Realize

I've come to realize that having a job...is a blessing.

I've come to realize that when I'm driving.... I'm a really good singer.

I've come to realize that I need...to spend more time with God.

I've come to realize that I've lost... time being hurt by not forgiving quickly enough.

I've come to realize that people.... are climbing mountains everyday. I need to be kinder than I think necessary.

I've come to realize that I'll always be....a work in progress.

I've come to realize that my mom.... is a way better mom than I ever gave her credit for.

I've come to realize that my cell phone.... doesn't get much attention from me.

I've come to realize that last night before I went to sleep.... my husband really appreciates me. and likes my cooking.

I've come to realize that right now I am thinking about.... my husband getting home from working. hopefully soon!

I've come to realize that today.... was rejuvenating. I love being 'alone' on the beach with a good book.

I've come to realize that tomorrow will be.... a great day to spend with my husband!

I've come to realize that I really want to... be better.

I've come to realize that this weekend....will be the last one of relaxation before a couple weekends away from home then going back to work....

I've come to realize that my ex...makes me appreciate my husband so much more.

I've come to realize that the best music to listen to when I'm upset is....David Crowder. or any other music on my playlist on the right....

I've come to realize that my friends... are amazing. and challenge me to be better.

I've come to realize that my husband... makes me a better person. and will always be my best friend and biggest supporter.

I've come to realize that the past year....was one of change. love. laughter. great memories. struggles. triumphs. smiles. and part of my journey towards God.

I've come to realize that when people walk out of my life....they've met the purpose God put them into my life to meet.

Raspcolate Torts

Raspcolate Torts because Mini Chocolate Raspberry Tartlets seems like a long name for such a tiny dessert.


1/4 Cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons butter
6 ounces softened cream cheese
1/2 Cup marshmallow cream
1/4 Cup heavy whipping cream
1 Tablespoon powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
30 frozen mini filo shells, thawed 10 minutes
30 raspberries

The photo above is for Rusty's benefit. You know, so he knows what Filo shells are. And so he doesn't come home with two options for heavy whipping cream, neither of which are usable (for this recipe). Of course they did go great with the Angel Food Cake last night.

In small microwave-safe bowl, melt chocolate chips and butter; let cool 15 minutes.

In medium bowl, beat cream cheese until smooth; gradually beat in melted chocolate mixture. Beat in marshmallow cream.

In another small bowl, combine cream with powdered sugar and vanilla; beat until stiff peaks form.
Fold into chocolate mixture.



Pipe into filo shells; top each with a raspberry.



Serve immediately or cover and chill up to 4 hours.



Optional: Serve for husband's 31st Birthday Dinner. Also recommended: Angel Food Cake and lots of little ones to help blow spit all over cake blow out candles.

Thanks to all the Peasleys for another fun filled Rusty birthday. I think this concludes the week of Rusty celebrations.

Wedding Party & Flowers

Kelly's "Show Us" this week: Wedding Party and Flowers

Rusty & I are blessed to have great friends and family. I always thought I'd have a tiny wedding party, but it was so hard to keep the numbers small. (So we didn't). We included as much family as we could. We made up jobs/titles because we had so much family and friends we wanted to include. Here is a picture of us with our bridesmaids and groomsmen. (And also, our nephew Colson, as Rusty's sister (next to him) was pregnant with Colson at the time)

I LOVED my flowers. I wanted to do hydrangeas but had been advised not to because they do not hold up well and it was the end of July when we got married. I opted to get fake ones and made my own bouquets. Mine was cream and the bridesmaids were green. Most of the girls gave theirs back to me and I use them to decorate (one of) our Christmas tree(s) at Christmas.

Tied to my bouquet, I had a photo of my grandma on her wedding day and her and grandpa's rings. Grandma was an amazing woman and it was so great to have those things close to me on my wedding day.

Happy Birthday, Rusty!

Today is Rusty's 31st birthday!!



We had lunch at one of his favorite's, Hu Hot. Hopefully by tomorrow's birthday dinner, we wont be as full....

After lunch, we went to the Iowa Hall of Pride. Rusty has wanted to go for awhile. We basically had the place to ourselves.
Here's Rusty playing ump. Too bad they didn't have a basketball ref one..

Here we are doing virtual soccer.


Notice the first place champion. After we did singles, we doubled up and did some team goaling. We are pretty amazing.
Happy Birthday, Rusty!!

Ledges

It's Rusty's birthday week. So be nice to him. And do fun things that he enjoys (oh, I like them too!). Like go to Ledges. With a dog that had a recent dose of Frontline (yup, no baths for a couple days...). (Okay, the wet dog part wasn't THAT great.... But the rest of the afternoon was!)
Oh yeah... and did you catch that? I said Birthday WEEK. As he's been reminding me for several days now. I guess the great thing about having my birthday after him is that I can now get a Birthday MONTH instead. ;)

Did I mention this wet dog's collar slipped off? And he took off running? In the streams?




Yeah, it's mushy. But this is where we filmed our awesome engagement video. You know, the one we played at our wedding reception with stories of how we met and stories of our dating years. With lots of pictures of the two of us growing up and then together. The one we danced our first dance to. The one that had special messages recorded to each other at the end that we weren't to watch until after our wedding. Those messages we still haven't seen yet. The video that we still haven't received yet, even though every time we actually get our videographer to answer his phone he swears "it is in the mail on its way to us, no for real this time." So yeah, this place holds a sentimental place in our hearts. ;) No, for real.


Okay... I've finally blogged something other than an auto post for the first time in a couple weeks. Better get to bed, because tomorrow:
with WAY more candles. ;)

Baseball

R & I made our 2nd appearance (in one week) at the ball park last night. The Gilbert Tigers (where R coached the last few years) made it to the state baseball tournament. They played 11 hard fought innings and (unfortunately) lost 1-0. Even with the loss, we had a great time watching Coach Brown and the Tigers. All 11 innings...
Taylor (5yo) had a great time playing photographer. Here's some of her work:



My favorite:




There's Coach Brown by 1st base
Great game, Tigers! We'll miss you this basketball season (though we wont miss the driving....)

Happy Birthday, Jett!

My beautiful cousin Amy, her husband Jeff, and their sweet little boy Drew welcomed a new member to their family this week. Happy Birthday, Jett! We cant wait to meet you!!


Updated: I couldn't resist Jett's cute new pictures so I stole another photo from Amy and changed this. Isn't she good? And isn't he adorable??

Sandpaper

".....He will put people and circumstances in your path that grate on you like sandpaper, but He will use them to rub off your rough edges. You may not always like it; you may want to run from it; you may even resist it, but God is going to keep bring up the issue, again and again, until you pass the test....."

--Your Best Life Now -Joel Osteen

Wiconsin Dells

Apparently I didn't take many pictures... but Rusty & I went to Wiconsin Dells last week with my family. My sister told her little boy, Maddox, they were going on vacation. He would get really excited and say, "To H's House?!" He was thrilled to get to our house! We stopped at Field of Dreams on the way and as we went to get in the car to leave he said, "Goin home, back to H's House!"

Here's Maddox with Rusty in the Infinity (?) room at House on the Rock. The room had 3,000+ (?) windows. I don't think Hicks Construction had this job...


Still at the House on the Rock. It is impossible to take a posed picture with Todd around.

Morgan waiting patiently. She looks so teeny up against this wall.


Rusty brought flowers to the hotel for our anniversary.


Last day on the train. Maddox was too busy for pictures.

Wedding Dress

Kelly's "Show Us" today is wedding dresses.

This week marks our 2nd wedding anniversary. What perfect timing for the wedding dress post.

I loved my wedding dress. I bought (okay, my mom bought) the actual dress at Schaffers. I liked it. But didn't love it as is.

So then I went to Dornink and had my jacket made. I had sketched what I wanted my dress to look like and went everywhere to find something similiar. No luck. Now, you see the cap sleeve lace look everywhere.... That's about par for me!

I ordered some double face satin Midori ribbon online to make into a sash. And made my veil out of some simple tulle. The sash cost about $10 (vs. $89 and the bridal shoppe) and the veil cost $3 (versus $250). (Sorry, Schaffers and Dornink aren't that cheap.... but at least you can save money in other ways!)

Anyway, here's the dress that I loved!

Happy Anniversary!!

Two years ago today, I married my best friend!

Kelly from Kelly's Korner is hosting Wedding related "Show Us" posts the next several weeks. Perfect timing as R & I reflect on our wedding day.

But today, I want to reflect on our marriage.
"Honey, the last two years have been amazing and I can't wait for 52 more just like them!!"
Sort of...

You see, this is what I hear "newlyweds" (we do still get to be considered newlyweds, right?) say (or post on facebook, ahem) all the time. I, myself, wrote my husband a card with a similar line in it not long after we had been married.

But then.

Life. happened.

Contrary to what you see in the movies or read in romance novels,
marriage. is. not. easy.

I am always amazed when couples make it look easy (If it is really that easy, I need more info from them!).

But for me us, marriage. is. not. easy.

In the two years we have been married, we have faced a number of trials. Moving three times, health issues, death, family issues, work issues, financial issues, issues, issues, issues. Oh... and have I mentioned we built a house in there? (No... not paid someone to build a house, actually built a house). Oh... and did I mention we housed an in-law for awhile? Before we built the house. In our TINY apartment. Them. and their dog.

Those things take their toll. They cause stress, tension, frustration.

It's easy to let those things consume you.

But love doesn't allow it.

I've been doing the "Love Dare" lately (I can post this because R found it and the secrets out). It's harder to do than I thought it would be.

It really makes me think. Makes me work at loving and not just letting it happen. Causes me to lead my heart and not just follow it.

I know, I know. How many times have you heard, "follow your heart!" But the Love Dare (and the Bible) challenges you to not just follow your heart but to lead it.

"He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered." --Proverbs 28:26

Walk wisely. It's hard to do. It's hard work. It's hard to choose to love when you don't feel like loving.

Reading this makes me wonder... do couples that get divorced just not feel like loving anymore? How many of us confuse love (or happiness for that matter) as a feeling instead of a choice? Okay.... you are right. Often times, initially, love is a feeling. But what happens when that feeling isn't as strong? What happens when tension is high and life's stress is taking its toll? Do you still feel in love? If not, are you willing to choose to love?

The Love Dare gives this example (keep in mind this is my loose translation.....): You have a car worth $1,000. It will cost $2,000 to repair it. What do you do? Most of us would replace it with a different vehicle. Makes sense.
Now let's say you cut your hand off in an accident. Would you be willing to pay whatever amount you could afford to get the best medical treatment available to fix it? Of course we would.

The problem is that many people treat marriage like the first example. It's broke. It's too much (money, time, energy, etc.) to repair it. So they trade it in. It's so easy to trade it in. Why go to the trouble to repair it when you don't feel like it?

Why aren't we (as a society) not treating our marriages more like our hand, a vital part of our very being? Why are we not willing to fight for it? I love the quote from the book (and the song, and the movie), "Love is not a fight, but it's worth fighting for."

So R, I know we have had life thrown in our face the last couple years but I am so thankful, so blessed, that you have chosen not to fight me, but to fight for me. That you not only feel in love with me, but that you also choose to love me. It has been a great two years. And I am looking forward to the next 52!

I'm looking forward to more walks, more movie nights, more late night chats, more family time, more porch swing sitting, more fireside sitting, more laughter, more dinners out, more vacations, more adventures, more (basketball), more projects, more shopping.

More love.

More you.

Happy Anniversary!

Grandma's Rolling Pin

One of my favorite memories of Grandma Helen is sitting beside her as she worked at the kitchen table with her rolling pin. She would roll out noodles, cinnamon rolls, pie crust. All with her one handled rolling pin.
I was blessed to grow up watching her at work.
I'm not sure how, but I was lucky enough also blessed to end up with Grandma's rolling pin.

Grandma's one handled, well loved, used lots, rolling pin.


Grandma also blessed everyone who knew her with the best pie they had ever tasted. I think the secret was in her crust (or, quite possibly, the rolling pin used to make it).

Grandma's Pie Dough

(note: Grandma didn't have recipes. A few years before she passed away, we were working on a family cook book. I sat diligently beside her trying to figure out how much of everything she used in all of her creations. These measurements are as close to Grandma's perfection as we could get.)

1 T vinegar
3/4 C. cold water
1 egg
4 C. flour (Grandma rarely sifted so if you choose to, you'll need to add more flower until it isn't sticky)
1/2 C. sugar
1 t salt
1 3/4 C. shortening

Stir egg, vinegar, and water together. Keep cold.
Mix flour, sugar, and salt, in large bowl. Cut shortening in with pastry cutter until well blended.
Stir egg mixture into flour mixture until well blended.
(Makes two double crust pies)



And Grandma's crust is so good, it doesn't matter if the peach pie filling recipe you find online is a flop, by the time you take a picture, there wont be much left to take a picture of.

Recipe for the Perfect Summer Meal

Recipe....







...for the......









...perfect......









....summer meal....







Sweet Corn on the Cob, BLT sandwich, watermelon, and sweet tea (or pink lemonade).

Prep/cook time: 7 minutes.
Yum.

Small Towns

I grew up in a small town.
I moved back to a small town.
I love small towns.

Here are a few reasons I love small towns:

1.) Veering off the "normal" walk route ends up taking over 2 hours longer than normal. Reason: stopping to talk to several people that we typically do not see since they are not on the "normal" walk route.
2.) Impromptu Farmer's Markets at the "4-way."
3.) Barns tucked away off the highway with "stores" hidden inside. And filled with treasures.


Any guesses on what this is?






I know it looks like a coffee (or is it cocktail?) table (what, you don't see the resemblance?). But it's actually one of these. Yup, I didn't know what it was either. Oh and don't worry. I didn't spend nearly that much.

Another reason I love small towns? I walked out of the barn with this "table" and two dresses spending less than $50.

I love small towns. Especially in the summer.

Show Us: Children's Birthday Parties

Kelly's "Show Us" this week: Children's Birthday Parties

R & I hosted our first "Child's Birthday Party" last weekend. (Don't worry, it was for our niece, not our furry child, Dakota).

I posted about our "twofer" (birthday party AND yard party) here. Here are some details (from both):

I had bought the Yard Party supplies before I knew it was going to be combined with the birthday party (Hannah Montana, of course) so in the breakfast room we used those supplies for the drinks/snacks table.



We had a sign out front, you know, so none of our guests would be confused as to where the party is.... even though all of our guests are often at our house......
I realized I didn't get very many pictures of the "Birthday Party" set up (another reason I'd advise against twofers). She of course had a guitar cake and her own cake table. I love the magnet board in our entry because it was an easy way to put up lots of pictures of her. The chalkboard has the Happy Birthday song on it (you know, in case you forget the words...). Our dining room table was covered in a Hannah Montana table cloth. The party favors were turned into a centerpiece and her gifts/cards were lined up down the middle of the table. Still plenty of room for the kidlins to eat around the table (though most of them ate outside). I completely missed the pinata (and the slip 'n slide). But other than that, it was a great "twofer" party(ies). I guess it was a good crash course in birthday parties for us in case our furry child ever gets siblings.

Check out more @
Kelly's Korner: CHILDREN'S PARTIES!!!!!