some simple things that make me smile

Some of my favorite things as of lately...

• red nail polish
• hand written notes from friends
• boots with leggings and skirts
• jammin' out to Taylor Swift in my car
• relaxing Saturday mornings with my hubby
• the smell of my parents' house {I believe that every house has a very distinct smell}
• the golden fields near our house


• When Chloe comes to visit {my brother's and my dog, but she lives with my parents :) }


• getting 3 pairs of pants hemmed so that I can wear them with shoes other than my tallest heels {I feel like I have 3 new pairs of pants, because I'll wear them much more often}
• anticipating a week-long vacation in France with my hubby
• knowing that when I return from vacation I get to decorate my house for Christmas!

These simple things make me smile :)

A Gift of Cheer

Last month my mom gave me these beautiful mums and they're still going strong. Every time I see them they bring a smile to my face :) I love color and these flowers definitely bring needed color and cheer to our front porch!

Thanks, Mama!

You Can't Out Give God

I want to share with you a neat way the Lord has blessed us recently :)


Several months ago {I feel like it was February or so} during a sermon, our pastor asked the entire church congregation to give our shoes away {the shoes were donated to an organization to be given to those in need of clothing}. That particular day Ben and I were having lunch with my grandparents after church and we had dressed up more than usual. Ben wore his brown dress shoes and I wore new tall brown boots. Even though we were wearing some of our nicest shoes, we were whole-heartedly led to give up our shoes and did so with joyful hearts. We thought that our shoes would be perfect for someone who was in a need of nice/dressy shoes to wear for a job interview. And we felt blessed by the fact that we were able to go home after church to get another pair of shoes from a full closet before heading to lunch with family.


We didn't really think much about the shoes we had given away until a few months later when Ben was given a pair of brown dress shoes that were even nicer than the ones he had given up. My parents' neighborhood had a neighborhood-wide garage sale and my mom bought {for $2} a pair of brown dress shoes from her next door neighbor. She thought, "these would fit Ben" and they were very nice, leather, and in great condition. She gave them to Ben saying that she just couldn't pass them up for such a good price. These new shoes were at least ten times as nice as the shoes Ben had given away!


Several more months passed by and Ben and I hadn't even thought about our shoes. Last weekend, Ben and I had lunch at my parents' home and my mom says, "last week when I saw Grandma, she gave me a pair of shoes that she says she doesn't wear anymore and they look like something you would wear more than me, so you can have them." What were they? Beautiful, tall, leather, brown boots and definitely 10 times nicer than the pair I had given away several months earlier. The boots I had given away were new and nice, but the new boots are genuine leather and from Saks Fifth Avenue! {My grandma has great taste by the way, especially for a 73 year old lady--haha}.


When Ben and I stopped to look back over the past 10 or so months to see how the Lord orchestrated this very simple yet very tangible blessing in our lives, we were struck and in awe! This is additional proof for us that we can't out give God. We thought we were giving our "nice" shoes and He turns around and gives us each a pair of shoes that are 10 times better than the ones we gave--He is awesome!!

My new kicks!

Monday, Monday

Happy Monday morning :)

I'm pushing through this Monday morning with a smile on my face, because I love countdowns and today starts my 10 day countdown until me and my hubby on on our way to see this...

We've been planning our trip to France for a year and the fact that is it upon us is SO exciting! And we get to see my baby brother who is there studying abroad for this entire school year {we haven't seen him in several months, although we did get to chat with him via Skype yesterday--technology is awesome (most of the time)}.

We've begun our serious prep mode :) On Saturday I checked out several books on France from our local library {some of them we've previously checked out, but I just need a refresher-ha}; we bought extra DVDs for our camcorder; we've started making our packing list and thinking about which suitcases we'll be taking; and we bought AAA batteries to take to my brother, because it costs about $20 for 4 AAA batteries {unfortunately the dollar to euro ratio isn't really in our favor}.

Now we just have to kick up the intensity with practicing our French! I minored in French in college, but haven't spoken it in years, except with my brother occasionally. I definitely need a refresher course :) At least most people speak English there, but the French people appreciate when foreigners try to speak the language. And I agree--it's definitely respectful to at least attempt French when communicating with a francophone. Just think of what it would be like if you were walking down the street in your hometown and someone approached you speaking a language that was completely foreign to you and they looked at you like you should know what he or she is saying. I know I'd be much more inclined to help them if they at least attempted English and then spoke in a native tongue. {I think this is why the French people get the reputation of being rude}.

10 days!!

Bonne journee! {Have a good day!}

A Thanksgiving on Halloween :)

Last Saturday {on Halloween} Ben and I hosted our families at our house for a Thanksgiving feast! As I explained in a previous post here, we're going to be out of the country on Thanksgiving. Well, it was a success :) I didn't get a picture of everything, but the star of the show {the turkey} turned out delicious! Neither Ben nor I had ever cooked a turkey before, so it was definitely a learning experience. We did our research, planned ahead, didn't stress, and it turned out great :)


The Autumn sangria was yummy {and pretty simple to make}.

- 1 cup dried figs
- 1 cup dried plums {prunes}
-1 cup dried apricots
- 1/4 cup molasses
- 1 bottle light red wine, such as Pinot Noir
- 1 bottle of club soda
- 1 orange, peeled and sliced

Combine the fruit, molasses, and wine and chill 2 to 24 hours. To serve, add club soda and orange and stir gently. This recipe easily doubles. {Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens, October 2009}

Spinach dip in a sunflower bread bowl {I really like the colorful presentation of this}

Braised Red Cabbage with Apple and Onion {from Everyday Food}

Saute 1 onion {diced} and 1 apple {diced} in 1 tbsp of butter until tender. Stir in 1 head of red cabbage {chopped} and season with salt and pepper {to taste}. Add 3 tbsp of cider or red wine vinegar, 4 tsp sugar, and 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes {until cabbage is tender}. Really yummy!

Don't worry--Chloe {the dog} didn't eat at the table with us :) She sat up at the table to have her lunch because she was afraid of the big black lab {my sister-in-law's dog} that wanted to play with her--it was hysterical! {Please note that she has a Halloween bow in her hair--complete with an orange spider and fabric that has "Boo!" all over it--she's so cute!!}

Even though I don't have the pictures, I have to give an honorable mention to a couple other dishes: the cornbread dressing was delish and next time I make it I'll share the pics and recipe; the new {and improved} green bean casserole, as well as the sweet potato casserole, was very tasty and I'm planning to make it again sometime soon :) The desserts were awesome, too! I love anything pumpkin and the pumpkin rice pudding is definitely one I'll have to make sometime. And to add even more feasting to the feast {of leftovers} my sister-in-law brought Ben and I some homemade chocolate sour cream pound cake--so, so good(!)--we've been eating a {not so small} slice of that practically everyday. Like I've said before, everything in moderation, right? I guess it's a good thing that Thanksgiving only comes around once per year, but it's definitely a time of feasting, fun, and family that I always look forward to :)

Bean and Barley Soup

We made this a couple of weeks ago {aren't the beans and barley pretty and colorful?} and we really enjoyed it :)

2 cups bean and barley mix {for example, 17 bean & barley mix}
64 oz vegetable broth
1 small onion {diced}
5 celery stalks {diced}
3 carrots {diced}
1 bell pepper {diced}
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp. dried basil
1 garlic clove {minced}
2 tbsp. grape seed or olive oil
½ tsp. Italian seasoning
1 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin
Dash of red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste

- Soak bean mix overnight in a large pot with plenty of water {beans will get bigger}. Rinse and drain beans
- Pour 4 cups of broth into pot with beans
- In a separate pan, sauté onion, celery, carrots, bell pepper and spices with oil until vegetables are tender
- Combine vegetable mixture and tomatoes with beans and cover with more broth
- Bring to a boil and simmer for about an hour or until desired tenderness
- Stir occasionally and check liquid levels {add more broth if necessary}

This is perfect for a relaxing weekend at home {you only have to cook once!} or a chilly Autumn evening. Enjoy!

Kids at Heart

Last Wednesday night Ben and I dressed up for Halloween. {We're part of the adult leader team for our church's youth group}. I was like a kid :) and got really excited about making my costume and dressing up. I was an 80's chick and Ben {who wanted something simple and refused to wear a spiderman costume that he has in the closet from a few years ago} channelled his inner tough guy as 24's Jack*Bauer :)

Good times! {Why do I have a feeling that these will be the pictures that'll totally embarrass us--and our future children--one day? Haha!}