thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) Parental visits. Yep, Mom & Dad are making their way from Houston to Louisville to check out our new digs. We have lots of fun activities planned for the weekend... including (but not limited to), a trip to the farmer's market, dinner at the Captain's Quarters, lunch and shopping in Bardstown, and a tour of Churchill Downs!

2) Falling leaves. I love the beginning of fall. When the leaves are transforming into brilliant colors, and slowly making their way to the ground. They seem to fall as if they have all the time in the world... just floating and twirling. I love that.

3) Farmer's markets. We made our first trip this past weekend and came home with cherry tomatoes, deliciously ripe peaches, the best cheese spread ever, and some flowers. I love the idea of farm-to-kitchen. Sadly, this particular farmer's market only has two weekends left. We will be going both weekends.

blogspirations

I have been feeling a little craft-impaired lately... as all the boxes marked "CRAFT CLOSET" are still sitting out in the garage... all sealed up and stacked up, with no where to go.

I'm itching to work on some projects that have been in progress for quite some time now... but unfortunately that probably won't be happening any time too soon, as we have some really busy exciting weekends planned (more on that later).

There is so much inspiring goodness out there right now. Until I can sit down with my own craft supplies, I will continue to live vicariously through crafters via the world.wide.web.

Over on Marta Writes, she and Summer Harms partnered together to create the Penpal Project. It is brilliant. It combines the beauty of photography and penmanship. I think more grownups should have penpals. Anyone interested in a Kentucky penpal?

Liz at Paislee Press made this beautifully simple travel album documenting a trip to Italy and Paris. She used a Kolo Riva album and kept the layout super simple... which I love. You can also see her project on the Koloist blog. Lance and I did our own Paris trip back in 2007... and all of our photos are still in a box. Maybe this is just the inspiration I needed...

Over on Becky Higgin's blog, she challenged her readers to try photographing from a different angle... specifically, taking shots from the ground. She posted a few of the submissions that came in, and they were all so beautiful. It's amazing how a photograph transforms just by changing the perspective. I am so going to try this soon.

Then finally, on Elise's blog last week she put together a sweet little "she&he" book. It is adorable. I love how it is a snapshot of her life as a newlywed. Again, this project seems pretty simple... and I like that. She is just printing out some of her monthly she&he blog posts and putting them right in the album. I did end up taking Elise's "BIGmini" online class, and it was oh-so-fabulous. I am hoping to actually make something soon.

I have become a virtual crafter.

seminary sweater

Since becoming a "seminary wife" I have recently been feeling some unsaid pressure to transform into the stereo-typical-meet-the-duggards-type woman. Now, let me be clear... this pressure does not come from anyone but myself... but none-the-less, I'm feeling it.

The seminary Lance is attending is by no means some psycho-rule-enforcing-wacko-commune. Far from it. However, it is understood that men and women should dress in a way that is fairly modest and respectful. Lance often wears a t-shirt and jeans to class and if I'm visiting him on campus I will often wear jeans and a cute tank of some sort.

Although... Lately, I've been noticing that I will carry a sweater with me as well. Just.in.case.

You know... the Seminary Sweater.

Just in case I all of a sudden realize that the shirt I picked out is too low cut, or fits too well... I am suddenly much more aware of how I am dressed compared to others. It's not that I typically dress immodestly... I just find myself analyzing it a little bit more lately. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. And come fall, it won't matter much at anyways... everyone will be wearing Seminary Sweaters...

finally... we found it...

...Good southern food, that is. Lance and I have been on a massive hunt here in Louisville for some good-ol'-home-cooked-southern-soul-food-goodness. And finally, we found it.

Nothing beats homemade macaroni and cheese, real mashed potatoes, crispy fried chicken, and good salty green beans. You know... the kind of food that clogs your arteries, but you are happy to let it do so. This is one of those things that we have really been missing from Georgia... no, scratch that, from the South. Beacause really, Kentucky is unsure if it is a southern state or a northern state. It can't quite seem to make up it's mind on this issue. Lance and I were afraid we were never going to eat soul food again...

And then, we found Indi's.

Indi's has given me hope for the southern side of Kentucky. The macaroni and cheese was some of the best I've ever had. Almost as good as the mac-n-cheese Lance's grandmother Meme would make. The chicken was just right. And the green beans were supurb. But the best part... the people serving up the food behind the counter... super friendly, and struck up conversation with us like we grew up down the street from them. That is what I miss from the south.

We will definitely be back. Sooner, rather than later...

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:


1) The Cupcake Shoppe. I have been wanting to try this place out since the moment I laid eyes on it. And finally... yesterday, I did. It was everything I hoped it would be. I had the "cookie monster" and it did not disappoint. I am determined to try them all at one point or another. You can check out their website here.

2) An abundance of awesome churches. Lance and I have been trying to find a good church home here in Louisville. We have narrowed our search down to two very different, but equally awesome churches. We are so grateful that we have so many wonderful churches to choose from.

3) My window view. This morning I was checking emails and starting my work day, when I glanced out the window and saw this... Two beautiful deer only a few yards away... just chillin' and hanging out in our backyard. Yesterday I found myself wishing we might have lived a little closer to town, you know, in all the action... but this was a gentle reminder that the peace and quiet has it's own perks.

best party dip ever...

Okay... well, I might be a little biased about this dip, but it's pretty dang tasty. Ask anyone who's ever come over to our house after a football game, or for a get-together. There is rarely any leftover, and if there is, I can usually finish it off myself. My mom always made this dip growing up (and still does)... it's known to be her signature party dish. Since my mom and I are in different states, it is totally legal for me to borrow her signature dish, and call it my own:)

This little dip is not only the best, but it's also the easiest. It's basically a 5 layer dip. It's a cinch to make with only 5 simple ingredients...

3 ripe avocados

1 small container of sour cream

1 bunch of green onions

1 small container of mild Picante sauce

1 package of shredded chedder cheese

And then 5 simple steps to create 5 simple layers...

1) Cut your 3 avocados in half and scoop them out onto your dish (a shallow serving dish works best). I usually slice the avocados pretty thin to make them easier to mash. I just take a regular dinner fork and mash them up by hand straight on my serving dish. This should be a pretty simple task assuming your avocados are ripe. Spread the mashed avocados so that they cover your dish completely. It should look like the photo below. This is layer #1, and in my opinion the tastiest and most important:)

2) Take your small container of sour cream and spread over the avocado. It should be just the right amount. It's important to put the sour cream on next, as it helps to keep the avocado from turning brown. This is layer #2.

3) Chop up the bottom portion of your green onion bunch. This one was a pretty small bunch and I probably should have got 2. This is totally up to you... want more green onions? Use 2 or 3 bunches. I just use a knife to thinly slice the onions, but sometimes when Lance makes the dip, he uses a food processor for really finely chopped onions. This is layer #3.

4) Pour the container of Picante sauce over your sour cream and green onions and spread evenly. Your party dip should start to resemble some type of child's finger painting artwork (with green onions and peppers, of course). This is layer #4. (almost done)

5) And finally, take your entire bag of shredded chedder cheese and sprinkle evenly over the Picante sauce. Do not dare skimp on the cheese. If the avocado is the best part of this dip, the cheese is a close second. You can never go wrong with too much cheese. I've even been known to open a second bag, just to make sure my top layer of cheese was plentiful... don't judge. This is layer #5.

Your dip is complete and ready to eat. I usually serve with a big bowl of Tostitos chips. Give it a try this weekend. It's a perfect tailgating dish... or great to munch on all day Saturday while you watch college football. You will not be disappointed. Promise. Enjoy!

a great {labor free} labor day weekend...

The weather was absolutely perfect.... the windows were open... college football was on... the burgers were on the grill... and the pool was calling my name. We could not have asked for a better Labor Day weekend.

Saturday we literally watched football all.flippin.day.long. It was fabulous. We had the windows open, letting the cool mid 70's breezes filter in the house. It just felt like fall. We took a brief football break to go grab some dinner at our new favorite sushi joint, Oishii Sushi (pronounced Oooshi Sushi, very fun to say). Although it wasn't a complete football break... while we were eating at the sushi bar that we saw Jacksonville State clench the win over Ole Miss in double overtime... even the sushi chefs were cheering.

On Sunday we decided to have a few seminary friends (well, our only friends so far, really) over for greek burgers. It was a great time... Lance demonstrated how to construct the perfect greek burger while we enjoyed the beautiful weather and tasty appetizers...

Lance's yummy bruschetta.

Julia's avocado party dip (more on this later).

Meet some of our new friends... Jonny (guy in yellow on the far right) is from Northern Ireland and is in some of Lance's classes. He is engaged to Janaye, who is currently studying in Tulsa, OK. Janaye and Jonny's brother, Ian (guy in white on far left) were in Louisville visiting for the weekend. Mike (guy in black shirt) is from Scotland and has visited several of the same churches that Lance and I have been to recently.

Meet Aubrey and Nishika. They are some of the first people we met when visiting Louisville. They are originally from South India, but have been living in Canada the past year. Aubrey helped Lance unload the Uhaul when we first moved in.

We are slowly getting the hang of this "making friends" thing. You can never go wrong with a good cookout by the pool. If friends turn us down for that, then we don't stand a chance :)

And finally... this is what I did yesterday...

Pure bliss.

happy 80th birthday nana & pop!!!

That's my Nana and Pop. They are awesome. Really. The absolute best. And today is my Pop's 80th birthday. I know, right... would have never guessed! And Nana will be 80 this October. I know, I know... I have one smokin' hot Nana. I am just hoping and praying that I got her genes.

My Nana and Pop hold a very special place in my heart. I remember living in Corpus Christi, TX and making the 4 hour drive to visit them in Houston... I was probably 5 or 6. I told my Nana, "I wish we just lived next door to each other. Then we could both stand at our front doors and just wave to each other."

And what do ya know... a few years later, my family moved to Houston, TX... right across the street from Nana and Pop!! And just in case that wasn't good enough, during my freshman year of college, both my parents and my Nana and Pop all moved to a new neighborhood... right next door from each other!

I loved growing up this way. I frequently stayed the night at Nana and Pop's... where they would "spoil me rotten." Nana would paint my nails and put little designs on them... Pop would tell me to eat my vegetables because it "would put hair on my chest" (which, I'm pretty sure is why I still don't eat my veggies). They would take me to Luby's and let me get as much macaroni and mashed potatoes as I wanted... and lots of dessert. I'm pretty certain I got my shoe fetish from Nana and my sweet tooth from Pop.

I still love to sit at their house when I visit Houston. We chat about all kinds of things. They constantly support and encourage me in everything I do... They love my husband... They still "spoil me rotten..." They always created an environment where I understood that family was important and valued... and for that I will forever be grateful.

Tonight, to celebrate my Nana and Pop's 80th birthdays, my entire family will be meeting up at Red Fish (this restaurant deserves a post all on it's own). I am a little sad (and jealous) that we won't be there for the big party... but we still send our love and hugs! Happy birthday Nana and Pop! We love you!

thankful thursday

This Thursday I am thankful for:

1) 3-day weekends. I'm pretty sure anytime I've had a day off work, this has been included in my Thankful Thursday... and rightly so. I mean, who doesn't love a day off work?? I will be celebrating out by the pool, thank.you.very.much.

2) College football. This weekend officially kicks off the 2010 college football season... well, technically tonight does... but either way, this is what we'll be doing this weekend (and every weekend after that).

3) Stationary. I actually have a strange obsession with it. I'm not entirely sure why... Currently, I'm loving the Kate Spade Idiom Notecards... they have adorable sayings such as: "red letter day," and "out of the blue." So stinkin' cute. And don't even get me started on the bracelets...

anticipating fall...

The cooler mornings (and the simple fact that it's September 1st) have me yearning for fall. I'm not a huge fan of cold weather, but I love everything about fall. I love Friday night football games. I love Saturday tailgating. I love cute boots. I love the anticipation of Christmas. I love the smell of pumpkin pies. I love the crisp cool mornings. I love the brilliant shades of color. I just love fall... simple as that.

Some things I'm specifically anticipating...

pulling out my fall wardrobe...

fall festivals (hoping to find some good ones in our new city)...

college football (GOOOO TROOOJANS!!!)

this super cute yellow j. crew jacket...

and of course, the seasonal aisle at Target...