our neighbors. I know in my job, where all I do is care for people, it can become more like a job... and dealing with people can sometimes be exhausting and very trying to say the least.

Today, I thought about how I need to make it a part of my life to genuinely love people as God has called us to, in every aspect of my life. In my marriage, with my parents, friendships, and even with my patients and their families... 

 This past weekend, we entertained a lot. I genuinely love to host people in our home. I love to cook and bake and make things look cute to make people feel loved and to bless others through food, drink and conversation.In our society, gathering around a table is when we come together. It's when our lives stop for a few minutes and we can communicate with one another to build relationships. 

The dream would be to open a bed and breakfast, or a bakery/coffee shop where I could do this all day every day.. to make people feel loved through food and conversation. 

I guess where I am going with this is, to challenge others to find a way to love others. To Love God, and Love People as we are challenged to do. 

Have a lovely and relaxing Sunday! 

We are relaxing after a weekend of entertaining. I start my new job tomorrow in the Emergency Room! Wish me luck! 

Dinner tonight

Tonight we had some friends over for dinner and I went all out. 

I was in the mood to entertain and I was in the mood to cook! 

We started out with this delicious little cocktail. 

recipe here

Then to the main meal. We had chicken roll ups with prosciutto, provolone, roasted red pepper, and spinach inside and covered with lemon and olive oil and dipped in italian bread crumbs. DELICIOUS!!! Thanks skinnytaste for the recipe! 

On the side: asparagus (I cook mine in a grill pan on the stove with olive oil and squeeze a lemon over them with sea salt and black pepper). 

Boiled potatoes with butter and parsley flakes. 

Cottage cheese. 

Dessert: 

So easy and yet so delicious! I cut up an angel food cake and made cheese cake pudding. Put a layer of cake, then pudding, then fresh peaches ( from the farmers market! MM MM!) blueberries and raspberries. then layer again! So delicious and refreshing with that cocktail! hehe! 

Our friends really enjoyed it! It was so nice to visit with them and get to know them a little better! 

Girls Night

This week was my last week at my job on the 7th Floor of the Children's hospital! 

This Monday I start in the Pediatric Emergency Room (at the same hospital). I am pretty excited about it, but also nervous! hehe! 

My parents were supposed to come visit this weekend, but after a quick admission to the hospital for my grandma, my parents aren't going to be making the trek up to the mitten. 

After this news last night, I was so thankful I had already planned a girls night at my place to take my mind off things. 

I headed out to the local cutesy deli with only an hour to spare before my 2 good friends came over. 

They have the BEST french baguettes at this place. I snatched one up and some tomatoes and planned on making some bruschetta. 

Delicious. 

So easy too! I just cut up the baguette and drizzled olive oil on it. Baked it at 350 degrees until crispy. I cut up some grape tomatoes, an onion, and since the store didn't have fresh basil (which I would have preferred) I used dried basil leaves and a shake of garlic powder. Then covered it in balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper. 

Took the bread out of the oven. Put it on a presentable platter and covered with the tomatoe-y goodness. MMM MM! I ate so much of it! 

I also wanted a delicious cocktail. What's girls night without it?! 

 I was in the mood for wine... so I wanted it to be involved. 

I found this recipe and thought it sounded delicious! 

I of course had to make them fancy and garnish them. So I used this jelly jar and put watermelon and lime on the skewer. so cute! 

Such a fun and much needed night! So thankful for Gabe and Alyssa and all their laughs and funny stories! It's gonna happen again soon! 

My Roots

The guy on the left there is my dad. The guy on the right, my grandfather. 

My mom posted this on Facebook today and I just love it. I started thinking about my roots. 

I come from a long line of hard working men (and women). 

My grandfather, a coal miner in a small WV town. My dad worked in the coal mines for 30 years. He retired when I graduated high school! 

My uncle, cousins, and many other family members before these, were coal miners. 

My roots are in WV soil. Deep within the earth. Dug by my family members. 

I was always proud of what my dad did for us. He worked hard. Sacrificed. He never once opened a pay check. My whole life. He would bring it home, sealed, and hand it to my mother. As if he was not working for himself, but to provide for his family. This is the true example of a man. A wonderful example of what a man does. But, my dad was not like the image of the 1950s working man that went to work and has nothing to do with his family. He was one of my best friends. 

 He taught me how to play sports. He taught me how to take down someone if they were coming at me. He taught me to joke, to laugh. He taught me patience, and love. 

I am proud of my roots. I am proud of where I come from and where it has brought me now. 

I am a coal miners daughter. 

Sophistipup

Yep, we have the coolest and cutest pup around. 

Catching Up

Time for a little update on life the past couple months. 

The end of May, Matt and I joined my family in South Carolina for a beach vacation! A week of sitting surf side and pool side, eating sea food, swimming in the ocean, fishing, and good ol fun! 

It was wonderful to spend the week with them, especially my nieces! They are so fun! 

The aquarium had real mermaids! hehehe! 

My sister in law and I. Bathing beauties.. 

Naps under the umbrella with the sounds of the waves in the background... thanks husband for snapping this one of me... flattering.

  

Frozen margarita snuck on to the beach. No alcohol allowed... 

Probably one of my favorite pictures from the week. Love Kadence. she is hysterical! She knows how to make ya laugh... that's for sure! 

Carnival rides! 

There are so many more pictures! But I'll spare you... haha! 

I snapped this one at the aquarium as well... 

Nurse shark! I came back to work the week after and my nights have been full of these... 

While at the beach I made the decision to apply for a pediatric Emergency room nursing position. I have always wanted to do ER and with some changes happening throughout the hospital I decided it a good time for me to do so. To live out my dreams of this... 

I used to love that show!! 

But really... I am so super excited about starting in July! Sad to leave my friends on the 7th floor, but happy to be starting a new adventure!!! 

and on my days off... plenty of these things... Jasmine lemon soda with blueberry popping bubbles! delish and amazingly refreshing! 

Wish I could figure out the recipe at home! I would drink them every day... a lot! 

We celebrated Matt's birthday last night with a delicious hamburger from Stella's and watched a movie at home. 

Tonight, Lord Huron concert!! I am so excited to see this band live! One of my new favorites! 

That's pretty much what's happening around here! 

A Little Birthday Shindig

This upcoming Sunday is Matt's 27th Birthday! He didn't really want a party... but I wanted an excuse to make a cake and make cute things. We always have small group at our house on Tuesday nights and I usually always cook something up of some sort. So I used Matt's birthday as an excuse to make a cake.. and cute things. hehe! 

I went with a yellow, brown and grey sort of theme... 

I bought Matt "Shiner Ruby Redbird" beer. It was DELICIOUS! Actually, may be my favorite beer. It has a hint of grapefruit and ginger and it was sooo yummy for a warm summer night. Of course lemonade and water for the none adult beverage folk. 

I made fresh popped popcorn with my Whirley Pop (I LOVE that thing!) and short bread cookies. I also made these Lemon Muddy Buddies I found on Pinterest. 

This is Matt's favorite kind of cake! It's super easy. Although, I used a box mix this time, which seriously hurts me inside. I hate using box mixes... but it had to be done this time as we are doing a vegan diet and I didn't want to buy milk just for a cake. (although last night was a vegan exception. We are mostly doing it for my stomach issues and to loose weight so we can make an exception every once in awhile. we make the rules in this house! hehe) 

This cake is easy. 

Yellow box cake mix. 

Make according to package directions but add 1 (11oz) can of mandarin oranges. Blend it in with your cake mix. 

Icing: 

1 (12 oz) cool whip (thawed)

1 package instant vanilla pudding 

1 can of crushed pineapple

DELICIOUS! and so easy! 

singing happy birthday is always fun! 

Gabe made this nice little collage for me. She is such the photographer! love her! 

We had a great time! For Matt's birthday we are going to have a nice dinner (he wants burgers so I guess we won't be vegan then either...) and going to see Lord Huron in concert which I am SUPER thrilled over! 

I love birthdays! Can you tell?!?! 

New Project

I have been looking for a really lovely antique desk to turn into a vanity. I've been looking for about a month for the perfect desk. I didn't want just a plain old 1990's desk... I wanted a nice, vintage style. 

Today, I went to a new thrift store. It had SO much furniture! I found this beauty! 

$40.00! I tried to barter with the woman... but she wasn't having it. It was on sale already she says... 

I am contemplating what color to paint it! it's not in the best of shape so I am going to have to paint it. 

Seafoam green?!!? White?!?! Coral?!?! We will see... stay tuned for the after photo! 

Today was spent with all the windows open and enjoying the 70 degree weather! Millie was loving it! 

Happy Monday! 

A Break

Time is something we all love to waste. 

I don't know about you, but I am a procrastinator. I won't deny it. At times, I admit that I can be downright lazy. I am really good at wasting time and making excuses to not do the things I need to be doing. 

A couple weeks ago, I wrote a post about how I have been feeling about the internet and social media. I posted that not to say that I no longer want to blog, or delete my Facebook account in complete rage and hatred of all social media. I wrote it to express how I am feeling about it. 

While sitting at church a couple Sundays ago, I felt convicted about my time. I felt convicted about my envy and jealousy. 

I felt truly convicted that life is not wrapped up in this tiny square screen. So, why do I spend so much TIME sitting in front of it.

 My life is around me and I am letting it pass me by as I sit here looking at other peoples lives and feeling lesser than...

I decided to take a break from all of this. For one week, I was not going to look at Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and specifically no Blogs. 

That week, I felt blessed. I started to read more. I read my Bible more (still not as much as I would like, but more is better than none!) I started reflecting on what God wants from my life. I started to think about the direction HE wants me to go in my career. (this is another post for another time...) 

 the weather started to change and the sun came out (something we haven't seen much of here in Michigan the past few months). I spent time outside. Millie and I went on walks, we spent time at the puppy park, we baked, we cooked, we spent time in real conversations with long lost friends. 

This is what I wanted. I wanted purposeful, loving conversations with the people I love. I wanted time to myself. I wanted a clear mind. I wanted to stop feeling like I wasn't good enough. I wanted to stop feeling like my apartment wasn't cute enough,  that my body wasn't good enough, that I didn't cook enough, or that my life wasn't as good as the others surrounding me. 

Another issue was Matt and I. I found that (like most couples I see out and about), Matt and I would spend "time" together, but we would be on our computers, or looking at our iPhones. That week Matt and I had more time together in actual conversation rather than looking at social media.

This is something I encourage every one to do. You don't have to give up all of it all together. Just cut out some time that you spend... think about making a phone call to a friend you haven't talked to in a long time, or use the time to do something special for the one you love. 

Spend some time outside... taking in God's great creation. 

My Happy Place

There is something about creating. The whole concept of starting with a few different items and shaping them, crafting them, and forming them into something completely different and lovely.

I love to bake. It's something my mammaw and I used to spend our days doing. I literally learned from the best. She used to make wedding cakes. She made my mom and both my aunts wedding cakes along with many others for friends. 

I took a cake decorating class the first fall that Matt and I were married. It was my birthday gift to myself. I really enjoyed it! I love to make cakes from scratch. I love to try new recipes and make something delicious (usually.. hehe)!

Baking is what I do for my "me time". I always need a minute to myself. Time to not think about the world and life. I need time to separate myself from everything. I am the type of person that can be doing a million things physically at once and my mind will be in 20 other different places at the same time. When I am in the kitchen it's my time to just be. I focus on the task at hand. 

Today I had some "me time" in my Happy Place-the kitchen. 

Chocolate, chocolate chip cookie dough and peanut butter chocolate chip cookie dough. Together at last!!!! 

Recipe HERE

They turned out so well. I'm anxious for everyone to enjoy them at our small group tonight. 

What's your happy place!? 

Honesty

Blogging is something I have done since 2006. (See first blog post ever over here)

I have always loved to write. I love to put my words out there for someone to read. Over the past years I have struggled with blogging. I've struggled with envy, jealousy, low self-esteem, feeling like my life is lesser than others. I've blogged, stopped blogging, started again. Then, I got married and moved, and started a new blog. I felt like I was finally in a place in my life that I believed people would want to read about (once again blogging for the world and not myself). Although I have no kids yet, can't be a mommy blogger... I felt like I was in a place where others can relate. 

Yesterday a close friend of mine posted this article from RELEVANT magazine. 

This quote truly hit home. 

"My life looks better on the Internet than it does in real life. Everyone’s life looks better on the internet than it does in real life. The Internet is partial truths—we get to decide what people see and what they don’t. That’s why it’s safer short term. And that’s why it’s much, much more dangerous long term.

Because community—the rich kind, the transforming kind, the valuable and difficult kind—doesn’t happen in partial truths and well-edited photo collections on Instagram. Community happens when we hear each other’s actual voices, when we enter one another’s actual homes, with actual messes, around actual tables telling stories that ramble on beyond 140 pithy characters."

Truth is, my worth is not in how many comments I get on this blog or how many "pageviews" I have. My worth is not built up in how many pictures of coffee shops, my macbook, my puppy, some close up shot of something I can't even tell what it is because I'm trying to be "artistic". My worth is in the Lord. My worth is in the real world. The now. My life is summed up of love from those in my life right now. Friendships and community. Time spent with my husband, my family, my friends. Time. Time is something I waste plenty of looking at blogs and pinterest, and Instagram. Sitting and daydreaming that I had a house full of antique and vintage rustic tables and white walls and "mint accents" (as the author of this article so sweetly refers to). I look at pinterest and want my closet to just change itself and fill itself with cute adorable outfits of all the things I have "pinned" from Pinterest. I want to be in great shape and motivated like all the people I read about working out and then I want to go bake a delicious cake the next moment.  I waste so much time searching the lives of others and reading about others. I can't wrap my mind around the fact that we spend hours every day looking into others lives and focusing less on our own. 

I love blogging. I love the blog world. I love that we can get ideas from others. That the world is so connected that we can see into the daily life of those around the world.

I am not going to stop blogging. I enjoy it. But I do hope to spend less time being envious and so concerned about how I can become more "popular" in the blog world. 

Is anyone else with me?! Or am I all alone in this feeling?!?! 

Music to my Ears

Matt and I have all the windows and blinds open today and our place seems so bright and shiney (something it hasn't been for quite some time). 

We were just sitting on the couch and I said "Matt LISTEN! It's BIRDS CHIRPING!!!" We both were giddy (even though I genuinely hate birds... sorry bird lovers. they scare me!) Signs of spring are popping up every day. I know, I know... I will shut up about spring eventually! I think for now though, I will continue to post about it every day. We're all in the spring fever phase right?!!?! 

Speaking of music to my ears... Matt and I haven't been to a concert in a long time. So today, I purchased tickets for a band that we both just sort of discovered and loved.

Lord Huron. 

So spring like and airy. So excited to see them live!!!

Take a listen. While you're at it I added Local Natives new album as well because I've been listening to it on vinyl nonstop lately! 

Enjoy! 

Spring Prep

Matt and I live in a duplex/house in downtown/Eastown Grand Rapids. We don't have much of a yard. This really bummed us out when we were looking for places here because we really wanted a nice deck or back yard... but this place had everything else we wanted. So we sacrificed. 

We do have a potentially nice little area in the back. We have a long driveway and a high fenced in back yard (think Mr. Wilson style from home improvement).  We have a brick area that goes pretty far back beside our garage. 

Here is an above view from my kitchen window. 

(so ready for that last little pile of snow to melt! it's always in the shade!) 

I want to make that little space between the garage and fence like this: 

 (unsure of source. via pinterest. no link)

With pretty boxes of flowers around like this: 

 source

and these hanging from the fence: 

 source

and garden parties with sweet tea and fruit and cheese: 

source

Right now it's beautiful outside. It's only 41 degrees but it's sunny and quite lovely. I just took Millie outside and was delighted to see these beauties growing in the backyard along the house. I think I'll leave these. 

I'm so excited to eventually have a lovely Saturday out back working with Matt and Amanda (our neighbor downstairs and one of my best friends) making our little area out back a place to hang out and enjoy all spring, summer and fall.

I imagine the pups outside running around. Having parties, grilling out, eating dinner out there every night, smoking matt's pipe (tobacco only people!), and drinking sweet tea and blue moon's with an orange by moonlight. 

So ready for spring and summer! bring it on Michigan!!!!