snapshots of my fourth of july

It was a great 4th of July!!

:)

photos from my easter...

I had a wonderful Easter full of many blessings from Jesus!! After church, my family got together for dinner! My cousin & her family live a couple of hours away and they came over for the afternoon! Their little girl is 1 1/2 years old & she is the cutest ever!!! Of course I took several photos of her... 

& Here are a few more fun shots from lately...

Colorful nails for Easter!

My doggie loves her tennis ball! (She got a Easter bandanna from the groomers, cute!)

& Yes, I am a nerd... but I am just so happy that baseball season is here!!! 

YAY!!  Go Rockies!!  :) 

a few things i am loving...

... I am loving that "golden hour" is at 7pm!!! Praise the Lord!!

... I am loving this teal nail color!!

... I am loving this new soup that I made for dinner last night! Yumm!

(& I love that I have left overs for lunch today!!)

Here is the recipe...

Sausage & Kale Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, diced

1-2 garlic cloves, minced

¼ teaspoon crushed red-pepper flakes (optional)

5 potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size chunks

3 cans chicken broth

1 bunch kale, stemmed and roughly shredded

12 ounces of ground sausage, whatever kind you'd like: Italian, Turkey, etc...

(I used reduced-fat pork sausage & it tasted great)

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil over medium. Add diced onion and cook until soft. Add minced garlic and red-pepper flakes; cook for about a minute. Add the chicken broth & then the potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook the ground sausage. Season to taste.

Once the potatoes are done, take out about ¼ to half of the soup and puree it in a blender or food processor. Return the pureed soup to the pot; add the kale and the cooked ground sausage. Allow to simmer until the kale is wilted, about 10 minutes.

Enjoy!

Have a Happy Weekend!

a few happy things, lately...

Eating... a sweet & tangy orange for a snack, yumm!

Wearing... my pretty new shirt from old navy (it was $8!)

Creating... cute valentines-y nails (my sister's idea!)

And....

The happiest thing about today is that tonight I am going to see a performance of my favorite musical ever, My Fair Lady....with my mom, sister, & some friends. This is a dream come true for me! Our friends had an extra ticket, so we only had to buy two & that's how we are able to go! So.. I am very thankful! It may sound a bit silly, but I really think God worked this out! I know it's going to be an amazing show & I am so excited!! Needless to say, this song has been suck in my head...

I read this verse this morning & it felt so fitting for how I am feeling today...

"Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

James 1:17

Happy Thursday!! 

a lazy saturday...

I really loved the light coming in my bedroom this morning, so I decided to take a few more photos of my orchids. They really brighten everything up... so pretty!

 It is always nice to have a Saturday without any plans!

:)

comfort food for lunch today...

 

I made this yummy soup for dinner last night
& I got to enjoy it again for lunch today... yay for leftovers!!
It is so good & very healthy!
I love kale in soup & I want to make these baked kale chips too.
It is such a healthy green. I love it!
And after lunch, I had chocolate chip cookies, right out of the oven...

This is comfort food, at it's best!!  :)

& I just wanted to share my current nail polish color! 

I can never get enough of grey!

:)

I hope you all are having a Happy Tuesday!! 

I will be having a GIVEAWAY a little later this week, 

so be sure to check back soon for that!

favorite new nail polish...

I really love this new polish that I just got! 

It goes on really smooth & the greyish-green color is my favorite right now.

Do you have any favorite brands or colors right now?

4 days 'til Christmas...

I got this Charlie Brown Christmas tree at a party that I went to on Monday! I have always wanted one! Isn't it so cute?! I am so thankful to the person that gave it to me, I was really surprised! :) 

& a little Christmas quiz... (from here)

1. egg nog or hot chocolate?

definitely hot chocolate!

2. does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

presents are wrapped! 

3. multi-colored or white lights on tree/house?

I prefer the big lights & multi-colored! But white lights are pretty too!
4. do you hang mistletoe? 

yes.
5. when do you put up decorations?

usually the weekend after Thanksgiving.

6. what is your favorite holiday dish?

On Chrismtmas eve, my family always has clam chowder! yumm!

7. favorite holiday memory as a child?

oh, there are so many... Putting up my Grandma's Chrismtas village with her every year! 

& I will always remember, once when I was little, I snuck out in the middle of the night to see everything under the tree... & my dad was actually up, rocking in his chair, watching the Christmas lights. When he saw me, I thought I was in trouble, but he didn't say a word! :)

8. when did you learn the truth about Santa?

I have always loved Santa, but I have never believed in him... In my family, the focus was always more about Jesus' birth! :)

9. do you open a gift on Christmas eve?

When I was a kid, we were allowed to open one gift on Christmas eve. But now, we open everything on Christmas morning!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

lots of lights (the big & little ones) & a collection of ornaments, some vintage bulbs, some handmade, etc...

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? 

I love it! until Jan & Feb rolls around & then I start getting tired of it!!

(& of course that is usually when it snows the most where I live)

12. Can you ice skate?

No.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?

Well, I got a watch a few years ago, from Fossil & I still wear it everyday! :)

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? 

Reflecting on all I have to be thankful for... For my family & mostly thankful that God sent His Son into this world to save us! It's so beautiful to get to celebrate that in so many special ways at Christmas time!

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?

Oh boy, we make so many... I love our homemade peanut butter cups, magic bars, & of course sugar cookies & pie!!

16. what is your favorite holiday tradition?

I really love going to my church's Candlelight Service on Christmas Eve every year!

17. what tops your tree?

a star!

18. which do you prefer: giving or receiving?

I love to pick out the perfect gifts for my family & see their excitement on Christmas morning! But, yes, it is fun to receive too! :)

19. candy canes. yucky or yummy?

yummy!

20. favorite Christmas show?

either "A Charlie Brown Christmas" or "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer".

21. saddest Christmas song?

umm... "Please Come Home for Christmas" by The Eagles... sad, but I love it! haha!

22. favorite Christmas song?

Well, there are way too many to just choose one... but I especially love a song called "Here with Us" by Joy Williams & of course, "It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas" by Bing Crosby!

& Here are my Christmas-y nails! So fun!! :)