New Recipes From My Kitchen

A little bit of honesty coming out....
It's embarrassing to admit but for the longest time, Matt and I would get in bed (we usually always go to bed at the same time), cut the lights out, snuggle down and.......play Candy Crush.  I know, I know, seriously???  So much romance in our second year of marriage.

When I get stuck at a level or run out of lives, (and since i refuse to PAY Candy Crush) I move onto the next best thing...Pinterest.

I then keep myself up until all hours pinning dream kitchens and cute crafts that I will never have time to do.
On the flip side, I have my mouth to feed to the left of me (still crushing candies because he never dies) as I get his opinion on every good looking dinner recipe.  It is so convenient to have him right there to approve or disapprove of what could be on his plate next week.

Last week we tried two new recipes from my Food Board and both were winners!!

CROCK POT SESAME HONEY CHICKEN
From Skinnytaste

Recipe here: Crock Pot Sesame Honey Chicken


PESTO CHICKEN PASTA
From R & R Workshop

Recipe here:  Pesto Chicken Pasta

The Year Of 30 Continues

The year of the dirty 30 continues as two of my besties started their 3rd decade of life.

They share 9/11 as their birthday so the weekend before, we surprised Leslie at The Station in Raleigh with a fabulous patio party.  

I still wonder how I got so lucky to have such an amazing group of women to call my friends.

The weekend after, we celebrated Jackie in Morehead City with some sand, sun, boat and beach time.

Over the past 7 years, it has taken some adjustment to come to the realization that we do not all live in the same city anymore.  As the years pass and we continue to disperse throughout the country, I hope that we can still take the time to travel and meet up so that we can make memories together on these special milestones in life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LESLIE AND JACKIE!!!  CAN'T WAIT FOR ANOTHER 30 YEARS!

The Man Cave Continues.....

I told you guys several months ago that we were creating the dear husband a "man cave" in our downstairs area.  Last night he finally admitted that it's no longer a TRUE man cave and....he was OK with it!  (must have been the paint fumes)

I had a vision for this room and it is finally coming together.

I do want it to be a place where Matt can enjoy his football and UNC basketball games, hunting shows and occasional trashy reality TV, but I also want it to be a "family" area that is pretty and inviting.

We hired Presley Custom Homes to build cabinets and built-ins on either side of the fireplace, a mantel, surround, and to build out our mudroom with my vision of function and storage.  Thank you Houzz.com!

As of yesterday, all the cabinets, trim and molding got their first coat of primer and I could not be more happy with the work that Nathan and James are putting into our house.  

These two spaces have come such a long way from yellow wood paneling walls with mint green molding. I cannot wait to see the final product!!!

The Riddle's are Nigeria Bound

My dear friend (and little sis I never had) Katie and her husband Nick, leave tomorrow for Egbe, Nigeria.

It's hard to say goodbye but it makes it so much easier when you know that they are excited for this journey and decided for themselves to make this move across the world. 

Through the SIM program, they will be working and worshiping for the next two years.  

It is impossible to put into words how proud I am of them for pouring their heart, soul and life into this new adventure.  To give up everything they have here in America to go to Africa, share themselves, and follow HIM is so selfless and admirable.  To quote Nick, "Stepping out in faith into a new life is very sobering, but at the same time the most rewarding and exciting experience we have ever been a part of."

Katie and Nick at Nick's brother's wedding (Nick is a triplet!)

Will you, with me, everyday, say a prayer for these two very special and precious individuals?

Will you, with me, everyday, say a prayer for their families who will miss them dearly.  (Nick and Katie come from two of the closest, move loving families which I am sure that saying goodbye tomorrow will be the hardest things they have ever done. ) 

I will definitely be keeping you up-to-date on all Katie and Nick's adventures, but if you would like to follow them yourself, check out their blog:

Riddles Swept Away

Katie and Nick at our wedding

The scripture this morning from my daily devotional read, "And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind.  Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching." - Titus 2:7. 

Immediately my thoughts went to Katie and Nick.  It is so much easier to tell someone what to do than it is to lead by example.  Modeling your beliefs is so much more impactful and makes the value ingrained deeper in all who see this example.  Set the example and let all you do reflect HIM.  

Katie and Nick are my example.  

I love you guys and only wish you the best over the next two years.  

The countdown is on until we see you again....only 731 days :)

Bathroom Love

We have a bathroom in our downstairs that....looks like a bathroom.
It lacks character and style but at the end of the day, its not TERRIBLE so its on the back burner for a face lift.  When we moved in, I put in a new light fixture that was more our style and hung a new mirror that opened the space up.

I have dreams of one day creating it into something a little more like this:

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I love the different materials and textures on the wall but at the same time, the simplicity. This also does not look to be THAT hard to do.

Our bathroom currently has a beautiful large Kohler sink which I plan to keep until the day I die.  The vanity it sits in; not so much.  I LOVE the vanity in this new bathroom and its natural wood look.

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Do you think if I was a nice girl, the husband would give me a bathroom makeover for Christmas if I start asking now?!!! 

The Hubby Turns 30!

On Sunday, Matthew turned 30!
Since Matt and my brother-in-law Sam planned a fabulous 30th birthday in Key West for Blair and I, I really wanted to do something special for the birthday boy.  We ruled out going out of town because he wanted as many friends as possible to help him celebrate.
After many debates and  options, he decided he wanted to smoke a pig and have everyone over for a big BBQ at our house.  (I guess it is a man thing to want to cook a giant hog in a smoker for 16 hours and drink beer as you watch it roast.  Me, I would rather not work on my birthday but whatevs!)

Long story short, the BBQ was a huge success and Matt's pig cooking abilities could put up a test to Smithfields!

We are so blessed and thankful to have such wonderful friends and family and the day couldn't have been more perfect without everyone there helping us celebrate Matt's 30th!

(Of course I only took pictures before most people arrived but, just had to share the few I do have!)

 

I ordered this cute sign on PersonalizedMall.com !

We had the cornhole boards out and the cooker set up in the driveway.

Some of our girly friends that came to celebrate the birthday boy!

Sister and Sam

Happy Birthday Hunny!  Can't wait to see what kind of party we throw in another 30 years!!

Wait

Wait

by Russell Kelfer

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried; 
Quietly, patiently, lovingly, God replied. 
I pled and I wept for a clue to my fate . . . 
And the Master so gently said, “Wait.” 

“Wait? you say wait?” my indignant reply. 
“Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!
Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
By faith I have asked, and I’m claiming your Word. 

“My future and all to which I relate 
Hangs in the balance, and you tell me to wait? 
I’m needing a ‘yes’, a go-ahead sign, 
Or even a ‘no’ to which I can resign. 

“You promised, dear Lord, that if we believe, 
We need but to ask, and we shall receive. 
And Lord I’ve been asking, and this is my cry:
I’m weary of asking! I need a reply.” 

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate, 
As my Master replied again, “Wait.” 
So I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut, 
And grumbled to God, “So, I’m waiting for what?” 

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes met with mine . . . 
and He tenderly said, “I could give you a sign. 
I could shake the heavens and darken the sun. 
I could raise the dead and cause mountains to run.

“I could give all you seek and pleased you would be. 
You’d have what you want, but you wouldn’t know Me. 

You’d not know the depth of my love for each saint. 
You’d not know the power that I give to the faint.”You’d not learn to see through clouds of despair;
You’d not learn to trust just by knowing I’m there.
You’d not know the joy of resting in Me
When darkness and silence are all you can see.

“You’d never experience the fullness of love
When the peace of My spirit descends like a dove.
You would know that I give, and I save, for a start,
But you’d not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

“The glow of my comfort late into the night,
The faith that I give when you walk without sight.
The depth that’s beyond getting just what you ask
From an infinite God who makes what you have last.

“You’d never know, should your pain quickly flee,
What it means that My grace is sufficient for thee.
Yes, your dearest dreams overnight would come true,
But, oh, the loss, if you missed what I’m doing in you.

“So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see
That the greatest of gifts is to truly know me.
And though oft My answers seem terribly late,
My most precious answer of all is still . . . Wait.”

We Are All 30

Out of my Kernersville girlfriends, our last little bestest turned 30 the other weekend.
That's it; we are all in a new decade of our lives.  It's exciting!
We watched each other grow up from elementary school, to high school and college, some of us married, some of us living the single high life, some have two kiddos and one with three!
I love these girls and owe them for being my friend through thick and thin.  

This past weekend we celebrated Sarah.

Here's a little sneak peak of Sarah and I in 3rd grade.  Thank goodness times have changed and crimped hair is no longer the trend!

Sarah is on the left and yep, that's me in the middle :)

Sarah's husband threw her a surprise cookout at their house on Saturday and it was a fabulous day to catch up with the girls.

The weekend before, I was down at Emerald Isle Beach celebrating another bestest, Lauren.  We could have had better weather BUT...wine and fun girlfriends can't stop us from having the time of our lives!  Happy 30th Birthday Muse!

And..... just to give you a quick update on the two most special little people in life.....they are absolutely fabulous and growing like weeds.

It was a rainy day so playing in puddles was a MUST!

I love that these munchkins are only a hour and a half away from Charlotte because seeing their grin brightens my everyday!

Eat An Apple

As much as I love Spring, I hate cramming my butt back into shorts after a winter full of comfort foods.

I was not blessed with a naturally high metabolism, but very well blessed with a palette that loves all foods.

Therefore, seeing myself pounds heavier at the beginning of May just down-right sucks.  Worst is seeing my arms and legs, not toned and better yet, pasty white!  (Am I giving you any hint that I popped into Old Navy yesterday and tried on their shorts that were on sale for $15?  Ugh, what a sight.)

Anyway, I have to get a grip and get back on the bandwagon.  It is a must that I take off these lb's that have found their way around my waist in the past seven months.  It's make it or break it time.

A very wise person once told me, "If you think you're hungry but don't want to eat an apple, then you are not hungry enough."

It's my spring motto.  That, and to get my butt outside or to the gym.  Wish me luck!


And yes, I did buy some shorts yesterday despite the fact.  I am hoping these will get me through May and by the end of the month, they will be too big.  Fingers crossed.

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Man Cave At The Atkins House

We are in the process of creating Matt's "man cave" (a.k.a. a family room)  in our downstairs area.

Several months ago we ripped out all the wood paneling and put up new sheet rock walls with baseboards and crown molding.  We put in a new sliding door that leads to the backyard that allows for a lot more light and are currently hunting around for a contractor to finish off some built-ins around the fireplace.
 
We FINALLY received the couches that Matt wanted that we ordered FOREVER ago from Sofa Mart here in Charlotte (Let it be known..I will NEVER buy a piece of furniture from there again.  Ever.) and... I am getting a large area rug made from a carpet remnant I found at a large carpet warehouse.

Slowly but surely its coming along....

Matt getting comfortable on his new couch. (Please excuse the ugly rugs.  I did not want the couches to sit on the tile and our new rug is not ready yet!)

I still need to find a coffee table, and maybe an end table, so right now I have my eye on this little beauty from Ballard Design.  I really want something with some storage but at the same time, not toooo bulky.

Morgan Cocktail Table

Seeing as how the couches are really dark, I think it would look nice to go with this table in gray:

Ballard Design

This room seems like it is taking forever to come together but...everything is turning out exactly like I had envisioned.  Patience.

Crockpot Parmesan Ranch Mushrooms

I LOVE to entertain and have family and friends over but I feel like all to often I end up feeding them the same thing.  I am afriad they might stop coming back.

Therfore, one night we did the usual steaks and corn-on-the-cob on the grill but instead of a salad, I did these AMAZING Crockpot Parmesan Ranch Mushrooms that I found on the blog, Riches to Rags by Dori.

These mushrooms were heavenly.  I even made them again the next night, just for me and Matt, as an appetizer.

I promise.... If you even slightly like mushrooms, you will LOVE these.

Crockpot Parmesan Ranch Mushrooms

Ingredients

Two packages fresh mushrooms

1 stick of butter

1 package of Hidden Vallen Ranch Dressing

1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese

Directions

Melt the butter in a bowl and add the Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Package.  Mix well and pour over Mushrooms in the Crockpot.  Sprinkle with Parmesan Cheese.  Cook in the Crockpot for 4 hours on low.  

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Patience

I turned 30 in February.  

February 6th at 4 o'clock-something (Momma, where ya at when I need you on this one!)

Honestly,

Where the h*ll has time gone?!

That's us in Key West.  Blain and Blair's 30th Birthday Bash!

We had an absolute fabulous time.  We spent 3 nights in Key West and 1 night in Miami.  It's going to be pretty hard to beat.

Turning 30 wasn't that hard.  Weird, but not hard.  It seemed like I was in my 20s FOREVER (not complaining). 

 My 20's were spent becoming ME.

I graduated college, started a career, went though some boyfriends, moved to Charlotte, went through a few more boyfriends ;), found the right boyfriend, bought a house, married the BEST boyfriend, met new friends while staying close with old ones, gained a niece and nephew and overall got in the groove of who I really am.  

I wouldn't trade a single part of it.  I am happy with the ME that I have built and everything that I have.

I still find myself getting itchy though...wanting more more more.  

I'm human, its in our instincts right?  Never FULLY complacent.

Matt gets so frustrated with me because I am CONSTANTLY walking around our house pointing out our next project.

Keeping my eye on the job board at work for my possible next step.

I told Matt yesterday I wanted to take a vacation next year to Budapest and Prague. 

I keep the poor guy on his toes :)

I get so frustrated sometimes when these "plans" I have for my life do not play out exactly like I had them in my book.

I want more more more.

I have to remind myself to be patient.

All the things I want now now now are out of my control.  Money does not grow on trees and the plan for my life is in His hands.  The right time will come and the opportunities will come.  I need to simply focus and just keep doing what I am doing and it will all work out in the end. 

And a little more fun from Key West....

Blair and Sam drove their Caddy from Walkertown all the way to Key West

A little boat cruise around the Keys

A little stop at picnic island.

It was a beautiful day.

Life One Day At A Time

As you can tell, I took a break from blogging.  Totally checked myself out.

It is easy to write about new recipes, vacations, days spent by the pool and new adventures in decorating our house.  The fun stuff is easy to put into words and pictures.  It's kind of why I needed a blogging break.

The past eight months, being very honest, have been difficult and challenging.

I do not think I have ever mentioned it on here before but...days after we were engaged, Matt was diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis. We spent most of 2012 in and out of doctor visits and riding the wave of different medications to treat his condition.  At the same time, we were still able to live our happy little life and look forward to our wedding on March 9, 2013.  They day came and went and we were truly blessed to have the wedding and honeymoon of our dreams.

About three months after our wedding, Matt's condition started to worsen and the medications prescribed for Ulcerative Colitis were no longer working.  The decision was made that Matt needed to have a colectomy before Ulcerative Colitis continued to cripple his life.  

On June 21, 2013, Matt had his first of three surgeries at UNC Memorial hospital to remove his colon.  Within this surgery the actual colon is removed and an ileostomy is created in the abdomen. (Google it if you want more details; medicine is truly amazing)  Matt spent several weeks in the hospital before returning home to recover before the next. 

Matt's second surgery was on August 16th, where they created a new ileostomy and a j-pouch; just not yet connected. (Again, Google if you want the details) He again spent several weeks at the hospital and several weeks at home. 

His final surgery was on October 3rd, where they did a take down of the ileostomy and reconnected all of his "plumbing" with the usual weeks recovery in the hospital.  All this time he was on short term leave from work and I was spending my days between the hospital and work, and driving back and forth from Chapel Hill and Charlotte.

Therefore, life wasn't "pretty"; I wasn't even the one physically going through this life altering experience and I thought it was hard.

  In my opinion, it wasn't bloggable....yet.

Emotionally, I wasn't ready to share my feelings and emotions. 

I started my blog so that I could look back and reflect on my day to day life. 

I think I am just now coming around to reflecting on it all and I finally want to share it on my blog. 

This was a huge part of our life, our first year of marriage, and I want to remember it because nothing could have brought Matt and I closer together as husband and wife.

I am excited to post again, if not for anyone else, for me.

In between each recipe, birthday party and happy moment deserving of documentation, I also want to document the past eight months, just in a new light.

Shutter Wall

I am STILL in the process of creating our home.  I promised Matt I would take my time, buy things that I LOVED and decorate in a way that we won't get tired of next week.  So far so good and I am getting there. 

But in the meantime I will live vicariously through others.  This includes Laura.  She is the masterpiece behind Olive and Love.  Check out her dining room.  I WISH I had the guts (and the space) to pull this off in my house.  Its genius and GORGEOUS!

Summer Dessert - Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Matt and I could not be more happy that our friends, Katie and Preston Browder have moved into the neighborhood! 

(I stole this pic from facebook! Thanks friends!)

Several Sundays ago they had a bunch of us over to grill out and see their new home. I offered to bring the dessert and, oh boy, did I find a new summer treat!!!

"Homemade" Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream (or your favorite ice cream of choice)

Pepperidge Farm Shortbread Cookies

Pepperidge Farm Snickerdoodle Cookies

Plastic wrap/Cling Wrap/Saran Wrap...whatever you want to call it

Directions

Scoop around 2 Tbs of ice cream onto a cookie.

Top with the same kind second cookie

Wrap individually with cling wrap

Repeat as many times as you want and place individually wrapped cookies in freezer

Done

ITS THAT EASY!

I made our cookies ahead of time since I was in a time crunch that afternoon and they were fabulous even after 8 hours of hanging out in the freezer; they definitely could go longer or shorter depending on your schedule.

They were a huge hit and will definitely make an appearance again at the next cookout.

 

Its Been A Year

Our engagement session with Cyn, a year ago in June, was our first "real" step to our wedding.  We had already selected our venue and several of our vendors, but this session brought the entire reality to life.

This man was going to be my husband.

It was almost surreal.

He really did choose ME to be the one that stands by him throughout each of life's events; creating a story together from now until the end. 

Even as I type these sentences, I am breathless as to what kind of decision we made and commitment we made together because it is incredibly powerful and humbling at the same time.

Since I met Matt our slogan has always been "Team Of Two" because that is how we operate. 

Most newlyweds get to spend at least their first year of married life riding on a cloud and floating through the in's and out's of learning to adjust to sharing your decisions/space/time/commitments with your new spouse.

That puffy cloud of newlywedness kind of floated by Matt and I a little too fast before we were faced last month with real life.  To make a long story short, on June 21st Matt has his first of three surgeries to remove his colon and have reconstructive surgery.  Operations, procedures, hospital stays, pain and life altering adjustments have become our new normal.

But.....

I love OUR puffy cloud because it has taken us to a whole new place together as a couple and strengthened our marriage in ways that take most people decades to get to. 

This was God's plan for us.

As much as we wanted to point fingers and question why God was sending Matt through this so early in his life, there was no question in my mind that God knew Matt and I could handle this as a "Team Of Two."

I have looked at my husband in a whole new light and seen just how strong of a man he really is.

It is crazy what a difference only a year can make.....

Our Engagement Post From Cyn's Blog:  Blain and Matt Engagement

I love you Matthew Cole!

Reflection - Strength

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I am sharing this post from the blog of Holly Furtick.  I ran across it this morning and as always, she seems to know exactly what I need to hear at just the right time. 

Where Strength Comes From - by Holy Furtick
Have you ever thought about someone, “I don’t know where she finds the strength”? I often think that about my friend, Ferris. She has 3 girls and this past spring, all 3 of them had a different serious medical procedure. Yet I never hear her complain. It is funny how some people seem to face difficulty with such strength yet others crumble under the slightest pressure.  
I have been reading Kelle Hampton‘s book, Bloom, a memoir of her journey to finding unexpected beauty in her daughter’s Downs Syndrome diagnosis. I love this part…

“People often ask me how I found the strength to see the glass half full when I brought Nella home to begin the next chapter in our story. First let me tell you something about strength. You can’t buy it, and you most certainly cannot get it overnight. It is earned, like muscle sinews that grow and fortify over years of hard exercise.”

Strength builds on itself. There are things that I have experienced this past year that I would have crumbled under 5 years ago. And maybe the circumstances of this past year will enable me to withstand the pressure of something in 5 years that I could not handle today. Psalm 84:5-7 says

Blessed are those whose strength is in you,

whose hearts are set on pilgrimage.

As they pass through the Valley of Baka,

they make it a place of springs;

the autumn rains also cover it with pools.

They go from strength to strength,

till each appears before God in Zion.

You can’t live your life in fear of what will happen to you. But you must to learn to draw your strength from the right place. When faced with a difficult circumstance, there is such a temptation to complain and to run to all the wrong people for advice. But strength does not come from drama. True strength comes from a power inside you that is activated there by the Holy Spirit. And when you see someone tapped into that strength, it is hard to understand it.

But when you tap into it, you realize that possibly your whole life you were training for this moment, for this obstacle. You can face your situation with the mindset that no matter what, I am a conquerer. I am empowered with the strength to face this.

The strength that gives you joy when life throws you a curveball.

The strength that enables you to forgive someone who deeply hurt you.

The strength that gives you peace when you are worried.

The strength that empowers you when you are weary.

I want to live it out the way Paul put it in Colossians 1:11, “being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience.”

Yard Project

You know you are getting old when you are excited that its raining outside because you are thinking about your grass. 

That's me. 

I could care less today that my hair turned frizzy walking into work.All I cared about was that the rain is feeding our yard and saving us some money from running our irrigation system; again, old people problems!

This was our yard in March.  A lovely sampling of MANY types of grass with overrun flower beds full of tree stumps and weeds.  I wish I had a better picture that shows further to the left of this shot...it was a hot mess!

We hired A to Z Farms to come in, rip it all out, and start brand new! 

 We also had them rip out our front flower beds, plant new bushes and lay down new pine needles....work in progress on this day.

 Zoysia Sod finding its new home.

Finished Product.  I LOVE our "new" backyard.  It looks so much bigger!

 I actually enjoy looking out our back windows.  Is it weird that I get so excited over grass and landscaping?!

 Our front flower beds look so much neater and clean!

I guess this is the stuff you get excited about when you get old!

LOVE the husband for taking on the Project Manager position with this project; it exceeded my expectations!!

We have owned our house a year to this month and I fall more and more in love with it everday.