just for fun...

Last week when it was perfect weather I got the chance to snap some shots of my sweet friend Amy... she took me up on my "i need practice who wants to go on a shoot" offer.  It was a blast! Amy is a sweet, kind, beautiful girl inside and out.  It was fun to hear stories and get to know her better as we traveled through the town... not to mention she has the most amazing blue eyes AND can laugh on command!  Thank you Amy for letting me practice with you!! I had a BLAST! Here are a few photo's from our shoot last week!

Oh, and if anyone else happens to be in town this summer and wants to be practice... feel free to contact me like Amy did. :) 

Over and OUT.
k

it's not how i imagined...

it's so much better.

k and i were driving home from an amazing weekend with our sweet, wonderful, amazing, loving families and i realized, this is it.  i am living the life i have always "wanted" without knowing i had even really wanted it (i dont know if that makes since, but it does to me).  i am so in love with my husband and i love our little family and our sweet little home.  i love my in-laws. my family loves their son/brother. God has blessed us immensely. we have real community family all around us in Manhattan.  we are being challenged and growing closer to Him daily.  we are learning what his forgiveness and unrelenting grace looks like as we experience living with each other daily.  we have finally learned that it doesn't matter how you load the dish washer, sort the laundry, or fold the clothes... its not worth a fight.  we are finally learning how to enjoy each other... and enjoy and find joy in Christ together. 

all that rambling to say... i am blessed, challenged, loved, and growing EVERY single minute of the day.  i would not have put those fights with loved ones, those moments of selfishness, the anger, forgiveness, and all the other "annoyances" into my imagination of my future... but i wouldn't change it for the world.

enough rambling.
happy monday.

t.G.i.b

THANK GOD, I'M BLESSED
that is really all that's new here... i am learning to recognize and thank God for the blessings in my life... so here is a short update for those of you (mom and sisters) that read this blog.
 
k and i are enjoying summer together.
there are always parking spots in aggieville.
i have the best job in the world.
our apartment has remained clean for almost two weeks now (that is a record).
i have been able to take pictures (i am far from good, but i am loving every minute of experience i get behind the lens).
we (k&i) are learning contentment in Christ and not in how big our apartment is isn't and how much stuff we can put into it. (aka: conviction about materialism)
we are learning how to "throw seeds" (see Luke 8) and do ministry together for GOD's glory and no one else.

i am realizing how amazing and incredible it is that i know people who are all over the united states world this summer who are all going in order to share the love of Christ with people (and that is only within my Christian Challenge family, think about all the other Christ followers doing HIS will)... it leaves me humbled to be a part of such an incredible story...living and serving such an incredible GOD because of this realization i have really grown to love the words of this song...

His love is deep, His love is wide
and it covers us
His love is fierce, His love is strong
it's furious
His love is sweet, His love is wild
and it's waking hearts to life

HE is waking hearts to life.. to eternal life, using his followers to complete His will.
(you should go listen to the song now... really all the lyrics are an incredible picture of God's will for this world).  

over and out.
k

p.s. here are some pictures i have taken recently... enjoy

test drive

i went to take pictures for the first time. :)
i loveee it!
here are some of my favorites. 

its almost SPRING! :)

peace.love.&.pictures
k

chocolate covered strawberry ice cream cake

I whipped this up for our Small Group last Tuesday night!

It was100% inspired by my Momma's ice cream pie.

Ingredients:

1 Container Chocolate Ice Cream (I used HyVee)

1 Small Container Frozen Sweetened Strawberries (thawed)

1 Jar of Hersey's Hot Fudge

1 Package of Fudge Filled Oreo Cookies (I used HyVee)

1/4 Stick of butter

*Optional 

5-6 Large Strawberries

Milk Chocolate Hard Shell

Directions:

 1. Place wax paper or parchment paper on the bottom of the spring form pan so that it hangs out the bottom of the pan. Pull ice cream out of the freezer to thaw.

2. Smash or use the food processor to crumble the package of Oreo Cookies.  Then split the crumbs in half.

3. Melt 1/4 stick of butter and add to 1/2 of the cookie crumbles. Mix well and press into bottom of pan to create crust.

4. Place crust in freezer for 3-5 minutes. 

5. Pull crust out of freezer and add 1/2 the ice cream to the crust.  Spread ice cream out evenly.  Place back in the freezer for 3-5 minutes.

6. Pull the cake out of the freezer and add fudge layer to the ice cream.  Once fudge is evenly spread out add the rest of cookie crumbles on top of the fudge.  Then place in freezer for 15-20 minutes. (NOTE: work fast, as the fudge melts the ice cream).

7. Pull cake out of the freezer.  Add thawed strawberries to the top of the cookies and spread evenly. Place cake in freezer for 10 minutes.

8. Pull cake out of freezer and place the remaining ice cream on top.  Spread out evenly and freeze for 10 minutes. Cover cake and let freeze for 24 hours.

OPTIONAL

Pull cake out of the freezer and add sliced strawberries and hard shell to the top of cake.  Cover and freeze for 24 hours.   

 

use a warm wet knife to cut the cake.  the fudge layer will start to squish out, i haven't found a solution to that yet... but now its time to dig in and enjoy! 

note: i am not a professional recipe writer, so i hope you can understand this one.

favoite things

once upon a time...

i was simply walking around looking for things to match my 

cute "grown up" pillows and i saw these...

and i immediately fell in love

however, my budget did not like the price 

(that happens every single time i walk into and around Pier 1)

SO... i went to Hobby Lobby and found a lantern that was 50% off

i then headed to find some glass paint so i could paint the glass

only to find that glass paint is $5 a color, way to much for this budget

SO...i got some clear tacky glue instead (approx. $3) and headed home

i colored my tacky glue with food coloring and panted the glass panels in my lantern

all my hard work paid off and this was my FINAL PRODUCT...

i love my lantern... 

i put Christmas lights in my lantern instead of a candle and use it as a lamp. :)  

i also made my glass six different colors that matched my one "fun" pillow. 

so easy. so pretty. 

you should go make one.

yummmmy

(dream #1 be an amazing BAKER- i don't like cooking meals, only sweets!) 
so, i host life group at my small little apartment.
because i am the host and well i love to bake things i make snack every week.
this week i was running a little behind, but still wanted to make something great...

So these were the result- k's barely homemade...
Cinnamon Frosted Sugar Cookies
I made small 2 inch sugar cookies with the help from Betty Crocker.
The frosting was made with Jiffy white frosting.. I whipped up the frosting and then added cinnamon in until the flavor was perfection.  (If you know me, you should know by now I am a "guess and check" kind of cook.)