Couples Retreat :)

We're heading out today for a couples retreat to Apple Hill. This could not have been more timely! Taylor & I have been praying a lot for God's vision for our family to be made clear. This retreat will give us the opportunity to quiet our hearts and come before the Lord, and listen. 


"I don't know exactly what it will look like for you to be still before the Lord. But I do know that no matter what your personality, it is a spiritual discipline to be still, to listen, and to cut out the distractions and din of our world. And as we practice this stillness, this waiting, this being, it is then that we can experience deep intimacy and relationship with the Holy Spirit." Forgotten God, Francis Chan


"[The Holy Spirit] assures us that we are in right standing with and loved by God. he guarantees believers of the gift of new life in Christ. He assures us that we have nothing to fear because we are His children and He is powerful. He tells us that we are accepted, fully and unconditionally. And He reminds us of the victory that is coming when God's kingdom if fully realized." Forgotten God, Francis Chan


"A general rule for the good use of time is to accustom oneself to live in a continual dependence of the Spirit of God, receiving from moment to moment whatever is pleases him to give us, referring to him at once in the doubts which we necessarily run into, turning to him in the weakness into which goodness lips from exhaustion, calling on him and lifting oneself to him, when the heart, swept away by material things, sees itself led imperceptibly off the path and finds itself forgetting and drifting away from God." Francois Fenelon 


"The presence of God comes to us as two beings are joined. God "dwells" in the midst of this coming together." Sacred Marriage, Gary Thomas


Matthew 18: 19-20 "Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”


In all of this, we desire to do the will of the Lord's. May He be glorified! 


Have a blessed, quiet, still weekend!

Dessert & DIY craft :)

A dessert you'd run for . . .
I recently saw this dessert on pinterest and thought, I have to find a reason to make this, it looks way too good! So I did! This dessert is super super easy :) But, my suggestion to you is, if you have a small group, party, or some kind of event to go to, make these!! You'll be able to enjoy them [without keeping the entire batch at home.] So what's the dessert?

Brownies with cookie dough & Oreos

You will need 1 box of cookie mix, 1 box of brownie mix, and 1 thing of Oreos. Each box explains what specific ingredients you will need, ex. eggs, oil, butter. 

1. Mix together the cookie mix with all of its intended ingredients. Make this your first layer. [My suggestion, don't use the wax paper, it ended up being useless in the end, so butter your pan really well.]

2. Place the Oreos in a row on top of the cookie dough.

3. Mix together the brownie mix, follow the back of the box for instructions. Then pour the brownie mix over your cookie/oreo layer. Then spread evenly over oreos.

4. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

5. Enjoy! [They look sloppy because they were ;) it was hard getting them un'stuck' from the wax paper. But the taste was so good!]














My little DIY project :)


I bought a small mirror a few months ago and have been wanting to paint it with chalk paint for a while now and finally got a chance. Here it is :)

Before

The process . . .

After :)











Have a happy Thursday! :)
Grace & peace to you all!!

Meatless Wednesdays

I've decided to start meatless Wednesdays as a means to not eat so much meat. If you know my husband, you know that for him, a meal isn't a "meal" without some meat! So, this is a slow adjustment :)

I decided to make homemade chicken broth, vegetable noodle soup. It was kind of an experiment for me since I had never done this before now. It was an adventure that turned out quite well! :)

Chicken broth

I took our 2 day old rotisserie chicken leftovers 

carrots
onions
celery salt [this was my celery substitute. If you have celery, use that instead]
salt
pepper
fresh thyme
oregano
red pepper flakes
basil
bay leaves
flour

Vegetable Noodle Soup
4 carrots
2 potatoes
2 small garlic, minced
1 onion
4 celery
1 green pepper
1 red pepper
pinch of pepper
pinch of salt
tsp oregano
tsp basil
tsp thyme
2 1/2 cup pasta

1. Take leftover chicken and cover with water. Place on medium heat over stove.

2. Add onions, carrots, and seasonings. [I really used whatever I had in the house at the time, really anything works for this part.] :)

3. Bring to a boil, add the flour [about 2 tbsp] & then let simmer for about 30-45 minutes.

4. Drain the chicken leftovers & vegetables into a large bowl.






5. Afterwards, strain the broth [with a smaller colander] to get rid of any excess meat.

6. Return the broth into the pot, keep on medium low.
[Or store in fridge until you're ready to make the vegetable soup.]

7.  Chop all of the potatoes, carrots, garlic, onion, celery, and peppers.

* I had to show you my new favorite tool in the kitchen!

8. After you add all the vegetables and seasonings, cook on medium, let boil, then add the pasta and simmer for about 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender & pasta is cooked all the way through.

9. Enjoy!










*This freezes well too :)

Good Eats & Friends!!

Taylor & I had the pleasure of having our dear friends, the Rosses, over Friday night. :)

Greg, Hilary, Zach, & Will

We enjoyed yummy foods and one of our new favorite games, Balderdash.

Here's what we ate:

Baked Penne with Chicken Sausage & Roasted Vegetables

You will need:

1 onion

1 green bell pepper

2 red bell peppers

1 yellow squash

1 garlic clove

a pinch of red pepper flakes

tsp basil

tsp oregano

salt

pepper

olive oil

penne pasta

chicken sausage [we used Trader Joe's, regular Kielbasa would work too]

3 cups of marinara [we used garlic & onion sauce]

1 1/2 cups of peas

2 cups parmesan cheese

1. Set oven to 450 degrees.

2. Slice onion, green pepper, red pepper, and squash. Chop garlic clove.

3. On baking sheet, place onion, green pepper, red pepper, squash, and garlic. Drizzle olive oil , red pepper flakes, basil, salt & pepper on top. Toss together & roast until tender for about 15 minutes.

4. While the veggies are roasting, cook pasta [halfway] for about 6 minutes & sausage [all the way].

5. Once veggies are done, toss drained pasta, veggies, chicken sausage, marinara, peas, & cheese together. Add salt & pepper, to taste. Mix together until all the pasta is covered with the marinara.






6. Pour pasta into a greased dish & top with the rest of the cheese & pieces of butter.

7. Bake for 25 minutes.

8. Enjoy :)

Great times with great friends!! 

Some of our funny answers ;)

Greg won, both times. :) 

Joe's Omelette - Ohhh so DELICIOUS!

My sisters husband, Joe, made Taylor and I his special omelette over Christmas break. He said it was a "use what you have in the fridge" omelette, and now I buy just those ingredients to make this delicious omelette!

[Making this for two] About 30 minutes prep & cooking time

You will need:

1 tbs Olive Oil
4 eggs
1 cup of ham, chopped
1 apple, chopped [Pink Lady is our choice of apple :)
1 cup of onions
goat cheese
cinnamon
salt & pepper [to taste]
honey, as your topping

1. Chop ham, apples, & onions.

2. Place tbs of olive oil in frying pan, fry chopped onions, apples, & ham with cinnamon.

3. Add eggs [mix together in bowl before adding] 


*They are hard to flip, the first time I used a plate, the second time Taylor did it, he did a much better job than me. :) 

4. After the eggs are cooked, crumble the goat cheese over the egg & then fold into an omelette onto your plate.

5. Top the omelette with honey! [Be generous!]

Some of the ingredients [apples & honey] seem strange to have in an omelette, I know, but trust me, it's good! :) Now I am from the North, and up there we put ketchup on our eggs, and not having ketchup was weird at first, but the honey made the perfect balance to the goat cheese & onions & apples.

6. Enjoy!! :)

What I'm reading. . .

It rained all day today, which to me is the perfect reading day. Over the past few years I have really gotten into reading. It was my 2011 "New Year's resolution" to read more, and I did [probably the only New Year's resolution I've kept], so I've decided to continue for 2012! :) 

Here are the books I'm reading now: 

Taylor & I have been going through this book together. It is one of those books that can challenge, convict, and comfort you all in one chapter! I really love how God is using Gary Thomas' book to help us in making our marriage more holy! If you're married, I highly recommend reading this with your spouse. :)

"Marriage is about making us holy rather than happy."

I am reading this book with my mother-in-law, Gisele, & sister-in-law, Julie. :)


"Let's pray that God would empower us so radically that we would get no glory. That people would see our works and glorify God."

This is my most recent purchase. I'll be reading this with my friend Hilary!


"Reading between the lines of faith is to see Jesus. But reading between the lines takes work and invisible trust and the disregard of feeling."

This is a sweet little 1 to 2 page daily devotional on Contentment. This has been a part of my morning reading. I love this book!! [Thank you Julie]

These are the books I'm reading for now, I continue to look forward to learning through them, and I am excited for whats next! 

May God be glorified! 

about us

Welcome and thanks for stopping by!
I'm Stephanie and this is my blog. What started as a place for me to log recipes, quickly became our family blog, to keep relatives updated on our lives, to share DIY projects, and post some recipes here and there. I have taken a bit of a break over the past year but plan to start back up soon. Hope you enjoy!

This is my hubby, Taylor. Taylor and I met at our church while in college and soon after started dating, got engaged, and then married in 2011.

We live in Charlotte, North Carolina with our 2 little kiddos. I am a stay at home mom and find it to be the hardest but most rewarding job ever. I am so thankful I have been given the opportunity to be home and raise our kids. 

Winifred [Winnie] is our wild child. Walking at 9 months and climbing soon after, she kept us on our toes at an early age. She is the MOST ENCOURAGING little girl I have ever met. I know God had me in mind when he gave her that trait because I learn from her everyday. She loves life and dancing and reading and being a girly girl while still playing obstacle courses, collecting sticks, and climbing rocks.

Darren is our teeny little boy. He was a surprise when we found out we were pregnant with him and he was a surprise when he decided to be born 2 months early. He is definitely more calm in nature, he climbs on any and everything he can, digs in the dirt, collects rocks in plastic cups, but mostly LOVES his sister more than anything. He follows her around and copies what she does all the time. 

Hope you enjoy~