Summer eatin' had me a blast! (Grease anyone?)

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope." We all go through periods of time where we must wait....wait some more....wait a little bit longer....oh and then wait some more. James and I have been in this waiting season for quite a while when it comes to our near future plans but it is during these times that the Lord strengthens and encourages our faith. He may be testing you but have no fear, put your hope in Him and Him alone and you will always pass the test!

Here are a couple recipes for easy and tasty summer eatin'....

Quick and Easy BBQ Bites

From: Me!

1 can reduced fat crescent rolls

2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

Favorite barbecue sauce

Pinch of cayenne pepper

1 Tbsp butter, melted

1. Preheat oven to crescent roll package directions (I believe 350).

2. Mix shredded chicken with enough bbq sauce to thoroughly moisten the chicken (I had done mine in the crockpot which makes it super tender and easy to shred. Just throw in chicken breasts seasoned with salt and pepper and some chicken broth. Cook on low til done). Add a sprinkle of cayenne to taste.

3. Unroll crescent triangles onto a greased baking sheet. Place a large dollop of chicken mix onto each crescent, roll up and pull sides to prevent chicken from falling out.

4. Melt butter and brush with a pastry brush over each crescent.

5.  Bake according to package directions.

These are super tasty and super easy (I'm sure this is not an original recipe by any means haha). They're awesome when you're in a pinch and don't really know what to make for dinner or would be a great appetizer!

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Fiesta Couscous Bowl

From: Me!

2 chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces

1/4 tsp garlic salt

1/4 tsp chili powder

1/2 tsp cumin

Olive oil

1 red pepper, diced

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 can corn, drained

Pinch of red pepper flakes (or more...next time I'd add more)

1 medium lime

1 small avocado, diced

Couscous

*you could also use rice, wrap this up in a tortilla, serve it over chips...you name it!

1. Cook cous cous according to package instructions.

2. Cut chicken into bite size pieces. Heat a small amount of olive oil over medium high heat in large skillet and toss in chicken. Add garlic salt, chili powder, and cumin and mix until spices coat all chicken pieces.

3. When chicken is done, lower heat to medium low and add red pepper and green onions. Cook for a few minutes (I wanted my veggies to keep some of their crunch).

4. Add black beans, corn, and pinch(es) of red pepper flakes and cook for a few more minutes 

to heat through.

5. Squeeze lime over chicken mixture.

6. Scoop cous cous into bowl, add chicken mix, and top with freshly cut avocado.

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This next recipe is the best of both worlds! It's basically pasta drenched in creamy white queso....what's better than that??? 

Tex-Mex Chicken & White Cheddar Spaghetti

From: http://www.laurenslatest.com/tex-mex-chicken-white-cheddar-spaghetti/

3/4 lb thin spaghetti

3 Tbsp butter

1 cup diced yellow onion

2 Tbsp flour

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup milk

1/2 lb grated sharp white cheddar cheese

1 Tbsp chopped pickled jalapenos + 1/2 Tbsp juice

1/2 tsp cumin

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken 

3 Tbsp chopped cilantro (I omitted) 

1. Bring large pot of water to boil. Cook spaghetti to al dente and drain. Remove hot pot to burner.

2. Melt butter and saute onions until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in flour and cook 2 minutes. Slowly whisk in chicken stock and milk to prevent lumps. Increase heat to thicken sauce.

3. Sprinkle in grated cheese and stir continuously to to melt into sauce evenly.

4. Stir in cumin, salt, pepper, jalapenos, jalapeno juice, chicken, cooked spaghetti and cilantro. Toss to coat evenly in sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

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Happy eating friends!

Party Time!

Jude 20-23 "But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit. Keep yourselves in God's love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life. Be merciful to those who doubt; snatch others from the fire and save them; to others show mercy, mixed with fear - hating even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh." I love the imagery of keeping ourselves in God's love while we wait for our eternal life that is secured by the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ, his death, and his resurrection. I imagine a warm peace that wraps itself around our hearts, minds, and bodies as we stay in God's love. And the best part? His love never fails. His love and mercy is new every morning. He promises that He will never leave us or forsake us. So what part do we play in keeping ourselves in His love? It's not proving our worth, because we are all sinners and all fall short. It's not putting on a facade so that others will see and praise us, because meaningless acts do not please the heart of God. Keeping ourselves in God's love is giving our whole selves to Him, declaring our trust in His infinite goodness, and enjoying His presence. Even when we don't understand, even when nothing seems to be going our way, God is still good.

Last weekend was my sister's bachelorette party and just one month before her wedding! Maybe I should start working on that reception toast...yikes public speaking. Anyways, this was the perfect occasion to try out some new recipes on the girls!

I found this recipe through pearls-handcuffs-happyhour.blogspot.com and decided it would be absolutely perfect to make as a sweet treat for my sister's bachelorette party! I mean the name alone suits the occasion let alone all of the amazing sugar-coma-inducing stuff that is loaded up on these babies. To. Die. For.

Better than Sex Chex Mix

8 cups (1 box) chocolate Chex cereal

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

6 Tbsp. butter

3 Tbsp. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup mini Reese's peanut butter cups (halved)

1 cup mini marshmallows (I omitted these since my sister and I are not a huge fan)

1/2 cup caramel bits

1 Tbsp. heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup milk chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chips

1 tsp salt

1. Pour entire box of cereal into a large mixing bowl (I found chocolate Chex at Target). In a separate bowl, mix together brown sugar, butter (cut into smaller pieces for easier melting), and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 1 minute, remove, and stir. Microwave again for about a minute, remove, and stir. 

Add baking soda and stir until dissolved.

2. Pour brown sugar mixture over cereal and stir until evenly coated (you will not believe how good it smells already!). Put the cereal into the microwave and heat for 3 minutes, stirring after every minute.

3. When cereal is done heating, spread it out evenly on a wax paper-lined  baking sheet. Let it cool for about ten minutes then break it up into small pieces. (Seriously, I could eat it just like this and not even add any of the other goodies - it's that good!)

4. Spread marshmallows (if using) evenly over the cereal. Do the same with the peanut butter cups.

5. In a small bowl, mix together cream and caramel bits (found in the baking aisle). Microwave for about a minute. (Time might vary - keep an eye on it so it doesn't burn!) 

Once it's melted, drizzle over the cereal with a spoon.

6. Microwave chocolate chips for 40 seconds to a minute, making sure it doesn't burn. Drizzle with a spoon over the cereal. Repeat with white chocolate chips. (Okay, I could not get my white chocolate to melt and drizzle well so the drizzles got a little chunky - but hey, it's all good right?)

7. Sprinkle salt over cereal and place baking sheet in the fridge to set and harden.

I'm so sad I forgot to take pictures but just from the ingredient list alone you can tell this is going to be good! There is nothing in there NOT to love! 

This next recipe I found on skinnytaste.com and thought it'd be the perfect snack for the bachelorette party to combat all that sweet y'all just read about. Again, forgot to take pics but this appetizer was so good - light, refreshing, and healthy! Plus it was a cinch to throw together before I left for the weekend. I definitely want to make it again this summer when its hot hot hot!

Southwestern Black Bean Salad


1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
9 oz frozen corn, thawed
1 tomato, chopped
1 small avocado, diced
1/4 cup red onion, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
(I just had some green onions on hand so threw those in instead)
Juice of 1 lime
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp cilantro (I omitted)
Salt and fresh pepper

1. Combine beans, corn, tomato, red onion, scallion, cilantro, salt and pepper. Mix with lime juice and olive oil. Marinate in fridge for 30 minutes. Add avocado before serving.

How easy is that?!

Random thought.....Can I just tell you how obsessed I am with this song?? It is awesome and makes me want to stop whatever I'm doing and worship right there on the spot. Hope y'all enjoy as well!

Craftastic.

Lamentations 3:25-26: "The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord." We have begun the month-long craze of Christmas hustle and bustle. This frantic rush to find everyone just the right gifts at just the right price sometimes has us pulled in a million different directions. Let's make it our goal this Christmas season to shut out the noise of the commercial Christmas and tune in to the quiet peace of the true meaning of this holiday. Put your hope in Him and seek the Lord first, not the marked-down aisles of any store, and He will be good to you! You can count on that promise :)

This Thanksgiving was the first one for us as a married couple and that meant lots of driving to see both sides of the family in a very short amount of time. But it was definitely worth it! This year my younger sister-in-law, a fellow Pinterest devotee, came up with all kinds of craft ideas (both edible and non) for us to produce in our holiday sweat shop (sweat as in the only time we changed out of comfy sweats was for about an hour to eat our Thanksgiving meal and snap a few pics). Not only did she have the ideas in mind, but she went ahead and acquired every single thing that we would need to make them! While my husband and his dad watched the endless football games, my two sisters-in-law and I were busy hot gluing away like mad women. And so, I present to you the results of our labor of love....

Pinterest came through for us majorly on this holiday, in both recipe and craft inspiration. We made this cute little guy to snack on during one of the many football games on Thanksgiving day. I present to you...the turkey cheese ball! Cream cheese, cheddar cheese, finely chopped turkey, and some seasonings (if you want the recipe I can get it from my sis-in-law) formed this turkey's body. His tail feathers are crackers decorated with different colors of cream cheese, dyed with food coloring and pecans cover his body. Slice a red bell pepper for his neck/head and secure with toothpicks. Add details such as eyes and a beak with colored cream cheese (the eyes our skills were able to produce creeped my father-in-law out haha). This cheese had really good flavor...unfortunately however....when it was wrapped in saran wrap chilling in the fridge before adding the details we referred to it as "the turkey cheese brain" (it kinda looks like one...alot). Not a good thought to have in your head as you eat! I actually had to force feed a cracker with a tiny smidge of the cheese ball to my husband who (after whimpering like a small child) admitted that the flavor was good but all he could think of was TURKEY CHEESE BRAIN! Moral of the story.....don't be immature. Ha!

Nothing says fall like acorns! Simplest and cutest (and tastiest) little snack...seriously ever time we opened the fridge we felt the need for another nibble. Little nutter butter cookies form the acorn cap, a Hershey kiss is the nut and a chocolate chip forms the little stem. Secure all parts with a little bit of frosting (we colored white store-bought frosting with food coloring).

Next up: Rice Krispie Pumpkins! My sister-in-law found the recipe on Pinterest and it called for orange jello mix in the traditional rice krispie treat mix. After we made these precious little treats we decided the orange flavoring made it a little too sweet and next time we would stick with food coloring to get the nice pumpkin look. Anyhoo, spray your hands with cooking spray to form the balls without having cereal cemented on your hands by marshmallow glue. Use a tootsie roll for the stem and (attempt to) decorate with green frosting to add leaf embellishments.  

Bet you didn't know the pilgrims had delicious little hats that taste suspiciously like Reese's peanut butter cups?! This is seriously the best dessert ever because you actually get three sweets in one without having to visit the dessert table three different times. (Side story - at a dinner/auction fundraising event at the preschool I totally got called out by the senior pastor of the church for not straying too far from a certain table all night. "You haven't moved very far have you?" Uh no. Thanks for noticing.) White cupcakes, vanilla frosting (I believe my sis-in-law topped hers with the sugar crystal sprinkles but you could do whatev), a Keebler fudge stripe cookie, and an upside-down Reese's peanut butter cup create these super cute Thanksgiving treats. Add detailing with some colored frosting and viola!

Now on to the crafts.....

These reindeer actually began their journey as plain matte glass ornaments. We squeezed brown paint inside and turned them every which way to try to get it all covered. I believe there is an entire bottle of brown paint dried inside my poor Rudolph but that is beside the point. It was actually super entertaining trying to get all the random tiny spots that somehow escaped the paint the first ten squeezes. Then comes the stressful part....trying to get the eyes and mouths straight (mine would be the little guy in the middle sans mouth...I thought it looked cute and had already sweated through one shirt attempting to paint a symmetrical smile). Use brown pipe cleaners to customize your antlers!

These snowmen were actually our first ornament craft and were so stressful we frequently called out "Alcohol! I need alcohol!" Rubbing alcohol that is.....although by the end I was happy to see my margarita on Wednesday night. We discovered that if you mess up you can rub off whatever paint you want with rubbing alcohol as long as it is still wet. Fill a clear glass ornament with fake snow (note to the wise...use a funnel of some sort and be prepared to spend a little while filling Frosty's face). Turned out pretty cute huh?!

This next craft took me back to my childhood days when my sister and I would help my grandma make crafts for an enormous bazaar at her church selling all sorts of handmade Christmas items. Our inspiration came from Pinterest, of course, but we used white tube socks instead of a sweater like the pin. Stuff a tube sock with quilt batting, stuff some more, stuff some more, and then when you are done, stuff it some more! I got tired of stuffing and decided my snowman would just be petite (can you guess which one that would be? Ha!) After you get the size base you desire, secure it with a rubber band then continue stuffing for his head. Secure with another rubber band. You will be left with quite alot of sock that looks like the snowman has a very long ponytail. After singing a couple rounds of "Whip my hair" while making my snowman dance, it was time to cut off the excess. My sis-in-law selflessly made all three hats for our snowmen using black felt and hot glue, first by making a cylinder out of felt. Cut a circle the same size as one end of the cylinder to form the top of the hat. Then, cut a circle with a hole in it (a doughnut, if you will) to form the base. You want your hat to be solid so that you can hide the little tuft of sock ponytail. Buttons form the eyes, as well as the holly berry. Cut the carrot nose and holly leaves out of felt, attach all details with hot glue. We used fabric scraps to make a little scarf. I stuck my little snowman on my husband's desk so he can have a friend while doing homework. I know deep down he appreciates his new companion.

Three ingredients: Jar. Tissue Paper. Modge. Podge. Done! Cover the outside with tissue paper and a thick coat of modge podge. After the podge had completely dried, we added little details like a ribbon around the center and a printed label. I stocked mine with chocolate as my "reindeer treats".

 One of my sis-in-laws spotted these little snow globes at Anthropologie going for 30 bucks! Well, we decided to make our own and I hope no one spends that much money because they are a cinch to make (sorry, Anthro I love you but not your prices). Four ingredients: 1 Ball jar, mini Christmas trees found at a craft store, epsom salts, and ribbon to finish the look. Hot glue the two pieces that comprise the lid together to avoid your snow globe being opened and spilled everywhere. Since your jar will actually be upside down sitting on the lid, hot glue your trees to your lid. Pour some epsom salt into the jar and secure the lid. Flip it over and adjust the amount of snow. After you have the desired snowfall, secure your lid to the jar with hot glue. Finish with a ribbon and there you go! So there Anthro!

Are you feeling the craft bug yet? Next on the list...button wreaths! Super cute and super easy. Start with a wooden circle acquired at any craft store (you know that aisle chock full of unfinished wood at Hobby Lobby? Well, now you have an excuse to go down those wooden halls) and paint whatever color you desire. We chose a shimmery neutral. Next, use a cup to trace a circle onto your wood to use as a guide. Then get to button-ing! I decided on green, red, and brown-ish neutrals for mine (on right). After getting them all situated the way I wanted them I decided to scrap the whole thing and just glue as I go. It's much easier to layer them as you glue versus attempting to layer then move each one while they are still in position. Just wing it :) I set mine up on a little easel in our kitchen and love it!

Last craft pic I promise! We got our inspiration from a little tree my mother-in-law bought and thought we could make our own! I love walking into any store or boutique and thinking "I could totally make that". Now if I actually get the materials and make it is a whole 'nother story but at least the ambition is there right? Start by painting wooden spools brown (another trip down the unfinished wood aisle is in your future yay!) After those dried we covered the middle with wide burlap ribbon. Cut a piece of wire (my mom-in-law found some that kind of looked like thick twine or rope (picture wire wrapped in brown raffia..is that a better image?) and glue it to the inside of the hole going through the top of the spool. Form a star from this same wire (ok, somehow my star came out literally 4 times bigger than either of my sisters-in-law's stars. How this happened I have no idea. All I know is that mine looked like Patrick the starfish from Sponge Bob for the longest time) and glue to the top of your tree trunk wire. For the branches we snipped different sized pieces off of a mini table-top tree and secured with hot glue. Finally, adorn with button "ornaments". I balanced my gigantic star with a gigantic burlap bow and it totally did the trick. Our tree is sitting on our bookcase shelf next to our Christmas tree in the living room. Sadly, they look somewhat similar....hey those fake Christmas trees are not cheap! But I love our Charlie Brown tree and it is the thought that counts :)

Happy Crafting! 'Tis the Season!

Fall into the Lord!

Psalm 94:18-19 "When I said, 'My foot is slipping,' your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your consolation brought joy to my soul." I absolutely love the imagery that this verse brings to mind about the love and support that the Lord so freely gives to us. I always think that if you are going through a rough patch, which we all have, and you feel as if you are about to fall, just fall into Jesus. Trust me, He is infinitely better to fall into versus falling into disappointment, grief, anger, or whatever other emotions rough patches like to bring up in us. He is there, ready and willing to catch you, bringing joy, peace, and consolation. And what's more, He has been waiting for you all your life and will continue waiting until you return to Him. Let us embrace this love today!

Fall has arrived at the Sebesta household! Although it does not quite feel like it outside, Hobby Lobby and I came to an agreement this Labor Day...it is most definitely the fall season! My sweet mama gave me an early Christmas present (who hasn't heard of advent in August?!)....a gift card to the wonderful world of Hob Lob!!! I literally spent 2 hours on my day off on Monday perusing the aisles of fabulous decorative pumpkins, fall foliage, and assorted autumn awesome-ness, while sneeking a peak down the Christmas aisle to plan out what I will spend my other half of the gift card on (ok...I'm really bad at estimating and didn't quite divide it evenly). I am proud to say that for less than the cost of a professional fall wreath even at 50% off, which in my opinion are so overpriced, I created my own wreath, a little decorative sign, a decorative pot, and a football spirit sign. Now I just have to wait one week to put everything out. Allow me to share the laborious efforts of my Labor Day. I might have sipped on a homemade chai latte while crafting, just to put that faux fall crisp in the air. How James puts up with me I will never know ha!

My fall wreath...slightly rambunctious. I could not for the life of me remember how to do a wreath bow so I settled for a big knot and entwined the ribbon throughout. James's first words were, "Cheetah ribbon?" You betcha!

All that's in this baby is the 4 pumpkins/gourds and a fall garland I already had in a pot I already had. Everything else inside is Styrofoam. Looks full huh?

Thanks 50% off scrapbooking paper!

This one I think I'll wait to put up until closer to November (ok, maybe October...I'm not a patient person). And I think I'll adhere it to a piece of wood or something to make it a little sturdier. That's just 2 pieces of scrapbooking paper, some leftover cheetah ribbon from the wreath, gold glitter stickers, and 2 leaves and a pine cone I plucked off of my garland.

Speaking of fall, aka falling, I absolutely stink at wakeboarding! We visited my parents at their beautiful lake house on Lake Travis and I tried this (awful) water sport for the first time ever! I know I lack all natural talent for anything related to sports (this stems from horrific p.e. experiences in 5th and 6th grade when I was forced to play dodge ball against a team of boys that most likely should have been in 8th grade at least. 60 pounds AND glasses? Recipe for disaster.) But I didn't realize it extends to water sports as well! Now, according to my parents, husband, sister, and soon-to-be bro-in-law, I have to try it on more than two different occasions to get better but I truly expected to be somewhat good somewhat fast! These same people I call family also told me that I would be SO much better on Sunday morning than Saturday afternoon. Guess what? I was worse. Thanks for giving me false hope mom. Why do you have to be so encouraging of your daughter who cried when forced to go to softball practice in 3rd grade due to the fact that you just painted her nails? I decided I am the boat sitter/encourager of others wakeboarding attempts.

Somehow after my weekend of falling and getting my arms yanked out of their sockets by a rope tied to a moving water vehicle left me floundering when it came to my last run of week 4. I don't know what happened but the Lady of the Lake took all my coordination and stamina. It wasn't just the fact that I tired way faster than usual, it was the fact that I could not get a somewhat normal/decent rhythm down while running. My knees were actually knocking together with each step...how does that happen? All the while my arms were going at an off-beat pace....let's just say it was not a pretty sight to those unfortunate souls who did not have Labor Day off. And I know I have exaggerated about dog chasing me before but seriously, a pit bull began to run after me as soon as I stepped off of our duplex stairs. Sorry to judge a book by it's cover, but pit bull...consider yourself pre-judged. My pathetic-ness got even more pathetic as I walked back to James's car (luckily we walked out the door at the same time and he had not left for school yet) and made him drive me down to the front of the neighborhood to avoid this dog and his natural tendency to chase after a girl whose legs look remarkably like small chicken legs....tasty. Disregard the fact that James pointed out - "you realize that dog's tail was wagging when he walked up to you". That means nothing to this scaredy cat!

Well my sweet husband was a very happy man this weekend.....Aggie football!! I think a little piece of him died slightly due to the fact that we did not get tickets to the actual game. But we had a great time tailgating before and made it home in time to shower off, make some delicious food and watch it on TV! I think that was the first time I have not been melting in my own puddle of sweat while watching those Aggies. And I made up for us not going with an appetizer I made up last minute in our kitchen and a family staple! Enjoy...

Eat-Your-Heart-Out-Totinos Pizza Rolls

So I wanted to do an appetizer that was beyond our usual cheese and crackers or chips and salsa package. I looked in our fridge and saw that we had leftover ingredients from making a pizza the other week and voila! It's not super creative but sooo yummy!

1 package crescent roll dough

Jar of pizza sauce

Italian seasoning 

Pepperonis (I used the turkey kind...don't tell James...)

Shredded mozzarella

I bet you can tell where I'm headed with this:

1. Unroll all of the crescent roll triangles on a baking sheet.

2. Spoon a little bit of sauce on each piece.

3. Top with Italian seasoning, pepperonis (4-5 per piece), and cheese.

4. Roll up, starting with short side of the triangle, leaving the point-side down on the sheet.

5. Bake according to crescent roll package instructions (I believe it was 375 for 11-13 minutes).

And just think of the possibilities! I think I want to try a pesto, chicken, and cheese roll next...to be continued!

King Ranch Casserole

Making this brought back so many childhood memories. We grew up eating this quite frequently and I was pleased to see that it tasted as good as I remembered! I served mine up with a side of black beans and chips. Fortunately for James, he loved it! If things had been otherwise....hello marriage counselor!

4 chicken breasts (or 2 roasted chickens)

1 dozen corn tortillas, cut into pieces

1 chopped onion

2 cups grated cheese

King Ranch Sauce:

1 can cream of chicken soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1/2 can Rotel

1/2 can chicken broth

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cook chicken in a small amount of lightly salted water until tender. Cut into pieces. (I didn't read this part and just did it in my usual olive oil way).

3. In a 2.5 quart greased casserole dish (I used 8x8 glass dish for my halved version), place a layer of chicken, half of the tortillas, half the chopped onion, half of the cheese, and half of the King Ranch sauce.

4. Repeat the layers ending with grated cheese (I snuck some more cheese on top at the end).

5. Bake uncovered for about 1 hour.

My labor of love (aka preschool) picked back up with surprisingly wonderful weather! So my fall decor did have an impact muahaha! We spent alot of our time enjoying the cool 88 degree weather, moving our circle time read aloud outside to the shade under a giant tree and playing with bubbles (the messiest fun ever created!), balls, sidewalk chalk, and a huge parachute. I passed on my extensive knowledge of hopscotch to these young members of society, a job I felt was extremely urgent in a world where many children stay holed up in their rooms attached to some sort of electronic game or gadget. Best quote of the day came from my precious little cowboy who I told to go potty once he woke up from his nap. Sitting on his mat in a just-woken-up-daze, I told him to go potty in a quiet voice so I wouldn't disturb the other sleeping babies. He just stared at me..."What?" I repeated. "What?" Finally, the message was conveyed. As I helped another student with her shoes, my little cowboy walked over to me, put his hands on his knees to get real close to my face, and told me in his loud twang, "If you talk louder I can hear you!" Point taken.

To end this note about fall and all things wonderful, I am so honored to introduce to you the best cookies in the entire world. Seriously. I give to you....waffle cookies! Nothing about these are like a waffle other than the fact that you bake them in a waffle iron. Score for us whose kitchen turns into an absolute inferno when the oven is on for any length of time! I got this recipe from my college roommate's mama and had to physically restrain myself from eating the entire batch before James even got home. I did have to do quite a few taste tests to really make sure they came out well...

Waffle Cookies

2 sticks butter

4 squares unsweetened chocolate (or 4 Tbsp. oil and 12 Tbsp. cocoa)

4 eggs

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 cups flour

(side note...I mixed everything together and preheated the waffle iron before I realized I was out of flour. Don't worry I had just come home from a Walmart trip. Winner.)

2 tsp. vanilla

Icing:

1 stick butter (soft melted, not runny)

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla and about 1 Tbsp. milk

1. Melt butter and chocolate in microwave.

2. Add remaining ingredients.

3. Drop by spoonful on medium hot waffle iron. (I had mine too low to begin with and they weren't cooking so I cranked mine up to medium-high)

4. Cook for 5-7 minutes, checking every minute or so.

5. Once cool, ice ice baby!

Get in my belly now!!!

 

Newlywed Mistake #1: Wait for the Sun!

Lamentations 3:22-24 "Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, 'The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.'" Some days we just feel completely consumed by the things of this world, whether it be the stresses of job, school, or everyday life or even sins we battle constantly and seem to never overcome. However, we can stand strong and confident in the fact that the Lord's faithfulness never, ever fails. As each new day appears, His love, grace, and mercy still remains as strong and secure as ever. No matter what happens throughout our daily lives, God is our portion. His love is all-sustaining, all-consuming, all-cleansing. We will wait on Him.

Speaking of waiting, my husband and I learned our first life lesson as newlyweds during our honeymoon. We went to St. Lucia, the most beautiful island God ever created and the most gorgeous place I have ever been (or probably ever will go!) in my entire life. Here is just a glimpse of our trip:

It was one of those places where you just are amazed at God's handiwork and wonder how anyone could question His presence after seeing such a gorgeous creation! All in all the trip was perfect. Our room only had 3 walls and our view was actually the very first picture! A cool breeze blew constantly so there was no need for AC and the entire resort was open air. We ate at a 5-star restaurant for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and the food was incredible! The waitstaff actually laughed at my over-the-top excitement about some of the food (plantains that grew down the hillside simmering in cinnamon, butter, and nutmeg served with homemade vanilla ice cream and drizzled with chocolate sauce....how could anyone NOT get super excited???) The employees were absolutely incredible at customer service and went out of their way to make our trip the best possible. In fact, I was told by a server (who had a beautiful Carribean accent) that she loved my voice...."like  Dolly Parton"......yeah. Dolly? Compliment or accident insult? I'll put it to a vote. In addition to eating and eating, oh and eating, we did a sunset sail, snorkeled, walked through a tropical botanical garden, visited a waterfall and sulphur springs, and just enjoyed God's majesty!

In the midst of having an amazing honeymoon, James and I learned a valuable life lesson/commited newlywed mistake #1. We did not pack any sunscreen because all of the bottles were too big to fit in our quart-size baggie for our carry-ons. Despite the fact that we could have bought a couple small bottles and filled them up with sunscreen we already had for a whopping total of 5 bucks, we decided to just buy some when we got to the resort. We knew it would be more expensive than Wally World but we thought eh, what the heck, I'm sure it won't be too bad. SO, day one, all giddy with excitement, we walked into the gift shop to purchase our necessary sunscreen. I expected it would be around ten dollars, a rip-off to me already. Nope....EIGHTEEN dollars later we walked out with the smallest bottle of sunscreen manufactured! Not only that....due to the rain that came in and out as well as the partly cloudy days throughout the trip, we did not use the sunscreen once! It is still unused with the price tag intact to document our one or two souvenirs.

Newlywed Life Lesson #1: Wait for the sun!

On a food note, we had a little get-together at our new duplex and I thought I'd share the menu with you! So tasty and SO easy....which is a common theme amongst my cooking:)

Spinach Artichoke Dip

This is a family recipe that is to-die-for!

1 10-oz. box of frozen chopped spinach

1 1/3 cup grated Parmesan

1 large onion, chopped

1 garlic clove, chopped

1 14.5-oz. can or frozen artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

4 oz. soft cream cheese

1 cup mayo

Salt, pepper

1 tsp. paprika

1. Defrost and squeeze spinach.

2. Mix 1 cup parmesan, spinach, artichokes, onion, garlic, cream cheese, mayo, salt and pepper.

3. Put in greased casserole dish and top with 1/3 cup parmesan and sprinkle with paprika.

4. Bake at 350 for approximately 30 minutes until hot and bubbly.

Cheesy Bread

I just googled and found this recipe..I believe on AllRecipes.com

8 oz. shredded Mozzarella

1 lb. shredded Cheddar

1/2 to 1 cup green onions, chopped

1/2 cup mayo

2 tbsp. sour cream (optional - I omitted)

3-4 cloves garlic, minced

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

I added salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to the mix

1 to 2 loaves Ciabatta or French bread (I used the leftover Italian loaf from the Chicken Bruschetta so my slices were a little thinner since it was pre-cut)

1. Mix cheeses and green onion. Stir in mayo and sour cream.

2. In separate bowl, blend butter and garlic until smooth.

3. Add butter mix to cheese mix.

4. Slice bread...really however you want!

5. Preheat broiler. Spread mix on bread and broil for 3-5 minutes until nicely browned.

Poppy Seed Chicken

Another family recipe that soon became a staple!

6-8 chicken breasts, cooked and cubed (or use roasted chickens)

1 cup cream of chicken soup

8 oz. sour cream

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

1-2 tbsp. poppy seeds

1 to 1 1/2 sticks butter

Rice (I use the 90 second brown rice from good ol' Uncle Ben)

You will not believe how easy this dish is...

1. First layer: chicken

2. Second layer: chicken soup mixed with sour cream

3. Third layer: Ritz crackers with poppy seeds thrown in.

4. Fourth layer: Melted butter poured on top....yummmm

5. Bake in a 9x13 dish at 350 for about 30-35 minutes or until bubbly.

6. Serve over rice.

You will not believe how good this is until you try it for yourself!!