All You Need Is Love: September 2012

Saturday, September 29, 2012

Women of God

I find the above quote to be so powerful and encouraging. It is so much easier, and so much more comfortable to be "of the world", and not just "in the world". So many of my idols are related to fitting the mold of a worldly woman, not a Godly woman. Comparing myself to others. Seeking affirmation of others. Or having a constant struggle with the way I look. The above quote is a simple, yet wonderful reminder of our role in our world, Whose we are, and how we should be living.

Instead of comparing myself to others, I should be comparing myself to the likeness of Christ, striving to be more and more like Him.

Instead of seeking affirmation of others, I should be praising God for HIS unconditional love, daily mercies, and grace.

Instead of worrying about my outward appearance, I need to let my heart shine brightly, and my soul radiate the love of Jesus. Showing off my kindness and compassion, instead of my new lip gloss or hair-do.

I'm not saying I should stop wearing makeup, quit using a hairbrush, and not buy the pretty new peacoat that I've been eyeing. But when these earthly desires become greater than the desire to show off my faith, my love for others, and my commitment to Christ, that is when I need to take a step back, and reevaluate my thoughts and actions.

I find that the blog world can be a tricky one to navigate - there are so many amazing and encouraging blogs, but some that just make me want to go out and buy everything and anything - falsely thinking that it will make me happier and prettier.

Do you struggle with worldly pressures too?

XOXO

Friday, September 28, 2012

Friday's Fancies - Outfit Crush

Happy Friday, loves!

Hope you all had a wonderful week :) For the first week of fall here, I celebrated by burning my new fall candles, catching up on magazines....

cooking and baking up a storm...

and celebrating hub's birthday!

So, back to Friday. Today it's another round of Friday's Fancies, and I've linked up with {av} over at Long Distance Loving!

Today's theme is all about that outfit you've been "crushing" on. Mine would have to be Blair's perfectly layered, fall look. Complete with a pop of color, denim jacket, accessories galore, and leopard shoes. Ahhh. Love.

So that was my inspiration, and now for my creation:

peacoat - jacket - similar top - pants - watch - polish - bracelet cluster ring - bag - necklace - shoes - sunglasses

I love the pop of red that the bag gives, and this neutral peacoat would go with almost everything! Simple basics and gold accessories complete the look. Tie in the red on your nails, add some patterned flats, and this look is perfect for a day of errands, or even a date night out. (P.S. Just got these exact loafers last month and I'm in love!)

XOXO

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Birthday Boy!!

This past week (and weekend!), we celebrated hubs' 30th birthday!! And what a celebration it was :) NYC was amazing, and then after we got back, I had a few little surprises up my sleeve.

First up, I made him a little photo slideshow video, about our new "home" together, and the fact that no matter where we are, that being together is what "home" really means to me.

Next, was a fun little project that I had been working on - first seen on Pinterest. If you haven't seen it, it's basically a jar filled with lots of "dates", and you pick a random stick from the jar at the beginning of the week.

Throughout the week, you decide which day you can make the date happen, and there you have it! A fun new way to spice up your dating relationship! We have been together for over 8 years (married for 4), and I find that dating is just as important now (if not more important), than it was before we got married. It brings excitement, glamour, romance, and spice into the marriage, and allows you to have that special quality time that so easily can get lost in the craziness of life.

For the "dates", I just bought the multi-color pack of tongue-depressor sticks at Michaels, labeled them with lots of fun date ideas, and then used an old Mason jar to hold them.

For planning purposes, this is how I color-coded my sticks:

Yellow = At home dates

Green = $ dates out

Blue = $$ plan ahead dates

Another little surprise was a delicious home-cooked dinner and dessert made by yours truly. I made his favorite "Spaghetti and Meatballs" - thank you Pioneer Woman!

And then, for dessert, I made my very first Fruit Pizza!!

(hubs is not a big a cake fan.)

The fruit pizza was so easy, and delish. I'll just write down what I did!

Ingredients:

1 Pillsbury Refrigerated Sugar Cookie Roll

1 Package Reduced Fat Cream Cheese

1 8oz Jar of Marshmallow Fluff

Fruit of your choice!

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray round pizza pan with cooking spray.

Break up sugar cookie dough, and press in even layer to edges of pan.

Bake for 16-20 minutes until golden brown.

Cool at least 30 minutes.

Mix softened cream cheese and marshmallow fluff with electric mixer, until well combined.

Spread on cooled cookie crust.

Decorate with fruit!

ENJOY!!

XOXO

AND A HUGE SHOUT OUT TO MY BIRTHDAY BOY! I LOVE YOU MORE AND MORE EVERY DAY - YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE AND THE LOVE OF MY LIFE.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

European Adventure - Rome {1}

I am finally to my LAST city of our European Adventure blog posts!

And I just might have saved the best for last ;)
From the Amalfi Coast - see post here - we made our way to Rome, Italy. We planned to explore this city with 2 of our best friends from Tennessee, which worked out perfectly!

The first day we toured the Basilica de San Pietro (where Peter's chains are held), St. Peter's Basilica and the Vatican....

lunch break! ;)

my favorite ceiling of all time - the Vatican

We got a quick sneak peek of the Colloseum...

And then enjoyed the most wonderful evening in Rome - taking in the gorgeous views, and then having dinner and drinks near the Pantheon.

The next (beautiful!) day was spent taking in the amazing sites of the Roman ruins, the Forum, and Palatine Hill. It was absolutely breathtaking and I could have spent an entire week getting lost here!

the most amazing arch

I was in complete awe of this particular ruin - the picture does not even do the size of it justice - it was incredible.

Coming up - Rome part {2}!

Sunday, September 23, 2012

NYC Instagram!

John and I just back from the most fabulous weekend getaway in the Big Apple! We got an amazing deal on a hotel in Midtown, and had absolutely PERFECT weather the entire time.

We celebrated John's 30th (!!) birthday by:

- eating our weight (and more) in the deliciousness that is the Shake Shack -

- seeing the wonderful Broadway show, "Newsies" -

- spending an afternoon exploring the incredible Bronx Zoo -

- wandering through the NYC public library, and reenacting scenes from SATC the movie -

- and having an absolutely unforgettable weekend -

(all pictures via my Instagram - emily8463)

real pictures from a real camera {hopefully} coming soon!!

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!!

XOXO

Friday, September 21, 2012

A little "Pep" in my Step

Yesterday, I had about 3,346 things on my to-do list. Some of them were chores (like the mountain of laundry taking over our closet) and some were fun (decorating for fall, and making pumpkin bread!) Unfortunately, about 2 of those things got done. What happened, you might ask?

SATC the movie just HAD to come on TV. And of course, I HAD to watch it. All of it. I laughed, and cried, and then cried some more after realizing that I couldn't cross more items off my to-do list.

(Side note: Is it just me, or does anyone else literally make lists, just to cross things off of it?)

Anyway, between Big leaving Carrie at the church (hope that wasn't a spoiler), Samantha's sushi situation, and the honeymoon vacation, I took in all of the fashion do's and don'ts that SJP and the girls modeled. One particular dress was the floral peplum. Need a reminder?