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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Sweatin' in the Spirit

Yes, you read that correctly.  Now brace yourself...

My mother-in-law {Donna} and sis-in-law {Kim} were in town for a few days, and so Hadley and I  met up with them for a little 'shopping' fix.

Now I love shopping with Kim, for many reasons - two of which are:
a) she has great taste and
b) we both enjoy picking out ridiculous and over-the-top items to challenge and mock.
It's great fun.

Well, yesterday our stop into the local Book & Bible Store did not disappoint. That's where we picked up  this little number.
Sweating in the Spirit 2 With Donna Richardson-Joyner
Oh yeah. And for the frugal price of only $6.97... can you believe that?! I couldn't leave it. I thought about it, but just couldn't. No, Nick would get a kick out of this.  Kim cackled; I purchased.
I am a work-out in your living room kind of gal. What is the harm in one more cardio DVD?

*My Review:
As much as it pains me to say it, this actually turned out to be quite a good work-out. And by good I mean there were moments I found myself huffing and puffing as though I were running a marathon. The heart rate is up, and stays up.

I chose the 20 min walk with the 10 min stretch. The walk is basically Zumba meets Walk Away the Lbs. Lots of steps and quick feet moving to the music of a high energy live band, including live performances from Byron Cage and Martha Munizzi. The music was my favorite part.

Mostly I felt ridiculous and found myself laughing at {not with} the instructor's sincere one-liners such as,
"Do like David did, and dance before the Lord" and "He deserves a cha cha."

Hadley was laughing too, but only because she was completely confused. She wasn't sure if we were in church and she should be worshiping or "marching it out"... so she tried both.

That 30 mins felt like 5... so I guess we're keeping it. ;)

"Be honest in your judgment and do not decide at a glance (superficially and by appearances); but judge fairly and righteously. " -John 7:24

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Happy Birthday, Dad.

{I looked everywhere for my zip-drive with our old family pictures, but to no avail. I've attached the few I had saved to my desktop}

Today Dad is 54. I know he doesn't mind my sharing his ripe old {er, young} age because to him this means 54 years wiser. And he is.
Dad's a winker. Just part of his charm.

Dad has always been pretty awesome in my book. 

When we were little he traveled a lot. There were times he would let one of us skip school that day to ride along with him, just so he could spend some one-on-one daddy/daughter time with us. We would just talk. And eat beef jerky.

Dad has always been a little intense; both in work and play. His kisses were rough, his squeezes were tight, and boy does he love us girls. Laurin was his "Skinny Bones" {no need for explanation there}. I was  his"Kaylee-Bird" because my top lip would curl up little a beak with I cried. Tara Jean was his "Tare-Bear", " Muppet", and "Little Bugget" because... well, we have no idea where he got those names. By the third child he was just winging it. 

Dad is a singer. He likes to sing. Loudly. Let me clarify... he likes to sing with every part of his being. He requires no microphone. Dad has soul. 


Dad baptizing me when I was 8 yrs old.
Dad prays. He begins the moment he steps out of bed. He gets louder in the shower. Then sometimes periodically just walking through the house. He prays even more still while driving down the road, and no, he does not care if the windows are rolled down. Dad doesn't hesitate to pause mid-conversation and say, "Let's pray right now." And if you are sick, he will lay hands on you. Dad prays. 

Dad has a big, soft, giving heart. He has a compassionate heart. He loves people. Dad has never been "made of money", yet he's always given. Money. Food. Time. Even his dream car, the Jaguar, he easily gave to a family in need.  This is a man I admire.
A picture taken when Mom and Dad visited churches in Nicaragua. 


He is an entrepreneur. We occasionally give him grief over his many new ideas, but the fact remains... we are very proud of Dad. Paleta factory; Mexican restaurant; store deliveries; limousine service; author; and now a thriving iPhone/iPad repair business. {Larry's iPhone Repair} It doesn't matter the form or fashion, the Lord continually gives grace and blesses the the work of Dad's hands.

Dad holding on tight before walking me down the aisle.
Dad always got us involved. If it was time to mow the lawn he would make you go change your shoes {no sandals} and then teach you how. Outsides and corner first, then keep the line down the middle of the mower. See, Dad, I remember.

Dad made sure we were in attendance at every youth event. He understood that fellowship and ministry are vital to a teenager's relationship with God. But here's the kicker:
He never once complained about the gas he used to get us there, nor the money he gave us for food or events. 
He had perspective of the bigger picture... investing into our hearts.

Dad loves being Grandpa. Possibly more so than he enjoys being Dad. He loves to play and be silly. He also loves to treat. {Mostly with ice-cream} He's a cheek-squeezer. 
Dad & Mom with the grand-kids this past Christmas.

Of all the traits we may have inherited from Dad, one would most definitely be a passion for taste. Dad is willing to try almost anything, and he knows just what the flavor should be. He is also not afraid to tell me what he thinks I should add to my own recipes. :) Thanks, Dad.

There is so much more I could tell, but really its impossible to wrap up 54 years of living in one blog. Today I am just so thankful I get to call him 'Dad'.

Happy Birthday, Dad.
We cherish you.











Thursday, March 8, 2012

Painted Curtains and Pleated Flower Pillow


Lately I've been itchin' to revamp some things around here. Starting with the usually neglected room of the house: the Master bedroom. No one but us sees it, so its not on top of the priority list.

Loved Dear Lillie's Painted curtains. Little work; big impact! I took a stab at it...

We already had the white drapes so I  just had to pick up  the painter's tape, plastic drop cloth, and of course some paint. {*Mistake- not taking the color I wanted to match-up with. The first  two photos you'll see my tan/beige looks a little on the yellow side.}

First, I measured my stripes by marking every 12 inches, and then taping on the inside line of the white stripe. 

Then I laid  them out on the kitchen floor and started painting. The joints in our tile made this a little tricky, but it worked. {As you can see.. yellow. Repainted with the correct color the next morning}

Very pleased with the finished product!

Probably should have fixed the bottom of the curtains before I started snapping pictures. :)

{Click pictures for a larger view}


I also had this little number stuffed away in a closet. 

Using some fabric I picked up for $2 at Joanne's, an old bed sheet cut into strips and then sergered {serged? what the right word?}, and a broach; I recovered the pillow and somewhat followed this tutorial. {minus the tea-bags} This was a start-to-finish in one nap-time project! 

Two looks- $12! Well, it would  have been only $12  had I purchased the right color paint the first time. So let's say $12 + $9 mistake. Oops. Still... not too shabby.

This weekend my sweet DIY husband and carpenter father-in-law are building us a new bed! Or headboard. Which ever they realistically have time to complete. 
Here is the look we like:




Happy sunny Thursday!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Wedge Salad

We recently discovered this little bit of brilliance: The Wedge Salad. Apparently it's been around for years; we must just live in a cave. :)

We played around with the recipe to perfect our own preferred level of yumminess, and now we want one with every meal.



The Wedge Salad
Slightly adapted from: Lexie's Kitchen

1/2 Cup Balsamic Vinegar
1/8 Cup Honey
1/4 tsp Kosher Salt
6-8 Strips Bacon
1  Tomato- diced
1 Avocado- chopped
1/2 Cup Cilantro- chopped
1/4 Red Onion- diced
1 head Iceberg Lettuce- quartered
Blue cheese crumbles
Buttermilk Ranch dressing

In a small saucepan combine balsamic vinegar, honey, and salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer into a thick syrup. {This is a little tricky, sometimes it simmers longer than others but boiling for about 30 sec. to start seems to do the trick. Play with it. You want syrup consistency- not liquid}

Brown and crumble bacon; set aside. Prepare remaining produce.

Assembly:
Arrange and top lettuce wedges evenly with a spoonful {or two} of Buttermilk Ranch dressing, tomato, avocado, cilantro, red onion, bacon and blue cheese crumbles. Last, drizzle the top with balsamic glaze.


*To make this a main course, just add some chicken!





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