Loving This Look!

As I sit here and ponder over what to wear for a bride's night out dinner tonight, I wish I had something like this in my closet...

Photo courtesy of www.cupcakesandcashmere.com

Ahh I'm loving this!  I'm already a big fan of pencil skirts, but I am really fond of the full length pencil skirt - too cute!  Maybe one day I'll have my own to add to my closet. :)

Happy Friday eve!  Be blessed!

XOXO

Marshmallow Milkshake

Another weekend came and went.  My how they go so fast!  I didn't get to try the breakfast pizza (soon, I promise!) but I did make some homemade pancakes and bacon for a lazy Saturday morning. Delish.  The recipe was Jared's Grandma Baker's.  Oh how I wish I could have met her.  I've heard so many wonderful things about her and I try to keep her memory alive (not that it needs any help) by making Jared some of his favorite dishes she used to make.  I think he requests these pancakes just about every Saturday ;)  Oh look, you can even see the table we re-did.

 

So after I got done stuffing myself with carbs & sugar, I started my new workout.  I love it!  Just what I needed.  You may laugh at the name (it's okay - I do too), but so far it has been awesome.  I was getting bored with my old workout routine and had hit a plateau.  This did the trick!  It's by Beach Body, the same makers of P90X.  Don't get me wrong, I loved me some P90X, but after a year of doing it off and on, it was time for something else.

Loving it!  Perfect mix of cardio & toning/sculpting. Plus it comes with a really great cookbook and a 6 day jumpstart diet to kick it off.  The 6 day "diet" is no different from eating clean so that wasn't much of a chore.  I'm in a wedding this weekend so I have to stay dedicated to fit into my BD dress.

 Cuteness, right?  Gotta love J.Crew!  Their spring line is out and they have some of the cutest clothes but my husband would wring my neck be less than pleased if I participated in a little online shopping.  It's a weakness of mine, I'll admit.

Another weakness of mine...ice cream.  No really.  It is.  If you know me, you know about my love for ice cream.  I eat it every night.  I don't care how healthy I normally eat, ice cream is my downfall.  I like to say I eat healthy so that I can eat ice cream and not feel guilty.  I l.o.v.e. it.  So, I recently stumbled across a milkshake recipe that I had to try.  And sure enough, it did not disappoint.  It's kind of interesting.  I never imaged these ingredients working together but they did!  I found the recipe from Cupcakes and Cashmere's Blog (thank you, Sarah, for introducing me to this addicting blog) who got it from here and I knew I must try it out for myself!

Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake

Ingredients:
*3 scoops vanilla ice cream (I used Blue Bell because that was in my freezer)
*1 tablespoon whole milk (I don’t drink whole milk, so I used 1 ½ - 2 tbsp skim)
*1 large dollop of plain yogurt
*5 Kraft Jumbo Jef-Puffed marshmallows
*Whipped cream (optional)

Directions:
1) Toast marshmallows under a broiler, or, if you're frisky, over a flame until they just start to blacken evenly (the trick is to make sure it's evenly toasted and dark, but not turned to charcoal).

2) Put the milk, yogurt, and then ice cream in the blender. Blend carefully, just until you get a "donut"—when you see the shake holding to the sides of the blender with a hollow core.

3) Add three of the toasted marshmallows to the blender, and whirl it just until they're all broken up and distributed evenly. Be careful not to overblend it, making it too melty.

4) Pour shake into a glass, top with a dollop of whipped cream, break the last two marshmallows on top, and serve with an extra-wide straw.

5) Repeat if necessary. And it will probably be necessary.

Enjoy ;)

Oh yeah, just as a side note...Did y'all watch The Office Thursday night? 

It's been a favorite of mine for years (and J too).  Will Ferrell as the new boss?!  Yes, please!  They managed to keep this fan tuning in every week.  I was so sad when I heard Michael was leaving, but this makes it less painful. :)
XOXO

Finding New Blogs

I am still very new to this whole "blogging" thing, but I am hooked!  I get some of the best ideas, amazing recipes, and find great bargains on items.  I recently stumbled across a new blog and I am so intrigued.  Smitten Kitchen has got to be the next best thing since sliced bread, especially for those of you who love to cook and bake (like myself).  I think I'll be trying out her breakfast pizza (possibly this weekend) in addition to numerous other recipes on her site...

 

 

photos courtesy of smittenkitchen.com

This looks amazing and would be perfect for brunch or if you have a large crowd to feed at breakfast. Once I try it, I'll let you know how it turns out. I think I'll be making a trip to Office Depot to buy more sleeves for my recipes to fit in my cookbook. That reminds me, I'll do a post later on about my "cookbook" I made in high school. It was a cute little idea I had back when I was 16 and I am so thankful now that I did it. I love it! I use it almost daily. And I know my cookbook will be growing even more after I get through browsing this website.

Sorry for being MIA lately. We have been busy to say the least and it doesn't seem like it'll be letting up anytime soon. Wedding season is in full swing! I hope y'all have a great weekend. Here's a word of encouragement before I go.

Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:31-32 (NIV)

The gospel is the answer to every issue that mankind will ever face. However, the gospel is something that is outside of us – we must get it through Christ. It is as we hold to, or live intentionally in, the teaching of Jesus Christ that we get to the gospel of God. How does this happen? When we get a hold of the words of Christ, the Holy Spirit gets a hold of us, and turns words into truth, then truth into freedom.

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

XOXO

Family Time + DIY

What a fun weekend!  We got all of our house projects finished up just in time for MIL and FIL to arrive.  Saturday, we snuck out to the beach for a few hours to hang out with Lindsey & Justin and Julie & Brian.  It was gorgeous and perfect beach weather (plus the company was pretty good too!).

MIL and FIL arrived around 3:30 Saturday and everyone came to our house for steaks, potatoes and salad.  After dinner, us girls sat around drinking coffee and painting our nails while the boys sat in the living room watching TV and talking sports.  I love simple nights like that, just pure bliss.

On Sunday morning, Julie had her 1st dress fitting.  Oh.my.word.  It was GORGEOUS!  I can't wait to see her in it on her wedding day!!  I love all of these weddings!  Getting to see my friends shine on their day just makes my heart happy.

After the fitting, us girls headed to ROSS to kill some time before Julie's family shower.  Umm....why have I not been to that store more often?!  They have some of the neatest stuff & it's SO CHEAP!  I managed to escape with only a cookbook (It was $4.99...seriously, I couldn't resist).  I love cookbooks!  I have a pretty big collection.  This one had some great healthy recipes that I can't wait to try.  There was a cupcake cookbook that was calling my name too, but I managed to leave it behind.  Do any of you have a favorite cookbook?

Julie's family shower went so well.  It was a gorgeous day outside and she got some wonderful gifts!  What a great day all around.  Afterwards, we all went to Julie's and she made chicken spaghetti, salad and bread for all of us - delish!  Tonight we're all heading to the other Gann household (Jared & Julie's uncle) for a crawfish boil and steak.  I may be getting a little spoiled. ;)  I love when everyone's all together.  I think this coming weekend, we're having my folks over for dinner along with my brother, his wife and they're baby.  I love them so much, can't wait to see them!

I talked last week about the old kitchen table we were re-doing.  It was mine during college.  Keep in mind I was a poor college kid, but this table was so awful...what was I ever thinking?!  That's okay, it sure does look 100% better after it's makeover.  Here are some before and after shots.  I still haven't gotten one of the complete table, but it fits nicely in our kitchen!

Here I was in the middle of spray paining the chairs and realized I forgot to take a before picture.  The chair closest hadn't been tackled yet.  I don't know if you can tell, but it was so ugly...silver, black, gold - it just couldn't make up its mind on what color it should be!  I decided for it and went with black.

The cushions before.  Can we say hideous?  I mean, what is that?!

Reupholstered.  Much, much better.

I'll post better pictures when I get some time.  I also need to post some before and afters of the guest room makeover.  It looks so much better!  I am proud of us and our DIY projects.

As some of you may know, I have really been struggling with God's will for my life lately.  It can be so frustrating to not know.  As I was praying last night, I was praying specifically for this - for guidance to help me see it being fulfilled, to show me the way, or for some sort of sign so that I'd know I wasn't crazy.  Well lo and behold, I check my email this morning and my Daily Bible Verse is this:

Why is the LORD bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” – Numbers 14:3-4 (NIV)

"We should be sobered as we read the complaints of the Israelites in the wilderness. When following the Lord became challenging, they were more than willing to find a leader who would take them back to their bondage. Jesus said narrow is the path that leads to life and He was not kidding, for the path away from God’s purpose is filled with leaders who will justify why the road to Egypt is the right one to take. Unfortunately, there are many choices when we are looking for spiritual leaders who will support our personal agendas."

Today’s commentary by:
Dave Whitehead, Senior Pastor, GraceNYC.org

Wow, what a sign.  That was totally God telling me to be still, be patient, have faith.  He will never let me down.  Thank you, Lord. :)

XOXO

Pray for Lucy

Some of you may have noticed that the blog has a new name and I've added a button.  This button is the first link on the left hand column of my blog.  It's a picture of the most adorable little girl blowing a kiss titled "Pray for Lucy".  I encourage you to take a moment and read this woman's blog.  I guarantee you'll be moved to tears and convicted to pray for this beautiful child.  I could tell you all about it, but I think it's best if you read it for yourself.  This family definitely needs our prayers to lift them up during such a difficult struggle.

Now as for the blog name change...why you ask?  I thought "One Happy Girl" was just kind of silly (not that this one isn't, lol!).  But really - I'm not always happy, no one is always happy.  I like to describe myself as blessed rather than happy.  Does that make sense?  I hope so.  If not, I'm sorry I can't really explain myself better.  So for the new name, I went back and forth with a few, sought the help of a friend and this is what stuck.  God, Grace & Grits.  Three important things in my life... ;) I feel like they exemplify me and it's kind of catchy.  Cheesy, but catchy.  Let me know what y'all think!

Hope everyone has a great weekend.  The weather's supposed to be beautiful here, I can't wait to get out and enjoy it!  This is where I'll be...Yep, I do live in a little slice of paradise!

Monday, already?!

So I don't know about y'all, but this daylight savings time has totally thrown me off.  How can the difference of one hour make such an impact?!  I was so exhausted yesterday.  I had to partake in an afternoon nap after church :)  Darn, right?!

J and I got so much accomplished this weekend.  We painted and stained all of the guest bedroom furniture.  Wooo, what a task!  I will post pictures when it's all put back together and set up nicely.  J did an awesome job with the stain on my cedar furniture.  My Uncle Byran, who is very dear to my heart, handmade a cedar bed and chest for me.  I loved them, but with my love of neutrals, the natural color of cedar was just not working with the decor.  I talked J into doing a walnut stain and it turned out so beautiful.  It looks like something out of a Pottery Barn magazine now - very rustic!  We had to get it ready for my MIL and FIL who are making their way here this weekend.  Yay!  Can't wait to see them!  I'm so blessed to have such amazing in-laws as well as a sister-in-law who's a best friend.

Tonight (before the finale of The Bachelor, of course) I will be painting and reupholstering my old college kitchen table & chairs.  It desperately needs help and the update is a whole lot less than going and buying something new.  I'm beginning to like this DIY stuff.  I just wish I had some time in the day to get more done.

So our weekend consisted of DIY stuff along with a few trips to Target, Home Depot & TJMaxx (and a few visits with the best friend who is home from Germany)...yep, we are officially old.  But that's okay.  I enjoy going to bed at a decent hour and waking up early to read the paper and drink coffee.  This girl who used to sleep until at least 11:00 am on the weekends can't sleep past 7:30 am anymore!  But that's okay, I definitely welcome that change.  I often wonder how I even slept that long?!

It was my day to bring breakfast to Sunday School yesterday.  I tried this recipe for the first time and it was a hit!  Only crumbs left behind.  That's what I like to see!  It's totally not healthy, but it is delicious and super easy.  I got the original recipe from Leslie at There's Mud and a Big Bow on my Monogrammed Apron, but tweaked mine a bit.  I forgot to take a picture of it to show y'all (I know blogs are so much more interesting when there are pictures involved), but luckily Leslie had one for me to borrow! :)  Except mine didn't have pecans.  Here's the recipe from her page:

Quick Caramel Coffee Ring

1 stick butter
2/3 cup chopped pecans
1 cup brown sugar
2 cans Grands Jr. Honey Butter Biscuits
2 T water

Pre-heat the oven to 375. Coat a bundt pan with butter or Pam. Sprinkle 2 T of the chopped pecans into the bottom of the pan. Take one can of biscuits, tear each one in half, and roll in ball. (Jane used the cinnamon and sugar biscuits, but I can't find them anymore!) Drop them evenly in the bottom of the bundt pan. Melt butter in sauce pan. Add brown sugar, water, and pecans and bring to a boil. Once you have a good boil, remove from heat and pour half of the mixture over the first layer of biscuits. Repeat the rolling of the biscuits with the second can and then pour the remaining mixture over the second layer of biscuits. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes or until golden! Dump onto a platter and you are set!

Now, for my interpretation of this recipe.  I could not find Honey Butter Biscuits anywhere.  So, I improvised.  I got two cans of the Buttermilk Biscuits, laid out some foil on the counter, sprinkled it with cinnamon and sugar and rolled each ball in the mixture.  When I had finished each layer, I drizzled with honey then the caramel mix that's listed above.  Also, I didn't use pecans.  I'm not a huge fan of nuts anyways plus I didn't have time to go to the store and get some.  But they turned out SO good...nice and gooey!  If you don't like them gooey, I'd suggest baking for another 5 minutes or so.  This is perfect for a large crowd.  Let me know how you like it!

Do any of your bloggers have any recommendations on how to make a dog stop digging.  THIS little face means big trouble.

Bad, bad...Rosie's a digger!  Truthfully, I think there are moles in the yard, but I still do not want the yard torn up even if she has a good excuse.  I turn my back for one minute she digs a 6 inch hole!  I just watched Marley and Me for the first time last weekend and I am totally convinced that Rosie is Marley made over.  Saturday night she jumped in the shower with J.  Seriously?!  Thanks for the muddy paw prints all of my white bathroom rugs, ugh!

It's supposed to be warming up nicely this weekend, highs in the upper 70s, low 80s.  It's looking like a beach day before the in-laws get here!  Can't wait to wear this new suit!

I could use some Vitamin D.

My last blog entry was pretty grim and although I'm still feeling the heartache, especially with the loss of a friend, I do have good news about our church friends.  Their baby is making great progress!  He has been taken off the ventilator and was able to digest some milk.  Hallelujah!   Thank you to all that prayed and please keep praying for my friends, Steve and Teresa and their baby boy.  But tomorrow is Cameron's funeral.  I have knots in my stomach just thinking about it.  I'm hoping a good jog tonight to clear my head will help.

Since I haven't done a meal plan in quite some time on here, I figured I'll go ahead and do one today so here it goes...

Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & steamed broccoli (I am needing comfort food)
Tuesday: Filet mignon and baked sweet potatoes
Wednesday: Baked tilapia with lemon sauce, steamed broccoli & brown rice
Thursday: Pad Thai with chicken and shrimp
Friday: It's our 6 month wedding anniversary, I think we'll be going out ;)
Saturday:  MIL & FIL are coming to town so plans are up in the air!
Sunday: Same as Saturday!

Have a great week, everyone!  And enjoy that extra hour of daylight!
XOXO

Heartache

This weekend was a tough one.  On one hand, I was so blessed to be moving into this new home that the Lord has provided for us.  On the other, my heart ached for dear friends of mine.  I wouldn't normally ask this of the blogging world or anyone else who may be reading this, but I have some friends who could definitely use your prayers.

A friend of mine, who is also my best friend's brother-in-law, was in a terrible accident late Friday night/early Saturday morning.  He died on Monday.  He was 24 years old.  This comes as a complete shock and a terrible tragedy for his family and friends.  Please pray for comfort and strength to make it through these tough days ahead.  His last facebook status update was about church and choir.  I find great comfort in knowing that Cameron loved his Lord and Savior and is with Him now in Heaven.

Some of the old gang before a concert.  This was about 3 years ago.

Rest in Peace, Cameron.  We will miss you so much.

Some friends of ours from church need your prayers as well.  They were expecting their first baby at the end of March, but last Friday she unexpectedly had to have an emergency C-section due to complications unknown.  Their baby is still in NICU with tests being run.  They do not know what is causing the baby's problems.  Please pray that the Lord will provide the doctors with the knowledge to be able to figure out what is wrong with this precious newborn.  And please pray for the mother and father.  I know they are having a very difficult time dealing with this.

It's times like this when no matter how bad my day may be, I am reminded that there are much bigger problems, but none too big for my God to handle.

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

-1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thankful

Often times we get so caught up in our daily routines and the hustle and bustle of everyday life.  Sometimes it's nice to just stop and give thanks for all you have been blessed with.  So, today I am thankful to the Lord for giving me another sunrise to wake up to.  I am thankful for the amazing man I get to wake up next to every day.  I am thankful I had to get up super early (when I would have loved an extra hour of sleep) to get ready for work.  I am one of the blessed ones who has a job.  I'm thankful I can pick up the phone, call my parents, and hear their voices on the other end of the line.  I am thankful for a roof over my head and am blessed to be moving to a bigger home this weekend.  I'm thankful for my wonderful friends who keep me grounded & listen & laugh with me.  I could go on and on, but I just wanted to be sure to point out that you can always give thanks in any circumstance.

My little doggie had to get spayed this morning.  Poor thing, I felt so awful.  She could not figure out why we wouldn't feed her this morning!  Bless her little heart.  We went ahead and got her micro-chipped as well.  The things we do for our animals... :)  Doc just called and informed us everything went great!

This is our last week in our house.  So hard to believe!  I tried to soak it all in this weekend through the packing.  I feel like the walls are closing in on us!  Crazy to think that your whole life can be packed into boxes, isn't it?  Rosie and I took a break from packing and went for a looooong walk through the neighborhood.  I will definitely miss my walks/jogs through this historic neighborhood.  I started feeling nostalgic and decided to take some pictures with my phone (so please excuse the quality)...

 There are little markers all over the neighborhood telling about the history.  Pretty neat.

 Love these big old victorian homes.  I'll miss looking at them.

 So many beautiful, old trees like this one.  They're incredible.

Here's a picture of Rosie, but I will miss those original hardwoods (as much as I complain about having to sweep & mop)

 

I will definitely miss these built-ins.  There are some perks to old homes :)

These next three are from our engagement photos, but they were literally taken right out our front door (where we had our 1st kiss too, ha!)  I love the brick streets!

Yeah, you've seen enough, right?!  ;)

Even though there are certain aspects of this home I will miss, I will NOT miss the bathrooms & kitchen, ha ha!  And Rosie will love her new fenced in backyard to run around in instead of running around my legs.  That's never a good idea.  Rope burn hurts, ouch.  I may be MIA for awhile, but I'll catch up when I'm all settled!  Oh boy, more room to decorate!  And a big kitchen!

XOXOXO