Where I Came From #Blogtember

This past January I participated in a blogging challenge and really found myself loving it. There’s something about having writing prompts that gets the creative juices flowing and helps me really get back to the basics of writing & blogging. So I’ve decided to go for it again and participate in the Blogtember challenge with Jenni over at her lovely blog, Story of my Life. And I’m really excited to get to writing!

But again, as with the one I did in January, I will probably find myself slacking a little and missing a day here and there. I mean… I’m already a day late on this entry, ha!  Typical. But it will be fun either way. Today’s (ahem or yesterday’s) challenge is “Where I Came From” – the people & places that made me who I am. Hope you enjoy and play along in the challenge if you’re up to it! :) 

I came from my lovely grandparents on my mom's side. Whom I unfortunately didn't have the privilege of knowing very well, but always love hearing stories about. Stories that I still ask my mom to repeat. For some reason, especially when I'm sad... the stories of her childhood, of her parents, and siblings can always make me smile.

I came from these two very special people. My grandparents on my dad's side. Oh how I miss them. My parents, my younger sister, and I lived with them till I was almost 16 years old. So naturally, I was super close and attached to them. I do not even think I could begin to recount to you all the amazing ways they influenced my life and shaped who I am. Put simply, I'm better for having known them.

I came from my loving parents. A dad who's a pastor (& of whom I'm sure I got my love of baking from), a mom who's always been an amazing homemaker. They taught my sister and I what it means to love & serve God & others. I see them in myself (& in my sister) more & more with each passing day.. and I'm blessed to think for the most part, that's a really good thing. I love that they are not only my parents but have become my friends as well.

(A photo of my grandparents house at Christmas. It was my grandpa’s tradition to deck out the house at the holidays.) 

I came from this house, my grandparents house, which was pretty small... yet somehow always chock full of family. Picnics in the back yard, a best friend right across the street, cousins to play Barbie's with. A grandpa that would sometimes play his saxophone very loudly (but beautifully) very early in the morning, a grandma who made the best homemade tortilla's ever. A house that has both good & bad memories attached to it. A house that a lot of life and growing up happened in. Oh dear, if those walls could speak.. ha!

I came from a family where God, family, music, and food were always four of the most important things.

I came from this church, where my dad is the pastor, and this house (where I still currently live). A church that my mom's dad was the pastor of when she was a teenager and the house they lived in at that time. A place with so much family history. A place that I'm getting ready to leave very soon. Admittedly, it will be hard. It's been home for so long and it will always be special to me.

A small town with a name that means "Palace"... and if you live here that seems very ironic lol. Really, I suppose it's not so bad... it's cute even. It's just that there's not much here. We don't have a mall, a movie theater, or even a stinkin' Walmart. But we do have a pretty bay front...

 

(Photo found here)

and a big statue of Jesus watching over all the many shrimpers in the area. :D No, I make fun but I'm positive I'll be sentimental about it once I move.

So this is where I came from. All these people and places have in some way shaped who I am. They are and always will be pieces of me. I came from years of some happy & some sad. Some light & some dark. Some good & some bad. Just like everyone else. This journey of mine, this background, has been far from perfect but it's mine. And I'm thankful for it.

Cherry Limeade & End of Summer Playlist

Summer is quickly coming to a close and so I thought maybe I should finally post my summer playlist… you know, before fall gets here. I have been posting summer music playlists for the past few years now and I always mean to post it early… somehow that never seems to happen. I have no idea why really other than this annoying thing called procrastination. But better late than never, right? So today I’m sharing all the tunes that have made up my summer! But first… a recipe!

One of mine and my family’s favorite places to go for a coke and a burger is Sonic. It’s one of the few fast food places in our small town so we go pretty often but I find myself frequenting it more in the summer. Especially during happy hour for half priced sodas (what I call the “non-drinkers version of happy hour” ;))! While my usual order is a Dr. Pepper with vanilla, every now and again in the summer, I crave an ice cold Cherry Limeade. But I just discovered that with a few simple ingredients, you can make it at home! And it seriously could not be easier.

This refreshing and sweet drink is the perfect pick me up on a hot day… and we Texan’s still have quite a few of those ahead. Be sure to fix you a pitcher before summer ends!

Sonic’s Copycat Cherry Limeade -

(Recipe found @ http://www.sixsistersstuff.com)

Who knew that a simple mix of limeade concentrate, Sprite, and cherry juice could be so delish?! That’s pretty much all this drink is and it tastes identical to Sonic’s!

Add in lots of crushed ice, a few cherries, and garnish with a slice of lime! It’s really the perfect summer drink! :)

Ingredients:

1 can frozen limeade concentrate

1 (2 liter) bottle of lemon-lime soda

Juice from 1 (10 oz) jar of maraschino cherries

Fresh limes, sliced (optional)
Ice

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and serve immediately. You can also throw in some maraschino cherries if you would like. For a slushier drink, use limeade concentrate that is completely frozen. Add ice and garnish with a slice of lime if desired.

End of Summer Playlist -

“You bring the ocean, I'll bring emotion. Together we'll make a love potion.” – St. Croix by Family of the Year

(Photo of the pretty bay in my town.)

So in my crazed music obsessed mind every season, every holiday, every occasion needs its own soundtrack. And summer is always a fun one for me to make. Some of these songs are old favorites, like “Summertime” by Mae and “Love Love Love” by Tristan Prettyman. And some have become recent summer staples such as “When I’m With You” by Best Coast and “St. Croix” by Family of the Year. All of them make this hot & humid season a little more bearable for me. :)

Have a fun & safe Labor Day weekend and enjoy what’s left of your summer! :)

Stuffed Chicken Marsala

Hey, or should I say bwon jorno, fellow foodies! My favorite kind of food in the world to eat and to make happens to be Italiano! And my favorite meal is hands down this lovely dish of Stuffed Chicken Marsala!

The first time I ever had Stuffed Chicken Marsala was at Olive Garden (of course) years ago. I wanted something a little different than the manicotti both my sister and I would always order. The second I tasted it, I was hooked! It became my go-to order from then on.

I always wanted to attempt to make it at home but figured it might be a bit complicated, turns out it’s really not. And it’s truly just as good as Olive Garden… if not better. Yep, I said it!

But I will say, in the interest of full disclosure, though I could totally eat this everyday, it’s more of a meal I bring out for special occasions. It’s pretty rich, the ingredients can get a little pricey, and it’s somewhat time consuming. But please do not let that scare you away… trust me, it’s way too delish to pass up! Plus I cannot think of a better dish to impress your guests or especially a date!

So save it for a holiday or special occasion or call up some friends and make tonight a special occasion but just be sure to give it a shot real soon! Yes, you could go to Olive Garden, sure, but there’s something much more satisfying about making it yourself in your own kitchen.

So pour yourself a glass of wine (Okay, in my case it would be Dr. Pepper since I don’t drink but it just sounded right lol.), put on some music and get to cookin’. Ciao lovelies! :)

Stuffed Chicken Marsala -

(Recipe found @ http://joelens.blogspot.com)

When you taste this tender chicken filled with 3 kinds of cheeses, sun dried tomatoes, green onions, and garlic (among other things) covered in creamy Marsala sauce full of mushrooms… I swear you’re going to fall in love!

Some of the delish ingredients! Can I just tell you that I’m on a huge mushroom kick right now… love anything with mushrooms. Ooh and cheese, always cheese!

Onions, garlic. mushrooms, heavy cream, and of course Marsala wine make up the most heavenly sauce ever.

Pair this chicken with some mashed potatoes and garlic bread and you’re set! Bon appetite! :)

Cheese Stuffing -
1/2 cup smoked shredded cheese (provolone or gouda)
8-oz package mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1 tsp fresh garlic, minced
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, crushed
2 Tbsp sun-dried tomato, chopped (drain first if in oil)
1/3 cup green onions, thinly sliced
3/4 cup sour cream (6 oz)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Sauce -
1/2 large red small onion, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups Marsala wine
1 cup heavy cream
1 8oz container of cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken breasts
4 fl oz olive oil for frying
2 cups all-purpose flour

Directions:
Pre-heat oven to 350°F and have a baking dish ready.

Combine all the cheese stuffing ingredients in a mixing bowl and set aside.

To prepare the chicken, butterfly the thickest section of chicken breasts to create 2 halves. Place each breast in a large ziptop storage bag and pound it with the flat side of a meat mallet until ¼” - ½” thick. Place the flattened chicken breasts on a plate and add a desired amount of cheese stuffing on one half of each chicken breast. Try not to overfill. Gently press stuffing down and fold over other half of chicken breast; it does not have to seal.

Place flour in a shallow pan and season to taste with salt and pepper. Dredge stuffed chicken breasts in flour, shaking off excess.

In a cast iron skillet over medium heat, add oil and heat until shimmering. Sauté the flour coated chicken breasts in the preheated oil, cooking until each side is golden brown. Remove chicken from pan and place in the baking dish you have on hand. Bake the browned chicken in the preheated oven for 10-20 minutes, or until juices run clear and the center of chicken reaches 165°F.

Meanwhile, add the onions and garlic to the cast iron skillet and stir to loosen chicken drippings. After 2 minutes, add mushrooms and fresh chopped parsley. Sauté until the onions are translucent and the mushrooms begin to caramelize. Add the Marsala wine to the skillet to deglaze the pan – make sure to incorporate drippings from bottom of pan. Allow the Marsala to come to a simmer and then add the heavy cream. Simmer on low heat until reduced by half.

Place the cooked chicken breasts on a plate and top each with this Marsala-mushroom sauce. Serve with potatoes & garlic bread, if desired!

Currently Loving…

Songs in French – here, here, and here. I may not be able to understand a word of these songs but, it doesn’t matter,  they’re beautiful. Kinda obsessed with this language right now. It’s so lovely to me! Dying to learn it!

This poem by spoken word artist, Anis Mojgani… what can I say? It’s breathtaking. No matter how many times I hear it it always seems to affect me in the same way, chills. I find myself listening to this, eyes closed, smile on my face. He really believes every word he says in this poem… so do I.

 

These quotes from Breakfast at Tiffany’s! Okay, so I never actually watched Breakfast at Tiffany’s until just a couple weeks ago. I know, cray, right? I had seen bits & pieces of it but had never sat down and really paid attention to the whole movie. I fell in love with it! Loved the dialogue, Audrey Hepburn was so classy, and the end? Are you kidding me?! I was a train wreak!  Maybe it was the whole cat being abandoned in the rain thing… then she finally realizes that she needs the cat and the cat needs her and she needs Paul. Yeah, it had me in the “ugly cry”… glad no one was around to see it. lol.

“Paper Aeroplane” by Angus & Julia Stone. Everything about this song and video is perfect! "Gotta say mmmm..." Le sigh… :)

 

One of my favorite bloggers, Hannah Brencher  (who also heads up the organization The World Needs More Love Letters) wrote this beautiful blog back in June.  This girl has such an amazing gift for writing! Her words never fail to touch my heart and inspire me. This is one of my favorites!

Can I just tell you how much I love art journal & mixed media artist, Suzi Blu?! Her creative videos and quirky & whimsy personality so inspire me! Her outlook on art is that it should be a part of your everyday life and that everyone can make art. And she will help you do that in her online art classes!! She’s quirky, artsy, weird ( in the best way), and eccentric… and I kinda love people like that.  :)

Nostalgic Christian Rock Playlists

Music is such a funny thing, it's amazing to me how just the first few notes of a song can bring back a rush of memories. It can be a time machine transporting you back to different times in your life; good and bad.

This post is kind of a special one as I have my sister, Cecily, guest blogging with me!! As kids we both grew up listening to a ton of Christian music and going to lots of concerts. And while yes, looking back some of that music may have had a slight cheese factor to it (cough, Carmen ;)), it played a huge role in our lives. And going to concerts & experiencing live music at such an early age was a really fun way to grow up & I wouldn't trade it for the world.

This love of Christian music and concerts continued into our teen years and into adulthood. But our tastes definitely changed... instead of Carmen or Point of Grace we were now listening to Switchfoot, Hawk Nelson, Showbread, and Underoath (to the complete horror of our parents who gave us many lectures about listening to screamo ... or bands who "sound like the world" ;)).

Even though in recent years a lot has changed, I lost my concert buddy as my sister is now married & living in GA, and I think both our tastes in music have changed a little. But we both still love these songs. Not only because their nostalgic and bring back lots of fun and happy memories... but also because it's just really good music. I think we'll always love them. So in honor of that love we wanted to share our Christian rock favorites with you guys today!

It's hard not to be nostalgic when it comes to these songs but I'll try not to be overly sentimental. After all these are rock playlists and how rock 'n roll would that be, right? ;)

Cecily’s Christian Rock Playlist -

Oh, the nights my sister and cousin spent listening to these songs. They are all beautiful memories to us. I had so much fun putting this list together because with each song I was reminded of a night or year or a specific time in my life…these songs followed us. I sound sappy but that is because a lot has changed over the last couple years. I have moved to another state and can’t always see my family as often as I want so the memories these songs hold for us help me to feel like I am not so far away. I can put on a song and it’s like they are right there next to me. Skillet says it the best in their song “Those Nights” –

“Through all the hard times in my life
Those nights kept me alive” – That they did and still do.

Be sure to check out Cecily’s blog, Bluebonnets & Peaches!

Krystal’s Christian Rock Playlist -

The songs I chose remind me of every Friday and Saturday night sitting down with my sister and watching our music video shows. It may sound dorky but watching our music videos (and sometimes baking up a pan of brownies) was something we looked forward to every weekend... we were just wild & crazy like that lol. We started watching TVU's "Ten Most Wanted" back in 2004 (rarely ever missed an episode) as well as many others that we discovered so many bands we now love through. They also remind me of rocking out at concerts with my sister and cousin! Those were some of the most fun times ever... so these songs bring back those memories and really make me miss them like crazy!

Restless

I am restless. Both in body & in spirit. I think my legs are signaling me to get up and run. But Lord only knows where to. They've been stuck in a holding period for so long they are out of shape, they are out of tune. Loss of memory is more like it. I've been stuck in a holding period for so long that I've forgotten how to really move... maybe I never really knew . But I am so ready to. So ready to go.... let's go.

Let's figure out what these legs are for.

They simply can't take this stillness anymore. They have more important things to do. Beautiful places to take me to. Lovely faces to meet and move in step with. A life, my dear, a life so full and passionate that it makes your restless legs dance. Dance in time to a melody they've known all along. For that's what life lived out in its truest form is, a dance. You were made for this romance. You already know all the steps....

So now that you know, put one foot in front of the other... and go.

(Photo source)

Smash Booking!

I have talked about my mad love for art journaling quite a bit on this blog and now I think it's time for me to talk about my new obsession: Smash Booking.

It's official, I have fallen in love with Smash Booking! I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened. I have been drooling over these lovely books full of their pretty paper (I'm a total sucker for pretty paper) in the Wal-Mart craft section for months now. So finally I caved... I bought one for me and one for my sister, (who I just turned on to the craze, she has now been bitten by the Smash Book bug too).

Smash Books are a lot like art journals except the backgrounds are already done for you and you can just freely "smash" in whatever you like. Pictures (I have been using it as a scrapbook of sorts), ticket stubs, notes, quotes, anything at all really. It's basically art journaling's little sister, in my opinion. And it's so much fun, I'm seriously addicted!

They have different color Smash Books you can choose from and each have different paper that coordinates with the theme, such as: Pretty Pink (which is the one my sister & I have), Retro Blue, Doodle Red, Mod Black, Eco Green, Simple Orange, etc.

They also come with a really convenient pen that has a glue stick on the other side, it's pretty awesome, I love it! The Smash Book company (K&Company) also have tons of products and embellishments that make the experience even more fun, so definitely check those out as well. I love collecting them!

Below is a little flip through my Smash Book. Hope you enjoy taking a peak at the pages I’ve done so far! They were so fun to make! :)

My “Pretty Pink” Smash Book. I have yet to decorate the cover but definitely plan on doing so soon!

The inside of the front cover and first page of my Smash Book. My introduction pages, if you will. I used a picture of a dream catcher I recently made for my room and a quote that I love from Madeleine L'Engle.

A summer themed page. I added a list of summer goals, an old post card with a picture of the bay in my town, and a picture of the sun that my cousin drew a few years ago.

Pictures of my visit to Walton's Fancy & Staple in Austin!

A totally random, fun page! Some things I used were a magazine clipping, paint sample, Starbucks Via package lol, an envelope, an old ticket to an Imax movie, and another drawing by my cousin that I had lying around (Yes, I’m that girl, I keep everything…but I refuse to be called a pack rat! lol).

A page dedicated to my visit to Le Cordon Bleu in Austin last month!

A 4th of July themed page I made using a picture of the fireworks my sister (who came to visit from GA that week)  took at the bay in our town. As well as a picture of the Key Lime Pie we made for dessert!

This is another random page, I used an old birthday card (loved the bird embroidered on it), a page from an old book, stamps, washi tape, as well as other embellishments. This page turned out to be one of my favorites!

So that's my Smash Book so far! I hope you guys are now inspired to pick one up and start smashing for yourself! It really is a fun creative outlet! :)