Merry Christmas.... a few days late

It's been way too long since I have posted last.  It's been busy with moving 

and staring a new job and new life. 

But, John and I would like to wish you a belated Merry Christmas...

Card by Less Ordinary Designs

Happy Birthday to my husband... you sexy thang!

Where did this year go?

Happy First Anniversary to my sweet, sweet husband John!

I love you more than words can express!

Life's a dance.... This has been a year of many, many changes.   

 Some easy, some hard.  

But... I'm glad  I have you to hold on to :) 

Love me some foil packs

John called me last week to see if I wanted to meet him after work for a picnic at a nearby park.

Yes!!

He said "How about foil packs for dinner?"

Yes!

You need to know that this simple meal is absolutely one of my favorite.  It all started when my dad would make hamburger foil packs when we went camping.  

All you need:

foil

ground beef

carrots, cut thin

potatoes, cut thin,

onion, diced

salt and pepper to taste

                    a fire or grill

Put all vegetable on the bottom and lay hamburger patty on top.  Seal up foil tightly and cook on low heat for about 40 minutes.  The low heat essentially steams the veggies.  

Oh my goodness... so much flavor!!

The fire

The park

Silly picture

Waiting for the goodness

Waiting

Waiting...

THE GOODNESS!!!!!!!!

Words truly cannot describe how flavorful this easy dish is!!

Beautiful sunset to cap off the night!

It's the little things....

So, I have an extremely soft heart for old men.... I don't know why.  Perhaps it is because I just loved my poppop so much and enjoyed his company.  But bottom line is... elderly men melt me.

I was at Giant two days ago and I was pushing my cart to my car.  I had just exited through the doors when I found an older man, probably late sixties, early seventies, walking alongside of me.  He was a Giant employee.  We chatted about how nice it was that the heat had broke a little.  As I approached my car, he waited until I unlocked my car and then....

 HE LOADED ALL MY GROCERIES INTO MY CAR FOR ME!

Sooooooooo sweet.   

Definitely made my day and put a smile on my face!  

Birthday Wishes

SO I'm turning the big 30 this July, 

and I think I want this for my birthday.  

                                                                             How cute!!!!!!!

Operation Cute and Colorful Placemats

John and I moved into an apartment about a month ago... crazy going from a house to an apartment but this is what we wanted to do for now until we learn the area to see where we want to settle down. 

The apartment has white walls, which make things a little less homey. Our living room and dining room is all one big space.  I decided I wanted to add a splash of color to our table with some new placemats.  My color scheme is purples, greens and yellows.  I had bought some from Target yesterday,  but they are too big.. they look absolutely ridiculous.  So, here are some others I have found online.  

Operation Cute and Colorful Placemats is in full swing. 

  

A Little Sunshine Amongst the Fog

So yesterday I was feeling pretty bad... nauseas and had a headache. Just feelin' like I was in a fog.  I think it might have been from taking some allergy medicine.  I usually hold off as long as possible because that stuff literally makes me crazy.  I end up feeling like I am having an out of body experience. So... after church I ended up coming home and taking a very long nap.  It was such a beautiful day though, so John suggested we get some fresh air and go down by the river and have a dinner picnic.  

So we did... the sun was setting and it was extremely beautiful and the weather was perfect.  

Just what the doctor ordered. 

Here are some shots from the day...

Beautiful sunset....

My man.... I liked how the sunset was reflecting in his sunglasses. 

He takes such good care of me:)

  

My birthday wish...

SO I'm turning the big 30 this July, 

and I think I want this for my birthday.  

                                                                             How cute!!!!!!!

Socks....

I want to hear about your experiences where the Lord has completely knocked your socks off when you were least expecting it....

I was moping today, because I'm just missing South Carolina and moving has been 

super stressful for me.

Tonight I got an email that truly lifted my spirits, and it was completely unexpected. 

Thank you Lord for loving me.

Always.

Quick Update

We.Made.It.

The drive up was not bad at all.  We barely hit any traffic, and we found an octagonal shaped Starbucks in York, PA.  All is well :)   John and I had to drive both our cars up, so we were apart for the drive, but thanks to my friend Wendi, I had the book Unbroken on CD. Great story if you haven't read it!

We got to our new apartment and unloaded our cars and then pretty much crashed at my aunt and uncle's house.  We awoke bright and early this morning to unload our POD.  If you are in the market to move, we would like to shamelessly plug PODS.  Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful.

A personal thank you to my mom and dad (who are the best parents ever), Joe, John C., Laura and the kids.  YOU BLESSED THE SOCKS OFF OF US!!
Also... to my friend Jenn who had a beautiful arrangement sent to our house today to say "Welcome Home".  It brought tears to my eyes.

It's 5:42, and the place actually looks like a home.....

I've been a little weepy today.  Can't believe I'm not living in South Carolina anymore.  The sun IS shining brightly here today and I am extremely grateful for that!

To my Florence friends.... you have been on my mind all day!
Miss you. Love you.

The Day Before the New Adventure

Well.. tomorrow John and I start a new adventure.  We are moving back to Pennsylvania from South Carolina due to John getting a new job.

Many people have been asking me how I am feeling about the move....
I will be completely honest...

 I have struggled with the fact of moving.  

I have really grown to love South Carolina the past 9 months that I have been down here.  It was rough at first moving to a new place, but over time I adapted and have met some wonderful people.  I also am thankful for having my in-laws close and also my best friend Jill, 2 hours away.  

I have also enjoyed the time that I have had with John down here in South Carolina.  It has been so extremely good for our marriage to be away from PA to start off. It's just  I never went away from college, never moved out of my home town and have just desperately been craving full independence.  

Looking back I enjoyed the challenge of coming to a place where no one knew me and I knew no one.  It forced me out of my comfort zone and I have met some wonderful, wonderful people.  I think I am most sad about this.  It's been said that it takes someone about 6-7 months to adapt to a new place.  I am just past that mark.  I see SOOO much potential in relationships with the people I have met down here, and it makes me sad that my time with them has been cut short.  However, I am thankful for social media and technology.  People are no more than a click away at any time.  But, I just want the people I have met down here, and you know who you are, that I appreciate you so much :)  

All that to say... I love my husband and am behind him 100%.  I wouldn't want to be moving with anyone  else :)  We know that this is where the Lord is leading us for right now... so we choose to follow.  

My baby sister...

My sister Molly got married this weekend.  It was such a lovely and fun wedding, 

with some surprises as well.

Best wishes Molly and George!!

Seriously... really good

Last week, John said to me... let's try to have a meatless Monday-Friday.  So I said "OK".  Our dinners for the week consisted of Ratatouille, Pasta with White Beans/Garlic/Spinach and

 Zucchini and Corn Quesadillas.

Yes, Zucchini and Corn Quesadillas.  

They were so good!  If you are looking for something light and healthy, check them out!  My friend had pinned them on pinterest.  I did my own thing, but you can really add whatever you want!

Corn and Zucchini Quesadillas

Adapted from “Everyday Food”

Serves 4

• 4 TABLESPOONS OLIVE OIL
• 1 ONION, COARSELY CHOPPED
• SALT
• 4 GARLIC CLOVES, MINCED
• 2 MEDIUM ZUCCHINI (ABOUT 1 POUND), HALVED LENGTHWISE AND THINLY SLICED CROSSWISE
• 1 CUP FROZEN CORN KERNELS (4 OUNCES)
• 1/4 CUP CHOPPED FRESH CILANTRO (OPTIONAL)
• 4 FLOUR TORTILLAS (8-INCH)
• 2 CUPS GRATED PEPPER JACK CHEESE

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a large skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add onion and 1 teaspoon salt, cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, cook 1 minute more.
2. Add zucchini and frozen corn kernels, cook, stirring occasionally, until zucchini is soft and corn is tender, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in cilantro, if using.
3. Brush one side of all tortillas with remaining 1 tablespoon oil; lay 2 tortillas, oiled side down, on a baking sheet. Place half of the filling on each, and sprinkle with half the cheese. Place remaining 2 tortillas on top, oiled side up; press down gently with spatula to seal.
4. Bake until cheese has melted and tortillas are golden brown, turning once, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool slightly. To serve, slice each quesadilla into wedges.

I made mine with only zucchini, onions, corn and cheese and they were slammin'!!!!

My Southern Weakness....

Zaxby's Fried Pickles....

                         'Nuff said......

Shoe themed bridal shower

My sister is getting married in May and she LOVES shoes.

SO...for her bridal shower, we as bridesmaids decided to go with a shoe theme.  Her wedding colors are black and white, so we also ran with that as well. 

Most of the food was catered by Eliane's Catering.  

Here's some snapshots of what we accomplished:

                                                                         The Invites

 The centerpieces made by Lisa.  Black vases, with black feathers glued on and filled with white flowers.

Framed shoe pictures taken by Alison Conklin.   We put these on each of the tables.  Thanks Alison!

 Shoe cupcakes made by Trista.  LOVE THESE!!!

The Cake

The dessert table

 Favors made by yours truly.  Check out my store, 516 Madison Avenue at 

http://www.etsy.com/shop/516MadisonAvenue

My beautiful sis.

Questions....

It's been awhile....

I have been busy traveling, hosting my sister's bridal shower, and then recooperating from being gone for a week.  

We are in the midst of a few major decisions.  I get completely overwhelmed at times.  You think you know how your life is going to play out....you think.  I've always been a fan of God knocking my socks off with good surprises.   But I struggle with God knocking my socks off with things that I just wasn't expecting and that end up taking me out of my comfort zone.  I know that he is always working for my good, and stretching me an molding me, but sometimes the stretching just plain 'ole hurts. 

Whenever I am feeling overwhelmed and I need a reality check, I like to just dwell and meditate on all the rhetorical questions that God asks in the Bible.

Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?
   Tell me, if you understand.
 
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!
   Who stretched a measuring line across it?
 
On what were its footings set,
   or who laid its cornerstone—
 while the morning stars sang together
   and all the angels shouted for joy?

Who shut up the sea behind doors
   when it burst forth from the womb,
  when I made the clouds its garment
   and wrapped it in thick darkness,
  when I fixed limits for it
   and set its doors and bars in place,
 when I said, ‘This far you may come and no farther;
   here is where your proud waves halt’?

 
  “Have you journeyed to the springs of the sea
   or walked in the recesses of the deep?
 Have the gates of death been shown to you?
   Have you seen the gates of the deepest darkness?
 Have you comprehended the vast expanses of the earth?
   Tell me, if you know all this.

 What is the way to the place where the lightning is dispersed,
   or the place where the east winds are scattered over the earth?
 Who cuts a channel for the torrents of rain,
   and a path for the thunderstorm,
 to water a land where no one lives,
   an uninhabited desert,
 to satisfy a desolate wasteland
   and make it sprout with grass?
 Does the rain have a father?
   Who fathers the drops of dew?
 From whose womb comes the ice?
   Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens
 when the waters become hard as stone,
   when the surface of the deep is frozen?

Pleiades

  “Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?
   Can you loosen Orion’s belt?
 Can you bring forth the constellations in their seasons
   or lead out the Bear with its cubs?
 Do you know the laws of the heavens?
   Can you set up God’s dominion over the earth?
  “Can you raise your voice to the clouds
   and cover yourself with a flood of water?
 Do you send the lightning bolts on their way?
   Do they report to you, ‘Here we are’?
 Who gives the ibis wisdom
   or gives the rooster understanding?
 Who has the wisdom to count the clouds?
   Who can tip over the water jars of the heavens
 when the dust becomes hard
   and the clods of earth stick together?
  “Do you hunt the prey for the lioness
   and satisfy the hunger of the lions
 when they crouch in their dens
   or lie in wait in a thicket?
 Who provides food for the raven
   when its young cry out to God
   and wander about for lack of food?




And then also the questions Isaiah asks in chapter 40 of his book...



Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand,
   or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? 

Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
   or weighed the mountains on the scales
   and the hills in a balance? 

 Who can fathom the Spirit of the LORD,
   or instruct the LORD as his counselor? 

 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him,
   and who taught him the right way? 

Who was it that taught him knowledge,
   or showed him the path of understanding?

Yup.  I am small.  He is indescribable.   Praise God!

May I Interest You....

Just wanted to preview some of my spring designs for my coasters.  

Add color to any room or just for "something new"....

Business has been good here locally and it's been fun meeting a wide variety of people. 

Visit 

www.etsy.com/shop/516MadisonAvenue

for these designs and more!

Yes.....Yes I Did

I have a thing for cute coffee shops.  It is a life dream of mine to someday own one.  So... whenever I'm in a new place I scout out the town for a family owned coffee shop.  

I was visiting my friend Raven in Summerville, SC last week. (She and her family use to be our neighbors, but then moved :(  We miss them dearly).

 The "old town" section of Summerville is super cute with many cute little boutiques and restaurants.   As we were walking around I saw a cute coffee shop called ....

I knew I had to stop back after lunch to get something.  

Raven, Claire and I had lunch and then I needed to start heading home, but not before I stopped into Single Smile Cafe. 

As we were walking in, the "Specials" chalkboard caught my eye. Now, for any of you that know me, you know that I am a HUGE fan of bacon!  

I've tried chocolate covered bacon,

I've tried bacon flavored sunflower seeds

I've tried bacon flavored jelly beans

 I've tried all sorts of bacon,

 and it never disappoints.  

Never in my life would I have imagined a 

BACON LATTE!!!

This was like a dream.... my two favorite things in the world rolled into one! 

I stepped right into the cafe with a spring in my step. I was a little skeptical though about how it would taste. I went up to the counter and asked,

"How is the bacon latte?"  

The cute little Asian woman behind the counter told me that people loved it! I asked if I could try a little sip before I ordered a whole cup of it.  She said that I would have to order a small.  

Ugh....did I want to waste my money on something I wasn't sure was going to be good. 

I ended up going with the safe bet of ordering a Caramel Macchiato... my drink of choice. 

The ladies and I then had a seat at this huge table.  We were chatting it up when suddenly.....

I hear Raven say,

"Oh look!"

As I turned my head to the left, there was like what seemed to be a beam of light from heaven.  The little Asian lady was walking toward me me a small little espresso shot glass filled with the Bacon Latte. 

She said, "Here you go....Bacon Latte!"

I was grateful. 

Extremely grateful.  

Over the top grateful.  

  The first thing I did was smell it... and sure enough it smelled like smokey bacon. Then I took a pic of it. And then.....I tasted it. 

OH.MY.LANDS.....

Pure genius!  It was absolutely the most amazing taste that has ever crossed my palate.  I had Raven taste it, and she agreed that it was really good.  

I have no idea how they made it, but I can't say enough about it.  So... if you are ever in Summerville, SC make it a point to stop at 

Single Smile Cafe

100-A South Main Street

Summerville, SC

Stormy Day

I know I have already posted this recipe, but I'm making it again today.  It's a stormy mess here with thunderstorms, torrential downpours, tornado warnings...so I thought it would just be a great day for soup.  Enjoy!  It's an amazing soup!




Curried Chicken Corn Chowder

INGREDIENTS

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 5 cups frozen corn
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt         
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• Dash cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup 2% milk
• 3 cups cubed cooked chicken breast
• 1/3 cup minced fresh cilantro

DIRECTIONS

• In a Dutch oven, saute onions and celery in butter until tender. Stir in the broth, corn, curry, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
• In a small bowl, whisk flour and milk until smooth. Whisk into the pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add chicken and cilantro; heat through. Yield: 9 servings (2-1/4 quarts).2 starch, 2 lean meat.

From Taste of Home Healthy Cooking