Monday, February 28, 2011

Homemade Honey Wheat Rolls

I was so proud of myself on Friday- I made my first homemade bread.  Well, rolls, but that counts as bread, right?  I used yeast and everything!  (the thought of using yeast is scary to me for some reason, it really wasn’t bad at all- go figure)

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I used this recipe.  I thought they turned out good, but were a little dense.  It’s a long recipe, so if you’re interested just go there, she does a good job of explaining it :)

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Worthy of Worship

"If God was small enough to understand, he wouldn't be big enough to worship." Elizabeth Elliot

Friday, February 25, 2011

The Woman and The Lost Coin

After graduating with a degree in Religion and a minor in Biblical studies from Liberty, it still amazes me how LITTLE I know about the Bible.  Not that I don't know alot, but in comparison to all there is to learn,  it seems like I know nothing.  I love that about Scripture-  I will never discover it all, I will never understand it all, and there will always be something new to learn.

Last night I was going through my workbook for the Jonah study and I was reading in Luke 15 about the parable of the lost coin.  Do you remember that story?  It's right next to the Prodigal son story, and is often overshadowed by that famous parable. 



Here is the Scripture (Luke 15:8-10)

8 “Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? 9 And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin that I had lost.’ 10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”


I have always wondered about this parable.  Yes, if I lost a day's wages (which is equivalent to a denari, probably the coin that she lost),  I would be upset and look for it diligently too.  But I don't know if I would call together my neighbors and friends and have them celebrate with me if I found it.  I mean, it could happen this way but it just always seemed strange to me. 

Priscilla Shirer in my Bible study book says this, "When a Jewish girl married, she began to wear a headband of ten silver coins to signify that she was now a wife.  It was the Jewish version of our modern wedding ring, and it would be considered a calamity for her to lose one of the those coins." 

I had  never heard of this before, and so I got out some commentaries and started doing some research.  Sure enough, as part of her dowry, it was custom for a Jewish woman to receive a headpiece with 10 silver coins. I read that it was worn during the wedding ceremony and celebration, but I'm not sure if it was worn in her daily life or not. 

Although Scripture doesn't make it clear, I can just imagine that this is what Jesus was referring to when he told this parable. The women in the audience would have understood right away, and would have felt for the woman in the story.  Can't you just feel her anxiety? 

Have you ever lost your wedding band, engagement ring, or a diamond from you engagement ring?  I pray that never happens to me, but I could imagine the sheer panic that would set in if I did.  My engagement ring is my most treasured possession.  Not just because of the value of the ring, but because of the sentimental value and symbolism of my relationship with Jeremy. 


If you lost your ring or diamond, and if you found it, wouldn't you be so joyful?!  I would defiantly have reason to call up my friends and neighbors and have them celebrate with me then.  What relief, what happiness, what joy. 

Scripture says that feeling of rejoicing is like the joy in heaven when a sinner comes to God in repentance!

10 Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”



Isn't it cool to get a glimpse into God's love for us?  We are His treasured possessions.  He loves us, and He desires for us to have fellowship with Him.   He rejoices when we repent and come to Him.  Oh how  He loves us!  Thank you Jesus.

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Bouquet Inspiration


Here are some inspiration photos for my wedding bouquet.  I am going to be incorporating a lot of different things into one bouquet- hydrangeas, white roses, sea shells, sea oats, delphiniums, and other filler flowers.  The first three are my favorites.
2nd favorite
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emilyzalar006Source: Salt Harbor Designs 
I love baby’s breath bouquets for my bridesmaids.  I’ve ordered baby’s breath in bulk and we are going to make all of these bouquets the night before the wedding.   I think there is such a romantic feel to them, and for only $25 for all 5 bouquets, you can’t beat it!
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UPDATE:

Here is a picture of my bouquet from our wedding:

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and here is what my bridesmaids bouquets turned out like:

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I'd say pretty close to the inspiration!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Favorite Food

Yesterday Jeremy and I made another trip to Richmond to pick up some new bridal gowns for my work.  We went a couple of weeks ago to pick up dresses, and I got a new duvet at Crate and Barrel while we were in town. 

While we were there yesterday we got to eat at my favorite restaurant, Chipotle Mexican Grill.  Have you ever been?  It is a burrito place and their burritos are HUGE!!  They only use fresh, local ingredients and you can tell how great the quality is!  Their meat is organic and taste so good. 

Jeremy introduced me to Chipotle for the first time I went home with him to Illinois, 3 years ago now.  I had never even heard of it until I came to college and then everybody talked about how they wished Lynchburg had a Chipotle.  I didn’t get all the fuss until I had it.  Now I’m saying I wish there was a Chipotle in Lynchburg! The closest one is an hour away.

I have come to love burritos, and think they are my current favorite food.  Since we don’t have a Chipotle here, we eat at Moe’s Southwest Grill a lot.  It is still really good, and we enjoy hanging out there.  We have even went to Moe’s for Valentines Day all three years we have been dating :)  It started as a joke and a coupon, but now it’s kinda become our thing. So glad that Jeremy introduced me to the lovely world of burritos. 

So, what’s your favorite food?

Monday, February 21, 2011

The Heart of Worship and Memory Verse

I love hymns.  Hymns are rich and deep in theology!  So often, people say that they can’t worship in a “traditional church” who just sings hymns, especially those in my generation.  Oh, but to really hear the words and to take to heart their meanings!  I love praise and worship songs, and prefer that style of music, but I have come to really love and appreciate the depth and beauty of hymns.

I’ve come to realize that the heart of worship is really about preparing your own heart to adore the Father.  You can’t control how well the choir sings, how well the band plays, or if others around you are worshiping, but you can control your own heart and mind.  Don’t allow yourself to just go through the motions at church, or to get caught up in the style.  Worship isn’t about a style, it is about the heart.  Worship is praising our God for who He is, and acknowledging our devotion to Him.  When you focus on this, instead of the style, you experience His presence in a new and fresh way!

We sang Take My Life and Let it Be at church yesterday, and it is one hymn that always brings me to a place of worship, the words are so powerful! 

Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.


Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.


Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.

 

Are we only, all for Him?  Are our hearts His royal throne?  Lord, take our lives and let them be, consecrated and set apart for You alone. 

 

My memory verse for the week is

Ephesians 4:29

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear”

 

When we are only, all for Him, that includes our words and tongue!  I desire for the words that come from my mouth to be edifying to those around me, and most of all glorifying to God.

Saturday, February 19, 2011

Bedding and Advice

 

image I think I finally decided on some bedding for Jeremy and I.  I’m loving the simplicity of the Fieldcrest Luxury Hotel Duvet Set in white from Target.  I didn’t want anything too girly, but I wanted it to feel clean and soft.  I think this is a good mix, and remind me of some bedding from Pottery Barn that I liked, but the size just didn’t seem to work.  I’ve been looking for a while and posted about the bed and bedding here and here.

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Here is the link for all the specs. It is 400 thread count and 100% Egyptian cotton, so I think it will be pretty nice.  It comes with the duvet and 2 pillow shams for $89, so I think that is a great price!

I’ve got two concerns though.  See on that picture above, those two vertical lines on the pillow where it looks like it is puckering?  What is that?  And if it is a mistake, why would they put it on their website?  I don’t want that on my pillows. 

Second, I don’t know what size to get.  We still don’t have a mattress or a bed frame, or a headboard.  But we do have a memory foam mattress topper thing.  That is about two inches thick.  I have heard that sometimes the queen size duvets and comforters are too small for the queen beds, especially when you have a pillow top mattress or a mattress topper.  Some have suggested buying a king size duvet and comforter.  I don’t want the comforter to be too short, but I also don’t want it to come to the floor.  Any suggestions?  I need advice on this one, just don’t know what to do.  Also, it is not a Full/Queen duvet, it only comes in Queen or King.  So maybe it would be different?  I can’t find the exact measurements on the website.  And should I buy the comforter before I get the duvet?

Why does so much have to go into buying bedding? :)

Friday, February 18, 2011

Beautiful Weather

 

This week’s weather has been making me very very happy.  I think today would be a wonderful day for a picnic…going to try and make that happen. 

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Bridesmaids dresses (and an award, and a giveaway)

If there is one thing that has caused me the most grief about planning this wedding, it is the bridesmaids dresses.  I could not find the perfect ones.  Because it is a beach wedding, I didn’t want the traditional BM dress- way to stuffy and formal for a relaxed and casual affair.  So that took out all the bridal shops.  I thought I’d just find a cute sun dress that was blue last summer from a department store and that would be the end of it.  Only, blue just wasn’t a popular color last year, and I just couldn’t find any in the stores.  I ventured online and ended up ordering 5 dresses from a store online, hated them when they came, and sent them back.  I then ordered 5 more dresses from Belk online, thinking they would be perfect, and then they came back a dark turquoise instead of a lighter blue.  So, I took those back as well. 
I finally decided that to keep with the beachy, fun theme I wanted to have seersucker dresses.  Isn’t there something about blue and white seersucker that reminds you of Nantucket or Martha’s Vineyard?  That is the feel I wanted for the wedding, so I was sold on the seersucker.  But I couldn’t find them anywhere, and decided to have them made. 
There is a shop online that sales Seersucker dresses called THREADS.  But their dresses run about $300…seriously for a simple cotton dress?  Here are some of their dresses, and you can see more on their website.
 widget_duazQnaEvnFye4sxcc4e-0
  019 The design above is my favorite, but I am wanting to do the blue seersucker instead of the green.  I found a dress pattern that was similar to this dress from Butterick and am having dresses made by the lady who is altering my wedding gown.  Below is the pattern I found. Butternick B5457
Yesterday I shared the fabric store that my mom and I went to this past weekend.  We were looking for seersucker fabric and a lining for the dresses.  It was so overwhelming that we didn’t even end up getting anything.  I’m planning on ordering the fabric from Joanne’s Fabric here in Lynchburg soon.  Anyone have any suggestions on what to use for the lining?  I have no idea. 

Here are some inspiration photos of bridesmaids dresses that I have saved.
lacey 152940_green Guilford_Yacht_Club_Wedding-0030  
Sorry, this post is long, but I have a few more things to share.  Two sweet ladies,  Lisa from Informal Home and Traci from Tale of Many Cities,  gave me the stylish blogger award this week!  I couldn’t believe that you would both think of me for this award. Thank you ladies so so much!  I am honored. 

In the spirit of the award, here are seven random things about me:
1.  I hate nuts
2. I love Reese Sonic Blast (because Reese is my favorite candy, and then Butterfingers)
3. I am only 5’ 2”
4. Everyone always thinks I’m sixteen years old.  In actuality, I’m turning 23 in March.  My parents keep telling me someday I’ll be grateful that I look young, but that day has not hit yet :)
5. Most of my very best friends I met in kindergarten (or before).  Two of them are in my bridal party.  I feel lucky to have such wonderful friends that have stuck together all these years.
6. I collect spoons from different states.
7. My favorite time of the year is Spring.  At least I think it is, I may only be saying that because it is getting warm and I love it :)  I actually think I love every season in its own way.  (But winter the least, because its so cold.  I only like it because of Christmas and snow. : )
I’m working on my list of who to share this award with.

And last but not least, I’m linking up to this great giveaway in hopes that I win a free portrait session for some friends (of whom I met in kindergarten).    This photographer is located in Charlotte, NC and does awesome work!
http://www.jeredotten.com/2011/02/free-portrait-session-giveaway/

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Fabric Heaven

I told you yesterday that I would share a few things from my weekend home.  On Saturday, my mom and I drove to Gastonia, NC (about to 45 min. from our house) to Mary Jo’s fabric store to look for fabric for my bridesmaids dresses.  Mary Jo’s is by far the best and LARGEST fabric store I have ever been to.  I thought you might enjoy seeing some pictures from this fabric heaven.  If only I had better sewing skills… :) 

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This is the newly renovated side of the building, They have been building lots of new stores around Mary Jo’s (which has been open for around 60 years), and this side has been “revamped”.  The other side, below, has not :)

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This is from the view from the entrance of the building, a little overwhelming! Below is a view from the other side of the store.  This place is seriously about the size of a Wal-Mart, only just fabric.

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100_0675Rows and Rows of fabric…

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Here are some of my favorites

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I couldn’t help but think of my boss, Michelle Duncan with Elle and Anne Handbags when I was browsing through all these fabrics.  She makes the most beautiful purses from gorgeous fabrics like these.   Check out her blog here.

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Want to know more about Mary Jo’s?  Visit their website here.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Weekend Away and Memory Verse

I've been absent for a few days from blogging, I took a weekend trip home to NC and just got back to Lynchburg this afternoon.  I had a good time with my family, and it was nice to be home again.  I went to my first dress fitting for my bridal gown, looked for fabric for my bridesmaids dresses, and just relaxed around the house.  I have a couple of post planned for you this week to show a couple of things I did and places I went :)

I didn't get a chance to post my memory verse for the week on Sunday so I wanted to go ahead and do that today. 

"The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.  The LORD is good to all, and His mercy is over all that He has made."
Psalm 145:8-9

Listen to a Shane and Shane song based off this psalm here




Friday, February 11, 2011

Monogram Coffee Filter Wreath

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Coffee filter wreaths have been all the rage the last year or so, but I have yet to make one of these beauties for myself. I bought the coffee filters with the intent to do a regular wreath, but then had the idea to do a monogram hanger for the wedding.  I had already planned to make a monogram hanging with moss or something on it, so this would save me some money!  I think I spent around $5 total for everything including the coffee filters and some gluesticks. 
Here is how to make your own:
Materials:
  • Cardboard
  • Box Cutter/Exacto knife
  • Marker/Pen
  • Glue gun
  • Glue Sticks (you’ll use a lot of these)
  • Coffee Filters (I used right at 150)
Step #1: Draw your monogram letter onto a piece of cardboard.  My monogram is about 18 inches tall, but you can adjust to whatever size you need.  I just freehanded the “J”, but you could always print one off the computer, cut it out, and then trace it. Step #2: Cut out letter with a box cutter or exacto knife  100_0913 Step #4 Once you have your letter cut out, you may need to do some trimming with scissors.  Then get all of your additional supplies together to begin gluing the coffee filters onto the board.

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100_0918 Step #5: I began by lining the edges with folded coffee filters. 100_0919 Fold the coffee filter in half, half it again, and then half it again.  Snip off the end to help the glue get into all the layers 100_0923 100_0920 Step #6: Begin filling in the middle section.   100_0921 I used a combination of filters folded in half twice and filters folded in half 3 times like the outline ones.   I didn’t snip off the ends of most of the ones in the middle so as to try to cover more of the cardboard. Just fill in as needed, and work your way all the way around the letter.  You don’t need to be exact, it is a very forgiving project.  If you mess us, just tear off the filter.  100_0925 Step #7: Look at your completed letter and see if you see any holes that need to be filled.  I had a few spots on the top that I added a few more filters to.  You may also want to trim the filters if there are areas that are uneven.  Just cut off the tops of the filters to the desired height.  100_0927
Enjoy your beautiful, frugal wreath door hanger!  I am going to be using ours at our wedding reception, and then later can use it in our home.

You can hang it if you add a ribbon on the back or just sit up somewhere :)
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Click here for more wedding related posts!

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