You Make Beautiful Things

My sister sent this video to me and it greatly moved me.
In our fallen world we so easily become a salve to some earthly thing(s), whether it be debt or substance abuse.  The Word says that we are set free from those burdens because of Christ’s death.
What a relief it is that we are no longer slaves, but free in Christ.

If you need a pick-me-up this morning, this might be the video just for you :-)

God makes beautiful things; God made you, and 
you are a beautiful, precious, and beloved child of God.

Have a great morning and wonderful Easter weekend my sweet friends!

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: Rooney’s Stylin’

Since Rooney has grown so much lately, for his birthday we had a new collar made for him.  I am a big fan of custom-made collars (see here for serious proof), so I knew that I had to turn to my favorite collar shop: Bow Wow Couture.  I ordered this collar for Tomlin when she finished growing and she still wears it because it is still in such great shape so I had to get Rooney one too.  Though I debated for days on which collar to order (because there were so many fabulous options), I finally decided on this navy mod collar.  When it came in I couldn’t wait to put it on Rooney.  I love the quality of the collar and the strong clasp.  I highly recommend Bow Wow Couture if you’re in the market for a new collar for your 4-legged child.

How do you think Rooney looks in his new “outfit”?

I was not paid for this review; everything written is of my own opinion.

My Green Thumb

Happy Monday y'all! 

If you have not yet entered the Stella & Dot giveaway for $50 you definitely need to ASAP!  The giveaway will be closed TOMORROW and very few have entered (meaning that your chances of wining are VERY good)

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The Mr and I have really enjoyed having home-grown foods to cook with.  In our apartment we had two mini urban gardens (2010 and 2011).  Last year we thought we were moving so we didn’t plant anything.  We ended up moving a lot later than we thought (December) so we really missed growing plants last year. The house we moved into already had a raised garden so we were anxious to get started.

The first thing we needed to do was clean out the bed and churn the earth.  Cleaning weeds is not my favorite part but it was necessary.

Check out all of these weeds! Scary!!!

I also pulled out the fence to be cleaned and painted.

We had to take two trips to Lowes, Home Depot and Trader Joes to get everything we wanted to plant.  We’ve got 7 tomatoes (3 are cherry tomatoes), spinach, jalapenos, strawberries, blue berries, black berries, grapes, basil, rosemary, oregano, thyme, basil, parsley, lemon balm, and cilantro.
So far everything is still alive lolLast summer, when I knew we were going to be moving I saw these herb labels on sale so I purchased them.  I held onto them because I knew they would come in handy.  You can purchase a set of your own here.The newly painted fence.

It’s white again :-)

I was dying for some citrus trees, so we got a Meyer lemon tree to go with our apple trees and orange trees.

I think it takes a few years before they produce a lot, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.  I hope I can keep it alive until then lolAll of the other flowers in the yard have started blooming and it smells delicious.  It’s so colorful and enjoyable!As I mentioned on Friday, we are really loving all of the citrus plants in the back yard.  Check out my homemade lemonade recipe HERE.

For all my gardening I had to get some new gear, and by gear I mean shoes. Duh! lol

I purchased these yellow boots; thanks Sherri for the recommendation. 

The Mr. surprised me with some new polka dot gloves to go with my polka dot yard tools. Thank you babe!

I’m always looking for gardening tips, so please share your knowledge with me.   What else should I plant?  Do you have any tips for me?  What do you have in your summer garden? Have a great week friends!

Homemade Lemonade

Morning y'all! 

If you have not yet entered the Stella & Dot giveaway for $50 you definitely need to ASAP!  The giveaway will be closed soon and very few have entered (meaning that your chances of wining are VERY good)

Click here for the details!

Since moving into our new house we have spent a lot of time gardening.  We absolutely love yard work.  Everyone told us that we would hate it or to hire someone, but so far we really enjoy it.  This may change with time (or the temperature), but for now we relish the time we get to spent in the yard.  We’ve really enjoyed eating our home-grown lemons and today I want to share my lemonade recipe with you. This recipe also works for store-bought lemons. The number of lemons you need will vary based on their size.  Ultimately you need 1.5 cups of lemon juice and it takes me about 6 medium-sized lemons.  I have an electric juicer but I still prefer to manually juice my lemons with a lemon reamer.  I half the lemons and juice them directly into a measuring cup.Once I get to 1.5 cups of juice, I pour it into a pitcher through a colander.  This will help reduce the pulp and catch all of the seeds.  I’m really fancy aren’t I?  NOT!!!! hahahaha Add 6 cups of cold water, 1 cup finely grated sugar (so it isn't gritty), ice, and stir.  Then refrigerate for a couple of hours.  I like to use a quick-stir pitcher so that I can easily stir the juice (without dirtying any new dishes) right before each pour.  Now you’re ready to sit on the porch with a delicious cold glass of lemonade.  It’s definitely porching season in the south, so it’s time to make some fresh homemade lemonade :-) Do you have any lemonade recipes that I need to try? I’m always on the look out for something different so please share your recipes with me. Have a great weekend friends! Linked up with Huckleberry Love- Much Ado About Monday Link Party The Dedicated House- Make it Pretty Monday

What I’m Lovin’ Wednesday: My Live-In Models

I purchased some new photography equipment over spring break.  Since we were watching a friend’s dog and I had some time, I got to play.

This is Bell.  I’m pretty sure behind those cute brown eyes, she was thinking “This woman is nuts!”This is not the best photo, but it was the best on I got last week.  They were tough together lol

I love taking pictures of our pups; the best models!

My Head

Isn’t that an enticing title? lol

Just kidding hehehe

After the blogger meet up in January (see here) I had the honor of having Meg @ Sweetly Complicated take some new headshots of me.  I have been sitting on these for a while because I was waiting to share these once the blog was “renovated”.  Since the new LWTH look is live, you may have  seen these pictures around.
Didn’t Meg do a fabulous job? She’s awesome!!! If you’re looking for some photography help I definitely recommend looking her up!! Thank you Meg for sharing your talent with me!

Banana Buttermilk Waffles with a Maple-Pecan Spread

When we sprung forward with the time change, the Mr and I decided to just take a day to stay at home and do nothing; we just needed some us time without rushing around.  We had a lazy morning watching some TV and enjoying our coffee.  When we got hungry I decided to whip up some special Sunday waffles.  I know when the table is quiet that I did a good job lol.
Banana Buttermilk Waffle Ingredients:
1-3/4  cups all-purpose flour
1  tbs sugar
1/2  tsp baking powder
1/2  tsp baking soda
1/2  tsp cinnamon
1/4  tsp salt
3/4  small banana, smashed
2 eggs, room temperature
3  tbs butter, melted
1  cup buttermilk***
1  tsp vanilla
1/2  cup pecans, finely chopped
***If you don’t drink buttermilk, which I don’t think anyone but my grandmother does, then I assume that you don’t have it in your fridge.  Don’t worry, I NEVER buy it.  Instead make your own!  Put 1 tbs of white vinegar in a measuring cup and add milk until it reaches the 1 cup line.  Stir and let it sit for 5 minutes, then measure out however much you need.

Maple-Pecan Spread Ingredients:
8 oz cream cheese, softened
3-4 tbs maple syrup, plus more for serving
1/8 cup pecans, finally chopped

Directions:

1. Heat up your waffle iron, and make your “buttermilk” if you need to.***
2. Stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, & salt.
3. In a separate bowl whisk together banana & eggs.  Then add in butter, “buttermilk”, vanilla & pecans.
4. Make a whole in the center of your dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into the center. Slowly and gently stir everything until it is just barely blended.
5. When the waffle iron is ready, spray it with cooking spray.  Pour batter into the center and quickly move it to edges so that all of the iron is covered.  Cook per the instructions that come with your waffle iron.  Mine takes about 3-4 minutes.
6. While your waffles are cooking make the maple-pecan spread.  Stir together pecans, syrup, and cream cheese.
7. Schmear maple-pecan spread over the waffles immediately so that it gets all ooey gooey and delicious.  Then top with maple syrup.
8. Good morning, now dig in!

I hope the picture speaks for itself: they were so delicious!  I didn’t want to be full because I just wanted to keep eating!!! lol Next time I think I will have to invite you all over for breakfast :-)
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