tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-79461036483152264592024-03-13T12:23:49.666-05:00Ink & FrostingMy life of words, baking, cooking, & music... Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.comBlogger294125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-71999621362724678122017-01-10T23:08:00.000-06:002017-01-10T23:08:38.495-06:00Trust Issues...As I was spending time with Jesus yesterday (something that, in all honesty, I've been avoiding lately) the one thing that I kept telling him was that the biggest cry of my heart right now is to trust him. Because lately my distrust of him has become so painfully obvious to me.
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As I've been struggling with an important decision I've realized something about myself. Can I be really honest? Seeing as how it's not like anyone really reads this blog, I think my secrets are safe lol. The truth is, I would much rather choose the path that requires the least amount of trust in God because I simply don't trust him. I would rather choose the safe, easy, and comfortable path because I don't believe that if I were to step out and follow the Lord's leading that he'd take care of me. How horrible is that? But it's the cold hard truth. And you know what? It breaks my heart.
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I think a lot of us Christians if asked if we trusted God would probably say yes. If for no other reason than we wouldn't want to look like "bad Christians". But do we really trust him? Actions speak louder than words. Do we live like we trust him? I can tell you that I don't. And I don't know if I really ever have. So much of my life has been lived in the shadow of fear. I've allowed fear to hold my hand for so long that I barely am aware of it anymore. It's just become my life, my reality. I only become aware of the weight of my fear when I feel Jesus trying to pull me out of it. Whispering ever so softly and tenderly to leave fear behind, step out in faith, and follow him. I want to... oh how I want to. And in that moment with him, in the sweetness of his presence, I believe that I can. But it isn't long before fear comes back to stake it's claim on me once again. And the cycle continues.
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When I think about the fork in the road that I'm currently standing in, it strikes me that the path that scares me the most is also somehow, in the strangest way, the one I have the most peace about. And the easy, safe path... well, that has just been making me cry. I've been upset and bursting into tears since I chose it. And it's like God keeps speaking to my heart telling me that I don't have to choose it, I don't have to let fear win and give up on the dreams he's planted in my heart. I don't have to settle for less than his best for me. I am a daughter of the King... so why am I begging for scraps at the table?
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Deep down I know that he's a good God. I know he's faithful. I know he loves me. Why is this so hard for me to believe sometimes when evidence of his goodness everywhere? I just so easily let the enemy blind me to that. I think if my human mind, if even only for a second, could comprehend the extent of his great love for me... trusting him wouldn't be quite so hard. I long to put my life totally in his hands. To step out in faith and follow where he leads. I know that it wouldn't always be easy or fun... but in my heart, I know it would be worth it. Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-50666784069572663442016-11-21T21:00:00.000-06:002016-11-21T21:00:22.966-06:00Chocolate Espresso Pots De CremeHey fellow foodies! It feels like forever and a day since I've shared a recipe here but since I've been ever so slowly getting my feet wet again in the blogosphere, thought I'd change that. I actually had forgotten that I had these pictures of this delish dessert on my computer that I meant to share like over a year ago. This Chocolate Espresso Pots De Crème is one of my favorite desserts and is perfect for the holidays!
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Pots De Crème, the name sounds so French and fancy, doesn't it? But it actually just means "pot of custard" or "pot of cream". And from what I've read, also refers to the porcelain cups it's often served in. The texture is very similar to custard or pudding but just a little looser.
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The first time I ever tasted Pots De Crème was at Elizabeth St. Café in Austin, TX. My sister always tries to come visit from GA at least once a year and it's typically in early July, just in time for our parent's birthdays. When she visits we always like to make a trip to Austin for the day. It's one of our favorite cities to just hang out in. We eat breakfast at Kerbey Lane, shop on South Congress, browse Waterloo Records, eat dinner at Las Palomas - our favorite Mexican restaurant, and get dessert and iced coffee at <a href="http://www.elizabethstreetcafe.com/">Elizabeth St. Cafe</a>!
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I love this place, you guys! For one thing it's so super cute and classy. And I'm always a fan of any place that has great coffee and desserts. We usually stop in the middle of the day after shopping on SoCo. Right when you are seated they serve you a complimentary glass of ice water.... which kinda just makes you want to hug them after being out in the scorching July heat all afternoon. My favorite thing to order is a glass of their Vietnamese Iced Coffee and their Coffee flavored Pots De Crème (yes, give me all the coffee, please).
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7qUS-oWMZAQ/WC1ZQ2QaicI/AAAAAAAAFBY/GTruI2dapVodjAWMRvEs9DT8glovwWLggCLcB/s1600/IMG_20160711_161318new.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-7qUS-oWMZAQ/WC1ZQ2QaicI/AAAAAAAAFBY/GTruI2dapVodjAWMRvEs9DT8glovwWLggCLcB/s400/IMG_20160711_161318new.jpg" width="290" height="400" /></a>
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They serve it with a generous dollop of whipped cream and a chocolate cookie. The coffee flavor is not overwhelming and the texture is silky and light. It was a simple dessert, really, but one of the best things I'd ever tasted. I became determined to recreate this at home. After testing out a couple recipes that didn't turn out quite right, I found this one! It's pretty simple and fast to whip up and is crazy good! With the holidays right around the corner it would make such an easy and impressive dessert! Hope you'll give it a try!
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Some more pictures of our last visit to Elizabeth St. Café:
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6EKgoDWKic0/WC2UHWbkuTI/AAAAAAAAFBo/jr9ATh1NwpIe6Ouiync139UtlVj3NBpzACLcB/s1600/13664565_10209713996717350_843307032_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-6EKgoDWKic0/WC2UHWbkuTI/AAAAAAAAFBo/jr9ATh1NwpIe6Ouiync139UtlVj3NBpzACLcB/s400/13664565_10209713996717350_843307032_n.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a>
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My sis and I in front of the colorful café.
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDZLEnES6gU/WC2UUYcXfaI/AAAAAAAAFBs/wMKyVZYpB7kfK5eKKFlQ97CTvPrfwperACLcB/s1600/elizabethst.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qDZLEnES6gU/WC2UUYcXfaI/AAAAAAAAFBs/wMKyVZYpB7kfK5eKKFlQ97CTvPrfwperACLcB/s400/elizabethst.jpg" width="400" height="343" /></a>
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Picture of the café as well as other desserts we ordered. Blueberry bread pudding w/ basil ice cream and a French Macaron ice cream sandwich. Amazing.
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<b>Chocolate Espresso Pots De Crème - </b>
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<i>(Recipe originally found @ http://thespicetrain.com)</i>
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OQ6NvVbXEKM/WCy9lgazz2I/AAAAAAAAFAw/2fFmLangwcIPh3ABuAhhxI-Fdi4UHzoBACLcB/s1600/IMG_6759new.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-OQ6NvVbXEKM/WCy9lgazz2I/AAAAAAAAFAw/2fFmLangwcIPh3ABuAhhxI-Fdi4UHzoBACLcB/s400/IMG_6759new.jpg" width="400" height="286" /></a>
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I posted this recipe as is but I did make a few adjustments when I made it. I didn't think the whipped cream recipe was at all sweet enough... well, at least not for my super human sweet tooth. So I used this <a href="http://www.the-girl-who-ate-everything.com/2010/05/homemade-whipcream-how-to.html#7oqQx1oepV81bIPH.99">recipe</a> and added the instant espresso powder to it. Also, I didn't have any coffee liqueur for the drizzle so I just dissolved some instant coffee granules and sugar in some heavy cream. It worked just fine! You could also use the <a href="http://www.food.com/recipe/coffee-dessert-sauce-or-drizzle-487342">recipe</a> for coffee drizzle instead.
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ERg7MIffxc0/WCzjbqhWRSI/AAAAAAAAFBA/OYPxixt4gU4U7NFYY8RYcQx22FFk3vLoACLcB/s1600/IMG_6672new.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ERg7MIffxc0/WCzjbqhWRSI/AAAAAAAAFBA/OYPxixt4gU4U7NFYY8RYcQx22FFk3vLoACLcB/s400/IMG_6672new.jpg" width="400" height="279" /></a>
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<a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yCdSr6gCSPQ/WCzjinv84NI/AAAAAAAAFBE/7ITM64qhyUcqZ1IADh_PsAZNWFOev9YGgCLcB/s1600/DSCN1057new.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yCdSr6gCSPQ/WCzjinv84NI/AAAAAAAAFBE/7ITM64qhyUcqZ1IADh_PsAZNWFOev9YGgCLcB/s400/DSCN1057new.jpg" width="365" height="400" /></a>
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I also sometimes leave off the drizzle and just garnish it with a chocolate covered coffee bean (one of the best treats in all the world).
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<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BGTTLd3DzFU/WCzjnrL0unI/AAAAAAAAFBI/L4wF73HdJTIZSAoSq5eoEC2GHUa42OjwACLcB/s1600/IMG_6764new.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-BGTTLd3DzFU/WCzjnrL0unI/AAAAAAAAFBI/L4wF73HdJTIZSAoSq5eoEC2GHUa42OjwACLcB/s400/IMG_6764new.jpg" width="400" height="361" /></a>
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However you choose to do it, trust me, you will love it! Chocolate and coffee are a match made in heaven, one of my favorite dessert combos. Silky, creamy and surprising not overly sweet. Elegant and simple all at the same time.
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<b>Ingredients:</b>
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<b>For the pots de creme:<i></i></b>
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•3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
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•3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
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•1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
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•¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
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•1 cup whole milk
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•⅔ cup heavy cream
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•4 egg yolks
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•4 tablespoons sugar
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•⅛ teaspoon salt
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<b>For the espresso-flavored whipped cream:<i></i></b>
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•½ cup heavy cream
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•1½ teaspoons sugar
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•½ teaspoon instant espresso powder
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<b>For the espresso drizzle:<i></i></b>
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•¼ cup coffee liqueur
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•¼ cup heavy cream
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•1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
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<b>Instructions:<i></i></b></i>
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<b>For the pots de creme:</b>
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Be sure that the chocolate is finely chopped (1/4 inch length or smaller). Put chocolate, espresso and vanilla in a blender or a food processor. Whisk milk, cream, egg yolks, sugar and salt together in a saucepan until well combined. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, heat the saucepan to almost a simmer and keep stirring until the mixture thickens and coats the back of the spoon.
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Pour the hot milk mix into the food processor, put on the lid and process until you have a homogeneous mix (this only takes a few seconds). Pour into ramekins or glasses and chill until set (2-3 hours).
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<b>For the espresso-flavored whipped cream:<i></i></b>
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Whip all ingredients to stiff peaks.
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<b>For the espresso drizzle:<i></i></b>
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Add coffee liqueur, cream and espresso powder to a saucepan and bring to a very low simmer. Stirring constantly with a wooden spoon keep the mix simmering until reduced to about ⅓ cup. Let cool to room temperature.
Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-30047619886232959102016-11-11T11:30:00.000-06:002016-11-11T11:56:36.467-06:00Be a Light...<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6DQVg-w_49A/WCWC1jGOiwI/AAAAAAAAFAQ/86uArJy3YXIfZIHs9rLiyfV9oS7r9E-RQCLcB/s1600/You%2Bare%2Bthe%2Blight%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-6DQVg-w_49A/WCWC1jGOiwI/AAAAAAAAFAQ/86uArJy3YXIfZIHs9rLiyfV9oS7r9E-RQCLcB/s400/You%2Bare%2Bthe%2Blight%2Bof%2Bthe%2Bworld.jpg" width="400" height="278" /></a>
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With all the hate in the world today, especially after the election, all I can think is that I just want to be a light. Even though it's oh so tempting to scream and shout my opinions, I will not add to the noise. I will not add to the hate and fear mongering. I will choose to put my hope in Christ. The only thing worth hoping in. And I want to keep my joy, knowing that the joy of the Lord is my strength.
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My heart is to be a light, a spark. To somehow in some way... albeit however small, bring light and joy to the people in my life and to people I come in contact with. Even if it's just as simple as a smile and a kind word. Giving of my time and attention. To really look someone in the eye and see them, hear them. Show them that they are significant and valuable. Showing compassion and understanding even to those I may not understand or agree with. My desire is to radiate the love and light of Christ where ever I go and in whatever I do.
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Anger, hatred, bitterness... they are a cancer to the soul. I've seen up close and personal how it can eat someone alive. Consuming them and turning them into the very worst version of themselves. I've been that person... and I didn't like who I had become. So I refuse to give into that again. I want to have my heart open for God to work in. That He would do what ever pruning and weeding that needs to be done. I want for Him to continually fill my heart to overflowing with love, peace, joy, grace, and mercy. To have a soft heart that is slow to anger and quick to forgive. A heart that spills out love and light... not hatred.
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I've often thought about this in terms of romantic love. How I just cannot wait to be my future husband's (who ever he may be... ya know, if he even exists ;)) light. His reason to smile at the end of a long, hard day. His soft place to land. His biggest cheerleader and supporter. His prayer partner/warrior. His comfort in this crazy world. I want to be the crazy, joyful, happy spark that lights up his heart and life. To be able to pour out the love that God has put in my heart. Okay, okay.. enough with the cheesy sappiness, I get it. But my point is, I hope and pray that I do have a husband to give that kind of love to someday but even if I don't, I can certainly try to be this for the people God places in my life. I mean, romantic love aside, that's the way I hope to love others in general.
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"I want to be loved, and have love, and give love. And not just that romantic kind either." - Bradley Hathaway</i>
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I know that I fail at this time and time again but it's my goal. As the dark gets darker I think it's imperative for us as followers of Christ to not forget that we are called to be salt and light. The light of the world. The enemy would love for us to lose sight of that. And how being a light to this world is so much more satisfying and fulfilling than the alternative.
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<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xmtEMpKd6Sw/WCWP1EcOwII/AAAAAAAAFAg/dhoxgAehGwItcFVfqRuDhEty5mqRilsaACLcB/s1600/lightoftheworld.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xmtEMpKd6Sw/WCWP1EcOwII/AAAAAAAAFAg/dhoxgAehGwItcFVfqRuDhEty5mqRilsaACLcB/s400/lightoftheworld.jpg" width="400" height="170" /></a>Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-3227962533593667422016-11-07T05:36:00.000-06:002016-11-07T14:30:50.336-06:00Wonderful Joy Ahead...<a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vxDjJZdqoVk/WCBk2Yo4pgI/AAAAAAAAE_w/ah_6GBs7-_wU3F3JYn8hrKvxWUO6RgVagCLcB/s1600/beglad.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vxDjJZdqoVk/WCBk2Yo4pgI/AAAAAAAAE_w/ah_6GBs7-_wU3F3JYn8hrKvxWUO6RgVagCLcB/s400/beglad.jpg" width="267" height="400" /></a>
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Just a few thoughts I wrote in my journal on my birthday a couple days ago (on the 5th) that I thought I'd share here. </i>
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This sweet scripture is my 32nd birthday declaration. Instead of focusing on the things that are missing, I choose to focus on all the joyous things ahead. All the beautiful things God has in store for me. I may not be where I want to be but at least I'm not where I used to be. I look at this past year of my life and I see evidence of God's sweet faithfulness to me everywhere. He is good... and that's reason enough to be glad.
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I want to wake up everyday and speak this scripture first thing in the morning. As a reminder that there are good things ahead. In anticipation of all the wonderful joy ahead. The joy that comes from knowing, following, and trusting Christ.
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Truth is, my life may not have turned out the way I planned. And the future may not end up looking like I thought it should. But I'm alive.... still living and breathing in this 32nd year of my life. And whether it feels like it or looks like it or not, God is here with me, in the midst of all of it. He is good. He loves me. He is for me. He does see me. He hasn't forgotten me. And I refuse to ever believe otherwise again.
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If there is still air in my lungs, if I continue to wake up to new mornings, there must be a reason. He must have a purpose, a plan. I know whatever it is He will work it all out for my good because He is good. I can trust Him with my future.
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Though getting older is a little frightening, I know that I have so much to look forward to. So I will choose to be glad. Trusting and believing that there is wonderful joy ahead. So this year I celebrate that hope. And with that in mind, it's a happy birthday indeed.
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<a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_Z6D0x15u4/WCBmYKtvRbI/AAAAAAAAFAA/YNPPVVUfxWEGRHFCaEaXcpvwlWDP0TADgCLcB/s1600/jamiet2.png" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-j_Z6D0x15u4/WCBmYKtvRbI/AAAAAAAAFAA/YNPPVVUfxWEGRHFCaEaXcpvwlWDP0TADgCLcB/s320/jamiet2.png" width="320" height="320" /></a>Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-53339689845323442016-10-13T00:17:00.000-05:002016-11-14T20:39:41.661-06:00Note to Self....<a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0jOMyaaHHS4/V_8SUAUocII/AAAAAAAAE_c/jS2pTzTnemgNOW6KlkIeA1yuAcmX6P8_wCLcB/s1600/botanicalgardens1.jpg" imageanchor="1" ><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0jOMyaaHHS4/V_8SUAUocII/AAAAAAAAE_c/jS2pTzTnemgNOW6KlkIeA1yuAcmX6P8_wCLcB/s400/botanicalgardens1.jpg" width="400" height="300" /></a>
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Do nothing half way... dive in head first. Be all in or all out.
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Talk to the guy that you can't get out of your head... he just might be worth the risk.
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Choose the career path that seems the least practical but fills you with the most passion. So much so that it makes your heart beat faster when you think about it.
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Talk to and befriend interesting people even when your inner introvert is cringing and just wants to run away.
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Carve out your own path, go against the grain, and dance to the beat of your own drum.
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Dance as much as you can whenever you can... even with two really left feet.
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Know that taking care of the body that God gave you is more worth it and more rewarding than the chocolate cake. But don't forget to have the chocolate cake every now and again... that way you don't end up hurting anyone.
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Listen to all the music all day if it brings you joy and makes your world feel even the slightest bit more magical.
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Explore and discover all the beautiful places that happen to be right in your own back yard.... that you often take for granted.
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Get your cute little behind off the computer and out of the house. Because no filtered photo on Instagram or Pinterest can compete with the way the sun dances over water right before your very own eyes.
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Sit in the café and sip the coffee just because it makes you happy.
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Pour your heart out to God but don't forget to sit and be silent enough to hear Him speak.
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Let your creativity run free and don't discredit your ideas no matter how big or crazy they may seem.
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Let the naysayers tell you that ordinary people don't actually do what you want to do. Smile to yourself knowing that you are anything but ordinary.
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Don't live as though you have to impress or prove anything to anyone. This is not a race. Find the joy in surprising yourself with just how capable you really are.
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Bloom where you are planted and be where your feet are. But sometimes have the courage to just burn it down and walk away. Shed a few tears for the places and people who loved you well that you are leaving behind. They deserve it. When you need to leave, then leave.
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Don't worry if you make a mistake... it's better than doing nothing at all. You will learn from it and it won't be in vain.
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Never forget that your dreams and God's plans are often two very different things. But God's plans are always better than anything you could ever dream up.
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And when the way looks impossible and all seems lost, know that God can make a way in the wilderness and streams in the dessert. Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-89955248696012109752016-09-23T23:11:00.001-05:002016-09-23T23:15:48.909-05:00Wants vs. Needs...I think I'm in the middle of learning the hard lesson that sometimes God doesn't always give you what you want but instead gives you what you need. I swear I can be such a brat sometimes. Getting frustrated with God because He's not giving me what I want. Thinking, "God, for once, can't I just have what I want?". Thinking that He's forgotten me or holding out on me for some reason. I'm so focused on what I don't have that I'm missing it. In spite of my brattiness, God, in His loving kindness is trying to protect me. He sees the big picture that I can't see. He knows that what I want might bring me more harm than good in the end. That what I want might just turn out to be what I didn't really want after all.
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I have to trust His heart for me. And that His heart for me is only good. I have to trust that He will not withhold any good thing from me... but the thing is, I don't always know what really is good. I have to remember that His ways are higher than mine. I don't have to understand what He is doing in my life, I just have to trust. And act... stepping out in faith and doing what I feel He has put in my heart to do. Having the faith that He will illuminate the path little by little as I walk it. Trusting His timing. I know He makes all things beautiful in it's time.
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I want to stop focusing on all I want and all I don't have. I want to somehow find a way of embracing this season. I want to appreciate and have a heart of thankfulness to God for his protection and provision. Being thankful that in spite of my bad attitudes and short sightedness, He still sees fit to guard me. Protecting me and shielding me from all I want but don't really need. Protecting me from going down my own destructive path. Saving me from myself.
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"For the LORD God is our sun and our shield. He gives us grace and glory. The LORD will withhold no good thing from those who do what is right." - Psalm 84:11
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Dp4WC_YZAuw" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-26331439919372885582016-03-17T20:24:00.001-05:002016-03-18T13:39:51.197-05:00Road Trip Playlist<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Roz77aF2lP4/VutXy3aE8FI/AAAAAAAAE9E/OiOvxlSnbtkUdWSyKYhimwwZzs9IS3yPA/s1600/adventure.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Roz77aF2lP4/VutXy3aE8FI/AAAAAAAAE9E/OiOvxlSnbtkUdWSyKYhimwwZzs9IS3yPA/s320/adventure.jpg" /></a></div>
Hey lovelies! With Summer quickly approaching it's the perfect time to start planning out a road trip and get ready to make some awesome memories with your friends and family! <br />
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Some of my favorite road trips have been traveling to awesome concerts with my sister and cousin. Chatting and listening to music the whole way. If you know anything about the three of us you know that we love music... and cupcakes. So we would often times try to find the best cupcakes in every city we traveled to lol. And in case you're wondering, in Dallas that means Society Bakery, in Austin it means Hey Cupcake or Sugar Mama's Bake Shop. But anyway, cupcakes are totally beside the point, ahem. ;)<br />
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And if you're thinking of transportation for your road trip might I suggest renting a car from <a href="https://turo.com/" target="_blank">Turo</a>. Turo is a peer-to-peer car rental company. You can rent from local car renters at your specific destination and also put your car up for rent. Pretty cool concept, I think! And if you happen to forget your tunes for the road, no need to worry, as people often leave their own road trip playlist behind for the next renter!<br />
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To get more info and rent from Turo click <a href="https://turo.com/rent">here</a>!<P>
What is a road trip without some good tunes, right? Below are some of my favorite road trips jams! Hope you enjoy listening and have fun on your next adventure! <br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e7R-NGxPKkA/VutYSCtH83I/AAAAAAAAE9I/qxoSKmVrbiIGvj4dolY9yscB05pEvhH0A/s1600/adventure.jpg2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-e7R-NGxPKkA/VutYSCtH83I/AAAAAAAAE9I/qxoSKmVrbiIGvj4dolY9yscB05pEvhH0A/s320/adventure.jpg2.jpg" /></a></div>
<iframe src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Akrys1984%3Aplaylist%3A5cIlqVSaafdIJQI87ZyKOx" width="300" height="380" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe><P>
<i>(Was having a little trouble embedding the Spotify player so if it's not working just click <a href="https://open.spotify.com/user/krys1984/playlist/5cIlqVSaafdIJQI87ZyKOx">here</a> to listen!)</i>Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-10078211699237895772016-01-16T15:49:00.002-06:002016-01-17T03:40:06.970-06:00My Favorite Albums of 2015Happy 2016, friends! I hope the new year has been good to you so far!
Well, even though this is a little late, I thought I would go ahead and blog about a few albums that were my favorite throughout 2015. I know it’s been pretty quiet on my blog for some time now but if there’s anything I can certainly blab on and on about, it’s music lol. So I hope you enjoy reading and maybe even discover a band or two. Also, let me know what your favorite albums and artists were in 2015 or what album you’re looking forward to 2016. <br />
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<u><strong>Vitals by MUTEMATH</strong></u>
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The only downside to being a MUTEMATH fan is waiting 4 or 5 years between albums lol… but it’s without a doubt, always worth the wait. I’m always on the edge of my seat to see what these guys are going to do next. They never fail to make innovative and creative music with their signature experimental sound. Vitals, their 4th album, released in November, and did not disappoint. It’s definitely more synth heavy and poppy than their last album, Odd Soul, which had a classic rock vibe to it. But it’s sill the MUTEMATH we all know and love… just a little dancier this time around and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that. Vitals will definitely keep you dancing throughout 2016.
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Some of my favorites are: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10tBCd8jqc4" target="_blank">Best of Intentions</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSNLvyXmsv4" target="_blank">Monument</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4M-U4Vuqvo" target="_blank">Used To</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zqGtHz5gO8U" target="_blank">Joy Rides</a>. <br />
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Side note:</em> My sister, the lucky duck that she is, got to see them in concert last year and said it was the best concert she’s ever been to. No surprise there, as these guys are known for their killer live shows. Hoping to finally find that out for myself in the near future. They're actually going to be at the House of Blues in Houston next month. Sadly, I have no one to go with... ahem, any takers? ;) They might be the only band I’ve been a fan of for over a decade and still have not seen live. And that simply has to change. <br />
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<strong><u>The Wonderlands EPs by Jon Foreman</u></strong>
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Can I just start out by saying how beautiful this box set is? It’s all four EPs and 4 post cards in a beautiful wooden box. My sister got me this for my birthday and I was beyond thrilled! Makes a great keepsake for a crazy fan like myself. <br />
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The Wonderlands is 4 eps (Sunlight, Shadows, Darkness, & Dawn), based on the 24 hours in a day, 24 amazing producers, that all led up to Jon performing a whopping 25 shows in 24 hours. Quite the impressive project to say the least. Any Jon Foreman fan knows that these EPs had been a long time coming. The last time the Switchfoot frontman released any solo music was in 2008. It was totally worth the wait as this is without a doubt some of Jon’s most profound and heartfelt songwriting. You can just feel that he put all his blood, sweat, and tears into these songs.
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He also worked with some top notch producers/artists for this project, such as: Darren King (MUTEMATH), Charlie Peacock, Sara Watkins (Nickel Creek), Ryan O’Neal (Sleeping at Last), and Andrew Wessen (Grouplove)… just to name a few. <br />
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I can’t say enough good things about these songs as they already mean so much to me. They are honest, introspective, and worshipful. They capture your heart and take you on a journey from start to finish. They make you think, feel, and consider. They remind of you beauty and truth in a world where it’s so easy to forget. <br />
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Some of my favorites are: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DKG_63-x0D8" target="_blank">Mercy’s War</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-0cvg9AIQ0" target="_blank">All of God’s Children,</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YyZBrhZa-wY" target="_blank">Good For Me</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fIJEM_Njt2Q" target="_blank">Patron Saint of Rock and Roll.</a> <br />
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<strong><u>Majestic Revisited by Kari Jobe</u></strong><br />
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I started listening to this album on Spotify a few months ago and fell in love with these songs. I would listen to it in the kitchen while I was cooking and baking and just found myself worshiping God as I was stirring batters or chopping vegetables lol. I needed the worship and the presence of God that these songs ushered in. <br />
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Majestic Revisited is a remix of Kari’s original Majestic Live album, which was recorded in her hometown of Dallas, TX. One of the reasons I love it is because, since it is a remix album, the music and arrangements are a little more creative and out of the box than most worship albums. Which is always refreshing. Ranging from ethereal and ambient to a little dance pop in sound.
But the most important thing is that these songs are truly anointed. I received this album for Christmas and have been having some sweet times of worship to it. <br />
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Some of my favorites are: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFJZYBA78rc" target="_blank">Keeper of My Heart</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4jg6QVJWos" target="_blank">Breathe on Us</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfTU6ldrV9E" target="_blank">I Am Not Alone</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f1gzAZ42OU" target="_blank">Always Enough.</a> <br />
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<strong><u>Venus by Joy Williams</u></strong>
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I’ve been following Joy’s career since her CCM days when I was only about 16 years old. It’s been really amazing to hear the evolution of her music over the years; the way her writing has changed and the way she has changed. Venus is her first solo album in quite some time and the first since the break up of her duo, The Civil Wars. Joy has been very open and honest about the turmoil she faced that inspired much of this album. Not only had The Civil Wars broken up, but her marriage was falling apart, her dad was battling Cancer, and all the while she was still adjusting to being a new mom. She turned to music to work through these emotions. <br />
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The result being a brutally honest album with lots of raw emotion. But also with a sense of hope for a new beginning that you can hear in her voice. <br />
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Some of my favorites are: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLQQqp6i8UU" target="_blank">Woman (Oh Mama),</a> <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8WsTXvB278" target="_blank">Not Good Enough</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcX7bJQZLL4" target="_blank">Until the Levee</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ulcCkAWBmoU" target="_blank">What a Good Woman Does. </a><br />
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Control by Milo Greene</u></strong>
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This California band captured my heart a few years ago with their folk sensibilities and beautiful harmonies. Their sophomore album, Control, marked a new chapter for the band as it was a definite departure from that sound. This move was met with quite a bit of criticism, which is unfortunate because, in my opinion, it’s a truly good album. The quality of the songwriting, the vocals, even some harmonies are still there just set to the back drop of more of an 80’s reminiscent pop sound. There’s even some rock happening here… I mean, the percussion in Parents’ House and the music and vocals in When it’s Done. Yes, Milo can rock! <br />
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Look, I love bands that take risks with their sound. Bands that don’t make music just to try and please the masses. Bands that don’t settle for making the same album twice. I really believe that both this album and this band are highly underrated. While I will always love the first album, I’m having a great time dancing along to Control. <br />
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Some favorites are: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ofpK9hTJ9xc" target="_blank">Lonely Eyes</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x31EmHvnyqg" target="_blank">Heartless</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IsDU0QEk5bw" target="_blank">Not Enough</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdcGB9Q0_eg" target="_blank">When it’s Done</a>. <br />
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Absentee EP by Violents</u></strong> <br />
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Voilents is a project by musician/songwriter, Jeremy Larson, where in which he collaborates with different artists for each EP. For “Absentee”, the second installment in this project, he partnered with Stacy Dupree King (Eisley, Sucre). Jeremy and Stacy also have another project together called Sucre, along with Stacy’s husband, Darren King (MUTEMATH), so I had no doubt that Absentee was going to be good. Stacy is one of my favorite female vocalists, her angelic voice paired with Jeremy’s songwriting/arrangements is such a winning combo. Makes me hungry for the next Sucre album. Side note, if you haven’t yet checked out Sucre please do yourself a favor and go listen <a href="https://play.spotify.com/artist/7E0jkKhtsnXH3d3k4ibfBW?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open" target="_blank">here</a>, seriously like right now. Not to be bossy or anything…
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This is a short 4 song EP and really all the songs are so good that it’s hard to pick a favorite, but here’s a couple I can’t stop listening to:<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_p09nPNpM8A" target="_blank"> Northeast</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0M3mDGrojN8" target="_blank">Absentee</a>. <br />
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Honorable Mention</em> -
Hozier by Hozier</u></strong> <br />
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Okay, so yes, I know that this album released in 2014 but I just couldn’t leave it off the list. This was hands down the album I listened to the most in 2015. I just fell crazy in love with this guy’s soulful, bluesy vocals and songs. It was pretty much always playing in my house throughout the year, not even joking. But that voice… I. just. can’t. even. He’s just one of the most talented artists that I’ve come across in a long time. Anyway, I will stop gushing about this dashing Irishman now before it gets any worse than it already is… I mean, it’s not like I’m fan girling or anything ;). These are some of my favorites: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cI0wUoCLnLk" target="_blank">From Eden</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nH7bjV0Q_44" target="_blank">Work Song</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMLhdYjxbCs" target="_blank">Jackie and Wilson</a>, and <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egwkDB5ZzKI" target="_blank">In a Week</a>. <br />
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And because I’m a little obsessed and could probably listen to this a million times and never get tired of it, here’s an amazing acoustic performance of another one of my favorites, <strong>To Be Alone</strong> - <br />
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And a fun fact for those that grew up listening to Christian music like I did and remember the talented <a href="https://www.facebook.com/rachaellampa/?fref=ts" target="_blank">Rachael Lampa</a>, well she happens to be one of his backing vocalists. How awesome is that? It's been so fun to see her performing with him on The Grammys and all the late night talk shows. She still has that powerhouse voice.</div>
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Album I’m looking forward to the most in 2016 –</em> Switchfoot’s 10th album!!!</u></strong> They are in the writing and recording process right now and from what I hear, planning to release it in the Summer. They are giving updates and blogging about the process over on their website: Switchfoot.com! Can’t wait to see what these are going to do next! <br />
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And before I wrap this up, a few photos of my Christmas season! <br />
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Our living room all decked out for Christmas!
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My dad’s White Chocolate Raspberry Cake, it’s not Christmas to me without this cake! Our table set for Christmas dinner, a cozy corner in our living room, and ornaments on our tree!<br />
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Our New Years Eve spread, Gouda Cheese Fondue with herb crostini's, tamales (not pictured), sparkling grape juice, and some Chocolate Espresso Pots De Crème for dessert! <br />
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<strong><em>Wishing y’all grace and peace in this new year!</em></strong>
Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-23841034296337711482015-10-23T00:02:00.001-05:002015-10-23T14:41:25.055-05:00Current Favorites and a Playlist<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Hey lovelies! So this is a post I actually started writing back in August and since I’ve become the worst blogger ever, I forgot to post it lol. But I decided what the hey, might as well post it a couple months late lol. Yep, this is what blogging has come to for me… half finished posts that rarely ever see the light of day. ;) Hope you enjoy reading anyway!</em></font> </p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-MgjeoFue_78/Vim_X3lSlEI/AAAAAAAAE4E/8Xk4K2qHShk/s1600-h/8c2dd7e7ab5b8159b2c86be9a13322574.jpg"><img title="8c2dd7e7ab5b8159b2c86be9a1332257" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="8c2dd7e7ab5b8159b2c86be9a1332257" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-KgSWBOnIIEg/Vim_YUwChQI/AAAAAAAAE4I/gv3dYfPCtGc/8c2dd7e7ab5b8159b2c86be9a1332257_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="303" height="413"></a></p> <p>(<a href="https://www.etsy.com/listing/203283347/ecclesiastes-311-he-has-made-everything"><strong><em>Source</em></strong></a>) </p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Watching:</u></strong> Once Upon A Time! I know I mentioned a couple months ago that I had started watching it on Netflix after my sister recommend it to me. Oh my goodness, I never expected to get this addicted to that show!! Seriously, it’s getting ridiculous, I have been watching like 2 episodes almost every night lol. I have just a few episodes left before I’m all caught up and ready for the premiere of season 5 on September 27th! Eek!!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Listening To</u></strong>: my Summer playlist on Spotify! Yes, I know it’s almost fall, which I’m so looking forward to, but I’m still loving these songs and summery vibe they give! </font></p> <p><iframe height="380" src="https://embed.spotify.com/?uri=spotify%3Auser%3Akrys1984%3Aplaylist%3A2gJgw0aA2PB8aAYGNrFBbm" frameborder="0" width="300" allowtransparency></iframe></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">And this album, always:</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yjSMFJkTK78/Vim_YtQOPTI/AAAAAAAAE4Q/xbfC4GvZlOk/s1600-h/hozier5.jpg"><img title="hozier" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="hozier" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-aLLssyw2bK0/Vim_ZLAvYtI/AAAAAAAAE4Y/eolmPlOXf20/hozier_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="354" height="369"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Ah, what can I say? I just can’t deny it, I’m in love with this man… (cough) did I say this man? I meant this album. Yep, I’m all about the music, I swear! ;) No, but really, there is not a bad song on this album, just so so good! And that voice, boy can <em>sang</em>! I mean, anyone who can belt out a song like that has got my full attention. No, I don’t agree with everything he sings about or stands for but I do very much enjoy the art he makes. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I’ve had a love affair with basically every track on this album, where it’s the only song I want to hear for days at a time lol. Currently obsessed with this one:</font></p> <p><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/egwkDB5ZzKI" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I can’t explain it, it’s just so… morbid lol but so pretty all at the same time. It feels like a very Irish thing to do, putting devastating lyrics to a very pretty melody. He’s really such a good story teller that you can’t help but find yourself getting caught up in the story. Then suddenly you find yourself crying and thinking, “Why am I listening to this? This is devastating!”… Ahem, not that I would know or anything. Anyway, just listen to it and you’ll know what I mean! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><u><strong>Eating:</strong></u> these yummy grilled peaches with homemade whipped cream and cinnamon!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-OMpmExJZ-lE/Vim_Z9uNyDI/AAAAAAAAE4k/0RdFX3vlOg8/s1600-h/IMG_6834new%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="IMG_6834new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_6834new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vfQVleIc9fQ/Vim_aR-1lkI/AAAAAAAAE4o/KJMrrOCNiwE/IMG_6834new_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="491" height="384"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I got the idea from one of my favorite vloggers, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM3P_G21gOSVdepXrEFojIg">Rachel Talbot</a> from her <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpIqQhlkIGY">Summer Treats</a> video. This has become one of my favorite mostly healthy treats! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">And pretty much always eating these Chocolate Covered Coffee Beans from HEB lol. Chocolate + coffee = my favorite treat in the whole world! Not even kidding! They’re so much better than chocolate covered espresso beans, in my opinion. They have a nice crunch to them but not quite as hard as choc. covered espresso beans. Try them but beware they are somewhat addicting. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Xn3_eYNhtHU/Vim_a_vLSSI/AAAAAAAAE4w/SCn9Pz32EWk/s1600-h/IMG_4989new12.jpg"><img title="IMG_4989new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4989new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-GitozLBN1gE/Vim_bfCvI1I/AAAAAAAAE44/YYB0XiZNJzI/IMG_4989new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="322" height="430"></a></font><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><u><strong></strong></u></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><u><strong>Making:</strong></u> French Macarons!! Yes, finally, after years of Macaron fails and down right disasters, I have now baked my first ever successful batch!!! They even have feet!!! Finally victory is mine (insert evil laugh here)!!! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-0WUJT8SCXV0/Vim_cCSV_bI/AAAAAAAAE5E/V8dLbPt6BdI/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage1.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage1" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage1" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-y_F6ITulkHg/Vim_cgjQFzI/AAAAAAAAE5I/EKXKUFTJk0c/PicMonkey-Collage1_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="602" height="296"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">These lovelies, which are filled with Strawberry Raspberry Mascarpone Buttercream, were made using the Italian Meringue method. This method may be slightly more involved but yields beautiful consistent results. Let me tell you, I will never go back to the French method, it just never worked for me. The Italian meringue method is way less fussy and delicate. I will definitely be blogging more about this in the future! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">For now, </font><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I’m really excited to start trying out different flavors and colors! The possibilities are endless! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-03Pk9AhbyKU/Vim_dDuP9HI/AAAAAAAAE5Q/eCto5GClLYA/s1600-h/IMG_6483new6.jpg"><img title="IMG_6483new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_6483new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9RSfGB-i0jI/Vim_duAZLQI/AAAAAAAAE5Y/pRIVIWaTpmk/IMG_6483new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="374" height="374"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Also have been making lots of this cold brewed coffee! It’s my favorite way to drink coffee in the summertime. I love having a couple jars full of coffee concentrate in the fridge for those sweltering summer afternoons when I need a cold drink. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><u><strong>Loving:</strong></u> My workouts! Maybe this should fall into a love/hate category lol. No, on most days I actually do enjoy working out. It’s taken me a long time to get to that place, trust me. But I really love how strong, energetic, and healthy it makes me feel. I try to workout out 5 to 6 six days a week and change up my routine so I don’t get bored with anything. Mostly I do videos on YouTube and then 3 days a week my cousin Pam and I workout together on Skype! Which has been so fun and motivating! I love that we can still workout together and push each other even when we live a couple hours away! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Thinking About:</u></strong> How much I miss this pink haired girl! A couple photos of my sister Cecily and I when she visited in July! We had so much fun hanging out, talking, baking, watching movies, and taking a trip to Austin! My parents and I are headed over to GA to visit her in December and I can’t wait. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--JssBpeUyIw/Vim_eG7LcGI/AAAAAAAAE6A/4LR74Wmc9ys/s1600-h/11738062_10207038439150083_2408938738775270693_n.jpg"><img title="11738062_10207038439150083_2408938738775270693_n" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="11738062_10207038439150083_2408938738775270693_n" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2afvmN6Vth4/Vim_e59M0hI/AAAAAAAAE6I/bvmlUIY3Bi8/11738062_10207038439150083_2408938738775270693_n_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="414" height="333"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S1Cea06cmoo/ViqNYJHkKnI/AAAAAAAAE6Y/TXQPJTAK5TU/s1600-h/11695866_10207011251150400_4923794360470019857_n%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="11695866_10207011251150400_4923794360470019857_n" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="11695866_10207011251150400_4923794360470019857_n" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-DgD_ONVHjS4/ViqNY80C-jI/AAAAAAAAE6c/M_LWyOsM4j0/11695866_10207011251150400_4923794360470019857_n_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="412" height="454"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Wishing:</u></strong> I could’ve gone to the <a href="http://apps.jonforeman.com/thewonderlands/?ref=http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&sqi=2&ved=0CCQQFjAAahUKEwiA-PCmvrjHAhWNCpIKHZ2xDYY&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.jonforeman.com%2F&ei=vzbWVcCcAY2VyASd47awCA&usg=AFQjCNFuN9hls5_gPC236J353z2UilTOCg&sig2=ZFhiqlT-Fb6lG3uSmvYpyw">Jon Foreman</a> concert this past Sunday in Houston at Warehouse Live. Can’t even tell you how much it broke my heart to miss that. He recently released two of four EPs from his “Wonderlands” project and they’re amazing!! This song from the “Sunlight” EP has been my favorite: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-0cvg9AIQ0">All Of God’s Children.</a> Would love to see these songs performed live at some point! Jon is one of my very favorite songwriters, whether it be with Switchfoot, his solo music, or in Fiction Family. Plus, he’s been a huge role model and inspiration to me. Anyways, I will probably be pouting about this one for a while. :(</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><u><strong>Looking forward to:</strong></u> Fall!! I’m so ready for pumpkin spice lattes, fall décor, making glitter pumpkins, watching Coraline while eating pumpkin chocolate chip cookies (for some odd reason it’s become a seasonal tradition for me), leaves falling, Halloween and Thanksgiving, and of course what everyone in TX is dying for right now… cooler weather! Can I get amen? Plus, my birthday is in the fall! Just my favorite season! </font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-76228704487351474932015-05-13T19:24:00.001-05:002015-07-05T02:59:11.762-05:00Christian Mingle… The True Life Story!<p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CQ6xQc2ryEM/VVPrNMScK1I/AAAAAAAAE04/OISnYVyFeVk/s1600-h/enhanced-buzz-18795-1339368973-33.jpg"><img title="enhanced-buzz-18795-1339368973-3" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="enhanced-buzz-18795-1339368973-3" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-J1ZavjvLVfQ/VVPrNqCIP2I/AAAAAAAAE08/VAPyImCE7Eo/enhanced-buzz-18795-1339368973-3_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="325" height="423"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So I said I would never blog about this. Yet, here I am. I guess as the old adage goes, never say never. Actually that saying also applies to dating sites in general. Yes, I was one of those people that always said I would never join a dating site, never! To me that was something you did if you were like 50 and totally desperate. Rather judgey, I know. But it’s okay, because in the end, I had to eat crow. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I joined a dating site for the first time back in 2009, before I ever found out about Christian Mingle. It all started with that flyer… that darn flyer. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">In April of 2009 my parents, my sister <a href="https://bluebonnetsandpeaches.wordpress.com/">Cecily</a>, my cousin Pam, and I took a trip to Dallas to attend a concert called The Rock & Worship Roadshow. It was a huge concert with a bunch of different bands held at the American Airlines Center. As we were waiting in line before the show someone came around passing out flyers for a new Christian dating site called, JC Match. Yes, as in Jesus Christ Match, hence the “JC”. (Which gives me a total 90’s Christian kid flashback, by the way… ya know, “who’s in the house?, JC!”. Anyone?? Okay, obscure reference to Carmen thrown in there for no extra charge. Anyway, moving on.) </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-q2VIUtO_WTA/VVPrOU3jG_I/AAAAAAAAE1I/7ig4eGMVi2o/s1600-h/IMG_4637new4.jpg"><img title="IMG_4637new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4637new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-h0wp5Lvz3Ps/VVPrPD28ZBI/AAAAAAAAE1Q/9hdpxNTIPgA/IMG_4637new_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="399" height="477"></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">(Yep, I saved this! I just had to! <em>It doesn’t say it on the flyer but their tagline was “Let His heart lead yours”. Yep, that’s exactly what we were doing. ;))</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">They handed one to each of us three girls and as soon as they walked away, we laughed about it, threw it in our purses, and didn’t give it another thought. Until later that night, that is. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Back at the hotel after the show, me and my cousin are the only ones still awake, so she grabs my lap top computer… and the flyer! I was in disbelief that she would even consider signing up for a dating site let alone a dating site called “JC Match”. But alas, it didn’t take long before we were both totally engrossed in going from profile to profile. It was like a man menu! And some of these profiles must have been pretty funny because all I remember is us both laughing so hard as we scrolled through for like an hour. If nothing else it was sure entertaining! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">She signed up that same night, I believe. And after some prodding from her, I soon followed suit. Then I took the liberty of signing my very reluctant sister up against her will soon after that. While nothing ever came of it for me and my cousin (who by the way, is now married to a really good guy that she did not meet on a dating site), it sure did for my sister. Believe it or not she met a guy who was actually at that very same concert and got the very same flyer! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Soon we had a complete stranger coming to our house to meet her face to face. Which honestly was a strange mix of weird and exciting all at the same time. I mean he ended up being a nice person and thankfully was not a psycho, but I seriously do not think my dad slept that whole night lol. He was on guard just in case this dude tried anything! While things between them didn’t work out… little did we know this was only beginning of her dating site journey. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So fast forward to 2011, when she signs herself up for Christian Mingle. Then in a stroke of evil genius, she turned the tables on me and signed me up against my will. Which of course I think brought her a sick sense of satisfaction. And while nothing came of it for me… once again, it sure did for her lol. And this time in a big way. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Soon we had yet another guy coming to our house to meet her face to face lol. And as it turns out the second time was a charm for her! The two met face to face at the end of May 2011 and before we knew it… about 6 months later, she was married. So yes, my sister has a Christian Mingle success story. Proof that these stories do exist and that these things can happen. And that they aren’t totally lying to us in those super cheesy commercials with their rather questionable advice, such as the cringe worthy tagline - <em>"Sometimes we wait for God to make the next move, when God is saying, ‘It’s your time to act'. The next move is yours. Find God’s match for you at ChristianMingle.com.”</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So even though thus far, nothing has even remotely come of it for me, I am still on Christian Mingle. While I’m not a paying subscriber at the moment, I’m on there! Though in all honesty, sometimes I have no idea why lol. Boredom? Maybe. The small hope that something could eventually come of it? Maybe… probably. However, my time on there has led me to some very, shall we say, interesting observations that I thought I would share with you guys! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I should preface by saying that these are not meant to offend anyone. But c’mon, you have to admit, if you are on one of these dating sites for any amount of time there are certain things you just can’t help but notice. Things that just make you scratch your head in bewilderment. Things that simply frighten you. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>My Top 5 Christian Mingle Observations -</u></strong></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">1. Let’s start this off with what I’m going to call the “Hunter & Gatherer Phenomenon”. This one’s for the guys that obviously love to fish and hunt. I’m totally not the fishing & hunting kinda girl but if that’s what you’re into, cool. But maybe, just maybe the picture of you holding up the bloody dead fish is not the best Christian Mingle profile picture. Just putting that out there. It’s kinda like when your cat puts a dead mouse on your door step. No really, go with me here. Your cat brings you the mouse to show that they are big strong hunters and they want you to be proud… but really you’re just disgusted. I recently came across a guy holding up two dead ducks by the neck… didn’t know whether to cry or puke. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">2. Okay, now to address the guys who take shirtless photos of themselves lying in bed. There is seriously no point in doing this unless you look like friggin’ Ryan Gossling. And even then a picture like that just makes you look conceited. And no girl wants to date a guy who thinks he’s prettier than she is. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-nsl4cvDvcR8/VVPrPtIkGkI/AAAAAAAAE1Y/QbAgvf7ub8w/s1600-h/Ryan3.jpg"><img title="Ryan" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Ryan" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-2miYqicbTNg/VVPrQKUZZ1I/AAAAAAAAE1g/oJczB6O7CIA/Ryan_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="326" height="466"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(Yes, if you’re paying attention this is the second blog in a row with a Ryan Gossling “Hey Girl”meme. Don’t judge me.)</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Plus, there’s the whole we’re on <em><strong>Christian</strong> </em>Mingle and you’re like trying to seduce me thing (ahem, especially if you’re not even doing a good job at it) that just seems kinda wrong.</font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">3. The grandpa’s and the men old enough to be my father… le sigh. I’m sorry but I ain’t no gold digger, gramps and I do not have daddy issues. Just no.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">4. The guys who are in their late 20’s or early 30’s and are looking for girls that are 18 and 19. Simple, I don’t trust you. I just don’t. Sorry… not sorry. I see this so often and it just really baffles me as the thought of dating a guy who is 18 or 19 weirds me out! C’mon, do you want to date or babysit? Just sayin’. Someone please explain this phenomenon to me because I really don’t get it. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">5. Lastly, the guys who make goofy or slightly scary faces on their profile picture. I admit it, I’ve clicked on you, just because I was like “What the what??” So if the idea was to get attention then… mission accomplished? lol Actually, oddly enough, a couple of you even turned out to be cute… in your normal pictures that is. But I just wonder if maybe there’s a slightly less disturbing way to get us girls to click onto your profile. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Edit:</em> So I had a hunch there would be more to add to the list. Ahem, #6. Trying to pass off pictures of celebrities as yourself. Um, hello, I know that's Paul Walker! You're not fooling anyone!!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So those are my top 5 observations! I’m sure as time goes on, there will be lots more to add to the list. If you are or have ever been a Christian Mingler or an E-Hamonizer, or any of the other many dating sites out there, I want to hear from you! Your funny observations, stories, the good, the bad, the ugly! If ya got ‘em, share ‘em!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">All of this is not to say or sound like I have it figured out and that I don’t sound like a total dork on my profile. Because I’m pretty sure that I do lol. It’s weird talking about yourself, posting pictures… basically putting yourself on display like cattle at the county fair. Ack! It’s awkward. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I confess that I act like I don’t care but yet I’ve written and rewritten my profile… and I still cringe when I read it. And I confess that sometimes, in admitted shallowness, I click on a guys photos first. I have a weird habit of sizing someone up based on their music taste (It says a lot about someone, okay?)… I know it’s silly but I can’t help it! I have the hardest time forcing myself, even if I’m really interested in a guy, to send one of those super cheesy “smiles” or greetings. And I confess that I’ve thought hundreds of times about just deleting my account. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Ah, the world of online dating is a weird one, for sure. But obviously, for some people, it does work. So whether you’re letting His heart lead yours or you’ve stopped waiting on God and made the first move… I wish you luck. God speed, my friend. </font></font></p> <p><iframe height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EWahCUaWhYk?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" width="640" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Yep, in case you haven’t heard, there’s a movie. Now, I haven’t watched it but I believe my sister and her hubs watched it on their anniversary last year. Because you know, how could they not, right? Seeing as how Christian Mingle brought them together I guess they owed them that much. </font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-22050278093859709422015-05-07T17:48:00.001-05:002015-06-06T16:46:00.883-05:00Currently…<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-yhV_JTvPyPI/VUvryRKL11I/AAAAAAAAEzw/Nfc0pMw9tiY/s1600-h/fc18a4bdda3d0c63ed43fcd5b6ecd5e0%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="fc18a4bdda3d0c63ed43fcd5b6ecd5e0" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="fc18a4bdda3d0c63ed43fcd5b6ecd5e0" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-jbd7bbwgFHU/VUvrzFMDg8I/AAAAAAAAEz4/YLWER8N51wY/fc18a4bdda3d0c63ed43fcd5b6ecd5e0_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="343" height="442"></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(Scripture verse that’s been on my mind lately as I’ve been getting back into health & fitness.)</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Haven’t done one of these “Currently” posts in ages! Always had fun with these! Danielle over at the lovely blog, <a href="http://sometimessweet.blogspot.com/2015/05/currently.html">Sometimes Sweet</a>, just posted one the other day and I felt inspired to jump back in and post one of my own! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Doing:</u></strong> Testing out a new cookie recipe to take to the bookstore! Actually if they turn out right we’re also going to pass them out to all of the moms at church on Mothers Day! They are sugar cookies with frosting rosettes piped on top. Since I learned how to do the frosting rosettes (which are so easy, btw) I’ve been a little obsessed! I want to put them on everything! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Watching:</u></strong> I know I’m a little tardy to the party but I just started watching Once Upon A Time on Netflix! My sister has been telling me to watch it for a while now but for some reason I just never did. There’s 66 episodes on Netflix and I’m on episode 4 lol, so a lot to catch up on. Really liking it so far! Also have been watching Dancing with the Stars! I know it’s lame but I love it! Don’t judge me lol. My favorites are Rumer Willis (she’s amazing!!) and Riker Lynch. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Planning:</u></strong> To sell my baked goods at market days soon! I’ve been wanting to try a market days for a while now so I’m hoping to finally do it in June or July! A little nervous… as an introvert these kinds of things tend to freak me out a little lol. But I’m excited and having fun planning it all out!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Thinking About:</u></strong> Health and fitness a lot lately. I’ve been really trying to eat healthy and workout. Learning how to better take care of my body. Realizing that if my body is the temple of the Holy Spirit that I need to honor God by taking care of it. I’m blessed to have a body that can move, walk, run, jump and dance. I want to take joy in that. That maybe my workouts can be a form of worship to the Lord. I guess trying to connect fitness to something deeper than just vanity. I want to be healthy - mind, body, soul, and spirit. I want to have the health and energy that I need to live the life God wants me to live. Okay, rambling, sorry about that lol. Just a lot of random thoughts on the subject! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Looking Forward To:</u></strong> My sister visiting in July! Really missing that girl and can’t wait to get to spend some time with her! We’re planning a day trip to Austin to hang out, eat too much delicious food, do too much shopping on SoCo, and maybe get coffee and a French Macaron or two. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Loving:</u></strong> Eating healthy & working out again! My cousin Pam, who I’m really close to, is on a health and fitness journey of her own. She actually started getting me to go to Zumba class with her when I visit her in Corpus. Now, I really can’t dance worth two cents lol but I think I do an okay job of keeping up! It’s just so much fun and you get such an awesome workout! I love it! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YxgoaX5OJgw/VUvrz6m1g1I/AAAAAAAAE0A/2wuhHIPNIpM/s1600-h/zumba1%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="zumba1" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="zumba1" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-_HoUD5L4DPo/VUvr0eBDQyI/AAAAAAAAE0E/A9FciBgmUbk/zumba1_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="367" height="529"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">(Had to post this picture because, at least for me, this feels so true lol! Can’t quite shake it like some of the other gals… yet. But as long as I’m not in front of the mirror and I force myself to forget about all the other people dancing next to me, I’m fine!)</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-ore6A_j19Vo/VUvr1B7zTnI/AAAAAAAAE0Q/Gnbg8d--B5s/s1600-h/zumba2%25255B5%25255D.jpg"><img title="zumba2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="zumba2" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-Zew-cxcCAdo/VUvr1vZ4BkI/AAAAAAAAE0U/Msk1ogq7NPw/zumba2_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="370" height="461"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">(And because yes, I’m a fan of the Ryan Gosling “Hey Girl” memes, I had to post this one!)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Also cooking and eating healthy, whole foods is something I’m really loving! I love to cook so learning to cook healthy has been fun! Oh and if you’re looking for some fun Zumba videos on YouTube these girls rock it: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8BflqjX7NsnTkO9GwUJITg">RefitRev</a>.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">What are you currently into or up to lately? Feel free to post in the comment section or let me know if you do one on your blog, would love to read it! </font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-4654244791890538642015-04-21T17:26:00.001-05:002015-04-21T17:26:03.382-05:00Introducing Sugar Town Sweets & Eats!<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hey friends! So if you know me or have followed my blog then you know all about my love and passion for baking. As evidenced of course by the plethora of recipes I’ve shared here over the years lol. Well I’ve been selling my baked goods at a local bookstore/coffee shop in my town for over a year now. And from that, I have been getting really amazing feedback and also lots of orders! This has been so much fun for me and such a huge blessing in my life! My biggest order so far being 100 brownies & 100 cookies for an event called <a href="http://www.hopespoken.org/">Hope Spoken</a> in Dallas. Okay, so I may have gotten myself in a little over my head with that one lol, but it all turned out great, thankfully! And I’m so grateful for every opportunity that comes my way. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">All this to say that I finally decided to create a Facebook to sell my baked goods and to help get my name out there! And after going over countless name ideas and with the help of my family, I finally settled on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sugartownsweetsandeats?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Sugar Town Sweets & Eats</a>! Naming it after a song by Nancy Sinatra that my sister and I have loved for years called, “<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjsh2j7W6Bo">Sugar Town</a>”! The song is so happy and cute, it just made sense. Plus, music being my second love affair after baking, I’m always happy when the two can intersect in some way. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">On the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sugartownsweetsandeats?ref=aymt_homepage_panel">Sugar Town Sweets & Eats</a> Facebook you can take a gander at the yummy treats I sell and message me if you would like to order! Right now I’m selling a variety of cupcakes/cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins and other pastries. I can also ship certain treats such as cookies, brownies, and muffins, if you’re interested! For a complete run down and price list, click on the “About” page on the Facebook! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-VMa__ON3OlM/VTbOJ5w6gbI/AAAAAAAAEwQ/LtSKaaQq3fM/s1600-h/IMG_4141new4.jpg"><img title="IMG_4141new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4141new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-vNs6jquz_4Q/VTbOKmJT3SI/AAAAAAAAEwY/w0-hhMJtvHQ/IMG_4141new_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="566" height="411"></a></p> <p><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em><font size="3">(My first ever business cards! I ordered these from an Etsy shop called </font></em><a href="https://www.etsy.com/shop/seedtosprout?ref=l2-shopheader-name"><em><font size="3">Seed To Sprout Design</font></em></a><em><font size="3">. Lovely designs and great service! I definitely recommend them!)</font></em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I believe in things that are homemade, handmade, and from scratch. And I believe that the best quality ingredients make for the best quality product. There's nothing that I love more than being in my kitchen, listening to good music, and baking my heart out. It's what truly makes me the happiest!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So please check out and “like” my page… and if you feel so inclined, place an order! I would be happy to bake for you!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://www.facebook.com/"><em>www.facebook.com/sugartownsweetsandeats</em></a></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Some photos of the baked goods I offer:</u></strong></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-xI0KcZOqWmw/VTbOLol3ufI/AAAAAAAAEwg/e_d2QFeh0G8/s1600-h/10614109_942857915741076_64165700768%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="10614109_942857915741076_6416570076803788935_n" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="10614109_942857915741076_6416570076803788935_n" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--oCTG_U7E2A/VTbOMrVOpDI/AAAAAAAAEwo/7T9nfVCkIEE/10614109_942857915741076_64165700768.jpg?imgmax=800" width="380" height="418"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AEO1_KiYZ_Y/VTbONUlLyPI/AAAAAAAAEww/MwscYo1aWv4/s1600-h/IMG_3835new4.jpg"><img title="IMG_3835new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3835new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-XkAX8hsq3gs/VTbOOH5Fl2I/AAAAAAAAEw4/1mkVaGgpKUA/IMG_3835new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="382" height="365"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-eHnr2UPIqQg/VTbOOvS_GEI/AAAAAAAAExA/96wPOw8-2m8/s1600-h/988601_550840914961777_1601855486_n2.jpg"><img title="988601_550840914961777_1601855486_n" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="988601_550840914961777_1601855486_n" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-iC8wRDOSBc0/VTbOPXZHLsI/AAAAAAAAExE/mgANwYQ3tGM/988601_550840914961777_1601855486_n_.jpg?imgmax=800" width="386" height="348"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-S9rbJ-pssdE/VTbOQKLv2pI/AAAAAAAAExQ/dyUUTNHncxk/s1600-h/11069929_879493275429871_13598026263%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="11069929_879493275429871_1359802626378812212_n" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="11069929_879493275429871_1359802626378812212_n" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UqFVpmj3NCU/VTbORBAYGXI/AAAAAAAAExY/CXXdwweZpaY/11069929_879493275429871_13598026263%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="388" height="314"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-7n-ys9Rx1q4/VTbOR_qtGKI/AAAAAAAAExg/70gdbh3veVg/s1600-h/IMG_3460new2.jpg"><img title="IMG_3460new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3460new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-YNwR3riJgSs/VTbOShisNkI/AAAAAAAAExo/QsibC92nfGE/IMG_3460new_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="389" height="341"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-8oB3ueCzRSY/VTbOTpANxkI/AAAAAAAAExw/ypztRYeBZck/s1600-h/IMG_4096new3.jpg"><img title="IMG_4096new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4096new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-p34yJBjoBRQ/VTbOUzPxETI/AAAAAAAAEx4/oqb1LM8Bcn4/IMG_4096new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="474" height="370"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UPFJqE_FZvY/VTbOVxueuKI/AAAAAAAAEyA/RXDfNIvqx1Q/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage3.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--fRD_14TSpE/VTbOWmFEyDI/AAAAAAAAEyI/6og87wDXDw0/PicMonkey-Collage_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="590" height="302"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bzhrvXKRJsw/VTbOXdGfsuI/AAAAAAAAEyQ/bzOiz87GI-Q/s1600-h/IMG_3577new4.jpg"><img title="IMG_3577new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3577new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-AhMoSyh41Xc/VTbOYO-kCNI/AAAAAAAAEyY/ze4Quu3Wik0/IMG_3577new_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="454" height="336"></a></p> <p> <a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-CI6SpFCK5kU/VTbOYzSITUI/AAAAAAAAEyg/mTGinS9eanE/s1600-h/10447112_734179179961282_47603811255%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="10447112_734179179961282_4760381125508465935_n" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="10447112_734179179961282_4760381125508465935_n" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-orFnQRyygTQ/VTbOZZF4a6I/AAAAAAAAEyk/wcluTwdsfu8/10447112_734179179961282_47603811255.jpg?imgmax=800" width="449" height="360"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9BQoY25FsX8/VTbOZ0HCC_I/AAAAAAAAEyw/akCGpjTSDV4/s1600-h/495_thumb67.jpg"><img title="495_thumb6" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="495_thumb6" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-e0xfEEtAUdk/VTbOahHkMOI/AAAAAAAAEy4/Qs41mawqgVc/495_thumb6_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="451" height="424"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-RaNccLr7ywo/VTbOb6VFKeI/AAAAAAAAEzA/w-rWOAvbvzY/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collagenutella6.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collagenutella" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collagenutella" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-UqG-ptIMku0/VTbOcgzQj_I/AAAAAAAAEzI/53h96X4yD4g/PicMonkey-Collagenutella_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="637" height="318"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-QeKCDLz-md8/VTbOdnondYI/AAAAAAAAEzQ/3oiI-5J1Bd4/s1600-h/IMG_4086new7.jpg"><img title="IMG_4086new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_4086new" src="http://lh3.googleusercontent.com/--M-RwSXQ1_I/VTbOeYZKnvI/AAAAAAAAEzY/BpEOxrBO9Hs/IMG_4086new_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="453" height="315"></a></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-9787362172110398042015-03-03T15:31:00.001-06:002015-03-04T03:45:01.186-06:00Follow Your Arrow – DIY Arrow Ornaments<p> </p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-CFr6QodAWKY/VPYoDGlx3kI/AAAAAAAAEuc/yXnOhnJ30oQ/s1600-h/PicMonkey%252520Collage1.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage1" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage1" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-p7JIB4QhXl8/VPYoE92yRFI/AAAAAAAAEuo/a_898TbhfQs/PicMonkey%252520Collage1_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="571" height="295"></a></p> <p><object width="250" height="40" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="gsSong4092080728" name="gsSong4092080728"><param name="movie" value="http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" /><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=grooveshark.com&songID=40920807&style=metal&p=0" /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://grooveshark.com/songWidget.swf" width="250" height="40"><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=grooveshark.com&songID=40920807&style=metal&p=0" /><span><a href="http://grooveshark.com/search/song?q=2014%20Golden%20Cove%20Follow%20Your%20Arrow" title="Follow Your Arrow by 2014 Golden Cove on Grooveshark">Follow Your Arrow by 2014 Golden Cove on Grooveshark</a></span></object></object></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I’m a firm believer in handmade gifts. There’s something so special about receiving something that was made just for you by the hands of someone you love. Likewise, it feels really rewarding to make something for someone that they will not only love but that will also have a special meaning to them. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">That was the idea behind the gift I made for my sister Cecily this past Christmas. In all honesty, I had been planning this gift for months…. but being the world class procrastinator that I am (le sigh) I didn’t finish it till after Christmas. I know, major Christmas gift fail. But I swear Christmas comes faster every year and we all know just how very slyly it sneaks up on us. But I did finally finish it (yay me!) … and thanks to me, my sister got to open one more Christmas gift in January lol.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">These cute little arrow ornaments were actually a last minute addition to her gift. I came across this tutorial by the lovely Jess Gatlyn of <a href="http://bohobabybump.blogspot.com/">Boho Baby Bump</a> and knew I had to make one for my sister. One of her favorite songs lately is “Follow Your Arrow” by country singer, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KaceyMusgravesOfficial">Kacey Musgraves</a>. I hadn’t heard the song until she put it on a mix cd for me some months ago. I’m not a huge fan (and that might an understatement lol) of country music but this one isn’t too bad, I guess (in other words, it’s listenable). Because of the message of the song she had mentioned that an arrow had kind of become a special symbol to her. So naturally I thought of her when I saw this craft. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I was going to use it as an accent on top of the wrapped gift in place of a bow but that didn’t end up working out. So instead I just tucked it into the case of the mix cd I made for her (we recently started sending each other mix cds in the mail). </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-wOmB1yvU2BQ/VPYoFcImwDI/AAAAAAAAEtE/dHdcKtdjp3c/s1600-h/IMG_2653new.jpg"><img title="IMG_2653new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_2653new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-_ITHPW5ugLY/VPYoF8ixOQI/AAAAAAAAEtM/dEjw8XbRmio/IMG_2653new_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="429" height="407"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">They were so easy and fun to make that I made about 5 of them for myself. I posted the video of Jess making them below and I’ll also link to her blog. But basically all you do is paint wooden skewers, cut the arrowheads out of scrapbook paper & hot glue them on, glue on feathers and a string to hang it and cover that with a strip of washi tape, and voilà! There was something really relaxing about painting the skewers in different colors and patterns. Just a really fun & cute craft! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-z2Esufc8eeM/VPYoHJwp1GI/AAAAAAAAEtU/UgGmyFTH2OU/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage111.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage1" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage1" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-UUdv7kvPkos/VPYoIHdj2OI/AAAAAAAAEtc/bT5zcCerzdc/PicMonkey-Collage1_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" width="433" height="419"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Now this baby, this butterfly dream catcher/wall hang was the real gift… the one that took me a while to start and to finish lol. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">She and I had found this cute & hippy looking butterfly doily when we took a day trip to Austin last summer. We went shopping on South Congress for the first time ever and saw it lying on a shelf in what became one of our favorite shops, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/NewBohemiaATX">New Bohemia</a>. I believe she said “If I buy this will you make it into a dream catcher for me?”. That was in July… so needless to say, she wasn’t expecting it lol. I had been making myself dream catchers out of doilies for a while just as a fun and decorative diy to hang in my bedroom. This one was a lot of fun to make and I was really happy that she loved it! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-zXjGkRngnHQ/VPYoJcnt-2I/AAAAAAAAEtk/wxUsRSNx3qc/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage25.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage2" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-v536vgbXjTA/VPYoKGGN5XI/AAAAAAAAEts/IReEXqZrbmk/PicMonkey-Collage2_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="484" height="340"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">This was how I used my arrow ornaments, to decorate a Valentines tree! I’ve been seeing cute little Valentines trees all over Pinterest and wanted to try it! Loved the way it looked with the arrows! It made for some cute and quirky Valentines décor, I think! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8wHj7u9krsQ/VPbUEboWLrI/AAAAAAAAEvc/qSmlftuElPE/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage32.jpg"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8wHj7u9krsQ/VPbUEboWLrI/AAAAAAAAEvk/m13fd1flyb4/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage35.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage3" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage3" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iG8EG1yU0Jk/VPYoPJK288I/AAAAAAAAEuE/NIym9vEmRqE/PicMonkey-Collage3_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="488" height="359"></a></font></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Some more Valentines décor in the kitchen, just because I believe in being festive! :)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hope you guys spend an afternoon making a few of these lovelies for yourself or someone you love! </font></p> <p><cite></cite></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-8UCS5JZby-E/VPYoPtpqKbI/AAAAAAAAEuM/-kfgIvgCh7o/s1600-h/IMG_3125new7.jpg"><img title="IMG_3125new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="IMG_3125new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qBZesWUtRWc/VPYoQbG54lI/AAAAAAAAEuU/i_jF6zRuMwY/IMG_3125new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="280" height="507"></a></p> <p><iframe height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zeBwkkynn_E" frameborder="0" width="560" allowfullscreen></iframe></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em><u>For Jess’s written tutorial , click </u></em></font><a href="http://bohobabybump.blogspot.com/2013/12/arrow-ornament-diy.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em><u>here</u></em></font></a><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em><u>.</u></em></font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-91152075702841282692015-03-01T16:11:00.001-06:002015-03-01T16:25:02.215-06:00My Phrase for 2015… His Plan is Better<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I know, I know, we’re already a couple months into 2015 but I’m somewhat behind on blogging here, so bear with me as I race to catch up. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">It’s a pretty common practice among us bloggers to choose a word for the New Year. A word that will set the tone so to speak and inspire the direction we hope our year takes. If you’ve been a part of the blogosphere as a writer or even just as a reader then I’m sure you know this. I’ve done this for the past few years now and I love the idea of it. It always made me feel hopeful for the new year, for a new start when maybe I was having a hard time doing that. But I have to be honest, this year… I could not even go there. I just couldn’t. I was totally and completely over it. Every pretty, inspiring, fluffy word felt fake and phony to me. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">You see, the thing is, I was really dreading the clock striking 12 and the year changing into 2015. All that it meant to me was a list, a long list of all the things I didn’t accomplish in 2014. All the things I hoped and dreamed for it to be that it just wasn’t. It meant so much of what I planned that just didn’t happen. It meant that I had to face all the ways I didn’t change and didn’t grow. It was swallowing some hard truths… and it hurt. And I was a mere minute from falling apart at the thought of midnight on New Years Eve. And I hate that because I love celebrating that holiday with my family. But that’s where my heart was. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Somehow I made it through New Years Eve without any tears… this I believe is due in part to the yummy cheese fondue that we ate that night lol. But a few nights later, I was thinking about my plans that didn’t happen last year as I was scrolling through pictures of people who were doing that very thing. Needless to say, that sort of broke me. In tears at that point I started praying and asking God why weren’t these things happening for me? Why does it seem impossible for me to get to where I’ve been trying to go for what feels like forever?</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Now, trust me, I’m not one to over spiritualize things and I try to be very very careful about saying the words “God told me” or “God spoke to me”… but at that moment I really did feel Him place these words into my heart: <em><strong>My plan is better</strong></em>. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-D0EWibx6DIE/VPOOcfE_ICI/AAAAAAAAErk/Nvvpz16VTzc/s1600-h/Jere29117.jpg"><img title="Jere2911" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="Jere2911" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-cb9jX8c_-Kk/VPOOdR_T76I/AAAAAAAAErs/Pj-VLFsIHmI/Jere2911_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="283" height="436"></a></p> <p><em><strong>(</strong></em><a href="http://www.momswithoutanswers.com/dont-let-struggles/"><em><strong>Source</strong></em></a><em><strong>)</strong></em></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">That was it. No bells or whistles. Just four words… a reminder that His plan is better. Was it God? I hope so. I think so. All I know is that it was a huge comfort to me and it’s something I’ve been repeating to myself since then. His plan is better. Everytime I start to worry, stress, or get antsy… His plan is better. Everytime I start to look back in regret and frustration or look forward in fear and confusion…. His plan is better. Everytime I get tempted to ignore His voice and go my own way… His plan is better. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So this year, I don’t have a word… I have a whole phrase. His plan is better. </font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-89823426595079072852015-01-17T16:24:00.001-06:002015-01-17T16:25:05.739-06:00Dear Blog….<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jtKigUrqitI/VLrg_7FOyiI/AAAAAAAAEqo/kptw4be0dV8/s1600-h/1000new2.jpg"><img title="1000new2" style="border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px" border="0" alt="1000new2" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-ong7hnV22wM/VLrhA6uLSWI/AAAAAAAAEqw/LQ95MP-mWQg/1000new2_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="605" height="382"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(Photo of the lovely and dreamy <a href="http://gypsyville.com/">Junk Gypsy</a> store in Round Top, TX! Seriously one of my favorite places! Plan to blog about my recent trips there soon!)</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Oh hello little blog of mine. Long time no talk, eh? I know it may not seem like it, but I've missed you. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">You dear blog, hold 6 years of me. Six years! Crazy, huh? My how time flies. Six years of my thoughts, feelings, random ramblings, and of course two of my favorite things – lots of music & lots of recipes! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">When we began this journey into the blogosphere in the summer of 2009, it was simply just a way for me to share lyrics and poems that I was writing at that time. Just a virtual home for words never put to music but had instead lived on paper, written in pen (remember that lost art?). So I tacked a name on you that my sister actually came up with (in reference to my love of writing & baking) and used lyrics from my favorite <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JLoqb_Gm4lY">Tristan Prettyman</a> song as a url. A url, which in hindsight, doesn't really make much sense considering the title is completely different... but that's beside the point. The point is, that was my only plan and intention for you. I didn't realize at that time what you would come to mean to me. I didn't realize that you would become a place for me to share so much of myself. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I loved sharing in this space. I loved watching it change and transform... watching myself change and transform on these pages. We may not have ever had hundreds of followers or comments... but again, that wasn't really the point anyway, was it? There was a time that you became such a huge part of my life that I couldn't imagine not sharing my life with you. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">But alas, things change, dear blog. I have changed... and blogging has definitely changed. Sharing in these spaces is not what it used to be (thanks instagram ;)). </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">It's now been 7 months since I've written. That's the longest I've ever been away from you. When I stopped writing last summer it wasn't intentional by any means and it wasn't for a lack of things to say. For some reason I just couldn't bring myself to come here. I think I needed some space. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">But lately the need to share has been tugging at my heart again. We all have so much to share with the world. And to share our words, thoughts, feelings, experiences, talents, hopes, dreams, joys, and pains is so important. We need each others stories. And to share them not only helps others but also speaks to the truth that we matter. To share is to believe that you matter, that your story matters. That you have something of value and worth to offer the world... and trust me, we all do. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So all this to say that I do have things to share, that I want to share. But I can't make you any promises, dear blog... I know myself too well. I don't know what this space will become or what direction it will take, if it takes any direction at all. But I just think my words need to find a home here again. </font></p> <p><br><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>"I challenge you, as I challenge myself, to let your God given creativity surface. The world needs you. The church needs you. We need your ideas, your insights, your colors, Your contribution. What you are passionate about was created in you to make a splash in this life that no one else can make. Make it now." - Nicole Johnson</em></font></p> <p><em><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"></font></em><br><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">P.S<br>Okay blog, so maybe it's a little overly sentimental (if not slightly self indulgent) but I wanted to share some of our favorite moments from this space over the years. The ones that still make me smile, the ones I feel most proud of.... so here's to you! ;)</font><br></p> <ul> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2013/09/where-i-came-from-blogtember.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Where I Came From #Blogtember</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2011/03/who-god-says-i-am.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Who God Says I am</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2013/01/loving-person-its-no-small-thing.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Loving a Person - It’s No Small Thing</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2012/01/who-is-responsible-for-my-joy.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Who Is Responsible For My Joy?</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2013/12/salted-caramel-nutella-stuffed.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Salted Caramel & Nutella Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies (The Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap 2013!)</em></font></a> <li><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em> </em></font><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2013/08/stuffed-chicken-marsala.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Stuffed Chicken Marsala</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2013/01/remember-to-make-it-with-love.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Remember To Make It With Love</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2013/06/waltons-fancy-and-staple-in-austin.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Walton’s Fancy and Staple in Austin</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2010/08/interview-with-singersongwriter-joy.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>Interview with singer/songwriter, Joy Williams</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2012/12/my-favorite-albums-music-discoveries-of.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>My Favorite Albums & Music Discoveries of 2012</em></font></a> <li><a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2012/06/diy-cake-stand.html"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>D.I.Y. Cake Stands</em></font></a></li></ul> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-32051609790822192142014-07-01T01:46:00.001-05:002014-07-01T17:08:14.910-05:00June Foodie Penpals Reveal!<p><a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/"><img title="FPP-post" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="FPP-post" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BgYeeMtZbgE/U7MgTYgO06I/AAAAAAAAEqE/9YRcX6SwDBU/FPP-post%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="539" height="264"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hey my fellow foodies! It’s been so quiet over here on my little corner of the internet lately as I have become the worst blogger ever! Ugh! Seriously, can you hear the crickets? Because I can. But I thought I would break my silence to tell you (if you’re still here, that is) about this awesomely delish Foodie Penpals box I got for June! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ct3jOdT0Adg/U7JZN1n-SzI/AAAAAAAAEo8/-QO0jsxDdsE/s1600-h/032%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="032" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="032" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-q2DTXnaqmt8/U7JZPfZ-UYI/AAAAAAAAEpE/8wWvI-1eKHE/032_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="525" height="432"></a><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Above is a picture of just a few of the yummy treats in my box, taken immediately after I excitedly rummaged through it. And yes, that bag does say Ketchup chips lol. So I was totally spoiled this month by Raina over at <a href="http://the-home-plate.livejournal.com/">The Home Plate</a>! Raina shares her delish recipes as well as other FPP boxes she’s received, so definitely check out her blog! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Raina and I both have a love of coffee, chocolate, and all things salty and sweet… so I knew I was paired with the perfect person lol. In my opinion, t</font><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">he most fun Foodie Penpals boxes are always the ones that are filled to the brim with some of your favorite things as well as a few things that are new to you. Which is exactly what this box was. Here is what it was chock full of: </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3eObRY0ZBQw/U7JZQXIwWoI/AAAAAAAAEpM/B3EkPMuqTJs/s1600-h/034new%25255B7%25255D.jpg"><img title="034new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="034new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-bjENrtbW9So/U7JZRKS1LFI/AAAAAAAAEpU/NVuJRtVQy5k/034new_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="527" height="450"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I seriously did not know where to start lol. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">One of the first things I was curious to try were the Ketchup Chips. Raina said that they are her favorites and that even though they sound so wrong, they are oh so right. I’ll admit, I was skeptical lol. But I have to say that she is right! They really are so good! They have a tangy tomato-y flavor that I actually really liked! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">The Dill Pickle Popcorn has a light tangy pickle taste and is so good! The Cheerwine Cherry Soda was one of my favorite things! I love cherry soda so this was right up my ally! It was enjoyed along with some of the chips & popcorn during the season premiere of one of my favorite shows, Switched at Birth! Made the perfect snack! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Okay, the coffee with Chicory… oh man, so delish!! How am I just barely discovering this?? Drinking this up fast! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-iLsgKdLesd4/U7JZSlL3nhI/AAAAAAAAEpc/ckCBKpti09Y/s1600-h/059new%25255B10%25255D.jpg"><img title="059new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="059new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-WsDO_6pMucs/U7JZTYnCWiI/AAAAAAAAEpk/8O6JP_jRuVE/059new_thumb%25255B4%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="528" height="389"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">A closer look at all the assorted chocolate treats!!! Think I’ve tried just about everything now. I have a few things left in my chocolate stash but it is quickly dwindling lol. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Some of my favorites were the Goo Goo Cluster, I think it was the first one I ever tried. The nuts, caramel, marshmallow, and chocolate… addicting! Also, the chocolate covered graham crackers & s’mores graham cracker, chocolate bar with maple, the chocolate covered espresso beans, and the chocolate digestives! Yes, this box was all about the chocolate, ha! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I thought the Chocolate Digestives (such an odd name for a cookie, right?) were especially interesting. They’re basically round cookies, that to me taste somewhat like graham crackers, with one side covered in chocolate. They’re simple but good! And from what I hear very popular in the UK. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-_p4Ze5F1AOU/U7JZUQO9WVI/AAAAAAAAEps/dqfcjiIC_is/s1600-h/080%25255B6%25255D.jpg"><img title="080" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="080" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-gmXTEttznqU/U7JZU5tnavI/AAAAAAAAEp0/7N-KYWIn8jc/080_thumb%25255B3%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="528" height="426"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Here’s a picture of the Cheerwine cherry soda! So refreshing! Wish I could get this in my area! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I want thank Raina for this crazy awesome box! It was such a fun one! If you want to know what I sent her click <a href="http://the-home-plate.livejournal.com/50352.html">here</a>! And also thank you to Lindsay over at <a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com">The Lean Green Bean</a> for organizing all this foodie fun! :)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">P.S Just realized this is my 11th time participating in Foodie Penpals! lol So that should give you some idea of how much fun this program is and how much I love it! So if you want to join in, get some yummy treats sent straight to your door, and make some new friends in the process, the info is below! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>………………………………………………………………</strong></font> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>Here’s some details about FPP in case you want to join in for July:</strong></font> <p><font size="3"><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.<br>-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! <br>-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. <br>-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. <br>-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. </strong></font></font> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for July, please </strong></font><a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/"><font size="3"><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>CLICK HERE </strong></font></font></a><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. </strong></font> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>You must submit your information by July 4th as pairings will be emailed on July 5th!</strong></font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-72673876119124566002014-04-25T14:48:00.001-05:002014-04-25T14:48:50.945-05:00Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hey loves! It’s been somewhat quiet over here lately. I have no excuse really just haven’t been in “blogging mode”. I’ve been in baking mode. Spending my days baking cookies, brownies, cakes, ect. to sell at my local bookstore/café as well as to family. It’s been so fun and has given me some great experience but I do not think I’ve ever been in the kitchen more!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">And I’ve also as of late been in healthy eating & fitness mode. And how that fits into all the baking I’m doing for other people I have no idea, ha! Though I’m doing pretty good, I think. But I mean a good baker has to taste what she makes, right? Especially if someone is paying me for these treats… so I’d be lying if I said I haven’t taken a bite more than what I should’ve. Baby steps. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So all this to say, I thought I’d slip back into blogging mode with a yummy and indulgent cupcake recipe!!! Woot! This is one of the cupcakes I’ve been making to sell at the bookstore/café and it’s been the one I’ve gotten the most comments on. So far it’s definitely been one of my best selling treats. I’ve also made it in cake form for family and got some really great feedback on it! It pairs two of my very favorite things, chocolate and coffee! Match made in heaven, right? </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I have to give credit where credit is due though. I first got the idea for these babies when I tasted the “Chocolate Bolt” cupcake at a bakery called <a href="http://www.yummyfindsvictoria.com/">Yummy Finds</a>, which is located just an hour from where I live. I was in love with the combo of the chocolate cupcake with espresso filling and chocolate frosting. I was inspired so I just had to go home and try to replicate it. And I think I got pretty close. By the way, if you’re ever in Victoria, Texas do yourself a favor and stop by Yummy Finds. They not only have delish cupcakes but they serve awesome lunches as well. It’s one of my favorite places! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">For this recipe I used what is now my very favorite chocolate cake recipe, along with an amazing recipe for espresso buttercream that I came across on Pinterest, and my stand by chocolate buttercream frosting I’ve been using for years. If you love chocolate and coffee and need a little caffeine jolt, give these cupcakes a shot! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><font size="4" face="ChocolateBox"><strong><u>Chocolate Espresso Cupcakes -</u></strong></font> </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-BFo0A41taDM/U1q77VabsbI/AAAAAAAAEnA/MgL2huOIyAM/s1600-h/123new12.jpg"><img title="123new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="123new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-5pIFNOEOVOY/U1q78Q4yZ1I/AAAAAAAAEnI/XOxxJ5fhlZ0/123new_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" width="507" height="525"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-rsVs07pYK78/U1q79VQ1OfI/AAAAAAAAEnQ/cWjqzKJrIy0/s1600-h/05024.jpg"><img title="050" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="050" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-mP8_bH460EQ/U1q7-q4lStI/AAAAAAAAEnY/MyG-8MgCRl0/050_thumb16.jpg?imgmax=800" width="508" height="505"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(First time I made them. Garnished these with just chocolate chips but I definitely prefer the chocolate sprinkles and espresso beans.)</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">A moist, chocolaty cupcake filled with creamy espresso buttercream, frosted with a rich chocolate buttercream, and finally topped off with a small dollop of espresso buttercream, a chocolate covered espresso bean, and either chocolate chips or chocolate sprinkles! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">This chocolate cake recipe is very similar to the one I’ve always used which is the Hershey’s recipe. But I recently tried this one and found that with the edition of the buttermilk and coffee it’s a lot more moist and rich then the Hershey’s cake. So this is definitely my staple chocolate cake recipe from now on. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">This espresso buttercream… oh, what can I say? It’s magic. It’s just pure magic. It’s a fluffy, creamy coffee lover’s dream. And I’m definitely a coffee lover so, truth be told, I add in a smidge more espresso than the recipe calls for. Tell ya, I could eat it all with a spoon… ahem, not that I ever have or anything. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HQLr9tISa1A/U1q8AS9anhI/AAAAAAAAEng/J8aBEw_EwBE/s1600-h/014new6.jpg"><img title="014new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="014new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-yB3RbmQXkTI/U1q8BbCnK5I/AAAAAAAAEnk/qKGMYjwL5Jw/014new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="515" height="340"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-nvaFQOvn5OU/U1q8CLcJ_jI/AAAAAAAAEnw/6qE-e1gUQbs/s1600-h/018new6.jpg"><img title="018new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="018new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-vwkzlz8kZII/U1q8DLCjXhI/AAAAAAAAEn4/2IBCcQ-Wy9Y/018new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="516" height="227"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Like I said, I use my stand by chocolate buttercream. It’s just my favorite. It’s my own version of the one bowl buttercream recipe. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">To hollow out the cupcakes so I can fill them I use my trusty cupca</font><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">ke corer. Makes it so much easier and faster. Plus, I kinda like eating the little centers lol. And then I just pipe some espresso buttercream right in the center! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Top these caffeinated lovelies off with an extra dollop of espresso buttercream, a chocolate covered espresso bean (got these in a Foodie Penpal package, love ‘em!), a dash of chocolate sprinkles and you’re good to go! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">And while they make amazing cupcakes they also make a very lovely cake! - </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-MuCqZNn55xg/U1q8Ei-UlLI/AAAAAAAAEoA/TrHRvLRo57U/s1600-h/076new8.jpg"><img title="076new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="076new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4bJJL042eZU/U1q8FwXFTSI/AAAAAAAAEoI/T-caONnGdno/076new_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="518" height="516"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(My cousin asked me to make this one for her mom’s birthday. Really happy with the way it turned out and really really happy the they loved it!)</em></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-LZcyG0I0c-M/U1q8HJ3gthI/AAAAAAAAEoQ/Tlw0ajgkPAs/s1600-h/35.jpg"><img title="3" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="3" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-R_Y27APZkEo/U1q8IRauXiI/AAAAAAAAEoU/4rhQvbsJ1P4/3_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="520" height="287"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(First time I made this cake. For this one I used crushed chocolate covered espresso beans on the sides. But I ended up not liking the texture of them on the cake.)</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Ingredients:</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">cake - </font></p> <p><em><u>(<font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Recipe adapted from mybakingaddiction.com)</font></u></em></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">2 cups sugar<br>1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour<br>3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder<br>2 tablespoons King Arthur Flour Black Cocoa, optional<br>2 teaspoons baking soda<br>1 teaspoon baking powder<br>1 teaspoon kosher salt<br>2 eggs<br>1 cup buttermilk<br>1 cup strong black coffee<br>1/2 cup vegetable oil<br>2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br> <br>Directions:<br>Heat oven to 350°F. Grease and flour two 9-inch round baking pans or one 13x9x2-inch baking pan. Set aside.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or in a large bowl with an electric mixer, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa(s), baking soda, baking powder and salt. Mix on low until dry ingredients are thoroughly combined. Add eggs, buttermilk, coffee, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for about two minutes; the batter will be thin. Pour batter evenly into prepared pans.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">For cupcakes bake for 16-18 minutes. For cake 30 to 35 minutes for round pans, 35 to 40 minutes for rectangular pan or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pans to wire racks. Cool completely.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"></font><br><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Espresso Buttercream - <br><em><u>(Recipe adapted from browneyedbaker.com)</u></em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Ingredients: <br>1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature<br>2½ cups powdered sugar<br>2 teaspoons vanilla extract<br>2 teaspoons espresso powder</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Directions:<br>Mix the espresso powder into the vanilla until dissolved; set aside.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Using the whisk attachment of a stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape the sides of the bowl. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar a little at a time, waiting until it is mostly incorporated before adding more. Once all of the powdered sugar has been added, scrape the sides of the bowl and increase the speed to medium-high and whip until fluffy, about a minute or two. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Add the espresso and vanilla mixture and continue to mix at medium-high until it is completely incorporated, scraping the sides as necessary.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Chocolate Buttercream - </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Ingredients:<br>1 stick butter<br>4 tbsp. Cocoa<br>2 cups powdered sugar (sifted)<br>1 tsp. vanilla<br>1 tsp. corn syrup<br>heavy cream (I never measure how much. Just a little drizzle to make it light and fluffy.)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Directions:<br>In a medium bowl cream butter and cocoa with mixer until smooth. Beat in powdered sugar one cup at a time. Add in vanilla, corn syrup, and heavy cream and beat on medium speed for two minutes until light and fluffy. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em><u>Assembly:</u></em> After cupcakes are completely cool, hollow out the center and fill each one with espresso buttercream. Then pipe on chocolate buttercream. Pipe a small dollop of espresso buttercream right on top in the center. Finish with chocolate sprinkles or chocolate chips. <br></p></font> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-43592446561269965752014-03-31T13:07:00.001-05:002014-03-31T13:11:30.974-05:00March Foodie Penpals Reveal!<p><a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/"><img title="FPP-post" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="FPP-post" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2qHJsflSqtA/UzmuuBDI3qI/AAAAAAAAElc/eGM8O83SXOY/FPP-post7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="527" height="267"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hey fellow foodies! I’m here with another Foodie Penpals reveal today! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-3ggEPqLNGB0/UzmuvLFAyzI/AAAAAAAAElg/Ei7b6xTGUAc/s1600-h/196new8.jpg"><img title="196new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="196new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-7sx7TK949Kg/Uzmuv8Ok7uI/AAAAAAAAElk/gDxuB0JkqWE/196new_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="527" height="434"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">This month I received a lovely package from Ginger over at <a href="http://www.minimewannabe.com/">Mini Me Wannabe</a>! Ginger shares her health and fitness journey with her readers and has some really great tips, so definitely check out her blog! The box of goodies she sent me all came from <a href="http://www.traderjoes.com/">Trader Joes</a>! I’ve never been to a Trader Joes before as there are none around my area but have heard so many awesome things about it. It was fun to get to sample some of their products!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-VXhEv5jQLM0/Uzmuw-pHdlI/AAAAAAAAEl0/BLJrghv4-0o/s1600-h/216new9.jpg"><img title="216new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="216new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-JHG10DLaRd4/UzmuxgWyBeI/AAAAAAAAEl8/03Vph8TdUtA/216new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="529" height="444"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><u>Included in the box ~</u> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Sweet Potato Bisque – I wasn’t sure about this soup as I’m not a huge sweet potato fan but it was actually really good. It’s really creamy and the warm flavors kind of remind me of fall. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Bruschetta – This looks delish! I already have this <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/117234396522720593/">recipe</a> in mind to use it in! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Cowboy Caviar – This is so delish!!! A salsa chock full of black beans, corn, and peppers. It’s really flavorful with a little kick and is just a little addicting. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Thai Dry Chili Paste – Haven’t tried this yet but it’s supposed to be a little on the spicy side. It says on the jar that it can be used to season veggies, meats, poultry, and also for dipping crackers when mixed with a little olive oil. Love that it’s so versatile, excited to try it! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Green Tea Infused Mints – Was also a little nervous about these mints but oh my gosh, they’re amazing! I’m usually not much for mints but these babies don’t taste like typical mints. They have a very light tea taste along with other very warm notes. Refreshing and almost soothing flavors. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Onion Dip Mix – Loved this dip! You just mix it with some light sour cream or plain Greek yogurt and let it sit in the fridge for a while and you have a creamy, tangy dip! Though I will say those Green Tea mints sure do come in handy after eating this dip, ha! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Oh and last but not least, seriously how pretty is that peacock card?! Love it! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I want to say thank you to Ginger for all these yummy snacks, I’m really enjoying them! And also thanks to Lindsay over at <a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/">The Lean Green Bean</a> for putting all this foodie fun together! :)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">--------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Here’s some details about FPP in case you want to join in for April:</font> <p><em><font size="3"><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><b>-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.</b><br><b>-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! </b><br><b>-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. </b><br><b>-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. </b><br><b>-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. </b></font></font></em> <p><em><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for March, please </font><a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/"><font size="3"><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>CLICK HERE</strong> </font></font></a><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. </font></em> <p><strong><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">You must submit your information by April 4th as pairings will be emailed on April 5th!</font></strong></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-91816990617825246432014-02-28T19:04:00.001-06:002014-02-28T19:27:02.688-06:00February Foodie Penpals Reveal!<p><a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/"><img title="FPP-post" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="FPP-post" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-cSAoXZBA_vs/UxEx_FUNfgI/AAAAAAAAEjE/FUcrZXBgdjQ/FPP-post6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="591" height="290"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Yes, it’s Foodie Penpals time again! I’m so excited to share my February box with you guys! Let me tell you, I seriously scored! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-0zxsg9am4TQ/UxEx_0LMeqI/AAAAAAAAEjM/vDGvAUxkEvw/s1600-h/11new6.jpg"><img title="11new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="11new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-UeQMS_faOcw/UxEyAhCvV9I/AAAAAAAAEjU/yOfMRb2xbak/11new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="592" height="463"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I received this box of goodies from Rachel over at the <a href="http://renegadefoodieatlarge.blogspot.com/">Renegade Foodie at Large</a>. Rachel totally spoiled me with some of my favorite foodie items! In fact, this may be my favorite Foodie Penpals box yet! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/--RzAbUUCJhU/UxEyCPA9GlI/AAAAAAAAEjc/4M35E98nbyk/s1600-h/046new10.jpg"><img title="046new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="046new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-rNmSMbzCZks/UxEyC4bz9zI/AAAAAAAAEjk/wZGCSR0-bhM/046new_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="497" height="530"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">This lovely package included: </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Java Iced Mocha Mix, Venice Chocolate Biscotti, 4 homemade finishing salts (including the recipes), and The Sweet Treats Collection cookbooks! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-DbVgAwnc2A4/UxEyDgZ2ArI/AAAAAAAAEjs/42kAaHlqqiI/s1600-h/035new9.jpg"><img title="035new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="035new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jd8MZ4B2eVU/UxEyElgQb3I/AAAAAAAAEj0/_nWvAg6RIa0/035new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="605"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Of course the first thing I dove into was the coffee and biscotti! I made me a tall glass of Java Iced Mocha, which is smooth and creamy. It has that perfect mix of rich chocolate flavor with a jolt of coffee. And oh the biscotti – chocolate with hazelnuts and orange zest, with a rich layer of chocolate on the top. I love the way the orange flavor comes out in the chocolate. So delish! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-DuCNU5yvj5c/UxEyFKdx_MI/AAAAAAAAEj8/3eBDGv56qVE/s1600-h/053new7.jpg"><img title="053new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="053new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-mzAajHMsz1w/UxEyGG8NkrI/AAAAAAAAEkE/IdNIiiPJk_4/053new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="499" height="501"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Rachel’s homemade finishing salts! How awesome are these?! And yes, that says Bacon Salt! Bacon. Salt. … ‘nuff said. There’s also Herbs De Provence, Vanilla Cinnamon Nutmeg, and Orange Infused Sea Salt. I haven’t tried them yet but I’m already thinking of different recipes to use them in. She even included the yummy recipes in box!! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DvLZCLwgiYM/UxEyHDRGusI/AAAAAAAAEkM/JTnPB9N_iWc/s1600-h/033new7.jpg"><img title="033new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="033new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-Kfz6PYFIrn4/UxEyHzR0GHI/AAAAAAAAEkU/wtgotW8I-dY/033new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="500" height="518"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">If you want to know more about Rachel’s finishing salts she just posted a blog about them <a href="http://renegadefoodieatlarge.blogspot.com/2014/02/finishing-salts-what-it-is-what-it-does.html">here</a>! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-wpNCtJ10tP4/UxEyIZbVRZI/AAAAAAAAEkc/LIltl4B3oyA/s1600-h/057new12.jpg"><img title="057new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="057new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-DLUd2vkQKDo/UxEyJK_yT2I/AAAAAAAAEkk/L9KwpQH5v2o/057new_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" width="503" height="650"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So this one was a Foodie Penpals first for me and I totally freaked out when I saw it! A cookbook collection!!! The Sweet Treats Collection is full of 3 books with 300 recipes in all! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-HWyB5zBxbkk/UxEyJmzOm8I/AAAAAAAAEks/fBMxQ_9LZJI/s1600-h/063new210.jpg"><img title="063new2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="063new2" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-QWHpIRgvdLg/UxEyKb0r54I/AAAAAAAAEk0/Ki4lSz50VoQ/063new2_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="505" height="505"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-dqAfwykP3c0/UxEyLFAUzdI/AAAAAAAAEk8/8PJ1zPy0NMk/s1600-h/076new13.jpg"><img title="076new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="076new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Y6FzvJt8R_o/UxEyLwQm-QI/AAAAAAAAElE/5vFePC9KLHg/076new_thumb10.jpg?imgmax=800" width="504" height="529"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">The three books are: Chocolate Treats, Cupcakes & Mini Treats, and Delicious Cakes! As a baker and a chocoholic these are right up my ally! It was so fun to flip through these books! All the recipes sound and look so delish and I cannot wait to give ‘em a try! Plus, how adorable are the books and the packaging?</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I want to thank Rachel for sending me such a fun box! I’m so enjoying it! And a shout out to Lindsay over at <a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/">The Lean Green Bean</a> for organizing all this foodie fun! If you would like to join in, the info is below! :)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>Here’s some details about FPP in case you want to join in for March:</strong></font> <p><em><font size="3"><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.<br>-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! <br>-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. <br>-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. <br>-Foodie Penpals is open to US, Canadian & European residents. Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. Same with Europeans. </strong></font></font></em> <p><em><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>If you’re from the US or Canada and are in participating for March, please </strong></font><a href="http://www.theleangreenbean.com/foodie-penpals/"><font size="3"><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>CLICK HERE </strong></font></font></a><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. </strong></font></em> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong>You must submit your information by March 4th as pairings will be emailed on March 5th!</strong></font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-42422442697300229962014-02-20T14:43:00.001-06:002014-02-20T15:12:48.132-06:00New Smash Book & Art Journal Pages!<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Over the past couple of years smash booking and art journaling have become some of my favorite hobbies. I‘m a big believer in having creative outlets and these are definitely my go tos. I love sipping on some iced coffee and spending a couple hours making a mess in these books. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I use my smash book, which is by <a href="http://www.eksuccessbrands.com/kandcompany/">K&Company</a> (the pink one), as a scrapbook of sorts. It’s a place to “smash” in anything I love. I sometimes use my art journals the same way but I’ve been trying to use them more for experimenting with paints, sprays, and other fun mixed media supplies. Am I good at it? Well that’s beside the point to me lol. It’s simply just fun and freeing to make a happy mess. That for me is the point of both smash booking and art journaling. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So I thought I’d share some new pages with you guys today! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-px84R7MG5FI/UwZokprSkuI/AAAAAAAAEg8/G6WaT0xAdv4/s1600-h/085new%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="085new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="085new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-zOkTdvo357o/UwZol9xsFrI/AAAAAAAAEhE/Jyh_KettfnM/085new_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="578" height="420"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">That picture of a chocolate cake I made last year that I was really proud of was the inspiration for this page. Also used an old birthday card I kept, cute baking stickers, a peanut butter blossom recipe from Crisco, a paint sample, washi tape, a doily, and a recipe card to write on. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-FFmdiXLzAyE/UwZomiz1HqI/AAAAAAAAEhM/N-sUGLGNkBM/s1600-h/070new%25255B1%25255D.jpg"><img title="070new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="070new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-VsC2BgBuiy0/UwZonzXJYQI/AAAAAAAAEhU/O5lceRzvQ8A/070new_thumb%25255B1%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="574" height="427"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">A random girly page. A photo I took of cute rain boots I found in a boutique, magazine clippings, a couple drawings by my cousin that I kept from years ago (because I’m a pack rat), paint sample, stickers, washi tape, a post card, and a clothing tag from Maurice's. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ijm4IFm6lds/UwZoopJC_sI/AAAAAAAAEhc/_tiJ2qUp4Tc/s1600-h/023new%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="023new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="023new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qdzqO4A30gA/UwZopleg4vI/AAAAAAAAEhk/eraDRms4tsI/023new_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="578" height="445"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-60sK3SDnS0k/UwZoqQ7LNOI/AAAAAAAAEe8/zwnMhirHiak/s1600-h/017new12.jpg"><img title="017new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="017new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-1UtZuW8MwdA/UwZorqgz5WI/AAAAAAAAEfE/R3p1GW7vKuw/017new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="458" height="493"></a></p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Breakfast! A photo of the lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry sauce I made a while back, a magazine clipping, stickers, stamps, paint sample, and a journaling card I printed out. And totally random but the whole time I’ve been typing this that old Newsboys song “Breakfast” has been going through my head… “<em>When the toast is burned and all the milk has turned and Captain Crunch is waving farewell.<br>When the big one finds you may this song remind you that they don't serve breakfast in hell</em></font>.”. <font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Any former fellow 90’s Christian music fans feel me? Ahem, anyway… </font> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-SBW8eBrdasc/UwZosl198wI/AAAAAAAAEhw/6UQUikU9wwc/s1600-h/026new.jpg"><img title="026new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="026new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-k39ouoVraFg/UwZotoU9_1I/AAAAAAAAEh4/fQJ5B2bHoBM/026new_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="586" height="457"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Had some things lying around from when my parents and I went to GA last March to visit my sister so I decided to finally go ahead and smash ‘em in! I added some photos clipped together by a cute mini clothing pin and a journaling card. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-jj1ri6oFSNU/UwZou5vSAkI/AAAAAAAAEiA/Lm9I3bZxdcM/s1600-h/010new.jpg"><img title="010new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="010new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-iC5_grTs09w/UwZov_koBrI/AAAAAAAAEiI/Jmoi5wLo12A/010new_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="587" height="449"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">No real theme, a random page. A receipt from Kerbey Lane in Austin, a coffee sleeve, a birthday card that I thought was pretty, a tag from Natural Life, stickers, stamps, printed out photos, ect. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Vqgzeg7aItQ/UwZowndbzjI/AAAAAAAAEfs/SZi0bLc_G2U/s1600-h/015new6.jpg"><img title="015new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="015new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Luq2iGcN3Zg/UwZozGcEXhI/AAAAAAAAEf0/XN6KhXuiqC8/015new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="457" height="504"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-u4UB-DWHVKI/UwZoz4IMXUI/AAAAAAAAEiQ/SbuteQpasPQ/s1600-h/016new.jpg"><img title="016new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="016new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-s93veZdEa1I/UwZo1OHXaUI/AAAAAAAAEiY/i4dbXnCSgbM/016new_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="593" height="420"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Another random page. Made the page on the right while my sister was visiting in November. She has a smash book too so we made sure to get some smashing in while she was here. Lots of stickers, die cuts, stamps, a doily, and a fortune from a fortune cookie. Page left, print outs, stamps, washi tape, and sheet music. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-717auo0hW-k/UwZo2gfiz6I/AAAAAAAAEig/GYxl5xPxxX0/s1600-h/019new%25255B2%25255D.jpg"><img title="019new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="019new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-IgY9AF8Ylyw/UwZo312ZuLI/AAAAAAAAEio/cELFQ9QEPVQ/019new_thumb%25255B2%25255D.jpg?imgmax=800" width="583" height="428"></a><br><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">My new art journal and some fun supplies I recently bought. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-S1P_qXtaiwE/UwZo5XYa-lI/AAAAAAAAEgc/OqWtzewqAFw/s1600-h/012new26.jpg"><img title="012new2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="012new2" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-He7DvbY3o20/UwZo6b5mjcI/AAAAAAAAEgk/3ma5CgQ4dX0/012new2_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="402" height="516"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-EeLcsSDKnwg/UwZo7rEs6OI/AAAAAAAAEiw/xxIF7bhgo9M/s1600-h/009new.jpg"><img title="009new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="009new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-qgWHCtFlEF8/UwZo8gIscWI/AAAAAAAAEi4/rW9BH_Fxo2k/009new_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="578" height="425"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">The first few pages in my new art journal! Just had a lot of fun playing around with paint, sprays, and printed out pictures. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hope you enjoyed taking a peek and will maybe consider giving these hobbies a shot yourself. :)</font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-33084955222171535352014-02-14T13:56:00.001-06:002014-02-14T13:58:08.996-06:00Red Velvet Cupcakes w/ Cream Cheese Frosting + V-day Playlist!<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hey my Valentines! Hope you’re having a happy love day today! This has always been one of my favorite holidays… chocolate, roses, pink & red hearts! In a relationship or not, what’s not to love about that? It’s actually a holiday that just makes me want to bake cupcakes… always been this way for some reason. When I was a teenager I would buy a strawberry cake mix & canned cream cheese frosting (Ugh, even though now cake mixes & especially canned frostings go against everything I believe in. I was young.) and cover them with lots of pretty pink sprinkles. It was my yearly Valentines tradition for a while & it made me happy. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">But another cupcake flavor that always seems to make an appearance on February 14th is the southern favorite, Red Velvet! In all honesty, I’ve never been a Red Velvet fan. Most red velvet cakes tend to be dry, crumbly, and lacking in flavor. And then the traditional cooked frosting always tastes like flour to me and I’m not fond of most cream cheese frostings. If I eat red velvet it has to be exceptionally good. And I believe it’s for this reason that I’ve wanted to find the perfect red velvet recipe. Especially in the last few weeks it’s sort of became my quest. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I scoured the internet looking for recipes. I finally found one that I thought looked and sounded amazing. It was this <a href="http://sweetapolita.com/2013/01/red-velvet-raspberry-supreme-cake/">recipe</a> from Rosie over at <a href="http://sweetapolita.com/">Sweetapolita</a>. I just planned to make the cake part of it & find a cream cheese frosting to go with it. First let me say, I think this girl is a freakin’ baking genius! I’ve been stalking her blog trying to learn all her baking secrets. My family & I actually made her vanilla cake for my parents vow renewal this past summer and it was one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So I tried this recipe, which calls for red velvet baking emulsion, which I’ve never used before but managed to track down. It’s the color and a flavoring all in one. The cupcakes came out super moist but the emulsion gave the them an almost citrusy flavor that I honestly couldn’t decide if I liked. So I decided to keep on looking and ended up going back to a recipe that I tried about a year ago and really liked. For some reason I had forgotten about this recipe. It’s the from a cookbook I have called <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Bar-Stonesong-Press-Books/dp/B0009A0GW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392372824&sr=8-1&keywords=chocolate+bar+matt+lewis">“Chocolate Bar”.</a> If you’re looking for a red velvet cake that is moist, flavorful, but still traditional, this is it! In my opinion it meets all the criteria I’m looking for in red velvet. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Oh and the cream cheese frosting… heavenly! I scored big time when I found this recipe. But more about that below! </font></p> <p><strong><u><font size="4" face="Boopee"><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB">Red Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting -</font> </font></u></strong></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-CX83IICfpME/Uv501u7JF-I/AAAAAAAAEck/8_JgJXgl0VU/s1600-h/0157.jpg"><img title="015" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="015" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-SbzLySGVO24/Uv502U7sd4I/AAAAAAAAEcs/n-ZQcLqhhg0/015_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="512" height="473"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(Recipe adapted from </em></font><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Chocolate-Bar-Stonesong-Press-Books/dp/B0009A0GW8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1392372824&sr=8-1&keywords=chocolate+bar+matt+lewis"><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>"Chocolate Bar" by Matt Lewis and Alison Nelson</em></font></a><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>)</em></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-9LiBv4D8t14/Uv503TgfNgI/AAAAAAAAEc0/NEI7J4FTEBI/s1600-h/003new6.jpg"><img title="003new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="003new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-8i-okQxAXFE/Uv504MMDKNI/AAAAAAAAEc8/iIbQWR3UKys/003new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="515" height="492"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-l9X58QsjJs8/Uv505GIskKI/AAAAAAAAEdE/Fj9IRnT--2o/s1600-h/001new6.jpg"><img title="001new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="001new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-lhey_WhjZHU/Uv506PpiA3I/AAAAAAAAEdM/mtTJmiFHI7Q/001new_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="516" height="427"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">A traditional red velvet that is moist and flavorful! True test is that they honestly even taste good without the frosting… though you’d be crazy not to frost them with this lovely and delish cream cheese frosting. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-X-sw6Jw85_E/Uv506g4X4ZI/AAAAAAAAEdQ/xZKJ-z7R9UM/s1600-h/005new7.jpg"><img title="005new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="005new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-kv7-p1aySdc/Uv507SvyKyI/AAAAAAAAEdc/EFw3_J1DVDk/005new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="520" height="374"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So I haven’t stopped raving about this frosting since I made it. You HAVE to try it! And I can’t stress that enough. Some people like the traditional cooked frosting, some people like buttercream but now a days cream cheese frosting seems to be the consensus for red velvet. I don’t know about you but every cream cheese frosting I’ve ever made has turned out to be a soupy mess and tends to taste like unbaked cheesecake. This one, because it contains equal amounts of butter and cream cheese turns out fluffy, creamy, and perfectly pipable (Dear spell check, I’m aware that’s not a word but I’m using it anyway)! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">And it doesn’t taste like unbaked cheesecake. It tastes like buttercream but with the slight tang of cream cheese. And it’s not toothachly sweet. Oh yes, perfect! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-c3GZD1pUbnY/Uv508KbcgyI/AAAAAAAAEdg/5fIVGJgLgi0/s1600-h/014new7.jpg"><img title="014new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="014new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-qOxEaiKwhqk/Uv508545EiI/AAAAAAAAEds/WLp6noFk5So/014new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="520" height="409"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">The frosting doesn’t over power these cupcakes but is the perfect compliment! If you’re feeling festive top them off with some sprinkles and leftover conversation hearts. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Ingredients:<br>4 tablespoons good quality cocoa powder<br>1 ounce red food coloring (1 bottle)<br>2 1/2 cups cake flour<br>1 teaspoon salt<br>1 cup buttermilk<br>1 teaspoon vanilla<br>6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter<br>1 1/2 tablespoon shortening at room temp.<br>1 2/3 cups sugar<br>2 eggs<br>1 egg yolk<br>2 tablespoons boiling water<br>1 tablespoon white vinegar (I used apple cider vinegar after reading somewhere that it makes them a little sweeter)<br>1 teaspoon baking soda</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Directions:<br>Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder, red food coloring, and 2 tablespoons of boiling water. Set aside to cool. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Sift the flour and salt together. In a separate bowl, mix the buttermilk and vanilla together.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">In a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and shortening together on high speed until light and fluffy. Add the sugar and continue beating for approximately 5 minutes until pale and fluffy.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Add the eggs and yolk one at a time, blending well after each addition.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Mix in the cocoa, food coloring, and water mixture just until blended.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Alternately add the flour and buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Dissolve the baking soda in the vinegar (the mixture will fizz) and add to the mixer until just combined. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">At this point, though it’s not in the original recipe, I added in about 1/4 cup of mayonnaise. I know this may gross some people out but trust me, you can’t taste it whatsoever. It just makes the cupcakes even more moist. Just mix it in till well blended. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Fill cupcake pan and bake for 16 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Cream Cheese Frosting: </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I’m just going to direct you to Stacy over at <a href="http://wickedgoodkitchen.com/">The Wicked Kitchen</a>, where I found this amazing frosting. She explains why it works better than I do. Plus she has a lot of killer recipes. <a href="http://wickedgoodkitchen.com/best-ever-cream-cheese-buttercream/">Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting</a>.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"></font> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u><font size="4" face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB">Valentines Playlist -</font> </u></strong></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">And because this holiday deserves some tunes, here’s a lovey dovey playlist for you! </font></p> <p><object width="350" height="350" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="gsPlaylist9529261320" name="gsPlaylist9529261320"><param name="movie" value="http://grooveshark.com/widget.swf" /><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=grooveshark.com&playlistID=95292613&p=0&bbg=000000&bth=000000&pfg=000000&lfg=000000&bt=ffffff&pbg=ffffff&pfgh=ffffff&si=ffffff&lbg=ffffff&lfgh=ffffff&sb=ffffff&bfg=666666&pbgh=666666&lbgh=666666&sbh=666666" /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://grooveshark.com/widget.swf" width="350" height="350"><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=grooveshark.com&playlistID=95292613&p=0&bbg=000000&bth=000000&pfg=000000&lfg=000000&bt=ffffff&pbg=ffffff&pfgh=ffffff&si=ffffff&lbg=ffffff&lfgh=ffffff&sb=ffffff&bfg=666666&pbgh=666666&lbgh=666666&sbh=666666" /><span><a href="http://grooveshark.com/search/playlist?q=Valentines%20Day%202014%20Krystal%20Rodriguez" title="Valentines Day 2014 by Krystal Rodriguez on Grooveshark">Valentines Day 2014 by Krystal Rodriguez on Grooveshark</a></span></object></object></p> <p> </p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Also wanted to share a photo of some diy Valentines decorations I made</font><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">… </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-tSmzNS_03ws/Uv509n5BhPI/AAAAAAAAEd0/qZ6_ReDbGKM/s1600-h/019new9.jpg"><img title="019new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="019new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-uXRvI2A9MK0/Uv50-WmPqvI/AAAAAAAAEd8/ClgaQouhsxM/019new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="512" height="559"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Just some simple felt heart and xo garlands hanging in the kitchen. Think it lights a festive air! :) </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Okay sweets, hope you’re having a lovely Valentines Day! </font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-25643823357133410962014-02-06T15:16:00.001-06:002014-02-07T15:39:31.152-06:00Zuppa Toscana Soup<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">In my opinion one of the only good things about winter is hot chocolate and lots of yummy soups. This is definitely the season for soup. And especially since Mr. Groundhog saw his tiny little shadow it looks we will be making soup for another six weeks. Thank you Punxsutawney Phil.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, we Texans don’t do cold. We simply do not know how to handle it. We ransack the stores to stock up on food, we cancel our schools for a little bit of ice on the road, we have the Red Cross at the ready and shelters open… and it’s only in the 30’s & 40’s. I’m sure all you Northerns probably get a kick out of us but hey, that’s Texas for ya! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">But as long as I have a large pot of this Zuppa Toscana simmering on the stove I suppose it’s not so bad. This is a copy cat recipe for Olive Garden’s lovely soup… I swear it tastes just as good if not better. Hope it keeps ya warm! :)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u><font size="4" face="Some Weatz Symbols">Zuppa Toscana Soup -</font></u></strong> </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-l_TQ50jpTnc/UvP7ooOjoBI/AAAAAAAAEb8/F1ew9wn8vT8/s1600-h/015p3.jpg"><img title="015p" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="015p" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-gs8UvOEOXlo/UvP7pfJl3-I/AAAAAAAAEcE/yk4cffV3OKA/015p_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="527" height="411"></a><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><br><em>(Recipe adapted from <a href="http://www.cinnamonspiceandeverythingnice.com/zuppa-toscana/">here</a>)</em></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-2g66QZqR1EA/UvP7qPiuNhI/AAAAAAAAEcM/XVOvC8hlAHo/s1600-h/014p%25255B3%25255D.jpg"><img title="014p" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="014p" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Z5Yy7iKr6Kg/UvP7rHqorII/AAAAAAAAEcU/wMcD8wwpUXo/014p_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="527" height="402"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">This soup is flavorful, hearty, and creamy. Filled with bacon, Italian sausage, chunks of potatoes, onions, garlic, and kale (though I omitted the kale in mine). Serve it with some garlic bread and you have the perfect winter meal! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Ingredients:</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">4 slices bacon, cut into a small dice </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">1 pound hot Italian sausage, ground or links with casings removed (I used breakfast sausage)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">1 large yellow onion, diced </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">4 cloves garlic, minced </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth or stock </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">3 cups Russet potatoes, cubed </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">sea or kosher salt and fresh black pepper </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">2 loose packed cups kale, in bite size pieces </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">1 cup heavy cream or 14 ounce can evaporated milk </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Parmesan cheese, grated, for serving </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Directions:<br>In a large soup pot or sauce pan cook bacon over medium until crispy. Add sausage and break it apart as it cooks. Once sausage is browned and crumbled drain off the grease leaving a tablespoon or two to sauté the onion.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Push the sausage to the edges of the pot and add onion to center - sauté until translucent then add garlic and sauté until fragrant.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Stir in broth and potatoes, season with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, simmer for about 20 minute or until potatoes are tender.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Add kale and heavy cream or evaporated milk. Bring to a simmer. Taste and re-season as needed. Serve with Parmesan cheese and crusty bread.</font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-47962060484312752902014-02-03T17:13:00.001-06:002014-02-03T17:16:17.718-06:00Currently & a Playlist<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-IKAxbdqXksw/UvAig4lGRBI/AAAAAAAAEbk/CSfAA5GP6Vc/s1600-h/8a9cdb7ef0b2f9ce2cf0bc14af7879143.jpg"><img title="8a9cdb7ef0b2f9ce2cf0bc14af787914" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="8a9cdb7ef0b2f9ce2cf0bc14af787914" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-hg9oRJ8YcZk/UvAihbAf3_I/AAAAAAAAEbs/Q7i1roRF5PI/8a9cdb7ef0b2f9ce2cf0bc14af787914_thu.jpg?imgmax=800" width="345" height="431"></a></font></p> <p><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><font size="2"><em>(</em></font><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/235313149254251801/"><font size="2"><em>Source</em></font></a><font size="2"><em>)</em></font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hey lovelies! Can’t believe it’s already been almost three weeks since the last time I blogged! I think I took an inadvertent blogging vacation, if you will. Ironically after recently stating that I’ve fallen back in love with blogging… yeah, go figure. But it is still true nonetheless. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Part of the reason for the little vacation is that for some reason I’ve been feeling somewhat fatigued lately. Don’t know if I’m trying to get sick or if it’s the droopy cold & wet weather we’ve had lately (I tend to hibernate in the winter, falling asleep at random moments) or if it’s just my body telling me “Hey, how about taking a freakin’ vitamin or eating some fruits and veggies every once in a while”. Somehow betting it’s the latter. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Anyway, it feels good to be blogging again! I have a lot of half finished posts I’m hoping to have up soon. But for now, here’s a little Currently post inspired by Danielle over at <a href="http://sometimessweet.blogspot.com/">Sometimes Sweet</a>! Have an awesome week, friends! :)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB"><strong><u>Reading:</u></strong></font> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Wonderstruck-Awaken-Nearness-Margaret-Feinberg/dp/1617950882/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391404647&sr=8-1&keywords=wonderstruck+margaret+feinberg">“Wonderstruck” by Margaret Feinberg</a>, which is about discovering the presence of God in your everyday life. Back i</font><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">n December my sister had the chance to hear Margaret (who has been one of our favorite authors for years) speak at a Christmas tea with her bible study group in GA. Afterward she got to meet her. Well not only did she get her book signed but she also got one for me too and gave it to me for Christmas! While I still haven’t gotten very far in it yet (I’m the worst when it comes to making time for reading) I love it already. Totally what I needed. </font></p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"> <p><br><strong><u><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB">Doing:</font></u></strong> Actually something fun I’ve been doing lately is selling my baked goods at my local bookstore/café every week! This has been so exciting for me! I asked the sweet lady who owns the place if I could try & take in some cookies or cupcakes once or twice a week to sell and she said that we could give it a shot and see how it went. Well the first day I took in some cookies she said that they went so fast she didn’t even get to taste one! Needless to say, I was thrilled!! So I’ve been doing this for a few weeks now and so far everything has sold really well! So excited to keep on doing this! Such a great outlet for this baking addiction/hobby of mine. :)</p> <p><br><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB"><strong><u>Working on:</u></strong> </font><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee">My long list of goals for the New Year… so far I haven’t done half bad, if I do say so myself. </font></p> <p><br><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB"><strong><u>Watching:</u></strong> </font><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Switched at Birth & Hart of Dixie (which both come on tonight!) – my two favorite shows that just recently started back for the season. So addicted!! Also, I have been tuning into American Idol… best panel of judges they’ve ever had, in my opinion. And I’m really happy that they’ve mainly been focusing on the good singers this year. And okay, I may have watched an episode or two of the Bachelor (hangs head in shame). </font></p> <p><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB"><strong><u>Listening to:</u></strong> </font><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Here’s a random playlist of some songs I’ve been listening to lately ~ </font></p> <p><object width="350" height="350" classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" id="gsPlaylist9493879545" name="gsPlaylist9493879545"><param name="movie" value="http://grooveshark.com/widget.swf" /><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=grooveshark.com&playlistID=94938795&p=0&bbg=000000&bth=000000&pfg=000000&lfg=000000&bt=ffffff&pbg=ffffff&pfgh=ffffff&si=ffffff&lbg=ffffff&lfgh=ffffff&sb=ffffff&bfg=666666&pbgh=666666&lbgh=666666&sbh=666666" /><object type="application/x-shockwave-flash" data="http://grooveshark.com/widget.swf" width="350" height="350"><param name="wmode" value="window" /><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always" /><param name="flashvars" value="hostname=grooveshark.com&playlistID=94938795&p=0&bbg=000000&bth=000000&pfg=000000&lfg=000000&bt=ffffff&pbg=ffffff&pfgh=ffffff&si=ffffff&lbg=ffffff&lfgh=ffffff&sb=ffffff&bfg=666666&pbgh=666666&lbgh=666666&sbh=666666" /><span><a href="http://grooveshark.com/search/playlist?q=Random%20Feb%203rd%202014%20Krystal%20Rodriguez" title="Random Feb 3rd 2014 by Krystal Rodriguez on Grooveshark">Random Feb 3rd 2014 by Krystal Rodriguez on Grooveshark</a></span></object></object></p> <p> </p> <p><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB"><strong><u>Eating:</u></strong> </font><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Lots of soup since it’s been so cold lately. My favorite is Zuppa Toscana, so delish! Will be sharing the recipe soon! </font></p> <p><br><font face="CatholicSchoolGirls Intl BB"><strong><u>Loving:</u></strong> </font><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Selling my baked goods, of course. Switchfoot’s new album, “Fading West”, so awesome! I want to buy just about everything on this website: </font><a title="http://www.naturallife.com/" href="http://www.naturallife.com/">http://www.naturallife.com/</a>. And this girl’s mixed media paintings on Etsy are adorable: <a title="http://www.etsy.com/shop/DanitaArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name" href="http://www.etsy.com/shop/DanitaArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name">http://www.etsy.com/shop/DanitaArt?ref=l2-shopheader-name</a>.</font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-46189054472562803592014-01-18T13:50:00.001-06:002014-01-18T13:50:32.982-06:00A Belated Christmas Recap!<p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pCZBNjJkj2E/UtraTMC9wXI/AAAAAAAAEW8/p4EZSslso-w/s1600-h/165new11.jpg"><img title="165new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="165new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3DMXyzvN9zU/UtraUWIgf4I/AAAAAAAAEXA/wWxdC5mAHbc/165new_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="578" height="468"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><em>(Our pretty tree and living room all decked out in Christmas cheer!)</em></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So I know that Christmas was almost a month ago and the store shelves are now filled with a bipolar mix of red hearts and chocolate bunnies… but you know what? I’m a rebel (well a procrastinator, really), so darn it, I’m going to post Christmas photos anyway! </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hope you enjoy taking a peak into how we deck the halls in my home (we admittedly & proudly go slightly over board) and some special moments from my Christmas 2013… even if we are already half way through January 2014! ;)</font></p> <p><font size="4" face="ChocolateBox"><strong><u>Christmas 2013 -</u></strong> </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-Q8V4M_QuVII/UtraVnaRqrI/AAAAAAAAEXM/nt9MUJWbIlQ/s1600-h/009new20.jpg"><img title="009new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="009new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-viBc9irvLuA/UtraWh2wgsI/AAAAAAAAEXU/11NalTPUi40/009new_thumb11.jpg?imgmax=800" width="578" height="426"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-pl9ZxMP0KuM/UtraXhejznI/AAAAAAAAEXc/RQKao8BMUng/s1600-h/014new26.jpg"><img title="014new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="014new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-JPsqhrRQ79Q/UtraY6EHqTI/AAAAAAAAEXk/pVmc5qmgXxw/014new_thumb17.jpg?imgmax=800" width="578" height="362"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Picking out a Christmas tree! It was an usually freezing Texas day but this is one of my favorite Christmas moments so I didn’t care. You just cannot beat the smell of a real tree! The loveliest aroma! And then some (but definitely not all) of our pretty ornaments. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-npgfwzc5W90/UtraZyxZfbI/AAAAAAAAEXs/v46duu968aQ/s1600-h/024new9.jpg"><img title="024new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="024new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-D-Zaa47kFxw/UtrabBTVLRI/AAAAAAAAEX0/2CHyqcNv-II/024new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="579" height="462"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-u3CwYxSekSI/Utrada5XZII/AAAAAAAAEX8/2F19kWazOvc/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage55.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage5" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage5" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ibPX8mWbFu8/UtraeOgIkuI/AAAAAAAAEYA/ED2jxC2VS8w/PicMonkey-Collage5_thumb3.jpg?imgmax=800" width="610" height="333"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Another picture of our Christmassy living room and some more holiday décor!</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-Ge60xn5zeEM/Utrae_zKFLI/AAAAAAAAEYM/TiyWAfHHpwU/s1600-h/083new8.jpg"><img title="083new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="083new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4FQDB5iqOBo/Utrafrm2aZI/AAAAAAAAEYU/P4lq10Z_b2Y/083new_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="555" height="473"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-kgHgoD-5JVI/UtragX9pbYI/AAAAAAAAEYc/ATqDUIcDkuM/s1600-h/086new2.jpg"><img title="086new2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="086new2" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-ehd3Tpynh4s/UtraivQTuGI/AAAAAAAAEYk/n84MtP_e2aM/086new2_thumb.jpg?imgmax=800" width="558" height="595"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-V_VAavHh_AY/UtrajVVuAlI/AAAAAAAAEYo/mrPz-Kt3j6o/s1600-h/157new9.jpg"><img title="157new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="157new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-GHBqyT0ANAg/UtrakOeOG0I/AAAAAAAAEY0/z_7j2F3_n-Y/157new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="559" height="496"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Christmas in our kitchen! The pink tree is definitely a favorite of mine, it adds a little Christmassy quirk! And for the second year we made the cute (& super easy)cupcake liner Christmas tree on the door (idea courtesy of Pinterest). The “Joy” and “Noel” banners are from a craft kit from Hobby Lobby. My sister and I both made one when she was visiting in October. It got glitter everywhere (almost a month later & still finding glitter all over the place) and would not stay up for nothing but it was really cute… and that’s all that matters right? lol </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">And yes, that is a Pillsbury Dough Boy cookie jar wearing a Santa hat :D. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ixj2JHTfe-M/Utral8u1tqI/AAAAAAAAEY8/xlzgEGN0c28/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage2215.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage22" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage22" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-ghxnd04YJ-Y/Utram4-hl6I/AAAAAAAAEZE/M5xBv816Mww/PicMonkey-Collage22_thumb9.jpg?imgmax=800" width="560" height="584"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Christmas dinner place setting. A close up of kitchen décor. And the adorable Christmas aprons my sister bought for my mom and I! The elf belongs to me and Mrs. Santa is my mom’s. Too cute! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-3-FNiEOwVks/UtranqerwII/AAAAAAAAEZM/_epD388yNyc/s1600-h/037new10.jpg"><img title="037new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="037new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-OUG6CVyP2wg/UtraoXg85NI/AAAAAAAAEZU/KwIiJVs_afU/037new_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="566" height="399"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-iUMZ3iFCgHw/Utraqan5PEI/AAAAAAAAEZc/IUIwTFhyDtQ/s1600-h/040new9.jpg"><img title="040new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="040new" src="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-4NADF-dkNeQ/UtrarJh3fII/AAAAAAAAEZg/R3OlXws8E_A/040new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="568" height="421"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Christmas desserts! A Black Tie Mousse Cake Trifle that I made and my dad’s traditional White Chocolate Raspberry Cake (wouldn’t be Christmas without it). </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">The trifle actually started out as a cake. I was making a copy cat recipe of Olive Garden’s Black Tie Mousse Cake but half way through baking, I encountered a little problem. After baking the cake in a regular cake pan your supposed to transport it to a spring form pan to assemble. Well the only spring for pan that I have is huge, way bigger than the cake was. So needless to say, I had no choice but to improvise. Still turned so delish (& pretty too, I think). Definitely want to try and make it the right way at some point. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-dHo9UxBHy74/Utrasc-cA5I/AAAAAAAAEZs/5A9Xz_xhero/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage49.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage4" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage4" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-4JIFCYp819M/UtratjGGotI/AAAAAAAAEZ0/yEmIRJMNQiA/PicMonkey-Collage4_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="570" height="576"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">More Christmas treats! Staying warm with some sweet apple cider on Christmas Eve. Wouldn’t be the holidays without peanut butter blossom cookies, would it? And Raspberry Linzer Cookies (delish & so festive)! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/--AIfNct78gQ/Utravn8HngI/AAAAAAAAEZ8/PvpeLlgqs3w/s1600-h/PicMonkey-Collage127.jpg"><img title="PicMonkey Collage1" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="PicMonkey Collage1" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-jffIEJjdipw/Utra0ZxXqCI/AAAAAAAAEaA/Q_bseSkMdyc/PicMonkey-Collage1_thumb15.jpg?imgmax=800" width="572" height="224"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Some sugar cookie making! So to state the obvious, we cannot decorate cookies to save our lives lol. But it’s tradition and it’s fun! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-woUOqWmCRSg/Utra2KZfqRI/AAAAAAAAEaI/rzZAae3VVoM/s1600-h/106new7.jpg"><img title="106new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="106new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-PPpkwbR-teU/Utra3NQ2tSI/AAAAAAAAEaU/aCqXsSf5juU/106new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="338" height="487"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So my mom and I got all creative and “Pinteresty” wrapping some of my sister’s Christmas gifts… and when she opened them up on Christmas day (over Skype, cause she lives in GA) she… didn’t even seem to notice a thing lol. But to her credit, she later said she was just sleepy and did in fact think they were really cute (well… actually she called them “hipster” but whatever). </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-TTWp00EWl30/Utra570lDHI/AAAAAAAAEac/vZwuklNR15U/s1600-h/047new1.jpg"><img title="047new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="047new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-nBm6eo_-eyI/Utra601ZEPI/AAAAAAAAEak/YVU0p-albOY/047new_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="556" height="344"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">My favorite Christmas gift!!! My parents bought me this lovely purple coffee maker! I’m completely in love with it, let me tell ya! So this is my little coffee corner, if you will. And yes, even the cow creamer gets a Santa hat in our house… cause you know, why wouldn’t it? ;)</font></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-5k7nSPabT-g/Utra778pwxI/AAAAAAAAEao/FpqjCfjw9BU/s1600-h/065new10.jpg"><img title="065new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="065new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-p7RLPSKvcdA/Utra8harLVI/AAAAAAAAEa0/6mMhMsW3lyI/065new_thumb7.jpg?imgmax=800" width="558" height="432"></a></p> <p><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-Bco0brPadM4/Utra9aArF1I/AAAAAAAAEa8/PO9UUiq_YpQ/s1600-h/073new9.jpg"><img title="073new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="073new" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-1klZ5dNJF5I/Utra-ej_vaI/AAAAAAAAEbE/yMLloZ8Unho/073new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="559" height="333"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">New Years Eve with my family! My mom & I made tamales (not pictured) with my sister over Skype early in the day. It was my grandma’s New Years Eve tradition and we’re trying to keep it alive. They turned out so amazing! We also had some cheese fondue with French bread, played with sparklers, watched the ball drop, and prayed & toasted the New Year with some sparkling grape juice! A lovely start to 2014! </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-9otNLy9HFjA/UtrbAf0g2FI/AAAAAAAAEbM/yHG6aaHza2A/s1600-h/007new7.jpg"><img title="007new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="007new" src="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NfdGSi6YBN8/UtrbBR1lLrI/AAAAAAAAEbU/EDWyBCchnz0/007new_thumb4.jpg?imgmax=800" width="563" height="358"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Last but not least, Christmas décor at the bay in my town! </font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7946103648315226459.post-76284051361597360882014-01-06T19:21:00.001-06:002014-01-08T01:49:35.374-06:00Oh Hello 2014!<p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-aCDOu1lox_w/UstWj0PgWlI/AAAAAAAAEVk/s0-ggO0GMxU/s1600-h/newyear14.jpg"><img title="newyear1" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="newyear1" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-U2lfb_gGAAY/UstWkiFJOPI/AAAAAAAAEVs/e0OarZoswbA/newyear1_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="491" height="341"></a></font></p> <p><font face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><font size="2">(</font><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/486177722245537815/"><font size="2">Source</font></a><font size="2">)</font></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Hey lovelies! I do not know how 2014 snuck up on us so fast but I really hope yours is off to a great start!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">If I’m being honest, when I look back at 2013 I’m tempted to feel disappointed. There were a lot of major goals and life changes that I had on my list last year that, for one reason or another, just didn’t happen. I kinda feel like I was so close but yet so far. I was thinking about all this on New Years Eve and in the midst of enjoying tamales, cheese fondue, and sparklers with my family, I started feeling a little bummed about it. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Today was the day I supposed to start school at Le Cordon Bleu in Austin (blogged about it <a href="http://softlyspokensimplysaid.blogspot.com/2013/09/a-turning-point-culinary-school.html">here</a>). I was supposed to don an all white outfit and chefs cap (that would inevitably make me look like a marshmallow) with ugly black work shoes and join all the other obsessed bakers in one of the beautiful Le Cordon Bleu kitchens and learn about one of my biggest passions, baking. And I was looking forward to it like crazy! Well, best laid plans. For a few different reasons, it’s just not going to happen right now. Set backs… not a fan. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So what am I doing tonight to help me feel better… I’m getting in my kitchen and baking a freakin’ cake lol. Even though, yes, it does go against my New Years healthier eating goal. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">But you know what, set backs happen, that’s life. What matters is that I pick myself up and keep on moving and trying. As cheesy as it may sound I really do believe that you only fail when you don’t try. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">I know what I want. Hallelujah, for the first time in my life I know what I want. That in itself is a small miracle. And I’m not content with letting set backs stop me. Not anymore. So obviously, my biggest goal for 2014 is getting myself to Austin and becoming a student at Le Cordon Bleu. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh5.ggpht.com/-NPPm1eYkuaU/UstWlmKPEiI/AAAAAAAAEV0/u0spT7zf4W8/s1600-h/new-year24.jpg"><img title="new year2" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="new year2" src="http://lh3.ggpht.com/-E6XVlTN3W4A/UstWmZ1KA-I/AAAAAAAAEV8/9d25PcfbxUg/new-year2_thumb2.jpg?imgmax=800" width="423" height="446"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">(</font><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/166562886192060293/"><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Source</font></a><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So yes, while 2013 was marked by set backs it was also marked by some other things too. It was marked by stepping out of my comfort zone probably more than I ever have, it was marked by believing that I really am capable of living my dreams, it was marked by not just sitting on my behind but actually taking steps to living out those dreams, it was marked by growth, it was marked by exploring new territory, and it was marked by believing that God placed specific dreams in my heart for a reason. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So because of those reasons I refuse to look at 2013 as a failure. I choose to see it as a success. I won’t look back with disappointment but instead will see how far I’ve come and look forward with hope. The hope of taking more steps in 2014 to get to the place that I’m supposed to be. </font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-u76FvxLClMU/UstWnL1A1LI/AAAAAAAAEWE/bqjToB1SFn0/s1600-h/newyear33.jpg"><img title="newyear3" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="newyear3" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-xBJc4P_g5Uo/UstWoCNEViI/AAAAAAAAEWI/jvwpDhNaQNE/newyear3_thumb1.jpg?imgmax=800" width="413" height="427"></a></p> <p><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">(</font><a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/148196643961819400/"><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">Source</font></a><font size="2" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">)</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">A lot of people pick a certain word as a theme for their life in the new year. In previous years words like “free” and “forgiveness” meant a lot to me and were themes for the year. For 2014 I really wasn’t sure… there are a lot of words that speak to my heart about what I want 2014 to be and to hold. Some of them are: journey, milestones, bravery, courage, dream, create, new, do, live, adventure, experience, explore. But I think that the one word that encompasses it all is simply, fly. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><a href="http://lh6.ggpht.com/-K-2qC3S5UZ8/UstWpFvOzUI/AAAAAAAAEWU/zhjLzJV-ujY/s1600-h/015new9.jpg"><img title="015new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="015new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-GGTqoexp2KE/UstWqG_MrJI/AAAAAAAAEWc/euXN0zAg9r0/015new_thumb6.jpg?imgmax=800" width="316" height="545"></a></font></p> <p><a href="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-6d40v2xFzCM/UstWrP8UXvI/AAAAAAAAEWk/4fzRZEO2bWA/s1600-h/009new8.jpg"><img title="009new" style="border-left-width: 0px; border-right-width: 0px; background-image: none; border-bottom-width: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-left: 0px; display: inline; padding-right: 0px; border-top-width: 0px" border="0" alt="009new" src="http://lh4.ggpht.com/-0MVm1XTAlHs/UstWsJ-MkmI/AAAAAAAAEWs/lMh_V4shdgg/009new_thumb5.jpg?imgmax=800" width="409" height="569"></a></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">My sister gave me this lovely butterfly necklace for Christmas. Being as amazing as she is and always believing in me, she said she wants it to be a reminder of courage. A reminder around my neck to fly. Maybe butterflies are our thing since I got her a butterfly ring years ago for very much the same reason. She’s kinda awesome. So my word for 2014 is “fly”. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"><strong><u>Other Random Goals for 2014 -</u></strong> </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee"></font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Learn French – It’s such a lovely language and I’m obsessed.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Eat healthier and start working out again – This is the typical new years goal but I just really want to be healthier. This is also tough because of my little baking hobby/addiction. I really want to learn how to live with moderation and balance. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Take a pottery class - Found one that’s really close to where I live.</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Improve my baking (& cooking) skills – Making my “to bake” list for 2014. Perfecting French Macarons is definitely high on that list. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Sell more of my baked goods – Did this a little bit over the holidays and really enjoyed it. I can honestly say that it can be really stressful but really fun all at the same time lol. And I actually have already taken a step to doing more of it!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Learn sign language – Ever since I became a crazy fan of the show Switched at Birth (on ABC Family. It’s so awesome!!) I’ve developed a fascination with ASL. It’s such a beautiful language! I already know the whole alphabet in ASL so that’s a start, right? </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Do more crafts, art journaling, & smash booking – These creative outlets are so so fun and really keep me sane!</font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Keep blogging and get better at blogging – I was so about ready to throw in the towel last year but somehow, thanks to a blog a day challenge that I did back in September, I have fallen in love with blogging all over again. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">*Yes, this contradicts the goal above but nonetheless, less computer time in order to make more time for things like – Writing… you know the old fashioned way, pen and paper. Reading, praying, crafts, working out, … anything other than holding a computer for hours at time. </font></p> <p><font size="3" face="Plantagenet Cherokee">So those are some of my smaller goals in addition to the biggest one. Wish me luck… or rather just say a little prayer for me, will you? I’ll need it. ;)</font></p> Krystal Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14925937179631028237noreply@blogger.com0