My Dishes

When K and I got married, we both already had a lot of household items.  When it was time to register, there were some things that we wanted to start over with but not a whole lot that we needed.  Our fabulous friends both have these dishes and are also distributors for the company.  We knew we needed them because we want the WORD to be the center of our marriage.  We love them and use them as our every day dishes.  It's always nice to have a reminder of some of God's promises.

Shrimp Recipe

I LOVE shrimp!  It can be cooked quickly and in a variety of ways.  They are pretty healthy too.  I'm always looking for new ways to use shrimp in our meals.  One of the recipes I found on Pinterest was for cilantro lime shrimp.  Ok, so i thought it was a recipe!  I pinned it and clicked on it later when I was ready to make my grocery list. I was so sad to find that it wasn't a link, but just a lonely picture.  I googled several recipes for cilantro lime shrimp and didn't find anything with that picture.  I just used what I found and created my own.  I left out the peanuts and didn't grill it, so I guess it's just Cilantro Lime Shrimp.

Ingredients:
2 tsp olive oil
1 lb peeled and deveined shrimp
1 lime
3/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
***My husband doesn't like a lot of cilantro or garlic.  These amounts can be adjusted according to your taste.

Directions:
Salt and pepper raw shrimp.  Squeeze all lime juice over the shrimp in a shallow dish and let sit room temperature for about 10 minutes.  While it sits, warm olive oil in fry pan over medium heat.  Saute garlic until it begins to brown.  Add shrimp and cilantro and cook until shrimp are pink.  Serve over wilted spinach, buttered linguine (not as healthy), or rice.

See, EASY!

Oven Baked Fries

I've decided to cut way back on the carbs for weight-loss and other health reasons, but when I want to treat myself to potatoes, these will happen again!  I pinned the recipe thinking that it would be a good go-to and I was right!  I followed the recipe, but it wasn't really specific about how big to make the pieces.  I cut them too thin, I think.  They over cooked a bit.  I'd made the pieces bigger next time, but do every thing else the same.

Tarte Mascara

This stuff is amazing!

I'm a mascara junkie.  I thought I'd found my favorite several times before.  I had finally settled on a waterproof kind and used several tubes of it.  While doing some Christmas shopping, I found a set from Tarte at Ulta.  I had used Tarte products before and liked them, so I bought the set to get the cheek stain.  Well, this mascara is life changing!  I LOVE IT!!!  I doubt I will every use anything else.  It adds volume to my lashes without looking clumpy.  It doesn't run or form circles under my eyes by the end of the day and it doesn't come off until I was it off.

Blueberry Cupcakes

This is the first Pinterest recipe I ever tried and they were WONDERFUL!
We had picked fresh blueberries at my in-laws' house and I wanted to use as many of them as I could while they were still fresh.  I would make these again and again!  They are a bit time consuming and take a lot of work, but they are worth it for a special occasion.

One of the first pins I tried was this one from an etsy store.

I already had a few candle sticks of my own that didn't match my new decor.  I also had the paint already, so I just painted what I had with acrylic paint.  i bought 2 candlesticks at Hobby Lobby while they were 50% off, so I spent about $9 on this project.  Here are my candlesticks!

I may try to make a few more in a couple of other colors.  I've added a lime green candle to the turquoise stick and a gold one to the plum stick.  I've used them with all of mantle decorations and they make me smile every time I look at them!

I'll be a blogger...

So, I've decided that blogging is the thing for me!
I've mentioned before that I love crafting and cooking and trying new ways of doing each.  When I was working full time, I didn't have time to try very much.  I've got the time now and I'd like to help others out who may not have the time.
I've recently become addicted to pinterest.  I know, who hasn't?  I've tried several things that I've found there - recipes, organization tips, craft ideas, products, etc.  I figured I could share what I've tried with my friends and family and anyone else who may stumble upon my blog.
I know there are a lot of blogs like this out there, but why not do one myself?

Stay tuned...In the mean time, you can see the pins that I've tried here!

Natural Woman

I'm way too young to have as many aches and pains as I've got. I'm sure weight gain and some disc issues in my spine are to blame, but it seems like there is something more going on.  I just don't feel healthy.  I've surmised that the things that go into and onto my body, including what I breathe in, could have something to do with that.  What's the solution?
I'm thinking NATURAL!  Not hippie granola natural, but non-chemical homemade kind of natural.  I know there are natural options, but they are usually expensive. Saving money has always been a desire, but maybe going natural has even more benefit.  Have you ever read the labels on your cleaning products and beauty products? I can't pronounce most of it!
I've seen a lot about going shampoo-free on the internet.  My initial reaction was, "Gross!  These people are crazy!"  But, with further investigation, it sounds like something I would like to try.  Most people claim that their hair is healthier and easier to manage.  My hair tends to be flat and breaks easily at the ends.  Maybe 'poo free is for me!
I've also found recipes for laundry detergent, deodorant, and lipstick.  I also found something about washing your face with oil...unreal! I plan to start trying homemade as I run out of store-bought products.  I'll let you know how it goes!
My hope is that I will feel better, save money, and be healthier!
Now, I think I'll go clean out my pantry!

Daily Emails

On November 1st I noticed several posts on facebook that showed what people are thankful for.  I liked the idea and was encouraged and reminded to be grateful for the things in my life.  The area of my life that I have been most focused on lately is my marriage.  So, I decided I would take each day to think of another reason I am thankful for my husband.  Rather than posting this on FB for all the world to see, I decided to email him every day.  He thanked me for the sweet email on the first day, but hasn't said much since.  To be honest, I had hoped he would be inspired to reply to each email or say something when he got home from work.  But, he hasn't.  I would be disappointed, but his response has been even better than what I expected.  He's been sweeter, more attentive, and even more romantic!  He even took us away for the weekend!

Since November is just about half-way over, I've started thinking about how to continue this exchange.  Maybe a different theme for every month?  Here's what I have so far.

I'm hoping I can commit to this all year!  I can only imagine how God will use this to grow our relationship!

Baby Food Jars

Since I've been keeping my friends' baby, I've had a LOT of baby food jars around the house.  I decided to take some ideas from Pinterest and adapt them for all of these jars.  Here is a Thanksgiving decoration I made.