Meet my mom. Sweet. Selfless. Caring. Wonderful. This woman is super special!

For mom’s day I picked her up and drove out to Somis for some berry picking at the Underwood Family Farms. This is something that I have never done before (and also happens to be on my 101 in 1001 list!) so I was looking forward to it. I was very pleased with the experience and enjoyed the one on one time with my mom. We spent about an hour picking both raspberries and blueberries for our cobbler.

It was a beautiful day in the high 70s and the sun was shining down on these beauties. While I didn’t so much enjoy the bees around the raspberries, it was a little bit of an adventure for my mom and I as we scoured our way through the long lanes of berries. After about 10 minutes I realized the bees were pretty comfortable with people walking around and started picking without hesitation.

When we got home we made a yummy “cobbler” for dessert after our dinner. I decided to keep it simple and do it dump cake style. I have never done this recipe with fresh fruit before but it turned out wonderfully.

Fresh Berry Dump Cake (Cobbler)

• 1 box Yellow Cake Mix of choice
• 2-3 cups of Berries (enough to cover the whole bottom of a 9×13″ pan)
• 1/2 cup Sugar
• 2 sticks Butter (cold, sliced)
• 1/2 cup Brown Sugar *optional
• Vanilla Ice Cream — Recommended!

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray or butter a 9×13″ pan and pour berries (any mixture) over the bottom of the pan until complete covered. Sprinkle the berries and let sit for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the cake mix over the berries and slice your butter into 9 thin slices. Arrange the butter slices to cover the cake mix layer and sprinkle with brown sugar if so desired. Bake in the oven for approximately 50-60 minutes, until the berries are bubbling and the cake mix/brown sugar is golden.

Serve with ice cream and enjoy!

Happy Mother’s Day everyone!

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Photo courtesy from blog a la cart

This week, I decided to tackle one of the goals from my 101 in 1001 list that I added to promote encouragement. The task was to handwrite 5 letters of encouragement. Of course, all 5 didn’t have to be completed at once, but I was enjoying myself so much I kept coming up with more sweet people in my life that I wanted to encourage and love on! Even being able to complete and mark off one of my smaller goals is exciting!

So the task is officially complete and I look forward to sending more letters of encouragement to even more special people in my life. In the past I have received handwritten letters from a few very special women who told me how special I was to them and shared all of the amazing things that they saw in me. These letters are very dear to my heart and I wanted to pass on the love.

I purchased a set of 20 stationery cards so that I have reason to continue sending these letters over time. I do enjoy sending words of encouragement, however they usually are sent via e-mail or Facebook; I think that the handwritten note is a lost art. There is something personal and extra special about seeing loving words written out in the sender’s very own handwriting.

Send your own!

Below are a few ideas to help you think of who to write to and why to write:

• Those who need to persevere (tough times, sympathy)
• Those who work hard &/or serve the body of Christ (encouragement, thanks)
• Those who encourage you (love, thanks)
• Those that you miss seeing (reminder that they are being thought of)
• Those who are a good example to you (thanks, encouragement)
• Those who are good friends & listeners (love, thanks)
  

Thanks for following along on my journey of 101 in 1001 days! I am excited to plan for and tackle a few other goals this summer!

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The inspiration for these cupcakes — chocolate dipped strawberries.

Chocolate cake
+
Chocolate Chips
+
Strawberry Meringue Buttercream
=
LOVE

Okay, so yes I used a chocolate cake mix (chocolate fudge to be exact), but again I have to thank my back pain for the lack of “from scratch” recipes lately.  But I couldn’t resist this amazing Strawberry Meringue Buttercream recipe from Ms. Martha Stewart. So glad that I did and I will never go back!

Is it quick & easy? Not so much. You need to have a candy thermometer and patience but can I tell you it is beyond worth it! This fluffy piece of heaven was the perfect topper to this chocolate cupcake! It is light, fluffy and tasted like a real strawberry! Many compliments to this recipe and I will be handwriting this onto a recipe card and permanently adding it to my collection of frosting recipes.

Enjoy!

Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

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As you all know I created my 101 in 1001 days list last week and I have been enjoying choosing which of the goals to begin with! The first off of our list was to join a Bible study, which both Garrett & I are fairly excited about. It centers around God’s purpose of marriage and we look forward to learning from and growing with the other couples in the study. This week it is off to my next goal – “keep a prayer journal for 4 months.”

I decided to invest some time into designing a tool that will work well for me; I did my research online for ideas, templates and Scriptures surrounding the importance and the gift of prayer. Now I offer to you a FREE copy of my newly designed Prayer Journal.

Prayer is a gift from God; what better gift than to be able to communicate with our Creator and know that He hears, He cares and He answers.

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15)

Lately with all of the desires of my heart and the need for God’s strength (with my back pain), patience & love (at work) and faith (to live for Him), I have been thirsting for a deeper relationship with God. It hit me that I can have this deeper relationship with God if I share the desires of my heart with Him, give up all things to Him, and lean on Him.

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7)

That is where this Prayer Journal comes in. I do not only want to pray;  I want to hear. I do not only want to believe; I want to live. I do not only want to be a blessing; I want to recognize God’s blessings in return. If I do not stop to take time to see God’s blessing, then my relationship and my faith does not grow deeper but remains the same. We are called to pray, to give thanks and to have faith that God does and will answer our prayers. I believe that this is God’s will for us.

“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

The verse above is the so-called motto of my Prayer Journal and the prayer life that I seek to live out. Will you join me?

I am offering up this printable prayer journal to everyone as a free download in hopes that you too will grow in your faith and be joyful and thankful as you recognize the the blessing that comes from consistent and faithful prayer. It is a simple template which includes a page with Scriptural Principles of Prayer, prayer categories broken down by day (each day you will be praying for a specific category in life), as well as Memory Verse pages (to keep track of the verses that you have chosen to commit to memory & notes as to why the verse(s) were important enough to do so).

Enjoy this little gift from me. I will be praying that this tool will be a blessing to many and would love to hear any feedback.

Be blessed!

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Happy Birthday to my sweet man! Last Tuesday, my handsome turned 27 years old! This means that in just 7 short months I will be turning 28 — yikes! Originally we had discussed 28 as the year we would discuss the possibility of starting a family. Could that time really be here? With so much up in the air (my back pain, Garrett’s change in direction of career, etc), I find myself pondering our future and desiring to grow up a little bit faster.

Awhile back I came across the 101 in 1001 days initiative where people are challenging themselves to stretch themselves and grow within that 1001 days (approx. 2 ¾ years). I feel that now is my time to start a list of my own. I already have over 80 items on my list and feel energized and looking forward to completing these items. If you look at other bloggers’ lists you will find many lists are filled with ‘to dos’ — this was not my goal. My list includes things that will stretch us, grow us, better us, bring us joy and help us accomplish some of the things that we set out to do long ago.

I have dedicated a page to this list and hope that you will follow along as I enjoy completing each task. I will be posting about some of the experiences as I go along as well. If you have a 101 in 1001 list or start one anytime in the future, I would LOVE to check it out! So come on back and share your link in the comments :)

THE MISSION
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.
THE CRITERIA
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).
WHY 1001 DAYS?
Many people have created lists in the past – frequently simple goals such as New Year’s resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.
THE START DATE
4/1/12
THE END DATE
12/28/14

Check out my list and progress on the official page — HERE

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I believe that everyone should have a Saturday morning that involves the scene above every once and awhile. You know those mornings you just wake up and you feel like making a real breakfast? This was one of those mornings.

I can not deny that one of my favorite things to do on a Saturday is snuggle up to my warm hubby and chat about the previous week or the upcoming day; this usually ends with me all in love and wanting to do loving things for my man… most likely something yummy!

Yes, this was a Pinterest find and yes, I have been thinking about it from the moment I pinned it! If you go to the original recipe and check out her amazing photos, you really won’t blame me. The only fruit I had on hand was strawberries so I decided to throw some chocolate chips in for variety for fun.

Honey Cloud Pancakes

• 2 large egg and 2 egg white
• 1/2 cup of warmed milk
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 1 pinch of salt
• 4 teaspoons of honey
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 – 2 tablespoon of butter
• Soft fruits
• Honey, Maple Syrup, Whipped Cream (for toppings)

1. Heat the oven to 400°F
2. Slice your fruits (Strawberries, peaches, pears, etc)
3. In one bowl whisk egg whites until it is white and peaky (I used our personal blender, it was so fast!)
4. In another bowl, mix the the other two whole eggs with flour, salt, honey, and vanilla and then whisk in the warm milk
5. Heat a 9″ oven proof frying pan over low/medium heat (I used my clad iron skillet)
6. Melt one tablespoon of butter in the hot pan
7. Gently fold the egg white into the batter with a metal spoon
8. Pour the batter in the hot pan and cook for a few minutes until starting to set at the very edge (Approx. 3-4 minutes over medium/low heat)
9. Sprinkle some fruit on top
10. Place the skillet in the hot oven for 12 -14 minutes until puffed up and golden
11. Drizzle with honey, maple syrup and / or whipped cream to serve

TIP: Don’t let your pan get too hot before you add your butter — this is why I say over medium/low heat. My pan got too hot because it was sitting on the flame for too long and the butter burned! I had to take it off, clean and let cool before moving forward with the pancake!

This recipe is going in the recipe box for years to come. It will be much easier the next time around, now that I have figured out my own little tricks (I am new to the clad iron skillet), so I see this being a part of many more Saturday’s to come. Enjoy!

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This year I came across some lovely ways to use eggs for Easter celebration and have to share them with you! I am so excited to hopefully try out a couple of these this year if I have time. At the end of this post I will also share a wonderful article on fun ways to  keep Jesus the main part of Easter!

My favorite — Adorable Easter egg cupcakes! via  Cupcake Project

DIY Speckled Eggs! via Southern Living

Oh, and I can not resist some awesome neon Easter eggs! via Oh Joy!

Leaf-print Easter eggs, too! via Apartment Therapy

Loved the idea of dying eggs using muffin tins — especially if you only want partial dying! via Parent Hacks

And last but not least, I thought I would share a fun link that I found on Pinterest — Ten fun ways to keep Easter about Jesus. Which is obviously the most important one! I pray that you all have a fun and blessed Easter celebration. My favorite part this year has been teaching our Sunday school class about the meaning of Good Friday and Easter. I love hearing them understand that Christ did such a scary and painful thing because He loves us and in the end, He rose again because He is our Deliverer and is victorious! Thankful to be a part of that part of their lives.

Happy Easter!

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I have created 2 new boards which are specifically for the purpose of sharing the pins that WE have actually tried out. One board is for recipes and another is for projects. I would like to invite you to these to boards as contributors and hope we can end up with a great collection of tried and true (or terrible) recipes and projects.

The idea is to re-pin any of the pins that you have tried and include a review of sorts or even tips in the comments to help the next person out. I think that this will be especially helpful with recipes. For example:

So who is with me?!

If you are interested either send me a message on Facebook or leave a comment here with your email address so that I can add you as a contributor.

Hope you will join me — there are no expectations or commitments — just re-pin when you feel like sharing! Happy Pinning!

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If not, I highly recommend you get out and purchase them right now! Don’t just buy the first book thinking you may not want to continue on… it wont happen! You will want to keep reading even after the third book has completed the story. These books are so well written that you get drawn in instantly. You fall for characters immediately and end up in love and broken-hearted through the entire journey.

Here is a brief snippet of what the trilogy is about — I prefer not to explain it myself for fear of giving too much away with my passion guiding my words. So this is from IMDb.com

Set in a future where the Capitol selects a boy and girl from the twelve districts to fight to the death on live television, Katniss Everdeen volunteers to take her younger sister’s place for the latest match.

Yep, that is all you get! Because it is THAT good and there is no way I am ruining your reading pleasure by giving you anymore. I promise that you will thank me! As a matter of fact I am surprised you are still reading this post when you should be out getting the books! (hehe, I told you…obsessed!) If you read it for the first time, please do return and let me know your thoughts. I hope they are as exciting and touching has they have been for me.

I’m off to read the first book again. Happy reading!

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Well, I am currently planning several parties and helping with a couple of weddings to boot. Guess what, I am lovin’ it! So I thought I would do a post on all of the fun things I have been up to for these upcoming events. I don’t have any photos of finished product yet, but inspiration will do! Many of these ideas were found via Pinterest. Oh what would I do with out you, Pinterest? Thanks for organizing my events so easily!

Wedding #1 — Rustic barn wedding from Rustic Wedding Chic

The Idea: Wooden slabs with vase of baby’s breath; we are adding a lovely double sided frame with a photo of the couple

Bridal Shower: Hawaiian Luau theme – image from Sweet Designs

The Idea: Displaying sweet treats on trays with tiny seashells as a base and flower accents

70s Inspired Party — Color Inspiration found on Pinterest

The Idea: Spearmint, Peach & Buttercup colors all throughout the party; keeping an elegant but fun atmosphere

On top of that, I have started a new board on Pinterest called “Food Display.” There are endless ways to display your food. I think that any gathering involving food can really be enhanced with simple or extravagant displays of the food. I am sure this board will grow quickly as I find new ways to sweeten up the food selection and I hope others will find these ideas helpful when working with food displays!

The Board:

The Idea: Pie pans on top of old vases (upsidedown) to achieve levels of food — think it’s time to go garage saling for these beauties

That is just several sneak peeks of what is going on in my creative life right now and I look forward to sharing the finished products with you — Coming soon, this Summer!

Thanks for visiting! And Happy Party Planning!

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