Hand-Painted Pillows and.. No Internet?!?!

I know...it's been a while!

My husband and I decided to try getting rid of TV/internet for a while. Our apartment complex has a business center (that has FREE lattes), and so we've been using their internet for the time being.

It may sound archaic, and it's definitely a little inconvenient, but the benefits we've seen make a case for not getting it back again anytime soon.

We may change our mind during football season, but for now it's looking good. We don't waste as much time on facebook, email, hulu, and watching pointless TV. We spend more time together, and we have to walk whenever we want to check our email, blog, or other things. Now, my husband does have a smart phone, so important weather or news updates we get that way (and he has access to his work emails). That may be what makes this a little more do-able. But in any case, I do like not having internet and TV at home. Being a housewife there is always huge temptation to spend time watching TV or wasting hours on the internet. Now I have to plan my internet time and that makes my work more efficient!

///

Okay, now onto the fun, crafty stuff:

Recently I made some pillows for our living room! We were so blessed to be given furniture when we got married! Though it didn't all match, and wasn't necessarily our style. So I thought I'd paint some pillows to help tie things together. I really loved this process and so I captured a few moments of the creating!

These are the fronts to the big blue ones:

And this is mid-painting of the monogram pillow:

Here are the fronts laid on the couch (to make sure I liked the size):

In this photo you can see the reason for the big blue pillows! -- A big blue futon! :)

And now for the stuffing and sewing!:

I don't like limp pillows, so I stuffed them REALLY full!

I used a sewing machine for 3 sides, and the corners of the 4th side.

Used safety pins to hold the opening closed while I hand sewed the last bit.

And Viola!

An this is the monogrammed pillow.

And one of them all together!

I absolutely loved making pillows! I have them for sale right now on my shop, if you're interested in something like this.

Okay, that's all for now! Soon I'll have a fantastic bagel recipe for you, and pics. from our anniversary road trip! (Yep, this time we managed to bring out the camera every once in a while!)

Have a great Wenesday!

Homemade Turkey Burgers (& buns!)

So between pizza, and burgers, I know you're thinking the gluten free train has long departed our lives. And you'd be right. I'm not knocking the idea, but it just didn't work for us. (Plus after trying these homemade burger buns, I know I can't ever give gluten up completely!)

But what's a good bun if the burger is dry, or flavorless, right? Well I have the answer there too. I have fallen in love with one turkey burger recipe. It's probably one of 2 recipes that has ever been repeated since our marriage. It's from Cooking Yourself Thin and it is amazing! Full of great chile flavor, and the perfect amount of structure & moisture. (I know "moisture" isn't normally an appetizing word, but I don't have a better word to describe the opposite of dry-ness in a burger)

It's also super simple. 

Just mix 1 lb. lean ground turkey and 1 small can of diced green chiles and 1 egg in a bowl.

(They'll seem super mushy, but they'll cook up great!) 

Divide the mixture into 4 rounds, and cook on an open lean machine, until the bottom edge turns grey. 

Then slowly close the grill (these will lose their shape quickly if you smash them in the grill too early).

They will flatten out some, but that's okay. 

Then put them on your homemade burger buns, with a slice of Muenster cheese, and voila! 

Here is the homemade bun recipe (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

Makes 4 buns!

1 large egg (divided)
1 2/3 cups wheat flour
3/4 teaspoons salt
1 1/4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

In a glass measuring cup, combine:
1 cup warm water 
1 1/2 tablespoons warm milk 
1 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/4 tablespoons sugar
Let stand until foamy, about five minutes.
Meanwhile, beat one egg.

In a large bowl, whisk together:
1 2/3 cups wheat flour
3/4 teaspoons salt


Add 1 1/4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter and rub into flour between your fingers, making crumbs.

Stir in yeast mixture and half the beaten egg until a dough forms.

Scrape dough onto clean, well-floured counter and knead until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes.

Add flour if too sticky, but allow it to remain somewhat sticky.

Shape dough into a ball and return it to bowl.

Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, one to two hours.

Line a baking sheet with wax or parchment paper. 

Divide dough into 4 equal parts.

Gently roll each into a ball and arrange two to three inches apart on baking sheet.

Cover loosely with a towel and let buns rise in a warm place for another half hour.

Set a large shallow pan of water on oven floor.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees with rack in center.

Beat remaining egg with 1/2 tablespoon water and brush some on top of buns.

Bake, turning sheet halfway through baking, until tops are golden brown, about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a rack to cool completely.

We ate these burgers with these teriyaki sweet potatoes from Budget Bytes.

Goodness, I'm getting hungry again just thinking about them!!

Refrigerator Pizza

I try to plan our weekly menus. I really do. It helps us save money, only buy what we need, helps us to eat healthy, and spend as much time together as possible. 

Last night I had a healthy grilled chicken dinner planned to cook, and then once the love of my life came home from work, I realize... we were having pizza!

I think I've mentioned before how irresistible pizza has become to my husband and me. 

(Luckily he went for a run after he got home, so I had time to whip out a quick pizza dough recipe and change plans completely.)

Since I decided to make pizza on a whim, it was going to have to be a "refrigerator pizza" (meaning the type of pizza toppings I was going to make, was going to be decided by whatever was left over in the refrigerator).

I had already grilled chicken for my planned menu, so I figured that was going to be the main thing on the pizza. We had plenty of cheese or some reason, so then I thought "Stuffed-crust"! Luckily we had barbeque sauce, and bacon. So it was decided. Barbeque chicken & bacon stuffed-crust pizza! (this might have been the best unplanned dinner I have ever made!)

I used this Quick Pizza Dough recipe:

In a medium bowl, dissolve:

1 packet of dry active yeast

1 teaspoon white sugar 

in 1 cup of warm water (110 degrees F) .

Let stand until creamy (10 minutes).

Stir in:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Beat until smooth. 

Let stand 5 min. 

Roll out dough on a floured surface. 

After I had the dough rolled out, I placed it on the greased baking sheet with dough hanging off the edges, as if I were making a pie (a pizza pie).

Then I sprinkled mozzarella cheese around the inside edge of the pan. (Our stuffed-crust didn't turn out like delivery stuffed-crust. I'm thinking there's a trick to it, like they use string cheese or grease the inside of the dough so the cheese doesn't quite get cooked into the dough- as ours did. If any one knows the trick, let me know! This version was still delicious though!)

And then I folded over the edges of the dough. Pressing down the edges, again like pie dough. 

Once that part was finished, I spread the Bulls-eye original barbeque sauce.

Topped with mozzarella and extra sharp cheddar cheeses.

Added 1 grilled chicken breast (cubed).

Last, but definitely not least, bacon pieces (pre-packaged from Publix). 

Baked in the oven at 400 degrees F just long enough for the dough to crisp up, and the cheese to bubble (about 10 min.).

And there it is...

Again... this pizza was sooo good!! Normally unplanned or otherwise "creative" meals don't turn out so well here. But this one will be made again!

Gluten free?

Everyone's talking about "going gluten-free". Some have to because of health issues, others are doing it by choice because of the health benefits.

We are skeptical of most all fad diets, but we've been hearing so many good things about the way people are feeling after eliminating gluten or wheat flour from their diet. 

We decided to try it. Mind you we have one foot in and one foot out. Basically our version of this is to have the food in our home be gluten-free, and then if we have to eat out we'll try to stick to it, but we don't beat ourselves up if it's too difficult. Last week (during the week) we stayed relatively gluten-free. (My husband had 0 glutens, I cheated a little) 

Anyways, it wasn't that difficult. And we did feel good. I think what we noticed more was how bad we felt when we did eat glutens again on the weekend. So we're trying it again this week. 

Lunches are the hardest thing to do gluten free. You have to be creative. Last week we did curry chicken lettuce wraps (unfortunately no picture, but they were really good!), and this week is chicken salad on portobellos. (and of course some other gluten-free snacks).

I was thrilled when I saw this chicken salad recipe on pinterest. I adapted it a little, and was able to get away with out using any mayo! (Mayo is naturally gluten-free, but I've just always tried to stay away from it because of it's fat and calorie content.)

2 cups shredded chicken

1 avacado

2 tsp. chopped cilantro

Salt to taste

dash of lemon pepper

I put the chicken salad on roasted portobellos. I highly recommend this. The flavor of the no-mayo chicken salad is a little different than you'd expect, but tastes perfect on a portobello. 

I was afraid I'd get green chicken salad doing this, but the chicken holds it's color really well!

When you taste these, you won't be able to believe there's no mayo!

And we made these semi-homemade turtle brownies last night! We used the Betty Crocker gluten-free brownie mix, added some pecans and drizzled caramel sauce on top! Mmm...

So far the gluten-free thing ain't so bad!

Celebrating Life

My granddad (Gigi) passed away this Wednesday.

He was an extraordinary leader in his family and his community. The Atlanta Journal Constitution asked to write a short article on his life and accomplishments.

While it gives a run-down of all his accomplishments, it is too short to describe all he left his family and me with. I have fond memories of him coming to my second grade class to help teach us about human anatomy. He was just as engaging, and funny, to children as he was to the adults he taught. He had a wonderful, dry wit that my family has always appreciated.

Most of the time he showed us his love by spending time with us, and teaching us things about the world: fishing, landscape, billiards, etc. Every now and then he would write us a card or a letter that expressed to us just how proud he was of us, and how much he loved us. These letters have become so sweet, and important.

In his last few years of life he was confined to a wheelchair in a nursing home. He hated being apart from his wife, though she visited him every single day. He never lost his wit, his love for his wife and family, his knowledge of medicine, or his love and knowledge of God. The article says he had a mind like a magnet, and that doesn't even begin to describe how much he remembered! Often when I would visit he would see a mole on my hand, or hear me with a small cold, and diagnose exactly what was wrong with me. Would give me the medical term, explain what it meant for me, and tell me what type of doctor (and recommend a colleague in the field he respected) I should see (if it would be required). He also quoted scripture, expressed love for God, prayed every day, and sung hymns to pass the time. His hearing declined in these years, and so conversations became shorter and less involved. He always continued a game from our youth, where he would act like he forgot who one of us grandchildren were. The "forgotten" would alternate each time, but it always made us smile. He would say something like, "I remember this beautiful young lady (me) but I don't recognize this snaggle-tooth boy (my brother)." Winking, of course.

As I've grown, I've appreciated his role in our family more and more. The idea that 'my grandkids will know the same God as me, because my children will know the same God' has gained ever increasing importance for me and my husband. We not only want to raise our children to follow God, but we also want to raise them to raise their children to follow God. That is exactly what my grandfather did. My husband and I are so grateful for that legacy, and pray that God can continue it through us.

The only thing I wish were different, were that my husband could have met him in his prime. (I didn't meet my husband till after Gigi was in the nursing home). My husband was able to meet with him a few times while he was in the nursing home, but at that point it was too difficult for my granddad to get to know anyone new. Most visits became more about being there than speaking, since he couldn't hear much of anything and saw great disappointment in trying. One day while we were there, my husband wanted to get to know him as well as he could and got him to recall fond memories of fishing. After a while of sitting outside with him, he looked at my husband and said, "You're new here," we all smiled and chuckled a bit thinking he was cracking a joke, but he continued, "...but I want you to know that you are welcome." He later jokingly asked him if he was sure he wanted to join this crazy family.

His declaration of acceptance will probably resonate with us forever. I don't know if he knew it meant a lot to us, but it did. It's hard to explain exactly how thankful I was for his words, but when someone has left such a wonderful legacy as his, his acceptance and welcoming of our marriage is so important to us. For a few years, as he declined, it felt as if he was slowly fading from our lives. But for that moment he showed us he was still accepting his role as head of our family, even from his wheelchair. We couldn't have been more humbled. I saw him for the last time about a week before he died. But this is the visit (a few months before he died) I felt like he got to see me and my husband for one last time.

Rant vs. Respect

I've still been working on a post or two that I'm not sure how to write.

The ideas I want to talk about are issues that are near to my heart because they effect my friends and family. At the same time, these issues and/or actions cause painful consequences that aren't reversible. (though they are redeemable, praise God!)

Also, our actions are never outside of God's control. That doesn't mean that "God caused us to sin" but it does mean that God could (and probably did) plan on using that exact action, and that exact consequence to bring that person (and possibly several others) into a deeper, more intimate relationship with Him. With that in mind, I have a hard time figuring out how to (or even if I should) write about problems in the world, or problems in my own life.


I think I can read an article, like this one by Mark Driscoll, with two different sets of glasses:

• On the one hand, I would think "Wow! Glad somebody said it!", or "Isn't that so true, our world is so broken!- just look at these people".

• On the other hand, I think "Man, if someone is reading this that did any or all of these things, will they be more turned off to God than before?", or "What if that were me? There's not anything except Christ that would have stopped me from being that person."

Now, In my opinion Mark Driscoll does a great job of mourning the Sin in the world, and the broken patterns of behavior, but in the end respects the individuals who may have gotten it wrong by offering Jesus and His redeeming grace.

But it's got me to stop and think about how to write about sin. I keep thinking about the verse Matthew 7:5-- You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye. I think there's a place and a time to write about the sin of the world, and of others. I think Mark Driscoll approaches this well. For today I'm not certain my writing has reached this level of maturity. So I'll just leave you to read the post Mark Driscoll wrote on having children out of wed-lock (same link as above).

If anyone cares to comment on Mark's article and explain why it is or is not offensive to them, I'd love to hear why!

Newly Wed Valentine's Day

I know it's been a while since I last posted anything, and today won't be very different. A lot's been going on lately, and I have a few blog posts in the "draft" stage. I guess you could say I'm trying to form my thoughts on different things. For today I'll leave you with a synopsis of our first married Valentine's Day! 

Valentine's Day is certainly the subject of controversy, and while I've never placed too much emphasis on the day itself, I've also never turned down lovingly gifted chocolates! Since we're newly-weds it seems that all our free time is date time, which doesn't make Valentine's Day super pivotal to our romance or relationship, but it's certainly fun to celebrate our love and have a bonus date! (I personally hope every valentine's day feels like an unnecessary, but very welcome celebration!) I want to remember that one single day out of the year has no more importance than any other day, because every day is important. I want to remember that we should love each other every day, we should connect every day, and we should spend time alone together every day. (and maybe eat chocolate everyday too! :)

Of course any excuse is a good excuse to celebrate the blessing of our marriage, and love for each other! And celebrate we will!-- or did :)

To start the day off, I made heart-shaped breakfast buiscuits, with egg, bacon, and gouda...yum! (and super simple)

Later, my husband came home early, promptly giving me the best box of chocolates ever!! Void of the random fruit and cream-filled sticky things, this heart was full of my favorite: turtles!! (so in gratitude, I quoted the little kid from this video) Of course I ate them too quickly to take a picture, but I'm sure you can all understand. :)

Then we ate dinner at a cozy restaurant in town, La Madeline. (you must try the Chicken Friand)! Then at home we ate dessert and played board! It sure is fun being married to your best friend!

From my perspective, there's nothing wrong with having a day to be cheesy, and celebrate the grace we've been given to love each other.

There is one problem I see with all the red, glittery decorations-- If you're not careful they could end up in the washing machine :( which unfortunately did happen to us. (Sorry honey!)

Dusty Days

This weekend we cleaned out my husband's old things from his childhood home. He reminiced while I listened to tons of funny stories that were being exchanged over old clothes, toys and pictures. We had a great time! We brought all 5 bins back to our place, complete with 15+ years of dust. Needless to say our apartment smelled like basement, and itched our eyes like one too. As one could only assume, getting these unpacked and dusted was my first priority the last couple of days.

I managed to find a place for all but 2 bins of things in our small first apartment! Took me a while, but today I finally got to dust and vaccuum since we brought the basement home with us. It feels (and smells) wonderful!

We've also been listening to the Real Marriage sermons lately from Mark Driscoll. It's been humbling to hear the ideas he's teaching about friendship, unity, and marriage. We've only been married 6 months (and are still firmly planted in the "honeymoon" phase) but it's always good to be working on your marriage, just like it's always good to be growing in Christ. (It's usually when you think you've got it figured out, that you need the most help.) Anyways, I highly reccomend them, even if you're single.

Today I also managed to create a new save the date. I've been swooning over all the chevron patterns lately, so that's what this was inspired by! As always, critiques are welcome!

(view in the shop)

Indulge a little...

Does your mouth begin to salivate every time those cheesy threads stretch between a piece of pizza and the rest of the pie.....on the tv commerical? What about the pictures on the direct mail "coupons"? Yeah, mine does too.

Ever since I've been married it seems the one (well one of the many) calorie weaknesses I have is pizza. Every time I open the mail box it seems there's another pizzeria in town, and my desire to cook the healthy meal I planned 2 weeks ago is gone. (I'm exaggerating how far out I plan the meals by a long shot)

Well, I have found the recipe that will change your life! (and your waist size, sorry!)

**Warning, this is NOT low calorie, or healthy in any sense of the word. It will however save you about $15 for every $20 you would spend at a neighborhood pizzeria!**

Now we've made pizza a lot, but I just couldn't seem to get the crust right. It was always decent, but never the kind of crust you'd hear people say "oh my gosh, this crust is amazing!" I'm a bread lover, so this is important to me. 

Here it is. I can't take credit for it. Someone else is the mastermind behind the deliciousness!!

Here is the Crust recipe (the tips help a lot!).

And here's what I added on top:

added my own tomato sauce

6 cheese Italian blend (grated)

Mozzerella (grated)

Asiago (grated)

Chedder (grated)

Pepperoni

Sausage

Green Peppers

Absolutely mouth watering, stomach stuffing, AMAZING, bread-y, cheesy goodness! (These photos have not been enchanced in any way)

Also, we made these scrumptios pumpkin waffles (from a mix made by the fresh market) for dessert!

We added butterscotch and white chocolate morsels, caramel syrup, and powdered sugar!

Okay, tomorrow we'll go back to making calorie counting taste good! But o was this break worth it!

New Items on Etsy!

I posted a few new items to my shop this morning, here's a sneak peak!

 

Two-sided Crocheted Infinity Scarf

{click to see in the shop}

3 Color T-shirt Necklace

(Teal, Plum, & Rust)

{click to see in the shop}

Mint Green T-shirt necklace

{click to see in the shop}

Georgia Tech (White & Gold) T-Shirt Necklace

{click to see in the shop}

Beaded necklace/earring set

{click to see in the shop}

Mint green set

Mint Green braided t-shirt necklace

{click to see in the shop}