Diamond In The Rough

As I posted earlier, my friend Sierra Wasserman is amazing. When I went out for my hunt for my wedding dress at antique stores I went looking for a diamond in the rough. I was expecting to find something - it may have needed a lot of work or just a little - but I was determined to find my dress. When I did find it (at the first store I looked) I knew Sierra could help me out. 

She was finishing her degree in fashion and I knew she was skilled. So here are the before and after pics of her beautiful creation.

At first glance..hideous..way too much lace..um ya what was I thinking? What I saw it, I was looking at the material and the fact that it could be made into strapless. The lace on the body was simple yet beautiful.

 And she made it into this: 

Ya she is awesome. 

Lessons in Marriage #4: The Motivation

As I was reading my Bible this morning out of Philippians several verses struck me hard. Words suck out at me - same love, united, in humility, be moved... Philippians 2: 2-5 These verses made me think about marriage, my marriage with Cory, and what motivates me to love him.

Sometimes it is hard to show the fruits of the spirit to your spouse. (Patience and self-control right now? Ya right Lord). I know it's happened to the best of us wives. In Philippians 2 Paul wrote a great little motivator on love.

"..Complete my joy and be of the same mind, by having the same love, being united in spirit, and having one purpose.

 Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself. 

Each of you should be concerned not only about your own interests, but about the interests of others as well.

You should have the same attitude toward one another that Christ Jesus had.."

How exciting it is to think that when we married our spouses we took a commitment, having the same purpose, that united our spirits. Loving our spouses can be hard at times, but think about the motivator that keeps you loving him. 

Weekend In Review

This weekend was the start to my 11- day stay-cation. And I am so EXCITED. 11 days to do nothing, but to really do whatever I want.  We started the weekend with a lunch date with Cory's Grandma. Despite the picture she was having a great time. We really enjoyed her company. 

Sunday morning we tried getting up early to go to church, but ended up falling asleep after we got ready. We spent Saturday evening playing games and eating a pot-luck with 3 of our good couple-friends. We didn't get home till 1130!  After we woke up (for the second time) we had a scrabble/coffee date at our local cafe, Jola Cafe. It was so perfect. 

(Cory's an intense scrabble player).

He had an iced mocha with a mint-brownie. I enjoyed a soy chai latte with a breakfast sandwich. 

After our date I headed to the Highland Stillhouse Pub for a lunch date with my good friend Sierra. (I'll need to talk more about her because she is amazing. Let's say she made my wedding dress. Yup). Our other great friend is a server there so it was a really great time. I've never been to this pub, but I really enjoyed it. A nice atmosphere with some awesome decor. Good food too! Didn't have Cory to drive me home so I couldn't try the whiskey or scotch. We'll be back though!

Sunday night we were going to see Identity Thief, but they were sold out. I was mostly bummed out because I wanted popcorn. (Ya 90% of the reason I like going out for the movies is popcorn) We stopped at the store on the way home and picked up a bottle of moscato and some Samoas girlscout cookies! We bought 4 boxes. 

When we got home Cory rummaged in our basement and pulled out an old-school popcorn maker. It worked so well, and I ended up getting my popcorn that night! We watched Brave and had a really great night. 

How was your weekend? Any plans that had to be altered that worked out better?

Season Your Words With Love

"You must let no unwholesome word come out of your mouth, but only what is beneficial for the building up of one in need, that it may give grace to those who hear."

This verse has been on my heart lately. Lately I've been trying to make it more of a priority to stay in touch with my family and my friends (new and old). I've been writing more letters, calling more, and trying to meet up for little dates. Its great and all; seeing and hearing the ones I love and having fellowship with them. But through all those things, I've still had the tug on my heart to be more conscious of my words. Starting in my home. 

Last week Cory and I got into a little tiff. And I said some not so seasoned-with-love kind of words. Even though I was trying to get my point across that is no excuse. There are kinder words I could have used to help Cory understand what I wanted him to know. 

Our husbands, friends, co-workers, sisters, nieces..everyone is "in need". In need of grace, of love, of kindness. I hope this week you all are encouraged to build up those in your life with the words you use.  

Sister Sister

Sister: 

Me: 

My sister came down for a few days for a little visit. It was splendid. Had a little retail therapy, out to eat at Rock Bottom Brewery, and just enjoyed each others company. 

Having a twin sister is so great. Sisters are wonderful. Siblings are wonderful. I know I have been truly blessed with two amazing siblings. We are pretty close in age, 22 and 20, we like each other, and have common interests. 

Thinking about the future I hope I foster a household where our children get a long and like spending time with one another. Having great siblings is like having some great built-in friends. 

If you have a sibling or a great friend who feels like one, make sure they know how much you love them! 

DIY Mason Jar Candles

From our wedding we had a ton of extra mason jars. I've been using them as vases and glasses, but thought I should make some candles out of them. I found this diy tutorial and thought it was too simple to not give it a try. 

After about an hour. I had these: 

*To make it a little simpler I just used a non-stick saucepan to melt the wax. Didn't need to make a double broiler. And the scissors were the only way to keep to wick up straight. 

I was so excited that it didn't take so long. And they turned out so pretty! You can't see it but I added some Rosemary leaves to the candles. I bought plain wax so I was hoping the Rosemary would add some scent to it - and it does. Yay! (I may be too excited about these) We use a lot (a lot) of candles in our home. I'm excited to be able to make our own. 

Happy DIY!

Cayenne Breaded Chicken

Here is a simple, quick, recipe for some yummy yummy chicken. It is a little spicy so be forewarned! 

Here is what you'll need (Recipe for 2): 

1 Egg

1 1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp Bread crumbs

Cooking butter spray or a slice of butter

2 Chicken breast

1 tsp Garlic Pepper

Read the "to do" thoroughly before you begin cooking. 

To do: 

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Melt some butter, on medium heat,  in a skillet or spray with cooking spray. Pat dry the de-thawed chicken breasts and place in warmed skillet.

2. Beat one egg in a bowl. In a separate bowl mix together the bread crumbs, Cayenne pepper, and garlic pepper. 

3. Cook Chicken on skillet for about 3-5 minutes on both sides. Just enough where the chicken is a little browned, but still pink in the middle. 

4. Once chicken is golden browned place them in the beated eggs. Make sure it is covered with the eggs, then dip in the bread-crumb mixture. 

5. Place in a lightly buttered baking dish and bake at 300 degrees for about 15-20 min (I say about because before you put the chicken in the oven, cut a little into it to see how pink it is. The more pink the longer you'll have to bake it). 

Take out and serve with some steamed green beans and smashed potatoes!

I added some red bell peppers to our green beans with a tad of chili garlic sauce. (This dish was for my husband. Too spicy for moi!)

Tastes better than it looks, I promise!

Happy cooking