thursday three.

what a great week. holy week. and these past seven days have been some of my favorite. nothing spectacular happened (besides celebrating our risen savior... you know, he came back to life three days after being buried in a tomb) ;) this week wasn't out of the ordinary. but it was just good. ever have weeks like that?

i had several moments this week where i just made myself take time to treasure them in my mind. nick rocking bella and reading her stories before bed. nick&i talking on the couch after a long day. bella leaning in to give us kisses, talking to herself and bopping up and down in excitement, an ear to ear grin spread across her face. it's these simple moments that just make me feel blessed beyond measure.

since it was holy week this past week, this thursday three is all about easter.

nick

my parents had gotten each of us couples "the passion of the christ" movie for easter a few years ago. neither of us had seen it since it first came out, and nick suggested saturday night that we watch it and finally break it out of it's five-year-old shrink wrap. we got in bed--with a roll of toilet paper--and watched and cried. mel gibson may have kind of fallen off the deep end these days, but he directed such an amazing movie that is full of truth and depicts jesus in a way i really appreciate (you know, besides the flowing-hair-walking-beside-sheep, weak, boring, no personality emotionless jesus that we see all too often). it really prepared our hearts and set them right going into sunday. it's easy to become desensitized to what we really celebrate on easter; the unfathomable love and sacrifice of the cross, and the hope and power of the resurrection!

meg

i *love* going to church on easter. love, love, love it. it never feels like easter until we go to church. our church also has an amazing good friday service. at the last minute nick and his best friend, matt, got tickets to a rangers game, so me and camille (the baseball widows ;)) and my good friend candace took bella and went to the good friday service. on sundays, nick&i always go to our church's five o'clock service, which feels a little strange on easter... but it was well worth the wait. i love the feeling of celebrating in the midst of other believers, and easter is just the best. several people shared their testimonies and the hope that covers their pain... because he is alive. our service ended with this video that i've seen several times before, but forgot just how much i love it!!!

bel

since our eleven month old doesn't yet understand the theology of the cross or the resurrection, i think it's safe to say that the highlight of her easter was her easter basket. she loved it. let me rephrase... the highlight of her easter was the sunscreen that was in her easter basket. yes, sunscreen. i filled her basket with a few items that we needed to get anyway (i know, i'm thrifty like that) aveeno lotion that i adore, butt paste, bath wash and baby sunscreen. and she literally played with that bottle of sunscreen for what seemed like ages (especially for bella, our little busy-body!) she also got some new onesies, cute new pj's, some banana cookies and a stuffed easter bunny... and another one of her favs: bunny ears. this girl won't keep anything on her head, but once she saw herself in the mirror with those bunny ears on, she wouldn't touch them. guess she thought she looked pretty cool as a bunny. and i have to say, she was the cutest lil bunny i have ever seen :)

we had a great easter. so blessed by many things in our lives but most of all our loving and faithful savior!

what's for lunch today {chicken salad wraps}.

one of the things i have *loved* about the blogging world is connecting with other women: crafters, cooks, wives, mamas, all of the above. connecting with strangers across the country, and re-connecting with old friends from high school, college or seminary days.

i have this friend, amy, who i love. we traveled together in a singing group in college (cedarville university... yes, it's in ohio... and yes, it's in a cornfield) and spent every other weekend together during the school year touring and doing concerts. we spent a week over spring break traveling to tennessee, georgia and florida to perform aaaand we spent eight weeks together in an 11 passenger van, worked two weeks of summer camps, put on concerts every night and stayed in strangers homes together. seriously one of my most treasured experiences of my life!

what i loved about staying with amy was that she and i were obsessed with collecting recipes and decorating ideas from our host homes. aaaaaand fast forward almost ten years, now we both have blogs where she share... you guessed it; recipes and decorating ideas :) (among other things...)

you must check out her blog! it is so great and she is super creative with ideas for your home along with being an amazing photographer, so her photos are fantastic! i'm always so impressed! she posted this recipe a few weeks ago, and i asked her if i could feature it on my blog. it looks delish and i love recipes that use things i already have on hand. check out this link to find the recipe, and while you're there... look around!

thanks, amy!!!!

multitude monday.

146. bella in her easter dress.

147. watching "passion of the christ" with nick (and lots of tissues).

148. reeses pieces eggs.

149. the sight of a wooden cross.

150. old easter hymns.

151. celebrating the resurrection of my king gathered in community with others.

152. the fact that jesus triumphed over death... and what that means.

153. hope.

"darkness gives way to light. despair gives way to hope. fear gives way to peace. sorrow gives way to joy. because he is alive."

love so amazing.

"when i survey the wondrous cross,

on which the prince of glory died;

my richest gain i count by loss,

and pour contempt on all my pride.

forbid it, lord, that i should boast,

save in the death of christ my god;

all the vain things that charm me most,

i sacrifice them to his blood.

see from his head, his hands, his feet,

sorrow and love flow mingled down.

did e'er such love and sorrow meet,

or thorns compose so rich a crown.

were the whole realm of nature mine,

that were an offering far too small;

love so amazing, so divine,

demands my soul, my life, my ALL."

(when i survey the wondrous cross, isaac watts, 1707)

one of my new favorite things to do is tip toe into bella's room late at night when every one else is asleep. her room is dark and quiet, except for the gentle woosh drifting from her sound machine. i gently lift her from her crib, and she stirs only for a moment before resting her head on my shoulder and circling her chubby arm around my neck. covering her with her soft baby blanket, i take my place in the rocking chair in the corner of her room and we gently sway together as i savor the rhythm of her breathing, the feel of her soft cheek against mine.

i treasure these moments.

as i watch her sleep on my chest, i am overwhelmed by my love for my sweet daughter. i whisper prayers of hope and blessing over her, wanting everything good for her. wanting to provide for her, keep her safe, and blanket her in my love.

as i gaze adoringly at my baby girl, memorizing the dark line of her lashes as they fall on her cheek, the pout of her lips, the messiness of her hair, i know i want to remember everything about her the way she is right now. i also realize that she is absolutely oblivious to my admiration at this very moment. completely unable to fully grasp just how much i love her.

and then, i think about god.

how many times does he adoringly gaze at me, memorizing everything about me... and i don't even notice? how often does he whisper "i love you" and i don't hear his voice?

psalm 139 says: "your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. how precious to me are your thoughts, o god! how vast is the sum of them! were i to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. when i awake, i am still with you."

today, on good friday, we as christians remember the love of jesus. a love we can't even fathom, grace we cannot understand. how should this love transform me? the way i think about myself, the way i think about others... the way i think about my heavenly father?

"when i survey the wondrous cross" is one of my favorite hymns. it tells of christ's love and sacrifice so beautifully, and begs us to ask what our response should be. love so amazing, so divine... demands my soul, my life, my all. the fact is, christ's love and the knowledge of his sacrifice for us should stir something deep within us. it should cause us to react--not because we have to--but because that love is just what issac watts wrote: so amazing, so divine.

so today, i'm reveling in my Father's love for me. i'm letting him hold me, and whisper his words of love, hope and blessing to me. i'm choosing to be aware of just how much he thinks about me. and i'm praying that i will be changed by this truth.

happy easter, everyone! may you know and experience his love and allow it to change you from the inside out.

put a lil tin foil on it.

old oak end tables + tin foil, mod podge and pewter finishing paint = love.

intrigued?? read on...

so, i was given these old oak end tables by a friend and they've been sitting in our apartment now for almost two years. i was trying to decide what color to paint them, how to refinish them... and then, while bella was napping one day, i decided to watch the nate berkus show (which i now love). he had a design-blogger on there who had some great ideas so i decided to check out her blog.

a-mazing.

her style is quite a bit different from mine, but she had some ideas on there that i loved. and then, i saw it. a table she had refinished with tin foil and mod podge. who. knew. it was weird and quirky and something i would've never thought of myself, but what did i have to lose?? i decided to try it.

here's how i did it.

materials:

-old piece of wooden furniture (nightstand, end table, even a picture frame or a tray)

-tin foil (i bought a big roll)

-popsicle stick

-mod podge (go ahead and get the big container... you will use it all on this and future projects. never used mod podge? well, it's about to become your new bff)

-paint brush

-a metal finishing paint (i used "modern options sophisticated finishes" and the color i used was pewter... this stuff is amazing... i think it ended up being about $5 at michaels after my 40% off coupon)

-craft sponge brush

-a faux glaze tinted black (many dyi bloggers recommend ralph lauren faux glaze in black silk... however, i found that it's been discontinued in stores and is now only available online. instead, i got a behr faux glaze and asked home depot to tint it black for me)

-an old t-shirt

how to:

- begin applying mod podge with sturdy paint brush to the furniture, followed by tin foil, followed by more mod podge ontop. this is the tedious part. i was cursing the long, curved legs of my end tables and all the nooks and crannies. straight edges and surfaces are *much* easier. use a popsicle stick to help smooth out any bubbles (you'll have wrinkles... they just add character)
- allow mod podge to dry, and then apply another coat of mod podge to secure, and allow to dry.
- next comes the fun part. the finish paint. i used a craft sponge brush for this. follow directions on the bottle (i had to shake mine well before using) and then just brush onto your piece, and wipe some off with an old t-shirt... this adds variation.
- i did a second coat of this to my end tables.
- next, comes the faux finish which i'll admit i haven't done yet (i was just too anxious to post all this!) and because i really love the pewter finish to my tables i'm a little nervous to make it darker... so i may or may not. but you can check out this link to see what the faux finish does; you apply the glaze and then immediately wipe away with an old t-shirt and the black settles in all the cracks and crevices. i will probably do it because i love the antiqued look it gives, i just haven't had the time and i really wanted to get this post up because i love my new tables so much!

and now for some pics...

before...

...and after.

table: friend (free)
vintage candle holder: friend (free)

framed picture: target clearance ($8)

ceramic bird: michaels ($4)

mirror: already on hand (free; spray-painted by me)

table: friend (free)
vase: target clearance ($8)
votive candle: dollar store ($1)

river rocks: walmart ($5)

branches: already on hand

books: already on hand

lamp&shade: target ($20)

canvas: made by me

i now love these pretty lil end tables! what ugly furniture can you re-create? thrift, garage-sale, antique shop away and don't forget to buy your tin foil.

this post was linked to these *wonderful* blogs:

http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://morrowsunshine.blogspot.com/

http://www.homemakerinheels.com/

http://tatertotsandjello.blogspot.com/

http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/

http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

what's for dinner tonight {good-for-you chicken enchiladas}.

who loves mexican food? this girl. i have never had so much mexican food before in my whole life before i moved to texas almost seven years ago. but hey... i'm not complaining. and with our upcoming move to new england just about a month away, i am mourning the fact that we will be without the texas gem of good... really good... mexican food.

there will be lobster, clam chowdah and seafood a-plenty, yesssss. but i will miss tacos, enchiladas and good {really good} chips&salsa.

i'm always looking for delicious, healthy recipes. this one hit the spot. combining my love for enchiladas + cutting fat and calories and making something you can feel good about eating? right. up. my. alley.

i bought this book eating for life when i had graduated from college and was living on my own for the first time. no more mom's cooking, no more cafeteria food, no more "runs for the border" (aka taco bell) at midnight. okay... only occasionally. anyway. this book is full of great, healthy recipes and their really basic... no weird ingredients that you can't pronounce let alone find in the aisles of your grocery store.

here is eating for life's version of chicken enchiladas (named by me) YUM.

good-for-you chicken enchiladas

* 4 portions of chicken breast (approx. 1 lb)

* 4 green onions, sliced

* 2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped

* 3 10 oz. cans of green enchilada sauce

* 1 c. reduced fat cheddar cheese, shredded

* 2 c. lettuce, shredded

* 1/2 c. salsa

* 1/2 c. light sour cream

* 1 tomato, diced

* 1 2 oz can ripe black olives, sliced

- preheat oven to 350. lightly coat a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.

- place chicken breasts in a large pot and cover with water. bring to a boil over high heat. reduce heat to medium and simmer until no longer pink in the center, about 15 minutes. drain and cool. shred cooked chicken by pulling apart with 2 forks. set aside.

- lightly coat a large skillet with cooking spray and place over medium-high heat. add green onion and cilantro; saute for about two minutes. add shredded chicken and 1 can of enchilada sauce. cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through; about five minutes.

- pour the 2 remaining cans of enchilada sauce in a medium bowl and microwave until warm, about two minutes. dip each tortilla in the heated sauce and fill with about 1/8 of the chicken mixture. roll up and place, seam side down, in the prepared baking dish.

- pour remaining heated sauce over enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. bake until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted, about fifteen minutes.

- divide lettuce onto four plates and place two enchiladas on top of each. top with a spoonful. of salsa, a dollop of sour cream, tomato and olives. serve and enjoy!

well thank you, eating for life. enjoy, i will.

this recipe is super delish, your whole family will love it! nick likes it so much he made it for dinner one night when i was working late, and i came home to it on the table :) eat up!

ten things {my favorite tv personalities}.

ten things: my ten most favorite tv personalities, past and present. random, i know...

1. rachel, monica, pheobe, ross, chandler and joey.

obviously. if you know me, you know i love. this. show. i am embarrassed to say that i often subconsciously relate situations in my real life to "friends" episodes. should i not have said that? well, now you know. i'm a nerd.

2. barefoot contessa.

i think i could be her for a day and love my life (although i would miss mine). getting paid to cook, write cookbooks and have my own show on tv? ummm... yes, please. she knows everything about good food. and she's been married to the same man she was dating in high school (and they're super cute to watch!) aaaand she's so nice. what's not to like?

3. bob harper&jillian michaels.

nick&i are big fans of "the biggest loser". and we love bob&jillian. sometimes when we cook a not-so-good-for-you-meal nick will say "i don't think bob&jillian will approve of this!" it's one of our slogans. we love them.

4. elisabeth hasselbeck.

i want to be her. okay, maybe i just want her wardrobe, but i love elisabeth hasselbeck! maybe it's because we have the same views on many issues and it's refreshing to actually see someone fight for them in the mainstream media (even if they get ridiculed; isn't this a free country where people are allowed to disagree??? sorry; soapbox) ... but i watch "the view" every day while bella naps and i don't like it when elisabeth's not there. definitely team elisabeth.

5. jim&pam halpert.

they are just too cute. i cried when they got married (like a freaking baby) and got emotional when they had a baby. hands down the most normal characters on our beloved "the office". sometimes i just feel bad for them that they are surrounded by so many crazy people. and then i remember it's only a tv show.

6. heathcliffe huxtable.

just seeing his sweaters brings me back to my childhood. looooove "the cosby show". it was the show that my whole family would laugh at and watch together. they just don't make sitcoms like that any more (wow, i sound old). ohhh that bill cosby. hi-la-ri-ous.

7. ellen.

how can anyone not like ellen? i mean, just watching her show makes me want to dance. or laugh. or even just smile. and the pranks that she is continually pulling? why, that is reason enough to watch. does the name "dennis quaid" ring any bells? if not, google it. especially if you've had a hard day. maybe life doesn't always have to be so serious after all.

8. george huff.

don't remember him? you weren't an "american idol" fan back in the day? he was fantasia barrino's season... back when i faithfully watched every week. i just loved his little-kid-like smile and i would call every week to vote for him over and over until it cut me off. no joke. ask mel and leah (my old roommates). they will tell you it's true. i think i cried when he got voted off because he was just a kind, gentle soul.

9. dj tanner.

what little girl growing up in the 80s did not want to be dj tanner?? i looooved her. i remember sleeping with my hair puffed forward so that i could spray it like that in the morning to look just. like. her. ridiculous? yes. but if there would've been a "dj tanner fan club", then i would've been a member. (this actually is ringing some bells; i'm thinking i actually researched this when i was little...)

10. bill o'reilly.

ohhhhh bill. i know, i know. he can really be an arrogant son of a gun. but i can't help it. i love him. nick&i mourn the loss of our cable mostly because we don't get to watch "the o'reilly factor" faithfully like we used to. as stereotypical as it is to be a republican-conservative-christian and adore fox news, i do. and actually, we had fox news on our tv in the hospital when i was in labor with bella... and no, she wasn't crying because bill was on. babies do that when they are first born, you know.

who are some of YOUR favorites??

thursday three.

i can't believe another week has *flown* by. life goes so fast sometimes i can barely keep up! this week i decided to mix it up with the thursday three by doing my three favorite pictures of the week.

so... here's this week's thursday three. picture style.

{one}

we went to tyler, texas this weekend to visit my friend hannah and her sweet family! hannah and i met on a missions trip to england with teen missions international when we were just sixteen years old... crazy!!!! we got really close that summer, and kept in touch through letters (yes, old fashioned letters... don't you miss those??) and visited each other off and on until i moved to texas almost seven years ago! we've seen each other through the past almost-fifteen years of our lives including high school, college, weddings and babies. priceless. she has been such a source of encouragement, wisdom, prayer and truth in my life and i love her so much! here is a picture of us with our lil girls :)

{two}

tuesday evening after work, we dressed bel in her easter dress and drove over to a spot near our house where there were bluebonnets galore! since it is our last spring living in texas, bluebonnet pictures were an absolute must. it was a beautiful night, bella (miracle of miracles!) actually sat still and let us snap away, and it was a fun lil family outing. love the shots we got... this is one of them.

{three}

i *love* this picture because i love watching nick be a dad to our lil girl. bella loves her daddy. she crawls around all day, playing and exploring continually saying "dadda. dadda!" and she loves riding on his shoulders. i started snapping pictures when we were out and about the other night... these are my two greatest loves on this earth and i thank god for blessing me with them every single day!

...aaaaand because i can never just stop at three... and because i love this picture so freaking much. i went to check on bella the other day after i laid her down her for nap. this is what i found :)

it's been a good week. every week... every day... every minute is a gift. life is full of precious moments and i want to fully embrace and treasure each one.

happy-almost-weekend, everyone!

hanging plates.

l-o-v-e plates on a wall. as a little girl, my mom hung pretty antique china plates on my bedroom wall, and it set me up for a complete love affair. not even kidding. it pairs perfectly with my never-ending quest to find beautiful ways to decorate without having to eat kraft macaroni&cheese every night for dinner because i have no money left for groceries because i spent it all on expensive stuff.

yes, i know. one of life's greatest goals.

remember my dining room makeover here? or my wall art post? i promised yall i would post a tutorial on how i hung my plates on the wall without using those pokey-outy-gold-plate-hanging-thingys. the truth of the matter is, they don't bug me as much as the fact that i just didn't have extra cash to go buy fourteen plate hangers for the fourteen plates i needed to hang.

sooo... my trusty glue gun to the rescue. always. i took some extra ribbon i had on hand (from this decorating project: bella's nursery... recognize the pink???) and made a small loop that i glued to the ridge on the back of the plate.

for hanging, make sure you use a nail with a good sized head so that the ribbon loop doesn't slip off. hang from the nail and voila, you're done.

yard sales, antique stores, flea markets and goodwill are some of my favorite places to look for plates. you can also find some super cute ones at ross, marshalls, tj maxx (homegoods). i always look for plates in the clearance section of anthropologie, too... they have really unique ones with great colors. using plates for decor is also a great way to showcase family heirlooms or odds-an-ends from your great-grandmother's china collection.

convinced yet? you should be. happy plate-hanging :)

multitude monday.

138. seeing old friends. love.

139. bella's chubby cheeks. and the little rolls of pudge on her legs. adorable.

140. old shudders i was just given by a friend, ready for a coat of spray paint and my bedroom wall!

141. church.

142. seeing nick enjoy being with special people that have been in my life for years and years.

143. god's reassuring promises. his comfort and hope.

144. blueberry muffins + turkey bacon.

145. target. you know, our second home.

thursday three.

this past weekend we took a road trip to houston to visit my family! we left thursday early afternoon and stayed until around noon on sunday, so it was a great trip. my aunt cynthia lives there as well as my cousins and their families and my mom&dad and gret&jude (my sister and nephew) came down for the weekend too! it was a full house and so. much. fun. not only was our family all together, but the final four was also in houston that weekend.

bonus.

so this week's thursday three are all of our most fav things about our weekend trip to h-town.

nick

when i asked nick his favorite thing about our getaway, he said getting to spend time with my family... talking, laughing, playing games and hearing more stories about uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, etc. that just warmed my heart. i love that my husband loves my family so much and enjoys being around them... after all, he is one of us now ;) we do have so much fun together... we are loud, laugh alot, and love to reminisce and story-tell (some of us tell longer stories than others...wink, wink) :) and now with four littles in the mix, it's even more crazy, loud and fun! love it.

meg

my highlight was two fold (besides the obvious... getting to hang with family that i love SO much!!) first, nick and my dad and i headed downtown on friday and took the metro to reliant stadium to check out the final four festivities. this was *super* special for me... i grew up watching college basketball with my dad; it was something special that we shared and loved to do together. when i met nick, one of the things i instantly loved about him was how we enjoyed watching sports together too, and the first spring we were dating, he joined my dad and i in our annual march-maddness-bracket-competition :) it was just so special for me to get to go check out the final four stuff with the special men of my life!! we ate some good texas barbeque, checked out the festivities and went into the stadium to watch team practice (which we figured out is really just team-shoot-around-for-fans-time). still fun. it. was. awesome!

my second highlight? saturday night we packed up the kids and headed to a local outlet mall. i never got to shop with my mom and sister--maybe once or twice a year--which is really just a travesty :( so it was reallllly fun to get to shop with them (well... mom really just pushed bella around forever 21 while gretty and i shopped... but still). looking forward to many shopping trips to come!

bel

bella hadn't seen her grammie and grampy or aunt gret since christmas, and the minute they walked in the door she reached out for them :) she loved snuggling with grammie, singing with grampy and playing with aunt gret. and she got to meet my cousins and see aunt cynthia again (she loves her!!) and of course, she loved getting to play with her cousins! she was the baby, but that didn't seem to hold her back much. she loved trying to keep up with the "big kids" and i've noticed since we've been home she's been a faster crawler, puller-up-er and such a jibber-jabber! she learned alot from her cousins, i think...

we had a great time last weekend and we're looking forward to another road trip this weekend to tyler, texas to see one of my longtime friends and her family... so excited :)

flowered canvas re-do.

this was a lil project i did one day while bella was napping. remember this before picture of our dining room area?

BEFORE:

i bought those canvases at target a few years ago, and they are just too modern for my taste and i've been wanting to give them a lil update to suit the decor in our apartment. here's what i did:

AFTER:

i used some fabric i already had on hand to cover the canvas and create a few squares to "frame" a family photo with the help of my trusty glue gun. i took some fake flowers that i spray-painted with white spray paint and combined them with some rosettes i made out of my fabric.

cost? i think $5 to buy the fake flowers. everything else i had on hand.

voila. here's the finished product! (ignore the ugly lamp cord in this picture, please)

note: the end table in this picture is another project-in-the-making. these were oak end tables we have had forever that i've been trying to decide what to do with. i saw this idea on a blog that i wanted to try: mod-podging a piece of furniture with tin foil and glazing it with a couple different finishes. sounds crazy, but it's true. i have one more step to go with these pretty-lil-tables, but i absolutely adore them already! i'll be sure to post a before-and-after on these lovelies when i'm done.

what is in your home currently that you can refresh? you don't have to spend a lot of money to create a brand new piece! happy creating :)

this post was linked on the following *wonderful* blogs!

http://diybydesign.blogspot.com/

http://www.centsationalgirl.com/

multitude monday.

129. my yellow flowers-and-butterfly starbucks mug. so spring-y and it makes me happy. especially when full of coffee.

130. bluebonnets. i mean, they're no maine "pine cone and tassel" ;) but i love when the state flower of texas colors the sides of the highways and fields. so. pretty.

131. roadtrips with my man. and our ipod. always so fun.

132. my sweet husband. this is a weekly staple in my multitude monday.

133. watching bella explore.

134. snuggle time with bel on the couch while she drinks her bottle. (i'm realllllly dreading her being done with bottles; this is the only cuddle time i get with her now that she's on the go!)

135. MY FAMILY. i love the way we laugh, talk, reminisce, play games, eat... pretty much everything.

136. getting to watch my family with bella... and watching her play with her cousins!

137. being in houston for the final four and going to reliant stadium with my husband and my dad. so special.