monday musings.

monday musings.

1.31.2012

1. The birthday weekend was a success. We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant C has been wanting to try and he got his mamma’s special birthday cake. Happy guy.

2. We started watching Mad Men. 5 episodes into season 1 and we’re already obsessed. We thought Netflix only had 1 season…but we just realized they are all on there…streaming instantly. Pure, enjoyable, 1960’s bliss…

3. It’s almost February which means my birth month is almost upon on. Golden birthday this year!

4. Our ski trip to Breckenridge is only 10 days away! 12 hour car ride…here I come!

5. I have seriously considered bringing slippers to work and leaving them under my desk. No one would notice if I slipped my feet into them while I was working…would they?

6. I’m currently on a shopping freeze. No explanation needed.

7. I need an excuse to make these.

8. Trader Joe’s is coming…

9. I found the Buried Bauble last week and I’m loving my new bracelet.

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happy birthday c!

happy birthday c!

1.27.2012

Happy Birthday Craig! I hope this year brings you endless happiness. I’m so blessed to have met you and I’m so excited to celebrate with you!

Today you’re turning twenty-nine

And you’re looking mighty fine

You said no presents on this day

Instead I’ve planned another way

A surprise or two is in store for you

But I don’t want to give you too many clues

You might have been hoping for a quiet night in

But to not celebrate your birth would surely be a sin

Pack a bag for an overnight

Bring your boots so you look just right

We’ll head to Fort Worth in the afternoon

Maybe make a pit stop at a local saloon

I’ve picked a place you’ve been wanting to try

At 7pm we’ll see if the reviews are a lie

We’ll sit at a table seated for more

Maybe some friends will make our group four

We’ll drink and dance and blow out your candles, too

There’s no one I’d rather be with than you

I hope the night is a great success

I’ve been pretty nervous I must confess

As we celebrate the dawn of your 29th year

I hope you’re excited and without any fear

I just wanted to find the perfect way

To wish you a very Happy Birthday!!

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monday musings.

monday musings.

1.23.2012

1. I didn’t have last Monday off. Everyone keeps talking about the “awesome short week”…but I, in fact, worked a full, very long, very slow week. Ok…I think I’m done now.

2. I’m currently crushing on his hand lotion from TokyoMilk. I have it in Dead Sexy. My hands are SUPER dry in the winter and this lotion has the most perfect scent and doesn’t leave your hands sticky. I don’t even have to wear perfume!

3. I’m also very obessed with this NARS Matte Lipstick Pencil. It literally DOES NOT COME OFF. Eat. Drink. Dance. It says put all night. Put it on at 8pm and you’ll still have perfectly colored lips by 2am. I want it in every color. But I’m loving this vibrant red color (Dragon Girl) at the moment. I’ve never found a more perfect red lipstick.

4. I feel like I need to purchase a new cosmetic item once a week. Blush. Perfume. Lipgloss. Eyeliner. I’m on overload. I’m planning to dump out my lip product bin next week and show you the collection. Stay tuned.

5. It’s been high 60’s, low 70’s in Dallas pretty much all “winter”…this weekend, it almost got up to 80! Will you kill me if I say that I’d kill for hat/mitten weather and a little snow?

6. I managed to overfill my gas tank, drop my keys (and leave them) in a parking lot and then miraculously, my car battery dropped dead sunday morning when I was already late for church. Car issues.

7. We (C and B&B) planned a ski trip to Breckenridge!! So excited to hit the slopes and curl up by the fire!

8. When someone says, “No gifts please!” what is the etiquette there? Do you still bring a gift? Obey their wishes? What if everyone else shows up with a gift? Dilemma.

Happy Monday y’all!

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{music} walk off the earth

{music} walk off the earth

1.21.2012

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1.20.2012

hunger games.

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monday musings.

monday musings.

1.16.2012

1. The new blonde roast at Starbucks is wonderful. Perfect coffee to drink black with just a little sugar. Plus, I’ve heard it has an insane amount of caffeine. Delicious.

2. We celebrated my dear friend’s bachelorette party this weekend! So fun to spend time with these girls.

3. We also celebrated another friend’s birthday! It was such a treat that she was in Dallas so we could treat her to some Mexican food.

4. I’m obsessed with Jason Mraz’s new single - I Won’t Give Up. Such sweet words. I wonder if he wrote it for his fiancee?

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I faithfully believe...

I faithfully believe...

1.12.2012

…in a higher power.

…in a good and gracious God.

…in prayer.

…in patience and grace.

…that miracles happen.

…that good things come to those who wait.

…that I am a child of God.

…that He loves all of us.

…that we have a purpose.

…that He will give us the strength we never knew we had.

God doesn’t always “work” right when you want him too. Sometimes, we feel tested, betrayed, alone…like God is thinking about everyone else but us.

Back in July, I wrote about a mission trip to Costa Rica. I didn’t know how badly I needed Him and how much I had been searching for Him until our first day out on that work-site.

I also met C in July. Thanks God :)

I’ve watched some amazing friends get engaged and married this year. Blessed by God to have found that special person to spend forever with.

Last night, a very dear friend of mine shared with us that God had blessed her and her husband with a baby after 5 years of ever so patiently praying for one. They had all but written off parenthood. And just when they were on the brink of giving up hope and pouring themselves into Youth Ministry sans a kid of their own, God had other plans in mind. Funny how he does that…just when we least expect it. At that moment, as the video ended and her small group of adorable girls ran to her screaming, I felt God. I felt Him in the room with us, smiling because she was faithful and prayerful. I felt happy that I knew God last night. I felt encouraged to trust Him more than ever.

So be open. Pray. Life every day to its fullest. Do not hold back. Reach for the stars. You’ll never know what God has in store for you unless you’re open to everything.

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1.11.2012

"You find yourself believing that you are too busy for a good, early morning breakfast. Suddenly, that halfway-through-the-day feeling takes over you and you begin to feel cranky, exhausted, and heavy-eyed; soon you discover that your attempt to save time in the morning backfired, and you are miserable.

Your mornings are beautiful, peaceful, and full of high hopes. Starting your day with the Lord is the whip cream on your pancakes, the cheese to your omelette, the creamer in your coffee. Without that wonderful prayer and moment with God in the a.m, your day will feel full of emptiness. 

So, eat your bowl of wheaties and read your favorite verse(s) in the bible. Because without that rejuvenating time, you’re going to have that half-way-through-the-day feeling. 

Have a wonderful, blessed, delicious morning."

(Source: the roots of me: God is like breakfast.)

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monday musings.

monday musings.

1.09.2012

1. This super cool app helps you count calories throughout the day. It’s great when I have a “healthy day” but sucks when C drags us to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch football where we promptly learn we’ve consumed outrageous amounts of calories. I don’t log my food on those days. Cheating? I call it “selective eating”. If I don’t record it, it’s sorta like I didn’t eat it…

2. C and I celebrated six months at Neighborhood Services this weekend. So sweet.

3. I’m starting to get self-conscious about how many ‘pins’ I’ve liked/pinned onPinterest. How much is too many? I’m approaching 500 pins…Everything on there is just so awesome.

4. I discovered this weekend that I prefer my coffee black with a dash of sugar. Forget the milk! It dilutes the coffee flavor. I’m thoroughly enjoying my coffee this morning in the event of my recent discovery.

5. I was in Chicago this weekend for basically 24 hours. It was a BLAST and I loved getting to see my friend Mel. Man, I LOVE that city. We lucked out and had awesome weather too, though. I probably would have been miserable if it had been 12 instead of 45.

6. I managed to leave my Nook on the plane this weekend on the way to Chicago. Major bummer. And probably long gone. I also managed to lose a glove and my L pass. I was really just having a hard time holding on to my possessions.

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{recipe} butternut squash ravioli

{recipe} butternut squash ravioli

1.06.2012

On this very low-key, drink-wine-in-your-sweatpants-on-the-couch, NYE we discovered that C has a very useful skill. He is a PRO at making homemade ravioli. It might have something to do with the OCD and his need for perfection but never the less, he perfected ravioli making on his first try!

I know it's blurry...

Those huge, ugly pancakes were my attempt at homemade ravioli. I was being stubborn and rebelling against the “ravioli maker”…(can you even call two pieces of wood a ‘ravioli maker’…???) C’s raviolis were perfect little pillows of delicious heaven all covered in a warm blanket of Sage Brown Butter Sauce. HEAVEN! Thank goodness C came through in the end, otherwise we would have starved our way into 2012.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter

adapted from this recipe by Camille Styles

For the filling:

• 1/2 butternut squash, seeds removed
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt

Preheat oven to 425°. On a foil-lined baking sheet, roast butternut squash until tender. Let cool, peel, then mash with olive oil, maple syrup, nutmeg, mascarpone cheese & salt.

For the pasta: 

• 4 eggs, plus 2 egg whites, beaten, for egg wash
• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
• 1/2 cup water

In an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook, add eggs, 1 at a time, and mix.(We did it by hand because we cooked at C’s house and he didn’t get a sweet, orange stand mixer for Christmas like someone else I know….)Continue mixing and add all the flour and water; continue mixing until it forms a ball. Sprinkle some flour on work surface, and knead the dough until elastic and smooth. Wrap the dough inplastic wrap and let it rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

Cut the ball of dough in half, cover and reserve the dough you are not immediately using to prevent it from drying out. Dust the counter and dough with flour. Form the dough into a rectangle and roll it through the pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at its widest setting. Guide the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue until the machine is at its narrowest setting. The dough should be paper-thin, about 1/8-inch thick.(We also don’t have the sweet pasta making attachment for the aforementioned stand mixer so we did this by hand using a rolling pin and the infamous “ravioli maker” aka two pieces of wood.)

Dust the counter and dough with flour, and lay out the long sheet of pasta. Brush the top surface of dough with egg wash. Drop 1 tablespoon of cooled filling about 2 inches apart on half the sheet of pasta. Fold the unfilled half over the filling. Gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling and form a seal. Cut each pillow into squares.

Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Ravioli will float to the top when cooked so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon. Plate the pasta and top with sage brown butter sauce.

Sage Brown Butter Sauce

• 1 stick butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped sage
• salt and pepper to taste

In a small pan, melt the stick of butter. Add the sage and continue to cook until the butter starts to brown. Remove from the heat.

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monday musings.

monday musings.

1.02.2012

1. Well, the holidays came and went so fast…it is all quite a blur.

2. The only beverages I seem to consume during the holidays are coffee, wine, beer and occasionally water.

3. I always forget to start writing the new year when I have to date things. I use a lot of white out in January and February while I’m getting the hang of it. (Do people still use white out? Or pen and paper for that matter…?)

4. NYC at Christmas. Just wow. It’s a magical place.

5. When you’re in NYC, you must eat here. Awesome atmosphere, great food, superb drinks…and affordable (in NYC terms).

6. Did you laugh when you read yesterday’s post about my new year’s resolutions? Cause I just read it again…and I’m laughing. At myself.

7. I just got these new glasses and I just love them. I think I might even love the price more.

8. I color coded my email labels in my GMail. Now my email looks so colorful and exciting!…It’s the little things in life.

Christmas in NYC

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the {obligatory} new year's resolutions post.

the {obligatory} new year's resolutions post.

1.01.2012

How many times have you made this list? In your planner, on a sticky note, on your blog, on your hand, on your bathroom mirror, on your fridge…and how many of those so called “resolutions” have you kept up with?

If we’re being honest here, for me, the answer is zero. I guarantee you I’ve made numerous resolutions for the new year in my head, on paper, on my blog…wherever. Then I go back and read them six months later and laugh. What was I thinking? Eat better? Spend less? Run more?

Yea…not happening. So what is this non-resolution-keeping, failed-goal-setting, under-achiever supposed to do? Try, try again.

So here goes nothing:

1. Make meals to freeze on the weekends so that I’ll have something decent to eat during the week. This is helping me come up with ideas.

2. Get back on track with church. Apparently, I’ve decided that because I go to Small Group on Wednesday mornings and lead my sophomore girls Small Group at WOW on Wednesday nights that I can forgo the weekly Sunday church service. Let’s get this back on track.

3. Train for something. Generic and vague, I know. But I’m looking for inspiration. Currently, C and I have been looking at road bikes with the hopes that I might sign up for this in June. Feel free to come out and watch….and laugh. I’m also excited for this in Feb.

4. Travel more. Plan trips. Explore new cities. Take a buddy with me. (Disclaimer: This resolution is contingent upon me getting a bigger paycheck.)

What sort of resolutions are you trying to accomplish in 2012?

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