Presto, Pesto!

If you want a fairly simple, majorly tasty recipe to add to your repertoire, you have got to try this.

I made this recipe last night and got a giant "Honey, I'm falling in love with you all over again!"  

Pesto Pasta with Italian Chicken Sausage & Roasted Brussels Sprouts.  

Enjoy!

My Sweet Tilly.

I love this girl. So much. 

She is the most faithful companion, best bud, and knower of when I need snuggles.  

She is the sweetest, most gentle soul.

I think our dogs are put in our lives on purpose - a gift from God.

She is my gift.

Stop on in.

Just wanted to invite you all to check out my Etsy shop.  It's still a little ol' thing with just about 11 items, but I'm having lots of fun doing custom orders for people and I would love to do one for YOU!

A jumble of thoughts.

Michigan is under another winter weather advisory tonight.  I'm hearing anywhere for 3"-5" all the way to 8"-10".  Thankful for fires in the fireplace, a snuggly husband, two warm and fluffy pups, and a neighborhood that looks beautiful covered in snow.

I finished Stephanie Nielson's memoir, "Heaven is Here", today.  She took my breath away with her story.  She is just amazing.  I am so inspired by her. Inspired to be a better wife, to trust God, to appreciate the simple things, and to see the beauty in every moment. Her story made me both smile and cry.  What a beautiful, beautiful soul you are, Stephanie!

Lance and I are going to pick up a bunch of pallets this evening so that I can start on a project that I thought of yesterday.  It includes paint, sand paper, and some nails. Sound simple?  I sure hope so! Hopefully I'll have a finished project to post soon. 

Lance and I are a little over a week into our cleanse purification program. Feeling great but still craving pizza! ..and cheeseburgers ..and chicken shwarma ..and cupcakes! Two more days and we can begin eating chicken and fish, though, and that will feel just as good as pizza :)

Thankful for a four day weekend.  It was so nice going to bed last night knowing I didn't have to set the alarm.  And bonus that I get to do the same tonight!

Through the Storm.

Through the storm, he is Lord.

That was the last line of the last worship song during church this morning and it has been replaying in my head all day.  Today was one of those Sundays where the message was for me. I love those days.

Through the storm, he is Lord. A few weeks ago, I wrote a post about my journey through infertility (ugh, I still hate saying that word) over the last two years. It was up for all of one evening and then I took it down.  It was really personal, and I thought that by pouring my heart out I would find comfort.  And, I did.  Just writing it down was a weight lifted from my shoulders.  I have read many other similar posts about infertility, and I absolutely adore those women for putting every last ounce of their heart on their blogs.  But, I guess for me, it just felt too personal to have out there for the long term.  It did open me up to beginning to share about this journey, though, and I think this is a good step for me.

Through the storm, he is Lord.  This is something I have been really trying to live.  It's easy during trials like this to get mad, get sad, and get helpless.  But when you remember that God has a plan that is bigger and better than anything you can imagine, the mad, sad, and helpless feelings begin to ease a bit.  There is a reason for this trial, and I will know that reason one day.  God is faithful.

Through the storm, he is Lord.  Our pastor also talked a lot about what it is that we, as people, do to "self-medicate".  What is it that we do to not have to deal with the emotion, anxiety, and stress that is in our lives.  For some, it is getting lost in social media or work.  For others, it could be something more serious, like gambling or alcohol.  Regardless, it is something that you are filling your empty time with, in order to escape dealing with what happens when your mind "settles".  And in the long run, regardless of if it seems "harmless" or not, it is serving the same purpose.  It might sound silly, but, for example, given the state of our smart phone technology, it is so easy to get lost in the world of Facebook updates and Pinterest pins  24/7 (umm, I may or may not have over 4,000 pins.. what am I doing with my life?!) ..but by the time you finally look up, you have wasted so.much.time. and so much of what you have to offer the world. When you think about it, it is absolutely ridiculous.

It is time wasted. It is time that could should be spent discovering God's plan for your life.  If we "put down" the vice and step through the fear and anxiety, we are stepping into God's plan for us, and that is a gift!  After reading another blogger's post about deleting facebook and twitter from your iPhone, I decided to do it too.  That was about a week ago and I swear I have a clearer mind and calmer spirit because of it. You should try it! :)

Today I am dedicating myself to making more time to discover and live God's plan for my life.  In the downtime, instead of escaping into the many distractions that can "self-medicate", I am going to pursue the greatness that is God and his plan.  Through the storm, he is Lord, and I want to thank him for that. What better way to do it than to truly embrace his plan and be present in the moments that make up the life that he has given us.

Pretty Things with Bitty Price Tags.

If you're anything like me, shopping at Target can equal a disaster for your wallet.  I think I could shop there everyday and still find something new that I need want each time.

So, you can imagine that when I "ran in" to grab some pens for work (such is the life of an English teacher), I came to a screeching halt at the dollar section, located perfectly center at the entrance.  Honestly, it wasn't even the pens and pencils that caught my eye first; it was the packaging! I am a sucker for good, simple branding, and this stuff was too cute to pass up.  And everything was… $1! Two 4-packs of the cutest mechanical pencils, two 2-packs of adorable pens, a fun sticky note pad, and those sweet little labels = $6.

I could have paid the cashier then and actually walked out of the store with the lowest Target total ever at that point, but, of course, I had to do a quick once-over :)

In the end, I added the sweet and pretty Sugar Paper table top calendar (as seen under my $1 goodies and below) to my basket and called it a day.  $9.99.  I felt pretty darn accomplished walking out of Tarjey spending less than $20.  I also feel pretty accomplished walking out after spending all of the money in my wallet…. but that's beside the point.

I'm not sure if Sugar Paper is a new line at Target or not (although I'm there enough that I feel like I should have seen it!), but I am loving their products.  So clean, simple, elegant, and fun!

{www.sugarpaper.com}

August Heirlooms.

One of my favorite summer veggies fruits is the heirloom tomato.  Not only are they gorgeous in their reds, oranges, yellows, and greens, but they also taste better than any other tomato you'll find.  A bite of a good heirloom can take me back to summers on grandma & grandpa's farm, eating lunch fresh from the garden.  So so good!

This morning, Whole Foods had an amazing selection at 8 AM, and I, lucky to get there before the crowds, took full advantage of having the pick of the litter!

I could honestly eat one plain and sliced, but one of my favorite go-to recipes is a tomato basil salad.  Perfectly light and end-of-summery :)


Get your heirlooms before the season ends and enjoy!