Holy Leisure in Fredericksburg

This past weekend we went down to Fredricksburg with some friends to relax and eat some good food. Here are some fun pictures from the weekend. 

Scout the Cowdog

Beautiful landscape. Very conducive place for "holy leisure". (no tv or internet)

The Hardaway clan, trying to get a cute picture. Scout couldn't sit still the whole weekend. She was in heaven!

Shannon + Marshall Smith. Sweet friends! As soon as we go there Marshall hung up the Polo hat for the camo hunting hat :) He's a pretty good shot too.

Courtney + Evan Shaver. Amazing couple who are celebrating their 5 year anniversary this December. We grilled them on what the keys were to a successful marriage. I would definitely say they probably spoon a lot.

The regulars at the ranch.

Scout found her true calling in life. Apparently she is NOT a hunting dog, but a COW dog. She was bossy!

The boys shooting skeet.

Lots of good fellowship and flannel

Outdoor fireplace + wine + cheese + apples to apples = good time

Rather Sweet for breakfast on Saturday morning. We got the last 3 kolaches!!! Yes! Plus ninety other breakfast sweets. 

Out in the pickup truck with Scout. 

She's countryyyyy

Cam with the munchkin

Sweet little love shack. I heard Claire and Billy might be moving here while they raise money to be missionaries.

The homestead

Scout and I having a "birds and bees" talk

Trust

Your Father’s heart toward you is to do you good. Don’t allow circumstances that would suggest otherwise to be the authority in your belief system. When the details of life scream that He doesn’t care, that you have been left alone to make it on your own – trust.

It is the tendency of us all to want to understand, but understanding is no substitute for trust. It is our inclination to want to be in control of our circumstances, but control is no substitute for trust. Trust in Him is the key to all of life.

When Israel faced the Red Sea, the pathway across was the way of trust. When Daniel was thrown into a den of hungry lions, the ladder out of that pit was trust. When Mary wept beside the tomb of her brother, Lazarus, the remedy for her pain resided in Jesus, who said, “only believe.” Trust Him.

Trust Him when one you love betrays you.

Trust Him when your bank balance is less than your need.

Trust Him when you don’t get the credit you deserve.

Trust Him when you are misunderstood, criticized and maligned.

Trust Him when you don’t know which way to turn.

Trust Him when life screams that it’s over, that there is no way out, that a happy ending is no longer possible.

Just trust Him.

God cannot lie. (Titus 1:2) He promises that His plan for you is to give you a bright future and hope. (Jeremiah 29:11) Despite any appearance to the contrary, He will never leave or abandon you in your circumstances. (Hebrews 13:5) Goodness and mercy will follow you every day of your life, then you’ll go home to be with Him forever. (Psalm 23:6) If you’ll just believe Him, you can rest. (Hebrews 4:3) Will you enter into His rest by trusting Him instead of believing in your interpretation of your circumstances? To believe is to have peace. (Isaiah 26:3) To refuse is to forfeit the rest He offers. (Hebrews 3:18-19)

Steve McVey at gracewalk.org

P90X Update

Day 2 complete.

Yesterday I did the cardio dvd. It was not as intense as I thought it would be. Don't get me wrong, I was completely dripping in sweat by the end of it, but I was a little more familiar with the yoga & kickboxing type moves that we did.

I went to my annual doctor visit this morning and walked out with a high: I lost 5 lbs since last July! Wohoo! Then shortly after, I was exiting the parking garage only to realize I did not have $1 or even a check to write a $1 check. The parking attendant smiled at me while I began to sweat. She pointed to the gas station down the way while she wrote down my license number to hold hostage for my $1 bail.

I drove to the first gas station, then realizing that I needed gas, so I went ahead and filled up. I walked inside to purchase some water in the hopes of getting cash back since paying atm fees is my worst nightmare. I hate the concept! Well of course they did not do cash back so I jammed my cared in the atm, grumbling. I followed all the prompts and entered all my information and then the machine stated, out of order. Are you kidding me?

So I frantically called my poor unsuspecting husband, yelling at him to find the nearest chase atm so I didn't have to pay the fee and I could end this delima with some sort of accomplishment. He couldn't help, so I sped to the next gas station under the highway.

It was under construction! I finally found the next gas station about 1 mile down that road. It was a big fancy RaceTrac, so I felt confident that they would give me cash back. I calmed down and found some smart water to buy (which has electrolites to refuel after my grueling workout last night). I walk up to the counter and of course they do not do cash back either. I almost threw the bottle at the cashier this time. I stamped outside and stuck my card in the 2nd atm machine which gave me $10 for the fee of $3 for the $1 parking fee. ARG!

I drove back to the hospital and entered back into the hospital parking garage, wind around all the levels back to the parking attendant and give her my parking bail, making sure to tell her in an annoyed voice that the atm she directed me to was out of order. All the while in the back of my head, I was wondering if the parking attended thought I was going to come back or just drive off, since it was only $1. Maybe I was doing all this to impress her in hopes that she would refund my $1. But then would all of that effort have been worth $1? I should do the right thing, no matter how inconveniencing it is.

Well, I would like to blame my temper on "roid rage", but alass I am not taking steroids. Just protein powder. Does this have the same effect? Maybe so? .

Lesson learned: always, ALWAYS carry cash.

The end.

90 Day Challenge

Cam and I have started a 90 Day workout of P90X.

Let me tell you, this is a high intensity, limit pushing workout series. I mean I have only done the 1st dvd and I can barely walk today.

Yesterday I started with the Core Synergistics dvd

Tonight I am doing the Cardio dvd. The whole idea of this work out is muscle confusion so you don't plateau during your routine workouts.

They recommend blogging or jornaling about your journey, so I'm going to try to do frequent P90X updates.

Cam and I are learning how to celebrate the small victories.

1 day down, 89 to go.

First homemade apple pie!

Apple Pie

Joy of Cooking

BASIC PIE OR PASTRY DOUGH

One 9- or 10-inch double crust

Sift together:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Add:

3/4 cup chilled lard or vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons cold unsalted butter

Cut half of the shortening into the flour mixture with a pastry blender or work it in lightly with the tips of your fingers until it has the consistency of cornmeal.

Cut the remaining half into the dough until it is pea-sized.

Sprinkle the dough with:

6 tablespoons ice water

Blend the water gently into the dough until it just holds together; you may lift the ingredients with a fork, allowing the moisture to spread.

If necessary to hold the ingredients together, add:1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon ice water

Divide the dough in half, shape each into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

APPLE PIE:

Prepare:

1 recipe Basic Pie Dough

Line a 9" pie pan wiht half the dough. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Peel, core, and slice 1/4" thick:

2 1/2 lbs apples (5-6 large apples) I used granny smith

Combine in a bowl with:

3/4 cup sugar

2 to 3 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp salt

Let stand for 15 minutes, stirring several times, so that the apples soften slightly. Sprinkle flour over the pie crust to keep it from getting too soggy. Pour the filling into the bottom crust and gently level with the back of a spoon. Dot the top with:

2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into bits

Cover the pie with the upper crust. 

Sprinkle with: 

2 tsp sugar

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon

Bake for 30 minutes. Slip a baking sheet under the pie, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, and bake until the fruit feels just tender when a knife is poked through a steam vent and juices have begun to bubble through the vents, 30-45 minutes more. Cool completely on a rack, 304 hours. To serve pie warm, place it in a 350 degrees oven for 15 minutes. 

Enjoy!

Happy Independance Day!

Tomorrow I will be sitting on the lake enjoying my holiday with good friends!

My little sister and her husband, who I haven't seen in 8 months, will also be here for the weekend!

I can't wait to watch fireworks, play Apples to Apples and eat tasty food all weekend.

Here's a few things I'm making:

Hello Dolly Bars (otherwise known as 7 layer magic bars)

Buttermilk Chive Biscuits

Aunt Beth's Chili Egg Puff (jiggly egg puff, as my dad refers to it)

10 eggs

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

16 oz small curd cottage cheese

1 lb. grated jack cheese

1/2 cup melted butter

2 4-oz cans of green chilis (chopped)

Mix all ingredients and pour into a buttered 9x 13 glass baking dish

Bake for 35 min at 350 degrees

Breakfast Apple & Blueberry Crumble (I'll share this recipe soon)

And of course, coffee.

I hope you have a wonderful 4th of July! And say a prayer for all those who are away from their families, making sure we get to keep our freedom.

Memorial Day Weekend

This memorial day weekend we had Cam's family in town. We got to start the weekend off by celebrating with John and Amanda and their exciting news!

I made a Cream Cheese Apple Tart and had sparking lemonade when they arrived.

Saturday morning we ran in a 5K downtown. It was so motivating and fun to be together and have a little bit of friendly, family competition. Then of course we went to Barbec's by the lake for a big boy's breakfast. The boys played some Top Golf while the girls got pampered and did some shopping.

For dinner we ate at Fireside Pies on Henderson and walked to Harry's for some tasty custard where John Allen is famous (note Morrison plate on the wall)! We tasted 5 different pizzas that night and they were all delicious! One of the favorites was the balsamic roasted chicken pizza and the peta pie with goat cheese mushrooms, arugula and roasted red peppers delish!

Mother's Day Weekend

This year for Mother's Day we went to the Swiss Avenue Home Tour with my parents and grandparents. It was so fun to see all the old houses built in the 20's and 30's and get creative decorating ideas. We started the morning off with brunch in the park, catered by Penne Pomodoro a new (old to UP) restaurant opening in Lakewood this week! They had the best mimosas blueberry muffins and live saxiphonist.

We ended the day with Prosecco and Crawfish Etouffe at my mom and dad's house. Amazing!!

And Scout got to meet her arranged boyfriend. "Roy, the boy" He is about 6 months older than Scout and is trained to hunt. It was so fun watching them play and watching Roy retrieve dummies in the front yard. I hope Scout can be as well behaved as him someday :)

Getting a little familiar ;)

Totally Organic!

I made my first totally organic cookies last night. They were healthy and tasty!

Healthy Cookies

from 101 Cookbooks

3 large, ripe bananas, well mashed (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract1/4 cup coconut oil, barely warm - so it isn't solid (or alternately, olive oil)

2 cups rolled oats

2/3 cup almond meal

1/3 cup coconut, finely shredded & unsweetened

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

6 - 7 ounces chocolate chips or dark chocolate bar chopped

In a large bowl combine the bananas, vanilla extract, and coconut oil. Set aside. In another bowl whisk together the oats, almond meal, shredded coconut, cinnamon, salt, and baking powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir until combined. Fold in the chocolate chunks/chips.The dough is a bit looser than a standard cookie dough, don't worry about it. Drop dollops of the dough, each about 2 teaspoons in size, an inch apart, onto a parchment (or Silpat) lined baking sheet.

Bake for 12 - 14 minutes.

Garden after 2 weeks

We have now had the garden for 2 weeks! Everything is growing and there has been and LOTS of rain. I was afraid this weekend that some of my plants might just float away. They survived and look better than ever! The tomato plants have flowers and have grown almost 2 feet since we planted them. I'm definitely going to use some basil this week, maybe on some tomato mozzarella salad?

The Art of Simple Food

Currently Reading:

Eat locally and sustainably

Eat seasonally

Shop at farmer's market

Plant a garden

Conserve, compost, recycle

Cook simply, engaging all your senses

Cook together

Eat together

Remember food is precious

Mom's Birthday Brunch

It was mom's 55th birthday this weekend, so Cam and I had everyone over for breakfast on Saturday morning. The weather was perfect for eating on the porch too!

Sarah brought my mom beautiful flowers from her yard!

The "yummy cake" cupcakes spelled Happy Birthday!

The Menu:

Coffee & Iced Coffee

Mimosas

Myer Lemon Cranberry Scones

Creme Fraiche

Chili Egg Puff

Yeast Rolls

Whole Lotta Nuts Granola

Fresh berries

Yogurt

"Yummy Cake" cupcakes

Happy Earth Day!

In honor of Earth Day

Check out the Peapod!

Shown to me by my much more organic, green and hip sister!

And an idea from my other concious and thoughtful sister:

give out glass bottles to coworkers in in hopes that we can switch from plastic to glass when consuming water, and reuse or recycle. Pellegrino bottles are great to reuse and they're quite durable. Also, they make great vases for flowers!!

Succulants Galore!

Succulents on my table

Succulents in my window

Succulents on the wall

Succulent in a cup