Our Guest Room

It's been too long since I've been able to do one of these posts--over a year too long!

Today, my sweet mother and I (along with Jason) tackled a project I've been DYING to do. It's also been one of Jason's only requests as far as the house and it's decor has gone. 

We finally, FINALLY completed the guest bedroom!

The hold up? THESE DARK, DARK, BROWN DRESSERS that I for some reason, wanted painted DARK, DARK, BROWN when I was in college. I know, what was I thinking. I won't even tell you what Jason calls the color--I'm sure you can guess. 

So, without further ado, check out my new, favorite room in the house ;)

The dreaded "before" pictures

 You can see why I love these pieces--they are solid wood and have SO MUCH SPACE in the drawers. They are awesome. But, they needed a change. 

You can see in this picture what the knobs used to look like:

 It is AMAZING what paint, an electric sander, new knobs, new lamps, and really good company can do. 

 Here, we added a new lamp (got rid of the one that didn't match, at all) and also painted the corner shelves distressed white

 The chest with a new paint job and pretty new knobs!

 The biggie! Fresh paint, new knobs, and a pretty awesome lamp. 

One thing marked off my "summer to-do" list now and I am a happy girl!

Chicken "Lo Mein"

Another delicious, easy meal to add to our weekly arsenal

This one comes from the recipe book, "Make it Paleo" which has a TON of delicious recipes in it. 

Chicken "Lo Mein"

What you need:

Toasted sesame oil (we used coconut oil)

1 tbsp minced ginger (fresh ginger!)

1 tbsp minced garlic (we forgot this one and just used garlic powder)

1 lb. chicken, cubed

2 cups broccoli

1/2 water chestnuts (I'm not a fan, so we omitted these)

1/4 cup celery, chopped (Jason's not a fan, so we omitted this as well)

1/2 cup shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and cut in half

1/4 cup almonds, chopped

2 cups shredded cabbage

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

1/4 coconut aminos (we couldn't find this--we used tamari sauce, which is basically soy sauce but wheat free)

sesame seeds to garnish

What you do:

Heat the wok or skillet over high heat. 

Add sesame oil (or coconut oil), minced ginger, and garlic and sauté for 1 minute to allow the flavors to infuse the oil.

Add chicken to the wok (or skillet), and cook, stirring frequently for 3-4 minutes, or until the chicken is mostly cooked.  

Add in broccoli, water chestnuts, celery, and shiitake mushrooms; sauté for 2 minutes. 

Add in almonds, cabbage, and green onion.

Pour in coconut aminos (or tamari (or soy sauce if you must ;) )(2-4 tbsp).

Cook 2-3 minutes, until cabbage softens a little. 

Remove from heat, and garnish with sesame seeds. 

Mrs. Emily

This woman. 

Her silence was a ministry. 

Her smile was powerful. 

Her motions were meaningful. 

Her heart was strong.
and last night, she went to be with Jesus.

Mrs. Emily, over her lifetime, has had 2 strokes that left her without speech and in a wheelchair or using a walker majority of the time.
You've never met anyone like Mrs. Emily for although she couldn't talk, she had much to say. She would always seek you out and want to catch up, compliment some jewelry you were wearing, or steal a hug. She was always so intentional in seeking people out to interact with them. Her smiling face was a mark of God's goodness and her outlook on life. What a blessing it has been to know her, the entirety of my life. But even more so, what a sweet joy and comfort it is to know that right now, she's walking and talking again, but now it's with Jesus, her Savior. The ultimate gift she could receive, full healing and unity with God. What a comfort amongst the sadness of her no longer being with us.

Mr.  Walter, her sweet husband has been such a testament. I've never seen such dedication and unconditional love. What a picture of God and His goodness, mercy & grace to His people along with His care and love for us. I am so thankful that The Lord blessed my life by allowing me to watch them love each other--so well, and to be a very small part of their lives.

Please keep Mr. Walter and Mrs. Emily's 4 daughters and their families in your prayers and they navigate through these following days.

"But those who wait for The Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint." Isaiah 40:29

"But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20

Jamaican Jerk Salmon with Lemon Garlic Broccoli

It's been a while since I've posted a recipe and this one is worth waiting for, promise! 

It's pretty easy and it's so delicious. 

Jamaican Jerk Salmon

This one comes from: "Make it Paleo" recipe book. 

Forewarning: you need 2-4 hours to marinate the salmon so this one isn't necessarily quick as far as prepping is concerned. 

What you need:

1 lb. wild-caught salmon, cut into 4-6oz. We just used frozen, wild-caught salmon that's pre cut

1 tsp all spice

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Juice of 1.5 limes (I only had 1 this time around and it worked out fine)

What you do:

The first two steps in italics are only applicable if you use fresh salmon, not frozen

Rinse salmon under water and pat dry with paper towel

Cut salmon into 4-6 oz. portions and place in a gallon zip lock bag

If using frozen salmon, put it in the gallon zip lock bag. 

Then, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together all the spices, olive oil, and lime juice.

Pour the marinade into the bag, over the salmon, seal the bag and make sure the salmon is evenly coated in the marinade. 

Marinate the salmon for 2-4 hours prior to cooking. 

Heat pan to medium (5-6) and cook the salmon. 

5-7 minutes on each side. 

If you are using fresh salmon, preheat the grill to 400 degrees. 

Place the salmon on a fish plate, skin side down first, and grill for 4 minutes a side, flipping only once.

Lemon Garlic Broccoli

This recipe came from allrecipes.com

What you need:

1 lb. broccoli, cut into florets (I didn't measure, not sure if I actually had a lb.)

2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons butter 

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 pinch salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

What you do:

Place broccoli florets in a large skillet over medium heat. 

Stir 2 teaspoons lemon juice into 2 tablespoons of water in a small bowl.

Then, pour the mixture into the skillet. 

Cover and steam until broccoli is bright green and tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

While broccoli is steaming, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat and stir in garlic and salt.

Then, turn heat to low and let the garlic gently fry until golden brown, about 8 minutes. 

Drain water from cooked broccoli and return to skillet (I had no water that drained, so don't be alarmed if you don't).

Sprinkle with 2 more teaspoons (I did 3) of lemon juice and the butter and garlic mixture. 

Sprinkle broccoli with black pepper, toss to combine, and season with a bit more pepper if desired.

Cook it up and ENJOY. 

What I'm Loving Right Now (4)

The fact that there's only 10 school days left--come on summer! I love my kiddos and I love my job, so much, but what teacher doesn't love summer?!

Teacher Appreciation Week at school--it all started off with this "apple" from Gigi's Cupcakes.
It was delicious...and so cute!

Celebrating Cinco De Mayo with my handsome fella at the Mexican Restaurant where we had our first date and yes, even back then there were margaritas involved--they calm nerves like you wouldn't believe.  

 These beauties that are blooming right out the front door. Ahhhh, I love spring!

 The last book in The Wingfeather Saga--theses books are SO GOOD! If you need a fun, adventurous, and heart warming read this summer, pick these books up. You won't regret it!

All my lovely flowers that we recently planted. I'm slowly, slowly, slowly learning how to tend to plants.  I'll spare you the pictures of the ones that have already died ;)

 My Pilaties Reformer class---I can't say enough good things about this class and how it makes me feel. If you ever get the chance, DO THIS! I'm starting month 3 now.

My fun, funky, new yoga pants--I have been dying for some fun workout pants and Kohls (as usual) delivered! And on sale, too! 

House M.D.--I love this show. We love this show. Jason and I are watching it through for the 2nd time (3rd time for him). I just love House he's just so...brilliant & witty!

Gracelaced art work--Y'all this lady's stuff is so stunningly beautiful. I also love her blog--so inspiring. 

Celebrating 25 Years for Lakeland Presbyterian

Today was a special day. 

We spent the day celebrating and rejoicing over 25 years of God's goodness towards Lakeland Presbyterian Church. This sweet church has been such a blessing to our family and we are so thankful that God saw fit to bring us here 20 years (next month) ago!

It was such a fun day hearing the first pastor of Lakeland, Bill Whitwer, along with others such as Dr. Jim Biard, Hunter Brewer and our own John Duke, Paul Zetterholm, and Dad. After lunch on the grounds, we had a time of a bit of a "history lesson" about where the chapel came from, how the church was started and so forth. I loved hearing everyone's stories and how far we've come since then. It was such a reminder of God's providence for His people. 

While working on the slideshow for today, these were in the pile of pictures I received and I had to share them. 

When looking through the pictures, it said "First Sunday" under this one

I really loved looking through these and feeling like I was getting a tiny glimpse of the history of Lakeland Presbyterian. 

You don't want to finish this post without watching this awesome video that one of our church members did for the 25th celebration! Click here to watch it.

Our family couldn't be more thankful for the 20 years we've been here. This church IS family and we've seen so much of God's goodness through our time here. 

"For the Lord is good;

    his steadfast love endures forever,

    and his faithfulness to all generations."

Psalm 100:5