potatoes and peas

If you've learned anything about me, it is that I love food. I love it so much that as soon as it gets in front of my face its going right down the trap.This unfortunately means I often forget to snap a photo here and there to share it with you guys {I'm going to get better. I promise}. 

Also, if you know anything about me, when it comes to cooking... I like fast, easy, different and lots of flavor. I used to be the queen of what you call 'garbage' recipes. This essentially means combining whatever is left in the fridge and creating something edible. Ever since our detox in January I've been hooked on recipes {with some minor changes here and there}. One of my favorite places to go for easy, delicious and healthy recipes is www.wholeliving.com. 

Lately, both Mike and I have been crunched for time. By the time we get home from work, meetings, groups, etc. it's past our bedtimes. So, dinners and lunches have turned into super quick and super easy meals. Here's one of our favs: potatoes, peas and mint

What you need:

4-6 red potatoes

1/2-1  cup frozen peas 

2 tbsp EVOO

1/3 cup chopped mint

salt & pepper

Boil the potatoes for roughly 10 minutes. Fill a small saucepan with peas, cover with water and simmer. Drain potatoes. Before draining peas, pull out 4 tbsp of water from the pan. Drain and pour back into the pan or a bowl. Mash peas using the backside of a fork, 2 tbsp of the cooking water and 1tbsp EVOO. Mix in mint and rest of cooking water. Throw over potatoes. 

It's yummy. easy. healthy. quick. Use it as a main dish or on the side.

From San Fran to LA

In just a short time, Mike and I will be on our way to California for his family trip. We will start in San Fran and make our way down to LA. We are beyond excited! He's been to both places numerous times but I've only been to LA. For the past few weeks, months even, we've been chatting about what we'll do, where we'll go, feasting locations, shopping locations, etc. I can't wait to have a whole week of relaxation and adventures with my cute hubs!

And since today is Friday Fancies: Date Night... could it get anymore fitting than to go ahead and plan  dream about the outfits I will wear on our little dates.

So far on the list of things to do, we have:

sushi zone

ghirardelli square

twin peaks

bearded papa's

the sports basement         

biking the golden gate bridge

bread bowls at fisherman's warf

anchor steam brewery

the japanese tea garden

the beach chalet

haight street

monterrey aquarium

sunce winery

 redwood trees

 mama's

santa monica pier

pebble beach

 big sur

the red house

any other must-see/do/eat/drink?

Date night in CA by celeste-hurtig-arrigo featuring platform stiletto heels

H M cotton dress, £25
Blouse
Joe's Jeans skinny fit jeans, £125
Tory burch shoes, $195
ALDO platform stiletto heels, $90
Prada leather bag, £1,250
Antik Batik yellow gold jewelry, $110
J by Jasper Conran gold jewelry, £60
Aqua turquoise bangle, $28
Amrita singh jewelry

happy hump day!

Yay for hump day! Only a few more days and then it's the weekend baby!! I have a little secret that I can't wait to share with you guys but I have to wait a little bit longer to leak it -- AND, no, I am not preggers {that's straight at you Lauren}.

In the meantime, here's a recap of last weekend: 

From left to right, top to bottom:

wine night with some of my small group girls -- some that came are missing from the photo {if I haven't mentioned this before. I LOVE THEM!} | maxi skirt that I made via Elle Apparel | my new flowers thanks to Anna | My lovely neighbor & friend Mallory | a goose waiting at Belks {weird but I felt bad for the guy| Cafe Caturra - Gewurztraminer {so yummy!}

Looking back at these pictures I am reminded at how incredibly blessed I am. I have an amazing husband who is selfless, caring, kind, silly, outgoing, sincere and the list goes on. I have a family that is always supportive of the decisions I make, loves me no matter what and talk to me every day as I commute home from work. I have an amazing group of friends. Ones that love me even though I talk in weird voices, talk about farts, smell funny and am often wrong. They challenge me, encourage me and always point me towards the truth.

I can't even begin to describe those relationships... they are pure. amazing. glorifying. If I ever doubt that God has a plan and that God will take care of me, I can easily look around and see those He has blessed me with.

dining looks for less

This weekend Mike and I took a trip to the mall. We had gift certificates from our wedding that were burning a hole in my pocket - they had to be spent. Luckily, Mike takes a strong interest in our house and decorating it so he came along to help. I am a neutral lover -- give me white, tan, gray and I am a happy camper.

We ventured into Pottery Barn to get some goods {with our gift certificates} and of course fell in love with everything. The price tags there are slightly outrageous. I'll splurge on PB linens {because they are great} but that's about it. However, we of course fell in love with all of the store displays. 

The set up that we loved in the store { I should have snapped a pic.. I wasn't thinking} went for a natural, simple but slightly beachy look. It incorporated this gorgeous striped table runner, woven style place mats and simple beach accents. We purchased the runner and set out to find the other pieces without the pricey price tags. 

photo courtesy of PB

Here's how you can get the Pottery Barn look for less at World Market. World Market is my best friend. They have great prices and great PB look-a-likes. 

1. place mats, set of 4 for 23.96 vs PB set of 4 for $96

{World Market carries the oblong shape for the same price, also}

2. napkins, set of 6 for $9.99 vs PB set of 6 for $24

3. Tortoise bowl and platter, set for 24.99 vs PB silver fish condiment tray for $29.50

4. Coupe dinnerware, dinner plate set of 4 for $15.96 vs PB coupe dinnerware dinner plate set of 4 for $36

dress the part: picnic

We have had a wonderful spring so far down in nc. a few hot days sprinkled here and there but overall it has just been plain gorgeous. this weather makes me one happy gal.

with warm weather comes

 picnics 

bike rides

 long walks

 reading in the grass

 wine on the porch

 hikes

cornhole tourny

floral dresses

wedges

shades of mint, pink and yellow

sweet tea

floppy hats

strawberry shortcake

lemons

low country boil

oh.. and so much more

but today we'll focus on one of my all time favorites -- picnics

{ as I link up today for Friday Fancies  at Long Distance Loving} 

a picnic can be taken any day you have sunshine

and anywhere you can find a patch of grass

all you need is a basket, cute boy, cheese, wine, blanket and the essential tools {wine opener}

but sometimes it calls for a cute outfit, a sweet ride and a bottle of bubbly 

Oasis dress, $145
Stuart Weitzman sandals, £300
Kenneth Jay Lane ring, $88
Astley Clarke earrings, $795
San Diego Hat Co hat
H&M sunglasses, £4.99
Ventana Natural Picnic Basket, $45
Affinage Fine Cheese Indulge Italian Cheese Gift Set, $70
Drifter 26" Womens Cruiser Bike- Schwinn-Fitness & Sports-Bikes &..., $180
DEAN DELUCA Fennel, Sultana And Semolina Crumble Bread, $7

handy dandy kitchen tools

Mike and I spend the majority of our time in the kitchen. What can I say? We love food. When it comes to cooking, cleaning or anything domestic, I prefer to easiest way possible. When it comes to my favorite gadgets, these are the guys that get the job done quickly and effortlessly. Cooking is something we love to do separately and together. And, because we spend a lot of time cooking, we like to take a short cut here and there.  Here are some of our favorite kitchen gadgets:

1. Ikea garlic press - works like a charm and only $5. We went through four garlic presses at William Sonoma and this Ikea one kicks all their butts.
2. Waring Pro electric wine opener - if you drink wine, you need this. Never again will you have to worry about cork floating in your glass. And, in 2 seconds you have a bottle of wine open and ready to drink. Who can complain at that one?
3. Hanging pot rack - hanging your pots is the way to go. not only does it free up storage, it also helps you avoid the pan-pile-up. You can easily see and grab which pot you are looking for without having to dig, pull out or lift ten pounds of pots.
4. Gizmo can opener - I have had this thing for years and it still works like a charm. You plug it in for a few minutes and it lasts months. With one snug fit, you release the little guy and he opens your cans. You can be stirring, opening and a can and sipping wine all at the same time.

When it comes to cooking, some things are better done the easy way! These are my fav tools that simplify things in the kitchen!

What are your favorite tools in the kitchen? What helps you get the job done?

root canal + a weekend recap

I made it out alive! I had my root canal and to be honest, it wasn't too shabby. Thanks yall for all your sweet little words. I didn't feel a thing, which is a testament to how awesome my dentist is. If you're in the Raleigh area... Dr. Drew on Six Forks is ah-maze-ing. Anyway, it was a long process {around two hours} so I  decided to sneak a photo.

 awkward! 

good thing I didn't have any bats in the cave

p.s. hubs has never even had a cavity. I think he was more scared for me than I was.

This past weekend was a doozy but in the good way. 

It was jam packed with goodness 

{despite my tooth pain}.

we went to our fav sushi spot {sushi blues - BOGO rolls all day, every day}

i pulled out big red for the first time this year 

{my awesome city cruiser that my parents got me for my 21st bday}

we drank champagne with our neighbors

& watched a horrible scary movie {Beneath the Darkness - dont redbox it}

Amanda and Joe cooked Korean cuisine for supper club

{delish! and her lemon cheesecake was fab}

 popped a bottle of Ibuprofen over the weekend

and freaked out Sunday because I thought I was going to suffer withdrawals {I won't}

hubs and I went on a much needed bike ride on the American Tobacco Trail

We caught up on New Girl and I want to be just like her

and, pretty sure I want to play True American this weekend

felt like a college kid at our new desk

threw a baby shower with some awesome gals

made quinoa pancakes

transplanted our veggies

wished Monday away

but good news... the weekend is almost here again! 

- - - 

 I received my first {two} bloggity-blog awards last week and will work on getting them posted and shared this week. Here's to numero uno from sweet Katie at Our Little Place:  

Each Nominee Should:
1. Choose five up and coming blogs to give the Liebster award to. Blogs must have less than 200 followers.
2. Show your thanks to the blogger who gave you the award by linking back to them.
3. Post the award on your blog.
4. List the bloggers you gave the award to with links to their sites. Leave a comment on their blogs to let them know they’ve received the award.
5. Share five random facts about yourself!


1. I love beef flavored Ramen noodles. I eat it dry with seasoning for a snack. Weird, I know. But it is SO good. 
2.  I've never broken a bone but I have split my tongue in half  -- straight down the middle like a snake tongue {gross!}. 
3.  I was born in Germany and lived there for four years. My sister and her family live in Koln, so I go to visit every chance I get. 
4. I have a huge obsession with all Asian food. I could seriously eat it every meal, every day. No lie -- I have eaten sushi for b-fast. 
5.  My arm span is abnormally long. Sad fact -- one night a bunch of us were hanging out and measured our arm span length with our height. I have monkey arms, which makes me helpful in reaching for things stored in high places. I may be short but my arms make up for it. Oh, and we also measured the circumference around our noggins. Mine was normal, despite its oversized appearance.


And to those I give this award to..... drum roll please!
1. Amanda at Eloquent English
2. Denise at Gratefully Inspired
3. Melissa at Fiction, Flight & Everything Nice
4. Brianna at Adventures of the Southern Wife
5. Ashley at A Whole Lot of Pride

p.s. some of you may read this before I let you know... my apologies.. I am a slacker and super duper busy with work this month.

Happy Monday??

Oh, well hello there Monday.

So I just found out I get to have a root canal today. YAY! Just what I always wanted. However, I will admit, I am looking forward to the constant throb in the right side of my face going away. All weekend I was pounding Ibuprofen like it was going out of style. My teeth felt like they were going to fall out of my head but alas only one was.

Oh, and the worst part, we have to drop more money on my mouth. Ugh.. this mouth is worth millions.

Dear friends, brush your teeth. I obviously did not do a good enough job as a kid. Those sticky sweets loved me, gave me cavities and, now at 24, I'm getting my first root canal. I officially feel old. Next up, dentures and undies the size of my vehicle. Sigh.

Wish me luck. I'll need it!

grandma's strawberry shortcake

Strawberry season is one of my favorites. I seriously can't name one thing that wouldn't be good with strawberries... ok well maybe a steak topped with strawberries would be gross {duh!} but just about anything else flies. 

Here's one of our favorite recipes -- strawberry shortcake. It makes a yummy dessert, snack and I'll admit ... we've eaten this for breakfast too, ha! Enjoy!

Your ingredients:

• Biscuits:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 stick butter, chilled
• 2/3 to 3/4 cup milk (almond milk works too).
• toppings:
• 1  strawberries
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 1/2 cups whipping cream for topping

Rinse, drain and slice the berries; place in a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar; cover and let stand or just while you are cooking. Whip the cream with a beater in a cold bowl {add sugar for sweetness} until it holds a soft peak. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut butter into small pieces and add to the mixture. Mix  well - there will be a few small chunks of butter left in the mixture. With a fork stir in the  milk, just until dough is moist. Be careful not to overwork. The dough doesn't have to hold together well at this point. Let the dough stand for a minute. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface. Fold the dough over on itself {knead} 2 or 3 times, until it is holding together and is less sticky.

Gently pat the dough into a 6 by 12-inch rectangle about 3/4-inch thick and cut into 8 (3-inch) biscuits with a floured round cutter. Transfer to a buttered foil-lined cookie sheet. Brush on a little milk and sprinkle tops with  sugar.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, until risen and golden brown. Remove to your plate and split each biscuit horizontally. Top with strawberries and whipped cream. Replace the tops and top with a dollop of cream and one strawberry slice. 
recipe found here

I am beloved

As women, I think it's pretty common to look in the mirror and think

 f a i l u r e 

disgrace

shameful

 ugly 

disaster

 crazy

& the list goes on

But despite what we consider ourselves or how others view us, we are beloved.

We were created to have our quirks, crazy hormones, desires and sensitive hearts. We were created for something amazing, and sometimes we just need to be reminded. Despite my shame and fears, my identity is found in Christ... and that alone, is enough. 

I love this song -- it makes me happy.

I am beloved.
What an amazing thing to think -- you are beloved. amazing. beautiful.

Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. (Isaiah 43:1)

our home's first holiday

This past weekend seems like years ago. It was just so busy and full of fun that BAM the week hit and it's just crawling by. I hope everyone had an awesome Easter! For us, it was amazing {and tiring}. We stayed in Raleigh and had Mike's parents and my dad {my mom is in Guatamala on a mission trip} come up to hang out, go to church, celebrate.

We saw art

drank wine

looked at plants

strolled the farmers' market

ate German baked goods

danced at a drum circle

watched fire hulu hooping

praised God

had good conversations

played with knives

concocted flavors with Jelly Bellies

saw our dinner go from full fish body to filet

served God

had conversations over coffee

had a sugar high.

It was glorious.This was the first holiday we stayed in our home and had our families up. It def had a different feeling -- it felt more grown up, maybe? I can't quite put my finger on it. I enjoyed it though. Sunday, after all our guests left, we were dead - totally vegged the whole day. It was awesome. There is something about a day with your husband, just the two of you, worry-free, that makes for an amazing day. It's those days I treasure most.

drum circle | homemade strawberry shortcake | tomato cages | fire hulu hoopers

the deats

So I totally did not finish my post for the last day of the wedding linkup last week but already had all the photos uploaded, content written, all the jazz. I just didn't finish it. Arg. I still want to share it with you though.

Most of our details were handmade by my mom, myself, and a few close friends. It was a good excuse to get together, drink some wine and craft away.

The grounds were decorated with wreaths like this one and signs galore. My mom made all of the signs and is actually now making them and selling them here. So proud! She also handmade over 100 fabric flowers that were used in centerpieces and as little details here and there. Each girl involved in the wedding had one to wear, put in their hair or carry. And, the moms' wrist corsages were white fabric flowers all made by my precious mommy.

guests were greeted with a 'stroll down memory lane' where we hung up photos from our youth and pictures of the two of us. At the end they received a handmade program - we used paper lace doilies, cardstock and craft sticks.

My dress was Pronovias - Finisterre. I was obsessed with it. It was so lightweight and comfortable. It had a form fitted mermaid style under layer with a ball gown style layer of lace over top it. As or my mom claimed, it was sexy underneath and innocent on top. That works too!

In honor of my grandparents, I carried a piece of jewelry they had given me: a locket and engagement ring. 

One of my grandmothers was able to make it to the wedding and BOY was she shaking her thing on the dance floor! 

The boys all wore socks representing the college they went to. Mike is a HUGE college sport fan.

 Go NC STATE!

We did the tree thumbprint guestbook, which I recommend. It makes a great piece to hang up in your house! Mike and I actually had our own little 'wine and design' day and he painted the tree while I drank wine and painted something that wound up in the trash, ha. Regardless of my lack of talent, it was so much fun to do together and use in the wedding.

little jars of honey were our take away. To be honest, this really had no significance but it was cute, matched the look and was super inexpensive!  I really wanted to do candy apples but that just wasn't in the budget.

I found the cake topper in a random shop in Germany when we visited the January before our wedding. It was ONE euro. Pricey. I know. I couldn't resist. It had our coloring AND they were on bikes so it was perfect{Mike and I love to bike. I used to bike to his house when we first started hanging out and he would carry my huge red cruiser up three flights of stairs to his apartment. true. love.}

Our rings were one of my favorite decisions to make. We went during some event so there were tons of jewelers, free flowing wine and awesome apps. I fell in love with the white and yellow twisted look. They were simple but unique and she sold me when she showed me how pretty they are without the engagement ring {traveling or babies sometimes calls for no big bling}. Mike chose a rose gold ring that has a hammered, beveled and smooth finish to it. AND its made in the big ol US of A.

Oh, wedding stuff. So much fun. What were some of your favorite details in your wedding? I've got a few more wedding posts that will make their way out over the next week or so. Is there ever too much wedding reminiscing?? Never.

Happy Friday!

Gotcha! It's only Thursday but it is Friday for me! I am so glad! This week has been poo-ey.

I have supposedly developed allergies that are meaner than my previous allergies, and I do NOT like them. They kicked my butt this week. All week I was tired, my throat hurt and I had a running faucet from my nose. It was just icky. The thing I love the most {being outside} isn't loving me back. Sad.

Also, when I'm sick, I'm pathetic. I don't work out. I sleep too much. I can't focus. Cleaning wears me out. Cooking wears me out. Useless. Luckily, I have a husband that takes great care of me and doesn't complain but encourages me to lay down and rest while he cooks, cleans and does everything else. 

But alas, it is {almost} the weekend  and ain't no allergies holding me down! I love the weekends but, then again, who doesn't? Weekends get sweeter and sweeter with time. With this warm weather, comes lots of fun things to do, grow, play, venture to and eat. 

here's to a few happy weekend things dreams:

Source: endlesssimmer.com via Kathleen on Pinterest

Source: stipje.blogspot.com via Celeste on Pinterest

Source: shannoneileenblog.typepad.com via Celeste on Pinterest

Source: marthastewart.com via Celeste on Pinterest

we got the beet

Lately, Mike and I have been diggin' the beets. They are soooo good. I don't know how I went so long without them. I will admit, I've only had red ones though. I'd love to try the other colors but they don't sell them at the farmers market here {and I'm too cheap to buy them at the gro sto}. Do not.. I repeat.. do not eat canned beets. That is why I never cared for beets. Real beets have much more taste.

I love adding beets to a salad but they even taste great with eggs! They add a yummy taste and nice texture to whatever you're doing. We usually bake them over the weekend so we have them readily available during the week for salads or hashes.

Baking beets are easy peasy: wrap in tinfoil {you don't need to peal them first!}, plop in a hot oven {400 works} for 40min to an hour, pull out, cool, peal {the skin falls right off}. done.

 to make this salad: toss beets, oranges, sunflower seeds, celery, spinach, balsamic vin together

{goat cheese would prob be yummy here}

You can seriously toss these suckers with almost anything. I haven't had a bad experience yet.

or add it to your breakfast -- so yummy and you cook up the beet greens too! Here's the recipe.

New beet eaters beware...they do color your #1 and #2. Don't be frightened when you go to flush the toilet and its pink! 

just say yes

Whew - this weekend was a whirlwind {which does not excuse my absence} but a really awesome change took place in me that really required my focus in the little free time I had {plus, I was debating whether or not to say anything about it here in the bloggity-blog world and every time I sat down to do a post.. it kept coming back to this topic}. To be honest, I was am nervous to share this piece.

So, what is this awesome change you ask? No, I didn't win the lottery, get preggers or hang out with Oprah.

However, this past week I started saying, "Yes, Lord. I'll go where you want me."

OK, so newsflash: I've always said no. He called. I said later. He pushed. I pushed back. My excuses were always the same: I don't have time, that's not my strength, I don't want to, that's not big enough to matter, etc. I always felt crippled in my walk with Christ but it was because I refused to get up and take that first step.

A few weeks ago I went to this amazing conference in SC at a church called Newspring. It was so awesome and really forced me to look in the mirror and ask some tough questions: where are your priorities? What are you allowing God to do in your life? This is where I figured it out, I was ALWAYS saying no to Him. I had a list of excuses as long as Lohan's rap sheet.  This is also where I realized my huge desire to move to some far off land had completely disappeared {say what?!}.

--interlude-- Now yall don't know this, but the desire to move was a desire that ran my life, caused fights between Mike and I, and almost always left me feeling worthless. It was something I wanted so bad that I would threaten to just 'go alone' if I had to {Um.. hello.. horrible thing to be telling your husband in the first few months of marriage.. talk about a being a jerk}. Yikes! --end interlude--

That trip I decided to say 'Yes. I'll stop saying no.'

I realized something was up. What are you orchestrating God? What's going on? I stood confused. I knew changes were in the horizon but I had no idea what they were going to look like. I felt this deep desire to be more involved, to pour into women and to take lead. Yup, even more confused. BUT I felt like a huge weight had been lifted. I had been pushing back, running, refusing for so long. I finally felt free, satisfied and at ease.

Then the confusion became clear, things fell into place and a new adventure is starting.

Sometimes we say no, sometimes we are scared, sometimes we want to take small, safe steps. But sometimes, God calls us to say yes, go the path of the unknown and take the plunge -- to have faith and lean on Him, Him alone. The outcome He has planned is FAR greater than we can ever imagine. It will be the ride of a lifetime.

- - -  



So, the 'yeses' -- I am going to be leading my Tuesday night group that consists of the most amazing, precious women. This totally terrifies be because our previous leader, Mallory, is the most amazing, awesomest, coolest, smartest gal eva. But, I'm already seeing the amazing things God has in store for her, myself and this amazing group of women. Super excited!

Also, I finally said yes to co-leading at church in the area that I serve. This was something I had been saying 'no' to ohhhh for over a year now. Yeah, about time. I know.

And, I know so much more is in store.


---- Congrats for reading the longest blog post ever without pictures. You win the awesome reader award! ----