Reason #4,365 why I love my best friend...

Donielle and I have been best friends since we were in high school.  I could sit in a room with her and be entirely quiet, both of us doing our own things.  I could also sit in a room with her and be entirely quiet because we're laughing so hard that noise isn't even coming out.  We both chose to follow Christ with our entire lives at the same time (Young Life Camp: Castaway '99 BAAAAYBAAAAY!) and that we did.  Unfortunately, a lot of people think that when you follow Christ you can no longer "have fun".  I would like to know what "having fun" looks like to those who think you can no longer have it because let me tell you, I have had more fun living my life for Christ than I did before (and a lot of that fun involves my bffaot Doni).  Now I could go on and on with memories and reasons that I love her, but this post is entirely devoted to the last reason (#4,365) to date that I love her.  I love her because she loves high school girls and God used her in some way, shape or form to show His love to them.  I love her because not only does she love high school girls but she goes on spring break with them.  Let's analyze this...what do you think that most senior in high school girls do on spring break?  Go clubbin'?  Consume large quantities of alcohol?  Wear inappropriate clothing to draw attention to themselves because they lack self confidence and seek it in any guy that will give it to them?  Well, well, well...NOT THESE HIGH SCHOOL GIRLS!  These girls (Doni included) are living life to the fullest loving Christ and HAVING FUN!  Please scroll to the bottom of my blog and turn OFF my music, and then proceed to watch this video!  Doni is playing the roll of Luda in this video (for those of you who need help with this: she's wearing Young Life sweat pants with a light blue shirt and a white jacket).  Please enjoy watching these girls have the time of their lives acting completely ridiculous at all hours of the morning :)

Pants everywhere will hate me!

Do you love these as much as I love them???  Do you wish you didn't have to wait a whole year to get them in the Spring when you're trying to contort your body to look good in a bathing suit??? I have a solution for you, but first, I'm going to share with you my favorite cookies.  As a former Girl Scout, I have a lot of favorites!

What are my favorites?

Well my ALL TIME favorite is the Samoa (some of you Lexington folks know them as "Caramel DeLites" but in Louisville, it was Samoas...that was just as confusing as calling Gattiland Gattiland in Lexington when it was known there as Gattitown.)

My next favorite is the Tag-a-long...look at that peanut buttery goodness!  And a little crunch - perfection!

I love Thin Mints when they're frozen - I don't know why, but I think they taste better like that.  

These buttery goodness cookies just seem to melt in your mouth, I love the Trefoils!

Well now you can have them anytime of year as long as you're willing to work for them...go here to get the recipes for a lot of the popular girl scout cookies!  That's right, I said RECIPES!  You can make your own girl scout cookies!  And, while you're at it why don't you share what your favorite cookies are :).

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 6

Lots of inspiration and lots of before and afters!  If you're looking for some pictures to inspire your decorating mind, get ready!  Not only will you find before and after of small projects, but you'll also find quick DIY activities to help you transform details in a matter of minutes.

This is so easy and I feel like it is going to catapult me into loving lamps...

Did you find an outdated dining room set that you want to love?  Just follow her lead.

And scroll to the end of this page and you'll find a super cute and inexpensive gift for some girlfriends!

And how could I not include this?!  I've always wanted to make one of these!

Go be Girly and tell me what you think!

Happy Blogging!

The Random Thoughts of Thursday

So evidently I have randomness swirling my brain every Thursday.  What does this say about me and the weekdays?  By Thursday I can take no more?  Nah, just that I have a bit of randomness in my veins (you already knew this) and I have to air it out from time to time (I guess that's on a weekly basis now?).  So, enjoy the random list, or take the warning of randomness and ignore the blog today :).

(Click on the picture to go to Life Action Ministries)

1) This past week, our church hosted Life Action Ministries for the Thirst Conference.  At first, I have to admit, I was a bit peeved.  I'm on Spring Break and I don't have class at night but now I have to go to church every night?! (I'm embarrassed to even admit that to you).  I think that was God setting up my schedule so that I could go (Thanks God!  I'm glad You're in charge of me and I'm NOT!).  It was a great week of truthful, scripturefilled services that really shone light to dark places in my heart.  One of the things that I felt very convicted of this week was my bitterness.  I would have never pinned myself as a bitter person before, but the conviction strings were pulled and the veil was lifted from my eyes.  This is something that I feel like has really gotten in the middle of my relationship with the Lord and I'm so thankful that I have been convicted of this.  I'm currently praying (and accepting prayers) to really pinpoint the root of this bitterness as I feel like I can't discard it from my heart if I'm unsure of where it's come from.

2) I mentioned above that I am currently enjoying Spring Break.  Enjoying is the right word; unfortunately I have done little to nothing on the list of things that I wanted to get done.  I'm suffering from procrastination right now by writing this blog...hmmmmm, go figure.

3) For the past 7 years (yes, count them seven) I have had a summer goal of learning how to sew (shows how good I am at keeping my goals) and I've never accomplished this.  The main reason being I didn't have a sewing machine and so I felt as if I couldn't practice without one (and I didn't have the resources to get one).  Stephen has happily agreed to the purchase of a sewing machine which leaves me elated!  So, I will have a new sewing machine by Easter, and am hoping that my mom can show me how to use it to get started on the simple projects I have planned for myself.

4) I just finished laundry (specifically the sheets and towel portion) and have towels hanging on various heaters around the apartment (don't worry, they're steam heaters and nothing will catch on fire).  This is just another one of the many reasons that I look forward to the day when we have a washer and dryer IN our apartment that WORKS.

5) I've tried 3 new recipes this week and each one of them have been a success (no glory to me, I just followed the steps)!  I look forward to sharing these recipes with you in the next couple of weeks (HEALTHY homemade spaghetti and meatballs, grilled chicken with asparagus and orzo, chicken fajitas)

6) Looking for a great Mother's Day gift for a friend or your own mom?  I followed some blog advertisements which led me to Vintage Pearl where you can purchase this wonderful personalized gift (I thought they were great, especially for new moms).  I am awaiting on the arrival of mine to come, I'll let you know what I think of the final product.  Word to the wise: order early as they take anywhere from 2-4 weeks.

7) Earlier this week I expressed my need for some cheap inspiration for our guest room.  I got some great advice (2 to be exact) of different ideas to decorate the guest room bare wall.  I liked both ideas, but ended up going with Jade's simply because the bed sits so close to this wall which forces people to almost make-out with the wall as they walk to the other side of the bed.  I knew that if I followed Angie's advice of hanging twine and clothes pinning pictures to it, that pictures would constantly fall when people walked past it.  I ordered some paper today from Etsy for $5, I look forward to getting it and buying some el cheapo frames and matting these scrapbook pictures up in the guest room (stay tuned for some pictures of the completion!)

8) I found myself at this blog this morning and absolutely LOVED reading it.  This high school and college teacher has found a great and very interesting way to teach grammar to anyone who will read her blog.  Trust me, it's entertaining AND educating!

9) Saving the best for last: Mimi and Laura are coming to visit tonight!  I am so excited!  Our plans for the weekend?  Pizza and the UK game tonight; walking around the lake/park/zoo/state street tomorrow and then who knows what else the weekend will bring!  I am so happy to hang out with my sweet friends!  I haven't seen Mimers in FOREVER and I look forward to an amazing weekend with her!

10) I lied, number 9 wasn't the last one.  One more...the weather here is reminding me of KY in the sense that it is SO random.  Don't get me wrong, I loved the 60's weather last week but when it snowed over the weekend, talk about a BUMMER!  This week has been in the 50's but as I type I hear the wind going nuts telling me that the cooler weather (40 degree temps) are making their way in.  *sigh* I look forward to REAL spring!

Digs My Hart

I don't know if you've noticed how I've changed the font of my post headings and dates here on my bloggity-blog!  I'm hoping that you know what I'm talking about now that I'm bringing it to your attention (or else that means that I only THINK that I've changed the font but it's not showing up on your computer...uh-oh!).  I discovered this trick a couple of weeks ago while I was getting lost in blog land.  If you're interested in doing this for your blog, I must tell you that while it took a few minutes (maybe 20ish) to complete, it wasn't hard as long as I followed the step-by-step process.  You can even control the color and size of your font while you're changing the style.  I went here and did exactly what Amanda told me to do and as a result I got to see all my headings in 'Digs My Hart' font!  I really like the way it gave my blog a whimsical look and I know that when ADD sets in, I'll be going to change the font once again :).  I hope you find some use out of this great link!

In need of some cheap inspirations!

You might remember me posting about the moss wreath that I made a couple of weeks ago.  I made this for the guest room and was so excited because it was going to go along with the color scheme (greens and browns) quite nicely.  I had a vision of which wall I was going to hang it from and I knew that it would "complete" the room.  Yesterday, I got a chance to get the ribbon together and to hang it!  I love the way the greens in the moss look with the greens in the room, and how the brown ribbon looks with it all.  The only problem is that the wall that I was hoping for the wreath to adorn, was just too big for the wreath.  Here is a picture of my finished moss wreath:

Here it is rocking out the guest room:

I love the way it looks right next to the bed...the only issue now is that the wall that I had planned on hanging the wreath from is empty....

This is the wall that you see right when you walk into the room.  I would love ANY ideas for things to make to fill this space up.  I'll take any and all suggestions!  Thanks creative blog friends!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 5

This woman is out of control!  Her thrift is inspiring, and definitely makes you want to get up off of your computer and go to your local Goodwill or Salvation Army and find the goodies that she has to transform for yourself!  She also has a knack for organization so I'm sure if you're lacking in motivation, her before and after pictures will put you in the right mood to clean up your place.

Look at the fun things that she has done with these!

Don't go buying all new hardware for your house - just update it like she did.

Find some motivation to clean out your kitchen pantry...good luck!

I'll leave you to your own devices - go meet the Thrifty Chick and learn the art of thriftiness!

Happy Blogging!

Crafty Furniture Heartache!

I can't even begin to express the sadness that I had this evening - I was so let down!  (okay, I'm being a huge drama queen but I WAS bummed out!).  Let me explain.  Last night, I was walking home from class, talking on the phone with my mom.  Right before I got to our door, I noticed that the people next door had put a desk to the curb.  At first glance I was totally uninterested but then, as I looked back on it, something caught my eye.  This desk was awesome, solid wood, just in need of some TLC.  I interrupted my mom telling her, "there's this awesome desk outside that I want but I don't think Stephen would be happy with me if I asked him if we could have it..." so I left it at that, but my mind was thinking of all the possibilities: painting it black or stripping it and re-staining it a deep walnut.  Oh the wheels were spinning!  Fast forward to three o'clock in the morning (I had fallen asleep on the bed after dinner because I was feeling icky and instead of waking me up, Stephen got ready for bed and laid down next to me.  I woke up and still needed to put my pjs on, brush my teeth, etc), I say to Stephen, "Hey!  Did you see that desk outside when you were walking home from church?" His response?  "Yeah!  I almost brought it up but I thought you'd be mad at me!"  WHHHHHAAAATTTT?!??!?!?!  Why didn't I just ASK him if I could have it when he came home?  I didn't feel like it was the right thing for a loving wife to do to her husband who had to wake up in 2 hours to ask him to go out in the middle of the night to get the awesome desk and take it to the basement of our apartment building, surely disturbing the peace...but BOY did I want to!  So we decided if it were still there when he returned from work, he'd get it and take it downstairs.  I thought about that dumb desk all day - all the things that I could do with it.  I went on a walk at 2 and there she was in all her glory, just waiting for us!  I returned at 3 and she was still there!  I contemplated removing the drawers and thought that no one would want a desk with no drawers.  Then I decided that if she'd been there all day, she'd be there when Stephen returned...I WAS WRONG!  Stephen came home and the desk was GONZO.  I was heartbroken.  I had my heart set on free furniture and all that I could do with it!  Moral of this story?  When I see something FREE on the curb that I want, I will snag it! (or at least as my husband if I can have it BEFORE 3am)!

Wishing I were better in the kitchen...

I went to the Library last weekend (to get books for class) and I decided to make my trip fun by getting a few books for myself.  I have a deep desire to try out new things in the kitchen and to create some amazing meals like I see online or in books.  This desire motivated me to check out all the cookbooks at the Library (a friend gave me that bit of advice: check out cookbooks at the library and if you really like them, THEN go buy them).  I was so excited to see this book among the flood of other cookbooks:

I had seen this book at Crate and Barrel and managed to walk right past it (only after I admired the bright and cheery cover), but when I saw it at the library, I immediately grabbed it and started skimming through it.  This cookbook is AWESOME!  Let me share with you the number one reason that I love it:  it includes a picture of EVERY recipe that is in the book.  For someone who doesn't know what they're doing, this is a very big plus!  I need that picture to see if my creation is "correct", and I also need that picture to help me decide if I want to go through with making the dish.  The next thing that I love about this book is that with all the main courses they tell you what side dishes, salads, etc. would go great with them.  I like it when a cookbook does this because (let's be honest) I don't know how to cook let alone what foods compliment each other!  And lastly, the recipes that are included actually look DO-ABLE and scrumptious!  This isn't a cookbook filled with things that you would normally make and already have a bajillion recipes for, but they are yummy looking and inspiring!  If you go to Amazon {just click the word, I've already directed you there} you can flip through the book to see what I'm talking about.  I'm going to enjoy borrowing this from the public library and then I'll probably search online for some cheap prices instead of paying the Crate and Barrel price!  Happy Cooking!

Random Thoughts

I've got lots of random, short thoughts so you're getting them in one punch - I know you're bored when you keep reading this :).

-Tonight is my last night of class before spring break.  I am really excited about this although the excitement just isn't the same now that I'm no longer in college and not going to a sandy beach somewhere.

-I found out yesterday that I probably can't be finished with grad school by next spring which really bums me out.  This means that our time in Chicago must be prolonged because I can't leave in the middle of completing the program...ugh!

-Today is the day that all Cats fans look forward to - welcome to March Madness!  I'm so happy because I know that all the Cats' games will be on television here, whereas before they didn't care about the SEC so their games weren't televised.  All the games they play from here on out I will be able to watch on my t.v. - ah!  The simple things in life!

-Why do I look at real estate in Kentucky?  I get on remax.com and I look up all different price point homes and then continue to show them to Stephen.  Someone needs to remind me of #2 in my random thought list!  Evidently, I really like to procrastinate.

-The furniture man is coming tomorrow to try and fix the spill on our furniture and I'm hoping that they can actually fix it and we can forget it ever happened.

-My discipline has gone on vacation.  I'm struggling in my discipline with my walk with the Lord in the sense that I am not spending the time I need to with Him.  This is really frustrating because I have the time now to spend LOTS of time with Him so why don't I?!?!?!

-Why do so many people in Chicago get excited about St. Pat's Day?  I mean, the whole purpose behind the holiday isn't really celebrated, people just want to wear green and drink a lot of beer.  I can't tell you how crazy it was here on Saturday night (that's when they dyed the river green) and how many people kept telling us, "Happy St. Patrick's Day!" (Saturday WASN'T St. Patrick's Day!!!)

-I want a dog really badly.  The hard part about this is that Stephen also wants a dog too...badly for him as well.  Why is this bad you ask?  Because we can't get a dog right now so we have to continually remind ourselves as to why we can't get one...but it's soooo hard when we're walking and we see cute pooches everywhere!

-I have a lot of fun things to look forward to!  Next week Mimi and Laura are coming to visit for 3 days (YAYAYAYAY!) and then there's Easter :).  Stephen has off Good Friday so we're heading home on Thursday night to spend a nice long weekend in Louisville.  I love Kentucky!

-Stephen has really held me accountable to working out and I'm so grateful for him!  I know that I wouldn't have gone to the gym at all if it weren't for him pushing me.  My running is slow but I have seen improvement.  We're thinking about signing up for the Lincoln Park Zoo 5k run in June.  By then, I'm thinking I will for sure be able to run 3 miles consecutively.  Since I've started running, I've lost 4.5 lbs which is a really good motivator, especially after this.

That sums up the swarm of thoughts going on in my head right now.  Again, I apologize for the random list of mumbo-jumbo!

No, I'm Not Sixty...

Did you guys see this???

I know that when I saw it, it made me really want to go here:

Yep, that's right - I wanted to go to Alaska (which is really funny because they didn't really film this movie in Alaska, but in Boston - my friends Katie and Julie saw some of the filming go down while they were there!).  I've heard it's GORGEOUS and that it would blow my socks off!  Luckily I'm married to a man who really enjoys to travel (thanks to the influence of Papa Corsi) and he shared my desire to go to Alaska (although he's already been there; really, where has Stephen NOT been?) and so, it's official....this will be us:

You heard me right, I'm going to Alaska!  WOO-HOO!  (and I'm not sixty...despite what you learned about me in my blog from yesterday!).  August 6th-13th (don't worry!  I checked the weather channel for temperatures and according to them I should expect it to be in the 70s everywhere we're going!) Stephen and I will start our rendezvous here:

{Seattle}

 and then we'll sail here:

{Juneau}

and then we'll sail here:

{Glacier Bay}

and then we'll sail here:

{Sitka}

and then we're off for here:

{Ketchikan...obviously}

with one last stop here:

{Victoria, Canada}

and then to finish off back in Seattle (possibly an overnight??? We'll see how convincing I can be)!  

The best part?  We're going with these guys:

My sister & brother-in-law, Cali and Tony!

{all pictures are linked to their owners}

Fun family times in an amazing place!  Once I go I can check 2 states (Washington and Alaska) off my New Years Resolution list, making all the other states that I go to this year just the icing on the cake :)!  It feels good to complete a fun NY Resolution!

My favorite haircut of all time...Part 1

I dedicate this story to Katie, Angie and Jen - for always crying from laughter whenever this story is told!

When I was in elementary school, the first thing I would do when I got home was turn on the television and eat a snack.  This was back in the good old days when parents could trust their kids to go home by themselves and not worry that anything bad was going to happen to them.  In saying that, my 2 older sisters and myself were home while my parents were still grinding the 9-5.  We didn't have cable back in the day so we were forced to resort to the 3 channels that we had (NBC, Fox41 and ABC).  Our choice of television at 4pm was Golden Girls.  I LOVED IT!  (I didn't understand half any of the sexual innuendo I just knew that Sophia was dang funny and that Blanche had the right idea with her hair...).  One day, while watching the Golden Girls, I decided that I was going to make myself so beautiful that all would be mesmerized by my good looks.  I decided that I wanted to get my hair cut like Blanche.

WHAT?!

Let's please review the information we have at hand.  I was 9 years old.  NINE - that's it.  And I was thinking it would be a GREAT idea to get my haircut like a sixty-some-odd slut lady on television...those are the first things we must question - we'll have more to question later.  

I waited to tell my mom of this, but I do remember (I guess we were watching this great show at my friend Missy's house) calling my mom from my best friend's house and telling her my bit of information, "MOM! I want to get my haircut like Blanche Deveareaux from the Golden Girls!"  I'm wondering now what I thought then would be her response..."WHAT A GREAT IDEA, KARI!!!" {really?!  AGAIN, I was nine}.  I don't quite remember her response except for the fact that it was curious as to why I was calling her with this and why I even had this burning desire to go through with it...I think we ended the conversation with, "We'll talk about it when you come home."  And we did.  

Here's the last bit of information that we must review: the FACT THAT SHE LET ME DO THIS?!  We can all sit and wonder if my mom was secretly part of adolescents' plan to murder my identity and social status - but I beg to differ.  I love my mom because all growing up she really allowed us to make decisions for ourselves and emphasized (before and after) that all decisions have consequences and that we must be willing to face the consequence (good or bad) to the decisions we make.  This style of parenting really worked well with me because I knew my mom trusted me and thus it didn't create in me a desire to make harmful choices...well, except for this one.  I believe she said, "Kari, you can get your haircut however you'd like to get your haircut - it's your hair.  However, I do want you to understand that it is short and there's a really good chance you won't like it and I don't want to hear you complaining or get upset with me that you did this."  And with her good graces I never looked back.  

I'm not quite sure how long it took for the haircut appointment to be made or when it actually went down in relation to this conversation, but I DID get my haircut like Blanche Deveareaux - what 9 year old wouldn't want that?!  Look at her, she's sophisticated, she's sexy, she's so well put together and at 9 years old, I knew that her haircut would make me just the same.  

There are many spin off stories to this one, but I'll save those for later (when I include a great picture of this amazing hair-do)...I hope you get a good chuckle the next time you sit in the hairdresser's chair as you think of your friend, Kari (nine year old version) super excited to get her haircut like someone else's grandma!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 4

You've heard me dish on this gal before - I swear we'd be BFFAOTs if she lived in Chicago (but she doesn't).  Meg is a mother of 5, a lover of the Lord and a great housewife (from the looks of it).  This blog is about exactly what she says it's about: Whatever.  You'll find inspiration through her photography of her home, her family, her projects and her life.  

Seriously, if you know me very well then you know I LOVE old houses that need a little TLC, and I really LOVE old houses that have received their TLC...look at what they've done with their amazing home!

Looking for some comfort food?  Look no further....

Want inspiration to do something that I'm sure is illegal and very dangerous?

Go on over to Whatever and find all the things that inspire you...whatever they may be!

Happy Blogging!

Some of my favorite commercials

This one makes me laugh EVERY time...





I belly laughed the first time I saw this commercial - the animals saying "Ricky" gets me every time...



Look at your man, now back to me, now back to your man, now back to ME...



Who DOESN'T like Betty White?!





How do you NOT like this commercial?!







P.S. I love technology - just the fact that I can rewatch things that I think are funny AND post them on a blog - 10 years ago there would've been 2 questions: "What's You Tube?!" "Blogs????"

Making a Moss Wreath

There is a bare wall in our guest bedroom that has been bugging me for awhile.  It just makes it look empty in there, especially because it's a wall that you face as you walk into the room.  I settled upon an inexpensive solution: a moss wreath.  I really wanted to make one for awhile and I finally ventured to Hobby Lobby over the weekend to gather my materials.  I received this inspiration from several blogs, but especially from my dear friend, Martha.  The bedroom is green and brown so I knew that the wreath would look great in there (especially if I can get my paws on some brown ribbon that I like).

Super simple - this is all you need (and I used my glue gun; I started with scissors and then resorted to tearing the moss as it looked more natural this way).  BEWARE!  This project is messy so you'll want to either do it outside OR make sure you put down a table cloth to help with clean up.

I started by tearing out the moss amounts that I needed and laying it on the wreath.  I then hot glued it on and then filled in the holes with moss scraps lying around.  After the front was done, I moved onto the middle...

After I finished with the middle, I moved onto the edges of my wreath.  The only part of the wreath that I did not cover in moss was the back (as no one will be able to see it when it's hanging from the wall).

And there she is!  (the lighting is bad so she looks black as opposed to bright green)...I'm heading to JoAnns this week to see if I can find some ribbon that speaks to me and then I'm going to hang it from the wall like Michelle did.

The only thing that I don't like about this is that it has an "outside" smell to it - I'm hoping that once I hang it up, it won't be noticeable.  

I am linking up to: Keeping it Simple; It's So Very Cheri; Sumo's Sweet Stuff; The DIY Showoff; Dilly Dally and Flitter; Mad in Crafts; Between Naps on the Porch; The Graphics Fairy; Sew Can Do; Avid Accents; Tools are for Women Too; Coastal Charm; All Thingz Related; Silly Little Sparrow; Hope Studios; Sew Much Ado; Me and My Bucket; The Trendy Treehouse; My Backyard Eden; Someday Crafts; Bargain Shopping Paradise; Life in the Pitts; Blue Cricket Design; We are That Family; The Thrifty Home; House of Hepworths; Just a Girl; The Shabby Chic Cottage

Heavy Weight Champ

How depressing.  Despite the loud, booming voice screaming inside me, I weighed myself this morning.  Immediately following the weigh-in process I spiraled into a deep sense of disappointment in myself.  It was the largest number that I have seen on the scale.  EVER.  *sigh*.  My drill sergeant husband has been insisting I go to the gym.  Before you get your panties in a wad out of anger at him for making me work-out, it's all in love and in the fact that we've paid for my gym membership all the way through September.  He loves me the way that I am and insists that he doesn't think I need to do anything (I think he's a good liar), but it peeves him to pay for something and not use it.  Too bad I didn't have him with me last year in Lexington when I was paying for a gym membership and was never using it.  I'm thankful for him holding me accountable to my New Years Resolution (be able to run 5 miles regularly).  He insists that working out is the key to losing weight, but after weighing myself this morning, I need more.
I immediately got online and googled everything I could find on Weight Watchers.  My cost conscience husband doesn't want to pay for WW if we don't have to, so I've officially joined the black market world of WW.  That was the first step.
The second step (and what should've been the first) was basking in the thought that God has made me in His image and He loves me exactly as I am.

"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27

"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20

"For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."  Ephesians 2:10

My prayer in all of this is that I don't become obsessed with the idea of a "perfect" body but that I focus my thoughts on how God loves me exactly as He's made me but that I need to honor this temple (my body) by keeping it healthy.  A little fruits, veggies and cardio never hurt anyone...too bad I feel like this is going to be torture ;)
***disclaimer - the number on the scale above does NOT reveal what my actual scale told me this morning***

Make like a tree and LEAF! ;)

I have a weird obsession with Fall.  I don't really know how to describe it or defend it, for some reason the idea of the season brings such great memories and hopes with it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm a gal that appreciates all seasons but there's something about the transition seasons (especially fall) that gets my knickers a'knockin'!  The colors, the warmth and the chill (oxy-moron I know!) makes me so excited and it's what inspired this craft (and I was also inspired by this)

I purchased the frame 1/2 off at the Lobsters for $7 and then purchased the 3D Dots.  The fall scrapbook paper was leftover from my wedding as well as the leaf punch-out.

I punched out a bunch of leaves using a bunch of different papers.

I then positioned them on the cardboard found inside the frame.  The only thing that this picture doesn't really capture is the 3D effect - because I used thick dots to adhere the leaves to the cardboard, they kinda stick out.

Ahhhh!  Fall!!! :)

I've entered this into the CSI Fall Challenge

And into the Fall Frenzy Party:

Professional Framing

I love a beautiful print framed just right with the color coordinated mat and the frame that makes it pop...I feel like I also need to tell you that I HATE how much it costs to get this done to your prints.  Stephen and I had 2 prints that we wanted to get framed.  One of them was a picture of Pisgah Church (where we got engaged) that one of my best friends (Katie) got for me as a shower gift.  When she gave it to me she commented that she knew it was an awkward size and that she was sorry because she knew it would need professional framing help.  The other print that we wanted to get framed was a picture of Central Park in the fall that we picked up in NYC for $10 on the street.  We knew exactly where we were going to put both of these pictures in our apartment, the only problem was getting them framed...ay yi yi!
Michael's was having their famous 60% off framing sale and so I was bound and determined to at least get the Central Park picture framed.  Stephen was with me and we went in and were so hopeful.  And then, the man behind the counter got out a nail and popped the air out of our hopeful balloon.  The cheapest that this framing project could possibly be was too expensive for us - we only paid $10 for the print!  I had given up, just knowing that I would never have these pictures in my apartment because it was just too dang costly!  And then I remembered what I had heard someone say before - "Hobby Lobby has such great prices on having things framed..." it was almost as touching of a thought as if a tunnel of light started shining down on my thought bubble and a soft melody started playing in the background.
In February we ventured to Hobby Lobby and picked out 2 open back frames in the right size for our prints.  We had BOTH prints framed for the cheapest cost that Michael's was going to charge us for just 1 of them.  The trick?  It's not technically custom framing because we picked out the open back frames, BUT it worked for us! (p.s. they were having 50% off their frames that day so we got it on sale).  And here they are, the beauts that I didn't think would make it into our apartment due to Michael's outrageous prices!

As if I needed one, I discovered another reason to LOVE Hobby Lobby!

Magnificent Mondays: Magnificent Blogs 3

I couldn't not include this blog on my list of Magnificent Mondays simply because this gal is so stinkin' cute (and so is her family).  This is just a typical, everyday blog, of a woman who is documenting her life as a Christian, a mother of 2 precious girls and a wife to a husband she loves dearly.  She shares with us her hobbies of photography, baking and DIYing just like a lot of you out there.  

For instance, how cute is this that she did with her daughters over Valentines Day weekend?

Or look at the adorable themed birthday party that she threw for her 3 year old!

It seems as if she loves fall as much as I do; enjoy reading this YUMMY sounding recipe.

That's all for now; get on over to that blog and enjoy learning the Larson Lingo ;)

Happy Blogging!

Happy Birthday to Dad Corsi!

Today we're in Louisville to celebrate Stephen's dad's 60th birthday!  I can't believe he's 60!  He doesn't look OR act a day over 40 (I'm beginning to have a new perspective on what's "old" and what isn't and while I used to think of 60 as being "old" I no longer do).  He still works full time, takes care of the yard, the house and goes for runs daily with the dog.  60s are beginning to look like the new 50s!  Stephen's precious mother has sweated, worried, and been in a state of angst for the past 3 months...why?  Because she decided to throw him a surprise birthday party - mailed invitations, had me put together a slideshow, had people write him letters - the whole shebang!
Tonight's the party...we'll see if he's surprised.  We had a family celebration last night for dinner (his actual birthday).  This was to serve 2 purposes: to throw him off and make him think that was the end of the celebrations AND to actually celebrate on his actual birthday.  I hope it worked!
Today I'm so very thankful for Stephen's dad and all he's been to the Corsi family.  He's been an amazing man, husband and father.  He has worked hard to provide for his family and saw to it that his wife never had to work and was still ever present in his kid's lives.  Stephen is doing a Bible Study with his Small Group called Men's Fraternity.  Lately it's been talking about the importance of a good father and how to be a good father one day.  Stephen came to the realization that everything they've talked about so far he sees in his dad.

I married an amazing man.  He is far more compassionate, patient, loving and kind than I could ever hope to be.  I don't doubt for a second that he'll make an unbelievable father himself one day.  I can't help but be grateful to his dad for helping to mold him into who he is today.
Happy birthday Dad C.!

Crock Pottin' It Again!

We hosted a Super Bowl party this past January for Stephen's Small Group and their significant others.  While we originally thought we were going to have 20 people present (mostly boys) we really only had about 15.  Due to the thought of having a bunch of hungry men in our apartment around and during dinner time, I was really serious about having enough food for everyone.  I immediately turned to my beloved Crock Pot for help (I also borrowed some from my mom and my friend Amy so we had 4 pots crockin' for this event)!  I decided that I would make the White Chicken Chili that I shared a month ago and a regular Chili recipe that I also found in my "Fix it and Forget it" cookbook.  Both turned out wonderful!  I even had someone ask me for the recipes of both, as they thought they were superb (again, I did nothing but open up a bunch of cans and dice up some veggies, so no tootin' of my own horn here)!  I figured that while we were still technically in winter and you may need something easy to fix to warm your insides before the warmth of spring comes for good, that I would provide you with the regular chili recipe.

 Colleen's Favorite Chili:

Ingredients:

*2 medium onions, coarsely chopped *1-1 1/2 lbs. ground beef, browned and drained *2 garlic cloves, minced fine or 1/2 tsp garlic powder *3/4 cup finely diced green peppers *2 14 1/2 oz cans diced tomatoes, or 1 quart home-canned tomatoes *30-32 oz. beans - kidney or pinto OR mixture of two (I did a mixture) *8 oz can tomato sauce *1/4 tsp. beaumonde spice (I didn't know what this was so I didn't include it in mine) *1 tsp. ground cumin *1/2 tsp pepper *1 tsp seasoned salt *1 Tbsp, or more, chili powder *1 tsp dried basil

Prep:

*Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.

*Cover.  Cook on Low 8-12 hours, or High 5-6 (I did high for about 5.5 hours)

Thanks Colleen!  Your favorite has now become a Corsi household favorite as well!

Taking a trip to D.C.

This past February, Stephen and I (along with our friends Matt and Amy) decided to venture to Washington, D.C. to visit our friend Ryan.  We finalized our plans in January and quickly booked the hotel and plane tickets to ensure our prices and our trip.  Who would've thought that it would end up being the worst snow storm in D.C. in 90 years?!  By the time we got there, the snow was finished falling but there were mounds of snow EVERYWHERE!  The Lincoln Memorial was covered in snow (before we arrived people were using it as a sledding ground - CrAzY!) and the reflection pool was a solid slab of ice so we were able to just walk across it like it was no big deal.  Below are some pictures from our trip:

One of my New Years Resolutions was to travel to three different states besides KY and IL and so now I only have 2 left!  I think I can do it :)