Fall = Everything Pumpkin

There was a definite chill in the air as I strolled into work this morning. While I am not one to give up my summertime very easily, I must say that I do enjoy fall and everything that comes with it. My favorite part, aside from the colorful leaves, smell of bonfires, and cozy blankets, would have to be all of the delicious pumpkin treats! Virtually every business/product offers something pumpkin-flavored. Of course, apple cider is certainly up there among my favorite fall treats, but let's face it, in my family I'm known as the one who ate an entire pumpkin pie by herself -- note, it was not in one sitting, but instead over the course of about a week's time. Sigh, I will never live that down. Anyway, pumpkin is clearly a top choice, followed closely by warm apple cider and crisp apple pie.

Here are some of my favorite fall treats...

1. Culver's Pumpkin Shake and Concrete Mixers
Liquefied pumpkin pie, that is exactly what these pumpkin treats taste like! Dan and I try to make it to Culver's at least once to enjoy these tasty treats. We're known to go out of our way for one of these fabulous fall treats.

2. Dunkin Donuts Pumpkin Coffee
DD is my favorite coffee, hands down. Out of all my K-cups, they're the first to run out. The fact that they now offer DD Pumpkin Coffee K-cups is a special bonus. I need to pick up some of these ASAP.

3. Starbuck's Coffee and Baked Goods
Starbuck's offers a delicious Pumpkin Spice Latte that is good even when made with skim milk. My second favorite drink is their Carmel Apple Spice -- one of the coziest drinks ever made. It's perfect for the non-coffee drinker, like my husband. Another drink Starbuck's offers is the Salted Caramel Mocha. I haven't tried it yet, but it's on my "to do" list. If you're not into coffee, or hot drinks in general, pick up a pumpkin-flavored baked good. You won't regret it.

4. Williams-Sonoma Pecan Pumpkin Butter and Spiced Pecan Pumpkin Quick Bread

Each and every year I look forward to the warm smells of fresh pecan pumpkin quick bread at Williams-Sonoma. Their quick bread is super easy to make and tastes amazing! Their pecan pumpkin butter makes amazing dessert squares -- a fall must-have, for sure.

 

5. Sara Lee Oven Fresh Pumpkin Pie

This is it. This is the famous pumpkin pie -- the one that I ate all by myself. The Sara Lee Oven Fresh Pumpkin Pie is super easy to make and tastes delicious! It is a must-have at Thanksgiving.



Summer 2012 Recap

Yikes! It's hard to believe that summer is already coming to a close. Where has the time gone? Hmm, I think I ask that question all too often -- and it is probably why I've been such a slacker at blogging. Anyway, I thought that I would take a moment to recap some of my favorite summer memories. To keep this post from being too long, I'll just pick 10 of my favorite memories, in order that they happened...

1) Friday, June 1, 2012
The Something from Jessie Spaghetti Dinner. Each and every year this event is what kicks off my idea of summertime. It is a special tradition that honors my best friend, Jessie, and gives me an opportunity to serve my Lord and Savior. Helping send inner-city students to Phantom Ranch Bible Camp is amazing!


2) Thursday, June 14, 2012/Friday, August 17, 2012
This event has two parts. On Thursday, June 14th Dan got offered a job! In honor of Dan's new job, I suggested that we go out to celebrate -- Dan's choice. He chose sushi. For starters, this job was a contract-to-hire position, but on Friday, August 17th he was offered an official position! Praise the Lord!

3) Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Celebrating my third anniversary with my husband, Dan. Each and every year gets better and better!


4) Saturday, July 14, 2012
Cori and Mike's wedding! It was a great way to see some of Dan's closest friends from college. Myk even flew in from Colorado for the occassion. Below is a picture of Dan with the lovely bride.

5) Friday, July 20, 2012

Seeing Dark Knigh Rises at midnight! We were looking forward to this movie for a very long time. Seeing the final Christopher Nolan Batman movie was bittersweet.

 

 

6) Sunday, July 29 - Tuesday, July 31, 2012Canoe Trip with the church youth group on the Flambeau River. It was a great way to get away from everyday busyness and enjoy God's creation with some amazing teens!

 

 

7) Wednesday, August 1 - Friday, August 10, 2012

Dan surprised me with 10 days of birthday clues! Each day I got a new clue about what I would be doing for my 30th birthday. In the end, I discovered that he was taking me to Las Vegas! So much fun! The clues were a great way to build my excitement.

 

 

8) Saturday, August 18, 2012
SURPRISE! Dan came home to a house full of family and friends there to celebrate his birthday. Me and my crew spent virtually all day getting the house decorated for Dan's surprise Toy Story party! As an added bonus, Kathleen surprised both my dad and Dan by being in attendance.

 

 

9) Friday, August 24 - Monday, August 27, 2012

Our trip to Las Vegas was amazing, but getting to meet and greet David Copperfield after his show was certainly the highlight of our vacation!

 

 

10) Friday, August 31 - Monday, September 3, 2012

We finally made it up to visit Kathleen and Brad in Fargo/Moorhead. Labor Day weekend was the perfect time to go up for a visit.

 

 

Like I said before, there were so many highlights this summer. I had a very hard time selecting just ten. Honestly, just go to my Picture of the Day tab and you'll all of my highlights from this past summer -- and then some.

Happy Birthday, Mom and Dad!

Since I had such a hard time picking out a Picture of the Day photo from my parents' birthday dinner, I decided to create a blog post so I could post them all!

On Wednesday, July 25th Dan and I had my parents over for dinner and dessert, in honor of their birthdays -- Dad's birthday is July 23rd while Mom's birthday is on July 26th (today!). For dinner we had egg cups, turkey bacon, real maple syrup, fresh fruit salad, and Mommosas. Then, for dessert, we had triple chocolate cake and ice cream. It was devine!

Here are photos from when we sang Happy Birthday. While Dan and I sang to Mom and Dad, they playfully sang to each other. How cute are they?!

Next, Mom and Dad opened their birthday presents and we watched Toy Story 3. It was a nice, relaxing evening together.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM AND DAD!! XOXO

RISE!

On Thursday, July 19th, Dan and I joined some of our usual friends for a midnight movie premiere. The bittersweet time had come, it was time for the final instalment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy... it was time to see The Dark Knight Rises.

We dressed for the occasion. Both of us were wearing our Batman t-shirts and Dan also had his Batman Begins belt buckle. We weren't the only ones decked out for the occasion. Several people arrived at the theater wearing Batman t-shirts, Batman PJ's, and Batman costumes. What a blast! It was then that I felt a little bummed that I didn't think to wear my Batgirl costume.

We arrived an hour before the film was due to begin and the first theater we walked into was nearly packed to the max! Hundreds of people had gathered closely together, chatting away as they waited for the film to start. With the front rows our only option for our group of 13-14, we decided to take a peek inside another theater that was also scheduled to play The Dark Knight Rises at midnight. Success! While this theater was much smaller in size, there were significantly more open seats.

With fresh popcorn in hand and a large fountain drink to share with my hubby, I was as cozy as can be. I savored this time with friends and anxiously awaited the film's debut.

At midnight on Friday, July 20th, the previews started and then the movie finally began. From beginning to end I was drawn into the film. The acting was fantastic, the music was stunning, and the story packed a powerful punch. Every passing minute I hoped that it would just keep going -- clearly 2 hours and 45 minutes was too short for me.

I left the theater just after 3:00 a.m. excited and full of energy! Dan and I discussed the details of the movie the whole way home. Both of us eager to see it again on the big screen -- and we rarely ever see a movie for a second time in the theater.

The next morning I didn't have work, so I got to sleep in -- and boy, did I sleep in! At 11:00 a.m. I rolled out of bed and went onto my desktop computer -- which I rarely do on my days off. I had some personal projects to take care of, but I started my time by surfing Facebook, noticing my fellow midnight viewers take on the latest Batman flick. It didn't take long for me to notice some rather usual comments within my friends' status updates. Several of my friends shared that they were grateful to be alive and that they were praying for Colorado. With a quick Google search, I found what everyone was talking about... the Aurora, Colorado theater shooting.

My heart sank as I read what little information was available -- but it was enough to feel deep sadness for those who were directly effected. 12 killed and nearly 60 wounded when James Holmes, 24, walked into a packed movie theater that was showing The Dark Knight Rises, and opened fire on countless innocent lives.

Next, I noticed several of my friends posting a link to a blog post, written by a survivor: So you STILL think God is a merciful God?!

I enjoyed her blog post and it really got me thinking. I get very frustrated when all tragedies are blamed on God. Tragedies like the Holocaust, 9/11, and this theater shooting. People! God is not the cause of evil! The devil is the source of evil. Well, God created the devil, didn't he? Yes, he did, but here's the thing... we cannot know what is good without knowing what is bad. Bad is the absence of good, just like cold is the absence of heat, darkness is the absence of light, and fear is the absence of peace. Without these opposites, there is no choice. Satan made the choice to turn against God and he is doing everything he can to bring us down with him -- Satan is pure evil.

You know what scares me most? Satan doesn't force us to do anything. We are the ones who choose to do bad things! Satan just gives us the idea. Go ahead, steal that DVD. It's not your fault you can't afford it. It's okay to lie to you family, they don't need to know the truth about everything. Go ahead and shoot those people, they deserve to die. LIES! LIES! LIES! All lies from a demon who wants us to suffer an eternity of hell with him.

So while Satan is busy making a mess of this world, tempting us to live lives filled with endless bad choices, pulling us further and further from our Creator, God provided a way for us to have all of our sins forgiven. Jesus said in John 14: 6, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." How do we get to the Father? By placing our faith in Jesus Christ. By admitting that we are all sinners and fall short of God's glory. Jesus Christ was perfect and he died for us so that we could live. That is how much he loves us!

Jansen Young, a theater survivor, understands what it physically feels like to have someone take a bullet for her. In an interview on the Today Show, Young shared her heartbreaking story about how her boyfriend, Jon Blunk, covered her with his own body so he could protect her from the shooting. Blunk did not survive the attack.

Still, clearly and understandably, shaken up from the recent events, Young's voice quivered as she bravely shared her story with the world. Towards the end of the interview, these statements grabbed my attention:

TODAY
When you think about that, the fact that he saved your life, you must feel such incredible love for him.

YOUNG
Oh my gosh, yeah... all I could think about was, I know the most amazing man. I do, I love him so much. It's what I kept thinking... Jon, I love you and I am so grateful for what you did for me.

(Watch the full interview HERE.)

Young's testimony got me thinking about how Jesus used his body to save our lives. Basically, Jesus took a bullet for us, just like Blunk did for his girlfriend. Jesus died with our sin on his shoulders so that we could live and not be separated from God. We should all feel so much love for our Savior as Young does for Blunk!

Life is filled with uncertainties and Satan is among all of them, whispering evil thoughts into our minds. Have you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? Don't let another moment pass you by. Jesus already paid the price, the gift of salvation is free to all who are willing to accept it.

Don't let Satan bring you down with him. RISE and take a stand against evil! Be a true rebel in this world and do what is good.

My thoughts and prayers are with those who have been affected by the tragic theater shooting in Colorado.

UPDATE: Want to read an inspiring story of God's mercy and ultimate power? Check out this blog post: A Miracle Inside the Aurora Shooting: One Victim’s Story. Read it and be encouraged!

I Now Like Mayonnaise

If you've ever been out to eat with me, you'll notice that I always order my meal with "no mayo" -- if mayo is included. Personally, I have never been a fan of the condiment, but I've survived the accidenal mayonnaise encounter in my lifetime.

For years I have read beauty tips suggesting the use of mayo as a hair mask. My first thought? Ew! Gross! Then, a recent afternoon in a pool left my hair feeling extra dry. Since I'm attempting to grow out my lovely locks, I decided to give this mayo mask a whirl.

Dan and I have lots of mayonnaise packets in our house -- and neither of us use them. So I decided I would attempt my first-ever mayo mask. Here is what I did...

1. I brushed my hair so there were no tangles.

2. I filled a water bottle with warm/hot water and proceeded to spray my hair until it was wet, but not soaking/dripping.

3. I opened each pack of mayonnaise and covered my hair -- focusing on my ends. I applyed the mayo just like conditioner. No need to go with "fat free" mayo in this case. It's going in your hair, not your mouth.

4. I gathered my hair into a clip and covered my head with a shower cap -- I knew those hotel shower caps would come in handy some day! I let the mayo mask sit for 20+ minutes, letting the heat from the warm/hot water open my pores and let the mask sink into my hair.

5. I showered normally, washing my hair with shampoo and conditioner.

The end result... very SOFT hair! I was amazed at how well this simple, one-ingredient mask made my hair feel so healthy. While I was not a fan of how the mask smelled, I certainly thought it was worth it and I'll be doing it again... possibly soon!

Dan's NEW Job!

I am so excited, I just had to post about Dan's new job!

Back in April, I posted about how Dan lost his job -- due to lack of project funding. While the thought of having an unemployed spouse is certainly an unsettling feeling, I couldn't help but feel inner peace about the journey we were about to take. Ultimately, I knew God was in control. Sure, I had my good days and by bad days, but more than anything, life continued as normal as possible. Naturally, we cut back on spending (more than usual), but we still found ways to have fun and go out on dates. By God's grace, all our bills got paid and our savings never suffered!

Once Dan and I got back from Washington DC (April 4th), Dan hit the ground running and didn't stop until he got a job. He had two recruiters job searching for him, he was all over LinkedIn making contacts and updating his resume, he searched Career Builder and other job-friendly websites, he gave his resume to friends and family, he paid extra to have his resume delivered express to his favorite jobs, and he personally dropped off his resume to some of his favorite jobs. Without a doubt, he made job hunting a full-time job. Then, to take a "break" from job searching, he worked on the house and did some grocery shopping. So when job interviews started pouring in, I was in awe.

In the past couple of weeks, Dan had four job interviews and two offers. In the end, he passed up on two of the jobs before he could even make it to the second interview and he was very pleased to accept an offer from Particle Technology Laboratory (PTL). PTL was an excellent fit! On Wednesday, June 20th Dan had his first day! Dan really enjoyed his first day and we're both very excited to see where this new job opportunity will lead him. This new job will certainly be a learning experience for him and he welcomes the new challenges with an eager sense to learn and grow.

Praise the Lord for Dan's new job at PTL! Prayer works! God is good!

Colton Dixon

For the first time (ever!) I have been a consistent follower of American Idol. Normally, I begin each season by watching the auditions here and there and eventually tune out once the over-blown drama begins in Hollywood. But for some reason, this year Dan and I were drawn into American Idol like never before. Like much of America, we became Colton Dixon fans... and, also like the rest of America, we were completely shocked when Colton was voted off of American Idol. His very first time in the bottom three and he was eliminated -- as Hollie survived, yet, another week.

Without a doubt, Colton has expressed his devote Christian faith throughout this season of American Idol. Even when AI producers suggested to Colton that he take a step back from sharing his faith (in order to increase his chances of winning), Colton refused. At only 20 years old, Colton has shown such strong faith while being in the spotlight of a major television show. I am very impressed at how he has managed to share his faith -- whenever possible.

Below are brief questions and answers taken from Colton's American Idol's profile page.

Question: What was the first concert you attended?
Answer: MercyMe and Audio Adrenaline at Starwood Amphitheater. Great show.

Question: If you could perform in any venue?
Answer: The Dove Awards.

Question: How has music inspired you?
Answer: Music is the way I express myself. It's the number one way I worship.

Question: If you could perform with any person or group, who would it be and why?
Answer: Casting Crowns, so I could be a part of the ministry that they have. Amazing.

Question: What do you do to unwind after a performance?
Answer: Pray.

Question: What's your dream song to perform?
Answer: 'Everything' by Lifehouse.

Question: How do you combat stage fright?
Answer: I pray for peace and calm.

Question: How do you plan on differentiating yourself in the competition?
Answer: I embrace being different. God created us all different. I think America already sees that.

Question: If you couldn't sing, what other talent would you most like to have?
Answer: Talent to speak well. Same goal to spread the Gospel, but using a different tool.

Question: Who is the person that you would most like to meet?
Answer: Ha-ha. Right now, Tim Tebow. Just to see how being surrounded by a secular environment affected his faith and how he managed to stay grounded.

Question: What have you learned about yourself by going through the Idol audition process?
Answer: That I have what it takes. I just need to have faith and believe that God has a plan for me.

As Colton prepared to deliver his final performance, he got down on his knees (pictured below) and started to sing his all-time favorite song, "Everything" by Lifehouse. Closing his eyes and lifting his hand in worship, Colton sang to God -- his audience of one. He went out praising God, giving Him the glory for his success! As the song continued and show's closing credits began to roll, Colton stood and pointed straight up as he modified the song's lyrics, singing out, "He's all I want! He's all I need! God, you're everything! You're everything!" He may not have become Season 11's American Idol, but I'm sure Colton's testimony will continue to be used to bring glory to God, while helping the family of God grow!

In the beginning, I was just a fan of Colton and his musical talents. After hearing him share his faith and remain grounded, keeping God his number one fan, I became Coltn's fan on a whole new level. It was then that I started praying for Colton and his own ministry.

I'm praying for you, Colton Dixon. Stay strong in your faith and maintain your audience of one.

Here are two version of Colton singing "Everything":

"Everything" Preformed by Colton Dixon on American Idol (shortened version, before elimintaion)

"Everything" Preformed by Colton Dixon Crossroads Church in Corona, CA (full version, Colton on piano)